DC New 52, Week 4

This wraps up the first month of the DC Relaunch, with my lightest week yet. There was less in this final week I was interested in, and even these two titles were purchased more out of curiousity than because they initially caught my eye as must-buy books. I'm happy I did get them though, because they were both quite good.

The Flash#1 - Francis Manapul, Brian Buccellato/Francis Manapul

I really liked this. REALLY liked it. I've never been a Flash fan. I couldn't care less if this Flash is Barry Allen, Wally West, Jay Garrick, or Bart Allen. I don't care if he's married or single, de-aged or an experienced hero. I came into this hoping for an energetic story with great art, and I got exactly that. This book is written by the artist and colourist, so I had no clue what to expect from the story, but it really delivered. Manapul and Buccellato nail the pacing, with a number of important events happening at a brisk pace as we are introduced to Barry Allen, the two women competing for his affections, his job and co-workers, his general approach to being a superhero, and the city around him. At the same time, a villainous plot is brewing that wisely ties itself into Barry as a character, giving us even more insight into him and his past. And none of this feels slow or bogged down in details at any point. I also really liked the character of Barry here, especially his scientific curiousity. The interaction between he and his co-workers, along with the two women, Patty and Iris, interested in him, was fun throughout. The art was a marvel. On a number of pages, Manapul fuses his artistic storytelling and page layouts with the story progression itself. It's tough to describe, but a wonder to see on paper. At the same time, it's not overdone or overtaking the book. On the more traditional pages, the figures are clear and expressive and the action is vibrant. Buccellato's colour palet is very muted and sketchy in spots here, and it initially put me off, but I appreciate how it accents the art. A full-on, day-glo colour job would make this bright book overwhelming. Buccellato's colour choices not only let the art speak for itself, but lend Centre City a seedier look and bring out the less-polished aspects of Manapul's wonderful style. This book is right up there with Batwoman in terms of visuals, but the story was surprisingly deep and refreshing as well. So happy I picked this up.


Justice League Dark#1 - Peter Milligan/Mikel Janin

I was originally not going to get this, but then I realized I wasn't kidding anyone: Peter Milligan writing a bevy of characters I love (chief among them Shade the Changing Man and John Constantine)? Why was I not going to at least try this? Of course, this isn't a Vertigo book, the imprint where those two characters earned my love, but Animal Man and Swamp Thing took typical Vertigo characters out of that line with great success. And I had fun with this. It's a very measured book in terms of its pacing, coming from a relaunch that has either jumped in headfirst or slowly walked through character origins. Milligan takes the time to set up a devastating mystery straight out of an old issue of his run on Shade The Changing Man, with a group of identical women being killed on a freeway. From there, each character who will presumably make up this group is drawn into the intrigue, some in connection to the others and some independent of them. At the same time, the mystery bubbles in the background and the JLA are defeated by the villain of the piece. So much of this reminded me of a great old Vertigo title like Shade or Swamp Thing, with an unusual, unsettling mysery centered around a seemingly normal person. I also felt Milligan gave just enough room for the characters to shine. Shade and Kathy discuss how he has ruined her life, John stumbles into the problem unwittingly, and, in a great twist, Batman tries to dissuade Zatanna from helping out, deeming her unstable. To my knowledge, she is seemingly normal, so I love this take on her as unstable and operating outside of the 'good' heroes wishes. The intrusion of Batman and the JLA works; Milligan dispatches of them quickly as ill-equipped to deal with problems of this nature, giving this book a stronger identity. There is a lot going on here, but Milligan is able to weave it into a fairly strong tapestry and a good starting point for a series. Janin ably illustrates it all, especially the fight scenes with the Enchantress, but I thought some of his figures were a bit too polished. Regardless, it was an enjoyable debut. I don't know where it's going to go from here, but I quite liked it.

DC New 52 ... Week 3

The DC Relaunch continues, with two of my most anticipated books coming out, and a couple other picks that worked out with varying degrees of success.

Batman#1 - Scott Snyder/Greg Capullo

Scott Snyder absolutely enthralled me with his run on Detective Comics in the past year. But this is a different book. That title starred Dick Grayson as Batman, had dark artwork, and was kind of able to go off and tell its own twisted little story. This, on the other hand, is a flagship book of the relaunch, with star artist Greg Capullo returning to a high profile book, and, most importantly, Bruce Wayne starring as Batman. Snyder constructs a wide plot hero, introducing us to this Bruce, the world he operates in, both as a businessman and a vigilante, a couple of cases for him to take on, and a wallop of a cliffhanger. As a debut issue with that scope, this worked marvelously. We basically get a look at Bruce's relationship with all major players - Dick, Tim, Damian, Alfred, Vicki Vale, and, in the strongest scenes, Commissioner Gordon and Harvey Bullock. There's a fun feint pulled here, as Batman fights alongside 'the Joker' in Arkham against a bevy of his foes. Bruce's gadgets are put to good use, as he deciphers a phone conversation Gordon is having from across the room and uses a facial recognition tool to navigate a society event. There's a fun cliffhanger set up at the end, following a great scene of Batman and Bullock investigating a gruesome crime scene. Capullo's larger than life art is a treat throughout, with an exaggerated version of Batman's foes, a wonderful spread of Bruce sitting quietly in the Batcave, and unique, expressive characters. On a technical level, this was basically a perfect comic. But, given that, it was almost a little too polished. Snyder's Detective had an edge and a rough, throw-every-gritty-idea-against-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks feel to it. Snyder has polished his craft, the book's profile has been raised, and this is no longer the story of Dick Grayson struggling with his role as Batman. This is Bruce Wayne reigning supreme in Gotham. I hate making this criticism. I adored this issue, and everything the creators put into it. I just feel a little bit of the raw energy of Snyder's Detective was sacrificed as the final product became so polished. It's a wonderful final product though.

Wonder Woman#1 - Brian Azzarello/Cliff Chiang

I was in as soon as I saw the creative team assigned to this. I think I would have bought any DC book with their names on it. I have never been a Wonder Woman fan. I took Greg Rucka's run on the character out of the library, and found it to be a pretty thoughtful book, but that's where my association with her ends. This first issue doesn't really put a stamp on the WW character, but it doesn't have to. Azzarello has confusingly described this as a horror book. Reading it, it all came together. This is a brutal, uncompromising comic, with harsh imagery and violence depicted by Chiang's soft, expressive visuals. Azzarello creates a frightening picture of gods operating in the normal world, with strength and violent resolve that leaves the human female at the centre of the story in complete shock. We are thrown into this adventure as abruptly as she is and it is a wild, unsettling ride. Azzarello doesn't make Wonder Woman the focal point of the issue; she is initially a bit unfriendly towards the troubled woman. There is still a lot of room for the creative team to present their version of the character. In the meantime, this was a frantic chase and fight issue. I loved how Azzarello portrayed the godly characters. They aren't inhuman, but felt subtly different than the human characters in their tone and interaction with the humans. This is a fairly tense, taut issue, with the wider plot hinted at and broadly sketched out. The creative team is more interested in arresting our attention with the action here, and it worked for me. I was captivated from start to end and can't wait for more.


