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This week's digest:
JUSTICE LEAGUE TASK FORCE #35 Writer: Christopher Priest Here's what I thought... Okay, show of hands - who else turned to the pp. 2-3 spread and *immediately* thought of Groo? :) I dunno, something about the colors, the layout, the fray... I didn't care for this issue very much. There was a lot of macho fighting and posturing, all of which bored me, the only character development seemed to concern the "guest" characters about whom I don't much care anyway, and Gypsy was dressed like a slut, which is NOT Gypsy any more as far as I'm concerned. Plan or no plan, I found her lack of coverage (especially set against the heavily clad men throughout the rest of the book, except J'Onn J'Ones) reprehensible and far beneath the usual level of dignity this creative team has shown. In other words, I had trouble getting past all this stuff to still hang onto the story with anything but passing interest. And there is a story here, a nice little game of "who's telling the truth" re: the political situation on Skartaris, but I just didn't care enough to play along. It was totally obvious to me from page one what "Usaf" was, and this is played up like it's some big surprise. And I didn't buy any of the Ray-as-traitor stuff at all - yeah, the kid may be naive and easily manipulated, but not that easily. My feeling is, he'd at least attempt to double-check the "facts" that he's fed by this wizard he's never met with someone he trusts (most likely J'Onn), before going nuts and acting like a screaming banshee against his own teammates. It just seems real hastily thrown together. The coloring's the best part of the art, and that's not saying much. The proofreader didn't even catch Ray yelling "Manic!" instead of, presumably, "Maniac!" at the Warlord on page 5. There's a big difference between those two words, and the first one doesn't make sense in context. The only page I liked was 12, and J'Onn's pose is still damn peculiar in that full-page panel (although I like the captions). Not a recommended issue. Sorry, Jim. So, what did y'all think? AQUAMAN #21 Writer: Peter David Dedicated to Neal Pozner (very nice...) Here's what I thought... Beautiful cover - one of the best yet. I don't remember too much about the realm of Thierna Na Oge, but I'm glad it seems fairly female-dominated (we see two men in the crowd on the splash page but nowhere else that I can see). As ever, interesting color choices by Tom - some pages absolutely stand out (the last panel of page 3 is particularly beautiful, and the swirly backgrounds on 10, 12 and 13 are nicely done) and some kind of go hard on the eyes sometimes. Hey, you're dealing with an underwater milieu, your pallette will be somewhat stifled every now and then. The storyline moves from fighting brothers to fighting sisters, as Bres (boo!) and Nuada (yay!) battle for dominance. Sloppy proofreading on one of Bres' word balloons (which should read "I set the standard for what is impossible in Thierna No Oge," not "and") as well as Nakrosis' habit of pushing his letters together almost on top of one another made this word-heavy scene slow going for me - and of course, I tend to tune out fights anyway. The good gal wins, the bad gal goes off in a huff. Meanwhile, Garth steers the ship away from the Himalayas and towards help - apparently Atlan told him all about Thierna during his studies – as Dolphin tends to Orin. And Admiral Strom also crawls from the wreckage, gunning for bear; considering Ocean Master supposedly destroyed everything around him at the end of last issue, Strom must come from some hardy stock. Then again, if you don't see the bodies, I suppose you always have to assume nobody's dead... Strom sees his salvation at hand as an alien ship descends. He apparently knows these guys. Meanwhile, Kordax is pissed at Koryak for letting Atlan escape. Koryak better watch his back. And Orin awakens to Nuada's touch and some fascinating expositional teases re: pre-Crisis stuff... wonder what Peter's going to be un-retconning? And of course, the ship picks up Bres as well - wonder how she and Strom will get along. (Or is it indeed the same ship? hmm...) Garth shows Dolphin just how grown-up he is - she's impressed by his kiss, but he's still not over Tula. How in the name of Leah Adezio can he not be over Tula yet? This is another one of those DC Universe compressed-time things that make my head hurt, right? Move on, Garth. Okay, so the scout vessel with Bres inside sends out its drone warriors, and Nuada prepares her magical and mystical minions (you can tell they're doing magical things because those ring fingers are all bent). And there's another fight, in which we're given captions instead of word balloons to tell us how grim things have gotten, only I'm not really paying attention because I don't like fights. I did wake up, however, when Bres attempted to take over Dolphin's mind - nice move. Fortunately, Nuada disposes of her siste (yick) in time for Dolphin to deflect the gun she'd been aiming at Orin. A nice caption follows: "His wave of appreciation eases the thundering pain in her head. She gives no sign of her inner turmoil. It's not the time for it." Dolphin continues to fascinate me, and I do hope we find out more of her secrets soon. A rather lackluster issue, but it feels like it's supposed to start slow in order for it to pick up steam. Nothing really stands out here other than Nuada, whom I like, and a few more moments of Garth, which I appreciate. Strom is starting to get on my nerves, which I suspect is the point. Next issue: back to Atlan. Good. So, what did y'all think? MISTER MIRACLE #3 Writer: Kevin Dooley Here's what I thought... We pick up on Scott Free tumbling into the tainted Source, where he revisits his life as a pawn in the seemingly eternal struggle between Highfather and Darkseid. Their representations both "reject" him, and he hears a voice: "I am the Source and your Mother Box." The voice quizzes him repeatedly - "Who are you?" I must say, I really liked this scene, because it actually made me think. It gives pretty good background exposition about Scott's life, and makes an excellent point - he has never really had his own identity. "Granny Goodness named you Scott Free [did she? I didn't remember that, but I'm assuming Dooley did his homework]... You took another man's name [to become Mister Miracle]..." And Scott's attempts to define himself by his relationship with others is also met with contrasting arguments - he was (portrayed as) a relatively ineffectual member of the Justice League, he "disarmed" Barda after marrying her, making "her surrender to situations where she was invalidated..." And it suddenly hit me - yeah. I mean, I kinda liked the last MISTER MIRACLE series, but when I started to think about it... Dooley's right. The series was well written and humorous, but in terms of Barda's role in it, he's absolutely correct - it was almost like a sitcom featuring a fish out of water as we saw Barda flailing about trying to fit in as a suburban housewife, even to the point where she rather than Scott craved "the quiet life" far from the maddening wars on Apokalips. But Barda is a "born warrior," as Dooley notes. So I found myself agreeing with him even while going, "Yes, but..." - which I thought was an interesting intellectual reaction to a comic I'd expected to toss off in five minutes. I can't help it, I'm That Way about Barda. She's my role model. :) After this synopsis, though, the story becomes one of those "I Must And Yet I Cannot" things, as Scott straps himself onto an X-shaped crucifix (not too symbolic) and reluctantly accepts the power of godhood, determined not to use it... well, maybe just a little... He gets number 544 in a series of Stupid Uniforms in the process, full of diamond-shaped studs and other things that could poke his eyes out - ho-hum. Like he said, he's become everything he's not, including the clothes. He shrugs off Lightray (nice) and hightails it back to Hadis in an effort to win back Barda. She's not going. She likes the way her stupid new outfit makes her look even more top-heavy, I guess (although, thanks be to the gods, at least she's dressed for battle). Listening in on their little spat is Kalibak, who makes Scott an offer he seemingly can't refuse - if Barda and other warriors trapped in Hadis promise to have a go at Lightray and the other New Genesis denizens made nuts by the taint in the source, Kalibak will give Scott the secret of how to release Barda. Yeah, right. Fortunately, Scott doesn't fall for it, and decides to battle Kalibak's forces instead. Nice full-page Kirby tribute panel on page 21, but even so it seems kind of... static. Posed. Not dynamic, the way the King would have done it. Imitation, perhaps; homage, maybe. But not quite There. Not quite capturing it. And Scott's still caught up in "I Must Yet I Cannot" mode, when Steppenwolf makes the scene to inform him, "I killed your mother." Which is true - Avia died by Stepp's hands. Thing is, we knew this (well, I knew it) but Scott didn't. It sends him over the edge. How far? Tune in next issue, which is titled "Heaven Hath No Fury!" Which means, and listen closely here Dooley, there had better be Female Furies in #4. And feel free to consult Karl Kesel on this matter, he does great Furies. :) I appreciate a book where the writing plays with basic concepts enough to make me think about it for more than a few minutes, so I'd recommend this issue to anyone who's followed Mister Miracle in any of his incarnations. The cosmic stuff is well done, the exposition even more so, but the battle stuff kinda seems, as I said, rather static art-wise. So, what did y'all think? BATMAN & ROBIN ADVENTURES #7 Writer: Ty Templeton Here's what I thought... The Ventriloquist and Scarface - one (or two) of my least favorite Batman