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This week's digest:
LEGIONNAIRES #38 Scripter/Co-Plotter: Roger Stern Here's what I thought... I've been thinking a lot lately about the unique relationship the current Legion creators have with their fans, particularly how accessible they have made themselves online. About two-thirds of them regularly participate, for instance, on the weekly AOL Legion Chats, directly answering fans' questions on a real-time, one-to-one basis. There is a great deal of affection shared for these characters among fans and creators alike. Sometimes it can all be quite overwhelming – occasionally Legion fandom takes on as much of a "closed club" feeling as the group that serves as their inspiration. There's such a huge history and knowledge base wrapped up with the Legion books that I can see where a relative newcomer can be made to feel a bit like they need to prove themselves before "joining" ("Hi, I'm Sieve-Brain Girl, and my power is to forget plotlines and be really sucky at trivia and stuff, and I really don't know too much about what happened pre-reboot but I'm reading the Archives volumes now, and I'd like to work my way up to being Dialogue Queen someday..."). And other times it can be quite rewarding, as when you're suddenly surprised at being "Tuckerized" (a term which came from a sf writer named Tucker who used to put his friends in as characters in his novels). This can take a few different forms: physical appearance (rare unless the artist knows you personally - examples of this abound in Alex Ross's work on MARVELS and KINGDOM COME, a witty saying of yours making it into canon (as with last month's "When there's no one there, it's Norg" courtesy of Mike Chary, or the Flash AOL Chatters' slogan "Ride the Lightning!" becoming a line of dialogue in the "Dead Heat" storyline), and of course the most common being having your name unexpectedly honored. Congrats this issue go to Sidne Gail Ward, now known to everyone as "Imra's Mom" (and Stern/McCraw did the cutest thing with her name, too, by spelling it with a "y" instead of an "i" - I approve <g>), and to Bob from the AOL Chat as well, who has become Imra's father Bertor. (I'm not even going to guess at the name "Jancel"...) A very handsome family, to be sure. And a great opportunity, by the way, for Moy and Carani to distinguish between adults and children. All the faces do have Moy's characteristic attractive softness to them (enhanced all the more by McCraw's shading), but it's nice to see Sydne (=giggle=) and Imra standing next to one another and note, "Yeah, Imra is a teenager." And I found the faces much more differentiated from one another in this issue than they've ever been - in fact, in terms of storytelling (with the possible exception of page 8, and I realize panel-less pages are always tricky), I don't think I've ever seen Moy do a better job artistically. Kudos all around. Also good to have a story that concentrates on only a few things at a time, gives some nice foreshadowing here and there (will Jancel in fact turn evil, or merely turn heads when she gets older?), showcases the three founders, gives us two of them in action using their powers effectively and well, and reveals a lot of character development with the third. If page 2 of this issue is ever up for sale, I may put in a serious bid for it - Legion romance (albeit a dream sequence) at its best. Although other pages are equally intriguing - the aforementioned portrait of young Imra on page 8, the darkness in her own soul that she glimpses on page 5 (and boy, that Composite Man/Woman still creeps me out), the giddy fun of Cos' Magno-Ball demonstration on page 13 (the "real" Sidne and Bob, by the way, appear in the crowd shot in panel 3, and I think I also spotted Johanna Draper and Mike Chary - again, a great example of facial differentiation), Imra's healing session with Rep. Kwin on pages 19-20, even the election page on 22 (catch Brainy's astonishment? nice touch). Another fine example of the rapport among Legion creators and their fans comes with the matter-of-fact discovery about the relationship between Titan representative Ivar (whom I, in my sloppy reading, first mistook for Imra's mentor Aven, who also appears herein) and his partner, Braalian rep. Kwin. The one panel on 12 page wherein they're communicating telepathically and Kwin lays his hand on Ivar's... just gorgeous and quiet and exactly as it should be. The hesitancy Ivar feels in revealing his and Kwin's affection for one another has everything to do with the Braal-Titan conflict and nothing to do with concerns about homophobia - what better way to show, as many fans have asked the creators to do within the context of story, that all types of loving relationships are possible in a hopeful future? Some minor thoughts - Great cover, well distorted. Stern's balloons still crowd the panels (boy, you know for a bunch of telepaths those Titanians sure talk a