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Snapshots for 9/4
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.
BAD GIRLS #2
by Steve Vance, Christine Norrie & J. Bone (DC Comics)
 Bad Girls is just on the cusp of grabbing my attention. The addition of Christine Norrie and J. Bone on artwork helps a lot this issue, as the book looks good enough that I'd almost buy it for the art alone (even Loughridge's colors, which I wasn't crazy about in the first issue, seem to work better for me). And I like that Vance isn't going the cliched route of having the heroine as an outsider who's being picked on by the "bad girls." Well, she is, but she's also just outside their social circle and occasionally in, and feeling guilty about giving in to her baser social impulses, which I like. Vance's characters don't quite ring true for me, talking more like adults trying to emulate teens than actual teenagers, but I'm liking that the story isn't focused on the girls becoming super-villains, or Lauren becoming a super-hero, but instead on how these girls use their powers to advance their high school girls. Neat ideas, gorgeous artwork, but it's just not quite there for me. 6/10
DAVID AND GOLIATH #1
by Jay Ju, Leonel Castellani & Daniel Griffo (Image Comics)
 David and Goliath has the feel of an animated cartoon translated to comics, part Indiana Jones and part Iron Giant. The big selling point is the artwork, as Castellani, Griffo and colorists Elba Rodriguez and Javier Tartaglia give the book an animated look that pops off the page. This is most impressive when it comes to the depiction of the fantastic elements, like the flying lion or the cyborg Nazi villainess, but it looks good throughout, with beautiful background designs. Ju's dialects could use some work, as he writes some of the most over-the-top British and Brooklyn accents I've read, and his story thus far plays out along somewhat predictable lines, but he has crafted some interesting and likable characters, and the stage seems set for an engaging adventure comic that's great for the younger readers set. 7/10
DECOY: STRANDED
by Michelle Nichols, Courtney Huddleston, Pablo Villalobos & James Taylor (Penny-Farthing Press)
 Ever since I first read Decoy, my main question has been "How did all this happen?" After two mini-series and a couple one-shots, creator Courtney Huddleston and another writer, penciller and inker are answering that question with the Decoy: Stranded one-shot. Like most Decoy stories, I found it cute but not as funny as I would like, a good book to use in defining the difference between "all ages" and "younger readers." Decoy is kind of dull for older readers, very much straightforward in its approach, but it strikes me as a comic that younger readers would like, and their parents as well, given that it has good things to say about friendship and doing the right thing and some bright, colorful artwork thanks to colorist Mike Garcia. Decoy is not really for me, but it's got a kid-friendly, Disney-esque vibe that makes it a potential find for parents who are searching desperately for material for their younger kids in an aging comics market. 5/10
FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE JUSTICE LEAGUE #3
by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, Kevin Maguire & Joe Rubinstein (DC Comics)
 I was intrigued when I heard that FKATJL, an 80's throwback, was going to feature a very modern villain, Roulette from the pages of the JSA. How would the two styles mesh? As it turns out, not so well, at least from my point-of-view. This issue, unlike the last two, doesn't seem as funny, retreading some of the same banter jokes from the first two issues of the mini-series and taking on a more serious tone thanks to the actual threat that Roulette poses to the team. Giffen and DeMatteis mixed serious and funny in their runs on JLI, JLA and JLE, but I have to admit I missed the funny this issue, which was in much smaller proportion than the first two. However, it's still well-written and features fantastic artwork by Kevin Maguire, whose slugfest between a mind-controlled Captain Atom and Mary Marvel is really something to behold. A bump in the road for my interest in the mini-series, but certainly not a stop sign. 7/10
G.I. JOE: FRONTLINE #14
by Brandon Jerwa, Eddy Barrows & Cory Hamscher (Image Comics)
 Though "History Repeating" never quite achieved all the potential I saw in the first issue, Jerwa and company have turned in a solid little story arc that plays off some older G.I. Joe continuity and yet remains accessible to those who are coming at this without an encyclopedic knowledge of the older stories. The bookend of this issue introduces a personal life for Chuckles, the Joe's undercover agent, that gives the story a little more meaning, and Jerwa focuses in a little more on what drives Tyler Wingfield, reintroducing his mother into the story and resulting in a pretty good little character arc there. Jerwa's pacing is a bit wonky, as issue one of the arc seemed to promise a suspenseful story and plenty of build-up, but really each issue has been more or less self-contained and loosely connected, which means that the suspense in this issue is less than it could have been (especially pretty much knowing that Chuckles is going to pull through). Still, it's a well-written hostage/negotiation story that leaves room for more Wingfield in the future and serves as a good spotlight on Chuckles, a lesser-known Joe, with solid artwork from Barrows and Hamscher. 7/10
