| #35 | 1/12/05 | #3 |
Welcome, folks. Ambush Bug here with another installment in the ongoing symphony of comic book criticism we like to call AICN Comics! The @$$holes have churned out another groovy batch of reviews this week. Let’s get right to them and see what’s in this week’s pull.
(Click title to go directly to the review)
SHE-HULK #11
NIGHTWING #101
THE PULSE #7
HELLBLAZER: RARE CUTS TPB
Two TWO BITS #1
NEW THUNDERBOLTS #4
Buzz’s Book Club: THE CIRCUS OF DR. LAO
JSA #69
SPIDER-MAN/HUMAN TORCH #1
X-23 #1
Schleppy’s Moobie Review: ELEKTRA
CHEAP SHOTS!
SHE-HULK # 11
Written by Dan Slott
Art by Paul Pelletier
Published by Marvel
Reviewed by Me-Buzz
Have you ever looked through a really old Marvel Comic? Say an issue of FF when Lee and especially Kirby had hit their strides. It may have been in a MARVEL ESSENTIALS book or a reprint or a back issue. The comic was probably plotted by the artist, Kirby, and would often feature intriguing scenes of the heroes’ daily life that you couldn't understand at a glance. You wanted to read the issue to find out why the Thing was working on a hot rod or why that 60's coifed woman drove Sue out to the Frank Lloyd Wright house, etc.
If you look at most modern comics, you can tell exactly why things are happening. There's very little simple mystery. But a glance through SHE-HULK # 11 made me wonder why Doc Samson showed up at Jennifer Walters' door, who the star-faced guy cameoing in the law office was, why Southpaw was living with Jen and clocked her (I don't read every issue), and why the guy from CONTEST O' CHAMPIONS was acting as personal trainer to Titania.
I found out the answers to these questions and many more as I enjoyed my read here. And I became more and more convinced that writer Dan Slott does something unique among his contemporaries ... he reads comic books. I mean, not just the ones he's written. I'll bet he has a helluva pull list at his comic shop. He knows what's going on in other Marvel books and what has gone on in the past.
Dig this: he uses the continuity to make his own stories better. He uses other people's stories as a spring board for his own stories. This shouldn't be a surprise, but it is. A comic book writer who finds himself faced with problems created in the stories of others and uses his imagination to riff off them rather than ignoring them. What a concept!
Artist Paul Pelletier is an equal to Slott. Pelletier, too, seems to understand that great comic art existed between the Kirby/Ditko era and the rise of manga. I would describe his style as "comic book realistic" instead of "photo realistic." It isn't cartoony, but it's more fun than life.
BTW, on page 10, Jennifer expresses outrage at the idea that she slept with Juggernaut. What she should be outraged about is that in the panel just above, she's shown waking up with our own AICN Comics Critic, Ambush Bug.
NIGHTWING #101
Writer: Chuck Dixon/Scott Beatty
Pencils: Scott McDaniel
Inks: Andy Owens
Publisher: DC Comics
Reviewer: Ambush Bug
Plain and simple, Chuck Dixon is the Walter Hill of comic books. He does down and dirty action like no other in the comic biz. He understands that this is a visual as well as written medium and melds those two worlds seamlessly. This is a talent overlooked in today’s wordy world of comics. With the help of writer Scott Beatty, Dixon has crafted another winner with NIGHTWING #101.
I don’t think there is another writer out there that gets the Bat-Universe as Chuck Dixon does. He knows the intricacies of each character. He knows Dick is always trying to impress his mentor. He knows Alfred dutifully plays the mother figure in the relationship. He cleverly bounces these characters off of one another in a way that makes you realize that these are some of the most fleshed out characters in all of comicdom.
With the deft personal interaction between the players of this book and the action throughout, NIGHTWING #101 is a truly phenomenal read. Robin (Dick Grayson the soon-to-be Nightwing) and Batman have it out and he ends up packing his things and leaving. The events leading to this break-up involve an especially menacing Clayface. The first action sequence where a bat-ski-sled meets Clayface’s face is especially cool, as is the later sequence when Clayface retreats to the sewers and reforms himself with some smelly stuff. All of these sequences are fast paced and fun to read.
There is one thing that perplexed me about this issue and it involved questions I had about Clayface’s powers. I believe Dixon and Beatty take some liberties when it comes to Clayface’s powers, but there have been so many versions of this character, who’s to know what he can and can’t do. Despite this tiny flaw, this was a seamless and enjoyable read.
