Hey folks, Harry here. Marvel Comics sent me the b&w issues that you see reviewed here and I didn't get a chance this week to get through all of them, but I can tell you that the MARVEL TEAM UP and the STARTLING: BANNER story with art by Richard Corben is just supremely cool as hell for my dollar. Damn fine work. But without further ado... Here's Andrew...
Hi. Andrew, from GrayHavenMagazine, here again. We have 7 reviews for you this time around. One is for a book that came out last week, Slow News Day, which deserves to be hunted down and purchased. We also revisit Banner and Tangled Web since they hit stores this week and are worthy of a reminder. Special advance looks at Cyclops, Glam Warp, Ultimate Team Up and Ultimate Spider-Man are also in this installment and if you look close enough, you can find out about another contest with a chance to win a great comic.
Before we get to those, though, I need to get a few things off my chest. My first comment is in regards to DC Comics. They have a great playground of characters that are probably better known to the general public than any other company has. Yet, new readers would be hard pressed to get into a DC book since every other month the titles are in the midst of another stunt or cross-over. Greg Rucka and Ed Brubaker are telling better Batman stories than anyone has that I can remember yet time and time again they’re saddled with gimmicks and cross-overs. DC, please keep these things to specials they don’t affect the regular series. No one is going to want to pick up a new Superman or Batman comic if it’s part 12 of a 30 part story which links to every other DC title. Mind you, the ‘Worlds at War’ storyline isn’t as bad as I dreaded. It’s defining Superman better as a character more than anyone’s been able to since John Byrne wrote him, but there are too many chapters that don’t live up to the standard. And now in October, readers will be forced to deal with a Joker storyline that affects every single DC comic with the exception of Green Arrow and the Vertigo/Wildstorm titles. This kind of crap is one reason Marvel is kicking your ass and will continue to do so indefinitely. You cancel the excellent Swamp Thing and go forward with this? Please. DCcomics.Com.
My second comment is in regards to the reviews. While 90% of the feedback on these talkbacks and emails have been positive (thanks) some people still wonder why me and the other GHM reviewers like everything we review. Well, we don’t like everything we review, but we choose to review our favorites of the previous week or our favorites of the advance books. Beginning this week, we have changed the format. The 1-10 scale allows for a greater breakdown than the letter grades. Hopefully, you’ll agree. As I mentioned once before, the options are limited. If we reviewed half good books and half bad, we’d have to leave out a lot of good books for space constraints or double the amount of reviews and risk losing your interest. Our goal is to bring to your attention comics that are deserving of a wider recognition, not to focus on the sub par books. If you want to hear that last week’s JLA, Ghost Rider and Superboy stunk (because they did), we’d be more than happy to vent on the ugly side of comics for a while, but all indications seem to say that you like the ‘positive’ move here. As always, your comments are appreciated and if you want us to change, you have to let us know. Enjoy the reviews and go buy the books for God’s sake.
CYCLOPS #1
Written by Brian K Vaughan and illustrated by Mark Texeira and Jimmy Palmiotti
Published by Marvel Comics
On Sale August 8th
I know what you’re thinking. Cyclops? Isn’t this just another attempt to cash in on the X-brand instead of publishing good, quality comic books? Well it probably is an attempt to cash in on the X-Men franchise, but Cyclops was surprisingly good, and I have to give almost sole credit to writer, Brian K Vaughan. This guy is going to be a superstar in the industry. He filled in for Ed Brubaker on Batman earlier in the year and shocked readers by not missing a beat from Brubaker’s incredible work. Vaughan is also the writer of the soon to be canceled Swamp Thing series from Vertigo. It probably won’t do any good, but if you pre-order the last solicited Swamp Thing issue (number 20) and bitch at DC enough, maybe you can still save the series. But back to Cyclops.
This 4 issue mini series is one of several due out in the coming months to focus on the core X-Men characters in the hope of giving movie fans easy access to some of their favorite characters. Die-hard X-Men fans have clamored for a Cyclops solo series for years and this is also a good way of giving them what they want, in a limited run. One of the things I appreciated with this issue is that in the first 6 pages, we come to understand Cyclops’ origin, his affiliation with the X-Men and the purpose of this mini-series. Vaughan realized that not every reader who picks up this issue is going to be well versed in X-Men lore so he’s made it easy for them. If only most comics were this accessible. Six pages. It’s a great entry point for a newer reader who may still be intimidated into getting into the X-pool.
