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Mainstream Mania

Hey everyone––a bit of an off-week for superhero stuff this week, but there’s still plenty to talk about. Let’s get it going with one of the biggest sellers of the last year.

New Avengers #12:

Bendis continues to build his Avengers squad as the mysterious Ronin teams up with the Avengers to battle the Hand (and I have a feeling he may stick around for a while longer). The identity of this masked ninja is unknown, although he’s been described as having skills identical to Daredevil, who previously declined membership. This arc is good, as the last have been, but now that we’ve hit issue 12, I’m officially ready to have the team gathered and ready to go. It looks like it will still be a few more months before they get a set roster and go public, which is fine by me as long as the road to that day in Avengers history stays as entertaining as it has been. Kudos to Brian Michael Bendis for managing to keep this intriguing and interesting, even during the long, slow build.

Ultimate Secret #4:

After what seems like decades of waiting, Ultimate Secret, the second chapter in the Ultimate Galactus trilogy, is finally complete. Overall, it was a pretty good series, about on par with the first arc, Ultimate War. Warren Ellis is a great writer with a mind for these kinds of stories, both intergalactic and personal. This issue, though, was somewhat anti- climactic. With Mahr Vehl on earth and SHIELD aware of the coming of Galactus, the next arc, Ultimate Extinction, promises to be amazing. This issue, though, really only serves to heighten anticipation for that series, which will debut in a few months, and hopefully ship more regularly than Ultimate Secret.

Wonder Woman #222:

One book that has shipped consistently, and shipped consistently good content, is Wonder Woman. Every week, going back before the big Crisis shakeups, Greg Rucka has managed to humanize Diana a little more, without losing any of her superhuman luster. I’ve heard Rucka say that Wonder Woman is the hardest character in the DC Universe to write, and he’s done a bang-up job, creating a truly unique supporting cast for her to interact with as well. In this issue, Themyscira prepares for war, though the opponent will not be revealed until the last page. When the enemy makes itself known, however, it’s as good a page as you’re going to see in comics this week.

JLA #121:

While Wonder Woman has gotten better every month, it seems, since Rucka took over, JLA has definitely seen a significant slope off since the Crisis of Conscience arc ended a few months ago. That arc, penned by Geoff Johns and Allan Heinberg, was as good as any I’ve seen in JLA. The new one…not so much. It’s being written by Bob Harras, who is a much better writer than this series indicates. His work on Breach, for example, is subtle and nuanced in a way that his few issues on JLA haven’t even approached. There’ s still time for him to turn it around, but with the sub-par Tom Derenick drawing the book, I’d imagine JLA is losing some of the droves of readers it picked up during Johns and Heinberg’s arc.

Spider-Man: The Other #3:

I was moderately critical of the pacing of last week’s issue of The Other, and my fears were somewhat put to rest this issue. We still don’t know exactly what’s wrong with Spider-Man, but it appears now that we’re not supposed to know until maybe the end of the story. All we know is that whatever is wrong with him, it’s terminal. This issue, Morlun starts sticking his ugly, murderous head in the picture a bit more, even scuffling briefly with Spider-Man, and the origin of the Tracer is revealed. This issue concludes the first fourth of the event, so the Spider-Writers will take a week’s break, and Reggie Hudlin will pen the next three-issue arc, to be released weekly beginning on the 9th of November.

Daredevil #78 (Pick of the Week):

This is definitely the best thing to come out this week from Marvel or DC––I might even say the best thing by far. In case you’re one of the unfortunates who are missing the last arc of Bendis and Maleev’s historic run on Daredevil, the story is this: Wilson Fisk offers the FBI “The Murdock Papers,” detailed and irrefutable evidence that Matt Murdock is Daredevil, in exchange for a free pass out of the country. The FBI accepts. In this issue, Daredevil finds out about the deal from Elektra, of all people, and has to try and recover the evidence before the FBI gets to it. This issue, especially the last page, is not to be missed. << Get Daredevil Vol 12 TPB for 50% off cover price when you mention this column. >>

Batman: Under the Hood TPB:

This is the bargain of the month, collecting all seven issues of the Under the Hood arc, issues 635-641 of Batman, for only $9.99. Not only is that a great price for any series, but this just happens to be the best arc on any Batman book since Hush. It reads better as a book, since it begins on a climactic fight between Red Hood and Batman and then immediately flashes back three weeks and tells the story leading up to the fight. That story includes the Red Hood confronting everyone from Mr. Freeze to the original Red Hood, the Joker, and Batman having terse conversations with several members of the Justice League, shortly after he deduced that they probably mind-wiped him and shortly before they admitted it to him. This trade has everything you’d want from a Batman story, and then some. Definitely worth the ten bucks.

