I was probably unfair to Nicola Scott when I reviewed this title last month and said she had didn't bring as much detail to the art as usual. Really what I meant was just that her characters felt generally less precise and expressive than they had in the past. But hey, I'm fairly new to this, and bound to put my foot in my mouth. It'll likely happen again.
Whether I was overly critical last time or not, this issue marked a definite return to A-game form from Scott. The very first page had broad action and incredibly minute detail, pulling us in immediately. And then page 2 was a highlight of the entire issue, with Kendra silhouetted up in the top left corner, showcasing he brand new wings, and the helm of Dr. Fate glowing brilliantly in the foreground and stealing the spotlight completely. It was a captivating opening, matched only by the conclusion. First and foremost, that two-page spread of Jay and Khalid exploring the M.C. Escher-esque Tower of Fate was dazzling right away with the level of care and attention Scott put into the tower's design. And she did a great job of showing the characters' movements through the complicated space without it ever being confusing or hard to follow. Having the tower laid out so impossibly would've made it easy to sacrifice narrative clarity, but Scott never does. And it leads our heroes straight to the Great Beast, another artistic highlight of the issue. I can't wait to get more of that ugly motherfucker next month, if only because he reminds me of Dungeons & Dragons.
I was also particularly fond of Alan Scott's scenes here, at least visually. His immense sadness and subsequent rage over Sam's death were rendered well, a bit subtly but still clear, like he wanted to mask his pain but was wholly unable to do so. He may be able to overcome great fear, but this new Green Lantern is powerless against grief, and in the end it forces him to begrudgingly seek out help. If it weren't for Nicola Scott's precise expressive work with Alan (it's vaguely obnoxious that they have the same last name), then his decision to ask Hawkgirl for assistance might not have held as much weight. As it is, that scene was one of the most satisfying moments of the issue, because we could feel how difficult yet necessary it was for Green Lantern to go through.
The Alan Scott section had the strongest writing from James Robinson, too, though even then it was not astounding. It's just that Robinson actually employed some selectivity and brevity in his storytelling for those scenes, unlike the rest of the issue. I'm not sure what it is about this title that makes Robinson such a lazy writer, but he has been consistently sub-par for several installments. Wotan's seemingly endless and entirely unnatural-sounding expository rant lead directly into Khalid making his own overly-wordy and needles explanation of his history with Nabu. It sucked up all the excitement that the opening two pages poured over the reader, and despite some action later on and the stronger Green Lantern pages, that feeling of fun, fast-paced adventure never returned with the same oomph as it had at the start.
I'm just not clear as to why Robinson feels all the dialogue info-dumps are necessary here. It's like he's in a rush to get all of his characters introduced, yet at the same time it is taking forever for Dr. Fate to show up in full. In the meantime, we still don't have the full story on The Atom, Fury, or even really Hawkgirl (though we gain some insight into her connection to Khalid here), all of whom are characters we met a while ago and have seen too little of since. So there's this bizarre disconnect where I feel like I have too much new information dumped on me this month, yet continue to have all the same questions and confusions as I did before I started the issue. Robinson needs to reign his story in, and fast, or some of the threads might slip through his fingers completely while he is needlessly and hurriedly thickening others.
Nicola Scott has definitely been carrying me through this series for a while now, with Robinson's decline in script quality beginning several issues ago and not yet climbing back up that I can tell. But for how long will Scott's work, which is basically just an elevated DC house style, be enough to keep me as a reader? Probably not going to be much longer, truth be told, unless Robinson can pick up any of the slack. But I absolutely MUST see Scott draw the Dr. Fate and Flash vs. The Great Beast battle, because it promises to be one of the most destructive and great-looking conflicts this series has ever had. So you've won me over for at least next month, Earth 2, but only because you're gorgeous, not because I feel invested in your narrative.
5.0/10
Showing posts with label Earth 2. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Earth 2. Show all posts
Friday, March 8, 2013
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Pull List Review: Earth 2 #9
I know what the cover and credits page said, but this did not feel like something written by James Robinson and drawn by Nicola Scott. When this title debuted, I was impressed right away with Scott's level of detail, present on every page and with every character. Here, though she still has her moments, the artwork is generally a little softer around the edges. I noticed it mostly in the characters' faces. Not that they weren't distinct or expressive, but their smaller features seemed to have been wiped out in favor of smooth, unnatural flesh. Scott's artwork is too realistic to mesh with that, and I found myself pulled out of the story a few times because of the lack of detail.
