Hi Gang. Andrew from GrayHaven here with over 25 new reviews for you this week.
A lot of people have been wondering why there have been so many positive reviews on this section lately. Well, I’ll tell you. You aren't going to be finding any negative reviews on this site or GrayHaven.
This doesn't mean that we like every single book that comes out in a given week. What it does mean is that we're going to use the time and space we have in a given week to focus on the quality books...the books we think you SHOULD be reading.
Our feeling is that instead of drawing attention to bad books, we're simply going to ignore them in favor of the many, many good books on the stands that you may or may not know about. Reviewing bad books serves no purpose. Why go out of our way to slam something, when we can instead read more good comics and pass the word along to you.
Heck, you’re still going to disagree with some of our choices of what a good book is, right? That’s the point of doing what we do. We want to bring your attention to these great works, get a debate going and get your butts into the comic shops to check them out for yourselves. There are plenty of sites on the web where they do comic reviews that include both positive and negative looks at books. God speed, but that’s not what we’re about.
The reviews:
Alias #5
Written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Michael Gaydos
Published by Marvel/MAX Comics
Reviewed by - Chaos McKenzie (golden_bullet@sympatico.ca)
When I was buying my comic books this week at the store, I had a fun exchange with a friend behind the register. She looked over my books, and gave quick one-word commentaries that she knew would be enough to settle me on my purchases or give me that nervous rumble you get before making a gamble. For each comment, I had a reason prepared to explain the purchase.
We both stopped at Alias, and looked at each other. I’m not sure about this one yet we said in tandem. It was one that we were convinced upon enjoying but was so far not sure to what level we really enjoyed it.
I officially like this series now, not that my address is anything special. But I thought I1d share. I liked the way things came together in this story. I like how it feels a lot like the type of Bendis you read in Jinx, but with an environment that is entirely different from it. I like the way the comic mainstream bleeds into the actual weave of the story. I like the dirty feel to the art that gives it certain grit that bulks the story.
And I even found Captain America amusing, and for a Canadian comic junkie that takes a lot.
And maybe for no other reason should I give it praise.
Overall: 8 out of 10
Amazing Spider-Man #37, "Interlude"
Written by J. Michael Straczynski and illustrated by John Romita jr. and Scott Hanna
Published by Marvel Comics
Reviewed by Aaron "Vroom Socko" Button (vroomsocko@hotmail.com)
I remember the issue where we learned that Aunt May knew that Peter was also Spider-Man. It was the same issue that she died in, smack dab in the middle of the clone saga. Later, of course, Marvel tried to clean up their mess by saying that Aunt May was really alive, and that the Green Goblin had replaced her with an imposter. (No, she didn't have a bomb in her ribcage.)
Now the real Aunt May has found her nephew asleep, with a shredded Spider-Man costume at the foot of his bed. She is angry. She is hurt. She is confused. And this is all shown without a single word on her part. This isn't a dreaded 'Nuff Said issue, but it does convey the point behind the stunt; comics can convincingly convey a story in pictures alone.
The bulk of this issue involves Peter helping one of his students out of a jam, building on the driving theme of Straczynski's run. Peter is learning about how to help people who are ordinary other than by defending them from villains who are extraordinary. That this focus was initiated before the hell of 9-11 is amazing to me.
The high point for me, however, was the images of Aunt May just sitting and thinking about what she has learned. There are many great little moments done by John Romita jr. that feel marvelous. Keep an eye out for several I (heart) NY posters.
Between Amazing and Ultimate, Spider-Man has become something that he hasn't been for me in a long time: an exiting, fun character whose stories don't insult my intelligence. These are some of the most real storylines I've read in comics, even if the main character swings from buildings in his underwear.
Overall: 9 out of 10
The Amazing Spider-Man #37
Written by J. Michael Stracyznski and illustrated by John Romita Jr.
Published by Marvel Comics
Reviewed by Victor Destefano sohei7@aol.com
I was pretty happy to get a chance to read this issue of Amazing Spider-Man. I think Straczynski's has done a great job with the book and his direction is usually pretty refreshing.
This issue however, isn't up there with previous issues though. I saw it more like an after school special with a super hero thrown into it than anything. And even worse, it has a bit less edge than the average after school special type show.
