Dorohedoro
Posted: Wednesday, March 17, 2010
By: Danny Djeljosevic
Q Hayashida
Q Hayashida
VIZ Media
Ah, gone are the days when American manga distributors catered to the sex perverts that read western comics. Now that crowd makes shojo money while the mainstream American comics crowd continues being horrified and put off--but for different, stupider reasons.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you a manga where the villain interrogates a disembodied head, its spine hanging inches from the floor. Where the opening page is an extreme close-up of a human-sized lizard biting a man’s head. Where, in the middle of the book, there’s an inexplicable color section that makes the art look a bit like the grotesquery of Simon Bisley. It's amazing that the premise of Dorohedoro is reasonably conventional.
Sorcerers use innocent people for black magic experiments, and one of their amnesiac victims, Caiman, searches for the sorcerer that magicked his head. In effect, it’s a crime revenge comic with a supernatural bent. The sort of plot that is fit for a noir comic where you name your character after your favorite obscure B-movie director.
Filtered through the twisted mind of creator Q Hayashida, Dorohedoro becomes unforgettable. While she (yes, she) draws her human characters conventionally, she renders everything else with scratchy, violent lines that give the world a creepy, post-apocalyptic milieu--with its fetish masks, ruined buildings, and lizard heads.
Being a serialized manga, Dorohedoro is briskly paced in its chapters of twenty-something pages each. While most of the pages have the standard five- to six-panel layouts, Hayashida isn’t afraid to play with a 15-panel page here and a 12-panel there for the sake of effect when the situation calls for something that need not be extend over three pages. At one point, she even experiments with diagonal, triangular panels in a fight scene.
Hayashida’s major thematic occupations seem to be masks, transformation, and a dichotomy between beauty and horror. Everyone wears a mask at some point, be it the sort you can conveniently remove or one that has been inflicted on our hero Caiman’s face. Even then, he often wears a gas mask. Our lizard-headed hero is paired with a cute girl as a sidekick and the people under the horrifying masks are surprisingly pretty and human.
Dorohedoro is as insane, gory, and strange as its opening page promises. However, like its protagonist, it’s full of mystery--at least as far as trajectory is concerned. Will ensuing volumes continue to disturb/delight? Will Dorohedoro coast and draw out its quest for 40 volumes? Or, will Hayashida eventually peel back the scales and reveal something beautiful underneath?
Most of all, I’m looking forward to the masks.
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Black Bird (volume one)
Posted: Wednesday, March 17, 2010
By: Penny Kenny
Kanoko Sakurakoji
Kanoko Sakurakoji
VIZ Media
Let's see now . . . likable, clumsy heroine who's really quite extraordinary? Check.
A mysterious, slightly older man who alternately harasses and protects said heroine? Check.
A younger, good-looking rival for the heroine's affections who has a secret of his own? Check.
Throw in a hierarchy of supernatural creatures living among humans while waging their own private wars and some sexually charged (but ultimately chaste) scenes between the hero and heroine and you have a story that is pretty much guaranteed to capture the interest of untold numbers of Twilight and Vampire Diaries fans.
Since this is the first volume of Black Bird, it's basically all set-up. Kanoko Sakurakoji introduces the characters and establishes the basic rules of how her supernatural world works.
The information is re-iterated several times in the volume--likely because Sakurakoji wanted to make it new-reader friendly during its original serialization. However, the repetition had the effect of making me go, "Yes, I get it already! Misao's blood gives demons power, and they'll kill her or marry her to get it. Move on!"
Misao is a fairly typical shojo manga heroine. She's clutzy, insecure, and looking for romance. Kyo, her rescuer, is seen through her eyes so readers don't really get to know him that well. He's arrogant at times, but he also seems to be genuinely fond of Misao. The rival, Shuhei, comes across as cocky and a troublemaker--determined to split Misao and Kyo apart. As characters, they're all very standard types, but Sakurakoji makes them interesting enough in their interactions that you want to see more.
Though Black Bird is played as a romantic comedy at times--complete with Misao socking the Kyo when he gets too frisky--there's a very dark edge to the story. Nowhere in this volume does it state that Misao has to be a willing bride, and given Kyo's behavior in certain situations, "bride" is just a euphemism for sex.
Kyo isn't just protecting her from being killed by demons, he's also protecting her from being raped. This story isn't for younger readers, and bravo to Viz for labeling it T+ (for older teens).
The art is attractive, with the characters being differentiated enough that readers can easily tell who's who. Sakurakoji does a beautiful job creating mood. For instance, there's a wonderful sequence showing Kyo in his demon form standing beneath a full, dark moon while black birds fly about him. Sakurakoji succeeds in making him other-worldly, romantic, and melancholy at the same time. In another lovely spread, Kyo holds Misao while he floats above the school, his black wings extended.
Given that the book revolves around blood, there's quite a bit of it on display. It's not gory, but there are a lot of panels with blood spurting and splattering. The violence can be disturbing--as in one scene where Misao's throat is slashed. In another, shards of glass slice at her. The actual act isn't shown, but the result is still distressing.
Balancing the violence are several erotic scenes between Kyo and Misao as he licks her blood or kisses his way up her body. These sequences are all handled tastefully, but they're just spicy enough that they're not elementary school library safe.
Black Bird is a well done, dark fairy tale that will appeal to fans of Yuu Watase's Ceres, Celestial Legend, Kaori Yuki's Angel Sanctuary manga, and readers of Sherrilyn Kenyon's paranormal romances and graphic novels.
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Barry Windsor-Smith Conan Archives (volume one)
Posted: Wednesday, March 17, 2010
By: Zack Davisson
Roy Thomas
Barry Windsor-Smith
Dark Horse Comics
In fact, I always assumed they had a father/son John Adams/John Quincy Adams–type of thing going, where “W” used his middle name to separate himself from his famous father who was in the same profession. Of course, I was wrong. Fortunately, Dark Horse Comics has cleared up any such misconceptions with their release of The Barry Windsor-Smith Conan Archives volume one.
Reprinting the first half of his legendary run on Marvel's Conan from 1970-73, this beautiful hardback puts Windsor-Smith’s name proudly on the cover, corrects the coloring issues seen in previous reproductions, and delivers a fitting tribute to a ground-breaking comic. Almost like a smaller version of the Dark Horse Hellboy Library Editions rather than the existing Archive Editions, The Barry Windsor-Smith Conan Archives comes complete with a faux-leather hardbound cover, the reproductions of all of the Windsor-Smith Conan covers, and a lengthy introduction by writer Roy Thomas.
Windsor-Smith’s run on the original series truly shows the development of an artist and the evolving format of the American comic book. With the first few issues, Windsor-Smith is little more than a skilled Kirby-imitator, and writer Roy Thomas is just laying down chunky plots as if he were writing a standard 70s-era Marvel superhero comic. However, along the way something magical happened.
Thomas delved even deeper into Robert E. Howard’s work, allowing more of Howard's richly detailed worlds and living characters to bubble up through the pages of the comic. Meanwhile, Windsor-Smith began introducing elements from the Pre-Raphaelite painters (like Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones) into his work. He retained Kirby’s dynamic energy, but used an artistry of line theretofore unseen in the comics world.
The two, Thomas and Windsor-Smith, hit that perfect groove of innovation and skilled collaboration that happens so rarely but always results in amazing comics. However, volume one of The Barry Windsor-Smith Conan Archives does not collect the best of the Thomas and Windsor-Smith run--that won’t happen until volume two with the beautiful “Frost Giant’s Daughter” when Windsor-Smith really starts cracking home runs with every swing.
The first few stories in this volume are clunky at best, with neither writer nor artist really comfortable in the fantasy world. One story, "Zuakal's Daughter," pits Conan against a wizard who shares more with Dr. Doom than he does with Thulsa Doom. However, we do get to see the first snatches of brilliance here with such direct Howard-adaptations as "The Tower of the Elephant.” We are also treated to the continuation of Lin Carter’s penchant for adapting non-Conan Howard stories into Conan stories--as seen in "Twilight of the Grim Grey God."
Because Dark Horse is reprinting these stories as the Barry Windsor-Smith Conan Archives, I assume the two Gil Kane fill-in issues from the original run will be excluded from volume two. However, the “Red Nails” one-shot will be included, which is a fair compromise.
Now, Dark Horse already has a series of softbound collected editions of the Marvel comics Conan series, and the issues collected in this volume can be found for cheaper price in The Chronicles of Conan: Tower of the Elephant and Other Stories. However, this trade paperback series is not without controversy--particularly Dark Horse's decision to re-color the series using modern palettes and techniques unavailable at the time of the original publication--such as deep shadows, soft glows and finder gradation of colors.
The decision to re-color stories in this manner hit hard with the purists who saw the new colors distracting from, or even covering up, Windsor-Smith’s delicate line work. Others said that the old colors were garish and simple, and that Dark Horse’s new color scheme was a clear improvement. Regardless, when The Barry Windsor-Smith Conan Archives was first announced, Dark Horse promised that the stories would be “presented as they were intended, remastered using the original color palette!”
However, a quick glance through the book shows that Dark Horse's promise clearly did not happen. Changes were made with the re-coloring of the series. Nevertheless, this Archive edition retains the modern palette--with the broader range of colors and techniques--without obscuring Windsor-Smith’s lines and intentions. Careful attention was paid to the placement of shadows and depth-of-field effects to make sure they did not compete with the original artwork.
