| #37 | 1/26/05 | #3 |
(Click title to go directly to the review)
WE3 #1-3
PLANETARY #22
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #516
LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #2
THE AMAZING JOY BUZZARDS #1
ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #15
CHEAP SHOTS!
We3 #1-3
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Frank Quitely
Publisher: DC Comics/Vertigo
Reviewed by Dave Farabee
And so Grant Morrison’s epic cyborg-animal chase sequence comes to an end. It was ultraviolent, it wore its heart on its sleeve, and I’ve heard it called the best miniseries in ages by some, overrated by others. I think I fall somewhere in between.
Before we get into it, though, let’s take just a moment to look at the covers. I don’t care what you thought of the story – the covers are bloody brilliant. Painted by interior artist Frank Quitely, each depicts a photo or painting of one of the animal leads of We3 in the form of a “lost pet” flyer. On store shelves, these covers pop A) Because images of lost pets draw the attention of all right-thinking people, B) Because white is the dominant color (okay, white-with-a-touch-of-pink on this last issue), and C) The stylized dog tag logo is very stark, as well as being a clever hint at the animals’ military purpose in the story.
But it’s the text below the faux-posters that seals the deal, each one capturing something of the pet or its owner. Bandit, the archetypal faithful dog is described as “friendly & approachable”; the cat, Tinker, has a poster written in a quirky calligraphy suggesting an artsy-minded owner and predicting her aloofness; the rabbit; Pirate, has the most heartbreaking message: written in childlike handwriting on lined notebook paper, it asks simply, “Can you help us find Pirate?”, adding, “He likes lettuce and carrots.” Appropriately, Pirate is the simplest of the three animals, operating almost entirely on instinct.
These are genius, heartstring-tugging covers. Big, big ups to Quitely and anyone else involved in their concept. And Warren Ellis, take note of ‘em for your next column on the sad state of comic book covers. They’re the exception!
Now about the story…
For all that Grant Morrison can be a labyrinthine ol’ cuss at times, We3 is as straightforward as it gets. Bandit, Tinker, and Pirate are three average animals with the misfortune to’ve found themselves chosen by the military to serve as prototypes for next-generation battlefield weapons. Plugged into hulking battle suits that look part insectoid, part samurai, they open the first issue with a brutal assassination of a South American dictator (and a whole lot of his guards). The story, simply put, is about their attempt to escape from this life. In Morrison’s own words:
“…the basic idea of the animal odyssey across country in search of some seemingly hopeless safe haven is a very resonant and appealing theme which no-one has really played much with recently...certainly not in comics. I've always wanted to do one of those classic animal stories that make people cry, so this is like that...Disney with fangs.”
He ain’t kiddin’ about the fangs part. Morrison goes out of his way to present the animals as amoral creatures (not immoral, but amoral), and given their eagerness to escape capture, their killer instincts, and oh yeah, their battle suits outfitted with mines, flechettes, and surface-to-air missiles, you better believe things get bloody. And not just for the military bad guys out to get ‘em. Animal-lovers beware: Morrison’s sympathies may be with the critters, but that doesn’t mean they’re safe from death or gory injury.
Speaking of the military bad guys…they were among my problems with the series. Now I’m an easy mark for animal-hero stuff. Got much love for WATERSHIP DOWN, THE SECRET OF NIMH, even that great Frenchy flick, THE BEAR. None of which means I like to see lazily-drawn caricatures of military men or scientists, as the series sadly delivers throughout. One particular scientist gleefully manipulates a cyborg rat in the beginning, for instance. This rat has a drill mounted on its head for battlefield repairs, and scientist-guy has it drill another rat while we get a close-up of his toothy smile. “Say hello to man’s new best friends,” he says. None too subtle, nor is the controller he uses to manipulate the rat, virtually identical to the average Playstation controller (“This is the gun of the future”). I’m sure I was supposed to pause when I saw it and reflect on video games desensitizing us to violence, but all I thought was, “Come on, Grant, you’re smarter than this and so are your readers.”
Nevertheless, We3 succeeds on an emotional level, if not intellectual. Morrison’s well aware of the intrinsic emotional quality of showing an animal under duress, and when the armored helmets first slide back in issue one to reveal the faces of a dog, a cat, and a bunny, if you’re a pet owner…chances are he’s gotcha then and there.
The animals real names are barely mentioned, as they’re just numbers according to the project. The dog is “1”, the cat “2”, the rabbit “3”, and when they function in tandem: “We3.” They talk, too, in a limited fashion that reads a lot like internet l33t-speak. Morrison’s light on explaining the techie stuff, but presumably the animals have doodads wired into their vocal chords and at least some intelligence-enhancing wiring. More to the point, though, they behave according to traditional views of their various species:
The dog is loyal and humble, ultimately the leader of the group: “I. M. GUD.” “R. U. GUD. 2?”
