The Authority: More Kev #2

June 18, 2004

Quick Rating: Below Average
Title: The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers Part Two

A dip into Kev’s past tells us why Earth has been targeted for destruction.

Writer: Garth Ennis
Art: Glenn Fabry
Colors: David Baron
Letters: Phil Balsman
Editor: Ben Abernathy
Cover Art: Glenn Fabry
Publisher: DC Comics/Wildstorm Universe

Okay, let’s start by looking at the cover. Isn’t that baby tiger the cutest little thing you’ve ever seen?

Now keep going, because that’s the best thing about this issue. Garth Ennis, who reached brilliance with his Preacher series and continues to entertain with his Punisher tales, succumbs to the same trap that every Authority story I’ve ever read: shallow blood, sex and cursing for pure shock value.

With the rest of the team out of commission, Midnighter and Apollo turn to Kev to help them save the world from an alien invasion, but it turns out Kev may have a past with them as well. Through two flashback sequences which serve to give the book its requisite amounts of gore and kink, respectively, we find out why a dunderhead in Kev’s old unit may have inadvertently caused the downfall of humanity. (Naturally, the only character in the book to display any compassion at all turns out to be the idiot.)

Glenn Fabry’s artwork is fine considering what he has to work with. His troopers slagging through the jungle, his explosions and gunfights are just fine, and he does a very good job with the animal characters in the story. The superhero characters don’t have much to do in this issue except stand around and listen to Kev talk about himself, but they look just fine.

This is supposed superhero action with slasher movie blood and guts and teen sex movie jokes thrown as though they were redeeming qualities. Ennis is capable of much better than this. I don’t think I’ll ever understand what it is about The Authority that sucks talent into a black hole.

Rating: 4/10

Astro City: The Dark Age Book II #1

November 25, 2006

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: A Cold Wind Blowing (Eyes of a Killer Part One)

Charles and Royal’s story continues in the sizzling 70s!

Writer: Kurt Busiek
Art: Brent E. Anderson
Colors: Alex Sinclair
Letters: John Roshell of Comicraft
Editor: Ben Abernathy
Cover Art: Alex Ross
Publisher: DC Comics/Wildstorm

After too long a break, Astro City: The Dark Age returns. Book Two (subtitled “Eyes of a Killer”) picks up a few years after the first ends. Charles Williams is still a police officer. His little brother Royal, still a crook. But things are changing in the world around them. Heroes are no longer the objects of trust they once were, things are becoming strained between Charles and his wife, and both Charles and Royal are facing real dangers on the job, as it were.

This series starts in 1976, and Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson have done a fantastic job of emulating that 1970s comic book feel. Gleaming heroes like Samaritan, Silver Agent and the First Family are either absent or reduced to cameos, while characters in the kung-fu/pseudo-mystic vein take the forefront. We also see a lot from Street Angel, once a brighter character who has embraced a darker side (not unlike a popular JLA member who underwent a Bronze Age reinvention).

As always, though, Astro City isn’t about the superheroes as much as it is about life in a superhero universe, and the unique difficulties faced by Charles (a cop) and Royal (a criminal). Things feel very ominous for both of them, and you definitely get the feeling this issue that the current state of their relationship, not to mention their lives, will be drastically changed by the time this four-issue miniseries reaches its conclusion.

Brent Anderson, as usual, does a fine job on the artwork, and Alex Ross pulls off a particularly unique cover. While still using his regular linework and techniques, he’s dropped back to a muted color palette, doing the entire thing in shades of blue and pink. It makes for a very eye-popping cover, as well as a very unusual one for him.

This first issue is very promising, setting up a lot of things and showing us yet another invention of the Astro City universe.

Rating: 8/10

The Authority: More Kev #1

May 22, 2004

Quick Rating: Average
Title: The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers Part One

With most of the Authority out of commission, it’s up to Apollo, Midnighter and Kev to save the world.

Writer: Garth Ennis
Art: Glenn Fabry
Colors: David Baron
Letters: Phil Balsman
Editor: Ben Abernathy
Cover Art: Glenn Fabry
Publisher: DC Comics/Wildstorm Universe

I’m not a fan of The Authority. From what I heard of volume one, it was a concept that didn’t interest me. When I reviewed volume two, I thought it was lousy. While having the fantastic Preacher buddies Garth Ennis and Glenn Fabry on this miniseries certainly helps, it doesn’t do anything to warm me up to the core concept or to make me care about these characters.

When most of the team gets scrambled and put on injured reserve, Midnighter and Apollo are forced to turn to the less-than-savory S.A.S. agent named Kev to help them find something an alien invasion fleet wants before it destroys the Earth. Since this series is called “More Kev,” I assume he’s shown up before, but I’ve got no idea who he is or why he should be considered so dangerous. There certainly isn’t anything in this issue that makes him look particularly intimidating.

