wktf's and Sam Wilson's Reviews 3/22/06

[wktf]

Wktf’s Reviews

What a week! Being a comics fan this week was like going on a trip to Disneyworld…or, maybe, more appropriately Universal Studios Marvel Island of Adventure. There certainly was something for everyone! Nearly every book I pulled normally makes it to my weekly reviews: Ares is continuing his war on his family and their assailants, New Avengers are continuing to face off against a new world-shaking menace with a familiar name, Batman’s 1 Year Later story is continuing, Black Panther continues his quest for a bride and eventual nuptials with Storm, She-Hulk it seems is defending while also putting the moves on Star Fox, and Incredible Hulk is furthering it’s awesome Planet Hulk storyline. Plus Thor: Blood Oath and volume two of Marvel Visionaries: Jack Kirby finally have been packaged in glorious HC form. And those awesome titles for my reviews?

Daredevil #83
Marvel Comics
Written by: Ed Brubaker
Drawn by: Michael Lark

Oh, damn, this comic book is electric! It absolutely is my pick of the week. Those of us who’ve been following DD since his Frank Miller days have seen him at his worst. Whether it was his loss of sanity in the “Born Again” story line, the pounding he received at the hands of Typhoid Mary or the further slippage of his mind, where his new wife Mila also suffered, brought on by Bullseye’s killing of Karen Page. But this may truly be it. The single biggest physical, emotional and spiritual hole Matt Murdock’s ever been in. And the scariest part is that it’s exactly where he wants to be, much to Ben Urich’s horror.

For those of you who haven’t been keeping up during Bendis and Maleev’s unbelievable labor of love, Matt’s secret has been outted to the press and, despite all his protestations and the aid of friends such as Power Man and Iron Fist and former lovers like Electra, the FBI nailed Matt and he currently is in jail. Brubaker, currently kicking some major league butt over in Captain America, picked up the reins last issue and did what even Bendis didn’t in unraveling Matt’s life. During Foggy’s visit to Matt at Ryker’s Island the Kingpin, it seems from the last page, arranged for his murder. Yes, that’s right, if you didn’t read it last month I’m spoiling it for you now.

Foggy’s dead and, with this issue, buried. In his sorry history, Matt has lost his father, he’s lost the woman he loves and, now, he’s lost the man who was even more than a brother to him. His one tether to reality. In many ways his moral compass. To emphasize this point, in this issue we see Matt in a truly disturbing conversation with the spirit, real or imagined, of his long-dead father wherein he summarily rejects everything about his father that we know to have been part of Matt’s persona. And speaking of that persona, we are given a further glimpse into Matt’s thinking that turns the roles of Matt Murdock and Daredevil on their heads relative to each other. For those of us who’ve been with the character for the last 25 or so years, these thoughts are truly reality altering. So, what happens now? Why is Matt smiling at being sent back to Rykers? What does he do? You have to read this issue to find out, but Brubaker may have out-Captain America’d himself with Daredevil. Hell, what’s going on with Matt makes the fact there’s someone else running around in a Daredevil suit busting up criminals a minor sub-plot! Buy the various trades leading up to this arc to get caught up if you need to, buy last month’s issue, and buy this issue. If you’re not reading Daredevil you’re missing the finest stuff any comics company has to offer.

Captain America #16
Marvel Comics
Written by: Ed Brubaker
Drawn by: Mike Perkins

The best way to describe this issue is “and the plot thickens.” Not that there’s anything wrong with that ‘cause this is another in a long line of terrific Captain America issues since Brubaker took over the title. As if Lawrence, KS hasn’t had enough problems with a tornado tearing through its town a couple of weeks ago, it’s now got Crossbones and Sin, the Red Skull’s daughter, going on a shooting spree through this small college town. Last issue Crossbones brought the brainwashed Sin back to her former evil self through some brutal shock therapy and he’s out to keep the Skull’s legacy alive by committing acts of atrocity with Sin who also happens to be his new lover. Coincidentally, or maybe not, there’s been a Winter Soldier sighting not too far from the deadly team’s path of destruction, so SHIELD Agent Sharon Carter reaches out to our star spangled sentinel of liberty who’s got a vested interest in the Winter Soldier (whom Sharon believes is dead from the prior arc) and would be handy in a pinch against a pair of super villains.

