Welcome once again to
Done-in-One Reviews,
cX's weekly showcase featuring capsule-sized reviews of comics from across the breadth of comicdom. If you want it, we got it - except if we covered it elsewhere. And if we don't got it, then you didn't want it - except when you really did, and we're sorry about that, but it's the way it's got to be. But don't worry, we're always looking to expand our reviewing boundaries, so maybe next time you want it, and so we'll have it, and we'll all be happy. But all that's next time, and this is now, so sit back, relax, and enjoy this week's edition of
Done-in-One Reviews!
American Dream #4 (Marvel Comics)
By Tom DeFalco, Todd Nauck & Ron Frenz
With American Dream captured by Silikong, the rest of the Avengers begin to scour the city searching for her. Despite having a pretty old-school name, Silikon also has a nicely old-fashioned plot that our heroine will have to struggle to defeat. The coalition of villains in this book is evocative of something Stan and Jack would have conjured up, and the lengths American Dream goes to in order to escape? You guessed it: classic. Amazingly, it's the "MC2" universe that is currently providing us with the stories that feel most like true tales of the Avengers and Spider-Man families. That's both a strength and a weakness -- it's exactly the sort of story I want to read. On the other hand, it's not exactly unique to Shannon. This story could very easily have been told with Steve Rogers with only a few cosmetic changes. It's a good, strong superhero plot, but American Dream herself could do with some fleshing out.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
Blood Bowl: Killer Contract #1 (Boom! Studios)
by Matt Forbeck & Lads Helloven
Supposedly this is based on a series of novels that I’m afraid I’ve never heard of or read. Not that that’s a hindrance, anyone can pick this up and understand it, but like is another thing. It is what the title says it is: a bloody football game between fantasy creatures of various types (trolls, orcs, ghouls, et cetera), where killing is expected, and you can use a variety of weapons, including maces and chainsaws, anything that causes dismemberment and bleeding. Therefore it should have been more enjoyable than it actually was. I know it was going for humor much of the time, but I didn’t find it funny; the jokes were just too obvious. And the art is so highly stylized and cartoonish that I had a hard time telling characters apart. Is that guy supposed to be the same guy as before, or a different guy? Most of the time characters are name checked, but I was surprised at how little it helped me. It’s not bad by any means, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it appealed most to existing fans of the prose series above anyone else.
Rating: 2.5/5 --Andrea Speed
Bomb Queen V #2 (Image Comics)
By Jim Robinson & Paul Little
Okay things are calming down slightly in NPC. Food is finally coming from Littleville, which will keep the starving masses at bay. But little does BQ realise that not everything is coming up roses in that town. It seems it has a serial killer on the loose and the locals believe he came from NPC, so they dispatch their Hero, White Knight to investigate. That’s right a hero is about to set foot in BQ’s kitchen. Oy vey! And to top it all some nerds looking for a big story have tagged along for the ride. I swear this group is the personification of brain dead fanboys. Upon seeing their actions I don’t know whether to laugh, cry or try to figure out who from comiXtreme best compares to them. This is a fun book all the way down the line. BQ is a clever woman, who covers all the angles and that’s what I enjoy the most about her character. The art is clean and the fight scenes are reasonably well rendered, but BQ’s outfit makes up for any lapses.
Rating: 4/5 --Terry Verticchio
Cthulhu Tales #3 (Boom! Studios)
by William Messner-Loebs, Andrew Ritchie, Michael Alan Nelson, Eduardo Ferigato, Pablo Quiligotti, Todd Lepre, Chee, & Renato Faccini
I admire all the writers trying to do something different with the Cthulhu mythos, but I’m already wondering when they’re going to run out of ideas. But the big news this time is the inclusion of Messner-Loebs, who contributes the opening story to this issue. It’s a wonderfully bizarre take on the drawing room mystery, with the old styled art by Ritchie adding to the anachronistic absurdness of it all. The middle story by Nelson is an amusingly bitter take on an “intervention”, which goes horribly wrong for the man supposedly being saved. The last is it a deliberately comic take on “The Cruise of Cthulhu”, which is just what it sounds like: a chartered cruise that will bring you closer to Cthulhu than you probably would ever want to get. The art is generally good, although Ritchie’s unique style makes itself the most notable.
