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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.
ARROWSMITH #2
by Kurt Busiek, Carlos Pacheco & Jesus Merino (DC Comics/Cliffhanger! imprint)
 I enjoyed the first issue of Arrowsmith, but with the premise and characters established, the second issue is even better. Pacheco's artwork has a sweeping, epic quality but he also has an astounding design sense and attention to detail, and whether the story calls for boot camp training, dining and dancing in high society or the crowded streets of a magically-infused World War I-era New York, he never falters. This is a beautiful, beautiful book. Busiek's story follows the model of this type of story, a young man who grows up and starts to find his place in society, his calling as a soldier and the love of his life, and there's a wonderful mix of wide-eyed optimism and discovery and the darker, more selfish part of human nature in Fletcher Arrowsmith's encounters in New York. Busiek also really brings the magic to life in the book, and I suspect even the most jaded reader will find his blending of elements of the period with fantasy elements to be a compelling setting. Arrowsmith is a fun book, sure to fire the imagination and delight the senses with the compelling visuals, and it might just stand alongside Astro City as some of Busiek's finest work when all is said and done. 9/10
BIRDS OF PREY #58
by Gail Simone, Ed Benes & Alex Lei (DC Comics)
 Stop me if you've heard this one before... enjoying the book, but wishing it had a different artist. Simone does a terrific job here of making Canary a strong protagonist rather than a victim, even given her dire circumstances, and she brings out the fun side of the Huntress, emphasizing that over her more tortured and violent streak, which is a welcome change. Her Oracle is more vulnerable, less omnipotent than the version written by Chuck Dixon, but that's still interesting, and it's certainly understandable given that Savant, the villain she's up against, seems both unpredictable and intelligent, a worthy challenge for the characters. Simone really amps up the tension in Canary's scenes, making the reader forget that the status quo pretty much guarantees her safety overall, and the suspense keeps the book rocketing right along. My only complaint, and it seems to get more grating each month for me, is the artwork by Ed Benes, which emphasizes all the wrong qualities and is exactly what I don't want in a book about strong female protagonists. The Huntress's new costume already looked too slutty for words, but the balloon breasts that Benes gives her just exaggerates that and she generally just looks like a young, hot, bimbo, which isn't worthy of the character that Simone is writing. Canary too is over-sexualized, and while Benes's storytelling is decent enough, his general style just isn't to my taste, and his cheesecake tendencies in particular threaten to put me off the book despite my enjoyment of the writing. 7/10
CINNAMON: EL CICLO #1
by Jen Van Meter, Francisco Paronzini & Robert Campanella (DC Comics)
 Cinnamon is an old DC western character, but what Van Meter and company have created here isn't so much a western as a southwestern, a modernized action story in the vein of Robert Rodriguez that celebrates the sort of outlaw culture that still exists in the border towns of Texas and Mexico. Van Meter succeeds in making her heroine Cinnamon a likable yet tragic protagonist, someone who can still be friendly to those she likes but who has clearly fallen out with humanity since the death of her father, a tragic event that still drives her forward today, taking vengeance that sets up its own repercussions. Paronzini and Campanella provide artwork that is reminiscent of Eduardo Risso's, with a more open feel and brighter colors by Christie Scheele that emphasizes the heat, sun and cheap neon of the setting rather than the urban grit and shadows of 100 Bullets. Cinnamon's disconnect from humanity and sort of passionless existence makes it a little hard to relate to her, and the first issue is much more about mood and setting than plot, but it's an interesting start with plenty of potential. 7/10
DAREDEVIL #50
by Brian Michael Bendis & Alex Maleev (Marvel Comics/Marvel Knights imprint)
 For pretty much all of the Bendis/Maleev Daredevil run, I've been complaining that while I loved what this creative team was doing, they didn't seem particularly strong on the action scenes. This issue, the action scene, a fairly important physical confrontation between Daredevil and Kingpin, is guest illustrated by a lot of big names from Daredevil's past, names I really appreciate like Gene Colan, Lee Weeks, Klaus Janson, John Romita Sr., Joe Quesada, Mike Oeming and David Mack. However, each of them is given a panel, and it's jarring and strange, coming across mostly as a failed experiment and a waste of a lot of talented artists. That disappointment aside, this is an interesting ending for "Hardcore," as Kingpin's attempts to reassert himself are met with a lot of resistance and ultimately, he's forced into confrontation with Daredevil again, with a reasonably predictable result that nevertheless has a bit of an interesting twist with implications for the future of Daredevil. As always, it's Bendis's dialogue, and his approaching this as more of a crime book, that really makes it work, and while the action sequences still aren't this creative team's greatest strength, the scenes of the Kingpin bullying his former lieutenants, or Daredevil confronting his long-time foe, stand out as great comic-book moments. 7/10
EXILES #31
by Judd Winick, Jim Calafiore & Jon Holdredge (Marvel Comics)
