Dark X-Men #4
Posted: Tuesday, February 9, 2010
By: Dave Wallace
Paul Cornell
Leonard Kirk (p & i), Brian Reber (colours)
Marvel Comics
"Journey to the Center of the Goblin: Part Four"
When I first heard about the concept for the Dark X-Men miniseries, I wasn't impressed. The combination of a team of second-tier mutant characters with yet another miniseries that revolved around Norman Osborn's "Dark Reign" didn't excite me, and I almost wrote it off as another cheap crossover title that could be easily ignored. However, my Comics Bulletin colleagues and I have often discussed the notion that a concept is only as strong as its execution: that just as a good idea can be ruined with the wrong execution, it's also possible to find a satisfying way to execute even those concepts that don't initially sound promising. With this in mind--and encouraged by the fact that the Captain Britain & MI-13 creative team of Paul Cornell and Leonard Kirk were going to be working on the series--I gave the book a try. I'm now glad that I did, as Dark X-Men has been one of the most enjoyable new titles to come out of the "Dark Reign" storyline.
This issue revolves around the revelation provided by the previous issue's cliffhanger: that Norman Osborn's body has now been possessed by the powerful mutant X-Man (a.k.a. Nate Grey), who faked his own death in order to escape capture by Osborn's team. Much of this issue is devoted to a psychological battle between Grey and Osborn for dominance of Osborn’s mind: a battle in which the Dark X-Men, having discovered the truth, set out to intervene.
Again, that description might not sound like anything hugely special, but the way in which Cornell and Kirk tell their story makes it very enjoyable.
The power struggle between Osborn and X-Man is well played, leading readers to believe that one side is gaining the upper hand before turning the tables towards the end of the issue. The manner in which the Dark X-Men attempt to gain entry into Osborn's mind is also fun, reusing the hive-mind concept that we saw in issue #2 and playing into one of Cornell's favourite themes: that of physical manifestations of the subconscious mind. Characterisation is also very strong, with Cornell often using one character's reaction to another to reinforce the personalities of both, such as the cowardly impulses of Dark Beast to run from the all-powerful X-Man, or the egotistical simplicity of Norman Osborn's own mindset leading him to assume that Nate Grey's plans are more straightforward than they seem. And there's plenty of quirky humour throughout the issue that adds an extra layer of enjoyment to proceedings.
When I talk about quirky humour, I don't mean self-consciously "wacky" ideas or obvious jokes. Instead, Cornell's humour is more subtle and gentle. For example, this issue continues the running gag of providing character descriptions that are themed around the songs of a specific artist (here, it's the turn of David Bowie). There are also some well-judged pieces of dialogue that fit the characters so well that they can't help but raise a smile (I enjoyed Osborn's, "You know I like being an inner demon. Makes a change"). It might not draw attention to itself quite as much as the bad jokes or endless banter or some other writers, but it's just as much fun.
Leonard Kirk's artwork is as effective as ever. His depiction of Osborn and Grey's battle of wills sets the pair against a stark white background, drawing all attention to the two characters and making it clear that the only things that are important in this conflict are their two powerful personalities. The scenes in which the rest of the Dark X-Men begin to embark on their psychic journey are also nicely handled, adding a little colour and flair to a story that is otherwise fairly internalised and static. And the final two pages, in which the various pieces of Cornell's plot fall into place, capture the atmosphere that the writer seems to be aiming for perfectly, creating a creeping sense of unease and dread before letting loose with a vibrant splashpage that provides the issue's cliffhanger.
For some reason, I had it in my head that Dark X-Men #4 was going to be the final issue of the series. I was pleasantly surprised, then, to find that it's only the penultimate issue, and that there's one final chapter of the miniseries to come after this one. That indicates that I'm having a good time with this series, and would be very happy to see it continue as an ongoing title. However, the fact that the book's status quo is so closely tied to the "Dark Reign" of Norman Osborn (which looks likely to be coming to an end soon) makes this seem unlikely. Nevertheless, I'd be very happy if Marvel could find some way to reunite this creative team with this group of characters, as it's a great mixture that has produced a title that plays like a slightly lighter and more comedic version of Warren Ellis's Thunderbolts--and which has proved that there's really no such thing as a bad concept so long as the execution is strong.
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Amazing Spider-Man #620
Posted: Tuesday, February 9, 2010
By: Dave Wallace
Dan Slott
Marcos Martin & Javier Pulido (p & i), Javier Rodriguez (colours)
Marvel Comics
"Mysterioso, Part 3: Smoke and Mirrors"
The final part of Dan Slott's "Mysterioso" arc sees Slott joined by artists Marcos Martin and Javier Pulido to wrap up the story of Mysterio's attempt to take over the New York underground, whilst also dispensing with Spider-Man once and for all.
Mysterio has always been one of the more outlandish Spider-Man villains, so to tell a genuinely compelling story with him is no mean feat. However, Slott manages to make Mysterio's motivations feel plausible here, whilst also putting his methods to such good use that readers will constantly find themselves second-guessing elements of the story that might not be exactly what they seem. Slott is obviously aware of this, and drops a couple of red herrings into the story, as well as hinting that this may not even be the Mysterio that we think he is. However, things are never so confusing that the story is difficult to follow or overly ambiguous.
Slott also ties plot points from his earlier work into the story, resolving a plot thread that has been left dangling since the very first "Brand New Day" arc of Amazing Spider-Man (involving a vial of stolen blood) and pitting Mysterio against an equally arresting super-villain in the form of Mr. Negative. It helps to add some colour and flair to an otherwise fairly straightforward story of gang warfare, as well as giving Spidey some larger-than-life bad guys to hit.
Unfortunately, one plot strand that isn't addressed at all is that involving Aunt May, who recently showed her darker side whilst under the influence of Mr. Negative's powers. It was one of the most powerful elements of earlier chapters of the story, and I was hoping to see Slott explore it further here. I guess we'll have to wait for future issues to see the fallout of that development.
Slott's artists turn in excellent work here, with Marcos Martin and Javier Pulido more or less splitting the issue in two. I know that everyone is raving about Martin's Ditko-esque art on this title--and he does turn in some impressive stuff here, particularly the climactic confrontation between Spider-Man and Mysterio. However, for me it's Pulido who's the real star of the show, with countless little storytelling touches (such as the inspired method in which he manages to clearly show Spider-Man taking a deep breath despite the fact that he's wearing a full facemask, or the visual cacophony of hand-drawn sound-effects during the big fight sequence) that make his work a pleasure to read. Luckily, the two artists' styles are sufficiently similar that there's a smooth transition between their work, too: without the explicit indications given by the credits page, I would have been hard pushed to identify exactly where Pulido's artwork ended and Martin's began.
On top of the main story, there's a final epilogue that probably won't come as a surprise to anyone who has been reading Amazing Spider-Man regularly for the last few months, but which adds even more tension to the preparations for the big "Gauntlet" story that Marvel has been teasing for a while. Let's hope it lives up to the build-up.
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Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #7
Posted: Tuesday, February 9, 2010
By: Dave Wallace
Brian Michael Bendis
Takeshi Miyazawa (p & i), Justin Ponsor (colours)
Marvel Comics
"Crossroad: Part 1 of 2"
The first thing that I noticed about this issue of Ultimate Comics Spider-Man is that it's the first since the title's relaunch to not be illustrated by David Lafuente. Whilst that's a shame--as I've enjoyed his distinctive take on the book--his replacement, Takeshi Miyazawa, proves to be a more than adequate substitute.
I only know Miyazawa from his work on Brian K. Vaughan's Runaways some years ago, but I'm aware of the fact that he's also been the regular artist of the teen/romance title Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane (which I haven't ever read). His experiences on those teen-oriented books seem to have stood him in good stead for this one, especially given that Ultimate Spider-Man is now heavily focused on the group of "stray" teenage superheroes who live under the roof of Peter Parker’s Aunt May.
Miyazawa's work isn't quite as heavily stylised as that of Lafuente, but he retains similar manga influences (big heads; wide eyes; regular use of motion/impact lines) that help to smooth the visual transition between the previous story arc and this one. Whilst his depiction of the out-of-costume teen superheroes is perfectly decent, it's with the in-costume action scenes that Miyazawa really impresses, with some brilliantly illustrated sequences involving Spider-Man, the Human Torch and Iceman later in the book (I particularly like the way that Miyazawa draws Bobby Drake's icy tendrils).
The issue's story sees Brian Michael Bendis return to one of the loose plot threads from his Ultimate Origins miniseries, picking up the story of Rick Jones six months after we saw him struck with a mysterious golden beam in the closing pages of that miniseries. It's nice to see Bendis begin to make the meaning of that scene clear--and he even manages to smoothly weave a flashback to one of the key scenes from that miniseries into this issue, so that any Ultimate Spider-Man readers who didn't read that book won't feel as though they're missing out on important information.
As it turns out, the appearance of Ultimate Rick Jones in this book feels perfectly natural, given that Rick's story is one of a normal teenager being gifted with mysterious powers that he doesn't understand, and struggling to learn how to live his life in his new condition. It might sound like a slightly cliché plot, but it's really an ideal story for a book like Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, which has always been as much a teen soap-opera/drama as a superhero book. Bendis writes the story very well, creating a sense of believability in the way that other characters relate to Rick's condition (I liked the idea that everyone simply assumes that he had a drugs problem), and using the situation to find some interesting things to say about other characters: Aunt May yet again gets a lot of attention from the writer here, and it continues to give more depth to her characterisation than we've seen in any other depiction of her.
Of course, the revelation that Rick Jones has cosmic powers also allows for some visually interesting action scenes. I particularly liked the visual effect that's used when Rick travels long distances, and the scene in which Spider-Man realises that he's travelled a lot further than he thought is a nicely played bit of light comedy.
In some ways, this feels like a fill-in story that exists as much to give David Lafuente the chance to get a head-start on the next arc as anything else. There's no reference to the scene from the end of last issue in which Kitty was revealed to be the Ultimate Shroud, and the reprise of the Rick Jones/Watcher subplot from Ultimate Origins feels rather sudden and abrupt. However, none of that really matters, because the heart of the story (teen superheroes try to help another super-powered teen to come to terms with his abilities) is so well-suited to the book and so comfortably handled by Bendis that by the end of the issue, you'll probably be finding yourself wishing that this arc was longer than just two issues.
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Ultimate Comics Armor Wars #4 (of 4)
Posted: Tuesday, February 9, 2010
By: Paul Brian McCoy/Dave Wallace
Warren Ellis
Steve Kurth (p), Jeff Huet & Scott Hanna (i)
Marvel Comics
Paul Brian McCoy:
Dave Wallace:
Paul Brian McCoy: Well, that was a bit of a letdown.
Oh, it wasn't bad overall, but rather than subvert the more cliché elements of the story, Ellis seems to just be going through the motions and embracing the cliches fully. Even the dialogue didn't feel as natural this time around, and Ellis has never had a problem capturing Stark's arrogance and genius.
