Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
I don’t get it. I don’t know how we ballsed it up. But... we did. We ran the previous week’s reviews as this week’s reviews and, long story short, my last GHMOnline posting wasn’t what it was supposed to be.
Try these on instead, eh?
Hi Gang. Andrew from GrayHaven here with another heaping of Recommended Comics for you to check out.Of course, after your done reading what you have to say about them, you can now preorder any and all of your comic needs from our store located at preordercomics.com. Great discounts, low to no shipping costs and popular features like our Trade Paperback Lending Program.
Enjoy!
THE AMAZING
SPIDER-MAN #47
Written by J. Michael
Straczynski and Illustrated by John Romita Jr.
Published by Marvel Comics
Reviewed by Aaron Weisbrod (E-Mail Me!)
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #47 is where Straczynski has been leading us since Day One of his run on this title.
Finally,
after months of new developments concerning everything from animal totems, his
new job as a teacher, extra-dimensional jaunts, and his estranged relationship
with Mary Jane, everything is now finally coming together in one explosive
storyline.
In
the last issue we were introduced to Shathra, an extra-dimensional entity who
resembles a human/Spider-Wasp hybrid. Upon completing the previous issue I (as
well as several other people I spoke with) felt that Shathra bore a striking
resemblance to Morlun in that "unstoppable and hyper-focused" sort of way.
However, by the end of the issue Shathra displayed that, although she is also
intent on destroying Spider-Man, she will be going about her defeat of him in a
much different manner.
By
posing as a former lover of Spider-Man, Shathra has begun an all-out assault on
the integrity and moral character of Peter Parker's alter ego. This attack soon
drives Parker into a rage that culminates in Spider-Man attacking this
seemingly defenseless woman on national TV. As for what happens next, well.
you'll get nothing more from me save this: the issue gets even more intense
from there.
Although Straczynski and Romita Jr. have continued to impress me more and more with each passing story-arc, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #47 marks a quantum leap in terms of passionate, exciting, dramatic, and powerful storytelling from this creative team. Complete with humor, horror, suspense, and surprises (not to mention the long-awaited return of a fan-favorite character from earlier in the series), this issue has set a new standard for this title, if not for all Spider-Man stories set to follow it.
Amazing?
Indeed. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN has never been as amazing as it is now. Buy this
issue. Buy this issue. Buy this issue.
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: HOOKY (TPB)
Written by Susan K. Putney and
Illustrated by Berni Wrightson
Published by Marvel
Reviewed by Adam Penname
Spider-Man
is typically a friendly neighborhood superhero, dealing with the semi-real
world of New York City and its criminal inhabitants, regular or super-powered.
Every now and then, though, Spider-Man stories take the character to bizarre
locations and dimensions, with results that can be either a story that seems
out of place and uninteresting, or one in which Spider-Man, in character, is
wonderfully in over his head. The 1986 graphic novel, HOOKY, is fortunately an
example of the latter. and a very one at that.
Putney's
tale places Spider-Man in a world that isn't his own, battling someone else's
enemy. Really, Spider-Man is a part in another's story, another's adventure,
but he still feels like the primary focus. Part of this is because readers are
discovering this world, Cloudsea, just as Spider-Man is, from his perspective,
and they share his wonder and his fear towards this new, bizarre, and exciting
situation. It is also helpful that Putney takes the reader through progressive
stages of oddity: the story begins much like any Spider-Man story, with an
attempted robbery, and gradually progresses through new dimensions, new worlds,
and a new opponent whom Spider-Man simply cannot defeat. The story builds at an
engaging pace, coming to an excellent climax of epic proportions.
Another
factor that helps this story maintain the feeling of a Spider-Man story is
Putney's excellent Spider-Man characterization. Spider-Man is clearly in a
bizarre situation, one he has not before experienced and does not know how to
handle, yet he persists anyway, with heroism and his trademark humor which is
often used in this context to cover his fear and wonder. Displayed here is not
only a full-fledged devotion to the mantra of great power and great
responsibility, but also a realization of the difficulty in stepping back and
letting someone else take responsibility.
