Weekly Comics - 12/28/11

Justice League Dark#4 - Peter Milligan/Mikel Janin

Milligan is really moving forward with the story of the Enchantress here - we finally understand the connection between she and June Moon and what she is doing to find June. To get such a clear picture of the villain's motives lends a lot to the various cryptic scenes here and adds stakes to the conflict. I like what the Enchantress is after - she has been separated from June, who is her other half, and is struggling to stay alive without her. Her semi-coherent ramblings feel desperate and the fact that we now understand the chaos she is unleashing adds a lot of substance to this title. I love the brigade of June-creatures she sends out to look for the original, as well as how disposable they are (she blasts one of their heads off without a second thought). Milligan touches in on every member of the cast in their struggle to keep up with the Enchantress. Deadman and June remain the focus, and the trust building in their relationship is fun to watch. John Constantine, Zatanna, and Shade all get moments to shine here, as well. Madame Zanadu gets a stronger focus than she has yet, and the personal troubles she faces seem to be as strong a threat to the heroes as the Enchantress. Even Dove gets a return, arguing with John about Deadman. The book feels layered and deliberate in its build-up. The characters are all handled lovingly and the plotting is meticulous. At the same time, it's unsettling and unusual in its presentation of the villain's plots and the damaged protagonists. There still isn't a central premise to this as an ongoing series, but the progression of this individual story is enough to overlook that. Mikel Janin's artwork strengthens with each issue. His posed figures and faces are getting a little gruffer as the story progresses. In some instances, like the attack on Zatanna, seeing such a beautiful figure in the midst of such violence is effective. The soft colours bring a nice layer of realism to the characters, as well. Janin's also pulling off some great images, such as Deadman learning the Enchantress really is empty inside without June. This book requires patience, but it is coming together very well.

Flash#4 - Francis Manapul, Brian Buccelato/Francis Manapul

Manapul and Buccelato do a lot of interesting things with this one, including omitting our protagonist from the story altogether until the final three pages (apart from a couple of flashbacks). Instead, they focus on the story they have been building, and the supporting cast that populates the book. It made me realize what a strong world they are building for the Flash in Keystone City, along with a layered mystery at the heart of the Manuel Lago story. The story ably weaves itself through flashbacks, checking in on various supporting characters, and finally winding up at the fate of the Flash after last issue's gunshot. There's a lot of exposition here - we basically get the entire background behind the Manuel mystery - but it never feels cumbersome or overdone. Instead, the issue has an almost dreamlike quality to it, with one character literally falling into one of the flashbacks and each of them so expertly designed that they feel like compelling slices of history, not exposition dumps. I guess I was surprised how well this issue held up without the Flash. It jumps through the various plot threads the writers have set up so far without even needing the main character. Manuel, Patty, Iris, and even Manuel's clones all acquit themselves as strong characters on their own. In her first appearance in a brief flashback, even Manuel's mother feels well-rounded. The story is also quite interesting, ostensibly tied to terrorism without feeling heavy-handed and with an unsettling element of body horror to Manuel's condition. His clones, initially set up as the villains, are surprisingly sympathetic. After all, they just want to live. The art remains fantastic. The flashbacks are wonderfully designed, the fights are perfectly choreographed, Flash's reignition at the end looks great, and the characters have a fun, vibrant look to them. I remain impressed with the colours, which go for muted oranges, browns, and purples to give Manapul's work a more ethereal quality. As usual, Manapul integrates art and story in innovative ways. In addition to the flashbacks, the cover itself actually gets into the storytelling. It catches us up on the various plot lines, even showing how Patty and Manuel got from the end of last issue to where they first appear in this one. Great stuff, once again.

X-Men: Legacy#260 - Mike Carey/Khoi Pham

Mike Carey wraps up his lengthy run on this title here, where Rogue and co. rescue Ariel from her interspacial captivity and Rogue decides whose side she sits on in the Schism. The central plot is enjoyable, if a little slight. I can imagine a lot of people don't care about Ariel or understand why so much page time is devoted to her. I think it's kind of cute to have Mike Carey's obsession with minor continuity points continue into his final storyline. This issue really is about the characters, though, as Carey's stories tend to be. Through all the intrigue of Ariel's return and tying up loose ends (Korvus will escort the Shi'ar pirates home, Rogue confronts Julian), Carey traces Rogue's decision to stay with Cyclops on Utopia or go to Wolverine in New York. I particularly like her interaction with Rachel. It feels natural and familiar. The two are old friends, so they should have a comfortable dynamic with each other. I hope Christos Gage continues their friendship when he takes over as writer. In the final scene, Rogue tells Cyclops she is leaving, and it's a nice coda to Carey's time on the book. Rogue's relationship with Cyclops has been tenuous throughout this run, and it's nice to see them find common ground and value in each other. Her words about not making mistakes shows that Carey gets Cyclops better than the recent portrayals of his crazy militant side have been able to. It's a touching scene, and one that shows the sure hand Carey displayed with Rogue, who has grown under his pen into a teacher and leader. The future of this book will depend on the strength of her portrayal. The commitment seems to be there to continue focusing on her and the characters Carey did strong work on (Gambit, Rachel, Frenzy, Iceman), so I'm hopeful for Gage's tenure.

FF#13 - Jonathan Hickman/Juan Bobillo

I remain pleasantly surprised with this title, to the point where it is turning me back on to Hickman's Fantastic Four mega-story, something I had been slightly losing interest in. The highlight of this issue for me was learning even more about how everything Hickman has been doing on these two titles fits together. We're finally seeing key conversations between Valeria and Nathaniel that explain how some of the elements Hickman has more recently started (Black Bolt's return, the Kree attack, Galactus' arrival), which I have been less interested in, fit into the bigger picture of the Four Cities and the alternate Reeds. We don't have all the details, but we have some key information, and I'm impressed with the level of planning Hickman has put in. It helps that Val and Nathaniel have an endearing relationship, a grandfather and granddaughter able to communicate on a level only the other person understands. In the present day, the action remains fun. I love the execution and visuals when this rag tag group of kids and aliens venture into battle together. The story here is a little thin, but it's certainly moving things along and setting some of the players up for a finale. I still think this title has the better plot elements than Fanatastic Four proper does right now, so I find the book more compelling. And I really like Bobillo's art. His kids look like the quirky, off-centre groups of youths that they are. And I like his take on iconic Marvel characters (Doom, the Celestials, Galactus, the Supreme Intelligence). They lose some of their regal qualities when he puts his unique style onto them, and I like it. And he continues to play with blank space very well, particularly in the outer space scenes.