Ennis has a great, wicked sense of humor that made Preacher and his Punisher run some of the best mature readers comics of recent years. That same sense of humor is evident here and is responsible for virtually all of the good bits of the book. The situation isn’t that gripping and the characters are the same boring caricatures they’ve always seemed to be to me.

Fabry’s artwork is fine, and really better than the book. He has a grimy style that works very well. The panel where the scrambled Authoritarians show up is the best bit in the book. He does a nice, appropriately bloody gunfight at the beginning and gives the promise that he’ll serve up some real grotesqueries as the story escalates.

This book still won’t turn me into an Authority fan, if you like the characters you’ll definitely find this miniseries more entertaining than the regular series is these days.

Rating: 5/10

Astro City: Samaritan #1

July 24, 2006

Quick Rating: Great
Title: The Eagle and the Mountain

Samaritan faces his arch-enemy Infidel… for dinner?

Writer: Kurt Busiek
Art: Brent E. Anderson
Colors: Alex Sinclair
Letters: John Roshell of Comicraft
Editor: Ben Abernathy
Cover Art: Alex Ross
Publisher: DC Comics/Wildstorm Signature Series

Boy this one was a long time in coming. Many years ago, Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross did a special feature for Wizard magazine to demonstrate how an Astro City character was created. The result of that feature was the Infidel, arch-enemy of Astro City’s premiere hero, Samaritan – and Astro City fans have been waiting for Infidel to show up ever since. Since we’ve been promised a standalone special in-between arcs of The Dark Age, this seems a great time to bring him in.

As Samaritan and the Infidel meet for their annual dinner together, the Infidel reflects on his own origins and how they brought him so deeply in conflict with Samaritan, eventually culminating in their unique understanding. Now the idea of a hero and his arch-enemy meeting for a truce periodically isn’t exactly new – I seem to recall a Fantastic Four story about Reed Richards and Doctor Doom meeting for a drawn-out chess game, for instance – but like all great Astro City stories, Busiek takes a convention of the superhero genre and gives it a nice twist. The reason for the meetings between Samaritan and Infidel are pretty clever, as are the conclusions reached at the end of this special. And if you’ve never read an Astro City comic before, fear not – this issue is totally standalone, and the archetypes are so familiar there’s no way any comic book fan could get confused.

Anderson steps up yet again with his classic artwork. His art style has a real timeless quality to it – there are Silver Age elements, to be sure, but nothing that looks out of place in a modern comic or a superhero tale of any genre – sci-fi, fantasy, horror… his style works with everything. Alex Ross contributes his usual snazzy cover, with a nice design to it that harkens back to a classic pulp magazine in a way that I like very much.

You can’t go wrong with Astro City, gang. Pick this one up.

Rating: 9/10

The Authority (2003 Series) #11

April 10, 2004

Quick Rating: Average
Title: Fractured World Episode Two

While reality crumbles, Jenny Quantum’s mother comes to take her back.

Writer: Robbie Morrison
Pencils: Dwayne Turner
Inks: Sal Regla
Colors: David Baron
Letters: Phil Balsman
Editor: Ben Abernathy
Cover Art: Dwayne Turner & Sal Regla
Publisher: DC Comics/Wildstorm

Fractures in the fabric of reality are opening up all over Earth and threats are spilling out, from supervillains to another universe to populated cities flooding because a fracture opens them up to the ocean of an alternate Earth, and as the Authority scrambles to save lives, the government that they took over during the Coup D’etat storyline continues to question their ability to act as superheroes and rulers at the same time. Meanwhile, the woman who gave birth to Apollo and Midnighter’s daughter drops by for a visit.

This issue is a definite step up from the abysmal “Godhead” storyline, mostly because of the intriguing nature of the threat the team faces – fractures in reality through which virtually any potential threat can materialize is a very clever concept and it is put to good use in this issue. However, as clever as this is, the rest of the issue is just pretty… well… “blah.” The “superheroes in charge” storyline has been done way too often and way better (most notably in the original Squadron Supreme miniseries) to really make this stand out, and the “family” of Apollo, Midnighter and Jenny Quantum are such thinly-drawn caricatures that it’s really not possible to care about the prospect of the woman who birthed the young girl arriving to take her back.

Dwayne Turner does his usual solid job with the artwork. There are some pretty dynamic action scenes with walls of water tearing through cities and worlds of flame encroaching upon our own. The art raises the book up a notch in my estimation, but not an enormous one. The story is bland and the characters are dull, and one can only wish that the Authority would return to the days when it actually had stories to tell instead of using cardboard cutout angst with some cursing and blood thrown in for shock value.

