House Rules! Week of 03/01/06

This week: Ms. Marvel #1 & Infinite Crisis #5. Also Sentinel, JSA, and Spider-Girl

Ms. Marvel #1

"Best of the Best"

Writer: Brian Reed
Art: Roberto de la Torre/Jimmy Palmiotti

Note-a-Quote: "And I sort of accidentally blasted him in the crotch. Seven times in the crotch." Carol Danvers (Somehow, 'ow' doesn't seem to convey it enough...)

Carol Danvers enjoys flying. Always has, always will. It just so happens that now she doesn't need a plane to do it.

Our story begins with Ms. Marvel swooping down to to stop the would-be armored car thief Stilt-Man. And if you have any knowledge of the history of Stilt-Man, then you know how this turns out.

As Carol recounts the story to her gal pal Jessica Drew, she's also forced to admit a rather unpleasant truth. As it turns out, Stilt-Man doesn't have a clue who Ms. Marvel is. Which as it turns out, is part of the problem. Carol continues recounting the rest of her day to J-Drew, which includes a trip to meet with P.R. consultant Sarah Day. Sarah declares herself a big fan of Carol's, but also notes that she may need to start small in her bid for a larger public image.

Jessica tries to point out that Carol doesn't need to put in all this work since she's already a hero, but Carol feels like she should be more than she is. Carol has had a "moment of clarity" as it were (Gee, I wonder where they got that phrase from...?). Jessica, noting that Carol seems genuinely determined to do this, gives her the go ahead.

Cut to... night time, and Ms. Marvel does what all good heroes do: she goes on patrol. Spotting a strange glowing object in the sky (and what other kinds of objects are there?), she gives chase. In a moment of weakness, Carol calls Captain America to see if he can lend a hand, but he's way to busy spreading the power of patriotism through kicks to the face. Cap suggests that Carol call the Fantastic Four, but Carol resigns herself to actually doing the solo thing solo.

But Carol has a new problem. The seemingly alien thing that she's chasing is about to crash into a small Georgia town. Carol rushes to the site of the impact, but is surprised as lasers seem to fire from the crater. After taking a direct hit and making her own crash landing, Carol drags herself back to her feet to discover the horrible truth: the town is being accosted by the alien Brood.

And to think Cap told her to call the FF when all along she needed to ring up the X-Men.

As good as Giant-Sized was a few weeks ago, this issue is even better. People completely unfamiliar with Carol Danvers can easily get up to speed on her current situation. But moreso than that, the groundwork for the series is laid out with solid storytelling. We have the almost cliched stopping of a robbery peppered with enough lighthearted moments to not make it so cliche. The introduction of supporting characters that make sense like Avengers Jessica Drew and Captain America adding not just hero clout but actual friendly advice to Carol's life. And you have Sarah Day, who to be fair really doesn't do much besides establish herself as existing on this side of the House of M world as well.

But all of those previous elements find ways to convey an overriding theme of the series thus far, which is Carol's quest to be more than she is. Whether it's not being recognized by a second string villain like Stilt-Man or having to explain to your best friend that you're really trying to be a better person now, all the story elements come together well.

Secondary story elements also help to frame the title. It's already been established that Carol's been dragged far from New York, that she's been deprived of her most reliable means of communication in her cell phone, and that the cavalry that would be the Avengers are more than tied up for the moment. So you get the impression that Carol truly is, for the time being, on her own to handle this threat. And as for the threat itself, the Brood make for an interesting choice. As stated before, the Brood are generally X-Men villains, so seeing them in this environment should make for some interesting story telling.

The art works well for the book and the story. The hang-ups I had about the art in Giant-Sized #1 don't appear to be present here. The women do still look old, but at least their faces aren't crammed with lines and edges (well, Sarah's is, but she is older than the other principals). Both Carol and Jessica look like older, but still rather attractive women, which as female superheroes go would seem to be the proper look for them. I'd almost refer to them as MILFs except for the fact that A) I'm pretty sure Jessica hasn't had any kids, B) I'm positive that I don't want to count Carol's giving birth to your age accelerated husband/kidnapper/other dimensional tormentor (long story...), and 3) I like comic characters and all, but I'm trying to cut back on just how much I like some of them. Helps to reduce the odd looks I get during discussions.

