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AICN COMICS! @$$Holes Review SUPERMAN/BATMAN, FANTASTIC FOUR, ABADAZAD, RUNAWAYS, and Vroom
Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
Great stuff this week, and I must admit to having stolen Village Idiot’s layout for my own DVD column. As always, a pleasure, guys.
Hey everybody, Village Idiot here.
Let me just take an opportunity to thank you all again for whatever patience and determination it took for you to get this page up. We never know what will be posted the same morning we are; whether it'll be more news about Frank Darabount writing something, another dispatch from a film festival, or God forbid, a STAR WARS or BATMAN tidbit of some kind.
But what we do know is that even if you're tempted to get your movie news elsewhere, AICN is the only place you'll find our inimitable brand of mildly amusing, middle-brow comic reviews. So when you're deciding whether to click that reload button one more time, remember: There is no @$$hole at Dark Horizons.
And now, speaking of reviews...
Table of Contents
(Click title to go directly to the review)
RUNAWAYS #13
ABADAZAD #2
FANTASTIC FOUR #511
NEGATION WAR #1
THE WALKING DEAD #5
SUPERMAN/BATMAN #8
Cheap Shots!
Tales from the Crevice - CEREBUS, Part V
RUNAWAYS #13
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Penciler: Adrian Alphona
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewer: Sleazy G
Y'know, I don't know what your problem is. I mean, seriously. We've been telling you to buy RUNAWAYS since the beginning. In fact, all of the reviewers and critics have been telling you to buy RUNAWAYS. Hell, the other writers and editors at Marvel have been telling you to buy RUNAWAYS. Everybody who reads this book knows it's one of the best-written books on the market today. A quick glance as the sales figures, though, tells me you guys aren't listening to any of us. Enough already. Brian K. Vaughan has just started the second year of this series with a perfect jumping-on point for new readers, so quit crappin' around and start buying RUNAWAYS. Now.
What? Still here? You guys really don't listen, huh? Fine. We'll go through this again so that you guys can get a better idea what you're missing out on. This is a book that has everything you need in a comic. You've got a secret criminal organization, aliens, black magic, time travel, a pet raptor, action, drama, laughs...there's practically nothing missing. It sounds like so much it could become overwhelming, but the writing is so good that it's always easy to follow and loads of fun.
Here are the basics: there are six kids ranging in age from around seven or eight up to their mid-teens. These six kids come from six different families, and after witnessing their parents commit murder they go on the run. Their parents, being criminals, are more than a little concerned that their children are gone and may know too much. It turns out the parents are far more influential than the kids realized, however, and they're able to manipulate local law enforcement, so the kids have to go to ground. They gradually discover more about their parents, and some of them find they have special abilities, tools or pets. They find a place to hide while they try and figure out how to avoid their parents and put their new discoveries to use fighting crime. They bicker and squabble, they defend each other against outsiders, and they struggle with what they're slowly uncovering about themselves, their families, and their abilities. Unlike some books with large casts, each one of these kids has their own distinct personalities, and Vaughan does a great job of giving each of them the face time they deserve.
In issue 13, Vaughan drops a lot of new information on the kids (and us by extension). It turns out the brains of the operation, Alex, has finally managed to start deciphering the written abstract of their parents' organization, The Pride. It turns out their parents weren't always criminal masterminds; each pair of parents was mystically summoned 20 years ago from completely different walks of life. They were summoned by the Gibborim, mythical evil six-fingered giants who are thousands of years old. The Gibborim are too weak to enact their plan to wipe out humanity and restore the world to the way it was when they still dominated. The Gibborim make an offer to the families: help us regain power and you will be greatly rewarded for the next 25 years, at which time only half a dozen of you will be chosen to survive while the other half perish with the rest of humanity. The kids are shocked to discover, though, that at some point the parents decided they would all sacrifice their chance at survival in favor of having their kids take their places. Vaughan manages to introduce all of these elements into the story with the same deft writing that has made this book a standout from the beginning.
The art has been fantastic on this book from day one as well. The characters are all easily identifiable, the action scenes look great, the coloring is fantastic...there just hasn't been a single badly drawn panel yet. Vaughan's clearly putting the art team through the wringer, asking them to draw interdimensional portals and evil giants and vampires and dinosaurs and...and it seems like no matter what ideas he throws out the art team just nails it. I was especially impressed by the designs on the newly introduced Gibborim. They have a look completely unlike anything else we've seen so far in the title, and it feels right because it helps reinforce their otherworldly nature. The pet raptor is always impressive as well, often drawn with the intelligence you see when your pet dog gives you that questioning head-tilt. The dino can go from cuddly pet to scary attack creature pretty quickly, and the artists always manage to capture that as well. It's a very impressive and appealing book visually.
We've all made the mistake of buying books out of habit even though we're not enjoying them anymore. Maybe it's because the letter X is in the title, or because we've always bought the book and don't want to drop it just because it's been lousy for three or four years. Then we've all sat around and complained about the drop in quality and said we wished there were better books out there. Well, here it is—a Better Book. A fun, exciting, interesting, well-written and drawn book. This is the kind of book we all say we want to read. Pick up a few issues and give RUNAWAYS a shot—you'll suddenly find out why we've all been praising it so highly for 13 issues now. If you can't bring yourself to do it because you can't afford to pick up a new title, then you need to seriously consider dropping that book you haven't been enjoying for a year or two now anyway and replacing it with this one. It's consistently one of the best reads of the month, and I'd hate for any of you to keep missing out on it. I'd also hate to lose this book to low readership, because I'd miss it dearly every month. I find myself reading the last page of every issue and wishing I didn't have to wait four weeks to get more, and that feeling is what hooked me on comics to begin with. RUNAWAYS helps remind me of what the medium is capable of and why I fell in love with it as a kid, and that's something worth working to save.
ABADAZAD #2
Writer: J.M. DeMatteis
Artist: Mike Ploog
Publisher: CrossGen Comics
Reviewed by Cormorant
Back when I was a loveable little urchin of a kid, I made a yearly ritual out of watching THE WIZARD OF OZ when it ran on network TV. These weren't quite pre-VCR days, but they were pre-my-family-buying-a-VCR days, and there was definitely something special about a movie that only aired once a year. Didn't hurt that it was a great movie – visually astounding, a little creepy, and backed by some pretty witty musical numbers to boot. Eventually my fondness for the movie went a step further and I started reading the Oz books. What surprised me then, and what many folks still don't know, is that Frank Baum actually wrote fourteen Oz books between 1900 and 1920. You can even read 'em for free here – thank you public domain, the legal version of file sharing!
Alright, the books were a little girly - I admit it - but the descriptions of beautiful dresses and gemstone cities were pleasantly counterbalanced by creepy villains like the Nome King and moments of fantasy violence as when the Wizard (he eventually learned real magic in the books and was a sort of dapper badass) chopped a vegetable man in two with a sword. Fun stuff, and even when the writing was just so-so, there was always this sense that Baum was writing about a real place. Trippy, very trippy!
This is my long-winded way of saying CrossGen's ABADAZAD is pretty much a perfect fit for my sensibilities. The setting is the magical land of Abadazad, very much an Oz/Wonderland analog (with a touch of LITTLE NEMO IN SLUMBERLAND for good measure), but the approach is such that adults have just as much an entry point as kids. In the previous issue we met our heroine, Kate, a very real young girl dealing with a broken single-parent home and the disappearance several years prior of the younger brother she doted on. He'd always been enraptured with the Abadazad books which Kate read to him, and at the close of issue one Kate learned he might somehow be alive – alive but trapped in the magical world of Abadazad by the villainous Lanky Man. According to the kooky old African American woman living across the way from the apartment where Kate lived with her mother, Abadazad was real, and in her younger days she had been the inspiration for the "Little Martha" who was the star of the books. Of course, Little Martha was described in the books as a white girl with red hair and green eyes – the first of many changes the series' author apparently made to suit the period. Interesting twist!
Issue two picks up with Kate having just magically transported to Abadazad – yep, it's real! - where a younger incarnation of Martha serves as her guide. Of course, Kate's portrayed as a modern, skeptical Gen Y'er, with writer J.M. DeMatteis almost taking her sarcasm to annoying levels. Still, I think its an accurate reflection of real kids in abstract, if not perfectly in idiom. DeMatteis's real talent here is in showcasing the wondrous elements of Abadazad even as he reveals the somewhat menacing elements that didn't make the final cut in the kids' books. We're not talking Philip Jose Farmer adult revisionism here, but imagine if Oz's darker elements were a touch more sinister and its magical elements a bit more sublime – that's Abadazad.
A huge contributor to the overall effect of this book is artist Mike Ploog. Guy's channeling the detailed, illustrative style of ALICE IN WONDERLAND's John Tenniel and OZ's John R. Neill. As with their work, Ploog's art would look gorgeous in pure black and white, but the vivid CrossGen coloring works its gleaming magic ala the Technicolor of the WIZARD OF OZ movie. Love that black and white, but sometimes color is really what you want. Among the most impressive scenes is the ride on the Living Staircase, a sentient platform with the temperament of the FF's Ben Grimm and the ability to unfurl itself thousands of feet into the sky as a giant, twisting staircase. It takes Kate and Martha to the capital of Abadazad, a floating city that looks a little like a baroque version of the spaceship at the end of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND. And Ploog's characters are just as impressive, from the three-eyed queen of the realm with her Vishnu-blue skin to the cartoonishly villainous Lanky Man with his six insect-like arms.
Right now, ABADAZAD has posed far more questions than it's answered, but I'm enjoying the whirlwind tour of the kingdom we're getting as we head toward the answers. Part of that tour involves the occasional text page meant to be straight from the original dawn-of-the-20th-century Abadazad books. These are wittily written in the Oz/Wonderland tradition and serve as an artful means of setting the stage for encounters to come. They're typical of the smart planning that's gone into this series, a series I happily recommend to fans of any of the books from which it took inspiration and to anyone looking for a comic for a son or daughter, a younger brother or sister. Kate's coming-of-age story makes ABADAZAD something of an ASTRO CITY tale for the HARRY POTTER set, but there's more than enough straightforward adventuring to appease younger readers too.
Truly all-ages comics – who woulda thunk it?
FANTASTIC FOUR #511, "Hereafter" Part 3 of 3
Mark Waid - Writer
Mike Wieringo - Pencils
Karl Kesel - Inks
Published by Marvel Comics
A JonQuixote Review
God is the perfect poet,
Who in his person acts his own creations.
- Paracelsus (pt. II), Robert Browning
I had the ending of "Hereafter" Part 3 of 3 spoiled for me, much as I'm about to do for you. One of the dangers of spending too much time on the internet before making that weekly trek to the local comic shop. And, as such, upon picking up FANTASTIC FOUR #511, I was inclined not only to dislike this issue, but as to feel greatly disappointed.
And, upon first reading, my expectations were met.
Up until this point, I had been in awe of Waid and Company's run on FANTASTIC FOUR. Frankly, I think we have been seeing not only a landmark FF run, but some of the greatest comic books ever produced. And this 18-issue run that started with "Unthinkable" and ended with "Hereafter" has been nothing if not a true epic. Epic in scope, and epic in journey.
And to end it on a note of metafiction, to end it so pat…
But as I walked away from the issue, I discovered I couldn't escape it. It would not get out of my mind. I reconsidered it, and thought that if the last year or so of FANTASTIC FOUR is as big as stories get, and it is, then what possible bigger ending than the Fantastic Four meeting God? And, if so, what better choice of God for the Fantastic Four?
Honestly, there is none and there is none. And though I'm naturally inclined to dislike metafiction, Reed's journey, the engine that has driven this epic, is concluded before the fourth wall comes crumbling down. And yes, it's pat, but it's also sincere, and it's also time to move on.
Reed, Sue, and Johnny have gone to heaven in order to resurrect Ben Grimm. Something is holding Ben back, and though it's first thought to be Reed's unwillingness to let Ben go, as it turns out that it's Ben, unwilling to abandon his friends. Before the characters get to this realization, there must be catharsis. Reed's arc - Faust by way of Paraclesus – culminates with him finally breaking, and needing to be rescued by the love and friendship of his family.
And with that, with Reed realizing that he does not need to be isolated by his role as thinker and scientist, the Four are ready to continue their journey. And do so by meeting God.
Jack Kirby.
And before sending them home, to further adventures unknown, Jack wraps up a few loose ends. And yes, it's pat. But the voyage is over, and it's time to move on to the next one. The rest, really, is just details.