Rating: 3.5/5 --Andrea Speed
DC/Wildstorm: Dreamwar #3 (DC Comics/Wildstorm)
By Keith Giffen, Lee Garbett, Trevor Scott & Giuseppe Camuncoli
The mystery deepens, as heroes from the DC Universe continue their series of shockingly brutal attacks against heroes of the Wildstorm Universe. The DC heroes aren't quite themselves here, there's something terribly wrong, and the end of the issue gives us another clue as to what exactly that might be. It also helps us understand (maybe) what Keith Giffen meant when he said this wasn't a multiverse story. That didn't make any sense at the time, but now, it's becoming clearer. The way certain heroes go down (and literally the way they go down) makes it obvious that we're not quite looking at the New Earth heroes, but the overall mystery is strong enough to make it work. Lee Garbett and Trevor Scott's artwork is good -- the Legion of Super-Hero scenes remind me a lot of Barry Kitson's interpretation of the characters. Strong issue, and enjoying the unorthodox conflict.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
DMZ #32(DC Comics/Vertigo)
by Brian Wood & Riccardo Burchielli
Someone has tried to assassinate populist leader of the DMZ Parco Delgado, and reporter Matty Roth is at the heart of the entire mess. The political landscape of the entire Island has come to a halt. No side wants to claim responsibility and every side wants to claim Parco for their own ends. In the meantime, people very close to Matty are scheming behind his back. He doesn’t know who to trust and he's already up to his neck. There isn’t much action in this issue, but there is plenty of tension. The drama feels real, as it comes very close to mimicking our own world and that’s scary in and of itself. Everyone is playing the angles, and for all his bravado, I don’t think Matty is capable of doing the same. The art remains stellar. This is arc is really picking up steam now. Highly recommended.
Rating: 4/5 --Terry Verticchio
Gemini #2 (Image Comics)
By Jay Faerber & Jon Sommariva
Last issue we met Gemini, the superhero who doesn't know he has a secret identity. As his remote handlers watched, he was shot in the head and killed. Lousy way to end your first issue, right? Well, this issue we learn that Gemini isn't the only hero in this strange organization's stable, and another is sent out to look for him. When he encounters Gemini and an apparent friend of his, the typical superhero misunderstanding/battle ensues. Actually, the hero misunderstanding/battle is really the only "typical" thing about this book. Gemini is a wildly inventive new angle for a superhero, and Faerber's execution has been excellent. Sommariva's artwork is also nice -- more angular than your average superhero book, but more detailed than most books drawn in what we think of as an "animated" style. The look of this book is somewhere in-between, and it really helps make this character unique. I guess it's safer to test out a new character like this in a miniseries rather than an ongoing, but I already hope this newest addition to Faerber's corner of the Image Universe sticks around.
Rating: 4.5/5 --Blake M. Petit
George R.R. Martin's Wild Cards: The Hard Call #3 (Dabel Brothers Publishing)
By Daniel Abraham & Eric Battle
The breakout of the Wild Card Virus at Alex's high school, as always, resulted in the creation of many more Jokers than Aces. Of the two Aces created, Alex is considering taking the dangerous Trump virus -- which may either turn him normal or kill him -- while Simon is reveling in his new powers. Things get turned up, however, when our mysterious killer unleashes the Trump virus in the Wild Card clinic, slaughtering innocent Jokers and removing the powers from others. Meanwhile, the hunt for Croyd Crenson continues. The story here gets better and better. Alex and Simon are a sharp contrast in the effects of the virus even when it goes well, and the revelation this issue is pretty startling, and clearly doesn't mean exactly what it seems. Eric Battle's artwork here isn't quite as good as it could be. He's done stronger work before, and he may possibly need the help of another embellisher -- many of the panels are too dark. Some nice color work by Digikore Studios helps, though. The story, fortunately, will keep me coming back. It's great to see Wild Cards on the comic book page again.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
Love and Capes #7 (Maerkle Press)
By Thomas F. Zahler
I'm used to recommending comics for my girlfriend, but this is the first comic she's ever recommended to me. And lo and behold, it's one of those books that leaves me wondering why on Earth I wasn't reading it already. This issue the world's greatest superhero, the Crusader, has decided to pop the question to his girlfriend, Abby. Poor timing, oblivious teammates and supervillain intervention keep screwing up his plans, though, and it soon becomes clear this is one challenge where being a superhero won't give him any advantage at all. Without having read any previous issue, this comic totally pulled me in. It's sweet and funny, the heroes are heroic, the art style is wonderful and the romance between Mark and Abby works wonderfully. I don't know if I'll be able to wait for November for the collected edition of the first six issues so I can see what I missed. This is just simply the best superhero romantic comedy I've ever seen.
