Comic Book Resources

What I bought - 17 June 2009

• by Greg Burgas
• in Comic Reviews, What I Bought

You know, with all due respect to Brad Curran, if you couldn't find something at the comics shoppe this week, you're a) waiting for the trade on absolutely everything; b) very much affected by the economic crisis; or c) just not trying that hard. If it's one of the first two, I can appreciate that. If it's the third, shame on you! When I can name about 4-5 books this week that I liked MORE than the latest opus by Shed Brubillips (which was excellent as usual), you know there's quality stuff about!

Atomika: God is Red #8 (of 12) ("Saviour") by Andrew Dabb (writer), Sal Abbinanti (artist), Beth Sotelo (colorist), Christina Strain (colorist), and Dave Sharpe (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, Mercury Comics.

Remember the good old days of March 2005? How about May 2006? The former is when Atomika #1 came out, while the latter, three years ago, was when issue #7 shipped. I can only imagine that a tragic lack of cash flow contributed to the series going into comic book limbo for so long, but I'm so geeked that it's back, because I've been anticipating this for three freakin' years. Now, with an anticipatory period that long, the only way this book could live up to the hype in my mind is if it was the equivalent of a threesome with me, this nice young lady, and this charming young woman, or perhaps me and these ladies while I was winning the lottery as I received a letter from a publisher saying my first novel had sold a million copies. Atomika #8 isn't quite that good, but it's still a dazzling comic book.

For those of you not up on the story, Atomika deals with a Soviet superhero who begins a decades-long quest for meaning in his life. It features bombastic dialogue and narration, full-page, phantasmagorical drawings of giant caped figures fighting mythic Russian creatures, and, in this issue at least, the destruction of beings on whose shoulders rest the continents, leading to worldwide destruction. And, if you can believe it, a Spider-Man cameo! None of this is fulfilling to our hero, who has been separated from his son, Chernobyl, and decides that if he isn't a god, he must be a monster. But what will he do with his self-knowledge?????

This is a magnificent piece of work, as Abbinanti gives it such a singular look, not only with his dynamic style, but with the way he designs each page to incorporate the grandness of his vision. Faced with the oppressive style of the art (and I mean that in a good way, as Abbinanti overwhelms you with style), you might expect Dabb to get swept away, but he does an excellent job making Atomika's bombast mask his inner turmoil. When he fails in the one task he believes will redeem him, Dabb and Abbinanti do a wonderful job making the failure crush him. It's a marvelous way to bring down a hero who, prior to this, was invincible.

I'm really glad this is back. It doesn't have much more to go, and I'd really like to see it through. And if some kind soul or another could hand deliver it in her underwear, well, that would be fine, too. Now let's get new issues of Elsinore (May 2006), The Black Coat (May 2007), Death and the Man Who Would Not Die (June 2007), Fell (January 2008), Gutsville (March 2008), The Victorian Horrors of Old Mauch Chunk (August 2008), The Atheist (October 2008), Hawaiian Dick (October 2008), The Straw Men (November 2008), and Ambush Bug (December 2008).* Wouldn't that be nice?

* Yes, I keep track of my comics purchases month-by-month, which is how I know this stuff. Don't look at me like that!

Captain Britain and MI 13 #14 ("Vampire State Part Four") by Paul Cornell (writer), Leonard Kirk (penciler), Ardian Syaf (penciler), Jay Leisten (inker), Craig Yeung (inker), Brian Reber (colorist), and Joe Caramagna (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, Marvel.

Well, God forbid anyone buy this. I mean, not only did we get one of the cooler takedowns of a superhero team in issue #13, but now, in issue #14, Cornell explains it away rather perfectly. Of course the team isn't wiped out, but the way it isn't is rather brilliant. And then Cornell brings in freakin' Killpower. Hee. Killpower. Why doesn't anyone love Marvel UK?

Let's all blame Bendis for this book's cancellation! Yay!