lot! <g>), but Moy's working around them well, and it still feels, as wordy as it is, like there's nothing superfluous, like all the information we've been given and the conversations taking place are necessary for us to know. Great character development, especially on Garth but also on Imra and, interestingly, Lu (shown in a very amusing scene on the vidscreen with Cos). I adored the contrasting level of cheering shown for each of the three founders on page 11. I'm a little bemused by the level of noise shown in the arena, again given the fact that we're on a world of telepaths where one would assume microphones and such aren't needed. And I'm confused by the letters column, wherein Mike states that leader elections won't be held for another two weeks when we've just seen said elections. But I can't get worked up about the little things. What continues to excite me about these books is the way in which the creators constantly show how much they care about the characters and the fans by doing things like Tuckerizing lines and names, acknowledging gay relationships, soliciting opinions on future plotlines-- well, let's not go there right now. Except that it is a cool thing they're doing. And, as much as I occasionally still feel like I'm in the Legion Fandom Tryout Room, I also get the feeling that the more I keep reading the closer I am to sitting at that nifty virtual round table with the big L* in the middle... So, what did y'all think? THE RAY #25 Writer: Christopher Priest Here's what I thought... So, this is the "Priest Does Waid" issue. I can't tell you how long I've been looking forward to this one. I wasn't disappointed. In fact, I was elated. I thought this was the best comic out this week. And hey, if nothing else, now we know what happens to Ray and Triumph during KINGDOM COME! :) My sieve-brain ("Elayne Disease," as Priest calls it) enabled me to enjoy reading this a lot more by remembering backwards. First I noticed the opening page, where Flash self-narrates, was suspiciously missing the traditional first line ("My name is Wally West") - okay fine, I figured, he's not doing a straight Waid takeoff, he's homaging, let it go. Then I start recalling more... well, wait a minute, he was telling me stuff about this issue, and I remember Dave Van Domelen mentioning things too, and... it all sort of came together for me right before page 12, when Flash takes off his mask revealing himself to be... Bart Allen. I'm telling you guys, short-term memory lapse can be a wonderful thing when you're reading this stuff, you get to be continually surprised and delighted! :) This issue has everything in it that I love about Mark's writing - playing around with the concept of time travel, strong character writing, romantic entanglements, rapid scene-switching, great first-person narration (which amused me, because I know Priest doesn't care for that narrative form)... and everything I love about Priest's writing - intricate plotting that turns out to have been going on since at least issue #11 (that's over two years ago), fascinating new ways in which characters can use their powers, terrific "real-life" repartee, motivation upon motivation... I think if I were to order up a comic specifically tailored to all the stuff I personally want to read, this would be it. By the credits page, we realize this issue takes place in the future - specifically the year 2016 - and is a prequel-of-sorts to those parts of RAY #24 wherein we see the return of Gaelon. We can, in fact, assume everything that happened in #24 until Gaelon's appearance (and a few things afterwards - recall in #24 she knows things like exactly when Ray's buying brother Josh an ice cream cone) happened in this continuity, 21 years previous. Way back when Ray and Dinah (Black Canary) were stranded in the future, a cop named Gaelon gave him a note to help him get home - a note in his handwriting, which she asked him to give her younger self when they arrived back in 1995. A note which, by the way, doesn't exist. That's right - if Ray gave it to her 21 years ago, she's held onto it until this issue, and she "returns" it to him to give to her younger self... who actually wrote the note? Now I bet y'all have a headache too. :) Gaelon, because of having met Ray as a little girl all those years ago, fell in love with him sometime back, "tracked Ray down and refused to get out of his face until he fell in love with her..." and has been his girlfriend for an unspecified period of time as #25 opens. He treats her like shit. But he's an equal opportunity asshole now - he treats everyone that way. Including Gaelon. This Ray, through some past twist of fate (we suspect it had something to do with Neron and the Rapa technology dangled before Ray during the UU crossover issues, but we're not sure because Brian left out the footnote on page 13 <g>), is a megapowered yuppie scum. So's Triumph. They like to raid each other's stock portfolios for fun. Oh, and