(Click title to go directly to the review)
ARCHIE #2
JUSTICE LEAGUE #43
HOWARD THE HUMAN #1
INVADER ZIM #2
Marvel’s SECRET WARS BATTLEWORLD Travel Guide XIII!
ARCHIE #2
Writer: Mark WaidArt: Fiona Staples
Publisher: Archie Comics
Reviewer: Lyzard
Rather than compare ARCHIE #2 to the other refreshing offerings this new generation of Archie writers and artists have brought to the table, I want to look at the book itself. This rebooted series is all about skewing from expectations, and so I must put aside my adoration for Jughead and annoyance towards Archie Andrews in order to properly review this title.
In ARCHIE #1 Riverdale High is flabbergasted by the breakup between ginger goofball Archie Andrews and perpetual tomboy Betty Cooper. At first Jughead and the other Riverdalians whose lives seem to center around this one kid try to put the couple back together, but it’s for naught. In ARCHIE #2 we now see the repercussions of what happens when the girl next door breaks up with the boy still living next door. Neither are happy. Archie thinks money will help with his problems and this puts the entire town at risk as he fails his way miserably (and hilariously) through a multitude of jobs. Betty struggles to move on from the only boy who ever understood and accepted her “one of the guys” attitude. None of their family or friends seem to be able to cheer up either of the heartbroken adolescents. But Veronica Lodge isn’t a friend…yet.
We only get a quick peek at Ronnie in ARCHIE #2, but it’s enough to catch Archie’s attention. Frankly, the love triangle never made much sense to me. Veronica always seemed to prefer Archie as an accessory rather than a boyfriend. Here, she sees him not as the most popular boy in school, but someone who can piss off her dad. Perhaps it is my residual feelings towards Veronica that have me leaning towards her reaction to Archie’s tomfoolery as more shallow than genuine amusement. Either way, the spark has been set.
The series cannot completely divert itself from Archie Publications’ long history. There are some cheesy jokes, amped up by Archie’s direct address to the reader. There are a few over the top visual gags. Those that pay off best are ones which Fiona Staples maps out over multiple panels and pages, producing a more complex joke based on flow rather than a one-off slapstick sight gag. That being said, a lot of those cartoony visuals work, and sometimes you just have to give in to some good ol’ fashioned wholesome humor.
While I’ve enjoyed the new look Staples has brought to ARCHIE, it is the dramatic elements from writer Mark Waid that have impressed me the most come this second issue. This story so easily could have featured flat, mopey characters with a sappy story. Instead, we are presented with complex emotions. Rejection. Denial. Identity crisis. These kids just aren’t weeping over puppy love, but dealing with it in relatable ways.
So the book by itself, reviewed in a vacuum free from the rest of pop culture, is a fun read. There’s humor, a bit too wonky at times, but usually balanced out by overarching love lost story.
As a fan of the Archie universe, I can honestly say it is like falling in love (or annoyed) with these characters all over again. My reactions to their personalities don’t necessarily line up with how I’ve felt towards them the past few decades I’ve been reading Archie, and that for me is the greatest success of this series thus far. It truly is a fresh experience.
Lyzard is Lyz Reblin, a graduate student at the University of Texas pursuing a master's degree in Media Studies... which is just a fancy way of saying she plays a lot video games, watches far too many horror films, and then tries to pass it all off as "research."
JUSTICE LEAGUE #43
Writer: Geoff JohnsArtist: Jason Fabok
Publisher: DC Comics
Reviewer: Masked Man
The battle of two dark gods continues, or rather it gets started, for Darkseid and the Anti-Monitor finally lock horns in this issue! As an old school DC reader, this is a battle made in heaven (if that makes sense): Darkseid and his army of parademons vs. the Anti-Monitor and his army of shadow demons, and the Justice League caught in the middle.
As much of a cool rollercoaster ride this story arc has been, it just seems poorly put together as I question things more than I appreciate things. Warning--spoilers ahead, like: Why are the Anti-Monitor and Darkseid fighting? Why did Darkseid tell Kalibak and company to get ready to go to Earth before Grail called him? Why isn't Batman getting any smarter in the Mobius chair? If Darkseid knew Myrina Black was on 'our' Earth, why was he searching other Earths? And how can you have an Anti-Monitor without a Monitor???
Reading a recent interview with Johns, he talked about all the hard work making the story and all angles yet to be revealed in this story, some being from withheld other stories. This leads me to believe the only one truly enjoying this story is Johns, because he's the only one who knows what is going on. Like, seriously, you not going to reveal important character points about the Anti-Monitor in this story (things that give this story more meaning) until the story is long over. Why the hell would you do that?
