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COMIC REVIEWS FOR THE MONTH OF: MAY 2010
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BOOK OF THE MONTH:
AVENGERS #1 |
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"“...a writer known primarily for his crime-fiction, and his smart dialogue,
manages to conceive this world-hopping, time-traveling adventure, on par with
some of the better ‘classic’ Avengers stories.” (DS) |
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 "The
opinions expressed in the reviews below are not necessarily those of
Alternate Reality, Inc. Hey, I don't agree with all of them either!"
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7 PSYCHOPATHS #1 (of 3) |
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Writer:
Fabien Vehlmann
Artists:
Sean Phillips |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
BOOM!
Comics
Shipped On:
052610
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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BOOM'S SYNOPSIS:
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From Criminal co-conspirator Sean Phillips! 7 men, 1 impossible mission -
assassinate Hitler! With World War II in full swing, there's only one-way to
draw the war to a quick end: kill Hitler. But who would be insane enough to try?
Joshua Goldschmidt knows just the men to do it. Insane? Psychotic? Mad? Call
them what you will, but the seven psychopaths are now the only hope the world
has! In the vein of Inglorious Basterds, with art by the critically acclaimed
Sean Phillips. |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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How many ‘Soldiers of Victory’ were there? Seven.
How many dwarfs? Seven. How many of Kurosawa’s samurai? If you said seven,
you’re correct. The number of days in a week? Yup, it’s seven. That movie with
Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, where they’re police detectives hunting a serial
killer whose gimmick is murdering people in weird representations of the seven
deadly sins? Once again: “Seven”. It’s eerie right? It’s kinda like that movie
with Jim Carrey, where he can’t seem to stop finding the number 23 everywhere he
looks, except it’s the number seven, and I’m no Jim Carrey (so there’s no
laugh-track required…*ZING*). Maybe the rumors of the number’s close relation to
Lady Luck haven’t been greatly exaggerated, or maybe it’s just a big prime
number that allows creators a certain amount of wiggle room, in the way of the
personality department, when it comes to creating a cool team dynamic. In either
case “BOOM! Studios” is in fairly good standing in this reviewer’s opinion, so I
was anxious to give their latest limited-series offering a shot.
With no recognition with regard to the author’s name, the book’s entire appeal
was placed squarely on the shoulders of Sean Phillips, and if you’ve EVER been
exposed to Phillips’ work then there’s really no reason to fret, the artist is
still up to his spectacular old tricks, and plenty of new ones as he illustrates
the crap out of what could very well be considered a ‘talking head’ issue. The
plot is pretty simple, and yet oddly complex once you step away from the book.
What if the Allied Forces had attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler during the
Second World War? This isn’t an entirely new concept, in fact; a story with
very-much-the-same premise was up for an Academy Award just earlier this year
(and although it didn’t WIN, one could argue that it was easily the most
entertaining film of last year, but that’s neither here nor there). What
Vehlmann’s spin on the idea is, what if the government employed a rather
outrageous option, and sent verifiably certified whack-a-doos behind enemy
lines, utilizing their inability to think any way other than ‘outside-the-box’
in an attempt to kill the Fuhrer?
“It is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Only because everyone is persuaded that it is
impossible – or unthinkable – to kill Hitler, has he become invincible. No
REASONABLE man would even entertain the possibility of success. But choose your
seven killers from those whom society labels as “Crazy,” as “Psychopaths,” and
“Deviants”…and suddenly you have a team who can succeed, if for no other reason
than they don’t know their task is “impossible.” That’s a line that Joshua
Goldschmidt, former Professor of Religious History at Cambridge, uses to
persuade Colonel Thompson to initiate “Operation Seven Psychos”, and the two act
as coordinators and confidants. Readers are whisked through a rapid-fire tour of
whom may or may not become members of the mission, or at least half-or-so, with
Goldschmidt himself serving as the first member, and four others joining by the
end of this issue. With only two cast members left to meet, and only two issues
left to go in the series, I’m excited to see how quickly they succeed, or fail,
in their mission.
There’s a bit more in there about the number seven, and how it relates to the
decision to initiate that particular number of people into the mission.
Apparently there is a certain amount of significance in Jewish scripture, their
word for the number being “Zayin,” which translates to ‘triumph,’ or ‘total
victory.’ Don’t get me wrong, the writer isn’t beating anyone over the head with
religious symbolism or anything of the sort, but rather simply relating an
underlying ideology that allows a particular group of people to thrive in the
face of adversity worse than any ever seen in history. It’s not Judaism played
up for laughs or sympathy, or the misguided need to convert
(*cough*Christians*cough*), but rather a backdrop for which this interesting
twist on an old favorite could play out. I’ve loved a majority of “BOOM!
Studios” out-put, and although I hadn’t been anticipating this title, and had
very little idea as to what it was about, I had a great deal of fun with it, and
look forward to finishing it. |
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BATMAN RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #1 (OF 6) |
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Writer:
Grant Morrison
Artists:
Chris Sprouse and Karl Story |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC Comics
Shipped On:
051210
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DC'S SYNOPSIS:
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The most anticipated series of 2010 is here! Superstar writer Grant Morrison
tackles his most ambitious project to date with THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE, a
special six-part series that chronicles the return of the original man behind
Batman's cape and cowl! Each issue spans a different era of time and features
the dynamic artwork of one of today's artistic juggernauts, starting with Chris
Sprouse (TOM STRONG) on the extra-sized issue #1 and Frazer Irving (SEVEN
SOLDIERS: KLARION) on the 40-page issue #2! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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When people think of Batman, and all of the wacky
adventures that he’s had in his 70-plus year career as a crime-fighter, not only
on his own, but as a member of the Justice League of America, people tend to
think of the Joker, or maybe Penguin, sometimes Catwoman or Scarecrow, somebody
will likely say generic gangsters, but, and I’m pretty firm on this ‘but’, I
don’t think ANYONE would say ‘time-travel’. And yet, in the mind of Grant
Morrison, it seems like a perfect fit; by shoehorning Bruce Wayne into his own
family tree, not only does it serve to further separate Bruce from the rest of
humanity, which is what the character has seemingly been all about for quite
some time now, but it also adjusts the rather flimsy origin of
child-witnesses-parents-murder-grows-to-combat-crime-in-all-its-forms. I mean,
what if Bruce Wayne killed Bruce Wayne’s parents, simply to facilitate his
life’s mission? What if Bruce Wayne IS Bruce Wayne’s parents, BOTH of them? Oh,
let the Morrison-mind-meld begin!
You know what I always thought a Batman comic needed more than anything in this
world? CAVEMEN, and don’t worry, because in this issue you get more than you’ve
ever bargained for in a comic about ‘the world’s greatest detective’. Batman,
after being hit with Darkseid’s Omega Sanction at the end of “Final Crisis”, was
sent back in time in a magical rocket ship, and landed in the prehistoric era.
While hiding in a cave, jotting some of his buddies symbols on a wall, in
multiple colors no less, he’s come upon by a band of Deer People, a group of
men, hunters no doubt, whose names are Giant, Man, Boy, Surly, and … Joker?!
Yeah, I guess that’s the kind of heavy-handed metaphor you should come to expect
from a project like this, especially when Morrison’s metatextual approach was
downright panned after his last company-wide event.
While in the company of the Deer People, Batman and his newfound friends are
attacked by a rival tribe of prehistoric men, the Blood Mob and their leader,
Chief Vandal Savage. This results in all of the Deer People dying at the hands
of the Blood Mob, all of them except Boy, who manages to make a brief escape
while the Mob takes Bruce as their prisoner. Savage intends to eat Bruce’s
heart, but until he does, hey, why not tie him down next to the hide of a giant
bat-like creature?! This causes Bruce to experience some sort of P.T.S.D.
flashback, due to the time-travel experience, and a spooky montage of bats and
skulls under floating words like ‘night’, ‘disguise’, and ‘omen.’ Then, all of a
sudden, and without any real reason why, Boy returns to the Blood Mob territory,
with his face disguised by a crude, make-shift domino mask, carrying Batman’s
utility belt, and a shield with a bat-symbol emblazoned upon it. Boy sets Bruce
free, and he quickly goes to work dismantling the Blood Mob tribe.
