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.
Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men #4
Written by Evan Dorkin
Illustrated & Colored by Benjamin Dewey
Lettered by Nate Piekos
Reviewed by Tom Shapira
And thus ends another “Beast of Burden” mini – with some very loud bangs and low rumblings about terrible things yet to come. My main issue with this, ah, issue is how much of it is spent on the cliché of the villain delivering a long rumbling speech explaining the ins and outs of his plan for no discernable reason (and the plan boils down to ‘we are going to summon something terrible’); and since he knows, and the readers know, that the wise dogs were aware he was leading them into a trap it was rather obvious a backup they are stalling him.
Yet despite the simplicity of the narrative this is still a fun end for a decent story, helped immensely by the artwork of Benjamin Dewey, who had some big shoes to fill taking over from co-creator Jill Thompson: Dewey knows how to turn up the horror and gore without forgetting that this a story that could, and should, be read by the young as well. There’s a lot of action here, with plenty of characters often at cross purposes, which could easily descend into chaos – but he manages to keep it all balanced.
When starting this miniseries I had a bit of a problem with keeping up with all the characters, but by now I got them under control; Evan Dorkin writes a good cast, allowing the young members a chance to grow and for the older to learn – I will certainly be happy to see more of them.
Final V
Defenders: The Best Defense #1
Written by Al Ewing
Illustrated by Joe Bennett
Inked by Belardino Brabo
Colored by Dono Sanchez-Almara
Lettered by VC’s Clayton Cowles
Reviewed by Alexander Jones
The original Defenders are back together under highly unusual circumstances to fight the villain Nebulon. Al Ewing is the mastermind of this installment grouping the four heroes together under one umbrella. The issue is an unusually bold approach to a conventional superhero story combining dense fantasy elements with intergalactic sci-fi drama. The protagonists to the series are also in some unusual places right now given current continuity. The Hulk and Namor are both essential parts of the team but are both more dark and twisted than usual. Meanwhile, Silver Surfer and Doctor Strange are left to team up and stop Nebulon.
The story is even denser thanks to the twisted sci-fi approach to the series. The script takes on numerous wild twists and turns that still manage to feel cohesive well thought-out. I never expected this story to take place on such a massive scale, but “Defenders: The Best Defense” #1 has an unprecedented level of ambition. Ewing does a phenomenal job making sure that each cast member has a voice and is distinctive from one another. It is really hard to get the characterization for Namor right, but Ewing even crafts a compelling moral dilemma for Silver Surfer and Namor.
Continued belowJoe Bennett’s art is as wild as Ewing’s script but much less consistent. There are pages of intergalactic drama with great detail and inspired Kirby-esque shapes, but the strange coloring and clustered pages with Nebulon can become grating to look at. Characters like Namor and Silver Surfer look slightly different on each page as well. Bennett’s take on Hulk is as solid as the core “The Immortal Hulk” series. Bennett is great at drawing horror and there are some double-page spreads that are wild. The coloring from Dono Sanchez-Almara is all over the map in this issue and could have used much more consistency. At times, I’m not sure if I’m reading the same comic because the color palette is so different depending on which page you are looking at.
Even with inconsistent artwork, “Defenders: The Best Defense” #1 is a highly ambitious take on the property. Ewing, Bennett and the full team of creators behind the initiative smartly recognized that addressing the current continuity in Marvel for the characters would make the story more unique. The extremely ambitious plotting and unique take on the property from Ewing is the best aspect of the comic.
Final Verdict: 7.7 – “Defenders: The Best Defense” #1 is a smart and creative way to group the original Defenders together in a small-scale event story.
Hardcore #1
Written by Andy Diggle
Illustrated by Alessandro Vitti
Colored by Adriano Lucas
Lettered by Thomas Mauer
Reviewed by Christa Harader
“Hardcore” #1 explores the not-so-distant sci-fi future of proxy fighting. Think drones, but instead of sleek little flying machines delivering all manner of nasty ordnance, you’re jacking directly into another person and using them as the weapon. Agent Drake’s the best operative for the job, but thanks to an unbalanced adversary he’s stuck in another body with 72 hours to figure out how to get out, or it’s curtains.
Cool, right?
Diggle takes the concept dreamed up by Robert Kirkman and Marc Silvestri and runs with it. The story’s lean in the right ways, with action spots delivering a good dose of adrenaline and enough down time with Drake and other characters to balance the issue. Vitti’s art is great – I especially enjoy the bold action lines we open with, and Vitti’s veteran touch means we get high action without sacrificing character clarity or background detail. Of note in this issue are the nice composite panels in the Capsule itself.
