Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
You know them. You love them. They’re @$$holes.
And they gots some reviews for you. Enjoy.
Hey kids. Jon Quixote here. Since the rest of the @$$holes shot down my suggestion that we all render this week’s reviews in interpretive dance, we’ve got some standard sentences and paragraphs reviews for you. But they’re pretty good, if you like that sort of thing.
And if you don’t, just hang tight. Next week, it’s @$$holes On Ice! I promise you, you haven’t lived until you’ve seen Buzz Maverik nail a Triple Lutz.
Oh, and Vroom already picked a name for his column, but don’t let that deter you. Keep flooding his inbox with suggestions. He loves it, he even told me so. He especially loves it when you twist his name around in silly insults, like Vroom Stinko’s Stupid Column. And remember, you can enter as many times as you want. And the more suggestions you send, the better chance we have of driving him to suici…I mean winning. The better chance you have of winning. Good Luck!
VERTIGO POP! TOKYO
Written by Jonathan Vankin
Art by Seth Fisher & Chris Chuckry
Published by Vertigo/DC
Reviewed by Buzz Maverik
The stars of the film FIGHT CLUB - Brad Pitt and Edward Norton - and I have four things in common. 1) We're all about the same age. 2) We're all buff, although they have bodies that look good naked and I have a body you want in front of you in a barroom brawl. 3) We've all scored with glamorous female celebrities -- Pitt with Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Aniston; Norton with Salma Hayek; and me with Dolores Double-Joint from Sparky McFarland's West Coast Freak Circus. 4) We all come from the kind of town featured in the documentary HEAVY METAL PARKING LOT.
Being from this kind of town, I am highly qualified to open my review of VERTIGO POP! TOKYO with a quote from Deep Purple: "Smoke on the wa-ter, Fire in the sky"... I mean, "My wo-man from To-k-yo, she makes me see...My wo-man from To-k-yo, she's so good to me..." You can almost hear those power chords. You can almost feel the bong against your lips.
The first thing I noticed about this book was that none of the characters have noses. Initially, I thought this might come in handy for making out. But after some consideration, I decided their faces would probably slide all over each other and that would be even more awkward than figuring out what to do with their noses while sucking face. Aside from the no-nose thing, Seth Fisher's fine art is reminiscent of Geoff Darrow's and a lot of European comic strips, which in turn are probably reminiscent of Japanese comic strips. I wouldn't know. I've seen more of Darrow's work and more issues of HEAVY METAL than I have manga.
Writer Jonathan Vankin is also the co-author of THE 50 (or 60 or 70) GREATEST CONSPIRACIES OF ALL TIME. That has nothing to with anything here, but I've read that book so I recognized the name. Like Seth Fisher, Vankin lived in Japan for a number of years. Together, they are showing us a look at Japanese pop culture, which is a heavy amplification of American pop culture.
Vankin and Fisher introduce us to Ryuji, a Yakuza wuss with a perm; Steve, the obligatory American protagonist living in Japan because he loves gadgets and has read too much William Gibson; Maki, a 16 year old school girl who wants to meet Gaijin boys and practice English with them; and Hike, the visual pop lead singer of the band One Six Seven, whom Ryuji is supposed to collect money from.
All of these characters coming together gives us the set up of an interesting story of crime and culture clash. Nipponphiles, especially those who have visited or lived in Japan (I would imagine), will dig it the most. The book has humor, unique characters and fun art. Maki in her school uniform and visual pop outfit is fetishized, but I suppose that isn't too perverted if Steve is supposed to be in his early 20s and most of you are in your teens or early 20s. The rest of you...for shame!
THE ULTIMATES #5
Mark Millar – Story
Bryan Hitch – Pencils
Andrew Currie – Inks
Phil Monte – Colors
Published by Marvel Comics
Reviewed by Village Idiot
Man, Freddie Prinze Jr. just can’t catch a break, can he? I mean, not only is he skinned alive in every single freakin’ Talkback on this site whenever his name is mentioned, in THE ULTIMATES #5, The Hulk rampages though New York trying to kill him. I kid you not: In the storyline of THE ULTIMATES #5, The Hulk is tracking down Betty Ross, who happens to be out on a date with movie actor/Sarah Michelle Gellar boyfriend/comic book fan Freddie Prinze Jr. Considering that Prinze is a comic book fan, wouldn’t he know better than to try to make a move on The Hulk’s girlfriend?