Of course, even Batman is no true match for a band of blood-thirsty savages, so
he and Boy make a clean get away by diving off the end of an ever so
conveniently placed waterfall, except, only one of them makes it out. Boy waits
for a while, along the water’s bank, but after some time, when the Man-of-Bats
fails to re-emerge from cold darkness, ah hell, he just leaves. This odd
sequence is immediately followed by another odd occurrence, as Chief Savage and
his people then encounter a time-traveling band of adventurers in the form of
Superman, Booster Gold, Green Lantern, and Rip Hunter. There’s some overly
ominous stuff about Batman being the ultimate survivor BUT if he makes it back
to the future without his memory in tact ‘everyone dies!’ Which I’m sure is
nothing more than a big commercial for “Time Masters” mini-series that debuts in
July, but with this series running bi-weekly, and that series starting after
this series ends, is this going to turn into another one of those “Final
Crisis/Final Crisis: Superman Beyond” deals, where you have to read both to get
the whole story? I mean, Morrison’s run on Batman has been marred by creative
leaps with little explanation given until the next $3.99 book is ready for the
shelves. I understand the move from a business perspective, but as a fan, and a
guy who has to fork over money for this stuff on a constant basis (and by ‘has
to’ I mean ‘wants to’), I think that there needs to be a more clear-cut mission
with regard to these books, rather than just moving the pieces around the board
in one title, and tying it all up with explanation and logic in another. |
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ATLAS #1
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Writers:
Jeff Parker Artists:
Gabriel Hardman |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
051910
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL'S SYNOPSIS:
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It's the Agents you love, in an ALL-NEW ONGOING SERIES! Someone has come to
ATLAS looking for answers to some very strange questions, and on his trail is a
danger of a new level. Marvel's Rat Pack are back to solve the mystery behind
THE 3-D MAN. The star team of Jeff Parker and Gabriel Hardman return to take
Jimmy Woo's agents to the weirdest and most fantastic heights yet! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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First it was a mini-series; then it was a short
lived on-going series with two smaller mini’s attached to the end of the run;
THEN it was relegated to back-up status in “The Incredible Hercules” (another
phenomenal series that ended before its time). Now Jeff Parker is back and he’s
brought the rag-tag grouping of fifties’ throwbacks with him once again, and
THIS time the team is getting another new member, in the form of the all-new,
all-different, and still weird 3-D Man.
Formerly the Avenger known as Triathlon, Delroy Garret inherited the title of
The 3-D Man from a pair of brother’s who once shared a body while fighting crime
all the way back during the pre-silver-age. The character’s origin and evolution
is so wrapped up in the silver-age stuff, as well as the build-up to, and
aftermath of “Secret Invasion”, that if you haven’t followed Slott’s
“Initiative”, or the “Skrull Kill Krew” mini-series that followed, well then you
might be a little lost with regard to why you should care about this guy, and
seeing as he’s pretty much the star of the first issue of the “Atlas” re-launch,
well, it’s a good thing that Parker did a great job of laying everything out on
the table up front, without making you wait for two years to figure out the
character’s history (ala Loeb and Rulk).
Yeah, it was a little strange reading a book entitled “Atlas”, in which its
stars, The Agents of Atlas, were yet again relegated to background status, but
in this situation, where the creators are trying to acquaint readers who may not
be familiar with not only Atlas, but also their newest addition, to the style
and flair of the title, I get it. In fact, this might have been the first comic
book in which the back-up feature, and there’s totally back-up feature, stars
the team in which the book is named after…which ALSO begs the question “Is this
title going to remain $3.99?!” So, the Agents of Atlas were really only guest
stars in the main story, but in the back-up it’s all about what’s going on with
them and the organization, and their shady dragon-boss, Lao, and what’s probably
going to turn into an even shadier bid to take over the Atlas Organization. Oh,
and there’s zombies.
Gabriel Hardman is a perfect fit for this title. I like a lot of different
styles of pencils in my comics, but this guy has a handle on these characters in
a way that I haven’t really seen, even from great artists like Carlos Pagulayan,
who started the first on-going. There’s two guys whose styles are drastically
different, and yet both were able to breathe their own life into the characters
and action that the other can’t, but Hardman’s natural story-telling ability,
combined with his knack for meeting deadlines on a regular basis, as well as his
‘classic’ look all make for a top-notch visual experience while reading “Atlas”.
The colors by Elizabeth Breitweiser, wife of artist Mitch Breitweiser, are
perfect, emanating an intangible sense of atmosphere that transcends the panels
and really sucks you into the work. |
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MYSTERY SOCIETY #1 |
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Writers:
Steve Niles Artists:
Fiona Staples |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
IDW
Comics
Shipped On:
052610
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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IDW'S SYNOPSIS:
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Nick Hammond and Anastasia Collins are the Mystery Society and bring new meaning
to "underground cult" status! Stealthily avoiding the authorities, this
skullduggery duo spend their time and money righting wrongs committed in the
world's underbellies. This issue, Ana defends their secret headquarters as Nick
goes on a rescue mission breaking into Area 51 for a bounty that you will not
believe! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Sometimes, in comics like so many other mediums of
artistic expression, a piece of work debuts that really manages to defy
description; it’s not simple enough to classify with only one word, and yet
trying to draw comparisons to previous works fail to adequately get the point
across. I’ve heard some call Steve Niles’ “Mystery Society” a combination of
“Mr. and Mrs. Smith” meets “Umbrella Academy”, and I couldn’t really put my
finger on WHY that just doesn’t seem right to me, but now I understand. It’s not
that there aren’t elements that bring those stories to mind, but I’d be
hard-pressed to actually claim either as inspiration for what we have here,
which in this reviewer’s opinion is a very good thing, because while I enjoyed
that particular film, and the aforementioned comic series by Gerard Way and
Gabriel Ba, I’m thinking Steve Niles is creative enough to build his own
Frankenstein’s monster of a mythology sans cherry picking.
The story starts where many great stories start, at the end, or maybe it’s kinda
toward the middle, but it seems like the end because the main character, Nick
Mystery, is headed to prison. As opposed to an origin story, which the character
admits is somewhat lackluster, readers are thrust into the beginning of the
situation that brought the Mystery Society to where it is currently, which would
appear to be a federal penitentiary. There’s a good deal of flirtatious banter
back and forth between Nick and his main-squeeze, Anastasia, as Nick infiltrates
the government’s hidden Area – 51, while Ana guides him by way of what might
have been a satellite uplink, but with the advent of the cell phone they may
just be using Bluetooth headsets, which takes a bit of the wonder out of
it…*sigh*, I’m getting old.
Nick Mystery runs across a fair share of animalia-inspired, gun-toting, robotic
guards, and easily dispatches all of them. Ana, while not exactly in the thick
of it with Nick, isn’t out of the woods yet either, as a mystery man, who turns
out to be a chick, figures the best way to get the Mystery Society to help her
out is to FIGHT THEM?! C’mon! So while Nick is off gallivanting about hither and
yon, fighting the random gorilla-robot-guard, Ana and some weirdo are throwing
down back home. Nick manages to find what he was looking for, or maybe I should
say ‘who’ he was looking for; as it turns out the whole point of his mission was
to liberate two young girls, twins, who seem to be in possession of some very
impressive abilities; at least I assume they’ll be impressive, the cliffhanger
really sets up a bit of bad-assery for the following issue.
Steve Niles is comfortable in the horror genre, I know that already, but I was
really impressed with how soon he seemed to have found his voice with these
characters. Whether it’s the way he plays off the main characters’ relationship
with each other as casually, yet as passionately as he does, or the way the
press seems to worship the Mystery Society just as much as they love to hate
them; everyone seems to be a unique representation of a character that could
just as easily been played as a stereotype, yet isn’t. It’s this ability to
relate his characters to readers immediately that makes Niles’ work so
impressive. But, when his scripts are illustrated by the masterful Fiona
Staples, well, it’s a no-brainer that this series is destined for a second, or
maybe even a third print.
Staples is able to get down to the nitty-gritty of a panel with the least amount
of intrusion by extraneous background imagery, yet still fill her panels full of
rich environments and incredibly life-like characters, and all while maintaining
one of the most fluid story-telling styles I’ve seen. I think I’m in love. No,
not with Fiona, or Steve, but rather with “The Mystery Society”, I mean, with
the absence of “Planetary” I’m in desperate need of a great, big dose of weird
with my comics these days, and I think I’ve found out where I can get my newest
‘fix.’ |
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SECRET AVENGERS #1 |
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Writers:
Ed Brubaker Artists:
Mike Deodato |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
052610
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL'S SYNOPSIS:
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THE HEROIC AGE IS HERE! Who are the Secret Avengers? Are they a covert team of
heroes working the darkest corners of the globe to stop disaster? Are they
part-spy, part-superhero? Are they XXXXXXX's newest idea to save the world...or
all they all of the above? A new era begins as Marvel's hottest team takes a
21st century twist! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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If there’s one person on Marvel’s roster of writers
whom I’d trust to pick up the reigns of Bendis’ Avengers series, any of them,
and carry on without missing a beat, it’s Ed Brubaker. In fact, I’ve gone so far
as to say that Ed Brubaker was THE writer of the year for 2009, and I’d be
hard-pressed to find someone whose work is as consistent as the author of
“Criminal”, “Incognito”, “Captain America”, amongst others. I like his work, and
with that said I feel I can admit that I was skeptical about the book “Secret
Avengers”, and while my trepidation lay in the choice of cast, not the choice of
creative team, I’m also fully able to admit when I was wrong, and as far as I’m
concerned, I was WAY wrong.
