AICN COMICS! @$$holes Reviews! IRON WOK JON! POINT BLANK! FLASH! JSA! SGT. ROCK! OSCAR WILDE'!!

All that, and Celine Yang is back! She doesn’t get round to doing much (the Dan/Jan storyline pushes her into the background) but she’s still a fine addition to Gobancho and may give Kiriko an ally among the elite of the chefs. It would be nice to see some of the other cooks from the competition appear as well.

IRON WOK JAN has 6 volumes out so far, and there are 21 more still to be published in the US. So, if you haven’t been reading IRON WOK JAN, just wait. Sooner or later, they’ll pull you in too.

POINT BLANK (TPB)

Writer: Ed Brubaker

Artist: Colin Wilson

Publisher: Wildstorm/DC Comics

Reviewed by Cormorant

I've discovered something about Ed Brubaker through his DC projects like CATWOMAN and DETECTIVE and GOTHAM CENTRAL and his Wildstorm projects like SLEEPER and POINT BLANK: the guy's a surprisingly good team player. I don't mean I have any knowledge of how he interacts with his fellow pros – he could be a right bastard for all I know! – what I mean is that he's got a talent for making me enjoy the "shared universe" concept again. You know, the "shared universe" thing where Spidey might visit the Fantastic Four, or Superman team up with Batman, and if the writer's doing his job, he makes you want to look into the titles of all the characters involved. It's a fading talent these days, but Brubaker – whose detective/noir instincts would seem to point away from shared universe appeal – is proving surprisingly adept.

In CATWOMAN, for instance, he re-invigorated my fondness for DC's eclectic, fictional cities with a recent road trip storyline (and without losing the book's "crime comic" edge, no less). With SLEEPER and its thematic prequel, POINT BLANK (I'll get to details in a sec), he's pulled off something even more impressive: he's made me care about the Wildstorm Universe. Insanity, my friends! I used to hate the Wildstorm Universe, born in the early days of Image Comics as a vaguely more conspiratorial Marvel Universe knock-off and fueled by books like THE AUTHORITY which relied heavily on DC analogues (Boo! Boo on analogues!).

But now I'm kinda getting into it.

Part of it's because the "mature readers" switch the line underwent has made it more unique, but Brubaker's stuff was my entry point, so he gets credit for actually making me interested in the people and place of Wildstorm. Case in point: the lead character in POINT BLANK is one Cole Cash, the mercenary once known as Grifter when he was with the covert team, Wildcats. I'd written the guy off as "Wolverine/Gambit with guns" – and maybe he was – but under Brubaker's pen, he becomes a memorable noir hero from the brawn-over-brains school, a likeable roughneck who's just made to take the fall. Cole's looking to avenge the near-killing of John Lynch, with whom he'd been working some shadowy missions just prior to Lynch's shooting. Lynch is the big kahuna of all things espionage in the Wildstorm Universe – a man of infinite secrets and former adviser to the superteam, Gen 13. Does it matter if you know all this? Nope. I have only a smattering of knowledge about the Wildstorm setting, but Brubaker gives the reader the key points, and actually makes the guest players – Fairchild of Gen 13, Midnighter from The Authority, and others - seem cooler than I took them to be in their own books.

Sneaky sonova -- !

In many ways, POINT BLANK is classic noir Рpredictable in structure if not in specifics - with our bad-ass leading man, Cole, making his way through a labyrinth of contacts and false leads. He always seems to be on the cusp of putting things together, but again and again, he's denied the key pieces. And then he starts to consider the dangers of conspiracy from within the agency, at which point things get really hairy, he starts making mistakes, and out come the twin pistols that he looks remarkably cool blazing away with. Yep, I thought twin guns were pass̩, too, but artist Colin Wilson can draw like a motherfucker, and that guy makes them cool again. Wilson's previously unknown to me, a New Zealander who's apparently highly regarded in Europe, and like all the great Euro artists, he can seemingly draw anything and everything with confidence. I'm reminded somewhat of artists like Barry Windsor-Smith, who can so beautifully capture motion and fluidity and the three-dimensionality of the human form, but really, this guy's his own thing. Go sample some of the art at his website and be awed too.