Uncanny X-Men#3 - Kieron Gillen/Rodney Buchemi, Paco Diaz, Carlos Pacheco

The relaunch of Uncanny marches on. This issue is significantly less depressing, if only because it's so dull and pointless. The X-Men's confrontation with Sinister ends (for now) with a whimper - after an issue of the villain speechifying around his hideout, he departs with a number of cryptic warnings for the future. The X-Men staredown the Celestials, proving how tough they are, and the issue ends. And all along, I get the feeling I'm supposed to be impressed by how "brutal" and "real" this all is, because poor Emma is walking around without an arm. Instead, it just comes off as a weird attention-grabbing stunt to me. This new iteration of the X-Men is so desperate to be the Authority it's getting annoying. But what the best Authority incarnations had in verve and energy, this makes up for with lethargy and boring characters. Where the Authority proved themselves a superhero militia through their actions, this team only proves it by telling us they are in Cyclops' big speeches. Some of Sinister's dialogue is amusing, if only because he has a sense of humour about these mutants and they don't whatsoever. But it goes on far too long with no point. The X-Men are lifeless here - at 9 members, most of them don't say or do anything of value, and those that do are wooden and boring. I'll keep harping on this until I see any evidence of it - there is no team dynamic or interesting relationships in this group of characters. The Celestial stuff is weak to me. I actually like the X-Men's staredown with them here for its simplicity, but I hate them as a plot device. Since the X-Men moved to San Fransisco in #500, the Dreaming Celestial has sat there as some undefined opponent, threatening to become a story whenever the writers remembered him. I still don't know what he is and why he is standing on a lawn in San Fran. The art is another hodgepodge - Pacheco ably draws the final scene, and Buchemi and Diaz ape his new, smoothed out style for the rest of the issue. It looks fine, but not particularly exciting, mainly because Pacheco's new style is intent on removing all the unique or powerful elements of his previous style. I believe Gillen is way better than what he has done on this relaunched book. He was significantly better before the relaunch. This has been a dull affair since it started.

Weekly Comics - 12/21/11

Batman#4 - Scott Snyder/Greg Capullo

Stellar, once again. Snyder and Capullo are crafting a comic that is perfect in every way. This issue ups the quality even further with a haunting flashback to Bruce's youth. The story continues to grow around Bruce struggling to accept the existence of the Court of Owls. The master detective has doubts that stem from intuition and a lack of facts, and here we get greater insight into why he doesn't believe in the Court of Owls. The centrepiece of the issue is a flashback to Bruce's youth, where he followed a hunch that led to a full blown investigation tying the Court to his parents' murder. To assuage fans' doubts, it doesn't seem as if Snyder is trying to re-write the murder of the Waynes, as young Bruce's relentless detective work does not lead to any answers. Instead, what awaits young Bruce in an empty attic is a chilling fate. The flashback sequence is utterly captivating. Snyder shows us the dangerous path that the search for answers can take one down, while Capullo dazzles on the art. A series of horizontal panels, shaded in faded reds and blacks, depict the flashback, creating a strong atmosphere. The rest of the issue is up to this creative team's high standards. I love the space Snyder gives to Bruce and Dick's interactions. It's wrapped around a discussion of the Court and Bruce's family, but shows off their dynamic and reationship, particularly in how Dick tries to curb Bruce's more stubborn behaviour. Snyder also creates a great sense of dread around the book. From the opening explosion scene, overlaid with Batman's narration on the Court, to the haunting attack at the end, the Court of Owls feel truly dangerous. I'll admit that I got so wrapped up in Bruce's reasoning for why the Court couldn't exist from the flashback scene that the final attack surprised me. The artwork remains top-notch, with an exciting opening explosion scene and a chilling underground investigation at the end. I'm loving impossibly sqaure-jawed Bruce and his imposing appearance, which, to Capullo's credit, is looking a little more wearied with every issue. And, however overused it is, I'm a sucker for the "Alas, poor Yorick" man-holding-skull shot Capullo works in here. Overall, it's just an excellent comic. Everyone involved is putting their all in, and creating a must-read title.


DC Universe Presents#4 - Paul Jenkins/Bernard Chang

Never let it be said that Paul Jenkins isn't trying different things with this story. Deadman's quest for answers takes him to the Son of Mourning, a fallen devil who masquerades as a carny, and who, unlike most godly beings, sees humans as noble and interesting. In this issue, Deadman learns the true reason behind his possession of other people's lives and the games Rama has been playing with him, while taking a rollercaster ride with the Son. It's thoughtful, illuminating, humourous, text-heavy, and exhilarating. Similar to previous issues, through the twists of the plot, Deadman's story remains compelling because of the thoughtful, reflective voice Jenkins gives the character. Here, he learns that the reason he possesses people is not to learn the answers to life's questions, but to give context to those questions through their human experience. There is a wonderful element here of godly beings learning that humans possess profound insight through their capacity to feel and experience things. Deadman is Rama's link to the human experience, and he learns how he can use this to his advantage. Jenkins goes for profound and thoughtful here, and he succeeds. Deadman flashes back to the problems faced by his various host bodies, and their pain strongly resonates in these short scenes, played out in the grid of the rollercoaster. There's also a great scene where Deadman rapid-fire questions the Son with existential questions on the meaning of life, receiving a number of playful, deadpan answers from him. Actually, much of their issue-long conversation has a humourous aspect to it, and it helps what could have been a heavy-handed comic come alive. Chang's artwork captures the wonder and pain at the heart of Deadman's journey for answers, and has fun with the rollercoaster setting. His Deadman is stoic and pained in the face of getting the answers he has long looked for. The unpredictable nature of this story has been a great strength. Deadman is armed with his answers, and heading into next issue's confrontation with Rama, I don't know where it's going to go - A big fight? An existential war of words? A rollercoaster ride through the cosmos? I have faith Jenkins will take it somewhere interesting.


