Saturday, December 16, 2006
Recent Comics I Have Read
52 #30: So...Batman was trained by...guys with eyeballs on their fingers? And now he's going nuts? Hwah?
52 #31: Poor Captain Comet. Kalinara will be devastated. I have no frickin' clue who Supernova is, and I'm not sure I care. This guy does, though.
52 #32: Bad art. Talking, whiny crocodiles are a stupid, annoying idea. Ralph Dibny among the Secret Society of Godawful Asian Stereotypes.
Batman #659-660: Good story, though "Grotesk" is a dumb name. "Guess you didn't recognize me, it being such a dark night and all." Heh. Apparently, there are now black people living in Gotham; who knew? Artwork is uneven. Johnny Karaoke, God help me. "Your lunge needs work," and "Prepare to bleed." Heh, again.
Captain America #24: Cap vs. Hydra is always a classic. Artwork iffy, very stiff poses throughout, though Perkins may be doing some kind of Kirby tribute.
Detective Comics #826: Paul Dini lays down one of the single best, and creepiest, renditions of the Joker in a long time. Great dialogue, excellent little features (like the ornament/ball-gag), good interior monologue by Robin that serves to heighten the tension. "Just go 'Batman' on his ass." You have to love that. Don Kramer is not my favorite artist, but it's good here. I like the fact that he draws the Joker as a normal human (as opposed to a cartoon) and concentrates on the changing facial features.
Green Arrow #69: Very good banter. Nice interaction between Ollie and Bruce Wayne. Winick (combined with McDaniel's art) neatly captures in a couple of panels how Bruce Wayne is basically just another mask the Batman puts on.
Invincible #37: This book continues to remind me why Spider-Man used to be so much fun, before clones and The Other and all the assorted crap that is currently keeping me away. Invincible is a kid; he gets pissed off and breaks a villain's jaw (actually, damn near severs it). He gets jealous and fights with his girlfriend. His dean thinks he's doing drugs because he is missing so much class-time. Great, classic, unemcumbered superheroic stuff.
JLA Classified #30: Surprisingly specific politics in this; not sure why Chaykin hates the Netherlands. Pretty good artwork. I'm not going to ask how Kyle got the ring out...
Justice League of America #4: This continues to be a good run. Meltzer has a fine eye for history and for character interaction. Not sure what I think of Solomon Grundy as Mr. Fixit. Loren is not going to like some of the archery illustrations.
Justice Society of America #1: This a wonderful concept, the JSA as a mentor organization for legacy heroes (or heroes-to-be). Should I know why Mr. America looks almost exactly like the original Americommando? Good take on Wildcat, including the home-made looking costume. I think I'm going to like this.
New Universal #1: I freely admit I didn't read enough of the original New Universe run (which I thought at the time was a pretty clever idea) to know if this a revamp or a relaunch. Someone alert Ragnell; at last a superhero from Oklahoma! Is Optima Down anywhere near Tahlequah? Actually, in the first scene, it looks like the kids are hanging out at Lake Eufala. Does this whole concept reek of Heroes? And it was nice of James Gandolfini to drop in to play the sheriff.
Next Wave #10: Still not enough to tell if I really like it or not. I do like the funky, Bruce Timm-ish art. Forbush-Man, though he has a really interesting power, may just be too snarky.
Powers #21: I'm liking this storyline because it is back to the basics that made this book so good. If I never see or hear of the Millenium Guard again, I can die a happy dork. Cops and superheroes, this time with some political intrigue. Good stuff.
Ultimate Power #2: Pretty much a non-stop battle from start to finish. Intriguing (though pretty predictable) motivation. Great light-box artwork. Spot the celebrities!
Welcome to Tranquility #1: Love Gail Simone and love the concept of a superhero retirement community, sort of like Fables or that town in Florida where the former circus people go. Looks like it's going to be fun.
Ultimate Vision #1: The title character is evidently modelled by Pam Anderson for the cover. Sam Wilson has a crush on the Vision--that's sweet. Who is Tarleton supposed to be? Other than the artwork, I liked Ultimate Extinction, and re-imagining Vision as a sort of anti-herald of Gah Lak Tus (with a little Uata thrown in) added to both characters. I'll want to read more of this.
52 #31: Poor Captain Comet. Kalinara will be devastated. I have no frickin' clue who Supernova is, and I'm not sure I care. This guy does, though.
52 #32: Bad art. Talking, whiny crocodiles are a stupid, annoying idea. Ralph Dibny among the Secret Society of Godawful Asian Stereotypes.
Batman #659-660: Good story, though "Grotesk" is a dumb name. "Guess you didn't recognize me, it being such a dark night and all." Heh. Apparently, there are now black people living in Gotham; who knew? Artwork is uneven. Johnny Karaoke, God help me. "Your lunge needs work," and "Prepare to bleed." Heh, again.
Captain America #24: Cap vs. Hydra is always a classic. Artwork iffy, very stiff poses throughout, though Perkins may be doing some kind of Kirby tribute.
Detective Comics #826: Paul Dini lays down one of the single best, and creepiest, renditions of the Joker in a long time. Great dialogue, excellent little features (like the ornament/ball-gag), good interior monologue by Robin that serves to heighten the tension. "Just go 'Batman' on his ass." You have to love that. Don Kramer is not my favorite artist, but it's good here. I like the fact that he draws the Joker as a normal human (as opposed to a cartoon) and concentrates on the changing facial features.
