wktf's and Sam Wilson's Reviews 7/20/06

[wktf]

Some big workings in comics this week! Not only did we get the highly anticipated Civil War #3 and Justice League of America #0, there were other big events like Marvel’s Halo HC OGN and, for Thor lovers who didn’t get enough satisfaction from Civil War, the Modern Masters: Walt Simonson volume hit the stands as well! Plus, Superman/Batman kicks off a new story arc with a new creative team since Loeb/McGuinnes and the red hot new Eternals mini series goes to issue #2. With my esteemed writing partner away having the time of his life at the SDCC I bet you thought you’d be hearing only from me. No way! Barely filling Sam Wilson’s formidable shoes we have not one but two guest writers joining me this week, fellow comic book enthusiasts jdh.goodgrief and Kdawg59. So, let’s have at it!

Civil War #3
Marvel Comics
Written by: Mark Millar
Drawn by: Steve McNiven

Spoiler Warning!

Well, I don’t really know if I’m going to spoil anything at this point, given the internet buzz about this issue, but I don’t know how to write a review of it without spoiling something.

Yet another terrific issue, my pick of the week, in this “Marvel Comics Event in Seven Parts” as battle lines clearly are drawn and the status of some key seemingly on-the-fence players are made compellingly clear, plus we get a relieving status update on The Human Torch’s condition. To wit, Reed meets with The Black Panther in Wakanda while Yellow Jacket and the Wasp visit Dr. Strange and Tony Stark has a friendly chat with Emma at Xaviers Mansion grounds. All parties make both their unanimous opinions about this conflict clearly known while also leaving no question about the position they intend to take. The Black Panther proves, again, that he is intuitively wise as well as noble and strong in his conversation with Reed, the latter of whom seems to have lost complete touch with his emotional center. I doubt T’Challa’s sage words will resonate properly with Reed. We also learn about Stark’s most interesting past with Emma, but Emma’s tone turns “frosty” during the conversation, first calling him “Tony” and then “Iron Man” as she takes him to task and suggests Marvel’s mutants know something about being persecuted and hunted down. Additionally, this issue raises several interesting questions. For example, who the hell is that person who looks like Matt Murdock, red hair and all, but who obviously is making eye contact with the people around him? Why has The Thing joined the pro-registration heroes when, in FF #538 he’s so clearly on the fence but with the preview of next issue’s cover he seems to be siding with the anti-registration movement? For that matter, why is Sue on this side despite her sentiments expressed in the FF’s book? What conversation did Cable have with Iron Man? And just what the hell happened, what story took place, between the very end of FF #538 and the final pages of this issue?

To be clear, though, while there’s a lot of intrigue and plot churning at the beginning of this issue, it’s all out action at the end. Cap’s faction faces off against Iron Man’s squadron and, I have to say, Iron Man deserves some props for his opening words to Cap. He doesn’t want to fight, he respects Cap, values their years of friendship, and truly believes superhero registration is the way of the future. But too much has taken place and, this being the event book it is, and a bruising all out battle is inevitable. And it comes in spades. There are multiple casualties but the beating Captain America receives and Hercules’ desperate attempt to save him stand out amidst the chaos. Kudos yet again to McNiven who’s pouring his heart and soul into this book. The story’s great but the art is just spectacular. But, for me, the most spectacular part of this issue is the much anticipated return of a bedrock Marvel character, here called “Codename Lightning” but known to anyone who’s read the last two issues of Fantastic Four or got a gander at this issue’s beautiful McGuiness variant cover. Yes, he’s back! But, again, why has he chosen this side? What story took place prior to this issue that hadn’t yet been told? And why has he seemingly devolved since his last appearance two years ago?

