Two years back, I was pretty excited by the New 52. I didn't believe all of the hype, but enough of it to pick up about 1/4 of the original 52 books. I appreciated the bravery of starting everything over again, and at first it seemed like there was a genuine effort on DC's part to have some variety in their titles, which I also liked. Sadly, as time has passed, I've grown ever more disillusioned with the line. Of course all the rumblings of editorial interference and subsequent turnover of creative teams factors into my opinion, but I began dropping DC books even before that kind of news seemed to come out every week. I didn't like the series themselves—they were dry and uninspired, they made decisions about the characters that made no sense and served no purpose, and I just didn't find myself looking forward to reading them. Also they began to feel more homogenous, and it quickly became clear that DC had not actually started everything anew as they claimed—some series got fresh beginnings, while others tried to have their cake and eat it, too, keeping some details of DC's past while ignoring others in sometimes contradictory ways. One by one, these comics were cut from my pull list, and I tried to find replacements (even reading the first few issues of the entire "second wave") but nothing they offered held my interest for long.
Except for Dial H. I already wrote about it on PopMatters, so I won't delve too deeply into why that book above all others was one I stuck with, but suffice it to say it wasn't like anything else coming out of DC or, to the best of my knowledge, any other publisher. It had the same looming darkness that seems to cover the entirety of the New 52 like a sticky film, but Dial H managed to have a lot of fun, too. It was full of puns, and its main characters were a likably pathetic doofus and an elderly woman who still kicked ass. It felt fresh and daring, and while not all of the art was exceptional, and sometimes the story got hazy (especially toward the end when it had to be wrapped up before its cancellation), it was reliably quirky and silly and stimulating.
Which brings me to Dial E (technically Justice League #23.3 but I refuse to call it that and I always will). Published as part of the DC's current Villain's Month, Dial E is basically the punctuation mark at the end of the complex 15-issue sentence that was Dial H. And honestly, it's not a very good comicbook. It has a story but no plot, people but no characters, action but no stakes. Every page is drawn by a different artist, so that it functions more as a showcase than an actual narrative. It's incredibly disjointed, as the script amounts to writer China Miéville unloading all of the ideas for new super-people he didn't have room to fit into the main series. Point being, as a single issue, Dial E has very little merit. But taken as the final piece of the whole, it's sort of the perfect conclusion. Crazier and goofier than anything that came before it, this finale is the boldest, loudest example of the guiding spirit of Dial H, even if it's only tangentially connected to the actual narrative of that book.
As you can see, I didn't exactly love Dial E, but I was still sorry when I reached the final page. It marked the end of an era, not just because one of my favorite books is gone now. It's also the last New 52 comic I plan on buying for the foreseeable future. Having slowly but oh-so-surely let go of every other New 52 series I've tried in the last two years, Dial H was all I had left, and now they've gotten rid of it, and I see no concrete reason to start with anything else. There are a few titles that have solid reputations that I'd like to catch up on someday: Batman & Robin, All-Star Western, The Flash. But they're all minor additions to an enormous list of comics from many eras and publishers that I know I need to track down and read through, and I'm not nearly as interested in contemporary DC material as I am in basically anything else on said list.
So I'm done with the New 52 for now. Not with all of DC—Batman Black and White had a great first issue, Batman '66 has been wonderful, and I plan on heavily sampling the new stuff coming from Vertigo. But DC's main line of books can take a flying leap, for all I care. I've been so let down by it so consistently, and the pile of information about dissatisfied creators that keeps growing all the time does nothing to entice me back. I didn't make an official decision all at once to abandon the publisher, it happened organically as every series I tried to follow gave me one reason or another to drop it. With Dial E having come out on Wednesday, my pull list is void of New 52 titles. And I have to say...it looks a lot better that way.
Showing posts with label Dial H. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dial H. Show all posts
Friday, September 20, 2013
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Pull List Review: Dial H #12
Dial H #12 is a dizzying read, but in a way that mostly works. China Miéville's script never takes much of a pause, speeding from a fight to a chase to another, bigger fight that also introduces a whole new seven-person team to the cast. There are definitely glossed-over details as a result, with the new characters especially, who at this stage are more like one big group character than a team of distinct individuals. Still, on the whole the story works because there's a lot of humor and action to it, both of which are aided by the pacing. The reader has a chance to get just as overwhelmingly swept up in the issue's events as Nelson and Roxie, and if you let yourself go along for the ride, there is quite a bit to enjoy. It isn't the most well-put-together comicbook available, because its approach is too slapdash for that. But it is knowingly, intentionally so, and that attitude, when embraced so completely, does more good for this series than harm.
The book has always been zany, and to some extent its been about the inherent zaniness of the superhero genre. So here we have that same lens applied to a meet-the-team story, where the group that's introduced is about as madcap and silly as you could hope for. Nonsensical names, goofy power sets, bizarre looks, and the ever-changing nature of the group because of their use of dials make The Dial Bunch—aka Team Adventitious aka The Junkyard Posse—immediately entertaining and amusing. They are an addition to be excited by, because it's a fitting time for this book's cast and world to expand. Now that The Fixer has been established as a new, bigger-than-ever-before threat, having the good guys get larger and more powerful makes sense. And we've been with only Nelson and Roxie for so long, fresh blood is welcome. When Roxie first came onto the scene, there was a lot of material to be found in learning her backstory and discovering what she already knew about the dials. Now there are seven new characters who will also have their own histories and personal experiences with the dials, and they clearly already know more about what's happening than the established protagonists. So the potential for them to deepen Nelson and Roxie's (and, by extension, the readers') understanding of and control over the dials' power is enormous.
For now, though, they arrive only to temporarily save the day, ganging up on The Fixer and The Centipede with a clear team harmony, sending the villains back to wherever The Fixer comes from. It is a high-octane battle with a lot of players, several of whom change their physical appearance in the middle of it, some more than once. That's a tall order for penciler Alberto Ponticelli, but he largely pulls it off. Though some of the exact workings of the story are confused by the artwork, the actual fighting is all done well, and Ponticelli does much more consistent work with the cast than usual. Nelson and Roxie still have panels here and there where they look wildly different from themselves, but not as many as there have been in previous issues. All of The Fixer's many looks, as well as those of the entire Dial Bunch, are really impressive and detailed and fun. Ponticelli has a clear knack for character design, and seems to enjoy it, giving a lot of life and energy even to characters who only get a panel or two. And they all have unique abilities which, even if we don't know exactly what they all actually do, always look great, and that counts for a lot.
