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The Walking Dead #93 – Review

Posted on January 25, 2012 by dfstell

By: Robert Kirkman (writer), Charlie Adlard (artist), Cliff Rathburn (gray tones), Rus Wooton (letters) & Sina Grace (editor)

The Story: Is this promise of a new colony a blessing or a threat?

Five Things:

1. How do you know who to trust?  - I really do like how TWD continues to be about everything BUT the zombies.  How do you know who to trust?  Clearly, no one can survive in this zombieland on their own, but where do you stop your circle or trust?  Rick’s gang has added new folks before: Michonne, Abraham, the Arlington folks…  Clearly, more people is potentially better, but only if it is the right kind of more.  If “more” means “more Governor” or “more cannibals” then it’s a bad thing.  And of course anyone who has survived this long in the apocalypse is going to be a little paranoid due to natural selection.

2. How badass is Rick’s gang? - Rick makes an interesting observation towards the end of this issue: His gang is pretty darn badass and maybe they don’t have to worry about running into bad guys because they’ll just kill them if they act funny.  How true is this?  What evidence do we have that Rick’s gang is all that tough?  Let’s see, they got smashed by the Governor.  They crushed the cannibals.  So, their record would be 1-1.  I guess they did take out that other group that attacked the Arlington compound about 10 issues ago, but that wasn’t really a fair fight with Rick’s group being fortified.  And, Rick’s group is clearly tougher than the original Arlingtonites, but those sheep are so wimpy that it kinda defies reason that they would have survived this long (it’s almost a plot hole).  I think it’s not THAT clear that Rick’s group is badass.

3. Adlard does great storytelling. - Simple storytelling excellence is easy to take for granted, but when you also review books like the GI Joe comics, you realize that you can’t just assume the the storytelling will be solid.  With Adlard, you rarely get anything flashy (although there are some pretty vistas in this issue), but you can always tell the characters apart and the action is always crystal clear.  There’s even a neat fight scene in this issue where Rick smashes a dude to the pavement and each panel flows from the one before.  That’s slick because we’ve all see countless comics that make you wonder, “how the hell did he land on the RIGHT side of his face if he was being thrown like THAT in the panel before?  Did he do a flip or something?”
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Justice League #5 – Review

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Minhquan Nguyen

By: Geoff Johns (writer), Jim Lee (penciller), Scott Williams, Sandra Hope, Mark Irwin, Joe Weems (inkers), Alex Sinclair, Gabe Eltaeb, Tony Avina (colorists)

The Story: I’ll give this for Hal—the kid takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’.

The Review: Look, I get it.  Even with a whole cast of perfectly formed, likable characters, you’re going to have your favorites.  That’s no crime.  At least, it’s not if you’re a member of the audience.  If you’re the writer, favoritism can lead to some messy issues in your story.  Not only must your pet characters carry the plot forward on their own, which can’t always work, you also have a bunch of others standing around as dead weight.

That’s the situation the League finds themselves in here.  Green Lantern’s presence in this series has been pushy from the start, and now he literally shoves himself forward to take up more page-time, at the expense of his teammates.  Most of the issue features Hal trying to take down Darkseid singlehandedly, and actually, you get a certain satisfaction watching the New God shut down the cocky pilot each time, hardly breaking a sweat.  And even when Hal’s not grabbing all the action for himself, he dominates the dialogue, leaving his fellow heroes little say.

For the skeptical, let me take a number from the politician’s handbook and cite some statistics.  Superman gets all of five lines total this issue, including his exit, “Arghhhh!”  The Man of Steel gets beat by literal man of steel Cyborg, with six.  Wonder Woman happily flaunts her three lines, and poor Aquaman has to settle for a measly two.  It’d be one thing if Johns at least made the most of their brief speaking parts, offering some golden character moments to make up for their brevity.  But more frequently, he gives them just about the most nominal bits of dialogue you’ve ever read in a comic, with Aquaman (not having suffered enough, apparently) getting the stingiest: “Let’s ask him,” and “And?”

The vast, vast majority of the issue fixates on Green Lantern, with Batman and the Flash chiming in not so much as equals, but as supporting players so Hal has actual humans to talk to.  Even here, it feels like the Barry does little except remark on the obvious (“Dammit, I can’t fly.”).  Only Bruce really exerts his own voice into the mix, calmly talking over Hal’s—there’s no other word for it—bratty exclamations to keep things focused on what’s at stake.

At least Johns has made Darkseid into a plenty formidable figure.  In contrast to his crack-of-doom introduction last issue, now he says nothing at all as he swats the League around, which makes a lot of sense.  When you’re a god, why would you deign to speak with the specks you’re crushing?  You have to love that once he bowls them over (using Hal as the ball, to my delight), he just walks on, never giving them a second thought.
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FF #14 – Review

Posted on January 25, 2012 by paladinking

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Juan Bobillo (pencils), Marcelo Sosa (inks), Chris Sotomayor (colors), and Clayton Cowles (letters)

The Story: Doom makes the ultimate sacrifice.

The Review:  Jonathan Hickman’s calling card seems to be his labyrinthine plots, composed of a great deal of moving parts, all leading to an increasingly massive scope.  This can at time lead to some mystifying issues here and there and a constant lingering dread that it’s all going to collapse beneath its own weight, yet you can’t help but admire the ambition and craft.

However, now and then, Hickman’s approach leads to fantastic comic books like this issue of FF, where everything comes together like a meticulously assembled jigsaw puzzle.  Put simply, this is an immensely satisfying issue if only because all the pieces come together and they all fit so very well.  Better still, this is accomplished thanks to, not in spite of, flashbacks and time travel elements.

I loved how Val and Nathaniel, through their tinkering with future possibilities, end up taking something an authorial position.  Through them, Hickman lets us peak behind the current so that, not only do the pieces all come together, but we see exactly how and why they come together as they do.  In seeing Val and Nathaniel’s master plan behind the scenes, get to see a good part of the greater structure that Hickman has assembled in both FF and Fantastic Four.  Really, it’s cool seeing Nathaniel and Val in this sort of meta scene (fittingly, in a different time and place from the rest of the comic and all the other characters), but it also leads to a real appreciation for the mad scientist elegance of Hickman’s craft.
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WCBR’s Top Picks

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Ray Hilario

Dean’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Batman #5 – It seemed that all anyone wanted to talk about with this comic was the twisting orientation of the pages, and it was an interesting gimmick, but behind this trick was a really great comic book.  It takes a really gifted creative team to effectively sell madness and insanity, but that’s what we got in this issue.  You really believe that Batman is cracking up!  And the Court of Owls is much more interesting than any of the established Batman rogues just because we don’t know what to expect from them.

