Suicide Girls #3

July 2, 2011

Plot: Steve Niles, Missy Suicide, Brea Grant
Script: Brea Grant, Zane Grant
Pencils: David Hahn
Finishes: Cameron Stewart
Colorist: Antonio Fabela, Anaid Becerra
Letterer: Shawn Lee
Cover: Cameron Stewart
Editor: Mariah Huehner  
Publisher: IDW Publishing

With Sana captured by Way*Of*Life, the rest of the Suicide Girls retreat for home, lick their wounds, and plan the next stage of their attack. As one may expect, this largely involves lounging around in very little clothing. And let’s face it, that’s pretty much the selling point for this title. Not to say the story is terrible, it’s not, but it’s not really anything special either. Even bringing in the idea of a mole in the organization isn’t totally new, and they way it’s pulled across robs the story of some potential drama. The question, in a nutshell, is of whether there’s an actual traitor among the Suicide Girls or I one of them is the victim of some Way*Of*Life brainwashing. One of these options would require one of the girls to become a bad guy, and I get the feeling that’s something that wouldn’t be allowed. That’s the thing about this title – although all the SGs are “bad girls” in their own way, none of them really seem to have any actual flaws. Quirks, yes, and oddities, but nothing that could really cast any of them in a negative light. I know the basic idea behind the property is one of acceptance and empowerment, and that’s all well and good, but in fiction, characters who have nothing wrong with them get kind of dull, because the truth is, real people aren’t like that. David Hahn and Cameron Stewart pull across some really strong artwork, bringing the book’s rating up a bit. The looks of the girls are all very natural, very unique, and each is attractive in a different way, which is all to the good. It’s an okay book, but it’s not going to become a classic.

Rating: 7/10

Action Comics #819

September 5, 2004

Quick Rating: Awful
Title: Sodom and Gomorrah

Clark and Lana have a little heart-to-heart.

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

The two most frequent complaints you’ll hear about Chuck Austen’s writing is that 1) it is repetitive and 2) his characterization of women is, shall we say, one-sided? People make these complaints over and over again, and I’m a bit reluctant to say it some times. But after this issue, which is a textbook example of everything that could possibly be done wrong with these two characters, I feel that sometimes you’ve just got to call ‘em like you see ‘em, without any effort at sugarcoating.

This issue Superman, still recuperating from the beating he’s taken over the last few issues, is being “nursed back to health” by his old girlfriend, Lana Lang. However, this is not the Lana Lang we have read about in every comic book since the Superman revamp in 1986. This is a Lana Lang who wears short-shorts and belly shirts, takes childish, petty pot-shots at a woman who isn’t around to defend herself, and throws herself at a married man who has made it clear for years that he is not interested. This is the worst part of this issue, Chuck Austen is tearing two decades of characterization to shreds for the sake of a trite, clichéd plotline that would seem dull and redundant in an episode of Days of Our Lives, let alone in a Superman comic book.

Everything touched upon in this issue, every single character point, is something that has been discussed ad nauseum for years now, and has been resolved for a very long time. Lana has grown up, Lana has moved on. Anybody else still obsessing over a high school boyfriend this many years later would be told to go to therapy, not presented as a sympathetic heroine. This smacks of a writer artificially generating storylines by dredging up things that others have already done – and better – because nothing else is coming to mind. Lana in this issue is spiteful and petty, spitting out specious arguments about Lois Lane and putting forth reasoning that anybody who has actually read the storylines where these characters’ relationships were defined would know is completely untrue.

The book is intercut with a fight scene with the two cleverly-named adversaries Sodom and Gomorrah, a fight made more difficult by the fact that Superman’s powers are fluctuating uncontrollably, as predicted by the doctors at S.T.A.R. Labs (which is a pretty impressive feat, seeing as how two issues ago they were complaining that they didn’t know a bloody thing about Kryptonian physiology).

Even the artwork, usually the saving grace of this title suffers this issue under guest-penciller Prado, who seems to handle the Clark/Lana scenes while Reis does the fight scenes. Reis’s scenes are fine, but Prado’s are half cheesecake.

If I wasn’t reviewing this issue, I don’t know if I could have read it through to the end. By the time I got to the eight-page Bionicle ad section in the middle, I was begging for it to be over. These aren’t the characters I love. These aren’t even characters I like. These are boring, petty people, and I’m tired of seeing them in this book month after month.

Rating: 2/10

The Incredibles: Family Matters #2

July 10, 2009

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Family Matters Part 2

Mr. Incredible’s powers continue to fade.

Writer: Mark Waid
Art: Marcio Takara
Colors: Andrew Dalhouse
Letters: Jose Macasocol, Jr.
Editor: Paul Morrissey
Cover Art: Marcio Takara
Publisher: Boom! Kids

Last issue Mr. Incredible came to the harsh realization that his powers were fading. This issue, as he and Frozone try to get to the bottom of his power loss, he begins hiding his new secret from his family. Meanwhile, the whole Parr family is growing closer to their new next door neighbors – and nobody moreso than their daughter, Violet.

The wonderful sense of fun that Mark Waid created with the first issue continues this month. Although Bob’s efforts to hide his secret are a little evocative of the plot of the movie, there are enough new twists to make this story feel very fresh. Waid has added some new characters and toys to the Incredibles universe that all work well, fitting and expanding on the existing mythology very nicely.

The trick with these characters really is to find a new kind of story to tell with them that doesn’t come across as derivative of the movie or the thousands of superheroes that inspired the Incredibles in the first place. Sure, we’ve seen the superhero losing his powers before. Sure, we’ve seen the superhero keeping secrets from his family. But the chemistry here, the combining of those elements with these characters, makes it seem like something totally new. Plus, the subplot with the neighbors continues to tug at you, making you wonder just what’s up with them. Maybe it’s just paranoia from years of reading comics, but it’s almost impossible to believe there isn’t more to them than meets the eye.

Takara’s artwork is fantastic. He’s got a look that works perfectly with the animated model, and Andrew Dalhouse’s colors compliment the line art very well. It’s a wonderful package and adds to a very entertaining line of comics.

Rating: 8/10