Action Comics #817

July 12, 2004

Quick Rating: Average
Title: Weapons of Revelation

Following his battle with Gog, Superman is on the brink of death. The perfect time for an invasion of Metropolis!

Writer: Chuck Austen
Pencils: Ivan Reis
Inks: Marc Campos
Colors: Guy Major
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Cover Art: Arthur Adams
Publisher: DC Comics

Last issue, Superman got a nasty little injection of liquid Kryptonite from Gog. This issue, Superboy and Wonder Woman sit at his bedside while a legion of baddies tear through Metropolis.

As seems to be the case with Chuck Austen, there are one or two nice moments in the issue – Superman’s reaction to his state of mortality, for example, is a nice touch. But these nice touches are still trapped under the avalanche of bad characters and logic gaps. The story opens up with Clark Kent’s replacement at the Daily Planet, Jack Ryder, employing tactics that would get him booted out of any respectable journalism institution on Earth. (“Ladies and gentlement, Superman is dead! Maybe. I’ll wave a flag and let you know.” I am not making this up.)

Who’s treating Superman at S.T.A.R. Labs? Some annoying jerk named Mohlman who doesn’t even appear to be a real doctor and treats the hero like a science project. Now jerks in authority can make for entertaining stories, or they can make you want to gouge your eyes out the minute they walk on the panel.

We also get the usual “fast and loose with continuity” bits where Superman tells Mohlman that they’ve never been able to do extensive tests on his physiology before. (Y’know, except for all those extensive test Emil Hamilton, Kitty Faulkner or half a dozen other doctors have done over the years). The issue is capped off with a big blowout full of b-list heroes and obscure villains who get a grand total of one line of introduction between them, that one line belonging to Weapons Master, who never actually tells us his name (I’ve been reading Superman comics for a looooong time), but conveniently and vaguely explains his powers, just in case anyone was wondering.

As has become the status quo, this issue is seriously buoyed by wonderful artwork from Ivan Reis and Marc Campos. They do a fantastic Superman and a beautiful Wonder Woman, with a take that reminds me of Stuart Immonen’s artwork. They have fun with the fight scene, leading right up to the second “you know it’s not going to happen” ending in a row for this series.

This is one of those times I wish I were a reader who weighed a comic more on the art side than the writing, because if I was going by art alone I could proclaim this the best Superman title on the racks. But as it is, the artwork, good as it is, can’t raise the overall level of this book above a mere “so-so.”

Rating: 5/10

Fantastic Four (1961 Series) #588

March 1, 2011

Title: Three, Epilogue: Month of Mourning & Uncles

Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Art: Nick Dragotta & Mark Brooks
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Cover: Alan Davis, Mark Farmer & Javier Rodriguez
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Publisher: Marvel Comics

In the :cough cough: “final” issue of Fantastic Four, the world is reeling from the news of the death of Johnny Storm, the Human Torch. In a wordless story that takes place over the month following Johnny’s death, Jonathan Hickman brilliantly shows just how the extended family is reacting, from the too little too late appearance of the Avengers moments after Johnny’s death to a bit of (what seems to be) conclusive proof that Johnny is really dead, all the way to Valeria’s plan to exact revenge. Maybe the best part of the issue, though, is how the Thing copes. He watched Johnny, a man who was essentially his little brother, die to save his life, and that’s not an easy thing for Ben Grimm to take. The way he turns to (of all people) Thor and the Hulk to help him cope is nothing short of brilliant. The one weak point of this main story is the artwork. Nick Dragotta appears to be going for sort of a Jack Kirby riff, but he isn’t doing a great job of it. It looks like an attempt to copy Kirby, and as such loses its own personality.

There is no such problem in the second story this issue, “Uncles.” Spider-Man, who (we know because nothing in the world of comic books is allowed to be a secret anymore) will be joining the team in the new FF title is also mourning the loss of his friend, but he recognizes that there’s someone in agony who may be feeling a little neglected… so as one nephew who once lost a beloved uncle, he reaches out to Franklin Richards. This is perhaps the best Spider-Man story I’ve read in years – something so wonderfully classic and true to the character that I could even forget, for a few pages, all the stupid continuity hula hoops he’s been forced to jump over for the past few years. Hickman clearly understands the spirit of the wallcrawler, and I feel very good now about him taking Peter Parker into the cast of FF.

“Final Issue?” Sure – until FF reaches #12, which coincidentally would also be Fantastic Four #600. Ain’t no way that’s a coincidence. But for the next year, I have every faith that Hickman and company will give us some truly brilliant stories.

Rating: 8/10

Lullaby: Wisdom Seeker #2

April 30, 2005

Quick Rating: Very Good

As Pinocchio faces a new threat, Alice may be meeting new allies.

Plot: Mike S. Miller & Andres Ledesma
Script: Mike S. Miller & Ben Avery
Art: Hector Sevilla
Colors: Simon Bork, David Curiel & Ulises Arreola
Letters: Bill Tortolini
Editor: Mike S. Miller
Cover Art: Hector Sevilla
Publisher: Image Comics/Alias Enterprises/DB Pro

Review: This new fantasy series from Alias Enterprises continues, and it succeeds on many of the same levels on the first issue. We open up on a strange, twisted version of Little Red Riding Hood, a girl who has somehow become half-wolf, and is now traveling the woods with the Pied Piper. Together, they come face-to-face with a rather hideous, porcine woodsman, as Alice looks on.

Meanwhile, Jim Hawkins and Pinnochio come to the rescue of a pair of familiar children that are lost in the wilderness. There’s a nice little battle scene, and we see more of what makes these characters different from their classic counterparts. (Halfway through the issue, for instance, it hit me why Pinnochio refers to himself as “it,” and it breaks the heart). We also get the first hint of the true menace in our prologue, as a mysterious figure (with a disturbingly familiar fashion sense) sets his sights on one of our heroes.

The first issue switched far too abruptly from one set of characters to the other. This issue is a little better about that, swinging back and forth between our two main groups of heroes freely, and helping the story feel more cohesive. It’s not perfect – there’s still not much of a hint as how the characters will come together in the second half of this miniseries (yes, an ongoing will follow from Alias after their deal with Image ends, but you’ve got to judge this on its own merits), and it’s never entirely clear what becomes of the children Jim and Pinocchio save.

Hector Sevilla, creator of the series, does a beautiful job on the art chores. While he does have some Manga flavor to his style, that’s clearly not his only influence – he has a lot of American superhero influence and does some really imaginative stuff for the monsters and creatures that are all over this book.

I’m still enjoying this comic book very much and highly recommend it for anyone who’s trying to lure in new readers, particularly young ones. However, I have to admit, I’m starting to suspect this is a story that will read much better in collected form.

Rating: 8/10