foes. And puh-LEESE, proofreader, at least go over your word balloons enough to change all the "b"s to "g"s in the Scarface dialogue! I counted (yeah, I was that generally unimpressed by the story) at least three blatant (or should I say "glatant") slips here. If you're gonna do the Scarface/Ventriloquist gimmick, at least get this one detail right. Arnold (aka the Ventriloquist) breaks out of Arkham thanks to Scarface swiping plans from the Riddler (nice characterization as Eddie hints at Arnold's destination to Batman & Robin), and hightails it back to home sweet home so that Scarface can kill one of his relatives and teach him some sort of twisted lesson. Since he comes from major crime family – and we're later shown that the well-armed and well-defended family doesn't appreciate B&R barging in and interfering with private business - I don't see what all the fuss is, but apparently he Must Be Brought To Justice. There are cute moments here and there, but nothing to write home about. The art is nice and dynamic, though - love that Medley red on the bullets' trajectory! Somewhat poignant ending, but I didn't really feel as though anything was accomplished - all the players more or less ended up where they started. Yeah, you kinda feel bad for Arnold, but not enough (at least in my case) to care all that much. Just another day in his dysfunctional life, really. All in all, I've read better issues. So, what did y'all think? Writer: Matt Wayne Here's what I thought... As I've gained more confidence in my reading abilities through doing these reviews, I usually don't find myself thoroughly stumped at this stage in the game. But I gotta say, this art was MASSIVELY hard for me to follow story-wise. First off, most of this issue is a Big Fight Scene. Secondly, it features a lot of characters with whom I'm not that familiar, having dropped SHADOW CABINET about halfway through its ill-fated run. And I think the painted color often has a muddling effect, especially when you have all these speed lines all over the place. Some panels were nice, like on page - oh damn, Milestone doesn't number its pages? Why not, Dwayne? Hmm, okay I think it's page 6 with Ramjet's fist, and then the last panel of page 7 with the lengthening shadows on the crowd below... well done. But the rest of it - I mean, if someone can tell me what the hell happened with Twilight and Starlight and Payback on page, um, 8, I'd be very grateful... I believed Iota made Iron Butterfly really cry like I believed IB was able to squash Iota. Didn't really ring true. I like Jackson Kwong - hope we see more of this intrepid reporter who keeps taking stupid and needless risks in the interest of sensationalism. :) The dialogue is snappy, but it's fight-banter snappy. And then the fight - ends. Just like that. Everyone makes nice, and agrees it was a dumb idea to fight in the first place. So how dumb an idea was it to read them fighting in the first place? I like that seeds of rebellion have been sown among Dharma's new troops. I like that IB believes herself damned beyond redemption. I like the idea of the group needing to find a new HQ, although I'm unsure about their choice of New York. I like the Milestone Universe being Dakota-based. On the other hand, it's always fun to spot familiar landmarks. I guess I'm just not as big a Chriscross fan as everyone else - way too many speed lines for these tired ol' eyes. I do like his art when he isn't doing battle sequences, though - so let's hope we see more of these Heroes being heroes instead of warriors. So, what did y'all think? THE INCREDIBLE HULK #442 Writer: Peter David Here's what I thought... Very amusing cover, which sets the tone for much of this lighthearted episode, as we shift focus away from Bruce for a bit and towards Leonard Samson's problems, as She-Hulk rushes to help him. Jen arrives on the scene in New Mexico and confronts some baffled cops, and here's where the big slip of the issue occurs for me: After failing at witty banter and sighing, "Don't you cops have any sense of humor?" Jen gets the response, "Sorry, ma'am. Our budget's been cut." Which is a very funny line - and should have stayed that way, except then Peter has She-Hulk do this double-take on the next page, repeat the line to herself as if trying to figure it out, then say "Naah. Forget it. I don't wanna know" as she digs through the rubble. It's almost like Peter is thinking, "They're not going to get it, so I'll have to belabor it and turn it into schtick." Totally ruined the line for me. Peter then gives us more fun with Rick and Marlo, getting ready for their show "Keeping Up With the Joneses." If I'm not mistaken, the list of proposed guests was gathered from right here on alt.fan.peter-david - good for a few chuckles. Then Marlo shows up with an outfit, a pose and a figure that skirts badgirl territory and suddenly it doesn't matter to Rick who's on the show. Note to Medina: Thigh smaller