Weekly Comics - 01/25/12

Justice League Dark#5 - Peter Milligan/Mikel Janin

Milligan notionally wraps up this title's first arc, as June Moon and the Enchantress are defeated and these disparate individuals have a discussion about teaming up. Granted, it doesn't go very well, as they angrily go their separate ways, but these characters have faced their first conflict as a group. This is the kind of story that I'd love to go back and re read in light of this issue's events - namely, that Madame Xanadu had more to do with causing the problem than solving it and that the Enchantress and June weren't nearly as sinister as Xanadu herself (despite her apparent best intentions). This issue is bigger on plot movement than most, as the group struggle amongst themselves to unite June and the Enchantress. It's laced with character conflict, as the pain and bitterness each character experienced individually in the first four issues is preventing them from coming together as a unit. Deadman, in particular, cannot bear to be around the others or help them against June. However Milligan plans to keep this group together, there is a great dynamic here, rooted in this anger and pain. It's to his credit that scenes of fantastical magical opponents are always grounded by these characters trying to reach out to each other. Zatanna kissing Shade to remind him what is real is particularly effective. Most the issue takes places in a mindscape, where the characters jump between scenes, appearing to help and antagonize each other, and it's a disorienting and effective set up. The final scene is also great, with the assembled characters confronting Xanadu about what she's done and leaving. There's a softness and vulnerability to her character, the supposed evil mastermind, and I can't wait to see where she goes from here. Janin continues to surprise on the art. His figures are soft and believable in their facial expressions and body language, but they are thrown into any number of horrific settings against different creatures. It's a very pretty book. Even the various creatures and mindscapes are meticulously rendered. At the end of this first story, I still don't necessarily know what the premise of this title is going to be. That said, Milligan has created a deep, interesting world, and a cast of fully realized characters, so I'm happy to keep following it.

Flash#5 - Francis Manapul, Brian Buccelato/Francis Manapul

Manapul and Buccelato continue to great work on this book. In one sense, they wrap up their first story, leaving dangling threads for future stories. And, in another, they use this story to continue to expand on the Flash's power set in innovative ways. The Manuel Lago story wraps up with this creative team's typical flair for high octane superheroics and startling artwork. The set piece here is an experiment run by Dr. Elias to correct the genetic imbalance in Manuel's clones, and Manapul uses it as an opportunity for some stunning visuals. Sound effects invade the very pacing and structure of the page, bringing an innovative look to the action. The climactic splash pages, where the Flash stops the experiment, are a beauty to behold, bathed in a pale green and mixing the right amount of pathos into these cartoony faces. The writers leave Manuel's story open ended - the threat has ended in tragedy, but the door is re-opened at the end for the returnof Mob Rule. I like how personally connected Barry has been to this fight. Last issue's flashbacks are built on, so that the friendship between Barry and Manuel is at the core of the heroic, but impulsive, choices Barry makes here. Events from this story directly lead to the bombshells of the final scene, where Barry learns how his powers are causing time travel incidents - the EMP blast that abruptly descended on the city in the first issue is traced to his actions here, among other incidents. There is a nice serendipity to this twist, explaining some random elements from previous issues with grace. At the same time, this wrinkle in Barry's powers is presented as a grave danger, surely a threat to be explored further. It's a paradigm shift for the book, and I was really grabbed by this twist. There's a lot more going on here - Iris' rescue from Iron Heights (a wonderful action scene as drawn by Manapul), Barry flirting with Patty and Iris in his two different guises, and the set up for a future opponent in Captain Cold. I do still think the writing team have some kinks to work out, albeit minor ones, but the final product is always great - fantastic, inventive artwork wrapped around energetic, fun stories.

