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| Sunday, October 28, 2007 10:05 PM |
| The Take |
 by Fëanor |
X-Men: First Class #5
This title attracted me in the first place basically because it was light and airy, but now I'm starting to think it might actually be too light and airy. It's getting to the point where the thing is nearly insubstantial. Still, this issue, about the team meeting the Hulk, getting into a bit of a fight, and then ultimately deciding to let the big green guy go his own way, is still pretty fun - especially the title page, which cleverly reprints a page from the original Incredible Hulk comic, accompanied by an amusing note at the bottom about comic book care by Hank, and some rude responses from his friends. There are also a couple of quick, comical back-up stories after the main story which are amusing enough. I seem to remember earlier issues of this title being cleverer, funnier, and cooler, however; I'm hoping it will swing back in that direction soon.
Moon Knight #13
So, I was hoping this would be a good issue to jump onto this title without being too confused as to what was going on, but as it turns out... well, I was a little confused. It jumps from one place and time to another over and over again, with dialogue from the previous scene often carrying over in narrative boxes into the new one, and I kept having to flip back and forth as I was reading it the first time, trying desperately to keep up with who everybody was and how they were related to each other and what the hell they were all talking about. The art (with pencils by Tomm Coker and color by Dean White) didn't make things much easier; it's really quite fantastic - realistic and surreal at the same time - but it's also very dark, so I couldn't always tell if this guy in this panel was the same guy as that guy I'd seen before in that other panel. After I'd read the book a second time, however, and paid more careful attention to the introductory text (which names most of the major characters and explains their relationship to each other) I was able to put things together in a way that made more sense, and now I feel pretty confident that I know who almost everybody is and that I know almost everything that happened - although I'm still not sure exactly who that guy with the red sunglasses is in the car with Marc (another piece of his fractured personality? A private detective? Some other superhero or sidekick I'm supposed to know?), and I'm not sure if the guy Marlene has sex with at the end is Marc, or if it's the guy she was with earlier - Taylor. Which is actually kind of important. But whatever. The point is, it's a very good story, extremely well written (by Charlie Huston), about Marc Spector/Moon Knight using some pretty nasty little trickery to get himself registered as a freelance superhuman under the new Superhuman Registration Act. There's a few scenes of violent action, but most of it is really a subtle, moving psychological examination of Spector, his evaluator, his ex-girlfriend, and his partners/sidekicks. Of course, the fact that I've decided I like this Moon Knight title doesn't mean much, as it turns out the next issue - which isn't coming out until next year - will be done by an entirely new creative team. But I'll certainly give that one a try, and in between now and then there'll be a Moon Knight Annual that I'll have to pick up, as well.
She-Hulk #22
This is my first issue of She-Hulk, but it's also Peter David's first issue as writer, so we're even there. David has made her a bounty hunter and... split her into two people? Maybe? Somehow? I don't know, but it looks like it'll be explained soon. I can't say anything in here blew me away, but nothing really disgusted me, either, and the story is certainly intriguing, leaving me with many questions I'm curious to have answered. So I guess I'm picking up at least one more issue!
The Authority: Prime #1
Well, this isn't as good as I was hoping it would be, but it's good enough. Darick Robertson's art is serviceable most of the time, although at times it gets a little clumsy and you end up with a really ugly, misshapen person. Christos Gage is similarly good most of the time with the occasional lapse. He pleased me right off the bat by opening up his story with the Authority fighting a Lovecraftian Elder God, and then slipping in some funny Apollo/Midnighter sequences. But his attempts to work in exposition and backstory occasionally result in some clumsy, unrealistic dialogue. There are also some corny bits, and just in general the dialogue doesn't pop and the characters don't... live to the extent that they have in Authority stories past.
But I'm faulting it for what it's not, which is a little unfair. Gage is not Ellis; the book isn't going to be pure genius. It's a comic of acceptable quality starring my favorite superhero team of all time; obviously I'm going to keep reading it.
As for the story, it's about the Authority and StormWatch: Prime coming into conflict over an old base of Henry Bendix's, the location of which was found in Bendix's memory tower by his son, who has apparently taken over the post of Weatherman. Bendix Jr. got zapped by something opening that part of the memory tower, and although he seemed fine afterwards, I suspect we haven't seen the end of that; I wouldn't be surprised if Bendix Sr. has now taken control of Bendix Jr.'s mind from behind the grave somehow. That Bendix. He just won't stay dead!
Blue Beetle #20
When I realized this was a tie-in to the Sinestro Corps War storyline that's sweeping across the DC multiverse at the moment, I was almost sorry I'd bought it. I hate DC's giant stupid cross-over stories. But as it turns out, Blue Beetle was not poisoned by the Sinestro Corps War; if anything, Blue Beetle has done the impressive feat of making the Sinestro Corps War attractive to me. Rafael Albuquerque's art is fantastic throughout, aided very much by Guy Major's lovely coloring, and John Rogers crafts a wonderful little story, packed to the gills with crazy, sci-fi, high-speed action and topped off by a moving conclusion. Sure, some of the ideas in it are pretty familiar cliches (guy must fight off his own self-hatred, as well as possession by an evil alien power, using his willpower, and a little help from his friends), but they're presented powerfully, cleverly, and with humor. This is a good comic! I am pleased.
