| #33 | 11/8 06 | #5 |
DOCTOR STRANGE: THE OATH #2
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan Penciler: Marcos Martin Publisher: Marvel Comics Reviewed by Humphrey Lee
"By the Hoary @#$%-ing Hosts!"I don't know why, but I think I've waited all my life to read that sentence. This is how sad my life is, but how fun this comic is.
The premise for those of you not up to speed: Doctor Strange has been shot. And yeah, I know, "How do you shoot Doctor Strange?" Well, you do so by finding the gun with the most negative mojo in the jworld and you do some enchanting and walla! You've got something that can penetrate some hastily thrown up mystical barriers. But that's not what the full story is about. No, see, the deal is the shooting was just a means of putting the good Doc out of commission so our perpetrator could get to the real goal; that being an elixir Doc Strange wrested from an other-dimensional beast with extreme healing capabilities, which the Doc plans on using to cure his long time aid and friend Wong of his deadly cancer. That's right, it's one of those stories.
But like I said before, this mini is just pure fun. The best thing about this is how BKV portrays our mystic master. Arrogant and brash, but completely loyal to his friends and a suprisingly quippy sense of humor. Oh, and he might be bisexual. Not really, but he does kinda have a flamboyant manner to him that makes you think he might alternate playing both sides of the field. But it's entertaining, so who cares?
This particular issue finds the Doc and Wong on the trail of the man who shot Strange and stole the elixir (named Brigand), but also picking up another character for the journey: the Night Nurse, who was the one that patched up Strange in the first issue. Strange stops by the facilities of an old friend of his who had a small sample of the elixir to see just what it can do, but of course finds that his friend is now newly deceased and his place has been ransacked. Again, a typical scenario, but one that serves the greater purpose of giving the reader more insight into the past of the Sorcerer Supreme and just what a raging fucking prick he was before the accident that led him to the path of the mystic arts occurred. I always like these sequences since we really just don't get that many Doc Strange books these days and I like to see the character fleshed out some more.
Marcos Martin's art for this book is perfect too. Yes, it's "Ditko-esque" but it really has a vibrancy of its own. The characters look like 70's comic characters, with the soft lines and somewhat "cartoony" textures, but they've got just enough realism to them to pull them into the modern age. And there's a lot of kinetic motion here that makes the book really energetic, from the sequences where Brigand is bouncing around and doing his thing to all the trademark wavy hand-gestures the Doc is doing at a particular time. Visually the book just flows as well as Vaughan's narrative does.
This is the kind of stuff I always thought a DOCTOR STRANGE comic could be, and I'm glad this saw the light of day. It's a light-hearted book but with some dire consequences and the kind of stories I'd like to see more of if we get the chance. I know that apparently it's hard to keep a Doc Strange book ongoing because the nature of the character doesn't lend to the most dramatic of stories, or isn't the biggest action book--basically he's a very niche character. But this particular mini gives me hope that maybe there's a few more stories like that left in this particular property and that we'll see the good Doctor in his own title once a year or so. And I hope they're packing the same creative crew, because this stuff is just keen.
FABLES: 1001 NIGHTS OF SNOWFALL OGN
Writer: Bill Willingham Artists: Esao Andrews, Brian Bolland, John Bolton, Mark Buckingham, James Jean, Michael Wm. Kaluta, Derek Kirk Kim, Tara McPherson, Jill Thompson, Charles Vess, and Mark Wheatley Publisher: Vertigo/DC Comics Reviewer: Sleazy G
I admit I missed the early boat on FABLES. I had the first few issues on hold at my LCS, and before I got a chance to pick ‘em up they folded outta the blue, so I had to wait for the trades. When I started in on those, though, I was hooked, and once I caught up I switched to the monthly. It’s a consistently well-written, well-drawn series that has some truly surprising moments. Like everybody else reading the series, I’ve been looking forward to this graphic novel from the moment it was announced—a phenomenal lineup of artistic talent working in the FABLES universe? How could it miss?It did for me, at least part of the time. I’ve seen several examples lately of people having difficulty making the transition from writing comics to prose and visa versa, and this is one of those instances. Willingham starts the OGN out with a 14-page prose introduction which explains how Snow White went as an envoy to the more exotic lands recently introduced in FABLES and ended up a prisoner of the Sultan. The intro is beautifully illustrated by Charles Vess and Michael Wm. Kaluta. Like many found here, they prove themselves deserving of illustrating children’s books—their paintings are magnificent. This prose entry, however, reveals for the first time a weakness in Willingham’s writing that would never have turned up in comics. I know he’s trying to write in a very distinct style—that of a children’s fairy tale book—but it just never quite clicks. It feels clunky and uncomfortable, and his descriptive language feels far too commonplace for the subject matter. There are a few more of these prose segments throughout the book, and I rapidly found myself growing bored with them, despite a cute ending to the final segment.
