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Columnist Thunder Mod
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The Mighty Reviews 1/22/09
Sam Wilson’s Reviews
Moon Knight #26
Marvel Comics
Written by: Mike Benson
Drawn by: Jefte Palo
Cover by: Gabrielle Del ‘Otto
Moon Knight, aka Mark Spector aka Jake Locley aka someone whom you don’t want to **** with if you are a bad guy. Born out of war, mercenary Mark Spector was beaten and left for dead and saved by the Egyptian Moon god to kick ass for him and fight evil. He’s has more than one series for Marvel Comics throughout the years, has been an Avenger (on the west coast anyway) and is now fighting on the side of the registration act. Well, not really. See, in superstar writer Mike Benson’s (HBO’s Entourage) first story arc Tony Stark tried to get him on board but Mark would rather beat the living **** out of drug dealers than have any part of Tony’s nonsense. Well, that and the ghost of the Bushman (an old enemy of his who just happens to be missing his face) is guiding Marks actions, encouraging him to, well, pound the crap out of people and maim them in nasty ways. Tony Stark tried his hardest to get Mark under control, but didn’t do such a good job so the powers that be decided to send in the Registration’s big guns. Well, their psychotic guns anyway with a bunch of sociopaths better known as the Thunderbolts. The T-bolts did their best and managed to kill Mark Spector. The only problem? Jake Lockley survived, and relocated to Mexico, and so it goes…
The new story arc, “Down South”, starts out pretty fu$#king bad-ass. Jake Lockley is alive and well (for those of you who don’t know, Jake Lockley was the NYC Cab Driver identity of Moon Knight, yes, same guy as Mark Spector) and living in Mexico, fighting in underground boughts to pay the bills. His skills earn him a rep, and soon a rich man whose daughter has been kidnapped asks him for help. By asking him I mean he offers him a ton of money to get his daughter back. Meanwhile, a mysterious man has Jake Lockley in his rifle sights, and well, okay he’s not so mysterious. His name is Frank Castle, aka the Punisher. All this and the Bushman is still talking to Jake, even though he takes an even stranger form than before in this particular issue.
Hell ****ing yeah. Mike Benson is the man. Mike’s had Moon Knight for awhile now, and every issue has been nothing short of an ass kicking festival of bad assness. With the sharp, modern dialogue Mike Benson is known for from his television work (Entourage) David Mamet could dare write Moon Knight better (and I’m a huge Mamet fan). Moon Knight sort of going back to his mercenary roots, getting raw in Mexico with the Punisher in the mix? Hell yeah. So buy it already. Word. My pick of the week.
Wktf’s Reviews
This week was a pretty big one, comics wise, for me. But then any week John Romita, Jr. returns to the pages of Amazing Spider-Man and the Lord of Vampires returns to the Marvel Universe (check out Captain Britain and MI13 #9), that constitutes a big week for me.
The Mighty Avengers #21
Marvel Comics
Written by: Dan Slott
Drawn by: Khoi Pham
Cover by: Khoi Pham
I have to say, this was the book I was most anticipating. The presses on who’d be in it certainly made this roster seem Mighty. I love just about everything Dan Slott writes. The guy just gets how to write his characters to stay true to who they are, creates fantastic interpersonal dynamics, and knows how to inject humor into his stories and blend it with both drama and action, and the man just flat out knows his Marvel Universe and history. Couple Slott and his roster of characters with Khoi Pham, the best artist to grace the Incredible Hercules book (and he’s sorely missed there) and this felt like a winning combination.
