9-24-13
FANTASTIC FOUR #56 (Marvel, 1966) – This is the second oldest issue of FF in my collection. Kirby is at the absolute top of his game here; the splash page is kind of boring (I wonder if it was a rejected cover), but on page 3 there’s an utterly gorgeous illustration of an alien seen through Reed’s Negative Zone viewer, and later there are some epic action sequences. In terms of the story, this issue is not as much of a classic as the issues surrounding it on either side; Klaw is not the greatest of villains, and unfortunately Sue’s role in this story is basically that of a hostage. Still, this is an issue of the superhero comic to which all others must be compared. Grade: A+
FANTASTIC FOUR #585 (Marvel, 2011) – This Hickman/Epting issue is easier to understand than the one reviewed below, and includes a much more compelling storyline. Hickman writes both Galactus and Namor quite well; his version of Galactus is just seething with power and majesty. This issue also strikes an effective balance between action and comedy; the sequences with Galactus and Namor are counterbalanced by some cute interactions between Ben, Johnny and the kids. Grade: A
NEW GODS #3 (DC, 1971) – This issue is notable for introducing the Black Racer, one of Kirby’s weirder creations, which is saying a lot. It has a fairly exciting story but I don’t think it’s one of the best issues of the series; there’s too much Orion and not enough Lightray or Metron. The most notable scene here is the one where Orion looks at his hideous real face in a mirror. Grade: A-
SUPERMAN #282 (DC, 1974) – This issue is written by my favorite Superman writer, Elliot S! Maggin, but is not one of his greatest works. The plot here is that Luthor tries to defeat Superman by de-aging him ten years, on the theory that a less experienced Superman will be easier to beat. (Doesn’t that mean Luthor is sort of admitting defeat though?) The surprising part is that this rather silly scheme almost works and I find myself almost rooting for Luthor, who Maggin sometimes wrote as a sympathetic character. The other surprising thing here is what Luthor plans to do with Superman once he’s beaten him: Luthor literally plans to scalp Superman and use his hair as a toupee, which makes a surprising amount of sense. As I write this summary, I find I like this story better in hindsight than I did when I was reading it. Perhaps I should have written that this wasn’t one of Elliot’s more serious works, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Grade: B+/A-
ELFQUEST #19 (Marvel, 1987) – I read this while I was half-unconscious after a long bout of grading and writing. This series is an obvious wish-fulfillment fantasy in many ways, but I still like it a lot; Wendy’s artwork is just so adorable (albeit sometimes too much so) and the reader feels a genuine affection for the characters. I have never been able to understand the ongoing storyline of this series, but this issue is fairly understandable anyway. Grade: A-
DOCTOR STRANGE #181 (Marvel, 1969) – This Thomas/Colan collaboration is most notable for some spectacular artwork. Much of the issue takes place in Nightmare’s dimension, which gives Colan the opportunity to produce some bizarre, chaotic page layouts. The story is only average, but Thomas effectively creates a sense of urgency and threat. One disappointing note in the issue is that there’s one scene where Clea complains about Stephen always having to protect her and shield her from danger, but she never really gets the chance to do anything heroic on her own. Since this issue ends with a cliffhanger in which Nightmare defeats Stephen and only Clea and Wong are left to stop him, I wonder if Clea got to play a more active role in the next issue. Grade: A-
SAVAGE DRAGON #107 (Image, 2003) – This issue is from my favorite period of Savage Dragon; my favorite individual issue of the series, #105, was two issues prior. This was a period when Dragon was in a stable and happy personal situation, and was involved in stories that were mostly self-contained and made logical sense. The main story in this issue didn’t make sense until I read the backup story, which is by Disney director Chris Bailey and introduces Major Damage, a little boy turned into a superhero by aliens. Bailey is a competent artist but he has a tendency toward overwriting, and he mostly writes the character for laughs. I’m kind of surprised that he won the Russ Manning award in 2005. Major Damage and his enemy Humongous appear in the lead story, which also guest-stars Invincible and Firebreather. This story is quite well done and features some powerful scenes in which Jennifer worries about her family’s constant exposure to violence. Grade: B+/A-
