Crossing Midnight

Brendan: Mike Carey is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers. If only he could cut back on the forgettable superhero work…

Crossing Midnight is the story of a family that is being dragged into a mythic underground. Twins Kai and Toshi were born on either side of midnight, and from that moment on they were tied to a world of demons and honor codes. In this first story arc we see them as they were before they realized their inextricable link, along with their first foray downward. This series is firmly entrenched in the Vertigo landscape of magical realism. It separates itself by using Japanese folklore and culture as a touchstone.

I started this series in the single issues, but I couldn’t maintain interest from month to month. That is no insult to creators Carey and penciller Jim Fern, who both do excellent work here. No, it is simply that Vertigo series are so often paced in such a manner (re: decompression) that the issues simply don’t have enough meat. I was pleasantly surprised to see how well this book read in one session. Part of me wishes there was more resolution in this first arc, just to validate the reading experience. Instead it is mostly setup for where the series is headed, provided the series is given the chance to get there.

Likable cast, perfectly minimal line work, and gods of blades and needles make Crossing Midnight a Vertigo series with a high ceiling and a lot of material to cover. I don’t think I’ll go back for the singles, but I will eagerly await the next trade.

Adan: Yes, I really wish he’d stop writing super-heroes.

I reviewed the first issue of this when it first came out (way back in the day), and I believe I said (and I quote) “What did I learn when reading this book: don’t promise your kids to gods you don’t think exist, because they just might, and then what are you gonna do?” You know what, that still holds true. But as I didn’t really like the first issue by itself because it was slow and suffered from FIE (First Issue Exposition). Now, it turns out the whole first arc was suffering from FIE. This whole arc felt like set-up for whatever’s next. Which kind of sucks, because you know me and myths (or folklore, in this case). Pick up Hellboy: Darkness Calls #3 instead, as it features all kinds of awesome characters from Russian myths and folklore and is not just a lot of set-up.

Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps Special

Brendan: So this issue kicked ass. It kicked a lot of ass.

And then it got good.

Sometimes a creative team and a character are born for one another. Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver were made to team up and tell Green Lantern stories. Of course, this really isn’t a Green Lantern story, it is Sinestro story. It is about fear and domination and storm troopers and… there is so much more, I don’t want to give it all away.

Geoff Johns’ greatest skill as a writer is his ability to tell stories about heroism. Like Grant Morrison’s superhero work, he creates scenarios so impossibly dangerous that the eventual and inevitable triumph of our heroes is all the more impressive. Van Sciver seems to be an artist bred only for telling thrilling Green Lantern stories. After an uninspired stint on Superman/ Batman , he returns to the Corps that made him a top artist. Even here, his rendition of DC’s big three is as finely detailed as anything else he does, but it doesn’t seem to play to his strengths. I believe it is the brightness, both of the Green Lanterns and their Sinestro counterparts, that makes his work shine. It is as if the near blinding starkness of the ring powered constructs highlights the best parts of his hyper-detailed line work. What’s more, the pencils have now achieved a new level of sophistication; where in Green Lantern: Rebirth we were told how each of the Lanterns realized their imaginative weapons, we know are privy to actually seeing it in motion. This is achieved by illustrating the moments in between the Lantern conceptualization and construction.

Johns has the knack to make these kinds of stories work. It seems effortless how he makes his stories seem like the only important thing that is happening. Picking up threads from his Flash run, Infinite Crisis, and 52 you will forget all about Countdown or even the recently wrapped Lightning Saga. There are a lot of new faces in this issue. And a lot of them die. This is a true space opera, with a cast of thousands. Without as much fanfare of hype as the War across town, this issue raises the stakes to the level comics should strive for. Look on that last two page spread, and know fear.

Adan: You son of a bitch! I can’t believe I let you go first on this! This book was seventeen kinds of awesome! Seventeen! Do you how many that is!? That’s like, more than five!

Okay, settle down there, Jimenez. Stop acting like some stupid fanboy, and act like the college-educated fanboy that you actually are.

I know I have knocked Geoff Johns around previously for his work on Green Lantern (and really, for his writing as of late in general), but all is forgiven now (except for issue four; that can never be forgiven). Remember last week how I said a prologue needs to excite you, needs to make you want the rest of the story, needs to make you need the rest of the story? Johns does that here, and he does it so well, I actually read the comic three times, looking for more things that maybe I had missed in previous readings. And I did that because I just cannot wait for the rest of this story. There is just so much in this book, and I’m not just talking about the crazy surprises he puts in here (and believe me, there are a few), but the character work is also phenomenal. From Kyle’s sadness after losing his mother to Sinestro’s barely contained glee after… well, nevermind that for now. I just can’t spoil any of this for you guys; it’s just to damn good.

