The Pickytarian

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October 31, 2004

Subway Reading: Black Widow

Black Widow #2 - I am a huge fan of Bill Sienciewicz' art. As a youth, I remember seeing it in the pages of The New Mutants, and being the unappreciative know-nothing little punk that I was, I couldn't stand it. Where were the muscles, for goodness' sake? Instead of clean hatching and ninth-generation Jack Kirby knockoff figures, the pages were covered with frenzied scribbles, out of which you might be able to discern the occassional bald Professor X head. Anyway, like I said, I was a young punk. At some point, however, I came across Elektra: Assassin and by the time I finished I was singing a completely different tune. Nobody has ever come close to creating the kind of stylish energy that Sienciewicz does when his pen scratches against the board.

A few months ago, there was an announcement that Sienciewicz would be drawing one of the Batman titles, and that it would be written by David Lapham. Awesome! Not long after that, I went to a convention where Sienciewicz was appearing. He was seated at a table, happily signing the monstrous stacks of New Mutants books that his fans lugged up to him, chattering away about his work on the Dark Knight. I overheard him excitedly explain how he imagined the architecture of Gotham to be like that of Prague. He described a splash page he had drawn where Batman and a swarm of bats were silhouetted against the moon, with the ends of the caped crusader's unfurled cape seeming to transform into the shapes of the flying rodents. This page was tacked up along with a handful of others behind him, and they looked amazing.

Sadly, it was not to be. For some reason the Lapham-Sienciewicz collaboration was scrapped. As a consolation prize, we get this Black Widow limited series from Marvel. Sienciewicz isn't even handling all of the art chores on this one; Goran Parlov is credited with "Layouts." The result is sort of a watered-down Sienciewicz-lite affair. Eager fans like myself will drink up every scrap, though. You should have seen these Batman pages. Seiciewicz has an amazing sense of design, and it was on display in the imaginative Batman layouts. Parlov does a workman-like job with the layouts in this book. His breakdowns are a little conservative and tame, though they the story very clearly. Most of the time, that is. There is a transition in this book that just seems... wrong. Page 4, panels 3 and 4, at the end of the semi-gratuitous underwear scene. Natasha and Phil are having a conversation, which flows very smoothly across both panels. But Natasha jarringly goes from undies in panel 3, not even holding clothes, to fully clothed and jacketed in panel 4. Wha?

Richard K. Morgan is delivering a well-written script in ths series. A mysterious killer is hunting down ex-KGB agents, and Natasha is trying to simultaneously unravel the mystery and stay alive. Strong spy-story thrills keep the action moving. Ex-SHIELD agent Phil Dexter is a good addition to the cast; he acts as a rough-edged foil to Natasha's strict buttoned-down professionalism. All in all I'm enjoying this book, though I wish we were getting Sienciewicz' layout skills along with his line-work. 3.5 stars.

One more note about Bill Sienciewicz. He was the illustrator of one of my favorite album covers of all time, 1998's "Bobby Digital" by The RZA. I have included a pic below both for your enjoyment and as evidence of Sienceiewicz' exceptional design skills.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 09:19 PM | Comments (1)

More FF movie stills...

http://www.joblo.com/index.php?id=5694

Apparently there was once a promo clip available here too, but due to overwhelming demand it has been removed. Still, the page is worth a visit for first glimpses of The Human Torch & Mr. Fantastic's powers, as well as the first pics of an armored Dr. Doom.

I'm trying to jump to an extremely premature conclusion about the crappines of this movie but it's hard to say. Doom looks kind of cool. His mask pays homage to the classic Kirby design (especially the mouth), but it is still its own creation. Sort of like the departure that was done with the Green Goblin mask in the first Spider-man movie. Looks like they will largely eliminate the hood, which is more Destro than Dr. Doom, but I can live with that. Human Torch is also impressive looking, though we'll have to see how terrible the inevitable full-CG version of him looks. I'm imagining that's what they will do for the long flying shots, similar to the scenes in Daredevil where the hero is leaping between buildings and such. Which, in my opinion, were about as convincing as the cut scenes in a PlayStation game. The shot of Reed Richards stretching looks better than I had anticipated. There's one semi-indistinguishable shot, which must be an Invisible Woman effect. It's hard to judge because I can't tell what I'm looking at. I guess it works because I can't see anybody? Finally, it looks as though we are all just going to have to accept that The Thing is going to look like what he is, a guy in an orange rubber suit. I expect that when he moves around on-screen, the action will be accompanied by a lot of heavy, thudding footsteps, and the sound of grinding rocks. This may cut down on the Creature from the Black Lagoon factor somewhat.

Ultimately the jury is still out. How generous of me, since the movie won't be in theaters for another 9 months. To Fox Studios and director Tim Story, if you can hear me out there: Please, please, please, don't screw this movie up like I know you will. Please.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 06:09 PM

Subway Reading - Singularity 7

AAAAGH. Agh. Arg. My PS2 crapped out. With an air of finality this time. Last couple of times I was able to track down some tips on the interent, disassemble the thing, and fix it. Even though I was only following instructions about finding and turning a little plastic dial, this made me feel like some kind of electronics-reparing idiot-savant. Well, I sat there today and spun that friggin' dial until the cows came home and it got me nowhere. Normally I might be able to take this development in stride except that I JUST BOUGHT GRAND THEFT AUTO: SAN ANDREAS 3 DAYS AGO!!!! As I mentioned before: Arg.

So it is with a fair measure of impotent rage that I approach my latest comic book to review. Consider yourself warned.

Singularity 7 #4 - The finale to an interesting 4-issue mini-series that was written and drawn by Ben Templesmith. I was never a big fan of Templesmith's art; I have picked up and put back a nuumber of books by him since he hit with 30 Days of Night. I was finally swayed by this book, mostly because I'm a sucker for a post-apocalyptic setting. Templesmith's art style quickly grew on me. The painted background texures are not only visually appealing, but they also effectively describe the toxic, lifeless hell in which this story takes place. His minimal ink work has a nice hand-scrawled energy, and the way he spots the bright red ink for details contributes to the overall creepy atmosphere. As for the story, the set-up in issue 1 was effectively scary and drew me in for the ride. The character of the Singularity was very cool: he had a very chilling presence yet delivered wierdly goofy dialogue.

Unfortunately this comic started to lose steam somewhere around the middle of issue #2. Once the novelty appeal of the art wore off, there was little else to sustain it. It seems like 90% of the camera angles are straight-on medium shots. Templesmith has a funny little habit of scrawling little jokes into his panels, like the words "Head Case" in a panel where somebody gets violently stabbed through the head. I have mixed feelings about this: yeah, they're kind of funny, but they also rip me right out of the narrative flow of the story. Furthermore, they reduce the action to the level of a junior high school gross-out doodle. If that's what the creator thought of what he is drawing, why should I have any emotional investment in the fate of the characters? I'm just sitting back and rooting for them to get killed in some spectacularly gruesome way so that I can giggle at the next joke.

Almost all of the characters had a "kewl" factor that came from their swords, machine guns, and black leather outfits, but before long I realized that was about all they had going on. That's basically my problem with the whole book. It was a great setup, but every element of this comic, from the art to the plot to the characterization, ended up hollow and insubstantial. My impression of this story was that Templesmtih came up with a great premise, then some cool character designs, then tried to build 96 pages of comic books upon that foundation. Unfortunately, the final product ultimately falls short. 2 stars.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 09:12 AM

October 29, 2004

Subway Reading: We3 and Strange

We3 #2 - Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely could collaborate on a fax machine user manual and I would buy it. Luckily they're working on something more interesting: the limited series We3. The main characters in this title are a cat, a dog, and a bunny rabbit who have been transformed into talking half-animal, half-cyborg war machines by a secret army research program. When the government threatens to shut the program down, sympathetic research team member Lucy frees the 3 animals and they escape into the world, battle armor and all.

It would be easy to dismiss this series as a simple statement against animal testing by an avowed vegetarian. While that is undeniably an element of this book, there is much more going on. Morrison shows us the cruel and destructive nature of man, but his human characters also demonstrate nurturing and caring. The same can be said for the animals: they kill and kill and kill some more, not just in self-defense but also for survival. Like the best kinds of allegorical subtext-laden stories, this one does not hammer the reader over the head with a viewpoint or lesson. It exposes many facets of the man vs. nature conflict and forces the reader to confront them on his or her own.

