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Snapshots for 2/23/05
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.
THE CONFESSIONAL
by Lee O'Connor & Chris McCay (Warpton Comics)
 I get a pretty good dose of Christian apocrypha every month in the pages of Lucifer, so I was skeptical about a story wherein the devil confesses to a priest his desire to end his existence. However, while The Confessional has its troubles, it is actually a pretty good read, an interesting exploration of some of the questions left open by Christian doctrine with attractive (if somewhat sketchy) artwork. McCay's story can't explore the multitudes of the devil as effectively as an entire ongoing series like Lucifer, and so the priest and the devil wind up repeating themselves a few times in order to drive home one or two points, but the story plays out like an interesting Twilight Zone episode, and McCay's dialogue is undeniably gripping. O'Connor's artwork is likewise pretty impressive, although he has a tendency to sketch out some things that really should be more sharply defined (such as the Silver City, or that last page), and thus robs some of the moments of their power. The art has the look of unfinished pencils and sketch work, but the underlying fundamentals are strong. If this sort of exploration of the nature of the devil interests you, The Confessional is a pretty good take on it. 7/10
GRIMJACK: KILLER INSTINCT #2
by John Ostrander & Tim Truman (IDW Publishing)
 The second issue of Killer Instinct is a rip-roaring race through Cynosure, as John Gaunt and Fangs try to outrun a pair of pissed-off and super-powerful wraiths. The action itself is good enough to sustain the issue, but Ostrander and Truman don't stop there, introducing us to one of the most beloved Grimjack supporting characters in a fun way and throwing in neat little ideas about Cynosure's geography, like their waste management/power system or the "zombie retirement community" of Romeroville. Ostrander makes great use of the strange tics of an interdimensional city to add flavor the chase scene, Truman brings these strange locales to life and the action is fast and furious. Of course, that's really only half the book, and the other half is the real meat of the story, as Grimjack starts to question his role with Cadre and finds himself in a new relationship with Fangs. Old readers know that this can only end badly, and can see the tragedy coming a mile away, while new readers, familiar with the pulp style of Grimjack by now, will probably also sense it. At any rate, Grimjack: Killer Instinct is everything I remember loving about the Grimjack series, all polished up to a high shine by creators who have only improved on their skills as time went by. It was one of the best comics of it's time, and now so it is again. My only complaint? Four issues isn't going to be nearly enough. I want Grimjack back on a monthly basis again, if it's gonna be this good. 10/10
INVINCIBLE #20
by Robert Kirkman & Ryan Ottley (Image Comics)
 I love a good superhero brawl as much as the next guy, and this issue sees the return of the zombie cyborg from early on to provide that action quotient, but it's hardly the point of the issue. In fact, though the reason for the existence of this thing is given in this issue, it's almost a side story, and the main story is about Mark's transition into college life and other transitions going on in the friends and loved ones around him. I was delighted by the hints of a complication in the relationship between Mark and Eve (one that Mark seems unaware of, but Kirkman and Ottley make perfectly clear) and even more delighted that the complication in the relationship between Mark and Amber finds an obvious suggestion made by Mark's buddy as to how to resolve it. There's also a nice moment with Mark and his mother that seems to indicate she's maybe not as far gone as we thought, something I hope turns out to be real and not a fake-out, and some really hilarious moments, one involving my favorite running gag about Mark accidentally throwing things into the stratosphere. Invincible continues to be good old superhero fun with brand new characters, and remains Kirkman's second-best book behind The Walking Dead. 8/10
JACK STAFF #7
by Paul Grist (Image Comics)
 I have very little familiarity with the British comics scene that Paul Grist grew up with, and that he is clearly paying homage to with Jack Staff. And yet I still enjoy the book quite a bit, and I think that has to do in large measure with Grist's ability to tell short, pithy stories (usually a half-dozen in each issue) about strange characters who nevertheless fit familiar superhero archetypes. It's clear in reading these stories, especially after reading some of the trade paperbacks, that Grist knows the larger context for all of these tales, but in reading Jack Staff on an invidual basis, I mostly enjoy the vignettes for their standalone nature. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Grist's art style is so distinctive, or that he's always willing to experiment a little, as he and colorist Phil Elliott do this issue with the mostly black and white (with splashed color) on Helen Morgan's tale. Jack Staff is a reminder of when superhero comics were a lot less pretentious, a lot less involved and a whole lot of fun, and while I wouldn't want the entire industry to follow Grist's style, Jack Staff makes a really nice dash of something different in the industry. 8/10
LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #3
by Mark Waid & Barry Kitson (DC Comics)
 In Legion of Super-Heroes #3, Waid and Kitson introduce us to a few more members of the revamped Legion in a story that blends the girl romance genre of Millie the Model effectively with superheroes. I love the tweaks to the origin of Triplicate Girl, and I really enjoyed seeing her go on three dates with three different male Legionnaires. Waid has so far done some pretty neat things exploring what would seem like played-out powers by this point, and he brings this originality while also acknowledging some of the fanboy in-jokes about long-standing powers (Ultra Boy's request of Triplicate Girl is one most straight male Legion fans have considered at one point or another, if only in jest). Actually, that's pretty much the tone of Legion of Super-Heroes, mixing old school superhero fun with a style that is built on long-standing work within the genre. It's not as hip and youthful as it wants to be, and some of the humor can be downright corny (the "bar!" line is cheesy as hell), but Legion remains a great deal of fun, and Waid and Kitson are doing their best to ensure that this revamp is the one that sticks around, unlike the many others that have fallen before it. 8/10
