Reviews, Week of Sept. 17th, 2008

Lotta books today! With twenty-three books to review, some of these are going to be shorter than others; sorry.

ACTION COMICS #869: The "Braniac" arc continues. Here's my problem - Supergirl is all freaked out because apparently this is the real Braniac, and all the Braniacs before him have been "probes"... how does that jibe withall the rest of the Braniac stories that the DCU has seen? Does anyone else remember when Braniac swiped Lex Luthor's daughter? Et cetera? What was all that crap about?

If this was an introduction to a brand-new character, or even the first time we'd encountered Braniac in the current continuity, that'd be one thing, but I don't see how it all lines up. Still, that's hardly a crippling story flaw. This particular iteration of Braniac is certainly a creepy mofo, the art is just peachy, I'm not going to comment on the pulping of the issue thanks to the whole 'Clark Kent drinkin' beer' flap because I think it's incredibly stupid. You can definitely see groundwork being laid here for a long-term storyline, just as DC's been teasing, and it looks like it might just be a pretty interesting one. 7.5/10.

BATGIRL #3 (of 6): When this mini was announced, the Internet Uproar over Adam Beechen's name being attached to it was significant, and rightly so, I should think - a lot of people thought that the way Beechen had handled the character was poor, to say the least, in the past.

Oddly enough, I rather like the way he's handling Cassandra Cain in this mini. It's everything else I have some issues with.

The inclusion of the Bat-family in this mini is something of a given - but I have a hard time reconciling the angry and abrupt Nightwing we see here with the guy we've seen in his solo series. That's the big misstep, to me - Dick Grayson is arguably the DCU's best 'mentor figure;' he's been the sidekick, he's grown to become a hero, he knows what mistakes have been made and he's smart enough not to repeat them. We've seen him mentor and give the benefit of the doubt to characters far more damaged than Cassie has seemed in this book. I'm not real thrilled with Oracle's appearance, either, and Ravager shows up to hang with Batgirl, and clearly this was not a book written with her current Teen Titans continuity in mind...

Cassie, though, is handled pretty respectfully. So there's that. Jim Caliafore's art is not to my liking - someone get this guy an inker with a more delicate line, stat - but he tells a story well, and there's very few 'what just happened?' moments. A deeply flawed series, but not the rampant character assasination that some people might have feared. 6/10.

BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS #11: Talk about a book that's floundering. The new Outsiders book has had serious issues ever since it was first launched, struggling to find a place and a clear voice. Then it was relaunched as Batman and the Outsiders to, I would assume, capitalize on Batman's name recognition, and it ran into creator issues... and by this point it's kind of like a fish out of water. It's flopping around and gasping and you can't help but feel sorry for it.

Tossing your issue of BatO #11 into the water will not make it magically good. It may, however, still be the best thing you can do for it.

A Batman R.I.P. tie-in for completists only, this book really... isn't worth chasing after. Maybe once it gets its proverbial feet under it - if it ever does - it can be as good as it has the potential to be. But as it stands... just trust me on this. I could write seven paragraphs on how flawed it is, but I have a ton of books this week so just take my word for it for once. Though to be fair, it's quite a good-looking book. 4/10.

BIRDS OF PREY #122: Dull dull dull dull dull. Man, but this book misses Black Canary. The new setting in "Platinum Flats" (DCU-speak for "Silicon Valley") is boring, the villains aren't worth the paper they're printed on (I'm looking at you, Zombie Gizmo), and basically it's forgettable as all get-out... not to mention that the plot has holes you could drive a truck through (the villanous footsoldiers announce that they want Zinda to escape, and no one thinks to search her for transmitters or anything? Isn't Oracle supposed to be smart?).

Basically, Birds of Prey has two things going for it - the last-page reveal promises an encounter that's been a long, long time in coming, even if the villain in question doesn't realize the weight of history he's bringing into play here... and Misfit.

Misfit is awesome. This book needs more Misfit. Right now, it desperately needs it. 5/10.

BRAVE AND THE BOLD #17: A Supergirl/Raven storyline that looks like it was written as a story in Supergirl's solo book. Seriously, wasn't this status quo from about a year ago? Also, the art is muddy and ugly. A sad misstep from a title that I've come to expect better from. 4/10.

CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI-13 #5: Oh yeah... Blade is British. Who knew? Well, Paul Cornell did, and he's awesome.

This is definitely a book that's still in 'set up the status quo' mode; it's a tribute to Cornell's writing, and Pat Oliffe's clean, appealing art, that it's as enjoyable as it is. Which is to say, exceedingly. While this particular story hinges on one flaw - Spitfire's quasi-vampirism has yet to really be explained in this title, and it really needs to be, considering that it happened back in the pages of The New Invaders, a book that was read by maybe twelve people. Shame, too, it had some potential as a title, but that's neither here nor there - it's a relatively minor flaw; the only reason it jumps out so much is because the rest of the book is so incredibly good.

Even the Black Knight's scene, which is about as non-action-packed as you can get, is an absolute joy; the dialogue of all the characters just sparkles, and Oliffe's art is fantastic even in the quieter, character-driven scenes; he has a real gift for showing emotion with his characters. If this book gets canceled for low sales I will go on a several-state killing spree because it's absolutely brilliant, and it deserves so many more readers than it's got.

Also, there is a Captain Midlands cameo. And Captain Midlands rocks. 9/10.

FLASH #244: The beginning of a story that I fear is designed to shuffle Wally West off-stage so that the Final Crisis-revived Barry Allen can have the spotlight. If that ends up happening, I will be sad, but given how dull I've found Wally's story ever since he returned, I suppose I couldn't complain too much.

Paco Diaz' art is adequate without really sparkling, and Alan Burnett's story hits the right sentimental notes without being too overwrought. A thoroughly average story that smells of editorial mandate, to me; I suppose it's a blessing that it's as good as it is. 6/10.

GHOST RIDER #27: Ghost Rider's continuity is, to be blunt, entirely messed up. This is nothing newsworthy. Ghost Rider is a dude on a motorcycle with a skull for a head, and the skull is on fire. No one buys books about a guy with a fiery skull-head for in-depth continuity. Hell, no one writes them for in-depth continuity; when ol' Johnny Blaze was first introduced to the world, I am willing to bet that somewhere in the process of his creation, benzedrine was involved. I'm just sayin'.

Still, comics being what they are, they have to at least try to pay attention to all of the old continuity, and that includes Ghost Rider's. So here we get Danny Ketch, who used to be Ghost Rider but isn't anymore (now Ghost Rider is Johnny Blaze again, despite the fact that when Danny was Ghost Rider, Blaze was still around and had a shotgun and... look, it's complicated, okay?). This storyline is sort of an attempt to make it all kludge together. Sorta. Kinda. Only it doesn't exactly illuminate.

Fun read, though. Tan Eng Huat's art is clear as mud (and I know Jose Villarubia has the ability to use bright colors, but he's not exactly showing it here), but that almost suits the story itself, which is also maddeningly opaque. Still, it has nuns with nunchaku, and that's always sorta neat. It's not a stellar book, but it has its moments, and has the potential for more. Eh. It could be so much worse. 6.5/10.

GREATEST HITS #1 (of 6): I was going to pass on this one but had it recommended to me by a friend. Good thing, too.

Greatest Hits is the story of The Mates, who are basically The Beatles As Superheroes, back in the day when they were the biggest thing since sliced bread. It's also the story of the guy making a documentary about The Mates in the present day, who happens to be the son of one of the members.

It's very... earnest, this book is, and it's trying a bit too hard, but it's a neat idea and it looks like it should turn out to be a fun little story. Worth a buy if you've got the spare cash. 7.5/10

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #5: This book is fun and exciting and has some great characters and some lovely - if slightly cartoony in places - art. It's brilliant. Remember how I said I could go on forever about Batman and the Outsiders' flaws? I can do the same thing with this book's merits. It's brilliant.

But if that reveal about the Possible Skrull Agent turns out to be true, I will be livid. 8.5/10.

INCREDIBLE HERCULES #121: I have nothing bad to say about this book. It is brilliant.

Seriously. Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente have created a book that's just plain chock-full of goodness. The dialogue sparkles, the characterization is brilliant, there's something to bring a smile to your lips on every single page, even - especially! - the recap page.