Let us instead turn our attention to Ethan Van Sciver, the man I have previously proclaimed as the best Green Lantern artist of our generation, and he continues to prove it here. Nevermind that he draws countless Green Lanterns here, including the myriad ways they use their rings; he also draws countless Sinestro Corps members and the myriad ways they use their rings. Van Sciver draws at least one hundred distinct characters in this book, from the GLC to the Sinestro Corps to the JLA to the Guardians. That is a lot of dudes. And of course Brendan is right in pointing out that we no longer need narration to explain to us how the rings work for each of the principal Lanterns. I’m going to go a step further and say we didn’t really need the narration the first time around because Van Sciver is (say it with me now) the best Green Lantern artist of our generation.

This book was just so damn good, I am going to be pleasantly surprised if it doesn’t make my top ten of the year.

Also, Brendan is a jerk for tricking me into letting him go first. I hate you and you’re a poop-head.

Jack of Fables #12

Adan: “The Bad Prince” is the arc that’s supposed to conicide with the current Fables arc (conicidentally titled “The Good Prince”). If you remember, Jack’s Hollywood adventure took five years, and Fabletown had to catch up. Well, now it finally has. Jack and the Pathetic Fallacy (aka Gary, as he now wants to be called… or maybe it’s Kevin?) are still on the run from the Golden Boughs retirement facility, and Jack now wants to call Fabletown, but unfortunately, neither he nor Gary (Kevin?) can remember exactly where it was.

Yes, I know Jack is merely a spin-off which stars the least likeable character of the Fables cast, but it’s still a dang good book. It has all the awesomeness of the the main title without all the gloom and doom of war with the Adversary. Bill Willingham writes this series in the first-person, through the voice of Jack, making for very self-centered storytelling. But that’s what makes it so hilarious. Jack just can’t stop talking about how great he is, no matter what may be actually happening to him. However, this same first-person perspective means that it’s kind of weird when the scene shifts away from Jack. During the Golden Boughs scenes, Jack is miles away (presumably), so how could he possibly know what’s going on there? Well, he doesn’t, which means the perspective does an akward shift from first- to third-person and then back again. It actually oscillates quite frequently, exacerbating the problem. Oh well, at least we get a kick ass Brian Bolland cover.

Brendan: Between The Irredeemable Ant-Man, any book with Tony Stark, and Jack…, it is a good time to be an asshole in comics. While I am not as engrossed in Fables as most, I find that the tone of this book suits me better. This book has a built in audience, and a built in ceiling. Although now we have a crossover of sorts, so maybe this will lead to Crisis of Infinite Fables and a weekly Fables series. Yeah, those books would be big time.

Marvel Adventures: Avengers #14

Brendan: If a great Marvel superhero story happened and no one read it, where would it fit into continuity?

Youth oriented books, as a rule, don’t sell particularly well. Quality can be as high as any book across the board, but the fact that the stories exist out of the mainstream continuity keeps most fans from caring. Since it is near impossible to get these books to sell, editorial sometimes uses this line to foster and develop new talent. Without a built in audience creators are forced to take greater risks than they may, while also remaining direct enough to be accessible to a casual young reader. Sometimes they fall flat. This wasn’t one of those times.

To be fair, neither Jeff Parker nor Leonard Kirk exactly qualifies as “new talent.” Both have established themselves as reliable comic professionals, most recently on the successful Agents of Atlas. So it isn’t exactly a surprise that this issue manages to fire on all cylinders. The team is comprised of only the most recognizable of Marvel heroes, all stripped of any unpleasant continuity issues like marriage, Skrull replacement therapy, severe asshole syndrome, nonexistence, alternate costumes, World War rage, and, of course, death. It turns out you can remove all that stuff and be left with a good comic! The formula is simple- take a Conan-like backdrop, add an iconic and recognizable cast, and employ a plot structure that borrows from everywhere and ends up somewhere between The Magnificent Seven and TMNT: III. Okay, it’s really just a Magnificent Seven homage, but I couldn’t resist the reference. The sum is purely enjoyable comics.

