Monday, April 2, 2012

Comic Mini-Reviews Week of March 28th, 2012
















This week: Mole Man is a sympathetic character, Justice League Dark fights vampires, and Jonah Hex hits New Orleans!
All Star Western #7 So the Jeremiah Arkham/Jonah Hex show isn't over yet. Our two intrepid heroes head down to New Orleans on the trail of a child slaver only to be hijacked into adventure by superhero cow-pokes, Nighthawk and Cinnamon. The first issue of All Star to not take place in Gotham, issue seven felt somewhat more free than its predecessors. I have no problem with the series returning to Bat-city occasionally but I hope for more forays like this one. As always, Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti nail the perfect tone for a western book and, of course, Moritat's art is fantastic. His female characters are immediately gorgeous, strong-looking, and they fit perfectly into the Western-themed world of All Star. This is especially important seeing as the current arc looks to involve two capable and deadly women in the forms of the heroic Cinnamon and the villainous Z. C. Branke. After a slight lull, I am glad to see ASW is picking back up again.

Aquaman #7 – While I have listed books like Batwoman and The Flash among the best looking of the New 52, I have been somewhat remiss in not adding Aquaman to their ranks. This is partly because JH Williams III and Francis Manapul have very stylized storytelling methods and Ivan Reis' art tends to be a bit more traditional. Regardless, Reis and inker Joe Prado have turned in one of the most consistent and classic looking books of the New 52. Aquaman and Mera look as iconic and heroic as writer Geoff Johns is desperately trying to convince us they are. Aquaman issue seven is a fast-paced push toward the revelation of some “Other League” that Arthur was once a part of. There's a whole conversation that could be had about the very quick introduction and death of a female member of the “Other League” at the hands of Black Manta, but I am not sure I want to lead it. I mean, is every female hero death an example of “women in refrigerators”? Are writers supposed to only use male heroes as cannon fodder? I'm not really sure what the answers are here. Regardless, Aquaman seven was a solid issue that eschews the exaggeration of earlier installments and focuses more on action and plot.

Daredevil #10 – The most amazing thing about Mark Waid is that he infuses every story with a reality and pathos that most other writers can't match. For example, issues nine and ten have been about Mole Man, a subterranean despot, stealing the coffins from an entire graveyard just to find the woman he once loved from afar so he can honor her in her death. Seriously, on paper that doesn’t seem like a story that would leave you feeling sympathy for the villain or seeing the shades of gray that the hero has to decipher. Yet, I felt for Mole Man and questioned Daredevil's dogged determination to return to the surface with her body. It's so good to catch a book being written by a writer at the top of his game. This is a run that will be talked about for years. The art by Paolo and Joe Rivera was great, as usual.

The Flash #7 – Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato's run on The Flash has been a pleasant surprise. Going into the New 52, we knew their art was going to be gorgeous but I don't think we could have known how solid their scripting would be. Even with seven very strongly written issues, the art has been the real star. Some of the dialogue beats and character development in issue seven weren't great. Barry Allen's girlfriend Patty Spivot turned into a Flash-hater awfully fast, but that's not a gigantic complaint. Regardless, The Flash is the kind of book that you need to pick up even if it's just for the gorgeous layouts and visual storytelling.

Green Lantern: New Guardians #7 – I enjoy this book way more than I have any right to. The concept is silly and the plot isn't great but I can't help myself. The idea of disparate characters forced to work together for their own good isn't new but there's something fun about the various Lantern Corps members fighting an avenging angel made of light. Tony Bedard's script is engaging but not perfect—at one point, Kyle Rayner makes a plea for the angel's leniency by pointing out that the “team” coming together is almost a miracle—and Tyler Kirkham's pencils are solid.

Justice League Dark #7/I, Vampire #7 – No, it's not the latest Twilight book and it's not the newest Underworld sequel! It's the Justice League Dark/I, Vampire crossover “Rise of the Vampires”! If you've been following my reviews, you know that I've picked up JLD from the beginning. Honestly, I, Vampire hasn't even been on my radar. So, of course, DC decided to force me to buy extra issues for two months by having the two books crossover. (See, that's how they getcha.) Justice League Dark was as solid as it has been all along but I was pretty impressed with I, Vampire. The vampire-centric book is filled with moody art and interesting characters. Joshua Hale Fialkov and Andrea Sorrentino have created a vampire apocalypse that is immediately engaging and layered. As far as crossovers go, JLD/I,Vampire ranks well ahead of the other New 52 crossover I reviewed earlier this year, Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E./O.M.A.C. At least the two issues told separate parts of the story instead of retreading the same events from the other issue.

Legion: Secret Origins #6 – So, the mini-series is over and the Legion (or at least some nascent form of it) has finally formed. Yet, despite the story's completion, I feel like something is missing. Paul Levitz took what had once been a pretty straightforward origin—three superpowered kids protect a rich guy from assassins—and muddied the water. This style of origin rejiggering is in vogue at the moment with Green Lantern and Superman both receiving similar treatment over the last half decade. Generally, the Secret Origins serve (or at least attempt) to strengthen the existent canon by filling it out. It is pretty obvious that that was the intent of this Legion retelling but mostly it just added a bunch of sound and fury that signified nothing. There was no real peril, no interesting revelations—not much of anything really. While it certainly filled out the events leading up to the birth of the future superhero team, I am not sure it actually added anything of interest. At least the art by Chris Batista and Marc Deering was good looking.

Spaceman #5 – Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso's brilliant dystopian kidnapping-thriller/space-exploring-man-ape story continues to be one of the best books I buy monthly. The real strength is the world building that is done by the pair of creators through a steady diet of visuals and indirect hints. Really, the book is so elegant in its creation that you don't even realize just how much your understanding of Orson's world expands with every installment. Spaceman isn't exactly the smartest antagonist, but the heroic lengths he has gone to protect Tara are endearing. It's a depressing future and it isn't what I would call a fun read—but I would call it words like compelling and fascinating.

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