For a pretty thorough discussion of this issue with Civil War editor Tom Brevoort, please follow this link:

http://www.newsarama.com/marvelnew/C...WarRoom03.html

She-Hulk 2 #9
Marvel Comics
Written by: Dan Slott
Drawn by: Paul Smith, Ron Frenz and Sal Buscema

The controversial Starfox rape arc has ended but the repercussions are not yet over. John Jameson and Jennifer Walters, nearly on the verge of breaking up are now head over heels in love and officially engaged as of last issue. And, while all is not necessarily kosher in paradise, first we’ll take a brief detour from our standard reviews to our perennial favorite “Ask a British Dude” segment! Let’s hear from our own resident forum artist, jdh.goodgrief, as he expounds on the recent history of the always stunning She-Hulk. Take it away, jdh!

She’s been Savage, she’s been Sensational, now the jade giantess is simply a superlativeless She-Hulk. Though maybe they should have taken a leaf out of one of Peter Parker’s many books, and called this Jen Walters: She Hulk, as Shulkie’s depowered lawyer alter-ego is a key part of the status quo served up by writer Dan Slott. Jen is one of the leading lights at a firm specialising in superhuman law, an idea Slott has proved himself adept at running with: lawyers cite comic books as precedent! Continuity is alive and well and bunking in Slott’s brain. This relaunched volume of Slott’s She-Hulk (the first was put on hiatus after 12 issues, but sales are believed to be much higher this time around due to the positive word of mouth from reviewer-type folks like wktf and Sammy) began as did the first – with love-it-or-hate-it cartoony art from one Juan Bobillo (there’s only one Juan Bobillo!) My foot was planted firmly in the ‘love it’ camp, which made a pleasant change from its habitual spot in my mouth. (Incidentally, the ‘love it’ camp features pretty pink tents and fluffy bunnies frolicking freely. Much nicer than the ‘hate it’ camp, where ants steal your food and something nasty has crawled into your sleeping bag.) Bobillo’s art meshed perfectly with Slott’s light-hearted script, provided some delightful zany touches with support characters such as break-out star Awesome Andy, and generally delivered a perfect rendition of a lead character who is, by her very nature, impossible to take seriously. When Bobillo (evidently not a one for long, career-defining runs) departed She-Hulk ‘season one’ after a handful of issues, the book suffered, and the energy seemed to ebb away from the Slott machine. By the time the end came, the decision to pull the plug looked merciful. ‘Second season’ time and it looked like ‘de ja vu all over again’ – the book started brightly with Slott and Bobillo, only for the artist’s itchy feet (maybe he’s been to the ‘hate it’ camp) to strike again. This time, though, Slott’s writing has so far overcome the disappointment of losing such a ‘breath of fresh air’ artist. The recent Starfox storyline, ably if not inspirationally pencilled by Will Conrad, delivered an inventive and thought-provoking insight into one of the Avengers of my childhood, Starfox. What could have been a sensationalistic story of Eros facing charges of rape became a fascinating exploration of his mind-altering powers and seductive ways. For me, She-Hulk remains Slott’s best work – a fitting venue for his whimsical ideas and obvious love for the Marvel Universe, with a far stronger premise than the recently departed, and slightly disappointing, Thing title. Without an artist of Bobillo’s flair, the book will never be on top of my ‘urgent’ pile; but if Slott keeps the quality of his scripts up, it will always be one that I grab when I want a good, fun read . Overall, my verdict suggests one more alliterative title for the series: Solid She-Hulk.

Thanks, jdh! I miss Bobillo’s art, too. His whimsical cartoony style really worked for this book and I’m grateful, at least, he’ll be doing a John Byrne knock off cover soon. But anyway, back to issue #9, She-Hulk’s law partner Pug has conclusively discovered what those of us who’ve been following this title already know. Shulkie and John still are under Eros’ influence and not in their right minds. However, as Pug attempts to reveal his love for Jen and reveal all he knows we are treated to a second story, this one illustrated by the team of former Spider-Man artists Ron Frenz and Sal Buscema. And this segment, where John and Jen must endure dinner at JJJ’s house is a highly implausible but hilarious conflict of the most unorthodox variety. Never let it be said that Jolly Jonah, fuming over the combination of his son’s marrying a superhero and Spider-Man’s big press announcement, can’t be a worthy adversary for a certain gamma irradiated bombshell. Anyway, this issue’s a hoot. Slott’s writing powers are in high gear, as always on this title. Anyone not reading it should be in fear of She-Hulk coming to your house to rip up your X-Men comics!

