Batman: Unseen #4 (of 5) ("Blur") by Doug Moench (writer), Kelley Jones (artist), Michelle Madsen (colorist), and Pat Brosseau (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, DC.

I always love when Batman actually does some detecting, and although he doesn't do a ton of it in this book, it's still fun to see. Bats finally figures out how to make an invisible man visible (in a totally lo-tech way), and of course, Nigel Glass's "translux" serum doesn't last forever, so by the end of the book he's semi-visible again, but he still escapes, setting up the big finale. Unlike the previous issues, Moench reins in the purple prose a bit and lets Jones cut loose, and it's glorious to see. On the first page, we get a panel of Batman, sans cape and cowl, in the Batcave, working a gargatuan machine like Dr. Frankenstein, with said machine peppered with different colored bulbs and parts of it hanging from chains (and why the hell not?). This entire machine is ... to make new lenses for his cowl. Now that's efficient! And then there's the stained-glass window in the city morgue (which itself has kind of an Egyptian city of the dead motif going on, exterior-wise), the corpse in the river casually chained to a big rock (which, needless to say, has nothing to do with the story and just shows the danger level, generally, in Gotham), and Batman's bat-shaped and portable heart-monitor. And, of course, Batman's glorious cape, which seems alive when Jones draws it. I know that certain crazy people hate Jones's Batman, but we should pity those people, not scorn them. Moench and Jones doing a Batman comic is such a weird, wild experience, and despite the darkness of the script and the art, it's usually a tremendously fun read. This series especially.

What line from "The Humpty Dance" best describes this? "It's supposed to look like a fit or a convulsion."*

* That sums up Jones's style, doesn't it? It's up to you if you like it or not.

One panel of awesome:

That contraption = awesome

The Black Coat: ... Or Give Me Death #3 (of 4) by Ben Lichius (story/writer/colorist), Adam Cogan (story), Dean Kotz (artist), and Chris Studabaker (letterer). $3.50, 22 pgs, FC, Ape Entertainment.

One week after the double-sized issue combining issues 1 and 2, we get the third issue, which is groovy with me. Lichius speeds things up in this issue, which is a tiny bit annoying, as our hero goes from freaking out at the end of issue #2 to Bellevue at the beginning of this issue, and then suddenly, he's all better! (Well, not suddenly, but he does recover rather quickly.) Also, Ursula gets the formula for the immortality serum rather quickly and easily, even though we have no idea how she does it. But that's okay. Lichius and Cogan continue to hurl all sorts of awesome stuff at us, from Ben Franklin guest-starring to the Gypsy assassin, and the Black Coat finally tumbles on the League's grand scheme, which is devious and dastardly, to say the least. And Kotz continues to be a decent replacement for Francavilla.

Even though the immortality serum makes this slightly more of a superhero book than the previous series (the Black Coat gets severely stabbed and shot, but nothing happens to him), it's still enough of a cool historical spy/supernatural story to balance that. The race is on next issue to start the Revolution yet thwart the League. I wonder if our heroes will succeed?

What line from "The Humpty Dance" best describes this? "I'm sick wit dis, straight gangsta mack."*

* The Black Coat is indeed "straight gangsta mack."

One panel of awesome:

Note to self: Never let a crazed, knife-wielding Gypsy woman near me!

Hellblazer #261 ("India Part One: White Man's Burden") by Peter Milligan (writer), Giuseppe Camuncoli (layouter), Stefano Landini (finisher), Trish Mulvihill (colorist), and Sal Cipriano (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, DC/Vertigo.

I've been a bit critical of Camuncoli's and Landini's art on Hellblazer, mainly because I don't think Camuncoli's superheroic style fits John Constantine's universe, not because I don't like Camuncoli (which I do). Interestingly enough, all Milligan had to do was move John to India, and Camuncoli's/Landini's art looks a lot better - it looks less muddled, John looks seedier set against the wider vistas of Mumbai (having never been to India, I doubt if Mumbai is less packed together than London, but Camuncoli makes it look that way), and his monster (that dude on the cover) looks keen. Of course, the coloring helps. I've been critical of Mulvihill's murky coloring, which seems to be the Vertigo "house style," but here she cranks up the reds and yellows and blues and gives the book a clearer and cleaner look, making the dark parts even creepier. As two characters discuss a Bollywood movie at one point, I have to think some of the more technicolory parts are deliberate. It works.

Milligan takes John to India because John believes that's where he'll find the means to resurrect Phoebe. He meets up with an old friend who is now bilking tourists as a guru but who's also involved in some other, even less savory business. And that dude on the cover is murdering young women - of course he is! The one murder we see is actually quite well done - Milligan and Camuncoli do a nice job with the fact that only she can see her attacker. Milligan continues to do a nice job showing how very immature John is - Charles basically says it, and in that moment, we're on his side ... until we learn what he's up to. It's a nifty trick to get us turned against John and on the side of a different character, and then Milligan deftly switches it back.

I'm reserving judgment on the colonialism aspect to the story, because I want to see where Milligan is going with it. But it's a solid beginning to the arc, and I'm glad Camuncoli's art fits better here (he did a nice job on that Bangkok Nights story a few years ago; maybe he likes Asia?). It's good to see!

What line from "The Humpty Dance" best describes this? "I'm the one who said 'Just grab 'em in the biscuits'."*

* Okay, so John doesn't do this, but he would, wouldn't he?

One panel of awesome:

Man, you don't ever want to see that darkening your door!

Phonogram: The Singles Club #5 (of 7) ("Lust, Etc." and "Ska Attack Squad") by Kieron Gillen (writer), Jamie McKelvie (artist/letterer, "Lust, Etc."), Dan Boultwood (artist, "Ska Attack Squad"), and Matthew Wilson (colorist). $3.50, 27 pgs, FC, Image.

After a long delay which had more to do with Image than Gillen and McKelvie being slackers, apparently (although I'm sure they've been busy eating Ring Dings, playing Donkey Kong, and violating the civil rights of several woodland creatures instead of, you know, working), Phonogram #5 comes out, a week after it showed up at some shops, therefore allowing those people who shop at those shops an extra week to soak in the Phonogram goodness while the rest of us went without. Where, I ask you, is the justice?!?!?!??!?!?!

As usual, an issue of Phonogram means I do less of a review than a paean to its greatness, and although I really, really want to savage an issue just so Gillen and McKelvie don't get swelled heads more than they are already swelled, I just can't. (Okay, I don't really want to savage an issue. It's only fun to do that when it's a Green Lantern gore-fest or an interminably dull Justice League story.) This would be the perfect issue to do it, because this issue focuses on Laura Heaven, the girl from the series whom everyone (the characters in the comic, I mean) seems to think is dull as dishwater. Not only that, she thinks and quotes large chunks of lyrics almost pathologically. Now, I suspect many, many people do that (long ago when I was in college, I could quote large segments of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, among other movies), but we usually do it when we're hanging around with friends who can also do it, and it's a bonding experience from a shared kind of gestalt. It's not done as a defensive maneuver to put people off and distance yourself from them, as Laura does it. (I could be wrong - maybe many people do that.) For instance, I never say, "The important thing here is that you ask me what kind of car it is" unless I'm 99% positive the response will be, "A BITCHIN' CAMARO!" (Or some variation thereof.) But Laura walls herself off with her quotes, and therefore she's the kind of person we should hate.

But we don't. Or at least I don't. Gillen and McKelvie make it so we can't hate her. We can't even pity her, which might be worse. I'm not sure we exactly like her, but we realize why she does what she does, which is almost as good. It starts early, when McKelvie shows Laura staring in at Penny, and the desire in her eye (we only see one, as she's peeping through a narrow aperture) is almost palpable. As she and Penny head to the club, we get the anger and longing from Laura when Penny goes off with her perfect boy, and her envy of the barmaid who seems to float above it all where she can't. Her encounter with Emily in the bathroom (which we've seen a few times in the series, always from a different perspective) is a sweet moment, even if Emily wouldn't think so, and then Laura's sadness at being Lloyd's second choice sums up the book perfectly. When she thinks of another quote and then crosses it out (a bit heavy-handed by Gillen, but still effective), we see her transformation into her own person completed. Gillen explains the issue in his end notes, which he didn't need to do (seriously, KG, we totally got it, and you need to trust your writing more), but if you just read the story and skip the end notes, you'll once again sit back, amazed at how the two creators can so sharply delineate these characters in such a short time. I mean, the tender touch of Emily's fingers on Laura's forehead or the second-to-last panel of the book, in which Laura is both beautiful and terrifying, have more emotion in them than most DC or Marvel books do in their entire issue ... and that's just the art. When you combine it with Gillen's brilliant dialogue, you get Phonogram. And once again, I can't just review it, I must sing its praises to the skies. That's just the way I am, man!

Oh, and the back-up story is cute, too. The cover promises the "most gratuitous double-page spread of all time." I'd have to agree!

Let us hope that Image has its production problems sorted out and issues #6 and 7 come quickly. Damn, I love this comic. But here's my savaging of it! In one panel (the one where Laura's at the bar, bored), I don't like how McKelvie draws her fingers. Ha! Take that, you smug Brits! Can you stand the withering criticism of how Laura's fingers look? I think not!!!!!

What line from "The Humpty Dance" best describes this? "I'll eat up all your crackers and your licorice."*

* You just know those freeloaders Gillen and McKelvie would do that if they came over to your house!

One panel of awesome:

I love McKelvie's art

Spider-Woman #3 by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Alex Maleev (artist), and Cory Petit (letterer). $2.99, 20 pgs, FC, Marvel.

And then there's Spider-Woman, which I'm still trying to figure out. I really have no problem with Bendis's pacing, as long as the story is interesting. I think Alias and Daredevil are wonderful, for instance. And the story in this series, so far, isn't bad. I don't know where Bendis is going with it, which is okay, and although I'm not terribly jazzed by HYDRA, I don't have that big a problem with them. The issue I do have with it is the way Bendis writes the two female leads. I've come to grips with the fact that Bendis often writes his female leads in the same way (Rucka, the other man writing lots of comics these days who seems to write decent female leads, does this too). I don't mind it when that female is the only strong female in the book, but now that Viper is in this comic, it sounds like the exact same person is carrying on a conversation with herself. Viper is a bit more confident than Jessica, but they still sound the same. It's somewhat annoying. I know that Bendis doesn't necessarily have to do this - his Mary Jane and Gwen Stacy were sufficiently different, but perhaps that's because the book was more superheroic and not as focused on the characters - and that makes it more annoying. Jessica tells us that Viper believes that she's her (Jessica's) mother, but that doesn't explain it away. Oh well. I suppose I'll have to deal with it if I decide to keep buying the book.

As for Maleev ... I'm still not digging his art on this comic. I know he's done the photo-referencing thing for some time, and it never bugged me too much, but it seems like a few things are working against it here. First, Madripoor isn't a real place, and Maleev doesn't do much to make it feel real. The city is extremely vaguely-defined, and it hurts the general misc-en-scene. Second, as this book is a bit more superheroic than Daredevil, we get the various gadgets, and they don't fit together well in the book. The flying car looks really weird, for instance. Finally, Maleev seems to be taking some shortcuts in integrating the foreground in with the background. The flying car's battle with the helicopters looks like a badly-shot movie against a blue screen, with the background added later. I guess that could be how it was done, but with a comic, it seems like the foreground could be integrated better into the background. I like Maleev quite a bit, but this isn't working as well as it could.

Anyway, Bendis and Maleev have a couple of issues to win me over. This is still the kind of comic that Bendis seems to do well on, so I'm certainly willing to give him some leeway. We shall see what he does with it!

What line from "The Humpty Dance" best describes this? "I'm spunky; I like my oatmeal lumpy."*

* I like to think this is how Jessica Drew likes her oatmeal, and she sure is spunky!

One panel of awesome:

If only my mother had given me that advice, it could have saved me a whole lot of heartbreak!

Super Friends #21 ("Happily Never After") by Sholly Fisch (writer), Stewart McKenny (penciller), Dan Davis (inker), Sal Cipriano (letterer), and Heroic Age (colorist). $2.50, 20 pgs, FC, DC.

It's a bit sad that when I'm in the mood to read a good, old-fashioned, single-issue superhero comic, often the best place to go is Johnny DC's line and Super Friends (or the Brave and the Bold title they also publish). There's nothing complicated about this issue, and it could easily be a single issue of Justice League of America, if those guys weren't so busy wallowing in angst. I usually buy these issues based on the covers, and that one's pretty awesome, isn't it?

As for the story ... Remember Waid and Hitch's "Queen of Fables" story in JLA #47-49? Well, Fisch does it in one issue, and it's more entertaining than that entire story! I love the set-up: the Justice League finds a book on their satellite, Superman opens it, and they're whisked away to the Queen of Fables' realm! One page, no worry about "explaining" anything, and they're into the story. Good stuff! Anyway, the queen wants the Super Friends to stay in her land because they're so good for stories, and she splits them up (in classic JLA style), sends them each to a different part of her world, and challenges them to get back. Of course they do, and Fisch does an excellent job (in limited space, remember) of showing how each character tackles the challenges differently based on their personality. Superman uses his strength, Batman his brains, Flash his speed, Wonder Woman her compassion ('cause she's a weak woman, don't you know), Aquaman his ... well, his intelligence too, in a different way than Bats, and John Stewart his ... well, his wisdom too. Dang, those Justice Leaguers sure are smart! They all use their brains in one way or another, and even though it's a kid's book so Fisch doesn't want to show them punching things out, it's more refreshing to see them being, you know, heroic instead of just bashing things because they can. And, of course, they solve the problem of being trapped in the Queen's world using their heads, too.

It's really a wonderful little story about heroes being heroes, drawn very nicely by McKenny, who adds little touches in the gutters that evoke various fairy tales and nursery rhymes. It's quite funny. There's really nothing "childish" about this comic, and it's too bad that a lot of comics in the "regular" continuity can't seem to get this kind of story right. Oh well.

What line from "The Humpty Dance" best describes this? "Ya stare, ya glare, ya constantly try to compare me, but ya can't get near me."*

* Normal DC superhero books can't compare to this!

One panel of awesome:

I dig the Australian Rainbow Serpent - he looks so happy to be evil!

Underground #3 (of 5) by Jeff Parker (writer), Steve Lieber (artist), and Ron Chan (colorist). $3.50, 22 pgs, FC, Image.

I don't know how much credit Parker should get for this issue, as a lot of the dialogue deals with Wes and Seth getting attacked by the punks who were sabotaging the cave. If Parker had a lot to do with the layout of this issue, that's one thing, because Lieber does a fantastic job making this a very claustrophobic and even terrifying issue, as it takes place almost entirely inside the cave, even deeper than the principals have gone before, which means the characters have less knowledge of what's going on with the topography. Of course, there's no light, either, and Lieber does a wonderful job by bringing the "camera" in to focus on characters' faces, pulling out to show the emptiness that surrounds them, and it's quite disorienting, which is very keen. It feels like a movie, but because the images are static, we can concentrate on them a bit more and get a good feel for what's happening more than we can a movie, where the cuts come more quickly. The ending isn't quite as dramatic as Lieber's full-page drawing warrants, mainly because we don't care too much about the person in the drawing, but it does show the dangers of, you know, fucking around in a hole in the ground.

This continues to be a tense comic that looks great. If you've only read Parker's Marvel stuff, give it a look, because it does allow him to show some other strengths in his writing. And Lieber is always good!

What line from "The Humpty Dance" best describes this? "I'm the new fool in town and my sound's laid down by the Underground."*

* Duh.

One panel of awesome:

There are at least two things wrong with fighting in this way

Zorro #17 by Matt Wagner (writer), Francesco Francavilla (artist), and Simon Bowland (letterer). $3.50, 22 pgs, FC, Dynamite Entertainment.

I'm still loving this story arc, in which Wagner shows us all the reactions to Zorro from various people who have come across him. It makes Zorro a more mysterious figure - in the first two arcs, he was a large presence, and while they were very good, it made Zorro less of a figure of the night and more of a superhero. Wagner, in this arc, has lessened his presence and made him more dangerous, and it's neat. There's very little in these stories that surprise us - there's a bad guy, Zorro shows him what's what - but the way Wagner constructs them, we're on the edge of our seats as we wait for the inevitable moment when Zorro shows up. And the reveal of what Zorro does to Don Rafael - again, even though we anticipate what he's going to do - is excellent. A lot of this credit goes to Wagner, of course, but a lot goes to Francavilla, who is, as usual, marvelous. His pencil work is great, but his coloring (I assume he does it, as no one is credited) is as good, as he gives most of the book a rich yellow-brown color, evoking the windswept coast of California, until Zorro shows up, when the primary color switches to red, showing our hero's anger at Don Rafael's poor treatment of his workers. It's always nice to see artists thinking about more than just the pencils, and Francavilla (and the colorist, if he didn't do it) gives us that.

Anyway, it's another fine issue of Zorro. I'm completely unsurprised.

What line from "The Humpty Dance" best describes this? "And all the rappers in the top ten; please allow me to bump thee."*

* The "rappers" in this instance are the fat landowners exploiting the proletariat. It totally works, people!

One panel of awesome:

Batman best take his badassery elsewhere!

I mentioned a while back that I'm busy indoctrinating my daughter into the ways of comics. I'm not being as aggressive with my other daughter, mainly because she can't read, but my lovely wife bought her a cool T-shirt recently, and I thought I'd share it with you:

That's Iron Man, Captain America, and Spider-Man on a T-shirt that reads "I Love Superheroes." Remember when they were all friends? Good times! Once Mia starts reading (which may be quite some time), I'll have to give her some comics! She'll be sure to dig Tony Stark trying to put Steve Rogers in jail! That's what the United States is all about!!!!

Let's get some totally random lyrics:

"'Twas 1659 forgotten now for sure
They dragged us from our homeland
With the musket and their gun
Cromwell and his roundheads
Battered all we know
Shackled hopes of freedom
We're now but stolen goods
Darken the horizon
Blackened from the sun
This rotten cage of Bridgetown
Is where I now belong"

Cheery!

Fire away with your opinions, people, about comics or otherwise! What do you think of the new format? I'm just experimenting. Yay or nay?

26 Comments

• At November 19, 2009, Michael wrote:

  I like the bit with the covers up front. Easiest way to tell whether there's a book I'm interested in ...

• At November 19, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  That was my evil plan, Michael. I'm glad it works for you.

• At November 19, 2009, Dan Bailey wrote:

  I've never heard the song or for that matter the band (though I know them by name), but I'll bet ...

• At November 19, 2009, torpor wrote:

  I'll take that "gratuitous double-page spread" of ONE STEP BEYOND! anyday over Millar's ridiculously stupid "SNIKT!" in Old Man Logan.

• At November 19, 2009, Alex From T. wrote:

  Nice T-shirt I want one for my daughter, good news to hear that finally I can pick up a new ...

• At November 19, 2009, Deco wrote:

  love that t-shirt; if I could find one w/all girls my 4-year-old daughter would probably wear it non-stop. oh and ...

• At November 19, 2009, Mike Loughlin wrote:

  The real question is, which comic once got busy in a Burger King bathroom?

• At November 19, 2009, Alan Coil wrote:

  Really liked the back cover of Zorro.

• At November 19, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Mike: I'm not sure, but I don't think it's one of these!

  Alan: Yeah, I liked the back cover too. ...

• At November 19, 2009, Steve Lieber wrote:

  Thanks for the coverage. For the record, Jeff Parker had a LOT of input into UNDERGROUND's layout. We're both part ...

• At November 19, 2009, Jack Norris wrote:

  I tried an issue of that Superfriends comic a while back, and the only thing that bugged me was that ...

• At November 19, 2009, Tom Fitzpatrick wrote:

  Sure. To the new format.

  BUUUUUUUUUUUUT, you don't win the parenting award of the year for the "indoctrinating your daughter into ...

• At November 19, 2009, Chad Nevett wrote:

  I give the format a thumbs up...

  And you nailed my problem with Maleev's art here rather well (before I could ...

• At November 19, 2009, Francesco Francavilla wrote:

  Thank you for enjoying the book, Greg, and you are correct: I am coloring this arc in addition to pencilling ...

• At November 19, 2009, Mary Warner wrote:

  Is Batman back now? I heard he was dead. (I knew, of course, that any such death would ...

• At November 19, 2009, Bright-Raven wrote:

  Hey Greg:

  Suggestion for a comic for your girls: ELECTRIC GIRL by Mike Brennan through AIT/PlanetLar

  http://www.electricgirl.com/

  I can't say I bought any ...

• At November 20, 2009, FunkyGreenJerusalem wrote:

  You don't need to be able to read to enjoy pictures of superheroes - I loved superheroes as a kid ...

• At November 20, 2009, Random Stranger wrote:

  I believe those lyrics are 'Tobacco Island' by Flogging Molly. You don't need a B.A. in history to enjoy the ...

• At November 20, 2009, Jamie McKelvie wrote:

  :(

• At November 20, 2009, Kieron Gillen wrote:

  :)

• At November 20, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Jack: That's very weird. I don't have that issue, but that's still weird.

  Mary: Batman: Unseen is a "lost" tale ...

• At November 20, 2009, s1rude wrote:

  Amen to the new format. I love the "One panel of awesome"! Really great post all around this ...

• At November 20, 2009, Neal K wrote:

  If you are a fan of comics, not buying Phonogram should be a criminal offense. Or at the very ...

• At November 20, 2009, Rebis wrote:

  Chalk up another fan of this great new format. Good job, Greg.

• At November 21, 2009, Drew wrote:

  Wow, you covered Underground (and got a comment from Mr. Lieber!) this week, S.W.O.R.D. last week, and JLI in between—I ...

• At November 21, 2009, onion3000 wrote:

  I enjoyed "Whenever Kelley Jones makes Batman's ears even longer, T. loses a bit more of his soul!"

Justice League International/America by Keith Giffen (plotter; penciller, issues #8-10, 13), J. M. DeMatteis (scripter), John Ostrander (writer, Suicide Squad #13), Kevin Maguire (penciller, issues #1-12, 16-19, 22-24; Formerly Known as the Justice League #1-6; JLA: Classified #4-9), Steve Leialoha (penciller, issue #14-15), Ty Templeton (penciller, issues #20-21, 24-29), Mike McKone (penciller, issues #25, 28, 41-42; Justice League Annual #3-4), Bill Willingham (penciller, issue #30; Justice League Annual #1-2), Adam Hughes (penciller, issues #31-35, 37-40, 43-45), Tom Artis (penciller, issue #36), Russell Braun (penciller, issue #45), Luke McDonnell (penciller, Suicide Squad #13), Bart Sears (penciller, JLE #7-8), Tim Gula (artist, Justice League Annual #3), Terry Austin (inker, issue #1), Al Gordon (inker, issues #2-18), Joe Rubinstein (inker, issues #19-31, 35, 38-39; Justice League Annual #2; Formerly Known as the Justice League #1-6; JLA: Classified #4-9), Dick Giordano (inker, issue #27; Justice League Annual #1), Art Nichols (inker, issues #32-37), José Marzan (inker, issue #35, 40, 42-45), Bruce Patterson (inker, issue #41; Justice League Annual #1, 3), Malcolm Jones III (inker, issue #45), John Beatty (inker, issue #45), Bob Lewis (inker, Suicide Squad #13), Pablo Marcos (inker, JLE #7; Justice League Annual #3), Bob Smith (inker, JLE #8; Justice League Annual #4), Dennis Janke (inker, Justice League Annual #1), P. Craig Russell (inker, Justice League Annual #1), R. Campanella (inker, Justice League Annual #1), Bob Lappan (letterer, issues #1-10, 12-27, 30, 32-36, 38-45; JLE #7-8; Justice League Annual #1, 4; Formerly Known as the Justice League #1-6; JLA: Classified #4-9), John Workman (letterer, issue #11), Albert de Guzman (letterer, issues #28-29, 31, 37; Justice League Annual #3), Todd Klein (letterer, Suicide Squad #13), John Costanza (letterer, Justice League Annual #2), Tim Harkins (letterer, Justice League Annual #3), Gene D'Angelo (colorist, issues #1-45; JLE #7-8; Justice League Annual #1-3), Carl Gafford (colorist, Suicide Squad #13), Lee Loughridge (colorist, Formerly Known as the Justice League #1-6), and David Baron (colorist, JLA: Classified #4-9).

DC, 64 issues (Justice League/Justice League International/Justice League America #1-45; Suicide Squad #13, which comes after issue #13; Justice League Europe #7-8, which come after issues #31 and 32, respectively; Justice League Annuals #1-4; Formerly Known as the Justice League #1-6; JLA: Classified #4-9: "I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League!"), cover dated May 1987 - December 1990; September 2003 - February 2004 (Formerly Known as the Justice League); April 2005 - August 2005 (JLA: Classified #4-9).

Some SPOILERS, I guess. And click on the images to giganticize them! Some are totally worth it!

There's no way this comic should have worked. As Andy Helfer writes in the introduction to the first trade paperback, "We needed to come up with an idea for a book that would work regardless of which characters were featured in it. It sounded like a suicide formula - after all, a sure sign of a bad comic book story is one in which any character can be used as the hero." But then, of course, he and Giffen came up with the idea to focus on the Justice League as a "club" for super-heroes, meaning they would show the heroes when they weren't necessarily "working." Again, Helfer explains that, in the aftermath of Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC's "big guns" - Superman, Wonder Woman, Hal Jordan, even Wally West - were all undergoing "renovation," so they couldn't have a "return to glory" for the Justice League. If they had launched the book with the line-up they did - J'onn J'onzz, Batman (Denny O'Neil "took pity" on Helfer, he writes), Black Canary, Mister Miracle, Captain Marvel, Blue Beetle, Doctor Fate, and Guy Gardner - and tried to make it a straight superhero book, it probably would have tanked as badly as the just-cancelled first Justice League series did at the end. But Giffen, who when he only writes comics is usually deadly serious, went nuts with the plotting, and DeMatteis, who presided over the destruction of the previous team (and showed a few flashes of humor, even though it was mostly deadly serious), were allowed to flex their funny bones as much as they could. They also lucked into Kevin Maguire, who was just starting out in the business but immediately made an impact with the kind of book Giffen and DeMatteis wanted to do. And so one of the most influential comics of the past 20 years was born!

Giffen begins the series with a full-page splash of Guy Gardner, which is fitting (note: Giffen is often credited with breakdowns, but I didn't feel like listing those above, because I'm not sure how detailed his breakdowns were), as Guy has become one of the symbols of this incarnation of the League. If we consider the structure of the League after the first year, when the roster settled down to a core, we get a bit of a triangle: At the top is J'onn and Maxwell Lord, at one point is Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, at another point is Fire and Ice, and in the middle sits Guy, annoying and being annoyed by all (yes, other characters come and go, but those are the stalwarts). If we skip the fact that Giffen and DeMatteis decided to give Guy a serious head trauma in issue #7 and nobody seems to care about it (he gets better at the end of issue #18, when Lobo crashes into the embassy; this story has probably the best characterization of Lobo ever), Guy remains irascible throughout the series, but he also underscores the major theme of the series: redemption. All of the major characters are redeemed, even if it takes two mini-series fifteen years along to do so. With DeMatteis scripting the book, perhaps the redemption theme is not surprising, but it's interesting that in a book that is known for its comedy, Giffen and DeMatteis give these heroes heroic quests that ennoble them and make them much more interesting as characters than we might expect. Redemption is a common theme in superhero books, of course, given that the hero often has to fail before he can succeed, but when it's a single character book, it's less effective because it happens so often. In a team book, the writers can shift the redemption angle around in an effort to keep it fresh. With this version of the League, it went a bit deeper, because the cast was, to be charitable, not the A-list. The Leaguers needed to redeem themselves not only within the individual story arcs when the bad guys (such as they were) beat them up, but also in the eyes of their fellow heroes. This makes the book far more interesting, because so much of the humor is predicated on the fact that these characters are not, in fact, DC's big guns. But they are heroes, and over the course of the years, Giffen and DeMatteis were able to show that without ever making it explicit. At no time does a hero ponderously narrate about his or her search for redemption, which makes the quests fresher. Even many minor characters are seeking it. Consider: Wandjina, Blue Jay, and the Sorceress (in issues #2-3) are desperate to save the Earth from nuclear destruction because they failed to save their Earth. Mari McCabe is trying to redeem herself after the disaster that ended the previous League, and she's looking for it in the Suicide Squad, which leads to her reunion with and forgiveness by J'onn in Suicide Squad #13, which crosses over with JLI #13. In issue #28, Black Hand has gone straight, presumably looking for redemption for his evil ways. Irwin Teasdale (the mad scientist who turns people in vampires/zombies in "The Teasdale Imperative," the crossover with the European branch in JLA #31-32 and JLE #7-8) is, in his own twisted way, looking to redeem himself after Simon Stagg rejects him. Wally Tortolini, the reporter who writes a devastating exposé on the Justice League in issue #38 (which gets spiked by the Crimson Fox, who's the European distributor of the magazine for whom he wrote the piece), looks to redeem himself by befriending Sonar. The Injustice League goes straight in JLA Annual #4, the notorious Justice League Antarctica story. Even G'nort, perhaps the dumbest character in DC history (okay, maybe not, as there's a wealth of candidates), continously tries to make up for the mistakes he makes.

But it's the main characters who go through the most trials and are most in need of redemption. Let's check them out individually, starting with Maxwell Lord, the new creation for this book. Max is instrumental in bringing the new League together, from planning the terrorist strike on the United Nations in issue #1 (he does, however, take the firing pin out of the bomb the head terrorist straps to his chest, thereby neutering the threat even before the League shows up) to setting the Royal Flush Gang on the League in issue #4 as a way to get Booster Gold onto the team to allying himself with a machine to create a threat to the League in issue #7, clearing the way for UN recognition. We see some cracks in his façade throughout the first 12 issues, most notably in issue #11, when the League returns from space after fighting the Manhunters (in the "Millennium" crossover). Max expected that the "big guns" of the DCU who joined up with the League to fight the Manhunters - Superman, Hawkman, Hal Jordan - would stay in the league, but J'onn tells him they're not joining. Max freaks out, telling them he needs "raw power" and not a "bunch of weak-kneed second-stringers!" We don't know what he's talking about, but over the next two issues, we learn that Max is working with a super-computer built by Metron (of the New Gods) that achieved awareness at some point. The computer helped Max move ruthlessly up in the world of business, and then it conspired with him to achieve "world peace," mainly by manipulating the League and the United Nations into granting the League "super-police" status. But now the machine has gone too far, and Max rebels against it. He destroys the computer, but at great cost - in issue #9, he had been shot by a Manhunter, but the computer "repaired" him. When Max destroys the computer, his wounds re-open, and he spends several issues recuperating. But he has overcome his somewhat evil past and changed. He's not off the hook, however. Giffen and DeMatteis do this quite often - they reach the end of a story arc, and we think that the character will now remain static, but they continue to throw more challenges in front of the character. Max gains a "persuasive" power when the gene bomb explodes at the end of Invasion! He gives people "nudges" with his mind to get them to come around to his way of thinking. This is a potentially evil power, and Max must struggle with the ethical dilemmas he gets into when he does use it. In issue #41, he uses it to get a woman to talk to him at a party, then dreams that he uses it to fight crime, at which he becomes more and more unethical. He wakes up and realizes that he only gave the woman - Wanda - a little push, but the dream has scared him (mostly) straight. Finally, years later in Formerly Known as the Justice League, Max has been humbled in business and, although he's still arrogant, he's learned how to deal with people better, and he's much more a part of the team rather than the overlord. It's a fascinating character arc, one that could only be achieved over several years (in publication time, of course), because then we believe that Max is slowly learning how to be a decent human being.

The next person on the League totem pole is J'onn J'onzz, and although he was an established character and therefore had to conform to the way previous writers portrayed him (yes, this was back when writers actually tried to hew closely to established characterization), Giffen and DeMatteis still give him chances to redeem himself. Of course, DeMatteis was writing the prior incarnation of the League, so the continuity was there. In the first issue of this series, we learn about the guilt J'onn is carrying around with him when he purges the records of the previous League, wiping Steel, Vibe, Gypsy, and Vixen out of (computerized) existence. J'onn takes a paternal role in every version of the League, even when the "big guns" are involved, but definitely moreso in this version, where the members - after Black Canary leaves and Batman shows up only occasionally - are largely neophytes. J'onn's previous League was inexperienced, too, and the shadow of that League's disastrous ending looms over J'onn for the entire run, even if you didn't know what had happened to the prior League (and for years, I didn't know because I hadn't read it). J'onn's larger redemption comes from the fact that, through his example, the heroes in this League find their footing and become better at their jobs, to the point where he doesn't feel like he needs to babysit them. His biggest chance for redemption comes when Despero shows up in the excellent three-part story, issues #38-40. Despero is looking for the League, but the League he knows no longer exists - he finds Steel's body and destroys it, then kills Gypsy's parents and goes gunning for her. J'onn saves Gypsy, but Despero is too strong for the current League to handle, as he easily trashes them. The plot contrivance that Giffen and DeMatteis use so J'onn can defeat Despero is a bit annoying, but what makes it work is that J'onn believes in love - love for his home planet, his long-dead wife and child, his adopted planet, and his surrogate family - and he believes that love and forgiveness - a mirror of redemption - can save the world. Despero scoffs at this, but J'onn proves that it can. It's a brilliant arc because J'onn understands that he must change the way a hero fights a villain when the villain is too strong. J'onn's solution to the Despero problem is a perfect summation of who J'onn is. Giffen and DeMatteis give him a wonderful sense of humor throughout the series (and a love for Oreos), but he remains the emotional rock of the League.

Blue Beetle and Booster Gold get the most interesting redemptive story arcs, because for so much of the run, they're used mainly as comic relief. Beetle is on the team from the beginning, and we get hints about his desire for money, but we don't get the full story until issue #38, when we find out that as Ted Kord, he declared bankruptcy and "disappeared" into the Beetle identity. This is one of the interesting moments of "realism" in this book (as much as becoming a superhero to avoid creditors is "realistic") - Ted Kord lost his fortune and didn't know what to do, so he became a costumed hero. Throughout the book, Beetle concocts get-rich-quick schemes, culminating with the casino on Kooey Kooey Kooey (issues #33-35). The increasingly desperate attempts to regain his fortune make Beetle an increasingly pathetic figure, even as we laugh along with the goofiness. This ability of Giffen and DeMatteis to tinge the rampant goofy humor with some real-world pathetic behavior is what makes Beetle and Booster work - they're not complete buffoons, because we understand why they're so desperate to make a buck. It's interesting that even though Beetle and Booster want money, they're not willing to betray their principles - in issue #25, they take a "repo" job but discover that things are definitely not what they seem, and they walk away from the job much changed. Furthermore, the experience on Kooey Kooey Kooey seems to change Beetle to a certain extent, although this doesn't play out until much later. In the issues after #45 (which I'll get to), he and Booster remain figures of humor, but Beetle gradually lets himself go physically, and when Max puts the team back together in Formerly Known as the Justice League, Giffen and DeMatteis give him a heart condition. It's mostly played for laughs (the characters tend to mock it), but it's interesting to note that he's put his life back together, is running Kord Industries again, and is far more mature than we've ever seen him. Giffen and DeMatteis always made sure to portray Beetle as competent, yet with that one fatal flaw: greed. By the time the "sequels" occur, Ted has realized that get-rich-quick schemes don't work, and he's moved on. Booster's arc is a bit more complicated, because he often got involved in Beetle's schemes just because he was Beetle's friend. As he's from the future, he has niftier gadgets than Beetle and often, in the early issues, seems far more competent than his friend. This, subtly, drives Beetle's insecurities and makes him seek easy riches. Early on in the series, it seems as if Booster is simply humoring Beetle and is only friends with him because there's no one else on the team for him to befriend, but we see the depth of their friendship in issue #29, in which Beetle has to be "deprogrammed" from the Queen Bee's hypnosis and Booster has to wait while his friend is in a coma. There's a nice scene in which Booster sits alone, worried sick about Beetle. As this episode occurs a few issues before the Kooey Kooey Kooey disaster, it illuminates why Booster would go along with Beetle's schemes - they're best friends, and best friends help each other out. Booster isn't quite as obsessed with money as Beetle is, but he still goes along with his plans. Of course, this leads to Booster quitting the team because he's fed up with being treated like comic relief, which implies that he's a bit more grown-up than Beetle. He does return to the team, of course, and when we get to Formerly Known as the Justice League, he's married to a rich old woman and waiting for her to die so he can inherit her wealth. He and Beetle, to some degree, have switched places. Throughout the two mini-series, Beetle acts as the mature hero while Booster is somewhat childish - he's the one who sends the team to "Hell" in "I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League," after all, in a fit of petulance. But he too redeems himself by saving Beatriz in the alternate universe and proving that he's a true hero. His arc takes a bit longer and shows how insecure he really is - not surprising for a man out of time - but in the end, he isn't just a figure of ridicule, he's a worthy member of the Justice League.

