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Snapshots for 10/29
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.
AGE OF BRONZE #18
by Eric Shanower (Image Comics)
 It says a lot about Age of Bronze that Shanower has drawn me so much into the lives of these characters. It's not just the epic scope and meticulous research that makes me love the book, it's the strong characterization, which makes the characters easy to relate to despite their alien culture and beliefs. At no time has that connection been more evident to me than in this issue of Age of Bronze, wherein Agamemnon is called upon to make an impossible choice, to either sacrifice his beloved daughter or to give up entirely on the Trojan War that has already disrupted the lives of so many of his followers. Though it would seem an obvious choice in modern times, that any loving father would choose his daughter over any other cause, Shanower does an excellent job of simultaneously making us believe the love that Agamemnon feels for Iphigenia and making us see that he may have no choice but to sacrifice her. It's the kind of thing that could drive a man to madness, which is a nice tie-in to the maddening wind that is besieging the army, represented so well not only in the increasingly squirrely behavior of the army but in the wind sound effects that run constantly in the panel borders. While Age of Bronze is tailor made for fans of the Trojan War story, I'm finding it to be possibly more exciting to casual fans of the tale like myself. I don't know what the result will be in the struggle between Agamemnon and Klytemnestra over Iphigenia, nor the role that Achilles will play in things, and it increases the tension, which Shanower does an admirable job of amping up in this issue. 9/10
CATWOMAN #24
by Ed Brubaker, Guy Davis & Cameron Stewart (DC Comics)
 The highly-enjoyable road trip arc of Catwoman comes to an end this issue, and it's a fun read, although I was disappointed that one traveller chose to get off the road a little early. Thus we have Guy Davis doing layouts for Cameron Stewart, and while I enjoy both artists' work, the change in style is unfortunate, given that Stewart's layouts were a big part of what I liked about the artwork in Catwoman, and it clearly looks like Davis did a fair amount of the work here, as the style sometimes looks more like his work than that of Stewart. Brubaker's story, meanwhile, wraps up one mystery (what Selina was dragging Holly around the country looking for) and leaves one hanging (why these cultist guys are chasing them). I was hoping for a more clean resolution of both tales, but we do get some important information on who the cultists are, and the resolution of the former plot point was a good, happy note for both Selina and Holly, who have had far too much of the bad times lately. Given that St. Roch is the newest of the locations that this duo visited, it's not surprising that it has the least built-in character and feel of any of the issues, but it's still a solid read and a nice capper to one of the best Catwoman stories so far. 8/10
THE FLASH #203
by Geoff Johns & Alberto Dose (DC Comics)
 The costume makes a return appearance in this issue, and I'm glad to see it, although Dose's best work remains on the more human and gritty moments, such as the grisly actions of the cold killer or the beautiful look of the rain-soaked streets of Keystone. Truthfully, his work on the costumed Flash comes off as a bit stiff, as the tradeoff for the gritty realistic look of Doses's style is a less dynamic appearance for more unrealistic action. At any rate, while the costume returns, Johns is still telling a story in a darker vein, and while it's a departure from most of his take on Flash, it's certainly an entertaining one. I love the weird relationship that has sprung up with Wally and Captain Cold in a diner, something that would never have been possible without the amnesia that drives this arc, and I also thought that the revelation of the true villain behind the cold attacks was very clever, a nice use of another Flash foe. That's not the only surprise Johns has to serve up either, as the identity of the new Rogue profiler should make for an interesting supporting cast member down the line. I'll be honest... I miss Kolins, and the more traditional style that defined this book, but The Flash is still a good read with plenty of surprises. 7/10
THE GOON #3
by Eric Powell (Dark Horse Comics)
 We're three issues into the Dark Horse run, which means it's time for... the secret origin of The Goon! Well, sort of. Actually, it's more the secret origin of the friendship between Franky and The Goon, and it comes with the same mixture of non sequiturs, zombies and plenty of good old fashioned violence that I've come to expect from the book. Powell's sense of humor and art style are the two biggest drawing points of the book, with hilariously funny moments like The Goon's confrontation with a crazy homeless man, Francis's mother's "spirited" take on gypsies and the whole bizarre fumetti sequence that frames the story. What's nice, though, is that Powell doesn't just hang his stories on the easy gags and weird sensibilities, but tells a story as well, in this case showing how Franky went from timid milksop to foul-mouthed short-tempered sidekick and how The Goon earned his reputation as the man collecting for crimeboss Labrazio. There's a message here, a message that standing up for yourself will eventually earn you rewards. That's not counting the message that "there ain't nothin' more self rewardin' than tauntin' the mentally handicapped" of course. 9/10
HELLBOY: WEIRD TALES #5
by JH Williams III, Haden Blackman, Scott Morse, Ron Marz, Jim Starlin & John Cassaday (Dark Horse Comics)
