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| Tuesday, October 2, 2007 02:39 PM |
| The Take |
 by Fëanor |
Immortal Iron Fist #9
The usual solid work from the usual creative team on this one, and even the guest artists on the flashback scenes are pretty good. We get more of the backstory on our hero's Dad and his relationship with Davos - a friend of his at K'un-Lun, but now Danny's worst enemy. There's also the first fight of the tournament, the introduction of the daughter Orson Randall never knew he had, the return of the classic Heroes for Hire, and an open ending that sets up the story in the Annual.
It was disappointing to (spoiler warning) see the Iron Fist lose his first fight in the tournament, but the fight is so cool - with each kung fu move named in a caption box, and Aja outdoing himself in depicting them - that it almost makes up for it. Not my favorite issue of Iron Fist ever, but plenty of fun nonetheless.
Immortal Iron Fist Annual #1
This book was a pleasant surprise; I didn't even know it was coming out this week. I had it in my head that Annuals generally tell special one-shot stories that have nothing to do with the current story arc of a series, but this one isn't like that at all; it picks up right where the previous issue of Iron Fist left off, with Danny returning to Earth to meet an old friend of Orson's in an attempt to learn more of the secrets of the Iron Fist. The story reveals that Orson was part of his own little Heroes for Hire superhero gang called the Confederates of the Curious, the other members of which he's managed to keep alive all these years with the power of his chi. Some quick Googling seems to suggest that this was not a "real" old-school super team that actually appeared in the old comics, but it is clearly based on old teams and old character types that did so appear - what with the wizard, the talking animal sidekick, the femme fatale, etc.
The story is a pretty good one - I particularly like the ending, as well as the little Voltron thing that the Lightning Lords do early on - but the art is pretty questionable. Three separate artists work on different parts of the book, but Howard Chaykin does the majority, and I just don't like his style. His people look creepy and odd - they're misshapen, they show entirely too much teeth, and they tend to have crazy eyes. On the other hand, Dan Brereton's flashback section has a nice, classical look, and Jelena Kevic Djurdjevic's bit is not too bad looking, either. Overall, it's a pretty decent book, and I'm looking forward to the continuation of the story in Iron Fist #10.
Superman Confidential #6
This book was supposed to come out a month or so ago, and it was supposed to be a continuation of Darwyn Cooke's storyline about the origin of Kryptonite, which I was rather enjoying. However, apparently Cooke and the artist are having a hard time getting that issue finished (maybe Cooke is spending all his time working on the movie adaptation of New Frontier?), so the #6 that finally came out this week is part one in an entirely different two-part story by an entirely different creative team. And sadly, it's not very good. The writing, by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti, is weak, with a rather odd, but dull, plot about some mermaid lady getting possessed by an evil old amulet, seducing Superman, dragging Metropolis underwater, and turning all its citizens into mer-people - and that's just the opening! Which might give you an idea how rushed everything feels. I don't have much positive to say about Koi Turnbull's drawing's, either.
I'm not sure what to do about this title now. The Comic News that the nice cashiers included with my purchase says that Cooke and his Kryptonite story won't be coming back anytime soon; instead, a series of different creative teams will be giving us short arcs about various other things. I could give each one a try, or drop the book entirely until Cooke comes back, or just keep collecting it throughout. Hmm... I think what I'll do is just sample each arc as they come. So I'll probably skip the next issue of this, since I've decided I don't care for this arc.
All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder #7
Miller and Lee bring the dark and the ridiculous again here. Batman gets Black Canary so hot by beating the hell out of a whole gang of thugs (whom he at one point calls "wads") that, right there on a burning dock in the rain, they grab a hold of each other and they... well, they at least make out, and it's suggested that something more might have happened, too. When Canary questions the name "Batmobile," Batman says, "I'm the goddamn Batman and I can call my goddamn car whatever the hell I want to call it." This Batman is a very angry Batman. Although he's also a very happy Batman, in his own way - he laughs his way through the entire fight, in a very Joker-like manner. He also contradicts and repeats himself, babbling crazily about Thomas Jefferson in the narrative boxes. It's a strange book, but it makes me laugh as much as it makes me shake my head, so I'm still collecting it.
