Hello minions! Another week, another smattering of books to be snide and critical about (and by that I mean praise, by and large.) Up on the docket we have Superman #703, The Incredible Hulks #614, Superior #1 and X-Men #4! Before you hit the jump, check out the handy dandy Multiversity rating system!
0: Uwe Boll will direct the adaptation of this comic
0.1 – 1: Burn upon touching
1- 1.9: Abysmal
2.0 – 2.9: Art. Writing. Editing. All bad.
3.0 – 3.9: You’d be a masochist to pick this up.
4.0 – 4.9: “I’ll give it another month…but that was not good.”
5.0 – 5.9: “Really? The Watcher? In the face? I guess it was fun.”
6.0 – 6.9: “Hmm. That was decent.”
7.0 – 7.9: Well made but a few problems
8.0 – 8.9: Nearly flawless
9.0 – 9.9: Outstanding
10: Perfection. Issue of the year contender
JUMP AWAY!
Superman #703
Words by J. Michael Straczynski
Arting by Eddie Barrows
Man do so many people hate this book. The internet comic community (including at least 2, if not 3/6s of the Multiversity staff) almost unanimously agreed that Straczynski’s take on the Man of Steel was pretty much sh*te. “Too preachy”, “boring” and “doesn’t make any sense” were often the complaints lodged against the book and I gotta say, right from the top of the run, I did NOT see where these accusations were coming from. Now, I won’t profess to being the biggest scholar, or even the biggest fan of Big Blue historically, but I’m still dialed in enough to call this book not only of the most relevant, true-to-character stories ever told with the character, but possibly one of the best uses of the mainstream superhero arm of the comics medium.
I’ve said it before and I will say it a thousand more times if I have to, but Straczynski has taken probably one of, if not THE biggest soapboxes in comics’ history, and is using him to actually SAY something. I have to admit that it’s a concept I never full comprehended until I read this book, but how often do writers use these iconic characters to actually produce living commentary on the world around us. Answer? Not that often anymore. Morrison did it with Animal Man, Moore did it with V for Vendetta and Miller did it with The Dark Knight Returns, but ever since super hero comics have almost exclusively been used to address issues RELATING TO SUPER HEROES, with all the drama, issues, tension and impact only relevant within the context of that particular continuity. It is, in every sense of the word, insular. However, since JMS took over, the book has been straddling the line between that world these heroes exist in and our own. By using the motif of Superman walking across America, JMS is able to analyze and address many pressing issues in our country’s culture AS WELL as some prevalent issues within super hero culture as well.
This issue takes more of slant toward the super heroic as the age old question of “wait a minute, don’t people live in that building that doomsday is getting thrown through” gets brought into the forefront in a very real, almost heartbreaking way. The book opens with Batman showing up to chew out Supes for attempting to reconnect to “the average man” and warns him that, given the enemies he’s accumulated, he is ultimately causing more danger for the common people in the country by getting so close to them. I feel that, while the points made by Batman are all relevant and more or less enlightening, I feel that JMS sort of forgot that it was Dick Grayson under the cowl and not Bruce Wayne. Sure within the story it was made clear he was talking to Dick, but the Batman being portrayed was still VERY much the dark, brooding, cynical Wayne Batman we’ve come to know and love but is, however, a GREAT deal different from the more lighthearted, caring Grayson Batman we’ve had over the last two years. If the scene was Clark talking to Bruce, it would have been perfect, but it wasn’t and Batman was running just a fair bit out of character.
Continued belowThis is the point when the issue slides a little too close to paint by numbers territory as Supes battles a mysteriously empowered drunk, causing immense amounts of property damage in Danville, Ohio. While this throw away fight really only served to introduce us to the villainous nature of the fragments of New Krypton on the super hero side of the equation, on the real world side of the equation it analyzed the (admittedly frequently analyzed) human side to these grandiose super hero fights. Sure, Superman could rebuild the buildings that were destroyed, but all the priceless heirlooms, memories and lives that once inhabited them are gone forever. A very real comparison to real world survivors of natural disasters could be made, and I suspect that is the point.
On the art end, Eddie Barrows draws no complaints. His stylized, middle of the road drawing style makes him a perfect fit for a series that mostly involves people standing around and talking. Of course, he still brings the requisite intensity needed to the fight scenes and the damage they cause, but to be honest his work reads as impressively standard. It works, it works well, but it isn’t something that makes me stand up and say WOW.
Sure this book isn’t perfect, and sure it can be a little too heavy handed at times, but it deserves a LOT more praise than it is getting and FAR less haterade. As long as Supes is a’walking, I’ll be a’readin’.