For a quick breakdown of this issue, it starts with (re)introducing Kalibak, taking two swings with his beta club to kill a chained up mutant dog just so he could lick its blood off his club. Now instead of being impressed with Kalibak as an unstoppable force of nature, turns out he's just a creepy psycho neighbor. The dog stomping must stop because it's time to go to Earth and crack skulls. Meanwhile, Batman tries to convince the rest of the Justice League that he can control the Mobius Chair just fine. On Apokolips, Superman (who is losing his powers) tries to escape the mad hordes of Hunger Dogs with Lex Luthor. Back on Earth, Kanto and Lashina are still looking for Myrina Black (a plot line that lost its purpose last issue). Next Grail calls Darkseid with crop circles and blood, telling him she is on Earth. Mr. Miracle appears to the Justice League and tells them they have to stop Darkseid and the Anti-Monitor from fighting on Earth. As they Boom Tube over to Grail, Darkseid shows up, and it's on like Donkey Kong. Wonder Woman then waxes about the no win situation as the fighting begins.
So not bad, but it would be better if I knew what any of it meant. Also, being an old school reader, which in general is who Johns is mostly writing to (i.e. I don't have to tell you who this is, you should know already), things keep jumping out at me as weird, like Superman losing his powers in only a few hours without sunlight (so much for morning wood), Wonder Woman not having her bracelets, and carrying a shield instead, Batman being dumb enough to think a sentient god chair wouldn't mess with his mind, Darkseid being 42 feet tall, Kalibak being 18 feet tall, Luthor being dumb enough to think a firepit on Apokolips would act like sunlight…it's like the whole plot is based on characters not being utilized to there fullest.
It's almost a shame that Jason Fabok is drawing this so well. Seriously, Fabok is drawing the hell out of this book. It's classic superhero goodness. I just wish Johns' script was stronger.
“The Darkseid War” is probably a great story; it's just that Johns seems to have left it in his notebook, as he is either stringing us along to sell more issues (as in no story can never truly end) or is afraid that his idea is better than his script, so he hides the idea, thinking that the script will be better because of it (as in, don't give it all away too soon or people will stop reading). I'm not sure which it is, but I wish he would knock it off. He's a very talented writer and he should stop using tricks.
HOWARD THE HUMAN #1
Writer: Skottie YoungArtist: Jim Mahfood
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewer: Lionel Putz
There’s something truly enjoyable about a good one issue standalone comic book story, be it in a continuing series, an entry into an anthology, or a one-off. And while SECRET WARS has offered up a few anthology books (SECRET WARS BATTLEWORLD, SECRET WARS SECRET JOURNAL, SECRET WARS SECRET LOVE, et al., all of which tell multiple short stories per issue) amongst its many great tie-ins, the excellent HOWARD THE HUMAN falls into that last category as one of the scant few one shots in SECRET WARS, and the first I’ve read.
Under the tagline “Trapped in a Battleworld he never made”, Howard the Human is the sole hairless ape in New Quack City, a seedy version of Marvel’s New York populated by anthropomorphic animals, including a truly feline Felicia Hardy, a gorilla Wilson Fisk, and Mouse Murdock, who might be my favorite Daredevil ever, and certainly my favorite SECRET WARS upgrade to any character to date. (There’s also a lizard Curt Conners, which feels kind of lazy, and he never once turns into a human, which seems like a missed opportunity. But I digress.) Howard is--unsurprisingly to fans of his duck counterpart--a private detective caught up in some sort of intrigue and standing in the middle of a Mexican standoff in a bar as the issue opens. A fairly standard flashback narrative telling us how we got here unfolds. As is always the case with comics, though, the journey is way more important than the destination, and the procedural whodunit is just a jumping off point for exploring this weird world and Howard’s place in it.
I’ll be honest: when I saw Skottie Young listed as writer, I instinctively assumed it was a typo. I didn’t recognize the art as his, but it was so idiosyncratic I assumed he must be trying something new (more about the art in a minute). But no, Skottie Young apparently writes on occasion, and he does a fine job here. The tale moves at a brisk pace, makes sense, and allows for some witty back-and-forth between Howard and the other players. There’s also a great running bit about Howard wanting bacon and eggs that pays off nicely in the end. And, again, Mouse Murdock. Mouse Murdock is my favorite thing in comics this week. It makes me regret having settled on my reviewer name last week.