Most Anticipated: The Walking Dead #93 – After a slow story arc, Robert Kirkman uncorked a promising new concept in his last issue that may jiggle a status quo that has become stale.  I’m pretty intrigued by the idea of clusters of survivors remaining separate and interacting with each other like the old Greek city-states.  Plus, you just know that something BIG will happen this summer in issue #100 and it’ll probably start building now.

Other Picks: Creepy Comics #7, American Vampire #23, The Unwritten #33.5, Bulletproof Coffin: Disinterred #1, Elephantmen #37, Captain America and Bucky #626

Alex’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Batman #5 – Basically, this comic was insane.  Which is good, given that its story was the gradual loss of sanity. Great art, creepy as hell atmosphere, and a really cool use of the physical medium really made this a comic to remember.  Snyder’s ability to deliver creeping horror is really something to behold.

Most Anticipated: Justice League #5 After one week’s delay….well, after that last page in Justice League #4, I really couldn’t pick anything else. I mean, it’s Darkseid.  I cannot wait to see what happens as the JLA meet their first adversary in the new DCU.

Other Picks: The Flash #5, Aquaman #5, American Vampire #23, Fantastic Four #602, FF #14, Mighty Thor #10

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Fables #113 – Review

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Minhquan Nguyen

By: Too many to list—check out the review.

The Story: Sit down, kids, and prepare to grow old, as I tell you about the olden days.

The Review: Bill Willingham likes to throw out these semi-out-of-continuity issues from time to time, which is all well and good.  He largely does a good job with them, and an excursion from the general flow of story can be a relief every now and then.  That said, I’m not so sure it’s entirely wise to throw in essentially a bunch of filler right after a Christmas issue that was itself a bit skimpy on the plot.  Hasn’t it been quite a while since we checked in with Bufkin?

But let’s set that aside.  Like I said, Willingham does write these sorts of things very well.  What we get is a handful of short stories, each of varying length and degrees of importance to overall Fables continuity, and with a different guest artist on each one.  Each tale has a great deal of charm, and there’s something to be said for stories that don’t require a lot of familiarity with continuity to enjoy them.

Even at his most free-flowing, Willingham’s knack for making connections between stories still pops up in the most surprising places.  He starts off with one of your classic “magic spell as a lesson” parables, though the substance is a little more sophisticated than your usual fairy tales.  It’s standard practice for people to go through some kind of physical transformation in these things to catalyze their spiritual transformation, but rarely is their soul—or entire race—at stake.  P. Craig Russell draws the feature with a fitting cutesiness, which Lovern Kindzierski’s pastels complement well.  Just as appropriate is Ramon Bachs’ cheerful, cartoonier linework (and Ron Randall’s vividly golden colors) as a father and son discuss the strange physics/superstition of their world, one which has a delightful link to the tale above.
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Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #5 – Review

Posted on January 24, 2012 by jmiddle3

By: Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Chris Samnee (art), Justin Ponsor (colors),

The Story: Uncle Aaron learns not to trust other criminals, and Miles stops his first mugging. They grow up so fast!

The Review: When I first started reading comics, Ultimate Spider-Man was the first Marvel book I picked up. The promise of fresh stories not mired by decades of continuity drew me in, but it was the quality and charm of that book hooked me. I have been a fan of the series all the way through its run, and have really appreciated how classy and mature Marvel has been about the death and replacement of Peter Parker with Miles Morales. I eagerly awaited each issue of our new hero’s introductory arc, and savored each one. However, after reading Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #6, oddly, I am beginning to miss Peter.

Before we get to that though, let’s talk about the issue on its own merits. Honestly, it’s pretty good. While I miss the absolutely gorgeous work of Sara Pichelli, Chris Samnee does a fine job as fill-in artist. His style is far more cartoony than Pichelli’s, but he misses none of the nuance in the script, he gives the action great fluidity, and really captures Miles as still a kid figuring out the whole super-hero gig. Samnee also manages to give intensity to the more serious parts of the story, like Uncle Aaron’s encounter with the new Scorpion and Miles’ confrontation with his Mom about his family’s troubles with the law. There are some minor flaws, however; in a few panels, Miles appears to be about forty rather than thirteen, and for some reason when we see an image of Peter Parker, the spider symbol on his costume is upside down.

I’m also conflicted about the colors, courtesy of Justin Ponsor. Personally, I don’t care for such flat colors in this title. I can’t help but feel that more vibrant choices would have better matched both the inks and the tone of the story. But to be fair, Ponsor does succeed in producing an urban vibe in this issue, allowing the tones of concrete and brick to dominate the page. Also, this dull quality is actually pretty effective in Aaron’s scenes, helping Samnee’s art communicate a more sinister and unwelcoming atmosphere.
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DC Universe Presents #5 – Review

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Minhquan Nguyen

By: Paul Jenkins (writer), Bernard Chang (artist), Blond (colorist)

The Story: I have a question for y’all: why ask the question?

The Review: Wow, hard to believe it’s been five months since I first considered the merits of applying a story-arc format to this showcase title.  I’ve tried to reserve my judgment along the way, but now that we’re at the end, I believe we can say conclusively that this has been largely a waste of the format.  If the purpose of this series is to brighten the dimmer stars of the DCU, then it’d be difficult to consider this story a success.

To follow the recurring motif of this issue, consider this question: would you consider Deadman any more appealing a character now than he was at the beginning of the series?  After all he’s been through, and all the information he’s gleaned from various sources, both human and divine, Boston has failed to learn anything of permanent value, and certainly nothing that’s changed him in any significant way.  He first appeared to us a wise-cracking rebel, and he ends on pretty much the same note.