threaten to whomp anyone who gets in the way of their multiple takeover bids by threatening super"hero" violence. We first see Ray quash a rebellion in fictitious Bhranka to protect his multinational business interests. Bart's livid - his whole chase after Ray with Triumph tagging along has been nothing more than a game. "All day I wonder whatever happened to heroism. All day, I wonder what Max would say." Nice. So why is good, decent Bart hanging out with these super-losers? And how did he get to be one of "three rich guys with superpowers" if he's so naive and stalwart? I think he hangs with them because they're all each other has - and because he's in love with Gaelon. Big time. He's got good taste - she's really a terrific character. After reading #24 I thought she was seriously wigged, worse than Jazz and all - but she's quite sane, and probably the most heroic of them all. And damn if she and Bart don't belong together... But no, she and Ray do. Maybe in like 2006 or so. IF he doesn't turn out like scum. And suddenly, as she sees the special report about two folks hanging on a ledge - Ray and Dinah from issue #11 - and remembers the note that Ray gave her all those years ago... the note that first prompted her to seek him out... the note she's going to give to that same man she remembers from when she was four... the note that's going to prompt her to leave the man he's become now... her life changes. The pendulum swings back. And she flies off and we see issue #11 replayed from her viewpoint, but the panels on the next four pages are, according to Brian, reproed exactly from that issue - pencils by Porter, inks by Jones - very effective. And was there someone standing on Mount Rushmore watching Ray and Dinah take off in #11? Wish I had my issue out to look. That someone is Bart Allen, who's gone after Gaelon and, like her, knows something's very wrong. And Ray remembers. And never told her. And so she leaves him. And Bart is waiting for her in her room, her bags packed. And she falls into his arms and cries. And they kiss. And she rejects him - he's not the one she wants. And you can hear his heart breaking. He'll do anything for her. Including slug Ray. Badly, while Ray is in his solid form. Really well done scene, from Priest and Jason & co., right on down the line. Pages 27-30. Just magnificent. The capper? Ray's just pissed someone off major, and that person has friends in high places, with big guns... who know where he lives... and Ray's unconscious... And Ray's dead. Point-blank bullet to the forehead. Gaelon has gone to Triumph to beg him to help her travel back in time to prevent Ray from becoming a ruthless industrialist. Will thinks, "hey, no competition..." Bart, still chasing after, hates the idea. But when they discover Ray's body, they agree they have no choice (and Bart accepts the entire burden of guilt). Comic book science to the rescue - and not once did Priest use the phrase "Speed Force." Naughty naughty, Jim. :) And Gaelon pods herself into the beginning of issue #24, and from the future that has become a may-be from a must-be, Triumph and Bart - poor, dear Bart - watch her go... There are so many incredible moments for me in here - this is terrific, emotional storytelling, I was with it every step of the way, and I'm in awe. I just am. This is amazing stuff. I can't recommend this issue highly enough. So, what did y'all think? Writer: Peter David Here's what I thought... Well, the alien invaders are here, and they seem to be a matriarchy with extremely spiffy uniforms. Ooh, all that chrome... And they've got energy whips. And they've taken (or retaken?) Laputa. I mean, Basilia. Really I do. Pay no never-mind to that Gulliver guy, or that Japanese anime. The floating city is Basilia. Silly me. :) They created (?!) a man named "Spought" (see if you can figure out how it's pronounced) and left him as their "watchdog" (got it yet? Peter, you're slipping, this was a bit too cheap). With Orin's help (and distraction), Spought knocks the invader out and he and Orin escape. The chase is on. Meanwhile, Garth (thank you for that marvelous work on his eyes, Tom) and Dolphin scope out the scene from a nearby parapet. And wait. Orin and Spought are really bad at this escaping thing. They're totally cornered - fortunately, Atlan comes to their rescue. Orin's pissed, slugs his dad one, and they get on with their (now revised) plan. Meanwhile, Koryak takes over Tritonia. Yick. Back on Lap-- um, Basilia, Garth and Dolphin create a distraction. Orin, Spought and Atlan are worse at disguising themselves than they are at escaping; they're cornered again. But one poof of wizardly derring-do later, they're pretty much defeated. If a comic has to have fights, best they're short ones. Spought gets to the city's controls. Orin directs him to turn 'em all upside down. Heh, good one. Everyone falls out. Including Garth and Dolphin, but Orin couldn't be bothered remembering such trifles. Garth