Down The Line - Previews review for March 2004 - Part One by Randy Lander & Dave Farabee While my Snap Judgments reviews cover books as they are released, I'm as avid a follower of "what's next" as anyone else. Thus these Previews reviews, covering the Diamond Previews that allow fans to preorder comics from their local retailer. This installment covers the January previews for comics due to ship out in March. Pre-ordering is your friend. If there's stuff you want in March, letting your retailer know before the end of January is the best way to make sure you get it. New Year or no, some things remain the same, and one of those is my co-writer, Dave Farabee, who will hopefully be joining me for these features throughout 2004. Unless he gets another offer to go on tour as a roadie for ZZ Top, of course. DAVE: Don't get me wrong – I love the comics industry and all its potential. But if the Bearded Ones call, I am their willing acolyte. They've offered me the keys to their car before, and anyone who's seen its powers in ZZ Top's legendary "Legs" video trilogy of the '80s knows that's not an offer you turn down. Still, the funnybook gig is cute and all. As you can see from the above, my comments will be the normal type, and Dave's will be in yellow. BIG FOUR PICKS OF THE MONTH: BPRD: A Plague of Frogs #1 (Dark Horse) - RANDY: Just last week, I sat down to reread book one and read book two of Hellboy for the first time, and I loved them both. With the movie coming out, and my newfound appreciation for all things BPRD, I am super-psyched for a new BPRD series of miniseries. Especially when it's Mike Mignola returning to the character to write, and Guy Davis (one of my favorite underrated artists) on art chores. The preview pages looks gorgeous, the return of the Lovecraftian frogs from the first story sparks my interest and I find I can't wait for this comic. Also worth noting that this month sees the release of one of Mignola's favorite Hellboy stories, "The Corpse" as a 25 cent comic, just in time to give everyone coming in off the movie a cheap sampler of the comics format. DAVE: I was Mignola's #1 fan for many a year but recently hit a bit of burnout. Nevertheless, I think it's great that Dark Horse is reprinting "The Corpse" as a 25-center, as that's easily my favorite Hellboy story – just terrifically weird stuff. And Guy Davis? He's like the Gene Colan of his generation. Wildly superior to so many of his contemporaries, yet seemingly destined to be overlooked by comic audiences who lean towards more commercial art styles. With any luck, a high profile project like B.P.R.D.: A Plague of Frogs will give him some of the spotlight he so richly deserves. Thor Legends Vol. 3: Walter Simonson Book III TP (Marvel) - DAVE: I know, I know, the title's a ridiculous mouthful, but that's just cosmetic. This is the third volume Marvel's reprinted of Walt Simonson's legendary Thor run - probably the concluding one, as I think he wrote but didn't draw some of the stories that came later - and in my humble opinion it's about as good as comics got in the '80s. Walt put the "epic" back in Thor during his tenure, and this collection features nothing less than Thor and the warriors of Valhalla staging a massive raid on the Norse version of Hell. It's big, manly action in the Braveheart and Lord of the Rings tradition! Massive battles, epic sacrifice, and Norse warriors busting out M-16's alongside their swords to plow through the underworld's untold legions of the damned! Not to be missed. RANDY: So Marvel actually came through and completed Simonson's Thor run, huh? I guess this means I ought to sit down with the trades some weekend and give it a real shot, to find out if I really can get past my general dislike of the character and fall in love with Simonson's epic the way everybody else has. And then I can get back to complaining that Marvel hasn't done any more volumes of the equally-beloved John Byrne Fantastic Four run. DAVE: And don't forget Stern's Amazing Spider-Man... Steve Rude's The Moth (Dark Horse) - DAVE: This 56-page special was first solicited from Image in May of last year, but seems to've found its way to Dark Horse eventually. And I'm still not quite sure what to make if it. Rude's art is always a pleasure, but it looks like The Moth is angling for the same idiosyncratic old school approach of Mike Allred's Madman, and I kinda got my fill of that style about ten years ago. Castle Waiting Vol. 1: The Lucky Road TP (Dark Horse) - DAVE: Here's a book I'm really torn on. When Castle Waiting first hit in the '90s, I thought it was a remarkable, all-ages fantasy book. The lead was an unlikely heroine - an expectant mother fleeing unspecified (yet clearly bad) circumstances - and she found refuge in a magical castle populated by characters taken from classic fairy tales and folk tales. The series featured truly novel characterizations and amazingly detailed art from writer/artist, Medley, but seven or eight issues in... it just seemed to derail. Its publishing schedule became painfully erratic