Comic Book Journal

Now I haven’t reviewed an issue of Wolverine for a while, but since I’m a fan of the X-over the Messiah Complex, I thought I’d give Wolvie another shot. I was much more pleased with the results of this issue. I find that the Wolverine stories are always the best when it’s Wolverine on a mission, nothing more, nothing less, no complicated origin stories, just Wolverine doing what he does best, whoever he is.

With that said, this issue takes Wolverine in search of Mystique who has betrayed the X-Men to Sinister in the aftermath of the Messiah Complex. While this is not a really big shocker, as Mystique has never really been on anyone’s side as a character, the most disturbing and shocking event in the story so far for me has been Cyclops’ complete transformation. Pre-crossover Cyclops would have told Wolverine to bring Mystique back so she could be rehabilitated. Now the gloves are off and Cyclops orders Wolverine to go and not bring Mystique back, breathing that it.

As far as the story goes, solid plotting and flashback make this issue not so tedious as Wolverine searches for Mystique high and low. He ends up killing an innocent human, mistaking her for Mystique, which makes the story more believable. The script was solid through and through.

But the artwork is what impressed me. Ron Garney, who was noted for his work on Captain America before, has brought a traditional style, and attention to detail to this title. And it would not have been the same without him. For the lush artwork, great layouts, and traditionalism, I’d give the art alone in this book a solid nine at least.

On a whole, I’d have to give this issue a solid seven out of ten, while it’s just a piece in a puzzle, it did leave me wanting to read more, but for new readers there’s just not enough characterization for me to fall in love with the book completely. So it gets a solid seven, and hopefully the rest of the X-titles will stay consistent. If you missed the genesis of the Messiah Complex, see my review at http://www.comicbookjournal.net/the-next-big-thing/.

I review some Punisher before, and I didn’t think I would ever really like Punisher again, but I’m finally surprised. Matt Fraction has practically taken over the Marvel Universe as a writer and I can finally understand why. Punisher War Journal #16 is a tale where Frank Castle only has one appearance, but his actions can be felt throughout. The plot is original. The story follows a group of Castle’s enemies who have formed a survivors’ group after he blew up a bar where they gathered. Their injuries all prove to be life-altering as one is left without the use of his legs, and the main character of the story, Martin, is horribly disfigured. He bandages his face and hangs up newspapers over the mirrors in his home he shares with his blind wife, in an invisible man type of situation, hoping the world will not see his exterior. He buys a gun to kill the Punisher, but when the Punisher shows up and kills an abusive pimp Martin learns that exteriors can be deceiving. Frank Castle lets Martin go home to his wife and promise to behave.

With this quiet tale of mercy and grace, Fraction proves he has the chops to helm not only the Punisher, but the rest of the Marvel Universe as well. His pacing was on key throughout the entire issue, his dialogue was believable, and his ending wrapped everything up tidily. This is how a comic book should be written, especially a stand alone like this.

The art was equally amazing Chaykin, I’m pleased to say is back within he element as he shows detail throughout the book in his backgrounds, and also illustrates Martin’s disfigurement nicely without letting that take away from the rest of the character’s expressions. He also did an excellent job on Castle himself, letting mercy show through subtle facial expressions and perspective changes. Great job by Chaykin.

I haven’t read a solid stand alone like this since Battlestar and I have to give Fraction and Chaykin props. I’d give this book a solid ten out of ten. I’d recommend this book for someone who has not picked up a comic book in years, or even a new reader as a great jumping on point, as it is an example of excellent plotting and pencil work. I wouldn’t be surprised if this issue is nominated for an Eisner. It should be.

For a review of a previous issue see my blog, http://www.comicbookjournal.net/whats-black-and-white-and-red-all-over/.

To see what all this fuss about with reviews see my previous blogs with February’s line up at http://www.com icbookjournal.net/the-pop-culture-superhero-collison/I’ve reviewed Amazing Spider-Girl #16 by Marvel Comics and there is some to like. While I’m not a spectacular fan of future-based superheros, I think with Spider-Man being one of the flagship characters of the Marvel Universe it makes sense (almost). This issue while being crafted by Tom DeFalco and friends was a fun book, but that’s about all. I think the art and design was a little too cartoonish for my tastes, but I do understand that this really isn’t a book geared toward too many adults. I applaud Marvel for its efforts, even it’s advertisements to try and draw in a younger fan base and a future fan base to the industry. And Amazing Spider-Girl #16 does a respectable job of that. All in all, I’d have to give this book a six out of ten mostly for its efforts to be accessible to younger readers. There’s a whole bunch of other reviews to come.