Not everything had this problem. When The Flash's mother's house is destroyed, there's a full-page splash rich in tiny bits and pieces, so it's not as though Scott phoned it in entirely. And in general, whenever The Flash was in action the artwork was at its best. He continues to be the strongest character visually, and found a few creative uses for his super speed this month that were quite well-rendered. I'm not sure if time restraints kept the rest of the art from seeming as finished, or if Scott was just a bit off her game this month or what, but overall I was less sucked in by her work than I typically am on this book. Plus she had a stray panel here or there that confused me, like a single shot of a pissed of government agent's face at the bottom of one page or a panel showing a dummy in a Green Lantern t-shirt that isn't explained until a few pages later. Moments like this and a general vagueness to her characters made Earth 2 #9 a much blander-looking issue than usual.
It is James Robinson's script that I upset me most, though. His dialogue is getting SO unnaturally expository on this series. It was true last month, and continues here from the first scene to the last. Hawkgirl and Khalid (Dr. Fate) have a chat that clearly covers information they both already know, and the only reason to speak much of it out loud is for the reader's benefit. The result is a conversation that feels as forced as it does awkward. From there, we jump to a series of audio clips from various news stations recapping what has happened in the series up to now. I am so fucking sick of that storytelling strategy. It is easy and cheap and tired, and Robinson's career proves he can do better.
The rest of the story centers on the government trying to apprehend The Flash, abandoning all subtely or strategy in their efforts and instead attacking him with destructive force on his mom's front lawn. The idiocy of that aside, it was a fine enough narrative, giving The Flash a chance to, as I said, use his powers in some new ways. But it doesn't get anywhere. The Flash meets Khalid and they escape, but otherwise nothing changes. The government still wants to control these new "wonders," and the wonders are obviously still not into that. It's an awful lot of page space committed to simply introduce two heroes who already have an ally in common and otherwise maintain the status quo.
The real kicker comes on the final page. The issue concludes with what should have been the dramatic entrance of a new character, but was watered down when said character introduced herself through a nearly forty-word sentence that was more plot explanation than character background. It turned the ending into a dull chore rather than an exciting cliffhanger, the perfect punctuation for a dud of an issue.
I am excited for Dr. Fate to show up in full. I am excited for the mysterious impending evil everyone keeps talking about to finally arrive. I am excited to see a New 52 Justice Society, made of a rich and diverse cast of characters who are all easy to understand and enjoy under Robinson's pen. But the longer all of this takes to actually happen, the more bickering and heroes-fighting-heroes scenes I am forced to slog through first, the less excited I feel. I understand that this is how superhero teams tend to get assembled these days, by first disliking and mistrusting each other and duking it out until a greater evil rear's its head and leaves them no choice but to band together. But that, too, is a tired narrative tactic, and it's already been going on far too long with too little progress. Earth 2 seems to be on a downward slide at the moment, and it needs to pick up the slack real soon or it could well become too frustrating a series to salvage.
3.5/10
Not everything had this problem. When The Flash's mother's house is destroyed, there's a full-page splash rich in tiny bits and pieces, so it's not as though Scott phoned it in entirely. And in general, whenever The Flash was in action the artwork was at its best. He continues to be the strongest character visually, and found a few creative uses for his super speed this month that were quite well-rendered. I'm not sure if time restraints kept the rest of the art from seeming as finished, or if Scott was just a bit off her game this month or what, but overall I was less sucked in by her work than I typically am on this book. Plus she had a stray panel here or there that confused me, like a single shot of a pissed of government agent's face at the bottom of one page or a panel showing a dummy in a Green Lantern t-shirt that isn't explained until a few pages later. Moments like this and a general vagueness to her characters made Earth 2 #9 a much blander-looking issue than usual.