Putney's
own characters are also inventive and enjoyable. For example, with Marandi
Sjorokker (Mandi), Putney mixes massive magical power with the emotional
maturity of a twelve-year-old. It's a combination that has been done before,
but Putney makes it seem new and fun, emphasizing the humor of a little girl
guiding Spider-Man into a new dimension. Mandi's dialogue is a constant joy
throughout the story, filled with the humor of youth, one that at times seems
to undermine the overall seriousness of the situation in a wonderful way. Like
Spider-Man's humor, though, it is often used to cover Mandi's very believable,
child-like fear. The fear is justified, though, in light of Putney's villain,
Spindrifter's Bane, a genuinely frightening threat of unexpected, and
intriguing, origins.
Much
of the fear caused by Spindrifter's Bane can be attributed to artist Berni
Wrightson. For each of its varied appearances, Wrightson conceives a new,
different, and scary image, gradually increasing in proportion as Putney's
story heads towards the climax. In fact, not only does the creature become
bigger and more intimidating, but so does the background, which starts out
bright and sunny and becomes, by the climax, dark and terrifying, complete with
storm clouds and lightning. Wrightson's art is very realistic, which only
serves to enhance the fearful imagery. Every monstrous design she can imagine
comes to life, leaping off the page and into the readers' nightmares. Wrightson
mixes this realism, though, with cartoony people and faces. Spider-Man's
appearance particularly is bright, animated, and easily accessible. Amazingly,
these seemingly opposite styles blend together perfectly in the mystical world
of this story, and never does a figure seem out of place due to the dominance
of one style over the other. If anything, the difference emphasizes again just
how out of his element Spider-Man really is. This is just one of many ways in
which Wrightson's art is impressive. The alternate dimensions are intelligent,
creative, and beautiful; the action panels are exciting and vivid; and the
emotion on Mandi's face at the story's climax is truly awesome. Putney
conceived a bizarre story here, but Wrightson makes it real.
In
a normal Spider-Man title, it is quite likely that this story could not work.
But as a complete graphic novel, HOOKY is an exciting tale from cover to cover
that readers will want to return to time and time again. Putney and Wrightson's
story has no evident flaws, and that is quite an accomplishment. This piece may
not be easy to find nowadays, but it's worth looking for.
ATHENA VOLTAIRE
Written by Paul Daly and
Illustrated by Steve Bryant
Published Online at www.adventurestrips.com
Reviewed by Michael T
Bradley
This
review is a special honor for me, as it represents the first review-by-request
I have ever performed. Now, lest ye worry that this implies kickbacks and
under-the-table pay, let me take this opportuntity to set your minds at ease:
our staff is impeccable with our morals nigh-unapproachable by mere mortals.
In
other words, I would have only demanded pay for a good review had I not liked
the comic.
ATHENA
VOLTAIRE is an online comic being published bit by bit at www.adventurestrips.com,
or you can also visit the AV home site at www.athenavoltaire.com.
ATHENA is updated every Tuesday, and you can see the latest installment (#9 or
#10, depending on when this review hits the streets, so to speak) for free on
the day it comes out, and you can always view the first strip for free at www.adventurestrips.com.
You can also purchase monthly or yearly subscriptions to the site, which grants
you freedom to view any episode from any strip. From what I can tell, www.adventurestrips.com
works the same way with all their ongoing features (and they have quite a few,
many of which are by "known" writers/artists).
The
current (and first) story arc of AV is entitled, "Athena Voltaire and the
Terror in Tibet." Athena, a world-renowned aviatrix and Hollywood stuntwoman,
is hired by an English expedition (with ulterior motives) to lead them up Mt.
Everest. Along the way, she and her not-so-trusty companion Harcourt Templeman
(a would-be lush to whom Athena keeps denying alcoholic pleasure) encounter
diabolic Nazis, unscheduled weapons deliveries, and the ubiquitous fat man in a
fez in Morocco. Needless to say, Athena's prowess as a pugilist - and a
detective - is tested trying to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Paul
Daly's writing is smooth and clear. Take the gratuitious sex from James Bond,
the guns from "Tomb Raider," and Bogey from "Casablanca," then mix what's left,
and you can imagine the tone Daly has set for the series. One can almost hear
the melodramatic viola playing in the background during the ship scenes, or the
tinny fake-Arabian notes piping through during the meeting with the man in the
fez.