The Creator absolves Reed. He helps the Four understand their purpose. He reminds them that they are in control of their own destinies. And he gives them a souvenir. A beautiful souvenir; one that, if you think about it, provides a perfect ending to what has been a fantastic journey.
It took a little bit of work on my part, and a little bit of faith, but I got it. And it, in turn, got me. The last panel, it got me. And if you're lucky, it will get you too.
NEGATION WAR #1
Writer: Tony Bedard
Pencils: Paul Pelletier
Inks: Dave Meikis
Publisher: Crossgen
Reviewer: Ambush Bug
I have never read an issue of Crossgen's Sigil titles. I've heard the little yellow and orange Ying Yang symbol was a way to make the Crossgen Universe cohesive with histories and path's that crossed, overlapped, and intertwined. I heard a lot of blood, sweat, and tears were applied by the creators behind Crossgen to make it a universe for comic book fans who yearned for strong writing; for those who were sick of all of the fluff that drove these creators away from the Big Two companies. I heard all of this, but I never read a Sigil book and now I'm kind of disappointed that I missed out on it. After reading NEGATION WAR and reviewing ABADAZAD a few weeks back, I have to dub Crossgen as the Lil' Comic Book Company that Could. Despite low sales, canceled titles, and creator evacuations, the company still manages to churn out some rock solid comics.
NEGATION WAR #1 is everything a Marvel and DC comic should be but isn't. It's got world threatening menaces, guys in capes and cowls, team-ups, and all kinds of classic-stylee superheroics. Let me ask you this: When was the last time you read a Marvel comic that had two powerful beings fighting each other with such intensity and force, it destroys an entire city block? Think about it. That type of shit used to happen on a monthly basis, but now Marvel is so ashamed that they are writing about guys wearing spandex that they would rather have them mope around in plain clothes all of the time and tackle real world menaces like Fidel Castro, the Yakuza, and Congress. Well, all of that shit that used to make you run to the comic book store as a kid is in NEGATION WAR. These guys aren't ashamed that they are writing fiction about brightly colored heroes and villains. These guys aren't afraid to intersperse action into every other page of their books. Reading this book reminded why I loved comics in the first place. It had me wishing that I had been reading about these characters from their inception, so that I could be more invested in the story. It had me wishing that the guys running the show at Crossgen would stage a major coup at the Big Two and bring on another Golden Age of Comics for me to enjoy.
But enough with the wishing. In and of itself, NEGATION WAR #1 was an extremely strong read. It had me interested from page one. It's friendly to those who have never picked up a Sigil book (i.e., me) and I'm sure it'll be rewarding for those who have been reading CG from day one. The story is pretty straight forward: A powerful menace, Charon, is decimating his way through the cosmos. His next stop is Earth. His former partner and now foe, Appolyon, has gathered a group of heroes to thwart Charon's plans. Of course, Appolyon isn't that much of a do-gooder himself, so whoever wins, the good guys still lose. Plus Danik, a Trickster God, is causing another set of problems for everyone. This story has layers of evil, fallen heroes, and a group of misfits with a slim chance of hope and salvation. It's the stuff that good adventures are made of. I don't remember reading Tony Bedard's work before, but this guy knows how to tell a big budget story that overflows with superhero goodness.
Paul Pelletier and Dave Meikis' art is another reason I am strongly recommending this book. Crisp, clean, and classically rendered. This art team reminds me of a cross between Alan Davis and John Byrne when they were in their prime. This is how superhero stories should be told; with vivid camera angles, sharp lines, attention to detail, and boundless imagination. This art team could make any story read well. The panels are that dynamic. Fortunately, the story and art are equally top notch here.
I know what you're going to say. A recommendation for a Crossgen book? Whatever man. That shit ain't cool, it's boring. No. That's not boring. Boring is a book filled with non-stop talking heads and pulse-less plot movement where the hero who's name is on the cover doesn't appear until the very last page of the book laying on his ass in plain clothes and balling like a school girl (see last week's DAREDEVIL, or any other recent Marvel book for that matter). NEGATION WAR is comic book storytelling done right. It looks like a comic book, it reads like a comic book, and it got this Crossgen avoidant to take interested in how it's all going to pan out. Sick of Nu pacing, deconstruction, and shamed self awareness? Give NEGATION WAR a try.
THE WALKING DEAD #5
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Tony Moore
Publisher: Image Comics
Reviewed by Cormorant
Just caught the remake of the new DAWN OF THE DEAD last night, and I'm happy for two reasons. I'm happy because it was a pretty damn good zombie shindig in its own right, and I'm happy because it might just point some folks to the best zombie comic ever - THE WALKING DEAD.
What's that? It's the only zombie comic? Well, not quite, but yeah, it's one of the few relatively high profile zombie comics ever produced. Image isn't Marvel or DC, but it's still one of the top four publishers, so don't gimme no guff. The key thing here is that even if there'd been a lot of zombie comics over the years, a book like THE WALKING DEAD would be the holy grail – the only one fans would say is written by the guy who "gets it."
Robert Kirkman gets it. He gets that the zombie apocalypse genre is one of the more surprisingly human horror genres, as much about everyday folks under extraordinary pressures as the juvenile appeal of desiccated corpses shambling about. And we get to know our band of survivors much better in this latest issue. The ragtag group of a dozen gathers around a campfire and, using the patented "round robin" style which you might remember from such films as THE BREAKFAST CLUB, exchanges stories about their lives...before. It's a touch conventional, a touch contrived, but with artist Tony Moore's gorgeous gray tones creating the eerie calm of a nighttime snowfall as each member speaks in turn, I found myself drawn into it. There's our lead, a former cop who's currently in hot water with his wife because he's decided to let their seven year old son carry a gun for protection. There's the young guy who used to deliver pizza, who was up to his ears in debt but would give anything to return to those days now.
And then there's the pudgy old retired salesman with the camper – his wife died during the initial chaos, but he's been sharing his camper with two college age girls he picked up on the road in the post-zombie chaos. Donna, a judgmental battleship of a woman, is sure his intentions are "impure," but he insists their being around and keeping the camper up just reminds him in a small way of how things used to be with his wife. His perpetually melancholy features suggest he's telling the truth, but the question does linger – one of the series many small moral dilemmas.
And, yes, there are zombies in this issue. Kirkman's made the point – and I agree with him – that an ongoing series set in this world needn't be jam-packed with undead throwdowns each and every issue, but man do we get one here. It's unexpected and grisly – a reminder that even though these zombies aren't the predatory runners of 28 DAYS LATER and the DAWN remake, their human prey can still find themselves in a world of shit if they get boxed in.
I have a minor complaint about the lettering on the gunshot sound effects (of which there are many in this issue) – they're a little too "superhero." Specifically the font seems to be derived from Walt Simonson's distinctive style of "THOOM!" sound effects, and it creates a small disconnect for me. Horror needs a sort of purity for maximum impact, but these sound effects speak to the larger-than-life qualities of superhero comics and it's an uneasy mix. Likewise, I noticed a few hokey scream sound effects, including the cornball classic, "yeargh!" when someone got zombie-chomped. Could do without those, and as for the lettering fonts, maybe something less polished and more organic would work better.
But this book is still a helluva package deal. Kirkman and Moore are a muy simpatico team, and these boys give you your money's worth too. The book opens up to four and five-panel pages for action sequences, but many's the page with seven or eight panels, and Kirkman imparts a lot of dialogue and characterization with those panels. This ain't one of those flimsy comics you breeze through in mere two minutes...nosiree, this is a post-Mexican dinner bathroom read, my friends!
And I really don't think I can come up with higher praise than that. Zombie fans, chow down.
SUPERMAN/BATMAN #8
Written by Jeph Loeb
Art by Micheal Turner
Published by DC Comics
Reviewed by Village Idiot
The internet has become so connected with comic reading these days, for a lot of us, it's almost a part of the experience. Comic reading is now interactive: The first part is reading the story, the next is to go online to read and talk about it.
If you go online to read about SUPERMAN/BATMAN #8 on one of the gazillion comic message boards, you're bound to find someone complaining about all the untranslated Kryptonian dialog in the issue -- even though there's usually either a full translation or at least a link to one in the very same thread where the person is complaining. Of course, this doesn't do much for the poor guy who lives in the Ozarks and isn't online. I think that the translation is an important part of enjoying the issue, and because he doesn't have access to that translation, his comic simply wasn't as good as mine. And really, on basic principle, with SUPERMAN/BATMAN #8, comics and the internet aren't merely complementary; in a way, the comic is actually dependent on the net. That can't be good, can it?
And yet despite all this, I thought SUPERMAN/BATMAN #8 was good; in fact I thought it was pretty great. I thought SUPERMAN/BATMAN #8 managed to combine mystery, grand dramatic moments, even pathos, in a book that's bound to warm the cockles sentimental DC hearts everywhere. But what really set SUPERMAN/BATMAN #8 apart was the fact that it's practically two book in one, with the untranslated and translated version. I thought this was pretty neat, and made the book something special.
Of course, the issue is already special, or at least notable for bringing back Kara Zor-El, the original Kryptonian cousin of Superman, aka Supergirl. Depending on the point of view, Jeph Loeb should either be lionized or burned in effigy for "bringing back the Silver Age." A month ago it was Luthor's battlesuit (technically from the Bronze Age, but why quibble?), before that it was Krypto, Bizarro, and the Silver Age Krypton. Now it's Kara/Supergirl. But really, even if some elements of the character are the same, Kara was never introduced like this before: Half-naked and going on a rampage through Gotham City. (On the other hand, it's not as though we've never seen anything like this before, that is, the powerful, naked nymph walking through the city, gettin' into trouble: SPLASH, SPECIES, even Tobe Hooper's LIFEFORCE.)
And speaking of naked, that's another topic of conversation around the net: the fact that Supergirl is presented so unclothed. If I thought Kara was presented in a way that was particularly sexual, I'd be agreeing with them. But although Kara flashes a fair amount of skin, I felt the vibe was more pretty than sexy, so I'm more inclined to give it a pass. (I mean it's not like we're talking about high school girl's locker rooms or upskirt shots -- like in Peter David's recent pseudo-revival of Kara in the last few issues of his SUPERGIRL series.)
And Kara wasn't the only thing pretty about the issue. In fact, the whole thing was kinda pretty. I went into this issue without too much experience with Michael Turner, but I'm now getting a sense of his appeal (an appeal that I'll wager drew a lot of people to this issue). His work in this book reminds me a bit of Jim Lee, but then again, my senses may be dulled by the razzmatazz of the shiny paper. And come to think of it, his faces were much more angular than Lee's; Superman's chin is so sharp, you can set your watch by it. Still, everything had a polish to it that reminded me of what I was dealing with on "Hush."
But for me, the most interesting aspect of the issue goes back to the Kryptonian dialog. When you first read SUPERMAN/BATMAN #8, sans translation, you experience the story from only a partially informed perspective. Arguably, we're getting the story from the average human's perspective, or perhaps even Batman's perspective. Kara's a little chatterbox while she's tearing up the city, and she's clearly scared, but we don't know what she's really saying; thus her behavior was a little mysterious. Later in the story, a page is devoted to a Kryptonian conversation between Kara and Superman, (which pays off in English). Perhaps here Loeb is pushing things to their limit. On the other hand, comics are primarily a visual medium, and I don't think for Loeb to ask us to experience that story on that basis for a couple of pages, to read the faces of the characters instead of the dialog, was too much to ask.
After we get the translation, the issue reads from Kara's perspective. We understand a little more clearly why she seemed so aggressive, in fact we feel more acutely sorry for her. And we understand how and why the payoff in the end of the book happened. Again, it's like we get two different comic books for the price of one. This was a neat trick.
Of course, Loeb also included the captions - again. Readers of this column know that Loeb's captions in SUPERMAN/BATMAN have been on the verge of giving me an aneurysm for some time now. Rather than provide effective emotional underpinning, I think these captions relentlessly subvert the action of the story. Argh. SUPERMAN/BATMAN #8 seemed to go a little easier on the captions, yet I still felt there were a few instances when they weren't needed (and where they were a little melodramatic to boot). And yet none of it was enough to get me too down on the issue.
So I thought it was a good comic book. And in addition to everything else, I think there's enough of a pre-CRISIS sentimentalist in me who's happy to see the real Supergirl back. Of course, sentiment alone is not enough to make a good comic. Luckily SUPERMAN/BATMAN #8 was fun and interesting enough in it's own right to be worth checking out even if you've never heard of the Silver Age. So check it out.
