Comments on: What I bought – 16 May 2007

By: Matt D

Matt D — Mon, 21 May 2007 12:16:57 +0000

I don’t think it’s X-Men that puts Brubaker out of his element. I think it’s a 12 issue space epic with X-Men in it.

I have this shaking feeling that his next story about the Morlocks is going to be a bit more down everyone’s alley.

That said,

UXM is really a huge chink in his armor so far.

By: acespot

acespot — Mon, 21 May 2007 06:08:42 +0000

You picked a bad issue of Cable/Deadpool to judge the series by. This issue wasn’t at all indicative of its usual quality and fun.
Here’s my review:
Cable & Deadpool #40
EH. If you haven’t been reading X-Men, don’t buy this issue. (I haven’t been reading X-Men because I really can’t stand the art. I’d probably read the story if it were told in text format, but combined with Bachalo’s and Ramos’ art, I can’t figure out what’s going on – especially in action sequences. The characters aren’t always recognizable either. So I figure I’ll skip the title for now, and then come back to it when the current artists have left the title for someone more competent.) It makes no sense whatsoever. It isn’t a Deadpool story, and it’s not much of a Cable story either. From what sense I can make of it, this issue occurs behind the scenes of the current X-Men arc. The art and scripting in this issue makes it unclear as to exactly which of the events shown are transpiring in the real world, but it seems to me that this entire story is about Cable walking down a hall. The only moments of this issue that stand out are those revolving around Deadpool’s strip poker game. And there’s no recap page either. What the? Whatever. I’m sure that when I come back next issue, the new arc will make sense. Or as much sense as this title ever makes.

By: Ryan Day

Ryan Day — Sun, 20 May 2007 20:36:09 +0000

You should read that issue of Local. It’s very, very good, and I’m pretty confident you’ll like Megan again.

It’s very, very good. Best yet, perhaps? A lot of payoff for the character, anyway.

By: Tim Callahan

Tim Callahan — Sun, 20 May 2007 02:59:22 +0000

For what it’s worth, I DID end up defending Batman #665 after all:

It’s blogtastic!

By: sleeper

sleeper — Sun, 20 May 2007 01:07:33 +0000

Kudos on picking up CABLE/DEADPOOL, but #40 was really an off-issue. Not the highlight of the series by a long shot.

And you missed ASB&R entirely! That’s a shame because it was pure crap… hilarious, laugh out loud, pure crap. The kind of crap you should read just for spectacle.

I fully expect “sperm-bank” to become the next ASB&R-ism to take the goddman internet by storm.

As for Morrison’s run on BATMAN: it’s weak. Tepid. Morrison is at his best when he’s unhinged… working on his own project, born of his own imagination, without worrying about curtailing his crazed fever-dreams. I think DC editorial simply wanted a superstar-caliber writer on BATMAN, so they saddled the guy who wrote ARKHAM ASYLUM.

However, if you’ve read interviews, Morrison has admitted publically he didn’t have any big plans for Batman initially and Batman isn’t his kind of character. Batman is usually the dark, urban vigilante dealing with semi-relatable, somewhat human, and somewhat street-level problems, whereas Morrison’s strength seems to be the completely bizarre, far-flung brand of characters and situations.

I know a good writer can transcend simple genre conventions, but I also know every writer has their own voice and their own strengths and weaknesses and betraying those inclinations can seem like a really awkward fit. Think about this: has Morrison ever written a hard-boiled, noirish, detective story? A really memorable one? Grant has also said that he took the monthly Batman assignment because writing a purely human character would help reign his excessiveness in a little… he felt like down-to-earth stories would give him more discipline that way. (Sorry I don’t have proper citations… I believe I read those interviews in WIZARD).

I respect his desire to work outside his comfort zone, but it doesn’t feel like him… at least, it doesn’t feel like him at full-throttle. He’s operating at 50% and I want to see him at 100% again.

I think he should get back to Vertigo and work on something wholly original. Or just as interesting: give him the entire 4TH WORLD canon to play with in a giant multi-book project that would span a few years. But this monthly Batman stuff isn’t doing anything for me.

By: Bill Reed

Bill Reed — Sun, 20 May 2007 00:11:03 +0000

Also, Gloria Gaynor? How many of the main cast would actually know who she is?

Who doesn’t know who Gloria Gaynor is? Dammit, I’m not that old, and I was listening to disco when I was a lad. And that was a decade ago.

By: Ian Astheimer

Ian Astheimer — Sat, 19 May 2007 22:43:08 +0000

No other writer of his prominence does it so consistently.