No action sequence would be worthwhile without visuals and artist Scott McDaniel pulls it off with flying colors. Dixon and Beatty take a backseat at times and really let McDaniel fly. Tiny details like the ski-marks along Clayface’s face after Robin runs the ski-sled into him are scattered throughout the series. McDaniel is using a bold line in this issue and it fits the intensity of the action and the heaviness of the tone of the book. McDaniel’s choice of angles and panel sizes are especially well done. There are some who do not like McDaniel’s art, but I can’t see why. His panels are clean and vibrant with motion and detail. He’s simply one of my favorite artists out there today.
This snippet of Dick Grayson’s past looks to be a good one. Dick’s road to becoming the hero he is today is fairly unknown to me and I’m looking forward to following this talented team of creators down this path. This is a good jumping on point for people who like some action with their super-heroing. Check it out.
Buzz' Bendis Bender Pt. 2
THE PULSE # 7
Written by Henry Krinkle ... uh, Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Brent Anderson
Published by Marvel
Reviewed by Buzz Maverik Buzzis
Re. THE PULSE # 7: I liked it. I liked it a lot. But I hope I never see another comic book series like it, so if you're a wannabe creator, you're influenced by this series, and if I happen to review your work, know that you're going down in flames.
Alan Moore has said that good work, such as his WATCHMEN and Miller's DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, have done more damage to comics than bad work has. Clearly, Brian Michael Bendis is doing some good work at Marvel. So the caveat should be, all future creators must honestly ask themselves if they're as talented as Bendis and if the answer is "No," then they should not try to imitate him in any way.
When I decided that I would review all of Mr. Bendis' Marvel work shipped in January 2005, I mentioned to a reviewer who shall be nameless -- Dave F. -- that I would see if Mr. Bendis' stuff was as "mature, intelligent, sophisticated, adult" and all the crap that his fans always say. Those adjectives are things you're not supposed to be able to appreciate if you have some problem with their heroes work. Dave said that the main thing Bendis does better than almost anybody in comics is to get at the emotions of the characters.
Dave, for the first time in your life, you are right!
In some sort of SECRET WAR tie in, we find Jessica Jones in the aftermath of a mystery villain attack frantically searching for her boyfriend Luke Cage, a guy I like to call Power Man. Bendis makes you feel Jessica's frustration. We've all been in situations where we need to speak to people on the phone and we get voice mail after voice mail. Bendis also makes you feel her disorientation, loss, and fury. And the search that Jessica and reporter Ben Urich make of a ravaged NYC is both logical and interesting.
I particularly enjoyed the ending and who the bad guys were. They referenced a certain uneven sci-fi movie trilogy but were differentiated enough not to piss me off.
Also, one of Ben Urich's lines was superb. "... he didn't do this. All he has is a billy club..." But one was bloody stupid. Jessica says she's calling a number she really doesn't want to call and Urich says, "Record store." Not appropriate at all for the scene and Editor in Chief Joe Robertson (some cool credit jokes) would never have allowed it.
Brent Anderson. Didn't he call himself Brent Eric Anderson for a while? He's always been a good artist, dating back to the X-MEN graphic novel GOD LOVES, MAN KILLS. Of course, in his X-MEN fill ins, he always used to draw Cyclops' power beam curving. I also remember a caricature he drew of himself in a New Universe title he did for Marvel and how Shooter referred to him as a penciler who could give ninjas lessons in silence. Here, Anderson does excellent, realistic art depicting non-cliched devastation, fine details and waves of intense emotion. This is a fairly dense story and the art more than does its' job of carrying things along.
Even if I wasn't reviewing every Bendis book this month, Michael Mayhew's cover still would have attracted my eye. Nick Fury looks a little bit like Jim Steranko and the black and white stripes echo Steranko's opt/pop art style. I'm not wild about the J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson, though.
This makes two down on my Bendis Bender. I have to say, I'm very pleased and can unreservedly recommend you go on a Bendis Bender of your own.
HELLBLAZER: RARE CUTS TPB
Writers: Jamie Delano, Grant Morrison & Garth Ennis
Artists: David Lloyd, Sean Phillips, Richard Piers Rayner & Mark Buckingham
Publisher: DC Comics/Vertigo
Reviewed by Dave Farabee
This isn’t what you’d call an essential collection, but it is a welcome one. HELLBLAZER readers already know that, despite the many HELLBLAZER trades, the series is far from being completely collected. Hey, any book that runs two hundred issues is gonna have some lulls! What RARE CUTS collects is a sampling of the bright spots from those periods, single issues and two-parters by three notable luminaries: series’ founder Jamie Delano, odd-man-out Grant Morrison, and a single story by fan-fave Garth Ennis.
