wktf and Sam Wilson's Comic Reviews, with guest reviewer jdh.goodgrief 6/14/06

[Sam Wilson]

Sam Wilson’s Reviews

Well, my writing partner and brother wktf is off with his family driving to Denver. Yeesh, hopefully he’ll come back in one piece. He still managed to leave us with a tpb review of Tarzan, a hardcover collecting the years Joe Kubert was the sole creative force behind that book. Also this week we have a special guest reviewer, jdh.goodgrief, whom you may know from his dope cartoons “Year One” and “Busted” (http://www.statueforum.com/showthread.php?t=20115, and http://www.statueforum.com/showthread.php?t=16912, prospectively) and our semi-regular “ask a British dude” review (again, featuring jdh.goodgrief). Stay tuned this week for a special focus on Marvel’s Civil War crossover and my personal pick of the week, Squadron Supreme. I love that Gary Frank guy (Who is also a Brit. Great things come from across the pond. Jdh, Gary Frank, Kate Beckinsale, and Bass Ale, not really that important, but I felt the need to extrapolate). That being said, on to the reviews…

Civil War issue #2
Marvel Comics
Written by: Mark Millar
Drawn by: Steve McNiven
Alternate Cover by: Michael Turner

I thought I’d kick off this week’s review of “Civil War” with our semi-regular “Ask a British Dude” segment, featuring jdh.goodgrief, statue forum Moderator and Cartoonist, two time European Scrabble Champion and a part time florist. So jdh, what do you think of Marvel’s “Civil War” crossover?

Those who felt that last year’s ‘event’ series, House of M, got off to a slow start (followed by a slow middle, and…) should be pleased with Civil War – but then how could a series that actually does start with a bang disappoint on the action front? With all the set-up neatly out of the way in various titles and the Illuminati special, Millar can swiftly cut to the chase – and what a chase it is for Cap. The writer deftly sets up the conflicts to follow for the Marvel Universe, superbly illustrated by McNiven, whose always impressive art seems more dynamic and story-driven than before. There’s an undeniable ‘old school’ flavour to the series, with conflict between heroes and a cohesive sense of a universe key to what made so many fans Marvel Zombies in the first place. The advance blurb promised that Civil War would restore some of that feeling, and so far it looks like delivering. It has been too long since a really enjoyable, high calibre story featuring the rich cast of Marvel heroes – for this reader, it has probably been since Secret Wars, two decades ago. Just like that series brought about major changes to the Fantastic Four, Civil War looks set to achieve the same, with the public’s most popular superheroes dealt the most stark warning of how the political landscape has changed. But it is sure to be the Avengers where this series’ impact will be most keenly felt. Millar is mining the rich seam of ideological discord between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark, which has inspired great stories throughout Marvel history. With action, surprises and a premise that looks set to actually deliver on the all-too-oft promised ‘things will never be the same again’ front, Civil War looks like a winner. All this and Speedball too, finally having the world-changing impact that any good Ditko hero should have. If you want to know where the Marvel Universe is heading, this is the one to get.

Thanks jdh, and now I’ll give my own two cents on “Civil War”, specifically the second issue…

Hmph. “Civil War” #2, not much can be said that hasn’t been spoiled by a dozen sources already, but rather than talk about that, a lot of other things happened as well. Captain America has gotten his resistance group off and running, recruiting the Young Avengers and having good old Sam Wilson, aka The Falcon, at his side once again. We get a glimpse of some of the other members (including Dagger, from “Cloak and Dagger) and we also have a look into what’s happening on Tony Stark’s side. Reed Richards is fully on board with Stark’s plan, and I find his enthusiasm towards it a little disturbing to say the least, as does Sue Richards (or so it seems). I’m a little bummed to see She-Hulk with Tony, but who knows how steady that alliance will remain. All in all “Civil War” has me nervous, not in a bad way but nervous with anticipation, especially after the big event at the end of issue two. Issue three will hopefully come full bore, and I have to say, this new “event” kicks “House of M’s” a$#. Word.