DOCTOR STRANGE #43 (Marvel, 1980) – This issue, by Claremont and Colan, is really just average. This series went into a slump after Englehart left, and never recovered until Roger Stern became the regular writer. The plot of this issue involves a bunch of new characters who I don’t particularly care about, and there’s not a lot of effective characterization either. Gene’s artwork is okay but is hampered by Dan Green’s rather muddy inking. Grade: C-
SPACE USAGI (1993) #1 (Mirage, 1993) – While adding this issue on comicbookdb.com, I discovered to my surprise that there were actually four Space Usagi miniseries, not two. Yay, more Usagi for me to collect. The main advantage of Space Usagi over regular Usagi, I think, is that it gives Stan more opportunities to draw weird and farfetched creatures. This issue includes one really cool crowd scene in a Mos Eisley-esque town, as well as a gladiatorial battle between a future version of Gen and an absolutely hideous centipede creature. The plot is kind of difficult to follow without having read the previous Space Usagi miniseries, but it does include some effective characterization, including some witty banter between Space Usagi and Space Gen. Grade: A-
TARZAN #248 (DC, 1976) – This story has basically the same plot as one of the stories in Tarzan #127, which I reviewed in August: a cruel white man goes to Africa to illegally hunt wild animals, and Tarzan gives him his comeuppance (or I assume he will, since this is the first issue of a two-parter). Not much about the story is especially notable, though Kubert tells it effectively through dynamic page layouts. Like other late issues of DC’s Tarzan, this one has layouts by Kubert and pencils by a Filipino artist, in this case Rudy Florese. All the Filipino artists seem to have been pretty comfortable working in this style, and on Rima the Jungle Girl, the combination of Kubert and Redondo produced some incredible results. Grade: B-
CONAN THE BARBARIAN #35 (Marvel, 1974) – This issue is loosely adapted from a non-Conan story by REH, and follows a rather typical formula in which Conan finds a priceless jewel in a ruined city, but it turns out to be horribly cursed. Roy Thomas even hangs a lampshade on the familiarity of this theme: on seeing the jewel in a giant skeleton’s hand, Conan says “I’ve encountered such things before – and I know the pattern of them!” Roy and Big John’s craftsmanship is up to its usual high level, but they can’t completely rescue this story from mediocrity. Grade: B-
WONDER WOMAN #223 (DC, 2006) – I was very enthusiastic about Rucka’s Wonder Woman when it was coming out, but I eventually dropped it because it was starting to get boring and I thought it was getting excessively violent. Still, Rucka is my third favorite Wonder Woman writer after Pérez and Simone. This late issue of his run is rather brutal and depressing. Most of the issue is a big fight scene in which the Amazons are badly defeated by OMACs, then Diana breaks out of jail, breaking some sort of promise not to do so, in order to rescue them. Rucka creates a genuine sense of despair and doom, which is something he is good at though it doesn’t appeal to my tastes. Grade: B+
THE KENTS #1 (DC, 1997) – Another work by Ostrander, along with his best collaborator, Tim Truman. This story is loosely tied to the DC Universe by virtue of being about Superman’s adoptive ancestors, but it’s a Western, not a superhero comic. Ostrander seems quite comfortable writing in this genre, and his storytelling is exciting and passionate. I was genuinely surprised and saddened by the Kent patriarch’s death at the end of the issue. The Kents #1 is also notable for historical accuracy. Most of the characters and events in this issue are based on actual Kansas history. As I read this issue, I repeatedly used Wikipedia to look up things that came up in the story (e.g. Dr. Charles Robinson and the Kansas election of 1855), and discovered that they were actually real. Most surprisingly, Ostrander did not make up John Henry Lane though he did change his first name. Even the dialogue in this issue has an air of authenticity to it. I look forward to reading more of this series. Grade: A
UNCANNY X-MEN #145 (Marvel, 1981) – This issue has art by Cockrum and not Byrne, and is part of a rather unmemorable two-parter in which the X-Men battle Dr. Doom (who Byrne, unhappy with Claremont’s portrayal, later revealed to have been a Doombot). Still, it’s an early ‘80s X-Men that I’ve never read, and those are increasingly rare. This issue stars most of my favorite X-Men and has some effective character moments, though Kitty only appears in one panel. Unusually for an ‘80s superhero comic, this issue passes the Bechdel test on the very first page, and with two black women. However, the actual plot is kind of boring. Grade: B+/A-