Steve Rogers, the former Captain America who Brubaker has put through the ringer
over the last several years, is back, and he’s the new top cop in the Marvel U,
and since he can do pretty much anything that he wants, he’s putting together
his own team of pro-active, ‘secret’ Avengers, whose mission it is to launch
pre-emptive strike-force against those who would seek to harm, well, anyone.
This issue lays out the beginning of a pretty profound mystery, revolving around
the team attempting to liberate The Serpent Crown from the Roxxon Corporation,
only to find out that what they’ve pilfered isn’t actually The Serpent Crown.
This turns into an outer space reconnaissance mission to Mars, and luckily the
team has its own certified space-man in Nova, who does a couple fly-bys of the
Red Planet. When he uncovers a team of humans with advanced weaponry living on
Mars, well, things just start to get really weird.
The last page of this comic seems to change everything, or at least everything
that I thought I knew about the Marvel Universe. I’m not one for spoilers in my
reviews, so I’ll refrain from letting the cat out of the bag, but let’s just say
that if the last minute guest star is REALLY who he appears to be, then who are
the dudes with the Dragon Emblems, and what the heck is the Shadow Council?!
See, everything I just said would make perfect sense, if you had read this issue
already, but if you haven’t just do yourself a favor, wander on down to the
store and buy it, NOW.
Ed Brubaker is, seriously, one of my favorite writers, and I’ll be the first to
say that I’m with this series to the end, whether it’s $3.99 from here on out or
not. Deodato seems to get better and better each issue, and there’s no shortage
of really, REALLY cool stuff for him to draw in here, and I’m under the
assumption that there’ll be plenty more where that came from. I have no doubt
that this team of Avengers is going to be the one to watch for the immediate
future, as everyone’s pretty much seen what Bendis’ take on the team is, so
it’ll be refreshing to see how someone else (other than Slott) views the
responsibilities and methods, all the while pushing the team to their utmost
limits, and doing so in the most inventive and noir-ish sense. |
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JUSTICE LEAGUE GENERATION LOST #1 |
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Writer:
Keith Giffen and Judd Winick
Artists:
Aaron Lopresti and Matt Ryan |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC Comics
Shipped On:
051210
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MSRP:
$2.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DC'S SYNOPSIS:
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Spinning out of BRIGHTEST DAY, DC's new biweekly event begins here! Someone is
targeting the old members of the defunct Justice League International. Now,
surviving members Booster Gold, Captain Atom, Fire and Ice have to figure out
what unseen mastermind is threatening to destroy the entire Super Hero
community! There are no gray areas here - it's black and white and red with
blood all over for this lost generation of Super Heroes as original JUSTICE
LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL writer Keith Giffen is joined by superstar scribe Judd
Winick (BATMAN, GREEN ARROW) for a new era in excitement! And don't miss the
monumental reteaming of Giffen and his former JLI writing partner J.M. DeMatteis
on this month's BOOSTER GOLD #32! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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At first I thought I’d read the first arc or so of
Giffen, DeMatteis, and McGuire’s “Justice League”, y’know, just to have some
background on the characters and where they come from. Then I had a change of
heart. It’s not THAT run that will make or break this book, but rather the
question, can it stand on its own, introducing this team of characters for a new
generation of readers who may or may not be familiar with the works from
twenty-plus years ago, and can it maintain interest over TWENTY-SIX weeks?!
Judd Winick and Keith Giffen are two of the most furiously debated creators
currently employed by DC Comics. People love, but don’t purchase, Giffen’s “Doom
Patrol”, and people panned Winick’s “Green Arrow”, amongst other stories, and
yet the combination of the two on this proved nothing short of stellar to this
reader, as the pair found the perfect stride right away, crafting a debut issue
that not only solidifies the importance of the story and its participants right
off the bat, but also manages to FEEL urgent, as if the readers are in on some
big secret (which we are) and the fate of the whole world is ACTUALLY at stake
(which it might be).
There’s a quote from Charles Baudelaire, made famous when uttered by Kevin
Spacey in the film “The Usual Suspects”, which seems like the spring board from
which the writing team has taken their creative leap:
“The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he doesn’t
exist.”
It’s this line of thinking that has led to Maxwell Lord’s manipulation of the
minds of the ENTIRE PLANET, and that includes the world’s costumed
crime-fighters, with the exception of four of his former teammates, now tasked
with taking down the mad man before he executes his plan, whatever that might
be. Supes has no clue who Max Lord is, and Batman is also unfamiliar with the
name. Even Wonder Woman, who’s supposedly immune to Lord’s abilities, seems
affected by whatever he did to amplify his talents the world-over, so if the
big-three aren’t going to save the day, who will?! I’m looking forward to how
this plays out.
The art by Aaron Lopresti was stupendous, but he’s rotating chores with two
other artists, illustrating roughly 33% of the year-long series. The two other
gentlemen who’ll be picking up the slack in the following two issues aren’t
anyone I’m familiar with off-hand, but if they can’t maintain the same visual
momentum then I’m afraid this book will stumble where it’s seemingly supposed to
pick up steam. It’s been a long time since a first issue, featuring virtually no
one I’m interested in reading about on a regular basis, has captivated my
attention, and turned the risk-factor up to TEN, at the same time. I’m sure that
OTHER bi-weekly series, by Geoff Johns and Sterling Gates, is going to walk away
with larger sales figures, critical acclaim, and more fan-praise, but I’d be
hard pressed to find anyone saying anything bad about this. |
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MANY LOVES OF AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1 |
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Writers:
Chris Yost, Brian Reed, and Roger Stern |
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Artists:
Michael Ryan, Nick Dragotta, and Ron Frenz |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
052610
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL'S SYNOPSIS:
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Peter Parker may be short on luck but his life sure isn't short on beautiful,
intelligent women and here, Marvel is proud to present three all-new tales of
Spider-Man's greatest loves. First, Spider-Man finally strikes it rich thanks to
the help of the beautiful Black Cat and superstar creators Chris Yost and
Michael Ryan. But it's one payday he may live to regret. Then, Webhead stalwart
Fred Van Lente teams with rising star Javier Rodriguez to take you back to a
chance meeting between Carlie Cooper and Gwen Stacy--and how it changed their
lives forever. Finally, legendary Amazing Spider-Man writer Roger Stern checks
in on Mary Jane Watson. How is Peter's ex coping in a Spider-Man world? |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Easily beating out last week’s “Amazing” as best
read to feature the Web-head, “The Many Loves of the Amazing Spider-Man”
explores a few of the women who help diversify the supporting cast in Peter
Parker’s universe. Let’s face it, half the reason Spider-Man is as big a hit as
he’s always been is due directly to the popularity of these lesser-known, yet
alluring characters, and this is where the ladies get their day in the
spot-light. Black Cat, Carlie Cooper, Gwen Stacey, and of course, tigers, Mary
Jane Watson-Parker sans Parker (because of the deal with the devil Spidey and
M.J. are no longer married) all get fantastic stories that exemplify what makes
each of them such wonderful women in their own ways, while sharing the mutual
connection of Pete/Spidey, even if not all of them are aware of who he is at all
times.
Relationships are complicated, and if you’re in one you probably didn’t need ME
to alert you to this reality. In the world of Marvel Comics, not only does Peter
Parker have to deal with the power and responsibility of being a costumed
vigilante, wanted by both sides of the law, as well as trying to make ends meet
while supporting his Aunt May, but he has to entertain a seemingly
ever-revolving door of poorly-managed relationships with women with whom he can
never fully commit. First up is the Black Cat, another costumed something or
other, friend or foe really only depends on which side of the bed she wakes up
on, with whom Spider-Man has had an on-again, off-again fling with AS
SPIDER-MAN. She doesn’t care for Peter Parker, and really has no use for him
other than sex and the occasional team-up, which sounds AWESOME, but obviously
it’s not something Pete is willing to accept.