Laying the three side-by-side, the original comic, the softbound collection, and this latest hardbound volume, it is clear that the current presentation is the superior version. As much as I love Windsor-Smith’s comics in their original form, the colorist at the time was limited by the available technology, so Dark Horse’s new colors are a distinct improvement. Purists probably are still going to be upset by the modern coloring, but I think you will be impressed if you give it a chance.
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Dark Avengers #15
Posted: Tuesday, March 16, 2010
By: Bill Janzen
Brian Michael Bendis
Mike Deodato
Marvel Comics
Dark Avengers started out as a series I loved. I can't say I'm quite loving it anymore with some of the story telling problems that have come up, but there are definitely still things to like. Let's take a look at some of the ups and downs of Dark Avengers #15.
This issue continues to focus on the Sentry as Norman has given Bullseye permission to secretly kill the Sentry's wife. The plot certainly has dramatic tension. After all, can a lunatic like Bullseye kill Sentry's wife Lindy without the Sentry finding out? How will a psychotic and volatile being like the Sentry react if she does die?
There is also impact to the story, as we see Void bursting into action on a few occasions, something we don't often get to see. And one of those occasions is against none other than Dr Doom.
Another positive of the issue is Deodato's artwork. He gives majesty to the Sentry, and drama to Lindy's emotions. As always, his action scenes feel like they're jumping off the page (particularly as the Void puts Doom through a wall).
However, there are certainly some story telling and logic problems with the issue. I'm sure that each of these problems could be explained with some narrative, but such explanatory narrative is never given, so it's hard to find some of the plot points believable.
One example of this is the main plot of the issue itself: Norman Osborn wanting the Sentry's wife dead. Sentry has already said that she is his last link to humanity. And Norman already knows that the Void is more than a world level threat without the Sentry to balance Void out. Not to mention that Norman has had much more success controlling the Sentry than he has the Void. So why in the world would Norman want to basically tilt the balance so much in favor of the Void by killing Lindy? I know Norman is insane, but he is still usually something of a tactician, and this just seems like a suicide maneuver.
Speaking of the Void obeying Norman, that dynamic doesn't make any sense in the first place. Sure, there was a good explanation given as to how Norman convinced Sentry to listen to him, but the Void is a world level threat that has never been stopped by anyone but the Sentry. Osborn's claim threat to the Void last issue that Reed Richards would find a way to kill Void if Void didn't listen to Osborn simply doesn't make any sense, and neither does it make sense for him to act as Osborn's lapdog.
Then, of course, there's the problem of overcoming some of the powers the Sentry has been written with. A previous issue of Agents of Atlas showed Sentry hearing Norman say his name from the opposite side of the planet, so why in the world wouldn't Sentry hear any kind of trouble with his wife from a relatively tiny distance away? Instead of an explanation as to why, his super hearing ability is just ignored.
At this point, whether this whole Dark Avengers series was worth reading in the first place comes down to how it--and the Siege mini-series--finish. Man, I really hope they come up with some stunning conclusions.
I'm a big fan of the characters being used in this book. That, combined with the action and drama have brought me to a rating of 3 and a half bullets out of 5 on this issue. But for those who aren't already inclined toward liking these characters, they could easily rate it lower, and I wouldn't be able to argue it with them.
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Amazing Spider-Man #625
Posted: Tuesday, March 16, 2010
By: Dave Wallace
Joe Kelly
Max Fiumara (p & i), Fabio D’Auria (colours)
Marvel Comics
"Endangered Species"
After a couple of slightly disappointing issues, Amazing Spider-Man returns to stronger form this issue, providing a sequel of sorts to Joe Kelly and Max Fiumara's Rhino-based story from issue #617.
Kelly and Fiumara reunite to continue the saga of the two Rhinos, and whilst nothing absolutely Earth-shattering occurs as a result of their conflict, Kelly's writing is strong enough that we're invested in the various twists and turns that the story takes. The old Rhino is humanised by his newfound love and his staunch rejection of his old life, which makes the drama that plays out over the course of this issue feel surprisingly affecting.
It would have been easy to contrive a slugfest between the two Rhinos as a result of their first clash in this issue, but Kelly is smarter than that, having the old Rhino actively resist returning to his old identity so as to give his eventual showdown with the young pretender even more dramatic weight.
There are a couple of enjoyable smaller touches, too, as the writer checks in on Peter Parker's uneasy relationship with MJ, and later writes some fun banter between Pete and Norah. And, once the action begins, Kelly slips in a couple of very amusing one-liners from the in-costume Spider-Man that helps the book to feel lively and light even when dealing with some fairly brutal action sequences.
Max Fiumara's artwork is one of the main reasons to recommend the issue, as he employs an impressively detailed yet also rather distinctively stylised, angular approach that's a little reminiscent of the work currently being done by Sean Murphy in Vertigo's Joe The Barbarian. The action scenes are particularly well handled, with a fantastic double-page panel that shows the two Rhinos charging at each other, and several moments that are very effective in conveying the raw power of the characters and the damage that they cause. Fiumara's version of Spider-Man is also very satisfying, with an exaggerated angularity that's reminiscent of J. Scott Campbell's excellent take on the character.
If I have any criticism of the book, it's that the previous issue's cliffhanger (which saw Peter Parker publicly shamed for faking a photo in order to exonerate the innocent J. Jonah Jameson) isn't really followed up here. Aside from the brief opening and closing scenes and a couple of references in the dialogue here and there, the development doesn't inform the story at all (in fact, it even throws up contradictions -- would Frontline really be happy to employ a photographer that had been so publicly shamed?). It makes me wonder whether these references were bolted on to the story at a later date, as without them, it could have come directly after the last Rhino story without anything feeling out of place.
Despite this minor complaint, this is an enjoyable story, and one that gives me hope that Amazing Spider-Man isn't going to slide back into mediocrity after a recent run of above-average issues. Joe Kelly has become easily one of the title's better writers, so I can only hope that he's heavily involved in future issues of the overarching "Gauntlet" storyline.
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Spider-Woman #7
Posted: Tuesday, March 16, 2010
By: Dave Wallace
Brian Michael Bendis
Alex Maleev
Marvel Comics
As many readers may have heard, issue #7 of Spider-Woman is going to be the final issue of the series for the foreseeable future. Yes, the book that took literally years to appear after first being announced has been cancelled after just seven months.
According to Brian Michael Bendis's afterword to this issue, the reason for this is that the workload of artist Alex Maleev -- who was also working on the "motion comic" that ran alongside the series -- was just too great. Bendis explains that Maleev had to turn in around 22 issues' worth of art for just 7 issues of the printed comic in order to meet the demands of the "motion comic" animation, and that the process ultimately burned him out on working with the character. It seems that so much effort was put into the "motion comic" that it effectively killed the book itself -- which seems like a particular shame given how disappointing the animated version turned out to be (I won't repeat myself here, but you can find my thoughts on that failed experiment in this review).
It might be worth taking Bendis's explanation with a pinch of salt, however. Sales figures from The Beat suggest that the first issue of the series sold around 50,000 copies, and that figure dropped to 28,000 by issue #5, which is surely disappointing for a book that's written and drawn by two such high-profile creators. Bendis has suggested that this slump in sales may be due to people who have already experienced the story in the "motion comic" skipping the print version, but to be honest, I think that there's a simpler explanation: the series just hasn't been particularly good.
This issue is a good example of the strengths and weaknesses of the book. First, I'll talk about its strengths: Alex Maleev's artwork has been mostly excellent, mixing vivid neon colours with street-level sci-fi grittiness to create a visual sensibility that doesn't feel a million miles away from Ridley Scott's classic Blade Runner. I almost want to read an oversized hardback edition of this run just to appreciate the detailed textures that the artist has poured into his work, but even in the regular format, this is beautiful stuff. Maleev's action sequences still aren't the smoothest in the world, and there's an occasional sense that certain scenes have been framed with an eye to the motion comic rather than the printed page, but the artwork remains a highlight of the series even when the writing hasn't matched it in terms of quality.
Unfortunately, the disparity between the quality of the writing and the quality of the artwork has been rather large. Bendis has given us a sci-fi detective story in which the protagonist doesn't actually have to detect anything, instead being content to rely on her alien-detector-device to sniff out Skrulls and to have major plot developments dumped in her lap by secondary characters that waltz in and out of the story on the writer's whim. Bendis's characterisation of Spider-Woman seems to rely on a mixture of constant self-pitying whining and a remarkable lack of intelligence: even after being told by Abigail Brand in this issue that she needs to be smarter, she waltzes straight into a bar to pick a fight with an incognito Skrull that is far more powerful than she is, even as her internal monologue tells us that she knows how stupid she's being.
It's difficult to feel sympathy for a character that doesn't show any kind of interest in her own self-preservation, let alone in the mission that she's been given by her new employer. Luckily, another group of guest-stars is on hand to save her life in this issue, reinforcing the impression that the character simply isn't competent enough to sustain a superhero career in her own right. The heroic splash page that ends the issue can't help but feel somewhat sarcastic, since it seems that all that Jessica Drew has done since the series began is to stumble from one samey Skrull confrontation into another, doing battle with an alien race that was already suffering from severe overexposure before the series even began.
