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Snapshots for 6/8/05
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.
 "Betrayal," the third Age of Bronze arc, begins with this issue. Shanower continues to deliver a fascinating period piece about warfare during the Greek ages that still has all the pomp and circumstance of fiction, hitting a balance that all too few seem able to when mining this rich vein of story material. This issue in particular focuses on one of the aspects of Age of Bronze that absolutely captivates me, the way that the gods are used in these pages. These people firmly believe that gods come down amongst them and mate, that they answer sacrifices directly, and yet this seems to run counter to the reality that Shanower has established, wherein prophecy and godly intervention remains plenty debatable. The resulting balanced approach makes the presence of the gods in Age of Bronze seem possible without killing the realism, because it's easy to believe that these characters let themselves in for self-fulfilling prophecies when they believe they have angered or pleased the gods. Which is not to say that Age of Bronze is entirely lacking a devotion to the idea of destiny, because the encounter of the hot-headed Achilles with his fated foe in this issue has a terrific sense of hubris and predestination to it that is also key to the best stories utilizing Greek history and mythology as its backbone. If a fascinating balance between fact and fiction and a sprawling (yet focused) look at one of history's greatest conflicts isn't enough, Age of Bronze also continues to feature jaw-dropping beautiful artwork, including some amazing architectural work and beautifully-designed and authentic-looking ships.
AGE OF BRONZE VOL 2 SACRIFICE TPB
by Eric Shanower (Image Comics)
No snapshot here, just a reminder that it comes out this week and is one of my most highly recommended books. You can read a review of the book's hardcover edition (which is identical to this version except for the floppy covers) HERE.
 Imagine the general approach of Iron Giant crossed with Christian parables, driven by the bizarre imagination behind Earthworm Jim, and you've got a good sense of the feel of Earthboy Jacobus. TenNapel covers a lot of weird subject matter in his material, and in Earthboy Jacobus that includes a parallel universe run by body-infecting buglike aliens, a US Marine with a strict devotion to the code of the Corps (and short hair on guys) and a boy whose "chosen one" nature is indicated by his weird hand. The most alien thing that TenNapel has in his writing for me, though, is his devoted take on the Christian faith, which has permeated all of his graphic novels to one degree or another. Sometimes it has no effect on the story for me, such as with Creature Tech, sometimes it wrecks a story for me, as with Tommysaurus Rex and its unbelievable extent of forgiveness for the villain of the story, and sometimes it's just sort of background irritating, and that's the level it hit for me with Earthboy Jacobus.
On one level, this is a wild adventure story about a young boy who defies an alien empire, and on another, it's the story of a boy and his father. Both of these aspects of the story were enjoyable, and though TenNapel does sort of let the story wander rather than following any sort of structure, the general growth of the relationship between the boy and his father is believable and likable, and the battles against the aliens are suitably bombastic and cool. Unfortunately, some of the other relationships are either poorly defined or just outright bizarre, and TenNapel sometimes writes conclusions or payoffs that his build-up hasn't earned. The easiest examples are the transformation of one of Jacobus's tormentors into the love of his life with little but a coma passing between them or the deep abiding love between father and holographic mother that develops in a few scant pages, or the happy ending for one of the father's friends that seems to ignore everything we know about the alien transformation and doesn't provide any explanation. I was also a bit annoyed that the Chief's finding of faith was sort of tacked on at the end, as it didn't feel like something that had run throughout the story. TenNapel scores big when it comes to action, imagination and beautiful black and white artwork. His writing, unfortunately, is a little too unfocused, and sometimes comes with an unfortunate proselytizing feel that some might find off-putting.
 The Marvel Next semi-imprint has another release, and like the majority of the line, it's another creative success. Gravity is the story of a freshmen college student at NYU who came out of Wisconsin with superpowers and now wants to make it in the hero big leagues of the Big Apple. It's a great premise, supremely well executed by Sean (Inhumans, Mary Jane) McKeever and Mike (Queen & Country) Norton in a style that puts me in the mind of classic Spider-Man stories in terms of tone. Gravity presents the Marvel Universe in a new light by presenting it through fresh eyes. It doesn't hurt that this fresh perspective has a tendency to be very funny, as with Gravity's first night out, which includes accidental participation in grand theft auto and his first teamup, which finds him attacking the hero because he was the black guy. McKeever plays with fire here, as he could easily make his hero seem unlikable at best and racist at worst, but he pulls it off beautifully, showing us the point of view of someone who really desperately wants to help but just isn't socially equipped for it yet. And as much as Gravity #1 makes me laugh, it also has heart, as with the very real disappointment and disjointed feelings that our lead character has with the transition between small town high school and big city college and a really effective closing sequence that provides his first real heroic moment, tinged with the knowledge that he still might not have succeeded. The art is likewise terrific, with Norton's clean and clear style capturing a lot of the humor of the book and the wonder of the Marvel Universe, and the slick costume that Gravity wears has a classic, uncluttered style without looking out of date.
