Avengers/Invaders is a 12-issue crossover that's oddly being joint-published by Marvel and Dynamite Entertainment. I say oddly because every character in the book is a Marvel character, and a far as I can tell, the only reason Dynamite is involved at all is because the idea was pitched by Alex Ross, who has been over at Dynamite working on his “Project: Superpowers” book.
Avengers/Invaders, though only two issues in, has come out to be pretty cool thus far. Set in a post “Civil War” Marvel Universe, the Mighty Avengers (made up of Iron Man, Ms. Marvel, Wasp, Wonder Man, The Sentry and Ares) are living their lives as usual when a portal opens up in the middle of Manhatttan and the World War II heroes, the Invaders, tumble out, disoriented and lost. Captain America and Bucky, the original Human Torch and his sidekick Toro and a younger, brasher Namor he Sub-mariner believe this to be a Nazi trick and take on (and take down) the Mighty Avengers, who are just as confused as well as being shocked to see their fallen comrade Cap alive and kicking.
Two big twists at the end of issue two really sold me on the series. The first is the New Avengers being informed by Spider-Man that the Invaders are in town, and they then decide that they will rescue and recruit their former leader. I like the idea of a three-way super-brawl. The second was the terribly hard-core portrayal of Bucky Barnes in escaping the custody of his prison cell onboard the SHEILD heli-carrier. He actually cuts open his arm and removes sticks of plastique he had stored there in order to blow his door open. Bucky shows some of the grit that writer Ed Brubaker would highlight in making him into the “Winter Soldier” over in the pages of Captain America a few years ago.
All in all, the book is good, and still a little under the radar. I recommend it.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
Invincible vol.9
I just picked up the latest trade paperback of Robert Kirkman's Invincible, featuring art by Ryan Ottley. Volume 9, titled "Out of This World", allows the readers to take a nice break from the high drama of the last volumes, and finally shows a few things going right for the hero and his friends and family.
The last volume was full of action and melodrama, with Mark's fellow superheroes getting murdered and maimed by the villainous Lizard League, with Mark haaving to break up with his girlfriend, and generally just everything in his life going wrong.
This book however lightens the tone by showing both the reader and Mark that everything isn't as bad as it seems and that there's always tomorrow. In fact, he creepiest part of the whole book is when Mark walks in on his roommate wearing his super-suit, sans-pants.
Plus, there's a visit from my favorite character, Allen the alien, and when ever she shows up it brings a smiile to my face.
As usual, the trade also has some sketches and developmental art in the back, with commentary from the writer and artist. A particularly painful piece where Ottley's two-year old son snuck into his studio and went to work on a nearly finished page of art with a chunky red marker. Funny, but painful to see.
All in all, it was a good read, and a nice break from the previous volumes' pain and loss.
The last volume was full of action and melodrama, with Mark's fellow superheroes getting murdered and maimed by the villainous Lizard League, with Mark haaving to break up with his girlfriend, and generally just everything in his life going wrong.
This book however lightens the tone by showing both the reader and Mark that everything isn't as bad as it seems and that there's always tomorrow. In fact, he creepiest part of the whole book is when Mark walks in on his roommate wearing his super-suit, sans-pants.
Plus, there's a visit from my favorite character, Allen the alien, and when ever she shows up it brings a smiile to my face.
As usual, the trade also has some sketches and developmental art in the back, with commentary from the writer and artist. A particularly painful piece where Ottley's two-year old son snuck into his studio and went to work on a nearly finished page of art with a chunky red marker. Funny, but painful to see.
All in all, it was a good read, and a nice break from the previous volumes' pain and loss.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1
I just managed to read Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1 last night, and I found myself a little perplexed by the book.
Obviously meant to cap off the 24-issue, 4 year run by Joss Whedon and John Cassady on Astonishing X-Men, it works to wrap up the stories he's been writing and as he gets ready to hand the reigns over to another creative team, make sure there isn't too much left dangling.
But four years is a long time, and Whedon makes some creative decisions that don't lend themselves to periodical issues.
I could have done with a little exposition and flashback work, which is avoided in favour of some fan service by the writer as he tries to include as many heroes in the Marvel Universe as he can. Granted, he does write a decent Spidey, but for a book with a big #1 on the cover, it really should have taken a little time to remind the readers who the characters were, specifically in the residents of Breakworld, Ord included, and Agent Brand, as well as the newest X-Man, Armour. This will matter less, of course, when the book is republished in the trade, but the fact is I didn't buy the trade, I bought the issue, and I felt a little let down about it.