Some of the scenes have some very good set-ups as well. The little kids playing "New Avengers" all have the appropriate color schemes on their clothing to match their characters. Captain America looks almost too calm while talking on a cell phone and fighting Hydra goons (and am I the only one amused by the notion of Cap having a cell phone holder on his shield strap?). Carol looks incredibly tough, agile, and downright mundane, and manages those expressions at the appropriate times and places. And if such things appeal to you, the panel layouts help carry the story the images are telling.

Brian Reed and company have gotten this title off to a running start. If things keep going like this, it should have a long, healthy run ahead of it.

Story: 8/10 (As solid a shot out of the gate as you can get)
Art: 7/10 (Not always perfect, but good imagery all around)
Overall: 8/10 (#2 better not disappoint)


Infinite Crisis #5 (of 7)

"Faith"

Writer: Geoff Johns
Art: Phil Jimenez/Jerry Ordway/Ivan Reis/Andy Lanning/Art Thibert

Note-a-Quote: "Remember... everyone makes mistakes. Even Superman." -Diana Prince, Earth-Two Wonder Woman (Even Superman? Especially Superman. That SOB's screwing up right now...)

Okay, get your scorecards ready. And good luck keeping up with all of this.

Alex Luthor has made a split in the universe, forging two earths where there was one. Now then, does everyone remember their proper E1 and E2 designations? No? Me, neither. Just look at the pictures on the page until it comes back to you.

The heroes on Earth One are holding a vigil for all the heroes who are no longer there (either through death or being zonked to E2. All the heroes on E2 stand around and wonder where the heck they are. The notable exception is E2 Superman, who knows good and well where he is. He and E2 Lois celebrate having their world back, which subsequently has saved Lois.

Meanwhile on E1, Booster Gold and Jaime Reyes sneak into the Batcave. Okay, they sneak into the vicinity of the Batcave before being captured by Batman. Booster points out that Jaime is the new Blue Beetle, then "forces" Jaime to reveal his Beetle-ness. Booster lets Batman know that he's aware (based on historical records) that Batman plans to lead a team to attack the Brother Eye satellite. Booster also tells Batman that the attack is destined to fail since Brother Eye is cloaked. But Jaime will change all of that, because he's the only person on earth that can see Brother Eye.

From a hidden lab, E1 Lex Luthor watches as Superboy (I guess he'd be E1 Superboy) recover in a stasis pod. He notes that he's had a chance to look at his doppelganger's technology and that Superboy should do the same. Lex leaves a present for Conner in his costume, then leaves just before Conner wakes up.

Over on E2, E2 Supes and Lois' shiny happy day is wrecked when Lois suddenly falls ill again. Despite impending death and E2 Clark's frantic nature, Lois maintains a calm about her and passes gently away. E1 Supes hears E2 Supes cry of grief and jets off to find out what happened.
E1 Wonder Woman tries to break up a group of looters with limited success. She gets interrupted by the arrival of an invisble plane and Diana Prince AKA E2 Wonder Woman. Still with me? Hang in there.

On E2, E1 Supes finds his grief-ridden E2 counterpart. E2 Supes decides that E1 Supes (and his filthy E1 corruption) must be the reason Lois died and proceeds to attack E1 Supes. Alex Luthor continues to plot, seemingly unphased by the death of E2 Lois.

E2 Wonder Woman explains how she survived the end of her world, then tells E1 Wonder Woman that she has to help Superman. E2 WW drops off her E1 counterpart on Earth 2 and then fades into nonexistence. E2 Wonder Woman drops into the dueling Supermen and lassos E2 Supes. After a brief argument, E2 Supes finally realizes that things are not what they seem to be.

Meanwhile, Alex Luthor continues to plot his next move. The core earths have been re-established, but he needs the entire mulitverse back so he can sift through and find "the perfect Earth." Batman's team organizes to attack Brother Eye. The space forces led by Kyle Rayner and others prepare to try and stop Alex and his "giant space hands." Alex points out to Psycho Pirate that he needed E2 Superman alive because "everything comes from Superman." Alex then reroutes a beam through Brother Eye and zaps E1 Supes, which splits the internet in half.
Well, it splits Superman. And thus a kajillion other Earths begin to fill the sky.