Steve
Bryant's artwork is amazingly well-crafted, and I'm surprised that I've never
heard of him before. If this is his first widely-published work, I'm quite
shocked. I can't quite pin down whose style his character-art reminds me of,
though it seems that his "good guys" have a definite Steve Epting quality about
them (much smoother and less hard-edged - though perhaps it's only noticeable
because Athena is one of the good guys), whereas the "bad guys" have an older
Steve Lightle - perhaps even very early Keith Giffen - touch to them (fairly
angular, though still realistic). The backgrounds are probably the most
striking portion of the artwork, however. The buildings have almost a
photographic quality to them, but off a little, as if perhaps Bryant used a
photo and then drew over it, creating an eerily uber-realistic (though
sometimes not quite to scale with the rest of the shot) background piece.
Also,
I cannot comment on the art without giving major kudos to the colorist, Chad
Fidler, whose striking palettes have, if not the technological achievements of,
then at least the craftsmanship of Laura DePuy of RUSE fame. The colors are
multi-graded and always dynamic. Note how in installment #9, the first panel
has every gradient from bright and dusty light to deep shadows, including
approximately four gradations in-between. It's damn impressive, and a perfect
complement to Bryant's artwork.
Since
I've mentioned both Steve Epting and Laura DePuy here, it seems only fitting
that I voice the question that immediately hit me when looking at this comic:
why HASN'T CrossGen picked this title up? All you need to do is slap a sigil on
Athena (or Harcourt, if I had my druthers) and this title would be perfect for
Crossgen: a genre not being explored very much in most mainstream books (though
both BLACK PANTHER and TOMB RAIDER come close at times, I suppose) and
beautiful lush artwork with soft yet amazingly detailed color. Perhaps the
creators simply don't want to move to Florida.
I
wish this title WOULD be in a normal-format comic book. Though it would be
unimaginably more expensive and probably twice as time-consuming for the
creators, it would solve my main problem with the title: it's an online comic.
I fully believe in the Scott McCloud-inspired idea that one day we will wave
goodbye to dead trees and embrace the Internet as the future of comics (or at
least moreso than we do today), but with current technology as it is, it is
simply frustrating as all hell to try to read a comic this way, especially on
my backwoodsy phone connection (my modem might be a 56k, and I might have a T1
ethernet card installed, but neither of these help when my local phone
company's cables won't handle any connection faster than a 24k). The problem is
that I think I represent the majority rather than the minority on this matter.
The
other problem is that, in these bite-size chunks, the story is difficult to
keep up with. Perhaps I'm just dense, but I had to reread the series twice to
fully comprehend where everything and everyone fit in, and I still fear that
I'm missing something. At times I'm reminded of the SPIDER-MAN comic strip,
wherein Stan Lee continually has to make two to five panels somehow interesting
and suspenseful, with few if any breaks in the action. It's near-impossible and
oftentimes frustrating to read.
I
think the way to fully enjoy this series is to re-think the way you view
comics. Instead of thinking of it as a comic strip that's part of a greater
whole when you read a new installment on a Tuesday, think of it more like a
stand-alone serial cliffhanger. Rather than viewing it as a giant story, take
it one bit at a time and don't even bother trying to figure out all the details
until the resolution. This might cause a lot of confusion at certain points,
but I think for the overall improvement of your reading pleasure, it's
necessary. Then, once the current story-arc is completed, you can use your
existing membership at www.adventurestrips.com (or else purchase
even just a short-term one) to go through and reread it as a whole, filling in
all the mental gaps and allowing the characters to flourish more than flounder.
It's not the way I would PREFER to read a comic (I was never a big fan of
serials), and I'm not whoring for www.adventurestrips.com here (though that
last sentence does read as if I should be getting a commission, doesn't it?),
but I just think it would be a hell of a waste if the work of such talented and
devoted individuals were not appreciated.
