Picks & Pans for May 21, 2008
Posted by: on May 26, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Your Picks & Pans come this week courtesy of Ernie Estrella and David Uzumeri of Funnybook Babylon!
|
|
|
David U: I’m not even sure if this thing can be reviewed as a comic book anymore, as a pure story separated from its context. The last page of this issue has been described by Dan Slott as a sort of Rorschach blot test, that you can read anything you want into it; I don’t really think it’s that vague, as this issue and storyline seem to be more about their metatextual role in Spider-Man canon than the actual, like, story and comic. The script is typical Slott Spider-Man, not much different from last issue, and Marcos Martin’s art is utterly gorgeous, even better than he was pulling off in Doctor Strange: The Oath – really, if there’s one thing you can’t say about the Brand New Day initiative (which, past the “initial four months” that were only supposed to get that branding, seems to be continuing indefinitely) it’s that it has weak art. If you enjoy Slott’s tongue-in-cheek writing style, then you’ll probably enjoy this comic; but that said, be warned that this story almost seems as much about fucking with the readers as it is about a good Spider-Man story. |
|
|
|
Ernie: A solid issue that moves all of the pawns forward in Brubaker’s chess game. Sharon’s stares back at a familiar face, while Bucky and and the Falcon get closer to Dr. Faustus and the Skull, all the while it is, an election year, and that lays heavily into Red’s plans. If you’ve seen promos for future issues of Captain America you’ll know why you’ll be seeing double. Cap has always been a much more grand, so this feels awfully small in the bigger landscape of what’s coming up in future issues. Epting, Perkins and D’Armata turn in their usual high level of work and it goes largely unsaid how good of an art team this is. Expecting much more next issue… |
|
David U.: This is probably the weakest issue of Cap since the assassination; thankfully, that’s still a pretty high standard. It’s also probably an unfair statement regarding the comic, since this is the second part of the third act of Brubaker’s Death of Cap epic; the man’s allowed some exposition and setup time. The issue hinges off of a major reveal, which didn’t completely work for me; I know it’s not TOTALLY out of the blue, but the resolution of the mystery hinted at at the end of #37 still seems rather out of left field within the strict confines of Brubaker’s run. (Within the overall tapestry of Cap’s history, it’s rather obvious). However, this is a weak complaint. |
|
|
|
Ernie: Terry Moore doing superhero-like stories has drawn me into the bear trap. Characters are being fleshed out a nice pace, the story surrounding our protagonist gains more intrigue as we continue to pan outward. But something big has to happen soon because something that Moore was able to do in Strangers in Paradise was give readers something memorable in nearly every issue. I respect the pace at which Moore wants to unfold Echo, but I’d be lying if I didn’t want something more. I did get a better feel for what Julie is going through, outside of the mysterious suit. She confronts two very important people in her life and these scenes really build a mystery of who Julie is. She’s more than just some random character, she’s human, she’s full of complexities, and emotions and dreadful situations. It’s Moore at his best and is displayed especially in the last half of this issue. |
|
|
|
David U.: The management of this property since Geoff Johns and Howard Porter’s departure in 2005 has probably been DC’s biggest continuing mistake in recent years, from the incredibly poorly-received Bilson/DeMeo run to the controversial killing off of Bart Allen, to Mark Waid’s abortive attempt to reimagine the book as DC’s Fantastic Four (which I really liked but simply did not find an audience at all), to this. This is a long preamble for such a short review, I know, but the fact that Tom Peyer basically got tossed a ticking time bomb is incredibly important to understanding this book’s context. This is a strong issue, with some nice Final Crisis/Dark Side Club moments intermixed with solid Wally/Jay/family character interaction and solid art from Freddie E. Williams II, but I’m worried about this book’s longterm plan and future largely because I’m not sure if it will get a future. While Peyer is turning in solid work here, it’s solid work towards a direction that’s established as not working, and at this point Flash is so close to being a radioactive character that despite Mark Waid’s claims of creative bankruptcy, a “stunt” might be just what this franchise needs. Solid comics, but again, it’s hard to recommend a book with such a vague place and future. |
|
|
|
Ernie: Hell-Bent & Heaven Bound comes to an explosive and gruesome close, so let’s talk about what Aaron was able to accomplish with this first arc. I didn’t know much about Ghost Rider, his rogues, his supporting cast, or even his appeal. I’ve picked up enough over the years of reading comics to vaguely understand who’s who in this world. After one completed story, I’ve gathered enough to keep me for the whole year, I know why he’s had his faithful readers, and I know why Ghost Rider’s going to have many more. While there’s much ado in the rest of the Marvel universe with Secret Invasion, the real excitement for Marvel resides on the roads still left ablaze and decorated in demonic (or is it angelic) corpses and sweet vengeance. The grindhouse approach to this title has made it fun enough for the casual reader, and brought a wickedly tasteful over-the-top appeal to it. Why this title wasn’t written like this all the time, I don’t know. The concepts, the scenarios are all a little out there, but that’s cool because it works. Boschi’s done a terrific job of branding a particular visual style that’s easy on the eyes while encapsulating the supernatural aspects in a happening way. It should be interesting to see what Tan Eng Huat brings for this next story (as he and Boschi will rotate art chores each arc). Speaking of that next story, zip up your leather and strap your boots, it’s going to be one helluva ride! |
