Comic book reviews for the week of March 9th in six sentences (or less)

Best of the Week

Ultimate Spider-man #155
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: Chris Samnee

Peter Parker needs a job and J. Jonah Jameson wants to give him one. The only problem is Jameson knows that Peter is actually Spider-man. So begins one of the best Ultimate comics I have ever read.

This, this issue is what the ultimate universe is/was supposed to be all about. Rebooting familiar characters, freeing them from the shackles of continuity and adding depth to characters who are too often dismissed as two dimensional stereotypes.

Long dismissed as a running gag in the Marvel 616 Jameson was reduced to being an over animated punchline, who’s only real value was to provide comic relief whenever Spider-man acted out. But in this issue Bendis has completed the rehabilitation of the character in a poignant way without ever betraying his core beliefs. Although Jameson feels compelled to help because of the heroism he witnessed during Ultimatum and being saved by Peter from the Chameleon twins, he still has lingering doubts from his time as the leader of the anti Spider-man lobby.

What follows is a traditional Bendisesque heavy dialogue piece that instantly managed to portray an unsympathetic character in a completely different light. Suddenly Jameson wasn’t a joke, he was a fully realized character whose motivations and behaviour made a lot of sense. He wasn’t a foil to be laughed at, he was a fully realized person.

I know the great Ultimate experiment seems to slowly coming to an end. Long past its heyday Ultimate Spider-man is the only title to exhibit any real staying power. And its issues like this that demonstrate just why that is. After 155 issues Ultimate Spider-man is far from stale, its a comic book clinic that shows off how the tights and fights genre can transcend its more self destructive aspects and still be entertaining and engaging.

Batman and Robin #21
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Penciller: Patrick Gleason

Someone is killing the relatives of Arkham Asylum inmates. Dubbed the White Knight this misguided soul is drugging his victims and dressing them up as angels in the misguided hope that in death he can absolve them of their dark familial connections.

Tomasi has absolutely nailed the affectionate, biting humour of this Batman and Robin. Although very much a second tier Bat-book, freed, for now, from the overarching meta-continuity imposed by DC uber-writer Grant Morrison this is Batman (and Robin) done right. The book strips the B&R mythology down to its roots, solving crimes, kicking ass, hanging out with Alfred and friendly verbal sparring. It’s everything you want in a Batman, minus the constant whinging emo-angst of losing ones parents.

Walking Dead #82
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Penciller: Charlie Adlard

Rick’s band of merry men is in danger of being overrun by a herd of zombies who are pouring through a gap in the compound wall. Fighting a running battle, the group retreats into the deserted houses, powerless to stop the horde.

As much as I love this series, the formulaic nature of its ups and downs is starting to become increasingly unsatisfying. It’s like having the same great meal every day, eventually endless repetition will turn the juiciest steak into sawdust.

The problem is that the central narrative of THE WALKING DEAD has never achieved a stable status quo. Which is good, because a comic book that’s only fighting to maintain the status quo is one that’s apeing the worst qualities of the mainstream superhero set. On the other hand, this series has fallen into a predictable story arc whose tropes are becoming increasingly well worn.

Find shelter. Introduce new characters. Conflict. Zombies. Group splits up. And repeat.

In a world where the writer is trying to create a realistic vision of the zombie apocalypse, WD is increasingly bumping up against the restrictions of its medium. Every time the protagonists achieve some measure of safety Kirkman knocks over the table and starts the whole cycle over again. It’s a problem with any series that’s been around for as long as this one has. It becomes harder to keep things fresh as continuity starts to pile up on you.

Wonder Woman #608
Writer: Phil Hester
Penciller: Geraldo Borges

The Amazonian remnants continue to fight off the bloodthirsty minions of The Morrigan. Diana’s cohorts are slowly being picked off and the Amazon Princess is forced to fight for her life against dark incarnations of her former sisters.

