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Snapshots for 8/11
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.
100 BULLETS #52
by Brian Azzarello & Eduardo Risso (DC Comics/Vertigo imprint)
 I don't pretend to know the vagaries of the direct market and sales, but I really wish that DC would do something really radical and finish this series off as direct-to-trades, because it really does read so much better in that format. Which isn't to say that this issue isn't a great read, because it is, full of great interaction between Wylie and Dizzy and a puzzle structure of time lost plotting that has the reader wondering what happens when, but just that I'd really like to read this whole story together, rather than being stopped right when things are getting really interesting by a necessary cliffhanger. Which is really me just whining that I can't get the book sooner in my preferred format, because the atmosphere of the book, always its best feature, is in full force, courtesy of Azzarello's distinctive dialogue and imaginatively twisted situations and Risso's hall-of-fame worthy artwork which really does remind me of Frank Miller at his best, and might even top some of the work he's done on Sin City in my mind, especially with Patricia Mulvihill providing such vivid and yet perfectly dark colors. At 52 issues, this is one of those books that almost doesn't need reviewing, as you've probably made up your mind one way or the other, but on the off chance that you're still wondering "Hey, should I check out 100 Bullets at some point?" the answer is "hell yes!" 9/10
B.P.R.D.: PLAGUE OF FROGS #5
by Mike Mignola & Guy Davis (Dark Horse Comics)
 The last issue of Plague of Frogs almost turns the events of the series into a "do over," restoring the status quo to a large extent and undoing the shocking deaths that have made the book such a compelling read. And, even though I hate the reset button being hit normally, in this instance, I'm very pleased, because the way the two characters are restored is right in keeping with the pulp-ish roots of Hellboy, where the heroes would plunge off a cliff one week and then have a revelation of how they escaped that certain doom the next. In addition, the artwork, by Davis and Stewart, continues to just blow me away, and is some of the finest art to be seen in comics all year. The cleansing fire, the swarm of B.P.R.D. choppers, the creeeepy vision of Johann in a dog corpse, the amazing design for the submersible gear that led to Abe's origin, I could go on and on, but suffice to say, Davis is at the peak of his career right now, and Stewart is one of the best colorists in comics and perfectly matched for Davis's style. I was also fascinated to see Abe's origin, and while some questions remain, I found the information we got very satisfying and highly entertaining. Once more I say to those who only get Mike Mignola written and drawn Hellboy/B.P.R.D., do not miss Plague of Frogs, as it is some of my favorite work featuring these characters. 9/10
INVINCIBLE #14
by Robert Kirkman & Ryan Ottley (Image Comics)
 I have to admit, I miss the father-son dynamic that Kirkman shattered with his crazy revelations a few issues back, but you know, I still love this book. I've grown to really love Cecil, the "been there, done that" government agent whose snarky sense of humor never fails to make me smile and whose almost childish glee about teleportation is such a great gag in this issue. I love that Kirkman is doing a very believable job of Mark coping with the shocking status quo shakeup in his life without turning the book all dark and gritty or going too far in the other direction and making it seem like Mark's OK with the whole thing. I absolutely loved the opening five pages, which pits Invincible and some friends against some familiar foes and has a very, very funny resolution for the foes, all with Ottley's always-impressive (and always improving) visuals. And I love that so much happens in the issue, and yet there are still so many questions to be answered that I'm left once again anticipating the next issue. Believe the hype... Invincible is a must-read for superhero fans of all stripes. 9/10
JSA #64
by Geoff Johns, Jerry Ordway & Mark McKenna (DC Comics)
 Give Johns credit for one thing, at least: He's not afraid of delving into dangerous territory for his stories, whether it's resurrecting Hal Jordan or, as is the case in this JSA story, exploring the murky line between Vertigo's Sandman and his ties to the DC Universe. Honestly, I generally want a clear line of demarcation between the two universes, but Gaiman tied two good JSA characters to the history of Sandman, and Johns does a pretty good job of extricating them from that continuity here while respecting the work that Gaiman did. There's a little bit too much "let's fix the characters/continuity" going on for my taste, and it's not as transparent as I'd like, but there's also some pure pulp superhero style thrills in a journey to the center of the Earth or a confrontation with dream creatures, and the end result is the return of a character I really liked. With Ordway and McKenna serving up classic style superhero art and some especially good stuff with the generally underused Fury (Lyta Hall) and Dr. Fate (Hector Hall), this might not be the strongest JSA has ever been, but it's still good old school superhero stuff, the kind of thing we're seeing less and less of in the DC Universe. 7/10
POWERS #3
by Brian Bendis & Mike Avon Oeming (Marvel Comics/Icon imprint)
 I'm getting the same feeling with this story arc that I got with the final arc of the Image Powers, and that is that there's a larger story here than just the one being told in this arc. I mean, that's present to some degree or another in all the arcs, but it's most notable in the previous one and this one, and I love that feeling, and not just because it makes me feel that all that money spent on Powers trade paperbacks wasn't a waste, because going back and re-reading adds layers onto the current story. At any rate, Bendis and Oeming return to Calista, the foul-mouthed pre-teen from the first Powers story, to find that not only has she become a teen, she's clearly become something else, something that has important echoes for the cop story that first kicked off Powers and the tale of superhero history that really set the groundwork for the universe in the previous arc. Meanwhile, Deena is going around being her usual hilariously mean self and brow-beating a crook until he does something stupid, at which point she gets herself into physical trouble over her head. To be honest, that element is a little formula, it's stuff we've seen before, but it's still fun, so I give it a pass on that basis. More than any other Bendis book, Powers is the one that I really think is best read in graphic novel format, but three issues into the new story, I'm more and more certain that purchasing that graphic novel is in my future. 9/10
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