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Quick Critiques for 8/16/2006
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.
100 BULLETS #75
by Brian Azzarello & Eduardo Risso
(DC Comics/Vertigo imprint)
 100 Bullets has really evolved over the course of its seven-year run into a complex, challenging story of underworld conspiracies and twisted codes of honor. It remains a strong series, but I love it when Azzarello takes it back to its roots with the core premise of an offer of consequence-free revenge. This issue is one such occasion, and it's a great gateway into the series for new readers. I love that Azzarello keeps the reader guessing about the latest target and what she could have possibly done to merit a death sentence from someone she wronged. For the most part, those that wronged Agent Graves's "beneficiaries" throughout the course of the series have been fairly corrupt, meriting punishment. The writer poses a deeper ethical question to the main character of this self-contained issue, and I love that he doesn't answer them. Risso's art is as strong and mesmerizing as ever. I love how he plays with perspective and shadow to maintain a disorienting atmosphere throughout the issue. 9/10
FELL #6
by Warren Ellis & Ben Templesmith (Image Comics)
 Ellis continues to use the eerie qualities of Templesmith's art and readers' expectations to his advantage, crafting a crime story that offers some unexpected twists and turns. Ellis's setting and core plot premise are dark and focus the reader's attention on the fact that there are horrors in the real world, closer by than any of us would like to think. But he balances that acknowledgement of the ugly side of life with a celebration of the small things that make it worth living. Richard and Mayko's burgeoning relationship is a truly encouraging but simple plot development, a shining light of hope in the midst of a dreary city. Both of these characters have been beaten down by life, but they haven't lost hope either. Templesmith's art is key in providing a contrast to those hidden bright spots in the story. He transforms Snowton into a ghost town, seemingly literally but truly only in atmosphere. His choice of colors really drive home the hideous side of the human soul when the "dad's" crime is revealed. As is always the case with this title, this was a riveting read. 9/10
GROUNDED, VOL. 1: POWERLESS trade paperback
by Mark Sable & Paul Azaceta (Image Comics)
 On the surface, this book looks like a foray into super-hero genre deconstructionism, and it works well on that level. But ultimately, this isn't really about super-heroes, but about a generation gap and the fact that Father Doesn't Always Know Best. The hero of this story is a kid without powers who's lost faith in the super-powered champions around him and can't believe kids with powers don't aspire to be heroes, to do the right thing just because it's the right thing. Sable's story is about one kid's sense of wonder triumphing over the self-interest and corruption of the world around him. The writer doesn't play things too seriously, though. There's definitely a satirical streak to the circumstances and character concepts. "Azaceta's art does an excellent job of walking that fine line between the melancholy of the everyday and the energy of the impossible" -- that's a quote from my review of the first issue, written a year ago. It still holds true today and applies to the entire story arc. Azaceta's work here is no fluke; today, he's doing a tremendous job on Talent from Boom! Studios. If you like his work on that limited series, you'll like his stuff on Grounded just as much. 8/10
Email Don MacPherson with your comments about this review.
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