The more I read this the more I like where this is going. This reboot-Diana embodies the best of the Wonder Woman mythology with the added bonus of getting to redefine the essentials of what the character is about. My only complaint is how this storyline comes complete with a magical get out of jail card. Hester is telegraphing a return to ‘normal’ so much that I’m hoping this whole thing is giant red herring and DC will show the cojones to see this reboot go a little longer. After all, if they can play around Batman, the company’s number one money maker, then surely they can take a flyer on Wondie. Are there really a horde of fans clamouring for the old Wonder Woman? Do they just fear change that much or can they only enjoy their superheroines when they’re scantily clad?

(As a completely selfish aside, I wish Hester was drawing this title instead of just writing it. After all, if Finch can write and draw his own Batman title then surely there’s room to let a fantastic artist like Hester have complete control of the book.)

Comic book reviews for the week of February 16th in six sentences (or less)

Brightest Day #20
Writer: Geoff Johns and Peter J. Tomasi
Penciller: Ivan Reis & Joe Prado

The Aquawar continues. Aquaman, Mera, Aquagirl and Aquaboy (Aqua, Aqua, Aqua!) fight off Black Manta and the rebellious soldiers from the kingdom of Xebel, who are intent on conquering the surface world. The Aqua Squad manages to reimprison the Xebelian soldiers back inside the Bermuda triangle before White Lantern Deadman shows up to kill Aquaman.

Only in comic books does that last sentence make sense.

I’m still not 100% sure where Johns and co are going with this thing. Clearly the White Lantern energy functions as a bit of a deus ex machina allowing the writers to kill, torture and maim characters with little or no lasting repercussions. A little wave of the magic wishing ring and the characters can be resurrected in any incarnation that DC wants to use. Its an interesting premise but it also cheapens the story since all of the major character changes (breaking the
Hawk curse, Aquaman losing his hand...again) can arbitrarily be undone at any time.

Still enjoying the series and I think its one of the stronger titles DC is putting out these days. Its a shame that it’s wrapping up so soon.

Green Lantern
Writer: Geoff Johns
Penciller: Doug Mahnke

Green Lantern and the original renegade Guardian, Krona, face off. Even with the help of the rest of the Rainbow Corps the Lanterns are easily overpowered and Krona makes his escape. Hal wakes up surrounded by the Justice League who try to convince him to accept their help in catching Krona. Only Hal ditches the Leaguers and decides to go after Krona with the rest of Team Lite Brite instead.

Looks like this is the last issue before the next John-sian Green Lantern event, War of the Green Lanterns. It seems like Johns is starting to tread on KNIGHTSFALL territory here. With each escalating conflict Hal is slowly being pushed to the limits of his endurance, mentally and physically. And of course we all know what happened the LAST time Hal went down this path.

All together now, “Parallaxxxxxxx”.

Also, I’d like to give an obligatory shout out to Doug Mahnke. The man knows how to draw. His wonderfully detailed and expressive work is always a treat to look at. Colourist Randy Mayor also deserves credit. With Green Lantern being a comic based primarily on bright and shiny colour based powers a skilled colourist is key to bringing the whole look of the book together. And with this issue Mayor does a great job of seamlessly blending the entire gamut of the rainbow during the larger fight scenes.

Green Lantern Corps #57
Writer: Tony Bedard
Penciller: Tyler Kirkham

The conclusion to the Weaponer storyline. The Sinestro Corps and the Qwardian Thunderers throw down in the anti-matter universe. Amongst the fighting a small band of Green Lanterns work to rescue the Lantern Soranik Natu from the hands of the vengeful Weaponer. Unfortunately, Natu just happens to be Sinestro’s daughter and he wants her back.

There were some good things in this issue. The art was solid, the story well written and there was an interesting character turn with the main villain that I didn’t see coming. One strange thing, all the Qwardian Thunderers are written like the chorus in an ancient Greek tragedy. It was a bit off. I kept expecting to see someone get ritually disembowelled or sleep with his mother (oh Oedipus Rex).