Justice League of America #0
Written by: Brad Meltzer
Drawn by: Eric Wight, tony Harris, George Perez, J. H. Williams III, Luke McDonnell & Paul Neary, Gene Ha, Rags Morales, Ethan Van Sciver, Kevin Maguire, Adam Kubert, Dan Jurgens & Keven Nowlan, Jim Lee, Howard Porter & Dexter Vines, Andy Kuber & Jesse Delperdang, Phil Jiminez & Andy Lanning, and Ed Bennes & Sandra Hope

The Michael Turner cover for this issue is terrible, isn’t it? Is he trying out a new style or something? Ugh.

What we have here is a pre-Justice League book, which I suppose is why it was numbered #0. It’s “one year later” and DC’s mighty trinity of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman have returned. Oh, yeah, for those reading Wonder Woman, I guess we now know for certain how the coming Diana/Donna Wonder Woman bragging rights is going to turn out. Nice scheduling work, there, DC. This issue provides a retrospective of this trio’s partnership and relationship over the many years since the Justice League of America very first formed. And it’s really very well done, if what you’re looking for is a historical recounting of some of the biggest moments in their history together. If not, I’d skip this book if I were you. Each moment is drawn by a different artist; a tactic that helps put each segment in its historical context. While the cleanest segment is the one that highlights Donna Troy’s wedding, penciled by George Perez, and his Superman in flight is spectacular, chapter is pretty compelling in and of itself, even though there were a few I didn’t recognize (When did Jonathan Kent die? For that matter, when did Batman die?).

Over all, I’d say what comes out clearly in this book is that the primary relationship among these three is between Superman and Batman, especially considering Superman’s definition of friendship in the first pages. Wonder Woman’s a bit of a third wheel. Superman and Batman’s relationship morphs and changes over time but clearly evolves to the friendship they share today. And the most interesting character throughout all these changes, as always, is Batman. Superman and Wonder Woman stay pretty constant. Considering the decades of continuity summarized in this one issue, Batman here almost seems like a manic depressive as he moves through his states of fear at the beginning, happiness (his new partnership with Jason), pain and anger (seen most especially in the Tower of Babel segment), sorrow (the Death of Superman scene here is really quite moving), to the calmer state he displays today. But, no doubt, it is these three heroes who form the leadership bedrock of the JLA and, as this issue ends, we know they have some tough choices to make as they begin to form the new team. But we also know they’ll make them together in this interesting new state they’ve found since the Infinite Crisis ended: friendship.

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For b_c's good/bad/ugly reviews, click here:

http://www.statueforum.com/showthread.php?t=31990

[wktf]

Eternals #2
Marvel Comics
Written by: Neil Gaiman
Drawn by: John Romita Jr.

I'm reviewing this book for my vato Sam this week while he's away at SDCC enjoying the con. I have to say I picked up the first issue of Eternals based on these reviews and finally read it this morning in anticipation for issue number two. I don't remember all that much about the Eternals other than Sersi and the Forgotten one were Avengers in that great run by Stern, Buscema, and Palmer in the 80's...

When last we left off we had Mark Curry. This guys seems to be down on his luck. Haunted by bizarre dreams, pulling long shifts at the hospital, obsessed with speed and uncertain as to why, his girlfriend leaving him at the onset of the issue, and many other quirks. He is visited by someone whom he has no recollection of and yet this golden eyed stranger is all too familiar to him. This golden stranger tries to tell Mark that they are both Eternals and that they are immortal in a nice origin story for those not up to speed. Mark is on edge and thinks said golden stranger is a nut-job.