Of course, I’m willing to bet that Prinze is a more a fan of (or at least more familiar with) the regular Hulk; that is, The Regular, Incredible Hulk from the Marvel Universe of the past 40 years. The Hulk in THE ULTIMATES #5 isn’t exactly that Hulk. And unless I miss my guess, the rest of the characters aren’t exactly like their regular Marvel Universe counterparts either. On one hand, the way in which these characters are different doesn’t sit too spectacularly with me. On the other hand, I have to acknowledge that THE ULTIMATES #5 is still an exciting comic book, and despite how much I did not like the characters (or really, what Mark Millar did with the characters), I had fun and I’m recommending the issue.
THE ULTIMATES #5 opens up with one of those merciful “Previously In...” pages that are in the Ultimate Marvel books, beginning with the following paragraph of introduction:
“The world is changing. Crime is becoming super-crime. Terrorism is becoming super-terrorism. Humans are becoming super-humans. Heroes are becoming superheroes.”
Okay, whoever wrote that should getting a super-bonus in their paycheck this month, because that almost gave me chills. What a neat way to kick off a story. The recap goes on to describe how the U.S. Government and S.H.I.E.L.D. have put together a new superhero strike force team consisting of Captain America, Iron Man, Giant Man, the Wasp , and scientist Bruce Banner, aka The Hulk. Together, these superheroes join forces to strike a blow against evil everywhere as...The Ultimates! (and in case you’re curious, not as...The Avengers!).
According to the synopsis, Bruce Banner is has been having a hard time lately: he’s been demoted on the scientific program he’s working on, his fiancée Betty Ross has left him, and Thor hurt his feelings (!?). So Banner decides it’s a good idea to take a dose of Hulk serum mixed with Captain America’s Super-Soldier blood in order to be able to go on a rampage and give The Ultimates something interesting to do for their first assignment. Not since Martin Hewitt lit newspapers on fire in the early eighties movie ENDLESS LOVE has a plan been so horribly misconceived. (Sorry, it’s what came to me.)
In THE ULTIMATES #5, The Hulk spends the evening literally tearing down New York City looking for Betty Ross and yes, Freddie Prinze Jr. One by one, different members of the Ultimates take The Hulk on, trying to subdue him, and giving us as readers an opportunity to see these superheroes in action. Do they manage to subdue him? Will they instead be forced to take Captain America’s “nuclear option”? Does “Hulk smash” Prinze to the delight of AICN Talkbackers everywhere?
THE ULTIMATES #5 is the first issue from this series that I have read. It’s important that you realize this because all of the judgments I’m about to read were formed on the basis of this single issue, and may not be indicative of the series as a whole. That said, I feel Mark Millar wrote an action-packed, well-crafted story that snuck in a surprising amount of characterization. The only problem is that I didn’t like that characterization: The Hulk is no longer a violent but loveable brute, but a violent and decidedly unloveable maniac with rapist overtones.
Sidebar: Yes, I know that The Hulk is supposed to be Banner’s rampaging id, but one of the values that I took away from the old INCREDIBLE HULK was that it said something nice about humanity: the idea that even the baseline id inside you, the foundation of your psyche, would still a reflect a degree of your moral essence, and that if you were essentially a good person, that goodness would somehow always manifest. Thus, the Hulk could be a hero. Well, guess again. Apparently Millar feels our id is as amoral as Freud and Hobbes would suggest.
But getting back to the characters, Banner himself is a bit of a weasel. Thor, judging by his original response to the emergency, is an arrogant prima donna. Even Captain America is more petty than I would have figured. Oh, and Wasp uses the classic CANNONBALL RUN-esque maneuver of flashing her chest as a strategic diversion. Now look, I realize that every superhero doesn’t have to have the moral fiber of Superman, and I know that the Marvel tradition is based on personality clashes and difficult superheroes not getting along, and I’m even willing to acknowledge that the characterization was not fully formed in what was essentially a plot driven issue, but come on, give me somebody to like here. Honestly, as this rate, even the most rabid Talkbacker would admit that Freddie Prinze is looking like the best option.
And yet, despite all this, my reaction to the story is mainly positive. I still had a good time. Millar managed to create a fairly engaging tale from a comic book staple: the “fantastic heroes each taking a turn trying to bring down the big menace” story. He paced it well, with even in a few surprises thrown in along the way. And although I may not have liked the choices he made with the characters, the way in which they fit into his story worked. For example, although I’ve described how The Hulk was inappropriately monstrous to my sensibilities, the malevolent danger he represented really did give the Ultimates something interesting to fight against. Again, it all seemed to work.