This also marks my last issue of GL:Corps. The series has fallen off a bit since Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason helmed the title. Tony Bedard and Tyler Kirkham are perfectly serviceable, but regrettably neither one of them has been able to hold my flagging interest in this series. I only have so many Green Lantern dollars to throw and this is the title that was sacrificed.

Wonder Woman #607
Writer: Phil Hester
Penciller: Don Kramer

Wonder Woman is harried by the forces of Morrigan, looking to recruit her as a third aspect of the God of War. The Morrigan sends mythological Grecian beings and brainwashed Amazons after Diana in order to wear down her defences in the hopes of corrupting her.

I have to say, I started reading this series only to sneak a peek at Wonder Woman’s new costume and narrative direction. Eight issues later I find myself enjoying this title a lot more than I thought I would. Shallow or not I was always a little put off by Wonder Woman’s crime fighting attire. Her propensity to slug it out in a star spangled bathing suit always struck me as being at odds with her character as a warrior and ambassador to man’s world. And Phil Hester as a writer? I’m diggin it. I’ve always counted the man among some of my favourite artists so its nice to see he’s got some writing chops as well.

Sadly, its fairly obvious that this new direction won’t last very long. Her Amazonian support crew is already being permanently dispatched with clockwork regularity and there’s a lot of narrative foreshadowing (or flashbacks, depending on how you look at it) to her previous incarnation. It seems a shame that DC is unwilling to try playing with this new status quo a little longer. If we can muck around with the fundamentals of Batman, a character who’s popularity seems to buoy the entire company, then why can’t we take a risk and see what can be done with this new look Wonder Woman?

Comic book reviews for the week of January 26th in six sentences (or less)

We were transitioning june-ya to daycare this week, and I took some time off in case there was a meltdown or some child on child violence. (Mine would win) Thus I was late in getting to my LCS and writing up everyone’s favourite comic book reviews.

But what I lack in timeliness I make up for in biased opinions and half-assed writing. And today, you’ll get both of those in spades.

THE AVENGERS #9
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: John Romita Jr.

The Avengers continue their quest to discover the identity of the thief who stole the Infinity Gems. Of course all that gets derailed when Steve Rogers discovers the existence of illuminati led by Iron Man who have kept the location of the Gems hidden. Cue several pages of Civil War redux where Rogers and Tony Stark posture and preen and re-ignite their not-so-passive-aggressive hate fest.

Bendis writes 22 pages of talky-talky. JRJR draws 22 pages of pretty drawings. This comic book is exactly what you think it will be.

GREEN ARROW #8
Writer: J.T. Krul
Penciller: Diogenes Neves

Green Arrow is a character that’s had a lot of difficulty finding any stability lately. He’s been a bloodthirsty vigilante, a reluctant father, a proto-Batman, complete with arrow-themed sidekicks, and a confident family man. But none of these interpretations have successfully taken. The character seems cursed by an endless cycle of rebirth that comes complete with a new creative team and a new direction for the hero. Constantly set upon by the whims of editorial it seems like we’re always trying to understand just what it is that makes the Green Arrow tick. Thankfully, J.T. seems to be aware of that fact and he’s chosen to take a slow burn in develop the characters new status quo. He’s reinvented GA as the Robin Hood knockoff that he clearly always been, complete with his own group of Merry Men. The central theme of this title has always been about the various characters exploration of their own motivations and desires. The subject of identity comes to the forefront time and again. ‘Who am I and what do I want’ is a question asked by hero and villain alike. Everyone is searching for something in themselves and a mythical forest, which offers up only more questions, is the perfect backdrop in which to do so.

