This week was a good-sized week with 12 titles coming home (4 Marvel, 5 DC/Wildstorm and 3 indies) and still a lot of left over from previous weeks to catch up on. While there were a lot of good stories (especially Amazing Spider-man), there were a few colossal disappointments.
This week there’s also something a little different.
It occurred to me, after reading the first two DC titles (Blackest Night and JLA) that no matter how bad I think these titles are (Blackest Night for example), I keep reading them. And reading them. So there must be something good going on here. At least, if nothing good, there must be something to take away that is positive. With that, “unreadable” or “really bad” books are now going to come with a “Something good” section. Always looking on the bright side, that’s what we’re here for.
Enjoy!
The Reading Order
BLACKEST NIGHT # 8
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA # 43
FANTASTIC FOUR # 577
TERMINATOR # 1
AMAZING SPIDERMAN #625 (from 3/17/10)
AMAZING SPIDERMAN # 626 (from 3/24/10)
AMAZING SPIDERMAN # 627
GREEN HORNET YEAR ONE #1 (from 3/17/10)
KEVIN SMITH'S GREEN HORNET # 2
THE WEB #7
X-MEN: SECOND COMING # 1
The UNREAD (from this week and previous weeks)
DETECTIVE COMICS # 863
SUPERMAN # 698
STAND: SOUL SURVIVORS # 5
AMERICAN VAMPIRE #1
BRAVE AND BOLD #32
SPIDER WOMAN #7
AZRAEL #6
SHIELD #7
IRREDEEMABLE #12
ADVENTURE COMICS # 512
INCORRUPTIBLE # 4
TALISMAN #5
Good
X-MEN: SECOND COMING CHAPTER 0NE (w: Craig Kyle & Chris Yost/a: David Finch). With few exceptions (like Whedon’s Astonishing), it has been over a decade since an “X-“ title has made it to the pull-list. The promos for Second Coming fetched enough attention to warrant picking up Second Coming Chapter One (the introductory one-shot) and giving it a shot. That being said, you don’t have to know much (anything?) about what’s going on in the X-verse to enjoy this book.
Kyle & Yost’s story is a good jumping off point for both new readers and the crossover. Similarly to the reunion of the Avengers over in the “Heroic Age” event, Second Coming is the culmination of storylines that have been going on since House of M (some even before). There are some *hold your breath* moments or story elements like Namor as an X-man or Cyclops’ little temper tantrum that cause the involuntary face-scrunch, but overall Second Coming Chapter One has a solid plot, sub-plots and a lot of good use of specific characters (X-23 for example). Most importantly it leaves you wanting more. Grade: A (story: B+/art: A)
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #625 (w: Joe Kelly/a: Max Fiumara) features the old Rhino versus the new Rhino to the bitter end. The Rhino story-arc comes to a crashing conclusion in Amazing #625, which reads like a story ripped right out of Law & Order (TV show). Kelly tells a fantastic comic-book story intermixed with modern “human drama” that actually ties directly into the Kraven/Gauntlet subplot. Fiumara’s art sets the tone for the New York-Immigrant and “assuming of destiny” storyline, even if it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Grade: A (story: A/art: A)
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #626 (w: Fred Van Lente/a: Michael Gaydos) is a stand-alone story (with a Gauntlet sub-plot) featuring the Hood and the new Scorpion. Van Lente is quickly becoming one of my favorite Marvel writers and Amazing #626 is a great example of his craft. The jury is still out on the Hood, who has never really managed to live up to his “new Kingpin” hype. Even with the Norn Stones and the power of Loki behind him, he too often comes off as contrived and silly. Issues like Amazing #626 leave the Hood more like an over-rated Hammerhead and less like the Kingpin, second-rate all the way. The real star of Amazing #626 is the new Scorpion. If you’d never heard of her before (that’s right, her), don’t worry, neither had I. Van Lente & Gaydos deliver a very well executed tale that manages to wrap her origin neatly in about four panels. Grade: A (story: A/art: A)