This book also looks amazing, with artist Jim Mahfood’s unique style suiting its weird noir vibe perfectly. I wasn’t at all familiar with Mahfood, and after a quick google search, I understand why. This wildly talented artist has largely stayed in the indie scene, applying his graffiti- and hip hop-influenced style to a scattershot of self-produced works, as well as a few collaborations with people like Kevin Smith and Ziggy Marley, which is a shame because there absolutely is a place for him in the Marvel sandbox working on any number of lower profile, quirky titles. Colorist Justin Stewart does a phenomenal job breathing additional life into this book with a stylized, vibrant palette in much the same way Matt Hollingsworth elevated everything Matt Fraction and David Aja accomplished on their Hawkeye run with his use of only a few muted colors, Stewart’s use here of bold, rich color and heavy shadowing over Mahfood’s totally unique hand synthesizes a gorgeous and kinetic piece of pop art.
As I mentioned at the beginning, I love the simple joy of a great one issue story, and one-shots in particular are great. This story harkens back to the days of Marvel’s “What If…?” series, and really over-delivers on its simple premise the way the best of those books did. If I had one complaint it would be that, ironically, this book left me wanting there to be more of it.
Lionel Putz is a lawyer by day and badly wishes his legal briefs could include illustrations and dialogue bubbles. He watched Matlock in a bar last night; the sound wasn't on, but he's pretty sure he got the gist of it. Email him at lionel.putz@gmail.com
INVADER ZIM #2
Writer/Creator: Jhonen VasquezArtist: Aaron Alexovich
Publisher: Oni Press
Reviewer: Masked Man
There are few TV shows out there, and even less for children, that have you asking “how the hell did this get made (in a good way)?!?” INVADER ZIM was one of those shows: totally insane, not a afraid to go dark and highly inventive. And, in my humble opinion, it has one of the greatest cartoon characters of all time—no, not Zim, GIR, who can't be explained--he must be experienced.
Now as we all know, turning a TV show or movie into a comic book may look great on paper but often sucks as the writers either don't have any good ideas or are not allowed to use them (as rights holders have no interest in working together to make a good comic book--they just want to collect an easy check that doesn't mess with their IP). Likewise, artists often can't match the creative style of the product. But Oni Press has no such problems here as they got Zim's creator Jhonen Vasquez (who started out in comics) as the writer (not just editor), and Zim animation artist Aaron Alexovich to draw it!
Ok, sure, that all sounds great, but we've seen many creators return to their golden concept just to find out they ain’t got it anymore. Well, if you are a fan of the show and you would like more INVADER ZIM goodness, then buy this d@mn book already! Vasquez hasn't lost his touch, and neither has Alexovich. This IS INVADER ZIM. It's insane, dark, funny and absurd. This is one of the best jobs I've seen bringing a cartoon to life as a comic book. Anything you loved about Zim (as they used to say in the old spaghetti commercial), it's in there.
The first two issues deal with Zim having gone missing (you know, why we haven't seen him since the series was canceled). Dib, the one human who knows Zim is an alien trying to take over the world, has dedicated maybe too much of his life to finding Zim. When Zim does appear, for reasons that are just as insane and absurd as you'd expect from Zim (and Vasquez), he’s off on his next plan to take over the world. Dib, though not quite the boy he used to be, chases after Zim in the spaceship he took from Tak (viewers of the show will know, no big whup if you don't). Things of course don't go smoothly, get out of hand, and Zim's master plan is nothing Dib could have even dreamed of! And 'Emergency Escape Mode' was just too funny.
Now, not a fan of INVADER ZIM, or have no idea what it's all about? Ask yourself one question: do you like crazy, near random humor? If no, then Zim is probably not for you. If yes, then you should really give it a shot. Breaking it down, Zim comes from a race of merciless and quite petty conquers. Being very short and dim, his masters send Zim to what they thought was empty space with GIR, a defective robot. Turns out that empty piece of space is where the Earth is, so Zim assumes his masters wanted him to conquer Earth. Poorly disguised as a school child, Zim hopes to learn more about the stupid humans to make conquering them easier. His trusty robot GIR, disguised as a dog, doesn't do a d@mn thing to help him. Since most people don't give a d@mn either, Zim's disguise works on everyone except class weirdo Dib, who has made it his mission to stop Zim. Now who actually does more damage to Zim's plans, Dib or himself, is up for debate. Lastly, while vain, short-tempered, and shortsighted, Zim is also an evil little invader, so Vasquez doesn't pull many punches showing Zim abuse everyone around him. It was a heck of a cartoon show, and the comic book totally follows suit.
I laughed out loud several times reading these first two setup issues, so yeah, INVADER ZIM is back.