A brief word on our Agent Carter. Back in the 60s and 70s she was Captain America’s love interest. But then, in the mid-70s Steve Englehart and Sal Buscema killed her off in a conflagration of fire. For decades Cap could not find a Mary Jane to replace his Gwen Stacy. He came close once or twice but it never really happened for him. Then Mark Waid and Ron Garney gave Sharon back to us in 1995 with Captain America vol. 1 #445. She’d been under cover all this time, alone in hostile territory and was bitter that SHIELD abandoned her and angry as hell at Captain America for the same reason. Over these last 10-or-so years of Cap comics their relationship has evolved from this emotional train wreck to one of tense respect and admiration and, most recently, to one with some romantic undertones as well. Well, if this issue does nothing else, and it does PLENTY else, it finally gives fans of these two great characters reason to cheer. Thank you, Mr. Brubaker! It’s about damn time! One of the other things this issue does is make true the old adage “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Yes, there’s a bit of a surprise twist at the end to lead into the next issue but none of us should even need that to come back to Captain America. Believe the hype. Wizard called this title the Best Series of 2005 and with good reason. This is the best Captain America has been in over a decade. Maybe longer.

Sgt. Rock: The Prophecy #3 of 6
DC Comics
Written by: Joe Kubert
Drawn by: Joe Kubert

This mini series won’t be for everyone but it sure is for me. The Serge and Easy Company are in enemy territory in WWII-torn Europe, having trudged and battled their way through Italy and North America, to end up in Lithuania in the middle of constant fighting between the Germans and the Russians. Their mission is to acquire a “valuable object” that’s supposed to help win the war and bring it back to the United States. This “valuable object” turns out to be a young Jewish boy named David who’s prophesied the war’s end. Along the way, Easy Company has encountered the horrors the Nazi’s have perpetrated off the battlefield. Hangings. Rape. Mass killings. But as horrible as these sights have been, Rock and his Company are in store for even more. For David’s prophecy is not of the future, but of the present. He has seen the Nazi’s crimes against the Jews, the Christians, Poles, Gypsies, the sick and lame and is determined to tell the world of these Nazi actions and further plans in hopes of speeding the war’s end through righteous retaliation. He calls all this “the coming holocaust.” Rock’s crew doesn’t believe David’s words. But, unfortunately, by stumbling onto the now familiar barracks of a concentration camp, still occupied by its caretakers, Easy Company will learn from first hand experience that David speaks the truth. And, sadly, part of this education comes at the expense of a special friend for whom the oversized Bull has been caring for the prior two issues.

I’ve written plenty about Joe Kubert in these reviews over the last several months. I hate to repeat myself. I’ll just say again that of all the great older masters (such as Eisner and Kirby), Joe Kubert line work and story telling may be the most sublime. He delivers plenty of tension, great story and action but always seeks to send a message with everything he creates. Sgt. Rock and his crew are men of action, violent men who kill at the drop of a hat when needed. And they do so here, as well. But, there’s no glory in this killing and, with the last panel, Rock’s men silently acknowledge the horrible truth in David’s revelation with their stony stares as the young man covers his face in grief over the murdered families whose spirits cry out to him. Kubert sees no glory in war. Killing is a necessity, every bit as much a reality as the evil men commit against their fellow men. And with this series Kubert brings us away from the more traditional comics fare by providing us entertainment that must also make us feel during these moments of comics reading distraction.

[wktf]

An excellent week this week, with the continuation of DC’s post-Infinte Crisis “One Year Later” in titles such as Catwoman, Hawkgirl, Manhunter and Supergirl and the Legion of Super-heroes. Also this week we have new issues of New Avengers, Captain America, Black Panther, Daughters of the Dragon (yay ‘80’s!) and the much loved and Incredible Hulk, featuring the second part of the “Planet Hulk” Storyline. Let’s also not forget the new Squardron Supreme book, which is pretty much Supreme Power booted out of the Marvel MAX imprint and brought into the Marvel Knights imprint. My pick of the week is DC/Wildstorms The American Way, and with that being said, on to the reviews…

The American Way #2 (of 8)
DC/Wildstorm Comics
Written by: John Ridley
Drawn by: Georges Jeanty

For those of you who care, John Ridley wrote and directed one of my favorite movies ever, “The Three Kings” (Desert Storm movie with Mark Walhburg, George Clooney and Ice Cube). “Three Kings” was kinda like “Kelly’s Heroes” but with more heart, a lot more grey and was easily one of the most overlooked movies of its time. Comic writer Christopher Priest has often cited “Three Kings” as his inspiration for his “Crew” series (the short-lived Marvel book featuring Jim Rhodes, Josiah X, Kasper Cole and a few other lower tier Marvel characters who were much loved, but apparently not loved by enough). Anyway, The American Way is Ridley’s second foray into the comics genre, his first being the “Authority” OGN “Human on the Inside” (which was pretty good, check it out). Like “Three Kings” and his other work, Ridley’s The American Way is vaguely political, historically based and always intelligent.

