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December 18, 2004
I Am Wearing Little Pants To Hide My Genitals. It Is The Law!
Dave at Yet Another Comics Blog has generously offered to donate $250 to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund if he can get 10 first-time donors to donate $25. Even the pickytarian pried open his hard heart and tight purse strings and coughed up the dough.
It's easy to take your right to buy books such as Fancy Froglin's Sexy Forest by James Kolchalka for granted. We shouldn't have to defend our right to laugh at a drawing of an aroused frog, but unfortunately we do. So join me and Dave and do the right thing for once in your wretched life. Follow this link to find out how.
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 06:27 PM
December 17, 2004
Subway Reading: Daredevil
Have you ever had one of those weeks where everything you touch seems to fall apart faster than the logic of a Chris Claremont script? The Pickytarian is stumbling into the end of just such a week, and the technical operation of this blog was not able to escape his anti-Midas touch. The good news is that after two days of difficulties that prevented the addition of new entries or even comments, full operation has been restored. The bad news is that The Pickytarian has a crush of day-job responsibilities that demand his attention before he leaves for Christmas vacation next week. So let's get right into a review, and let's make it a quickie!
Daredevil #68 - I love Bendis. I love Bendis not. It seems like each week brings a new Bendis comic, and the enjoyability veers from utterly unreadable to sheer genius. The current Daredevil story arc is an example of the latter. Artist Alex Maleev deserves a fair share of the credit. He has become a master of moody tonal variation and nuanced page design. Watch the "camera" pan slowly down through the three panels below, and note how the arrangement of the forms (not to mention the lettering) guides the eye through the action.
The story takes an unexpected twist in this issue. That twist may be a little too convenient, but I can forgive it because of the deft characterization with which it is revealed. These creators are at the top of their game on this title, and their run has become as memorable, essential, and definitive as Frank Miller's. 4.5 stars.
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 12:02 PM | Comments (1)
December 15, 2004
The Pickytarian vs. Street Angel - Round 2
Street Angel co-creator Jim Rugg bites the hand that feeds him, offering this opinion of the comic book blogosphere in that Comic Book Galaxy year-end round-table discussion:
The majority of what's out there now is just so inconsistent and so unprofessional. I can't imagine an average reader will find much helpful information. So much of online, comics-related writing is by wannabe cartoonists and is filled with biases, grudges, ass kissing, and unprofessionalism. It's mostly trash, but I do think it has next-to-no impact, so whatever.
For somebody with so much disdain for online comic book commentary, Jimbo spends an awful lot of time reading and responding to it. I like to megalomaniacally imagine that he came up with this opinion after reading my negative review of issue #4. But hey, I'm just a biased, grudge-holding, ass-kissing, unprofessional wannabe cartoonist, so whatever. ;)
Finally, Rose from Peiratikos pointed out that Jimmy's comments in that article include the same "less vs. fewer" mistake that I made in my original review. So, ha!
Once again, I feel compelled to point out that Street Angel was quite possibly my favorite new series of 2004. Jim Rugg and co-creator partner Brian Maruca clearly have a lot of talent and I love that book. But that comment sounded awfully mean-spirited when you consider the amount of support that Street Angel received from the online community this year.
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 11:05 AM | Comments (2)
December 14, 2004
Subway Reading: She-Hulk, District X
I have been rightfully taken to task for failing to include spoilers warnings in my reviews. So if you're waiting for the trade with these books, be warned that there be SPOILERS AHOY! Arrrr!
She-Hulk #10 - This issue kicked off the long-awaited (at least by me) Titania story arc. I have mentioned before how much I like Paul Pelletier's art, so I'm not going to get into it here. I will simply direct your attention to the Eisner-inspired title panel on page 4:
I found this issue to be a little longer than necessary. Most of it was taken up by Titania's origin, including a long look at the character's life before she was introduced in Secret Wars. This segment could have been edited down pretty easily. Titania wasn't exactly multi-dimensional before this tale, and by the end she hasn't gained more than a quarter of a dimension. I also question whether it was necessary to devote 4.5 pages to re-drawing panels and re-telling events from Secret Wars. There were some nice touches along the way, such as Titania's disappointed tears while she and the Wrecking Crew pounded on She-Hulk. But on the whole this origin story was too long by half. 3 stars.