Fire, Ice, and Guy are inextricably linked throughout this run, and both Beatriz and Guy also get redemptive arcs. Tora, interestingly enough, is one of the few characters in the series who gets very little character development. She's most interesting when she's reacting to Bea and Guy, and by the time the sequels come around, she's dead. This, of course, is a key plot point in the second sequel, but it still doesn't make Ice any more interesting. What Ice does is bring out the best in people because she's somewhat saccharine and definitely naïve - she's the daughter of a god, so she knows little about the world - and this is most evident when she dates Guy, but also in her friendship with Bea. Much like Beetle and Booster (whom they mirror in some ways), Bea and Tora's friendship goes through different permutations, but Bea (like Ted) is usually the instigator of situations, with Tora (much like Booster) going along with them. We first see them in JLI #12, soon after the Global Guardians lose their United Nations funding, as they get their final (and puny) paychecks and try to figure out what to do next. Bea decides to join the Justice League! We don't see them again until issue #14, when J'onn, who initially dismisses them, realizes he needs warm bodies to deal with the threat of Manga Khan. They quickly become mainstays. Notice, of course, that they join the league for the same reason, it seems, that Beetle and Booster stay in it - the opportunity for a steady paycheck. This gets back to the "realistic" attitude Giffen and DeMatteis take toward the League - it's a job, and many of the members appreciate that. Beatriz transforms due to the gene bomb into a woman who can turn into fire - not unlike Johnny Storm - and they both remain powerful members throughout this run. Much like Beetle and Booster - to a lesser degree, however - they are part of the comic relief corps, as Tora is always there to deflate Bea's vanity ... to a point, as Bea is, to put it mildly, extremely self-confident. But like Beetle and Booster, their friendship helps anchor the book. It's telling that when Despero shows up, Beatriz faces him alone, furious that he's hurt her friends - even though those friends include Beetle and Guy, whom she often denigrates. Guy, of course, is the driving force of much of the comedy in the series, because he's so very unlikeable. But he's not inhuman, and this is, again, where Ice comes into the picture. She first meets him when his personality is altered, so she doesn't realize what a tool he is. When his "original" personality returns, she doesn't believe it at first, choosing instead to think he's masking his true, sensitive personality. In issue #28, their first date, he basically dares her to go out with him. Of course, Beatriz, who feels very maternal toward Tora, doesn't think it's a good idea. The night ends disastrously, naturally, as Guy does everything wrong (taking Ice to an X-rated movie, for instance) and eventually punches out Black Hand, who has surrendered after a brief fight. Guy, of course, thinks he still has a shot with her, and in issue #45, we see another one of their dates (not the second one, as Tora refers to a cockfight Guy took her to). Guy lets her choose where they go, she chooses the "Ice-Capists," and he promises not to lose his temper. Of course, Beetle pranks him and he loses his temper, but he still tries very hard to keep his cool. Ice has already begun to change him.

This becomes most evident in "I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League," when Guy returns to the fold. If we look at the redemptive theme running throughout the Giffen/DeMatteis run, Beatriz has already begun to take another innocent under her wing, as Mary Marvel takes Ice's place in Formerly Known as the Justice League. Bea might not be the best influence, but she does know something about the world, and she and Mary have the same kind of dynamic that she and Tora had, with Bea teaching Mary something about the world and Mary teaching Bea how to be less cynical. Then Guy returns, setting up the emotionally devastating trip to Hell in issues #6 and 7. First, Guy proves how incredibly powerful he is when he spearheads the rescue operation and puts Power Girl in her place (he's still, after all, a jerk). Then, in issue #7, he sees Tora, who appeared at the end of issue #6. He snatches her away from Bea, who's trying to revive her (she's basically a zombie), and places a protective bubble around himself and her. Bea's anguish and Guy's tenderness is astonishing, especially because Guy is able to get through to Tora. Etrigan tells them they're allowed to take Ice out of Hell, but only if they don't look back at her. Of course. We know it's going to end badly, not only because Etrigan tells them that "they always look back," but because that's how these things work! But we're not sure if Guy or Beatriz will look back, and when Bea succumbs, Tora says as she disappears, "You always did care too much." In a beautiful moment, Guy and Beatriz, their hatred for each other forgotten, weep in each others' arms. What makes it more painful is that they return to an alternate universe, where Ice is still alive but is a stone-cold murderer who tries to slaughter Bea. Without the years of stories about this triangle, Guy and Bea's brief reconciliation wouldn't have the power it does. Tora has changed both Bea and Guy, as Bea has become more mature - much like Beetle - while Guy has learned that he had a chance at love and lost it. But we see that he has perhaps gotten a second chance at redemption. Giffen and DeMatteis aren't concerned if he'll take it, but they give him the chance, at least.

Of course, what everyone remembers about this series is the humor, but what makes it interesting is how organic the humor is. Helfer points out in the introduction that if they were going to make it a "club" for superheroes, why not make it funny? Friends crack jokes and throw insults at each other all the time when they're in an informal setting, so why wouldn't superheroes? This was a huge paradigm shift in superhero comics, because although Helfer says it was a reaction to the "grim-'n'-gritty" trend in comics at that moment, it was also different from pre-Crisis superhero stories, where the characters fought a villain and the only time we saw them at a headquarters was when they were discussing the threat. They weren't grim and gritty, but they were serious about the threat (as Hawkman hilariously points out many time during his brief tenure with this league). Giffen and DeMatteis dared to wonder what they did during the many, many hours when a super-villain WASN'T attacking the city, country, or planet. The humor flowed naturally from that, as personality clashes led to funny situations. What makes this such a wonderful look at superhero relationships is that the humor WAS organic, and therefore fit in with the general flow of the story. The worst stories in the series are those where Giffen and DeMatteis set out to write something goofy - the Manga Khan tales, the G'Nort and Scarlet Skier story in issue #36, even the Kooey Kooey Kooey epic. These stories, which are often funny, aren't as effective because they feel more like broad sketch comedy rather than the finely-honed situational comedy of the rest of the book. The humor also works best when we get a generous dose of action with it - Giffen and DeMatteis easily switch from the team bickering to fighting effectively, and again, it feels true - these people might argue with each over trivialities, but they're still superheroes, and they get the job done. What's also interesting is how Giffen and DeMatteis shift the effectiveness of the team to match the threat facing them - like most people, they underestimate things, and this gets them in trouble when they fight a doofus like Wally Tortolini in issue #44. They don't treat all villains with the seriousness that they do Despero, and this adds to the humor. But it also makes them more human. The old League would give the same amount of respect to Despero AND Wally, to the detriment of both stories. What makes the Tortolini story humorous is that Orion DOES take every threat very, very seriously, and that's bad news for the loser villains from whom Wally won all the gadgets. Giffen and DeMatteis know that this team is formidable, and they give them plenty of difficult threats to deal with, but they have the team deal with the threats in new and interesting ways. Batman going undercover in Bialya as "Bruce Wayne" (a fantastic idea) is one of those ways. Bartering with Manga Khan instead of fighting him is another. It's impressive that the writers don't simply give the League a threat and have them beat it up. They think about how this particular team (whichever characters comprise the team at that moment) would react to the threat, and go from there. It's part of what makes the book so successful, beyond the hilarity of many of the situations.

The run is anchored, artistically, by two stellar pencillers - Maguire and Hughes. In the original run, Maguire drew 19 issues (Giffen's pencils in issues #8-10 were back-up stories, so Maguire didn't draw the entire issue, but still) and Hughes drew 12 (both drew issues outside of this run - Maguire returned for issue #60, the final Giffen/DeMatteis one, while Hughes came back for issue #51). In between, Templeton, McKone, and Willingham did solid work. These artists share one thing in common - they were relatively new to the industry, and it's strange to see such new artists put on a flagship DC book. Of course, Maguire got the job because of his tremendous work with characters and their facial features, about which much has been made over the years, but it really is impressive. From the very first issue, he does a wonderful job, as when Batman cows Guy into stopping his shenanigans, and Guy's face, in three quick panels, goes from aggressive to thoughtful (he's wondering whether he can take Bats) to ashamed because he's backing down even though he has a power ring. This continues throughout his run on the series - Black Canary's absolutely devastated look on her face because she missed Batman punching out Guy in issue #5 is priceless. Maguire only got better, too - look at the cover of Formerly Known as the Justice League #1, as he captures the personalities of every character perfectly. His work in the two mini-series is much better than his work on the original series, which was already excellent. Mary Marvel's slow breakdown in Formerly Known as ... #5, when Ralph keeps bringing up the fact that she almost killed Captain Atom, is wonderful, and of course the magnificent scene in JLA: Classified #7, when Guy and Bea are trying desperately to keep from looking back at Tora, is simply beautiful. Maguire is a fine artist who has been good on other projects, but his sense of humor, combined with Giffen and DeMatteis's, makes this his most memorable work. Hughes is much more on a pin-up artist than Maguire (it's not surprising that Fire seems to be his favorite character), but his marvelously fluid style works well on the two big action arcs he drew, "The Teasdale Imperative" and the Despero story, and he's no slouch in the facial features department, either. The Despero story is a masterpiece of not only pacing and excitement, but Hughes does a marvelous job turning Despero into a true monster, and his United Nations "cape" (a flag he crashed through as he landed on Earth) is a nice ironic touch. It's stunning to think that Hughes's JLA issues are the most he ever drew on a series, and he finished it when he was 24. Covers pay the bills, I guess (well, that and Penthouse Comix, which he also drew for a time), but it's a shame that we don't get more interiors by Hughes, because he's so good at them.

The series went quickly off the rails after issue #45. The "General Glory" arc that led to issue #50 was terrible, and soon afterward Giffen and DeMatteis began the interminable "Breakdowns" arc, a 15-part story that destroyed both the American and European branches of the League. They were both revamped into normal superhero groups fighting normal supervillains, and the series staggered along for a while until DC mercifully axed it and paved the way for Grant Morrison and his "Big Guns" return to glory. It's almost impossible today to think of the Giffen/DeMatteis Justice League without considering what DC has done to stain its legacy. In the past few years, Sue Dibny has been retroactively raped and she and Ralph have been killed (they weren't in the original run, but they were members of Justice League Europe), Ted Kord has starred in a one-shot in which almost every DC hero mocks him and then Maxwell Lord, who is now a bad guy, shoots him in the head, and Max himself has been killed. (This ignores the fact that Black Hand, who was trying to be a legitimate businessman in JLA #28, recently killed his entire family in preparation for being a Black Lantern.) It's as if DC can't stand the fact that they once published a series that bore the proud name "Justice League" and it didn't take itself too damned seriously. It becomes even creepier when we recall the now-famous panel in JLA #35 in which Beetle and Booster actually discuss Max shooting them in the head or the running gag about Sue's pregnancy in "I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League" (which, of course, was published after Sue was killed in Identity Crisis, but who knows when it was written). But we simply have to put the subsequent events of the DCU out of our minds and enjoy these comics in a vacuum. It's much better that way.

The great thing about the Giffen/DeMatteis Justice League is that it didn't rely simply on slapstick humor. It relied much more on creating interesting characters and allowing them to interact with each other, from which the humor sprung. Giffen and DeMatteis took the idea of the League seriously, but didn't take the idea of heroes hanging out together too seriously, and that made all the difference. There's a lot of action in this series, and because we know these characters as people, the fights become more personal. It's not a question of just having heroes show up and beat villains, it's a question of whether they will win or not and how. Giffen and DeMatteis understand that when you don't have DC's Big Guns, you need to be more creative about how the heroes triumph. This makes their triumphs much more interesting - as an example, we don't want Guy to be so effective with his ring, but let's face it, he is. It's annoying cheering for Guy, but we do. And that's part of the genius of this series. And when Giffen and DeMatteis get serious, the impact is greater because we feel like we know Ted and Booster (I know his name's Michael, but no one ever calls him that in this series), and Guy and J'onn and Bea and Tora and Scott and Oberon and Max a little more than we know a more stolid League. And so we care more about them.

DC has finally, it seems, committed to releasing this series in trades. The first 12 issues were collected years ago, and recently DC has been putting out nice hardcovers of the series. It appears that the first two years have been collected in four volumes. Eventually they'll be out in softcover, as DC's policy of releasing paperbacks is a bit ridiculous (the paperback of volume 4 is coming out a year after the hardcover, in other words). Formerly Known as the Justice League and JLA: Classified #4-9 are also in trade. I don't know how far DC plans to go with collecting the original series - perhaps all the way through issue #60, the final Giffen/DeMatteis JLA? Either way, this is a wonderful series that's as good as you've heard it is. And it's definitely a Comic You Should Own. And hey, if you want more - check out the archives! It's almost Christmas, and you need gift ideas!

53 Comments

• At November 16, 2009, Wesley Smith wrote:

  Awesome AWESOME profile of these series. I agree with almost everything except The Breakdowns storyline, which I thought regrounded the ...

• At November 16, 2009, BrianHouston wrote:

  Great series.

• At November 16, 2009, Thok wrote:

  when Max puts the team back together in Formerly Known as the Justice League, Giffen and DeMatteis give him a ...

• At November 16, 2009, Andrew Collins wrote:

  Wonderful write-up, Greg. My love for this series (and its sister book, JLE) is one of the many reasons I ...

• At November 16, 2009, Dave wrote:

  Are they ever going to release the 5th Trade???

• At November 16, 2009, Tom Fitzpatrick wrote:

  I used to have all (or most) of this stuff.

  God DAMN those WERE the days.

  sigh

  What EVER happened ...

• At November 16, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Thok: Thanks. I didn't know that about Ted.

  Wesley: The reason I don't like Breakdowns is because of the ...

• At November 16, 2009, roberto wrote:

  you know, i have never think on the theme of the series as redemption

  and that is absolutely right.

  And that ...

• At November 16, 2009, Blackjak wrote:

  Sweet, sweet nostagia...

  Thank you...

  *sniff*

• At November 16, 2009, FuryOfFirestorm wrote:

  Your review of the JL/JLA/JLE/JLI era was so good, I look forward to your reviews of the Satellite and Detroit ...

• At November 16, 2009, Ethan Shuster wrote:

  While I doubt anyone will admit it for sure, it certainly does seem like recent DC folks have purposely been ...

• At November 16, 2009, Ethan Shuster wrote:

  Hey, don't forget the post-Zero Hour JLA series headlined by Wonder Woman, with Fire, the old Ice Maiden, Nuklon, Obsidian, ...

• At November 16, 2009, Wesley Smith wrote:

  You know, I never bought into that whole "Dan Didio hate's Giffen's League" business, but as I'm re-reading the old ...

• At November 16, 2009, Henry wrote:

  At the same time Ethan, the fans have to take some blame as well. I think we can both name ...

• At November 16, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  FuryOfFirestorm: You might have to wait a while. I don't own any of those issues, so I have no ...

• At November 16, 2009, Ricardo wrote:

  First: your analysis is brilliant. Very good point. My only complaint is that I wouldn't exclude either Breakdowns and especially ...

• At November 16, 2009, Rob Bass wrote:

  Killer write-up, man, makes me want to go back and hit the whole run from "Wanna make somethin' of it?" ...

• At November 16, 2009, Andrew Collins wrote:

  Re: Volume 5 of the JLI collections.

  Checking over Amazon's listings, DC's trades and collections through June of next year are ...

• At November 16, 2009, Ricardo wrote:

  RE: JLI trade program

  There is something that also has to be addressed: how to include JLE and JLIQ into this ...

• At November 16, 2009, Jeremy A. Patterson wrote:

  Some of these characters (and some of the short-stint members of this era) would fit right in if DC ...

• At November 16, 2009, Lupin Yonsei wrote:

  I agree with roberto above -- the JL* and Suicide Squad were mirror images of each other. They are also ...

• At November 16, 2009, Sallyp wrote:

  These are definitely comics that you should own...and I DO! It was, and remains, my favorite incarnation of the ...

• At November 16, 2009, Basara wrote:

  To me, the JLA/JLI & JLE era were the definitive version of the league.

  I started reading comics before CoIE - ...

• At November 16, 2009, John Trumbull wrote:

  Beetle gradually lets himself go physically, and when Max puts the team back together in Formerly Known as the Justice ...

• At November 16, 2009, DanCJ wrote:

  Classic series, but yeah, but by the General Glory arc it was going downhill, and Breakdowns was a bit of ...

• At November 16, 2009, Dan Felty wrote:

  What a great group of comics. These things were content-packed, too; it takes a while to read one. ...

• At November 16, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Dan: I consider JLE a totally separate title, especially after DeMatteis left and Jones took over the scripting. I ...

• At November 16, 2009, Eric F wrote:

  Unfortunately, I think Volume 4 was the last one we're getting. See the comments to this article:

  http://blog.newsarama.com/2009/04/03/jm-dematteis-on-justice-league-international-vol-4/

  "RussBurlingame Says:

  April 5th, 2009 ...

• At November 16, 2009, Mike Loughlin wrote:

  Part of the problem may be the wide availability of cheap back issues. I got the first two trades in ...

• At November 16, 2009, Ricardo wrote:

  To Mike:

  Because trade market not necessarily has anything to do with the scarcity of a title: rather, it is directed ...

• At November 16, 2009, Bill Reed wrote:

  Great piece; I love the idea that's it's all about redemption.

  But you'll break my heart if you don't do a ...

• At November 16, 2009, Mike Loughlin wrote:

  Ricardo, I can't disagree with anything you're saying, just offering my opinion that getting the issues cheap would be appealing, ...

• At November 16, 2009, Ricardo wrote:

  To Mike:

  I totally see your point, and that's probably relevant to DC in order to decide on whether putting out ...

• At November 16, 2009, Da Fug wrote:

  Read 'em once when they came out and bagged 'em. I should really reread 'em to see if I ...

• At November 16, 2009, Mxy wrote:

  I've been re-reading this stuff (recently completed the run), and I think Templeton and Willingham are great artists and all, ...

• At November 16, 2009, Shaq-fu wrote:

  KOOEYKOOEYKOOEY

• At November 17, 2009, Patrick C wrote:

  I would include that story from the JLA 80 Page Giant as well! Great article.

• At November 17, 2009, acespot wrote:

  Mister Miracle was another book written in a similar vein.

  In fact, it diverged from JL/JLI immediately after the Manga Khan ...

• At November 17, 2009, acespot wrote:

  Also, my love of this series is one of the main reasons that I HATE the Martian Manhunter "revamp" prior ...

• At November 17, 2009, DanLarkin wrote:

  Nice write-up, Greg. I agree that Breakdowns is less essential than the other stuff, but anyone who reads the ...

• At November 17, 2009, Brian Lockhart wrote:

  In my humble opinion this book/concept got old after about a year - around issue 12 which, if I recall, ...

• At November 17, 2009, Steven verbridge wrote:

  I have this whole run and just love it! One of the few runs I have kept over the ...

• At November 17, 2009, Ethan Shuster wrote:

  Maybe it should be pointed out that we currently have an ongoing Booster Gold series. It's not in the vein ...

• At November 17, 2009, Pedro Bouça wrote:

  "I'd add there is an extra fact here: the paper in which comic books used to be printed in was ...

• At November 17, 2009, Ethan Shuster wrote:

  Oh, and the best part of that second cover that's posted here? The tagline refers to the JLI as the ...

• At November 17, 2009, katefan wrote:

  I agree with Brian, it was largely over rated. Being unable to use the A-listers and forced to rely ...

• At November 17, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Well, I certainly disagree. The point is that the writing MADE the characters interesting. The "scrubs," as you ...

• At November 17, 2009, LouReedRichards wrote:

  Great write up!

  I came to the tittle midway - Adam Hughes' first issue, he's still my favorite artist of this ...

• At November 18, 2009, stealthwise wrote:

  Insightful, thorough, and awesome review/recap here. Nicely done.

• At November 18, 2009, DanCJ wrote:

  Releasing something in $25 hardcovers with softcovers not coming until a year later is not the best way to get ...

• At November 18, 2009, Chris Stansfield wrote:

  Nice article, though I disagree with some of your conclusions (and some of the assumptions they're based on) Blue Beetle ...

• At November 19, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Chris: Well, I'm going to read JLE next, so we'll see about that.

  This is an interesting comment - thanks for ...

• At November 20, 2009, Comics You Should Own – Jl/Jli/Jla #1-45 + Ancillary Comics … « debtconsolidationandcreditrating wrote:

  [...] The Despero story is a masterpiece of not only pacing and excitement, but Hughes does a marvelous job turning ...

The Anchor #2 ("Five Furies Part Two: Bark and Hide, Bone and Root") by Phil Hester (writer), Brian Churilla (artist), Matthew Wilson (colorist), and Johnny Lowe (letterer). $3.99, 22 pgs, FC, Boom! Studios.

We continue the first arc, as we get a bit of backstory about "Clem" on the first two pages, hearkening back to when the Vikings roamed the seas and men lugging anchors crawled out of the ocean. Then we're back to the present, and our hero and his new pal, Hofi, head to Scotland to battle a half-man, half-elk, who, unfortunately, can't keep his mouth shut. Oh, and the ghost of a teenager joins the cast. And some mean United States government people show up, because the United States government just can't keep its grubby little paws out of things, can it? It's mostly plot-building, although Hester does a nice job with it, and Churilla does a great job with the fight between Clem and the Elkman. Churilla makes the Elkman really frightening and majestic - he's a formidable challenge for Clem. And Churilla has fun with the brief scene in Hell, too.

As always, I'll give this series an arc and see where we stand. It's still an intriguing idea, and Hester has a good idea of where he's going with it (or so it seems), even though I wish the United States government wasn't quite so sinister. But both the writing and art are strong in this book, and Hester has a lot going on here.

Batman and Robin #6 ("Revenge of the Red Hood Part Three: Flamingo is Here") by Grant "All right, you bastards, next issue you get Cameron Stewart - are you happy now?" Morrison (writer), Philip Tan (penciller), Jonathan Glapion (inker), Alex Sinclair (colorist), and Patrick Brosseau (letterer). $2.99, 24 pgs, FC, DC.

I've been defending Tan on this book, and I still don't think he's awful, but he screws up the Flamingo, and it's a shame. It doesn't help that Quitely draws him on the cover and Tan draws the interiors, because we can compare a good version with a not-so-good version. Quitely's Flamingo is suave and dangerous, while Tan's is just nutty. He's just another somewhat dull Batman villain, and it's too bad. Batman's villains are often as well-defined by their look as by their characterization, and Tan's Flamingo lacks the flair that makes him a truly great Batman villain (I guess technically he's a Red Hood villain, but you get my drift). He's just a wacko. Robin's line, "I was expecting scary, not gay," doesn't work too well, because Tan's Flamingo isn't as "gay" as Quitely's. Tan does a few things well - his Scarlet lying on the ground, beaten to a pulp, is a tragic panel - but his biggest problem when teamed with Morrison on Batman is that he lacks the slight cartoony edge that Morrison's scripts seem to demand. Quitely has that, and so does Stewart, while his collaborators on his earlier run are more like Tan (with the exception of the ever-changeable Williams III). If this issue weren't quite as "brutal" in the way Tan draws it, Flamingo's abilities might feel more brutal, if that makes sense.

Because, for a fight issue, it's pretty effective. Flamingo's lack of speaking makes him more creepy, and Damian's slow journey to non-bastardness reaches an important signpost in this issue. Morrison also does a nice job at the end, when Jason confronts Dick about his feelings toward Bruce, because it's accurate. The entire epilogue of the issue is well done, from that confrontation to the fate of Scarlet to the scene with Oberon Sexton. I'm sure smarter people than I am can delve into the "W" on the back of El Penitente (I'm going to assume that's El Penitente), but I am unsure why the final page is supposed to be dramatic. Can anyone help?

Anyway, everyone who couldn't stand Tan's art can relax now. It's certainly not great, but for the most part, it did its job. And Morrison continues to have his moments of brilliance in a solid story. I'm glad he's doing something with Damian, because I'm still annoyed that Bruce is "dead." It's frustrating reading his take on Dick and Damian, because we know Bruce is coming back, so Morrison can't do too much with establishing them as the true Batman and Robin. This doesn't bug me as much as it does Jog, but it's definitely hindering the God of All Comics, it seems. When Morrison focuses on the good guys versus the bad guys, he does a good job, but the world-building isn't as strong.

The Black Coat: ... Or Give Me Death #1 and 2 by Ben Lichius (writer/colorist), Adam Cogan (story), Francesco Francavilla (artist, part one), Dean Kotz (artist, part two), and Chris Studabaker (letterer). $4.50, 44 pgs, FC (mostly), Ape Entertainment.

Man, I've been waiting for The Black Coat to return, and here it is! Life is good! Now, if only the next two issues could come out in a timely fashion, I'll be a happy camper!

For those of you who don't know, The Black Coat tells the tale of a mysterious vigilante in 1775 New York who fights the "tyranny" of the British (who weren't all that tyrannical, after all) as the colonies gear up for war. The Black Coat fights weird supernatural beings in league with the British and an evil organization called the League, and at the end of the first series, he battled a scientist who had created an immortality serum. They both ended up in the harbor, seemingly dead, but they both had ingested the serum, so of course they're still alive! At the beginning of this comic, the Black Coat's lady friend, Ursula, finds his body in the harbor (she's wearing a diving suit and traveling in a submarine, don't you know) and manages to get him home, where he eventually revives. Of course, he needs to keep taking the serum or he'll go nutty, and there's very little serum left. So he has a problem - he needs to create more serum, or all will be lost!!!!!

Lichius and Cogan not only give us a story about the Black Coat's quest for the scientist's brother, who may be able to synthesize more serum, but also a larger story about the beginnings of the war and what the colonists are doing to rebel. Lichius places it in a larger framework of supernatural evil, which doesn't work perfectly (it always bugs me when writers attribute war to grand machinations of the few when men are perfectly willing to kill each other without any nudging in that direction), but I don't mind in the context of the story. It's a terrifically exciting comic, with a giant gargoyle menacing our hero, back alley dealings, a creepy bandaged dude, and the Black Coat going slowly insane, which adds nice tension to the proceedings.

Francavilla started on art, but the delays in the book meant he moved on, which is a shame (although I'm certainly glad to see him on Zorro; it just would have been nice if he could have finished this). However, Kotz is quite good (I don't like him as much as Francavilla, but he's still good), and he's a good fit to finish the series, because he has a similar style to Francavilla. He draws a mean-looking gargoyle, too.

I know this is going to sell about 200 copies, which really stinks. It's an exciting, interesting, nicely-drawn comic that remains grounded in historical reality (sort of) even though Lichius and Cogan take it into supernatural territory. They don't go overboard, however, which is nice. The build-up to the war is as interesting as the supernatural stuff. If you've missed The Black Coat until now, it's time to rectify that oversight!

Comic Book Comics #4 ("Leagelese!") by Fred van Lente (writer) and Ryan Dunlavey (artist). $3.99, 40 pgs, BW, Evil Twin Comics.

Speaking of long-delayed comics, it's the fourth issue of Comic Book Comics!!!! Yay!!!!

I have no problem with this taking so long, because of a few reasons. First, it's 40 pages for 4 dollars. Second, Dunlavey packs the issue with detailed panels full of wacky sight gags, so if takes him a while to draw it, that's cool. Third, van Lente has to, presumably, do a ton of meticulous detail for these (I imagine he doesn't know all this stuff off the top of his head), which takes a while but makes each issue a blast-and-a-half to read. Fourth, given the fickle comics-buying public, I'm sure van Lente and Dunlavey make no frickin' money at all on this, so they have to earn a living somewhere and fit this in when they can (like, one of those nights when you've eaten too many Doritos to sleep and your subscription to Skinemax has been cancelled and you figure it's time to work on an issue!). Van Lente and Dunlavey can take as long as they want with this, in my opinion.

This might be the best issue of the series yet, probably because the Fifties through Seventies are a bit more documented than the early days of comics, and several people involved are still alive, so it feels like van Lente gets deeper into the dirt behind the creators, which makes it more interesting. It's funnier, too, presumably for the same reason. Dunlavey is also able to cut loose a bit, which again might have to do with my familiarity with the material, so I get more of the jokes. Maybe. But the subject matter, from crime comics of the 1950s to the Marvel explosion of the 1960s to underground comix of the late '60s and 1970s, lends itself to satirizing and weirdness a bit more than the earlier stuff. This certainly feels the most joyous of the series so far. Plus, it features Metaa, The Thing That Walked Like a Man That Walked Like a Thing That Walked Like a Man! Of course it did!

If you haven't been buying Comic Book Comics, there's no reason to find the first three issues, because each issue is pretty much self-contained. Seek this one out, because it's a wildly fun comic. And I do hope van Lente and Dunlavey can finish this (buy the new Action Philosophers! trade when it shows up soon, so you can give them some funds!), but they can take as long as they need to. I'll be here when issue #5 comes out!

Fables #90 ("Witches Chapter Four: Ozma") by Bill Willingham (writer), Mark Buckingham (penciller), Steve Leialoha (inker), Andrew Pepoy (inker), Lee Loughridge (colorist), and Todd Klein (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, DC/Vertigo.

It's always so difficult to review an issue of Fables, especially when it's in the middle of a story arc. Willingham sets them up extremely well, often doesn't end them too strongly, but in between, he just lets the plot carry the characters along, and it's a pleasure to read. We get Bufkin figuring out how to defeat Baba Yaga, and it's quite nifty. We get the witches deciding that Ozma should take the leadership of the group because Totenkinder has disappeared, and for some reason, I don't trust Ozma. We get Geppetto plotting with an oak tree (come on, it's Fables - of course he can do that!). We get Totenkinder still helping the Fables even though she's ... elsewhere. We get the return of Dunster Happ! Yay! And it's all wonderfully drawn by Buckingham.

See? Willingham just turns the characters loose, and they do their thing. I love reading each issue. They make me happy.

Plus, there's a preview of Gabriel Bá's and Fábio Moon's Daytripper. Goddamn, it looks awesome.

Rapture #5 (of 6) by Taki Soma (writer/layouter), Michael Avon Oeming (writer/artist), Val Staples (colorist), and Thomas Mauer (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, Dark Horse.

I'm fearing the final issue of Rapture, because the way Soma and Oeming set it up, it feels like it's going to be a superhero fight, and I'm really hoping it's not. The early part of this issue is actually quite good, because Evelyn finds Gil under the absolute worst circumstances, and their reunion is definitely not what she was hoping it would be. Of course, she did tell Gil that she needed "space," so she has only herself to blame, but the pages on which they argue, with a young boy who has turned evil insensate at their feet, are gripping to read. The art shows Evelyn's isolation nicely, too, from one panel that has her in a long shot to another where her eyes are black holes of despair. Even Gil's decision about what to do with the boy is handled well. Then the weird dude who gave Evelyn the spear shows up, and it goes sideways a bit. The art still looks great, but the set-up to the final issue indicates that Evelyn and Gil are going to fight it out, and that would be disappointing.

I will, of course, read it, and hope that Soma and Oeming have something up their sleeve. That would be nice.

Starstruck #3 (of 13) ("Mirage à Troi" and "Buy, Buy, Birdy!") by Elaine Lee (writer), Michael Wm. Kaluta (artist), Charles Vess (inker, "Buy, Buy Birdy!"), Lee Moyer (painter), Todd Klein (letterer, "Mirage à Troi"), and John Workman (letterer, "Buy, Buy, Birdy!"). $3.99, 27 pgs, FC, IDW.

There's a nice post about the history of Starstruck here, in case you're interested. The author wonders why this latest incarnation isn't getting the love he feels it deserves. Well, I'm trying, man! I'm trying!

I think the problem with Starstruck is that it's so extremely dense that it's very hard to judge it based on the individual issues. I can rave about Kaluta's art all I want (and I will continue to do so, because it's amazing), but as interesting as Lee's story is, it's obvious that each issue is a tiny part of a much, MUCH bigger whole, and she's not really interesting in telling a shorter story in each issue that leads into a bigger story, she's just interested in telling the large story and the issue ends when IDW doesn't want to put any more pages in it. (I should point out that because of the ways this was originally released, I doubt if Lee had any intention of making it fit into a 22-page format, so I don't blame her in the least.) I'm not even sure if this is how the book was originally released - a few things I've read about it (including the link above) seem to indicate that some of the Epic Illustrated stuff is not here. So there's that.

I'm not going to go as far as the writer of that post, who compares this to Watchmen - at least not yet. It is refreshing reading something like this, however, because Lee is throwing all sorts of interesting stuff in here, from sexual politics to space opera to a fairly standard rebels-vs-establishment kind of fight, yet with plenty of twists, to a critique of objectification. Plus, both the main story and the Galactic Girl Guides are really funny. Lee has created this entire insane universe from scratch, and it shows on the page, because she confidently writes about this made-up world as if she's lived there her entire life.

I still like reading it, but I have a feeling I'll appreciate it a lot more when it's all done. Until then, I'll just revel in the artwork. It's so damned gorgeous!

And in the back of the book, there's an advertisement for J. Scott Campbell's "Fairytale Fantasies" calendar. You know, I don't know if I can watch my daughters' Disney DVDs ever again without thinking of stuff like this:

I know that Zenescope has been doing this for years, but Campbell is a bit higher-profile than they are, so this will get more pub, I expect. Sigh. The IDW link has Ariel, by the way. Sigh.

S.W.O.R.D. #1 ("No Time to Breathe" and "Not Yet") by Kieron Gillen (writer), Steven Sanders (penciler, "No Time to Breathe"), Jamie McKelvie (artist, "Not Yet"), Craig Yeung (inker, "No Time to Breathe"), Matt Wilson (colorist, "Not Yet"), and Dave Lanphear (letterer). $3.99, 30 pgs, FC, Marvel.

Let's consider S.W.O.R.D. #1. I have been on the Kieron Gillen bandwagon since Phonogram #1 came out, over three years ago. I told you to buy it. I ordered you to buy it. I begged you to buy it. I bribed you to buy it. I blackmailed you to buy it. I offered sex, booze, and video games if you bought it. And none of it worked. You didn't believe me when I told you that Gillen (and McKelvie, of course, but he's a different subject) was awesome. Then he started writing for Marvel, and far hipper people than I like Chris Sims told you to read his Beta Ray Bill stuff (to be fair to Sims, he also recognizes the awesomeness that is Phonogram). I've accepted that you're not going to listen to me, because I'm, you know, square. But if you don't believe Sims, then I just don't know what to tell you. There's just no hope.

Which is a roundabout way of saying that S.W.O.R.D. is pretty frickin' keen. I've been skipping Gillen's Marvel stuff, not because I don't think it would be good, but because I really don't have a lot of interest in Thor and Thor-related stories unless Walt Simonson is writing and drawing them. But I was jazzed about S.W.O.R.D., not because I have a fondness for Joss Whedon's run on Astonishing X-Men, but because it sounds like the kind of series that Gillen can just go nuts on, probably because (as I mentioned when it showed up in Previews), no one will read it and the PTB will ignore what he does until the sales figures come back. You know, kind of like The Order. I certainly hope that it smashes sales records and Gillen gets to write it for the next decade (even though, as I pointed out at his blog, that would mean he'd be too big a star to talk to me next year at San Diego), but it's always a tough go with new series that don't star one of Marvel's big guns, and when your biggest gun in this issue is Henry McCoy ... well, I think that speaks for itself. But hey! it's a Marvel book, and maybe someone who avoids indies like the plague will pick it up and think, "I wonder what else that Gillen bloke has written ... Phonogram, you say? The next issue of which comes out next week? I'll give that a whirl!" That happens all the time, right?

Of course, I should probably write a bit about the actual issue, shouldn't I? Well, it's mostly set-up, but a very entertaining set-up, as we get the internal tension between Henry Gyrich and Abigail Brand, co-commanders of S.W.O.R.D. (Sentient World Observation and Response Department). Gyrich wants Abigail out, obviously, and Gillen sets up a nifty sub-plot in which Gyrich wants to kick all aliens - all of them - off the Earth so that something like "Secret Invasion" doesn't happen again. Of course, that was secret, so how would it stop that? But we'll run with it. We get a quick look at the inner workings of S.W.O.R.D. - some aliens want tribute or they'll steal North Carolina - before Abigail learns that her half-brother is running from a bounty hunter and has requested sanctuary. When she gives it to him, the bounty hunter simply takes him and skedaddles, leaving Abigail, Henry McCoy, and Lockheed - who's drinking himself into a stupor because Kitty Pryde is "lost" (not dead, as we learn in the second story) - to go fetch him. Oh, yes, the bounty hunter is Death's Head. Oh, those wacky British writers and their love of Marvel UK characters! Death's Head is, of course, goddamned awesome. And he has a big motherfucking gun.