and Dolphin aren't exactly afraid of the water below, but they'd rather rejoin their comrades, and we see Garth whip up some nice little magic. I really want to see more of what he's learned - and I wouldn't mind seeing him take Orin down a peg or two in the process. Orin and Atlan have a heart-to-heart, and a smirking alien shows up in the White House. Lots of stuff coming together, tons of plot (yeah, I know, this review was mostly synopsis, but this issue was mostly synopsizable), a bit of Atlantean sorcery and a floating city - I mean, go wrong. Fun little issue. So, what did y'all think? BATMAN & ROBIN ADVENTURES #8 Story: Paul Dini Here's what I thought... Boy, there's subtext spilling out all over the place on this baby, huh? I'm a major Harley fan - and nobody does Harley better than Dini. (Should I rephrase that? Considering subtext and all...) I find I much prefer her lately sans Joker - she's got more of an edge to her - and the team-up of Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy has been one of the true delights of the Batman animated series. On the other hand, Harley's still letting herself be somewhat victimized, and Ivy's a master (mistress?) manipulator. Even without the love potion lipstick that ensnares Robin to be, as Dave Van Domelen notes, her "Boytoy Wonder." And then when Robin's quick mind conjures up one perfect heist after another, with footrubs in between (hey, minions, I'm looking at this panel with my female gaze and going, "you know, those minions who promised me footrubs, this doesn't look that bad after all..."), all Harley can do is utter this issue's best line (in response to Ivy's cooing "ooh baby baby" - or something like it - to Robin): "'Baby,' huh? That would make this 'Cradle Robin'... wouldn't it?" You gotta love her. I mean, if you don't she'll sic the hyenas on you. Or scheme to get rid of you, as she does with Robin when she gets too jealous of the attention Ivy's paying him over her. (Nope, no subtext here, not at all... <g>) Naturally, Dini, Templeton and Burchett just have to add a little more pathos to her situation by making Harley the one who has to schlep the loot all over the place. Man, her facial expressions are priceless. And Ivy is soooo cool to this, she's practically oblivious. And Robin is neat too - the only thing that's changed about him is his devotion to Harley, all the other keen senses are still in play, which is what makes this so delicious. And speaking of delicious, I bet Harley made that refreshing beverage containing the antidote to Ivy's love potion with that free packet of Kool-Aid (TM, ®, ick and all) she found in this week's Spidey books. :) Robin liked it so much he drank the whole pitcher, and was able to ward off Ivy's attempts to re-poison him. But here's the thing: At the end, during the locker-room - er, locking up of the villains scene, Robin muses, as Batman looks on with a smirk, "You know, when I think of all the times I've been hit on the head by the Joker, or whacked in the teeth by Two-Face... I guess this case wasn't so bad." This can, of course, be read a number of ways. He wasn't physically pummeled all that much - just squeezed tightly by a vine and flung off the top of a zoo cage... oh, and under Ivy's direction he went head-to-head with Batman, who was probably pulling his punches. So yeah, most likely he got away with less pain. But which adult among us read it that way? And how many of us suddenly stopped and said, "Wait a minute - that's kind of a sexist thing to say. He's been robbed of his will, forced to do things against his heroic nature, and he's happy about it? And Batman's got this knowing smirk of 'heh, those wacky gals' approval on his face? Isn't this kind of the 'oh Wonder Woman, tie me up with your lasso!' syndrome?" And it's a short leap from there to "But how sexist wass their treatment of him? Is it sexist if he Really Likes It, as he slyly indicates here?" And what about that ol' subtext? This is a bit of an interesting triangle here, as the man involved is only attracted to one of the women, and the odd girl out is also attracted to the same woman. Aaah, what am I saying, it's a kids' book. ;) Still, I'd be curious to get reactions from some other women who may have read this issue... So, what did y'all think? THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #536 Writers: Tom Peyer and Mark Waid Here's what I thought... First of all - four pencillers and two inkers? Couldn't the powers at be have charged us like five bucks per issue, delayed this storyline as long as they felt they needed to, and given us just Swan and Giordano? =sigh= Unless I'm horribly off-base, Swan did pages 5-9 and maybe a little bit of 10, which means he didn't even get to draw Big Blue, pout pout... And at least one story point was lost on me (for a bit) for want of a balloon. Thanks to Mark Waid for confirming to me via e-mail that I wasn't nuts (well, not about this, at any