Wonder Woman#4 - Brian Azzarello/Cliff Chiang

Baby-daddy drama, played out on an epic, godly scale. The entire community of gods is dealing with the fallout of Hippoltya's revelation about Wonder Woman's father, and, as usual, the pathos, pain, and anger feel in epic in scope and quality. Diana tries to unwind in a club in London, with normal people, accompanied by her entourage of Hermes, Zola, and the meddling Strife. Like last issue, Strife's inteference is a treat, and Diana's dispatching of her is swift, brutal, and well-deserved. The drama on Paradise Island plays further with the epic, godly traditional, as Hera confronts Hippoltya for sleeping with her husband. Set against a storm, with Hera in a striking cloak of feathers blowing in the wind, this Maury Povich-style conflict feels inhumanly grand, and the severed ties and retribution it has led to feel devastating. Azzarello is playing with the godly tradition here. No hurt feeling or spurned advance is ignored. They are amplified, treated as a terrible affront, and fought over. The pain and sense of betrayal on Paradise Island comes through in every panel, but, at the same time, the Amazons still come to Hippoltya's defense. Despite what has happened, she is still their queen, who they will protect to the death. The characters operate on a different plane than normal people, which is nicely seen when Zola and Diana decompress and talk through their recent problems together. Diana is humanized, empathizing with Zola's sense of loss.The ending swings things back to the epic, with Diana's dramatic discovery of how Hera took retribution on her mother, a stunning closing. This title remains fantastic. The writing is sharp and purposeful, the storytelling embraces the drama inherent in the relationships of the gods, and the artwork is a wonderful fit. Even in exile, Diana is commanding and confident. Chiang figures and designs are crisp, clear, and powerful, but still full of character. They look like gods, but still emote and express. The page layouts and storytelling are as clear and direct as the writing. It's a great package.


Birds of Prey#4 - Duane Swierczynski/Jesus Saiz

All of the elements that have made this title a success so far are on display in #4 - a brisk pace, cracking dialogue, a fun group dynamic for the lead cast, and some great action. Jesus Saiz continues to impress on the art. In the action scenes that take up half the issue, he works with larger panels than normal, allowing his beautiful figures to run, jump, and punch across the pages in stunning fashion. He truly has a way with female characters. He makes the lead females attractive and alluring, while they remain powerful. There are some truly great images here as well, including Poison Ivy stopping a train by creating a giant plant. Swierczynski's script is up to his usual level of quality, with a strong group dynamic, a perfect pace, and a hint of fun on every page. There is a level of mistrust amongst some of the members that makes this group interesting to read. Starling may be a new character, but Swierczynski clearly has affection for her, as she narrates much of the issue and has a dynamic, fun voice. Black Canary's attraction to her doctor continues, with some fun interplay as she tries to hide her double life from him. Batgirl joins the team as they investigate their opponants at the end. It's a brief appearance, but knowing the emnity between she and Canary, I'm excited to see where it goes. As for the plot itself, the girls learn more about their opponents. It's still a bit vague, but perfectly good stuff, if a bit standard. It's in the execution that this book shines - the pacing, the action, the cast, and the beautiful artwork. Quiet and unassuming, this book has become something special. (But can we get rid of these Dave Finch covers?)


Fantastic Four#601 - Jonathan Hickman/Steve Epting

Hickman marches on with "Forever," this title's contribution to the conclusion of his mega-story (while FF runs "All Hope Lies in Doom"), and it's another action issue. This one adds a layer, as the team is reunited with the Human Torch, providing an important dramatic thrust for the story. It's great to have Hickman finally write the banter between the Torch and Spider-Man, ribbing each other about who looks better in the midst of a devastated New York. And, of course, the moment where Johnny creates a flaming 4 in the sky is a great one. But it's the changes to Johnny's character that are the most interesting. He possesses the Cosmic Control rod, weilding an armada of Negative Zone troops, a chained Annihulus, and a squad of loyal aliens at his side. As Reed points out, two years have passed for Johnny, and it really feels like he has experienced much in that time. There's a confidence to him, but it's also a bit unsettling, a side that the other heroes feel. Johnny's return adds a few twists to the ongoing Kree/Inhumans/Negative Zone battle, but it's fairly familiar besides that. The action is well-done and the danger feels real. But I have to admit I'm more interested in the plots Hickman has shifted to FF - the alternate Reeds, Doom, the future warnings, the children, Nathaniel's plotting. Those are the plots he has been building since the start of his time on the title, and they are more dynamic and engaging for me. The Kree/Inhuman war stuff that has overtaken this book has cropped up much more recently, and, to be honest, feels a bit shoe-horned in. So while the execution is top-notch, and everything to do with Johnny is great, this book houses the less-engaging plotlines, for me. Still, it's a strong issue with great art. Epting is chanelling John Buscema with many of his faces and bodies, which is always a good thing, and he takes great effort to make Manhatten feel ravaged and destroyed.


