Cape Town Capsule Reviews, 4/6/11 Releases

By Don M. Ventura

Nonplayer #1

Image Comics

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Nonplayer is strikingly beautiful from cover to cover. Artist/writer Nate Simpson has delivered a new piece of work that deserves to be soaked in slowly as each panel is a testament to his skill.

You might wonder where the credits are on the book. There aren’t any. Simpson handles everything down to the lettering on this imaginative piece of obvious labor and the results are impressive for sure. To say that the artwork is superior to the story is not to demean his abilities as a writer, it’s a testament to his capacity to deliver one gorgeous page after the next.

Nonplayer is the story of Dana, who prefers the full-immersion multiplayer online game “Warriors of Jarvath” to real life. There she’s a warrior with a flying cat-thing. Dana and her elf friend attack royalty and about a thousand soldiers before things appear to go glitchy in the machine. Simpson plays up his strengths during this fantastic sequence. While I have an aversion to role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons and the like, I found my prejudices did not get in the way of enjoying the book.

I’ll be interested to see more from Simpson in terms of dialogue because the book is somewhat sparse in terms of it, but I liked what I read. When Dana asks her mom not to touch her stuff, her mother replies, “Funny how you make an exception when it comes to your dirty laundry”. It’s clever and sincere exchanges like this that I appreciate in good dialogue.

Cape Town Capsule Reviews, 11/10/10 Releases

By Don M. Ventura

The Amazing Spider-Man #648

Marvel

Dan Slott has unabashedly taken over The Amazing Spider-Man and he seems to have lifted every corner of the Spider-Man universe to include it in the beginning of his much hyped run on the series.

I wondered why there was so little crossover between Amazing and the Avengers books. After all, he’s been a part of that series for years now; I liked that they joined him in the opener to stop Doc Ock and several of his other villains. Spider-Man may save the day, but it looks as though he played right into the Doctor’s tentacles.

The storyline is called “Big Time” and that’s an understatement. Slott includes all the major players in Spidey and Peter Parker’s lives, but it doesn’t feel jumbled.  The story unfolds nicely as Peter looks for new work and a new place to live. Our down and out hero finally lands an appropriate job that conveniently has no scheduled hours (however, as readers, I believe this is something we turn a blind eye to anyway).

Humberto Ramos is a favorite of mine and he knocks every page out of the park. His style may be best described as “cartoony”, but I love his interpretations of the characters. He gets to take a stab at the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and a host of Spider-Man’s most famous rogues. As for the web-slinger himself, Ramos seems born to draw him (and his very gooey looking webs).

Avengers: The Children's Crusade #3

Marvel

After being wowed by the first two issues, I was left a little disappointed by the slowness of the action in this issue. Writer Allan Heinberg seems to know where he wants the characters at the start and end of the story, but the middle plods along.

That is not to say that this is a bad issue necessarily, but it doesn’t live up to the strength that we’ve come to expect from this mini-series. Quicksilver questions the sincerity of Magneto’s intentions as the somewhat reformed villain joins the Young Avengers in their search for the Scarlet Witch.

Wiccan decides to search for his mother on his own which leads to an excellent climax. I would have rather had more time spent having Wiccan infiltrating Dr. Doom’s castle than all of the arguing between Magneto and Quicksilver for the first third of the book.

As usual Jim Cheung has provided beautifully rendered pages and Justin Ponsor has exquisitely colored Cheung’s artwork. Though the story was the weakest of the series, the art is as good as it’s ever been.

Ant-Man & Wasp #1 (of 3)

Marvel

Possibly there are few people who got excited about an Ant-Man & Wasp mini, but knowing that Tim Seeley (HACK/slash) was scripting and drawing it should have been enough to raise the excitement quotient.

And there’s reason. It’s a good book. Seeley brings great humor to the piece, as there is humor to be mined with the newest Ant-Man, the morally ambiguous Eric O’Grady. We begin with Eric who has just cashed in on his Secret Avengers gig with one in a string of one night stands.

Soon we learn that Eric has been used in a ploy by A.I.M. to steal technology from Hank Pym that Hank has used to house the soul of his deceased friend Bill Foster. Not one to enjoy being duped, Eric joins Hank in reacquiring his equipment.

Ant-Man & Wasp was a better book than many might expect. Seeley’ art is as excellent as his script, which is both funny and dramatic. When Eric refers to A.I.M. as “evil nerds in yellow beekeeper costumes” I thought, “Well someone had to finally say it.”