Batman #669
Well, this was the final book in the Black Hand/old super team murder mystery story, and... uh... I need to read this whole arc over again from the beginning, because as I was going through this issue I found myself having a hard time remembering everybody's names and how they were related to each other, and what had been going on in the flashback scene before, and so forth and so on. But I still was able to follow things well enough to enjoy the story, and again I loved J.H. Williams III's art and his imaginative titles and panel shapes and placements. Next up for this series is the resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul, so that sounds like fun!
The Order #3
What more can I say about this book? Every issue is just fantastic. This one follows the same format of the others in that it continues the main story arc while also focusing in on and developing a particular member of the team. In this case, it's the fast guy: Calamity. And okay, yeah, once again some of the story elements here are a bit familiar, but they're handled well, the ending is great, and also there are zombie hobos called zobos!!
Criminal #9
More of our main character's background and messed up family life are revealed in this issue, while in the present, all his plans and secrets and defenses are crumbling around him, as always happens in heist stories like this one. It's a strong story in a classic tradition, and I'm looking forward to the next entry.
X-Men: First Class #4
This isn't the strongest issue of this series so far, but it's certainly fun and funny. It's summer break at the mutant school, and everybody has somewhere to go and something to do except Bobby, so Xavier assigns Hank to look after him. They end up going on a goofy cross-country adventure where they occasionally have to use their powers, but mostly just end up bonding, with Hank learning to loosen up and Bobby learning that he's not alone. It's a cute little one-shot, but I'm hoping for something just a bit more engaging next time.
Blue Beetle #19
Wow, this is a really strong issue of this title, with some humorous bits, some fun action, and some surprisingly effective character development. Thumbs up! I'm a fan now, and I'll be there for the next issue.
Justice League of America #13
This one disappointed me, as I rather expected it would. What story there is is pretty dull and clumsy. Mostly it's just a series of scenes where the characters introduce themselves to each other while posing next to their logos. Having a whole crapload of big, A-list superheroes and supervillains all in one book is an attractive concept, but it can be hard to execute well. Your book ends up crowded with all of these people and personalities who all need a little space on the page, so it's hard to give enough of anything to anybody, or to even really get the story going. The creative team here just seems to be trying too hard to make everybody look cool, and to make it easy for new readers to come in and understand what's going on - so much so that they forget to actually write a comic. I definitely won't be picking up another issue of this.
Hellboy Volume 5: Conqueror Worm
Another ridiculously good volume of Hellboy, this one covering a story arc about the evil Nazi head in a jar with the giant robot ape assistant who appeared so memorably in earlier volumes. Also appearing is Lobster Johnson. I can't tell if this is where Mignola introduced Johnson into his creative universe - something tells me it's not - but we do at least learn a good bit of his backstory, and how he fits into Hellboy's story. I think (spoiler warning) he may be a zombie or something, and that he may be killed a second time at the end of this volume, but I'm not sure. Regardless, we have here everything you can usually expect from Mignola: a fantastic story, fantastic characters, and fantastic art. I never really thought before why Hellboy doesn't show up in the current B.P.R.D. stories, but the end of this volume explains it: Hellboy quit! Well, I'll be damned.
Avengers Classic #4
Well, here it is: the return of Captain America, and the story of how he joined the Avengers. Stan Lee does the writing, in his usual bombastic and ridiculous style, and Jack Kirby himself does the drawings. Lee was trying to sell this issue as of historic importance when it originally came out (as you can read for yourself in the narration boxes), and I don't know if that was one of them there self-fulfilling prophecies, but this is indeed a pretty historic issue. It's certainly silly and overwrought, and the explanation of Captain America's return is pretty hard to swallow. But Cap himself is an interesting character, full of tragedy and pathos, and the issue is a reasonably fun read. But the new Captain America story in the back of the issue is better, I'd say. It seems to take place chronologically very shortly after the re-print story, and shows us how Cap tried to settle into his new time and place, and how the government reconnected with him and confirmed his identity. It's obviously written with far more subtlety than Lee's story, and with far more emphasis on character than on action (although it opens up with a satisfying and funny sequence wherein Cap foils a bank robbery).
