Velvet #1 – Review

by Ed Brubaker (Writer), Steve Epting (Artist), Elizabeth Breitweiser (Colorist)

The Story: One of the top agents of Arc-7 gets killed during a mission. Thankfully, Velvet Templeton is on the case…

The Review: There are a lot of reasons to love Image comics right now. With so many high-profile creators making the jump to non-superhero work with their own characters and concepts, it’s a pretty great thing to behold. With Brian K. Vaughan on Saga, Matt Fraction on Sex Criminals and Satellite Sam, Greg Rucka on Lazarus and so on, it’s like a golden age of creator-owned comics.

Ed Brubaker, while already on track with his own Fatale, is getting even further along as he releases another one this week with Velvet. With his first Image series playing a bit with noir along with horror, this one deals with another type of stories that Brubaker is at ease with: espionage. With Steve Epting, his Captain America collaborator who brought Bucky back to life with Brubaker working with him, this seems like a dream come true for those who grew to appreciate the writers through the Winter Soldier storyline. However, do these two bring out the same amount of quality in this issue as they did in past comics?

Thankfully, they do, as this first issue show a great amount of confidence in both the style and world-building brought forth by Brubaker and the art of Epting. Already setting a conflict right in the very beginning of the issue as well as the tone, Brubaker does not lose a single moment in his script to get most of the series rolling. Doing this, he provides a basis for the characters and a world for them to develop in. It may not be the most original of settings, yet there are a lot of ways in which this first issue does its job really well.

Secret Avengers #7 – Review

Nick Spencer (Writer), Butch Guice, Steve Epting, Brian Theis, Rick Magyar (Artists), Matthew Wilson (Colorist)

The Story: Maria Hill needs to take control of an operation that has gone too far, one that had been ordained by Daisy Johnson herself.

The Review: Back in the days, I only had a single thought when it came to S.H.I.E.L.D. as an agency in the Marvel universe: pity. When an antagonist needed to be shown as a big menace, S.H.I.E.L.D. was always there to provide token ”good guys” being beaten badly in order to set up a scope for the story itself. Rarely had I seen a series that took that agency as being particularly effective or being the actual source that is able to solve a problem.* Secret Invasion, Civil War, Marvel Boy, Captain America by Brubaker and so forth all portray S.H.I.E.L.D. as either being antagonistic or just plain ineffectual, which does not bode well for an organisation that is supposed to be the prime spy agency and the thing that binds the metahuman community together.

It’s a good thing then that some authors like Jonathan Hickman, Mark Waid and Nick Spencer came along to go a bit further in showing the prime spy agency as being actually useful or at least active in several parts. While the discovery of S.H.I.E.L.D. thanks to the marvel cinematic universe has been a boon to the credibility of the agency, in the comics format, Secret Avengers has been another huge bonus thanks to its direction mixing espionage, politics and super heroics.

This issue, in many ways, is a great example of just why this series can work, even though it has still some rough spots here and there. One of the best aspect, though, is the fact that they show how ”the spying game” is played, which makes for a pretty effective comparison to other superheroes book on the market and those made by Marvel itself. It’s a fun thing to see that despite the high action, the jokes, the big hero moments and all, there are other scenes which shows that they clearly cannot remain the supposed ”good guys” in the eyes of the world if they go en masse and attack a whole island without any backing from the U.N of the government. It was a very neat way that allow the readers to differentiates just how an agency like S.H.I.E.L.D. needs to work if they can get several important backing and so forth.

Secret Avengers #3 – Review

By: Nick Spencer (Writer), Luke Ross (Artist), Matthew Wilson (Colorist)

The Story: Marcus Johnson* and Daisy Johnson visit a weapon exposition, while Coulson and his team investigate an A.I.M base that has been blown up.

The Review: Nick Spencer has fooled me. I freely admit it. I had expectations on how certain elements in this issue were going to play out, which were easily explained by the older work he did for Marvel. I thought I knew what he could throw at me and he easily manipulated said expectations to provide for something far more interesting, which I do believe he actually did twice in a row, the first time being with Taskmaster and now with Iron Patriot.

