wktf's and Sam Wilson's Reviews 4-12-06

[wktf]

Sam Wilson’s Reviews

A light week this week, but we do have the last issue of the DC/Wildstorm/Warren Ellis title Desolation Jones, so that’s a bright spot. Plus, we have Vertigo’s DMZ (which I’m undecided about, even after meeting Brian Wood and learning he’s a pretty cool guy) and my two picks of the week, Ultimate Extinction and Ultimate Spider-Man. Of course, as always, that being said, on to the reviews…

DMZ #6
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 starts 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 and a surprise that I admit, I never saw coming. I would say more, but this issue’s cover is all you really need to look at to figure out what this current storyline is going to be about (but admittedly, there is a small twist).

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.

Ultimate Spider-Man #93
Marvel Comics
Written by: Brian Michael Bendis
Drawn by: Mark Bagley (a great penciller and a heck of a nice guy)

For those of you who haven’t been following USM, ol’ Petey has been having a rough go of it lately. Most recently he has tangled with Omega Red and Silver Sable, and before that he was caught in the middle of a massive gang war between Hammerhead and the Kingpin which resulted in the supposed death of Elektra and had about a gazillion guest stars (including Iron Fist, Shang Chi, Black Cat, and a few others). Even with all that going on though, Peter Parker has found time to get over his old girl Mary Jane and find a new one in the form of Kitty Pyrde aka Shadowcat, of the X-men. She’s the perfect girlfriend for a young super hero; she can keep a secret, has super powers, and is used to the whole super hero thing in general. They got together in the first Ultimate Spider-Man Annual and have been together ever since. Issue 91 kicks off a new storyline for the junior web-slinger, and ho boy, is he ever lucky to have an X-man for a girlfriend…

The story opens with Peter and Kitty taking on some weird no-name villain and kicking his but. Kitty has acquired a new costume for when she is hanging with Spider-Man, and the two play very well of each other. They part ways, and Kitty promises that soon they will go out on a “real date. Kitty finally gets back to the x-mansion and something weird happens which causes her to call Spidey to come running to save the day, and well, the same weird thing happens to him (they both are attacked by what appears to be friends). Then we see Deadpool and the Reavers (you know, those cyborgs whom in the regular Marvel U were former Hellfire Club thugs who have all been dismembered by Wolverine?). Suddenly Peter finds himself getting chucked out of a plane by the Reavers and Deadpool and then he finds himself alongside the X-men on Krakoa (in Ultimate X-men Krakoa is an island by Genosha used by Mojo and the Genoshan Gov’t; they show live “hunting” executions of mutants on PPV and make a crapload of money, but anyway…). Issue 92 has Peter neck deep in Genosha’s favorite reality show being hunted by Deadpool and his Reavers (who we soon find out are all ex-soldiers who have undergone artificial enhancement in order to better hunt and kill the mutant menace). Oh yeah and there is a special twist ending to this issue (and a very frustrating “to be continued)…

Witty banter, Deadpool, the X-men, and a$# whuppings left and right, pick this issue up, this story line is DOPE. I’ve kissed this books a$# enough, by now you know it’s a solid read, Bendis and Bagley are the most consistent team in comics since Lee and Kirby, and I had the good fortune of briefly meeting Mark Bagley at the NYC con. Heck of a nice guy, so pick his book up already.

Ultimate Extinction #4 (of 6)
Marvel Comics
Written by: Warren Ellis
Drawn by: Brandon Peterson

Ultimate Extinction is the third part in Warren Ellis’s “Ultimate Trilogy”, which is all about the coming of Gha Lak Tus (that’s Galactus for you regular Marvel U folks). The first part, Ultimate Nightmare, was about the X-men and the Ultimates tracking down an alien distress signal from the dead of Siberia, they soon found out this beacon came from the “Ultimate Vision”, whose alien android body was being used by the Russians for all kinds of cold world nastiness. Sam Wilson (the “Ultimate Falcon”), who was on the recovery team is also a scientist, and Nick Fury charges him with figuring out what exactly this “Vision” was sent to Earth for. The second part, “Ultimate Secret”, I actually will review later in the tpb, so I guess you can just read that for a recap/review of that storyline. Then as a back up story in recent “Ultimate Marvel” books, the story of the Vision is told (who turns out to be a she). The Vision is on Earth to warn it’s populace of Gha Lak Tus, the world destroyer, she was created by one of the worlds he destroyed and then sent out into space to warn other worlds of his coming. Apparently there is nothing you can do to stop the coming of Gha Lak Tus, and she suggests to Sam Wilson the populace of Earth get out while the getting’s good, which brings us to the last part of the trilogy, Ultimate Extinction.