Rating: 5/10

Robotech: Prelude to the Shadow Chronicles #1

October 3, 2005

Quick Rating: Fair
Title: The Enemy Within

A new threat appears on the horizon.

Story: Tommy Yune
Script: Jason Waltrip & John Waltrip
Art: Omar Dogan and Udon Studios
Letters: Travis Lanham
Editor: Ben Abernathy
Cover Art: Omar Dogan
Publisher: DC Comics/Wildstorm

Not being a big fan of Robotech, it was kind of hard to get into this miniseries, which (according to the cover blurb) is a set-up for a forthcoming DVD project. The opening sets up the premise for the universe well enough, but not the characters so much, and as such many things went over my head.

A mysterious murder at the city of Tiresia sends our heroes on a search which reveals a new, powerful series of battle cruisers that are stolen right out from under their noses. There’s a quick action sequence that works very well, but the book then dovetails into a few talking heads expository sequences. I don’t mind talking heads or exposition as a rule, but the writers didn’t really provide enough flavor for the uninitiated t get much enjoyment out of the rest of the book.

As I said, the action sequence is the best part of the book. Giant transforming robots are always good entertainment (which makes it strange that I was never really interested in this property as a child), and outer space fight sequences with them are even moreso.

The artwork in this issue is also very good. With any project like this one, an adaptation of an existing animated property, you’re hoping that the artists can replicate the look of the animation as exactly as possible, and Omar Dogan succeeds at this very well. The book looks very much like it could have been drawn from the cartoon, but at the same time, Dogan has ability to get more innovative with layouts and camera angles. Comic book storytelling with animation sensibility. Well done.

It’s hard to imagine a story so big that it requires a five-issue prelude, but if this is something Robotech fans have been anticipating, they’ll probably draw much more enjoyment from this miniseries than I can.

Rating: 6/10

Wildcats Version 3.0 #19

March 20, 2004

Quick Rating: Average
Title: The Shot Heard (Coda War Part One)

Zealot faces off against Boba Fett! Um… that is, The Grand Sarin.

Writer: Joe Casey
Pencils: Pascal Ferry
Inks: Sandra Hope
Colors: Randy Mayor & Wendy Broome
Letters: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Ben Abernathy
Cover Art: Dustin Nguyen & Rian Hughes
Publisher: DC Comics/Wildstorm

This is going to be a relatively short review, because there isn’t much to say. This issue is basically one extended chase/fight sequence that starts off with an invincible man in black style good and segues into a bloody, nasty fight between Zealot and a man in big, ugly armor that looks mysteriously similar to something out of a George Lucas movie.

While I have no doubt that my appreciation for this issue was stemmed because I haven’t read Wildcats in a long time, this is one of those comics that is simply crippled by inaccessibility. There’s nothing to tell you who any of the characters are, why they’re fighting or why the chase is going on. There’s actually a scene where one character shouts, “Remember me, B—–?” And I just thought, “No. I don’t.”

Unless you’re a religious follower of the book, the only way to appreciate this issue is for the sheer visceral thrill of the chase and fight, and Pascal Ferry handles that pretty well. You get a great sense of speed and adrenalin out of his pencils, as well as some nice splatter effects in scenes where people lose limbs, heads, etc.

This is a comic book that looks good, but doesn’t read well if you haven’t been there before. I guess I’m just going to have to keep singing the same song – if you’re going to make a comic like this, a “previously” page isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity.

Rating: 5/10

Astro City: The Dark Age Book One #4

October 17, 2005

Quick Rating: Great
Title: Execution Day (Thicker Than Water Issue Four)

The final fate of the Silver Agent!

Writer: Kurt Busiek
Art: Brent E. Anderson
Colors: Alex Sinclair
Letters: John Roshell
Editor: Ben Abernathy
Cover Art: Alex Ross
Publisher: DC Comics/Wildstorm Signature Series

The conclusion of the story Astro City fans have wanted to read for a decade is just the end of the first act of The Dark Age, and it’s a really good one. As the doomed Silver Agent sits on death row, on the day of his execution, an incredible threat from outer space prepares to destroy North America. But the real story is Charles and Royal Williams, the cop and the crook, brothers, who have carried a hatred for the Agent ever since their mother died during one of his battles. Now, as they await his execution, the chaos that engulfs Astro City sends a deadly warrior after Royal – and brings the brothers to a moment of truth.