Blue Beetle#1 - Tony Bedard/Ig Guara

I tried this out because I've never read a comic written by Tony Bedard, and, from what I knew of him, I thought he'd be well-suited to a teenage superhero book. There's nothing here to indicate he isn't, but I wasn't particularly taken with this debut issue. In its favour, it does have a likeable lead in Jaime Reyes, who's concerned about being popular in school and has a fairly realistic teenage voice. All of the circumstances Bedard puts him in, be it at home or school, were enjoyable scenes and I like that his ethnic background is woven into the book pretty naturally. I was a bit less enamoured with the superhero elements, which form the bulk of the issue. There are scenes in space of a beetle scarab finding its way to Earth (passing a Green Lantern on its way). This is an enjoyable opening, hinting at the bigger tapestry that this title operates in. Back on Earth, there is a lengthy fight between a variety of creatures over the scarab. I was just not drawn in by this. I didn't know, or really care, who any of these people were. This setup wouldn't be so disappointing if the story really went anywhere in this first issue. Jaime, the lead character, makes contact with the scarab by stumbling on this fight, and the issue ends. I feel like I need to give the second issue a chance because I don't actually know what Bedard intends to do with this book as a superhero title. Some of these "New 52" titles have been soft reboots, and some, like this, have started completely from scratch. That works against Bedard, actually, as I didn't feel like anything happened here. The issue feels slight, as the setup itself is barely introduced before it ends. The art didn't really draw me in either. It was vibrant and lively, but more what I associate with the typical DC 'house style' of the past decade. I'm struggling with whether I will give the second issue a chance to show me what this book will actually be about. At this point, all that's drawing me back is an enjoyable lead teenage character, and I have my old issues of Untold Tales of Spider-Man to satisfy that.


DC Universe Presents#1 - Paul Jenkins/Bernard Chang

I picked this up due to a strong advanced review, and because a couple other books I considered getting were sold out. It's the first issue of a five-part story starring Deadman, and this title will showcase different lead characters, so it seemed safe to test the waters. I'm happy I did, because this was an intriguing and well-structured debut. I don't know anything about Deadman, but this story is basically starting from zero. In the midst of a lot of exposition and dialogue from Jenkins, what I found was a fairly soft and thoughtful book. After his own death, Boston Brand becomes Deadman, and is tasked by a mysterious woman with taking up/inhabiting the lives of those who are in difficult spots in life. This issue finds him struggling with how to help his latest host, a mentally and physically-damaged war veteran. This isn't a superhero story, but the story of one man trying to find meaning in his own actions, as he tries to lead troubled individuals down a better path. Brand is haunted by the weight of the people he has helped in the past and this leads to some powerful scenes, which Jenkins tends to underplay and explore, rather than overplay. The story is wrenched in some interesting directions, as Brand tries to communicate with a friend with psychic powers and finally threatens the woman behind his predicament at the end. I was pretty impressed by the entire thing. It was a great introduction to the character (even though some details about exactly how his powers work were omitted), whose voice and situation resonated on a real level. Jenkins paces the more comic book-y twists well, leading to some interesting developments and a great cliffhanger. Chang is an artist I only know from his assorted fill-ins on X-books over the years. I love his blocky style; although it is on display here, it is overwhelmed by a strong colour pallet, which is too overbearing for the subject matter. It's perfectly good stuff, but sometimes less is more. Still, the story drew me in, and I'll be back for more.

Ultimate Spider-Man V.7 (#40-45) - Irresponsible

Brian Michael Bendis/Mark Bagely

Well, the high drama couldn’t be kept up forever, I guess. Bendis has continually been upping the personal and heroic stakes for Peter, taking his life through a gauntlet of traumas and having him question the value of his heroic career after recent crises. Then comes this volume, where the weight of previous stories hangs around the edges and Peter faces a fairly scattered conflict against a mutant named Geldoff. It takes a more light-hearted tone that doesn’t work and feels like a trifle affair after the rollercoaster Bendis has brought us through. I suppose I’m weaned on wonderful runs like Bendis and Ed Brubaker on Daredevil, where the model of storytelling was to continually up the stakes and make things worse for the lead character, through deep, long-form character arcs. Bendis has expertly done the same thing up to this point on this book. I’m all for more light-hearted fare, but it doesn’t feel earned here and this isn’t nearly a strong enough story to derail the drama we’ve had up to this point.

The strongest elements of this volume deal with the characters, even if the character work is not as uniformly strong as usual. Surprisingly, the strongest thread here is Peter’s quest to replace his destroyed costume. It has a humour that rings true and is in line with this Peter as a do-gooder still in over his head. He has no plan for when a costume gets ruined and struggles with what to do next. It’s a story thread that is amusingly continued over several of these issues and works much better as an attempt at levity than the general tone of this volume did, as it rung true for the character and felt earned – it was a natural problem that this Peter would face and stood out as one of Bendis’ better ideas here, despite how simple it was.

Peter and Mary Jane’s reconciliation is also a major plot point. There’s good fun had when she tries to change type and wear an over-the-top outfit to a party, and their talk on the bus ride home from that party is amusing. All of this leads up to a letter that she writes him, one that, for all its sappiness, shows the heart that this book wears on its sleeve and is a nice turning point for Peter. I really like how Peter’s narration later on, when faced with the Geldoff problem, is still full of elation over being back with MJ.

There are other character bits here. Flash continually tries to talk to Peter alone, only to be rebuffed because Peter doesn’t want to walk into a bullying attempt. Liz Allan reappears, and continues her discomfort with mutants/superheroes. Having Gwen live at the Parker home remains a strong choice for this series. Gwen is easily the most interesting of the supporting cast. The interaction between her and Peter is full of life, because she brings out the inner miserable, anti-social outcast within him. It’s refreshing to have Bendis acknowledge those qualities within Peter, instead of glossing over them with the ‘loveable loser’ label, and Gwen is key to us seeing that different side to Peter.