There are two other segments where the story doesn’t quite work for me. “The Fencing Lessons” tells us just what happened between Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. To say the story is ugly as hell is an understatement, but the photorealistic art by John Bolton is gorgeous (although I’m a bit disturbed at the thought of who Bolton’s models for the dwarves were). It’s a dark tale of a group of cruel dwarves abusing their privileges above ground and the fate that befalls them, and honestly, I thought it was a pretty good story—until it ended up right where I thought it was headed. Without giving too much away, suffice it to say that it appears Willingham is breaking his own ground rules for the way things work for the Fables who are alive in the Mundy world today. Is it possible he’s seeding a future story here? I suppose so, but it’s not presented that way—it comes across as being very final in a place that such thing shouldn’t be possible.
I also didn’t care much for “A Frog’s-Eye View”, which for the first time tells us Frogcatcher’s backstory. I know that Willingham’s dealt with some dark material before in the series, and I can’t deny that it’s an important storytelling tool. I can also understand a writer’s desire to make Frogcatcher someone we can feel great sympathy for. That said, though, what is revealed here is so heavy, so brutal, that it alters the character permanently. He is no longer cute, dimwitted, goofy or capable of providing comic relief. He is now a character of such oppressive tragedy that it alters everything about the character and the role he has played in past stories. This is an instance where Willingham clearly has a plan; I simply don’t know that I care for the direction it’s going. James Jean’s first-ever interior art, on the other hand, is wonderful. He’s just as impressive a talent between the covers as on them, and I look forward to seeing more of his work.
Those three segments were weak enough that I felt I should mention my reservations. In all fairness, though, I have to point out that they are only three out of nine or ten stories, and the rest are significantly better. “The Christmas Pies” takes an old folk tale and turns it into a story of how some of the animal Fables escaped the Homelands. It features art by Mark Buckingham in a style I’ve not seen him use before. The colors jump off the page (the art looks like watercolor brush strokes) and his characterizations of the animals are wonderful, particularly of the fox Reynard. Mark Wheatley’s work on “The Runt”, about Bigby Wolf’s childhood, is also unlike anything I’ve seen him do in the last decade and a half, and just as wonderful in its own way. There’s one panel in particular, of the angry but determined little runt that stood out in my memory even days later.
I’d never heard of Derek Kirk Kim came before. His “A Mother’s Love” is only three pages long, and serves as a light break from the longer or heavier material, but it demonstrates a genuine talent—enough so that I may search out his work elsewhere. It’s followed directly by one of the two longest stories—that of the old witch who has helped the Fables now and again. “Diaspora” parts I and II tell of how Snow White and Rose Red find her in an oven (I’m sure you can figure out how she got there) and the working relationship they formed. It’s illustrated by Tara McPherson, who first caught my eye doing covers for Willingham’s THESSALY miniseries. Her work here is a delight—adorable even when she’s putting an arrow through somebody’s eye—and why she hasn’t illustrated a miniseries for Vertigo (or even a youth-oriented DC book) is completely beyond me. Her segments bookend Esao Andrews’ “The Witch’s Tale”, which is a fine example of why it’s important to look outside the comics industry for new talent: for a guy who designs skateboards, he’s a phenomenal storyteller. His is also another one of the stories deserving of commendation for its use of color; while some of the tales have more muted palettes, this one pops off the page.
The tales wrap up with “What You Wish For”, a two-pager that once again drives home the fact that Brian Bolland just doesn’t get enough work, and Jill Thompson’s “Fair Division”. Thompson’s work here is remarkable and represents another change for the better in her style. It’s also perfectly suited to a touching story that shows us just why King Cole may have seemed a little soft but had clearly earned the loyalty of the residents of Fabletown, and it’s nice to see the stories wrap up on a tender note.