We can only hope that Marvel will take a cue from DC in the future regarding this aspect of the business (pricing of trade paperbacks). This week, when DC put out one of their best series of the last year at a bargain price, Marvel also released a trade from a high- profile series. But while DC gives you 7 issues for ten bucks, Marvel’s Ultimate Fantastic Four volume four collects two issues and an annual for the stunningly overpriced cost of $12.99. I’m more of a Marvel guy than a DC guy in general, but I was furious with Marvel when I saw this––they need to get it together and not let themselves be made to look like fools next week.

That’s all for now––enjoy your reading this week, and I’ll see you back here in seven.

I’m a firm believer in doing things in the right order, so––first things first.

Justice #2:

Justice is great. Jim Krueger’s script in this issue continues in the way it began the first––tight, to the point, and pretty much perfect in the way you’d want such an iconic book to be. Batman sounds like Batman, and the Flash sounds like the Flash. Still not much in terms of an over-arcing plot for the 12 issue maxi-series yet, but you can feel the clouds gathering as both sides marshal their forces––just wait till you see where Aquaman is on the last page. Of course, the story could be as flat as the page it’s printed on and I’d still buy this book, because Alex Ross is painting it. This issue is another mini-masterpiece, and I won’t insult it by trying too hard to describe it. Ross seems to be turning out better material than his already lofty standard, as painting over Doug Braithwaite’s pencils ground him in a more recognizably comic-book style. Rather than being restrictive, however, this has only served thus far to prove that Ross is more versatile than he gets credit for.

Ultimate Fantastic Four #24:

In Ultimate Fantastic Four, the controversial “Crossover” arc has wrapped up (fans of this arc should keep their eyes open for the spin-off, Marvel Zombies, which will be written by Zombie-phile Robert Kirkman), and Millar and Land begin a new 3-issue arc entitled “Tomb of Namor.” The writing is good, solid, Millar material, and even though Greg Land seems to be showing himself as a bit of a one trick pony, he still turns that trick pretty well. It’s worth checking out this series just to see how they handle the Ultamizing (Ultamization?) of one of Marvel’s oldest characters.

Ultimate Spider-Man #84:

Staying in the Ultimate Universe, part six of seven in the USM: Warriors arc came out this week. This issue is wall to wall action as Ultimate Moon Knight, Shang-Chi, Black Cat, Elektra, Iron First, Hammerhead, and, of course, Spider-Man all scrap in one not-so-big room. So much for streamlining, right?

Spider-Man: The Other #2:

Enough fun and games––Ultimate Spidey’s regular Marvel U counterpart is stumbling across some of his famous hard times, as The Other: #2 rolls out. After a strong first issue, this 12-part weekly crossover event is already starting to fizzle. We learned a bit more about Mary Jane’s state of mind, but very little else. We didn’t even find out what that doctor wanted to tell Peter at the end of the first issue. Let’s hope they get it moving again––look for potentially big things in this series on the 26th.

Things aren’t going so well for the Bat-family lately either, though Bat-fans have some things to smile about this week.

Batman #646:

In this excellent Judd-Winnick-penned issue, the Red Hood continues to wreak havoc, and one of the world’s greatest assassins turns up in Gotham with an offer Black Mask may not be able to refuse. Watch out––this new adversary could be the villain that unites Batman with the Red Hood.

Gotham Knights #70/ Batgirl #69:

Meanwhile, Gotham Knights has some startling revelations about Alfred in it, and Batgirl continues to chronicle Batgirl’s search for her mother (it’s looking more and more like Lady Shiva every month). Worth picking up for the gorgeous Tim Sale cover alone.

Astro City: The Dark Age #4:

Finally, the mother of all superheroes is back, as this issue wraps up the first arc of this giant 16-issue story. If the next twelve issues are as good as the first four, we’re in for a treat. Kurt Busiek somehow manages to consistently make human characters more interesting, or as interesting, as the superheroes they encounter, all while Brent Anderson makes it look real, and Alex Ross puts a great face on it, delivering one knockout cover after the other.

That’s all for now, folks, and if that wasn’t enough for you, we’re only one short week away from the next Mainstream Mania.

Big Event Week

Infinite Crisis is Here, House of M Keeps the Heat Up, A New Spider-Man Crossover, and Identity Crisis HC Reviewed

Infinite Crisis #1:

After months, seemingly years, of build up, it’s finally here: the biggest comics event of the decade, maybe the biggest since Crisis on Infinite Earths. On Wednesday, October 12, Infinite Crisis finally arrived, and it was…underwhelming. It’s not that it was bad, it’s just that DC has been building up to this issue, this moment, for over a year, and the first issue of the series needed to be a punch to the gut. Instead, it was the beginning of another slow build. Normally, I think that’s a better way to script a miniseries, letting it rise in tension and action until the last issue, but I really feel that with all the build up, Infinite Crisis #1 needed to be an explosion itself. The “shocking” ending, while good, should perhaps have been a bit more accessible––after hyping Crisis in mainstream media such as the New York Times, it may have been a mistake to script a last page that will make absolutely no sense to anyone who hasn’t read Crisis on Infinite Earths. All of that said, I did enjoy the issue a lot––it was much better drawn than I had expected, and the writing, from the nearly infallible Geoff Johns, was more or less flawless. I’m sure that the next issues of this series are going to pick up now that they’ve caught everyone up on where things stand, so make sure to stay tuned to this series.