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #627 (w: Roger Stern/a: Lee Weeks). The more the creators keep pointing out how all the seemingly unrelated events over the last few months are pushing Peter Parker to the edge, the more it sounds like just another day in the life of Spider-man. You know the kind you’ve been reading about for years? Despite the seemingly over-exaggerated emphasis of “the Gauntlet”, Amazing continues to churn out one good Spidey story after another. Amazing #627 has a few “wow, Roger Stern is still writing comics” moments that reek of days gone by (like Spidey exclaiming “Something can stop the Juggernaut?!? But What? Who?!”). One of the most impressive feats of Amazing (with its rotating creative teams) is the keeping a smooth continuity of chaos and characterization in Parker’s supporting cast, regardless of who is telling the story. With the Juggernaut’s unfortunate stopping and the surprise antagonist, Stern’s plot and dialogue deliver another satisfying effort in the inexplicable Gauntlet. While Weeks artwork has a very JRjr-esque tone that is a good compliment to the story. Grade: B (story: B/art: B)
KEVIN SMITH'S GREEN HORNET # 2 (w: Kevin Smith/ a: Phil Hester & Jonathan Lau) is worth reading on a number of levels. Let’s start with the idea that we’re two issues into the series and there hasn’t been a (modern) Green Hornet sighting yet and that’s okay. The character and “Hornet Universe” set-up for the series is done nicely in Smith’s title, while it bogs down in Matt Wagner’s (retro-Hornet) Green Hornet: Year One series. With the impending re-introduction of Terry McGinnis (Batman Beyond) to the DCU, Smith’s Green Hornet paints a picture that is at once reminiscent of Old Bruce and Young Terry while at the same time giving you a “what if” Batman and Jim Gordon cleaned up crime in Gotham with enough time for Bruce to retire and raise a son. The modern Green Hornet saga continues to unravel smoothly, building even more anticipation (and expectation) for Hornet: Year One series and the up-coming future-Hornet Green Hornet Strikes! series. Smith and company not only deliver a satisfying second issue, but are thus far carrying the Hornet franchise. Grade: B+ (story: B+/art: B)
TERMINATOR # 1 (w: Zack Whedon/a: Andy MacDonald. Writer Zack Whedon and not so much the Terminator comic-experience was the draw to picking up Terminator #1. Zack is the younger brother of the infamous Joss (“Buffy”, “Angel”, “Firefly”/”Serenity”, “Dollhouse”, and “Dr. Horrible”). Zack has also been a contributing writer on “John from Cincinnati” and “Fringe”. Okay, really… I liked his rap on the Commentary (“Dr. Horrible”) CD and thought I’d give Terminator a try.
Terminator #1 is set “in continuity” before the first movie. There aren’t a lot of dangling plot devices from Sarah Conner Chronicles or Terminator: Salvation, nor does this issue directly contradict anything that (I recall) has come before. The plot, like most good Terminator stories, tends to be character-driven, which is a hard task when working with a bunch of normal folk that no one has ever heard of. As a first issue, Terminator #1 is a good start. Grade: B- (story: B/art: C)
GREEN HORNET: YEAR ONE #1 (w: Matt Wagner/a: Aaron Campbell). Dynamite (the comic publisher) is working overtime on the Green Hornet as a legacy series. Over in Kevin Smith’s Green Hornet, we are introduced to the modern day (son of the original) Green Hornet and his father. Coming soon, Dynamite will be publishing the Green Hornet Strikes series set in the near-future, chronicling the next GH. Wagner’s Green Hornet: Year One #1 introduces the world of Britt Reid, the original Green Hornet, set (mostly) in Chicago circa 1921. Overall, Year One is as good of a story as Smith’s modern Hornet, but the execution muddles an otherwise good plot. There is a lot of unnecessary jumping around in the story, from one year to another, from Chicago to Japan. It’s a lot like the first three seasons of Lost, where there is lot of changing scenery, that overwhelms the substance of the plot. Another drawback (or maybe this is part of the last one) is that Campbell’s artwork remains the same as the story moves from one setting (year and place) to another. There is no distinction in style or even coloring (tone) which would at least help set the stage a little clearer. Instead, Green Hornet: Year One reads like three (or four?) stories jammed randomly into one issue, rendering the book more difficult for the reader to immerse themselves into any of them. Grade: C (story: B/art: C)