 Though he's off writing for DC under exclusive contract, and doing exceptional work, Judd Winick still had some scripts left over at Marvel, and Marvel is now running them after an excruciating fill-in period on Exiles by Chuck Austen. Though my interest in Exiles had been waning at the tail end of Winick's tenure and Austen's stories just about killed it, I was still somewhat interested to see where Winick was taking the Exiles after the shocker ending of Blink disappearing settled down. As it turns out, it's still sort of "business as usual," and though there's a nice reveal moment in the opening sequence that shows off the big and chilling difference in this parallel world, this mostly feels like more of the same, especially with Calafiore's lackluster artwork. The vampiric Avengers look pretty much like their normal selves, which kills one of the stronger elements of the script, and Calafiore's Morph transformations just aren't as entertaining as those of McKone. There's still some enjoyment to be found here, particularly in the witty banter of the fight scenes or the neat high concept for the world, something that Winick always did well, but the characters have begun to feel less important than the world of the month in these stories, and with the departure of series creators Winick and McKone off to DC, the shine is definitely off the book for me. 6/10
R.A. SALVATORE'S DEMONWARS: EYE FOR AN EYE #4
by Scott Ciencin, Greg Tocchini & Andrew Pepoy (CG Entertainment/Code 6 imprint)
 This issue of DemonWars is far more complex than any that have gone before, a whirling mass of fast alliances and conflicted loyalties, and I confess that I sort of lost track of some of the key elements of who was fighting for what. However, this issue also brings about some of the most spectacular action sequences from Tocchini and Pepoy, including a thrilling martial arts duel between Ketsuo and his former order and an impressive fight between Sagara and black market traders. There's also an interesting offer made to Andacanavar, protagonist of the first DemonWars series and player in this one, a "deal with the devil" that doesn't come with the usual obvious strings attached, and which made for an interesting psychological turning point to go with the physical one. Ciencin's story here is actually bigger than the first DemonWars tale he told, and the amount of characters involved are starting to feel a like maybe a little too many, but I'm intrigued to see how these various alliances come together at the end, and as always, greatly enjoying the artwork. 7/10
RUNAWAYS #5
by Brian K. Vaughan, Adrian Alphona & David Newbold (Marvel Comics/Tsunami imprint)
 Really, there's not much new to report in this issue of Runaways. It has the same consistently great characterization, the same consistently solid artwork and a few surprises as well. One of the surprises is that after several issues of character development and powers revelations, this issue gives us the first full-blown action sequence, and it's a lot of fun. Vaughan has given the kids and their parents a wide spread of powers and abilities, and he makes the conflict not just physical but emotional, as its clear that the different parents and different kids have different levels of involvement and views on how to handle this new situation. There are a lot of stories about teenagers with super-powers these days, including big names like Teen Titans and New Mutants, but Runaways is probably the most interesting, and certainly it has an approach that is unusual and mesmerizing. 9/10
SMAX #1
by Alan Moore & Zander Cannon (DC Comics/America's Best Comics imprint)
 My absolute favorite America's Best Comics series was Top 10. So of course, it's the one that went on permanent hiatus. And while I'm glad to see any new projects set in that world, I must admit that I'm not as interested in the fantasy world of Smax or the building of Neopolis promised in The 49ers as I am more adventures of Precinct 10. Still, you take what you can get, and Smax is kind of fun, a riff on fantasy stereotypes that reminds me pleasantly of Shrek or of Cannon's own previous series, The Replacement God. Cannon's artwork here doesn't have quite the same insane detail as the Cannon/Ha blend on Top 10, but it's still pretty detailed stuff, with lots of art jokes in the background and a pleasant sensibility that reminds me at times of Guy Davis or of Craig Thompson's work. Moore is clearly having a lot of fun with this parody of fantasy, but he's also telling a fairly universal story of going back home, of the pleasures and embarassments that come with family. This is light and funny, and it's no Top 10, but it is quite a bit of fun. 8/10
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #45
by Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Bagley & Art Thibert (Marvel Comics)
 Spider-Man does not appear in this issue, though the increasingly generic covers of Ultimate Spider-Man might lead you to believe so. Fortunately, what does appear is a thoroughly enjoyable exploration of Aunt May, or at least the Ultimate version, as we get to see her point-of-view on Peter's life since he became Spider-Man and learn a little more about why she seems to go from nice quiet lady to crazy paranoid lady. Over the course of this issue, I came to like May as much as I do Bendis's Peter, Mary Jane, Gwen and other characters, and Bendis also smooths over some potential big questions about how May can't have guessed what is going on with Peter, namely that she's too wrapped up in her own life and problems and is believing what she wants to instead. It's a story that hits the touching and funny buttons, and though it's pretty much a talking-heads issue and doesn't have a lot of visually exciting moments for Bagley to draw, it's a solid read and a great one-off issue that explores an important character to the book who really has been pretty peripheral to the whole thing. Bendis is known for his dialogue, but he's also known for his strong characterization, and this issue is a great example of both. 9/10
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