Katherine just wandered downstairs. I have her watching Krypto – The Superdog. Heh. This is a great generation to grow up for lovers of comics and comics themes when it comes to cartoons. More on that some other time.
Let’s get to the reviews!
Review code format (ranked 1-5, blah to faboo): [writing / art / new reader? / non-comics reader?]
Adventures in the Rifle Brigade (Vertigo) [1/2/4/2] (collects the two 3-issue mini-series)
w. Garth Ennis; a. Carlos Ezquerra
It’s a pity that I start off the reviews with an item I’d just as soon not have gotten, but I’m trying to do these alphabetically. The dangers, I guess, of “waiting for the trade,” I’d had reasonable hopes during the initial runs, but held off until the TPB. Oh, well. Garth Ennis is iconoclastic and foul-minded, but he’s often also creative and interesting and entertaining (there’s some CBLDF-appropriate themes here). In this case, though, chronicling the misadventures of a stereotypical WWII commando unit, he stumbles badly. The mixture of stereotypes both bores and offends rather than entertains. At least the Nazis come off no better than the Allies here. Bleah. This one needs to go up for sale on eBay sometime …
Amazing Spider-Man: The Book of Ezekiel (Vol. 7) (Marvel) [4/3/4/3] (collects #503-508)
w. Joe Straczynski; a. John Romita, Jr.
The JMS run on Amazing Spider-Man has been mixed — some really powerful, solid stuff, a good leavening of humor, a few odd missteps. This collection is no exception. The first few issues have Spidey forced to combat a powerful sorceress, and the only ally he has is … Loki? Hi-larious, and nicely done. The second half, wrapping up the long-term “Is Spidey magic-based, and who’s this Ezekiel guy who keeps popping up, Vorlon-like, to drop a few cryptic lines of advice?” The answers to the former remain murky (and intentionally so), the answers to the latter are actually in keeping with the whole Vorlon theme, and with Joe’s philosophy of keeping folks guessing. Is Ezekiel a Saint or a Sinner. The answer, in true Joe style, is both and neither. Entertaining enough, and with some solid dramatic punch, but an odd enough departure from Spidey canon to grate. JR, Jr’s art is clean and expressive, but remains blockier than I care for. This is the best work of neither creator, but it’s still a good read.
Amazing Spider-Man: Sins Past (Vol. 8) (Marvel) [3/3/4/2] (collects #509-514)
w. Joe Straczynski; a. Mike Deodato Jr.
This story arc deserved neither its accolades nor its (more common) brickbats. I guess I don’t revere the sacred memory of Gwen Stacy enough, but discovering that there was more to her past than we knew before she died a few decades ago (!) doesn’t shake the foundations of my soul — nor, frankly, thrill me. It all works out fairly well, and, again, JMS can write strong, personal scenes extremely well, but the overlal story arc feels too comic-booky, if that makes sense — melodrama for the sake of. Don’t give up Spidey comics because of this, fergoshsakes (some people need to get a life), but don’t pick them up because of it, either.
Say hello to Katherine and Margie for me. 🙂
Will do. And you to Jules and Tristan. 🙂