The characterization in this book is extraordinary. If animals could speak, they probably wouldn't have a lot to say about the Red Sox or the Election. Morrison's 1, 2, and 3 (the creatures' names) are concerned with their next meal, survival, and most importantly, home. The dog's optimism about their goal ("go home") plays against the cat's pessimism ("2 say IS no home") beautifully. The dog dearly wants to be accepted as "Gud dog" while the cat could care less about pleasing the "Ssstink boss" (Now I can't help but think that's my cat's name for me: Stink Boss). Watching the dog castigate himself for failing his compatriot later in the book, by hanging his head and muttering "Bad dog," tugs the heartstrings just as much as his effort to be a "Gud dog" by saving the man in the river. The reveal that Morrison & Quitely pull off in that sequence, by the way, is perfectly done.

Speaking of Quitely, the art in this book is among the best on the racks today. He is one of the few comic artists who is able to use a thin pen line and restrain himself from skritchy-scratch noodling (see my Strange #2 review). The design of the animals' armor is cool but also convincing. The panel layouts in the action sequences - featuring dozens of mini-panels floating over splash panels - communicate the grisly violence clearly and effectively. The outdoor landscapes are exquisite. Little touches, such as the rabbit foot dangling from the rear-view mirror of the humvee attacking the animals, complete the package.

The only bad thing about this series is that it will only be 3 issues long. It's in the running for limited series of the year. 5 stars.

Strange #2 - To: Brandon Peterson. Re: Your art on Strange #2. You're a good artist, Brandon. You've got chops, as they say. Very consistent and distinctive characters, convincing 3-D space, interesting anatomy with a kind of John Romita Jr. feel. But the noodling! It's choking the life out of the final product. Stop yourself, man. Just put down the crow-quill and back away from the bristol board. Nice and easy. There, isn't that better? I know you rose to prominence in the heyday of the Image house-style. You've risen far above that clenched-teeth, squinty-eyed, footless morass. Now it's time to shed that last vestige, which is the unnecessary hatching. You can do it.

--SPOILERS WARNING--
The writing in Strange #2... capable, engaging, but not extraordinary. I do like the element of Stephen Strange being torn away from his comfortable surgical career by mangling his hands. The ineffective yet expensive traditional medical treatments that he seeks out simultaneously take away his fortune and build up his disillusionment with modern medicine. It's done well, but I can't help but feel that it's something we've seen a million times before. All in all, this series has a lot of potential but a ways to go before it realizes that potential. 3 stars.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 10:12 AM

October 28, 2004

Subway Reading: Andy Diggle Day

The Losers #17 - I'm an on-again, off-again reader of this book. I read the first arc, stopped for some reason, and jumped back on with this one. This is the second chapter of the Loser's origin story and all in all it's a solid read. Writer Andy Diggle does a great job of keeping the focus on the action. Jock's unusual panel layouts combine with his minimalist drawing style to tell the story in a stylish and effective manner. If you're looking for nuanced emotion or rich layers of subtext, this isn't the book for you. But it does deliver exactly what it promises: action, tension, and thrills. 3.5 stars.

Adam Strange #2 - Andy Diggle delivers some of the best action sequences in the business, and he proves it with this week's one-two punch of The Losers and Adam Strange. This issue is a satisfying, thrill-a-minute ride through the skies of Gotham City and later into outer space. What really makes this book stand out, though, is the work being done by artist Pascual Ferry and colorist Dave McCaig. They go with the increasingly popular direct-from-pencils style, and they do a very nice job of it. The finished product has the sheen of an animated movie, and I can't decide if that's because of Ferry's fluid-yet-solid drawing style, the dynamic action sequences, or the glowing colors.

The art in this book is able to shine despite DC Comic's continued insistence on printing their comics on toilet paper. I suppose that complaint can be truned around on the artists: if they know it is going to be printed on crummy stock, they should plan accordingly. In fact, maybe going directly from pencils is not the best idea, considering that delicate line work is going to be swallowed up and regurgitated into a blurry mess by this unforgiving surface. But it would be unfortunate to reign in this team to the extent that would be needed to make up for these lousy production values. Hopefully DC will have the good sense to print the collected trade on glossy stock that will give this fantastic art the showcase it deserves. 4 stars.

---

It's not really fair to nit-pick, but what is the name of the site, after all? Keep in mind that I am definitely a fan of the art in both of these books. That being said, nobody's perfect:

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 08:23 PM | Comments (2)

Subway Reading: Daredevil #66

Last night on the subway I finished up Hellboy: The Cained Coffin and Others. I have already trumpeted the greatness of this book, so I'm not going to bore you by re-hashing it. I bring up last night because somewhere around West 4th St, a guy wearing a T-Shirt bearing the Spiderman black-costume logo got on the train, sat down next to me, and proceeded to open his bag and pull out some comics to read. Ahhh, kinship. Brotherhood. Solidarity!

Anyway this morning I dug into yesterday's haul. First up was...

Daredevil #66 - A few weeks ago, while rumaging through some comic boxes at the 23rd St. flea market, I came across a run of Sam & Twitch comics. I pieced together a complete arc, which turned out to be the last arc written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Alex Maleev. It was very cool to read these books from an archeological point of view: how has the team changed since then? What elements from that stage in their respective careers carried over to today? I found that Bendis' trademark snappy dialogue & unique pacing (i.e., 2-page spreads of talking heads) were in full force, though it was a little rawer and there was more of it. He has gotten more restrained since then, which has been a welcome improvement. Maleev used some of the same distinctive techniques he does now, especially his photo-based backgrounds. I was surprised to see that his work used to feature more traditionally rendered cartoony figures. Seems that he uses more of a photo-inspired style now. Not to say that he has become some kind of photo-reference hack; far from it. What I mean is that he places his shadows and describes facial features more judiciously, sort of under-renderring rather than over-renderring. It owes more to the look of a reprinted photo than the look of traditional comic art, which helps his figures blend in better with his heavily photo-referenced backgrounds. That probably doesn't make any sense, and I'm sorry. Maybe tonight I will scan some examples and post a side-by-side comparison.

This creative team of Bendis & Maleev have been bringing us the last few years of Daredevil, and it's been maybe the best run since Frank Miller put the character on the map in the early 80's. In this issue, Bendis pulls back from the deep super-hero motifs that we have seen lately and tells the story of Alexander Bont, who was basically the kingpin before Wilson Fisk. Through two different flashback sequences, we see the moment when Bont begins his ascension and the moment 20 years later (give or take) when he begins his downfall. Both events are touched off by the interference of costumed superheroes, with the latter involving a yellow-costumed Daredevil (Bendis gets in some clever cracks about the clownish outfit, which I appreciated). The two coloring techniques that were employed to differentiate the eras were a nice touch.

The main reason I brought up the Sam & Twitch story arc was that for much of this book, Bendis more or less ignores super-powers in favor of giving us a believable taste of the lives and personalities of criminals. The result is an enagaging, human drama that is easy for the reader to connect to. We can all imagine the sad desperation of the bounty hunters in Sam & Twitch who admit to hating themselves and their life. Thanks in part to Maleev's rendition of Bont's weathered face and confused eyes, we can imagine the disconnect that comes from visiting a place that has little relation to the place it was 40 years ago.

--SPOLIERS ALERT--
What we can't relate to, of course, is the world of super-powers. I understand why Bont would take the course of action he takes at the end of this issue. His rise and fall were made possible by super-heroes. It seems to him that they controlled his destiny. So in an effort to finish out his years with some semblance of control over his life, he takes some kind of super-power granting pill (which I imagine must be the mutant hormone drug that we saw earlier in this series) and swears revenge on Daredevil. That's all well and good, and will definitely make for a solid take on a standard superhero story. But at the instant that happened, it shattered the emotional connection that had been so skillfully developed in the preceding 20 pages. It's not unlike what Bendis did in the last issue of Powers, and it left the same kind of bad taste in my mouth. 2.5 stars.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 01:47 PM

Movie Cosutmes! It's Fanboy Geek-out Time!

Because my last 3 reviews have been 5-star jobs, I am taking a brief hiatus to recharge my clearly drained cynicism batteries. What better way to rebuild the bitterness that defines every self-respecting comic book fan than by criticizing movies that have not yet been finished and that I will still definitely go see? So here are a couple of quickies:

Batman
http://www.joblo.com/newsimages1/bale-costume-1.jpg
Why did the person who posted this photo decide to silhouette? And to silhouette so poorly at that?