The cat is pissy and self-centered: “MMMMEN ST!NK! BOSSSS! STINK! HUNGRY.”
The rabbit is…well, kinda stupid: “GRASS. EAT. NOW. EAT.”
Now I don’t know why it’d be more efficient to teach an animal to use an exclamation point in place of the letter “i”, but the l33t-speak bursts of conversation are effectively alien, yet still understandable (sometimes with a second or third reading). Quitely’s artwork conveys similar sensibilities with all its strange angles, cutaway views of buildings and vehicles, mega-fragmented scenes (one four page sequence is viewed entirely through 108 drawings representing intercut security cameras), and curiously distancing close-ups on feet, mouths, backs of heads, etc. Morrison has described the approach as an experiment in creating “Western Manga.” I found it to be hit-and-miss. At times the experimental visuals astonish with their bravura and suggestion of animal senses, at others, they simply confuse. I applaud the approach, though. It’s as if Morrison has finally found an artist capable of translating his fourth-dimensional, magickal thinking.
I should mention more about the plot, but there’s really not much to say. The We3 project is set to be decommissioned, and a lone sympathetic scientist frees the animals. From then on, it’s a three-issue chase sequence with the dog desperately convinced there’s a home for the animals somewhere out in the world and the other two reluctantly following. They’re threatened with everything from ground troops to helicopter gun ships to the cyborg rats, and they fight back in kind. Beyond the adventurous, violent side of the chase, there are the occasional moments of downtime where the animal personalities come out in their limited conversation. Notably, the cat refuses to follow orders from the dog (“1 KNOW 0,” it snarks).
It’s all pretty damn dark and harrowing, especially since Quitely draws the animals with such utterly convincing detail. Without anthropomorphizing them, he’s created three stunningly memorable animals, rendered with the talent of Europe’s best - a Moebius or Bilal. Between Quitely’s art, Jamie Grant’s rich muted coloring, and Morrison’s blatantly emotional writing, I ended up putting aside my criticisms by the time I got to the last issue. Even with one character in that issue exhibiting a sudden moment of humanity that rang false, I couldn’t help but get caught up in the last stand of We3, as harrowing a sequence as anything I’ve ever read in a comic. It’s real heart-in-your-throat stuff, and hard to make it through with a pair of dry eyes.
Honestly, I’m already sold on a trade, or hell, even a hardcover if it’s jam-packed with Quitely pre-production art and Morrison commentary. We3 is a series I can’t call great, but it has moments of greatness. For those, for the art, and for the sheer novelty of the premise (especially for animal lovers): recommended.
PLANETARY # 22
Written by Warren Ellis
Art by John Cassaday
Published by Wildstorm / DC
Reviewed by Buzz Maverik
Spoiler is sort of this internet, geek term we all use around here. There's something stupid about the term, but it has a function. You will find spoilers in this review.
I'm not at all happy with the ending of PLANETARY # 22. Yes, when you buy an issue titled "The Torture of William Leather," you should know what to expect. But not being a freaking monument to rationality, I'm pissed off anyway!
For longtime PLANETARY fans, you know that this series about a society of super human sociologists/anthropologists/archaeologists dedicated to chronicling the secret history of their world (where our fiction and popular culture are their hidden realities) has sort of devolved into a showy little superhero comic. The Planetary Group is opposed to the Four, an ultra-vile version of Marvel's beloved Fantastic Four. I love good villains and only a writer of Mr. Ellis' talent can properly convey the loathsomeness of the worst villains. The last villains as all out nasty as the Four were Marvel's Hellfire Club before they all joined the X-Men and became whacking fodder.
The reason we're given that the Four are so awful, aside from the fact that they're meaner than shit, is that they've discovered all this superhuman hoo-hah and they're withholding it from us Joe 18-Packs. That's supposed to be a "realistic" take on the Fantastic Four. I dug it for years, but ultimately, the words "realistic" and "Fantastic Four" can't be applied to each other with a straight face. The reason that Reed Richards doesn't start mass producing Negative Zone portals and Personal Ultimate Nullifiers is that Reed is a Mad Scientist ... for the Good Guys, which is much like Woody Allen in ANNIE HALL saying, "I know I'm bigot, but it's for the Left." Reed's as whacked as all those crazy doctors: Frankenstein, Jekyll, Seuss, Pepper, etc. Even if he couldn't stretch, he just can't help TAMPERING WITH THINGS MAN WAS NEVER MEANT TO KNOW. He's like a kid with a zit. You say, "Don't pick at that," and they have to pick at it.
The Fantastic Four is "a mad scientist and his pals keep saving the World." You have to smile.
