Friday, January 14, 2011

1/12/11

JOHN BYRNE’S NEXT MEN VOL. 2 #2—Am almost through the simultaneous runs on FF and ALPHA FLIGHT, and it is a freaky and interesting thing to see how Byrne’s simplified his style over the past twenty-odd years. The recap is done, and we’re off to the races with this one. Still kind of shell-shocked that it’s on the stands. Fifteen years on the shelf, folks. I wish he could get Al Gordon or Terry Austin to ink him. Or hell, make it Dave Stevens, since we’re wishin’*.

THE UNWRITTEN #21—Carey is really sinking his teeth into this one and making no bones about it. There’s only one place this arc can wind up. (cue Mastodon vocal): IN THE BELLY OF THE WHALE! This is as much as I’ve enjoyed the Tommy issues of this series (as opposed to #s 5, 12, and the already classic 16). Solid fun for the hyperliterate members of your family.

BATMAN & ROBIN #19—Cornell & McDaniel totally shatter the finale. I would be even more concerned for the incomings than I was last month, except Gleason nails that cover and Tomasi is obviously the man**. I can’t believe the state of the franchise is such that the creative team of this issue are just fill-ins. In three issues, we got pretty much pitch-perfect characterization of Dick, Damian, and the requisite four pages/issue of Alfred, along with a worthy new addition to the rogues’ gallery, and you know that that kind of thing does not happen just all the time. That cover, though, man, I’m suddenly really looking forward to how it’s going to go with the new guys. Just can’t believe how high the bar is in Gotham at the moment. Pretty serious.

BEST OF WEEK: CASANOVA: GULA #1 (also known as vol. 2 #5, reprinting vol. 1 #s 8 & 9)—That Cris Peter keeps showing up and doing it to it. We lose Cass and Ba but gain Moon, possibly a fair trade? I certainly remember being skeptical at the time, hilarious in hindsight. The thing is, I think I remember the whole thing about #14, but always meant to go back and reread the entire arc but never did, and then when they announced it was coming back in color, of course continued holding off, not that that had been much of a problem up until that point, but all of which to say, I think I’m seeing things, catching clues here, but am also maybe chalking it up to temporary madness, like happens. It would be melodramatic to say that it breaks my heart, but let’s make it, It bums me out that all my friends don’t read this book. It does a really fine job, in even its very lowest moments, of embodying everything I love about comics. My excitement for Volume III knows no bounds.

And the O’Malley backmatter is second only to the Chabon geekery. This is the first time it’s occurred to me that I might one day be ready to French kiss a comic book. What that means, I’m not sure, and kind of hope you don’t sit around and try to work out for yourself. Just forget it. Move along. Go on, now.



*this evening, I jammed the entire oversized ROCKETEER DELUXE volume with the Laura Martin recolors, and boy howdy. Not even counting the shocking guest creators (Jaime! Kaluta! Art Adams! Geof Darrow!), such a ridiculous, gorgeous ride

**hopping over from editing Johns & Van Sciver on Rebirth to co-writing The Sinestro War with same + Reis a couple years later is pretty much my definition of making it happen, people

2 comments:

  1. RE: Rocketeer - I told you!! Now, if you ever see a copy of his autobiography (released AFTER his death) at HALF PRICE BOOKS, you MUST consume it. Bittersweet and beautiful, man.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It WAS glorious. Especially in one sitting. I went with the over-sized, too, those Martin colors are not to be believed, brothah!

    ReplyDelete