Cyclops/Scott Summers has gone through a lot in the past year and Professor X orders him to take a few personal days to reflect and pull himself back together. Being the by the book workhorse that he is, Summers doesn’t want to abandon his duties to the team, but saying no to Professor X is not an option so he packs up the Winston Churchill biography he’s been wanting to read, hops on his motorcycle and heads for his hometown of Anchorage. Since most of the X-Men readers wouldn’t enjoy four issues of Cyclops reading and reflecting on his life, things don’t go easy on him. He stops off at a local bar to avoid the harsh weather of a winter storm and discovers that he’s been followed by two of the X-Men’s greatest adversaries, the Juggernaut and Black Tom Cassidy. Someone has hired them to bring in Cyclops, dead or alive, and they’re more than willing to do so.
What follows is an above average super-human slugfest across the icy plains. Vaughan does a very good job of showing off Cyclops’ powers against the two brutal villains, and doesn’t skimp on the dialogue, either. The problem I had with the issue was in the art. The cover is non descript, which could cause fans to pass by it altogether and the interior art didn’t appeal to me at all. Texeira and Palmiotti have done very good work in the past with different projects, but something just doesn’t gel with their work here. A panel showing the X-Men team looks absolutely horrid and save for a few nice scenes during the fight, most of the art is forgettable. It’s not bad enough to be a distraction, though, and that’s an important point. The story goes above and beyond in terms of entertainment to make it a book worthy of checking out.
When all is said and done, you end up with very good first issue that sets the stage for the rest of the mini. Cyclops poses a question to himself that he can not honestly answer, and a mystery which can only deepen as the storyline continues in the next few issues. Cyclops is going to be a must read for the X-Men fans, but it’s also a very interesting look at one of the ‘legends’ of the Marvel Universe that even non X-Fans should find worth reading.
Score: 7.5 out of 10
GLAM Warp
Illustrated by Jim Blanchard
Published by Fantagraphics Books
On Sale August 1st
This is a hard one to review. Instead of the typical comic book (with a story and art) this work is a collection of illustrations put into one volume. It’s also done in a larger, 10" x 12-1/2" style. You may be most familiar with Blanchard’s work if you read the Peter Bagge series, Hate (also from Fantagraphics). Blanchard was an inker on that series for a time. This book is Blanchard’s very twisted, freak show version of the popular 30s magazine, Look, although if something like this was published during that time, there’d likely be a Congressional hearing on the matter. Is the book for kids? Certainly not. Is it offensive? That’s not for me or you to judge, since all art is subjective. I’m sure there’s a group that could find even the tamest of things offensive.
The interior pieces come together, as you’d expect, like pages in a magazine, made up of fake advertisements. That’s an interesting way to go about the projects. Most collections featuring an artist’s work would be more along the lines of a pinup book. Leave it to Fantagraphics and Blanchard to put together a unique volume of the creator’s work while telling a story in a very unique manner. While Blanchard is going for a look and style that will shock most readers, it’s not the ultimate goal. Within the biting, angry pages are comments on people and society as a whole. He’s a satirist, not an anarchist.
Blanchard’s talent is not in question here. Within these 24 pages are at least a half dozen different artistic styles, including his own, pointillist style. I prefer the more natural and realistic looking pieces to the cartoonish ones, but everyone is going to have their favorites with this volume. My favorite ones here are ‘Vain’, a fragrance parody (‘look at you, just look at you’) and ‘Tania: The Movie’ starring Patty Hearst. But whether you decide you prefer the social, political or religious commentary, or the photo realistic style to the cartoony, I have no doubt that you’ll be talking about the book.
This book is an excellent forum for Blanchard’s work. If you’re not familiar with it up to this point, you should at least flip through it in the stores. I doubt you’ll be able to put it back down.
