By Tommy ⋅ January 25, 2008 ⋅

MARVEL COMICS

ASTONISHING X-MEN #24

We’re almost at the end for Joss Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men. The ride has been full of incredible surprises, fascinating character development and the types of delays that make me pull my hair out. This is the last issue of the series for Joss and John Cassaday but there will be a giant sized finale in February to finish up any dangling plotlines and give Joss one more chance to write Kitty Pride. This book brought me back to the X-Men after being away a long time. I look forward to seeing what Warren Ellis does with Astonishing later this year but I will look back at the Whedon issues as the reason I started to care about the X-Men again. I mean, he made Cyclops interesting. CYCLOPS!

THE ORDER #7

Last issue Namor, the prince of Atlantis put a giant wall of water around California and then turned himself in to the Order. For those who missed last year’s Namor mini series, the UN along with S.H.I.E.L.D. have declared Namor a terrorist and the nation of Atlantis a terrorist state because of the actions of a handful of rouge Atlanteans. The people of Atlantis are now scattered to the corners of the world’s oceans and their society is shattered. How will getting put in prison help his people? Will Namor put down his wall of water? Does Barbara Gordon know that Pepper Potts is being paid by the government to do the job she does for free? Two out of three of those questions will be answered this week. Can you guess which two?

WWH AFTERSMASH DAMAGE CONTROL #1 (of 3)

I like it when a book takes me by surprise; it makes me feel like there are still a lot of people in the industry who love comics as much as I do. When I saw the cover solicitation I assumed this book was going to be dark and dreary and about how New Yorkers were dealing with life post World War hulk. It turns out that not only is it about that, but we get an inside look at how Damage Control operates, how the key players all fit together, who is sleeping with whom all with a sense of humor and the type of dry wit one expects from the best British comedies. I’m actually sorry that this book is only going to be three issues because I see a near limitless potential for storytelling.

YOUNG AVENGERS PRESENTS #1 (of 6)

During the Civil War the Young Avengers split due to differing opinions about the registration act. This is our first look at the team post Civil War and things are as unsettled as they were last summer. Each issue of the six issue series is by a different creative team and focuses on a different member of the team. In the first issue we take a look at how the death of Captain America has changed the life of Patriot, the grandson of the first Captain America (Captain America: Red White and Black). Written by fan favorite and current Captain America writer Ed Brubaker with art by Paco Medina, Patriot looks to the Winter Soldier for guidance but he may not like what he finds.

DC COMICS

CRIME BIBLE:THE FIVE LESSONS OF BLOOD #4 (of 5)

DC Comics may have accidentally given us one of the most diverse characters in the history of the medium, a strong woman of color who happens to be a lesbian. Let me back up a little bit and explain how such a thing is possible. I’m sure everyone remembers Batman The Animated Series. It stands as arguably one of the best cartoons ever aired with solid plot lines that weren’t so dumbed down for five year olds that adults found them annoying (I’m looking at you Teen Titans Go). One of the new characters created just for the animated series was Officer Renee Montoya, the young idealist partner of the cranky veteran Harvey Bullock. The character was an instant hit and soon made her debut as one of Gotham’s finest in Batman. Promoted to Homicide Detective in Batman #475 by Commissioner James Gordon she was again partnered with Bullock. Once Bullock was promoted, Renee was partnered with Crispus Allen. During the epic No Man’s Land storyline where Gotham was destroyed by an earthquake and unceremoniously thrown out of the United States, Renee was a key player in the city’s survival tricking the villain Harvey Dent into helping with relief efforts after he fell in love with her.

During Greg Rucka’s fantastic run on Gotham Central Two Face, feeling spurned by Renee after No Man’s Land outs her as a lesbian in public and frames her for murder. She is eventually cleared of all charges but her overtly religious parents disown her because of her sexuality. Not long after her personal life falls apart including the destruction of the relationship with her girlfriend. Renee’s partner Crispus is murdered by a corrupt cop named Jim Corrigan. Vowing vengeance Renee beats Corrigan’s girlfriend unconscious and pulls a gun on Corrigan. Unable to enact her vengeance and feeling lost and broken, Renee quit the GCPD and spiraled further down into a pit of unhealthy relationships and alcohol abuse.

Over the past couple of years Renee went through a journey both physical and spiritual mostly in the pages of 52. Her friendship with The Question and his eventual demise at the hands of one of the real worlds biggest villains, cancer caused a huge transformation. During 52 Renee spent a considerable amount of time in Nanda Parbat, a mystical city in a Tibetesque region of the DCU. During her time there she struggled with her identity with the help of Richard Dragon. Before his death the Question told Renee that his wish was for her to take over his mantle and continue his work. That brings us to Crime Bible: The Five Lessons of Blood, the latest chapter in the life of Renee Montoya, the Question. Once again Renee’s life is being masterfully told by Greg Rucka, one of my favorite writers of crime fiction.