The first problem is so much of what he’s learned has been plot-focused.  His encounters with the Son of Morning and the demon-angel who guarded his book of life yielded much to deepen his suspicions of Rama, but little to affect his outlook on life.  By the end of the issue, it’s hard to assess exactly how much he’s accomplished.  While he’s forged a new deal with Rama, presumably with better terms, the fact remains that he is still, for all intents and purposes, her servant, and his mission is essentially the same as before.

Perhaps the only difference in his renewed contract is that he’s no longer attached to the souls he possesses, or at least those he’s possessed before.  Jenkins tries to pass this off as a major point, but he’s failed all this time to explain what, exactly, is the peril in having Boston’s fate connected to his many lives.  He vaguely states these people “deserve to go on with their lives,” maybe implying that they now exist in some kind of purgatory, but considering how many of them are still counted among the living, this explanation doesn’t entirely work.
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Hack/Slash #12 – Review

Posted on January 24, 2012 by dfstell

By: Tim Seeley (writer), Daniel Leister (art), Carlos Badilla (colors), Crank! (letters) and James Lowder (edits)

The Story: The Hack/Slash crew goes to South America, searching for a cure to the disease that causes slashers.

Four Things:

1. Funny. – This is a comic for people who like jokes about bodily functions.  If you roll your eyes at that kind of humor, I’m not sure that Hack/Slash is the book for you.  But if you’re one of “us”, there are some great moments in this comic.  The humor is in small places and a lot of it comes from timing, which is a hard thing to have in a comic.  For example, at one point, after landing on this monster island, Cassie goes into the bushes to go to the bathroom and gets attacked by water zombies.  Since they’ve been in the water, they’re soft and they pop when she hits them.  Soon she is covered in green blood and guts.  When she comes back to the group, one of the others says, “Whoa! You really had to go!”  I mean….that’s funny.  Then I giggled again when I realized that the name of the motion picture studio that shoots films on monster island is “Monster Bait” studios.  Heh.

2. Whacky ideas all over the place. – Not only is it a funny comic, but it’s kind of an idea-a-minute issue.  There’s the nature of the monster island and how it relates to those awful 50′s era monster films.  There are attacks by about 10 different types of weird monsters.  There’s a possible link to Nazi science.  I dunno why the mysteries of Nazi science are still so fascinating, but they are.  There’s also a possible link to the slasher disease.  It’s all good stuff.
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Birds of Prey #5 – Review

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Minhquan Nguyen

By: Duane Swierczynski (writer), Jesus Saiz (penciller), Javier Pina (inker), June Chung (colorist)

The Story: I don’t suppose anyone thought to write down what we were doing on a Post-It?

The Review: The best part about a title that features a group of solely women is for once you get (when executed properly) the kind of variety among characters of a single gender that you’ve been getting with dude-focused titles for years now.  It’s remarkable how many comic book writers tend to approach scenes featuring more than two women as if their only experience of such interactions is from what their girlfriends made them watch of Sex and the City.

In sharp contrast to the sameness of females over on Justice League International, each Bird has an immediately recognizable and distinctive voice and bearing.  Poison Ivy is brusque and to the point; Starling is equal parts brash and sensitive; Katana, while cool and businesslike, reveals a sense of humor beneath a surprising shyness; and Black Canary, as the emotion center of the team, has a little bit of everything bubbling her cautious exterior.

You’ll notice I haven’t mentioned anything of Batgirl yet.  The reason is simple: she doesn’t really get much of an appearance in this issue.  And the reason for that?  Well, it’s complicated.  As Canary very efficiently sums up, “Last thing I remember, we were on Choke’s secret floor fighting a dozen of those creepy ‘Cleaners’—and all five of us were kicking ass.”  Cut to the first page, and the Birds (minus Batgirl) are under military fire in the midst of a rubble, with no clue what’s gone on in the last few hours.

It’s not just that they’re missing time out of their lives.  None of them seem to have consistent memories of what’s happened (some remember Batgirl being there, others don’t).  Starling’s broken hand has mysteriously healed up.  More significantly, each of them comes away from the experience troubled and out of sorts, which they each deal with in their own way, revealing interesting bits of backstory along the way.

Ev can’t settle herself at the range, so she goes to visit a lady-acquaintance with whom she seems to have a complicated past (“I know what you said…but I really, really needed to see you.”).  Also intriguing is Ivy’s dealings with an unidentified businessman, which may bode ill for her loyalty to the Birds—or it may not; his question of, “You’ll still honor our arrangement?” could mean treachery, or it could mean he’s asking if she’ll keep up an earlier, unrelated bargain with him while having a go at “the hero thing.”
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T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #3 – Review

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Minhquan Nguyen

By: Too many to list—check out the review.

The Story: For taphophobes, consider this immersion therapy; you’ll feel better if you don’t die.

The Review: I must say, I was rather amused by the tagline inscribed on this issue’s cover: “NoMan’s dark secret revealed!”  For one thing, the tease is horribly melodramatic—italics have that effect on anything you write.  For another, it sets some very high expectations for the story, as any use of the word “dark” tends to do.  Your instinct is to wade in with some good-natured skepticism, unsure if the issue can succeed, but willing to see it through anyway.

But if anyone can actually live up to the “dark” standard, Nick Spencer can, and NoMan’s secret turns out grim indeed, in both substance and style.  From previous issues, we know experimental detonations of atomic weapons in the Subterranean land wreaked havoc on their country, and we know war between them and us surface-dwellers ensued.  What we didn’t know until this issue is how that conflict ended, and unsurprisingly, the end involved an atrocity of the grossest kind.

I mentioned last time how Spencer likes to add some clear real-world reflections in what he writes, and the use of a Doomsday weapon—make that several Doomsday weapons—against the Subterraneans to coerce their surrender is all that.  Very telling is how even now, presumably decades after the war, the Subterraneans have left open a mass grave, exposing the remains of all those who perished from the Higher United Nations’ deadly attack.  “Six million,” by NoMan’s calculation.  For perspective, the combined bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki resulted in somewhere between 150,000 and 246,000 deaths.