Final Verdict: 8.5 – Buy
The Incredible Hulks #614
Words by Greg Pak
Arting by Barry Kitson and Scott Hanna
I’m not sure anyone was really sure what to expect when Greg Pak began writing the adventures of the Incredible Hulk a few years back. I mean, shooting the Hulk into space? The idea was as groundbreaking as its potential for disaster was large. And yet, I have no doubt in my mind that when he finally leaves the Green Goliath, his run will become one of the most celebrated in the history of the character.
And I missed out on most of it.
Despite hearing almost universally good things about the main Hulk book, I could never stick with it beyond a few issues (except, of course, when it starred Hercules.) Pak has presided over a couple of status quo shifts in the book (first with Planet Hulk, then the shift to Hercules post-World War Hulk, then the merry adventures of Bruce and Skarr followed immediately by World War Hulks) and I’ve tried and failed to create a footing with the book after almost every one. Now we have the latest status quo, which adds six characters and one letter to the title and turns the book about the Marvel Universe’s most notorious loner into a team book. I have to admit, of all the places they could have taken the character, I’m really glad it’s this one. After all, what better way to highlight the humanization of Bruce Banner over the last few years than by giving him someone to care about?
We’ve known that the Hulk actually sired TWO children on the savage planet of Sakaar for a while now, but last issue saw Hulk himself learn the truth. This issue? He starts to do something about it…and Steve Rogers is none too pleased, which of course leads to an appearance by Marvel’s newest cash cow team, The Secret Avengers. I’ll be honest, I really hope it doesn’t turn into a case where this team is appearing in every book for the next year like the Dark Avengers did. It’s a good group of characters…but not THAT good, especially since they were made to look like a bunch of chumps this time. Beaten pretty soundly by the Hulk family, the book ends in a traditional bit of hyperbole wherein the president realizes that the title characters are the world’s only hope as they fly into action on their stolen space ship made of rock.
Quite simply, this was a GOOD comic.
Not great though, mind you. While using a relatively new vehicle (a team of Hulks) to pull it off, this formula of “misguided government team getting spanked leaving the good guys able to be good guys” has been done a thousand times before. It is, in a lot of ways, cartoony…but Pak makes it work. It’s a fun, high action, smartly written super hero comic with PHENOMAL pencil work from the legendary Barry Kitson. For a book about giant malformed monsters, he sure manages to turn in some sharp, crisp and just plain PRETTY pencil work. He doesn’t cut any corners in the monster department though, as A-Bomb, Korg and the Hulk himself look just as, well, hulking as we’d expect them to.
Continued belowFollowing the main story, we get a flashback story taking place somewhere between last issue and this issue that continues to explore the relationship between Banner and his young son Skarr. What ensues is a powerful piece about fatherhood and not underestimating the power of youth with gorgeous if not periodically unclear art by Scott Hanna.
In all, this book is fun. The concept is really, genuinely fresh…which is no small feat given these characters’ 60+ years of history. I look forward to the inevitable confrontation with the OTHER Son of Hulk and hope that they actually stick to this concept for a while.
Final Verdict: 8.0 – Buy
Superior #1
Words by Mark Millar
Arting by Leinil Francis Yu
Huh. So Millar actually IS still capable of writing compelling and fresh comic books. I have to admit, I didn’t see it coming. I also find it amusing that I unknowingly reviewed a Superman book right before reviewing a book about a new flying strong guy from a doomed planet that wears red (that’s a lie…I did it on purpose.) So how does Millar’s newest creator owned project stack up against the likes of Wanted, Kick-Ass, Nemesis and the never gonna end War Heroes? Answer: pretty well, actually!
As most introductory issues are wont to do, we got a LOT of exposition this time around as we were introduced to the life and times of Simon Pooni (yes…Pooni), a young boy stricken with multiple sclerosis and watching helplessly as his life crumbled around him a world where the only super heroes that exist, exist on the silver screen and in comic books. While the book does an okay job making what essentially amounts to the force feeding of backstory tolerable, it’s clear Millar actually did his research into how to portray the mindset of someone with a debilitating disease. Apparently some of his doctor brother rubbed off on him.
And then a talking space monkey comes to Simon and turns him into the most popular Superman archetype that universe had, creating the first super human that Earth has ever known. Then the issue ends with Superior revealing his identity to his best friend and I realize I’ve been so dulled by the off the wall antics of Millar that “talking space monkey” didn’t even phase me. I likes it a lot though…especially the talking space monkey.
Did I mention the talking space monkey? Because there’s a talking space monkey.