Winter Soldier #16 – Review

By: Jason Latour (Writer), Nic Klein (Artist/Colorist)

The Story: Bucky tries to find Father Hammer, one of the commanding officers from his time as the brainwashed Winter Soldier.

The Review: Jason Latour continues to write up the continuous adventure of James Buchanan Barnes, a character created by Jack Kirby but brought back and modernized by Ed Brubaker. Writing a character that has been really developed and deepened by another writer is tough, but it is doubly so when writing exactly that character’s title. Some writers may do an error once or twice with the characters if he is in a team book, but that kind of leniency is not available in the titular book of said character. Still, Latour managed to write a pretty smart issue last time, so does he keep the same level of quality?

The Activity #1 – Review

By: Nathan Edmondson (writer), Mitch Gerads (art & letters) & Kyle Latino (colors assists)

The Story: Edmondson & Gerads bring us a new series about a covert action team.

Three Things:

1. Tight espionage thrillers are needed. – It always amazes me that we don’t have more comics in the espionage genre.  I mean, even if comics are mostly sold to geeky guys who like superheroes, I think those geeky guys also like espionage.  So, this is probably a smart entry by Edmondson and Gerads.  It is very much in the vein of Mission Impossible: Small team assigned with difficult tasks that they accomplish as much via stealth and brains as by brute force and firepower.  Judging from his past writings, Edmondson should be very good at this type of subject matter.  For one thing, it isn’t that far afield from his very good Who is Jake Ellis? and for another, Edmondson seems the type of writer who does his homework to make sure he gets the technical stuff correct.

2. Nice intro/meet-the-team issue. – This issue didn’t try anything too complicated.  It just introduced us to the team through the eyes of its newest member.  That’s always a reliable and intimate way to view this type of action (the alternative being a story told in complete third person like GI Joe).  And the creators take us on a few simple little missions.  These aren’t action epics….just quickies that show what kinds of things the team can do.  They can shoot when they have to, but they’re just as happy to stay behind the scenes and use high tech gadgets.  I’d imagine that we’ll be getting multi-issue stories in the future, but this issue does a nice job of kicking things off the new readers.

3. Effective art, NICE coloring. – For a first issue, Gerads and Edmondson are working pretty nicely together.  A few of the action sequences go silent and Gerads is up to the task, nicely taking us through a series of panels where there is no doubt about what is happening.  It’s so nice to see a comic be able to do this without resorting to cumbersome word balloons like bodyguards yelling, “This way sir!  We’ll protect you.”  This type of silent art also has the appropriate effect of speeding the storytelling up during the action sequences.  A word should also be said about the coloring.  My first exposure to Gerads was as the colorist on the Boom! series, Starborn.  He did a great job there and is doing it again on this issue.  He makes wonderful use of blue and otherwise uses background color to establish a mood for the scenes.

Conclusion: A very nicely done first issue.  It introduces the characters and situation about as well as any #1 issue I’ve read in a long time.  Further, it doesn’t leave us with any messy baggage dragging into the second issue.  You should be able to tell whether you like this series by the first issue alone.

Jumping on Point?: They don’t get much better.  Even for a #1 issue, it is especially good at introductions.

Grade: B

-Dean Stell

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Incognito: Bad Influences #1 – Review

By: Ed Brubaker (writer), Sean Phillips (art & letters) & Val Staples (colors)

The Story: What will Zack Overkill do now that he’s one of the good guys?

What’s Good: We use the term “creative team” a lot in comics: “Try this comic.  It has a new ‘creative team’ staring with issue #___.”  But, to use that term thusly is really a disservice to this creative TEAM.  The team of Brubaker, Phillips and Staples has brought us ~30 issues of Criminal and Incognito and they’ve gotten to the point where you can just tell that they don’t have to spend a lot of time giving instruction to one another.  They can just focus on their portion of the creative process because they pretty much know what the next guy will do with their work product.  Not to mention, they know the strengths of the others on the team and can lob meatballs that the other guy can just hit out of the park.