Wolverine and the X-Men#3 - Jason Aaron/Chris Bachalo, Duncan Rouleau, Matteo Scalera

Jason Aaron's first story wraps up, and it's as fun, quirky, and jam-packed as the first two issues. Much of the focus is placed on Quentin Quire, who steps into the battle with Krakoa to solve the problem, without any of the X-Men knowing about it. Aaron is clearly enjoying writing this character. There's so much fun in his portrayal - his constant jabs at Wolverine about the school, his desperate annoyance that the younger students don't know who he is, his general dislike of all of the X-Men, and a perfectly timed joke between he and Idie about Schism. It's a blast to read. Aaron also uses Quire to explore some of the newer characters, like Idie, Broo, and Kid Gladiator. Outside of the opening flashback, Wolverine and the team barely appear until mid-way through. The opening is a showcase for Quire and the younger students, and it's incredible fun, packed with little jabs and jokes and expressive artwork to convey the humour. I love how Quire eventually reaches out to Krakoa (actually, Krakoa's grandchild) to end its rampage by playing on its desire to be accepted. It shows us this side may also exist within Quire, while providing an effective resolution to the story. The rest of the X-Men run around wonderng how Krakoa was calmed down and cleaning up from the fight - Kade Kilgore is served with a property damage lawsuit, Kitty runs when Bobby wants to discuss their kiss, and Beast erases the memories of the school board administrators, who leave in a fit of laughter. All of this is incredibly fun, with rapid-fire scene changes and gags, all wrapped around a strong portrayal of Wolverine and Kitty. Bachalo handles most of the art, and his style is perfectly suited to the nature and pace of this book. Scalera handles some scenes, aping Bachalo's style. It works fine, but is a bit looser than Bachalo's art. And a personal favourite of mine, Duncan Rouleau, handles the opening flashback. He and Bachalo both use exagerration and humour in similar ways, even if their styles are different. He's a good fit for this book, and I'd love to see him back. Another fun issue, and I still can't get over how dense this book is, overflowing with small character moments and jokes throughout.

Finding some gems in the midst of an Onslaught

I've been rereading big chunks of my X-Men collection, and I'm in the middle of the Onslaught crossover from 1996 (You can boo, hiss, throw rocks at me. It's ok.) Anyways, although the crossover has some pretty illogical, drawn-out prelude chapters and some dreadful tie-ins from various Marvel Universe books, two chapters have really stood out. It's two I remember enjoying from previous reads, but I was surprised at how well they held up.

The first is Cable#33 (Jeph Loeb/Ian Churchill). Now, it may be sacrilege to say this, but I've read a number of issues of Cable from Jeph Loeb's run, and they're actually not bad. They're not brimming with life or personality, but they're solid stuff, and Churchill's art is very good. This particular issue takes place before the Onslaught crossover properly begins. Uncanny X-Men#333-334 and X-Men#53-54 were a fairly effective lead-up to the start of it, culminating in the revelation that Professor Xavier was Onslaught. This issue fits between those chapters, as Cable has gone off to find Post, one of Onslaught's lackeys who had been introduced to great fanfare in X-Men#50, only to be cast aside pretty quickly. Loeb does a few good things here. He shrewdly ties Post's origin into Cable. He ties a forced crossover quite nicely into this book's ongoing stories. And he really builds suspense for the big reveal of Onslaught's identity. Cable deduces who Onslaught must be, but, with his techno-organic virus flaring out of control after fighting Post, he is unable to warn the X-Men (or even physically stand up). There is legitimate tension built here, something you don't often see in a crossover tie-in, and also a smart little script.


The other issue I really enjoyed comes in the midst of the crossover, Incredible Hulk#445. Now, I should mention that these two titles crossed over in the during the crossover. Cable#34 and Incredible Hulk#444 featured a story where Onslaught sent a mind-controlled Hulk after Cable, and Storm came to Cable's rescue. It's perfectly ok, and certainly better than most Onslaught tie-ins, but not as strong as these two issues.

Incredible Hulk#445 (Peter David/Angel Medina) has the Hulk, now free of mind-control, join the assembled heroes in New York to fight Onslaught. Tired of sitting around planning, he assembles an ad hoc group of Avengers to join him in tunneling underground to take the fight directly to Onslaught. Onslaught's mental trickery causes the Hulk reveal to this group that this mission is about proving himself superior to the other heroes; he doesn't care who has to die to accomplish that. A pall cast over the group, they return, defeated, to the other heroes.

This is a very strong little issue. David's portrayal of the Hulk is top-notch. The other heroes are skeptical of him, because Onslaught had controlled his mind, and he is immediately on the defensive. It's easy to sympathize with Hulk as these heroes turn their nose up at him. His heinous behaviour towards the end of the issue shows him in a much different light. But I can't dislike him for wanting to show up these other heroes. After years of this sort of treatment, and enduring one of Captain America's patronizing speeches here, shouldn't he be happy to prove his worth to them? The mission Hulk proposes here is so maddening that it lends an air of danger and desperation to the issue. There's no way this crack team of Avengers is going to accomplish anything against Onslaught. Speaking of Avengers, David does a stellar job with them too. Falcon is great here, trying to be understanding towards the Hulk, who helped his dying nephew in an earlier story. David even creates a great moment of tension between Crystal and the Scarlet Witch. I wouldn't expect the writer of a crossover tie-in to put such effort into the guest characters, but David does so here. He even leaves a lot of room for his ongoing stories - some Pantheon stuff, Rick Jones fighting with his wife about joining the Hulk in New York. A regular reader of this title couldn't have been disappointed by this crossover tie-in, especially because it's a complex portrayal of the Hulk that sits at the centre of this issue.

It's nice to find these surprises in the middle of a much-maligned storyline. It shows that, in an editorially-mandated crossover, it's still possible to tell a thoughtful, tense story. Both of these issues do that, while using the crossover as a chance to do something interesting.

