9/11/13

BEST OF WEEK: LOCKE & KEY: ALPHA #1 — Just a staggering amount of Absolutely Holy Shit on almost every page. Really, without exaggerating, at the end of nearly every page, I had to fight the urge to step back and freak out and take a picture and send it to someone and just take a walk for a minute and get it all back together but of course it would have taken hours to make it through if I gave in to that so just had to power through every single damn time. Nothing else this week even came close. The real surprise is that it turns out that this oversized issue is basically the climax to the entire series. Sure, there’s one more issue, but everything that we’ve been building to all this time seems pretty much resolved. Despite seemingly impossible odds, the Locke family (with of course the indispensable last-minute assistance of one Rufus Whedon) has apparently overcome and destroyed Dodge with no in-family casualties. Because I don’t for a minute believe that Bode’s not going to find a way back into his body sometime next issue. I’m particularly surprised that old Uncle Dunk made it, that zoom-in on he and Tyler’s hands letting go of each other on the bottom of Page Four was a serious fake-out, calling back to Tyler and Jordan doing the same thing in #2 of the last volume and in the framing of that single shot, you just knew right away that one or both of them were doomed but that it was certainly the last time they would ever see one another alive. It’s a particularly effective repeat of the trick here with Duncan in light of the reveal of her smashed remains just two pages later. Glad that there was a proper hero’s death for Scot Kavanaugh, at least, I was glad to see that and thought the moment had already passed. But, you know, back to Jordan Gates, though, man, really really rough, she went out with no ceremony whatsoever, what a chilling exit. I really liked her. Didn’t think that it was possible Hill was going to take her out that way at the end of last issue, my mind wouldn’t accept it. That one’s going to mess me up for a little while, I think. And what a beat between Nina and Matuku, that was a hell of a one-two to kick things off with Pages Two and Three, there. Hill giveth and taketh away pretty hard. And of course Gabriel Rodriguez and Jay Fotos continue to bring their alpha-level superstar destruction to every page, every panel. This is that rare finale that brings many threads to a close while managing to feel completely organic and in no way forced, though I had no idea how they were going to pull it off. But obvious in hindsight, all the threads set up. Down to the strange little Erin Voss idea from her head at the end of #1 of the last volume, I was kicking myself this time for not having immediately sussed to what that was. And but I’m really still just in shock that all of the Lockes pulled through. Like I’m nervous, don’t trust it. As far as I can see, it’s problem solved. The good guys won. I’m not even sure what’s left for the next oversized issue besides getting Bode back in his body, though am completely confident that it will be a devastating epilogue. Also, very cool to see the shots from the set of the pilot. It’s a real shame to say goodbye to this one, really so sorry it ever had to end, though completely satisfying in its conclusion.

THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS #14 — Oh, having Laika drop the ominous STAR WARS quote is perfect, topped only by the terribly grim Feynman epigram. It’s funny, Hickman channels JFK to such uncanny perfection, I can really hear every syllable of his dialogue delivered in the man’s Yankee accent. Pitarra continues to evolve and improve at a gradual but steady pace, refining his style and tightening up his linework, always giving the characters room to act, coaxing ever more nuanced performances out of them. Over a year in and this one is still bleeding delicious fun.

PROPHET #39 — Well, of course this is going to be one of the best things ever, a lock for Best of Week if Hill & Rodriguez hadn’t finally showed back up. I had no idea and was thrilled to open up to the title page revealing that this was a Diehard art-jam issue, starring a previously ridiculous supporting character who’s been threatening to steal this book almost since he first turned up. After opening with the 10,241-year-old incarnation of the character playing his flute in the corridors of the Starship Insula Tergum, we flashback to the character as a ten-year-old by a tree at sunset but within six pages, we’re all the way through the twentieth century and the next seven for good measure, into full-on Bolo War insanity on the planet Katella that can only be drawn and colored by James Stokoe, the best surprise of the night. And Badrock, Age 808! Too much fun. And poor Ohomm of The Mog. We only see him for three panels and yet mourn his passing. Such is the power of the montage. I really loved this issue.

