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Pen-Elayne
For Your Thoughts - Week of November 5-11, 1995
This week's digest: UNDERWORLD UNLEASHED #3 UNDERWORLD UNLEASHED #3 Writer: Mark Waid Here's what I thought... =sigh= I was warned by a few people that this issue might be a bit of a letdown, so I can't say I was surprised, but yeah, I was disappointed. When all is said and done, there are a few questions I ask myself, and I don't really perceive them as having been adequately answered. For instance, there has been much speculation on the 'nets as to the identity of Neron himself. We see one panel, towards the end, of what Trickster tells us is "his true form," some sort of amorphous brownish-green blob with tentacles hanging down (omigod, Ray French-kissed that? :) ), but we're never really told what makes this demon tick. He's just to be accepted as is. I think this is what may have led to the ambiguity and inconsistency with which this character has been portrayed in the tie-in books. I think Neron's a bit too much of a cipher to carry his own miniseries. There are continuity headaches with any crossover, and UU is no exception. Forgive me if I plead the reviewer's equivalent of performing without a net in not having previous issues in front of me, but I don't seem toŚrecall as to how the heroes' actions in this series dovetail with what they're doing in their own books. A few of them make mention of their experiences with Neron (Ray in particular), but nothing is really their to explain how they got Here from There. I realize this may be a bit much to ask, since we're dealing with a whole bunch of different editorial teams - but this crossover has been known to (and touted by) the DC Powers That Be for awhile now, you think there'd be some evidence of stronger coordination afoot, as well as some consideration for folks who might not be picking up any tie-ins. Wasn't this envisioned as a stand-alone able to be followed without buying anything else? It doesn't read that way. I'm clueless as to how Sentinel got captured, for instance - and I shouldn't be, as this is made into somewhat of a major plot point. But there were other dangling questions nagging at me. What happened to the "soul jar" that was so central in UU #2? That issue seemed to set up some sort of subplot with the Trickster freeing the entrapped souls (including, presumably, the five members of the Rogues Gallery). Not only is it not mentioned in this issue, it's not even shown; there's no evidence it exists. Therefore, when Neron is defeated we're not shown any souls escaping his grasp. We must assume that everyone who has died in the course of this series remains dead. (More on this later.) Most importantly for me, Neron's reasoning for being so friendly with and lenient to the Trickster is never really explained. The only reason for James Jesse to be there is to pull off The Greatest Sting of All with Captain Marvel as bait. And while this revelation was well-executed, it lacked a setup, a why on Neron's part, making Jesse no more than a device, a means to an end. The only reason he's there is to help defeat Neron. The payoff is therefore weakened; there's no suspense, as there would be had his presence had more... presence. I can't see this as anything other than a deficiency in plotting. Mark Waid's writing still has the power to move me, and I think he's at his best when he writes about happenings in the world above. Maybe it's Porter's art, but I didn't get as much of a feeling of the heroes in hell going through any kind of major pain as they slog their way through demons on their way to Neron. These scenes didn't seem to have the emotional resonance that the scenes on Earth did. The language in some of these vignettes is exquisite (case in point, from page one, "...the clocktick sound of dominoes falling as Satan's agents step the world closer and closer to Armageddon" - note the adjectival "clocktick" and the verbing of "step"), and there was one scene which made me shiver, the bottom panel on page 24 (and, BTW, the parallels on pp. 22-24 were very well done), until my husband pointed out that, in reality, the President has to go through a whole series of steps in order to call out nuclear war, that it cannot factually happen at the press of one button. Darn that ex-Navy guy for spoiling things for me. The idea that Captain Marvel aka Billy Batson is incorruptable is a fine one, and used to very good effect in the Trickster's ultimate sting against Neron. Satanus and Blaze, having been established in Ordway's CM continuity as the scion of Shazam with direct ties to Cap, are