Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
There you are, you crafty bastards!! Sneak up on me like that, will you? I thought you were just blowing me off this week, not sending anything at all, and suddenly, Wednesday rolls around, and BLAM! Your reviews.
Check ‘em out, y’all.
Howdy, all! Cormorant here, and I’m bummed that I didn’t have any time to write reviews for last week’s books. Conveniently, though, I’m writing this intro, so I’m at least gonna let you know that in addition to loving the hell out of FABLES, THE HOOD, and Y – THE LAST MAN (all reviewed below by my @$$hole cohorts), I also dug and highly recommend the second issue of the charming humor comic, HALO AND SPROCKET. You should seek out the first issue if possible, but you won’t need it to jump aboard because each issue consists of a trio of vignettes that all stand alone. The premise is sitcom simplicity itself: an angel, a robot, and a slightly ditzy girl share a house, and, well…wackiness ensues! But trust me, it’s good, light-hearted fun for when you get tired of all the poop jokes in BARRY WEEN, and if it ran in Sunday newspapers, you’d have reason to read their comics pages again. Do yourself a favor and check out this sample vignette…
CLICK HERE, YOU BASTARD!!
…and then go nab the first two issues from your local comic shop. They won’t change your world but they will make ya laugh.
On with the reviews, and be sure to check out Ambush Bug’s inspired casting for a Flash movie at the end!
Title: FABLES #3
Writer: Bill Willingham
Penciler: Lan Medina
Publisher: DC/VERTIGO
Reviewer: Ambush Bug
For a while, I was searching for a VERTIGO book to get into. After SANDMAN and PREACHER came to an end, I tried 100 BULLETS, but it wasn’t my cup o’ joe. This week, I picked up the first three issues of a new comic and I think I’ve found a title to whet my VERTIGO appetite. I’m talking about FABLES. Like SANDMAN, FABLES is peppered with literature of old. The main difference is that these stories don’t come from Shakespearean plays or the Bible. These tales were told to us before bedtime. Writer Bill Willingham has created a universe that is every bit as fascinating as Neil Gaiman’s Dreaming and Garth Ennis’ modern cowboy tale. He’s taken characters from bedtime stories and fairy tales and asked the question: What happened after happily ever after?
The book holds a lot of promise. The first arc is a detective story centering around a crime scene splattered with blood, but no body can be found. Bigsby Wolf is the sheriff of Fabletown and is assigned to solve this mystery. He also happens to be THE Big Bad Wolf that blew down the Three Pigs’ houses and THE Big Bad Wolf that ate Red Riding Hood’s grandmother.
That’s one of the cool things about this book. It treats these old tales with modern day logic. The Prince Charming that gave a wake up call to Sleeping Beauty and the one that rescued Snow White from angry midgets are the same person. Jack of All Tales jumped over a candlestick, climbed a beanstalk, and went up the hill with a foxy little number named Jill. Willingham respects these characters and expands on them in an adult-like way. Like those of us who were told these tales in our youth by the dull glow of a night-light, these fables have grown up. The writer makes this reading experience fun by tying these tales together and enticing us with what happened after the original fable ended.
The missing body in question is Rose Red, AKA Little Red Riding Hood. So far, Bigsby has exhibited some interesting forms of detective work. He doesn’t even know if this should be considered as a missing person case or a murder investigation, and he’s accused anyone connected to the victim as being the one behind it all. In issue #3, Bigsby recreates the crime scene. He’s got a, idea of what went on in Rose’s apartment, but he isn’t sharing it with anyone. Even public official, Snow White (the series’ other star) can’t be trusted.
The real mystery has to do with the period of time between the end of the fables and where this arc begins. Someone called the Adversary drove them all from the fable realms, forcing the Fables to take refuge in the real world with the Mundys or the Mundanes (which is the book’s term for regular humans like you and me). Like the mystery in the forefront of the book, Willingham is patiently doling out information concerning this back story. Everything he has let slip so far has piqued my interest and has me itching for more.
Art-wise, I feel this book could be better. I’m not saying that Lan Medina is doing a bad job, but it is just a bit unremarkable for my tastes. Everything is there in the panel. But it’s just there. I know comics are all about the careful marriage between writer and artist, but the writing in FABLES is so top notch that the art work almost seems unimportant. I had the same complaint about certain arcs of the SANDMAN series, but like SANDMAN, it looks like the artist duties will rotate from arc to arc, so if this artist isn’t to my liking, another will be around the bend. I am looking forward to seeing Mark Buckingham’s turn on the book for the second arc which takes place on the Animal Farm, a containment facility for all of the animal characters from the fables.
I was fortunate enough to get into this story late. I bought the first three books and enjoyed reading the series from issue to issue. Now the hard part begins. I have to wait a month for the next chapter. Because of the familiarity of these characters and the fact that these stories were told to us as kids, FABLES is a lot more accessible than SANDMAN, which tends to take inspiration from literature of a more sophisticated nature. This and the fact that Willingham has a gift for characterization and story tempo guarantees that I will be back for future issues of FABLES.
THE HOOD #3
Written by Brian K. Vaughan
Art by Kyle Hotz; Inked by Eric Powell
Published by Marvel Comics
Review by Jon Quixote, who also does weddings and bar mitzvahs.
I was counting the splash pages in the latest Ultimate Spider-Man trade-paperback the other day, and when I got to the back cover, I noticed a promotional quote credited to Ain’t-It-Cool-News. And even though I’m pretty sure the quote came from the Gistinguished Hompetition, I thought to myself, “Wow. Wouldn’t that just stroke my ego like a hurried Tijuana hooker on $5 Handjob Tuesdays?” Of course, a young, ambitious journali-- *cough* reviewer like myself can’t just expect to go out and grab some real estate on the back of an USM trade our first time out; us upwardly mobile comic critics have to start small, and work our way up. So I’ve got my sights set on The Hood trade, and with that in mind, I’ll set my scruples aside and present you, ladies and gentlemen of Marvel’s Media Department and gentlemen of the TalkBacks (c’mon, let’s be honest), with the very first Jon Quixote hyperbolic comic critique.