And, I’m delighted to report, it is! Warning: possible spoilers beyond his point. First, let’s get talk “Mighty.” Combine Hercules (Yes! Khoi Pham back on Hercules!) and The Incredible Hulk, and it also looks like Iron Man is at least guest appearing in this first arc. This team would be “mightier” only if they added Thor (and they explain why they don’t), but you just don’t get much more impressive than any team with these three powerhouses. Yeah, I know the Dark Avengers have Sentry but, seriously, yawn. Next, for the rest of the roster, it was a stroke of genius that Slott had Amadeus Cho and Hercules determine that Jarvis is the constant in The Avengers’ dynamic, and that they go in search of him because “there has come a day unlike any other where Earth’s mightiest heroes must unite against a common threat…” Well, you know the deal. And it’s awesome that at this moment of multiple catastrophes, all Biblical in nature (and some are truly horrifying…flesh eating bugs tear the finger off someone) and causing New and Dark Avengers to drop like flies that, of all people, Jarvis turns to Dr. Henry Pym (now partnered with Jocasta, a little weird considering whose brain patterns she houses and that she was just sucking face with Machine Man two weeks ago in Marvel Zombies 3) to form and lead the new team. I couldn’t imagine a more unlikely leader, especially after his traumatic return from the Skrull World, or one who’d present so many great possibilities. Cho, Hercules, and Jarvis’ therapy session with Hank, now the male Wasp, to get him over his Stark-envy showed for whom the title of this arc, “The Smartest Man in the Room,” refers. And, finally, let’s talk about The Scarlet Witch! Yes, Wanda’s back! The world’s gone haywire and Wanda’s back. Now, last we saw her in New Avengers she was living in Eastern Europe without her memories or her powers. How she’s back in full force now will have to be explained, and I have no doubt it will.
Wrap all this up with an additional interesting heroes like USAgent and an epic villain with ties to Wanda and you have a killer first issue. And, to tie a bow around it, this issue is packaged as a Giant-Sized book with 36 pages of all-original ultra fun Dan Slott story and drop dead gorgeous Khoi Pham art (his Iron Man and Scarlet Witch both are stunning). This book is a must-have for any superhero fan, much less Avengers fan. No doubt about it, my pick of the week.
Doctor Doom and the Masters of Evil #1
Marvel Comics
Written by: Paul Tobin
Drawn by: Patrick Scherberger & Jacopo Camagni
Cover by: Roger Cruz
I made a mistake picking up this book. The “All Ages” label on it should have tipped me off but I figured that made it like the “Rated A” rating on Mighty Avengers as opposed to like the line of Marvel Adventures book. Well, lesson learned. This out of continuity (Kraven’s alive, Tony Stark’s not a pariah) tale sports a rather goofy, wise cracking Sinister Six (with The Chameleon in place of Electro) working in the service of Doctor Doom (after being manhandled by the good doctor) to steal a device called the R5-Puddon from Stark. Of course this puts the sinister ones in the path of both Iron Man and Doctor Strange, and much mayhem and chaos ensues.
Not sure what else to say about this one. It felt like a waste of time when I read it until I realized what I was reading and then, in retrospect, I could say the book was a fun diversion for those who don’t take their comics too seriously, or are looking for comics that focus on a nifty super villain team up that still won’t be too scary for the kids. Have at it if you fall into either one of these categories.
The Lone Ranger & Tonto #2
Dynamite Entertainment
Written by: Brett Matthews & Neil Turitz
Drawn by: Vatche Mavlian
Cover by: John Cassaday
I’d actually forgotten that Dynamite puts out a second Lone Ranger title. Hey, if Marvel and DC can have multiple titles with the same characters why not Dynamite, too, right? And as long as the story is in the capable hands of regular Lone Ranger scribe Brett Matthews it’s probably a pretty safe bet.
The Lone Ranger and Tonto ride in to what once was the bustling mining town of Reston only to find it practically a ghost town. But why, and what is the basis for the rumor that there are monsters in Reston. Mavlian’s dark and surreal art makes the supernatural and hallucinatory elements of this tale really stand out, almost like a genuine monster story from the pages of the old Creepy Magazine. As the partners for justice probe deeper into the mysteries of this town they find themselves becoming a victim of the same malicious intent that drove the townspeople away. Before, of course, they must overcome their own demons and the real cause of the town’s pain.