Squadron Supreme #4
Marvel Knights
Written by: J. Michael Straczynski
Drawn by: Gary Frank

Squadron Supreme is the Marvel Knights relaunch of JMS’s Marvel MAX series Supreme Power. Supreme Power is a modernization of Mark Gruewald’s Squadron Supreme, a story about an alternate Earth’s superhero’s and how they got tired of regular folk fu$#ing up the planet, so they decided to take it over and become it’s rulers. Kinda like JLA’s Earth 2 Justice League, another old story that was recently revisited in the JLU animated series. Yes, superheroes going nutty is a popular topic, such the thing being centerpiece to the Batman “Gang War” storyline, the current OMAC storyline and let’s not forget the classic Alan Moore story The Watchmen. Marvel comics has kept it’s mainstream heroes under lock and key, for now. Anyway, enter J. Michael Stracynski, he had his own foray into the “superhero’s going crazy and taking over” genre with his Rising Stars series, which was chronically late and to my knowledge is still not really finished. Meh, it’s all for the best, because I believe JMS is getting the chance to tell the story he really wanted to tell with Marvel MAX’s Supreme Power (and now in Squardron Supreme under the Marvel Knights banner).

To catch everyone up to speed thus far, Supreme Power centers on Mark Milton. He’s an alien who crashed to Earth a long time ago and was found by the United States government. It was soon found he had really nifty super powers and he was quite possibly the most powerful being on the planet, so they decided to make him their’s mind body and soul. He was given fake parents and raised to be a patriot, no one ever told him who he really was or where he came from. Everyone around him was a government employee, even his classmates and his friends. He was kept in a fake reality bubble so he would grow up to be loyal to the Unites States. Along with Mark Milton, who came to be a hero known as Hyperion, a few other “special” types showed up. The costumed vigilante Nighthawk, an extreme personality who makes Batman seem calm and rational. The Blur, a corporate superhero, Dr. Spectrum aka army corporal Joe Ledger and his strange fish lady friend (aka Amphibian) and finally Zarda. Zarda is like Wonder Woman after a few drinks and with no moral compass. Then Hyperion, Mark, finds out it was all a lie and he is from space. Yeah, the sh$# hits the fan.

After much destruction and lashing out we get to issue #18. The government realizes there is no physical way they can try and harm Mark (they already tried nuking him, it didn’t work). So they go after him the old fashioned way, they attack his person. The government leaks to the media that Mark is from space and has now gone rogue, the president makes a speech for all people with special powers to sign up for their team or be hunted like Mark is. Of course the other heroes grow uneasy and Mark is backed into a corner. The first issue of Squadron Supreme picks up where issue #18 of Supreme Power left off. The military has forced Mark Milton back into service and are running their propaganda machine overtime to make him look not so “alien”, but what they don’t realize is that Mark has learned a lot and can play the same games they do. As it turns out, there are a lot of superhumans running around Earth, and the government has assembled them into two teams, one public and one covert. Both teams consist of a few new characters (Inertia, Tom Thumb) and characters that have been introduced in “Supreme Power” and the “Hyperion” limited series (Hyperion, Dr. Spectrum, Blur, Power Princess, Emil Burbank, Amphibian, Arcanna, Shape and Nuke). At the onset of their first mission each team member starts to develop his or her own idiosyncrasies: Zarda (Power Princess) is kinda crazy, Dr. Spectrum is way to much in love with the fishy chick, Blur is the moral compass of the team, and so on and so on. Also in their first mission we found out Emil Burbank, the so-called “smartest man alive” apparently had contingencies should his teammates ever turn on him and he almost ends up killing Amphibian. She is saved by other members of the team, but Dr. Spectrum is pretty PO’d by the whole thing. Issue four starts out with a new mission for the team, this time in the Middle East. More important than the mission though is the origin story we get for Edith Frieberg, aka Inertia. When we were first introduced to her she was a super-strong invulnerable soldier with a severe discipline problem and a penchant for mental illness (or so it seemed). In issue four we find out exactly why she is the way she is and it is nothing short of tragic and heartbreaking.

Not only is the story the best thing JMS has done in comics since his Dr. Strange series, we have Gary Frank on the art, and damn if his art isn’t, well, sexy. Dead freakin’ sexy. So pick this book up, pick up some of the trades of Supreme Power for the backstory, there is an oversized HC collecting the first 12 issues, and a few other sc tpb’s collecting the same issues plus some more. Damn if this isn’t a fine book and you are doing yourself a disservice if you aren’t reading it.