If I was dropping a letter grade, I’d give this one a solid B. Honest truth is that there’s a reason these stories haven’t been collected before, but if you’re a fan of bastard conjurer John Constantine or you just want to stave off fears of Keanu’s upcoming bastardization of the character, here’s what you’ll get:
“Newcastle: A Taste of Things to Come” – This is such a quintessential chapter in John Constantine’s life that I’m honestly shocked it hasn’t been collected before. It’s the story that the entire first year of HELLBLAZER was building up to in the late ‘80s: the much-whispered tale of John Constantine’s earliest, greatest failure. The story itself is set in the late ‘70s and follows John Constantine and his troupe of counter-culture punkers and magicians in a horribly botched exorcism set to haunt them forever. Literally.
Looking back on the issue, it retains its power to unnerve, and still has one of the grossest concepts ever to make its way into a comic: the “Norfulthing,” a Burroughs-esque monster evoked by a sexually abused girl. It’s barely glimpsed, but the description from the girl will stick with you: “Partly it’s a giant dog and partly it’s a monkey with a purple bum, like at the zoo. But worser than that, it’s all insidey-out…” If there’s a weakness to the outing, it’s the art, almost too literalist and photo-referenced. Not big on the coloring, either, a garish transitional point between ‘80s superhero coloring and the not-yet-established Vertigo palette. Still and all, a seminally bleak outing for Constantine. Piss and vinegar youth meets grim reality.
“Early Warning” and “How I Learned to Love the Bomb” - Somewhat disposable outing from Grant Morrison here, redeemed by art from David Lloyd (V FOR VENDETTA). In it, Constantine joins a friend for a pagan festival in a failing Northern English town. The backdrop is controversy over an American nuclear missile base on the outskirts of town. Pagan mysticism meets modern-day fears with a heavy hand (and a somewhat hurried pace), but Lloyd’s grotesque festival masks, grim silhouettes and charcoal-art textures lend the story visual credibility.
“Dead Boy’s Heart” - Delano’s back for this oddball tale of a formative incident in the childhood of John Constantine. Memorable scenes of childhood cruelty and a terrible home life set the stage for Constantine’s first, primitive experience with magic. No favors done with Sean Phillips’ nascent art, angular and a little like a lesser outing from Steve Leialoha, but Delano’s writing seems matured from the “Newcastle” story. Just as bleak, though. Really captures the weight of childhood anxieties over the unknowable adult world.
“This is the Diary of Danny Drake” - Garth Ennis provides the trade’s shot in the arm with this standalone about a man haunted by the diary where he’s kept all his dirty secrets over the years. Not much in the way of the trademark Ennis black humor, but the guy sure as hell knows how to write a single issue with punch. David Lloyd’s on the art working a style notably more linear than the one he used on his shadowy outing with Morrison. Confident, spare, and effective.
“In Another Part of Hell” - One last outing from Delano, and it’s a perfectly excellent and wildly fucked-up finale. With Sean Phillips art that’s as strong as his current SLEEPER work (and a little more detailed), we flash back to a young Constantine rooming with best friend Chas Chandler. The threat here’s blackly humorous – Chas’s tyrannical, obese mother and her trained, shit-flinging monkey – but Delano plays her so disgustingly that you’re just praying for Constantine to do his beleaguered pal right by doing away with ol’ “Queenie.” That Constantine’s plan revolves around seducing the monkey he’s determined is Queenie’s magical familiar...well, it’s pretty much gotta be the series’ most bizarre moment ever. Who can believe that it wasn’t Garth Ennis who wrote it?
In addition to the various stories, the trade also features a map of Constantine’s London and a detailed timeline of his life (also printed in the recent HELLBLAZER SECRET FILES). The timeline’s so specific – Constantine born in ’53, his infamous 40th birthday in ’93, etc. - that it seems Vertigo may actually be aging him in “real time.” Now I wasn’t under the impression that he was supposed to be in his early ‘50s, but with the magical blood running through his veins…who knows? I like the idea of giving this seminal Vertigo character a finite life. He deserves a little closure, whether death eventually sees him in Heaven or (far more likely) H-E-Double Hockeysticks.