Weekly Comics 12/14/11

Batgirl#4 - Gail Simone/Adrian Syaf

Simone wraps up her first storyline, with Batgirl defeating Mirror, but, like the previous issue, there is a lot more than that going on here. The compelling part of this series remains Barbara's personal struggle in the wake of regaining the use of her legs. She struggles to open up to those close to her. In a touching scene here, she begins to relate some of her past to her new roommate, a virtual stranger. With two characters sitting on the floor, talking under the lights of a Christmas tree, it's a powerful scene. She struggles to understand Mirror's motivations of punishing people who should have died, as she herself was the recipient of a second chance. Simone is at her best in her portrayal of Barbara. For a seemingly bright and exuberant woman and superhero, she is full of darkness and sadness, and it makes this title much more than a typical superhero book. Even her attack on some back alley thugs has a strong intensity and anger to it. The resolution of the Mirror storyline is a bit less successful. Simone is certainly refining her battle scenes, as the narration is well-placed here, not overpowering the action. And the comparison of Mirror and Barbara's personal issues is well-conveyed. I just don't know if, as a plot, this reached a strong conclusion. Yes, Batgirl defeats him, but was there any more to his story than that? His defeat marks the end of the story, and I just felt like there should have been a bit more to it. Syaf's pencils remain dynamic and energetic, nailing the numerous action scenes along with the quieter moments very well. It's a strong title that is still going through a bit of growing pains - fantastic character work, but plotting and pacing that still have a few issues to iron out.

Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E.#4 - Jeff Lemire/Alberto Ponticelli

This issue wraps up the first story, and it's doing what the series does best - over-the-top action scenes involving bizarre creatures and brutal tactics, with a tongue-in-cheek sense of humour and fantastic artwork. Lemire has the action unfolding on two fronts. Lady Frankentstein leads some of the monsters in a land assault, while Frankenstein and Dr. Mazursky again take to the oceans. Lemire wonderfully paces the scenes that flip between these two groups, as well as those of the S.H.A.D.E. executives monitoring everything, for maximum humour potential. The underwater scenes in particular are great, with Mazursky developing a connection to the parentless sea creatures and Ponticelli slaying on the visuals. On land, Lady Frankenstein is developing into a fun character, tearing into her underlings at every opportunity. This book is just pure fun through and through, and embraces a wild tone and pace. Multiple times in this issue, a splash page of one of the hideous parent monsters is used as a big reveal. Lemire seems to be consciously using the same tactic, but it works every time, due to the gritty, wild visuals and the self-aware humour behind it. The team dynamic remains a highlight of the book, as does Frankenstein's personality. He is gruff and unimpressed with almost everything. And instead of looking further into a problem, he'd rather just stab someone or pull out one of their organs and move on. All of this is treated in such a deadpan manner, that it can't help but be funny. I will say that after such a big action issue, I'm ready for a bit of a change of pace or a bit more depth to be added. As long as Lemire keeps this book's distinctive sense of humour intact, I can't see how he could go wrong taking the story in different directions. A stellar book.

Grifter#4 - Nathan Edmondson/Scott Clark

From solicitations, it appears artists CAFU has moved off this title, replaced by Scott Clark. With all due respect, it is a step down in visual quality. I wouldn't usually give the art such prominence, but this such a major shift that it changed the whole reading experience. Gone are CAFU's crisp figures, strong panel arrangements, great story flow, and simple backgrounds and settings. Replacing them are an Image style that never left the 90s, ugly figures, hideous and distracting computer-generated backgrounds that look 15 years old, and a loss of any distinctive visual tone for the book. I really hope another artist can be brought in, because I'm still enjoying the story here. Edmondson has the ability to craft a fast-paced thriller, with the right amount of double-crossing and action scenes, and I'm genuinely interested in the story. Cole Cash is an enjoyable protagonist, confident and capable, but still struggling to make sense of the alien conspiracy he's been dragged into. And the involvement of Green Arrow here is surprisingly natural, with one of the aliens leading Cash to GA's company. Their interaction works well. The story, pacing, and mystery elements are all good, but Edmondson is not being met by a capable-enough artist. I wouldn't be harping on this if it was a guest artist, but it appears Clark is here for the foreseeable future.

Batwoman#4 - J.H. Williams III, W. Haden Blackman/J.H. Williams III

Williams and Blackman move forward with the Weeping Woman storyline, granting it more prominence than it has yet received in this title. Some of the character stories are put on the side for the sake of plot movement, but there is still ample characterization here along with some fairly harrowing plot developments. There is a stronger focus on Bette Kane, aka Flamebird, than we've had yet. She is desperate to prove her heroic prowess to Kate, leading to a stunning opening sequence. She takes on one of the Weeping Woman's cronies, only to fail brutally and be left for dead. As so rarely happens in comics, the danger and her injuries feel real. The shock and disbelief in her face about how poorly she did in battle feels real and sad. This battle is juxtaposed with photographic-style art of Kate and Maggie in bed together, evoking Ashley Wood's style, while remaining uniquely Williams' own. It's an excellent opening that sets a tone of unease for the rest of the issue. I like Batwoman finally taking charge on the Weeping Woman case. It has fallen to the side in the face of her personal problems, and, typical of Kate's desperation, it feels like her taking charge of it is a way of taking charge of her life. There's a wonderful splash, where Williams depicts her interrogating of one of the victims' parents through the jagged folds of her cape. In the midst of the investigations, we meet another interesting female character, a medical student who treats injured criminals for extra money. Chase's story continues here, dovetailing with Bette's injuries in scenes that show how cold and driven she is to find Batwoman. It's here that Bette's injuries feel truly real. Chase and her partner have brutally tied her up in a makeshift hospital room solely to get information on Batwoman out of her, and Bette looks near death. There's even a short scene here for Maggie and Kate's relationship to develop. It's another stunning issue, where William's style shifts from painterly, to tableaux, to lighter, cartoonier figures, to harrowing action scenes. The plot action overtakes the characters just slightly, but a compelling story is developing around this strong group of characters.