Chris Yost, who is a part of one of the most under-appreciated writing teams in
comics, teams with mind-blowing artist Michael Ryan to delve a little deeper
into what Pete, er, Spider-Man sees in ‘Cat, and while they’re at it, they beat
up some weird magic guy who’s stealing money…because those magic guys they’re
always stealing money. Chris has a great handle on what Spider-Man is all about,
with a keen eye for the timing that makes all the difference between a great
Spidey quip and a meager attempt at humor falling dreadfully short as if it was
suddenly out of web-fluid. Michael Ryan was born to draw Spider-Man, and I’m
really pissed that I haven’t seen him do it before, or that I might not get to
see him do it often enough after this comes and goes.
Carlie Cooper and Gwen Stacy represent opposite ends of Peter Parker’s troubles
with women. Gwen, of course, died when Spider-Man broke her neck when he
attempted to rescue her after the Green Goblin tossed her off a bridge. Pete
carried that burden for a long time, and it constantly affected his
relationships until he was married, which never happened, so forget I said
anything about it. Carlie is one of Pete’s newest love interests, and as far as
I’m concerned, a very excellent match. She’s a crime scene investigator,
daughter of a corrupt cop, and she’s got the brains to match Peter’s own
under-written intelligence. She carries her own ghosts with her, and yet she
doesn’t allow it to leave her with ‘feet of clay’, instead doing the best she
can to help those who can’t help themselves. Plus her glasses make her totally
book-worm chic…rawr!
Brian Reed and Nick Dragotta drag out a story that I didn’t think I’d have much
use for, but seriously, really rocked. Gwen and Carlie are both daughters of
police, and as such they had the chance to cross paths as children. This was a
little bit “Nancy Drew” and a little bit unbelievable, but in the end the kids
end up helping police solve a crime by being more observant than investigators
in the case…yeah right…but like I said, for what it’s worth, it worked. The art
chores, handled by Dragotta, maintain the old-school feel that “The Gauntlet”
was attempting to capture up until the Lizard arc, and because it was set back
when Carlie and Gwen were children it maintained a certain amount of nostalgia.
Mary Jane is, and may always be, Pete’s girl, at least in the eyes of the comic
book reading community at large, but a few years ago Marvel editorial decided to
undo about thirty years of marriage and cut her out of the picture for a while.
Recently she was reintroduced to the world of “The Amazing Spider-Man”, and
while I didn’t miss her while she was away, I realized what an important part of
the mythos she actually is. Even when Spider-Man is nothing more than a fly on
the wall in the background of her story she manages to captivate audiences, and
they constantly clamor for more. Roger Stern, who just came off an
impossibly-fun Juggernaut story, gets into the day to day hustle and bustle of
Mary Jane’s film, modeling, and writing career, while at the same time playing
up her importance in stories to come. Ron Frenz does a great job of not
over-illustrating a straight-up M.J. story, instead letting his story-telling
ability flow naturally…probably why he’s still getting work after all this time.
What a great book. |
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DC UNIVERSE LEGACIES #1 Of (10)
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Writer:
Len Wein
Artists:
Andy Kubert & Joe Kubert with J.G. Jones & Scott Kolins |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC Comics
Shipped On:
051910
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DC'S SYNOPSIS:
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It starts here! DC Comics proudly presents a ten-part history of the DC Universe
spanning five generations of heroes from the dawn of the Mystery Men to present
day. In this first exciting issue, the Second World War rages on, giving birth
to a new breed of hero. Caped and masked urban myths become legends as they
emerge from the shadows to earn their place in history. Meanwhile, explore the
bizarre new heroes Dr. Fate and The Spectre and learn whether their powers are
real...or imagined. |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Alright, so it’s a little bit “Marvels” and a little
bit “The Marvels Project”, but it’s DC’s version of those celebratory series,
and in a way that makes this book its own animal entirely. With a history of
characters deeply rooted in the history of OTHER characters, hence the ‘legacy’
tradition that they carry like a cross, creators never seem burdened by the bulk
of what’s really riding on the reputations of guys like Mr. Terrific, Green
Lantern, Dr. Fate, or The Flash, which is to say, while they may carry on the
legacy tradition it has only recently begun to mean anything to the casual
reader. By giving Len, Andy, and Joe this outlet for their appreciation for
classic-era DC characters, the team is attempting to bridge a fairly over-sized
gap between the dawning of the age of super-heroes, across the chasm of 80’s and
90’s anti-heroes, and reconnect with fans who, as off late, seem to find
anything ‘old’ to be new again.
The story begins with a brief framing sequence by artist Scott Kolins,
introducing readers to Paul Lincoln, a former ‘street punk’ who later on in his
life found the straight and narrow path, all thanks to a few run-ins with early
‘Mystery Men’, and later dedicated his life to collecting memorabilia in
celebration of their LEGACY (get it?!). This of course gives way to the good old
days, when Paul was just a kid, and a blossoming street punk, thanks to the
negative influence of his friend Jimmy. The pair are constantly on the streets,
working some sort of angle, and more often then not trouble tends to find them
no matter how low-key they appear to be. When Jimmy gets the both of them a job
unloading boxes of hooch from a couple trucks down by the docks late one
evening, the pair witness a systematic dismantling of Gorilla Gus’s gang of
goons by the mysterious Sandman. If that wasn’t enough to scare them straight,
The Atom shows up and the pair of costumed crime-fighters does their best to
captivate the young men’s attention, in hopes that they won’t grow up emulating
the bad guys. This leads to a bit of a divide between the idealistic Paul, who
admires the Mystery Men, and Jimmy, who believes that their arrival signals the
demise of ‘free enterprise’.
There’s a back up feature, also written by Wein, illustrated by J.G. Jones,
which takes a bit of the more traditional approach to this sort of story.
Following Scott “Scoop” Scanlon, intrepid reporter, as he and his
pal/photographer, Rusty James, make a few inquiries, and really just end up
sharing stories about, the latest appearance of super-powered beings, The
Spectre, Dr. Fate, and Zatara, and while the tone is decidedly different from
the opening story, it represents an entirely different, jaded, adult perspective
to the introduction of wondrous occurrences to the world these characters live
in. I like THAT idea, but I’m not sure that I care for Scoop or Rusty in the
same manner that I began to care for Paul; maybe it’s the way they think they
have it all figured out, nit-picking the magic apart with no imagination, no
child-like appreciation for the unexplainable, which is exactly what would
happen if you had to try and make sense out of the stuff that occurs in
funny-books, but still, it didn’t make the characters appealing, not to me at
least.
I’ve heard some pretty ridiculous comments made in regard to the choice to let
comic-legend Joe Kubert ink his son Andy’s pencils. Let me just say, right off
the bat, that I think that this book looks amazing. Andy’s pencils are renowned
for their detail, and story-telling ability, but with his father’s classic
inking style, this book FEELS like it has that retro vibe to it, and that made a
great deal of difference. Whereas the Marvel counterparts to this kind of a
story were deeply rooted in the reality of the situation, and the art by Alex
Ross and Steve Epting reflected that, DC has opted for a child’s perspective,
allowing for a more ‘classic’ approach; so while their tooting their own
creative horns in one respect, they’re also celebrating the artists of
yesterday, with Joe Kubert cementing a visual connotation that is often
abandoned in favor of fancy colors, and heavy inks. I can’t imagine anyone being
dissatisfied with the artistic direction of this story, and if you don’t agree
with me, well, you probably just don’t really LOVE comic books, not the way I
do. |
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ZATANNA #1
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Writer:
Paul Dini
Artist:
Stephane Roux |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC Comics
Shipped On:
051910
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DC'S SYNOPSIS:
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At last - the Mistress of Magic in her own ongoing series! Zatanna Zatara has
long made her home in San Francisco, but right under her nose a sinister threat
has developed - a crime boss who dominates the criminal underworld with the dark
powers of the magical underworld! The terrifying Brother Night is making his
play for San Fran, and the police force - including hunky detective Dale Colton
- turn to Zee for help. But Brother Night is a whole new kind of criminal and if
Zatanna thinks she can backwards-talk him down, then she's in over her top-hatted
head! Superstar writer Paul Dini (BATMAN: MAD LOVE) is paired with the gorgeous
art of Stephane Roux (BIRDS OF PREY), making his anticipated DC debut on
interior art! There's only one thing to say - T'NOD SSIM TI! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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If there’s one creator who’s brought a very clear
and concise approach to their story-telling to the DC Universe, it’s Paul Dini.
