Wednesday's Finest, 11/2/10 Releases

By Don M. Ventura

Batman and Robin #16

DC

I’ve admitted a few times on this blog that reading Grant Morrison’s work can sometimes be, well… work. Thankfully, the payoff is usually somewhere between good and great (and every once in a while confounding unfortunately).

I found Batman and Robin #16 to be an example of the writer’s greatness. We open in 1765 with a triumphant Doctor Hurt who believes himself to have summoned the demon (or daemon) Barbatos but may be communicating with Darkseid, the villain responsible for transporting Batman back in time.

Jump to the present where the last issue ended, with the return of a very angry Bruce Wayne, face to face against Doctor. Hurt and his 99 Fiends.  Cameron Stewart, one of three artists on this issue, draws a multi-panel two page spread of Bruce, Dick and Damian taking down the Fiends.

In this scene Dick has been shot in the head and Bruce makes sure he is okay for the time being, followed by “On your feet soldier.” Damian’s first words to Bruce: “You’re not a clone are you? Or some stupid robot?” I enjoy Morrison’s voices for these characters. He’s forced them into a reunion where they’ve been given little time to absorb what’s happening.

The most suspenseful scene in the book begins next as Bruce hunts down Doctor Hurt in the Batcave to rescue Alfred (in a segment drawn by Chris Burnham). Alfred has been in danger innumerable times over the years, but Morrison has been given free reign to do as he pleases with the Bat-universe. I was genuinely worried as Alfred implores, in a touching scene, for Bruce to take care of Hurt before coming to the rescue of his old friend.

The final act of the book is completed by Frazer Irving, who at first glance seemed ill-fit to draw a superhero comic book, but I have quickly become a fan of his work in these last few issues (and The Return of Bruce Wayne #2). There is a dreamlike quality to Irving’s artwork that is haunting.

In the end, the fates of the characters are determined and the overreaching storylines of Morrison’s run on this book, Batman, and Final Crisis are all seemingly resolved (do we really need to pick up The Return of Bruce Wayne #6 at this point?). In the final few pages, Morrison sets up the status quo for our three protagonists in the pages of this series and Batman: Incorporated.

Irving, Stewart, and Burnham all did superb work on this issue—each of the artists have a different form of storytelling and their look is unique to one another, but the story flowed perfectly fine regardless. And Morrison has proven again his ability to aptly weave and resolve a complex story and write two Batman’s with distinguishable characters. Not a simple task; some writers have clumsily written Dick as Bruce during the past year and a half.

Welcome back Bruce.

Superboy #1

DC

I’ve enjoyed Connor Kent since I first started reading Teen Titans when Geoff Johns revamped the book, however I was not a fan of the Lex Luthor clone storylines; I liked the idea but felt it quickly wore its welcome.

So I was pleased to see that Connor would have his own book after a brief run in Adventure Comics. However, I didn’t care for this. The whole story and the dialogue felt stale. Jeff Lemire doesn’t seem to have anything fresh to find in the character and presented a by-the-numbers story.

I did like the introduction of two supporting characters: Lori Luthor (Lex’s niece) and Simon Valentine, Connor’s best friend in Smallville. Both seem to have potential; Lori because she’s a Luthor and Simon because he informs Connor that he know Connor is Superboy. Still, I only saw possibilities and not a good use of these characters.

The artwork by Pier Gallo is fine with the exception of Connor’s face. In some parts of the book, Gallo draws the character’s eyes too close togetherand it looks odd. Other than this, Gallo’s other characters are fine and his backgrounds are gorgeous. The cover by Rafael Albuquerque is superb.

I’m surprised to not like this book. It’s not as though Connor Kent is as constrained a character as Superman can sometimes be. I expected something more captivating from Lemire’s series opener.

Scarlet #3

Icon

Scarlet continues to be one of the more exciting titles being published today. Brian Michael Bendis is always in his element when he is writing gritty crime stories.

