Looney Tunes (1994 Series) #118

August 31, 2004

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Duck, Dodgers & other stories

A trilogy of tales starring that protector of the spaceways – Duck Dodgers!

Writer: Earl Kress
Pencils: Neal Sternecky, Dave Alvarez & Walter Carzon
Inks: Scott McRae, Mike DeCarlo & Ruben Torreiro
Colors: Dave Tanguay
Letters: Pat Brosseau
Editor: Joan Hilty
Cover Art: Dave Alvarez & Mike DeCarlo
Publisher: DC Comics/Johnny DC

First of all, let me thank DC Comics for instituting their new “Johnny DC” line, linking together their various young readers titles and trying to make some good comics for kids again, and second, let me thank whoever at DC decides which books to send out in advance each week for including stuff like Looney Tunes, just because I finally have an excuse to talk about Daffy Duck in a professional manner.

As big a fan as I am of the Looney Tunes cartoons – the funniest cartoons ever made in my opinion – historically their comic books haven’t been as great as those of their Disney counterparts. That’s probably because the Looney Tunes style of humor is so kinetic, so visual, that it doesn’t translate as well to the comic book page. Since DC began publishing a new Looney Tunes series several years ago, however, many of those problems have been addressed and a string of talented writers and artists have gotten better and better at putting that classic style on paper.

This issue is a spotlight on Daffy’s alter-ego, Duck Dodgers in the 24th and a Half Century! Based on the new cartoon series (which in turn is based on the classic shorts), Earl Kress serves up three delightfully goofy shorts. In the first, Marvin the Martian plans to use a giant billiard cue to knock the Earth out of its orbit. (He’s always wanted to get rid of Earth because it blocks his view of Venus.) Next, Dodgers and his sidekick (Porky Pig, who is never named in this role other than “Cadet”) have to quell a breakout on the prison planet for evil birthday clowns (yes, it’s as silly as it sounds, and that’s a good thing), and the third story is the latest plot of the Queen of Mars to ensnare Dodgers in her clutches in a romantic sense. This issue manages to hit all the major themes of the cartoon show, with wonderfully funny stories and great, kinetic, artwork that gets the gags across as well as anything.

I loved seeing this Duck Dodgers spotlight, but I hope DC doesn’t shift the book too much in that direction (anyone remember when the book became “G.I. Joe starring Snake-Eyes”?). Dodgers certainly has a place, and I wouldn’t mind seeing a story with him in every issue, but with so many great characters to choose from, it’d be a shame to shy away from Bugs Bunny, Sylvester and Tweety or all the other greats for very long.

Rating: 8/10

Hawkeye (2003 Series) #4

January 31, 2004

Quick Rating: Good
Title: Like a Hole in the Head (The High, Hard Shaft Part Four)

Hawkeye has found the woman named Candy… but will he be too late to save her?

Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Art: Stefano Raffaele
Colors: Ben Dimagmaliw
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Cover Art: Howard Porter
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Hawkeye’s inaugural adventure continues as he tracks down the stripper named Candy. She’s mixed up with a group of Vietnam veterans who share a dark secret, a secret dark enough to drive one of them to suicide. Hawkeye is trying to help her, but as we see in the opening of this issue, she may not want his help anymore.

This title continues to be a good, if conventional, action/mystery. It’s like reading an episode of Macgyver with bows and arrows. Nicieza has found a way to redefine the character as less of a superhero and more of a traveling do-gooder who happens to wear a costume sometimes. There’s nothing in this issue that pops out as being especially memorable or unique or original, but even this combination of familiar elements turns into a rather enjoyable comic book. Something doesn’t always have to be brilliantly original to be fun.

The more I read this title, though, the more I feel that Stefano Raffaele just isn’t suited for it. He’s got a decent style, but it’s suited more for dark atmosphere than for fun action. He employs a device of boxing off elements of a ricochet so that the reader’s eyes follow it in order regardless of the panel layout, which is a clever idea, but is often awkward in execution. Plus, the book just doesn’t feel as light as a character like Hawkeye demands.

I also have a huge problem with the cover of this issue. While the artwork, from new Flash penciler Howard Porter, is just fine, it’s just another example of the increasingly, frustratingly generic covers Marvel comics seems to be sporting these days. For four issues we’ve had nothing but a stock pin-up drawing of Hawkeye aiming his arrow at something vague off-panel as our covers, and he didn’t even show up in costume until this issue. What’s more, the costume he’s wearing in this issue isn’t the same costume as he’s wearing on the cover. And finally, there are only so many postures you can put somebody in with a bow and arrow – if you’ve seen solicitations with the cover for next issue, it’s almost identical to this cover! The pose is exactly the same and the only element missing is the motorcycle lighting Hawkeye from behind.

I do not know who Marvel is attempting to win over with covers that tell you nothing about the story, but I’m really getting tired of it. Porter is far too good an artist to have his talents wasted on a meaningless cover like this.

Because of the cover gaffe, it’s safe to say that the only people who even think about picking up this issue will be longtime fans of the character like myself. For the most part, those fans will be satisfied. But it’s quite sad that their ranks won’t have the chance to grow.

Rating: 7/10

Sandman: Endless Nights Original Graphic Novel

November 13, 2003

Quick Rating: Excellent

Seven tale of the Endless from the most imaginative voice in comic books.

