Sam Wilson’s Reviews
This week was a huge week but I really don’t want to talk about any other book other than
New Avengers #21 (but a quick shot out to Black Panther, word Reggie, you are my bro) because my favorite two characters are back together again, drawn by one of my favorite creators. Yes, Howard Chaykin and Brian Michael Bendis bring us a Cap and Falc saga, akin to the good old days of comics where heroes kicked a$# and stood for something. Goddamn if I don’t even have a small tear in my eye. Not since Hudlin’s “Two the Hard Way” arc in Black Panther has a comic had me this excited. Obviously
my pick of the week is
New Avengers, and that being said, on to the reviews…
Hawkgirl issue #53
DC Comics
Written by: Walter Simonson
Drawn by: Howard Chaykin
Yes, you read the title description correctly, two of the most legendary comic creators who are still living are writing Hawkgirl. Walter Simonson, whom you all know from his character defining work on Thor, and his other great works including X-factor, Batman, Manhunter, and even Orion. The man created Beta Ray Bill. Got a chance to meet him at NYC con as well, hell of a nice guy to boot. Then there is Howard Chaykin, who is best known for his independent work on the groundbreaking American Flagg series. He also updated the character The Shadow for the 20th century, and did the art for the 1977 “Star Wars” movie adaptation. Both of these creators have cut their teeth time and time again for major projects with major companies, and have met with great critical and fan success, and now they combine their talents for more of DC’s “One Year Later” Madness with Hawkgirl.
Umm, other than what I watch on the JLU animated series, there is not a heck of a whole lot I can tell you about Hawkgirl (hey, I’m a Chaykin and Simonson fan, that’s why I picked up this book, I never said I cared for the character). The Hawkgirl in this current series is Kendra Saunders, a young woman who committed suicide. When her soul left her body, that of her grandaunt, Shiera Hall , the Golden Age Hawkgirl, entered it. Umm, that’s about all I know. She has taken over Hawkman’s old comic starting with issue #50, and is still hanging out in St. Roch, Louisiana as a museum administrator. Hawkman has been missing for over a year (presumably after he events of the “Rann/Thangarian War”) and Kendra has been doing a bang up job reinvigorating the museum after the recent environmental catastrophes that have plagued the region. Anyway, weird things have been happening in St. Roch, homeless people have been found violently murdered, attempts have been made on Kendras life and she’s been sleeping funny, and gang violence has escalated. I should also mention the museum is in deep financial trouble. All this and cat people (?), which brings us to the current issue. Hawkgirl is on a routine patrol and she finds herself backing up St. Roch PD detectives Brubs and Doucett . Initially they go to the docks to investigate a tip on a possible gang hit, what they get instead is a confrontation with the, uhh, thing that has been ripping apart homeless people (at least that’s my guess anyway). Hawkgirl steps in though, and what can I say? What follows is lingerie and a$# kicking. Word.
Some interesting story telling by Simonson, of course just more of what I would expect, and some dead-sexy art from Howard Chaykin. I know a lot of people are not a fan of his style, but I am, and he has truly outdone himself with Hawkgirl. This book is definitely at the top of my list, not necessarily for the character but the team behind her.
Young Avengers issue #12
Marvel Comics
Written by: Allan Heinberg
Drawn by: Adrea Divito
The Young Avengers rose out of the ashes of “Avengers Disassembled” and consist of the Vision, Patriot, Wiccan, Hulkling, Stature and Kate Bishop. Some of them have ties to the original Avengers, Stature is also known as Cassie Lang daughter of the second Ant Man, who is now deceased, and Patriot is also know as Eli Washington, grandson to Isaiah Washington, the original World War 2 super soldier. Wiccan is a magic practitioner, Hulkling is a shape-shifter and Kate Bishop seems to be skilled with a bow and arrow. The new Vision was Iron Lad, who turned out to be a young can, but that’s really here nor there and I’m not gong to get into it. Thus far the team has been forced to disband by Captain America, Tony Stark and Jessica Jones, but then they sort of came back together after all their parents were talked to (but they are not quite yet a team). Eli was found to be taking the mutant growth hormone (MGH), Iron Lad has become the new Vision and they mixed it up with Mr. Hyde and won (yay!). Then we find out Hulkling really is a Skrull, a really, really important Skrull and things start to get ugly.