I also found the resolution to last issue's cliffhanger ending to be a bit abrupt and unbelievable.
However, the thing I did like about this issue, was the ending. After three issues of globe-hopping and weird science, we finally find out what was stolen from Stark's ultra-high security vault. It's a nice twist that allows the series to end with a scene that brings to mind elements of the last season of Deadwood.
Kurth's artwork is the mixed bag it's been from the start. His machinery and armors are extremely well-designed and rendered. His scenery and set design are also very nicely executed. But then he adds people and just completely loses me. I don't like the expressions or the body language that he uses. The faces are ugly and limbs seem to be flailing about like the characters have no control over them. There are only a few oddly twisted necks in this issue, so that's a step up.
As I've said before, the heavy inking of Kurth's work helps to undermine what might actually be interesting facial work. I'd be interested in seeing how these pages looked as pencils.
And that's about all there is to say about that. I'm really not sure what the point of this series was. It didn't seem to go anywhere and I really can't see the events here affecting anything else in the Ultimate Universe. It doesn't even serve as a very interesting exploration of Tony Stark as a character, as it relies a bit too much on cliches that were old when James Bond films were young.
Dave Wallace: The final issue of Ultimate Comics Armor Wars brings Warren Ellis and Steve Kurth's story to a close, providing a mixture of high-tech action, enjoyable characterisation, several surprising revelations and at least one less-than-surprising double-cross for readers to enjoy.
It's difficult to shake the feeling that this series has been little more than an excuse to throw Tony Stark from one fight scene to another, each of which has pitted Ultimate Iron Man against some variation on his own armour. That said, it's perhaps a little churlish to complain that a book entitled Armor Wars is so preoccupied with people battling over Stark's Iron Man technology, and the book has nonetheless managed to provide readers with an enjoyable romp despite its simplicity. As far as I'm concerned, Warren Ellis's characterisation of Ultimate Tony Stark is still the only one that can match that of Mark Millar in the original Ultimates, and I've also enjoyed the wrinkles that Ellis has added to the story in the form of Tony's new relationship with Justine Hammer and the mystery of exactly who hired Ghost to break into Stark's lab in the first issue.
Both of those elements come to a head here, and whilst I can't say that the resolution to either subplot blew me away, they're both handled perfectly adequately. Where the issue becomes a little more interesting, however, is in the big reveal of the exact nature of the stolen macguffin that has been driving the series since issue #1. Personally, I had been expecting it to be something comically worthless that only Tony Stark could possibly be interested in (a vintage edition of Playboy, perhaps, or a memento of one of his sexual conquests). However, as it turns out, it's something a lot more disturbing and sci-fi oriented than that. This isn't the kind of revelation that you can guess in advance (if anyone reading the series predicted this, I'll be very impressed), but it makes for an unsettling final act for this issue and for the series as a whole, allowing Stark to thwart his enemies but also forcing him to consider his own mortality and his responsibility for the crimes that have been committed using Stark technology.
I haven't yet mentioned the artwork of Steve Kurth, but his contribution to the series has been at least as important as that of Ellis. Given that each issue has seen Tony Stark fight at least one Iron Man-inspired, machine-suited enemy, it might have been easy for the book to fall into the trap of feeling visually samey and uninteresting. However, Kurth's designs have made each antagonist feel distinctive from the others--and that continues here, with some hulking airborne robots that push Iron Man past his limit in one well-drawn action sequence, and a disturbing bio-mechanical creature that plays an important part in the issue's denouement. Kurth also does a good job of capturing characters' facial expressions, particularly in the final section of the issue in which Stark is forced to confront an element of his past that he thought was long buried.
The reason that I haven't given this particular issue a higher bullet-rating is that its two major revelations feel as though they come out of nowhere, with no prior build-up in the series to allow us to become emotionally involved in them. As a result, Ellis is forced to both explain the plot developments and try to make us care about them in quite a short space of time, leading to the final scenes of the issue feeling a little rushed, especially given the gravity of their revelations.
Having said that, this issue (and the series as a whole) has been one of the better Ultimate books to come out of Marvel's relaunch, developing the Ultimate universe in a new but logical direction, providing a solid take on one of the most enjoyable Ultimate characters, and serving up plenty of action and spectacle for readers to enjoy. Let's hope that Ellis returns to the Ultimate books again soon.
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Punishermax #4
Posted: Tuesday, February 9, 2010
By: Paul Brian McCoy
Jason Aaron
Steve Dillon
Marvel Comics/MAX
"Kingpin, Part 4"
This story is moving along like clockwork, but that's not necessarily a good thing. Particularly when things start happening not because of what the characters do, but because it's just that time.
In fact, after a very promising start, this "Kingpin" arc is beginning to feel a little hollow. The introductions of characters is well handled, but, as we see with this issue, getting them together and interacting just feels forced and more than a little absurd.
For example, the fight between Frank and The Mennonite this issue. There's no set-up or transition between The Mennonite saying he'll kill Frank and then starting to beat on him with a sledgehammer. Even the voice-over narration acknowledges that it was either "luck" or "God's will" that he found Frank at all. It's a plotting shortcut that immediately drew me out of the story.
Much like Frank's discovery of Fisk's home. There's no deduction or searching. Frank just knows where Fisk lives and that his family is there, too. These two "magical" convergences allow for the beginnings of the required "over-the-top" fight scene to occur.
And it is definitely over-the-top.
So much so, that I just don't buy it anymore. This, I think, falls more on the art than on the writing. I mean, we've seen Frank both inflict and take horrifying amounts of physical damage, particularly against Barracuda for example, but the artwork in those stories was overly stylized, which helped sell the insanity of it all.
Dillon's art is so tied to realism that when we see Frank's hand shattered by a sledgehammer blow, it really looks shattered. It looks like it can't be used. But then Frank uses it and the believability is shot.
Again, I'm not saying that this type of over-the-top violence can't work. It worked just fine when the art helps to create that sense of exaggeration. Here, it's just not working for me. The violence is brutal, yes. But it looks so realistic that when the characters keep fighting, all the emotional impact is gone.
I've really enjoyed the first three issues of this version of Punisher, but those three issues focused on character development and the excessive violence worked as part of defining who these characters are. With this issue it feels like narrative short-cuts are being made and it has gone from being a brutally honest exploration of the characters and their world to a cartoon version of the same.
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Editor's Note: Strange #4 arrives in stores tomorrow, February 10.
Plot: A beaten and battered Dr. Strange attempts to restore the natural state of magic and save the soul of his new protégé, Casey.
Comments: Wow, the ending to this miniseries came to such an unexpected place – yet another shakeup to the status quo of Dr. Stephen Strange. In the last couple of years he's gone evil (albeit briefly), lost the use of his hands, lost the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme, and has picked up a travelling companion/protégé. And here, writer Mark Waid shakes things up yet again in a dramatically satisfying way that promises interesting future stories with the title character.
The real feat is the way this miniseries has humanized Dr. Strange, resident blowhard of the Marvel Universe. Under other writers, the character is usually the deus ex machine that shows up to save the Avengers or whomever from the latest crisis with a couple of passes of his hand. However, this story has shown Strange as a resourceful hero, haunted by his own shortcomings and failings. In a way, it's supposed to be his redemption story after going dark to fight the Hulk during "World War Hulk." And, yes, to a certain extent that's the book it's been. But it's also been the book that has given some definition to Stephen Strange beyond the mystical trappings.
This has been helped by giving him a student, teenaged Casey. Waid has made the character plucky and independent while sidestepping obnoxious and willful. In just four short issues the writer has made this reader care for the blue-haired girl. No small feat, I must say.
Emma Rios was the other superstar on this title, bringing a shoujo meets Euro style to the book. Her Strange looks weathered but fit (and oddly stylish). She was also not afraid to create fluid panel layouts that matched the tone of the story. Borders broke from simple lines into goopy, monstrous masses confining the characters.
Seriously, potential readers can't overestimate the quality of this series.
Final Word: An unexpected ending to one of the better recent miniseries. Let's hope Marvel gets on the follow-up ASAP.
If you liked this review, be sure to check out more of the author’s work at Monster In Your Veins
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Hit-Monkey #1
Posted: Tuesday, February 9, 2010
By: Charles Webb
Daniel Way
Dalibor Talajic
Marvel Comics
Plot: A monkey learns to be a hitman.
Comments: So here's one of those situations where the reader expectation doesn't match the actual product. In this case, it's a Daniel Way-penned comic about a monkey that's also a hitman. So… that should be a comedy, right?
Weirdly, Way writes a pretty solemn story with a simple message about the repercussions of violence. By all rights it shouldn't work, but I suspect I understand how Way was able to do it. More on that in a bit.
First, the story: it follows an unnamed, highly-skilled assassin. You know the kind: he's so good at what he does that everyone wants to kill him. Wounded in an encounter with his own would-be killers, he retreats to the mountains, into the snow. He finds a recuperative spring, attended by a gentle tribe of snow monkeys. That one of them learns all the wrong lessons from the killer should be taken for granted. That goes double for the outcome of introducing killing ways into a peaceful society.
Again, this should not work. The promotional material for Hitmonkey have introduced the character as some kind of foil for an upcoming issue of Deadpool. But Way treats the character seriously in his first appearance while avoiding the trap of schmaltz. I noted above that I think I understand how Way was able to make it work: He presents the events in the book as a parable, drawn with broad strokes with ideas of violence and the violence it begets. You sense what the outcome is going to be because you've read it before. You could swap out the cool assassin for an old soldier, a gunslinger, a knight, and switch the peaceful monkeys with an idyllic village, or alien species – the outcome is always the same given the conditions of the story.
Dalibor Talajic is on art. The name isn't familiar but the art is filled with a loose energy that reminds me of a less stylized Marcos Martin. It's a positive comparison and the book's storytelling is aided substantially with the addition of this artist.
I've actually changed my final score twice in the writing of this review. Again, it's one of those things that should be doomed to fail – it should be silly and it should end up being a dumb intro to a nonsensical character. But here it is and it works.
Final Word: Not quite what I was expecting, but it takes itself just seriously enough to make the reader do the same. Also: Marvel sure knows how to hire artists lately.
If you liked this review, be sure to check out more of the author’s work at Monster In Your Veins
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Existence 3.0 #2
Posted: Monday, February 8, 2010
By: Chris Kiser
Nick Spencer
Ron Salas, Joe Eisma (layouts), Rank Bravo (c)
Image Comics
Such a distinctive voice is exactly what has been lacking from the rapidly released sequel to Spencer’s hit, Existence 3.0. Ever since Sly uniquely sacrificed himself for the life of his daughter at the end of the first series, no other character has stepped into his role as franchise spokesperson. This is, perhaps needlessly said, enough to make the current effort feel like a slightly disappointing follow-up to the original volume.