Dini, formerly the mastermind behind “Batman: The Animated Series”, and
responsible for a phenomenal run of one-and-done issues of “Detective Comics”
pre-Morrison “R.I.P.”, has expressed his adoration for the scantily clad
magician/heroine Zatanna before, even featuring her in a rare two-part story in
the midst of his ‘Detective’ work; now he’s been given the opportunity to share
his appreciation of the character with DC readership as a whole, and he’s not
taking any chances that people will sleep on this title, filling it with action,
suspense, magic, monsters, and of course, nudity, AND we’re only on the first
issue.
Readers are treated to a bit of a sexy magic show, complete with Joker and Dr.
Light impersonators, as well as a thinly veiled sexual reference to ‘getting
drilled’, which is only funny if you’re not one to take rape jokes to heart, and
I’m not. The reason I’ve never really gotten into Zatanna is primarily due to
the sexed-up nature of the character, I mean c’mon, she fights crime in fishnet
stockings and stiletto heels, it doesn’t exactly scream “Our bodies, ourselves!”
you know? Dini, however, manages to play up the character’s typical sexy self
against the mind of a master detective, or at least one that on several
occasions has had the good fortune to work with Batman, and that sort of stuff
has to rub off, don’t it?
When she’s called in to serve as an expert witness in the field of the mystic
arts at a fancy-shmancy dinner party turned multiple-murder scene, well, things
just get ri-goddamn-diculous: people have been turned into pigs and frogs and
then run through, left to die in some quasi-mutated state; a man was reduced to
a puddle of water; another set ablaze; there were more than a few people whose
bodies where devoured from the inside out by insects. It really looks like
something you’d expect from Willingham’s “Fables” and not a DC Superhero book,
although, anything that has to do with magic is going to be comparable to the
horror genre, and I think that’s exactly what they’re trying to do, a
superhero/horror title, which Dini and Roux seem more than up to, in spades.
While I could go on and on about how much I enjoy Dini’s ability to pace his
plots clearly and to the point, with little in the way of filler to pad the
page-count, this book would be only half as interesting if it wasn’t illustrated
by Stephane Roux, whose style draws easy comparisons to the Dodsons, but really
evokes a greater similarity to Ryan Sook (coincidentally the last artist charged
with breathing life into a Zatanna book, as part of Morrison’s ‘7 Soldiers of
Victory’), especially what little work he did while working on ‘X-Factor’.
There’s a great sense of wonder, imagination, in every illustration, and it’s
going to be that dynamic look that really sets this book apart from all the
other over-sexed heroines that are running around with their boobs popping out. |
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WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BARON VON SHOCK #1 |
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Writer:
Rob Zombie Artist:
Donny Hadiwidjaja |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Image
Comics
Shipped On:
052610
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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IMAGE'S SYNOPSIS:
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ROB ZOMBIE returns with a dark dramedy outlining the fantastic rise and
spiraling decent of celebrity. Being in the right place at the right time isn't
always a good thing, as Baron Von Shock finds out first hand. His sudden rise to
fame as a television horror host meets with unexpected results. Baron Von Shock
delivers a roller coaster ride of emotion that only ROB ZOMBIE can deliver. |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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I almost slipped just now. I almost just referred to
Rob Zombie’s freshman outing as a comic book writer as a ‘horror’ comic. That’s
not really accurate, that’s not really accurate at all. If I had to classify
this comic in one word, it wouldn’t be ‘horror’, if anything it would be
‘pseudo-soft-core/dark-comedy’. I mean, seriously, the story of Leon Alexander
Reginald Stokes the Third (there was no first, or second, btw.) and how he falls
ass-backwards UP the ladder of local television is one-half Skinemax soft-core
porn, and one half half-hearted Hollywood satire. I get it, Rob Zombie has been
around; and because he’s been successful in music and movies, and appeared on
countless television programs as a performer, or guest speaker, and had his face
grace the cover of handfuls of magazines from however many countries, it’s
supposed to be endearing to hear his perspective on all the glitz and glam B.S.
that gets shoved down our throats on a daily basis, especially when channeled
through the persona of some ‘lovable loser,’ which everybody who reads comics
should be able to relate to right away.
The problem I have with the book is that it comes off as false. It’s as if this
is what Mr. Zombie thought would make for a neat movie, but got denied funding,
so he just spun it off in the next most favorable medium for genre-fiction fans,
comic books. Now the book isn’t entirely without merit, I think that if it had
been the joint venture between Rob and a real writer, someone with a better
track record of doing comedy, or something that even remotely resembles comedy,
then I wouldn’t have been as let down as I was with this. The story isn’t really
anything worth writing home about; a never-ending volley of curse words assault
readers for the duration, and in a last-ditch attempt to redeem the book’s lack
of an interesting concept a nude woman is thrown in about every third page or
so, mentally limiting the average Joe’s ability to criticize anything with any
real degree of accuracy while boobs are present.
I’m not saying that the creative team is attempting to brainwash readers into
thinking this is a good book by loading up on the obscenity as opposed to a
quality story, but I do think that they don’t believe there to be anything more
to comics than that, and for the most part, they may be right. Comics, a male
dominated medium, has often objectified women and degraded them to fit the needs
of a story, or to remind readers that: “Hey, these illustrated breasts are never
going to head south on ya, big boy!” but when it comes to people coming from
outside the medium with their offering, and it amounts to nothing more than a
string of f-bombs and naked ladies, well, we may have no one to blame but
ourselves, the fans. We’re the ones with ability to vote with our dollar. By
choosing to support books that purport that kind of offensive imagery, not only
does it limit what people think they can do with comics, but it alienates those
for whom that kind of misogynistic objectification is beyond forgivable, women.
It’s not Rob Zombie’s fault. As far as 1980’s sex-comedies are concerned he’s
got solid gold on his hands, and truth be told, I’d probably have less to say
had this been some direct-to-DVD passion project of his, but because he’s
crapped in my sandbox, I feel the need to object.
I’m as much a fan of boobs as the next straight guy, but I don’t feel compelled
to actively seek them out when I’m reading comics, maybe I’m an odd duck, but it
doesn’t do anything for me. When I’m reading comics and that sort of thing is
present I’m not actively opposed to it, I mean, there’s plenty of nudity in
books that I like, but it’s not there to contort readers perceptions of how cool
the book is supposed to be versus how cool it actually is. “100 Bullets”
utilized nudity in an artful and conceptually cool way; Garth Ennis is one of
the more obscene writers that I can tolerate, but it’s always within context of
the stories he’s working on; even Alan Moore’s “Watchmen” featured nudity in a
tastefully subtle way, and no one can complain about “Watchmen”. I’m no stranger
to adult material, but I definitely think that its place in comics has been
allowed to fester and metastasize like some sort of Cancer, and it’s time to cut
it out, especially when the book in question isn’t advertised as having any
adult material within its pages…kinda misleading, if you ask me. |
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EXPENDABLES #1 (OF 4) |
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Writer:
Chuck Dixon Artist:
Esteve Polls |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Dynamite
Comics
Shipped On:
051910
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DYNAMITE'S SYNOPSIS:
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After years of corruption, murder of American hostages, and betrayal of foreign
policies, the US - with the help of other Nations who secretly put together a
squad of their most highly trained military personal - will finally attempt to
overthrow the dictator who has caused devastation in South America for over 20
years. This is the story before the story... Featuring the skillful scripting of
Chuck Dixon, the masterful art of Esteve Pols and an incredible painted cover by
Lucio Parillo, Dynamite's all-original Expendables comic features a story you
won't see on the big screen, serving as a prequel to the hottest action film of
2010! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Let the summer movie comic based tie-ins commence!
Chuck “You may remember me from noteworthy runs on comics such as ‘Nightwing’
and, um, probably ‘X-Men’ or something…” Dixon has returned, and he’s brought
Sylvester Stallone with him! Hold your booing for the end, please. Say what you
want about Sly’s movies over the last few years, the Rambo and Rocky franchise
updates were pretty solid, and other than that I can’t really remember a single
flick he’s done, so I guess I don’t have a long list of complaints, but you
might; regardless, his latest offering, featuring some of the biggest names in
action movie history over the last twenty plus years, “The Expendables”, is
slated to open in the next couple weeks, and yours truly here, Sweet Dan Sweet,
is fricking excited.