But on to the costume. At least there are no nipples. But why do filmmakers continue to insist on encasing Batman in rubber armor? I suppose there may be a good reason for it. Perhaps every time they put him in any sort of fabric, the viewer can't help but be reminded of Adam West's pot belly hanging over his worn-on-the-outside jockey shorts. But come on, this is a guy who's supposed to be stealthily sneaking around in shadows and then doling out hefty amounts of kung-fu whoop-ass. How is he gong to accomplish these tasks when he CAN'T TURN HIS STINKING HEAD?

The Thing
http://www.superherohype.com/news/fantasticfournews.php?id=2149
I like this photo a lot. It's not clear if this is from an actual scene in the movie, or if this is Michael Chiklis during a break, heading over to the food-service table for some shrimp cocktail or mini-muffins. Either way this costume somehow looks better to me than it did in previous photos. It might just be the lighting, though it's hard to imagine that mid-day natural light would be more flattering than carefully planned set lighting. Or maybe it's just a better-quality photo. Either way, I am somewhat reassured that this movie will be an improvement over the infamous direct-to-video FF movie from 1994.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 10:12 AM

October 27, 2004

Subway Reading

Son of the Gun #1 - Whoah! This was a cool book. I'm really glad DC launched its Humanoids imprint, because it gives me a chance to see some of the best contemporary European comics that I would otherwise miss out on.

This story is the epic tale of Juan, the deadliest, most cold-hearted S.O.B. in the South American city of Huatuclo. Writer Alexandro Jodorowsky deftly depolys a series of symbols to establish the depths out of which Juan has to climb: as a baby, he is found abandoned in a garbage dump. Not only does he have a tail, but he nurses from a junkyard dog alongside other puppies. His pacifier is a pistol. Unsurprisingly, he grows up to live by a nihilistic dog-eat-dog credo, and his lack of morals enables him to thrive in the violent and corrupt society in which he lives.

Artist Georges Bess deserves special mention for his work on this book. I was not familiar with his work but I am now eager to search out more of it. He employs a realistic yet fluid drawing style, with inking that can only be described as masterful. Like the work of the best cartoonitsts, his art comes to life in the inking stage. There is a sort of Jack Davis/Joe Kubert feel to his loose lines and confident hatching. The way he spots his blacks to create depth is impeccable. Surface-level craft aside, his storytelling, layout, character design, and depiction of the setting are some of the biggest reasons why I enjoyed this book so much. The heavy-lidded eyes that he gives to Juan convey the "dead inside" nature of the character. The designs of the Prime Minister's goon squad are clever and memorable. Bess demonstrates a knowledge of the craft of cartooning that is rarely if ever glimpsed in contemporary American comics.

I do have one complaint with this book, and that is with the production value. I think much of the problem can be traced to the choice of paper stock for the interior. It's got a bit of a rough texture and a matte finish, and the result is that it sucks up too much of the ink. The colors end up dulled and muddy, and even worse, Bess' incredible line work loses its crispness. Finally, a couple of the pages were mis-registered. That is to say, the 4 printing plates were not lined up perfectly. The result is that the magenta, for example, prints about 1/16th of an inch to the left of the cyan, yellow and black, and the images get fuzzy and blurry. For the $17.95 cover price, I would expect a better package.

Finally, there is something else that I feel I have to mention. Halfway through the story Juan gives himself a last name. Because he has always been a loner, he decides his name will be "Juan Solo." I can only assume that this is one of those quirks of translation, and that in its original language, his name did not come off like that of a character in some kind of awful ethinc slur of a Star Wars parody.

All in all this was an entertaining and rewarding read which I highly recommend. 5 stars.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 02:10 PM

October 26, 2004

Subway Reading

Supreme Power TPB Vol. 2 - In this series, J. Michael Straczynski is presenting his take on DC's familiar JLA archetypes. This book is also his turn at bat in the Deconstruction World Series, which by my count is now in the bottom of the 2,673rd inning. Don't get me wrong: JMS throws in some interesting twists, most notably by injecting the touchy subject of race into his questioning of superhero ethics. But a lot of this book feels re-heated to me, from the Superman/Hyperion character being an tool of the government (thank you, Dark Knight Returns) to the love affair between Superman/Hyperion and Wonder Woman/Zarda (thank you, DK2).

Thematic redundancy aside, I also take issue with a believability-stretching plot point in this book. When the government realized that they had the potential ability to create superhumans, they decided to test out the process on convicted murderers and rapists? It seems like JMS wants to have it both ways. If he wants the reader to accept that these characters exist in "real world" setting, he has to resist the siren song of convenient yet absurd plot devices like this.

Another note: can somebody please fetch a shirt for the female superheroes in this book? I understand that Zarda thinks of herself as being above petty human concerns like modesty or clothing. And it wouldn't be believable for the unnamed fish-girl to wear a clamshell bikini top. But stretching this out for 3 chapters of the story starts to border on the gratuitous.

But enough about the writing. Penciller Gary Frank and inker John Sibal do some interesting work in this book, about which I have mixed feelings. Frank has an attractive style, drawing faces that remind me of Steve Dillon's characters. He definitely has the chops, with lithe superhero anatomy that approaches Neal Adams quality. However, I think he struggles with non-superhero elements. The most egregious example of this is his depiction of Hyperion as a baby. It looks more like a freakish miniature adult with a malformed head than an infant. Compare it to this piece from the Byzantine era:

There is a level of detail in the art that is sometimes effective but sometimes distracting. I'm not sure if this blame lies on the inker or the penciller, but it's not necessary to show us every strand of hair on everybody's head. There's also a little too much skritchy-scratch hatching for my taste, where bold, confident lines would do a better job. Darrick Robertson, R. Crumb, and Richard Corben pull off this fussy style, and the result is a hand-drawn look that makes the work more intimate. In Supreme Power, however, the result is an uncomfortable stiffness. It may be a result of applying this style of finishing to the traditionally dynamic superhero breakdowns, creating tension between competing styles.

I should note that Chris Sotomayor's coloring in this book is top-notch. The "special effects" in the battle between Spectrum & Hyperion are very cool. The underwater panels with the aforementioned fish-girl are evocative. Also, the dramatic lighting in the confessional scene adds a lot to the sequence.

I know I harped on the negative aspects of this book, but I don't want to sell it short. The story is a fun super-hero ride, and while I may have some stylistic arguments with the art, it is distinctive and adds a lot to the book. If you don't look too closely or expect too much from Supreme Power, you won't be disappointed. 2.5 stars.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 10:43 AM

October 25, 2004

Subway Reading

Conan #9 - The best comics have what I can only describe as a magical effect on me. It's the same effect that comes from a great movie, novel, etc.: it sucks the viewer into its world, making its medium invisible. Conan is maybe the only currently running comic that consistently achieves this feat for me. While reading this book, I'm not critiquing the art, I'm not rolling my eyes at the writing, I'm transported to the world of the wandering Cimmerian and loving the adventure. Kurt Busiek has risen to a level all his own in the world of comic scribes. The combination of Cary Nord's uninked pencils and Dave Stewart's colors makes this series a visual delight. I suppose I could nit-pick the art here and there, but the occasional sparse background or rare plastic-sheen flesh tones are more than balanced by the expressive anatomy, dynamic line, and subtle-yet-bold colors. 5 stars.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 07:10 PM | Comments (2)

October 24, 2004

Humiliating

As you may know, I read comics on the subway every day. I am not the least bit ashamed of my choice of reading material. I don't hide it behind the Wall Street Journal or wrap it in a plain brown book-cover or anything. If other people have a problem with it, then hey, let them have their problems. Besides, there's usually a homeless guy taking up 3 seats and sitting in a pool of his own filth, and that inspires considerably more eye-rolling than a grown man reading the latest issue of the Fantastic Four. Sometimes, out of the corner of my eye, I even see my neighboring rider looking over my shoulder every time I turn the page! Rather than turning away from them, I try to tilt the book in their direction a bit.

