11-12-08

Number Ones

Batman: Cacophony 1

And Kevin Smith comes back to comics again, with Walter Flanagan (of Walt Flanagan's dog fame) in tow. And while this issue is very interesting, I generally don't feel that it's the kind of standard I'm used to with Kevin Smith's work. Additionally, Onomatopoeia seems far goofier than I recall, which means I'm going to go back and read those issues of Green Arrow he was introduced in. Hopefully we'll see the next issue soon.

Push 1

This is about a group of psy-ops agents, and is fairly interesting, though really lacks the excitement that a series like this has the possibility of doing. However, there is a bit at the end that gives the whole thing a bit more dimensionality, and so I will be seeing how this continues to unfold.

Black Terror 1

This was fairly interesting, though less so than I expected. The writing is the same typical Alex Ross/Jim Krueger writing, which is enough to keep you interested, but not enough to really get you excited for when the next issue comes out. 

Sir Apropos of Nothing 1

I missed seeing this book on the diamond list, due to the fact that I had forgotten the title of this project in the first place. This is the one to pick up , of the number ones. It contains the constantly sharp and witty writing of Peter David, and additionally pokes fun at the Dark Tower (which incidentally David also writes the comic form of). The art may not be as flashy as we all are used to at this point, but it is quite adequate for purposes of the story told. WARNING: this is a fun book. If you don't like fun, don't buy it.

and now for everything else

There were two Batman RIP tie-ins this week, Detective Comics and Nightwing. Detective has done an amazing job of telling the best Hush story so far, doing much better than even the one he was introduced in. And while Hush has done an amazing job breaking Batman before the Black Glove can, he does a better job at breaking Catwoman (by removing her heart). And of course, before all is said and done, Batman breaks Hush. I'm starting to see where all these tie-ins fall in to place, in terms of the set up for post-RIP. Nightwing is quite extreme in this. While still showing bits of Dick Grayson, with his acrobatic flair, we're definitely starting to see what images and this issue in particular are starting to imply: Dick Grayson is ready, and moving in the direction of becoming Batman should the need arise (and that seems to be rather soon). Additionally, Two-Face is making his play at being far more prominent than he has been in the post-OYL Batworld. Alot of setup in this issue, very well written, and I'm glad to see that Tomasi will be taking over the Outsiders.

Now on to other things:

Green Arrow/Black Canary 14

This. This is one of those issues where Winick writes really well. He does this great issue. And you look back at the previous ones, some of which did not make any sense and say "what the hell Winick? Do this ALWAYS." Regardless, we see a bit of what's happened to Connor Hawke, deal with memory loss, and what Winick seems to be really good at writing, father-son bonding. The only problem I have is that shouldn't Connor's ability to magically heal be the result of, oh, i don't know, BATHING IN THE BLOOD OF A DRAGON? Hullo, let's read things. Still, good issue, farewell to Winick for this title, and we'll see how the next guy does.

Titans 7

Generally speaking, I have not been a fan of the direction of this new series. But at the very least, Howard Porter is now on the job ::cue horn flair:: so the wacked-out artwork is GONE. And generally speaking, this is a fairly well written issue. The only problem I have is I really don't like this new "Jerico's gone crazy" thing. Thanks, guys. Regardless, the explanation that has been given for the crazy at least makes sense, so points there.

Young Liars 9

If you are still reading this book, then more power to you. This is probably the most fucked up book I end up reading every month. And I read Gravel and Crossed. Additionally, I have very little idea as to what is going on most of the time, and the characters are almost entirely unlikeable when you actually find out about them. 

Captain Britain and the MI:13 7

This, on the other hand, is one of the most fun books I read every month. What I really want to note this month is the fantastic bit of back and forth between Blade and Spitfire, which to me seems to really cement Blade properly into the team. Also, Pete Wisdom's imaginary tea party on the moon? Gold.

Wolverine 69

I don't really care for Mark Millar. If you read this at all (which you probably don't, and you've only come here by accident, and are now wishing to leave), you'll know this already. However, I have to say, this is one of those instances where I do a slow clap and say "well done, Mark Millar. Well done." This storyarc in particular, not necessarily just this issue, has actually been really good. Not even to mention the Steve McNiven art, which is beautiful. In other Millar news though, it's been a while since a Fantastic Four issue, hasn't it?

In disturbing news, Blue Beetle is cancelled. This has been a fantastic series, and I'm very sad to see it go (as is Dan Didio, but y'know, sales). Additionally, it seems Grant Morrison is no longer writing the Battle for the Cowl series, but it is being written by artist Tony Daniel. WTF happened there?

Oh, and one last thing, since I noticed the only time I'm mentioned online is by a Fable community, here's what I have to say about Fables 78:

I like the character of Mr. Dark, very amusing. There's alot of things in the issue that sets up the future for the Fables now that they've won back the homelands, and I'm excited to see where it all goes from here.