From what I gather, POINT BLANK wasn't exactly a barnburner on the sales charts, but it strikes me that its failure is more a result of outside factors than quality. For one thing, it came early in the days of the Wildstorm "mature readers" re-launch, and Brubaker Mania (catch it!) had yet to become the righteous movement it is today. Plus, the story is a little slow-moving and labyrinthine to start with, and readers unfamiliar with Brubaker classics like SCENE OF THE CRIME and THE FALL probably didn't have a feel for how well he makes these stories pay off. I'm not casting stones, because I skipped it too – a real shame, because the lack of support almost carried over to SLEEPER, which has proven to be one of the best comics of the year. But that was then and this is now, and Brubaker's proven his merits on the likes of GOTHAM CENTRAL, CATWOMAN, and even that great BATMAN story where an adult Bruce Wayne met the police officer who investigated his parents deaths. It's time to recognize.

Now…the fact that POINT BLANK ended up being a sort of prequel to SLEEPER means that folks like me who read SLEEPER first will be privy to a few of POINT BLANK's twists and turns, but not all of them. And for me, catching glimpses of some of the characters I've come to know from SLEEPER, namely Holden and the enigmatic Tao, was quite the thrill. I'm starting to like this seedy little Wildstorm world of militaristic superheroes and dark alley paranoia – a better place for such things than the Marvel and DC Universes I've no doubt. I may even have to poke around a bit more now. I've heard good stuff about the WILDCATS relaunch and STORMWATCH: TEAM ACHILLES, and I liked what little I read of 21 DOWN.

Brubaker, I call you bastard!

THE FLASH #203

Written by Geoff Johns

Art by Alberto Dose

Published by DC Comics

Reviewed by Village Idiot

So I've been having problems with the more recent issues of THE FLASH. After issue #200, not only did the artist change and the story take on a new direction, but the tone and feel of the series changed into something I felt I was slogging through. Slogging! It was a comic quagmire!

But lo and behold, with THE FLASH #203, it looks like the clouds are beginning to break. Not only was there an action scene going on that I found to be gripping, but I also thought the character work was worthwhile too. Seems like THE FLASH may be getting back on track.

Plot recap: Back in the title's previous storyline, Flash's wife had a miscarriage at the hands of the villain Zoom, largely because The Flash's lack of a secret identity left his loved ones open to attack. After Zoom was defeated, The Flash decided to spare his family further danger and give up the superhero mantle. Luckily, The Spectre came in with the save, and arranged for everyone in the world to forget that Wally West is the Flash – including Wally West himself!

Since then, he's slowly (and I mean slowly) begun to discover that he has super speed, and find out that the ring that he was mysteriously given by a stranger (The Spectre?) secretly houses a Flash costume. As #203 begins, Wally is finally coming to terms with the fact that he not only has super speed, but that he is indeed The Flash, the man whom he and his wife have come to blame for the miscarriage. Considering this, the only person Wally feels he can even begin to talk with about his problems is a new friend he's made at the a local diner, the heavily sideburned Leonard Snart. But whatever solace he finds with Snart is cut short, because he soon hears that Captain Cold is in the midst of freezing cops in Keystone City. Wally suits up to take on the problem. Cue the action music.

What Wally doesn't know, but what we know, is that it's not Captain Cold who's freezing cops at all. Captain Cold is really Snart, his diner buddy. And the fact that Snart and Wally, who are normally enemies, can actually talk to each other, can actually commune on a human level, is one of the sweeter ironies in comics right now. Most Flash fans feel like we know Cold pretty well since THE FLASH #182, the issue devoted to him. And although Cold is a Bad Guy, he's not really such a bad guy. Since we're privy to his personal life, we know that he's not so much a villain as he is a loser. He's tough, almost sadistic in the right circumstances, but a guy you can shoot the breeze with in a late night diner over coffee. He's actually one of the best anti-heroes in comics right now.

So when Wally heads off for the action, so does Snart. Wally arrives on the scene alone, however, and like an anxious rookie, he tries to take on the whoever is letting loose with the freeze gun. This was pretty tense stuff, and even a little horrific (frozen humans seem to break easily), and I bought it hook, line, and sinker. I can't tell you how nice it is to finally see some action going on in THE FLASH again, even if some of the suspense is generated by Wally's new lack of expertise – a lack of expertise which, narratively speaking, almost seems like cheating. (I mean, of course the new guy is going to be in greater jeopardy. Come on.) Nevertheless, I'd rather not look a gift horse in the mouth too closely, so I'll rest on the fact that I liked it.

Alberto Dose's art is something that I've been trying to warm to. I think it has an independent comic look to it that I tried to give a chance, but it hasn't been easy. I think a lot of the problem stems from the fact that the storytelling up till now has been so low-key, and the dark, dark, ambiance has been pretty overpowering. It's Flash Noir. #203 is still plenty dark, but Johns manages to move things along just fast enough to satisfy ADD gripers like me, even to the point where Dose's art felt like it was working.