Cheap Shots! (Mostly Cormorant edition)
SUPERMAN: SECRET IDENTITY #3 (of 4) - And the best-written Superman comic of the moment is of course...not one of the core Superman books! ASTRO CITY fans, if you're not reading this book, you need to get off your ass and check it out. Busiek's working some of his strongest, most humanistic writing in years with the tale of a "real world" guy whose parents saddled him with the name Clark Kent because they found it charming...only to find himself somehow developing Superman's precise powers later in life. Like Paul Chadwick's masterwork, CONCRETE, the exact how and why of things is far less important than the ensuing stories. This latest issue sees Clark trying to come to terms with a highly suspicious U.S. government, but it's the character moments with his wife that steal the show. - Cormorant
DAREDEVIL #58 - Uh, Mr. Bendis? You write great cop interrogation scenes – we get it. PLEASE DON'T PUT THEM IN EVERY SINGLE COMIC YOU PUT OUT. How many does this make between ALIAS and DAREDEVIL? Six? Eight? Are interrogation scenes the new fight scenes in superhero comics and I didn't get the memo? And Maleev - go a little easier on with the goddamn copy machine, eh? The cameo from vintage Marvel romance character Night Nurse was vaguely amusing, but I think I saw the same picture of her face about FIVE TIMES OVER THE COURSE OF TWO PAGES. The issue gets the barest of passes because the meeting between Ben Urich and Matt Murdock was well-played. And I'm sorry to be so snotty, but if editors aren't gonna call Bendis and company on their stupid bad habits, fandom's gotta get a little nervy. He's not god, folks – just a talented bastard who could be better still. - Cormorant
SILENT HILL #2 - I gave a moderately positive review of the first issue of this series based on the delightfully macabre video game series of the same name. I goofed. It's actually pretty bad. - Cormorant
KISS KISS BANG BANG #3 - C'mon, you've gotta give it up for a book where a hitman cloned from Adolph Hitler attacks with a martial arts strike based on the "Sieg heil!" salute! In other good news, agent Shelley, who was largely victimized in the first issue, has been shown to be an effective badass in subsequent issues (this one included). Better yet, insufferable Bond analog Charles Basildon gets a painful comeuppance. The series at times skirts a little too close to the very material it seeks to subvert, but I remain a fan. Good readin' when you want to get you '60s spy mojo on. Great artwork. Hot chicks. - Cormorant
NEW X-MEN #154 - It's Grant's last issue! I've enjoyed about 80% of his run very much! This last arc falls under the other 20%! Yes, friends, this is precisely the kind of story that the internet shorthand "WTF" was invented for. WTF indeed.
AQUAMAN #16 - In the last issue, the big reveal is that people survived the flooding of San Diego by turning into fish people. In this issue, the big reveal is that people survived the flooding of San Diego by turning into fish people, and that Aquaman resents having to go to the moon for JLA headquarters. Two issues in, and I feel like I'm reading the most stretched out series in the history of comics. I mean come on. - Village Idiot
Death of an Aardvark: Postmortem
A Tales From the Crevice Special
by Vroom Socko
Well, as of the tenth of this month, it's all over. CEREBUS the comic has seen it's last issue, and Cerebus the character has gone into the light. It's over. He's dead, Jim. It's fitting then, I suppose, that this installment covers the final third of this story, which is when the book actually started dying.
Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of great stuff in the final hundred, especially in GUYS, the first arc. Following the events of MINDS, Cerebus spends what appears to be decades hanging out in a bar getting drunk with his friend Bear. Sim even pokes fun at himself a bit in one scene, where Cerebus wanders over to talk to a new visitor to the pub. After three READS-like pages of dense dialogue, Cerebus heads back to the bar to listen to Bear tell a dick joke. In fact, all the scene's with Bear are excellent, especially one where he tells Cerebus off. It's one of the most natural moments in the book.
But when Bear isn't around, hoo boy. Part of the problem, for me at least, is Sim's overuse of analogues. When it was just Lord Julius/Groucho Marx, it was one thing. After all, his assistant Baskin was a help in fleshing his character out more. But here, we get characters based on George Harrison and Marty Feldman, among others. Why? Because Sim wants to write a bunch of Marty Feldman gags, apparently. Thank god for Bear.
But soon, even Bear is gone, as Sim gets in some more cheap shots at the collective womanhood. By the beginning of RICK'S STORY it's as if we never left READS, as Jaka's ex husband reenters Cerebus's life. Rick is now writing a book on how women manipulate men, and he seems to be going a bit loopy as well. There's really not much worth discussing in this chapter, except that this is when Sim first starts to go on his religious kick.
Then, in GOING HOME, Cerebus and Jaka are reunited, and set out on a long trip together. This volume, and FORM & VOID after it, illustrate that while these two most definitely love each other, their lives are too different to sustain a relationship. Cerebus is a barbarian, after all, while Jaka is an aristocrat. The thing is, though, that this is nothing we didn't already learn in MINDS. Here, we spend over thirty issues waiting for their inevitable split. It's up to the non-relationship moments to make the story shine, but unfortunately all we gat are more analogues, starting with F. Scott Fitzgerald, then going into Ernest Hemmingway. These volumes are heavily annotated with biographical info on both men. Thorough, yes, but to be perfectly frank if I wanted to read a Hemmingway biography I'd go fucking buy one. Thankfully, that section is saved by the absolutely stunning artwork. While I'd rather be reading a Cerebus book, the story of the Hemmingways trip to Africa looks and feels amazing. Had it been published on it's own…
In any case, those pieces are the last truly great moments in CEREBUS. What follows, LATTER DAYS, is garbage. Overindulgent garbage. It's here that Sim begins his monumental treatise on religion, which is nowhere near as brilliant as his sendup of the politics of religion in CHURCH & STATE. What can you really say about a book that's only bright point is a series of SPAWN gags that are about six years too late, not to mention the jokes about Todd's balls. Those never get old, no siree bob. While there is a pretty good gag at the expense of the Comics Journal, it involves Sim's parody of Ennis's PREACHER, which really only helps to illustrate just how that book's take on religion was superior to this.
By the time this penultimate volume reaches the halfway point, it barely resembles a comic book anymore. With a mass of text shown in the smallest of fonts, not to mention a storyline that's borderline incomprehensible as well as insane, and this comic has now turned into John Doe's journals from the movie SE7EN. This stuff is nuts. I'm talking Unabomber nuts. I read this junk, and I picture Sim establishing his own cult, a la the Branch Davidians. This is before reading yet MORE annotations, where Sim has reams more pages, in even smaller text, to ramble on and on, all the while coming across as a man consumed by paranoia and an overextended sense of self worth.
So that's it then. I have yet to read the entirety of the final twelve issues, but what else can be said. The little gray fucker is dead, and the story that started with a gag, built up with a bang, and collapsed into a brain fart is dead with him. Even so, you have to respect the achievement. Dave Sim spent twenty-six years giving us a monthly dose of CEREBUS. That's the bulk of my lifetime. Hell, it's the bulk of HIS lifetime. Sure, it might have been better for the story (and Sim's mind,) if this had been 250 issues instead of 300, but the man told one of the biggest stories in comics, and he did it on his own terms. Wherever you are right now, (and I can only picture him in one of three places; asleep for the next month, in a karaoke bar singing "My way," or at the highest point in Kitchener with a 30.06,) I salute you Dave. You freaking lunatic.
Question for Discussion
What do you think is the single greatest storytelling achievement in comics?
(Click title to go directly to the review)
RUNAWAYS #13
ABADAZAD #2
FANTASTIC FOUR #511
NEGATION WAR #1
THE WALKING DEAD #5
SUPERMAN/BATMAN #8
Cheap Shots!
Tales from the Crevice - CEREBUS, Part V
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Penciler: Adrian Alphona
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewer: Sleazy G
Writer: J.M. DeMatteis
Artist: Mike Ploog
Publisher: CrossGen Comics
Reviewed by Cormorant
Mark Waid - Writer
Mike Wieringo - Pencils
Karl Kesel - Inks
Published by Marvel Comics
A JonQuixote Review
Who in his person acts his own creations.
- Paracelsus (pt. II), Robert Browning
And with that, with Reed realizing that he does not need to be isolated by his role as thinker and scientist, the Four are ready to continue their journey. And do so by meeting God.
Writer: Tony Bedard
Pencils: Paul Pelletier
Inks: Dave Meikis
Publisher: Crossgen
Reviewer: Ambush Bug
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Tony Moore
Publisher: Image Comics
Reviewed by Cormorant
Written by Jeph Loeb
Art by Micheal Turner
Published by DC Comics
Reviewed by Village Idiot
Death of an Aardvark: Postmortem
A Tales From the Crevice Special
by Vroom Socko
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When "Hereafter" began, I thought to myself, "Hey, wouldn't it be cool if the FF bumped into Jack Kirby while strolling through Heaven?" In fact, I think I mentioned this in the last FF talkback. The natural jump from there, of course, was to think about ANIMAL MAN #26 and realize that God was going to be depicted as Jack Kirby. Why? Because frankly there wasn't much of a choice for Mark Waid. Oh, he could've depicted God as some bodiless spirit or energy form, but the Jack Kirby approach...That automatically deflects any kind of potential controversy. I mean, what comic fan is going to be pissed that Jack Kirby is God, given his status as one of the all-time comic book greats? Plus, it's very sweet and sentimental, and a nice way to pay tribute to Jack. In the process, though, it would have been nice if Waid had given Grant Morrison credit as well...
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Anyone have any idea when it's finally supposed to come out?
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I saw a copy of it in DC's Sneak Peak. It will be out next week. One of the best storytelling arcs in any comics was Animal Man 1-26. I thought the whole story was fantastic. Kudos to Grant Morrisson. Actually I think it was Grant Morrisson's first writing I have ever read.
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Mar 24, 2004 9:02:20 AM CST
"Ennis's PREACHER... that book's take on religion was superior t
by daddylonghead
Ouch, ouch, ouch. The worst thing is, you're right, and I say that as someone who thinks PREACHER (with the exception of the "sex detectives" concept, which I acknowledge to be twisted genius) is a bunch of unconvincing, pointless chest-pounding crap. Just say the words, though: Sex detectives. Rolls off the tongue. Sex detectives. Sex detectives. In other news, I more or less agree with Socko's conclusions: Sim's insanity--and make no mistake, that's what it is; the John Doe journals is a wonderfully apt comparison-- fatally sabotaged what should have been the greatest achievement in comics.
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Look, I love the hell outta Preacher, but to say it reveals any real "take on religion" is kind of... lame. It comments on loyalty, betrayal, forgiveness, and much of the human condition that TOUCHES on religion, yes, but the character of Ennis' "God" is (deliberately, I think, but maybe not) a joke. It's the least sophisticated thing about the comic, and that's fine, but it hardly makes him C.S. Lewis. Sim, on the other hand, while espousing all kinds of crazy ideas, is (y'know) espousing IDEAS! Original, wild ideas... that really aren't so hateful. Except for the hateful bits.
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Easy: Jaime Hernandez' ongoing Hoppers saga (Sorry, Beto). Even though the new Love & Rockets isn't (yet) as good as the best of the old, it's still better than just about anything out there. Xaime's the total package: Art to die for... Ink lines so clean you could cut yourself on them, Jesus... an uncanny grasp of psychology, a sly sense of humor, a genuine love for women & men, a wide-ranging grasp of social strata, from the insanely rich to the train-hopping 'bos... Xaime's achievement is untouchable on just about every level, and that's the stone cold bottom line. His "Whoa Nelly!" 3-part series is also the greatest 3-part series acheievement in comics. Sorry to ride the guy's jock, but I'm only telling it like it is.
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What a wonderfully original idea! I've never seen that before. Except in "Animal Man". And "Cerebus". And "Ambush Bug". And old issues of "Fantastic Four" from the '60's. Oh, bugger it all, it's a stupid, cliche! sk
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"Guys" - This book is going to look REALLY dated to future readers. Many of the analogues presented are other self-publishers, some of whom (like Rick Veitch) are no longer in business. Also, the Marty Feldman character is actually an analogue of an analogue, since Sim based him on a character from the comic "Starchild". As for the other books, eh. They're really for completists (like me) only. sk
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CRISIS. Peter David on HULK. Claremont /Byrne and later just Claremont on X-MEN. Alan Moore on Swamp Thing. I like all these . hard to pick just one.
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Geoff Johns making JSA what it is today? Kevin Smith lighting the fire back under DD and GREEN ARROW? lots of things to consider...time spent (CEREBUS),impact on industry(DARK KNIGHT), era(S.H.I.E.L.D.) etc........