11-5-08

Kind of a slow week, though we did have 3 books from Gray and Palmiotti, and one from Palmiotti and Ennis. And while Jonah Hex was enjoyable as always, nothing in particular really stood out, and Back to Brooklyn carried on the story without anything really exciting me aside from the mention of egg creams (EGG CREAMS!). Which brings us to Terra, which starts off the number ones.

Terra #1

While I'm a huge fan of the New Teen Titans, I wasn't particularly excited about this book aside from Gray/Palmiotti/Conner. So I was rather surprised when the book not only contained great art, but lots of interesting things involving creatures residing in the under belly of the Earth. Terra seems to be quite familiar with these characters, implying she's been residing sub-surface for some time. A good start to the mini, and I'll be looking forward to more.

Gigantic #1

I was quite surprised with this one. I like Remender alright, and I have really come to like Ngyuen's artwork, but the plot is much more involved and interesting than "OMG GIANT ROBOT." There is one problem I have with this issue is that the storyline harkens alot to the Southpark episode a while back where the Earth was a reality show that got cancelled.

Sandman: The Dream Hunters #1

Like an idiot, I've never read the original Dream Hunters prose. But I'm going to change that very soon if it's anything like P. Craig Russell's comic adaptation here. The art is very clean and tells the story well, and the writing is quite clever (though obviously owes much to Gaiman in that regard). 

Superman/Supergirl: Maelstrom #1

The last of Gray and Palmiotti's offering that I'll cover for this week, we have a story involving Superman and Supergirl which seems to be pre-Final Crisis. Apokolips is still as it was, before even Starlin's messing around with it. The third star of this, Maelstrom, longs for the love of Darkseid, if you can imagine someone desiring such a thing. The writing? Great. The art? Looks nice, but here is where I had my major issue with this... issue. The artwork, while looking pretty, did not convey the story very well, and rarely contained the emotions of the characters.

Ultimatum #1

Let me start by expressing what I like about this issue: David Finch's artwork. Yay. Everything else? Ugh. Random characters dying off, Magneto suddenly far more powerful than he had been before, Thor still talks dumb, and apparently Doctor Doom suddenly looks just like he does in the normal 616. In fact, that seems to be the major problem with Loeb's take on the Ultimate universe (beside writing terrible dialogue). For the most part, Loeb's characters in the Ultimate universe act almost exactly as they do in the normal Marvel universe. Which, kind of defeats the purpose entirely. I continue to torture myself by reading this stuff because honestly, I do want to know what happens. Which I guess warrants some merit.

Cable #8

The reason I'm mentioning this issue (and I guess should mention the last issue as well) is because I was somewhat concerned after the first arc as to where this series would go. While interesting, the idea of Bishop chasing Cable through time FOREVER seemed rather limited. So I was very pleased to see not only some aging on the child's part, but also something other than Bishop for Cable to have to deal with. And Bishop is still prominent in the book, cementing his place as supporting cast as opposed to just Cable's arch-nemesis.

El Diablo #3

This book has been one of the bigger surprises for me. I didn't expect much from it, especially after Nitz's lackluster issue of Blue Beetle. However, introducing El Diablo into current continuity with a new carrier of the curse, as well as still having Lazarus Lane hanging around, has worked rather well. I admit, there are some similarities to Ghost Rider, but the story stands on it's own, especially with Phil Hester's fantastic artwork.

Final Crisis: Resist

Oh, how I've longed for a good Checkmate story again. And here it is! Morrison gives us a great story of Checkmate being reduced to guerilla tactics, solely consisting of Mister Terrific, Thinker, Snapper Carr, and for a bit, Cheetah. Ultimately what it comes down to is the return of the OMACs. There is a separate mood of this, which is why it wasn't given to us in Final Crisis proper, but is very important to the story, I think. 

Punisher War Journal Annual #1

Honestly, I think this could have been done better. I don't really feel like Spurrier has a great grasp on the Punisher's character, and the idea of the Punisher hallucinating a child's dreams (or hallucinating in any respect) is a great and amusing idea, but didn't seem to come out as well as I'd hoped here.

Sub-Mariner: The Depths #3

I wasn't sure how exactly this story was going to play out. One thing I have noticed is that lately, Peter Milligan has been writing about people's psychological behaviors, and the changes they go through under particular conditions. What he has done here is explore how the mind is affected by the isolation and claustrophobic nature of being in a submarine in the deepest, darkest recesses of the ocean. And one of the neater things, in my opinion: We still have not really seen Namor.

Terror Titans #2

Very, VERY slowly, Sean McKeever's run on the Teen Titans and his dealings with the Terror Titans are growing on me. And really, he seems to get the Terror Titans much better. This issue moves very quickly, and mostly what I am excited about is the Clock King's quick takeover of the Darkside Club. It seems that Boss Darkside himself is out of commission or dead (maybe part of Final Crisis?), and Vunderbarr, Desaad, and . What really helped this issue is the artwork. Joe Bennett's layouts and the paneling are done amazingly well, and he makes the Clock King less creepy (as he was in Teen Titans) and more likeable as a villain like him can be. Also, Young Frankenstein! But just briefly.