And so, for the most part, the whole issue felt like it was working. Again, it's nice to see THE FLASH getting closer to being back on track. FLASH #203 was a fun comic with some tense action and interesting character moments. And, thankfully, not a quagmire.

Village Idiot's rating: ***

(If you're curious about Village Idiot's rating scale, or are just wondering where he's coming from with all these so-called "opinions," check out the reference page Village Idiot Explained! by clicking HERE. Upfront, honest, perhaps even a little embarrassing, this is the key to understanding what the heck the guy could possibly be thinking. Check it out today!)

THE FAIRY TALES OF OSCAR WILDE Vol.1

Writer/Artist: P. Craig Russell

Publisher: NBM Publishing

Reviewed by Cormorant

"One day the giant came back. He had been to visit his friend the Cornish ogre, and had stayed with him for seven years. After the seven years were over he had said all that he had to say, for his conversation was limited…"

Say what you will of Oscar Wilde's personal excesses, the man had a helluva turn of phrase.

And Wilde's trademark wit is very much on display in this collection of two comic book adaptations of his fairy tales for children ("The Selfish Giant" and "The Star Child"). Pretty much 100% faithful to the source material, these adaptations actually date back to '92 when they were released as a hardcover, but it slipped out of print for a time and is now back as an affordable softcover. Do you dare to buy it? Do you dare to walk up to your local comic store clerk with a colorful adaptation of two childrens' fairy tales written by a Victorian queer?

Hell yes, you dare. Get with the modern world, people. If we straight types can watch QUEER EYE FOR THE STRAIGHT GUY with impunity and enjoy Ian McKellan chewing up the scenery as Magneto in X2, then we can damn well pick up a comic adapting the works of one of the great writers of the 19th century without fear of breaking out into showtunes afterwards.

In fact, I had already bought the hardcover back in the 90's. I actually sought it out. "The Selfish Giant" – a melancholy tale of a giant who becomes tormented by personifications of winter when he drives children from his garden – had left an indelible imprint on me when I saw it as a kid. Yes, "saw" not "read." I was in kindergarten or first grade and I saw an adaptation in the pre-videotape, archaic medium known as…ahem…"film strip" (insert laughter here). Even then I knew the story was something special, always getting me choked up when it reached its poignant conclusion.

It's steeped, rather surprisingly, in Christian allegory, but even a Hell-bound atheist like myself can appreciate its universal appeal of hope and forgiveness. The comic-lover in me, on the other hand, loves the fact that Russell's vibrant cartooning matches Wilde's wit with a playfulness all its own. This is P. Craig Russell in "cartoony" mode, leaning away from the realism of his opera stories and Neil Gaiman team-ups. The design of the giant in particular is deceptively simple, but heartbreakingly emotive. You'll want to brace yourself for a tugging of the heartstrings to rival your annual viewing of HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS.

The second story is "The Star Child," another moralistic fable, and another break from the school of "happily ever after." It begins with two poor woodcutters getting lost in a snow-shrouded forest after dark. It's so cold that even the animals are bewildered, with a wolf growling, "This is perfectly monstrous weather. Why doesn't the government look to it?"

The woodcutters spy a star that falls from the sky, and where it lands they find not the treasure they expect, but a baby wrapped in a cloak. One of 'em suggests leaving it – after all, neither of their families can afford another child – but his friend takes pity on the star child and takes him in. The child grows up to be a handsome but cruel boy, given to tagging beggars with rocks and putting out the eyes of moles with sharp sticks (yeah, I know – old fairy tales were mean as hell sometimes). Where the plot thickens is when a particularly cruel act on the kid's part is followed by his mysterious transformation into something that looks a lot like Gollum. Pretty straightforward fairy tale stuff here, right? A curse to make his exterior match his cruel heart? Well, that's only about half of the story, and what follows is a good bit darker, a lesson that redemptive acts don't always balance out the scales for past cruelties. It's a timely lesson, I think. We watch a flick like PULP FICTION and at the end we think, Yeah, Sam Jackson has gone through a genuine transformation into a better person, and he's so damn cool that we don't really pause to ask if that makes up for his lifetime of blowing dudes' heads off. A story like "The Star Child" speaks to that weakness, clearly the province of adults as much as children.

Hey, I joked around at the beginning about readers who'd be intimidated by a collection like this, and was even gonna close by cracking wise that you could buy it alongside a copy of 100 BULLETS as your "beard." Sadly, I know that gag isn't far from the truth for some people. But why should that be? Why on earth should anyone be embarrassed to read a pair of great stories, tempered with real emotion and brought to life by comicdom's reigning king of the adaptation? The only embarrassing thing is that most readers don't have the balls to try something like this that really breaks the mold.