|
|
|
David U.: Despite the fact that Dwayne McDuffie’s run on this book has been riddled with unfortunate editorially mandated tie-ins, from #16’s Tangent story to the Salvation Run tale in #17-19 to, now, this “Sightings”-labeled Final Crisis prelude is probably McDuffie’s strongest issue since the Wedding Special. Maybe Pacheco’s emotive art contributes to this phenomenon; McDuffie’s talking heads are certainly more interesting to look at when Ed Benes isn’t drawing the same face in every panel. Despite McDuffie’s creative distance from the main event, this issue does a solid job not only setting up the roles of Libra and the Human Flame in Final Crisis (or, at least, I assume what their roles will be, as FC1 is still kept under lock and key) but also succinctly recapping previous events and leading into both Final Crisis and McDuffie’s next arc. Strong character work, intelligently written action, a sense of forward motion – I really hope Benes’s return in a month doesn’t kill everything I liked about this issue. |
|
|
|
David U.: The final part of “Thy Kingdom Come” is really the midpoint in Johns and Ross’s 13?-part Kingdom Come prequel/sequel (it’s kind of both). At this point in the story, we’re getting past the “Oh man it’s Kingdom Come Superman!” part of the story and into the meat of Alex Ross’s original Kingdom Come mythology; the origins of Gog and Magog, why the world became the way it did on that Earth, et cetera. It’s solid superhero work, well-established in continuity, well-characterized and gorgeously drawn, but at the end of the day last issue and this issue have basically been one really, really long slugfest after like five issues of no action. However, the last-page spread of this issue (which they clearly just reversed in Photoshop – man, you think people won’t notice?) promises a more interesting thematic underpinning to the next arc, and a more unique hook, which will hopefully bring this book back up to the impressive quality it displayed in its first arc. |
|
|
|
Ernie: The Sentry is a big part of the Avengers-Secret Invasion connection as he can turn the tide with Superman-like powers but is self-destructive with his 5-year-old mind. It presents a mildly interesting study in a capes and tights book. I’ve never really grasped Bendis’ treatment of the Sentry. He’s got the super-powered guy down, but his jumbled mind and his wrestling match with the Void, a figment of the Sentry’s mind, has never gelled for me. I realize that the ability of the Skrull nation to mimic the Sentry’s powers and Jarvis’ role in Secret Invasion would be a major plot points, and this book may have more in the background that will come to be something much more in the coming months but as a stand-alone issue, it falls flat. I don’t know why but Mighty Avengers runs hot and cold with me. Perhaps it’s just because I’m not that big of a Sentry fan but this was one of those so-so issues. Too much was revisited of the Sentry/Void one-shots some years ago. One month MA is good, one month it’s… just ordinary. New Avengers doesn’t seem to have this type of inconsistency but a bright spot this month was Khoi Pham’s art which has a Jim Lee/Jim Cheung quality to it. Miki’s inks really stand out as well. Oh well, we’ll see how next month will fair. |
|
David U.: I don’t think I’m alone when I say that, at least in this stage in the overall story, the Avengers tie-ins have been a more satisfying payoff for longtime readers than Secret Invasion itself. I don’t think this is a mistake; Secret Invasion is an ostensibly standalone story, and, for instance, New Avengers #40’s Jessica-Drew-is-the-Skrull-Empress reveal means very little to people picking up Secret Invasion as a standalone story and far more to those who’ve been following this big story since New Avengers #1. This is the Sentry issue, and it contains not only a large amount of interesting and intriguing flashback materal regarding the Skrull infiltration but also pushes Rob Reynolds’s personal story far forward as well. Also, Marvel, for God’s sake, stop putting Danny Miki on every penciller alive – look at the faces on the last page, show them to friends, and ask them what it looks like. I’ll tell you: the ugly, fucked-up inking on One More Day where every single pencil mark was inked rather than used as a rendering guide. This test has worked, like, four times in a blind test and they all say this. I’m serious. |
|
|
|
Ernie: If you haven’t been keeping up with Scalped monthly, allow me to place my hand on your face and push you back a few steps. Go back starting with issue 13 then come back here. Aaron writes a wonderfully tragic single-issue arc within the “Dead Mothers” conclusion. Red Crow continues to grow as a character and is one of the biggest centerpieces in the book. I’m not sure if it’s genuine sympathy by the reading experience or just the gravity of work, but we as readers are pulled emotionally from all sides when it comes to Crow. He’s bad, folks but this issue shows there’s worse. |
1 Response to "Picks & Pans for May 21, 2008"
1 | Brian
I have less of a problem with the Secret Invasion story itself (when broken down is just a One More Day ploy to rewrite the entire structure of the MU) than BMB’s stilted Grey’s Anatomy-esque dialogue. “Hey, no, just hey…don’t do that.” Almost every character comes off as sounding not unlike a 14-year old on the New York Subway (sans – sometimes – the profanity).