We see Peter Parker discover a student's horrible situation all because she falls asleep in class and he needs to find out why. Because of that, he goes to the girl's house only to find that she's not there. No, she's a squatter. I've seen this situation (or situations just like it) countless times before. The only thing that could have made it more typically played out is if the troubled, yet innocent, girl had a family member OD from anonymous drugs and the protagonist had to figure out if he should betray the befriended girl and report her to the authorities or let he be...oh wait, that did happen. Never mind. Well, at least there weren't generic junky kids who ditch their friend after he over doses...oh, never mind again.
I know it looks like I'm ragging on the book, but really, it wasn't that bad. While all this is going on, Aunt May is out in the city contemplating what to do since she accidentally discovered a bruised and battered Peter Parker passed out near his torn up Spider-Man costume. Before Parker worries himself to death over his beloved Aunt's whereabouts, he gets a call from her saying "We have to talk." Peter Parker shares two identities, he also, as always, has to deal with two pretty big problems that, for the time being, can't be solved with kicking people's asses and swinging from building to building.
These problems can go anywhere and, for at least on of them, I have absolutely no idea what direction it will take. For me, that's what a good comic definitely needs. This combined with some witty Parker dialogue and humorous moments saves the book from being blah.
John Romita Jr's pencils look great as ever. No, I think this is my favorite work he's done for the series so far. He really captures Parker/Spidey as well as the rest of the cast and from action shots to illustrating a sad, worried Aunt May, he does a great job all across the board. Scott Hanna's inks are tight and Dan Kemp did an excellent job with the colors.
Mediocre at points, but overall, a fun read.
Overall: 7 out of 10
A Moment of Silence
Written by Bill Jemas, Brian Michael Bendis, Joe Quesada, & Kevin Smith
Illustrated by Mark Bagley, Scott Morse, Igor Kordey, & John Romita Jr.
Published by Marvel Comics
Reviewed by Denny Haynes (snacky_uky@yahoo.com)
The third tribute book published by Marvel, A Moment of Silence, continues in the tradition of amazing, touching images and stories from the House of Ideas over the events of September 11, and also continues their support for the city of New York and the Twin Towers Fund. For the most part, Brian Bendis broke the rule, the stories do not utilize words, yet tell stories as powerful as any I've read.
The cover by Joe Quesada and Alex Ross stands out. I love the contrast of the yellow background with the blue and white stars of the flag. The fireman with his head down is definitely a powerful, evocative image. The entire book was an emotional roller coaster running the gamut from sadness to hope to hopelessness to sympathy to pride and to the awe of the heroes of September 11, 2001.
I was very impressed with Marvel getting former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani to do the introduction to this tribute book.
The first story, Moment of Truth, by Bill Jemas and Mark Bagley is about Anthony Savas. Anthony is husband to Phaedra, father to John, Sandra, & Tina, and building inspector for the Port Authority who helped the firefighters in their rescue of the people inside the World Trade Center. Mark Bagley's art is gorgeous and Bill Jemas really delivered with his story. The two-page spread depicting the World Trade Center complex really shows the enormity of the Towers, especially for us who have never seen it in person. The last panel, showing Savas and the firefighters going into the building without any thought for their own safety, illustrates the selfless and heroic nature of these men.
The second story, Moment of Silence: A True Story, as told to Brian Michael Bendis and Scott Morse is about Cleveland firefighter, and comic store owner, John Dudas' experience at Ground Zero. This was probably my favorite story, if you can have a favorite 9-11 story, of the tribute book, as what I was expecting and hoping to expect wasn't what happened at all. The story Brian and Scott told filled me with hope and then pulled the rug out from under my feet. It showed a glimpse of what the firefighters, rescue workers, and volunteers went through. I can't even imagine how draining this was for all of the people there; I have nothing but respect an admiration for all of the heroes.
The third story, Sick Day, by Joe Quesada and Igor Kordey is about fireman Michael Otten who went in to work for a friend who was sick on September 10th. This was a very touching and powerful story capturing the emotion of a New York and firefighter's family as they watch the events of 9-11 unfold. Igor Kordey draws a heart wrenching sequence of panels, which brought me to tears, of Mr. Otten's family visiting Ground Zero seven days later.
