Comics of the Week - For Better or Worse

Sometimes, I can't be so positive about what I read. Two books this week were not to my liking and I think one is getting cut off my list. But I guess that's balanced out by the fact that most of the other books I read were outstanding.

I'll get the bad out of the way, first. I loved the first couple of issues of Action Comics after the reboot. It really felt to me like Morrison was making Superman relevant by going back to the Golden Age version of the character. It was a down to earth Superman who wasn't the big hero and still learning the ropes. However, the series slowly started getting into areas that were losing me. So the last few issues, I've just been giving them a chance because, well, it's Morrison, and I know you usually have to give him time to cook. But I think I've completely lost interest in the meal at this point. I don't know whether or not I can say this was a bad issue. I'm sure for fans of the Legion this wasn't as convoluted as it seemed to me. It's not even that I had a hard time following what was happening, as much as that I just wasn't engaged enough to care. Although, the concept of having Superman's enemies create a tesseract inside Superman's brain so they can hide where he'd never find them is not only pure Morrison, it's just awesome. But crazy concepts aren't enough to keep me reading, so I think I'm out.

I've sung many praises about Rick Remender on Uncanny X-Force. And I will likely sing many more. But the current arc will likely not be included in those ballads. Interestingly, this arc is also focused on some crazy concepts, this time involving Otherworld, which I guess is an in between dimension in which the Captain Britain Corps police reality? That's the thing. I think the success of the previous issues is that Remender was able to use existing history and ideas without alienating readers who may not be familiar with them. But this time, it's distancing. I know there's a lot of fighting going on, but I'm not entirely sure who's who. Not helping in this case, is the art by Greg Tocchini. I can get behind non-traditional comic art, but maybe because it's combined with a story that isn't working for me, in this case, the art made the story that much harder to follow. It's interesting to read comments on the Internets on this issue because Tocchini's art is clearly a love it or hate it deal. As usual, I can't land on either side of an extreme like or dislike of it, but I do know it's not working for me on this book. What kept me reading, though, was the characterizations by Remender. He knows how to write these characters and that is why I will stick around. They can't all be winners.

A few months ago, I was considering dropping Invincible. Not because it was bad. I just thought maybe I had read all I needed to read about Mark and company. I could always come back to it and catch up in a few years, instead of reading month to month. But then, last month, Kirkman pulled me back in. This issue went further and now I'm hooked all over again. One thing about Kirkman's books is that nothing is ever to be taken for granted. Not in Walking Dead and not in Invincible. The stakes are always high because anything can happen. Hell, he disintegrated Las Vegas a few issues back, with no fanfare. It was just something that happened in an issue. Something like that happens over at DC or Marvel and it's a two year event with 600 issues of everyone's point of view. But anyway, here we have Allen the Alien coming to wipe out the Viltrumites in hiding on Earth with a virus that may or may not kill all the humans as well. The stand off leads to unexpected alliances and a confrontation that leads to a possible deadly fate for Mark. I could've been more vague, I guess. As usual, Ryan Ottley makes all of this seem like it's being born on the page, all by itself, in beautifully intricate lines. I'm not going anywhere, Invincible. How could I?

Some quick hits:

Animal Man brought us an issue that took a break from the main story without coming off like fill in. We get to watch Tights, the independent movie Buddy Baker stared in a few years ago. Well, we get to see most of it before the batteries on Cliff's phone run out. I was sucked into the movie and hope Lemire comes back to it at some point.

The last issue of Corrina Bechko and Gabriel Harman's Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes was right on. It really served to set up and expand on the world and characters of the original movies, right before Taylor crashes back to Earth. I am more than a little excited for their next Apes mini-series and wonder if it will pick up from here or if it will be a new story. In either case, more, please.

I've been enjoying Swamp Thing, but this is by far, the best issue yet. The action was ramped up here and it really feels like we are now in the middle of some high stakes stuff. Snyder does his usual great work with Marco Rudy on art for this issue. As in past issues, I love that the layouts are part of the tone of the story, working like vines and sort of winding into each other.

Comics of the Week - Why Comic Shops Are Great

It's not easy to creep me out with a comic book. I'm not talking about shock, that's easy and, ultimately, passing. To be creeped out means the image, situation, etc, really gets under your skin and unnerves you in some way. It's powerful and lingers after you've put the book down. That's Animal Man #2. Jeff Lemire and Travel Foreman take what they set up in the first issue and pick right up where they left off. Buddy's daughter has brought dead animals to life and Buddy now has a bloody map tattooed on his face and chest. Foreman's art puts you on edge for every frame. His figures are not conventional, which is only heightened by his odd angles, and while that may be something that turns people off in some cases, it could not be more appropriate for this story where something is not right. We're in a world where there are things unseen under the surface, but apparently not hidden. What's great about this is that it's horror that manages to be surreal and yet very much grounded in character and real life. We can go from absolutely insane moments where a little girl plays with dead animals and jump to her little brother filming it with his iPhone because it's so cool. Lemire is striking a perfect balance here to make this my favorite book of the relaunch so far.

