I Have Issues Week of: 9.22.2010
Fables #98
Written by BILL WILLINGHAM
Art by MARK BUCKINGHAM & DAN GREEN
Cover by JOAO RUAS
A while ago, so long ago I can’t remember the issue number, the Adversary was defeated, and the Fables lived happily ever after. And then my brain turned off. I have a huge blank spot from there until this issue, which I am inclined to believe is at least a 12 issue gap. I have been pulling this comic, but I have been filing it without interest, which apparently is what many of the Fables Faithful have been doing. I have been hearing similar stories on other podcasts, and seeing them on forums. Hell, I was double dipping with trades, and stopped somewhere after Snow had the litter.
I have been absently thumbing through the issues, but not an hour ago, I finally sat down and read through this issue. And I am back in. The artwork by Buckingham has never wavered, and the writing from Willingham is just as solid. It was like watching an old favorite DVD, and discovering an episode I missed.
So Rose Red has been in some sort of funk, the town fables were exiled to the Farm, where everyone is apparently getting on each other’s nerves. Ghepetto has made a bid for power, and there is a new bad guy called The Dark Man. That’s what I slept though. Issue #98 starts to put things in motion. Rose Red wakes up from her funk, settles the fables down, and restores order. Herr Totenkinder apparently reverted to an younger form, and will be taking on the Dark Man, which sets us up for what will probably be an epic Issue #99 and of course a seminal #100. I welcome this new spark of energy, and perhaps on my mountain journey I will be taking next week, I’ll settle into the cabin, and reread Fables from issue 50-98. Fables is back.
Flash #5
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art and cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
White Lantern Variant cover by RYAN SOOK, FERNANDO PASARIN and JOEL GOMEZ
I am horribly disturbed by typing the next phrase. I’m bored. I think the constant string of delays is killing the momentum of this book, but when I saw the solicits for December comics had the trade for this story arch I got pretty pissed off. I can’t imagine why since I have been a Flash fanboy for a long time, but this series started as great, and has fizzled to a level where I actually put the issue down and did a few chores around the house before I finished it. I have lost all enthusiasm for this book, and that really saddens me. About 6 months ago I would have told you Johns can do no wrong, but this Flash run has really left me feeling tired and bored.
And I don’t have too many kind words for Francis Manapul’s art either. I think his chalky artwork is full of kinetic energy, but it is becoming a mess of streaking lines, and makes me feel like this is the antithesis of JR JR’s artwork. Instead of loose-line inking, Manapul’s art is loose line coloring. Another aspect of the artwork that bothers me is the 19-year-old character design on Barry. I just feel like this guy is younger than Wally when I look at him. Instead of an expert, “Daddy’s Home” feeling I thought we would have from this run, we have been treated to a “Sidewalk Chalk Barry”. I normally don’t rail on an artist on Flash that much, especially when the previous issue (I think, it’s been a while for me) had that cool helicopter scene. This issue was just an accelerated mess, and it made me depressed. Quick.
1 Month 2 Live #4
WRITER: JOHN OSTRANDER
PENCILS: GRAHAM NOLAN
COVER: MIKE DEL MUNDO
Another comic that checked in on a disappointing level was 1 Month 2 Live #4. Up until now I have really been enjoying this series, but this issue left me flat. The dialogue was picture perfect, and I especially loved Dennis’ wife going off on him. The more realistic feel of the situation was something that I really liked, but the quest for the mystic flower left me behind. I know we are supposed to be exploring all the iconic corners of the Marvel U though a more grounded sense of reality, and I think that’s what might have did this issue in for me. Maybe this race for the magic flower will yield an exciting conclusion next week. Either way one mediocre issue out of four isn’t bad, and I don’t really blame Ostrander of the story, I like to believe it is the direction of editorial that made it mandatory to go to the Savage Land.