Last issue left us with the Super-Skrull killing Hulkling's mom and demanding he (Hulkling) accompany him back to the Skrull homeworld to take his rightful place. Eager to help their friend out the Young Avengers go to Avenger’s Tower to see if they can get some help, but all the Avengers are out, minus the new Vision who is kinda under house arrest until it can be determined he is trustworthy. Of course rather than wait for the Avengers to show up the Young Avengers take the new Vision and decide to save Hulkling on their own, breaking into a maximum security prison on the way to recruit some super powered help (!). In issue #11 we find out that Hulkling also had a really important guy for his father, who just happened to be a Kree. Yes, Hulkling is a Kree/Skrull half-breed and his parents on both sides were really important to their perspective empires. Anyway, the Kree show up and try to take Hulkling away at gunpoint as well. All that and we learn a thing or two about Wiccan (you’ll never guess, well, maybe) and the Avengers, you know, Captain America, Iron Man et al, show up at the end to get in the middle of what is shaping up to be another Kree/Skrull War (for you old schoolers there are many similarities in this storyline and in the original Avengers storyline featuring the Kree/Skrull War, I was pleased by this anyway). Issue 12, umm, well, can’t really say anything. Everything gets summed up, saying anything more would give away too much. I’m a little disappointed with the fact everything was a little too neatly tied up, but it’s all good. Of course the kids will now have the civil war to contend with and that may very well fu$# everything up, but that is the nature of the beast…
So this book is a lot better than I initially thought it was. There is some great characterization (Cassie, Eli, even Wiccan and Hulkling, even though Kate Bishop’s story is really lame and contrived) and the art is sharp, real sharp. The first six issues of this series are available in HC form, you can check that out or you can pick up the last couple of issues and jump into this current storyline, either way you are in for a surprisingly good comic.
Wktf and Sam Wilson’s New Avengers Review
Word. Umm, since
New Avengers #21 features both Cap and Falc we felt we both need to review it. So here it is…
New Avengers issue #21
Marvel Comics
Written by: Brian Michael Bendis
Drawn by: Howard Chaykin
Before we start, a few quick words about Howard Chaykin. He is most famous for his independent work, particularly “American Flagg” and the much censored and banned “Black Kiss”, but he has been around for 20+ years and easily deserves the title “comic legend”. He drew the first “Star Wars” movie adaptation for Marvel Comics, he revamped the Shadow and “the Blackhawks” for DC, wrote and penciled a really cool Nick Fury/Wolverine HC OGN back in the late ‘80’s and is the current penciler on “Hawkgirl”. Chaykin is the man, and that’s why Bendis pushed for him to pencil this issue of “New Avengers”, which pays some tribute to the old school by pairing Cap and Falc back together again against, well, against “the man”.
“New Avengers” #21 takes place right after “Civil War” issue #1. Cap has just made a break for it and is now the most hunted man in America, and he sets forward to assemble his own team to fight the government’s Superhero Registration Act. The first person he comes into Sam Wilson, aka the Falcon, social worker, resident of Harlem and all around bad mamma jamma. Sam is PO’d about the whole registration thing, and has no kind words for Stark. So Cap and Falc get to it, of course taking the time to stop a little street crime in the process. Even though I didn’t think about much before (Marvel has pretty much written off a lot of their “street” level characters) who better to support Cap? The Falcon is a man of the people and a servant of his community, both as the Falcon and as Sam Wilson. If anyone is going to fight unjust government interference it’s Falc, but more importantly Falc is loyal, Cap is his comrade in arms and they have been though a lot together. That kind of bond is formed when to individuals have to have absolute trust in each other, a kind of trust built from keeping each other safe and alive.
But one of the great things about this issue, in addition to Chaykin’s spectacular art on one of his favorite characters, is how Bendis cycles through Cap’s very stressed out and fatigued mind after having escaped from SHIELD Director Hill. You see, this is not the first time Cap has found himself without a place to call home. And the great irony here is that it was The Avengers, of course, who found him drifting half frozen in the arctic waters. It was The Avengers who were his very first sight upon opening his eyes after more than two decades of suspended animation. And it was The Avengers who gave Cap a home. As Cap returns, briefly to his artistic roots to clear his exhausted and addled brain his mind circles and wanders through some pretty drastic and crazy thoughts, bordering on instability. Not to worry, action fans, for his reverie is broken by the same high level anti-SHIELD agent action we saw in Civil War #1. Not once, but twice. And, my partner is right, no one in this situation is a better partner to Cap than The Falcon. Sadly for Cap, two of those original Avengers who revived Cap, Iron Man and Giant Man, have sworn to take him down, and Cap’s vague but threatening words to Hank are pretty damn serious. And it’s Sam’s sharp words for Stark that make Cap’s strike against Giant Man that much easier. This issue seems to be a lead into the events of Civil War #2, and the next issue focuses on Luke Cage. These solo Avengers stories, in the midst of the multi-character Civil War trauma, are a great idea on Bendis’ part and if the rest are as strong as this one we should be in for a real treat on this title over the next few months.