Sure, the plot twists and turns are intact, as a wealthy schizophrenic pursues Sly’s surviving family in hopes of learning the secrets of the body swapping process that has driven this series from the beginning. But as the plot thickens, new characters and new motives are introduced rather quickly, and we’re left without a reliable anchor in the midst of this ever-changing playing field. It’s impossible not to think that Sly’s narration, or at least that of a reasonable replacement, would go a long way here toward helping us keep our bearings.
Help in this area certainly isn’t to be found in Ron Salas’ artwork. With a minimalist style that deemphasizes facial features, his visuals often make it difficult to recognize certain characters when they aren’t placed in direct contrast to one another. This is not to say that Salas isn’t talented or even that he’s not doing a good job in this book. I had the same occasional problem with Michael Lark’s pencils during his tenure on Gotham Central and Salas could certainly do worse than to be likened to an artist of Lark’s caliber. In fact, I probably wouldn’t even be writing this paragraph if Spencer’s script had a firmer center for readers to latch onto.
Though not without merit, Existence 3.0 reads like a sequel whose creators don’t quite understand what made the previous offering work. Nick Spencer and friends certainly deserve credit for getting half the formula right, but recapturing the glory of a beloved story requires more than just telling us what happens next.
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Teen Titans #79
Posted: Monday, February 8, 2010
By: Andre Lamar
Felicia D. Henderson
Joe Bennett, Jack Jadson (i), Marcelo Maiolo (c)
DC Entertainment
Felicia Henderson does well simplifying the script of this book, especially for fans that may have missed a few issues. This makes for a smoother and faster read. Although the arrangement of speech bubbles during the Titans exercise scene feels disorganized, the rest of the book flows nicely. The writer does a fair job intertwining Cassie’s subplot with Static’s story in Dakota, as the reader is able to see how both narratives come full circle.
Joe Bennett and Jack Jadson team up for another effectively illustrated issue. Bennett does a remarkable job at managing the space used in his panels. Sometimes he assigns several characters to a panel, and other times he’ll add close-ups to prevent white space. In the end, each page feels full and complete.
A strong example of this occurs in the Titan’s exercise scene. Here you’ll notice the heroes using various exercise equipment (Aquagirl is on the gymnastics rings, Beast Boy is riding the exercise bike, Bombshell is kicking a punching bag, and so on). Although this scene may appear typical and lackluster, I do respect Bennett’s knack for introducing a sense of cohesiveness to his pages.
Jadson’s neatly stroked lines lend a sophisticated and polished look to Bennett’s illustrations. In addition, Marcelo Maiolo’s use of colors is astonishing. He’s able to apply an assortment of textures to a character, or object, through his contrast of colors. His use of lighting encourages the visuals to thrive, as well.
The biggest drawback with Teen Titans is the passive reaction from Virgil’s parents, after his return home. Static disappeared from them, for quite sometime, yet the Hawkins’ neglect to force the question about his whereabouts. Instead, the family allows Static to leave their house to-and-fro, as he pleases, as if he’d been home the whole time. I was expecting to see the Hawkins’ scold Virgil, for telling them he “should’ve come back sooner.” Felicia Henderson has to demonstrate more concern from Virgil’s parents. Also, the events taking place aren’t significant enough for a fan to purchase this issue, unless you’re a diehard. Simply reading this book at your comic shop is plenty to keep you updated.
All things considered, Teen Titans #79 takes the reader on a decent adventure with respectable artwork, and straightforward storytelling. Since nothing major happens in this comic, fans may want to skip this issue.
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The Question #37
Posted: Monday, February 8, 2010
By: Michael Deeley
Denny O’Neil & Greg Rucka
Denys Cowan, Bill Sienkiewicz (i)
DC Entertainment
This issue continues the series' legacy of complex characterization and unconventional storytelling. The doesn’t begin with Victor Sage, the first Question, rising from his grave as a Black Lantern like all the other tie-ins. His body isn’t even resurrected--it’s recreated by a black ring. Aristotle Rodor, Sage’s friend and mentor, deliberately attracts the ring hoping to revive Sage. Why? To answer the ultimate questions about life and death. Meanwhile, Lady Shiva, deadly assassin, comes to challenge Renee Montoya, Sage’s successor, to physical combat. Shiva had put Sage on the path to self-awareness and now she seeks the same with Montoya. All three characters confront the Black Lantern Question--and find a way to defeat him.
Emotions are the core of this story, more so than in Geoff Johns’ vision of the Rainbow Lantern corps. Tot’s curiosity overrides his common sense. Shiva comes to play the role she played before. But she is not the grinning femme fatale of old. Her expressionless face reflects her empty heart. And it is she who discovers a way to defeat a Black Lantern. This discovery could have a significant impact on the Blackest Night crossover. That is, if the core story’s writers and editors are smart enough to follow up on this plot point.
Seeing Cowan team up with Sienkiewicz was a real treat. They recapture the look and feel of the original series. Not only has the familiar grit returned, but the fighting too. The Question was known for its fast paced fight scenes. With O’Neil co-scripting, this issue felt like a passing of the torch to Greg Rucka. I’m more anxious than ever to see a new monthly Question series starring Montoya. The back-up feature in Detective Comics just isn’t cutting it.
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Sweet Tooth #6
Posted: Monday, February 8, 2010
By: John Giltinan
Jeff Lemire
Jeff Lemire
Vertigo / DC
The character Jepperd is explored in this issue. Violence is not all there is to this man--deep sadness forever haunts him. There are quite a few panels only featuring him, emphasizing the fact that this is a man that has been isolated due to his unfortunate decisions. In the final pages we learn why he did what he did to poor Gus. And to be honest, I could forgive the guy.
Little more is learned about the strange half-animal half-human creatures that occupy the world of Sweet Tooth. Gus seems to be a special case being the closest in appearance to humans, while the other children are more animal than man both in physicality and mentality. These panels hold an air of dread and are appropriately creepy thanks to the squalid living space.
Jeff Lemire’s artwork is simply magnificent. His portrayal of characters eyes is nothing short of perfection. The dialogue may be sparse, but he uses the eyes to speak volumes, from Jepperd’s hard squint reminiscent of Clint Eastwood to Gus’ wide-eyed innocence and fear. He also seamlessly shifts between past and present to tell a story that flows like fine wine. The past is rendered as world starting to crumble at the edges, yet still functions, there are still sunny days. The present offers an almost endless grey with harsh rain, deserted roads, and dead trees. Yet, on the final page, one that shows crushing grief, I couldn’t help but smile at the sly hint of hope on the horizon no matter how tiny.
There are quite a bit of post-apocalyptic comics being published right now, but Sweet Tooth is currently the best. It's writing and art strike an emotional cord deeper than the rest, from the singular vision of Jeff Lemire. I say, buy it.
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Green Lantern #50
Posted: Monday, February 8, 2010
By: Travis Walecka
Geoff Johns
Mahnke, Alamy, Buchman, Nguyen, Irwin, Mahnke (i); Mayor, Eltreb (c)
DC Entertainment
Right off the bat, we’re blessed with a two page spread containing the full roster of New Guardians and Lantern Corps in their attempt at taking back Coast City, showing off Doug Mahnke’s finest pencil work since Blackest Night #1 with The Hand. Screw it--this issue is Mahnke’s career highlight. The huge contingent of inkers and colorists fully flesh out the early season’s best looking book, swarming every murky moment with more vibrancy and color medley than a Crayola factory.
Geoff Johns makes sure all the players get their moments: Blue Flash thankfully avoids cheesiness when shutting down Firestorm; Mera commits an unforeseen act that startles Atrocitus, further quieting critics who couldn’t see her rage; whereas both Scarecrow and Lex Luthor have trouble controlling their portentous acts to the displeasure of Hal Jordan. The next several pages prove to be the pinnacle of Blackest Night. Without spoiling these extravagant panels of horrifying bliss, it’s the cooperation among such divergent characters that makes this issue so classic. It’s highly unpredictable and simply wonderful to watch.
An issue of this importance would never reach the brink without the schematic quarreling between Hal, Sinestro, and Ganthet. The results are spectacular and should remind longtime followers of the last important celestial war. The last page isn’t entirely shocking, as the cover suggests, but again, I couldn’t help but stop and stare as if I were lucky enough to enter the Playboy Mansion. Green Lantern #50 is next level comic designing, people. If you don’t already know, you never will.
Final Say: Many have recently labeled Green Lantern #50 Blackest Night 6.5. To say that would be an injustice. This is the best comic book of 2010. While it won’t take you long to read, don’t be surprised if you spend a minute on every page unable to shift your eyes to the next.
What did you think of this book?
Have your say at the Line of Fire Forum!
Sunday Slugfest: Planet Hulk (DVD and Blu-Ray)
Posted: Sunday, February 7, 2010
By: Thom Young
Greg Johnson (adaptation) / Greg Pak (original)
Marvel Animation
Lionsgate
Forced into slavery, The Hulk becomes the empire's mightiest gladiator--as well as the prophesied Messiah whose arrival was foretold in the planet's religious texts.
Charles Webb:
Jason Sacks:
Paul Brian McCoy:
Karyn Pinter:
Thom Young:
Charles Webb: There’s a challenge inherent in condensing a year or more of storylines into a feature film. The problem has to be particularly compounded when it’s a pricey animated production with an 81-minute runtime. Indeed, Planet Hulk is a production that appears to struggle with its limitations--distilling what was one of the more epic and definitive stories about the green goliath into something that feels like it’s missing . . . something.
For those not in the know, the Greg Pak-penned “Planet Hulk” storyline ran through issues 92-105 of The Incredible Hulk, which followed the banishment of the title character from Earth following the plot development in Brian Michael Bendis's The New Avengers: Illuminati. Rocketed into space by Iron Man, Reed Richards, and Doctor Strange towards what was supposed to be an uninhabited but hospitable planet, the Hulk’s rampage inside the ship sends him off course.
The movie picks up these beats as well as the Hulk’s being drafted into the local gladiatorial games alongside a group of convicts and outcasts for the pleasure of the Roman-styled empire that is led by its own version of Nero: the Red King. The big draw of the comic was precisely how ferocious and downright hostile the world was to the Hulk. He could bleed on this planet; everything was a threat to him, and there was serious doubt as to whether he was "the strongest of them all."
Again, the movie conveys these elements--the Hulk bleeds, he’s thrown into the gladiator’s ring, he fights for the pleasure of it--but something feels missing. About 45 minutes in, I realized what that something was--the Hulk. The character is onscreen in his more intelligent persona, but it felt like he was missing from the actual story. He wasn’t really driving events, they were just sort of happening to him.
Here, it feels like the filmmakers missed the arc that made the original story so compelling--the Hulk finding his place in a world of monsters, and attempting to strike a balance between his rage and his heroic nature. The book was notable for allowing the Hulk to veer into nearly amoral, might-makes-right territory. In one telling instance, the Hulk pushed one his fellow prisoners--now calling themselves the Warbound--to act out in revenge because it’s what the Hulk would do.
