At one point in Ultimate Comics X-Men #14, Kitty Pryde says she's tired of waiting for bad things to happen to her and her friends. And I agree. Kitty told her allies and the readers last issue that she had a plan, that it was time to start fighting back, and when our heroes hit the road I assumed that plan would be under way presently. Instead, we get an issue that mostly comes across as stalling. Brian Wood does a lot of strong characterization in this issue, but very little story beyond that. The only conflict that does arise is dealt with almost too easily, and then almost too predictably, it shows back up at the end and becomes a real problem. Before and in between, we have a dull road trip story that never gets anywhere.
I suppose Wood is setting the stage. He reminds us what the state of the country currently is in the Ultimate Universe, and why Kitty and crew are doing what they're doing. But I didn't need that reminder, and in providing it Wood also finds a feasible excuse to quickly brush aside the most interesting aspect of Nick Spencer's time on the title: the voices Rogue and many other characters seem to hear in their heads, the apparitions of dead loved ones returning to speak to them. Effectively, through Kitty's narration, we are told to forget about that particular detail for now, because there's no time for it. It's a weak move, and not enough new, interesting stuff takes place to fill the space left by removing what has come before. There is an out-of-nowhere romantic spark between Kitty and Johnny that might lead to something further along but, here, feels forced and too brief. Wood is still trying to reshape this series, but I felt like he'd done enough of that in his first issue, and what he should've been doing here was diving head first into those ideas instead of continuing to shuffle and introduce others.
I still have high hopes for the new direction this title seems to be moving in, but this was a lackluster opening to its part in the first event of the newest Ultimate line.
5.0/10
Showing posts with label Ultimate X-Men. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ultimate X-Men. Show all posts
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Pull List Review: Ultimate Comics X-Men #13
It can't be easy to take over a title from another writer, especially when that writer left so much unanswered and half-formed, but Brian Wood has found a logical way of handling the transition as he takes the helm of Ultimate Comics X-Men from Nick Spencer. Basically, this issue is Wood's mission statement for the series, and as the title switches focus and direction, so, too, does its main character, Kitty Pryde. Wood has Kitty literally shed her old costume and name (in an, admittedly, bizarre and, I think, needless scene) and announce to the reader and her teammates in no uncertain terms that she has a new goal, a new purpose in life. Kitty stands in for Wood, and her change in attitude represents a similar change in the series as a whole.
Unfortunately, that's about all this issue has room for before it comes to a close. Because of the twelve previous chapters with Kitty and crew largely dragging their feet, it takes a fair amount of space before they can fully switch gears. We get insight into Kitty's thought process, watch her make her bold transformation, and then she explains it to her friends and they set out in a brave new direction, but exactly what that direction will look like remains, for now, unclear. Also, Johnny chooses to stay behind with the younger mutants, which was maybe my favorite moment in the whole issue and definitely a thread I'm eager to see developed. Essentially that's how I feel about the whole of Ultimate Comics X-Men #13: while the present-tense of the story is relatively interesting, mostly all it does is make me excited for the title's future.
Paco Medina's art was actually better here than it often is in this book, with no truly awkward or unpleasant panels. I do wish his work was more reliable---he fluctuates from very grounded characters to broader, more cartoony figures frequently and arbitrarily, which can be jarring and take the reader out of the story. Even if it's just for a moment, the damage is done, and I think Medina would benefit from locking in a steadier style. Still, his storytelling is clear and his characters, while inconsistent in their appearance, are always expressive and alive.
Not a failure by any means, but not exactly a great success either, Ultimate Comics X-Men #13 has, at the very least, set the stage for faster-paced and more interesting issues than what has come before. The first page asks us if we've been holding our breath this whole time, and the implied promise in that question is that the wait, at long last, is over. Kitty is coming into her own as a hero/terrorist, and I'm anxious to see where it takes her and her companions.
5.0/10
Unfortunately, that's about all this issue has room for before it comes to a close. Because of the twelve previous chapters with Kitty and crew largely dragging their feet, it takes a fair amount of space before they can fully switch gears. We get insight into Kitty's thought process, watch her make her bold transformation, and then she explains it to her friends and they set out in a brave new direction, but exactly what that direction will look like remains, for now, unclear. Also, Johnny chooses to stay behind with the younger mutants, which was maybe my favorite moment in the whole issue and definitely a thread I'm eager to see developed. Essentially that's how I feel about the whole of Ultimate Comics X-Men #13: while the present-tense of the story is relatively interesting, mostly all it does is make me excited for the title's future.
Paco Medina's art was actually better here than it often is in this book, with no truly awkward or unpleasant panels. I do wish his work was more reliable---he fluctuates from very grounded characters to broader, more cartoony figures frequently and arbitrarily, which can be jarring and take the reader out of the story. Even if it's just for a moment, the damage is done, and I think Medina would benefit from locking in a steadier style. Still, his storytelling is clear and his characters, while inconsistent in their appearance, are always expressive and alive.
Not a failure by any means, but not exactly a great success either, Ultimate Comics X-Men #13 has, at the very least, set the stage for faster-paced and more interesting issues than what has come before. The first page asks us if we've been holding our breath this whole time, and the implied promise in that question is that the wait, at long last, is over. Kitty is coming into her own as a hero/terrorist, and I'm anxious to see where it takes her and her companions.
5.0/10
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Pull List Reviews 05/24/2012
First off, my shop got shorted on its order of Teen Titans #9, so that'll have to wait, but luckily there was a lot of great stuff this week, anyway...
Astonishing X-Men #50: I don't want to talk about all the hype surrounding this issue here, for one thing because I plan on talking about it elsewhere, but mostly because I feel like, for the purpose of a review, it's best to ignore that sort of external circumstance and take the issue on its own. And on its own, this issue was a lot of fun. Marjorie Liu clearly knows her characters, and writes them all with strong voices, which helps to add a bunch of really great humor, particularly whenever Wabird's around. There's also a bit of heartbreak, as Kyle turns down Jean-Paul's proposal, forcing Northstar to finally come to terms with the true problems in their relationship. Both the proposal and Northstar's eventual guilt are sad and touching moments, and help to progress the story which has been central to this title since Liu took the reigns. Namely, Northstar and Kyle's love trying to survive in this world full of superpowers. Mike Perkins' art is still a tad uneven, especially when it comes to Wolverine's cowl, but he has some really great moments as well, like when Iceman goes all scary monster and attacks Northstar. All-in-all, a pretty middle-of-the-road chapter, but one which a bit more fun and interesting than the first two. I think that once Liu and Perkins have fully settled into this title, we're going to see great things from them.
6.0/10
Justice League Dark #9: At long, long last, Justice League Dark is as fun and funny as it was always meant to be. Jeff Lemire shakes up the book's lineup and their reasons for working together, and the end result is much, much stronger than anything from Milligan's tenure on the title. There's a semi-rocky start because, like Milligan, Lemire can't seem to resist having the comic talk about itself---Deadman joking about "real superheroes," Steve Trevor referring to the title as a cute/silly nickname for the team, etc. But once we get past that, there's some really great, magic-filled action and several good moments of characterization which also help to make the whole story more personal for at least some members of the cast. Mikel Janin delivers some of the best artwork this series has seen, too, particularly when drawing Black Orchid, and also Felix Faust. But he does a nice job with everyone, adds a slight but fitting grittiness to the book, and nails the horror elements completely. The inherent potential in this title has always been clear, but only now, nine issues deep, do we finally have a creative team who seems to fully understand and appreciate it. The future looks bright for Justice League Dark.
6.0/10
Mind MGMT #1: I admire and cherish any comicbook that really takes advantage of its medium. Mind MGMT #1, written, drawn, lettered, and designed by Matt Kindt, does just that, with hilarious and intelligent bits of background info written in the page margins, and extra story material on both inside covers. Right there, it wins me over, but of course that's not all it has to offer. It opens with a question about dreams, a question which it never comes back around to answer (yet, anyway), and in truth the whole thing has a dreamlike quality. Some of that comes from Kindt's soft, fuzzy artwork, which helps to keep things calm even when there are moments of fear or violence. But there are elements of dream in the script as well. We get only hints at what is happening and what's to come, but like a dream, even though we may not understand everything, we can feel the weight of it. The importance. Kindt obviously has big plans, and has a lot more figured out than he's sharing with us yet, but he laces this debut with a feeling of impending doom through the narrative captions, so we can sense that big things are building up around the bend. Until that happens, we have a compelling protagonist in Meru, a woman who seems like she might be dreaming a bit herself, or at any rate sleepwalking through her life. She's a strange and fascinating hero, and even though her adventure has only barely begun, I look forward to watching it play out.
7.5/10
Prophet #25: It just gets better and better. Brandon Graham's Prophet has been amazing all along, and this issue is no exception, but there's a subtle shift in personality at work that I thoroughly enjoyed. Partly, this comes from artist Giannis Milonogiannis, who stays true to the established feel of the series but adds a certain roughness to things. The John Prophets we've seen have all been hardened men, but under Milonogiannis' pencils they become so close-mouthed and tight-eyed you can barely see their faces. This is not at all a complaint, because the look more than suits them, and it suits the somewhat harder nature of their mission. Before, it was always one Prophet struggling to get somewhere, to reach his brothers. Here, not only do we have numerous Prophets working together and already fully-awake, but essentially, they're on a hunting trip. An awesome hunting trip for incredible game---the Nephilim were the best thing, visually and conceptually, about this issue---but nevertheless a hunting trip. This slight but significant change in tone, along with the visually and emotionally stunning ending which pushed the scope of an already massive story out even farther, made Prophet #25 an excellent read through-and-through. The title has firmly cemented itself as my favorite current ongoing series.