The writers give us a diverting, interesting and slightly chilling tale but it’s Mavian’s art that really brings this one home. For those enjoying Dynamite’s current Lone Ranger series, you certainly should enjoy this story, but I’d recommend this single issue story even to those who aren’t vested in the series to sample just how good this Dynamite property has become.
Nightwing #152
DC Comics
Written by: Peter J. Tomasi
Drawn by: Don Kramer
Cover by: Brian Stelfreeze
I understand all the Batman titles are going on a bit of a hiatus following the events of Batman RIP/Final Crisis #6. I’d say that’s a blessing for this book, which really seems to have lost its way for a while now. Frankly, all the Bat books have been suffering for a while, with the lone exception of Paul Dini’s Detective Comics, and I think DC needs to retool what they’re doing with them. The removal of Bruce Wayne from the mix seems like a dubious direction at best so I’m not sure what they’ve got up their sleeves is the retooling this line needs.
Regardless, this issue is a “Faces of Evil” one shot, focusing on Ra’s Al Ghul. Faces of Evil is DC’s way of temporarily putting the spot light on their villains during the chaos of Final Crisis. In this case, Nightwing is mourning Bruce’s death (but, seriously, how does he know he’s dead at this point?) and finds himself attacked by an army of ninjas. As it turns out, this army of attacking ninjas actually were sent to kidnap Nightwing to an audience with Ra’s Al Ghul who, like Nightwing, is mourning the loss of his great enemy. As Dick notes, Ra’s could just have asked rather than attempt a kidnapping. What Ra’s wants, apparently, is some group therapy over both characters’ sense of loss. Instead, they have a sword fight. Huh?
Sorry, this one-shot story is just insipid, as I suspect the majority of these Faces of Evil stories are. Kramer’s art, as always, is great to look at but Tomasi’s written a throw away story that just wasn’t worth the $2.99 it cost. Plus, how is it the battle in the Bat Cave showcases the recent destruction from the Heart of Hush story in Detective Comics but doesn’t even acknowledge that Batman locked Ra’s away, under heavy sedation, in Arkham? Are the Batman editors asleep over there? Ugh, overall…pass.
Dawg’s Reviews
Fantastic set of books flying off the shelves this week. It’s getting harder and harder to justify paying for comics these days, and I think more hikes will be coming, but for now at least the quality of the art and the stories makes the incredible prices less painful.
Dark Avengers #1
Marvel Comics
Written by: Brian Michael Bendis
Drawn by: Mike Deodato Jr.
So Norman Osborn is the hero of the Marvel Universe now. He defeated the skrulls all by himself when he shot their queen in the head. The real heroes are fugitives and the villains are the good guys. SHIELD is dead and HAMMER is erected from it’s ashes for a dirty new world where getting the job done is more important than how you look saving the world.
A perfect time to for a new group of government sanctioned Avengers. Hmmm sound familiar long time fans? Well it is and it isn’t. This time around we aren’t so lucky as to get Henry Gyrich limited the membership… This time it is a raving whack job that likes to dress up like a green and purple nightmare.
This group of avengers is almost assembled based on the warped interpretation of the symbolism the originals present. Norman goes on through the book doing his best Professor X, and recruiting his new team of Avengers. WE see some all too familiar faces taking on new personas. We see a couple of new members, and lastly we see who is the Iron Patriot and how he came to be, as well as just how in the hell he came to get a suit of Stark armor.
On top of all of that we get a nice bookend visit from the ultra hot sorceress from the past with a mean on for Victor Von Doom: Morgana Le Fey…
I have to say I wasn’t expecting much. Being a loooong time Spider-Man fan, there isn’t much I can say I like about Norman Osborn, but somehow I was able to really enjoy the book. It’s very much like Thunderbolts V.3, but I don’t mind so far. It’s actually kind of cool to see how twisted these Avengers are through Osborn’s mind.
