The Bill February 9, 2012

We're not going to dwell on the past. Instead we're going to gallop into the future as if this 'weekly' comic review feature has been published without major absences. Sound good? Good.

Let's do this thing!




Going Back to School:

Wolverine and The X-Men # 5
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Nick Bradshaw


I was done with the X-Books after Grant Morrison left. His run was the perfect blend of big, progressive ideas to keep me interested with a solid foothold in past continuity to make me feel like it meant something. To say I was upset with the near instant dismantling of all the cool new things he added to the mythos is putting things mildly. After that fiasco, I was certain that I never needed to read an X-Book ever again. That there would be no new book that would be able to attain that same level of manic creativity. And then Wolverine and The X-Men came out.

Holy. Shit.

This book ought to be a blueprint for how to make a successful X-Book - Nay, a comic book. Each new page is brimming with new ideas, new locations, and big visuals to match; it's a Morrisson book on meth, but 100% more accessible.

This issue picks up with Wolverine dealing with the financial realities of running the premiere mutant school in the Milky Way while the school in question is besieged by tiny Broodspawn. Also, Kitty deals with her magical insta-pregnancy and The Beast teaches a hands on Biology lesson by shrinking his students and hanging out in the body of their janitor. Like I said, the book is full of big ideas. Jason Aaron is totally knocking this book out of the park.

On the art side, Nick Bradshaw is giving the book a big, fresh look to go along with the writing. His stuff is, in the very best of ways, very comic book-y. And sure, at times, I find myself not liking his stuff as much as I want to, but I can't deny that he's delivering some fantastic pages.

I'm excited by this book in ways I haven't been excited in a while. It's a book that inspires as well as entertains, and I hope that it continues on like this for a good long time. I'm in no hurry for them to get back to the same ol' convoluted X-Men stories that got them here, but I am very excited to see them develop a whole new slew of classic stories for people to rip off for years to come.

The Bill January 5, 2012

It wouldn't be Thursday (because it is TOTALLY Thursday) without my ramblings about the week's new comics. That's right, those past few weeks: Thursday-less. No more! 2012 is the year of the Thursday (or something like that), so let's get to some reviews to make it official.




Starting Off on the Wrong Foot:

Avengers X-Sanction #2
Writer: Jeph Loeb
Artist: Ed Mcguiness


Avengers X-Sanction is a very frustrating book. It's exactly what it promises to be (Cable fighting the Avengers) but, somehow every issue leaves me unsatisfied. It's just superficial fluff pretending to be something much more substantial and failing miserably.

Don't get me wrong, I really want to like this book. Really! Truth be told, Cable is one of my favorite characters from my comic reading youth. There was something about the combination overly complex origins and cybernetic parts (yes, I know they're not cybernetic... anymore) that made him wonderfully intriguing to my 11 year-old brain. I grew out of it, of course, but I've always had a soft spot for him and always like to keep an eye on his exploits. Even if they mostly involve him dying and returning in increasingly gimmicky ways.

And then there's Jeph Loeb, who I really have a hard time not liking. Sure, it's easy to hate on him for Ultimates 3, Ultimatum, or whatever else is the hip thing to not like him for, but I still like him. Personally, I loved his first few issues of the Red Hulk series, with its unabashed wide screen insanity. Sure it was kinda dumb, but damn if it wasn't a good time.

So with all that going for the series, you can understand how I was really prepared to love Avengers X-Sanction.

It's not that the issue is unreadably bad or anything, it's decent but it's not anything special. The characterizations weren't out of whack, there's a sense of logic to it all, and the fight was pretty cool (and epically drawn by McGuiness), but there wasn't anything that gets me excited.

Meanwhile, Loeb keeps dropping the barest of hints to a bigger story (more than likely Hope becoming the Phoenix), but not enough that I find myself intrigued. More, I just find myself bored because I can see the obvious conclusion. Maybe that's the whole problem: This book that's supposed to be amping my excitement for Avengers V X-Men this summer simply isn't.

And that doesn't bode well for the future.

Looks like it's gonna be a long year....

The Bill December 8, 2011

The Bill:

Did you like how, after a full month of nothing but new comic reviews, I ended up skipping a week last week? If nothing else, I'm trying to keep y'all on your toes. Just when you think I'm gonna zig, I dig and shatter your perceptions...

Of online comic reviews...

on a small blogger site.

YEAH!

Ka-pew!

Whatever. Let's get this show on the road, shall we?




Old-School At Its Best:

The Defenders
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Terry Dodson




I want to know where this Matt Fraction was during Fear Itself.