THE HOOD is the best comic you’re not reading! If you are reading it, it’s probably in your top five. Wow, this is harder than it looks. I don’t know how Harlan Ellison does it; I suppose, like anything, practice makes perfect. I thought saying ‘the best comic you’re not reading’ was a pretty safe bet, because if I’m comparing it to comics they’re not reading, they can’t disagree. It’s like going online and insulting the Amish: they can’t call you on it. But what about the people who are reading The Hood? I didn’t want to exclude them from my praise, but I can’t say it’s the best comic that they’re reading, because while The Hood is good, very very good, what if they happen to be reading The Watchmen or something like that?? So I had to add that little tag on the end, which sort of takes away from the catchiness.
One of life’s biggest guilty pleasures is cheering for the bad guy. Writer Brian K. Vaughan knows that evil is fun, and he has a lot of fun with THE HOOD! Hey, not too shabby for only my second kick at the cat, but it doesn’t really roll off the tongue. The Hood is fun though, a lot of fun. Most writers handed the assignment of writing a story under the MAX imprint about the adventures of a supernatural criminal would have started on a dark, twisted tale loaded with sex and violence. But instead of writing about a powerful, vicious bad guy, Vaughan’s Hood is in the same class as a B-level Spider-Man villain. In this issue, he goes up against the deadly and awesome triumvirate (Sorry - once you turn on the hyperbole, it’s hard to stop) of The Constrictor, The Shocker, and Jack O’Lantern! The battle between the four of them is hilarious, and because the three latter villains are written with a sense of depth and humor that has been denied them until now, I honestly didn’t know who to cheer for. But I had a lot of fun deciding. Hey, maybe…
THE HOOD is as much fun as a campy slasher movie, but without all that distracting nudity. Oh, I guess that isn’t really much of a selling-point, is it?
Funny! Yeah, I know, don’t hurt yourself there, Jon. Still, you see that sort of quote in newsprint ads for movies like Dude, Where’s My Car? all the time, and you know the marketing group just plucked that word from a sentence that started with “Not” and ended with “At all!” I thought it would be nice to see a genuine one for a change. And The Hood is funny. When I reviewed issue #1, I said that the dialogue was good, but felt like it needed punching up. I feel like I made a difference (or, maybe Vaughan just needed an issue to hit his stride. Boy, you savages just can’t give me my moment, can you?), because the dialog here is awesome. Vaughan has a knack for speech that ranks among the best in the business.
I’m running out of chances here. Maybe I should amp up the enthusiasm, and look at the art. Move over Picasso. Take a hike Michelangelo. Kyle Hotz has arrived, and he’s going to make you all look like Rob Liefeld! I’ve got to admit, that’s a little over the top. Still, Hotz is really good. And for a story of this tone and this caliber, the art is perfect. I cannot think of a better choice, I cannot imagine a better result. It’s goofy, energetic, and rich. And kudos to Eric Powell and Brian Haberlin. Inkers and Colorists often get overshadowed, but their work in this book really stands out. Hmm…and speaking of overshadowed craftsmen…
Letterers are rarely showered with accolades, but what Randy Gentile does with the alphabet in this book is absolutely amazing. Okay, now I’m getting desperate…
Each issue is packed full of nail-biting action and wonderful dialogue, but the best part is how it talks to me like I’m a six year old with a learning disability. Okay, I don’t think that quote’s going anywhere. But this is the one thing that burns my ass: At the end of Hood#2, we saw Parker (the Hood) and his friend John, plotting to steal a shipment of smuggled diamonds, and we saw crime boss Dennis Golumbuski hiring the aforementioned deadly triumvirate to protect said diamonds. At the beginning of issue #3, we get to see Parker and John plotting to steal the diamonds, and Golumbuski giving the job to the other villains. This is in addition to Marvel’s new Page One recaps. One of these expository sequences is unnecessary, and when it comes time for the trade, this redundancy is going to be glaringly obvious. It doesn’t ruin the book by any stretch of the imagination – in fact, the issue #3 version is far superior to the issue #2 version, funnier and more stylish – but this comic could benefit from some tighter plotting.
If you like comics, then you have no good reason not to buy this book! Well, I’m out of space, so it’ll have to do. But I love what Vaughan, Hotz, and Co. are doing here – it seems that every choice they make is the right one, and I can’t wait to see where they’re going. I bought a lot of comics this week. I bought a lot of good comics this week. But The Hood was easily the best of the bunch. I give it…
Two Thumbs Up!!
Hey, ya can’t blame me for trying.
ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #606
Joe Casey – Writer
Duncan Rouleau – Guest Pencils
Marlo Aquiza – Inks
Published by DC Comics
Reviewed by Village Idiot
I imagine that the current creators of Superman were trying to dip into the fun of the Silver Age when they made last year’s “Return to Krypton” storyline. That story was clearly an attempt to take the gee-whiz fantastic elements of the Silver Age Krypton and put them in the more sophisticated narrative context of modern comics. Unfortunately, since the story itself was passed around among four sets of writers and artists, the results were very uneven and made for a jarring read. Moreover, the story seemed to create a great deal of what seemed like unnecessary confusion for readers: The big question was whether the Krypton Superman visited was the same Krypton that Superman had originally come from. The ending to the story was annoyingly ambiguous in this regard, and rather than creating a compelling mystery, it resulted in two things: a great deal of reader frustration for those who cared, and one more reason to ignore the Superman titles for those who didn’t.
Coming along now to hopefully put the unresolved issues to rest is a new 4-part story that runs through all the Superman titles this month called “Return to Krypton II.” ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #606, the subject of this review, is the second part of this storyline. Overall, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #606 is a comic book that is linked to a healthy amount of backstory; backstory not just from the previous issue, but from last year’s “Return to Krypton” storyline and several other issues. For those who don’t regularly follow Superman comics, which I imagine to be most of you, this story would be a tough road to hoe. On the other hand, for me, the seasoned Superman reader, I found ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #606 a solid, perhaps even interesting installment of “Return to Krypton II,” with surprisingly good art by Duncan Rouleau.