Unfortunately, it seems that every time there is somebody looking over my shoulder, I turn the page in a Marvel comic and come upon the full-page ad shown at the right. Could there possibly be anything more mortifying than reading something containing this ad? I suppose that if I was actually wearing the Captain America costume with padded muscles with that sh!t-eating grin on my face, I would be more humiliated. For the love of all that is holy, would somebody at Marvel PLEASE stop the madness and quit running this ad in my comics? I can't take one more withering look of revulsion from a fellow commuter who sees me looking at that page and decides that I am the kind of person to whom that ad is directed. I just can't take it. It's enough to make me start hiding my comics behind something less humiliating, like maybe an issue of Hustler or a copy of "Everybody Poops."

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 06:10 PM

October 23, 2004

Subway Reading

The Ocean #1 - Impressive art. Intriguing concept. And almost 6 pages worth of story, stretched out to 23! I mean, come on. I understand the need to establish setting and tone. But Ellis takes it WAY too far here. We're talking 83 panels in 23 pages. That's an average of 3.6 panels per page. Let's look at some of the most egregious examples of decompression here. Page 4 consists of 3 panels of buildings, establishing that we are in a futuristic New York City. Page 7 uses its 3 panels to show a ship taking off from the roof of a building. Page 20, 3 panels, establishing the setting of a ship orbiting Jupiter. The first panel on that page is also used to demonstrate the scale of Jupiter compared to its moons. But in case you missed that because of all the other action going on, the characters explain the same concept in the first tier of the next page. Penciller Chris Sprouse and inker Karl Story make a great team, using a confident, often minimal line and a unique yet traditional style to elegantly tell a story. The deisgns and executions of the various buildings & ships convincingly put the reader in this time and place. It's on the strength of this art and the sci-fi standby of discovering proof of extraterrestrial life that will make me continue with this series. But Warren Ellis has quickly earned a reputation for the writer in whose books nothing happens. And my annoyance with that style of writing prevents me from giving this book more than 2.5 stars.

Fantastic Four #519 - I'm not sure how to feel about this issue. We get the consistently expressive and fun style of artists Mike Wierigno and Karl Kesel. The idea of Sue's power enabling technology that could hide a planet from Galactus is a cool concept. -- SPOILERS WARNING! -- But Reed's sudden ability to switch the FF's powers around smacks of a way-too convenient circumvention of previously established story parameters. If Reed has had the ability to do this all along, wouldn't he have offered the option to Ben Grimm? Surely any of the other 3 powers would be less disfiguring and would solve one of the basic conflicts around which their story has revolved for 40 years. I can swallow the convenience of the just-in-time miracle invention. That's been a pillar of FF stories forever. But so has Reed's guilt and Ben's anguish over the latter's monstrous appearance. 3 stars.

Madrox #2 - I think the writing is starting to hit its stride a bit after the uneven nature of the debut issue. It seems like the dialogue flows a little better, though maybe that's also a matter of me getting to know the characters a little better. Plus, the central mystery is starting to take shape, and it's drawing me in. My big problem with issue #1 was the art. While there is some improvement here, specifically in the anatomy and the environments, the problem of distractingly unconvincing shadows remains. It's strange because Drew Hennesey, the inker, shows a very different style than he did in his fill-in work on last week's District X. Gone are the varying line weights, convincing textures, and restrained hatching that rescued the art in District X from complete disaster. Instead every shadow is weirdly shaped and hard-edged. The combined style of the pencils and inks remind me of a very poor man's version of Tony Harris (Ex Machina, Starman). Unfortunately that's a style that is much harder than it looks, and when it fails it fails spectacularly. On the whole, Peter David's strong script is counterbalanced by the unappealing art. 2.5 stars.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 01:24 PM

October 22, 2004

Subway Reading

The Goon #9 - There are really only 2 possible reasons why you're not reading The Goon. One, you could be blind and have such an offensive body odor problem that you can't get any friends to come over and read it to you. Two... well, OK, I can only come up with one.

This issue we get a look into the origins of The Goon and his nameless town. Specifically, we get to see how the town transitioned from being overrun by over-the-top mafia caricatures to being overrun by over-the-top zombie caricatures. In typical maniacal Eric Powell fashion, it involves something completely ridiculous: a professional football team with The Goon as its star running back.

The thing that really made this issue for me was the 2 page fake advertisement for The Atomic Rage's Compound Z-5. There have been similar joke ads in the comic before, and I believe it was in those ads that we previously met the foul-mouthed Jack Kirby homage/parody that is The Atomic Rage. I must have looked like the biggest idiot on the train today, snorting and biting my lip to keep from laughing out loud while reading and re-reading this bit. Words can't do it justice, so here is just a small taste of the goodness:

If only every comic book could be as satisfying as The Goon. I only wish I had more stars to give. 5 stars.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 10:10 AM

October 21, 2004

2 quickies

I couldn't get to the comic store yesterday, becuase of work obligations during lunch and because I went to Yankee Stadium after work last night. I was going to post a big fat wallowing rant about the Yankees and George Steinbrenner and the most crushing loss in franchise if not baseball history... but I will spare you my misery.

No new comics means nothing new to read on the train, so it was back into the TPB archives for me. The choice was Hellboy: The Chained Coffin and Others, and what a great choice. It actually made my ride this morning next to two yammering Red Sox fans (on an NYC subway train? Clearly God hates me) bearable. No review necessary here, just the following evidence that Mignola is a genius:

Secondly, Comics Continuum has posted some stills from the upcoming Fantastic Four movie, which I believe is currently shooting. I have a special place in my heart for the FF, ever since the John Byrne run that was such a memorable part of my childhood. So I have high hopes for this film, which I know could result in a big let-down. Especially if the rest of the special effects are of the same quality as that ridiculous orange rubber suit that is supposed to be Ben Grimm. Yikes.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 11:38 AM

October 20, 2004

Subway Reading

Marvel Knights Spider-Man #7 - This series bothers me for a few reasons. I'm not quite swallowing this "grim n' gritty" Spider-Man that Millar is writing. Mary Jane now packs heat? I mean, yes, if you look at it realistically, she is in constant danger and she would presumably want to protect herself. But I'm not reading Spider-Man for that. Like Matt Fraction said in his "Basement Tapes" column on CBR yesterday, "give me Pete working three jobs to buy Aunt May her pills and I'm there."

So why am I still buying this series? Well it was for the art. Frank Cho did one issue and I believe he's coming back for #8. I love his clean line & OK, I admit it, his cheesecake women. The Dodsons, up to now, have doen appealing work as well. But what happened halfway through this issue? Around the time Peter & MJ go to the high school reunion, the quality goes downhill. It's kind of ironic that in the same panel where the ex-jocks are talking about how beautiful & sexy MJ looks, the drawing of her looks like some kind of deformed fright-mask goblin. Brows suddenly start to protrude, arms get grossly long, and the inking gets heavy-handed.

One more quibble with the story here: isn't Aunt May still missing? Peter Parker admits that Rachel Summers could have been wrong when she told him that Aunt May was dead. And yet... he goes about his business, fighting with the Lizard, going to his high school reunion, etc? Millar seems to have grossly missed the mark on all the main characters, not to mention the tone that has made Spider-Man so popular for the last 40 years. I'm getting #8 for the Frank Cho art and to finish out the arc for eBay purposes. Then I'm washing my hands of this whole mess. 1 star.

Grendel: Devil's Reign #5 - Where the heck was I when these were coming out for the first time? This is a very cool book. The stylistic split between the geo-political intrigue story and the vampire story works great; the two formats compliment each other and give the overall story a scope that reinforces its scale. I am going to have to hunt down more Grendel! 4 stars.

Fallen Angel #17 - "Superhero Noir" done perfectly. Some inconsistency in the art, however. Backgrounds are a bit sparse and faces sometimes get wonky. On the positive side, the storytelling is well done. I don't know, this arc isn't grabbing me like the first trade did, but the overall tone and brisk pace still land this book in the top half of my regular monthly buys. 3.5 stars.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 11:11 AM

October 19, 2004

Will I buy it?

Aonther week, another batch of new comics! Sure enough, this is shaping up to be a light week, proving my theory that all the good comics are being moved to one week of the month. Hmmm...

DC

Human Target #15 - I've heard that this is a good series, but sadly I've never taken the plunge. I feel that I need to start from the beginning, and I fear that by the time I get around to figuring out which is the first TPB the series will have already been cancelled.