What makes these revelations all the more powerful is that we see them through the eyes of a man responsible for all this mess.  It’s NoMan’s pensive brooding that forms the spine of tension throughout this issue.  He reminds us that he was a scientist before a soldier, but under both guises, he was persuaded to do things he’s not proud of.  Yet for all the impressions he gives of cynicism and regret, it’s not lost on you that he continues his mission as he broods, leading you to believe he may not be capable of truly feeling those emotions anymore.
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Supergirl #5 – Review

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Minhquan Nguyen

By: Michael Green & Mike Johnson (writers), Mahmud Asrar (artist), Dave McCaig (colorist)

The Story: It’s a hard fact of life, Supergirl: Daddy won’t always be around.

The Review: A year or so ago, I read over a collection of old Silver Age tales starring Supergirl, and I came away a bit wistful at the bright, cheerful lass she used to be, especially in comparison to the oft-times dour young woman of recent years.  But lately it occurs to me that for Kara, her story of a being rocketed from a doomed planet is in many ways much more tragic than her cousin’s, and so if she’s repressive and emotionally raw, she has good reason to be.

As this issue emphasizes, the glory of Krypton is but a recent memory for Kara, and it’s made all the more bitter when she unexpectedly discovers the last remnants of her world and its pathetic end (“…the population dead under the last gasps of an artificial atmosphere.”).  Green-Johnson have definitely put Supergirl on a roller-coaster ride of emotion, and here they’ve mingled hope and despair indiscriminately.

Most painful of all has to be her last vision of her father, which pans out as tragically as these last messages from one’s parents tend to do.  In the end, his efforts to preserve any part bit of Krypton comes to nothing; even the sunstone carrying all the planet’s history, the fruits of his research, and “the truth about what happened to—” disintegrates, leaving only Kara’s memory and whatever artifacts her cousin inherited as the sole relics of their homeworld.

After all she goes through, it’s hard to see how she’ll get over these traumas and become the heroine she’s meant to be.  Whether or not she takes the path of the righteous, we’ll leave to a later date.  For now, she already has plenty to worry about: Simon Tycho, who’s not down for the count just yet, as seen last issue; the unseen individual who murdered Kara’s father in the sunstone recording (an act which most likely defeated any last hope for Argo City’s survival); and these Worldkillers, living Kryptonian weapons who claim to live up to their name.
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Thunderbolts #169 – Review

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Minhquan Nguyen

By: Jeff Parker (writer), Kev Wacker (penciller), Terry Pallot (inker), Frank Martin Jr. (colorist)

The Story: The Thunderbolts arrive in Camelot to prove that chivalry is, in fact, dead.

The Review: While liking a character (or characters) isn’t always necessary for a piece of fiction’s success, it sure does help.  If you can at least empathize with the protagonists to a sufficient degree, you’re willing to follow along with them through most things, even less than inspired storylines.  In the case of the Thunderbolts, they’re actually very easy to like, so at times the plot feels quite secondary to their character work.

For one thing, you can’t help liking the ‘bolts because they project more of a hapless quality rather than overt evil or malice.  Whereas DC’s Secret Six went out looking for trouble, the Thunderbolts seem like they just fall into situations where misunderstanding leads to their bad behavior.  Take this issue.  The whole conflict arises essentially because Troll hears what she thinks are the sounds of Norsmen and attacks accordingly, only to discover it’s the Black Knight.  Unfortunately, she lacks the ability to express her chagrin, and so the row goes on.

On the other hand, sometimes the team really does bring trouble upon themselves, though less out of desire than sheer stubbornness, as in the case of Boomerang.  Though he proudly claims himself a “bad guy,” his actions here seem more like those of an “idiot,” as Fixer calls him.  You know the old joke about whether someone’s brave or stupid?  Boomer lives the joke, insisting on keeping an enchanted sword, even in the face of a legendary king, his many knights, and wizard.

Hopefully he gets a clue that just because he’s got electric boomerangs in this primitive period doesn’t mean that the folks he’s challenging are defenseless.  Actually, I can tell you right off that he won’t have a choice but to acknowledge the might of his opponents, as Merlin proves that what Camelot lacks in tech, he more than makes up for with incredibly potent magic, one that overcomes even Satana’s power.
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Venom #12 – Review

Posted on January 24, 2012 by jmiddle3

By: Rick Remender (writer), Lan Medina Nelson DeCastro (artists), Marte Gracia (colors)

The Story: What happens in Vegas…could get all your loved-ones killed.

The Good: I have a confession to make: this is the issue of Venom I have been waiting for. Don’t get me wrong, I love what Rick Remender has done to rehabilitate the character. Making the main source of tension the interplay between symbiote and host allows Venom to have a purpose outside of being a Spider-Man support character. Flash’s complicated past and stressed relationships give him compelling motivations and a pathos Eddie Brock never achieved. But honestly, I have really wanted to see Venom absolutely rage out. In this issue, Lan Medina finally gives us that release, and it feels like a dam has been broken. After surviving a road trip with his nemesis, Venom is forced to break into a casino and steal an item for the Crime Master. Unfortunately for everyone, the symbiote guesses what the package is, and that sends it into a rage. We’ve seen Flash lose control of Venom a few times in this run, but never like this. Here, Jekyll is completely stripped away to give us raw, unadulterated Hyde. Venom looks monstrous, grotesque, and more intimidating here than he ever has since this ongoing began. When Jack O’Lantern sees that Flash has lost control he steps in to try to bring Venom to heel; boy, is it gratifying to watch Jack realize he’s bitten off more than he can chew.

It’s fascinating to watch Flash resist, struggle, and finally succumb to the symbiote. There’s a moment where Venom is gracefully smashing down an armored door that encapsulates beautiful contrast between rage and serenity in this takeover; as he soars through the air, Flash thinks, “Something in my system…a reward…an opiate…the symbiote is putting me to sleep.” Then the door comes down, and all hell breaks loose. It’s truly an operatic moment. From there, the narration stops, and it’s Venom’s show. When the narration returns at the very end, saying nothing but the words, “Do it,” it’s hard to say who’s issuing the command.
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Cobra #9 – Review

Posted on January 23, 2012 by dfstell

By: Mike Costa (writer), Alex Cal (artist), J. Brown (colors), Neil Uyetake (letters), Carlos Guzman (assistant editor) & John Barber (editor)

The Story: Cobra has taken over a SE Asian country.  The Joes want to stop them and the new Cobra Commander’s lieutenants are fighting amongst themselves.

