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JUST IMAGINE STAN LEE WITH CHRIS BACHALO CREATING CATWOMAN
Neutral (4/10)
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DC Comics
Main story
Writer: Stan Lee
Pencils: Chris Bachalo
Inks: Richard Friend
Letters: Bill Oakley
On the Street...
Writer: Michael Uslan
Pencils: Darwyn Cooke
Inks: Mike Allred
Letters: Phil Felix
Colors: Alex Sinclair
Editor: Mike Carlin
Price: $5.95 US/$9.95 CAN |
Stan Lee's profile has never been as prominent as it is now, in the wake of the mega-success of the Spider-Man movie. Unfortunately, that higher profile doesn't bring with it any added strength to the Just Imagine line. The plot and script -- on both Lee's and Uslan's stories -- remain as clunky, awkward and simplistic as ever. However, this issue stands out as significant in the series thus far, as it boasts the strongest art we've seen for these stories to date.
Joanie Jordan is a supermodel whose cop father had hoped she'd go into a different line of work. Her scheduled appearance at a bank attracts the attention of a gang led y Furgo the Flesh Crawler, and when his thugs break into her apartment to recruit her help in a robbery plan, a mysterious bolt of green lightning grants her the power to stave off the attack... and more.
Bachalo's art grants this story a depth and darkness that's lacking in the plot and characterizations. He takes us into a gothic, urban world that seems both real and surreal all at once. Sinclair's dark, subtle colors reinforce the sense of the bizarre that one finds in Bachalo's art, while bolstering the brighter tone of the backup piece. Speaking of which, it's always a treat to see Cooke's artwork, and even moreso when it's inked by Mike Allred. They worked together on the first four issues of the regular Catwoman series, and I hope this collaboration is an indication they'll be teaming up on a frequent basis.
The biggest problem with the plots in this comic book is that they emphasize convenience over plausibility. Just as Joanie's about to reveal her new powers and plan for the future to her dad, he rants about his disdain for super-heroes? And since when do top supermodels do promotional appearances at banks? Lee stretches the credibility of his story to the limit and beyond.
In his ground-breaking work in the 1960s, Lee's characters were always outsiders, always boasted some quality that enabled his readers to relate to the characters. Peter Parker was picked on by his classmates. Bruce Banner was a bookish guy who couldn't control his temper. You get the idea. But here, Joanie Jordan is a supermodel with no real problems to speak of? She's a shell of a character.
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