New Excalibur #14

December 3, 2006

Quick Rating: Fair
Title: Unredeemed Part 2
Rating: A

To reclaim his lost power, the Juggernaut must face Cyttorak.

Writer: Frank Tieri
Pencils: Jim Calafiore
Inks: Mark McKenna
Colors: Tom Chu
Letters: Tom Orzechowski
Editor: Nick Lowe & Mike Marts
Cover Art: Jim Calafiore
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Having turned his back on his once-master, the Juggernaut feels his power waning. To regain his once immeasurable-strength and invulnerable hide, he makes his way to face the dark god that granted him his power in the first place, Cyttorak. The demon is unhappy with his former disciple, though, and reveals a horrible secret to him. Meanwhile, the rest of Excalibur (plus the Black Knight) are following the Juggernaut’s trail.

It makes sense that someone would follow up on the Juggernaut’s incomprehensible transformation from evil to good, and this isn’t a bad way to do it. The twist at the end is pretty predictable, but other than that the only real problem is that this story really depends on you caring about the Juggernaut as a character, which frankly, I don’t. I was actually more interested in the scenes of the rest of the team interacting, with growing tensions between Nocturne and Dazzler and the Black Knight asking himself why he’s even bothering with this ill-defined group, which is no doubt a question the reader is asking himself.

Jim Calafiore’s artwork is much stronger than the story. His Cyttorak is nice and demonic, and he handles the other principals quite well.

A decent issue, and it’s about time someone looked into the consequences of the Juggernaut’s change of heart.

Rating: 6/10

Exiles (2001 Series) #54

November 8, 2004

Quick Rating: Good
Title: Rube Goldberg

To save a universe, the Exiles must conquer… a Cheese Danish!

Writer: Tony Bedard
Art: Mizuki Sakakibara
Colors: JC
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Mike Marts
Cover Art: Mizuki Sakakibara
Publisher: Marvel Comics

One of the weak points of Tony Bedard’s tenure on Exiles so far has been that the overall arc of the series hasn’t really progressed very much. Since the team was stabilized at the end of his first three issues, very little has changed for our heroes, and this issue is no exception. On the other hand, he does turn in a very good done-in-one storyline that’s amusing and inventive.

This time out, the mission given by the Tallus is to buy a Cheese Danish. That’s it. Buy a Cheese Danish and save the world. Any baker worth his toast would love to have that on the sign outside the shop. Although the mission seems ridiculously simple, the team speculates that they could be at the pinpoint of the classic “Butterfly Effect” – a seemingly insignificant event that sets off a chain reaction of incredible consequence down the line.

It is a bit patronizing that the team feels the need to explain this theory to one another and, by extension, to the reader, but once they get off their duffs and work on the mission we get to see the dominos fall one at a time, and the end result is pretty satisfying.

Sakakibara, as usual, does a very good job on the artwork, with a very visually diverse cast and some nice sci-fi elements throughout the book. We also get a brief glimpse at some of the alternate Marvel heroes that populate this universe, and that’s always a good time.

Bedard is clearly having a lot of fun on this title, enjoying playing with the conventions of the genre and stretching his legs far enough to reach all of the possibilities. While he’s busy playing with all the toys, though, he’s not getting very far, and that’s what he needs to work on to make this title strong again.

Rating: 7/10

Exiles (2001 Series) #53

October 8, 2004

Quick Rating: Fair
Title: Living Planet Part Two

Ego has come to Earth… and the Celestials follow!

Writer: Tony Bedard
Pencils: Jim Calafiore
Inks: Mark McKenna
Colors: JC
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Mike Marts
Cover Art: Mizuki Sakakibara
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Ego the Living Planet has seeded the Earth that the Exiles “blinked” into last issue. Now, with Reed Richards’ consciousness trying to keep the living Earth in check, the Celestials have come to our neck of the woods to take on Ego.