Three Things:

1. The story is really kinda rocking. – There’s a LOT to enjoy about the “story” aspect of this comic and the overall Cobra Command story-arc.  For one thing, we readers don’t know what to expect at all.  That is so rare in comics.  Not only is IDW’s GI Joe universe pretty new (~40 issues) since they completely rebooted it a few years ago, but to say that the naming of a new Cobra Commander ushered in a new status quo would be a huge understatement.  In comics, “classic” villains become less frightful the better we get to know them.  Sure, some writers are still able to pull a rabbit out of the hat and make Joker scary, but having a villain who is still 90% unknown is WAY more effective.  I love that we have no real idea what the new Cobra Commander is up to; he clearly has a plan, but he isn’t sharing it with us yet.  And, all the other classic Cobras like Baroness, Destro, Major Bludd, etc. are new enough that we don’t really know what to expect from them either.

2. Shame about the art. – I’ve been mostly complementary about the job that Alex Cal has done of the last few GI Joe issues he’s drawn, but this was a big step back.  Large chunks of the comic are still solidly “competent”, but there are a few other places where the sequential storytelling just falls apart.  Basically, if the panel consists of a head or a person talking, the art is fine.  But if there is action, there are problems.  One arises during a big Snake Eyes and Agent Helix fight where I couldn’t tell what the hell happened because a few panels were unclear.  IDW has been putting some inexperienced artists on these Joe titles and I think they’d be better served by going back to a 8-panel grid as the basic storytelling tool.  Gotta walk before you can run!
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Uncanny X-Force #20 – Review

Posted on January 21, 2012 by jmiddle3

By: Rick Remender (writer), Greg Tocchini (artist), Dean White (colors)

The Story: Fantomex, you’re being tried by a group called the “Captain Britain Corps,” and you have a French accent. Don’t speak in your own defense!

The Review: Last issue, two members of the X-Force were abducted by the Captain Britain Corps and brought to Otherworld: Psylocke, who is Captain Britain’s little sister, and Fantomex. For the uninitiated, Captain Britain (civilian name Brian Braddock) isn’t just an Anglicized version of Captain America. Instead, he is tasked by the wizard Merlyn to protect the Marvel Omniverse. Braddock wants Psylocke to rejoin the Captain Britain Corps to aid them against a massive siege of demonic forces. Fantomex, however, is there to stand trial for the murder of Kid Apocalypse. Yes, that last bit is patently absurd, but I’m not docking the issue points for this yet as there are hints that Braddock may have ulterior motives for holding Fantomex. Once the rest of the X-force notices that two of their number are missing, they embark on a rescue mission.

Remender does a great job introducing Captain Britain and company, though this is a more dickish version of Brian Braddock than you may be used to seeing. Remender also seems to be going out of his way to establish Kurt Darkholme as a different man than Kurt Wagner, though Darkholme’s frustrations at being treated like his doppelgänger are valid and understandable. One thing that continues to distract, however, is the characterization of Deadpool. He is simply not the same person you will find in every other Marvel book featuring him. This Deadpool has convictions and loyalty. He has a moral code and doesn’t constantly break the fourth wall. This Deadpool can say, “I miss Warren,” without a trace of sarcasm [or with nothing but complete sincerity]. It’s hard to accept, initially, but personally I feel saturated with the interpretation of Wade as a running gag, so I can go along with this revisionist take. But if you’re a traditional Deadpool fan, this title just isn’t for you.

But some odd characterization is nothing compared to the problems with the art. Greg Tocchini is a damn good artist.  And he has done fantastic work with Remender before, as Dean noted in his review of The Last Days of American Crime #3. So I’m not sure what happened to make this book look like a mess. Not one person stands in a natural manner. It’s impossible to read body language because everyone is perpetually posing. Captain Britain in particular appears throughout to be attempting to show off his impressive throat musculature, and I defy anyone to tell me what Psylocke is thinking once in this issue without the aide of speech bubbles. Nightcrawler stands out as the consistently most naturally drawn and emotive character, but I can’t award any point for this because his tattoo keeps disappearing.
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Superior #7 – Review

Posted on January 21, 2012 by dfstell

By: Mark Millar (writer), Leinil Yu (pencils), Gerry Alanguilan (inks), Sunny Gho (colors), Clayton Cowles (letters) & Nicole Boose (editor)

The Story: Will Simon/Superior make a deal with the devil to save Earth.

Four Things:

1. Has a popcorn-y summer movie feel. – I can totally see this being a summer movie and I’m sure Millar has either already signed with a producer or is hard at work securing such a deal.  That’s not a bad thing because this could be a lot of fun to see on the big screen.  The story is linear, doesn’t ask too much of the reader and has a happy ending.  This comic could be adapted without too much fuss.  Yay!

2. Great linework. – For me, the real star of this series has been the Yu/Alanguilan art team.  Even if the art is a much more realistic than I like, I can still appreciate what’s going on here.  The hard thing with realism is that you have to nail it and that takes special artists to not give us faces that fall apart when you stare at them for too long.  Yu and Alanguilan are up the challenge.  They also do a pretty good job of capturing the super-powered action, which is (again) hard for realistic artists to pull off (for the same reason a photograph almost never has the vitality of the real thing).  My only fear when I see a comic like this is that they’re inspiring other young artists….who are far less talented….to draw like them because this is NOT a style that looks good when it isn’t done well.
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Amazing Spider-Man #678 – Review

Posted on January 20, 2012 by dfstell

By: Dan Slott (writer), Humberto Ramos (pencils), Victor Olazaba (inks), Edgar Delgado (colors), Joe Caramagna (letters), Ellie Pyle (assistant editor) & Stephen Wacker (editor)

The Story: A new time-hopping Spidey story kicks off.

Five Things:

1. Time travel done right. - This is how time travel should happen, right?  At the very least, this is the less common way for fiction to look at time travel.  Usually characters just bounce into the future and see future versions of themselves wandering around.  This time travel treats the individual more like a constant and when Peter visits the future, he literally skips ahead, and so he wasn’t there in the interim.  And this shows us what happens when Spidey takes a single day off.  It’s bad folks!  This really puts a new wrinkle on the whole “great responsibility” idea, huh?