Wolverine: Origins #3
Marvel Comics
Written by: Daniel Way
Drawn by: Steve Dillon
Covers by: Joe Quesada and Simone Bianchi

For those of you who haven’t been paying attention, “Wolverine: Origins” stems from the events of the “House of M” crossover. During “House of M” all but 198 mutants lost their powers. Wolverine was one of the mutants who kept his powers, but he suddenly found himself with something else as well, all his memories from his entire life, restored (about 100 years worth, give or take). So yeah, all the “Wolverine man of mystery” stuff we’ve been fed since the early Byrne/Claremont days in “Uncanny X-men” is a mystery no more. Now that Wolverine has all of his memories back he is pissed off. Most of his life he has been screwed over by one government or another doing unspeakable, unforgivable things, and the only thing he has left is revenge, revenge against those who wronged him. So Wolverine starts out his journey by knocking on the Silver Samurai’s door, cutting his hand off and taking his Muramasa Blade for his own (this happened in “Wolverine” #40) For those of you who care, the Muramasa Blade is a legendary Japanese Kantana sword; once drawn it has to draw blood before it is returned to its scabbard and creates a bloodlust in those who wield it. Yeah, maybe not the best thing for a guy prone to berserker rages, but it sounds really awesome. Anyway, Muramasa Blade in hand and ‘80’s brown costume as the uniform of the day, at the onset of “Origins” our boy Logan seeks to kick some a$# and probably cut some mofo’s quite severely.

Issue one opens with a ruckus at the White House and Wolverine threatening the Secretary of State with a simple message, “I remember everything and I’m coming for you”. Yeah. In issue two the President isn’t to happy about that, so he sends in the most serious covert weapon at his disposal to take care of Wolverine, and that weapon would be Nuke. For those of you who may not be familiar with the works of Frank Miller, specifically his famed second (albeit brief) run on Daredevil spanning from issues #226 to #232 (with David Mazuchelli of “Batman: Year One fame handling the art, the famous “Born Again” storyline) Nuke was the crazed government killing machine a desperate Kingpin sicked on Daredevil towards the end of the story. Other than being a pill-popping unstoppable killing machine, Nuke also had a telling tattoo of the American Flag on his face. C’mon now, how many of us old guys remember, “Gimmie a red…”. Okay then, moving right along it turns out Nuke didn’t die at the end of that “Daredevil” arc and he’s actually alive and better. He is no longer dependant on pills and has an extra heart that pumps control drugs throughout his system. Issue two also gives us a glimpse into the history between Nuke and Wolverine, and issue three goes waaay back to baby Nuke and how he became big bad pill popping Nuke. Oh yeah, Wolverine was around back then too. Also in issue three we get more gov’t stuff (apparently one of the presidents advisors has the Wolvering situation “under control”) and a really cool guest star (who makes me think this book’s events take place before the “Civil War” crossover).

This book is definitely a pleasant surprise; Daniel Way has proven himself to be white-hot with “Bullseye vs. Punisher” and the new “Planet Hulk” storyline. Steve Dillon of course is dependable as always, a truly underrated artist whose recent Marvel work in the “Ultimates Annual” and “Punisher” proves he still has it. For those of you fed up with the overabundance of mediocre mutant books, “Origins” is just the thing to put your faith back in the “X”, so check it out, you’ll be surprised.

DMZ #8
DC/Vertigo Comics
Written by: Brian Wood
Drawn by: Riccardo Burchelli

To catch up those who haven’t checked out this book yet: our story opens five years into the second American Civil War. The conflict is between the United States of America and the “Free States”. According to the White House, these “Free States” Soldiers are “thugs and murderers”, and they are indiscriminate and uncivilized when it comes to warfare in civilian areas. As far as New York City goes, the “Free States” control New Jersey and the inland, and they are amassing at the banks of the Hudson River. The United States of America has Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island and is well dug in on the coastline, with Manhattan Island caught in-between in the “DMZ”. The thing is, there are still people living on Manhattan Island, and even though there has been a formal ceasefire in effect from the last three days (when the story opens) the reality of life there consists of looters, gangs, local militias, insurgents and contract killers. All a day in the life in the DMZ.