There is a fair deal of portal opening and closing, and that is where the art becomes a tad muddied for me. I think there must be two portals open at one point, but Ponticelli never makes the layout clear, and there's not enough help from Miéville's dialogue to clarify or explain what exactly is going on. The portals themselves look neat, as if the walls are being pulled open like curtains, but where they are and precisely how they work is indecipherable. But that's just a tiny annoyance, a plot point that's not as strong as it could be but holds up well enough to get the job done.
I'm firmly in a place of being re-jazzed about this title, because it seems to be moving away from it's slightly darker era and back toward the outlandish hilarity it once focused on. Add to that general shift this month's introduction of a whole slew of new characters, all of whom look great, and there's plenty to be excited about. Ponticelli's artwork seems to be finding itself at last, going big and broad and just plain silly as often as possible, and Miéville's writing is playful and snappy again instead of feeling garbled or awkward. Oh, yeah, and Open-Window Man was perfect, a totally sincere and capable superhero who just happens to have an absurd appearance and a name to match. Can't wait to see more from him, or any of his allies.
6.5/10
The book has always been zany, and to some extent its been about the inherent zaniness of the superhero genre. So here we have that same lens applied to a meet-the-team story, where the group that's introduced is about as madcap and silly as you could hope for. Nonsensical names, goofy power sets, bizarre looks, and the ever-changing nature of the group because of their use of dials make The Dial Bunch—aka Team Adventitious aka The Junkyard Posse—immediately entertaining and amusing. They are an addition to be excited by, because it's a fitting time for this book's cast and world to expand. Now that The Fixer has been established as a new, bigger-than-ever-before threat, having the good guys get larger and more powerful makes sense. And we've been with only Nelson and Roxie for so long, fresh blood is welcome. When Roxie first came onto the scene, there was a lot of material to be found in learning her backstory and discovering what she already knew about the dials. Now there are seven new characters who will also have their own histories and personal experiences with the dials, and they clearly already know more about what's happening than the established protagonists. So the potential for them to deepen Nelson and Roxie's (and, by extension, the readers') understanding of and control over the dials' power is enormous.
For now, though, they arrive only to temporarily save the day, ganging up on The Fixer and The Centipede with a clear team harmony, sending the villains back to wherever The Fixer comes from. It is a high-octane battle with a lot of players, several of whom change their physical appearance in the middle of it, some more than once. That's a tall order for penciler Alberto Ponticelli, but he largely pulls it off. Though some of the exact workings of the story are confused by the artwork, the actual fighting is all done well, and Ponticelli does much more consistent work with the cast than usual. Nelson and Roxie still have panels here and there where they look wildly different from themselves, but not as many as there have been in previous issues. All of The Fixer's many looks, as well as those of the entire Dial Bunch, are really impressive and detailed and fun. Ponticelli has a clear knack for character design, and seems to enjoy it, giving a lot of life and energy even to characters who only get a panel or two. And they all have unique abilities which, even if we don't know exactly what they all actually do, always look great, and that counts for a lot.
There is a fair deal of portal opening and closing, and that is where the art becomes a tad muddied for me. I think there must be two portals open at one point, but Ponticelli never makes the layout clear, and there's not enough help from Miéville's dialogue to clarify or explain what exactly is going on. The portals themselves look neat, as if the walls are being pulled open like curtains, but where they are and precisely how they work is indecipherable. But that's just a tiny annoyance, a plot point that's not as strong as it could be but holds up well enough to get the job done.
I'm firmly in a place of being re-jazzed about this title, because it seems to be moving away from it's slightly darker era and back toward the outlandish hilarity it once focused on. Add to that general shift this month's introduction of a whole slew of new characters, all of whom look great, and there's plenty to be excited about. Ponticelli's artwork seems to be finding itself at last, going big and broad and just plain silly as often as possible, and Miéville's writing is playful and snappy again instead of feeling garbled or awkward. Oh, yeah, and Open-Window Man was perfect, a totally sincere and capable superhero who just happens to have an absurd appearance and a name to match. Can't wait to see more from him, or any of his allies.
6.5/10
Friday, March 8, 2013
Pull List Review: Dial H #10
I'm tired of talking about how Alberto Ponticelli needs to ink himself or he looks like crap. The art in this book is a mess, like clay that was melting but then got flash-frozen and placed in front of me. It works for The Centipede's new look, highlighting the hideousness of his bizarre and oversized mask, but my compliments stop there. It is art based in ugliness, which would be alright if it fit the book, but it doesn't. Sure there are some darker corners, but generally this is a light, silly series, reveling in pun-based pseudonyms and convoluted power sets. It's a superpowered buddy cop romance-mystery starring a pair of altruistic but naive goofballs. Yet it looks like a grim and twisted B horror movie. Ick.
But I have said before anything specific I have to say about the interior art here. Either Ponticelli is the wrong pick for this title, or Dan Green is just the wrong inker for Ponticelli, but either way there is no change on the horizon, so I either need to get used to the sloppiness and grit or shut up about it. I will say this: Brian Bolland's covers are the motherfucking jam. Unlike Ponticelli and Green, Bolland brings a crispness of detail to the insane-looking heroes of the book. There is more to see and love of Bristol Bloodhound on the cover than all of the pages on which the character appears combined. I wish Bolland and Ponticelli would swap duties, but obviously that's a pipe dream.