In case you cannot tell, the prior paragraph’s gushing means that Incognito: Bad Influences is a really good comic book.  It picks up some time after the events of the first volume of Incognito.  A year, perhaps??  The reader need not have read the first volume, but you’ll understand what is going on better if you do.  Not to mention that the first volume is an outstanding story of a super-villain in witness protection (think of a mob story, but with super powers).  At the end of the volume, the main character, Zack Overkill seems to have reformed and become one of the good guys.

It appears that this story is going to be more espionage flavored as Zack is sent on a secret mission that will tempt him to fall back into old habits.  An espionage comic is going to play right into the hands of the creative team.  It should be a lot of fun to watch this play out over the next few months.

Secret Warriors #3 (Dark Reign) – Review

By Brian Michael Bendis (Story), Jonathan Hickman (Story & Script), Stefano Caselli (Art), and Daniele Rudoni (Color Art)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: To simply say that I was looking forward to the launch of Secret Warriors would not do my anticipation for the series justice. A quick look through the “Best of ’08” feature will reveal that Secret Warriors is being worked on by what pretty much amounts to my personal creative dream team of sorts. And let’s not forget that Nick Fury is one of the main characters… Always a good thing. So since I didn’t review the first two issues, let me just say that I’m loving the series so far and can’t wait to read more.

The Story: The team’s assignment is to head to a shadow S.H.I.E.L.D. psi-agent processing and quarantine facility to make sure Hydra doesn’t get any hands on the vital assets kept there. Unfortunately for Fury’s “Caterpillar” team, the Hydra group targeting the S.H.I.E.L.D. building happens to include the recently resurrected Gorgon. Meanwhile, Nick Fury takes some time out in order to have dinner with an old flame.

What’s Good: Intensity. Only a few issues in and I can comfortably say that nearly every Secret Warriors panel is loaded with it. From the tight writing to the moody, kinetic artwork, no other series brings intensity to the reader so damn effectively. And Secret Warriors #3 may be the best issue yet.
Jonathan Hickman’s slick script is packed with sharp dialogue and great character work. It really is that good. I truly believe you are going to have a tough time finding a more gripping read this April. A particular scene worth noting is the chilling moment between Phobos and Gorgon.  The scene really drives home the type of villains the Secret Warriors are facing. In addition, the dinner scene featuring Nick Fury is prime example of what makes him such a memorable character.
As for the artwork, Stefano Caselli and Daniele Rudoni absolutely knock it out of the park for the most part. The characters are full of emotion and the action absolutely jumps off the page. I do have one complaint though…

What’s Not So Good: If Secret Warriors #3 has any flaws, they have more to do with something the creative team has to overcome as opposed to anything that’s wrong with the individual issue.  For example, since Fury’s team is made up mostly of a group of unknowns, the characters carry around a bit of baggage.
Furthermore, I have found that the battle scenes tend to be a bit confusing, as discerning powers and keeping up with the frantic pace set by Caselli’s artwork can occasionally be a bit frustrating.  In Secret Warriors #3, I definitely found myself trying to decipher an action panel or two.   Also, Phobos, Quake (Daisy), and Hellfire (J.T.) are really the only three team members I feel I know anything about. I thought by now I’d have a better grip on the team as a whole. A small complaint considering how great most of the cast is, but worth mentioning regardless. I’m sure everyone will be fleshed out soon enough, but as of now I can’t help but feel as though some of the character development is a bit lacking.

Conclusion: I highly recommend Secret Warriors #3. And while I wish a few of the growing pains would go away, they do little to detract from the quality of the issue. In this reviewer’s opinion, if you aren’t reading Secret Warriors, you’re missing out on a potential “series of the year” candidate.

