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Snapshots for 7/23
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 #57
by Gail Simone, Ed Benes & Alex Lei (DC Comics)
 Simone continues her run on Birds of Prey with the introduction of Huntress and the same mix of humor and action that defined her first issue. I have to admit, I was a little wary that Dinah might find herself in the role of victim, but Simone does a great job of showing her inner steel and keeping her sense of humor in a place where most others wouldn't. In fact, the one who's really stressed is Oracle, who has put her friend in danger and is forced not only into playing mindgames with dangerous loony Savant but calling in Huntress, a person she's never really liked. Simone's Huntress seems a little more balanced, a little less violent than the one I've seen from other writers, and she makes a more likable addition to the team. I'd like her more, mind you, if she wasn't wearing the cheesy costume that Jim Lee developed for her, but I have to give credit to Benes for toning down his cheesecake tendencies on the book, even with such a temptation as Huntress's new look. 8/10
INHUMANS #3
by Sean McKeever, Matthew Clark & Nelson (Marvel Comics/Tsunami imprint)
 Given that I've never been an Inhumans fan, I'm more than a little surprised that McKeever's take on the characters has made this one of my favorites of the Tsunami line, behind only some of Brian K. Vaughan's entries into the line. But McKeever's wide-eyed optimistic Alaris, the focus of this issue, is too much fun not to like, and the story of these aliens from a royal society clashing with a modern and very un-royal society clearly has a lot of potential. There's humor in Alaris's reaction to the music and fashion of the culture, but there are also more serious moments, from San's encounter with a cute young girl or racist punks to the sinister undertones of the conversation between Tonaja and Jolen. It doesn't hurt that Clark and Nelson's artwork looks great, with very realistic and expressive characters reminiscent of Darick Robertson's Transmetropolitan work and terrific, bright colors by Dave Kemp completing the package. 9/10
LUCIFER #40
by Mike Carey, Peter Gross, Ryan Kelly & Dean Ormston (DC Comics/Vertigo imprint)
 Mike Carey seems to do nothing in small ways. In the course of 40 issues of Lucifer, we've seen a parade of gods, large and small, dead and alive, we've seen several cosmoses created and destroyed and we've seen the big battle, the one between God and the Devil, played out once more in a modern setting. In amidst all of these big doings, however, Carey never loses sight of the characters that make the whole thing fascinating, and while there are certainly huge cosmic things going on in this story, the really interesting stories are smaller. Michael's crisis of faith and its surprising resolution, Lucifer's re-entry into the story of the ship that took his crew searching for Ellaine Belloc and especially the strange relationships of Jill Presto (to both her new lover and her potential child) make for fascinating reading on a human emotional level, and I'm as interested in what happens to these characters as I am in the larger scale questions of the plot. The artwork, by now-regular tag team Gross, Kelly and Ormston, hits the right notes as well, getting the scope and grandeur of battles with dead gods, angels and fallen angels as well as the smaller character moments of Jill Presto or Gaudium. Carey was on tap to write Firestorm at one point, but I think if we really want to see him pull this kind of magic on the DCU, editorial should aim a little higher. Given the complexities and grandiose scale that Carey is working on in Lucifer, I'd like to see what he could do with JLA. Or the New Gods. 9/10
MYSTIQUE #4
by Brian K. Vaughan & Jorge Lucas (Marvel Comics/Tsunami imprint)
 It took a little while for Mystique to really get rolling, but four issues in, I think I'm finally hooked by the series. Vaughan is doing a nice job of playing up Xavier's distrust of Mystique, and though I still find her a little too nice compared to the ruthless and dangerous woman Claremont used to write, she's a smart and interesting protagonist, and Vaughan and Lucas make her kick butt just like James Bond or Sydney Bristow, the two most obvious role models for her in this context. I also continue to be impressed with Vaughan's use of Mystique's shape-changing powers, whether it's using them to hide a gun or to infiltrate a mob and play both sides against the middle. The story does seem to be moving a little slowly, especially compared to the relatively breakneck pace on Vaughan's Y: The Last Man, but each issue is an interesting read, and I think that when all is said and done, Mystique and some of the other Tsunami offerings will make for strong sales in the bookstore market. 8/10
STARTLING STORIES: THE THING - NIGHT FALLS ON YANCY STREET #3
