I Have Issues: Week of 09.15.2010
This was a monster week for me, and it made me realize that writing reviews for these box all at once is foolhardy. Firstly, it takes an assload of time, and secondly, are you guys really reading he whole thing? I didn’t think so. And hey, I don’t read Bible-long review columns, so I can’t blame you. So here are a few books I thought were either good, memorable, and crappy in alphabetical order. Perhaps I’ll continue writing about the books later in the week so you still have more reviews to check out.
The Avengers The Infinity Gauntlet #2
WRITER: BRIAN CLEVINGER
PENCILS: BRIAN CHURILLA
INKS: BRIAN CHURILLA
COLORED BY: MICHELLE J. MADSEN-STEWART
COVER BY: RON LIM
Lately I have been going though old podcasts and the issue in late 2008/2009 was the price hike to $3.99. I would like to take the time to point out that this series is 32 pages, and $2.99 and all fun. Enough of the business. I find myself coming back to this book. I liked it. I don’t think it was drawn as strong as it could have been, but I really had fun with it. Now while I find Churilla’s artwork a little clumsy with proportion, stretched faces, and awkward angles; Clevinger’s writing just aims for comedy fences, and hits a few out of the park. Here’s a few choice lines and exchanges that won me over:
Doom: As the only ruler of a sovereign nation to embark upon this journey, Doom will shall take the coveted “shotgun” seat
Doom: What a colorful turn of phrase. Perhaps you will regale us with more of the over a “mess of biscuits” later.
Spider-man: What’s the matter? Can’t Snikt-Bub your way out of feeling space sick?
The whole issue is packed full of great exchanges like that, and even though there wasn’t a whole lot of “action” it was still wild ride of a comic. I’m sure some readers would dismiss it easily, but frankly, this is a book that you can kick back, and enjoy. There’s no heavy pendulum of continuity swung over your head, and you can just enjoy these Marvel Universe characters being who they are in “perilous” circumstances. Did we get to Thanos? Not much really. Was the cover an out and out lie? Yep, that’s a Marvel book. So just pick this one up, and relax and unwind to a fun illustrated adventure.
Brightest Day #10
Written by GEOFF JOHNS & PETER J. TOMASI
Art by IVAN REIS, PATRICK GLEASON, ARDIAN SYAF, SCOTT CLARK & JOE PRADO
Covers by DAVID FINCH
Variant covers by IVAN REIS
Damn I love this series. It started slow, but has really caught its wind since issue 6, and hasn’t looked back. How the bloody hell did I start to like Aquaman? How is it possible that I enjoyed Firestorm? I have a great feeling that Johns was mostly to do with this issue since characters that I could not have care less fro are all of a sudden page-turners. Here we have a great Aquaman. He’s broody but stern and determined. He IS a leader of the people of the ocean. He has the qualities. What also helps is his nemesis, Black Manta.
While I normally couldn’t care for Aquaman, Vader-of-the-Sea has always been cool. He’s had that Boba Fett thing going on, and he rarely pulls punches, which makes him a great foil for Aquaman. Here we see the new Aqualad, who apparently is the son of Black Manta and also imbued with some weird magic/science. I must say when Aquaman shows up to “save the day” I was pumped. I certainly hope the cliff-hanging throw down between these two will be epic next issue, because the build up feels like it will be.
On top of all that, we get an explanation of Firestorm’s latest retcon/transformation, and how that will affect the universe. Frankly, I’m now looking forward to seeing how this all plays out. I seriously never thought I would give a care for those two and the Odd-Couple relationship, but with the development of the evolving Matrix, I am curious to see what happens.
The artwork by Reis and crew is fantastic. Unlike the Saturday morning cartoon of Infinity Gauntlet, this artwork is steady as a rock, and has a great sense of evolved realism that I enjoy in my modern-day comics. The coloring and effects crew did a great job on the Firestorm effects, and with all the unique voices going on, the lettering team had their hands full as well. This book has rally hit its stride, and I pity the readers who decided to sit this one out.