10/10
Rebel Blood #3: I love Rebel Blood, and while I am still a huge fan of this issue, it felt a bit less inventive than the first two. More of a straightforward zombie survival narrative. Of course, Riley Rossmo was still drawing it, so it was one of the best-looking zombie survival narratives ever. The pack of rabbits charging through the broken window was my personal favorite, but things like Chuck stomping on a fetus or dragging a guy on the back of a tow truck were badass and unnerving and delightful as well. And the story, while perhaps more direct than it has been, was no less impressive. Alex Link has built an understandable, likable hero in Chuck, and it makes sense that he would try to save Red, his only real friend in this fight so far. It also makes sense that his rescue attempt would fail, because when he finally does make it back to his family (which is his endgame), we want him to be alone, to either save them or lose them himself. So I deeply enjoyed everything that actually happened in this issue, even if it was somewhat more by-the-numbers than I've come to expect. With only the finale left to read, I'm hoping Rebel Blood has at least one or two tricks left up its storytelling sleeve, because as a series, its primed right now to be one of the best of the year.
8.5/10
Secret Avengers #27: Rick Remender should teach a class to other comicbook writers about how to handle tie-ins. Linking directly to the themes of AvX, Secret Avengers #27 is be about heroes fighting each other over what to do about the Phoenix, yet at the same time the actual narrative of the main event title has almost nothing to do with this issue. Unlike pretty much any other tie-in I've read, this truly works and makes sense entirely by itself, with absolutely no preliminary reading of the event it's tied to being necessary. Now, having said that, I should also point out that if you know nothing about Mar-Vell (and I know a pretty limited amount myself) then his return may not pack the emotional punch it's meant to, but Remender deals with this by tapping us directly into Mar-Vell's thoughts. We get more than enough of his history this way, as well as his present state of mind, and it does a lot for our understanding and enjoyment of the story. The thing is, though, it hardly matters WHAT the story's about (which is a rarity with a Remender script) because the art is just so damn fantastic. Renato Guedes, with serious assists from colorists Bettie Breitweiser and Matthew Wilson, manages to top himself artistically from last issue, which is no small feat. Thanos' face on the opening page, Vision pushing back against whatever is brainwashing the Kree, and every bit of the Thor vs. Mar-Vell fight are gorgeous. Somehow, even in the midst of so much violence and, ultimately, death, the art is soothing. It invites you in and warms you, calms you while you read about the possible extinction of an entire planet. I wish more superhero comicbooks were this visually pleasing, and I'm going to miss the shit out of this creative team whenever they depart from the title.
8.5/10
Smoke and Mirrors #3: In some ways, the bulk of this issue is what I wanted Smoke and Mirrors to be a from the get-go: a story about a stage magician from our world trapped in a world where magic is real. So far, instead, it's mostly been about Ethan, the boy who (sort of) befriends said magician, and Mr. Ward's own story is certainly more interesting than Ethan's. But now that we're already so familiar with how Ward gets by in this world, the details of his early days there are a bit less interesting than I think they would've been if they'd come sooner. It also means that when we finally return to Ethan's part of the story in Smoke and Mirrors #3, it feels a bit out of place, because we've already spent so much time focusing on Ward. Still, on its own merits, it's a solid issue, telling a clear, quick tale about a man struggling to adapt to an unthinkable situation, and it handles that narrative quite well and realistically. I'm also warming to Ryan Browne's artwork, which rests somewhere betwen "realistic" and "cartoony." But, I realized reading this, that's actually pretty perfect for a book set in a world that runs on magic, and his characters are emotive and strong. Plus, seriously, this title gets props for including a working magic trcik in each issue, and this one had, by far, my favorite. Now that Ward and the closest thing to a villain we've seen yet are finally face-to-face, I hope the ending of this series can pick up a little steam.
5.0/10
Ultimate Comics X-Men #12: By no means terrible, but a bit of a snoozer. I mean, in my fanboy head, I was thrilled to see Ultimate Layla Miller, Mr. Sinister, and... Apocalypse? Someone who goes by that name, anyway. But it took an awfully long time to get to the Sinister/Apocalypse reveal, without a whole lot else really taking place beforehand. Havok, another character who hasn't been in the title since the reboot (I'm not sure anyone who appeared in this issue has), is rescued from a mental hospital in a weird way, for strange and cryptic reasons that I don't know why I should care about. And I mean, that's pretty much it. Nick Spencer has yet to really whet my appetite with Ultimate Comics X-Men, telling too large a story in such tiny increments. Luckily, this marks his departure from the title, and even though it seems rude to add a bunch of new threads without tying any up before you hand it off to a new writer, I'm excited to see what Brian Wood does with the pieces he's been left. I should say, though, for all my griping about the script, Paco Medina's art actually stepped up a notch this issue. It seemed surer of itself somehow, steadier and more confident, which really helped to carry the dry, meatless story. And all the panels of people being rapidly aged to death (of which there may have been more than necessary, but who cares?) really worked for me. Still, not quite enough to enhance the overall effect of the issue too greatly, as the story dragged its feet from cover to cover.
4.5/10
Astonishing X-Men #50: I don't want to talk about all the hype surrounding this issue here, for one thing because I plan on talking about it elsewhere, but mostly because I feel like, for the purpose of a review, it's best to ignore that sort of external circumstance and take the issue on its own. And on its own, this issue was a lot of fun. Marjorie Liu clearly knows her characters, and writes them all with strong voices, which helps to add a bunch of really great humor, particularly whenever Wabird's around. There's also a bit of heartbreak, as Kyle turns down Jean-Paul's proposal, forcing Northstar to finally come to terms with the true problems in their relationship. Both the proposal and Northstar's eventual guilt are sad and touching moments, and help to progress the story which has been central to this title since Liu took the reigns. Namely, Northstar and Kyle's love trying to survive in this world full of superpowers. Mike Perkins' art is still a tad uneven, especially when it comes to Wolverine's cowl, but he has some really great moments as well, like when Iceman goes all scary monster and attacks Northstar. All-in-all, a pretty middle-of-the-road chapter, but one which a bit more fun and interesting than the first two. I think that once Liu and Perkins have fully settled into this title, we're going to see great things from them.
6.0/10
Justice League Dark #9: At long, long last, Justice League Dark is as fun and funny as it was always meant to be. Jeff Lemire shakes up the book's lineup and their reasons for working together, and the end result is much, much stronger than anything from Milligan's tenure on the title. There's a semi-rocky start because, like Milligan, Lemire can't seem to resist having the comic talk about itself---Deadman joking about "real superheroes," Steve Trevor referring to the title as a cute/silly nickname for the team, etc. But once we get past that, there's some really great, magic-filled action and several good moments of characterization which also help to make the whole story more personal for at least some members of the cast. Mikel Janin delivers some of the best artwork this series has seen, too, particularly when drawing Black Orchid, and also Felix Faust. But he does a nice job with everyone, adds a slight but fitting grittiness to the book, and nails the horror elements completely. The inherent potential in this title has always been clear, but only now, nine issues deep, do we finally have a creative team who seems to fully understand and appreciate it. The future looks bright for Justice League Dark.
6.0/10
Mind MGMT #1: I admire and cherish any comicbook that really takes advantage of its medium. Mind MGMT #1, written, drawn, lettered, and designed by Matt Kindt, does just that, with hilarious and intelligent bits of background info written in the page margins, and extra story material on both inside covers. Right there, it wins me over, but of course that's not all it has to offer. It opens with a question about dreams, a question which it never comes back around to answer (yet, anyway), and in truth the whole thing has a dreamlike quality. Some of that comes from Kindt's soft, fuzzy artwork, which helps to keep things calm even when there are moments of fear or violence. But there are elements of dream in the script as well. We get only hints at what is happening and what's to come, but like a dream, even though we may not understand everything, we can feel the weight of it. The importance. Kindt obviously has big plans, and has a lot more figured out than he's sharing with us yet, but he laces this debut with a feeling of impending doom through the narrative captions, so we can sense that big things are building up around the bend. Until that happens, we have a compelling protagonist in Meru, a woman who seems like she might be dreaming a bit herself, or at any rate sleepwalking through her life. She's a strange and fascinating hero, and even though her adventure has only barely begun, I look forward to watching it play out.
7.5/10
Prophet #25: It just gets better and better. Brandon Graham's Prophet has been amazing all along, and this issue is no exception, but there's a subtle shift in personality at work that I thoroughly enjoyed. Partly, this comes from artist Giannis Milonogiannis, who stays true to the established feel of the series but adds a certain roughness to things. The John Prophets we've seen have all been hardened men, but under Milonogiannis' pencils they become so close-mouthed and tight-eyed you can barely see their faces. This is not at all a complaint, because the look more than suits them, and it suits the somewhat harder nature of their mission. Before, it was always one Prophet struggling to get somewhere, to reach his brothers. Here, not only do we have numerous Prophets working together and already fully-awake, but essentially, they're on a hunting trip. An awesome hunting trip for incredible game---the Nephilim were the best thing, visually and conceptually, about this issue---but nevertheless a hunting trip. This slight but significant change in tone, along with the visually and emotionally stunning ending which pushed the scope of an already massive story out even farther, made Prophet #25 an excellent read through-and-through. The title has firmly cemented itself as my favorite current ongoing series.
