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Columnist Thunder Mod
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Denver Area, between Asgard and Krypton
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The Mighty Reviews 12/23/10
Wktf’s Reviews
X-Men #6
Marvel Comics
Written by: Victor Gischler
Drawn by: Paco Medina
Cover by: Adi Granov
And, so, The Curse of the Mutants concludes with this issue. And, sadly, this series that has been tepid at best and offensive (if you’re a fan of Marvel’s 1970’s Tomb of Dracula series) at its worst has ended on a bit of a flat note. Flat in that, combining story and art, nothing really defied expectations or gave us reason to celebrate the creation of yet another X-title six months ago. With the resurrection of the slain Dracula and the Vampire Lord’s mutinous son, Xarus on the defensive (and very nearly on the run) following his drastically failed attempt to overcome the X-Men and settle his newly united vampire clan on the island of Utopia, in how many directions could this story actually go? Predictably, Dracula returns to do battle with Xarus and for this vampire vs. vampire battle, especially against the most powerful of all vampires as Marvel history has taught us, it really could go only one way. Shockingly, when the X-Men, even in the company of Blade, must confront the situation they’ve created, both sides seem merely to walk away and call it a day. I get Cyke’s point of honoring his “agreement” with Dracula, but I more get Blade’s point of liking our heroes’ odds against the remaining vampire contingent.
Some interesting turns, admittedly, were the tact taken by Cyclops in dealing with Blade’s lone-wolf act of defiance and Cyke’s strategic stand-off with Dracula, a very different stand-off than Blade would have liked. But interesting and even fun as those moments were they couldn’t make up for the general snail’s pace of the story and flatness of the overall tale. Plus, and I know I’ve said this before but I’m just going to say this again, I could not dislike more this new spin on Marvel’s Dracula. Seriously, making him look like a long and white-haired rock star in a superhero outfit just does such a great disservice to the groundwork laid down by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan decades ago. Other 1970’s Marvel characters who’ve enjoyed renewed popularity, such as Luke Cage, Iron Fist and even Shang-Chi, are at least true to their roots even if they don’t look the same as they did when we first met them. Not so with Dracula and his brood. Plus, didn’t Wolverine promise “words” with Scott for the Trojan Horse deception in which Logan was a pawn? And what about Janus, Dracula’s son who escaped from Xarus in the Death of Dracula one-shot and helped out Storm and Gambit early on in this storyline? What of him? Too many lose ends, too many liberties taken, and not enough meaningful story all combine to make Curse of the Mutants an X-Men story with such great possibility ultimately turn out to be a major disappointment.
Green Lantern: Larfleeze Christmas Special One-Shot
DC Comics
Written by: Geoff Johns
Drawn by: Brett Booth
Cover by: Gene Ha
Okay, so, seriously, for those of us who’ve been following Green Lantern especially these last few years, the title of this issue by itself should be enough to cause you to pick it up Yes, Christman, as the introductory note to this tale tells us, has become a “crass, commercialized, capitalist concoction” that seems absolutely ripe for the inclusion of “a creature of unquenchable avarice,” that Orange Lantern himself, Larfleeze! We all know what it’s like to be disappointed when we don’t get what we want. But just imagine the Christmas list the living embodiment of greed might create and, then, imagine what happens when he comes downstairs in the home he built especially to store all the loot he expects to receive, and imagine if you then also inject the reality of Santa Claus’ existence without the benefit of a parent’s helping hand after the kids have gone asleep, and then imagine an infantile temper tantrum imbued with the capabilities of an orange power ring. Well, you can just imagine the angry chaos that ensues.
Yes, this issue is genuinely pretty funny. And it starts off that way nicely, too, if you pay attention to how Larfleeze decorates his Christmas tree (is that a Halloween pumpkin and also a kitchen sink?). Larfleeze’s rampage is interrupted by a couple of creative interludes that include his own Christmas cookie recipe, a maze for the reader to work through to help Larfleeze get to the North Pole and even a cut-out Larfleeze Christmas tree ornament. All very fun and festive stuff. Of course, Green Lantern intercedes to try to talk some sense into this primal, visceral and emotional beast and, in the end directs him back to the most unlikely of places to calm him down. The ending is a bit sweeter than I’d have expected for this crazy character but, still, delivers nicely considering the overall theme of the story. I’m not terribly familiar with Booth’s art but he does a great job rendering the mad kinetic action characters like Larfleeze and Green Lantern require. A not necessarily masterful issue, considering it was written by Geoff Johns, but a fun one that probably will be among the most creatively conceived holiday comic book special from any comic book company.
Lone Ranger & Tonto #4
Dynamite Comics
Written by: Brett Matthews & Neil Turitz
Drawn by: Esteve Polls & Sergio Cariello
Cover by: John Cassaday
Well, it feels like this one’s been done before. Whether with Batman, Spider-Man or some other character. Certainly, its reminiscent of the Legends of the Dark Knight story from the Batman Animated Series. So, the concept certainly doesn’t feel new. A reporter arrives in central Texas looking to interview common folks about a legend he’s heard about back east, a legend that seems to have people enthralled across the county. And, so, he’s trying to get a bead on this legend by talking to as many people as he can find who’ve encountered him. And, not surprisingly, every individual’s story tells of the same man but the depiction of that man is different depending on the human lens through which his actions were viewed. From the thief and murderer who’s about to be hung, this man and his partner are monstrous and scary. To the little boy whose dog he saves, the masked man appears wholesome and approachable. To the beautiful woman rescued from a murderous and lecherous group, he’s gallant and heroic. The most realistic recounting, though, comes from the African American man whose family this man and his Indian companion save from a mob in white hoods. Respect for the common man is coupled with a fierce savagery to right a wrong and bring swift and brutal justice to the deserving.
Cassaday’s romantic cover is well suited to this tale that shows how a legend is built one story at a time. And, while Polls’ and Cariello’s artistic styles don’t exactly blend well together this application of the two styles works pretty well considering they help to break up multiple shorter tales. With the recent announcement of the upcoming Lone Ranger/Zorro series it’s good to see that Dynamite has plans for this property after the series’ finale with is next issue. Lone Ranger & Tonto has been an excellent extension series for fans frustrated by the regular title’s publishing delays. This issue is a fine stand-alone story that makes me nostalgic for a series whose end is about to come but hasn’t come quite just yet.
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