(But there’s no excuse for Alyssa’ tongue, I’ll concede.)

I mean, when I read #555, I’m struck with a lot of things – where did they get the raw materials for a whole other planet, for instance? Are we really to believe that they can re-create the entire biosphere perfectly and everything will work out fine? If they’re constructing a new Earth and Moon, then, as Greg pointed out, does that mean reconstructing a sun for them to orbit as well? If World Bank is going to be controlling the economy to make sure there’s no recession – and if the scientists are going to be controlling the planet’s social and cultural direction, doesn’t that make New Earth a fascist state by definition? There obviously won’t be free markets, which gives me an uneasy feeling about, say, free assembly and freedom of the press. And how in God’s name is the Earth going to be unsalvageable in ten years? That doesn’t make much sense. And don’t get me started on the idiocy of the giant robot idea.

It doesn’t bother me so much that these plotholes exist, but that Reed, easily the smartest character in the Marvel Universe, doesn’t see them or ask about them. The entire issue is pretty much Reed being awed. If Millar put some doubts into Reed’s dialogue, or had him ask some questions, then I could believe that Millar is going somewhere with this. But these also strike me as the kind of things nobody would really ask about in a Lee/Kirby story – they’d just roll with it. I think Millar is thinking we should do the same with his story without really considering that comics are held to a somewhat different standard.

At least, that’s my take.

I guess if you think Firefly/Serenity is the greatest thing in the history of entertainment, this will be enjoyable. I don’t hate it, but I just can’t figure out the Whedon-love.

My theory is that it’s “Gene Roddenberry syndrome.” It’s not just the work. It’s the work coupled with actively wooing a fanbase– no, that’s not fair. Say rather, greeting a burgeoning fanbase with enthusiasm instead of the (more usual) bemused shake of the head and a shrug. Fans really like creators who like them back, who seem to appreciate them. As long as the work continues to reach a baseline level of good, such creators are bulletproof.

Anyway, that’s my theory. That being said, we loved Firefly and Serenity and so I was pleased to see this book, I’d much rather have more of these than Buffy Season 8. I admit it’s more for the fan than the non-fan but I think it stands better on its own than the Buffy books do. Of course, there’s a lot less backstory for a show that ran half a season and got one movie than a show that ran seven years with a five-year spinoff, and that would figure into it too, I suppose. What I really liked about it was that it’s basically just an extra Firefly episode, as opposed to a sequel to the Serenity movie. I think Serenity– the movie– really should stand as the last word on this crew.

The dialogue reads okay to me but then again, fans tend to ‘hear’ the actual actors as they are reading. And it made Julie laugh out loud in a couple of places. I think I’d rather have the Chinese profanities spelled out phonetically or something, though.

But since this post is about comics, I love David’s X-Factor. His original run on it is what got me into comics, and since this one is even farther removed from the other X-titles, I think its been going even better (minus the whole Messiah Complex thing). I’m not a fan of Arcade, but I guess we have to assume he keeps getting work because he’s killing non-superpowered people successfully off screen as it were. Plus, how many people are willing to take the gig?

This may be the Bat-book I enjoy the most. Morrison’s Batman is dull and pretentious (seriously, who cares about Batman impersonators ? or Bat-Mite ?), and Dini’s Detective suffers a lot from its stop-start pacing (between the one-issue format and the multiple fill-ins). I do enjoy what he’s done with Riddler, Harley Queen and the new Ventriloquist, though.
(As for the secondary books, Catwoman seems to have lost its way, and all the others – Nightwing, Outsiders, Robin – are barely getting started.)

Gotham Underground, on the other hand, understands what appeals to me in Batman : a dysfunctional team of crime-fighters fighting a combination of quirky and crime villains, with the diversity of factions resulting in a convoluted plot and numerous plot twists. It’s also the ultimate Bat-crossover, with nearly everyone who’s anybody in the Bat-Universe making at least a cameo (with the welcome exception of the Joker), and building up on previous or current storylines (Face the Face, Salvation Run, 52…).
For the first time since at least One Year Later, it finally fells like the Bat-books are a coherent whole, with an actual plan in mind.

It reminds me most of Dixon’s 90s Detective run, actually. It’s not art or flashy, but it works. This is the Batman I enjoy. And Tieri has been surprisingly competent these last couple of years.

Gotham Underground #6
I don’t really have much to say about this comic. I was curious about it, so I picked it up, knowing full well that it was the sixth issue of a nine-issue mini-series, and therefore there would be some things I wouldn’t get [...] I wasn’t expecting much out of this, and I didn’t get much. It’s a pretty dull Batman story[...]

You should’ve tried BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #14 instead. Honestly, it wasn’t that bad. And the arc is only 4-issues long (as opposed to Underground’s eight or nine!)

And, lemme see…

Yeah, I remember feeling slightly lost in the last few issues of Gutsville and REALLY lost however many months later. Wish it was more timely.

But I agree w/ your pro-frontal-male-nudity position.