I’ve gone on a bit longer here than I originally intended, but I felt it was the only way to counterbalance the negativity earlier on. There were some aspects of the writing here that just didn’t work for me, and I felt I needed to voice my concerns, but clearly there were far more stories that did work than those that didn’t. I haven’t a single reservation art-wise, however: this book is gorgeous from cover to cover, a clear example of everything comics can and should be and worth buying on that basis alone. It’ll look great on your bookshelf, and it’s definitely got a strong rereadability factor. Even if you’ve never read the series before I suspect you’ll find 1001 NIGHTS OF SNOWFALL to be well worth a look. For fans of the series it’s probably a must have. You may very well have a different reaction than mine, and even the stories I didn’t care for still prompted a lot of thought. With as many stories as there are here, you’re bound to find plenty to like. My minor quibbles aside, this is yet another strong entry from DC Vertigo.
ETERNALS # 5
MEMO
To: Neil Gaiman
cc: Frank Miller
From: superhero
Re: Coasting on your reputation.
Mr. Gaiman,OK, it's time someone said it and it might as well be me. Your version of THE ETERNALS is about as exciting as a piece of burnt toast. I mean, really. What the hell is going on with you? You're supposed to be a good writer. No, scratch that, you're supposed to be a great writer. I mean, if I'm supposed to believe your legions of SANDMAN fans you're practically the poet laureate of the comic book industry. Now me, personally, I never got what was so great about you. I tried…really I did. I picked up the first SANDMAN trade and, well, I have to say I was more than underwhelmed. Let's face it…I was straight out bored. But I accepted that SANDMAN probably wasn't my cup of tea or maybe it was just too "over my head" and I went on with being one of the few unwashed masses that didn't think SANDMAN was the best thing since Twizzlers. Which is fine. Other people appreciated your work and I think that's great. Obviously your writing touched some hearts out there and you built yourself a reputation for having brought some sort of enlightenment to the field of comic books. Super. Great. Fantastic.
And I've been willing to accept for years that you are one of comicdom's greatest writers. That your SANDMAN work is to be considered one of the great comic works of all time. That you brought something to the field of comics that few, if any, creators of comic books have ever been able to do. Once again, that's fantastic stuff. Bravo! You've achieved success that many crave and that few will ever be able to reach! You've inspired the likes of Tori Amos to write introductions for your trade paperback collections and given a whole new generation of Goths a reason to keep dying their hair black while applying generous amounts of eyeliner. Excellent!
But, Mr. Gaiman, I have a serious question for you: what have you done for us lately?
No seriously…what have you done for comic fans lately? Well, not much actually. I mean, let's face it man…you are really coasting on your reputation here.
I know, I know…maybe I'm being too harsh but seriously…I really am starting to get the feeling that you're looking to comics these days to just kick back and do a little slumming. I get it. You're a big name writer now. You've got lots of real books that you've written with lots of words in them. You've even had a mini-series made of your work with some film projects coming down the line. I mean, who needs comics, right? Why put any real effort into writing for the pamphlets, right? Why bother when your name alone is what'll get the fanboys to pick up the book? I mean, at this point why put any thought into what you're doing when something's guaranteed to sell just because it has your name on the cover?
And please, Neil, don't tell me that you're not slumming. If you're not then you really ought to be ashamed of yourself. Really, this ETERNALS mini series has ended up being just tepid. I mean, it's not as sleep inducing as the first SANDMAN trade, but it's pretty close. If this is the type of work that you did in the beginning of your career then I highly doubt you'd ever have become what you are today: NEIL GAIMAN. If this is the type of stuff that the whole run of SANDMAN consisted of you'd have just stayed Neil Gaiman…plain 'ol average comic writer. This mini-series isn't befitting someone of your stature…that is, unless you're doing the work for the paycheck alone. But that doesn't make sense because you've got all of those best selling books to pay the rent with!