District X #8 - My opinion of this title has now flipped 180 degrees. I used to suffer the art because I enjoyed the story. This is no longer the case because the art has improved substantially. Penciller Lan Medina's figures have grown more anatomically accurate, while simultaneously losing the lifeless stiffness that has plagued them. Alejandro Sicat's inks have become a little less reliant on outlines, as his line weights have begun to vary and his marks have become slightly more expressionistic instead of strictly descriptive. At times this team's style reminds of Martha Washington-era Dave Gibbons. It has been fun to watch them improve month by month.
The writing, on the other hand, has slipped drastically. Early on in this issue, Officer Ortega meets some guy named Gregor, whose mutant power seems to be an uncanny ability to spew expository dialogue. Our hero then returns home to play his role in a blatantly telegraphed cliche of a scene and to engage in some jarringly uncharacteristic domestic violence. The scene then shifts underground, where we are treated to some unnecessary captions that read like directions to the artist. "He watches as they answer the call, swarming from the tunnels, a silent, shuffling, throng." Or "There is no anger in Melek's voice [then why did he look so angry two panels ago? Maybe it was constipation.], only the suggestion of an immense inner sadness. His eyes close and the silent telepathic command is given." This is Claremontian redundant narration at its worst.
The last few pages worked nicely, though. The final sequence with the worm-boy was an effective reminder of the overarching theme of misfit mutants whose deformities outweigh any "powers" that they might have. Nonetheless, this scene and the improved art were not enough to wipe the grimace off my face. There was a time when I would have described this title as "grounded" but this issue is more squarely in the realm of "inane." 1.5 stars.
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 01:53 PM
The Pickytarian vs. Street Angel, Round 1
Slave Labor Graphics' E.I.C. Jennifer de Guzman took exception to my review of Street Angel #4. So did co-creator Jim Rugg. De Guzman even managed to nit-pick the Pickytarian, calling me to task for a grammatical error. D'oh! I have to say I am thrilled, honored, and appreciative of the attention and the links. I would also like to make it clear that I thought Street Angel was one of the best - if not the best - new series of the year. With regards to issue #4, I like slice-of-life pathos as much as the next guy. Unfortunately, this issue beat me over the head with it, reducing its impact to that of an after-school special. De Guzman points out the small hints at Jesse's humanity that popped up in previous issues. These were ultimately more effective because they were unexpected and subtle. But, hey, that's just my opinion. As we all learned from prime time television, it takes diff'rent strokes to move the world.1 Thanks again, Jim and Jennifer, for paying attention!
1 Did you know that Growing Pains star Alan Thicke co-wrote that theme song? You learn something new every day!
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 10:41 AM | Comments (3)
December 13, 2004
Subway Reading: B.P.R.D. The Dead
Why, oh why the sip-lid? Am I a child? Well, OK, don't answer that. But I don't need a raised lid with a sippy-hole if I want to drink coffee. It might be useful if it wasn't for the annoying side-effect of the post-drink drops that inevitably land in my lap. Not to mention that carrying a cup that is fitted with one of these inane devices inevitably results in a stained, sticky, scalded hand. What is wrong with the little flat lid with the tear-away and pin-back triangular flap? It's such an elegantly-designed little solution. Keeps the coffee sealed and spill-proof until you're ready to drink it. Then, when you do drink it, the opening is large enough to allow air to enter the cup while you drink. Such a nicer solution than a tiny hole, into which air rushes after drinking, displacing that miserable little splash onto my keyboard or pants. I would go on to tie this in to the progressive infantilization of our consumer culture. But this has been too much of a digression already. Back to the funny-books...
BPRD: The Dead #2 - A couple of weeks ago I instructed all working cartoonists to climb out from under their drafting tables and come to grips with the fact that they will never be as good as Brian Hurtt. I now realize that I may have been indulging in a bit of hyperbole. Guy Davis, you see, is the one artist who needs not gouge out his own eyes in supplication before Hurtt's awesomeness. I think of Davis as a next-generation Bill Sienciewicz. Both artists have instantly recognizable, highly unique styles that are somehow simultaneously beautiful and ugly. That is to say, they shouldn't work but they do. Davis' line weights are the same throughout his pages. Solid blacks? Who needs 'em? He's not afraid of deploying some Peter Bagge-like noodle arms or a pair of Li'l Orphan Annie hollow-circle eyes. And yet, his highly stylized wiggle-lined characters leap off the page with humanity and life. For that matter, his inanimate objects have a living energy that other artists can only dream of capturing. Mike Mignola and Dark Horse were wise to sign him up for these B.P.R.D. minis. Frankly, I would take him over Mignola any day, and there are not very many artists on whom I would heap such praise.