Mr. Ellis and his artist co-creator Mr. Cassaday have certainly done some incredible stories with their Four over the years. CITY ZERO is one of the best comic stories I've ever read. I also liked the story where the Four murdered pseudo-versions of Superman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern, preventing the creation of the Justice League. Then, there was the story of the Four using "Thor's" hammer to transport themselves to a realm where they murdered everyone and used the dimension as a storehouse for their weapons. Exceptionally brilliant.
The Four also captured Planetary leader Elijah Snow and took away his memory. In "The Torture of William Leather", Mr. Ellis is telling us that they may have also made Elijah evil and sadistic. This was hinted at when Snow allowed an Arthur C. Clarke spaceship to carry the Four's faux-Thing out of the solar system. That didn't bother me. That was a standard comic book villain disposal, really.
I know that Mr. Ellis is purposely taking Snow to a dark place. Good writing often takes the characters to the place they'd least like to be, and the place we as readers would least like them to be. But I just don't want to see it. I don't want to see a "hero" of a comic book do what Elijah Snow did to William Leather, for any reason.
It would be different if PLANETARY were published on a regular basis. It's quarterly at best these days. I wouldn't expect a quick escape for Elijah. Ellis and Cassaday are too good for that. But this is going to go on even longer than a decompressed storyline because of the publishing pace.
For no good reason, except maybe to stall the inevitable, Johnny Stor--, I mean William Leather, tells us how his grandfather was the Lone Ranger. The PLANETARY conceit here is that Tonto was a shaman who dosed the future Ranger with a hallucinogenic drug similar to the one Elijah tripped on with the dredlocked, female faux-Dr. Strange last issue. I wonder if Warren went on one of those shamanistic vacations in the Rain Forest that I read about. They have the best drugs in the Rain Forest. Very similar to the drug described in PLANETARY. In the article I read, the author was the only member of his tour group who went for a second slurp from the holy gourd. If I ever go, the witch doctor will be saying, "Dammit, Buzz, leave some for the rest of us!"
We also see that Leather's father was a cross between the Shadow and the Spider. Very nice. Then we see our hero stick needles in Leather's eyes.
That's enough PLANETARY for me. However, those of you who aren't badasses but who like to feel like badasses when you read cold blooded comic books...
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #516
Writer: J. Michael Straczynski
Pencils: Mike Deodato & Mark Brooks
Inks: Joe Pimentel & Jamie Mendoza
Publisher: Marvel
Reviewer: Ambush Bug
“—where the price of Time-Warner stocks fell three percent today, mainly due to deficiencies in the publishing division, which insiders ascribed to a lack of inventiveness in its graphic publishing arm.” --- TV News Reporter, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #516
Marvel versus DC. You know, there was a time when Marvel and DC used to trade words with each other with great frequency. These two companies are THE Big Two in the comics biz. Godzilla and King Kong trading blows on the comic book racks. Fanboys love to argue the merits of one company over the other and for the longest time, it was a friendly little back and forthing between these two giants. Kind of like when your elderly great aunt and your equally elderly grandfather trade swipes at each other at the family Christmas dinner. These two old geezers have been in each others lives for years. They don’t really like each other or wish to be in the same room together, but because of familial ties, they compose themselves so that everyone can enjoy the turkey with all the trimmin’s once a year. They share a mutual respect for one another since, after all, they are from the same gene pool. Sure it is a nuisance that the two of them can’t get along, but when they sit across from each other at the dinner table and trade barbs like, “Are you going to leave any gravy for the rest of us?” and the other snaps back, “Everyone but YOU!”, you can’t help but chuckle into your napkin at how charming these two old coots are.
Under the reign of Stan Lee, that’s kind of how I saw the relationship between Marvel and DC. Both wizened comic book companies doing their best. Both the proud creators of incredibly well made and equally shittily produced comic books. The Big Two, always striving to beat the other one, but residing in the same industry and still harboring a bit of respect for one another because of that.
Then I read quotes like the one above from the most recent issue of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN and I realize how much things have changed since the days Stan used to refer to DC as the Distinguished Competition. It’s as if Ol’ Grampy Stu and Great Auntie Loo stopped being polite and started going for the throat with zingers like, “Oh yeah, well at least I can hold my bowel movements until after the meal, swamp-ass!” Like that remark, I see the snipe in ASM #516 as a true low blow. A comment without a leg to stand on. One completely out of left field and telling of the insecurity and lack of tact a respected company once proudly had. It’s comments like the one above that casts a pall on the industry, takes any and all charm out of the whole “friendly” competition, and forces me to point out a few things.