10/10
Rebel Blood #3: I love Rebel Blood, and while I am still a huge fan of this issue, it felt a bit less inventive than the first two. More of a straightforward zombie survival narrative. Of course, Riley Rossmo was still drawing it, so it was one of the best-looking zombie survival narratives ever. The pack of rabbits charging through the broken window was my personal favorite, but things like Chuck stomping on a fetus or dragging a guy on the back of a tow truck were badass and unnerving and delightful as well. And the story, while perhaps more direct than it has been, was no less impressive. Alex Link has built an understandable, likable hero in Chuck, and it makes sense that he would try to save Red, his only real friend in this fight so far. It also makes sense that his rescue attempt would fail, because when he finally does make it back to his family (which is his endgame), we want him to be alone, to either save them or lose them himself. So I deeply enjoyed everything that actually happened in this issue, even if it was somewhat more by-the-numbers than I've come to expect. With only the finale left to read, I'm hoping Rebel Blood has at least one or two tricks left up its storytelling sleeve, because as a series, its primed right now to be one of the best of the year.
8.5/10
Secret Avengers #27: Rick Remender should teach a class to other comicbook writers about how to handle tie-ins. Linking directly to the themes of AvX, Secret Avengers #27 is be about heroes fighting each other over what to do about the Phoenix, yet at the same time the actual narrative of the main event title has almost nothing to do with this issue. Unlike pretty much any other tie-in I've read, this truly works and makes sense entirely by itself, with absolutely no preliminary reading of the event it's tied to being necessary. Now, having said that, I should also point out that if you know nothing about Mar-Vell (and I know a pretty limited amount myself) then his return may not pack the emotional punch it's meant to, but Remender deals with this by tapping us directly into Mar-Vell's thoughts. We get more than enough of his history this way, as well as his present state of mind, and it does a lot for our understanding and enjoyment of the story. The thing is, though, it hardly matters WHAT the story's about (which is a rarity with a Remender script) because the art is just so damn fantastic. Renato Guedes, with serious assists from colorists Bettie Breitweiser and Matthew Wilson, manages to top himself artistically from last issue, which is no small feat. Thanos' face on the opening page, Vision pushing back against whatever is brainwashing the Kree, and every bit of the Thor vs. Mar-Vell fight are gorgeous. Somehow, even in the midst of so much violence and, ultimately, death, the art is soothing. It invites you in and warms you, calms you while you read about the possible extinction of an entire planet. I wish more superhero comicbooks were this visually pleasing, and I'm going to miss the shit out of this creative team whenever they depart from the title.
8.5/10
Smoke and Mirrors #3: In some ways, the bulk of this issue is what I wanted Smoke and Mirrors to be a from the get-go: a story about a stage magician from our world trapped in a world where magic is real. So far, instead, it's mostly been about Ethan, the boy who (sort of) befriends said magician, and Mr. Ward's own story is certainly more interesting than Ethan's. But now that we're already so familiar with how Ward gets by in this world, the details of his early days there are a bit less interesting than I think they would've been if they'd come sooner. It also means that when we finally return to Ethan's part of the story in Smoke and Mirrors #3, it feels a bit out of place, because we've already spent so much time focusing on Ward. Still, on its own merits, it's a solid issue, telling a clear, quick tale about a man struggling to adapt to an unthinkable situation, and it handles that narrative quite well and realistically. I'm also warming to Ryan Browne's artwork, which rests somewhere betwen "realistic" and "cartoony." But, I realized reading this, that's actually pretty perfect for a book set in a world that runs on magic, and his characters are emotive and strong. Plus, seriously, this title gets props for including a working magic trcik in each issue, and this one had, by far, my favorite. Now that Ward and the closest thing to a villain we've seen yet are finally face-to-face, I hope the ending of this series can pick up a little steam.
5.0/10
Ultimate Comics X-Men #12: By no means terrible, but a bit of a snoozer. I mean, in my fanboy head, I was thrilled to see Ultimate Layla Miller, Mr. Sinister, and... Apocalypse? Someone who goes by that name, anyway. But it took an awfully long time to get to the Sinister/Apocalypse reveal, without a whole lot else really taking place beforehand. Havok, another character who hasn't been in the title since the reboot (I'm not sure anyone who appeared in this issue has), is rescued from a mental hospital in a weird way, for strange and cryptic reasons that I don't know why I should care about. And I mean, that's pretty much it. Nick Spencer has yet to really whet my appetite with Ultimate Comics X-Men, telling too large a story in such tiny increments. Luckily, this marks his departure from the title, and even though it seems rude to add a bunch of new threads without tying any up before you hand it off to a new writer, I'm excited to see what Brian Wood does with the pieces he's been left. I should say, though, for all my griping about the script, Paco Medina's art actually stepped up a notch this issue. It seemed surer of itself somehow, steadier and more confident, which really helped to carry the dry, meatless story. And all the panels of people being rapidly aged to death (of which there may have been more than necessary, but who cares?) really worked for me. Still, not quite enough to enhance the overall effect of the issue too greatly, as the story dragged its feet from cover to cover.
4.5/10
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Pull List Reviews 05/10/2012
Batman #9: Well, the giant bat-armor from last month was sort of a bust, huh? I was really hoping Bruce had some kind of awesome contingency plan in place that involved the awkward metal suit, but, alas, it was just an awkward metal suit to fight in. Still, it was nice to see Batman's rage unleashed, and to finally give him some useful knowledge about the Court of Owls. Now maybe he can kick some ass and lay this story to rest for a while. Greg Capullo's art was actually somewhat more contained/restrained this month, which was interesting since Scott Snyder's script was mostly about Batman cutting loose and tearing mercilessly into the Talons. I'm not complaining about the art, because there's still a lot of great imagery, like the bat swarm or the dinosaur foot stomp, but if there was ever a time for Capullo to let his line work go a bit crazy, it seems like it would have been this issue. The backup feature I enjoyed a bit more than the main story, perhaps just because I love Alfred so much that any insight into his personal or familial history is welcome. And that final image of the Talon in the rain is stunning. Rafael Albuquerque continues t be an ideal Batman artist, highlighting the shadow and fear inherent in that world.
6.5/10
Fairest #3: I find Fairest #3 to be particularly challenging to review as a whole. As has been the norm with this title for all three installments, we have here an example of some truly excellent artwork that is telling just a dreadfully boring story. We have no reason to care about any of the characters, and in the case of the guy who does the most talking (a bottle imp named, I believe, Panghammer), we don't even have a convincing reason to like him. Even he knows he's a pain in the ass, and the story he's narrating to the rest of the cast would only be interesting if it wasn't being pointlessly drawn out. A series full of misfires from Bill Willingham so far, and if I didn't already know he'd be leaving the title fairly soon (along with his dumb, dumb crop of characters) I might well be dropping Fairest from my pull list. However, the saving grace continues to be Phil Jimenez's pencils, as well as the ink and coloring work by Andy Lanning, Mark Farmer, and Andrew Dalhouse. Whether it's a sentient flying boat, a royal hall filled with a bright and blustering party, or just The Snow Queen and Panghammer surrounded by whites and blues in her palace, every single page has art worth a second (or third or fourth) look. It's sort of astonishing how far from each other the story and the art are in terms of quality. How, exactly, did a script so bland inspire such lovely visuals? Anyway, that seems to be par for the course on this title.
4.5/10
Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #9: I have complained a couple of times about the change that took place when this title started using Walden Wong to ink Alberto Ponticelli. This month, we have a new inker, Wayne Faucher, and I think with him we've found a happy medium that (hopefully) we can all agree on. Not quite as wild as when Ponticelli inks himself, but without muting the energy which his pencils always bring to the table.
Now that that's out of the way, I'll say that this was an exceptionally fine issue of Frankenstein all over. The title has always been a string of monster battles for Frank to fight, with each new enemy causing him to question/examine himself in some new light. This issue is no exception, and tells a tidy little tale of Frank and Dr. Mazursky battling against the forces of The Rot (from Animal Man and Swamp Thing). Unable to simply kill his foes in the usual fashion, Frank goes to an extreme measure, calling in a "blackbomb" which only targets living things and therefore does not hurt him. However, this causes him further frustration/sadness, because he is forced to admit that he is not really "alive" in, at least, the scientific sense. It's a quick but effective tale, and it serves to advance Frank's relationship with himself, S.H.A.D.E., and Mazursky all. And the Ponticell-Faucher-Villarruba art team comes through as well, like I mentioned. Particularly the splash where Frank and Nina find the corpse of the cop they're looking for. I want that as a wall-sized poster.
7.5/10
Higher Earth #1: If the concept behind Higher Earth interests you---a whole bunch of Earths in different universes that each have their place in a hierarchy of Earths---then you'll no doubt enjoy this first issue, since most of what it does is to introduce that concept. Luckily, it does interest me, and Sam Humphries makes the intelligent decision to have one of his main characters, Heidi, know as little about the details of the book's reality as the reader. She stands in for us, and like he is for Heidi, the nameless man who comes to save her from her Earth is an intriguing enigma, yet somehow easy to trust with his mater-of-fact attitude and battle-readiness. Francesco Biagini's artwork is similarly direct, always expressive and effective, but never especially impressive. He does some cool stuff with the edges of his panels and other kinds of layout moves, but otherwise it's fairly middle-of-the-line work. I'm excited to see this series develop, assuming it lasts long enough to do so, but Higher Earth #1 is no more than a simple, clean, clear introduction to the key players and ideas that will move the story forward.