2. Really fun art. - This probably wasn’t my favorite art from a Ramos-led art team, but it’s still pretty hot (the difference is that I think I prefer Carlos Cuevas inking him).  The big thing about Ramos is the energy of his art and that usually takes the form of a twisting and turning Spidey, but in this issue he shows how much energy he can bring to Peter Parker.  Even the standing around characters in this issue seem lively and vital.  I can think of many realistic artists who would have fumbled this issue (stiff and boring!).  And, Ramos also gives us a great double-pager on the title page of the issue: What a good street scene!

3. Going back to the fun elements of Big Time. - When Dan Slott kicked off his run with the Big Time run back in ASM #648, he introduced a lot of FUN to the Peter Parker’s life.  Namely, he gave him a serious job where he made good money and could afford to buy stuff.  As Big Time matured into Spider Island, it isn’t so much that the FUN went away, but it had to take a back seat to the schemes of the Queen and Jackal.  Now that we’re done with that mega-arc, we can go back to seeing Peter Parker being happy and he doesn’t get much happier than when he’s at Horizon Labs, working on a new invention.
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Morning Glories #15 – Review

Posted on January 20, 2012 by dfstell

By: Nick Spencer (writer), Joe Eisma (art), Alex Sollazzo (colors), Johnny Lowe (letters) & Jade Dodge (editor)

The Story: Zoe and Hunter have to team-up for the mysterious Woodrun game.

Four Things:

1. A focused issue. – There wasn’t a lot of background noise in this issue.  Morning Glories usually does focus on a character or two, but this issue felt much tighter (and better).  It’s really just Zoe and Hunter out in the woods and some Zoe flashbacks (more about that below).  Other than a few moments of Jun and some discussion of Casey, this was all Zoe/Hunter.  No teachers, no Ike, etc.  That really helped the readability of the issue because we were able to focus on the characters in front of us and not worry so much about the 50 other mysteries with the other characters.  Now, the challenge for the creators is that when we DO revisit those characters, we’ll have been away from those mysteries for months and they’re going to have to remind us a little bit!

2. We know a LOT more about Zoe. – So she’s a killer.  But, as is normal for the series, just as we learn something, they give us some more mysteries.  The folks she’s killed have been for different reasons.  One was nominally to help a friend, one was to save her own butt and the final one was a possible romantic rival. It also seems like each murder got a little easier for her going from impulsive to calculated.  Hmm…  And, just the fact that she talked so much in this issue makes me feel like I know her better.  I seriously wouldn’t mind if all the issues got a little “wordy” just to enhance our familiarity with the characters.

3. Weird romantic vibes. – Did anyone else get the feeling that Zoe might let Hunter take a pass at her?  It was very weird, especially given that she was telling Hunter how Casey was WAY out of his league (and she clearly thinks of herself as better than Casey).  Who’d think that Hunter would end up being the ladies man of the series??  I’m sure some of it is that Zoe likes the attention, but why put on airs when alone in the woods?  Anyway, I love me some romance that plays up the soap opera aspects of comics.
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Wonder Woman #5 – Review

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Minhquan Nguyen

By: Brian Azzarello (writer), Tony Akins (artist), Matthew Wilson (colorist)

The Story: Let this be a lesson to you—never eat anything you fish up from a city river.

The Review: I don’t consider myself a particularly impatient person.  Why, back in the days of dial-up, I used to bring a book to the computer with me every time I needed to do a Google search (remember when that was such a new thing, people considered it “clever”?), and I didn’t complain.  When it comes to comics, I don’t mind a slow burn plot, where things percolate for a while before boiling up.  But at a certain point, I do expect events to get a little livelier.

That sentiment goes double when the story involves a character of action like Wonder Woman.  She’s one of the biggest brawlers in the DCU and it’s been a long while (since her scuffle with Aleka in #2) since we’ve actually seen her fight anybody.  When she gets into her heroic getup in this issue and leaps off a bridge to confront a herd of oversized seahorses in the Thames, you start getting your hopes up, thinking she’s finally going to pummel some heads, but alas—not a single punch is thrown, and it turns out to be a rather subdued scene.

In fact, the whole issue is rather talky, whether it’s Diana and Zola having a girl talk in the rain, or Hermes getting acquainted with yet another new member of his divine family.  It’s not as if all this conversation is for nothing; we do get a better idea of how Diana as a woman (rather than as Amazon) sounds (“…going to war…with the fate of the world hanging in the balance.  Good against evil…winner take all.  …It’s kinda [sic] cool.”), which is always valuable.  But we’ve already had so many issues in a row with characters just chatting, so by now it feels a bit much.
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Batman #5 – Review

Posted on January 20, 2012 by dfstell

By: Scott Snyder (writer), Greg Capullo (pencils), Jonathan Glapion (inks), FCO (colors), Richard Starkings (letters), Katie Kubert (assistant editor), Harvey Richards (associate editor) & Mike Marts (editor)

The Story: It’s a complete mind-bender as the Court of Owls has Batman trapped in a maze.  Or do they??

Three Things:

1. Interesting mechanic with the twisting storytelling. – I read this comic digitally (as I do with an increasing number of comics).  And, about halfway through the issue, we started getting to panels where the orientation was “off.”  By that I mean, the iPad’s concept of what was “down” was different than what my eyes said.  So, to read it you had to lock the iPad’s orientation and rotate it from page-to-page.  I presume the same had to be done with the dead tree version of the comic.  Mixed feelings on this…..  First, the twisting very much fit the story and was a good way to make the reader experience the confusion that Batman was feeling.  Second, it’s great to see creators trying something different.  Not everything experimental is going to work, but you don’t advance the artform by doing the same old things.  Third, I really didn’t like the effect.  I had to step away from the story to remind myself how to lock the iPad’s orientation, so that I could read the panels and once I’m reading an iPad technical support page, the mind-bending effect is lost.  So, in summary: I credit the creators for trying something experimental and hope they never do it again.  Honestly, it wouldn’t be that hard for DC to “fix” this.  Just reorient those pages!

[EDIT added by Dean on Jan 25, 2012: Another thought on why the twisting orientation MAY not have worked so well digitally....  When reading on an iPad, having to reorient the device to view a double-page spread is ROUTINE.  It happens about once per issue whereas reorienting a paper comic is rare (usually only for those centerfold spreads).  Not sure what that means, but it is another way of explaining why it has a different effect digitally than on paper.]

