2005-02-05
Capsule Comic Reviews - 2/2
By: Harold Bloomfield
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Writer: David Lapham | ||
David Lapham’s “City of Crime” rolls into its third part and while it’s still shaping up as one of the best Batman stories of recent years this is not as strong as the first two issues. There’s a more intricate plot here and it’s made more complicated by Lapham’s playing around with the time sequence in a device that seems too fanciful for its own good as if its only purpose was to call attention to the author’s cleverness. A major part of the story centers around criminals fighting with each other over power and turf and this is way overused in Bat-books. For quite awhile it seems Batman’s major function is to stop criminals from killing each other. At least here Batman is trying to save pregnant girls and break up a baby ring, just the kind of insidious crimes that should occupy him in this the grittier and more procedurally oriented Bat-book of the line. Even with some flaws this is still a very strong effort.
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Writer: Jeph Loeb | ||
In these days of decompressed story telling many comics could benefit greatly from speeding things up. However here’s one that really needs to slow it down. As usual when playing with timelines and alternative histories many intriguing ideas can be thrown into the mix. But that’s the problem here as Jeph Loeb has gone overboard basically throwing cameo appearance after cameo and one startling idea after another without even pausing to see if any stick. This issue contains a great one that I think deserves much closer inspection. Last issue Superman and Batman used the Boom Tube to travel in time back to Crime Alley just as the Waynes were to be shot. Batman, reliving that pivotal moment, saved them and caused a major change in history; one that was not for the better. Here Superman has to find Bruce Wayne and convince him to abandon life with his parents and remember what really was supposed to happen in that alley so he can don the cape and cowl again. This happens much too easily and quickly. Something of this magnitude should be examined and be allowed to unfold over time. In other words it needs to be given the decompressed treatment. Perhaps one day Loeb or another writer will return to this moment because done right I think that would make a better three or four part story than this everything but the kitchen sink treatment.
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Writer: J. Michael Straczynski | ||
Speaking of decompressed storytelling this book remains a classic example of how to do it the right way. The series is supposed to be a modern, adult take on Squadron Supreme but 15 issues in and Straczynski has barley introduced all the players and only three potential team members have really interacted and are nowhere near seriously joining forces. And you know what; it all works beautifully. There’s no sense that the stories are being padded or unnecessarily stretched. Three things are happening here: Joe Ledger (Dr. Spectrum) is given a new assignment, the serial killer Hyperion captured is coerced into working with the secret government operation that drives the stories and Hyperion gets to know Nighthawk and Stanley (Whizzer) a little better. Plotlines percolate and move forward slowly but surely as Straczynski orchestrates and intertwines all beautifully while Gary Frank continues to supply great artwork.
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Writer: Chris Claremont | ||
Another X-book and another character back from the dead. This time it’s Psylocke and I must admit writer Chris Claremont stirs up some interest about her mysterious return right at the spot where she bought it in the pages of a different X-book which was also written by Claremont. Unfortunately he just can’t keep his eye on the ball. This issue is all over the place from the drawn out opening training sequence to the personal call Wolverine receives. Wolverine’s mission, as sketchy as it is, apparently leads to some type of alien invasion story and so far is only noteworthy due to X-23 coming along as a secret stowaway. Claremont so far has shown a flair for writing X-23 and the Psylocke story holds promise but this comes across as unfocused with the best parts getting shorted. Alan Davis returns to the art and provides strong work as usual.
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Writer: Greg Pak | ||
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Throw in some rapid fire dialogue and great popular culture references and you’d have an issue of “Astonishing X-Men.” That’s not a complaint, that’s about as high praise as I could give a book these days. As with “Astonishing” the artwork by Greg Land is simply gorgeous (and not only the women) and the story by Greg Pak is gripping. If you don’t get the relationship between Cyclops and Emma Frost check out the first five pages and let Greg Pak show you with a beautifully rendered scene that defines what actually is a love triangle and lets us see the differences in Scott’s relationships with Jean and Emma and why he is drawn to Emma. Speaking of Scott there’s a great sequence where he displays his leadership and strategizing skills that reads like parts of some of the procedural crime dramas on TV. Pak also does a good job in creating three potential menaces: Phoenix of course, the newly awakened (by the Phoenix force) Quentin Quire and the aliens who started this by attacking the Phoenix force last issue. Don’t be so sure that all of these will turn out to be adversaries for the X-Men. Additionally there is an seems to be an interesting contrast formulating between Quentin Quire’s attitude and actions after being brought back to life and Jean Grey’s. This book, to me, so far seems most closely tied to “Astonishing X-Men” by the choice of the team members involved, the tone, and the similar styles of Greg Land and John Cassady. Like the “Green Lantern: Rebirth” limited series this book, born of a groan-inducing idea, has turned out to be one of the strongest books out right now.
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