Lucas goes with a cheerful color palette to accent Vitti’s line, with some nice muted tones while Drake’s in the Capsule for visual clarity. Darker hues permeate Drake’s spare nighttime life, and the blood in the latter half of the issue’s not just an afterthought. Mauer’s lettering is clear, concise and narrow, which suits the no-frills narrative.
Overall, this book’s got promise. Diggle and the team know how to put this kind of story together, with very little wasted space and a lot of skill. They hit the action beats you’d expect and hit them right, and that’s all I really need in this genre to keep me happy.
Final Verdict: 8.0 – “Hardcore” #1 is a fine example of a current action comic, with enough sci-fi intrigue and good craft to keep you hooked.
Infinity Wars #6
Written by Gerry Duggan
Illustrated by Mike Deodato Jr.
Colored by Frank Martin
Lettered by VC’s Cory Petit
Reviewed by Elias Rosner
Despite being an utterly superfluous event, the main draw of “Infinity Wars” is Deodato’s art and Duggan’s character work. While it can at times be stiff, see the panels with the Hulk crashing into the ground, the nuance he brings to faces does wonders to shore up the emotional moments. The plot, that of Devondra, the stones, and Requiem, is secondary and unfortunately rather thin and, despite being nearly 45 pages long, issue #6 does not offer a satisfactory ending to any of them. Evil is vanquished, as it always is, and some great loss occurs but it all feels hollow.
Continued belowIn fact, the entire issue has this hollow melancholy to it. Splash pages of character’s faces, such as Loki’s and Warlock’s, are used to sell this and to provide a series of touchstones throughout the event. Loki always looks defeated, as if he is at the end of his rope, and for much of the issue, characters are drawn with this reserved emptiness, except for a few exception, like when Peter has a very awkward panel where he screams at Warlock. However, this tone sets “Infinity Wars” apart from many of the other Marvel events of late. Even though, in the end, it feels like very little was accomplished or, if anything was accomplished, it is was not conveyed in any form of clear manner, the characters came out stronger and the longer arcs for the Guardians were completed.
And therein lies the problem with “Infinity Wars” #6. It is not a good conclusion to the event, mostly because the event felt like a piece of it was missing, but it does serve as a fantastic emotional conclusion to Drax’s story while being a midpoint for Gamora and Warlock’s. That does not make the existence of the event better but it does at least give those who like these characters a reason to read it.
Final Verdict: 5.0 – The pseudo-conclusion to “Infinity Wars” is about as coherent as the rest of the event but the handling of the emotional beats and Deodato’s artwork & Martin’s coloring help keep issue #6 afloat.
James Bond: 007 #2
Written by Greg Pak
Illustrated by Marc Laming
Colored by Triona Farrell
Lettered by Ariana Maher
Reviewed by Chris Egan
As a smuggler attempts to get a mysterious and incredibly dangerous briefcase into the hands of some of the deadliest terrorists in the world, the group known only as ORU, Bond must stop the one man dedicated to getting in his way: the brutal assassin known as Odd Job.
Pak continues to weave not only an interesting tale with Dynamite Comics new “Bond” series, but builds on both mythology from the long line of films and even fan theories, molding them to serve his greater purpose. Pak does a fantastic job of writing this series to both casual and die-hard Bond fans. Seeing a more human James Bond who doesn’t always succeed wrapped in a modern espionage arc while including the fun, gadget-centric style of the older films hits beats found in the entire series stretching from Connery to Craig. One of the coolest things in this issue is that we learn that Odd Job is not just one man. It is a moniker for the man who holds that position. This is a great take on a fan theory that held the idea that because we had a change in actors over that perhaps the name James Bond was a name given to the operative that held the 007 license.
Laming’s art is well-done, detailed, and captures the spy movie look perfectly. He crushes the action sequences. His shoot-outs, boat chases, and fist fights are dynamic. His designs for both Odd Jobs shown works so well. In a flashback we see him drawn with the Harold Sakata likeness from Goldfinger and for the new man in the Odd Job role: John Lee, there is a similarity between him and Bond. Both in their modern style and in their day-to-day dealings. We get to see how much alike they are and it is a great touch for the story. If there is one complaint I have with Bond’s design that he is a little too generically drawn. He isn’t an amalgam of Bond actors and honestly comes off looking a bit too much like Sterling Archer. Farrell’s colors are gorgeous. Her use of lighting and change in tones are stellar. Her work packs a real punch and delivers the goods.
This is the first “James Bond” comic I’ve read that really feels like an extension of the film franchise. It’s biggest faults are a generic looking Bond and one that occasionally comes of as ineffective and amateurish for the character. This is a wonderfully action packed series so far and readers should definitely be excited for where it’s going.
Continued belowFinal Verdict: 8.0 – Pak’s writing is for fans by a fan and an excellent art team deliver the full 007 experience.