On the art end, Leinil Yu continues to do no wrong in my book. He’s a pretty interesting choice for art on a book about a very archetypal character, but it somehow works. I feel that MAYBE a lighter, less frenetic art style would better serve the dichotomy between the high fantasy visuals and the supremely messed up situation they are occurring in, but what we get is pretty good too (though I can’t help but wonder what it would have looked like if John Romita Jr. was drawing this book and Yu drew Kick-Ass, but that’s neither here nor there.)
I won’t lie, I haven’t been this engaged by a Millar book in a good long time…and hey, this one isn’t a blatant take on an established Watchmen idea (you look at his other creator owned stuff and tell me you don’t see Ozymandias, The Comedian, Nite-Owl and Ozymandias again and I will buy you a coke.) Though, I have to admit I find it funny that he wrote a Stan Lee-inspired afterword expounding on the importance of creating your own characters in the back of a book about what, so far, equates to a foul mouthed Captain Marvel…but that’s neither here nor there.
Final Verdict: 9.0 – Buy
X-Men #4
Words by Victor Gischler
Arting by Paco Medina
A couple months back, after ragging on the series from the very beginning, Multiversity EiC Matt said in regard to Jeph Loeb’s Hulk book that “once you get past the utter absurdity and accept Loeb’s style of storytelling, the book is actually pretty fun.” Hearing that, my gut instinct would be to spend weeks pointing out that suspending disbelief in order to read a comic book that suspends disbelief is a little…counter-intuitive…but now I pretty much find myself thinking the exact same thing about Victor Gischler’s X-Men.
Continued belowLet’s face it…this comic can barely be qualified as good. Stacking up to some of the other books being written within the X-Line (namely ones written by Zeb Wells and Peter David), this one barely stacks up. Yet despite the fact that the events portrayed in it are so absurd, and despite the fact that mutants vs vampires is the EXACT last story I could EVER care about, this book has been consistently FUN for four issues now. Absurd (and not the good kind) yes, but undeniably fun.
This issue has a lot of the characteristics of the eye of a particularly nasty storm…the downtime issue where the mortal enemies take pot-shots at each other and attempt to intimidate one another, but no major battles in the war are fought. Since the cover blows this fact already, I’m okay saying that yes, Wolverine is now (somehow) a vampire and the issue takes a LOT of time to essentially say “hey readers! Can ya believe it?! Wolvie! A Bloodsucker! Look at him go drinkin’ that blood!” Yes, we get it…you turned him…now DO something with it before the arc ends and he goes back to normal, goddamnit!
This kinda brings me to my major gripe with this arc…while the characters are adequately written, the action is fun to watch, the comedy is inherent and the tension is high…I can’t help but be just a little underwhelmed. I mean…the X-Men literally JUST faced down extinction and won…compared to that, these vamps just don’t seem like all that credible of a threat. Kieron Gillen said it best when asked what readers can expect once he joins Matt Fraction on the flagship Uncanny X-Men title: “we’ve kinda done the “the world trying to kill them all” story pretty well…let’s see what ELSE we can do to the X-Men.” At its core, this is just another story about someone trying to make mutants not exist anymore, except this time they want to turn them into undead monsters instead of wiping them from the face of the Earth. To be honest, we’ve seen this concept done much better before (three months ago, no less!)
However, one of the books’ saving graces other than its weirdly infectious absurdity is the art of Paco Medina. I absolutely love this guy as he manages to straddle the line between angular, super-hero form and blatant cartoony fare. Artists like himself, Humberto Ramos and (occasionally) Ian Churchill just tickle my funny bone in a way I’m not quite able to define.
So in summation: I don’t know why this book works…I really really don’t…but it does.
Final Verdict: 7.4 — Buy but feel slightly dirty about it.
Spinning and Spinning and Spinning…
None More Black – Iron Mouth Act
The first new song from these rowdy Philadelphia pop-punks since 2006. Four years, one break-up and a new drummer later and they are back with a vengeance, bringing all the intensity and melodicism they were known for in their early days. Plus: wa-oh parts FOR THE WIN.
Fear Before the March of Flames – Odd How People Shake
One of those rarely “early screamo done absolutely right” albums from way back in 2003. While this Colorado quintet have shifted their sound around a few times since then, the biting intensity of this album still holds up.
North Lincoln – Midwestern Blood
Melodic post-hardcore at its very best, this one turned out to be the last full length we’d ever see from this Michigan trio. However, with its raspy vocals, catchy leads and absurdly good start/stop tempo, it ended up being one helluva way to go.