Marvel’s SECRET WARS BATTLEWORLD TOUR GUIDE PART XIII!
orHow You Successfully Kill Some Good Guys
By Henry Higgins is My Homeboy
Previously, on Secret Wars: our heroes went on the run, and wouldn’t you know it, KORVAC became a big player. Huh.
SECRET WARS SECRET LOVE #1 (Michel Fiffe, Felipe Smith, Jeremy Whitley & Gurihiru, Marguerite Bennett & Kris Anka, Katie Cook)Throughout the world as a whole we’ve seen gladiators fight dinosaurs and demons vaporize Hulks, but now we get to see the other side of the coin--the happy side! For the most part. I mean: as the Hell’s Kitchen of Inferno literally goes to hell, Daredevil and Karen Page try to work through trust issues. Danny Rand and Misty Stone do their best to get over the boredom in their relationship by watching kung fu movies and punching stuff. Ghost Rider meets Ms. Marvel, and Squirrel Girl gets to touch Thor’s abs. It’s an all around good day for everyone involved, besides the part where Hell’s Kitchen starts shooting demons and shit.
GUARDIANS OF KNOW-WHERE #3 (Brian Michael Bendis & Mike Deodato)For all those people who came here wanting to see Drax and Rocket Raccoon work together to blow up a giant boring dude in the face, well, this is not the sector for you. This is a surprisingly talky version of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and they’re just constantly trying not to pick fights. Even when Venom is just itching for it, cooler heads prevail and Drax – DRAX – keeps his calm. And then Angela and Gamora have a debate about theology. This is the most civilized severed head of a cosmic god ever.
AGE OF ULTRON VS. MARVEL ZOMBIES #3 (James Robinson & Steve Pugh)This sector is full of people who are about to get vaporized, isn’t it? Seriously, the little dome of safety and security behind the Wall is full of expectant fathers and happy lovers. And goddamnit, even when it’s to stop an army of superpowered robot zombies (long story, don’t ask), Hanky Pym is just nothing but a fountain of bad ideas. Cowboy Hank Pym was in cowboy world, trying to build an Ultron, because of course he was. Also, this issue has superpowered robot zombies. That happens in here too.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: RENEW YOUR VOWS #3 (Dan Slott & Adam Kubert and Scott Hanna)Annie Parker is pretty badass, and I’m hoping she somehow makes it into the reconstructed world after all this Battleworld stuff explodes in everyone’s respective faces. She’s already got a superhero costume, and her Dad’s only been kidnapped for a few minutes. But now The Resistance has to go try and fight The Regent, and god Hawkeye is a douche. Also, Regent? Hi. Travel Guide Guy. Alright, I know you’ve got this scheme to go fight GodKingDoom and steal his throne, and that’s super. Reach for the stars…I can foresee the things going wrong. Firstly, GodKingDoom has a pet Galactus. Secondly, he has a PET Galactus. You and Maestro, why do you think punching out god is gonna work out?
ARMOR WARS #4 (James Robinson & Marcio Takara)Robot suits fights all over the place, and War Machine Thor is just WRECKING people left and right. This is extremely confusing for Kingpin, who looks way too much like Lex Luthor now. Plus, he got a “fat” Iron Man suit. Techno World Tony Stark, that’s hysterical, though you should have probably been more careful with people having recording equipment, because now you’re going to have to fight a “Pacific Rim” robot, and even you don’t want to have to deal with all that this morning.
1872 #2 (Gerry Duggan & Nick Virella)THIS WORLD IS SO COOL. Alright, so cowboy Steve Rogers and Red Hawk have to fight ninjas and Doctor Octopus, who has improved upon his main continuity tentacle designs by adding guns. But none of that compares to cowboy Steve Rogers, making a hard case for being the best Cap in Battleworld (still hasn’t beaten Gladiator Cap, who fistfights Hulks) by just being an awesome cowboy. Also they have to fight an Elektra and cowboy Iron Man is at work in his lab, and that’s going to be great.
SECRET WARS JOURNAL #4 (Mike Benson & Laura Braga, Sina Grace & Ken Lashley)At The Wall, an Iron Fist who’s remarkably clean-cut for coming from Age of Apocalypse and a Punisher from Egyptia who’s somehow still white explore the caves nearby, discovering a Mole Man (the first one so far, I think?) doing Mole Man things. And then they fight robots. Meanwhile, Psylocke from “Days of Future Past” world is in hiding, because of the whole “mutants being outlawed” thing. But when an old ally begs her to most likely die saving Northstar, she goes through the exact kind of arc you know she’s going to go through. And then they fight robots.