What really disgusts me about the quote is that it has no bearing in reality at all. This accusation of a “lack of inventiveness” on DC’s part comes from a company who just recently released a toilet bowl filler miniseries entitled IDENTITY DISK simply to profit off of the huge success of DC’s IDENTITY CRISIS. This coming from the imaginauts who proudly shove a female Wolverine clone down our collective throats, all the while screaming in our ears that it is what we’ve all been dying to see. This coming from the geniuses who dust off a moth-balled miniseries called WITCHES coincidentally at the same time DC releases a Vertigo book entitled THE WITCHING. This coming from the creative wizards who hype up a concept called TEEN TITA…I mean, YOUNG AVENGERS, starring teenage versions of the icons of the industry and dare to call it “fresh and groundbreaking.” This coming from the visionaries who bastardize a once loved character like Gwen Stacy by having her become impregnated by longtime Spidey nemesis, Norman Osborne, while at the same time hypocritically taking the moral high ground by blasting their Distinguished Competition for the rape of Sue Dibney. And that’s just from the past year alone. The list could go on…
Now after just reading the above paragraph, you can probably tell, I’m more of a DC kind of guy. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t like my Marvel. I know that both companies have their highlights and their faults, but quotes like the one above make me happy that more of my hard earned bucks go towards DC than the other guys. It makes me realize that, under the reign of Joey Q, Marvel has become the short guy in the gym with all of the muscles. Sure he’s strong, but all of that bravado is there to overcompensate for utter insecurity and lack of stature.
“Dey’re da guys who sit around an’ drink wine an’ eat cheese. We’re da guys ya wanna grab a beer wit at da bar.” I’m paraphrasing, but that’s basically what uber-talented artist John Romita JR said at the last Wizardworld Chicago on the Marvel discussion panel. And it’s comments like that that make me lose respect for at least one party in this once friendly rivalry. Why take it to such a guttural, Cro-Magnon level? It just shows a lack of tact, a WWF-ing of an industry that was once an extremely smart and creative form of literature. And this is an overall attitude exuding with greater frequency from everyone from artists to writers to editorial at Marvel. I find this de-evolution sad, really. Disappointing, definitely.
Maybe the reason why I was so taken aback by the quote from ASM is that it was coming from a person in the industry with whom I hold in high regard. For the most part, I love everything JMS has ever written. Save his ill-inspired take on STRANGE and his recent ASM stories, JMS has written some of the most interesting comics I have read in recent memory.
The issue itself? Not too amazing, but not horrible either. It’s basically a story setting up a threat to Peter Parker and not Spider-Man. It could prove interesting. The parts of the story set in the past feature Peter, Uncle Ben, and a new kid in school who gets picked on more than Puny Parker himself. I really like the story developing in the past and how it parallels what’s going on in the present. JMS balances out the shift in time well, having the flashback scene relate to events as they unfold in the present at the precise time that it matters. There is a good scene in this issue that shows how cool Uncle Ben really is. It is nice to see a story featuring Ben that doesn’t focus on his death. It makes one understand why Peter holds him in such high regard.
And the art? Well, I’ve always loved Deodato, but recently he has remade his technique into something truly special. He used to draw like the old Image hack-jobs, but recently he’s dropped the cross-hatched caricatures and gone for a more confident line with richer shading and dynamic panel placement. Deodato is one of the few artists out there that has changed his style for the better over the years, evolving from an Image clone into something completely unique. Mark Brooks handles the flashback sequences. I prefer Deodato’s pencils, but Brooks does a good job making the past seem brighter and simpler, even though as the flashback story progresses, you see that isn’t always the case.
So I guess I’m saying that it took one line at the very beginning of this book to sway my view of the entire issue. I understand friendly competition, but when it comes out of the blue and from such a low angle, it just taints the rest of what could have been a pretty decent story to me. I guess what really disappoints me is that Marvel; who’s editorial staff and talent used to act so much like their heroes if not in real life, then at least in public, and showed respect to fans and competition alike, now bear greater similarities to bullies and bad guys. I guess, in the end, I just expected better from JMS and Marvel.
LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #2
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Barry Kitson
Publisher: DC Comics
Reviewed by Dave Farabee
I’m not the world’s biggest LEGION devotee, the one time I notably followed the series being the controversial “five years later” run in the ‘90s. Still, even I had to groan at the idea of yet another relaunch. It’s the single most convoluted superhero series ever, especially since Legion-inspiration Superboy was retconned out of existence with CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS. Given that, what possible response could I have to revamp number five, six, or whatever it is, except cynicism?
And yet…
What if the newly simplified version works? See, every previous LEGION relaunch was hip-deep in reality-altering insanity to insure that no fan was left thinking his favorite story had been retconned away (“Sure it happened at some point! It’s just that no one in the new timeline will remember it…”). With this latest relaunch there’s none of that stuff, but rather a pure start from scratch keeping only the basic names, powers, and the concept of a vast team of young superheroes. No more Superboy as inspiration (or Superboy analog) – these kids just revere the superheroic ethos of DC’s present and just act on it because kids are always the ones to rebel. Picture the spirit of ‘60s activism finding sudden resurgence (along with stylish uniforms and haircuts) and you’ve got the idea.