Kurt Busiek told fans some time ago that the story that revealed the fate of the Silver Agent wasn’t actually the Silver Agent’s story, and he didn’t lie. Instead, it’s the backdrop for this intriguing character play starring two brothers who took the same tragedy and used it to forge very, very different paths in their lives. The story is set against one of those incredible superhero free-for-alls that make for multi-issue crossovers in this day and age, but the battle only exists to set up the confrontation of the brothers. The way the story ends is a clear turning point in their lives, and sets up the second book quite nicely even as it closes off the Silver Agent’s tale completely.

Brent Anderson has provided the artwork for every Astro City story to date, and honestly, I couldn’t imagine anyone else’s pencils telling these tales. He has an uncanny ability to contrast high-flying, even cosmic superhero adventures with down-to-earth stories and scenes of a couple of brothers just sitting in a bar. His pacing and choreography are absolutely remarkable, he knows just how to time a scene for maximum impact.

Alex Ross, as always, provides the cover art, and this has to be one of his best. The stark, black background with a single spotlight illuminating the ill-fated hero is a chilling image, and one that will jump right out at any fan who sees it sitting on the shelf.

This was a powerful Astro City yarn – not the best (that crown still goes to Confessions), but right up there. We’ll have a one-shot in a few months to tide us over, but Book Two can’t come soon enough.

Rating: 9/10

DC Universe Online Legends #1

February 5, 2011

Title: Legendary

Writer: Marv Wolfman & Tony Bedard
Art: Howard Porter, Livesay, Adriana Melo & Norman Lee
Colorist: Carrie Strachan
Letterer: Wes Abbott
Cover: Ed Benes & Randy Mayor
Editor: Ben Abernathy
Publisher: DC Comics

I’ve been enjoying the hell out of playing the new DC Universe Online video game, so I didn’t have any problem picking up the first issue of the biweekly maxiseries tying in to the adventure. This first issue, at least, seems to be all prequel. Using the opening movie that starts the game as its basis, we see as a future Lex Luthor finally succeeds in his long-time goal of destroying Superman and his allies. As he does so, though, his ally Brainiac turns on him, taking advantage of the power vacuum among Earth’s superhumans to launch an invasion. In minutes, Lex goes from world-conqueror to the leader of the rebellion.

The book is split between two timelines. In the future, we watch as Lex assembles the remaining heroes and villains to take a stand against Brainiac. In the present, we see Lex forging that alliance in the first place. Being a player of the game, I’m intrigued, but a bit confused. The game begins with this “future Lex” coming back to the present to warn the Justice League against the danger presented by his younger self. The dual timelines, though, make for a strange narrative. I can’t really tell what the thrust of this series is going to be – today or tomorrow? With luck, the next issue will make that clear.

The artwork is okay here. Porter and Livesay handle the scenes in the future, and the devastation left behind by Luthor’s war comes across really well. In the present, Melo and Lee don’t have as much action to illustrate, but their depiction of modern-day Luthor looks very nice. The Ed Benes cover is strong, except for (oddly enough) his Wonder Woman. It may just be the angle, but her face looks a bit off to me.

It’s not a bad way to kick off the series, but I hope it solidifies itself soon.

Rating: 7/10

The Authority (2003 Series) #9

January 7, 2004

Quick Rating: Below Average
Title: Godhead Episode Four

The Authority’s final battle with Reverend Creed leaves the fate of the Earth in the balance.

Writer: Robbie Morrison
Pencils: Dwayne Turner
Inks: Sal Regla
Colors: Wildstorm FX
Letters: Phil Balsman
Editor: Ben Abernathy
Cover Art: Dwayne Turner
Publisher: DC Comics/Wildstorm/Eye of the Storm

For all the talk and bluster of what a groundbreaking title The Authority used to be, in this incarnation it seems a comic utterly without creativity, without originality and without new ideas to make it worth the reading. In the last few issues, Reverend Creed of the Church of Transcendence has taken over the minds of almost the entire planet, including members of The Authority. This issue is the requisite final blowout.

This story could have been told with virtually any other superhero team with only minor cosmetic alterations. Creed spends most of the issue trading blows with Apollo, but it could just as easily have been Superman or Thor or any other comic book powerhouse. The Doctor’s part could have been played, appropriately enough by Doctor Fate or Doctor Strange with no problems. The ending of this story, which I’ll avoid spoiling, is probably the biggest cliché of all.

Dwayne Turner does the best he can with a lame script to work with. He draws good superheroes, and does a nice job with some of the malformed characters in this title. His art is paced well and his storytelling technique is just great. One only wishes he had a better story to tell.

Unfortunately, the ending of this issue does not give one any reason to expect the next story arc will be any smarter or more original than this one was, but one can always hope. For the sake of longtime fans of The Authority, I can only hope it comes back around soon.

Rating: 4/10