In the previous issue Scarlet killed her boyfriend Gabriel’s murderer, a dirty cop in need of a scapegoat. Bendis is unfolding a fascinating tale, with some fresh storytelling elements that remind you how inventive he can be.  Scarlet enlists the aid of Brandon, Gabriel’s best friend, to help her on her mission to take out the corruption that has infested the Police Department. Her plan appears to be by means of violence followed by more violence.

Alex Maleev’s artwork is as mesmerizing as it has ever been. There’s a fantastic three-page scene using snapshots of Gabriel and Brandon’s friendship (a similar method was used in the first issue).

If you haven’t yet picked up Scarlet, Icon has reprinted the first two issues so it should not be difficult to jump on from the beginning.

Wolverine #3

Marvel

I have to be frank here. When you write Wolverine, he has to be written with balls. When you write Wolverine well, the reader has to understand just where that strength is coming from. Jason Aaron gets this.

There’s a scene where Wolverine takes a leap at Satan, ready to take on the lord of all that is evil. But what is important about this scene is that Aaron builds up to this. Aaron doesn’t take for granted that Logan is a badass and he doesn't simply insert this act of innate bravery. We're three issues in and this is shaping up to be one of this character's best runs.

Wolverine is still in hell and Mystique, Daimon Helstrom, Ghost Rider(s), and his girlfriend Melita are on their way to save him (though not saving him may mean eternal damnation).  Add to this, the soulless Wolverine is running around Utopia ready to slice into a newly returned Kitty Pryde. This makes a former comrade very angry as the story closes.

Aaron continues to write strong follow-up features that support the main story. He is aided this month by Michael Gaydos whose artwork effectively sets the tone.

The Amazing Spider-Man #647

Marvel

For the past couple of years The Amazing Spider-Man has chronicled the life of Peter Parker after he and Mary Jane’s relationship went “poof”. The first post-Mary Jane storyline was called “Brand New Day” and it was intended to take Peter back to his roots.

Some fans, myself included, turned their backs on the character after such a blatantly sloppy semi-retconning of the character. Then something happened. The story’s got good thanks to veteran writers Mark Waid, Joe Kelly, Marc Guggenheim and Dan Slott. Fred Van Lente, Zeb Wells, and Bob Gale also stepped into the rotating line-up.

All of the writers are on hand to close out the “Brand New Day” chapter (101 issues), before Slott takes the reigns of the book which moves to a biweekly schedule this month. The issue revolves around Harry Osborn’s departure from Queens with his new son, Peter’s blossoming relationship with Carlie, and includes short vignettes featuring Spidey’s supporting cast.

The stories told here are good. My favorite was an epilogue to the first half of the book in which Harry demonstrates that, though fairly meek, he still has Osborn blood running through his veins. Wells is the writer and Michael Delmundo provides some really sharp and atmospheric artwork; everything is in the dark and colored in a deep blue hue except for a faint orange glow provided by the houselights from May’s home. I was slightly reminded of what Frazer Irving has been doing on Batman and Robin.

Strange Tales II #2

Marvel

The more you know Marvel and its characters the more fun Strange Tales II becomes. Marvel has assembled a group of indie-comics creators to write and draw a really entertaining (and often bizarre) anthology.

Strange Tales II #2 includes stories featuring Iron-Man, the lovely ladies of Marvel, Uatu (the Watcher), Ghost Rider, the X-Men, Spider-Man and more. Not everything works, but most of it does.

Of course Spider-Man is an easy target, and Paul Maybury writes and draws “Little Lies” in which Peter repeatedly has to explain the origin of his continuous bumps and bruises. In “Indecision” Jeffrey Brown has Cyclops totally unfocused on anything but Jean Grey. When he goes to discuss his romantic problems with Professor X, the Professor makes him forget why he walked into the room. “Well just let me know when you think of it, Scott,” says the Professor. “You know you can talk to me anytime.” Gold.

Anthologies are a rarity in comics nowadays, especially humorous ones. The writers and artists assembled on this project have enough familiarity with the characters to have some good natured fun with Marvel’s classic characters.