That first issue? Solid, but it didn’t win me over. Loved that it skipped over the origin and cut to the chase, but definitely felt some of the awkwardness of middle-aged Mark Waid trying to appeal to da kiddies. Lots of clever stuff, though – the “loser” hand symbol being appropriated as the Legion symbol being one of my favorites.
Issue two is better. We’re past the awkward moments of Waid doing his teen solidarity thing and straight into superhero sci-fi in the larger-than-life tradition of STAR TREK. Waid’s big accomplishment this go-round is taking two of the Legionnaires with the least demonstrative powers – precog Dream Girl and super-intelligent Brainiac – and making them interesting. The entertaining opening gives each of ‘em a chance to show off as the team foils an assassination attempt. Brainiac, we learn, anticipated the attempt based on the sheer amount of galactic data he collates with his super-smarts. He also acts as a support member when the team goes into action, projecting combat scenarios on the fly as new data comes in.
Pretty cool.
But he’s got a problem with Dream Girl, the team’s blond hottie of a visionary. Sure she scores a great takedown of the would-be assassin in the intro, quipping before kung-fu’ing him, “I thought we already beat this guy,” but Brainiac hates that she does instinctively what he has to work for. And he makes some compelling arguments. Accuracy of her visions be damned, he sees them as a mockery of the scientific process. Waid’s also given her a tendency to occasionally talk about future events in the past tense, another quality that galls Brainiac:
“Stop being so defiant! Cause, then effect! Cause, effect!”
Later, he notes provocatively, “Once you become too comfortable with the mechanics of fate, your curiosity weakens.”
Personally, I found Dream Girl’s little zone-out moments slightly annoying too, but I really like the conflict they help set up. And Waid keeps it front and center when Dream Girl, Brainiac, Shadow Lass, and Karate Kid head to her home planet to investigate a bizarre affliction spreading throughout the planet’s youth: a cessation of the racial ability to dream precognitive visions during sleep. It’s such an ingrained ability that it’s causing madness, the kids completely unable to sleep for days on end.
Where it ultimately leads is a neat moral problem that, again, harkens back to classic sci-fi tenets of using futurism to explore ideas. But there’s also some pretty fine action when the Legion runs afoul of a pair of “Precommandos.” They’re military badass types who’ve honed their precog visions to see only seconds into the future, but with such total accuracy that they’re undefeatable in combat. Neat idea and a great rendering of the hopeless fight from artist Barry Kitson. Kitson’s a little bit Alan Davis, a little bit George Perez, and a little bit Moebius in his futuristic design sense. He’s damn good, and if I can be a little sexist for a moment: Barry, exceptionally nice work on Dream Girl and Shadow Lass, my man. Hotcha! The Legion’s got a tradition of being surprisingly sexual for a teen-themed comic, and Kitson bears the tradition well.
And I dunno, I guess the guys are hunky or something. Whaddya want from me?
End result: a book that’s slightly whitebread in its depiction of futuristic rebellion, but at least in this reader’s eyes, nearly perfect at what it does. Only two issues in and I’m already comfortable with the likeable ensemble cast, diggin’ the fast-paced plots (both issues have been standalone stories), pleased that the sci-fi hook is taking prominence over superhero action, and of course, loving the art. There’s a slightly grating “cleverness” that sometimes pops up in Mark Waid’s comics, a cleverness that’s left me cold in the majority of his stuff, but with LEGION – maybe because I didn’t read it intently in the past, maybe because this new version is such a total overhaul – it’s actually working for me. I don’t mind the Mark Waid “stamp” because this book is pretty much his baby from the get-go.
I kinda think you should check it out.
THE AMAZING JOY BUZZARDS # 1
Written by Mark Andrew Smith
Art by Dan Hipp
Published by Image
Reviewed by The Amazing Joy Buzz
A one hit wonder from the '60s lives down the street from me. Nice guy. I see him walking his dog, hanging out with his grandkids. He's a surgeon and he and his wife own a used bookstore on the side. He was even in the USAF for a hitch in 'Nam after his hit.
When I tell the guy about Buckaroo Banzaii, that hard rocking scientist/crimefighter, he looks at me like I'm nuts. To be fair to him, lots of people look at me that way even when I'm not telling them about Mac Rauch, Richter and Weller's greatest creation.
THE AMAZING JOY BUZZARDS are a rock group that fights crime. Kinda like Buckaroo's Hong Kong Cavaliers. That's pretty cool, I guess. If you can't get Buckaroo, the Buckaroo-inspired will do in a pinch.
