Comics: Week of November 23

Five sentences just doesn't seem like enough to describe some of this week's books accurately, but I have done my very best and will keep to it until I have some kind of epiphany, or can actually see some improvement. For now, though, here are twenty sentences on some pretty good books.

Ex Machina #16 - "Off The Grid, Part Two"
(Brian K. Vaughan, words; Tony Harris, pencils)

The first issue in this two-part story took Mayor Hundred out of New York politics and on the road in search of his mother, and this issue wraps things up fairly nicely. I like the look of the flashback scene at the beginning of this issue; the panel arrangement and point of view work to create a disjointed feeling that fits the tone of the action. I'm not particularly thrilled with the "Is Mitchell gay?" thread that's popping up again in this title; I think it's an unneccessary plot point in a series that's full of potential. (Personally, I'd love it if he was functionally asexual after his accident, and only feels twinges of love for a nice, dependable Blackberry or a good-looking sports car.) All in all, a fairly standard issue of an above-average series, but I'm looking forward to the next storyline - "March To War" - with great interest.
Expectation: 3.5
Rating: 3
Differential: -0.5


Jack Cross #4 - "Love Will Get You Killed, Part Four"
(Warren Ellis, words; Gary Erskine, art)

I'm a Ellisoholic - which, in my opinion, should really be "Ellisic"; is there really anything called Ellisohol, and if so, can someone please tell me where can I get some? Anyhow, considering he's putting out 3 different cop/investigator comics right now, and I can't afford to get all of them, I'm afraid Jack Cross, the "Hard Man" himself, gets the boot. There's nothing particularly wrong with it: Ellis has the different characters' clipped, military dialogue down just fine, and in a few places he and Erskine show just how effective decompression can be. Jack Cross is a spy-action movie in comic form, very cinematic and striking, but ultimately it suffers in comparison to the superior art and story found in Desolation Jones and Fell. I gave it four issues, and now I'm afraid I'm going to have to give it a miss.
Expectation: 3
Rating: 2.5
Differential: -0.5


Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein #1
(Grant Morrison, words; Doug Mahnke, art)

As much as I love Karloff, I like my Frankenstein's monster a little less "monosyllabic and cement boot-dragging" and a little more "philosophical and Paradise Lost-quoting"; Morrison and Mahnke have given me the latter. The main thrust of Morrison's Seven Soldiersseries - interdimensional Fae folk bent on the destruction of this world - is an oddly compatable fit with Shelley's monster-hunting monster, who sort of reminds me of a white-collar Hellboy. This is the best I've seen Mahnke's art; he successfully draws beautiful young men and women, overweight pimply-faced dweebs, and a reanimated corpse with equal success. I would have liked to see more of the monster himself (he bookends his own title), and was a little confused by a publishing error on Page 4, but those are minor complaints. Out of the all seven miniseries was the one I was the most worried about, and yet based on the strength of this first issue, it's probably my second-favourite (after Klarion: The Witch-Boy, and trust me, no-one is more surprised than me about that): "Frankenstein Lives!" indeed.
Expectation: 3.5
Rating: 4.0
Differential: +0.5

Seven Soldiers: Zatanna #4
(Grant Morrison, words; Ryan Sook, pencils)

Another Seven Soldiers mini draws to a close with this issue, and I must admit I'm sad to see it go; this Zatanna is the most effective and enjoyable of her many incarnations, and I hope she isn't relegated to "deus ex machina" or "plot point" status after this. Sook's Zatanna is sexy without being vulgar, but more importantly in this issue, his pencils give the reader an excellent look at both the mundane and the mystical - and beyond. Here Morrison mines one of his favourite story veins, what I like to call "the comic book as conscious cultural construct", something he's done in The Filth, Doom Patrol, and most effectively, Animal Man. It's well-done here, and it highlighting the massive intensity of the magical confrontation by suggesting that not even the all-powerful Fourth Wall can contain this fight. This issue finishes off the miniseries with style, and even though I'm irked that the story won't be quite over for another few months, this is a good enough place to pause for now.
Expectation: 4.0
Rating: 4.5
Differential: +0.5

Comics: Week of November 16

This past week's haul of comics was a fairly mixed bag for me. It stuck to my pattern of "Mostly Good, Mostly DC", but there were a couple of things that really surprised me. Let's hit the rundown.