Happily, China Miéville's steps up a bit this month. Not entirely---the scene with The Centipede talking to the imprisoned priest, as well as the (I believe) flashback sequence that preceded it were wildly confusing. It is a little hard to say how much blame should be placed on the art, but some of it definitely belongs to the script, too. Have we met this priest before, because I do not remember him, and if I am supposed to know who he is, I still could've used a reminder. I'm also not clear on what The Centipede shows him or why it matters, though it is possible that I'm not supposed to understand that yet. Whatever, those pages baffled me, top to bottom, but pretty much everything else that happened I quite enjoyed. The concept of a sidekick dial that works in conjunction with the hero dial is a great one, particularly when applied to Nelson and Roxie's dynamic. She has always been a bit more knowledgeable and capable than he, and so the scene where he volunteers to be the sidekick makes total sense, and reminded me of why I was so fond of Nelson when the series began. He's a well-intentioned guy who ended up a loser by accident, and though he loves the opportunity to play hero, he has no illusions of grandeur. He got involved in this whole mess while trying to protect his friend, so it's never been about himself, his own wants or dreams. More than happy to let Roxie do some of his thinking for him, he finally gets to play the role he was born for: sidekick.
And once again we get to go into his brain and hear about the experience from his internal monologue, something I've missed. When Nelson first discovered the dial, we learned a lot about how it worked from him, and it was always interestingly written because he has such a specific voice. The same is true here with the new dial, and on top of that, it creates this strange and nuanced relationship between Nelson and Roxie that I find fascinating and am excited to see develop. Of course, it also leads to their first kiss, which was as gratifying as it was strange. Both of them were still in the form of their latest heroes, creating a sort of blown up version of the current Dr. OctoParker/Mary-Jane relationship, where both people were in bodies other than their own but they were also both aware of the situation. It's touching and hilarious, and it feels pretty inevitable when it finally goes down here. I'm not sure I was consciously aware that Nelson and Roxie had been falling for each other all along, but it didn't shock me when they kissed, only delighted me.
So even with a scene I couldn't fully understand, Dial H #10 had a lot of great story advancement and character development. I am quite eager to see this new love move forward (e.g. what is sex like if you have new superpowers and/or if you know that you and your partner could suddenly transform into an entirely different person at any time?). And I'm equally anxious to see more of Roxie and Nelson in action as a duo, now that they have complementary dials. I may not be looking forward to literally seeing these things, but I do feel at least partially re-hooked by the story.
5.0/10
But I have said before anything specific I have to say about the interior art here. Either Ponticelli is the wrong pick for this title, or Dan Green is just the wrong inker for Ponticelli, but either way there is no change on the horizon, so I either need to get used to the sloppiness and grit or shut up about it. I will say this: Brian Bolland's covers are the motherfucking jam. Unlike Ponticelli and Green, Bolland brings a crispness of detail to the insane-looking heroes of the book. There is more to see and love of Bristol Bloodhound on the cover than all of the pages on which the character appears combined. I wish Bolland and Ponticelli would swap duties, but obviously that's a pipe dream.
Happily, China Miéville's steps up a bit this month. Not entirely---the scene with The Centipede talking to the imprisoned priest, as well as the (I believe) flashback sequence that preceded it were wildly confusing. It is a little hard to say how much blame should be placed on the art, but some of it definitely belongs to the script, too. Have we met this priest before, because I do not remember him, and if I am supposed to know who he is, I still could've used a reminder. I'm also not clear on what The Centipede shows him or why it matters, though it is possible that I'm not supposed to understand that yet. Whatever, those pages baffled me, top to bottom, but pretty much everything else that happened I quite enjoyed. The concept of a sidekick dial that works in conjunction with the hero dial is a great one, particularly when applied to Nelson and Roxie's dynamic. She has always been a bit more knowledgeable and capable than he, and so the scene where he volunteers to be the sidekick makes total sense, and reminded me of why I was so fond of Nelson when the series began. He's a well-intentioned guy who ended up a loser by accident, and though he loves the opportunity to play hero, he has no illusions of grandeur. He got involved in this whole mess while trying to protect his friend, so it's never been about himself, his own wants or dreams. More than happy to let Roxie do some of his thinking for him, he finally gets to play the role he was born for: sidekick.
And once again we get to go into his brain and hear about the experience from his internal monologue, something I've missed. When Nelson first discovered the dial, we learned a lot about how it worked from him, and it was always interestingly written because he has such a specific voice. The same is true here with the new dial, and on top of that, it creates this strange and nuanced relationship between Nelson and Roxie that I find fascinating and am excited to see develop. Of course, it also leads to their first kiss, which was as gratifying as it was strange. Both of them were still in the form of their latest heroes, creating a sort of blown up version of the current Dr. OctoParker/Mary-Jane relationship, where both people were in bodies other than their own but they were also both aware of the situation. It's touching and hilarious, and it feels pretty inevitable when it finally goes down here. I'm not sure I was consciously aware that Nelson and Roxie had been falling for each other all along, but it didn't shock me when they kissed, only delighted me.
So even with a scene I couldn't fully understand, Dial H #10 had a lot of great story advancement and character development. I am quite eager to see this new love move forward (e.g. what is sex like if you have new superpowers and/or if you know that you and your partner could suddenly transform into an entirely different person at any time?). And I'm equally anxious to see more of Roxie and Nelson in action as a duo, now that they have complementary dials. I may not be looking forward to literally seeing these things, but I do feel at least partially re-hooked by the story.
5.0/10
Friday, January 11, 2013
Pull List Review: Dial H #8
What is the deal with Alberto Ponticelli's work for DC these days? It has been depressingly subpar, and for a long time I assumed it was a result of having other people ink his pencils, but Dan Green marks the third (that I can remember) different inker for Ponticelli and I'm starting to think maybe I've been mis-assigning the blame. In Dial H #8, everyone looks a bit amorphous, like they are made of slowly-melting clay. The shape of Nelson's face changes a few times, as does The Centipede's, and don't even get me started on Roxie's giraffe neck in her first scene. It's not that the art is without its redeeming moments. The creation of The Centipede through a failed time travel experiment was superb, and Ponticelli handles several new heroes well. I especially liked Wolf Ticket, who not only had a great design but a palpable energy to him. But even those stronger bits aren't that impressive, and they're padded out by a lot of mushy-looking weirdness that I just don't like.
I was so excited for Ponticelli to make the move to this title. He seemed like a happy medium between the previous artists: a bit meaner/grittier than Mateus Santolouco but with a more fun, zany style than David Lapham. Instead I got sort of a mess, art that seemed like it couldn't make up its mind. And it was not the least bit helped by the rushed and crowded script.