Where Fear Itself felt over extended, limp, and half-baked, The Defenders is just the opposite. It's a fresh take on a old property, told in a manner that's satisfying to the buyer of a single issue, but still (potentially) satisfying in a trade. In a scant twenty pages, Fraction does in one issue what it takes Bendis to do in three. And it's honestly pretty amazing.

The story is pretty basic: A crazy new threat pops up and it comes to Dr. Strange to put a stop to it all. You know, standard stuff. From there, it's a refreshingly brisk, and active, tour of the world as Strange assembles his team around him. You can tell that Fraction is having a blast with all these characters and has no shortage of ideas.

The only odd stand-out, from a character perspective, is Fraction's take on the Silver Surfer. I don't know if it's a fall out from the Galactus Seed story line over the The Mighty Thor, or something that Greg Pak did in his mini-series, but the Surfer seemed very.... fluid. Literally. Something happened and now the Surfer is apparently made up of a sentient pool of liquid in the shape of a man. Is this a new thing? Can someone shed some light on this for me?

Weirdness aside, I very much enjoyed this issue. In this of four dollar comics, it's very nice (and sadly rare) to read an issue that's worth the money. The Defenders is certainly worth it, and I hope it's a trend that continues on into the future.

The Bill November, 17 2011

Another week, another stack o'books. Is it going to be another disappointment fest like last week? Or am I going to finally learn my lesson and start buying only the good books again? There's only one way to find out, and like hell am I going to spoil the surprise in the preamble.

Come on, let's talk comics.




Success in Symbiosis:

Venom #9
Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: Stefano Caselli


I can't tell you how happy this book makes me. I've said it before, but it bares repeating: This is how I want every Marvel Comic to read. Venom is face paced, full of character, and overflowing with crazy ideas; it's hands-down one of the greatest books on the shelves today.

I'll admit, that I might be a little overly gushy this week because Spider-Island took over the last three issues of this book, leaving me confused and slightly confused at the goings on. Not this month though, this month things are back to normal.

Well, mostly anyway.

You see, this issue picks up with the aftermath of the aforementioned Spider-crossover and the titular hero lost in a sea of heavy emotions. Guilt over failing relationship and unresolved issues about the recently deceased come to a head as Venom encounters a hapless, up-and-coming villain and finds a target for those pent up emotions. It doesn't end well, to say the least.

While there are some very dark things happening in this book, it's one of the most pure, old-school 'comic book' books I've read in a long while. Introducing a one off villain, pitting the internal conflict against an external foe, and an ongoing story that doesn't seem tied to a future trade collection; if that's not old-school, I don't know what is. Remender is one of those writers that seems to understand that when I read a superhero book I want action with my emotion, not just talking heads. couBENDISgh!

This book is just too good to continue. Which means, with my luck, it'll get cancelled tomorrow. I swear, with all the cancellations that Marvel has been announcing over the past week, I keep waiting for them to drop the axe on this one. So far, so good though. It seems that maybe, finally, my comic luck is turning around....

Just in case it isn't though, I'm going to buy two copies next month.

The Bill November 10, 2011

Another week, another batch o' comics. But of all the ones I bought this week, there's only one that needs a thorough examining. Think you can guess which one?

Oh, you can see it, can't you... Well, whatever. Just come read my rants!




Looking Towards the Future:

Marvel Point One
Writer: Just about Everybody
Artist: Everybody else


This is it. The big Rosetta Stone of the next great Age of Marvel. The one that will set the tone for years to come. It's the big time, get-you-excited-for-the-next-few-years book that should have me swinging from the rafters delirious with excitement, but instead I find myself not-so-quietly worrying where my favorite universe is going.

Let me back up a second and say that there are a lot of good things about this book. There's a cool, if kind of overly-obtuse framing sequence that involves an information heist at the Blue Area of the Moon. Here the intrepid hackers are privy to fleeting glimpses of stories yet to happen. It's clever and it works well enough, it just gets a little funky here and there.

Honestly, that's the problem with the whole piece: It's just a little funky, and not in a good way. The stories themselves are all pretty decent, but there's nothing that really ties them together that makes me feel like I need to read them all together. It reads like a preview book that would ordinarily be for free, but instead has a six dollar price tag on it. Call me a sucker for expecting a bit more from my preview books when I actually pay for them.

On top of that, everything's a tease but not a very good tease. If the stories aren't already reenforcing information that's already known, they're presenting new information in a very vague way. What I wanted was big surprises dropped every other page, and instead I got things like this:

I don't know what to make of that, but it certainly doesn't make me clamor for more. I wanted that nugget of information that would entice me to keep up on everything, but instead I get the barest of hints that leave me confused and uninterested. That's the true tragedy of this book: I just don't really care about anything that was revealed.