 Ah, the comics anthology, a format that serves up an equal mix of forgettable failures and hidden gems. OK, maybe not equal, and maybe part of the reason that the anthology format gets a bad rap and has a tough time selling is because it's all too easy to disappoint in this short format, but Image has had better luck than most with anthologies of late, with Flight and Four Letter Worlds being too standouts in recent memory. Negative Burn is the rebirth of a much-beloved '90s anthology, and certainly the array of talent here is worthy of notice, but it does not quite hit the standards set by Flight and Four Letter Worlds, from my point of view. However, there are several hidden gems in this book, and probably no failures as such, just stories that didn't really connect with me for one reason or another. It's always subjective what stories make the grade for people, but by way of example, I'll list my four favorite stories from this volume and what made them stand out for me.
Kurt Busiek and Steve Lieber open with an autobiographical tale (Busiek's) about walking on a snowy day and the universal nature of childhood memory and the magic therein, and it's so enjoyable that I find myself wishing Busiek would delve into this genre (or its close cousin, slice-of-life) a little more, and Lieber is as always perfect for this type of material. Jim Mahfood's "One Page Filler Man" makes an appearance in a hilarious five-page indictment of the comics market and the anthology format that just cracked me up, and Eric Stephenson and Jamie McKelvie turn in my second favorite story of the bunch with "A Different Kind of Tension," a story about clueless customers in retail situations that will be familiar to anyone who has ever worked retail. By far my favorite story, however, is "Quorza 13, Honorable Conqueror of the Galaxy," a robots vs. kids snowball fight tale by Zander Cannon, Kevin Cannon and Shad Petosky that is very funny, heartwarming and cute, a great tale for the kid in all of us. These are hardly the only good stories in the volume, but they are the four that I would classify as great, and enough to make this Winter Special worthwhile for me. The rest of the talent roster includes Brian Bolland, Bob Burden, Evan Dorkin, Fabian Nicieza, B. Clay Moore, Ron Marz and Phil Hester, among others, and at $10, there's almost certainly enough good stuff here to make it worth a recommend for anyone who has their eye on the indy market.
 Zeb Wells and Skottie Young present a first issue that is full of goofy moments and distinctive, beautiful-looking artwork, centered on a great premise: Reality TV superheroes in small town America. In fact, it's a good first issue, and it ranks right up there with the other Marvel Next books. I just kind of wish that Wells and Young had been allowed to start fresh with a new team, because that's essentially what they've done anyway, and the New Warriors tag is an anchor, not a boon, for this book. Because honestly, I can't imagine most New Warriors fans being fond of this take on their beloved C-list '90s team, and I can't imagine that most of the open-minded superhero fans will be drawn to a reiteration of said '90s team. The good news is, if you're at best a mild New Warriors fan or willing to let your preconceived notions go, you'll have a lot of fun (and a few laughs) with this book, and if you're a fan of offbeat superheroics like those in Livewires and the Intimates, you'll probably dig this despite it featuring a guy whose powers include riding a skateboard. From a marketing standpoint or the viewpoint of a New Warriors fan who was hoping for a more traditional take, this issue is a failure, but for those looking for something offbeat, funny and imaginative, it's a big-time success.
STRANGE GIRL #1
by Rick Remender & Eric Nguyen (Image Comics)
 Strange Girl very much lives up to its name, because this book is just bizarre. It starts off from the premise of The Rapture taking all of God's chosen away and leaves our protagonist Beth, then a very young girl, to fend for herself and an even younger boy left behind by his parents amongst the demons who have come to claim the Earth. Can you say dark, boys and girls? Remender's take on The Rapture makes it seem even crueler than I've always thought it sounded, and what he puts these young children through is extremely disturbing. It seems mostly like foundation work, however, because the story then jumps 10 years ahead to when Beth is working as a bartender (and mage) at a bar in either Hell or the demon-infested Earth (I'm not sure which, and honestly they're pretty interchangeable). It's all just a little depressing for me, and the demonic cast isn't terribly well-defined yet, leaving Beth to carry the book, and she's been through so much in these pages that I haven't quite got a handle on her yet either. While the story didn't click me at first, though, the artwork is stunning, as Eric Nguyen and colorist Joelle Comtois provide a look that is unique, like a cross between the anime cel look of Josh Middleton and the sketchy, exaggerated work of Sonny Liew or Sam Kieth. Strange Girl looks great, I just wish that the visuals had been married to characters and a story that I could get more invested in right upfront.
 Temporary is a book that takes a left turn at reality and then drives just parallel to it. At first blush, it looks like a slice-of-life book with a tinge of dark humor, as a hapless temp is sent to these unusual jobs where she meets unusual people, but this issue really explores what Temporary is all about, and that seems to be damaged psyches trying to interact in some sort of relatively normal way. It stretches credibility a little that Envy, our temp, suddenly reveals a second personality (or imaginary friend) of her own, but given that we don't know that much about her at this point, it's certainly not stretched to the breaking point. It is also the fulcrum on which this issue turns, as two people who are more than two people thanks to fractured psyches engage in a battle of wills and intellect, and it allows for a hopeful, even happy ending. I'm not sure where Hurd and Smith are taking this off-kilter character in the future, but I'm definitely interested in seeing where the road leads.
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