Enter rich white-kid Matthew Rose, new intern to Nobel Prize winning journalist Viktor Ferguson. Rose gets a job as his intern on the day Ferguson is supposed to head into combat to do a story on the residents of the DMZ, a “day in the life” kind of thing. To say the least Matthew is caught a little off guard. He finds himself in charge of multi-million dollar equipment and placed in personal (unpaid mind you) servitude to a less than humble journalist who is about to make history with a story that takes them to the very heart of danger. Things soon go to sh$#, Ferguson and his military escort are taken out by enemy combatants, and Matthew finds himself alone, stranded in the DMZ with a crapload of news equipment he is technically responsible for. Soon enough though Matthew finds himself playing the role of an imbedded journalist, not really taking any sides, just trying to report what he sees in what’s becoming a fairly ugly 2nd American Civil War. Issue six is the start of a new five-part storyline “Body of a Journalist” and opens with a brutal suicide bombing in the middle of a hot summer day in little Italy. Matthew does what he does and plays the unbiased reporter, but the stress of war is starting to get to him (and the New York summer isn’t helping). Things don’t get better for Matt when he has a run in with a group of soldiers he has crossed paths with before. It turns out Matthew’s old boss Viktor Ferguson wasn’t killed by the “enemy” and the resistance (the “free states”) are holding him captive. Why? In issue # seven Matt crosses the Manhattan bridge back into Brooklyn and is immediately taken in by the regular military. They want to send Matt back in to find out why Ferguson is being held captive, and since Matt has become a semi-celebrity with his frontline reports, they figure he is just they guy. Issue eight opens with Matt presenting the Free States terms to the government for the safe return of Ferguson. The demands are completely unreasonable and of course the army refuses, but then they pretty much fu$# Michael over and the story takes a dangerous turn…

I met Brian Wood at the NYC comic con and asked him a few questions about DMZ, specifically if there were any personal political feelings that went into this book, and he said no, it was more or less a general dig at the current political climate we find ourselves in the middle of. After reading the first six issues of this book, I would have to say I agree with that statement, and I would also have to say I now would consider myself a fan of DMZ (earlier I had stated I was “on the fence”). If you have been staying away from this book out of fear of its political leanings, don’t, Wood isn’t really taking any sides (like his main protagonist Matthew Rose). If you are interested in seeing a different and chilling take on modern warfare, check this book out.

[Sam Wilson]

Tpb Reviews

This week statueforum’s very own jdh.goodgrief is our special guest reviewer (wktf is pretending to be Clark Griswald) and today he kicks off the trade reviews with Marvel Comic’s Dead Girl…

Jdh.goodgrief’s Review

Dead Girl
Marvel Comics
Written by: Peter Milligan
Drawn by: Nick Dragotta and Mike Allred

So, wktf is trapped in a car with his family for a few days, and big Sam Wilson says: ‘JDH – fancy filling the f&$% in this week? Word.’ Well, when big Sam Wilson asks, you don’t say no. Not a second time… First problem – over here in the old country, comics come out on Thursdays, not Wednesdays. Second problem – I get my comics mail order, so it’ll be weeks before I get my mitts on the latest stash. Sam was easygoing on deadlines, but July was pushing it. So, how to step into wktf’s shoes (which was hard enough as it is, as he’s a size 6, and he’s left the laces double-tied…)? How about with a review of a comic most of you probably haven’t picked up, copies of which may well be lingering unloved on the shelves of your local funnybook vendor? We’re talking “X-Statix presents: Dead Girl”.

First things first, forget the X-Statix presents part. That may well have bagged this book most of its readers, but probably put off as many as it attracted. It’s fair to say, X-Statix polarised opinion. For me, it was okay, but never lived up to its initial potential. Dead Girl, on the other hand, has been the best Marvel limited series I have read in years, and the third funniest book in the line this year, behind “NextWave” (buy NextWave!) and “New Avengers”. Though a couple more X-Statixers show up, you don’t have to have read a single issue of it to enjoy this series. Not least of all because it’s actually a Dr Strange series. No, really. It must have been a mix-up at the printers that got Dead Girl’s name on the front. Marvel’s greatest guest star does a fine turn in stealing the show in limited series that don’t have his name in them: I thought his Niles Crane-esque performance in Thor: Vikings would take some beating, until Milligan worked his magic here. The writer captures Stephen in all his witty, charming, slightly pompous glory, but adds in a seen-it-all-before world-weariness. Essentially, the Sorcerer Supreme is in a rut, which has expressed itself rather painfully. Romantic sparks fly as he teams up with Dead Girl (mutant power = she’s dead) to stop a group of dearly departed Marvel folks led by a mystery villain from using a suitably mumbo-jumbo sized deus ex machina to return to the mortal world from Hell. Strange and Dead Girl recruit their own band of ex-characters who have yet to figure out Marvel’s revolving door policy on the afterlife, and hilarity ensues. Well, at least until the final issue, which disappoints a little. But hey, 4 out of 5 ain’t bad. So, if you’ve been waiting for a limited series featuring Mockingbird, Gwen Stacy, Moira MacTaggart, the Original Ghost Rider, Ant-Man II, Kraven the Hunter and the Ancient One (some of which may well not end up on the side you’re expecting) this is it. All with superb art that straddles the line between Silver Age dynamism and cleanliness of line, and a modern colouring technique that somehow looks pencil shaded.