Missing many of these particular notes, the movie feels deflated--and the Hulk’s arc feels poorly defined. It then comes down to a series of very long fight scenes. To their detriment, the fight scenes (which would be enough to justify the price of admission) feel downright anemic. Much of the action consists of the same shot of a character being flung back against a wall or onto the ground. The physical interaction between the combatants is somehow simultaneously messy and kinetic.
I was surprised how negative my review came out. The movie was an adequate diversion while I was watching it. However, in the final analysis, Planet Hulk is pretty slight as it lacks the emotion and energy of the source material.
If you liked this review, be sure to check out more of the author’s work at Monster In Your Veins
Jason Sacks: I enjoyed the heck out of Planet Hulk--especially before I read Greg Pak's excellent graphic novel, which I have now read as well.
The idea behind the story is simple and logical: some of Marvel's smartest heroes launch the Hulk into space in order to essentially quarantine Earth from one of its worst threats. The Hulk's spaceship unexpectedly hits a wormhole, which transports Greenskin to Sakaar, a world in which gladiators fight for survival against impossible odds. While on Sakaar, the Hulk slowly grows in both maturity and strength--eventually fulfilling an ancient prophecy by becoming the planet's savior and king.
Much of the movie is taken up with some exciting fighting in the gladiatorial stadium. The idea of ancient Rome transported into space is hardly a new idea, but we're not necessarily looking for new ideas in a story like Planet Hulk. The comfortable framework allows for fun action scenes and a nice story arc--since the filmmakers don't need to explain the gladiatorial aspect of the story, they're free to focus on more interesting topics.
The gladiator scenes proceed pretty much as you might expect, but it's hard to see how they might have gone differently. We see the Hulk slowly rise through the ranks, growing a following as he does so. Many of the battle scenes are fun, but my favorite was the battle between the Hulk and Beta Ray Bill, which really grew in drama as it proceeded.
The action scenes on this DVD give the story a lot of energy, but it's the Hulk's arc that gives the story its heart. We've never really seen this Hulk before. In the past, when the Hulk has found happiness, it has come from him either compromising his own toughness or literally becoming a different person. However, in Planet Hulk, he finds true happiness through being himself.
On Sakaar, the Hulk is in the perfect place at the perfect time to become self-actualized since incredible strength, channeled anger, and a kind of brutish enlightened narcissism are positive attributes on Sakaar. The very attributes that caused the Illuminati to launch the Hulk into space are those that led him to become a great leader on Sakaar and find true contentment in his life. The movie presents a very satisfying character arc for the Hulk because he grows from literally being rejected by his old society to becoming absolutely beloved by his new society.
He even finds love in the arms of the beautiful and extremely powerful Caiera, a woman who's the Hulk's equal in so many ways and whose story also follows an equally interesting arc. Caiera had once been a member of the Shadow Guard of the despotic Red King, only to be betrayed by the emperor when he performs an act of unspeakable evil. Caiera and Hulk are a couple who belong together. They are very different people, but it's easy to see how they can find love and respect for each other.
The final scenes, in which the Hulk finds true happiness, are surprisingly moving because the character developments are so nicely depicted.
So this DVD movie is very entertaining. The only problem is what is so often the problem when a very good book is adapted to a movie--there's so much that is left out.
After watching Planet Hulk, I pulled out my trade paperback copy of the story on which this movie is based--and there's just so much more that wasn't included in the movie. One of the Hulk's gladiator allies, a Brood female, is cut entirely from the movie, and she was one of the most intriguing characters in the graphic novel.
The story arc of Miek, the Hulk's insect ally, is also dramatically truncated. We get some implications of Miek's story on the DVD, but it drops much of the satisfying content that makes him such an interesting character in the novel.
Most notably, the movie also truncates the threat posed by the nasty Spike creatures that fall from space and bedevil the people of Sakaar. Though the Spikes provide some of the most vivid and moving scenes, they don't have the same emotional impact as they do in the book.
Finally, we also get a very different ending. In the comics, the Hulk returned to Earth full of vengeance for the Illuminati--which triggered the World War Hulk story. In the movie, however, the story ends at a different point--one that gives the viewer a happy ending that provides closure to the movie's story arcs. It's a good fit, and it will leave most viewers happy--I think.
Possibly the difference that people will mention the most is the fact that Beta Ray Bill is included in the movie in two places. In one instance, in the coliseum where he replaces the Silver Surfer, the change is made smoothly and is quite satisfying. The scene with the Silver Surfer in the graphic novel seems a bit awkward and depends a bit too much on the reader's familiarity with the Marvel Universe.
However, having Beta Ray Bill grafted onto an earlier scene with the Stone Men from Saturn detracts from the movie a bit for me. I liked the feeling of closure that we get from having the character reappear in the movie, but his inclusion in the recreation of Thor's origin just felt unnatural and distracting to me.
The Planet Hulk DVD is packed with bonus features. The two behind-the-scenes commentaries give good explanations for the storytelling choices that the filmmakers made, and they provide a nice context for the story. We also get a preview of the upcoming Tales of Asgard DVD, which looks outstanding. There's also an entertaining episode of Wolverine and the X-Men that features the Hulk as well as some weird motion comics.
I really enjoyed Planet Hulk. The DVD was exciting and satisfying, and I'm very glad it got me to read the even more satisfying graphic novel. The works are very different from each other, but they're both a hell of a lot of fun.
Paul Brian McCoy: Do you want the long version or the short version?
Short version is, Planet Hulk is freaking awesome--the best animated Marvel work I've ever seen.
Long version?
Well, okay. Since you asked nicely.
I'm not a big Hulk fan. Never have been, really. Oh, he's an okay character when a good writer is on board, but there are about forty years' worth of Hulk stories that I couldn't care less about.
I liked the very first Hulk stories from back in 1962 when he was a sociopath who would have just as soon conquered the planet as save it. However, the big, dumb, man-child Hulk never really did anything for me (outside of some his Defenders appearances written by Steve Gerber).
So you can imagine my surprise when, a few years back, I picked up an issue of The Incredible Hulk with the "Planet Hulk" logo on the front. It was about three or four issues into the story, I think. After flipping through it in the shop, I decided to order what I'd missed and take the ride--and it was a pretty damned good ride.
Sure, it had a lot of clichés and mystical mumbo-jumbo that was never really explained, but it was a fresh take on the character and a dedicated twelve-issue story with a beginning, middle, and end. Sort of. If you've read it, you know what I mean.
It was also packed with a lot of very brutal violence--which, when combined with an interesting story, goes a long way with me. Then, when I heard that there was going to be an animated version of "Planet Hulk," I really wasn't sure what to expect. I've tried to watch the Ultimate Avengers cartoons, but I couldn't finish them. I skipped Iron Man. Doctor Strange was okay, but a little too JMS-y. Thus, I wouldn't have been surprised to pop this DVD in and get a big facefull of whitewashed blah.
But that was not the case.
While not as violent or adult as the comic, this animated adaptation stays very faithful to the source material. In fact, there are a couple of scenes that play just as powerfully here as they did in the comic, and the streamlining of the story for the 81-minute format helps to provide a very satisfying done-in-one feel. You really can't tell anything's missing.
In fact, the only major change made was the replacement of the Silver Surfer with Beta Ray Bill (thanks to legal tie-ups with 20th Century Fox, I assume)--and, to be honest, I always felt that the Silver Surfer was out-of-place in the comic. His appearance just happened out of the blue with no real set-up or justification.
Beta Ray Bill, on the other hand, is worked into the framework of the story early, so when he re-appears later in the Arena, it's a nice callback that reinforces narrative ties to one of the Hulk's Warbound allies. Kudos, gang. Well done.
And to make the whole thing even better, the story comes to its conclusion before the tragic events that marked the end of the comic's story and the beginning of "World War Hulk"--all of which adds up to the best Marvel Animation experience I've ever had.
There are also a few cameos that are more like Easter Eggs than anything that actually adds to the story. Just pay attention to the crowds watching the gladiator combat and you'll see what I'm talking about.
One appearance, however, was kind of creepy and shadowy, which I thought was going to signal a very significant change from the source story, but it had nothing to do with anything--so, when you see a mysterious figure lurking behind the throne of the Red King, you can just ignore it and enjoy bumping up your geek cred for recognizing who it was.
Did I hear someone ask about the Extras?
Well, they're a bit of a mixed bag, with some having no real relation to Planet Hulk--like the first chapters of the Spider-Woman and Astonishing X-Men motion comics along with their respective music videos (about which, the less said, the better).
Also included is an episode of the Wolverine and the X-Men animated series, involving Wolverine, The Hulk, and the Wendigo. However, it's not a retelling of the first appearance of Wolverine, as I expected it to be. Instead, it's a new story that references the other, then goes on to tell just about the same story.
I'm not really sure what the point of it was. Except, of course, to promote another Marvel product. If you ask me, it can be skipped--as can the motion comics.
On the other hand, the extras that directly relate to Planet Hulk are very good and informative. The first is a "making of" documentary that goes into the creative process behind the film--from the crafting of the opening credit sequence to voice casting to the details of winnowing down the original story into a piece that works in 81 minutes while staying true to the source material.
The second documentary goes into the writing and producing of the "Planet Hulk" storyline from Incredible Hulk. This also provides an entertaining and informative look into what went into the creation of the best Hulk storyline in at least a decade. Maybe longer.
Finally, we also get a preview of the next Marvel Animated Feature: Thor: Tales of Asgard!!!
Yes, that was three exclamation points I used, thankyouverymuch. I am a total geek for the original Lee and Kirby "Tales of Asgard" stories, and while this isn't really related to those, it does tell a tale of young Thor, Loki, and Sif going off on a huge mythological adventure. The trailer looks impressive, though the opening sequence included on this disc seemed a little pedestrian. We'll have to see how it plays out.
So, if you're wondering whether to drop some coin on Planet Hulk, I can say without hesitation that it's worth the price. I don't have much need for the digital copy included on the second disc, but if that's your thing, then all the more reason to pick it up. I really don't think you'll be sorry.
Karyn Pinter: Planet Hulk opens with our big green buddy strapped into a spaceship--destination nowhere special--receiving a message from Iron Man going on about how sorry he and rest of the Illuminati are for sending him away. Their reasoning? Hulk, when in the grip of his rage, is an unstoppable force of destruction.
Don't you think shanghaiing a giant, pissed off mutant is going to piss him off more? Hulk goes on to hulk-smash his ship. In doing so, he gets jettisoned off course and ends up landing on Sakaar, a planet in need of a hero—a giant, green, pissed off hero.
How convenient.
Alright, I'm not a huge Hulk fan. In fact, I have read only one issue of The Incredible Hulk--which was issue 181, the first appearance of Wolverine (and it was for that reason alone that I read it). Now, since I know jack about the source material, other than what I read on Wikipedia, I can't compare the two, so that should cut down on the complaining.
Right off the bat, this movie was badass.
