I Have Issues: 02/02/11
There was snow everywhere this week. Except in Florida (Sunny, 72) but I still only got my hands on 5 books. As always I try to stay away from them, but I may not consider something spoiler material, so to be safe: Spoiler alert.
Brightest Day #19
Written by GEOFF JOHNS & PETER J. TOMASI
Art by IVAN REIS, PATRICK GLEASON, ARDIAN SYAF, SCOTT CLARK & JOE PRADO
Covers by DAVID FINCH & SCOTT WILLIAMS
Variant Covers by IVAN REIS
I have to admit that I am shocked when I come across people who don’t like this series. It’s the same as someone who doesn’t watch movies, or hates ice cream. Boggle s the mind. Brightest Day has demonstrated that 52 wasn’t a fluke, it can be a template for good comics. This particular bi-weekly is great. In a way it is a lot shorter on both the readers and creators, comes out regularly, and can give a much needed spotlight on characters who may have fallen by the way-side.
This week’s edition was no exception, and issue 19 was full of good moments. Deadman demands answers from the White Ring, and actually gets them, and then Aquaman gets the spotlight. Not only do we get to develop this new Aqualad, but we had a good “oh shit!” moment near the end of the book, and one of my favorite DCU baddies proves he still has enough hate to be a good character. Not only is this book racing from moment to moment, but it is also building iconic character moments that help flush out these “forgotten” characters.
The art continues to serve the book well, and the coloring really comes to the forefront by giving Aquaman’s mailed shirt a metallic look in the sun, the ocean depths look like they have density, and Deadman’s outrage is felt through the page. Fantastic stuff.
Invincible #77
story ROBERT KIRKMAN
art & cover RYAN OTTLEY & FCO PLASCENCIA
I Feel like it has been an age since I last read Invincible. Is it me? Well, we have finally come to the end of the Viltrimite War, and what and ending it was. Following the form that made Robert Kirkman’s superhero book a fun and serious read, Kirkman ends the war with a conclusion that readers would not have guessed. Sometimes Authors have to force their characters to make decisions that are difficult, and sometimes Authors themselves find themselves at crossroads where they have to take the story beyond their expectations in order to present the story they have to tell. In this case, we the comic book reading populace, have become lulled into a sense of expectation by reading familiar tropes repeatedly. When something new comes our way, we will most likely rail against it, until someone explains to us the logical progression of the story.
Invincible #77 is what is different in comics, and invincible has always been a superhero (capes) book that is different. In this issue, the reader doesn’t get a resolution that we traditionally expect. We get a true end to a war. We’ve been treated to bloody combat, cataclysmic decisions, and violence that doesn’t normally grace 4-colored pages. Issues #77 resolves the past few issues of conflict without the “Fatal Final Showdown” we would have expected. Instead we get a logical progression of events, and a finale that does end quietly, but also leaves the door open for the future. And that’s why I read Invincible by issue, and recommend it to my friends.
This whole arc could be seen as a commentary on recent Superman events, and Kirkman gave his version of it, and frankly, I would rather read Kirkman’s. It accomplishes the same goals. Super-powered show downs, unbelievable consequences, and a story that leaves the door open for future stories. But where Invincible differs is that I still care about the characters afterward, and I know that when something happens it will stick. And when I am able to follow the story’s logic, the feelings of happiness and dread have validity. Johnny Storm of the Fantastic Four died recently, but we know he will be back in 13 issues. When this conflict resolved as it did, I got a feeling of dread that Issue #77 would bite Mark square in the ass 2 years from now, and the consequences would be immense.
Irredeemable# 22
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Peter Krause
While some wars start and others end, over at Boom! Studios Mark Waid is scribing a fantastic tale. The Plutonian is off Earth, and the powered community is trying to recover and rebuild from the Plutonian’s reign of terror. Most fall-out isn’t covered in history class unless it leads to greater events, and you can feel large waves swelling as Waid begins to build the aftermath story. There really isn’t too much to tell in this book, except that the Plutonian seems to have found his way to the center of a star, and is struggling with his delusion. While the book may have been running in place, if you have read the works of Mark Waid before, you know that this is a beginning, and one that will lead to some great future comics.
Ultimate Comics Thor #4
Story by Jonathan Hickman
Art by Carlos Pacheco, Dexter Vines, Jeff Huet & Jason Paz
Colors by Edgar Delgado, J. Aburtov, Jorge Gonzalez
Letters by Clayton Cowles
Cover by Carlos Pacheco, Dexter Vines & Edgar Delgado
I have to admit, I love Thor, but I could have done without this issue. Why? Hell.
Thor is something the DC Universe just doesn’t have. He’s mysticism, mythology, and a god (or demi-god). While the distinguished competition has Superman, and Captain Marvel; Marvel has a guy who was banished from paradise to mingle with us lowly flesh bags to learn values. Along the way he becomes grounded, and our super-powered ambassadors become more noble.
Issue #4 explains all that away. It’s like the introduction of midichlorians. What Mark Millar covered on a fine line in Ultimates Vol.2 was then blatantly expounded on. Apparently Thor is real, but needs modern crazy-science to work.
What?
I hated that part of Ultimates Vol.2. Well, hate is a strong word. I thought it was necessary as Loki’s illusion to put a very powerful player off the chess board, but eventually we see that Thor IS a god, Asgard and it’s warriors are real, and it was all an elaborate ruse. I’m really not sure what Jonathan Hickman is trying to accomplish, but retelling a story we read recently seems to be a wasted opportunity. What was a cool-assed adventure of Loki and Nazi’s storming Asgard, has become a rehash of an older story. It’s hard for a Thor reader to slog though, and disappointing that a line of Marvel books that are supposed to treat us to a more modern take on classic characters fail to think in other directions.
