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Friday, September 3, 2010
8-24-05
Quick Reviews by Michael May
The Miscellaneous Adventures of Stykman #1
Written and Illustrated by Jonnie Allan
Like I said when I reviewed Rocket Rabbit, it's tough to write superhero comedy without crossing over into parody. Allan has done a fine job of it though, especially in the design of Stykman. From the title you might expect a crudely drawn book, but it's not. Allan's art is detailed and professional. It just happens to depict a superhero made of wood in the shape of a stick figure. He even has little stick eyes that hang by ropes from the top of his otherwise empty, round, stick head. And his primary weapon is one of those big, red, Hippity Hop balls that kids used to bounce around on in the ‘70s. The story is a simple showdown between Stykman and Jolly Roger, a skull-faced, pirate-themed, candy bandit. It's silly and fun without ever becoming ridiculous and stupid, and that's a big accomplishment for this kind of book.
Monkey in a Wagon vs. Lemur on a Big Wheel #1
Written by Ken Lillie-Paetz and Tony DiCerolamo; Illustrated by Chris Moreno and Julie Faulkner
And then sometimes "silly and fun" becomes "chuckling and giggling so hard that you have to peek out of your cubicle to make sure no one is giving you funny looks." I bought this one partly because the premise is so absurd that it needed checking out, but mostly because Chris Moreno is involved and that dude is funny. There are four stories in this issue, each completely silent, each featuring a monkey in a wagon going up against a lemur in a big wheel. Sometimes it's at the pig races, sometimes it's on pirate ships, sometimes it's at the dawn of time, but it's always laugh-out-loud hilarious. Creators Lillie-Paetz and Moreno do a couple of stories together and then break up the act to each do a tale with someone else, but the quality is consistent throughout the issue no matter whose name is in the credits. Please, God, let there be a second issue.
Dead Men Tell No Tales #2
Written by Dwight L. MacPherson; Illustrated by Mike Fiorentino
After I complained about the first issue trying to cram too much story into itself, MacPherson let me know that that's what pretty much happened as the original idea was for a longer series. With the second issue, he promised, things would get back on track and flow like he intended it to. He didn't lie. The story slows down to an enjoyable pace this issue and is told through dialogue and characterization rather than through narrative captions like in the first issue. It also helps that the story turns to Blackbeard, who's much more interesting (especially the way MacPherson writes him) than first issue's Captain Kidd. The art, though still dark and murky, is much easier on the eyes now that it's all done by the series' regular artist. It's unfortunate that the series couldn't have started this way, but this is a definite case of better late than never. It would be cool if Arcana could someday publish the entire story the way MacPherson originally wrote it, perhaps in a trade paperback collection.
 Conan #19
Written by Kurt Busiek; Illustrated by Cary Nord
My favorite Conan stories are the ones about him as a thief in his early years. I love the combination of the rough barbarian with "civilized" underworld characters who think they're scary. I'm probably using it to deal with some childhood trauma, but seeing Conan whoop up on thugs and bullies always does me good. Anyway, Busiek's now telling stories from that part of Conan's life and he's perfectly capturing the feel of the Howard stories and de Camp/Carter pastiches that I loved as a kid. This is my Conan. Nord's depiction of him is also coming more and more into line with how I've always pictured him (that is, like Frank Frazetta and/or John Buscema drew him). And Nord's "thing in the temple" in this issue is one of the most disturbing monsters I've ever seen.
Adventures of Superman #643
Written by Greg Rucka; Illustrated by Karl Kerschl, Carlos D'Anda, and Rags Morales
A couple of weeks ago I bemoaned the way in which The OMAC Project followed up on the events in Wonder Woman #219. This comic does a much better job of it. It's all from Superman's perspective (as it should be) though, so I'm still wanting more. More about Batman; more about Wonder Woman. I suspect that's what Infinite Crisis is going to deal with though. DC's doing a fine job getting readers geared up for this Event. Not every mini-series and tie-in is this powerful, but the ones that are make it extremely hard to wait for the rest of the Infinite Crisis story.
Legion of Super-Heroes #9
Written by Mark Waid and Barry Kitson; Illustrated by Georges Jeanty
Up until now, I haven't cared much for Cosmic Boy. Not this version; not previous ones. Actually, I still don't like him, I think he's awfully boring, but the role he's playing these days is fascinating and I'm starting to respect what he means to the Legion. Braniac 5, on the other hand, whom I do like, is a detriment to the team. Eenteresting, no?
 Day of Vengeance #5
Written by Bill Willingham; Illustrated by Justiniano
I have more to say about this than I have space for here, but I've been reminded lately of the importance of characters in serial fiction. Plot- and event-driven stuff isn't enough to keep me coming back for more. And I think that's what's hindering my enjoyment of this series. Every issue, Willingham does a fine job of letting us get in the head of another member of the Shadowpact, but that means that the characters we've gotten to know in previous issues become supporting characters. And that makes it difficult for me to get excited to pick up the next one. I've got no one character to hang on to and root for. I'm sticking with it to find out what it's going to do to magic and how it effects characters that I have come to care about like Zatanna (thanks to Gaiman, Morrison, and others) who isn't even in this book. And that's not exciting.