than waist on Real, Actual Women. (At least the breasts are smaller than her head.) And Omnibus gets tossed out of a plane in the frozen tundra on his behind, wearing next to nothing (but heaven forfend we get to see him pose...). Now, somebody correct me if I'm misreading this but - the Leader never really possessed Omnibus after all? It was all just part of his megalomaniacal delusion? In any case, his assistant weeps for him, but he's stuck out there to catch his death of cold... brr... And what's with Matt Talbot's sudden attack of... conscience?! Just as Omnibus freezes, Matt melts. Coincidence? Or perhaps someone just slipped some Prozac into his oatmeal that morning. Speaking of SSRIs, I think Leonard's captor could use a few doses of Zoloft himself. Turns out he's a rather unbalanced fellow who calls himself the Molecule Man, and has the power to rearrange matter and, apparently, to kill and revive. And kill again - oh goody. Of course, he's actually just a misunderstood pipsqueak who wants his girlfriend back, so this turns into another extracurricular session from hell for the good doctor. Somehow, Jen and Leonard talk him back down - no meant feat, considering they're on a MM-made platform raised to an unfathomable height, where he leaves them as he walks off in mid-air, determined to win back his Marsha through doing good deeds. (If I were Leonard I'd forgo sending the guy a bill; you never know what will set a personality like this off again...) And this is how Peter takes care of the destruction wreaked in the last few issues - the Molecule Man simply reshapes things back the way they were to atone for his sins. Of course, there is that matter of the new face on Mount Rushmore, which bears an uncanny resemblance to one Ms. Marsha Rosenberg... All in all, a cute issue, except for the belabored joke I mentioned above, and a welcome breather from the angst that Betty must be experiencing. But let's not leave her alone for too long, 'kay? Of course, we are promised an "All-Stalker Issue" next time, which - given my mock reputation on CompuServe, at least - is, how shall I put it, right up my alley. Hey, what's to complain? So, what did y'all think? Writer: Mark Waid Here's what I thought... Wonderful first page, as we see Jean Grey on a weekend shopping jaunt trying not to be mindful of the discrepancy between people's voices and their minds (cleverly interpreted by Waid as "translation" captions). A terrific way not only to give Jean's character further dimension (and it is nice to see this strong woman out on her own and not hanging on Scott's arm) but to foreshadow the events to come and, at the same time, point out some of the foibles and frailties of humans and mutants alike. I must confess, I have little interest in the whole Onslaught saga, save for the fact that I'll probably pick up the main storyline title, which will be written by the same fellow who interprets the character here. May Mark forgive me for glibly implying that Onslaught (at least in this particular story) is Neron Done Right - a seductive, almost irresistible tempter of the soul with intimate knowledge of his targets and the power to back up his promises should they fall for them. Onslaught's goal with Jean is to convince her that, basically, humans are no-good hypocrites, and she should therefore throw her lot in with him, a kindred spirit. He starts with the folks in the dress shop whence Jean just vanished when she tripped into the astral plane - as before, they expressing verbal concern but their heads fill with selfish and condescending thoughts. Apparently Onslaught has less patience for this nonsense than does Jean, but he doesn't have to live with it - he can just pretend to torch cities to vent his frustrations. At least temporarily. As Groucho would say, pardon me while I have a brief interlude. We look in on The Real Beast for a couple pages - 'member when Mark had him trapped by the doppelganger in X-MEN UNLIMITED #10? (You don't? Go buy it, it's well done.) Well, he may be close to finding a way out... Onslaught ups the pressure on Jean by swinging by Graydon Creed's campaign headquarters, where she learns that Creed's weasely campaign manager Steven couldn't care less about his candidate's anti-mutant platform – all he's interested in is personal power. Terrific line from Onslaught: "He'll persecute you just because it's in his Dayminder to do it." Jean's not shaken nor convinced, and says this is why she surrounds herself with trustworthy friends. Aha - Onslaught has her now. But before we rejoin our travelling pair, let's look in on the bizarre Juggernaut subplot involving Archangel and Betsy Braddock (his girlfriend?), currently in a good deal of pain from the shadows. Yet another Babylon 5 reference? :) In any case, Juggy suddenly appears from within some shadow realm, bearing a secret which he's unable to articulate. He's gonna need help drawing this vital information