|
|
| Friday, July 27, 2007 04:52 PM |
| The Take |
 by Fëanor |
Hellboy: Darkness Calls #4
Hellboy's adventures through Russian folk tales continue! And this series continues to be totally freaking awesome. The art, the action, the dialogue, the story - everything is top notch. Can't wait till next issue!
Also, HELLBOY RULES!!!
All-Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder #6
This book continues to be ridiculous, but I'm not dropping it, because... well, it's just so ridiculous! Plus, I'm starting to think Miller is really just being deliberately over-the-top and silly now. Oh, and I think they should dump the incredibly long title for this series and rename it The Goddamn Batman. I mean, that phrase has come up at least 10 times so far just in these first six issues. (Btw, I swear I wrote this entry before I read Chris Sims' extremely similar review. I guess we aren't as different as I was beginning to think...)
Batman #666
This is... odd. Quite excellent, but not what I was expecting. Instead of continuing directly from where the last issue left off, this book jumps into what appears to be the far future where Damian, Batman's son, is now the new Batman, and Barbara is the new Commissioner Gordon. Also, Alfred is a cat (no, seriously). Anyway, Damian's Batman is a self-described cheater and, occasionally, a killer. Also, he made a bit of a deal with the devil. Just a little one! And there is actually a connection to the current Batman storyline: It turns out that the third of the three Batman impostors that Batman has been fighting in recent issues got away from him, and claimed that when he returned, the world would end. And now he's back, and Damian has to fight him, and thus stop the end of the world. Luckily, he's well equipped to do so. The more I think back on this story, the more I enjoy it. It's really quite excellent. I love Damian's Batman, and the glimpses we get of the weird new supervillains he has to face-off against in future Gotham. Bravo, Mr. Morrison. Bravo.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight #5
I guess I'm just going to have to get used to the websites of the major comics companies lying to me pretty much every week about what's really being released. This week, I was under the impression that I'd see a new issue of Superman Confidential, and no new issue of Buffy. Instead, I got the exact opposite! Anyway, this particular issue is actually a one-shot departure from the Season Eight storyline we've been following so far, and word is Whedon will not be writing the next four issues; instead, Brian K. Vaughn will take over for those. I guess those guys are pals; they seem to trade writing duties back and forth on various books (I'm thinking about Runaways here). I'll be disappointed to see Whedon leave, but Vaughn is good, too. But anyway, back to the issue at hand: this one is pretty good, with an interesting little look into the life of a Slayer who went undercover as Buffy, and how that worked out for her (turns out, not so well). Definitely not my favorite issue so far - in fact, it's probably my least favorite - but it kept me occupied.
Heroes for Hire #12
This actually wasn't that bad. It kept me interested, anyway, despite the fact that the characters in this team are kind of dull and appear to be mostly incompetent. I particularly enjoyed the pick-up story in the back, which continues the battle between Scorpion and Paladin over a mysterious item in the long-term evidence locker in NYC. This is fun because it consists mainly of the two of them grabbing random supervillain weapons off the shelves and using them on each other. Awesome!
The Incredible Hulk #108
This is a tad corny. Pretty much the whole issue is spent comparing and contrasting one of the Hulk's new alien friends to one of his oldest human friends, complete with many flashbacks and reminiscences. Ultimately the two friends come to a wary truce and decide each of them will help the Hulk in his own way. But the story as a whole feels a bit cheap and unbelievable. It's almost like reading a sitcom clip show. And there's no genius boy at all! Give me more genius boy! That kid rocks.
Iron Man #20
Okay, this is more like it! Last month's Iron Man was mostly a boring rehash of the events of World War Hulk #1, but this month's takes us forward in the story - or at least, into interesting lateral areas. We get to see what's happened to Tony since he got his ass beat by the Hulk, and what he had planned for worst case scenarios like this one (holy crap!). Finally, we also get to see how S.H.I.E.L.D. is dealing with his absence. It's good stuff.
The Immortal Iron Fist #7
I was a little disappointed when I discovered that this issue, like this week's Buffy, is a one-shot departure from the main storyline (what's up with that this week?), but it still ends up being a kick-ass story about kicking ass that is both funny and touching, so no biggie. In fact, it tells the story of a former Iron Fist whom we met briefly in a flashback during an earlier issue - that being the Pirate Queen of Pinghai Bay. Definitely a fun time. Still, I'm looking forward to the next issue, which promises to plunge us directly into the giant tournament that Danny was heading off to at the end of #6.
Doktor Sleepless #1
This is not one I was planning to get, but when I saw issue one of a new series by Warren Ellis sitting right there on the shelf, I couldn't exactly just walk on by, now could I? Now that I've read the book, I'm still glad I picked it up, but I don't intend to continue collecting this series. It's a very odd story about a rather apathetic future in which everyone modifies their bodies and dresses them up sexily as if they're just avatars in an online game, and they all complain about how the future isn't the way they thought it would be. Then a guy comes back to town with a surly female assistant in a nurse's outfit, rechristens himself as Doktor Sleepless, and declares he's going to do... something. About grinding or something. I don't know. The book is deliberately weird and obscure, and if it has a point, I'm not sure what it is, or if I would be likely to agree with it. There are some interesting ideas here (especially the concept Ellis mentions in the back about an online, user-contributed wiki that will help shape the book's universe and backstory), but the book just doesn't do it for me.
Runaways, Volume 2: Teenage Wasteland
In this volume, Vaughn's Runaways seems to be turning more and more into a romantic teen soap opera, but I confess with a bit of shame that I'm still very much enjoying it. The story is action-packed and funny, while at the same time emotional and thoughtful. Also, despite the fact that it's taking place in the Marvel Universe proper, it's constantly making fun of the characters in that universe, and comic book plot devices in general. (Ah, post modernism, how I love thee.) And besides all that, I'm hooked on the plot, and want to know what happens next. Who is the mole?? I'm betting Alex, as he seems to be the only one smart enough to pull off that level of planning and duplicity. Plus, I don't remember seeing him in the later comics I've been reading by Whedon. But I could be way off. After all, Alex is the closest thing to a main character that the book has...
The Spirit #3
Okay, I've given this book a few more tries, and now I think it's time to drop it again. This series has plenty of elements that I would normally enjoy - a retro flavor, lovely art, decent writing, a masked crimefighter - but something about it is just not grabbing me. It's not that there's anything actively bad about it; it just always leaves me with a feeling of supreme indifference. So I don't see any reason to keep spending my money on it. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jim Genzano's books on Goodreads