This series was co-written by John Arcudi and Mignola. The most evident difference has been the much-derided depiction of Roger the Homunculus as a lovable dim-wit. This characterization is a departure, but in this context I'm not entirely against it. I think Mignola has an uniquely individual style of scripting. His dialogue is often sort of... indirect? halting? It's stylish in an appealing way, but it's rather sparse and non-traditional. This series, on the other hand, flows much more naturally and reads almost like a sitcom or a TV drama. I'm not sure if this is a good or a bad thing. But the goofball Roger fits into this tone nicely, providing a nice counterweight to the gruff, humorless Captain Diamio. It's not Mignola-esque, but I'd rather see a writer exercise his own style rather than ape somebody else's. Judged on its own merits, I think the writing so far is solid if a little more straightforward than we have come to expect. 4 stars.
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 04:41 PM
Subway Reading - Gotham Central
The end of a weekend is always sad. That Sunday night dread has been with me since childhood, dropping in every seven days to taunt me. There is a silver lining to the start of another work week, though. Going to work means riding the subway. And riding the subway means... comic books!
Gotham Central #26 - Welcome to the post-Michael Lark era. Jason Alexander (who must be very tired of hearing George Costanza jokes, and therefore I am going to resist the temptation) takes over the artistic chores with this issue. Alexander has a history with co-writer Greg Rucka; the artist worked on an arc of Queen and Country a year or two back. At the time, I liked his idiosyncratic style and gentle touch, but I felt that he needed to reign in the expressive brush work. The heavy black marks tended to obscure the action. It seems that in the intervening months he received my unsolicited telepathic advice, and the results are very pleasing. Alexander seems to have embraced negative space. His layouts are direct, dramatic, and designed beautifully. The empty areas enhance the effectiveness of his sensitive line work; the eye is drawn to it rather than distracted by black shadows and scribbly textures. One of the more satisfying aspects about reading comics is watching the development of an artist, and such a progression is on display here.
Ed Brubaker's story is tight and engaging, setting up both a two-issue mystery and a possibly longer-reaching subplot featuring a member of the G.C.P.D. Imagine that, a storyline that is wrapped up in two issues! In this day and age of bloated six-issue trade-ready snooze-a-thons, it's refreshing to see the needs of the story dictate its length rather than the needs of the marketplace. But I digress. Brubaker has often displayed a skill for creating sympathetic characters, setting up a moral quandary for them, and then dropping them into a compelling plot. He goes 3 for 3 in this issue. All in all this title continues its steady rise to the top of my favorites. 4 stars.
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 10:43 AM
December 09, 2004
A Look Back at the Good Old Days of 2003
Because of a minor budgetary hiccup, I was not able to buy new comics yesterday (do not fear, true believers, I am going to the store today to load up on ammunition for the Picky-cannon). This left me with no choice but to dig into my recently replenished emergency backup stack of trades. I came up with Alias Volume 4, The Secret Origin of Jessica Jones.
This was a delightful trip down memory lane for me. I got to journey back to the halcyon days of 2003, when Bendis was still at the top of his game; he wasn't even in the same county as the shark that he would later jump. There was also a monthly dose of Michael Gaydos' art for me to drink up. Ahhh, youth.
At the time, I considered this arc to be the best of a very impressive series. I was concerned that Bendis' subsequent fall from grace would diminish my appreciation for this book. It happened with George Lucas; the unmitigated disaster of the prequels rendered me unable to find any joy in the original Star Wars trilogy. Luckily, time and the intervening poor showings of its creator have not diminished the luster of this Alias arc. If anything, it turned some of my rage about Bendis' disappointments into melancholy and regret.
Start with the flashback to Jessica Jones in high school. If there's one thing Bendis can do, it's write teenagers. I love the fact that Jessica has cursed like a sailor since childhood. This reinforces the idea that her toughness is a defense mechanism that she uses to shield her from her insecurity and sadness. Imagine that: a fully realized, believable human being - and a woman at that - as a character in a Marvel comic. Bendis' accomplishment of this feat stands as one of his greatest achievements. It also stands in stark contrast to the lifeless paper dolls that traipsed through the first arc of Alias' follow-up series, The Pulse.