out - will he go to Jean (which may be why Onslaught's so keen on converting her to his way of seeing things; this probably ties in with him) or Xavier (to whom I'm told he's somehow related)? In addition, my husband informs me he believes the shadow realm is actually the Ultraverse, wherein Juggernaught got "stuck" for a couple of years. If this is so, his reappearance and Onslaught's debut may be even more closely related. If the creative teams' goal is to leave things open-ended in case the "Unfinished Business" deal with Liefeld and Lee doesn't work out permanently - in other words, to have certain characters leave the Marvel U. for the "UB-verse" and have a way to return, the same way characters left for the Ultraverse - they've tied it in nicely here. Which, of course, raises the question - is Onslaught actually Access? I mean, he does have that Cosmic Transformer look about him... :) Ah well, time enough to worry about that later - Onslaught and Jean are about to enter Xavier's mind. Great panel by Kubert, unraveling Xavier's head like an Escher drawing. We revisit some pleasant memories (and old costumes) as Jean defends her mentor and friend, but then Onslaught guides her toward the land of repressed memories, and she discovers - that Xavier once loved her. Um, can I ask y'all something, since you're more up on this than me? Is this really a surprise? Or is it just a surprise to Jean, and everyone else around pretty much knows it? Because this didn't shock me at all, and I'm not a regular X reader. In any case, they delve further into the realm of negative emotions and other hidden thoughts as Onslaught eloquently makes his point about Charles... And pardon us for another brief interlude, as we see Eric Magnus Lensherr (um, Magneto, right?) in South Carolina. Where's he been? Anyway, he may be in for a mite of trouble - looks like they don't take kindly to strangers 'round these parts, nossir... (oh, and this is also a nicely subtle way of pointing out the duplicity between what people say and what they think...) Back on the astral plane, Onslaught makes his pitch, appealing to Jean at her most vulnerable (now that he's zapped her with the Xavier thing), reminding her of how she felt when she held the Phoenix Force. Mistake #1 - IIRC, Jean rejected that in part because of how frightening it felt to her to have so much power. He appeals to her hedonistic side. Mistake #2 - she's been telling him (and us) all along that she opts for compassionate compromise. And, while it's probably not always a good thing to repress stuff, sometimes it's necessary for continued health and well-being. "There's no room for hypocrisy in the new world order that's coming, Jean," he continues. Mistake #3 - loaded buzzwords if ever I heard them. "In a world of lies, I will be the one truth... the truth and the way." Mistake #4 - always, always beware of one-true-wayism. So even though he ends his speech extremely seductively ("Be my consort, Jean. Embrace my power... and be yourself"), and I'd probably only hear that last couple sentences and go, "'Kay, sure," Jean hears the whole thing. And knows it for what it is. Remember, she's been doing this screening thing, filtering truth from lies, practically her whole life. "People mean different things than they say? Fine. You're no exception." You go, girl! And then, of course, Onslaught shows his true colors, admits he wanted her to worship him, marks her with his sign (see, what'd I tell you, Neron Done Right <g>), and warns that he's a vengeful and angry god, yadda yadda. Still - point: Jean. Lots of very cool concepts floating about here, on the astral plane and in memory and in the nebulous future. Terrific Jean Grey showcase. Really stellar issue - kudos all around. So, what did y'all think? Writer: Warren Ellis Here's what I thought... Very nice establishing scene - two pages of update wherein the captions give us all the exposition we need (including the players) and the word balloons establish Kurt's character very strongly. And his observation, "We are supposed to be a proactive group, not REactive. We've done a little too much reacting of late," sets the tone for the issue, as he plans an all-out assault on Black Air's acquisition station in North Yorkshire to, among other things, send them a distinctly clear message. And also, hey, 'cause he's angry - they've got poor Douglock. It's an interesting quandry, whether a superhero team CAN be proactive rather than reactive. If you've set up your team so that fighting is a last resort, you're pretty much stuck with having the fight come to you. If fighting is the first resort (which I guess would certainly qualify in some people's books as "proactive"), you're not really a heroic team, you're a gang and a bunch of bullies. And if you're set up to not fight at all, but to take visible, positive steps to be a force for change and good in the world... well, nobody will buy your book because