Week of December 20th and 28th, 2006
Merry Christmas and happy holidays, readers! I took a week off to spend time with my family, friends, and fiancé, but I'm back with a double sized column. I had a wonderful holiday with lots of love and some cool swag; here's hoping you had the same. I'm keeping all the reviews short this go around, because there's so much to get to, and because I'm simultaneously working on my Best/Worst of 2006 year end extravaganza, which should be done a few days after this goes up. Enough sentiment and resolution making, let's get onward!
FUN SIZE REVIEWS:
Ultimate Spider-Man #103:
Don't really have much to say: still absolutely crazy, although some craziness has been retconned and there is a new craziness I'm not sure about, that changes the character of Doc Ock so much he may not even be recognizably himself anymore. Worth reading as always, and Bagley finds a few new tricks on art, despite it being his 103rd issue. Crazy. Next issue is the conclusion of the Clone Saga arc.
Sensational Spider-Man #33:
Damn. I've liked Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's writing so far, though he hasn't been paired with an appropriately good or regular artist, but this issue marks his ascendancy into those writers who have left a mark. It's told from Aunt May's perspective and gives amazing insight into what it's like for an overprotective mother figure to watch her son get hurt, badly.
New Avengers #26:
This special issue of New Avengers, gorgeously drawn by Alex Maleev doing his best Dave McKean impersonation, is the best thing to come out of the Civil War delay. Bendis writes a great story about Hawkeye and the Scarlet Witch, that makes me excited for when he's the driving force at Marvel again.
New Avengers Illuminati #1:
Revisionist writing doesn't usually work for me, but this book is…charming? It shows us how the Illuminati are behind some trickiness with the Skrull Empire, and next issue shows us how they're secretly involved with Infinity Gauntlet. Worth checking out, though it's likely to be polarizing.
Civil War: Casualties of War One Shot, Frontline #9, War Crimes #1:
December 20th was a big week for Civil War tie-ins, including two created specifically to fill the gap left by delays. As expected, War Crimes and Casualties of War don't have humongous plot-changing implications, but they're both well-crafted stories (surprisingly so), with War Crimes focusing on the history of Wilson Fisk, and how he figures into the super-conflict, and Casualties of War being an odd parley between Cap and Tony, mid-conflict. They meet in the Old Avengers mansion and hash out old times and the new troubles; granted, it seems ridiculous, but the story takes a wonderful trip through Marvel and Avengers history, and it really is well-written. Worth a shot if you like character-based stories. Frontline has been better, but the story of Sally Floyd turning away Cap's interview is pretty stunning, and I did really like the Speedball story this issue.
Justice #9:
Damn this is going to be good in a collected hardcover. This issue continues the comeback of the Justice League, with some setbacks. DO NOT miss the splash of the League in their special nano-bot proof armor. Breathtaking.
Detective Comics #827:
Paul Dini is making good on his Comic-Con promise that these self-contained stories aren't as unrelated as they'd been advertised, as this story about the return of Scarface (with a much better looking Ventriloquist to boot) starts tying together more threads from previous issues, and even explicitly referencing previous issues in dialog. Exciting.
Daredevil #92:
The mastermind behind Brubaker's run thus far on Daredevil isn't who you'd expect, and it's not all that exciting (though it may prove to be), but as this series starts running towards 100, it's proven to be one of Marvel's finest, and this interesting-yet-very slow all-talk issue doesn't diminish that.
Black Panther #23:
I was a big and vocal fan of Hudlin's World Tour arc, the one that precedes War Crimes, beginning this issue. The new arc, at least in its beginnings, doesn't look as good, primarily because of the addition of artist Koi Turnbull, whose style I've just never liked. The story continues to look like a damn important one to Civil War, and Marvel is wisely sticking with the CW banner on the cover (and even potentially making up for the delay by having Michael Turner do covers).
Ultimate Power #3:
Wow. This issue shows us how Reed is, in fact, culpable for the near-destruction of the Supremaverse, and has a crazy twist towards the end. Bendis has done a good job making the mess, so now it's up to Jeph Loeb to keep things going; side note: I'm not sick of Greg Land yet, which stuns me.
52 #33 and 34:
The coolest thing about 52 the last few months, during the holiday season, has been that it's taking place in real time, so we get to read about the holidays we're celebrating as they pass through the DC Universe. Issue 33 was straight middle of the road, but 34 is one of my favorite issues so far, with a great Lex moment, and a bummer of a year's end for the Question, who should have, in my opinion, been allowed to remain as an interesting character in the DCU for longer than six months.
No News or Trade reviews, since I'm pushing on to the next column already, but there should be a healthy helping of each by the next column, or the one after. I got lots of great books for Christmas, including the Alan Moore novel Voices of Fire, so there should be plenty to write about. Happy New Year, comics fans! Send all salutations, sneers, and salutes to skio84@charter.net, and I'll see you soon.
<TOP>Week of December 13th, 2006
Hello again, friends. It seems like only a week since last we met…oh. Yes, I guess it has been a week. Well, hello again nonetheless! I hope that it's been a good month for you so far; I'm having a happy one for sure. This week kept me that way; even the bad books were so laughably bad that I had to enjoy them. Enough chitter chat; we'd better get onward!
