A solid week of storytelling filled with some great moments!
Why I Love Comics rundown for books coming out January 2nd, 2008
Welcome to this week's Why I love Comics where we have Matt Fractions' last issue on a book he made me love, War Machine hits on all cylinders, JSA's longest arc finally ends, Kick Ass gains even more notoriety and the Teen Titans lose yet another member. A solid week of storytelling filled with some great moments. So let's hop right into the madness!
Starting with Marvel, War Machine #1 is really different from anything else Greg Pak has written. They really don't explain much to you, but if you read about the character while he was in the Initiative you should be fine. Honestly, this had worried me since the preview a week or two ago. Glad to say my fears have been quelled. It's revealed that a year ago Rhodes was messed up badly in war and, as usual, Tony came to his aid. He's pretty much become the Marvel Universe's Cyborg, but it's also hinted repeatedly that they are working on a new body for him.
Jim has become obsessed with taking out every scum bag he can, almost like Punisher in some ways. His armor is able to detect who is who then dispatch them without mercy. It's weird seeing the character get as dark as he is right now. This is not the James Rhodes that casual fans would be expecting from the movies. The man that we see here is the hardened vet of the mecca he rides in. It's great to see the addition to his supporting cast as well and even a little Norman Osborn to guest star in yet another book. That man gets around!
Verdict: I liked it, but I'm really unsure if I can give this a definite buy. He's not taking any prisoners here and this really isn't an all ages book. So, I'd go with a very apprehensive buy. War is hell and apparently War Machine now lives by that statement.
Book of the Week this week is the last issue of Punisher War Journal. I mistakenly labeled last month's issue as the last, but this is the real deal! All Fraction too---no co-writing this one! Matt returns Frank to the scene of one of the best single issues of all time. Remember when (in issue 4) he managed to take out a whole bar of super villains who were paying their respects to the dead Stilt-Man? Well, on Christmas, Eve Frank stakes out the place with a gatling gun after he finds a bunch of low level thugs got their hands on the old Stilt-Man armor. They are just your typical little punks who end up arguing over the armor and, overall, they seem harmless.
But the shining moment comes when the Rhino arrives to take care of his birds and is surprised to find Frank sitting on his rooftop. He talks Castle down from killing the harmless want-to-be thugs in a very surprising and human way. It felt like a side of the character that has never been explored before. It's a highlight to see average Joe unveil redeemable qualities.
Verdict: This is Matt Fraction at his Marvel best and I'm really going to miss his version of Frank Castle. Yes, the title is in very safe hands but he's responsible for possibly one of the best single issues of a comic in the last decade.
Incredible Hercules #124 gives us Atlas getting hit.. very badly hit. Herc falling heavily in love, and Amadeus finally getting back to what he does best. The "recap" page is a highlight of every issue as Amadeus presents the recap using documents from the past and adding his own words into the mix. It makes things a little more fun and unpredictable. I like his new love interest as well and hope she gets added to the supporting cast at the end of this arc.
Namora and Herc's relationship has a very humorous twist added to it along with a very heartbreaking one. The big deus ex machina which will very obviously be overturned is actually pretty surprising, especially when it gets tossed around like a basketball.
Verdict: A female team of Avengers and a new world make the next issue of the title irresistible. Definitely a buy.
Wolverine #70 tells us the story we've all been waiting for... We find out exactly why Logan doesn't pop his claws anymore and why Wolverine is dead. It didn't come as much of a shock to me, but that art alone pulls you into exactly what happened. It really takes you off guard and you start to sense something is up when Wolverine easily dispatches as many villains as he does all by himself.
I'm not going to spoil it for you here, but what he goes through after the fact; it's truly heartbreaking and you can understand what and why he's going through in the current story as, when meeting up with Hawkeye, he apologizes for making Logan come on the trip for him.
This arc of Wolverine really hits on all cylinders from the art, to the reveals, to the understanding of both of our main characters. Sure Clint is blind and Logan is now a pacifist, but both men are still very much the characters they were back in their costumed hero days.
Verdict: This is going to be one of those Wolverine stories that goes down in history as the best. I hope the book gains a strong creative team when these guys leave, but they are definitely a hard act to follow. Stays a buy!
Guardians of the Galaxy #8 has our Guardians continuing to face off against the Badoon. Also, Star-Lord going head to head with Ronan, before then meeting Blastaar who apparently wants to break into the 42 Prison. Speaking of the prison, is anyone even left after the first annihilation wave? I mean the Tinkerer was there during Secret Invasion but was freed to go back to his retirement. It's good to see Pete trying to still stand up for the Guardians' ideal even if he's completely screwed against his opponents.