6.0/10
Morning Glories #18: My aggravation over the snail's pace at which this series drags on is well-documented, and Morning Glories #18 is no exception. Virtually ignoring the previous issues of this arc (and, by the way, wasn't "P.E." supposed to conclude this issue, not the next one, originally? Am I making that up?), Nick Spencer decides to instead switch focus back over to Jun. I have long thought of Jun as the most interesting of the Glories, and I really liked his interactions and the development of his romance with Guillaume, but at the end of the day it was mostly more cryptic nonsense, spouting of meaningless mottos, and characters with unclear motives. Plus I get especially annoyed by Spencer when he actually has a character talk about the lack of answers in Morning Glories, which he's done several times, and does with Abraham here. Stop making excuses for yourself, jerk, and just tell your damn story already! Joe Eisma is Joe Eisma, reliably turning in consistent work on this title since the beginning. It never gets any worse or any better, it's just what Morning Glories looks like. At this point if another artist came in or if Eisma changed his style too much, I feel like it would be jarring, because the look of this book is so firmly established now. As is the narrative style, and it happens to be one which drives me kind of crazy.
4.5/10
Ultimate Comics Ultimates #10: Sam Humphries joins Jonathan Hickman on writing duties with this issue, but it's not an obvious shift in tone. I suppose there's slightly less action this issue than in many of the preceding nine, but that has more to do with where we are in the story, I suspect, than because of the addition to the writing team. Either way, a thoroughly entertaining issue. It took time at the beginning to bring home the full effect of the attack on D.C., and still managed to advance each of its characters and plots point forward, however slightly. And it's fun to watch the Ultimates battle against S.H.I.E.L.D. on top of everything else, especially now that they are so fractured. The City continues to be a unique threat, provoking bold reactions from our heroes that make for great superhero fare. Luke Ross, on the other hand, was somewhat uneven on art, mostly struggling with figures who were in motion. It wasn't a huge detriment here, and it's not like he messed it up every time, but there were several awkward or impossible poses, and in an issue with heavier action I'm nervous about how Ross will perform. Hopefully Ultimates #10 will be the exception, rather than the rule. Beyond those specific things, though, totally serviceable artwork and a fun, logical chapter in this grand tale.
6.0/10
Ultimate Comics X-Men #11: Here, we have a similar waste of story space from Spencer as in Morning Glories above, but with a slightly stronger showing from Paco Medina on art. Not a lot of new information here, or any real character insights or developments. Primarily just a series of checking in scenes for each bundle of characters, watching them each react in turn to the horrendous Sentinel attacks. It's an alright story, just lacking in meat or even much flavor. Nothing unexpected happens, we hear about the Southwest United States getting jacked up way more times than we need to, and then we get an ending that seems pretty mundane considering the work the Sentinels do in the rest of the issue. Medina, however, draws the crap out of those Sentinels, from their two-page spread at Camp Angel to those creepy pages where we see shots of several cities burning, to the reveal on the final page. He doesn't do a remarkable job with the rest of the issue, nor does he do a bad one, but for some reason I really enjoyed his Sentinel-based pages. Otherwise a bland offering.
5.0/10
Uncanny X-Force #25: A fascinating and well-written examination of the motives of each member of X-Force. Even Deadpool, in his own warped way. For a title that is clearly ramping up for something big---notice Genesis and Angel returned in this issue, and whoever's behind this White Sky/Omega Clan situation is bound to have other things in play, plus Rick Remender has been saying so in interviews---it's a smart move to take a minute and remind the readers why these characters are on this team. Or in some cases, why they're not on the team anymore (for now). Remender, as he has from the beginning, knows exactly how to handle his cast, and gives each of them a moment to shine. Fantomex gets the least of it, but his few lines and final action speak volumes. Wolverine, the leader and only remaining founder of the team, as well as the most direct connection to the new Omega Clan, gets the most time in the spotlight, and it is time well used. He deeply but quickly examines the many complicated reasons he has for keeping X-Force alive, and they all make sense and ring true in his voice. It's compelling stuff, aided in no small way by Mike McKone's drawings and Dean White's colors. Their best moment as an artistic team has got to be the two-page spread of the White Sky Showroom, but they also knock it out of the park on the introduction of the Omega Clan and Nightcrawler's flashback panels. There is one terrible drawing of Beast, but otherwise a strong performance across the board. And then, if McKone doesn't do it for you, there are some twenty extra pages of Jerome Opeña art as well, his and Remender's first Wolverine and Deadpool stories. Opeña's art is less stylized here than it has been on Uncanny X-Force, though that may have something to do with the coloring. But it's still quite good, and the stories are fun if simple, as any comicbook shorts are bound to be. Overall, a fitting anniversary issue, and one that excites me for the future of this title in a way I haven't felt for a while.
7.5/10
Wolverine and the X-Men #10: Two unexpected things happened for me while reading this: I loved Chris Bachalo art, and I agreed with Cyclops. The Bachalo thing was a pleasant surprise, as more often than not I find his style confusing and/or off-putting. But Krakoa rising up, that super-complicated two-page spread with like a dozen tiny panels and a couple huge ones, and especially the very opening page were all great. As for agreeing with Cyclops, I still mostly just feel like, "Why can't they all just work together? Why wouldn't they want to?" But Scott's arguments to Logan sounded far more reasonable and well-thought-out than anything he's said in a while. Not all of it, mind you, but enough of it that by the time Wolverine was losing staff members to the other side, I was totally rooting for them over him. Here's a question, though: when does this issue take place? After the fight on Utopia, but before Wolverine is thrown from a plane? Hardly seems like he had time to do all of this in between those two events. And also that would make Rachel Grey's role in AvX #3 confusing as hell. But if this after he gets back from the plane...why isn't he more pissed off at the Avengers for throwing him from a plane? Right? I also don't understand when, exactly, Cyclops had the time to make this visit, but I'm hoping AvX #4 can shed some light. I don't know if I expect it, but I'm hoping. Aside from that bit of confusion, though, I was impressed by Jason Aaron's script for it's take on the mutant side of things, and impressed by Bachalo's art for not bothering me for once. So...impressive issue.
7.0/10
6.5/10
Fairest #3: I find Fairest #3 to be particularly challenging to review as a whole. As has been the norm with this title for all three installments, we have here an example of some truly excellent artwork that is telling just a dreadfully boring story. We have no reason to care about any of the characters, and in the case of the guy who does the most talking (a bottle imp named, I believe, Panghammer), we don't even have a convincing reason to like him. Even he knows he's a pain in the ass, and the story he's narrating to the rest of the cast would only be interesting if it wasn't being pointlessly drawn out. A series full of misfires from Bill Willingham so far, and if I didn't already know he'd be leaving the title fairly soon (along with his dumb, dumb crop of characters) I might well be dropping Fairest from my pull list. However, the saving grace continues to be Phil Jimenez's pencils, as well as the ink and coloring work by Andy Lanning, Mark Farmer, and Andrew Dalhouse. Whether it's a sentient flying boat, a royal hall filled with a bright and blustering party, or just The Snow Queen and Panghammer surrounded by whites and blues in her palace, every single page has art worth a second (or third or fourth) look. It's sort of astonishing how far from each other the story and the art are in terms of quality. How, exactly, did a script so bland inspire such lovely visuals? Anyway, that seems to be par for the course on this title.
4.5/10
Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #9: I have complained a couple of times about the change that took place when this title started using Walden Wong to ink Alberto Ponticelli. This month, we have a new inker, Wayne Faucher, and I think with him we've found a happy medium that (hopefully) we can all agree on. Not quite as wild as when Ponticelli inks himself, but without muting the energy which his pencils always bring to the table.
Now that that's out of the way, I'll say that this was an exceptionally fine issue of Frankenstein all over. The title has always been a string of monster battles for Frank to fight, with each new enemy causing him to question/examine himself in some new light. This issue is no exception, and tells a tidy little tale of Frank and Dr. Mazursky battling against the forces of The Rot (from Animal Man and Swamp Thing). Unable to simply kill his foes in the usual fashion, Frank goes to an extreme measure, calling in a "blackbomb" which only targets living things and therefore does not hurt him. However, this causes him further frustration/sadness, because he is forced to admit that he is not really "alive" in, at least, the scientific sense. It's a quick but effective tale, and it serves to advance Frank's relationship with himself, S.H.A.D.E., and Mazursky all. And the Ponticell-Faucher-Villarruba art team comes through as well, like I mentioned. Particularly the splash where Frank and Nina find the corpse of the cop they're looking for. I want that as a wall-sized poster.
7.5/10
Higher Earth #1: If the concept behind Higher Earth interests you---a whole bunch of Earths in different universes that each have their place in a hierarchy of Earths---then you'll no doubt enjoy this first issue, since most of what it does is to introduce that concept. Luckily, it does interest me, and Sam Humphries makes the intelligent decision to have one of his main characters, Heidi, know as little about the details of the book's reality as the reader. She stands in for us, and like he is for Heidi, the nameless man who comes to save her from her Earth is an intriguing enigma, yet somehow easy to trust with his mater-of-fact attitude and battle-readiness. Francesco Biagini's artwork is similarly direct, always expressive and effective, but never especially impressive. He does some cool stuff with the edges of his panels and other kinds of layout moves, but otherwise it's fairly middle-of-the-line work. I'm excited to see this series develop, assuming it lasts long enough to do so, but Higher Earth #1 is no more than a simple, clean, clear introduction to the key players and ideas that will move the story forward.
6.0/10
Morning Glories #18: My aggravation over the snail's pace at which this series drags on is well-documented, and Morning Glories #18 is no exception. Virtually ignoring the previous issues of this arc (and, by the way, wasn't "P.E." supposed to conclude this issue, not the next one, originally? Am I making that up?), Nick Spencer decides to instead switch focus back over to Jun. I have long thought of Jun as the most interesting of the Glories, and I really liked his interactions and the development of his romance with Guillaume, but at the end of the day it was mostly more cryptic nonsense, spouting of meaningless mottos, and characters with unclear motives. Plus I get especially annoyed by Spencer when he actually has a character talk about the lack of answers in Morning Glories, which he's done several times, and does with Abraham here. Stop making excuses for yourself, jerk, and just tell your damn story already! Joe Eisma is Joe Eisma, reliably turning in consistent work on this title since the beginning. It never gets any worse or any better, it's just what Morning Glories looks like. At this point if another artist came in or if Eisma changed his style too much, I feel like it would be jarring, because the look of this book is so firmly established now. As is the narrative style, and it happens to be one which drives me kind of crazy.