There’s really nothing wrong with this issue, in and of itself, but the real problem here is that it doesn’t really feel like an Exiles story. The team has a part to play, but it’s not a part that virtually any other superhero team couldn’t have played – even a team from this alternate Earth. Heck, with only a few minor modifications, this story could have taken place in the mainstream Marvel universe with no problems.

There are some good bits, though. For the first time since joining the team, Beak really plays an important role in this issue. (This will no doubt irritate the Beak-haters, but I don’t care, I like the guy.) Also, Bedard throws in some tidbits at the end that finally seem to indicate as to the direction he’s going to take this series in over the coming months. In fact, if you just read the letters page, you’ll find out exactly when the storyline will begin to play out. It just shouldn’t take so long, especially in a title that doesn’t really suffer from the usual problems of a “decompressed” comic.

Jim Calafiore’s artwork is quite good. I still enjoy seeing the alternate versions of regular Marvel heroes and villains, and in fact, wish we could have gotten some more of them this issue. He’s also good with the outer space scenes which are pretty vital to this story. Is this series has to have a “regular” fill-in artist, he’s as good a one as readers could hope for.

The title finally seems to be going somewhere. For some readers, though, that direction may have come a bit too late.

Rating: 6/10

Exiles (2001 Series) #52

Sepember 5, 2004

Quick Rating: Fair
Title: Living Planet Part One

On a Earth infected by Ego, the Exiles must face off against the Avengers and their ally… Doctor Doom!

Writer: Tony Bedard
Pencils: Jim Calafiore
Inks: Mark McKenna
Colors: JC
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Mike Marts
Cover Art: Mizuki Sakakibara
Publisher: Marvel Comics

While I appreciate the fact that this book doesn’t restrict itself to only X-Men related characters, even with the Avengers and Doctor Doom as the focus of this arc, I can’t help but feel the title is getting a tad repetitive.

This time out, the Exiles are dropped into a universe where Earth is being overwhelmed with “antibodies” from Ego the Living Planet, the Fantastic Four is MIA, and the Avengers and Doctor Doom seem to be the only hope for saving the world.

In a time where most comic books are artificially elongating their storylines, wasting issues and issues on pointless filler, Tony Bedard’s Exiles is a book that suffers from the exact opposite problem – he’s not taking enough time to tell the stories to their utmost potential. The very nature of this title, with heroes that are dropped into one universe after another with imminent dangers to fight against, doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for downtime and character exploration, which is what the book is somewhat lacking. The versions of the Avengers in this world, while incredibly interesting on the surface, are sort of glossed over – a modified Captain America, female versions of Yellowjacket and Iron Man (still inexplicably called “Man”), and a much more classically Nordic Thor than we have in the core Marvel Universe. I’d love to see how “our” heroes got this way, but we don’t in this issue and I don’t suspect we will next issue either.

As Andrea has stated elsewhere, that problem also afflicts the main characters of the series. Namora and Beak have effectively been on the team for eight issues now, but neither have had too much development or too much to do. Bedard needs to find a balance between character development and alternate-reality cookiness.

Jim Calafiore, the “regular” fill-in penciller, does a good job this issue, particularly with all of the character redesigns. The changes made in the looks of existing characters doesn’t seem too capricious, change for change’s sake, but instead leave you wondering exactly what happened to make the characters that way (with the exception of Hawkeye, who looks a bit too “90s,” if you know what I mean).

I’m still enjoying this book, but not as much as I should. I hope that once this storyline wraps, whatever comes next, Bedard will pull it back out.

Rating: 6/10

Exiles #51

August 20, 2004

Quick Rating: Good
Title: “The Big M” Part 2

In a universe where Mimic went bad, will the Exiles be able to break him out to save the day?

