Okay, shifting gears again — how about some discussion of more comics I’ve read recently? You think that would be a fine idea? Great, let’s do it …
- Exiles #66-67 (Marvel): I almost gave up on this title, then readjusted my expecations (after the glory days with Judd Winick) to accept it as it is. The mission of the team has changed — some — as they seek out broken realities, having learned how things got broken in the first place, take having put them back together — sorta. Currently they’re on a mission on a World of Giant Monsters, dealing with such notables as Krakoa and Fin Fang Foom. Fun. Tony Bedard’s writing is fairly good, and Jim Calafiore’s art has been a nice constant on the book for a while.
- Ex Machina #13 (Wildstorm): The background of Mayor Hundred and his mysterious control over machines continues to be slowly played out, even as another “Great Machine” — or is it a robot? — fights a vigilante war, Hundred’s old supporters try to track it down, a police captain tries to bring down Hundred’s organization, and the Mayor finds himself on jury duty with a twist ending. Brian Vaughan and Tony Harris are turning in one of the more quietly consistent and solid titles out there today. Give it a try.
- Fantastic Four #528-529 (Marvel): JMS’s FF isn’t quite as warm and fuzzy as Mark Waid’s, but his characters are vibrant and real, and the situations interesting and well-considered. Currently, Ben is faced with being a hell of a lot richer than he thought he was, and slipping a bit into a “can money buy happiness” sort of mode. Meanwhile, Mr. Fantastic has been asked to assist with creating an army of cosmic ray-boosted soldiers but has come to a startling conclusion about their initial accident that leads him to sabotage the government effort — making him a fugitive. Just in time, of course, for Child Protective Services to start sniffing around at how much danger Franklin and Valeria are in living with the Richards. Yikes. Good stuff.
- Flash #223-224 (DC): Okay, I am ready for Geoff Johns to wrap up the whole Rogues War/Zoom/Reverse Flash bit. It’s dragged on about, oh, a year too long, has involved too many characters, and seems intended primarily to find a way to screw around with Wally and Linda. Johns, when he’s on is game, is challenging and imaginative. When he’s not, he’s simply a rat bastard who makes heroes miserable. I’m afraid Flash has been over in the latter column for far more than long enough.
- Freshmen #1 (Top Cow): An incoming college class (established, at length, as being as idiosyncratic and madcap as any other fictional class of that sort) is exposed to Something Strange that seems to have given them powers. Both promising and irksome. Seth Green is loudly promoted as “co-creator,” but the writing is by Hugh Sterbakov, with pencils by the always-talented Leonard Kirk. Judgment reserved.
- Green Arrow #52 (DC): GA is certain that his identity — and that of his son and new sidekick — has been blown. And with all the Identity Crisis stuff in the air, he’s worried about where it’s going next. Nice work from Winick; Fowler’s pencils are okay but a scosh cartoony.
12 view(s)