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.
The week of June 28 brought with it a glut of Civil War tie-in books from Marvel Comics, and it made for an overwhelming week for Marvel fans' reading time (and wallets, no doubt). I had no interest in delving into them all in detail, so I decided a special "Quick Critiques" feature would be enough to encapsulate my thoughts.
I was looking forward to seeing Brian Michael Bendis sound off on the event in New Avengers #21, and the fact that Howard Chaykin was illustrating this crossover issue struck me as unusual and intriguing as well. Chaykin's performance on the book was a strong one -- much more satisfying than his cheesecake-laden efforts on DC's Hawkgirl -- but the story was disappointing. It wasn't Bendis's writing that let me down, though, but rather the timing of the book's release. This is set before Civil War #2, so there's no tension in the plot since we already know what happens later on. What's the point of showing Cap beginning the recruit and outfit a resistance movement when the end result has already been displayed for the audience? The one element that Bendis adds to the mix that Civil War writer Mark Millar didn't is that Bendis portrays Cap's efforts as being Herculean. We see that it's an exhausting process for the hero, both physically and emotionally. 5/10
Amazing Spider-Man #533 focuses on the immediate fallout of Spider-Man's decision to reveal his true identity to the world, and on its own, it works fairly well. J. Jonah Jameson's initial reaction is predictable but entertaining, but the legal consequences were surprising yet logical; I found I'm genuinely interested in where that subplot is headed. Furthermore, Ron Garney's art demonstrates that he's really got a good feel for the title character, just as he did when he was illustrating Captain America. But the problem with this book is that it's inconsistent with other Civil War tie-ins that depict similar yet contrary scenarios. And for a super-hero crossover to really work on a storytelling and marketing level, continuity is important. And it's not as though Marvel's writers are getting small details wrong. 6/10
Case in point: Civil War: Front Line #2. It explores similar ideas as Amazing #533, from different perspectives. That's a good thing when the perspectives are those of different characters, but it's a hindrance when a different writer's perspective makes for inconsistencies in the overall presentation of the same story. Writer Paul Jenkins handles the Bugle's reaction to Parker's revelation completely differently. This doesn't reconcile with what other writers have put forward, and gives one pause for trying to follow a fractured story over multiple titles. Furthermore, for a storyline entitled "Embedded," I'm surprised we still haven't seen the reporters actually embedded. The Speedball story is far more interesting in that it touches upon the erosion of individual rights in America, something that's been predominantly relevant in the real world since the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001. I found I was a bit torn by the closing segment, in which the fight between Iron Man and Prodigy is compared to the initial battle in a larger war. I understand that's what the fight is meant to represent, but comparing a super-hero fight to bloodshed on an ancient battlefield by vulnerable yet dedicated men seems to belittle the reality of war. 6/10
The cover of writer J. Michael Straczynski and artist Mike McKone's Fantastic Four #538 would seem to promise to deliver a debate within the first family of the Marvel Universe about the merits of the greater good versus individual rights, but that debate between Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman never really unfolds. The rift doesn't really take shape here. Instead, the main point of the book seems to be to further herald the return of Thor, and to show the Thing's justification for refusing to take sides in the "war." It's a decent issue, but it feels as though the creators and characters are just spinning their wheels. McKone's art is sharp, and his depiction of the Thing really puts me in mind of John Byrne's work on the property in the 1980s, which one could argue was the pinnacle of the writer/artist's career. McKone's depiction of the Thor-related action in the desert isn't as clear as it could be, nor does it convey the larger scope of those events. 6/10
It's surprising that with X-Factor #8, writer Peter David delivers the strongest "Civil War" tie-in script of the week, in that there's a number of titles that converge in this one comic book. Leftover House of M and "Decimation" elements come to a head here, and the loose ends from the Son of M limited series turn up here as well. And on top of the civil War themes that impact the script, David doesn't slow down the title's own core plotlines. And he balances it all incredibly well while maintaining the title's core character and appeal. The script's not the most accessible I've seen, but the story's not wholly impenetrable either. The one respect in which the title doesn't quite fire on all cylinders is the artwork. Artist Dennis Calero has kept this title on track, but his work pales in comparison to that of Ryan Sook, who established the dark, noir look for this new incarnation of X-Factor. There are some inconsistencies in how Calero depicts the characters, and his anatomy is off from time to time as well. 7/10
I'll tell you what the most successful trait of these Civil War tie-ins (and those that came before it) is, and that's design. The solid-color-band design is really eye-catching, and it allows these crossover books to stand out and grab fans' attention. It also seems to provide greater impact for the art that adorns the top half of each cover. With less space seems to come more gravitas.