Consider RARE CUTS a worthy purchase, though not particularly suited for new readers. It’s also a pretty heady dose of misanthropy, so even for the longtime Constantine fans: approach with a bit of caution. Most HELLBLAZER trades spread their bleakness over the course of many issues, but when writers are working with one-shots and two-parters, you get concentrated doses. May be hazardous to your mental health.
TWO BITS # 1
Published by Image
Reviewed by Two Buzz
THE IMAGINARIES
Written by Ben Avery
Art by Mike S. Miller & Greg Titus
LULLABY
Creator & artist Hector Sevilla
Written by Mike S. Miller & Ben Avery
Image Comics has an interesting little anthology here for us. Apparently, this book is going to feature small sections, previews really, of two new comics. The art will be black and white, possibly un-inked (or so it appears to my untrained eye). For only a quarter.
Time will tell if future issues are as cohesive in theme or creative teams as this one. Mike S. Miller and Ben Avery worked on both stories in some capacity and it shows in the similarity of themes.
Both THE IMAGINARIES and LULLABY deal with a loss of innocence and the fantasy world that results from that loss. THE IMAGINARIES is slightly more successful. A boy learns that his parents are divorcing and suddenly his imaginary friend, Superhero G, is in another world with a Ken and Barbie set of dopplegangers, trying to get into a city which will provide them refuge. In a scene reminiscent of the Collector guarding the gates of Barter Town in the stupid film MAD MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME, a cigar smoking snowman makes the discarded imaginary friends list their skills. I'd be willing to bet THE IMAGINARIES was in the works before FOSTER'S HOME FOR IMAGINARY FRIENDS and the creators probably said, "Oh shit...let's do it anyway."
LULLABY has more beautiful art than THE IMAGINARIES, but it's one of these ALICE IN WONDERLAND themed fantasies and frankly, since THE DREAMCHILD, ALICE has given me the creeps so I'm the wrong reviewer.
New Thunderbolts #4
Fabian Nicieza with Kurt Busiek: Writers
Tom Grummett: artist
Marvel Comics: Publisher
Vroom Socko: Pulling Strings
Okay folks, don’t kid yourself. This issue features guest star Wolverine on the cover, and ties into Millar’s “Enemy of the State” storyline. That means you have to buy it.
All kidding aside, the re-launch of THUNDERBOLTS is quickly becoming the most Marvel-Like of all the current Marvel comics. Don’t get me wrong, I like a good mystery (THE PULSE) or a comedy (SHE-HULK) or even a balls-on-the-glass action story (NEW AVENGERS). But a book that can do all those things together, and more, is the book that’s going to win my devotion.
In this issue alone we have plenty of light moments, including a hilarious comment about the current WOLVERINE storyline and several moments between the team and new member Radioactive Man. There’s also plenty of bonding moments between the other new members, some insight into Mach-IV’s relationship with the superhero community, and one or two other subplots that are brewing along nicely.
…
Subplots.
You know, the little story moments that don’t pertain to the current plot, but built to a payoff two or three arcs down the line. It’s one of those things that serialized storytelling does so perfectly. C’mon, some of you must have heard of these before…
In any case, the real highlight of this issue doesn’t deal with these little moments, but with a sweet as all hell ten page brawl between Wolverine, Baron Strucker, and the all new, all different Swordsman. Tom Grummett has done plenty of great work in the past, most notably on his and Busiek’s late, lamented POWER COMPANY for DC. But this section is magnificent. The art and story play off each other to perfection in this section, resulting in one of the best one-on-one (on-one) fights I’ve seen from a Marvel comic in a good long while.
Excluding the fight, the two best elements of this issue are the character mystery involving the Swordsman and the narration of the Purple Man. This is the first appearance of Killgrave since his revamp that hasn’t been penned by Bendis. I have to say, Nicieza’s take on his “I am the writer” mentality is executed even better than in ALIAS. There’s a sense of an omnipotent perspective to his narration that illustrates just how cunning the bastard can be, while toning down the notion that the Purple Man knows knows that he’s a comic character. In ALIAS he was a dangerous madman, but here he’s becoming a more traditionally villainous character, while still working as a depraved lunatic. If more writers use him this well, we may see this former joke of a bad guy become a Kingpin-level menace in the Marvel U.