Of course, the story was helped in large part by the art of Bryan Hitch and Andrew Currie. I'm familiar with Bryan Hitch from the work he did on JLA last year; work that impressed me more than once. He didn't disappoint with this issue either. The art was kinetic, furious with movement, like when Hulk was climbing a building to find Betty Ross while the people panicked and dove into chaos. And then, suddenly, the pace would change to reveal a flat-out fantastic full page panel as the huge Giant Man held the Hulk against the side of the building with his hand. There's a panel shortly thereafter where Hulk is grabbing onto Giant Man's face that's pretty cool too. Moments like these filled the book. Good stuff.
If the art in THE ULTIMATES helped me like the story, the coloring helped me like the art. Most of the action in THE ULTIMATES #5 takes place on a rainy night, so the coloring used plenty of dark and heavy blue, purple, black and gray amid the streaks by falling rain and dull, wet reflections, with periodic flashes of orange and yellow setting parts of the scenes aglow. The color is evocative of the dark and dangerous story, but at the same time, almost pretty. Word has gotten back to me that the art turned out darker than colorist Phil Mount actually intended through a printing error; if so, this is a happy accident: I liked how it turned out.
And overall, I liked the book. I think if you’re willing to accept the changes brought by the new Ultimate Universe context, including perhaps a loss in the degree of heroism or nobility of the characters and the flagrant use of Freddie Prinze Jr., and if you’re looking for an exciting, well-paced action tale, you might like THE ULTIMATES #5 too. However, despite this recommendation, a month from now I’ll standing in my comic shop staring at THE ULTIMATES #6 on the new releases shelf, wondering whether to pick it up. Will I? It depends on what I remember more strongly: My enjoyment of a single action story, or my aversion to characters that I was supposed to care about. Time will tell.
100% #2 (of 5)
Written, drawn, and colored by Paul Pope
Published by DC Comics
Reviewed by Cormorant
In Paul Pope’s vision of the near future, marijuana has been legalized and is sold at four varying levels of potency. Computer viruses can actually be spread via airborne means. And the porn industry? That’s where things really get freaky, especially with the visual fetish known as “gastro”, in which strippers wear an MRI mesh over their bodies that projects images of their jiggling internal organs onto a nearby screen. Sound disgusting? It is, but like Pope’s other predictions, it has an eerie air of credibility to it.
So this is a dirty, nasty little comic, right? Not quite, though its vision of the future isn’t for Trekkies hoping for a pristine utopia. Pope is more from the BLADE RUNNER and Cyberpunk school, and as with previous efforts like THB and HEAVY LIQUID, his emphasis is on youth culture, especially the college-age crowd. More specifically, he’s concerned with the roguish cast of characters that work at a New York bar and strip joint called The Catshack. They’re quirky and imperfect and likeable, and while their stories all seem likely to interconnect, 100%’s plot remains somewhat vague at this point. Oddly enough, I don’t consider that a criticism yet, because these characters are just so watchable. Let’s see who we’ve got:
There’s Kim, the nervous bartender who buys a black market pistol after one of the Catshack’s patrons is found dead in a dumpster. Strel is the worldly-wise manager of the club. She dreams of opening up a coffee company, but she’s got a kid to take care of and a mysterious ex who’s tracking her down. The Catshack’s busboy is a college dropout named John. He was a Medieval Lit major aiming for the cushy life of a tenured professor, but one day he had an existential crisis, and left the university life behind to find himself. Of late, though, he’s more interested in Daisy, the club’s hot-tempered new “gastro” dancer whose diary accidentally ends up in John’s hands. There are other colorful players too, most notably the charismatic art-geek Eloy, but Kim, Strel, John, and Daisy seem to be the mainstays of the story, and Pope writes them all with a charming sympathy that doesn’t shy away from their imperfections.