Wktf’s Reviews
What a great week for comics!
Batman and
Action wrap up their stellar post-Infinite Crisis arcs, DC’s
Brave New World gives us a look at the other major players like Captain Marvel post IC, JJJ gives his reaction to Spider-Man’s unmasking while Peter’s life begins to fray at the seams, Wolverine tracks down Nitro and proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that he cannot be killed, all hell breaks out for Matt Murdock in Cell Block D, and the FF begin to divide ranks (also seen in
Amazing Spider-Man) while also continuing the heralded return of Thor!!! It’s good to be a comic book fan!
Fantastic Four #538
Marvel Comics
Written by: J. Michael Straczynski
Drawn by: Mike McKone
Seriously, my apologies for this, I know I’ve used this intro paragraph for the last two FF reviews but I honestly felt I had no reason to use it again after the last issue. Clearly I was mistaken. That said:
Mjolnir. The hammer of Thor and the most powerful weapon in the known universe. We last saw Mjolnir in the pages of Thor #85, way back in 2004 (has it really been two years?). Surtur, leader of the fire giants in the south and ruler of Muspel, the realm of fire, the one who killed Thor’s father Odin, had reforged the thunder god’s broken hammer in exchange for a free pass to Asgard. According to Norse legend the end of the world, known as Ragnarok, would see Surtur’s hordes rush north to overwhelm the Asgardian gods. Thor, then newly repossessed of the Odinpower, made this legend possible for Surtur in order for his kin to die their final, glorious warriors’ death. Meanwhile, Thor dispatched “those who sit above in shadows” who, for time immemorial, had leeched off the energies from the Asgardians’ perpetual cycle of destruction and rebirth, a cycle these gods-of-gods themselves perpetuated for their own selfish purposes. Mjolnir was the tool of their deaths after which Thor, suffering grief for the loss of his people yet rejoicing in their final glorious end, realizing he “must stand alone” with even the personification of the Odinpower now fading from him, with “no star to guide [him]…or a bird to show [him] a sign,” seems to fade into the cosmos as he closes his eyes to rest and “breathe deep the slumber of the gods…for a while, at least…”
In the last two issues of the FF, Mjolnir had crashed in Oklahoma, tearing the dimensional fabric through which Dr. Doom escaped Hell. Seeking to possess Mjolnir, Doom battled the FF (well, mostly The Thing) but discovered he could not lift the hammer. The Asgardian energies in which he’d been bathed when he experienced the dimensional rip, however, “awakened” Mjolnir, sent a tremendous blast of energy into the heavens, and may have precipitated a lone blond man, whose initials are D.B. to board a bus to Omaha. Sure enough, in this issue, D.B. makes it to the hammer and, after handily battling his way through a line of muscle men all of whom want their shot at lifting the ancient weapon, merely touches Mjolnir causing…well, let’s say a rather spectacular reaction, much to the surprise of the crowd that had been attempting to hoist the hammer.
I thought the continuing Thor story was what would get me the most excited about this issue. I was wrong. This issue is primarily about Ben Grimm, the ever lovin’ blue eyed Thing, and his state of confusion about the superhero registration act. Ben is wrestling with what the right course of action should be for him. Because Reed clearly has joined Stark’s cause people believe this to be true of the rest of The FF, but Ben is not so sure. He touchingly makes humorous small talk with the comatose Torch only, then, to wander the streets, observing recent human and superhuman behavior and, uttering Al Pacino’s famous line from “Godfather III,” comes to Yancy Street. There he brings out a certain street gang where big B and a gang leader named Cee, who supports heroes’ rights, have civil but frank words. And Ben is given a serious dressing down that may well cause a stand on his part if the cover to next issue is any indication. And speaking of a dressing down, the rift between Sue and Reed begins in earnest this issue. She even uses the “just following orders” line that Nazi war criminals professed. Ben takes it to Reed as well; however, his words cause Reed more embarrassment than Sue’s which are far more stinging and painful. This is a tense and thoughtfully written issue with plenty of pain and pathos to spare and McKone’s pencils, which nearly always give us a beautifully rendered Thing, convey the tension wonderfully. This is a great issue that represents a real inflection point for Marvel’s first family.