I’ve been there with Renee though her entire “career”. From her humble origins as a uniformed officer on the animated series through her transformation into the new Question and rarely have I cheered and moaned and wept for a character as intensely as I have done for her. In the hands of the right writer Renee could be the breakout star of the decade.

SUPERMAN CONFIDENTIAL #11

After multiple fill in issues and months of waiting the conclusion to Darwyn Cook and Tim Sale’s tale of Superman’s first exposure to Kryptonite is finally here. I remember by first experience with the little green rocks. I still owe for the rental car and the dresser in that Atlantic City motel room. Or was that something else green? Stay away from things that are green kids. Asparagus is the enemy!

TEEN TITANS #55

Things are a little less crazy at Titans Tower this week. The Titans evil counterparts from the future are finally gone and the kids can get back to things that are far less stressful. Take Robin for example. Instead of fighting a dark twisted version of himself he’s going to deal with the feelings of guilt and shame he has over falling for his dead best friend’s girlfriend. On second thought, send in some killer cyborgs or something, emotions hurt too much!

WONDER WOMAN #16

Now with 73% more monkeys! I knew when Gail Simone was announced as the new writer on Wonder Woman that the book would finally wade out of the mediocrity that it had been mired in for a while now but never would I have thought a bunch of talking monkeys and multiple Captain Nazi’s would be the thing she would do it with. We’re also getting a fascinating look at the story behind Diana’s birth and how it affected the Amazons. The Dodson art team is well known for their cheesecake and sexy pictures so it makes sense that they would draw the princess as a beautiful woman but its also nice to see that they aren’t overdoing the sexuality. He clothes seem to cover her completely and the number of posed pictures seems to have diminished somewhat. I have to say it makes me happy that Wonder Woman seems to have finally switched back to bikini briefs from the thongs she’s been wearing the past few years.

INDY COMICS

AMELIA RULES #19

Do you remember what being a kid was like? When playing with your friends or just sitting around talking about nonsense was the greatest thing in the world? When dealing with your parents making you help them with chores so mind numbingly dull you wished you could be anywhere else doing anything? If you, or anyone you know, have forgotten how incredibly, how frightening, how liberating and how restrictive your formative years check out Amelia Rules. This is a book you can read along with your kids and discuss afterwards. There’s even a lesson plan in the back so teachers at the elementary and middle school lever can more easily use this comic for teaching purposes.

FRANK FRAZETTA’S DEATH DEALER #6

I don’t know what Frank Frazetta was thinking when he painted his iconic portrait of the Death Dealer but I think he would be happy with the care in which Nat Jones, Jay Fotos and Joshua Ortega seem to be taking with his character. There are any number of fantasy elements being merged nicely with Lovecraftian horror as multi headed monsters seemingly give birth to ancient gods intent on destruction.

MICE TEMPLAR #3

Bryan Glass and Mike Oeming have managed to weave an intricately textured mythology into the first two issues of Mice Templar along with high adventure and fantasy archtypes seen throughout history. There is a young apprentice/squire who has been called upon to do things he never would have thought himself capable while being taught by an older knight/mentor about the ancient ways of a lost order. There is a lot of familiar territory being covered in this book but it is being incredibly well told. The characters are as well fleshed out as they can be after only two issues and the depth of the mythology being delved into tells me there are any number of possibilities with these mice.

USAGI YOJIMBO #109

Bounty hunters, murder, betrayal, nightmares, evil demons and a samurai rabbit. Usagi and a couple of companions must battle a horde of villainous bounty hunters while his friend Sanshobo attempts to exorcise the demon Jai from Inazuma.

TRADES/GRAPHIC NOVELS

ANNIHILATION CONQUEST BOOK 1 HC

While everyone was sucked into Marvel’s Civil War there was another war going on in the far reaches of Space. A war between Annihilus, ruler of the negative zone and pretty much every cosmic player Marvel has on the roster. This year as the Hulk waged his war on the heroes of Earth the survivors of the Annihilation war tried to pick up the pieces of their lives and deal with their new reality. The Skrull empire was pretty much wiped out of existence and the Kree aren’t doing a whole lot better. This volume collects the prologue, Quasar #1-4, Starlord#1-4 and Annihilation Saga.

