Video Review: 'Power Girl' #25

Cristian has a ton of reviews to share with us this week! First off is his review for Judd Winick’s final issue of Power Girl. We agree that this has been a really fantastic run for Winick and this character. Visit Cristian’s YouTube channel to watch his reviews of X-Men #13, Superman/Batman #85, Invincible Iron Man #505, Batgirl #22, and Avengers #14. Watch and enjoy!

Cape Town Capsule Reviews, 2/23/11 Releases

By Don M. Ventura

Fantastic Four #588

Marvel Comics

«««½

Although not perfect, this was a strong final chapter to one of Marvel’s longest-running titles. Jonathan Hickman has finished the story off with class with an issue that is told almost entirely without words as we explore the fallout after the death of Johnny Storm.

Nick Dragotta is on hand to illustrate the painful last month of Marvel’s first family and the results are quite striking. Dragotta’s art is reminiscent of a contemporary mix of Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko; the only misstep is the artist’s version of Sue Richards whose look is somewhat inconsistent.

The book is made up of several two and three page scenes, my favorite being one in which Reed comes face to face with Annihilus, the villain responsible for the Johnny’s death. He smugly holds the fallen hero’s tattered uniform. I love good villain moments and this image stuck with me for days after finishing the issue.

Marvel missed an opportunity with this issue to provide a proper sendoff. Where are the pin-ups? Where are the words of farewell from the legendary writers and artists who have tackled this flagship title? A Spider-Man follow up after the main story was the books nicest moment; Spidey attempts to comfort Franklin Richards with a story about the death of his own uncle.

Cape Town Capsule Reviews, 12/22/10 Releases

By Don M. Ventura

Power Girl #19

DC Comics

«««½

Month in and month out, Judd Winick churns out another chapter of his modest Power Girl epic that serves as a complimentary tale to his Justice League: Generation Lost biweekly series. While a few issues have served as one-shots, the book has ultimately been a single story involving the recently revived villain Max Lord toying with Power Girl and her alter ego Karen Page. The story seemed nearing resolution until halfway through the book where Power Girl finds herself squarely in the same place she began on Winick’s run, unsure who was screwing with her and her company.

While this book has not been doing anything revolutionary, it has continued to be a fun book where Winick has been able to tell a solid story (at his own pace) and throw in plenty of humor. When Power Girl questions whether Nicco’s (her own Oracle) intel has led her to the correct coordinates he replies “No. I’m joking. I’m throwing you a surprise party and this the only way I knew I could get you there.” Power Girl and Nicco’s working relationship has become one of my favorite parts of this series.

What really sets this book apart is artist Sami Basri who is poised to become a breakout artist. This issue continues to come out on time, but Basri’s art, while not overly complex, looks like it’s time consuming. Basri gets an opportunity to draw the JLI from the 80’s, the Royal Flush Gang, and some of the JSA in this issue and the artists draws each character with a distinct look—nothing is thrown away.  Sunny Gho (Velocity and Superior) is quickly becoming one of my favorite colorists; she handles this issue with Jessica Kholinne. Gho has a distinctive palette, adding nice textures to all of the artwork.

X-Men #6

Marvel Comics

«««½

Victor Gischler’s “Curse of the Mutants” arc ends on a high note with Cyclops leading the X-Men to Xarus’ lair for a final match against the vampires that have been attempting to take down Utopia. This has been a well-written mini-epic opener to Gischler’s ongoing X-title. He’s kept some of the best X-characters in the forefront of the action, written Cyclops as a believable leader and strategist, and injected the proper amount of humor into his vampire tale.

This issue features a great showdown between Xarxus and his legendary father Dracula. Papa demonstrates, in a truly vile but appropriate manner, why his son was never able to make a name for himself while standing in the far-reaching shadow of his father.

In this issue there are some nice standout moments for the characters that remind us why we root—or should root—for them. First Wolverine. He’s interrogating a vampire to track Xarxus. He has one claw up to the eye of the bloodsucker and says “Where?” In the end Cyclops has to stand visor to eye against Dracula, and Dracula blinks first (I assume). One minor gripe was seeing Storm and Gambit in the background and not having anything to do or say.