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I didn't know what the hell was going on aside from that he's supposed to die. So that last few pages when he's in heaven screaming angrily "GODDDDDDD!!!" while being pulled into the light was one of the cooler things I've seen in awhile.
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Lee and Kirbys entire FF run. I mean come on its hard to imagine the concept of the Marvel Universe if it werent for this fondation, flagship (FF) series. You got guest appearences and first appearences and reappearences of Doc Doom, the Hulk, Spidey, X Men, Namor, Averngers, Inhumans, Adam Warlock, Daredevil, the Negative Zone, Unstable Molocules, and (oh crap almost forgot) Galactus and the Silver Surfer. Comics at their finest: The kids and adults can enjoy them
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What about THE AGE OF APOCALYPSE? C'mon, that has to go down as one of the best comic runs of all time. No? Oh...well...yeah, Watchmen is pretty darn good.
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About the final Morrison New X-Men. It was very, very disappointing after a run that I thoroughly enjoyed (with exception of Assault on Weapon X). Also, I (A huge fan of Powers) quit buying Daredevil last month because, like you said, I haven't enjoyed it in a long time. So I'm going to pick up Runaways today on your recommendation. Hopefully it will be better than the Ostrander Aquaman fill-in issues, which were less than I was led to believe.
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Good to see at least two good comics reviewed for once. Walking Dead = Great. Same with Runaways. Really, I'm enjoying the hell out Fables currently. You drones should review that. For my money, though, no one, NO ONE beats Bendis and Morrison, those two are the best writers comics have to offer. And I'm happy to report the Avengers are still lame for BBQing in the superhero outfits.
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I will admit I do not enjoy the copy machine that Maleev uses for his art, but his art is still very suited for the dark tone of the book that I enjoy. I believe that DD is the best book out and you guys constantly bash it. Nobody has done as much with a character as Bendis has with DD, His writing is continually edgy and dialog is superb. Bendis is easily the most gifted writer in comic books to day. He single handedly got me into reading comics again. Now I don't mind a different point of veiw every now and again, but I still have a hard time reading your reviews of DD, for they seem to be written by 1: A person who doesn't seem to like Marvel, 2: A person who can't appreciate the complicated character of Daredevil, and 3: A Bendis hater. Why have this same review time after time, come to think of it why do I keep reading it.
"Nevertheless make mine Marvel" -
I will admit I do not enjoy the copy machine that Maleev uses for his art, but his art is still very suited for the dark tone of the book that I enjoy. I believe that DD is the best book out and you guys constantly bash it. Nobody has done as much with a character as Bendis has with DD, His writing is continually edgy and dialog is superb. Bendis is easily the most gifted writer in comic books to day. He single handedly got me into reading comics again. Now I don't mind a different point of veiw every now and again, but I still have a hard time reading your reviews of DD, for they seem to be written by 1: A person who doesn't seem to like Marvel, 2: A person who can't appreciate the complicated character of Daredevil, and 3: A Bendis hater. Why have this same review time after time, come to think of it why do I keep reading it.
"Nevertheless make mine Marvel" -
I will admit I do not enjoy the copy machine that Maleev uses for his art, but his art is still very suited for the dark tone of the book that I enjoy. I believe that DD is the best book out and you guys constantly bash it. Nobody has done as much with a character as Bendis has with DD, His writing is continually edgy and dialog is superb. Bendis is easily the most gifted writer in comic books to day. He single handedly got me into reading comics again. Now I don't mind a different point of veiw every now and again, but I still have a hard time reading your reviews of DD, for they seem to be written by 1: A person who doesn't seem to like Marvel, 2: A person who can't appreciate the complicated character of Daredevil, and 3: A Bendis hater. Why have this same review time after time, come to think of it why do I keep reading it.
Nevertheless, "Make mine Marvel" -
I've said it before and I'll say it again. ITs only due to Bendis that I got into Spiderman and Daredevil. Bendis does best what comics need: Good ideas meeting strong characters. All you old ass, whiny "I wish Image's die cut glory days were back so I could salivate over the big boobies and men in tight pants hitting each other" need to go find those boring status quo books and don't read Bendis. He's just too good for you.
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And I like Bendis, honestly. I loved ALIAS and I'm reading THE PULSE. But Daredevil always has been, and always should be, an *exciting* book. The guy's a world-class gymnast and hand-to-hand combatant. That should mean some kick-ass panels of him swinging, leaping, punching, flipping, kicking...instead we get issue after issue of talk, talk, talk. I *like* talking. I like Bendis' dialogue. But he's a Daredevil, not The Conversationalist. Shit, we're supposed to believe this guy singlehandedly cleaned up Hell's Kitchen, but we don't get to see *any* of it. We just *hear* about it. "Awww, man, you shoulda seen it! Then he did this and this and this..." Hey, how about this? IT'S A COMIC BOOK. We COULDA seen it, if only they'd SHOWED it to us. You can do *anything* in a comic book, and in superhero comics you *should*. DD shouldn't be Image-level fluff, but there should be some adventure and danger, not just people talking each other to sleep. I'm not saying it should all be pointless punch'n'kick, but it shouldn't be all talk, either. It's a *balance* we're looking for. I shudder to think how many word balloons we're gonna end up with on a team title like AVENGERS, but then again Bendis has done pretty well on ULTIMATE X-MEN, so I'm willing to give it a shot. I think what a lot of talkbackers are missing is that we've said over and over we like Bendis, and we like Marvel, and we like DD. It's just that his writing doesn't quite seem to be suited to DD.
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Well, NCP, since you took the time to write out your likes and dislikes concerning DD in an intelligent and well-supported manner, I'll retort with a semi-cohesive and partially intelligent response and I'll try to be as impartial as possible. Those of you who think that there's a vast consiracy at @-hole HQ against comicbookdom's present god on high, Bendis, should calm down a bit. There are those of us @$$holes who do think that the guy is overrated. There are those of us who think he can do no wrong. There are also those of us who realize the guy for his exceptional writing talents, but can look past all of that and criticize his work; citing negative AND positive aspects. That's kind of our job. Just because we are a bit more passionate about it in our reviews, doesn't mean that we are not looking at the work objectively. We're @$$holes. Our reviews are passionate and straight from the heart. It's what we do. I've written two reviews that I would categorize as commentaries on Bendis' slow pacing and inaction tales (the Blah, Blah and Zzzzz Reviews). I know, to a lot of people, if a view is given, extreme characteristics are attrubuted to the reviewer (take a look at Querty's inane claim that because Corm disliked a Bendis issue, he must yearn for the days of Image's return to glory). Open your minds a bit folks. I recognize that Bendis is an excellent writer. He is probably the best writer of dialog out there today. But the guy has problems with pacing and needs an editor badly. Being the star-fuckers that they are, Marvel would rather let Bendis crap ad nauseum on the page than actually do the editorial work to reign him in and tell a tight story. That's bad editing. The thing is, that's the opposite of what Marvel wants. Bendis is probably being pressured by the higher ups at Marvel to stretch out his stories in order to sell more issues and the eventual meaty trade (other creators in the industry have admitted to Marvel's influence in stretching out their stories). That's good marketing, but still pretty shitty to us fans. OR Bendis may be stretching out his own stories in order to get a fatter paycheck if he is being paid by the issue. That's all well and good for the guy getting the check, but once again, the fans get the shaft. Either way, I can't blame Marvel or Bendis for doing this since they aren't doing this for shits and giggles but for a profit, but as a reader, I'm feeling gypped. And I'm calling them on it. Now, Nincompoop, you say "Nobody has done as much with a character as Bendis has with DD." And I call bullshit on that. Try a little known guy named Frank Miller who wrote the best stuff in his career with DD. Try Ann Nicocienti(sp?) who took over after Miller left and kept the momentum running high. These two creators did just as much, if not more, with the character. NOw, if you're talking about within the last five years, you may have a point. The difference between Bendis and Miller/Nicocienti is that the latter never forgot about Daredevil. Those writer put Matt through holy hell and still managed to throw in a bit of action here and there. GOd forbid, I don't want an issue long slugfest. All I'd like would be for Matt to suit up and be the hero he was for thirty years prior to Bendis' belief that the spandex aspect of the character wasn't interesting. Corm is right. The interrogation scene was good the first two times I read it, but after four of them, I'm wondering if Bendis' One Trick Pony may be ready for the glue truck. And then NCP, you say "Now I don't mind a different point of veiw every now and again, but I still have a hard time reading your reviews of DD, for they seem to be written by 1: A person who doesn't seem to like Marvel," Not true. I've gone on the record as stating that Fantastic Four, Runaways, 1602, and Supreme Power are easily some of the best comics out there today. There's that extreme set of viewpoints being applied again. Open you mind. Just because we don't like your baby, doesn't mean we hate babies. "2: A person who can't appreciate the complicated character of Daredevil" Not true again. DD has always been complicated. I appreciated him through Miller and Nicocenti and can appreciate what Bendis is trying to do, but I'm not blinded to his failings in that task. If you read about every third DD issue, you might see something happen. Unfortunately, there are two issues in between and these issues are like the one we got last week. Filler. Drawn out. And useless. It doesn't have to be all action, but some action should be nice. An issue like the last month's with Matt fighting the Yakuza should not be the break in the norm. A quiet issue should. Somewhere along the line, this changed and comics are suffering for it. Sorry for the rant, but you Bendis folks like that sort of thing, don't you.
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I'm surprised that I have to remind you that Daredevil is more than a two fisted acrobat, he's also a Lawyer. The duality of the vigilante and the lawyer is what drives this book and sometimes that means more talking than punching. And frankly I find shrewd manipulations and crafty interactions just as, if not more, exciting than the fights. You see, the pictures don't move. At all. So when I'm reading a comic I breeze through the fight scenes. But the dialogue, the interactions, the subtle changes in the pictures of the characters? There is more story there than any fight scene ever. Also Bendis has obviously realized something that is usually avoided by most writers on a long term continuity comic (mostly due to ever switching creative teams) and that is: How long can this moron in tights keep beating up muggers before at best it becomes futile and at worst he becomes just as bad the evil he stalks. Daredevil and Bendis are doing what most net nerd comic tards whine and moan that they want to have happen: The Hero is taking active steps to change things. Good or Bad he is taking steps. Punch outs on rooftops and alleys, while occasionally fun, accomplish nothing. Taking shadow control of a crime ridden neighborhood allowing it to grow and florish? Thats an accomplishment. But doing this may lead to the one thing comic fans really dread besides school dances: Daredevil being no longer needed. Retiring. What the hero always claims to want, regardless of what their very apparent psyches say. Imagine that. Daredevil truly giving up the cowl, his job done, his neighborhood safe. Horrifying, simply horrifying. Imagine that: closure. Closure to a comic book tale. Jesus Christ, what an earth shattering concept. An end. Perhaps comic geeks fear it so much because it could symbolize an end to their eternal childhood, as well. Or maybe I'm reading too much into it and the real answer is much more simple. You jerks have terrible taste... still.
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Do you actually believe that is going to happen? That DD will hang up the tights and after Bendis gets bored with the title, the book will cease to be? C'mon. This is comics. Who is Bendis trying to fool? There will always be a Daredevil because DD sells. End of story. Any "difinitive" DD story that Bendis churns out isn't going to be the end of the story once he leaves. DD will be around when Bendis is nothing more than a footnote in comics history. Was anyone but Querty actually buying into the notion that Matt gave has given this up for good? Are Bendis fans that naive?
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Mar 24, 2004 8:46:22 PM CST
According to international copyright law, the FF's sole creator
by frankdrebin
...which was the reason for Jolly Jack leaving Marvel (for a time), and decades of legal injustice. But, anyway, FF #511 ends with "To Be Continued". I'm guessing that probably just refers to the series as a whole, and not this particular storyline.
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I believe Daredevil will be allowed closure and give up his cowl as much as I believe Jean Grey is dead. I understand how it works. When Bendis is gone, a new creator will come on board promising a "bold new direction" which will really just amount to the opposite focus from the last team, throw out all previous continuity, most likely including the return of Karen Page and who cares whatelse. Of course he won't? Why? The fundamental flaw of comics. They just keep going and going and going and going. You could read the best, smartest, most compelling, most action packed arc ever and then when its over shit just starts back up again. No closure. Thats why I advocate the dropping of the pamphlet and going to Trade length. A yearly, bi-yearly graphic novel. A self contained story with a beginning and an end that doesn't have to time to the previous 400 million issues. All, I'm saying is status quo is boring, lame and over done. At least Bendis is going some where else. Did you really want to read a rehash of Frank holy, holy, holy bullshit? I don't. I read it and liked it the first time.
