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Snapshots for 12/17
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.
CAPTAIN MARVEL #17
by Peter David, Paul Azaceta & Chris Sotomayor (Marvel Comics)
 Like many, I bailed out on Captain Marvel when it became clear that the insanity story was going to run a bit long. However, I've been checking in on the book from time to time, and "Crazy Like A Fox," the latest twist in the story, has its moments, even if it's still not really the book I want to be reading. David has some fun playing around with the notion of Genis's fluid reality, introducing a sister and providing for some nice action-packed sibling rivalry, but the really strong parts of the issue are the ones in the background. The notion of an alien invasion of Earth, aimed at wiping humanity out, isn't new, but it makes for an interesting future threat for Genis to react to, as well as giving way to one of the best Kree-Skrull scenes ever written. Then there's the art, which is just maddeningly inconsistent. Azaceta and Sotomayor can provide this gorgeous two-page spread of an alien invasion and some moody, mopey Rick Jones, and then at the same time most of the book is nearly unreadable, vague work that looks like it wasn't quite finished. I think it's time for a moratorium on the digital coloring, because it's not serving anyone on this book well. Then again, I also think it's time for crazy Genis to go back in his box, because he's dragging down the more interesting elements of the story with his repetitive and overly cutesy mania. 5/10
FANTASTIC FOUR #508
by Mark Waid, Howard Porter & Norm Rapmund (Marvel Comics)
 Shocks abound in this installment of "Authoritative Action," and this is pretty much everything I had hoped that "Unthinkable" would be, except that this story required "Unthinkable" to really set the foundation. At any rate, this is a brutal, brutal showdown between Dr. Doom and the Fantastic Four, with the nasty twist that he's using the team against itself. Waid's story twists the various members of the team into fighting one another, and given that he's spent so much time building up the close family ties that they have, this has even more resonance than the usual "heroes fight their own" story. The impermanence of super-hero and villain death could have robbed this story of some of its considerable power, but Waid even takes that into account, serving up a final page that indicates Reed's state of mind as much as it does the inevitable return of a fallen family member. Howard Porter and Norm Rapmund are on top of their game as well, really capturing the brutality of Doom's tactics and the sheer amount of power at the disposal of the Fantastic Four. This is one of the best super-hero comics I've read all year. 10/10
LONE #3
by Stuart Moore & Jerome Opena (Dark Horse Comics/Rocket Comics imprint)
 This issue of Lone brings with it even more moral ambiguity than the series has previously had, which is at once very interesting and a little bit disturbing. Moore introduces the idea of mutant intelligent coyotes, raises the question of whether or not the heroes should be killing them and then has them slaughter them all without much thought at all. The focus of the issue is on the trust issues between Lone and Mark, and on the question of whether a killer can also be a hero, but I came away from the issue not liking these characters very much. Moore and Opena do a very good job of establishing the creepy vibe of the coyotes planning like intelligent creatures, but using their narration to show that they understand culture and bonds of family made them more than just obstacles to be eradicated, and so I lost a lot of sympathy for the protagonists when that's exactly what happened. This was an interesting issue, but whether or not the book can keep my interest from here will depend on whether or not Moore explores the moral ambiguity of the protagonists as things go on or if this sort of "kill or be killed" mentality becomes the accepted rationale. 6/10
OUTSIDERS #7
by Judd Winick, Tom Raney & Scott Hanna (DC Comics)
 I was a little distracted reading Outsiders #7, trying to figure out if the two Metamorphos had been planned from the start or if Winick was doing continuity clean-up, making an omelette out of broken eggs. It really doesn't matter in the end, though, what matters is that this is a pretty interesting way of creating a new character to play with out of the old, while still leaving the original free for others' use. Honestly, it's not all that interesting as an issue in its own right (although it does have its moments, like Jade's talk with Rex or Indigo standing up for her friend), but it's important foundation stuff, and there is some truly impressive artwork from Raney and Hanna, particularly on the discombobulated Metamorpho II. 7/10
ROVER #2
by Michael Foran (Monkeysuit Press)