Oh, and two old school FF villains and occasional partners appear briefly to plot how they plan to take advantage of the heroes’ splitting ranks.
Oh, yeah, and let’s not forget about the Thor stuff, too!
Civil War seems to be bringing the best out of JMS and both his FF and ASM titles, both of which I’d given up on but both of which now are crackling with newfound energy and life.
Daredevil #86
Marvel Comics
Written by: Ed Brubaker
Drawn by: Michael Lark
Here it is, one of the moments we’ve all been waiting for. The issue where is all jumps off. And does it ever. In case you’ve lost count, Matt, The Kingpin, The Punisher and Bullseye are all imprisoned in Rykers Island and they’re all in Cell Block D, along with other notables like Hammerhead and Black Tarantula. The entire prison has been gearing up for the past four issues to a riot that pits the prisoner population against Murdock and Fisk. That’s right, Murdock and Fisk must fight, back to back to ensure each others’ safety. Plus, Matt actually struck a deal with Fisk that they help each other to insure Murdock gets out to track down Foggy’s killer. But Fisk has devised a way to insure both of their safety and provide himself some delicious irony at the same time. And Murdock is well and truly furious about it. So furious, with the words of his loving Mila ringing in his head, he does the only thing the conscience we’d thought had left him allows him to do. And, where the hell’s The Punisher during all this?
If you’re looking for savage, raw violence then look no further than this issue. It’s got is all. I’ve not seen as brutal and bloody a fight as Lark draws here in a very long time. During it all, Matt’s trying to regain his humanity by keeping Foggy’s memory close and his wife’s words closer. How does he team up with The Kingpin, strike back at Fisk’s little ironic twist, and still stay true to himself? He does it, that’s for sure, and his solution had me grinning ear to ear with satisfaction. In this issue, at least, what goes around comes around. Damn!! This puppy concludes next issue and I sure don’t want it to. But, at least the Brubaker/Lark train will keep on rolling into the next arc. I’m a decades long Daredevil fan and I have rarely enjoyed the work of a creative team as much as I’ve dug the last five issues.
Batman #654
DC Comics
Written by: James Robinson
Drawn by: Don Kramer
“Face the Face” concludes with this issue and, with this arc, Batman is solidly not only a three dimensional character again but is back to being one of the most complex and compelling of DC stable of characters. This Batman is a little more sensitive and respectful, a little more thoughtful and controlled, not nearly as angry, and more the detective than his pre-Infinite Crisis persona. But is he angry, and is he a fighter? Hell, yeah, and this issue proves that in spades.
Prior issues in this arc established that Harvey Dent had been appointed and trained by Batman to act as Gotham’s guardian during Batman’s one year absence. But murders of well known criminals have been taking place, each with Two-Face’s signature twin bullet holes in the skull. All evidence points to Harvey’s losing his mind to the Two Face persona again. Only Batman has not been so sure that Harvey’s being framed. Sadly, even though Harvey had not been committing the killing, Batman’s questioning him about them was enough to set him on a path of self mutilation and, ironically, Two Face has returned even though the crimes being pinned on him weren’t committed by him at all.
As I mentioned, both Batman and Robin, while battling their hearts out each issue in this arc, have seemed restrained and calm. That all changes for both of them in this issue, though for different reasons. And for these intense displays of emotions, and the factors that drive them,
this issue gets my pick of the week, with all due props going to
New Avengers as well. Batman has deduced who’s framed Harvey, and the Dark Knight is royally pissed off. His visit to this villain's Arhkam jail cell should have been enough to make this character change his shorts afterwards. Frankly, this big reveal seemed a little forced, and the character is not one with whom I’m familiar. But Batman has marked this guy who for sure knows it now, and after this encounter he should be pretty damn scared. Tim, on the other hand, gets a surprise offer from Bruce that evokes an equally intense but far more emotionally healthy response that Alfred seems grateful to see that Bruce is able to reciprocate. Yeah, okay, this one got to me a little. I’m all over this trade when it hits. You should be, too, especially if you haven’t been reading these issues.
**********************************
...and for the good/bad/ugly reviews be sure to click here:
http://www.statueforum.com/showthread.php?t=30726
