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Snapshots for 1/8
Don and I are starting the new year with a new review feature: capsules. There's no way for us to 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.
AQUAMAN #2
by Rick Veitch, Yvel Guichet & Mark Propst (DC Comics)
 It's a weird combination, this new Aquaman, part Vertigo approach and part Silver Age super-heroes. And the mixture is not unlike oil and water, as the cackling, mindlessly evil Rodunn looks just silly against a monologue about how global positioning had made the lighthouse an antiquated system. Aquaman also seems to be simply stumbling along into what Veitch has in mind for him, whether it's a new hand, a supporting cast or a new job, and while it's not a terrible status quo, it does seem to have fallen into place a little quickly and coincidentally. Guichet and Propst provide some impressive storm sequences and underwater action, but in general the impression this book leaves on me is one of boredom. 3/10
COURTNEY CRUMRIN AND THE COVEN OF MYSTICS #1
by Ted Naifeh (Oni Press)
 Fantastic. That's the only word that jumps immediately to mind to describe Courtney Crumrin and The Coven of Mystics, which accomplishes the seemingly impossible task of surpassing my enjoyment of the first Courtney Crumrin mini-series. Naifeh brought a dark flavor to his humorous tale of Courtney's new life in Hillsborough in the first mini, but he goes even darker here, with a downright spooky rendition and story of a beast that scares even other night things and powerful warlocks, and even manages to scare the generally unflappable and cynical Courtney. Of course, underneath the spook story there remains the story of Courtney as a child, including her genuine love for her uncle and her disdain for school and normal kids, which gets a bit of a twist all its own in the form of an intriguing new teacher with a secret. Plenty of fun, with just enough scare and a storybook style that works while still maintaining the book as more than just for kids, this was just about perfect as a first issue, and I can't wait to see the rest of the mini-series. 10/10 This comic book was not among this week's new releases.
HAWKMAN #11
by Geoff Johns, Rags Morales & Michael Bair (DC Comics)
 Despite a complete streamlining of the Hawkman continuity during his JSA reintroduction, I found this issue to contain a lot to keep track of, including past lives, nemeses and some continuity with a son that doesn't match up to my memories at all. Despite that, I found the second part of this story to be stronger than the first, and Johns supplies a couple interesting surprises, one of them small but well-appreciated, as well as some great spotlight time for Kendra, who has been outshined by Carter Hall in this book for the most part. Of course, it's the artwork that really draws me to Hawkman, and Morales and Bair are fantastic as always, particularly when it comes to the splash page reveal of Hawkman's surprise or the no-holds-barred combat that fills the final part of the issue. 8/10
NOBLE CAUSES: FAMILY SECRETS #4
by Jay Faerber, Ian Richardson & Andres Ponce (Image Comics)
 The second Noble Causes mini-series wraps up in a rushed fashion, not helped much by the back-up stories compressing the main stories, but Faerber has nailed the most important aspect of soap operas: Make the reader want to come back to find out what happens next. Though the revelation at the end of the book actually comes off as something of an anti-climax, I can't deny being fascinated by the implications. There's a lot of that going around this issue, as the interaction between Doc Noble and Draconis also has a conclusion which should have interesting ramifications, although even without that conclusion their interaction features some strong characterization and examination of the bonds of parenthood that can unite even those with so little in common otherwise. 7/10 This comic book was not among this week's new releases.
POWERS #27
by Brian Michael Bendis & Michael Avon Oeming (Image Comics)
 So far, the story of Unity has hit a lot of the same notes as the previous Powers stories, and while that means a certain level of familiarity, it also means a certain level of consistent quality as well. The opening sequence reads like the Superfriends as written by someone with Tourette's, and the latter half of the book features a thinly-veiled attack on the ego that is John Byrne, and while both align pretty well with my sensibilities, I must admit that it verges on being self-indulgent for Bendis. Oeming and Peter Pantazis bring the same level of quality I always expect, particularly when it comes to echoing the "Superfriends" style in the opening of the book or concealing dirty words in the puzzle box at the end of the story. Plenty of fun, even if some of the newness seems to be wearing off for me. 8/10
QUEEN & COUNTRY: DECLASSIFIED #2
by Greg Rucka & Brian Hurtt (Oni Press)
 It turns out there is a better espionage series than Queen & Country out there, and its name is Queen & Country: Declassified. Rucka's tale of Cold War espionage starring a younger version of Paul Crocker who still has a regular life outside the agency features some absolutely heart-breaking depictions of the sacrifices that must be made by intelligence agents, as well as the camraderie that develops in the field. In this issue, it also includes some tense chase and action scenes, courtesy of Hurtt, whose work is more impressive with every project he takes on, and who begins to look like one of the strongest assets to Oni's list of artistic talent. 10/10 This comic book was not among this week's new releases.
VERTIGO POP! LONDON #3
by Peter Milligan, Philip Bond & Warren Pleece (DC Comics/Vertigo imprint)
 This one's taking some unexpected twists as it moves further along, exploring the very concept of identity (just as Milligan did so well in Human Target) along with the questions of aging, stardom, love and sex, and I'm surprised to find what started out as something of a fun romp developing a more serious side. Milligan throws a variety of different problems at Rocky Lamont this issue, including four different flavors of women trouble and some difficulty in regaining his musical youth as easily as he regained his physical youth, and throughout all that he has me questioning whether it's Rocky or Sean who is actually the protagonist of the series. Warren Pleece comes onboard this issue to help out with Bond's artwork, and while the change is noticeable, it's certainly not a bad thing, as the art conveys both the more serious and the lighter moments equally well. 9/10
WAR STORY: CONDORS #1
by Garth Ennis & Carlos Ezquerra (DC Comics/Vertigo imprint)
 There's a certain pattern you can expect from Ennis's War Stories, as the whole of the concept is an exploration of a group of men in war, focused more on characterization than the role they play in the war, usually ending in all of their deaths. Condors follows this pattern loosely, but it's more of an excuse for Ennis to explore a variety of political and social viewpoints, and the nature of war, using four soldiers from different countries during the Spanish Civil War. The style is classic Ennis, leavened with dark humor but holding some interesting insight into human nature and history, and Ezquerra's gritty depiction of wartime and peacetime really brings the stories of the characters to life. I must admit, though, that my biggest laugh came from the irony of this mostly anti-warfare story being closed out by a recruiting ad from the U.S. Army. 8/10
X-TREME X-MEN #20
by Chris Claremont, Salvador Larroca & Liquid! (Marvel Comics)
 X-Treme X-Men begins a new story arc this month, and so it seemed time to give it another chance, despite being unimpressed with issue one of the series, a random sampling of issues throughout the run and X-Pose #1. I think this was the last chance, because X-Treme X-Men not only failed to impress me, it failed to convince me of any reason for its existence. Claremont spends the early part of the issue with two characters in unconvincing arguments about why they exist as a separate team from the other X-Men, and then leads those two characters, Bishop and Sage, into a C.S.I.-knockoff investigation which lacks any sort of coherency. Larroca's artwork looks sharp here, especially with regards to his design for the students at Xavier's, but the digital color continues to obscure the story, which really doesn't help the already unclear plot either. 1/10
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