The final story, Periphery, by Kevin Smith and John Romita Jr. is an original story about a family who is caught up with the hustle and bustle of their life. I'm sure many families have experienced such a morning, one full of arguments over waking up, first shower, hogging the bathroom, and making a mess. However, the events of September 11 have a way of putting things in perspective.
The book rounds out with an afterword by Bill Jemas and an illustration by Darwyn Cooke and Laura Allred, and pin-ups by Rafael Kayanan & Steve Buccellato, Lou Harrison, Randy Queen w/ Sarah Oates & Brett Evans, Joe Jusko, and back cover illustration by Gene Ha & Shad Petoski.
From cover to cover this book is a masterpiece, and a tribute to the heroes and victims of September 11, 2001. I highly recommend everyone pick this book up, and be sure to tell your family and friends to pick it up as well.
Overall: 10 out of 10
Batgirl #24 - Bruce Wayne Murderer? - Part 2
Written by Kelley Puckett and illustrated by Damion Scott
Published by DC Comics
Reviewed by Chaos McKenzie, golden_bullet@sympatico.ca
Readers beware!
I write this review, as an avid monthly reader of Batgirl, though I know very little, practically nothing even, of current Batman continuity.
So now let’s take a look at an example of one of the best books on the comic book shelves today and discover why my limited at best Bat-knowledge doesn’t matter one bit. Batgirl exists on the fringe, her character is so strongly independent of the Bat-family, that her presence really only counts because she wears the symbol and carries the name. But at the same time it is a Bat-book because is carries a theme or genre nod to it1s roots.
This story is great because to the Batgirl familiar, but bat-book phobic, this story is unthreatening and completely open. I don’t know who any of the secondary characters are, I don’t even know who the woman is dead on the floor, but neither does Batgirl, and that’s why it’s great.
Since issue one we have learned as Cassandra learns, coming into the bat-world with Batgirl was so refreshing because things got revealed with the central character and as a reader you are instantly bonded with her, you feel for, you with her. One of the highlights of this book is Batgirl realizing the true identity of the Batman, who she treats as an almost supernatural figurehead; I was actually surprised with her when she figured out. I felt that little tingle in my temples when she started adding two and two.
The artwork on this book continues to be consistently exciting and energetic. I love the super natural way that Scott makes Batgirl move, it further drives home the idea of Batman the myth.
And so Bruce Wayne can go and murder, and then be a fugitive from the law until so and so solves the entire thing in a clever little way, but I don’t need to see it for myself. My part with it is over, and now Batgirl has other things to do.
Overall: 9 out of 10
Batman: The Ten-Cent Adventure
Written by Greg Rucka and illustrated by Rick Burchett and Klaus Janson
Published by DC Comics
Reviewed by Daniel Berg, moveekid@aol.com
Just for the record, I did not buy Batman: The Ten Cent Adventure at my comic store today. I bought the new Peter Parker: Spider-Man and the new Ultimate Spider-Man, and, finally, the silent New X-Men issue. What I found in my comic bag when I opened it at home was this little pleasant surprise. I read it first.
Batman: The Ten Cent Adventure is a brief retelling of Frank Miller's classic Batman: Year One through the eyes of the Batman supporting character, Sasha. She narrates from the time Bruce Wayne's parents were killed all the way through to the present. The final scenes of the story set up the Bruce Wayne: Fugitive? storyline that will run through all of the Bat-books this month and supposedly have severe repercussions on the Bat-Family.
This moving story is not actually written by Sasha, of course. The story is from crime author Greg Rucka, who is currently writing Detective Comics. The only other thing that I've ever read by Rucka was Tangled Web #4: Severance Package. That was another story that showed a life through mostly narrative and, like this book, had a very tragic ending. I'm almost saddened that I've never read any of Rucka's other comics. The two that I've read were quite good.
The high point of Batman: The Ten Cent Adventure comes late in the book when Sasha enters the Batcave and finds Bruce looking at one of the computer monitors. He sees a fire on the news that killed one person. The narrative says, "He blames himself. He always does". Greg Rucka knows Batman. For the first time since Knightfall, I've been lured back to Batman. I'm going to read Bruce Wayne: Fugitive. All based on the strength of this issue.