So this is a calling out. If you are someone who bitches and moans about line wide crossovers, gimmicky stunts, and variant covers (not wholly relevant, but still) I command you to read this issue. This is what you’re looking for. This story doesn’t exist to push forward the larger Marvel Universe, it need only be read and entertained. Kirk even throws in some cool retro designs, solidifying the value. Time to insert money into mouth, kids, or just prepare for a decade of massive mega-crossovers.

Adan: Everything the Coach said makes sense, but the story has to actually be good. They have new clothes made in this Conan-lite world so that they can blend in with the general populace… but the new clothes looks exactly like their costumes? That doesn’t even make sense. This book is supposed to be for kids, not morons.

But aside from that one faux pas, this is an entertaining story featuring Marvel’s biggest guns together beating things up. It’s fun, simple, and done-in-one. I’m not sold on the “this is for kids” angle, but it might well be. I’ll have to delve deeper by reading the digest that’s out, and you know what? Jeff Parker deserves the benefit of the doubt after writing awesomeness like Agents of Atlas and the X-men: First Class Special.

Also, that was a Seven Samurai homage, bucko. Get your film history straight.

Sheena, Queen of the Jungle #1

Adan: Man, this isn’t very interesting at all. While some young tree-huggin hippie in the present tries to stop land development to save his precious rainforest, we get the history of Val Verde (some quasi-Latin country that’s supposed to be in South America somewhere), and the origin of Sheena. Most of the story is about Caldwell Industries, its role in Val Verde, and its ties to the Jungle Queen. Sheena herself doesn’t show until the end (of both time frames), but I wonder how she got those fashionable hoop earrings. Is there a mall in the middle of the rainforest? Just skip on this. We’re about to get hit with a slew of jungle girl books, and one of those is bound to be better than this.

Brendan: Adan covered most of my issues with the story. Still, that Sheena sure is easy on the eyes. But before anyone jumps down my misogynist, cheesecake loving throat, let me clarify; this issue is very well illustrated. Matt Merhoff has a solid, clean line and a direct sequential style. At his best, he channels manga influence emotion through Mark Bagley cartooning. I didn’t find this issue to be horrible, but I would be hard pressed to say it was better than average.

Snakewoman: Tale of the Snake Charmer #1

Adan: I don’t know, man. I don’t think the Snakewoman saga is going to be as good without Michael Gaydos on art. No disrespect to Vivek Shinde, who’s art in this new mini isn’t bad or anything; it’s just not Gaydos. Gaydos created the look for this story, and for it to change so markedly… it’s going to take some getting used to. Zeb Wells is going to have to step up his writing so that this feels like an extension of the story, and not like a completely new one. He succeeds for the most part, keeping most story elements intact (Jessica and the Snake God within her; the 68 and James Harker). But that guy on the slab: is that supposed to be Raj? See, this is what I’m talking about. I can’t tell because the art is so different. I’m obviously going to keep reading as I’m pretty invested in the story, and I can only hope Shinde’s art grows on me.

Brendan: I never really warmed to this series in the first run. I think it was partly because Gaydos’ Jessica Peterson felt too much like Alias’ Jessica Jones. In fact, I couldn’t tell them apart. I knew little going into this relaunch, but I feel like Wells covered all the bases and brought us up to date. I agree that Shinde needs to improve over this series. There are inspired moments, but on the whole it is simply too hard to tell what is what. The highlight of this issue is undoubtedly the beautiful cover.

Subculture

Brendan: This issue came up just short for me. We are introduced to Jason, a twenty-something nerd with nerd friends who read comicbooks. The gang also partakes in every single nerd activity imagined. Scared of girls, unkempt, and overweight, it is a real all winners squad. Enter Noel, a pretty girl in a comic store, and apparently a story ensues.

The art by Stan Yan is fun, and suits the book. His characters are distinct, and their emotions are clearly read. The writing, while it has moments, is uninspired. Relying too much on clichés to do the heavy lifting of character development, and over writing dialogue such that it cramps the page and engenders no transitional page flow, this was average. The characters themselves were unsympathetic, and barely even likable.

Telling a story about your life is fine. Many in the comics’ community are more aware of the Warcraft scene than the nightclub scene, so it stands to reason that the art would reflect that. However, you can’t just go on about the world around you without a purpose. This issue seemed to talk about the “subculture” of dorkdom without really saying anything. If anything, it is saying that sometimes nerds get the girl too. This is a nice reminder, but hardly enough to sustain a story.

Adan: Man, I’m offended. Yes, some geeks are overweight and can’t to girls, but that’s not all of us. And I’m fairly certain this Jason isn’t even a nerd at all. He makes fun of his actually-nerdy friends, he seems to not enjoy D&D (although that scene was somewhat humorous… but offensive nonetheless), but he does buy comics on Wednesdays.

