WHAT I BOUGHT

DMZ #56

Invincible Iron Man #29

Steve Rogers: Super Soldier #2

Superman #702

BOOK OF THE WEEK

"Super Soldier" is super awesome.

It was a dead heat this week between Steve Rogers: Super Soldier and DMZ. Both offer outstanding issues, but Brubaker’s solo Steve Rogers book gets the edge because it hasn’t been featured before.

Ed Brubaker writes Steve Rogers well—definitively, even—but since Bucky has become the star of the Captain America book, Rogers has shifted into a supporting capacity. There’s nothing wrong with that, especially considering that Brubaker earns the shift, but allowing Steve his own stage again has made for a fantastic pair of initial issues.

Super Soldier is a four issue limited series, a tricky thing for anybody to write effectively. The industry has a glut of unnecessary limited series for readers to choose from, and most of them are a waste of money. Brubaker’s series sets itself apart by making the stakes high and personal for Rogers. Upon finding that someone is misusing the same serum that made him Captain America, Rogers investigates only to find nothing is as it seems and his history is repeating itself before him. (Kind of a cop-out reiteration of the plot, but it’s awesome enough to leave unspoiled for any potential readers.) The end of the first issue will have readers hooked and the end of the second, released this week, will have readers clamoring for more.

Brubaker is teamed with artist Dale Eaglesham for series, and it’s a great fit. Eaglesham’s art is astounding. While his figures sometimes feel over-muscled, his eye for composition and the panel-to-panel storytelling is better than almost anybody else featured on the stands. Eaglesham is one of the artistic elite and I can’t wait to see more from him. I almost wish that there were more than four issues of excitement to be had from this creative team.

Brubaker and Eaglesham push the series above and beyond many of the other superfluous limited series on the market. Superfluous shouldn’t be viewed as a derogatory term in this context, though, because the series technically doesn’t need to be read for the sake of character continuity. That said, it should be read because of how fantastic it is on its own. It exists in a separate realm of greatness—there are no bones to pick with the story, Brubaker and Eaglesham are spinning an amazing yarn.

QUICK TAKES

DMZ #56

This is an absolutely fantastic issue, one of the best one-shots of the series. It helps that the enigmatic warlord Wilson is at the center of it, but that doesn’t make or break it. I love the structure present here; the extended flashback nicely complements the bookend scenes. It’s simple, but the moments that writer Brian Wood chooses to highlight are fantastic in and of themselves. We don’t necessarily find out much about Wilson, but the snatches of his past presented are tantalizing glimpses to the past of the DMZ itself. This is just a great issue, a reminder of why DMZ is one of the best ongoing books on the stands.

Invincible Iron Man #29

It’s business as usual, but intriguing, seeing as this arc seems to be coming to a head. I’m excited for the obviously forthcoming Iron-Man/Detroit Steel smackdown, so excited that the pages devoted to Stark’s new business model seem to drag a little bit. This is also the least consistent Salvador Larocca’s art has been in a while. The inking seems sloppy and the occasional blown-up, reused image suffers from pixilation, which muddles the overall reading experience. Fraction’s writing has always carried the book, and definitely does here, but even at its best, it sometimes can’t overcome the artistic hiccups that present themselves.

Superman #702

After an uneven opening issue, the second part of “Grounded” doesn’t do much to up the arc’s ante. Superman walks to Michigan on his cross-country journey and winds up saving its dead industry with the help of a group of aliens living in hiding amongst the population. Superman pontificates about morality, and Eddy Barrows wastes his talents as an artist illustrating talky, boring exchanges. What little action there is also leaves a lot to be desired—the most dynamic moment is Superman challenging kids to a pickup basketball game.

The thematic elements JMS is working with are there, and so is the character, but it’s just too unevenly and uninterestingly presented, hidden beneath a coat of pretention and stuffiness. The most troubling thing is the inherent flaw with Superman’s plan—by walking across the country and still using his superhuman powers, he unintentionally mocks those who don’t have them. The problems define this arc more than its small successes.

BACK UP MATERIAL

Batman has a new costume, which is a nice variation on the classic design.

CBR is counting down DC Comics’ 75 most memorable moments. [75-66; 65-56; 55-46; 45-36]

This is a great editorial about why the “Destroy-his-life” precedent that has been set for Daredevil needs to change coming out of Shadowland.

IGN’s Dan Phillips has written a wonderful article about Warren Ellis’ landmark series Planetary, explaining why he considers it “one of the greatest comic book series of the 20th Century.”

-Batman #701

-DMZ #55

-The Invincible Iron Man #28

-Superman #701

BOOK OF THE WEEK

Fraction makes this book what it is.

Invincible Iron Man is such a consistent book, reviewing it from week to week can be tedious. Finding different ways to say “Boy, is this book good,” every time it comes out is becoming quickly impossible. Every single issue of the series has that special Matt Fraction crackle to it: the beautifully written dialogue that spearheads the excellent character work, the off-the-wall concepts that are all made good on despite their insanity and most importantly the expert use of serialized storytelling that the comic medium demands.