The “Return to Krypton II” storyline began the previous week with SUPERMAN #184, where the Jor-El from last year’s story unexpectedly comes to Earth (falls out of the blue, literally) to get Superman’s help to save Lara and the rest of Krypton from a dire emergency. When Superman goes back through the Phantom Zone with the now yellow-sun-charged Jor-El, he finds that the old art deco Krypton that he’d seen before has given way to a world that looks like something from I.M. Pei at his unfriendliest. As soon as Superman and Jor-El arrive, they’re set upon by bad guys. They use their superpowers to flee to the one spot that Jor-El assures is the safest: the Kryptonian council chamber, where Lara is supposedly waiting. But when they get there, they see Lara impaled on a flaming spike and everyone in the chamber is fried to a crisp.
In one of the most inexplicable editorial gaffs in my comic reading history, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #606 begins with no trace of the impaled Lara. Nothing. Not even a woman impaled who looks like Lara. WTF? To make matters even more confusing, the only person who is impaled among the dead people in the beginning of ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #606 is a guy wearing the same green outfit with a sun on the chest as Jor-El. For a moment, I thought it was Jor-El. This whole transition from issue to issue was unnecessarily confusing and sloppy. Bad comic book. Bad.
As the story in ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #606 begins, Superman and Jor-El take a moment to catch up on everything that’s been going on Krypton since Superman was last there. According to his own account, Jor-El was elected president of Krypton, and he ushered in a new golden age of prosperity, courtesy of the Wonders of Science. Unfortunately, a religious movement (the “Holy Order of Rao”) took exception to all the godlessness, and set about trying to bring down Kryptonian society by using Jor-El’s cloning technology to form a massive army. Jor-El and Superman soon leave the council chamber to find the missing Lara, eventually finding her battered and locked away in a Raoist temple near the Krypton Fire Fields. They free her and escape to the city of Kryptonopolis, but no sooner do they arrive, than they’re set upon by the Raoist clone army, and the cult leader, Xon-Ur. Superman uses what’s left of his dwindling powers to face off against the Xon-Ur, only to be overpowered in the issue’s concluding cliffhanger.
As I mentioned, this storyline is underpinned by material from previous stories, material that primarily includes last year’s “Return to Krypton” story. I’ve already encountered some frustration from Superman neophytes regarding this reliance on past stories and story elements in the “Return to Krypton II” (e.g., Jon Quixote’s one sentence review of SUPERMAN #184: “What the [expletive]!?”). In other words, “Return to Krypton II” and ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #606 may not be the best “jumping on” points for someone interested in Superman. Even longtime fans of Superman I’ve talked to are a little fatigued by the accumulated clues and speculation of the past year, and are approaching the story with varying degrees of impatience. I myself am cautiously optimistic about the story, but I’m mainly ready to get it over with.
So naturally, I'm pleased by the fact that I actually liked ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #606, and this despite the huge mistake at the beginning. It was written by Joe Casey, who also happened to write another comic this month, a comic that’s about 180 degrees off from Superman, AUTOMATIC KAFKA. In the past, I’ve been disappointed by Casey’s work on Superman, and the creeping suspicion was beginning to dawn on me that perhaps books like AUTOMATIC KAFKA are really what Casey is best suited for. I’m still not sold on Casey; however, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #606 was successful in being able to take me to another place and present me with a situation that I’m surprised to find I’m actually interested in: Kryptonian politics. How did things on Krypton fall apart so fast? I actually found myself wanting to know. Adding to the mystery is the fact that it seems that there might be something wrong with Jor-El; a problem that Superman senses as well. Is it his relentless determination to find Lara? Is it his sudden devotion to science to the exclusion of religion? Something seems off. Credit must be given to Casey for communicating these subtle values to me. Nothing wildly spectacular, but enough to keep me interested and foster some goodwill for a storyline that I was initially skeptical about.
One of the nicest surprises about ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #606 is the artwork of Duncan Rouleau. As with Casey, although I respect his talent, I’m normally not a Duncan Rouleau fan either. No one would ever mistake Rouleau for Alex Ross: his characters tend to look very unrealistic and unnatural, like stylized Rankin-Bass cartoon characters from the 1970s. For months in Rouleau’s regular gig on ACTION COMICS, Clark looked like a caricature of Buddy Holly. But lo and behold, in this issue, Rouleau seems to have come around a bit to the realism side, and it’s his best issue to date. His art still has a loose cartoony flair, but his characters finally look strong, heroic, and realistic enough to where I can get some empathetic traction for what I’m reading. In fact, Superman looks downright dignified throughout most of the issue, a feat I would have thought impossible for Rouleau prior to ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #606. It should also be noted that Krypton has changed a great deal since Superman’s last visit. The verve of the Silver Age Krypton from last year’s “Return to Krypton” is played down much more this time around to reflect the changes that have happened there. The story takes place at night, and at times, Rouleau’s shadows almost give the story a noir feel. There’s a small panel where Superman and Jor-El are leaping across the Kryptonian night to look for Lara that I thought worked quite well. Overall, good work on the art, and perhaps in the coming months Rouleau will get even better.
I found ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #606 to be pretty good, like a fairly satisfying chapter to a book I’m reading. However, like a chapter in a book, I’m not sure I can simply recommend the chapter alone, especially a chapter that relies on the greater context of the book the way ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #606 uses greater Superman continuity. If you’re hankering for some Superman, but you’re looking for something much more new-reader friendly, wait for next month. Geoff Johns will be guest writing most of SUPERMAN for the rest of the year, and that may be the title to look for. On the other hand, if my description of this book and its storyline interests you, by all means, check out this comic on your next trip to the comic store, and see if you like it.
Meanwhile, I have no problem with efforts to try to incorporate Silver Age elements into current Superman continuity, and in fact, that was one of the aspects of last year’s “Return to Krypton” that worked. However, as I mentioned, “Return to Krypton II” has drawn very little from the Silver Age well so far, instead opting to be darker and more sinister place. This may not bode well for this Krypton’s viability as Superman’s true planet of origin in the long run, and perhaps Superman may really hail from the cold, dystopian Krypton that John Byrne created back in 1987 after all. The worst case would be for the issue not to be resolved at all. Let’s hope DC simply parlays the material into a satisfying conclusion for the “Return to Krypton” storyline, and not into “Return to Krypton III.”