I really wasn't expecting much more than a hyped-up kids' movie, but I was taken pleasantly by surprise. The story was very entertaining, even if it was just the slightest bit predictable.
I mean, the hero, against his will (or at least not of his own doing), ends up in a strange land and is sold into slavery to fight as a gladiator. He then ends up saving the day by rising against the tyrant king. How many times has that story been told before?
On the other hand, how many times has it been told with The Hulk?
See, there's the difference. Mutants make the world go round, and give fresh new spins to tried and true plots. It has all the elements needed for a standard action flick--reluctant hero, bumbling sidekick, token female badass, blood and guts, Machiavellian leader, kick-ass death for villain, and at least one automobile (or in this case spaceship) crash.
Additionally, being a gladiator-themed movie, there was plenty of violence--real violence, like aliens being cut in half. There was even one case of eyeballs rupturing.
Thumbs up on graphically exploding eyeballs in a cartoon.
However, there were a few things that weren't explained enough--such as Caiera's ability to live through the "spike" attack in her childhood. It's just a quick mention of the name of this trait and that's it.
Well? Why does she have it and no one else in her village has it--not even either one of her parents?
Is she some kind of reborn ancient? Or a goddess? And is that all her ability does, help her evade attack?
Nothing is explained, and it just seems like a convenient plot device. I looked up her character online. I know it has to be explained in the comic, so why not in the movie? It's that kind of slip that held the movie back; that wasn't the only one, just the one that really stood out.
Anyway, as a character, the Hulk has always been a bit confusing to me. I know that sounds sort of silly, but I have never understood how he can be considered a hero. He's Bruce Banner's impulsive, brutish, alter ego who goes around smashing things when he's angry. That never really struck the hero cord with me.
Apparently it didn't feel right to the Illuminati either since they jettisoned Hulk off into space. The point I'm trying to make is that the Hulk has always been a big brute who is capable of nothing more than smashing city blocks to bits. However, after watching Planet Hulk, I'm starting to think otherwise.
I found the protagonist to be more human in this story than I assumed him to be. It was very easy to identify the Hulk as the hero and to want him to succeed. That aspect should vouch for the quality of the story. It changed my mind about a character I would otherwise have written off as being one-dimensional.
This movie could turn me into a fan yet.
So many of these animated comic movies just come off as hour-and-a-half-long TV episodes. Lately, though, I've noticed that they are becoming more complex and mature. If the movie version was this good, then I can only assume the comic on which it is based is even better.
Obviously, this movie is a must for any fan of the Hulk series--but for those of us who aren't die-hard Hulk fans, the movie is really worth checking out. I think I'll definitely be tracking down the original "Planet Hulk" comic book issues.
Thom Young: Unlike my colleague Charles at the top of this slugfest, I was surprised at how positive my reaction to Planet Hulk is. I have not read the original print version of the story, and I'm not likely to ever do so--due to time and financial constraints rather than any sort of obstinacy on my part.
I knew that there was a "Planet Hulk" story running through the Incredible Hulk comic book series a few years ago, and that it was a story that had come out of Marvel's Civil War event. However, I had no interest in it at the time.
The truth is that while I think the Hulk is a great character, I've only read a few of his stories during my 30-some years of reading comics:
- The origin story in Incredible Hulk #1 by Jack Kirby from 1962,
- The first appearance of Wolverine (which Karyn mentioned above) in Incredible Hulk #181 from 1974 (which I once owned a near mint copy of and sold for about two dollars, unfortunately),
- DC Special Series #27 (a.k.a. Batman vs. The Incredible Hulk) from 1981,
- And the collected editions of Bruce Jones's run on issues 34-76 of Incredible Hulk (second series) that began in 2001.
That's it. Those are all of my experiences with a character whom I admit has a great deal of potential for fascinating stories through the exploration of themes and motifs that are deeply rooted in the Cold War milieu of the early 1960s.
In fact, I suppose it's my view of the Hulk as "an Atomic Age Mr. Hyde who is a byproduct of the Cold War" that caused me to not be the least bit interested in the "Planet Hulk" story when I first heard about it a few years ago. It's also the reason why the only Hulk stories that I truly enjoyed as "Hulk stories" (as opposed to Wolverine or Batman stories) were Kirby's origin from Incredible Hulk #1 and the first half of Jones's run.
I'm sure there are many Hulk stories that I haven't read but that I would enjoy. However, a space-faring Hulk who finds an extraterrestrial civilization modeled after the Roman Empire sounded like a bad idea--even though I firmly believe that any story concept can work if it's appropriately executed. It's just that if I want to read a well-executed story of an Earthman who finds himself on a barbarian planet where he is eventually hailed as a hero, then I'll read Edgar Rice Burroughs's John Carter of Mars and Carson Napier of Venus series(es).
If I want to read that type of story in comics form, then I'll seek out reprints of Alex Raymond's "Flash Gordon" comic strips. Similarly, if I want to read a science fiction story of a space-faring Earthman from the early 1960s, I'd prefer Gardner Fox's original Adam Strange stories from DC's Mystery in Space.
Obviously, the concept of Planet Hulk is not new. In fact, it's not even that new for the Hulk. Harlan Ellison essentially used the same idea of the character traveling to another world where he is considered a hero rather than a monster in his 1971 story from Incredible Hulk #140--"The Brute that Shouted Love at the Heart of the Atom."
In Ellison's story, the Hulk is sent to the subatomic world of K'ai where Bruce Banner's mind is brought out in the Hulk's body by sorcerers in service to the world's queen, Jarella. Not only is Hulk hailed as a hero, but he becomes Jarella's lover (as much as could be implied in a 1971 story that was approved by the Comics Code Authority.
The Planet Hulk reworking of the story has part of Bruce Banner's mind rise to consciousness in the Hulk's body through some sort of neurological device that is implanted in the Hulk's chest. Additionally, Hulk is hailed as a hero and becomes the lover of Caiera (the Jarella analogue in Planet Hulk).
It's Ellison's initial story that informed its sequel from Incredible Hulk #156 that I chanced upon when I was 12. However, rather than a sequel, Planet Hulk is clearly a re-imagining (and expansion) of Ellison's story. As I indicated, Jarella is replaced by Caiera--who doesn't become Sakaar's queen until the end of the story when she and the Hulk are set to rule the planet after removing the despotic emperor.
So, yeah, Planet Hulk is not very original as a concept. In fact, it's basically a blend of Ellison's story and the 1954 film Demetrius and the Gladiators--but one in which the Hulk is the gladiator-Messiah instead of being a 1st-Century gladiator-Christian.
However, even though Planet Hulk is simply a reworking of these "sword and planet" and "sword and sandals" stories, it's a surprisingly well-executed reworking of them. I don't have a problem with newer stories that are simply reworked versions of earlier stories. After all, Shakespeare's Hamlet may have been a reworking of earlier stories referred to as the Ur-Hamlet, but it doesn't mean Shakespeare should not have written Hamlet.
We also know that Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida is not only an adaptation of Gregory Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde, but that the story goes back at least to Boccaccio’s version of it in Il Filostrato. Yet, Shakespeare's and Chaucer's respective "remakes" are classics of world literature nonetheless.
Similarly, Christopher Marlowe was not the first to write a story about Faustus, a character who went back at least 17 years earlier (and probably much earlier) to the 1587 Faustbuch--which also informed Goethe’s Faust in 1808.
No, there is absolutely nothing wrong with re-telling the same basic stories as long as there is something new that can be brought out of them (which Gus Van Sant's shot-for-shot remake of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho failed to achieve). Fortunately, Planet Hulk has enough twists on the old stories to hold my attention and engage my intellect.
Yes, there is a great deal of fighting in this movie. Normally, consider mindless violence in superhero stories as the equivalent of WWE-styled professional wrestling "matches." However, the gladiator motif in Planet Hulk allows all of the fighting to work within the context of the story in a way that is similar to why the song and dance routines work for me in All that Jazz even though I normally hate musicals.
Additionally, Planet Hulk is not just scene after scene of super-powered fighting, which is what DC's recent Green Lantern: First Flight unfortunately is.
It doesn't surprise me that my colleagues who have read the original print version of Planet Hulk have pointed out that the graphic novel is better than the movie. After all, 99 percent of the time a good novel is going to be better than its film adaptation regardless of how good the film is. The only instance where I haven't found the film to not be as good as the original novel is with Blade Runner, which I think is superior to Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? However, Philip K. Dick's original novel isn't bad; it's just that Ridley Scott's film adaptation is better.
For someone like me who will probably never read the Planet Hulk graphic novel, this movie version is a well worth watching.
Nevertheless, I suppose if you are going to spend money on this story, I would recommend buying the graphic novel simply because I think reading a novel is better than watching its film adaptation. However, there are plenty of stories in which I love both the novel and the film--such as George Orwell's 1984 and the film version that starred John Hurt as Winston Smith.
For those people who have read the graphic novel, the Planet Hulk movie will probably be an enjoyable experience, too (as it was for Jason Sacks and Paul Brian McCoy).
Like Jason, I had a slight problem with the movie's re-imagining of Kirby's "The Stone Men from Saturn" from Journey into Mystery #83. The movie has Beta Ray Bill help Thor vanquish those extraterrestrial stone men--who are now from a planet called Krona rather than Saturn.
Of course, Krona is a variation on the name Cronus, the Greek deity on whom the Roman god Saturn is based--so they are still the stone men from Saturn in a way.
At first it bothered me a great deal that Beta Ray Bill had been inserted into Kirby's story, but I later realized that it does an appropriate job of setting up the character's subsequent appearance near the end of the movie.
Since I did not know at the time that Beta Ray Bill was standing in for the Silver Surfer from the graphic novel, I initially wondered whether Greg Pak had revised Kirby's and Walt Simonson's respective Thor stories. Obviously, I now understand that it is the movie that revised those stories--and I must admit that it works.
I think Beta Ray Bill is actually a better choice to be a gladiator on Sakaar, and I'm actually glad the Silver Surfer wasn't used in the movie. My only qualm is that I wish the Messianic angle had been explored more fully. I'm intrigued by this notion of the Hulk as a Messiah (similar to the possibility of Kirby's Apokolips-born New God, Orion, as a messianic figure).
Perhaps the Messiah angle is explored in more depth in the novel. If that's the case, it might just be enough to get me to buy that book after all . . . someday, when I have more time and money.
What did you think of this book?
Have your say at the Line of Fire Forum!
Toy Story #1
Posted: Saturday, February 6, 2010
By: Christopher Power
Jesse Blaze Snider
Nathan Watson, Mickey Clausen (c), Deron Bennett (l)
BOOM! Studios
The story itself does not carry, as of yet, the broader themes and meaningful commentary about growing up that the movies had in them. However, the story is still developing and certainly the themes of camaraderie, of standing by ones friends no matter the cost, are echoed from the movies.
Additionally, the book is quite a bit of fun!