and the storylines began to angle away from the appealing fairy tale motif into...well, into a bearded nun story that seemed to go on forever. With that in mind, I have a hard time recommending the series as a whole, but there's no doubt that the material in this first trade is excellent. With a new Castle Waiting series on the horizon, I'm hoping Medley will relaunch the series in the style of this collection. RANDY: As you know, we agree in full on Castle Waiting. The constant interruptions where the series would just disappear became really annoying, and the overly long bearded nun story that took over the book upon its return sort of killed my enthusiasm for this, which was a series I once loved and put in my top five series. I'm a little wary of another publisher, because Medley had troubles with having a publisher that saw her Cartoon Books time cut short (too bad, as that was a perfect fit for Castle Waiting) and I don't know how Dark Horse will be any different. And yet... as you say, this first trade is great, and I have no problems recommending it. And Dark Horse has shown an ability to work with creators and their single, personal creations in the same vein as Medley and Castle Waiting, such as Frank Miller and Sin City, Stan Sakai and Usagi Yojimbo, Paul Chadwick and Concrete... I'm remaining cautiously optimistic here, and hoping that Castle Waiting will once again become a book I love. Eisner/Miller TP (Dark Horse) - RANDY: Now this... this is just genius. A trade paperback collection of Frank Miller and Will Eisner debating and discussing the art of comics? Genius. There's a slight possibility that this could turn into a boring love-fest where the two creators just ramble on about their mutual respect for one another and agree about everything, but if the discussion actually sparks some lively disagreements and debate, this could be not only an entertaining book about comics, but an important one, a rare entry into the analysis of the form. DAVE: I'm looking forward to this. Miller's on the downswing with fans after DK2, but I recently read the excellent Comics Journal Library interviews with him and was reminded what an articulate, insightful creator he is. Eisner, of course, is beyond reproach as one of the pioneers of introspect regarding comics as an art form. I think this baby's almost gotta be good. What's Michael? Volume 9: The Ideal Cat TP (Dark Horse) - DAVE: I think I mention this series every time a new volume comes out... and you can't stop me. What can I say? It's just about the funniest friggin' book on the stands as far as I'm concerned, never failing to provoke laugh-out-loud moments. For the newbies: it's a manga series centered around the antics of a cat named Michael, and that's all you need to know since the series is all vignettes with no "continuity" to worry about. It's cute without being cloying (*cough* Garfield *cough*), and has more mainstream appeal than almost any other manga I can think of. Like cats? You'll dig this series. RANDY: Hell, I can't stand cats and I dig this series. It took me a while to warm up to it, but now I find myself really enjoying Kobayashi's art and comedic timing. Even though technically I should be allergic to the book. Batman In The Forties TP (DC Comics) - DAVE: Here's the classic Batman stuff I like. The series still had some of its darker 30's elements, the campy angle had yet to take hold, and great stylists like Dick Sprang were drawing the purty pictures. RANDY: You've got to love a comic-book artist whose name sounds like it could be a sound effect for the Batarang bouncing off of Penguin's chubby hide. SPRANG! Uh... I mean, me likee too. Birds of Prey #65 (DC Comics) - DAVE: Gail Simone's work on this series is always good, but this issue pops out for a very specific reason: a cover by former Birds of Prey artist, Greg Land. I like Land's older art over his more refined (yet seemingly more photo-referenced) newer material, but I'd still love to see him back drawing the interiors of this book. Here's hoping the cover's a hint of things yet to come... RANDY: I agree with you about everything you just said, and though I loved Butch Guice's work on Birds of Prey, I would go so far as to call Greg Land the definitive Birds of Prey artist. I'd love it if his covers turned into more interiors. Insert standard Randy rant about how I don't like Ed Benes's artwork on Birds of Prey... here. Superman/Batman #8 (DC Comics) - RANDY: After a burst of initial enthusiasm, I've found that Superman/Batman generally doesn't really agree with me. But I can't deny that Loeb is doing fun, popular stuff with these two icons, which is great, and he's got big popular artists with him, and I wish them all the success with it. Given that Michael Turner's work here looks very much like Jim Lee's "Hush" work and that they're reintroducing Supergirl (again?), I expect this will be a big hit with most fans. DAVE: Wow. I almost can't believe DC's introducing a new Supergirl after Peter David's incarnation recently fell by the wayside and