In the second story, Abigail explains to Lockheed how they're trying to save Kitty. Lockheed doesn't think she's doing a good enough job, so he visits the robot in the basement. This is the same robot who helped Abigail in the first story, and Gillen is trying (and, to be fair, succeeding) in making him kind of creepy. I can't wait to see what he does when he (inevitably) gets out.

It's been some years since I read Five Fists of Science, which is the only place I've seen Sanders' art, but it's quite good - his Abigail looks slightly less repressed than McKelvie's, with hair out of place and stylin' sunglasses on. His Death's Head is quite menacing, and he draws some other keen aliens, too. The only problem I have with the art is Henry McCoy. Frankly, he looks like a goat. It's not a good look. The second story is not necessarily built to show off McKelvie's strengths - he does a fine job with the Kitty Bullet and what it's doing out there in the universe, but that doesn't give him much opportunity to show off - but the final page, where Lockheed speaks to the robot, is a nice page, on which the robot looks even creepier thanks to the way McKelvie draws him (that is, cheery as hell). I'm always happy to see McKelvie's art, but I'll be much happier to see it when the next issue of Phonogram comes out, which ought to be (if that lying Brit Gillen can be believed) next week.

So S.W.O.R.D. is pretty cool. Gillen doesn't go for the one-and-done big crazy issue, deciding instead on a longer arc, but with established characters, that's not necessarily a bad way to go. And it features Death's Head, for crying out loud! Can Motormouth be far behind?????

Vengeance of the Moon Knight #3 ("The Bushman Cometh") by Gregg Hurwitz (writer), Jerome Opeña (penciler), Paul Mounts (colorist), and Joe Caramagna (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, Marvel.

Man, Opeña is really good. I mean, I've known that for a while, but it's worth noting again. I just love his casual tiny Khonshu thing (whatever that thing is haunting MK these days) checking out the museum after our hero takes out the punks. On the same page, I love the panel showing enough of Marlene's face to let us know that Moonie's getting lucky tonight! This is just a beautiful issue, and the fact that Opeña switches easily from the big gaudy superheroics in issue #1 to the extremely dark invasion of Ravencroft Asylum in this issue is very cool.

As you might have heard, this is the beginning of "Knightfall," in which Bane breaks all of the inmates out of Arkham to soften up Batman before the coup de grace. Oh, wait a minute, no, this is where Bushman breaks all of the inmates out of Ravencroft to soften up Moon Knight before the coup de grace. You can see where I'd get things confused a bit! Seriously, Marvel and Gregg Hurwitz - you guys thought this would be a good idea? I realize "Knightfall" was almost two decades ago, but comics fans these days have really, really long memories, and when commentators for years have called your character a Batman rip-off (I've never been one of those people), it's probably not a good idea to mimic one of Batman's most famous stories from the past 30-40 years or so. I mean, it's just ... well, it's silly, even by the standards of comics, where stories get recycled all the time. It gets back to the tone of this series so far, where I'm not terribly sure if Hurwitz is satirizing superheroes in general. I mean, this reads perfectly straight, but I can't decide if Hurwitz is pointing out the idiocy of "Knightfall" and the revolving door policy of prisons and asylums in the Marvel and DCU or if he's not that subtle. I mean, this hews so closely to "Knightfall" that I can't believe Hurwitz isn't making some kind of comment on it. Bushman could easily get an army from any number of sources, but he deliberately breaks inmates out of an insane asylum. His freakin' face is tattooed like a luchador (despite the fact that he's an African mercenary), much like Bane's was, for crying out loud (yes, I know Bushman predates Bane, but work with me, people!). The Scarecrow is even in this issue! It's just ... odd. Hurwitz writes is fairly effectively, but it's still weird.

But damn, it's nice to look at. And it's an exciting issue, for all the ripping off of old Batman stories. So I'll stick with it and see what Hurwitz is doing with it, but that's just very strange, the way they've set up this story.

So there it is: the week in comics. Any thoughts?

And look! totally random lyrics!

"I'm gnawing on the knowledge
That I have been burned
And I'm learning things that I
Should've already learned
Everyone I ever knew
Was so kind and coy
I was with a girl
But it felt like I was with a boy"

Sing it loud! Sing it proud!

40 Comments

• At November 12, 2009, Wraith wrote:

  Re: "J. Scott Campbell's "Fairytale Fantasies" calendar"

  Yeah, someone's going to Hell. And, since I clicked on the link, I suppose ...

• At November 12, 2009, sgt pepper wrote:

  Yay! Comic Book Comics is my favorite comic.

  And yes, everything Kieron Gellen has done is pretty much gold. ...

• At November 12, 2009, Nitz the Bloody wrote:

  I don't know what the last page was supposed to signify either, but the password to open that case-- " ...

• At November 12, 2009, Matt K wrote:

  Good to hear about S.W.O.R.D. (and the last time I'll be using the acronym). I just got the Beta ...

• At November 12, 2009, bongoes wrote:

  I think the last page was Bruce's body. Zur Enh Arrh was just the password.

• At November 12, 2009, JP wrote:

  What, no The Unwritten #7? It was such an awesome issue!

• At November 12, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Yeah, I read somewhere that it's Bruce's body. I thought it might be, but then what the heck is ...

• At November 12, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  JP: I saw that The Unwritten was coming out, but I didn't see it at my comics shoppe. I ...

• At November 12, 2009, FunkyGreenJerusalem wrote:

  Anyway, everyone who couldn't stand Tan's art can relax now. It's certainly not great, but for the most part, it ...

• At November 12, 2009, Capper wrote:

  Nice "Heathers" reference. "How would he have felt about a limp wrist with a pulse?"

• At November 12, 2009, Reno wrote:

  Wasn't the Flamingo a Joker pastiche in the Big Bang universe? In fact, he's the arch-enemy of the Knight Watchman, ...

• At November 12, 2009, StrongWall wrote:

  Batman & Robin = dead in the water. All momentum for this book was killed the minute Phillip Tan's name ...

• At November 12, 2009, s1rude wrote:

  The Violent Femmes are A W E S O M E. My s.o. was recently commenting on how freakin' ...

• At November 12, 2009, FunkyGreenJerusalem wrote:

  not sure how that jives with what we saw in Final Crisis

  Well, as Dick is acting on words from Jason ...

• At November 12, 2009, Bill Reed wrote:

  Death's Head!? Why didn't anyone tell meeeeeee

• At November 12, 2009, Mary Warner wrote:

  I've only been reading Marvel lately. That's not on any weird principle or anything, it's just that my funds ...

• At November 12, 2009, Nitz the Bloody wrote:

  " Yeah, I read somewhere that it's Bruce's body. I thought it might be, but then what the heck is ...

• At November 12, 2009, FunkyGreenJerusalem wrote:

  Best case scenario; Zombie Batman. :)

  Which would make sense as #7 has to be held off until the next ...

• At November 13, 2009, Chris Jones wrote:

  Wait, is that story ACTUALLY called "The Bushman Cometh?"

  ACTUALLY?

• At November 13, 2009, Michael wrote:

  God dammit, J. Scott Campbell.

• At November 13, 2009, Dan Bailey wrote:

  >>even though I wish the United States government wasn't quite so sinister.

  Same here, though at least it's not nearly as ...

• At November 13, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  s1rude: According to Gillen, some issue of Phonogram got out even though Diamond requested that they be pulped because ...

• At November 13, 2009, Rebis wrote:

  I agree, you're going easy on Tan. He's not a great artist to begin with, but his output has been ...

• At November 13, 2009, Neal K wrote:

  Violent Femmes!!! Yes!! Excellent to see one of my faves in that lyrics box every once in a while. ...

• At November 13, 2009, Tekende wrote:

  I really, really wish Tan hadn't been drawing B&R #6, because story-wise it's probably my favorite issue so far.

  I've ...

• At November 14, 2009, Anonymous wrote:

  Damn you J. Scott Campbell. Only Alan Moore is allowed to sexualize children books characters!

  Though I have to admit he's ...

• At November 14, 2009, Bright-Raven wrote:

  Burgas:

  I don't know which is sillier. The notion that you think Chris Sims is "hip", or that you're using him ...

• At November 14, 2009, Bright-Raven wrote:

  I should say it undermines the credibility of his blog to my mind's eye, not in general context.

• At November 14, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Bright-Raven: I was joking, for the most part. :) I just figure if I can't get people to ...

• At November 14, 2009, Pedro Bouça wrote:

  "If you haven't been buying Comic Book Comics, there's no reason to find the first three issues, because each issue ...

• At November 14, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Well, yeah, that goes without saying. But the first three might be hard to find!

• At November 14, 2009, Ed Buskirk wrote:

  I don't think you're succeeding in spreading the Starstruck gospel, Greg, as not one comment so much as mentions it. ...

• At November 14, 2009, Mary Warner wrote:

  I bought SWORD today, because you told me to. I hope you can deal with that sort of responsibility.

  Is ...

• At November 15, 2009, Kieron Gillen wrote:

  Mary: It's an ongoing, but we're using a pretty firm arc based format. In other words, you can totally treat ...

• At November 15, 2009, Mary Warner wrote:

  Wow. I've never had an actual author respond to my comments directly. (Except for two occasions with Peter David ...

• At November 15, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Mary: If you like Gillen, you should DEFINITELY check out Phonogram. It's his Image series, and it's great (don't ...

• At November 16, 2009, Dan Bailey wrote:

  >>It features Jamie McKelvie on art (he drew the back-up story in SWORD)

  Damn. I wish you hadn't mentioned that, because ...

• At November 17, 2009, Kieron Gillen’s Workblog » S.W.O.R.D. 1 Out For Nearly A Week wrote:

  [...] O’Brien, House To Astonish: “The dialogue is great.” Greg Comics Should Be Good: “I certainly hope that it smashes ...

• At November 21, 2009, Drew wrote:

  Greg: Hey, thanks for your great review of S.W.O.R.D. #1—I'm glad I'm not the only one who loved the issue ...

• At November 21, 2009, Oeming wrote:

  Thanks for the review Greg- hope you also check out Powers next week!

  M!

I know it's out of context, but come on - that's funny stuff! "Oh, Bruce, what about those times when we would pull a train with Linda? And then, when she went home, we'd get to the really good stuff? WHAT ABOUT THAT, BRUCE?!?!?!?!?!"

Elva finds out that Bruce is playing her, and she goes on a crime spree. Elva herself has quit her job at the salon, so "the world's greatest detective" is flummoxed over how to find her (he says as much to Dick). Dick, never one to take his man getting stolen lying down, decides to go undercover himself, and one night, he gets into costume because he has a lead. Bruce asks him, "Where do you think you're going, youngster?" and Dick replies, "Oh, just after the Catwoman! Er ... I suppose you can come along, too ... although you might be too old to understand this sort of thing!" You see what he did there, turning the tables on Bruce? Well, that leads to this utterly bizarre panel:

A grown man spanking a young boy (what do we think Robin's age is here? 12?) while said boy is dressed in a spandex outfit. All I can say to Jack Schiff and Bob Kane, who are the credited writer and artist: Fetish much?

I know Batman and Robin gay jokes are played out, but I don't care! I'm just stunned it took Fredric Wertham another decade to decide comics were warping kids' minds. I guess the government had more important things to worry about in 1943!

35 Comments

• At November 10, 2009, Wraith wrote:

  Greg, that was an awesome post.

• At November 10, 2009, Ro wrote:

  The fact that both speech bubbles seem to be coming from Bruces mouth makes the final panel even more bizarre.

• At November 10, 2009, Adam wrote:

  I wonder which modern comics will look weird or ridiculous in 60 years.

• At November 10, 2009, Fabio wrote:

  And THAT'S why I always say that Dennys O'Neil and Neal Adams really created Batman!!! Before them Batman was something ...

• At November 10, 2009, Craig B. wrote:

  Adding to the weirdness of that last panel - what's up with the plane flying by outside the window? ...

• At November 10, 2009, T. wrote:

  I think even out of context that first panel isn't that bad. I think there are much better examples ...

• At November 10, 2009, Wesley Smith wrote:

  What, you've never been spanked by a wealthy playboy while wearing a cape, green briefs and Peter Pan booties?

  Is that ...

• At November 10, 2009, buttler wrote:

  Wesley: You mean TODAY, or just in general?

• At November 10, 2009, Rebis wrote:

  That is truly bizarre. For so many reasons.

• At November 10, 2009, Craig wrote:

  At least it wasn't part of the "Papa spank!" series that seemed to run rampant in vintage DC...

  ...but yeah, it's ...

• At November 10, 2009, Roman wrote:

  Fabio: I like your idea about Batman's creation.

• At November 10, 2009, johnny the boy wrote:

  creepy, out-of-context early batman panels should be a regular feature...hysterical.

• At November 10, 2009, chad wrote:

  that panel showed how crazy and different the early run of batman was not to mention how lax judging from ...

• At November 10, 2009, John Trumbull wrote:

  Part of the reason that last panel looks so weird to us now is that we don't hear too much ...

• At November 10, 2009, Fabio wrote:

  Roman: Ain`t that right? I remember when (a long time ago, about 25 years) I started to read the old ...

• At November 10, 2009, buttler wrote:

  I will not stand for any hate speech against the Zebra Batman.

• At November 10, 2009, Alan Coil wrote:

  It was a different time, and things seen in today's context weren't seen in that context all those years ago.

  For ...

• At November 10, 2009, Fabio wrote:

  Johnny the Boy: "creepy, out-of-context early batman panels should be a regular feature...hysterical."

  Oh, man you got my vote!

• At November 10, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  You know, now that DC is releasing these fairly regularly, maybe this will have to become a regular feature ...

• At November 10, 2009, FunkyGreenJerusalem wrote:

  I love that the old DC books, despite only really getting funny when your looking back on them (ie. they ...

• At November 10, 2009, Corey wrote:

  Classic.

  Is there any explanation or acknowledgement in the story of the plane in the background? Or is that a painting ...

• At November 10, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Corey: Nope. It's completely ignored, so I have no idea if it's a window or a painting. It's ...

• At November 10, 2009, FunkyGreenJerusalem wrote:

  Either Robin has a malformed bum, or Bruce is pulling pants and open...

• At November 10, 2009, Nitz the Bloody wrote:

  Well, now we know that Frank Miller's All Star Batman isn't completely different from the source material...

• At November 10, 2009, Corey wrote:

  @Greg Burgas - Even better!

• At November 10, 2009, Danielle Leigh wrote:

  I love how Bruce is all dressed up in a suit for the spanking...better than a smoking jacket I suppose...

• At November 10, 2009, Julian wrote:

  Just a quick question. How many of you guys have read Seduction of the Innocent?

• At November 10, 2009, Wesley Smith wrote:

  Just a quick question. How many of you guys have read Seduction of the Innocent?

  I've tried to find it at ...

• At November 10, 2009, Corey wrote:

  I was able to read portions of it when in college but it was almost never available at the college ...

• At November 11, 2009, T. wrote:

  I've never read Seduction of the Innocent in its entirety, but I will say the parts I have read were ...

• At November 11, 2009, T. wrote:

  Let me add though that from everything I read, Wertham himself did not want the witch hunt that ensued. ...

• At November 11, 2009, andyh40 wrote:

  Our library had a copy of SOTI, so I was able to read the book 3 times. Some things, I ...

• At November 11, 2009, T. wrote:

  To me what was most interesting about Wertham is that a lot of what I saw him condemning is not ...

• At November 11, 2009, Thenodrin wrote:

  I read Seduction of the Innocent back in the 80s. As I recall, Wertham had good arguments, but also demonstrated ...

• At November 11, 2009, Jherek Carnelian wrote:

  In the British weekly comics I grew up with, characters such as Dennis the Menace (no relation to your US ...

Assault on New Olympus (Prologue) by Greg Pak (writer), Fred van Lente (writer), Rodney Buchemi (artist), Guillem Mari (colorist), and Simon Bowland (letterer). "Godmarked Part One: The Oldest One" by Jeff Parker (writer), Gabriel Hardman (artist), Elizabeth Breitweiser (colorist), and Tom Orzechowski (letterer). $3.99, 38 pgs, FC, Marvel.

I got the idea for this week's theme mainly from being obsessed with the bikini Aphrodite is wearing. I guess it's her goddessy powers that are actually keeping those things covered!

This is a fine "prologue" to the story that is coming up in the regular Incredible Hercules book, as it gets all the players into place, advances the story a little, but doesn't have anything too, too crucial that can't be covered quickly if you happen to skip this but read the regular title (but really, why would you do that?). If you haven't been reading the regular title (and really, what's up with that?) and just grabbed this because of that wallcrawler on the cover, Pak and van Lente do a fine job getting you up to speed. There's a nice fight between Hercules and Spider-Man (with more good sound effects), a funny reference to that Amazing Spider-Man issue where our hero was trapped under all that wreckage and the water was pouring in (you know the one!), another funny reference to when Spidey fought the Juggernaut, and some nice character moments, from Herc's reconciliation with Hebe to his reunion with Amadeus. Plus, we get an Agents of Atlas back-up (which is called "Godmarked," which is also what the second story in the X-Men/Agents of Atlas book is called), in which the Atlas gang fights a giant octopus god. You goddamn read that right - a motherfucking giant octopus god!!!!!

Damn, I love comics. I didn't even mention how frickin' terrifying Amatsu-Mikaboshi is.

Boobs? Of course!

There's also Jocasta, who's metallic but, well, naked (as young Zeus points out), a naked but demurely covered Gaea, Athena wearing battle armor that inexplicably doesn't cover her shoulders or upper torso, and Spider-Woman wearing her thing.

Atomika #11 (of 12) ("Relentless") by Andrew Dabb (writer), Sal Abbinanti (artist), Buzz (inker), Simone Peruzzi (colorist), and Dave Sharpe (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, Mercury Comics.

Speaking of reasons to love comics, Atomika is still out there, speeding toward its conclusion, and I'm still loving it. There have been certain issues where Dabb takes a bit of a back seat, and this is one of them, but it's still stunning. Basically, Arohnir tells all his minions that Atomika is coming to kill them all and they need to fight, and then we get, I kid you not, eight (8) double-page spreads showing the forces arrayed against our "hero." Abbinanti draws the hell out of the armies, from the huge spiked one-wheeled dreadnaughts to the flying Harpies of the KGB, from the ornate bombers to the horrific demi-gods. Abbinanti even gives us a single double-page spread showing the war between Atomika and all his enemies, as if it's so horrible it can only be represented symbolically. Of course, it leads to his final confrontation with Arohnir (and a special guest!), but that's for next issue.

I've written this whenever an issue has come out, but gazing on Abbinanti's stunning art is really fun. With Dabb simply along for the ride on this issue (Dabb is a fairly good writer, but this issue simply isn't focused on the writing too much), Abbinanti can go more nuts than he usually does, and the sense of oppression and terrible magnificence that he's brought to the comic all along threatens almost to overwhelm the pages themselves. Atomika continues to be unlike almost every other comic, not because of the story (it's a good story, but it's basically a superhero battle), but because of the way Dabb has made it feel like a Soviet comic (if that makes sense) and the way Abbinanti has truly created a weird and unique world. I have a feeling a lot of people have missed this, but I greatly encourage you to get the trade of the first six issues and, of course, get the trade of the second six when it shows up. It's a dynamite comic.

Boobs? Of course!

For some reason, the female demi-god, who has that big fur on because she lives in Russia and understands how cold it is, feels the need to wear a low-cut outfit and expose her midriff. How's that going to help her fight Atomika?

Batman: Unseen #3 (of 5) ("Ghost-Killer") by Doug Moench (writer), Kelley Jones (artist), Michelle Madsen (colorist), and Pat Brosseau (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, DC.

All right, so I skipped reviewing issue #2, because it came out two weeks ago, when I was really, really sick, so I missed that it came out and didn't get it until a few days ago. But I'm back with issue #3, and it's not like you don't know what you're getting from a Moench/Jones Batman comic, right? I mean, on the first page we see Batman working on some wacky, pseudo-scientific-but-also-slightly-Gothic machine in the cave, trying to figure out what's going on with the invisibility serum. Throughout the book, we see more and more weird contraptions, because that's the way Kelley Jones likes it, damn it!

Of course, Batman goes out and does stuff, beating up an invisible man (because he's the Goddamned Batman, man, so he doesn't need to actually see the bad guys like mere mortals!), making an appearance as Bruce Wayne (I always liked how Jones's Bruce Wayne was almost as scary as his Batman), and doing his Batman thing. Meanwhile, the invisible man kills again, Moench's favorite character Roman Sionis recounts his origin yet again, and it's another Moench/Jones instant classic. Don't listen to T.! Moench and Jones on Batman is always a blast of pure awesomeness! Come on - for one of the chapter breaks, Jones turns Batman's head into a candle! Who else would come up with something so wacky????

Boobs? Of course!

The invisible man tries to kill that dude, and of course his wife is sleeping in lingerie instead of sensible pajamas!

Black Widow: Deadly Origin #1 by Paul Cornell (writer), Tom Raney (penciler), John Paul Leon (artist/colorist), Scott Hanna (inker), Matt Milla (colorist), and Cory Petit (letterer). $3.99, 21 pgs, FC, Marvel.

I don't get this book at all. It's 4 dollars for 21 pages of story, which is a bad return. I know I said I wasn't going to fall for this from Marvel again, but it's Paul Cornell, and I really want to support his work, so there's that. But that's not what I don't get. The end of the book gives us a "Next," but which issue is "next"? Marvel's December solicits include Black Widow and the Marvel Girls #1 (God, what an awful title), which is a mini-series by a completely different creative team than this one (Paul Tobin and Salvador Espin, in case you're interested). Marvel then has issue #3 of this series up on their site for January, but I can't find where issue #2 is. Hmmm ... Then, issue #3 is still $3.99, presumably for the same amount of pages (21 or 22), so I think I will skip the rest of the series, even though I want to support Cornell. I'm sorry, Marvel, I'll pay 4 dollars for an indy book, but when you can slap a 4-dollar price tag on a 38-page book (see above) and on a 30-page comic (see below) but aren't able to sell a book featuring, let's face it, a middle-tier character in your stable for 3 dollars, why should I pay it? It will just come out in trade in a few months anyway.

It's kind of shame, because this is a decent comic. It's not quite as good as Rucka's work with the character at the beginning of the decade, but it's pretty good. Cornell does a good job jiving it with long-established "continuity" with regard to Logan and Natasha in World War II (Natasha seems a bit old during this section, based on what we discovered back in that great Uncanny X-Men issue, but I'll forgive it), and Leon, who is apparently the go-to artist when you need someone to draw something in Russia, does his usual fantastic job depicting the action. Raney's art is always good, even though I assume Milla "Marvelized" it by smoothing out the rough edges. There's plenty of action, a mystery to be solved, and Bucky Barnes! I didn't love this part too much, because Cornell falls back on simply listing who he is and what he means to Natasha instead of working it better into the story, but that's okay. It always seemed less intrusive when narrative boxes were more common. When they just show up occasionally and read "James Barnes, now a free man. And upgraded. Enough of a boyfriend to use her nickname," it's kind of jarring. Oh well.

I'd really like to get this mini-series, but I'm not gonna. I'd rather spend my four dollars on something like GrimJack. Come on, Marvel, you're flush with Mouse Cash - keep the prices on your regular-sized books at $2.99!!!!!

Boobs? Shockingly (in a book starring a character who often wears black latex), not really. On the credits page we get Natasha in her black latex, but it's surprisingly chaste. I guess that's a win for Cornell, Raney, and Leon!

Elephantmen #22 ("Dangerous Liaisons Part Seven of Eight: 7 Days of Smog Part One: Truth") by Richard Starkings (writer), Andre Szymanowicz (artist), and Gregory Wright (colorist). $3.50, 23 pgs, FC, Image.

As always, I have to thank Richard Starkings for sending this to me, and I hope it's not too late for you to still find it on the shelves if you're interested (it came out two weeks ago). Should you buy it? Of course you should! It's, what's the word ... oh yeah, excellent. I know I sound like a broken record and I really do tell Starkings that I would buy his comic if he didn't always send it to me for free, because it's so damned good! After last issue, when Ebony went a bit nutty thanks to the thing in his head (which allows humans to control the elephantmen), Hip and Miki show up at his place to find out what's going on, and of course he doesn't remember anything. His red eyes freak Hip out a bit, but he doesn't get a chance to explore that. Meanwhile, Vanity meets a man named Simm, who showed up a few issues ago and is a bit mysterious, and he tells her that Obadiah Horn is selling Elephantmen paraphenalia, which piques her curiosity. Of course, she shouldn't trust him, but he's so darned cute! What's a poor girl to do? (Remember the Golden Rule of Comics, kids: Never trust anyone who's attractive!)

Szymanowicz is another good choice for the art chores - his women are slightly different than we usually see, but Miki and Vanity are still, you know, smokin'. Szymanowicz has a nice indy style that seems to fit with the "Blade Runner" kind of world that Starkings has created - he throws in all sorts of nice touches in the street scenes that make Los Angeles two hundred years in the future feel like a foreign place even as Hip visits a normal neighborhood in Santa Monica. It's a really nice-looking comic, and the final page is gorgeous. It's nice to see Szymanowicz getting some higher profile work. Next for him: Selling out to Marvel!!!!

Elephantmen just keeps trucking along, with good issue after good issue. If Starkings didn't get new artists every few issues, I'd never have anything new to talk about with regard to it! I'd just write, "Ho hum, another brilliant issue. What else is new?" Thanks, Richard, for helping your poor reviewer out!

Boobs? Well, I guess, as Vanity and Miki are in the book, but they're wearing fairly normal clothing, so there's nothing too obnoxious about it.

The God Machine (preview book) by Chandra Free (writer/artist). $3.95, 36 pgs, FC, Archaia.

This is the first of three (3) Archaia books on the agenda this week, only one of which I bought on my own (this isn't it). It's always nice to get stuff in the mail, and I'd like to thank the fine folk at Archaia for sending these on to me. I'm also glad they're getting their books out a bit more regularly, and are doing new stuff (like this) as well as cleaning up their back catalog.

Of course, the problem with getting stuff in the mail is that sometimes you just don't like it. I can't really recommend The God Machine, not because it's a preview and doesn't tell a complete story, but because it's not really my thing. The art is very Johnny the Homicidal Maniac kind of stuff, which I'm not too keen on, although I appreciate the work Free put into it - this is very much a labor of love, and there's a lot of energy on the page, even though I don't really like the style. The story isn't my thing, either - seventeen-year-old Guy Salvatore is pining away for his (presumably) dead girlfriend, bitching about how his school sucks, and seeing things. He ends up in a cemetary, where two gods - the Good God and the Evil God - show up digging out a grave. Guy seems to know the Good God (she's a hot redhead, whereas the Evil God is a dude, natch), but before they can speak to each other, they disappear and Satan shows up. He tells Guy that his girlfriend is still alive in another dimension and only he can save her. And, of course, she's trapped because of the gods' messing around with reality. Guy, naturally, doesn't believe him. And thus the preview ends.

It's not a terribly bad plot, but Free sprinkles too much weird shit into it that drags it down, even though it's supposed to make things more manic. For instance, the book begins with Guy watching television late at night, and a show comes on starring "Everybody's favorite suicidal sock puppet, Mr. Insane Sock Puppet," who naturally tells kids to commit suicide. It's supposed to be funny (I guess), but I don't find it funny, and it sets the tone for the book, with Guy being kind of jerk to everyone (yes, I know his girlfriend just died, but it seems like he'd be a jerk even if she was alive) and everyone yelling a lot. Guy has a very keen creepy dream at one point, but that's about the only thing I really liked in the book. Maybe I'm just too old to enjoy something like this. I am pretty old, you know. It just never feels like Free does much to create interesting characters - she spins the clichés of Goth kids fairly well, but just because you twist those a bit doesn't mean you're creating an interesting character. I assume Guy's quest to find his girlfriend (whose nickname is "Sith") will be the crux of the book, and will intersect with the gods and what they're up to, but based on this preview, I don't really care if Guy succeeds or not.

I hate not liking this. Free writes in the beginning of the book that it's taken her ten years to get the book to publication, and you can certainly tell that she's put a lot of herself into it. You can check out her web site, her DeviantArt page, or The God Machine page to see more of her artwork, in case it's up your alley. It's just not up mine.

Boobs? Hmmm, the one book drawn by a woman features several attractive women, but none flashing a lot of cleavage. I'm stunned!

Greek Street #5 ("Book One: Blood Calls For Blood Part Five: The Anger of the Gods") by Peter Milligan (writer), Davide Gianfelice (artist), Patricia Mulvihill (colorist), and Clem Robins (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, DC/Vertigo.

I'm 90% certain I'm done with Greek Street, because this is the end of the first story arc, and it's just not doing it for me. The reason it's still only 90% is because in this issue, Milligan hints that the characters are actually the mythic characters themselves, not just people who happen to be living out lives that resemble characters from Greek myths. I'm not sure if he's hinted this before, but it's kind of interesting. Other than that, though, this is still a bit of a mess, and it's not really doing much for me. Milligan doesn't seem to have a clear idea about what he wants to do, even though I'm sure he has a long-term plan. The book just seems so all over the map, and it makes it very hard to get into it. Milligan has tightened the focus a bit as he's gone along, but not enough for me. I just find myself not caring very much about what happens next, which doesn't bode well.

I do like that Milligan seems to have a balls-to-the-wall kind of attitude about this book with regard to who lives and who dies, as it seems like nobody is safe in this book. That's always fun, because I get annoyed when a writer has a favorite character and obviously has no interest in harming that character. Suck it up, writers! Milligan doesn't seem to have that problem, and it makes reading this a bit jarring, which is actually kind of neat. But I don't think it's enough! We shall see, but I doubt if I will pick up the next issue. So sad!

Boobs? Of course!

This is the first panel in the book, and it's a boob. Greek Street features plenty of nudity, significantly none of it male frontal.

GrimJack: The Manx Cat #4 (of 6) by John Ostrander (writer), Timothy Truman (artist), Lovern Kindzierski (colorist), and John Workman (letterer). $3.99, 25 pgs, FC, IDW.

Speaking of why comics are great, Ostrander sends Gaunt back in time to discover the secret of the Manx Cat, and Gaunt inhabits the body of a vigilante monk who fights demons, is in love with a fellow monk (who doesn't know about it), visits the ruler of Cynosure's churches and has to get by three belligerent heads, and then fights ... battle cherubs. The fact that I can write that sentence and not have fellow blog readers think I'm snorting angel dust is why comics are goddamned awesome. It's not even that weird an issue! It is, however, brilliant as usual. Oh, and Gaunt/St. John of Knives ends up in a different dimension facing a mummified (but still sexy) cat goddess. Of fucking course.

Damn, I love comics. Yes, I already wrote that, but I don't care! It's still true!

Boobs? Of course!

You can't have a sexy mummified cat goddess without some boobs!

The Secret History #6 (of 7) ("The Eagle and the Sphinx") by Jean-Pierre Pécau (writer), Igor Kordey (artist), Carole Beau (colorist), Marshall Dillon (letterer), and Edward Gauvin (translator). $5.95, 46 pgs, FC, Archaia.

It's been quite some time since The Secret History saw the light of day, and while it might not be for everyone, I'm still loving it, mainly because (as I've written before) I'm a total sucker for history and alternate history, which we get in large doses in this book. Each issue moves the grand plot along (a plot, I'm sorry to say, that I'm extremely fuzzy on, mainly because it's been so long since I've read the previous issues, but it involves immortals manipulating humanity, to be as basic as possible), but each issue, because they're separated by hundreds of years, also tells a compelling story in its own right, which is a keen trick. In this issue, Napoleon goes to Egypt, but not for the reasons you might think. This gives Pécau the opportunity to give us some nice battle scenes, some nice creepy scenes in which sand creatures attack the French, and gives Kordey the opportunity to draw the mysterious Orient, and as usual, he draws the heck out of it. Whenever I read anything drawn by Kordey, I need to remind people who only know him from X-Men that he's very good and that his work on X-Men was compromised by the fact that he was churning out an issue a day (which may be exaggerated, but not by much). He does a wonderful job with a large cast of characters, a sprawling canvas of locations, from Toulon to Egypt to Syria, and some horrific violence. The book feels a bit crowded, with a lot of panels and a lot of narration and dialogue, but it flows very nicely due to Kordey's art.

I do hope the final issue isn't too late. I'm looking forward to the grand finale!

Boobs! Of course! It's European! Which means that the only boobs are naked ones, pretty much in the service of the story. There's nothing terribly gratuitous about it, which is nice. It's just there.

Secret Six #15 ("Control") by John Ostrander (writer), Jim Calafiore (artist), Jason Wright (colorist), and Travis Lanham (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, DC.

One of the things that's nice about the minor characters in the DC (and Marvel, of course) canon is that it's fairly easy to keep track of what's going on with them if you're so inclined. As they pop up not too often, they don't have years and years of backstory to incorporate. Of course, that's not always the case - I'm not sure what the hell is going on with Looker - but it does apply quite often, and if you happen to have read about the character a lot, you won't be too lost when someone like Ostrander writes about someone like Deadshot. Despite being in Suicide Squad for its entire run and being a fairly popular villain for 30 years, it's not too difficult for Ostrander to recount the major points in Floyd's life, and he even manages to update his origin for the hell of it. It's your typical excellent Ostrander tale, with Floyd feeling out of control (as he seems to be in Secret Six recently) and seeking the advice of John Ostrander himself, in the form of Reverend Richard Craemer, Ostrander's stand-in the DCU (and who, frankly, I'm surprised is still alive - why hasn't Geoff Johns slaughtered him yet?). He walks around with Craemer, explaining how he came to be and getting sound advice from the good reverend. Although there's not a lot of action and we are positive Floyd isn't going to kill Craemer like he claims he will, it's a gripping tale, because Ostrander gets Floyd better than anyone who's ever written him (including Steve Englehart, who brought him out of mothballs back in the Seventies), and Ostrander is also quite good at writing Richard Craemer. Calafiore, Bill Reed's favoritest artist EVAH, does his typical yeomanlike work on the book - if you hate Calafiore, you won't change your mind seeing this, but if you don't mind him (I kind of like him), this is more of the same.

As much as I dig this book, I really hate when Ostrander shows up in the DCU and starts writing stuff like this. It makes me miss Suicide Squad and The Spectre even more. Goddamn.

Boobs! Of course!

Bruce Wayne in his "Bruce Wayne" role? You know he'll have scantily-clad women near him!

Strange Tales #3 (of 3). "Cool Hand Uatu" by Nick Bertozzi (writer/artist) and Chris Sinderson (colorist); "Oni" by Stan Sakai (writer/artist) and Tom Luth (colorist); "The Fortune Full X-Man" by Corey Lewis (writer/artist) and Dylan McCrae (colorist); "Fantastic Fool's Day" by Jeffrey Brown (writer/artist) and Bill Crabtree (colorist); "La Querelle des Monstres" by Jay Stephens (writer/artist); "Cup Cake!" by Chris Chua (writer/artist); "The Abominable Peter Pepper!" by Max Cannon (writer/artist); "The Punisher" by Jonathan Jay Lee (writer/artist); "The Incorrigible Hulk" by Peter Bagge (writer/artist); "Let's Fight" by Michael Kupperman (writer/artist); "Nightcrawler Meets Molecule Man" by Paul Hornschemeier (writer/artist); "Look Out, Sub-Mariner! ... Here Comes the King Crab" by Becky Cloonan (writer/artist). $4.99, 48 pgs, FC, Marvel.

Ah, yes, Strange Tales. Has anyone - Joey Q, some other bigwig at Marvel - ever explained exactly why Peter Bagge's Hulk story was shelved? I kept waiting for Hulk to eat a kitten and rape General Ross - or, you know, the other way around - so that I could say, "Oh, so THAT'S why," but it never happened. It was a silly Hulk tale, but nothing terribly objectionable. Does anyone know what the backstory is?

Other than that, this remains a mixed bag. I still think the first issue was the best, and the second issue the worst, with this falling somewhere in between. I didn't get the feeling of mockery of Marvel's characters that I did from the stories in the second issue, but I also didn't get the feeling of revelry in the glorious goofiness of Marvel's characters that I did from the stories in the first issue. Sakai's Hulk story is fine, nicely drawn (not surprisingly), but kind of dull. Corey Lewis's Longshot story is dazzling to look at, but like The God Machine, it makes me feel old. Jeffrey Brown's Fantastic Four story cracked me the fuck up, I'll tell you that much. The Beast versus Morbius story was fun solely because of the odd juxtaposition of the two characters beating on each other while engaging in a philosophical debate. I don't know what the fuck is going on in Chris Chua's story, and I don't think I'm alone in that. Max Cannon's contribution was better than the one in the second issue, but still not too funny. Jonathan Jay Lee's Punisher story might actually get me to read a Punisher issue, if only for how different it looks. Michael Kupperman's Avengers story is funny until we get the worn-out Hostess Fruit Pies ending. Paul Hornschemeier's weird story also features philosophical musings, sans the punching. And while Becky Cloonan's story is ... strange, to say the least (fitting for the anthology, I guess), I can't not love her art, and Marvel should give her a Sub-Mariner mini-series, stat!