Even the introduction of the Amazons to the Marvel Universe - which could spur some very pointed comparisons to DC's Amazons - seems natural and unforced, springing not from any sort of inter-company nose-tweaking but instead from the mythological roots that make Hercules such an interesting character.

As wonderful as the story is, though, Clayton Henry's art is even better. Every character shines, every expession is true to life, every explosion is suitably dramatic. This is the guy that did the art for Nine Rings of Wu-Tang? Seriously? Wow.

A fun, light-hearted romp... but one that isn't afraid to get Serious And Meaningful, as we saw in the last issue. The Incredible Hercules deserves a chance on any comic reader's pull-list. 9.5/10.

IRON MAN DIRECTOR OF SHIELD #33: An Iron Man book where Iron Man hardly appears! Brilliant!

Actually, this is a Secret Invasion tie-in of a sort, and also heralds the re-titling of the book; it's going to turn into a War Machine series, just as The Incredible Hulk became The Incredible Hercules. Which is okay, as Iron Man is appearing in the vastly superior Invincible Iron Man, which is written by my official man-crush, Matt Fraction. So all is well.

This book... well, basically Jim Rhodes is Tony Stark's Backup Plan. You'd think that, considering that in recent years Rhodey and Tony haven't been on the best of terms (because of all the other times that Rhodey has been Tony's backup plan), that there might be a bit more reluctance here, but no go, apparently. Rhodey's current status quo has never really been explored or explained over in The Initiative, and it isn't here, either, more's the pity; still, considering that the entire plot of the issue can be summed up as 'Rhodey is Tony's Backup Plan and he goes off to fight Skrulls,' there's a lot more meat here than might have been expected. I'm not sold on it, but I'm sufficiently intrigued to keep reading. 7.5/10.

MARVEL APES #2 (of 4): Man, I am so stunned that this book doesn't really suck. It doesn't take itself at all seriously, which is a good thing, and it's chock-full of monkeys.

Including vampire monkeys. I have no idea where the hell that came from. I don't think I care. I am utterly stunned that not only will I be reading the next issue... but I'm kinda looking forward to it. 7/10.

MIGHTY AVENGERS #18: Boy, I bet all those people that regularly read this title and New Avengers are a little irritated by the way they've turned into Secret Invasion Exposition Extravaganza. I mean, I think it's a good way to handle all the backstory, just... it must really bug the folks that buy these books expecting to see, you know, the occasional Avenger.

That being said, this is basically Nick Fury Trains His Secret Warriors. And while I'm far from sold on any of these new characters, who are hazy and ill-defined and not terribly interesting, Nick Fury is awesome. And Bendis clearly agrees with me, because he writes a hella fun Nick Fury.

Stefano Caselli is not a name I recognize, but his art is really crisp - there's some traces of exaggeration and over-stylizing here and there, but generally he's got a nice crisp line. Of all the various Secret Invasion backstory issues, this is easily one of the strongest. 8/10.

MOON KNIGHT #22: I'm not a regular Moon Knight reader, and this issue sure isn't going to convince me to become one. Basically, Moon Knight whups on everyone because he's Just That Badass. And... I just don't much care. Pretty, if murky, art, and a competent but hardly compelling story. 5.5/10.

RANN-THANAGAR HOLY WAR #5 (of 8): Oh, my. Where to start.

This story wants to be Annihilation. It wants to have that same sense of menace, that same blend of classic, nostalgia-tinged space-themed characters, that same sweeping tableau. And it fails.

I mean, Jim Starlin's a legend, okay, he's a phenomenal writer, and I just don't know what the hell went wrong this time. I know that he can write grand sweeping cosmic epics better than almost anyone. But this... I just can't escape the feeling that in Starlin's head, this probably all sounded awesome, but somewhere between his head and the printed page, it's all fallen apart. 3/10.

SECRET INVASION: THOR #2 (of 3): Oh, man.

As mentioned, Matt Fraction is my entirely heterosexual man-crush right now. I like his Thor better than JMS's Thor, which is saying something. But he's firing on all cylinders with this one.