And don't even get me started on the big Bendis story in there. The less said about that Ultron War mess of a 'teaser' the better. The more I try to understand what's happening in that story, the less it all makes sense. Never a good sign.

As the big kickoff to the next big Age of Marvel, I'm legitimately worried. As the books have less pages, I pay more, and the stories become more obtuse, I'm more than a little concerned that this new age might fizzle before it even starts.

The Bill November 3, 2011

Jeez, it seems like just yesterday I was writing one of these. Time flies when you're QCing DVDs, I guess. Regardless, it's that time again for another scintillating review session with yours truly. What's on the docket this week? Come join me after the image to find out.

Oh. And massive spoilers on this one, so be wary.

Or don't. You know, whatevs.


..





Making the World Right Again:

Fear Itself 7.1: Captain America
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Butch Guice


Just when you thought we were finally done with this event, here Marvel goes pulling us back in with an extended additional epilogue. Fortunately, this one is pretty darn good, with some fantastic art and some stellar writing. Oh, and that twist.

True story: Five months ago (or so) after the release of Fear Itself #3, I was having drinks with a friend of mine who just started reading comics who asked "Do you think Bucky is really dead?"

I laughed her off. I quoted the old comic lore that if there's no body, there's no true death. Hell, that's how Bucky returned in the first place. I was convinced that Buck's run-in with Skaddi (or whatever) was nothing more than some quick 'cheap heat' (as they say in the wrestling world) and just done to move Bucky off the board for a few issues. "There's no way he's dead," I told her confidently, "that 'death' was so arbitrary and forced. There was no emotion, no build up, no hype. He's totally just hurt really bad."

Then Fear Itself #4 showed up with a big plate of crow for me to eat. I still refused, holding strong to my experience as a long time comic reader.

Finally, with issue 7.1 my intuitions proved correct. A more cynical man might write this off as a mid stream change up from the higher ups at Marvel, but I'd like to think it was in the works since the beginning. Suddenly, it makes sense that Bucky's death wasn't hyped, talked about, or lingered upon. Or you know, at least is a No-Prize explanation of those things...

Either way, I'm excited. The more I think about Bucky Barnes as a character, the more I like him and can't wait to read his continuing adventures. Especially if they're apparently going to be in the vein of the classic Nomad series from the mid-90s (of which I have a complete run...). Just a man, his motorcycle, a dark past, and the open road. I'm so there, it's not even funny.

Of all the series to come out of Fear Itself, I think I just found my new favorite.

The Bill October 27, 2011

Jeez, has a week gone by already? Time flies when you're swamped I guess. I apologize for the lack of updates, as things have been rocking and rolling over here (Check out my other blog for an insight) I've found myself without a whole lot of time to chat about comics. That said, nothing's gonna keep me from prattling on about at least one new book this week. Which one? Why don't you follow me after the credits and find out?





The Book I Want to Like:

Avengers Solo # 1
Writer: Jen Van Metter, Jim McCann
Artist: Roger Robinson, Clay Henry


Confession time: I have a complete run of the first volume of Solo Avengers (or Avengers Spotlight). The start of that series (the first year or so) are some of the best Hawkeye stories around, written by, surprisingly enough, Tom Defalco. The stories from that period have endeared me to Hawkeye and made me want to give all of his series chances. There are a few good ones, but most of the time they're pretty shitty.

Unfortunately, Avengers Solo is one of the shitty ones.

'Shitty' is a hard word and not the right one. Disappointing, confusing, needless complex, not fun... any of those are a bit more accurate. For me, a good Hawkeye story involves some snarky one-liners, some espionage, and some high flying action. This issue opted to give me none of that, and I think that's my problem with it.

The issue begins with Hawkeye stopping a routine mugging between a normal dude and a hi-tech armored assailant. Said assailant escapes, leaving The Hawk to figure out why the dude was being attacked in the first place. From there, it becomes a detective story as Hawkeye goes from mysterious benefactor to mysterious benefactor, getting tips and getting closer to a solution. Or something like that.

Honestly, it was around here that the story started to lose me. It's not that I can't handle a detective story, but there's only so many times you can use the same cliches before I get tired of it. It felt like it desperately wanted to be an awesome mystery, but only had two tricks to play before the writer ran out of ideas.

Suffice to say, I was not impressed.