The writer, Jesse Blaze Snider, really has a firm grasp on the nuances of all of the characters. With the major players, such as Potato, Hamm, Rex, and Woody, they all sound like they did in the movie. You can read the dialogue and hear the voices of the actors, in your head. Most interestingly, even with the secondary characters such as Wheezy, originally voiced by the beloved late Joe Ranft, the dialogue provided by Snider captures ever little nuance.
The story itself has many of the fun elements that were present in the movies. Ridiculous plans to save their wayward (again) friend Buzz, the avoidance of the family dog, and the silliness of distracting a traffic police officer while making a getaway, make you feel the comfortable remembrances of the hours spent in the cinema and in front of home theatres. Finally, there is a quirky tongue and cheek humour to the book, where you can tell that while there is great respect for the tradition of Toy Story, the writer does not take it so seriously as to remove the fun elements. I actually got funny looks while reading this on the bus and chuckling out loud at Slinky telling his hindquarters, “You! In the rear! Hurry up!”
The action in script is translated well by Nathan Watson with movement and story beats feeling very accurate considering we are dealing with a bunch of plastic toys. The over-exaggerated positioning of Woody’s arms and legs, the stiltedness of Bo Peep, and the limited positioning of Rocky’s arms and legs, are all translated very well. The colours are a touch muted for my taste, but that may be an intentional choice. One interesting evolution I have not seen previously was the outlining of white speech bubbles with colour. This is vastly preferable to the current trend of monologues that have specific font colours, fonts and transitioned backgrounds that some readers, such as myself, can find very hard to read.
Overall, I am most impressed with this outing of Toy Story as a comic book. I was sceptical if it would transition from celluloid to floppy page, but I must admit, I enjoyed it quite a bit. I look forward to seeing how Buzz gets rescued (again).
What did you think of this book?
Have your say at the Line of Fire Forum!
Red Robin #9
Posted: Saturday, February 6, 2010
By: Chris Kiser
Christopher Yost
Marcus To, Ray McCarthy (i), Guy Major (c)
DC Entertainment
The good news is that the Tim Drake of Red Robin #9 much more closely resembles his old self. However, this seems to be due mainly to the resolution of the plot threads that had him flying off the handle in the first place rather than evidence that Yost has reevaluated what makes his protagonist tick. Armed with confirmation of Bruce Wayne’s survival and reunited with his resurrected pal Superboy, Tim is a happier (and calmer) fellow. He’s even able to crack a joke or two about his new costume and crime-fighting equipment.
As welcome as these developments are, they don’t automatically transform Red Robin into a great comic. There’s a serious lack of story here, putting a damper on the hopes for a meaningful reading experience. Aside from a threat made by the villain Ra’s al Ghul in a brief scene toward the end, the script mostly involves characters talking about things that happened in previous issues. And it isn’t even done in a manner conducive to filling in new readers on important details, as these conversations are strictly referential, not explanatory.
Thankfully, I can at least report that Red Robin is a much better looking book than it was at its inception. Marcus To is the artist now and he demonstrates a knack for maximizing the aesthetic potential for each of the costumed characters featured in these pages. Additionally, his Gotham cityscapes are top-notch, and he makes sure that the fight scene between Red Robin and Killer Moth flows naturally to open the book with a bang, at least visually. I certainly hope I get to see To’s work someday in the panels of a Batman comic that’s actually fun to read.
Nine months into its lifespan, Red Robin has yet to justify its existence other than as a means to meet a quota of a series for every major Batman character. This issue even marks the first part of a crossover with Batgirl and I still wouldn’t categorize it as essential reading for followers of that superior book. As much as I would like to see another great comic headlined by Tim Drake, the reality is that such a thing has not been among DC’s offerings since the publisher fired Chuck Dixon in 2008. Methinks that Dan DiDio and company owe someone an apology.
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Superman: World of New Krypton #12
Posted: Saturday, February 6, 2010
By: Travis Walecka
Greg Rucka & James Robinson
Pete Woods, Ron Randall (i), Nei Ruffino (c)
DC Entertainment
In this concluding issue, what should appear to be a frantic race for celestial supremacy turns into an all too standard whodunit conversation between Zod and Kal-El. Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying the creators’ improved characterization of Zod from two-dimensional baddie to man among his people. I’m even glad he didn’t turn out to be the obvious culprit at the end. Even so, the conclusion is unsatisfactory.
Speaking of disappointing, James Robinson’s been receiving a lot of flack on various message forums as of late. If you’re a seasoned DC follower the odds are you know about his exceptional, prolific run on Starman. Some even go so far as to saying it’s the best character work in comics of all time. While I’m a little biased towards Alan Moore’s Watchmen, I can’t argue with those sentiments. It’s just sad to see such a promising creator not keep up with his end of the bargain. His recent work on JLA has been horrendous, his Mon-El-featured Superman is adequate at best, and I’m wondering whether New Krypton’s second-half tilt in quality was his own doing. Greg Rucka’s track record speaks for itself.
Before my tangent on Robinson forces me to forget the artwork, I should mention that Pete Woods and Ron Randall step it up in their sketching. In no way will this performance allow us to forget that DC’s finest are currently working on Batman and Green Lantern-related titles, but the extra effort placed into angles, shadowing, and panel placement is a huge improvement over recent issues. With that said, the artists failed at taking advantage of one particular scene in which New Krypton turns war torn to beautiful. While the Kryptonians are saying it, the viewers aren’t able to witness this discovery other than a page or two. Better luck next time.
Where does Superman’s status quo go from here? Thankfully the next cross-over, The Last Stand of New Krypton, is only a few issues in length heading into the War of the Supermen. But can a free book in May give New Krypton any hope? Will anyone care by then? I’m sure comic’s all-time celebrated super hero is wondering the same thing.
Final Say: It feels like my whole review has been a final say, for a series I had such high hopes for, that didn’t have the widespread expectations of a Batman Reborn or Blackest Night, still came up empty. No one’s talking about Superman these days and it’s up to DC to find out why.
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Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #3
Posted: Saturday, February 6, 2010
By: Shawn Hill and Chris Power
Greg Rucka
Nicola Scott (p), Jonathan Glapion (i), & Nei Ruffind (colors)
DC Comics
Shawn Hill:
Christopher Power:
Shawn Hill There's no way the Blackest Night: Wonder Woman miniseries is a crucial part of Blackest Night event. This final issue even ends on one of those rallying notes that would hardly rate a panel in the main series (Hal showing up and saying "let's get 'em!" more or less). However, there are some self-contained pleasures for Wonder Woman readers.
First, Rucka's back on the character whom he knows very well; his work on her last volume was a high point for that era--so this Diana sounds and acts like Diana, even when she's possessed.
The other positive aspect of the series is the sort of ersatz team-up motif. As the rings go crazy for new acolytes, former friends like Mera are made enemies, and former enemies like Carol/Star Sapphire become allies.
If the idea of an Amazonian Star Sapphire strikes you as strange (Greg Horn captures the weird amalgamation quite well on the cover), well, it's a fun diversion for a time and does find a way for Diana to make a significant contribution to the war against the Black Lanterns.
Delivering all the rainbow-hued glory is Nicola Scott, evolving before our eyes with her Wonder Woman expertise--here with Glapion's inks unexpectedly recalling the stylized and dramatically sensual work of Paul Gulacy.
Scott's images give special emphasis to the explanation for Mera's easy conversion to a rageful Red Lantern, and they capture a poignant moment of empathy between both heroines who have suffered greatly and been tragically disappointed in love. It's enough to make one ponder the still-proscribed roles of wives and girlfriends in comics, as these supporting characters often bear the brunt of their partner's (or would-be partner's) greatest setbacks and reversals.
Rucka knows Diana will never be a Lois Lane, and so she makes quick work of the Maxwell Lord revenant while also soothing the traumas of Carol and Mera. As always, Wonder Woman is a law unto herself. If there's a major satisfaction to this mini-series, it's the evidence it provides at how little Diana suffers the ravings of the reminder of the warrior's choice she made regarding Lord. An Amazon fights to live another day, especially one with endless reservoirs of love.
Christopher Power:Overall I have enjoyed the Blackest Night series and its spin off titles. I have found them to be fairly concise, and contributing to the Blackest Night event by telling stories that otherwise would clutter the main title. The Blackest Night: Wonder Woman miniseries has been similar in its achievements--giving us insight into the transformation of Wonder Woman from her glittering self, to a Black Lantern and finally to a Star Sapphire.
This final issue also helps us explore the character of Mera--specifically how she qualifies as being filled with enough rage to wear a Red Lantern ring (something that I complained was not covered appropriately in the other Blackest Night titles).
Greg Rucka writes an action-packed story, with the primary scenes surrounding the continuing contrast between Mera and Diana. I have questioned the motivation of both of these characters wearing the rings, and Rucka attempts to fill in some of those gaps with this series. Overall, he succeeds.
I still find it odd placing Diana as an avatar of love, but I understand what Rucka and his colleagues are trying to say about the original warrior princess--specifically, the one love that Diana has denied is now lost to her and so that void is filled by her love for humanity and her mission to the human world. She persists. She endures. She loves.
Mera on the other hand, has lost everything. A history of love, family, and duty ripped away through love, betrayal, and perceived weakness. I actually think that in a few pages, Rucka managed to convince me more of Mera’s motives than he did Diana’s.
I went from seeing Mera as being a strange choice for a Red Lantern to thinking her apt and meaningful. She represents a rage that has not been seen in the other Red Lanterns. As opposed to Mera having rage fuelled by the hate of others, or by vengeance, her rage is about weakness. It is about blame. It is about guilt. It is rage at her own inability to protect those she loved. This approach is quite profound in comparison to the mustache twisting villains we see wearing the other Red, Orange, and Yellow rings.
The art is very solid; Nicola Scott manages to capture Diana well--making her less busty and more athletic. I like it very much (despite the silliness of the Star Sapphire uniforms), and I think some people should examine how Scott draws Diana and then mimic it.
Additionally, Scott captures Mera distinctly--making her lighter, more lithe, and distinct from Diana. The action sequences are clean and creative, and the energy constructs created by Diana and Mera (surprisingly) are original and interesting.
With the ending of this series leading us directly into the future conflict with the big bad, I’m keen to see Diana kick some serious Black Lantern butt!
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Justice League: Cry for Justice #6
Posted: Friday, February 5, 2010
By: Chris Murman
James Robinson
Scott Clark
DC Entertainment
Not that I would throw stones at Robinson for the plot of this issue, it’s been copied over and over again over the years. I’m sure Thom Young had 20 covers come to mind just off the top of his head where this story takes place. I guess what rubbed me the wrong way about this incarnation was how bland it played out.
I realize it’s a bit hypocritical of me to not care for Prometheus as a character, being that he is an evil version of Batman (my favorite character). There’s nothing wrong with a man using his intellect and skill to start crime instead of stopping it, but the execution is where I draw a line. Not being that familiar with the character, I did some searching and learned that Prometheus stores knowledge of virtually every hero he could ever face on storage disks that he can access through a helmet. In this issue, his suit processes that information and dispenses the proper ammo to neutralize each hero in order. In essence, the suit does the heavy lifting and the man merely pulled the trigger.