I just read Amazing Spider-Man #546 and I was well, for lack of better word amazed. Marvel has really taken a bare bones approach to Spidey following the aftermath of one more day, taking him back to his roots of power and responsibility. There’s no MJ drama, no burdensome choices about family for Spidey to make. It’s just Peter Parker doing what he does best, relying on the Parker luck to try and eek out a living while saving lives. The art is happily retro, and the writing, while tongue in cheek at some points is paced extremely well for this type of story. With ASM being published three times a month now, this is a great book for new readers to jump on with and that will make the plotlines a little easier to follow. On a scale of one to ten I’d give this book a surprising seven. I think with this particular revamp Marvel is finally on the right track as to what fans want in a title, a simple, sit-down read with plenty of adventure, yet none of the baggage that the title had especially in the early and mid nineties. I think Stan Lee would have been proud of this issue as it did live up the the legacy he built with the old webhead.

Avengers Assemble!! That is the New Avengers! Sales figures for October are in and the number one selling title was Marvel’s New Avengers. The New Avengers barely edged out the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. I’m interested in the progression of Marvels slots in the top of the sales charts, especially with the year ending crossovers from the big two companies Marvel and DC, but also sales figures are steadily climbing for the Dark Horse, which I reported on previously with Buffy taking Dark Horse to new sales heights. I’m looking forward to seeing a more competitive new year. I thought I’d give a quick review/preview of the New Avengers #36 to see how good the top selling title is. I have to say, with a post Civil War storyline, a new team of characters interacting, and suspicion that everyone is a Skrull, I was highly disappointed with this title. I think people might be buying it because it has Wolverine in it and it’s written by Brian Michael Bendis. I’ve seen him do far better plotting. Yu’s pencils are expressive and action oriented, but I’m more a traditionalist when it comes to the art, I don’t think the manga influence fits the story of a post Civil War Marvel Universe, especially a post war New York. I’d like to see him do a techno-filled Iron Man perhaps. Also, I sure this will disappoint the fan boys, but I feel that this story could have been told with far less almost-nudity. I don’t recall ever seeing an issue of X-Men with Wolverine in his skivvies, so why do we have to see Spider-Woman in hers? Give me a break. Maybe that’s why this title is #1 in sales figures also.
Here’s hoping the rest of December’s reviews will actually have books deserving a top-selling sales slot. I’d give this book a five out of ten. It’s easily forgettable, a fluff read, and doesn’t really drive the storyline. Not the writer’s or artist’s best work. Well that’s all the time I have for today. I’m serious about the contest, I haven’t had one entry yet, and the month will go by quickly. For more details check out the announcement at: http://www.comicbookjournal.net/contest-announcement

What’s the next big thing in store for Marvel? It’s the Messiah Complex, another X-Crossover which promises to streamline the X-Universe. I hope it will get rid of the multiple universes, multiple creative teams, and hopefully, the Multiple Man, Jaime Madrox. The crossover stretches throughout all of the X-Men titles, and centers on a plot with Mr. Sinister and his crew to kidnap the only mutant born since the M crisis. So it’s basically a fight to the death between Sinister, every X-team, and the Purifiers to find/keep the child and determine the fate of the child. I was actually anticipating this crossover after seeing previews of the artwork. So without further ado here’s the review. This title was marvelous. If the entire crossover is like this, then Marvel will finally get back on track in the universe of the X-Men. The merry mutants will hopefully be streamlined back into core titles. The one-shot of the Messiah Complex had a great back story, the characters were the classic defenders of the universe I remember from days when I read X-Men regularly, and the threat is definitely real. The significance of the event is evident by the tension between the characters as they realize the potential peril they face. Ed Brubaker’s dialog is the finest I’ve seen from him in quite some time. The artwork speaks for itself. I’ve posted a sample of one of the pages at the end of this blog. Silvestri’s pencils are revitalizing on these characters and it’s great to see him doing this caliber of work again. He captures the characters’ intensity and fear nicely. If all issues of this crossover are created with this kind of care, it will be a masterpiece like Crisis on Infinite Earths, which will shape comic books for years to come. Marvel is back on track. I’d have to give this book a solid nine out of ten. To see what else Marvel is doing right check out my previous blog on Halo at http://www.comicbookjournal.net/watch-for-the-uprising/.