In addition to THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAII ACROSS THE 8TH DIMENSION, it seems that writer Mark Smith and artist Dan Hipp may be familiar with Alan Moore's magnum opus 1963, in which the spoof-AVENGERS are headquartered inside Mt. Rushmore. They may have perused Charles Burns' comic EL BORBAH, DC's BIG DADDY DANGER or the cartoon show MUCHA LUCHA (those cool masked Mexican wrestlers are kinda in these days). Was it Bernie Wrightson who created CAPTAIN STERN for HEAVY METAL?
I wonder how old Smith and Hipp are. It seems like if they were young enough to still get carded, the Buzzards would have been some sort of hip hop crew. I never got carded even when I was young enough to get carded because I've looked old ever since I accidentally summoned that malevolent entity Malik Tous when I was 10 years old, but the Buzzards seem more like my idea of a hot music act. Lead singer Biff has a Stonesque haircut and a skinny tie like those guys in The Knack and groups like them that cycle in every few years. Stevo, the bass player who mutates, looks like a Ramone to me. And Gabe On Drums has an Elvis Costello quality.
Even the homage from the BATMAN movie didn't work. It was too much like the other homages to the scene where the Joker sees his face for the first time and smashes the mirror. To be fair though, I dug the punch line to the gag here.
I was looking forward to THE AMAZING JOY BUZZARDS, but I've just seen too much of the source material.
ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #15
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist: Andy Kubert
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewed by Dave Farabee
I quipped a few weeks back that Warren Ellis only writes characters who speak in smart-ass or exposition. I still like his stuff intermittently, but there’s no doubting that aspect makes it that much harder to plug into his books. It’s like you can see the artifice; Ellis’s authorial voice trumps suspension of disbelief.
So ain’t it ironic that he’s managed to break the trend with one of his corporate whoredom books, ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR? S’true! He’s writing the famous quartet of adventurers with a shockingly upbeat feel for youthful energy, his trademark acidic wit toned down to a more endearing case of teen snarkiness. Partially, I think it’s the effect Lee and Kirby’s legacy of pure bombast on the title back in the day. Goofy? Over-the-top? Hyperbolic? Abso-friggin’-lutely, and it seems that even the more realistic depiction of the team in the pages of the Ultimate Universe can’t help but pick up on that fun vibe.
The other reason I figure is that Ellis is so horny for space exploration, of which there’s plenty in the current storyline. Bitter misanthrope that he can be, the guy seems to turn positively giddy when he’s talking about NASA, extraterrestrial life, and escape velocities. I think it provides a humanizing element for his characters and, hey, I like space exploration too. Little wonder, then, that this current arc featuring the FF exploring the Negative Zone is my favorite to date.
This issue is part three in the story. It opens amusingly with Johnny being disappointed that the Negative Zone doesn’t look cooler. I actually really dig what colorist Dave Stewart’s done with the spacescapes – vivid red backdrops reminding me more than anything of the color palette of the microscopic bloodstream in FANTASTIC VOYAGE – but Johnny wants more ILM stuff. Meanwhile scientists Reed and Sue do the exposition stuff, but it’s all interesting, and has roots at least in real science:
“Textbook late entropic system.”
“A broken universe…all its heat’s dissipated, and the laws of physics have probably gone a bit weird.”
“I think it’s the universe under ours.”
“Assuming for the minute that I’m cool with the idea of a hundred-mile-long organism living in space…”
“That’s just…wow.”
Ellis has a talent for making even the layman feel as excited about space exploration as he is, and it might not be the bombast and high adventure of the classic Lee/Kirby stuff – always the “real FF” to me – but it’s a new paradigm that I think works. And while there’s no action in the traditional sense, Ellis gives artist Adam Kubert plenty of neat stuff to draw. Got that aforementioned hundred-mile-long space corpse, The Thing in a rare moment of happiness as he goes on a space walk, and that strange, massive array whose signals suggest that there’s something else alive in the N-Zone.
Kubert’s a good fit for the book. I wasn’t wild about his work on the first arc, especially the arcane panel layouts, but he’s reigned it in a bit here. It’s still a bit more offbeat than the average comic, though, with all its horizontal and vertical panels. Maybe a cue from past Warren Ellis creators doing the “widescreen” approach? Guys like Bryan Hitch and John Cassaday? Could be. Whatever the case, it works. I also like Kubert’s detailed, cartoony style, pretty realistic on the highly-rendered tech stuff but more exaggerated with the characters. He’s like a less cartoony Art Adams, and while I enjoyed Stuart Immonen’s newly pared-down realism on the previous arc, ultimately Kubert seems a better fit. His stuff’s got more zip, and the FF need zip.
The climactic event of the issue is a first-contact scenario that really got my blood pumpin’. In it, Ellis captures the realism and momentousness of a movie like CONTACT, but weds it with the ol’ Lee/Kirby momentum such that the science protocol stuff moves with verve. And wit:
Reed: Ben, I have to try this. I mean, I never though I’d get a chance to use this stuff –
Ben: What stuff?
