Brendan & Adan’s Picks, Pans & Scans - April 25, 2007

Amazons Attack #1

Adan: This is just a second issue of Wonder Woman in the same week, is all. Sarge Steel and Circe, regulars in Wonder Woman, make appearances here, as does, you know, Wonder Woman. In fact, one should probably read Wonder Woman #9, also out this week, before reading this. A few guest spots by Black Lightning and Batman make this a somewhat more exciting issue of Wonder Woman, but it’s still just an issue of Wonder Woman. I will say this: Washington, DC, gets blowed the fuck up. Monument after monument fall to the Amazon hordes, except for the most obvious one: the Washington Monument. One would think that’s the first one these militant feminists would zero in on.

Brendan: Actually, I would also recommend you check out this month’s Wonder Woman [PCS Preview]. After floundering without an identity for eight issues, this issue manages to finally feel like it’s putting it together. The Nemesis/ Wonder Woman scene was actually charming, and Diana started to seem human instead of just talk about it. The Dodsons return, and with them bring an A list feeling to the work. The recent announcement of Gail Simone as a regular series writer is welcome news. She will right the ship.

I have a feeling Countdown will work in a similar fashion to Amazons Attack. If it is meant to be the “spine” of the DCU, there is going to be some cross over. I thought this was a fun DC read. Pete Woods seems to have really taken a turn upward since his work on Up, up, and Away, and his Amazons were frightening. I wonder if after this Amazons will be more or less confusing. Also, are there like a million Sarge Steel impersonators? Seriously?

Adan: He’s the most impersonated guy in the DCU, I’m sure. I think even Anarky pretended to be Sarge Steel once.

Connor Hawke: Dragon’s Blood #6

Adan: The last issue of this fantastic mini-series is just as fantastic as the rest of it! Shado and Eddie have a little chat about the boy, whilst he loses even more if his innocence. And from our high school literature courses, we all know that once innocence is lost, it can never be regained. The character work in this mini has been so good, I now want to see a lot more of Connor Hawke, but he has to be written by Chuck Dixon. Judd Winnick has to keep his grubby fucking mitts off him. I also wouldn’t mind if Derec Donovan drew every Connor adventure for the rest of time. I love the lips he gives Connor, Oh, and the fact that his Chinese people actually look like Chinese people is also pretty cool.

Brendan: This issue seemed like a solid ending to Green Arrow II’s newest series. It always bothered me how much Connor seemed to regress after his stint in Grant Morrison’s JLA, if only for the resurgence of his father. By making mention of this, as well as showing him reach his potential, this issue shines without any GA Sr. It may even gives Iron Fist a run for its money for kung fu action, but comes up just short. Hawke still feels like a supporting cast member to me, but I would enjoy the occasional solo short story.

Adan: Yeah, well you’re a poopy head. Connor Hawke is a great character, and this was a great series. You’re just jealous you didn’t get a mini-series where you kicked a dragon’s ass, and then kung-fued your way all up on a sucka. The green-eyed monster is a very dangerous thing, McGuirk.

Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America - Avengers

Brendan: Goddamn, that Ed McGuinness and Dexter Vines sure can make the pretty pictures. What better place for team EDex to make their full issue debut than a book with, count ‘em, both Avengers squads? The answer, of course, is nowhere. McGuinness’ characters always manage to exude tremendous power, making the Avengers the perfect fit. Someday, when the moon is right, maybe we’ll even see an issue or two of him drawing The Ultimates. Or maybe we’ll all be dead by then. Who knows.

So the art is fantastic. It even manages to feel like a bridge between the art styles of the two books. The story follows suit, with the story of the Mighty Avengers fighting scary looking monsters and with the New Avengers playing a hand of poker while talking a lot. Everyone deals with loss in their own way. Or, rather, in this comic, everyone deals the same. In keeping with the “stages of grief” outline for the Fallen Son series, we meet the Avengers at “anger.” Rather, we meet them as they progress from denial to anger. The legitimate, Mighty squad seems to be working through the grief, with a hint of Ms. Marvel brand brutality, while the underground New team is waiting in hiding for Cap’s return. Both teams are obviously trying desperately and fruitlessly to put the death out of their minds, and the emotions of both rise to a boil. Enjoyable and entertaining, with an overdue Young Avengers cameo, it doesn’t fully satisfy. The chronology doesn’t seem to mesh, with the death issue, the Mighty launch, the Civil War: Initiative one shot, and the subsequent New Avengers follow up all seemingly concurrent. Didn’t Ms. Marvel tell Spider-Woman it was all okay? Did Wolverine break into SHIELD bases twice for the same reason? I will say that Loeb more deftly interweaves the Anger theme than he did Denial, but he still resorts to simply using the word a lot towards the end to stress his point. Someday I’m going to figure out why it is that every top level talent loves working with Loeb, but this issue wasn’t terribly helpful in figuring it out.