The middle of the story, where Jessica is a captive of the Purple Man, is creepy psychological horror done perfectly. The strength of the script here even trumps the unfortunate choice of Mark Bagley to do the art for the flashback sequences. Bagley does a capable job on Ultimate Spider-Man, but these pages demonstrated his lack of range in terms of women's faces. If you had told me that the costumed Jessica was actually Mary Jane Watson, I could not have argued with you. Why this led to his assignment as artist on The Pulse, I have no idea. Luckily Mike Gaydos saves the day with his depiction of Jessica in the talking-heads pages where she tells her story to Luke Cage. Her expressions lend emotional weight to the flashback story and make it that much more chilling. Put this sequence up against the recent bit in Powers where Deena is a captive of The Bug. There was no urgency or suspense in the Powers story. First of all, the fate that Walker thinks Deena has suffered is ten times worse than her true predicament. Secondly, Deena's ridiculous and convenient acquisition of super-human abilities smacks the reader in the face and knocks him or her not just out of the story but across the room.
Then there is the point where The Purple Man escapes from "The Raft," the Marvel Universe version of a superhuman prison. Jessica's frantic paranoia while she desperately tries to find a safe place to hide makes this sequence one of the best page-turners in recent memory. What happened to Bendis' ability to dangle the reader on a string like this? It looks that much more impressive when compared to the ham-fisted mess that he makes of the "mystery" in Avengers Disassembled. I didn't buy New Avengers #1, but my understanding is that the plot in that book revolves around what else but another prison break from The Raft. It's disappointing that Bendis' imagination and skill have been sublimated by his effort to crank out as many scripts as possible for Marvel. He has always been the goose that lays the golden egg for the company. Unfortunately, his efforts to double his production seem to have turned many of these golden eggs into rotten, sulfurous bombs.
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 01:27 PM
December 08, 2004
Subway Reading: Fallen Angel
City Hawks evicted from Fifth Avenue nest
For the last 12 years, there has been an improbable hawk's nest on top of a high-rise building on Fifth Ave in Manhattan, across from Central Park. This nest was the birthplace of 21 hawks over the years, who can be seen soaring high above Central Park. It was one of those secret little NYC joys, a tiny reminder of the natural world here in this man-made concrete filth-hole of a city.
Unfortunately, the hawks were prone to leaving droppings on the sidewalk outside the luxury building, as well as the occasional pigeon carcass. So what did the co-op board of the building do? Why, they unanimously voted to eradicate the nest and the metal spikes that had unexpectedly provided the necessary support for the nest. Thanks, jerks. I hope there is such a thing as reincarnation. And I hope that the karmic nature of the universe causes these selfish, short-sighted meatheads to be reincarnated as New York City pigeons. That way, if any of these hawks or their offspring manage to survive, they will get to enjoy a vengefully delicious snack.
OK, sorry about the diversion. Your regularly-scheduled comic book content will now resume.
Fallen Angel #18 - Holy bejeezus! Now THAT'S how you wrap up a story arc! Peter David ties together the threads of his "Hurlyburly" arc, bringing it to a thrilling, gripping conclusion. The flashback sequences of Shadow boxer's childhood dovetail perfectly with the current story line, and as a result this issue packs an unparalleled emotional punch. I have to give credit to the artists, David Lopez and Fernando Blanco, for the subtle character acting that sells the excellent dialogue in the hospital room scene. The anguish drips off of Shadow Boxer's face. The Angel refuses to make eye contact. The whole scene was perfect, and it made the shocker ending that much more powerful. David is at the top of his game with this title, this arc, and this issue. Bravo. 4.5 stars.
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 10:47 AM | Comments (2)
December 07, 2004
Subway Reading: The Darkness & Detective Comics
David Lapham, writer, artist, and publisher of Stray Bullets, recently had a baby. Well, more specifically, his wife had the baby. Har har. In a perhaps unrelated (but likely very related) development, David Lapham has returned to the world of corporate comics. He scripted a four-issue run of the Top Cow comic The Darkness, a title that I had never heard of before. He is also scripting what I believe to be a 12-issue run of DC's Detective Comics, starring a character who I have heard of once or twice. The first issues of both books hit the stands last week.