THE TRUE LIVES OF THE FABULOUS KILLJOYS #4 — Man, yeah, I just officially don’t care. Which breaks my heart, have been looking forward to this title for so many years. But absolutely cannot invest in any of the characters or the action, it’s all just trite and terrible. A particular shame because Becky Cloonan is still so terrific on art. But she’s getting nothing to work with from the script. I guess it’s Shaun Simon’s fault, or Gerard Way’s from letting him near this book in the first place. There is no reason why a KILLJOYS book by Way & Cloonan shouldn’t be every bit as good as our beloved THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY. This book, however, isn’t even close.

KICK-ASS 3 #3 — Eh. The deal with Hit-Girl and the JD is kind of cute, but if this one wasn’t already on the home-stretch, I think I’d be about done with it.

ASTRO CITY #4 — That Ross cover kind of says it all as we split the difference here with a protagonist who has powers but has also been content to rock more of a sideline everyday citizen kind of vibe. The little aside about her wanting to be one of The Doors is perfection, in that single sentiment, she’s a living, breathing character for me. Busiek not only once again comes up with an interesting real-world application of a power (this time, telekinesis) that hasn’t really been used in the funny books but then follows through on the logical extension of that to create an entirely new contingent of characters who are neither hero nor villain. Astro City is such a well realized myriad of characters, you never know who or how many more will show up next.

STAR WARS #9 — The plot inches along. Wood mines interesting territory with the guy who invented the Death Star laser array turning out to be a son of Alderaan. Oh, sweet irony! He still can’t help letting modern-day slang creep into the dialogue, though, with Wedge Antilles dropping a “legit.” How hard is it to screen something like that out? If not the writer, then the editor? Ryan Kelly’s work on this title is once again flawless, likenesses, spaceships, the whole deal.

REVERSE-FLASH #1—Manapul joins Buccellato on scripting duties while Scott Hepburn shows up for a pretty fair impression of the Manapul style that we’ve grown to love and expect on this title. I did think Manapul was on art for this one, guess he’s taking the extra month to polish up #s 24 and 25. Was sure sorry to hear that these guys are leaving this book, but I guess they’re going where their muse is taking them. Story-wise, this issue didn’t really knock me out, filled in a few blanks about Daniel West but nothing too revelatory or that we haven’t all seen before. I know that all the kids are lining up and the lenticular covers are lighting up the sales charts, but from where I’m sitting two weeks in, Villains Month is looking like kind of a bust.

FANTASTIC FOUR #012 — Sebela is back, no sign of Kesel. Also no unbearable tension as we go ahead and get the “literally” out of the way on the bottom of Page Two with the cliché “It’s not where, but when” thrown in for good measure. The dialogue from all characters and every aspect of their interaction is vapid, stale, and formulaic. It is unreal to me the velocity with which this book plummeted from entertaining to just fucking terrible. Such a shame. The Next Issue page promises Kesel really for true next time. We’ll see.

X-MEN #005 — The crossover loses a bit of momentum here as Bendis relinquishes the reins and lets Wood take a whack. David López draws very pretty still-lifes but there’s a dynamism missing from his figures in motion that doesn’t carry over from the damage we’ve had thus far from Immonen, Cho, and their worthy cohorts. This is very much a by-the-numbers Point-B-to-Point-C sort of affair, I should have guessed, the next part of the event takes place in UNCANNY, so where’s the only place Teen Scott and Teen Jean could be headed? This one is certainly not offensive but, yeah, a little bit of a dip from the greatness Bendis has been giving us with this event thus far.

WOLVERINE #009 — This A-list crew turns in another top-drawer issue that doesn’t trade in shock value or cheap storytelling devices, just rock-solid character work and veteran storytelling through sequentials. I mean, it’s not exactly a life-changing piece of work, Logan goes toe-to-toe with Batroc ze Leaper, but it’s nothing but quality, top to bottom. And now Logan and Kitty are flying off to fight Sabretooth and a splinter clan of The Hand. What more could you want?

AVENGERS #19—Hickman & Yu continue to crackle the cosmic as one squad of captive Avengers learn from their captors just how exceptional some of their teammates are and a guy who I think is the dad from the new GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY acts really superior to Cap & Thor, calling them a bunch of backwater apes before totally giving away the secret council’s location and getting everybody almost-on-the-last-page-about-to-be-space-nuked, it looks like. They haven’t “found us,” dick. They tracked the transmission that you voluntarily sent! The one during which you sold out Earth if they would just give your precious system a pass! Who is the backwater ape now, condescending spaceman?