In this issue Lois Lane drops by to take a look at the magical forest that has sprouted up in the middle of Star City. (An aside: are we officially calling this forest magical now? I thought it was a byproduct of the White Lantern energy.) Sherwood Forest has begun to attract attention from both the scientific community and the DCU’s magic-based underbelly. The two sides collide as each of them struggle to understand the meaning and purpose behind the forest’s appearance. It’s a good issue, a solid attempt to understand and explain the rules and circumstances that GA now has to operate by. It doesn’t reach for the stars but instead chooses to focus on smaller and ultimately more satisfying personal internal struggles.

SHAZAM! #1
Writer: Eric Wallace
Penciller: Cliff Richards

The Marvel family, one of DC’s more poorly developed properties, continues its long slide into creative marginalization. Ever since the poorly executed weekly series, COUNTDOWN, Captain Marvel and the gang have been little more than jumped up lab rats for various DCU creators to experiment with. Mary Marvel’s character was altered beyond recognition, Billy Batson was shuffled off into expositional irrelevance, Freddy Freeman’s rebirth as the new Captain Marvel was robbed of any impact whatsoever by a disappointingly received mini series that was plagued by delays and the most successful character of the bunch was the super villain and perpetual faux Superman foil, Black Adam.

In this one off, meant to catapult the Fawcett characters back into the DCU proper X X starts with the germ of a good idea; ‘Why does everyone granted the powers of Shazam inevitably squander their gift’ and turns it into a 22 page slugfest. Nothing of importance is revealed, nothing of consequence happens and nothing about this issue makes me think the Marvel family is on the verge of a creative renaissance. This wasn’t a bad issue, it just didn’t strike me as anything to get excited about. And its a sad reality of comic books in the 21st century that while you may not have to hit a homerun everytime, you definitely won’t get very far doing the same old thing.

WONDER WOMAN #606
Writer: Phil Hester (by way of J. Michael Stracynski)
Artist: Eduardo Pansica

Wonder Woman battles against the Huntsman, a minion of the Morrigan, the god of war personified by three deities.

J. Michael Stracynski’s aborted Wonder Woman character reboot seems to be bearing fruit. Like Green Arrow, Wonder Woman is a character with a long convoluted publishing history. Her execution in her early stories seems at odds with her characterization. That’s not the only contradiction inherent in Wondie’s makeup. It’s a difficult to stand as an icon of feminist ideals when you’re reduced to fighting crime in your bathing suit. Some writers have twisted themselves into a pretty pretzel in order to explain her garb and her backstory, but the truth remains she’s a hard character to write well.

I know it could be argued that rebooting a character is the lazy way out and normally I’d agree. But I’ve seen Wonder Woman as the Amazon warrior, the ambassador to man’s world and the superhero crimefighter. And none of these interpretations works for me. They’re too safe, too pat. Her character is too sure of herself and whenever an author attempts to graft insecurities onto her frame it always comes across as forced. Stracynski’s back to basics approach, an exploration of a woman trying to define her place in a world that isn’t her own, allows for character growth and exploration that the original incarnation just couldn’t handle. I know the reboot won’t stick, but it’s got me reading a Wonder Woman comic for the first time in 31 years. So that has to be worth something.

New Comic Day - Buy List for December 22, 2010

Here’s a list of what I’m picking up at my LCS tomorrow. A big pull, looks like an early Christmas present to myself.

Batman Incorporated #2
DC Universe: Legacies #8
Green Lantern Corps #55
Green Lantern: Larfleeze Christmas Special #1
Hellblazer #274
Invincible #76
Justice League of America #52
Superior #3
Ultimate Comics Doom #1
Ultimate Comics Spiderman #151
Wonder Woman #605

Comic book reviews for the week of October 27th in six sentences (or less)

Best of the week

Hellblazer: City of Demons #2

If you’ve read one Hellblazer comic, you’ve read them all. The ‘blazer genre tropes are pretty well worn by this time; so writer Si Spencer just embraces what’s great about the character and rolls with it. As I mentioned when I reviewed the first issue I don’t get why this is being spun out into a mini but artist Sean Murphy’s work is so great that I couldn’t care less. Anyway, Constantine seems to have been possessed by a demon (or demons) and he can pass along this possession like an infection to anyone he meets. Of course normal people don’t deal with being infected by a demon very well and they tend to do lots of horrific and bloody things. I’m enjoying the hell out of the series so far, no pun intended, and I can’t wait to see where it takes me.