I don’t know, I am severely put off by this whole endeavor. The hot comic book girl gets immediate play even though she’s kind of a bitch, but the nice, sincere comic book girl doesn’t because she’s a little overweight. That’s bullshit, and I’m calling shenanigans.

On the upside, we get a nice Jim Mahfood cover in which he sneaks in a dirty word. I’ll give you a hint: it’s supposed to say “Clint” on that name tag, but it doesn’t say “Clint.” It says something else entirely.

X-men #200

Adan: Well, it wasn’t completely awful. This 200th issue extravaganza is not very extravaganza-ish. The team goes to Rogue’s house (sans Cable as he is still in Providence doing some future shit) and get ready for a nice day at home. Rogue’s crazy, Iceman and Mystique fuck in an upstairs bedroom, and everybody else just kind of hangs out. Of course, Wolverine, Cyclops, Emma Frost, and Beast show up because we need to sell more issues. And then the Marauders attack! Hey, awesome, a team of clones that nobody’s cared about for awhile. Back in Providence, Gambit and Sunfire attack Cable, and possibly kill him (read this week’s Cable/Deadpool if you really want to know). Also, there’s some shady shit going down in the Big Easy with the Marauders, but nobody knows what that’s about yet. I guess that takes place in the past? Or maybe it’s just extra Marauder clones? Who knows? Also unanswered is the question of whether or not Gambit and Sunfire have anything to do with the Marauders. Bachalo’s cover certainly seems to imply so, but within the book, those trains do not meet.

Let me leave Mike Carey alone while I make fun of Humberto Ramos for a second. Humberto, I love you like a brother. I think you make up about 100% of total Mexicans in mainstream comics, and I have enjoyed your art immensely in other books, but your style does not fit with the X-men. You’re much too cartoony, and I can’t take this book seriously. Just take a look at the covers (of which this issue had three). Dave Finch’s, who has a more realistic style comparatively speaking, X-men (he draws damn near every X-man ever) look so much better than Ramos’s, or even Bachalo’s, who is another artist I enjoy immensely on occasion. But even the style isn’t as bad as some of the panel and page transitions that are made in this book. For example, take the scene in which Omega Sentinel takes out Emma Frost. In the first panel of the page, there is clearly a man’s arm visible in the frame (possibly Cannonball’s arm) when Emma figures out Omega’s now playing for the other team. Before she can say anything, Omega zaps her, but nobody seems to notice. In the very next page, Omega’s sitting amdist the other X-men like nothing fucking happened. And it’s not just the art responsible either. As soon as Omega zaps Emma, she says, “Couldn’t use a plasma burst. Too noisy.” I guess that explains why nobody heard the commotion (or it would have if Emma hadn’t take a table down with her; plus, that arm had just left the room), but it doesn’t explain why Omega’s talking to herself.

That’s just one example; the book is chock full of stupid scenes like this that make no sense whatsoever, even in a super-hero universe. In fact, the back-up story starring Beast (the “Endangered Species” that started last week), which is really just a recap of the end of House of M and all of Decimation, is way better than the main story, and much more interesting, especially once you see who it is McCoy is recapping these events for. But those eight pages are not worth the $3.99 Marvel is charging for this travesty.

Brendan: Bobby Drake, you dog. Also, read Cable/ Deadpool this week even if you aren’t curious, if only to see a guy out-Liefeld Rob Liefeld.

Was this issue an anniversary? I mean, I saw the big round number, and I saw the crazy-assed covers, but nothing in the story made me feel like this was any particularly important comic. I actually dug the Ramos/Bachalo tag team. Bachalo has been an X-Men artist for long enough that I accept him without thinking about it, much like Salvador Larroca. Ramos is a bit of a fresh take, and I can’t help but smile when I think of his work on DV8. He has come full circle. The styles are unique but still mesh well enough to avoid distraction.

Like I said last week, I have removed myself cleanly from the X-universe. I’ll check in every once and a while, but they have got to sell me on the books. I gave this book a shot and it failed. Apparently I am too far from the soap opera, and this book did nothing but drive me further. I guess I’m happy to see the original Gambit costume back. I guess.

Scott Eaton has been on a sharply inclined curve over the last few months, and his Endangered Species installment shows just that. The story has intrigue, but no amount of intrigue would make me buy eighteen issues of shit I don’t normally read.