1/08/13

ACTION COMICS #27 — Once again, Pak really goes the distance to display how well he understands the core of the multi-faceted character who sometimes goes by the names Kal-El and Clark Kent. “Where would I be if no one had ever anthropomorphized me?” is as fantastic a retort to an Inner Bruce as we are likely to run across for quite some time. And the dynamic between Clark and Lana continues to be the best between those two characters that I’ve ever run across. The “I’m in the suit” exchange is priceless. And the final bonus double-page splash is jaw-dropping. THIS is exactly what we need from this title: connection with the man behind the archetype that we love mingled with a massive sense of wonder. Editorial also did a good job recruiting R.B. Silva and Mike Hawthorne to draw the first eight pages in a hyper-detailed style reminiscent enough of the high standard that Aaron Kuder has set for this title that it is in no way incongruous when the man himself steps in to absolutely burn it down for the rest of the issue. It makes me indescribably happy to be able to say that this is one of my favorite titles again. Because it always should be. Most weeks, this would be lock for BEST OF WEEK, but it’s a pretty gnarly gathering here, this time out.

BEST OF WEEK: DETECTIVE COMICS #27 — It almost isn't fair to compare this to everything else that came out this week, but they're all singles released on the same day, so here we go. I knew they wouldn’t be able to resist making this issue a great God-amighty thing. I was, however, expecting much more of a carefully maintained marketing phenomenon and absolutely not that each successive short story in this collection would up the ante on each one that had gone before. And by that, I mean that Meltzer’s various answers for the question “WHY I DO IT” are a pretty knockout little string of verse all on their own with the line, "I DO IT BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO ANYTHING ELSE," maybe my new favorite line of Bruce Wayne describing himself in the first person, or maybe even best single-sentence first-person narrative caption ever, time will tell. And Hitch completely knocks it out of the park. This is apparently a panel-for-panel recreation of the beats of the original issue from 1939, though we expand a few pages so that Hitch can jam out a few splashes, as is his wont. But this is only even in the first story of seven.

In the second story, Neal Adams locates Gregg Hurwitz to tether himself upon this particular plane of narrative reality and the results are sublime and really quite redemptive as Batman and Robin battle their foes across the course of their own evolution, with Adams altering his style to match the eras flashing by to tremendous effect. And then the third story is by far the best yet, nothing more than a surprise seventy-fifth birthday for our hero followed by a cute little homage to the first issue of Miller’s THE DARK KNIGHT, but Tomasi's character work once again puts this way over the top. With regular collaborators Gleason and Gray hard at work on their monthly, we have Ian Bertram and David (not Dave?) Stewart on art. Bertram’s scratchy style is evocative of Paul Pope and other European cartoonists and is a great fit for this latter-day tale. The most crushing aspect probably of the entire issue takes place in this story with the sudden on-screen appearance of a full-grown Damian Wayne sporting gray temples, generating immediate implied thirty/forty-odd years of continuity that has not even occurred to me to thus far ever even imagine before now. I just want a regular Tomasi/Damian series. Would be all over it.

And then there are still four more stories! One-man band Francesco Francavilla gives us an iconic five-page night-in-the-life vignette before Mike W. Barr comes off the bench with Guillem March and enlists The Phantom Stranger to play “It Could Be A Wonderful Life” with Bruce in order to provide concrete illustration of just how much our hero continues to give up in order to do what he does. Then, our regular team of Layman/Fabok kick off their final arc and have no problem hanging with all the devastation that has come thus far, opening with an intriguing premise before leaving us with a cliffhanger that it will definitely be entertaining to see play out over the final two months of their run. Finally, we have Snyder/Murphy/Hollingsworth, the guys who have been absolutely burning it down over on THE WAKE, with a final tale of generations of cloned Batmen cycling through into the far future, which is apparently in-canon and at first blush seems like a Morrison-scale set-up for an entire legion of new mythos to build. Come to think of it, this is surely the first thing we’re seeing from what’s going to be BATMAN ETERNAL. It’s certainly right there in the name. These guys are masters of the craft, really knocking it out here. Strong strong work, both on this final story and throughout this entire anthology that is more than worth its cover price. Heartstopping greatness abounds.