brought into play exactly as needed - to boost Cap's power again, to emit clues on which the Trickster later picks up and passes on to Cap - and I liked the execution of this idea. The notion of having a character say something, believe it to be the truth, try to convince the reader it's the truth and then be proven wrong (and have that proof lead to the demise of the character, if evil, or the salvation of same, if good) is very appealing to me, and I buy it here with little problem. But when all is said and done, what is Neron's legacy? We see that Major Disaster (thanks to an excellent profile by Peter David in a recent issue of AQUAMAN) is a force with which to be reckoned from now on (the scene setup of traffic stalled in Gotham was very nice), but he's a marked man. We are told other villains are likewise powered up. We see Blue Devil "Bulked Up, Evil and Talking (TM)" with kewl new gold epaulets on his costume, with which I'm not terribly pleased. We have a number of dead villains, about whom nothing more is spoken. We see the Trickster resigned to keeping his nose clean because "when I someday pass from this mortal coil, I'd better have made some friends in heaven, 'cause after this I don't dare go to hell..." (shades of John Constantine :) ). We're told, through James Jesse, that things have calmed down in the world above, and reach near normal state by a week's passage of time. But... but... But what did happen to the smallpox virus, and the President's hand on the button? Did the light swallowing the darkness cause this sudden a recession, a change of heart? It's implied but never really spoken. I like to think that, somewhere in their heart of hearts, that nagging doubt still persists, buried now back in a controlled subconscious but still available for exploitation under the right circumstances. I just have my doubts as to how much this, the real legacy of Neron, will ever be touched on again in the DCU, no matter whether they bring Neron himself back. I cannot really recommend this mini to anyone looking for a satisfying conclusion, because I don't think it offered one. It did give some food for thought, but I could have wished for a stronger antagonist with more defined motivation. Overall I was underwhelmed. So, what did y'all think? Writer: Peter David Here's what I thought... I think whoever designed the opening credits in yellow script against a detailed blue background ought to be shot. :) We pick up with Dolphin and Aquaman pondering the significance of the raised domed city. Dolphin speaks with the dolphin Kelt, who knew of the cyber-organic entity beneath Atlantis, and scolds her for not telling. Kelt's comeback is to note that Dolphin's keeping some secrets of her own; nice foreshadowing. Meanwhile, Orin stands atop the dome wondering what's gone wrong with the prophecy... "there should be crowds of cheering people..." Well, that's the thing about prophecies, they're not always meant to be taken literally. But Orin figures it's Koryak's fault. Poor Koryak - as much as I don't like him, the kid has troubles of his own, as he battles Kordax, pretty darn unsuccessfully. Seems pretty clear that this battle can only end on the next level up, "blond guy with harpoon hand vs. blond guy with harpoon hand," but I could be wrong. Meanwhile, the Justice League decides to act first and ask questions later. I guess I could see this in the case of, who the hell is he now, Warrior?, but it seems rather uncharacteristic for Diana, and possibly for J'Onn as well (since, as far as I'm concerned, Priest is writing the definitive J'Onn at the moment, I can't see the big green guy getting as worked up about things as he does here... maybe he's just trying to spook that Orin "kid"...). Things actually start out cordial, but the JLA doesn't seem to take Orin's answers very well. I'm with Peter (and Orin) on this - they have no right to demand to "check out" Atlantis simply because Orin's creeping them out. Of course, if they did just go away or try to reason with Orin or even ask a few more diplomatic questions, it would probably be a boringŒcomic, so they have a mini slugfest (about 4-5 pages). The choreography's not bad, except for the page with Dolphin and Diana (it makes no sense to me that they'd tussle at all, and only seems to serve as a running gag, in that Dolphin's thrown through a window by Diana in the exact same manner as Orin was the page before), and it's kept relatively hopping by Peter's usual snappy dialogue and mercifully brief as Orin gets bored about a page and a half after I do. As Orin refloods the dome and bids farewell to his (former?) friends who have overstayed their welcome, I note one moment of interest where Fire says, "There's... towers springing up everywhere..." I wonder if this is the doing of the cyber-organic lifeform underneath the city. As the JLA recovers, Diana springs forth with a line that she should have said about 10 pages prior: "...he poses no clear and present danger..." And as Orin and Dolphin settle in for the night, he professes no regrets. It really was a rather calm confrontation, as these things go - and I have a low confrontation tolerance, so consider that a compliment. This felt like a transition issue - it cleared up Orin's dealings with the "outside world" for the moment, which I dearly hope means no more "guest stars" for awhile while we explore, along with the characters, such tantalizing plots as finding the Five Lost Cities of Atlantis and "defend(ing) the world against alien beings who spawned us millenia ago" (huh? where'd this come from? his bonding with the entity?), as well as catching up with the now-trapped Atlanteans and the Kordax plot. I don't know whether I'd consider this a "must-read" in terms of plot development, but it's a pleasant enough diversion with some interesting character exploration. Definitely recommended for those people who are following the book in the first place, though I wouldn't pick it up "just to see the Justice League," if you know what I mean. So, what did y'all think? THE BOOKS OF MAGIC #20 Writer: John Ney Rieber Here's what I thought... The great thing about fairy tales is that it's so easy to lose oneself in them. They practically beg for it. From the opening "once upon a time" to the "happily ever after" closure, they invite you into a world of seeming serenity and bliss, where good is rewarded and evil punished, where everyone finds their true love and the makers of magic serve as benevolent guides to wonders big and small. Of course, there's also the fairy tale about the girl who trod on a loaf. Or dozens of other Andersen delights that would probably have some sort of ratings slapped on them were they to newly appear in our modern "protect the children" times. Some fairy tale venues are frightening beyond belief - or just frightening enough for belief. And you still wind up losing yourself in them. This is one reason the fairy tale is such a marvelous literary form with which to play. There's a definite order to it. Terror and joy rarely exist in such harmony. Well, you know, for Barbatos there's no joy in his little mudville anyway, as he putters around setting the stage for what he hopes will be the (re)capture of Tim (and Molly) so he can go through the process of corrupting the young magician all over again. He puts the moon on permanent scowl, revs up the dolls and prepares to "cloud some romantic little minds..." Tim Hunter, however, is not in a very romantic mood. He's already sussed out that his grip on good old unromantic reality will be his salvation out of this last little corner of hell. He makes notes in his journal (at one point mistaking "coronary" for "corollary") and writes on his hand. He keeps reminding himself he's been drafted against his will to perform in a stupid play - "I don't think this place can change me, so long as I'm resisting it." And of course, since he's an Opener, what he thinks and doesn't think matters a great deal. Even with Barbatos pulling strings, including manipulating a simulated Yo-Yo to deprive Tim of his reality-anchored glasses (and giving him quite the nasty gash on his forehead, which looks oddly like the "H" on the RED DWARF hologram character). Tim learns the hard way that playing along with a fairy tale, even if one is determined not to lose oneself, can be hazardous indeed. Well, the young Tim, that is. The older one wants to play more than ever. He wants to pretend his Molly never left. He wants to forget he doesn't have a lot of power in his dragon form. He wants to play again. And when he tearily convinces Molly to put on her princess dress, which changes her once she dons it - putting her out of his (the dragon Tim's) conversational and emotional reach in the process. And setting the stage for them both to act out for Tim, as they turn dollish and we watch Barbatos, as Bela Lugosi would say in GLEN OR GLENDA, "Pull de string!" Tim ain't buying it. Like a goodly number of female readers, the sight of Molly-doll fainting in the dragon's arms with an audible "OOooh" sickens him. He spots Barbatos around this time, gets mad and powers up, unleashing his own simple story, basically a verbal bird-flip to the demon. He threatens to do far more ("...a bit