I'm probably always going to support this kind of thing from Marvel and DC, unless the quality is really, really bad. Unlike Brad Curran, I actually occasionally support these creators' independent stuff, and it's very neat to see them unleashed on iconic comic book characters. I mean, Uatu's comment about Kraven on the first page is almost worth the price of admission!

Boobs? There aren't a lot of women in this book, but the ones that are there are dressed normally and aren't showing anything.

Stumptown #1 ("The Case of the Girl Who Took Her Shampoo but Left her Mini Part One") by Greg Rucka (writer), Matthew Southworth (artist), and Lee Loughridge (colorist). $3.99, 35 pgs, FC, Oni Press.

There were two main reasons I purchased this comic:

1. Greg Rucka is writing it. I pick on Rucka when he's writing Detective because I just don't think the writing is that strong, but for the past decade, he's been one of the good writers in comics when he's able to do this kind of crime book, from Whiteout to Queen & Country to Gotham Central to Checkmate. So when I saw he was writing a private eye book, I was jazzed.

2. I fucking love Portland, where this book is set ("Stumptown" is a nickname for Portland). That may seem like a lame reason to buy a comic, and of course if the book sucks it won't matter where it's set, but I really would like to get across how much I fucking love Portland and wish I still lived there. There's absolutely nothing I don't fucking love about Portland, and that includes the crappy winter weather. Whenever goddamned Jeff Parker posts on his blog that he'll be signing his latest goddamned excellent comic at Clackamas Town Center or somewhere else in the greater Portland area, I leave a comment on his blog damning him for living in Portland. Damn you, Jeff Parker!!!!! So, needless to say, I was jazzed about Rucka writing a crime comic set in Portland. If someone told me I could move back to Portland and have a nice house in Alameda or by Mt. Tabor or down in Westmoreland or Oak Grove or up by the University or out in the Northwest or even a little further out in Lake Oswego or West Linn or even Tigard and all I had to do was kill Apodaca, I'm afraid he wouldn't be long for this world (sorry, Dan). Yes, I'd risk life imprisonment to live in Portland! (Although, let's be honest, who'd miss him? Oh, I kid, Dan, I kid!!!!!!)

Of course, now I have another reason to purchase Stumptown, and that's because Southworth's art, which I've never seen before, is very good, even when he's not drawing Portland landmarks. And, of course, Rucka's story is nice and twisty, as we're introduced to the unfortunately-named Dexedrine Callisto Parios (we learn that on the final page, and also that everyone - thankfully - calls her "Dex"), a private investigator with a big gambling problem. To get out of debt, she agrees to find the granddaughter of the casino owner (manager?). The girl disappeared, and it seems several people are looking for her. Of course, Dex is approached by someone else who's looking for, someone who scares the girl, apparently, because she calls Dex and says "he" wants to kill her. Dex arranges a meeting, it all goes pear-shaped, and she ends up in police custody. Just another day in the life of a seedy private eye!

Rucka keeps things moving along nicely, and he gives Dex a brother who has special needs (I'll guess Down syndrome, but it's not clear), which humanizes her a bit. There's also an implication about her relationship with Sue-Lynne, the casino owner (or manager), but we'll see where that goes. It's a solid first issue, with a dynamite beginning and a nifty little mystery.

And it makes me miss Portland even more. Damn you, Greg Rucka and Matthew Southworth. And I wouldn't kill you, Dan. You're too neat a guy. Maybe I'd just have to maim you. We cool with that?

Boobs? There's one panel where a woman wearing a bikini steps from a pool, but it's not obnoxious at all.

Sweet Tooth #3 ("Out of the Deep Woods Part Three") by Jeff Lemire (writer/artist), José Villarrubia (colorist), and Pat Brosseau (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, DC/Vertigo.

Sweet Tooth remains an odd comic, one like Greek Street, in that I'm not sure if I'm really loving it or not (in pretty much every other way, it's unlike Greek Street). I dig Lemire's art, and he brings a true feel of the rural world to the book that you don't see too much in comics. It's a bleak world he's created, and when terrifying things happen, like Gus's dream, it's even more terrifying because of the setting, and when Gus and Mr. Jepperd show up in a town, we feel the tremendous emptiness, due mainly to Lemire's art. However, I'm not terribly sure if the story is all that compelling. I mean, there's nothing terribly original about a plague wiping out most of humanity, and Lemire hasn't done a lot yet with the fact that Gus is a human-animal hybrid (although the end of this issue might change that next time). I stuck with Wasteland, another post-apocalyptic story, as I waited to figure out what Antony Johnston was doing with it, and I was rewarded for my patience. From what I've read of Lemire so far, I think he knows what he's doing and will make this worthwhile, so I'm going to be patient for this too. But right now, I'm just not loving it. It hasn't grabbed me yet. I hope it will.

Boobs? There's only one panel with a female in this book, and she's wearing a simple dress. Does the Cinderella preview count?

Titanium Rain #1 and 2 by Josh Finney (writer/artist) and Kat Rocha (artist). $4.99, 48 pgs, FC, Archaia.

This is the third Archaia book I received in the mail, and like the first one, I'm not going to recommend it. I read about Titanium Rain when it was first solicited, but it didn't sound like something I'd like. In 2032, a civil war in China has brought in an international peacekeeping force. As there is a lack of good fighter pilot candidates, some of the wannabes have been injected with various nanomachines to make them better. So the story is about whether these people are still human. In the first two issues (which are combined here), it's a lot of fighting and not a lot of philosophical discussion, but Finney still brings it up nicely, all the while making sure the situation in China is fairly realistic. It's not a great story, but it's not a bad one, either.

However, I can't stand the art. It's done in that digital "realistic" style where the artists (both Finney and Rocha are credited) actually use models and somehow scan their faces into the computer. It's really, really creepy, because we get what looks like movie stills but in sequence, which makes this look like a movie that's not moving. Comics are a static medium, and trying to do this kind of thing never works. Using models is perfectly fine, but making the book look like it's a series of photographs robs it of any dynamism, and everything looks extremely plastic in this book. It takes me right out of the story, as I find myself staring at each face, wondering if the doctor in the book is the Bettie Page chick from NCIS, looking at the weirdly dead eyes of the characters, and it just doesn't work. With good art, this might be an interesting comic. With this, it's really unpleasant.

Of course, at the web site, you can check out some of the art and read some of the praise of the book. Don't let me stop you from buying it!

Boobs? It's a war comic! Everyone's in uniform! Although NCIS chick does have a tiny bit of cleavage going on, but not enough to be remotely egregious.

The Unknown: The Devil Made Flesh #2 (of 4) by Mark Waid (writer), Minck Oosterveer (artist), Andres Lozano (colorist), Javier Suppa (colorist), and Marshall Dillon (letterer). $3.99, 22 pgs, FC, Boom! Studios.

Waid's weird detective saga continues, as Catherine and Adriana head to Alabama to investigate some murders that an amateur detective told her about. It turns out the "amateur detective" is a kid who suddenly got really smart, which is strange enough. But someone really doesn't want Catherine to be in Alabama, and things get violent at the end, as one bad guy is revealed and the other ... well, he has an axe. The mystery continues, and as usual, I have to wonder what's important and what's not. Are the gloves important? ARE THEY????? Oh, the drama!!!!! Plus, Waid delves a bit deeper into Catherine's brain problem and why she doesn't get it operated on. It's a nice character moment in the middle of a weird story.

Oosterveer, of course, continues to dazzle, especially now that he has two hot women to draw instead of one. But he also does a really good job with the creepiness of Mountain Oak, Alabama, and he gives the climax a nice tense feel to it. He's the kind of artist whose earlier work I want to track down, because he's so talented.

I honestly have no idea where Waid is going with this, but it's a very cool read. What about James, Mr. Waid? Is there more to his story?!?!?!?!???!?

Boobs? Of course! Check out that cover!

Two well-endowed women solving crimes? Where's the FOX television show????

X-Men vs. Agents of Atlas #2 (of 2) ("The X-Heist Part Two" and "Godmarked") by Jeff Parker (writer), Carlo Pagulayan (penciler), Gabriel Hardman (artist), Chris Samnee (artist), Carlos Rodriguez (penciler), Jason Paz (inker), Terry Pallot (inker), Wilfredo Quintana (colorist), Veronica Gandini (colorist), and Joe Caramagna (letterer). $3.99, 30 pgs, FC, Marvel.

Parker wraps up his nifty little crossover with more fighting, eventual reconciliation, and Namor not acting like a dick for once. Way to go, Namor! What's keen is that Parker does a nice job explaining just what the hell was going on with the Chris Samnee-drawn section of issue #1, which was, you know, kind of confusing. And although I'm not sure why Aphrodite gives Venus a tramp stamp, the endgame, drawn by Hardman, is pretty cool. Aphrodite even gets a joke in as the Agents of Atlas battle her!

This would have worked a lot better as part of the Agents of Atlas ongoing, because it's so obvious that the X-Men are here just to goose sales, but it won't help the ongoing now, will it? Unlike most crossovers, this is basically an Agents of Atlas story with the X-Men being there just because they're famous. I mean, it's commendable that Parker tries to make them important, but they're not, really. This is all part of the Agents getting involved in the Hercules world, and Parker does his usual fine job putting all the pieces in place and entertaining the hell out of us, but it doesn't feel like an important crossover, you know? I mean, like one where it's a story about both teams? Even though Parker tries to do this, it still feels like an Agents of Atlas story. That's not a complaint, by the way, because Parker's Agents of Atlas was better than pretty much every X-book, but it's a shame that Parker needed to bring in the X-Men to tell this story.

But it gets us to where we need to go, which is Assault on New Olympus, which directly follows this issue. See? This is the Möbius strip of comics reviewing! How's about that!

Boobs? Of course!

But not too much. I mean, Venus doesn't wear a lot in general, so of course there's going to be some. But there's nothing terribly gratuitous.

I don't really have a point with all the cleavage, but it's worthwhile pointing this stuff out occasionally. The last time I did this, it seemed a lot more gratuitous. That was a few years ago. Maybe we're making progress!

And hey, it's time for totally random lyrics!

"Once you take a hit of this
You won't ever wanna quit
You'll be so addicted
Said I'll have you spinning round and round
Crazy, making freaky sounds
You won't want to come down
And I'll have you seeing things and hallucinating
Even walking funny 'cause your legs are shaking
All night we'll be blazin'
I'll take you for a walk to the other side
We can get high and enjoy the ride
Hold tight we'll be all right"

We're still friends, Dan, right? Right?

21 Comments

• At November 5, 2009, stealthwise wrote:

  Question about the "Bruce Wayne" persona: has it always been around, or is it a more recent invention of the ...

• At November 5, 2009, Rebis wrote:

  This is a bit off-topic — sorry Greg — but you did review a Boom! Comics title, which reminds me ...

• At November 5, 2009, Aperture wrote:

  Irredeemable is a great book in my opinion so you should pick it up right away, Rebis. Then again, ...

• At November 5, 2009, Alan Coil wrote:

  Man, I didn't read any of those books.

• At November 5, 2009, Omar Karindu, with the power of SUPER-hypocrisy! wrote:

  The Bruce Wayne persona is pretty much there in Detective Comics #27, where he yawns through the Commissioner's story about ...

• At November 6, 2009, JackKing wrote:

  You know, if we pooled our money together, we could buy that house for Greg...

• At November 6, 2009, Johnny P wrote:

  The Faith No More line was much more interesting than John Legend lyrics.

• At November 6, 2009, Manglr wrote:

  The gratuitous guest stars is one of the things killing Agents of Atlas for me. I thought the ongoing ...

• At November 6, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Rebis: Irredeemable is one of those things that I may pick up eventually, but I feel no need to rush ...

• At November 6, 2009, Craig wrote:

  Regarding "Irredeemable": I started reading it, and was blindsided by how uncompromisingly violent and brutal it was. The first issue ...

• At November 6, 2009, Tom Fitzpatrick wrote:

  I dropped The Secret History when I noticed that Igor Kordey wasn't drawing ALL of the series.

  I'm just of the ...

• At November 6, 2009, s1rude wrote:

  I think there is an Irredeemable trade out - 10 buck for four issues, which is a $6 savings over ...

• At November 6, 2009, Manglr wrote:

  @Greg

  You're right of course about trying to goose sales of Agents of Atlas, but at what point does oversaturation of ...

• At November 6, 2009, Chip Mosher wrote:

  Wow! What a bunch of IRREDEEMABLE haters. :P

  FWIW, this is our top selling book, with the latest issues outselling the ...

• At November 6, 2009, CW wrote:

  Writting this from the south waterfront downtown portland as we speak! Be thankful you're not up here this weekend, huge ...

• At November 6, 2009, Mary Warner wrote:

  I haven't read any of these.

  Did the Black Widow really fight in World War II? I never heard of ...

• At November 6, 2009, Brian Cronin wrote:

  1990's Uncanny X-Men #268 established Black Widow being around during World War II.

• At November 6, 2009, Mary Warner wrote:

  Thanks. I stopped reading X-Men in 1989, so I guess I just missed it. How did they explain ...

• At November 6, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Mary: I'm not sure if they've explained it before, but Cornell explains it in this very issue! Bucky gives ...

• At November 7, 2009, MikeCr wrote:

  Irredeemable isn't bad but it could be better. Even at its best I feel like it'd only be considered ...

• At November 7, 2009, Bill Reed wrote:

  Widow probably takes the same stuff Nick Fury does, but she gets more beauty sleep.

Dark Horse:

There's a new Solomon Kane mini-series on page 28 (13 January), if you're interested. According to the quote on the page, Kane is the "only Puritan" Ed Brubaker has been a fan of. What about Roger Williams, Ed? He was a pretty cool guy!

On page 34, we get a hardcover collection of Blacksad for $30 (24 March). I've heard plenty of good things about this - anyone want to reaffirm the kudos?

DC:

I have no interest in DC's "final issue" thing that they're doing (although it's a clever enough idea), but I suppose I'll have to buy Suicide Squad #67 (page 69; 6 January), as it ties into Secret Six. It's another issue to test Bill Reed's patience, as Ostrander and Simone write it, but Jim Calafiore draws it. Poor Bill!

As much as I'm jazzed by Batman and Robin #7 (page 71; 27 January) because it's drawn by Cameron Stewart and features the Knight and Squire, it appears to be a "Blackest Night" tie-in. Goddamnit, even the God of All Comics can't resist!

Why is Spawn guest-starring in Batman #695 (page 71; 13 January)?

So the solicitation text for Supergirl #49 tells us that Lana Lang dies (page 77; 20 January). That's not what concerns me, though. It's this: "She is survived by ex-husband, former president of the United States Pete Ross ..." I know why Pete was president, but stuff like this just reminds me how very, very stupid comics can be occasionally.

The Mighty gets cancelled on page 83 (6 January). I guess that's my fault.

Hey, look - Mike Grell draws Warlord #10 (page 86; 6 January). Will it be enough to save the book????

The second Hitman trade gets a new printing on page 88 (24 February). Buy it. It does not suck.

The fourth Planetary hardcover is offered on page 97 (3 March). Will there be a complete Omnibus (with the specials included) in the future?

Some dude named Grant Morrison has a book called Joe the Barbarian on page 108 (20 January). If you like shitty, non-linear, pretentious comics which probably don't feature enough ass-kicking, that is.

David Lapham draws an issue of Fables (page 113; 13 January). Look at him, getting work like that!

DC is re-releasing the first two volumes of The Losers as one book (page 114; 27 January). I was ambivalent about this book through the first trade, but it gets a lot better as it goes along.

Joëlle Jones draws an issue of Madame Xanadu (page 115; 27 January). Nothing against Amy Reeder Hadley, but they get some dynamite fill-in artists on that book. Speaking of which, Michael Kaluta's arc is collected in trade on the same page.

Image:

There's a new Jack Staff comic on page 140 (27 January). That monthly Jack Staff book worked out pretty well, didn't it?

If you buy Dynamo 5 in trade, the latest one is on page 145 (27 January). It brings us up to date while we wait for the relaunch.

Proof comes to an end with issue #28 on page 156 (6 January). I hope it was just a natural place and not because sales are terrible. That always sucks.

Marvel:

Max Fiumara draws an issue of Amazing Spider-Man (page 21; 6 January). I still won't buy it, but Fiumara is really good.

Geoff Johns' run on The Avengers is collected in trade on page 100 (20 January). Is this the arc where the Wasp and Hank Pym were having icky sex?

Continuing Marvel's policy to put out a trade for everything (which is a nice policy, even if some of their choices are head-scratching), we get the first seven issues of Iron Man from 1998, written by Kurt Busiek and drawn by Sean Chen and Patrick Zircher. If you were jonesing for these issues, here they are!

That's some really unfortunate placement of that console there, Marvel.

More Visionaries volumes on page 116: Another Peter David Hulk one, collecting issues #383-389, and another Alan Davis Excalibur one, collecting issues #51-58 (27 and 20 January, respectively).

You know what time it is ... time for the back of the book!

SLG offers Animal Crackers, a collection of early work from Gene Luen Yang, on page 178. I imagine it's pretty good.

Over on page 183, Antarctic Press gives us ... Obamouse!

Dear Sweet Lord.

Hey, "Rob Liefeld's fallen angel, Avengelyne," returns to comics from Arcana on page 184. Did you miss her?

Also on page 184, Archaia offers Tumor by Joshua Hale Fialkov and Noel Tuazon. You missed their last collaboration, Elk's Run - don't miss this one!

No Hero comes out in trade on page 191 from Avatar. I'm sure you're dying to see the dude tie someone's spine onto his crotch and brandish it like an erect penis, aren't you? (Isn't this the comic where that happened?)

I haven't been reading Swordsmith Assassin from Boom! Studios, but I've read some good things about it, and there's a trade on page 202. If you're in the mood to check it out!

I shouldn't point out anything to do with Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose (page 204), but Jim Balent makes it so tough with awesome covers like this:

Well, Dynamite Entertainment does it again, with Robocop #1 on page 214. I don't know if it'll be any good, but there it is!

Dynamite also has the second Zorro trade on page 219. It's a hardcover, so you might want to wait until the softcover comes out, but it's a pretty good story.

In case Chad Nevett wants a new edition of Hicksville, Drawn & Quarterly has it on page 223!

D & Q also has Adrian Tomine's first book, 32 Stories, in a new redesign (page 223). It's sure to be caustic!

IDW has some things you might be interested in. On page 242 they reprint The Wizard's Tale by Kurt Busiek, which isn't bad. On page 243 they have the trades of The Veil, which is quite good, and Fallen Angel: Reborn, which is pretty decent.

Rick Veitch and King Hell have Abraxas and the Earthmen and a new edition of Brat Pack on page 248. I've never read these, but someone has!

Chuck Dixon writes Airfighters on page 248 from Moonstone, which means it will feature kick-ass war stories featuring brightly-garbed heroes! Can you resist????

Oni has a new printing of the Local hardcover on page 252. It's very good. Then, on page 253, the first 13 issues of Wasteland (including the prose shorts) are collected in a giant hardcover. This too is very good.

Page 256 gives us another title from Radical Comics: Aladdin. I don't know if it's going to be any good, but Ian Edginton is writing it, and he's a fine writer.

And so we reach the end of another Previews. As usual, there's some good stuff in there, if you're willing to dig! So get to it!

19 Comments

• At November 1, 2009, Shaq-fu wrote:

  Those are awesome Rick Veitch comics!

• At November 1, 2009, Apodaca wrote:

  I don't know that I'd call 32 Stories caustic. It's more maudlin,or contrived. It's Tomine's extremely early work. It's interesting ...

• At November 1, 2009, The Dude wrote:

  I know almost nothing abot Joe The Barbarian, other than it's written by Morrison.

  Can you tell me what it's about?

  I ...

• At November 1, 2009, Nawid A wrote:

  Proof isn't cancelled. Issue 28 is just the end of the first season (currently the plan is to have at ...

• At November 1, 2009, Bill Reed wrote:

  No one knows much about Joe the Barbarian. It's said to be a kind of Narnia-esque journey into a world ...

• At November 1, 2009, Joshua Long wrote:

  Joe the Barbarian is about a diabetic kid who, when he forgets to take his penicillin, hallucinates all of these ...

• At November 1, 2009, Tom Fitzpatrick wrote:

  I've read Rick Veitch's Abraxas and the Earthman waaaaaaaaay back in those days of EPIC ILLUSTRATED magazine. A futuristic ...

• At November 1, 2009, Zdenko wrote:

  Blacksad is very, very, very good. If it doesn't bother you that you have things like sex, racism, drugs, mafia, ...

• At November 1, 2009, Dan Felty wrote:

  Tom F.--The One is still available from King Hell Press at http://www.rickveitch.com/store/ I just picked up a copy last ...

• At November 1, 2009, Ian A. wrote:

  Over on page 183, Antarctic Press gives us ... Obamouse!

  And also President Evil #4 (#4!) with a cover depicting Obama ...

• At November 1, 2009, Ian A. wrote:

  Oh, god.

  I found the solicit for Obamouse.

  And, this is real:

  The economy is crumbling like stale roquefort. We are at ...

• At November 1, 2009, Ian A. wrote:

  Heh, my dumbfounded-ness made me misspell "Penguin".

  Still. Wow.

• At November 1, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Dan: I've only read one Adrian Tomine book, and it was caustic, so I just assumed they all were. ...

• At November 1, 2009, Joshua Fialkov wrote:

  Thanks for the kind words about Tumor and Elk's Run, Greg! Anybody who wants to check out the book ...

• At November 1, 2009, buttler wrote:

  Good lord. With names like that, Roy Thomas and Scott Shaw! should get some sort of royalties from Obamouse. ...

• At November 1, 2009, Pedro Bouça wrote:

  Blacksad is great, get it!

  And Mike Grell has been drawing Warlord for some time now. I fear that many others ...

• At November 1, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Whoops! I did not realize that Grell had been drawing it. The one issue I got didn't feature ...

• At November 1, 2009, FunkyGreenJerusalem wrote:

  I don't know that I'd call 32 Stories caustic. It's more maudlin,or contrived. It's Tomine's extremely early work. It's interesting ...

• At November 1, 2009, Apodaca wrote:

  Neat. I didn't know there was such a thing.

  Yeah, it is interesting to track his evolution as an artist throughout ...

Meh. It's a fun issue, as a reporter tries to figure out what the heck happened to issue #6 and Ambush Bug, but the fact that issue #6 actually existed but never saw the light of day seems like much more of an interesting story, but I guess we'll never learn what happened. It's fairly bizarre, and it gets back to the real insularity of the comics industry. I mean, we often hear about why movies don't get made - they may be bullshit reasons, but we often hear them - but in comics, books just disappear and we never learn why. There was obviously some reason DC pulped issue #6, but I doubt if we'll ever learn what it is. That's kind of disappointing.

Astro City Special: Astra #2 (of 2) ("The Gordian Knot") by Kurt Busiek (writer), Brent E. Anderson (artist), J. G. Roshell (letterer), Jimmy Betancourt (letterer), and Wendy Broome (colorist). $3.99, 24 pgs, FC, DC/Wildstorm.

This is kind of a strange issue, as Busiek channels his inner Warren Ellis or Alan Moore and gives us an issue of Astra simply wandering around with her boyfriend explaining things. It allows Anderson to show off a lot, and he's certainly up to the cosmic splendor that Busiek wants from him, but it's a weird issue, because we rarely get this kind of thing from Busiek. It's not bad, and Busiek always does a nice job with the throwaway concepts in Astro City, but it's also tough to care too much about Astra's problem, because she's way out on the other end of the universe and she's not dealing with a big threat or anything, just her future. The great thing about Astro City is always that Busiek keeps everything grounded, but in this issue, Matt isn't a strong enough personality to keep things from getting overwhelming. I don't mind the occasional misstep in this series, however, because it's a fun issue to look at, and in the grand scheme of things, it's always cool to check in on old characters. And that's a pretty cool cover, I must say.

Buck Rogers #5 ("Future Shock Part Five: The Caloric Standard") by Scott Beatty (writer), Carlos Rafael (artist), Carlos Lopez (colorist), and Simon Bowland (letterer). $3.50, 22 pgs, FC, Dynamite Entertainment.

The ending of the first arc is a bit anti-climactic, which is weird. It looks great, as Rafael gives us some nice space action as the humans battle the Pack, but it feels like Buck and his allies are simply going through their paces, and that there's no chance of defeat, which makes this a bit less exciting than it could be. There's a brief showdown with the mastermind, but it's over quickly and with little fuss. Even Ardala's scheme doesn't pan out terribly well. I understand that this initial arc was more about getting Buck introduced to the 25th century, but there could have been a bit more excitement to the bigger plot. Strange.

Days Missing #3 (of 5) ("September 19th, 2008") by Ian Edginton (writer), Lee Moder (artist), Imaginary Friends Studios (colorist), Troy Peteri (letterer). $3.99, 22 pgs, FC, Archaia/Roddenberry.

Edginton's contribution to this series deals with what happens when a person begins to figure out what the Steward is doing to time, and whether he will step in to stop that person from finding out his secrets. Of course the answer is yes, but Edginton does a nice job with how the drama plays out - the Steward tries to convince the physicist, Kate Prosper, that it would be better for all concerned if she stops her investigations on her own. He throws in a man whose son is dying of leukemia and who decides to destroy the Large Hadron Collider because he thinks it's a waste of money - money that could have gone to help his son. This becomes two nice love stories, as both Kate and Alain Maurais, the father, realize what's important in their lives.

Edginton is a good writer, and Moder, although drawing in a style I don't like as much as his older stuff, is a fine draughtsman. This continues to be an interesting, thought-provoking series, no matter which creators are working on it!

Detective Comics #858 ("Twenty Years Ago"/"Pipeline Chapter One Part Five") by Greg Rucka (writer), J. H. Williams III (artist, "Twenty Years Later"), Dave Stewart (colorist, "Twenty Years Later"), Todd Klein (letterer, "Twenty Years Later"), Cully Hamner (artist, "Pipeline"), Dave McCaig (colorist, "Pipeline"), and Jared K. Fletcher (letterer, "Pipeline"). $3.99, 30 pgs, FC, DC.

I'm still buying this for the art, because Rucka just isn't bringing his "A" game to this book. It's not that the stories have been lousy, but they've been kind of boring and predictable, and in this issue, we get Kate's "origin," which means people are going to get shot in the head. Williams is dynamite as usual, changing his style in the sequences when Kate is a kid to such a degree that it looks like a different artist - it's very John Paul Leon. It still looks wonderful, and the few pages set in the present offer a glorious contrast to the rest of the book. It's a shame he's not getting a better effort from Rucka. And I really like Rucka. But he's just painting by numbers on this book.

Dynamo 5 #25 by Jay Faerber (writer), Mahmud Asrar (artist), Ron Riley (colorist), Charles Pritchett (letterer). "Eye of the Beholder" by Andie Tong (penciler), Kris Justice (inker), James Offredi (colorist); "Strong Enough" by Joe Eisma (artist) and Paul Little (colorist); "Just Another Pretty Face" by Tim Seeley (artist) and Kieran Oats (colorist); "Sky High" by Fran Bueno (artist); "Mixed Blessing" by Anthony Castrillo (artist) and Paul Little (colorist). $4.99, 46 pgs, FC, Image.

This is Asrar's last issue as artist on Dynamo 5, which sucks. Asrar is a great superhero artist, and it's disappointing that he's going off to Marvel to toil in anonymity for a while until he gets his own comic. He drew Thunderbolts #137, and while it's not bad art, I fear he'll get lost in the shuffle for a time while he toils away. I'm glad he got the attention of the big guys, but this is the way things work - the artist has to wait to get a big book, and in the meantime, he wanders around without a home. I wish him well, but I'm still depressed that creators can't make a living on indy books like this.

So the book is going on hiatus while the new artist (Faerber isn't saying who it is) gets some issues under his (her?) belt, and it's a good place for a break. The Dynamo 5 kids defeat the bad guys and switch powers thanks to a weapon the bad guy used on them. So the back-up stories are about the kids learning a bit more about their powers and introducing their new code names. It's a typically exciting issue, and it will be interesting to see where Faerber goes with it. I do hope the book returns when he says it will - I already miss Noble Causes (speaking of which, Yildiray Cinar draws the latest issue of Teen Titans, in another example of a good artist without a home at the Big Two) and I don't want this to go away. It will be nice to see it back.

Hey, Marvel - give Asrar a book I want to read! Would that be so hard?

Fantastic Four #572 "Solve Everything Conclusion") by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Dale Eaglesham (artist), Paul Mounts (artist), and Rus Wooton (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, Marvel.

Hickman ends his first arc on the title kind of oddly, as basically these three issues were to show that Reed's not a dick. Well, we kind of already knew that, so I'm not sure what the point of this was. It's a pretty exciting story, and Eaglesham is marvelous on it, but it seems kind of pointless. It's not even that Reed realizes the cost of solving everything (as the cover proclaims, it's "everything") and makes the choice to reject the council. A member of the council tells him that he will give up everything to solve all the world's problems, and Reed says he won't. It's an odd way to get at the central tenet of the arc - another Reed lays it out for our Reed, and our Reed walks away. We don't really get a sense that our Reed was struggling with this at all. Shouldn't the choice have been more difficult for him?

Plus, Sue's speech to Reed when he's getting weapons together to fight the Celestials rubbed me the wrong way. She apologizes for what she said earlier, but she says it's not because she was wrong, but because she forgets what it's like to be Reed. Then she absolves him of being a dick and says she'll just wait for him. I don't know why it bugged me - probably because whenever I read a Fantastic Four comic (which, admittedly, isn't often), it seems like Sue's usually the one apologizing, and even when Reed does, he never seems to learn anything. Why is it that traumatic events are the only ones that seem to remind Reed that he has a family? Why does he take them for granted so much? I know it's "part of his character," but Sue is always making compromises for him, and he never seems to do so for her. This simpering Sue who stands outside Reed's lab and tells him she'll be waiting for him when he remembers he has a family bothers me. But that could be just me.

Anyway, although this wasn't the greatest arc, it's intriguing enough that I'm willing to stick around and see where Hickman is going with the book. I'm a tad disappointed Eaglesham could only do three issues and now needs a break, but that's the way it is, I guess.

Ignition City #5 (of 5) by Warren Ellis (writer), Gianluca Pagliarani (artist), Chris Dreier (inker), and Digikore Studios (colorist). $3.99, 22 pgs, FC, Avatar.

Ignition City finally concludes with the BIG SECRET coming out, and as far as secrets go, it's not bad. Ellis links the story to the true story of the Nazi scientists after World War II, which allows him to express some indignation about the way the real world works. Of course, this is an adventure comic, so we can ignore realpolitik and engage in some revenge fantasies, and so Mary gets a small measure of vengeance for her father's death.

There's a lot going on here, as usual for Ellis, and he pulls it off quite well. There's a tremendous sense of sadness in this book, because of the idea that mankind could reach the stars but doesn't, something Ellis seems to fret about quite often. This is also a bit of a western, as the inhabitants of Ignition City were promised brand new worlds but then the frontier closed and they don't know what to do with themselves. It's a nifty mini-series, drawn very well by Pagliarani, and I encourage you to check out the trade when it shows up. It's less horrifying than Ellis's Avatar superhero stuff, but it's definitely a bit more thoughtful.

The Incredible Hercules #137 ("Atonement") by Fred van Lente (writer), Greg Pak (writer), Rodney Buchemi (artist), Guillem Mari (colorist), and Simon Bowland (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, Marvel.

As usual with the recent issues focusing on Amadeus rather than Hercules, this is a bit less insane, but no less good. Pak and van Lente explain a lot about what's been going on, and it leads back to why Amadeus needs to find Hercules again. It's really nicely done, and shows how tightly plotted this book has been for 25 issues or so. And it's always nice to see someone outthinking the bad guy, as Amadeus does here.

I don't really have a lot to say about this comic. It's consistently entertaining and probably the best book Marvel publishes right now. But you already knew that!

Northlanders #21 ("The Plague Widow Part 1 of 8: Seven Hundred on the Volga") by Brian Wood (writer), Leandro Fernandez (artist), Dave McCaig (colorist), and Travis Lanham (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, DC/Vertigo.

Wood begins another long-term arc on this excellent comic, as a plague comes to a Viking settlement on the Volga river in 1020 and the inhabitants must figure out what to do. A priest, Boris, claims that the plague is spread by little organisms jumping from human to human (of course we know today that disease is spread when one is insufficiently patriotic), which makes a lot of the people angry. (Germ theory was in its infancy in the eleventh century, but Boris could have heard of it from the Arabs, who were futzing around with it at this time.) Meanwhile, Hilda, the plague widow of the title, loses her husband and decides to trust Boris when he calls for the infected people to be kicked out of the village. This leads to an unpleasant scene as the infected turn on each other.

Fernandez does an excellent job on the art, bringing the stark winter of Russia to chilly life. It's a harshly beautiful comic to look at, and Fernandez is also quite adept at showing the terror on the faces of the characters as they make horrible choices.

As usual, this is a very good comic. I always look forward to it!

Secret Warriors #9 by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Alessandro Vitti (artist), Sunny Gho (colorist), and Dave Lanphear (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, Marvel.

It's a big fight issue, with a bit of intrigue thrown in. Mostly it's Fury's Heroes fighting Osborn's Avengers, and Hickman does a good job showing that Fury's gang is a bit outclassed but are still able to hold their own. There's a really cool scene where Bullseye gets beaten up but enjoys it, and generally, Vitti does a good job with a lot of action. Then John Garrett has a confrontation with the Secretary of the Treasury, who turns out to be not very nice. It's somewhat annoying because that story is continued in Dark Reign: The List - Secret Warriors, which means I have to go buy it. Damn it, Marvel! (It came out three weeks ago, too, which is just ... well, moronic. Good move, Marvel.)

I'm still not jazzed by Fury's Heroes, but they're growing on me. We'll see how Hickman wraps this thing up next issue, as Ares looks for revenge!

Unknown Soldier #13 ("The Way Home Chapter One of Two") by Joshua Dysart (writer), Patrice Masioni (artist), José Villarrubia (colorist), and Clem Robins (letterer). $2.99, 23 pgs, FC, DC/Vertigo.

This is a bit weaker an issue of Unknown Soldier, mainly because Dysart reverts to a completely polemical story, which ironically weakens his point. This is part one of two, so he sets up the story of a young boy trying to get back to his family and enlisting Moses to take him. Of course, the boy - Paul - has been recruited as a soldier in the guerrilla army, so he tells Moses about it as they travel, and it's typically horrifying. But it's so obviously horrible that it reads more like a press clipping, one we read, feel bad about, and then move on. Paul isn't real to us, and that blunts the horror he's gone through. Dysart has been quite good at making this book an action adventure that happens to take place in Uganda, and that has made the horrors of the war more real, but this issue doesn't really do that as well. It's notable for the presence of Masioni, a Congolese artist living in France. Dysart writes about trying to find an artist from the area to be a fill-in artist for when Ponticelli needed a break, and they found Masioni in France. Masioni writes about his life in the back of the book, and it's an affecting read. His art isn't great, but the fact that he has intimate knowledge of what's going on in central Africa helps make Paul's story a bit more powerful than it is from the script. It's what makes this an interesting comic even when the actual issue isn't as strong as the previous ones. We'll see how Dysart finishes this sucker next issue.

X-Factor #50 by Peter David (writer), Valentine de Landro (penciler), Pat Davidson (inker), Craig Yeung (inker), Jeromy Cox (colorist), and Cory Petit (letterer). $3.99, 32 pgs, FC, Marvel.

David wraps up his big storyline, and it's actually quite keen. I know that some reviewers have been frustrated with his sprawling tale, but I love that he does stuff like this. He takes a long view with regard to his titles, and while it's a bit annoying reading them in monthly installments (even though David is good enough to make the monthly installments fun to read), it's very nice to read them all at once, and this is no exception. David pulls everything together, explains Layla Miller's penchant for "knowing stuff" that fits in perfectly, explains the deal with Trevor Fitzroy (not that anyone was clamoring for it, but there it is), and while he tells and doesn't show what happens in the climax, it's still a nifty ending to the big epic. The art continues to be simply okay, but it's perfectly serviceable. It's always nice to read a story that sprawls over several issues and brings in so much from the history of these characters.

So next issue is issue #200, which makes not a lot of sense, but whatever. I don't know how long David plans on writing the book, but I'll keep reading as long as he's writing!