MADMAN V3

For a few years there in the mid 90’s there were only two comics being published that I looked forward to every single month. One was Bone by Jeff Smith and the other was Madman. I think I loved these books so much because they made me think on levels that I wasn’t aware I even had. Existentialism meets beatniks and falling in love with the freckle faced red head. This volume collects Madman Comics #12-20 and the Madman King-Size Super Groovy Special.

TALES OF THE NEW GODS TP

The New Gods have been getting a good amount of face time in the DC Universe these days. I don’t know if that is due to an overwhelming demand for new New Gods stories or if its because they seem to be dying faster than a Spinal Tap drummer. Either way its a good thing for those who grew up reading what some consider to be Jack Kirby’s finest creations and for those of us just discovering them for the first time. This collection includes stories by some of the biggest names in comics including Walt Simonson, John Byrne, Frank Miller and Jeph Loeb among others. The real reason people will be talking about this particular collection is the brand new story written by Mark Millar and drawn by industry giant and odd recluse Steve Ditko!

ULTIMATE VISION TP

Just when you think the world is safe from the threat that was Gah Lak Tus there comes along some nutbar who decides it would be a good idea to use one of the pieces left behind for his own ends. Picking up directly following Ultimate Extinction, Ultimate Vision is captured on her way off our planet by A.I.M. Who attempt to use her as a weapon. This volume collects Ultimate Vision #0-5.

UPDATE TO COUNTDOWN #16

The solid waste has collided with the mechanical wind device as Monarch and his giant army of mean people invade Earth 51 and start killing pretty much everything. And on Christmas! What a jerk! The Challangers team up with any members of the Justice League this world has to offer so they’re pretty much on their own. Jason Todd ends up getting abducted by Earth 51’s Batman who is the only one not to hang up the costume after their JLA defeated all the bad guys in under five years. He’s also more cranky than the regular Batman if that’s possible. In other news, Jimmy Olson is gonna get some! Who’da thunk it?

Will Eisner’s The Spirit by Darwyn Cooke #1-12

Every era of comics has that one name that stands head and shoulders above the rest, an icon of the industry who will be forever associated with the best and brightest sequential storytelling has to offer. Stan Lee has become synonymous with the silver age, creating an entire universe worth of characters along with breathing new life into what most believed to be a dead genre. In the golden age there was Will Eisner, the undisputed father of the modern comic and originator of the graphic novel. His body of work includes a staggering run on the Spirit as well as some of the most important stories in the history of the medium. The modern age of comics has seen a number of people who seemed destined to fit this bill but until recently none of then had that air of greatness about them that men like Eisner and Stan “The Man” radiate. Then came Darwyn Cooke. It’s ironic that the book that turned me into a Darwyn Cooke fan was his re-imagining of Will Eisner’s classic character The Spirit. I was already unknowingly familiar with his work having been a fan of Batman the Animated Series and Batman Beyond which he did a lot of character design for, but not until I read his Spirit did I realize what a remarkable storyteller he truly is.

Cooke’s twelve issue run on Will Eisner’s The Spirit is almost a class on how to weave an intricate story simply. Each issue stands on its own but there are plotlines that run through all twelve, connecting them all together nicely as one coherent narrative with twelve distinct chapters. The Spirit is Denny Colt, a simple man who had the bad fortune of dying and coming back to life with a new purpose. He has all the things that make a good hero, a girl who loves him, a sidekick, an eclectic supporting cast and an ability to get his butt kicked pretty regularly yet still come out on top.

The women surrounding the Spirit are far more well rounded here in the 2000’s than they were in Eisner’s day of the 1940’s. Not that Eisner was misogynistic but the times were far different then and things that seemed like normal every day knowledge (women aren’t as strong you know) have been turned on their head here. In issue four, arguably the best of the run, Silk Satin has to save the Spirit. Something that you didn’t see a lot of back in the 40’s. Cooke’s ability to tell you everything you need to know to care about a character in a single issue is truly beautiful and something that modern storytelling has been lacking for a while now.

Will Eisner had an ability to use the world around the character to tell the story in a visual way that was unlike anything else in his day. His use of rain effects in A Contract With God has come to be known as something of a calling card for Eisner and until now I haven’t seen it used nearly as well. For most of these issues the cover art alone is worth the cost of the book and Cooke is just as good between the pages. His ability to convey unspoken subtext is better than anyone else in comics today. His art is clean and even simple at times but has a power and emotion that a lot of today’s artists lack.

I really can’t give this a high enough recommendation. The Spirit has consistently been the best comic on the market since the first issue and though I am looking forward to the new creative team of Sergio Aragones and Mark Evaneir I am going to miss my monthly Darwyn Cooke experience. The first six issues are collected in a beautiful hardcover edition with a second volume to come.