I just had the opportunity to read Halo: Uprising # 1 of 4 from Marvel Comics, and I have to say Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev’s interpretation of the video game series surprised me. I have never played Halo, but after reading this book, may consider picking up the controller and giving it a shot. The storyline is basically a pair of star-crossed humans gets mixed up in saving Earth from aliens who are destroying the world looking for a mythical key. There’s not as much Master Chief, shoot-em-up action as I expected coming from a comic book about a first person shooter, but it actually worked. This book serves as an example of how a video game comic should be done. For the polar opposite see my review of the miserable World of Warcraft at: http://www.comicbookjournal.net/what-in-the-world-of-warcraft/.
I can’t say enough about Alex Maleev’s pencils. They are detailed and atmospheric. I’d love to see the black and white sketches for this series. I’d also like to see how much the colorist contributed as the colors are rich and luxurious, yet muted and downplayed in all the right places. This book had all the right elements to make it readable for people who have never played the video game and comic book fans as well. On a scale of one to ten I’d have to give the book the honor of being the first I’ve given a ten. It is balanced, plot driven, with plenty of action and mystery. Congratulations are in order for Marvel Comics who have generated a hit with this mini-series. I hope the rest of the series can keep this same standard of excellence.

Enter Punisher War Journal #18. I have to admit once upon a time, I did read a few issues of Punisher War Journal, and it doesn’t look like much has changed since I got bored with the series before. I see that Frank Castle is still over-the-top in his ultra-violent approach. I still see that the editorial and writing staff seem to still insist on revolving every plot around the whole “you’re a good man/bad man, Frank Castle,” debacle. *Sigh* The lack of revitalization of the series since I stopped reading years ago saddens me. If you’re into morbid, dramatic, and mostly violent comics, than Punisher War Journal is for you. If you’re into just plain strange, morbid, and mostly violent comics, then you might like Emily the Strange. See my review of the book here: http://www.comicbookjournal.net/the-strange-world-of-emily/ Anyway, onto the review. As for as writing skills go I suppose Fraction has a good command of the medium, his plotting, and pacing techniques seem well-developed. The art is sparse, yet detailed, and atmospheric setting an unsettling tone for the storyline. I think Cory Walker is the right artist for the series. I also think that Matt Fraction is an appropriate writer for the book. So what’s my gripe? My gripe is with the originality of the overall story arc. I’m not seeing nothing new in this revamp of Frank Castle that I haven’t seen before. So out of ten, I’d give this book a five. This is a solid book, technically speaking, but it didn’t excite me or make me want to continue the series. However, if you’re a die-hard Punisher fan, there may be something you like here.

I know a cat gets nine, but how many lives does a wolverine get? The folks at Marvel are killing Wolverine again only to bring him back. I jumped on in the middle of a five part saga the death of Wolverine. This book depressed me. I wasn’t sad that Wolvie had died and was in purgatory, I was sad that Marc Guggenheim wasn’t on strike. The story was cliched and tired, anyone who feels differently please let me know. For the general plot line, Wolverine was killed and Dr. Strange showed up and resurrected him, now he has to travel through purgatory fighting his own soul to make it back to the earthly plane. As he recalls his past in the war, he “realizes” that he has been fighting his baser nature *yawn* all of these years. I’m glad Logan or James, or whatever they’re calling him now, has finally realized that, but is it really a realization? Has that same story not been told in every Wolverine comic to date. Wolverine, the savage man-animal, must fight his baser nature to get close to anyone and often pushes away people he cares for in fear of hurting them. My point–this “event” is nothing new. Ever since the character’s inception two points have been hammered in to loyal readers consistently. Wolverine is a savage drifter who doesn’t have many memories and number two, Wolverine is always in inner turmoil with his baser nature. This concept is nothing new either. Did anyone ever read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? This is but one classic example of a man versus his baser, evil nature. Now to the art. The high point of the story for me was Dr. Strange showing up, anyone who knows me knows that I’m a Strange fan, Stephen Strange that is, not Emily Strange. I’m left scratching my head wondering though, what happened to Howard Chaykin. We’ve talked about him a lot this month, see my blog some of his work at http://www.comicbookjournal.net/remember-remember-the-5th-of-november/.
But he’s really gone downhill it appears. The characters are loosely rendered, his line work is sloppy and he didn’t really attempt to distinguish the dual souls of Wolverine in his work, he just simply drew mirror images it appears. Both Wolverine and Dr. Strange look like they should be on the Biggest Loser and weigh about five hundred pounds each. In short, it looks like a sloppy rush job for a paycheck on Chaykin’s part. I’d give this book a two out of five. The story is nicely finished to be in the middle of the arc, and the cover is sharp looking, but that’s about it. This book is not one of the great stocking-stuffers of the holiday season. We’ve got a lot of November left, so be on the look out for more solid reviews.