The second issue of 100%, like the first one, is really a series of vignettes that take place in and around the Catshack and other areas of futuristic New York nightlife. One of Pope’s particular achievements in the series lies in capturing the feel of a club better than any artist I’ve ever seen, his rich, inky lines perfectly nailing the claustrophobia of the dense crowd, and his bold sound effects suggesting an omnipresent bass drowning out half the conversation. Pope’s art has a definite manga influence, and like many manga artists, he incorporates sound effects as though they’re part of the art, not separate, tacked-on blurbs. I’ve noticed a trend in American comics to do away with sound effects, almost as though they’re undignified (see this week’s ULTIMATES #5 for a sound effects-less battle that seems all but muted), so it’s nice to see an artist so actively embracing their potential. Comics may be static lines on paper, but that doesn’t mean they have to feel static. Pope’s art is bursting at the seams with energy.
There are two scenes which form the highlights of the second issue: one is Daisy’s “gastro” dance itself, a wild sequence underscored by John’s cynical narration about how the trend came about, and his noble promise to Daisy to not watch her when she performs it. Meanwhile, bartender Kim joins Strel for drinks at a combo bar and arthouse, where an Indian performance artist creeps her out and she meets the aforementioned art-geek, Eloy, whose own performance piece is one of the most exhilarating moments I’ve ever read in a comic. It’s hard to describe why it works so perfectly, suffice to say that it’s a near perfect blending of words and pictures that I can hardly imagine coming about if the writer and artist wasn’t the same person.
Binding it all together is Pope’s flair for realistic dialogue. He captures speech patterns that everyone will recognize, but amps the melodrama just a notch, and drops the stutters and half sentences of a writer like Brian Bendis. The result is a slightly-bumped up realism that works quite nicely with Pope’s art, a mixture of Kirby’s vitality, manga-style cinematics, and Picasso’s virtuoso linework. Pope’s a bit of an art-whore, which will come as no shock given how often he actually references art theory in his various comics or includes Picasso-esque patterns in his backgrounds, but for fans of artistic stylists, this is a very good thing. Bryan Hitch, Greg Land, Butch Guice…all lovely realists, and all artists I’ve followed, but it takes a stylist like Pope to do a story like this justice.
Final judgment: If I had to pick a quick ‘n’ dirty genre tag to describe this book, I’d call it “sci-fi art-noir.” There’s not much plot to it, and damned if I can tell where it’s going, but as with movies like PULP FICTION, watching the characters get there is half the fun. It’s a little gritty, but not much more than real urban nightlife, and the sci-fi twists make even the slices of casual reality interesting. Recommended to art students, to fans of PULP FICTION, to cyberpunk geeks, to Vertigo junkies, and to hipsters in general.
P.S. It’s black and white with gray tones. Don’t be afraid.
BEAUTIFUL KILLER # 1
Written by Jimmy Palmiotti
Art by Phil Noto
Cover by Adam Hughes
Published by Black Bull
Reviewed by Buzz Maverik
Fuck FURY! Screw MAX! BEAUTIFUL KILLER is a REAL spy comic, or at least as close as I've seen lately. It starts with a Sterankoesque pop-art cover by Adam Hughes depicting a gun-toting babe in several poses, ala a James Bond film opening, all in front of her kabukized face and under crosshairs.
Brigit Cole is 19 years old, armed to the max with the latest high-tech weaponry (while sporting a bare midriff), and out to kill the spy types who murdered her parents. She's come to Paris for revenge. Her father was some sort of C.I.A. type who would bed a Russian babe double agent to get information. Her mother was a biochemist working on a secret project. They went into hiding before Brigit was born. As soon as they resurfaced when Brigit turned legal, they were killed. Yeah, this is a comic book. And before it is over, Brigit has made some powerful enemies.
If you liked Luc Besson's LE FEMME NIKITA (or the stupid American remake, POINT OF NO RETURN with Bridgit Fonda, or the T.V. version with Peta Wilson, neither of which I saw) you'll like BEAUTIFUL KILLER. Jimmy Palmiotti (co-founder of Marvel Knights) gives us a good action tale, with intrigue, backstory and some excellent dialog. Phil Noto's painted art is wonderful, although a couple of points in the artistic storytelling took me out of the moment. In a flashback to "Amsterdam, 20 years ago", Natassia, the hot Russian villainess, appears in a mini-skirt and gogo boots. Women didn't dress that way 20 years ago. Maybe 30 years ago, but I was around and scoping women in '82. It was New Wave, baby. Natassia would have been a punkette.