(SPECIAL
UPDATE: I've just received a sneak preview of installment #10, and it's
possible that Harcourt might get that drink soon! Ah, I can only hope that
installment #11 will be comprised fully of Harcourt in an alcoholic stupor!)
DAREDEVIL/BULLSEYE:
THE TARGET #1
Written by Kevin Smith and
Illustrated by Glenn Fabry
Published by Marvel Comics
Reviewed by Todd Casey (E-Mail Me!)
At
$3.50, compared to the usual $2.25, you may be wondering if this newest
Daredevil mini-series is worth the price of admission. The answer is. "Yes"
(and don't be such a tight-fisted skeptic all the time!). Kevin Smith is a
comedy writer at heart. All his films, View Askewniverse comics, his SPIDER-MAN
BLACK CAT and even GREEN ARROW stories were littered with wisecracks, sexual
innuendos and double-entendres, but he knows these do not have a place in the
world of the ever-serious Matt Murdock. ULTIMATE DAREDEVIL AND ELEKTRA helps to
prep readers for the upcoming Daredevil movie on the lives the two lovers,
while this series gives a crash course on the hatred that exists between
Daredevil and Bullseye.
It
has been three years since Smith's first run on Daredevil and the death of Matt
Murdock's beloved Karen Page at the hands of his heartless nemesis Bullseye.
The story begins with a sad reminder of the attack on the World Trade Center
and the rubble that remains. Daredevil, perched on nearby scaffold, "watches"
as construction crews continue to go on about their 24-hour clean-up effort.
This leads him into a quick recounting of his place in New York City and his
two births: the birth of Matt Murdock and the birth of Daredevil. After laying
flowers at Karen's grave, his mind turns to one thing - vengeance.
Meanwhile,
a New York "business man" (read: high-class criminal) sits down for a talk with
two terrorists who have enlisted his aid in carrying out a planned
assassination. In turn, he directs them to one of his associates named
Bullseye, a man who happens to specialize in this area and can literally use
any object he can get his hands on as a deadly weapon. All we know of the
target is that it is an important individual who even manages to raise the
eyebrows on Bullseye himself. Skeptical, the terrorists want a demonstration of
Bullseye's capabilities. As a man who can turn anything into a weapon, Bullseye
opts for the toothpick from his Martini to show off his skills. His coldness
and adeptness at murder are revealed in what turns out to be a very disturbing
scene (Hint: think the crying baby in SPIDER-MAN/BLACKCAT).
Smith's
use of the terrorist attacks could be seen as questionable and unnecessary, but
it serves a useful purpose in the story. It helps the reader to identify with
the pain Matt feels over the loss of Karen and sets the somber mood and anger
for the story. To help readers understand the grief and wrath that Matt feels,
Smith brings along events from the real world. If I may nitpick for a moment,
the odd phrase "mad-on" has resurfaced here. I have never heard that anywhere
but in Smith's comics, but I'm still chalking it up to censorship. Otherwise,
he does a fine job of developing Matt's character and demonstrating the undying
hatred he has for Bullseye. This is not Stilt-Man or the Owl, but rather a
cold-blooded killer who has all but ruined Matt's life on repeated occasions.
Smith's rendition of Bullseye is reminiscent of the Joker because, while he is
a complete psychopath, he is rather aloof about taking lives and would just as
soon kill you as look at you.
While
(now Marvel Editor in Chief) Joe Quesada did great work on Smith's first run on
Daredevil, Glenn Fabry may be more apt for this storyline. His dark, heavy
pencils complement the foreboding mood of the story and reinforce the
seriousness of the events. The cover of the book is most outstanding, as is his
rendition of Daredevil beating the tar out of a punching bag with Bullseye's
picture taped to it. He gives the book a gritty feel, but for his portrayal of
Karen Page, he presents a bright, almost glowing portrait of her. This is
reflective of the way Matt idealizes her in his memory and the beauty that he
will not forget.