Y'know, now that I think of it, maybe it isn't your fault. Maybe you're just plain too cerebral for something like THE ETERNALS. From what I've heard the original ETERNALS was King Kirby all the way. Big old crazy ideas and set pieces with cosmic action fisticuffs. Maybe THE ETRNALS just isn't your style. I mean, Bendis gets trashed for making his characters stand around and talk a lot but it seems that with this ETERNALS series you want to give him a run for his money! Five whole issues of the various ETERNALS wandering around discovering that they are actually ETERNALS? You've got Bendis beat! At least Bendis'll have someone blow something up every once in a while. You'd figure with THE ETERNALS we'd get something cool like that, but no dice.
I bet right about now you're ready to say, "But what about those giant Celestial thingees? Weren't they cosmically cool?" Well, sure, but see that's where you're smart. You and that crazy bastard Frank Miller. You know that you're phoning it in so you get the best artist you can find who'll make up for your lack of effort. Yeah, those Celestial thingamabobs are cool as hell but only because John Romita, Jr. draws them like no one else, besides Kirby, could. Hell, he makes them look freakin' awesome and they just stand around most of the time! But see that's the point. Romita Jr. is carrying this series on his back. If it weren't for him this thing would be worthless instead of just being the forgettable bore it is. Let's face it. The real stars of this series are Romita Jr. and colorist Matt Hollingsworth. It's the art in these books that's impressive but the writing is below average at best.
So, in closing, I'd really just like to say that if you're going to keep turning in comic work like this then just don't bother. See, I love comic books and I don't see them as a place for big name writers to just slum around in. If I'm paying good money then I want your damn best effort. Not some snore fest Marvel asked you to put together so they could capitalize on your name. Consider this memo an intervention. Now it's time to take responsibility. Stop using great artists as your crutch and get out there and write some great comics again. Hell, I know you can do it! Why not just start with ETERNALS: THE GOTH YEARS? At least you'll be writing about something you know about.
MARTIAN MANHUNTER #4
Writer: A.J. Lieberman Artists: Al Barrionuevo (pencils), Bit (inks) Publisher: DC Comics Reviewer: Ambush Bug
There are many theories as to why the Martian Manhunter is not as popular a character as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and even Plastic Man. J’onn J’onzz has been around for ages, has had multiple miniseries and series, he’s usually a solid cast member in the JLA, so why the hell isn’t he a hotter character? Some think it has to do with his alien look, but that’s not the case. J’onn J’onzz basically looks like a cross between the Hulk and Superman and both characters have iconic status. It’s not because he’s green. That’s not the reason why. I have a theory. And I’ve waited until the fourth issue of this series to tell it to the world.The reason J’onn J’onzz isn’t as popular as he could be is because of one thing…
…it’s because of his tiny, little speedo Martian Man-pants.
Fans of comic bookdom aren’t comfortable with male nudity. For the most part, they aren’t shaped like these muscle-bound heroes that fight and fly across the panels. They’re of the flabbier sort. If they were to try some Martian Man-Pants on, there’d be quite a bit of cupcake action going on, if ya know what I’m saying. We as fans don’t want to see a seven foot Martian walking around like he’s on the French Riviera. Some of us are short people. If Mr. J’onzz were to walk up to us, it’d be more than a little uncomfortable since his Martian Man-junk would be a bit too close to eye level. And that would suck. Speedos suck. Ever been on a beach and a guy in a speedo walks by? He’s ridiculed. He’s mocked. He’s envied a little. And he’s basically the guy at the beach everyone wishes to be washed out at high tide or to step on a jellyfish. J’onn J’onzz, Martian Man-pants Wearer, sucks.
Well, it’s a theory. And I believe it’s a good one: one I thought would be put to rest after seeing J’onn in some new duds at the end of INFINITE CRISIS. I thought, finally, we wouldn’t have to see that Martian Man-junk dangling about. Maybe now, J’onn will be recognized as one of the most powerful heroes in DC’s pantheon and not the hero you would least want to bend over in front of you to pick up a nickel on the sidewalk. But after reading the first four issues of this miniseries, sadly, I got the feeling that this wasn’t going to be the break-out story that would propel the Martian Manhunter to stardom.
The problem is that this is an alien government conspiracy story. And alien government conspiracy stories are the Kevin Federline of the comic book story biz mainly because the went-on-too-long aspect of THE X-FILES sucked the vital juices out of this genre of storytelling like a vampire prostitute (remember VAMP, I do…cool movie!). It’s like writing a story with clones in a Marvel Universe book. It’s, to quote the Talkbackers, “too soon” and brings back memories I’d just as soon not want to remember at this time. This book has all of the stuff we’ve seen before. Aliens captured and prodded by government organizations, secret meetings and weapons, cases of mistaken identity. All of the stuff that got old by Season Three of X-FILES. Yawn.
