Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
I suck. I’m sorry, Andrew. I suck, I suck, I suck.
As always, Andrew from Grayhavenmagazine.com has done a great job putting together a column, and once again, I’m late posting it. I think I’m going to have to clone myself here soon. There just aren’t enough hours in the day...
Andrew from Grayhavenmagazine.com. Some really, really brief reviews of some notable issues hitting the stands this week. No score is needed with them. They’re all 10s. Seek them out and read them for yourselves before hitting the ‘talkbacks’, please.
Daredevil #26
Written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Alex Maleev
Published by Marvel Comics
Bendis is back on Daredevil. After his 4-issue arc a few months ago and the DD: Ninja mini-series last year, the writer returns as the first permanent writer on the title in over 4 years. He is joined by Alex Maleev doing the artwork. Maleev and Bendis worked together on Image’s Sam and Twitch series (the Jinx arc) and fans have been waiting for this one for a while. The wait is worth it.
It’s hard to talk specifics about the issue without giving away many of the surprising plot twists. The creators promised a bold new direction for the Man without Fear. They promised shocks and thrills. They deliver within the first few pages and keep it going all the way until the cliffhanger ending. A new villain is introduced and all indications are that he will prove to be as formidable an opponent to Daredevil as Morlun was to Spider-Man. What he does in the first half of the book alone is going to have fans talking for weeks.
Daredevil was rescued from the shadow of Marvel’s heavy hitting titles when the title re-launched as the Marvel Knights anchor 4 years ago under the team of Kevin Smith and Joe Quesada. David Mack and Bob Gale kept the momentum going and now one of the hardest working persons in comics solidifies the title. Having a permanent writer/artist on the title was important. While it was always entertaining to read what a new creative team had to do with Daredevil, there was a certain cohesiveness missing that no guest team could overmatch. When Marvel put the title in the hands of Bendis and Maleev, they’ve given fans a concrete team for Daredevil that will be hard to disappoint.
Heroes
Published by Marvel Comics
How can I review a project like this? That’s an easy question to answer. I can’t. Heroes is a magazine sized book with 60 pinups by the most recognized names in the industry. 4 of them are amazing double-paged spreads, including Neal Adams amazing centerpiece. Writers like Stan Lee, Kevin Smith, Gail Simone, Kurt Busiek, Jim Shooter, Neil Gaiman, and Alan Moore have contributed text pieces to accompany the pinups.
The book is being overprinted and reorders (yes) will be available for the $3.50 zine, with all proceeds going to charity. Marvel is making sure that anyone who wants the book will be able to get it. The gathering of professionals for this project is astounding. The final product is one for the ages.
Each image is stirring, and each text piece memorable. I can’t review them. It’s best if I just leave you with the back cover text of Heroes, provided by Bill Rosemann
Comic book universe are populated by amazing characters that possess fantastic powers.
But on September 11th, 2001, an untold number of men and women shocked the world with their phenomenal acts of bravery.
When others ran away, they charged forward.
When others reached out for safety, they offered a helping hand.
When others cried out, they responded with a soothing voice.
And, tragically, many of them died... but in doing so taught us all how to live.
They can't stick to walls. They can't summon thunder. They can't fly.
They're just HEROES.
Hey, Wait
Created by Jason
Published by Fantagraphics Books
Hey, Wait is the American debut of Jason, one of Europe's most acclaimed young creators. The award-winning Norwegian has put together a graphic novel that will haunt you long after you’ve put it down.
The story starts off simply enough. It’s a tale of two friends, Bjorn and Jon, who have the whole summer to experience. From wasting money on snacks to playing dodge ball and telling silly jokes, the two young boys have not a care in the world. The future is open to them. They have their entire world in front of them and it’s a world of hopes and dreams where anything can happen. Still, they find it to be a lot more interesting to read comics and play games on lazy summer afternoons than it is to contemplate the future.
There are so many great things to write about with this story. The conversations and actions between the two friends, for example is superb. You feel as if you’re really reading a conversation between two young kids as they go from task to task, caring more about each other and enjoying life than anything of serious consequence. Even as the series jumps into different scenes (and different time periods in the character’s lives) the characterization is dead on. You never once think that this is ‘only a comic book’. In life, things can change in an instant. We’ve all learned this lesson even more so in recent weeks. Hey, Wait reflects life’s twists and harsher realities and it becomes a story not of hopes and dreams to come but of missed opportunities and wasted moments.
Anthropomorphic characters are used throughout the work. Like Maus or Cerebus or the long forgotten (but brilliant Hepcats) the technique allows for the reader to identify with the stories character more than ‘human’ characters ever could. One can’t consider the friends black or white or whatever. They’re two people. Period. It was a wise choice artistically and provides for better emotional resonance, at least in this case. This is a graphic work on par with the best of them, worthy of being placed on a rack with the likes of Maus.
Magic Pickle #2
Created by Scott Morse
Published by Oni Press
Why can Oni Press do both humor books and books that appeal to kids so easily when most other publishers can’t do either one that well? Barry Ween (Oni Press) is consistently the funniest comic on the racks. Allison Dare, Jetcat Clubhouse and now Magic Pickle are all titles from Oni that appeal to both adults and younger readers. They do it without pandering to kids or going overboard in trying to draw adults in. The creators make it look effortless.
The second issue begins with young Jo Jo going through the hole in her bedroom floor to the Magic Pickle’s underground headquarters. As she explores the various machines she assumes that the Pickle must be rich, even richer than Lu Lu Deederly. This line affords her the opportunity to introduce to the readers all of her friends and not so friends. It’s a very cute moment, told from the perspective of a child to an adult. The dialogue is dead on, from her short ramblings to nonsensical points she feels are important to relay to the reader. Morse’s illustrations also do well to convey the innocence of these characters.
Jo Jo finds her way into the main computer and is able to discover the classified information about Magic Pickle thanks to a handy link on the PC that says ‘Press Enter to Play Origin Video’. Makes it easy, don’t you think? After a brief origin sequence, we get back to the main story, picking up right after we previously left off: Magic Pickle is in the clutches of the villainous Romaine Gladiator. From this point on, it’s all out action and laughs with a ferocious battle between the forces of good dispensing their ‘dill justice’ and evil.
Scott Morse is an extremely under appreciated creator. The creator of Soulwind has crafted a story that’s almost fairy tale like in its purity while at the same time sharp enough for the harder edged among us. Magic Pickle is one of those rare series that can appeal to any reader, regardless of age or gender.
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