It's Saturday, it's Done-In-One time, and we've got another diverse collection of comics and reviews. Kids' books, movie adaptations, westerns, sci-fi, monsters, Black Lanterns, and even a few good old fashioned superheroes are waiting right here, so roll up your sleeves and delve in.
Archie's Double Digest #203 (Archie Comics)
By Melanie J. Morgan, Norm Breyfogle, and others
Archie Comics is reportedly going to retire the "new look" experiment after the next story runs in Pals 'n Gals Double Digest, which I personally think is a shame. There have been some interesting stories told in this format, and this one isn't too bad. As the Andrews search for a new house in Martinsville, Archie accidentally lets it slip to his father that he doesn't want to move away from Riverdale. As the Andrews sit down for an important family meeting at a hauntingly familiar diner, the rest of the gang back in Riverdale decide to throw the Andrews the greatest going-away party of all time. The end of this story is somewhat predictable -- not only do we get the expected result, but it comes about pretty much exactly as we would have expected. The scene in the "Bizarro Pop Tate's" diner is funny, though, and helps elevate the story a bit. The rest of the digest, as usual, is full of short stories from Archie's 60-plus year deep catalogue, and as always, they're of varying quality. We do get a nice little block of Little Archie stories, which speaks to the child in me quite strongly. Overall, it's a fun little book and a solid, if not shocking, way to end the "Goodbye Forever" story.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
Batman: The Widening Gyre #3 (DC Comics)
By Kevin Smith, Walter Flanagan & Bill Sienkiewicz
After Robin lends a hand taking out Cornelius Stirk, Batman realizes he needs to rediscover Bruce Wayne, and the best way to do that is to throw himself into his relationship with Silver St. Cloud. Spending days relaxing on the beach with her and nights tearing up the streets of Gotham City makes for a more satisfying life than Batman has known in a very long time. The new hero who has been popping up makes another appearance, and for the first time, has a real conversation with our hero. I like this new character, and I hope we get to really explore him. While Smith's grasp of some of the other characters is a little iffy, he does well with his original character. I also like having Silver back. She may not be the most well-known of Batman's many girlfriends, but other than Catwoman, she's the one who always seems to be the best fit for Bruce. This book is getting better.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
Cinderella: From Fabletown With Love #1 (DC Comics/Vertigo)
By Chris Roberson, Shawn McManus & Chrissie Zullo
The exploration of the Fables universe continues with a new miniseries focusing on the top secret agent Fabletown has to offer. Magical objects are making their way into Mundy hands, and Beast turns to Cinderella to track down the source and shut it down. The story follows the classic James Bond formula, kicking things off with the conclusion of a previous adventure before turning into the new one. We see her turn to her friends for help, with Beast playing M and Frau Totenkinder in the Q role. Even a couple of the non-human Fables find a way to get in on the fun. I loved this book. Roberson has a great feeling for the world Bill Willingham created, and it's always a treat to see new art by Shawn McManus. Chrissie Zullo is a new name, but she put together a fantastic cover for this issue. The march of hits from the Fables brand continues.
Rating: 4.5/5 --Blake M. Petit
Donald Duck and Friends #347 (Boom! Kids)
By Fausto Vitaliano & Andrea Freccero
In part one of "Double Duck," Donald gets in trouble with Daisy for -- once again -- falling asleep on their date. As if she isn't mad enough, when they get outside Donald finds his car booted and marked for a ticket he doesn't even remember getting. As he investigates his vehicular troubles, a stranger appears with a startling revelation... Donald Duck has had his memory erased. He's really a secret agent -- and he's needed to once again save the world. This issue really is a lot of fun. This is the kind of story where the Disney characters work very well, starting at the usual status quo and then quickly whipping them into a fantastic adventure that goes outside of their comfort zone. Out of the four classic Disney relaunches, this may be my favorite thus far.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
Doom Patrol #4 (DC Comics)
By Keith Giffen, Justiniano, J.M. DeMatteis & Kevin Maguire
The Blackest Night falls upon the Doom Patrol, as the late members of the team rise and turn their thirst for hearts on the living -- and those who have escaped death. As Niles Caulder deals with his ex-wife, Elasti-Girl faces Tempest and Robotman comes across a particularly personal corpse. This marks the first Blackest Night comic I haven't wholly enjoyed. It's not even that there's necessarily anything bad -- and Justiniano's art is very good -- it's just that I don't particularly have a connection to these characters. More than anything else Blackest Night is about emotion, so if you don't feel for the characters, it doesn't quite click. With the exception of the Robotman stuff, which I do find quite curious, it's all kind of blah. The Metal Men backup, however, is a different story. With both characters and a creative team I love, the idea of three bald Barbie Doll robots going on a rampage is very funny, and the story works extremely well. If Metal Men was the main feature and Doom Patrol the backup, I'd strongly consider adding this to my pull folder on a regular basis. As it is, I'll probably just wait for the Metal Men collected edition.