Thus far in Ultimate Extinction Sam Wilson, Captain Marh-vell and Reed Richards have briefed Nick Fury on how exactly Gha Lak Tus is going to destroy the Earth. It wasn’t pretty. Meanwhile, Misty Knight was just hired to find a rich dude’s wife who was apparently skirted away by a charismatic leader of a money-hungry cult. Misty tracks down said wife, but finds a weird silvery naked dude has taken her (hmmm…). Then there is a gun battle and a bald chick. Which leads us to issue two, Fury and Richards are butting heads, Cap is coming to grips with his mortality and Misty Knight and Captain Jean DeWolff (fresh from the pages of Ultimate Spider-Man) are hot on the trail of the bald chick (who we find out is named Heather Douglas, aka Heather Moon. Hmm…). Misty Knight gets a visit from the silvery dude, and the sh$# hits the fan, Captain America is alerted by the battle and speeds off to fight something he can finally get his hands on, and Sam Wilson (aka the Ultimate Falcon) ditches the lab coat to join him and in issue three they are jumping out of a SHIELD helicopter to put foot to a$# on said silvery dude. Cap lands shield first on the beyotch and Falcon swoops down on him and lays into him with TWO FULL MAGAZINES FROM THE TWO MP5’s HE’s CARRYING DUAL HANDED CHOW YUN FAT STYLE WORD. Of course there is more techy stuff with Reed Richards and company, Professor X makes mental contact with Galactus, and there are hints of an “Ultimate Weapon” to be used. Issue four continues with the “Ultimate Weapon” stuff with Reed blowing a few gaskets and demanding all kinds of andamantium and other techie type stuff from Nick Fury, Captain America and company are hot on the trail of the “silvery dude” and their strange cult and get a crapload of info from Heather Douglas, who is a clone of her mom (but that is really here nor there), and then Captain America and Captain Marvel capture a silvery dude and torture the living sh$# out of him. Damn I love this series.

The “Ultimate Trilogy” kicks a$# in my humble opinion. It is the first big crossover of the Ultimate Universe; we got the Fantastic Four, the Ultimates, and the X-men. Captain Mahr-vell, Carol Danvers, Misty Knight, yeah, things are cooking in the Ultimate Marvel U. Cap and Falc are teaming up (did I say WORD?). Yes, there are plenty of Ultimate haters out there, fine, hate away, but this is seriously some of the best stuff to come from the house of ideas in a long, long time, and if you don’t want to pick it up, well, that’s your prerogative, but I for one will be buying every issue, and the trades, and will enjoy every minute of it.

Wktf’s Reviews

A light week for me, as well. Maybe the most important thing I can tell you is that the Batman: Dark Detective TPB came out this week. If you’ve been as turned off as I have over the last few years of the oppressively dark, driven and, frankly, dull Dark Knight then this book will be a breath of fresh air for you! It’s from the same creative team (Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers) who brought you the ground breaking Detective Comics Batman stories from the 1970s captured in the Batman: Strange Apparitions trade. This may be your best trade purchase in all of 2006!

Superman #651
DC Comics
Written by: Kurt Busiek & Geoff Johns
Drawn by: Pete Woods

“Up, Up and Away!” continues in this issue, which is my pick of the week. I’m inferring from the title that this arc is about how Superman develops his wings again. For right now, as he’s been for the last two parts, he’s just plain old Clark Kent. And yet, for a comic titled “Superman,” the lack of the ultra powered Big Blue isn’t hurting this or “Action Comics” any. Quite the contrary, this is as fresh, fun and exciting as Superman has been in decades.

Busiek, Johns and Woods have combined their talents to twist our sensibilities, make us scratch our heads and thrill us at the same time even without the hero who’s supposed to sell this title. In this issue we have five, count ‘em five, Superman villains: Luthor, Toyman, The Prankster, Metallo and The Kryptonite Man. We also have Green Lantern, Hawkgirl and Supergirl to hold down the fort in Metropolis in Superman’s absence. In “Action Comics” Hal Jordon offered Clark a way to get back in the game and they way the authors demonstrate Clark’s most heartfelt desires regarding the identity he most longs for is both confusing and beautifully handled. As is the heartfelt exchange between Lois and Clark in the aftermath of Clarks’ donning the power ring.