The premise is simple: What if the United Nations put together a team of the
world’s BEST, most reckless, diverse team of ass-kickers ever assembled, and
sent them after one of these pricks we see on the news who wants to commit
horrible atrocities and acts of genocide? Well, if you score it to Nickleback,
probably an MTV Movie award for “Most Ass-Kicking and Diverse Team of
Mercenaries to Toss Witty Banter about While Liberating a Politically Oppressed
People”, but in panel form, with none of the ‘FLASH’, ‘BANG’, or ‘Ka-BOOM’s, or
the hilarity of Sly’s stilted delivery, or the way that delivery would work
opposite an Schwarzenegger, or Jet Li, or Dolph Lungdren, well, then you got
nothing.
That said, this is still a pretty solid read, and because I’ve been exposed to
enough of the advertising for this flick via the web, so I’d been clued into who
was slated to play whom, and therefore the representations in the comic read
just like variations of characters these actors had already played rather than
the roles they created for this film, because I HAVEN’T seen the film this is
based on yet, but I’ll bet that there’s no real subtlety or layering to this
gang of manly men other than the caricatures they’re typically portrayed as.
Good guys kills some bad guys, then the good guys kill some more bad guys, and
THEN, the good guys fight some gang bangers. Seriously? Gang-bangers? These guys
are supposed to be the cream of the world’s military crop, and Chuck Dixon is
sending them up against East L.A. Vatos?! Yikes.
Esteve Polls does a decent enough job with what he’s been handed, coming off a
bit like a Sean Phillips-lite, but seriously if you have to emulate anyone’s
style with your own, why not Sean Phillips?! I LOVE SEAN PHILLIPS. The cover, by
Lucio Parillo is nothing like the interior, so don’t get the wrong idea,
although I’ll say this much for Polls, I don’t think the style of the art had
anything to do with the lack of any real dynamic to this book. It’s a cash-grab
and longtime fans of the medium are going to recognize it as such. I don’t know
why genre films constantly cross pollinate the comic book world with their
drivel, but like I said, as far as drivel is concerned, this is pretty good,
just not memorable, or necessary. |
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THUNDERBOLTS #144 |
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Writer:
Jeff Parker Artist:
Kev Walker |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
052610
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MSRP:
$2.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL'S SYNOPSIS:
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The new era for Marvel's always-evolving, always controversial team kicks off
here! It's a beginning, a return, a departure, and an arrival of a new artist
(MARVEL ZOMBIES 3 & 4's Kev Walker) all rolled into one in a fresh, shocking
status quo! The most dangerous people on Earth are now all in one hellish
prison, and the only way out is through rehabilitation and contribution to
society via The Thunderbolts...under the leadership of the steel-hard-skinned
Avenger named Luke Cage! So bring on the first participants: Juggernaut!
Crossbones! Ghost! Moonstone! And...Man-Thing? Against the sordid recent history
of the group as a black ops kill squad, can Power Man restore the Thunderbolts
to their rightful potential? |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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When all is said and done, Civil War has come and
gone, the Dark Reign is over, and everyone is finished with the Siege of Asgard,
the “Thunderbolts”, at its core, is a team of villains masquerading as heroes;
always has been (except for that one time they tried to reboot the book as a
fight-club for superheroes) and it always will be. Over the many, many years
that I’ve enjoyed the funny-book medium I’ve seen all sorts of allegiance-swaps,
from good guys betraying teammates to villains seeking a shot at redemption, and
while many of the changes are less than permanent, there are the rare few for
whom the switch-over is much more meaningful, and redemption that much easier to
embrace.
Luke Cage, for all the time he’s spent at the forefront of the Marvel Universe
over the last several years, is often overlooked as a hero who began his career
on the wrong side of the law. Of course, he never was a villain in league with
the likes of Crossbones, or a terrorist like Ghost, or just a bully like Cain
“Juggernaut” Marko, but he did spend some time in jail for a crime he didn’t
commit, but when the opportunity to step-up came knocking, Luke answered the
call, and for a while even led the Avengers. Now he’s being inserted into a
different kind of leadership position, while still serving as a member of the
New Avengers no doubt, as the Head of the Thunderbolts Rehabilitation Program,
and he’s being joined by a couple of the book’s original cast members: Songbird,
Fixer, Mach IV (now Mach V, like anybody cares), and of course, Moonstone.
As cool as all of that is, and it’s all pretty freaking cool if you ask me, I
was really excited to see the newest additions to the team get a chance to
stretch their legs. Juggernaut? Crossbones?! Man-Thing???!!! What the heck is
Jeff Parker thinking? I mean, CB ‘killed’ Captain America; Juggernaut is an
on-again, off-again psycho; and Man-Thing, he doesn’t even speak English (HA,
now I sound like FOX New…)! But seriously, I think that the team is
pretty well rounded, with a mixture of the Baron Zemo era, the Ellis era, and
Norman Osborn’s Dark Reign wet-works team equally represented, all while Jeff
Parker throws his penchant for the wacky obscurities Marvel’s archives have to
offer. If his work on “Atlas” (in all its various forms) is any indication,
there’s very little chance that the weirder this book gets less interested I’m
going to be.
Kev Walker’s style is going to take a bit of adjustment. It’s not the look that
Parker’s run started with, and it’s not at all similar to the looks achieved by
Diggle or Ellis’ runs with Sepulveda and Deodato, respectively, but it harkens
back to the Busiek/Bagley era, albeit with its own unique flair and modern
twist, and I think that’s what they’re trying to accomplish with the ‘Heroic
Age’. It’ll be interesting to see an issue with a bit of action, as opposed to
how this issue merely sets the stage for what’s to follow, even though Walker
manages to move the story along, despite the lack of anything actually happening
(other than Cage jumping out of a plane with no parachute early in the issue),
without making readers feel bored. All in all, and I’ll be honest I wasn’t
holding out a ton of hope, but the Thunderbolts seems to be back on track, and
I’m grateful that Marvel is letting someone with a quirky imagination sift
through the turds in search of a few diamonds. |
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SENTRY FALLEN SUN |
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Writer:
Paul Jenkins Artists:
Tom Raney and Scott Hanna |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
051210
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
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MARVEL'S SYNOPSIS:
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The SIEGE has ended and taken its toll on both sides of the battle field. The
event seven years in the making has claimed many lives, and in this, its final
chapter, a universe comes together to mourn the Sentry. The shocking death that
ended the fight and gave birth to a new Heroic Age is remembered as a writer
Paul Jenkins returns to lead the farewells. |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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With the end of the Siege of Asgard comes the
inevitable changing of the guard, and as far as The Sentry is concerned it’s out
with the old, and ‘Oh $#!t, I’m dead.” Or at least as dead as someone who’s
abilities make him impossible to kill can be. If you haven’t read “Siege” #4
yet, well, I’m about to spoil the ending, so either go read that and then come
back, or let me save you the trouble: The good guys win.
At the end of “Siege” #3, Norman Osborn’s secret weapon, The Sentry, had been
revealed as The Void, or he’d been The Void all along, or Norman had figured out
how to bring out The Void and the good guys were pretty much screwed. Now, what
could normally have been drawn out into two, or even three more issues, Bendis
manages to finish in a little less than half-an-issue, exercising those
compression skills that everyone claims he doesn’t have. Iron Man drives the
Helicarrier into The Void, and then Thor unleashes the full extent of his
control over the lightning, and ‘kills’ the villain as he’s on his last legs.
I put ‘kills’ in quotations because the character had been ‘killed’ a handful of
times in sixteen-some-odd issues of “Dark Avengers”, and however many times in
“New Avengers” before that, but he always seemed to defeat the odds. I’m not
quite sure that’s how I meant to put that, I think I meant to say: No one knew
the extent of this character’s abilities, even the writing/editorial team,
because, to me, it felt like the rules were constantly changed to suit whatever
circumstances Bendis was forced to put such a powerful character into in order
to take him off the playing field. I mean, it isn’t THAT big of a problem, as
far as I’m concerned, but it feels like his ‘death’, and this issue’s subsequent
‘memorial’, serves no purpose other than to mentally prepare readers for the
character’s inevitable return.
