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Snapshots for 2/9/05
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.
AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES #7
by Joe Casey, Scott Kolins & Wil Quintana (Marvel Comics)
 Seven issues in, after winning me over, Earth's Mightiest Heroes loses me. Given that the book has been done for a while and is coming out on a bi-weekly schedule, it seems impossible that it could be "make it up as you go" comics, but this issue really does read like a sudden, sharp turn from what the book has been about. The Zemo/Cap obsession? Over, in a fairly anticlimactic way. Hawkeye and Jarvis's interesting off to the side friendship? Gone in favor of a more obnoxious take that sees Hawkeye breaking into the mansion rather than getting an in from his new buddy, who he suddenly has lost all visible respect for. The big government villain who has been the thorn in the side and the main plot obstacle from issue one? Turns out his threats were all toothless anyway, and perhaps we're meant to feel victory that Iron Man finally figures this out, but instead it comes off as saying that the heroes were never in any real danger that they didn't get themselves into. This "feet of clay" version of the Avengers has had its moments, but unless the eighth issue really pulls things together more strongly, I see a reversal of my recent decision to pick up the hardcover. Even though the artwork, by Kolins and Quintana, continues to impress. 4/10
DOC FRANKENSTEIN #2
by The Wachowski Brothers & Steve Skroce (Burlyman Entertainment)
 If I had to classify Burlyman's two-comic-wide line so far, it would be "very pretty, very empty." The emphasis is on gorgeous, spread-out action sequences with a minute attention to detail and cinematic pacing, and the story is in there somewhere, buried under all the cool-looking scenes. There's an interesting emotional core buried in this issue, as Frankenstein relates how cartoonishly one-dimensional religious extremists have destroyed his home time and again, but it's really clear that the story isn't at all about that. Instead, it's about the lead character using technology to blow up a lot of bad guys in bloody, widescreen moments that are probably the equal of any moments that Bryan Hitch and company delivered in the early days of The Authority. However, some really shaky writing, including jeopardy to and from characters we've never seen before and have no investment in and boring, unbelievable stereotype villains, undercuts a lot of the enjoyment that I got out of the book. It's a stunning visual achievement, full of amazing action sequences (probably up there with the recent best of comics, to be honest) and gorgeous color (by Jason Keith), but when it comes to story, there's just no "there" there. 6/10
GOTHAM CENTRAL #28
by Greg Rucka & Stefano Gaudiano (DC Comics)
 This book has taken some hard knocks lately, losing 2/3 of its inaugural creative team to Marvel. The good news is, it's still every bit as excellent, as long-time inker Gaudiano really knocks it out of the park with his art performance and Rucka turns in an intriguing story with his favorite GCPD detectives and a promising Flash/Keystone city crossover. The bad news is, not enough of you are reading it, which is why I go out of my way to point out that this is a jumping-on point. It references past events, especially playing off of Detective Montoya's outing as a lesbian and resulting estrangement from her family, but it's also completely accessible to the new reader, and opens with particularly good scene of a beat cop incident escalating into something a lot bigger. The incorporation of super-crooks into this title was a sticking point for me at first, but seeing the unusual powers, abilities and methods of super-crooks from the point-of-view of police procedural has turned out to be something unique and interesting about the title. A cross-jurisdiction story involving the Flash, and hopefully the very different way in which Keystone cops and GCPD work and relate to their hometown hero, has a lot of potential to offer another twist on that formula. Meanwhile, Gaudiano brings the same gritty realism that Lark brought to the book, with some especially nice work on the accident sequence that opens the book, and full credit to Lee Loughridge for an effective use of eerie greens and molten reds for that sequence as well. 9/10
GREEN ARROW #47
by Judd Winick, Tom Fowler & Rodney Ramos (DC Comics)
 Really, you almost have to give it up for Winick just for having the balls to use Z-grade villain Duke of Oil. It's even more impressive that he and art team Fowler and Ramos make the Duke look cool as hell, like a fun, quirky rogue of the Batman/Flash school, and in so doing, expand Green Arrow's anemic rogues' gallery with its first (but hopefully not last) colorful new member. Winick is still hitting Mia's HIV angle a little too blatantly for me, making it read like an issue first and a storyline second, and I keep hoping that someone (if not Speedy, than someone) will bring up the obvious danger her HIV-positive blood offers in such a violent and bloody occupation, but it's still an interesting aspect of Mia's character and not the afterschool special territory some would assume it to be or accuse it of being. I'm also digging the "team arrow" vibe going on with the multiple bow-wielders, reminiscent of