Things take a surreal turn for Curry as the stranger ends up in his hospital after surviving a bomb blast that should have surely killed him. Wanting nothing to do with this bizarre stranger, Mark doesn't hesitate to let two men in suits take the stranger (Ike Harris aka Icarus) away claiming he is a mental patient.

This was the meat of issue one although we saw other Eternals in their lives and rituals. Thena is working in tech for the military and Stark. Sprite is a child star in hollywood, Sersi is a flighty party planner for the wealthy and Druig is a head of state type in the country of Vorozheikia. Which is a setting for the dram in issue two. At the end I was left wanting to know more about why these immortals (with the exception of Icarus) don't seem to recall whom they are and why they can't remember.

I cracked open issue two hoping beyond hope that I would get some answers. What I got wasn't quite all of that but instead it was a well paced book that further confounded the problem and question with more questions. Why can't they remember? Why now are Mark Curry's dreams even more haunted and why now is he knowing deep down that the visit from Icarus last issue was not as a delusional man, but an answer to the many questions now running through his head. He's hearing voices in his head, imagining he can do things at hyperspeed and seems in fact to be doing just that. Things start to come to a head at Sersi's first "party for the stars" as terrorists attack and bullets fly. Meanwhile a desperate Icarus is being tortured to death and yet not being killed by all sorts of nastiness like acid, fire, drowning, etc.

I don't want to give a lot of the story away but I am really enjoying this book. I think it is well paced and it leaves me wanting more. I find Romita Juniors stuff to either be more well rendered and perhaps a bit more polished than it was on his spider-man work or just better inked. Either way he's one of the greats.

There's still time to go and pick up these issues while the mad dash for the civil war rack is keeping others occupied. We have a story so far centered on the mystery of the eternals and why they have gone and why they cannot remember who they are. I am intrigued and I am in for the duration on this mini series.

Kind of neat too, I might add that amidst the civil war going on in the Marvel U, we are seeing it spill out a bit here.

[wktf]

We have a mixed bag for you this week. Last week I gave you an Alex Toth Zorro memorial trade review and my follow up this week is DC’s recent work on one of Toth’s most famous character designs. And, in honor of my writing partner’s trip to SDCC, a prior review of a book he’s hoping to get autographed by its creators. And away we go!

Wktf’s Review

Space Ghost
DC Comics
Written by: Joe Kelly
Drawn by: Ariel Olivetti
Original Covers by: Alex Ross
Original Space Ghost Design by: Alex Toth (RIP)

When I was a kid, a really little kid, I remember living in Washington DC during first and second grade while my dad was on sabbatical from the college where he was a political science professor and doing some work for the State Department. One of the things I remember best was sitting down to watch Saturday morning cartoons; it was 1966, and waiting for that booming baritone voice to proclaim “Spaaaaaaaaace Ghoooooooost!!” I knew from that point on the fun was going to begin. Along with Johnny Quest and The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure, Space Ghost was my favorite cartoon character. He was powerful and mysterious, could fly through space and command the awesome Phantom Cruiser, he could turn invisible and shoot various power beams from his hands thanks to the bands with three buttons he wore on each forearm. Yeah, he had two child side kicks and a pet monkey, Blip, but his black mask and super muscular physique gave him the right mix of cool and authority. And he had great villains like Brak, Zorak, Moltar and even his own version of the Injustice Gang in the Council of Doom. I used to doodle Space Ghost pictures along with Superman and Spider-Man. I saw Cartoon Network’s goofy Space Ghost Coast-to-Coast when it first came out only once and never watched it again. Sure, it was funny but this wasn’t my Space Ghost. Let others have this show.