Hit Monkey #3
WRITER: DANIEL WAY
PENCILS: DALIBOR TALAJIC
INKS: DALIBOR TALAJIC
COLORED BY: JOSE VILLARRUBIA
LETTERED BY: NEUROTIC CARTOONIST, INC
COVER BY: DAVID JOHNSON
Ahhhhhh now THIS is a comic book with a kick-ass monkey in it. I am proud to say I haven’t read one issue of Deadpool, so I had no familiarity with this monkey assassin. I just thought this was a fun, 3-issue romp through the 616. So our monkey hero befriends some Japanese pop culture personality in order to get closer to his intended target. Then Bullseye catches up with her in order to get to the monkey. The original target and his squad are killed by Bullseye, and Hit-Monkey kicks Bullseye’s tail with nun-chucks ala Bruce Lee. Classic comics style. This series was enjoyable, but probably only on a comic reader level. You would have to have read a few other things to get the meta jokes, and appreciate the heritage (if there is any) of the characters involved.
Nemisis#3
WRITER: Mark Millar
PENCILS: Steve McNiven
COVER BY: Steve McNiven
This is another book that has a suffered a bit due to it’s long publication schedule. I’m not complaining, just whining really. McNiven’s artwork is worth waiting for, and with this week’s assembled group of solid, but lackluster books, I was happy to have a piece of blockbuster comics fun. A lot of folks in the comics community give Millar shit for being the “fluff” action guy, much the same way everyone rags on Michael Bay, but at least Millar’s stories are creative, and give the villain due respect.
Here our bay guy, Nemisis, was taken into custody, and breaks out in pure grand style. The Chief Detective we have been “rooting” for is then subjected to a nightmare of consequences as Nemisis takes his life apart. In true Millar/McNiven fashion, they bring top level game to the book. Nemisis defeats 97 prison guards (Judo Chop!!) in glorious and violent style. McNiven illustrates moves and shows us violent choreography that we have rarely seen in comics. Millar contributes by raising the bar on inflicting pain on another human being in creative psychological ways (much like Red Son). Again, this book can easily be dismissed by fanboys, but these kind of books give me something to read in the dead zones between relaunches, events, and tired tropes.
Star Trek Burden of Knowledge #4
Writer: Scott & David Tipton
Artist: Federica Manfredi
Cover: Joe Corroney
Oh man, this series is great. I certainly hope IDW never has plans to cancel this, and they keep the Tiptons chained in a room. So the past three issues have had that magical done in one feel, but built up to a larger storyline, and in issue 4 the bad guy was revealed to be the planet of medical geniuses, who were using transporter tech to copy bodies. Why? So they had enough donors to experiment on. Classic. What’s more are the moral implications that blow McCoy’s mind, which make the story a more 1960’s classic Sci-Fi rather than the action move set up newer generations experience in the movies. This had classic Star Trek written All over it, and it was brilliant from issue 1 to issue 4. The artwork was handled pretty dam well considering the scope of hundreds of cloned ensigns, Klingons and other races. Someone send this series to George Lucas
Another great comic by Zuda comics that I happened across is Michael Walton’s Dual. A short story synopsis: (spoilers) Bill Jensen has an imaginary friend, Yasu, who is apparently more real than imaginary. As a kid Bill was teased mercilessly for speaking with Yasu, and as an adult, he learns that Yasu and he are part of a larger world filled with such supernatural beings. Now imagine the most popular duo, Calvin & Hobbes mixed with a bit of X-Files, and this is what you would have. After being bullied so bad, Bill eats Yasu in frustration to shut him up, and their “merger” winds up giving Bill an otherworldly power. (end spoiler filled synopsis)
Like many Zuda comics, the writer is also the artist, and the art here is also just as good as the story. The characters designs are great with Bill being an all-American kid of the 1908’s, and Yasu has a manga-styled character design. What also impressed me was the depth of the panels, as Walton takes his time to fill in playgrounds with familiar settings, and even dialogue pages, which are normally blank behind the characters have subtle background settings. This comic felt full and realized because he takes the time to fill the panels and give them their own life.
