It’s that time again, friends. The weekend is here, we’ve got a few hours to kick back… and if you don’t have the diligent Comixtreme.com
Done-In-One review staff working for you, how will you know which comics are worth your time? There are plenty of new releases to sift through this week, from big event spin-offs to books that just exist to supplement other books, and everything in-between. Let’s get into it, shall we?
Atomic Robo: Shadow From Beyond Time #1 (Red 5 Comics)
By Brian Clevinger, Scott Wegener & Lauren Pettapiece
Atomic Robo returns! In this series, set back in 1926, Robo is working in Tesla's lab while the great scientist himself is out of town. Suddenly, two old associates of Tesla's show up desperate for help. A great darkness is coming, and with Tesla gone, is Robo bot enough to stop it? The two guest-stars in this issue help make it particularly memorable, and the threat is incredibly entertaining. Plus, as always, the artwork is beyond reproach. It's amazing how much emotion Wegener manages to convey in Robo's face when all he really has to work with is a pair of eyelids. As always, the book is exciting, entertaining, and a heck of a lot of fun. And best of all, it stands on its own pretty well, even if you've never read either of the previous Atomic Robo miniseries. There's also a short back-up with art by Lauren Pettapiece, an amusing piece that follows a pair of spin-off characters and provides some chuckles. Another fantastic issue. This book has become one of my favorites.
Rating: 5/5 --Blake M. Petit
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight #25 (Dark Horse Comics)
By Doug Petrie, Georges Jeanty & Jo Chen
After a series of bizarre transformations, Dawn morphs once again. This time, she's turned into a living doll (literally) and wound up in the clutches of a sort of derranged Gephetto who mixes her in with a mob of demonic playthings. As Buffy and company stage a rescue attempt, Andrew is on a search of his own, looking for the Thricewise that cast his spell on Dawn in the first place. It's kind of an apbrupt end to the storyline that's been set up for Dawn, to be honest, and it makes you wonder if this really is the end of that. While certain things are tied up, the question of how Dawn has been transformed emotionally remains, and in the long run, is far more compelling than seeing her as a giant or a centaur. Somehow, everything that's happened has to tie in to the rest of the arc, or it will just feel superfluous. This is a decent issue, but one where the full impact can't really be acertained as of yet.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
Cerebus Archive #1 (Aardvark-Vanaheim)
By Dave Sim, Stan Connerty
This is a book in serious need of a mission statement. With a name like Cerebus Archives, you'd logically expect... well... archives of Cerebus. A better name would be Dave Sim archives, as this is essentually a collection of some of his earliest work packed with commentary, extras, and even old rejection letters. It's actually an interesting idea, kind of like a series of DVD-style bonus features that would accompany Sim's other work. Of course, as this is early work, it's not nearly of the quality that his work would later achieve, so you're not really reading this for the work itself, but rather for the commentary. And that commentary is only of real interest for a die-hard Dave Sim fan. If you're a major fan of his work, this may be worth picking up. If your interest is more tenuous, it may be worth it to wait a few issues until he actually catches up with Cerebus.
Rating: 3/5 --Blake M. Petit
Farscape: Strange Detractors #2 (Boom! Studios)
By Rockne S. O'Bannon, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Will Sliney, & Zac Atkinson
The virus is onboard Moya, and now everybody's fighting. While it's hardly unusual for Jothee and Chiana or John and Aeryn to fight, the fact that Moya and Pilot are fighting raises an eyebrow briefly before everyone devolves into their own squabbles. These fights eventually become (briefly) physical, leading them to miss out on the news that the virus has inflicted the Hynerian homeworld – a plot point I'm sure, as it would make sense if this virus was unleashed by those opposed to Rygel. (Scorpius anyone?) The artwork is still pleasant, although Aeryn especially looked painfully plastic in some panels, to the point where I wondered if we were supposed to believe she'd had a severe facelift or Botox or something. The coloring is bright and cheerful. A good miniseries so far, but this issue felt like it was a little light on story.