It’s been a while since I picked up an issue of Iron Man, but I thought I’d give it a try and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The concept of Iron Man direction S.H.I.E.L.D. is strange to me, but I guess in the post Civil War and Planet Hulk era at Marvel anything is possible. This book has booth good and bad points, but I think the good ultimately outweigh the bad. On a scale of 1-10 I’d give it a 6. We’ll start with the bad point first. This issue is REALLY a bad jumping on point for new readers. The overview, and “previously” section really doesn’t give a new reader a clear understanding of what has happened, or how Iron Man even originated. Yes, some people have never picked up a comic before so I feel a brief origin blurb would benefit new readers here. Also, a who’s-who to the characters would probably be handy to new readers also. Now onto the good parts. The art. Both interior and exterior art is on-point. The quality of the artwork surpasses most I’ve seen in newer comics today as Guice proves he has a steady grasp on anatomy, structure, layouts, and plot. The attention to detail speaks volumes and provides much needed drama to what could have been a run of the mill story. Butch Guice has really come into his own and could possibly doing his best work ever. The cover art is also gorgeous. Gerald Parel’s cover work is soft and understated, setting the appropriate tone for the issue. Charles and Daniel’s script is solid with an equal mix of both dialogue and action which kept my attention. The ending hook is also engaging and leaves room for ample plotting for future issues. It did leave me wondering what the ol’ shellhead would be up to next. All in all it was a descent, enjoyable read, but I wasn’t bowled over either. While it delivers a descent story, I’d say wait for the graphic novel or collected issues to get this book. For the best reviews, comic related news and of course, top ten lists check out www.comicbookjournal.net everyday.

With the writer’s strike pretty much halting development of many tv shows, I thought I’d turn my attentions elsewhere, such as movies and comics. As luck would have it, Paramount Pictures has another Star Trek movie in the works. However, this time around it focuses on the early adventures of the Enterprise and Captain Pike. Bruce Greenwood, who is featured in the sequel to National Treasure, slated to open in December has been cast as the crew’s commander-in-chief. But hey guess what? J.J. Abrams wasn’t the first to think of continuing the adventures of the Enterprise with Pike at the helm. It was Marvel Comics. In 1997 Marvel produced, “Star Trek: The Early Voyages,” which chronicled the Pike captainship which was ten years before Kirk’s five-year mission. While this series was popular (more so among Trek fans than hardcore comic fans I imagine), it was cancelled after 17 issues due to low sales. It was a great concept, however, I doubt the story generated much sales due to the art, and perhaps the state of the industry at that time. I may actually see if I can locate a few of these issues, as I actually prefer the Star Trek franchise to the Star Wars franchise any day. I just think the storylines and character development has more potential and a bigger universe to explore with Star Trek. And what about the toys? I’m looking foward to seeing the toys surely produced for this version. I can see pike grimacing and holding a phaser now (maybe even a retro-looking Enterprise also.) Look to http://www.toybender.com/
for the status of the toys and check out my blog for the comparison between the Marvel series and the new series based on the movie as soon as it launches.

Sometimes in life things don’t always work out the way we intend for them to. There are always ironies a plenty. For example, Brittney Spear mother is writing a parenting book. Bad idea. Publishers have bad ideas about comic books too, so we’re going to take a walk down memory lane to the top five failed plotlines in comics.