Somehow, I guess, DC Comics must have acquired the license for Space Ghost because, last year, they gave him a six issue mini-series that explained who he is and how he became Space Ghost. It got mixed reviews as it took the kiddie cartoon character, put him through seriously evil paces and made him dark and somewhat terrible. I didn’t buy the series based on these reviews. But, upon strolling through a Walden Books recently I saw a single copy of the trade paperback with that wonderful Alex Ross visage, a price tag of $14.99, and thought “Oh, what the hell.” And I’m really glad I bought it. The reviews were right. This is a tough story. Officer Thaddeus Bach, a member of the Eidolon Elite peacekeeping force, whose members where a white body suite with an upside down triangle emblem on their chests, is married to the lovely and very pregnant Elua and reports to a senior officer named Temple. But Thaddeus soon discovers the peacekeeping force to which he’s pledged himself is murderously corrupt. And this discovery and his attempt to betray that force cost him his wife, his unborn child, his reputation and identity and, for the longest time, his very soul. Beaten, tortured and then abandoned on a lifeless rock planet, Thaddeus is saved by a purple creature named Engineer Solomon Monk and together, like twin John Henry’s, out of anger and frustration they drive picks into stone until Bach is as ripped as any superhero you’ve ever seen. With Monk’s technology in hand, Bach dons the belt and arm bands that give him the powers of flight, invisibility and various power beams, puts on a black cowl and yellow cape, and goes off in search of Temple and the Eidolon Elite with murder in is soul. As he closes in on Temple he also encounters the brutal insectoid Zorak who wants to make a meal out of most all humanoids he encounters, including two young children name Jan and Jayce whom Bach begrudgingly protect and who give him the name “Space Ghost” from an old legend their now dead father told them.

How can a guy in a white body suit, bright yellow cape and red belt and arm bands seem dark and terrible? Well, he does. This Space Ghost is a cross between The Punisher and The Batman, and the way Olivetti draws him with heavy use of shadows, well, he really pulls it off. Kelly, whose an old JLA and Superman scribe does a fine job on the plotting and scripting. There’s a great touch when, real or imagined, the ghosts of Elua and the unborn son he never knew appear to Bach and acts as his moral compass to guide him from the path of murder to righteousness and, effectively, help him save his own soul while he’s saving Jan, Jayce and everyone else from Zorak while also bringing Temple to justice. Is this the Space Ghost of my childhood? No, I’d say those other reviews were right about that. Is this a cool cosmic superhero story with plenty of heart as well as action? You betcha! I may need to find a DVD of those old Space Ghost adventures but this trade, while certainly different from those old cartoons, was a surprisingly great read.

Sam Wilson’s Review

The Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect
Marvel Comics
Written By: Peter David
Drawn By: George Perez

The early 1990’s were the golden age of the Hulk for me. We had the Hulk in his most powerful form, but with the brain of Bruce Banner. All was well. He was a member of a world saving organization called the Pantheon and was hanging out with Rick Jones again. David was handling the writing chores and hotshot artist Dale Keown was doing the art. Happy day happy day. I asked myself back then, could Marvel possibly do anything better to the Hulk? How can you improve on perfection? Simple, come out with a two-issue prestige format (does anyone else miss that format?) series called “Future Imperfect”, have George Perez do the art, and make it have a lasting impact on the Hulk mythos.

Future Imperfect starts out in a post apocalyptic future where we meet Janis and her band of rebels, who have just recruited a new “studly” to combat the sinister regime of the “Maestro”, the evil dictator of all that is. We quickly find out that this studly is none other than Dr. Bruce Banner, aka the Hulk, and Janis is really Rick Jones’s great-great granddaughter. They brought Banner to the future using Dr. Doom’s time machine. We then find out the world as we know it has been destroyed by two world wars. All the heroes are dead (but their remains are in a nifty trophy room that would put the batcave to shame). Only one hero has survived, one strong enough to have survived two nuclear wars. Not only did he survive, he got stronger. Stronger, and crazier. He took over the world and now rules it with an iron fist, a Saddam like dictator who takes what he pleases from the populace and lets his people live in absolute poverty. Who of all the marvel hero’s would be strong enough to outlast them all? The Hulk of course.