So I encourage you to be an exception.

JSA: ALL-STARS #7

Story 1:

Geoff Johns and David Goyer – Writers

Dave Ross – Pencils

Anibal Rodriguez – Inks

Story 2:

(Pulitzer prize winning!) Michael Chabon – Writer

Michael Lark – Artist and Letterer

Published by DC Comics

Reviewed by Village Idiot

So I was laughed out of my local comic store last week.

The question was raised as to who the "most underrated" superhero was. There was some hemming and hawing, and the owner of the shop was able to muster (and mispronounce) "The 'Elongenated' Man." The question fell to me, and I said, earnestly, "Mr. Terrific."

"Oh come on, Mr. Terrific?? What, a guy with a black T on his face??"

"Isn't he just another version of Batman with little balls flying around him? Please."

"Yeah. And don't they ever call him 'Mr. T'? They should call him 'Mr. T.' Heh-heh. Yeah."

To the degree that I could get a word in edgewise, I tried to explain the fact that Michael Holt, aka Mr. Terrific is quite cool, and in some respects, one of the most interesting characters in the DCU. Mr. Terrific's "power" is that he has a natural aptitude for having natural aptitudes; he's good at everything. This means he's a scientist in every field, as well as an Olympic-level athlete. You name it, he can pick it up and beat you at it. Add the fact that he's got the guts to emblazon the words "Fair Play" on the jacket of his uniform, and I think Mr. Terrific is one of the most underutilized and potentially fantastic characters in comics. I think he's got the legs for at least a solo mini-series.

So I was looking forward to JSA: ALL-STARS #7, when it would be Terrific's chance at bat with his own story. And boy was I disappointed.

The idea behind this ALL-STARS mini-series is that each of the newer "legacy" members of the JSA need to confront their unresolved personal issues for the sake of defeating a villain introduced in issue #1. Each issue focuses on a particular member of the JSA as they go through their emotional work. Each issue also features a back-up story starring the Golden Age version of the character, created by Special Guest Creators like Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, James Robinson, etc. The JSA is a pretty crowded group, and my hunch is that this mini-series is designed to give us the deeper characterization that's just not possible in the main title. As I've said before, ALL-STARS is like a long, extended version of a SECRET FILES AND ORIGINS issue, without the pin-up pages

The problem with the Mr. Terrific story is that it seemed incredibly short. There's a good chance that the physical length of the story, page-wise, was on par with the other ALL-STAR issues, but it certainly didn't feel that way. All things considered, I felt I really didn't learn too much about the character. Anyone with a modicum of knowledge about the JSA already knows that Michael Holt lost his wife in a car accident, and considered jumping off a bridge until The Spectre came along and talked him out of it, telling him about a similar dilemma faced by another incredibly talented guy, Terry Sloane, aka the original Mr. Terrific. In ALL-STARS #7, we learn that Holt is still having spiritual/faith dilemmas over the death of his wife. By the end of the story, his mental burden is lessened somewhat by his discovery of new information regarding the circumstances of her death. His breakthrough isn't particularly clear or emotionally believable; maybe if they'd somehow spent more time on it...I don't know. Ross and Rodriguez's art was serviceable enough, if a little rough in spots.

This time around, I think the back-up story is as much of a selling point for the issue as anything else, written by (Pulitzer prize winning!) Michael Chabon. If you're a fan of comics, and you haven't read Chabon's THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER AND CLAY, 1) Shame on you, and 2) Swing by Barnes and Noble and pick it up after you finish this review. It's a really great book that deals with the creators of Golden Age comics, and more than that, it's actually about a love affair with comics. When I learned that Chabon would be bringing his (Pulitzer prize winning!) talents to Mr. Terrific, I was hoping to see him actually take a crack at writing to the form; that is, writing an honest-to-goodness Mr. Terrific comic-action story. Instead, we get pretty much what we might expect from a Pulitzer prize winning author: a poignant character piece. Not a bad character piece; I thought it definitely had a more satisfying follow-through than the "main" story. I thought Lark's art was pretty snazzy, and the classic six-panel per page presentation kinda nifty. But really, the story is not even close to being something momentous enough to actually recommend over.

The cover, on the other hand, is pretty cool. And so, in the midst of being laughed out of the story for my championing of Mr. Terrific, I offered up the cover as visual evidence, and that shut them up for at least a couple of seconds. What I wish I could have done is opened the book and let them read how cool Mr. Terrific is as well; but sadly, this wasn't that issue.

