You want ‘em, you got ‘em.
Done-In-One Reviews, Comixtreme.com’s incredibly diverse review column, is back with a whole new week of stuff from all over the world of comics. In the coming bullet reviews, you’ll find the Batman family, the Disney classics, a little Stephen King, a few journeys into outer space, the waterlogged streets of New Orleans, and even a guest-appearance by your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Nowhere else in comics do you see as many different comics covered as you do right here. Let’s get to it.
Assault on New Olympus Prologue #1 (Marvel Comics)
By Greg Pak, Fred Van Lente, Rodney Buchemi & Adi Granov
I'm really not sure why, exactly, this story is being released as a one-shot instead of an issue of Incredible Hercules guest-starring Spider-Man. The story picks up from last issue of Herc's title and flows into the next issue, seamlessly, and doesn't really have anything to do with the ongoing events in any other Marvel title, as far as I can tell. Still, just like every issue of Incredible Hercules, it's a great read. Hercules decides, after three thousand years of being apart, to track down his wife Hebe, unaware that Hebe's new friend May Parker is trying to fix her up with her nephew, Peter. Meanwhile, Hera's plans at Continuum become clear, and it becomes equally clear that even the might of Hercules may not be enough to stop the plans of his very wicked Stepmother/Mother-In-Law. (They're Greek, it was allowed back then.) We also see a rather chilly reunion between Herc and Amadeus, but they're back together, and that's really what counts. It's a good, funny issue, with some nice action, and it sets the stage very well for what's coming down the pipe in Herc's book. If you read that title, this issue really is a must-read for you as well.
Rating: 4.5/5 --Blake M. Petit
Batgirl #4 (DC Comics)
By Bryan Q. Miller, Lee Garbett & Phil Noto
Now that she officially has Oracle's approval and mentorship, Stephanie Brown steps out for her first real night as the new Batgirl. One of Superman's old enemies is cutting loose in Gotham, and Steph cuts her teeth on a villain with a real spark. Babs, meanwhile, continues trying to help another girl in need -- Wendy Harris, the wheelchair-ridden daughter of her arch-enemy, the Calculator. I'm a fan of both Stephanie and Barbara, and they really do share the spotlight in this book. Each of them has their own storyline, and while they intersect, they seem to be headed in different directions as well. It isn't Birds of Prey, but it's close, and as I miss that book a lot, this one is feeling like a solid, entertaining substitute. I wasn't wild about Steph's new costume, but with Lee Garbett's art, it's slowly growing on me. This issue is kind of low-key, but it's a good place for the girls to catch their breath, and it gives me what I'm looking for in this title.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
Batman: Streets of Gotham #6 (DC Comics)
By Chris Yost, Dustin Nguyen, Marc Andreyko & Jeremy Haun
Huntress and Man-Bat are tied up, captured by a gun-totin' priest hearing the voice of God... or what he thinks is the voice of God. As Batman tries to track them down, neither he nor the Huntress believe that Kirk Langstrom has control of the Man-Bat now, and the only resource they have that can find the bad guy may be their target. Chris Yost is doing some really good work these days, between this guest-writing stint, his work on Red Robin and his Ender's Game series. While I haven't been a big fan of some of his mutant work, he's winning me over with some of these other comics. The interaction between Huntress and Dick Grayson is very entertaining and true to both characters, and the "new" Man-Bat is an interesting addition to the family as well. The Manhunter back-up is also a winner here. Kate tries to relax a little, but a squad of Two-Face's goons are making trouble, and an old friend is lost in the mix. I've been a fan of both features in this title, and that's a really good way to keep me coming back.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
Black Widow: Deadly Origin #1 (Marvel)
By Paul Cornell, Tom Raney & Scott Hanna, with John Paul Leon.