It is James Robinson's script that I upset me most, though. His dialogue is getting SO unnaturally expository on this series. It was true last month, and continues here from the first scene to the last. Hawkgirl and Khalid (Dr. Fate) have a chat that clearly covers information they both already know, and the only reason to speak much of it out loud is for the reader's benefit. The result is a conversation that feels as forced as it does awkward. From there, we jump to a series of audio clips from various news stations recapping what has happened in the series up to now. I am so fucking sick of that storytelling strategy. It is easy and cheap and tired, and Robinson's career proves he can do better.
The rest of the story centers on the government trying to apprehend The Flash, abandoning all subtely or strategy in their efforts and instead attacking him with destructive force on his mom's front lawn. The idiocy of that aside, it was a fine enough narrative, giving The Flash a chance to, as I said, use his powers in some new ways. But it doesn't get anywhere. The Flash meets Khalid and they escape, but otherwise nothing changes. The government still wants to control these new "wonders," and the wonders are obviously still not into that. It's an awful lot of page space committed to simply introduce two heroes who already have an ally in common and otherwise maintain the status quo.
The real kicker comes on the final page. The issue concludes with what should have been the dramatic entrance of a new character, but was watered down when said character introduced herself through a nearly forty-word sentence that was more plot explanation than character background. It turned the ending into a dull chore rather than an exciting cliffhanger, the perfect punctuation for a dud of an issue.
I am excited for Dr. Fate to show up in full. I am excited for the mysterious impending evil everyone keeps talking about to finally arrive. I am excited to see a New 52 Justice Society, made of a rich and diverse cast of characters who are all easy to understand and enjoy under Robinson's pen. But the longer all of this takes to actually happen, the more bickering and heroes-fighting-heroes scenes I am forced to slog through first, the less excited I feel. I understand that this is how superhero teams tend to get assembled these days, by first disliking and mistrusting each other and duking it out until a greater evil rear's its head and leaves them no choice but to band together. But that, too, is a tired narrative tactic, and it's already been going on far too long with too little progress. Earth 2 seems to be on a downward slide at the moment, and it needs to pick up the slack real soon or it could well become too frustrating a series to salvage.
3.5/10
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Pull List Review: Earth 2 #7
I fucking HATE being lied to by a cover. It's one thing to make it thematically fitting without showing an actual scene from the issue, but in the case of Earth 2 #7, the cover clearly promises an aerial battle between Hawkgirl and Green Lantern. It has huge freaking letters saying "Flight to the Death!" I'm sorry, but if we're literally not even going to see either character fly, let alone fight, then don't do that. It's a whack tactic.
Whack Tactic is now my punk band's name, if I ever start one.
Ok, so what about the stuff inside the cover? It's alright. James Robinson makes the strange decision to have the bulk of the issue focus on the power struggle between Amar Khan and Terry Sloan in the World Army. It's certainly an interesting and important conflict, I'm just not convinced it needed this much space. Khan and Sloan have two separate conversations about how much they dislike each other, and they're such similar dialogues I can't figure out what the purpose of including them both could be. It comes across as a way to fill out the issue, to pad the pages, rather than a necessary narrative point. But in between these conversations we get to see a team of Sandmen battle and capture Mr. Terrific in Sloan's secret base, and it is easily the high point of the issue. So, if nothing else, the boring parts were punctuated with action.
And even though it made the cover into a big fat lie, I liked the opening scene with Kendra (Hawkgirl) and Alan (Green Lantern). It didn't make any real progress, but it gave us some background on Kendra and really solidified her voice for me. She's confident almost to a fault, and obviously not one to willingly take "no" for an answer. Intelligent and collected, but with some real rage bubbling underneath. I'm excited to see more of her as the series develops. And Khan is much the same way, except that his rage is buried deeper than Kendra's, to the point that Sloan openly notices an absence of anger where Khan should be seething. Robinson writes both of these characters impressively, handling the disconnect between what they feel, what they do, and what they say quite well.
Yildiray Cinar doesn't quite bring the level of detail that Nicola Scott typically does, but the artwork is still full and focused. His Sloan stood out to me as being almost featureless in the face, save for his one distinctive scar, which I found odd. But the rest of the cast looks good, most notably the Sandmen. The two-page splash where they and Mr. Terrific first come info conflict is astounding and, again, the strongest single moment in the issue. I also loved the level of creepiness Red Tornado gives off. Saw just enough of her here to establish that she's going to be a significant threat down the line.