The best part of the book was the ending, and Kitty really should have gotten some more of the spotlight during the run in order to drive home the poignancy of her sacrifice. It does have a stronger impact when you look at how Astonishing begins, with Kitty's return to the mansion and her memories of growing up there, but that was four years ago for the readers, and should have been brought back into our minds.
John Cassady was his usual brilliant self, and I feel the really added to the book, trying hard to add emotional resonance to a single issue whose script was lacking, and did so, especially with the great moment of redemption for Ord. It's a shame he wasn't given the chance to recap his own work.
All in all, once collected, I'm sure this chapter will fit right in as a nice ending, but as a single issue, it was less than grand. As well, if you have a favorite heroine, and she's cute and spunky, you'd do well to keep Joss Whedon away from her.
Obviously meant to cap off the 24-issue, 4 year run by Joss Whedon and John Cassady on Astonishing X-Men, it works to wrap up the stories he's been writing and as he gets ready to hand the reigns over to another creative team, make sure there isn't too much left dangling.
But four years is a long time, and Whedon makes some creative decisions that don't lend themselves to periodical issues.
I could have done with a little exposition and flashback work, which is avoided in favour of some fan service by the writer as he tries to include as many heroes in the Marvel Universe as he can. Granted, he does write a decent Spidey, but for a book with a big #1 on the cover, it really should have taken a little time to remind the readers who the characters were, specifically in the residents of Breakworld, Ord included, and Agent Brand, as well as the newest X-Man, Armour. This will matter less, of course, when the book is republished in the trade, but the fact is I didn't buy the trade, I bought the issue, and I felt a little let down about it.The best part of the book was the ending, and Kitty really should have gotten some more of the spotlight during the run in order to drive home the poignancy of her sacrifice. It does have a stronger impact when you look at how Astonishing begins, with Kitty's return to the mansion and her memories of growing up there, but that was four years ago for the readers, and should have been brought back into our minds.
John Cassady was his usual brilliant self, and I feel the really added to the book, trying hard to add emotional resonance to a single issue whose script was lacking, and did so, especially with the great moment of redemption for Ord. It's a shame he wasn't given the chance to recap his own work.
All in all, once collected, I'm sure this chapter will fit right in as a nice ending, but as a single issue, it was less than grand. As well, if you have a favorite heroine, and she's cute and spunky, you'd do well to keep Joss Whedon away from her.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
The Facts In The Case Of The Departure Of Miss Finch
The Facts In The Case Of The Departure Of Miss Finch by Neil Gaiman caught my eye almost right away, sitting up there all pretty-like on the shelf of my local comic shop. Matte-finished, hard cover and smelling just like a new adventure, I snapped it up and brought it home.
It lay on the shelf for about ten days, as I wanted to wait for just the right mood to read it.
It was a charming tale, especially because of the art by Michael Zulli, and it was just weird enough to keep me smiling all the way through. I liked it, and I'll definitely be sharing my copy with my friends, but I also have found that while the images have stuck in my head, the story was more of a one-off, and it hasn't called me back to re-read it like some of Gaiman's other works, like 1502 or Good Omens. It's a shame too, because it did make me smile in a nice and simple way.
It lay on the shelf for about ten days, as I wanted to wait for just the right mood to read it.
It was a charming tale, especially because of the art by Michael Zulli, and it was just weird enough to keep me smiling all the way through. I liked it, and I'll definitely be sharing my copy with my friends, but I also have found that while the images have stuck in my head, the story was more of a one-off, and it hasn't called me back to re-read it like some of Gaiman's other works, like 1502 or Good Omens. It's a shame too, because it did make me smile in a nice and simple way.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Fantastic Four - Millar and Hitch
I was looking to add a new title to my pull list a few months ago, and the promise of what Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch would bring to the Fantastic Four seemed almost a sure thing. I mean, after all, this was the creative team that brought together the first Ultimates book, and are generally at the tops of the list for quality comics.
Three issues in, however, I'm less than impressed.
Hitch's art is fine, I guess, if not a little static. Three issues in, and he's finally been given a big fight scene to draw, and it ends up being clunky and cluttered. It was a let down, especially when compared to his Ultimates work.
Millar, who usually is able to weave a nice mix of drama and action, but in this run, it's more melodrama along the lines of a reality television show. Johnny Storm is even in the process of setting one up as a side-plot.