Bendis and Maleev have done great work together in the past: their Daredevil run is still one of my favourite superhero runs ever, and I look forward to their new creator-owned Icon project together. However, I have no desire to see any more of their Spider-Woman, and so the news that the series is coming to an end doesn't bother me. I'm far more upset to have seen the likes of Captain Britain & MI-13 and Immortal Iron Fist fall victim to cancellation whilst they were still better than the majority of books being produced by Marvel. In the case of Spider-Woman, however, it looks as though the publisher might have been right to put the series out of its misery.
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Siege #3
Posted: Tuesday, March 16, 2010
By: Matthew J. Brady
Brian Michael Bendis
Olivier Coipel
Marvel Comics
Event comics can be a tricky thing, destined to fail to meet the expectations which have been built up by months of preliminary storylines, yet still quite popular, or at least high-selling, if only because readers of modern superhero comics feel they have to read them to keep up with whatever is going on in all the other comics. This particular event, which supposedly puts a cap on nearly a decade of ongoing shared-universe storytelling, has some heavy lifting to do to fill the role into which it has been forced, but due to a perceived backlash against such events, Marvel has apparently decided to scale it back, which has resulted in an odd sort of "highlights only" story that probably won't be satisfactory to anyone. It's a strange choice, especially as a way to end the drawn-out "Dark Reign" story which has stretched out for the last year.
Writer Brian Michael Bendis has received a multitude of complaints that he doesn't write large-scale superhero action very well, and he's certainly not going to deter any of those feelings here. His strengths are in character and dialogue, elements which are nearly absent here. In fact, everything aside from the bare outline of a story is absent, leaving page after page of heroes and villains posing and spitting out bits of dialogue, interspersed with scenes of the U.S. President (shadowed to obscure his all-too-obvious identity) reacting to the events and making ineffectual orders. It's almost like a parody of a Bendis comic; there are two different splashes of groups of characters charging into battle, although the actual fighting wraps up a few pages later, rendering the whole affair to little more than posturing.
The one thing that can be said though, is that it is extremely nice-looking posturing. Olivier Coipel renders everything with care, filling pages with uniquely-posed figures and expressions that aren't just the same grimacing face copied over and over. Backgrounds consist almost entirely of smoke and rubble, but that's the setting he has to work with, and he doesn't make it look completely uniform. He does occasionally deliver the confusing layout, including one of those signature double-page Bendis scenes that's hard to follow due to characters overlapping panels left and right. But then he makes up for it with an astonishing bit of action or effective reveal (Norman Osborn's appearance under his armor is especially freaky), and he manages to actually make the Sentry seem like a horrifying villain rather than a whiny yellow doofus.
However this works out, it's probably for the best; if the event had dragged on any longer, it would have seemed like another one of those long affairs with a disappointing payoff. This way, it can finish up and get to the next status quo with a minimum of fuss. Of course, it's really not necessary at all, but if fans have to have this sort of thing, Marvel could do a lot worse. Either way, don't expect me to shell out any money for it.
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X-Factor Forever #1
Posted: Tuesday, March 16, 2010
By: Charles Webb
Louise Simonson
Dan Panosian
Marvel Comics
Plot: Picking up after X-Factor v.1 #64, the original roster (Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Beast, Iceman, and Angel) deals with newfound celebrity (and love) while a new threat from Apocalypse looms.
Comments: Who knew that Forever was going to become a mini-line at Marvel? The latest extended What If? riff reunites former X-Factor writer Louise Simonson with the team's early '90s lineup. The question is whether it forges something new and interesting or instead creates what feels like an extended fanfic riff over at X-Men Forever.
Well, in answer to the above consider that I was close to giving this book a significantly higher rating than the one it has now, simply based on the plotting. Simonson, in a heartfelt and informative introduction, relays how this extension of her previous run would expand on some of the concepts she'd begun dropping years earlier. Those concepts involved a massive conflict between the title team, Apocalypse, and the Celestials. I'm actually quite fond of Jack Kirby's monolithic space eugenicists, making me an easy lay – so to speak – for the forthcoming story.
And for the most part it actually works. It's pleasant to see the team in recovery mode, at peace with light tensions brimming beneath the surface. Everyone has a significant other, is well-liked by the city of New York, and their Celestial-made base, Ship, is an accepted feature in the skyline – so it's only a matter of time before the other shoe drops. In all likelihood it will be Apocalypse wearing said shoe, as he plots against the team, playing the long game as new questions come to light about the next move by the Celestials. And whatever he's planning will likely harm the team's relations with each other, the city, and/or their new significant others.
The story hums along and starts setting up primary and secondary plot threads fairly easily. Where it falters is in the writer's negating the elegant introductory piece which briefs readers on the status quo of the characters to date. Many (many!) words are spent getting the reader up to speed in the actual book to a fairly distracting effect. The flow of scenes is hampered when a character takes time out in either a thought bubble or dialogue recounting information that they as characters already know. I recognize it's an attempt to keep the reader up to speed, but it could have perhaps been done more sparingly (again as Simonson does herself in the introduction to the book). The info is made even more redundant with the presence of those series summaries Marvel provides in the back of the book, giving readers details into all the minutiae they may have otherwise missed. Still, the story's the thing, and I hope that with all of the backmatter out of the way Simonson can get on with the business of telling it next month.
Final Word: I like the plot but not so much the throwback style of writing. It's definitely worth the look for a dose of Celestial insanity.
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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X-23 #1
Posted: Tuesday, March 16, 2010
By: Charles Webb
Marjorie Liu
Filipe Andrade, Nuno Alves
Marvel Comics
Plot: When Wolverine and X-23 visit New York, a mysterious presence forces X to contemplate her current existence.
Comments: X-23 (Laura Kinney) is an interesting choice of character to spotlight in Marvel's month focusing on their female characters. She's a nexus of every abuse – mental, physical, and sexual – that can be visited upon a character. Arguably, Laura is defined alternately by this profound abuse and in terms of being a young autistic Wolverine. Since her relatively new past has few dimensions beyond "abused Wolverine clone", a writer has the choices of either focusing on her grim psychological components and/or creating a big action story to allow her to reach catharsis.
Writer Marjorie Liu has synthesized the first choice with something terribly oblique, forcing Laura to wander through her anguish with the aid of an obscure X-Men villain pushing her forward. The end result is something that's inaccessible to anyone but dedicated X-23/NYX fans and also terribly muddled.
After a very pretty introductory sequence*, the story jumps to New York, where X-23 and Wolverine are around to help Jubilee with some missing former mutants. Something causes Laura to subsequently wander out of that story into a lot of introspective narration about her past and her nature as a killer. From there the story introduces its villain and establishes a running theme about cages. Laura was raised in a cage, she creates figurative cages for herself, how she's currently enclosed inside the invisible cages constructed by her new team and more in that same vein.
Actually, that last bit is really a fascinating point of departure for the character. Her presence on X-Force is a source of conflict between Cyclops (who needs a killer) and Wolverine (who wants something better for the girl). By returning to this theme multiple times, Liu reminds readers that there's a much more interesting story to be telling about the character.
Unfortunately, the one told here is frustratingly unfocused. It feels more important that X-23 the book function more as a de facto NYX reunion instead of a proper story about the title character. Between this and the villain's portentous but vague stakeholding in Laura's future the book feels like a wallow - in the past, in the damage caused by trauma, in abject misery.
One final thought: this is the second high-profile title I've read this month as part of Marvel's focus on female characters (and writers) where the title character is defined in large part by the abuse that has marred them. The first was Punisher: Butterfly. My hope is that with the remaining books being released this month, the publisher is able to show more facets of their female characters beyond reactions to victimhood.
*Thanks to Wikipedia I now know how it ties into the story of the issue's villain.
Final Word: Occasionally attractive artwork fails to rescue this plot-light story which treads overly familiar ground.
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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Hercules: Fall of an Avenger
Posted: Tuesday, March 16, 2010
By: Paul Brian McCoy
Greg Pak, Fred Van Lente, Paul Tobin
Ariel Olivetti, Reilly Brown (p), Jason Paz (i)
Marvel Comics
I've been kind of down on Incredible Hercules since the end of the Amazons arc, and try as I might, I just haven't been able to get back into the series. I've kept up though, and was almost won back by the Amadeus solo chapters over the past nine months, but I just felt like the humor had overpowered the character work that really made that first year or so shine. Hercules became more of a joke than he was at first, it seemed to me.
Especially when he started dressing like Thor and bedding Elf Queens. It was fun and entertaining, but it felt like fluff. Once we finally started focusing on the threat of Hera, and the even subtler threat of Athena, things started looking up again.
And now Hercules is dead, betrayed by Athena, and his friends and allies have gathered at the Parthenon in Athens to celebrate his memory. It's still a little too campy and silly at times for me, but it's a nice that we're not bogged down by sad recollections and emo posing.
Instead, Pak and Van Lente provide a very entertaining--and at times, touching--tribute to the history of Hercules, complete with footnotes signaling where the adventures the heroes share were first published. There's a lot of good stuff here, even if we do still have moments where characterization and plot are given over to just telling a joke.
And that's really what keeps me from fully engaging with the story, just like it's done for the past year or so. I guess I'm just taking it too seriously, and I know that the women's tribute to Hercules in this issue is supposed to be funny, but I thought it fell flat. Again, it was just so silly. And ultimately, that's what most of Pak and Van Lente's run has become for me. Just silly fluff, to be read and forgotten. Disposable.