Still unsure whether to search out the issues, or order the tpb due in August? Okay, okay, three more tidbits to lure you in: Dead Girl fans get to discover her real name. Dr Strange fans get to see the twinkle back in the old fella’s eye, after far too long since Clea. And everybody on the internet gets to discover the answer to the question that has plagued Joe Quesada for years: why exactly is it that dead ain’t dead?



Wktf’s Review

Even though I’m on a family vacation this week and won’t even be able to pick up my weekly comics until next week I still wanted to get in a trade review. Doing these reviews has gotten into my blood and I feel like a big part of my week would be missing if I didn’t contribute to them in at least some way.

Tarzan: The Joe Kubert Years Volume One HC
Dark Horse Books
Written by: Joe Kubert
Drawn by: Joe Kubert
Inked by: Joe Kubert
Lettered by: Joe Kubert
Edited by: Joe Kubert

Okay, I had a little fun with the above credits by listing all of them, but did so for a reason. Aside from the coloring (which was masterfully handled by Tatjana Wood), the Tarzan comics originally published by DC Comics in 1972 were the work of an incredibly impressive one-man show: Joe Kubert. And anyone who’s been reading my reviews knows what Joe Kubert fan I am. With the recent passings of Will Eisner and Alex Toth there are very few true comics giants left, and Joe Kubert has always been one of them. He’s been working in the field since 1937 at age 11 and hasn’t slowed down since. His 65 year history in this medium has yielded some of the very best Sgt. Rock, Hawkman, Tarzan, Flash, Enemy Ace and Batman stories ever created. I’ve reviewed his most recent brilliant original graphic novels, Yossel and Jew Gangster and his latest six part comic book work, Sgt. Rock: The Prophecy, will draw to a close later this month (and you can count on my review for that last issue as I’ve done for the series’ prior issues). Kubert’s legacy will live for a very long time both because of his immensely talented sons Adam and Andy Kubert but also because of the first and only accredited school for cartooning and graphic storytelling he founded, The Joe Kubert School of Cartooning and Graphics, which has produced many of today’s leading comic book artists (I had the pleasure of chatting for a long time with Tom Raney, one of my favorite current artists, at the 2005 NYC Con. Not only is Tom a graduate of the Kubert School but he also met his wife there).

Last year Dark Horse Books published their first volume of Kubert’s seminal DC Tarzan work. Volume Two is already out there and the third volume is scheduled to be published soon this year. Kubert picked up the reigns on Tarzan with issue #207, even though the cover of that issue sports a “1st ISSUE” sign on it, and poured all of his creative genius into this series. In his introduction to this volume, Kubert describes his early love for Edgar Rice Burrough’s character, as illustrated in the 1930’s syndicated newspaper strips by Hal Foster, and how he “jumped” at editor Carmine Infantino’s offer for him to take over DC Comics’ Tarzan. Well, that enthusiasm just pours off each page. My goodness, these stories are just beautifully written and drawn. As Roy Thomas later did with Marvel’s Conan The Barbarian (also repackaged by Dark Horse Books), Kubert went back and reread the ERB’s Tarzan books and created comic book stories grounded in those works. Tarzan’s origin story spans four full issues while the remaining issues in this volume are all individual stories. Without going into the details of these stories, we see how Tarzan’s parents became stranded in a jungle and the victims of that jungle’s savagery, how Tarzan became the child of a she-ape grieving for the loss of her own child, how he grew to be an incredibly powerful and agile savage but with a noble soul who then became lord of the apes and king of the jungle, and how he came to discover and experience the ways of man. We also see both how he befriended certain jungle creatures (such as Tantor, the elephant) and how he fought to the death with other incredibly powerful creatures. And in Kubert’s hands, these battles with massive lions and panthers as well as alligators, apes and even giant men are brutal and savage. No one can captures visceral action sequences like Kubert can and nowhere is Kubert’s artistic and story telling genius more evident that with Tarzan. These works are just stunning.