It’s as if Natasha Romanoff has been destined for a life in espionage since she was a child. She became an orphan during the Russian Revolution when she was found by her future mentor Ivan Petrovitch. She was soon recruited by the state to be a spy. During that time she meets a man that would forever come in and out of her life, an agent from Canada named Logan. In the present Ivan is now a hunted man and she will do anything to help him. I guess the reason this book exists is to bring Natasha “up to date”. Meaning the powers that be at Marvel don’t like the fact that she’s been around since the Big One and hasn’t aged a day, and so Paul Cornell finds a way to make it all possible. Personally, I’ve never had a problem with comic characters not aging; they are fantasy and so the rules of the real world shouldn’t apply. But that’s just me. As for the book itself, Paul Cornell has done his home work and utilises much of Natasha’s previous origin to fill in this new re-telling. There are really two art teams on this book, one for the book-proper and one for the flashbacks. Both are very good. I’m still not convinced as to the need of this book, but the Black Widow is a favourite character of mine and so I’ll give it a shot.
Rating: 3/5—Terry Verticchio
Farscape #1 (Boom! Studios)
By Rockne S. O'Bannon, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Will Sliney, & Zac Atkinson
This is actually the first in an ongoing Farscape series, meaning the endless miniseries are over! Kind of. (Actually, the D'Argo one continues. There may be others.) It takes off from where we left off the last miniseries, with Aeryn sneaking off on her own to find some old Peacekeeper “friends” to discover if she was exposed to something that might have caused the mutation in Deke. Eventually she tracks down some members of her old regiment to find they've joined some odd religious cult, and there's one member she didn't expect to ever see again. Meanwhile, Crichton's search for the red eyed killer takes him and Chiana to a Vegas like planet. The art is solid, although there's one panel where Aeryn's boobs seem to inexplicably double in size, and she strikes a Lara Croft pose that made me laugh, and I'm pretty sure it wasn't meant to be funny. Not a bad start, though.
Rating: 3.5/5 --Andrea Speed
G-Man: Cape Crisis #4 (Image Comics)
By Chris Giarrusso, Gregg Schigiel, Art Baltazar, Franco & Jacob Chabot
With the destruction of the magic blanket and all the scraps that were turned into flight bands, both G-Man and Great Man are rendered powerless. As G-Man is missing, Great Man is presumed dead and whisked off to Glendoff's Resurrection Pond, while G-Man is trapped in the clutches of a few giant pests. This book, as always, brings the funny like no other. One of the best things about Giarrusso's writing is how he takes the preconceptions and ideas we have about superhero comics and turns them around on us, using our own prejudices to provide the set-up to great jokes and gags, while still creating a solid storyline and likable, heroic characters. The book also includes the legion of back-up stories we've come to expect, and those don't disappoint either. Each issue of this comic has gotten funnier than the last, and the only thing you can even be a little sad about is that the miniseries ends next month. I've got my fingers crossed that we'll get more.
Rating: 4.5/5 --Blake M. Petit
Irredeemable #8 (Boom! Studios)
By Mark Waid, Peter Krause & Gene Ha
Last issue, Charybdis pulled out the reveal that he didn't lose his powers with his brother's death after all -- if anything, he's stronger... maybe even strong enough to take on the Plutonian solo. As he battles the fallen hero, we learn more about just why the Plutonian went bad, what final straw ended his life as a hero and turned him into something dark and terrifying. It's a sad story, one almost as sad for him as it is for his victims. And as engaging as it is, in the end it's still his fault, his choices that led to the downfall, which helps this story immensely. Peter Krause's art, as always, is great, and we get a nifty cover by Gene Ha (with a nice little subtle use of the background to illuminate Tony's true nature. Fine issue, and a great series.
Rating: 4.5/5 --Blake M. Petit
Mickey Mouse and Friends #297 (Boom! Kids)
By Stefano Ambrosio, Marco Gervasio, Saida Temofonte & Marco Mazzarello
Mickey and his friends enter the Great Sorcery Tournament, hoping to win back the lost Diamagic from Pete and his Beagle pals. While the early rounds are tough enough on their own, the boys find that not having a Diamagic of their own may present an inescapable obstacle. To be honest, Mickey Mouse has always been my least favorite of the classic Disney comics. Mickey isn't that funny a character by himself, so he only works when paired off with funnier characters or placed in an adventure story. This is a noble effort at both, but it isn't engaging me as much as the other three books. Once the magic story spins off into its own series in a few months, I may like the book more, but that really depends on what replaces this story. As it is, it's okay, but just okay.
