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Snapshots for 5/21
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.
ARKHAM ASYLUM: LIVING HELL #1
by Dan Slott & Ryan Sook (DC Comics)
 I didn't have much hope for this one, but I have to admit to being pleasantly surprised, as Slott turns in a sort of PG-rated version of Oz set against the backdrop of Batman's world, and Sook gets away from his Mignola influences a little to develop a little more strongly into his own style. The reactions of new inmate Fish to the insanity of his new world, and the clever way in which his legal maneuver turns into a nightmare, makes for a strong story point to hook the first issue on. I confess that I would have been happier with it had the arrangement he came to been more of a human weakness thing on the part of his partner rather than a revelation of a previously unknown Arkhamite (Slott throws a couple of those in here, and they don't really stand out as terribly interesting creations thus far), but it's a solid enough story which achieves the creepy, crazy vibe that the creators are going for. 7/10
BEWARE THE CREEPER #2
by Jason Hall & Cliff Chiang (DC Comics/Vertigo imprint)
 I'm surprised it didn't dawn on me in the first issue, but in addition to being a sexy period piece and one of the best-looking books on the stands, Beware The Creeper is a mystery of identity as well. My assumption was that one of the two sisters was the Creeper, but there are no less than four obvious suspects here, with the addition of Didi and the dark horse candidate of Mathieu's wife, and regardless of which one is the Creeper, they're all interesting characters. Hall's story doesn't offer up any easy answers, but it does offer up compelling characterization. Perhaps more importantly, and easily the selling point of the story for me, is the artwork by Cliff Chiang and the colors by Dave Stewart, which has an almost-painted look and is simply stunning to look at. 9/10
CRAYON SHINCHAN VOL. 1
by Yoshito Usui (Comicsone)
 Crayon Shinchan is quite possibly the best form of birth control I've ever seen. After reading the adventures of the precocious and devilish five-year-old Shinchan, I can't imagine anyone wanting children. However, that doesn't mean Shinchan isn't hilarious to read about, as he has a mixture of childish behavior (dropping everything when cookies or TV draw his attention) and some behavior that seems a bit older (his fascination with boobies and hitting on older women). Shinchan isn't even remotely a sympathetic character, he's more of a monster based on the worst ideas of out-of-control children, but since both his father and mother aren't any great prize either, it's kind of fun to watch them trying to deal with the child in their own half-assed manner and seeing how spectacularly that fails. 8/10
LUCIFER #38
by Mike Carey, Peter Gross, Ryan Kelly & Dean Ormston (DC Comics/Vertigo imprint)
 The duel quest story of "Naglfar" continues in this issue, probably the strongest installment of the arc so far. The different shades of arrogance and obvious strain between Lucifer and Michael makes for a compelling story as the two of them make their way to a familiar setting for a most unusual exploration, and the characters on board the skyborne vessel continue to interweave as well, making this a great issue for those who enjoy great characterization. There are also plenty of neat ideas, from the creation of Jill's new hand to the mystery behind Cal, some terrific action and a lot of questions to be answered. As always, I'm a bigger fan of the art by Kelly and Gross than the work by Ormston, but it's all solid, and Lucifer continues to play out as a big epic story where the creator knows exactly where he's going, which is both a rare quality and the one I absolutely ask for in my big epic stories. 9/10
NEW X-MEN #141
by Grant Morrison, Phil Jimenez & Andy Lanning (Marvel Comics)
 It's official, "Murder at the Mansion" is my favorite New X-Men arc since the first few, as Morrison seems to have refocused to some degree and given us a murder mystery with conspiracy overtones that plays nicely into his last arc or two as well as setting up future stories. The characterization is top-notch and often funny, whether it's the surprisingly cute and tender revelation of Angel and her babies, Morrison's terrific take on Tessa's computer brain (acupressure to reboot was a particularly neat touch) or Beast's befuddled reaction to the news of the Beak/Angel affair. Morrison also delivers a satisfying resolution to the murder mystery, setting up a dangerous new enemy and putting a new spin on some of the events of "Riot at Xavier's" while hinting at something bigger behind the scenes... the empty taxicab at the end, seemingly driving itself, puts me in mind of an X-Men foe with an affinity for magnetism, but that may be thinking too small and too conventionally. In addition, the artwork by Phil Jimenez and Lanning is lovely, with especially strong work on making the X-Men look like human actors in makeup and costumes rather than four-color figments, and while the coloring (mysteriously uncredited, along with everyone else who isn't on the front cover) is a little dark, in general the book looks great and reads well. 10/10
RUNAWAYS #2
by Brian K. Vaughan, Adrian Alphona & David Newbold (Marvel Comics/Tsunami imprint)
 I still have no idea where Runaways is going in the long-term (and that's a good thing), but from reading issues one and two it's pretty clear that the central theme is youth against age, and Vaughan plays that up pretty effectively. Having established a sextet of interesting teens and pre-teens in the first issue, he spends this issue showing them confronting adversity and dealing with the realization that they're going to have trouble getting help from authority figures, since those most likely to help (their parents) are in fact the trouble and other forms of authority (like the police) aren't inclined to trust young people. Though the policeman blowing off an attempt to report a murder seemed a bit of a stretch, it's not wholly unbelievable and it does make the point that the book seems to be making, that the kids are on their own and that adults don't always know best. This point is made pretty effectively with dialogue as well, sometimes with a sort of dire tone (the listing off of lies that parents tell children) and sometimes humorously (the revelation about the password and how even super-villains can lack the technical savvy of the younger generation made me laugh out loud.) With Alphona, Newbold and Reber providing interesting artwork and distinctive looks for the kids, this has all the hallmarks of a buzz book that lives up to its hype, and it's worth seeking out. 9/10
THE TICK: KARMA TORNADO #3-4
by Ben Edlund, Chris McCulloch & Dave Garcia (NEC Press)
 Picking up from the first story in Karma Tornado, creators McCulloch and Garcia tell the story of how Tick makes his way back to Earth, and it's just as entertaining as the cosmic crossover spoof that started the title off. While the first story arc was a riff on Secret Wars, this is a riff on Galactus, and it's just as funny, turning a dangerous cosmic force from Marvel into a domestic nightmare for the Tick. This is a well-crafted two part story, with a hilarious take on a super-intelligent space chimp that is similar to the animated version but different enough to be new, and the torments of being the herald of a planet eater are much funnier for The Tick than they ever were for the Silver Surfer. Fans of the animated series, as well as those of good super-hero spoofs, should definitely check out Karma Tornado, which spoofs both specific stories and genre generalities to hilarious effect. 8/10
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