Drawing Paul Jenkins out of obscurity to write the memorial for a character he
helped create was almost enough to keep me interested, but I found the bland
dialogue, series of ‘made-up’ testimonials, and ultimately the pointlessness of
it all (because they point out the character’s plans to return from the dead
BEFORE the issue even ends) to be counter-productive. Even as characters like
Reed Richards, or Cyclops, or whomever recount their experiences with Bob
Reynolds, the man known, or NOT known, as The Sentry, I couldn’t help but feel
like it all came off as forced. Due to the convoluted origin of the character
(who had to make the world forget he existed in order to stop himself from
killing everyone, like he tried to do in Asgard) everyone’s telling stories that
didn’t actually happen, or they did BUT you can’t read about them, so it’s
frivolous. In fact, I think that’s the best way to describe the issue as whole:
FRIVOLOUS. |
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HEROIC AGE PRINCE OF POWER #1 (OF 4) |
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Writers:
Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente Artist:
Reilly Brown |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Marvel
Comics
Shipped On:
051210
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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MARVEL'S SYNOPSIS:
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The Lion of Olympus has fallen. And as the Heroic Age dawns, the Golden Mace of
Hercules passes to a new Prince of Power...who just happens to be Herc's best
friend, Korean-American kid genius, Amadeus Cho. But when Amadeus finally
reveals what he plans to do with his new power, the heavens themselves may
shatter as Marvel's mightiest pantheons are shaken to the core! And wait a
minute...what's THOR doing on the cover of this book? Fan fave writers Greg Pak
and Fred Van Lente and beloved "Thorcules" artist Reilly Brown bring the thunder
with the next essential chapter in the mind-blowing, heart-wrenching, and
gut-busting epic that is the "INCREDIBLE HERCULES" experience! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Pak and Van Lente will probably go down in comic
book history as the Kyle & Yost of Marvel Comics, wait...that doesn’t make
sense…they’ll be referred to as the Giffen & DeMatteis of quirky and weird
b-list heroes…no, that’s not right either…ok…Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente will go
down in comic book history as the Lewis and Clark of Hercules and Amadeus Cho.
What the hell does that mean?! Well, they might not have been the first to
wander this road, but they made it worth sticking around. Seriously, I read
Avengers comics when I was a kid, and Hercules was often a character utilized as
a Thor-lite (as was Gilgamesh, but I still don’t think I’d read a Gilgamesh
book) with no real personality that I could decipher as a youngster.
Fast-forward to Mark Millar’s “Civil War” and the now-classic “Thou art no
THOR!” line Herc utters as he smashes Clor’s cyborg head in with his own
fake-Thor hammer. That was quickly followed by an appearance in the Hulk series
of books during the “World War Hulk” storyline, which was parlayed into “The
Incredible Hercules”, a continuation of the Hulk book with the same numbering
and everything, a kind of baffling move when I first encountered it. Were they
trying to pass Herc off as some sort of wannabe Hulk now? I mean, he’s big,
dumb, and strong, and the color green is a part of his color-scheme, and he’s
running around with the newest Mastermind Excello, Amadeus Cho, like some ethnic
Rick Jones?! Nope, they simply had come across a natural transitioning point, in
which they could re-introduce the character a bit more properly, AND they kept
Amadeus Cho around because he was a sinfully underutilized character who had a
great deal of potential to get ‘over’ with the fan-base.
It was a good, long run, of about 35 issues or so, but the adventures felt as
epic as any of Marvel’s longstanding cornerstones. Hercules and Amadeus
developed a fan following that saw their book survive through editorially
mandated appearances in virtually EVERY cross over that was happening at the
time. All the while the pair of authors worked their way toward their ultimate
destination, the death of Hercules, and the crowning of Amadeus Cho as the new
Prince of Power. Now that the young hypermind is in control of the Olympus
Group, a corporate structured pantheon of the Gods, as well as in control of
their financial holdings, he’s set about righting the wrongs that his
boss/antagonist Athena put in motion with her machinations.
If you’ve read “The Incredible Hercules” then you have darn good idea as far as
what to expect from this book, and if you happened to catch the “Thorcules” arc,
illustrated by Reilly Brown, then you have a terrific idea of what to expect
visually. Brown’s style shows some pretty heavy manga influence, but also a
classic story telling ability, a ever-so-slight likeness to Oliver Coipel (who
just finished a little book called “Siege”), so the guy is bonkers, ok?! I,
personally, spoke to Mr. Brown at Chicago’s C2E2, and after a little digging
found out that (at the time) he had a pretty good idea of what he’ll be
illustrating after “Prince of Power” is complete, but he couldn’t reveal any
hints as far as what that may actually turn out to be. All I know is that if
he’s drawing it, I’m buying it, and enjoying it. |
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FRENEMY OF THE STATE #1 (OF 5)
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Writers:
Rashida Jones, Christina Weir and Nunzio DeFilippis Artist:
Jeff Wamester |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Oni
Comics
Shipped On:
051210
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MSRP:
$3.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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ONI'S SYNOPSIS:
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An all-new series from the star of NBC's Parks & Recreation and veteran comic
scribes DeFilippis and Weir! Ariana Von Holmberg is an heiress with a secret.
But what she's hiding isn't a sex tape or a drug addiction or an affair with a
professional golfer - it's a new career as a CIA operative! What better cover
for an agent than a globe-trotting care-free femme with a penchant for flights
of fancy? But can Ari balance her high society obligations with her new role as
a spy or will the weight of two worlds bring her dual lives to a violent end? |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Strong female main characters; I’ve made a demand
for more interesting, intelligent, capable main characters that represent strong
women, without over-reliance on playing up their sexuality. It would seem
television/film star, Rashida Jones, as well as the team that I last read on
“New Mutants” (Vol. 2? 3?), Weir and DeFilippis, agree with me, and have decided
to deliver. The only thing more unimaginable than the further retardation of our
society through television programs such as “My Super Sweet 16”, “The Hills”, or
“Jersey Shore” would be the United States’ Government’s decision to recruit
their spies from such underdeveloped gene pools as the ones listed. That’s the
gist of this story, in a nutshell: Celebutant/Super-spies, well, I guess it
would be super-spy, singular, because as of the first issue there’s only one,
but she’s DAMN good.
Who knew breaking into the home of a United States Senator, who happens to be
the father of your unfaithful boyfriend, could draw such attention from the
C.I.A.?! After Arian Von Holmberg (somebody deserves an award for most
over-the-top, Waspy-sounding name) gets caught hacking a security system,
breaking and entering, and assaulting a Senator’s son, she’s put into a bit of a
trick-bag, and interrogated in a room under hot lights. As most of these kinds
of encounters go the agency wasn’t REALLY trying to prosecute her for her
crimes, they were much more interested in putting her to work, utilizing her
skills to spy on other Richie Rich-like neighbors and friends.
A few things work in this story’s favor: Weir and DeFilippis have a great handle
on teen characters, they’re part of the reason I stuck with the “New Mutants”
through 4 title changes; their plotting and pacing is masterful, never does the
story feel like it’s stalling, or padding the pages with useless filler. The art
work is beyond superb, with clean lines, dynamic storytelling, and fluid action;
Jeff Wamester isn’t a name I’m fully familiar with, but he’s a guy I’m going to
be constantly checking for from now on.
I’m gonna come clean here, Rashida Jones is super-hot, and I’ll fully admit that
I thought it was even more INSANELY hot that she was co-writing (co-creating?) a
comic book, so I was onboard with this title before I ever laid eyes on it. I
wasn’t EXPECTING much, well, because track records show that a majority of these
Hollywood/Comic Book collaborations are more about selling the star’s
involvement than they are about the creativity, or adding anything to the
medium, but…that doesn’t appear to be the case here. I think it’s quite the
opposite really.
Jones, daughter of ‘media mogul’ and musician Quincy Jones, grew up in a life of
affluence. No, she may not have had her own reality TV. series, or a stolen sex
tape, or some sort of ridiculous run-ins with the law, or maybe she did and
nobody will ever know, the world was different back then (she’s only seven years
older than me, but if I can remember a life without camera-phones, the internet,
and “The Situation”, then I’m sure Ms. Jones can even better!). Make no mistake,
there’s absolutely a bit of thumbing one’s nose from one generation of rich kid
to the next, but it’s done in such a way that it’s subtle, and a majority of the
idiots this title satirizes wouldn’t pick up what she’s (they’re) laying down. |
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PILOT SEASON STEALTH #1
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Writer:
Robert Kirkman
Artist:
Sheldon Mitchell |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
Image/Top Cow Comics
Shipped On:
050510
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MSRP:
$2.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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IMAGE/TOP COW'S SYNOPSIS:
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From the creative minds of Image partners Robert Kirkman & Marc Silvestri! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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I think the only problem that I’ve had with “Pilot
Season” so far is that the powers-that-be released the book that I like the most
first, and everything that’s come out since then, “Demonic” and now “Stealth”,
tend to pale in comparison. Don’t get me wrong, both ideas are sound, but with
only ONE issue to sell the concept to the public nothing has really resonated
within me the way the first story did. “Stealth” comes a lot closer than
“Demonic”, primarily because of Kirkman’s (as well as my own) adoration for
elderly crime-fighters, and in this instance, one with a serious case of
Alzheimer’s.