Adan: Yes, McGuinnes is fantastic. I can’t look at his art and not start drooling. But, and there’s usually always a but, what’s with the concurrent storytelling? If you’re going to do something like this, it’s usually best to arrange your panels in such a way so as to not confuse the readers. Either keep them all top-bottom, like in the beginning, or keep them all right-left. Don’t just switch back and forth between the two for the entire issue. Normally, I like concurrent storytelling; it’s a useful tool to tell more than one story, set in either different places at the same time, or in different times at the same place (see that Greyshirt story Alan Moore did in one of those Tomorrow Stories issues). And Brendan is right, the continuity is all mucked up, the theme is pounded into my skull (does he really write the word “anger” three times at the end of the issue?), and good artists continue insisting to work with Loeb for apparently no good reason.

Johnny Hiro #1

Brendan: So if you like Scott Pilgrim, and I know you do, check out Johnny Hiro (half asian, all hero). It is pretty great. With just the right mix of superslapstickmonsterificaction, Fred Chao’s dream-like tale reads like a Nickelodeon fairy tale, only in Brooklyn with giant lizards. So, y’know, it’s pretty great. Chao really nails the action throughout the issue, each jump and kick is crystal clear. The dialogue of Hiro’s girlfriend, Mayumi, is maybe probably a little racy, but comes off innocently enough. The grey tones by Dylan Babb are good, and avoid distraction. Nextwave, Vimanarama, Casanova, Scott Pilgrim, Johnny Hiro. If you’re a fan of ass kicking action, then you are a fan of these books.

Adan: The Scott Pilgrim analogy is apt here. Johnny Hiro is just a regular dude who happens to be put into an extraordinary situation: a giant radioactive lizard takes his girlfriend and he has to rescue her. The dialogue and caption boxes are hilarious and sweet, and Mayor Bloomberg’s cameo is the best thing I’ve ever seen Mayor Bloomberg do, ever. And I don’t think Mayumi’s dialogue is racy so much as another hilarious joke. I could really hear her inside my head, which is usually not the case when I’m reading comic books. Look, just pick it up. It’s a $2.95 one-shot and there’s no more Civil War bullshit to buy, so you have no excuse. If your LCS sells out, order online. If your online store sells out, scream bloody murder until they get it back in. You need to own this book.

Outsiders Annual #1

Adan: Well, here’s an OYL event that was actually one year later and not TWL (two weeks later). The Outsiders attempt to break out Black Lightning from Iron Heights, whilst Boomerang Junior helps the guy not die before the cavalry shows up. Unfortunately, seven kinds of shit hits the fan. Find out why Arsenal quit the team, Metamorpho replaced Shift, the world thought the Outsiders were all dead, Oliver Queen started to bankroll them, and most importantly, why the world still thinks the Outsiders are a bunch of bad guys. Earlier Winnick jab aside (seriously, though, don’t fuck up Connor Hawke), his Outsiders has been a consistently entertaining read so long as he doesn’t “After School Special”-it-up (remember that “America’s Most Wanted” arc? what the fuck were you thinking?)

Brendan: I just haven’t been able to get behind Winnick’s writing in a while. I enjoyed the early run of Outsiders, and I totally dug the Insiders crossover with the Titans, but other than that it has all disappointed. For someone who was reportedly such a key factor in the Infinite Crisis planning, not one of his books synched up to the mega event in any coherent way. OYL this book lost me. The annual hooked me with the intriguing Iron Heights setup, (Iron Heights is one of the great Flash stories), and got me with the Shift and Metamorpho resolution, but left me cold. There just seem to be a lack of original ideas in this book. Boomerang was conceived in the Meltzer bestseller, Iron Heights and the villains therein were Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver creations, and, of course, it’s a prison break. Those characters are all the most interesting parts of the book. To make matters worse, I just don’t like his take on Nightwing. He always seems too cold and Batman-like. And is it my imagination, or are Grace and Thunder checking each other out? I’m as piggish as the next guy, but does Judd Winnick need a minimum of six controversial topics per issue? Is it seven? Overall, not the worst comic, but mostly it just seems to be someone using the same old toys and playing the same old game.