The Guardians fighting the Badoon created some pretty interesting moments. Bug found out what happened to the first version of the team and he wasn't exactly happy. Seeing the Badoon listening to our heroes was a pretty cool moment that I didn't see coming. And the Warlock joining up with the church plot continues to move forward though I'm really intrigued as to learn if it's only taking place to find out about his evil version and make sure the church is shut down once and for all.
Verdict: I love cosmic Marvel as it really has some unique things going on right now. Not sure if all the plot threads in the book are connected to War of Kings. It will be great to see what happens next. Poor deluded Blastaar... attacking earth wouldn't be the brightest idea right now.
Avengers: The Initiative #20 is completely wrapping up the plot threads from the war. My main complaint is with the issue's art. Why does Trauma look like Edward Scissorhands? I liked the Dr. Who look a few issues back, but I really don't like this new look. Other than that, it's a great issue.
Hank finds out all he can about the skrull version of himself and poor Tigra deals with the fact that she was pregnant thanks to that very same man. 3-D Man also deals with the repercussions of killing Crusader last issue which was good to see. After helping them for the whole arc, making one of the most moving speeches of the war, and fighting alongside the guy, you still shoot him in the head? At the end of the day, that's pretty screwed up.
It looks as if we have a new Skrull Kill Crew as only one of the original members has survived and is joined by 3-D man (and a few others). It will be a great mini whenever it comes out. Hank seeking counsel from a "friend" was both twisted and yet helpful for him allowing him to move forward after everything that's happened. Leadership on the base has changed completely. We'll see what happens when Gauntlet has to take over.
Verdict: Definitely one of the best books under the Avengers stable. With Christos Gage taking over as full writer it should be interesting to see what changes, if anything. Definitely a buy! Even only for the fact that we get to see the real Hank Pym once again.
Moving on to DC, we start with the end of the latest Blue Beetle arc. Apparently the scarab killed Jamie to play possum against Doctor Polaris who has become the threat to be deal with. By that I mean that with the help of his own daughter and the men he helped give powers to, he gets defeated. Paco finally steps up and asks Brenda out on a real date and Jaime faces the responsibility of dealing with the mayor. All in all, if this is where the book ended it would be a decent ending but I believe we have at least one more issue.
Verdict: I really don't want to lose this book but I can't do anything to save it. It's a fan favorite book that thanks to low sales was cancelled. Pick up the trades and find out how great the book is! Definitely a buy!
Superman #683 continues to push things in New Krypton to new levels as it challenges you to decide who you should side with. The heroes of the DCU show up to find the earthling killers (that the kryptonians already killed a few issues back) and Superman steps in trying to keep the peace. Alura continues her downward spiral to complete villainy and it's difficult to see eye to eye with her. The way she strikes out at her daughter is wrong and completely unacceptable.
The fight is a surprising one with a lot of players getting their voices heard and we enjoy a few interesting moments for several different characters. Power Girl struggles with beating up some Kryptonians, Black Lightning shows the Kryptonian (who beat him up previously) that he can deal out the damage when he's not taken by surprise, and the Green Lanterns realize how outnumbered they really are. Then, it all comes together as you see the last page and realize that the Kryptonians may want to give up now as magic enters the playing field.
Verdict: This really has been a surprise hit with its three writers and different artists. Because of how well the story fits, everything hits on point. The trade will look good on any book shelf and the finale is just two weeks away.
Teen Titans #66 is the first part of a new arc and a complete recruitment drive. Sadly, most of the people you see on the cover won't be actual members of the team, but they made for some pretty great moments when Red Devil tried to visit them. Bombshell continues to be a thorn in everyone's side and Robin makes a decision that will once again affect the membership of the team. Sadly, it looks like Tim has left the team leaving it without a Robin for at least a while. Cassie looks to be the new leader as they continue to find new members.
I'd say the best moments out of the book came from Misfit. I love when she shows up in any book as she's such a great character. I really hope she can join the team as I think she'd be a great addition. As usual, adding Traci into Blue and Red's chaos is a great highlight as Jaime tries his best to make sure she doesn't join the team.
Verdict: Great jumping on point though the loss of Robin might tick off some readers. It's editorially mandated though thanks to RIP.
Green Lantern #36 gives us more on the Red and Blue Lanterns. The stuff with the Red Lanterns is pretty grim as Atrocious tries his best to make Sinestro fear him. He also does his best to control his own lanterns who seemingly want to tear Sinestro apart. The Red Lanterns will obviously be one of the big bads during the Blackest Night so it's interesting to see more of them.