BKV and Whedon aren’t writers of prominence?

By: Apodaca

Apodaca — Sat, 19 May 2007 20:36:57 +0000

So, in this issue, we get a Gloria Gaynor reference and a Three Stooges joke. Thatâ€™s about it for the â€œPeter David Awful Pun and Pop Cultural Reference Watch,â€ which I guess we have to do, because itâ€™s not like any other writer ever does it.

No other writer of his prominence does it so consistently. That’s what makes it lame.

Also, Gloria Gaynor? How many of the main cast would actually know who she is?

By: Chris Heide

Chris Heide — Sat, 19 May 2007 13:32:13 +0000

Brubaker’s been so excellent in everything else that I had to wade through Deadly Genesis and a year of Uncanny before I could finally admit to myself that he’s completely out of his element doing X-Men…I should have known it the moment he had to resort to making the third Summers brother into yet another Omega-level mutant of vast albeit vague psionic powers, as if Cassandra Nova, Onslaught, Legion, Exodus, Stryfe, etc. hadn’t all drained that well dry…

By: Sean Whitmore

Sean Whitmore — Sat, 19 May 2007 06:37:22 +0000

While I would never argue that Cable/Deadpool is a fantastic book, this was about the worst issue you could cut your teeth on. The whole thing read like a thinly-veiled letter from Nicieza to the reader saying, “I have to put all my plots and character development on hold to tie into the X-Men book, and I’m very angry about it.”

By: stealthwise

stealthwise — Sat, 19 May 2007 06:21:24 +0000

Greg, ok, I didn’t know that, makes sense in a way, because Megan’s done some questionable things overall. Thanks for the head’s up that Local is out this week too, as my comic shop didn’t seem to get it!

By: Greg Burgas

Greg Burgas — Sat, 19 May 2007 03:39:22 +0000

Guy – since Saturday is my birthday, I’m going to shop for a Showcase/Essential volume then. Especially because I won’t have children hanging around, which is how it is every Wednesday, so I don’t have much time. I get in, I get out!

By: Conor E

Conor E — Sat, 19 May 2007 02:52:40 +0000

Hasn’t D’ken been in a coma for 25+ years? Killing him seems like… the exact opposite of an important thing, since no one touched him for years before Brubaker dragged him out of obscurity.

By: Tim Callahan

Tim Callahan — Sat, 19 May 2007 01:13:59 +0000

I'm not going to defend this Batman issue, even though I still have faith that it will all make sense when Morrison finishes the story, but I wanted to shamelessly plug my book, which is finally available: Grant Morrison: The Early Years You know you want it, Greg. And I don't ever use the phrase â€œparadigmatic oscillation of the superhero trope that illuminates the depravity of Batmanâ€™s surroudings vis-Ã -vis his moral compassâ€ as far as I recall. Though it does sound fancy (and incoherent)!

By: S Laz

S Laz — Sat, 19 May 2007 00:15:23 +0000

I know he did some good work on JLA and X-Men, but Morrison’s talent is wasted on “regular” superhero books. No wonder he seems bored. Any hope for a new Vertigo book?

By: Billy F

Billy F — Sat, 19 May 2007 00:05:42 +0000

I cared about the character who died in Uncanny! (Even though I saw it coming a mile away).

By: Dick Hyacinth

Dick Hyacinth — Fri, 18 May 2007 22:34:39 +0000

You know, I actually liked this issue of Batman more than the last one. I even thought Kubert’s art was a lot clearer, making me kind of regret all the mean things I said a few weeks ago. I really don’t remember how Damian (or is that Damien?) got hurt badly enough to necessitate multiple organ transplants, but that might be more a commentary on my memory than Morrison’s writing.

By: Guy LeCharles Gonzalez

Guy LeCharles Gonzalez — Fri, 18 May 2007 22:28:50 +0000

I actually thought Moon Knight got back on track with this issue — the story, not the art — but for a new/casual reader, I can see your point. The art was pretty terrible, though, and almost makes me wish Finch would come back. Almost…

What Essential/Showcase did you end up buying?

By: Rob

Rob — Fri, 18 May 2007 22:05:16 +0000

You did pick the absolute wrong issue of Cable and Deadpool to read. I had to check three times to make sure I didn’t pick up the X-Men by mistake.

By: Dan K

Dan K — Fri, 18 May 2007 22:05:05 +0000

That First-Class cover is weird; what the hell are Jean and Scott doing?

There’s normally a lot more Deadpool in Cable and Deadpool.