Check out Sam Wilson's reviews in Part I of this thread!
http://www.statueforum.com/showthread.php?t=6977
We continue...
WKTF’s Reviews
Ultimate Iron Man #1
Written by: Orson Scott Card
Drawn by: Andy Kubert
My pick of the week, right here. This book is really great. Not only will we be privy to the origin of Ultimate Iron Man but also to Ultimate Tony Stark. Yes, this story is about Tony’s father, Howard, his first wife Loni who connives with Howard’s arch rival to take over his company, and his second and tragically doomed wife Maria. Tony Stark does not appear in this issue at all as he is yet to be born. What? Sounds like a soap opera to you? Perhaps. But no soap opera (I’m guessing, aside from “Dark Shadows” never watched them, myself) brought us this much drama, action, intrigue and fun so quickly.
In The Ultimates we know very little about Tony Stark. He’s fabulously rich, a playboy, a heavy drinker, and has a tumor in his brain the size of a golf ball. We learn this last tid-bit over his dinner with Cap and Thor in Ultimates #6. This story is the background, possibly, to how that golf ball got there. Plus it gives us insight to how Stark became the brilliant mind that he is and, possibly, what could incent him to create a suit of body armor. Orson Scott Card crafts a story and dialogue that grabs the reader and Andy Kubert’s art is especially good. I was wondering how he got his art to look so much like David Finch’s New Avengers when I saw that Danny Miki, the inker for New Avengers, is inking Kubert’s art as well. Special hats-off to Card, the Hugo and Nebula award winner for his science fiction writing, for giving us a story to come back to next issue!
Lex Luthor: Man of Steel #1
Written by: Brian Azzarello
Drawn by: Lee Bermejo
This book is the first part of a five-part mini series. In it we get Lex and Superman from the view point of Luthor’s psyche. Lex as the benefactor, the creator of opportunity, the facilitator of man’s journey to greater things. Superman on the other hand is seen as the alien, otherworldly and inhuman. And, because he represents the ultimate achievement of mankind’s perfection, Superman is seen in this narrative (Luthor’s narrative) as the end of mankind’s achievements and potential. The end of man’s, and Luthor’s, dreams. Superman is portrayed as cold and frightening. His face is cast in shadows even though his eyes burn red through the darkness of his visage. Lex is affable and pleasant and everyone’s friend. Still, we do see, though his gift to his custodian, the menacing side of a man who simply gets what he wants despite the cost to an innocent child.
This book has a lot going for it but, ultimately, it’s a bit trite and stale. We’ve all seen too many takes on Luthor and his hatred of Big Blue. This one’s no different. Mr. Orr, who’s a mysterious character in the Azzarello/Lee “Superman” (and, I’m sorry, I can’t figure out what the hell’s going on in that book despite having read every issue of their run), makes an appearance here. Now, while that’s interesting and unexpected, it does nothing to add to this book’s story or pace. All in all, this was a let-down. I liked Azzarello’s “Broken City” Batman story and the “Banner” Hulk tale, but he doesn’t seem to be able to do it for either of his Superman titles.
Marvel Team-Up #6
Written by: Robert Kirkman
Drawn by: Scott Kolins
What we have here is a really fun rock ‘em sock ‘em Marvel multi-superhero story. It includes a wise-cracking Spider-Man, X-23, Nick Fury, Captain America, The Black Widow, Mr. Fantastic, Sunfire, Iron Man and Dr. Strange. Whew! All in one normal-sized comic book in a story, too. True to this series’ hype, it ties in other story-lines from other part of the MU (like Cap’s book) and seeks to integrate the various and sundry Marvel characters in one continuous story line. Even though the last page says “END” on a warm hearted note, we know from a couple of tangling plot lines that there’s more fun to come.
Kirkman and Kolins have really delivered the goods with this book. The stories have been accessible and fun, there are guest stars galore, and Kolins’ art (as always) is brilliant. It’s a little too cartoony for my taste but I can’t help myself. Damn the guy can draw! Please pick this book up for some intelligently plotted (with intrigue and mystery) and scripted rollickingly good time.
Marvel Visionaries: Stan Lee HC
A few months ago Marvel published the first in its new line of Marvel Visionaries HC books, that one on Jack Kirby. I confess, I was disappointed in this book. While much of what it contained represented his best known work (the first Captain America origin story with Joe Simon, Cap’s return in Avengers #4, and The Galactus Trilogy for example) it wasn’t all his best work, nor was it fully representative of his greatness as one of Marvel’s most important creators.
This is not the case with
Marvel Visionaries: Stan Lee. (Well, perhaps with the exception of the Dr. Strange story, art by Barry Windsor Smith. This is unremarkable). Among the stories in this volume are Stan’s first writings on Captain America back in the Golden Age, Spidey’s origin, Reed and Sue’s chaotic wedding, a killer Thor vs. Loki trilogy, a touching Silver Surfer story, and the Spider-Man/Green Goblin trilogy that became famous for the anti-drugs subplot that caused the Comics Code Authority not to place their seal of approval on these issues’ covers. This book is filled with Stan’s trademark character angst, as in the Silver Surfer and Spider-Man stories, as well as his wise-cracking humor and rip-roaring action. But, above all, the strongest tales are of optimism and hope in the face of pain and adversity that may best be represented in the Daredevil “Brother Take My Hand” tale (and Gene Colan’s portrayal of DD’s speed and power are not to be believed in this story) but, certainly, are represented throughout this tome. Also demonstrated is Stan’s courage to tell stories about hugely important social issues. As noted, drug abuse is one, the early 1950s Fredrick Wertham-inspired witch hunt against the comics industry’s is another, and as many as three of these stories address bigotry and, specifically, racism. Finally, the theme of one of his earliest works from 1962 and one of his last works from 1995 speak to the power of love.
The real stroke of genius in this volume, though, is the reproduction of four Bullpen Bulletins pages each complete with “Stan’s Soapbox” wherein Stan got to speak directly to us, his readers. In Stan’s inaugural Soapbox he lays out “Marvel’s Philosophy” and, in another, he addresses Jack Kirby’s departure from Marvel. Tying to the themes in this book, in one Soapbox he describes the purpose of the CCA and another is a platform for him to speak out frankly against racism. These Bullpen Bulletins also are filled with the really fun language Stan used to win many of us over as kids, phrases like “Face Front!” and “True Believers” and, of course, “Marveldom Assembled” and the “M.M.M.S.” I smiled reading these Bulletins pages, remembering when I was a kid and thinking Stan was communicating directly to me. Stan’s great power as a writer was his ability to create bona fide relationships with his readers. He imbued the Marvel brand with a hip-ness, warmth and personality DC Comics couldn’t hope to match and made us readers feel like we were all part of the Marvel team, members of Marveldom Assembled! This power, and how Stan created a sacred relationship with his readers, comes through loud and clear in this volume.
Now that Marvel’s done their HC tributes to the King and the Man, and Sturdy Steve Ditko’s tribute book is coming out in a few weeks, who do we think will be next? For my money, I hope they skip over Don Heck and just go straight to an oversized HC tribute of Big John Buscema! Keep your fingers crossed.
