Sunday, Monday, Happy Days! Tuesday, Wednesday, Happy Days! Thursday, Friday, Happy Days! SATURDAY! DONE-IN-ONES! Lots of new comic reviews!
Ahem. Point is, here are a bunch of quick reviews of comics we haven’t got full reviews of. Please enjoy at your leisure.
Air #1 (DC Comics/Vertigo)
By G. Willow Wilson & M.K. Perker
At this point, I'm willing to try almost any Vertigo comic for at least an arc. Sometimes I stick with them, sometimes I give up, but the imprint has enough currency that it's worth a read. Air #1 may be the most intriging first issue since Fables. We're met with a stewardess, Blythe, who suffers from severe acrophobia -- the fear of flying. The issue flashes back to her earliest encounters with the man she ultimately falls in love with, a man whose identity and nationality changes as often as his underwear, and winds up joining his fight against a radical group dedicated to eliminating terrorists -- at all costs. While this is almost certainly a book that wouldn't have been as effective pre-911, it's not a book that really capitalizes on that tragedy either. The tenor that air travel has taken on in the past seven years is essential to the backdrop, but the book really feels like it's about something more than that. I'm not really sure what just yet, but I'm certainly interested enough to come back for issue two. Vertigo has more than convinced me that this may be their next book to watch.
Rating: 4.5/5 --Blake M. Petit
Archie #588 (Archie Comics)
By Batton Lash & Bill Galvan
Archie's take on the "year one" concept continues! It's the first week of Archie Andrews's first year at Riverdale High, and things aren't going great. His best friend, Jughead, has moved away, the school bullies have made him into a target, and if that wasn't enough, his old elementary school principal, Mr. Weatherbee, has followed him to high school. Lash actually does a really great job of capturing the 9th-grade American Experience. Archie is in that stage where he wants to be older, but he really isn't yet. He needs his best buddy, but has to settle for a runner-up. The rest of the gang undergoes the same challenges -- Veronica and Reggie get intimidated walking into what turns out to be a hangout for upper classmen, Moose meets the girl of his dreams, and in the end, a good friend saves the day. While this book still has the simplicity and the charm of the core concept, it's wonderfully true to life. Lash has also succeeded in creating strong standalone stories that link into the larger narrative. Bill Galvan's art is great too -- he manages to make the gang noticably smaller, physically, without making them look like little kids. This book works on virtually every level, and you've just gotta applaud Archie Comics for taking such a chance on a story that is totally paying off.
Rating: 5/5 --Blake M. Petit
DC/Wildstorm: Dreamwar #5 (DC Comics/Wildstorm)
By Keith Giffen, Lee Garbett, Trevor Scott & Gene Ha
So the "big secret" about the DC heroes that we've suspected for some time -- that they aren't really "our" DC heroes but rather mental projections of a kid who thinks the heroes of his own world aren't good enough -- has been confirmed. What "Chimera Lad" didn't count on, though, was that the essential nature of the heroes he conjured up would overcome his programming and put them on the side of Wildstorm's own heroes. As the faux-Superman, Justice League, Teen Titans and Legion of Super-Heroes realize they should actually be on the side of the Authority and the Wildcats, Chimera decides that maybe it's time to bring out the bad guys to join the fight. There's actually some good action in here, but it's a little weak as a penultimate issue. Giffen actually tries to explain why Majestic -- who has met these heroes before -- didn't recognize them, but the answer kind of comes across as an afterthought. Really strong artwork by Garbett and Scott elevates the book, and I do feel like we've got a strong platform for the finale next month.
Rating: 3.5/5 --Blake M. Petit
Doctor Who: The Forgotten #1 (IDW Publishing)
By Tony Lee, Pia Guerra & Nick Roche
The first arc of the Doctor Who ongoing was just okay. The first issue of this new miniseries was considerably better than that. The Doctor wakes up with Martha in a strange museum, including an exhibit featuring his nine earlier incarnations. Suddenly, he loses his memories of everything that happened before his first regeneration. As Martha tries to use the artifacts of Doctors past to spark his memory, the shadowy figure responsible for his predicament lays down the next leg of his plan. I really loved this book. It appears this series is going to give us a chance not only to examine the earlier Doctors, but perhaps to find out more about the fates of his companions. The underlying mystery still feels kind of like a Macguffin at this point, but Lee has time to develop it more. Pia Guerra, fresh from her legendary run on Y: The Last Man, turns in some wonderful artwork here, capturing the essences of the actors who originated these characters, but still managing to make the artwork work as a comic book. It's a tough trick, and she handles it with aplomb. This is easily the best Doctor Who comic IDW has produced so far.
Rating: 4.5/5 --Blake M. Petit
The Last Defenders #6 (Marvel Comics)
By Joe Casey and Jim Muniz
This mini-series wraps up with the resolution of the how Richmond fits in with this team and what members make the final roster, as well as what role Yandroth really had in mind. I was surprised by how well all these crazy plot threads Casey had cooking ended up tying together so well. Much like the rest of the series, the issue is fast paced and far from decompressed. There's also a nice lil' twist involving Kyle himself that if you told me before, I'd have told I'd hate it, but I ended up being a big fan reading it play out. I'm definitely interested in how this role plays out in the future. I really like the final roster, and its pretty obvious that there are more plans down the road for this group. Once again, Muniz does a fantastic job on art, both in the loud and quite scenes. At the end of the day, this series was definitely a different animal that most team origin minis, but darn if it wasn't an entertaining one. If you missed this book, I recommend you get out and get the trade or the singles.