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Sweet to see Ann Nocenti/ John Romita Jr's run on Daredevil mentioned here, just when I was thinking of my favorite storytelling runs. Is it the *best ever*? Nope. Not even the best Daredevil. But for me it was the right team, right book, right time in my life. Great stuff. Course I also like Bendis's DD. I like letting the plot simmer here, rather than boil. I agree he could use an editor, and has gone back to the interregation well too many times (hysterical that he even snuck it into "Secret Wars"!) That said, I'm probably the only person here who hates his work on Ultimate Spider Man--where that style doesn't do it for me. Ambush Bug, I like your work, man, but your "Blah, Blah" and "Zzzz" reviews are extreme reviews, and that's why you get an extreme reaction. I am in the same boat as Nincompoop, where I stopped buying cominc books for a while in the 90s because the quality got so atrocious. And Bendis is one of the writers (along with Morrison & Milligan) that brought me back into the fold. Of course, now that I'm back, I've discovered better stuff than Bendis...like Runaways. Now THAT is comic book storytelling. A bit heavy on the 1 and 2 page panels, but a plot that moves, characters that feel real, and lots of twists and turns that serve the story, not a story that serves the twist and turns (if that makes sense). Plus, it's the only book my wife looks forward to more than me, so in a small way it's improved my marraige. Nuff said.
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Thanks for the kind words. Sure, the ZZZ and the Blah, Blah's are extreme. I don't mind an extreme reaction. Better than no reaction at all. Ann Nicocenti's DD is near and to my heart too. Loved the DD goes to hell stuff. Loved Bullett, SHotgun, Typhoid Mary stuff. Loved the showdown with Blob and Pyro stuff. Nicocenti wasn't the deepest writer, but she had the mammoth task of following Miller and she proved she had what it took to keep the book entertaining. It was the right team, right book, right time for me too. I'm looking forward to reviewing Nicocenti's new BATMAN special. Maybe in the review, I'll spell her name right.
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Loeb's Silver Age leg-humpery gets my goat sometimes, but he can still push my "neat!" buttons. Batman scuba diving for Kryptonite meteorites is cool. Naked Supergirl is cool (I need to look up those translations). Turner's shiny art at least has the semblance of cool in its slickness, even if the guy's line quality is shaky and blobby (see also Todd McFarlane). And the scene where Batman admits there's a job for Superman about two second before the shit hits the fan...DAMN cool. Of course, I was having a pretty good time with Loeb's first story arc until Luthor inexplicaply went super-nutso and a Composite Superman/Batman giant robot punched a meteor. Village Idiot's right as rain about the overlapping narratives undermining the story, but for now, I'm proceeding on this arc with caution. It opened kinda...neat.
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I've mostly lost interest in Waid's FF, but I read this latest issue - it *was* pretty good. It *was* heartfelt. It *did* have a powerhouse emotional last panel. But I couldn't help but feel that Stan Lee got snubbed what with Jack Kirby being God. Sure, Waid threw him a bone - had Jack talking to Stan on the phone like they were co-rulers of the universe...but who was the guy we actually SAW? Who was the guy INTERRACTING with our heroes? Kirby. And, my friends, you'll find no bigger fan of Kirby than myself, but I think Stan got a little snubbed there. Both guys were integral to the FF equation, and honestly, to pick one over the other as the "core" creator just seems...well...arbitrary.
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Really. This book just stinks, top to bottom. Stupid stories, weak-as-hell dialogue, heavy-handed dueling internal monologues, lousy ideas like a teenage kid from Japan to replace a character pointlessly killed off by Loeb in his lousy BATMAN run last year...and that's not counting the fourth or fifth "new" Supergirl introduced in the last half-dozen years. I've been buying it because these stories were supposed to have major ramifications on the DCU. Unfortunately, they're all majorly crappy. I'm done with this shit. I usually give a title six issues. I gave it eight, and I hate myself for it.
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Mar 25, 2004 1:19:19 AM CST
I'd love to be shockingly original and obscure in picking a grea
by dave_f
The thematic depth, the humanity of the characters, the utterly sublime interaction of all disparate storylines, the disclipline and power of the nine-panel-grid, Dave Gibbons' ability to draw anything with conviction, the use of supportive text pages, the epigraphs, the sheer length of the story (12 issues - no padding)...it's just the best there is, period.
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Glad to hear I'm not alone in liking, even loving the current DD, esp. the latest issue. I was actually gonna tell Ambush Bug to open his mind concerning Bendis' run, but apparently he wants me to open my mind too. Open it to dumbed down punch, kick, punch "world-class gymnast" stuff? As Matt Murdoch said to Luke Cage "If you wanna keep punching drug dealers in the face at basketball courts, go ahead..." Matt's decision regarding running Hell's Kitchen and everything else that has happened recently in the book has shown him (and Bendis I believe) to be a true Daredevil if you'll excuse the pun. And you know what? The concept of the man (or woman) behind the mask or cowl being more interesting than the actual hero is an essentially Marvel one. Isn't that what made (and continues to make!) Marvel so freaking grand? I'm not saying I never wanna see DD suit up again...but I am not about to complain when the book is this good. The scene where Milla describes how a blind person feels someone's face to recognize them...and how Matt's father's face was shattered by that bullet... THAT is a reason why Bendis does a great job. He can ellicit powerful emotions within me the reader even when I've heard that origin story a million times. And the last panel of Matt crying...that to me was where we found out that Matt had all these emotional walls and posturing...to convince himself that he WAS the man without fear. And that was where somebody as simple as Ben Urich broke through all of them to whats at the core of Matt. I grieved with him.
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Mar 25, 2004 1:28:37 AM CST
So...did *anyone* like that last arc of Morrison's NEW X-MEN? An
by dave_f
It reeked of acid and an ego-stroke for Morrison what with starring roles for all of HIS characters at the expense of the characters fans actually give a crap about. Or am I wrong? Was anyone jonesed for the return of Cassandra Nova, for the son (or was it grandson?) of Beak, and for some forgettable Brit guy and his pet Sentinel? Frick, what a depressingly convoluted resolution to an oft-terrific run. Morrison lovers, can you convince me of its greatness? Tell me or be exiled to the Black Bug Room.
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Yeah I was waiting and waiting for the run to be all epic and tie everything together...you know the U Men and Cassandra and Xorn and Pheonix and everything...and I have to admit the Xorn turning out to be Magneto thing and subsequent Magneto freaking the fuck out stuff was good...but 150 years in the future?! WTF is right. Ooh! As an added bonus we get freaking Marc Silvestri!! I really want all male characters to look like Ripclaw and all females to look like LIEFIELD drew them. gah. Want a great Morrison story? READ THE FILTH. Good stuff...still wrapping my head around it.
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Anyone remember those lawsuits? Now that Matt's exposed himself, doesn't he owe people some apologies? And a shitload of money? How many people would write him off entirely since he's lied his entire life to them? I'd like to point out, for all of you who think this is a more "sensible" or "realistic" approach to fighting crime that, well, YOU"RE WRONG. Why? Because it makes Matt a CRIMINAL, that's why, and he therefore needs to be judged as harshly as those he's fighting. As for this "he's not just Daredevil, he's also a lawyer" argument, again: WRONG. Once Matt came forward, and became "Kingpin of Hell's Kitchen", you know what else he'd become? FUCKING DISBARRED, that's what. Nobody needed to go talk to Foggy at the offices of Nelson and Murdock last issue, CUZ IT WOULD BE THE OFFICES OF NELSON. Fucking PERIOD. You don't even need to break any laws to get disbarred--just do something that can be considered demeaning to the profession. If you're a woman, and you turn up on a "Girls Gone Wild" tape, they can disbar you. Push over a two-ton limo? MY ASS--not even if he was really torqued off. Trust me, there've been several other problems, but these are just a few. Bendis has some great ideas and fantastic dialogue. The scenes Shigeru described are a large part of why I stick with it--because there *is* some great writing here, and there *are* some great moments. But when the writer says you shouldn't think too much about the stories or the details because he admits he screws up(even when referencing his own stories), why do you continue to fawn? Is the talk, talk, talk really what DD is about? I'm not saying it should be all-punchup all the time. I'm saying it's been 92% talk, 8% action, and that's horsecrap. More like 65% or 70% talk would be ideal. I hate Kevin Smith as a comic book writer, but look at his arc on DD, the only mainstream thing he's done I liked: it had angst, emotion, great scenes and moments, lots and lots of dialogue--AND it had action and unexpected twists. It's beyond me why every time we turn a critical eye on something and say "this part is good, this part isn't" some of you blow a gasket. Believe it or not, no writer is perfect--not even your favorite writer. Not even The Comic Gods. Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Alan Moore, Grant Morrison--I love 'em all, but shit, EVERYBODY knows they've all written some stinkers. Don't believe me? Then you either haven't done your homework or you're incapable of critical thinking.
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Mar 25, 2004 1:54:31 AM CST
Enough of this fucking abstract talk about DAREDEVIL's merits. R
by dave_f
C'mon Bendis-ites - did you not even cringe a touch when you realized half the current issue would be devoted to yet another interrogation scene? Stephen King gets his balls busted (and rightly so) for over-writing when he gives over a whole chapter to describe a character that ultimately ends up irrelevant to the story - well Bendis just did the same goddamn thing with this nobody Yakuza schmuck. And the entirety of Ben Urich's extended narrative of the previous two issues is rendered IDIOTIC by the fact that there's no way on God's green earth that Milla would've sat through all his anecdotes when she just wanted to know where the fuck her hubby was. Bendis all but highlighted this himself when, after two issues of Urich talking Milla's ear off, she told him, "I don
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But hey SleazyG, didn't Matt just reveal himself to the people in that seedy bar...all of which were criminals and are staying mum about the unmasking? That's what Ben Urich said. Otherwise well said about everybody having stinkers and such.
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Just about every other artist Morrison worked with on the series was in some way progressive, and along comes Silvestri for the grand finale and suddenly its a return to the artistic idiocy of the '90s. I tell ya, I would've WAITED the necessary time for Quitely to do one last arc and bring a nice cyclical quality to the whole thing. Instead we get goddamn Silvestri. What, was Stephen Platt busy?
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omfg you just mentioned Stephen Platt...I just shit myself.
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Mar 25, 2004 2:11:30 AM CST
I've been saving the Platt-as-punchline reference for a special
by dave_f
Thank you for noticing, and be sure to tune back in to AICN in ten years when I expect to be working a lot of "Crucifer" jokes.
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Mar 25, 2004 2:24:18 AM CST
Speaking of Mark "Suckage" Silvestri and Stephen "What the fuck
by sleazyg.
...the return you've all been waiting for: PITT! Woo hoo! Boy, I was soooo stoked this week to hear he was returning (I believe to the Wildstorm U., but I could be wrong. I mean, seriously: who the FUCK was clamoring for the return of the great Dale Keown's greatest (read: only) creation? Anyone? Bueller?
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...way I figure it, if the FBI knows, there's gotta be some federal attorneys who are aware. The odds of them not fully intending to disbar and crucify Matt Murdock? Pretty freakin' low. It's an absolute certainty. See, this is why a lot of comic book writers know not to go down the "real world" route--it inevitably leads to real-world problems with their writing. It's a very difficult balance to strike. With a character like Jessica Jones, who Bendis created, there were no preexisting expectations for the character, and so his writing works really well. On DD, with all of his history and background and tradition, it works less well. And when you start to introduce so many flaws in the internal logic of the story, character, and genre, it inevitably causes trouble. Batman is a character that has done grim, gritty, real-world, street-level stuff for years while still keeping one foot firmly planted in capedom. That's the balancing act needed in DD, and it's just not happening right now. Too much "real world" defeats the purpose of cape stories. If I want "real world" comics, I'll read crime noir comics, or all the good indie slice-of-life stuff out there that *doesn't* have superheroics shoehorned in. Good superhero comics are about the balance: enough real world to make us care about and relate to the characters, but enough of the fantastic to make them exciting. If the LOTR series had all that hobbity "golly, it's a big scary world, thank goodness we have each other" stuff without cutting to scenes of serious ass-kicking on a regular basis, it woulda been maddening. That's what DD is right now: too much hobbity crap, not enough ass-kicking.