 I haven't read Rover #1, but that really seems immaterial, because the barriers to entry for Rover aren't in a complex backstory, but in some fairly intricate silent storytelling and very odd central concepts. If you can get past the inherent weirdness of the concept, though, Rover is a charming little tale, a story of cooperation and helping out others that reads like a cross between Jeff Smith, Scott Morse and (of all things) Dig Dug. The hero of Rover is a rolling robot whose main weapon is the flashbulb on his built-in camera, the supporting cast includes a lizard-like creature on a levitating rock and a miniature turtle-like creature and the adversaries are sort of generic scary monsters reminiscent of Bone's Rat Creatures. The trappings are somewhat odd, but the story itself is a classic, the teaming up of adversaries to rescue a friend from danger. Foran's silent storytelling is spot-on, as he indicates danger, anxiety, a speedy chase, a clever diversion and other fairly subtle emotions and interactions. The silence means that there's not room for a great deal of depth, but the book is a lot of fun, and suitable for younger ages, as long as they've got the patience for Foran's complex layouts. 7/10
RUNAWAYS #9
by Brian Vaughan, Adrian Alphona & Craig Yeung (Marvel Comics/Tsunami imprint)
 Now that the kids have settled into their status quo (such as it is), they're not constantly on the run and under pressure, which means they can relax a little. That also means that the stresses of a bunch of teenagers living together, especially those who don't know each other that well, can start tearing at the team, and that makes for some very interesting in-fighting in this issue. It's clear from the start that there's something influencing this behavior, and a pretty good bet that new kid Topher has something to do with that, but the big reveal was a shocker anyway. It's also the kind of reveal where you're amazed you didn't think of it before. Amidst all of this bickering, Vaughan and company introduce some more character-building as well, notably the characters playing around with their powers or discovering some of their side effects, and we continue to get a welcome glimpse into what their parents are doing about all this as well. This is easily the big winner, creatively, of the Tsunami line... too bad Marvel isn't planning on producing any trade paperbacks. 9/10
RUULE: GANGLORDS OF CHINATOWN #2
by Ivan Brandon, Mike Hawthorne & Rick Remender (Beckett Entertainment)
 The second issue of Ruule brings a little bit more clarity about what's going on, but by the end we're still two issues in and still very much in the dark about what's going on. It's clear that Brandon is telling sort of a modern day tale of religious culture clash, mixed with a post-apocalyptic biker version of the Mongols, and while that's certainly an interesting concept, he hasn't really gotten past the surface with it. Hawthorne actually doesn't help matters in this issue, as Gid (the hero) looks very similar to everyone else, conveying an everyman quality but also sort of killing any heroic stature, which seems important when he's facing off with enormous bikers. As is, I sometimes was confused as to who was Gid and who was his father or brothers. There's still an interestingly dark violent streak in the book, most notable when a kid uses a makeshift flamethrower on an abusive biker, and I like the growing, wary faith of Gid, but the story is still moving far too slowly, given the amount of space Brandon has had to devote to it already. 4/10
STAR WARS EMPIRE #13
by Jeremy Barlow & Patrick Blane (Dark Horse Comics)
 One of the problems of a long-running franchise is that eventually you have to start stretching the framework beyond its intended scope in order to keep the stories fresh. In the case of Star Wars, that means including the ill-advised elements of the prequels into stories of the classic era (like making all the Stormtroopers clones, an idea I pretty much hate) and looking at things from a morally centrist point of view, showing that maybe the Empire wasn't entirely evil, just made up of a bunch of misguided people. Problem being, unless you're doing it with a somewhat comedic spin, such as that used by Garth Ennis in his Star Wars Tale or by the folks who made Troops, you run into the reality that the Empire was entirely evil. It's a Republic serial villain, not a nuanced antagonist, and for anyone who really enjoyed Star Wars, the notion of looking at the Rebellion as if they might be terrorists leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Barlow's story has other problems, namely a villain whose identity is telegraphed, but really, the main problem is that this is just a story that doesn't really fit the universe it's being told in. 4/10
STAR WARS JEDI - COUNT DOOKU
by John Ostrander, Jan Duursema & Dan Parsons (Dark Horse Comics)
