SDM’s Sneaks of the Week 2/21/05

Credit goes to Gambit for the rhyming title. If it makes you cringe, blame him.

A new addition to this review column will be the “Quick Picks” (I came up with that rhyming gem myself), which will be short reviews of comics I read during work but didn’t end up buying.

Best of the week: Astonishing X-Men #13 (9/10)
Did anyone not see this coming? For its first six issues, Joss Whedon and John Cassaday’s Astonishing X-Men was easily the best superhero comic being produced by any company, and in its second arc, lost some readers but stayed excellent in my opinion. During the inaugural run, I said to myself, “Self, if I had to drop my entire pull list except one comic, this would be the comic to keep.” So for all my intense love of this comic, I found that the release of issue thirteen snuck up on me like the revelation of Emma Frost’s allegiance to the new Hellfire Club way back in issue twelve (see how I worked that plot point in?). I wasn’t eagerly anticipating this comic like I have been with Infinite Crisis, Ultimates 2, and Superman/Batman, so it wasn’t until I actually opened the cover up and read the first page that I was reminded of why exactly Astonishing X-Men is, well, astonishing.

Whedon picks up the plot thread of the new Hellfire Club established on the closing page of the last issue to come out, exploring when it was exactly that Emma was approached to become a mole in the X-Men. This is a flashback to the pre-Morrison era X-Men, and Whedon deftly weaves in the connection, also explaining a development in Emma’s powers in this scene. Snap back to the present, where Wolverine trains a bunch of X-noobs in the dismantled Danger Room, Beast and Cyclops discuss each others’ secret lives, and Kitty Pryde and Colossus try to reconcile their feelings for each other. Whedon’s knack for characterization shines here as he treats us to a day in the life of the X-Men, capturing Kitty’s character best as she tries to sort out her relationship with Colossus. We get a few more scenes of the Hellfire Club and S.W.O.R.D. (the S.H.I.E.L.D. counterpart established in the first arc of this book), and an ending that is as sexy as it is confusing, with a surprise for Cyclops.

Cassaday conveys everything beautifully with his detailed art and talent for facial expressions, giving us proud and arrogant Emma, awkward and scared Kitty, brooding Scott, haughty Hank, and cocky Logan. Laura Martin’s coloring takes the art to the next level as she washes everything in a brilliant mixture of color and shadow to make everything more realistic. What more needs to be said? I think everyone gets how good of an artist Cassaday is at this point.

Astonishing X-Men #13 is an important reminder of why Joss Whedon is such a good writer, with his expert dialogue and plotting complementing John Cassaday’s brilliant artwork. This is an excellent jump-on point for readers because it’s a new story, and if one has to pick up the two trades out of the previous stories, then they’ll be reading two great trades in order to understand a great comic. The bi-monthly schedule of this title is a little annoying, but at least Marvel is being upfront about the time it takes to produce an issue. Count me on board for the rest of what is sure to be one of the best runs on Marvel’s favorite mutants of all-time.

Best of the rest:

Ultimate Hulk vs. Wolverine #2 (of 6) (8/10)

While the first issue of this much-hyped series from Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof and Superman: Birthright artist Lenil Francis Yu focused on Wolverine, the second issue is spent explaining what Bruce Banner has been up to since being left for dead way back in Ultimates 2 #4 after being convicted for killing six hundred plus New York citizens. Banner’s story is told with some morbid humor, leading all the way to the temple where he was found by Wolverine at the end of issue one. While many of the scenes of this issue are repetitive if not funny, the penultimate flashback offers a spin on the Banner/Hulk dichotomy that could be one of the best Ultimizations done thus far if carried out properly. It was enough to make me go “Whoa” in my best Keanu impersonation, and definitely lent more weight to the otherwise sparse plot.

Lenil Yu’s art is very sketchy with a lot of cross-hatching, but not in a 90’s way like Jim Lee and Marc Silvestri. It’s a style that I haven’t gotten quite used to yet, but the art here is a big improvement over the last issue, where Yu had to relegate his big-screen action-packed technique to showing facial expressions and emotions, something he isn’t too great at. Fortunately here, we get lots of wide shots and explosions showcasing his skill, and while there are some talking head scenes here, the layout is more inspired than the six-grid pages employed previously. With most of the exposition out of the way, Yu’s art should get even better in issue three, when the fight between the emerald giant and the surly Canadian will actually begin.

I like that this mini is obviously tied into Ultimate continuity instead of just being a vehicle for a big-name creator to do whatever the hell he wants (Orson Scott Card and Ultimate Iron Man, I’m looking at you), and Lindelof has shown a real love for getting into what makes these characters tick so far. The current plot of Wolverine fighting Hulk is moving at a Lost-like pace (for non-fans, that means it’s slow beyond slow), but a lot has happened to build up that story so it will explode at us the next issue. Definitely recommended.

Legion of Superheroes #15 (7/10)
This issue reads as a recap of the Legion’s past as the title prepares for the One Year Later jump (Supergirl and the Legion of Superheroes, I await you with bated breath). It pays homage to the many incarnations that have been retconned away over the past, as civilian members of the Legion share their interpretation of the team’s history. One take on the Legion is a Silver Age-styled adventure in which Braniac 5, Element Lad, Bouncing Boy, and Duplicate Damsel assist members of the JLA and the JSA, whereas another is a tale from the Giffen/Levitz team featuring Wildfire, Tyroc, and Dawnstar as they combat the Secret Society of Supervillains. The last tale is a look at the original Crisis on Infinite Earths that has the Legion intervening, but did they really intervene? Did Wildfire and Dawnstar exist even though they aren’t on the current team? What’s the real story? A mysterious character offers his interesting perspective on the situation considering his storied past with the Legion, and I found his view to be introspective and touching. The art by fill-in artist Pat Oliffe is a little uninspired, but it gets the job done. Also present is an amusing letter column where every member on the current team is explained, with some funny moments included by Waid.