Meanwhile Saint Walker does his best to show the Green Lanterns that he's there to help, even restoring a little hope in Jon. I really like the character so far, he's definitely a great addition to the mythos. In fact, the Blue Lanterns are shaping up to not only be the coolest lanterns but also the most powerful. They feed off whole planets or peoples hopes which they tap into to use their power. They restored a whole planet because of this hope. Sadly I think Saint has things a little confused as to Hal becoming the leader of the Blue Lanterns. That's definitely going to be Kyle. The book is one of DC's best but sadly had a lot of delays hitting it the last few months. Here's hoping they managed to catch up.
Verdict: Definite buy and one of the best overall cosmic books in either company.
Justice Society of America #22 ends the extremely long Gog arc after almost 2 years of storytelling (or to me what's felt like 2 years). It apparently also rips you off as they reprint a few pages from the last issue of Kingdom Come because, no offense to Alex Ross, I've already read the story. We know what happens to Superman. There is still a lot to be fixed with the Society that could have used these pages to resolve. It bothers me that it's reprinted content. That said, they did have a few new pages of Alex Ross artwork at the end of the story which were beautiful so I'll give the story that.
Basically, this comes down to everyone from Magog to Damage realizing that their gifts come at a price and it's time to put a collective foot down once and for all. The scenes where the characters actually do this are very surprising and definitely give some new tragic and confusing things for the title to deal with.
In the end, of course, Starman and Superman have to finish the fight and take Gog somewhere where he will never hurt anyone again. It's fun use of a certain DC mainstay that we actually haven't seen in a while.
Verdict: I do love the book but over all the reprinted pages towards the end really bothered me. Most of the readers know of Kingdom Come and how it ended. If they put up some new pages, I'd be fine with it. Here's hoping next month's kickoff of the Black Adam story will refocus this book into being the one I've loved for years.
Mark Millar and John Romita Jr's Kick-Ass finally makes its return to the comic stands this week. I'm really, really curious exactly what's holding up the book because at this rate we will get the movie before we ever see the end of the series. It's a good book as our hero struggles with someone new showing up and stealing his thunder. In the end, he has his first ever team up. The Red Mist is an interesting character but not as good as Kick-Ass who clearly knows when to do the right thing, even when he's tricked.
The artwork is completely spot on and still the best Romita has done in years as he's basically in a real world setting. It's interesting to see how, when inked, it shines even more and the characters really feel like they're going to jump out of the page at you.
Verdict: I actually really like reading the book every time I get it. It's Superbad in comic book form with a superhero twist. But these delays are killing any and all hope that the movie will eventually garner. Here's hoping the guys can get the last three issues out on time because, for right now, I'm saying my first ever wait for the trade.
We end the week with Alex Grecian and Riley Rossmo's Proof #15 in which the Thunderbirds arc ends and a somewhat new status quo continues to form. It's interesting to see the little character notes throughout the book; such as Proof tearing into the mother for wanting to sacrifice her son to the Thunderbirds or Leander dealing with all the madness over at the lodge with our new wolf friend, the ink money and the tame fairy.
Mi Chen Po and the Rabbi do their best to make sure Joe makes the right decision, but at the end of the day he needs to make up his own mind and goes off to meet Ginger. Once again it's an interesting scene that is a highlight of the book for me as she sends him to help the rest of her friends elsewhere in the tunnels. Of course, Joe isn't the only one Ginger meets down in the caves and I'm sure the story beat will pay off much later in the book as she's warned to watch out for her big partner. Marc has a Captain Hook moment as he gets his hand taken off by one of the gators down in the sewers and Proof tries his best to ask out one of his closest friends. She works with him and ultimately reveals that she would have said yes.
Verdict: It's one of the strongest books in comics and a highlight at the end of every month. I hope all the readers of the column are already reading the book, but if you aren't next issue is definitely a good place to start. I and the rest of the message board posters over at the Proof boards will be making guest appearances as background characters.
Well, that does it for this week readers, tune in next time as we talk about the Secret Six, the Solomon Grundy one shot, and the end of Marvel zombies. See you then!
Eric Ratcliffe is a young writer/pop culture journalist/interviewer currently working on pitching a project named the Hunter chronicles. When not reading his weekly stack Eric can be found watching dvd's, playing on his 360 (gamertag: Zack Hunter) or just surfing online trying to find a scoop or two. Brand new to the Comic Related family, Eric is a fun new voice. Eric shops at TJ's Collectibles. Visit them on the web at www.tjcollect.com!
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