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Quick Critiques for 3/19
There's no way that Randy and I can cover all of the material we have for review in full reviews, so these capsule reviews will offer some brief comments on other recent releases.
GREEN ARROW #22
by Scott Beatty, Phil Hester & Ande Parks
(DC Comics)
 Scott (Ruse) Beatty provides a fill-in story for this popular series, and I'm amazed at how well he maintains consistency with the dark, mature yet playful tone established by previous regular writers Kevin Smith and Brad Meltzer. Beatty gets back to the characters early roots but doesn't sugar-coat it as others have in the past. He also provides an excellent take on the character of Count Vertigo, acknowledging the character's Suicide Squad history while not getting bogged down in it. Beatty's take on the D.E.O. is clever and entertaining as well. The script plays to the strengths of the dark Hester/Parks collaboration, as do the skewed perspectives brought out by the antagonist's powers. 8/10
MARVEL MUST HAVES #7
by Brian Michael Bendis & Alex Maleev (Marvel Comics)
 This inexpensive reprint of the first three chapters of "Lowlife" -- the current story arc in Daredevil -- is not to be missed by those foolish enough to pass on it the first time around. The introduction of a strong new character as a love interest, an ingenius plotline revolving around the exposure of the title character's secret identity and the richly detailed and textured artwork from Alex Maleev make this book -- and the ongoing Daredevil series -- required reading for any adult comics fan. As strong and diverse as Bendis's past work has been, his recent Daredevil scripts are beginning to stand out as the finest work of his career in comics to date. 10/10
NEW X-MEN #138
by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely & Avalon Studios (Marvel Comics)
 "Riot at Xavier's" comes to a conclusion here, according to the cover, but this is really more of an epilogue. The opening two acts boast some of the same strengths we've come to expect from the title, but the script becomes cluttered and scattered toward the end. It's as though Morrison realized he had about a half dozen or more subplots dangling out there and decided to address them all at once. The result makes for an unfocused but still diverting read. Quitely's unique artwork remains quite strong, and I was particularly impressed with the choreography of the action in the opening scene. 6/10
THE PUNISHER #23
by Garth Ennis & Steve Dillon
(Marvel Comics/Marvel Knights)
 In what has to be the most bizarre and borderline surreal Punisher story to come along in a while, Ennis focuses on the cowardly survivor of one of the Punisher's attacks on the underworld and his friends' disappointment in his actions. This is a comic-book length joke that really pays off because the punchline completely perplexes and escapes the title character. Dillon does a fine job with the artwork, and the colors bring out the supernatural elements of the issue nicely. 7/10
SLEEPER #3
by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips/by Robbie Morrison, Dwayne Turner & Sal Regla
(DC Comics/Wildstorm Productions)
 With the introduction and exploration of a new player in this underworld metahuman drama, Brubaker delivers the most focused and riveting issue to date. This isn't so much about the unenviable position in which the title character finds himself, but about Miss Misery. Her philosophy that morality is an illusion, that people fulfill the roles set out for them, is an intriguing -- and ultimately tragic -- one. Phillips's noir artwork brings out a tense but reflective tone in the book, and the muted, moody colors reinforce it wonderfully. The backup story -- a teaser for the soon-to-be-relaunched Authority series -- fails to whet my appetite for the new title, though. The politics of the property seem to be lost, and we're left with some ultra-violent but generic super-heroics. 8/10
SOLDIER X #9
by Karl Bollers & Arthur Ranson (Marvel Comics)
 It's a shame that Darco Macan and Igor Kordey were taken off of this title, but it's difficult to miss them when this creative team offers up an equally intelligent, challenging and politically charged super-hero story. The strongest element of the script is Bollers's villification of the news media and its self-serving "stars." I couldn't help but find parallels between the plot here -- about a militia of racists declaring war on their own country -- and the current tension on the global stage here in the real world. The plot is about America being under attack by a living weapon of its own design, and it's not hard to see shades of Osama bin Laden in the chief antagonist. Ranson's detailed artwork maintains a consistent tone with Kordey's run on the title, and his realistic approach reinforces the grave messages to be found in the script. 8/10
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #38
by Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Bagley & Art Thibert (Marvel Comics)
 This issue is replete with action, and it stems from the animalistic, alien nature of the "Suit," better known as Venom to comics readers. The dialogue really brings out the raw savagery and confusion of the Eddie/Suit creature, and it reinforces the title character's terror and desperation. But what really brings the issue together is the grounded dialogue from Peter's late father in the opening and closing pages. It offers a bittersweet ending steeped in everyday humanity. Bagley's artwork brings out the chaotic quality in the battle. While the more fluid, pulsating look of the Suit here is in keeping with the tone of the script, I have to admit that it doesn't make for as striking or stimulating visual as the more traditional Venom/black Spidey design. 7/10
WAR STORY: ARCHANGEL #1
by Garth Ennis & Gary Erskine
(DC Comics/Vertigo imprint)
 If there's one thing that ties all of Ennis's War Story one-shots together, it's their education quality. I come away from these books with a greater knowledge and appreciation of history of war and the mentalities of the people who find themselves fighting them. I'm struck by the insanity of tactics and the surprise of their effectiveness. As for the art, it's easy to see the influence that inking Chris Weston's pencils on The Filth has had on Gary Erskine's artwork. There's a greater level of realism at play here. His eye for detail really pays off when it comes to rendering the array of World War II aircraft and war machines. 9/10
Email Don MacPherson comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.
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