Artist Paco Medina turns out another wonderfully drawn superhero comic book. His artwork is sharp and clear, and the colors by Marte Gracia are fine. Gracia colors most of the action in muted neutral tones to identify the rising dawn.

Batman Incorporated #2

DC Comics

««««

This week I really enjoyed Nick Spencer’s ability to create a genuinely BAD bad guy in the pages of Morning Glories #5. Not to be outdone, Grant Morrison continues to create a memorable nasty in Lord Death Man in Batman Incorporated #2. Last month he not only melted off the hands and face of Japan’s hero Mr. Unknown, but he dumped the girlfriend of Mr. Unknown’s ward Jiro Osamu into a tank with a killer Octopus. In this issue he blows up a bus with disabled children on it. Bad enough for you?

Batman Incorporated is the fun international Batman that Grant Morrison has wanted to write for years. Batman and Robin enjoyed an adventure on the other side of the pond early in their series, but this is a James Bond cool version of Batman that still remains true to the character. Another nice thing about this title is that the first arc is finished with this issue—I’ve been going through fatigue with having to follow so many six issue arcs that begin to flatline during their fourth and fifth issues.

This issue features the ascension of Jiro from Mr. Unknown to the Japanese Batman. While we don’t see the transformation, we are treated to a great final splash page with Jiro Batman fighting a big gorilla in a mask. Morrison and artist Yanick Paquette have created an excellent adventure yarn with fast paced action that still allows for Morrison’s clever dialogue.

There’s a cool panel with Jiro taking the same oath Robin took before flying into the night with the Caped Crusader (the room is ever lit by a single candle between the two). It’s these nice touches that bring a nostalgic smile to my face.

The Invincible Iron Man #33

Marvel Comics

«««½

There is a cinematic feel to Matt Fraction’s Iron Man that is engaging. The Invincible Iron Man #33 was the final issue of the “Stark Resilient” storyline in which Tony, after having rebuilt himself, rebuilds his company with Pepper, Rhodey, and a new supporting cast.

The story so far has not been action heavy because Fraction has utilized strong characterization to move the story along. However, this was a fast paced issue in which Tony races in Stark Resilient’s newly unveiled car from the Hammer drones and Detroit Steel while Pepper lays dying. While Justine Hammer does not succeed in bring Tony down, the story ends with the inclusion of two more Iron Man baddies into her fold to create an eventual big time headache for our hero.

Salvador Larroca is perfect for this book because he draws sleek technological doodads and a pretty fantastic Iron Man (who doesn’t appear in this issue). My only qualm is the somewhat distracting character models he uses, which I have previously mentioned sometimes takes me out of the story.

Fraction writes a fine dialogue-free follow-up called “Good Morning Tony” that offers a day in the technology-based life of Tony Stark.  Jamie McKelvie handles the artwork on the eight-page story and I would not be averse to seeing more from the artist on this title.

Uncanny X-Men #531

Marvel Comics

«««

Greg Land’s artwork is not always my cup of tea. When his female characters are smiling I imagine them shouting “Weeeeeee!” I don’t hate it, because it is oftentimes quite dynamic, but it doesn’t mesh well with Matt Fraction’s current “Quarantine” storyline. I’d like to see Land’s work on something lighter I think.

Regardless, I am enjoying Fraction’s story of a mutant flu strain that has the mutants on lockdown in Utopia while Dr. Rao attempts to cure what ails the children of the atom. Fraction humorously uses introductory captions to establish each character and and as a commentary device where they might normally be used to identify the character’s power (“Namor. King of the Sea. Snotty, however you choose to define it”; “Scott Summers—Cyclops. Optic blasts. Bit sniffly”).

The story also involves a faux-mutant X-Team created by Lobe, a team of five heroes designed to mimic the powers of the five original X-Men. Another story has Angel forming a team of non-bedridden X-Men (Storm, Pixie, Dazzler, and Northstar) to take down the Collective Man.