Writer: Neil Gaiman
Art (Chapter 1): P. Craig Russell
Colors (Chapter 1): Lovern Kindzierski
Art (Chapter 2): Milo Manara
Art (Chapter 3): Miguelanxo Prado
Art (Chapter 4): Barron Storey & Dave McKean (Designer)
Art (Chapter 5): Bill Sienkiewicz
Art (Chapter 6): Glenn Fabry
Colors (Chapter 6): Chris Chuckry
Art (Chapter 7): Frank Quitely
Letters: Todd Klein
Editor: Shelly Bond
Cover Art: Dave McKean
Publisher: DC Comics/Vertigo

Neil Gaiman put his Sandman quill away after 75 issues about seven years ago. Since then, others have occasionally told stories of the Dreaming and the Endless, and some of them (especially Fables creator Bill Willingham) were rather good at it. But none of them had the same fantastic feel of Gaiman.

Now he’s back with seven new short stories about the Endless, all of which combine to make one incredible hardcover that is bound to be a favorite when people start handing out awards next year. In each of these he teamed up with a really fantastic artist, most of whom he never worked with before, and turned out a volume that any Sandman fan simply has to read.

Chapter 1, “Death and Venice,” is the Death story in this collection, and like so many of the best Sandman tales, the Endless play only a small role directly. An aristocrat has discovered a way to cheat time by reliving the same day over and over again (kind of a version of Groundhog Day by way of Gaiman instead of Bill Murray). The Count can die every day with no consequences, because he will wake up the next day and live the day all over again, so in cheating time, he is also cheating Death. And nobody can cheat Death forever.

Russell does a great job with this story, switching from a looser, more iconic style on the island to a much grittier style for the modern-day scenes. This is one of my favorite stories in the collection.

Chapter 2, “What I’ve Tasted of Desire,” is the tale of the androgynous member of the Endless who plies his/her talents for a farm girl in love with a Nordic warrior. This story, as short as it is, manages to keep an almost perfect three-act structure – the longing, the pursuit and the girl’s life thereafter. It was brilliant to have this story drawn by Milo Manara, famous in Europe for his exquisite adult-themed graphic novels. Manara creates some of the most striking, sensual women ever to grace a comic book page, and the marriage of his artwork to Gaiman’s words is flawless.

Chapter 3, “The Heart of a Star,” is the tale of the titular Sandman, but is also the only story in the collection to show all of the Endless together. Eons ago, long before life began on Earth, a gathering of the immortals was held, a gathering of the cosmic beings, the gods. Dream of the Endless was there with his lover, Killalla of the planet Oa. The tale is told mostly through Killalla’s eyes as she meets each of the Endless, including the earlier incarnation of Delirium, when she was still known as Delight. If ever there is any question of Sandman’s place in the DC Universe, this should dispel it. In this tale we see not only the groundwork for much of the Sandman epic, but also the beginning of ripples that would one day touch mainstream titles like Green Lantern and Superman.

Prado’s artwork is beautiful, with a elegant, fanciful quality that is perfect for this marriage of science fiction and fantasy storytelling. He is also good with expression, often telling as much of the story in facial features as Gaiman does through dialogue.

Chapter 4, “Fifteen Portraits of Despair,” is probably my least favorite of the seven tales, although that’s mostly because it just isn’t the sort of artwork I prefer. Rather than a coherent story, this is more like 15 assorted vignettes of the lost, the despondent, the hopeless, as different beings reach the point of ultimate agony in their own broken lives. Dark and disturbing, with harsh artwork both beautiful and terrible by Barron Storey, this chapter is difficult to read, but only because of how well it is done.

Chapter 5 is “Going Inside,” the story of Delirium. She has gone missing, and a group of people that belong to her realm – a homeless man, a delusional girl, several others, begin to feel a pull towards a place that may lead to her freedom. This is the first tale in the collection to take place, chronologically, after the run of the regular Sandman series, and is the only one to feature Daniel, the son of Dream. The a sequence that works very well. Bill Sienkiewicz was the perfect choice for this chapter – he has a scattered, almost mad style that matches the mindset of the main character and those that are called to her aid.

Chapter 6, “On the Peninsula,” is Destruction’s tale, and takes place right after Chapter 5. A group of archeologists have found a monolith off the coast of Sardinia, full of artifacts that could not have come from any culture on Earth – at least, not in Earth’s past. The scientists meet a tall, powerful man and his young, disturbed sister, who seem to know a great deal more about the monolith than they should. This is an interesting tale that delves into the member of the Endless we have seen least frequently over the years… and who ironically, often seems like the most human of them all. Fabry’s artwork is always good – strong, clean, and serving the story first and foremost.

Chapter 7, “Endless Nights,” is a quick portrait of Destiny that includes some of the greatest artwork of Frank Quietly’s career. The best way to describe this tale is as “A Day in the Life of Destiny.” There is no real conflict, nor any resolution… there is only the slow, plodding trek of a being whose own destiny is to follow the destiny of all.

People hoping to find, in this book, a new epic adventure or fantasy novel will be disappointed. What they will find instead is a series of short, wonderful tales, some better than others but all superior to many of the comics on the market today. This book is simply wonderful, and anyone who has ever found themselves wandering the paths of the Sandman will welcome this volume as a chance to briefly wander them again.

Rating: 10/10