it doesn't have Kewl Fights in it. Quite the dilemma. Anyway, effective Team Book this time out, showing how much can be accomplished with a dedicated and driven leader at the helm, showcasing Kitty's computer expertise (never knew she had it in her, and I love the panel where she holds her hand out and says, "come here and pay your respect to the Goddess of Computing"... I gotta remember that line), and accomplishing something very interesting by Showing and Telling. Usually in books like these you get one or the other - lots of "okay gang, here's the plan" sitting around and talking, which is usually DEATH in graphic literature, or lots of action without any real idea of how it was set up. By showing us the setup and the result, Warren & co. add depth and realism to the scenes, as well as helping us understand how it all falls into place vis a vis who's using their powers to what end. And we even have room for a little more character insight in the accompanying captions (as with Colossus). Well done. Small question - has Pete Wisdom always been able to shoot "hotknives" from his hands? And wasn't Hotknives a Popiel invention? :) Meggan's power, the way Warren writes and Pacheco/Wiacek draw it, continues to astound me. She really is the most powerful member of the group, isn't she? Wow. Brian Braddock, in London, continues to look for the body-stealer Mountjoy in the ranks of the British Hellfire Club. After this Hotknives bit, has anyone checked out Wisdom?? (I'm sorry, the knives thing really threw me, no pun intended.) He's then paid a visit by the cryptic Scribe of the Inner Council, who's come to warn him that something's gone horribly wrong with the court, and London is endangered. Well, since Excalibur didn't find Douglock, whassup with him? We take you to the page 22 teaser, "a dark place" wherein Doug has just tied himself into the computer system and... something about the vectors of the Legacy Virus... unsure what's really going on here. Oh well, Warren will straighten it all out next issue. Very effective outing for all concerned. I'm not that interested in the Hellfire stuff, to tell the truth, but I hope Dougie's okay. So, what did y'all think? THE DREAMING #1 Writer: Terry LaBan Here's what I thought... I didn't know what to expect in the wake (pun unintended) of SANDMAN. Certainly the Dream Realm is ripe for as many kinds of stories as there are people who dream, but the concept itself allows for varying degrees of success depending on the creative team of the moment. Well, for this particular story arc, as far as I'm concerned the team does just fine. This was the most enjoyable comic of the week for me (just about neck-in-neck with Mark Waid's fine job on X-MEN #53). I've always enjoyed reading of the eternal dance of Cain and Abel, and their pet gargoyles Gregory and Goldie (do all gargoyles 'round the Houses of Secrets and Mystery have G-names?) provide an interesting glimpse into what happens In Between the time Cain kills his brother and Abel reanimates, as well as serving as interested observers questioning the necessity of the dance itself. Specifically, Goldie (and to a much lesser extent Gregory - as the latter calls Cain master) is furious at Cain's sadism, going so far as to spit acid on his boots. But as Cain reminds us all, "You're supposed to hate me! Everyone is! That's my fate." And, by the way, don't mess with the guy who Bears the Mark, eh? Well, it's all too much for poor Goldie, who runs away from home out into the Big Wide Dreamworld, wherein she spots the Labyrinth Grill and decides to set a spell and watch the passing parade (which I can tell right now is going to be one of my favorite aspects of this title). When Abel finds out, he's worried sick, and he and Cain try to figure out where she's gone - and, moreover, where she came from in the first place. Golden gargoyles are, after all, very special. Nobody knows precisely why, mind you - it's either a mystery or a secret, and the two guys in charge of those... why, they're not sure either. So they betake themselves to Lucien's library, in a very hilarious scene that I'm sure my husband read many times over, wherein they discover that the only Book wherein golden garg's are even mentioned has been - horrors! - mutilated. Someone's ripped out key pages. Possibly the only other being that ever asked about the creatures, some limbless chap. Oh dear - quite possibly the same oily snake seen sidling up to Goldie in the diner, giving her some line about making her a star. Don't listen to him, kid, that hasn't worked since Schwab's! And all she has to do to save Abel is... well, we can't have everything given away in the first issue, can we? Quite stumped, Cain and Abel visit Eve (no relation, apparently), snapping her out of her reverie (for which she's less than grateful, although she probably ought to be - she must be on the same hormones I'm taking) wherein she was talking to her