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Snapshots for 1/19/05
There's no way that Don 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.
BIRDS OF PREY #78
by Gail Simone, Tom Derenick & Bob Petrecca (DC Comics)
 Part three of "Hero Hunters" finds the Birds of Prey facing off against Kansas supernatural vigilante Harvest, in a fight scene that deepens the bond between Canary and Huntress and also features a really nice moment to shine for Lady Blackhawk, the newest member of the Birds team. Derenick and Petrecca turn in a reasonably decent but undeniably rushed-looking art job, which is a strike against the book, but fortunately the storytelling is solid as ever, as Simone invents another intriguing vigilante for the DC Universe with cool powers and intriguing origin. The way the heroes deal with the vigilante and the moral dilemma she faces comes across as a little convenient, basically taking the burden of choice off the heroes' shoulders, but I do appreciate that Simone at least acknowledges that the easy answers ("I know she's wrong. But for the life of me, I can't figure out how.") of hero morality don't always work, walking a fine line between the overly simplistic morality of the '60s and '70s and the overly realistic morality of the '90s and '00s. Rushed guest art and a bit of a story cheat for the conclusion mar this story a tad, but it's still one of the best action/superhero reads in the DC Universe running at the moment. 7/10
CONAN #11
by Kurt Busiek, Cary Nord & Thomas Yeates (Dark Horse Comics)
 I've read the Marvel comics adaptation of "God in the Bowl," but I can't for the life of me remember it, so a comparison to the Busiek take isn't something I'm up to. What I can compare this issue to is the previous issues of Conan, and I have to say that I'm surprised that this one comes up a bit short. Conan is at his best in a story involving action, whether it's fighting or thieving, and Busiek has him mostly as a participant in a not-entirely-clear locked door murder mystery, where he's more or less a bystander. Things get moving at the end when Conan decides he's had enough of civilization, but most of the issue is kind of talky for a Conan story, and the mystery itself about who murdered random rich guy isn't really compelling on its own. To be fair, the source material is apparently not so gripping either, as editor Scott Allie mentions in the letter column, so I hope (and expect) that the series will be back up to its usual high standards next issue. 5/10
DESPERADOES: BANNERS OF GOLD #2
by Jeff Mariotte & Jeremy Haun (IDW Publishing)
 Boy, you'd think by now that Gideon Brood would learn to heed supernatural warnings, but fortunately for the story, his stubbornness overcomes his experience with the supernatural, and so we get a tense little tale about normal folks crowded into a creepy cabin during a moody rainstorm and spooked by their psychic ringleader. It's a bit slower than the previous issue, largely building up mood but not really taking the story anywhere just yet, but there are some great moments, including the shocking outcome of the seance, a creepy little moment for the psychotic killer stalking the Desperadoes and the revelation that one of the stock villains isn't so much done with the characters as of yet. Once again, I found Tom Long's colors to be a little oppressive and heavy, but I still quite liked Haun's artwork, especially in his grizzled look for Gideon Brood and the way the tightly-packed panels build up a sense of claustrophobia, an important effect in setting the mood of this issue. 7/10
FIREBREATHER: THE IRON SAINT
by Phil Hester & Andy Kuhn (Image Comics)
 I said before that if you're liking Invincible you'll like Firebreather, and this one-shot convinces me that this is true. There are a lot of the same themes to be found in Firebreather, another comic that's basically about the life of an adolescent superhero from a more modern point-of-view, but there are also enough differences to make it entertaining on its own merits. Hester writes a story that plays up Duncan's unusual abilities without treating his personality and life as that of a freak, and I love how the story blends the normality of a class trip to Europe with the pure weirdness of finding out once there that a magical monstrosity is programmed to kill you because of your parentage. The way the subplots run, including the revelation of the nature of the villain, the continuing friendship (or is it romance?) between Duncan and Jenna, make me think that this series would work better as a continuing series than a series of one-shots or graphic novels, but the style and fun of the book means that I'll take it in whatever chunks we can get it. Meanwhile, I'll continue to hope that Hester, Kuhn and colorist Bill Crabtree can serve up Firebreather on a more frequent basis, and that the market will support this fun and imaginative book. 9/10