Halcyon #1

Image

I was excited by the premise of this book: what happens to the heroes when the never-ending fight for justice ends.

Written by Marc Guggenheim and Tara Butters, the first issue serves to introduce us to this Earth’s heroes as they begin to realize that the criminals have finally come to their senses and stopped criminalizing.

Halcyon (the name of the super team chronicled in this series) opens strong and introduces us to a group of characters that appear to have potential, but I think a misstep was to include both a Superman and a Batman archetype (Zenith and Sabre respectively). It’s been done enough that I question how much of a purpose this will serve. That is, unless Guggenheim and Butters give their characters identical backgrounds to their DC counterparts to explore what it would be like is Superman had all of this power and nothing to do with it and Batman had nothing left to avenge.

There’s another twist to Zenith and Sabre that has also already been explored elsewhere, but I’m not going to spoil it. Regardless, Halcyon #1 was a good opener and the series has potential for greatness. I’ll assume that with little in the way of derring-do left in the world these heroes inhabit, this book is going to focus more on character-driven stories. I would have preferred a bit more development.

Ryan Bodenheim does a lot of impressive work in this first issue. All of his characters have a distinctive look and his work is clean and dynamic; Bodenheim draws a lot of nice wide shots so it’s clear exactly what is going on. Mark Englert’s colors are also great; strongest in a scene at the Halcyon underwater HQ where Zenith is conducting a team meeting.

Chew #15

Image

Robert Guillory is an amazingly fine artist. The opening sequence of this issue (not to mention the striking tri-fold cover) is absolutely fantastic. The story opens with Savoy dining alone and reviewing the origins of everything that strikes his palette. Then he has an old friend for dinner. And he sees, and he sees, and he sees some more until he finally finds something to focus on. When the story concludes we know that Tony Chu’s life may become more difficult.

We are then introduced to Tony’s family; he’s arrived for the holidays and he’s greeted like any other loved one at a holiday gathering: with adoration and consternation. John Layman’s script is as sharp as always. Tony’s attempt at saying grace before the family digs into their illegal turkey was very amusing.

The story ends with a pretty significant cliffhanger. Make sure to pull out issue #4 to remind yourself what is happening.

Ultimate Thor #2

Marvel

Ultimate Thor #1 made it to my “buy” pile last month because I only had two comics on my pull list. Thankfully I did, because it was a really strong opener for a character that hasn’t had anything to do on his own in this universe. Because of this, writer Jonathan Hickman has more room to expand on the character un-established background.

The series has been taking place in three timelines: the present where Thor is under mental observation (they think he’s a loon), World War II where Baron Zemo is readying to take on Asgard, and the far past where Thor is coming into his own as the God of Thunder.

There are no weak points in Hickman’s storytelling and series artist Carlos Pacheco and inker Dexter Vines have produced a feast for the eyes. There’s a fantastic coliseum fight scene between the sons of Odin that is really dazzling.

I thought this book was a mini to package before the Thor movie is released next summer, but if Ultimate Thor is going to continue being produced with this quality, I’d like to see it live on.

Wednesday's Previews, 11/10/10 Releases

The Amazing Spider-Man #648

Marvel, Price: $3.99

Great jumping on point!

Written by Dan Slott; Art and Cover by Humberto Ramos.

“Big Time” begins! Big changes are happening for The Amazing Spider-Man: Bigger threats, bigger guest-stars, and a big opportunity that could turn Peter Parker’s life around! Which cast members are staying and who’s saying goodbye? Find out as we’re introduced to new characters and reintroduced to a number of Spidey villains as they make the triumphant return to the book! Plus: New developments for Mayor J. Jonah Jameson, the staff at Front Line, and The Sinister Six! The next chapter in Spider-Man history starts here! Guest starring the Avengers and the Fantastic Four in a giant-sized, 39 page lead feature! PLUS! An All-New Adventure featuring the All-New Spider-Girl! Paul Tobin & Clayton Henry bring a tale of action & intrigue, and make a strong argument for why you can sometimes send a Spider-Girl to do a Spider-Man’s job!

Ant-Man & The Wasp #1

Marvel, Price: $3.99

Written and Art by Tim Seeley; Cover by Salvador Espin.