I can’t believe this hasn’t been done before, and neither, I’ll bet, can Kirkman.
There’s one scene in particular Kirkman references at the end of the story,
where the idea for the book originated, in which an elderly superhero is beating
the crap out of someone he believes to be a villain, but because of his mental
state it’s revealed that he’s beating his grown son, almost to death. The scene
works, and the revelation (albeit a small revelation) that the elderly hero is
anxiously awaiting the return of the people who gifted him with the Stealth
suit, in hopes they can repair his deteriorating mind, is pretty powerful, but
it’s too little, too late.
The ability to introduce a new character, entice an audience into wanting to see
this guy again, and leaving threads for other writers to follow, all in one
issue, is quite a task, and while Kirkman’s IDEAS are the kind that I’d like to
see more of, there needs to be more to it than just this kind of execution.
Kirkman’s the conceptualist, Silvestri does the preliminary character designs,
and then the book is given to an artist, in this case Sheldon Mitchell, but all
in all the book just falls short, with little characterization, other than the
most basic, to HOOK readers. IF each of these books were TWO issues, or even
three, I could see EVERY idea becoming a hot property, but unfortunately, with
the comic book market place the way it is, both readers AND publishers can’t (or
aren’t willing) to take those kinds of risks with fledgling concepts. *SIGH. |
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WAR OF THE SUPERMEN #1 (of 4) |
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Writers:
James Robinson and Sterling Gates
Artist:
Jamal Igle |
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC Comics
Shipped On:
050510
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MSRP:
$2.99 each
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DC'S SYNOPSIS:
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The Battle for New Krypton! This is it! The storyline the SUPERMAN books have
been building to since 2008 has arrived! Superman has never faced such a
difficult challenge - how can he stop the two worlds he loves from destroying
each other? General Zod has been waiting for another shot at Earth for years,
and with 100,000 supermen on his side, it looks like it's his war to win! But on
Earth, General Lane has an ace up his sleeve that will level the playing field
quite nicely! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Alright, the year-long, million-part epic is drawing
to a close; pretty soon we’ll be able to force the wretchedness that was Jim
Robinson’s writing from our minds in favor of a fresh, new outlook on the Man of
Steel. I was in favor of this “New Krypton” hullabaloo when it first began, but
it quickly descended into trivial back-and-forth shouting match between Kal and
Zod; not to mention the other parts of the story were just as necessary to
understand just what the hell is going on, so if you weren’t prepared to buy
“New Krypton”, AND “Superman”, AND “Action Comics”, AND “Supergirl”, yadda yadda
yadda, then you may not have gotten ‘it’, very much in the same way that I
didn’t get ‘it’.
It doesn’t matter what kind of characterization a character received over the
last year and a half or so, because they were really just being positioned to
start throwing punches here at the end. Zod isn’t really the leader his people
need at a time like this, which is how he was made out to be, he’s still the
dastardly, scheming, malevolent force of evil he’s always been, but this time he
was ELECTED to the position of megalomaniacal mad-man, which I guess in some way
was supposed to throw us off his trail. General Lane, Alura, Superwoman?! All
just cogs in the machine that is Robinson’s robotic storytelling, and none
served a purpose more than cannon fodder, or would that be canon fodder?
If you received your copy of the FCBD #0 issue, launching this series much in
the same way that “Blackest Night” started, well then you’re pretty much up to
speed. This first issue of the month-long, weekly ‘event’, which is 25% of the
overall story (20% if you’re counting the FCBD issue, but c’mon!) is such a
let-down. I was hoping for something, anything that would redeem this book, but
for the most part it’s just more of the same. Kal and Zod, locked in a skirmish,
Zod’s goons making short work of the Man of Steel, only for him to summon the
will power to pummel his enemies like we’ve seen him do time and time again.
There’s a bit of intrigue surrounding General Lane’s ultimate victory over the
Kryptonians, which ultimately may or may not be a surprise (depending on whether
or not this is your FIRST comic book ever), but it at least is illustrated
really well by “Supergirl” artist, Jamal Igle.
These books have looked GREAT from the first issue of the “New Krypton” epic
illustrated by Pete Woods, and to issue preceding this one, by Eddy Barrows.
These artists know what it takes to make these dismal stories a treat to look
at, but with virtually no re-readability, I can’t think it’s anything other than
a flash-in-the-pan Superman drawing; a series of really cool pinups. If you
erased all of the dialogue, choosing instead to make up your own story say, Zod
attempting to procure an ancient Egg-Salad recipe, would it make this tripe
anymore re-readable, probably not, but at least you’ll get a laugh, which is
more emotion than this whole issue was able to evoke out of me. |
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BRIGHTEST DAY #1 |
Writers:
Geoff Johns & Peter J.Tomasi
Artists:
Ivan Reis, Patrick Gleason, Adrian Syaf, Joe Prado, and Scott Clark
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Reviewer:
"Sweet" Dan Sweet
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Publisher:
DC Comics
Shipped On:
050510
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MSRP:
$2.99 each
(15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)
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DC'S SYNOPSIS:
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BRIGHTEST DAY continues, but in ways you can't
possibly expect! What does BRIGHTEST DAY mean to the DC Universe? Is everything
from here on out going to be bright and shiny? No, BRIGHTEST DAY means something
else entirely, something we can't tell you...yet. But we can tell you our heroes
will need to rise up more than ever to combat the forces of evil, and a select
few will uncover a secret that binds them ALL. It all begins in the specially
priced issue #1! |
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SWEET DAN'S REVIEW:
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Mr. Geoff Johns, my hat is off to you sir. I’ve been
a critic of your work, for the most part, since I first read anything that you
did (an obscure issue of “Avengers” to be precise) and I must say it came as
quite a surprise to me that I enjoyed this as much as I did. Teaming with Pete
Tomasi, who wrote the “Green Lantern: CORP” book during the “Blackest Night”
saga, Johns is hot on his own trail, following the threads HE set up during the
latest DC mega-event, which I panned, but at least the follow-up seems
promising.
Twelve dead heroes and villains have been returned to the land of the living,
but no one understands why, and thus the premise for the 26-issue bi-weekly
series revolves around these recently un-deceased characters solving whatever
mystery it is that makes their return so…mysterious. There’s bits with Aquaman
and Mera, Deadman, whose name makes little sense now that he’s alive but
considering the fact that he’s the only left with a white ring on his finger and
there just so happens to be an immovable, sword-in-the-stone-like White Lantern
embedded in the Earth, which has attracted Sinestro and Hal Jordan, as well as
Star Sapphire, Carol Ferris, he probably plays a pretty heavy role in what’s to
come. The Hawks (Man and Woman, respectively) run across a group of bad guys who
seek to steal the remains of the previous incarnations of the Hawks, which seems
way more convoluted than it should be. Firestorm gets a few panels, and he’s
still, pretty much, a big d!ck.
Out of all the stories featured, and there’s more than a few, I’m most intrigued
by Martian Manhunter’s. Here’s a character, almost as powerful as Superman, and
yet has never garnered the respect that he rightfully deserves. Taking him off
Earth, and seeing what his journey to rebuild his planet would be like could be
insanely interesting, but they seem to want to send him on some sort of murder
mystery in which the said-murder hasn’t happened yet…blah, blah, blah. SO I’m
hoping that just leads back to Mars, seriously.
The art chores are split up amongst a group of DC’s heavy hitters, or, ALMOST
heavy hitters, with Ivan Reis the most popular, riding the “Blackest Night” wave
right into this new maxi-series. I think everyone does a phenomenal job of
maintaining a cohesive ‘look’, which often isn’t the case on jam-session books,
such as this. I’m curious if this is going to be the group of guys that handle
this book through its entire run, or if this is just some sort of horrible
tease. I’m counting on the group of artists to take it all the way to the end
zone, because anything less than stellar illustration and this book is being
done an injustice. |
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All Books/Characters pictured herein are © Copyright 2010 by their respective
owners. No rights given or implied by Alternate Reality, Incorporated.
Reviews © 2010 Alternate Reality, Inc.
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OTHER REVIEWS...
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RASSLIN' REVIEW
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Pay Per Views and House Shows, we layeth the Smaketh- Down on both!
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KIDS REVIEWS
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Dozen's of kid friendly titles arrive every week and we review the ones that
stand out.
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AT THE MOVIES
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Every week we give you our opinion on what's playing at the cinema.
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