Ocean #1 - See, I don't buy something that I may like such as Human Target and instead I buy something that will probably only frustrate me like this Ocean series. My understanding is that this is another Warren Ellis decompression special, and after my aggravation with him from Ultimate Nightmare I fear this could really burn me up. But the art is by Chris Sprouse & Karl Story! And while I get aggravated at the "widescreen comics" BS, I have to admit I like a lot of other things about Warren Ellis' writing, especially when he goes more sci-fi than superhero. I'm there.

Terra Obscura Vol 2 #3 - I read the first Terra Obscura series out of loyalty to Tom Strong, but it just didn't grab me. Fairly standard super-hero fare, capable but unremarkable. Maybe I'll give this a look in TPB form but it's not making the cut in monthlies.

Son of the Gun TPB - This book, by Euro comic heavyweights Alexandro Jodorowsky and Georges Bess, got a favorable write-up on the Ninth Art site and looks interesting. I really want to support DC's Humanoids comics line so I will give this a long look at the store.

Marvel

Fantastic Four #519 - I was ready to jump ship after that awful story arc featuring the new Frightful Four, but it looks like I'm still here. I dig Mike Wieringo's style a lot. Mark Waid always delivers entertaining characterization and sometimes delivers cool stories. It's kind of a lightweight book but a welcome dose of fun.

Madrox #2 - I'm giving Peter David the benefit of the doubt on this one. Honestly issue #1 was a bit of a let-down; I'd like to see a little more done with the interesting possibilities of Madrox' multiple-person power. And frankly, the art was woeful. The arbitrarily placed smooth-edged black shapes on everything looked less like shadows than dalmatian spots. The anatomy work was weak, and there was no communication of the setting, which is unfortunate because it could be a major player in this comic. Look at David's Fallen Angel book, for example, and note how much the depiction of the town of Bete Noir adds to the tone of the story.

Supreme Power Vol 2 Powers And Principalities TP - I have been following this story in trades instead of monthlies. I enjoyed the first collection, and I have been looking forward to this one for a while now. If I don't buy it this week I will definitely pick it up soon.

Dark Horse

Conan #9 - One of my favorite current books. Cary Nord is back. I can't wait! It would be the first book I read this week if it weren't for...

Goon #9 - When I see that there is a new issue of The Goon coming out, it makes my week. The second I wake up Wednesday morning, my first thought will be, "New Goon today!!! NEW GOON!!!!" (My second thought had damn well better be, "Thank god the Yankees wrapped up the AL pennant last night!")

AiT/PlanetLar

1000 Steps To World Domination Vol 1 GN - Another book that has gotten a ton of positive buzz for a while now. I believe it won some kind of award when it was originally printed in mini-comic form. I will give it a look.

King Hell Press

Crypto Zoo TP - What was I saying about this being a light week? As it turns out there are 4 TPBs that I am considering. Jeez. I really like Rick Veitch's comic chronicles of his dreams. But I fear this may get bumped aside by competing trades this week. A future buy.

Polite Stranger Press

Less Than Hero #4 - I've read the last 2 issues of this independent book, and there are things about it that I like. The San Fransisco setting is very believable, even to somebody like me who's never been there. Seems like the creators have a definite love for and knowledge of the place. But there seem to be one or two too many plots going on at once, and the cast of characters is a little too large to follow. The unclear art and muddy production values don't help. My advice to the writer is to pare down his many good ideas, and my advice to the artist is to use blacks & whites to more effectively create a hierarchy of visual information. I'd like to continue supporting these guys, because they are independent creators who clearly display a lot of enthusiasm for their project. But at the end of the day, I can't justify paying for a subpar reading experience.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 09:45 AM

October 18, 2004

Subway Reading

Can the Yankees and Red Sox please play a game that lasts less than 4 hours? The books I read today may pay a price for last night's game, as both the outcome and the late hour of the ending left me more than a little grumpy today.

Secret War #3 - A lot of the reviews I see of this series complain about the writing while praising the art. I kind of take the opposite tack in my opinion. The story, while far from Bendis' best, has finally gotten moving. There is certain geek-out charm that comes from the appearance of second-rate badguys like The Constrictor and Diamondback. The painted art by Gabrielle Del-Otto, on the other hand... sorry, but I'm not feeling it. Maybe it's the quality of the reproduction, but it's often dark and muddy. There are other problems, however, that can't be blamed on the production value. The camera angles are too often straight-on and boring. Proportion and perspective are often forced and awkward. Speaking of inconsistency, there is also a problem of characters looking different from panel to panel. Look at the 3 head shots of Jessica Jones on page 7, for example. It looks like 3 different women. That page also has one of the harshest examples of forced perspective in the next-to-last panel with Daniel Rand & Jessica. Rand may be holding on to that railing to keep from sliding down the wierdly-angled floor!

The story? Eh. Not terrible but not remarkable. I kind of enjoyed some of the backup features, such as the non-colorized reprint of the 2-page spread fight scene that started the book, and the handy callouts of the badguys' identities from the final panel of the book. On the other hand, the transcript of Captain America's phone call was entirely unnecessary. There's a reason why some things happen off-camera. All in all this book gets 2 stars.

The Milkman Murders #4 - This issue wraps up joe Casey & Steve Parkhouse's look at the seedy underside of suburban life. I think I need to go back and re-read this series as a whole before rendering my final judgement. The story took a turn into psychological horror in this issue, and I think I need to read it in the context of the preceding story to properly evaluate it. I like Parkhouse's drawing style and design sense, but I think that the inking adds very little. Everything uses the same line weight. The inks do the job but that's about it. Grade: Incomplete.

District X #6 - Somebody at Marvel screwed up. The cover advertises Lan Medina and Alejandro Sicat as the artists, but the art inside was actually done by Mike Perkins and Drew Hennesey. This information is not revealed until the final panel, though you would have to be a blind amnesiac not to notice the difference. Maybe this was a fill-in rush job or something, but honestly the art was pretty weak. I actually preferred this inker to the Sicat's usual work; it was a little looser and more senstive than Alejandro's over-outlined style. But the pencilling on the other hand... awkward anatomy, lazy storytelling... I hate to say it but it looked kind of amateurish. It was an extra disappointment because the cover, by Steve McNiven, featured a great drawing and a striking design.

As for the story, I found this arc to be a little scattershot and uneven, and this conclusion only reinforced those opinions. The "Mr. M" character has always been sort of a gamebreaker, whose cosmic-scale power seemed out of place in this human-level drama. So to counter that imbalance, a second-string character's abilities are conveniently, inexplicably, and suddenly expanded to similar levels? I will stick with this series because it started out so strong, because this penciller was hopefully only here in an emergency fill-in capacity, and because this arc has come to a welcome conclusion. After this effort, though, this book has moved from a must-buy to the bubble. 1 star.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 09:02 PM

October 17, 2004

Subway Reading

Two days since I posted. Nobody reads this blog (yet!) but I still owe an explanation. Friday night I went to see one of my all-time favorite bands, Social Distortion, at NYC's Roseland Ballroom. They put on a hell of a performance, running through old favorites as well as mixing in a good amount of tracks from their newest CD, "Sex, Love, and Rock 'n' Roll". My only complaint is that it seemed like the show was over as sooon as it began! Their enitre set, from the beginning to the end of the last encore, was about 70 minutes long. Thanks for nothing, Social D.

So anyway what does that have to do with my lack of posts? Well because the show was so long, Peat and I decided it would be a good idea to go out afterwards for some cocktails. Never mind that we had killed the time between work and the show by, well, having cocktails. Needless to say, Saturday was kind of a wash. I managed to catch most of the baseball games and make a guest appearance at my wife Amy's open studio event, but other than that it was a day of headache management. That's what I get for pouring alcohol into this tried old carcass of mine. The older I get, the less patience my body has for my brain's poor decision-making.