On E1, Nightwing attempts to rally the heroes at Titans tower. Everyone that isn't dead or being zapped to other Earths is busy trying to keep the world from falling apart. Superboy is the only one able to arrive to help Nightwing, but at least Conner knows where it si they need to go.

In E2 Tokyo, Rising Sun and Dr. Light (female version) attempt to help people evacuate. Their efforts are interrupted by the sudden appearance of the Flash, who tells Dr. Light that they have to find the others and warn them, because he escaped and he's coming. Who escaped? Superboy Prime, all decked out in incredibly marketable battle armor. Oh, snap.

First, if you could keep up with all of that without having the benefit of having the book handy, then God bless you. There is a butt load of crap going on in this book. So much so that I'm not even going to try to comment on the specifics. As I said at the beginning, anyone who isn't secure in their Earth designations going in is going to be left scratching their heads. Heck, I had to double-check my descriptions in my own summary a few times.

My main complaint with this book is that there's way, way too much going on at one time. Mind you, there's always been a lot going on. And a good deal of it gets expanded upon in other titles so it may not feel necessary to expand upon it in the main book, but... jeez. In this day and age of decompression, it's interesting that Infinite Crisis attempts to cram so much detail into an issue. It ends up just half a panel short of overload, and that can hamper the enjoyment of it.

Art-wise, there's lots of great images to be had. The image of E2 Superman lofting a car over his head is no doubt an homage to the early Action Comics cover. Another thing that caught my eye was Diana Prince's invisible plane... not jet, plane. And finally, I liked the notion of one of the multiverse Earths being square (although I have no clue how that would work in reality without using the word "Hypertime"). All in all, the visuals complement the story, matching its breakneck pace picture for word.

So basically, the multiverse is back... for now, at least. The stage is set for the various final charges into battle to begin, and the biggest, toughest brat on the face of the earth is back to terrorize again. Yikes. And this has to wrap up in two issues? For better or worse, I don't expect the pace to slow down at all.

Story: 5/10 (Okay, but the information overload hurts the story at times.)
Art: 6/10 (Deliberately old school, but good imagery.)
Overall: 6/10 (Any more info and I'll need to use a Venn diagram to keep up. Woo! Venn diagram!)


House Shots

Sentinel #5 (of 5)

"Reborn"

Writer: Sean McKeever
Art: Joe Vriens/Scott Hepburn

The Skinny: In this final issue, Justin and his Sentinel pal have a final throwdown with the evil stealth Sentinel prototype. They win the day, establish their independence, and head on to a brave, new world where they hope to make amends for their past mistakes.

My Take: I can't explain why I like Sentinel. Maybe it's because it's just a simple story about a boy and his robot. Maybe it's because despite the playful schoolyard antics that can abound in the title, there's still a darker edge that breaks through now and again. Maybe it's just a well written title with colorful art that conveys the story perfectly. Maybe it's all of those things. Or maybe, just maybe, I've wanted a Sentinel to be the lead in a story ever since the X-Men: Children of the Atom video game came out. Yeah, I wonder which one it is...

In any case, I hope we see more of Justin and his robot pal in the future. A good time will be had by all.

Story: 6/10 (run of the mill, but a good concluding story)
Art: 7/10 (Fresh, vibrant colors highlight an art style that works for a title like this.)
Overall: 6/10 (a solid conclusion to a light, but well driven series)
Overall (Mini-series): 6/10 (If you enjoy the looser, more light-hearted fare, this might be worth picking up in trade. Otherwise, don't worry about it.)


JSA #83

"Who's Afraid of Ghosts?"

Writer: Paul Levitz
Art: Rags Morales/Luke Ross/Dave Meikis

The Skinny: It's One Year Later... and the JSA... has been slacking. The team hasn't even met much the past year, but are now all suddenly drawn together as they start to see ghosts of long dead associates. Who could be behind it all? Gentleman Ghost takes the credit, and warns that soon the JSA will join their associates... in death!