Superboy#4 - Scott Lobdell/R. B. Silva

This title remains a delight with every issue. The lead character is a great little oddity, struggling to understand the people around him, the conflicting impulses of good and bad within himself, and how to rely on himself. We start to get a lot more information on him from a man named Centerhall within N.O.W.H.E.R.E., learning about his lineage and the purpose behind his creation. Through all of this, the book's off-centre tone remains. Caitlin Fairchild is taken out of the proceedings so quickly, that you can't help but be suspicious about Centerhall and his benevolence towards Superboy. This leads to a sublime sequence in the middle of the book, where Superboy finds himself in the middle of New York during Christmas, completely at odds with the celebrations and merriment of the people around him. He lashes out with property damage, struggling to understand why he feels this way. The antagonists introduced last issue, a young couple given to wanton destruction, reappear her as nice counterparts to Superboy. Should he give into all of his negative, uncaring impulses, he could become them. Instead, he feels a desire to help people and defeats them. Like previous issues, we are kept at a distance from the protagonist, even as he is confronting personal feelings and impulses. For as relatable as some of his struggles may be, his tone is still different from the average person, and it keeps readers at a distance from him. So, even as the plot really begins picking up steam here, Lobdell is still creating an alienating effect between the reader and the characters. For me, it's a compelling, interesting direction that keeps me coming back. Silva's art is also helping in that regard. The characters are wonderfully rendered - quirky, expressive, comical, and attractive. Superboy's reactions to Christmas are wonderful. But the layouts are also strong, with a good emphasis placed on solitary figures and expressions for emphasis. This title continues to spin in interesting directions. It's certainly not what I thought Lobdell was capable of, but it's a fun surprise every month.

Magneto: Not a Hero#2 (of 4) - Skottie Young/Clay Mann, Gabriel Hernandez Walta

I was worried the first issue of this mini was a bit thin on plot, despite a strong portrayal of its lead character. Young adds some depth here, along with some subplots. The simple story of Magneto having to clear his name for crimes Joseph committed is just the backdrop for a more character-oriented story to play out over. That story involves Magneto having to justify his current stance of solidarity with the X-Men to radical villains who think he has wimped out. His speech to Joseph about the type of leader Cyclops has become, and the diminishing role he and Xavier play in the future of mutantkind, is a strong scene. We have heard glimmers of this type of stuff in the main X-books, but it's nice to have more page time and conversation devoted to it. This isn't a simple hero vs. villain story; yes, it becomes that when Joseph isn't satisfied with Magneto's reasons for allying with the X-Men, but the idea was that Magneto, Joseph, and Astra could work together to help mutantkind. There's a lengthy flashback to open the issue, in which Astra revives Joseph's consciousness in the Arctic, where he died. It's fast-paced, with a good flow to the minimal dialogue, and a good showcase for the artwork. Gabriel Hernandez Walta pencils this section, with widescreen panes and splash pages conveying the action with speed and intensity. His figures have some of the better aspects of Adam Kubert's style to them, as well. Clay Mann draws the rest of the issue, in his usually strong style. His expressions and body language are sharp and his closing action scene is kinetic and energetic. Young also adds a subplot, as mentioned, where mutant-hating humans try to fan the flames of hatred caused by Magneto's attack in the first issue. It's fairly standard, but adds another storytelling layer to the main conflict here. So I was pleasantly surprised with this. The first issue was enjoyable, if a bit thin in the story department, but this one explored some different avenues with strong results.

Weekly Comics 12/7/11

Stormwatch#4 - Paul Cornell/Miguel Sepulveda

This is the issue where the scattered nature of this title, the character interactions, and the action scenes really clicked for me. It was organized chaos and Cornell lets the spotlight fall on a number of team members. So the fact that the plot moves in several directions as the group defeats the moon visitor worked for me. It helps that Apollo and Midnighter are still new to the team, and the wonder they feel makes this crisis feel big for readers. But most seasoned members of the team have good moments as well - Jack connects with the forgotten city hidden below the farmland, the Engineer is forced to take charge as Adam One is too overtaken to be an effective leader, and the Projectionist uses her abilities to act as a guide for the team. There are even the early hints of an attraction between Apollo and Midnighter. I also like the tradition that seems to govern these heroes. The threat they fight has to be of this big ature. There are rules about forgotten cities that they all seem to know. A member of the Stormwatch Shadow Cabinet descends to remove Adam as leader because he failed to step up on this mission. These heroes seem to operate on a different level from most others, under a set of rules, and it lends a different tone to the book. Sepulveda is still growing into his role as artist. He still needs to sharpen his people (even though they are getting better). But every big action shot or otherworldly creature works really well. I think because his people haven't quite clicked for me, it slightly removes me from the book, but that does kind of fit with Cornell's tone. This group operates on a plane that is above normal people, under rules we don't know about. They feel a bit distant, but it fits.

Action Comics#4 - Grant Morrison/Rags Morales, Sholly Fisch/Brad Walker (Back-Up Story)

In this issue, Morrison begins unveiling some of the bigger premises and ideas behind his run, and it’s kind of exhilarating. Most of this is a big fight scene between the John Corben robot suit (possessed by the same aliens that catalogued and preserved the artefacts of Krypton before it was destroyed), a bunch of other robots built for the same purpose, and our rag-tag Superman. It sounds simple, but there are a lot of great concepts and character moments thrown in here. These aliens are the ones that Lex liaised with to take out Superman. Instead, they are taking out his world, so he is understandably freaking out. There are some strong moments where Lois tries to reach out to John, who is struggling to regain control of himself as an alien voice sprouts out commands. And this Superman in action is a marvel to behold. With tattered clothes and a bruised face, he jumps and volleys across the page. Morales does a great job with these action scenes, but there is also worry and concern in this Man of Steel's face. He has never faced a threat of this magnitude and his inexperience and worry come through in the visuals. I also love the look of the robots. These are supposed to be robots hastily produced in factories that the aliens have taken control of, and they look it. They are not massive Sentinels, but pieces of metal and machinery, not too much taller than Superman, cobbled together to fight him. The big moment comes at the end, where we learn the aliens have been collecting and preserving some of the people and artefacts of Earth in the face of the planet’s destruction (as they did for Krypton). You can infer that they are behind the bottle city of Kandor, and their wholesale destruction here in the name of 'preserving' leads to a dramatic ending. I love Superman reaching out to the army to combat them, with both parties realizing the trouble they are in. At the same time as all this is going on, can we infer that, like Krypton, Earth is about to die (or else these aliens wouldn't have shown up)? This book is brimming with wonderful concepts, packed into an action issue that never lets up, but also makes room for character moments. And, through all this, Morrison actually succeeds in making snivelling Lex our point-of-view character, as we see some of the climactic moments through his eyes. Great stuff.