It’s too bad, really. Martian Man-pants suck, but so do X-FILES rip-offs. Getting rid of one and replacing it with the other just doesn’t work. This time around, MARTIAN MANHUNTER just isn’t entertaining…
…but at least he’s wearing some sensible pants.
WISDOM #1 (of 6)
Writer: Paul Cornell Artist: Trevor Hairsine Publisher: MAX Comics aka Marvel: Vertigo Division Reviewed by: Squashua
Pete Wisdom. I have no idea who he was. I think I heard the name in passing once, but that was it. Saw the preview for this book, liked the art, the writing seemed to be there, so I dropped $4 and picked up the book. That's how I work it these days, ladies.So, what the fuck, fairies, right? Fucking war on fairies. They're attacking our world from Otherworld, which I guess was some place that some Braddock guy, I guess he was Captain Briton or Lord British or whatever, used to manage. It's not a factor since jolly old England has put Peter Wisdom and his MI-13 crew on the fookin' case.
I'm not quite sure what this comic wants to be. It's like silly NEXTWAVE, "Yer can't stop Captain Midlands!" meets THE AUTHORITY, "We're MI-13, and we haven't had our breakfast." meets HELLBLAZER (last page) with a lot of filler from some long-misplaced Garth Ennis book mixed with a bit of cliche James Bond homage. And throughout the story there's a serious conflict brewing with the newest MI-13 member, a psychic of some sort who is sensing impending doom. I'm not sure if I want to recommend this; there are some fantastic ideas here from a Skrull masquerading as John Lennon to Pete's speech about what not to do in Otherworld ("Don't marry anything"), but I just don't know what to make of the rest of it. It goes from parody to straight to silly to straight to parody and back to silly.
The book is a hodge-podge of ideas that I like with a bunch of notions that fall flat, like the gatling gun-wielding fairy rebel. Like the writer was afraid that if he didn't toss the kitchen sink into the first issue, the boat would sink. Other than this mish-mosh, the major drawback to me is that I'm not sure if the characters in this book are British for the sake of being British or if one character is being rebellious for the sake of being rebellious or what. For example, the over-the-top, "freak the mundanes" goth gal, who happens to be a fairy, responds to a racial slur with, "Don't feel bad. Buy me vodka and Red Bull, yah!" I can't stand it when writers try to write accents. It makes the characters sound stupid.
The art is attractive, and it's what drew me to the series in the first place, but at times it is a little too dark, with some of the black, moppy hairstyles getting smudged out. As with the writer, the artist has some excellent ideas; one image that struck a chord with me was a shot of Captain Midlands putting his shield to good and graphic use. Actually, any scene of Captain Midlands (Britain's answer to Captain America, I guess) in action put a smile on my face. The violence is quite graphic, with fairy heads exploding left and right.
I'm of two minds with this book. If you're looking for traditional super-hero action, this isn't it. If you like over-the-top and secret super-agencies fighting the crazy unknown, give WISDOM a chance. It's like not-quite-NEXTWAVE with a big focus on the spiritual and British side of things, but it is a dollar more than other books. If you see it in the shop, flip through it and judge for yourself.
BLACK GAS 2 #1
Writer: Warren Ellis Artist:Max Fiumara Publisher: Avatar Press Reviewer: Ambush Bug
Hee hee, it’s another zombie book, folks!*rubbing hands together deviously*
Y’allz knowz I can’t get me enough of them zombie books!
And this one’s a good one. Warren Ellis’ first foray into the zombie genre was a light and fun trot of a story. It had all of the zombie movie conventions; survivors on the run, zombies getting shot and hit in the head, grue, carnage, and the true ugly face of humanity shed light upon by tragedy. But after getting to the end of the first three-parter that was BLACK GAS PART 1, I felt as if it was a bit breezy in the story department. Basically, two lovers arrive at an island. An earthquake unleashes a gas that forms a dark cloud over the island turning the inhabitants into zombies with black shit coming out of every orifice in their head. Said two lovers run from the cabin, through town, and to a boat, fighting zombies the whole way. The end. That’s about it as far as story is concerned. And although it was an energetic jaunt, it was a story of the light and fluffy kind.