SPOTLIGHT REVIEWS:
The Spirit #1:
Wowy wow wow; the Spirit is back, and…well, not better than ever, but with Darwyn Cooke writing and drawing him, he's still pretty damn good. The only knock I've heard anyone able to make about this book is that it's not experimental enough to truly be a Spirit book, but give it time. It's just the first issue, and they need to draw readers in before they can go down more of Eisner's funky paths. Plus, the title page was a truly in the spirit of the Spirit (heheh), with the windows of buildings spelling out the name of the book. The story was punchy, funny, and quick, and the art looked great. Fans of Eisner's Spirit, Darwyn Cooke, or comics in general will love this self-contained story, and, hopefully, keep buying it month after month.
FUN SIZE REVIEWS:
Wolverine #49:
This book was just what I needed for Christmas: a long, Die Hard-meets-Wolverine story. Not the best book you'll ever read, but, for my money, plenty of fun for the holidays, despite the overused "best there is at what I do" line on the first page.
Justice League of America #4:
The first issue of this book, since issue 0, that actually made me feel like I knew what was going on, although the C-List Justice League still isn't my fave. Also, Ed Benes' art looks more and more like Michael Turner's and less and less like Jim Lee's every month, which doesn't make me happy (readers can insert "even Jim Lee's imitators can't turn out a book a month" joke here).
Ultimate X-Men #77:
Eh. Just…not that good, really. Bad dialogue, awful art (look at Xavier's face throughout to see what I mean), and a once-exciting story that's dragging a few issues in…these things are becoming the hallmark of Robert Kirkman's run on Ultimate X-Men, unfortunately.
Robin #157:
I thought I'd give it a shot because the inside art was so interesting, and I wasn't disappointed. Frazer Irving's art is a John Cassaday/Adam Hughes hybrid that looks fresh, and his facial expressions in this book made it great to read. Adam Beechen's story is pretty interesting, but the art is definitely worth a look.
Dark Tower Sketchbook:
Easily the best thing a comics company ever gave me for free, this sketchbook, with its multi-page demonstration of how colorist Richard Isanove works, is really great. It's also proof of why Isanove is in a class of his own. If you missed it, ask if the store has extras.
52 #32:
The writing is hanging together a bit better, but the art seems to be falling apart again. Still, we're 32 weeks in and it still ships weekly, that counts for something, right? With market reports out for last month, it seems that fans have decided to stick with it, an impressive feat in itself.
NEWS BRIEFS:
--Marvel released a few interesting images last week, including one that shows Captain America and Black Panther fighting, another Michael Turner-penciled cover that shows Black Panther and Storm replacing Reed and Sue in the FF, and one more that may show Luke Cake getting a power fist, which leads me to…--Avengers: The Initiative (a provocative title for those familiar with Civil War-speak) has been announced as a book in the future, and it will be written by Dan Slott.
--Stephen King will be appearing at the New York Comic-Con. Hoo boy, and they thought they had crowd problems last year…This is huge news, as Stephen King rarely does appearances, and it may signal a real swinging of importance from San Diego to New York. Damn…
Hope you enjoyed the column, and I'll be seeing you again real soon; look for next week's column a few days earlier than usual, so I can work on my end of year best/worst column, with the second annual presentation of…The Mikeys! Comics' biggest award is back for more. Please send all compliments, complaints, and Christmas carols to skio84@charter.net, and I'll see you next week.
<TOP>Week of December 5th, 2006
Howdy holiday ho, loyal readers; I've got tons of shopping to do and I'm a bit late, so there won't be a spotlight review this week, just a bunch of teeny ones. Hope you're all having a happy December, but for now, onward!
FUN SIZE REVIEWS:
Spider-Man: Reign #1:
Kaare Andrews spent over three years working on this Dark Knight Returns-esque story set in Spider-Man's future. The verdict? It's VERY DKR-esque. I'm not writing it off yet, though, it looks like it has a lot of potential.
Justice Society of America #1:
I liked this book better than Justice League, actually; Geoff Johns did a great job of making me care about characters I'd never heard of within a few pages (something JLA failed to do) and Dale Eaglesham's art was a pleasant surprise. DO NOT MISS the year to come sneaks on the last page. Awesome.
Ultimate Vision #1:
I talked some smack on the #0 prequel last week, but I was pretty impressed with this first issue; Mike Carey exceeded my expectations, and I thought Brandon Peterson's art was infinitely better here than it was in the Extinction trilogy he did with Warren Ellis.
Walking Dead #33:
I don't usually review this book, though I do read it every month; it's good, and this week's issue is unbelievable, in that it's the most violent issue of a comic book I've ever read. Truly hard to get through, but tightly written and well-drawn. Brutal.
Detective Comics #826:
Paul Dini. The Joker. Perfect. Go buy it. Seriously, one of the better single issues I've read, and he's been cranking out great ones.
Supergirl #12:
My only complaint, AT ALL, about this issue is that Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and Amanda Conner aren't the regular team on this book. They should be, now! The most tolerable issue of Supergirl in its shaky first year.
52 #31:
It's pretty good, but I hate that I've read 31 issues of this book now, and I still feel like I have no idea what's going on. Further action in a few different stories this week, including Lobo and the Space Adventurers and Infinity Inc.
Well, I'm going to go sip cocoa with my fiancée under our first Christmas tree together in our first home together. And we'll talk about comics, some. I love the holidays…Drop me a line at skio84@charter.net, if you have any comments, compliments, or complaints. See you in seven.
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