Earth 2 #7 is a bit of a breather issue, and as such does little to thrill me. But it has it's exciting moments, and does some very enjoyable character work along the way. I'm still upset about the cover, though. Seriously...don't do that.
5.5/10
Whack Tactic is now my punk band's name, if I ever start one.
Ok, so what about the stuff inside the cover? It's alright. James Robinson makes the strange decision to have the bulk of the issue focus on the power struggle between Amar Khan and Terry Sloan in the World Army. It's certainly an interesting and important conflict, I'm just not convinced it needed this much space. Khan and Sloan have two separate conversations about how much they dislike each other, and they're such similar dialogues I can't figure out what the purpose of including them both could be. It comes across as a way to fill out the issue, to pad the pages, rather than a necessary narrative point. But in between these conversations we get to see a team of Sandmen battle and capture Mr. Terrific in Sloan's secret base, and it is easily the high point of the issue. So, if nothing else, the boring parts were punctuated with action.
And even though it made the cover into a big fat lie, I liked the opening scene with Kendra (Hawkgirl) and Alan (Green Lantern). It didn't make any real progress, but it gave us some background on Kendra and really solidified her voice for me. She's confident almost to a fault, and obviously not one to willingly take "no" for an answer. Intelligent and collected, but with some real rage bubbling underneath. I'm excited to see more of her as the series develops. And Khan is much the same way, except that his rage is buried deeper than Kendra's, to the point that Sloan openly notices an absence of anger where Khan should be seething. Robinson writes both of these characters impressively, handling the disconnect between what they feel, what they do, and what they say quite well.
Yildiray Cinar doesn't quite bring the level of detail that Nicola Scott typically does, but the artwork is still full and focused. His Sloan stood out to me as being almost featureless in the face, save for his one distinctive scar, which I found odd. But the rest of the cast looks good, most notably the Sandmen. The two-page splash where they and Mr. Terrific first come info conflict is astounding and, again, the strongest single moment in the issue. I also loved the level of creepiness Red Tornado gives off. Saw just enough of her here to establish that she's going to be a significant threat down the line.
Earth 2 #7 is a bit of a breather issue, and as such does little to thrill me. But it has it's exciting moments, and does some very enjoyable character work along the way. I'm still upset about the cover, though. Seriously...don't do that.
5.5/10
Friday, July 6, 2012
Pull List Review: Earth 2 #3
Earth 2 #3 was like a Saltine-not at all bad, just bland and unfilling. The majority of the issue was devoted to the new origin story for Alan Scott as Green Lantern, and that story was just sort of boring. Moments after losing his lover and arm, Scott finds a talking green bonfire which tells him he's been chosen to fight some nameless, enormous evil, and his response is basically, "Sounds good to me." I'm oversimplifying, but the point is he seemed overly eager for the job, and tad too quick to get over Sam's death. Or maybe just never quite upset enough about it to being with. And the rest of the origin was given far more space than it needed. I understand that the ring is a major, essential aspect of the character, but devoting a full page to its creation as a weapon, especially when we all knew it was coming, just seemed unnecessary. And the giant talking fire's farewell could have been a bit briefer, too.
The best scenes in the issue were those without Alan Scott. Flash and Hawkgirl's interaction (with its promise of a soon-to-be-seen Dr. Fate) was fun and appropriately quick, and the new take on Grundy at the end of the issue was my favorite part. Not wild about Earth 2 adopting a Green-vs.-Death-style system and story, because we've had far too much of that noise from Animal Man and Swamp Thing already, but hopefully the addition of Grundy as the main villain will provide a fresh take on the concept. And Grundy's arrival was by far the best-looking part of this issue, so at the very least we can look forward to more of that.
This is not to say Nicola Scott did bad work with the other characters but, again, it all felt less exciting and/or impressive this month. Perhaps it was my lack of interest in the story, but the Green Lantern visuals didn't wow me, either. In particular, the new costume design, which I understand the reasoning behind but also don't see the need for. What's wrong with a caped Green Lantern, or one who uses even a splash or two of any other color? The new costume has more in common with Hal Jordan than any previous version of Alan Scott, and that's a shame. Scott should stand out from others with his mantle, not blend in.