Smith
has set the stage for a knockdown, drag-out brawl between Daredevil and
Bullseye. One has to question if Daredevil would be willing to fight to the
death this time because of what is at stake. Would it be worth it to kill
Bullseye to save countless lives? Smith may be exploring this question by the
end of the series. Another question that I hope Smith will address is that of
Daredevil's identity being revealed. If there were any continuity to be
involved, that would be the one event of the past three years that should come
up, especially since Bullseye nearly made the connection himself at one point
in time. Fans of Smith's first run on Daredevil are unlikely to be disappointed
as Smith has certainly demonstrated that, for all his humor, he can still
fashion a grim and gritty tale.
FABLES #7
Written by Bill Willingham
and Illustrated by Mark Buckingham
Published by DC/Vertigo
Comics
Reviewed by Aaron Weisbrod (E-Mail Me!)
It's
hard for me to put into words why FABLES continues to be such a stellar series.
The
title, which chronicles the exploits of the citizens of fables and folklore
after they were forced to flee their homelands due to an invasion by "The
Adversary," is quite simply one of the best titles in Vertigo's already
noteworthy roster.
This
issue, which is Part Two of the "Animal Farm" story-arc, sheds more light on
the upcoming revolt that is brewing at the farmlands where non-human fables who
are unable to blend with their human brethren in New York City are forced to
reside. Sick of being forced to live in what many of them consider a "prison
commune," a plan is afoot in which the residents of the Animal Farm, under the
leadership of the remaining two "Little Pigs" (the third one, who was recently
revealed to be a dissenter, was recently decapitated with his head placed on a
tall pole a la "Lord of the Flies") plan to take their lands back from The
Adversary.
Of
course Snow White, the Deputy Mayor of the Fables, will not stand for this. and
that's why she's next on the pig's hit list.
Rose
Red, her estranged sister, sympathizes with the residents of Animal Farm,
though, and that's why she's joining them in the revolution. even though she
knows the pigs' plan for Snow White.
Oh yeah. and readers will also learn the shocking truth about Goldylocks and her relationship with the three bears. Be forewarned. it isn't for the faint of heart.
FABLES
combines action, drama, horror, and satire into one amazing package that
somehow manages to be greater than even the already impressive sum of its
parts. If the end of SANDMAN and PREACHER left you with an empty feeling that
has yet to be filled, it's probably because you haven't been reading FABLES.
FAR FROM SAINTS
Written by Myatt Murphy and
Illustrated by Scott Dalrymple
Published by Second 2 Some
Studios
Reviewed by Michael T
Bradley
While
I've been enjoying their current ongoing series immensely (FADE FROM BLUE), I
must admit that the underlying cop-drama in that title has begun to grate on
me. So what a nice, refreshing break from that storyline this little repackaged
one-shot piece of craziness is.
FAR
FROM SAINTS is the story of Dorian, a man on the run from bad luck. He got
canned, his woman left him, and he decided to high-tail it out of town before
anything worse happened, taking only his trusty dog companion along with him.
But he runs into something completely unexpected at a small run-down copy store
in the middle of nowhere: Heaven. Not only does he find Heaven, but he realizes
he's been elected to be a new shareholder.
What
really sets this book apart from all the other pseudo-intellectual religious
fables that have been written is that it never takes itself too seriously, yet
it rarely devolves into cheap shots or base goofiness. Most often the humor
comes from verbal sparring or facial expressions rather than easy targets.
There are a few times when the comedy feels forced, and what are probably the
best moments in the comic are when Murphy doesn't even attempt to be funny and
simply tells a nicely-constructed story.
Rather than spending too much time on the implications or ramifications of Heaven being a committee-run business, we are instead quickly refocused upon what Heaven is trying to do: stop the Apocalypse. or at least delay it a bit. The world has to end SOME day, of course, but they're working on pushing it back further and further. Instead of trying to become overly philosophical or send out an over-tired "message" about faith and/or the human spirit, Murphy instead makes the book essentially a ticking clock story of wild tension about pushing back Armageddon, with the religious issues tossed aside for each reader to deal with in his or her own way. By taking this approach Murphy forces nothing down your throat, but still says much.
Also,
Dalrymple's art is just as stunning here as in his current work (FAR FROM
SAINTS was originally put together about five years ago). His overly detailed,
amazingly well-toned (but never TOO overly textured for black-and-white
artwork) is reminiscent of Jim Lee via Will Robinson: detailed but crisp.