Rating: 3/5 --Blake M. Petit
Finding Nemo: Reef Rescue (Boom! Kids)
By Marie Croall, Erica Leigh Currey & Amy Mebberson
Wrapping up this miniseries, we see as Marlin and Company find their one chance to save the reef from the giant starfish that are slowly killing it. Seth the giant squid is willing to lend a tentacle, but Gill knows he can't do it alone. They're going to have to find... the Tribe. As far as the many Pixar comics have gone, this is the biggest surprise. I went in with relatively low expectations and found a wonderfully entertaining, accessible story that's perfect for kids but not condescending to adult readers. In short, it's an almost perfect all-ages comic book. Croall's story and Currey's artwork create a comic book world that fits in flawlessly with the world of the movie and that fans will be able to dive right into.
Rating: 4.5/5 --Blake M. Petit
G.I. Joe #11 (IDW Publishing)
By Chuck Dixon, S.L. Gallant & Robert Atkins
In the ruins of Springfield, the Joes look for Mainframe and Snake Eyes, not to mention the remarkable cargo Mainframe has. Scarlett, meanwhile, makes a play to escape, and Tunnel Rat is sent to bring her down. The issue works well, there's a lot of action and a lot of plot progression here, but it still feels a little like we're plodding along towards the Joe/Cobra confrontation. The title is almost a year old and the majority of the team still doesn't believe the Cobra threat exists. Most of what we're seeing from the villains, meanwhile, comes in with the confrontation between Destro and Dr. Mindbender over the M.A.S.S. Device. Again, this works well. It all works well. I'm just ready for some real action to hit. Bring it on, Dixon, it's time.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
Ghostbusters: Displaced Aggression #3 (IDW Publishing)
By Scott Lobdell, Ilias Kyriazis & Nick Runge
Ray, Peter and the new Ghostbuster Rachel continue their quest to rescue the time-lost team, this time landing in a future where a "Great Defender" rules the outer colony. The ghosts are appearing even here, and so the search for Egon Spengler begins. We also get a glimpse into what happened to Winston back in the present day. This book really has been a lot of fun, bouncing around with the Ghosbusters between one time and another. This issue does kind of make me realize that I miss seeing the boys together. I'm really looking forward to the last issue, and the forthcoming Christmas special. Hopefully, we'll see the guys on a more regular basis after this.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
House of Mystery #19 (DC Comics/Vertigo)
By Matthew Sturges, Luca Rossi, Antonio Fuso & Esao Andrews
With ghosts swarming over the house, Cain and Ceorel make their play against the inhabitants of the house. The story within a story this month is actually some nice backstory. Cain, who lost his house back in issue one, recounts what he's done in the time since then, how he's been trying to track it down and find the place that belongs to him. Some of the inner tales don't seem to have much relevance -- they're just a quick diversion. This time, it's an essential part of the plot, and it works. Rossi and Fuso, on artwork, make a great team. As always, this book entertains.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
Jonah Hex #49 (DC Comics)
By Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti & Cristiano Cucina
"The Six-Gun War" comes to a conclusion. Hex and his companions (it's hard to use the word "friends" when dealing with Jonah Hex) plan their final attack against Quentin Turnbull. This is an intense, bloody issue, which works well both as an action piece and an examination of the relationships between the various characters. The way Hex gets El Diablo to join the fight, for example, shows off a severe ruthlessness that doesn't sit well with all of his other allies. Cucina's art is perfect for the book. He handles the dark, fairly realistic level of violence wonderfully. This has been a fun experiment for this comic, giving us a long-term story for the first time. While I wouldn't want to see that become the standard for this comic, every so often, it can be fun.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
Kill Audio #2 (Boom! Studios)
By Claudio Sanchez, Chondra Echert, & Mr. Sheldon
Now that Kill Audio knows his purpose in the world, he goes around collecting musical genres, hoping to bring a bit of balance to his crazy world. But bad guys plot, and ... okay, I'm going to give up here. I rather like some of the ideas behind this, but I felt execution was lacking this issue. Okay, we get Kill's purpose explained to us, almost overexplained, but he's never been the most interesting character. There's some talk of music genres and other things, but to be brutally honest, I would have rather heard it than read it. The frenetic art still has an appeal, and I would gladly watch a cartoon starring the anthropomorphic pillow and the skeleton in the beaver costume. But as for now, my last verdict stands: if you're on a controlled substance, you may like this more than me.