Steven Seagle's other version failed to capture any fan interest. Is this like a licensing thing, where they have to keep her in publication to maintain their rights to the character? Oh well, Turner's Supergirl design is pretty attractive (basically the classic costume, but now with exposed belly), so I guess this one's got as good a chance as any of sticking. It's just... weird. Three Supergirls. Huh. Formerly Known As The Justice League TP (DC Comics) - RANDY: After a burst of initial enthusiasm, I found that I'd had my fill of Formerly Known As the Justice League. And yet, there were enough fun moments in those first few issues, and even a few in the latter half of the series, that I find myself going back and forth on whether or not to pick up this trade. At any rate, it's the best work that J.M. DeMatteis and Keith Giffen have produced in years separately or together, and Maguire's art is gorgeous. Green Arrow: Straight Shooter TP (DC Comics) - RANDY: After a burst of initial enthusiasm... nah, just kidding. I started out enthusiastic and remained so about Judd Winick's take on Green Arrow. Just the right blend of action, characterization and humor, with beautiful art by Phil Hester and Ande Parks, Straight Shooter is actually my pick for the best story yet in the current Green Arrow run, and I'll definitely be picking up the trade. DAVE: Whereas I'm one of those people who were more than a little put off by the story's resolution and the sideline controversy with Tony Isabella regarding Black Lightning and his family. Winick does seem an ideal creator to put voice to Oliver Queen, though, and I really liked that he brought some great action sequences and old-school superhero bravado back to the book. I'll pass on the collection, but suggest others give it a gander. Hester's art is terrific as always. JLA #94 (DC Comics) - DAVE: Gentlemen, place yer bets! Legendary Uncanny X-Men collaborators Chris Claremont and John Byrne reunite for a six-part JLA arc, and fans seem divided over whether to expect a new era of greatness or a four-color trainwreck. I can see it going either way. RANDY: Survey says... trainwreck! Seriously, I'd be very happy if Byrne and Claremont can overcome their current lackluster work and rediscover the synergy that made their X-Men run so great. But if I were a betting man, I wouldn't put money on it. JSA: The Liberty Files TP (DC Comics) - DAVE: This trade reprints both of the World War II-era Elseworlds minis produced by Dan Joley and Tony "Starman" Harris. The stars are a handful of members of the JSA, wrapped more in pulp fiction than traditional superhero trappings, and alongside Batman (par for every Elseworlds), they smash Nazis and saboteurs and some grislier incarnations of the Joker and the Scarecrow. It was "eh" for me - not a big fan of unfocused Elseworlds concepts or the borderline "mature reader" style for these characters - but lovers of darker pulp fiction should give it a look-see. Really nice art. Kinetic #1 (DC Comics/Focus) - RANDY: The Focus line sounds too much like the same kind of "new, realer universe" stuff that somebody tries every few years, but I'm starting to wonder if the marketing is hobbling a more interesting lineup of concepts. Certainly the short preview of Kinetic, about a hemophiliac with an overprotective mother who finds himself gaining superpowers, is more intriguing than that goofy high concept makes it sound, and Warren Pleece's art (with unusual and very beautiful colors by Brian Haberlin) is looking very Cameron Stewart-like, which is never a bad thing. DAVE: It's nearly impossible for me to get enthused for yet another iteration of “superpowers in the real world”, so I'm probably just not the audience for this. Actually, I'm not sure who is. Nevertheless, you're right that the preview pages had both good art and some solid writing, so we shall see. Teen Titans: A Kid's Game TP (DC Comics) - DAVE: I waver on the Teen Titans relaunch, but at the very least I have to congratulate DC for capitalizing on its buzz by getting a trade of the first seven issues out in a fast 'n' timely manner. That they're using the Michael Turner cover of issue #1 for the trade cover will also be of note to fans of Starfire and/or the thong. RANDY: I am all about the pure super-hero vibe that Geoff Johns and Mike McKone have going on Teen Titans, and I'm glad to see DC getting the trade out quickly. And in the same month that Johns and McKone embark on a new story in the pages of Teen Titans, returning Raven to the team. A Gregory Treasury TP (DC Comics) - RANDY: I've never actually read Gregory, or much of Marc Hempel's stuff at all, but so many people told me that this was so funny that I might have to check it out when it hits in new, affordable digest size. Kudos to DC for continuing their commitment to diversity in their bookstore offerings. The Maxx Book Two TP (DC Comics/Wildstorm) - DAVE: If you're one of the many who missed out on the one good Image comic of the early '90s - The Maxx - DC's ongoing reprint of the series is your