Superman/Batman #34

April 20, 2007
Superman/Batman #34 (DC Comics)
By Mark Verheiden & Pat Lee

The Metal Men are back, and the break-in at a Waynetech Research Facility sends them crossing paths with the World’s Finest. The Metal Men are one of those favorite B-list properties that haven’t had a chance to shine in the last few years, but with the word that there’s a movie in the works, that’s due to change. I really like Pat Lee‘s redesign of the characters, and the introduction of a new Metal Man (technically, a second Metal Woman) in Copper works fairly organically. The two big problems I have with this issue are — first, Lee‘s art. This is as true today as it was when he was doing TransFormers. He does great robots, but his humans just don’t look very good at all. Second, I know this title is only loosely anchored in continuity at best, but I really don’t care for the idea of reintroducing the Metal Men here as if they were brand new characters. They may be B-list, but they’ve been around for decades and have a lot of history with our two leads. Giving them a reboot just as they’re being used wonderfully in 52 and gearing up for a movie? It just doesn’t seem necessary to me.
Rating: 6/10

Somebody’s First Comic Book: Laffin’ Gas #7

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

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE: Never heard of this one. The cover looks kind of like Conan the Barbarian, except he’s yawning and stuff… I’m guessing this is a parody comic, like Mad Magazine or something. And as it turns out, there are lots of stories in it…

 

TITLE: Estarciondust Memories Book 1: Ascent of the Earth-Dog

 

CREDITS:
Writer: Fernando Salazar
Penciller: Hal Lane
Publisher: Blackthorne Publishing

 

IMPRESSIONS: This issue introduces us to Cerberus, a three-headed… pig-thing? Who goes to a bar to argue with the Marx Brothers? And argue with Foghorn Leghorn while Spider-Man and Wolverine flee from attacking hordes behind him? I’m totally lost here. There’s a spirit who shows up at the end and, from the conversation, it sounds like they’re trying to make some sort of statement about the state of comic books, but it’s kind of nonsensical, to be frank.

TITLE: Blast!
CREDITS:
Writer: Evan Mills
Penciller: Dave Garcia

IMPRESSIONS: After kicking off with what appears to be a standard Tales From the Crypt parody, this short story drifts into a piece about three trolls hanging out with a cartoon dragon. Singing badly. Blowing stuff up. I did like the part where things explode.

 

TITLE: Stonehead the Barbarian
CREDITS: None?

IMPRESSIONS: This appears to be that Conan parody we saw on the cover, and it’s probably the funniest and most-accessible story in the comic. Riding Dino and sailing in a ship with Foghorn Leghorn’s head (again with Foghorn Leghorn), Stonehead roams around, slays things, and generally causes havoc. The story is so-so, but the art is really quite funny. This one I liked.

 

TITLE: Make Love Not War
CREDITS:
Writer/Artist: Robert L. Crabb

IMPRESSIONS: Another Conan parody, this one featuring “Barbarius the Unconquerable,” as he takes arms up against a wizard who… actually seems to have won a ridiculously complicated plan to destroy the world, using the barbarian to do it, all apparently to justify a joke about a popular franchise of the time. Meh.

 

TITLE: The Habbit!
CREDITS:
Writer: Noodles?
Penciller: Tim Tobolski

IMPRESSIONS: This is also a pretty decent story. Tim Tobolski and “Noodles” take The Hobbit, mix it up with a Disney parody, and turn out a funny, if short story that works out okay. Most of the jokes seem more for the Tolkien fans, though, as the Disney characters don’t really contribute much by virtue of being Disney characters, except that it’s funny to see them in this setting. (One exception: a hysterical one-panel Gollum joke featuring Donald Duck and his nephews.

TITLE: Big Snake in the Pool

 

CREDITS:
Writer: Greg Swan
Penciller: Davy Ammerman
Inks: James Pascoe
Letters: John Clark

IMPRESSIONS: This appears to be a Red Sonja parody, except Sonja is replaced by an old, ugly chick called Thelma. And… not so much with the funny. Let us move on.

Parody isn’t easy, and this book proves it. A couple of the stories here work, but most of it is simply to far “inside baseball” to be funny if you aren’t already in on the joke, and I’m just not.

GRADE: C-

Avengers/Thunderbolts #5

July 24, 2004

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Truth and Consequences

Moonstone has gone mad – can the Avengers and Thunderbolts put aside their differences to save the world?

Writers: Kurt Busiek & Fabian Nicieza
Pencils: Tom Grummett
Inks: Gary Erskine
Colors: Brian Reber
Letters: Richard Starkings
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Cover Art: Barry Kitson
Publisher: Marvel Comics

The second-to-last issue of this slam-bang miniseries gives me more hope than ever that this will lead into a new beginning for the Thunderbolts, which was hands-down the best concept to come out of Marvel Comics in the second half of the 90s, after clones, onslaughts and rebirths nearly ruined the entire line. This issue, with Baron Zemo’s energy-collecting scheme thwarted, Moonstone has internalized the power and is going berserk. The Avengers, the Thunderbolts and her ex-lover, Hawkeye, have to find a way to bring her back to reality before she destroys the world… and it will take another former Thunderbolt to do it.

Busiek and Nicieza do a great job pulling all of the elements of the story together, showing the two teams grudgingly form a sort of truce (as we all knew would happen). They go a step further, however, and bring in more elements from the old Thunderbolts series, showcasing a couple of former members and showing what they’re capable of. This bit may be a tad daunting for new readers, since there’s not much buildup or explanation, but this is a book playing mainly to fans of the original series, so there shouldn’t be too much of a learning curve there.

The most surprising, and best-done, aspect of this miniseries for me has been the characterization of Baron Zemo. Once a despotic mastermind and sworn enemy of Captain America, towards the end of the old series we saw him begin to move into a gray area, not becoming an outright hero, but shifting his motivation to more altruistic, if still misguided, ends. He does something in this issue that I never in a million years would have expected to see him do, but the action stems perfectly from the slow development he’s had, and it sets up an interesting new status quo for the character.

Tom Grummett… well, I’m an unabashed fan of Tom Grummett, and since Barry Kitson seemed to bow out of this miniseries just two issues in, he’s a fine replacement. He’s one of the most underrated artists out there, with clean, straightforward storytelling, dynamic poses and good facial expressions. If Marvel is in the market for a penciler for the new series, since Mark Bagley and Patrick Zircher are busy these days, you’ve got your man right here.

With just one issue left, I think I’ve got a pretty good idea how this miniseries is going to end… that’s not a complaint though. It’s clearly going to be setup for the return of one of my favorite comics, and I couldn’t be happier about that.

Rating: 8/10