CHARM SCHOOL #5
Elizabeth Watasin
Slave Labor Graphics
reviewed by Lizzybeth
Warning #1: This book lives at the genre intersection of Fantasy Street and Romance. Don’t want to go down this street? Skip to the next review.
Warning #2: The main inhabitants of this book are: cute witchy girl Bunny, her drag-racing vampire girlfriend Dean, and the beautiful Faerie/Dragon femme fatale, Fairer Than, who is doing her wicked best to steal Bunny for herself. Don’t want to visit these people? Move along, move along.
If you’re still reading this review without making faces at your computer screen, then you should really check out Elizabeth Watasin’s Charm School. Unlike some overwrought fantasy/romance titles that clog up the indie-comic works, this is a light-hearted and fun story. While the characters living in the magical town of Little Salem go through the typical range of relationship-damaged emotions, the book stays out of the Black Hole of Angst by keeping things humorous and the characters likable and whine-free. Watasin, who’s worked in the Disney animation studios over a decade, is clearly having a ball with this book, hiding games and tributes throughout, like the Waterhouse-inspired dream sequence in Issue 3, and the Blondie performance in this ish. Her artwork is uniquely appealing, despite (or because of) the relatively low-fi black & white approach and politely-proportioned women (no t & a here). It’s attractive, fun, and, well, charming. What the book lacks in action and flash, it makes up for in personality.
I like these characters. They’re not complicated, but they don’t need to be. Bunny is a real nice girl, smart enough to know that she’s being pursued by the Don Juan-ish Fairer Than just for the game of it. She’s resisting FT’s advances, but secretly enjoys the attention. Dean’s the girl that in another book could be described as “macho”, who’s on the outs with Bunny but refuses to admit that she could ever lose, whether she’s drag racing with the boys or competing for the girl. Fairer Than is the girl who’s never been rejected and doesn’t recognize a “no” when she hears it. She’s also your basic con-who-falls-for-her-mark, who likes Bunny even more for ignoring her. Sure, it’s a gender-recast movie love triangle, but if this were a movie, half the story would have to involve detailed explanations of everyone’s gender orientation scorecard. Thank heaven for indie comics, we haven’t even heard the g-word.. That a book like this could be so light, even silly, is kind of refreshing.
Verdict: here’s the real catch: this book suffers from Indie-Comic Lateness Syndrome. ICLS is certainly not limited to indie books, but anyone who follows smaller publishers is very familiar with this affliction. Issue #4 of Charm School came out in July of 2001, issue #5 in July of 2002. A whole frickin’ year between issues? Watasin says, now that she’s ending her 12-year career with Disney, we can expect more regular releases. Experienced comic fans will take this with a few handfuls of salt, but I’m willing to wait and see. Even today, talented female comic creators just don’t grow on trees. Meanwhile, the first Charm School collection, containing the first 3 issues, should hit shelves this August.
AUTOMATIC KAFKA # 1
written by Joe Casey
art by Ashley Wood
published by Wildstorm/DC
reviewed by Buzz Maverik (in conjunction with the Village Idiot)
Some of my fellow @$$holes have accused me of trying to turn our little group into my own black magick lodge, just because I go around doodling "@$$ho Templii Maverikius" on the cover of notebooks. It is true that as a devotee of Aleister Crowley, I've been trying to teach my fellow @$$holes some magick. I even used my occult connections to get magician/comic book writer Alan Moore to speak at the @$$hole Clubhouse.
I'll never forget the inspiring opening (and closing) to Alan's speech. "Who the fook are you lot? No matter.Your fookin' check bounced."
At this point, Sleazy G threw a beer can at me and said, "You told us Alan Moore would be speaking here, you dick! You're just channeling him! And you're faking that!"
So far, the @$$holes haven't had much success with magick. Sure Ambush Bug has exhibited stigmata and Quixote has seen a being that he swears is either his Holy Guardian Angel or Sasquatch, but that's as far as it goes. The only one who has shown any real promise is The Village Idiot.
Id and I decided to conduct an experiment in which we would telepathically review issue one of Joe Casey and Ashley Wood's new series AUTOMATIC KAFKA. We would achieve this feat by reprogramming our nervous systems. Each of us, in cities a few hundred miles apart from the other, would ingest 33 peyote buttons, drink 23 beers, and smoke 5 bowls of the local skank weed. Then, we'd read AUTOMATIC KAFKA and debate its merits or lack thereof. Id was to videotape the event, as my system was destroyed in an unfortunate explosion that my lawyer forbids me to talk about.
Our review was great. Insightful. Humorous. Think of the great debates in history. Lincoln vs. Douglas. Nixon vs. Kennedy. Ebert vs. Siskel. Wolverine vs. The Hulk. We were going to transcribe it and wow the bejeebus out of you!...Unfortunately, the next evening, Id called me up to tell me that he'd accidentally used the tape to record the premiere episode of SHE-SPIES. Thus, I must now reconstruct the review for you.
Simply put, I liked AUTOMATIC KAFKA and Id didn't. I saw it as a spoof of two kinds of '80s comics, those based on toys like the recently revived G.I. JOE/TRANSFORMERS/ROM, etc. and the fallen hero stories like THE WATCHMEN and THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS. Id felt that it was just another sleazy deconstruction of the superhero myth.
Automatic Kafka is an android superhero from an '80s superteam called the Strangers. They fought villains with cool names like Diesel Quake and The Chemical Mob, and Mecha-Six VII. Since the Reagan era, Kafka has degenerated by behaving like a Euro-trash celebrity. This story finds him scoring a drug called Nanotecheroin which can affect artificial intelligence and allow him to feel for the first time. He either O.D.'s and has a near death experience, or has a bad trip. Either way, he encounters a naked female being called Death From Above who shows him his life. In the end, Kafka revives and makes a decision that I feel will surprise many readers.