The American Way opens in 1961 with the story of the ICON, a new concept car and its creator, Wesley Catham. The ICON was going to be the next hot automobile, but that fell flat. An alien attack on the earth at several locations at the same time, including the auto show debuting the ICON, messed that up. Yes, the Civil Defense Corps, the US’s own home grown super-team, repelled the attack, but the debut of the ICON would forever be associated with that day, and soon Wesley Catham found himself without a job, but not for long; which is fine and great but who the heck are the Civil Defense Corps (CDC)?

With members including space aliens and mini-skirt clad women, the CDC is this Earth’s ‘60’s version of the Avengers and the JLA. They are they heroes of the United States, having repelled many attacks, and always prevailed. From natural disasters to Nazi’s, the CDC has been there for the US, and has put them in a place of prominence as far as world power ranking, because it’s rough having to keep up with the Russian’s advances in space technology and nuclear weaponry, unfortunately there is one whole caveat to the CDC I have not mentioned yet. They are a fraud. Sure their powers are real, even there “exploits” are real (as much as pro-wrestling is real, or choreographed I should say), but everything they do, manufactured by the American propaganda machine since World War 2.

This brings us back to Wesley Catham, he was lucky enough to have been friends with Robert Kennedy, currently our nation’s Attorney General, now offered the task of keeping up the charade, and given charge of the hype machine that keeps America sleeping safe, and so it begins. Issue two has Catham neck deep into his new job and making some serious waves. He believes America is ready for (well, not ready for as much as needs) a black superhero, and no one else seems to agree with him, including said chosen black super hero. Ridley has really outdone himself with this intricate, well plotted out story. George Jeanty’s art is beautiful as well, and I for one will be sticking with this series for as long as it is around and give it my highest possible recommendation.

Catwoman #53
DC Comics
Written by: Will Pfeifer
Drawn by: David Lopez and Alvaro Lopez
Cover by: Adam Hughes

So the Bat-verse is a big freakin’ mess right now. After the events of the “Gang War” crossover, capes are no longer welcome in Gotham city, and the only two who have stuck around are Batman and Catwoman (aka Selina Kyle). Well, Selina isn’t exactly a cape, she of course got her start out as a villain, a cat burglar if you will, and has crossed swords with Batman many times. Lately though she has become the self-declared “protector of the East End” of Gotham, the rough area where she came up in and roamed the streets as a prostitute before she became the highflying Ninja-trained thief Catwoman. She even became briefly involved with Batman, and he revealed to her that he was Bruce Wayne, but alas it was never meant to be and the relationship ended.

Recently in Catwoman the East End has become one big clusterfu$#. Since the Black Mask is now running the City’s underworld, the East End has kind of become a free-for-all zone. With no real criminal claiming stake there, everyone is duking it out to claim the territory for their own, making Selina’s job as it’s protector all the more difficult. Add to the mix Slam Brady’s son Sam, a Gotham detective sent undercover to try and infiltrate the super powered gangs that are vying for control of Gotham’s East End. Yeah, things are probably going to get much worse before they get better (and have been), but Selina has a plan. Eventually that plan whittles everyone away except for herself and Black Mask. While there is that going on, we can’t forget about “Infinite Crisis”, the latest craze that has taken over the DC Universe. Remember in last year’s Identity Crisis when the Justice League admitted to tampering with Dr. Light’s and Batman’s memories? Well, they weren’t the only ones. Apparently the Justice League also tampered with Catwoman’s brain, and according to Zatanna (this happened in issue #50) that tampering is the reason why Catwoman has given up her cat-burglering ways and become a “good-guy” over the last few years. Selina isn’t two happy with this, and in issue #51 she does some soul searching to figure out exactly who she is. At the same time Black Mask decides he is going to strike out at Selina where it hurts her most, her friends, specifically Slam Brady. Where is this leading? To a final showdown in issue #52 between the Black Mask and Catwoman, which brings us to issue #53, and if you’ve seen the smoking hot Adam Hughes cover, you already know madness is abound…