It was enlightening to see the similarities between these two books. My understanding is that Lapham not only scripted, but also did the breakdowns for both titles. While most modern comic books strain to squeeze four panels onto a page, Lapham frequently deploys 3 or even 4 tiers of panels per page. This is reminiscent, of course, of the strict 8-panel pages that he uses in Stray Bullets. Both books employed voice-over narration, which was interesting because I don't recall ever seeing this convention in Stray Bullets. In that title, Lapham often relies on visual storytelling to describe the action, and subtleties in the acting and dialogue to convey the mood and tone. Maybe the lack of control over all aspects of these books led him to rely on narration. I am eager to see where he goes with both of these stories, and how he gets there.
The Darkness #17 - I went into this book completely cold. Between the blurb on the inside front cover and Lapham's exposition, however, I had no problems picking up on the premise. Dead Mafia goon Jackie Estacado is brought back to life as the host for some evil demons. These demons climb out of him when it's dark, and kill people in an extremely gory manner. There are some nice horror moments to be found, such as Jackie filling his hotel room with lamps so that he won't have to sleep in the dark. The narration is given in the voice of the possessing demons, and it is supported by an occasional panel of grinning demon jaws. This was also a satisfying touch.
Brian Denham's art in Darkness #17 does not appeal to me. I place most of the blame on the choppy, spotty inking. This style does a nice job of describing small areas of detail, but it does not convey the weight of larger forms. There is not enough visual hierarchy, and as a result everything flattens out on the page. Denham gets points for his character work, which is distinctive and consistent. I think this book would benefit from a separate and more polished inker; this would give Denham more time to focus on his pencils and result in a cleaner and tighter finished product.
This issue was largely set-up for the four-issue arc, so it's hard to evaluate the story itself. The plot seemed to be a little too straightforward. The characterization was of the stock variety. I am going to stick with this arc out of loyalty to Lapham, but if I don't see some improvement in the next issue I will be disappointed. 2 stars.
Detective Comics #801 - After my mild disappointment with The Darkness, I was a bit wary of Lapham's other work-for-hire effort. It turned out to be a pleasant surprise. This issue was also the set-up chapter in a larger arc, but it captured a lot more of my interest. Lapham does a nice job of establishing the tone by presenting Gotham as a festering city, rotted by urban decay. The characterization is deeper in this book, too; note how a couple of extremely minor bad decisions by Bruce Wayne come back to haunt him later. Bruce dwells on them and blames himself for the tragedy that ends this issue.
The hyper-detailed art in this book, by penciller Ramon Bachs and inker Nathan Massengill, did a nice job of communicating the cacophony of grime that is Gotham City. While it lent itself to the tone, however, I don't think it worked well in conjunction with Lapham's small-panel storytelling style. I would like to see this team pull back a little bit and focus on what is important in each scene rather than cover the page with detail.
On the whole I enjoyed this book more than The Darkness, but neither one approached the greatness of Stray Bullets. 3.5 stars.
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 01:16 PM
Fanboy Rampage is Officially the Greatest Site Ever.
If you haven't read this this assortment of message board posts by somebody named Nick Locking, you need to stop what you're doing and read it immediately. Prepare to laugh hard enough to induce organ failure.
This guy needs to start a blog, or maybe a religion, ASAP. Kudos, Fanboy Rampage. You have outdone yourself with the unearthing of these treasures.
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 10:11 AM
December 06, 2004
To Buy or Not To Buy, Featuring an Unexpected Screed Against Brian Wood
US Customs Seizes Parody Comics at Border, CBLDF Gearing Up
I'm reserving judgment until all the facts are clear. It's probably a case of some overzealous customs agent looking for a promotion. I doubt that there was an executive order to keep Peter Kuper's "Richie Bush" comics out of the country. Nonetheless, this is some potentially scary stuff.
Looks like it's shaping up to be a light week at the comic store. Good thing I just got a stack of discounted trades on eBay, otherwise I might be reduced to reading - gasp! - a real book on the subway! Horrors! Let's get it on:
Angeltown #2 - I enjoyed the first issue, but it didn't exactly knock my socks off. If there was stiffer competition on the racks this week it might not make the cut. As it is, I'm still on board.