Id felt that Kafka looked and acted too much like Uncle Duke from DOONESBURY. I saw him as a Vision, a member of the Metal Men, Brainiac, or Machine Man gone to hell. I said that Ashley Wood's art was unique in that it conveyed a point of view and Kafka's feelings, rather than a literal depiction of the scenes. Id said that it looked like some artwork on a Radiohead C.D. I told him I wouldn't know, because the last band I related to was The Clash.
Finally, we discussed spin-offs. Id is working on AUTOMATIC CAPRA, about a small town android who learns the true meaning of Christmas. I'm reviving the old porn comics of the '50s, called Tijuana Bibles, which legitimate comic book artists moonlighted on, in a book called AUTO-EROTIC KAFKA.
Buzz Maverik recommends AUTOMATIC KAFKA # 1. The Village Idiot does not.
Title: FLASH: TIME FLIES
Writer: John Rozum
Artist: Seth Fisher
Publisher: DC Comics
Reviewer: Ambush Bug
A story, especially a comic book story, is a careful weave of many factors. These factors are so great in number, it’s a miracle that quality fiction is created at all. The story needs a gripping premise, a decent back story, a confident handling of characters, and a competent use of the world that surrounds those characters. FLASH: TIME FLIES gets a lot of this right, but not all of it.
As I read the first few pages of this book, I became intrigued with the premise. Since World War II, the world has moved at a faster pace. There isn’t enough time in the day anymore. The weekends whiz by. Time flies faster now. What if this speeding up of time was the result of tampering with the Speed Force? Writer John Rozum comes up with an interesting premise, blaming this occurrence on Steve Kriozere, a pilot who screws up the time stream by breaking the Speed Force barrier on a routine flight. Since Flash is the current Master of the Speed Force and the Fastest Man Alive, he is called in to fix things. This is interesting because everyone has felt as if there isn’t enough time at one point or another. It is a common feeling and one gripping enough to build a story around.
I like Rozum’s take on Wally West as an impetuous, headstrong superhero who has many years under his belt, but still has enough youth to be a bonehead at times. It’s good to see this type of character trait nailed correctly, since I’ve been collecting FLASH comics since before Waid’s run with the title and have great admiration for the character.
Rozum really knows his physics and science. He easily churns out facts about ripples in the time stream, physics equations, and equal and opposite reactions. Time travel stories usually make my head hurt. I try to bring logic to these tales as I read them. The questions and lack of answers usually frustrate me. Rozum does a good job of incorporating scientific information into the story without making by cerebellum swollen.
Some of the futuristic doodads are cool. The air is unbreathable, so the science police install nose filters into Flash’s nose via a device that looks like something out of the movie FIRE IN THE SKY. The toxins in the air would eat through Flash’s Speed Force suit, so a new uniform made of durable, lab-grown octopus skin is created for Flash to zoom around in. It actually bleeds when it is ripped. Pretty cool stuff.
As the story progressed, I began to realize a problem with the book. Too much scientific hullabaloo and not enough super-heroing. The Flash is a super hero icon. His adventures should move fast and furious. TIME FLIES has so much technical information that it mires down the story. The tech info is served to us in digestible chunks, but if I wanted to read a physics textbook, I wouldn’t have skipped out of Mr. Merrick’s class all those years ago to smoke and drink beer at the reservoir with my buddies. The writer obviously knows what he is talking about, but he’s not making it interesting enough to get me to give a shit. I may be spoiled with Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins’ current run on THE FLASH. They’re focusing on high speed tales of adventure and tend to gloss over the more scientific stuff.
Seth Fisher is becoming one of my favorite artists. Like Scott Kolins' work on the regular series, Fisher creates highly detailed panels filled with realistic forms. These images might be hard to distinguish if not for the beautiful colors and separations supplied by Chris Chuckry. Fisher makes his characters seem human, but gives them a warped otherworldly quality that works well in this futuristic tale. His technical designs of space ships and surreal cityscapes give the Flash an interesting world to run around in.
I can only mildly recommend this book. Its premise is promising, but like many ideas, it looks good until it is actually written out on paper. Fisher’s art nudges this book up on the respectability scale, but the writer’s over-use of scientific rigmarole keeps me from getting completely behind it.
WAY OF THE RAT # 3
written by Chuck Dixon
art by Jeff Johnson, Tom Ryder, Chris Garcia
published by CrossGen
reviewed by Buzz Maverik
"Ratty, I Love Your Way!" (sung to the tune of "Baby, I Love Your Way", with apologies to Peter Frampton).
Shadows hide kung fu killer guys / And they're attacking across the page / Boon, our hero, must take flight / Through ancient streets he can't hesitate / For his death, his enemies won't wait, hey!
CHORUS:
Ooo, Ratty, I love your Way, every day / Wanna tell you I read your Way, every day / Wanna look at your art night and day.
Monkey talks and takes the mentor's role / Teaches Boon the power in the ring he stole,
That makes Boon the master of the staff, staff, staff / But that talking monkey makes me laugh / Boon, don't hesitate, your death won't wait, hey!
CHORUS:
I can read the brilliance Chuck Dixon writes / And Jeff Johnson's art is number one / Making a kung fu comic second to none.
(If you think these lyrics are stupid, you should read the real lyrics of "Baby, I Love Your Way". But WAY OF THE RAT is a great comic book!).
Title: PETER PARKER: SPIDER-MAN #46
Writer: Paul Jenkins
Penciler: Humberto Ramos
Publisher: MARVEL
Reviewer: Ambush Bug
“It never ever stops. One day this is going to have to end. One of us is going to have to kill the other.”
Quick quiz, folks. What’s that line from? Nope. You’re wrong. Although it is an almost verbatim quote from the classic conversation between Batman and the Joker in THE KILLING JOKE, these words were taken from PETER PARKER: SPIDER-MAN #46. I know that there are only so many ways to tell a story, but veteran writer Paul Jenkins should be ashamed of himself for swiping these classic lines to open up what would otherwise be an epic conflict between Spider-Man and his most vilest of foes, The Green Goblin.
But I’m nit-picking.