Well, that's the week. I apologize again for the lousiness of these reviews. I'm feeling much better but I'm still kind of in a funk. I just want to sit around and do nothing, which is driving my wife nuts, I'll tell you that much. I ought to be cleaning up the house, but I'm just sitting around watching The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and other shit movies (and yes, it's a shit movie, but it features Michelle Yeoh, so it's not completely worthless). Maybe next week I won't be in such a funk. Who knows? Until then, let's fire up some totally random lyrics!

"I just wanna live the life I please
I don't want no enemies
I don't want nothin' if I have to fake it
Never take nothin don't belong to me
Everything's paid for, nothing's free
If I give my heart will you promise not to break it?"

Have a great weekend, everyone! Enjoy that 70-degree weather! (Isn't it 70 degrees everywhere? It's 70 here in the AZ. Yes, the weather is finally getting nice!)

29 Comments

• At October 30, 2009, Frank Stallone wrote:

  So there was a real Ambush Bug #6?

  Because 6 total issues came out. I thought the "missing #6" was ...

• At October 30, 2009, Wraith wrote:

  Comments...

  Detective Comics #858: Every time someone buys this title "just for the art," God kills a kitten. Or gives it ...

• At October 30, 2009, Rebis wrote:

  Hey Greg. You still sound awfully cynical to me when it comes to Detective Comics. I've enjoyed it so far ...

• At October 30, 2009, Ian A. wrote:

  I hope Dynamo5 comes back sooner rather than later. That book is a joy to read. It's straight-up superheroes done ...

• At October 30, 2009, Omar Karindu, with the power of SUPER-hypocrisy! wrote:

  Unsurprisingly most of The Lisdt one-shoits are essentialy just the next issue of whatever book's creative team is on them. ...

• At October 30, 2009, Joe wrote:

  Wraith:

  What's wrong with buying a book for the art? You don't really explain why you don't like it.

• At October 30, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Frank: I don't know how much of an issue #6 was finished, but Darwyn Cooke drew the cover (it's there ...

• At October 30, 2009, Adam Kirby wrote:

  The popular theory of Ambush Bug #6 seems to be that Giffen was told he'd have free reign on the ...

• At October 30, 2009, Wraith wrote:

  Greg: now there's a very good question.

  To be honest I don't know if I can come up with a good ...

• At October 30, 2009, Joe wrote:

  Wraith:

  One problem I have with the "bad story is validated" argument is that the opposite holds true with the same ...

• At October 30, 2009, Craig wrote:

  Random lyrics: Lucinda Williams' "I Lost It". "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road" is a fantastic CD. I used to ...

• At October 31, 2009, JackKing wrote:

  Ambush Bug 7 was possibly the worst comic I've ever read. I'm not usually negative about comics but good gods ...

• At October 31, 2009, Ant wrote:

  Secret Warriors gave a big hint, more like a flashing neon sign, about who the dad of oe of their ...

• At October 31, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Craig: Yeah, Lucinda Williams is pretty freakin' awesome.

  JackKing: I wouldn't go that far, but it wasn't very good.

• At October 31, 2009, brian wrote:

  I might just be noticing this, but do you always do your reveiws in alphabetical order?

  Cheers,

  B

• At October 31, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Yes, I do, Brian.

• At October 31, 2009, Adam Tyner wrote:

  "There was obviously some reason DC pulped issue #6, but I doubt if we'll ever learn what it is. That's ...

• At October 31, 2009, MCGroupy wrote:

  Hey how come nobody is making a big deal about Sergio Aragones' work on Bart Simpson #50? Now that he's ...

• At October 31, 2009, JackKing wrote:

  Greg: Out of curiosity, what would be the worst comic you've ever read?

  I'm not stating that Ambush Bug 7 is ...

• At October 31, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Jack: Man, I've read a lot of crappy comics. I read an issue of Demonslayer, for instance. That ...

• At October 31, 2009, Brian D. wrote:

  Interesting point about the anti-climax of the Reed arc (although I think I enjoyed it a bit more than you). ...

• At November 1, 2009, JackKing wrote:

  I've got to admit, those comics you linked to look horrible. I'd certainly like to read the bottom 10 comics ...

• At November 1, 2009, lilacsigil wrote:

  I recently reduced my pull list by about 90%, because I was sick of reading through/looking at offensive bullshit (yes ...

• At November 1, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Thanks, Brian. It's always cool to hear that from readers.

• At November 1, 2009, TimCallahan wrote:

  I buy ALL comics for the art. I wouldn't buy any of these -- even the Morrison ones -- if ...

• At November 1, 2009, s1rude wrote:

  Man, am I tired of the piling on of Rucka's scripts in Detective.

  It's a shame he's not getting a better ...

• At November 1, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  s1rude: Sorry about that. I've been banging on Rucka's scripts since he started this run, and I've been giving ...

• At November 1, 2009, FunkyGreenJerusalem wrote:

  I don't really have a lot to say about this comic. It's consistently entertaining and probably the best book Marvel ...

• At November 1, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  FGJ: I wonder if the reason is twofold - Hercules has been around for a while, so "normal" Marvel readers ...

The upshot of this, of course, is that it's very late in the day, and although I thought about skipping a week, I did get a metric ton of comics, two of which I received for free and therefore ought to review, and many of which were very good. I can't say these will be the best reviews (keep your snide comments about how none of these posts are the "best" to yourself!), but I did want to point out some books that came out a week ago that you might have missed. Let's fire it up!

Beasts of Burden #2 (of 4) ("Lost") by Evan Dorkin (writer), Jill Thompson (artist), and Jason Arthur (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, Dark Horse.

This issue is even creepier than last issue, which is saying something. It's pretty terrifying, and Dorkin does a really nice job with two things: Making these animals truly animalistic (they do a pretty nasty thing) but also tapping into some universal emotions that make their nasty actions more understandable. It's a tense, action-filled issue, stunningly illustrated by Thompson. It's nice that Dorkin is doing these as one-and-done stories, because you don't need to have read the first issue to enjoy this. So if you see this lying around, pick it up. It's totally freaky!

Chew #5 ("Taster's Choice Part 5 of 5") by John Layman (writer/letterer), Rob Guillory (artist/colorist), and Lisa Gonzalez (color flats). $2.99, 24 pgs, FC, Image.

Speaking of freaky, the first arc of Chew comes to a close with Tony solving the central mystery and getting in a lot of trouble because of it. Layman experiments a little bit with the format, giving us a first page with snapshots of Tony getting into deeper and deeper trouble, then going back in time and filling in the spaces that led him to those dramatic moments. It's as gross as ever, of course, but Layman still manages to bring his black sense of humor to the proceedings, which alleviates the sickening central premise. And the solution and the fallout from it nicely sets up the rest of the series. Guillory, naturally, is phenomenal, with a two-page spread of such shocking violence (even more than the rest of the book) that we feel the pain of the character intensely. It's a stunning comic artistically.

This arc will be out soon in trade. Check it out, because this is a very interesting series that's getting better as it goes along. I'm looking forward to the direction Layman and Guillory are going with it.

Ex Machina #46 ("Pro-Life Part Two") by Brian K. Vaughan (writer), Tony Harris (artist), JD Mettler (colorist), and Jared K. Fletcher (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, DC/Wildstorm.

You know the drill. Flashback; some politics; some violence; a cliffhanger that ties back into the flashback. I know that some people don't like the formula, but I do. It's keen. Plus, it's getting to the end, so we are getting some answers about the series. Good to see. Only a few more issues to go!

FVZA: Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency #1 (of 3) by David Hine (writer), Roy Allan Martinez (artist), Kinsun Loh (painter), Jerry Choo (painter), Richard Starkings (letterer), and Jimmy Betancourt (letterer). $4.99, 44 pgs, FC, Radical Comics.

As usual, the fine folk at Radical sent this to me, and I'd like to thank them. It's always cool to get free comics, even if I don't love them completely. And I don't love this completely, but that might be because of the subject matter. I'm just not the biggest fan of vampires and zombies, so a book about a federal agency that destroys vampires and zombies isn't really in my wheelhouse. Hine does only one nifty thing with vampires, when he points out that vampires might not actually enjoy being vampires, which is a pretty good observation. Other than that, the vampires and zombies aren't that distinguishable from any other vampires and zombies.

That's not to say the comic is bad, because if there's one thing Hine knows, it's horror. He does a very nice job setting up this mileau, in which the United States government set up the FVZA in the 1860s and almost eradicated them from the country, to the point where the agency was disbanded. Of course, now they're back, and two young siblings, Landra and Vidal, whose grandfather was a big wheel in the earlier incarnation of the FVZA, are tasked to instruct new agents. Hine does a nice job with the set-up, as Landra stands over her grandfather with a gun, presumably because he's been turned somehow, and then tells the story in flashback. Hine does a good job building the horror of both the vampires and zombies, and even though we know what's coming, he's still effective. Martinez's art is better when it's not painted because it's rougher, but he does have a few truly horrifying scenes that complement Hine's story pretty well.

As with a lot of the Radical comics, FVZA has a lot of positives in it. The production values are stunning, and to go back to last week, their books often have good "hand," because this feels like a good chunk of comics. I wish Hine would do more with making the vampires and zombies more unique, because the idea of the federal agency (which isn't his, of course) is a pretty decent one.

Hellblazer #260 ("The Long Crap Friday") by Peter Milligan (writer), Simon Bisley (artist), Jamie Grant (colorist), and Sal Cipriano (letterer). $2.99, 20 pgs, FC, DC/Vertigo.

What's cool about Milligan writing this series is that he didn't even make any pretense about John being noble. Most of the other times I've read the book, the writer tries to set up John as some kind of damaged yet somewhat decent fellow who eventually gets tempted too much to meddle and it all ends horribly. Milligan has simply shown us, from the beginning, that John is a scumbag, which makes all the crap that is happening to him in this run kind of fun, because we indulge in a little schadenfreude and never worry if maybe, this time, John has changed. Milligan is making this a different kind of Hellblazer run, because nothing John is doing is noble, even tangentially. His proclamations regarding Phoebe in this book don't even ring true, because we saw how he treated her, so we know it's bullshit. Perhaps Milligan is going this way so that John can actually earn some redemption. Perhaps not. Either way, Milligan is writing a nasty little comic, and it's pretty cool.

Incarnate #2 (of 3) by Nick Simmons (writer/artist), Matt Dalton (inker), Dami Digital (colorist), and Rob Steen (letterer). $4.99, 53 pgs, FC, Radical Comics.

I still feel the same way about issue #2 of this series that I felt about #1 - Simmons is an interesting artist, with a ton of energy in his pencils and glee in his horror that's somewhat refreshing. The fight scene at the end of the issue is fun to look at, with lots of blood and crazy monsters and wacky choreography. Simmons does give us a bit more about the characters and what the heck they are, and presumably we'll learn all in issue #3. But the problems are still there, and they come from Simmons's storytelling abilities, which are pretty raw. In issue #1, there was no reason to care about the characters, and as we knew very little about them, no other reason for us to be involved. In this issue, Mot is imprisoned by Sibyl, who forces him to be her bodyguard. It's obvious that Simmons is building a romance between these two, but it's mainly because that's what they'd do - Mot is a Goth dude who has a secret, while Sibyl is a blonde Catholic schoolgirl. Of course they're going to be attracted to each other! But just because their "types" would be attracted to each other doesn't mean Simmons can skip the actual relationship between them, and he does. The writing in the book is strangely enervating, with Simmons simply doling out information without spicing it up too much. It jars with the art, which crackles along.

It seems like this would work better if Simmons weren't trying to be "deep." As a strange mystery about demons who slaughter humans, it's not bad. Simmons seems to want to deepen the emotional resonance of the book, but he's not quite as good at that. But, like FVZA, this is a huge chunk of comics for not a ton of money, and it's nice that Radical is giving us our money's worth!

The Last Resort #3 (of 5) ("Part Three: Surf and Safari") by Jimmy Palmiotti (writer), Justin Gray (writer), Giancarlo Caracuzzo (artist), and Chris Mowry (letterer). $3.99, 20 pgs, FC, IDW.

Now that is a keen cover. Darwyn Cooke cracks me up (yes, Tom, I know a lot of things crack me up, but come on - check out that cover!).

Here's another reason why I would not be a good character in a horror movie: If I were on a plane that exploded on the runway and then, when I reached the terminal, there was no one around, I'd stay with the group. I know that most of the people in this comic don't know about the flesh-eating zombies running wild on the island yet, but two pairs of people break off from the group to wander around alone, and not surprisingly, one person pays a pretty horrible price. People in horror movies (and horror comics, I guess, as that's what this is) are unbelievably stupid. The victim I'm talking about here (there are others in the comic, but they're not stupid) deserves what she gets, because she's so obnoxious that we're cheering for her to get eaten. Now, I might still get killed in a horror movie, but it wouldn't be because I'm stupid.

There's a bit of a lull in this issue, as the characters regroup and try to figure out what the hell is going on, but it's still sheer bloody fun. And yes, that cover does depict something that happens in the book. Very stylistically, of course, but still.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto #3 ("Born and Made") by Brett Matthews (writer), Jonathan M. Abrams (writer), Vatche Mavlian (artist), Marcelo Pinto (colorist), and Simon Bowland (letterer). $4.99, 32 pgs, FC, Dynamite Entertainment.

We find our heroes at the circus, where the human cannonball has died under mysterious circumstances and the Lone Ranger and Tonto take it upon themselves to solve the crime. It's not a terribly good mystery, but that's okay, because Matthews and Abrams are more interested in examining the idea of outcasts and what binds them together, from the circus freaks who form the community to the Lone Ranger and Tonto themselves, who set themselves outside of society. It's not a terribly deep examination of this theme, but it's an interesting one, especially as our heroes peel back the layers of secrecy surrounding the carnival. Mavlian is fantastic, despite a few problems with clarity (which might be the fault of the colorist; I don't know). He has a nice rough style and the scenes where Tonto fights the bear are magnificently powerful.

I wish the regular series came out more often, but the specials are always pretty good. And they give you a nice single story, so there's no commitment to more!

Poe #4 (of 4) by J. Barton Mitchell (writer), Dean Kotz (artist), Digikore Studios (colorist), and James Dashiell (letterer). $3.99, 22 pgs, FC, Boom! Studios.

This turned out to be a pretty good mini-series, even if the idea of Poe-as-detective was abandoned quickly, mainly because he figured out the whole thing too easily. It turned into a spooky supernatural tale, much like one Poe himself would have written, which is somewhat interesting but a bit unfulfilling, because if we wanted a supernatural tale much like one Poe himself would have written, we'd probably read a supernatural tale that Poe did write. I would have liked Poe being more of detective, but oh well. What's best about this is the way Mitchell brings in aspects of Poe's life and fiction and uses them in the story, and he shows why Poe is not only a good writer, but a good man as well. Mitchell takes the tragedy in Poe's life and shows why it can be triumphant, and that's the interesting part of the tale. The action bits are fine, but not the best part of the book. Kotz, meanwhile, continues to do a good job on the art - this issue is far brighter than issue #3 (although it's still fairly dark), and we get some cool flaming skeletons and ghosts and whatnot.

Check out the trade when it shows up! It's worth a look.

Power Girl #6 ("Space Girls Gone Wild: Conclusion") by Justin Gray (writer), Jimmy Palmiotti (writer), Amanda Conner (artist), Paul Mounts (colorist), and John J. Hill (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, DC.

I usually give new series six issues to make a decision about whether to keep buying it or not, so we've reached the moment of truth with regard to Power Girl. I'm still torn, which means I'll probably drop it, because it's just not thrilling me. That pains me, because I simply adore the art, and it's almost - almost - worth the money. I do appreciate that Palmiotti and Gray aren't simply giving us dull hero-vs.-villain stories and that things get wrapped up in non-traditional ways, like the way PG takes care of the three alien hotties, and that the stories tend to blend into each other, but nothing is really wowing me. It's too bad.

Am I being too hard on the comic? I dunno. But damn, I love Amanda Conner's art. She needs to draw Grant Morrison's Adventures of Rogue and Psylocke. Now that would be a comic!

Robotika: For a Few Rubles More #3 and 4 by Alex Sheikman (writer/artist), David Moran (writer), Scott Keating (inker, issue #4), Joel Chua (colorist), and Norman Felchle (artist, "Dr. Agon"). $4.99, 60 pgs, FC, Archaia.

Boy, I really wish this series (and Archaia books in general) came out on a decent schedule. Sheikman's work deserves a much, much bigger audience, and it's not going to get it with the scheduling of the book. As always with Robotika, this is a visual feast, with beautiful individual panels and breathtaking choreography. In the second story, Sheikman divides the page into three long horizontal panels and tells two different stories that gradually converge, and it features stunning fight scenes. This is such a beautiful comic, and I would love to see Marvel throw a ton of money at Sheikman to draw a Dr. Strange mini-series. Or DC could let do some Jonah Hex. He'd kick ass at it.

The writing isn't great, although Sheikman and Moran do a good job wrapping up the story and setting up a new one. It gets the job done, and although it's still a bit messy, that's okay. Sheikman has such a strong visual sense that he's smart enough not to overwrite, allowing his art to tell the story. He needs to get better at writing, but he is getting there, so there's that.

Even without the best writing, this is totally worth the five dollars. Sheikman is that good. He's tremendous.

Spider-Woman #2 by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Alex Maleev (artist), and Cory Petit (letterer). $2.99, 21 pgs, FC, Marvel.

Another cool-looking decompressed mess. Come on, BMB, get moving!

As far as Jessica's abilities with secreting chemicals, remember when Gambit could do that? Sort of? Claremont brought it up in, I think, his first appearance, and I don't know if anyone's ever mentioned it again. It was kind of cool. Oh well.

Sugarshock by Joss Whedon (writer), Fábio Moon (artist), Dave Stewart (colorist), and Nate Piekos (letterer). $3.50, 24 pgs, FC, Dark Horse.

This is mostly impressive because of Moon's art, which is fantastic as usual. Whenever there's a chance to revel in Moon's art, I'm probably going to take it, unless he's drawing something by a writer I really hate, and I don't hate Whedon. Of course, I don't love Whedon either, and this is a good example why. It's a bunch of randon stuff strung together, some pretty good and some that doesn't work at all. I mean, the anti-Viking sentiment makes no sense and isn't funny. Dandelion ignoring Robot Phil's requests for his legs isn't all that funny. It's as if Whedon thinks he can make jokes by just saying the punchline, but yelling "Lemur!" in a crowded room isn't clever, and that's what a lot of this comic feels like. It's perfectly fine, and for the price you get a fairly packed story with a lot going on plus lots of sketches from Moon, but it's definitely not as clever as it thinks it is. That's an unfortunate by-product of a lot of Whedon's writing.

The saddest song in the world is kind of cool, though.

Underground #2 (of 5) by Jeff Parker (writer), Steve Lieber (artist), and Ron Chan (colorist). $3.50, 22 pgs, FC, Image.

What's interesting about this series so far is that Parker isn't taking the clicé-ridden route with regard to the story. Not that I thought he would, because he's too good, but it's kind of of cool that the bad guys aren't just gun-firing crazy people, and while they're not terribly concerned about Seth and Wes, they are concerned about doing their "job" correctly without killing anyone. And Parker shows that things aren't black-and-white even in little ways, which is always fun. And Lieber is great as usual, doing a tremendous job with the cave interiors and the claustrophobic atmosphere therein. When the characters confront each other, Lieber squeezes them into smaller and smaller panels, which is a neat effect. This continues to be a nifty series. Why wouldn't you buy it?

Zero Killer #6 (of 6) by Arvid Nelson (writer/letterer), Matt Camp (artist), and Dave Stewart (colorist). $2.99, 25 pgs, FC, Dark Horse.

I'll just link to my review of the entire series, okay?

I apologize again for the tardiness and brevity of these reviews. I'm feeling much better now! To prove it, let's check out some totally random lyrics!

"That's right here's where the talkin' ends
Well listen this night there'll be some action spent
Drive hard I'm callin' all the shots
I got an ace card comin' down on the rocks
If you think I'll sit around while you chip away my brain
Listen I ain't foolin' and you'd better think again"

Damn straight!

23 Comments

• At October 26, 2009, FunkyGreenJerusalem wrote:

  Now, I might still get killed in a horror movie, but it wouldn't be because I'm stupid.

  It'd be because everyone ...

• At October 26, 2009, Nitz the Bloody wrote:

  Oh my God, that Beasts of Burden issue was the saddest thing I've read in years. Marvelously written and illustrated, ...

• At October 26, 2009, Bill Reed wrote:

  Your weeklong illness perfectly summarizes my Sunday hangover. Awesome.

  Already ordered the Chew trade.

  You have to keep buying Power Girl! They're ...

• At October 26, 2009, buttler wrote:

  You have to keep buying Power Girl! They're bringing back Vartox! VARTOX!

  Bringing back Vartox???

  Sometimes I can't believe how beautiful this ...

• At October 26, 2009, Philip wrote:

  Greg, are you planning on doing any panel contests anytime soon. It doesn't even have to be for a prize ...

• At October 27, 2009, Ian A. wrote:

  You lost thirteen pounds in a week?! Good lord, dude.

  That sounds like the worst crash diet ever.

• At October 27, 2009, Wraith wrote:

  "Come on, BMB, get moving!"*

  Mwa ha ha ha ha. Yeaaaahhhhhhhhhh no. Good one, though.

  (* Seriously, what's the tag in ...

• At October 27, 2009, Brian Cronin wrote:

  < blockquote > < / blockquote >

  Without the spaces, of course.

• At October 27, 2009, Wraith wrote:

  Thank you.

• At October 27, 2009, Alan Coil wrote:

  Tomorrow I go to pick up more new comics, but I haven't started reading the ones from last week. Looking ...

• At October 27, 2009, stealthwise wrote:

  If you're on the fence about Power Girl I'd keep getting it. A lot of series that I've bought ...

• At October 27, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  FGJ: It probably will read better in trade. And you get a gigantic dose of Conner's art instead of ...

• At October 27, 2009, Wraith wrote:

  Hey Greg, that's why we're all here anyway, right? :-)

• At October 27, 2009, Neal K wrote:

  I have a bunch of those books waiting to be read as well. I have been ill, though nothing ...

• At October 27, 2009, Posts about Movie Reviews as of October 27, 2009 | Movie blog wrote:

  [...] was caught cheating on a test (he wasn’t really cheating but his dad doesn’t believe him). What ...

• At October 27, 2009, Bill Reed wrote:

  VARTOX!

• At October 27, 2009, JIMMY PALMIOTTI wrote:

  you should keep buying powergirl...I heard it's getting better.

• At October 27, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Who could have told you that, sir? :)

• At October 27, 2009, Brian Cronin wrote:

  I'm glad you're feeling better, Greg.

  I figured that was the reason for the delay, so it's nice to see you ...

• At October 27, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Thanks, sir!

• At October 28, 2009, s1rude wrote:

  VARTOX?

• At October 30, 2009, ryan s wrote:

  You got another thing coming!

• At October 30, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  I'm glad someone got the lyrics, ryan!

I wasn't sure if I was going to pick this up, but I figured with Hester writing it and Churilla drawing it, I couldn't really go that wrong. I'm still not sure about it, but it's a solid first issue. It's a lot of set-up, as Hester introduces the Anchor, a dude who stands at the gate of Hell and fights demons that want to get out. Meanwhile, on earth, his actual body (in Hell it's his soul) wanders around, and in this issue ends up in Reykjavik fighting some kind of ice monster. The fact that whatever happens to his spiritual body manifests in his physical body helps him win. Yay! Plus, he meets a cute Icelandic chick and does something gross (not to her - ewwww - but in a different context - although, on second thought, something gross happens to her that is because of him, but not his fault). All in a day's work for "Clem," as the Icelandic chick - Hofi - dubs him, based on his wearing the cross of St. Clement on his belt (which just happens to look like an anchor - the traditional story is that Clement was martyred by being tied to an anchor and thrown overboard into the Black Sea). As a set-up issue, it works perfectly fine - we get the basic premise of the story, two main characters, and a big fight. Hester is an underrated writer, and Churilla has a nice, cartoony-but-not-too-cartoony line that reminds me of Scott Wegener, and we get an ending that leads into next issue but doesn't change the one-and-done nature of the issue. As first issues go, this works fine. It doesn't dazzle me, but I'll probably check out the next issue, at least.

I did want to address something I read recently on The Savage Critics. Here's Retailer Extraordinaire Brian Hibbs:

As long as I'm talking about cover stocks, let me mention that last week's BOOM! titles also had a new stock that I liked very much -- one of the things that has REALLY hurt BOOM! sales, in my opinion, is that they've had lousy "hand" (that is to say, holding it in your hand, if you think "This feels flimsy, and not worth the cover price!", that's "hand").

I don't know if Hibbs has polled anyone about this, and I certainly can't compare to his expertise in the retailing arena. I have noticed the phenomenon with regard to Boom!'s comics, but I wonder if that's a reason for not buying their comics. I don't think it's a terribly good reason, but the reasons for not doing something, after you get past economic and taste, are often goofy ("It doesn't feature superheroes!" "I remain devoted to boycotting Mark Millar books!" "That movie doesn't star Rosamund Pike!"). So I wonder if you - yes, you! - have decided not to buy a Boom! comic because it wasn't "heavy" enough. Does that figure in your buying in any way? Consider: The Anchor has NO ads to break up the flow of the issue. The paper stock on Vertigo books is a bit heavier, but the glossy stock Boom! uses doesn't seem different than any other regular comic. In terms of pages, The Anchor has 14 (if we simply count the number of 8½-by-11 pieces of "paper" that make up the book, which includes the front and back cover) while a random Marvel book (this week's Incredible Hercules, for instance) has 18. Herc, of course, has eight (8) adverts in the course of the comic to break up one of the best superhero fights you're ever going to see (see below!), so there's that (in fact, I smell a theme!). I can't believe consumers would think a Boom! comic isn't worth the cover price because it's not heavy enough. Maybe because it's $3.99, people expect to get more for that extra dollar, and when the book "feels" thinner than a $2.99 comic even though the story is the same length, they feel cheated. That doesn't explain the 22-page comics that Marvel sells for $3.99, though, unless the presence of extra ads "fools" consumers into thinking the book is longer than it is. If you don't like Boom! comics because you don't like the stories, that's one thing. I hope Hibbs is wrong, though, because it would be depressing if he were right (in the comments, one person agrees with Hibbs, so I guess he's not completely crazy).

This issue: 22 story pages; Hester's introduction to the series (where a letters page will go); Boom!'s page about their current and upcoming comics.

Fables #89 ("Witches Chapter Three: Baba Yaga") by Bill Willingham (writer), Mark Buckingham (artist), Steve Leialoha (inker), Andrew Pepoy (inker), Lee Loughridge (colorist), and Todd Klein (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, DC/Vertigo.

Hey, it's another gorgeously illustrated issue of Fables! That's a shock. And hey, it's another interesting and intricate issue of Fables! That, too, is a shock. Willingham continues to use these characters in marvelous ways, from Bufkin figuring out his strengths (with some help from the magic mirror) to Frau Totenkinder divining what's going on with the Dark Man. And Buckingham, who entered this comics world as Chris Bachalo's inker, moved on to aping him in his pencils, has moved on from that and doesn't get enough credit for bringing this fabulous world to life. His detailed art, page designs, sense of humor, and ease with which he draws flying monkeys and giant genies and small birds make each issue of Fables (well, the ones he draws) a pleasure to look at. Frau Totenkinder's new look is eerily exotic in an indeterminate way (she's not exactly Romani, but she's close), Baba Yaga is horrific, and Buckingham does a fantastic job showing the way the genie slowly comes around to Bufkin's way of thinking (to his regret). It's a tremendous book to gaze at, and it's nice to see Buckingham continuing to grow as an artist.

Plus, that's a pretty excellent cover.

This issue: Six (6) story pages, then an ad. Two (2), then an ad. Five (5), then a double-page ad. Two (2), then an ad. One (1), then an ad. Six (6), then the end of the issue. Adverts: Two movies available on VOD (?); the new Fables novel (Peter and Max); a video game; Luna Park, the new graphic novel from Vertigo; Jack of Fables; a three-page preview for that Cinderella series at the end of the issue; the "On the Ledge" column on the final page.

Gødland #29 ("Iron Black Moses") by Joe Casey (writer), Tom Scioli (artist), Bill Crabtree (colorist), and Rus Wooton (letterer). $2.99, 20 pgs, FC, Image.

I always hope a new issue of Gødland means that the book is back on track for at least a semi-regular schedule, and then, after it shows up, we wait another 3-6 months for the next issue, and I spiral back into a Gødland-free depression zone. Don't Joe Casey and Tom Scioli know what they're doing to me????? I mean, not only do we get a cameo by President Obama in this issue, the creators suggest we "clip and save this collectible portrait" and dot the lines of the panel. And the joke gets even better from there. Plus, Adam's cosmic adventure with Neela gets even cosmicker in this issue, and Scioli goes absolutely nuts with the art, from a giant single-page panel of Leviticus and Vayikra smashing R@d-Ur Rezz to the wackiness of the planet at the "very edge of universal reason." Every issue I can't imagine how Casey and Scioli will up the ante, and every issue they do. Okay, so the Universal Decimator goes into a cocoon stage early on in the book and doesn't bring the awesome, but that's okay, as every one else steps up their game. I mean, R@d-Ur Rezz makes a cat's cradle to escape his pursuers. Bow down before the excellence of Gødland!

Dang, I love this comic. I'm so excited to read it when I buy it, I'm so excited to read it as I'm reading it, and I'm so excited to flip through it while I'm writing about it. Then the long, cold winter of my discontent begins anew, and I must wait until the day, far in the future, when another issue comes out. Oh, how long I must wait!!!!!

This issue: 20 story pages; one letters page (on the inside back cover).

The Incredible Hercules #136 ("Thorcules versus Hercuthor!") by Greg Pak (writer), Fred van Lente (writer), Reilly Brown (penciler), Nelson DeCastro (inker), Guillem Mari (colorist), Ulises Areola (colorist), A. Street (colorist), and Simon Bowland (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, Marvel.

Okay, so not only is the recap page of this comic often more entertaining than the actual stories in most other Marvel and DC books (I've mentioned this before; in this one, Thor narrates about some of their fights and wishes that Hercules would wear some underwear), but in this issue, my campaign to get Simon Bowland an Eisner for best letterer resumes in full force. Yes, I know the debate last time was whether the writers come up with the sound effects and Bowland just implements them, but in the absence of any creator coming by here and letting us know for certain that Bowland didn't come up with them, I'll keep pimping him for an Eisner. Last time, I simply wrote the sound effects. This time, if you'll forgive the SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!, I'll scan them:

This is in the middle of one of the best superhero fights I've seen in a long time, as Herc (pretending to be Thor) battles Thor (pretending to be Herc) in order to keep Queen Alflyse from rampaging across Asgard. Pak and van Lente keep it clever, as Thor tells Herc he needs to lose, which Herc certainly understands but also certainly doesn't want to do, because his pride is at stake. Of course, it all works out in the end (I won't tell you how, especially with the way they deal with Malekith), but the writers continue to make very nice points about the characters in the midst of all the mayhem, as they do when Zeus tries to figure out why a buffoon like Hercules is considered a hero. Plus, as you can see, Brown's art is fantastic as usual.

What a wonderful comic. Come on - a purple nurple!!!!! Who doesn't love that?

This issue: Recap page; three (3) story pages, then an ad. Three (3), then an ad. One (1), then an ad. Three (3), then an ad. Three (3), then an ad. One (1), then an ad. Two (2), then an ad. Five (5), then an ad. One (1), then the "next issue" page. Adverts: Milk (with some dude named Ryan Sheckler; Kia; a video game; a video game; a video game; Punisher #11; The Incredible Hulk #603; Realm of Kings.

Scalped #32 ("The Gnawing Part Three of Five") by Jason Aaron (writer), R. M. Guéra (artist), Giulia Brusco (colorist), and Steve Wands (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, DC/Vertigo.

It's been a while since an issue of Scalped came out, which is a shame. It's always a gripping read, even one like this, which seems to fly by. It's not that this isn't packed with stuff, but the set pieces in this issue - the witness escaping both police custody and Dash; Dash returning to Carol's house and getting kicked out; Red Crow showing up at Carol's place; Dash visiting his mother's grave and making a deal with the proverbial devil - are notable by the fact that Aaron lets Guéra draw the hell out of them, and Guéra, perhaps not surprisingly, does a wonderful job. There's just not a lot of words in this issue, which is fine, because it's always nice to see writers and artists have such a good synergy that the writer trusts the artist to tell the story, which Guéra does. The jailbreak could be completely wordless and we'd know exactly what's going on. The same could be said for Dash's visit to his mother's grave and subsequent deal. We see from Dash's face that he's about to go straight to hell, and then we see his disgust when he's forced into his alliance. Aaron has gotten some good fill-in artists for this series, but no one captures the grittiness of this world like Guéra does. You can just feel the despair oozing off the pages when you read an issue of Scalped, and that's at least half due to the art. Aaron rarely has to tell us the characters have no choice when they do things, because we see it all over their faces. As we hurtle toward the end of this story arc (and wherever the hell Aaron is going with it, because it just doesn't seem like Dash has many options left), it's due in a large part to Guéra's art that we're so emotionally invested in the book.

This issue: Fifteen (15!) story pages, then a double-page ad. Seven (7) story pages, then a seven-page preview of Peter and Max. Adverts: A video game; the "On the Ledge" column on the final page. I can't remember if the Vertigo books from the past few months had fewer ads when they ran the preview of the novel; I assume so, which may be why there's hardly any advertising in this issue, which is late.

Secret Six #14 ("Depths Part Five of Five: Early Release") by Gail Simone (writer), Nicola Scott (penciller), Carlos Rodriguez (penciller/inker), Doug Hazlewood (inker), Mark McKenna (inker), Jason Wright (colorist), and Pat Brosseau (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, DC.

As I always point out, I love the fact that this book makes me feel uncomfortable, as it's often really creepy, and Simone can do things in this comic that I wouldn't want to see in a more "straight-forward" superhero comic (even though costumed people abound in this book). Case in point: Grendel standing over a spread-eagle Wonder Woman and licking her palm with an extremely long and wet tongue (tentacle rape comes to mind, very deliberately, I'm sure) as he tells her he's going to "eat" her (he means it literally, but the sexual element is very strong). This is on the first three pages, mind you, so it's not like Simone eases us into it. I forgive it in this comic, even though if this thing took place in, say, Wonder Woman's own magazine, I might think it's excessive. It all gets back to tone and the "audience," I suppose, of the book - it's a standard DC comic, so theoretically it can be sold to kids, but Simone seems to understand the horror better than others writing for DC, and she addresses it head-on. It's an unpleasant comic, not in that it's not excellent (it is), but in that Simone is dealing with horror and, in a superhero way, she brings us the consequences of the actions. Wonder Woman is not a superhero in this book, she's a woman avenging as close a rape as we can see on the page, as well as the imprisonment of her sisters. Scandal does something in this book that makes the one person whose opinion she cares about lose respect for her. Deadshot shows, again, why he's such a cool guy, but his "betrayal" of the team has to have repercussions in the future, I'd imagine. This is about as intense a comic as you can get from the regular DC and Marvel universe, and Simone is brilliant at showing how depraved these people are without making them completely hateful. I mean, you have to love Ragdoll, right? But even someone as nasty as Lawton is a compelling character with a nice undertone of tragedy (this comes mainly from what I know about Lawton from when Ostrander wrote him back in the day - and I suppose I should mention that next issue is the one guest-written by The Man himself - but Simone has done a fine job building on that). Even Mister Smyth is oddly sympathetic, or at least comprehensible!

I love comics that keep getting better. This is one of them.

This issue: Four (4) story pages, then an ad. One (1), then an ad. Two (2), then an ad. Three (3), then an ad. One (1), then a double-page ad. Four (4), then an ad. Three (3), then an ad. Three (3), then an ad. One (1), then the end of the issue. Adverts: Kia; the movies available on VOD; Victorian Undead, the new Wildstorm mini-series by Ian Edginton and Davide Fabbri; The Great Ten, the new mini-series by Tony Bedard and Scott McDaniel; a video game; Lobo: Highway to Hell, the new mini-series by Scott Ian and Sam Kieth; Batman #692 (Tony Daniel's return to the title!); World's Finest, the new mini-series by Sterling Gates and Julian Lopez; DiDio's "DC Nation" column on the last page of the comic.

The Unwritten #6 ("Inside Man Part One") by Mike Carey (writer), Peter Gross (artist), Chris Chuckry (colorist), Jeanne McGee (colorist), and Todd Klein (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, DC/Vertigo.

Carey and Gross get back to the main story, as Tom gets sent to prison while he awaits trial. Carey cleverly moves him from Switzerland to France by way of one of the victims of the massacre being French and the French wanting to try him, and this sets him down near where "The Song of Roland" is set, which apparently leads into the next section of the tale, as Tom suddenly begins acting very un-Tom-like but definitely more Roland-esque. Meanwhile, Lizzie is tasked to "undo the harm that's already been done," so we'll have to see what that entails. Oh, and Frankenstein's monster shows up. Well, of course he does!