Basically, I've bought three issues and haven't felt at all that I've gotten my money's worth. This book is gonna be dropped from my list as soon as I get back to the shop.
Three issues in, however, I'm less than impressed.
Hitch's art is fine, I guess, if not a little static. Three issues in, and he's finally been given a big fight scene to draw, and it ends up being clunky and cluttered. It was a let down, especially when compared to his Ultimates work.
Millar, who usually is able to weave a nice mix of drama and action, but in this run, it's more melodrama along the lines of a reality television show. Johnny Storm is even in the process of setting one up as a side-plot.
Basically, I've bought three issues and haven't felt at all that I've gotten my money's worth. This book is gonna be dropped from my list as soon as I get back to the shop.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Project Superpowers #0-#1
Project Superpowers from Dynamite Entertainment is a new series out, with covers and plotting by comics superstar Alex Ross, scripted by Jim Krueger and interior art by Carlos Paul.
The basic idea as seen in the link above is that shortly after the second world war, all the superheroes mysteriously disappeared, and were, for the most part, written off to live on only in history books. The truth is more sinister than that, with ghosts and myth and betrayal all mixed in.
The Alex Ross covers are nice, if not a little static and cluttered, but his plotting gets me down a little bit. The first two issues really seem to tell you that this is basically Ross' attempt to play with DC's "All-Star Squadron" and making his copies to work the book over at Dynamite. The characters all feel familiar, but in this case, I found that to be detrimental to the storytelling.
Krueger does what he can with the scripts, but the star player here has to be Carlos Paul. I tried to do some research into him, but the web doesn't offer me much more than his work on this book. He's new, he's good, and he'll be big once all is said and done. His art looks like a mix of Neal Adams, Cary Nord, and is obviously influenced by Ross' character designs for the book.
So far, I've dug the first two issues, but I'm worried that Dynamite made a mistake with the release of a #0, as the exposition and the setup all happens there, and without it, #1 would have been hard to understand. But, as you may have noticed, I really dig WWII comics, so this one will be on my pull list for a while.
The basic idea as seen in the link above is that shortly after the second world war, all the superheroes mysteriously disappeared, and were, for the most part, written off to live on only in history books. The truth is more sinister than that, with ghosts and myth and betrayal all mixed in.
The Alex Ross covers are nice, if not a little static and cluttered, but his plotting gets me down a little bit. The first two issues really seem to tell you that this is basically Ross' attempt to play with DC's "All-Star Squadron" and making his copies to work the book over at Dynamite. The characters all feel familiar, but in this case, I found that to be detrimental to the storytelling.
Krueger does what he can with the scripts, but the star player here has to be Carlos Paul. I tried to do some research into him, but the web doesn't offer me much more than his work on this book. He's new, he's good, and he'll be big once all is said and done. His art looks like a mix of Neal Adams, Cary Nord, and is obviously influenced by Ross' character designs for the book.
So far, I've dug the first two issues, but I'm worried that Dynamite made a mistake with the release of a #0, as the exposition and the setup all happens there, and without it, #1 would have been hard to understand. But, as you may have noticed, I really dig WWII comics, so this one will be on my pull list for a while.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Kick-Ass
I really have been a fan of John Romita jr. since his work back in the early 80's on Uncanny X-Men. Mark Millar hasn't ever really bombed either. Kick-Ass, from Marvel's Icon imprint should have been a slam dunk as far as I was concerned, but after reading issue #1, I'm feeling it was more of an air-ball.
I feel for Romita, who is a brilliant artist, and has always been one of my favorites, because the story really doesn't give him much to play with. His angles, "cinematography", and dynamic action are all spot-on, and if this was just a book of pretty pictures, I'd have gotten my money's worth.
But the plot was so...leaden. Millar doesn't take the reader anywhere, and for a first issue of a series, he really fell flat. Page after page of exposition, introduction, and pop-references meant that by the time the action did happen, I was already bored. Sadly, #1 did not kick-ass.
I feel for Romita, who is a brilliant artist, and has always been one of my favorites, because the story really doesn't give him much to play with. His angles, "cinematography", and dynamic action are all spot-on, and if this was just a book of pretty pictures, I'd have gotten my money's worth.
But the plot was so...leaden. Millar doesn't take the reader anywhere, and for a first issue of a series, he really fell flat. Page after page of exposition, introduction, and pop-references meant that by the time the action did happen, I was already bored. Sadly, #1 did not kick-ass.
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