While J.M. Straczynski wows fans with stories about 9/11, Aunt May’s revelation that Peter and Spidey share the same skin, and newcomer villains like Morlun and the Void in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. While Brian Michael Bendis modernizes classic tales and hips up a young Spidey for the TRL crowd in ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN. And while Ron Zimmerman mucks up age-old traditions and characters in GET KRAVEN, something special has been going on right under the radar. Paul Jenkins has been writing some of the most solid Web-Slinger stories in years. Sure events in the other Spidey comics may get more attention, but Jenkins’ work deserves to be recognized.
As the title may suggest, PETER PARKER: SPIDER-MAN deals with the man behind the mask. Jenkins does a good job of making Peter interesting by filling his world with quirky moments and characters. Since he’s a bachelor of sorts again, Peter had to get a roommate (although recently Peter moved out on his own again). His refrigerator has seen better days and has become a habitat for sentient cheese products. The hottie in the building across the way asks Peter to watch her dog, who seems to know about Peter’s secret identity and may or may not be building something devious in his doghouse. In the past year or so, these quirky little moments are worth a billion 9/11 issues because Jenkins seems to know and respect the character and isn’t afraid to tell fun stories that don’t have to contain earth-shattering consequences. Now that I got all of that out, let’s deal with the current issue of PETER PARKER: SPIDER-MAN, where Jenkins tells a story that will probably have earth-shattering consequences.
With a major motion picture currently breaking box office records in theaters around the world, it was a no-brainer to make the Green Goblin a major threat in Peter’s life again. I’m not talking about the horrible Goblin-Hulk version of the character over in ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN. I’m talking about the Norman Osborne who heads a major corporation during the week and slips on a green and purple mask and tosses pumpkin bombs at the public on the weekends. So far, the Goblin has pushed Peter to the brink of insanity. He’s thrown Gwen Stacy’s death in Peter’s face, threatened his wife and elderly Aunt, and put Peter’s long time school rival and Spidey’s long time admirer, Flash Thompson, into a coma. Issue #46 is the third chapter in the “A Death in the Family” (another Batman swipe) story arc and the shit is about to hit the fan.
These lazy swipes from Batman tales really cheesed me off as I read this issue because the story is so strong on its own. I know Peter is supposed to be free-wheelin’ and spitting jokes as he battles the villains, but Norman and Peter have a lot of bad history together, so a serious tale is needed in this situation and Jenkins is definitely up to the task of telling it. The quiet, emotional moments where Spider-Man visits Flash in the hospital and the tension-filled wordplay between Peter and Norman in public are well done in this issue.
One little thing that I have noticed in the last year of reading the Spidey books is that Peter shows up to work a lot with bandages and black eyes. If I ever showed up to work in such a state, I think my boss would say something, especially if I were teaching a bunch of children. I know Spidey’s foes are more powerful than ever and his chances of being hurt are greater, but he’s starting to look like a member of the Fight Club here and should really consider saying “Not in the face! Not in the face!” to his enemies if he wants to keep his job.
The major problem with this arc is that Jenkins seems to want to tell a Batman/Joker story, not a Spidey/Goblin story. Moments before the big brawl, Norman has a little scene where he gleefully reenacts the death of Gwen with action figures. I know Norman is insane, but I always thought it was the evil and maniacal type of crazy and not the loony-bird type. These actions seem more fitting for the Joker, not the Goblin; which keeps with the Batman theme that Jenkins is going with.
Humberto Ramos has made a career of drawing cartoony characters with bizarre hair and feet the size of Buicks. He draws a mean Spidey, all wiry and spindly with legs and arms all over the place. The problem here is that this is a pretty somber tale. The colors of Studio F try to deepen the art with nice dark shades and subtle color blends, but Ramos’ stuff just takes away from the tension and drama of the story. I’d love to see Ramos doing lighter stories with Spidey, but his stuff just doesn’t fit with the mood of this arc.
Time to get picky again. One pet peeve of mine in comics is the tendency to treat the mask like it’s the character’s face. The Goblin’s face is a mask. Norman doesn’t turn into the Green Goblin. He slips on a green mask with a giant grin. That’s what is so freaky about the character. No matter what is going on behind the mask, it is covered by a vicious, evil grin. I don’t know if Ramos knows this. His Goblin growls and frowns and apes different caricatures. I know his artistic license allows him to do whatever the hell he wants, but it takes away from the weirdness factor that comes with having to deal with a maniac that is always smiling at you.
Next issue should be big. According to the title of the arc, someone is going to die. Now, I don’t think they are going to make the mistake of rubbing off the Goblin again and I think JMS wouldn’t let Aunt May get perished, but anyone else is up for grabs. I’m looking forward to finding out and as long as Jenkins remembers that this is a tale of the Web-Slinger and not the Caped Crusader, I’ll be there to read about it.
SHIVER IN THE DARK #1
Stuart Saygen
published by Singing Ink
reviewed by Lizzybeth
So I’m in the comic shop the other day staring at a rack of small press books, trying to pick out something new, and my eyes are drawn to a pretty cover. It’s some kind of knee-jerk instinct that we all have, whether we want to admit it or not. Writing is what makes or breaks a comic book with me, but I’ll admit that when faced with many unfamiliar choices, unique artwork will catch my attention every time. I’m not recommending this strategy. Sometimes you’ll win the indie-book lottery and discover something really special, and sometimes you’ll get a mixed bag like Shiver in the Dark.
It’s got an eye-catching, pretty girl-with-hair-flowing-everywhere cover. Nice grayscale interiors, Sam Keith-reminiscent cute girl in fantasy world look. It seemed promising, but it didn’t really deliver. Shiver in the Dark is about a superficial sorority girl who finds some kind of magic book that’s going to screw up her self-absorbed life. Unfortunately, the book is just as superficial as its main character. It’s only 13 pages long, and it should have been 26. Granted, there are no ads (always a blessing), and I won’t work out the money-to-page ratio, but the comic reads like an excerpt of something twice as long. There must be some kind of deleted-scenes version of this book somewhere that would make this an interesting story, and I’ll give Stuart Saygen the benefit of the doubt on that. His girl, whose name I’ve already forgotten, stumbles upon a mysterious bookstore, finds a strangely intriguing book that nobody seems to have heard of. The shop owner refuses to sell it to her, so she steals the book, becomes obsessed with it, and strange things begin to happen. That’s right – it’s the Neverending Story! “Turn around.. And look what you can seeeeee…Is it real, or just a fantasyyyyy…” Maybe with a few more issues under his belt a story and character will take shape, but right now it’s a retread.