This issue also contains a back-up story that expands on a scene in the issue, where John Henry Irons (Steel in the old DCU) takes down the renegade John Corben. I like the opportunity to continue to tell the main story in the back-up, instead of telling a separate story. This one is also used to introduce the Irons character, with some brief background provided, including his role in creating Corben's suit of armour. It's an enjoyable story, where Irons shows his scientific and fighting prowess, and hopes there is a place for a regular guy like him to be a hero in Metropolis alongside Superman. Brad Walker provides art, and his faces and figures are a little crisper than Morales', but keep the general look and feel the latter artist has created for Metropolis. A fun little feature, and I look forward to what they will do with the back-up in the future.

iZombie#20 - Chris Roberson/Mike Allred

This title keeps plugging along, although it appears the zombie outbreak in Eugene, Oregon marked a shift in the series' narrative, and we're now in a second phase, where some of the key conflicts have come to light. This title has always been heavy on subplots, and it remains so, but Roberson is noticeably giving more space for some of them to breathe here. We finally learn where Ellie has been hiding the monster she discovered, and her attempts to connect with him are endearing, revealing her own lonliness. Spot's struggle to come out of the closet and connect with Gavin is also given ample page time to develop naturally. But, just as Roberson is giving these subplots more room to breathe, he is adding to them - we learn how Ellie's monster is connected to Galatea. And Spot is kidnapped by a mysterious assailant as he's talking to Gavin over the phone. There's also some great stuff here with protagonist Gwen, agonizing over how to move on after the zombie outbreak and being recruited by the Dead Presidents group. Allred's art is delightful as always, with distinct figures played against stark and simple backgrounds. He sells the humour and playful tone of the book very well. It's another solid issue of this title, which remain pitch-perfect in its diverse character portrayals and array of subplots.

I'm going to handle Swamp Thing#4 and Animal Man #4 together because the two books are really starting to connect in some interesting and organic ways. Both of these comics feature the protagonist get a stern talking-to from his respective supernatural community (the Green and the Red). Both characters are informed of the threat the Rot poses to them and they role they will be expected to play in fighting it. And both heroes respond slightly differently. The two scenes that explain this conflict don't feel like exposition dumps, but instead vivid recountings of a dangerous threat. Because both heroes are so personally tied to this impending conflict, it all resonates very strongly. Finally, it's interesting, probably because it's so simple -the Green (plant life), the Red (flesh), and the Rot (anything dead - from a corpse to skin cells). The concepts flow into each other, and the backstory feels natural and logical. The connection between the books isn't thrown in our faces, but naturally develops due to the shared framework they operate under.

Amidst exploring these concepts in the Red, Animal Man#4 (Jeff Lemire/Travel Foreman) also features the hero's wife and son tormented by a creature from the Rot. It's typical of the book's ability to bring horror right into the home, and creates some harrowing scenes. Buddy's wife is a great character - tough and determined, frightened, blinded by love for her family. And the scenes are paced like a great horror movie, with danger and tension building perfectly. In the Red, Maxine is learning how to use her powers over the flesh and Buddy is learning he is much less important than his daughter. Lemire has presented a reversal, and Buddy now feels as neutered by the creatures of the Red as he did by his wife's insults in #1. The flashback to the birth of the Rot is a wonderful scene, brimming with clean, compelling ideas and not feeling like an exposition dump at all. Once again, the art brings the scenes in the Red to life, with an array of creatures, grossly distorted physical forms, and a flashback that literally grows out of Buddy's body. But it's to Foreman's credit that he can make a talking cat look just as impressive as these otherwordly elements. Through all this, the book's sense of humour remains intact, with Maxine's precocious wonder and Cliff completely bored by everthing going on. Another excellent issue.

Swamp Thing #4 (Scott Snyder/Marco Rudy) is the flipside of this. There's no humourous tone to the dialogue here, just a dark portrayal of William Arcane's trail of destruction and Alec Holland's struggle to accept his powers and role. The Arcane scenes are as disturbing as last issue's, with the young child blazing a trail of death across the US. The opening scene is great, and Rudy nails our fist view of Arcane - a distorted close-up of his face. From there, he plays around with the panels as William releases his powers on unsuspecting restaurant patrons. The bulk of this issue is spent on Alec and Abby, with the former trying to process the changes to his life. I love that we have not really seen Swamp Thing yet. Alec is just a man who feels the plant world differently than others, haunted by a former life as a swamp creature. His aforementioned discussion with the Green is great because of this personal element. Alec wants to avoid his responsibilities, passed on through his family line, to the Parliament of the Trees, and I'm content to see how long Snyder can go without having him turn into Swamp Thing. The dynamic between Alec and Abby is wonderful, with both struggling to accept their former relationship while forging a new one. She has a hard edge to nicely counter his wallowing. And, similar to last issue's silent full page splash of a clothed skeleton girl, this issue contains another great silent tableaux, when Alec realizes Abby also has the Rot in her, and he may need to fight her at some point. Marco Rudy provides guest art, mimicking the panel layouts Yanick Paquette has created for the book, while bringing his own unique figures and swamp creatures into it. He keeps the tone established by Paquette while adding his own unique elements. Great looking stuff, and a wonderfully-written comic.