Rating: 3.5/5 --Andrea Speed
Final Crisis Aftermath: Run! #1 (DC Comics)
By Matthew Sturges, Freddie Williams II, Kako
You know what must suck? Being a supervillain in a world where all the heroes want to hunt you down for killing one of their own and all the villains want to hunt you down for getting them involved in a plot that nearly destroyed the world (which, let's face it, not even the villains actually want to do most of the time). Here's where the Human Flame is now, on the run from everybody, pulling together pieces from his former life just to stay above water. Matthew Sturges has a demanding task. It's a chase story without a likeable protagonist. Even the reader wants to see the Human Flame stomped for what he did, so the goal here is to make the journey as exciting and compelling as possible, and thus far, he's succeeding. We see this issue just how reprehensible the man really is, and now we're anxious to see what will happen to him next. Freddie Williams, as always, turns in a very solid job on the artwork. The first of the four Aftermath titles starts pretty well here.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
Hack/Slash: Entry Wound #1 (Devil's Due Publishing)
By Tim Seeley & Mike Norton
This self-contained, low-priced one-shot is intended as a sort of introduction into Cassie Hack's world. Off in another universe somewhere, there's a massive "Crisis"-esque battle taking place between a legion of spooky heroes (including the likes of Proof, The Living Corpse, Mercy Sparx and Halloween Man) against a woman that would have given H.P. Lovecraft nightmares. As that battle rages, the woman's power resurrects a monster back on Earth, and Cassie and Vlad go to work to take him down. This is a really accessible book, and it's a pretty amusing concept. It's like reading one of the spin-off chapters to a crossover that was never printed, and it's cool to see so many of the current crop of creepy superheroes making cameos in the book. The focus on Cassie and Vlad, though, is just as easily something that could have fit into their regular series as a standalone story. We, the reader, know the larger story, but Cassie doesn't and wouldn't care if she did. It's also nice to see Tim Seeley handling the art on the book, something he rarely does these days as he's busy writing it. If you've never read Hack/Slash, this is a solid introduction to a great series. Give it a shot.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
Irredeemable #2 (Boom! Studios)
By Mark Waid, Peter Krause & John Cassaday
One of the Plutonian's former teammates seeks out the former hero's former girlfriend. The interview opens up a lot of hints about the Plutonian's former life, giving the remaining heroes a shred of hope when it comes to stopping his mad, murderous rampage. There's a lot of "former" going on in this issue, but this is a title where the unrevealed backstory really is vital to the plot. Without understanding just why the Plutonian has gone bonkers, the story would be shallow and wouldn't ring true. Instead, Mark Waid has taken the classic Superman/Lois Lane dynamic and turned it on its ear, with a woman who has a reaction way out of left field compared to Lois, and we see how her anger and derision helps to compound the resentment the Plutonian already felt toward a human race that didn't appreciate him. This book is a delicate balance between action story and character drama, but Waid walks that line well. It's also a real treat to have Peter Krause back. I was a big fan of his back in the Power of Shazam! days, and he clearly hasn't lost a step in the years since then. The present-day versions of the characters really ring true as "darkened" versions of the bright heroes of the past, and the dual visuals of the book tell the story very well. This book is really highly recommended.
Rating: 4.5/5 --Blake M. Petit
Jonah Hex #43 (DC Comics)
By Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray & Paul Gulacy
One thing you've got to say about this series is that it's always trying different things. Most of the time, that's a good thing. This time, it's a bit of a misstep. In "The Hyde House Massacre," Hex is hired to rescue two people being held captive by a group of old-fashioned western-style bandits. The rescue attempt doesn't work as planned, though, and the terms of his service come into question. This book begins as a "silent" issue, with no dialogue for over half the book (with one short exception). Then, in the last third of the issue, the word balloons show up again and it becomes a more conventional issue. The transition is terribly jarring. You get into a certain groove when reading a silent issue. It's not easy to do, and Palmiotti and Gray did a good job, but when the final act turns into a standard comic, it loses something. It may have been better served to do this as a two-parter, with one silent issue and the follow-up expanded to a full story on its own. Paul Gulacy's artwork, at least, is wonderful. His style suits the world of Jonah Hex very well. Usually, this is one of the best comics on the stands. This issue falters just a little.