The back-up feature by Tobin, on the other hand, shows a very nice balance between humor and sadness, as Venus and Namora travel around the world settling Hercules' financial affairs. There are plenty of jokes, but there are also many moments where the characters feel real. They feel and think and act like real people would in these situations and never are sacrificed to the almighty joke.
There's actual character development going on as these two characters spend time together. It's not as goofy or funny as the main story, but it's better crafted from start to finish.
Visually, both stories are quite nice, as Ariel Olivetti provides what might be his best work yet and Brown and Paz provide a slightly rough-around-the-edges take on Venus and Namora. The two stories couldn't look more different from one another, but both are excellent pieces of work. Olivetti has reined in his urge to grotesquely over-muscle everyone on the page, providing a very nice variety of body types and excellent facial expressions. His visual storytelling is getting better and better, although the lack of backgrounds continues to bug me a little.
Yes, it allows the reader to really focus on the expressions and the body language, which is a good thing. But it still seems like the work is practically unfinished, waiting for the scenery and sets to be filled in later.
Brown and Paz fully ground each panel in their story in the settings, whether those settings are a board room, a city street, or a small apartment. And then, when the scenes need to open and provide some breathing room, sparser backgrounds are suited to the situation.
They also provide very meaty versions of both Venus and Namora. These women look powerful and realistic. Neither is a wispy, frail-looking thing, instead having thick legs and strong arms. They look like heroes. They have weight and really feel like part of their environments, rather than decorations or cheese-cake. But don't get me wrong. They look good.
All in all, this is another mixed bag. I really want to like Pak and Van Lente's story as much as I used to (and as much as I like their other work), but it all just feels so inconsequential that it's hard to justify continuing to spend money on it. On the other hand, the Agents of Atlas back-up provides a little more depth of emotion and characterization, pulling the overall rating up. Thanks to Venus and Namora, I'm giving this one four bullets.
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Deathlok #5 (of 8)
Posted: Tuesday, March 16, 2010
By: Paul Brian McCoy
Charlie Huston
Lan Medina
Marvel Comics/Knights
"Chapter 5: To Rescue From Monsters"
So last issue's nanoviral assault seems to have Deathlok down for the count, but our boy's still got a trick or two up his sleeve.
This book continues to frustrate the hell out of me. I want to like it so badly, but there's just something about the pacing and the storytelling style that put me off. I'm not really digging the sequences going on inside of Deathlok's head as Manning and Travers continue to bicker and fight fantastic monsters that represent the actual physical threats Deathlok is facing.
I can't really see why Travers is there at all. His inclusion seems to be an unnecessary complication that only distances this iteration of Deathlok from the original source material. He only really provides another voice for Manning to interact with, and so far hasn't added anything to the mix.
I'd much prefer to see the original idea of the tortured human mind linked to the machine. It worked well back in 1974 and would work just as well now.
This issue we also get updatings of the classic characters Godwulf and General Ryker. Of course, we've seen Ryker already, and last issue he turned up in Hellinger's lab as a cyborg assassin. This month he goes head to head with Deathlok, and while the conflict is amusing and visceral, it also serves to demonstrate just how far this version has fallen from the source.
There just doesn't seem to be any depth to any of the characters.
Even Godwulf, the underground leader of a rebellion that really doesn't seem like much of a threat, is reduced to a walking cliché. He brings nothing to the story other than an empty reference back to the original story. There's just nothing to him. Or to anyone really.
The plot is all surface with no meaning outside of a simplistic good vs. evil / people vs. corporation conflict. It has taken a character that effectively explored existential concepts of self, duty, life, death, patriotism, and the use of violence, and turned it into a video game.
That's the ultimate failing of this series.
The story's just not very good.
The art, on the other hand, is amazing. Lan Medina is providing fantastic amounts of detail in both the settings and the character designs. The people all have a weight to them, and their expressions help to tell the story as much as the words do. Moreso, sometimes.
This is just a gorgeous book. And by gorgeous, I mean filled with bloody gore, clean sequential narrative, and sci-fi imagination. I only wish that the story lived up to the visuals.
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Anita Blake, The Laughing Corpse - Executioner #5
Posted: Tuesday, March 16, 2010
By: Shawn Hill
Laurell K. Hamilton, adapted by Jess Ruffner
Ron Lim, Laura Villari (colors)
Marvel Comics
Plot: Anita finally raises the corpse so old it required a human sacrifice. But she doesn't stop there, as her captors have unleashed much more than they bargained for.
Comments: This final chapter in the Anita vs. Dominga arc is the best yet, the culmination of the seething voodoo undercurrents that have made the story alternately gross, intriguing, scary and bizarre thus far. We see here a battle of morality, between a legally sanctioned executioner of the undead, and a voodoo queen willing to corrupt her art for profit and power.
Lim has found his best setting yet, a graveyard at night full of eldritch power. Anita, in jeans and a t-shirt with her mass of black curls, stands at the center of a circle of power, one Lim illustrates by showing all the grass and headstones bending away from her. She's just made her human sacrifice to raise the unwilling dead, only it wasn't her intended victim, the unfortunate Wheelchair Wanda. Instead, it turned out to be the two henchmen who tortured Anita and threatened her life. This rush of righteous vengeance is enough to flood Anita with power, power that no one suspected she had.
She stands at the center of the ritual like Dark Phoenix triggered from Jean's basest desires, but Anita's power has a natural, rather than an alien, origin. The crucible she's been through in recent issues have prepared her for this next step in the assumption of her destined role as Necromancer, and she knows this much power must be wielded wisely. If in a rather decidedly Old Testament manner, where the punishment ruthlessly fits the crime.
So Anita not only raises the zombie wanted by her would-be employer and captor (for pecuniary reasons of no concern to her), she raises everybody in the graveyard, no matter how old. And as it's her spell, Dominga has no say in the matter. Not even when Anita then sets the zombies on her tormentors, whose history of murder and coercion makes them ripe for execution, Anita Blake-style. Wheelchair Wanda actually, pitifully, pleads for the life of Harold Gaynor, the man who was planning to sacrifice her to get at his money, but Anita brooks no mercy to one she's found so wanting. The zombies do her bidding and destroy her foes, and then she uses the remaining power to put them all back to rest.
Does this make her morally compromised, when her police allies question her the next morning, curious as to the disappearances of Gaynor and Dominga? They were threats of such a nature that the police would be hard-pressed to contain them; Anita's legal status gives her executionary rights over supernatural threats that are homicidal. It's a little dicey, but one understands her feelings after the impossible situations Gaynor forced upon her.
On the way out of the cemetery, Jean-Claude appears, called by her power. He's too strong to do her bidding like the other undead, but their dance has begun, and it's one that will ultimately make them the power couple of St. Louis, at least amongst the ghouls, goblins and demi-gods. For this reader of the original novels, Marvel has clearly found a team capable of interpreting them for the comics world.
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Justice League: Rise and Fall
Posted: Monday, March 15, 2010
By: Chris Murman
J.T. Krul
Diogenes Neves, Mike Mayhew, Fabrizio Fiorentino
DC Entertainment
Now, we truly see it is Queen that has fallen. The kicker is, he is not quite done falling yet. He has lower depths to sink.
Ollie has always been a complex character to me. I know I’ve written about this in past reviews, but there’s something interesting about a liberal rich guy that is a trained hunter. I’ve always thought it was a paradox to have a wealthy person be a dyed in the wool liberal. He’s so liberal that he would gladly tax himself further just to help the downtrodden. The other appeal to Queen is his love for others. To see him hold Roy’s dead daughter tugged on my heartstrings a little, made me get up and go kiss my baby girl. Also, he loves Dinah to a fault. He would do anything for her.
That’s what made this issue so intriguing. In one swift set of 22 pages, it would seem as if all of that has changed. The Oliver Queen we all know seems to be gone now.
When the issue opens, it would seem that Green Arrow leaves the body of Prometheus in the Ghost Zone, but I don’t think Queen is that naïve. He knows his friends are going to find the body; he’s just trying to piece together his thoughts for when they confront him with it. I have to hand it to Krul for this aspect of the story. The moment when Hal, Barry and Dinah confront the Emerald Archer we see the spectrum of emotions expected from the trio. Barry hops on his high horse, being the idealist of the three. Hal disapproves only in the result, but still supports his buddy. Dinah’s shock is only outweighed by the disappointment she has in her husband.
I know we are supposed to expect our heroes to live a life above reproach, but I see issues like this one necessary from time to time in this medium. The reason why Hal did not go overboard in his reaction is he knows he’s done worse. They all have. Instead of reacting like Barry did, his fellow heroes could have taken the opportunity to reflect on the fact that at the end of the day everyone is still human. When their loved ones are threatened, hurt, or killed, that comes with a sense of wanting to balance the scales. Granted, they are supposed to be above petty quests for vengeance, but I’m not supposed to lie, cheat and steal. I know I have, and will probably do it again someday. It’s just like the classic philosopher said centuries ago, “To shoot the man responsible for the death of your granddaughter in the head with an arrow is human.” (Alexander Pope was a big Green Arrow fan, what can I say.)