NIGHTWING #104
by Chuck Dixon, Scott Beatty, Scott McDaniel & Andy Owens (DC Comics)
 After getting off to a really strong start, "Nightwing: Year One" faltered a bit for me as it took Nightwing out of his element and into Metropolis, but it regained strength in the circus story and is going full steam again as he returns to Gotham in his new identity. The "Year One" concept pioneered by Frank Miller has become a little watered-down, and it doesn't seem quite as essential to see how Nightwing introduced himself to Commissioner Gordon or how he spent his first night as Nightwing going around town with Batgirl, but it is quite fun, and Dixon and Beatty write the relationships well. There's some really fun stuff playing around with Batman's big villains and how they were introduced to Nightwing, as well as terrific banter between Nightwing and Batgirl that works even better if you know where their relationship went under Dixon's pen, and there's also a generally cool use of the Gotham supporting cast, everyone from Alfred to Gordon to Harvey Bullock. McDaniel and Owens are also working in their element, doing a lot of quick-paced action sequences that highlight the acrobatic nature of the two lead characters, and they also do some surprisingly tender moments between Batgirl and Nightwing. 8/10
NOBLE CAUSES #7
by Jay Faerber, Gabe Bridwell, Kris Justice & Fran Bueno (Image Comics)
 I had grown somewhat disenchanted with Noble Causes the last time I read it, finding the plot twists and turns to come a little too fast and furious (and without enough lasting consequences) and winding up more than a little dissatisfied with new regular artist Fran Bueno. Then this issue came along and won me back over, with its "day in the life" tale of married couple Race and Liz Noble trying to spend a quiet, no powers day and what that means to both of them. It's more focused than the other Noble Causes stories have been, and it lets Faerber give the characters more life and more room to breathe, and it doesn't hurt that Bridwell and Justice turn in a pretty nice art performance, culminating in a gorgeous splash of Image heroes from Wildguard, Invincible and Savage Dragon fighting a giant monster. It's a good combination of real-life style personal interaction and superheroics, and it's the kind of thing I'd like to see Noble Causes do more often. Although in all honesty, the little tease about U.S. army troops fighting mythological monsters looks pretty interesting too. I guess my hope is just that Faerber does these more focused issues down the line, rather than trying to encompass all of the plots in the same issue and winding up moving all of them forward incrementally each issue. 8/10
SLEEPER: SEASON TWO #9
by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips (DC Comics/Wildstorm Productions)
 Over the course of the last few issues, Sleeper: Season Two has transformed from a noir thriller into a puzzle, as I try to work out the angles of every player in the game before Brubaker reveals them all in about three issues. There's a well-executed heist sequence in this issue combined with what looks like a betrayal, but it's impossible to tell whether it's an actual betrayal or part of a larger scheme. And that's really just the framing device, because the actual story is a tie-in to underrated noir Sleeper prologue Point Blank, as we follow deadly killer Grifter through a day in which Tao decides to nab him again and mess with his mind a little more. It's an excellent use of a Wildstorm universe player, and it becomes a turning point for a major change in the life of Holden and the big game between Lynch and Tao that has been the focus of Sleeper: Season Two. 9/10
SPIDER-MAN/HUMAN TORCH #2
by Dan Slott, Ty Templeton, Nelson & Tom Palmer (Marvel Comics)
 This may look like a comic, but really it's a time machine. It takes the reader back to a time when comics were mostly fun and self-contained, plot contrivances were plentiful and accepted and the art was bright, shiny and not all that concerned with being photo-realistic, instead focusing on being energetic. This is a good thing in many ways, as Slott really does seem to be channeling the spirit of Stan Lee into this work, playing up the silly rivalries between the two lead characters and swapping their hero roles for a day in a goofy gimmick that could only work for a short story like this one. And though I question the decision to bury Templeton's natural style under heavy inks so that he'll more closely resemble the work of Spider-Man artist beyond compare John Romita, I can't deny that the style does work for this story. There's really only one problem, and it is unfortunately a major one, and that's that these types of stories are a dime (or at least a dollar) a dozen in Marvel's Essential line, and while Slott has a more deliberate line in humor thatn Lee did (Johnny Storm's "Invisible Girl" trick is priceless), it's a little tough to swallow the three dollar price tag for a nostalgia trip instead of more fun, original books like Slott's work on She-Hulk. 6/10
Y: THE LAST MAN #31
by Brian Vaughan, Pia Guerra & Jose Marzan Jr. (DC Comics/Vertigo imprint)
 Blah blah blah, Y: The Last Man is the best damn comic out there, everyone should be reading it. Seriously, does anyone even read these reviews anymore, or do you just take it as written that I'm going to love every issue? Because you should, because I do, and so should every right-thinking comic-book reader. Take this issue, which features a kung-fu throwdown on the Golden Gate Bridge with two or three good surprises in the mix, redemption for one character and life-endangerment for another and a terrific ending that reveals the secret of the employer of Toyota the ninja so well that it took me a little thinking afterward to realize what we'd just learned. The story gets Yorick and his two travelling companions back on the road as well, and features the same engaging dialogue and solid action I've come to expect from the book. It started out great, it continues to be great, and "Ring of Truth" has been a particularly exceptional high point for the series. Check it out, if you haven't already. 10/10
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