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Snapshots for 3/9/05
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.
ADAM STRANGE #6
by Andy Diggle & Pascal Ferry (DC Comics)
 Diggle and Ferry's sci-fi/superhero opus races toward a conclusion, and I find myself losing a little bit of interest, at least in comparison to how jazzed I was by the series at the beginning. Don't get me wrong, Diggle is still writing up some great pulp style escapes and action and Ferry and colorist Dave McCaig are delivering big-time, but the introduction of too many outside characters has muddied the waters a bit. I want to like the Omega Men, but I don't really feel like we've been given much of a proper introduction, and so the big twist about one of them doesn't really have much impact on me this issue except for where it impacts the plot. The same is true of Vril Dox of L.E.G.I.O.N., a character I'm passingly familiar with but who really didn't get any cool defining scenes like Adam Strange and some of his other allies and foes got early on. That doesn't make me any less appreciative of the big action sequence against a spy in this issue, or any less thrilled by the daring escape from L.E.G.I.O.N. custody or any less happy with the shocker last page ending providing a moment Strange fans have been waiting for since issue one. In fact, this is still a really good book... it's just that the introduction of more and more supporting characters have lost some of the pure action fun that drove me to love the book in the first place. I'll still be first in line for the trade paperback if (hopefully when) it comes out. 8/10
ATOMIKA #1
by Andrew Dabb, Sal Abbinanti & Buzz (Speakeasy Comics)
 The other launch book of Speakeasy Comics this week doesn't impress me as much as The Grimoire did, but it does share in common with that book some beautiful artwork. Atomika has an intriguing, if somewhat unfocused, high concept of an alternate history totalitarian Russian state crushing the old gods and using them as fuel to make a new one. If that sounds like Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman territory, than you're not far wrong, but Atomika doesn't have the same clarity of storytelling or way with words of those two accomplished writers. Instead, this opening tale, partly due to the ponderous narration and partly due to somewhat confusing art layouts, reads like something that wants desperately to be big and important, but is instead kind of overblown and uncertain. There are neat ideas and beautiful visuals, and the work by Abbinanti, Buzz and colorists Christina Strain and Beth Sotelo calls to mind the moody, horrific imagery of Tom Mandrake on The Spectre, but the story itself is essentially an overlong and not completely interesting origin for the lead character. The good news is that it could go anywhere from here, the bad news is that based on a somewhat lackluster first issue, I don't know if I'm interested in seeing where it does go. 5/10
DEADSHOT #4
by Christos N. Gage, Steven Cummings & Jimmy Palmiotti (DC Comics)
 The series is almost over, and I'm glad to see that my upturn in interest in Deadshot has been no fluke. Gage has captured Floyd Lawton's misanthropic tendencies without leaving the book to wallow in grim and gritty cliche, and offering up hope of a better life for the hitman provides some nice dramatic tension, because I still can't quite believe it's possible and neither can Floyd himself. Gage also clearly has more in mind here than a generic hitman gone good tale, making use of obscure DC characters (I can't even name some of those villains at the end, and the Jonah Hex comparison was a great one) and writing another effective scene between Green Arrow and Deadshot that plays the adversarial and yet respectful relationship off very well. There is also another great action scene courtesy of Cummings and Palmiotti, as Deadshot deals with the bullet-proof Closer in brutal but effective fashion. What most impresses me, however, is that despite Gage playing fair with the structure of this type of story, I don't know how he's going to end it, and I'm very curious to find out. 8/10
FABLES #35
by Bill Willingham & David Hahn (DC Comics/Vertigo)
 The second part of Jack's Hollywood adventure is as entertaining as the first, but it also ties in somewhat to the ongoing story of Fables, which made me like it just a little bit more. Jack's obnoxious behavior was a lot of fun, but it was also important setup so that the reader can enjoy him getting his surprising comeuppance at the end. I confess to being surprised at the significant status quo changes introduced in this issue (including a revelation that the Beast's tenure as sheriff might be more permanent than I had previously guessed), but I was pleased to see that Willingham is willing to make these kinds of changes. Hahn's art is also a nice change of pace from the usual work by Buckingham on this book, more reminiscent of someone like Javier Pulido or Phil Bond. It's not ideal for everything (his Beast looks kinda un-intimidating), but it works very well for a lot of the book, including the Tomb Raider-esque adventure of Jill, where the visuals are half the gag. 8/10
GOTHAM CENTRAL #29
by Greg Rucka, Stefano Gaudiano & Kano (DC Comics)
 One of the cool things Geoff Johns did in his work on The Flash was to give the city and supporting cast a bit of a kick, introducing Iron Heights superprison and some interesting new police and police-related characters. In this Gotham Central story, Rucka is taking the equally well-developed cast of Gotham cops into Johns's playground, and the early going is pretty damn good. From the point of view of the Gotham Central cops, the superscience of Dr. Alchemy seems more dangerous and unreal than it does to guys who can run faster than sound, and the man who wields this superscience comes off as creepy as Hannibal Lecter, even though he rates a B or C on the villain meter in superhero world. This confluence of elements from cop shows and superhero comics gives Gotham Central its edge, and Rucka completes the job with fascinating character work for Montoya (although I do feel like the ensemble of Gotham Central fades to "Montoya and the rest" when Rucka is writing, unfortunately). Also, though I continue to miss Lark's work on this book, Gaudiano (and inker Kano) are doing a pretty beautiful job on this art, enough so that the casual reader may not even notice that Lark has gone. If, in fact, a book that is as cult successful as Gotham Central has casual readers. 8/10
JSA #71
by Geoff Johns, Don Kramer & Keith Champagne (DC Comics)
 I recently purchased some of the more recent JSA trades and reread the stories in them, and I was struck by how well Johns's superhero series holds up. I'm even more surprised and impressed that the quality of this series has been sustained for so long, as the "JSA/JSA" story in general and #71 in particular are really very good. There are terrific character arc elements, like the slow redemption of Atom Smasher or the brutal torment of Hourman by Degaton. There are interesting long-term subplot developments, like the introduction of baby Veronica (eventually to be known as Roulette). And there are pure, cool superhero moments like Jakeem and Johnny Thunder walking out of a brawl or the big splash that reintroduces the JSA. Johns, Kramer, Champagne and the rest deliver pure superhero thrills, and whether you're a longtime reader of the book or just a superhero fan looking for one of the best superhero team books on the market, JSA continues to delight. 9/10
NEW THUNDERBOLTS #6
by Fabian Nicieza, Tom Grummett & Gary Erskine (Marvel Comics)
 I still have some pretty severe complaints with the pacing on this book, but I can't deny that when the creative team is on, this is good, old school superhero fun in the vein of Busiek's Avengers. Strucker's grand plan seems a bit mundane to be the reason that he recreated the Thunderbolts, leaving me feeling like the first issue shock ending wasn't really earned, but there's also something kind of fun about seeing a team of superheroes go up against an invading army of Hydra goons. The slow redemption of Speed Demon, Blizzard and Radioactive Man are also really good character arcs (especially the latter), although I'm still not quite interested in Joystick yet. If you're someone who misses good old fashioned superhero spectacle, you'll find it here, looking great thanks to the beautiful artwork of Grummett and Erskine. 7/10
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