Mark Waid's "Speed Force team" era of The Flash, which was really good for a while there, and shows off how different personalities can make for interesting characters with essentially the same powers. I was disappointed in the first issue for this new art team, but they did a good job here, particularly on the wild visuals of the Duke of Oil but also with a gorgeous splash of "Team Arrow" going into action and a nice Kingpin-esque vibe for Brick throughout. Still stinging from the loss of Hester and Parks, especially when the baddie returning on the last page is recognizable only from the "To Be Continued" blurb (Hester and Parks gave him a really distinctive look), but it's a solid step up from this team's first issue. This book dropped off my favorites list even before Hester and Parks left, but this was a strong issue and goes a long way toward restoring my interest in Green Arrow. 7/10
INCREDIBLE HULK #78
by Peter David, Lee Weeks & Tom Palmer (Marvel Comics)
 Peter David's first issue back to Hulk was strangely slow-paced, but that's definitely not the case this time out. Big giant Hulk vs. Hulk fights, flashbacks to Bruce's life after the death of his mother and some witty (and some not-so-witty, groan-inducing) banter remind me why I liked David's first Hulk run so much. David always shook up the status quo on his Hulk run so that it's not easy to nail down any patterns, but he often incorporated examination of just who the Hulk is and how that tied in to who Bruce Banner was. Both are in evidence here, with some interesting insight into Bruce's pre-Hulk life (David indicates the mental split that drove his interpretation of Banner-Hulk taking place fairly early in Bruce's life here) and some really fun fight sequences between dumb gray Hulk and modern, unspecified but with a sense of humor and some intelligence green Hulk. There are also some interesting questions raised as to how much of this is really happening, and that aspect of the plot is a little slow on the reveal, but definitely intriguing. Weeks and Palmer (along with Studio F on colors) continue to impress as well, with gorgeous fight scenes and a really good sense of menace and strange locale that helps fuel the other-worldly, uncertain setting of the tale. 8/10
NEW THUNDERBOLTS #5
by Fabian Nicieza, Tom Grummett & Gary Erskine (Marvel Comics)
 Yep, it really is every other issue of this book that I love. Last issue I was bored with the Wolverine/ Strucker/ Swordsman stuff, this issue I'm right back onboard with some really fun scenes between new (and reluctant) Thunderbolts Joystick, Blizzard and Speed Demon and a terrific use of a classic costume. I like Mach 1-4, but I love that classic Beetle outfit, and to be honest I kind of hope it sticks around permanent like. Even if it doesn't, it was fun seeing it in action again, and I really like the character of Abe Jenkins that Nicieza has keyed into, making him very much the star of this book as the willing but uncertain hero and organizer of the bunch. Of course, the breakout character is Dr. Chen Lu, a.k.a. Radioactive Man, who provides great comic relief without descending into stereotype, as well as making an interesting, intelligent foil for Jenkins in a key scene in this issue. Grummett and Erskine are likewise on fire this issue, with a terrific action sequence pitting a half-empty T-Bolts team and guest-starring Warbird against Fathom Five and special credit given for making the potentially dorky Beetle armor look really cool. If the pattern continues, I'll dislike this book next issue, but right now, I'm back to being a New Thunderbolts fan again. 8/10
THE WALKING DEAD #15
by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard & Cliff Rathburn (Image Comics)
 I'm running out of good things to say about this book, so let me just reiterate: The Walking Dead is not just a great zombie comic, it's a great comic, and every single comic-book fan should give it a look. Yes, even you over there who have never read anything but X-Men or Batman. Trust me. Kirkman writes approachable "popcorn movie" characters and situations even as he deals with some really rough, human, emotional stuff like what the loss of a child or a sibling can do to you and some terrifying, less human stuff like what it's like to be surrounded by emotionless, already dead flesh-eating killers. As the expansive cast of Walking Dead settles into prison life in this issue, there are some big happenings, some major character deaths and more than a few shocks... certainly that last page will stay with me for a while, and it reminds the readers of two important things. One is that not all of the dangers in The Walking Dead are undead, and the other is that Kirkman is more than willing to kill off characters and more than able to write jaw-dropping cliffhangers. With Adlard and Rathburn settling nicely into an art groove that conveys the horror and charged emotion of the story, whether it's Tyreese's louder story moments or Rick's quiet anger, and that cliffhanger I've now mentioned three times, well, that's definitely keyed into a strong visual as well. Oh, and here's something I rarely mention: The Walking Dead has possibly the best lettercol in comics, and I give special consideration to Kirkman for slipping in an Arrested Development reference in some of his responses this time out. 10/10
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