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Tuesday, September 07, 2004
Last Weeks Comics...Reviewed Today!
Hard Time #8: Now that the obligatory six-part "trade-friendly" introduction is over, the story starts to move along at a brisk pace, even moreso than before. Revelations, deaths, significant changes to the status quo of several characters, and it looks as if the title is moving away from the limited color palette of the previous issues. It's subtle, but there are some changes made to the coloring. I don't know if that's a deliberate creative decision, signaling Ethans acceptance of his new home, or simply an attempt to make the book more commercial by making it look more like your standard color comic. This title is the gem of DC's Focus line, and with a trade coming out soon, this is a good time to check it out.
Ultimate Spider-Man #65: I will defer to Peter's judgment on this one. I thought it read too much like "The Breakfast Club" and was Bendis wearing his pop-culture heart on his sleeve rather than attempting to tell a story. I don't think the kids sounded the way real kids sound, and I don't think Peter is bright enough or mature enough to make an assessment of Flash's personality and motives the way he does here. But Pete thinks Peter is capable of that kind of insight, and he thinks I'm being over-critical, so I'll let it slide.
Monolith #8: In this day and age, is it still necessary to play coy with the word "AIDS?" I mean, come on, say it with me..."AIDS." There, no big deal right? And since this isn't a "code approved" book, there's no possible reason I can see as to why they can't say the word "AIDS" in this issue. Unless, of course, there's some editorial unease about the word "AIDS" appearing in a DC comic. Unless someone in DC's editorial echelon feels it is somehow inappropriate for the word "AIDS" to appear in a comic that kids will read (though given this is Monolith we're talking about the odds of that seem low), or is afraid that if the word "AIDS" appears than people will somehow associate "AIDS" with DC.
Apart from that, I rather liked the Palmiotti/Gray take on the Bat characters.
Scratch #4: It's pretty review-proof at this point, isn't it? I still liked it. It's a werewolf comic, I'm inclined to enjoy it.
Milkman Murders #3: Zombie comics and movies bore me. They aren't scary, ever. Now this comic, this is a good horror comic. And it doesn't rely on the fantastic to make it scary. It all arises out of recognizable human behaviors, and that makes it scarier than any made-up zombie, vampire, or weird Cthuloid menace could ever be.
Gambit #1: I don't like Gambit, and this gave me no reason to care or be interested. The art is merely adequate and the story is looking to be dull.
Jubilee #1: There's probably a market for this book, but much like Mary Jane, selling this in comic-format in comic-book stores isn't going to reach that market.
Majestic #2: The Khera/Deamonite stuff bores the pants off of me, but I rather like the idea of having a Superman-esque character wandering around the DCU taking a slightly more proactive stance on things than Supes usually does. And the kid who's bound and determined to prove that their new lodger is really Superman was a nice touch.
Firestorm #5: I was never a Firestorm fan, in any of his various guises, but I'm warming to this new version. It helps that Jason isn't necessarily the right person for the job. He doesn't know what he's doing and he has more attitude than is probably healthy. And not even a not-so-subtle threat from Superman seems to be able to steer him away from what he's doing.
Detective #798: I won't spoil the surprise ending other than to say, really, everyone should have seen this coming.
Y: The Last Man #26: Wow...Hero was always sort of messed up, wasn't she? And it doesn't look like she's getting better. I wonder if the root of all this is going to be explored. That comment she makes at the beginning about not liking her grandfather seems very telling.
Swamp Thing #7: Well, I think I'm just about done with this series. I'm vaguely interested in the character, though I'm certainly not obsessed like some people. I just don't think I'm interested in reading about the pre-Alan Moore version, and it's looking like that's what this series is shaping up to be.
Bonus Plug: Newsarama has an interview up with the fine folks who create the Dorothy comic. Issue 1 should still be available, and issue 2 should be out soon.
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