 The range of styles on Hellboy: Weird Tales continues to impress, and while not every story is a big winner with me, editor Scott Allie should be congratulated on bringing a "Who's who" of talent to tell stories of Hellboy. This issue's strongest tale, at least from my point-of-view, is the JH Williams III/Haden Blackman "Love is Scarier Than Death," which features a beautiful and intriguing FBI agent, an amusing take on the "urban legend butchering horny teens" story and some beautiful artwork from Williams that is unlike his Promethea style and closer to the work of Paul (Devil's Footprints) Lee. Going from seeing the more human side of Hellboy, we get the somewhat philosophical, and maybe a little too distant, story by Scott Morse, which is a little on the weird and very short side for me but is undeniably beautiful to look at. Then it's back to the more straightforward, as Ron Marz and Jim Starlin provide a look at what Hellboy might have been like if it was a 70's era horror comic instead of the moody creation of Mike Mignola. All three stories are a little too short, begging for more room to explore their intriguing concepts, but each is an entertaining look at a different talent tackling the strong concept of Hellboy, and this is probably my favorite issue of the book thus far. 7/10
NOBLE CAUSES: DISTANT RELATIVES #3
by Jay Faerber, Andres Ponce, Ray-Anthony Height & John Wycough (Image Comics)
 After two issues that felt like too much recap and too much rushed story in general, Distant Relatives finally seems to get into a groove with issue three. Don't get me wrong, I'm still annoyed by the slight (if interesting) backup stories forcing the main story into such a small space, but Faerber gets a lot more done in this issue, including a very sweet and rewarding new development in the life of Noble Causes whipping 'bot Rusty, an interesting revelation about the Race Noble of the alternate universe and a cliffhanger that promises to reveal a fairly nasty truth to Zephyr and should provide a pretty interesting scene for the next issue. The artwork, both on the main story and the backup, is clean and clear in grayscale, although once again I must admit that I really miss the color and the book doesn't quite feel right without it. With a little tweaking of format and a lot more space to maneuver, I think that Noble Causes could be great again... but at least with this issue, even with the downsides of the current format, it's managed to regain my attention. 7/10
REX MUNDI #6
by Arvid Nelson & Eric J (Image Comics)
 This issue begins the second arc of Rex Mundi, and with it the lofty (if slightly crazy) goal of the creators to get the book on a monthly schedule. It is my hope that they can maintain the monthly schedule, because the intricate mysteries and complex interaction between the characters make for installments that seem shorter than they are, and I find myself closing each issue wanting more... right now. In these pages, we have one of the more upbeat and funny scenes I've read in Rex Mundi, as Sauniere thanks the uncouth urchins who saved his life from the man in white, and there's also some very interesting development in the relationship between Sauniere and Genevieve Tournon, his fellow doctor and old flame whose loyalties are more than a little uncertain. Nelson reveals a little more of the mystery that Sauniere has uncovered, tantalizing the reader with hints of blasphemous cults and connections to those in power, and I sense that the level of danger and the intricacy of the mysteries is increasing. Eric J and Jeromy Cox provide their typically excellent artwork, with some especially impressive work on a flashback to the work of the Knights Templar and the moonlit streets of Paris late at night. It is also worth noting that this issue comes with synopses of all the previous issues, which makes this a good jumping-on point for those who have been wanting to try Rex Mundi out. 8/10
STUPID COMICS #2
by Jim Mahfood (Image Comics)
 On my bad days, I find myself just immensely frustrated and depressed about the state of the comics industry, our corporate-driven culture and a ruling administration that I'd shed no tears for if they went over a cliff aboard a flaming bus. Clearly, Mahfood has these days as well, and he channels that frustration into his Stupid Comics. While I find myself agreeing with most of Mahfood's points, however, he doesn't provide as much in the way of relief and laughter as I would like, and instead just reminds me of the things that frustrate me as well. Which is to say that Stupid Comics is probably good for raising awareness (and no doubt raising hackles amongst some), when it's really political, it tends not to be as funny. Of course, there are exceptions, such as the milk-through-your-nose funny punchline to his spoof of Mandy Moore and the like and the hilarious two-panel "Join the Army" strip. But Mahfood is at his best, at least from my point of view, when he's looking at things from a more optimistic or slice-of-life perspective, with my favorite strips being the all-too-true "Relationships are rad" illustration of a relationship cycle, the "It Was a Good Day" that provides a nice balance of optimism to some of the more grounded political work and "The Sweetest Things" closing the book out on an up note. 7/10
TEEN TITANS/OUTSIDERS SECRET FILES 2003
by various (DC Comics)
 OK, isn't it about time to retire the Secret Files format? No matter how much talent you throw at them, these always seem to disappoint, and even with the creators striving as hard as they can to avoid that inevitability, Teen Titans/Outsiders Secret Files looks a whole lot like every other Secret Files I've ever read. Which is to say, there's one good story that seems important to the series and the rest comes off as filler at best, actual bad stories at worst. In the case of this Secret Files, even the good story has some significant flaws, notably that it's showing us events that we've already seen the end results of in the Titans or Outsiders books, and so it's entertaining from a character point-of-view, but still ultimately feels like fluff. I was especially disappointed in the jarring change from the realistic art of Ivan Reis (who fits nicely alongside Tom Raney and Mike McKone, artistically) and the cartoony style of Carlos Barberi, who does a good job but whose work seems out of place on the story to me. Also jarring, but in kind of a fun way, is the weirdness of seeing Kid Flash and Grace drawn by their creators on the writing side instead of the art side, and as always there are a couple of nice pin-ups; in this case, the Jim Mahfood Superboy and Kilian Plunkett Terminator stand out as my favorite. While there are bright spots in this Secret Files, however, it is ultimately dragged down by problems of format that make it seem superfluous to all but the most diehard fans of the new Teen Titans or Outsiders series, and at $6 a pop, is just comically overpriced for its reading value. 4/10
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