2005-02-02
Capsule Comic Reviews - 2/9
By: Harold Bloomfield
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Writer: Ed Brubaker | ||
Man, this is good stuff. Like last issue this contains a great action sequence, some fine character moments and an engrossing plot. I haven’t read a lot of Captain America stories over the years but this already is easily one of the best. This is an action thriller in the Tom Clancy Robert Ludlum mode with costumed heroes thrown into the mix. And thanks to Brubaker and Epting they don’t look out of place at all. In three issues Brubaker has already shaken the status quo and even has us wondering about the mental health of the title character who keeps having dreams and memories that don’t match with what actually happened. For good measure he even throws in an eloquent defense of the French during World War Two. Epting’s art is a wonder and he does a great job of making the fantastic uniforms and technology seem at home in the realistic settings. Right now this is one of the best books out there.
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Writer: Peter David | ||
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Last issue Peter David returned to writing the Hulk like it was as easy as getting back on a bicycle. Well this issue he keeps right one peddling. Things on the mysterious island keep getting curiouser and curiouser. Ol’ Green Skin has a great smackdown with the grey version of himself and the flashback to Banner’s high school days digs deep into the psychological depths. The dialogue that segues from scene to scene is priceless and you can really appreciate what a master David is by how easy it all seems. David does confirm our suspicions that someone is manipulating all this, including the teenage memories, but leaves no clues that I can pick up as to the identity of the mastermind. And of course he again leaves us a whale of a cliffhanger. Lee Weeks continues his outstanding artwork and makes it seem like he was born to draw the Hulk. Where has he been all this time? For newcomers and long time fans this is Hulk Heaven.
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Writer: Fabian Nicieza | ||
Five issues in and this series continues to have all the elements of what’s been wrong with comics for so many years; an over reliance on guest stars, dense plots, relationships that depend on readers familiarity with long standing backstories. But you know what; it works. With plot help from Kurt Busiek, Fabian Nicieza and artist Tom Grummett have fashioned a thoroughly enjoyable action oriented book in classic Marvel style. Carol Danvers, Warbird, fills the guest star role this issue and its good to she her in action. Each Thunderbolt has a moment complete with a surprise here and there and there’s not a misstep among them. The continual action allows Grummett to shine and in fine comicbook tradition (there’s really no other way to say it) he gets to draw a lot of cool stuff. I have no idea what kind of sales this book has generated but I hope Marvel sticks with it because this is the kind of storytelling that got many readers hooked on comics in the first place.
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Writer: Mark Millar | ||
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A lot of Mark Millar’s output lately has been hit or miss as “Wanted” ended with a dud, his Marvel Knights’ Spider-Man, though overall strong, hit some bumps here and there and his Wolverine has been wildly uneven. However, you can always count on him to come through with this book. I suspect based on the thought and care and sense of fun permeating this series that this is a real labor of love and his favorite project even among his creator owned forays. Here the trial of the Hulk plays out and this is a decidedly talking heads issue. Amazingly, especially when you consider we’re dealing with Millar, the glimpses of the trial we’re given are remarkably low key and actually full of some good point counter point. Millar scores with a number of very effective and emotionally resonating scenes especially one featuring a talk between Betty Ross and Bruce Banner and another with Steve Rogers delivering a eulogy to a practically empty cathedral. Things play out in fine fashion with a conclusion that avoids gimmicks and histrionics and grows out of the ground work Millar has been doing with Banner and Hank Pym. Of course the work of Bryan Hitch is incomparable but this far in that’s a given. Even without a hint of the book’s trademark wide screen action this issue is another winner for this beautifully done series.
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Writer: Allen Heinberg | ||
The surprises just keep coming. The solicitations for this book did not interest me in the least. What was let out about the concept made it seem a lunk headed throwback to the worst of late Fifties, early Sixties comics. But you know this issue is very well done and definitely leaves me wanting more. By issue’s end we still don’t know anything about all but one of the Young Avengers and what we find out about that one is intriguing. It helps that the first part of the book features Jessica Jones and writer Allen Heinberg, a newcomer to comics, pretty much gets her right. No small task since even her creator, Brian Michael Bendis, has missed the mark at times in “The Pulse.” The running gag about Jewel, Jessica’s long discarded costumed identity, being a fanboy cult favorite is a hoot. I appreciate that Heinberg tries to present a J. Jonah Jameson who is not a raving lunatic but he may have gone too far over to the calm side. The dialogue is strong throughout with the aforementioned Jewel thread and particularly the banter among the young heroes themselves. Heinberg smartly lets their youth and inexperience shine through. The art by Jim Cheung is a big plus and he’s definitely a welcome addition to Marvel. His only misstep is with Jessica Jones, who he succeeds in making look haggard at times but not enough. He doesn’t quite catch her weariness and the rough road she’s traveled just doesn’t come through in her face. All in all a very pleasant surprise that might turn out to be the buzz book Marvel thinks it is.
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