Issue 53 opens with Selina given birth and Black Mask dead (as for how, well read issue #52). Selina has moved way uptown and changed her name, and there is a new Catwoman running around protecting the east end (Catwoman’s young pal Holly whom was introduced to us waaaay back in Batman: Year One). Yeah, we’ve seen Holly receive some training from Wildcat, and we also get a glimpse of her training with Selina herself, and Selina alludes Holly has had other teachers as well. So yeah, a new Catwoman, a visit from Batman, and a couple of loose ends left over from “one year ago makes the “One Year Later” Catwoman storyline pretty freakin’ cool. If you’ve been keeping up with Catwoman thus far, don’t start now, if you are a new reader, now would be a great time to jump on board.

Squardron Supreme #1
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 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. Issue #1 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 propoganda 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 (for some more insight into these new teams, check out the Supreme Power: Hyperion limited series, out now). Both teams are introduced in this issue, and, well, be prepared for some interesting things ahead (to say the least, not all team members get along, and most are not easy to get along with). 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 I f you aren’t reading it.

The Incredible Hulk issue #93
Marvel Comics
Written by: Daniel Way
Drawn by: Carlo Pagulayan

If you were to ask me what The Incredible Hulk has been about in the last few years, “fu$# if I know” would be my answer. Bruce Jones took over and started some weird conspiracy crap and brought in a reanimated Betsy Ross, Dr. Sampson, Nadia Blonsky, some mechanical rats and a bunch of other strange sh$# that didn’t make any damn sense. The Hulk, well, I was never sure if he was savage, intelligent, cunning, above average, whatever. Then Peter David came back for a second, but with him came the “House of M”, and well, I’m not even going to get into that. What’s wrong with consistency? Linear storytelling? A Hulk we can understand? Can someone just make a decision as to which Hulk Bruce Banner is, how he transforms, and what the deal is? Anything well done will do? Man I yearn for the old Peter David days with the Pantheon and Margo and Rick, is that asking for too much? Some solid storytelling and a Hulk we can understand? Please? Well, with Daniel Way and Carlo Pagulayan on the case, we just may have that.

Daniel Way’s first Hulk storyline had him stuck in outer space; recruited by Nick Fury to stop a rogue AI controlled satellite that could potentially destroy the Earth. What Nick Fury didn’t tell the Hulk was the satellite was made by SHIELD and had gotten away from their control. Anyway, the Hulk did what he does best, “smash”, and Nick Fury’s problem goes bye-bye. Then things take an interesting turn. At the end of last issue Fury seizes the opportunity and decides to dump the Hulk out in space. At the start of issue #92, Nick Fury and the rest of the “Illuminati” (Reed Richards, Dr. Strange, Tony Stark, Black Bolt, Professor X, see past issues of the “New Avengers” for more info on them) inform Dr. Banner the world is safer with him off the planet, so they have decided to exile him to another world void of and sentient beings but lush with vegetation and a breathable atmosphere. Needless to say, the Hulk is gets kinda PO’d and starts to smash, sending the ship off course. He ends up crashing on an inhabited planet, and is captured by its residents and is quickly made a slave. Then the Hulk is forced to fight as a gladiator, and after kicking much a$# he squares off against the emperor of the planet and defiantly whups on him, until he is overcome by someone in body armor. As punishment, the Hulk is sent to the “maw”, a place where gladiators train (but mostly get killed), and this leads us to issue #93. It appears the planet is in turmoil, and its dissidents receive word of the “green man” who faced off with the emperor. Meanwhile the Hulk goes through “the maw” with ease, smashing like you wouldn’t believe and becoming unwillingly associated with a ragtag group of gladiators who fight through the maw with him. Tales of his exploits spread, and revolution comes knocking on the Hulk’s door…

So the Hulk is back, he is bad a$#ed and smashing up some sh$#. There is really not much else I can (at least not as eloquently). So pick up the book. Get the trade of Way’s first storyline (I’m sure it will be out shortly). The Hulk, at least in my opinion, is back to being a “must read” title again.