All-Star Superman #1
(Grant Morrison, words; Frank Quitely, art)

I'm still limiting myself to five sentences here, so let's start off with the following statement: All-Star Superman is almost wall-gnawingly good. Morrison and Quitely have taken what they feel are the essential elements of the Superman mythos (Superman is self-sacrificing and loves Lois, Lois is brilliant and witty, Lex is capital-E Evil, Jimmy is a keener and mildly annoying), distilled them and deliver it in super-concentrated form. After a deceptively simple one-page origin recap, he dialogue and plot run past fairly quickly, the near-absurdity of the story just another example of Morrison's "pharmaceutically-charged Silver Age" writing style. My favourite part of the book is the take on Clark: he's still as huge as Superman, but a slouching, clumsy, plain-looking guy that reminds me of Christopher Reeve's take on the character. It's not as strong a start as some of his Seven Soldiers #1s earlier in the year, but it's a breath of fresh air that makes me seriously re-examine some of my previous purchases of the past few months.
Expectation: 4
Rating: 4.5
Differential: +0.5


Birds of Prey #88 - "Perfect Pitch, Part Two"
(Gail Simone, words; Jack Bennett & Eddy Barrows, pencils)

I started picking this title up a few months ago after hearing nothing but good things about it, and after really enjoying Simone's work on Villains United, but this issue really left me with a bland taste in my mouth. The many plot threads are let to go a little slack, so it's more than a little disjointed: Calculator gets his buddies to torture one of the Birds' allies, Ollie & Dinah fight gangsters and discuss their love life, the Birds go shopping, Huntress works to get in with the mob...a number of interesting but there's no uniting thread through the issue. The art doesn't help matters any, as the looks change along with the scenes. I do like the way Gail Simone writes dialogue that's character-specific and makes for a number of cute little scenes. However, that's not enough to redeem this issue: it was spread too thin over too many stories, which I hope get tied a little tighter in the next issue.
Expectation: 3.5
Rating: 2.5
Differential: -1


Fables #43 - "Arabian Nights (And Days), Part Two"
(Bill Willingham, words; Mark Buckingham, pencils)

This issue sees the continued interactions between Sinbad & the Arabian fables into the mostly-European Fabletown, as well as some more interesting political maneuvering in the Mayor's office. I must say, even though I miss Deputy Mayor Snow White and Sheriff Bigby, the Prince Charming-Beauty-Beast dynamic is really starting to grow on me; Willingham allows more subtlety and less moral absolutism in their characterizations, which makes for more entertaining interactions as well as a better fit for a confused and conflicted Fabletown. Plus, King Cole has shown more ingenuity and intelligence in his limited role these past two issues than his previous tenure as Mayor. The clash of culture is played out quite well here, and although the ending didn't really catch me by surprise, it sets the reader up for an entertaining next issue. Combine that with the creativity of Willingham's page layouts and his iconic pencils (a good fit for the books fairy-tale characters), and Fables remains a book to keep your eye on.
Expectation: 3
Rating: 3.5
Differential: +0.5


Hellblazer #214 - "R.S.V.P., Part One"
(Mike Carey, words; Leonardo Manco, art)

This is the penultimate issue of Carey's run on the title, and it is rather obvious: he's setting a number of things up here that shout "It's the beginning of the end, folks!" Hellblazer #214 is characterized by the two main strengths of Carey's tenure: his John Constantine is intriguing because it's a Gestalt made from the interpretation of previous writers, and he effectively uses all the supporting characters, both living and dead. I'm not sure where John's going to end up after this story is over, but he rarely does either, so in that sense, I'm in respectable company.
Expectation: 3
Rating: 3
Differential: 0


Polly & The Pirates #2 (An October comic, but I got it this week)
(Ted Naifeh, words and art)