chance to redeem your tastes. This is truly original work, with its mixture of hallucinatory fantasy (remember the series' mystical "Outback"?), soul-searching characterization, and mind-bending Sam Kieth artwork. I'm gonna suggest that retailers consider stocking this book not just with Vertigo or Wildstorm trades, but near where they keep the trendy "Goth" comics like Lenore and Johnny The Homical Maniac. I suspect there's a strong crossover market there. RANDY: The one good Image comic? I was going to argue with you, but then realized that most of the Image comics I loved came about in the mid-to-late '90s. At any rate, the first trade of The Maxx was an entertaining read with beautiful artwork, and I'm glad to see a second volume coming down the pike. Reload/Mek TP (DC Comics/Wildstorm) - RANDY: In theory, I kind of like the trade paperback that collects two smaller story arcs into one book big enough to be worthwhile, especially when they're all sort of the same "Pop Comics" driven by the same writer (Warren Ellis). In practice, despite great artwork on Mek and solid enough art on Reload, I didn't like either of these stories enough to pay $15 to get both of them. Although I'm not sure I would have bought Reload separately at $7.95 either, so maybe I'm just not the target audience. Stormwatch: Team Achilles #20 & Wildcats Version 3.0 #19 (DC Comics/Wildstorm) - RANDY: OK, folks. Wildstorm is going to all the trouble of a big huge crossover, roping in Jim Lee on artwork, to get you to take a look at these critically acclaimed but underselling Wildstorm books. This month there are new story arcs for both books, and though I'm wary about an Authority crossover setting any kind of tone, I'm glad to have another jumping-on point for Stormwatch and always looking forward to more Wildcats. I'm not sure how Francisco Ruiz Velasco's art is going to jibe with Casey's less action-oriented style, but he's a great artist, and I'm certainly interested to see him working on a book that I like. Hellblazer: Son Of Man TP (DC Comics/Vertigo) - DAVE: I believe this reprints Garth Ennis' final arc on the series, written just after he'd wrapped Preacher. Haven't read it, but as Ennis' take on John Constantine is pretty much my favorite, looks like one to seek out. RANDY: I have this one in issue form, and it is sort of "Ennis by the numbers" but it's decent enough Hellblazer stuff, and if you've got all the other trades, well... it's nice that DC has put all of this stuff out in trade paperback form. It's A Bird... HC (DC Comics/Vertigo) - DAVE: Oh my god. It's another...ANOTHER attempt to examine Superman in a metacontextual light and explore his cultural significance. This time from Vertigo, no less! And in a $25 hardcover format! Jesus, guys, stop patting yourself on the back for what Siegel and Schuster did almost seventy years ago and start trying to make this character appeal to kids again. Hint: smart all-ages stories and digest-sized editions in supermarkets, Wal-Marts, etc, not endless revamps and self-important tributes for adults who won't do jack to preserve Superman's legacy when they're dead and he has no new fans. RANDY: I agree with you on the complete mishandling of the Superman books, but I don't have quite the same vitriol to dish out for It's A Bird... however, I really don't think the world really needed a Vertigo Superman book from the House of Secrets team, no matter how much I liked that series. DAVE: Honestly, it's not so much ill will towards this project as a general disgust with DC's mistreatment of their leading man. What Marvel did for Spider-Man a few years ago is what DC needs to do for Superman. He can be saved, dammit! Swamp Thing #1 (DC Comics/Vertigo) - RANDY: Swamp Thing has sort of a double-edged sword feel to it. It has a lot of power for comic fans because it brings back memories of Alan Moore's legendary run. And yet, those memories of the Alan Moore run make just about everything else pale by comparison. I've never been a big fan of the character, but I love Andy Diggle's work on Losers (and enjoyed his work on Lady Constantine, which is more germane when talking about Swamp Thing) and the preview artwork by Enrique Breccia is gorgeous. DAVE: I almost think that Swamp Thing, at least in the Alan Moore tradition, is essentially tapped out. Still, no major comic company is complete without a shambling swamp monster roaming around, so I wish Diggle well with his Swamp Thing. Y: The Last Man - One Small Step TP (DC Comics/Vertigo) - DAVE: More trade paperback goodness, being the third collection of DC's consistently good Y: The Last Man. RANDY: A-yep. The Black Forest (Image) - RANDY: Given how much I enjoyed the dark pulp hero tale Parliament of Justice by Mike Avon Oeming and Neil Vokes, I've been keeping an eye out for more work from the two. This one has different writers, and Oeming's involvement is limited to a cover, but the notion of the Germans in World War I trying to use Frankenstein's Monster as a weapon sounds like pulpish fun as well, and I'm sure that