So the set-ups here with the characters are largely pretty good. It’s when Geldoff enters the story that things take a turn for the dull. He’s a mutant who causes explosions and destruction at a party and Spider-Man later confronts him when he takes this behaviour to the streets. The point here, according to the description on the back of the trade, is that Geldoff is the opposite of Peter’s “great power, great responsibility” mantra – he feels no responsibility, or any sense that he should have greater concerns, when he uses his powers. Unfortunately, the back of the trade conveys this message with more power and weight than the actual story does. There’s nothing wrong with Peter’s rooftop lecture to Geldoff on power and responsibility, it’s just lifeless in how perfunctory it is. It doesn’t sound like Peter speaks from the heart, no matter how much Bendis has him scream. Given his recent trials, he should really feel the weight of this mantra. Yet here, it’s a dull speech to a guy with a badly-written accent. Geldoff is such a nothing character that I have to wonder what the whole point of this exercise was.

The X-Men then enter the story, and, unfortunately, things don’t get better. In their early scenes, Bendis goes way overboard with his quippy dialogue from the X-females. There’s a lot of fluffy talk, centering on the inane Geldoff. Now the idea of Peter being excited to visit the X-Mansion and meet other youth with powers really worked for me. But Bendis doesn’t seem to know where to take the story after Peter leaves in the X-Men’s jet. Geldoff has another freak-out on the jet, eating up some pages with aerial fighting, and May tries to look for the absent Peter (which is admittedly much better material).

Once in the presence of the full team of X-Men, Bendis still fails to inspire. Xavier learns that Geldoff’s mutation was the result of genetic manipulations, which is at least a direction of some sort to take that story in. Peter is less than happy about Xavier’s proposal to turn Geldoff over to the UN and investigate the issue, feeling his basic human rights will be stripped from him if he’s treated as a pawn in investigating this scheme. This is all well and good, but I badly lost interest at this point. The drive of this entire series has been Peter as a character. This conflict feels so removed from him and his life, and the fact that he just drops his opposition to Xavier’s idea so quickly makes the whole trip to the X-Mansion seem pointless. It’s the first major interaction Peter’s has had with heroes outside of Nick Fury and it badly lost its potential.

The final issue spotlights Aunt May, and is also fraught with problems. The build up to her confrontation with Peter on his whereabouts had been quite good. The resolution is hokey and illogical. First, May drops her anger at Peter when he reveals he’d skipped class to read a book of his mother’s. Of course, this is all a lie, so who do we feel bad for – May for lashing out at Peter and realizing the error (it wasn’t an error) of her ways? Peter for being yelled at, even though he’s lying and, inadvertently, guilt-tripping his aunt? Then May gets into her hatred of Spider-Man, and, to me, the majority of her reasons seemed completely illogical and at odds with her character. She feels he’s been around her life too much, wonders if he had anything to do with Ben’s murder, and worries that he’s hurting Peter when Peter goes missing. In the midst of what I feel is a completely botched character study are moments of clarity and truth – May admits guilt over feeling attracted to Captain Stacy, she feels she’s keeping Gwen around as a crutch for her own loneliness, and the video of the Parker/Brock picnic from volume 6 is brought up as a moment that really made her feel alone. It’s these naked moments of emotion that cut to the heart of the character, not her forced hatred of Spider-Man. She tries to relax and be warm with Peter at the very end, and it’s a great moment, but these wonderful character insights are wrapped around some truly bizarre character choices that seemed forced and illogical.

I can’t deny a disappointment with Irresponsible. The book feels like it has lost gravity in its plotting. The strength is in the character moments, which are currently holding the book together. The last few arcs thrived because characterization was woven into some highly dramatic plotlines. This volume almost completely divorces them, and the plotting reveals itself to be lightweight, weak, and hollow. The character moments are good, despite some hiccups, but the story really faltered for me.

THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS HAVE CONFOUNDED ME SINCE I WAS TEN YEARS OLD

In regards to 1971's Escape from the Planet of the Apes, how did three chimpanzee scientists, Cornelius, Zira, and Milo, manage to do all of the following:

1) Find Taylor's spacecraft
2) Raise it from the bottom of a lake bed
3) Repair all the damage to the ship
4) Make it air tight again
5) Replace the explosively-detonated escape hatch
6) Restore power to the ship
7) Get the spacecraft back into Earth orbit
8) Figure out how to do any of this when they don't even believe that Ape can fly, let alone that Man is smart enough to fly
9) Do all this in a matter of hours

Granted, all of this led to one of the greatest undiscovered gems of all time, but come on. Not to mention Zira was apparently 8+ months pregnant through all of this.

Ultimate Spider-Man V.6 (#33-39) - Venom

Brian Michael Bendis/Mark Bagely

Bendis changes things up slightly with this volume, with a story that is largely self-contained. That’s not to say the other volumes haven’t told stories in that way, but Venom as a threat seems distinct from the general narrative of the book so far. It doesn’t all work perfectly, but it’s another bold entry in this series.

The most striking thing about this story is how wholly the Venom character is changed from the version we’re more familiar with. The general ideas behind this revamp are quite good. Bendis sets the stage well, with Peter discovering a tape of the Parker and Brock families having a picnic together. Through that, he opens us up to the world of young Eddie Brock and the work their fathers did together. It makes sense to give the Parker parents a bigger role in the Spider-Man mythos. And the basic idea of Venom, that he’s not an alien suit, but a medical advancement Peter and Eddie’s fathers made to help humans combat disease, is certainly a daring change, one that I feel is explored quite well throughout this story. There’s also a lot of potential to starting fresh with such a simple idea; some of these concepts have grown too big in the main Marvel Universe, and here, Venom is brought back to basics, with a strong foundation.

Bendis puts a lot of work into the Eddie Brock character, who is now a university student whom Peter tracks down after learning how close their families were. Prior to Eddie's transformation into Venom, Bendis sharply draws the character, and he provides a nice contrast to the Peter we’ve been reading about. The discussion he has with Peter about moving on from high school is a great scene – made even stronger when we find out he gave Gwen the exact same speech. So we see someone that, for all his confidence about moving on in life, still has issues with how he presents himself to people and perhaps with his self-confidence. It’s also nice to see Peter and Gwen hanging out with him, experience something outside of high school life. Gwen also fits in well in this role. I can’t imagine Mary Jane being so gung ho on riding off with Eddie, and it's nice to see Peter and Gwen hanging out.