4.5/10
Ultimate Comics Ultimates #10: Sam Humphries joins Jonathan Hickman on writing duties with this issue, but it's not an obvious shift in tone. I suppose there's slightly less action this issue than in many of the preceding nine, but that has more to do with where we are in the story, I suspect, than because of the addition to the writing team. Either way, a thoroughly entertaining issue. It took time at the beginning to bring home the full effect of the attack on D.C., and still managed to advance each of its characters and plots point forward, however slightly. And it's fun to watch the Ultimates battle against S.H.I.E.L.D. on top of everything else, especially now that they are so fractured. The City continues to be a unique threat, provoking bold reactions from our heroes that make for great superhero fare. Luke Ross, on the other hand, was somewhat uneven on art, mostly struggling with figures who were in motion. It wasn't a huge detriment here, and it's not like he messed it up every time, but there were several awkward or impossible poses, and in an issue with heavier action I'm nervous about how Ross will perform. Hopefully Ultimates #10 will be the exception, rather than the rule. Beyond those specific things, though, totally serviceable artwork and a fun, logical chapter in this grand tale.
6.0/10
Ultimate Comics X-Men #11: Here, we have a similar waste of story space from Spencer as in Morning Glories above, but with a slightly stronger showing from Paco Medina on art. Not a lot of new information here, or any real character insights or developments. Primarily just a series of checking in scenes for each bundle of characters, watching them each react in turn to the horrendous Sentinel attacks. It's an alright story, just lacking in meat or even much flavor. Nothing unexpected happens, we hear about the Southwest United States getting jacked up way more times than we need to, and then we get an ending that seems pretty mundane considering the work the Sentinels do in the rest of the issue. Medina, however, draws the crap out of those Sentinels, from their two-page spread at Camp Angel to those creepy pages where we see shots of several cities burning, to the reveal on the final page. He doesn't do a remarkable job with the rest of the issue, nor does he do a bad one, but for some reason I really enjoyed his Sentinel-based pages. Otherwise a bland offering.
5.0/10
Uncanny X-Force #25: A fascinating and well-written examination of the motives of each member of X-Force. Even Deadpool, in his own warped way. For a title that is clearly ramping up for something big---notice Genesis and Angel returned in this issue, and whoever's behind this White Sky/Omega Clan situation is bound to have other things in play, plus Rick Remender has been saying so in interviews---it's a smart move to take a minute and remind the readers why these characters are on this team. Or in some cases, why they're not on the team anymore (for now). Remender, as he has from the beginning, knows exactly how to handle his cast, and gives each of them a moment to shine. Fantomex gets the least of it, but his few lines and final action speak volumes. Wolverine, the leader and only remaining founder of the team, as well as the most direct connection to the new Omega Clan, gets the most time in the spotlight, and it is time well used. He deeply but quickly examines the many complicated reasons he has for keeping X-Force alive, and they all make sense and ring true in his voice. It's compelling stuff, aided in no small way by Mike McKone's drawings and Dean White's colors. Their best moment as an artistic team has got to be the two-page spread of the White Sky Showroom, but they also knock it out of the park on the introduction of the Omega Clan and Nightcrawler's flashback panels. There is one terrible drawing of Beast, but otherwise a strong performance across the board. And then, if McKone doesn't do it for you, there are some twenty extra pages of Jerome Opeña art as well, his and Remender's first Wolverine and Deadpool stories. Opeña's art is less stylized here than it has been on Uncanny X-Force, though that may have something to do with the coloring. But it's still quite good, and the stories are fun if simple, as any comicbook shorts are bound to be. Overall, a fitting anniversary issue, and one that excites me for the future of this title in a way I haven't felt for a while.
7.5/10
Wolverine and the X-Men #10: Two unexpected things happened for me while reading this: I loved Chris Bachalo art, and I agreed with Cyclops. The Bachalo thing was a pleasant surprise, as more often than not I find his style confusing and/or off-putting. But Krakoa rising up, that super-complicated two-page spread with like a dozen tiny panels and a couple huge ones, and especially the very opening page were all great. As for agreeing with Cyclops, I still mostly just feel like, "Why can't they all just work together? Why wouldn't they want to?" But Scott's arguments to Logan sounded far more reasonable and well-thought-out than anything he's said in a while. Not all of it, mind you, but enough of it that by the time Wolverine was losing staff members to the other side, I was totally rooting for them over him. Here's a question, though: when does this issue take place? After the fight on Utopia, but before Wolverine is thrown from a plane? Hardly seems like he had time to do all of this in between those two events. And also that would make Rachel Grey's role in AvX #3 confusing as hell. But if this after he gets back from the plane...why isn't he more pissed off at the Avengers for throwing him from a plane? Right? I also don't understand when, exactly, Cyclops had the time to make this visit, but I'm hoping AvX #4 can shed some light. I don't know if I expect it, but I'm hoping. Aside from that bit of confusion, though, I was impressed by Jason Aaron's script for it's take on the mutant side of things, and impressed by Bachalo's art for not bothering me for once. So...impressive issue.
7.0/10
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Nick Spencer & the Poorly-Paced Mystery (Part 2 of 2)
Part 1 of this column can be found 4 entries below, or jumped to here.
When Morning Glories starts out, it seems like it's going to be an awesome supernatural mystery. But it provides too few clues, and slowly at that, so it becomes overbearing with its questions as time goes on. In some ways, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents and Ultimate Comics X-Men suffer from the opposite problem. What appear at first to be pretty standard superhero adventure series quickly overwhelm their readers with too much new information too often. Any time an interesting thread is introduced, it is then quickly set aside in favor of some fresh character or concept, and so nothing gets explored or explained satisfactorily. Unlike Morning Glories, Spencer actually manages to complete some of the narratives he begins in these other two titles, but often in ways that undermine whatever made the stories interesting in the first place.
In T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, the problem is primarily one of trust. Double-double-crosses, sides we didn't even know existed, dead characters who aren't really dead...pretty much every single issue of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents contains at least one reveal that undoes or contradicts something previously (and sometimes only recently) established as true. The twists never stop, and you begin to expect them, not due to any well-placed hints, but merely because the plot relies on them to move forward. It's one thing to have a book that keeps its audience guessing, but when you give the readers nothing to hold on to, nothing we know to be definitively true, right down to which characters we are supposed to be rooting for...what are we even reading? Why are we reading? Again, I wouldn't mind as much if it didn't happen so damn often, but we never get to catch our breath between gasp moments, and the overall effect is less having the rug pulled out from under us and more lying on the rug and rolling around aimlessly.
Then in the final two issues, Spencer undoes the entire concept behind T.H.U.N.D.E.R.: that its agents give their lives in exchange for their powers. And, again, why does he do this? What purpose does it serve other than to make one more thing into a lie? Toby and Dunn are still dead, and those are the characters we actually got to know, aside from Colleen. Having Dynamo and Lightning living under assumed aliases does nothing for me, except cheapen the promise I was given when this title started that these men were going to sacrifice themselves for a cause.
The possible exceptions to this rule of a steady stream of misinformation are the four issues that tell the Iron Maiden story, but they have a pacing-related problem all their own. Which is that, basically, they should be combined into one well-written issue, rather than stretched needlessly over four. None of the five-page back-up stories give us any information we didn't already have, nor do they paint a particularly vivid or compelling image of the original Dynamo or Iron Maiden. And the main narrative could lose pages upon pages of uninteresting fight scenes, chase scenes, and vegetable chopping scenes. Not even sure anything in issue #7 is all that important. So while there may not be a lot of big reveals in those issues, it's mostly because there's just not a lot of anything there.
Ultimate Comics X-Men lies somewhere in the middle of the Morning Glories-T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents spectrum. There is definitely an overarching mystery that is taking a frustratingly long time to develop (MG's), having to do with all these supposedly dead characters (TA) returning and doling out pseudo-religious missions. We've seen three of them now---Stryker, Xavier, Magneto---but still have no sense of what they are, what they want, who controls them, how, or why (MG's). But what's even more annoying is that rather than stretch out that mystery only, Spencer switches his focus to entirely new casts and locations (TA), so that there have now been three consecutive issues which, as far as I can tell, don't touch on this mystery whatsoever. So in addition to having to remember all the dead people stuff that came before, there's this whole Camp Angel business as well as Jean Grey/Karen Grant's totally unclear role and motive in Tian. Man, that Karen Grant issue (#8) is an example of Ultimate Comics X-Men swinging way over to the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. side of things. Seriously, what am I meant to believe about her and what should I think is a lie? Because I don't know, and Spencer hasn't brought it up since. And the man only has two issues left before a new writer takes the helm, so my hopes are not high to have all the threads tied up before his term on the title ends.
Most disappointing is that it took a while for Ultimate Comics X-Men to really fall victim to Spencer's pacing and lack of focus. By the time Professor X took up the entire last page of #6, though, things had really started to slip, and it's only gotten messier.