Vokes's work will be gorgeous. Heaven, LLC (Image) - RANDY: God disappearing is sort of par for the course at Vertigo, but this Image graphic novel takes a comedic approach to the whole thing, exploring it as if Heaven was run like a corporation. Sounds like fun, and while I'm not familiar with tastes like chicken, the entertainment/humor publication from which writer Wayne Chinsang comes from, I am familiar with Dave Crosland's work from his art on Puffed and it was perfectly matched for this kind of dark satire. Invincible Vol. 2: Eight is Enough TP (Image) - RANDY: This story of father and son superheroics took a while to grab me, but after I sat down with the first trade paperback, I found that I really enjoyed it. Glad to see Image giving the book a second collection, and although Robert Kirkman's name pops up everywhere these days, this is probably a solid second favorite of mine right behind his work on The Walking Dead. DAVE: I still need to check this series out at some point, as just about everyone who's read it has told me it's a hoot. Ministry of Space Omnibus (Image) - DAVE: I have this theory that Warren Ellis's chief source of income is now the production of mini-omnibus reprints of his older material, printed just prior to his ultra-late follow-ups so readers can be reminded, "Oh yeah, that's what was going on last time Ellis left us hangin'." First we had the Planetary omnibus just prior to a few new issues of that series (I hear it's going on hiatus again soon, though), and now the Ministry of Space Omnibus collects the first two issues of that famously MIA series prior to an (alleged) April release of the third issue. For all of Warren Ellis' positive comics activism, it's stuff like this that generate an equal amount of cynicism. RANDY: Global Frequency has also gone MIA, now that you mention it. But y'know, Warren Ellis's viewpoint tends to be one of cynicism anyway... maybe this is all some clever plan to engender more sympathetic cynicism in his comics fanbase? DAVE: A sound theory. Patient Zero #1 (Image) - RANDY: Genetic mutation, psionic powers, evil A.I. and an impending global war? Sounds like exciting stuff. I don't know the creators, so I don't know if the art and writing can make the concept really work, but it's an interesting premise and the teaser image is solid enough. Phantom Jack #1 (Image) - DAVE: Image has become the home of this former Marvel Epic submission by Newsarama columnist Mike Sangiacomo, and I'm afraid the behind-the-scenes trials of this book actually interest me more than its content. We'll see, though. The premise revolves around a newpaper reporter who uses his power of invisibility to somewhat unscrupulous ends. Not a bad premise, but based on what I read of it in Sangiacomo's columns about its creation, the execution doesn't sound to be up my alley. Interestingly, the solicitation gets a Brian Bendis quote, and Bendis is actually more the kind of writer I'd be interested to see handling the premise. Powers Volume 2 #1 (Image) - RANDY: And speaking of Bendis, while his name is largely in the press these days thanks to his work on Marvel's Ultimate line, it's always good to remember that he started out in the indie field and keeps one toe in with his work on Powers. Inevitably, there's a drift away from buzz books onto the next buzz book, and Powers has sort of fallen into that "we all know it's really good but nobody talks about it as much" place that can kill a smaller press book. So I think it's actually pretty smart of Bendis and Oeming to restart the book with a new number one, and given the huge status quo change that has taken place in the world of Powers, it actually should be a really good jumping-on point for new readers as well, rather than just being a marketing-driven change. Reaper (Image) - RANDY: 400-year-old immortal tyrant versus the world's best assassin. Sounds like an interesting fantasy concept, and it's by Robert Kirkman, which means we can expect it to be at least good and probably better than that. Kirkman is prolific, which is impressive enough, but he also seems comfortable in many genres. The Walking Dead is my favorite of his work, but this one-shot sounds intriguing, and I'm curious to see it. Ultimate Spider-Man #54-55 (Marvel) - RANDY: If anyone but Bendis were writing this story, I think I'd be groaning already at the potentially overly cute in-jokes. But setting the making of Spider-Man: The Movie (based on the plot of Spider-Man 2) in the Ultimate universe and showing how Spidey and Doctor Octopus react to this unauthorized usage of their likenesses is an idea that, in Bendis's hands, will probably be very entertaining and more than a little funny. DAVE: I'm off of Ultimate Spider-Man, but even I have to admit Bendis will probably have a field day with this offbeat concept. Given that my favorite overall Bendis work is Fortune and Glory, his own hilarious insider tale of trying to get a comic made into a movie, I expect I'll have to check it out. Runaways #13 (Marvel) - DAVE: The solicitation provides