Another ripple is the storytelling, Brigit has one of those rope-guns that comic book characters have. There's a couple of close-ups and a bungee jumping scene where I had to go back to figure out what the hell was going on. On a similar note, when Brigit is attacking the villain, Axel Serod, in his safehouse, there's a scene where the panel sequence makes it appear that they are face to face, when in reality there is a door between them. We see a small gas bomb drop through a hole in the door and I was made to wonder who dropped the bomb since Brigit and Serod seemed to be in the same room. Noto should avoid this kind of detail because it interrupts his story.
It is good to see a genre other than the superhero being attempted. And it is even better when it is a spy comic done as well as BEAUTIFUL KILLER.
I highly recommend BEAUTIFUL KILLER to fans of James Bond, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, THE BOURNE IDENTITY, NICK FURY: AGENT OF SHIELD, LE FEMME NIKITA, painted art, good storytelling and pictures of attractive women.
INFINTE KUNG FU #1 & #2
Writer/Artist: Kagan McLeod
Publisher: Great Lakes Ninja Brotherhood
Reviewer: Ambush Bug
I was an odd child. Most kids couldn’t wait until Saturday morning for a healthy dose of cartoons and Schoolhouse Rock. Sure I thought they were cool, but Sunday was the day for me when it came to television. That was when WWF was on the USA Network. I’m not talking about the sideshow spectator sport it is today. I’m taking about Tito Santana from the top ropes. Rowdy Roddy Piper blasting Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka in the face with a pineapple. Captain Lou and his rubber bands. Back when it was so bad, it was good and addictive. But that wasn’t the best thing about Sunday. Oh no. After WWF came a show that had my brother and I bouncing off the walls. KUNG FU THEATRE -KEEIIYAAHHHHHH!!! We’d load up on sugar, watch those old kung fu movies, then tear the frickin’ house apart! Ninja kicks. Leaps from the top of the stairs. Cobra style! Tiger Claw! Leaping Fist (actually that’s the name of my grocer, but that’s another story)! Well, I’m older now and if I tried any of those old moves I’d end up in traction. I thought my days of that kind of excitement were over until I picked up INFINITE KUNG FU #1 & 2 from the Great Lakes Ninja Brotherhood booth at the WIZARDWORLD Chicago Con last weekend.
In a not-so-distant post-apocalyptic future where technology is dead, but the dead are not, man’s inventions have nearly destroyed the Earth and culture has regressed to barbaric times. Battles are fought with the power from within and backed up by the deadly art of Kung Fu. To top it all off, the Earth is being overrun by zombies. This is the world Kagan McCleod has unleashed upon us in the pages of INFINITE KUNG FU. But it’s not all doom and gloom. It’s filled with one comedic and quirky moment after another. From the offbeat characters to the over the top sound effects, this comic is pure fun.
Issue #1 introduces us to Yang Lei Kung, a numskull soldier bumbling along the path of destiny, and his Master, who will help him along the way. After Lei Kung mistakenly burns him to a crisp, the Master inhabits the body of a zombie and decides to pass his vast knowledge and power on to the sloppy soldier. The rest of the issue deals with Lei Kung’s training. It’s part Karate Kid, part Remo Wiliams, and part of every Kung Fu flick you have seen that deals with stern teachers and their impetuous students. In return for the training, Lei Kung must find a body for the Master to inhabit since the zombified one he is wearing will soon be rotting away.
Issue #2 just gets even better. The rest of the cast shows up and what a cast it is. Moog Joogular is a cross between Lenny Kravitz, George Clinton, and Kareem Abdul Jabar’s character from Bruce Lee’s A GAME OF DEATH. His fighting style is truly unique and his threads are kick ass. Thursday Thoroughgood is Pam Greir personified. She’s sassy, sexy, and everything Beyonce Knowles wishes she could be. We also meet the series’ villain, General Bao Ching-Zi, Lei Kung’s former master, who appears to be the main baddie of the series.
Kung Fu flicks were all about the fight scenes. So what about the fight scenes here? They’re good. They’re quick. They’re graphic. The thing that makes them stand out is that each fighter has a different power and each power is just plain cool. People fight with body parts. Punches cause one to vomit centipedes. A closed fist creates a gust of wind. It’s all of that mystical mojo magic that is simply explained as the power one achieves through discipline and training, and yet this reasoning is believable in the universe that McLeod has created. There are nine immortals with these powers and nine students. So far, we’ve seen three styles, I can’t wait to see the rest.
