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Quick Critiques for 3/29/2006
There's no way I can cover all of the material I have for review in full reviews, so these capsule reviews will offer some brief comments on other recent releases.
ALL-STAR SUPERMAN #3
by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely & Jamie Grant
(DC Comics)
 Morrison delivers an old-fashioned Superman story garnished with a more modern science-fiction sensibility. This reminds me of the sort of fare I read in Action Comics and Superman in the 1980s, during the Elliot S! Maggin/Cary Bates/Curt Swan era. Morrison introduces two new characters here -- Samson and Atlas -- and for them, the story is all about outdoing one another in feats of strength. But for Superman, it's about strength of character, and it's a surprisingly traditional but touching story. Morrison's new vision of Steve Lombard is a hilarious (if one-dimensional) one. Just as Morrison entertains with his script, so does Quitely dazzle with the artwork. His style suits the larger than life nature of the title character and the other impossibly muscular players, but he's also able to convey the tenderness and emotion that the Man of Steel feels for Lois. And that's the most important aspect of the story. 8/10
CAPTAIN AMERICA 65TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL #1
by Ed Bruabker, Javier Pulido, Marcos Martin & Mike Perkins (Marvel Comics)
 Writer Ed Brubaker takes his readers back to the Golden Age, as this special shows Cap, Bucky, Nick Fury and his Howling Commandos in action during World War II in a German town where the Red Skull is trying to uncover a long lost weapon. The script is painfully transparent. Perhaps Brubaker was aiming for a Golden Age simplicity in the storytelling, but that's in conflict with the edge he instills in some of the characters. The art from Pulido and Martin is nicely consistent, but it rarely manages to "wow" me. The most interesting segment is actually the epilogue, in which Brubaker links this story to what's been going on in the regular Cap series. Still, $3.99 US is a lot to ask of readers who are just interested in a couple of pages' worth of story. 5/10
GREEN LANTERN #10
by Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis & Marc Campos
(DC Comics)
 I'll give Infinite Crisis writer (and co-scribe of the upcoming 52) Geoff Johns credit: he's making the most of the air of mystery offered by the "One Year Later" concept. Johns has radically shaken up the status quo on this relatively new title, and he also gives the impression that the unknown events of that year are well plotted out. The title character is taking on mroe of a police-officer type attitude to his hero work, and the political and diplomatic elements the writer has introduced not only grabbed my attention here but really have me eager to see what lies ahea din 52. The script goes awry a bit by including Oliver Queen as a means to include some extra exposition, but it just doesn't make sense that the mayor of a major city would drop in on a friend for a five-minute conversation. Ivan Reis's artwork is certainly action-packed, and it shows a clear Neal Adams influence here. But his style is a bit too rough and gritty for the sleekness and crisp, magical energy of a Green Lantern story. 6/10
SUPER REAL #2
by Jason Martin (Super Real Graphics)
 This indy series that aims to mock everything that's wrong with super-hero comics instead just seems to embrace it. Creator Jason Martin rightly points out that the vast majority of physical types we see as super-heroes and heroines are ridiculous attractive and impossibly shaped, but his art style revels in the sexuality of the characters rather than mocking it. The reader's attention is almost always focused on the expansive bust line of one or more of the three female characters, and the two guys recruited in the plot are the ultimate in mimbos. the characters are annoyingly stupid, paying no attention to references to genetics labs, spending all their time looking for cameras that aren't there. It could work if this was an over-the-top sendup. Though Martin's script is somewhat tongue in cheek, there's also a sense that he's playing things somewhat straight. His casting of real-life politicians in the roles of the manipulative media moguls doesn't make much sense. Younger male readers might get a kick out of tracing the female forms in this book, but this comic did nothing for me. Honestly, if Martin had really carried through with the overt sexual tone of the book and crafted an outright porn comic, it probably would have worked much better on that level. 2/10
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #92
by Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Bagley, John Dell & Mark McKenna (Marvel Comics)
 This issue works well as pure super-hero fun. Those who thrive on the grounded teen drama and Peter's angst about his unusual life won't appreciate this issue quite so much. This issue is about one thing: Spidey banter. For the most part, this is a humor issue, and Bendis, like any good writer, knows that one of the keys to comedy is repetition. And man, does he embrace it, but it works well. I was a little disappointed at how much this story has rooted in Ultimate X-Men continuity, but I also think Bendis is trying to spotlight just how different these two corners of the Ultimate Universe really are. Given the heavy emphasis on super-hero action, Bagley's kinetic artwork shines, of course. Mind you, I've already grown tired of his new designs for the Reavers. 7/10
Email Don MacPherson with your comments about this review.
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