Rating: 3.5/5 --Blake M. Petit
The Mighty #4 (DC Comics)
By Peter J. Tomasi, Keith Champagne, Peter Snejbjerg & Dave Johnson
After some thrilling heroics, Cole invites Alpha One home for dinner. The boys trade war stories, Alpha opens up a little, and Cole's wife gets more worried about his new path in life. When she tries to express her fears, though, Alpha One totally misinterprets her... and I don't mean an amusing, "Three's Company"-style misunderstanding. The more I read about this, the more I'm thinking that Alpha One isn't exactly as big a creep as he seems. It's more likely, I think, that he honestly doesn't have the slightest idea how to interact with the human race, and he bases his interactions on TV shows, books, comics -- whatever imput he can get his hands on. And as such, he does things that come across as pretty damn creepy. This book has turned into a rather brilliant character study of a man who isn't really part of the human race and the human who is beginning to understand that, even if he doesn't want to admit it. Tomasi and Champagne are really creating a compelling drama that just happens to feature a superhero. Peter snejbjerg's artwork, also, is fantastic. Wonderful, expressive faces, dynamic action, and some seriously ominous moments that all roll together to make a wonderful comic book.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
Phonogram: The Singles Club #2 (Image Comics)
By Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, Matthew Wilson, Emma Vieceli, & Daniel Heard
Marc has a problem. Being a trendy indie music hipster isn't it, although some people might see it that way. No, his problem is he's been cursed ... in a manner of speaking. There's this one song that constantly brings back memories of an old girlfriend, and in a very real, distracting, almost crippling way. If he hears the song, he relives past moments, so a night out to the club with a friend turns out to be an unpleasant experience. This issue ties into issue one in a unique way, showing us characters who passed through in the background and their story, and brings to life the common problem of associating songs with people and times in your life, and carries it out into the arena of regrets and self-reflection. The art is just right, with the colors fading ghostlike as we wander into the realms of memory. There are two back up stories featuring Kate Bush and Diamanda Galas, at least as influences if nothing else. A strong issue.
Rating: 4/5 --Andrea Speed
Seaguy: The Slaves of Mickey Eye #2 (DC Comics/Vertigo)
By Grant Morrison & Cameron Stewart
Seaguy has no idea what’s going on. His world is being turned every which way by outside and malevolent forces, bent on his mental collapse and finally his death. But he manages in spite of all the attempts to make him submit to keep his head on straight. This is actually a very accessible issue, in that it’s quite obvious that the forces of Mickey Eye want Seaguy to give up his relentless attempts to be a hero and think for himself, they want him to be one of the flock. However, the means and methods of his submission is quintessential Morrison. I mean, “Bull Dressers”? Totally off the wall wackiness. The art by Cameron Stewart is excellent and very appropriate for this type of story. If you want a story that is nothing like the norm, that makes you scratch your head and wonder what the heck the writer is smoking and where can you get some? Then Seaguy is for you.
Rating: 4/5 --Terry Verticchio
Shrapnel #5 (Boom! Studios)
By M.Zachary Sherman, Bagus Humoto, & Leos “Okita” Ng
It's the battle to end all battles, as the resistance clashes with the Alliance's marines, and everything goes bad very quickly. Sam is forced to make a desperate, hard choice, as lots of stuff blows up and many people are killed. The battles move from the planet's surface to in orbit, and it's just not pretty. Although there are some action movie cliches on display (I especially like someone sacrificing their life because the hero is needed by their people), this is a well written story that moves well and comes to a good end. The art, while atmospheric and more lucid than in the beginning of this series, still serves up some muddled fight scenes, where it's hard to tell who is doing what to whom. Stuff happens, but you only know who's getting the worst of it from the dialog. Still, a good series, and it's hard to knock hard military sci-fi, an underserved genre if there ever was one.
Rating: 4/5 --Andrea Speed
May 9th 2009, 01:05 PM
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