of bone-grinding next, if you like") unless the now-captured Barbatos reveals Molly's whereabouts. She and Dragon-Tim have apparently gotten trapped beneath the demon- created "mountain" while Tim was distracted watching and destroying their play-versions. Dragon-Tim has protected Molly, and asks her to refer to him by his real name. Upon hearing the name "Tim Hunter," Molly snaps out of it (guess he rescued her after all :) ), removes the princess trappings and sets to removing the rubble to effect their escape. Dragon-Tim reveals his identity to her, and asks for a promise in return. Dragon-Tim expends his last life-breath to create a fire to free Molly from the rubble and, with the demon still held captive by young Tim's giant conjured knight, Molly extracts a promise from her boyfriend (in a nice bit of symmetry; symmetry's ever so important in fairy tales). The promise: to swear by his name (so you know it's serious) that he'll have no more dealings with demons henceforth (especially Barbatos), or she's gone. He does so, and she reminds him how they get out of the fairy tale. As they exeunt, Barbatos screeches a warning to Tim about Molly - "She'll break your heart in the end." But it is The End, and his heart is healed. 'Sides, I don't feel like listening to a demon either. Molly is one of the best and strongest characters in comics today. I love the fact that she now knows more than the Opener. He's got the instinct and the power, but she has the knowledge. This fairly guarantees they're going to be together a good long while; they complement each other exquisitely. If you haven't been buying this book, do pick it up with the next issue, which will begin a new storyline. The art is completely in service to the story, and I commend van Valkenburgh on her effective use of eerie and pale silvery colors throughout much of this. (John, who did the cover? It's gorgeous.) If this doesn't turn into Vertigo's "flagship" book upon the denouement of THE SANDMAN, there is no justice. So, what did y'all think? Steve Rogers: CAPTAIN AMERICA
#447 Writer: Mark Waid Here's what I thought... I shuddered a little at this issue's title, but I guess many of you young'uns might not know the reference. Perhaps you're better off. Nice design on the narrative panels, with the arrow (I notice the same kind of thing with UNTOLD TALES OF SPIDER-MAN, wherein the captains are decorated with Spidey's eye - is this standard at Marvel now? It's a nice touch). And very commendable job on the colors, both by Kalisz and the computers - although with the heavy black borders you wouldn't think numbering the pages would be a problem. I want to ask if the "background fade" effect on the big robots on one of the early pages is the result of computer coloring, but I can't figure out if it's page 5 or 6. :) In any case, I'm noticing this effect on a lot of Marvel titles lately, and almost no other company's work, and it gives the art a very effective 3D quality. It's probably also a good decision to have as many almost full-page, full-page and 2-page panels as this issue does, it gives it a very open and grand feel. The story is about the moral high ground, and where one fits along the ladder of decency to be able to claim or reject it. Cap pretty much defines moral high ground. But Sharon's got the cube. As Cap and the Red Skull race to locate her and it (the Skull to ostensibly exterminate Hitler's consciousness from it, but of course to possess it in actuality), she attempts to nullify its powers and shape it to her own consciousness. A very large part of me wishes she'd succeeded. But Steve talks her out of it, and she still trusts him enough to give him a chance at it. She believes he'll reject playing God, and he almost does. We see a panel that blew me away, as Cap holds the cube, told by Sharon "It will respond to your most fleeting whim," and we see her as she used to be - and I don't even know that much about Sharon. But Rogers' conscience won't let him dictate anyone else's reality, and he's just about to order the cube to self-destruct when the army-turned- reichmen start shaking the platform onto which he and Sharon are clinging, and the cube... drops... into the Skull's hand. And I'm not telling you what happens in the last three pages. Let's just say reality changes. Buy the book. I will say that the story's also about teamwork, and anti-teamwork. And I'm looking forward to seeing this angle explored, as I think it might be, in the next issue, which will conclude the "Operation Rebirth" storyline. A fun read, very dynamic and well-paced. Recommended. So, what did y'all think? Here's