It’s time once again for America’s favorite game,
Comixtreme.com Done-In-One Reviews! Here, every week, a panel of dauntless reviewers assembles to give their thoughts on comic books from across the publishing realm. What will make the cut this week? Only one way to find out!
Authority: Prime #5 (DC Comics/Wildstorm)
By Christos Gage, Darick Robertson & Tony Avina
How do you prove you have what it takes in the world of comics? Well, for one, you can take the Wildstorm imprint, on that doesn't really hold onto a concept for very long, and make it a living, breathing, viable place to tell fascinating stories. Between this book, the Wildstorm: Revelations series, and Gage's old Stormwatch PHD book, Gage has told some phenomenal stories. In this series, not only does he find a way to keep the uber-heroes occupied in convincing ways, he makes a viable threat out of events that occured in the past. And Darick Robertson... how does this guy do it all? I swear, at one point in time, he had three titles coming out in one month - and it's still all good. Great book.
Rating: 4/5 --B. Schatz
The Clockwork Girl #3 (Arcana Studio/Arcana Kids)
By Kevin Hanna, Sean O'Reilly, Grant Bond
Huxley the Monster Boy and Tesla the Clockwork Girl take shelter from the rain, taking a few quiet moments to discover how their differences make them so like one another... just before Huxley learns the mission given to Tesla by her father: his destruction. As the two children try to rebel against their fathers, against the world that drives them apart, they will discover they are not the only to players in the game. This comic -- a sweet book with lush, beautiful artwork -- has taken on an even darker and more tragic tone than the first two issues betrayed. It's feeling more and more like a Shakespearean tragedy than a light children's tale, and it has become a truly remarkable book in the process. It isn't at all what you'd expect, and that just makes it all the better.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
Freddy Vs. Jason Vs. Ash #5 (DC Comics/Wildstorm/Dynamite Entertainment)
By Jeff Katz, James Kuhoric, Rick Burchett, Jason Craig & Richard Friend
This issue is pretty much all-out-action as Ash, Jason, and the now-corporeal Freddy pretty much spend 22 pages trying to kill each other. Freddy's use of the Necronomicon has given him a great deal of power, even in the real world, and Ash won't be able to take him down without someone on his side... hopefully someone better than he is at remembering magic words. There's not really a lot of room here for quiet moments, for tender exchanges, for in-depth character development... this is pure violence and gore. And let's face it, friends, that's why you bought the ticket. When I heard that the Freddy Vs. Jason Vs. Ash movie had pretty much been put to sleep, I wasn't all that upset, figuring that it most likely would have bombed anyway. But man... this story would have made a pretty cool flick. At least we're getting to see it in the comics.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
Jack of Fables #20 (DC Comics/Vertigo)
By Matthew Sturges, Bill Willingham, Russ Braun & Brian Bolland
The "Americana" story arc continues, as Paul Bunyan finds himself in deeper than even his eight-candle-high frame can handle. Jack and company, meanwhile, have finally found their way to the treasure they've been seeking. Jack, meanwhile, finds an additional treasure to claim. Willingham and Sturges have been remarkably effective at painting Jack as the charming rogue. Even when he does some scuzzy things, like this issue, you can't help but like him. You root for him. We also find out some interesting tidbits this issue about just what happens when a Fable is taken out of "circulation," so to speak. It's been understood for a long time that a Fable's longevity is tied in with how well he's remembered by the Mundanes, Now, in Idyll, we see the reverse. This is a solid issue with great character momemts and really strong art by Russ Braun. It works on every level.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
JLA Classified #53 (DC Comics)
By Roger Stern, John Byrne & Joshua Middleton
Continuing the flashback to the Justice League's first encounter with Titus, Batman recalls how the alien fiercely battled each member of the classic Justice League one-by-one, until he finally decides that they -- not the "gods" of Earth -- are just the beings he should be searching for. The only real problem with this story has been its formatting. The flashbacks have been full-issue, in-between issues of the contemporary storyline, without a really strong framework to help maintain a consistency between chapters. John Byrne's artwork has been very good, old-school superhero goodness, and I particularly like the redesigns of the characters when Titus works his magic on them. Well... everyone except Black Canary -- for no discernable reason, she winds up in a costume that looks far too much like a Wonder Woman design to be coincidence, but that doesn't really make any sense. Not a bad issue, but I definitely feel like this storyline will be stronger in a collected form.
