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Snapshots for 8/18
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 #72
by Gail Simone, Ed Benes & Alex Lei (DC Comics)
 Just as She-Hulk is my bastion of hope for the Marvel Universe away from "Avengers Disassembled," Birds of Prey is my hideaway from the horrific after-effects of Identity Crisis on the DC Universe. Simone has turned a book that had lost my interest into a must-read, and it's issues like this one that confirm my faith in the book. A terrific mixture of three different action sequences, all inter-related in some way, spills the beans on the mystery villain and shows off the heroism of all the characters involved, and Simone is writing some of the most gripping cliffhangers in comics at the moment. There's also a nice balance in this issue between psychological development, with Oracle fighting a battle of will with an aggressor using weapons from her past, and a sort of lighter, bantering tone with Vixen and Huntress, who make an interesting team when paired against the cultists and their unusual superhero acolytes, many of whom were C-listers from the '90s who were fun to see again. Benes and Lei do a good job on this book (so good, in fact, that I was tricked by the faulty credits into thinking it was someone else whose work I generally like better). I especially loved their rain-soaked battle scenes with Vixen and Huntress at the forefront. Simone has subtly transformed this book from simply a relationship-driven book about two specific women in the DC Universe to a manifestation of DC superheroine girl power with a terrific mix of big ideas, action and characterization. 8/10
CONAN #6
by Kurt Busiek, Cary Nord & Thomas Yeates (Dark Horse Comics)
 The conclusion of the Hyperborea story arc marks this story as one of the best in the impressive Conan series thus far, a terrific mixture of bloody action, barbarian's honor and unforgiving, bittersweet tragic endings. I love that Busiek has made Conan seem smart as well as strong, cunning as well as powerful, but I also love that despite all of this power, he remains young and fallible. His failure to save friends in this issue makes for powerful storytelling, a poignant ending and a good insight into the mind of the young Cimmerian, as we see the anger that boils within him as well as the shame he feels in failing those who depended on him, even as we the readers can see that he really couldn't have done any more. On top of the continuing growth of Conan as a character and development of the lands of Hyborea, this also features stunning artwork and action sequences courtesy of Nord, Yeates and colorist Dave Stewart. The mage's terrible power raining down on the revolting slaves? Very effective. Conan's battle with a pair of guards high atop a stairwell, and the way that fight ends? Nifty. And the way Conan gets out of what seems like his certain doom? Just plain cool. Actually, that's how I'd describe Dark Horse's Conan series as well: Just plain cool. 9/10
FALLEN ANGEL #14
by Peter David, David Lopez & Fernando Blanco (DC Comics)
 It's another single-issue story for Fallen Angel, and this one just happens to be a perfect jumping-on point, as literally every major character makes either an apperance or gets a name-check in the issue, all without seeming crowded or confusing. Mind you, it's also a very important issue for continuing readers, as David checks in on the mental and physical health of his cast of characters in light of the recent stories that have shaken them all up, and if nothing else, this issue serves to underscore the subtly shifting status quo of the book that is part of what makes it such a compelling read. Another thing that makes it compelling is David's ability to surprise, which comes with the disgusting and impressive visual rendition of Benny's "ability" courtesy of Lopez and Blanco or the last page cliffhanger that changes everything for Lee and her relationship with Juris. This remains one of the more fascinating books at DC proper, and probably the best of Peter David's recent work in my eyes, and it deserves more readers than it has. If you fancy becoming one of them, this is another chance to get onboard, and a solid little story to boot. 8/10
HUMAN TARGET #13
by Peter Milligan & Javier Pulido (DC Comics/Vertigo imprint)
 If, like me, you weren't immediately sold on the Human Target ongoing, it's time to reconsider. Not only did Milligan and Chiang really raise the bar with their round of stories, the second go-round with Pulido at the artistic helm has been heart-wrenching, action-packed fantastic comic-book reading. This issue concludes "Crossing the Border," the story that pits Christopher Chance against Mexican criminals who trade in pedophilia porn, and it is an unflinching, dark look at a serious crime that still manages to provide a few visceral thrills without downplaying the seriousness of the bad guys. There's something joyous about the casual, professional cruelty that Chance puts into action against the villains of the piece that salves the sting of Milligan's realistic ending, one that does not end at all happily for pretty much anyone. It's a pretty amazing balancing act for any writer, and just as difficult for the artist, who has to convey the horror of the situation, the speed and brutality of the action and a variety of settings, many of them deceptive in their sunlit brightness, hiding the horror that lurks just beneath the facade. Pulido, as it turns out, is very much up to the task, and the end result is a story that you can't take your eyes off, and which will haunt you once you've put it down. 10/10
SUPREME POWER #12
by J. Michael Straczynski, Gary Frank & Jon Sibal (Marvel Comics/MAX imprint)
 I'll be honest, the last issue or two, combined with the announcement of a Dr. Spectrum spin-off, had somewhat dampened my enthusiasm for this book, but this issue restored my faith and guaranteed that I'll pick up at least one more trade. There's a really neat structure here that echoes a storytelling structure used by Marc Andreyko and Scott Morse in Casefiles: Sam & Twitch, as the creative team tells four intertwined stories taking place in four different locales using a series of four-panel pages. It's a clever storytelling trick, but more to the point, it really works, giving us new info on each of the super-powered members of this series thus far and bringing to a head their first real conflict with each other as a group, rather than as individuals. It's also a culmination of the stories that Straczynski and company have been building since the beginning, one that works as both a single-issue tale, as the conclusion to an arc and as the setup to the next arc. Nicely done, and certainly the best work Straczynski is currently doing in comics. 8/10
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #64
by Brian Bendis, Mark Bagley & Scott Hanna (Marvel Comics)
 "I swear, I'm like a frikkin' yo-yo with the Ultimate books... off them one month, back on and buying collections the next." That would be me, from my super-positive review of Ultimate Spider-Man #59 a couple months ago. Well, with this issue, I'm off again, and I think it might be for good. In trying to echo the original Spider-Man stories (and there are elements of at least three here, two of them what I would consider classics and the other one involving a symbiote), Bendis has killed much of what I loved about the book in recent issues. The death of Gwen, while shocking, loses one of the best and most interesting characters of the book, increases the amount of angst on Peter and gives Carnage more weight than I ever wished the character to have. I might have forgiven this had Bendis and Bagley followed up with their typically great emotional ramifications, but the reactions have been surprisingly lackluster. The destruction of the relationship that Connors and Peter had shared seems like another unfortunate misstep, the action scene between Carnage and Spidey is kind of blah, and the teaser ending that Carnage might return just makes me sad. Certainly what we've gained (another death that Peter couldn't prevent but feels responsible for, marking the tally up to three in 64 issues) isn't worth what we've lost (a fascinating and, more importantly, new relationship between Peter, Gwen and Mary with their newly shared secret). With the up-and-down quality of the book in the "Black Cat," "Hollywood" and "Carnage" stories, I think it might be time for me to finally say goodbye to Ultimate Spider-Man. Of course, I've said that before, so I might come crawling back in a couple of months... but this time, it really doesn't feel like it. 4/10
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