raven friend (Matthew?) about... this creepy limbless guy. Yeeee. I get a real kick doing second and third takes on some of these panels - Snejberg must have had a ball sticking stuff in every which way. The scene wherein Gregory satisfies his appetite with Lucien's mice is precious. I found it fascinating that Eve (Eve alone?) can dream within the Dreaming. Cain's portrayed as a bullying idiot and Abel as intelligent but supremely underconfident (hey, wouldn't you be if your own brother literally cut you down at just about every opportunity?), which I think is well within character. The issue is paced well and held my interest throughout, even though the characters dealt with (Cain, Abel, Eve and the snake) are just about the oldest in the Book. I eagerly await more. So, what did y'all think? CONCRETE: THINK LIKE A MOUNTAIN Story/Art: Paul Chadwick Here's what I thought... This book has always walked the line between sharing the wonder and preaching its causes very deftly, and this series is no exception. I think Chadwick takes great care in presenting views with which he doesn't personally side, although in all fairness he probably does give short shrift to clearcutters. Okay, he gave Harry Merlo, president of Louisiana-Pacific, a whole back page quote with which to damn himself, that's fair enough for me. :) Concrete has thrown his lot in with some Earth First!ers, although only as a journalist determined to tell their story fairly. They've smuggled him successfully (due to his desire to not only avoid a public sighting but the reputation his association with such radicals might garner him) to Terry Caloveglia's house on one of the many islands off Washington state, where Terry, his wife Penny and their friends Steve and Roland are based, to rest up for the next day's journey up north over the border. Chadwick does something very interesting with this scene (and Chalenor's colors help this along immensely). After showing us again how volatile Roland Sanger can be (he lies to Steve about hanging out with EF! founder Dave Forman, almost leading to fisticuffs before he storms off), we have a scene with him and Concrete talking about underwater ecosystems and specifically the sex lives of sea anemones. Not only does this segue into a touching scene humanizing Concrete for us once more, but it rounds out Roland into much more than an easily-dismissed stereotype. The guy may be a boor, but he's a knowledgeable one. As is Terry, who puts his knowledge to work the following morning carving a clay totem pole to camouflage Concrete in order to smuggle him into Canada (where they mean to show him the worst of the clearcutting). As he keeps Concrete company in the back of the van, Steve and Roland exchange meaningful glances in response to Penny's invitation "Who's riding with me?" We later learn that Penny and Steve almost married back in college, but we're still not sure how Roland feels about her. And another monkeywrench (sorry) is thrown into the story, as we now have to deal with how past and present personal relationships affect the group's ability to carry out its political actions. As of now, things are still manageable, but the tension is mounting. They're stopped by Canadian Customs, and lemme tell you, when Terry's says "Until NAFTA we couldn't have done this; would've taken all sorts of documentation before," I'm not sure I believe him. When my husband and I went back and forth between Vancouver and Washington in February, we were practically given the third degree... but hey, I think they're just suspicious of comic book fans or something. :) In any case, the customs guy is curious enough to use a drill on the clay totem, which stops just short of Concrete's transplanted human brain - whew! Close one. That panel with his eyes just about bulging out in fear is great. Fortunately, the hole in his head seems to be healed two pages later as they near the clearcut site, hidden behind the "beauty strip" of uncut forest lining the road. I saw a few clearcuts while in Vancouver - Chadwick isn't exaggerating when Concrete observes "It's like Sherman's march... by Klingons." You really feel like you're looking at horribly violated land, nature spit upon by arrogant idiots with lifespans of less than a century thumbing their noses at their elders. Really beautiful eagle's-eye view on the 2-page (16-17) spread, as we meet Marge Weatherall, who paints the stumps with dates of the trees' birth and death. She sells herself short as "an old woman capable only of empty, symbolic gestures," but we're in a comic book, where symbolic gestures often have the most power over us. Roland spots "an opportunity" - some abandoned logging equipment, whose gas tanks he proposes the group gunk up with jeweler's rouge. Penny and Terry object - but Steve sides with Roland, and the two of them go off. Unfortunately, the loggers are returning, and Concrete decides to provide a diversion to protect