Rating: 4/5 --Ben Lehhnsherr
Madman Atomic Comics #10 (Image Comics)
By Michael Allred & Laura Allred
Madman visits his estranged "father," Dr. Flem, to ask for his help in separating Luna from Joe, and maybe even bringing back Adam. What he discovers, though, is that Flem has been sitting on information about his past -- and it's a revelation that Frank Einstein doesn't take very well at all. Mike Allred has always flirted with the former life of the man now called Frank Einstein, but Zane Townsend has never really felt like much of a character in his own right. If this story arc fleshes him out a little bit, I think that'll be a really good thing. The Allreds' artwork is also at the absolute top of their game. Mike's linework is sharp, clear, and imaginative, and Laura's colors are absolutely wonderful. It's a great looking book, and the story is getting pretty intriguing in its own right.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
Skrulls Vs. Power Pack #2 (Marvel Comics)
By Fred Van Lente, Cory Hamscher, Gurihiru & Chris Giarrusso
The Power kids have been whisked away to the Patchworld Synod, but a timely intervention by their buddy Franklin Richards sets them free again. Now the question is, how do they prove their innocence? Well, evidently, by going bad. It actually makes a weird kind of sense when Jack Power explains it. This book maintains the simple sense of fun that has made this series of mini-series so much fun since it was relaunched a couple of years ago. Franklin has been a really welcome addition to the cast as well, and even HERBIE gets a knee-slapper moment in here. In addition to another fine tale of the 'Pack, Chris Giarrusso continues his Mini-Marvels interpretation of a Skrull invasion. Having a Skrull Fantastic Four facing off against the real (mini) one is amusing enough, but every page in this sequence is a hysterical joke in its own right. The book would be worth buying just for the Mini-Marvels tale. Plenty of fun for any comic fan.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
Stormwatch PHD #13 (Wildstorm/DC Comics)
By Ian Edginton and Leandro Fernandez
First off, I'd like to say that I've never read a single issue of Stormwatch until this World's End tie-in. Despite this, I found the beginning of this issue rarely new reader friendly, and it had the perfect sobering post apocalyptic feel to it that had me really digging it...but sadly, the book turns into to run of the mill superhero material from there. As a new reader, nothing really grabbed me and made me want to come back, and the last page was far from exciting. The book literally went downhill in quality from the beginning to the end. There were nice little touches in the plot here and there, but they were spread too thin across the issue. At least the art was solid, as Fernandez made a good effort despite the script given. I like that outside of Gen13, all the other World's End art looks pretty similar book to book, and having the same colorist on all three doesn't hurt either. What I figured and was afraid of with World's End is turning out to be true, that being that the freshest, best quality stuff from it is in the new books (Authority, Wildcats) and the other two were just tacked for the ride (this book and Gen13). I can't really recommend this one, as its just another run of the mill, middle of the road book despite being in a universe in a new direction.
Rating: 2/5 --Ben Lehhnsherr
Tangent: Superman's Reign #6 (DC Comics)
By Dan Jurgens, Jamal Igle, Ron Marz, Fernando Pasarin & Matt Haley
The Spectre and Plastic Man of Earth-Tangent, trying to convince our Batman to join them in overthrowing the tyrant Superman, wind up sending the Dark Knight into the heart of Superman's enterprise to try to find answers about what's really going on. Meanwhile, Lori Lemaris -- formerly the Joker -- is offered a chance to get back in the game, but her previous identity may not be what she wants at this point. This is kind of a slow issue, without much interaction between the two worlds save for Batman himself. Of more interest is the back-up story, in which we learn (or are reminded of) the various possible origins of the Tangent Green Lantern. She's certainly coming across as the key character in this storyline -- one way or another things are going to hinge on her. It's just a bit confusing how, exactly. Igle and Pasarin deliver handily on the artwork, but on the whole, I could have done with a bit more progression this month.
Rating: 3.5/5 --Blake M. Petit
Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #693 (Gemstone Publishing)
By Michael T. Gilbert, Francisco Rodriguez Peinado, Noel Van Horn, Paul Murry, John Lustig, Daan Jippes, Jeff Hamill, Cesar Ferioli & Carl Barks
Gemstone has put together a pretty good package this month, including a couple of classics, two confrontations with Donald and Neighbor Jones, and one of my favorite Mickey stories in a long time. In "The Odd Couple," Donald and his arch-nemesis neighbor wind up as roommates on an ocean cruise and, predictably, hilarity ensues. The clash between these two is always very entertaining to me, and I wish we got to see it more often. "Prometheus" features Mickey, Goofy and Horace getting caught in a cave during a rainstorm. This one didn't work so well for me -- even with the outside forces that were effecting them, they seemed kind of out-of-character to me (for instance, the five-dollar words Goofy was using just didn't seem right coming out of his mouth). "Cluck and the Beanstalk" is an old tale of the Big Bad Wolf, who takes inspiration from Jack's magic means to try to put one over on B'rer Bear, but as usual, things don't go as planned. "Are You Really You?" is a Daisy Duck's Diary story in which a case of mistaken identity at a costume party creates chaos. This was my least favorite story this issue -- Daisy seemed a bit too unlikable, too domineering, and while that's okay to a degree, I think this story went too far. "Once Upon a Dog," though, more than makes up for it. When Mickey is asked how he got Pluto, it turns out everyone has a different recollection of the event. The only one who knows the truth, predictably, isn't talking. This is a really good, sweet story that works wonderfully. Finally, Donald and Neighbor Jones go at each other again in Carl Barks's "The Purloined Putty." A dispute over some putty escalates in the way only a Donald/Jones war possibly can. The better stories are weighed down a bit by the weak ones, but overall, I still liked this issue.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
August 23rd 2008, 04:45 PM
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