Overall: 10 out of 10
Cable #101
Written by David Tischman and illustrated by Igor Kordey
Published by Marvel Comics
Reviewed by Victor Destefano sohei7@aol.com
When Tischman first started writing Cable, people were constantly telling me that I need to pick up this book. A book a bout a mutant cyborg? Yeah right.
Well, a few weeks ago I was at the comic store and decided to look though #97 just to see what the buzz is about. By the time I read a few pages, I already picked up 98-100 and happily took them to the register. Yup, I liked it a lot.
In issue 101, like the others so far, Tischman and Korey took Cable to another of the world's hot spots filled with warring groups fueled by an age-old hatred. This time it's the former Yugoslavia. The Serbians fight the ethnic Albanians.
What really struck me about this book was the fact the Tischman incorporated cable into a real, existing situation rather than something he made up or based on something similar. Throughout the issue, he includes real facts in the narration that fueled the story as well as educated us on something we may not be familiar with. It didn't come off like preaching or teaching. It was just part of the story even though it's something that's really going on.
And in writing it, he managed to portray the situation far less black and white than any others have. The Albanians, although the underdogs and the ones being persecuted, aren't always without fault or flaw. I'm sure we'll see that work both ways as this story goes on.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
One of the things that really got me here was the idea of one rival, racially based group (the Serbian military) designing something that even Hitler's men couldn't produce in their efforts for the Final Solution, a disease designed to kill only those with a certain genetic trait (in this case, anybody with ethnic Albanian blood). This, along with some well placed narration, really drove home the fact that this is a war based on race and religion...and Cable's in the middle of all it to make sure this disease never sees the light of day.
Now like I said earlier in the review, I was hesitant to start reading a serious book revolved around another mutant, but here, more than any other typical "mutant" books, you get to see a story that feels more like our own world with something new thrown into it. In other X titles, it seems almost like pure fantasy. With Cable, it's almost like you just heard a news story about the cop down the street who just happens to be able to do crazy stuff that almost everybody else can't. It adds a new dimension.
And on top of that, here Cable, due to the Techno Organic virus he suffers from, is without much of that that made him super human. Giving him less leverage and it makes the situations around him a bit more compelling.
Igor Kordey does an excellent job in illustrating the books. His gritty, realistic style is a big part of the reason the book seems to have more dignity than the average mutant title. Just like the writing, nothing feels cheap and it's all right there in front of you even if it's not the prettiest thing in the world (meaning the situation, not Kordey's style).
Overall: 9 out of 10
The Dark Knight Strikes Again
Written and illustrated by Frank Miller and colored by Lynn Varley
Published by DC Comics
Reviewed by HDSchellnack@nodesign.de
Maybe I simply expected too much, maybe most of us did. Re-reading the original 1980s Dark Knight mini series by Frank Miller, I realize that it is quite impossible for the follow-up to that landmark could probably never live up to the original. This, or so is the legend, was a series held back by DC because it was deemed too controversial… and it was. For the period, and along with the work of Alan Moore, it was nothing else but sacrilegious, mocking and deconstructing comic clichés left and right, building the groundwork (for better or worse) for the Batman we know today. Perhaps no other limited series has changed the world of comics as much as Dark Knight Returns (and of course the in some ways even superior Year One). Well, and the world of comics HAS changed. Books like The Authority make DKR look almost meek, lurk-brutality and cynicism haven't taken over, but at least are fairly common these days … and we're already some years into the resistance to THAT whole trend with writers like Kurt Busiek, Mark Waid, Geoff Johns and others trying to go back to a more classical, positive approach to the whole spandex superhero ballgame.
