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Snapshots for 3/16/05
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 #80
by Gail Simone & Ed Benes (DC Comics)
 The "Hero Hunters" storyline goes from vigilante of the week to providing a coda of sorts to Gail Simone's Rose & Thorn miniseries. It's a little off-track for me, since I lost track of that miniseries, but Simone keeps things accessible and does a nice job of portraying Thorn as scary aggressive and dangerous and yet someone we can root for up against corrupt cops. That's not the only DCU reference here, as Simone teases Rucka's upcoming OMAC Project, but the heart of the book is still about the Birds. Simone writes (and Benes delivers) on a cringe-inducing and yet hilarious fight scene that I'm not sure any guy could bring himself to write, and finishes out that sequence with some great moves by both Canary and Huntress. This is also fine work by Ed Benes, who is good throughout, although his tendency for cheesecake continues to grate on my nerves (the nurse wearing lingerie under her uniform is a bit much... doesn't anyone wear granny panties in Benes's world?) And then... things take a bit of a turn. I'm not entirely happy about where it goes, because I'm tired of Batman as manipulative jerk and I don't want to see Barbara following in those footsteps and also because I think Huntress overreacts. However, it makes for a good cliffhanger, and more importantly, I can't deny that it's honest writing for all the characters. 8/10
CAPTAIN AMERICA #4
by Ed Brubaker, Steve Epting & Michael Lark (Marvel Comics)
 This is probably the best that Captain America has ever been, and it's certainly the best it's ever been in the 20 years since I've been reading it. Oh, I've still got a special place in my heart for a lot of the Gruenwald run, but on a pure craft level, this is probably better comics. Brubaker has a great balance between modern, action storytelling and the superhero world that he's got to play with here, never going too far in one direction or the other. For every scene of a guy in a limo talking on a phone, there's a reference to Roxxon, Marvel's evil Exxon oil stand-in of old. For every examination of the forensics and mysteries of Red Skull's assassination, there's a kickass fight sequence with old school Skull henchman Crossbones. Basically, this is a comic for fans of old Marvel and new Marvel alike, and Brubaker clearly knows his stuff or is paying attention to those who do, even referencing two of the other Golden Age Captain Americas as part of the spiraling conspiracy that drives the plot. There's also a real good reason for Brubaker offing long-time supporting player Jack Monroe that I quite liked, and the real truth about Cap's Lark-drawn flashbacks is spelled out for anyone who hasn't already caught up by this point. Also, with Epting staying just the right side of photo-real, avoiding the stiffness that creeps into that style and instead providing realistic, lush and action-packed sequences and Lark continuing his newsreel-esque flashbacks to WWII, the book looks as good as it reads. 10/10
EX MACHINA #9
by Brian K. Vaughan, Tony Harris & Tom Feister (DC Comics/Wildstorm)
 With a pretty interesting off-the-cuff and relatively apolitical (that means it'll piss off both sides) take on gay marriage, another assassination attempt, interpersonal drama and a mysterious killer on the loose, "Tag" has plenty of story to offer up. Of course, as good as the plot is and as curious as I am to find out who and what the killer is, it's almost inconsequential to me when Vaughan writes character and dialogue as well as he does. The catholic priest's turnaround from adversary to ally in a different situation is very interesting, the interaction between Suzanne Padilla and Mitchell Hundred a heart-breaking moment and the interplay between Hundred and Bradbury is priceless as always. Harris, Feister and Mettler also continue to impress, and I have a special appreciation for the orange dusk look of the park and that creepy, tense last page shot that will have me counting the days until the next issue. Just like always with Ex Machina. 10/10
FREEDOM FORCE #3
by Eric Dieter & Tom Scioli (Image Comics)
 The charm of Freedom Force is wearing off a little for me as I realize just how much story and how many characters the creators are trying to cram into this book. However, this rushed pace has increased my respect for the massive story undertaking of the Freedom Force videogame, and while the story itself might be a bit breathless, there are still really fun Silver Age moments and character bits throughout. Scioli's energetic artwork really brings to life the intervention of Law and Order and the battle versus Deja Vu, and Dieter has really captured the fun, over-the-top personalities of characters like Man of War and El Diablo. It's a bit of a blur, really, given the crazy pace, but the issue features time travel, evil duplicates, superhuman gangsters, an evil robot and guest stars galore, not to mention a mysterious mastermind lurking in the background, and it's about as good a tribute to Silver Age comics as you can find without going straight to the source. 6/10
INVINCIBLE #21
by Robert Kirkman & Ryan Ottley (Image Comics)
 Kirkman returns in this issue to a concept I loved from one of his Guardians of the Globe issues, the eternally dark Midnight City. It's a good enough idea to warrant its own miniseries (or more), but Kirkman leaves the setting as just that, a backdrop, while the main story is about the new Darkwing, protector of the city. The secret Darkwing hides is given away in the first few pages, but that's really immaterial, because it's how Mark reacts and handles himself that's the real story, and it's kind of fun to see him growing so easily into the role of super-powered operative. I still miss the family dynamic, but the Mark-Cecil interaction and the look into a government operation that watches over all superhuman activity is entertaining, something like the feel of The Ultimates but with more of a fun, superhero veneer applied. Kirkman continues to juggle multiple plotlines with the best of them, bringing a supervillain operation into the purview of Cecil's organization, but of course, in true Invincible fashion, this issue also introduces a couple new big questions, including a nice cliffhanger with Robot that I'm very curious about. Of course, that's all in the writing, and while I'm a big Kirkman fan, if I'm totally honest, what's keeping me on Invincible is actually not as much about the writing as it is the art. Ottley has come onto this book and really made it his own, and Crabtree's bright, deceptively simple color scheme is perfect for that work. 8/10
