More comics reviews …
- Liberty Meadows Wedding Album #36(?) (ISG) [2/3/3]
This issue marks the end of the newspaper comic reprints. It feels a bit scattered, largely because … well, it is scattered, pulling in some of the funniest bits not yet adapted, so that the folks in the strip who were left with a at-the-altar cliff-hanger can see what happened. Good stuff, but not quite up to Cho’s usual best. I hope that the comic book format for writing will work well for him. - Captain Britain TPB (Marv) [2/2/*]
Some of Alan Moore’s earliest mainstream work, alongside neophyte Alan Davis. There’s some kind of goofy British stuff here, and some roughness in both writing and art, but there’s also a wealth of ideas, and it’s clear that both creators would be going on to great things. - Batman: Gotham Knights #25 (DC) [2/2/1]
Part 4 of “Bruce Wayne: Murderer?” I don’t feel at all like I missed anything in Parts 2 and 3. Still, the mystery of what happened, why, and why neither Bruce nor Sasha will say anything about it deepens. Alfred and Dick return to the fold, and things get grimmer and grimmer. The backup Black & White is a simple but entertaining tale by Mike Barr, pencilled by Alan Davis. - Birds of Prey #39 (DC) [2/2/1]
Part 5 of the Wayne saga. The interesting bits here are Babs confronting Sasha as her attorney, but neither knowing that they both know the secret that might crack the wall of silence, that Bruce is Bats. Meanwhile, Blue Beetle fights middle age, with alarming results. - Thunderbolts #60 (MarvPG) [1/2/1]
Nicieza can be a good writer, but of late in this title he’s had way too much fun just throwing things together higgledy-piggledy. All of a sudden, the Thunderbolts find they’re stuck on Doom’s Counter-Earth. Can they get home? Do they want to? Can they, in good conscience, leave the abandoned planet to sink into further anarchy? Ultimately, I’m finding I don’t care. I really want to, but I don’t. Annoying. - Knights of the Dinner Table #63 (Kenzer) [2/1/3]
More funniness. The “CattlePunk” story line is particularly amusing, as B.A. tries to rein in his outlaw players. I’m getting irked, though, that KoDT is only half of the book, with the second half dedicated to various Hackmaster and gaming essays and tools. - Origin #4/6 (MarvPG) [2/2/3]
The weakest chapter so far, if only because Logan’s becoming more Logan-like for no clear reasons. - Promethea #18 (ABC) [3/3/3]
Moore leavens his kabbalistic meanderings with a bit of threat, a bit of action, a bit of characterization. I can’t tell what’s happening now any better than I could before, but I’m happier with it. - Rising Stars #17 (Top Cow) [3/2/3]
This book’s been late for a while, along with the rest of Joe’s books. On the one hand, given all the cool things he does, and knowing his work ethic, I’m willing to cut some slack. On the other hand, it’s been hurting this title. More “super-heroes dealing with the world’s real problems” story-telling. Good stuff, and hints of (alas) trouble to come. - Strangers in Paradise #46 (Abstract) [2/3/3]
The story behind the woman who wrote the “Molly & Poo” story that Moore has never reprinted (though it will be coming out again in April). Interesting psycho-stuff, but, frankly, peripheral to the whole SiP story line. I’d rather see and hear more from the real cast than take this side trip (or have this be a one-off side issue, not replacing my monthly SiP fix). - A Moment of Silence #1/1 (MarvPG) [3/3/3]
A series of short stories, mostly sans captions, of the lives of people affected — directly or indirectly — with 9-11. Really, really powerful stuff. Wow. Buy it. Buy another and give it to a friend. Powerful, powerful, if only because the stories are so ordinary, about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. - Ruse #3 (Crossgen) [2/2/2]
Victorian detective work and covert sorcery. Good writing (Mark Waid) and good art (Butch Guice). Best title in the Crossgen stable, for my money. - Out There #7 (Cliffhanger) [2/2/2]
Augustyn and Ramos continue their tale … sort of. El Dorado City was destroyed last ish. Now it’s time for Tremors-like action in the Nevada desert, as our heroes travel to a small town there about which similar tales have been told. - Superman #178 (DC) [2/2/1]
Loeb’s story is surprisingly muddled here — why is Uncle Sam attacking Supes? — but it lays the groundwork for some bits to come for years to come, as Luthor finally learns something he should never have learned. - Hulk #35 (MarvPG) [2/2/2]
It seems unbelievable that, with all the carnage he’s rampaged through, the Hulk’s actions have never killed anyone. That’s the premise of this story, though, and, once you get past that, it works pretty well. I still found myself more interested in the assassins being hired to bring the Hulk down. Some interesting charaters there. - The Spectre #13 (DC) [3/3/2]
Ryan Sook’s swan song as artist, and he will be sorely missed. This tale, scripted by DeMatteis, is more of a fairy tale, a legend, a myth, than an episode of a comic book, as the Spectre confronts a living ghost from the past. The only question I have … will the events here ever have any impact down the road? - The Monarchy #10 (Wildstorm) [2/2/2]
This title continues to hang onto my wallet by a thread. It reads like a dim, repeated echo of The Authority, Xeroxed too many times. Still just enough glimmering through to be of interest, but a real struggle. We’ll see. Things look like they’re becoming apocalyptic for the present team, and that may either spell the beginning or the end for me and the Monarchy. - JLA #61 (DC) [2/1/1]
Joe Kelly’s initial outing with the JLA has both some marvelous character touches — Bats sparring with Wonder Woman while on a series of cell phone conversations — and some awkward moments. Some real promise here, but also some sign that the book may simply slip back into the mainstream pack. I have no such fear over the Power Company, which has a lengthy preview here. I expect that group — and its characters — to sink almost immediately into oblivion. - Hellblazer #169 (Vertigo) [2/2/2]
I’m not sure what’s going on in this tale. Stand-alone unpleasantness, or something that will pay off down the road. In either case, an entertainingly disturbing read. - Captain Marvel #27 (MarvPG) [3/2/3]
Peter David is back on top his form as Rick readjusts (enthusiastically) to being young again. ChrisCross is at the art helm, and does his usual good job (though why he and/or David decided that Eros/Starfox’s outfit and coiffure needed changing beats the heck out of me). Part 1 of a 4-part time epic, which at first blush looks like it’s being used primarily as an excuse to let David write some more Spider-Man 2099. Of course, given David’s usual humorous grasp of marginal characters, I expect next ish to be at least as good as this one. - Haven #2 (DC) [1/2/1]
The super-powered inhabitants of the fallen alien city start to learn more about their new human neighbors and what sort of new internal government they need to set up. This is all still an inexcusable mess, even with Ariel Olivetti’s Moebus-like art, and after an (over-priced) special and two issues of the title, I find myself not really caring at all. Color me unsubscribed. - Impulse #82 (DC) [2/2/1]
This wins the award for best cover title (“Monsters from the Kid!” for all you Forbidden Planet fans out there). The book is back to its humorous but occasionally poignant tone, and that’s just fine by me. A good new opponent is introduced, and Max gets even more freaky with the Speed Force stuff.62 view(s)