But the star of this show is Luthor. I’m not clear about what the harness around his chest is supposed to do but this issue makes clear the rest of his activities. Even though, if the first couple of chapters are to be believed, he truly feels Superman is gone is paranoia and desire for power and control achieve megalomaniacal proportion, much to The Kryptonite Man and Metallos’s dismay, by the last panel. Two excellent touches here, by the way. One is the throw back reference to Luthor and Metallo’s meeting during John Byrne’s earliest Superman stories. The other is the absolutely hilarious harness the Toyman designs for Metallo and Luthor’s reaction to it. This book, and the two that preceded it, is some of the best reading in comics today. It’s great to be a Superman fan once again!

Fantastic Four: First Family #2 of 6
Marvel Comics
Written by: Joe Casey
Drawn by: Chris Weston

As he did in his “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” series about the Avengers’ earliest days, telling stories in and around the Avengers comics published by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby/Don Heck, with this series Joe Casey digs further underneath the events that had to have happened to make the events in Fantastic Four #1 even possible. And, at the same time, presents a truly horrifying subplot that should prove to be a most terrible threat to our fantastic foursome.

Applying modern sensibilities to Stan and Jack’s classic tale, how could a rocket ship launched from a government facility be illegally commandeered and then crash landed without the military’s knowing about it? Does it make sense that the government wouldn’t swarm on the perpetrators like white-on-rice? And, knowing full well, the strange and destructive powers and abilities now acquired by the perpetrators doesn’t it seem reasonable that they’d be held either to protect the public or at least just to contain them to at least figure out what you’ve got on your hands? And under what conditions and agreements would the Fantastic Four be allowed to operate in the public eye? And, lastly, why did Reed choose not to disguise their identities…a move truly unique in the comic book hero world at the time? Well, this story gets at the answers to all these questions and the great thing about this story is that it does so in totally plausible ways that still keep within the fantasy realm of superhero comics.

Kudos to the creative team that we are presented with the team’s famous post-crash pledge, The Mole Man’s first attack, Mr. Fantastic’s famous “4” flare gun, The Thing’s first car-crushing street rampage and the FF’s escape from Monster Island while not at all representing the events of FF #1. In fact, these happenings are just embellishments on the main story which involves Reed’s negotiations with the army, the team’s first big threat (and it’s not The Mole Man) and the even bigger threat that’s sure to draw the FF’s fire before this series is over. Casey and Weston are giving us a story that no FF fan should miss. It stays true to the heritage of Marvel’s first family while creating nuances and shedding light on their story that only helps us understand them better. Casey shows the right sensitivity to the original source material while delivering fresh and new material and while Weston’s art is a little awkward it seems to really fit this story perfectly. FF fans absolutely should be picking up this series.

Ms. Marvel #2
Marvel Comics
Written by: Brian Reed
Drawn by: Roberto La Torre

I really want to like this comic. Ms. Marvel has always been one of my favorite second stringer Avengers. To me the true first string Avengers, beyond Cap, Iron Man and Thor, included The Vision and Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, The Wasp and Hank Pym (my preference was his Yellow Jacket identity). After that, bring on Ms. Marvel, Wonder Man, and The Beast. I followed Carol Danvers from when she first joined the Avengers, to her rape and pregnancy by Marcus (who, in a bizarre Oedipal twist, was the father of her child, as well as the child itself), to when Rogue stole her powers and memory, to her transformation to Binary, through her alcoholism and sort of final redemption. She’s got spirit, powers, beauty and character. But, despite the overwhelming praise in this issue’s letter page, I feel she’s stuck in a crappy comic.

Last issue wasn’t completely awful, just a waste of money. I’d have been better off channel surfing. Following House of M where she was named Captain Marvel and was the most beloved superhero on the planet (and in a romance with Wonder Man, a pairing with some interesting possibilities, a la Superman and Wonder Woman) she’s decided, as she told Cap in the pages of New Avengers, she wants to be a great hero. So, what’s the first thing you do to get there? Is it to hire the most powerful publicist in New York? I’m thinking, no, it’s not. It’s to stop wallowing in self-pity and get out there and start serving the public. But, no, she hires this sleazy publicist and also goes lunching with the cigarette smoking Jessica Drew. Umm…okay. Well, she finally goes on patrol only to encounter a comet she can’t stop from crashing into a small Georgia town (strike one for her), only to discover the comet is carrying a bunch of the Brood from X-Men fame.