Enough of the long view—what makes this issue so good, then? In a nutshell, the answer is “Maria Hill.” Hill has been one of my favorite characters in the Marvel Universe for a while, but no one has breathed life into her as effectively as Fraction has. He’s given her a unique voice within his Iron Man series as a tough as nails operative-type, but with enough texture and depth to her to sell the lines like: “You think I came down to your nerd hole because I wanted to trade Pokémans?” He’s making her sound like Nick Fury as self consciously as possible as well as positioning her as a foil for Tony Stark. The scene at the end of the issue where they argue about Stark’s actions as Iron Man (“I hate hearing Mom and Dad fight anyway,” says Rhodey) unifies everything that Fraction has been working toward in this arc as well as the whole of the series: Finding a place in the Marvel Universe for a vilified Stark.

This issue also looks a mite better than normal, as well. I never sell the book on Salvador Larroca’s art, but here, all the characters are consistently on-model and his photo-referencing (Pepper Potts usually resembles Nicole Kidman) is less prevalent. Frank D’Armata’s coloring also uses a much cooler palate than normal. Instances of over-coloring are also limited, too, meaning that the art doesn’t have a weird “3-D under 2-D” look to it.

So, while it’s a pain to keep looking up synonyms for the word “great” to describe Fraction’s work on The Invincible Iron Man, it’s a good problem to have. I can’t argue when the product is so frequently this good.


QUICK TAKES

Batman #701 – It should be obvious how much I adore Grant Morrison’s work. Even the stuff that doesn’t work is still worth reading, and probably better than a lot of comics on the market. For three months this summer he returns to the proper Batman series, the first of which was the anniversary seven hundredth issue. The second two, of which #701 is the first, are a self contained tale that fills in the thirty days between the end of Batman RIP and Final Crisis. The opening chapter is interesting enough—Morrison’s take on Wayne is enjoyable and he plays with the looming events of Final Crisis effectively.

The story seems to be acting as more of a girder in the framework that Morrison is constructing with the entirety of his run, solidifying Batman, The Return of Bruce Wayne, and Final Crisis more obviously as the individual series come together with Wayne’s impending reappearance. Tony Daniel, Morrison’s old creative partner handles the artwork on the book, though it’s not his best outing. Some of the characters look wonky, and the inking, also done by Daniel, seems rushed and a bit sloppy in places. It’s not enough to kill the book, though, and there’s still plenty to recommend.

DMZ #55 – This issue, called “Five Hours Under Fire,” is the first of a series of one-shots that flesh out the post-bombing landscape of the DMZ. Writer Brian Wood has a knack for contained stories, and while this isn’t his best (Probably #23, “Decade Later.”), it still tells a great story in twenty-two pages. An underground soldier stumbles upon a resistance cell as a bombing raid begins and is forced to sit the barrage out amongst some of the intended targets. There’s enough in the premise to give the issue sufficient drama, and for a one-off character, Cal Foster is surprisingly well defined. Andrea Mutti illustrates the issue and does a great job of it, making confined space of the shelter is palpable throughout the issue. When Wood changes storytelling techniques like this, it always makes for an interesting read.

Superman #701 – This issue is the proper beginning of J. Michael Straczynski’s “Grounded” arc, and it’s disappointing. Positioning Superman next to normal characters in the series is always a tricky thing to do, and based on all of Superman’s pontificating in this first chapter (of twelve), this arc may amount to nothing but preachy pointlessness. Superman seems like a godly windbag as he walks across Philadelphia, fixing a man’s car, busting up a row of drug labs, and waxing philosophically as he talks a suicidal girl off a ledge. (Morrison did this in a page, beautifully; here it takes Straczynski seven, a third of the issue, to achieve a similar, but weaker, effect.) If the pacing stays like this, it’s going to be a long, lonely walk for Superman.

BACK-UP MATERIAL

I listened to this album while I worked on today’s post.

The movie news has been quite interesting this week, with Edward Norton kicked off of Avengers and Mark Ruffalo being considered for the role of Bruce Banner/Hulk. Also, we get our first image of Thor, Loki, and Odin from the forthcoming film.

A couple of new Bat-books have been announced, but none of them are really that interesting. The one that seems most promising is the announcement that Scott Snyder (American Vampire) will be taking over Detective Comics.

-Batwoman: Elegy

-Captain America #607

-Green Lantern #55

-The Invincible Iron Man Annual #1

-Secret Avengers #2

BOOK OF THE WEEK

An outstanding, but short, run.