Gotham Central #26 - When, oh when, are they going to do another trade?
Batman Snowglobe - A steal at the low, low price of $89.95! I'm buying one for everybody on my Christmas list!
District X #8 - This series seems to have lost a lot of the positive buzz and support that it had when it started. I'm hanging in there for another arc, though. Let's see where it goes. You have to give them credit for making it this long without a guest appearance by Wolverine or Spider-man.
Powers Vol 2 #7 - Is this now a weekly title? That Bendis is a script-writing machine!
She-Hulk #10 - There are no words in the English language that adequately express my anticipation for the Titania-centric story arc that kicks off with this issue. If they were also bringing back The Beyonder in his mullet and members only jacket, I might melt into a pathetic puddle of fanboy goo.
X-Men Fantastic Four #1 - Marvel has been running half-page ads for this series, and quite frankly, the art looks frighteningly grotesque. Not to mention that I still have bad memories of the late 80's team-up between these groups, where they battled Mephisto. I was probably 14 at the time, buying titles like West Coast Avengers, and I still found that series to be contrived and lame. Needless to say I am going to pass on this one.
BPRD The Dead #2 - Guy Davis makes me happy.
Samurai Heaven & Earth #1 - I've heard enough good things about this book to give it a try.
Demo #12 - I bought this series up to maybe issue #8. I finally dropped it because I can't take the attitude. Is Brian Wood nineteen years old? If so, then I can forgive him for his earnest efforts to prove that he is the coolest hipster in the room. If he is not a teenager, then I have no patience for it. Just because the characters in these Demo stories have trendy haircuts and overwrought teenage angst doesn't mean that I find them sympathetic. After reading 8 of these one-shot stories, I felt that I had read 7 too many. A disaffected fashion victim with a super-power mopes for 23 pages. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
God The Dyslexic Dog - I don't know anything about this comic but the title made me chuckle.
Full Frontal Nerdity Annual #1 - See my notes for "God The Dyslexic Dog."
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 11:30 AM | Comments (5)
December 03, 2004
Subway Reading: Hard Time, The Question, and More!
No moaning about the subway today! Instead I'm going to briefly sing the praises of Fanboy Rampage. Thank you, Graeme, for mining the message boards for those glorious nuggets of fanboy madness. They make my day. On to the reviews...
Hard Time #11 - What more can I say about this series? It's one of the best books being published. Brian Hurtt's art makes me want to weep. And I mean that in a good way. I weep for the other cartoonists out there who are not worthy of cleaning this guy's brushes. I weep for them because this perfect confluence of cartoonish expressionism and naturalistic accuracy can only remind them of their own shortcomings. Fear not, brave comic artists. Climb out from beneath your drawing tables and stop trying to gouge out your own eyeballs. There's still something for you. You can still strive to be second best. 4 stars.
Bugtown #1 - Good words from a couple of bloggers out there convinced me to try this book out. That'll teach me to listen to bloggers. I kid, I kid. Well, sort of. I admire Matt Howarth for fighting the self-publishing fight for as long as he apparently has. From the list of other comics in the back of this book, it seems that this is around the hundredth book that he has done. If he has indeed written and drawn this many pages of comic work, though, I shudder to imagine what the first few must have looked like. The amateurish quality of the art in this book was extremely off-putting. He has some clever ideas and concepts, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. The dialogue undermines all attempts at characterization. It's not naturalistic and it's not stylized. It's just awkward and clunky. Like I said, kudos to Howarth for his independent publishing efforts. His work, however, is clearly not for me. 1 star.
The Question #2 - This would be a quality Superman book if it wasn't being dragged down by the presence of the title character. The hokey narration is hard to swallow. The yellow ground/silhouetted character panels have become tiresome. Actually if you read this book as a sort of parody, it improves substantially. I'm not sure that this is what Veitch is going for, however. The art is pretty on the surface, but the muddy colors make it very difficult to tell what's going on. I don't know about this title. Veitch's Greyshirt:Indigo seemed to be all over the place when it started, but by the end it became one of my favorite comic arcs of all time. Maybe this series will also resolve itself? I'm not sure if I am going to hang around to find out. 1.5 stars.