Actions Comics #894

In this issue Lex Luthor continues on his quest to seek the truth behind the black power rings from the Blackest Night event. Only Lex’s journey has been put briefly on hold while he comes to grips with the fact that he is, y’know, dead. Death, making a rare cameo outside of Neil Gaiman’s ever popular Sandman series, shows up to wheel, deal and help Lex accept his sudden change in status. This is a fantastic issue. In Paul Cornell’s hands Lex Luthor is still the same ruthless, irredeemable villain he’s always been, only now for some reason he’s a lot more interesting. Cornell manages to explore some of the seldom seen aspects of Luthor’s personality without invalidating who the character is at this core. And it’s always great to see that Gaiman’s Sandman characters continue to play a role in the DCU. If I thought there was any hope in hell Neil would come back to the characters I’d love to see this issue as a trial balloon to gauge reader interest in the franchise.

Avengers #6

Avengers vs. Ultron vs. Future Avengers vs. Kang. There can be only one. Bendis’s first story arc on the reincorporated AVENGERS comes to a close. And with all things time travel related it was a great opportunity for the writer to drop some hints about future story arcs. I don’t have too much to quibble with here. The art was pretty and the story and dialogue were engaging. That being said, I’m dropping the title. I’ve always been a DC guy at heart and on top of that my budget can’t really float another 3.99 ongoing. But it was fun while it lasted and I have no issue pointing prospective readers towards the book if they’re looking for a good read.

Gravel #21

Wait, is this series over? Because this issue reads suspiciously like a series finale. Being an Avatar release there are always about a hundred pictures in the back of the book, detailing the many variant covers of the company’s upcoming releases. And unfortunately I can’t see a solicitation for issue #22 anywhere. Given that series creator Warren Ellis is supposedly penning a live screen adaption of GRAVEL I find the timing of the title’s cancellation extremely unfortunate. Or perhaps it was always meant to wrap up in this way. Anyway, in this ish Gravel throws down with Bible Jack for control of London’s magic. There’s some magic, some gore, a little of the old ultra-violence and a bit of swearing. Happy Halloween!

Green Arrow #5

Green Arrow fights off an uprising of Blackest Night style super zombies while trying to save the life of an innocent bystander who was injured by the assassin Nix. Typing sentences like that reminds me why I can’t interest my wife in comics. Especially if I were to mention that GA beats the zombies by shooting them with slivers of wood from the God Tree. I enjoy how titles with the Brightest Day banner on them are still touching on Blackest Night plot points six issues later. Too often Big Two events are really just an excuse to mix up the status quo. Once the new status has been achieved the big events are quickly forgotten. I suppose that in the pursuit of new readers this reset button is a necessary evil. But I prefer to think of continuity as a boon and not a hindrance.

Superman #704

If there were a section for most irrelevant comic of the week, you’d be looking at it. DC apparently needed to plug some material into their Superman publishing schedule in order to cover for writer JMS’s ongoing illness. What the reader gets is an unnecessary fill-in issue with Lois reminiscing about the road untaken. Or at least, that was probably the intention. Instead it feels more like 22 pages of Lois whining and complaining about being stuck in Superman’s shadow, which is at completely at odds with her character. The art is flat, feels strangely unfinished and every so often the artist, Leandro Oliveira, throws in a canted angle that sticks out from the page like a chorus line of nuns doing the can-can. If you read just one Superman title this week, well, I hope it isn’t this one.

Ultimate Avengers 3 #3

Mark Millar. Blade. Ultimate Universe. Vampires. Mix liberally and apply to the infected area twice daily. Add a healthy dollop of Steve Dillon and enjoy.