This is kind of a cheat, but damn the rules when the book is this good. Batwoman: Elegy collects seven outstanding issues in a gorgeous oversized hardcover, and is worth every penny to anyone even marginally serious about comics. A bold statement, sure, but the book succeeds brilliantly on every level of production; JH Williams’ amazing artwork creates a tangible world for writer Greg Rucka’s realistic characters to inhabit. It’s hard to even quantify the book in any normal sense, hard to tell whether it is Rucka’s writing or Williams’ artwork that separates it from the rest of the comics on an already crowded rack. This touches on the problem of judging the finished product in separate measures of art and writing when they work so incredibly together.

Batwoman is what the medium is about, collaboration on the Bendis/Maleev, Brubaker/Phillips level, where the art and writing merge together into a synthesized, unique whole.

But enough of the pandering intellectualism that only an English major could manage. The best part about the collected edition is the elegant simplicity of the story. Rucka doesn’t throw a diabolically complex plot at the reader, preferring a more straightforward narrative that undergirds his outstanding character work. The characters determine everything in the book from the stakes of the superhero fistfights to the outstanding drama of the family conflict at the center of the story. Stakes come up a lot here, rightfully so, because without discernable stakes, the characters are unable to drive the story. For example, if the relationship between Batwoman and her father is not established early in the first issue, his kidnapping at the end of the first story arc has no dramatic weight to it and Batwoman’s attempt to rescue him (and Gotham) feels incredibly hollow. Rucka’s characterization is absolutely masterful.

Rucka’s characters in the hands of a great artist like JH Williams makes the collection that much more of a treat. It’s obvious from his work here that he’s one of the best artists in the medium, using continuously inventive panel design and adopting various styles in order to tell his story. The more current elements of the story are told in more contemporary styles, resembling—and surpassing—the work of Alex Ross, for example. Alternatively, sequences that take place in Batwoman’s past, specifically her origin story, look more like the work of Batman: Year One artist David Mazzuchielli, something that ties Batwoman and Batman’s histories together in content as well as aesthetics. While it’s not that enjoyable to listen to me explain it to you without the visuals to back it up, but believe me when I say that it’s a joy to read.

Finishing the collection is bittersweet, though, because it’s the last Batwoman story Rucka will write. He’ll continue to produce amazing comics, certainly, but seeing Batwoman go on without his guidance is somewhat depressing. He’s just scratched the surface of what would have probably been a massive story, if the hints given in this volume were picked up for subsequent arcs. This collection presents seven outstanding issues. Sometimes, you just need to be thankful for what you’re given. Thanks you show by prominently displaying Batwoman: Elegy on your bookshelf.

QUICK SHOTS

Captain America #607 – I love the story Brubaker is telling here, and while the fill-in art is somewhat distracting, the book still looks good. The back-up, however, continues to be terrible. The biggest problem is that it feels shoddily tacked onto the book. But worse than that, it just doesn’t work. The art is a downshift in quality—it looks downright amateurish—and the tone doesn’t match Brubaker’s headlining Captain America story. What is a Disney-Channel-esque teen drama doing behind a long-form, adult story? Come on, I’ll pay five bucks to get my un-back-uped Captain America back instead of paying four for this.

Green Lantern #55 – I’m really digging Doug Mahnke’s art on this book. The story is building nicely, with Hal Jordan getting the Lantern band back together, but the art is what I’m relishing the book for. Everything looks great, especially a fight between the Lanterns and the intergalactic bounty hunter, Lobo. Better still is the back-up about Dex-Starr, the cat Red Lantern. In six pages it shows not only that Geoff Johns has a great sense of humor, but also that he can do a lot with so few pages. Take note, Captain America, this is how you do a proper back-up.

The Invincible Iron Man Annual #1 – Stuff like this is why Matt Fraction is one of my favorite writers. He takes a brilliant premise and crafts something unique from it. This massive issue—you get a lot of bang for five dollars, here—is essentially the reintroduction of The Mandarin, Iron Man’s nemesis. It’s a character study, character deconstruction on an epic level as Fraction tells the tale of a kidnapped filmmaker tasked with directing a film about The Mandarin’s life. The director then has to sift through the lies that The Mandarin is telling him in order to make a movie that isn’t completely ridiculous. It’s a book about art, but with an entertaining slant. Fascinating, in a word.

Secret Avengers #2 – This is a slick book. I love the team Brubaker has picked, and his take on top-cop Steve Rogers is awesome. The book is just warming up, and Brubaker is moving his pieces very carefully to make the first arc memorable. There’s a lot of mystery going on here, stuff that it will take a couple of issues to truly flesh out. The Avengers are on Mars, poking around. It’s more interesting than I’m making it out to be, with thanks due to Mike Deodato’s excellent, moody artwork. The book is shaping up to be a standalone, unique Avengers book, which is hard considering that there are four of them coming out every month. Well done.

BACK UP MATERIAL

An interesting look back through Wonder Woman’s costumes in light of the most recent costume change.

(I don’t really care that much, as long as the story is good)

I’m not sure what to make of Marvel’s new TV Division…

This is a really nice column that highlights some stuff that I wouldn’t normally buy.