To me, that’s really a cop out. When Deathstroke fought the JLA, he had a real attack plan that required correct timing and accuracy with each movement. Prometheus merely asked his suit to access info on a disk and tell him what to do. Each time he faced a new hero, the suit dispensed a “magic bullet” that took them out of action. The fight ends only when Shade, a villain who Prometheus had no knowledge stored on his disk, shows up.
I don’t mind being spoon fed from time to time, just make sure I can’t smell what you’re shoveling before it hits my mouth. As a rational reader, I just couldn’t buy into this fight in any way. I’m sure this bad guy is a badass, but this issue he was a boy with a really shiny toy.
It was a little disheartening to see Scott Clark’s name under artist instead of Mauro Cascioli, but that is not meant as an insult to Clark. I guess five issues were enough to put Cascioli behind to the point where he needed help completing the series. Rather than jumping back on the late-artists soapbox, I’ll just say that I enjoyed the style that Mauro was bringing to the series. Clark and colorist Siya Oum, however do an admirable job of mimicking the established look and feel of this series. If I hadn’t seen a different name on the cover, my untrained eye might not have known any different. Hats off to Eddie Berganza for keeping a sense of continuity between artists.
I really wanted to cover the rest of this series, seeing how this is the beginning of DC’s big year planned for Ollie and the Green Arrow family. You can almost see how it is going to play out, this issue just turned out to be something different. Cry For Justice looks to have a predictable ending, funneling into the JLA proper series. My disappointment in this series has more to do with how shallow the characterization has been rather than the script. If not for the great afterward that James provides on the team he chose, I wouldn’t really feel that invested into what has gone on thus far. I plan on giving his Justice League run a shot, hopefully we will deeper into the rift forming between the two factions of heroes that I was hoping to see in this mini-series.
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Lone Ranger #20
Posted: Friday, February 5, 2010
By: Ray Tate
Brett Matthews
Sergio Carielli, Marcelo Pinto and Impacto Studios (c)
Dynamite Entertainment
The confirmation of Linda's feelings for Tonto is the only thing that this issue of The Lone Ranger achieves. Where these feelings came from is anybody's guess. I didn't notice anything special between them and I followed the title since its premiere. If anything, it seemed that the Ranger and Linda were falling in love. Perhaps writer Brett Matthews pulled a Monarch, but perhaps this unexpected pairing was his intent all along. He just didn't leave any clues to foreshadow the plot twist in previous issues.
Regardless, Tonto's and Linda's relationship strolls across a backdrop of blasé monotony. The sheriff shows up to warn the Ranger and Tonto. Cavendish says his prayers as he prepares to attack. The fed suppresses the press until he can discern whether or not the Ranger is friend or foe. The plot moves at the speed of treacle.
Nobody throws a punch. Mysteries are not uncovered. Silver does not whinny. Sergio Cariello illustrates nothing interesting. This issue of The Lone Ranger is the most innocuous to date. It should have been posted at Dynamite's home page as a FAQ for free.
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Doctor Who #8
Posted: Friday, February 5, 2010
By: Ray Tate
Tony Lee
Al Davidson, Lovern Kindzierski (c)
IDW Publishing
Last issue, an Acari ship captained by the Advocate slammed into the TARDIS. The Doctor and his companions now race through the endless corridors to find a spare console room in order to reverse the damage. The collision also tore the time/space continuum a new one and shunted new companion Emily Winter into the fifth dimension. Meanwhile, the Advocate attempts to sucker the Doctor's second new companion Matt into becoming her agent.
Emily gets all the best scenes. The fifth dimensional beings reason a way to save her life and she in turn comprehends their abilities enough to dope out a means to rescue the entire TARDIS crew. I furthermore appreciated her fury at the Doctor when he doesn't believe her story about encountering the hyperdimensional creatures. Her point's quite valid and the Doctor's being an ass.
Matt, however, is an idiot. Even Turlough figured out, rather quickly, that the Black Guardian lied to him and the Doctor wasn't the villain the vulture-headed Grand Poobah claimed. Mickey Smith who initially didn't like the Doctor still recognized that the Doctor was the good guy. Even Adric required hypnotic influence to turn against the Doctor.
Writer Tony Lee probably wanted to generate a different kind of tension between the companion and the Doctor but the suspicious Matt just doesn't work. The Doctor radiates goodness. You would have to be a cretin to think otherwise and I just don't see any strength in the Advocate's arguments. Perhaps, if she backed the words with sex.
While the Doctor is in the book, he doesn't really get a good spotlight. His memory's wonky. He blithers on even more than usual and he's not at his best. Al Davidson and Lovern Kindzierski, however, are.
The artists effortlessly create a tapestry of old and new settings in the TARDIS with a spot-on likeness of David Tennant and a surprise guest at the cliffhanger. The sensual Emily again stuns with her outstanding adventuring outfit, but Matt continues to look like Moe Howard on Slimfast. Something really must be done with the lad. Male companions do not have to be lesser characters. Ian, Steven, Jamie, and Harry Sullivan are some of the Doctor's memorable fellow travelers, but Matt's on the path to obscurity.
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer #32
Posted: Friday, February 5, 2010
By: Ray Tate
Brad Meltzer & Joss Whedon
Georges Jeanty, Andy Owens (i), Michelle Madsen (c)
Dark Horse Comics
Buffy tests her powers. Willow discovers the source of these powers, and Faith, Giles and Andrew come face to face with Twilight, still masked.
This issue of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a toss up between three or four bullets. I went with four because Georges Jeanty, Andy Owens, and Michelle Madsen exceed their high standards.
The artists energize the pages with demonstrations of Buffy's Kryptonian level abilities and Xander's geeky reactions to these displays. Their illustrations of Willow convey the more dramatic moments in the book,and Faith basks in the glow of a perfectly timed two panel slapstick. Madsen's colors embellish the idyllic setting where Buffy tests her powers and the hues also emphasize the dark atmospheres Willow experiences.
This is the first issue by Brad Meltzer, and I'm tentatively going to call it a success. A lot of the dialogue consists of comic book and science fiction box checking. It's therefore difficult to decide whether or not Meltzer characterizes the cast well. They sound and feel correct, but I wonder if Jeanty and Owens do not deserve the credit more than Meltzer or Whedon. The players do not actually say anything of import to give the reader insight. It's not a deep issue of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
That said. I expected far, far worse. I do not like Brad Meltzer's work. With Identity Crisis Meltzer ushered in the grimmest, grimiest age of comic books. He helped make DC's signature be one of sexism if not outright misogyny. It's not all his fault. While Meltzer was the harbinger, DC's hacks readily danced in the bloodshed and relished the indignities. They still do.
Slayers die this issue, but they die as warriors. Death is their tradition. The battles occurred off panel while the previous story arc unfolded. So, there's thankfully a lack of ghoulish violence. You therefore cannot accuse Meltzer of singling out Slayers just to kill them and I would mostly characterize this issue of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as upbeat and chirpy. Despite Meltzer's reputation, it's also surprisingly pro-woman. No matter who writes the adventures of Buffy Summers, that's how it should be.
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Dingo #3
Posted: Thursday, February 4, 2010
By: Matthew McLean
Michael Alan Nelson
Francesco Biagini, Stephen Down (c), James Dashiell (l)
BOOM! Studios
The titular character of Dingo is the quintessential American hero in the sense that he's willing to suffer through much (i.e. get the snot beat out of him) even when it isn't in his best interest, but simply as matter of principal. Which, of course, means that he's usually on the losing end of the bargain. However, the losing isn't what's important, but the protagonist's persistence in the face of seemingly impossible odds. You see, Dingo is struggling to get a valuable family heirloom (lost by his drug addled brother) from a vengeful, powerful, and nihilistic ex-wife. Despite the fact that the loss of said heirloom is in no way a fault of Dingo's he struggles to get it back because the fate of his brother, possibly his family, and perhaps the human race, hangs in the balance.
While all of this may sound familiar, what sets it a part is Nelson's ability to craft odd, interesting and, more often than not, unsettling characters. To anyone who remembers the Harlot from Fall of Cthulhu this certainly won't come as a surprise, but even to those familiar to Nelson's rather disturbed prose, the lineup of Dingo will come across as more than just the usual suspects.
It should be mentioned, though, that Dingo is a comic book adaptation of a novel by the author and it suffers for it. While the story remains strong there still remains points in the narrative where it feels like gaps exist. However, whether these are failures in the plot or the struggle of the writer to contain a larger work is something that the reader will most likely never know.
Overall Dingo is the story of a broken man in a broken world filled with horrors that he can't hope to overcome but, somehow, still has the courage to try to do so. If you can't relate to that, or aspire to that, I'm not sure I want to know you.
If you liked this review, be sure to check out more of the author’s work at http://madbastard.hypersites.com
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Demonic #1
Posted: Thursday, February 4, 2010
By: Jenna Galvan-Speers
Robert Kirkman
Marc Silvestri, Joe Benitez, Victor Llamas (i), Arif Prianto (c)
Top Cow / Image
Comments: One of five in a series of “taste tests” written by Robert Kirkman and presented by Top Cow. Once all five are completed the public will get to vote on the idea they like the best. The idea chosen will then go on to be a mini-series.
The premise of Demonic is simplistic which could allow the story to goin many a different direction. The hero of the story, Scott, finds himself in a dilemma--he is beholden to a demon who wants to eat the souls of his wife and daughter. He has superhuman powers provided by the demon and the subtext seems to be that Scott has made some sort of deal with the demon. While the setup is intriguing, the nature of the Pilot episodes makes it way too brief and I found myself wanting to know more about Scott and why he threw in with the demon. It's early enough that it's even possible that there is no demon and Scott is tormented by his own psyche.
Putting aside those intricacies, my favorite part of the comic is the major fight scene. Scott finds himself ambushed when he goes to help a “damsel in distress” and it turns out to be a sting operation to catch him. Feeling backed against a wall he slaughters 16 police officers, all the while pleading with them and himself to stop the killing. The artwork of the fight scene is great--Scott's emotions are well captured on his face, as well as the look of shock on all the people he slaughters. That's not even to mention the close ups of limbs and weapons flying every which way. Hearing Scott plead with the well armed SWAT team to stop because he can’t adds to the appeal of this scene.
Scott is a drawn as any hero would be in comics--muscular and tough, a killing machine. This issue also allows the reader a glimpse of the hero's (although in this case our hero is the villain) vulnerability. This makes it all the better because it makes it clear just how much the demon is in control.