Star Wars: Dark Times #6
Well, I'll be damned! This is actually quite good! Strong art and storytelling, thrilling action, moving drama, and even some effective humor. The sequence where Order 66 is issued is particularly well done, capturing all the horror and tragedy of it. I am officially impressed, and will definitely keep collecting this title.
Thunderbolts #116
Thunderbolts #117
This was another one of those times when the new issue coming out this week that I meant to collect (#117) turned out to be part two in a new story arc, and so of course I had no choice but to dig back amongst the old issues and pick up part one, as well. And oh my, am I glad I did. It really is true that there are other comic writers, and then there's Warren Ellis. It's really like reading somebody who's on a whole different level from everybody else. These two issues are loaded with complex characters with twisted minds; extreme violence; incredible, jaw-dropping displays of mind-bending power; ridiculously clever and funny dialogue; and an intriguing story that has me slightly puzzled but also slavering for more. I am so pleased that Ellis is writing a comic now that I can collect in issues, and that it is about such interesting people (a gang of villains turned "heroes," who are tasked with bringing in unregistered superhumans) in one of my favorite comic book universes (that being Earth-616, of course). Although I love the extremely well-crafted wordy bits in both of these books, the sign of a really excellent writer is that he knows when to shut up, and there are a number of incredibly effective passages in both issues that involve no words at all. I bow to you, Mr. Ellis. I also open my wallet to you.
What If? Planet Hulk #1
This contains three different "What If?" stories examining three different paths that the Planet Hulk/World War Hulk storyline could have taken, all written by the excellent Greg Pak. The first is explained by its title: "What If the Hulk Died and Caiera Lived?" The second is called "Peaceful Planet" and takes a look at what might have happened if the Hulk had actually landed on the planet that the Illuminati had originally picked out for him. The third is a one-page gag story called "What If Bruce Banner Had Landed on Sakaar Instead of the Hulk?"
The first story is very solemn and dark and shows us Caiera taking vengeance on the Earth in an even more swift and terrible fashion than the Hulk has. It's brutal and moving (the scene where she uses Black Bolt to take out Dr. Strange and the Sentry is particularly devastating), and I feel some scenes in it help support my theory that it was Miek who actually blew up Hulk's spaceship as part of a plan to invade Earth in order to repopulate his species. I like it!
The second story takes the form of an interesting fight between Banner and the Hulk, with the two finally finding peace by agreeing to take on the role of protectors of the weak creatures who live on their new home. A lot of this story is told without words, but it is told well nevertheless. It's a little corny, but I found it enjoyable.
The final story is just silly, and not even all that funny, but it's at least good for one or two little giggles.
Powers #26
I'm still not sure exactly how to feel about this comic. It's not really excellent or anything, but the story is really interesting, and some of the dialogue bits are really clever and funny. It does get a bit melodramatic and corny in some parts, but only fleetingly. And once again, as in the last issue, there's a fascinating two-page spread where a series of wordless panels are used in a rather simple but unorthodox arrangement to tell us a part of the story. I'm definitely going to pick up at least one more issue of this one.
The Ultimates: Volume One
Although I may be a bit unsure how I feel about Powers, I'm even more unsure how I feel about this book. It tells the story of how the "Avengers" were formed in the Marvel Ultimate universe, first introducing us to Captain America during WWII, then showing how he was frozen, then jumping ahead to the present when S.H.I.E.L.D. and Nick Fury are trying to assemble a team of superheroes to protect America from future super-threats. The art, by Bryan Hitch, is very good; the story is intriguing; the dialogue is often clever and funny. But there's just something unsettling about it. A lot of it is very... seedy. It's like you're seeing the creepy, nasty, dark underside of all of these heroes, and it's a side of them I'm not entirely comfortable with. Bruce Banner is characterized as an utterly pathetic nerd who is a failure not only in his social and love life, but even in his work and science life. It's hard to even read the bits about him. Betty Ross, meanwhile, is a bit of a heartless bitch, toying with Banner and browbeating him in the worst way. And as if that relationship wasn't messed up enough, there's the truly twisted relationship between Hank Pym and the Wasp, which turns exceedingly violent and weird by the end of the book. And that's not to mention the gross secrets we learn about the Wasp in the meantime.
Most of the other characters come out of it okay. Tony is the slick, alcoholic, multi-billionaire ladies' man we all know and love. Captain America is Captain America - except a bit more so. Thor is a radical progressive liberal, which seems a bit odd, but works okay.
But those other characters... and the rather sad, funny, pathetic, embarrassing sequence where the Hulk has to be subdued... I just don't know.
I'm not sure why the book skeeves me so much. It seems to me I've read far worse things and enjoyed them - in the pages of The Authority, for instance. Maybe it has to do with seeing these particular characters in these kinds of situations, twisted in this way, that bugs me. After all, The Authority have always been screwed up bastards, but Banner/Hulk has never been as pathetic and shameful and screwed up and horny as he is here.
Still, I'll probably end up getting Volume 2, if for no other reason than to see what happens next. |
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