McLeod also supplies the art for this series, and it is yet another highlight. The thick lines remind me of the Japanese Ink Paintings I studied during my time as an art student. So much action and movement is conveyed in just a few strokes. The faces are cartoony, but fitting with the mood of the book. McLeod is a guy who knows his camera angles. Every shot is dynamic. His characters are distinctive. During flashbacks, the artistic style changes from bold to sketchy lines, giving one the notion that these panels have been aged. This is another nice touch. When the person telling the story is also the one drawing it, there is no artistic communication barrier. McLeod knows what he wants to accomplish and when to shut the hell up to let the art speak for itself. That is a talent that some of the so-called best creators in the biz do not have.
After reading the books I went to the INFINITE KUNG FU webpage. Its got character profiles, games, and sample pages from the comics. It’s a nice little page with character voice samples and more of those cool sound effects. I tried to find this comic at a few shops around Chicago, but couldn’t. Fortunately, you can contact Kagan McLeod at the website and order these books if your shop isn’t cool enough to carry them.
I keep saying that this comic reminds me of the Kung Fu movies of old. I have to take this time to make an important distinction. This comic conveys the fun of those old films, but other than the fight scenes, those films were not very good. INFINITE KUNG FU doesn’t have that problem. There is a strong story here and the first two issues seem to be laying the groundwork for a master plan. The wisdom the Master shares with Lei Kung is not just something read from a fortune cookie. McLeod has done his homework and seems to have a destination in mind for this series. As an added bonus, he’s telling the story in a fun way by referencing cool bits from movie genres such as blaxploitation films and zombie gorefests.
From cover to cover, the first two issues of this series are completely satisfying reads. At the end of each issue, McLeod lists some cool Kung Fu films that I had never heard of, but if it inspired these comics, I wouldn’t mind searching the video stores for a few of them. Those who are digging Dixon’s THE WAY OF THE RAT at CrossGen might want to check this series out. Maybe it’s the nostalgia factor, but you couldn’t sandblast the smile from my face as I read these two issues on the train ride home from the con. This is the most fun I have had reading a comic in a long time.
DEADPOOL #69
Story by Gail Simone
Art by UDON
Published by Marvel Comics
A Jon Quixote Big Yellow Taxi.
Boy, don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ‘till it’s gone?
This is the last issue of Deadpool. Marvel is retiring the character (That’s right Liefeld. No royalties for you!). Time of death: Issue #69. Cause: Terminally anemic sales. I can’t blame them. I know I didn’t buy this book. I only popped my Deadpool cherry with issue #68. For those of you not in the know, Deadpool is Marvel’s “Merc with a Mouth,” a gun for hire known for his comically verbal diarrhea. Think Spider-Man, if Spidey was a disfigured psychopathic soldier of fortune with Tourette’s syndrome.
A disfigured psychopathic soldier of fortune with Tourette’s syndrome. Why wasn’t I buying this book again? This is right up my alley.
Comedy is pretty much review-proof. The only relevant question is “does it make you laugh?” Well, Deadpool is first and foremost a comedy comic. And the prank phone-call to Captain America made me laugh so hard, I threw up into my mouth. You think Arby’s tastes gross the first time around?? But regurgitated green beef aside, I can’t imagine there’s a comic book fan alive that wouldn’t read that sequence and not immediately become a permanent fan of this character, and of writer Gail Simone. In that sequence, not only did she test the retaining capacity of my colostomy bag, and tell me everything I needed to know about Deadpool – he’s the bastard child of Sam Kinison and Bugs Bunny – but she also became my new favorite choice to take over the writing chores on Captain America, just to see what she’d get up to.
But there’s more to this book than the funny, even though the funny is reason enough alone to buy it. There is a lot of heart. There is a deep supporting cast that includes the Taskmaster, one of Marvel’s most interesting villains who has never been written better than in these pages. There is a lot of action, and some great pacing. And it is dark. Simone tackles issues both serious (spousal abuse) and black (lots of death), but the gravity of the storyline never infringes on the humor, or vice versa.
And there is the art. Now, I’m not normally a big fan of Manga and Anime. I recognize that there is a place for it, and as long as live-action tentacle porn remains cost prohibitive, there always will be. But I find it usually seems out of place in Western superhero adventures. However, UDON’s art, with its clean, fluid motion seems well suited to this book. Deadpool only works as an over-the-top cartoon character, so an exaggerated cartoon-style fits him like a Trojan Ultra-snug.
Uh, not that I’d know anything about the Trojan Ultra-snugs.