Finally, all of Emma’s scheming seems to have been fruitless as Sebastian Shaw has not proven to be as easily disposed as she had hoped. Fraction writes few pages of their history to illustrate how far Emma has come from her wicked origins with the Hellfire Club.  There’s a lot of story going on in Fraction’s Uncanny X-Men and all of the stories are keeping me fully absorbed.

The Fantastic Four #586

Marvel Comics

««««

Were this any other arc of the Fantastic Four it would still be top-notch. Knowing that this is the penultimate chapter in Jonathan Hickman’s eventually infamous “Three” storyline that will feature the death of a beloved member of the team.

The team has been segmented into three separate dangerous scenarios with their most infamous adversaries. Reed with Galactus, Sue with Namor, and Ben and Johnny with Annihilus. Hickman has masterfully amped up the danger for each of the members. I’m reminded somewhat of Identity Crisis in which we knew there was going to be multiple deaths and, while reading it, you crossed your fingers that it actually wouldn’t happen because Brad Meltzer brought great compassion to the characters. Hickman demonstrates, perhaps more skillfully than Meltzer, the ability to remind us why these characters are beloved without knocking us over the head with it.

So Reed is saving the Earth from the wrath of Galactus, Sue is trying to stave off an Atlantean war, and Ben and Johnny are fighting off some frightening bugs who report to Annihilus. As exciting as this unfolding story is, things are looking gloomier than ever for the FF.

Rating Scale:

Excellent ««««

Good «««

Average ««

Poor «

Why Isn't Anyone Reading 'Power Girl'?

How come nobody’s reading Power Girl?

This summer, Writer Judd Winick and Artist Sami Basri began their run on Power Girl after a critically successful year-long run by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Amanda Connor.

Winick and Basri have produced five issues so far, but the book hasn’t hit Diamond’s Top 100 since their inaugural issue (Power Girl #13). It’s frustrating to be a fan of comic books and not have many people to discuss your new reads with. It’s even worse when you can’t find anybody who’s reading one of your favorite titles.

Winick has always been a writer who takes good care of the characters he’s working on. Some readers really have a problem with his stories, but I’ve never understood this. For my money he’s always been true to the characters he been tasked to write (The Outsiders and Batman).

Then there’s the one two punch of Basri’s artwork. Month after month Basri presents gasp-worthy art that has been beautifully colored by Sunny Gho (Jessica Kholinne has assisted on colors on the last two issues). Basri has had the opportunity to draw the JLI, the JSA, Batman, and Booster Gold during his first five issues; his takes on these characters has been nothing less than superb.

Winick has been writing a story that appears to be tied to his Generation Lost bi-weekly series, but I’m not reading that title and do not feel the least bit lost in this series. Right out of the starting gate Winick made the choice to play with Karen Starr’s livelihood by throwing her personal life in complete turmoil. Karen’s Head of Finance Donna Anderson has disappeared (along with all of Starrware Industries’s money) and now the company is bankrupt. Power Girl is finding that the fate of Donna Anderson, her company’s financial woes, and the manufactured villains trying to take her down, are all converging into a single plot.

Power Girl has been strong on story and equally strong on humor. Power Girl's inner monologues, especially during fight scenes, are often an opportunity for Winick to throw in some quality (and apropos) laughs. At the beginning of issue #16 Power Girl is getting her clock cleaned by an unseen assailant as she runs down the list of her powers, followed by the question: “So I ask you… why, oh why do I keep getting my ass kicked?!”

Winick has also given Power Girl an Oracle of sorts in Nicholas “Nicco” Cho. Nicco quickly figures out that Karen Starr, his employer, and Power Girl are one and the same. Winick has fleshed out the character over the course of the arc—he’s smart, tough, and is able to call Karen out on the carpet if he feels so inclined.

Power Girl could easily be a throw away title for DC, but Winick is doing some really enjoyable stuff on this book. Based on the sales, I question whether DC will publish this run in trade form. Do yourself a favor and get to your local retailer and start snatching these from the back issue bin.

Wednesday’s Finest, 10/20/10 Releases

By Don M. Ventura

Kick-Ass 2 #1
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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.

Hulk #26
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.

Superman/Batman #77
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.

Morning Glories #3
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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.

Power Girl #17
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!”

Skull Kickers #2
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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.