The bigger story almost goes on hold for an issue when Peter gets the venom suit attached to him. Bendis uses that issue for a very fast-paced action piece where Peter tests the capabilities of the suit against various criminals in the city. Bendis nails the voice of this excitable Peter, so taken with what the suit can do, but also overwhelmed by it. The moment where he lashes out at an innocuous criminal and transforms into the more familiar-looking Venom we’re used to is very good, as is his attempt to get rid of the suit. He and Eddie’s confrontation after that is gripping stuff, with Peter divulging his secret identity as no other choice presents itself and explaining the disgust he feels with himself over how the venom suit made him act.

Eddie quickly turns after this, double-crossing Peter and putting on the suit himself, transforming into the Venom appearance we are familiar with. His initial transformation is a powerful sequence, as he unknowingly kills a cleaning woman and struggles to understand why he can’t feel his feet, his heart beats, and his body movements. It’s a wonderful example of Bendis putting a realistic spin on superheroes; comic characters go through these superhuman transformations regularly, and here we get a human voice showing what it must actually be like. A fight with Peter quickly follows, livened up by interspersing scenes of Peter watching a fairly ominous video of his father discussing his scientific work through the fight scenes. The desired effect is achieved – this feels like a well-done, suspenseful movie. As much as I’m not interested in a big slugfest with a snarling monster (shades of Peter’s first battle with Norman in volume 1), this fight is grounded in Richard Parker’s narration, which hits on the wider points of the story without being intrusive or heavy-handed.

Bendis wisely includes a seventh issue for some decompression. Peter confronts Nick Fury on why he didn’t intervene this time to help. It’s a decidedly interesting take on Peter’s growth as a hero and I like how it connects Peter to the wider Ultimate Universe. I’m getting a little annoyed with Fury/SHIELD cropping up in the final issues of each story to mop up (or, in this case, to not mop up) the problem Peter faced, but there’s still potential to this idea. Next, he learns that Eddie, whether dead or alive, is gone from his dorm. Finally, he confronts Eddie’s professor, mentioned throughout the story, Dr. Curt Connors. I’m not crazy about plot elements that are introduced in the closing act of a lengthy story, but this is ok. Bendis strongly ties it to the story’s wider themes and the bigger story of the Ultimate U – did Richard Parker’s experiments lead to the superhero uprising, and has this influx of superheroes been a good thing? Peter predictably lashes out, defending his father’s attempts to help people, and is left standing in silence, contemplating if his father, or he himself, have helped anyone. Like the previous two volumes, it ends on a dramatic note, with the lead character left to wonder where things went wrong.

This is the most irregular volume so far in that the Venom story is fairly self-contained and takes up the vast majority of the story. There are no other plotlines running alongside it, and although the Nick Fury stuff shows up at the end, this is basically all about Venom. Bendis does still make some room for the supporting cast, though. Gwen is getting more comfortable living at the Parker’s. Aunt May has a wonderful moment, where she is in a state of shock after seeing the family picnic video, which her husband appears in. And MJ gets quietly jealous about the developments in Peter’s life since their break-up. In both his personal life and Spider-Man career, she feels like she is missing out. There’s a great reunion with her after Peter has his experience with the venom suit that really feels like he’s trying to reach out to the one person he can talk to about this sort of stuff. Bendis choosing to have Peter tell one of his friends his secret identity so early in the series remains a strong decision.

There are some uneven moments here. The story becomes less interesting when it moves to action. But, the heart of the Peter character is preserved through it all, as he makes bad choices, acts out, and learns from his mistakes. It asks bigger questions about the value of heroes and has guts in doing so. Peter’s success rate is not consistent and the toll his actions have taken on real people has been large. So is this all worth it? I don’t think the established Marvel Universe would have the guts, or ability, to ask such ballsy questions and keep them as running story threads. It may not be Bendis' absolute strongest story yet, but it is gutsy and dramatic and has a strong voice. I quite liked it.

Hellblazer - Excuse me while I throw up...

I was planning on returning to comment on Hellblazer when I finished Brian Azzarello's four collections of the series. After reading the second collection, I couldn't wait. I left off with his first story, "Hard Time," chronicling John's time in, and escape from, and American jail for the murder of his friend Richard Fermin. John handed Richard the gun he used to kill himself. Feeling guilty for this, John went along with the murder charges pinned on him and caused havoc while in prison.

"Good Intentions" (collecting #151-156) is Azzarello's second story arc, and covers John's trip to the heart of the American south, to make amends for his involvement in Richard Fermin's death with Richard's family. This is a disturbing and stripped back tale, with magic and its ilk nowhere to be seen. John has faced some nasty characters before, but Fermin's two male relatives take the cake. I was reminded of Jesse Custer's heinous grandmother, and her two assistants, in Preacher more than once. I think part of the horror is that John feels powerless and helpless at points here. For all of the tough times he's faced in the past, even when he was homeless and drifting, John retained a degree of control and confidence, and, hence, some power. We readers rarely saw him truly at the mercy of others. Even at his lowest point in prison, I was confidant John would overcome his opponents with gusto.

Here, John is drugged and made to take part in illicit incidents involving a dog and a video camera. It's as unpleasant as it sounds. And we see none of it. In fact, we're in the dark on what exactly happened for as long as John is, as he wanders around with the brothers Fermin, wondering why they drugged him and what exactly happened. It's here that the character feels powerless. John is usually never this confused and disoriented. He is at the mercy of some truly reprehensible characters, not only because of what they did to him, but because they know what happened and he doesn't. When John finally watches the video, faithful dog at his side, the effect is incredibly unsettling, made even worse (or dangerously funny) by the cover to that particular issue, with a smiling John embracing the slobbering dog.

John is in a completely hostile space here. He is thrown into Deliverance territory, an America he doesn't understand. A toothless old man pushing a shopping cart comes on to him. His fairly benign style of dress sets him completely apart from everyone. Even the little kids are completely bastards, throwing rocks at cats. For all the bad he's seen, John can't make sense of their behaviour. The character feels alienated from his typical British setting, without a friend, or even remote ally, in sight. There are also some fantastic flashbacks worked in here, to when John met Rose, the only person who initially is on his side in this town, on her trip to England years back. It's a wonderful juxtaposition to the man we see in this story - he's cocky, overconfident, and slightly condescending towards this foreign girl. The tables are completely turned on John when he is dropped into her hometown and the effect is jarring. The opening chapter is particularly excellent. It's basically John just hitching rides into the town, and acting like his typical bastard self towards the drivers. He's confident, smug, sarcastic, and a complete troublemaker, like usual - a complete reversal once he gets to his destination and is at the mercy of others. It's an issue that could sit perfectly as a standalone tale, but works as a great counterpoint to the rest of the story as well.