But this review is more than a eulogy for this great little book. The details are still a little murky, but Deadpool is being resurrected in Marvel’s Agent X later this summer. The creative team will say intact. The ‘X’ in the title is a little scary, but I’m pretty sure it’s just a marketing gimmick designed to draw in new readers and cut off Rob Liefeld’s allowance. Hopefully, the spirit of this book will remain the same. This final issue of Deadpool might be a little inaccessible to a new reader, but it is so good that I’m confident I can recommend checking out Agent X based on my brief impression of the series alone. It would be a shame if this book and this character were really allowed to die.
Title: IRON MAN #57
Writer: Mike Grell
Penciler: Michael Ryan
Publisher: MARVEL
Reviewer: Ambush Bug
A few months ago, when I heard ex-GREEN ARROW scribe Mike Grell was taking over the IRON MAN title, I thought I was in for something special. I heard that he was going to focus on the man inside of the armor and, given Grell’s gift for characterization, I couldn’t wait to see what he had up his sleeve. So I gave his first few issues a try and so far, I haven’t been impressed. We’ve seen a couple of issues focusing on Tony Stark the philanthropist, another few dealing with Tony’s inventions coming back to haunt him, a ridiculous slugfest issue where the son of the Mandarin fights a fully armored Iron Man to a standstill with only his kung fu moves, and now a “coming out of the closet” arc dealing with Tony’s choice to reveal to the world that, along with being an inventor and head of a major technological empire, he also likes to strap on a tin can suit and save lives.
Revealing secret identities has become a vicious trend this year at MARVEL. Captain America, the X-Men, Daredevil, and Spider-Man all had their identities revealed in some form or another in their own books and this doesn’t really bother me other than the fact that it all happened in the same year. Iron Man’s unmasking actually raises some interesting questions. Imagine if Bill Gates held a press conference and revealed to the world that he was actually a super hero. Wouldn’t the stockholders bail as quickly as possible if they knew that the CEO of their company put his life at stake on a daily basis just for shits and giggles? Wouldn’t every single person ever to come into contact with Tony Stark be in danger of being attacked by every single villain ever to be defeated by Iron Man? These questions have the potential to create some pretty high drama and intense conflict, but so far, Grell hasn’t tried to deal with any of the ramifications that comes with a hero who’s identity has become publicly known. It’s as if Grell did the “coming out” story as a stunt and now doesn’t care to deal with it at all.
In IRON MAN #57, we find ourselves in the middle of a three part arc entitled “Sympathy for the Devil”, which focuses on the return of Ty Stone, Tony’s former long time friend and constant competitor. Both run major technology-based companies, both are filthy stinking rich, both have addictive personalities (Tony with alcohol and, to a lesser extent, the super hero life, and Ty with one-upping Tony and virtual reality), and both have boned Rumiko Fujikawa. Tony is trying to rebuild his relationship with Rumiko after walking in on them in bed a few months ago, but Ty won’t leave them alone.
One of the biggest problems with this arc is that Ty Stone really isn’t an interesting character. He’s just another rich guy who dabbles in virtual reality. He’s kind of like Mysterio without the fishbowl. With all of the villains on Iron Man’s stable, why are we seeing so much of this doof? For almost two years now, Ty has been Tony’s main opposition. That would be cool if the character was interesting, but he isn’t. He just sits behind a desk and confidently mocks Tony until he gets his ass handed to him by Iron Man over and over again.
IRON MAN needs a good Geoff Johns-ing. In his current FLASH run, Johns has re-vitalized the Flash’s entire Rogues Gallery. He’s made those who oppose the hero interesting again and that in turn makes the hero interesting. A wise man (I think it was Regis) once said “a hero is only as good as his villain.” And Iron Man has a cool list of villains. I mean, Whiplash, the Ghost, Spymaster, Whirlwind, Blizzard, the Melter, the Unicorn, the Living Laser, Radioactive Man, MODOK, and the Titanium Man are all out there, just waiting to be Johns-ed. Why are we wasting time reading about this schmuck in a business suit? Iron Man needs some serious opposition and so far, all Grell has given us is a kung fu Son of Mandarin and Ty-sterio.
