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Of the books listed in this post, there was not a bad one in the bunch. This caused a night of internal debate for me.
After much deciding, Kick Ass 2 was the finest Wednesday had to offer. For everything I feared Superior might be, I was already prepared for in the sequel to Kick-Ass. The shock of foul-mouthed Hit-Girl is gone. We are now allowed to just enjoy the progression of Dave Lizeski’s story. The question that should be asked with any sequel: Is there a story to be told?
The answer is yes. Kick Ass 2 does a little moving back and forth as a means of exposition. It’s just enough to show us where the story is heading, before moving back to the beginning of the tale midway through this first issue. As usual Millar understands pacing. He moves from scene to scene effortlessly, catching us up quickly with the characters.
John Romita, Jr. is perfectly suited for a story like this. His work can be dynamic and he draws movement incredibly well, but I’ve found his strength to be the somberness he brings to panels. For example, there is a scene where Mindy is telling her adopted father Marcus that’s she’ll quit the heroics and violence. Romita Jr. brings so much “acting” to both of the characters in this scene. I haven’t been a fan of Romita Jr.’s work on The Avengers, but I am reminded here why he remains one of my favorite artists. Dean White’s colors are exquisite and bring both grittiness and vibrance where it is required.
And where had the story progressed? Kick-Ass started a revolution at the end of the first series with other would-be vigilantes donning costumes and wild monikers. Kick-Ass 2 opens with Dave being trained in hand-to-hand by Mindy at the YMCA; Dave believes the next step is to form a super-team. Kick-Ass befriends another costumed avenger, Dr. Gravity, who has just the proposition that Dave is looking for. By the end of the issue, Dave brought face to face with the world he inspired.
I was not as enamored with the original Kick-Ass book as I was with the film, but I enjoyed what Millar and Romita, Jr. put together. Kick-Ass 2 feels like the evolution of the characters and the “real” world they inhabit. Both Mindy and Dave, besides the costumed-adventuring, have the weight of the world on their shoulders in this issue. They are both lost without the costumed alter-egos.
As expected Millar brings his strong (in every sense) comic dialogue. Whether it’s Doctor Gravity explaining the origins or his gravity pole, Dave and Mindy practicing at fighting skills in the ring, or when Dave’s friend argues the sexiness of May Parker in her night dress in the first Spider-Man film.
This is a great beginning to a story that asks “What happens next?” At the end of the last page I wondered the same thing.
That’s the sign of a good comic book.
Marvel
Jeff Parker and Gabriel Hardman charged out of the gate last month on their inaugural issue of Hulk and they continue to charge this week.
Man oh man, Hardman draws an incredible Hulk. Actually, he draws an incredible everything. Thor appears midway through and a battle of testosterone ensues—and you don’t want it to stop. Hardman’s action sequences are nothing short of sensational. First we get Hulk with a Mjolnir to the stomach and then Thor ends things with a spectacular lightning bolt. The colors by Bettie Breitweiser are nothing short of exceptional. The blue-green background during the Thor and Hulk face-off was vibrant and striking.
Parker has brought great passion to this book. This could have become a throw away title after Jeph Loeb left, but Parker is writing Hulk exactly as he should. This is a tough a nails Hulk who’d die before he backed down. Not because he’s necessarily a hero, but because he’s a soldier.
If you’re thinking, “Wait, didn’t Iron Man and Hulk just go at it last month as a result of a misunderstanding?” Just wait. There’s an excellent payoff.
Parker, Hardman and Breitweiser continue to soar on this book. Let’s hope for a long run.
DC
Last month Supergirl teamed up with Batgirl in Batgirl #14 and the pairing was great. I wrote then that I was a sucker for just about any Batman-family and Superman-family characters joining forces and I got exactly what I wanted from Superman/Batman #77.
Supergirl enlists the help of Robin to solve a mass murder in Metroplois and, even with this dire backdrop, there is no shortage of comedy. Josh Williamson has written an exciting and fun one-shot that has Supergirl continuing to deal with the guilt over the fate of New Krypton, which brings a strong sense of continuity to the character. Williamson does equally well with his interpretation of Damian Wayne; the character is as full of hubris and as snarky as he is in Grant Morrison’s Batman and Robin.
Ale Garza has drawn a dynamic book, starting from the opening page as Supergirl floats over the horrific crime scene being pelted by raindrops. There is a lot to love on the pages of this issue.
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Nick Spencer is amazing me with each succeeding issue of Morning Glories, and issue #3 is no different. It is exceptionally well paced; I was flipping through the last pages so quickly because Spencer and artist Joe Eisma created an amazingly suspenseful third act to this book.
The book opens with opens 500 years in the past with an eerie scene in a dungeon as two presumably innocent prisoners attempt to figure out why they have been taken captive. Another mystery is presented to the readers of Morning Glories in the form of the cryptic messages written on the walls of the dungeon: “The hour of our release draws near.” The message is revisited inexplicably at the end of the issue.
Morning Glories is shaping up to being the Lost of comic books. Like last month, I tossed this book on top of my large pile of comics, read it immediately, and was immersed in the growing mystery. Spencer continues to drop small hints at what is happening at the school and with the kids, not enough to figure anything out, but enough to keep speculation blooming.
DC
I picked up Power Girl on a lark when Judd Winick was took over the reigns. I wanted to read something with a good jumping on point and I’ve always enjoyed Winick’s writing. Power Girl is always solid and this issue may have been my favorite.
The first half of the story co-stars Batman as he helps Power Girl resolve the mystery of the creature she fought in the last issue. After reading Winick’s take on Dick Grayson Batman I wondered why the writer couldn’t get a crack at one of the many Bat-titles coming in the next few months. I fully endorsed Power Girl’s sentiment of the new Dark Knight in this issue: “I digs me some Dick Grayson scooting around in the Kevlar pajamas.”
Sami Basri has illustrated one gorgeous issue after another. I am shocked that he is able to do a monthly series because his work looks terribly time-consuming. The coloring by Sunny Gho and Jessica Kholinne is equally superb; I love the depth they bring to the flesh tones and costumes.
Winick closes the issue with a WTF scene and an excellent final panel. Power Girl says: “What the Hell is going on here?” and the caption for the next issue reads: “Next: What the hell is going on here!”
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While I was not completely won over by the first issue of Skull Kickers, I found the title to grow on me with this second issue; Jim Zubkavich’s script demonstrates again a knack for both broad humor and subtle humor.
There are priceless sound effects incorporated in this book. The dwarf jumps towards a giant with the words “powerful leap” above him (instead of “Whoooosh!” perhaps). The giant brushes him away violently: “powerful smack.” Later the dwarf is trying to keep up with his tall accomplice. The sound effect for the dwarf: “run, run, run, run.” For the giant: “stride, stride” It is so ridiculous and charmingly clever.
We still don’t learn much about the two anti-hero protagonists in this book other than they live for violence and earn a living in a less than respectable manner. Zubkavich offers a couple of pages of FAQ’s at the end of the issue to explain a little more about the book (very little).
I think I’m now well invested in Skull Kickers.
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