his... well, his friends. Great chase scene, which seemed to last more than a couple pages but I guess I was imagining it cinematically - and it climaxes with the VERY movielike moment of Concrete jumping from a great height into the river below. More fascinating text follows, as Chadwick details the life of Dave Forman, with whom I personally have major problems but that's neither here nor there for purposes of this review. This issue's added "100 Horrors" 3-page bonus, "The Bore," was appropriately hilarious and icky, and I won't spoil it except to say that I sincerely hope I've never displayed the kind of excess verbosity portrayed herein... Speaking of which, time to cut this baby short. So, what did y'all think? HILLY ROSE #1-6 by BC Boyer Here's what I thought... When BC offered to send me the first five issues of this title to review, I was intrigued. I'd read most of the first one, but despaired of ever finding subsequent issues, and besides, for whatever reason (I must have been in an especially sour mood that day) it didn't click for me at the time. Well, I liked #1-5 so much I went and got #6 when it came out this week, and I'd like to give this title my unreservedly highest recommendation. The story takes place about a hundred years hence. Hilly is the daughter of Splatt-Four newspaper magnate Steeltrap Rose, who initially hired her after the death of her mother Elaina (pretty name), also a reporter, in a war about a decade beforehand. A Mr. Bach has come to the planet to try and recruit Hilly for Earth's Rocket Times (whose Sunday supplements are satirized nicely on HR's cute Norman Rockwell tribute back covers). He winds up hanging out with Hilly and her most steadfast admirer, prepubescent Blossom, whom I *adore* but whom many readers seem to think is a little too cloying. (She's not, BC, she's wonderful.) Now, the interesting thing is, Bach is sort of an anthromorph, Blossom's definitely a toon (she looks a little like Fone Bone with hair and a bow) and Hilly and her dad are representational humans. BC interacts them all as if it's the most natural thing in the world, and it works beautifully. He's also able to mix intrigue (Steeltrap, it seems, is involved in some shady dealings with the Eastwood-like Stranger and his Warner Bros. toonish sidekicks the Weasel Boys), serious moments (Hilly's remembrances of her mother, Steeltrap's mixed feelings for his daughter and her abilities, as well as his guilty conscience at - well, at a whole lot of things) and a great heaping dose of comedy. And that all works beautifully as well. Even the running gags don't get grating - the Weasel Boys' insecurities about their sexuality ("not that there's anything wrong with that"); the mishaps of Sidney the Evil Incarnate Guy and his sidekick robot Bojo; stegasaurus-like Harv the Janitor ("I've got a brain the size of a walnut!"); Bach's, er, "thing" for plants; and especially Mrs. Tidwhieller's Nurse Pratchett and her merciless slapstick treatment of poor hapless Bach. There's so much IN here it's impossible to catalog it all, but I loved every bit of it. The art might take a little getting used to - Hilly's not drawn as what I'd call conventionally pretty (she has her father's nose, which doesn't look like it fits her face that well, but I acutually like that), but there are times when Boyer puts her for no apparent reason in poses I find a tad questionable (she's supposed to be around 16, I believe). Not really exploitative, but it kinda pulled me out of the story now and again. In the editorial for #5, cat writes that HR's front covers (kinda like takeoffs of old EC sf titles) have landed it in the "pin-up" racks in several comic stores, which I can't see because Hilly doesn't strike me (or, apparently, cat) that way. She's a dynamic protagonist, if still a bit reactive in places, and she learns and grows throughout the title's run. Like many of Boyer's other fans, I can't say enough about his lettering as well - very nicely done, from the sound effects to the variations in balloon type to the emphasized (and very emphasized) words themselves. As good as they are, the guys at Comicraft ain't got nothin' on BC. Really delightful. Some issues could stand to have been proofed a little better - BC told me he used the uncorrected script for #4, which is admittedly the worst of the lot ("deminished"?). There's also a reference somewhere to the year 2981 which should probably have been 2081. But the good news is, BC says it'll all be fixed in the trade paperback encompassing issues #1-5 which will be coming out in June. And the bad news is - we won't see issue #7 until August or September. But trust me, folks, it'll be worth the wait. Johanna got to recommend RAGMOP to me. I hope I'm more than returning the favor by recommending HILLY ROSE to her, and to all of you. Terrific, fun stuff. Thanks again, BC! So, what do y'all think? |
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