With amazing art by Mike Deodato, this book really shines. I think the art really sells it more than anything else. I don’t believe I would have enjoyed it nearly as much without the shadowy and dark art supporting the overall tone that the book is trying to set. In fact my only issue with this book is that it is a reminder that in a hurting economy, picking up a new book to give it a try becomes more selective. So far so good Marvel, but you aren’t added to the monthly pull yet.
Green Lantern #37
DC Comics
Written By: Geoff Johns
Drawn by: Ivan Reis
I feel like the best review I could possible give this issue of Green Lantern could be summed up in seven bullet items and a seven word sentence that follows. Will these make enough of a case for you to start checking out this title as we near Blackest Night? That’s not up to me Might Readers…
• Hal Jordan is emotional enough that I think he could wear any ring
• Atrocitus and the Red Lanterns are wicked pissed off
• Sinestro is not the worst villain out there, but he reminds us why he is a d*ck hole
• The Blue Lanterns are amazing
• IVAN REIS AND GEOFF JOHNS rule
• Lantern battle
• My pick of the week
Lastly… 7 promised words to sum it all up… 2 of which are for extra effect.
Holy sh*t this book is &*%$ing awesome!
Uncanny X-Men Annual #2
Marvel Comics
Written by: Matt Fraction
Drawn by: Mitch Breitweiser & Daniel Acuna
Emma Frost the may be on the side of Angels these days, but we all know that once upon a time she was a very naughty girl. As the White Queen of the inner circle of the Hellfire Club, she did some things that were positively ruthless and impure.
Recently we had the Norman Osborn version of the Illuminati gathered to discuss the evil doings of the post skrull invasion world. Emma and Namor were amongst this group.
This annual is where we get to see Emma’s side of the coin and see her motivations and where her true loyalties lie. We of course don’t truly know until the end of this very well done annual. We are given a story of the early days of the Hellfire Club as it came under Sebastian Shaw’s iron fisted leadership. We are given an early glance at a relationship between Namor, Shaw, and Emma. Shaw wants Namor to be the White King and as Marvel’s very first mutant, Shaw wants the status that comes with a figure like Namor. Through this Emma and Namor take front and center even as Shaw betrays them both. Namor swears He will do anything to exact his revenge on Shaw and it is through this that we see Emma’s current plans and motivations. If she can help Namor, then Namor can help defend all that is left of the mutant population as his people.
I can honestly tell you that I didn’t exactly doubt Emma… but I was wondering how they would make it all tie nicely in for her. Cyclops is doing what he must to protect his race as leader of the X-Men… but Emma is a leader on her own as well and she too will defend her people at any cost and I think it speaks volumes to how this character has grown from a villain during the dark Phoenix saga to an complex and deeper X-Man with a past.
I very much enjoyed this issue and although I was reminded that Emma wasn’t always operating with the best intentions, and she was quite the HO, she is at least now a character that we can appreciate, because we all know what it is like to have some gray in our lives.
Wktf’s Trade Review
Batman/Grendel
Dark Horse Books/DC Comics
Written by; Matt Wagner
Drawn by Matt Wagner
Some of the best company crossover comics have been with characters that’ve been relatively obscure to most mainstream comics readers. A prime example of this, and one of the single best crossover efforts, was the first Batman/Predator series. Not that the Predator movie franchise is unknown to most comics readers but I’d wager not to many hard core Marvel or DC readers have followed the Dark Horse Predator comics. And how many of the same readers have followed Matt Wagner’s creator-owned Grendel character, first published by Comico The Comic Company and now by Dark Horse. Not me. I’ve been aware of Grendel for years but never picked any of his books up even though I’ve love Matt Wagner’s work on Batman over the years. So, early in 2008 when DC and Dark Horse published this trade, collecting the two Batman/Grendel crossovers thus far, I picked it up right away.