FULL FRONTAL NERDITY ANNUAL #1
by Aaron Williams (Dork Storm Press)
 Though I've lost a lot of my taste for gaming humor comics (working in a gaming store will do that to you), I've generally found the stuff from Dork Storm to be an exception to the rule, and Aaron Williams's Nodwick in particular has always been something I enjoyed. That's why I was a little surprised that Full Frontal Nerdity, his more standard gaming strip (featuring gamers playing games), is kind of run of the mill. Oh, there are some funny strips, notably the one in which one of the players talks up the virtues of being a neutral cleric or the notion that telling a girl you're an ex-con is better than telling her you're a gamer, but a lot of the humor is very much in the "been there, done that" vein, especially if you've read Knights of the Dinner Table or Dork Tower. Full Frontal Nerdity is an accurate portrayal of all too many gamers, and certainly it's pleasant enough, but Williams treads on familiar territory and doesn't strike the same gold he has with his more distinctive series PS 238 and Nodwick. 5/10
THE GOON #10
by Eric Powell (Dark Horse Comics)
 The gag here is that cast of The Goon have been enlisted to re-enact Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Now this might be the most-parodied and recreated story in the history of Christmas stories, so the plot actually left me a bit bored, but Powell's usual gift for weirdness spices things up. The overall story sticks maybe a bit too close to Dickens, and thus loses some of The Goon's manic edge, but there are standout moments, such as The Mud Brothers collecting for the poor in their own dim-witted thuggish ways or Frankie's enthusiastic choice of tactics in his role as Ghost of Christmas Past. Maybe not quite as off the wall as most issues of The Goon, and straying a bit from its EC roots, but the artwork is still beautiful (and works well in the sepia tones of this issue) and it's hard to argue a man's right to do a Christmas special for his December issue. 7/10
MADROX #5
by Peter David, Pablo Raimondi & Drew Hennessy (Marvel Comics/Marvel Knights)
 David's noir/X-Factor reunion comes to a satisfying close, tying up the stories introduced in this miniseries while very obviously hanging a shingle on the door that says "more stories are coming." I loved the revelation about the henchmen's powers and the mystery that implies, I loved the scary mutant look that Raimondi and Hennessy give the real villain of the piece and I loved Madrox's fakeout in taking out that villain. Again, I wasn't entirely sold on what the Rahne/Strong Guy story was doing in this miniseries, but the last page and the editorial from Andy Schmidt made it much clearer as to why that story was there, and where Madrox will be going from here. I was more than a little weirded out that Schmidt was making calls that sounded more like the purview of the creators (the editor turned down an ongoing series in favor of a mini?), but however it happens, it's clear that this is really just a launchpad for a new X-Factor series, most likely by the same creative team but with a concept tweaked quite a bit from the original X-Factor, and I can't wait to see more based on how good Madrox was. 8/10
PS 238 #9
by Aaron Williams (Dork Storm Press)
 Been a while since I checked in on PS 238, but the high concept (elementary school superkids) is one that I love, and Williams pulls out another variation on the theme for this issue that provides plenty of laughs. One of his lead characters, Tyler, is the son of powerful superheroes, but he hasn't gained any powers yet and, in a reversal of the normal order of things, has no real desire to get into the dangerous business of super-heroing. Cue a very funny issue where Tyler hooks up with the Batman analogue (the Revenant) for an evening of learning how to use a grapple gun (and showing off the sheer stark terror that would probably result from swinging over city streets at high velocity), talking with an information broker and taking on a couple of low-rent supervillains. All of these things are viewed from Tyler's point-of-view, best described as rational in the face of insanity and terror, and Williams does a good job of showing how crazy the notion of teen sidekicks are without losing the sheer joy of the superhero genre. A backup tale features the kids of PS 238 going to a convenience mart and foiling a shoplifter, with Tyler again the poor guy who seems out of his depth. It's fun stuff, mostly self-contained as well, although the "V-chip" action going on with Zodon could have used an editorial note or something. 8/10
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