Week of September 26th, 2007
So I took a month and a half off to get married, but I'm back and (hopefully) better than ever. This is gonna be a quick one, since I'm jumping in late in the week, but look for more Mainstream Mania every week from here on out, as well as some assists from my new wife! Enough sentimental gibberish…time to get onward.
SPOTLIGHT REVIEW:
JLA #13
begins the Dwayne McDuffie era of the Justice League. Now, I'm interested in the story, which has a newly-formed Injustice League trying to pick apart DC's greatest heroes. It's not the freshest idea, but it provides the kind of iconic opportunities necessary for a writer to make his stamp on a team as old as the JLA. It's the kind of "Big Story" that Brad Meltzer never really delivered. The art in this book, though, given that it's supposed to be a top-tier DC book, is borderline unbelievable in its total lack of quality; the characters themselves are plastic-looking, lifeless. More inexcusable is the almost complete lack of backgrounds; it looks like there's a green screen someone forgot to project a picture on, with most panels featuring a simple color gradient meant to convey JLA headquarters, or some other equally complex structure. Keep an eye on the story, but try not to look at the art too hard.
FUN SIZE REVIEWS:
Captain America: The Chosen #2
is the second issue of last month's most confusing comic, which featured an American soldier displaying great bravery in the Middle East, with Cap's help. We then learn that Cap was never really there, and that he's watching the soldier from a hospital bed in America. That's more or less what happens again in this ish, with the same soldier, learning little new. I'm curious, but it better go somewhere fast, or Mitch Breitweiser's amazing interiors and cover won't hold me much longer.
The Spirit #10
is the most experimental (or Eisneresque as it's being called) book of this volume's short run, with Darwyne Cooke stretching his wings a little further. The look is partially based around a Youtube video, with the story revolving around a series of murders sweeping the cable news world. It's Cooke's funniest issue, though a strange last few pages keeps it from being one of his best.
All-Star Batman and Robin #7
makes me declare "I'm not buying this book again!" The last few issues have been Frank Miller playing a practical joke on paying fans, cramming in as many iterations of the oft-mocked "Goddamn Batman" phrase as possible. Now we get Batman throwing down (not it a sparring kind of way) with Black Canary in public, and then delivering Robin the man he's been waiting for. Looks like next issue features the Joker…guess I'll end up buying it after all…
Immortal Iron Fist #9 and Annual
continues to be one of the most interesting and original books offered by Marvel or DC, but slips back into its "Here's what happened ninety years ago" formula of the previous arc. Now that Brubaker has built a history, I wish he'd leave it alone and do a few issues grounded in the present; the first ish of this arc made it seem like he was going to, but we end up moving away from that awesome-looking fight tournament pretty quick. Hopefully we're back on track next month.
Teen Titans #51
is the start of a new arc, with Sean McKeever wisely bringing back the "Evil Future Titans" that Geoff Johns wrote pre-Infinite-Crisis-and-One-Year-Later-Ruining-This-Book. The strange roster prevents this book from being as good as it was back then, but it finally feels like Teen Titans is moving back in the right direction. With Robin and futuristic Tim Drake Batman squaring off at the end, McKeever delivers the best cliffhanger of the week, too. Extraordinary last page.Countdown # 31
is wha? I haven't reviewed this book in almost two months, and it doesn't feel like anything has happened. The multi-Earth squad briefly encounters the Crime Society, Mxy makes a brief appearance, Mary Marvel continues her descent, Karate Kid does two pages of talking without anything happening, and something weird happens with Jimmy Olsen, topped off by a foreboding line from a Monitor. In other words, pretty much the same ol', same ol'. This book continues to make fans crave the incredibly overrated 52… I will say that the Brian Bolland-pencilled two-page Joker origin is wonderful to own, and is maybe worth the cover price.
So, we're back on track! Please be back early and often next week for a bigger and even better column! Till then, if there are any complaints, compliments, queries, or querulous cries to pass on before then, you can reach me at skio84@mac.com, or through my blog at astoriedyear.blogspot.com. Love to hear what any and all of the legions of readers would like to see from the column in this next transitional period. Otherwise I'll see you in seven!
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