Rounding out the issue, was a short little backup featuring my faves: The Avengers Academy. Here, Hank Pym takes a couple of the more troublesome kids out on a fieldtrip, only to have tragedy strike. It was fun, if a bit short. There's a part of me that wants to continue the series just for those backups, but at 3.99 I don't know if it's that worth it.

Yeah, I don't know about this one. I really want to keep reading and support the idea of a Hawkeye series (again), but not if it'll be written like this. Alas, I fear this'll have to be one of those that I grab out of a dollar bin in a few years.

Oh well. Better luck next time, Hawkeye!

The Bill October 20, 2011

Did you hear that? That was the sound of this Marvel's big mega event coming to a close for the year. But was that an explosion of awesomeness? Or a thud of disappointment? There's only one way to find out...




Not Afraid Anymore:

Fear Itself # 7
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Stuart Immonen


The short version: That sound was most definitely a thud. The longer version: Well, it's complicated.

I really wanted to like Fear Itself. With a great setup, big ideas, a fun writer, and a fantastic artist, I felt like this crossover was going to be an instant classic. Unfortunately, it ended up a half baked story that never quite lived up to that potential.

As a whole, the series felt a bit hollow for me, very superficial. It was a story where nazi robots backed by crazed Norse Gods attacked New York, yet I never felt the panic. A story where Bucky Barnes met his demise, only to get a cursory nod of 'yup, he's dead.' Deep down, it was a story about people overcoming fear to find the true hero inside, but I never felt the struggle of their decision. It was a series in which things happened, but nothing mattered regardless of its impact on continuity.

While I'm on the subject of things that didn't work, let me just toss out there the decision to have the villains speak in nothing but foreign tongues was one of the worst decisions ever. Similar to what happened in Secret Invasion, I found myself not caring about the villains at all. I get that they were trying to make the 'Breakers' seem otherworldly, but it only succeeded in distancing me from the story. Want to make me really feel afraid of an enemy? Have him say something threatening that I can understand.

But I digress...

This final issue picked up the threads of the previous chunk of books (tie-ins and all) to showcase the big final battle between our heroes and the aforementioned 'Breakers'. The heroes got some sweet new hardware to use, but, as is the norm with this series, those effects were glossed over to get to the next pinup shot. In the end, one hero (and I'm pretty sure you can guess who if you really try) sacrifices himself to defeat the big bad in a moment that ought to be the big emotional climax of the series, but instead just feels like a thing... happening. Sigh.

To the issue's credit though, there is one moment mid way through where one of our heroes arms himself in a big way. For whatever reason, probably the implicit gravitas of what was happening, really 'hit' in a big way and is one of the best moments of the entire series. Not that there was much competition.

On the art side, Stuart Immonen was kicking ass with every issue. Regardless of what was written, Immonen delivered every moment big or small with perfection. I can't wait to see what he moves onto next.

In the scheme of things, Fear Itself wasn't the worst Marvel event in years, but it certainly wasn't one of the best either. For the emotional problems of the series, it did do a great job of moving the story forward issue to issue. I'm interested to see where things go from here and I'm holding out hope that the next event is the explosion of awesomeness I've been desperately waiting for.

The Bill October 13, 2011

I think I know what I want for Christmas.

It might be a little unorthodox, not to mention way out of season, but I don't care; it's what I need for my comic life to be complete. So what has me all riled up and excited about comics? Well if I told you here, you wouldn't want to keep reading then would you? Come on and join me as I elucidate about my favorite comic of the week....




The Book That Goes Bump in the Night:

Legion of Monsters # 1
Writer: Dennis Hopeless
Artist: Juan Doe



It's books like this that remind me why I love reading comics. Bursting with big ideas, bigger action, and great one liners, Legion of Monsters ought to be a model for how to properly execute a comic book.

I'll admit that I have a little bias here as this book involves not only some of my favorite supporting characters from the sadly missing FrankenCastle series AND one of my favorites from the greatest book of all time, NEXTWAVE! It's a match made in heaven, my kind of heaven.

The story here is pretty simple, Elsa Bloodstone is hunting a killer monster and finds herself thrust into a team up with the self-styled police force calling themselves the Legion of Monsters. If you need more than that to get you excited, you best check your pulse because you might be dead.

Handling the art chores is Juan Doe who brings nothing but energy to his work. While at times a little deformed, his characters are always vibrant, full of motion, and a joy to look at.

And if all of that didn't get you excited, guess what's coming up next issue... Motorcycles. MONSTERS ON MOTORCYCLES!! DAMMIT! I LOVE IT!

I want this to be an ongoing series. Please. I've been a good boy this year....