To call this issue "efficient" might sound like an insult, but it's really not. Carey moves all the pieces into place for his next arc after the first one ended oddly, with Tom arrested for murders he didn't commit. Obviously, Carey is going for a slow burn on this title, which is fine (it might annoy people who buy the trade of the first arc, because its ending is so inconclusive, but fuck those assholes and their monthly-serial-killing ways, right?), so, much like Fables (with which this seems to share a sensibility), individual issues might have little cool moments, but in terms of advancing the plot, they might disappoint. A lot "happens" in this issue, but none of it pays off now, because that's not what Carey's going for. It's still an interesting comic, and as I happen to enjoy "The Song of Roland" a hell of a lot more than Shelley's band of whining Goths, I have high hopes for this section of Tom's journey.

Of course, even if the writing portion of the issue "disappoints" (to the extent that it does, which isn't much), we can still marvel at Gross's art. His style when he's drawing the portions of the book with Roland and Oliver is nicely different from his regular style, looking more "medieval," for lack of a better word, reminiscent not only of a manuscript but also of, say, Charles Vess's art when he was drawing Shakespeare for Gaiman back in the day. He also does a fine job with the dankness of the prison, and I don't know if he designed Lizzie's outfit when she goes into the police station, but it's pretty dang awesome (not as awesome as these outfits, but still pretty keen). And, of course, the image of the monster in the church at the end is chilling yet strangely tender. Gross is excellent on this book, and it mitigates Carey's desire to do a slow burn on the book a lot.

But I'm patient. And I do enjoy the cool conceit of the comic, so I don't mind that Carey is going slowly.

This issue: Two (2) pages of praise for the comic, with the second page adding a recap that also introduces the "Inside Man" of the title. Two (2) pages of story, then an ad. Two (2), then an ad. Three (3), then an ad. Three (3), then a double-page ad. Two (2), then an ad. Five (5), then an ad. Three (3), then the "On the Ledge" column. Two (2), then the end of the issue. Adverts: The two movies on VOD; Luna Park; The Dream Hunters adaptation by Gaiman and P. Craig Russell; a video game; Peter and Max; The Absolute Death.

The Veil #4 (of 4) ("Veil") by El Torres (writer) and Gabriel Hernandez (artist). $3.99, 24 pgs, FC, IDW.

As we come back around to the topic I was ruminating about in the first review, the commenter who agreed with Hibbs specifically mentioned IDW's titles, which cost the same as Boom!'s do but have more "hand" because their card stock is heavier. This comic is a good example - in terms of story, it's two pages more than The Anchor, but it feels substantially thicker. Is that enough to get people to buy it? I don't know. I do know that some IDW books that I buy might have better "hand," but the art is occasionally blurrier than on a Boom! comic - like this issue is. Some of the pages look less crisp than they could be, as if we're looking at a photograph of the art rather than the art itself (I'm well aware I'm never looking at original art in a comic, but I'm talking about the reproduction values of the actual original art). Therefore, even though I've been very pleasantly surprised by this series and I think Hernandez's art is a bit better than Churilla's (even though I think they're both good), The Anchor's interiors actually look better than the interiors of this issue do. I hope that people who think that the IDW book is worth the four dollars and the Boom! book isn't check out the interior work, too, rather than just making a snap judgment based on "hand." I wonder if IDW's commitment to heavier stock means that the art doesn't reproduce as well, because this isn't the first time I've noticed it.

That is, of course, a production issue, and it has nothing to do with the actual content, and The Veil is, for me, the most surprising comic of the year, because Torres took a fairly standard horror trope - a girl can see the dead - and crafted a truly terrifying comic that - and this is key - follows through on the premise. I don't want to give too much away, but too often in popular entertainment, creators rely on a deus ex machina to pull back from the edge just when things are about to get really unpleasant. This doesn't only happen in horror, of course, but in all forms. I've told the story of my experience with Dolph Lundgren's Punisher movie before, but it's worth repeating. As crappy as the movie is, it was goofily entertaining, and when the Asian villain takes those kids hostages, I told my friend, "This movie gets five stars if the kids die." It's not that I wanted to see kids get killed, even in a fictional setting, but if the director puts kids in jeopardy to elicit an emotional response from us ("Save them, Dolph!"), he should have the balls to acknowledge that the evil villain probably would kill at least one. I ought to have a name for this, in fine Cronin fashion - maybe I could call it the Independence Day Syndrome, because of that damned dog outrunning a fireball because whatever you do, you can't kill a poor dog! Torres sets up his story in such a fashion that his bad people really ought to follow through, and by God, they do! There are always casualties in horror, after all, and they shouldn't all be girls who had pre-marital sex. This is truly a horrifying comic, one of the better ones I've read recently, and I encourage you to go find the trade when it comes out. Hernandez's art is amazing and creepy, and Torres really gets under your skin with his story.

This issue: Twenty-four (24) pages of story, then eight (8) pages of ads, all for IDW products and including a three-page interview with the new creative team on Transformers.

Let's break down the advertising:
Video games: 7
Two movies available on VOD: 3
A Kia: 2
Milk: 1
House ads: 20

I don't know what that says about publishers' ability to sell advertising space, but that's the breakdown.

So that's the week. Quite excellent in terms of quality: A nice debut, a very good continuing series, a long-missed favorite, Marvel's best book, another great issue of Native Noir, DC's best book, a new arc of a promising series, and the terrifying conclusion of a very good horror comic. It's all about quality, not quantity here at the Burgas home! And now, it's time for totally random lyrics!

"Through all the cities and all these towns
It's in my blood and it's all around
I love you now like I loved you then
This is the road and these are the hands
From Mozambique to those Memphis nights
The Khyber Pass to Vancouver's lights
Knock me down get back up again
You're in my blood I'm not a lonely man"

Once you get this song in your head, you'll never get it out! That's how insidious it is!

Oh, and GO PHILLIES!!!!! We can't let the damned Yankees win, can we?

36 Comments

• At October 15, 2009, Wraith wrote:

  Incredible Hercules - This was a great story. I don't remember exactly what led me to pick it up, actually... ...

• At October 15, 2009, Monica Dickey wrote:

  Nice. My friend lent me Secret Six after I enjoyed Watchmen and I gotta say it was pretty creepy. The ...

• At October 15, 2009, GarBut wrote:

  If you really want to piss off your Canadian readers, tell them that the song is by Rascal Flatts (not ...

• At October 15, 2009, patrick wrote:

  GO YANKEES!

  ALL THE WAY BABY!

• At October 15, 2009, Omar Karindu, with the power of SUPER-hypocrisy! wrote:

  Incredible Hercules and Invincible Iron Man are the two books right now that get past my Dark Reign embargo. ...

• At October 15, 2009, Rob Barrett wrote:

  Pak and Van Lente are having a Simonson-level run on Hercules, and in Brown they finally have a regular artist ...

• At October 15, 2009, Bill Reed wrote:

  I don't really care if my comics give good "hand" or not. I prefer it when they give good "head."

  If ...

• At October 15, 2009, Ralph wrote:

  the only reason I havent purchased a Boom! comic lately, is that their trades come out soon after the first ...

• At October 15, 2009, FunkyGreenJerusalem wrote:

  it might annoy people who buy the trade of the first arc, because its ending is so inconclusive, but fuck ...

• At October 15, 2009, Nick Rini wrote:

  I hate to admit that I've picked up a bunch of Boom titles and then put them back on the ...

• At October 15, 2009, Mike Blake wrote:

  It's a good thing you had some stuff between comics giving good hand,and the depravity in SECRET SIX or it ...

• At October 15, 2009, Alan Coil wrote:

  I understand that a lot of people love The Incredible Hercules, but what you have posted here is just stupid ...

• At October 15, 2009, Chad Nevett wrote:

  I was hoping you'd mention the appearance of the butterfly in GODLAND... after all, we've seen a butterfly like this ...

• At October 15, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  patrick: BOO!!!!!

  Ralph: That's a perfectly fine reason.

  Nick: That's interesting that you feel that way. I do agree with you ...

• At October 15, 2009, FunkyGreenJerusalem wrote:

  A bunch of supposedly funny scenes all strung together isn't writing. What horrid tripe.

  Yeah man, where's the gritted teeth, bulging ...

• At October 15, 2009, Mary Warner wrote:

  I've never read this Hercules series. I keep hearing about how great it is, but I've always hated Hercules ...

• At October 15, 2009, jazzbo wrote:

  Maybe I missed it, but where is the opening quote about homeless people from?

  And again, maybe I missed it ...

• At October 15, 2009, San wrote:

  Alan: That seems to be unfair criticism. "A string of scenes strung together" is what Greg scanned and posted. It's ...

• At October 16, 2009, Scavenger wrote:

  re: Hercules #136...After reading it, I'm not sure I will ever read another comic. Anything else is going to ...

• At October 16, 2009, And we’re done | The Veil wrote:

  [...] received a lot of good reviews. Greg Burgas, in “What I bought” has been reviewing every issue. Thanks a ...

• At October 16, 2009, BDaly wrote:

  Herc haters probably enjoy kicking kittens.

• At October 16, 2009, The Dude wrote:

  Stuff like Godland and Elephantmen are the reason why you're in my will, Greg! :-)

  I started buying them because of ...

• At October 16, 2009, The Dude wrote:

  By the way, you didn't buy Anna Mercury?

• At October 16, 2009, s1rude wrote:

  I have a distinct and indelible memory of listening to (and shout-singing along with) that song in my buddy's ...

• At October 16, 2009, brian wrote:

  I thought it was Tom Cochrane - Life is a highway?

  House ads I think are a sign of the economy ...

• At October 16, 2009, Dan Bailey wrote:

  Another installment of one of my fave GRAMMAR SHOULD BE GOOD columns! Even though roughly half the time I (a) ...

• At October 16, 2009, Pedro Bouça wrote:

  Greg,

  I read somewhere that the editor (Mark Paniccia, if I recall correctly) came up with the "sound effects". He apparently ...

• At October 16, 2009, Chad Nevett wrote:

  Ah, the butterfly reminded me of the one that guided Automatic Kafka from the Warrant's home to the comic shop ...

• At October 16, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Mary and jazzbo: I was just pointing out that when you judge a book by "hand," you're often thinking it's ...

• At October 16, 2009, Michael M. wrote:

  The Thor/Hercules fight, and the two pages where "Hercules" schools "Thor" in the ways of dirty fighting made me laugh ...

• At October 16, 2009, Dan Bailey wrote:

  >>As a friend put it, the ONLY way it could have been better would have been if they went out ...

• At October 16, 2009, joshschr wrote:

  One thing about the ads in Fables this week, in the last panel on the page before the Peter & ...

• At October 16, 2009, Scavenger wrote:

  Dan Bailey: I had the exact same reaction re: Hercules and PS238. PS238 is one of my favorite books, ...

• At October 16, 2009, The Cosh wrote:

  I've no idea what the problem is with UK distribution, but while I saw most of these titles in the ...

• At October 16, 2009, Michael Mayket wrote:

  I'm with Mary. I keep reading (especially here) how great Hercules is and think about trying it, but then ...

• At October 17, 2009, Fascination Place » This Week’s Haul wrote:

  [...] expressions (penciller Reilly Brown does a bang-up job on the art) and very silly sound effects (helpfully scanned by ...

Batman and Robin #5 ("Revenge of the Red Hood Part Two: Scarlet") by Grant "What other mild-mannered animal can I turn into a scary character name?" Morrison (writer), Philip Tan (penciller), Jonathan Glapion (inker), Alex Sinclair (colorist), and Patrick Brosseau (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, DC.

Well, all the slack I gave Philip Tan last issue dissipates a bit in this issue, as we get a panel that is supposed to show the Penguin bouncing off the roof of a car but is almost incomprehensible, a two-panel shot of the Red Hood grabbing Robin and smashing his face down that makes me pine for a Quitely rendition of the exact same scene, as I still can't figure out the choreography in the scene, and some other really odd perspectives. On the whole, however, it's still not as painful to look at as something like Haunt, so I guess that's something.

I'm still not willing to let the God of All Comics off the hook, however. G-Mozz, I assume, wrote that Penguin gets chucked out the window. How, pray tell, is Oswald supposed to get to the ground? Did Morrison figure that out? Did he write, "Chuck Cobblepot out of the window and make sure he doesn't die" or was he more specific? The Penguin falls a tremendous distance and has no visible problems with broken bones or head injuries, after all. Do we blame Tan for that? Similarly, I understand that this is part of the greater Bat-universe and that the Mozzer doesn't necessarily have to clue us in on what's happening, but I do wish he would make it more clear that someone is impersonating Bruce Wayne (right? isn't that Hush guy pretending to be Bruce right now? gee, that's dumb). And even though Morrison rejects the grand retcon that is "Crisis on Infinite Earths," as far as I know, the Jason Todd who dyed his hair never existed. Right? Or did I miss something? Finally, as cool as the Flamingo is, I still can't get over the fact that this plot - "heroes" killing villains because the real heroes won't - is tired. It's interesting reading Morrison's dialogue, because he thinks of neat things (like Jason getting zits because of the helmet), but this is a boring comic redeemed by two things: Morrison's skill with making the characters interesting, and the fact that we know it ties into a bigger plot, which we pray will be better than this minor one. The way this book ends, it appears the final issue of Tan's arc might be something pretty cool, but let's not dump on Tan completely if you don't like this issue. Some of the blame must go to the Messiah, you know. As I usually do, I will trust Morrison to make sense of it all, but that doesn't change the fact that these two issues haven't been his greatest.

Batman: Unseen #1 (of 5) (Part One: Meat-Man") by Doug Moench (writer), Kelley Jones (artist), Michelle Madsen (colorist), and Pat Brosseau (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, DC.

Now, I'm sure people will call me crazy (go ahead, I can handle it), but Batman: Unseen, even with Moench returning once again to his favorite villain, Black Mask, is a superior comic than Batman and Robin #5. Moench tells a story of a disgraced scientist who ends up working (without knowing it) for Black Mask, and his formula gradually turns him invisible and, well, insane. Batman gets involved because at one point, the semi-invisible man heads out for grub and things turn lethal. So while the first issue is mostly set-up, it still hums with energy, and Moench and Jones have such a wonderful synergy which makes this just zip along. It's totally ridiculous and pulpy, and Moench makes the scientist say such things as "I am the almighty face of biological shock and awe!", but what's great about a Moench/Jones Batman book is that a statement like that doesn't sound stupid, just bombastic. Moench's Batman villains talk like that because Moench understands that they're not supposed to be realistic, they're supposed to be larger-than-life bad guys, and they are. In the same way, Jones is close to the perfect Batman artist (I would say Breyfogle is, but others are in the running, of course), in that he understands that a man dressed up as a bat is a bit silly, so he makes him almost inhuman (this is why his and Moench's VampBats books are so neat) and puts him in a wildly Gothic city, the kind of place that looks kind of neat to live in when you're not scared out of your wits. Jones's Batman is a terrifying creature, well suited for dealing with the freaks who live in his city.

I do have an inordinate fondness for the Moench/Jones Batman of the mid-1990s, so I'm always glad when they hook up to give us another story, but that doesn't change the fact that this is a gloriously pulpy comic in the best sense of the word. If you're not a fan of Moench and his pseudo-scientific rambling or Jones and his ever-growing Bat ears, this comic won't change your mind a bit. But if you are a fan, this will just make you smile. Now, if only DC would let Moench and Jones tell us what was up with that puppeteer dude!

(Kelley Jones drew that cover in 2007, as you can see by his signature. That's strange. Has this been on the shelf a long time, or did it take them a while to get their schedules together? Inquiring minds want to know!)

Criminal: The Sinners #1 by Ed Brubaker (writer), Sean Phillips (artist), and Val Staples (colorist). $3.50, 29 pgs, FC, Marvel/Icon.

Criminal returns, and because this world makes no sense, a better comic than Incognito by the exact same creative team will automatically lose readers. Up next: goats with two heads will be born! Planetary will conclude! Glenn Beck will be a conservative voice of reason! It's topsy-turvy!

Not surprisingly, it's a very good issue. Tracy Lawless, who has become the nominal star of Criminal, returns, this time fulfilling his "contract" with Sebastian Hyde. He's knocking people off, but he's a lousy enforcer, as he always makes sure the guy really deserves it, which makes Hyde grumpy. Hyde, however, has a new job for Tracy - someone is killing "connected" people in his town, and Hyde wants Tracy to find out who it is. Off he goes!

We find out soon who the killers are (yes, plural), but not why they're doing what they're doing (although we can make some educated guesses). Tracy, meanwhile, is not exactly screwing Hyde's wife, just spending time with her, which will still probably get him killed if Hyde finds out about it. And, because Tracy's life isn't crappy enough, some dude rolls into town looking for a "deserter" - yes, Tracy. Oh dear.

As always, Brubaker doesn't re-invent the wheel in this book, but he and Phillips have done such a wonderful job creating this world that whenever they return to it, we just slip into it easily and go along for the ride. Tracy just moves through the plot, learning information, doing the best that he can, trying to get through another day. It's not surprising that Brubillips keeps coming back to him - he's a good character, and the situations he gets into challenge him to remain a decent guy. It's always fun to watch Tracy try to navigate this morally murky world in which he lives.

I don't know if you're one of those people who bought Incognito but won't buy Criminal, but don't be that person. That person probably thinks that Modern Family is much, much better than Arrested Development. You don't want to be that person, do you?

Days Missing #2 (of 5) ("September 12th, 1815") by David Hine (writer), Chris Burnham (artist), Imaginary Friends Studio (colorist), and Troy Peteri (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, Archaia/Roddenberry Productions.

This unusual series, in which different creative teams are featured in every issue but the theme is the same - a weird dude erases days from human history that would have completely changed humanity for the worse - continues with the weird dude intervening to stop a scientist from re-animating the dead. He does so, but his experiment remains in the dreams of Mary Godwin (who witnesses the resurrection) and she comes up with her famous monster story. It's a decent issue, and David Hine is the kind of writer who can craft a good horror story. Burnham, who is usually quite good, suffers a bit from the poor coloring, which softens his pencils a bit too much. When John Galton resurrects a dead guy, we can see that Burnham is a good artist, because those scenes are full of power and terror. But the coloring job washes the sharpness out of his lines and makes it less distinctive than it might be otherwise.

I am a bit puzzled by the idea of the series, a problem I hope will be cleared up as we move along. The weird dude (who is known only as the Steward) can fold days away so that they never existed. Is this a last resort? Because it seems like that would be easy to do, but he tries to stop the resurrection by more conventional methods before he "folds" the day and erases it. I don't think it was addressed in issue #1 (although I could be wrong), and it's not addressed here. I know that he doesn't erase the days at the beginning of the issue because, well, then, the issue would be over, but is this a case of what Chad was ranting about a few days ago, where it's simply to heighten the drama? Beats me.

If we can get past that little annoyance, this is a pretty good comic. It's not great, but it's interesting. And the creative teams are pretty keen (next month: Ian Edginton and Lee Moder!). We'll see how they continue to explore the Steward's intervention in human affairs.

Fallen Angel: Reborn #4 (of 4) by Peter David (writer), J. K. Woodward (artist/colorist), and Neil Uyetake (letterer). $3.99, 22 pgs, FC, IDW.

I thought this was a five-issue mini-series, but I guess it's not. IDW never lists how long a series lasts or even, at the end of this issue, gives us a "the end" or a "to be continued," but nothing past this issue has been solicited, so I guess it's over. I write this because it ends ambiguously. The main story appears to wrap up, but then, in true Peter David fashion, there's one of those endings that sets up a sequel. I wasn't clear why David ended the regular series, but I guess he's going for a "series of mini-series" kind of thing that all the kids dig these days. That's fine. Unless he's doing something different. Who knows what lurks in the mind of Peter David????

Anyway, it's a typically keen issue of Fallen Angel, as Illyria is confronted with what she's become, Lee effects her typical obnoxious attitude, and there's a tough ethical dilemma to be solved. I don't mean to belittle it, because, much like Brubaker and Phillips on Criminal, David knows exactly what he's doing, and it's always a pleasure to see him write a nifty 22-page comic. And Illyria's real form? Icky.

I don't know what's next for Fallen Angel, but I'll be there!

Greek Street #4 (Book One: Blood Calls For Blood Part Four: The Monster and the Labyrinth") by Peter Milligan (writer), Davide Gianfelice (artist), Patricia Mulvihill (colorist), and Clem Robins (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, DC/Vertigo.

More of the same with this series, which I just can't get a handle on. Milligan gives us some creepy scenes (scary naked lady leaping out of the bushes? gold!) and moves things forward, but it's still very scattershot, and it's becoming increasingly clear that, even if I want to read the series, it would be better in trade format. Milligan seems to be ignoring the 22-page format, which is fine, because I do appreciate the grand scale of this comic, but it makes each discrete chapter a bit of a mess. It's the dilemma faced by every comic writer who wants to work with a large, unknown cast: Do you do what Milligan is doing, juggling several characters and their arcs and hope that people can keep up, or do you focus on one character for a few issues, then go back and focus on another character, and then another, until you return to the first character and hope people remember what the hell happened? I think the way Milligan is going is a better one, but it's not perfect, and it's nice that he seems to be bringing the plot threads together a bit more and also that we've gotten a little bit of a handle on the characters so we can keep up with them. Of course, I might just be an idiot, and had to go four issues before I started figuring out who was who.

The first arc comes to a close next issue, and one nice thing about this series is that I have absolutely no idea where Milligan is going with it. I mean, Eddie is back in a similar situation that he was in the first issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if Milligan twists it back to his feelings about what happened with his mother, but I have no idea. It's vexing, because I also have no idea if I'm going to keep buying this. We'll see.

GrimJack: The Manx Cat #3 (of 6) by John Ostrander (writer), Timothy Truman (artist), Lovern Kindzierski (colorist), and John Workman (letterer). $3.99, 28 pgs, FC, IDW.

Here's another series about which I just don't have a lot to say, because it's so enjoyable. It's Ostrander and Truman doing GrimJack, after all. They give us action, bloodshed, some answers about the Manx Cat, a horribly creepy strip club, and a promise that we will find out the whole truth about the cat. It's exciting, adventurous, and looks great. If you're waiting for the trade, I can't blame you, but it's so much darned fun reading the installments that I'm not switching. And Mike Gold plugs Comix4Sight, the web site at which you can bid for things to raise money for Ostrander, who's dealing with glaucoma. If you're interested.

Kill Audio #1 (of 6) by Claudio Sanchez (writer), Chondra Echert (writer), and Mr. Sheldon (artist/letterer - link probably NSFW). $3.99, 34 pgs, FC, Boom! Studios.

Chip Mosher, grand poobah of marketing at Boom!, sends us .pdf files of pretty much everything the company releases. Occasionally Other Greg reviews them, occasionally Brad reviews them, and occasionally I review them. I usually don't because everything I'm really interested in that Boom! publishes I just get in the real world. But it's swell of Mr. Mosher to fire these off to us, because Boom! is doing a good job, I think, of getting their name out there and trying to make a dent in the market. I was going to skip this because it didn't seem like something I'd be interested in, but Chip is really pushing it, so I figured I'd give it a look.

It's not the greatest comic in the world, but it does have a lot going for it. First of all, the art is phenomenal. Sheldon has a wonderfully surreal take on the world, with a lot of very bizarre characters and "camera angles," for lack of a better term. He challenges you to really look at each panel - that's not to say that it's difficult to figure out what's going on in them, but because his point of view is so twisted, you often have to re-orient yourself when you're looking at the art. Some people might find this annoying, but for me, at least, it really wasn't. Once you're looking at each panel differently, everything becomes clear (unlike, say, Tan's art in the latest issue of Batman and Robin, where you can look and look and still not figure out exactly what's going on ... and I don't mean to pick on Tan, but they both came out this week, so his art was on the brain). His characters are detailed and insane, from the drugged-out rooster to the clockwork wizard. Visually, this issue is a treat.

Story-wise, the comic doesn't work quite as well, although there's a lot of potential. Kill Audio, a rather short immortal being, is pursued by a weird creature who attempts to kill him. After one such attempt, the creature tells him he might need to find his purpose in life. So he heads off to see the wizard, literally, collecting three other characters along the way. If this sounds vaguely familiar, it should, as Sanchez and Echert even make a reference to a "yellow brick road." It's also reminiscent of innumerable heroes' journeys into the underworld, from Orpheus to Dante. That's perfectly fine, especially because the series, as a whole, is about what happens after Kill Audio finds the wizard and learns his purpose, but it's odd that they would make it so obvious. Once Kill Audio finds the wizard, he learns his purpose - something about saving music. Again, this is fine, but because Sanchez and Echert have been dropping musical references into the text, it makes me think that this is going to be something about how cool some people are because they listen to obscure music and how lame others are because they listen to Celine Dion (to be fair, the characters enjoy some old-school Whitney Houston at one point, so there's that). I'm certainly willing to be proven wrong in that regard, but it's nagging me, especially because the characters all talk like they're in a movie and everyone's acting too cool for school. Overall, the story only gets going a little bit in this issue, and the characters remain ciphers, but the issue itself is packed with energy (both in the writing and the art), which goes a long way.

I'm kind of on the fence about Kill Audio. It's wonderful to look at and has a somewhat intriguing premise, but I worry that the writers will be unable to pull it off without being snarky, based on the way they write the characters in this issue. It's a delicate balance, and as I have no idea how good (or bad) Sanchez and Echert are as writers, I can't say with confidence they'll be able to. But it's certainly an unusual book, and in a comics world of sameness, that goes a long way.

Planetary #27 (of 27) by Warren Ellis (writer), John Cassaday (artist), Laura Martin (colorist), and Comicraft (letterer). $3.99, 28 pgs, FC, DC/Wildstorm.

Hmmm. Is this some kind of book I should be interested in or something? I just don't get it.

Okay, I'm kidding. Planetary was my favorite comic of the week whenever it happened to come out, so of course I'm totally jazzed that Ellis and Cassaday finally bring it to a close. From the preview, I wasn't expecting the dazzling stories of the first few issues or the conspiracy of the later issues, mainly because Ellis wrapped all that up. What we get, instead, is a nifty rescue mission to get Ambrose Chase, who Elijah thinks is still alive. Of course, Ellis uses this to indulge in some of his wacky pseudo-science that he enjoys (this time it's time travel), bringing up a point that, interestingly enough, I read in the Penn State alumni magazine this summer. It seems that there's a professor at my alma mater who is trying to build a time machine. He wants to go back in time and save his father, who died of, I believe, heart failure 40 years ago. Of course, it's been pointed out to him that you can't travel back further in time than when the time machine was first built, which kind of bummed him out. But he's undaunted! Anyway, Ellis uses this to great effect, as The Drummer points out that if they build a time machine, all their future selves will show up at that moment in time, because why the hell not? Because I am dull, I don't know why this is such a big deal, but whatever. The point is that Cassaday draws the hell out of this, and Ellis makes it clear that even though the series is ending and the Four have been defeated, it's still a weird world, and the Planetary bunch will continue to explore it. And strangely enough for fictional characters who don't actually exist, that's comforting. Ellis and Cassaday have done such a great job with this series that I like to imagine Elijah, Jakita, and The Drummer out there doing their thing, discovering all the weirdness in the world that losers like me, sitting on my couch watching the Phillies blow home-field advantage and eating potato chips, will never even conceive of.

Dang, I love Planetary. I can't wait to re-read it.

Sherlock Holmes #5 (of 5) ("The Trial of Sherlock Holmes Part Five: Endgame") by Leah Moore and John Reppion (writers), Aaron Campbell (artist), Tony Aviña (colorist), and Simon Bowland (letterer). $3.50, 22 pgs, FC, Dynamite Entertainment.

You know what's annoying about Sherlock Holmes? It's almost exactly like an Arthur Conan Doyle story. Why is that annoying? Well, Conan Doyle often wrote stories in which the real mystery was not what we thought, and it kind of comes out of nowhere. That's what happens in this issue, although Moore and Reppion have been leading us down that path too, so it doesn't come completely out of nowhere. The resolution to the murder of Sir Samuel Henry is clever enough, but it leads to new revelations that, because I don't want to spoil anything, I can't discuss. Suffice it to say that this is a nifty enough puzzle of a comic, but the ending kind of subverts everything by showing what's really going on. And what's really going on in kind of annoying, even if it's certainly in the spirit of Conan Doyle's stories.

Man, I hate not being more specific. If you're thinking about getting this trade, I'll just warn you: It's well written, nicely illustrated, somewhat nifty in the way Moore and Reppion build this mystery up and the way they explain it, and kind of frustrating at the end. How's that?

Starstruck #2 (of 13) by Elaine Lee (writer), Michael Wm. Kaluta (artist), Charles Vess (inker), Lee Moyer (painter), Todd Klein (letterer), and John Workman (letterer). $3.99, 25 pgs, FC, IDW.

Yet another book that's kind of difficult to review, because it's an old comic that's getting a new look, so if you really want to know what's going on, you can probably Google it and find out. It's another one of these things where it's so obvious a large-scale story that it's hard to really get a sense of whether the story is any good or not. I don't want to just do a plot summary, either. I will say that Lee does a better job this issue than the first with giving us an idea of who these characters are - the first issue did a little bit, but in this issue, we not only get more about the weird relationship between Phillipe Cesare Kalif Alexander Bajar (who I guess is called "Kalif," but it seems to be used as a title, even though it's part of his name) and his sister Indira Lucrezia Ronnie Lee Ellis Bajar, as well as the relationship between Mary Medea and her mother. It helps, when you're dealing with rather odd interstellar politics, to have something the audience can relate to, and Lee does this well. I'm still buying it for Kaluta's art, because it's absolutely gorgeous. It's a magnificent blend of the fantastic and the mundane, and his delicate line work is wonderfully highlighted by Moyer's colors. I don't know what this looked like it its original incarnation, but Moyer, who is recoloring it, is doing a great job.

Man, Kaluta is good. And we get more next issue!

Strange Tales #2 (of 3). "To Catch a Watcher!!" by Nick Bertozzi (writer/artist) and Chris Sinderson (colorist); "The Invincible Iron Man" by Tony Millionaire (writer/artist) and Jim Campbell (colorist); "Anything but Retail!" by R. Kikuo Johnson; "Brother Voodoo in Death Rides a Five-Dollar Bag!" by Jim Rugg (co-writer/artist) and Brian Maruca (co-writer); "M.O.D.O.K. 'n' Me" by Jhonen Vasquez; "The Unfortunate Three!" by Max Cannon; "Lookin' Good, Mr. Grimm!" by Jacob Chabot; "The Incorrigible Hulk" by Peter Bagge; "Untitled Galactus and his heralds 'story' " by Jonathan Hickman; and "The Black Widow" by Matt Kindt. $4.99, 45 pgs, FC, Marvel.

In terms of quality, this is a big step down from issue #1, which had only one story that was not terribly good. This time, the poorer stories outweigh the good ones by a bit. The genius of turning Matt Kindt loose on the Black Widow, which should lead to Matt Kindt doing a Black Widow ongoing (which would sell about seven copies, but how frickin' awesome would it be?) or giving Ben Grimm a Chia-pet moustache can't overcome the lousiness of some of the stories. Tony Millionaire's story of Iron Man battling Baloney Head, Liverwurst Face (mmmmm ... liverwurst), and the deranged head of Dwight Eisenhower is nice to look at and marginally clever. Jacob Chabot's story of Ben Grimm's moustache is a clever little FF story. Jonathan Hickman's few pages, which feature pin-ups of Galactus and his heralds offering us a job, selling products, and explaining why human flesh is good to eat, are funny, and Kindt's story is, unsurprisingly, excellent. R. Kikuo Johnson's tale about Alicia Masters makes way too many unfunny blind jokes (I'd be a bit put out by it even if they were funny, but they're not even that), Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca's story looks great as it's made to resemble a 1970s comic but is kind of dull, Jhonen Vasquez goes the same route as Johnson and tries to wring laughs out of the decapitation of a child and fails (again, being funny mitigates the offensiveness a little, but it's not even funny), Max Cannon's obvious parody of the Fantastic Four's origin is, well, obvious, and even Bagge's Hulk story drags a bit. There's still nothing in it that I can see that would keep it from being published, but maybe I'm missing something.

The difference between this issue and the first one, I think, is that the stories in this volume that don't work seem a bit more mean-spirited than the ones in issue #1. Even Bertozzi's M.O.D.O.K. story (in issue #1), in which M.O.D.O.K. does horrible things much like the horrible things he does in Vasquez's M.O.D.O.K. story, had a different tone than Vasquez's. Again, this could be just me, but the creators in issue #1 seemed to revel in the ridiculousness of Marvel's characters, while some of the creators in this issue seem to reject it and point out how stupid they really are. Wait, a giant floating head with tiny appendages is stupid? Really? Thanks for that information. In this issue, some of the creators seem to want to pick on superheroes. If you want to do that, go write The Boys. There's a place for that, certainly, but it seems like when you're working with goofy Marvel characters, it's a hell of a lot more fun to wallow in the goofiness. It's certainly a hell of a lot more fun to read. But I could be in the minority in that regard.

Sweet Tooth #2 ("Out of the Deep Woods Part Two") by Jeff Lemire (writer/artist), José Villarrubia (colorist), and Pat Brosseau (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, DC/Vertigo.

Lemire continues to flesh out the plot and the characters, as the new guy - Jepperd - finds Gus in his cabin (after Gus wisely absconded from the scene of the bloody murders that bridge the first and this issue) and tells him about the Preserve, which is where hybrid children can live without fear of getting killed. He also clues us into a few things: Gus claims to be nine, but Jepperd says the plague only appeared seven years ago, and the hybrids began showing up then, which means Gus is somehow special (not surprisingly); and the reason the two dudes wanted to kill Gus was because all the "normal" people believe the hybrids hold the key to a cure because they don't get sick. Fairly important information there. Then more people attack, Jepperd gets wounded, and that's where we leave things.

Lemire is still feeling things out, but he does a good job doling out the information, giving us some action, and establishing that Jepperd is a tough SOB who, for some reason, doesn't want to kill or otherwise experiment on Gus. Why, we don't know. There's still not much to distinguish this (well, except for Lemire's art, which is good as usual), but it's also only two issues in. As usual, I'll give it a little bit to see what happens. Right now, it's not bad, but it's not a must-buy, either.

Vengeance of the Moon Knight #2 ("Shock and Awe: Chapter Two") by Gregg Hurwitz (writer), Jerome Opeña (artist), Paul Mounts (colorist), and Joe Caramagna (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, Marvel.

I usually like Leinil Francis Yu, but that's an ugly cover. It looks like the Sentry is not only wearing a diaper, but that he's about to have a bowel movement. Which would make the diaper appropriate, I know, but it's probably not what you want for a cover.

Anyway, after the giddy and oddly gleeful first issue, in which Hurwitz let Opeña go a bit nuts, we calm down a bit to re-establish Moonie's bonafides in New York. I'm still not sure why this needed to be a new ongoing series, as Hurwitz continues to build on what Huston and Benson did in the previous series, even bringing back the Profile from that series (who really ought to get a, you know, real name). But that's neither here nor there. I'm also still not buying that the return of a low-level superhero would be so newsworthy in jaded New York - I know that Moon Knight made a splash (both a positive and negative one, really) in the last series, and I appreciate that Hurwitz is pointing out that these heroes don't operate in a vacuum and that others besides Spider-Man can make the papers, but it's still a bit weird.

However, I'm still intrigued by what Hurwitz is doing. MK and the Sentry have an interesting conversation about insanity and the reality on the ground in the Marvel U., and then "Jake" visits Marlene and Frenchie before taking out the Slug. That allows Opeña to flex his muscles a bit (although he's good at the quiet moments, too, like when Marlene looks up after the helicopter's ladder hits her car), and then we get the Profile telling Osborn and the Hood how to get into Moonie's head. Why, by bringing back Bushman, of course! While that's kind of annoying, I'll reserve judgment on how they're going to do this (and why Bushman's grave is apparently in or near New York in some kind of Gothic cemetary and not in Africa) until next issue.

Right now, I'm glad to see Moon Knight back and in (seemingly) capable hands. I'm a bit tired of Osborn and the Hood and wish they would just go away, but I guess I can deal with it. It's more interesting than most superhero comics, and it continues to look fantastic.

X-Babies #1 (of 4) by Gregg Schigiel (writer), Jacob Chabot (artist), Emily Warren (colorist), and Rob Steen (letterer). $3.99, 22 pgs (plus 14-pg reprint), FC, Marvel.