Village Idiot's rating: **

SGT. ROCK: BETWEEN HELL & A HARD PLACE (hardcover)

Writer: Brian Azzarello

Artist: Joe Kubert

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Reviewed by Cormorant

Sgt. Rock, DC's famed veteran of World War II, is one tough customer. Just look at him. Look at him!

I ain't kiddin – LOOK AT THIS NAZI-STOMPIN' MACHINE!

Except…the gung-ho covers don't accurately reflect the more somber interiors of most Sgt. Rock comics. These comics definitely have moments of action-packed wish-fulfillment at times – standard boys' adventure themes – but most tales of Rock and Easy Company are staunchly anti-war. Or, if not overtly anti-war, at least grounded in the miserable realities of soldiering.

Enter Brian Azzarello, one of Vertigo's golden boy writers of the moment for his conspiracy-heavy, street-level, labyrinthine potboiler, 100 BULLETS. He's pretty much synonymous with "grim 'n' gritty" done right, so who better to resurrect Rock and Easy for a modern audience?

"Garth Ennis!"

Quiet, you.

Ennis just did his modern look at World War II through the Vertigo miniseries, WAR STORIES, so it's time to let someone else play in the sandbox. What may strike Azzarello fans, however, when they read this original hardcover, is that his writing is a good deal more restrained than Ennis' gory, profanity-drenched stories, or even his own work on 100 BULLETS. Swears are kept somewhat mild (think THE SHIELD, not THE SOPRANOS), and while death is omnipresent, blood and gore aren't emphasized. It's presumably a concession to the somewhat all-ages audience that Sgt. Rock comics usually shoot for; a little odd at first, but the story's no less serious for it.

It's November of '44, and the setting is the eerie Hurtgen forest, a misty, snow-covered area on the German-Belgium border – historically infamous as home to some of the fiercest, most grueling combat of World War II. Legendary Sgt. Rock artist, Joe Kubert – easily half the draw of this project - really brings the forest to life, with its tall, gloomy pines and muddied snow that all but chills the reader. What sets the plot in motion is Easy Company's capture of four German officers, officers who are later found to have been shot at point blank during the confusion of a fierce skirmish. None of the soldiers of Easy are innocents, but Rock's got an unshakable morality that tells him that even in war, murdering the enemy in cold blood crosses a line.

So whodunit? One of Easy's stalwarts, like Wildman or Bulldozer? One of the new recruits who act as the reader's entry point into the tight-knit clique of Easy? Rock himself? Azzarello sets up a fascinating, frontline murder mystery, steeped heavily in wartime morality that asks, "Does it even matter? These were Germans and our job is to kill Germans." One of the strongest moments is a scene of Rock quietly patrolling his squad's foxholes at night, eavesdropping on the two-man groups to hear what they're saying about the murders and about Rock himself. Great stuff. The new recruits – unwanted greenhorns to Rock and his reliable crew – are also a welcome edition, even providing for a bit of humor when Rock drops unwanted, somewhat lame nicknames on 'em. But the nicknames have a serious reason behind 'em. From Rock:

"Look…who you were, you left stateside. You're lucky, you'll get to be that person again. In Easy, who we are now is all that matters."

I'm not a particular fan of 100 BULLETS, but I'll give Azzarello his nod for strong, tight dialogue, and his talents are put to fine use with all the G.I. banter going on here. He nails the gallows humor of the soldiers who are all but certain they're going to die in this meat-grinder of a forest. He also captures the subtle, unexpected moments of nobility, and stages a number of jarring, intense fighting scenes.

And here's where we get to my one major gripe, which happens to be a biggie:

NO SOUND EFFECTS.

I know this trend is all the rage these days (see also, Mark Millar and Warren Ellis), but I can't stand it. Can't effin' stand it. It's like watching SAVING PRIVATE RYAN with the "mute" button on. I'm sure these writers think they're excising a juvenile vestige of Golden and Silver Age comics – the "rat-tat-tat's" and "Ba-DOOM's" of G.I. JOE – but I think it's a terrible mistake to go cold turkey. Azzarello stages fine action sequences, but goddamn it, they lack the impact that sound effects would have brought! The trick is to evolve onomatopoetic sound effects – evolve them! - such that the fonts don't look like hoary old 1950's movie titling and the sound effects aren't the old standards. The Japanese have pretty much made an art out of this in manga, where sound effects are closely integrated with the art, but it's not hard to find mature examples in American comics either. I also review Ed Brubaker's POINT BLANK trade this week, which uses sound effects sparingly, but to excellent effect. I'm 100% certain that no one will read POINT BLANK and say to themselves, "Great noir mystery, but the 'PLIP PLIP' of silenced pistols cutting a swatch through the bad guys really made it seem childish." I'll tell ya, I'd actually re-purchase SGT. ROCK: BETWEEN HELL & A HARD PLACE if Azzarello and Kubert were to go back and lay in sound effects for when the softcover hits. I don't see that happening, but read the scenes for yourself and tell me if they don't feel curiously understated. Unofficial poll here.