Reed: I designed a first contact package, just in case. Like the plaques on the Voyager space probes that describe the human race?
Johnny: I remember those from class. They had a naked guy and a naked chick drawn on them.
Reed: Yeah, I figured I’d pass on that bit . If for no other reason than I’d have to draw Ben naked.
As a general rule, I resist the lures of the Ultimate Universe, being pretty content with the good ol’ classic Marvel Universe, but a good story’s a good story, and this is a good story. I like the balance between adventurous exploration and sci-fi menace. Reminds me of John Byrne’s great Negative Zone exploration stories in the FF of the ‘80s. Those stories were shorter, packing the style and punch of classic STAR TREK, but the vibe was similar, offering a welcome break from traditional superhero stuff and a new environment to really immerse the team in. The question for ULTIMATE FF is whether it can match those stories when things really start to move and the team goes into action.
I’ll be watching. Especially after that chilling final panel.
SAMURAI: HEAVEN & EARTH #2 (of 5) - Okay, now I remember why CrossGen failed: titles like this. Sure, the premise is fun – a samurai tracking his kidnapped lover across the globe (a clash with Musketeer-types to appear next issue) – but the execution…dear god, the execution! So middle-of-the-road, so Plain Jane, so whitebread…only Ron Marz could have written it. Even the massive swordfight with the Chinese fighters is a snoozer, fractured as it is into dozens of little panels that convey no energy or sequential momentum. I figure that must be Marz’s work too. He’s not the artist, but I remember the same dumb visual shorthand appearing in his CrossGen samurai book, THE PATH. Oh well, the rest of the art’s pretty enough in a photo-referenced, “Greg Land” kind of way. What a waste to be paired with a Marz story, though. - Dave
JLA: CLASSIFIED #3 - I loved, loved, loved JLA: CLASSIFIED #3. This is without really understanding what happened in the issue regarding the actual plot with the microverse (among other things). I'll have to go back and read the previous issues to find out if it really makes any sense. It sort of does, but there's certainly some disconnect. However, I don't really care, as it's the most fun I've had in quite some time short of catching a JL episode on Cartoon Network. I liked the previous two issues okay enough, but it really kicked off here when the JLA returns. Morrison should write like this more often. Morrison has an Alan Moore in him (although his sense of humor is not as sophisticated - Batman kicks Grodd in the nuts and says "There goes the dynasty." Still, I laughed just because it was so ridiculous for Batman to do/say it). And I really don't like Ed McGuinness, but this series is the best thing I've ever seen from him, and it's obvious he had a lot of fun penciling this issue. - Superninja
X-MEN #166 - I’m holding out some minor hope that the talented Peter Milligan (X-FORCE, HUMAN TARGET) will cleanse this title of the taint of Chuck Austen, but his first issue’s nothing to write home about. I liked the opening well enough, though. Has the title’s X-Men team of Havok, Rogue, Gambit, Wolverine, and Polaris investigating an outbreak of insanity at a massive arctic compound meant to be a haven for mutants. On one hand, mutant persecution is so overplayed it’s almost becoming comical how often mutants end up dead, but on the other, there’s at least a nicely creepy atmosphere established as the X-Men investigate the darkened compound (bit of an ALIENS vibe). The moment-to-moment writing ranges from decent to awkward (Polaris only gets a mild rebuke for killing someone she was interrogating?!), while the art by Salvador Larroca is moody, detailed, and appropriately claustrophobic. - Dave
BATMAN #636 - Fine, I admit it. I’m actually kind of interested to find out just who this Red Hood actually is. All fingers point to a certain deceased Boy Wonder and this would be an interesting twist considering that’s where I thought the Hush subplot was leading in the other Bat-books. I’m not the biggest fan of Judd Winnick’s work on GREEN ARROW and THE OUTSIDERS, but when he comes down from his “social cause of the month” soapbox long enough to tell a straight out action story, he ain’t half bad. This issue offered some great moments between Nightwing and Batman, and some equally memorable scenes with Black Mask and a new employee. And with a cliffhanger ending that’s this offbeat and kooky, the next issue could prove to be just as fun. - Bug
WANTED #6 (of 6) - Mark Millar’s late-running supervillain book finally wraps, and the honest truth is that even if it’d been on time, it wouldn’t have been worth it. Somewhat amusingly, the book almost condemns itself in its closing pages. Before that, would-be supervillain Wesley Gibson has his final confrontation with his revealed-to-be-alive father and in the process learns more about how the supervillains began running the world in secret in 1986. It’s an obvious bit of meta-context with ’86 of course being the banner year for “grim ‘n’ gritty” with titles like WATCHMEN, DARK KNIGHT, and THE KILLING JOKE, and Millar furthers the meta-context by suggesting that this world is, in fact, the world we the readers live in. The last two pages are basically a harangue of the book’s readers for being mindless shits ruled by supervillains and unknowingly jumping through all the hoops used to control them – the comic included. It’s hard to figure how much of this is Millar trying to “wake people up” – he’s a pretty radical leftist – and how much is actual contempt for his audience. I just know his cynical shock endings on books like this and CHOSEN bring out the worst in him as a writer. - Dave