Two of Marvel's smallest heroes must join forces and get over one BIG elephant-in-the-room! Eric O'Grady once stole the Ant-Man suit from Hank Pym. But now, Eric is the only one who knows about a secret AIM plot to steal Pym's greatest invention! Can the two men get along long enough to save the soul of the former Goliath, Bill Foster? Tim Seeley, creator of Hack/Slash brings us the big story of the two smallest Avengers! And make sure you check out this adventure before the astonishing events of Avengers Academy #7 next month!

Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #3

Marvel, Price: $3.99

Written by Allan Heinberg; Art and Cover by Jim Cheung.

The return of Wanda Maximoff! The search for the Scarlet Witch is finally over as the Young Avengers find Wanda. But is she a hero or a villain? Is she still the Scarlet Witch? The battle over Wanda rages on as Avengers go up against the Young Avengers, Magneto clashes with Quicksilver, Wonder Man battles Wolverine, and the most powerful villain in the Marvel Universe conspires against them all so that he can possess Wanda himself.

Batgirl #15

DC, Price: $2.99

Great jumping on point!

Written by Bryan Q. Miller; Art by Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolfs; Cover by Dustin Nguyen.

It's a new year and a new look for Batgirl as superstar artist Dustin Nguyen (Detective Comics) joins the creative team! The unsinkable Stephanie Brown's second semester at Gotham U. starts like any other – new classes, new allies, a vigilante stalker – everything a gal could want! But what Gotham City's Batgirl isn't prepared for is the arrival of the mysterious "Order of the Scythe." Who are they, and why have they set their sights on her? "The Lesson" begins here!

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #6

DC, Price: $3.99

Written by Grant Morrison; Art by Lee Garbett and Walden Wong; Cover by Andy Kubert.

Grant Morrison and Batgirl artist Lee Garbett deliver the final chapter of this time-spanning epic! With Bruce Wayne just steps away from returning to present day Gotham City, the timestream might have a few more surprises in store for The Dark Knight! Do not miss this issue, as it paves the way for the shocking future era of Batman!

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents

DC: Price $3.99

Written by Nick Spencer; Art by CAFU and Bit; Cover by Frank Quitely.

Would you rather burn out or fade away? That's the question at the heart of this bold new series about a group of people who, for one reason or another, are at their wits' end until they're offered a chance to become superheroes. The catch? Their powers will kill them.

Writer Nick Spencer (Morning Glories) and artist CAFU (War of the Supermen) present a fresh take on the classic comics property, starring a new batch of recruits brought in to take over the original agents' mantles and make some difficult choices of their own – all while dealing with global threats the rest of the DCU doesn't even know exist!

Chew #15

Image, Price: $2.99

Written By John Layman; Art and Cover by Rob Guillory 

It's the final chapter of the "Just Desserts" and the biggest story in Chew history, figuratively and literally. As we reach the one-quarter mark of the Chew run, the last remaining major characters are introduced and an event transpires that is so shocking and unexpected that it changes the book forever, fundamentally and irrevocably.

And, as a special sloppy, wet kiss to everyone who has supported the book and helped it to succeed beyond our wildest expectations: Chew #15 is bonus-sized, with more story pages and a special Tri-Fold Poster Cover at no extra cost!

Halcyon #1 

Image, Price: $2.99

Written by Marc Guggenheim and Tara Butters; Art and Cover by Mark Englert and Ryan Bodenheim.

What happens when the never-ending battle for truth and justice ends?

From Collider Entertainment comes the next quantum leap forward in superheroes: Halcyon. The groundbreaking new series dares to ask: What happens when the superheroes win? What happens once there is no crime, no war?

The heroes of Utopian achieve their final victory only to face their greatest challenge ever. An all-star collaboration courtesy of Tara Butters (TV's Reaper), Marc Guggenheim (Amazing Spider-Man, Resurrection), Ryan Bodenheim (Red Mass for Mars), and Alisa Tager (Serenity).

27 #1

Image, Price: $3.50

Written by Charles Soule; Art by Renzo Podesta; Cover by W. Scott Forbes.

Hendrix, Cobain, Joplin, Morrison. All belong to the “27 Club,” which admits only the most brilliant musicians and artists…and kills them dead in their 27th year. Will Garland is a famous rock guitarist, secretly unable to play for months due to a neurological disorder afflicting his left hand. He’s also 27! With mad scientists, long dead rock legends and cosmic entities in his way, can he make it to 28?