1. The Spider-Clone Saga: I’m still confused. The Spider-Man who’s been through Civil War and now is in the middle of “One More Day,” That’s Peter Parker right? Are we sure? Is the clone of aunt May going to die this time? Oh, the drama! Despite it’s complete and utter failure to accomplish anything remote resembling a sensible plot, it is sort of amusing if you flip through the pages really fast while listening to Eminem’s “Real Slim Shady.” I was easily amused for about 30 seconds.

2. The Death of Superman: Come on. We all knew that the Man of Steel wouldn’t stay dead long. It proved to be a sad day in America when Doomsday ended the life of our collective favorite Boy Scout. Or should I say a marketing team attempted to destroy an American icon. The Funeral for a Friend aftermath proved to be run-of-the mill, and I couldn’t even muster up any sympathy for Lois and her tears, knowing Supes would be flying around well in no time. That storyline tried to hard to be poignant and felt lifeless and forced. Then there was the different “versions” of Superman. Please….Steel…come on, can anyone say, Cyborg reincarnated.

3. Knightfall: They broke Batman’s back. I couldn’t believe it when it happened. A steroid-infested pro wrestler wannabe broke Batman’s back when he had survived the Joker, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, Mister Freeze, and countless Gothan thugs. Other than the death of Superman, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more shameless sales tactic.

4. The Death of Captain America: Despite being set in the “Civil War,” world, and the one “shocking” event to boost sales of the crossover, the storyline wasn’t all too bad. Why’s it on this list. All of the plot, all of the drama, goes out the window as respectable in my book when I saw how the Captain went down. He went down by a sniper. Pathetic.

5. Captain Carrot and the Amazing Zoo Crew: The title of the book itself is self-explanatory. The entire series was a failed plotline and is just plain goofy.

I talk a lot here about the benefits of comics and how readers can easily get more readers into the industry, but I’ve never talked about just how people read comics. How do I read my comics, after a long day at my day job, I crawl in bed in my pj’s turn on the lamp and read until I get sleepy. Some people read theirs at work, in the car, in the office, or the brave read in the tub. So how do you read your comics? In my blog on different comic book formats, see
http://www.comicbook
journal.net/can-you-hear-me-now-superman/. Here I talk about how media is changing the comic book industry. Sure, it may be easy and portable, also digital comics prove less expensive, for example, Marvel recently released the Avengers collection on dvd/cd-rom, and it has EVERY Avengers, EVER published. It even includes scans of EVERY INTERIOR PAGE including advertisements. So how do you read comics? Now I think I’ll read mine with my laptop balanced cautiously on my stomach before I go to bed, after all, Marvel has also released the collected Doctor Strange in the same format. Sweet Dreams.

I knew there was a reason I was holding out for Wizard World Chicago.

I had to pass up Comic-Con for a variety of reasons, most of them geographic (I’m in Illinois - another reason Wizard World Chicago is appealing) and one of them financial (I’m starting a new job the week of).

But I found I wasn’t totally wrong in doing so - Wizard has just announced Mark Millar (Ultimates, Civil War) will be there in his first Stateside appearance since 2004.

Millar will be announcing his next project for Marvel. For my tastes, I hope its a little less than all-encompassing, as I found Civil War a little too incendiary for my tastes. With Ultimates no longer in his corner, I’d like to see him take over a new team book or perhaps a solo book for one of Marvel’s mainstays.

Whatever it is, you can bet it’ll be high profile - considering this is Millar’s one-and-only U.S. appearance this year, lines are going to be huge!

October seems to be a scary month for comics. Not only is it the end point for World War Hulk as well as the beginning of X-Men: Messiah Complex but its also the beginning of . . . Howard the Duck.

And no, I’m not kidding. The one thing George Lucas would most likely rather forget - other than Star Wars Holiday Special - has its own four issue mini-series in October.

Civil War begins again, though not in the way you might expect -as Marvel Zombies 2 begins forty years after the first, with the remaining zombie heroes returning to Earth. Reuniting the team of Robert Kirkman and Sean Phillips, the question is now “Whose stomach are you in?”

Peter David - best known for the work he did on The Hulk - is now taking over She-Hulk. Not many details on just what will happen in the story.

As you can see there’s plenty going on - I’m just not sure if any of its good. But the David development - the one least detailed - is actually the most exciting. See ya on the flip-side.