I tried to resist buying this, but I just couldn't. The X-Babies were kind of a minor joke back in Claremont's heyday, and when I last saw them (I want to say it was when Dazzler, no longer pregnant, accompanied them to Mojoworld back in the early Nineties, but I seem to recall them popping up again more recently), they had become a bit annoying. Claremont's initial foray with them (with Art Adams art!) is reprinted here, and I can see why Marvel and the X-writers milked them to the point of oversaturation, because it's a charming little story. I'm glad they've been sidelined for a while, but it's kind of cool to see them back.

Chabot is perfect for this kind of light-hearted romp, as he does a nice job with the wee characters but also draws a nifty fight scene. Schigiel gives us a story in which the X-Babies have been replaced in Mojo's programming by boring educational fare, a gentle knock on current kids' programming. It seems Mojo has been overthrown and replaced by his major-domo (who gets a name in this book, even though I don't think he ever had one before), who yanks "violent" shows like the X-Babies off the air and replaces them with "The Adorable X-Babies," in which Storm shows them how to grow plants (I love Farmer Cyclops) and even Wolverine decides vegetables are groovy. When the X-Babies try to interfere, Spiral is tasked to send them to a station where rebellious characters go, where they meet the characters from Marvel's 1980s Star Comics (I'm just assuming this, as it's in the solicits; I don't recognize the characters as I never read Star Comics). Presumably they will lead a rebellion to return good, wholesome entertainment to the airwaves!

For the most part, this is just a way for Schigiel and Chabot to riff on familiar X-tropes, like Wolverine hating Cyclops (the only thing the new show got right, according to Wolverine, is that Cyclops is a "dink"). Storm references fighting "Apocalisp" and Cyclops speaks of the "Cradle Will Fall of the Mutants," which would probably be a better character and a better story than the ones to which they refer, and it's always nice to see a "classic" X-team, even in little kid form. There's nothing tremendously new about this issue, but it's a lot of fun. And don't we need a little fun every now and then?

X-Men vs. Agents of Atlas #1 (of 2) ("The X-Heist" and "Atomic Age Heroes") by Jeff Parker (writer), Carlo Pagulayan (artist, "The X-Heist"), Jason Paz (inker, "The X-Heist"), Wil Quintana (colorist, "The X-Heist"), Chris Samnee (artist, "Atomic Age Heroes"), Veronica Gandini (colorist, "Atomic Age Heroes"), and Joe Caramagna (letterer). $3.99, 30 pgs, FC, Marvel.

I was trying to ignore the inanity of the X-Men setting up shop on the downed remains of Asteroid M, which is as dumb an idea as putting a costumed psychopath in charge of the nation's security without, you know, vetting him in front of Congress, but I couldn't, because Parker is writing an Agents of Atlas crossover, and I must be there! I figured Parker wouldn't dwell too much on "Utopia," and he doesn't, which is nice. This is basically a nifty little first part of a story in which Atlas wants to steal Cerebra to look for Venus (who has been kidnapped by members of the Greek pantheon, which leads into the next Atlas story, which will cross over with The Incredible Hercules - phew!) and the X-Men don't want them to. The fact that everyone thinks Atlas is an eeeevvvvilllll organization helps the inevitable "two groups of heroes fighting" go down a bit more easily, although I always wonder why these groups punch first and ask questions later. I mean, Cyclops could have just yelled at them and given them a chance to explain, but instead he starts blasting away. That's okay, though - it's just a fun bash-up, so I can forgive it. The second story features an earlier fight between Jimmy Woo's bunch and the original X-Men, which is fine except that the original X-Men, based on Marvel's sliding time scale, didn't get together in the 1960s anymore, and it's clear that Chris Samnee (whose art is quite good) is going for that vibe. Plus, this story can't end with the groups coming to an accord or Cyclops would have remembered that Jimmy was an okay bloke. I work myself up too much about this stuff, don't I? I can be Kontinuity Kop as much as the next guy, man!

Pagulayan's art continues to puzzle me. It's good in this issue, but it changes in style once, and it's odd. If you're following along at home, look at the two pages with Venus and the centaur. Doesn't it look rougher, with darker lines and more definition in, say, Venus's hair? According to the credits, it's the same penciler, inker, and colorist throughout the book, yet those two pages look markedly different. I know things like this shouldn't bother me, but it's kind of strange. Did the three artists change deliberately or was someone else working on those two pages? These things keep me up at night.

I hope slapping an "X-Men" on the cover of an Agents of Atlas book will goose sales a little. This isn't as good as the regular title, mainly because Parker needs to somehow get two teams of heroes fighting each other, but it's still a good read.

Zodiac #3 (of 3) ("Death's Finest Addiction") by Joe Casey (writer), Nathan Fox (artist), José Villarrubia (colorist), and Albert Deschesne (letterer). $3.99, 22 pgs, FC, Marvel.

Casey and Fox complete their journey through the dark heart of Marvel villainy, and come out with one of the better mini-series of the year, and definitely one of the best from the Big Two. There's so little you can do with Marvel and DC's characters that feels consequential, so although Casey isn't allowed to mess with too many big guns (like the Torch, who's fully recovered in this issue), he still does a fantastic job making Zodiac a completely evil guy and setting up more stories in the future that I hope he and Fox will be able to tell. I would love to read a mini-series a year about these characters, doing horrible things and basically being unpleasant. Fox draws the battle with Red Ronin unusually, in that he rarely focuses on the entire robot, making it much more intimidating than we might think, because we keep seeing parts of the big guy instead all of him, which is a bit freaky. Meanwhile, Zodiac reveals his big plan to the one person we might care about in the book, which is never a good thing (for that person, that is). Ultimately, this story is just to reveal the end, which some might see as cheating, but because it's only three issues and because Casey is so good at characterization - Reed's cameo is quite good, and Osborn is sufficiently arrogant and short-sighted even as he figures almost everything out - and Fox is so good at plunging us into this world that the ending feels earned. Yes, it's just a set-up, but it's been a wild ride to get there. I very much doubt if this sold anywhere near what it would need to justify more stories about Zodiac (at least from this creative team), but it would be nice if it did. Then we can see what Zodiac is up to next! Either way, you should definitely check out the trade when it arrives. It will probably have a reprint from the 1970s - maybe the one where Zodiac drinks a lot of Schlitz!

And so we reach the end of another week of comics. See? I can review books instead of giving you pointless minutiae! You're just lucky I didn't review these ... in sonnet form! Man, that would have been hard. Have you ever tried to write a sonnet? It's no fun.

Let's fire up some totally random lyrics!

"I wanna smash the faces
Of those beautiful boys
Those Christian boys
So you can make me cum
That doesn't make you Jesus"

Those last lines might be the greatest lyrics ever written. But who wrote them?????

35 Comments

• At October 9, 2009, Olly McPherson wrote:

  Sounds like it could be Patti Smith?

• At October 9, 2009, Tom Fitzpatrick wrote:

  Coming soon from Ellis, PLANETARY: book 2 (another 27 issues that comes out once a year) ;-)

  Sorry, couldn't resist.

  But ...

• At October 9, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Olly: Sorry, not her. Not a bad guess, though.

  Tom: I'd only be in my early sixties when that series ...

• At October 9, 2009, Michael Rawdon wrote:

  For what it's worth, Incognito turned me on to both Criminal and Sleeper. I think Sleeper is the best ...

• At October 9, 2009, Nitz the Bloody wrote:

  What separates the new Red Hood from other murderous-antihero-villains ( quite the mouthful ), including the new Red Hood when ...

• At October 9, 2009, Greg Hatcher wrote:

  The trap in writing a Sherlock Holmes story is that if you get TOO far away from Conan Doyle, it ...

• At October 9, 2009, Dan Bailey wrote:

  Yay! Greg buys more comics that I won't see for another week & a half from HeavyInk because I'm a ...

• At October 9, 2009, Wraith wrote:

  "...a reprint from the 1970s - maybe the one where Zodiac drinks a lot of Schlitz!"

  Aaaah Greg, you crack me ...

• At October 9, 2009, s1rude wrote:

  Ms Amos, from back when being an angry female wasn't a marketing tactic. Precious Things off of Little Earthquakes, ...

• At October 9, 2009, Omar Karindu, with the power of SUPER-hypocrisy! wrote:

  Reposted from that Brian vs. Greg comments thread below:

  There's a fairly weird subtext to this issue, at least from my ...

• At October 9, 2009, agent_torpor wrote:

  LOL @ "Batman Unseen" being better than "BR#5"

  Dude, best laugh i've had all day.

• At October 9, 2009, Dan Lokhorst wrote:

  Nifty, I've been waiting for a team-up between Sentry and Moon Night. World's Craziest! The only crime fighting duo that ...

• At October 9, 2009, Punchy wrote:

  I'm pretty sure those pages with Venus and the Centaur in X-Men Vs. Agents Of Atlas were actually by Gabriel ...

• At October 9, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Nitz: That's probably the only thing that redeems this plot, in that Jason is being so self-conscious about it. ...

• At October 9, 2009, Oz the Malefic wrote:

  Finally some lyrics I know.

  It would be Tori Amos of course.

• At October 9, 2009, s1rude wrote:

  I had missed that "that Brian vs. Greg comments thread", so I didn't see Dread Lord's explanation of Jason's violence ...

• At October 9, 2009, Nitz the Bloody wrote:

  " Nitz: That's probably the only thing that redeems this plot, in that Jason is being so self-conscious about it. ...

• At October 9, 2009, Wraith wrote:

  Greg,

  Quite so; that's really the kicker: the historic legacy. I ask hypothetically "was there a reason to wait for Cassaday," ...

• At October 9, 2009, Omar Karindu, with the power of SUPER-hypocrisy! wrote:

  I don't know that they're being downplayed, exactly, but I do think they have the least interesting roles so far. ...

• At October 9, 2009, fit2print wrote:

  Money well spent this week. Top job, Burgas. P.S. Tori Amos

• At October 9, 2009, Michael Mayket wrote:

  I find it slightly funny that your fear with regards to Kill Audio is that it's going to be about ...

• At October 9, 2009, Julian wrote:

  I dunno Greg, I think your issues towards Strange Tales speak more to your own insecurities with the wackiness than ...

• At October 9, 2009, T. wrote:

  As problematic as Philip Tan's art can be, it's 1000 times better to look at than Kelly Jones' steroid disfigurement ...

• At October 9, 2009, Stefan Wenger wrote:

  A lot of disappointments this week honestly. Doctor Voodoo #1 was probably book of the week.

• At October 10, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Michael: Well, I don't know how obscure the books I read are, and I think I read a pretty good ...

• At October 10, 2009, JKWoodward wrote:

  Hey Greg, I'm glad you liked this miniseries. There will be another one coming in about 6 months or so.

  I ...

• At October 10, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Thanks for the info, J. K., and for clearing up what was going on with the art. It's always ...

• At October 11, 2009, The Cosh wrote:

  Penguin was trying to escape on a helicopter umbrella. Robin broke the shaft with a batarang. I assumed it was ...

• At October 11, 2009, Michael Mayket wrote:

  Greg: I was out of town for the weekend so I just read your response... I know you're being tongue ...

• At October 11, 2009, Bill Reed wrote:

  Sonnets are really hard, man. I hate sonnets.

• At October 11, 2009, FunkyGreenJerusalem wrote:

  As problematic as Philip Tan's art can be, it's 1000 times better to look at than Kelly Jones' steroid disfigurement ...

• At October 12, 2009, Ted wrote:

  Have you ever tried to write a sonnet? It's no fun.

  What great nonsense spouted by Greg, our friend,

  to disparage that ...

• At October 12, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Michael: No worries, sir. I kind of hoped you were being tongue in cheek, and I'm glad you were. ...

• At October 15, 2009, What I bought – 7 October 2009 | Nationwide Drug Interventions wrote:

  [...] More info…“I’m not a hero! I’m not a savior! Forget what you know!” All right, no shenangians this week. ...

• At October 19, 2009, Hatter Entertainment News » X-BABIES #1 Reviews: “This is not a serious comic…” wrote:

  [...] review, despite reading into things incorrectly, in the end is [...]

See?

Dark Horse:

Ugly Cover Alert! Page 22 gives us this:

Usually, I'd be all for two nude ladies on a comic book cover, but Willow looks ... really terrible. Oh well.

There's an Empowered one-shot on page 26 (2 December). I imagine I'm a bad person because I just wasn't impressed with the first volume and I haven't been back since.

The final volume of Rex Mundi is offered on page 33 (3 February). I'm really hoping for a giant Omnibus or two.

The latest B.P.R.D. series comes to an end on page 36. I mention this only because I just heard that Dark Horse isn't planning on doing for B.P.R.D. what they've done for Hellboy; that is, releasing them in those big ol' "library editions" (the third volume of which just came out this past week). That's unfortunate; I suppose I just have to go get the trades, as I've been holding off buying them until I could get the fancy library editions.

DC:

The cover for Green Lantern #49 (page 60; 23 December) shows John Stewart looking through a scope as he's aiming a rifle. There was a cover in last month's Previews on which he was looking through a scope as he's aiming a rifle. What the hell?

Hey, look at the cover of Booster Gold #27 (page 66; 9 December):

Classy!

I like the solicitation for Arkham Reborn #3 (page 76; 23 December): "[I]t's starting to look like the new Arkham Asylum is one big joke." Really? As opposed to the fine security at the old one?

So the DC Holiday Special 2009 is coming out on 9 December (page 83). B'wana Beast stars in it! Remember, 20 years ago, when a certain God of All Comics pointed out that maybe, just maybe, that's a bit racist? But it's so kitschy! Good job, DC, bringing the name back!

There's a Steve Ditko Creeper hardcover on sale on page 91 (24 February). It's 40 bucks, but I would assume it's totally worth it. Of course, I like how it includes stories that were written by people who weren't Ditko and drawn by people who weren't Ditko. That's rather weird.

DC is releasing the Doc Savage mini-series from 1987 in trade paperback (page 92; 13 January). It's written by Denny O'Neil and drawn by the Kuberts (Adam and Andy, not Joe). Anyone want to chime in with a recommendation for this?

Vertigo has Daytripper #1 (page 107; 9 December) by Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon. Yeah, that's going to kick much ass.

Hey, Peter Milligan's Human Target gets a new trade on page 113 (13 January). It collects the original mini-series by the much-missed Edvin Biukovic and the graphic novel Final Cut by Javier Pulido. Is it worth it? For 15 bucks, you better believe it!

Jamie Delano writes a new John Constantine graphic novel, Pandemonium, on page 114 (10 February). Not only that, it's drawn by Jock. So you know it will look awesome.

The third (and sadly, final) trade of Young Liars is out on page 116 (20 January). Pick it up and have your mind blown!

Image:

The latest "next issue project" is offered on page 143 (9 December). It's Silver Streak Comics #24, and it features Erik Larsen and Paul Grist, among others.

The second Elephantmen trade is offered on page 148 (16 December). Excellent stuff, and it's 312 pages for 25 bucks. Not bad.

Speaking of second trades, the second trade of Phonogram is offered on page 149 (16 December). Considering three issues have yet to come out, I wouldn't hold my breath. I get sad whenever another week passes and an issue of Phonogram doesn't come out. Please tell me they'll come out, Mr. Gillen! (Mr. Gillen reads the blog occasionally, and although I can probably call him Kieron, I don't want to take the chance. He'd probably get McKelvie to beat me up.)

Speaking of tardy comics, Gødland #31 is offered on page 157 (16 December). I miss Gødland.

Marvel:

I won't be buying Avengers: The Initiative #31 (page 4; 23 December), but that's an awesome cover:

Here's the solicitation text for X-Men Noir: Mark of Cain #1 (page 14; 2 December):

"In the dark and steamy jungles of Madripoor, the flashing claws of Logan, the blazing bullets of Cyclops, and the dashing fists of the Angel met with wave after wave of beserk [sic] headhunters, all willing to protect the secrets of the Temple-Tomb of Cytorrak with their lives! The ancient treasure map of mercenary Cain Marko, with its siren-song of the priceless gigantic ruby of the fabled god-king, had lured them only into the icy claws of Death!"

Now, it's written by Fred van Lente, so I'm sure it will be good, but that doesn't really sound like noir, does it? And how nice that these stories sold so well they're getting sequels.

So last month, in the solicitation for Dark Avengers #11, the text claimed, "[A]s the world gets turned upside down and no joke ... someone dies. For reelz!! This month, for Dark Avengers #12 (16 December), they use the exact same text. I guess no one cares what's in the actual book, as long as it's, you know, kewl.

Okay, I don't have much to say about the two Fall of the Hulks specials on page 34-35 (2 and 23 December), but the fact that there's a "Hulk family" is, well, stupid. There. I said it.

Ugly Cover Alert! New Avengers Annual #3 (page 45; 2 December) is drawn by Mike Mayhew, who's fairly decent, but his cover looks like this:

Blech. Really, blech.

So Bushman is back and is letting all of the crazy people out of some asylum in the latest issue of Vengeance of the Moon Knight (page 46; 16 December). If you want to convince us that Moon Knight isn't a Batman rip-off, you probably shouldn't steal ideas from a famous Batman story.

Ugly Cover Alert! What. The. Bleep. (Page 51, by the way.)

Even though we all must love Warren Ellis, in the latest issue of Astonishing X-Men (page 57; 9 December), we learn that there's an "attempt to remove mutantcy from the planet Earth entirely." Sigh. Good plot, there. I realize it's all in the execution, but still.

X-Factor #200 is offered on page 70 (16 December), and the team is back in New York (God forbid a Marvel book take place outside of New York or some fictional location; the X-Men bailed on San Francisco for a fictional location, and now X-Factor has skipped out on Detroit). It's an odd solicitation - the issue is 104 pages, with the listing "new and reprint," but there's no mention of what's reprinted. Usually Marvel makes a big deal about what they're reprinting, so I wonder what's going to be in this one.

Ed Hannigan: Covered is a cool project (page 80; 2 December). It features some of Hannigan's Marvel covers from the 1970s and '80s, and proceeds go directly to Hannigan himself, as he multiple sclerosis. What's interesting, though, is that there will be only one printing of this book EVER (as the text loudly proclaims). I guess Marvel doesn't want Hannigan getting too many proceeds through multiple printings, do they? Still, it's a cool thing to do.

Marvel Masterworks: X-Men vol 8 (page 83; 10 March) is a keen collection: all the X-Men stuff from between the cancellation of the original series in 1970 to Giant-Size X-Men #1 in 1975. That's kind of neat.

For 20 dollars, you can get the Mini Marvels Ultimate Collection trade paperback (page 100; 23 December). I don't know if I can handle all the awesome that this collection will surely have.

Okay, it's time to head into the back of the book. Fear not the lack of superheroes!

Jim Rugg draws Afrodisiac from AdHouse Books on page 188. I don't know if this will be any good (it sounds like a parody/pastiche of 1970s blaxploitation movies, so I'll probably skip it), but Rugg is a damned fine artist, so it will look good.

As you recall, I'm not a big fan of Eric Powell's writing (although I love his art). But many people are, so check out Chimichanga #1 on page 188 from Albatross Exploding Funny Books (which means it's self-published), which is Powell's new series. It's the story of a bearded girl in a circus. Presumably, because it's Powell, there will be gross jokes that I won't find funny.

I would recommend getting the Secret History Omnibus on page 196 from Archaia, because it's a very good series. I'm wondering, however, if Archaia is ever going to finish publishing the original issues. I've been waiting for the final two issues, and don't want to spend $35 to get two new issues. It's vexing. If you haven't bought any of the individual issues, however, this is a very cool series, and the $35-price tag is for a 336-page comic, so it's a fairly good value.

I'm kind of bothered by Avatar's new layout in Previews. On page 205 they offer "Ignition City #5 Auxiliary" edition. I don't know what the hell that's supposed to be. But Ignition City #5, the "regular" edition, hasn't come out yet. This can't be replacing it, so when is it supposed to arrive? These are titles shipping in December, and it's not on their list of books coming out in November. I loathe "convention" specials and "variant" crap - I just want to read the damned book! (That last rant wasn't aimed directly at Avatar, as other companies do it too. Don't worry about the exclusivity of the book, worry about people reading it!)

There's a new printing of the Mysterymen Adventures trade for $20 on page 210 from Bob Burden Studios. I've never read anything by Burden. Tell me, good comics aficianados, should I purchase this?

Com.X has the softcover version of Cla$$war volume 1 (a second volume of which will probably never appear). It's actually not bad - the art quality goes down when Hairsine leaves and the fact that it's incomplete is annoying, but it's pretty good. That's on page 227, right next to a strange offering: 45, in which one man interviews forty-five super-powered individuals because his unborn child might have the gene that makes one superhuman. That's a decent idea, but here's the twist: each page is drawn by a different artist, and according to the solicit, they have some good ones lined: Liam Sharp, Jock, Charlie Adlard, and Dan Brereton, to name a few. Interesting.

Garth Ennis has a new Battlefields series coming out on page 235 from Dynamite Entertainment. This time, we get a young Australian joining a bomber squadron that's about to start runs over the Ruhr valley. It's drawn by PJ Holden, who's quite good. It's always nice to see an Ennis war story, although it would be nice to see him do other wars than WWII. It's called "Battlefields," not "World War Two Battlefields"!

On page 239, Dynamite gives us Dreadstar: The Beginning, which collects the stuff from before the ongoing series began. Yes, it's $30, but I can't wait to get this, as I've never read them.

I doubt if I'll get Death Valley #1 from Desperado (page 242), but it's a Western, it's written by Keith Champagne and drawn by Shawn Moll, so if you really dig Westerns, this might be something to check out.

Fantagraphics brings Ho Che Anderson's King back into print on page 252. Is this as good as I've heard it is?

I probably won't get Borgia (volume 3) from Heavy Metal on page 255, mainly because it's volume 3 and it's $15 for 56 pages, but it features artwork by Milo Manara, who's tremendous. And he likes drawing naked women, which is never a bad thing.

IDW keeps bringing these old comics back into print, and I certainly appreciate it. On page 263 they have Winterworld by Chuck Dixon and Jorge Zaffino. I don't know if it's any good, but it sounds like the kind of action comic that Dixon knocks out of the park, and Zaffino is a fine artist. I'll have to check it out.

You can also get a trade of The Life and Times of Savior 28 (page 267), J. M. DeMatteis's deconstruction of a superhero who decides he wants to change the world by becoming a pacifist. It's not perfect, but it's pretty good.

Abby and the Crusader get married in Love and Capes #12 (page 269, Maerkle Press). I should get this series more. It's quite charming.

Justin Gray and Lee Ferguson bring us Mr. Keen: Tracer of Lost Persons on page 270 from Moonstone. It's the story of a woman who hires Mr. Keen to find a man who is "sheer evil." Oh dear. It's a good creative team, and I might have to give it a whirl.

The second volume of Chris Schweizer's "Crogan" series, Crogan's March, shows up on page 274 from Oni Press. The first of the series, Crogan's Vengeance, was quite good, and now we get a story of a different member of the family in the French Foreign Legion, fighting bad guys and creatures that like to eat people! Man, that sucks.

Atomic Robo and the Shadow From Beyond Time gets a trade paperback on page 284 from Red 5 Comics. You shouldn't wait for the trade on this awesome comic, but if you do, now's your chance to pick it up!

Mercury by Hope Larson is offered on page 285 from Simon & Schuster. Hey! I already reviewed this!

On page 294 we find The Apocalypse Plan from Transfuzion Publishing. Writer Rafael Nieves imagines Heaven and Hell as corporations that track souls instead of sales. It could be a clever idea, and Dan Dougherty draws it, so it will look pretty good.

I'm sure you're dying to get your Zan and Jayna T-shirts (page 330):

The question is: would wearing the Zan one and promising that you have a Jayna one for her repel a woman or attract her? The mind boggles! (Considering they're brother and sister, perhaps it's best not to think about it.)

This figure features "cast-off clothing." Ewwwwwww (page 376).

Page 385. Blood Energy Potion. We're in hell:

Okay, maybe going too far into the back of the book isn't that good of an idea. But you can still stop before you get to the truly creepy stuff! Grab that Previews and start digging! You know you want to. Who wouldn't?

38 Comments

• At October 4, 2009, Ian A. wrote:

  Damn, that's a lot of goodness in one month, even without comics shipping the last week.

  I seriously did not ...

• At October 4, 2009, Bill Reed wrote:

  I dunno, if I saw a Zan shirt at Kohl's for like ten bucks, I might go for it for ...

• At October 4, 2009, Wraith wrote:

  Damn, that's a lot of awful in one month. Greg, I gotta share just about every criticism you made in ...

• At October 4, 2009, Bill Reed wrote:

  I thought Detroit was fictional. Didn't they invent it for Robocop?

• At October 4, 2009, T. wrote:

  Mike Mayhew is usually pretty good but he really seems to have channeled his inner Greg Horn for that cover. ...

• At October 4, 2009, Sijo wrote:

  Mr. Burgas, you have a REALLY strange sense of what an ugly-looking cover is. Especially since you didn't seem to ...

• At October 4, 2009, Nitz the Bloody wrote:

  Yet Warren Ellis' Astonishing X-Men has been, for all its delays and status quo irrelevance, the best X-Book on the ...

• At October 4, 2009, Jack Cheng wrote:

  I like the MysteryMen, but I don't think it's Bob Burden's best work. If you've never read anything by Burden, ...

• At October 4, 2009, Dean wrote:

  Jim Rugg draws Afrodisiac from AdHouse Books on page 188. I don't know if this will be any good (it ...

• At October 4, 2009, Omar Karindu, with the power of SUPER-hypocrisy! wrote:

  That Buffy cover reminds me of a question I've always had about comics licensed from TV shows: given that the ...

• At October 4, 2009, Omar Karindu, with the power of SUPER-hypocrisy! wrote:

  Also, Nitz, no: I'd say X-Factor is more consistently good than Ellis's Astonishing. Ellis has superior technique in his ...

• At October 4, 2009, Nitz the Bloody wrote:

  " This isn't to say Alyson Hannigan or Buffy are necessarily someplace I'd expect this, givent he show's attitudes and ...

• At October 4, 2009, Scavenger wrote:

  I never could figure out the racism in B'Wana Beast's name. I've googled and searched and have never figured ...

• At October 4, 2009, Anonymous wrote:

  It's always nice to see an Ennis war story, although it would be nice to see him do other wars ...

• At October 4, 2009, funkygreenjerusalem wrote:

  T'was me.

• At October 4, 2009, Omar Karindu, with the power of SUPER-hypocrisy! wrote:

  http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bwana

  "Bwana" is sort of like "sahib" in India: a word the natives were expected to call the guys in pith ...

• At October 4, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Scavenger: "bwana" is a "respectful term of address" in parts of Africa, but I believe it's usually associated with natives ...

• At October 4, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  D'oh! Too quick for me, Omar!

• At October 4, 2009, funkygreenjerusalem wrote:

  FGJ: I was thinking of his Spanish Civil War story in "War Stories," which was very good. I wouldn't mind ...

• At October 4, 2009, TimCallahan wrote:

  You will like Burden. Read his stuff.

  You will not like the O'Neil/Kubert(s) "Doc Savage" mini. Unless you like stuff that's ...

• At October 4, 2009, Nitz the Bloody wrote:

  " 'Do other wars'... just say what you mean Greg - we want him to do Nam! "

  He has done ...

• At October 4, 2009, funkygreenjerusalem wrote:

  He has done it, twice, and excellently, during Preacher. John Custer's experiences in Vietnam show that he's done more war ...

• At October 4, 2009, Michael wrote:

  I see no problem with the Buffy cover; then again, my Hannigan crush is well documented.

  X-Men: Noir sounds more like ...

• At October 5, 2009, Jamie McKelvie wrote:

  Issue 5's been done for almost a month, but unfortunately has been held up on the production side of things.

• At October 5, 2009, Andrew Collins wrote:

  The Doc Savage mini wasn't awful by any means, but it does suffer a bit from "Scrappy Doo" syndrome. The ...

• At October 5, 2009, Craig wrote:

  Eric Powell's Chimichanga looked like it would fit in the vein of Goon... until I noticed that the solicit says ...

• At October 5, 2009, Omar Karindu, with the power of SUPER-hypocrisy! wrote:

  [I]in Punisher it was about Castle and how he was destined to be The Punisher well before his family were ...

• At October 5, 2009, Kieron Gillen wrote:

  Hi Greg

  Issue 5 has been held up at Image for the last four weeks due to a production bottleneck, which ...

• At October 5, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  KG and Jamie: This is why I can't imagine being in your shoes, when you've finished something and it's still ...

• At October 5, 2009, Gianluca wrote:

  Greg. There must be some Radical hate going on since even Stevie Wonder would have caught the The Last Days ...

• At October 5, 2009, Jay Potts wrote:

  Greg,

  Trust me, you WILL want Jim Rugg's "Afrodisiac" collection. Here's why: http://worldofhurtonline.com/tag/jim-rugg/

• At October 5, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Sorry, Gianluca! I did see the book, but Remender is usually hit and miss with me. I'll have ...

• At October 5, 2009, Gianluca wrote:

  Sweet. Steve Pugh and myself greatly appreciate that. I'm obviously biased on Last Days so please excuse my rant. It ...

• At October 5, 2009, Ian A. wrote:

  That Buffy cover reminds me of a question I've always had about comics licensed from TV shows: given that the ...

• At October 5, 2009, sgt pepper wrote:

  Kieron and Jamie, that all DJs issue (was that #4? anyway) was masterful, and easily one of my favorite comics ...

• At October 5, 2009, Stefan Wenger wrote:

  Mm, I'd have to say Ellis' Astonishing X-Men has been the least inspired and least exciting core X-Men book (though ...

• At October 7, 2009, FunkyGreenJerusalem wrote:

  http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=289815

  Beau Smith has no problem with B'wana Beasts name!

• At November 9, 2009, Drew wrote:

  I know I'm joining in on this conversation way late, but I haven't been a fan of Ellis's Astonishing X-Men ...

So, that's what I thought. Instead of reviews under the boilerplate, I'm going to open my three volumes of Schott's Miscellany (Schott's Original Miscellany, Schott's Food & Drink Miscellany, and Schott's Sporting, Gaming, & Idling Miscellany), select passages at randon, then transpose those. Feel free to ignore them; you know that every so often I get a little weird (like when I used poetry to express my thoughts about the comics I bought; wasn't that fun?), and I'm sure by next week I'll be back in a mood to do straight reviews. Let's dive in!

Astra: An Astro City Special #1 (of 2) ("Graduation Day") by Kurt Busiek (writer), Brent E. Anderson (artist), J. G. Roshell (letterer), Jimmy Betancourt (letterer), and Wendy Broome (colorist). $3.99, 24 pgs, FC, DC/Wildstorm.

Final Meal Requests: Since the death penalty was reinstated in the mid-1970s, Texas has had the dubious honor of executing more people than any other American state. The lethal injection Texas employs consists of sodium thiopental, pancuronium bromide, and potassium chloride (at a cost of $86.08). Below are the final meal requests from some of those executed in Texas.

JEFFREY DOUGHTIE (executed on 8.16.2001): 8 soft fried eggs (wants yellow runny), big bowl of grits, 5 biscuits with bowl of butter, five pieces of fried hard and crisp bacon, two sausage patties, pitcher of chocolate milk, 2 pints vanilla Blue Bell ice cream, and 2 bananas.

GERALD MITCHELL (executed on 10.22.2001): 1 bag of assorted Jolly Ranchers.

SPENCER GOODMAN (executed on 1.18.2000): Double cheeseburger, french fries topped with onions and cheese, baked potato topped with sour cream, cheese and butter, 2 fried pork chops, 3 beef enchiladas, and chocolate cake.

WILLIAM LITTLE (executed on 6.1.1999): 15 slices of cheese, 3 fried eggs, 3 buttered toasts, 2 hamburger patties with cheese, 2 sliced tomatoes, 1 sliced onions, french fries with salad dressing, 2 lb. of crispy fried bacon, 1 quart chocolate milk, and 1 pint of fresh strawberries.

JOHNNY GARRETT (executed on 2.11.1992): Ice cream. [John Garrett??????]

RONALD O'BRYAN (executed on 3.31.1984): T-bone steak (med. to well done), french fries and "catsup," whole kernel corn, sweet peas, lettuce and tomato salad with egg and french dressing, iced tea, sweetener, Saltines, Boston cream pie, rolls.

(The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is at pains to note that 'the final meal requested may not reflect the actual final meal served.')

Rapture #4 (of 6) by Taki Soma (writer/layouter), Michael Avon Oeming (writer/artist), Val Staples (colorist), and Thomas Mauer (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, Dark Horse.

Stanley Cup Winners, 1893-1926 (pre-NHL, that is):

1893: Montreal AAA
1894: Montreal AAA
1895: Montreal Victorias
1896: Winnipeg Victorias/Montreal Victorias
1897: Montreal Victorias
1898: Montreal Victorias
1899: Montreal Victorias/Montreal Shamrocks
1900: Montreal Shamrocks
1901: Winnipeg Victorias
1902: Winnipeg Victorias/Montreal AAA
1903: Montreal AAA/Ottawa Silver Stars
1904: Ottawa Silver Stars
1905: Ottawa Silver Stars
1906: Ottawa Silver Stars/Montreal Wanderers
1907: Kenora Thistles/Montreal Wanderers
1908: Montreal Wanderers
1909: Ottawa Senators
1910: Ottawa Senators/Montreal Wanderers
1911: Ottawa Senators
1912: Quebec Bulldogs
1913: Quebec Bulldogs
1914: Toronto Blueshirts
1915: Vancouver Millionaires
1916: Montreal Canadiens
1917: Seattle Metropolitans (an American team? for shame, Canada!)
1918: Toronto Arenas
1919: no decision
1920: Ottawa Senators
1921: Ottawa Senators
1922: Toronto St. Pats
1923: Ottawa Senators
1924: Montreal Canadiens
1925: Victoria Cougars
1926: Montreal Maroons

No, I don't know why some teams shared the Cup back in the day. Anyone?

Secret Warriors #8 by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Alessandro Vitti (artist), Sunny Gho (colorist), and Dave Lanphear (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, Marvel.

List of contradictanyms (words which have opposing meanings based on the context in which they are used):

You must BOLT the door ... or he will BOLT for the door.
FLOG a horse ... in order to FLOG the horse-meat.
GARNISH that dish ... or I will GARNISH your earnings.
Secure it with a BUCKLE ... or it will BUCKLE under the weight.
Please SCREEN us from ...the film they are about to SCREEN.
Though CRITICAL in his comments ... he was CRITICAL to our success.
You can see the stars are OUT ... once the lights are OUT.
It is everyday CUSTOM ... to have suits CUSTOM-made.
It was an OVERSIGHT ... to give him OVERSIGHT of the project.
I will FIX the gate ... in order to FIX the race.
Bind him FAST to prevent ... a FAST getaway.
He was only a QUALIFIED success ... although he is fully QUALIFIED.

The Unknown: The Devil Made Flesh #1 (of 4) by Mark Waid (writer), Minck Oosterveer (artist), Andres Lozano (colorist), and Marshall Dillon (letterer). $3.99, 22 pgs, FC, Boom! Studios.

According to the latest figures [the book was published in 2005, so they may have changed] from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) [which actually exists!], Norway is the ideal country to move to if you're idle. There the "average hours worked" per-year per-person in work is 1,337 - compared to 1,792 in the United States and 2,390 in Korea:

Norway: 1,337
Netherlands: 1,354
France: 1,421
Germany: 1,446
Denmark: 1,475
Italy: 1,591
Ireland: 1,613
United Kingdom: 1,673
Canada: 1,718
United States: 1,792
Japan: 1,801
Australia: 1,814
Mexico: 1,857
Greece: 1,938
Korea: 2,390

The conclusion: Europeans are lazy. I knew it! Except for the Greeks. What the hell?

Unknown Soldier #12 ("Easy Kill: Conclusion") by Joshua Dysart (writer), Alberto Ponticelli (artist), Oscar Celestini (colorist), and Clem Robins (letterer). $2.99, 23 pgs, FC, DC/Vertigo.

Some Shakespearean insults:

You are not worth another word, else I'd call you Knave.

Why art thou then exasperate, thou idle, immaterial skein of sleave-silk, thou green sarsenet flap for a sore eye, thou tassel of a prodigal's purse, thou? Ah, how the world is pestered with such waterflies, diminutives of nature.

Thou whoreson zed, thou unnecessary letter.

This woman's an easy glove, my Lord, she goes off and on at pleasure.

False of Heart, light of Ear, bloody handed, Hog in sloth, Fox in stealth, Wolf in greediness, Dog in madness, Lion in prey.

You shew'd your teethes like Apes, and fawn'd like hounds and bow'd like Bondmen.

Like the toad, ugly and venemous.

I would thou didst itch from head to foot and I had the scratching of thee; I would make the the loathsomest scab in Greece.

You fat and greasy citizens.