Skrulls attack Asgard. Seems pretty simple, right? But it's also got Beta Ray Bill and it's got a bunch of good ol' boy volunteer firefighters risking their lives to try and put out the flames sweeping through Asgard and it's got hugely cinematic fight scenes. Even the fairly contrived 'get Thor out of the way by having Doc Blake need to deliver a baby' scenes, while blatantly obvious and cliche, are really well-written. And Doug Braithwaite is up to the task; his line is a little blurrier in some places than I might like, but his work brings a wide, epic scale to every scene, even the smaller, quieter ones.

It's an issue-long fight scene... but it's a damn cool issue-long fight scene. 8.5/10.

TITANS #5: Once again... I could go through an entire litany of this book's sins. I really could. It's transparent and dull and the art is stylish but every scene with Starfire is so cheesecake-y that it's not even funny, and how the hell are we supposed to pretend that this book takes place in the same universe as all DC's other books when Starfire is supposedly in outer space in Rann-Thanagar Holy War and Red Arrow is in Justice League of America and the Flash is having his own problems in his own title and is also showing up from time to time in JLA and...

...gah. This book really has no compelling need to exist. It could overcome that by being awesome. It does not. 3.5/10.

TRINITY #16: See last week's review. I don't think I'll be mentioning this book every week; it was awesome then, it continues to be awesome now, and I'll let you know if that changes. 9/10.

TRUE BELIEVERS #3 (of 5): Another case of "I'm sure this sounded awesome in your head, dude." Cary Bates clearly has a great affection for the character of Payback, but the book has not convinced me that I should share that affection. I don't particularly care about her - and none of the other True Believers have had enough screen time for me to form an opinion on them one way or the other.

The dialogue is incredibly stilted, and... you know what this book feels like to me? Fanfiction. Payback is somebody's Mary Sue character.

And yet... and yet, there's enough here to keep me reading. There's a lot of potential for greatness in this book, but it's most certainly not there yet. But it's not half bad. I don't know that I'd recommend it to most anyone, but I certainly wouldn't say 'don't waste your money' on it, either. So that's something. 5.5/10.

UNCANNY X-MEN #502: Everything about the writing of this book makes me happy. Greg Land's artwork makes me less so - Pixie should not look gorgeous for crying out loud, she's supposed to be... y'know, cute at most, this is the kind of thing that leads to those 'tracing porn stars' remarks - but even bad art couldn't make this book awful.

Logan's Maserati does 185. Nightcrawler is building a chapel. The X-Men have an arrangement with the San Francisco police department. Everything about this new status quo makes sense, flows out of what has come before, builds on the past without being too beholden to it. It's fun - and after decades of angst and woe, the X-books desperately need fun. Luckily, in this book, they've got it in spades. 9/10.

X-FACTOR #35: Peter David's writing is Peter David's writing; what am I going to say about it that hasn't been said? If you liked the writing on anything else he's worked on, you'll like it here. Longshot - the real one this time - shows up, and David clearly has a ball writing him; otherwise, this issue is kinda so-so, except...

I really don't love Larry Stroman's art here. Too distorted, too unclear, too sketchy. His figures are almost caricatures, and while his storytelling skills are spot-on - the art flows, the action is clear - the figures are so distorted that it's almost painful to read. The story is good, if a bit pedestrian, and the characterizations are fabulous, but the art makes it easy to overlook the good writing.

If you're a fan of the book, you don't need me to tell you to keep reading - but if you're not, this isn't the issue to pick up and try. It's just too ugly. Shame, too. 6.5/10.

YOUNG X-MEN #6: I like how this book began as a huge fake-out, with Cyclops an impostor (which was pretty transparent, but that's neither here nor there). And by 'like' I mean 'am fairly repulsed by.'

So the book has a steep hill to climb with me. It's making headway - the last page reveal helps - and some of the characters are slowly starting to grow on me, and bringing some other, more well-known characters into the fold in the form of some former New Mutants... that promises to help. But right now I still don't care all that much about most of these characters, and Ben Oliver's art is not to my taste -it's hard for me to put a finger on why, save that his depiction of Rockslide is too exaggerated even for me, although I have to admit that it, too, seems to be steadily improving. All in all, I don't think this is a good book. But again... it's showing signs of learning how not to be an awful book, and that's step one, right? 5/10.



...man, that's a lotta books. See you on Tuesday!