NOBLE CAUSES #8
by Jay Faerber, Fran Bueno, Brian Joines, Chad Thomas & John Wycough (Image Comics)
 I don't want to give too much away about this issue, because half the fun is in the surprises, but I will say it sucks to be a robot in the pages of Noble Causes. In just the last couple of issues, Faerber has won me back over to this book with some intriguing twists and turns in the lives of the Noble family and a storyline that seems to be unfolding at a more deliberate pace. I say seems to be because there's still a lot going on here, with part of the family in another dimension battling their own allies and mostly unseen fantasy giants, the return of a family villain, a few nice downtime moments with a shocking twist and a look at the life of Doc and Gaia Noble, and that doesn't even include the pages given over to the backup feature. However, for all that there's still a lot going on, Faerber seems to focus each issue in more on one story than another, and the result is that the book feels a lot less rushed, a lot less mile-a-minute. I was also won over by Bueno's artwork in large measure on this issue, as I realize that Bueno's work, while sometimes a little too simplified for my taste, does have a lot in common with the animated art style that I enjoy, and there's some really nice action storytelling in these pages. Throw in a fun (and funny) backup by 7 Guys of Justice writer Brian Joines, matched with Haspiel-esque and funny artwork by Thomas and Wycough, and Noble Causes is back on my must-read list again. 8/10
PVP #15
by Scott Kurtz (Image Comics)
 It's not every comic that can contain a sweet, funny John Hughes-ian teen romance alongside the epic tale of the creation of the ultimate fan film. However, PVP is that comic, and I was surprised that this one not only made me laugh, it almost made me tear up with a sweet moment between Marcy and Francis, one that comes after some nice build-up. Kurtz's skill with PVP is not just in having his finger on the pulse of the geek community, but infusing the easy geek humor jokes with a lovable and believable cast of characters. Which isn't to say I don't enjoy the geek humor jokes... the ultimate crossover aspect of Francis's fan films is hilarious, and I always get a kick out of seeing Cole let down his boss guard and indulge his fanboy side. Fun as always. 8/10
WOLVERINE #26
by Mark Millar, John Romita Jr. & Klaus Janson (Marvel Comics/Marvel Knights)
 Quite honestly, this is the Wolverine story I was looking forward to from Millar, the fallout from his brainwashed Wolverine that puts the character in with SHIELD. It's not a wholly new concept, but it's usually been done in Elseworlds, and it seems such a good notion for a solo Wolverine title that I'm surprised nobody has really done it before. However, aside from some pretty effective "de-brainwashing" scenes, this book is still more about guest stars and villains than it is the lead character. Fortunately, there's some good stuff being done there, including the offing of a couple C-list villains (I liked one of them, actually, but I wouldn't swear that anybody will miss them), a really nice origin flashback for the Gorgon and some scenes with Elektra looking like quite the badass again. Romita Jr., Janson and Paul Mounts deliver some beautiful stuff and some that doesn't wow me as much. The Gorgon sequence is amazing, fluid and violent and really evocative in terms of color (Mounts's choice of fall colors as backdrops is genius), and the creepy vibe of Elektra's assassination of two villains is undeniably cool. However, the double-page splash of the attack on the Helicarrier, while impressive in terms of crowding, is disappointing in that the characters look generic and all-too-similar... a few more distinctive Marvel Universe villains and less generic costumed fill-ins would have made the page about ten times as effective. However, that's a fairly minor complaint, and in general, Millar and company are delivering exactly what they're aiming for, a fun, action-packed comic that is, for this issue at least, mercifully low on the cheap shock value. 8/10
YOUNG AVENGERS #2
by Allen Heinberg, Jim Cheung & John Dell (Marvel Comics)
 I'm surprised to find myself won over by Young Avengers so early. Oh, the book still has its problems for me, notably Heinberg turning Kang's childhood into a snoozefest that makes the 30th century look exactly like the 20th, but when we get away from the tendency for talky-talk and more into pure superhero soap opera, things are pretty good. There's a terrific use of "Avengers Disassembled" here, making use of two of the shock value deaths for something more, and I was particularly pleased by the inclusion of Cassie Lang. In addition, any time the actual Young Avengers are on-panel, the banter between them is great. I like these characters and want to know more about them (like who Patriot is under that mask, and whether or not Hulkling is a girl or guy... I'm still guessing gay guy, but some readers seem absolutely convinced that he is a she.) The mystery is good, but we're two issues in and we really don't know anything about the characters, which is slow-as-molasses pacing, albeit not by modern Marvel standards. However, if Heinberg would just step a little more into these heroes' world, stop making us view them from the outside and tell us more about them, this book could go from good with potential to outright great, at least in my mind. The artwork is already there, except that Cheung's design for Hulkling is such that it's impossible to guess his/her gender. 8/10
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