And then there’s the Swordsman. In the grand Thunderbolts tradition of the Crimson Cowl, Citizen V, and Scourge, we have another mystery character. Each one of these people was someone we knew, someone who has a place in the Marvel Universe. Trying to follow all the hints to figure out just when we’ve seen this unrecognizable figure before has been one of the most fun aspects of reading this title, and I cannot wait for more clues to be presented. Just who is this guy? Hawkeye? Nah. Zemo? Doubtful. Nomad? Been there, done that. He’s someone who’s met Logan before, and it’s implied that he was originally a villain… See, this is where the fun is.
Oh yeah, New Thunderbolts is definitely where the fun is.
Because reading is FUN-ky smelling ...
THE CIRCUS OF DR. LAO
by Charles G. Finney
Illustrated by Boris Artzybasheff
Published by Bison Books / University of Nebraska Press
Reviewed by Buzz Maverik
Buried somewhere deep in the colon of my mind are memories of THE 7 FACES OF DR. LAO, a George Pal film starring Tony Randall as a set of somewhat sinister, somewhat whimsical circus characters. That's right, Tony "Felix Unger" Randall. I remember scenes from the Channel 7 afternoon movie when I was a kid: a satyr, called Pan but whom I thought was the devil, cavorting around with a pre-I DREAM O' JEANNIE Barbara Eden. In another scene, a snake talks. I also assumed the snake was the devil. For that matter, I assume all of you are the devil.
LAO is on DVD. It was reviewed on AICN and it seems a lot of people have fond memories of this cult classic.
Turns out it was based on a book written in 1935 by a young Arizona newspaper man named Charles Finney. This is one of the weirdest books I've ever read in my life and I've read THE ILLUMINATUS TRILOGY by Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea, and NAKED LUNCH by William S. Burroughs. When I say "weirdest," I mean that in the best possible sense, of course.
The story is so astonishingly simple that it is almost a sketch. Abalone, AZ, is a sleepy little desert town filled with prosaic dullards. One day, the world's strangest circus shows up to perform. The Circus of Dr. Lao, a tiny little outfit, without clowns, high wires, elephants, etc. as many of the locals comment. Instead, Dr. Lao brings a real unicorn, a werewolf, Satan, a sea serpent, Medusa and possible dimensional rifts. The townspeople of Abalone are disappointed. I mean, sure, Dr. Lao has a centuries-old wizard who can conjure demons, but he's a lousy fortune teller.
The book has no real protagonist. While it offers multiple points of view, most are the same, summed up by a patron of the peepshow who sees nymphs attempting to seduce a faun but would have preferred to see dancing girls.
This edition includes the original, cartoon style illustrations by Boris Artzybasheff that add to the surrealism of the story. One wonders what was made of some of the more risqué pictures in 1935.
JSA #69
Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Don Kramer
Inks: Keith Champagne
Publisher: DC Comics
Reviewer: Ambush Bug
I’m impressed. Damn impressed. Sixty-nine issues ago, I didn’t know anything about the JSA. I couldn’t name five members. I knew they were a bunch of old farts that fought evil during WWII. I knew their membership included Old Green Lantern, Old Flash, some guy who looks like Hawkman (but how could that be if Hawkman was in the JLA?), and a guy who looked like Batman except he wore a cat on his head. But that was about it.
What impresses me about the JSA comic book is that I now not only do I know about this gigantic cast of characters writer Geoff Johns has whittled together, but I understand all of the continuity that goes with each character and actually have grown to care about each and every unique and fully-realized member of the JSA in a mere sixty-nine issues.
JSA #69 is a testament to this.
In this single issue, we have fourteen characters on an adventure that crosses time and I care about what happens to each and every one of them. Any other book that tried to squeeze in fourteen characters would seem rushed, crowded, and emotionally vacant. Not so with this book. Geoff Johns takes to time to place each member of the JSA, past and present, in a unique and character-driven danger that had me both cheering for the sheer entertainment value and cringing in fear of what will become of these characters. This isn’t like the Teen Titans or the Avengers where I think one or two members are damn cool, but often grow bored when someone like Vision or Beast Boy take center stage. I’m telling you, I was rootin’ and hopin’ that everything will all work out for every character present.
When Stargirl confronts a distraught and hospitalized Jack Knight (aka Starman), I felt Jack’s pain and Stargirl’s frustration.
