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March 11, 2005
Subway Reading: Ultimate Fantastic Four and Street Angel
Ultimate Fantastic Four #16 - Three people were credited with inks on this issue: John Dell, Nelson, and Larry Stucker. I don't know which one of these gentlemen inked the above panel from page 3, but I wish that I did so that I could praise him by name. The surface texture is sensitive and beautiful. The extended hatching lines have a rhythm and personality that is echoed by the curls of smoke. It reminds me of Tony Millionaire by way of Kevin O'Neill's quill pen. Awesome.
Anyhoo, the other panels were pretty good, too. I saw somebody bashing Adam Kubert recently somewhere on one of the internets and I don't get it. The designs in this arc, from the N-Zone, to Annihilus' ship, to Ultimate Annihilus himself, have been striking and spooky. The texture of Ultimate Thing's rocky skin is one of the best textures in the character's long history. I suppose that the character acting could be tweaked here and there to communicate more believable and subtle emotions. But the pros very much outweigh the cons. Since Kubert took over the pencilling chores on this book, the visuals have been top-notch.
Story-wise, it's more of the same. Warren Ellis is taking his typically sweet time to get anywhere. The plotting, characterization, and tone are all very strong, but this arc will definitely read better in trade format. I would be remiss if I did not point out one bit of dialogue: Ben & Reed's discussion of the super-villains that they continue to encounter. Reed's comment at the end was pure gold, summing up the theme that has been the linchpin of this title since Lee and Kirby created it: "The universe is this fantastic place, full of ideas, and you know, cool stuff. And everyone else seems to think it's somewhere to set up their frickin' butt-hat franchise." Yeah! 4 stars.
Street Angel #5 - As we all learned from crap-tastic troubadour Billy Joel, "Only the good die young." Street Angel goes on indefinite hiatus after this issue, leaving us with nothing but the TPB to look forward to for the foreseeable future. It seems like every week brings the last issue of another great comic book. She-Hulk, Hard Time, and now Jim Rugg & Brian Maruca's unique, charming baby.
This issue largely uses Jesse, everybody's favorite homeless vigilantress, as a device to tell the back-story of "Afrodisiac," Rugg and Maruca's tribute to blaxploitation heroes from movies and Marvel comics. The visual storytelling in this issue was imaginative and daring. I loved the spreads that told Afrodisiac's stories through covers and cutout panels from parodic 70's and 80's Marvel comics. These weren't the only two-page spreads in the book, and while I am generally less than enthused to see this device, I have to give Rugg & Maruca props for their usage of it. The chaotic spread that depicted Jesse's fight against the armed thugs was appropriate and effective, especially because it was followed by a quiet spread that showed the scattered results of the violence (not to mention the artist's appreciation for the 3-D illusion that comes from overlapping forms).
Like the best issues of this title, this one ran the gamut from hyper-violence, offbeat humor, and strikingly human moments of characterization. One perfectly-timed joke towards the end reminds us that, despite her penchant for dismemberment, our heroine is still a pre-pubescent girl. The effect is an injection of pathos that puts this book heads and shoulders above its "zany for the sake of zany-ness" peers. I'm really going to miss this title, but I definitely plan to follow these creators to whatever their next project may be. 4.5 stars.
Free Comics!
Loyal Pickytarian Rick Gebhardt is giving away the TPB of Kazu Kabuishi's Daisy Kutter. So what are you waiting for? Get over there and win it already! Tell him The Pickytaraian sent ya!
Posted by jdonelson_nyc at March 11, 2005 11:40 AM
Comments
Wasn't Street Angel planned as a mini-series from the beginning, or am I simply misremembering?
Posted by: Jason Kimble at March 11, 2005 01:44 PM
It's entirely possible that it was planned as a mini-series. I'm notoriously bad at keeping that kind of thing straight.
Posted by: jdonelson_nyc at March 11, 2005 02:00 PM