Writer: Tony Bedard
Art: Mizuki Sakakibara
Colors: JC
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Mike Marts
Cover Art: Mizuki Sakakibara
Publisher: Marvel Comics

When Andrea [Speed, of CXPulp.com] did the advance review for this issue, she didn’t seem to like it very much, but cautioned that I was probably going to enjoy it more than she did. Well, she was right. (Thanks, Andy, I’ll try to return the favor with The Losers next time.) Last issue, the Exiles found themselves with the task of reforming this universe’s Brotherhood of Mutants, then breaking “The Big M” out of prison. They went about their mission, certain that they would again come face-to-face with Magneto, only to learn that this universe’s “Big M” was a version of their own teammate, Mimic, gone bad.

Tony Bedard opens up this issue with a revelation that seems so obvious you’ve got to slap yourself, then go look at last issue again to see if he left enough clues to be satisfactory. From there, it’s a very fast-paced issue, with only a few slow sequences before the big jailbreak attempt that races us straight towards the finale.

In fact, this is the only real fault I find with this issue – the ending was far too abrupt for my tastes. Bedard builds the whole issue around what happened to this world’s version of Mimic as opposed to the one we’re familiar with, and then just as we get to that moment of ultimate tension, the story ends and we’re left with a one-page epilogue. While the ramifications of that epilogue for that world are satisfying, I felt that more could have done, both with the mutants of this world and with our own heroes as they piece together all of the things that happened to them in this story arc. In this age where so many stories get stretched out far beyond any point necessitated by logical storytelling, this storyline felt a bit too compressed… if Bedard had given this just one more issue, I suspect it would have earned a higher score than just plain “good” from me.

Sakakibara does a nice job with the artwork this issue as well – the fight scenes and effects are very good, but she also manages to humanize the characters. Blink, from certain side angles, has a face that looks more realistic than your average comic book uber-beauty, Avalanche looks like an average schlub, and Pyro displays a little paunch that shows he should reconsider the spandex.

The cover is a nice touch as well, mirroring last issue’s cover but replacing the Exiles with the Brotherhood – put size-by-side it’s a clever effect that successfully rescues both issues from Marvel’s chronic case of Irrelevant Cover Syndrome.

This was the first storyline that really made me feel like I was getting what I expected when I started reading this title – tales of “other” Marvel universes and the neat twists and turns that explain how they got that way. As it was, it was an entertaining story, but if Bedard had taken his time, I feel like it would have been a lot better.

Rating: 7/10

Exiles (2001 Series) #50

August 6, 2004

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: The Big “M” Part One

The Exiles’ newest mission… bring back the Brotherhood of Mutants!

Writer: Tony Bedard
Art: Mizuki Sakakibara
Colors: JC
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Mike Marts
Cover Art: Mizuki Sakakibara
Publisher: Marvel Comics

The Exiles plop down in yet another universe, this time sent off on another “help the villain” mission. This time out, they have to reform Magneto’s Brotherhood of Mutants, then free the Big “M” himself. This is particularly troubling for some of the members who’ve had dealings with Magneto in their own worlds – Beak, for instance, who spent months under the tutelage of the villain while he was disguised as Xorn. (Yes, I know all about that imposter nonsense, but Beak doesn’t know about it, so it still counts as far as his characterization goes.)

Thanks to the precognitive Destiny, there are people waiting for the team when they arrive this time out, and that leads to the prerequisite fight scene before moving on to encounter some… unlikely allies. The characterization is very well done – these are people doing what they have to do, even though they clearly don’t like it.

I only came on when Tony Bedard started writing this comic, so I don’t really know if the Tallus has always been so vague when dealing out assignments. It makes for a good story, but as far as characterization goes, it raises a lot of questions. Why doesn’t the Timebroker give more specific information? Wouldn’t that make it more probable that the team will succeed? There seem to be a lot of questions surrounding the character, though, and that’s just one of them.

Sakakibara returns to the art chores this issue after taking a break with last issue’s one-off storyline, and he’s still quite sharp. This is a book where each of the main characters have such a distinct look to begin with that it would be easy to get lazy, but he pours a lot of work into everything – good poses, crazy faces, and a really gross interpretation of the Blob.