Rating: 3.5/5 --Blake M. Petit
Nola #1 (Boom! Studios)
By Chris Gorak, Pierluigi Cothran, Damian Couceiro, & Juan Manuel Tumburus
This is the start of a revenge saga, and while it's a decent set up, I did find it a little too predictable at times. Nola is a pretty young woman in a relationship with a married man who comes off as a total putz (what does she see in him exactly? He doesn't seem charming or that attractive), and she is shocked – shocked I tell you! - that he acts like a total dickweed. But that was in the recent past, and we cut between flashbacks to that to the present, where she's in Katrina ravaged New Orleans. Why? And what does this have to do with the dillweed ex-lover? I think I can guess, but in general this does establish a decent mystery, and Nola is certainly hard done by, but why did she hook up with this roaring jerk in the first place? Give him some redeeming quality, no matter how fleeting, or it just doesn't work. The art is quite good, though, nicely delineated and colored, with some good atmospheric touches. Now I understand that woman can be stupid about men, but sometimes you have to wonder about them.
Rating: 3.5/5 --Andrea Speed
Realm of Kings: Inhumans #1 (Marvel)
By Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning, and Pablo Raimondi with Andrew Hennessy
The Kree/Shi’ar war is over, but there is no clear winner. Though the Kree are the ones left standing they are hardly in any condition to call themselves victorious. The outer planets of the Empire are under siege from Blastaar and his minions from the Negative Zone and so it’s up to the new Royal Family, the Inhumans and Queen Medusa to keep the peace. But she doesn’t have the stomach to rule and so declares herself regent until her son comes of age. Unfortunately there are those around her that feel they deserve being King in their own right. Well, it’s pretty obvious now that Abnett and Lanning are remaking the Cosmic Universe of Marvel as they see fit and there isn’t an aspect of the genre they haven’t mined for ideas. This new story arc is simply building on what they have already created since Annihilation. It starts like those previous stories, with hopes of a peaceful future, but we know by now that soon the Universe is going to be ripped in two again, which is fine by me. A good start.
Rating: 3.5/5—Terry Verticchio.
The Stand: Soul Survivors #2 (Marvel Comics)
By Stephen King, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Mike Perkins, Lee Bermejo & Laura Martin
The focus switches back to Larry Underwood this issue. With Rita dead, Larry is travelling alone again, until he comes across a woman named Nadine and a feral young boy she calls Joe. Together, they find themselves tracing the route of another of our groups of survivors, and they all begin the long trek to an inevitable rendezvous. Although Aguirre-Sacasa's overreliance is still present here, it isn't quite as bad as it's proven in earlier issues. He still needs to learn to pick his moments, when a caption is necessary and when the art and dialogue can stand on its own, but this issue is at least a bit smoother. Perkins and Martin's artwork is as good as ever, and Lee Bermejo gives us a cover that knocks it out of the park, bringing the overall rating up a bit. Good issue, and hopefully, the writer is starting to figure out how to adapt.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
Sweet Tooth #3 (DC Comics/Vertigo)
By Jeff Lemire
The boy called Sweet Tooth and his friend Mr. Jeppard find a place to rest up and recuperate, Jeppard in particular. But Gus gets a surprise visit that warns him Jeppard may not be as friendly as he appears. Lemire's world is really intriguing here. He's created a landscape where virtually nothing can be taken for granted -- anybody can be something other than what they appear, visions may be real or may be madness... there's no way to piece any of it together, and that surreal feeling works invariably in this title's favor. The book ends with an interesting twist as well, opening things up to even more possible stories in the future. This is by no means a book without a direction, but it's virtually impossible to figure out just where it's going, and that makes it all the better.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
The Talisman: The Road of Trials #1 (Del Rey Comics)
By Stephen King, Peter Straub, Robin Furth, Tony Shasteen & Massimo Carnevale
Robin Furth probably knows the works of Stephen King better than anyone alive, maybe even more than the man himself. She's been his assistant, his chronicler, and she's been a valuable part of the team that has brought The Dark Tower to life at Marvel. But this time, she takes the reigns of the script herself in adapting King and Peter Straub's collaboration The Talisman, and after one issue, I have to admit the adaptation is leaving me cold. It's a wonderful novel and a great story, but the flow of the story here is stiff and choppy, like so many books and movies turned into comics often are. There's no smoothness to the story, no real organic feel. Everything is kind of forced. Tony Shasteen's artwork isn't bad -- it's got a fantastic feel that is appropriate to the story and suits the work. But it isn't really enough to make me love this book. If Furth's scripting stays at this level, I'm not sure how long I can stick with this book.