BLACK GAS 2 opens up immediately after the last panel of BLACK GAS 1 and Ellis takes one single step backward to see how the black cloud has affected the mainland not far from the island where the gas originated. The mainland is faring about as well as the island, and the lone survivor of the first series runs into some new cast members and instead of finding safety, finds that there truly is no safe place in Ellis’ story. This issue seemed meatier than the entire three issues of part one of this series. There’s some definite story development and the threat is intensified as other forces seek to contain the gas and care very little about the survivors.
One of the things that I really liked about this issue was that it showed something that is often referred to in zombie stories but is rarely seen. In about every zombie movie, one of the survivors suggests that the group leave their safe haven (be it an old house, bomb shelter, or Mall o’ America) and go to an emergency outpost set up by the government in case of a mass catastrophe like…say…the zombie apocalypse. During this scene, someone inevitably shoots down this idea because they “just came from the outpost and it had already been overrun by the zombies.” But we never get to see this overrun emergency center, we just hear about it. In BLACK GAS 2, we get to see the emergency center overrun by zombies and it’s a pretty intense and electrifying action/horror scene. For this scene alone, one I don’t remember seeing before besides the TV station takeover at the beginning of the original DAWN OF THE DEAD, I have to give BLACK GAS 2 props.
Warren Ellis is a great storyteller. He’s proven himself to be a standout voice in the comic book world. I’m glad he’s writing this series and although he seemed to be a little frugal with the story in the first act, BLACK GAS 2 seems to be steamrolling ahead story-wise and making up for it. I hope there’s a BLACK GAS 3 and 4 and 5 and 6, each taking one more step back to show a broader picture of how this ominous black cloud of death effects the survivors and the world around them.
H.C. Noel’S MR SCOOTLES #1-2 www.hcnoel.com
Where do cartoons go when they no longer dance across the silver screen or your widescreen TV sets? When one creates a piece of art, what happens to that creation once the creator has moved on? These questions are asked in this interesting little indie series featuring a non-specific animal cartoon character called Mr. Scootles who wakes up in a hellish purgatory after two college students unearth a reel of his long-forgotten cartoon adventures. There are devilish incantations and bizarre Hades-like landscapes galore in this one. The creator of this series is definitely having fun coming up with surreal images and scenery for Scootles to bound about. Visually imaginative, that’s what this one is. This is a comic book series from an artist about art and what happens to art after it’s been long forgotten. It’s a concept that has resonance and a lot of potential. Those interested in the artistic process and all of its philosophies will like this one. And those who like to see cartoon cat/dog/mouse creatures stumble through Limbo will dig it too. - Ambush Bug
TURA & EVA #2 Fecus Publications
What is it with surreal trips in this week’s Indie Jones? J. Sumii brings back his Betty and Veronica with attitude in this second issue of TURA & EVA. Eva fights off legions of zombie hordes with a machete while Tura takes a snooze and meets Gingercleus in the Dream World. Both storylines come together in the end and both offer an off-kilter glimpse at the world in the surrealest of fashions. Gingercleus, a talking gingerbread man who is robed up like some kind of Greek deity, provides some of the issue’s most entertaining moments as he guides Tura through the Dream World. This is a fun book that never takes itself too seriously and always entertains. - Ambush Bug
U.T.F. (UNDEAD TASK FORCE) #3 Ape Entertainment
This third and final issue of U.T.F. opens more doors than closes them, paving the way for the inevitable follow-up. And I’m glad there will be more to come. This issue ends with a bang as the vampire threat comes to a head and spills out of the prison and into the California streets. The stakes are raised and there’s a real tension to this third installment that wasn’t there in the first two issues because the U.T.F. were pretty much kicking @$$, taking names, and showing no signs of weakness against the vampire threat. In this issue, a chink in the armor has been shown and it’s made the story all the more interesting. This miniseries had a lot of high powered action that culminated nicely in this last issue. Tone Rodriguez’ art is another reason to seek this nicely packaged, cleanly executed, and intensely written miniseries. - Ambush Bug
ASTRONAUTS IN TROUBLE: MASTER FLIGHT PLAN HC AiT/PlanetLar