I can’t tell you if this is consistent with the earlier renditions of this title or its characters, but it’s a rendition I find I’m enjoying. There’s a neat little twist at the end that leaves me anxious to see where it’s going next – it feels like I’m finally getting to what I wanted to read the comic for in the first place.

Rating: 8/10

Exiles (2001 Series) #49

July 9, 2004

Quick Rating: Good
Title: Mission Impossible

What happens when the Exiles land on a world with an Impossible Man gone mad?

Writer: Tony Bedard
Pencils: Jim Calafiore
Inks: Mark McKenna
Colors: JC
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Mike Marts
Cover Art: Mizuki Sakakibara
Publisher: Marvel Comics

In an amusing done-in-one issue, the new Exiles team lands on a world where a superpowerful Impossible Man has gone mad. Armed with the ability to transform anyone into anything, and with a mind that is no longer interested in the pesky but mostly harmless fun that has always defined the character, the Exiles have to stop him before an entire Earth is lost.

Predictably, this issue turns into a dual of the goofballs, with Morph taking on Impossible Man directly while the rest of the team tries to minimize the damage, and wind up on the sidelines for most of the fight. It’s amusing and a nice little one-shot story leading into next month’s issue #50. It seems a bit superfluous, though. Bedard came on three issues ago with a storyline set in the “real” Marvel universe, then jumped into this comic relief story. As a result, we still haven’t really gotten a grasp of the direction this series is going to take under his stewardship.

While I still applaud the decision to add Beak to the team, I have to wonder how long Namora is going to last. She’s a thoroughly unlikable character, and while that may work sometimes in order to build conflict, she doesn’t seem to add very much to this book. At least, so far she hasn’t. On the other hand, he deserves points for mining lesser-known and obscure characters like Controller to create his storylines. It reminds you that while this may technically be an X-book, the scope of the title really is the entire Marvel universe.

Jim Calafiore steps back to this title briefly, filling in for regular artist Mizuki Sakakibara, and he does a very good job. He knows each of these long-time characters, and has a great take on Beak. I especially like what he does with Impossible Man, giving him clever transformations. Of course, dealing with a version of ol’ Impy that can transform other people and objects gives him much more to play with, and he succeeds on a visual level, making everything look clever.

Hopefully next issue, the 50th, will allow Bedard to finally open up and tear into the sort of stories I started reading this book anticipating. He’s a great writer, and while his first four issues have been enjoyable, they haven’t blown me away, and that’s what I’m hoping for.

Rating: 7/10

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #4

August 7, 2010

Title: Dark Night, Dark Rider

Writer: Grant Morrison
Penciler: Georges Jeanty
Inker: Walden Wong
Colorist: Tony Avina
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Cover: Andy Kubert
Editor: Mike Marts
Publisher: DC Comics

Bruce Wayne continues to ricochet through time, landing in the Gotham City of the post-Civil War era. The town is gripped with the fear of a “Cowboy in Black” who has been exacting brutal vengeance on certain unsavory elements of the population, and so the bounty hunter Jonah Hex is called in to take him on.

Aside from the question of why Gotham – always depicted as an east coast port city – has all the earmarks of a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western, this is a really strong issue. Jonah Hex (despite the crappy movie) is a great character that doesn’t often get to interact with the rest of the DC Universe, so it’s a lot of fun when a story gives a truly natural reason for him to turn up. It makes sense for him to be here, and it leads to a really strong confrontation between him and Batman. This has been a solid series from the first issue, and this is no exception.

Georges Jeanty, who’s been kicking butt and taking names on Buffy the Vampire Slayer the last few years, finds time in his schedule to turn this out, and he does a great job. His depiction of the Bat-Cowboy is really cool, and his Jonah Hex is so strong that I’d like to see him handle an issue or two of that series.

Good stuff, Mr. Morrison. Good stuff indeed.

Rating: 7/10

Exiles (2001 Series) #48

May 4, 2004

Quick Rating:Very Good
Title: Earn Your Wings Part Three

The Exiles throw down with the Fantastic Four, and finish the first mission of the new era.