If your store doesn’t carry the book, head on over to Fantagraphics.Com.
Score: 8 out of 10
SLOW NEWS DAY #1
Written and illustrated by Andi Watson
Published by Slave Labor Graphics
On Sale July 18th
This came out last week, but it’s worth mentioning again. If you’re lucky, you may be able to find a copy somewhere. It’s the one with the very eye catching lavender cover (his covers are always very cool). Andi Watson is the creator who brought us the truly masterful Breakfast After Noon mini-series from Oni Press last year, which is currently available in Trade Paperback: OniPress.Com. This series has the potential of being another classic like BAN, so don’t get left out.
The story focuses on Katharine Washington, a San Francisco native who heads overseas to for a summer internship at the local paper The Wheatstone Mercury. It’s a small, weekly paper that’s been in decline for years. Short on reporters, Katharine is partnered with Owen, one of the veterans of the paper. He doesn’t feel the need for an intern and considers Katharine more of a nuisance than anything else, but he does oblige the decision of the editors and takes her on. One of Owen’s problems is the fact that Katharine is an American and it’s that ‘fish out of water’ scenario in which the series is built around. Watson himself explains that this series is about the similarities and differences between the two cultures, based on his own experiences.
In the first issue alone, there are many great moments where the culture shock angle is played up with terrific results. Aside from Owen quizzing Katharine on spelling certain works the American or English way, there are some delightful debates on everything from the rules of journalism to sports. When Katharine and Owen set out to cover a football game, she feels compelled to call it soccer and defends that Americanized version of the sport. Owen goes into how Americans are with their sports: ‘unless there’s a goal every two seconds your attention starts to wander. That’s why there’s a hundred points each in basketball and they stop every other minute for adverts.’ It also sets up a great payoff later in the issue. And don’t get Owen started on baseball, either.
Glimpses of a larger picture are evidenced within these pages. Katharine has several mysterious phone calls in which she confesses to the caller that she’s already thinking of leaving. Why is she really there? What’s this American’s connection to some small paper overseas that only has one reporter on staff and why is it important for her to stay there? These are some intriguing questions that will be resolved by the time the 6 issue mini-series ends. In the meantime, readers can look forward to even more wonderful moments featuring Katharine as the foreign invader in a strange new world.
Watson has a pretty unique style artistically, as well. He doesn’t veer much from his style of previous works like Geisha or BAN, but that’s a good thing. The art has a clean, almost animated quality about it, similar to Mike Oeming’s work (Powers, Hammer of the Gods). Though the characters aren’t muddled with detail themselves, every panel is loaded with information. These guys don’t skimp on the details.
This is a comic you need to get your hands on any way you can. Go to CLICK HERE, or CLICK HERE or email me HERE and someone will find a way to get a copy in your hands. Once you’ve read SND, send me a ‘review’ of it. Best one wins another Breakfast After Noon trade (a 20 dollar value). I gave two of these puppies away for the Oni site reviews from a few weeks back and it’s a story every fan of good writing NEEDs to own.
Score: 10 out of 10
STARTLING STORIES: BANNER #1
Written by Brian Azzarello and illustrated by Richard Corben
Published by Marvel Comics
On Sale July 25th
I reviewed this a few weeks back but here’s a short refresher course since the book comes out this week. Banner is the first of Marvel’s ‘Startling Stories’, a line that will allow the industry’s top talent to tell stories about Marvel characters that are free from continuity restraints and the ordinary ‘rules’ of Marvel classic characters. Dr. Bruce Banner, the Incredible Hulk, is a person whose very existence is the cause of countless deaths and unbelievable destruction. How can he live with himself knowing that the monstrous Hulk could be released from inside at any time to destroy more innocent lives? Can he live with himself?
Corben creates a horrifying version of the Hulk here. The essence of the character isn’t changed as much as his intensity is visibly more demented. Even the classic ‘Savage Hulk’ had a childlike behavior, which made you feel for the beast. This Hulk is a ruthless monster, with blood in his eyes; the complete opposite of mild mannered, Bruce Banner. The military is soon called in to investigate the latest Hulk attack. They’re aided by Doctor Samson, who takes control of the entire operation. When told of increasing casualties, Samson responds that at least it will leave less eyewitnesses and then begins to spin the story to his will, while organizing a search team to look for Banner.