When today’s Mr. Terrific is forced to sit at the back of the train because he was African American, I felt sorrow and realized the difference between the Terrific of today and the one he is tailing in the past.
When today’s Dr. Mid-Night meets the Mid-Night of the past, I felt the awe the present day Mid-night had for meeting his predecessor for the first time.
And that’s just six of the fourteen interactions between present day JSA-ers and their counterparts from the past.
The power of Geoff Johns’ writing is a what makes this the best super hero team book out there anywhere. In sixty-nine issues, he has developed these fantastic characters. Through a multitude of story arcs which focus and realize the character of each member, Johns has created a team where no one character stands out more than another. Johns has constructed the perfect team book, where I am invested in each and every character simply because he has taken the time to develop them and make me care for them.
There is a part of me that wishes this was my first issue of JSA just so that I could seek out the trades and read every issue up until this one to experience and become invested in these wonderful characters that Johns has created and fleshed out all over again. I urge you to give this series a try. Buy issue #68 (the first part of this story arc) and read the two of these books. You’ll be sucked in. You’ll be as curious about these characters as I was when I first picked up JSA. And you’ll soon be as invested as I am with this perfectly crafted team of heroes. Geoff Johns has written some pretty amazing things in the past, but it’s his careful grip on the enormous cast in JSA that impresses me and never fails to entertain me the most.
SPIDER-MAN/HUMAN TORCH # 1
Written by Dan Slott
Art by Ty Templeton
Published by Marvel
Reviewed by Buzz Maverik
Ignore the lame, lifeless cover Marvel saddled on this terrific comic. They should have used Ty Templeton's opening splash page of Spidey and Johnny Human Torch racing over the City if they wanted to get us to look inside.
This comic is well worth opening up. Ty Templeton doesn't go Kirbyesque, but he does capture the sense of Kirby weirdness from the Subterraneans (not to be confused with Jack Kerouac's beatnik characters) to the Mole Man being all nostrils and bad teeth. Templeton is so good that his artwork feels like (but doesn't necessarily look like) Kirby drew the Torch and Ditko drew Spidey.
This comic is a period piece. No, that doesn't mean that it's going to be bitchy and bloaty, dipshits. A caption says "Ten years ago..." but it's really over 40 years ago. Johnny Storm is a Soc, dating pert high schooler Dorrie Evans. Peter Parker is a nerd, with a nice, even crew cut, wearing a sweater vest and tie everywhere he goes. What I love about the setting of this comic is that it is not time specific. It takes place in the 20th Century, with Pete, Johnny, Dorrie, and Betty Brant all looking like Kennedy-era kids. The Torch says things like "Sweet!" and "...bad hair day..." but the anachronisms are clearly on purpose.
May I start praising Dan Slott by saying that he gets Aunt May right! She's supposed to be this sweet, dim bulb who thinks Spider-Man is a punk but that Johnny Storm is a suitable friend for her wuss nephew. You get the feeling that the Parkers probably have plenty of money, but like Uncle Billy in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, Aunt May leaves it laying around in public so Pete has to do things like agree to be the Human Torch's personal photographer. Much better than the smart, sassy Aunt May with the cell phone and the stylish haircut who gives practical advice to Pete and Mary Jane. That one doesn't exist and she was never dead and the Green Goblin, who never had kids with Gwen Stacey, never hired an actress to play Aunt May, got it?
One of the best things about Dan Slott is that, almost alone among anybody currently writing for Marvel -- that includes you, Bendis; and even you Mr. Kirkman as you write the other FF promo comic FF: FOES -- has realized that you can know almost everything about the old stories simply by hustling down to Le Comix Emporium and picking up the Marvel Essentials. Mr. Slott knows that the Torch spoke at Parker's school assembly, inspiring Spidey to take another shot at Doc Ock, and seemed to think Pete was a deranged fan. He also knows that the Torch tried to bully Pete for talking to Dorrie Evans. I guess we're not far enough along to go into the time they met when the Torch was considering attending Empire State University.
Yeah, Mr. Slott has to love the old stuff. In a truly insane move worthy of a STRANGE TALES Torch story, Johnny attacks the Lateverian Embassy so he can beat Dr. Doom on his own. This reminded me of a Larry Lieber / Dick Ayers 60s story in which the Torch attacked Namor for the same reason. Of course, the Torch gets his butt kicked and Spidey has to save him ... but outsmarting Doom. Let's just say that Doom may be the world's greatest evil genius, but he's not a New Yorker.