As I said last month, this book is starting to get overly repetitious. Nelson and Roxie have the same arguments and fail to achieve the same goals every issue. Something needs to change in their dynamic soon or it's going to become too stale to save. I suppose we almost had that kind of shift this issue when Nelson either began to hallucinate or actually had a conversation with Wolf Ticket and Trash Talk, but is was abruptly pushed aside for the introduction of another new character. That character was similarly removed from the board in hurried and awkward fashion so we could get to the part where The Centipede confronts Nelse, and all told it felt like too many balls in the air. I'm not sure China Miéville has quite got a grasp on how to pace this book yet. The first arc was much tighter, but since then there has been too much introduction to new ideas or people, leaving too little room to develop any of them. I understand that there is a greater mythology surrounding these dials that Miéville is working to establish, but I think the book would benefit from taking a breath and deciding what the single most important thing is for its readers to understand right now. Some of these characters or concepts could surely wait for later issues, only showing up once we fully understand the things that preceded them. Instead, Miéville crams it all in at once, making it hard to latch onto anything at all.
I do continue to like reading about The Centipede. We got an explanation of his origins and powers here, which made for what was easily the strongest section of the issue. And I liked watching him use his abilities for investigation just as deftly and effectively as he'd used them for violence and infiltration last time. He's an imposing villain, and I hate to imagine what kind of organization would be able to control him, but he is obviously working for someone and I'm excited to see who it is. And to Miéville's credit, no time was wasted in bringing this new threat head-to-head with our protagonist. Introduced only one month ago, The Centipede has already made a strong and daring move against Nelson (and Roxie, by extension) and the fallout from that is bound to be dangerous and action-packed. So there are things to look forward to by the end of Dial H #8, even if there's not too much from it that I can look back on very fondly.
I still like this title, but not as much as I want to. It has some excellent stars and brilliant high concepts working for it, but the handling of those people and ideas has been steadily declining for the past several months. On top of that, the art's gotten weaker since Santolouco departed, and not even Alberto Ponticelli, who is one of my favorite comicbook artists of all time, has yet been able to recapture the visual style and playfulness the series had originally. But the cliffhanger at the close of this issue intrigues me, and I can still see the overwhelming potential in this narrative, so for now I remain a fan, if a somewhat more tentative one than before.
3.5/10
I was so excited for Ponticelli to make the move to this title. He seemed like a happy medium between the previous artists: a bit meaner/grittier than Mateus Santolouco but with a more fun, zany style than David Lapham. Instead I got sort of a mess, art that seemed like it couldn't make up its mind. And it was not the least bit helped by the rushed and crowded script.
As I said last month, this book is starting to get overly repetitious. Nelson and Roxie have the same arguments and fail to achieve the same goals every issue. Something needs to change in their dynamic soon or it's going to become too stale to save. I suppose we almost had that kind of shift this issue when Nelson either began to hallucinate or actually had a conversation with Wolf Ticket and Trash Talk, but is was abruptly pushed aside for the introduction of another new character. That character was similarly removed from the board in hurried and awkward fashion so we could get to the part where The Centipede confronts Nelse, and all told it felt like too many balls in the air. I'm not sure China Miéville has quite got a grasp on how to pace this book yet. The first arc was much tighter, but since then there has been too much introduction to new ideas or people, leaving too little room to develop any of them. I understand that there is a greater mythology surrounding these dials that Miéville is working to establish, but I think the book would benefit from taking a breath and deciding what the single most important thing is for its readers to understand right now. Some of these characters or concepts could surely wait for later issues, only showing up once we fully understand the things that preceded them. Instead, Miéville crams it all in at once, making it hard to latch onto anything at all.
I do continue to like reading about The Centipede. We got an explanation of his origins and powers here, which made for what was easily the strongest section of the issue. And I liked watching him use his abilities for investigation just as deftly and effectively as he'd used them for violence and infiltration last time. He's an imposing villain, and I hate to imagine what kind of organization would be able to control him, but he is obviously working for someone and I'm excited to see who it is. And to Miéville's credit, no time was wasted in bringing this new threat head-to-head with our protagonist. Introduced only one month ago, The Centipede has already made a strong and daring move against Nelson (and Roxie, by extension) and the fallout from that is bound to be dangerous and action-packed. So there are things to look forward to by the end of Dial H #8, even if there's not too much from it that I can look back on very fondly.
I still like this title, but not as much as I want to. It has some excellent stars and brilliant high concepts working for it, but the handling of those people and ideas has been steadily declining for the past several months. On top of that, the art's gotten weaker since Santolouco departed, and not even Alberto Ponticelli, who is one of my favorite comicbook artists of all time, has yet been able to recapture the visual style and playfulness the series had originally. But the cliffhanger at the close of this issue intrigues me, and I can still see the overwhelming potential in this narrative, so for now I remain a fan, if a somewhat more tentative one than before.
3.5/10
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Pull List Review: Dial H #7
Sadly, Dial H is becoming a bit repetitive these days. Nelse and Manteau are trying to figure out the mystery of the dials but making very slow progress, and in the mean time their relationship doesn't really change. Manteau takes things more seriously than her partner, who just wants to have fun and be a hero. This was established pretty firmly last month, so for the first chunk of pages of this issue to do nothing but reestablish it feels like a waste. Things do pick up from there, but only slightly, with a tiny clue being discovered and a new bad guy ever-so-briefly introduced. Not a bad comicbook, but not a good one, either. It was extremely, consistently middling, and I know this title can do better.
David Lapham's artwork is pretty strong, but it just doesn't mesh with the tone of the book in the way Mateus Santolouco's somewhat zanier style did. It is just this side of being too reserved, and it detracts from the wacky humor this series has thus far employed. He does an ok job with the various ridiculous superheroes that Nelse or Manteau transform into, but they aren't funny like they should be, somehow. The Planktonian, for example, looked spectacular when it first showed up, and impressive when it formed itself into the weird blue giant, but it was never any fun. Dial H is so silly as a concept, there needs to be an underlying silliness to the art for it to be at its full potential, and I just don't find that in Lapham's work. He's a talented guy, and there's nothing confusing or poorly laid out or obviously bad here, it's just that I think he's a weak choice for this book.