what I thought... I consider Spider-Man the perfect exercise in introspection. My favorite comic book style has always been first-person narrative. Mark Waid, Tom Peyer and Kurt Busiek all excel at this technique, and the character of Spider-Man practically screams for it. Interestingly, Busiek chooses to use it, and Waid/Peyer opt for thought and word balloons, almost totally devoid of captions. Each choice results in a decidedly different feel and mood, entirely appropriate to the respective subject matter. Damn you guys, you're making me a Marvel fan. :) AMAZING FANTASY #16 (henceforth "AF") is more or less an epilogue to Peter Parker's origin story. The opening page speaks of #15 as where it "all began," leading into AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1, which confuses me - did #15 just come out retelling the origin, or was this a comic that came out years ago and they're reviving this title? Kurt? Anyway, this is Spidey at the very start of his career, still full of self-doubt and confusion. ŚSPIDER-MAN TEAM-UP #1, on the other hand (henceforth "TU"), gives us the Post-Clone Parker of today. Struggling again with his identity, but for a very different reason. And interacting with the mutants who are now his peers, more from experience than instinct. As I mentioned above, the feel of the books differs and, in addition to storytelling choices, the art contributes to this in great measure. Lee's soft tones (even the red in Spidey's costume is muted rather than garish) and use of thoughtful profiles lend a more tentative, "held-back" feeling to AF. The book only really gets dynamic towards the end, when Peter busts up a gang of confidence men out to scam relatives of folks recently deceased (like Peter's uncle Ben) and foils a robbery to boot on his way home from this mix-up. TU, on the other hand, is bright and action-oriented from start to finish. It also puts more players on the table - there's the X-Men and Spidey, of course, as well as the Hellfire Club and their lackeys, and JJJ to boot. And it's almost constantly in motion, along with the mutants' powers and Spidey's own spiralling life. With AF, we're almost observers right along with Peter, learning as he learns, understanding the events that drive him to make his choices, smiling at his first discovery of his "Spider Sense." There's one slight teaser to introduce a character that will appear in #17, but aside from that this is, at its heart, a quiet little tale of a kid coming to terms and coming of age. TU gives us that same "kid," years later, full of patter and bravado and nearly overwhelmed with the same Spider Sense as he battles to try to save JJJ from the outcome of an ill-conceived challenge between two members of the Hellfire Club. TU is also extremely crowded; there's very little breathing space and panels are forced in on each other. The combination of deliberately overstimulated art and a surfeit of balloons (very few panels have none) serves to set the reader on edge a little. There are some nicely written bits (the way the Knights move, the role of Tessa towards the end) and very witty dialogue (the Spidey in AF is just finding his wit, and doesn't yet have the confidence to engage in fancy chatter). It doesn't really, truly slow down until the last page, when Peter's finally alone with his thoughts and has to make some hard decisions. As opposed to the ending of AF, where "right here and right now... everything's okay." As a reader relatively new to Marvel, I found AF more informative from a personality angle, but TU more exciting - and hence more confusing (I kept saying, "who are these people?" and probably lost a bit of story in the effort to just plain keep track of things). Both books are highly recommended and entertaining (nice job, Mr. Budiansky!), but as I say they'll strike you very differently, so choose the moods in which you want to read either (or both). AF looks to be a monthly, and TU a quarterly featuring rotating writing and art teams (next issue, a Spidey/Silver Surfer team-up, will be written by Roger Stern with art by Tom Grindberg and Bill Anderson). So, what did y'all think? [These reviews are reprinted with permission from the rec.arts.comics Usenet newsgroups, and are copyright 1995 Elayne Wechsler-Chaput, forgoing Firesign lines for this week (and just as more people were starting to ask me about The Firesign Theatre) and possibly henceforth to concentrate on The Important Stuff, whatever that is... If you'd like to tell her what you thought, write her - she'll even write back!] |
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