no info on the story, but it's the start of a new arc and features the return of artist Adrian Alphona to the book, making it an all-around excellent jumping-on point. I like this book. It's probably the closest a superhero comic has come to actually capturing the hipness of a Buffy or Smallville, and with the proper promotion and distribution, I actually think it'd be a hit with teens. Hear that Marvel? That means going the trade-friendly route you promised when the series began. Don't piss away a good thing. RANDY: The Marvel Age listing in this very issue of Marvel Previews indicates that there are indeed digest size trades planned of Runaways, as well as Spider-Girl and Sentinel. Replace Spider-Girl and Sentinel with Inhumans and Mystique and you've got my ideal collections of Tsunami books. Ah, well... one out of three ain't bad. New Marvel Series (Marvel) - RANDY: The shift from the era of Bill Jemas to the era of Dan Buckley seems to begin in earnest this month. Whether it's coincidence or actual evidence of sea change, this month sees nine (!) new series released from Marvel, many of them turning away from the deconstructionist New Marvel take and into the direction that Marvel was taking during their tailspin of quality in the '90s. And many of the books are solo books for second- or third-string Marvel characters by names that are new to the industry. Those who were disappointed by the loss of Epic should note that a lot of these books sound like the kind of things we would have gotten had Epic not self-destructed. This seems like another "Throw it at the wall and see what sticks" initiative. You'd think they would have learned about that approach from the aftermath of Tsunami. DAVE: Consider me fairly neutral on this new initiative. I applaud the change from Jemas' non-kid friendly approach, but agree that launching a spate of new titles all at once is ill-advised at best. You'd think the unimpeachable success of the conservatively built-up Ultimates line would make it the approach to adopt, right? Instead we get a market flood of titles, my least favorite approach. Means a huge dose of hit-and-miss quality and maybe a short burst of readers spending all their money at Marvel, but unless the titles are really good, I think the end result will see those readers becoming increasingly jaded. Remember how that worked out in the '90s? Huh. Guess I'm not as neutral as I thought. RANDY: Let's take them one by one, shall we? Marvel Age: Spider-Man #1 (Marvel) - DAVE: I hold out some hope for this series, essentially re-tellings of classic Lee/Ditko Spider-Man stories, though re-written and drawn to suit modern tastes. I see this one as sinking or swimming based partially on execution - will kids take these stories as "their own" or ignore them as they tend to ignore, say, Batman Adventures? - and partially on distribution - will these comics be made available outside of comic shops so as to actually target younger readers? As someone who probably wouldn't have become a superhero fan if I'd grown up with today's teen and adult-oriented superhero comics, I'm crossing my fingers in hope that this book does traditionalist adventure right for a new generation. RANDY: The fact that I've never heard of scripter Daniel Quartz makes me nervous, but the fact that Mark Brooks comes from Udon gives me some hope. Like you, I think the distribution is going to really determine whether this succeeds or not. The cynical part of me wonders if maybe it wouldn't make more sense to do cheap reprints of the actual Lee/Ditko stuff in comic-book form, since that stuff was aimed at kids in the first place. She-Hulk #1 (Marvel) - DAVE: Been a bad year for ol' She-Hulk. She was stuck in a crappy story in Avengers and fell victim to writer Chuck Austen who had roughneck villain Juggernaut nailing her in Uncanny X-Men. I used to like this outgoing character, notably from Roger Stern's run on Avengers and John Byrne's tongue-in-cheek approach to her solo book, so I'm at least hoping a relaunch of her own series can make her worth reading about again. RANDY: I love the character, which is why I'm so saddened to see her reduced to the soundbite of "Ally McBeal in the Marvel Universe." I've got no problem with having fun with the Marvel characters, but this seems like another example of just making fun of them, which is very rarely the way to go. That said, Dan Slott's Arkham Asylum series of last year got some good buzz, and a fun-loving take on the character isn't a bad way to go... I just hope he can do the Single Green Female thing without making her out to be unethical and slutty as Chuck Austen's take on the character. Thor: Son of Asgard #1 (Marvel) - DAVE: I didn't think it was possible for Thor to look more girly than he did in Garth Ennis' lamentable Thor: Vikings, but both the covers and interior art for this mini prove me wrong. Okay, that's mean. These artists actually have some excellent craftsmanship going on - interiors even look a little Alan Davisy - but I'm sorry, Thor looks too