The OMAC Project #5
Written by Greg Rucka; Illustrated by Jesus Saiz, Cliff Richards, and Bob Wiacek
This isn't exciting either. It's the adventures of Sasha and, I've come to learn, I only care about her when she's hanging around and having a direct effect on Batman. The army of OMACs is boring and reminiscent of countless other superhero stories in which nameless and ultimately meaningless robots/aliens/demons invaded Earth and all the heroes had to band together to stop them.
Hellblazer #211
Written by Mike Carey; Illustrated by Leonardo Manco
There's a scene in the original Books of Magic mini-series in which Constantine goes into a bar full of the most powerful demons and sorcerors in existance, all of whom want a piece of Tim Hunter. Constantine tells them to back off and says, "You know my reputation. Now... does anyone here really want to start something?" And no one says a word. Leave it to Neil Gaiman to write the coolest Constantine scene in history. Until now. Maybe Carey is the new Gaiman.
 G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes -- Declassified #1
Written by Brandon Jerwa; Illustrated by Emiliano Santalucia
It's a risky move, taking a hugely popular, mysterious character and ripping away the veil of intrigue that's made him so well-liked. You gotta have a damn good story to pull it off. What we have here is a cliché VietNam story about a character who's neither as mysterious nor as interesting as he'll later become. Sometimes, it's best to leave the wizard behind the curtain.
Strange Girl #3
Written by Rick Remender; Illustrated by Eric Nguyen
I should've trusted more. In my defense, my love affair with Rick Remender is new and there was room for doubt, but as interesting and well-written as the first two issues of Strange Girl have been, I was concerned by comments Remender made in the first issue that there was an Agenda to this book. Remender dispels those concerns in this issue by doing two things: admitting that the questionable comments were hastily written at three in the morning and writing a thoughtful issue that proves that the world of Strange Girl isn't as black-and-white as the first issue made it seem. As with Sea of Red, Remender is artfully revealing layers to his larger story issue-by-issue. I'll be more trusting of his ability to do that in the future.
Marvel Knights Spider-Man #17
Written by Reginald Hudlin; Illustrated by Billy Tan
Even though this story arc improved last issue with a nifty revelation, this issue suffers from the necessity of keeping the story going long enough to fill an eventual trade paperback collection. Nothing much happens here. A subplot involving the Absorbing Man that went someplace interesting last issue gets brought back under control and the Fantastic Four talk about what they discovered last issue. The only thing of consequence that occurs is that Spidey finds out that the Owl is involved and goes to his hideout for a fight that we have to wait until next issue to see. Shouldn't have taken twenty-two pages to do that.
 Black Panther #7
Written by Reginald Hudlin; Illustrated by Trevor Hairsine
For the most part, I've been avoiding House of M tie-ins. I'm just not that interested in this "what if" reality. But I've been enjoying Black Panther and had no reason to think the quality would vary just because it tied in to Marvel's Summer Event. And it doesn't. Hudlin tells a great story about the human king of Africa and how he threatens Magneto. When Magneto decides to do something about it, Black Panther shows once again that he's not some second-stringer to be taken lightly. When Hudlin re-launched this book, he promised that he was going to make Black Panther a force to be reckoned with in the Marvel Universe, and he's making good on that. Even in a quickie House of M tie in.
Rocketo #1
Written by Frank Espinosa and Marie Taylor; Illustrated by Frank Espinosa
This is an origin issue, but it's a beautifully told and illustrated origin issue. Through a series of flashbacks we learn not only about Rocketo's early years, but also a great deal about the history of the world. I'm not sure how Espinosa and Taylor divide up their writing duties, but I love the voice of this book. It's majestic, fantastical, and thoroughly captivating. Much like Espinosa's art. Espinosa gives us a good look at a lot of Rocketo's world, but it's not enough. Like Rocketo himself, I want to explore it. Really get to know it. I hope this series is around for a good, long time.
Thread #1
Written by Emily Benz; Illustrated by Summer McClinton
I'm not an authority or anything, but I was surprised to see a Xeric Award winning book that was the first in a series. The few Xerics that I've received for review have all been one-shots. It's exciting to think that there's more Thread coming though. It's the story of a young woman named Frankie who remembers her family, but doesn't recall what happened to them or why they aren't around anymore. When she meets a guy who tries to hide some pills on her so that he doesn't get caught with them, she decides that she's fed up with her life and her menial job and isn't going to just let his betrayal slide. The letter I got with Thread goes into more detail about where the ten-issue series is headed and it's fascinating stuff. It deals with corporations and rebellion and social norms and expectations. In other words, it's going to be a story with something to say. And if this issue is any indication with Benz's strong characterization of not only Frankie, but her entire supporting cast as well, and with McClinton's appropriately graffiti-inspired artwork, Thread is going to say what it needs to very well. Check out www.threadcomics.com for more information.
I teased earlier that I'd be reviewing Cyber Age Adventures #1 in this article, but upon looking more closely at the material, I realized it deserves more attention than I can give it in a quick review like you find here. I'll be writing a full review of it in the future.
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April 22, 2008:
February 4, 2008:
November 20, 2006:
A Comic-Con without the Captain