Fantastic Four#602 - Jonathan Hickman/Barry Kitson

Wow. Hickman really ramps things up here. The previous issue of FF started to show how everything connected, and this one continues in that vein. But, at its core, this is a strong action issue with a lot of fun character work. I tend to find Hickman's action issues to be quick reads, but he peppers a lot of team interaction through this one. His run has been so focused on high concepts, that the characters can sometimes get a bit lost, particularly the fun team dynamic. Hickman rectifies that here, with a playfully scheming Reed and Sue planning a big move while their two team mates struggle to keep up with them. It's fun, while contributing to the bigger story. The action also moves along at a great pace, jumping between the different parties involved and keeping a wider story going in the background. But the big moment here is the final sequence with Galactus. I've previously said the Kree/Inhumans/Galactus elements felt out of place with the time travel/alternate Reeds/Nathaniel story Hickman had been building since his first issue. Here, Hickman shows how they are all connected, and, read in conjunction with FF#14, a wonderful tapestry is emerging. Galactus, particularly, seemed like a late-game addition to the big story, but his purpose is revealed here, and it's a great twist that makes perfect sense. Barry Kitson guest pencils the issue, and is typically excellent. His figures and faces are crisp and expressive, his action scenes are clear and powerful, and his style is a great match for the book. Things are coming together at a controlled pace here. At the same time, the action is big and fun. A really great issue.

FF#14 - Jonathan Hickman/Juan Bobillo

Hickman's also revealing more pieces of his grand plan in this issue. Namely, the role of the Celestials, more background on the alternate Reeds, just what Valeria and Nathaniel have been plotting, and what role Doom will play in everything. We're beginning to see how a number of Hickman's plot elements, going back almost three years, fit together into one sequence of events, all leading to this point. If this is what the payoff to a sometimes plodding long, long-term story feels like, it's worth it. The lengthy flashbacks to Nathaniel, Valeria, and Doom are great scenes, teasing at the big reveals without outright spelling everything out. It's enough for the reader to piece things together. As for the present day scenes, they retain the fun group dynamic of previous issues, while adding the gravity of the fight with the Celestials. There is weight to the proceedings here that makes the events feel as important as the war with the Kree in Fantastic Four. I also love Doom's role - I tend to like when he joins with the Fantastic Four as an ally, and his willpower and sense of sacrifice here adds an interesting layer to the story. Bobillo also continues to impress, with a great depiction of the children and an offbeat look for all of the deranged adults populating the book. The space battle looks great, and he continues to play with panel arrangement and blank space in effective ways. I don't think this one was quite as urgent as this week's Fantastic Four, but it was still a strong read that continues putting the pieces of a major story together.

X-Men: Legacy#261 - Christos Gage/David Baldeon

Christos Gage properly gets his run underway after the Point 1 issue, picking up on some of Mike Carey's threads. And I can safely say it is coming off a lot more obvious than Carey would have handled it. I hate to be comparing Gage's tenure to Carey's but when he is drawing on Carey's stories and character arcs so strongly, it's hard not to. It starts with the characterization. From the opening scenes where Rachel and Rogue discuss the latter's relationship with Magneto and Frenzy and Gambit discuss their kiss, it is all just laid on the table. Carey was always a bit more opaque and subtle with his character work, and here it is all out there. It's fine stuff, it just lacks the layers and depth a more stripped back presentation would give it. Exodus' arrival draws on one of Carey's best issues, #225, where Xavier convinced Exodus and his followers that the dwindling number of mutants need to unite, not fight amongst themselves. It was a brilliant examination of the X-titles and a strong direction for their future. Here, Exodus arrives, angry at the schism in the X-Men, and Carey's earlier idea loses a lot of its subtlety and sharpness. Again, the conversations are laid right on the table, and the topic of mutant unity just becomes the backdrop for an enjoyable, but generic, fight scene. By the end of the issue, it seems the conflict is over, then Gage tacks on plot where Exodus will attack Cyclops for causing the schism. It's all nicely executed, and the fight scene is energetic, with artwork much improved by Baldeon, but it feels pedestrian compared to the depth Carey could bring to the book, even in a wordless scene. I hate to dump on this book in Gage's second issue. This is a good issue, but subtle it ain't, and the comic is weaker for that.