Ex Machina #43 ("Ring Out the Old Chapter Three") by Brian K. Vaughan (writer), Tony Harris (penciller), Jim Clark (inker), Harris (inker), JD Mettler (colorist), and Jared K. Fletcher (letterer). $2.99, 23 pgs, FC, DC/Wildstorm.

I've always liked Ex Machina, but often there's not a lot to say about it. I mean, it coasts along (in a good way) at a high level of quality, but Vaughan has found a nice formula for the book, and it just keeps zipping along. However, in this issue, while it sticks to the formula, things are a bit more intense. In the first place, Harris's art looks a bit looser, and that's a good thing. Throughout this series, he's done a great job, but his style seems to have calcified a bit, so that the funky artist who first wowed us on Starman isn't as in evidence these days. But in this issue, he seems to be a bit rougher, and it feels a bit more organic. Plus, Vaughan is working toward the finale, so he raises the ante a bit, with the mystery of the white box moving along and Mitch making what will probably be a fateful decision. It's a gripping issue, and it's nice to see. Let's hope it continues until the end of the series!

El Gorgo #2 ("Terror on Titan!!!") by Mike McGee (writer) and Tamas Jakab (artist/colorist/letterer). $3.95, 24 pgs, FC.

I mentioned that I bought this at Ralph's Comic Corner a few weeks ago, and while it came out many months ago, I figured I'd review it now!

McGee and Jakab are obviously going for a Silver Age Kirby feel, as Jakab's style apes the King's (probably deliberately) and the text is in love with exclamation points, which is, to be honest, pretty keen. There's a handy recap on the inside front cover, which sounds complicated but boils down to El Gorgo, "the world's greatest luchador," battling demons who serve Dagon, the "mad sea-god." He and his female companion ("the innocent Nika!") were transported ten thousand years into the future and onto Saturn's moon Titan, where they found the demons were back, trying to raise Dagon once more. All clear? Splendid.

So in this issue, El Gorgo battles more "Deep Ones" - the demons who want to sacrifice Nika to bring back Dagon - and unluckily gets transported way back into the past - to ancient Egypt, in fact. There he meets Bastet, who tells him the story of the humanosaurs, hybrid creatures he was fighting on Titan. His compatriot, Eddie Devil, rescues him from the past and takes him back to the future, where things have gone really pear-shaped. And, not surprisingly, Nika is in trouble.

As far as trying to evoke a 1960s cosmic Marvel title, McGee and Jakab have done that, with all the good and bad that entails. First, the good: This is a sincerely wacky comic, with big ideas, big characters, dramatic dialogue, weird threats, time travel, mighty heroes, dastardly villains, and a charming sense of chucking everything at the wall to see what sticks. Of course, that means there are plenty of things that don't work, either, but it's fun to see what the creators are trying. Jakab's art is decent but a bit sloppy, making the Kirby comparisons a bit hasty (say what you will about Kirby, but from what I've seen, he was never sloppy), but it's the kind of comic where you don't need to linger too long over the technical details because the energy is so high. As you're carried through the story, Jakab does a good job making sure the storytelling is strong, and it's only later that you notice some things are a bit shoddy. As for the story, it's full of seemingly awesome moments, from the strange thing that happens to the stars to the dramatic reveal of Gorgosaurus, but it feels a bit hollow, mainly because it seems like that's how the book was constructed - by coming up with awesome images and filling in the blanks between. I'm sure that's off the mark, but that's the way it felt to me. The detour to ancient Egypt, for instance, makes no sense. Perhaps we learned in the first issue why El Gorgo has such reverence for Bastet (or how he even knows who she is), but he learns nothing in Egypt that he couldn't have learned on Titan. It's odd, unless the creators decided that time travel is, indeed, awesome, so why not have El Gorgo go back in time?

There's a lot to like about this issue, because McGee and Jakab are obviously having a blast and that sense of fun comes across on the pages, which overflow with a sense of grandeur. In a world of "awesome" moments in comics, however, it's not enough. Maybe in issue #1 and in later issues we'll learn more about the characters, but in this issue, there's very little to make you care about the characters. And the awesome moments don't make up for it, unfortunately.