Superman/Batman #15 - Carlos Pacheco is the new artist on this series, and that's what pulled me in. This guy deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Frank Quitely, John Cassady, and any of the other current top-tier super hero artists. Inker Jesus Merino also deserves credit; his restrained line gives the art a graceful, airy quality that is very appealing. Jeph Loeb's story is solid, though maybe a little uneven. The story seems to abruptly veer from dark and scary to brightly-colored super hero action. Nonetheless, alternate timeline stories are one of my favorite things about the DC universe, and this arc is firmly entrenched in that tradition. Besides, Pacheco and Merino could illustrate an insurance policy and I would plunk down $2.95 to gaze at it. 3.5 stars.
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 10:48 AM | Comments (2)
December 02, 2004
Subway Reading: Ultimates 2, Street Angel
Just so you don't think I was exaggerating yesterday about the mess on the F line, here is some coverage by the Daily News. Last night it was so bad that I actually left the subway station and took a bus! If you're not a New Yorker, that may not sound drastic. But take my word for it. It's a last resort that is only undertaken in the most drastic circumstances.
Faithful readers will recall that, according to yesterday's morning news, there were no interruptions and service was fully restored. That turned out to be a blatant lie. This morning I heard the same thing: trains are running normally. I was going to take a 10-minute walk to another subway line, but like a fool I believed the news. Eagerly anticipating the new issue of Street Angel, I made my way to the F train as usual. Lo and behold, the trains this morning were in roughly the same state that they were last night: running about half as often, and therefore twice as crowded.
Like anybody else, I get annoyed at interruptions in subway service. But it annoys me even more that the MTA tells the press that "service is restored" and "trains are running normally" when they clearly aren't. The agency is under intense scrutiny these days because of their inept financial decisions, so I guess they want to minimize their negative publicity. But their PR concerns should not trump their responsibility to riders like me who shell out $2 a ride twice a day. Not to mention the disservice that they are doing to the fine comic book creators whose work I am about to tear apart because of my bad mood.
Ultimates 2 #1 - I read this one on the aforementioned bus last night. This actually turned out to be a very comfortable and pleasant setting for comic book reading. I had a cushioned seat, the ride was smooth, and the background noise was very low. Perhaps as a result of this unexpected peace, I enjoyed this book much more than I expected to.
Like many of my fellow online comic pundits, I think of Mark Millar as a self-aggrandizing windbag with comic-writing talents that are somewhat overrated. But I have to give credit where it's due. This first issue set up some very interesting plots and presented some great characterization. I particularly liked the portrayal of Hank Pym. His arrogance made for a funny exchange with some security guards, and the way that he has gravitated to the imprisoned Bruce Banner spoke volumes about his motivations and personality.
I do take issue with a couple of scenes in this story, however. One scene features Steve and Jan leaving a movie. Bryan Hitch's detailed art showed them to be somewhere in midtown Manhattan. In the time it took them to carry on a brief conversation, however, they wander into... the South Bronx? Bed-Stuy? Whatever the neighborhood was, it featured abandoned, stripped cars and the ubiquitous multi-racial street gang. A street gang that feels free to mug people in the middle of the street, in the middle of the afternoon. While I'm sure that there are brazenly stupid criminals like this somewhere in the 5 boroughs, I can guarantee that they would not be within a few blocks of whatever movie theater our heroes were attending. I don't single this out because of the regional inaccuracy, it's because Millar changed the setting from realistic to cartoonish just for the sake of showing that Captain America and The Wasp can beat up some muggers.
Secondly, and this is a little more nit-picky but in the same vein, when was the last time that Larry King asked anybody a series of questions as tough as the ones that he uses to grill Tony Stark? And when was the last time that a guest on a CNN talk show was allowed to bring not just a cocktail, but a thermos full of refills onto the set? Again, it's not just the inaccuracy that bugs me. It's the fact that Millar establishes some character and plot points by twisting the setting from believable to ridiculous. It's inconsistent and smacks of laziness.
I'll give you three more nit-picks. In the first panel where we see what has been repeatedly described as nine hostages, there appear to be ten. When Cap is running towards the building, he instructs the guard "Don't even thing about it, buster!" And finally, in his conversation with Banner, Pym says, "I'd nothing for days." Millar has been blabbering for months about how Marvel was sitting on this series, not releasing it until Hitch finished the art for the first 6 issues or whatever. In all that extra time that they had, three blatant copy-editing mistakes like these are three too many.