What all three series have in common is this: at the end of the day, I'm just not sure what they are about. Ultimate Comics X-Men seems to be about a whole new thing as often as it feels like. Sure, there's the idea that mutants are a government mistake that has more or less been holding things together, but there's no emotional core or even protagonist, yet, and if you can't find that in ten issues then why would you expect it to ever develop? T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents definitely tells a complete story by the end, putting all the characters thorough their own personalized trials and changes, but it sort of feels like it ended up being about Toby, Colleen, and the Menthor helmet. Which I don't know how I feel about, since Colleen is a big fat liar, Toby's dead, and the Menthor helmet is one of the most ridiculous and vague concepts I've ever had the pleasure of trying to understand. Then there's Morning Glories which, in one more issue than the entirety of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, has yet be about anything other than a weird school with weird people doing random strange and violent shit for unknown reasons.
Nick Spencer is not a bad writer. His characters are usually quite rich, his dialogue full of humanity and humor, and his ideas are often bold and big and bright. But he can't seem to get the reins on them, for one reason or another, and his writing is worse for it. If he could see the difference between having readers be confused and surprised and having them be genuinely interested in or impressed by a story, I think his work might greatly improve. But of course, he already has my money, and the money of so many others, so there can't be much incentive to change.
Then again, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents has ended, Spencer is soon departing Ultimate Comics X-Men, and Morning Glories concludes its current arc next issue. Perhaps there's never been a better time to give up Nick Spencer for good...
When Morning Glories starts out, it seems like it's going to be an awesome supernatural mystery. But it provides too few clues, and slowly at that, so it becomes overbearing with its questions as time goes on. In some ways, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents and Ultimate Comics X-Men suffer from the opposite problem. What appear at first to be pretty standard superhero adventure series quickly overwhelm their readers with too much new information too often. Any time an interesting thread is introduced, it is then quickly set aside in favor of some fresh character or concept, and so nothing gets explored or explained satisfactorily. Unlike Morning Glories, Spencer actually manages to complete some of the narratives he begins in these other two titles, but often in ways that undermine whatever made the stories interesting in the first place.
In T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, the problem is primarily one of trust. Double-double-crosses, sides we didn't even know existed, dead characters who aren't really dead...pretty much every single issue of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents contains at least one reveal that undoes or contradicts something previously (and sometimes only recently) established as true. The twists never stop, and you begin to expect them, not due to any well-placed hints, but merely because the plot relies on them to move forward. It's one thing to have a book that keeps its audience guessing, but when you give the readers nothing to hold on to, nothing we know to be definitively true, right down to which characters we are supposed to be rooting for...what are we even reading? Why are we reading? Again, I wouldn't mind as much if it didn't happen so damn often, but we never get to catch our breath between gasp moments, and the overall effect is less having the rug pulled out from under us and more lying on the rug and rolling around aimlessly.
Then in the final two issues, Spencer undoes the entire concept behind T.H.U.N.D.E.R.: that its agents give their lives in exchange for their powers. And, again, why does he do this? What purpose does it serve other than to make one more thing into a lie? Toby and Dunn are still dead, and those are the characters we actually got to know, aside from Colleen. Having Dynamo and Lightning living under assumed aliases does nothing for me, except cheapen the promise I was given when this title started that these men were going to sacrifice themselves for a cause.
The possible exceptions to this rule of a steady stream of misinformation are the four issues that tell the Iron Maiden story, but they have a pacing-related problem all their own. Which is that, basically, they should be combined into one well-written issue, rather than stretched needlessly over four. None of the five-page back-up stories give us any information we didn't already have, nor do they paint a particularly vivid or compelling image of the original Dynamo or Iron Maiden. And the main narrative could lose pages upon pages of uninteresting fight scenes, chase scenes, and vegetable chopping scenes. Not even sure anything in issue #7 is all that important. So while there may not be a lot of big reveals in those issues, it's mostly because there's just not a lot of anything there.
Ultimate Comics X-Men lies somewhere in the middle of the Morning Glories-T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents spectrum. There is definitely an overarching mystery that is taking a frustratingly long time to develop (MG's), having to do with all these supposedly dead characters (TA) returning and doling out pseudo-religious missions. We've seen three of them now---Stryker, Xavier, Magneto---but still have no sense of what they are, what they want, who controls them, how, or why (MG's). But what's even more annoying is that rather than stretch out that mystery only, Spencer switches his focus to entirely new casts and locations (TA), so that there have now been three consecutive issues which, as far as I can tell, don't touch on this mystery whatsoever. So in addition to having to remember all the dead people stuff that came before, there's this whole Camp Angel business as well as Jean Grey/Karen Grant's totally unclear role and motive in Tian. Man, that Karen Grant issue (#8) is an example of Ultimate Comics X-Men swinging way over to the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. side of things. Seriously, what am I meant to believe about her and what should I think is a lie? Because I don't know, and Spencer hasn't brought it up since. And the man only has two issues left before a new writer takes the helm, so my hopes are not high to have all the threads tied up before his term on the title ends.
Most disappointing is that it took a while for Ultimate Comics X-Men to really fall victim to Spencer's pacing and lack of focus. By the time Professor X took up the entire last page of #6, though, things had really started to slip, and it's only gotten messier.
What all three series have in common is this: at the end of the day, I'm just not sure what they are about. Ultimate Comics X-Men seems to be about a whole new thing as often as it feels like. Sure, there's the idea that mutants are a government mistake that has more or less been holding things together, but there's no emotional core or even protagonist, yet, and if you can't find that in ten issues then why would you expect it to ever develop? T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents definitely tells a complete story by the end, putting all the characters thorough their own personalized trials and changes, but it sort of feels like it ended up being about Toby, Colleen, and the Menthor helmet. Which I don't know how I feel about, since Colleen is a big fat liar, Toby's dead, and the Menthor helmet is one of the most ridiculous and vague concepts I've ever had the pleasure of trying to understand. Then there's Morning Glories which, in one more issue than the entirety of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, has yet be about anything other than a weird school with weird people doing random strange and violent shit for unknown reasons.
Nick Spencer is not a bad writer. His characters are usually quite rich, his dialogue full of humanity and humor, and his ideas are often bold and big and bright. But he can't seem to get the reins on them, for one reason or another, and his writing is worse for it. If he could see the difference between having readers be confused and surprised and having them be genuinely interested in or impressed by a story, I think his work might greatly improve. But of course, he already has my money, and the money of so many others, so there can't be much incentive to change.
Then again, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents has ended, Spencer is soon departing Ultimate Comics X-Men, and Morning Glories concludes its current arc next issue. Perhaps there's never been a better time to give up Nick Spencer for good...
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Nick Spencer & the Poorly-Paced Mystery (Part 1 of 2)
I want to like Nick Spencer more than I actually like him. The pitches for his series tend to hook me, but more often than not I find myself disappointed by the actual thing. Now, Spencer hasn't been around all that long, and I haven't read everything he's ever written, so maybe it's too early for me to generalize like that (or to generalize in the ways I'm about to). But I have read all of his work on of Morning Glories, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, and Ultimate Comics X-Men, and those are the titles I want to talk about here. On the surface they seem pretty distinct and disparate. The first is a creator-owned series from Image, the second a reboot of a classic DC superhero/spy series, and the third a major title from Marvel's Ultimate Universe. But I found all three to be equally frustrating letdowns, and when I examine them together, the reason becomes clear: Nick Spencer has terrible pacing. Not just because he dramatically decompresses his narratives, which he does, but so do many other writers to varying degrees of success. Spencer's problem is that even while slow-cooking his stories, he can't stop himself from constantly adding new ingredients, and the result is a dish with so many combating and confounding flavors that you can't tell what it was supposed to be in the first place. In their own ways and for their own reasons, all three of the above-mentioned comicbooks suffer from this problem, but the clearest and most aggravating example is Morning Glories, Spencer's own creation.
In its very first issue, Morning Glories doesn't seem like it's going to be the infuriatingly slow, muddled story it has since become. We actually get a whole lot in that initial installment: we meet our six protagonists and get clear, succinct introductions to their personalities; we learn that Morning Glory Academy is full of evil and lies and has an unseen Headmaster behind the wheel; we see that weird giant spinning thing for the first time; and we discover that the school is looking for a particular kind of child (also born on a certain day) and that anyone who doesn't fit the bill---"The boy's not one of them," says Gribbs---is expendable. We also end up with a vast list of questions, like, what does "For A Better Future" mean? What was happening on the first page? What, exactly, does the school want from these kids? Who's that ghost-looking guy and why'd he kill somebody? What is the giant spinning thing? Are Casey's parents really dead? And why? And how could the school get away with that? In fact, how does it get away with ANY of this while simultaneously being so reputable?
The problem is, not only have none of these questions been answered, but virtually every issue that's followed has served only to pile on the confusion and mystery. So now we're seventeen issues deep, and still have little to no understanding of the school's purpose or goals. Meanwhile, the six main characters who seemed so familiar at first have each been given their own twists and revelations, shrouding them now in uncertainty. Hunter has a problem telling time when it matters, but the significance of him always seeing 8:13 is unknown. Zoe's a murderer, but we can't tell if she's aware of it. Casey went back in time somehow and is going to do something to save everyone, maybe. Jun is actually his own twin and the school doesn't know about it. Jade can talk to herself from the future, apparently. Ike killed but also didn't kill his dad who is also Abraham. And yes, all of that is pretty cool...but what does any of it mean? Why do I care? Couldn't these seemingly disconnected facts about the characters be greatly enhanced by telling us why they matter? At all?