Azzarello does a very good job of playing with the two sides of Banner: the kind, humble scientist and the goliath Hulk. With Hellblazer, Azz has shown that he has what it takes to write a psychological horror tale without resorting to gratuitous shots of severed limbs and what not. He carries that intensity to this story. It’s a frightening idea, the 98-pound weakling who transforms into an uncontrollable, raging killing machine at the drop of a hat. Corben’s art seals the deal. He has a way of making even ‘normal’ people look somewhat twisted and disturbed, which is a perfect feeling for this story.
I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this book since the Hulk isn’t a character that really appeals to me, but the creative team swayed me. They do a very good job of presenting an interesting and unique take on a classic Marvel character, digging deeper into the Jekyll and Hyde theme that’s been part of the character for so long. It’s one of the most quietly disturbing books that they’ve published and it’s worth a look.
Score: 9 out of 10
TANGLED WEB #4: SEVERANCE PACKAGE
Written by Greg Rucka and Illustrated by Eduardo Risso
Published by Marvel Comics
On Sale July 25th
Here’s another early review brought back for a second round. If you only get one book this week, buy this one. Hell, buy two and loan one out to a smart ass who doesn’t think much of comic books. This book is going to win an Eisner next year.
The issue focuses on Tom Cochrane, a family man, an honorable man who happens to work for the Kingpin. He’s been the Kingpin’s loyal servant for the past 20 years and knows what happens when someone makes a mistake, whether it’s their fault or someone who’s been working under them. Here you have a guy who’s worked for one of the most powerful and ruthless criminals for 20 years. You know that when you see the news brief regarding Spider-Man foiling one of your jobs that your number has been called. You’ve seen countless men ‘punished’ for their mistakes before you and now you’ve just made the same mistake. Do you try and run? Do you think you can get away? Do you try and reason with your would be executioner and beg for mercy? Or do you try and turn the tables and do a ‘kill him before he kills me’? Cochrane knows what his choices are and he already knows what he’s going to do. He and his wife have talked about the inevitability of the situation before, so he’s prepared for the next step.
The moments leading up to the end of this story are tense and heart pounding. Between Rucka’s dialogue and Risso’s dark, moody illustrations, it’s quite easy to get absorbed into the story. I was sure that I had the ending figured out a few times, but as usual Rucka surprised. Comic fans have been blessed with an extraordinary amount of talent working in the field now. And Spider-Man fans continue to be treated to above average stories more than ever before.
Score: 10 out of 10
ULTIMATE MARVEL TEAM-UP #6
Written by Brian Michael Bendis and Illustrated by Bill Sienkiewicz
Published by Marvel Comics
On Sale July 25
Half way through the first year of UMTU and the book shows no signs of losing its luster. You can imagine Brian Michael Bendis smiling as he writes this book. Not only is he getting to write Spider-Man, Marvel’s most popular character, for the second time each month, but he gets to choose a character (or group of characters) from the Marvel Universe pool and retool them for this new Ultimate Universe. On top of all that, his vision is realized each month by some of the most popular artists in the industry. How can that not be fun?
This issue begins an extended storyline illustrated by Bill Sienkiewicz where Spider-Man meets the Punisher and (in the next issue) Daredevil. The Punisher, Frank Castle, is already in prison, which I think made the story much more interesting. Considering that Garth Ennis featured a warped Spider-Man/Punisher team up two weeks ago in his own book (Punisher #2), it’s interesting to read the two books together. While the ‘Punisher’ version of the meeting was played for twisted laughs and borderline masochism, the ‘Team Up’ version is striving for gritty realism. Let me be clear, though. The two comics in question are not telling the same story by any means. The coincidence of Spider-Man and Punisher meeting in 2 different books within a couple of weeks ends the similarities. The Punisher story took place in the regular Marvel Universe, while the Team Up takes place in the Ultimate Universe.