(Of course, with a different take on an issue - #1, to be specific - we have Chris Sims, who loved it. And I forgot that El Gorgo is a gorilla, which is not mentioned anywhere in this issue. Sure, his upper body is gray and, in a few panels, obviously hairy, and in a very few panels you can see that his feet are very ape-like as opposed to human-like, but perhaps that could have been more prominent in the issue?)

Hellblazer #256 ("Hooked Part One of Three: There's Something About Phoebe") by Peter Milligan (writer), Giuseppe Camuncoli (layouter), Stefano Landini (finisher), Jamie Grant (colorist), and Sal Cipriano (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, DC/Vertigo.

After five lackluster issues that weren't bad, just, well, lackluster, Milligan writes this gem, in which John Constantine gets a love potion so Phoebe will fall in love with him. Yes, he's just that much of a bastard. As he narrates early in the book, "I've sold out friends and made pacts with the devil. But this feels really wrong." Oh, John, that's because it is. Granted, I haven't read Hellblazer for its entire run, but whenever John acts like a scumbag, he usually doesn't have such a selfish reason for doing it, but now, he just wants Phoebe to love him and he can't deal with the fact that she doesn't, so he drugs her. It's marvelously evil, and I'm very interested to see what Milligan does with it. Plus, his own pusher, Julian (the dude who gave him the weird paste back in the first arc), gets him even more hooked on his product and John responds in kind, so we have three addicts as the main characters, which promises to be an interesting dynamic over the next two issues of the arc.

Milligan is also setting up something interesting with regard to John's age, as the girl he gets the love potion from mocks him about how old he is. As I've mused before, he looks pretty good for a 56-year-old man, and it would be nice if a writer brings this up a bit more. Sure, people older than 50 can look good (have you seen the naked Mamie van Doren picture?), but John's had a rough life, and I imagine the years are weighing on him a bit more than some others. It's neat to see Milligan addressing this, although perhaps others have done it before.

I'm still not positive Camuncoli is the right artist for this comic, but he's certainly not bad, so I'll just deal with it. He draws a creepy Julian, I'll give him that much.

Incognito #4 by Ed Brubaker (writer), Sean Phillips (artist), and Val Staples (colorist).

Jess Nevins has set up a nice little cottage industry writing the backmatter for this comic, hasn't he? What is this, three issues in a row? I mean, they've been interesting (especially this one, about Operator #5), so I'm not complaining, I'm just envious that Mr. Nevins can turn his obsession with annotations into a nice gig.

Oh, was there a story in this issue? Well, of course there was, and without having read the other one, I can guarantee this is the best-written Brubaker comic that came out this week (although I do dig his work with that Star-Spangled dude). Once again, like last issue, we get black-as-pitch humor ("His first name was Phileas ...?"), but we also get some nice pathos, as Zack is back on the drugs and once again half-dead. He's no longer superpowered, which means he's "normal," and he wants nothing to do with that. It's a nifty conundrum that Brubaker has set up, because Zack simply doesn't know what to do - live a half-life, or go out in a blaze of glory. It appears he's choosing the latter at the end, when our pal Ava Destruction shows up (I'm sorry, but I always think of this when I read that name, which isn't good), but who the hell knows, really? We can trust Brubaker, though, right?

Oh, and Phillips? Blah blah blah fucking awesome blah blah blah. You know the drill!

Jack of Fables #35 ("The Great Fables Crossover Part 8 of 9: Genre Fiction is Dead") by Bill Willingham (writer), Matthew Sturges (writer), Russ Braun (penciller), José Marzán, Jr. (inker), Daniel Vozzo (colorist), and Todd Klein (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, DC/Vertigo.