Rating: 5/5 --Blake M. Petit
Moon Knight #19 (Marvel Comics)
By Mike Benson and Mark Texiera
Moon Knight deals with Black Spectre once and for all as this arc concludes. As if there was any doubt, Benson once again crafts strong scene after scene, all the while showing just how well he gets all of these characters. Here we see the humanity of Marc Spector more than any other issue of Moon Knight that Benson's done, and really shows the will, spirit, and internal struggle of the character. But the writing that stuck out most was the Black Spectre's dialogue, which was incredible. The issue of empowerment through love was surprisingly fitting here as well. I was really shocked with how the "big villain speech" was avoided here, and the simplicity of it was brilliant. Benson's shown himself to be well placed on this title, taking everything that was great about Huston's noir feel and mood, and ramping it up with even better characterization and dialogue. Moon Knight continues to be Marvel's best kept secret, and a dynamic read each month. I can't wait to see what else this title and Benson have in store for us.
Rating: 4/5 --Ben Lehnsherr
Night & Fog #1 (Studio 407)
by Alex Leung, Matthew Bradford, Roberto Castro, & JM Ringuet
New comic imprint Studio 407 launches with this title, and being it’s generally devoted to horror, I felt duty-bound to check out its first offering. It’s not bad, but I really hope we’re done with the set up, as this is so full of exposition and set up that it seems to take forever for the story to get off the ground. This is what we call plot overkill, because as soon as the threads are introduced, you can see where this is going. From the opening pages about Nazi super soldiers, you know where this is going. So why does it take almost all issue to start it up? I’m all for establishing background and creating atmosphere, but there’s such a thing as going overboard. (No pun intended.) The set up, for the uninitiated, is this: research into a “super soldier serum” at a super-secret American military base hidden in Canada goes awry during a maritime storm, after the rescue of civilians from a swamped fishing trawler. Horror ensues, but really only on one page. The art is a style I’m not fond of, it’s a bit messy, and the coloring is often so dark that it makes the situation worse. Again, I’m all for atmosphere, but if the reader can’t tell exactly what’s going on, that’s a problem. I have hopes that things will pick up from here, that we’ll hit the ground running now that the set up is out of the way, but keep in mind for next time that a little exposition can go a long way.
Rating: 2.5/5 --Andrea Speed
Rasl #2 (Cartoon Books)
By Jeff Smith
Rasl is an art thief. But his method of getting them is unique. He uses a piece of technology that enables him to shift through dimensions. Usually this leaves him feeling like hell, but now he’s been attacked by a mysterious man in black. Still, he manages to escape to familiar territory. He returns to Annie, a woman who obviously cares for him and allows him to crash at her house after his jobs. But Rasl is scared. Scared that ‘they’ are coming to get him or that he'll return to a different dimension. He doesn’t know what to do. But soon he realises that if he doesn’t come up with something fast it might not matter. This is a book that is light on details, such as who the enemy is and where Rasl got the pack that looks like Kirby-tech whacked out on peyote. But what I really enjoy is how ordinary Rasl is. He likes Annie, and he wants to be with her, but he needed some space to think. So where does he go? Well, let’s just say he ends up where all men usually do even at the worst of times and even if they have someone loving them at home. Jeff Smith certainly has a unique art style; it’s very clean but also skewed a bit. There was a lot of time between issues, but Jeff has created an intriguing premise, I can only hope that it can come out a more timely schedule.
Rating: 3.5/5 --Terry Verticchio
Sparks #1 (Catastrophic Comics)
By William Katt, Christopher Folino & J.M. Ringuet
William Katt joins the ranks of the "celebrity" comic book creators with Sparks, a drama about a superhero who has fallen from grace -- and fallen about as far as he can go. People who remember Katt from The Greatest American Hero will find this comic is about as far from that premise as you can get. The story begins with Sparks -- a beaten, battered hero -- stumbling into a newspaper office to report his own murder. From there, most of the issue bounces back in time to his origin and, more importantly, the girl he meets who will ultimately define his career. In short, it's another superhero "deconstruction," like we haven't seen enough of those. This one is better than most, though. So far the series hasn't really been about taking apart the idea of a superhero, but instead focuses on the supposed murder mystery, which is a smart way to go with this. The book doesn't really stand out, but folks who pick it up out of curiosity will find a fairly solid story to go with it.