But China Miéville is not at the top of his game here, either. As I said above, the beginning drags and feels unnecessary, and from there things only ever improve so much. The storyline with The Centipede trying to track down Manteau had some alright moments, but I'm not sold on him as a character yet. His dialogue was a bit mechanical, and as cool as his power set seems to be, it's not obvious from what's here what exactly he can do. Seems to be kind of like Multiple Man but with all the dupes being controlled by one mind. And, I guess, they're all connected to each other. But that could be me misreading things (though really that's a visual issue and not a story one).
I guess the problem is that this issue feels like it's gearing up for bigger and better things, and while I'm excited to see those things, the trip there just has me underwhelmed. I'm sure this issue was a necessary step, and it certainly advanced the plot in several ways, but I'd like a bit more excitement and hilarity. Also, I think it's time to start seeing some of the better heroes return. I know part of the fun of the title is seeing new weirdo superheroes pop up every time the dial is used, but the endless stream of gags needs to someday come back around so we can see the characters we most loved again. That's a 100% personal taste thing, though, so I can't really count it against the issue. And I did like The Planktonian a lot, conceptually speaking.
There's nothing to loudly bemoan in Dial H #7, nor is there anything to cheer for. That sentence could've been this whole review.
5.0/10
David Lapham's artwork is pretty strong, but it just doesn't mesh with the tone of the book in the way Mateus Santolouco's somewhat zanier style did. It is just this side of being too reserved, and it detracts from the wacky humor this series has thus far employed. He does an ok job with the various ridiculous superheroes that Nelse or Manteau transform into, but they aren't funny like they should be, somehow. The Planktonian, for example, looked spectacular when it first showed up, and impressive when it formed itself into the weird blue giant, but it was never any fun. Dial H is so silly as a concept, there needs to be an underlying silliness to the art for it to be at its full potential, and I just don't find that in Lapham's work. He's a talented guy, and there's nothing confusing or poorly laid out or obviously bad here, it's just that I think he's a weak choice for this book.
But China Miéville is not at the top of his game here, either. As I said above, the beginning drags and feels unnecessary, and from there things only ever improve so much. The storyline with The Centipede trying to track down Manteau had some alright moments, but I'm not sold on him as a character yet. His dialogue was a bit mechanical, and as cool as his power set seems to be, it's not obvious from what's here what exactly he can do. Seems to be kind of like Multiple Man but with all the dupes being controlled by one mind. And, I guess, they're all connected to each other. But that could be me misreading things (though really that's a visual issue and not a story one).
I guess the problem is that this issue feels like it's gearing up for bigger and better things, and while I'm excited to see those things, the trip there just has me underwhelmed. I'm sure this issue was a necessary step, and it certainly advanced the plot in several ways, but I'd like a bit more excitement and hilarity. Also, I think it's time to start seeing some of the better heroes return. I know part of the fun of the title is seeing new weirdo superheroes pop up every time the dial is used, but the endless stream of gags needs to someday come back around so we can see the characters we most loved again. That's a 100% personal taste thing, though, so I can't really count it against the issue. And I did like The Planktonian a lot, conceptually speaking.
There's nothing to loudly bemoan in Dial H #7, nor is there anything to cheer for. That sentence could've been this whole review.
5.0/10
Friday, July 6, 2012
Pull List Review: Dial H #3
I feel like China Mieville is still figuring out how to provide exposition through dialogue without it feeling unnatural. There were several scenes in Dial H #3 where characters were discussing their origins and/or motives with one another, and they often felt clunky, like Mieville wanted to walk the line between telling us too much and not telling us enough but never quite hit his stride. There was still a lot of useful and original new information in the issue, and story progression for our heroes and villains both, but many of the conversations felt quite forced. For example, X.N. explaining her plans to the Squid, even though he clearly already understood them and even did some of the explaining himself. Or later, when she's letting Mr. King in on the details of why he was chosen as her latest victim. It was a lot to needlessly dump on a guy you're moments away from killing.
Not everything was like that, though. Manteau's explanation that the Dial's history is connected to that of all telephony worked well, as did her reasons for keeping a consistent cloak and mask even as she changes her body and powers just like Nelson. It was a nice expansion of the whole concept of the Dial, having a character with slightly more experience and control over it. And Nelson needs some sort of guide/ally at this point. He clearly wants to embrace this superpowered lifestyle, despite the confusion and fear it causes him. Deep down, I think he enjoys it, because it gives him a chance to be special and powerful, feelings which are foreign to him these days in his "real" life. So I am definitely excited to see this partnership develop, and to watch Nelson and Manteau figure out who O is and what the hell the Dials are really for.
Mateus Santolouco continues to be comfortable fit for this title, stylistically. He can cut loose when it is called for, and his character designs always to hit a splendid balance of zany and disturbing. I was most impressed with the way he tackled Manteau, who has a constantly-changing body under the same costume. Sometimes, her figure and powers feel tight and awkward under the mask and cape, like the two are struggling against one another. And, of course, that's exactly what they're doing, so it was good to see that represented in the art, however subtly. And man, I seriously can't wait until we get to see more of the strange world where all these heroes apparently come from that we got only a one-page glimpse of here. Santolouco clearly had a blast with that page and it's massive, varied cast. It seems like he's having fun on every page, actually, and it helps keep the mood of this series a bit lighter than it might otherwise be. There's a lot of darkness and mystery in Dial H, but at its heart it's still founded in classic superhero tropes, and Santolouco mixes those elements with great skill.
Though this issue was a bit less sure of itself than the previous two, there was still a lot to enjoy. The concepts contained within its pages were compelling, and the plot progressed in several ways for several characters that I enjoyed. I'm hoping, now that we have a clearer sense of what our villains are after, we can move past the exposition and get into the meat of this tale. But for now I'm still hooked, if somewhat less enthused than before.
5.0/10
Not everything was like that, though. Manteau's explanation that the Dial's history is connected to that of all telephony worked well, as did her reasons for keeping a consistent cloak and mask even as she changes her body and powers just like Nelson. It was a nice expansion of the whole concept of the Dial, having a character with slightly more experience and control over it. And Nelson needs some sort of guide/ally at this point. He clearly wants to embrace this superpowered lifestyle, despite the confusion and fear it causes him. Deep down, I think he enjoys it, because it gives him a chance to be special and powerful, feelings which are foreign to him these days in his "real" life. So I am definitely excited to see this partnership develop, and to watch Nelson and Manteau figure out who O is and what the hell the Dials are really for.