Powers #24

Brendan: I honestly don’t know how one could complain about “Powers.” The characters evolve, the stakes are raised, and relationships change. The recent delays have been a bummer, but when bearing in mind the fact that the series is now on the sixty-first consecutive issue by the same creative team, it seems forgivable. This issue offers resolution to the most recent story arc, with some really freaky-deaky magic shit, some whacked out alien mumbo jumbo, and conspiracies! Walker is a badass. This is a rocking superhero book. Duh.

Adan: I can complain about Powers pretty well usually. I can say things like, “The quality of this book has dropped so considerably and consistently, it’s a damn shame this didn’t end about thirty issues ago,” or things like, “Every simple murder mystery Bendis creates is given such a ridiculous explanation (this one gets two!), the reader had no way of even moderately expecting what the ending will be like.” I’m not saying telegraph your endings or anything, but you can only go to the ‘out-of-left-field’ well for so long before you’re just a hack. I mean, for fuck’s sake, the Devil!? And this was on top of the government conspiracy red herring. Mark my words, without that delightful coroner from a few issues back, this book is just going to keep on sucking.

Punisher Presents: Barracuda #3

Brendan: Every time I talk to anyone about this kick-ass mini series all I hear is (SPOILERS) “Blah, blah, blah, he died in The Punisher.” Who cares!? Who doesn’t want to see more Barracuda tomfoolery? Who are you people and will you go away before you jinx us and we get no more Barracuda hilarity!? I won’t get into the story at all because there is really no need, but I will say that this is the best new character out of Marvel in at least a year. He is, as a character, brilliant for his simple cunning, and will no doubt be integrated into the Marvel Universe. He will team up with the Absorbing Man and face off against Luke Cage and the Falcon. I’m saying it should happen, it’ll be cool.

Adan: Apparently, he didn’t die, he just sustained all his injuries (he’s missing the eye and his right fingers, as well other things, I’m sure). And the Coach is right: Barracuda tomfoolery is where it’s at. You don’t like Barracuda, that’s fine, but don’t take it away from me and Brendan. We might have to fuck you up.

Star Trek: Klingons - Blood Will Tell #1

Adan: YES! Am I a Trekkie? You’re Goddamn right I am! Does a book all about Klingon history from Kirk’s era make happy? You bet your ass! And there’s a Klingon language edition too? My heart is all a-flutter! Unfortunately, I’m not hardcore enough to actually speak Klingon (plus, my girlfriend would kick my ass if I learned it before I learned Mandarin), so I had to read the regular English edition like some kind of nerd sub-class. Anyway, if this book is in-continuity, I now know why there are smooth-foreheaded Klingons, and ridged-foreheaded Klingons: it was those damn patahk humans! Okay, so I know two Klingon words: patahk and qapla. One means you’re a dick and the other means victory. Look, this isn’t about how nerdy I am, okay? It’s about how awesome this book is, and it’s freaking awesome. I’m gonna go watch some more DS9 now!

Brendan: Y’know I had that Klingon dictionary, but lacked the qa’vIn (discipline) to really make any progress. Oh, flashbacks to the days of Trek, Metallica, and Terry Brooks novels. I thought I’d repressed all those memories. Not sure if I dig the ridge explanation, but it serves the purpose. It is always a trip to sit on the opposing side of these familiar conflicts, and the fundamental differences between the Federation and the Klingon Empire are well illustrated. In fact, the whole issue is well illustrated care of David Messina and Elena Casagrande. The figure work has an Ed McGuinnes/ Cory Walker feel to it, and sells the Klingons well. Dug the issue, but I may have skipped the next one if not for that killer cliffhanger!

PS- The Klingon word above doesn’t mean “discipline,” but it means something! 10 points to the first poster to crack the case!

Quickies

Brendan: Hmm. 52 may have had the most satisfying issue to date with this penultimate chapter. Lots of explanation, and a payoff from the very first issue.

Adan: No way. The best 52 issue was definitely the Dibny swansong issue.

Brendan: The Justice Society chapter of “The Lightning Saga” was a thrill. There’s Batmania and a wink at Superboy’s past that ties to the Mon El chapter of the Action Comics Annual.

Adan: Yeah, this is the first time I’ve enjoyed the new Justice League of America series (the most recent issue is the first part of “The Lightning Saga”), and this issue gives me two more of my long-lost Legion. I’m very excited about what using Legion members from about three retcons ago means for the DCU, as well as the Legion currently running around.