New Avengers #32 – Review

By: Brian Michael Bendis (story), Carlos Pacheco (pencils), Roger Martinez, Cam Smith, & Scott Hanna (inks), Rain Beredo (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story:  Our mysterious body-snatching villain wreaks absolute chaos at Avengers Mansion.  Also, someone dies.

The Review:  Anyone who’s followed Bendis’ Avengers books for an extended period of time know that it’s been an uneven ride and often a rough one.  That being said, I proudly confess to being a fan of the man, willing to give a look at just about anything the man does.  Given that he’s written three of my favourite comic runs of all time (Alias, Powers, and Daredevil), I feel I owe it to the man.  As such, I’m really happy to see that he’s closing out his New Avengers run in style.

This arc of New Avengers really does deliver Bendis’ strengths without the weaknesses – the characters feel human, more friends than team-mates, and there’s a personal touch to the characters throughout.  I also love the fact that it’s a mystic storyline.  Bendis ramps that aspect of the story up this month, with battles in the astral plane and even a light touch of horror, as mind controlled persons are forced to do bad things to themselves and others.

Powers #6 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Michael Avon Oeming (art), Nick Filardi (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: Walker and Calista go on their first adventure together, a god (maybe) is found murdered, and a certain someone makes her unexpected return in an unexpected capacity.

What’s Good: Calista comes out as the star this month.  While her role as Walker’s student expands with her first team-up alongside him, she’s the highlight this month if only because her personality really shines.  Calista is really at her most adorable this month, so much so that it’s impossible not to like her.  Best of all is that this likability is wholly natural and never saccharine, as it’s accomplished chiefly through Calista’s absurd sense of humor and Bendis’ writing of her youthful impatience.  Calista’s dialogue was a job well done by Bendis this month; she’s funny, she’s human, and her age and personality really come through.

Other than Calista-related awesomeness, this month is fairly devoted to set-up.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as it’s intriguing and really promising for the future, as Bendis seems to intend this arc to address a region of superheroics that he’d left untouched so far.  It looks as though this arc is going to be dedicated to the mythological gods who always seem to somehow find their way into superhero tights in the comics world.  That Bendis has never even once mentioned this area before is stunning and that I had never thought of it myself is testament to how good Powers really is.  Considering the various intelligent riffs Bendis has made on superhero comics in Powers, I can’t wait to see what he does here.

Then of course, there’s the surprise return.  Even though it’s not really a surprise, given the solicitations and the cover of next month’s issue, the capacity in which the character returns is certainly an interesting one.

Scalped #38 – Review

by Jason Aaron (writer), R.M. Guera, Giulia Brusco (colors), and Steve Wands (letters)

The Story: From the Vietnam War to the reserve, a character crucial to Scalped’s history is illuminated for the very first time.

What’s Good: It’s hard to write a comic centred on a character in existential crisis.  The problem is that it’s difficult to have readers be sympathetic with a character with no fixed identity or to understand a character who doesn’t understand him or herself.  Yet somehow, Aaron manages it.

I think it’s largely due to Aaron’s focus on mood, atmosphere, and environment (the end of the Vietnam War) despite the heavy character work.  While we never fully grasp Wade’s motivations, aside from some vague ideas of destiny towards issue’s end, we are carried along the stream right with him.  Wade seems to float through his life in this book and so, that’s what we do.  Regardless of what major historical events he’s a part of or what completely spontaneous acts of violence or cruelty he commits, there’s a constant sense of meandering and meaninglessness, possibly because of that very spontaneity.   Even when he does a fairly heroic deed, it doesn’t feel like a fist-pump; Wade rescues an old man from slavery, only for the man to spit in his face and say “go home.”

That sums up the effective moodiness of this issue, really.  A constant sense of drifting lethargy and confusion encircles a man who bounces from day to day, surviving but not really living, making as few choices as he has to and often being unaware of it when he actually does.  Due to Wade’s “curse” (by dumb luck, he seemingly can’t be killed), even war is made bland and un-invigorating.  Wade’s life is just one big wash that sees him increasingly isolated on his existential island.  By issue’s end, when Wade actually begins to have some sense of destiny, this lasts all of a couple pages before that is quickly inverted and problematized.