Mateus Santolouco continues to be comfortable fit for this title, stylistically. He can cut loose when it is called for, and his character designs always to hit a splendid balance of zany and disturbing. I was most impressed with the way he tackled Manteau, who has a constantly-changing body under the same costume. Sometimes, her figure and powers feel tight and awkward under the mask and cape, like the two are struggling against one another. And, of course, that's exactly what they're doing, so it was good to see that represented in the art, however subtly. And man, I seriously can't wait until we get to see more of the strange world where all these heroes apparently come from that we got only a one-page glimpse of here. Santolouco clearly had a blast with that page and it's massive, varied cast. It seems like he's having fun on every page, actually, and it helps keep the mood of this series a bit lighter than it might otherwise be. There's a lot of darkness and mystery in Dial H, but at its heart it's still founded in classic superhero tropes, and Santolouco mixes those elements with great skill.
Though this issue was a bit less sure of itself than the previous two, there was still a lot to enjoy. The concepts contained within its pages were compelling, and the plot progressed in several ways for several characters that I enjoyed. I'm hoping, now that we have a clearer sense of what our villains are after, we can move past the exposition and get into the meat of this tale. But for now I'm still hooked, if somewhat less enthused than before.
5.0/10
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Pull List Review: Dial H #2
Leaning a bit harder in the direction of a traditional superhero story than its debut, Dial H #2 has many classic story elements: two heroes fighting each other over a misunderstanding, the death of someone close to protagonist acting as a catalyst, a villain whose powers are similar to yet distinct from our hero's (Nelse changes into a new persona each time, while The Squid changes the make-up of his toxins based on the situation). Yet China Mieville continues to tell a somewhat off-center story through his examination of Nelse's psychological state during all this madness. A likable schlub with honest intentions, Nelse stumbles through the process of becoming one of the good guys. Much like the reader, he doesn't understand all of the details of how or why he can do what he does with the mysterious rotary dial, but that isn't keeping him from diving into the adventure. He wants to help his friend and he wants to change his own life, so he embraces the opportunity to do so even though it puts him in constant danger and may well be driving him insane.
Nelse's likability has as much to do with Mateus Santolouco's artwork as Mieville's writing. He is the perfect sad sack, soft around the edges and always looking not only depressed, but exhausted by his depression. Overall, Santolouco's work continues to highlight both the absurdism and the darkness inherent in this series, even though this month, much like the narrative, the artwork seems to be aiming slightly more for a "normal" sort of house style than last time. Still, the specific superheros we're introduced to here, even those who we see for only a panel or two, all look spectacular and fittingly strange, and Santolouco makes them distinct from one another while still meshing together and clearly existing as part of a shard world.
The same is true of the mysterious caped woman with whom Nelse has a brief tussle this issue, as well as The Squid, who is thoroughly creepy when wearing his weird mask, but looks a little more like your everyday supervillain when we can actually see his face. All told, the effect is one of familiar superherosim with a shadowy twist, which is a mood that continues to strongly hold my interest.
7.0/10
Nelse's likability has as much to do with Mateus Santolouco's artwork as Mieville's writing. He is the perfect sad sack, soft around the edges and always looking not only depressed, but exhausted by his depression. Overall, Santolouco's work continues to highlight both the absurdism and the darkness inherent in this series, even though this month, much like the narrative, the artwork seems to be aiming slightly more for a "normal" sort of house style than last time. Still, the specific superheros we're introduced to here, even those who we see for only a panel or two, all look spectacular and fittingly strange, and Santolouco makes them distinct from one another while still meshing together and clearly existing as part of a shard world.
The same is true of the mysterious caped woman with whom Nelse has a brief tussle this issue, as well as The Squid, who is thoroughly creepy when wearing his weird mask, but looks a little more like your everyday supervillain when we can actually see his face. All told, the effect is one of familiar superherosim with a shadowy twist, which is a mood that continues to strongly hold my interest.
7.0/10
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Pull List Reviews 05/03/2012
Animal Man #9: In terms of story, pretty damn boring. I mean, yes, everything we see here is probably necessary. We certainly had to learn what Buddy "dying" at the end of last issue meant and where it would lead. But this issue is literally just characters traveling without getting anywhere, which makes for a less-than-thrilling read. Steve Pugh's art continues to suit the title perfectly, and there are numerous stunning visuals in Animal Man #9: the Bone Orchard, the Shepard, the Island of Decay or whatever it's called. Detailed and compelling images, to be sure, but the story they're telling this month is lightweight at best.
6.0/10
Avengers vs X-Men #3: So, when this event started, despite my general hate of massive events, I was devoted to reading all twelve issues of the main title. No tie-ins from series I wasn't already reading, none of the AvX: Vs. stuff (it's a cool enough idea but I don't care to spend my money on it), just one, fifty dollar, six month commitment. So here we are at issue #3, only one-fourth of the way to the finish line, and I find myself already so underwhelmed by what I've seen that I am seriously considering dropping this title outright. This issue, written by Ed Brubaker and still haphazardly drawn by John Romita, Jr., felt like so much wheel spinning. The Avengers and X-Men talk to each other, then the X-Men run away and the two teams talk privately, then Captain America becomes an even bigger asshole than Cyclops, for no reason other than to give readers the cheap thrill of watching Cap throw down with Wolverine. And even that fight is uninspired and ends in a stupid, stupid way. I'm not sure what exactly I want from this title, but it is most assuredly not what I've been getting.