by Evan Dorkin & Dean Haspiel (Marvel Comics)
 Given the sales figures on this book and others like it, I'd be surprised if Marvel keeps returning to the well of indy talent (Scott Morse, James Sturm, etc.) for these types of books. Which is a shame, because Dorkin and Haspiel are turning in a story that should please the indy outsiders as well as the old school fans, getting to the core of these characters and writing good fun super-hero stories without simply rewriting retro cliches. Dorkin and Haspiel have gotten the basics of the Thing's tortured psyche in this mini-series, and it's interesting to see loner-by-choice Ben Grimm forced to go it alone as a hero as well, especially against Dorkin's nasty version of the Frightful Four. While Dorkin serves up the pathos, Haspiel matches it with action, like a modern Kirby to Dorkin's Stan Lee, including a particularly impressive battle between the Frightful Four and the cops or some vivid dream imagery in Ben Grimm's head. This is easily one of the best Thing stories I've read, and a great example of the kind of baseline quality we should expect from writers who work on these classic characters. 9/10
STREET FIGHTER #0
by Kevin Sui-Chong, Alvin Lee, Arnold Tsang, Rob Ross & Andrew Hou (Image Comics)
 It's hard to judge Street Fighter from this initial issue, released at the San Diego Comicon, because it's only a nine-page story and some profile pages. However, there's enough here to be hopeful, as the introduction of Ryu sets up some interesting inner and outer conflicts and features the art that has made Udon Studios famous, with some particularly nice martial arts and motion. Siu-Chong tells this opening story from an outside point-of-view, as a teacher comments on his student while we watch the student, and it's mostly about setting the scene and establishing one character rather than telling a complete story. As a prologue, however, this is an intriguing opener for the series, and the character designs and profiles in the back look like fun as well. 7/10
TERMINATOR 3: BEFORE THE RISE #2
by Ivan Brandon, Goran Parlov & Salgood Sam (Beckett Comics)
 The conclusion of the prequel to Terminator 3 in comic-book form is a pretty solid little tale, a further exploration of the rich world of the Terminator series. Possibly my favorite bit was the notion of a mass graveyard taking over Venice, or the vivid scene of a funeral interrupted by flying Hunter-Killers, but there's plenty to like throughout, including a peek at the psychology of the Terminator, a compelling central tale about a man who has lost his wife and his reason to live in trying to serve the greater good and a pretty good demonstration of the loyalty that the resistance members feel to John Connor, that they would even try to fulfill this task. Parlov and Sam also serve up some really nice battle scenes, with the help of Paul Mounts on color. This is a promising opening for Terminator 3 comics and Beckett comics as a whole (Brandon's next project, Ruule, looks very interesting) and I find myself looking forward to their movie adaptation with a point-of-view twist. It looks like the Terminator 3 license has landed in the hands of some clever folks, and might just end up giving us some new comics to look forward to, Terminator-related or otherwise. 8/10
WILDCATS VERSION 3.0 #12
by Joe Casey, Dustin Nguyen & Richard Friend (DC Comics/Wildstorm imprint)
 Casey's corporate version of the Wildcats has reached the year mark, and he finishes off the melange of stories with some great character confrontations and the hint of something very world-shaking to kick off year two. Wildcats has mutated considerably from its origins, and while Casey still includes the action elements of the book, they're there to serve his overriding theme, which is about the power that modern-day corporations have gained, and what might happen if a noble-minded person, one free of human flaws like the android Spartan, were to try to use that power. There's some interesting fallout, including the moderately sickening but undoubtedly gripping story of Agent Wax and his loss of faith in his job and life (which manifests in a sour attitude and a mind-controlled fling with his boss's wife), seeing Grifter deal with his harsh injuries with both more bad attitude and an ill-fated attempt to create a substitute and the very engaging developmental story of Mr. Dolby, who has gone from being a supporting character and accountant to being one of the smartest, toughest and most interesting characters in the book. Nguyen, Friend and colorists Randy Mayor and Wendy Fouts have also fallen into a great rhythm, hitting the same stylistic notes as Travis Charest or Sean Phillips but in their own style. Wildcats 3.0 has had a great first year, and I can't wait for both trades collecting that first year and stories taking us into the next. 9/10
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