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uhh you had me until the hobbity part. I guess I could go on about how the ass kicking is empty and soulless without the hobbity crap (is hobbit crap small? Perhaps in pellets?!? Makes one wonder) But I'm tired. And yes I forgot about the FBI. But that brings up a lot of shit...like, why would they go after DD if he is a force of good and happy bunnyness? They are keeping it on the DL, yo... I am enjoying the spice it brings to this intriguing mix. If you wanna nitpick little fleas out of a dead dogs butt, go talk to a hobbit. Did I mention I'm tired? And I don't think DD is taking the overly "realistic" approach, and definately should NOT be judged by that litmus, for the nature of the very medium seperates us and it, and although it might be a tad more "realistic" (due in no small part to Maleev's STEPHEN PLATT'S BALL KICKING AND THEN BURNING art) than most books, it still has a dude with superpowers, comprende? I'm tired.
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Mar 25, 2004 3:39:53 AM CST
To Cormorant: I absolutely agree with you that Lee was as essent
by frankdrebin
When I mentioned "legal injustice", I just meant that the courts held that only the writer is the creator of a comic book (instead of the writer and artist being co-creators). Like Lennon & McCartney, Lee & Kirby balanced each other. Kirby elevated Lee's soap opera stories, and Lee kept Kirby's cosmic nonsense in check. On his own, Kirby created some books that, while great looking, were completely incomprehensible (DEVIL DINOSAUR, SILVER STAR, THE ETERNALS, 2001/MACHINE MAN, CAPTAIN VICTORY). It was Lee's "ordinary" writing that made it possible for readers to relate to Kirby's "spaced-out" characters. But, on his own, Lee gives us STRIPPERELLA. 'Nuff said!
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Mar 25, 2004 3:45:20 AM CST
I *wanted* to like SUPERMAN/BATMAN, but I hate Sleazy G.
by village idiot
Isn't it funny the way that worked?_____I'm surpised to seesuch an attack on something I sorta like, but then again, maybe you're seeing something I'm not. Let's take a closer look at your critique, and see what we come up with______"Stupid stories": A giant kryptonite asteroid heading towards Earth while Luthor has a meltdown. Another (ostensible) Kryptonian touches down on Earth. I'll grant that stuff like Luthor somehow thinking he can convince the world that Superman is somehow responsible for the asteroid is not that great, and generally speaking, we're not talking about the works of Marcel Proust here, but I don't think the stories are egregiously stupid, especially #8, the one I reviewed. Rather, it's full blown, big fat comic fantasy. Certainly not to everyone's tastes, but not fault either. Not even close._______"Weak-as-hell dialog": I'm not really sure what you're talking about here. I mean, I could almost see where you were coming from with the "stupid stories" deal, but I really don't think calling the dialog in SUPERMAN/BATMAN weak is a fair cop. Maybe you have something specific in mind? I think the dialog's fine.______"Heavy-handed dueling internal monologues": Well, we all know how I feel about that one. If anything kills this book for me, that's it._______"Lousy ideas like a teenage kid...": What so lousy about that? A Japanese technological savant is somehow less valid than a mute hunchback? And isn't calling the story "lousy" and "stupid" kinda redundant? Are you padding your argument?? How dare you._______"...and that's not counting the fourth or fifth "new" Supergirl introduced in the last half-dozen years." Well, it's only the third, but that's really beside the point. The real point is: *who cares*? Peter David's Kara was around for 5 issues, the brunette Supergirl is already gone and forgotten. It's not like you're going to have any trouble mixing them up. It's not like you even miss any of them. If Loeb can present a good story, which it seems like he's on the road to doing, and the other Supergirls are off the map, *who cares* if she's the third in 6 years? Unless you've simply run out of things to complain about._______SUPERMAN/BATMAN isn't a perfect book; like I've said a million times (even in this post) the internal dialog captions give me apoplexy. But I don't think it's nearly as "crappy" as you're making it out to be. And in fact, #8 was good fun.
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Like the review pretty much said, *read* Runaways. It's pretty much the only worthwhile thing Marvel's put out in the last 5 years. It's pathedic that this company's KeWl iDeZ fRoM tHe HoUz Of IdEz!!!111 are to revamp to hell everything we're already been over for the last 30 years. Do we need another damn SpiderMan book? Is there ever going to be a fucking X-Men quota?
Marvel actually puts together something original, with fantastic art work which is also original (More than one body type for the female figure? A radical concept no doubt) and fantastic writing (it's Vaughn and it's fantasticly lovely, weaving in and out from humor to drama with easy) and it sells... 20,000 copies? Only? I have the urge to like strangle everyone not reading the comic. At least get the TPB coming out in two weeks, it's like $7. That's a whopping $1.20~ish an issue. -
"As for this "he's not just Daredevil, he's also a lawyer" argument, again: WRONG. Once Matt came forward, and became "Kingpin of Hell's Kitchen", you know what else he'd become? FUCKING DISBARRED, that's what. Nobody needed to go talk to Foggy at the offices of Nelson and Murdock last issue, CUZ IT WOULD BE THE OFFICES OF NELSON. Fucking PERIOD."
Oh, sorry. Wrong answer. Good try though. You seem to be forgetting one tiny little thing. No, its not you wiener, its the fact that no one Officially knows Matt has unmasked. Many criminals know, but no one will testify to it. Its called Plausible deniability. So, he can go on with his life and at night run Hell's Kitchen with an iron fist. Because no one actually knows. How do I know this: BECAUSE OF THE ISSUE WHERE THE FACT THAT NO ONE WOULD TALK ABOUT IT WAS THE FOCUS OF THE ENTIRE FUCKING ISSUE! Oops, looks like someone didn't do their homework... -
Mar 25, 2004 4:59:38 AM CST
"it inevitably leads to real-world problems with their writing."
by qwerty_uiop
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Whew, thats funny. "Real World" problems. no such thing. Why? Because the story is about a superhero. Ask yourself this, there Mr. "real World" Legal expert. Can you imagine the sheer size of the wrongful death suit Foggy would bring against the government were they to officially unmask him? Please, lets try to keep fiction seperated from reality, if you can.
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I haven't read the last X-Men yet, but I did like the setting of the story. Post Apocalyptic is something the X-men can always be counted on for. I didn't like the short shift he gave the "new" characters though. It really doesn't surprise me that Morrison did what he did. I always got the feeling that he didn't like most of the X characters anyway, which is way he replaced most of them with his own. Morrison is good, but sometimes, yes he has a tendency to meander and get lost in his own ideas. Admit it though, the army of Crawlers? That was kick ass. **** As for Bendis, I have no problem with his dialogue or the way he framed the story. I don't know people have a problem with extended dialogue. If you're into pretty pictures instead of reading, stay away from Bendis's work. How long do you think that table conversation took anyway? 15 minutes? Come on. Its not like he took her on a walking tour of the city, just trying to wrap his head around the situation. Urich is a blowhard anyway. Bendis, like every writer, wants to tell stories their way. How else can you think to get this info across? The hook of it is the punch at the end. Same with 21 Grams. Would you have been as involved in the flick if you weren't watching wondering what the fuck was going on? I won't claim Bendis does no wrong. Any writer can, I just think he and Morrison and Ellis produce the best stuff. Along with the Runaways, Fables and 100 bullets people and Chynna Clugston-Major, of course. Bottom line, I'm tired of go nowhere fist fights. I won't stories with beginnings, middles, and ends. These folks provide that. And really, come on, IMPROVE his stories? Piss off, the guy is not only the most prolific, but even if you don't like him you have to admit hes in the top 5% of the industry easy. IMPROVE his stories, shut the fuck up. shame on you and your arrogance.
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I suggest the reviewer find whichever it was that relieved him of his testicles and ask for them back.
Why the fuck are these fucking MTV rejects reviewing Cerebus, get yourself an attasion span, and a fucking clue while your at it. Idiot!
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...THE KINDLY ONES in particular. The climax of that story made bawl like a baby, and no other comic has ever affected me like that. You have to read the entire series up to that point to fully appreciate it, however.
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Mar 25, 2004 9:07:03 AM CST
Even if ONLY criminals know that Matt is DD he could be disbarre
by the g-man
Attorneys are disbarred in NYS through administrative tribunals, not courts of law. Generally, the process is that the local Grievance Committee receives a written complaint from another attorney or member of the public. The Committee investigates and contacts the suspect attorney. The attorney is required to answer the charges (no Fifth Amendment here) and if he doesn't, he defaults. If the committee feels that there is enough evidence to proceed to a full hearing, they conduct one. Again, Matt would have to testify at it. The committee then renders a decision. If they vote to disbar or suspend, Matt could appeal to the NYS Supreme Court Appellate Division. However, at that point he's pretty much appealing only the penalty not the findings. As a practical matter it is not impossible for a person to be disbarred on the testimony of a criminal: criminal defense attorneys, for example, get disbarred on complaints from unhappy clients. Furthermore, you need remember this: just because those guys were in a seedy bar frequented by criminals does not mean that they were ALL convicted criminals. Some might have never been convicted. Some might have been hangers on like a bartender. And any of them might want to contact the newspaper that Matt sued in the hopes of a pay out. Finally, there comes a point where enough people come forward with the same, or similar, stories that the grievance committee would have to sit up and take notice. So don't assume that Matt is home free here.
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Qwerty, what makes you think that the Government would be subject to a wrongful death suit for unmasking Matt? Just because certain super-criminals might then attack Matt? I doubt it. In order to establish wrongful death, Foggy would have to establish a proximate cause between the unmasking and the death, and the government would, of course, argue that the acts of (for example) Stilt-man in bludgeoning Matt with a giant leg acted as an intervening act which was the actual proximate cause of his death. Furthermore, if you think about it, the government "unmasks" criminals everyday (mobsters, serial killers, child molesters), some of whom might be killed (in prison for example) after the unmasking. However, you never see, for instance, Jeffrey Dahmers' family suing the government for convicting him and putting him in prison where he got killed. Finally, there is no likely cause of action for wrongful death in Matt's case because he has no heirs. The people who have a right to bring a wrongful death suit are the family members of the deceased, not the friends or co-workers thereof. Since Matt has no family, there's no one to bring a wrongful death suit.
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Because he's freakin alive! Or at least that's what my reaction to it was. Kirby was there because they were in heaven and Kirby's dead (even if they did paint him as God). The whole thing reminded me of Chuck Jones vs. Daffy Duck with the giant eraser, and it lost me. The same week that Ultimate FF lost me as well...a 6 or 8 page Mole Man monolgue? Who's writing this thing anyway? Oh...
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But based on what I've read here I think I'll save my money. I do have to say that I really liked the characters Grant Morisson introduced into the X-Men, and strongly disagree with anyone who says otherwise. Yeah, I get the sense he didn't like the existing characters so much either (truth be told, I haven't liked them much for ages, and I grew up on them). But his portayal of teenagers, particularly the "special ed" class I thought *truly* brought the X-Men back to their roots. The Lee/Kirby X-Men were freaks, they were outcasts. There was something very anti-establishment and "punk rock" about them that hasn't been fully recaptured with subsequent waves of teens introduced since (not either edition of New Mutants, not Generation X, god forbid Lila Cheney, or Shadowcat, Jubilee, etc). Maybe this is just my interpretation of the original team. But Morisson brought back the freak aspect
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Quick note from a irst time and probably last time poster.
The Underworld may know that Daredevil reigns over Hell's Kitchen, but it is evident that mainstream society holds the lawyer Matt Murdock in high regards - with the polls showing that he'd win if he decided to run for New York.
It seems unlikely now that Murdock would be disbarred at this stage of the game. He poured millions of dollars into the restoration of the Kitchen and in doing so, built himself an unassailable reputation.
On a personal note, I am really enjoying the Bendis' work on Daredevil and it is the sole reason I returned to reading comics. Maybe it is just me, but I don't find the writing style inane or boring in the slightest and if Mark S. Johnson would die, it could even make a good movie. -
Can you represent me in my next DUI charge?
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Holy shit, Sideshow, in all the theorizing about the meta nature of the FF story, this simple and obvious reason for Stan not being in Heaven completely escaped me! Good call. And I'll give the Kirby-as-God concept this: Kirby was a famously modest, gentlemanly guy - pretty ideal for a presentation of the Almighty - whereas the God-as-loveable-huckster Stan Lee version might not be so instantly charming.