rate), and for Tom Peyer for providing me with the missing line, which is supposed to be Superman's third thought balloon on page 12, panel 3 and should read: "It doesn't fool my senses..." Just a bit of (to me) crucial exposition (as to how Supes isn't fooled by a Braniac-induced illusion - although I will grant that there is a helping visual of the results of Supes' X-ray vision) and a bridge that renders sensical the lines on either side of it... boy, that DC balloon fairy gets around, doesn't she? The body-switching concept is nothing new to comics - not even to Superman, I'm sure - but the twist this time is Supes' brain ending up in the body of Chas, a kid who's in a mental hospital, with the delusion that he's Superman. So the poor lad's fresh out of wolf-crying by the time Supes is actually in his mind. He's also been subjected to brutal emotional torture courtesy of two aides who shouldn't be anywhere near a hospital-- don't places like this screen for insensitive idiots before hiring? And then they let them administer shock treatments? Ewww. Elsewhere in the hospital, Brainiac has taken over the mind of carnival mentalist (they still have carnival mentalists?) Milton Fine and isn't about to let go - trouble is, he's burning out Fine's hard drive, as it were, and needs to upgrade. That Kryptonian 686 should do nicely, it's got at least a zillion gigs... And Brainiac's doctor Guinness skirts the bounds of doctor/patient confidentiality and tells the madman about the kid in the other ward who thinks he's Superman - way to give him a plan, doc... sheesh... So Supes is led to the slaughter, or in this case the transfer, but instead of subsuming Kal's mind Brainiac somehow pushes it into - the boy's. Chas is now Superman. Unfortunately, the madman is in Supes' body, and Chas... well, we're not sure where Chas' mind is. Good setup, nice running themes ("be yourself" is repeated a few times too often, but the irony resonates well), and I'm looking forward to seeing if this issue examines the idea that Anyone Can Be Superman - i.e., the ideals of Superman live in everyone who does the right thing, all good and caring people (and that Swan-pencilled scene of Chas and his friend Aminah, especially page 8, shows that he certainly is one). The art, for obvious reasons, is very jarring, but the story looks to be fun and interesting. So, what did y'all think? NEW GODS #9 Writer: Rachel Pollack Here's what I thought... Well, let me talk about Keith Giffen's art first, because this is the first I've seen of it since he worked on v4 of the Legion, back in the old nine-panels-per-page days, where all the women had thick pouty lips and all the men squinted. Drove me crazy. I have never been the world's biggest Keith Giffen fan. He does a good job here, though. The panels are still a little stiff-looking but aren't too crowded for the most part (leading me to believe the layout specifications as far as panels-per-page came from Pollack), the inking is superb, the body parts are well-proportioned, the action scenes are dynamic, and there are actually shots where the women's lips don't look collagened. (What is it with artists and women's lips? First of all, I don't know that many women who go around wearing lipstick all the time, and quite frankly our mouths don't look that different from men's mouths, so it always bothers me when they're drawn so differently...) The men still squint a bit too much, though, and the effect this had on me was to limit their range of expression considerably - for all intents and purposes, there are no real facial shifts between anger and doubt and fear and amusement... Which means we have to pick up these our cues from the writing rather than the art, which makes Pollack's job more of an uphill battle. Especially as this is supposed to be a relatively emotionally wrenching issue. We open on quiet narration but churning waters as Herrae, the Mother of the world that is now New Genesis, seeks to calm S'ivaa the Destroyer in his restless sleep under the waves of the Eternal Sea. She flings her best Spell of Containment outward, but despairs of its success, the Source having been so tainted and now the Sky Gods' war against the "Primitives" having escalated to such brutal proportions. We're pretty much aware from the beginning that this is an exercise in futility, but there's a strong sense of fore-ordainment, of events having to play themselves out. Herrae cannot be other than what she is, cannot do other than what she's attempting. If you're not part of the solution... Back outside the Asylum of the Gods, Darkseid, Izaya, and Orion are still bickering, with Atinai wisely keeping out of the testosterone-laden one-upsmanship, when Metron appears and brings the whole tone down. I'm sorry, I never liked Metron, and his little, shall we say, deus et machina is a little too convenient. I find it hard to swallow that, even in his madness, he's been able to build a "Source Chamber" to