I'm still recommending the book, though. Azzarello's murder mystery is compelling and Kubert's one of the true living legends of comicdom. He can reveal fear, misery, even nobility in his characters, and all with a few simple lines and no need for flash and gimmicks. His art is Sgt. Rock, period, and his washed-out dingy, water-coloring a gorgeous respite from the computer coloring we're used to. Altogether, a very satisfying read.

(That needs sound effects)

AVENGERS #72

Geoff Johns: Writer

Scott Kolins: Artist

Marvel Comics: Publisher

Vroom Socko: Reviewer Assembled

The previous issue of Avengers was a blast. Despite the inclusion of plot elements that would have been right at home in an Eros book, that story had everything I look for in a superhero book: flawed but noble heroes, crazy villains, true characterization, one hell of a fight, and all of it happening in one issue. Avengers #71 was easily the best issue of Geoff Johns run.

Issue #72 is easily his worst. Not only that, it’s the worst story featuring She-Hulk I’ve ever read. And I read the issues where Byrne had her running around outer space with the cast of U.S. 1.

Now, I’m about to spoil the hell out of the issue, so if you don’t want to know anything, turn back now.

The plotline is simple in its stupidity. Jen “She-Hulk” Walters is trying to find her cousin Bruce Banner so he can help her regain control of her transformations. You see, during the Red Zone arc, She-Hulk reverted to her human persona, then immediately changed into a more crazed version of her Hulk form. In this issue, she’s stopping off in a small town in Idaho that the Hulk recently rampaged through. Once she sets foot in town, the Avengers find her almost immediately. When the Scarlet Witch tries to reassure her that they’re not there to upset her, Jen hulks out, revealing that her transformations are caused by fear, not rage. The final image is one of Wanda cowering as She-Hulk roars “She-hulk hates to be afraid!”

First of all, fear is her trigger, not anger? Sorry Charlie, but back when her book was called The Savage She-Hulk it was very clearly established that yes, it was anger. Just look here, or here, or here. Also, back then her transformations didn’t result in her losing her mental capacity. Bruce is the one who loses his intellect; Jen would lose her inhibitions. Of course, this change in both trigger and I.Q. could be a result of her exposure to the Red Zone mist. Or Jack of Hearts' radiation absorption powers. Or a combination of the two factors. Or… You know, since this appears to be the sole moment that She-Hulk has changed in this manner until now, how would she know that fear is now what causes her to change? This must mean that she’s always changed due to fear. But that’s clearly not the case. But… it… she… change… (brains will be leaking out my ear in 3, 2, 1,) GAH!

Okay, even overlooking this bit, there’s still another problem, namely what Jen was so afraid of at the end of this issue. Why did she change? I had to reread the scene four times until I figured out that she was afraid of hurting her friends. So, naturally, this fear causes her to change and attempt to hurt her friends. Nice little self-fulfilling prophesy. But how does she stay normal then? If I were her, I’d be afraid of hurting anyone and everyone. Actually, that’d be more of an anxiety than a dire fear. Just what level of fear is necessary for her to change? If she saw an eight year old boy playing near a broken bottle, does she think, “He’d better get away from there, I’m afraid he might cut himself. Urgg. Rahhhr! She-Hulk smash glass!” This hasn’t happened, of course. When we see the Avengers on her trail, they would have mentioned if she’d gone green and mean near witnesses.

Even overlooking this, we have the problem of just why she’s afraid of hurting one of the Avengers? They’re the Avengers! Barely thirty issues ago, they managed to contain a whole village that not only became hulks, but fused into a single 100 foot tall Hulk. They know how to handle a Hulk. Instead, Jen runs off to find Bruce, hoping that he can help her. But just how would he be able to do that? He’s on the run, without any access to a facility that would allow him to study her condition. That’s if she can even FIND Bruce. Anyone who would want to regain control of this sort of condition that had the intellectual capacity of a boiled cabbage would seek out Reed Richards first thing. And Jennifer is anything but stupid. She’s a lawyer, an educated woman. She’s not stupid enough to go off on a wild goose chase for god knows how long when she can look up an old friend that at the very least could come up with a containment device that would keep her rage… sorry, FEAR in check.

