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Quick Critiques for 12/7/2005
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.
FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN #3
by J. Michael Straczynski, Mike Wieringo & Karl Kesel (Marvel Comics)
 In its third month, "The Other" is finally beginning to take some kind of coherent shape, but it's also become exceedingly clear that earlier plot developments did little but extend the event far beyond what it needed to be. Peter learned he was dying from a mysterious, fatal condition, but it was a beating at the hands of a little-known villain that did him in. Furthermore, the plot proceeds at such a pace and in such a way that it's clear the "death" of Spider-Man will be short-lived. Straczynski's idea of
"disguising" the title character with his injuries would seem like a novel idea and solution to a plotting problem had the same thing not been emphasized in Mark Millar's 12-issue run on Marvel Knights Spider-Man. Still, the emotion behind the events in this story work quite well. Mary Jane's desperation, Morlun's cold and callous nature and the other heroes' respect for Spider-Man as a comrade rather than an annoying rogue all draw the reader into the story. Wieringo's art is always a treat, and he conveys the ferocity of a key player in the climactic scene quite effectively without really showing us what he's doing. 5/10
MARVEL TEAM-UP #15
by Robert Kirkman, Paco Medina & Juan Vlasco
(Marvel Comics)
 Kirkman once again expands the traditional definition of a team-up comic and explores instead something of a Marvel Universe crossover within the confines of this title. The concept of bringing together Marvel's second-stringers is a good one, and Kirkman's script even allows the forced idea to make sense within the context of the plot. The script is quite accessible, offering just enough information about some obscure characters so newer readers can enjoy the fun as well as those of us who recognize the motley heroes from days gone by. There's a great sense of fun and energy in the story, but it suffers from one key problem: there's no suspense. We're told that most of Marvel's major players are killed at the hands of the time-travelling baddies and it's up to the remaining do-gooders to save the day. But given the time-travel element and the fact that we know Marvel's icons won't stay dead, the outcome is clear. Medina's art captures the energy of the super-hero action nicely, but it fails to provide a darker edge that might have added some much-needed tension to the story. 6/10
NAT TURNER #2
by Kyle Baker (Kyle Baker Publishing)
 With his Plastic Man art, Kyle Baker shows off the strong influence classic animation art and styles have on his cartooning work. In Nat Turner, we see a different set of influences emerge. It's easy to see Jack Kirby's and Frank Miller's styles guiding Baker's visual storytelling decisions. There's a greater and impressive level of detail that reinforces the very real nature of the story. What's more impressive is how Baker captures the more thoughtful nature of the title character. It's clear in the quoted text that Turner is possessed of a keen intellect, but it shows through in how he's depicted visually as well. The simplicity and difficulty of the slave life is apparent in the storytelling as well, but the tone of the script makes it hard to pity the child who serves as the title's hero. He seems to extract happiness from the clutches of what should be a miserable existence, and the tone of the script elevates Nat above the other players in the drama. 8/10
Email Don MacPherson with your comments about this review.
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