A
pleasure to read and a beauty to behold, and only $1.50 at that, FAR FROM
SAINTS is close to perfect.
MEK #1
Written by Warren Ellis and
Illustrated by Steve Rolston
Published by DC / Homage
Comics
Reviewed by Michael T
Bradley
When
I first began reading MEK, my immediate reaction was "Wow. This artist's
style bears a striking resemblance to that of the guy who did POUNDED. I wonder
why?" After quickly checking, I realized that the styles were similar because
both books have artwork by Steve Rolston. Considering the fact that I had never
heard of Rolston or seen his artwork before reading POUNDED earlier that day, I
think it's a tribute to his talent that he immediately left so strong of an
impression on me that I recognized his style later. Maybe it's simply because I
read them so closely together, but I think it's more than likely that it's his
stylistic ability, which is ably assisted by Al Gordon on inks, for MEK.
I'm
assuming Rolston was chosen for MEK because of the great-looking punk kids he
drew in POUNDED, since that's mainly what he's drawing here, though even more
stylized since MEK takes place in a nearer-than-you'd-think future where body
art has reached all new levels of cybernetic craziness. Rolston does a great
job visualizing the world, and using images to convey meaning. For instance,
the last two pages have a human transforming into a dog-like creature. With the
panel layout as it is, a less-talented artist could have easily made this into
a baffling wordless scene.
But
MEK is not just about pretty and detailed pictures. I'd like to say it's a
given that the uber-talented Warren Ellis's script is engaging and
well-written, but I'll admit that his efforts over the past few years have been
very hit-or-miss for me. All the beautiful art in the world couldn't save THE
AUTHORITY from being a crushing disappointment to me, and no matter how many
ways he thought of to push the action nor how many hip bon mots he squeezed in
per panel, I found my interest waning faster and faster issue by issue.
However, that being said, PLANETARY and TRANSMETROPOLITAN remain two of my
favorite titles ever published, and I really relate to much of what he says in
his online essays, so I generally try at least to keep an eye on his stuff.
All
this led to me going into MEK with a mixture of hope and fear. I can't say that
I'm pining away for the next issue already, but I can say that I will
definitely buy it. The story has me hooked, and Warren is handling it in the way
he handles his best stuff: by putting all the future pop culture images that he
loves so dearly in, but having them serve as the background, NOT the focus of
the book. Though the story is ostensibly a murder mystery involving
murder-by-MEK (or Massive Enhancement Culture), the real core of the book is
the main character, Sarissa Leon, and the empathy we have for her. She is a
double outcast -- one of the oldest stories in the book: too much like type A
for type B, and vice versa. Once one of the leading members of the MEK
community, she is now a Washington pro-MEK spokesperson, which the underground
MEKkers find a treachery of sorts. Also, she helped 'Them" take down a
dealer of bad Mek, tattling on "one of her own."
So,
understandably, tension runs high when she returns to "the city" to
investigate the death of an old friend. But even larger forces than she
expected are brewing and plotting against her.
Warren
Ellis loves the idea of "something new and crazy on every page," but
that's not what makes me interested in this title. Rather, it's the great art
and the brooding tension that builds throughout this issue. Pay attention when
you read this to how little dialogue there actually is (I count nine pages with
ten or less words), yet how much information Warren passes on to the reader.
His writing prowess is truly amazing at times, and I'm definitely looking
forward to seeing how this sleeper/murder mystery resolves.
NOBLE CAUSES: FAMILY SECRETS
#2 (of 4)
Written by Jay Faerber and
Illustrated by Ian Richardson and Matt Wendt
Published by Image Comics
Reviewed by Aaron Weisbrod (E-Mail Me!)
The
concept of NOBLE CAUSES is so simple it's genius: focus on the lives of a
famous superhero family who tries to hide their dysfunctions and scandals from
the ever-vigilant public eye.
The
result is akin to a cross between a daytime soap opera such as "All My
Children" and a superhero deconstruction epic akin to WATCHMEN.