But that’s not the worst part. The whole storyline, the very plot is flawed. She-Hulk is a character that, over the years has changed and grown beyond the preconceived limits of her persona. Here, Geoff Johns tears all that down. For the sake of his story, he drastically alters her character, the very hallmark of bad writing. He presents Jen as a powder keg waiting to go off, who’s wandering from small town to small town, searching for a way to defuse herself. She may plead at the end of this issue that she’s “not like Bruce,” but that’s exactly what she is. She’s become a carbon copy, a cheap knock-off of an original, no better than US Agent or War Machine or Thunderstrike. She’s been cheapened.

Avengers #72 disgusted me. It insulted my intelligence. It insulted the character of She-hulk. It made me wish Bob Harris was still writing this book. This issue, along with the piss-poor storytelling in the highly overrated Teen Titans and the sub-par storytelling in the Goyer-less JSA has me feeling that Johns' work is beginning to lose its luster. I’m not at all looking forward to his next work, not on Avengers or anywhere else.

CHEAP SHOTS!

SPIDER-MAN/DOCTOR OCTOPUS: NEGATIVE EXPOSURE #2 (of 5): Why the hell aren't more people reading this? Shit, it's only the best classic-style Spider-Man comic I've read since Roger Stern's brilliant run in the 80's, tightly paced with action, strong characterization, and even plenty of the ha-ha! There seems to be some confusion because Doc Ock's got a new look, but the story is actually set back when Gwen Stacy was alive – okay, a mildly annoying visual retcon - but who gives a flip? This is great Spider-Man, people! Don't dismiss it over a technicality! – Cormorant

DETECTIVE COMICS #788: Comic writers take note with this issue on what NOT to do. This issue is the single most overwritten comic I have read in quite a long time. I don't know who Paul Bolles is, but the guy throws metaphors around like...well...something that throws a lot of metaphors around. Read this book if you dare, but you'll be witness to godawful lines like "His eyes glitter like coins in the dark," and "Eddie looks down at Batman with eyes that seem lit from within, as if a cold, pale fire burns deep in his skull." Not only that, but Bolles repeatedly squats and shats upon the SHOW DON'T TELL rule with lines like, "Fast, inhumanly fast, hands like knotted chains wrap around Batman's throat--swing him like a hammer--and smash him to the floor." Of course, these captions are scattered around pictures of Batman being grabbed by the throat, swung like a hammer, and then being smashed to the floor. Ugh! Utterly amateurish writing throughout. Buy the book only for the amusing final chapter of "The Dogcatcher," a back-up feature about a humane society worker who catches the Joker's dog. - Ambush Bug

ARROWSMITH #4: Hunh. Still liking the concepts behind Busiek's fantasy-world take on the first World War, but even with death always on the horizon, the execution feels surprisingly toothless – like those old war movies were soldiers just fall down when they're shot. It's an odd mix of high adventure and the military life, with the military aspect falling short I'm afraid. As ever, the art by Carlos Pacheco is beautiful…which might be part of the problem. Maybe Joe Kubert's got some free time? - Cormorant

X-STATIX #15: Who sucked out the feeling? I have to assume this strangely-limp "Back from the Dead" storyline is affected by Marvel's decision to KO the Princess Diana angle in favor of a made-up pop starlet named Henrietta, newly raised from the dead to fight alongside the X-Statix team. What's merely an inevitable extension of X-STATIX's theory of superherodom as celebrity could have been a more jarring statement on the martyrdom of such figures. Maybe. Plus, the transgressive glee of seeing Di in the tights can't be replicated by the sort of boring manipulations of the perky Henrietta. Yeah, she's pretty thinly disguised (references to "my good friend Elton" and landmine charities are intact) but as a fiction she's a much easier target: her obvious self-importance makes her all too easy to hate without the saintly fairy tale background mythos around to stick in your craw. Marvel can't really be blamed for halting a pretty tasteless storyline, but they can certainly be blamed for putting this one out instead, leaving the readers to imagine just what we were supposed to be getting out of this in the first place. – Lizzybeth

HAWKMAN #21: Month after month, this is the first comic I read when I get home from the comics shop. Geoff Johns continues to chart the complex mosaic that makes up Carter Hall's past. This issue is part two of "The Headhunter," which introduces us to a deadly new villain who gathers knowledge by lopping off the heads of his victims. Who better to quench a grisly thirst for knowledge than someone who has lives a hundred lifetimes? This issue has it all. A throat slit from ear to ear. A date with Kendra. And yet another classic moment with the Atom. - Ambush Bug