BATMAN: BLACK AND WHITE #5 — Oh, good. An anthology of excellent Batman stories by some top creators. An embarrassment of riches tonight, to be sure. Fortunately, this is another example of quality. Every story ends with some kind of cool twist, nicely curated by Chiarello, as ever. We open with Ivan Brandon & Paolo Rivera’s tale of everything going wrong on the last half-mile home to Wayne Manor with the twist at the end being obvious in hindsight, though still entertaining. Keith Giffen & Javier Pulido provide a concrete example of our hero hiding in both the shadows and in plain sight at the same time during a new entry into the time-honored canon of villains-drinking-at-the-bar stories. Blair Butler & Chris Weston drop a bit of 80s Alan Moore meta- into their effort with a superior stylistic shift late in the story from Weston. And he letters the thing, to boot! I love Len Wein’s solution to what happens when Two-Face doesn’t agree with the toss of his coin there on the second page, natch, of his story with Victor Ibáñez involving two different capers, which obviously should always be the case with this guy. Of course Wein gets it! Though it must be said, as twists go, this is probably the weakest one of the batch. If it was a contest. Paging Chubby Checker. Finally, Andrew Robinson, hot off his critical success on THE FIFTH BEATLE, shows up here in a big way to illustrate Jimmy Palmiotti’s script. Robinson has an expressive style all his own while managing to channel early SIN CITY to an eerie extent in certain panels (the foreshortened angle of Page Three, Panel Six being probably the strongest example). And Palmiotti’s script is a really touching and affecting piece of work. Strong writing and the perfect way to close out another successful issue of this series.

SEX CRIMINALS #4 — “HA HA CHIPPER.” The tone of the Page One Preembus defies description and also pretty much belief. I mean, it is incredible. Completely worth the $3.50 all by itself. I felt a mixture of excitement and trepidation that the rest of the issue would turn out to be written in this cracked-out voice that’s sort of a bastard cousin of the first chapter of The Original Writer Alan Moore’s VOICE OF THE FIRE. Alas. At any rate, the art is as gorgeous as ever. Plotwise, Fraction cranks it up a bit and we finally catch the entertaining present-tense backstories up to Jon & Suzie getting pursued in The Quiet by those glowing white frozen-time sex-police sorts. Very gratifying. And the eight pages of letters and funny responses are a scream! This is one book whose blistering hype is completely justified. Come check it out!

THE SHAOLIN COWBOY #4 — ??!?! Da fug? Darrow finally not only drops in with a single bubble of dialogue on the first page but then breaks down the non-stop zombie-dismemberin’ carnage into panels. But there was one hell of a plot twist in the aftermath of all that carnage, bro! And this is just it? Is it going to take Darrow another five years to draw the next volume? Probably? Heinous!

STAR WARS #13 — Very very good. We follow up the initial year-long saga with a done-in-one narrated by Ensign Nanda, Vader’s personal assistant for five of the most terrifying days of her life. With Facundo Percio filling in on pencils. It’s perfect, I cannot envision a more entertaining actualization from this premise.

FATALE #19 — Wow. This was the best issue of this series yet. This crew is so sick and adept that it’s borderline appalling. The “FUCK PEARL JAM!” line of dialogue alone, man.

MORNING GLORIES #36 — Well, I had no idea that this doctor fellow was modeled after Baltar. But of course it’s obvious, now. I have a terrible confession to make. The DC insanity front-loaded this evening’s madness to the point that my Lone Star narcolepsy kicked in after three in the morning before I had a chance to make it all the way through the stack to this comic book. That was released on 1/08. I am a terrible person by any standard and all I can off you all are my apologies and assurances that I shall endeavor to do better in the future.

MARVEL KNIGHTS: SPIDER MAN #4 — And then this is the best one yet. These guys are telling one of the most enthralling and beautifully rendered Peter Parker stories that I have seen in quite some time. This kind of thing seems to be happening about everywhere tonight.

WOLVERINE #13 — An immaculate conclusion. Though I certainly missed Brother Hollingsworth on color, of all of his gigs, this single was an unfortunate one to have hit the chopping block. No, but Cornell/Davis/Farmer in no way fumble on the one-yard line, just continue to destroy as they have been since the get-go. This will make one hell of a single-sitting read in trade, the first thing in quite some time to hang with Claremont/Miller or BWS. That’s right, I said it!

YOUNG AVENGERS #015 — I am pretty wrecked about this being the finale with no immediate promise of return. Not that they’re not coming back. They won’t be able to help themselves, these boys. But this was a profoundly satisfying conclusion. And even though McKelvie/Wilson are only responsible for 25% of the interior content, this little darling is almost pretty much the best single issue of PHONOGRAM, right here all on its own. Cloonan murders the Noh-Varr epilogue, so much what we needed for that guy. And then but Gillen letting go of Kid/Teen Loki really summons forth just an appalling shower of tears, uncommanded throughout. And a perfect ending, perfect last shot. Somehow channeling that photography nostalgia Moore/Gibbons first started stirring up nearly thirty years ago now and filtering it through, what else, a jpg on a cell-phone. Perfection. This season was something very very special, and I really love every one of these kids. Heart in my throat.