Now, I know this fall can only go so far, so I’m interested in seeing what will be the event where Ollie says enough is enough. Who will bring him back, and why will he stop? He can’t be a bad guy forever, but for now I think this color suits the man. I’m just as interested in seeing how Roy rises from the maiming. Will he go after his mentor? We do know for sure that he goes back to using the moniker Arsenal as opposed to Red Arrow. Maybe he doesn’t want to be associated with what the old man has done anymore. Either way, fans of the Green Arrow Universe should be treated to a few good months of issues.
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While I can’t stand it when comic book reviews leap to ridiculous amounts of hyperbole in describing their feelings, you’re going to have to forgive me if I at least indulge a little for this review. After all, Moritat is back full time on art chores, or at least that’s what I thought going in. In addition, the eightissue story arc titled “Dangerous Liaisons” wrapped with an amazing cliffhanger that only whet my appetite for the coming story. I wanted to have a deeper story and I’m getting it.
For the most part, First Tiger Rich delivered on what I was hoping for this month. Let me begin by lauding his decision to start the fall from grace with Hip Flask. With the exception of Obadiah and Trench, we’ve had the opportunity to read about lovable characters who had a tough past try to reclaim what’s left of their life. Chief amongst them is Mr. Flask, who’s been a sitcom dad since I discovered him. The first issue I read of this title had him hobbling around in a gigantic cast. We cheered for him and his budding relationship with Miki, praised his desire to be more human and animal. Needless to say, him being outfitted with a device to denounce his human traits and bring to the surface his animal desires changes things a bit.
I will say that I didn’t expect the story to have as much resolution as it did when I got to the last page. While I’m ready to see Hip go back to normal as much as the next fan, I thought Starkings would drag out the “possessed Hip Flask rampages through Los Angeles” idea a little further. Granted, there are plenty of consequences for his actions, which were more than evident on Miki’s face as he snaps out of it. It’s easy to see why the story needed to move on when you look at future solicitations. These MAPPO agents that have been toying with the Elephantmen are still on the loose and something tells me the gang is going to have to come back together to address this.
One other interesting aspect of this story is the growing divide between Horn and Sahara. We’ve always known Obadiah’s dark side was lurking below the surface, but it was always believed that his bride to be Sahara kept that darkness at bay. Now, we learn she is keeping secrets of her own. It’s possible that when the hidden truth comes into full view, Sahara will learn that she can’t bring Horn back from the dark side (for lack of a better way to put it). I’ve always wanted to see Horn at his worst, mainly because at the core that’s who his character is. Maybe we will see that somewhere during the “Questionable Things” arc.
The main detractor for this issue dealt with the art, I’ll just get that out of the way. It’s hard for me to gripe really, because it’s nice to know that Moritat is on the path to recovery from whatever has been ailing him the past several months. He was just a machine for Rich when this title first kicked off, so much so that it was jolting to read my first issue without him doing the art. Suffice to say, I’m very familiar with the artist’s style. How weird it was for me to open the cover and see the title page drawn by someone not named Moritat. It immediately took me out of the story, as I had to scan the all the names of artists that helped with art on this issue. Of course, I do not fault the creators if Moritat needed some help finishing things up. You want to get your issue out and sometimes there are just not enough hours in the day. It was just a tough first read for me. I’m sure as the issue of this arc come out, we will see less and less of that.
The other detractor on the art was the coloring, which is another style point I had been used to seeing with Moritat. The colors weren’t as rich, it didn’t feel like we were in the correct place. Again, I’m guessing this had to do with the time Moritat had to spend on this issue. I would have rather seen Boo Cook finish Moritat’s work because that’s what I’m used to. I do not mean this as a criticism of Gregory Wright’s work, I was just hoping to see things as I remembered them before my favorite Elephantmen artist became ill.
This story arc should be exciting for fans of the series. A good amount of detective work mixed with action when things come to a head. Hopefully, we will see all of the Elephantmen make an appearance and in six more issues end with a bang. Thanks for the great stories as of late Rich. I’d like to think I had a little part in prodding you along, or at least that’s what my ego is telling myself.
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Tank Girl: Skidmarks #4
Posted: Monday, March 15, 2010
By: Karyn Pinter
Alan Martin
Rufus Dayglo, Christian Krank (c), Simon Bowland (l)
Titan Books
The Skidmarks mini comes to a close in this fourth issue and it ends in true Tank Girl fashion--a clusterf**k. I was left a bit confused, but I'll accept it because this is Tank Girl we're talking about. When has it ever made any sort of coherent sense? It's all part of the comic's vulgar charm. The Skidmarks series was originally printed in the Judge Dredd Megazine in parts and has been collected in full issues. Normally, one would think something done in twelve different parts might have pacing issues or might be lacking strong, umm, connective tissue. But no, not this series. It was beautifully put together, like a torn Monet with duct tape.
There are so many comics that are filled with irrelevant nonsense, but Tank Girl is by far the most fun and enjoyable and, dare I say, classic? Skidmarks could very well become a Tank Girl classic. The comic isn't known for it's ongoing storylines, which makes this something sort of new and different, but at the same time it holds true to the Tank Girl formula of everything but the kitchen sink. Overall, the whole Skidmarks story was pretty good, maybe not the best, but good. It was something different than what we've seen so far, which has been a lot. But now that car race has been crossed off the list, what else is there for Tank Girl to do? Or maybe it should be what isn't there for her to do? In this issue there was an interlude with a bank heist. It's a flashback story told by Barney and it's the most true to the good ol' days of Tank Girl and pals. I'd have to say I would really like to see that drawn out into a full issue if for no other reason than getting a full dose of Spaghetti Western Tankie. A little something to muse upon Alan, if you're reading this.
Chalk this one up as another misadventure (a good one) for Tank Girl and her gang. It was an enjoyable read, perhaps not as outstandingly classic as Tank Girl: Odyssey, but when you're given an actual storyline from Alan Martin you take what you can get. Hell, even if you didn't like this story it's not like it would make a lick of difference. Past stories are rarely mentioned again. Ultimately, what this mini-series proves is that Tank Girl isn't dead yet. In fact, she's just hit her second wind.
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Sunday Slugfest: Batman and Robin #10
Posted: Sunday, March 14, 2010
By: Thom Young
Grant Morrison
Andy Clarke (p), Scott Hanna (i), & Alex Sinclair (colors)
DC Comics
Stephen Joyce:
Shawn Hill:
Dave Wallace:
Thom Young:
Stephen Joyce: After discovering that the corpse they resurrected in the last story arc was not who they thought it was, Dick, Damian, and Alfred have come to believe what Tim Drake has said all along—Bruce Wayne is alive . . . somewhere. As a follow up to that plot point, this issue shows Alfred giving the boys a tour of some of the deeper, history-rich areas of Wayne Manor.
Of course, Dick used all his resources to figure out what could have happened when Bruce was hit by the Omega Beams—he asked the Justice League, who told him that Bruce could be lost in the past. Damian then notes that some of the Wayne family portraits could actually be paintings of Bruce. The idea that Bruce has set up clues in the past is an idea that has been floating around since the final page of Final Crisis.
It seems that Grant Morrison really did have a much larger plan for everything he did with Batman--both on the main title and in Final Crisis. Hopefully, Batman and Robin will see the payoff for all that planning.
Damian has really been the character to watch throughout this series, in this issue you really get to see him be the kid that he is. For all the toughness that he shows, he’s still just a kid who wants to belong somewhere. The entire time that he and Dick are looking for clues in the paintings, Damian is constantly looking for validation that his father is actually alive and that they will find him.
An even better moment is when Damian begins asking Dick what will become of their Batman and Robin team when Bruce returns. This question was interesting, because it shows that he really does enjoy being a superhero even though he’s constantly making fun of the superhero-way of doing things.
This aspect of Damian is reinforced further in a flashback scene in which he is arguing with his mother, Talia, about him returning to her. He even goes as far as to defend Dick when Talia claims that Grayson is not fit to wear Bruce’s mantle. Unfortunately, in the succeeding scene, we see that when Talia had her son’s spine reconstructed it may have come with a price.
Andy Clarke’s art is very much a welcomed fit for this series. He seems to be trying to evoke a feeling of Frank Quitely, especially with his depiction of Batman. I also really liked his depiction of Damian. One thing I noticed with Clarke’s Damian is that while he appears very stern and aggravated as himself, he seems to soften when he is in his Robin costume--a visual dichotomy that works well with what Damian is going through in this issue. He shows that he’s finally become more comfortable being Robin than he is when he's being himself.
Finally, the cover of this issue is tagged with the line “The Return of Bruce Wayne Begins Here!” This issue marks the first time that anyone outside of Red Robin is seriously considering that Bruce is stuck in time, and that they should all be looking for clues of his life in the past. With the inevitable return of Bruce Wayne, it’s great to see how these characters are handling the idea that Bruce isn’t dead.
Damian is the real character to watch throughout the next couple of issues. This is definitely an issue to pick up if you’ve been following anything concerning Batman in the past year. It was a great read and wonderful story.
Shawn Hill Andy Clarke isn't the most exciting illustrator to unfold this mystery, but he is precise, and his storytelling is clear. I can't imagine Grant Morrison's scripts are simple to follow, but Clarke works hard in laying down the details we need to follow from the script. It seems that if Bruce Wayne was stranded in the past (as the Justice League apparently now believe), he may have been setting up clues down through the centuries to lead to his present-day life.