My Take: It's One Year Later... and the JSA... suck? What's happened to the team I love? What's happened to their class? Their character? Sure, it's a little early to sound the warning bell, but ding, ding, baby. I understand that there should be some confusion and a little slowdown even due to the nature of One Year Later, but this story just seems a little... empty right now. And I wish I was just making a pun at the expense of Gentleman Ghost here, but I'm not.

And as much as I enjoy me some Gentleman Ghost, I refuse to be compelled enough by his presence to be afraid of him. Seriously, kids. I'm more afraid of Johnny Sorrow. I want you to let that sink in for a minute. I don't care enough about double-G to want to see into his background (those old timey panels remind me of the pirate story in Watchmen... P.S. I didn't like the pirate story in Watchmen). And ghosts, while compelling, have yet to make compelling foes for the JSA. Heck, half the team seems to not even believe in ghosts (whatever sense that makes).

Add to that some dialogue that comes straight out of the 60's (Dr. Mid-nite screaming, "I'm blind!" really dragged me out of things) and it makes me worry about where the creative team is going.

It's not all bad. The team does seem to be all there, so presumably none of the core group has been slaughtered during the past year. And a little internal strife might give them a chance to work some details out through exposition. The only major change would seem to be Jakeem Thunder, who, unfortunately enough, seems to have shifted into "angry black kid" mode. There may be some reason behind it, but I'd just as soon not have him act that way. At least not for very long.

Story: 4/10 (Not the best entry into the bold, new, DC world.)
Art: 5/10
Overall: 4/10 (I'm holding on to hope that it picks up.)


Spider-Girl #96

"Shadows from the Past!"

Writer: Tom DeFalco
Art: Tom DeFalco/Ron Frenz

The Skinny: May Parker continues to worry about Kaine's vision of her death at the hands of the Scriers. Her worries are amplified when she believes she's being stalked by one of the cult-like members. To make things worse, May still has to deal with school drama, personal dilemmas, and oh yeah, she really is being stalked by a Scrier.

But never fear! The Scarlet Spider is here! And if she had any powers, she might be dangerous. As it is, she ends up a hostage. May fights the good fight, puts the Scrier down, but somehow still ends up with more than enough mental trauma to be left debating whether she has what it takes to keep up the super hero thing.

My Take: A solid issue of Spider-Girl. I'm always left enjoying how the title can carry so many substories at once but still manage to have enough go on in each issue to make it feel like a complete story. There's May's fears and insecurities about being a hero, her being stalked by a Scrier, Normie Osborn's plotting while still possessing the Venom symbiote, and Kaine and Darkdevil running around to boot. And if that's not enough, there's all the normal subplots: May's regret over her friend Moose's dad being injured, Coach Thompson's possible firing form the school, and Courtney's completely misplaced jealousy of May and Courtney's boyfriend (who happens to be Moose).

And what's more, unlike a certain mini-series (whose initials might be "IC"), none of it feels forced or overloaded. All of the main stories seem headed to an interesting conclusion.

Story: 7/10 (May still juggles her life as effectively as her dad used to... god help her)
Art: 7/10 (I don't care who's wearing a Scarlet Spider outfit; seeing it in action makes me happy)
Overall: 7/10 (Might as well check this out. You may well be running out of chances.)


T-Mail!

It's time to read us some T-Mail!
Reply to some posts and some e-mail!
Might even get one from a fe-male!
(But it'll probably be from a dude.)

There's no T-mail today, but I had to use the song again because I'm almost positive that it's the same tune that Captain America's cell phone played in Ms. Marvel #1. But I might be wrong. I also wanted to point out that I did read X-Factor #4, and my failure to review it in no way reflects a lack of quality in the title. I just have no strength left to do so. I blame Superboy Prime.

If you have any ideas/suggestions/comments, feel free to leave them here or contact me at th_houston75@hotmail.com. Please reference either "Waiting for Wednesday" or "House Rules!" in you subject, so I have some idea why you're mailing me

Coming up in House of Ideas:
Odds and Ends: Reviews, rants and other random stuff.
Cracking the Blinds: Just what does determine what gets reviewed?
T-Mail!: If I don't get any, then I'll just reply to something completely random (it may be more fun that way).