Grade:  A-

-Kyle Posluszny

Ms. Marvel #33 – Review

By Brian Reed (Writer), Adriana Melo (Pencils), Mariah Benes (Inks), and Chris Sotomayor (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Let me just get it out of the way and say how pleased I was to find the art team of Adriana Melo, Mariah Benes, and Chris Sotomayor working on Ms. Marvel again. The three of them make for one hell of a team in my opinion. It will be interesting to see what they can do with a story that is much more subdued than the Secret Invasion arc that they worked on together.

The Story: The origin story of Carol Danvers, the secret agent continues as Brian Reed continues to jump around the timeline to tell about the mystery surrounding something called “Ascension.” Unfortunately, I am going to have to leave it at that. To say much more regarding the plot is a bit difficult due to the nature of the storytelling style being used, but I will say that the issue picks up nicely from where the last left off.

What’s Good: I definitely like what Brian Reed is doing with his tale of espionage and intrigue. It provides a great glimpse into the events and people that shaped the hero known as Ms. Marvel into the character she is today. The mystery surrounding “Ascension” looks to be filled with an interesting cast and some surprising ties to the present. The main question though is whether or not Reed has the ability to really pull this story off in a satisfying manner. And an answer regarding that will have to wait.

One thing is for certain, Ms. Marvel #33 reads and looks much better than #32. The reason? The story is given some much needed breathing room and much better looking visuals. While Paulo Siqueira did a nice enough job last month, I consider Adriana Melo’s work an upgrade in nearly every way. Not only does she draw one hell of a Carol Danvers, her work is more detailed, more attractive, and just all around more visually striking.

What’s Not So Good: The issue as a whole still leaves a whole bunch of stuff up in the air regarding the plot. While it is fun to get drawn into the mystery along with the character, it leads to some confusion regarding exactly what the hell is going on. Visually, the only complaint I have is that a few scenes leave the characters looking a bit like, well, zombies. For whatever reason, a few panels show the characters without pupils and it’s quite creepy-looking. A strange bit of missing detail, yet it’s still impressive work.

Conclusion: It is still far too early to judge this story as a whole, but I like what is happening so far. Ms. Marvel fans should find a lot to like here, even if it lacks the usual superheroics.

Grade: B

-Kyle Posluszny

Pilot Season: Alibi #1 – Review

Joshua Hale Fialkov (Writer) and Jeremy Haun (Artist)

Alibi tells the story of two brothers working together to perform various assassinations while one sits locked inside an interrogation room. As with any good espionage story, Alibi features a number of twists, turns, code words, and betrayals. While it is a fun read that will keep you guessing, Alibi suffers from one major problem: It feels like part of a larger picture that there is no way of gaining knowledge of (due to the nature of the Pilot Season). Each story has one chance to make a good impression and, while I am intrigued by what’s here, it feels like too many pieces are missing to get a solid grasp on what is really going on. Part of me really hopes that this is one of the comics to get picked up as an ongoing series.

Joshua Hale Fialkov shows he has a nice grasp on what makes a story like this work. The characters are interesting, the dialogue is clever, and the style of storytelling (he jumps between the two brothers) works quite well. If only he had considered the nature of the Pilot Season a bit more so that the plot came together more quickly. It honestly feels as though this issue takes place right in the middle of a much larger arc instead of acting as a stand alone story or the beginning of something bigger. What makes Genius work so well earlier this month is it feels as though the story is just getting started. 

Alibi is a pretty nice looking book all around thanks to some good work by Jeremy Haun. Particularly impressive is his use of color during the Middle East scenes. An extra layer of detail over everything would have been welcome, but that is a fairly minor complaint on an otherwise solid effort.

I wanted to like Alibi as much as I enjoyed Genius, but the storytelling just wouldn’t let me. There are some good ideas here and this type of story could go a long way in a comic series, but this issue, taken on its own, feels both incomplete and disjointed. I honestly believe this series could go places, but Joshua Fialkov has made a rookie mistake, chosing a poor place to start a debut issue. (Grade: C)

-Kyle Posluszny