THE SANDMAN #24 (DC, 1991) – I reread this one since I now have an actual non-reprint copy; I think I read it before as an Essential Vertigo reprint. This early installment of “Season of Mists” is mostly setup, but it’s interesting in that it introduces a bunch of characters who would be significant later. I think my favorite character here is Odin. It’s kind of cool how Gaiman has written two rather different versions of Odin and Loki, in Sandman and American Gods, but both versions seem like varying takes on a single unchanging archetype. The one page that takes place simultaneously in Order and Chaos is a really nice piece of abstract comic art, and Todd Klein does some interesting stuff with lettering, though it’s too bad he didn’t create custom scripts for Susano or Azazel or the Norse gods. Grade: A
METAL MEN #45 (DC, 1976) – I bought it from a cheap box sometime in 2010, but never bothered to read it because it looked like just a generic ‘70s DC comic. It turns out, though, that this issue is a hidden treasure: it’s not only the first issue of the late ‘70s Metal Men revival, but also the only Metal Man story by the all-star team of Steve Gerber and Walt Simonson. Walt was on the series for four more issues, but Gerber left after this one issue. According to a comment on this Invincible Super-Blog post, Robert Kanigher was unhappy that DC revived the Metal Men without his knowledge or permission, and Gerber, given his well-known commitment to creators’ rights, later felt embarrassed about writing this one issue. On to the actual story: Gerber’s writing here is not his absolute best, and the story is rather formulaic Metal Men material, but Simonson’s art is spectacular. This issue is easily up to the standards of his First Issue Special starring Dr. Fate, or even Manhunter. DC ought to do a trade paperback collection of Simonson’s early ‘70s work, including this issue, if they haven’t already. Grade: A-
SUICIDE SQUID #40 (DC, 1990) – This is not a Suicide Squad story at all but a Batman story. Amanda Waller only appears at the beginning and end, and the bulk of the issue involves Batman trying to solve the murder of an exile from Count Vertigo’s homeland Vlatava. However, Ostrander writes Batman very well, depicting him as both an intellectual detective and an action hero. I actually found myself wondering why Ostrander was never the regular writer on Batman; he would have been good at it. Grade: A-
HAMMER OF GOD #2 (First, 1990) – Judah the Hammer is one of my favorite characters – he’s certainly a lot more fun than his sometime partner, Nexus. Sadly, he was not used with maximum effectiveness in this miniseries, which was only co-plotted by Mike Baron and had dialogue by Roger Salick. The story is rather formulaic and lacks Baron’s typical humor, except for some funny bits with Vooper and Honest Crocus. The artwork is by a young Steve Epting, who tries to imitate Steve Rude but does not completely succeed. Grade: C-
HELLBLAZER #82 (DC, 1994) – A common thread in my reviews of Garth Ennis’s Hellblazer comics is that I like the quiet character moments more than the gory, shocking violence which later became Ennis’s trademark, and this issue has more of the former than the latter. It’s mostly devoted to a reunion between Constantine and the love of his life, Kit, which ends with Constantine realizing that the relationship isn’t going to work out because he’s too much of a scumbag. This scene gains added poignancy because of Ennis’s skillful quotation of a Pogues song, “Rainy Night in Soho”; the Pogues were a major influence on this run, and this issue is part of a storyline named for another of their songs, “Rake at the Gates of Hell.” The issue ends, however, with another scene of brutal violence. One of Ennis’s strengths in this series was his ability to combine character development and horror, and in this issue these two storytelling modes are each more effective thanks to being juxtaposed to the other. Grade: A
CAPTAIN AMERICA #111 (Marvel, 1969) – I got this at Comic-Con (which now seems like an eternity ago) for $5, which is a steal even though there are a bunch of holes in the cover. This is one of Steranko’s three legendary issues of Captain America. It has kind of a convoluted and weird plot, as usual with Steranko, but the graphic creativity displayed on every page is just incredible. Particular highlights include the opening page, which has 13 panels linked by aspect-to-aspect transitions, and the two splash pages depicting Rick Jones’s psychotic episode. (See here for two of these three pages.) This is an all-time classic Marvel comic which I’m proud to have in my collection, despite the low grade. Grade: A+