Runaways Volume 7: Live Fast
I read this book practically in one gulp. Runaways is pretty much a soap opera, with plenty of angst, romantic pairings, and violence. There just happens to be a lot of superheroes involved, too, and that makes it the kind of soap opera I can thoroughly enjoy. This arc deals with the aftermath of the death that occurred in the last volume and how it's affecting the team, while also starting up a new relationship in the team, and dealing with new member Xavin trying to fit in. Sometimes it gets a little cheesy, and sometimes the dialogue is a little too clever for its own good, but mostly it's just another fun, rollicking adventure, just with a bit more serious emotional stuff to deal with than normal.
The Authority Volume 3: Earth Inferno and Other Stories
This Authority collection features one rather lengthy arc by Millar, with pencils by Chris Weston on the first half and Quitely on the second half, and then a series of one-shot stories by various creative teams, including a final one by Ellis himself. The first, long arc is a good one about the Earth trying to take revenge on humanity, having been egged on to this action via the intervention of a psychopath who was the Doctor in an earlier time. It seems like each Authority story is an attempt to one-up the previous one in terms of the epic level of destruction and death, and thus this one features some truly horrific catastrophes that kill millions and destroy whole cities. It's a good story, with plenty of action and a lot of interesting ideas, and I like both Quitely's and Weston's art - although seeing Midnighter in clothes other than his usual leather outfit was a disturbing experience. This arc also has some rather unbelievable bits. I know, I know: when you think about it, almost every storyline in every issue of The Authority is pretty unbelievable. But there's a way to sell such things and make them work, and I think sometimes that's not done as well as it could be here. My main issue is with how the whole Doctor thing works. If the current Doctor is an entirely enlightened being, then it seems odd to me that he would still feel the need to do drugs. And if he can really do the kinds of incredible, world-changing things that the evil Doctor does at the end of this arc, then it seems to me that he personally should be able to easily take care of pretty much any problem the Authority runs into. I mean, he can apparently make himself invulnerable, and take control of time, space, and the entire universe. The guy is a God!
It's also a little hard to believe that the Authority could organize and implement an evacuation of the entire Earth in such a short period of time. But the visit to the gender bended alternate universe was pretty fun.
Anyway, the other stories in this collection are a bit weaker than the first arc. Next up is an Annual by Joe Casey where the team has to deal with some old Cold War weapons - one a Russian battle barge apparently crewed by super-zombies, and the other an American bio-atomic weapon named Adam Bomb. It's a familiar concept, but it's handled pretty well, has some unexpected and creative ideas, and is pretty fun, with some decent art by Cully Hamner. At the end, it's still unclear why these old weapons suddenly became reactivated and who pointed them at the Authority, but I assume that's something that gets revealed in a later issue... maybe. This story feels like it could have been better with stronger writing and if it were fleshed out a bit more, but it's still a good time.
The next two stories in the collection are each centered in on just one character in the Authority, and feature a lot of internal narration from said character. The first, by Paul Jenkins, is about the Engineer and how she desperately wants some good, old-fashioned sex, and the second, by Warren Ellis, is about Jack Hawksmoor and how he spends his free time running and jumping through the cities of the world, and trying to deal with all the deaths on his conscience. The Engineer story is pretty corny, goofy, and pointless, but the art (by Georges Jeanty) is good, and it's definitely amusing to see Midnighter ironing his clothes while wearing nothing but an undershirt, boxers, and his leather mask, with a "Backstreet Boyz" poster on the wall in the background. The second story is also pretty pointless, but it is kind of interesting to see a little more into Jack's mind and get to know him a little better. Cully Hamner is on pencils again here and does a solid job.
So, overall a decent collection, but nowhere near as good as volumes one and two. As for future collections, it looks like there's one more with work by Millar in it, then a guy named Robbie Morrison takes over for a while, and then there are two trades by Ed Brubaker. I hear Morrison's run isn't too good, but I might pick up the Coup d'état collection anyway, as this is the crossover wherein the Authority takes over America, and that sets up Brubaker's storyline, which I would definitely like to read. After that, The Authority as a book is essentially over. There were a few issues in a planned run by Grant Morrison (I borrowed #1 from Mike and picked up #2), but that series was shelved when Morrison became too busy with other things (like rewriting the DC Universe). I believe I read that they're launching a new Authority series later on this year, however, so I will definitely keep my eye open for that. I'd love to be collecting a current Authority title in issues. |
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