Bryan Hitch's art is still impressive. There's maybe a little too much noodling here and there, but I can see why he is such a fan favorite. His level of realism is appealing, and he lays out an action sequence as well as anybody. Hitch portrays this story as the wide-screen super hero blockbuster that it is.
Ultimately (har har) this comic delivered exactly what it promised: exciting super hero action, intriguing plot developments, and strong characterization. It was not perfect but it was still lots of fun. 4 stars.
Street Angel #4 - I had to read this book while smashed into a cattle car - I mean subway car - this morning. Because I did not want to lose my balance and knock down my already-grumpy fellow commuters, I had to time my page-turning very carefully. For the most part I had to wait and do so when the train was at a stop. Imagine my dismay, therefore, when I came across pages 4 through 9 of this book. A double-page single-panel spread, two full-page splashes, and two two-panel pages. Come on. If I'm going to take Marvel to task for decompression violations, it's only fair that I do the same for a black & white "indie" book. Artist Jim Rugg draws a capable cityscape, but I don't need to see it over and over again. The story itself was pretty light in this issue, and it was much heavier on the pathos than the laughs. OK, so Jesse is homeless, and it's sad and difficult. This could have been communicated in less pages, and then there would have been room for some ninja ass-kicking. In fact, the characters even make reference to the fact that Jesse can't sell any more weapons to the pawn shop. This was an opportunity for both a fight and a humorous exchange at the pawn shop. These scenes would have fit nicely into some of those wasted pages at the front of the story. I love the art in this series, and the fact that the story can veer in any direction is a plus. But I'm sorry to say that this was the weakest issue so far. I can't believe I am rating it lower than The Ultimates. 2.5 stars.
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 12:31 PM | Comments (2)
December 01, 2004
Subway Reading: The Walking Dead
This morning I was awakened by my clock radio, which informed me that an F train had derailed at 4:30 AM. Not to worry, my trusty little clock insisted, service had been restored and was back to normal. The next bit of news was the weather: heavy rain all morning. These two items meant that I could expect a slow, arduous journey to work. Luckily I had the lion's share of The Walking Dead Volume 2 TPB left to read. Unluckily for The Walking Dead, however, the constant service changes and delays made me less than charitable in my evaluation of the book.
The Walking Dead Volume 2: Miles Behind Us - It's not only the subway problems that colored my opinion of this book. Evan Dorkin wrote a pair of awesome reviews of Volume 1. In the first one he couldn't even get beyond the introduction. In the second (scroll down to the 6th paragraph) he did not have many flattering words for the script. I tried to approach this second trade objectively but I did not have high hopes.
I was pleasantly surprised. The art in this volume was handled by Charlie Adlard, who showed a bit more polish than Tony Moore did in Volume 1. Adlard's style is a mix of sensitive line work and Sean Phillips-style blocky shadows, and the storytelling is capable if not overwhelming. I enjoyed the way he abstracted the considerable amount of background foliage. Cliff Rathburn's gray tones were more complementary than distracting, which, judging by most of the gray-toned BxW art that I see, is not easy to do.
Writer Robert Kirkman has crafted an interesting and complex plot. The unoriginal nature of the "zombies take over" premise makes this feat even more impressive. He uses a large ensemble cast to nice effect, weaving a considerable web of interesting sub-plots. Unfortunately, the "who's-who" problem occasionally rears its ugly head. This is compounded by Kirkman's biggest flaw, which is uninspiring, flat dialogue. While the plotting is the thing that keeps me hooked, the characterization (or lack thereof) very nearly kills my interest. I don't recognize any of the characters as believable people. They don't have any personality; sometimes they get angry, or sad, or horny, but always in the exact same way. There are no distinctive speech patterns. It's kind of wierd how the black ex-professional football player, the rural farmer, and the teenage girl all speak with the same voice. I'm not asking for Chris Claremont-stlye forced accents and regional exclamations ("Ach Nein Zein!"), just for something to make me hear different people speaking rather than hearing the words that the author put in their mouths.
There are things to like about this series, such as the art and the story itself. There is plenty of room for improvement, though. If Kirkman could make me care about these characters, this would be one of the better books on the racks. As it is, the book falls squarely in the middle of the road with 3 stars.
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at 11:20 AM | Comments (1)