But the best scene in the book is Spidey's encounter with a future member of the Frightful Four. Or is it the climax, which would be a crime to spoil for you.
Since I know that Joe Quesada and Dan Buckley read my reviews as soon as this column goes up, I have a suggestion for them. Take whatever you're paying Bendis and give that to Dan Slott. And take whatever you're paying Millar, or maybe Hitch, and give that to Ty Templeton (who is a damned good writer himself as well as an artist).
X-23 #1 (of 6)
Writer: Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost
Artist: Billy Tan
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewed by Dave Farabee
The character of “X-23” sounds like something that could’ve been cobbled together at a marketing retreat: take the claws and feral violence of Wolverine and map it onto a teenage girl. Gender, angst and age make her ‘tween friendly and potentially appealing to the girl readers pushing manga sales through the roof. The Wolverine connection creates identification and mystery (Is she his daughter? A clone? Does she really have two claws on each hand and one in each foot?). Throw in some pervy sex-appeal by making her a gothy teen prostitute (as already exploited in Marvel’s NYX) and you’ve got yourself a fan-favorite!
Or so Marvel would have us believe. Truth be told, I haven’t heard much anyone beyond Marvel’s marketing department clamoring for this character, but Marvel’s gonna by god convince us we need her!
So do we?
I’ll have to get back to you on that. She’s not so much in the first issue of her own comic.
Deja Nu-Marvel, eh?
Okay, for the record, yes, she’s Wolverine’s clone. Oops. Spoiler warning! Her origin mines the whole “Weapon X” angle of Wolverine’s past, the revelation being that she was grown from the one sample of his DNA that survived his big bust-out from the eeeeeeevil Weapon X lab, lo those many years ago.
This first issue takes the form of a soap opera going down at a modern, slightly less eeeeeeeevil incarnation of Weapon X (okay, they’re just not as overt about it). Our lead at the moment is Dr. Sarah Kinney. She’s a driven, mostly amoral genetic scientist and her particular angst is some clumsily flashed-back scenes of being abused as a child. She butts heads with the project supervisor, the handsome, driven, and pissy Zander Rice. His angst is that his pop was offed getting that one sample of Wolverine’s DNA (lo those many years ago), and besides that, guy’s just not making any progress creating the next Wolverine. Also, he’s seeing the boss’s wife on the sly – you can spot her as the one person in the complex who’s wearing form-fitting red vinyl instead of a lab coat. No kiddin’.
“Look,” Dr. Kinney actually says at one point, “I’m not interested in joining the cast of a soap opera.” Too late, sister!
Beyond the general level of cheese, the writing’s not terrible. I even thought the explanation for making Wolverine’s clone a girl was pretty clever: the Y chromosome in the DNA sample is damaged, so why waste time trying to re-create it when you can just double-up on the old X chromosome and make a girl instead? It might all be BS pseudoscience, but it was enough to be interesting. Explains Sarah:
“While technically it would not be a clone at that point, it would be, for all intents and purposes, a genetic twin. The mutant DNA would still be active, and the abilities you’re looking for would still manifest as in the original.”
Not bad, and some of the soap operatics even lead to a little dramatic fruition by the end of the issue. For a moment there I got to thinking about the current Batgirl over at DC – how I disliked her from afar as yet another addition to Batman’s brood, but came to appreciate what the writers did with her as her origin was slowly revealed. With the amoral but vaguely sympathetic Dr. Kinney to be X-23’s surrogate mother, I at least see similar possibilities. Emphasis on the word possibilities. I still innately dislike watering down unique heroes with variants on ‘em, and yet, if the story’s good…
I don’t think this’ll be the miniseries that brings the character to fruition, though. The solid premise behind X-23 is brought down by hacky characterization – Kinney’s past abuse feels particularly tacked-on - and the Weapon X angle feels played out in its umpteenth incarnation. Plus the series is packin’ a Top Cow artist, and that just never says quality, does it? Actually, Billy Tan’s storytelling is pretty clear, his formal drafting skills solid, but the trademark tentative Top Cow linework can’t help but cast the pall of illegitimacy on the series. Wolverine had Andy Kubert for his backstory, or better still, Barry Windsor-Smith on the original WEAPON X. Mannequin Top Cow character designs and babes can’t match those standards and I have to wonder why Marvel didn’t go more A-list with this series they’re clearly pushing so hard.