Morrison's script plays very fast and loose with conventional logic, as we're not really sure if Bruce has become immortal or if he's time traveling towards the present--or if he was or was not several of his own ancestors. Furthermore, if the Manor he grew up in is so full of carefully encoded clues, it follows that any number of the great detectives who have passed through its walls would have encountered them long ago--though I suppose time travel paradoxes can be used to explain some of that, as maybe they've only "always already" been there since the Omega Beam event in Final Crisis--if that makes sense.
Distractingly, as Damian and Dick pursue this line of thinking (and the subtle clues apparently don't emerge into the light of inquiry until the mind is so primed), their dialogue makes you think they're expositing about things they and any ward or child of Bruce's would have learned long ago. However, those sorts of disbelief suspensions are the kind required of Morrison's fast and loose (but not unlearnéd) approach to a character with so many decades of history--all of them fair game for his writer-ly archeology.
By sifting through the past so fully, Morrison necessarily picks and chooses what he needs, and he comes up with a frothy mixture that (at least in this series) is more light-hearted and action-packed than I remember Batman being in years.
What has happened so far, just in this title?
We've fought the vile Pyg, a different sort of version of the Joker's obsessions with identity and domination; then the Red Hood, in a demented crusade by one of his victims; then a colorful assassin rode in from a Purple Rain casting call; and then a vacation in merry old England, which involved a colorful underworld of British foes and some Grand Guignol deaths, resurrections, and sacrifices.
Damian continues to be developed by his creator, which means Talia resurfaces as well. One feeling I'm left with at the end of this issue is a longing for the Neal Adams Talia of the old days. Clarke doesn't quite capture her hottie/fatale sexiness in Adams' indelible way, and Morrison is writing her as a slightly saner Jezebel Jet than the morally ambiguous lover she once was.
In her current form, Talia has become a criminal empire manipulator who is not above using her son as a programmed weapon in order to further her own ends. She did come to Bruce for help at first, but now she's fed up with his replacements--and though she has healed her son, it seems she's given Damian a little more than his spine back. Her comment that he might one day rate Teen Titans status along his current path is very damning, but also revealing of her own hierarchy when it comes to the "crimefighters." A moral battle is being fought for Damian's soul, whether he knows it or not.
My favorite arc of Morrison's Batman run was the Black Glove story, so I'm all about further detective work with colorful allies, and I have a feeling Damian may surprise us yet.
Dave Wallace: As with the initial installment of each of the first three arcs of Batman and Robin, the first issue of “Batman vs. Robin” is an excellent opening chapter that sets up plenty of interesting concepts for this fourth arc to explore. It also throws out plenty of hints about the book’s many mysterious subplots whilst adding depth and texture to the overarching story that Grant Morrison has been telling ever since he took over the batbooks.
Some of the main points of interest here are those that deal with the imminent “Return of Bruce Wayne” storyline. Many readers will have already seen Andy Kubert’s covers for the upcoming miniseries that picks up Bruce’s story from the end of Final Crisis, and I’m sure that plenty of readers will have read interviews with Morrison that describe the kind of concepts he’ll be exploring in that series. As such, it’s satisfying to see that the titular heroes of Batman and Robin waste no time in discovering the likely whereabouts/whenabouts of Bruce Wayne for themselves in this issue rather than spending an entire arc stretching out “mysteries” that have already been spoiled by advance solicitations.
There’s a pleasing pulp-y quality to Dick and Damian’s adventure through Wayne Manor in this latest issue as they discover (with the help of Alfred) clues in paintings and carvings that lead them to believe that Bruce has been leaving a trail for them to follow as he travels through time. It’s like The Da Vinci Code for superheroes while also recalling the ridiculously obscure clues that Adam West’s Batman would piece together in his battles with the Riddler in the old 1960s Batman TV series.
Morrison definitely seems to be having fun with the idea that Bruce has left coded messages for Dick to follow in the present day, and it’s nice to see him show the current Batman and Robin engaging in some proper detective work--an element that has been largely absent from his Batman run so far. And for those readers who think that Morrison is making all of this up as he goes along, go back to “Batman R.I.P." and you’ll see exactly the same portrait of “Mordecai Wayne” that is featured in this issue, which suggests that Morrison has had this story planned out for quite some time.
I also can’t help but wonder whether Dick’s insistence on seeing hidden meaning in virtually everything that he examines in Wayne Manor is Morrison’s way of gently poking fun at those readers who comb through his issues in minute detail, attributing significance to every word or image.
Even if it is possible that not everything in the issue is as significant as it seems, there are plenty of intriguing hints for those readers who have been following Morrison’s Batman closely from the start, with a real sense that things are starting to build towards a climax for his entire run thus far. Readers who were disappointed with “Batman RIP” will probably be heartened to learn that the final issue of that storyline was by no means Morrison’s final word on the mystery of Dr. Hurt, as this issue sees some strong suggestions that Hurt’s apparently demonic nature and claim of being Thomas Wayne will both be explored in one of the issues of The Return of Bruce Wayne.
The book also establishes quite a few links between Batman and Robin’s “Domino Killer” and the Black Glove organisation, as Oberon Sexton suggests to Dick that the members of the secret society of evil that we saw in the “RIP” arc are all being killed off by the same man.
Now, those of us who read "RIP" already know that Talia and her Man-Bats were responsible for the death of Jezebel Jet, and that the Joker killed General Malenkov. Thus, it seems rather unlikely that these killings are being orchestrated by the same person in the manner that Sexton suggests. However, his contrary theory only adds more intrigue to the character of Sexton who, at this point, seems likely to be either an already returned Bruce Wayne in disguise or a brand new personality for Morrison’s chameleonic Joker. Either way, I can’t wait to see how his character arc plays out.
Damian Wayne also receives more attention than usual in this issue, with Morrison’s flashback to a recent conversation between he and Talia both adding depth to his characterisation and setting up a compelling twist that comes towards the end of this chapter. It’s also interesting to see that Damian’s reaction to the potential return of Bruce isn’t entirely positive, as it would mean a disruption of the current status quo (no small irony, given the mixed reaction of many readers to Morrison’s decision to shake up the batbooks by "killing" Bruce in the first place).
Damian’s apparent enthusiasm for his current role as Dick’s sidekick not only underlines how far he’s developed as a character, but it also makes his forced betrayal of the current Batman even more dramatic. It’ll be interesting to see whether Damian will eventually retaliate against his own mother over her manipulation of him.
There are so many other interesting tidbits in this issue that it’s difficult to find time to address them all, but I’m sure that they all have important roles to play in Morrison’s grand plan. For example, is the dodgy Wayne Enterprises fund discovered by Damian going to turn out to be a slush fund for Bruce’s Bat-activities, a source of income for Dr. Hurt, or a genuine link to Thomas Wayne’s philanthropic activities (of which we learn more in this issue)?
Finally, I should mention Andy Clarke’s artwork. Judging by this debut issue, Clarke is going to be a good fit for Morrison’s Batman. Not only does he capture the bold, vivid feel that has been conveyed so well by Frank Quitely and Cameron Stewart in previous arcs, but he also seems to be paying close attention to the details of Morrison’s script.
Plenty of the writer’s hints and clues as to where the story is headed are conveyed purely through the artwork here, with visual symbolism that forces readers to pay as much attention to the illustrations as they do to the characters’ dialogue. From what I can make out, there aren’t any of the kinds of misunderstandings that have marred previous issues of Morrison’s Batman run, and that’s especially reassuring given that so many significant elements of the writer’s bat-saga are finally being drawn together.
Thom Young: As Dave noted, there are many "interesting tidbits" in this issue, and it certainly seems to be setting up a lot of fascinating possibilities. I really enjoyed this issue, and I am mostly pleased with Andy Clarke's work as the illustrator. I enjoyed his work on R.E.B.E.L.S. back when I was reading that series, and the same clean lines and attention to detail that he displayed there is evident here as well. However, there are a five panels or sequences that didn't quite work for me:
- On page six, Clarke draws a full-page illustration of an aerial view of the exterior of Wayne Manor. It's a picture in which Alfred is greeting Batman and Robin at the main entrance. Overall, it's a good depiction of Wayne Manor, though it lacks texture. I prefer the detailed architecture that Marshall Rogers used to include, or that David Finch now displays in his recently released cover to the upcoming Batman #700.
However, it isn't the lack of texture that bothered me about this page; it's the white splotches that run across the left side of the image. Each time I read this issue (and I read it four times), I tried to figure out what those white splotches are.
In my first reading, I thought they were snowflakes, but they aren't "flakes"; they are splotches of various sizes and shapes, and they mostly appear on the left and lower side of the image--decreasing in frequency as they move toward the center of the page. If they're supposed to be snowflakes, then they are very uneven in distribution, size, and shape.
Thus, I ruled out snow.
In my second reading, I thought they might be fragments of something that had shattered and that was raining down on the driveway of Wayne Manor--such as globe of a lamppost. However, there's a lamppost positioned beneath the white splotches and there is no indication of something shattering above the splotches.
Thus, I ruled out fragments of a shattered object.
In my third reading, I thought they might represent some sort of optical or mental effect--such as the image on this page coalescing from someone's memory (or something of that nature). I considered that they might be a transitional device from the previous page segueing into this one. However, the previous page is a double-page advertisement for a video game called "Dante's Inferno Go to Hell."
Okay, so perhaps it's a segue from the page before the ad.