Not Good
THE WEB #7 (w: Matthew Surges/a: Roger Robinson) has its moments, but overall does not maintain the standards of the title. Regrettably, that won’t be problem for much longer as the series has been canceled after issue #10. The best part of the issue was Oracle’s heavy-handed appearance, though the reason for her showing up is a bit retarded. Not every hero needs a “Microchip” (ala the Punisher) or that guy who built the Batmobile that time. On the other hand, Robinson’s artwork continues to impress and is the highlight of the Web #7. There is a lot of potential for the concept of the Web Hosts and even the Web character and his (limited) supporting cast, but this current storyline really misses that boat. Grade: C (story: C-/art: B+)
FANTASTIC FOUR #577 (w: Jonathan Hickman/a: Dale Eagelsham) is an improvement over last month’s issue, but just barely. Fantastic Four #577 reads like a 70’s fill-in issue. The art is decent, but looks like it was drawn by someone who had never heard of the Fantastic Four. For example Reed Richards looks more like a football hero or rugged, square-jawed adventurer than the bookish scientist we’ve become accustomed to and their spacesuits that have half of their trademark “4” cut off... ugh. The plot is a little better, though the central premise seems out of character for Black Bolt and the Inhumans. The “next issue” box is enough to keep the FF on the pull-list for next month, but Hickman is skating on thin ice. Grade: C- (story: C/art: C-)
Remarkably Bad
BLACKEST NIGHT #8 (w: Geoff Johns/a: Ivan Reis). Wow, what a load of… nice artwork. Let’s redo and undo the DC Universe every eight months and see if anyone notices or how long it takes for people to stop caring. Anyone you had been missing because they were dead in the DCU is back. People who have always been dead are back. Heck, all the people who died to bring you Blackest Night. They’re back. Worst of all, the end of this mini-series only opens the door for more inanity. DC’s Senior VP/Executive Editor, Dan DiDio made the bold exclamation that Blackest Night was going to fix the revolving door of death in the DCU. Little did anyone realize that his version of “fixing” mean taking the dang thing off its hinges and just letting folk come and go as they please: welcome to “Brightest Day”.
The DCU needs what Star Trek needed after Nemesis. All of the people in charge need to go away and get someone new to start all over. Please. Someone call J.J. Abrams and see if he wants to be Senior VP/Executive Editor for DC Comics would you?
Something good: The best thing, really the only good thing, about Blackest Night #8 is Reis artwork. Reis’ art does the unthinkable and makes the bile of plot and dialogue really nice to look at.
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA # 43 (w: James Robinson/a: Mark Bagley) is remarkably not good. Despite the appearance of Green Arrow and the morose inner-dialogue of Batman, JLA #43 has less to do with “Rise and Fall” than Titans #23 did two weeks (and it wasn’t even a “Rise and Fall” title). JLA continues to be huge disappointment under Robinson’s helm. There is a Brightest Day prologue, which… uhm… actually doesn’t involve any JLA members? And the issue ends looking into the darkest pit of the DCU… the Multiverse. Because wrecking death in the DCU wasn’t bad enough, now we have to start mucking with Multiverses again. And unfortunately, try as I may, there is nothing nice to say about Bagley’s repetitive, border-line cartoonish artwork (everyone has bulgy-eyes and silly grins all the time for goodness sake!!!).
Something good: If there is at least one good thing about every comic (a theory I am determined to prove), the Red Tornado bits are Robinson’s salvation in Justice League #43. Where you would expect Robinson to excel with the main characters (like he did in Starman), he is failing miserably – turning Hal Jordan, Dick Grayson and company into shallow vignettes of their archetypes. On the other hand the Red Tornado/Green Arrow sequence is very satisfying.
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