Verdict: I can’t be too harsh on this book, really, there are certainly worse things out there. And I still like the cover and some of the art, even if it’s got a little too much of that Photoshop “smear” effect going on. There’s really not much to it. Sayger’s got potential as an artist, but could use an editor and a writer to collaborate with. Sorry about that Neverending Story thing. I’m sure you’ll get that song out of your head in a day or so.
Y – THE LAST MAN
Written by Brian K. Vaughan
Art by Pia Guerra; Inked by Jose Marzan
Published by Vertigo Comics
A Jon & Jan Quixote review
Let’s get this straight. What we have here is a story about a guy who wakes up one day to discover that a mysterious plague has killed every other man on the planet, and he’s stuck on a planet now inhabited exclusively by women. He then does the logical thing – buys a bullhorn and a velvet rope, and lets ’em all know the line forms to the right.
See, this is exactly the sort of subject matter that’s going to get me in trouble. I had to call in for backup on this review. Now, I’ve noticed a surprising number of TalkBackers on this page seem to be either married or at least somehow attached. Obviously most of you are liars. Lucky for me, however, my significant other happens to be both female and real, so I gave her a copy of Y – THE LAST MAN and asked for her thoughts, which I will use to keep me from using this review to regress into testosterone-fuelled commentary on how bitchin’ it would be to star in this comic; the last thing I need is more letter bombs from feminists. Of course, Jan Quixote, being an intelligent and progressively minded modern woman, had this to say as her very first comment:
Oh no! A world without men. What would we do??
See, if she wasn’t here to man my testicular-vise, I might get in trouble answering that question. But after I stopped giggling, and took a moment to really consider the situation, I realized that this really is a horror comic. 3 billion deaths. The potential extinction of the species. The all-Oprah channel. Ever walk into a Women’s Studies class wearing your ‘No Fat Chix’ T-Shirt?? This is the world that the Last Man will have to live in for the rest of his miserable life.
Ow. Whaddja hit me for?
Oh…uh, boy what a utopia. The Last Man sure is lucky.
Let’s move on to her next comment.
I liked what (Vaughan) did with the narrative. It added a lot of tension. And the time inserts were like something out of a television show.
Jan hit the nail on the head with that comment, because this comic is laid out almost exactly like a television show, even down to the act structure – 7 acts, plus a teaser. Vaughan apparently has a film background, and it really shows in the way he lays out his stories.
The play on chronology is also pitch-perfect; this comic could have been directed by Steven Soderbergh. Vaughan messes with time just enough to heighten tension, but never so much that it seems like pretentious experimentation. This guy knows how to tell a story, and he uses his narrative to full effect, squeezing every last drop of tension and drama out of his premise.
One of my favorite things about this book is how many sources Vaughan draws upon in crafting this story. Shakespeare, Houdini, The West Wing, Greek mythology…the list goes on and on, yet Vaughan blends it all in naturally, so that it never seems forced, like he’s trying to impress.
Awwww, he has a monkey. It was so cute…
And here I was worried about setting back feminism.
I guess I’ll use this space to talk about the art. I liked it. Simple, sleek, efficient. Vaughan and Guerra really seem to be on the same wavelength, and make a nice tandem.
When do I get to read the next one? How long??
Now, Jan’s not much of a comic reader – as in at all – but she can’t wait for the next installment, so that should say a lot about how accessible this book is. As for me, it seems that recently I do nothing but read comics, and I can’t wait for the next installment either. This is an interesting premise, deftly executed – which seems to be the niche Vaughan is carving for himself, and he has definitely earned my vote as breakout writer of the year. But perhaps the best thing I can say about Y – The Last Man is that it can be enjoyed by absolutely everyone, regardless of their background or even their interest in comic books. It’s rare to find a comic with such universal appeal, and this book is going to be the next big thing, and Brian K. Vaughan is going to be the next big writer. Get in on the ground floor now. You won’t be sorry.
THE RED STAR #9
Christian Gossett, Bradley Kayl, Snakebite
Image Comics
reviewed by Lizzybeth
The Red Star is the first comic signed to CrossGen’s new CG Entertainment branch, an Image-like imprint of creator-owned projects that will exist outside of the CrossGen “universe” of characters. While at Image, Red Star has built up a strong reputation, including a few Eisner nominations, and a loyal fan following. #9, the last issue to be released under the Image banner, is not exactly a fond farewell, but a rather hurried wrap-up. It’s hard to tell how the series will fare at a new studio; there is so much to like here, but whether it can maintain its weighty concept is another matter.