Another problem with this title is that it isn’t about the technology. IRON MAN has always been about the cool gizmos and the amazing armor. I know Grell wants to focus on Tony Stark the man, but one of Stark’s main interests (besides money, women, and ripple), is technology. Whatever problem Tony has ever faced, he’s been able to build a machine to fix it or tried his damnedest to do so. It’s a subject that he is obsessed with. I wanted to see Tony slowly become consumed by his technology or stories focusing on the conflict between man and machine. So far, Grell’s Iron Man stories could have been any character’s stories. Any hero could have been substituted into them. I can understand if a story like that is centered around a lesser known character, but this is frickin’ IRON MAN, not Speedball. These stories should be centered around and directly relevant to the Iron Man character.
I liked one detail from IRON MAN #57, but it also relates to an annoying theme that has been used way too much. Tony has to re-charge his artificial heart from time to time. It was revealed last issue that to do this, Tony straps himself into an electric chair, bites down on a mouthpiece, throws the switch, and gets pumped full of electric volts. In this issue, Rumiko says that it looked like Tony liked this electrocution, which suggests that he might be forming an electro-habit. That would be a cool twist if this plot point comes to fruition. Unfortunately, Grell has used the re-charge premise in every story he has told so far. First story, plane crash in Russia, the suit’s power was low. Second story, in the middle of a house fire, low power. Third story while fighting with Mandarin, running on E, the karate chops hurt the armor (huh?). This is getting to be a tired formula. Strap a Duracell to his ass and have him fight the baddies at full power already.
Michael Ryan’s art is decent enough. He knows how to draw technology and mechanics. His human figures are a touch on the Manga side, but he does his job when it comes to giving the story shape. The problem is in the armor. It just doesn’t look good. Basically, it is the HEROES REBORN version of the armor with all of the coils and the unnecessary lights and plating. I want my Iron Man to look like a suit of armor, not something built out of a Lego set. Iron Man usually gets a new design annually. I can’t wait until he scraps this model for something sweeter.
I try to be optimistic. At the beginning of Grell’s run, I said the writer may have something up his sleeve with this title. Who knows? He might. But so far, none of these stories have been even slightly remarkable. I read issue #57 in about four minutes and forgot about it three minutes later. Grell is a better writer than that. And Iron Man is too cool of a character to be written this way.
Tales From the Crevice
Books that fell through the crack
By Vroom Socko
So, Road To Perdition is finally out in theaters, and it kicks much buttock. By now everyone knows that the movie is based on a comic, but who knows what line of comics it came from? Can anyone name another comic published under the same imprint? (Okay, you can see where this is leading. I’ll drop the cutesy shit.) The imprint is Paradox Graphic Mystery, and another comic from the line is my pick for this week, Green Candles.
John Halting is a Private Investigator in Bergen City, New Jersey. He’s the kind of PI who spends most of his time taking dirty pictures for his friend the Mayor. In an attempt to turn his life around, Halting agrees to work as a bodyguard for his daughter’s teacher, Grace Penny. Miss Penny has recently begun to remember a shocking event from her youth, a satanic ritual that was conducted in her neighbor’s barn. Soon after recalling these events, someone began mailing her photos of a burning green candle. Her fear is that when the candle burns out, she’ll be killed.
Some aspects of the story, especially the use of Recovered Memory Syndrome, date it. However, the story isn’t about RMS, it’s about the failings and self-manipulative nature of memory in general. Nearly every character remembers something in their past incorrectly, and one (or more), remembers something that didn’t even happen. For example, Halting remembers his marriage as being idyllic, and can’t understand why he’s now divorced. Also, the mayor’s son remembers… ah, but that would irreparably spoil the subplot.
Robin Smith’s artwork does something clever to convey this effect of memory. While the main story is done in a sharp, crisp black and white, the flashbacks are fuzzy, almost like charcoal sketches. The clean linework may be reminiscent of newspaper comics like Judge Parker, it’s a welcome change of pace from the heavy lines of other crime comics like Jinx or Sin City. If you only know Smith from his work on Lobo, you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised.
While the mystery portion of the book is not totally unpredictable, it is captivating. Writer Tom De Haven keeps the subplots relatively in check with the main story, creating supporting storylines that actually support the main plot instead of distracting from it. In his introduction, De Haven says that he actually became certified as an investigator before starting the story, and in many ways that statement helps make this more than just another Hammett wannabe mystery.
If you enjoyed Perdition (either the movie or the comic,) then give Green Candles, and the rest of the Paradox Mystery line a try. Mystery comics have a great amount of potential, so seek more of them out.
Question For Discussion
What comic have you reread recently that didn’t live up to how you remembered it?