No. That page ends with Batman swinging down from the balcony of Oberon Sexton's hotel room.
Thus, I ruled out optical, mental, or segue effect.
During my fourth reading, I considered the possibility that they are the result of a printing error. However, they don't look like printing anomalies. In other words, I have no idea what those white splotches are, and it's bugging the shit out of m! - On pages eight and nine, there is a top panel that runs across the double spread. It depicts (from left to right) Robin, Alfred, and Batman inspecting the portraits of the Wayne Patriarchs that are hanging in the entrance hall to the manor--beginning with Mordecai Wayne on the far left (circa 1650 CE, I'm guessing) and ending with Bruce's father Thomas Wayne on the far right (circa approximately 25 years before "now").
There is nothing wrong with any of the portraits. In fact, as Dave noted in his review, Clarke does an excellent job of recreating these portraits from the way they have been previously depicted by other illustrators during Morrison's run on the Batman franchise. However, while I was looking down the line of portraits during my initial reading of the issue I thought, Damian sure has grown.
(Seriously, that's what I actually thought--as if I was an uncle who hadn't seen his nephew for two years.)
On reflection, though, I realized that Clarke simply drew Damian too tall. If you follow the sight line and compare Robin on the far left to the figures of Alfred and Batman in the center (and adjust for the slight downward angle of the image from right to left), Robin is nearly as tall as Alfred (about two or three inches shorter), and he is about six or seven inches shorter than Dick "Batman" Grayson--who looks to stand about 6' 2" (despite the height listed for him in the DC Database on the Internet).
Thus, Damian appears to be about 5' 7" tall in Clarke's illustration on pages 8 and 9 (though he seems shorter than that when he's in the Wayne Enterprises boardroom pages two and three).
For the most part, the illustrators working with Morrison have drawn Damian about a foot shorter than Dick Grayson--or about 5' 2". Indeed, that is about the height that Frank Quitely made Robin on the cover of this issue, and it would be about the right height for a boy of 10 or 11 years (or about Damian's age).
Clarke's Robin looks more like Tim Wayne (nee Drake) than he does Damian Wayne. - On page 11, Batman and Robin inspect a second portrait of Darius Wayne (the first was on page eight). The painting is hanging on the landing of the staircase that leads up from the main hall. It's a portrait of Darius Wayne on horseback (circa 1778). In the background, eight ships are burning in Gotham Bay (presumably British ships during the Revolutionary War).
Batman also informs us that the painting depicts "The constellation of Orion over the bay." However, try as I might, I cannot see that constellation in that painting.
Granted, there are three stars in a tight line, reminiscent of Orion's Belt, but the angle of the line to the horizon is wrong. Furthermore, those three stars are in the upper right corner of the painting rather than prominently displayed in the center of the painting above Darius Wayne--as they would seem likely to be positioned if this painting were a clue from Bruce Wayne from more than 200 years ago.
Even if those three stars in the corner of the painting are supposed to be Zeta Orionis, Epsilon Orionis, and Delta Orionis (and even if we then rotate the star field to the way Orion's Belt would actually appear in the sky), the rest of the stars in the painting don't match up correctly to depict the constellation.
In some cases, stars in the constellation are missing; in other cases, stars that might be part of the constellation are spread too far apart. However, if Dick Grayson can see Orion in that painting, then more power to him. - On page 14, the top panel takes up more than half the page and it is similar to the illustration that appeared on page six. In this case, instead of an aerial view of the exterior of Wayne Manor, we have an "aerial" view of Bruce Wayne's library.
It's the first time I recall seeing the eight-storied library shelves of Wayne Manor, and it is an impressive depiction. However, as with the view of Wayne Manor on page six, there is no texture here.
It would seem that architectural rendering is not one of Clarke's strong points.
Nevertheless, I was impressed that Clarke included the horse-head bust on the fireplace mantel beneath the large portrait of Bruce Wayne's parents. That horse-head sculpture first appeared in the Wayne library (albeit in Bruce's downtown penthouse home) in the mid 1970s, and only a few illustrators over the years have added that detail in their work.
Marshall Rogers was the first to include it after that horse-head bust originally appeared in a previous Batman story drawn by another artist (I've forgotten who) before Rogers's initial run on Detective Comics. I'm glad to see Clarke include it here. - On page 16, Clarke depicts the flashback confrontation between the wheelchair-bound Damian and Talia--who, as Shawn indicated, does not look like the young, vibrant Talia that Neal Adams first drew almost 40 years ago. Clarke's Talia looks like a woman in her mid-40s, which means his Bruce would have to look like he's in his mid-50s.
Talia should look like she's in her late 20s--after having given birth to Damian when she was in her late teens. She should still be young and sexy, as Shawn suggested.
However, it isn't the age of Talia that bothered me (or at least it wasn't the only thing that bothered me about this page, I should say).
There are five vertical panels on page 16. The first is a long shot with Damian on the left and Talia on the right. The second moves us towards the characters a little closer as Talia moves closer toward her son--but still with Damian on the left and Talia on the right.
However, as we move in even closer, the third panel suddenly and inexplicably reverses the angle by 180 degrees.
There is no reason for the reverse-angle view. It's true that Talia has the first lines in the panel, so her word balloon would needsto appear on the left (and that is probably why Clarke broke with his progression and suddenly switched angles by 180 degrees.
However, there was no reason that Damian's lines needed to be in this third panel rather than in the fourth. Thus, the viewpoint of the first two panels could have been maintained--with the "dynamism" of the shot coming exclusively from the zooming in on the figures rather than on the reverse angle trick.
As we move in for the ultimate close up on the page, the fourth panel then reverses the angle again to take us back to the same perspective we had in the first two panels. Then we back out in the final panel to a wider perspective--again while maintaining the same viewing angle that we had in panels one, two, and four.
That third panel bothered me during my first reading, and it kept bothering me with each subsequent reading.
As for the writing, most of the story is Morrison's typical excellent work--but there were a few things there that bothered me as well.
The first is Damian's addressing of the board of directors of Wayne Enterprises. I expected him to drop some sort of amazing bombshell about a problem with the company that he was able to discern due to his early school in preparation for managing his grandfather's vast criminal and terrorism organization. Instead, we have Damian telling the board that he discovered that the company has been depositing large amounts of money into the Thomas Wayne Fund for Victims of Railroad Accidents.
That discovery hardly seems so earth-shattering that only Damian was "mean enough to try" to uncover the fact that Wayne Enterprises contributes large sums of money to that fund. In fact, Lucius Fox seemed to already know about the fund--as did the rest of the board--so it would seem the "surprise" is in just how much money is being deposited for the benefit of the victims of railroad accidents (which we're not told).
Wouldn't anyone from accounting already know about it? Is the fund really supposed to be so clandestine that no one in the company knew how much money was going into it? It seems unlikely.
Of course, as Dave mentioned, this fund will probably turn out to have some significance later in this story--or in a future arc. Of particular interest is which of the two Thomas Waynes is this fund named after. Is it named for Bruce's father or for the earlier Thomas Wayne who lived in the mid to late 18th century?
Oh, speaking of the earlier Thomas Wayne (and getting off my list of complaints for a moment), his portrait has been removed from Wayne Manor because, as Alfred tells Damian, "Thomas led a rather distinguished sect of devil worshippers."
Like Dave, I immediately thought of Dr. Hurt from the "RIP" arc and the implication that he is actually Satan. Perhaps when Dr. Hurt claimed to be "Thomas Wayne" he wasn't actually referring to Bruce's father (but merely played it out as if he was referring to Bruce's father). Perhaps Dr. Hurt/Satan is connected to the first Thomas Wayne rather than to the second.
There is one other thing that I liked about that line of portraits of the Wayne Patriarchs--the painting before the portrait of Bruce's father is of Bruce's uncle, Silas Wayne, who was first introduced into the mythos in 1958 in Batman #120. I just love when the actual history of the mythos is used in this way.
Okay, back to my complaints.
I was bothered by how quickly Dick Grayson leapt to conclusions about clues that are void of any sort of logic behind them. The portrait of Joshua Wayne was painted with Joshua gazing up the staircase toward the landing, so Batman and Robin ascend the stairs to the landing (that part is okay).
Then, when they reach the landing they see that Joshua was looking up at the portrait of his immediate predecessor as the family Patriarch, Darius Wayne, who is riding a horse near Gotham Bay with (supposedly) the constellation of Orion above him. Okay, I don't see the constellation in the painting, but let's pretend it was prominently positioned in the portrait and that Dick believes it has some significance.
Batman and Robin then move into the library--perhaps because that's the direction Darius was heading on his horse in the painting--and Dick immediately heads to the fireplace where he finds three sculpted roses on the emblem panel beneath the mantel. He refers to this emblem as "the hunter." However, I have no idea why he calls it "the hunter," and I am unable to find anyplace on the Internet that refers to fireplace emblems as "hunters."
There is, though, a Hunter Company that produces fireplace emblem panels--but that's certainly not the same thing as referring to the emblem as a "hunter."
Of course, since he refers to the emblem as a hunter (for whatever reason), Dick immediately thinks of Orion the Hunter (and, thus, the constellation that he saw in the portrait on the staircase landing). He then depresses the three roses on the fireplace emblem in the order of magnitude of the three stars in Orion's Belt.