I was pretty gung-ho about this title when it first came out. The series has remained top-quality work from some very talented artists, who have given a cinematic, exciting feel to their work. The computer-generated art of Red Star is almost seamlessly integrated with the hand-drawn images, in the same way that the massive technology of futuristic warfare is almost seamlessly integrated with techno-sorcery and visits from spiritual/mythological figures. Sound heavy? Here’s the plot: The nation of The Red Star, which splintered following a massive defeat at the Battle of Kar Dathra’s Gate (detailed in the first trade collection), is currently trying to beat down a rebellion of its former citizens in Chechnya – I mean, Nokgorka. Yeah. Oh hell, RS wears its historical allegory on its sleeve, using Russian names and imagery throughout. Our heroine, Maya Antares, was a sorceress-soldier at that famous last stand 10 years ago, and lost her husband Marcus on that same battlefield. Or did she? Maybe he’s still fighting for the ghost of their country in the spirit world, as the mysterious Red Woman explains in this issue. And now Maya and her loyal comrades are off to the far-North, to rejoin Marcus and free the spirits of their comrades from the Soul Prisons, chased by the remainder of the Red army. Phew…
Red Star is an impressive achievement in many ways for the gang at Archangel Studios, but as the story continues, it seems that the series may be weighed down by its own concept. There are far too many elements at work here, and juggling them all without overwhelming a reader is going to be a tough job. I was really getting into the Nokgorka rebellion, which was getting to be a good hard look at a pretty close-to-life situation, the clashing loyalties in the rubble of a broken country. Issue #8 was pretty solid, when we saw that an earlier act of mercy does not go unrewarded, and that soldiers, even enemy soldiers, may have more in common than not. But Issue #9 is a letdown. I have enjoyed its mix of historical, military, and fantasy elements in the past, but this issue has a slapdash quality. Suddenly it looks like we’re off to the spirit world, before anything has been satisfyingly concluded. The annoying coincidence of enemies Makita and Maya finding a connection to lost husband Marcus is quickly dealt with, and the rebellion is left behind. A few quick dashes of romanticism, action, and melodrama, see you at CrossGen. Maybe there was a rush to tie up the Nokgorka episode before the series jumps studios. Whatever the behind-the-scenes reasons, The Red Star has a tendency to be uneven, with the good stuff being pretty damn good but the rest being just frustrating.
Verdict: This is a title that could go either way. It could easily become a big, muddled, beautiful-looking mess. But it certainly is beautiful, which makes it hard for me to me to give up on it. The imagery in these books is just stunning, with colors and 3D layouts that practically leap off the page. And while thematically it will be a tough act to maintain, the ambition of the project is also its greatest strength. The Red Star is a unique creature in comics. I’m still rooting for it to succeed.
Bug here with another edition of the @$$hole Casting Couch. There isn’t a cooler comic out on the stands right now than THE FLASH. Geoff Johns and Co. have not only made the Flash interesting again, but they gave the Rogues Gallery such a tweak that they have become serious rivals with Batman and Spider-Man’s foes as the coolest cadre of villains in comics.
Director Tom Tykwer gave us a dose of pure adrenaline with RUN LOLA RUN. He was born to direct THE FLASH vs. THE ROGUES. I know the purists would want Barry Allen, but he already had his shot in his own TV series. Let’s go with the Wally West/Flash for this modern tale of a speedster. Now don’t go screaming at me that this would be a crowded villain-fest in the tradition of the Batman films. This flick would be pure adventure with Flash running the gauntlet against his most deadliest of foes, one after another, to save the ones he cares for.
To tell these Rogues apart, I would try to cast as many familiar genre faces as possible, because these guys are experts at making their characters stand out and be recognized. With Marvel leading the pack with quality comic book films, DC and WB had better catch up, and who better to do that than the Fastest Man Alive? Let’s give them a few ideas.
Flash: Jared Leto (PANIC ROOM) would be great as Wally West. He’s got a lot of energy and already has experience playing a runner in PREFONTAINE.
Linda Park: Wally’s reporter girlfriend/wife who always seems to be dying/kidnapped should be played by that little hottie, China Chow, from THE BIG HIT.
Every hero has an “in” with the Police force and Flash is no exception. Detective Chyre: This gruff street-wise detective has seen it all in Central City and would be a cinch for one of my favorite actors, Fred Ward (TREMORS). Chyre’s partner, Detective Morillo could be played by Esai Morales (LA BAMBA), who’s gained experience at being a cop from his time on NYPD BLUE.
Captain Cold: Sure he wears an Eskimo costume and shoots a freeze gun, but Cold is one of Flash’s toughest foes. Fanboy casting mainstay, Bruce Campbell (EVIL DEAD), would make this cool villain even cooler.
Mirror Master: Warped light gun. Reality altering mirrors. Evil reflections of the Flash. No problem for expert mad scientist, Jeffrey Combs (RE-ANIMATOR).
Trickster: Devon Sawa (FINAL DESTINATION) is a dead ringer for this young punk with a bag of deadly tricks.
Weather Wizard: It takes a special type of actor to make a guy with a weather controlling wand seem dangerous. I’d cast Doug Hutchison (the little weasely guard from THE GREEN MILE) for the role.
Murmur: The knife wielding maniac who would love to silence the world wouldn’t be a challenge for veteran psycho-actor, Brad Douriff (voice of Chucky in CHILD’S PLAY, ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST).
If you’ve seen any football film in the last ten years, you know super-sized actor, Andrew Bryniarski (ANY GIVEN SUNDAY, THE PROGRAM). With a little make-up and effects, he’d be perfect as Girder, the rusting metal man-monster.
Robin Tunney (THE CRAFT) is sexy as hell, but sometimes looks like she ain’t all there in the head. Sounds like a match for Magenta, Wally’s ex-girlfriend from hell with magnetic powers.
Goldface: Dennis Farina (OUT OF SIGHT) would be perfect as the ex-head of Central City’s underworld turned reformed, but shady, teamster boss.
Blaquesmith: Goldface’s ex-squeeze is the force behind the Rogues. Gina Gershon (BOUND) is sultry and sexy enough to pull this role off.
And let’s bring back the old Rogue Captain Boomerang for shits and giggles. I know, I know, Dwight Yoakam (PANIC ROOM) isn’t Australian, but put a little blue hat on his head, give him a puffy shirt and an arsenal of boomerangs and tell me he isn’t the spitting image of grumpy ol’ Digger Harkness.
As always, I invite you all to agree, disagree, tear us a new one, or put together your own cast. I’m sure every @$$hole in the Talkbacks has an opinion or two. What are they?
Sneak, sneak! Cormorant here again, with a few closing words before you proceed to the TalkBacks to beat us up. I just wanted to remind everyone to check out our first @$$hole column focusing exclusively on trade paperbacks, which debuted yesterday, but got shoved off the main page by the brutal, relentless advance of newer, fresher stories. Fuck that! You don’t need movie news, you need reviews of fat-ass funnybooks! Well we’ve got ‘em, and Buzz Maverik’s review of CHASING DOGMA is worth the price of admission by itself!
Dig it, y’all!