INFERNO #4 (Dennis Hopeless & Javier Garron)Inferno world seems like one of the less desirable domains to be trapped in. Among other things, it’s the world where burning New York and unleashing the denizens of hell unto the Earth gets you an automatic job upgrade. The Darkchild (aka Illyana Rasputin all eviled up) has taken over the city, and now it’s up to crippled Cyclops, little kid Cable, and root Colossus. But none of that is important when compared to Wiccan’s METAL BEARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And Nightcrawler is a dragon, can’t forget about that. And, I can’t believe I’m saying this…I like this version of Mister Sinister.
X-TINCTION AGENDA #3 (Marc Guggenheim & Carmine Di Giandomenico)The renegade X-Force of Genosha keep acting like they did nothing wrong, which is really annoying when they’ve got a bunch of other heroes locked in jail cells or being psychically controlled. And then the actual X-Men show up, and it’s just funny. It takes all of eighteen seconds for the X-Force to get trounced, and then a giant robot shows up to fight them. Also, this is the week of Longshot being a badass, I guess--another sentence I didn’t think I’d ever type.
CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND THE MIGHTY DEFENDERS #2 (Al Ewing & Alan Davis)Judge Dredd world! With Luke Cage as Dredd and Emma Frost as Anderson and Maria Hill as Thor! It’s such a Judge Dredd comic, and then superheroes show up. There’s debate about ethics, and also Captain Britain usurps GodKingDoom’s will by straight slicing hammers in half. It’s also an incredibly optimistic sector, which is somewhat different than most other parts of Battleworld. This is a world that will make you stand and cheer, and also like The Prowler.
WEIRDWORLD #3 (Jason Aaron & Mike Del Mundo)Arkon is so fucking angry about everything to do with Weirdworld, and that’s understandable. He just wants to be a guy, not having to do all these stupid things, and then, for some reason, he has to go into lava kingdoms and work with insane men made of crystal who also screams their names to every villain they run into. Morgan Le Fey wants him dead, and she’s not only an ungodly powerful witch, but also ruler of this land. And also Akron is just a guy, and then lava soldiers try to kill him. Lava swords hurt so much more than regular swords.
I love this sector.
RUNAWAYS #3 (Noelle Stevenson & Sanford Greene)The Runaways are bouncing from world to world, and not really making much progress on the “not getting caught” part of their plan. Whether it be in cowboy world or Civil War world, the Runaways are just doing their best, and their best really isn’t cutting it so far. But that doesn’t compare to Bucky and Val, who are the most adorable things in the comics as a whole. She has such a crush on Bucky! It’s fucking cute as hell! And then she orders him to go cut people’s arms off! You’d think he’d be more sensitive about taking body parts.
SPIDER-VERSE #4 (Mike Costa & Andre Araujo)Powerless Peter Parker is such a troll. He’s just standing there, Spider-Gwen at his side, calling out Norman at the top of the George Washington Bridge. Norman doesn’t really take it that well. But this is Norman Osborn, after all. AND this Storming Norman has been plugging his brain into the Siege Perilous, which is ill advised. That means he is full on pouring evil magical power directly into his brain with, like, a surge protector.
HOWARD THE HUMAN #1 (Skottie Young & Jim Mahfood)In a world of cutesy animals and gun toting pigeons, there is one man…literally. He’s the only man. And he is on a mission…to not die. He’ll deal with Black Cats, Lizard bartenders, Daredevil mice, and his own crazy-ass life. With five pistols aimed at his back, Howard has just a few minutes to tell his story and convince a handful of trigger-happy animals not to end his bipedal days.
This needs to be a movie, right now.
HOUSE OF M #1 (Dennis Hopeless & Marco Failla)In a world where Magneto and Toad are somewhat respected (a strange, strange land indeed), it’s time for Hawkeye and Black Cat to help bring about the end of the Age of Magnus!
It’s, it’s not the most exciting. I’m actually way more intrigued to hear what’s going on with Scarlet Witch and her two human-sympathizing kids, and it is somewhat reassuring to know that across all of reality and time, Quicksilver will always be a douchenozzle.
BATTLE-WORLD TRAVEL TRIP
Watch out for killer robots! They are just all over the place, like roaches. And some of them are actually robot roaches! But don’t be too scared--they’ve proven pretty simple to take down. Except the ones south of the Wall, but if you’re south of the Wall, you have a lot more pressing problems to worry about.
Proofs, co-edits & common sense provided by Sleazy G
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