I picked this title up because, as an all-ages comic book about a sweet ten-year-old girl's adventures with pirates, it satisfies both my need for pirate comics, and Peach's need for sweet all-ages comics. I must say that I've really taking a liking to Polly Pringle, timid schoolgirl and dubious heir to a pirate empire, and root for her through all her adventures, be them with salty sea dogs or conniving classmates. Naifeh gains big points for humour, adventure, excellent dialogue ("Thank you for your kindness. You may keep the rowboat."), and the use of one of my favourite historical figures. He loses points for sometimes falling into clichés, although much less so than last issue, and for Polly's lack of feet (seriously, she runs around on peglegs). This issue takes all the great things of last month's and improves on them, and I'm really happy that I took the chance on this one, and you should too, especially if you are (or have) a comic book girlfriend.
Expectation: 3
Rating: 4
Differential: +1

Comics: Week of November 9

And now, the second installment of my paragraph-length reviews. The three comics I bought this week don't have much in common (aside from the over-arching publisher), but I was fairly pleased with each of them.

DMZ #1 - "On The Ground, Part One"
(Brian Wood, words; Riccardo Burchielli & Brian Wood, art)

The premise for this series is intriguing: a group of states (including New Jersey) seceded from the United States five years ago, and we see what it’s like to live in Manhattan Island, the titular de-militarized zone, through the eyes of photography intern Matthew Roth. The series starts in medias res, so I’m not getting as much information as I would like; I know that’s part of the point, that we’re just confused as Roth is, but it means I’m having a hard time really getting into this issue. It’s a good story, and the artists do a good job showing just how decrepit, crumbling, and dirty the city has become. Bottom line: it’s a good first issue, and my interest is suitably peaked.
Expectation: 3
Rating: 3
Differential: 0


Infinite Crisis #2
(Geoff Johns, words; Phil Jiminez, pencils)

For myself and the thousands of fans of DC Comics, this is the biggest event of the last 20 years, but the first issue left me a little underwhelmed. This one is better, mostly because we get a little more forward momentum amidst all the exposition (and there's a LOT of exposition). Johns has recieved a lot of flack for his writing over the past year or so, but I'm enjoying his story so far. Jimenez's art is pretty good; I don't like the way he draws some of the feature characters (Power Girl, Earth-1 Superman), but that's two out of about two hundred, and the art chores in this book would have killed a lesser man. I liked this issue, even moreso for the inclusion of Animal Man and Booster Gold (with SKEETS!), and it's raised the bar for issue 3.
Expectation: 3
Rating: 4
Differential: +1

Jonah Hex #1
(Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti, words; Luke Ross, art)

I know it’s technically one of last week’s comics, but Devon’s glowing endorsement of it made me curious enough to pick it up, and let me tell you, I’m glad I did. The Western genre can be predictable and lame, but Gray and Palmiotti tell an interesting – and self-contained – story that acts both as a good introduction to the character and the world he inhabits. The panel layout echoes the visual style of the great Western films; “widescreen” panels frame the setting, while series of smaller panels move along conversation and action. Ross’s version of Hex looks a lot like Clint Eastwood at times, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but threw me off the trail once or twice on the first read-through. From the looks of the first issue, I’ll be getting the next few issues of Jonah Hex, but we’ll see if it has the chops to knock one of my titles off my monthly list permanently.
Expectation: 3.5
Rating: 4
Differential: +0.5

Comics: Week of November 2

I'm not very comfortable writing reviews. Sure, I can rant like the dickens, but I don't think I can use those abilities to make a competent review. So for the next while, I'm going to experiment with writing paragraph-length reviews about the comics I picked up during the week. No more than five sentences, plus The Doc's Patented Ratings Systen: marks out of five for both Expectation and Rating, and the Differential. Because more comics reviews are just what this fine Internet of ours needs. I'll try and keep them fairly spoiler-free, but there's no guarantees, folks.