OK, so here we are with issue #2. Carol goes into battle and pretty much gets overpowered, first by the Brood and then by the thing the Brood’s running away from. She gets slapped around, swarmed on, knocked out, thrown in the mud and mind probed. Then in addition to not really helping the town, as the town folk clearly note, does she arrive to save the day from the real menace? Well, let’s just say this is not Carol’s best showing. Surely this is intentional: tear her down so her redemption and ultimate heroics will seem all that more impressive. Except there’s not enough here to make me care. The menace of something called a Cavorite Crystal, a highly unstable and explosive mineral, seems to be contrived just for this story. How scary is that? Not very. How interesting is this comic? At $2.99, not very. Ugh. Do I give it one more try? Dunno. I’ll decide next month.

[wktf]

We actually put some thought into our weekly trade review themes. Sure, we like to review books we love but also we like to make sure there’s some synergy in our two choices so they work together, maybe balance each other out around a common theme and, as such, add more value to you, the reader, in our desire to educate as well as entertain.

Well, this isn’t one of those times. No common theme. We just couldn’t come up with one for this week. Regardless, we hope you find these reviews useful.

Sam Wilson’s Review

Medieval Spawn/Witchblade
Top Cow/Image
Written by: Garth Ennis
Drawn by: Brandon Peterson

Okay, wait one minute. Yes, I’m reviewing a Spawn book. Sort of. Yes, I know it’s a Witchblade book as well, and that doesn’t help, but hear me out for a second. Yes, Spawn, Witchblade, fine, but this is Garth Ennis circa 1997, in other words Garth Ennis at his finest, unfiltered best. Yes, I could personally give a crap about either character (even though Witchblade is kinda cool, that TV show on TNT was aiight, and in the beginning the comic was okay until it got off the beaten path and kept moving around in circles). Anyway, yeah, if you know anything about Spawn you remember that early issue (nine or something like that) written by Neil Gaiman I think, which featured “Medieval Spawn”, an early Spawn who was a Knight or something. The same in Witchblade, there have been many Witchblade’s throughout time, yadda yadda yadda, they were all hot, blah blah blah, and of course one was around the same time Medieval Spawn was. Yay, crossover. Wait, a flash of brilliance! Let’s have Garth Ennis write it, and then it won’t suck! YES!

Of course with Garth at the helm, the then three-issue limited series “Medieval Spawn/Witchblade” was pretty damn funny. Our story starts out with an evil magic guy (who is a descendant of Top Cow’s “the Darkness” oy vey) going nuts and killing all the Faeries (or “fairy” if you will) in Faerie land. Medieval Spawn is there to put up a fight, but aint doing so hot. Cut back to earth, a saucy young woman named Katarina is a sometime soldier, fulltime bar brawler and drunkard, and discovers a magic gauntlet in a pile of dung (seriously). Turns out it’s the Witchblade. She crosses paths with Spawn, they whup a$# on the Darkness and the Darklings and save some Faeries (but no leprechauns). If you remember early Garth Ennis, you know what to expect from this book. Think his book “The Pro”. There is no higher moral tale here, no wisdom, nothing artsy in the slightest. If you like emo music, you won’t like this book. If you like cursing, drinking, large yet firm breasts (on females), beheadings, hacking, slashing, cruelty, and good old fashioned “R” rated action and adventure, well then, this book is for you. It was originally available as a three issue limited series, and has been collected as a tpb with a cover price of $9.95, but it is long out of print and you would have to go to your LCS or ebay to track it down. Oh yeah, I should also mention current “Ultimate Extinction” penciler Brandon Peterson does the art on this book, so yeah, it’s worth looking up. Check it out, most comic fans could use the levity.

Wktf’s Review

Apache Skies
Marvel MAX Comics
Written by: John Ostander
Drawn by: Leonardo Manco

In February I reviewed Blaze of Glory, Ostrander and Manco’s 1999 telling of the great Marvel western heroes’ final story, a trade that was recommended to me by a fellow comics fan. This volume, Apache Skies, represents their 2002 follow up story of Johnny Bart, the Rawhide Kid, one of the few survivors of that first bloody book. And this book’s a beauty. Ostander had already updated Rawhide, as he did with all of the great Marvel western heroes, in Blaze of Glory for the better since their introductions in the 1950s and 1960s. Just to set the record straight, this is NOT like that stupid, gimmicky Rawhide Kid re-imagining of a few years back. This Rawhide Kid’s the same long haired, long overcoat wearing, stoic gun slinger from Blaze of Glory. He’s a man of high integrity, few words but decisive action. And in this volume he’s after the men who ambushed and gunned down his friend and partner, The Apache Kid. Yes, The Rawhide Kid is out for blood and this book is about vengeance, fury and, ultimately, the fight for freedom. Rawhide wants to make The Apache Kid’s killers pay. His problem, though, is that someone else is hunting these same murderers, someone who holds even greater hatred for these men, someone who has taken up the name of the slain Apache Kid.