House of M #7:

Now on to the little, quiet event going on over at Marvel. It’s funny to think of this mega- event as a no-hype series, but compared to the media orgy DC has been kicking up for Crisis, it does seem like House of M is like that weird, quiet cousin of yours that always sat in the corner during Thanksgiving dinner. It’s a shame, too, because House of M has been amazing, and run the way a crossover should be––this issue is no different. In fact, House of M #7 is definitely one of the better comic books I’ve read in recent memory. The writing and the art are simply seamless, and on every page there’s a line or a panel that made me stop and look again, in awestruck appreciation. This issue has most of the major payoffs the series will feature, and while it’s hard not to give anything away (I want to climb a building and holler the ending from the top of a roof somewhere), I will say that anyone who likes superhero comics needs to get this issue just to see the last three words in the book, spoken by Scarlet Witch. Quite literally breathtaking. Kudos to Bendis and Coipel, and to Marvel for delivering a solid, accessible crossover event.

Spider-Man: The Other #1:

Speaking of crossover events, everyone’s favorite web-slinger is in deep, deep trouble, which usually means pretty good things for the folks that pick up his comics. Since this is the first issue of the 12-part weekly epic, there isn’t a whole lot to talk about, except the really big news: Peter David is writing Spider-Man again! He proves in this first issue that he hasn’t lost a step, perfectly scripting both Peter Parker’s quippy costumed banter and his anguished anxiety, expressed only to Mary Jane. This story has a lot of promise, and J. Michael Straczynski, who (for any mistakes he may have made in the past) is still a great writer, has been building to this event for months. The writers (Reggie Hudlin along with JMS and David) have promised big changes for Spider-Man, including the loss of an organ, whatever that may mean.

Identity Crisis HC:

It’s not new, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the Identity Crisis hardcover release. It came out a few weeks ago, but it’s worth talking about it my first column. First off, if you haven’t read Identity Crisis, this is a great opportunity for you to correct a grievous error on your part––the series was great. Even if you’re put off by the magnitude of the event going on at DC right now, don’t let that scare you away from this story, which stands on its own perhaps even better than it does as a crucial cog in the Crisis machinery. And while Infinite Crisis is off to a rocketing start sales-wise, it has yet to prove that it can live up to the hype surrounding it; Identity Crisis, however, passed that test with flying colors, delivering twist after shocking twist, and keeping every reader guessing until the last issue. The book is worth getting even if you’ve read the series, too, thanks to a few great special features that make this collection worth the wait. There is the standard cover gallery, of course, but there is also a lengthy DVD-style commentary by Brad Meltzer and Rags Morales, the writer and artist of Identity Crisis. There’s also a very interesting, very unique look at how Morales “casted” the book, as he lists the Hollywood inspirations for each character in the book (Johnny Depp as Nightwing, for example). This book has something for every reader––people who haven’t read it before can revel in the quality of the series, and people who have can take another look at the series, and a deeper one behind the scenes, as well.

That’s all for this week––next week I’ll be reviewing more books since it isn’t all mega- events. See you then!

Mike's Manifesto

   I grew up loving superheroes. You probably did, too––I think almost everyone did. They were great, they were larger than life, and they were much larger than we were. They didn’t have problems with school, or homework, or other kids, and if they did, they got to put on a Spider-Man suit and swing away from them for a while. We just had to go home and clean our rooms. But we loved them, because they were living the lives we all knew we were supposed to be living, and they were usually having fun doing it, even on a really bad day.    That sense of wonder never left me. I started reading the comics that weren’t so laden with primary colors, the ones that dealt in grays, and ambiguities, but I never left the capes and powers. And they never left me either––no matter what I hated or loved in the world, no matter what was happening on this side of the glossy pages, they never went away. They were bigger than all of those things––like myths, like Gods. It seemed like they didn’t need readers, or worshippers, to exist. And so I stand by them still, I read them, and I try to understand them, and I think about them seriously, the way all my English Lit teachers tell me to think about Shakespeare, and Joyce. Because they deserve to be taken seriously, they really do, even if they wear funny underwear. There is an inherent value in them, exhibited most obviously by the fact that they’ve lived as long as they have––40, 50, 60 years some of them. And they’re still fresh, still real, still changing, and yet remaining constant, above us all.

   So when I got to choose whatever I wanted to write about for a regular comic book column, I went to the capes and powers. I had to. They may not need me, and I may not need them the way I did when I was a kid, but they’re still the most interesting thing to come in a comic book––they’re titans, walking metaphors, reflections of all the best and worst in humanity. So, every week I’ll be trying to tell you about the best thing going on in capes and powers, the most magnificent mainstream event to hit stands each week, from the big M to the Distinguished Competition. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.