I guess the left-most rose represents Zeta Orionis and the right-most rose represents Delta Orionis--since that's the order in which the stars are lined up in Orion's Belt. However, it's a very large leap in logic that took Dick Grayson to this point--along with the fact that he knows, or mistakenly believes, that emblem panels on fireplaces are called "hunters."
Regardless, the idea of depressing the three roses in the order of magnitude of the three stars in Orion's Belt is problematic.
First, why depress them in the order of magnitude? What clue led to Grayson's conclusive leap about magnitude? Second, two of the stars in Orion's Belt have the same apparent magnitude (1.70), so Dick actually wants to depress them in the order of absolute magnitude.
The illogical conclusions about these clues bothered me until I edited Dave's review.
I like Dave's idea that Morrison is alluding to "the ridiculously obscure clues that Adam West’s Batman would piece together" in the 1960s television series. On that level, I enjoyed these leaps of logic. However, I would hope that Dave's other consideration is incorrect:
I also can’t help but wonder whether Dick’s insistence on seeing hidden meaning in virtually everything that he examines in Wayne Manor is Morrison’s way of gently poking fun at those readers who comb through his issues in minute detail, attributing significance to every word or image.Because, you know, I resemble that remark.
Ahem.
Anyway, those are my complaints. Now here's what I was particularly interested in: Upon my first, second, and third readings I was becoming convinced that my earlier theory about the identity of Oberon Sexton was going to prove to be correct (from the joint review that Dave and I did of issue #5 on October 19 of last year):
What interests me with Oberon Sexton, though, is that another job performed by a sexton is that of bell ringer in a church (the same church in which the sexton also digs graves in the churchyard). The original Knight and Squire (the English Batman and Robin who first appeared in Batman #62 in 1950 in "The Batman of England") were signaled into action through the ringing of the Wordenshire church bell--all of which makes me wonder if "Oberon Sexton" is related to the Knight and Squire. Perhaps Oberon "The Gravedigger" Sexton is actually Percival Sheldrake--the original Knight and the father of the current Knight, Cyril Sheldrake.See what I mean about me resembling the type of reader Dave was referring to?
In Morrison's JLA #26 (1999), the original Knight was reportedly killed by Springheeled Jack--though I don't know that we ever saw the body. It would be an interesting twist for Morrison to reintroduce in his run one of the original "replacement Batmen" since one of the main motifs in his three-year run on Batman has been the notion of "replacement Batmen."
I felt my suspicion of Sexton as Sheldrake was being confirmed when Dick Grayson said, "there's something . . . familiar about Oberon Sexton."
Yeah! Such as he's Percival Sheldrake, whom Dick Grayson hasn't spoken to in decades!
However, upon my fourth reading I noticed that immediately after Damian suggests that Bruce Wayne might already be in the present, though unrecognizable because something "changed him" (bottom of page 11), the next scene is of Oberon Sexton in his hotel room--possibly giving us a clue that Sexton is a "changed" Bruce Wayne.
Nevertheless, I'm still hoping my theory of Sexton being Percival Sheldrake turns out to be correct--partly because I would like to see the original Knight return to the mythos just before the original Dark Knight returns to his own time, and partly because I hope that the rescuing of Bruce Wayne from the past involves Dick Grayson, Tim Drake Wayne, and Damian Wayne paying a visit to Prof. Carter Nichols.
Time will tell (pun intended).
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X-Men Forever #19
Posted: Friday, March 12, 2010
By: Ray Tate
Chris Claremont
Graham Nolan, Scott Koblish (i), Guillem Mari (c)
Marvel Comics
Nightcrawler and Rogue discover that their last issue power switch works two ways and that would be fine if not for the presence of Jean Grey. I liked Jean Grey. I enjoyed her as Marvel Girl. I appreciated her as Phoenix. I applauded Famke Janssen as Dr. Jean Grey from the X-Men movie, and I'm warm to her in this series as well. I hated Jean Grey in this issue of X-Men Forever. She just acts too weepy and weak.
Jean begins emoting when Claremont exposes her thoughts about Nightcrawler's dilemma and if the exhibition occurred in just that scene it may have been passable. Instead, the maudlin schmaltz pours down in buckets when Jean attempts to talk with Scott.
I never really cared that much about the Jean-Scott-Wolverine triangle and I always believed that readers actually created it. Not Claremont and Byrne. Claremont actually wanted to kill off Wolverine. Byrne convinced him to spare his fellow Canadian. In any case, Scott and Wolverine loved Jean Grey, but Jean was devoted only to Scott. There's even a scene in classic X-Men where Wolverine states at the Hellfire Club, "You're my kind of woman, Jean." Jean replies, "I know. I wish I weren't."
The whole play of Scott trying to put up a cold front before Jean just takes X-Men Forever out of the superhero drama and drops it into the sudsy realm of dudes with eye-patches and Spock beards. I mean, in this series, Scott married Madelyn Pryor and has a son. So why would he be upset over Jean expressing love for Wolverine, who's dead, now? I just don't get it, and this essay in friction just hurts the story.
X-Men Forever is supposed to be the relief in a morass of convoluted continuity. Cyclops complimenting Kitty with a, "That's my Shadowcat," is a fun, little moment that doesn't require much in the way of explanation. The triangle, however, opens up a big hole that can only be filled through the minutia of X-Men history. Less mooning over the past and more hitting.
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Phantom: The Ghost Who Walks #8
Posted: Friday, March 12, 2010
By: Ray Tate
Mike Bullock
Sylvestre Szilagyi, Bob Pedroza (c)
Moonstone Books
When a village elder appears to be showing signs of senility, the Phantom and Devil, his wolf, share a comedic look. I'm sorry to say that this is the best scene in this week's Phantom.
I really love The Phantom, but the first chapter in a well meant sequel is lackluster. The Phantom and Devil blunder into a trap like amateurs. Enemy gunfire pins them down for a ridiculous amount of time and the tactic stretches the story out to its cliffhanger.
The villains of the piece display far too much cunning, scoring victories over the Phantom and Devil too often. Such comparative competence might have been acceptable for a neophyte hero, but this is the Phantom. Readers like myself expect a degree of larger than life professionalism from the Ghost Who Walks. Perhaps writer Mike Bullock hoped to bring the Phantom down to a realistic level in an attempt to inject verisimilitude to the story, but it just doesn't work.
Sylvestre Szilagyi's and Bob Pedroza's artwork is the only thing in this issue's favor. Szilagyi's Phantom carries the weight of the legacy in every flex of muscle. Pedroza's purple outfitting completes the picture and the violet echo effect silhouetting the Phantom's speech balloons gives the character the timbre you always imagined The Ghost Who Walks would possess. This perfection makes the Phantom's mistakes doubly infuriating. Artistically speaking, this is the quintessential Phantom, but from a writing standpoint, he doesn't act that way.
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Marvel Adventures Super Heroes #21
Posted: Friday, March 12, 2010
By: Ray Tate
Paul Tobin
Esdras Christobal, Sotocolor (c)
Marvel Comics
Before partnering with the original Human Torch, Sun Girl starred in her own three issue series in the late '40s. The heroine was also popular enough to resurface solo in Marvel Mystery Comics. Sun Girl returns in Marvel Adventures Super Heroes and her resurrection is the best this issue has to offer the reader. Tobin, not one for repeating himself, is a little more existential with Sun Girl, but his tweaking suits the character. In fact, I hope to see this version of the character frequently.
Esdras Christobal's cartoony artwork is the other big boon for Marvel Adventures Super Heroes. I wouldn't say that his style is appropriate for a grimmer comic book, but Christobal's expressive illustration is fitting for the Marvel Adventures line of all ages titles.
The rest of the story is a little blasé and scattershot. Captain America and Sue want to teach Nova a lesson in leadership. The opportunity arises in the form of two problems. Tobin also tries to throw in a message at the end, but the execution's clumsy as is the inclusion of a 1940s substitute Hulk.
If not for Sun Girl and Christobal's depiction of she and her elegant Phaeton roadster, there would be little to recommend in this issue of Marvel Adventures Super Heroes, but the strength of this character and Christobal's design for her loads another silver bullet in the chamber.
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Jersey Gods #11
Posted: Friday, March 12, 2010
By: Ray Tate
Glen Brunswick
Dan McDaid, Rachelle Rosenberg (c)
Image Comics
Helius' affection for his deceased son is the best thing about this issue of Jersey Gods . The usually lighthearted Lothario tests his new power gloves by carving a statue of Hector and demonstrates greater depth through soulful eyes and an underplayed frown as he peers up at the monument.
Rushmore's and Lurella's joy proves contagious. Helius cheers because of their new bond, but not to the point where he becomes carefree. The fact that he doesn't switch back to his happy-go-lucky self builds on the impact of Hector's tragic demise and lends gravitas to Helius' feelings.
Writer Glen Brunswick falters when turning his attention to Zoe and Barock. It's not a total loss. Barock engages in an exciting rescue, and there's some humor in his combat against a television remote. The rage against the machine leaves him with a unique pinched red face, an unexpected flourish by McDaid and Rosenberg. The plot twist leading to the cliffhanger, however, fails.
The plot twist is akin to Lana Lang being unmasked as a Manhunter in DC's mediocre mini-series Millennium. That was big ugly editorially mandated blotch in John Byrne's historic run of Superman, and the similarity in Jersey Gods looks just about as promising.
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