Desolation Jones #4
(Warren Ellis, words; J.H. Williams III, art)

This is my favourite Warren Ellis title out there right now, and seeing as how I can count four off the top of my head (six if you count Iron Man and Planetary), that's a fairly high rating. This issue puts out quite a bit of plot in between two instances of decompressed violence, and I was very happy with it, on the whole. Ellis doesn’t always give the reader well-defined characters (some that have character traits and dialogue that are fairly interchangeable), but Michael Jones is the most well-rounded character he’s put out since Spider Jerusalem. Williams’s art is not quite as breathtaking as his work on Promethea, but the grittier tone is an excellent fit for the book; I was also particularly pleased with Jose Villarrubia’s use of color in the opening fight scene. My only complaint is that I really wish it was a monthly book, but if as long as it continues with its high level of quality, I’ll keep patiently waiting for the next issue.
Expectation: 4
Rating: 4
Differential: 0


House of M #8
(Brian Michael Bendis, words; Oliver Copiel, pencils)

I have a love-hate relationship with this series: I thought a number of issues were very good, but I also felt that few were un-necessary or, at the worst, just plain bad. I stuck it out, though, because I had an investment after the first four issues and wanted to see how it all turned out. This issue sets up a very different – and interestingly enough from a DC fan’s perspective, not retconned – path for the Marvel Universe, and I was actually shocked by a few of the developments. While the overall storyline felt a little padded, this issue was tight and well-plotted, and it’s in no small part thanks to Bendis’s approach to the key characters. However, this issue did not do the one thing I hoped it might do, which is make me care about Marvel again on a monthly basis; I’ll stick to reading D!’s books when I go to visit.
Expectation: 2.5
Rating: 3.0
Differential: +0.5


Marvel Team-Up #14
(Robert Kirkman, words; Cory Walker, art)

Two Marvel books in one week is an extremely rare occurrence, but I just couldn’t pass up on the Spidey-Invincible combo, especially when it brings Cory Walker back to the character he helped create. The issue has plenty of jokes, a number of which involve the inherent silliness of superhero names, and almost all of them work just fine. The action sequences are good too; I particularly enjoyed the way Invincible decided to deal with Doctor Octopus. However, the book’s main failing is that the inclusion of the teenaged Invincible really points out just how far Spider-Man has fallen from the way I feel he works best: a loser teenager with great responsibility and an incredible secret. He’s just not as effective as a handsome guy with a supermodel wife, which is why I’ll stick to my Ultimate Spider-Man trades – at least, as long as Ultimate Peter Parker remains under-25.
Expectation: 4
Rating: 4.5
Differential: +0.5


Powers #14
(Brian Michael Bendis, words; Michael Avon Oeming, art)

The second chapter in the current storyline opens with another stand-up comedian, this time ranting about the sniping cowards on the Internet (as a non-sniping Internet coward, I take no offense), although I don't know how - or if - it ties in to the rest of the story. Pilgrim and Walker's investigation of the victim / suspect's home with the "assistance" of a mysterious federal agent is interesting, but I was chilled by Pilgrim's chat with Internal Affairs. Bendis's ear for dialogue is almost as good as Elmore Leonard's, which is praise that I don't give out lightly, and Oeming's work this issue is some of the best I've seen him do. Although I don't know where they're going with this storyline, I'm glad Pilgrim's getting some close scrutiny, and I'll be watching this with a great deal of interest.
Expectation: 3.5
Rating: 3.5
Differential: 0


Seven Soldiers: The Bulleteer #1
(Grant Morrison, words; Yanick Paquette, pencils)

I've found the Seven Soldiers miniseries consistently above-par, so I was shocked when I found The Bulleteer to be simply "okay". Just like in the previous series, the book has it's share of crazy-but-brilliant ideas; much less so than some of the others, but that's not neccessarily a bad thing. Morrison's Bulleteer, Alix Harrower, is a twist on the reluctant hero; a woman who's gained her powers (strength and invulnerability) thanks to her husband's twin obsessions with beauty and superheroes. The psychosexual themes of the book are consistently mirrored in Paquette's art, and that's where the biggest trouble comes in: every image of Alix looks like a pinup, which makes the book look more like a collection of cheesecake shots than a series of panels intended to tell a forward-moving story. My first impression of this series is that in both writing and art it's a straight-ahead middle-of-the-road superhero book, and as such it doesn't quite live up to the expectations that the previous miniseries have laid out for it.
Expectation: 4
Rating: 2.5
Differential: -1.5