2004-10-06
Capsule Comic Reviews - 10/06
By: Harold Bloomfield
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(preview here)
Writer: Jimmy Palmiotti | ||
This super sized one shot featuring a Conan much older than the one in the current series continues the run of very good Conan product coming from Dark Horse. The art from Mark Texiera is fine but a little more conventional than the painted work of Cory Nord on the regular books. Also, at times during some fight scenes the action is a little hard to follow. Jimmy Palmiotti’s script is enjoyable and provides a high spirited adventure but it lacks the depth and feeling Kurt Busiek has brought to the character. The story needs some of the blanks filled in especially where the relationship between Valensa, her sister, Hannah and their father the king is concerned. It’s not enough to indicate that the King considers Hannah, and Hannah only, as worthy of the throne; we need to be given some inkling as to why that is. Still the mission to find the King’s missing daughter yields an exciting escapade and Palmiotti manages some interesting surprises along the way. So even though some parts of the story need fleshed out a bit this is still a solid and pleasurable read and a worthy addition to the ongoing return of Conan to comics.
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(preview here)
Writer: Andersen Gabrych | ||
OK, after some sixteen or so issues “War Games” finally kicks into high gear. Now I’m interested, now I’m engaged. Batman, thinking the end is in sight has maneuvered practically every gang member in Gotham to one gigantic meeting. However the meeting’s purpose isn’t quite what he thought. I still can’t believe he didn’t see through Death Mask’s masquerading as Orpheus but he didn’t and that has become the pivotal moment in this crossover. It hits the fan big time and a full scale riot breaks out with the gangs on one side, the police on the other and Batman and his crew in the middle. Fine drama but why did I have to buy some many books and wade through so much superfluous mediocrity? Surely this story could have been told in less than have the parts it’s taken to reach this point. And couldn’t DC find a better artist than Pete Wood to handles such a crucial issue? The art here is not up to the task of the monumental events being depicted. Woods doesn’t even do a particularly good Batman and the big fights lack drama and flair. Finally, it seems one of the repercussions of this whole mess will be a change in Batman’s relationship with the police. I get the feeling DC thinks this turn of events is innovative and unique when all they are doing is giving Batman the same problem Spider-Man had from the get go. Despite the drawbacks the developments here are finally powerful and gripping in a way that “War Games” hasn’t been up until now.
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Writer: Bruce Jones | ||
The Thing walks into a bar. He sees Bruce Banner sitting there and goads him into turning into the Hulk while reminiscing about events from Fantastic Four number five. That was the first issue of this limited series that’s substituting for the regular Hulk book at the moment. In this part the two stop fighting long enough for the Thing to finish the story from FF #5 and move on to one from FF #12 where he claims to have bested the Hulk. Just for kicks I checked it out and he didn’t, the Hulk was felled by a blast from a ray and not by the Thing’s punch. Still that’s beside the point because if they want to review their history together the both should remember that Sue Richards once defeated the Hulk by encasing his head in an invisible force field thereby cutting off his oxygen supply. Perhaps she’ll show up and take them both down that way and save us from this pointless exercise. Sure Jae Lee’s art, while not everyone’s cup of tea, is almost worth the inflated price of this book for his distinctive humanizing look at these characters, but I have no idea what Bruce Jones thinks he’s doing here and why he needs so many issues to do it. Jones’ time with the Hulk expired a while back, bring on Peter David.
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Writer: Tom DeFalco | ||
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The only Green Goblin stories I can take anymore can be found in the pages of this delightful series. That’s probably because Norman Osborn, Sr. is long gone and writer Tom DeFalco has a handle and a healthy respect for these characters and their histories, J. Michael Straczynski take note. As usual DeFalco juggles multiple stories, mixing events from the most recently concluded arc, the new elements of this issue, and of course May Parker’s home and school life in a way that remains fresh and accessible. While this is mostly a self contained issue concerning a preordained so-called Queen of the Goblins attempt to bring Normie Osborn over to the dark side, as it where, much I am sure is set up for future arcs. DeFalco long ago on this book found just the right mixture of Stan Lee, Eighties style story telling and modern attitude to make this a unique and satisfying read practically every month. I just wish Frenz and Buscema could find a way to make the civilian faces a little less exaggerated and angular.
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(preview here)
Writers: Michael Avon Oeming with Daniel Berman | ||
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Well Thor, along with apparently the Avengers is disassembled and he goes out more with a whimper than with a bang. In fact it’s more of a mercy killing. Previously we got a bunch of old gods who would for some perverse reason like to bring the world to an end and then restart it over and over again endlessly. This issue we get three hooded women who stand by, but do not guard, a large ball of string that represents the circular tapestry of fate. I’m not making this up. Thor breaks the string and brings down the curtain on himself and Asgard thus giving Ragnarok and life meaning. The final four pages actually manage to be effective and considering the subject, the mourning of a group of perennial staples of the Marvel Universe, it would be hard not to but this entire arc got off on the wrong foot and never recovered. It was beautiful to look at but sometimes painful to read. The Thunder God deserved a much better send off. Ragnarok was a crock.
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Writer: Brian Michael Bendis | ||
Although still one of the better super hero books out there the last few arcs of this series have not been among the strongest. Bendis tries a different approach here and in the process plays to the strengths of this book. The credit page announces boldly that this is not to be taken seriously. Actually I think Bendis goes a bit overboard, clubbing us over the head to make sure we realize that this is meant to be funny. By the way the summary needs to be edited to take out the reference to Gwen Stacy staying with the Parkers. Anyway for reasons as of yet not revealed Peter and Wolverine have switched bodies. The humor comes from Wolverine, in Peter’s body, meeting Aunt May and Mary Jane and from Peter, in Wolverine’s body, trying to make sure that Wolverine doesn’t make more of a shambles out of Peter’s life than Peter already has. Bendis usually infuses his work with plenty of humor so we already know he’s good at this sort of thing and he lets fly here. Peter’s life at home and at school have always been an integral part of this series and they’re front and center here. With the dark and downbeat occurrences of the recent past things definitely needed to lighten up and they certainly have. Hopefully the rest of this story will play out with the same tone.
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