Rating: 3.5/5 --Blake M. Petit
Star Wars: Legacy #25 (Dark Horse Comics)
By John Ostrander, Jan Duursema & Sean Cooke
In "The Hidden Temple," Cade Skywalker and his merry band of rogues are pulled out of a well-earned vacation to respond to the atrocities committed against the Mon Calimari. Cade's mission has become to destroy the Sith, but the Jedi he encounters this issue, surprisingly, may not agree with his methods. By the time of Legacy, the force-users have been split into three factions: the Jedi, the Sith, and the Imperial Knights. While the Jedi and the Imperials are ostensibly allies in the battle against the Sith, Cade's rage against the Sith doesn't seem to give him a place in any camp. The idea of the Imperial Knights is intriguing to me, and they haven't really been explored very much in this series thus far, so it's nice to see them getting a little more face time. Equally nice is seeing more of Cade's rejected Jedi past -- obviously an integral facet for the character, but one that still holds many secrets. Jan Duursema's artwork is as awesome as ever. Ostrander and Duursema have both been involved in some of the all-time best Star Wars comics, and having them together makes this the best being published currently.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
Superman/Batman #49 (DC Comics)
By Michael Green, Mike Johnson & Shane Davis
Ah, bless you Green and Johnson, this is how you tell stories of the World's Finest. With most of the Kryptonite rounded up and disposed of, it's time for Clark to tell Lana Lang what LexCorp has been up to behind her back... or was it? The confrontation here between Clark and Lana is absolutely perfect, with Superman showing a rare vicious streak (which is entirely forgivable under the circumstances). There was a moment where I was worried about characterization, but the writers not only addressed that in a single panel, they left me anxious to find out what's going to happen next. The conclusion helps really establish the status quo of Kryptonite in the DC Universe (and here's hoping the rest of the writers and editors pay attention and stick to it), and what's more, really helps to cement the relationship between the two heroes. It's evocative of the classic story where Superman gave Batman Luthor's Kryptonite ring, but a last-page reveal keeps it from being derivative. This is the best the title has been in 25 issues, and I hope these writers stick with us for the long haul.
Rating: 5/5 --Blake M. Petit
Tangent: Superman's Reign #4 (DC Comics)
By Dan Jurgens, Jamal Igle, Ron Marz & Fernando Pasarin
This issue clicks upward a bit as the Justice League of New Earth struggles to find a way to the Tangent Earth that the Flash and Green Lantern John Stewart have been whisked off to. On the other side, the Tangent Green Lantern senses Hal Jordan's efforts, but is more concerned about John, now in the clutches of the dictatorial Superman. The remaining heroes, meanwhile, return with the liberated, emaciated Atom, not knowing that Superman has found a way to keep tabs on the heroes. This issue, a third of the way into the series, really feels like the story has gotten into the groove. This issue is exciting, energetic, and feels like it has real consequences. Ron Marz's "History Lesson" back-up, similarly, is feeling more and more significant and exciting. The further this story progresses, the better I'm feeling about it.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
Zorro #4 (Dynamite Entertainment)
By Matt Wagner, Francesco Francavilla & Mike Mayhew
Matt Wagner really ratchets up the story this issue. Although young Diego has been learning the arts of swordsmanship and combat, his passion comes out in the form of a young woman. What happens to her, however, changes him forever. Here we finally come to the "tragic inciting incident" of the superhero origin story. (And make no mistake -- Zorro is a superhero. He was honestly one of the first.) While we've seen this basic framework told with hundreds of characters over the past century, Wagner still manages to give these scenes a punch. This is a really strong, emotional story. Zorro has a motivation and a weight that a lot of lesser interpretations of the character lack. The only scenes that kind of fall flat here, still, are the present-day sequences, which still tend to be pretty generic. I'm hoping once the origin is told Wagner takes the depth and power of that story and brings it to the adult "Fox" in his new adventures.
Rating: 4.5/5 --Blake M. Petit
June 22nd 2008, 04:16 AM
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