FANTASTIC FOUR #582 (Marvel, 2010) – Among my notable purchases at the sale (described below) were the four issues of Hickman’s FF that I was missing. I think Hickman is one of the four great FF writers – with Lee, Byrne and Waid – as well as perhaps the only writer who has seriously advanced the series beyond the limits Lee and Kirby established for it. The trouble is that his work is often excessively convoluted and seems to require multiple rereadings, and this issue is a good example of that. My primary emotion on reading this issue was confusion as to why the two Nathaniel Richardses were fighting each other and where the adult Franklin and Valeria came from. Neil Edwards was not one of Hickman’s better artistic collaborators on this series. Grade: B-
9-17-13
X-MEN & CLANDESTINE #1 (Marvel, 1996) – I’m a huge fan of Alan Davis’s artwork and I also think his writing is often quite witty and charming, though his dialogue is often rather clumsy. ClanDestine is not his best-written series (that would be Excalibur, JLA: The Nail and/or Superboy’s Legion), but it has a bunch of interesting characters, including Rory and Pandora, who are utterly adorable, and their cranky uncle Walter. I have trouble keeping the other characters straight. This issue has a fairly unmemorable story which is just an excuse for the two groups to team up, but it also has some good characterization, and Alan’s artwork is up to its usual high standards. There is one rather disturbing scene where the older X-Men subject Cannonball to some borderline hazing. Grade: B+/A-
USAGI YOJIMBO #8 (Mirage, 1994) – “Blood Money” is a sequel to issue 26 of the Fantagraphics series, which I do not have, but it can be read on its own without knowledge of that story because Stan provides sufficient background information. Stan is perhaps the best writer of single-issue stories in current American comics; he has an unequalled talent for telling a satisfying and narratively complete story in 20 or 30 pages. This issue, which deals with a corrupt gambler and a widow who blames him for her husband’s death, is a good example of that. The one odd thing about the story is that it was Usagi himself who killed the husband, yet the widow doesn’t blame him and it’s unclear why not. The backup is a fairly interesting story about a young Usagi’s first encounter with Lord Mifune. Grade: A
UNCANNY X-MEN #118 (Marvel, 1979) – This and some of the other comics higher up on this list (I’m listing these comics in the reverse of the order in which I read them) were purchased at a “pop-up comic sale” in Decatur on Sunday, September 15. It was run by some people who are hoping to start a combination craft beer/comic book store in downtown Decatur, which is a weird but intriguing idea. The Moses Magnum two-parter was one of the less memorable Claremont/Byrne X-Men stories, but it’s still Claremont and Byrne at their peak. Highlights of the issue include some very impressive action sequences and the first appearance of Mariko Yashida, a character I never particularly liked, but at least the moment where she meets Wolverine is genuinely romantic. I think Claremont was at his best in the very late ‘70s and early ‘80s, when the more annoying aspects of his writing were less pronounced. Grade: A-
DETECTIVE COMICS #849 (DC, 2008) – Not a particularly notable issue. I like Paul Dini’s writing and I think he has an unparalleled understanding of Batman, but this story mostly focused on Hush, a villain I have no interest in, and was part four of a five-part crossover, meaning it made little sense. The artwork is by Dustin Nguyen, whose Batman: Li’l Gotham series I would be reading if I wasn’t completely disgruntled with DC. Grade: B-
OWLY: BREAKIN’ THE ICE FCBD (Top Shelf, 2006) – Andy Runton was kind enough to appear on the panel I organized at DragonCon, so I am not an entirely impartial reviewer of his work. That having been said, I loved this comic. At our panel, Andy explained that he himself struggled with reading as a child. This explains why he mostly does wordless comics and why he does them so well. One thing that makes this comic particularly effective is his use of pictorial word balloons, a technique that I’ve loved since I first encountered it in Mark Waid and Humberto Ramos’s Impulse. Some of the pictorial word balloons in this issue are extremely complex (there are even some that contain smaller pictorial word balloons!) but Andy’s skill with visual communication is such that the meaning is never unclear. His art is also notable for its expressiveness and emotional subtlety. Obviously the story itself is not very complicated and it deliberately avoids anything dark or overly serious, but that’s deliberate given the target audience. My one complaint about this issue is the poor paper quality. Grade: A/A+