****************************

And for b_l_c's good/bad/ugly review please check here:

http://www.statueforum.com/showthread.php?t=25695

[wktf]

Most comic book fanboys love company crossovers. Seeing their favorite heroes from different companies meet, possibly butt heads and even battle, and team up to save the day is a paradigm busting event. And these company crossovers have a pretty long history. Did you know the very first crossover was NOT the famous first pairing of Superman and Spider-Man in 1976 but, rather, DC and Marvels’ tabloid sized Wizard of Oz story from 1975? And, most certainly, some crossovers have been better than others, and there’ve been some great ones, primarily between Marvel and DC. John Byrne’s pairing of Batman and Captain America immediately comes to mind as does the Walt Simonson drawn meeting of the X-Men and Teen Titans from 1981. The Batman/Daredevil story drawn by Scott McDaniel is longer on art (and what great art!) than it is on story but, still, it’s a fun read due to as much to the well crafted tension between the two lead characters as to the art. For our money, though, for sheer epic heart-stopping grandeur no one needs look any further than the four part JLA/Avengers crossover by Kurt Busiek and George Perez (seriously, if you don’t own it then buy the oversized HC features-laden slipcase edition). Sure, the story’s a bit contrived and, at times, even lackluster, but the sheer joy oozing from Perez’s explosive art as he eventually draws nearly every character in both company’s storied history is an absolute wonder of comic book storytelling goodness. Anyway, moving on. For this week’s reviews, across this vast spectrum of comic book company crossovers, here are two for your consideration.

Wktf’s Review

Batman versus Predator The Collected Edition
DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics
Written by: Dave Gibbons
Drawn by: Andy Kubert
Inked by: Adam Kubert

This story goes way back to 1991 and was one of the earliest and absolutely one of the best of comics’ company crossover events. It seems that, after the earliest two Superman/Spider-Man, Batman/Hulk and X-Men/Teen Titans pairings, Marvel and DC decided to call crossovers with each other quits for a while. As a result, the first issue of this three-part series broke on the comics scene with no real forewarning (no newsarama.com back then, after all) and fans greedily gobbled it up. Indeed, this was an inspired DC pairing with an up-and-coming competitor (pretty inspired for Dark Horse, too, who probably could have used the notoriety DC’s more famous guest star would give them). Two of popular fiction’s ultimate hunters, but one clearly a hero while the other clearly a villain, improbably facing off in Gotham City. Really, who’d have thought it possible? Fans loved it.

It’s a cold, rainy night in Gotham and, while two heavyweight boxers are competing for the title, two mob bosses (each of whom owns one of the fighters) and their gangs are warring with each other as well. Commissioner Gordon is dealing both with the havoc these criminal factions are wreaking on his already dirty streets and with a weak and crooked mayor who’s more concerned about his public image and keeping his skids greased than anything else. But this collection of big time powerhouses, from the boxers to the mob bosses to the mayor and commissioner, leads the galaxy’s biggest time hunter to Gotham for the city’s most powerful prey to kill. And the bonus for the Predator’s grotesque trophy collection, one he maybe didn’t necessarily count on but becomes his primary target, is Gotham’s greatest warrior.

This is a scary book, as much as a comic book can be. The Kubert brothers (Adam won a 1991 Eisner Award for his inks on this book) make Gotham a truly dark and dirty city. Its inhabitants are filthy and crooked. And, between Gibbons and the Kuberts, Batman is handled beautifully. The Dark Knight is powerful and brooding, loyal to his friends, a weapons and tacticians expert, and a driven strategist, hunter and fighter. But we also are shown how Batman’s brilliant brain works at it’s best. While the police are baffled by the string of brutally savage killings, Batman’s mind is iterating on possible albeit improbable conclusions the various clues from these deaths yield. And these creators make the Predator the supremely powerful and dangerous hunter he should be. Eventually, the two man-hunters begin circling each other, and one of comics’ most brilliant and bloody battles between two combatants unfolds and evolves across three very tightly crafted chapters, all blended together in this single collected volume. At first Batman clearly is so far in over his head that it nearly costs him his life, and the first two parts of this work belong squarely to the Predator. How Batman combines all the skills and capabilities at his command to even give himself a fighting chance puts this story at the top of nearly any Batman tale in or out of DC continuity. Also captured in this volume are splash page-size concept art pages of this inspired match up by such artistic talents as Mike Kaluta, Tim Sale, Walt Simonson, Joe Kubert, John Byrne, Steve Rude, Sam Keith and Mike Mignola. Seriously, this is one crossover trade book that no Predator fans or Bat collectors should be without.