This book isn’t fun and it’s not supposed to be either. It’s a large departure in style from what the first 5 issues of this series were like. Sienkiewicz draws his characters in a disturbing, uneasy way. The entire book has a much darker edge than any of the Team Up issues so far. The Punisher isn’t sprouting one-liners and intimidating people through threats. He’s more like Clint Eastwood, showing emotion through his lack of conversation and his willingness to act without thinking. There’s a terrific scene in the opening of the book, where the Punisher is listening to several other inmates talk about how they were caught by different heroes (with a nice nod to Ultimate Spider-Man, too) and how they may use their lawyers to go free with some obstruction of justice charge. The way the Punisher behaves during and after the conversation will give readers a quick understanding of the way this book will be.
The art is a mixed bag, in my opinion. I’m not a Sienkiewicz fan. His art always looked like it was never quite finished, which makes it somewhat distracting to read. I do like the cover and some of the interior shots. They do a great job of setting the tone of the story. There is a scene midway through the book in which Frank has to spend time with a psychiatrist. It’s one of the best visual scenes in the book’s duration only because it’s contains images that will stick with the reader.
So what about Spider-Man? Well, he’s in here, too. I’m not going to go into spoiling anything, but I think the Spider-Man scenes provided what they were supposed to. He’s a light-hearted character who uses his wit and humor to get his opponents off-kilter and I think that’s the way he needs to be portrayed. I like the fact that Spider-Man is interacting with ‘real people’ in the Ultimate books, particularly the Team Ups. It’s interesting to what people are thinking about this guy in tights who has the powers of a spider, and Spider-Man’s reaction to them is priceless. Also revealed in this issue, finally, is the biggest fear Spider-Man has while fighting crime, other than worrying about getting killed. Kudos to Bendis for daring to bring it up.
Team Up #6 is a change of pace storyline that validates the use of the rotating artist format. We’ve had some great artists working on the series to this point, but the overall tone was pretty light and cheery. This issue marks a strong departure, due to both the guest start and the artist. The Ultimate experiment is still paying off and I can’t wait to see how this storyline turns out.
Score: 8.5 out of 10
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #12
Written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Mark Bagley and Art Thibert
Published by Marvel Comics
On Sale August 1st
It’s been a year already? Amazing. Can anyone remember the time there were 12 consecutive outstanding issues of a Spider-Man comics? You’d probably have some luck once you went back as far as the 1980s, which is a shame since Spider-Man is arguably the best character in comics. What Bendis and Bagley have done for the character with this title is almost beyond belief. the other 3 Spider-Man titles are picking up steam and the respective creators are putting out great, quality books, but up until this Spring, that wasn’t the case.
Spider-Man’s sense of humor has been as much a part of him as his webs or red and blue tights. By joking around and making bad puns or insulting his opponents, Spider-Man is able to get them to make mistakes. They lash out instinctively rather than thinking things out and get beaten as a result. Bendis has shown that he’s able to tap into that part of the character very well. As usual with an issue of USM, there are many high points, but my favorite part occurs midway through the book. The issue has been solicited as the rematch between Spider-Man and the Kingpin (after Kingpin beat the crap out of Spider-Man a couple issues ago) so I’m not spoiling anything by revealing that they face off again. There’s one word to describe the ‘rematch’: perfect. The characterization, the action, the whole thing works brilliantly. Bagley is doing the best work of his career, too. And in a career that is full of incredible work, it’s no small thing.
The ending is strong and the resolution to the arc is more than satisfying. Most of the loose ends that need to be tied up are tied up and there are a few details left that could prove to be red herrings for the next issue’s ultra hush hush story. Regardless of how those play out, this story ended up being one of Bendis’ best and a fitting entry into the Spider-Man legacy.
This issue marks the conclusion of the first new Spider-Man arc by the team. The first issues essentially re-defined the origin for a new generation or at least for this new ‘Ultimate’ universe. There was familiarity and comfort, like getting back in touch with an old friend. This latest storyline added some new elements and twisted some old ones around, preparing people for the second year where this Ultimate Spider-Man will definitely blast along on its own path. I’ve already said that this was the greatest superhero comic being published and this issue just enforces my belief in that statement.
Score: 9 out of 10
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