The finale is as violent and uncomfortable as this title can be, with animal attacks and brutal slayings wrapped around a truly disturbing set of revelations about the town and the video business they were forced into when facing economic collapse. Azzarello doesn't go too far with selling the hardships of small town life, when a people are facing no prospects. The line between hero and villain is still pretty clear. But there is a sad sympathy for the people of Doglick (pun ... intended?) and the route they have taken to stay afloat. Some may see this storyline as smutty shock value. It certainly is, but Azzarello paces the revelations and most disturbing scenes properly. The horror doesn't come from the specific actions these people have taken that gave this story its notoriety, so much as the smaller details packed into their town and the general tone of the behaviour there.

Marcelo Frusin draws this arc, and, boy, is it a stark contrast from Richard Corben's almost comical exaggerations in "Hard Time." Frusin draws in a very typical Vertigo style, clearly drawing on Eduardo Risso for inspiration. His figures are clear and expressive, with a slightly cartoony edge, and his depiction of the final fight is harrowing.

I really wanted to wait until I finished reading Azzarello's Hellblazer run to provide further comment, but I couldn't resist after "Good Intentions." This is a shocker of a story; it may have turned some off, but I was enthralled, even when I was repulsed. Can't wait to see where Azzarello brings John next.

DC New 52 continues

The DC relaunch continues, and I surprised myself with a couple of the books I bought. Initially, I was actually only going to get Batwoman, but I decided to branch out a bit and try a couple others. Granted, I still haven't been able to find a copy of Batman and Robin#1, but hopefully I can pick up the second print.

Batwoman #1 - J.H. Williams III, W. Hayden Blackman/J.H. Williams III

I was a huge fan of Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams' run on this character on Detective Comics and have been waiting for this ongoing title since it was originally announced. Then pushed back. Then pushed back again. And finally just launched with the relaunch. Fine by me, as this is stellar stuff. It picks up where Kate's story left off, but is fairly accessible as well. Her problem with her father and her various relationships are all touched on a fairly simple way, for new readers to latch onto. Moreover, Kate remains a haunted figure, fighting to keep her personal life together, and becoming a hardened vigilante when in costume. There are a lot of great things in the mix, with children being kidnapped by a mysterious woman, Kate going out with Detective Maggie Sawyer, Kate's cousin Bette joining her in the field, and Agent Chase, a pet character of Williams', being assigned to track down Batwoman. Speaking of Williams, his art remains as strong as ever, with sweeping, majestic splash pages placed against serene scenes of normal people interacting. It feels as though Williams and Blackman are building their own tapestry here, with a variety of personal problems growing for Kate, all depicted by a unique style of art. Excellent stuff, and long overdue for this fan.


Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E#1 - Jeff Lemire/Alberto Ponticelli

Ok, so I don't know why this wasn't originally on my pick list, because it is right up my street. I think it was because I wasn't buying the Flashpoint mini-series about Frankenstein and thought it would lead into this. It very well may, but I certainly don't know that after reading this issue. It's very welcoming to new readers and, more importantly, tons of fun. Jeff Lemire is definitely the unsung hero of the DC Relaunch right now. Once again, he shows off his talent for blending the gruesome with the ordinary. A boy and his grandfather bonding while fishing leads into an attack by grotesque monsters. Frankenstein's relationship with the wife he is separated from weighs on his mind just as heavily as a town under siege by evil creatures. The book also has a wonderful, quirky sense of humour. Frankenstein's boss has transferred himself into the body of a mouthy young girl, who we meet as Frankenstein grunts his way through the weird goings-on at S.H.A.D.E. He's also drafted into a team composed of every 50s movie monster on the books. Ponticelli shines here as well. He depicts this grim, gruesome world wonderfully, and adds a playful element to the character designs and body language that mirrors Lemire's humour. He does a great job on the action scenes, too. It's a really fun comic that veers toward the weird at all the right moments. Nothing short of a minor triumph.


Superboy#1 - Scott Lobdell/R.B. Silva

I picked this up for two reasons: 1) I read a surprisingly positive advance review and 2) I loved R.B. Silva's art on the Jimmy Olsen back-up strip in Action Comics last year. That's not much of a reason, but I'm happy I tried it. Lobdell and I go way back to my earliest days reading comics, when he wrote Uncanny X-Men. Hardly an illustrious run, but one forever stamped in my mind (if only because I've read those issues dozens of times each). He doesn't really inspire confidence in me as a writer, but this was surprisingly good. I liked how unconventional it was. It's essentially set in a lab, with a fakeout sequence in the middle that turns out to be a VR sequence run in Superboy's head. Now, the end seems to set up bigger things, but, for now, I loved the lab setting and vibe. The book is presided over by a red-headed woman, allegedly Caitlin Fairchild from Gen13, who laments the situation of this captive boy, a product of human and alien DNA. The VR sequence is sublime, with Superboy so disaffected and bored with the life he's imagining. The book feels alienating and unfriendly, but there are pockets of warmer moments that nicely counteract the colder ones (which are equally effective). I don't typically expect Lobdell to be able to create tone or mood, but he does so admirably here. Silva does a great job, with expressive characters and body language and a clean, distinct style. I think the story might be heading into more conventional territory, but this debut issue was enough to get me to at least try out more.


Grifter#1 - Nathan Edmondson/CAFU

And, out of nowhere, comes this gem. I picked this up for no particular reason, besides a desire to be surprised (mixed with loving CAFU's art on the recent T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents). What a surprise it was. This is the story of a con man and his female accomplice, who get caught in a dastardly scheme of some sort, way out of their depth, leading to an unaccounted for 17 minutes (or is it days?) while the man is unconscious and held captive. It is clearly modeled on Lost and its ilk, with jumps in time, shadowy figures, and leads characters who have no clue what they have gotten into. One thing completely on this book's side is mood; it is seeped in an ominous and mysterious tone. The lead character is also somewhat likeable, with his natural astuteness and good instincts preventing him from feeling like a pathetic victim. CAFU brings his unique figures and crisp design and layout sense to this book, and it looks great. It looks like a spy story, drenched in darkness and danger at the right times. I was surprised by how good this was. Edmonson's script and story were taut and hit all the right beats. I'm not sure where it's going, or how long Grifter can realistically support an ongoing title, but I'll be there for the ride.