Rating: 3/5 --Andrea Speed
The Marvelous Land of Oz #1 (Marvel Comics)
By L. Frank Baum, Eric Shanower & Skottie Young
Eric Shanower and Skottie Young continue their exploration of the world of L. Frank Baum, and it's still a great read. Going into the second book in the series, we leave behind Dorothy and company and meet Tip, a young boy who has grown up in the care of a witch named Mombi. Tip decides to get back at the witch by creating a wooden frame with a pumpkin for a head, hoping to scare her. Instead, Mombi uses the wooden man named Jack to test out a new magic powder that brings inanimate objects to life. While the original text is different from the movie, most people are at least a little familiar with the original Wizard of Oz. Beginning here, Shanower and Young are diving into stories that most of the readers will be totally unfamiliar with. The designs are fantastic and the adaptation is very strong. I can't wait for the rest of this series, and I really hope they keep it going.
Rating: 5/5 --Blake M. Petit
The Mighty #10 (DC Comics)
By Peter J. Tomasi, Keith Champagne, Chris Samnee & Dave Johnson
Alpha One gets his hands on Cole, bringing him back to his fortress and telling him what he's really been up to, not just lately, but for years. This is a really good issue, and a nice way to begin what looks like it'll be the last act of this series, as the conclusion has been announced for issue 12. What's interesting here is that almost the whole issue is Alpha One telling his story to Cole, and as interesting as it is -- and as much as it would explain everything -- there's not really any way to be sure he's telling the truth. You're reading the issue with a grain of salt, you're trying to distill the truth out of every panel, but you just can't be sure. The unreliable narrator trick really helps make this already-solid comic an enormously compelling read. I'll be sorry to see this book end, but it seems like it's going towards a magnificent conclusion.
Rating: 4.5/5 --Blake M. Petit
Strange Tales #3 (Marvel Comics)
By Various artists and writers.
I bought this issue because one of my favourite creators is involved. Stan Sakai provides the cover and a neat story about a cowardly samurai who is given some powers that resemble a certain green-skinned monster we’re all familiar with. The story is quintessential Sakai; very well paced and with a quiet ironic ending. The rest of the issue is something very different. Taken all together it resembles those psychedelic underground comics from the 60’s, but with a Marvel twist. Some stories are better than others, like the Fantastic Four pulling April fool’s jokes on people or the metaphysical battle of wits and fists between the Beast and the Vampire Morbius. The story involving an alternate origin of Spider Man is actually a bit disturbing. The art is hard to quantify. I guess you could call the styles ‘independent’. These are the Robert Crumb’s children. The art is unique to say the least and the stories are quirky and surreal, so if that is your thing, check out Strange Tales.
Rating: 3/5—Terry Verticchio
Unknown: The Devil Made Flesh #2 (Boom! Studios)
By Mark Waid, Minck Oosterveer, Andres Lozano, & Javier Suppa
Cat follows up on the lead Doyle gave her, and ends up back in the mysterious town of Mountain Oak, where the creepiness factor wars with plain old weirdness – what are we supposed to do with the fact that the town has no carrots? (Please let it be a giant invisible rabbit infestation. Please!) And her new assistant continuous to be duplicitous, working in concert with what seems to be the mastermind behind the murders (maybe – I have a feeling this is really a red herring). Cat once again explains her medical predicament and raison d'etre, although that's for people new to the series, and she still can't find a shirt that fits her properly. (Some detective you are, lady!) The art is very appealing, with smooth, dark lines and attractive but not overly showy coloring, although all the women seem to have va va voom figures highlighted by their constant choice of skintight, revealing clothing. (That should sell a couple more copies.) I have a feeling I know where this story is going, but I could be wrong, and I can't say it isn't entertaining. (I'm still hoping for those giant invisible rabbits; let's keep our fingers crossed.)
Rating: 3.5/5 --Andrea Speed
Vampirella: The Second Coming #3 (Harris Comics)
By Phil Hester, Al Rio & Ryan Stegman
As hordes of the undead begin attacking Washington D.C., the acolytes of Vampirella are both recruiting and protecting the surviving humans, but they realize it's only a stopgap measure. The only one who can stop the darkness is the real Vampirella, but she's dead. Unless... This issue pretty much brings us to the point that we've been waiting for since this miniseries launched, and while the result is expected, the journey to that point is a pretty solid one. There's lots of action, and Al Rio does a very good job with the ravenous mobs of the undead. As far as relaunches go, this one is working out pretty well.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
November 7th 2009, 02:32 PM
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