Been too long since I did any comics reviews — though I’ve tried a couple of times and managed to blow a bunch of the work away.
So let’s try this in an offline tool, then upload it when appropriate. Yeah, that’s the ticket.
Mostly graphic novels this time out, so just a grade (A-C, faboo to pedestrian) for writing and art.
Elektra: Everything Old is New Again TPB (Marvel) [A/B-D]
This collects the peak of Greg Rucka’s run on the title, issues 16-22, as Elektra confronts the emptiness of her life as a killer, and struggles to find a new, redeeming purpose to replace it. The art varies from elegant to hip-hop-ugly. Alas, Rucka left the series after this, and all indications are that the character changes that he’d managed to put together were basically tossed out. A real pity, that.
Alias: The Underneath TPB (Marvel) [A/B]
Collects 10 and 16-21 of the series. That off issue, 10, is a classic, as Jessica Jones is hired by J. Jonah Jameson to discover Spider-Man’s secret identity. Bendis’ true skill as a writer of dialog is to the fore here, as the comic is nearly all dialog, presented in transcript form, with supporting (but, ultimately, unnecessary) art. Brilliant. The other issues harken back to the JJJ story, but this time with Bendis dragging in such “forgottens” as the (latest) Spider Woman, the original (Jessica Drew), and even (gasp) Madame Web, in a story that touches on some of the same Mutant Growth Hormone stories that Bendis has been exploring in DD. Swell noir. Great comic.
Exiles: Legacy TPB (Marvel) [B/B]
Winick skips a couple of beats in the two story arcs in tihs collection (issues 20-25). In the first, the Exiles deal with a world nearly taken over by the transmode virus. While the solution turns out to be a literal (but excellent) deus ex machina, the personal struggles of the team — and, ultimately, the loss of one of them — is what makes the arc shine. The second story focuses on the Weapon X team of exiles, as the “dark Exiles” show up to help a world-dominating Tony Stark conquer the last metahuman resistance he faces — the Inhumans. It all turns out badly for everyone, and is, frankly, evocative of the darker, more violent, and less successful (IMO) tales that Chuck Austin has been penning since. Still, definitely worth a read.
Noble Causes: Extended Family TPB (Image) [B/C]
The idea of an ongoing soap opera surrounding a Kennedy-like dysfunctional family of supers is still a good one, and Jay Faerber pulls out enough bits of drama to make this book fun. The art varies from fair to mediocre, and being a collection of short tales keeps it from building much steam.
Daredevil: Lowlife TPB (Marvel) [A/B]
Collects issues 41-45 of the series. Matt Murdock deals with his “outing” as DD, the Owl steps forward, clumsily, into the vanished Kingpin’s shoes (and the MGH market), and a tall, stocky figure begins killing off some of the cast members. Again, Bendis is at his best when he simply has folks talking, and Meleev’s art works best then, too.
Green Lantern: Brother’s Keeper TPB (DC) [B/B]
The best tale in this collection (151-155, plus GL Secret Files 3) has Kyle going to his high school reunion, and, incidently, introducing his girlfriend Jade to his mom. That’s immediately followed up by Winick’s highly publicized “gay-bashing” arc — which, frankly, ends up a bit heavy-handed for my part. Watching GL go violently nuts over his friend’s beating is interesting — but the whole thing ends up feeling more than a bit preachy, and Kyle’s subsequent self-exile from Earth was the beginning of the end for Winick’s run.
Amazing Spider-Man: The LIfe and Death of Spiders TPB (Marvel) [A/B]
Spidey deals with more totemic heritage stuff, as an otherworldy spider-wasp being comes a-hunting. I don’t particularly care for JMS’ “twist” to the spider-legend, but it certainly gives him a chance to do something differnet, and deal well with the conflict between Peter Parker’s scientific viewpoint and the mystic nature (evidently) of his Spidey powers. Meantime, Pete’s also dealing with his marital problems, which finally resolve quite nicely in the final tale given here, where Peter and MJ run into each other at Denver International Airport — along with Dr Doom and Captain America. JMS sense of humor always shines through, even in the most dramatic moments, and the overall series is working marvelously. I’m not as in love with John Romita, Jr.’s art as everyone else seems to be, but it’s not bad, either. Recommended, highly.
Powers: Supergroup (Image) [A/B]
Collects issues 15-20. A prominent, federally-funded, highly commercial group of black supers is breaking up — and then one of them gets murdered — and then things get really weird. In the end, there’s more death and destruction, Walker’s job goes bye-bye, and a Deep, Dark Conspiracy is revealed. Huh. Less effective (and, sadly, somewhat less original) than other Powers arcs, it’s still a hell of a lot better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.
Private Beach: Secret Messages (SLG) [A/B]
David Hahn’s reboot of this series brings with it just the right combination of smart, authentic teen/twenties dialog and situation, with some truly spooky, oddball occurances. The TPB is the way to go with this series, letting you catch some of the common threads that get lost between issues. Good, if weird and difficult-to-describe, stuff.
The interesting part of the Totem storyline, for me, was that it explained why so many of Spidey’s villains were modeled on animals: vultures, lizards, octopi, scorpions, et al.
I heven’t cared for JR Jr since he developed his “style.” He started out as a nice (if somewhat bland) representational artist, then his work took on a funky look. Same thing happened to Bill Sinciewicz.
JRJr started off decently enough, but became over-blocky and chunky back in the X-Men days. On Spidey, I think his style is still too square. I haven’t measured to see if he’s experimenting with drawing figures not in the heroic style (8 heads high, vs. a more accurate 6.5 or so), but it sure seems that some of his figures have overly-big heads.
He is, though, an extremely nice guy, and a decent quick–sketch artist, based on what I saw of him at SDCC a summer or two ago.