There is a lot to cover on Wednesdays. We should know, as collectively, we read an insane amount of comics. Even with a large review staff, it’s hard to get to everything. With that in mind, we’re back with Wrapping Wednesday, where we look at some of the books we missed in what was another great week of comics.
Let’s get this party started.
Sensation Comics Featuring Wonder Woman #1
Written by Gail Simone
Illustrated by Ethan Van Sciver
Review by Vince Ostrowski
Backed by a threadbare plot and a thin explanation for getting her to the more sales-friendly Gotham City, “Sensation Comics” digital relaunch doesn’t get off to the start that anyone was hoping for. It’s not a bad comic, but it’s also not much more than an excuse to pit a classic version of Wonder Woman against a more popular rogues gallery which belongs to a more popular character. There’s maybe one page of exposition about why Gotham City needs Wonder Woman and a few silly reasons why she’s the only one that’s getting the call. Not much actually adds up, but again, it’s an excuse to set Wonder Woman free among a fun rogues gallery. That’s worth something, but even at a dollar, the plot is ultimately unsatisfying. The jokes and taunts are surprisingly weak for a writer that’s normally very funny and sharp. There is a keen angle about the philosophical similarities between Batman and Wonder Woman, but it doesn’t end up getting explored enough. It makes for some fun visual nods though. But even those visual nods contain some uncharacteristically wonky art, at times. Character proportions go haywire at times, in some really unfortunate ways for our female characters. Ethan Van Sciver applies his same detailed and expressive style to the proceedings, not skimping out for the digital realm, but there were a handful of noticeable instances of proportional inconsistencies. Wonder Woman deserves a digital showcase book like “Sensation Comics” to showcase what makes her great, and worthy of being part of the DC Trinity. I’m just not sure that that’s what we ended up with for issue #1.
Final Verdict: 4.5 – “Sensation Comics” starts Wonder Woman’s digital showcase by putting her out of her element, and on the wrong foot.
Spider-Man 2099 #2
Written by Peter David
Illustrated by Will Sliney
Review by Vince Ostrowski
The “Spider-Man 2099” re-integration continues to be a major success, as Peter David keeps the genuine wit and energy of the first issue going into the second. Issue #2 might be even better than that superlative debut, thanks to David’s ability to cut through the ever present humor with a heart-tugging moment or two. Miguel O’Hara’s character is often treading much of the same ground that Peter Parker has occupied since forever, and yet David gives him a unique voice that doesn’t just amount to his futuristic replacing of expletives with the word “shock.” While Peter Parker had to juggle the perils of a real young adult life, O’Hara has to do that and navigate around the fact that he comes from the distant future. David never loses sight of that in the story, and as a result, “Spider-Man 2099” sets itself apart. Will Sliney continues to be a perfect fit for Peter David’s quick witted scripts and Miguel’s lithe movements. Miguel’s constant need to think on his feet and to carefully navigate himself through a present timeline he’s unfamiliar with is represented well in his body language and his facial expressions. “Spider-Man 2099” #2 is a relatively talky issue that continues to set up the problems and colleagues that Miguel O’Hara will be dealing with, and Sliney continues to prove to be a great artist at making simple conversations engaging. The Spider-verse was definitely in good shape before Peter David came back into it, but it sure is nice to have him back.
Final Verdict: 8.0 – A fun comic that runs parallel to the adventures of Peter Parker and feels like it could be just as important in the long run.
The Walking Dead #130
Continued below
Written by Robert Kirkman
Illustrated by Charlie Adlard
Reviewed by David Harper
Recently I was look at the sales charts on Comichron, and I realized that “The Walking Dead” is the only comic in the top 184 titles in the chart that is numbered in the triple digits. In fact, it’s the only one numbered higher than 37! That’s an astounding fact to me, even if it makes sense because of DC’s completely relaunch in September of 2011 and Marvel’s habit of NOWing their titles on a regular basis lately.
And like Rick Grimes, “The Walking Dead” may have gotten long in the beard, but underneath it’s still what it always was before. That’s both a good and a bad thing. Comic reviews at their core should be a study of how the creators conveyed the story, on both a writing and art standpoint. But after 130 issues – or more like 125 for Kirkman and Adlard together – this book is what it is, and that happens to be a well-oiled machine that is deadly effective at telling its one type of story and that’s that. You either like it or you don’t.
That’s not a bad thing, but it’s pretty set in stone. Adlard continues to effectively deliver the relationships and hierarchy within each community, and I particularly enjoyed the way he depicted Negan trying to get in the newbies heads so he could escape. As soon as they called him out, Adlard showed Negan in a different, more confident pose, and Adlard perfectly showed that dichotomy. This book is known as a horror one, but it works because of how damn good Adlard and Kirkman are with characters.
Kirkman’s strong here, as per usual, and there are some really fantastic character moments (Negan’s defeat of sorts, the adoration of Rick at the Hilltop, Maggie and Rick’s relationship, everything Carl) to dig into here. The biggest flaw is that the apparent turn in the story directly reminds me of George Romero’s garbage bomb “Land of the Dead”, and that’s deeply upsetting.
That’s the type of things you look at here though. “The Walking Dead” is a a sleek sports car of character based horror, and month-in and month-out, it is what it is, even as the settings and stories slightly change. If you liked it before, you’ll like it now. If you didn’t, you probably won’t. It’s an inevitability, like death and Carl going deeply emo.
Final Verdict: Incomplete – This will be the last time I review “The Walking Dead”, as at this point, every issue is basically the same quality, it just depends on how invested in the story you are. For me? Still entertains.
X #16
Written by Duane Swierczynski
Illustrated by Eric Nguyen
Reviewed by Drew Bradley
Going in, I thought I knew how the “Better Off Dead” plot was going to wrap up. Well, I expected it to be one of a few choices, anyway. After delivering a brutal beat down with plenty of twists, the direction for the book’s future is neatly laid out and it’s nothing like what I expected. In a good way. The next chapter is a ‘Starting Point’ issue, so check it out if you’re not already reading.
Nguyen’s art is dynamic, and he displays a lot of skill in bringing the fight to life. Through judicious use of breaking panel borders, he guides your eye from hit to hit. His occasionally exaggerated perspective reinforces just how fast X and the Archeron are moving. Swierczynski has a great handle on the story’s pacing. Unlike the traditional superhero fight where talking is a free action and characters spout off paragraphs in a single uppercut, he uses X’s inner monologue to emphasize the action – his thoughts are sometimes cut off mid-sentence as he receives a punch to the face. Extra credit goes to Comicraft for their excellent placement of the captions, which could easily have ruined the effect if done wrong.
Final Verdict: 7.0 – A good finish and a good beginning at the same time.