And in some ways, DK2, is in the same vein. This clearly is Frank Miller trying to undo some of the "damage" done by the first series. While the former focused almost on Bruce Wayne, the sequel is more or less a JLA story, and in almost every third panel Caroline Kelley (our guide through the book and the female "Robin" of the first series, now promoted to a kind of Catwoman, thus fitting into the more traditional male/female stereotypes the book offers all along … the androgynous, almost cross-sexual Robin is gone) tells us how "cool" the old-timers she frees from various traps are. DK2 turns out to be - despite the usual superficial Millerisms, which almost swipe the original series style of storytelling, only updating it a bit with a nod to the internet - very traditional hero/villain kind of story, even retrofitting the evil president from DK to be a puppet on the strings of two old Superman villains, who of course blackmail the blue boy scout, thus undoing lots of the political statements of the original. In many ways the story so far seems pointless, staged - I don't see any reason for the conflict between Batman and Superman, and I doubt that Supes in all the years did not find a way to get out of this whole Blackmail-situation. I feel that in the regular books, such a plot-device wouldn't be used because it is just too lame. There are some good scenes Frank gets out of the whole deal, some great dialogue, and some pretty awful cheese as well. Many lines sound like sampled from the original series, and somehow, for me, again the clash of the old and the new simply doesn't work. Overall it seems as if the plot is out of touch with current developments on the comic book market, as if Miller never read anything since the 80s. Not the books further exploring the dark path Dark Knight showed many writers… and not the books that tried to return to a more heroic positive ideal. There's a lot of a Kingdom Come feeling here, and it would have been nice if Miller had been able to come up with something new. In many ways, it feels like an old man's attempt at being fresh, and it does not really work. Not with Ellis and Ennis and Millar and Morrison and Bendis and all of these other talents upping the ante in recent years.
The art is a weird mix of what Frank Miller looked like back in the 80s and what he does today on stuff like Sin City and 300. This is to say, it is still quite wonderful, although it looks a bit as if his heart wasn't fully in it. Most of the costume re-designs don't sit right with me, and the fact that Frank feels he has to come up with new designs at all somehow counters the very point (as far as I can tell so far) of the story … how GREAT the old stuff was. However, it is hard to say anything about the art because Lynn Varley - for the first time ever, I think - is completely dominating the actual artwork, almost to the very point of destroying it. Yes folks, Lynn has discovered the Photoshop. Probably Kai's Power Tools as well. And I wish she never had. The colored art is garish, superficial, one-dimensional, tasteless, amateurish, and in a word terrible. I respect Frank and Lynn enough to think there's some reason behind this (an updated return to the over-the-top colorful style of Silver Age comics?). Maybe it's a tongue-in-cheek comment on the whole commercial DK2 project. Maybe Frank and Lynn didn't want to go back to the moody monochromatic color-palette of DK. I seriously do not know, and I don't care. It looks like someone's first day with image-editing software and the graphic designer in me hates the whole rainbow-color stuff we're getting here. It completely destroys the sparse quality of Miller's graphics. This truly is a case where less is more.
So maybe I expected too much. Maybe you really cannot go home again. But while DK2 doesn't even remotely touch me like the original series, or like Ronin or the brilliant Daredevil: Born Again, it still offers a nice Miller fix, and I always love guys like Miller or Moore working with more traditional superheroes, playing with those silly concepts we all love so much and twisting them, making them work in new ways. Yes, I'm disappointed, but I still think the book is worth the 8 $ DC demands for it, because the art - underneath the up-botch-up - is wonderful to behold and because the story is still nice enough, despite all. Yeah, it's great to see Miller doing Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, the Flash, the Atom, the Question and all these other characters, even if the book feels a bit like Star Wars III to SW II.
Overall: 8 out of 10
Eightball #22
By Daniel Clowes
Published by Fantagraphics
Reviewed by Kevin Mathews
Does the term "work of genius" possess any resonance in this day and age of knee-jerk hyperbole? Especially in a medium as marginalized as comic books where The Dark Knight Strikes Back is hailed as the Second Coming, true artistic quality in the comic book industry is often misread as obscure and difficult.
Daniel Clowes has most recently fleetingly emerged from the ghetto that is alternative comics with the critical acclaim that has greeted the film adaptation of his Ghost World graphic novel. Well, "graphic novel" may be an exaggeration as well, when you consider that Ghost World first ran as a continuing serial in Clowes' amazing Eightball comic. Far from proclaiming any bourgeois artistic intent, Clowes is fundamentally a cartoonist with a scatological wit, inventive perspective and a firm grasp of the human condition. By all accounts, Clowes stands tall as an authentic master of the craft.
