Saturday, November 04, 2006
Recent Comics I Have Read
52 #23: The Island of Mad Scientists is funny. Black Marvel, Jr., not so much.
52 #24: Farewell, Super-Chief; you were a lame stereotype, but...well, okay I got nothing. Ambush Bug is funny. I really like the idea of a supehero named "Poledancer." Perhaps best not to speculate what her powers are. Martian Manhunter is the Secretary of State? He doesn't look anything like Condi!
52 #25: The little kids on the cover are adorable. "Happy Halloween, Judeo-Christians!" Just how the heck old IS Alan Scott? He looks about 25, tops. And I didn't even recognize Mr. Terrific, who looks even younger. Doesn't DC have an Artist's Bible?
52 #26: The Sivana Family is just...wrong. Deeply, creepily wrong. The mad scientists don't like it when girls come in their clubhouse. Pfft, fanboys.
New Avengers #24: Sentry and the Inhumans. I grok that Bendis intends him to be a Marvel-version of Superman, but I'm really starting to like the Sentry, when he isn't written as a pathetic whiner, that is. Iron Man gives a slightly better exposition on his motives in the Civil War than "crazed fascist asshole."
Captain America #23: All Bucky, all the time. Give me strength.
Detective Comics #825: Nice, self-contained story marred by shaky art. Batman uses his brains; kind of Denny O'Neil Silver Age, but in a good way.
Ultimate Fantastic Four #35: Okay, at first I thought these guys were supposed to be the Ultimate Kree, since they had Ronan the Accuser. But then...Ultimate Thanos? Nice to see the space whales from the X-Men about 15 years ago. Liking the art, but Reed seems WAY too muscular, though maybe he's supposed to be deliberately bulking himself up.
Green Arrow #67: The little walking "Oriental master" stereotype beats the crap out of GA to learn him up right. I did like the idea of Ollie the liberal selling out his values, but for a "good cause." A flawed hero is an interesting hero.
Invincible #35: Mostly alot of sitting around and talking in this issue, but its part of what makes the book good. The characters, every single one of them, even the NPCs, are interesting and unique.
Justice League of America #3: Beating the crap out of an army of cut-rate Red Tornadoes = priceless. I am genuinely intrigued by what the villains are up to. Meltzer is doing excellent work with an ensemble cast.
Ms. Marvel #8: Again, a much better discussion of the philosophical underpinnings of the Civil War than has ever appeared in that actual book. Carol Danvers continues to develop as a truly complex and interesting character; yes, she follows orders--she's ex-Air Force, after all. But she's not a mindless martinet, either. I wonder if Brian Reed, or someone he knows, has been in the service, since he seems to recreate that mindset very realistically.
Ultimate Power #1: Hurm. Supreme Power jumped the shark awhile back so I stopped buying it. Nice to see Ultimate Project PEGASUS (aka, the Plot Device Room). Also liked the FF action figures. Land & Ryan draw the Ultimate FF better, and Land seems to be weaning himself off his light table.
Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters #4: President Evil. Sorry, couldn't resist that. President Gonzo Knight sounds like he reads Civil War, too. Artwork not as good this time. And the psychotic government agent bit is old. Can't the bad guys have a motivation slightly more subtle than advanced sociopathy?
Union Jack #2: Pretty much all action. Jack is hardcore and a natural leader, maybe more of a British version of Captain America than Captain Britain. I like the fact that he is presented as naive enough to make mistakes.
52 #24: Farewell, Super-Chief; you were a lame stereotype, but...well, okay I got nothing. Ambush Bug is funny. I really like the idea of a supehero named "Poledancer." Perhaps best not to speculate what her powers are. Martian Manhunter is the Secretary of State? He doesn't look anything like Condi!
52 #25: The little kids on the cover are adorable. "Happy Halloween, Judeo-Christians!" Just how the heck old IS Alan Scott? He looks about 25, tops. And I didn't even recognize Mr. Terrific, who looks even younger. Doesn't DC have an Artist's Bible?
52 #26: The Sivana Family is just...wrong. Deeply, creepily wrong. The mad scientists don't like it when girls come in their clubhouse. Pfft, fanboys.
New Avengers #24: Sentry and the Inhumans. I grok that Bendis intends him to be a Marvel-version of Superman, but I'm really starting to like the Sentry, when he isn't written as a pathetic whiner, that is. Iron Man gives a slightly better exposition on his motives in the Civil War than "crazed fascist asshole."
Captain America #23: All Bucky, all the time. Give me strength.
Detective Comics #825: Nice, self-contained story marred by shaky art. Batman uses his brains; kind of Denny O'Neil Silver Age, but in a good way.
Ultimate Fantastic Four #35: Okay, at first I thought these guys were supposed to be the Ultimate Kree, since they had Ronan the Accuser. But then...Ultimate Thanos? Nice to see the space whales from the X-Men about 15 years ago. Liking the art, but Reed seems WAY too muscular, though maybe he's supposed to be deliberately bulking himself up.
Green Arrow #67: The little walking "Oriental master" stereotype beats the crap out of GA to learn him up right. I did like the idea of Ollie the liberal selling out his values, but for a "good cause." A flawed hero is an interesting hero.
Invincible #35: Mostly alot of sitting around and talking in this issue, but its part of what makes the book good. The characters, every single one of them, even the NPCs, are interesting and unique.
Justice League of America #3: Beating the crap out of an army of cut-rate Red Tornadoes = priceless. I am genuinely intrigued by what the villains are up to. Meltzer is doing excellent work with an ensemble cast.
Ms. Marvel #8: Again, a much better discussion of the philosophical underpinnings of the Civil War than has ever appeared in that actual book. Carol Danvers continues to develop as a truly complex and interesting character; yes, she follows orders--she's ex-Air Force, after all. But she's not a mindless martinet, either. I wonder if Brian Reed, or someone he knows, has been in the service, since he seems to recreate that mindset very realistically.
Ultimate Power #1: Hurm. Supreme Power jumped the shark awhile back so I stopped buying it. Nice to see Ultimate Project PEGASUS (aka, the Plot Device Room). Also liked the FF action figures. Land & Ryan draw the Ultimate FF better, and Land seems to be weaning himself off his light table.
Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters #4: President Evil. Sorry, couldn't resist that. President Gonzo Knight sounds like he reads Civil War, too. Artwork not as good this time. And the psychotic government agent bit is old. Can't the bad guys have a motivation slightly more subtle than advanced sociopathy?
Union Jack #2: Pretty much all action. Jack is hardcore and a natural leader, maybe more of a British version of Captain America than Captain Britain. I like the fact that he is presented as naive enough to make mistakes.