It's an awful lot of story space to use up without shedding any light on what's really going on, and it makes it extremely difficult to keep track of the innumerable tiny but supposedly significant hints Spencer drops along the way. Like the nine random images flashed before Casey and the reader's eyes in issue #13. Or the shit Hunter mutters before the explosion in #15. Or literally anything that happens in the whole of issue #6 (by far the most aggravating and unanswered chapter to date). If I were to try and list ALL of the small details provided and the big questions raised by the series so far, my fingers or my keyboard would probably break. Every plot beat is another mystery, but nothing ever gets solved.
I understand that all of this is by design. Rather than give us a few questions, then some knowledge, then some questions, then some knowledge, Spencer chooses to bombard us with the questions first. Then, in theory, somewhere down the line there'll be a turn and suddenly we'll be showered with answers. And it is clear that Spencer does have something planned, because even though we don't know what the fuck is going on, things are confusing in a consistent way. Lots of cryptic phrases are repeated and we see characters like Abraham showing up in the lives of all our main characters, so it's evident that a destination exists. But the longer we go without so much as a snippet of what that destination might look like, all the while dealing with a steady stream of new but not helpful information, the less I care to stay on for the ride. No matter how fully-formed and fun to watch the cast may be, when the stakes of the game they are playing remain so obscure, my emotional investment and interest naturally tapers off.
Spencer has said on more than one occasion that he imagines Morning Glories running for something like 100 issues, which means we're not even though the first twenty per cent of the overall narrative yet, so perhaps I am being impatient. And of course part of the main thrust of the story is the very fact that the kids don't know what's going on at Morning Glory Academy and are trying to figure it out before the school...does whatever it's trying to do to them. So a certain amount of the answers, I am certain, must remain secret for now out of necessity. But Spencer spends pretty much all of issue #17 in a conversation between Ike and Jade that is almost entirely recap. Then there's #12, where all we really get is the briefest of introductions to Miss Hodge---she's popular and helpful but her history and motives are just as unknown as the rest of the staff's---who then acts as a vehicle to check in for a page or two with each of our six kids, offering no new insights into any of them, just sort of reminding us who they are. And as I've said, the worst of the bunch is #6, which takes place entirely in what seems to be the future, uses almost all new characters who we haven't seen since, and devotes its entire last page to a splash image that is an obvious, meaningless dud of a reveal. Even if you have 2,200 pages to work with, that is a waste of space.
So Morning Glories trudges along, inch by baffling inch.
Next time: The more enjoyable but just-as-annoyingly-paced T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents and Ultimate Comics X-Men
In its very first issue, Morning Glories doesn't seem like it's going to be the infuriatingly slow, muddled story it has since become. We actually get a whole lot in that initial installment: we meet our six protagonists and get clear, succinct introductions to their personalities; we learn that Morning Glory Academy is full of evil and lies and has an unseen Headmaster behind the wheel; we see that weird giant spinning thing for the first time; and we discover that the school is looking for a particular kind of child (also born on a certain day) and that anyone who doesn't fit the bill---"The boy's not one of them," says Gribbs---is expendable. We also end up with a vast list of questions, like, what does "For A Better Future" mean? What was happening on the first page? What, exactly, does the school want from these kids? Who's that ghost-looking guy and why'd he kill somebody? What is the giant spinning thing? Are Casey's parents really dead? And why? And how could the school get away with that? In fact, how does it get away with ANY of this while simultaneously being so reputable?
The problem is, not only have none of these questions been answered, but virtually every issue that's followed has served only to pile on the confusion and mystery. So now we're seventeen issues deep, and still have little to no understanding of the school's purpose or goals. Meanwhile, the six main characters who seemed so familiar at first have each been given their own twists and revelations, shrouding them now in uncertainty. Hunter has a problem telling time when it matters, but the significance of him always seeing 8:13 is unknown. Zoe's a murderer, but we can't tell if she's aware of it. Casey went back in time somehow and is going to do something to save everyone, maybe. Jun is actually his own twin and the school doesn't know about it. Jade can talk to herself from the future, apparently. Ike killed but also didn't kill his dad who is also Abraham. And yes, all of that is pretty cool...but what does any of it mean? Why do I care? Couldn't these seemingly disconnected facts about the characters be greatly enhanced by telling us why they matter? At all?
It's an awful lot of story space to use up without shedding any light on what's really going on, and it makes it extremely difficult to keep track of the innumerable tiny but supposedly significant hints Spencer drops along the way. Like the nine random images flashed before Casey and the reader's eyes in issue #13. Or the shit Hunter mutters before the explosion in #15. Or literally anything that happens in the whole of issue #6 (by far the most aggravating and unanswered chapter to date). If I were to try and list ALL of the small details provided and the big questions raised by the series so far, my fingers or my keyboard would probably break. Every plot beat is another mystery, but nothing ever gets solved.
I understand that all of this is by design. Rather than give us a few questions, then some knowledge, then some questions, then some knowledge, Spencer chooses to bombard us with the questions first. Then, in theory, somewhere down the line there'll be a turn and suddenly we'll be showered with answers. And it is clear that Spencer does have something planned, because even though we don't know what the fuck is going on, things are confusing in a consistent way. Lots of cryptic phrases are repeated and we see characters like Abraham showing up in the lives of all our main characters, so it's evident that a destination exists. But the longer we go without so much as a snippet of what that destination might look like, all the while dealing with a steady stream of new but not helpful information, the less I care to stay on for the ride. No matter how fully-formed and fun to watch the cast may be, when the stakes of the game they are playing remain so obscure, my emotional investment and interest naturally tapers off.
Spencer has said on more than one occasion that he imagines Morning Glories running for something like 100 issues, which means we're not even though the first twenty per cent of the overall narrative yet, so perhaps I am being impatient. And of course part of the main thrust of the story is the very fact that the kids don't know what's going on at Morning Glory Academy and are trying to figure it out before the school...does whatever it's trying to do to them. So a certain amount of the answers, I am certain, must remain secret for now out of necessity. But Spencer spends pretty much all of issue #17 in a conversation between Ike and Jade that is almost entirely recap. Then there's #12, where all we really get is the briefest of introductions to Miss Hodge---she's popular and helpful but her history and motives are just as unknown as the rest of the staff's---who then acts as a vehicle to check in for a page or two with each of our six kids, offering no new insights into any of them, just sort of reminding us who they are. And as I've said, the worst of the bunch is #6, which takes place entirely in what seems to be the future, uses almost all new characters who we haven't seen since, and devotes its entire last page to a splash image that is an obvious, meaningless dud of a reveal. Even if you have 2,200 pages to work with, that is a waste of space.
So Morning Glories trudges along, inch by baffling inch.
Next time: The more enjoyable but just-as-annoyingly-paced T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents and Ultimate Comics X-Men
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Pull List Reviews 04/12/2012
Sort of a light week, but lots of god villains! I love a good villain...
Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #8: I know it was said a lot last month with #7, but I still can't believe the difference having Walden Wong on inking duties makes to Alberto Ponticelli's art. It's not worse, exactly, it's just much more normalized. Closer to a traditional modern comicbook art, rather than Ponticelli's usual frenetic and kinetic style. Wong calms everything, taking away some of the usual energy. I don't mind it, but I do miss the old Ponticelli.
Luckily, this month's Frankenstein tells a calmer story than usual, so Wong's inks feel a bit more appropriate. As Frankenstein and Lady Frankenstein search for and eventually find their escaped son, we get to learn the details of their family's tragic history, and it helps to flesh out not only Frankenstein but also (and especially) his wife. Other than being completely badass and sassy, Lady Frankenstein hasn't had a lot to do in the series so far, but in this issue we see her undergo several major decisions and changes. Jeff Lemire keeps us on our toes and continues to grow the world of S.H.A.D.E., from Father Time's secrets to Ray Palmers character turn to, of course, Lady Frankenstein abandoning the cause. A solid standalone story in a title than continues to be reliable entertainment.
7.0/10
Saga #2: I was admittedly not sold on Saga after its debut issue, but I am a full-fledged fan as of this one. Brian K. Vaughn follows up on all the ideas and character introduced last time, and still uses a bulk of his pages to show us an impressive new villain, The Stalk. And he continues to make Marko and Alana's relationship more complex, compelling, and genuine with each panel they're in together. They show humor and affection in the face of great hardship, and it helps their love ring true.
The real star of this title, however, is Fiona Staples. Somehow she makes everything and everyone we see part of a clearly shared universe even when they are simultaneously so visually different. The prince with the TV head, The Will's freaky giant skinless cat-thing, The Stalk's spider-body, and the Horrors on the final page would most likely seem like they each belong in their own books if you saw the just character sketches. But Staples pulls it off, and makes it an absolute treat for the eyes while doing so. You could press the mute button and still have a whole lot to enjoy in Saga #2. Definitely a triumph all over.
9.0/10
Secret Avengers #25: At last, the Rick Remender I've been waiting for! I only know Remender from his amazing work on Uncanny X-Force, but after seeing Flash Thompson bring some much-needed humor to what has been a grisly title for the last few issues, I'm tempted to catch myself on Venom as well. He stole every scene he was in, and brought some of the best action to the issue, too. Though there was plenty of that to go around. Jim Hammond also had some great lines and moments of daring heroism all his own, and he's another character I'm excited to see more from (assuming he recovers fairly soon). But the best part of Secret Avengers #25, for me anyway, was when the little boy these superheroes have all been struggling to rescue manages to not only save himself, but to defeat one of the seemingly unbeatable opponents. I hope we see more of that kid in future arcs, though I'm sure that's just wishful thinking.