girly, period. Nevertheless, I like the ol' Thunder God, and a tale of his adventures as a young turk could be cool. Sure, Busiek dropped the ball doing this in Thor: Godstorm, but I'm willing to give the manga writing on Son of Asgard a shot at redeeming the idea. RANDY: I really liked Tocchini's artwork on R.A. Salvatore's DemonWars title at Crossgen, but as we've established before, I'm no big Thor fan. Whether he's a modern day, thee and thou spouting super-hippy or a young, girly boy having Dawson's Creek style adventures in Asgard. So I think I'll be giving this one a pass. Avengers/Thunderbolts #1 (Marvel) - RANDY: Of all the books coming out in this new wave, this is the one that looks the most retro. I was a big Thunderbolts fan when they were being written by Kurt Busiek and Fabian Nicieza, I love Barry Kitson's art, and yet... the Thunderbolts characters and concepts seems to me like something that has had its day in the sun, and I'm not really sure I have any interest in seeing a rematch. I'm also sort of scratching my head at the decision to reprint the previous Avengers/Thunderbolts story in a trade. It makes sense from a marketing perspective, but given that Marvel has only reprinted the first eight issues of the Thunderbolts series and the book actually got better from there, it's a shame they didn't use this opportunity to reprint more of the series in sequence. DAVE: I never read Thunderbolts, so I'm neutral on this two-part mini, but as long as we're talking Avengers trades, I'd like to make a call for Marvel to get the “Kang War” trade back in print – I need to buy that thing! – and to finish collecting in trades all the Busiek/Perez stuff. With JLA/Avengers topping the charts, it seems like a no-brainer. Captain America & The Falcon #1 (Marvel) - RANDY: The press for this one makes note of the fact that this is the Captain America books for fans who want a more action-oriented, super-heroic Captain America. Which is definitely where my tastes lie. It's written by Priest, who has a great take on The Falcon and whose work I really enjoy in general. All of these things would have me very excited for the series, but my big problem is the artwork. I loved Bart Sears's work years ago on Turok and X-O Manowar, but every shift he's made in his art since then has been in a direction I don't care for, and the preview pages here don't give me a lot of hope that his work here will be any different. Still, I hold out hope that either I'm wrong or that there will be an art change, because I think Priest will have a lot to say about these two characters that I'd like to read. DAVE: Total agreement regarding the decline of Bart Sears' artwork - I think he peaked on Justice League Europe of all things. Priest is hit and miss with me, too. On the upside, I suspect he'll deliver on the action and plotting, on the downside, the plot – which involves Cap chasing after Falcon for unspecified reasons – calls to mind similar "heroes against each other" storylines from his Black Panther run. I never liked his angle on those stories, which always seemed to diminish the heroes, leaving me longing for the days when camaraderie was the order of the day among the good guys. I'll give this one a cautious look. Iron Fist #1 (Marvel) - DAVE: The creative team on this one's new to me, the solicitation text too general to glean anything, but I'll say one thing - Iron Fist is actually wearing the classic green and gold costume of old in the preview art, and that's a good start. RANDY: True enough. I have a certain fondness for Iron Fist (and I love the pajama and slipper costume, goofy or no), but in my mind he's never been a character who stands alone all that well. I'm not one to advocate nostalgia for nostalgia's sake, but I really do think both Iron Fist and Power Man would benefit from being paired up again. At any rate, while Jim Mullaney isn't a name that I know, Kevin Lau is, and his work on martial arts action comics like Vampi and Xin leads me to believe that Iron Fist will at the very least look terrific. DAVE: Amen on putting Power Man and Iron Fist back together – they're about the coolest duo in comics. Hmm, ya think Fist's just getting a solo book because he's been optioned by Hollywood in recent years? As for Iron Fist's costume, ain't NOTHIN' goofy about it…in the context of the Marvel Universe. Gotta be careful there, Randy. I think I heard a touch of Bill Jemas in your voice. Wolverine/Punisher #1 (Marvel) - RANDY: OK, normally putting Punisher and Wolverine together equals guaranteed fanboy cash for Marvel and big huge yawns for me, but the creative team on this miniseries makes me sit up and take notice. Peter Milligan is best known at Marvel for his work on X-Statix, but he has done exceptional action comics like Human Target over at DC, and he could get to the more interesting heart of these two over-used characters. More importantly for me, the art is by Lee Weeks, who has always been good but who has been getting better on each new project, and whose last couple (Captain America and Hulk) were