Sam Wilson’s Review

Marvel/Top Cow Crossovers
Marvel and Top Cow Comics
Written by: Various people including David Wohl and Warren Ellis
Drawn by: Various people including Mark Silvesteri, David Finch and Michael Turner

As for as the ‘90’s are concerned, many comic fans would like to forget that decade. In the beginning we had “gimmick” covers; die-cut, sparkly, lenticular, all that crap. In the late ‘90’s we had variant covers. Variants done ever freakin’ way imaginable, and one of the worset offenders of that “craze” was Top Cow comics. Top Cow studios was originally part of Image comics, with them from the get-go in fact way back in 1992 when Todd McFarlane, Jim Lee, Jim Valentino and Mark Silversteri (the founder of Top Cow) decided to split from away from the big two and form their own company, Image. Top Cow’s flagship title was Cyberforce, featuring such memorable characters as Stryker (the many armed dude) and Ballistic (big-titty gun carrying chick). Yeah, it lasted maybe a dozen issues. In the Late ‘90’s though Top Cow came back with a vengeance with it’s new flagship title Witchblade, which spun off into a TV show, action figures, and an is still spinning off with a anime on it’s way from Japan. Witchblade’s success can be attributed to two things, artist Michael Turner and the way he draws women, particularly the scantily clad lead in the book, Sarah Pezzini. From “Witchblade” we got the moderately successful “The Darkness”, and the even less so successful “Magdalena”, at one point Top Cow was popular enough to break away from it’s image Imprint, but has since gone back under the Image banner. Yeah, Top Cow had it’s heyday during the whole “bad girl” period in comics, and was never really known for story and characters as much as it was known for having scantily clad well drawn women with a goth kind of twist to it.

For some reason or another, at the height of its popularity Top Cow decided to do an inter-company crossover with Marvel comics (maybe because of Silvesteri’s history on the X-men, or maybe because Marvel wanted to make some money and ***** it’s characters out to Top Cow creators). Someone thought it was a good idea to use Mesphisto, and have him grow weary of the Marvel U, so he extending his reach to another dimension, this dimension being the Top Cow U, and then the powers that be let him wreck havoc. Yeah, there are some cool things like Michael Turner and Mark Silvesteri drawing Wolverine, Witchblade and Elektra, and other cool things like a Warren Ellis Ballistic and Ghost Rider story that I think he even said was done as a favor and he hated every minute of it. Then the rest of it pretty much sucks. There are a couple of non-“Devil’s Reign” crossover issues stuck in there, a Pitt/Hulk one-shot and a Wolverine/Witchblade wedding one-shot, but other than the art those pretty much suck to.

So if you are a fine of cool art spend $24.99 and get this readily in print book, but if you want an actually entertaining tpb, buy the book my partner reviewed. Trust me.

[Kdawg59]

HELL YEAH BOYS!!!

Great reviews this week... And Joe how you can not be in awe of daredevil??? Pick of the week is right man... I read this last night and actually felt the power of this issue. I'm so used to Maleev's art that Lark's is a great similar yet different feel...

This book is off the charts lately...

[Kdawg59]

Oh and hey Sammy... How is the art in Catwoman... you've got me interested...

[bat_collector]

Originally Posted by Kdawg59

Oh and hey Sammy... How is the art in Catwoman... you've got me interested...

The art is ok, but Adam Hughes is still doing covers.

Oh, and I'm just replying mainly to bump this thread up over rob liefield. Lets lock that thread!

[Kdawg59]

seriously...

He is the epitome of the 90's comics crash...


Thursdays belong to the reviews...

[Aarrgghh!!]

Great reviews guys. I almost gave up on S. Supreme due to it leaving Max, the re-launch and the spin-off's, but I picked this issue up and loved the art and the story is strong. JMS is so much stronger with his own universe than an established one (i.e. the Gwen cluster F**k)

[Eye of Agamotto]

Awesome reviews WKTF, if you had one comic that you just could not live without reading month in month out which one would you choose of the current titles?

[wktf]

Originally Posted by Eye of Agamotto

Awesome reviews WKTF, if you had one comic that you just could not live without reading month in month out which one would you choose of the current titles?

Thanks, EoA, Kdawg and others throwing compliments our way!

EoA, tough question. Among the current ongoing titles, as big a Captain America fan as I am, and how much I like what's going on now with the Superman and Batman titles, I'd say it's GOT to be Daredevil.

Bats, hmmm, kind of a strange reason to reply to this thread. There's nothing going on within these reviews on which you'd like to comment? Don't feel like you have to bump us, after all.