7/08/15

BATMAN #42 — What’s not to love? This team is giving us a tale of Batman that we haven’t seen in really any form or fashion in nearly eighty years of continuity, and that alone is worthy of praise. Capullo/Miki/Plascencia have been masters of sequential storytelling since making their respective debuts in this title, and this issue is certainly no exception. I’m digging the idea of giving Jim some new rogues instead of just throwing Clayface at him, which I totally thought was happening at first. I love that that’s Julia in disguise, the first time she showed up and gave a different name, I was very much confused. The only beat of this I question whatsoever is what may be Snyder trying to placate fans or head inevitable bitching off at the pass by immediately being like, “No, okay, here’s Bruce, he’s fine and has a beard now, everything’s going to work out, don’t worry.” I mean, give us just Jim for a while. This whole deal with Gordon Bat-Robot has to play out for like more than six issues, right? At least a year or why even do it? Seems like you need at least that much time to scratch the surface of the potential of this set-up. So, why not give us the first six issues with just Gordon, then drop Wayne in the park right there at the end of the first trade? I don’t see any narrative benefit at all to trotting him out immediately and everything to gain from keeping him up your sleeve. Maybe I’m wrong and they’ll be some amazing crucial thing he does next month or in #44, but I’m probably not the most objective. Hell, I still wish it was Dick & Damian on BATMAN AND ROBIN and Bucky slinging around that old shield over across the street.

GOTHAM ACADEMY #8 — Kerschl returns to regular duty as the spotlight shifts to Kyle, who I previously cared about less than anyone else in the ensemble, but of course once Cloonan/Fletcher give him a little bit more attention, he’s perfectly engaging as a protagonist in his own right. This series really should just be THE ADVENTURES OF MAPS MIZAGUCHI, though, at this point. She is stealing every panel she is in without fail, immediately blurting out the deal with Tristan being only the most glaring example. Love love love this book.

JLA #2 — Bryan Hitch actually manages to raise the bar from last issue, which might raise the eyebrows of regular readers of these reviews, given how much I gushed over that situation last time. But it’s true! Rao coming to Earth is such a terrific premise, and Hitch really mines it to its fullest here. Of course, we all know that this whole deal is going to go whack-a-doodle faster than you can say, “Dead Superman from a parallel universe,” but it’s great fun to see Kal’s earnest belief juxtaposed against Bruce’s (and the reader’s) more realistic assessment of the situation. The two pages of Aquaman are again terrific. I am in love with newscaster Rosemary Chen’s line, “Superman has stated that he’ll remain on site and take personal responsibility of the safety of the world.” Because of course he will. Way to sum up the guy in one sentence. You’ve got to enjoy Batman & Cyborg Boom-Tubing into the Bat-Cave; that’s probably not going to get old any time soon. Funny bit about Bruce denying poor Vic access to the Bat-Network. Lois’s “Do We Need Another God?” is a terrifically crafted thinkpiece. The sole stumbling block for me was the three panels with Bruce and Alfred right at the end, there. I would have liked a little more showing a bit less telling. That single beat aside, this is pretty much a perfect Justice League comic book. I’m crazy about it and still kind of in shock that Hitch found a way to escalate from last issue. Keep it coming, Boss!

STARFIRE #2 — This one is even better than the first. Just get a look at the two-page splash on Pages Two and Three. While Lupacchino and the rest of the art team provide dynamic action with beautiful body language and acting, Conner & Palmiotti continue to demonstrate total command of what makes the character tick, her begging Stella to stop because she’s going to have to fly through the roof in order to save the bird, for instance. This is one of those examples (like a certain freckle-faced teen down below) in which I could absolutely take the character or leave her, but the craft behind this series is so top-notch, you can’t help but be charmed and if you care about comics at all, you have to pay attention. 

LANDO #1 — Marvel has been batting a thousand on these things thus far, so I had to at least give this one a shot, even though I’m not as big of a fan of Soule as some other folks. Maleev/Mounts naturally knock the art out of the park, making it look like Billy Dee Williams while not skewing the whole deal into too photorealistic of a place. Soule gives us an opening scene that does a fine job of setting the tone and establishing our title character as the charming scoundrel that he is. And the idea for the big job is just fine. But Lobot?!? Talking Lobot? That’s not going to fly, brother. John Hollis’s dead-faced demeanor is the entire selling point of the character for the few minutes that he’s on screen in V. I love the idea that this guy is so plugged in to Cloud City that he can’t be bothered to utter a word to either his subordinates or his boss. I’m pretty sure that the character name was derived from “lobotomy,” even, which obviously isn’t exactly the deal, but the point is, this guy walking around with Lando having banter and saying things like, “I can’t have more than one drink, that makes my implants go crazy,” reads about as ridiculously as Chewbacca suddenly breaking out into English. Not nearly as much of a betrayal of canon, perhaps, but just as nonsensical. It made this thing seem like fan fiction. Which, of course, all of these technically probably really are on every level that matters, but the other three series never read like that.