Green Arrow #69: Very good banter. Nice interaction between Ollie and Bruce Wayne. Winick (combined with McDaniel's art) neatly captures in a couple of panels how Bruce Wayne is basically just another mask the Batman puts on.
Invincible #37: This book continues to remind me why Spider-Man used to be so much fun, before clones and The Other and all the assorted crap that is currently keeping me away. Invincible is a kid; he gets pissed off and breaks a villain's jaw (actually, damn near severs it). He gets jealous and fights with his girlfriend. His dean thinks he's doing drugs because he is missing so much class-time. Great, classic, unemcumbered superheroic stuff.
JLA Classified #30: Surprisingly specific politics in this; not sure why Chaykin hates the Netherlands. Pretty good artwork. I'm not going to ask how Kyle got the ring out...
Justice League of America #4: This continues to be a good run. Meltzer has a fine eye for history and for character interaction. Not sure what I think of Solomon Grundy as Mr. Fixit. Loren is not going to like some of the archery illustrations.
Justice Society of America #1: This a wonderful concept, the JSA as a mentor organization for legacy heroes (or heroes-to-be). Should I know why Mr. America looks almost exactly like the original Americommando? Good take on Wildcat, including the home-made looking costume. I think I'm going to like this.
New Universal #1: I freely admit I didn't read enough of the original New Universe run (which I thought at the time was a pretty clever idea) to know if this a revamp or a relaunch. Someone alert Ragnell; at last a superhero from Oklahoma! Is Optima Down anywhere near Tahlequah? Actually, in the first scene, it looks like the kids are hanging out at Lake Eufala. Does this whole concept reek of Heroes? And it was nice of James Gandolfini to drop in to play the sheriff.
Next Wave #10: Still not enough to tell if I really like it or not. I do like the funky, Bruce Timm-ish art. Forbush-Man, though he has a really interesting power, may just be too snarky.
Powers #21: I'm liking this storyline because it is back to the basics that made this book so good. If I never see or hear of the Millenium Guard again, I can die a happy dork. Cops and superheroes, this time with some political intrigue. Good stuff.
Ultimate Power #2: Pretty much a non-stop battle from start to finish. Intriguing (though pretty predictable) motivation. Great light-box artwork. Spot the celebrities!
Welcome to Tranquility #1: Love Gail Simone and love the concept of a superhero retirement community, sort of like Fables or that town in Florida where the former circus people go. Looks like it's going to be fun.
Ultimate Vision #1: The title character is evidently modelled by Pam Anderson for the cover. Sam Wilson has a crush on the Vision--that's sweet. Who is Tarleton supposed to be? Other than the artwork, I liked Ultimate Extinction, and re-imagining Vision as a sort of anti-herald of Gah Lak Tus (with a little Uata thrown in) added to both characters. I'll want to read more of this.
Spleen Perforated
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Recent Comics I Have Read
Birds of Prey #100: Superb issue. Good artwork, a cast of all-female protagonists shown as intelligent, skillful professionals. I really enjoyed the concept of the new Birds of Prey as a sort of superhero clearing-house or union hall, not unlike the JLU. Back-up feature with Black Canary is weak, and suffers from extraordinarily stilted dialogue.
JSA Classified #18: Good second-parter featuring the Hour Men, but it ends weakly on a truly stupid "sit com"-ish ending where all the characters get together and chuckle at the camera. I appreciated that Bane was given a motivation a little more deep than "I must break you."
JSA Classified #19: Doctor Mid-Nite is an intriguing and under-utilized character, much like Mr. Terrific, so I liked this opportunity to have him shine solo. The use of the urban myth was a good starting point, though the whole storyline reminded me of the John Sublime arc in X-Men.
Next Wave #9: Snarky and funny. I can't decide if I like this or not. The concept of a team of D-List superheroes is good.. "A city on jets! A terrorist city! A flying trap!" = good line. The "return" of Forbush-Man may a little too self-referential. Further study is indicated.
Superman #657: Nothing like a good Superman story with barely a cameo by Superman. The futuristic, post-superhero dystopia bit, man, tha's old. "Khyber" is a stupid name and he sounds an awful lot like Apocalypse.
JSA Classified #18: Good second-parter featuring the Hour Men, but it ends weakly on a truly stupid "sit com"-ish ending where all the characters get together and chuckle at the camera. I appreciated that Bane was given a motivation a little more deep than "I must break you."
JSA Classified #19: Doctor Mid-Nite is an intriguing and under-utilized character, much like Mr. Terrific, so I liked this opportunity to have him shine solo. The use of the urban myth was a good starting point, though the whole storyline reminded me of the John Sublime arc in X-Men.
Next Wave #9: Snarky and funny. I can't decide if I like this or not. The concept of a team of D-List superheroes is good.. "A city on jets! A terrorist city! A flying trap!" = good line. The "return" of Forbush-Man may a little too self-referential. Further study is indicated.
Superman #657: Nothing like a good Superman story with barely a cameo by Superman. The futuristic, post-superhero dystopia bit, man, tha's old. "Khyber" is a stupid name and he sounds an awful lot like Apocalypse.