I'm still having a good time with this title as it slowly assembles its cast, and the promise of the Atom and Dr. Fate in the immediate future certainly entices me. But Green Lantern's origin ended up being dull, especially compared to the Flash's last issue, so Earth 2 #3 was sort of a dud overall.
5.0/10
The best scenes in the issue were those without Alan Scott. Flash and Hawkgirl's interaction (with its promise of a soon-to-be-seen Dr. Fate) was fun and appropriately quick, and the new take on Grundy at the end of the issue was my favorite part. Not wild about Earth 2 adopting a Green-vs.-Death-style system and story, because we've had far too much of that noise from Animal Man and Swamp Thing already, but hopefully the addition of Grundy as the main villain will provide a fresh take on the concept. And Grundy's arrival was by far the best-looking part of this issue, so at the very least we can look forward to more of that.
This is not to say Nicola Scott did bad work with the other characters but, again, it all felt less exciting and/or impressive this month. Perhaps it was my lack of interest in the story, but the Green Lantern visuals didn't wow me, either. In particular, the new costume design, which I understand the reasoning behind but also don't see the need for. What's wrong with a caped Green Lantern, or one who uses even a splash or two of any other color? The new costume has more in common with Hal Jordan than any previous version of Alan Scott, and that's a shame. Scott should stand out from others with his mantle, not blend in.
I'm still having a good time with this title as it slowly assembles its cast, and the promise of the Atom and Dr. Fate in the immediate future certainly entices me. But Green Lantern's origin ended up being dull, especially compared to the Flash's last issue, so Earth 2 #3 was sort of a dud overall.
5.0/10
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Pull List Review: Earth 2 #2
Although I'm not always a fan of highly decompressed storytelling, Earth 2 #2 makes it work. Takes advantage of it, even. Seeing Mercury slowly crumble and fade, and then later watching the Flash begin to study his powers, were both moments that worked much better (and looked much cooler) because they were given ample room to breath. That's most of the issue right there, really, with the exception of an awesome opening that sets up a pretty great new status quo for the two men who were Mr. Terrific pre-New 52. And then there are the two brief scenes with Alan Scott and his boyfriend Sam, which we've all seen some of in the news surrounding Scott's sexuality last week. Though not as interesting as the superpowered stuff, these moments worked as well, and led to a cliffhanger that promises to finally make Scott into the hero we all know he'll become.
Speaking of Scotts, the penciler-inker team of Nicola Scott and Trevor Scott is really doing a great job on this title. Very detailed and expressive characters, and the scene of the Flash exploring his powers was particularly strong and clear. Also, without spoiling who it is, there is a splash page at the end of that scene introducing another character who I was very pleased to see and who looked awesome. And even though I mentioned it briefly above, Mercury's steady decaying looked spectacular, and helped to express the urgency of his message.
Really the best part of Earth 2 so far is the total earnestness the main characters all seem to possess. When Jay Garrick gets his powers, he doesn't really even question whether or not he should start saving people, he just gets right to it. And Alan Scott, in his awkward proposal to Sam, displays a similar yet distinct kind of quiet bravery. The promise of a great evil lies ahead, so it's nice to see such bright and sincere heroes coming together, however slowly, to face it.
7.5/10
Speaking of Scotts, the penciler-inker team of Nicola Scott and Trevor Scott is really doing a great job on this title. Very detailed and expressive characters, and the scene of the Flash exploring his powers was particularly strong and clear. Also, without spoiling who it is, there is a splash page at the end of that scene introducing another character who I was very pleased to see and who looked awesome. And even though I mentioned it briefly above, Mercury's steady decaying looked spectacular, and helped to express the urgency of his message.
Really the best part of Earth 2 so far is the total earnestness the main characters all seem to possess. When Jay Garrick gets his powers, he doesn't really even question whether or not he should start saving people, he just gets right to it. And Alan Scott, in his awkward proposal to Sam, displays a similar yet distinct kind of quiet bravery. The promise of a great evil lies ahead, so it's nice to see such bright and sincere heroes coming together, however slowly, to face it.
7.5/10
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)