Writer: Tony Bedard
Art: Mizuki Sakakibara
Colors: JC
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Mike Marts
Cover Art: Mizuki Sakakibara
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Tony Bedard’s first story arc ends with this issue, and I think this conclusion is the best issue yet. The story begins with your classic “superheroes fight due to a misunderstanding” scenario, but that situation isn’t nearly as forced as it usually is, since the Fantastic Four and Namor don’t know who the Exiles are. During the battle, the Exiles solve the odd, ambiguous mission given to them by Timebroker, and while the solution really isn’t that shocking (one longtime Exiles fan of my acquaintance figured it out two issues ago, and I suspect I would have too if I’d been reading the title earlier), it is a satisfying conclusion. The new makeup of the team is solidified (for now, at least) and you get a sense both of the end of one chapter and the beginning of the next.

Bedard also uses this issue to work in some info that longtime Exiles fans no doubt already knew, but that newcomers could have done with in the first issue – for example, the rule that there are always six members of the team. The newest Exile isn’t happy about joining the team, but then again, few people would be excited about the prospect of being wrenched away from their loved ones and “unstuck in time.”

There is a bit of surprise in what happens to what the Exiles leave behind in the mainstream Marvel universe, but to get any more in-depth about that would be to give out spoilers.

I am quite enjoying Mizuki Sakakibara’s artwork on this book. He can do just about everything – chiseled heroes like Mimic and Namor, beautiful women in Nocturne and Sue Richards and freaks like Beak and Ben Grimm all look very good under his pens. JC’s colors also add a lot to this issue, with brilliant colors in the special effects and not letting the strange skin tones of several characters work against them.

I enjoyed this first story arc, but I’m even more excited about next issue, when the Exiles will go back to bopping around alternate universes, which is what had me interested in the property in the first place. I particularly like the preview of next issue, which shows Morph wrestling with an old favorite character of mine. This seems to be a book that walks a line between lighthearted and somber moments, and Bedard is a writer who can balance that sort of thing with a great science fiction concept. This storyline may have been part of “Reload,” but the real new era, it appears, will begin next month.

Rating: 8/10

Exiles (2001 Series) #47

May 16, 2004

Quick Rating: Good
Title: Earn Your Wings Part Two

With Namora in the Fantastic Four’s custody, the Exiles try to break her out.

Writer: Tony Bedard
Art: Mizuki Sakakibara
Colors: JC
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Mike Marts
Cover Art: Mizuki Sakakibara
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Tony Bedard’s second issue of Exiles is mine too, and I’m more impressed with this one than last issue. With their new member Namora being held captive by Namor and the Fantastic Four, the Exiles and Beak sneak off to the Baxter Building to bust her out. What follows is the standard superhero misunderstanding and major throwdown as the Thing and the Human Torch find a bunch of strange mutants hanging around on their roof. Since the Exiles are strangers, though, the scene doesn’t seem quite as clichéd as it usually does, and the whole thing works pretty well.

We also get Namora’s rundown on the history of her own universe, which gets into the alternate reality concept that really appealed to be about the book in the first place. It’s a classic science fiction concept that seems to have found a great home in this title.

Beak’s inclusion in the series is working really well. He’s a character whose storyline in New X-Men had run its course, but he meshes pretty well in this series – so well, in fact, that one not only suspects, but hopes that when the Exiles leave the mainstream Marvel Universe, they take him with them as their new member instead of the spiteful and angry Namora

Sakakibara’s artwork is another strong suit. He has a soft style that’s pretty unique in the universe of superhero artists, but he doesn’t lose any of the strength that the characters need. His fight scenes work well too – I can’t imagine that it’s an easy task to depict Sasquatch throwing the Thing around like a rag doll, but he manages it.

I decided to give this series a try when Tony Bedard took the helm. As of last issue, I was still undecided, but this middle part of the storyline has moved me closer towards being a regular reader. I’m enjoying it, and that’s what I go to the comic book store for.

Rating: 7/10