WET MOON VOL. 1 - This book presents a problem for me. The main characters are a group of Goths who engage in Seinfeldian conversations, the sort of people I avoid like the Bubonic Plague in real life. And yet, writer/artist Ross Campbell is undoubtedly talented, especially as an illustrator. I'll certainly be looking out for other projects with his name on them, but this one isn't for me. If, however, you like reading about morose college students, then I can't recommend this book enough. – Vroom
SLEEPER: SEASON TWO #8 (of 12) - SLEEPER: SEASON TWO has been a bit ho-hum for me, but there’s no ignoring this issue. It’s basically “a day in the life” of Miss Misery, the super villainess who derives her powers from literally inflicting misery on others – the worse she inflicts, the more power. So what does she do before a really big mission? Man, you don’t even wanna know, but just try looking away once the ball gets rolling. Best yet, the nature of that big mission looks to give the series a needed shot in the arm. - Dave
FANTASTIC FOUR #522 - This the next to last chapter of the “Johnny Storm – Herald of Galactus” storyline, is another fun outing from Waid and Weringo. I’m a big fan of the potent injection of fun and fantasy Waid has administered to this series, but I’ve come to realize that too much Johnny Storm when written by Mark Waid is not necessarily a good thing. The Keanu-like “Whoa’s” and the sheer amount of “dudes” in Johnny’s dialect make me long for Reed’s techno babble-speak or Ben’s street tough-talk. Waid pours out the irony by revealing the secret origin of Galactus in this issue, but it’s just a bit too heavy handed. I have to give credit to Waid for a stellar run on this series, but I’m ready for this arc to be over. - Bug
BEYOND AVALON #1 - Ah geez, I can’t stand to give a well-crafted fantasy comic a bad review, but BEYOND AVALON is simply…unremarkable. Great art though! It’s detailed, ultra-clean lines bring to life the tale of a young woman, Megan, the first person ever born on the mythical island of Avalon. This is the Avalon of Arthurian myth, home to a magically idyllic town and seemingly a gateway between worlds in this version. Seems she’s unaware her pop, a certain guy named Arthur, is as noteworthy as he is, and when he vanishes one day she decides to leave the island and go searching for him. She’s packin’ a sword of some fame, but to her it’s just a family heirloom, and…I guess she’s destined for adventure or something? Despite the great art, I found it all a bit slight, with predictable dialogue and a few too many scenes of Megan speaking her thoughts aloud in service to exposition. Young girls might enjoy it, but I’m not seeing anything particularly compelling, at least in this first issue. Check out the art previewed here, though – might make it worth the trip for some, especially if the series improves. - Dave
FLASH #218 - This is the third Rogue Profile writer Goeff Johns has treated us with. This sidebar series within a series focuses on a particular villain in the Flash’s Rogues Gallery and tells us why he or she is so “Rogue-ish.” The first profile featuring Captain Cold set the standard and the high mark for these types of stories. The last one centering on Mirror Master was a miss for me. This issue, featuring Heat Wave, lies somewhere in between. I liked how Johns sets Heat Wave and Captain Cold at odds, playing into their opposing modes of villainy, but the pyromaniac back-story was a bit too cliché and rushed for me. To much is covered and unfortunately skimmed over, especially the scene where Heat Wave burns down the circus he performs at simply because a pretty girl shows interest in him. But Johns knows how to spin a good yarn and this one isn’t an exception. I like these glimpses of the world through the eyes of these villains, it’s just that Johns did such a great job with his Captain Cold story, he has a lot to live up to. - Bug
CONAN #12 - Wow. If I thought Busiek was exploring some darker themes in JLA, ASTRO CITY and SUPERMAN: SECRET IDENTITY, I hadn’t seen nothin’ yet! This issue reveals the origin of the ultra-deadly swordswoman we’ve glimpsed in several issues of the series, and it’s so harsh that it’s like uncomfortable harsh. Like, I felt kinda queasy after reading the issue. And I know Howard’s original Conan stories were unforgiving and sexist, but…geez, were they this rough? I almost wonder if Busiek’s actually challenging the sexism that pervades many a fantasy story by portraying its ugliest reality, but I dunno… Whatever the case, I found the story one of the more compelling outings of the series, and the art the best the book has seen to date (check the preview). Recommended, but be prepared for Busiek to take you to some dark places. - Dave