So by the end of the first issue, X-23’s only real character development is having her umbilical cord cut. Not quite the next generation equivalent of a “great power/great responsibility” moment, but I’ve decided the character’s at least got some vague potential. I’d just look for it outside her origin story.
Greetings, I am the Moderator, the omniscient and lonely voice of reason haunting the halls of @$$hole HQ. Last week, Official @$$Hole Mascot, Schleppy the Monkey jimmied the lock on his cage and made his monkey way to the local cineplex to see the latest comic book to silver screen adaptation. You see, the @$$holes don’t do movie reviews, but that doesn’t stop Schleppy from doing them. So prepare yourself for another edition of Schleppy’s Moobie Reviews or “How the Hell Did That Monkey Get in the Movie Theater?!?”
bUH-nANERS!!! SCHLEPPY gO see ELEKTRA mOOBIE. nO monkey iN this MOOBIE. tHAT make SCHLEPPY’s eyes cRY. SCHLEPPY’S EYES cry WHEN ELEKTRA DIE in B-FLECK moobie. but SCHLEPPY feel bETTER WHEN ZOD bring ELEKTRA back wITH ANCIENT MISTER MYAGI hEALING power. mOOBIE have nICE kong-FOOEY. FOR sOME reason, SCHLEPPY‘S diaper shrink wHEN ELEKTRA KISS tYPHOID mary. ELEKTRA fight LOTS oF BAD guys iN mOOBIE. BUT mOST POWERFUL bad guy HAS aNCIENT deadly POWER oF SHEETS!! ELEKTRA no mATCH FOR aNCIENT DEADLY power of SHEETS!!! every ONE hAVE cool POWER iN MOOBIE eXCEPT ELEKTRA. ELEKTRA‘S pOWER seem tO be ABLE to WALK in SLO-mO. ELEKTRA dO tHAT a LOT iN MOOBIE. moobie OKAY bUT it was nO GORILLAS IN THE MIST. bUH-nANERS!!!
JLA #110 - I can’t be too mean to Kurt Busiek because they guy’s done such fine work of late with ASTRO CITY, SUPERMAN: SECRET IDENTITY, and CONAN, but…does he really think readers pick up JLA to read about issue after issue of JLA doppelgangers and the rise and fall of the Qwardian Empire? Part four of this aimless arc further cements its status as a colossal misfire. - Dave
CAPTAIN AMERICA/FALCON #11 - This series has been cursed from the get-go. People have blamed Bart Sears’ bizarre art on the first few issues of the series for its downfall; but Priest has not done his best at telling a cohesive story so far either. Apparently, we have a guy named Admiral Jimmy who created both a guy called the Anti-Cap (who he put in a prison only later to be broken out by Falcon) and a virus called the Anti-MODOK, created from AIM’s big headed monster MODOK. Anti-Cap teams with Falcon to take on Anti-MODOK, while Actual Cap teams with a SHIELD agent to take on Actual MODOK. MODOK and Anti-MODOK switch bodies numerous times. And then… Uhm… Well… Some other shit happens and then… Uhm… Long story short for those keeping score: that’s two Caps, two MODOKs, and one confused comic book critic. - Bug
FABLES #33 - Yet another great issue of the best monthly Vertigo book. How great is it? There's a terrific scene involving Flycatcher where the bug-eating miscreant doesn't even appear on-panel. But it's the mystery that shines, as it always does in FABLES. Someone has been smothering Fables, and Snow confronts them in the finale. As has happened before with this book, I had the solution in hand before it was revealed, and as before, it was how the reveal was executed that floored me. The three pages where the killer and Snow White talk is absolutly heartbreaking, and if Miss White wasn't your favorite character in this book before, she will be now. - Vroom
PUNISHER #16 - Simply the best Garth Ennis PUNISHER arc to date. In this, the fourth installment in the “Mother Russia” story arc, Frank, a SHIELD agent, and a little girl carrying a deadly virus are trapped in a Russian missile silo and surrounded by Russian military. The only way into the silo is through an elevator shaft and boy, does Frank take advantage of that! This issue is heavy on the carnage and action and builds to an amazing battle between Frank and the tiny kung fu powerhouse, The Mongolian. Ennis looks to have finally caught his stride with this title, balancing out the unique characters with some good hard core moments of Frank and intense action and suspense. This is the Punisher I always knew Ennis could write and leagues better than the previous gross-out humor series featuring the same character. - Bug