2.0/10
Blue Estate #11: I appreciate that here, as the "first season" comes to a close, Blue Estate didn't bother with any new complications or twists. It's been full of them up to this point, and has done a great job of juggling all the balls in the air, but with only one issue left before this story concludes I was glad to have a more straightforward installment. Also, Clarence and Rachel finally getting together was a big moment, and their relationship is just as strong and as much fun face-to-face as it has been during all their previous phone conversations. Maybe more so. Blue Estate #11 is a lot more action than story, it's true, but this final, enormous fight scene between the two crime families has been a long time coming, as has the Clarence-Rachel team-up, and it is all well-executed here. I've never been wild about the art style in this book, put together by a team of artists under Victor Kalachev's guidance, but it's certainly reliable, it tells the story clearly, and in the midst of this termite-infested gun battle it even heightens the chaos. Not bad at all.
7.0/10
Daredevil #12: The friendship between Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson has always been an excellent one, and in Daredevil #12 we get a bit of an origin story for the two old chums. It works well, with the right blend of humor and sincerity, even if it doesn't teach us a lot of new information about the characters. The same is true of the present-tense date between Murdock and ADA Kirsten McDuffie, a blossoming romance I am actively rooting for. Chris Samnee's artistic contributions are solid as well, clean and crisp and fitting. Not a fan of those last few pages. I mean, if Black Spectre can be "reborn" so quickly, then why did "The Omega Effect" happen at all? Why is the Omega Drive even a threat to these megacrime organizations if one of them can so easily bounce back? But since that ending was basically disconnected from the rest of this issue, I'll ignore it for now and focus on the excellent personal stories Mark Waid tells instead.
7.5/10
The Defenders #6: What is going on with this title? Remember just a few issues back when it was an awesome, end-of-the-world, madcap adventure series? Now that Matt Fraction has changed his focus from The Defenders defeating a clear threat to The Defenders stumbling over an enormous cosmic mystery, it seems like the series has lost its juice. Fraction still has a really good handle on the voices of his cast, and I got some laughs out of Iron Fist and Silver Surfer trying to communicate. But beyond that, this was mostly a bizarre and not-that-entertaining history lesson coupled with some semi-educated guesses about what these concordance engines might be/do. And Victor Ibañez, while not doing a necessarily bad job, definitely brings us one of the worst-looking issues of The Defenders to date. The monster Silver Surfer turned into was alright, but the whole thing was a bit cartoony without really committing to that style, and the overall effect was big time meh. Meh everywhere.
4.5/10
Dial H #1: As far as first issues go, Dial H #1 is simply marvelous. From the very opening scene, China Miéville expertly introduces us to the strange and depressing world in which this series takes place, and I would like to spend as much time there as possible. Our main character, Nelse, is perfect. He's depressed and maybe even a little hopeless, but a genuinely kind man and good friend, which makes him an ideal candidate for these numerous bizarre superhero identities. And the heroes themselves, in this first issue anyway, were logically connected to Nelse, one having cigarette-related powers and the other having sadness-related powers. The real treat, though, is how Miéville handles the psychological aspects of Nelse's transformations. While it never stops him from fighting evil or accomplishing his goals, it was nice to see the confusion and disorientation that come with suddenly taking on a new persona and set of powers. And Mateus Sanolouco's art complements the story perfectly, adding a gritty reality to things and launching the madness into the stratosphere when needed. There were some really excellent villains introduced as well, and others only hinted at, so it seems evident that Dial H has big plans for itself. I, for one, can't wait to see how they unfold.
8.5/10
Earth 2 #1: James Robinson uses an interesting approach in this debut. Rather than fully introduce us to the characters who will star in Earth 2 (we see a little of three of them at the end) he takes almost the entire first issue to instead teach us the history of this alternate reality. It's an awesome little tale of struggle and sacrifice, of an inter-dimensional war and the heroes who fight it, and of how Earth 2 lost its first wave of superheroes five years ago. So now we're set up to see who will take their place, and as anxious as I am to meet them, I still had a pretty great time reading what was, basically, this prologue to their future adventures. Not least of all because of Nicola Scott on art who, even if there are a few smaller panels with awkward expressions or angles, generally kicks ass. So much of this issue is huge, high-powered, chaotic violence, but Scott never loses us in the insanity, and makes all three of the DC Trinity look good in spite of some lame costume redesigns. And those moments with Mercury were spectacular. Pretty good opening chapter, even if all the main characters in it were killed off by the end.
7.0/10
G.I. Combat #1: Both the "War that Time Forgot" and "Unknown Soldier" features felt they like suffered from having to share this title with each other. The former, essentially, did nothing except for introduce its concept in the most basic way: soldiers find dinosaurs and fight them. Little else to say about that, except that Ariel Olivetti can draw some damn convincing dinosaurs. On the "Unknown Solider" side of things, it was kind of the opposite problem: too much going on in too little a space. Plus the jumps in narrative point of view were awkward, and I still do not understand how, exactly, this guy ended up riding with the U.S. military. I hope at least one of these stories can find its legs, and fast, because all this opening issue did was briefly introduce us to the main ideas behind each feature and nothing else. Nothing to come back for, yet.
5.0/10
Green Arrow #9: No surprises here, as Ann Nocenti continues to tell one of the most confusing, least interesting comicbook stories I've ever read. Even worse this month, we get her pathetic attempts at writing old-West-style dialogue, which she simply does not grasp whatsoever. I've been really enjoying Harvey Tolibao's art since he joined Green Arrow, but under Nocenti's breakneck pacing, his fluid line work starts to feel a little overwhelming. Like the images themselves are being swept up in the ridiculousness of the narrative. I'm hoping the next arc can take a quick breather, settle into some kind of real status quo for Green Arrow and then go from there in a better direction. It's a creative team with definite potential, but so far they've been dropping the ball in a significant way.
2.5/10
Pigs #7: For a long time, Pigs frustrated me. I wanted it to be about the complex moral and emotional issues inherent in being a sleeper agent. That seemed like what is was setting itself up to be, and the idea thrilled me. What we've been getting instead is more of a blockbuster spy action series, and if you read it at that level, it's fairly high-quality stuff. The break-in and subsequent violence in this issue were inventive, well-drawn, well-paced, and even pretty humorous when they wanted to be. That's absolutely all Pigs #7 has to offer, and I wish it had more. I feel like it wants to have more. But my theoretical vision of this series is not the scale by which it should be judged, and as far as shoot-em-up spy stuff goes, Pigs is doing a consistently enjoyable job. I will say that the cover positively sucked and made no sense, and that in the flashback sequences drawn by Will Sliney I could not get over the stupid way he draws a bunch of weird lines on everyone's noses. But the main narrative was what Pigs has been for a while: a group of young assholes raising hell and killing folks. No more, no less.