Finally, X-Club#1 (of 5) (Simon Spurrier/Paul Davidson) was released. Spurrier has written a few one-shots focusing on these characters, the science team wing of the X-Men, and they have been marked by unique art and very enjoyable, fun stories. He's now been given a five issue mini-series to play with these characters. The result is even more light-hearted than I expected. His other stories were certainly humourous, but carried a strong impact because of their dramatic plots. The majority of this issue is played for laughs, and, to Spurrier's credit, it does work. Cyclops outright lies to the public to look good, Danger awkardly tries to act like a human with Jeffries, Dr. Nemesis is prickled by everything anyone says, and Kavita Rao just wants to get away from everyone. The humour never lets up. At almost every point he can throw in a joke or insult, Spurrier does it. The plot is fairly straightforward. The science team have helped develop an elevator into space, and its launch leads into a variety of hijinks involving an oil tycoon-styled businessman, angry Atlaneans, attacking Atlaneans, and Danger going out of control. It's perfectly enjoyable, and Spurrier plays up some of the more absurd aspects of the story to benefit the humour. It's just a bit light for a five issue series. The art by Paul Davidson is nice, but I'd imagine not to everyone's tastes. I quite like how he depicts people and think it works well with the dead pan humour of the book. He has a unique style and I've always liked it. All that said, I don't know if I'm sticking with this. Five issues is a lot to ask of such a thin story. I have no doubt it will be five issues of fun, so I just have to weigh whether that is worth sticking around for. Regardless of that, still a solid comic.

Hellblazer - Where did I put that again?

I'm continuing my look at Hellblazer, thanks to the full run of the series offered by Toronto Public Library. Red Sepulchre (collecting issues 175-180) marks the start of writer Mike Carey's tenure on the book, picking up where Brian Azzarello's roadtrip through the USA ended. I have the utmost respect for Carey as a writer. My only experience with his Vertigo work is The Unwritten, but he has fought hard to make his run on X-Men (later re-titled X-Men: Legacy) into a thoughtful and worthwhile read, even as editorial has wrenched it in different directions and borderline ignored it for years. I know he has the chops to turn out a strong story. In this volume, John is back in England, and the series immediately returns to a much more familiar tone and vibe than Azzarello brought to it. In comparison to Azzarello's work, this is downright tame. But, at the same time, it's very good. Carey builds the story deliberately, adding layers and characters as the explanations of what is going on trickle through. He seems to draw from Azzarello's model of storytelling in the right way, ramping up the intensity and action in the later issues, but, at the same time, the story is built on solid foundations.

A two-parter, drawn by returning Hellblazer legend Steve Dillon, opens the trade, and directly leads in to the title story. The strength here is in the character work - John, still presumed dead after the prison riots in Brian Azzarello's first story, returns home to check in on his sister Cheryl and her family. Outside of these characters and Chas, this title has never had much of a supporting cast, so I like that Carey grounds this story in them, after the title has drifted for so long. The story here is simple but compelling, with Cheryl spiraling into anti-depressants while John's niece Gemma is off in some unspecified trouble. The bulk of this story is fairly conventional. John senses a 'spike of evil' outside of Cheryl's apartment building, and enlists a waitress named Angie to help him investigate. Their interaction naturally builds, and, on, the whole, Carey's handling of the characters is top notch. He delves into the family dynamics more than most writers have, and it's strong stuff. The story leads John to pin a string of disappearances on a kindly old woman in the apartment building. Their big confrontation is quite good, and her dying words lead John to believe that both Gemma and his old friend Scrape are in trouble. No one is going to accuse this story of being groundbreaking, but it's good to see John back in familiar territory, The character work is strong, and the mystery is built up and resolved in an economical fashion.

"The Red Sepulchre" proper gets started and slowly builds into a compelling mystery. Quite typical of Hellblazer, numerous unsavoury types are introduced in somewhat cryptic scenes, and then the plot details behind who they are and what they're talking about are eventually revealed. This slow burn approach is part and parcel of the title by this point. It can be a mite frustrating, but I have faith in the writers, and the scenes are usually ominous and effective, as they are here. It's John's character that centers the book through these encounters, as his sure hand, concern for his niece, and sense of humour provide a focus around which we meet spindly old glamour queens, disembodied forces that live in the subway tunnels, and violent mobsters. Carey builds quite a strong framework here, with Gemma being used by a man named Fredricks to lure John in, so that John can help identify the red sepulchre, an ancient weapon connected to John's bloodline. It turns out that Scrape borrowed money from Fredricks to acquire it. He was killed by Fredricks in short order, and now Fredricks has to actually identify the sepulchre, amongst hundreds of boxes of Scrape's belongings, and needs John's help. It's a plot like this which proves Carey gets this title's sense of humour no problem. The story is built around the foibles of a desperate idiot, and that is the perfect setting for John to operate in. Add to this John's continued interaction with Angie and a mystical couple named Clarice and Albert, who also contributed to Scrape's purchase of the weapon and want in on it, and Carey builds a strong tapestry on which to hang this fairly straightforward story.

Carey has the fight for the weapon play out over the two final issues, and it's a wise choice. There are a number of players on the board (including a demon Clarice has summoned, and Map, the aforementioned disembodied consciousness who begrudgingly helps John), and the scene cutting that builds up the tension is very well-structured. The action of the story builds to a number of good crescendos, but it always remains rooted in the characters. Gemma, desperate to be recognized as a great magician herself, realizes she isn't, and that Fredricks only used her to lure in John. The story is rooted in her desire to get out of her uncle's shadow, and it's a compelling central conflict. In the ensuing firefights, it’s revealed that the sepulchre is merely a rope used to strangle people, one which John burns in short order. Carey does a great job pacing the build up to the end, and it’s the twist of humour about the much sought-after weapon turning out to be a piece of rope that proves he has the right stuff for this book.

Marcelo Frusin thankfully sticks around as regular artist. It's a boon for the book to have artistic consistency coming out of Azzarello's wild run, and it's great to see Frusin finally depict John operating in England. Frusin mastered the grim and dark elements of middle America, and brings those skills to London, angry demons, a séance, and a host of unsavoury characters. His style blends well with those elements. In some ways, it feels like Carey is only dipping his toes in during this first story, but I commend his craft in setting up the players and their relationships, naturally building the story, and expertly structuring the climax. It's not the dog-licking, head-shaving, getting-burnt-to-a-crisp-in-a-sex-club fun of Azzarello's run, but does everything need to be? This story boldly returns John to his more typical setting and tone, by reintroducing strong characterization and building a solid story. That's good comics to me.