This someone is Rosa who, as she describes herself, is The Apache Kid’s “woman.” In full truth, she was his wife. Her rage causes her to recklessly see red and almost get both herself and Bart killed in their first meeting. With some difficulty they form a partnership and, despite their eventual feelings for each other, its business only with one clear objective in mind. Unfortunately, their cause drags them into protecting school of Apache children who come between them and the men who want to kill them, as much as Rosa and Bart want to kill these men. And the villains are truly vicious, ugly people. They give the children the same regard the Nazis gave their “subhuman” victims. In fact, one of their objectives is, in fact, to exterminate these Apache children.

Seeing the great Rawhide Kid from Marvel’s Silver Age updated with a modern sensibility in this outstanding heroes’ role, learning of Rosa’s story and a quest for vengeance tempered by her need to protect these children, experiencing how these two work and battle together, all coupled with the savage and desperate gun fights and a spectacular runaway train sequence, will get you past some of the story’s plot contrivances to really enjoy the hell out of this book. Unlike Blaze of Glory this story carries the MAX imprint for foul language and more graphic violence, giving it an even nastier feel than its pretty nasty predecessor. But nothing in this story is more wonderful than Manco’s art. His precise lines, dark paints (this is a fully painted volume), and grim shadows make the heroes seem like authentic gun slingers and create the texture of the best of the western movies. Like the first book, there may not really be too much new here but Apache Skies is 90+ pages worth of comic book trade paperback (plus several sketchbook pages) for only $12.99 retail that you’ll be happy you read. Especially if you were a fan of the early Marvel westerns and have a soft spot in your heart for great western characters and their stories.

[mwf6171]

Cool. You guys reading the Annihilation mini series?? I have picked up both Surfer and S. Skrull. The stories on both are pretty good, but the art on Super Skrull doesn't "do" much for me......curious to see what ya'll thought.

[Sam Wilson]

Originally Posted by mwf6171

Cool. You guys reading the Annihilation mini series?? I have picked up both Surfer and S. Skrull. The stories on both are pretty good, but the art on Super Skrull doesn't "do" much for me......curious to see what ya'll thought.

I got the first "bookend" issue, it was okay, but didn't make me turn cartwheels or anything so I passed on the other issues.

[wktf]

Originally Posted by mwf6171

Cool. You guys reading the Annihilation mini series?? I have picked up both Surfer and S. Skrull. The stories on both are pretty good, but the art on Super Skrull doesn't "do" much for me......curious to see what ya'll thought.

I haven't picked either of those up. I've been turned off to multi-title cross over events since Secret Wars II. That said, I'm a huge Silver Surfer fan and still am tempted to pick that one up. If it's all integrated with Super Skrull, Nova and the others and I have to buy all of them to understand the story, as I suspect it is, I'll likely pass.

[Aarrgghh!!]

Great as always, if you can you may want to fix the subject of the thread to the current month. I almost didn't click becuase I thought someone dug up an old thread.

[wktf]

Oh, crap! Thanks, Aarrgghh! This is what happens when I post around midnight with half a bottle of wine (last night was first night of Passover) in me.

I think I need the mods help with the title. It doesn't seem to want to change.

[wktf]

Stealth Dana on the move! Thanks, Dana. The little light under your avatar is never green so it always surprises me when you move into a thread and post. Keeping us on our toes, eh?

[Bullseye]

Nice reviews guys. I'd be interested in a review of the Annihilation mini series. I love the cover art that Dell'Otto has produced. Wondering if the story lines live up to the cover art.

[Sam Wilson]

Originally Posted by Bullseye

Nice reviews guys. I'd be interested in a review of the Annihilation mini series. I love the cover art that Dell'Otto has produced. Wondering if the story lines live up to the cover art.

aiight. Maybe I'll try and get a review done of the first bookend issue and ask joe to post it up this weekend...