Rating: 3/5 --Blake M. Petit
Tiny Titans #22 (DC Comics/Johnny DC)
By Art Baltazar & Franco
A new Titan joins the cast this issue, Plastic Man's son Offspring, and he brings a veritable foursome of Stretchy Guys with him. While the stretchy guys do get the spotlight this issue, we also see some further breaking down of the characters -- the shrinking heroes, the Bird Scouts and so forth. It's a neat way to sort of divide these characters up into groups that may not necessarily interact much with each other, and it works pretty well. Although really, the giant ball of tangled up stretchy guys is worth the admission alone. It's nice to see the Eisner award this book got is still being stamped prominently on the cover. I can't think of a more deserving title to get this kind of recognition. IT's sweet enough for the kids, but has enough in-jokes and gags to keep the adults very happy. It's really the best of both worlds.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
Victorian Undead #1 (DC Comics/Wildstorm)
By Ian Edginton, Davide Fabbri & Tony Moore
With so many (so, so many) zombie properties on the market, you've got to come up with a really fresh angle to make it worth reading, and one of the best ways to do that is to place the undead in an unusual setting. Making them the focus of a Sherlock Holmes mystery is definitely a good way to do it. Set in Victorian England (in case you couldn't tell from the title), the story begins with a strange meteor striking the Earth, and a plague slowly creeping across London that seems to be rather unsuccessful at keeping their dead dead. Holmes, the greatest mind of the time, steps to the forefront to tackle the mystery. While the book is pretty amusing, the characters play it straight and it isn't so tongue-in-cheek as to be campy or frustrating to the reader. Fabbri does a good zombie and a good Holmes, and the image of the two of them in the same book isn't particularly jarring or upsetting. All things considered, it's a surprisingly strong combination.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #700 (Boom! Kids)
By Giorgio Salati, Riccardo Sacchi, Allessandro Ferrari, Ettore Gula, Roberta Migheli, Stefano Turconi, Antonello Dalena, Corrado Mastantuono, Saida Temofonte & William Van Horn
It's the biggish 700th issue of Walt Disney's Comics and Stories, and with it we get part two of the Ultraheroes storyline. The plans of the Sinister Seven become more clear -- they're trying to hunt down six "ultrapods" taken from a powerful machine and spread out across the Earth. The theft of Scrooge's money bin and capture of Scrooge himself was merely the first step in their plan. This month, the Ultraheroes -- in true superhero fashion -- split up to begin seeking the Ultrapods. The story isn't bad at all, quite entertaining actually, but you'd think issue 700 would get a little fanfare. We do at least get a bonus story, boosting the page count without boosting the price, and that's greatly appreciated. In William Van Horn's "Close Up," we see the Duckburg cast of characters in a rather unfortunate encounter with someone more powerful than any of them. It's a quick story, and it's really funny. If all of the Disney comics were like this -- main serial story, a short, classic back-up, I'd be just fine with it.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
Zorro #17 (Dynamite Entertainment)
By Matt Wagner & Francesco Francavilla
A brutal rancher comes into Zorro's focus this issue. The man treats his human workers even worse than the cows in his care, and all of them are afraid to stand up to him, until the Fox himself decides to step in. Meanwhile, the news of the end of Don Diego's offer of marriage to Lolita reaches his father's ears, and Dad isn't happy. Wagner, as always, has crafted a really strong story that fits Zorro in a way that wouldn't work nearly as well with any other costumed hero. There's little action, but it's a smart plot with some genuinely funny moments, and wonderful art by Francavilla (including a great two-page splash near the beginning). Zorro is delivering as much and as consistently as any other western comic on the market.
Rating: 4/5 --Blake M. Petit
November 21st 2009, 10:10 PM
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