THE SMURFS AND DISNEY FAIRIES FCBD (Papercutz, 2012) – The Smurfs story in this issue is not quite as excellent as the previous one I reviewed, but it’s still entertaining. The translation for this one was done by Joe Johnson, whose work I normally hate, but I didn’t notice anything particularly wrong with it; maybe he’s improving. Of the other three stories in this issue, the Ernest & Rebecca and Dance Class segments were both interesting; neither was top-drawer stuff but both seem like quality children’s comics. The four-page Disney fairy story was not worth mentioning. Papercutz should be commended for making this sort of stuff available to American readers. Grade: A-
T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS #1 (IDW, 2013) – IDW is the fifth company to publish a T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents comic, including two companies (JC and Deluxe) that published little or nothing else. That means T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents has been through as many publishers, and has put as many of them out of business, as Groo, though it’s also much older. IDW’s take on this series has a stronger appeal to me than DC’s version, which never really stood out to me in any way. Phil Hester gives each of the characters a distinctive personality. He turns Len Brown into a career criminal, which unpleasantly surprised me at first, but by the end of the issue I was convinced that this was a reasonable storytelling decision and not a gimmick. I’m also very pleased that in this version Kitty Kane is the head of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. and not the token sexpot. This series is not necessarily among IDW’s better offerings, but it’s fun, and because of my interest in the franchise I’ll probably keep reading it. Grade: B+
ASTONISHING X-MEN #14 (Marvel, 2006) – One of the stronger issues of Whedon and Cassaday’s run, this issue develops Emma and Scott’s characters in fascinating ways. While I still hate Cyclops (not an uncommon opinion among X-Men fans, I think), Whedon provides a plausible explanation of what made him such an uptight, humorless jerk. This issue also includes a couple of hilarious scenes involving the consummation of Kitty and Peter’s relationship. I had seen these pages before but only out of context. Jason Aaron has successfully made me stop shipping Peter and Kitty, but it was nice to see them together, if only for a very brief period. Grade: A+
THE MIGHTY THOR #7 (Marvel, 2011) – This issue of Matt Fraction’s Thor is part of the Fear Itself crossover and is mostly a long flashback depicting the origin of Odin’s rivalry with the Serpent. It’s weird seeing a young Odin with two eyes, but other than that, this story failed to arouse any genuine emotion in me. I wonder how this story can be reconciled with Simonson’s version of the fate of Odin’s brothers, as shown in Thor #349. Grade: C+
SUICIDE SQUAD #28 (DC, 1989) – I have so many unread issues of this series that I’ve started to just read them in no particular order. This actually seems kind of logical because while this series was always excellent, it maintained a very consistent level of quality and did not have a lot of issues that were either particularly good or particularly bad. I think this is true of much of Ostrander’s other work. This issue’s plot is difficult or impossible to understand because it’s part of a crossover with Manhunter, Checkmate and Firestorm, but as usual with Ostrander, it’s quite exciting and it respects the reader’s intelligence. Grade: B+/A-
CAPTAIN MARVEL #15 (Marvel, 2013) – Recent issues of this series have suffered from being excessively tied to various crossovers, and I’m actually considering dropping it because there’s been too much focus on plots that I don’t care about, and not enough focus on Carol herself. I don’t even especially like reading about big cosmic action sequences (see my earlier reviews of The Thanos Imperative and Annihilation), and even if I did like that sort of thing, I don’t think it’s what Kelly Sue DeConnick is best at. At least the cliffhanger at the end of the issue is intriguing. Grade: B-
WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN #35 (Marvel, 2013) – I actually wondered if this was going to be Jason Aaron’s last issue (it’s not) because it wraps up so many plot threads so conclusively. Most importantly from my perspective, Broo gets his personality back! Yay! Also, Idie and Quentin become a couple, which is kind of disturbing and unexpected though also cute. More significant in the larger scheme of things is the brief appearance by Nightcrawler; I look forward to seeing what Jason can do with this character, who is probably my second favorite X-Man after Kitty. Nick Bradshaw’s art here is up to its usual high standards. Grade: A