Rating: 3.5/5 --Blake M. Petit
JSA Classified #35 (DC Comics)
By B. Clay Moore, Ramon Perez & Sean Chen
A new story begins in this week's JSA Classified, this one starring Wildcat. After a heart-to-heart talk with Green Lantern leaves him wondering why he's still in the costume, Ted Grant decides to take a field trip down to Gotham City to get back to his roots. An encounter at the gym he once founded doesn't go well for him, though, and he may need a little unexpected help to get back on his feet. Ted Grant isn't really a character who's prone to soul-searching, and the conversation with Alan Scott that serves as the impetus behind this story is a little forced. Once you get past that, though, the story works very well. Ted's return to his old stomping grounds is entertaining and works very well for the character, and the surprise guest-star at the end promises a nice little exchange with a character that has very strong ties to him. A strong issue for a strong character.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
Legion of Super-Heroes #39 (DC Comics)
By Jim Shooter, Francis Manapul & Joel Gomez
As Projectra faces a universe where she's not a princess anymore, an intruder sneaks into the Legion's monitor room, checking in on various Legionnaires in the field. On Triton, Saturn Girl's team is turned on by natives who consider them freaks, even as they've just saved their city. In New Beijing, Colossal Boy's team's hunt for Venusian creatures that have infested the city sends them up against a high-powered gang. Back at the base, meanwhile, Light Lass preps Karate Kid for a very special mission just for the two of them. Shooter has conjured up a nice device for this issue -- we're left with a big question about who exactly is keeping taps on the heroes, and we get to check in on a lot of different storylines in the process. Joel Gomez is credited as giving "art assists" to Francis Manapul this issue, and wherever the assistance is, it's seamless. I could never have told it wasn't 100 percent Manapul -- the book looks just as good as ever. This new Legion relaunch has been an unqualified success. It's a relief to see that Shooter hasn't lost it, and that DC has given him a great creative team with which to tell his new stories.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
The Nearly Infamous Zango #1 (Absolute Tyrant)
By Rob Osborne
How does Indie Hero Rob Osborne follow a book about World Domination and another about a retirement community? By combining the two into one of the strangest tasting peanut butter cups ever. The Nearly Infamous Zango is all about a super-villain who was a real threat back in the day - but something in his past has rendered him passionless... to an extent. He still wants to take over the world, and he hates it when he hears about threats larger than he making bids for world domination - but he can't seem to bring himself away from the couch. Even the gift of a ruthless attack monkey does not awaken his maniacal tendencies. All in all, a great package from Osborne, but after all he has accomplished, that is to be expected. Seek out this book!
Rating: 4/5 --B. Schatz
Nexus #100 (Rude Dude Productions)
By Mike Baron & Steve Rude
Well, they took their time getting there, but we finally get to Nexus #100 this month. In part two of the four-part "Space Opera," Nexus looks for ways to deal with the problem of the Elvonics... a story that's actually surprisingly quiet until near the end where the tensions between the different factions erupts into a riot. We also get the lushly-painted "When She Was Young Part 2," an (extremely thinly) veiled satire of the US Senate that also serves as something of an origin story for Sundra. Both stories are pretty good. I'd really say that the gem of the issue, though, is the lengthy "History of Nexus" essay, which is more an examination of the real-world history of the character, his publishing history and the like, explaining the path that has taken him through each of the four publishers that has served as his home. It's a nice little look at comic book history of the past 25 years or so. A good issue, with great extras.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
RASL #1 (Cartoon Books)
By Jeff Smith
Jeff Smith, creator of the legendary Bone saga, makes his return to an ongoing comic book with the first issue of RASL. While Bone was a fantasy adventure, and very suitable for all-ages, RASL is a far more adult science fiction-themed title about an art thief who accomplishes his crimes with the help of a machine that allows him to leap between dimensions. This first issue is intriguing -- it introduces us to the main character and sets up the basic premise, but opens up dozens of questions. Who is this man? Why is he stealing paintings. Where did he get his device and how does it work? What, exactly, does his tag "RASL" mean? This is a really good set-up issue, and with Smith's unblemished track record (Bone was sheer brilliance, and last year's Shazam!: Monster Society of Evil miniseries rocked on every level), I've got all the confidence in the world that he'll make this a thrilling ride as well.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #688 (Gemstone Publishing)
By William Ban Horn, Floyd Gottfredson, Merrill DeMaris, Bill Wright, Frank Jonker, Bas Heymans, Carl Buettner, Noel Van Horn, Jan Kruse, Jose Ramon Bernado, Carl Barks & Michel Nadorp
It's kind of a weak month for Walt Disney's Comics and Stories. Most of the stories would be fine as back-ups in a normal month, but there aren't enough stand-outs to really pump up the issue. The lead story is, fortunately, the best -- William Van Horn's "Winks," featuring Donald and the nephews going on a rather non-traditional wintertime treasure hunt. It's a nice little story with a good punchline at the end. Then we've got part one of "The Gleam," an old Mickey Mouse newspaper strip story about a jewel thief choosing to attack just as Minnie's family comes to town for a visit. The Big Bad Wolf stars in a cute twist on "Little Red Riding Hood," and an encounter with Pete makes Mickey "Stir Crazy." There's a nice two-page B'rer Rabbit story, and a Carl Barks tale about the nephews trying to get Donald to allow them to keep a sassy parrot. All of these stories are decent enough, but there's only one really good story to lift up the issue.
Rating: 3/5 --Blake M. Petit
March 1st 2008, 04:29 PM
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