I have complained that this crossover is extremely decompressed for no reason, and this issue is a fine exhibit of that. There's some good stuff with Sam and Kevin Thorne, but a lot of the issue is given over to the firefight between Snow White and Bigby's group and the genre fictions, a situation which Bigby resolves rather forcefully. Why he couldn't do this right when the shooting started is not explained, except he was in a snit. Well, and then it wouldn't have been 9 parts. I've said it before and I've said it again: This would probably be a fairly good 6-part story. At 9 chapters, it's bloated. But it's almost over! Yay!

Mr. Stuffins #2 (of 3) by Andrew Cosby (writer), Johanna Stokes (writer), Axel Medellin Machain (artist), Andres Lozano (colorist), and Johnny Lowe (letterer). $3.99, 22 pgs, FC, Boom! Studios.

Speaking of comics that have taken their own sweet time coming out, we have Mr. Stuffins, the first issue of which shipped ... in April of 2007. Recently, the fine folk at Boom! Studios took the unusual step of re-releasing issue #1 with brandy-new art, but I didn't get that issue, because I already had issue #1. But it's a nifty move by those crafty marketing people, as it gives people a second chance to get into the series.

The series, by the way, is about an Artificial Intelligence chip that accidentally gets inserted into a stuffed bear, who ends up with a young boy named Zack. At the beginning of this issue, the government has sent a retrieval team to Zack's house, and of course Mr. Stuffins is ready to dish out the pain! The success or failure of this series largely rests on how fun you think watching a teddy bear beat up government agents is, and luckily, I'm the kind of guy who thinks that's pretty damned fun, at least for a short period of time. So three issues of this is probably as much as I can take before it gets old. Meanwhile, it's a shitload of fun. Plus, he has the requisite attitude, which makes the fact that he doesn't like Zack all that much a nice deviation from what you might expect from something like this. And I like how Zack's father adjusts on the fly to the weird situation. That's neat.

Mr. Stuffins certainly isn't a great comic book, but it's entertaining and just weird enough to work. I didn't miss it as much as I miss some of those comics I listed above, but I'm happy that it's getting to see the light of day.

Phonogram: The Singles Club #3 (of 7) ("We Share Our Mother's Health") by Kieron Gillen (writer), Jamie McKelvie (artist/letterer), and Matthew Wilson (colorist). Back-up stories: "David Kohl: Phonomancer" by Kieron Gillen (writer) and Leigh Gallagher (artist); "Control" by Kieron Gillen (writer) and Lee O'Connor (artist). $3.50, 16 pgs + 4- and 2-pg back-up stories, FC, Image.

Oh, Phonogram. How can I be in the least bit objective about you, you wonderful slab of gorgeous pop comics? You may have failed to move those with no souls (coughBillReedcough), but for those of us who still retain our humanity and don't suck out babies' brains through their cute little nostrils (or whatever Mr. Reed does for sustenance), you are comics brilliance in sixteen short pages. What can I single out that makes this latest issue the latest in a long line of greatness? Could it be Emily and David's conversation before they head to the club, where Emily asks the question everyone ought to before they head to any club: "Am I more likely to hear a record released in 1977 that was bought by eight people with unwashed hair rather than what's #1 in the charts right now?" Think carefully on that, people! Or perhaps it's the brief cameo by half of the Sensational Character Find of 2008/09, Seth Bingo (the other half is Silent Girl, who stays in the background of this issue), which, like so many conversations in this comic, is about something on the surface but about something completely different underneath, a wonderful trick that Gillen seems to do as effortlessly as breathing or drinking copious amounts of lager? Wait, might it be the crux of the issue, which takes place in the bathroom, where Emily stares into a mirror, sees something we're not expecting, and then shows us her black-hearted soul in just a few panels? Of course, it certainly could be Emily's realization about herself, which leads to yet another funny line: "Do I look like the sort of girl who'd offer sex to a total stranger?" I just don't know, Phonogram. I don't know what to single out, because it's all so exasperatingly excellent. Or consider McKelvie's stunning art, from David Kohl softening just slightly because Seth Bingo tells him he's going to like the Kenickie record that's going to be played to Claire's wry expression when the subject of cutting comes up. Oh, didn't I mention Claire and the cutting? Well, chalk up another clever twist to Gillen. Damn his eyes for making it look so easy. But let's get back to McKelvie and his Emily, looking for all the world like the brilliant Kristin Scott Thomas in Four Weddings and a Funeral, a woman with a secret who effects a casual air about the world even as the weight of said secret crushes her, except Scott Thomas has the advantage of being, you know, real, while Emily has to rely on McKelvie to capture her static poses and somehow move between panels to each pose, and McKelvie does this as seemingly effortlessly (although I'm sure it's not) as Gillen writes this glorious stuff. And you're sitting there, pissed off because you just read another crappy superhero comic in which cardboard characters stood around posing and beating the shit out of each other. Oh well - whatever floats your boat. I'll stick with breathtaking comics with gut-wrenching writing and knife-sharp art.