2. Is this all in the mind?? – Man…..this is a really twisted story (literally).  It’s impossible to tell how much of Batman’s experience in the maze is mental and how much is really happening.  And….we’ll probably never know.  This story immediately reminded me of two other Batman stories.  One is Snyder’s own Black Mirror where Dick Grayson get’s a whiff of hallucinogenic poison that makes him see weird stuff (but you never really know if some of it is real).  The other way the classic, Batman: The Cult, just for the effect of seeing Batman having a mental breakdown.  Maybe Jason Todd will save him?  This was a really unsettling story.  I don’t even know if I enjoyed it, but I know that I’ll remember it.

3. Great bits of visual storytelling by the art team. – Twisting panel orientations aside, there was some great visual storytelling.  You know how there’s always this hand-wringing from fanboys if an artist makes Batman’s eyeballs visible under the cowl?  Well, I love how Batman is shown in this issue with one classic, triangle eye and the other side with the ‘lens’ smashed and showing his eyeball.  For one thing, it allows Capullo to wring a lot of emotion out of Batman with the cowl on.  You can’t really do that with the triangle eyes.  For another, just seeing him like that says, “Man, that dude is fucked up!”  Especially because this isn’t battle damage….this is more like he got disoriented and smacked his face into something and was too disturbed to fix his mask.  The rest of the issue is great, from the barrage of little, tight panels that sell the disorientation, to the Owl-man’s eyes lurking behind Batman, to the scenes where Batman’s hands look more like owl talons, to the scene where the owls crawl out from inside someone…. This issue has a LOT of memorable visuals.  Who knew that owls were so creepy?  I always kinda liked them before.

Conclusion: A real masterpiece of a comic.  Most comics you read and just kinda toss them to the side.  This issue is full of visual moments that will stick with you for a long time.  Wonderful storytelling by the whole creative team.  But, let’s not make digital readers leave the comic and go into the iPad’s settings to be able to continue the experience.

Grade: A (ignoring the weird twisting thing and counting on DC to FIX it in the digital store)

-Dean Stell

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Uncanny X-Men #5 – Review

Posted on January 20, 2012 by jmiddle3

By: Kieron Gillen, (writer); Greg Land (penciler); Jay Leisten (inker); Justin Ponsor, Laura Martin and Guru eFX (colors)

The Story: The Montana State Tourism Board gets a new attraction to boast about.

The Review: Oddly, in the wake of the Schism, Uncanny X-Men has become what you might call the traditional X-Men Book, while Wolverine and the X-Men has been the one breaking new ground. I expected the reverse, because while Cyclops is trying to preserve the remains of mutantkind from an island of San Francisco, Wolverine is re-opening the very school where the X-Men began. But author Jason Aaron has made Logan’s book completely fresh by putting the emphasis on the running of an actual school; under Xavier, the school always was more of a headquarters than a learning center. Meanwhile, Kieron Gillen has used Uncanny to tell science-fiction stories about a group of super-powered individuals fighting monsters and supervillains in a world that fears and hates them, all in the hopes that their benevolence will garner goodwill. You know, the standard X-Men storyline. So when Uncanny X-Men is successful, the success is derived not from innovation, but rather from the excellence of the execution. Sadly, the execution of Uncanny X-Men #5 is uneven, and as such just doesn’t get as interesting as it should.

This series opens with our heroes preparing to investigate a town in Montana that has mysteriously turned into a completely alien landscape. Readers of Uncanny X-Force will remember this as Tabula Rasa, a small town Montana Archangel destroyed and then accelerated in time so that a hundred million years worth of evolution could pass within it in a matter of minutes. And here I have to applaud Gillen’s ability to smoothly integrate continuity. Sure, this helps tidy up some dangling plot threads from another title, but it’s a completely natural fit for his work. He manages to use another author’s ideas in a way that actually enriches them while still providing a solid, self-contained story.
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Green Lantern Corps #5 – Review

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Minhquan Nguyen

By: Peter J. Tomasi (writer), Fernando Pasarin (artist), Scott Hanna (inker), Gabe Eltaeb (colorist)

The Story: For fast, easy disposal of mortal enemies, send ‘em to the Mean Machine!

The Review: The best part about a piece of serial fiction, one that can go on indefinitely, is the opportunity to build and flesh out a world, letting it grow into something you can become nearly as intimate with as the life you live.  So it’s amazing how many comic book series I’ve read where a whole year passes and, aside from the random villains who wander in and occupy the hero for an issue or so, the writer does little to expand the title beyond its star.

Tomasi does not do this.  His opening story arc stretches across the vast playing field of the Green Lantern universe, involving handfuls of planets, a variety of organizations and races, and an ever-growing roster of characters.  It takes a deft hand to manage all these elements and integrates them into a cohesive story, one where each of them gets an important role, but Tomasi juggles them all, rarely missing a beat.

As if the pretty sizable cast isn’t enough, Tomasi brings in a fair number of beloved featured players, all of whom he writes as credibly as the leads.  Former regular Kilowog gets a brief yet fun appearance (him yelling at new recruits never gets old), and Salaak once again plays the crusty downer, hassling Guy for breaking protocols as he attempts to spirit away several Sinestro Corpsmen for his master plan to defeat the Keepers.

In this case, it doesn’t take too long for Guy to appeal to Salaak’s better self, since he brings up a topic the four-armed alien easily bristles at nowadays: the treachery of the Guardians.  In the last five years or so, we’ve learned about one dark secret of theirs after another, and now we have yet another one involving the Keepers, who devoted their lives under the Guardians’ employ for the sake of attaining prosperity for their homeworld, only to have it wrenched away for no apparent reason.  Seems like a pretty good reason for resentment to me.