WOLVERINE #7: I know it's not natural to like a popular character like Wolverine, but Greg Rucka's the man with the plan, and he's made Logan cool again. At least for a time. This issue's a jumping-on point that sees Wolverine investigating the grim deaths of a truckload of illegal immigrants, asphyxiated to death in a sealed tractor trailer. Meanwhile he's got a lady ATF agent on his trail whose interests might go beyond professional, but Rucka's giving her enough definition that I expect her eventual confrontation with Wolverine to dodge predictable clich̩s. Leandro Fernandez is the new artist, and while I hope Darick Robertson returns one day soon, Fernandez Рmy fave QUEEN & COUNTRY artist Рhas got the chops for the job. -Cormorant

DRAWING YOUR NIGHTMARES #1: What's better than Eric Powell's THE GOON and Niles and Templesmith's CAL MACDONALD? A book featuring short stories of both. This book has some of the coolest and most horrific characters this side of Uncle Creepy. The stories are a bit light and fluffy compared to what goes on in the monthly books, but this book offers a taste of the sickly sweet stuff that Dark Horse churns out from their horror line on a monthly basis. The final tale from Brett Matthews and Sean Phillips is a doozy as well featuring a vampire and a femme fatale. Spooky fun. - Ambush Bug

Y, THE LAST MAN #16: So what might the world of arts and entertainment be like if all the men in the world went kaput? That's the focus of this new arc, focusing on a traveling theater group, and the results are both serious and amusing. Plus, it has the series' best cover yet.

TALES FROM THE CREVICE: BOOKS THAT FELL THROUGH THE CRACK

By Vroom Socko

This past Comics Wednesday was a special one. You see, it fell on the same day as the quad centenary of the holiday England uses as an excuse to blow shit up. You know the one. You don’t? Come now, were you never taught the rhyme?

Remember, remember

The fifth of November,

The gunpowder treason and plot.

I know of no reason

Why the gunpowder treason

Should ever be forgot.

Those of you who’ve been reading comics for any great length of time have probably already guessed the subject of this week’s Tale. To any of you that haven’t, I’m exceptionally proud to be the one to introduce you to V For Vendetta, one of Alan Moore’s earlier efforts, and one of his best.

Set in the far future of the year 1997, V For Vendetta is the story of an England subjugated under an Orwellian government. Order is the name of the game here, with all the rabble-rousing types (you know, socialists, homosexuals, Jews, and anyone who’s not white), long since herded off into the sort of facilities that feature very large ovens. But this order is soon disrupted by a mysterious terrorist dressed as Guy Fawkes. Truth to tell, he does not have a name, but you can call him V.

Although this book is one of the earliest works from Moore, many of the themes that later become staples of his storytelling are present. There’s the hallucination that reveals a greater truth, the shadowy figure manipulating any and all events seen, the dangers of seeking power for its own sake, and the questions into the meaning behind justice and freedom. Good God, is freedom put under the microscope in this book. Especially where it concerns the main characters.

No, not V. Despite the title, V isn’t really the main character. I fact, he barely IS a character. The reader has absolutely no idea of who he is. Thanks to a flashback to one of the concentration camps, we do learn a bit of what he is, but never who. He’s a bit like Gaiman’s Sandman, actually: an ever-present, yet barely seen omnipotent phantom that masterfully manages to control everything that happens on the page.

The main characters are, in fact, Evey Hammond and Eric Finch. Finch is the detective assigned to apprehend V. In the course of his investigation, he begins to examine the circumstances behind the camps, and starts to question his place in a government that can bring about such an atrocity. As for Evey, she’s the star of this book, hands down. Rescued from an attempted gang rape by V, it is through her eyes we learn of the methods and practices of this mysterious vigilante. It is her growth and development as a person that fuels the narrative. In V, we see a fully formed sword of anarchy, but Evey is the one whose forging we witness.

While V For Vendetta isn’t the best of Alan Moore’s books (my vote goes to From Hell,) it’s still better than much of the stuff that’s been published since. It’s also the one Moore book I’ve reread the most times, and in this age of goobers like Rumsfeld and Ashcroft, it remains one of his more relevant works.

V.

Question For Discussion

If you were stuck on a deserted island, what Alan Moore book would you want with you?

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What?

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Okay, fine. Name one Alan Moore book, one CD, and one DVD you’d want with you on a deserted island. Jeez!

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(It’s not like a deserted island would have electricity anyway.)