The Bill October 6, 2011

I unofficially dubbed this week my 'Jeff Parker' week as all of my books (all two of them) were written by the man.  So what's it going to be this week, the always entertaining Thunderbolts?  Or the surprisingly compelling Hulk?  There's only one way to find out...  just, you know, flick your eyes down like an inch and you'll see it.

um...  Reviews Ahoy!

Surprisingly Compelling:

Hulk #42

Writer:  Jeff Parker

Artist:  Patch Zircher

The Red Hulk shouldn't be a compelling character.

He was a giant, red joke of a character when he popped up, in a book that was only entertaining because it was so outlandish.  His motives were murky at best, his tactics nothing but shock, and his powers mildly ill-defined.  I really liked the start of his series because of all this, but it wasn't enough to sustain my interest.  In a short burst it was fun, but any more than a few months it would grow tired.

Still, with all this against 'Rulk', I couldn't help but to be drawn to the character.  There was something about the design, the over-the-top-ness, the whole package that was enticing.  Thank God Jeff Parker came on the scene to give me a reason to check out Rulk.

There's something very classic about what Parker is doing on this book.  His ability to balance action, drama, a supporting cast, and cursory nods to the wider Universal continuity is something that most writers can't do nowadays.  It is very old school in the best possible way, and I wouldn't have it any different.  This latest issue is no different.

This issue marks the beginning of a brand new story line, Hulk of Arabia.  In short, Rulk gets word that an old friend met his untimely death at the hands of some revolutionaries and leaps off in search of revenge.  Of course, there's a little bit more, but that'd be spoiling.  Suffice to say, I felt very satisfied at the end of the issue and very anxious for the next one.  

Picking up the art chores this week for Gabriel Hardman is Patch Zircher and he does a bang up job.  In fact, Zircher's pencils are a crazy match for Hardman's, giving the book a very nice, consistent feel.

In the end, this continues to be one of my most bafflingly favorite books of the month.  It's full of all the creativity, action, and pathos that I want from my books, and leaves me itching for more every month.  If you're not buying this book right now, you're going to be regretting it because this is a run that's going to go down in the history books as a classic.

The Bill September 28, 2011

With Fear Itself finally winding down (just in time for the next big event to wind up, I guess), I think it's time we talk about what is quite possibly the best tie in to the event. If you've been reading this blog for a while, you'll probably be able to guess what book I'm talking about. If not, well, you don't have to wait very long to figure it out.




The Best Fear Itself Tie-in:

Avengers Academy # 19
Writer: Christos Gage
Artist: Tom Raney


I've been in the tank for this book since it started and I have no signs of getting out. Start to finish, this book is amazing with rare missteps and this Fear Itself tie-in is no exception.

Let me start, though, with a negative. While I do think what they're doing is great, I also think they spent a little too much time on it. Maybe it's because I'm getting older, maybe it's a desire for the compression of old, but this was a story that should have been told in maybe three issues. As it stands, I'm mildly upset that the characters, their interactions, and their progression has been put on hold for so long. Dammit, I need closure on some of these people! COME ON!

Ahem. Sorry.

Moving on, what really impressed me about this run was how it made me care about the villains. I get that these 'Breakers of whatevers' are supposed to be foreign and we ought to be afraid because we don't know what they're saying, but it just doesn't work that way. Instead of being intrigued by the weird looking symbols, I find myself just skimming past and seeing whatever character more as a cypher than a person. Christos Gage fixed that problem: he just had them speak english.

It threw me as weird when it first happened, but as the storyline went on I was happy for the change. Suddenly, I was more afraid of these new gods (not to be confused with New Gods) and actually understood their motivations. And because of that, I was more scared for the kids and their survival. Weird how that all works...

So, this issue was the culmination of the conflict that's been ongoing for a few months. The kids, trapped in their miniature and rapidly expanding headquarters, were forced to make some pretty hefty, heroic decisions about how to survive. And because this is a book with no really big names, and the stars are all brand new characters, I was preparing for the worst. I don't want to spoil the end, but it was certainly unexpected.

In the end, Christos Gage delivered not just another great issue, but another great tie-in. Similar to his Thunderbolts Secret Invasion tie in, he was able to thread this book's storyline with the larger story in Fear Itself without making me feel like I'm getting only half the story. It's a hell of a talent, one that I wish some other writers had.

Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the fantastic art of Tom Raney. I've been a big fan of his for a while, and this book was no exception. He's got a clean line and can do wide screen like the best of them, I hope he's on this book for a long time.

Now, with all this Fear Itself malarky over, I can't wait to this book to get back to the business of being awesome all on it's own.