That gives them no excuse for taking revenge on the Corps, however, particularly by torturing John Stewart and the other captive Lanterns for information to break through Oa’s defenses.  Guy has asserted himself so much into the story that it’s it’s nice to see him being a hero in his own, tight-jawed way.  Plus, the fact he and the other Lanterns withstand the Keepers’ torture so valiantly is a nice parallel to Guy’s futile attempts to make his own prisoner Keeper talk.
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WCBR’s Top Picks

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Ray Hilario

Dean’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Wolverine and the X-Men #4 – I love the barely controlled chaos that is the Jean Grey School!  Seeing the faculty trying to control this truly bizarre mash-up of students is just a delight.  I hate to advocate for new X-series, but wouldn’t a “New Mutants: 2012″ series with Idie, Broo, Quentin Quire, the Apocalypse guy, Kid Gladiator & Warbird be fun?  Two things are really making this series stand out….  One, the fact that it doesn’t have that stick-up-the-ass seriousness that has traditionally pervaded the X-books forever.  Two, it’s had GREAT art.  Nick Bradshaw is like the second coming of Art Adams.  Just enjoy it people!  Honorable Mention: Amazing Spider-Man #677, Scalped #55, Severed #6.

Most Anticipated: Batman #5 – The talent on this title is sooooo top-notch.  We all like to rave about Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo (and I’m as big of a fan as anyone), but inker Jonathan Glapion and colorist FCO Plascencia are hot stuff too.  Trust me, if either of those less heralded guys wasn’t going their job well….folks would be complaining about how “Capullo has lost it”.  This has been a wonderful series since the relaunch and just the talent alone makes it my most anticipated for the week.

Other Picks: Cobra #9, Morning Glories #15, Amazing Spider-Man #678, Daredevil #8, Legion of Monsters #4, Superior #7

Alex’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Scalped #55 – As this amazing series concludes, Jason Aaron is really, really playing for keeps.  Big, big shocking things happen in this issue that will stun long-time readers (are there any kind, when comes to Scalped?) and have you DYING for the next issue.  There have been times over the last year or so where Scalped seem to spin its wheels a bit, but this is NOT one of those times. As we head into the final arc, Scalped is burning at a fever pitch.  This is stunning work and a story where it’s hard to believe that things will turn out well for anyone.  Just an amazing read, all-around.

Most Anticipated: Wonder Woman #5 – It’s pretty well established at this point that Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang’s Wonder Woman is bloody brilliant and one of the true overachievers of DC’s new 52.  Well, the end of last month’s issue just dropped what I like to call a “shit just got real” moment.  I can’t see where the series goes from here and give the gravity of last month’s events, I think Diana is going to be roughing some people up.  If you’re not reading this book, you really should be, and if you’re one of those people who’ve never been interested in WW, know that this is unlike any WW comic perhaps– ever.

Other Picks: Batman #5, Amazing Spider-Man #678, Avengers #21, Daredevil #8, Invincible Iron Man #512, Moon Knight #9, Uncanny X-Men #5

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The Ray #2 – Review

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Minhquan Nguyen

By: Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray (writers), Jamal Igle (penciller), Rich Perrotta (inker), Guy Major (colorist)

The Story: Guess who’s coming to dinner?  The Ray!

The Review: I was thoroughly unimpressed with the debut of this mini last month, and was of a good mind to drop it immediately.  But I figured that since I already put the money in for one issue, I might as well check out the next one to see if things improve.  After all, it wasn’t so much that the writing or art of #1 was bad; they just felt commonplace and contrived, much more planned than inspired.

It’s not great that for the second time in a row, we open on a monster attack upon San Diego, with the Ray filling you in with some narrated exposition as he takes them down.  That’s par for the course, considering the six-issue constraint Palmiotti-Gray have on their story, but it still would’ve been nice to see more of the action taking place than having it told to us.  Besides, Ray always manages to defeat them so quickly, and with so little evident threat to his person, that you tend to skim past the scenes anyway.

At any rate, the meat of the story involves Lucien’s first meeting with Chanti’s culturally sensitive parents, whom he tries to please by getting into Indian costume and sucking up, big time.  At least he has the good grace to admit he was being an idiot (the title of the scene is actually “Yes…  I Am an Idiot”), because it is a monumentally idiotic move, one that would never, ever fly in real life for a second.  The idea reeks like a premise for a first/last-season episode of a WB sitcom starring Mindy Kaling and John Cho—which, sadly, I’d probably watch.
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My Greatest Adventure #4 – Review

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Minhquan Nguyen

By: Too many to list—check out the review.

The Story: Robotman enters a race!  Garbage Man vs. Dinosaur!  Tanga breaks up with Za!

The Review: I don’t know why it took me this long to realize it, but it occurred to me today that one of the biggest disadvantages of a multi-feature series is how vulnerable it is to inconsistency.  With most ongoings, if you get a stinker of an issue, you can always hope the next one will make up for it, or drop it entirely if things don’t improve.  If you have a title with some features you like and others you don’t, you get mixed feelings whether you keep reading or ditch it.

If “Robotman” was a solo ongoing, I’d probably stick it out to see if it gets any better.  Early parts of the story were delightful when Matt Kindt stuck to pure, old-timey sci-fi creativity.  This chapter still has some of that to some degree, like Cliff baiting the nanite-infected island animals so he can consume their organic parts to repair himself (you have to love that Scott Kolins draws Cliff’s nano-anti-bodies as microscopic, chibi versions of himself).  But as soon as you get into more dramatic territory, your interest wanes.  Though we finally get to see the infamous racecar incident Cliff’s mentioned all this time, there’s disappointingly little conspiracy or complexity to it, being more like one of those tragic consequences of scientific risk.  Besides, it’s hard (especially for a prude like me) to feel all that sympathetic, when Cliff’s own risk-seeking behavior lands him in those circumstances in the first place.

With “Garbage Man,” this is a feature I’d have dropped a few issues back had it been its own series.  Aaron Lopresti has been splitting his time between two plotlines (G. Man’s ongoing vendetta against Titan, and his regular encounters with random monsters), which thins out both in a ten-paged chapter.  Here, he focuses mostly on the crazy happenings in the sewer, and the story’s much improved for it, but it still feels like it’s meandering, looking for the big twist to make it worthwhile.  But which twist is that supposed to be?  Certainly not G. Man’s takedown of a sewer dinosaur, nor Samantha’s penitent return to him, nor the revelation that Dr. Clive (from way back in Weird Worlds #1) might be responsible for the homeless man whose dreams bring impossible creatures to life.  At least it all looks great, albeit a tad cutesy, with Lopresti and Matt Ryan’s detailed figures and John Kalisz’s bright colors.
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