The other big thing I enjoyed about this issue was that we got some actual teamwork and team-building from our heroes rather than a lot of bickering and failure. And Gabriel Hardman was firing on all cylinders as well. The panel where The Swine smacks Venom, the two-page spread of the master mold sentry, and the previously mentioned kid-saves-himself scene were all stand out moments in a marvelously-drawn book. I'm bummed that AvX is interrupting Secret Avengers next issue, because with #25 it finally started to feel like the new creative team was hitting some kind of stride. And don't forget that reveal on the final page! I can't wait to see Father's agenda unfold...
8.0/10
Smoke and Mirrors #2: A big step down from its debut, Smoke and Mirrors #2 really has very little to recommend it. The main character, Ethan, and his new teacher/friend (Mr. Ward? Is that his real name?) are both sort of duds. Ethan's more annoying than he is interesting as a lead, and Ward just keeps saying the same things over and over. Actually, I guess they both kind of do. I really love the interactive elements being incorporated into the series, because people don't do cool shit like that in their comicbooks very often and it's always nice to see the medium expand. But with consistent yet never-impressive art and main characters I couldn't care less about, I'm starting to wonder if I'll even finish reading the rest of this title. I'll give it at least one more issue, but either the plot or at least on member of the cast needs to do something pretty interesting ASAP.
2.5/10
Ultimate Comics X-men #10: An enjoyable if predictable story. The revolution sparked by Storm last issue goes through all the necessary beats: rise up, take the day, lose some people, uncover some secrets, take the power from the bad guys, and then the revolutionaries start to vie for power and argue amongst themselves. Nothing new or particularly unexpected her from Nick Spencer's script, but in a series that can pull the rug out at any moment, it was actually refreshing to have such a classic, straightforward chapter. And Colussus' decision at the end, while not necessarily surprising, was certainly interesting and effective, in no small part due to a few choice panels from Paco Medina and Juan Vlasco, whose artistic storytelling matches the clarity and directness of the narrative. And it was good to see this whole Camp Angel story tie more directly, even if just for a page, to the events we've seen in the earlier issues of this series. Maybe now we can take steady steps forward rather than so often jumping around. Fingers crossed. But this time out, at any rate, a tidy and fun little comic.
5.5/10
Uncanny X-Men #10: Just like Venom made me want to read his title, Unit makes me want to read S.W.O.R.D. Sure he's obnoxious and way overpowered and looks sort of dumb, but...I love him. His whole calm-and-polite-but-still-horrible-and-heartless personality has completely won me over, and I love watching my heroes get handily defeated by a new foe. It can make their ultimate, inevitable victory over that foe all the more delicious if and when it pays off. Sometimes the ball gets dropped and difficult enemies are defeated in improbable or fully unbelievable ways, but Kieron Gillen has been delivering such good stories so far in Uncanny X-Men that I trust him to wrap this one up satisfactorily. And Unit is his character, so chances are there's a plan in place.
It's too bad this issue came out after AvX officially started, because the brief exchange between Cyclops and Captain America about Scott's priorities is a clear set-up for that conflict, and also sums up so perfectly my problems with AvX so far. Scott has put Hope's safety above all else, and while I understand his motives and I appreciate that he is consistent on this, it's pretty damned infuriating, and makes it hard to side with the X-Men. Be a superhero, dude, not a zealot.
While the artwork by Carlos Pacheco, Paco Diaz, and Cam Smith was quite good, I found myself more taken with the coloring of this issue than the drawings themselves for some reason. The amount of white, perhaps, I'm not really sure. No mater the reason, a quick shout out to Guru eFX for that.
8.5/10
Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #8: I know it was said a lot last month with #7, but I still can't believe the difference having Walden Wong on inking duties makes to Alberto Ponticelli's art. It's not worse, exactly, it's just much more normalized. Closer to a traditional modern comicbook art, rather than Ponticelli's usual frenetic and kinetic style. Wong calms everything, taking away some of the usual energy. I don't mind it, but I do miss the old Ponticelli.
Luckily, this month's Frankenstein tells a calmer story than usual, so Wong's inks feel a bit more appropriate. As Frankenstein and Lady Frankenstein search for and eventually find their escaped son, we get to learn the details of their family's tragic history, and it helps to flesh out not only Frankenstein but also (and especially) his wife. Other than being completely badass and sassy, Lady Frankenstein hasn't had a lot to do in the series so far, but in this issue we see her undergo several major decisions and changes. Jeff Lemire keeps us on our toes and continues to grow the world of S.H.A.D.E., from Father Time's secrets to Ray Palmers character turn to, of course, Lady Frankenstein abandoning the cause. A solid standalone story in a title than continues to be reliable entertainment.
7.0/10
Saga #2: I was admittedly not sold on Saga after its debut issue, but I am a full-fledged fan as of this one. Brian K. Vaughn follows up on all the ideas and character introduced last time, and still uses a bulk of his pages to show us an impressive new villain, The Stalk. And he continues to make Marko and Alana's relationship more complex, compelling, and genuine with each panel they're in together. They show humor and affection in the face of great hardship, and it helps their love ring true.
The real star of this title, however, is Fiona Staples. Somehow she makes everything and everyone we see part of a clearly shared universe even when they are simultaneously so visually different. The prince with the TV head, The Will's freaky giant skinless cat-thing, The Stalk's spider-body, and the Horrors on the final page would most likely seem like they each belong in their own books if you saw the just character sketches. But Staples pulls it off, and makes it an absolute treat for the eyes while doing so. You could press the mute button and still have a whole lot to enjoy in Saga #2. Definitely a triumph all over.
9.0/10
Secret Avengers #25: At last, the Rick Remender I've been waiting for! I only know Remender from his amazing work on Uncanny X-Force, but after seeing Flash Thompson bring some much-needed humor to what has been a grisly title for the last few issues, I'm tempted to catch myself on Venom as well. He stole every scene he was in, and brought some of the best action to the issue, too. Though there was plenty of that to go around. Jim Hammond also had some great lines and moments of daring heroism all his own, and he's another character I'm excited to see more from (assuming he recovers fairly soon). But the best part of Secret Avengers #25, for me anyway, was when the little boy these superheroes have all been struggling to rescue manages to not only save himself, but to defeat one of the seemingly unbeatable opponents. I hope we see more of that kid in future arcs, though I'm sure that's just wishful thinking.
The other big thing I enjoyed about this issue was that we got some actual teamwork and team-building from our heroes rather than a lot of bickering and failure. And Gabriel Hardman was firing on all cylinders as well. The panel where The Swine smacks Venom, the two-page spread of the master mold sentry, and the previously mentioned kid-saves-himself scene were all stand out moments in a marvelously-drawn book. I'm bummed that AvX is interrupting Secret Avengers next issue, because with #25 it finally started to feel like the new creative team was hitting some kind of stride. And don't forget that reveal on the final page! I can't wait to see Father's agenda unfold...
8.0/10
Smoke and Mirrors #2: A big step down from its debut, Smoke and Mirrors #2 really has very little to recommend it. The main character, Ethan, and his new teacher/friend (Mr. Ward? Is that his real name?) are both sort of duds. Ethan's more annoying than he is interesting as a lead, and Ward just keeps saying the same things over and over. Actually, I guess they both kind of do. I really love the interactive elements being incorporated into the series, because people don't do cool shit like that in their comicbooks very often and it's always nice to see the medium expand. But with consistent yet never-impressive art and main characters I couldn't care less about, I'm starting to wonder if I'll even finish reading the rest of this title. I'll give it at least one more issue, but either the plot or at least on member of the cast needs to do something pretty interesting ASAP.
2.5/10
Ultimate Comics X-men #10: An enjoyable if predictable story. The revolution sparked by Storm last issue goes through all the necessary beats: rise up, take the day, lose some people, uncover some secrets, take the power from the bad guys, and then the revolutionaries start to vie for power and argue amongst themselves. Nothing new or particularly unexpected her from Nick Spencer's script, but in a series that can pull the rug out at any moment, it was actually refreshing to have such a classic, straightforward chapter. And Colussus' decision at the end, while not necessarily surprising, was certainly interesting and effective, in no small part due to a few choice panels from Paco Medina and Juan Vlasco, whose artistic storytelling matches the clarity and directness of the narrative. And it was good to see this whole Camp Angel story tie more directly, even if just for a page, to the events we've seen in the earlier issues of this series. Maybe now we can take steady steps forward rather than so often jumping around. Fingers crossed. But this time out, at any rate, a tidy and fun little comic.
5.5/10
Uncanny X-Men #10: Just like Venom made me want to read his title, Unit makes me want to read S.W.O.R.D. Sure he's obnoxious and way overpowered and looks sort of dumb, but...I love him. His whole calm-and-polite-but-still-horrible-and-heartless personality has completely won me over, and I love watching my heroes get handily defeated by a new foe. It can make their ultimate, inevitable victory over that foe all the more delicious if and when it pays off. Sometimes the ball gets dropped and difficult enemies are defeated in improbable or fully unbelievable ways, but Kieron Gillen has been delivering such good stories so far in Uncanny X-Men that I trust him to wrap this one up satisfactorily. And Unit is his character, so chances are there's a plan in place.
It's too bad this issue came out after AvX officially started, because the brief exchange between Cyclops and Captain America about Scott's priorities is a clear set-up for that conflict, and also sums up so perfectly my problems with AvX so far. Scott has put Hope's safety above all else, and while I understand his motives and I appreciate that he is consistent on this, it's pretty damned infuriating, and makes it hard to side with the X-Men. Be a superhero, dude, not a zealot.
While the artwork by Carlos Pacheco, Paco Diaz, and Cam Smith was quite good, I found myself more taken with the coloring of this issue than the drawings themselves for some reason. The amount of white, perhaps, I'm not really sure. No mater the reason, a quick shout out to Guru eFX for that.
8.5/10
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