The first story is the two part Batman/Grendel crossover, Devil's Riddle and Devil's Masque, whose publishing originally was delayed by Comico's bankruptcy but finally was published by DC in 1993. Hunter Rose is a crime boss in search of diversion and thrills. The very opening two-page spread, really beautifully rendered by Wagner, shows a cityscape bathed by the moon with Rose’s thoughts cascading throughout its canyons. He’s conquered his enemies and stands as his city’s kingpin of crime. Former tough guys bow to him and, as he puts it, “…the once thrilling arena of crime has turned its sluggish underbelly to me…Is there no one out there worth a fair tumble with the devil?” Plainly put, he’s bored. Of course, the reader can only smile when Rose references a special deal about which he’s just learned that’s going down in Gotham City. Our story also involves two women who happen to be roommates. Hilly Ferrington is an artsy scatterbrain who, it turns out, has a terrible secret that becomes the crux of this story for both lead characters, and Rachel King is a staid, stern corporate type. An unlikely pair but their chemistry is fun to read, as is each’s respective meetings with Hunter Rose and Bruce Wayne. Ultimately, of course, the devil and the bat must face each other and, when they do, considerable collateral damage ensues.
It should be noted that this tale is the first time Wagner drew Batman for a published piece. This Batman is a rougher than what we’ve come to expect but far darker, scarier and much more fluid in his movements. Wagner also makes excellent use of Batman’s cape to make him seem an almost unworldly creature. Grendel is an interesting match for Batman. Being about Nightwing’s size, as Batman notes, he may not be a match for Batman’s strength and hand-to-hand combat skills, yet he’s still incredibly fast and skilled with his sword, and manages to inflict some serious damage not just to Gotham’s dark knight but to Gordon’s police force, as well. That said, Grendel doesn’t exactly come away from his encounter with Batman unscathed, either, and ultimately found something he’s not accustomed to experiencing: defeat. This is an excellent story, wonderfully plotted, scripted and rendered (Wagner did the coloring as well as the line work). The two lead characters are deeply affected by their encounter and the consequences to the two women brought into the crossfire of these two combatants are truly terrible.
In 1996 Wagner created the second two-part Batman crossover for his Grendel character with Batman/Grendel II, Devil's Bones and Devil's Dance. This one is a different Grendel, though. Hunter Rose now is dead, and a museum in Gotham is holding an exhibition of famous murderers, including as its prize exhibit the bones of Hunter Rose. This exhibit is the source of considerable controversy that briefly, in Frank Miller DKR style, brings Hillary Ferrington, now looking like something out of DKR, into a broadcasted on-the-street interview. Grendel-Prime, a cyborg from the future emulating the original Grendel, was conducting an experiment that threw him back in time, and he appears in the museum drawn by the "true skull" of Hunter Rose. With the aid of a kidnapped Waynetech engineer he built a device intended to send him back to his own time, but also to kill thousands in a blood sacrifice intended to contact Hunter Rose's soul. Enter Batman who is seriously outclassed by this creature. In fact, much about this story is reminiscent of the previously mentioned Batman/Predator series in terms of Batman’s experience battling Grendel-Prime while also appearing to be either a tribute to or direct swipe of the original Terminator movie. This story lacks much of the imagination and storytelling power of the first Batman/Grendel tale while still managing to be a passable and, at time, genuinely tense and engaging action packed romp.
In addition to these two stories, the reader is treated to a cover gallery of the original four painted covers as well as a Batman/Grendel Sketchbook with notes by Matt Wagner, and some of these sketches are very, very cool. Overall, despite my disappointment with the second story, for the cover price of $19.95 I recommend picking this one up. The first story, alone, makes it worthwhile while the second story serves as a fun diversion and the cover gallery and sketchbooks as icing on the cake of the first story.
Last edited by wktf; 01-22-2009 at 12:34 PM.
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