DC New 52

So DC released the first wave of relaunched titles this week and I picked up more than I expected to. This relaunch is coming at a time when I'm becoming a bit disinterested in the wider direction of the Marvel Universe, so I was more than happy to try out a few of these titles.

Stormwatch #1 - Paul Cornell/Miguel Sepulveda

I was a litte lukewarm on this after my first read, but upon rereading it, I loved the energy and fast pace. On paper, this was a dream book for me - Paul Cornell rejigging the beloved Authority concept. I don't think it hit it's true potential in the first issue, but it was still a strong debut. The fast pace and flurry of characters and scenes are both a boon and a hindrance - I loved being thrown into the world of this covert team, but felt that perhaps a bit too much happened in one issue. There are a lot of central characters here, and we meet them all briefly. I really liked the tone of the dialogue, though. At times, the characters in The Authority were a bit too lofty, but here the dialogue was a bit more relatable. Jenny Quantam is kind of whiny and the others just seem annoyed with each other. I also enjoyed some of the plot concepts here - Harry Tanner encountering the consciousness of the moon, which is attacking Earth; Apollo resisting joining Stormwatch. This team may not be the ultra-cool Authority that superhumans would die to be a part of, and I really liked that. Sepulveda's art had to depict a lot of different things here, but was always grounded in expressive characters that evoked Mike McKone's faces and body language. It was an eclectic issue, that perhaps had too much going on for it's own good, but still an audacious debut.


Batgirl #1 - Gail Simone/Adrian Syaf

I picked this up more because of the strong advanced press than any attachement to the character or Gail Simone. I was incredibly impressed. For all the bright colours and talk of moving on, this is a haunted book. Barbara Gordon is haunted by the Joker's attack that left her paralyzed. As for her time in the wheelchair, she draws strength from those years and tries to move on from them. Even moreso than Alec Holland in Swamp Thing, Barbara is the most engaging protagonist in this week's books, haunted by her past, trying to leap valiantly into the future, and still hesitant about letting people in. The book is also paced perfectly, with harrowing, violent scenes juxtaposed against Barbara's efforts to build a new life for herself. Her somewhat downbeat narration permeates the entire issue. Syaf's art is fairly dyanmic in places, with a nice detail and depth to his figures and a stunning splash page of Batgirl swinging into action. Outside of Animal Man, this one left the strongest impression on me.


Swamp Thing #1 - Scott Snyder/Yanick Paquette

I'm a fan of Alan Moore's Swamp Thing, but the main draw for me here was writer Scott Snyder, who has wowed me with his work on Detective Comics. I just thought putting him on this character seemed like a perfect fit. I was a bit surprised to find that this wasn't my favourite of the relaunched books, for as much as I enjoyed it. Because for everything good thing Snyder does here, the issue felt a little thin. A couple of villainous subplots are brewing, but in terms of the main character, Alec Holland, we don't get much more than an introduction. That's really my only criticism, but it still nags for me. The work Snyder does with Holland is top notch. He's a man haunted by his time as a swamp-like creature, and, even being back in his own body now, he feels like a third person, not himself or the swamp creature. I loved how Snyder depicted his awareness of plant life, and his feeling that it is all violent and sinister. It's a great setup piece, presenting a man terrorized by a past he can't understand. I just wish it went a bit further than setup with Holland's story. That said, there are subplot scenes here lifted directly from Moore's Swamp Thing, in terms of their ominous nature, that hint at future threats. Paquette is an artist I've never encountered beyond the odd X-Men fill-in, and his work here is lovely. He nails the sinister flashbacks and subplots, with creative panel arrangements and haunting visuals, but also crafts a great Alec Holland, as a man who looks tired and weary. It is a strong debut, with a great voice for its lead character, I just would have liked a bit more beyond setup.


Static Shock #1 - Scott McDaniel, John Rozum/Scott McDaniel

I picked this up on a lark when I realized I wasn't getting any traditional superhero books this week. I have no knowledge of the character, but I've always liked a good teen hero book. This ended up being exactly what I hoped for - an energetic, fun introduction to a young hero. There's no origin provided here, only background on Static's powers and family/work situation. But it's all weaved in pretty seamlessly. This issue provides that setup for the character, but also launches him into some ongoing plot threads. Static's portrayal is the best part of the issue; he has a confidence in himself as a hero (seen in a couple fun action sequences), but feels like a dweeb in his real life. It's like he keeps trying to get his real life to catch up to the coolness of his superhero one, but is still a normal kid at the heart of it. There was a good balance here, with fun action scenes, sinister vilains plotting, and scenes of Static at home, trying to convince his parents to get him a car. I've always liked McDaniel's art. Outside of some rough-looking faces, the art is lively and fun, with some creative action scenes. This was a pleasant surprise and I'll be picking it up again.


Action Comics #1 - Grant Morrison/Rags Morales

I've led myself to believe this was the comic I've been waiting for since the day I was born. So I had high expectations for it. It delivered. This is a fast-paced, fun comic with a thoughtful side and a bold new voice for Superman. I loved this portrayal of Superman - fighting for the common people, exposing corruption, becoming a local champion. He earnestly believes his extreme measures are justifiable because they expose criminals. He's almost a boyscout version of Transmetropolitan's Spider Jerusalem, desperate for regular people to win out over corruption and excess. At the same time, he's a likeable, relatable character. The glimpses into his personal life were great, as were his friendship-rivalry with Lois and Jimmy. The bulk of the issue is a series of fight and chase scenes, drawn with wonderful energy by Morales. The army, the police, and even a consultant (Lex Luthor) are brought in to try and make sense of this super being, whose powers seem to expand by the day. It's a realistic look at how the authorities would respond to such a forceful vigilante coming into their city. This issue never lets up for a second, even in its few quieter scenes, and had a great energy to it. A triumph.


Animal Man #1 - Jeff Lemire/Travel Forman

But this was my favourite of the group. Lemire has a great ability to mix the bizarre with the sweet and warm, which is on display here. Buddy Baker's family life is the crux of the book. But for every sweet moment there, there's another jab from Buddy's wife about his superhero career and the path into acting he's now following. Foreman's art is clean and stark here, with very sparse backgrounds, making the family members feel standoffish and at odds with each other. It's very effective. The action picks up when Animal Man confronts a hostage situation in a children's hospital, where Foreman really lets loose on Buddy accessing his animal powers. The dream sequence that closes the book is an unsettling one, leading to a cliffhanger that hints at dark and deadly things for the Baker family. This comic felt exactly like the Vertigo comics of old, like Swamp Thing or Shade The Changing Man, which is the highest praise I can offer. It brought weirdness right back where it belongs, to the family, with gusto. It also was rooted in its characters. Buddy is genuinely interesting, conflicted about where he should take his superhero life and perhaps feeling a bit ashamed for going back to acting. The opening interview with him was a great device for introducing the character and his setup. An excellent first issue.