Like a villaine with a smiling cheek, a goodly apple rotten at the heart.

You common cry of curs! whose breath I hate as reek o' th' rotten fens, whose loves I prize as the dead, carcasses of unburied men that do corrupt my air.

X-Factor #49 by Peter David (writer), Valentine De Landro (penciler), Pat Davidson (inker), Jeromy Cox (colorist), and Cory Petit (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, Marvel.

Surströmming:

The Swedish dish Surströmming is a somewhat acquired taste. Small, freshly caught herrings (strömming) are placed in wooden vats and a solution of brine is added. After 48 hours or so the heads and intestines are removed and the fish are again packed into barrels with brine. The barrels are left for 8-12 weeks in the summer heat, "cooking" them at a temperature of 40-60° F. During this time the fish decompose producing a tremendous quality of vile pungent gas. The resulting "delicacy" smells very, very bad indeed, but is regarded by a significant minority as a true gastronomic treat. Sweden's medieval royal legislation, which governs the manufacture of Surströmming, allows for its sale on the third Thursday in August, when the fish is traditionall eaten with beer, aquavit, or vodka.

Now that sounds tasty!

I promise I'll be better next week. I guess I gots the fifth-week blues. I don't know how Chad Nevett was getting 13 books this week. I was looking at the outlay at the comics shoppe and I couldn't believe he'd be getting 13 books, unless he was in the mood to gouge his eyes out. But maybe he'll tell us what he got!

Anyway, feel free to discuss the miscellany or the awesome books you bought this week. Just because I skipped the JLA 80-Page Giant doesn't mean it sucked! Or maybe it does. Beats me!

Let's bring it on home with some totally random lyrics:

"I'm a beast on the microphone, a night stalker
A killing machine, a savage street talker
Jason with an axe, but I put it on wax
To eradicate the suckers who thought I had relaxed
The prince of hip hop, straight from Queens
Kicking it mean, keeping it clean
And you've never seen anybody rock the party
All you funky beat-aholics, this beat's Bacardi
I go to the show, and terrorize emcees, don't you know
Moving my hand like I'm playing the piano"

Now, if you'll excuse me, it's almost time for me to have some Surströmming for dinner (it's sold in cans, after all). I can't wait!

28 Comments

• At October 1, 2009, The Dude wrote:

  This is why, in my opinion you're the best guy posting on this blog.

  I skipped the whole thing after the ...

• At October 1, 2009, The Dude wrote:

  I read the Shakespeare insults after all.

  That guy could write well even when he's calling someone a whore.

• At October 1, 2009, Joe wrote:

  One of my favorite quotes from Shakespeare was something to the effect of "A man isn't a man until he ...

• At October 1, 2009, acespot wrote:

  The reason there may seem to be two winners in any given Stanley Cup year is that for the longest ...

• At October 1, 2009, Tom Fitzpatrick wrote:

  Winnipeg hasn't WON a Stanley Cup since 1902?!?

  Dammitalltohell!!! We NEED a real hockey team!!!! ;-)

• At October 1, 2009, Dean wrote:

  Great. Now I'm wondering exactly how often Texan death row inmates get the last meal they asked for. ...

• At October 1, 2009, Thok wrote:

  "You speak an infinite deal of nothing."-Merchant of Venice

• At October 1, 2009, Bill Reed wrote:

  I can't wait for the What I Bought that's entirely in Latin.

• At October 1, 2009, stealthwise wrote:

  "Only" 6 issues this week? That's a decent month for me!

• At October 1, 2009, Mike Blake wrote:

  There's an insult I'll have to use: "Thou unnecessary letter."

• At October 1, 2009, fit2print wrote:

  Pointless self-indulgence, thy name is Burgas. Did anyone actually read past the preamble of this patently ludicrous post?

• At October 1, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Dude: Thanks? I guess.

  acespot: Good to know, sir. Thanks for the knowledge!

  Thok: Man, that's mean. But appropriate!

  Bill: ...

• At October 1, 2009, joshschr wrote:

  The only thing more pointlessly self-indulgent than blogging is calling out bloggers for being pointlessly self-indulgent in the comments. ...

• At October 1, 2009, Alan Coil wrote:

  Texas has also executed more innocent prisoners than any other state.

• At October 1, 2009, Tom Fitzpatrick wrote:

  "Texas has also executed more innocent prisoners than any other state."

  A pretty good reason NOT to visit Texas, eh? ...

• At October 2, 2009, Dan Bailey wrote:

  >>No, I don't know why some teams shared the Cup back in the day. Anyone?

  Because Canadians are so absurdly polite, ...

• At October 2, 2009, BDaly wrote:

  You're a strange man, Burgas.

• At October 2, 2009, Tom Fitzpatrick wrote:

  "Because Canadians are so absurdly polite, I'm sure."

  It's a national character flaw. I dunno why, though.

  If it's of any ...

• At October 2, 2009, Brian wrote:

  We need more reviews like this column.

  BTW, I really enjoyed JLA 80-page Giant, with two exceptions: One panel the ...

• At October 2, 2009, Dan Bailey wrote:

  >>If it's of any consolation, Winnipeg is earning the nickname "Mini-Detroit" due to the crimes and murder rates.

  Guess SOME of ...

• At October 2, 2009, Greg Manuel wrote:

  JACK! THE RIPPER! KING HERCULES!

• At October 2, 2009, Dan Felty wrote:

  Hey, Greg! I bought 3 Story: the Tales of the Giant Man because of you! Well, not ...

• At October 3, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Very cool, Dan. I hope you enjoy it.

  Greg: I was worried no one would revel in the glory that ...

• At October 4, 2009, T. wrote:

  When I first saw this piece, I gave Greg credit for trying something new but lost interest soon after the ...

• At October 5, 2009, BDaly wrote:

  Greg, did you get some of this stuff from Schott's Original Miscellany? I was looking through my copy this weekend ...

• At October 5, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  BDaly: Indeed I did! Should I point out that I wrote it above? Skip my purple prose at ...

• At October 5, 2009, Nick Evans wrote:

  Those death row types are really letting themselves go. Can't be good for their health.

  Also, yay for Europe: 4 ...

• At October 5, 2009, acespot wrote:

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_auto-antonyms_in_English

I've been enjoying this comic, but not enough to really love it or order you to buy it (yes, I can do that, and you must obey!), but it's getting better, and this is the best issue yet. First of all, Twiki makes an unexpected cameo, and it's pretty hilarious. More than that, though, Beatty is doing a really good job balancing the ridiculous (the Pack is kind of goofy even though they are, after all, dangerous) with the more hardcore science fiction, and the fact that Buck and Wilma spend most of this issue in 1930s-style spacesuits (complete with jodhpurs!*) makes me happy. Rafael is doing a solid job on art, and Beatty is building the story nicely, not giving too much away until it's necessary and keeping things moving along. Like the other Dynamite licenses I've been reading (Zorro, see below, and The Lone Ranger), it's a sturdy, engaging comic that doesn't promise too much and delivers what it promises. And a wolf wearing a codpiece? Gold!

* Fashion-wise, you can never go wrong with jodhpurs.

Detective Comics #857 ("Elegy Part Four: Rubato!" and "Pipeline Chapter One: Part Four") by Greg Rucka (writer), J. H. Williams III (artist, "Elegy"), Dave Stewart (colorist, "Elegy"), Todd Klein (letterer, "Elegy"), Cully Hamner (artist, "Pipeline"), Dave McCaig (colorist, "Pipeline"), and Jared K. Fletcher (letterer, "Pipeline"). $3.99, 30 pgs, FC, DC.

Rucka does a bit better with the story in this issue, mainly because he finally gets around to Alice doing something, you know, criminal that affects the world at large rather than makes Batwoman grumpy. I lost patience with superhero stories in which the villain does a villainous thing that seems only to affect the hero - why do I care? - so it's nice to see her aim high, and Rucka does a good job with the big fight, as there's plenty of tension and two beautifully laid-out fight scenes. Rucka and Williams do a nice job foreshadowing the ending throughout, both in the words and, notably, in the art. Williams is one of those artists whose page designs actually mean something - they don't just look fancy for the fun of it. This hasn't been the best story, story-wise, but at least Rucka ends on a good note. I will say that Stewart's choice to make Kate zombie-like in her civilian identity really doesn't do it for me, and I'm curious about the drawing of Batwoman when she's flying through the air toward the plane: Why does it appear like her nipple is on the side of her breast? It's really disconcerting.

I know it's a cliché to say I'd buy a Williams-illustrated phone book, but I would. Not only is he a great illustrator, but the way he creates a comic is just so different from pretty much anyone working in mainstream books today, and it really does make reading a comic drawn by him a joyful experience.

Oh, and there's the back-up story. As much as I like Hamner's art on it, I don't dig Renee's blonde hair. I'm also not sure how it gets to be blonde, as we watch her putting on her outfit and her brunette hair never changes color, and then, when she's in full Question mode, it's blonde. I'm thinking too much about this, aren't I? Anyway, I wish she'd just keep the brunette hair. But that's just me.

Elephantmen #21 ("Kill Kill Kill") by Richard Starkings (writer) and Boo Cook (artist). $3.50, 24 pgs, FC, Image.

I'd like to thank Richard Starkings once again for sending me the latest issue of Elephantmen. He's a mensch.

We get another one-and-done story, which has been the modus operandi for this "Dangerous Liaisons" theme that's been running the past six issues, as Starkings is focusing on one character from the book while still moving the overall plot forward. In this issue, for instance, he focuses on Ebony Hide, the elephant cop who often works with Hip Flask, the series' nominal star. Like all the elephantmen, Ebony has a neurochip implanted in his spine that "turned him on" - filled him with bloodlust and made him a better soldier. That was for when he was a warrior, but he still has the chip. In this issue, someone turns it on. Oh dear. Ebony ends up in a dry canal (the Los Angeles river, I assume) facing off against four crocodile hybrids which have also been turned on, and they fight to the death. It's all a test, proving that the hybrids can still be controlled if someone wants to. We're not sure who's behind it (they're obviously connected to Mappo, the company that made the hybrids in the first place), but that, presumably, will be something Starkings gets back to eventually. And the issue ends with a chilling epilogue that portends far more serious problems for the population.

It's basically a big fight scene, but that's fine - Starkings does a nice job with it. Cook, who's not a bad artist, is not as up to snuff on the action scenes - he cuts some corners, it seems, and the figures occasionally come off as a bit too cartoonish. You can see by the cover that he knows how to draw, and some of the panels are absolutely gorgeous (the flashback scenes to Ebony's war are very well done, as is Ebony's pose when he claims victory). But the fight itself is rushed and even a bit confusing, as in a few panels, we're not sure how many crocodiles there are. For the most part, however, Cook does a fine job with the art. The lack of a regular artist over the past few issues hasn't hurt the book at all - Starkings finds good artists, certainly!

It's always nice to read a new issue of Elephantmen. Starkings continues to craft a wonderful science fiction adventure, and I'm always excited to see what's going to happen next.

Fantastic Four #571 ("Solve Everything Part Two") by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Dale Eaglesham (artist), Paul Mounts (colorist), and Clayton Cowles (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, Marvel.

I don't think I like buff Reed. Big Fat Reed, however - now there's a hero!

This turned fairly conventional in a hurry, but I'm still going to read the rest of the arc to decide if Hickman deserves my well-earned coin. I mean, Reed wants to solve everything, so the other Reeds show him the good they can do, the bad they feel they must do, and then the bad guys show up because they're all jealous. Meh. Eaglesham draws the hell out of it, of course, but it's kind of dull. Perhaps because I've never really been a fan of Reed and his massive ego, so when he dismisses Sue like that early on, I want her to expand an invisible air balloon in that big brain of his and show him who's really in charge. The four pages with the entire group at the breakfast table is the best part of the issue, and then Reed goes off to his weird autoerotic club and it's just not that interesting. Hickman has earned a look at least through how he resolves this arc, but I wasn't impressed with this issue as much, because it felt too "super-heroic." But I hope for better!

Hellblazer #259 ("The Cottage") by Peter Milligan (writer), Simon Bisley (artist), Jamie Grant (colorist), and Sal Cipriano (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, DC/Vertigo.

There's a cameo in this issue that freaked me the hell out. You know which one I'm talking about! It was pretty awesome, though, but still extremely freaky. Look at Milligan, indulging in some old-school Vertigo continuity! How cute!

Anyway, this is a nasty little issue in which John learns (or remembers) some awful stuff to do with Phoebe. It's a good issue, but that's not what I want to talk about. I want to talk about Vertigo's coloring policy. Look at that cover. Bisley draws a freaky monster embracing John, and although the colors are slightly muted, they still pop a bit, and that's pretty keen. Then we get to the interiors. Bisley is a very good artist with an unusual visual style, and he's a good choice for this issue (and, frankly, for the rest of Milligan's run - Camuncoli just doesn't seem to fit, and I like Camuncoli). And then Jamie Grant mutes everything, including that creature on the cover, and everything is gray and brown and dull. I don't blame Grant, actually - we've seen how well he can make a book pop before, after all (All Star Superman, anyone?). I don't know if it's Vertigo's paper stock or just their overall editorial policy, but the books don't look as well as they could. John's demented journey through his past ought to be more hallucinatory, but it's just not. I think of Bisley in the same way I do Brendan McCarthy in terms of wackiness, and when I think of some of the old Shade, the Changing Man comics, with Bachalo being crazy and McCarthy doing that one issue in which Shade goes a bit nutty, I wonder how those would have looked under the current Vertigo regime. The same as most of their other books: dull. I can't think of a Vertigo book that doesn't suffer from this problem - some are a bit better than others, sure, but even the brighter ones are still dull. I really like this issue and I even like Bisley's pencils, but why on earth are Vertigo books so dour? Does anyone know? Am I going to have to go MarkAndrew on Shelly Bond and demand an e-mail? I'M ENTITLED, DAMN IT!!!!!!!

Anyway, that cameo. Awesome.

The Incredible Hercules #135 by Fred van Lente (writer), Greg Pak (writer), Rodney Buchemi (artist), Guillem Mari (colorist), Emily Warren (colorist), and Simon Bowland (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, Marvel.

Oh, Dr. Japanazi, you with your two evil Axis brains. How can we stay mad at you?

I will say, if this is really what role-playing games are like, I'm glad I never played a role-playing game. Are they really that boring? You roll a die and then explain what's happening? Blah. My friends and I used to smash models of World War II planes into each other while we fought a made-up empire based on a kid who lived down the street and who we couldn't stand. That, my friends, is what childhood is all about.

What redeems the role-playing, of course, is that Amadeus and Pythagoras are battling not just over Pythagoras's RPG, but over reality itself!!!!!! Amadeus is trapped in some strange alternate realities, and he needs to figure out a way to escape, and despite the hot chick with ripped clothes carrying a machine gun, violence won't necessarily get him there. He needs to use his 7th-smartest brain to get out of Pythagoras's trap, and van Lente and Pak do a nice job with that. Plus, they end with a nifty reveal and a set-up for the Hercules special that's coming out soon (Spider-Man was in the solicit in Previews, so I assume that's what it's setting up). This story arc, with Amadeus, hasn't been as funny as Hercules-as-Thor, but Pak and van Lente are still writing a wildly entertaining and fun superhero epic, plus it's smarter than almost anything out there (I'm not talking about the Boltzmann brains, but just the general intelligence of the storytelling). So yeah, it's still awesome. Even with all the role-playing.

Madame Xanadu #15 ("Exodus Noir Part Five: Unto the Furnace") by Matt Wagner (writer), Michael Wm. Kaluta (artist), Dave Stewart (colorist), and Jared K. Fletcher (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, DC/Vertigo.

Here's another Vertigo book, with a different colorist, that suffers from the poor coloring. The cover is on the glossy stock and has some nice tones on it - the colors aren't garish, certainly, but they definitely glow more than the interiors do. Inside, it's more of the murk, and although the demon is brightly colored, the scenes in Spain, where it ought to be bright (I've been to Spain, and one of the few things I remember was how danged bright it was), just aren't. I don't mean to harp on it, really, but Vertigo often gets top shelf artists and good colorists, and I think they're doing themselves a disservice by (apparently deliberately) making the books uglier than they should be. Again, I get that events in Vertigo books are often dour, but think how much more effective the scenes in this book set in Spain would be if the glare was overwhelmingly cheerful - the irony would be thick! Alas, it's just a sad little scene that we saw coming from the very beginning of the arc.

As for the arc, well, it's over. I have now read all 15 issues of Madame Xanadu (I got the trade of the first ten issues), and I won't be picking up issue #16. Amy Reeder Hadley is a pretty good artist, and I like Wagner's writing, but the series just isn't grabbing me, and even though this arc (with more Vertigo cross-continuity - what's up with that this week?) is a pretty good read, I was buying it for the art, and now that Kaluta is gone, so am I. If Kaluta does another arc, I might check it out. We'll see. It's not a bad comic, it's just not that great. Oh well.

Power Girl #5 ("Space Girls Gone Wild!") by Jimmy Palmiotti (writer), Justin Gray (writer), Amanda Conner (artist), Paul Mounts (colorist), and John J. Hill (letterer). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, DC.

I wonder if, while Gray and Palmiotti are hammering out a script on this comic, they consult the artist. Ms. Conner is intimately connected to Mr. Palmiotti, after all, and I wonder if she tells them, "You know, I'm going to draw asses this time around. YOU CAN'T STOP ME!!!!!" Wisely, they stay out of her way. And so we get this issue, and these drawings:

I'm totally not objecting to this kind of gratuitous ass-drawing, mind you - in a comics universe where female superheroes wear clothing that they ought to, by all rights, pop out of on a regular basis, these drawings are almost innocent - but I was just struck, in this particular issue, by how Conner managed to work asses into the story. Really, only the final shot of Power Girl is from a POV that would make it necessary. But Conner can do no wrong in my book (she posed with Laura's gnome, for crying out loud!), so I love that she drops ass shots into this book, as well as a fun "Power Girl changing on the roof" scene that is actually necessary (as it introduces a subplot) and allows Kara to say "fucked" without Palmiotti and Gray having to use grawlix. That's always fun.

I'm still not sold on this series (and I usually give new series that don't piss me off in the first issue at least six to impress me), but Palmiotti and Gray are slowly loosening up, and although this issue is mostly set-up, as three babelicious aliens land on earth (in Brooklyn, of course, because aliens would never land someplace gauche like Saskatoon or, if you live in Saskatoon and are now swearing vengeance upon me, Brisbane) and PG tries to track them down and encounters the dude who is chasing them. It's a humorous issue, for the most part, with a gorgeous male android sex slave and the three alien foxes discovering hot dogs and yet another joke about PG's rack and a good cat-washing. Unfortunately, it's not a chimpanzee washing the cat, but I guess we can't get everything! It's certainly getting better, and as long as Conner is drawing it, I'll at least think about buying it. But I might have to bite the bullet next issue and make a decision. If we get another issue like this, I might just keep getting it. Until it gets cancelled. Come on, this can't last, can it? I hope it can, but it doesn't feature dead superhero zombies eating other superheroes, so I doubt if anyone is reading it. Because dead superhero zombies eating other superheroes is, you know, real.

Spider-Woman #1 by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Alex Maleev (artist), and Cory Petit (letterer). $3.99, 28 pgs, FC, Marvel.

Speaking of cheesecake, that cover disturbs me. Not that much, just to the point where I have to comment on it. Inside, we learn that Maleev used a model named Jolynn Carpenter for Jessica Drew (I would have pegged Jessica as older than 25, but whatever). I assume Ms. Carpenter posed for that cover, too, and I wonder if she was, you know, unclothed. Why? Almost right in the center of the page we see her left nipple, and you can see the slight change in direction as we reach the areola. Again, I have absolutely no problem with this, I just found the "realism" of the breast odd, especially as everything in the painting seems to revolve around it, like it's the sun or something. I'm always disconcerted when we see "realism" in superhero art (which is why Alex Ross's art, despite its craftsmanship, is a little weird), so I just thought I'd point that out. Yes, add this to Power Girl and Detective as comics that made me obsess for a few minutes over female body parts. Deal with it!

I accidentally read a bit of Our Own Chad's review of this comic, and I think I agree with him - it seems really late. I mean, does anyone in the Marvel Universe even care about Skrulls anymore, now that the Green Goblin has taken over the U. S.? Skrulls, like Brad Lidge's skills, are so 2008. In theory, I guess Skrulls are always a problem in the Marvel U., but it seems like this issue loses some sense of urgency because it's taken so long coming out in printed form. That Chad - when he's not rotting his brain by snorting crushed Smarties, he's pretty smart.²

Overall, this is the kind of Bendis book that I like - yes, Jessica is a superhero, but she gets recruited by S.W.O.R.D. (buy the new series by Kieron Gillen, people!) to track down aliens and kill them. So this becomes a weird kind of pseudo-noir tale set in the Marvel U., which works for me, as Bendis did the same kind of thing on Daredevil (and his run is really, really good). Obviously, this feels like it's going to be a bit more superheroey than that comic, but it's still a murky, morally shifty kind of book, and I can dig it! Taken as a discrete issue, this is frankly kind of boring, as nothing much happens until the very end, but I'm patient, and Bendis does a pretty good job catching us up on what's going on in Jessica's life and why she's, you know, suicidal (to tie this into this week's theme). Bendis writes about Wolverine a bit too much, but that's okay.

Maleev is a weird artist, even though I like him. Occasionally his art looks terrible (the splash page, for instance), and occasionally it looks very stiff and out-of-context (the people in the scene when Jessica arrives in Madripoor don't look like they're occupying the same space, for instance). But I can't stay mad at it. He sets up the scenes very well, and his weird use of photo-referencing works for him and, most importantly, for Bendis's comics. It's always strange to consider what Maleev has evolved into over the past decade-and-a-half or so, considering how, well, crappy his art was back in the day. You may not like his art, but he has a cool style that fits what Bendis is doing.

I will say that I'm surprised the people in the Marvel U. are so close-minded. Not like the Men in Black at all, are they? Thirty-two alien races on Earth, and all are unwelcome? Sheesh. Abigail Brand is a meanie.

So I'll give this a few issues. It's off to a pretty good start. And I'd love to see some DC alien races make cameos. That would be fun.

Underground #1 (of 5) by Jeff Parker (writer), Steve Lieber (artist), and Ron Chan (colorist). $3.50, 22 pgs, FC, Image.

I could have read this a while ago, as Parker sent me a link to where you could read it on-line, but I didn't. I suck. I knew I was getting it in printed form, and I just forgot to check it out. You can read it on-line, though. It's in black-and-white, but you cheap bastards out there won't care about that, will you????? Just click the link on the title up there.³

So here's the set-up: There's a cave in Kentucky. A developer wants to, you know, develop it so he can make some coin and, somewhat incidentally, help the depressed economy in the region. Two park rangers who at the beginning of the issue have made the beast with two backs for the first time are trying to stop him, because it would ruin the natural beauty of the caves and shit. Two shady characters are planting explosives in the caves for some nefarious reason. The male park ranger (yes, one is male and one is female - it's family-friendly!) discovers them and one of the explosives goes off, knocking him out and trapping him in the cave. The female park ranger finds him. And ... exeunt!⁴

Parker, of course, does a fine job setting this all up. On the first few pages, he and Lieber blend the pertinent information (in the form of a reporter interviewing various people around the region, a tried and true method) with scenes from the cave as Wesley (the female ... yes, the female) has a dream in which she sees the punks blowing shit up. From there it's fairly straight-forward, but still a darned good read. Parker doesn't make the developer, Winston Barefoot, a purely evil dude, although he's pretty unctuous. The people in town just want jobs to come back, and they're willing to sacrifice natural beauty for a chance to regain some dignity. Meanwhile, Seth, Wesley's new boytoy, isn't completely on her side, but he's also not willing to side with Barefoot, who he thinks is exploiting his Cherokee heritage (Seth is also Cherokee) for profit, counting on the fact that nobody will say "boo" to him because of political correctness. It's a nice character study, and Parker, more than in his Marvel work (which is, of course, fantastic) does a good job making these people real. And it's always nice to see Lieber's art. He has a good, naturalistic feel to his pencils, and the scene where Wesley tries to figure out what to say to Seth after their night together is very funny.

I'm not surprised this is good. I expected it to be good, after all, and it is. Yay, good comics! And the creators' web sites are listed on the inside cover. I like to think that was just for me. Thanks, Image!

Wasteland #26 ("Childhood's End?") by Antony Johnston (writer), Christopher Mitten (artist), and Douglas E. Sherwood (letterer). $3.50, 24 pgs, FC, Oni Press.

As good as Wasteland is, I hope the schedule has been righted now that Mitten, we hope, has regained his sanity following the full-color, double-sized issue #25. Poor Christopher Mitten. He should punch that British git Johnston right in the face!⁵

But we're off on another story arc, and if Warren Ellis can't get you to buy this book (as he's quoted on the cover), then I just don't know what to do with you guys. Johnston returns to Newbegin and begins checking in on the characters who are left, apparently focusing on one in each issue of this arc. In this, he focuses on Yan, the son of the ex-Primate Heddor, who is given a job by the Founder and doesn't really like it: He's taking care of Neelan, the artisian who is under house arrest. Yan doesn't think this is too good a job, but he does it, and over the course of six months, he begins to discover that life is a tiny bit more complex than he thought it was. Johnston ties this into the bigger events of the city, events which will presumably be fleshed out in subsequent chapters.

It's a nice character study, as Yan, a youngster who is certain he knows everything about the world, slowly realizes that things aren't always black-and-white. Yes, that's not a terribly original plot, but plots ultimately don't matter - it's how the writer deals with them, and Johnston does a good job letting Yan discover things on his own and change his own mind. As usual, he takes his time and lets these characters live and grow on their own, and it continues to be a pleasurable read. Mitten, of course, is fantastic, although I'm a bit confused on a few pages, where two characters seem to be substituted for each other at random. Hibberd, the artisian's servant, seems to magically appear in one panel and replace Neelan, who seems to disappear. In a book like this, which has a large cast of characters who often are not identified by name, it's kind of confusing. Hibberd and Neelan don't look anything like each other, which is why the shift is so jarring and obvious. It becomes clear what exactly happens (Neelan leaves the room, Yan talks to Hibberd, then goes into the room where Neelan went), but it's not laid out particularly well. Still, it's a minor complaint. And it's just one page (plus one panel on the previous page).

I'm happy to see Wasteland back, and I hope it will continue to come out on a regular basis. It's too good for these gaps between issues!

Wednesday Comics #12 (of 12). $3.99, 15 pgs, FC, DC.

I thought I'd give you some trivia about Wednesday Comics. Okay, one piece of trivia (trivium?). There were 12 "issues" of this serial, and 15 stories. So there were three stories that didn't get to be featured in the "big circle" at the lower right. Which ones were the ones that didn't get the star section? Can you remember? Thanks to me, you don't have to! The ones that didn't make it were Azzarello and Risso's Batman, Berganza and Galloway's Teen Titans, and Simonson and Steelfreeze's Demon/Catwoman. Why were they shortchanged? Beats me. But there you have it!

Anyway, I was going to delve into this much more, but I'm not going to. Some worked, some didn't, some got better, some got worse, and it's disappointing that Kubert's Sgt. Rock didn't feature Rock killing Nazis in every. Single. Panel. But still. I can certainly understand why people didn't like this and bailed on it, but despite some uneven quality, I kept getting it because it was just such a cool idea and it was fun reading the stories. It was interesting seeing the writers try to create these 12-page stories, one page at a time, and although some failed (you know which ones I'm talking about!), it was still a really keen experiment. We'll see what they come up with next time!

Zero Killer #5 (of 6) ("Nuclear Family") by Arvid Nelson (writer/letterer), Matt Camp (artist), and Dave Stewart (colorist). $2.99, 22 pgs, FC, Dark Horse.

I'll just point you in the direction of my review of the entire series, and leave it at that.

Zorro #16 by Matt Wagner (writer), Francesco Francavilla (artist), and Simon Bowland (letterer). $3.50, 22 pgs, FC, Dynamite Entertainment.

See, one Matt Wagner comic I don't really love, while another I think is very good. It's odd when that happens - I can only assume I have more interest in Zorro the character than Madame Xanadu the character, because I don't see a huge difference in actual writing quality in the two books. I do like Francavilla more than I like Hadley, but it's not like I can't stand Hadley. I'm always curious as to why I don't like certain things by a writer when I like other things by the same writer. Oh well. I think Zorro is better than Madame Xanadu. You may disagree!

Wagner continues to look at Zorro through the eyes of those who have encountered him, this time letting a privateer in the employ of Spain tell General Mancado about the time Zorro fucked his dudes up. It's basically an excuse to let Francavilla draw a big fight, and of course he does it magnificently. Plus, Diego lets Lolita know that they must pretend not to love each other because of the old chestnut: to "distract any who might wish [her] harm." Oh, you're a crafty one, Diego! So we'll see where that goes.

Wagner is still setting this thing with General Mancado up, so everything is still simmering, but it looks fantastic. Of course it does!

All right, let's fire up the totally random lyrics!

"When I was a very small boy,
Very small boys talked to me
Now that we've grown up together
They're afraid of what they see
That's the price that we all pay
Our valued destiny comes to nothing
I can't tell you where we're going
I guess there was just no way of knowing"

Yeah, that's easy. Such is the randomness of totally random lyrics!

Finally, let's think fondly about frequent commenter FunkyGreenJerusalem, who probably woke up this week after napping off a Vegemite and Carlton bender and thought he was on Mars:

Finally (yes, I know I just wrote "finally," but let's ignore that), I'd like to make a request of you guys that isn't comics-related. My lovely wife has Polycystic Kidney Disease, and in a couple of weeks she's participating in a walk to raise money for research into it. If you would like to donate to her, please go to the PKD Foundation web site. There's a button there to "donate to a walker," and if you click on that, it will take you to a screen in which you can search for a specific walker. Her name is Krysta Burgas, and after you search for it, you can click on her name and it will bring up her personal page. On that page is a button labeled "give a gift." If you're so inclined, donate some money. It would be groovy if you could. If not, c'est la vie. And thanks for indulging me.

Let's take it out with a final thought:

"I don't need no Ph.D. to be a doctor of fuckin' misery!" Testify, Mike!

¹ Honestly, I wrote that before Brad posted his Wednesday Comics thing and got everyone riled up. I just happened to be listening to "Lights ... Camera ... Revolution" this week, and as it's, you know, freakin' superb, I figured I'd fire up the quote machine.

² I doubt if Chad does this. I used to do it when I was in junior high. It's a weird rush. Surprisingly, I never graduated from it to cocaine. It seems like an easy transition!

³ I suppose some of you have, you know, bills to pay and family members to feed and lame shit like that. Okay, you're not cheap. We're still friends, right?

⁴ A Shakespeare reference and a stage direction in the same paragraph? I was an English major, bitches - deal with it!

⁵ Once again, I should probably point out that I'm joking. Johnston is a swell guy. Unless I've been misled all these years and "git" is actually a good thing. If so, then he's totally a git!

31 Comments

• At September 24, 2009, Thok wrote:

  Batman probably didn't get the lead since it was the first page when opened. Teen Titans probably didn't get ...

• At September 24, 2009, Chad Nevett wrote:

  I don't do that. Never snorted anything except for water accidentally while swimming and allergy nasal spray.

  And, honestly, I don't ...

• At September 24, 2009, Josh wrote:

  Haha Brad Lidge

• At September 24, 2009, Stefan Wenger wrote:

  I don't have anything useful to say here except I can't believe you're not head over heels in love with ...

• At September 24, 2009, Andrew Collins wrote:

  Can someone spoil who the cameo in Hellblazer is for me? I haven't been reading Milligan's run, but I'm a ...

• At September 25, 2009, rhod wrote:

  Do I get bonus points for identifying both "You can't bring me down" and "True Faith"?

• At September 25, 2009, dreamweaver wrote:

  I agree with Renee's blond hair in question mode. i just don't get it.

• At September 25, 2009, T. wrote:

  Regarding Renee Montoya's hair color change, I'm guessing Rucka and Hamner are doing it as a homage to the original ...

• At September 25, 2009, ZZZ wrote:

  It has to do with the way the mask stays on the Question's face. When he or she puts his ...

• At September 25, 2009, Julian wrote:

  It's always been that way.

• At September 25, 2009, Wraith wrote:

  OKay, FWIW: I just got up like 20 minutes ago, and I've been online for barely 10, and already this ...

• At September 25, 2009, Mike Loughlin wrote:

  Now I have to go the whole day without yelling "YOU! CAN'T! BRING! ME! DOWN!!!! (Bring me down!!!)" out loud. ...

• At September 25, 2009, Patrick Joseph wrote:

  Wraith: Exactly! "A boy told me what he saw in this picture.." Never could figure out what Wertham was seeing. ...

• At September 25, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Chad: I can buy her being suicidal, but I do agree that Bendis tells us too much about it rather ...

• At September 25, 2009, Alan Coil wrote:

  Chad said:

  "Bendis really hasn't done a good job of setting this up..."

  Typical Bendis. Reading Bendis is like listening to a ...

• At September 25, 2009, T. wrote:

  Thanks for the info about the Question's hair color change, everyone. That's ... well, I was going to say silly, ...

• At September 25, 2009, Dan Felty wrote:

  Super-speed, the same way the Flash does anything.

• At September 25, 2009, Dan Bailey wrote:

  As usual, I'm avoiding reading most of these because (a) I don't buy the comic in question, or (b) I ...

• At September 25, 2009, Neal K wrote:

  Alan -

  I don't see that in Bendis' work at all (and I have a four-year-old, so I am familiar ...

• At September 25, 2009, Wraith wrote:

  Greg-

  You have to be one of the most humble and polite bloggers in comics-interweb-land. ...so what are you doing here? ...

• At September 25, 2009, Stefan Wenger wrote:

  Y'know, I can't really listen to any other Suicidal Tendencies stuff anymore, but Lights... Camera... Revolution! does it for me ...

• At September 25, 2009, Alan Coil wrote:

  Neal asked:

  "Care to elaborate with examples?"

  No, thanks. I ranted. I'm done now.

• At September 25, 2009, bebopeva88 wrote:

  Abigail Brand is half alien herself, and will be facing suspicion by Gyrich for it, so she's no meanie -- ...

• At September 25, 2009, Scott Harris wrote:

  Flash's miniature costume that expands on contact with air is great. As for how he gts it into the ring, ...

• At September 25, 2009, Andrew Collins wrote:

  Cool, thanks Greg. Kathy was my other guess, given that Milligan is the one writing the comic. I'll be picking ...

• At September 26, 2009, wwk5d wrote:

  Jessica as suicidal doesn't really work, but, as many people have mentioned, maybe had the book come out much earlier, ...

• At September 26, 2009, Rob Schmidt wrote:

  Did you read the FF-oriented BIG TOWN mini-series several years ago? This What If-style story pointed out how ridiculous ...

• At September 26, 2009, Rob Schmidt wrote:

  Maybe the Flash's costume is saturated with the Atom's white dwarf-star radiation. That would explain how it can shrink.

• At September 26, 2009, Jack Norris wrote:

  Burgas, re: FF:

  'I wasn't impressed with this issue as much, because it felt too "super-heroic."'

  Considering the complaints about previous recent ...

• At September 26, 2009, Greg Burgas wrote:

  Jack: Yeah, I suppose, but I haven't been reading the previous runs, so I have no idea where Hickman is ...

• At September 27, 2009, FunkyGreenJerusalem wrote:

  I can't think of a Vertigo book that doesn't suffer from this problem - some are a bit better than ...

"You sure did me a solid by writing that awful JLA comic," Loeb was overheard saying to Robinson at Comic Con, according to Broken News's crack spies on the convention floor.*

"I mean, it was really starting to get to me, all of the people on blogs and message boards talking about how terrible my work was," Loeb confessed to Robinson in a down moment between panels and signings. At a men's room urinal.

"Especially at Comics Should Be Good," Loeb continued. "Despite my decades long career as a working writer, you can only have skin so thick, and that T. guy is pretty scathing. I'll admit, he made me cry a couple times."

Robinson was apparently silent on the matter, as he (understandably) was quite dumbfounded that any colleague would so casually denigrate his work. Especially that hack Jeph Loeb.

"I mean, you should see the stuff I have planned for Ultimatum 2: Ultimatumer!" Loeb said, following, Robinson out of the men's room. "It's awful! I'm really not trying anymore! But man, people probably won't even notice now that you're the new whipping boy! Especially when they see that scene where Green Arrow talks about that threesome with Huntress and Lady Blackhawk that Didio was passing around the original art for at DC's secret mobile frat house! That will even make the Hulk/Wasp necrophilia scene seem tame, somehow!" By this point, Robinson was making a hasty retreat out of the convention center, towards his hotel, and Loeb was yelling this at him. With a bullhorn. I have no idea why no o