DONE-IN-ONE REVIEWS: MARCH 14, 2009

[Blake Petit]

Welcome once again to the Comixtreme.com Done-In-One review thread. For newcomers, each week the CX staff takes a look at all the new releases not covered by our usual reviewers and gives you as many short, capsule reviews as we can. It’s the most diverse collection of comic reviews you can find on the internet, and it’s time to do it all over again!

Angel #18 (IDW Publishing)
By Kelley Armstrong, Dave Ross, & Charlie Kirc****

Finally I get an issue of Angel I can review on time .... and I'm not sure I should review it. Why? Because I was seriously underwhelmed by this issue. While After The Fall was quite good, this struck me as middling at best. For new readers who may have missed After The Fall, there's a quick recap of the new status quo, and Angel's ambivalence at being a famous hero in Los Angeles. Kate returns, acting rather unlike Kate, wearing perhaps the most absurd costume I've seen in some time (police uniform crossed with a sexy cop Halloween costume – what the hell is that? And why wear a bulletproof vest and leave your bare midriff exposed? That makes no sense at all. That's begging everybody to take a shot at your gut). New characters are introduced, but it all seems rather limp and uninviting. The art doesn't help matters at all – good with demon and cityscapes, it's poor with people. I kept wondering who thought it was a good idea that Angel always looked sleepy or constipated (or both) and Kate looked like a wide eyed waif with unruly sexpot hair. The coloring was really nice, though. Maybe it's just me, but I felt let down by this issue.
Rating: 2.5/5 --Andrea Speed

City of Dust #5 (Radical Publishing)
By Steve Niles, Brandon Chng, Zid, Garrie Gastonny, Buddy Jiang, Leos Ng “Okita”, & Sixth Creation

The end is nigh as all the monsters come out to play, and Phil and his crew find out how you destroy them. I have to admit I'm a little confused as to how a robot can be programmed to self-destruct if exposed to sunlight, but you know, what the hell? You either buy the entire premise or you don't, and I can go that far. Why would they program these weaknesses into their 'bots? Well, why not? If they were very anal about specifically following the myths, they could. People die, 'bots die, and Phil has an awakening, and it seems like a potentially new series is born. The art is really good, although a little stiff at times. This didn't quite end the way I thought it would, so I'll give Niles credit for that, but I don't know if I find Phil the type of character I'd like to follow around.
Rating: 3.5/5 --Andrea Speed

DMZ #40 (DC Comics/Vertigo)
By Brian Wood & Riccardo Burchielli

Matty Roth is mad as hell and he’s not going to take it any more. He’s not angry at the fact that Parco Delgado made some shady deals with his opponents to acquire a nuke to give his administration real teeth, Matty is angry that he was kept out of the loop. So much so that he makes a fateful decision about the direction of his life. Not only are his impartial days over, but so are his days as a follower of power. Matty is now prepared to take the reins of power himself and take control of his destiny. Wow, this issue certainly marks a shift in the overall dynamic of this story. Matty has turned 180 degrees in how he’s approaching life in the DMZ. But then after 40 issues something had to change, and personally I like where this is going; its about time that Matty finally acknowledge the influence he has in the DMZ and I can’t wait to see what Matty will do with it. Highly recommended.
Rating: 4/5 —Terry Verticchio

Hexed #3 (Boom! Studios)
By Michael Alan Nelson, Emma Rios, & Cris Peter

Lucifer discovers what Dietrich wants in the Harlot's realm, and how come her magic seems useless against him. (You know he's going to be sorry he revealed that secret.) Dietrich shows what a putz he is and Lucifer traps him in the Harlots realm, leading to a mad scramble to try and save Val, if at all possible. This involves a car chase with a bad guy goon stuck in the windshield and a ten car and helicopter police chase, which is pretty funny. Can't do anything quietly, can she? Still she's gotten out of worse scrapes than that, and proves it, but she'll need to get out of more before this story is through. The art still has a loose feel to it, emphasized by the almost psychedelic coloring this time out, but it's appropriate to the story and gives the book a unique look. I have a feeling I know how this one's going to end, but it'll be worth waiting to find out.
Rating: 4/5 --Andrea Speed