And, not to be forgotten, I picked up the latest issue of iZombie (#17, Chris Roberson/Mike Allred), one of the only DC/Vertigo books I've ever bought in single issues, as opposed to trades. This is the little book that could for me and I adore every issue. Roberson has packed a multitude of characters into this book and gives each of them a subplot scene or two in every issue. It's created a wonderful tapestry. But, all of a sudden on the final page of the last issue, we saw two of the main story threads suddenly come together (literally, the groups of characters ran into each other on the street). With this issue, the broader conflicts driving the weirdness in the town of Eugene, Oregon, are starting to come into clearer view. That said, there are still a bevy of other subplots that have barely come to a bubble (and more start here, with Ellie taking a bizarre creature she finds on the street under her wing and a brain in a coffee pot arriving to ruin Galatea's still-unrevealed schemes). But there is genuine excitement here as Gwen starts to learn more about how she became a zombie and how she knew Amon in her past life, not to mention a giant street fight with other zombies. It's a delightful book and I'm happy I've stuck with it.

Ultimate Spider-Man V.5 (#28-32) - Public Scrutiny

Brian Michael Bendis/Mark Bagely

This is the shortest volume of the title yet, at five issues, and the main story itself is only four. But those four pack an emotional punch at a level unseen in this book so far, which is really a feat given the focus Bendis has put on the characters so far. It’s quite excellent stuff throughout, even if the plot lightly strung behind the character drama is a bit thin at times.

This volume opens with a single issue story, intended as a light humour piece that explains exactly how Peter gets out of his daily situations to go off and fight crime. There’s a lot of good here. The best scene is when Aunt May pops up at school because a teacher is concerned that Peter’s attention is drifting. There’s another strong scene where Peter runs into a distraught Gwen, upset that her mother walked out on the family. The villain Peter is after here is the Ultimate version of the Rhino, who makes his first appearance in a rushed way, similar to the Shocker and Electro. Still, this is an enjoyable issue, even if it feels out of place with the high drama of the remaining four issues. The rules of the trade paperback world dictate that single issue stories, even those intended as intentional breathers between arcs, like this one, don’t always fit seamlessly into collections. That’s certainly the case here, but, in monthly format, it makes sense that Bendis would allow for a light-hearted break between the anguish of the previous and following arc. And he certainly can’t be accused of ignoring the supporting cast in this issue.

The wider plot of “Public Scrutiny” has a Spider-Man imposter performing minor robberies and crimes around New York. J. Jonah Jameson runs with this story, as Ben Urich tries to prove this is the work of an imposter. This story never fully clicked for me or felt like the problem it should be for Peter. Quite frankly, it very quickly gets overshadowed by the various personal events in his life. In the end, it serves as the place where Peter gets his anger and tension out after recent personal events. He relentlessly beats up the imposter, who ends up being a guy just looking to making some money, getting out his frustrations over everything that has been happening. The plotline serves a dramatic purpose in that sense, but it’s certainly one of Bendis’ lesser storylines so far.

Thankfully, everything going on in Peter’s life is riveting, and some of the most compelling work Bendis has done yet on this title. It wholesale takes over as the main plot, and displays how well Bendis has crafted this world for Peter and his friends and family.

Once again, Bendis makes the book shine when he focuses on Peter as a young, inexperienced hero. Peter’s initial reaction to the imposter leads into an inner monologue where his mind wanders through mistakes he’s made, starting with telling MJ that he’s Spider-Man; in other words, an entirely human reaction to a crisis. The somewhat less-interesting imposter story is immediately livened up when Peter is shot while trying to apprehend him. This propels the story into an exciting new direction, where Peter must deal with a real wound. He calls MJ for help and evades being discovered while getting himself to a hospital. The moment where MJ finds him hiding under a pile of trash is particularly effective. Peter’s initial reaction to the injury and his breakout from handcuffs had me on the edge of my seat. This reminded me of some of the best parts of The Ultimates – seeing the true devastation behind their fight with Hulk and a funeral for victims of that fight. Peter’s gunshot wound is treated with equal realism. This Peter is completely in over his head in the whole hero endeavour and this incident acted as a harrowing, taut reminder of that, with an underlying tone of despair for his situation.

There’s one bit here that builds on what happened in the previous volume, when Nick Fury confronted Peter. Here, the Wasp is sent to tend to his gunshot wounds. This is adding an interesting layer to the book and it doesn’t come off as a cheap resolution to the gunshot story that it might sound like. In fact, Bendis did such a good job presenting the wounded Peter as in over his head, that I kept expecting something bigger than him to arrive to help. It doesn’t feel like a cheap deus ex machina; Fury is monitoring Peter’s activities, but the latter is still given free reign to make mistakes. The remainder of the story pivots around Gwen Stacy, in several ways. First, her mother walks out, and her father asks May to let her stay with the Parkers. This creates a nice moment where those two adults connect over what they’ve lost, with faint hints of an attraction between them through the art. It also brings out jealousy in MJ, who is, frankly, a bit annoying in these scenes – yes, Gwen is no saint, but MJ apparently can’t see the trouble she’s in and why it’s good for her to live under May’s roof.

Gwen’s police officer father then gets caught in an altercation with the imposter Spider-Man and is killed in the process. This is of course happening much earlier than it did in the main Marvel Universe, but it works here as a shocking moment. The fallout leads Peter to brutally attack the imposter, questioning his own actions and anger afterwards. As I mentioned, that’s the part that works best about the imposter story. The rest of this has May deciding to take Gwen in permanently, resulting in some scenes of great strength from her and a very nice part where she formally invites Gwen to stay at the Parker home.

Of course, this all pivots back to

the Peter and MJ relationship, which deteriorates as Gwen takes a larger role in the story. Another running thread here is that MJ is still traumatized by her abduction by the Green Goblin, constantly reminding her of the danger Peter puts himself in. It’s a realistic direction to take and weaves its way in naturally throughout. This tension culminates in a fairly raw and emotional breakup scene, where it’s the stress of Peter’s lifestyle that causes Mary Jane to break up with him.

