7/06/11

FEAR ITSELF #4—All right, yeah, the rollercoaster just rocketlaunched off the tracks. I’m somehow so damaged by the endless cycle of death/resurrection of late (read: the aughts, L O S T, particularly the terrible and offsetting cliffhangers in 5.10 and 5.14, comic books in general, the Jean Grey/Elektra Rule, the Uncle Ben/Bucky Barnes Rule, see etc.) that I didn’t even flinch at the end of last issue when Sin RIPPED BUCKY’S HEART OUT and arm off, was just like, They’ll put him back together, it’s not like Brubaker’s-Resurrected-After-65-Years-Winter-Soldier-Completely-Counterintuitive-Success-Character was just out like THAT. Except, then, now, they’re like Yeah. Bucky’s dead. For real this time, y’all. And then I’m like O SHIT! For REALZ! They DID IT?!?!? Like, that last page of Gulag I just read a couple weeks ago was Brubaker’s last present-day word on the subject/narrative/character? (And, wait a minute, doesn’t Bru convert the original #ing to a CAP/BUCKY flashback strip next month? It’s all making too much sense…) But then, no, my reaction to Bucky Really Being Dead!!!! which, again, in sequential terms, actually took place an entire four Wednesdays ago, was now without warning all blown up into stark raving shock and freaking out. And then the actual issue really cranked that state of being up beyond what anyone would consider appropriate. This was just like with FINAL CRISIS, when it didn’t make almost any kind of sense and I didn’t begin to adore it until the fourth issue, when the slow burn kindled up to every panel being suddenly a perfectly explosive self-contained beat unto itself, implying scenes upon scenes of grandeur in between every panel, each and all of the gutters crackling with much more than ever made it onto the page. All ready to scratch my eyes out for the last three issues, now now now, but then, am no longer a teenage girl. Though, you shoulda seen.

UNCANNY X-MEN #540—Third issue in four weeks and the narrative momentum makes Gillen that much tougher to handle in silence while reading. My man is killing it. And what a long strange trip it’s been with Land. I’ve grown to, if not accept him, feel comforted by his constance of presence, the dead angles. Other than that page with Illyana getting colored in a two-dimensional plane, I was kind of feeling it. Particularly the Peter and Kitty stuff. As evah.

THE BOYS #56—The simple trick of organically cycling us all the way back around to the original premise at its most basic, Butcher and Hughie walking around talking shit and being cool all the time, charts this one on opening night as one of the series-best issues in recent memory, way up there all-time, even. I mean, really, a couple of these pages right here, if I could own any original art of the seventy+ issue run, I think they’re in this one. The first appearance of Doctor Peculiar and the one when Butcher’s cunt sense tingles.

HOUSE OF MYSTERY #39—Wow, and then all parties here at the tip top of their game, anyone who was monthly on SANDMAN is going to get dynamited at the fun that Goldie gets to have. Does m’heart good to see a medium/young Vertigo title like this just killing it, every month and all the time. And then, hah, Sturges delivers a wallop of a segueway to my own personal Wednesday night set list on the last page, there. Relaunch!

FLASHPOINT #3—All right, I am also suddenly and officially digging upon this big event, too. The gig is apparently for real, Barry Allen Flash and Thomas Wayne Batman and, still and why not, Vic Stone Cyborg will be our Trinity this time out, and you know what, that frame has some heft to it. Interested in where this goes. Though doesn’t FLASH #8 probably hold the key or some all-important clue? That seemed so important a few months back. And Diana and Arthur still off-panel, about to end the world with their war. It is so and so cool that FEAR ITSELF and this continue to be released the same night, handling Kubert & co here, opposite Immonen/Martin/all the lovelies, really too many jawdropping pages to take, not even counting that they’re both front and center main-as-mainstream-gets corporate big events.

ADVENTURE COMICS #528—Levitz brings the Academy situation to a crescendo and Borges Borges Borges continues to not look like an asshole while following up Jiminez, which, who could hope for more? Quite intrigued to see what sort of a curtain call Levitz has on tap for, I guess, the next three issues.

****
BEST OF WEEK: SUPERBOY #9—And then, yes, I do believe Lemire/Gallo/Grant&friend remain smashing on all cylinders, am more engaged with this particular serial than the other two summer blockbusters which both just got really really good. The call and response of Simon editing Psionic Lad’s name before the revelation there, such nimble narrative work. I guess it’s all got to be over next month, and I certainly don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t be, other than I wanted this to keep going on and on. Editorial would have created suffocating advance hype, but done far better by the content, just to call this ALL-STAR SUPERBOY from the top. The Conner Kent Zenith.

(though BESTOFWEEK might really and true revert back to FEAR ITSELF here, just any time. SUPERBOY, at the moment, benefits from the sequence)