Halo Fall Of Reach Boot Camp #1 (OF 4)
WRITER: BRIAN REED
PENCILS: FELIX RUIZ
INKS: FELIX RUIZ
COLORED BY: VAL STAPLES
LETTERED BY: NATHAN PIEKOS
COVER BY: FELIX RUIZ
Wow. Some books are great compliments to another medium that made them famous, such as Star Trek Countdown. Others make things worse. This just sits ineffectual in the middle. I was hoping for a bit more back-story on the newly release Halo: Reach video game, and was hoping for an overly educated angle on Reach that would give me the “know-it-all-fanboy-edge”. Alas, this story just floundered, and never revealed anything worthwhile in the first issue. We see a rebellion, and then a doctor picking kids that will be abducted and turned into Spartans.
Some elements of the book were great. The kids that were able to see what side the flipped coin would land on. The non-remorseful, almost creepy adult maturity of the candidates that would be universe’s best warriors. But the story structure, and artwork just don’t compel me to read any further. While the cover image is a straight homage to Frank Millar’s epic book about Spartans, 300; I thought it was a bit cheap. If you are going to homage something, at least give us a creative twist on it, or present it exactly as we know it. A sketchy representation of a form is what Frank Millar does. Give me something new.
The story seemed to meander and lapse on unimportant story moments, and while I like enough exposition to keep the story interesting and give it emotional weight, this is a book based on an Action Video Game. Keep the talky science book material for a Halo centric novel. Comics are a medium where you can show me what is too cumbersome to tell me. So show me some great stuff behind the scenes of Halo and entertain your readers, don’t tell about it. I must say between the sketchy and unfinished nature of the artwork and the clumsy storytelling, I’m not even going to collect this in trade. Halo will remain a video game to me.
Heroic Age One Month To Live #3 (OF 5)
WRITER: STUART MOORE
PENCILS: SHANE WHITE
COVER BY: MIKE DEL MUNDO
This book is fifteen shades of greatness. We continue to follow our doomed hero, Dennis Sykes, as the Fantastic Four recruit him for a cosmic mission that they need his new found powers for. Earlier I had written about the fun-style of the classic Silver-age Marvel books, and 1 Month 2 Live captures that as well. If it weren’t for the weighty undercurrents and leaps of logic, this would be competitive with the fun nature of Avengers: Infinity Gauntlet.
Dennis is made an official member of the Fantastic Four ( a briskly evil opinion on that to come), and has to defeat Ego, the planet of…death. Mogo’s evil twin is consuming worlds in the center of the galaxy, and all will be destroyed if he continues on his cosmic-buffet-rampage. Dennis discovers that a “tumor-like-growth” is the cause of all the mayhem, and extracts the tumor, saving the day, NAY, the galaxy.
Of course there are leaps of faith here, and moments when you have to turn off the logic board in your head, which is why it feels like a Silver Age Marvel book. For instance, the FF make him a member of the team. This just shouted “Pity Fuck” at me. Hey there Make-A-Wish Samaritan, wanna join our club? Since you have about 2 weeks left, we won’t have to worry about membership cards being lost in the mail by Willie Lumpkin. The other leap of faith here is the obvious cancer cure thing. If Dennis is developing the powers of Dr. Manhattan, and cured a cosmic planet of it’s cancer……You see? This is the same as the Penguin holding up the local movie theater to threaten Batman. It’s all nutty Silver Age comics. And if it weren’t for the drab realism the book is based on, I’d buy into it. However this feels like Angela Lansbury is guest starring on Dexter.
Anyways, enough of the old man reading comics moments. Shane White draws a hell of a FF book, and the illustrated environment he creates reminded me of 1970’s adventures. The lines drawn on Johnny, the crazy drawings of the planet, and the cosmic cancer creature all create a fun Silver Age Marvel book. Can’t wait to see the storytelling style presented in the next 2 issues.