heal Highfather - and that, having done so, the Chamber cannot also heal Lightray later on? I did like Metron's reply to Darkseid during Izaya's healing process - when confronted with "You are a fool to set in motion forces you do not control," he responds "If we only attempt the things we already know, then we will never learn anything." This was a very Metron-ish answer, to me. And then we get the big battle scene between Orion and Lightray, which begins quite gruesomely as the Bugs are presumably wiped out. Boo hiss, I liked the Bugs... Then Aarden and Sserpa try their best to take out Lightray's forces, but they fail as well. Bummer, I liked the "earth" gods a lot... Lightray's totally freaky, which saddens me too as he used to be my favorite New God, but we have to accept as a given that he's off his gourd. He does, however, observe "When you can command light, you can do anything," which I'm starting to think may be true, given the imaginative ways in which Christopher Priest employed Ray's light powers in RAY #25... but I didn't get that feeling as much here. Well, Orion's beast gets the better of him, and he pummels the stuffing out of Lightray, then realizes what he's done and begs the Source for mercy. Despite him being the cause of its taint, it hears him and grants him his prayer (to be himself - i.e., his compassionate self to temper the beast within). And Lightray is put into the Asylum. Oh, boo. I'm sorry, Rachel, I really, really hate this. I hate that Orion, Izaya, even Darkseid all get to be redeemed but Lightray is deemed "too far into madness" to be helped. I don't buy it. He's the Lord of Light, and going into a Source Chamber filled with the "Light of Salvation" he craves won't heal him? And as we've no doubt all guessed by now, S'ivaa awakens by issue's end. And #10 guest-stars Superman, for no fathomable reason. I'm afraid I wasn't that impressed with this issue beyond the Herrae pages. Everything else seemed like pointless macho posturing. Maybe that was the point, but I don't care for it. Hope this picks up again with #10 and 11. So, what did y'all think? UNTOLD TALES OF SPIDER-MAN #11 Writer: Kurt Busiek Here's what I thought... I loved the dynamics at work in this issue. I'm so pleased I guessed totally wrong about Sally, because what Kurt does with her is way better than any of my speculation, and I'm ashamed I didn't guess it myself. The last few issues have been building Sally up gradually from just another classmate to someone with a good deal of ambition. I misread her ambition as perhaps too similar to Flash Thompson's - wanting to be at the scene of the action, perhaps follow Spidey around as she suspects Peter is doing... But geez, I can't believe I missed this. She wants to be a superhero. And frankly, I think she can make it. Only Peter's not thrilled about the idea of giving her on-the-job training. The Bluebird outfit is inspired - I really love the design. Although I'd give a scoche more room in the crotch, but that's just me. :) And we've already seen that Sally has the basic raw talent. Of course, she's probably doing it for the wrong reasons, but her enthusiasm is positively infectious. I'm reading page 5 saying "Go for it, girl!" And threatening blackmail isn't exactly the best way to establish one's reputation as a superhero. Fortunately, Peter uses his brains to beat her to the punch - if she's going to reveal his "picture-taking secret" to their class he might as well 'fess up. After all, it's no crime. Of course, in so doing, he creates another monster - Flash Thompson decides to stick to his new best-buddy like glue. Which makes it durn near impossible to change to Spidey when trouble strikes. As it inevitably does. This issue's tsuris is brought to us courtesy of a team-up of convenience between Electro and the Eel (now stop singing the "Pinky and the Brain" theme song, y'all, I can hear you). It would seem a natural pairing, except Electro's a bit too showy for the Eel's taste, and gets all the credit, grumble grumble... aah, you just know trouble's a'brewing. But I coulda told you something was very wrong the moment Kurt wrote "the waterfront north of Coney Island." Hey, Oregon-boy, I live north of Coney Island. Ain't no waterfront here. Mayhap you mean east, or northeast? Red Hook and all that? I'm being incredibly picky, I know, but gotta stick up for the ol' borough sometimes... :) So anyway, there they are, Electro and the Eel, at a power plant in Red Hook <vbg>, determined to hold the boro hostage by blacking us out (oh, and like we don't have candles... please, we're Brooklynites, a little darkness ain't gonna kill us) and in swings Spidey, having gotten away from Flash just long enough to throw a tracking device on the Eel's copter. As the battle rages, nearby residents Gladys and Abner wonder if they should call the police. At least this time it's not that pesky Samantha Stevens... Spidey should be so lucky. Bluebird's just