By far one of the most entertaining and surprising reads in recent memory, this one was. If you don’t believe me, believe Warren Ellis and Kurt Busiek, who both write forewords in this book giving it praise for its innovative concepts and ability to grasp that feeling we all had when we were little. You know the one. The feeling that one day, you’d love to be out there in space, floating around, gazing at the Earth and all of its inhabitants below, and maybe even taking a weightless stroll on the moon. We all thought about it from time to time, looking up to the stars with wide eyes filled with hope and wonder. Well, this collection of stories from Larry Young illustrates this feeling so tenderly while at the same time hitting you full throttle with a perfectly constructed story structure telling a truly innovative action tale. Larry Young knows how to tell a story and make it interesting. He pops in and out of the collection to tell a tale of how he ended up with the story you are about to read. These intermissions are just as entertaining as the rest of the book. Artists Matt Smith and Charlie Adlard bring the panels to life and when the action intensifies and the blood starts flowing, these two artists shine. This is one of the best collections of stories I have read in a long time. My favorite is the first which follows a news crew who accidentally get launched into space and accidentally again uncover a devious plot involving a millionaire and the moon. It’s fun sci fi that never ventures out of the realm of possibility, but is filled with boundless energy and creativity nonetheless. Highest possible recommendation for this one. Go to the link above and get this one already! - Ambush BugRemember, if you have an Indie book you’d like one of the @$$holes to take a look at, click on your favorite reviewer’s link and drop us an email.
TEEN TITANS #40 DC Comics
Miss Martian is such a li’l cutie. I actually really like the new Teen Titans team consisting of enough new and old characters to make the mix-up interesting. Writer Geoff Johns is at his best when he’s having these original personalities interact with one another. But his need to compartmentalize this book as a showcase for miniature versions of more established and older DC characters wears thin sometimes and distracts me as a reader from getting into the story. You can literally sense the creative process of Johns as he takes a JLA member, hips him up, youths him down, and adds a clever twist. Not everyone needs a teen sidekick or a younger version of themselves running around the DCU. Pretty soon, Johns is going to run out of heroes to run through his Teen Titans writing process machine and we’ll be getting younger versions of these younger versions. TITAN BABIES, anyone? - Bug
BULLET POINTS #1 Marvel Comics
Only a cheap shot for this title because right now it's basically a simple "Elseworlds" approach to the Marvel Universe fleshed out for an issue. The premise JMS has here is the idea of one bullet affecting the way the entire Marvel U has fallen. Doctor Erskine (the guy responsible for the Super Soldier serum) is gunned down a day too early, so instead of becoming Captain America, scrawny little Steve Rogers instead becomes the first man in the Iron Man armor. Also, one Ben Parker is also gunned down in the attack on Erskine, so without a father figure like him to latch onto, we see little Peter Parker grow up pretty roguish which conversely puts him in the way of a little gamma bomb experimenting. So you see where all this is going right? And it's all interesting stuff, but right now it's just kind of a glorified "What If?" as JMS is throwing all these little plot divergences at us. Which is fine, we all love these "Well, what if this happened?" stories, but we need to see some more meat and emotional resonance to these different scenarios, not just "Oh, Peter Parker is the Hulk now instead. Isn't that cool?" Here's to hoping we get some of that in the next four issues. - Humphrey
BATMAN #658 DC Comics
Getting on my nerves faster than a Talkback troll. More annoying than Captain Marvel Jr. Able to leap to the top of my list of characters I’d love to see die a grisly death by grizzly in a single bound…it’s Damian, the son of Batman and Talia, AKA Batman Junior. Grant Morrison’s contribution to the Bat-mythos is the most nails-against-a-chalkboard annoying character to come along in quite a while. Morrison’s final act in the Batman and son story comes to a disappointing end as once again, Morrison has too many ideas and too few resolutions. Robin is simply used as a punching bag. Talia is acting evil as ever, but her motivations are unclear. Manbat ninjas flying about look cool, but end up having little else to do. This ending is more cohesive than other Morrison works, but a lot of it has to do with the talented Andy Kubert’s pencils. Good looking. Great ideas. Annoying character and an unfulfilling finale. - Bug