Of course, it's not perfect. I just didn't get the second story. Maybe it's an inside joke?

Power Girl #2 ("Unleashing the Beast") by Jimmy Palmiotti (writer), Justin Gray (writer), Amanda Conner (artist), Paul Mounts (colorist), and John J. Hill (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, DC.

And then there's Power Girl. What to do with Power Girl? I mean, first of all, Adam Hughes can do better than that, can't he? Sure it's a nice drawing, but when the first issue showed Doris Day ripping off her clothes, I think the bar is set pretty high, isn't it? Second of all, I like the quote at the top of the page. Ain't It Cool News says it's "flawless." Now, even though any quote can be taken out of context, one-word reviews are probably most susceptible to this. I mean, after one issue, what's "flawless"? The review could have said, "Well, the book sucked, but I must admit, the stapling was flawless." I was lukewarm with my review of issue #1, but even I used words like "gorgeous," "wonderful," and "stunning." Sure, I was talking about the art, but I have no idea what AICN really thought of the issue. Even if you liked PG #1 a lot more than I did, I doubt if you would call it "flawless." I mean, it wasn't Shark-Man, for crying out loud.

Anyway, as nice as it was for Mr. Palmiotti to come around here and comment when issue #1 came out, I don't know if I'm going to stick around, even though, as I've mentioned, I want this to sell well if only because Connor is so freakin' good. Palmiotti and Gray have written their share of good comics (off the top of my head, The Resistance and The Twilight Experiment come to mind, while lots of people swear by Jonah Hex), but this isn't working yet. I mentioned last issue that the tone is off, as it seems too dark for a character like PG, and this issue again has that odd dichotomy between old-fashioned superheroics and really icky stuff that just seems off for a title like this. A woman appears wearing a T-shirt with "C U Next Tues," which, ha ha, fits how evil she is, but still seems a bit inappropriate for this kind of book (and how it got past the editors is beyond me; do editors do anything anymore?). That's nothing compared to the fact that later, the same evil woman seduces ... a gorilla. Okay, it's off panel, but ... ewwwww (it's the Ultra-Humanite's brain in a gorilla's body, but still). Again, it's an odd moment in what isn't a kids' comic, but seems a bit more ... all-ages, I guess, than, say, your standard Batman comic. This is especially odd because in some panels, Connor goes out of her way to show Ultra-Humanite is slightly goofy, and Palmiotti and Gray even add some levity to the proceedings, so the icky parts of the book just feel weird and uncomfortable. And I don't care, but we get a new origin of the Ultra-Humanite that apparently wipes away his Golden Age roots. I personally don't give a damn, but you might.

And there's that panel where PG uses her laser vision to push herself off the floor and reverse head-butt Ultra-Humanite. Yeah, I very much doubt that could work. But whatever.

I'm really torn about this comic. Like I said, I really want to like it. But it's really not grabbing me right now, especially with the wild shifts in tone. I usually give books I want to check out six issues to deliver the goods, so I'll have to wrestle with my conscience next month. If only Hughes would give us another outrageously wacky cover. Who can resist those?