This story is David’s take on one of the three classic models of conflict in fiction (man vs. man, man vs. nature, and man vs. himself, this one obviously being man vs. himself). David tells a deep story here, with many themes (inner conflict, honor, loyalty). George Perez brings it to life, his fine detailing skills serving him well, especially in a scene where he does a two page spread of the fallen hero’s trophy room. I can say nothing more but pick up this book. The original issues are still cheap and available, there is a trade paperback, or you can get the fancy marvel selects limited hardcover version if you feel like tracking one down on eBay and paying a hefty price. Whatever format you choose, this is a story worth having in your comic library.

[bat_collector]

Joe: many of the evens in JLA #0 take place in the future. Every time it goes to "tomorrow" we get something that as not happened yet.

Iron Man come out a bit better in this one, but spidey beating on captain america, well that just seemed wrong! Not that he could not do it, but it seemed a harder spidey than I'm used to.

And Reed, dumb! He should listen to black panther, as he clearly is wrapped up in his work that he isn't even thinking about his family.

[RichBamf]

Great reviews Joe, Haven't read JLA 0 as yet, because my LCS hadn't received their delivery yet, but I've got to agree that cover is awful, not the best way to launch a title. Thank heavens for the fantastic two part cover Ed Benes is providing for issue 1.

[wktf]

Originally Posted by bat_collector

Joe: many of the evens in JLA #0 take place in the future. Every time it goes to "tomorrow" we get something that as not happened yet.

Iron Man come out a bit better in this one, but spidey beating on captain america, well that just seemed wrong! Not that he could not do it, but it seemed a harder spidey than I'm used to.

And Reed, dumb! He should listen to black panther, as he clearly is wrapped up in his work that he isn't even thinking about his family.

I'm not sure, Mike. I'll have to check that when I get home but I recall some of the "tomorrow" material as being historical, tomorrow as compared to further in the past. But, again, I'll double check at home. Thanks.

I agree the attack Spider-Man launched on Cap seemed way out of character, especially considering how Aunt May reacted so strongly to Peter about this even being a possibility and Peter's saying he had to rethink his position in light of a confrontation with Captain America.

[bat_collector]

Originally Posted by wktf

I'm not sure, Mike. I'll have to check that when I get home but I recall some of the "tomorrow" material as being historical, tomorrow as compared to further in the past. But, again, I'll double check at home. Thanks.

I agree the attack Spider-Man launched on Cap seemed way out of character, especially considering how Aunt May reacted so strongly to Peter about this even being a possibility and Peter's saying he had to rethink his position in light of a confrontation with Captain America.

The ferocity of the attack was also shocking, not only on cap, but as he attacked others with Cap's shield. It just seems a lot happened between issues I don't know about.

Love that Mcguiness cover though.

Was the variant cover to JLA zero any better?

[wktf]

Originally Posted by bat_collector

The ferocity of the attack was also shocking, not only on cap, but as he attacked others with Cap's shield. It just seems a lot happened between issues I don't know about.

Love that Mcguiness cover though.

Was the variant cover to JLA zero any better?

Not much better, sloppy Turner work. You can see an image of it on DC's homepage:

http://www.dccomics.com/

[Kdawg59]

I too thought it was out of character for Spidey to be so ferocious. What I was uneasy with even moreso was the wisecracks while doing so... Yes Spidey always is cracking jokes but these particular ones, with his out of character attacks seem a little sadistic for me...

anyone else think that McNiven draws and Emma that is gorgeous? The dialogue between her and Stark is fabulous also... and their arrangement they both used to have when single.

[bat_collector]

Originally Posted by Kdawg59

I too thought it was out of character for Spidey to be so ferocious. What I was uneasy with even moreso was the wisecracks while doing so... Yes Spidey always is cracking jokes but these particular ones, with his out of character attacks seem a little sadistic for me...

anyone else think that McNiven draws and Emma that is gorgeous? The dialogue between her and Stark is fabulous also... and their arrangement they both used to have when single.

My favorite part of the issue, especially as she shows iron man just what the mutants have been going through. Top notch.

AS for JLA 0, one of my favorite parts was at the end where superman, batman, and wonder woman all thought how different they were from the other two. great scene