Wednesday's Finest, 10/6/10 Releases

By Don M. Ventura

Wolverine #2
Marvel

Was there any doubt that Wolverine would end up in Hell? I reckon only Frank Castle has sent more criminals to their early, well deserved graves.

At the end of the last issue, we have learned that Wolverine’s soul has been removed and delivered to Satan himself to toy with. This month we learn how much Satan likes to toy. Logan’s powers are not all there and his bones adamantium-free and the guy goes up against wave after wave of bad guys. But not just any bad guys.

His adversaries are the souls of every person he’s ever murdered. Hydra agents. Hellfire Club soldiers, members of the Hand, Omega Red, and a number of other villains and grunts from our hero’s weathered, bloody past. But this is Wolverine’s soul in hell. His soulless body is still up on Earth and has been doing some really bad things to his loved ones.

I have to say, I normally have a like/hate relationship with this character. I am never swayed to buy a book that has Wolverine on the cover. But indisputably, there is a lot of good to be done with the character, I find though that he is sometimes so overused that writers don’t do much interesting with him.

So here’s Jason Aaron, one of Marvel’s hot new writers, to do something interesting. He gets into Wolverine’s head and stays there as the character tries processing what is happening to him and what he needs to do. Aaron is presenting what appears to lean more towards vivisection than introspection, but there’s good character development going on in this arc.

Last issue opened with Logan and John Wraith discussing their sinful pasts; this issue has some strong inner-monologues where we see that the character is more introspective than his gruff persona would ever indicate. “My sins, at last… have all caught up with me,” he ruminates as his enemies swarm him.

Aaron keeps the pacing strong as we catch up with Mystique, used ably here, who is on the run with Melita to locate help in rescuing Logan’s soul. This leads to the introduction of a few fan-favorite guest stars who know a thing or two about lost souls.

Aaron has taken what would seem a ridiculous story, much like “The Curse of the Mutants” storyline in X-Men, and made it captivating. He presents the title character as the legendary bad-ass he is, but then demonstrates how that can all be turned on its head in an unthinkable conclusion. Aaron has a strong understanding of the Wolverine and his inner strengths and weaknesses.

Renato Guedes is on pencils and is suited perfectly to draw the mayhem that takes place in this issue. There are some very dramatic splash pages in this issue, the first being a waterfall of Hand soldiers falling upon a Wolverine covered in blood with arrows and other weapons clinging to him. It’s gruesome fun.

I’m hopeful that Aaron’s run on Wolverine remains as strong as these first two issues. This is not your run of the mill Wolverine story and based on the events of this issue, Logan may walk away with some scars that don’t heal.

Chaos War #1
Marvel

Oh boy. This was not very good. It actually wasn’t good at all.

Chaos War is an end of the universe tale, written by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente, reminiscent of the more meaningless cross over events of the 80’s and 90’s (Atlantis Attacks anyone?) and exists for reasons beyond my understanding.

The dialogue is flat and the humor (and there are a lot of attempts at it) falls even flatter. Everything about this feels dated and phoned in. The Thing flying through the sky with an apron on. A bystander is offended that Hercules refers to himself as a god and she says “I’m tweeting about this right now.” Each joke lands harder than the one previous.

I don’t recall Hercules being such a joke of a character, but everyone in the book refers to him as such. But he is never presented as described, so it wasn’t clear to me if he is misunderstood or Pak and Lente don’t know how to demonstrate the character’s supposed lack of heroics.

Khoi Pham does a fine job with the artwork and draws an incredible Herc, but is ultimately wasted on this title. Chaos War is small crossover event (14 tie-ins) in every sense.

Ultimate Thor #1
Marvel

Finally! A new Thor book!

Either Thor has recently become a mutant or he has a movie coming out next year, because there are a lot of new Thor books on the shelves of my local comic shop. While it would be difficult to top Roger Langridge’s work in Thor: The Mighty Avenger, Ultimate Thor by writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Carlos Pacheco is certainly good.