Anyway on to the comics. After all, that's why you're all here (ha ha). Firday morning on the subway I got a seat and was therefore able to dive headlong into last week's haul. So without further ado:

Ultimate Nightmare #3 - Once again, we are treated to 22 pages of story and about 4 panels' worth of action. It's more forgiveable in this issue than it was in #2, however, because the slow pace is necessary for suspense-building. Our heroes are on a good ol' "dungeon crawl" - shout out to the D&D heads in the house! - and Ellis & Hairsine do an adequate job of conveying the tension inherent in such an endeavor. Harisine has made some welcome strides in his art, moving in a more naturalistic direction and away from the Image-style narrow-eyed skritchy-scratch style that we saw in Ultimate Six. The sequence where Cap, Falcon, Fury, and Black Widow encounter the horned, energy-blasting, wall-crawling guy was solid. Between the guy's appearance and "heh ha" mutterings, I swear I've seen that guy laying in a cardboard box in the 34th St. subway station. But I digress. The reveal of the wierd horn on his head is handled well - it is hinted at in his first close-up panel, so that like the heroes, we only catch a glimpse of it. We are ready to dismiss it until Natasha asks if anybody noticed something on his head. Nice job, fellas. The X-Men's encounter was a little silly. In this issue we are reminded of Wolverine's animal-like abilities early on, when he points out that he can see in the dark. I don't quite remember him being able to see in the dark, but OK, fine. What I do remember is that he has a heightened sense of smell. So we are to believe that when he encounters a giant man who has been crouched in a tunnel for who knows how long, he mistakes the guy for a pile of debris right up until the guys starts moving? This incongruty is further illustrated by the fact that the Ultimates, who presumably have only normal senses of smell, are first alerted to the presence of another living thing by noticing the odor of "droppings."

The smell of droppings provides me with a nice segue into my grade for this issue. I'll finish this series out, because Ultimate books sell like hotcakes on eBay, especially when you have the complete story arc. But I won't like it! So there!2 stars.

Ex Machina #5 - Aaaaaaahhh, that's better. Luckily I was able to cleanse my palate of the bad taste of Ultimate Nightmare by moving on to Ex Machina. If you aren't reading this book, shame on you. if you're a New York City comic fan and you aren't reading this book, double shame on you. Vaughan & Harris wrap up their first story arc in tidy and satisfying fashion. Vaughan continues to reveal the backstory of our protagonist superhero-turned-mayor with brief flashback sequences. We also get the answer to what was, in retrospect, a fairly obvious bit of misdirection regarding the identity of the snowplow drivers. Because the villain is sort of pulled out of the left field of Cliche Stadium, and because the misdirection was so obvious, I have to penalize Vaughan for plot weakness. The plotting, however, is not the strength of this book. This is a character-driven book, populated by fictional New Yorkers who are as believeable as any I have seen in the pages of any comic book. It's difficult to accurately capture the personality of any geographical region without descending into stereotypes. A New Yorker myself, I have a keen nose for the shallow "fuhgettaboutit!" cab driver persona that serves as local NYC flavor in most comics. It's not unlike my wife, who is particularly sensitive to the "goool-lee!" dopey Southerner that appears so often. Vaughan, on the other hand, uses Ex Machina to present the New Yorkers who, depsite their diversity of interests, personalities, and culture, are united by their toughness and, basically, refusal to take s#!t from anybody. Vaughan further references this personality in the subtext of the book, casting the story in the shadow of an an alternate history 9/11. Kudos, Brian!

I can't finish a review of this book without mentioning the art. Tony Harris' flawless linework is complimented by the moody yet bold coloring. 4 stars.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 10:50 AM

October 14, 2004

Subway Reading

So today I finally dug into that fat stack of books that followed me home from the store yesterday. Is it just me or does it seem that all the good books are getting clumped together into the same weeks each month? Bears further observation...

(I will be grading the books using a traditional 5-star rating system.)

She-Hulk #8 - Slott, Bobillo, & Sosa do not disappoint this month. Southpaw has turned into a great foil for Shulkie (an awful nickname, one which not only sounds bad but contradicts its entire raison d'etre by being the same length as the original name). The timing of her sarcastic remarks is spot-on, and it keeps She-Hulk from having to be the comic relief as well as the protagonist. Also hilarious is the final page, where the toad-like Skards start to brawl overwhich one of them gets to be the new king: "Ah! But I have deepest thoughts... because I have biggest hat!" Bobillo & Sosa's art used to grate on me. I always enjoyed the breezy, shape-based cartoony style, but Juan seemed to have a problem with character consistency from panel to panel and page to page, not to mention some awkward proportion problems. But the art team really seems to be hitting its stride with this issue. The drawing problems seem to have vanished, and the storytelling and design contribute quite a bit to the fun of the book. Unfortunately for them, I understand they are soon to be replaced. All in all another great chapter in what is easily Marvel's best new book of the year. 4 stars.

Powers Vol. 2 #5 - I thought the relaunch of this series took a while to get off the ground. Even though there was a long delay between the end of the first series and the start of this one, I felt a little burned out on the continuing adventures of Deena & Walker. The continually shifting status quo was starting to dull the excitement of each spectacular change. But the pace picks up with this issue... until the end of the book, that is. The suspenseful hunt for Deena, some graphic brutality, and a bit of misdirection add up to another trademark engrossing ride from Bendis. Then at the end of the issue, what do we get but another giant earth-shaking development for one of the main characters. I'm not against the idea of a changing status quo. But there has to be a middle ground if the landmark events are going to have any weight behind them. 2.5 stars.

Gotham Central #24 - I bought and liked the first trade, then waited and waited for the second before cracking and getting back into the monthly swing of this series. Now I wish I had made that decision sooner. Greg Rucka is an incredible writer. Last issue featured a tense, gripping action sequence that was the definition of a page-turner. This issue is just as engrossing, but for completely different reasons. Here we get a nuanced look into the lives and personalities of the cops that were involved in that action and the effect that their line of work has on them. It's not as simple as that, however. Rucka is examining the nature vs. nurture, chicken and egg question about these people. Is it something in them that drives them to their brutal and dangerous work? Or is it the job that makes them jaded and violent? It's similar to the subtext of Rucka's other masterpiece, Oni's Queen and Country.

I should also mention the art. Michael Lark does a great job of communicating the grounded, non-superhuman nature of these characters while shrouding them in the gritty darkness that is the city of Gotham. 4.5 stars.

Hard Time - I'm not usually this much of a gusher, I swear! I can be harsh when it is deserved. I'm not here to kiss butts or drool. Really! That being said, Hard Time is an outstanding book. Brian Hurtt is maybe the most underappreciated talent in mainstream comic art. I don't know where to begin. His style. His storytelling. His design. His inking - check out the splash page on page 2 of this book. Look at the variation in textures on the ground, with the reeds and grass sticking up from the shallow water. Contrast that with Curly's heavy, silhouetted leg splashing down into the middle of it. The amazing thing is that he pulls all this off without any dry-brush or cross-hatching. He is strict about sticking with evenly-weighted lines and spotted blacks. This is one of the few books that, after I read it, I go back and flip through the pages, gazing at the art.

Speaking of reading the book, I'm amazed that it's so good. I mean that as a tribute to the talent of Steve Gerber. Put this many major story elements into the hands of a less capable writer and this book would be all over the place. Not only does he make it work, he manages to keep it going month to month by introducing new characters and stories (such as the tragic hero Turo) while doling out small helpings of various subplots (such as Ethan's reaction to the relationship between his mom and his lawyer). Like a composer in front of an orchestra, Gerber deftly directs an ensemble cast and a cornucopia of plot threads. The result is a seamless blend of audience-pleasing beauty. 4.5 stars.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 10:18 PM

Joe Quesada Interview on Newsarama

I understand that Joe Quesada is going to toe the company line in his Newsarama interview. As Marvel's Editor In Chief, he basically IS the company line. But that doesn't mean that I can't pick on some of the more ridiculous parts of the company line!

NRAMA: During Bill Jemas’ tenure, Marvel saw things like Cage, Slap Leather, Banner, The Truth, X-Statix, and a handful of other, rather…mature, more experimental works than traditional Marvel fare. Will there be a return to these styles of projects, or were they something that worked in their time, and now the market wants something different?

JQ: I've had this discussion with someone recently; I feel we're still doing the same amount of experimental stuff that was going on during the early first couple of years. The difference is that moving forward, those things seem less and less radical and more like the normal noises...

Today we have Marvel Knights, The Ultimate U, MAX, a little imprint called Icon, Marvel Age, a host of creators who would never have come near Marvel, a huge trade paperback business and an upcoming revamp of the classic Marvel U with New Avengers and many other titles.

OK, so the new Marvel Age line is somehow comparable in its level of experimentation and maturity to X-Statix, Rawhide Kid, and Truth? As I understand it, Marvel Age is an "All-Ages" line, where they take classic Marvel stories and recreate them for today's younger audience. So not only are they by definition somehwat immature, it doesn't seem terribly experimental to rehash stories from 30 years ago!