So, just as Bendis showed guts in having Peter reveal his secret id to someone so early, he’s equally skilled in showing how Mary Jane would cope with this knowledge and the dangers that come with it. Where volume 4 ended on a gut wrenching emotional note, with Peter and MJ surviving the Goblin fight, the breakup scene ends this volume in an equally painful way. Even with some questionable plotting choices, the character arcs were fantastic and really sold this volume for me. Combined with strong art, it’s another stellar collection of this series.

Ultimate Spider-Man V.4 (#22-27) - Legacy

Brian Michael Bendis/Mark Bagely

This is my first foray into issues of Ultimate Spider-Man I haven't yet read and I was incredibly impressed with the direction the series moved in. This fourth volume is much more focused than the previous entry. All of the action takes place over the span of a couple of days and the emotions and anxieties are right on the brink throughout. The antagonists are thankfully pared back to one prominent one, Norman Osborn, and even the supporting cast drama (which I usually enjoy) is focused onto only a couple central threads. This approach helped keep a brisk pace and heavy drama throughout.

That said, the opening scenes did stretch my capacity for Bendis-speak a bit. They cover Spider-Man's take-down of some common criminals and his banter with Mary Jane over lunch. It was quipy to the point of annoyance for me. As soon as Harry Osborn walks onto the scene and interrupts their lunch, though, the book is launched into dramatic, tense territory for the rest of the story, and the excesses of Bendis' dialogue were soon forgotten.

The story in this volume lives and dies on the strength of its antagonist. Norman Osborn is not only refreshing to have back after volume three's confused Doc Ock/Justin Hammer/Kraven mess, but he's a much stronger opponent than he was in his first foray as the Green Goblin. It makes sense that, in the Ultimate universe, at this early point, Norman has no lifelong vendetta against Spider-Man (which we’re so used to in the regular Marvel Universe). Here, he just wants Spider-Man to stop operating and get out of the picture.

It's refreshing to be free of the weight of Peter and Norman’s regular Marvel Universe relationship, and have it pared down to this. The threats Norman makes against Peter and his family are direct and dangerous and truly set Peter into new territory as a superhero. Once again, Bendis thrives when depicting Peter as the green, untried hero, facing threats and dangers well beyond his years and experience. Immediately after seeing Harry, Peter's mind goes into a tailspin, with all manner of worries and possibilities running through it regarding Norman knowing his identity, and it’s a realistic and effective portrayal of a teenaged superhero.

Bendis also does a wonderful job building the tension of this conflict throughout the story. At points in Peter's first visit to the Osborn home, things feel like they could go ok for him and the situation seems benign enough. We're then completely thrown off guard when Norman launches into Peter with his new proposal and threats, and it sets the tone for the rest of the story.

On the supporting cast front, there's good work done here with the emerging character of Gwen Stacy, but, beyond that, it's limited to MJ, May, and Harry, and their involvement in the main story. In Gwen, I see potential in exploring this clearly damaged girl, crying out for some family and companionship. Bendis continues building the thread of MJ's jealousy over Gwen, but

keeps it at an appropriate level and never lets it overwhelm the main story. There's also some great work here with Aunt May and her relationship with Peter. We see her as almost fallible, willing to admit that perhaps the punishment she issued him in volume three was too swift and not understanding enough. There's a tenderness to their relationship, so that when Peter cries in her arms after Osborn's threats, even though she doesn't know why he's upset, we feel catharsis as readers.

I just really appreciated how stripped back the story was. Outside of short appearances from Miles Warren, there are no new characters or elements from Spider-mythos piled on here. It's a focused tale, building on the groundwork Bendis has previously laid, and not concerned with wowing audiences with a new Ultimate version of a character. There's potential to Miles Warren in his role and his screen time is kept to what is necessary.

That said, there is a very unexpected aspect to this story,me, in Nick Fury's involvement. In one sense, I like the idea that he and SHIELD know all about Peter's heroic and personal life, including everything down to conversations that he's had with Osborn. I love how Osborn is tied into one of the Ultimate Universe's main overarching stories, that of the Super Soldier formula that created Captain America, in a natural and obvious way. Oscorp was one of many groups who have tried to recreate the formula for SHIELD, a thread that ties right into The Ultimates series and so many other Ultimate U stories. It adds motivation for Fury to get involved and ties Peter's story into the wider fabric of this universe. The whole deal Fury makes not to get involved in Norman's threats against the Parkers is a little convoluted. But I suppose it works to create urgency for Peter and tear down Fury's "ultra cool" facade - underneath it all, he's just a coward and a slave to bureaucracy. SHIELD knowing about Peter's secret identity is another twist on things, so soon after letting MJ in on it, but I do see possibilities here, and more importantly, I'm impressed Bendis is able to wrench things in new directions with apparent fearlessness.

Once all of these elements are set up, the volume does launch into an extended action finale, albeit one that works much better than the first Goblin battle in volume one. There is much more emotional urgency and danger to these proceedings. And, most importantly, Bagely absolutely nails it on the art. The panels are large and expressive, allowing for wide action that is dynamic and space for the characters to really move and emote (a problem he still has on the talky, crammed panels). There's an extended sequence here devoted to the voices in Norman's head talking to him after he consumes the Goblin formula that perhaps goes on a page too long; but it's one segment in an otherwise exciting fight scene. MJ being thrown off the bridge, ala Norman's famous killing of Gwen in the main Marvel U, works because it isn't dwelled on as a nostalgic moment and because Bagley's art just looks spectacular on it.

The finale of the fight has Harry helping Spider-Man take down his dad, and it's a strong moment, even if Harry never feels fully formed here. As the victim of brainwashing, he's more a bit player than a rounded character in the drama. SHIELD also plays a big role in taking Osborn down, and the interplay between them and Spider-Man is interesting. Fury reveals his plans to take Peter in, forcefully, at age 18, adding an entirely new spin to the title as a whole. This Ultimate world is policed, strongly, and those police see themselves as doing a good job of it. They won't let this or other incidents slide. Again, this is a big change from the often scattered main Marvel Universe, and one made allowable by a smaller shared Ultimate universe.

At the end of the battle, Peter and MJ can only express anger, then silence, showing the toll this lifestyle has taken on both of them and the far less glamorous side of superheroics. By focusing on such a young, new hero, Bendis gets the most out of this, ending this powerful volume on a devastating note of exasperation for the lead characters.