Galveston #4 (Boom! Studios)
By Johanna Stokes, Todd Herman, & Digikore Studios

This miniseries wraps up – wraps up really fast, in fact. It's almost all fight scenes, but for some reason they're kind of anemic. Maybe because you can guess what happens before it occurs, and the art's no help at all. Jean and Jim face off with Cyrus and his men, but it's hardly a contest, especially when Jim's friends get involved. Madeline is rescued, and all's well that ends well. Just like the action buddy comedy this aspired to be. And while for the most part it's been an enjoyable bit of fun, the art has never been to my liking, and that continues here. It's not as messy as it has been, but it works best with landscapes, not people. An average end to what could have been a better series.
Rating: 2.5/5 --Andrea Speed

PS 238 #38 (Do-Gooder Press)
By Aaron Williams

It's the first-ever sporting event between two schools of superhero kids, as PS 238 takes on the Praetorian Academy in a soccer match for the ages. As the kids on the field find an old friend among the opponents, in the stands Tyler, Cecil and the Flea discover someone is watching the game from the sky. While there are certainly a lot of elements here that play into the ongoing plot threads -- the current status of the former Captain Clarinet, for example -- for the most part this is a really solid standalone story. The soccer match is a nice way to show the contrast between the superhero kids and what should be an utterly normal activity. It helps remind us that most of these kids are basically normal, except for their superpowers. The action stuff works too, and the Flea is one of the funniest characters to show up in comics in years. Williams' art tells the story perfectly, lots of nice visual gags and lots of really effective action. There are some nice back-up strips as well, from Williams' Full Frontal Nerdity and Backward Compatible lines, including a particularly funny gag with Lex Luthor visiting Norman Osborn. The little tidbits at the end are a great added value to a comic that's already one of the best in the stores.
Rating: 4.5/5 --Blake M. Petit

The Stand: American Nightmares #1 (Marvel comics))
By Stephen King, Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa, Mike Perkins & Laura Martin

Act II of The Stand begins here. Captain Trips, the Superflu, has run its course. Almost everyone in the civilized world is dead, and the few survivors -- those with an unexplained immunity to the virus -- begin to try to pick up the pieces. Larry Underwood encounters a fellow survivor in Manhattan, Nick Andros fulfills his duty as a deputy, Frannie finds a familiar face has also survived the disease, and Stu Redman looks for a way out of the government facility where he's been trapped since the outbreak began. This is a solid issue, particularly the sequence with Fran trying to bury her father (which itself was one of the deepest, most emotional parts of the novel). Aquirre-Sacasa still relies a bit too heavily on the captions taken from Stephen King's text, but there's more actual dialogue and character interaction here, so he's at least going in the right direction. Mike Perkins and Laura Martin's artwork is nearly flawless -- it's rich, it's moody, and the characters look like real people. I'm still enjoying this adaptation.
Rating: 3.5/5 --Blake M. Petit

Super Human Resources #1 (Ape Entertainment)
By Ken Marcus & Justin Bleep

You thought your last temp job sucked? Try getting summoned to work at Super Crises International, the corporate headquarters of the Mighty Super Crises Squad. This first issue of a clever workplace comedy shows us an office full of superheroes, "reformed" supervillains, ninjas, posions, robots, and plenty of other things that would make you grateful to be crunching numbers in your own cubicle. The problem with this first issue is that there isn't really much story here. It's a wonderful introduction to a very funny environment, but as of yet, there isn't much of a plot. It isn't until the very last page that we se something that implies anything is going on behind-the-scenes, something that shows us things are actually happening. It's a funny issue, and I look forward to the rest of the series, but there should have been a bigger focus on the story here.
Rating: 3.5/5 --Blake M. Petit

Super Zombies #1 (Dynamite Entertainment)
By Marc Guggenheim, Vince Gonzales & Mel Rubi

I picked up this book because I usually enjoy Marc Guggenheim's work, but if there's any more evidence we need that the zombie craze has reached its apex, this is it. Super Zombies #1 comes across as a typical zombie story that happens to take place in a typical superhero universe, with only the fact that the two phenomena share a mutual origin to give the book any originality at all. Unfortunately, this issue doesn't really use that much. In all fairness, the way it's structured I do expect it to play more heavily into the rest of the miniseries, but we don't see enough here to really compel us to keep reading. The characters are bland, generic heroes with bland, generic names, not unlike the series itself. Mel Rubi's artwork is pretty good, and tells the story, but there isn't enough of that story to keep me wanting to come back.
Rating: 2.5/5 --Blake M. Petit

The Walking Dead #59 (Image Comics)
By Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard

Rick's old friend Morgan has gone a little mad with the transformation of his son into a zombie, but they take him with them anyway. After raiding Rick's former police station for supplies, the men begin the trek back to the rest of their group -- but the obstacles in their way may prove to be too much to handle. This series really is like reading a novel. Some issues are full of action. Others, like this one, are usually pretty quiet. If it weren't for the final sequence, it would almost feel like filler. Not to say it isn't good stuff -- the bulk of this issue is about character development, particularly for Morgan and, to a lesser degree, the others. For a lot of books, it would feel like a wasted issue, but Kirkman has done an excellent job of making us invest in these characters. There's nothing wasted here, not really. As always, the book works on every level.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit

Wolverine: First Class #12 (Marvel Comics)
By Fred Van Lente, Scott Koblish, & Ulises Arreola

This is basically the X-Men meets (a more family friendly) Cthulhu mythos, and it's cute and fun. Camping out on an island Magneto used as a hideout, Kitty discovers the sniping Cyclops/Wolvie dynamic, and goes off exploring with Cyke. There's a monster that seems rather immune to their mutant powers, and a bit of soul searching, as the Professor gives Kitty a choice of mentors: Wolverine or Cyclops. It's not a surprise which one she chooses, as his name isn't in the title. The artwork has a somewhat old fashioned look to it that some people will find appealing and some people won't. I was somewhere in the middle, thinking it was stronger at certain times and weaker in other spots (Kitty's facial expressions are a bit over-exaggerated), but the Cthulhu monster and statues were nicely done. Not earth shaking, but a solid issue.
Rating: 3.5/5 --Andrea Speed

[Ben Lehnsherr]

Always trust Andrea to say "Cthulhu" at some point in any of her reviews.

[Andrea Speed]

Hey, it was a coincidence this time!

[B. Schatz]

Kelley Armstrong writes prose werewolf porn. I think. I expected about this much, sadly.

[Blake Petit]

Originally Posted by B. Schatz

Kelley Armstrong writes prose werewolf porn. I think. I expected about this much, sadly.

This... this is a phrase I never expected to read.

[Andrea Speed]

Kelley Armstrong writes prose werewolf porn. I think. I expected about this much, sadly.

Really? Well, now I have a bit more respect for him/her. (I imagine writing werewolf porn is difficult. I mean, where do the paws go? And don't get me started on the tails ...)

[B. Schatz]

Totally a lady writer. And by werewolf porn, I'm talking more like... Laurell K. Hamilton style. But with werewolves.

[Andrea Speed]

Totally a lady writer. And by werewolf porn, I'm talking more like... Laurell K. Hamilton style. But with werewolves.

Ah. Thanks for the gender update.

And yeah, not my preferred reading choice at all, so no wonder I have no idea who she is. Although I hear this goth romance stuff is very popular right now ...

[virtuadept]

Originally Posted by Blake Petit

Hexed #3 (Boom! Studios)
By Michael Alan Nelson, Emma Rios, & Cris Peter

Lucifer discovers what Dietrich wants in the Harlot's realm, and how come her magic seems useless against him. (You know he's going to be sorry he revealed that secret.) Dietrich shows what a putz he is and Lucifer traps him in the Harlots realm, leading to a mad scramble to try and save Val, if at all possible. This involves a car chase with a bad guy goon stuck in the windshield and a ten car and helicopter police chase, which is pretty funny. Can't do anything quietly, can she? Still she's gotten out of worse scrapes than that, and proves it, but she'll need to get out of more before this story is through. The art still has a loose feel to it, emphasized by the almost psychedelic coloring this time out, but it's appropriate to the story and gives the book a unique look. I have a feeling I know how this one's going to end, but it'll be worth waiting to find out.
Rating: 4/5 --Andrea Speed

I tried #1 and #2 of this online and just can't get past the stupid name of the protagonist. Stupid. Name. There were a few fun moments but I just wasn't really digging it overall. I'm not sure if it was the art or the story or both.

[Andrea Speed]

Lucifer? Eh, you get used to it.

And the art style is something you have to get used to. I wasn't sure about it at first, but it's grown on me.

[virtuadept]

I'm sure I could get used to it but it just felt contrived, like "we have to put something controversial in here for no good reason" to me. Who knows, maybe it will come out later that it actually made sense to call her that.

[Andrea Speed]

I'm sure I could get used to it but it just felt contrived, like "we have to put something controversial in here for no good reason" to me. Who knows, maybe it will come out later that it actually made sense to call her that.

If so, that was ages and ages ago. She's a character originally introduced in the Fall of Cthulhu series. (This isn't a sequel, it's a spin off.)