STARTLING STORIES: THE THING - NIGHT FALLS ON YANCY STREET #4
by Evan Dorkin, Dean Haspiel & Wade Von Grawbadger (Marvel Comics)
 Every time Marvel puts out one of these "indy creators on Marvel characters" mini-series (Elektra: Glimpse & Echo, Fantastic Four: Unstable Molecules), my heart just sinks. Because even though they tend to be great, they tend to be ignored by comics fandom at large. Which is a shame, because Night Falls on Yancy Street is the best Thing story I've read in a long time, playing off every aspect of the character that I like, from his occasional mean and selfish impulses to his nobler side to his indomitable strength and will, and Dorkin and Haspiel have also managed the borderline impossible by making the Frightful Four cool, and the Absorbing Man into a badass. Along with all this fun super-hero stuff, there's an effective story about newfound love and secrets, a character arc that I really got into and a story that just has an emotional impact on the character, even if there won't be any ripples in continuity as a result. It's a great story, and with any luck we'll see a collection. Actually, a "Marvel Goes Indy" oversized hardcover that collected this, Glimpse & Echo and Unstable Molecules would be downright irresistible to me. Yeah, I know it's a pipedream. Pity, that. 9/10
SYN #1
by Keith Giffen, Greg Titus & Julian Washburn (Dark Horse Comics/Rocket Comics imprint)
 As God is my witness, I have no idea what I just read. Based on this, Reign of the Zodiac and Suicide Squad, it seems as if Giffen has either forgotten or is willfully ignoring everything he used to know about storytelling. Had I not already picked up the basics of Syn (a robotic society where trying to emulate humans is outlawed) from solicitation text, I would have no idea what happened in this issue. The character attacks a bunch of people in an unclear action sequence, which can be blamed on Titus and Washburn as much as Giffen, then goes back home to talk to a computer who he thinks of as a daughter. Somewhere in there you can find some irony that in order to hunt down those emulating humans, Syn must emulate human traits herself. But honestly, good luck finding it amongst the narration, which more often than not reads as random words put together, and the action sequences that don't distinguish between characters any more than Giffen's non-existent characterization. 1/10
THOR #68
by Dan Jurgens, Scot Eaton & Cam Smith (Marvel Comics)
 Sometime during the lengthy "Spiral" story and the artistic merry-go-round that ensued on Thor during that story, I lost track of this title. This issue is the start of a new series, and it appears that Jurgens has done the next logical thing that would allow him to explore this story of Thor taking a more active hand in humanity, moving the story into the realm of alternate future where he doesn't have to worry about continuity concerns. This does allow the story to go in some interesting new directions, showing the end results of Thor's well-intentioned activism as the sort of fascistic, corrupted dark future that we've all seen in comics stories before, but it also results in the book starting to feel a little inconsequential, like a "What If?" story rather than a "Thor" story. Eaton's artwork looks great, and Jurgens has reinvigorated my interest in the story with this shift in focus and time. 7/10
TRANSFORMERS/G.I. JOE #1
by John Ney Rieber & Jae Lee (Dreamwave Studios)
 Giant transforming robots ally with Cobra, a mysterious but powerful organization rolling across Europe, and the United States creates an elite cadre of special operatives named G.I. Joe to deal with them... all set during World War II. It's a lot of material to introduce, and rather than explain the whys and wherefores of the whole thing, Ney Rieber and Lee instead jump right into the story. Both Ney Rieber and Lee have issues with clarity of storytelling, which means that the whole thing seems like it was drenched in a gallon of ink and maybe moved around after being written in a straightforward fashion, but despite some unnecessarily confusing writing and art, there's a lot to like here. Lee isn't one for clear, concise storytelling, but his atmosphere and design sense is hard to beat, and I loved some of the moments here, with the enigmatic Snake Eyes, the super-hot Lady Jaye and Scarlett and especially the creepy feeling he gives Laserbeak, a robotic vulture who is spying on the G.I. Joe planning sessions. Ney Rieber does a particularly good job with the military speak in this issue, the threatening macho elements and the adolescent male-dominated patterns, and he clearly has a lot of fun playing around with these characters. Despite this being a dark story, both in tone and in appearance, the operative word is still fun, and I've got enough fondness for the characters and the unique twist being put on their setting that I'm interested to see what comes next. 6/10
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