Wow. Concentration is definitely running on fumes here. As I review the books for material to comment about, I keep getting distracted and starting to read …
The Twelve, Vol. 1 (Marvel) [collects #1-6]
w. Joe Straczynski; a. Chris Weston
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New reader? | |
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Non-comics reader? |  |
Twelve heroes, buried in suspended animation since the end of WWII. How can they adjust to a world so changed in the last sixty years … to families gone … to careers obsoleted … to societal attitudes and norms so altered.
The answer is, it’s not very easy. That’s the tale of the Twelve: Captain Wonder, Dynamic Man, Mastermind Excello, Mister E, the Laughing Mask, the Witness, the Black Widow, the Phantom Reporter, the Fiery Mask, Rockman, the Blue Blade, and Electro the Marvel of the Age, all trying to find their place in the Twenty-First Century.
Joe does a great job of coming up with variations on those reactions, and the problems different heroes of different types face. Weston’s art is nicely realistic, making these folks status as “mere mortals” in garish costumes all the more obvious.
Good stuff — waiting for the second volume to come out now.
Usagi Yojimbo, Vol. 21, “The Mother of Mountains” (Dark Horse) [collects #83-89]
Usagi Yojimbo, Vol. 22, “Tomoe’s Story” (Dark Horse) [collects #90-93, Color Special 1-3]
w/a. Stan Sakai
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New reader? |  |
| Art | |
Non-comics reader? | |
Sakai returns with two more collections of his rabbit ronin. These tales of Japanese society, myth, and, of course, swordplay are, as always, exquisitely drawn and well-written. Both these volumes focus a lot on Tomoe, the female cat samurai who is such a close comrade of Usagi’s. The final story is a lovely detailing of a Chinese Tea Ceremony.
In a genre where violence can be just cheap thrills, Usagi Yojimbo retains an artistry and integrity that few titles can match.
Listening to: -Various Game, “Hyllian Suite” (Beyond Good and Evil))