I wasn’t immediately attracted by this issue because I’m unfamiliar with a lot of the Legion’s past; however, there was enough explanation and rumination here that I couldn’t help but be interested. If you’re a fan of the old-school Legion, this issue is a must-read; if you’re a fan of the new-school Legion, then there’s enough to keep you engaged. This is a nice tribute to the past with plenty of consideration towards the future, and I have a feeling that despite my original groaning, Mark Waid has enough affection for the Legion to make the newly christened Supergirl and the Legion of Superheroes a good read.

Kind of good

JLA Classified #17 (6/10)

The events that transpire in this issue are mostly a mess. We get some insight into General Tuzik’s philosophy concerning war and his plans to combat the JLA as the team tries to help an afflicted Flash and figure out who or what is attacking them. Gail Simone doesn’t display her trademark snappiness, and without her quick dialogue and humor, her writing becomes lost. I’ve heard Jose Garcia-Lopez touted as a legendary artist, one of the best of all-time, but honestly, either he’s overrated or a bad combination with inker Klaus Janson. The art starts out choppy in the beginning and degenerates into something sloppier and messier in the end, with ugly cross-hatching and uninspired coloring flooding every page. With careless art and a story that doesn’t go much of anywhere by the end of the issue, this arc is off to a poor start, and it is definitely the weakest of all the stories so far in JLA Classified. So why does this get a 6? Because I have enough faith in Simone that she will pull this story from the funk it’s currently in to deliver something that reads great by the end. The premise is certainly interesting enough, and hopefully Garcia-Lopez and Janson will tighten up in the issues to come.

Quick Picks

Amazing Spider-Man #529 (8/10):
An entertaining story by J. Michael Stracynzski and solid art by new series artist Ron Garney that introduces the new “Iron Spidey” costume and sets up future events in Marvel’s upcoming event, Civil War. A fourth-wall breaching explanation of a continuity gaffe in the previous The Other event makes for big laughs to this issue that is otherwise a day in the life of the new and improved Spider-Man. A great jumping-on point.

Captain America #15 (9/10): Wonder what Crossbones has been up to all this time with the Red Skull’s daughter? The answer shown here by Ed Brubaker and fill-in artist Mike Perkins (I want to say that’s his first name, but I can’t be sure) is a bit chilling, and there will undoubtedly be a few giant wrenches thrown in Cap’s life in the next few issues. Perkins is a capable substitute for Steve Epting, but the obvious strong part of this issue is Brubaker’s rock-solid take on the Captain America mythos, as he embraces previous continuity while firmly moving forward. This issue is also an excellent jumping-on point for anyone who has been interested in this title but hasn’t been sure when to check it out.

Storm #1 (of 6) (5/10): This issue takes us back into Storm’s past to shed some more light on her beginnings as a thief. We get some glimpses into early manifestations of her weather-controlling powers and temperament despite a fairly weak plot set-up. I hope comics newcomer Eric Jerome Dickey ditches the lame story of revenge quickly and instead gets into the good stuff with Black Panther, who is absent from this issue. An uninspired beginning to a much-hyped event.

X-Men #183 (6/10): This issue would be better if I liked Apocalypse, I’m sure. There’s a nonsensical plot point involving his blood and desperate mutants as he wages war on the X-Men, introducing his new Horsemen. Sunfire’s Age of Apocalypse costume makes its long-awaited return, and one of the X-Men is apparently turning traitor. Artist Salvador Larocca has a new colorist or inker or something, because his art is a lot more dream-like and a lot more pleasurable to my eyes in this issue. Give me Astonishing X-Men any day over this competent but inadequate story.

E-mail me any comments at thegreatmachine@gmail.com.

5 Comments:

Blogger ULI/KFP said...

Nice stuff, although you could probably leave out even more detail if you want to be truly "spoiler free". (Ie: the "snap back to the present" section.

Also, I suggested to HouseT that he list all the issues at the top that he's going to review, so people know what's in there without having to scroll through the whole thing.

This is really good stuff.

9:10 PM  
Blogger Gambit898 said...

Intresting about Legion.

May have to try it out again.

11:11 PM  
Blogger Almeister112 said...

I thought Yu's art on UWvsH was actually really good. His Hulk looks awesome. And li'l Steve was just awesome.

One quick review from me: Batman 650. The story is good, but the art is pretty damned iffy, and I thought the dialogue was pretty bad at times. Way too many exclamation points tended to kill the dramatic moments for me.

4:57 PM  
Blogger ULI/KFP said...

^^^ I agree totally, very poor art, and all in all a sub-par finish to the Red Hood arc. I much prefer Mahnke, although even his work seemed kinda sketchy on #649. Winick has a very by-the-numbers end to the whole thing, a real let down considering I was raving about this arc around #646-647.

10:21 PM  
Blogger Almeister112 said...

I thought the finish in terms of story was good, and I thought the dialogue and interactions had the potential to be excellent. It was just executed very badly. Jason toying with Bruce's morals was great, and we also got to see that Jason isn't all bad. But the dialogue and art kept it from greatness, which I really think it could have achieved.

11:55 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home