Last week's Superman #1 was interminable. There were about 12 billion words in it, most of them narrations of exactly what we were seeing in the panels. You can call that a throwback, but I call it redundant. And in a world where we have Action Comics written by Grant Morrison, it's hard to imagine any other Superman title not being redundant. Issue #2 is actually stronger than #1 was, picking up after Superman has been captured by the government and is being experimented on by Luthor. One of the tings that makes this great is that we get to see more of what makes Luthor tick and by the end of it, we aren't even sure anymore. Is he really as anti-alien as he is making himself out to be or is he just power hungry or both? Is he just a pawn? And then we have the development of Superman himself. I like how he was just biding his time, recovering and studying his captors before making his escape. And since his powers aren't fully developed, the escape is not as simple as you'd think. This title takes place about 5-6 years before the other books in the DCnU, but really, it doesn't matter that we know Superman will eventually be in the Justice League and all that. Here, it's so fresh and new and filled with possibility, that it feels open. I kind of wish this was the only Superman in the DCU right now. Let the character develop naturally, over time.

Once in a while I pick up a book based on a recommendation on the spot from my buddy Ben at Florida Supercomics. A couple of these were Demon Knights and Aquaman. So, you see, he's got a good record with me. So when he told me yesterday that Huntress #1, by Paul Levitz was good, I picked it up. I've always liked Huntress, at least in theory, even though I haven't necessarily read every story, so this wasn't a hard sale for me. And at the end of the day, Ben was right again. This was a really solid book.Very straightforward, but well told with great art by Marcus To. It's a basic Huntress story, where she goes to Italy to investigate some mysterious shipments that are being sent to Gotham. She uncovers a gun running and sex trafficking ring and goes after them with a mix of undercover work and just plain ass kicking that doesn't get bogged down in any continuity issues and makes you forget the reboot all together. It's just fun comics. What's more, it's a female action hero that's not half naked, a big plus after all the recent controversy. I'm happy I got this and will be picking up the rest of this 6 issue mini-series. And while I'm curious as to how it will fit in the continuity of the new DCnU, I may be happier if it's never even addressed.

Comics of the Week

One good thing about the DC reboot is that, at least this week, it was a great week for comics. That's not to say everything was a winner, but it was interesting and varied with a good chance that something would stick. Fresh takes and good set ups.

The thing about Grant Morrison is that while he can go to really trippy, surreal and nearly impossible to understand places, he can also get to the heart of what makes a character tick in a mythological sense. With Action Comics #1, he is going to the roots of Superman and doing what no one has been able to do in who knows how long now. For years I've heard (and often said) that Superman was irrelevant, too powerful, outdated, boring, etc. Something had to be done to make the character interesting again. Many attempts have been made to make him hip and relevant, but they all just tried to modernize him and mostly missed the point entirely. Morrison goes back to the forgotten roots here, giving us a Superman on the streets, without all his god-like powers yet, living on the edge in a world that fears him. From the pieced together costume to the attitude, I think this is the right way to develop the character into something that can once again be a character we can relate to. As expected, this is one of my favorite #1's and I will definitely be reading this each month.

Speaking of Morrison, his run on Animal Man in the 80's is a prime example of how a creator can take a character you normally may not be interested in and hook you. But now it's Jeff Lemire's turn and he not only brings it, he brings it to another level. This was easily my favorite of the #1's this week, and as the internets can attest, I'm not alone. Lemire is one of the best writers working today and this is a perfect example of what he does. It's a superhero story, it's a family drama, it's a horror tale, it's all of that and more. Right from the opening prose section that gives us a background on the character in a way that doesn't feel forced, it's clear Lemire is bringing a little piece of the meta aspects of Morrison's run, but making it his own. By the last page, it's something else entirely that had me say out loud "Yeah, I'm in." The art by Travel Forman is also a standout. It's clean and odd and beautiful. It makes you uneasy and captivates you all at once, which is perfect for this material. I almost didn't pick this up, because although I like Lemire, I'm not a huge Animal Man guy, but now, I can't wait for the next issue.

When the reboot titles and creative teams were announced, my biggest disappointment was probably that Scott Snyder was off Detective Comics and moved to Batman. As I've said, his run on Detective is legendary already. Instead, we get Tony Daniels, writing and drawing Detective Comics and based on his work on the Batman title before the reboot, I was not excited. I have to say, this issue was better than that. His art was never the issue, and here it is good as always, if not better. It's clear, however, that he either is getting better at the storytelling or his editors have stepped up to address some of the previous problems. The story itself is a basic Joker vs. Batman affair, with the Joker in his serial killer persona. That's all well and good. The last image is what is apparently setting something up that really could be interesting even if we have no idea at this point what it could be. Overall, though, this issue is definitely geared for the new reader. Some of the dialogue, for those of us who know Batman and have read him for years, comes off a little hokey. To someone who's never read Batman, though, I could see it working. I can't fault Daniels for that, but this may not be my Batman book. Still, I want to see where he's going with the Joker here.