just gorgeous. I'm torn on this one: Putting these two creators on such creatively spent characters seems like a waste of talent, but on the other hand, there's a better than even chance that what they come up with will be well worth reading. DAVE: Personally, I'm about ready for the Punisher to go away forever, especially as Garth Ennis preps him for “mature readerdom” in his own series. Guess I just don't buy him perpetually teaming up with heroes for whom his actions are anathema. I'm not even sure Wolverine would give the guy a pass. Anyway, I can only see this as a waste of two talented creators. Alpha Flight #1 (Marvel) - DAVE: I think the only real way to make a new Alpha Flight book work would be to rewind to Byrne's last issue, then proceed as if that and only that was canon. Otherwise, the team's been too screwed up over the years, and the creative team of Scott Lobdell and a somewhat mediocre-looking artist doesn't inspire confidence. Hmm...maybe time for a clean slate? An all new Alpha Flight team to carry on the name? RANDY: The thought of Scott Lobdell, who wrote most of the horrible Alpha Flight stories including the much-reviled Northstar coming-out story, returning to these characters probably gives most fans of the characters the cold sweats. Especially when the tone of the series seems to be light-hearted comedy, mostly at the expense of the characters and Canada in general. If you wrote up a "What Alpha Flight fans" want and then mirror-imaged it, I suspect this new series would come pretty close. Cable & Deadpool #1 (Marvel) - RANDY: We talked about this one before, but I think it's kind of funny that any project Rob Liefeld is involved with gets delayed by several months at the least. This one isn't his fault, though... his covers have been done for some time. It's most likely a delay so that the series will launch with the rest of the glut, I mean new wave, of Marvel comics. Supreme Power Vol. 1: The Hyperion Project TP (Marvel) - RANDY: Ah, back to being a little more positive again. Straczynski has become extremely hit-and-miss for me in comics (Amazing Spider-Man makes me cringe at this point), but Supreme Power has been excellent, a rare example of decompressed storytelling actually working. It's got beautiful artwork by Gary Frank, and I'm surprised that the MAX take on Justice League analogs hasn't felt too in-jokey or needlessly vicious about the super-hero genre, but instead has been so good that it makes Rising Stars read like the rough draft for this book. The unfinished rough draft, of course. DAVE: Like you, I've been pretty damn impressed with this series, this despite having zero enthusiasm for it before it came out. It's one of the few “real world heroes” series to really click, and Gary Frank is clearly an excellent collaborator for JMS. Good stuff, good stuff. Wolverine Legends Vol. 6: Marc Silvestri Book 1 TP (Marvel) - RANDY: Oddly enough, I have some fondness for these stories, because I was a fan of Silvestri's work back in the day, and I thought Larry Hama did a pretty good job creating some interesting solo stories of Wolverine. Whether or not they hold up to rereading is somewhat academic for me, though, because this is a reprint timed to coincide with Silvestri's time on New X-Men, and as such is a scattershot reprinting of the stories that only feature his artwork on the book. Which will probably seem quite weird, given that Hama was telling an ongoing tale with subplots and long-running threads. Maybe every non-Silvestri issue was a fill-in with no relevance and I just don't remember it? DAVE: I'm mildly curious about this. I like Silvestri's old stuff better than his new stuff, and Hama was on in the '80s and early '90s. Might be a fun guily pleasure for a week when I'm not buying much. Fantastic Four Vol. 3: Authoritative Action TP (Marvel) - RANDY: This has been my favorite arc of Mark Waid's Fantastic Four so far. It reintroduced Howard Porter to comics, to such an extent that my previous opinion of his work turned a one-eighty and I found myself looking forward to his debut on Flash. It had echoes that resonated with modern-day politics without getting heavy-handed, it reflected on The Authority and super-hero books like it without coming across as defensive or mimicry, basically it was one of the best super-hero stories of last year. DAVE: Mixed feelings here. Waid's continually maintained an "anything can happen” feel to this series, which is always a great thing, but the darker elements are a little too dark for what I want in the FF. Also, Waid's take on Doom, which has informed the last few arcs, doesn't fit the Doom I grew up reading. And on that note, that's it for this installment of Down the Line. Be sure and come back next time for part two, where we take a look at the rest of the Previews catalog, which includes the end of long-running indie projects Cerebus and Bone and the beginning of long-running indie project The Complete Peanuts, among other things. Email Randy Lander and Dave Farabee comments about this review.