Although
the story has several subplots, the main focus is on Liz Donnelly-Noble, a
"normal" (i.e.: non-super-powered) young girl who married into the Noble family
only to have her husband (the "golden child" of the Noble clan) murdered on
their honeymoon. Realizing that kicking her out on the streets would be bad
publicity, Gaia Noble (the family's matriarch) has agreed to "keep" Liz as part
of the family. Now a celebrity in her own right, Liz is still trying to find
her place as a part of the famous family she hardly knows.
In
"Family Secrets," the second mini-series in this continuing series of
mini-series (wow, try and say that five times fast), Liz has inadvertently
given the public the impression that Zephyr, the promiscuous (and only) Noble
daughter, is pregnant. Of course the family already knows this, but the last
thing Gaia wanted was for the public to find out. After all, Zephyr is still
unmarried!
Furthermore,
Zephyr's overly-protective brother Rusty (a man whose brain was put in a
robotic body by his father Doc Noble after he was nearly beaten to death) is on
the verge of going on a rampage in an attempt to find out who impregnated her.
Krennick, the "adopted" son of the Noble's devil-like archenemy Draconis
quickly came to Zephyr's aide by saying that HE was the father in the last
mini-series (due largely to the fact that he has such a crush on her that he
desperately wants it to be true), but not everyone in the Noble clan believes
this is true. including Frost, Gaia's non-acknowledged illegitimate son who
claims to know who the father REALLY is! Furthermore, Frost is willing to trade
this information with Gaia in exchange for the truth about who HIS father
really is.
As
you can see, Faerber manages to pack quite a bit of story into each issue. and
all of the details listed above come only from the "main" story. You see, each
issue also features a "flashback" tale that provides valuable insight
concerning past happenings with various members of the cast.
While
both stories are extremely engaging, the first story clearly surpasses the
second simply by virtue of the superior artwork by Ian Richardson. While the
back-up story "Unrequited" is a great short story that details the complexity
of the relationship between Zephyr and Krennick, the art in this tale appeared
somewhat sophomoric. NOBLE CAUSES is a great premise that is executed extremely
well and highly praised by fans, critics, and professionals alike. and
considering this, I can't help but feel that there are better artists out there
that could have done the story more justice. Mind you, this is not to say that
Wendt's art is bad, because it's not. His style is very proficient and his
clear storytelling did little to take away from the story. However, I was
surprised that an artist who appears to still be in the process of "stretching
his legs" was given such a prominent gig so soon.
Month
after month NOBLE CAUSES continues to be one of the best true superhero books
on the market. If you like the "team tension" in books such as THE ULTIMATES,
NEW X-MEN, and X-STATIX, but want something with a little less attitude and a
lot more dramatic fun, NOBLE CAUSES should prove to be exactly what you are
seeking.
POUNDED (TPB)
Written by Brian Wood and
Illustrated by Steve Rolston
Published by Oni Press
Reviewed by Michael T
Bradley
POUNDED
is most likely one of the few trades out there that's worth buying simply for
the introduction (hilariously penned by Kieron Dwyer). In fact, I could most
likely write an entire review about the introduction.
But
that would be silly.
Though
Brian Wood has long been touted as one of the most original and innovative
storytellers in the business, I must admit that I found CHANNEL ZERO highly
disappointing, and COUSCOUS EXPRESS didn't even interest me enough to make me
want to pick it up (though now I'm tempted, since the semi-sequel will have
artwork by the amazing Rob G of TEENAGERS FROM MARS fame). However, I found his
run on GENERATION X to be decent, if not amazing -- proving that he was capable
of writing SOMETHING I enjoyed -- and the basic idea for POUNDED sounded
amusing enough that I figured I would give it a go. and I'm quite happy I did.
POUNDED
is the tale of Heavy Parker, the self-proclaimed King of the underground punk
scene in Vancouver. No one minds that he's a poser, a trust-fund baby who has
no real knowledge of the "underground" beyond his piercings and tattoos and no
one minds that he recycles staid lyrics and will most likely never amount to
anything beyond what he is now. Much like a high school football star put out
to pasture when the big scholarship didn't come in, Heavy is destined to be
forgotten and thrown out like last week's trash. But no one minds, because
Heavy has a cool pad and he lets everyone party there.
Heavy's