The way the demon was drawn is attractive and disturbing; she is curvy and well endowed limbs that are reminiscent of an insect, with the face of a monster. The insect limbs work well since this thing is gnawing at him. When I first saw the demon I found myself having Naked Lunch flashbacks and had that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Scott’s costume was simplistic but works well--a battered cloak with devil mask that seemed to adhere to his face, blades strapped to his hands. The costume he dons leads you to fear and sympathize with him. Scary devil face and blades, tattered cloak and clothes, made me think of a scary dude that needs some love.
Demonic is akin to a movie preview, lots of good stuff which is intriguing but leaves you wondering if that’s all the good stuff there is. Overall this comic is worth buying especially if you are a Robert Kirkman fan and there are three others coming. Thanks Top Cow!
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Unit Primes: Salvage
Posted: Wednesday, February 3, 2010
By: Chris Kiser
Chris Dreier and Jacob Palpham
Giuseppe D’Elia (p/i) with Chris Dreier & James Keller (i)
Christopher J. Dreier
The book introduced readers to the world of the titular Primes--peculiar space-faring devices that traverse the galaxy in a seemingly random manner, decimating entire planets and their native populations as they go. As one such civilization is destroyed, a wandering ship’s crew takes onboard the sole survivor, a young boy named L-Bee.
In Salvage, the second Unit Primes volume, L-Bee has aged into a bitter and hardened adult, having now lost not only his biological family but his adoptive one as well. Obsessed with finding an explanation for the devastation plaguing his galaxy, L-Bee discovers an abandoned Prime in a junkyard and sets out to crack it open to reveal its secrets.
From the get-go, it seems like series creator Chris Dreier may have fallen into one of the most tired sequel clichés in the business--that of the despondent former hero. The grown-up L-Bee exhibits self-destructive tendencies, is prone to violent outbursts, and seemingly hates every moment of his waking life. It’s a pattern of psychological free fall that has accompanied many a narrative flash-forward over the years.
However, as one reads further into the book, it becomes clear that L-Bee’s desperate state is a completely logical result of the events of his past. Regardless of how closely it might mimic the course charted by a slew of fictional characters. L-Bee is acting exactly how a person with no respite from an unending string of loss would. It’s a convincingly jarring reading experience, one that will be even more so for those who are familiar with the youthfully innocent L-Bee of volume one.
A potent supporting cast also lends this book its strength--including a villain who reaches levels of evil that ensure he will be despised. More memorable, though, are L-Bee’s two crewmembers--one serves as the epitome of loyalty while the other embraces a cold heart of deceit. The dichotomy between the pair brews in the background until it finally bubbles over to provide the most powerful moment of the story’s climax.
And what a climax it is.
Dreier and Palpham’s script knows exactly how to pull the threads together in order to turn the final sequence into a frantic sprint for the finish line. While some might claim this graphic novel’s conclusion is a bit of a cheat, I thought it was the perfect commentary on our finite human abilities to comprehend the underlying cause of everything. I can’t imagine the story ending any other way.
Giuseppe D’Elia’s artwork takes us into a Star Wars-like universe of bizarre creatures and bulky spaceships--utilizing a style that would feel at home in one of Marvel or DC’s superhero offerings. At times, his drawings evoke the work of Dan Jurgens, Butch Guice, and even Jack Kirby--which certainly puts D’Elia in good company, although the artist has plenty of room to improve in the area of consistency.
His characters frequently go off-model, even as they continue to be rendered well. If nearly every character in this story weren’t from a distinctly different alien race, I would worry about my ability to reliably tell who’s who.
When delving into the pages of an indy comic, the reader must often be prepared to make his or her way through the obstacles of experimental storytelling--for better or worse. Not so with Unit Primes: Salvage. This book would fit right in with the crowd-pleasing comics on the shelves of your local shop while still delivering the kind of dramatic and emotional resonance that you don’t see every day.
Unit Primes: Salvage may be ordered by visiting the creators’ website at http://www.unitprimes.com/
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Devil’s Handshake: A Basil and Moebius Adventure One Shot
Posted: Wednesday, February 3, 2010
By: Charles Webb
Larry Hama and Ryan Schifrin
Adam Archer and Lizzy John
Archaia Studios Press
Lately, the most successful endeavors involve combining the old stuff into a heady stew--a bit of Robert Howard and Lovecraft gives you Hellboy while mixing a bit of WWII-era war comics with steampunk invention gives you something like Atomic Robo. There is, of course, a greater breadth to the type of material being created in this era of neo pulp, but you get the idea.
It’s from this well that Larry Hama and Ryan Schifrin draw their inspiration for The Devil’s Handshake, a globe-trotting adventure comedy featuring an Odd Couple pair of leads--Moebius and Basil--who work for some manner of Lovecraftian horror that sends them on assignment to find artifacts for some nefarious purpose.
You already know the leads by their visual types--the one in the cabbie’s hat is the tough but sensitive one (Basil) while the one in the rakish fedora is the charmer who is more interested in chasing tail than cursed Maguffins. Likewise, when a tight-shirt-wearing curator for the New Zealand museum enters the mix (and shows a little bra) you know that she’ll turn out to be more than she appears.
The story has a lot of these familiar elements written and remixed for effect, which is perhaps the greatest strike against the book--it never really seems to develop its own personality by the conclusion of the volume. The two leads remain ciphers in spite of the ample interplay they have during the story. More often than not, they coast through as types, which makes any investment in their adventures hard to muster.
More worrisome is the formulaic nature of the adventure that has the duo hopping from point A to point B with villains in pursuit but no real sense of any stakes beyond the safety of the heroes’ own skin. The baddies have little if any connection to the heroes, making them somewhat vague (although they remain visually interesting). The idea that our heroes may not be working on the side of the angels is an element that’s left disappointingly under explored--as is their indentured servitude to their many-angled employer.
The book contains a three-page gallery of concept art for the characters and their world. In part, it looks like elements of a production pitch for a film or television series. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if this work was connected to proposal for a feature film or television series as Schifrin is the book's Hollywood connection with feature films and work for the SyFy network under his belt as a writer-director.
There are some interesting elements to the world of Basil and Moebius worth exploring. Unfortunately, none of them was covered in this initial volume. Should Hama and Schifrin choose to revisit the world of this story, I hope they decide to draw it out in greater detail.
If you liked this review, be sure to check out more of the author’s work at Monster In Your Veins
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Naomi Nowak's Graylight is a mood piece that uses fairytale motifs to explore the mysteries of love and obsession.
I think.
To be honest, I really don't have a clue as to what this book's about. I can tell you, though, that it's a very pretty book.
Synthesizing elements of art nouveau, 70s' romance comics, underground commix, and shojo manga, Nowak creates an evocative visual narrative. For example, she presents an artistic and elegant way to show sex without showing the actual act--odd-shaped panels that depict close-ups of mouths, restraining hands, open books, waving mushrooms, and blowing flowers are scattered across a page.
A series of headshots of the heroine cuts diagonally across another page--her expression and the tilt of her head changing in each. The almost overlapping faces create a sense of movement, and they give the readers the sense they're following the character's every thought. There's also a stunning two-page spread of the constellations in their bird and animal forms filling the sky above a forest cabin.
Nowak's focus on such natural elements as flowers, trees, animals, and water gives the story a very organic feel. Even the geometric designs in the background have a cellular look, as if Nowak is looking beneath the surface of the world around her. This approach emphasizes the story's connection with an earthier, more mysterious pre-industrial time.
The colors are muted earth tones--greens and browns with soft blues. I'd say they're chalk-like. They seem too strong to be watercolors, but I could be wrong.
Nowak isn't so much interested in telling a story as suggesting one. As a result, I'm a little iffy as to what's going on. As nearly as I can tell, a young woman who is also a thief falls into a relationship with a writer. She steals a book from a woman he's interviewing. The woman's son then tries to get the book back. The woman, who's a witch and afraid that her son's in love with the girl, casts a spell.
Oh, and the girl might be a witch too.
I think.
Normally I don't give a good rating to stories I can't make heads nor tails of, but I like the mood and look of Graylight. If you like the visual stylings of manga powerhouse Clamp or Colleen Doran's A Distant Soil, then check out Graylight if you get a chance.
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In an alternate universe where superheroes are prevalent, a special test is used to determine whether a child will obtain unique abilities.
British journalist James Stanley interviews a multitude of superheroes to prepare himself for whether his pregnant wife is having a Super-S child. While traveling throughout the world--mostly in the US and UK--Stanley discovers a government organization named XoDOS that has a strong interest in people with Super-S abilities.
Some of Stanley's interviewees give thanks to XoDOS for providing them with money and support. However, others feel the organization has a sinister agenda. Stanley seeks to obtain as much information as he can in order to publish a book based on his interviews.
45 is appropriately titled, since there are forty-five interviews that James Stanley conducts, and these interviews are clever and distinct from one another. Writer Andi Ewington achieves this effect by using different vantage points within the book. Instead of limiting his questions to only superheroes, Ewington has Stanley speak with several Normans (normal people). Through this approach, readers are able to empathize and connect with the characters.
For instance, the twenty-second interview involves a thirty-seven year old Super-S (someone with super abilities) named Grace Cassidy who is also known as Material Girl. She is struggling to please her Norman son, Rocky. She has the ability to assume any physical property by touch (she can touch steel and make her body become hard, et cetera), and her son believes he’ll become a Super-S, too. The pressure of crushing her son’s dreams presents a conflict for Material Girl.
Another key element in Ewington’s writing includes a knack for quickly establishing a scene through dialogue. There are forty-five different interviews and the intent is to spend only one page on each. Fortunately, Ewington successfully steps up to the challenge. A firm example includes the thirty-sixth interview, which takes place at three o’clock in the morning at a parking lot in Hamilton, Ontario.
As Stanley sits behind the wheel of a car, he becomes startled when a mysterious man opens the rear door and takes a seat. The stranger advises the journalist to not turn around or he may blow both of their brains out. He provides the journalist with extensive information on XoDOS, yet warns him to beware of the organization.
Although 45 maintains an overall serious tone, this graphic novel isn’t without its share of humor. For instance, the first interview reveals a story about a flying baby in a delivery room. After the umbilical cord is cut, the father describes how his son began to soar and poop all over the room.
While the story is written by one person, Ewington, there are 45 illustrators with each assigned to just one page. Notable contributors include Sean Philips, John Higgins, and Liam Sharp. Readers will quickly notice a variety of styles that range from anime to digital graphics.
Additionally, the traditional format of using panels and word balloons is nearly absent. Dialogue is located to the right of the page, and art is located to the left. In fact, there are only two interviews (#11 and #20) in which text and artwork overlap and mirror a typical comic book page. Yet, this breaking of conventtions shouldn’t dissuade readers from enjoying fine visuals from a gang of professionals.
Despite the strengths of this book, one problematic question remains unanswered. How is James Stanley able to afford his expensive voyage in which he interviews forty-five different people throughout the world?
This problem doesn’t severely hurt the book, yet I believe its important to know how Stanley’s able to support his adventure--and I don’t recall his wife working either.
Ultimately, 45 is a satisfying experience that takes the reader through an array of short stories.
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