Somebody’s First Comic Book: Kill Box #3

Wondering what Somebody’s First Comic Book is all about? The explanation is on this page!

TITLE: Reporting For Duty

Story/Art: Brian Denham
Publisher: Antarctic Press

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE: None, but that looks like a tank on the cover. I’m guessing a military story.

IMPRESSIONS: Definitely a military story. We open up with a couple of guys sitting on a tank in the middle of a blown-out city. We see our cast complaining about the heat, then trying not to curse (are they really strict about that in the military), and then for no apparent reason, one of them goes ape because another one accepted a package of… apricots? And I mean goes ape, you’d think this other guy beat up his mother or something. The way he’s talking, it sounds like this is some sort of superstition among tank drivers. Never heard that one, myself. Of course, I’ve never driven a tank, either.

Anyway, there’s a sniper here. It’s either a woman in a burqa or a ninja of some sort, you can’t really tell. She shoots and hits what looks like a hose. I guess it’s a fuel line, because with her next shot, she sets the tank on fire, which I’m pretty sure the Mythbusters proved doesn’t really work. [Note: although I am presuming this hypothetical First Reader has never touched a comic, he is a fan of Mythbusters, because who isn’t?] Anyway, lots of people die, and two pages from the end somebody finally tells us we’re in Iraq. So does this mean it’s a modern-day story? Or at least, that it was modern-day in 2003?

This story is a real mess. I’ve got no idea who this woman in the burqa is, why she’s shooting at the guys in the tanks, or what if anything apricots have to do with it. And I don’t really care enough to look it up.

GRADE: D

Daredevil (1998 Series) #60

Rating: May 16, 2004

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: The King of Hell’s Kitchen Part Five

Daredevil and his crew make a final stand to clean up Hell’s Kitchen.

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Art: Alex Maleev
Colors: Matt Hollingsworth
Letters: Cory Petit
Editor: Joe Quesada
Cover Art: Alex Maleev
Publisher: Marvel Knights

This storyline has been mostly about establishing a new status quo after the tumultuous events of Daredevil #50. This issue, Bendis seems to have finally settled things down, and the book is ready to move on to a grand new level. To cement his hold as the new kingpin of Hell’s Kitchen, Daredevil has rounded up his buddies Spider-Man, Luke Cage and Iron Fist to wipe out the Yakuza.

The book starts off with a great fight scene. We already know Bendis can write a great Spider-Man, but this issue he shows he can do a pretty good team dynamic as well. Daredevil gets the lion’s share of the attention, of course, but it’s clear that none of the heroes are slouches.

Some of the best scenes in the issue come after the fight, though, as Matt Murdock goes home to face not only his wife, but his own demons as well. The last few pages wrap up this storyline and give you a feeling that things have settled into a new life for Daredevil, even if it’s not a happy one. It’s the one he’s chosen, and he’s got to live with it.

Alex Maleev’s artwork continues to impress. He does a great gritty crime saga (I’d love to see him do an arc of Gotham Central, and he proves that he can do a great big superhero battle as well. He has striking poses and a great action dynamic, and an early two-page spread of our four heroes charging into battle is one of the best such shots I’ve ever seen.

Now that this issue has established the new milieu of the title, it’s time to sit down and start telling stories there. There’s a lot of room to play in this new world, and it’ll be great to see where Bendis takes it next.

Rating: 8/10

Arrowsmith #4

November 2, 2003

Quick Rating: Excellent
Title: La Vie En Escadrille

Fletcher Arrowsmith deals with the fact that life as an airman is not the grand adventure he had dreamed of.

Writer: Kurt Busiek
Pencils: Carlos Pacheco
Inks: Jesus Merino
Colors: Alex Sinclair
Letters: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
Editor: Scott Dunbier
Cover Art: Carlos Pacheco & Jesus Merino
Publisher: DC Comics/Wildstorm/Cliffhanger

One thing you can always say about Kurt Busiek’s writing is that he always finds a way to make his protagonist someone you can relate to, someone you could imagine yourself being had your life gone just slightly different. Many of us, having grown up in a world of magic like Fletcher Arrowsmith, would have dreamed of joining the airmen and going off to fight the good fight against a bitter foe. This issue is about Fletcher coming to grips that war is not an adventure, but a necessary horror, something that must be endured rather than sought out.

The battle scenes in this series continue to be some of the most thrilling things I have read in all my years of reading comic books. The airmen in Fletcher’s world bond with Dragonets and share their powers for intense mid-air combat, yet with all their powers the airmen get close enough to have mile-high swordfights. This is a comic book screaming to be translated into a big-budget action spectacle – if only one could be assured that the studio would maintain the character element that is the backbone of the series.

Pacheco’s character designs are dynamic and exciting, while still looking faithful to a year 1915 that, while not the same as our own, is not that far removed. In the recent exclusivity wars that Marvel and DC have been having, landing Pacheco is the best score DC has made from an artistic standpoint.

Fantasy? War? Alternate history? This comic book has the best elements of all three genres blended together seamlessly. Every time Busiek does a personal project like this, he raises his own bar. It is a testament to his talent that he always makes it over the bar on the next jump.

Rating: 10/10