made the scene, determined to help her new "partner." Oy. She screws up, of course, more due to lack of experience than anything else, and the badguys get away, but at least their partnership's dissolved. I'm glad this doesn't appear to be the last of Sally/Bluebird, though. I like the idea of Spidey with a partner, even though It Never Happened That Way. Sally's a dynamite character, and her heart's in the right place, even though she may not know it yet. She wants to be famous, sure, but I believe she also wants to do good, and I hope she gets that chance in future issues. And Peter finally tells Flash off, and the hothead returns to type, naturally. At least that part of Peter's life is "back to normal." Not so with Betty Brant, though - wonder how that situation will resolve itself. Has Peter blown his chance at reconciliation by not returning Betty's phone call during his rush to action as Spidey? Lots of nice setup here. Great issue - all this and strawberry-kiwi Kool-Aid (TM) too, all for 99 cents! Yowza! So, what did y'all think? HEARTBREAKERS #2 Co-Plotter/Artist: Paul Guinan Here's what I thought... As this miniseries continues, I'm starting to get more into the various characters' personalities, which Bennett and Guinan take great pains to differentiate, as we're dealing with clones. Therese Sorenson's clones, Queenie and Vector, have thrown their lot in with the League of Ones (LONE) clone-rights network, and appear at a rally (at Eugene Debs Hall - love it) in support of LONE leader Cen - who becomes the victim of an assassin's bullet. All hell breaks loose as Queenie realizes just about all the rent-a-cops are armed and against them. She reverts to type - after all, she was created to be a bodyguard - fires off a few rounds, and saves Vector from getting blown away as well. Not a pretty sight for the squeamish among us, but very effective, not glorified at all. And very real-feeling. Meanwhile on Ceres, Vegus Ward, the CEO of the clone gals' enemy corporation, Biovoc, is scheming against the government, predictably. I tend to tune these things out, but fans of political intrigue should like the subplot. Queenie's companion Tex tends to her wounds, which leads to a dynamite and very tasteful love/sex scene. I would have liked to have seen Tex shirtless too, but oh well... Afterwards, they discuss whether or not he's actually in love with her or Sorenson or even Vector - after all, they're all made from the same DNA... but he insists "I love everything about you that's like and unlike [Sorenson]. I can't shake this feeling that I helped engineer you to suit myself." Interesting dynamic being set up here. I'm rooting for these kooky kids... Elsewhere, Rusk works out in his new cybernetic body, preparing to take Queenie down. His trainers have every intention of keeping him in line as well, though, as they inject him with a genetic virus just for the hell of it... Surgeons work with antiquated equipment trying to save LONE leader Cen, but they're losing him. Vector hits on the idea of using the Paracelsus Matrix, which isn't explained enough this issue, to heal Cent - but the matrix has never been tested on a human before, and results are unpredictable. Queenie's concerned about security leaks, and Vector speculates on using the matrix "to transform a group of volunteers into new Heartbreakers patterned after you." Lo and behold, some LONErs have already volunteered... Terrific covers by Chadwick (front and back?). Nice back-and-forth between all the players concerned, and though I'd still like to see Vector get a little more "screen time" I realize it's easier to make a gunslinging bodyguard exciting than to instill the same sense of drama and action in a scientist. I found the colors a bit muddy in places, but this is a dystopia so the darkness is understandable. Crisp writing by Bennett and really fine art, with a terrific sense of layout, on Guinan's part. And some chick blabs all over the letters column - good thing Paul put her in her place with that revelatory comment about how American Indians used to wear Mohawks. Duh, Paul, hence the name. :) But I appreciate the information that this takes place 20 years in the future - I had been under the impression more time had passed. Hence I withdraw any comments that may have seemed like complaints about the vagaries of fashion in a future society - I didn't realize we were talking only a couple decades. Some of this is still a bit over my head, but I'm enjoying it nonetheless. So, what did y'all think? [These reviews are reprinted with permission from the rec.arts.comics Usenet newsgroups and are copyright 1996 Elayne Wechsler-Chaput <firehead@panix.com>, who apologizes if she seems a bit addled, as she's been busy in her Real-Life Job processing over 600 entries for the annual New York Book Show, over 500 of which, naturally, look to be coming in the day of the deadline...] |
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