The Ultimate Universe’s Thor has been thought to be a loon and Hickman continues that here. He is under observation by Captain Britain and his father in Brussels as the story opens. We then move back in time as a World War II Baron Zemo is preparing an attack on Asgard while Thor and his (eventually evil) half-brother Loki demonstrate brotherly machismo as they do battle with snow monsters.

I haven’t been crazy about Pacheco’s work in Avengers Academy, but it looks sleeker here which is assuredly due to strong inks by Dexter Vines. There is nothing to complain about with this book. It feels like an epic and the characters are all being established before the real action kicks in. In fact, I thought this was a much stronger opening than Matt Fraction’s first issue on the non-Ultimate Thor a few weeks ago.

Superman: The Last Family of Krypton #3
DC

 I enjoy a good Elseworlds tale and this was a good one. Elseworlds books have been what I would call a rich man’s What If?, Marvel’s look at alternate conclusions to famous stories.

In The Last Family of Krypton, Jor-El and Lara escaped their doomed planet with Kal-El and have been welcomed by most of Earth over the course of the story. There have been a lot of familiar nods to the Superman mythos (especially Superman: The Movie) but the story has grown organically by asking… ummmm, what if?

In this issue, Superman and his father are barely on speaking terms and his younger twin-siblings have not embraced their super-powered heritage. Lara and Jor-El grow further apart as he becomes consumed with keeping Earth safe through science (and we learn the El’s have done more than just prevent the origins of Batman and Green Lantern).

I thought the first chapter of this title (there are six) was a bit weak, but have grown more and more impressed as the story unfolded into its own universe. Cary Bates is a solid storyteller and he has created a new and believable Superman universe and presented interesting takes on Jor-El and Lara.

Renato Arlem’s work on the art on this book has been a pleasure. The expressions on his characters have a photo-realism reminiscent of Kevin Maguire. My biggest qualm of this book has been the lame puns on each issue’s cover. This month: “War is El!”

Freedom Fighters #2
DC

Co-Writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray remind me a bit of Geoff Johns when he got started; Johns seemed to have a great affection for the B-list characters. DC’s writing team has gone C-list with their take on one of the least-beloved teams in the DCU: The Freedom Fighters.

However, this book is well written and the action is strong as the Freedom Fighters take on the demons unearthed at the conclusion of last month’s issue. The story opens with an introduction of the demons and quickly establishes their forced-to-be-reckoned-withness.

Palmiotti and Gray recognize that the Freedom Fighters are not as well-known as the Justice Leaguers, so there is proper exposition to illustrate what they can do. There is an interesting B-story here as the Vice President is being beat to a pulp by a member of the Arcadians, a shadow society that may have been guiding history for its own means for hundreds of years.

My biggest problem with this team has been Uncle Sam. Gone are the top hat and coat with tails, but the red and white striped pants are still there. Palmiotti and Gray may have come up with a viable solution for handling the character in this issue though.

Travis Moore’s artwork is sensational. C’mon, the guy made Uncle Sam look threatening—no small feat. Seriously though, Moore draws great action and this issue is wall to wall combating.

Batman: Hidden Treasures #1
DC

The story here is that artist, and Swamp Thing co-creator, Bernie Wrightson, came up with this Batman tale 13 years ago and it has finally seen the light of day. Wrightson pencils here and each page packs one unconventional wallop after another. The story is told through single splash pages; all of the text is placed in the margin of the page.

This works to great effect. It feels like a Batman short-story that is narrated by an unknown third party. Marz is an adept storyteller and his words compliment Wrightson’s artwork impeccably. And the artwork is really something. One page has Batman looking over a corpse that is truly stunning and particularly eerie.

Marz’s narration is really wonderful as Batman tracks down Solomon Grundy who looks to be (the man?) responsible for a slate of murders that have taken place on the Dark Knight’s turf. True to any good Batman story, there is a good twist that made me smile and think “Batman’s one smart detective.”

Again, there is much to love about Wrightson’s artwork on each succeeding page. As well, Alex Sinclair’s colors are pitch perfect. Everything is muted in shades of gray and green as the action moves from the sewers to the swamp. Batman: Hidden Treasures is one of the most aptly titled books in recent memory.