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Watchmen and Morrison's Run on Animal Man are fantastic, but for my money I would have to say the best comics series ever was Starman. James Robinson wrote the entire series from start to finish. His run was 81 issues(along with specials, annuals, and realted mini-series) that made every issue a joy. At the time this series was being produced, I had pretty much quit buying comics, but I still bought Starman. And after the series ended, I re-read it from start to finish. Twice. And it is truly awesome. EVERY issue is great. And the best part is how he introduces concepts and characters in the early issues and continues to weave them through the entire series. By the time you finish reading it, you're amazed by the way he had EVERYTHING planned out from the beginning, and how it all comes together at the end. Imagine the way Moore wrote Watchmen, but intead of being only twelve issues, seeing it stretched across 80 plus. Truly an amazing achievement. It is truly a travesty that this book doesn't get more recognition.
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The kind of guy who gives us Cerebus fans a good name! sk
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Of course the "real world" and the world inside of Marvel comics should be kept as far apart from each other as possible. It's exactly the problem I have with a lot of what's going on in DD, Captain America and a few other titles. I'm not the one taking DD down that road, though, or defending it as the word of God; I'm the one taking issue with it and pointing out the inherent flaws. That was what I said in my posts, only summed up more succinctly. So, uh, thanks for agreeing with me.
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Corm, I think that you're problem is that you want old-school DD storylines. You want DD fighting the hand and having battle after battle after battle with the Kingpin. It's been done. How many times does DD need to take on the Hand or Kingpin, win/lose, and have questions about his worthiness or about how he's been manipulated. It's been done. It's been done well, most specifically by Frank Miller, but it's been done. I think that Bendis has moved DD into a different territory. He's trying to something different. DD has become more like a TV show, a sort of Law and Order:DD. And, personally, I like his take. If you compare DD to the structure of TV show, it makes sense. The interrogation scenes aren't just about the criminals, they're also about the cops. Bendis is trying to flesh out the agents, as well as the criminals, who are becoming a larger part of the supporting cast of characters in this book. So, no this is not a "bad call," it's character deveolpment. Also, the Urich exposition to Milla, serves multiple purposes. The first is an exercise in non-linear storytelling. I like the fact that instead of dragging out DD taking over as the new Kingpin for like a year, we're shown that it already happened. Second, it's Ben's way of getting things staright in his head, as well as him making sure that Milla knows EVERYTHING that her husband has done, even things that she might have been blind to (pun intended).
And last, do you really think that they're conversation took that long? Just because it took two months to tell in comic book form, in reality that same conversation probably took 15 minutes, half an hour tops. And for as long as Milla has not seen Matt/DD, that's not a very long time. Also, think about Ben Urich's cahracter. He's a newspaper man, not Slam Bradley or something. Has he ever been more than a man of words, really? When has he ever been a man of action? Even in Born Again, he fought the Kingpin with his writing, but only after MUCH internal deliberaion. So, no, it wasn't "a frame to hide her big secret," but frame to use an interesting storytelling technique, which also showed, to me, that Bendis gets Urich. Although, you called it contrived, I found it well done. And as for another "bad call" by Bendis , by having Milla say that "she didn't care about all of this," what else was she suppossed to say? "Thank you for telling me that my husband might have gone nutso?" That's something that she doesn't/can't admit to herself, because what would that mean about their marriage? The criticisms you bring up (constantly) in my mind are actually pluses. To each his own I guess, but I suggest that if you have problems with this book on a month to month basis, why not wait then for the storyline to finish, or review the trades. I guess that I must just be more patient, because I get the book every month, and I appreciate the way the story moves and reveals itself, rather than complaining that not enough happened in that one issue. I like looking forward to next month, and would not trade the structure that Bendis has brought to the book for the post-Ann Nocenti years for all the tea in China. Give Bendis time to tell his stories, and in the end, 10 years from now, I'll bet you'll be pining for fro the glory days of the Bendis written DD, when Chuck Austen is writing it. -
And that's your *defense* of what's going on and why it works? Uh, that doesn't really work either. It just means that Matt is one more criminal using good works in the public eye to cover up his highly illegal activities, which again is too much "real world" stuff that introduces to many potential problems. Just for the record, I again say: the FBI, seeing this happen, would without question incorporate it into their case. The government kinda likes high-profile prosecutions of people who are well-known to the press, especially when they have been blatantly and illegal abusing their power to break the law. I'm sorry, but once you open the door and go down this road you have to *really* go down this road, and it just causes too many problems.
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I don't look at Silvestri as one of the problems of 90s art. Perhaps he represents the 90s to your mind, but his art was far better than the majority of crappists stealing a paycheck in that era. Comparing him with the disciples of Liefeld and their 9 panels in 22 pages, 15-words-of-dialogue (7 of which were 'AWESOME!') glory is a bit unfair. I thought his work on this last X-Men arc was pretty solid - good pacing, good compositions, could even bear the Wolverine's homoerotic bluejeans-as-spandex-look. My problem with the final arc was the writing. It just felt like in Morrison's run, he kept turning up the volume to see if anyone would complain. Nobody did and by the end his run, it was no longer music, it was just noise. Correct me if I'm wrong but Magneto's destruction of Manhattan stands uncorrected in the Marvel universe...? Am I wrong about that? I was waiting for the last storyline to somehow reverse that, but it never did. THAT'S where you need an editor - to say, "Hey, we need Spidey to worry about paying his rent this month, not genocide. Ixnay on the Estructionday of Anhattanmay." Maybe they corrected this, though, and I just wasn't paying enough attention. If not, where do you go from there? Does their volume go to 11?
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Uh I...like...to...read ...Daredevil. Chill.
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You can vote for who you think should play all the parts.
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I thought I was the only one who loved Ann NOCENTI's run on DD--those issues are great! Intelligent and still well-paced. As I mentioned before, I no longer buy Bendis' DD because I didn't enjoy reading it, but every comic doesn't have to be for everyone, so to those who like it---more power to you! And now that I've read Runaways, I must agree that, although it took a lot of flipping back and forth, by the end of issue #13, I was hooked! And Silvestri's characters still reek of late-80's early 90's style, and his characters don't have noses. But his art isn't the main reason this issue sucked. It just sucked, very very much. Latest Avengers shows that Austen is still muy, muy lame. PS. IMO, Wanted is quickly losing steam. Opinions?
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Mar 25, 2004 6:59:13 PM CST
I count *at least* four Supergirls in the last half dozen years:
by sleazyg.
Linda Danvers, who headlined the title SUPERGIRL until it was cancelled a year ago. The alternate-dimension SG introduced in the final storyline of that series. the brunette SG, who we've supposedly "already forgotten about", even though she was IN BATMAN/SUPERMAN's first story arc. This new Darryl Hannah From Space chick. I don't even know if I missed any more or not, cuz I don't follow the S-titles religiously, but that's at least four right there. Not counting replacement S-man Steel's daughter or niece or whateverthehell. Sorry, but it sounds to me like editorial's screwing up SG worse than Wonder Girl/Donna Troy/Darkstar/Troia/whatever, and Loeb having two Supergirls in this book that are completely different from the two in the SG book a year ago doesn't really help matters. Neither does the crap writing.
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You bore me, you ideas are nonsensical. Why? Because you're talking about a comic and trying to reconcile it with everyday life. You're talking about a comic's plot points and more so you're extrapolating on comic plot points that will never be addressed. The point is: that doing that is retarded. Don't be a Sleazy G. Let it go. You don't like the book, don't read it.
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I didn't like the last arc either, but not because of the characters. I loved the idea of a re-educated Cassandra Nova and the Human/Sentinel relationship. But the arc was simply poorly written. He had a nice idea with Sublime, but instead of building on it he simply used 3 issues to show us this world (yes, the future is awful...) then springs the whole thing at the end with the predictable Phoenix ending. Through in Fantomex and the Cuckos for no good reason and absolutely no explanation (HOW are they weapon whatever-number?) I'll still buy the hardcover (because I loved Morrison so far and I'm a somewhat completist) but a very disappointing ending to one of the greatest comic runs ever.
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Isn't that the whole point of the story, that it's about a comic book character that Bendis is trying to reconcile with everyday life? *** Man, I've missed your rants Qwerty. Welcome back. I'd invite you to the @$$hole BBQ, but everyone's going to be in costume.
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"I'd invite you to the @$$hole BBQ, but everyone's going to be in costume." Fuck that shit, I look really stupid drinking beer through the slit and forget about hot dogs. I don't think Bendis is pushing Daredevil into real life, he's pushing him forward as a character. Making the hero actually DO something. A radical concept and apparently too much for some people...
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The FF go to heaven and meet God and He's Jack Kirby? That's cute. That's sweet.
And it's sorta similar but not exactly the same as Grant Morrison and Animal Man discussing the nature of reality.
Which is a bit like, but not the same as, Kilgore Trout meeting Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. at the end of Breakfast Of Champions way back in 1972.
Nothing new under the sun, and if there is, comic books is probably the wrong place to go looking for it. -
I read your post to me while listening to Ben Folds' "the Battle of Who Could Care Less." Talk about the perfect soundtrack to your post.
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Mar 25, 2004 9:43:41 PM CST
fevriul, a good argument for my Branch Davidian comparison.
by vroom socko
Promise that when you're in the compound up in the Northwest Territories with Dave and the rest of his lemmings, you'll think of me.
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Hey, I'm one of the few @$$holes that loves what Bendis is doing on Daredevil. DD has always been more of a noir book, and while I don't think that this sort of story would fit, say, Spidey, I think that it works with Matt and his life. Having said that, I do think that Bendis does overuse the whole "interrogation" bit. Not that I dislike it, just that I think it should be reined in a little. And you're BBQ prejudice is your loss. Sure, It's not going to be comfortable sitting by the pool while dressed as the Swordsman, but we're pit roasting a whole pig. That's good eats, man.
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I'm really hurt by your comment. Oh wait, no, I don't care. Eat some poop. And remember that I laugh at you and your easy abandoning of your arguement. ** Vroom, you think you got it rough, try socializing dressed as Darkhawk. People just dislike you and it sucks...
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Mar 25, 2004 10:39:44 PM CST
Okay, okay, I *wanted* to hate Sleazy, but I love him like Chris
by village idiot
Sleazy, in your original post, you said "Supergirls INTRODUCED in a half dozen years." There's only been the three introduced -- Linda Danvers was around since the early nineties. Hate to whittle it down to technicalities, but the only thing that really matters is winning, right?
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Actually, giving the whole "Kirby's in Heaven and Stan isn't because Stan's not dead" theory some more thought and drawing the "Kirby is GOD" theory out a bit more, I guess if God came to Earth as Jack Kirby then it was his mistreatment by Marvel that was his martyrdom. He certainly had his disciples and followers, and considering there's a regularly published fan magazine still coming out dedicated to him ten years after his death, he seems to have inspired something of a devoted following.
Still, Saint Jack had it kinda easy compared to the way Archie crucified Dan De Carlo... -
Heh a New X Men hater by Fantomex...heh. #1: Wasn't it not Cassandra but...crap I forget her name..Ernst! yeah. maybe I should read the last issue...
Michael Turner exists as a sucessful artist because of three little words folks: MAS TUR BATION. Can he not draw a freaking run without a motherfucking chick?!?! Gee big surprise Soulfire won out... and him on SUPES/BATS...um, WONDER WOMAN AND SUPERGIRL show up!! How convenient! The early 90's artist of today. Can anybody else not tell him, David Finch and Silvestri apart? -
Mar 26, 2004 6:31:16 AM CST
vroom socko, a good argument that the education system is failin
by fevriul
Good god man, did you even protest when they took your Balls?
Did you even Scream?
Biggest pussy whipped fuckers in creation, and has the goddamn cheek
to call Dave sim mad...cretin.
Hurry up off home I here yah momma calling you. -
What is your obsession with my genitals? Every post you've made has mentioned my gonads in some respect. Do you, perhaps, want to see them? Maybe even... touch them? I wouldn't doubt that you may even want to stick out your tounge and... But no, I wouldn't allow that. After all, that thing's been up Dave Sim's asshole. Who knows what diseases it's carrying. How about this; unless you're going to offer something other than blind rhetoric, feel free to fuck off.
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Mar 26, 2004 3:39:09 PM CST
I'm just shocked that the TalkBack order has been maintained her
by dave_f
I'd actually written up a Cheap Shot recommendation of the book, but in the cutthroat game of comic reviewing, Cheap Shots are superceded by full reviews. And that bastard Sleazy G kneecapped me quite nicely. Good review, Sleaze-man, and timely considering the book is on somewhat shakey grounds. Like I said last time I reviewed RUNAWAYS - it might not be perfect, but when it's on (and it usually IS), it's as close as comicdom's gotten to the energy and youthful vibe of a show like BUFFY. BUFFY in its *heyday* no less - not the sixth and seventh season stuff. Cool to see that others here are digging it - Sideshowbob, Qwerty, BerrySara, and now HomerSexual in this TalkBack alone. Spread the word and buy the trade! With a man named HomerSexual on our side, how can we lose?