DESCENDER #5 — It’s getting grisly gruesome up in here! I keep hoping this thing is going to skew a bit softer PG so that I can bring my little girl in on the fun and it keeps veering harder and harder PG-13. “We’re fucked,” indeed! Oh, but it’s so so good. I’m not sure how many issues this is going to last, but we’re definitely sinking into the depths of the second act here, as most specifically illustrated by Dr. Quon’s twin set of difficulties. That is a hell of a cliffhanger; I am definitely going to be waiting for #6 with a bit more desperation than I was this one just to find out exactly what is going on and who really knows what. Lemire & Nguyen can do no wrong.

BLACK SCIENCE #16 — What an insane ride this book is. Remender certainly tries to pack in as much characterization as he can, but that old Pillar just won’t let up for a single issue. Kind of a left turn that came out of nowhere on Rebecca, but I guess that kind of thing has been happening this whole time. Scalera once again takes it to another level with that double-page thing across Pages Eight and Nine kind of codifying everything that this book stands for, just a wild jetpack ride that’s in danger of crashing at any given time but whose momentum cannot be contained. Dinisio has beautiful colors again from Page One on. And of course, I have no idea what even happened there at the end. Glad to read Remender’s note at the end. That first volume of UNCANNY AVENGERS, in particular, was a hell of a story, but we will definitely benefit from him focusing on his own original properties for the next little bit here.

SAGA #30 — And so we come to the ending of the fifth arc with a reunion and a resurrection bringing the action to a close for the time being. I enjoyed this one for the most part. There were several examples of solid acting through Alanna’s facial expressions that stood out to me. Fine work, Fiona Staples. And another terrific closing image. It reminds me of the way I think they shut down #18 or so? When Hazel was suddenly not a baby. Vaughan is really good at those parting shots showing us milestones of her development. The more Hazel, the better, it seems like.

BEST OF WEEK: ARCHIE #1— A reboot is a very delicate thing. You’ve got to strip down the property to its most basic elements, honoring the beating heart at its core. It’s a nuanced balancing act between peeling away the brambles of continuity that have accumulated over the years and now date the material while retaining the fundamental aspects that make the story unique. It’s been seventy-five years since Archibald Andrews and Betty Cooper made their debut in the pages of PEP COMICS #22, and in that time, Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, and even that sneering old Reggie have entered the mainstream pop lexicon. Before the Fonz ever looked in the mirror to confirm that you couldn’t mess with perfection, before John Hughes first shouted, “Action!” or Ferris Bueller ever decided to take a day off, the gang at Riverdale High defined the high school experience for popular culture. Now, Eisner winners Mark Waid and Fiona Staples hit the reset button and give Archie and his friends a new beginning. And it is magnificent.

Waid makes the intelligent decision to break the fourth wall immediately. The first page is a splash of Archie simply introducing himself. This serves to draw the reader in right away while conveying what an affable personality our title character has. You can’t help but immediately like him while he catches us up on what we’ve missed because this is a total in medias res situation. Archie and Betty have been the Riverdale power couple for, like, ever, but some mysterious thing happened that’s been hashtagged as “The Lipstick Incident,” and now the pair has split. Nobody knows why, and Archie’s best friend Jughead Jones isn’t talking. And the Homecoming Dance is coming up. That relatively simple conceit is more than enough to send the reader racing through to the last page, arriving much sooner than he or she would prefer. Waid, a master of characterization, gives everyone a distinct voice, managing to make even Reggie more appealing than usual while elevating Jughead to basically Mercutio levels of scene-stealing through his nearly Machiavellian machinations in the name of friendship. Staples delivers twenty-two pages of perfection, ratcheting down the impressionistic style that has won her such acclaim on SAGA in favor of more distinct lines with an energetic momentum that suits the teenage characters and featuring vibrant colors that are a delight to behold. This team could not have done a better job realizing this material. Every component is meticulously crafted and a joy to experience working in concert as part of a seamless master class in sequential narrative. I’ve never really cared one way or another about Archie, but this was so well done, it was the best comic of the week by far, and I absolutely can’t wait for the second issue. 5/5 Atomic Breakups.

THE FOX: FOX HUNT #4 — Old Dino just goes a bit psychedelic here, folding in a bit of Escher to the hallucinatory madness. Most of this one is Paul tripping out on some gas and making fun of his own shitty rogues gallery, but there’s a nice beat at the end that brings things full circle in terms of a family of foxes and promises a rewarding conclusion next month.

INJECTION #3 — Ellis/Shalvey/Bellaire all crank it up a notch here. I had no complaints whatsoever with the first two issues, but this is a much more cohesive and coherent experience as we flash back to the team interacting with each other in a way that clearly delineates the individual characters and we zoom in on Maria and Robin as they have a conversation that by anyone else’s would be boring expositional infodump but of course in Ellis’s hands, is a riveting update torn from the latest New Scientist/whatever esoteric fairy mythology business he’s been reading of late. The two-page splash with Robin is stunning. The set-up with the athame has me very eager for the payoff next issue. It is exciting to watch these people do exactly what they want to do in the world of creator-owned.

PROVIDENCE #2 — In which Mr. Black and Mr. Mason take a walk, and then Mr. Black very nearly loses his life by treading in subterranean chambers that he should damn well know to keep clear of. All perfectly riveting proto-Lovecraftian horror and intrigue from Misters Moore & Burrows. And then like eleven pages of backmatter; it seems like Moore just wakes up and craps out sixty thousand words every single day of his life. Legend!