Rex Mundi #18 ("David's Throne") by Arvid Nelson (writer/letterer) and Juan Ferreyra (artist/colorist). $2.99, 28 pgs, FC, Dark Horse.

The penultimate issue of Rex Mundi gets all the ducks in a row for the big finale, and as usual, it's fantastic. After the high octane action of recent issues, Julien and the emperor head toward (presumably) a huge confrontation, and Nelson slows down just a bit to allow us to catch our breath. I really don't want to give too much away, because there's a lot of crucial things going on, but it's gripping as usual.

I can, once again, laud Juan Ferreyra's staggering art. There's a panel showing Lorraine in his throne room, and it's breathtaking and haunting, while the rebels' trip through the catacombs is eerie, horrifying, and portentous. The brief action scene in the book is all the more powerful because of the way Ferreyra depicts it - brutally and terrifyingly, and Nelson adds a tiny touch of dialogue that makes the scene even more disturbing. As always, it's a marvelous book to look at.

And hey! The return of the newspaper in the back! Goody!

Man, this comic is flingin'-flangin' awesome. I cannot wait to read the final issue. And then I'll be sad because it's not coming out anymore.

The Trial of Thor by Peter Milligan (writer), Cary Nord (artist), Christina Strain (colorist), Joe Caramagna (letterer). $3.99, 32 pgs, FC, Marvel.

Thor seems to be a popular character for these one-off issues, which is strange. I wonder why? And I also wonder when Milligan wrote this. He was working for Marvel a few years ago, so has this been sitting in a drawer since then, or is it new? These things keep me up at night.

This is a fairly straightforward issue, not exactly memorable, script-wise, but not anything horrible, either. It's a murder mystery, as Thor appears to be killing people across Asgard after possibly going a bit loopy during a nine-month battle against the Frost Giants. Man, that has to suck. Of course it's not Thor, so the entire issue is devoted to Odin ordering the Warriors Three to investigate, and then Thor deciding, when it's been concluded that it had to be him, to check things out himself. I wanted to shout at the comic early on, "It's Loki, you fools!" because it's always Loki (or is it?), but Milligan still manages to make this tale a bit more noir-ish than you might expect. The biggest draw, probably, is Nord's art, which keeps getting better. Nord already proved he could do this sort of thing on Conan, so he's extremely comfortable, and he jazzes up the story nicely.

It's certainly not something you should go out of your way to get, but The Trial of Thor is an entertaining comic, at least. Some books don't even achieve that!

Young Liars #16 ("In Our Town/When the Whore Came") by David Lapham (writer/artist), Lee Loughridge (colorist), and Jared K. Fletcher (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, DC/Vertigo.

Here's something stunning: It's a fairly dull issue of Young Liars. I know, I couldn't believe it either. Issue #2 was fairly dull, too, but that was over a year ago, and I don't know how to handle it when Lapham ratchets it down, fills in a bit of backstory, and absolutely nothing insane happens. Yes, it's dull, but it does end on a powerful note, with the narrator suddenly adrift in a world he no longer understands. The best thing about the issue is how Lapham shows the insidious destruction of a small town by the evil Browning corporation, which does nothing wrong yet ruins many, many lives. Of course, we know all about the darkness in the Browning bunch, but in this issue, at least, nothing all that sinister is going on. It's just a classic tale of the rich and powerful doing whatever they want and ignoring the poor and weak. It's just ... weird. Because it's not weird.

It doesn't matter, of course. Like Captain Britain, you had your chance, and now it's gone. How can we blame this on Bendis? Help me out, people!

Well, that was fun, wasn't it? And now it's time for totally random lyrics! Let's take our feet off the gas and sing along, mellow-like:

"The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound
And a wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the captain did too
'Twas the witch of November come stealing
The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
When the gales of November came slashing
When afternoon came it was freezing rain
In the face of a hurricane west wind"

Remember: Good comics are out there, people! Join the revolution!