 Given my distaste for the Star Wars prequels, I'm surprised at how interesting I've found the story of the Clone Wars that Dark Horse is telling. Perhaps it's because the majority is written by John Ostrander, and his gift for mixing politics and action is well-known, honed on series like Suicide Squad and Hawkman. Perhaps it's because of the artwork of Jan Duursema, whose work with a variety of inkers and colorists has been just beautiful to behold. More than likely, though, it's that and the cast of characters that has been assembled, interesting morally ambiguous characters like Quinlan Vos, and the continuing story that Ostrander and others have woven through the Republic series and these one shots. There's an evolution of character and plot that is missing in the movies, and though the trappings of the series doesn't really feel like Star Wars to me, it's interesting enough as a science-fiction war story. If nothing else, I find myself curious to see what will happen to these characters next and affected by the turning point reached at the end of this one-shot, which indicates that Dark Horse's creators have gotten my attention. 7/10
TEEN TITANS #6
by Geoff Johns, Mike McKone & Marlo Alquiza (DC Comics)
 Teen Titans continues to shine as Johns and company pit the new teen team against their adult counterparts, the JLA. Sure, the conflict is a little forced, but not to the point of being completely unbelievable, and the results of this conflict are great in terms of action and characterization. McKone and Alquiza do some terrific, explosive action, especially in their battle between the two speedsters or the very vivid demonstration of power from Wonder Girl's new lasso, and I love some of the comedic touches as well, such as Starfire's simplistic choice of blasting Wonder Woman when she disagrees with her. That touch, by the way, is pretty indicative of Johns's strengths, a sense of character that puts the emphasis on interesting rather than having to be completely consistent with all past portrayals and dialogue that has always been strong but seems to be picking up some of the same snap that Judd Winick has brought to the characters over in Green Arrow and The Outsiders. There's some nice tension here, a classic demonstration of teenagers growing up while their parents resist giving them true independence, but played out on a super-heroic level. It's obviously not for everyone, but for those who are super-hero fans in the first place, this is as good as it gets. 9/10
USAGI YOJIMBO #71
by Stan Sakai (Dark Horse Comics)
 In looking back through 2003's offerings in preparation for my Best of the Year article, I realized that the single issue story has become something of an endangered species. While I'm a fan of arcs, I would hate to see the single issue stories go away entirely, which is why I'm glad that Sakai keeps the tradition alive in Usagi Yojimbo. Although his stories have arcs as well, Sakai is a master of the meaningful, powerful single issue tale, and "Bells," contained in Usagi Yojimbo #71, is a great example. It features Katsuichi, a character who I grew to like in the trade paperback "Duel at Kitanoji," and is a flashback tale to his first love. Like so many stories set in feudal Japan, it's a tragedy, based largely around elements of honor and ambition, and Sakai lets the tale play out in a way that the reader sees it's inevitability while still feeling remorse for the tragic consequences, wishing there was some other way that the story could have ended. It's a pivotal moment in the life of an already rich supporting character, and a terrific demonstration of how certain things can recall long-distant memories in a most powerful way. 10/10
WILDGUARD: CASTING CALL #4
by Todd Nauck & Lary Stucker (Image Comics)
 I was surprised to find that this issue brings the current conflict of Casting Call to an end, allowing Nauck two issues to delve into other aspects of his reality show by way of super-heroes. It's a very satisfying ending, though, with a suitably creepy twist involving two of the heroes, some really fun heroic moments for others like Strong-bot and Travel Agent and what has now become a tradition, an able handling of an enormous cast without losing the fun, quirky elements of their designs. Nauck has done a really great job of blending the goofy high-concept with some straightforward super-hero melodrama and action, and the art in this issue also looks sharper than in previous issues. I'm hooked on Wildguard, in part because I want to know who's going to make the cut and become a part of the final team, but much more because Nauck combines the fun of super-heroes with solid storytelling fundamentals. 8/10
WOLVERINE #9
by Greg Rucka & Leandro Fernandez (Marvel Comics)
 Rucka's take on Wolverine as avenger of the disenfranchised continues in this arc, and it's a role that is very fitting to the character. Watching him chew his way through a bunch of drug-running goons in Mexico as he tries to get to their boss may not be full of much tension, but it's certainly cathartic, and Fernandez's artwork provides some pretty kinetic explosions of violence and action, showing the feral danger that Wolverine presents. This issue also comes with a nifty little cliffhanger, as Rucka decides that if he can't really challenge Wolverine physically with this caliber of bad guy, he'll challenge him morally, and I honestly have no idea what he's going to do when confronted with the problem at the end of this issue. Wolverine hasn't been this interesting in years. 8/10
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