Here's a book I only read because of the creator, and almost didn't. Scott Snyder's Swamp Thing may or may not hook me on the character, but that doesn't mean I won't be reading this book. At this point, if Snyder publishes a grocery list, I will consider reading it. I can't even really put my finger on exactly what makes his work excellent, but I think it's a combination of elements. Some writers you can say they are really good at this one thing, whether it's overall emotion, character, a specific genre, action, etc. With Snyder, it's a complete package type of thing that just stands out somehow. His work is somehow character driven and plot driven at the same time. It's brimming with mood and emotion and things happen organically. It doesn't hurt that he's paired with great artists who can tell a visual story with all the elements, like Yanick Paquette does in this issue. Like Animal Man, this is a horror story, but it is more than that. The word is that this will actually cross over with Animal Man and the idea of Lemire and Snyder working together on a big story boggles my mind. I'm on board with this.

Action Comics 900

Superman's return to Action Comics in #900 has been getting a lot of press for the one little back up story where he renounces his citizenship. Personally, I don't see why that is so controversial. He's Superman. He's not even human. Much more interesting is another short story that appears in the issue by Damon Lindelof and Ryan Sook, titled Life Support.

All Star Superman

Superman: Birthright

In just about every version of Superman's origin, Jor El was alone in trying to save Krypton and building the ship to send off Kal El, his only son, was a last ditch effort to preserve Kryptonian culture. The obvious question here is how much of what he did was really to preserve the culture and how much was just a father trying to save his son. In the Action Comics piece, Lindelof gives us a different take on it that raises new questions and casts a different tone on what the rest of Krypton may have felt towards the end.

Action Comics 900

Jor El has to outsource the creation of the life support module for the ship. He brings in a man to do the job and has to explain to him why it is needed. The story is a little ambiguous about how much the man knows going in to this job interview. It seems like the rumors of the end of the world are out at this point, and there is a certain gloom hanging over the planet. Jor El is the only one that knows for sure, and he clarifies it to the man that the world is ending. Asking him to help save his son, in order to preserve everything they are is a big thing to ask. Why Jor El's son and not someone else's is not an issue that is brought up in this short piece, but it is something that I would love to see in an expanded version of this story. One assumes Jor El, who in this appears to be the head of a corporation of some sort, would have to contract several people for different aspects of the ship and the technology that carries the vast amount of information.Would he have to convince them all that Kal El is the right one to send? What if they refuse?

Action Comics 900

The most compelling aspect of this story is the man he contracts and his reaction. It's not that original to portray people at the end of the world or just being resigned to some horrible fate. But in this case, it's that, plus the concept that he has now agreed to save someone else's child. That in order to do this, he won't be able to spend their last few days of life with his daughter.The last few panels of the story were very moving in this context. I say, again, I would love to see an expanded version of this story. I think it hits a very human place.

 

Action Comics 900

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 Vol. 6

Moving right along, this volume opens up with the best pick up line ever.

Straight and to the point. Kei doesn't play around. But what's great about this line is that while it would be easy to pass this off as some male fantasy type of thing where you could just proposition girls and it being this objectifying situation, it's actually quite the opposite. It reveals his vulnerability more than anything. "Let me" he says. Begging. And what does he get for this?

And, the actuall deed is pretty hot, by the way. So, good for Kei. And this whole thing, which could just be a throw away, is actually a good set up for the boldness he shows in the chapter later on when it's alien killing time.

It's the Hero's Journey. Going into the Gantz world is crossing the threshold between worlds. Kei has accepted his role as the Hero. Each time they go through it, there's bound to be further transformation of the Hero. Interestingly, though, Kato is more concerned with the safety and survival of the group, particularly the new arrivals. Also, the one religious figure to show up was not only proven wrong, but he was killed while praying. So the whole mythological idea is being played with here in interesting ways. This is exactly the type of thing I love.

Speaking of the mythology of the hero, tomorrow is new comics day. Out this week will be Action Comics #899 by Paul Cornell and Pete Woods. This is the last issue featuring Lex Luthor, as Superman returns to Action Comics next month. Featuring Luthor, to me, has been much more interesting than having Superman in the book. The problem being that Superman's heroic journey was completed the minute he became Superman. This is basically true of all superheroes, but with the more iconic ones, even more so because the comic book companies won't (and realistically, can't) change them too much. So the character's remain the same, for the most part. I'll expand on this in a future post. But for now, do yourself a favor and go back and read the whole run of Action Comics featuring Lex Luthor, starting with issue 890. It's actually a lot of fun.