Icon, I'll give him that. Some might argue that publishing a Brian Michael Bendis comic that was already the top seller at Image isn't much of an experiment, but it is technically true that the Icon line was not around a few years ago. But correct me if I'm wrong: Ultimate, Max, Marvel Knights have been around since well before the Dan Buckley era.

NRAMA: ...Going with the X-Men first and Colossus... ”dead is dead?” Wasn't Colossus your original example four years back as a character who was going to stay dead, because it made sense, story-wise?

JQ: Absolutely, I believe the term was "significant death." I also said that in order to bring a character like that back, who has suffered a significant death, the writer has to come up with the best resurrection story ever. What, do you think Joss is the first person to pitch me the return of Colossus? Come on now, let's be real. However, he pitched me a resurrection story that I couldn't say no to and that's the point of "dead is dead."

First and foremost, it makes our creators think before they just off a character and secondly it makes them think even harder if they want to bring them back. Who benefits from that? The reader does because they get better stories because of it. Also, because of the "dead is dead" policy, things like Colossus' return, if done correctly, are incredible surprises, something that is completely missing in the world of comics.

I don't know where to begin. Joe read a ton of Colossus resurrection stories but Joss Whedon's was the one he "couldn't say No" to? Man, those must have been some crummy pitches. I've been reading Whedon's highly overrated Astonishing X-Men, and apart from the hackneyed melodrama of Kitty Pryde's reaction, there is nothing about that Colossus' role in that story that couldn't have been accomplished with any mutant character. Maybe what Joe couldn't say No to was the idea of having Whedon's name on the cover of the book and at the center of the X-Men marketing efforts. So when Whedon suggested throwing away yet another of the fundamental pillars of Grant Morrison's X-Men Manifesto that rescued these characters from the morass they had sunk into, Marvel Editorial was all too happy to go along with it.

Then, in a bizarre act of hypocrisy and contradiction, Joe launches into a defense of the "dead is dead" policy! You can't have it both ways, big guy. Yes, all those platitudes about "incredible surprises" are true. Too bad you've eliminated the possibility of that by once again proving that the only true surprise would be to see a character get killed and stay killed!

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 09:58 AM

October 13, 2004

Subway Reading

New X-Men Book 5: Planet X
Written by Grant Morrison, pencils by Phil Jimenez, inks by andy Lanning

Though I did pick up a troublingly high stack of comics today during lunch, I had begun this trade on the ride to work and couldn't resist finishing it on the ride home. Especially considering the debate I had with my Wednesday comic day buddies Peat and Matt regarding the merits (or lack thereof) of Grant Morrision's run on the X-Men.

This was the story arc where it was revealed that the enigmatic Xorn was actually -- gasp -- the previously presumed dead Master of Magnetism, Magneto! He had been playing Xavier and the X-Men for months, carefully laying the groundwork for his assault on the human race in general and New York City in particular.

I read these comics when they were first released in monthly form. I later sold the comics on eBay, knowing I would be picking them up in TPB format. I have been cherry-picking my favorite arcs from Morrison's run however, because I found the art to be such a mixed bag. Frank Quitely and Jimenez? Awesome. Igor Kordey? Well... The rumor was that he was pressed into rushing through his pages because Quitely had dropped the ball and fallen behind. So I can forgive him, but that doesn't mean that I am in a rush to pay for the books a second time.

But I digress... back to Jimenez. I first became aware of Phil's work in the pages of The Invisibles. His style is highly realistic and detailed, but he rescues it from looking stiff and lifeless by choosing exquisitely sublime poses and facial expressions. Check out the sequence in Book 4 of this arc, where Jean and Logan are trapped on an asteroid that is hurtling toward the sun. Look at the acting that he directs for Jean Grey, who is steadily growing delirious and lethargic from the overwhelming heat. Between his pencils, Grant Morrion's dialogue, and their combined efforts on pacing, this scene stands out as one of the most effective in recent memory.

Speaking of Morrison, I know that he left Marvel and the X-Men of his own free will, but I can't help but feel like Marvel didn't know how good they had it when he was scripting this book. Yes, it's your standard "badguy distracts the goodguys and gets really close to destorying the world before the good guys come back and get him" story, with the same old "Magneto wants to destroy the human race, Xavier wants to live together with them" conflict. But when Morrison works in his poetic dialogue and clever wit, it reads like pure honey. The comedy of the new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants provides a welcome counterbalance to the devastation and carnage that Magneto is unleashing on New York City. And have I mentioned the Jean Grey & Wolverine flying into the sun scene?

Morrison is definitely the anti-Claremont. Instead of pounding you over the head with exposition, he whittles it down to the quick and forces you to pay attention lest you miss any plot developments. This stylistic decision clears the way for characterization. In a more tangible sense, his elimination of extraneous dialogue also clears the way for his artist to shine.

While I appreciate his wackier books such as Seaguy or The Filth, I think Morrison is at his best when he is playing in the sandbox of the iconic superheroes such as the X-Men or JLA. He tells a well-worn story for the millionth time, but does it with so much style and skill that it becomes a unique joy to read.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 08:53 PM

October 12, 2004

Subway Reading

If you ever find yourself on the F Train from Brooklyn to Manhattan in the morning, or going in the opposite direction during the evening rush hour, look for a skinny, bespectacled (and strikingly handsome, I may add) guy with close-cropped hair and his nose buried in a comic book. That would be me! I have 40 minutes each way to kill, and that's my primary comic-reading time.

Since the last 2 weeks were crummy as far as new comics to buy, I have had to break into my emergency supply of unread TPBs. My selection for yesterday & today was...

Wildcats Version 3.0: Brand Building
written by Joe Casey, art by Dustin Nguyen & Richard Friend

This trade reprints Wildcats 3.0 #1-6, from 2002. I did not read these books when they were orginially released, because of a deeply-held bias against all the early 90s Image characters & books. While I was certainly as guilty as the next guy of being swept up by the hype and buying a lot of these titles when they first came out, it did not take long for me to react against the insipid stories and gratuitous art that were being pumped out in order to satisfy speculators and drooling fanboys. (I recently auctioned my embarassingly large stack of Image books on eBay, containing many of the #1's that were so sought after 10 or 12 years ago, for roughly 15 cents each.)

So I went into this book with a bit of skepticism. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my concerns were somewhat unfounded. Joe Casey has polished this turd to within an inch of its life, and the results are not altogether unsatisfying. He has recast Jack Marlowe, the formerly inane superhero known as Spartan, as the CEO of the Halo corporation. His vaguley described altruistic ambitions, however, separate him from his greedy corporate peers. His first big move is to invent and sell batteries that never run out of power.

(Now, to me, this doesn't seem like the most sustainable business idea in the world. By definition you are shrinking your own market with every battery you sell. If you carry it out to its logical conclusion, one day every CD player, flashlight, automobile, cell phone, etc. in the world will be powered by a battery that neevr needs to be replaced. At that point, why would anybody need to buy a new Halo battery? But to be fair, Casey might well address this in later issues that are not collected in this trade.)

So far, so good. The superhero as world-reshaper idea has been done to death in the last 10 to 20 years, most notably by "The Authority." Its roots can of course be traced back to the grandpappy of every supposedly deconstrucitionist superhero book, Alan Moore's Watchmen. Still, I give Casey a few points for originality, because he is the first that I can think of to use the multinational brand-conscious corporate culture as his sandbox.

Now if this book were simply a tale of boardroom intrigue, it probably never would have made it to the comic racks. That's where Jack Cole, AKA The Grifter, comes in. In the Wildcats, he was the blatant Wolverine to Spartan's Cyclops. He fills the same role in this book, right down to the bushy sideburns. His job in the Halo corporation is "Fixer," that is to say, he travels the world shooting people and blowing things up on behalf of Cole and the corporation. His other jobs seems to be include glowering, smoking, and supplying predictable, melodramatic dialogue.

Tha art, by Dustin Nguyen, is very satisfying. His recent run on Batman seemd a bit more confident and stylized, which I prefer to the style on display in this book. In Wildcats 3.0, I see much more influence of the dreaded Image house style. A lot of that can probably be blamed on the inking however. Can somebody please give these guys a thicker brush?