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Qwerty writes: >>If you're into pretty pictures instead of reading, stay away from Bendis's work.<< I think the proper snarky response here is, "And if Bendis is so into writing over visuals, then maybe he shouldn't be working in a visual medium." But I wouldn't want that, because I think Bendis brings a lot to comics. He's overhyped to the point that criticism against him is taken by some as blasphemy, but I'm happy he's in the industry - hell, I was supporting his crime books years and years before he became Marvel's golden boy. As Tarantino was to the '90s film industry, Bendis is a much-needed shot in the arm for *his* chosen medium. Giving primacy to dialogue IS exciting, as is his non-linear approach
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SeeThrough writes: >>Let me get this straight, you don't believe it's possible for Milla to listen to Urich talking about her husband all that time, but you have no problem accepting a blind man fighting a squad of sword-welding assassins?!?>I didn't cringe when there was another interrogation scene in "Daredevil" any more than when I constantly saw all those ninjas during Miller's run. Why? Because I'm enjoying the story. << "All those ninjas" made perfect storytelling sense during Miller's run because the origins and/or raison d'etre of Daredevil, Elektra, and Stick were all tied to the Hand. Their use wasn't a crutch, as I see the interrogation scene becoming for Bendis. But Miller *does* have crutch scenes he falls back on, like constantly showcasing his heroes struggling back from grueling physical violence with the same tired internal monlogues ("Focus. Ignore the rustling of bones in your rib cage. You got lucky..."). I don't recall if it'd truly become a crutch as early as his DAREDEVIL years, but it might've, and if it did, it deserved criticism. I do remember that Miller overused hackneyed "back alley shakedowns" in the DAREDEVIL days, though. If I'd been around then, definitely deserving of criticism. But did his innovation outweigh the missteps? Keeping in mind that he was working a tricky era in which the comic was evolving from its former all-ages tone to more of a teens-and-up tone, I'd say yes. Bendis is working a different era, though, an era when its accepted that most of the audience is made up of teens or adults, and as such I'm not giving him as much slack. I think his innovation only JUST outweighs his bad habits. But if the good stuff wasn't so good, I wouldn't bother critiquing the comic.
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Here is the thing you guys, Bendis on Daredevil isn't your cup of tea you. The direction we have DD in now is gritty and dark. It has "noir" flavor to it, like other fellow posters have said. Bendis has done it this way to be different and appealling to those that have grown out of just sock'em up action. Shit as much as I seem to be suckin' on Bendis' junk. The guy can write my flavor of stuff...Wew that sounds bad.
Whatever, even though Bendis' may not hold the same type of history Miller's stuff does with me personally. (Grew up on it, and love it.) Bendis, in my humble opinion is a writing better stories about DD, and has taken Daredevil to a new height. (And I do realize people might break out the, pitchforks and torches on my ass for saying that.) -
I agree the interogation scene has happened a little much, but maybe he is using to create a new characters. I mean it is a good way to show these Agents and the supposed Yakuza badass at the same time. He only has so much time to create these guys, and it makes sense to do it in following the story. Just chill.
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Sorry for the many grammatical errors, I am a Fireman and rarely use a PC so I type like 15 words a frickin' minute. I know I suck.
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Milla sitting through two hours (or however long it was supposed to be) of Ben Urich describing the entire past year of Matt Murdock's life...only to have her respond, in effect, "I don't care about any of that, I just want to know where he IS!"...is bad writing. It makes no sense for her character to have waited through all that shit, especially if Ben already knows that she knows a lot of this stuff (and I can only assume he did, because he spilled a TON of insider info about DD). I've no problem with Bendis's story structuring in general, and I often think he paces his chapters such that he ends on some of the best cliffhangers in comics. But this wasn't one of them. This was a mystery that existed only to propel Urich's exposition, until such time as the mystery was revealed and the exposition suddenly became illogical. If all you're taking from my criticisms is that I think Frank Miller should come back, then it's time to work on the reading comprehension, pally.
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Devilinhelsinki writes: >>Corm, I think that you're problem is that you want old-school DD storylines.>How many times does DD need to take on the Hand or Kingpin, win/lose, and have questions about his worthiness or about how he's been manipulated. It's been done. It's been done well, most specifically by Frank Miller, but it's been done. >Bendis is trying to flesh out the agents, as well as the criminals, who are becoming a larger part of the supporting cast of characters in this book. So, no this is not a "bad call," it's character development.>Also, the Urich exposition to Milla, serves multiple purposes. The first is an exercise in non-linear storytelling.>Second, it's Ben's way of getting things straight in his head, as well as him making sure that Milla knows EVERYTHING that her husband has done, even things that she might have been blind to (pun intended).<< Ah, someone in this TalkBack is finally making some convincing arguments! I think you make a reasonable point here, and I'm going to have to dig up and re-read the issues in question to refute it (or maybe...*gasp*...acknowledge it). My memory is that some of the stuff he was telling her made little sense in retrospect, but if he was trying to make a point to her...maaaaybe. So thanks for a thoughtful response. By the way, I thought STARMAN was pretty great too, but don't you think Robinson lost his touch a bit for the last year or two of the run? Still had its moments, especially the last moments between the Golden Age Starman, The Mist, and The Mist's daughter, but some of those issues were just draggin'. DC still needs to finish the goddamn trade collection though...
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You guys should realize that you're both right and let it go. Bendis' DD is one of the few comics I've read consistently over the last couple of years. Not because I think it's so great, but because it's one of the few comics the drug store down the street gets in on a regular basis and I can stand there and read it for free. Comics are expensive these days, you know. Cormorant concedes that Bendis is good with dialogue, and I agree. Also, in these days of the five minute read comic, I'm not going to complain about the amount of it, since as long as it's interesting, that amounts to value for money in my opinion ( if I was buying the comic that is ). The problem I think in Bendis and other otherwise good Marvel writers is with redundancy and unnecessary digression ( I'm looking at you, Bruce Jones ) The feeling I get from DD and other titles like Hulk ( except that seems to actually be wrapping up it's storyline, but I'm not sure since I bailed on that one awhile back. ) is that the writers do know where they want to go with the story, but don't know how long they're going to be on the book so things get streeetched out so they can wrap everything up when they exit. Maybe it's also a way to keep from getting suddenly shit-canned, since ending your main storyline could be seen as an excuse for a changing of the creative guard by the higher-ups. I mean Bruce Jones had the fugitive on the run thing twenty years ago with Somerset Holmes ( an awesome book, and looking back, incredibly prescient in the way it practically invented the modern Marvel Method of cinematic storytelling. Check it out and you'll agree. ) The thing about Somerset Holmes though, was it told it's story in six issues. So did Frank Miller in Born Again. Does anyone doubt that Daredevil wouldn't have benefited under Bendis by actually having him make his points quickly and then get out? This is the problem with wanting to shake up the status quo I guess. You potentially write yourself out of a job. Not that I think Bendis would be hurting for another gig obviously, but you get what I'm saying. It's hard to let go.
On the topic of best story arcs ever, I'd put the stone tablet story from the Lee/Romita/Buscema/Mooney Spider-Man at the top of my list. It's amazing what a MacGuffin can do to make a comic story seem logically motivated. Top it off with a great ironic ending, and then a two issue epilogue with the Lizard at his scariest, and the Human Torch at his most obnoxious, and it's my pick for the best story about the best character in comics. -
Nevertheless, good TalkBack guys. Nice to see the quasi-coherant discussions that can result when the TalkBack order doesn't get effed up.
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You don't have them mate, your momma took them off you, for being a fucktard, The woman deserves a medal, stops you from breeding.
Listen you don't like critic then tough fucking shite. My good your entire review of cerebus basically comes down to Dave sims hates women, has secret deviant behaviour, probably a rapists if pushed and also a secret right wing religous nutcase.
Its was a jack ass review written by a fucking MTV, ten second attension span goldfish, without the IQ.
Get back to reading comopolitan, and getting in touch with your female side. Fuck sake I thought new Man tosspots like you had been culled.
Feel free to take your head, shove it up your arse and get in touch with your inner muppet. -
...everything you've written here is straight from Bendis interviews. These aren't opinions, man, they're ventriloquism. I can understand Bendis having self-serving ideas about his work but what do YOU get out of it?
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I've never read a Bendis interview, if that helps any, but if I'm saying the same things about his work that he does, then I must be getting it at least. But I'll explain it in greater detail if you wish. Ahem... What I get from a Bendis comic by Qwerty Uiop. Well, simply put I am more involved in his stories. There are issues that he leaves in a cliffhanger where I've actually said outloud: "Oh shit, hows he get out of this?" And maybe thats what I love. His stories are fresh enough where I don't easily dissect them in the first 5 minutes/5 pages, you know? Like a good episode of Buffy or Martin's Songs of Ice and Fire series, there are actually surprises hidden with genuine tension and excitement. Do you get that in Outsiders or Danger Girl or Loeb/Lee's run of Batman? Uh... fuck no. Bendis takes old ideas, classic set ups and spins them enough to freshen them up. To me, thats the best of both worlds. Enjoyment and surprises. Thats what I get from it. ** Corm, don't mistake, I like the fights, I'm all for them, but only if they have a purpose. If its just one more in a long line of fist fights that never advance the situation or story, then thats lame and most superhero comics suffer from this. Also, Alias blows, the only reason to watch is Jack Bristow, but its not that big a reason. Don't waste your time.
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I have no idea what that means. But anyways, on the topic of streching stories out: Is it just poor planning? Is that why Ultimate Six became 7 issues long? I know it must be tough to plan out stories like 20 issues in advance, but that was a mini series. And I will say that losing his job is the last thing on Bendis' mind when he's writing his 236 Marvel books (all of which I love...) Marvel firing him would be the equivalent of shooting themselves in the jugular. He's pretty secure in his job standing, and I think Jemas was quoted as saying he'd have a hard time saying no to anything Bendis brought up. The guy only writes like half the top ten selling comics in the industry, right? So is it for the money? Uh that's a tad cynical, even for a sarcastic ass chap like myself. I think that the dues Bendis has paid in the 13? years he was trying to break into comics have made him a pretty honest guy who wouldn't do something like that. Besides, he's already freaking rich as shit.
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Mar 28, 2004 1:43:34 AM CST
I was under the impression Sim was a PUBLIC right wing religous
by vroom socko
You know what you don't seem to understand, fevriul? I don't give a shit about that. That's not my beef with the book. If you actually paid attention, what I don't like about the final hundred is that much of GOING HOME is redundant, and that LATTER DAYS is neither funny, not fun, and at times it isn't even a comic book. I also lavished a whole lot of praise on Sim in my first three installments: first in http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=16760 then in http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=16835#9 and finally in http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=16937#8 A hell of a lot of his work there was damn innovative, funny as all hell, and a credit to the medium. But I dared, I DARED to think that not everything he's done is perfect, and for that I'm a balless pussy-man? At least I'm not a homogonized drone boy who can't think for himself. You'd better head on back to Dave's place, he's got a tall glass of Kool-Aid waiting for you.
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Church and State, were suberb start to Finish
So was Jaka's Story and Cerebus
Melmonth was not to my tastes, as for the others they were up to the usual quality but did not reach the heights he had perviously.
My beef with you, is your pandering to PC culture, for all your supposed critical review of the books, its cazn be summed as in, He hates women, wanted to Rape his wife, not enough Spandex hero's.
Cerebus is a story about an Ardvark and his life. Unless you have interviewed the man, and no his personal views on women, religion etc, then just shut the fuck up. I know in America you may be alble to get away with that shit, but in good old blighty your arse would be sued for Libel!
As for Fanboy, Damn right I'm a fan, no I don't think all of his work was the best, but then again its not my character my book, or my vision, its his, you can't dip in and out of it, its the whole, not 10 second snapshots.
I suggest you keep reviewing spande and stick to it. -
**My beef with you, is your pandering to PC culture, for all your supposed critical review of the books, its cazn be summed as in, He hates women, wanted to Rape his wife, not enough Spandex hero's.** When did I ever comment on the spandex factor in CEREBUS? Most of my comments on the first two hundred can be summed up "as in," Sim's a fantasticly innovative artist. **Unless you have interviewed the man, and no his personal views on women, religion etc, then just shut the fuck up.** you mean *I* personally have to interview him? I've read dozens of interviews with him, and more to the point I've read his annotations. I've read Tangents. It's safe to say that I know something of his views on women.
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