Ultimate Comics Mystery #4

I forgot to pick up this issue. What can I say, it was a heavy week and it slipped through the cracks.

Ultimate Comics Spider-man #15

Only one more issue to go before this title goes back to it’s new, old number. Wait, did I say that right? Anyway, in this issue Peter Parker is attempting to regroup and pick up the pieces of his life after almost dying at the hands of the Chameleon Twins. His relationships with MJ and Gwen are falling apart. And even though he’s be lauded as a hero by the Daily Planet, somehow fighting crime seems to have lost its appeal. This is the first real pause for reflection this title has taken since it was rebooted fifteen issues ago. This is Bendis at his best, portraying complicated, nuanced character relationships with depth and feeling. Unlike so many other heroes in the spandex set, what makes Spider-man one of the greats is how he deals with his life when the mask comes off. Bendis has done a great job here reminding us of the timeless nature of the character.

As an aside, Marvel needs to pack in those absolutely terrible Spider-man\Mazda ads on the back over. I'm all for companies making a buck with cross promotions. I just don't think the serious car buyer is going to be won over by an ad on the back of his or her funny book.

Wonder Woman #604

This is how we do it! Unlike his work on SUPERMAN I’m enjoying JMS’s turn on WONDER WOMAN much more. I suspect a lot of that has to do with the fact that essentially Straczynski has been given a clean slate to play with the character. What you’re looking at when you pick up this book is the Ultimitized version of the character and, in my opinion, its really starting to come together. There are just enough familiar elements here to be comfortable to returning readers, but the take is fresh and new enough that new readers don’t feel hemmed in by decades of stifling continuity. In this issue, Wondie throws down with Ultimate Steve Trevor who, without Diana’s influence, has become a horrifically scarred mercenary for hire responsible for the deaths of all the Amazons.

Comic book reviews for the week of September 29th

A light week this time out, as I make good on my promise to keep my comic purchasing habits under control. So without further ado…

Best of the week

Action Comics #893

Like your Superman based comics to actually have Superman in them? Well then you’re in the minority chumly, because for the past two years the Man of Steel has been MIA in his own flagship title. These days ACTION COMICS is the stomping grounds for Lex Luthor and his quest to locate the power source of the Black Lantern Rings, after his own ring based adventures in Blackest Night. This month, Paul Cornell and Sean Chen continue Luthor’s adventures amongst the Who’s Who of the DCU’s A-List baddies by engineering a confrontation with Gorilla Grodd (kneel before Grodd!!!). And don’t forget the backup starring perennial afterthought Jimmy Olsen and newly discovered afterthought Chloe Sullivan.

Green Arrow #4
I think that the character of Green Arrow has all the strengths of Batman, with none of the weaknesses that come from being that same wildly popular character, with multiple ongoing titles and a 70 year publishing history. In the larger DCU pantheon of heroes Green Arrow is a relatively untapped resource that is all too often overlooked. Unfortunately, in DC’s attempt to give him relevance and meaning they had to set fire to his marriage, morals, back story and supporting cast. All so they could pigeonhole him into mirroring a modern day Robin Hood mythos. The whole concept is uninspired and a little too ‘on the nose’ for my taste, even if the story is adequately handled.

Wonder Woman #603

My plan was to pick up this title only for its first arc under J. Michael Straczynski. The writing is perfectly serviceable and the story line is interesting, but I’ve never been interested enough in the character to follow her adventures on an ongoing basis. Unfortunately, while turning out an enjoyable script, JMS hasn’t done anything this month to make me change my mind about that. Interesting and enjoyable just aren’t enough to counter the paralyzing lack of interest I’ve built up around this character. I appreciate what JMS is trying to do, by playing around with one of DC’s golden calfs and seeing if he can’t alter her frozen status quo, just a bit. Anyway, this month WW continues to learn about her new role as protector of the Amazonian remnants in man’s world.