Tarzan: The Joe Kubert Years Volume One collects DC Comics’ Tarzan issues 207-214 and everything from the paper to the print quality to the color restoration is just top notch. I have only two complaints, one minor and one not so minor. The minor complaint is the art assistance on issue #211 provided by Burne Hogarth who helped finish some of Kubert’s pencils. It simply didn’t do the art any justice and reminds me of when DC had someone else redraw the face on Jack Kirby’s Superman in Jimmy Olson. The other complaint is the book’s price. This HC collects eight issues and 190 pages of story and covers for $49.99. This seems like a hefty price point when you consider that the Marvel Masterworks gives you so much more for the same price point. I pulled the Marvel Masterworks: Sgt. Fury Vol. 1 off my shelf just to compare them and that book collects 13 issues and 310 pages of story and covers, also for $49.99. So, ultimately, it’s your call if nearly 40% less content is worth the same price. It seems to me, for this reason, that this absolutely wonderful book should have been priced 40% less than its retail cover price, say at $29.99. Thankfully, I was able to pick up Volume 2 of this HC series for exactly that price on eBay!

[JDH]

I thought Supreme Power lulled a bit towards the end, but the minis put it right back on track, and Squadron Supreme is great so far. Here's hoping 'Ultimate Power' is as good as the two worlds it seeks to combine - which characters would you like to end up in the other universe if the story goes that way?

[Sam Wilson]

Originally Posted by jdh.goodgrief

I thought Supreme Power lulled a bit towards the end, but the minis put it right back on track, and Squadron Supreme is great so far. Here's hoping 'Ultimate Power' is as good as the two worlds it seeks to combine - which characters would you like to end up in the other universe if the story goes that way?

hmm, dunno how I feel about "Ultimate Power". I heard Deadato is on the art, but I still prefer Gary Frank (love that guy). Also, I like JMS's Squadron Supreme as his ideal version of "Rising Stars", and also a tribute to Mark Gruewald's Squadron, I don't know if I'm to thrilled about putting it with the Ultiamtes, besides, the "Ultimates" are already that universes "Squadron Supreme". Oy vey.

Jess, I think Gary's art seems to be getting better each issue, I dunno, maybe I'm blinded by being a huge fan of his, what say you?

[MiamiLoco]

Great reviews guys!!! BTW Gary Frank's art reminds me a lot of Steven Dillon's. Am I the only one who sees it?

[Sam Wilson]

Originally Posted by MiamiLoco

Great reviews guys!!! BTW Gary Frank's art reminds me a lot of Steven Dillon's. Am I the only one who sees it?

yeah, a little bit, but Gary Drawn people more slender and Steve has people a little more stout, but I definately see the similarities...

[madjazz]

Rising Stars did finally finish. It got held up because Top Cow allegedly tried to screw over JMS. He walked and set up shop at Marvel. Ultimately, Top Cow allegedly got back on to the original agreement or came to some other understanding with JMS and the series finished. It was always supposed to be three 8 issue arcs.

I have not read Civil War #2 yet, but it does not surprise me that She-Hulk is with Tony. Her identity has long been public record so she has nothing to lose.

Thanks again for doing this every week. You or wktf going to Wizard World Chicago?

[JDH]

Originally Posted by Sam Wilson

hmm, dunno how I feel about "Ultimate Power". I heard Deadato is on the art, but I still prefer Gary Frank (love that guy). Also, I like JMS's Squadron Supreme as his ideal version of "Rising Stars", and also a tribute to Mark Gruewald's Squadron, I don't know if I'm to thrilled about putting it with the Ultiamtes, besides, the "Ultimates" are already that universes "Squadron Supreme". Oy vey.

Jess, I think Gary's art seems to be getting better each issue, I dunno, maybe I'm blinded by being a huge fan of his, what say you?

I was never traditionally a Gary Frank fan, never really liked his version of the Hulk, but he is serving up great work in the world of the Supremes. Diana Ross would be proud.

[Sam Wilson]

yeah, I think Diana would have a "love hangover" with Frank's art.

[Aarrgghh!!]

I'm not sure how I feel about Civil War, the art is clean, and the story is moving forward, I think it may take another issue or so before I get a true feel for it, nervous is a good word to describe how I feel as well. S. Supreme is a great read, it's consistent and nice to look at. Anyone reading Ex Machina, it's another B.K. Vaughn solid read.