Currently, Clowes has few peers in his field and this latest sterling issue of Eightball will confirm this fact. Issue #22 is a landmark in many ways. It is in up and it contains 29 separate stories linked thematically. In a medium, where writers struggle to tell even one coherent plot in multiple issues of a super-hero comic book, the statistic alone is mind-boggling. Not only that, but within those 29 stories, Clowes is able to delight, thrill, sadden, excite, trouble and enlighten readers with tales that manage to convey fantasy and reality.
Eightball #22 is strongly reminiscent of Sherwood Anderson's classic Winesburg, Ohio where a collection of short stories enables the reader to enter alternately complex, lonely, joyful and strange lives of the inhabitants of the titular small town. In this instance, the setting is Ice Haven, whereupon Clowes with a mix of rendering styles and narrative presentations delineates a few key characters whose lives are cleverly interwoven to produce a shimmering tapestry.
The themes explored and issues canvassed are quintessential Clowes. From the manic depressive loners to the sexually frustrated obsessive, from the fatalistic & tragic artists to the borderline psychotic, the characterizations (which range from middle-aged persons to adolescents) will be familiar to fans of Clowes' work.
Clearly the comic book of 2001, Eightball #22 proves conclusively that the lofty ambitions of the 1980s alternative comix movement still reverberate today.
Overall: 10 out of 10
Exiles #8
Written by Judd Winick and illustrated by Mike McKone / Mike McKenna
Published by Marvel Comics
Reviewed by Chaos McKenzie (golden_bullet@sympatico.ca)
I think the running theme for my reviews this week should revolve around the incredible perceptive powers of my local comic store clerk. She almost absorbs the content of a book upon touching it. She likes Exiles, because it’s very real.
I laugh, how so? What in the slightest way could be considered realistic about the tales that Winick spins, despite how entertaining? She only smiles and tells me to read it. And alas, she was right. Winick has an ability to weave the dark and grim, with the fun and lighthearted that is amazing. I find the depth of his tales increases ten fold by the way he uses these strengths.
I remember reading that it was hard to build a fan base for a comic where the cast is not linked to any major continuity. But I think that I’m beginning to grow a connection with the Exiles much faster than I am with many of the other new X-ers. Especially after last month1s silent issue, I feel very comfortable with these characters and their quests. I have a constant respect for this book, for the sure level of work it must to recreate the world every few months.
Cheers.
Overall: 9 out of 10
Felon #2 - Time Served - Part 2
Written by Greg Rucka and illustrated by Matthew Clark
Published by Image Comics/Top Cow/Minotaur
Reviewed by Chaos McKenzie, golden_bullet@sympatico.ca
I always love how enjoyable dirty, rotten, unlikable, characters are. Felon is a wonderful show of this. Do you remember all the hype when the book was going to first come out, how Rucka didn’t want you to like the character?
Well I like her I like her a lot. I love the way she reacts to situations, I like how she always works at the exact same pace since panel one of the first issue, and it1s everyone else that seems to be changing gears around her.
It’s always amazed me that a company that is known for big breasts, and late books, also has some of the most controversial and invigorating works on the shelves. Felon is a dirty book that makes you feel a little guilty giving you a sudden rush that your decent upbringing always told you was wrong. I like that, it’s nice to see comic books play with you like that.
This issue, events played out rather fast, but as I mentioned before the pace of the book is easy to take as we follow the central character that seems to always be at her own steady pace. Has anyone else noticed how no one ever seems to use her name, but she constantly uses theirs? In grade school, a teacher once told me that people who always use other people’s names tend to come out on top, it’s one of a few minor little character devices that I’ve noticed in this series that gives it a much more realistic, err, intelligent feel.
I particularly enjoy the way the artwork plays with expression. Subtle facial changes that are often difficult to pick up in most comic books, are carried off here with little changes of the eyebrows, a twitch at the side of a mouth. It’s like the difference between theatre acting and TV. And oh, let’s not forget to give a big round of applause for realistic perky boobs (from personal experience, I’ve discovered it’s hard to find illustrators who do those really well).
Society has a long-term fascination with crime, criminals, and the bad people of the world, and Felon is definitely a fun continuation of that.
Overall: 8 out of 10
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