Comics of the Week

Morning Glories #9 went back and covered what happened to Jun during the events of the first issues when he snuck out of the dorm on his own, and uses this to give us his back story. There are twists throughout, and while none of them are necessarily shocking, the overall story is very well told. Nick Spencer has demonstrated that he knows when to drop pieces of the puzzle and use them to reveal character and depth. Joe Esima's art is masterful. The pages really do come alive. I would love to see this series in an animated version, using Esima's art. There really wasn't one moment in the book I could single out, as the whole issue was just very well put together. I highly recommend getting on board with this series from issue 1.

Detective Comics #876 starts a new story arc with a mystery. A killer whale carcass is found in the lobby of a bank one morning and Commisioner Gordon calls in Dick Grayson (not Batman) to help with the investigation. The story, I'm sure, will progress beautifully in the hands of Snyder as we continue to learn about Gordon's son and Dick's past. There are no complaints about the writing here. But this issue is about the art. Jock is a master. There's really no other way to say it. Turning a page to find this image made me stop and just stare for a bit.

My return to Marvel continues with FF#2. It turns out Hickman isn't all about high concept (Pax Romana, S.H.I.E.L.D.). Here, he demonstrates his ability to play with characters. It's a high compliment that I've never read Fantastic Four or really cared too much about them, but reading this series, it all still rings true. The chemistry of these characters is very clear, and makes me want to see more of their interactions, both negative and positive. Here, Doom has been brought in by one of Reed's children. The mission is to cure Doom, who apparently had suffered a great reduction in his brain (I believe this happened during the Fall of the Hulks storyline). Hickman and Epting manage to put you in the room for every moment, no matter how subtle. I don't know how they manage it, but I can hear the pauses in this exchange, even though there are no wordless panels in it.

Manga for the Comics Guy - Gantz Vols. 11-12

If Gantz is like a video game, then the themes being explored in these volumes are larger than a simple Sci Fi story. What lengths will players go to, to get the high of the game? At what point does violence in a game affect a player in the real world? We've heard all the arguments before. Here, it's not in your face, though. But it's hard not to think of it when a massacre at this scale happens and we get lingering shots of the very real victims.

We're also still on the trust train, watching the threads come together. Characters that were introduced, like the strange fighter and the kids with super powers, come into play here. What will happen to them in the Gantz world remains to be seen. What I really want to see is what the super powers have to do with Gantz.

 
For a section of story that had so much going on, there's not really much to say. I think this is because the threads are still not apparent. We have the pieces in place but not not enough is revealed yet to really understand where it's going. We know Izumi was hellbent on getting back to the Gantz room, where he had apparently already earned his 100 points. His victims are there with him, but they don't yet know who he is. That alone is enough tension to propel any story forward, without all the mysteries about Gantz itself. There are so many questions of what comes next right now, that it's mind boggling.

And, speaking of what comes next, many great comics out today. No surprise by now that I'm excited for the Walking Dead, but also, Action Comics 900 sees the return of Superman to Action Comics. Morning Glories #8 may reveal some more about Morning Glories Academy. FF #2: Doctor Doom joins the FF!?  Good week for comics.

Manga for the Comics Guy: Gantz Vols. 3 and 4

It's getting harder to tell where one volume ends and the other begins. The breaks make for great cliffhangers, while at the same time, flowing as if there was no break.

It's basic Western comic book storytelling. Hell, it's basic serialized storytelling period. As a matter of fact, Grant Morrison's Batman, Inc. is currently taking the cliffhanger to a whole new level of awesome, by harking back to the cliffhangers of the good old days and the old Batman TV Series. So, basically, here's something manga and American comics have in common.

There are some moments of pure male adolescent sexual fantasy in this. This is fine, but I hope the characterization of the girl gets some more dimension soon or this will fall into being too stereotypical. How many times do we have to see her getting naked? And for that matter, how many guys have to try to rape her? Is this a common thing in Japan? I don't think so. There are hints of her being a bit more clever than we are seeing, which is a good sign.

I enjoyed the way the new characters were introduced in chapters that focused exclusively on the new characters and left me a little disoriented until the end. I almost wanted a few more chapters like this before getting back into the main plot and action.What you get from it is actually more of a sense of familiarity with the main characters when you get back. We've seen the technique many times in TV shows and I think it was very well done here.

While some questions were answered, a lot remains a mystery. And now that the one person who seemed to know is apparently dead, the stakes are even higher. Can't wait to get deeper into the mystery. Speaking of mysteries, today is new comic book day and out this week is Nick Spencer's Morning Glories #8, another great mystery that is slowly building.