Ultimately this book offers some very cool moments and art, but they are tempered by some cringe-worthy dialogue and plot developments. A notable improvement over Jim Lee's early 90s WildCATS, that's for sure. But it needed to take another few big steps up in maturity and subtlety before it could stand up to current Wildstorm titles such as Sleeper and Ex Machina. I can see why it was cancelled a few months ago along with its fellow 90s Image descendant, Stormwatch: Team Achilles.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 10:51 AM

Let the Bidding Begin!

I am selling some comics on eBay; now is your chance to get your hands on a signed copy of the hard-to-find She-Hulk #1 (along with unsigned copies of the equally hard-to-find #2-6)! I also have Brain Michael Bendis' full run on Daredevil available. All the auctions start at $1. The comics are in great condition and will be packed very securely and safely. Act now!

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 10:31 AM

October 11, 2004

What he said

Dirk Deppey has a pair of columns in The Comics Journal that examine the recent history of Marvel Comics. Part 1 starts with the mess that was the comic industry in the 90s and follows Marvel to their creative and financial semi-renaissance in the early 2000s. Part 2 breaks down exactly how and why Marvel is quickly returning to its crap-shoveling ways.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 02:40 PM | Comments (1)

Will I buy it? This week's new releases

Before I can review comics, I have to buy them and read them. Until I develop expansive powers of precognition, or until publishers start sending me advance review copies of comics, that's the way it has to be. Since I don't see either development happening soon, the best I can provide is an insight into my decision-making about how to spend my hard-earned dollars at the comic shop each week.

So, please join me on my weekly journey through the world of comic book geek consumerism. the fun begins on Monday morning, with a perusal of Midtown Comics' Weekly Releases page.

DC

Astro City A Visitors Guide - On the one hand, I have been a big Astro City fan since it first started lo these many years ago. And Kurt Busiek has definitely been the writer of the year in 2004, what with Arrowsmith, Conan, and Superman: Secret Identity, so he has my loyalty. On the other hand, $5.95 for a character guide? The jury is out on this one but it's not looking good.

Ex Machina #5 - A sure thing. This is a very fun series from a pair of great talents in Tony Harris and Brian K. Vaughan. I'm a little concerned about the seemingly obvious nature of the current story involving Kremlin and the snowplow drivers but Vaughan might have some tricks up his sleeve with that one. But anyway, the art is so luscious and the characters are so compelling that I won't pass it up.

Gotham Central #24 - I have been waiting for the trades on this seris but they are coming out so infrequently that I decided to welcome it back into the fold of monthly buys. It's on probation, though.

Hard Time #9 - Anothr no-doubter. You're missing out if you haven't been reading this captivating story about a teenager who has been thrown in a maximum security prison. A teenager who is just discovering that he has supernatural powers. Sounds like one too many plot points but Steve Gerber makes it work by focusing on the fully-developed characters that make up the large cast. Looks like the TPB of the first story arc is out this week, so it's a great chance to catch up if you missed out the first time around. I've bought a lot of comics with mediocre stories just because Brian Hurtt was drawing them (I'm looking at you, Skinwalker). But this one delivers on story and art.

Image

Savage Dragon #118 - I think of Savage Dragon as the Drew Carey Show of comics. I don't know anybody who actually reads it, much less likes it. But there it is, month after month. Both properties are painfully cliched yet strangely unique. Both have a personality that shines through their genre-specific mediocrity. And on and on they continue, inspiring me to simultaneously admire their fortitude and wonder when in god's name they will finally be cancelled. Now that Erik Larsen is running Image Comics, of course, the book is surely safe from the firing squad. Drew Carey doesn't run Disney by any means and yet I see he has what look like another laugh-supressing improvisational "comedy" show coming out on ABC this fall. I'm genuinely happy for both gentlemen. They seem like nice guys and they are both successful at their dream jobs. Nonetheless, I can think of many more arractive ways to spend my time and money than by reading Savage Dragon or watching The Drew Carey Green Screen Show.

Marvel

District X #6 - It's an X-Title that manages to rise above the level of quality established by its market-flooding, cash cow-pumping cousins. Original ideas, complex, believable characters, and nary a Wolverine cameo appearance in sight. In other words, buy it and enjoy it now while it lasts. It's only a matter of time before Marvel "reloads" the title with the likes of Chuck Austen and Rob Liefeld on it, dragging it back down to the level of dreck that seems to be a prerequisite for any comic that features a giant "X" on the cover.

Powers Vol.2 #5 - Brian Michael Bendis' writing is like crack. I don't even think it gets me high anymore. And yet I'm so addicted that I will be there with the rest of the Bendis-zombies, buying this, reading it in 5 minutes, and immediately wishing for more. (By the way, I don't really smoke crack.)

Punisher Born TP; Punisher Max #12 - I'm not interested in Punisher Max #12; I read the first 9 or 10 Punisher series that Garth Ennis wrote and while I was into them at first, I found that I liked them less and less. He's a one-note character who worked great as a foil for Daredevil or Spider-man back in the day. Mike Zeck & Steven Grant did a hell of a job with the first Punisher mini-series back in the 80s. But there is something about the Punisher that makes his ongoing adventures sort of redundant. His morality is never going to develop or change. That being said, I think that when he is pulled out of the standard super-hero status quo-maintenance of an ongoing monthly series, he becomes something that you can build a story around. See the "Punisher: The End" one-shot that Ennis did a few months ago. Plus I drink up Darick Robertson's art like sweet honey. So I think I am going to have to pick up this Born trade at some point.

Secret War Book 3 - See Powers Vol.2 #5 above. Bendis = crack.

She-Hulk #8 - I can't say enough good things about this series so I'm not even going to try. Suffice to say that I am buying it and it will probably be the 2nd thing I read after I smoke that rock - er, that is, read that Bendis.

Ultimate Nightmare #3 - I am generally a fan of Warren Ellis. Therefore I will grant him a stay of execution and buy this comic. What was his crime, you ask? The insultingly stretched-out pad-job that was issue #2. This series had an awesome set-up, but when I feel like Joe Quesada & co. are swindling me out of $2.95 for the sake of filling a TPB page count, the offending series usually finds itself on the rack instead of in my bag when I leave the store every Wednesday.

X-Force Vol 2 #3 - To quote Weird Al Yankovic, "I'd rather clean all the bathrooms in Grand Central Station with my tongue" than spend one single penny on this steaming, disease-ridden, maggot-infested heap of garbage. Bad enough that this no-talent knucklehead was dragged out of limbo and given an assignment on a monthly Marvel book. I would be able to live with that. But the fact that this replaced the monthly joy that was Peter Milligan and Mike Allred's X-Statix? Ugh.

Dark Horse

Grendel Devils Reign #5 - I'm really glad that Dark Horse is reprinting this series. I never read any Grendel books before. I knew about the popularity of the books, but had no idea where to start. These reprints gave me a low-risk opportunity to try out the series, and it paid off.

Milkman Murders #4 - This story has been pretty one-note. Abused and repressed housewife freaks out. Sure, it had a shocking level of graphic brutality, but I haven't seen anything exceptional about the characters or story. The art, on the other hand, knocked my socks off. Steve Parkhouse has channeled one of my all-time favorites, Mad Magazine mainstay Mort Drucker. It's not just a rip-off, though. Parkhouse adds an energetic ink line and a skillful eye for design, turning this book into a visual delight.

Well, that's it for my buying plans. Thrilling, right? There is always a surprise or two when I get to the store, as books I plan to buy fail to make the cut, or books I didn't know about catch my eye and wind up in my bag. Look for reviews of these books starting Wednesday.

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 10:31 AM | Comments (1)

...and so it begins

Welcome to The Pickytarian! My primary plan with this blog is to create a place where I can review, recommend, and discuss comic books. Will anybody be interested in reading said reviews, recommedations and discussions? Who knows. Will I find the motivation to maintain and update the site regularly, especially after the new Grand Theft Auto game is released on October 26? Hard to tell. Will I provide a steady stream of annoying pictures and anecdotes about my cat Buddy? Count on it.

So thanks for your interest! Please feel free to reply with comments, questions, insults, or whatever feedback you deem appropriate. On with the show!

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 10:17 AM | Comments (1)

October 09, 2004

Senor Buddy!

It's Buddy!

Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 04:22 PM | Comments (2)