CHEW #36 (Image, 2013) – Somewhat surprisingly, this issue doesn’t pick up the cliffhanger from #35 but instead flashes back to a scene which occurred after #29. There’s even a fake additional cover that says Chew #29½. This story is notable for focusing on Toni Chu and hardly including Tony at all, and for being self-contained. Otherwise, it’s much like other issues of Chew, displaying Layman and Guillory’s usual bizarre humor and flawless craftsmanship. Chew is certainly one of the best mainstream comics at the moment, and is distinctive in that it doesn’t fit into any established genre in particular. Grade: A
INVINCIBLE #105 (Image, 2013) – This issue offers something of a breather after a succession of serious and heavy stories. Watching Mark and Eve put their baby’s crib together is heartwarming. Comparing this story with older issues of Invincible, I find it quite impressive how Kirkman has convincingly depicted Mark’s evolution from a naïve kid to a young adult. On the other hand, Nolan’s decision to free Thragg seems disturbingly short-sighted, and I suspect he will come to regret it. This is still one of the best comics on the market. Grade: A
FF #11 (Marvel, 2013) – This was not quite as fun as the last two issues, partly due to the focus on the adults rather than the kids, but it was still an entertaining comic. I love the idea that the Impossible Man’s son is a disgrace to his father because he would rather read actuarial tables than play pranks. “My son is entirely too possible” is the best line of the issue. Mike Allred does some interesting stuff with the Impossible Man’s transformations, but the Impossible Boy just looks weird in an unappealing way. Grade: A-
ASTRO CITY #4 (DC, 2013) – This may be literally the first superhero comic I’ve ever read whose protagonist was an old woman. (Two others: the issue of JSA that starred Ma Hunkel, and Marvel Team-Up #137. Thanks to Tim Schneider and Aaron King for pointing those out.) What’s even more amazing is that Martha Sullivan is portrayed as a completely competent and self-sufficient character, she’s not a stereotypical witch or grandma, and her age is not a major issue in the story. Kurt deserves to be commended for the diversity of characters he works with. Besides that, this issue is a very satisfying self-contained story and it does something that Astro City is very good at: it explores a topic that superhero comics typically ignore, namely the existence of superpowered people who are neither heroes nor villains. (Top Ten sort of covered that territory but in a rather different way.) Kurt and Brent are doing excellent work on this series, and it’s nice to have them back. Grade: A+
MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC #10 (IDW, 2013) – This review will appear at The Comics Alternative.
MY LITTLE PONY MICRO-SERIES #6 (IDW, 2013) – This was kind of a slight story – I know it’s ridiculous to say that about a series devoted to talking ponies and pegasi and unicorns, but I still feel that this issue, like many other issues of this series, did not have the gravity or depth of Katie Cook and Andy Price’s work on this series. At least it was funny, and the “Sass Squash” is an awesome pun. Grade: B-
DAREDEVIL #23 (Marvel, 2013) – I’ve been buying this series intermittently but not reading it, which is odd since it’s easily one of Marvel’s better and more critically acclaimed titles. This issue is a self-contained story of the kind that Mark Waid is very good at. It deals with Foggy waiting to learn the results of his cancer test, which is a heartbreaking situation although Mark succeeds in infusing it with warmth and humor. Chris Samnee’s panel compositions and draftsmanship are as excellent as usual. Again, I don’t know why I’m having trouble getting into this series; I think it’s partly that I’m kind of sick of Daredevil. Mark is walking a fine line between the two versions of the character – Daredevil as happy-go-lucky Spider-Man clone and Daredevil as grim, obsessed Batman clone – and the trouble is that neither of those versions of Daredevil interests me very much. Grade: A
LOST VEGAS #1 (Image, 2013) – I’ve never read any Jim McCann or Janet Lee before, though I’ve always been curious about their work. However, this issue was a poor introduction to it. Lost Vegas #1 is about a gambler who has been forced into penal servitude on an outer space casino. This plot gives the artists a chance to draw some truly bizarre alien creatures, especially the sentient blob of ink that the protagonist shares his cell with, which is easily the highlight of the issue. However, the writer doesn’t effectively arouse my interest in the character or make me care what happens next. I’m also turned off by the bizarre way that Janet Lee draws faces. I won’t be continuing with this series, though I would buy future issues if I found them in the cheap box. Grade: C
The Ogre's Feathers 