5.0/10
Swamp Thing #9: For the second month in a row, art trumps story in Swamp Thing. Lucky for us, Swamp Thing #9's art is even better than last issue's, from both Marco Rudy and Yanick Paquette. The two are an amazing match, and the transition from one to the other is hardly noticeable. And every single page has something astounding to stare at, even if its just the layout (although it's never just the layout). I would like Scott Snyder to maybe pick up the pace a bit, and some of the stuff in this issue was kind of lame, like the trick with the canned peaches or the totally predictable and long-ago announced "cliffhanger" at the end. But Alec and Abigial are good together, and their reunion felt earned, so I was glad for that. Really, though, it's all about the art with this series. And the art is fucking great.
7.5/10
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #10: Pretty good issue, if badly paced. The discussion Miles and his Uncle Aaron have is definitely interesting and important, but I felt like it took too long. Bendis loads the first two-thirds of the script with this conversation, and while he can write dialogue for days, I wish he'd cut it down a little here. The scenes that followed---Miles considering going to The Ultimates, Miles at home with his parents, Miles actually deciding to go after the Scorpion---all deserved a page or two more than they got, and I think that space could easily have been found by trimming the opening chat. Still, I am excited to see how this Scorpion story unfolds, and David Marquez did an impressive job on art duties as always, keeping me interested in the Miles-Aaron talk even as it started to drag. Hopefully more goes on next time.
6.0/10
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Smatterday 04/28/2012
The Even Newer 52
So next week is the beginning of DC's "Second Wave" of titles for the New 52 (or whatever we're calling it now). Six new titles will be coming out, and while I am only really committing to Dial H, G.I. Combat (for the Unknown Solider stuff, primarily), and Earth 2, I imagine I'll check out the first issues of the other series as well, since it'll only be three more. Also because The Ravagers is spinning out of a crossover I plan to check out. Also because I still support, conceptually, the whole New 52 project and hope that this pattern of brining in new titles to replace those that are failing continues until DC has a full list of interesting, varied, successful comicbooks. A man can dream, can't he?
Not Comics
Is anyone else surprised by the continuing, ever-growing surge of superhero movies and TV series? When it all started to pick up steam several years ago with the first X-Men and Batman and Spider-Man films, I did not expect it to last this long or get this big. Some very popular, hotly-anticipated stuff is still coming out. Not something I'm especially happy or upset about, just genuinely surprised.
Spider-Man's Midlife Crisis
So as we all know Spider-Man turns 50 this year, and while the Internet is celebrating the milestone in a big way, Marvel's only official plans amount to another major arc from Dan Slott in Amazing Spider-Man, and the kind-of-interesting but also totally-tainting-the-whole-idea-behind-the-Ultimate-Universe mini-series Spider-Men. I'm excited for "Ends of the Earth" since Slot has been doing such a good job so far, and Spider-Men I could take or leave, but the real point is that one limited series and a big storyline seems somewhat small-time for one of the world's most popular superheroes. He does appear in almost all of Marvel's titles, I guess, so maybe they figure they celebrate his existence enough. Also Broadway and a second movie franchise. On second thought, they should consider scaling it back a little.
Good For You, Chris. Seriously.
Chris Roberson disassociated himself from DC this week, citing no personal problems with the people he worked with, but more sort of philosophical/ethical problems he had with the company's treatment of other creators. And they are good ones, and he backs them up. I love him for this, because so much of what you read in interviews and hear at conventions are creators toeing the party line about how great it is to work under the Big Two and how crossovers are fun to write for and all the other nonsense we basically understand to be untrue. There are plenty of people saying the opposite, too, but Roberson went ahead and quit his job over it, and in the name of creators other than himself, which is a pretty unique and applaudable thing to do. Good on you.
So next week is the beginning of DC's "Second Wave" of titles for the New 52 (or whatever we're calling it now). Six new titles will be coming out, and while I am only really committing to Dial H, G.I. Combat (for the Unknown Solider stuff, primarily), and Earth 2, I imagine I'll check out the first issues of the other series as well, since it'll only be three more. Also because The Ravagers is spinning out of a crossover I plan to check out. Also because I still support, conceptually, the whole New 52 project and hope that this pattern of brining in new titles to replace those that are failing continues until DC has a full list of interesting, varied, successful comicbooks. A man can dream, can't he?
Not Comics
Is anyone else surprised by the continuing, ever-growing surge of superhero movies and TV series? When it all started to pick up steam several years ago with the first X-Men and Batman and Spider-Man films, I did not expect it to last this long or get this big. Some very popular, hotly-anticipated stuff is still coming out. Not something I'm especially happy or upset about, just genuinely surprised.
Spider-Man's Midlife Crisis
So as we all know Spider-Man turns 50 this year, and while the Internet is celebrating the milestone in a big way, Marvel's only official plans amount to another major arc from Dan Slott in Amazing Spider-Man, and the kind-of-interesting but also totally-tainting-the-whole-idea-behind-the-Ultimate-Universe mini-series Spider-Men. I'm excited for "Ends of the Earth" since Slot has been doing such a good job so far, and Spider-Men I could take or leave, but the real point is that one limited series and a big storyline seems somewhat small-time for one of the world's most popular superheroes. He does appear in almost all of Marvel's titles, I guess, so maybe they figure they celebrate his existence enough. Also Broadway and a second movie franchise. On second thought, they should consider scaling it back a little.
Good For You, Chris. Seriously.
Chris Roberson disassociated himself from DC this week, citing no personal problems with the people he worked with, but more sort of philosophical/ethical problems he had with the company's treatment of other creators. And they are good ones, and he backs them up. I love him for this, because so much of what you read in interviews and hear at conventions are creators toeing the party line about how great it is to work under the Big Two and how crossovers are fun to write for and all the other nonsense we basically understand to be untrue. There are plenty of people saying the opposite, too, but Roberson went ahead and quit his job over it, and in the name of creators other than himself, which is a pretty unique and applaudable thing to do. Good on you.
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