Ex Machina #41 – Review

by Brian K. Vaughan (writer), Tony Harris (pencils), Jim Clark (inks), JD Mettler (colors)

The Story: After a long wait, the final arc of Ex Machina begins.  Mitchell Hundred has a shocking announcement regarding his political career, dark secrets from Hundred’s past are hinted at, and an ending you won’t want to miss suggests the possible return of a character from Hundred’s past.

The Good: Though I do wish we’d see more of his writing in comics, Vaughan is still razor sharp.  Writing-wise, this is the Ex Machina we all know and love: tight and witty dialogue, enjoyable action, and great plotting.  The “conversation” between reflecting panhandler and comically “out of it addict” is great, as is Mitchell’s declared love for NYC and its people.  Vaughan’s cast of characters is as enjoyable as ever.

With this issue, Vaughan has crafted a first chapter that really does its job as the opener of a new story arc.  Several hooks are planted and several mysteries are suggesedt that will all leave you salivating for issue number 2.  What is this dreaded “white box?”  What is Hundred’s coming announcement?  It’s not all merely hooks and hints though, as Hundred’s press conference and the “uh oh” ending of the issue move the plot along, with the latter in particular introducing what will no doubt be a central conflict in this arc.

With so many hints of things to come, the only fault of the writing is that it’s left me wanting issue 42 so very badly, and that’s exactly how it should be.  It got me hooked and despite revealing very little, I’m sure curtains will begin to drop next month.  I also really enjoyed the concerns of economic crisis.  Indeed, it is only 2004 in the comic, but, as Vaughan no doubt intended,  it plays very nicely with the current recession.

The Not-so-Good: While Vaughan hasn’t missed a step, Tony Harris sure has.  Unfortunately, this issue reeks of an artist cutting corners and rushing it through.

For those that don’t know, Harris is an artist who uses photo-references.  Regardless, I’ve always been a fan of Harris’ work.  He captured the series’ tone and delivered a high degree of realism and detail.  I’ve always liked his stuff.

However, things are just off here, as some frames are just flat out rushed and end up looking sloppy (see the press conference, particularly the reporters).  At other times, the issue shows the worst of photo-referencing; characters come off as static and posed (the conversation with January), a problem I’ve rarely had with Harris before.

Even Harris’ storytelling/plotting is off-kilter.  The crucial scene between Bradbury and Suzanne Padilla is just a mess, feeling as though each character was a separate image, all of them shoved into the same frame with the subsequent interactions feeling unnatural and forced.  It’s very disconcerting, particularly when some of these characters feel reproduced from previous frames with only minor adjustments.

It also appears that Harris is having some difficulties drawing eyes.  Several times, with Hundred and the panhandler, a characters sports one eye that is freakishly larger than the other.  Even worse, the panhandler starts his scene looking exactly like Mitchell Hundred, only with a beard.  Then by the scene’s end, this is halted, leading to the poor panhandler looking like two entirely different people.  It’s a damned shame considering how great Vaughan’s writing/dialogue is in this scene.

Lastly, Mettler’s colours also are a bit off, coming across as weirdly and incongruously bright during a brief portion in the middle of the issue.  It’s almost as though he had someone else take over for a few pages.

The Bottom-line: The same great writing we’ve come to expect is accompanied by a parodic, slapped together version of the art we’ve also come to expect.  Considering how long this took, it’s a bit shameful.  Vaughan’s always excellent writing saves this from being a total disaster and makes this issue still worth picking up if you’re an Ex Machina fan, but I pray to God that Harris pulls himself together.

Grade: C

-Alex Evans

Spider-Man: With Great Power #3 (of 5)- Review

By David Lapham (writer), Tony Harris (pencils), Jim Clark (inks), J.D. Mettler & Paul Mounts (colors)

Wow, this is the first issue of this mini-series that I actually didn’t hate! We finally get to see more of what will be Peter Parker’s supporting cast and we even get to see a monster or two. The wrestling career is still here, make no mistake, but it finally takes a back seat after the first half of the book (or so). From there, the story centers around Peter’s social life at school, his pursuit of Liz Allen, and how Uncle Ben discovers something awry. We also get our first look at the infamous “burglar”. The scene  as Peter lets him go into the elevator plays out fairly close to what we’ve seen in Amazing Fantasy #15, but David Lapham’s doesn’t disclose how he will play into Uncle Ben’s demise.

As with the previous issues, the wrestling career stuff is just atrocious. Not only is this detailed facet of Spider-Man’s life completely unnecessary, the cast of characters that inhabit this area are completely lame. His manager is a complete bimbo and his promoter seeks nothing but exploitation. Yet, Peter struts around with his cocky attitude and narrative with no regard to anyone but himself. Granted, there was some selfishness involved in the original story by Stan Lee, but this is just too extreme. And while I somewhat enjoyed the latter half of the issue with him working Liz Allen for a date – for her to give him the time of day and actually go to a nightclub with him is completely ridiculous.

Once again, what grounds this issue in “Spidey” reality are Uncle Ben, Aunt May, and J. Jonah Jameson. Lapham writes these characters with their classic characteristics. For someone who becomes so prominent in Peter’s life, it’s weird seeing Aunt May almost being kept in the shadows. I guess Lapham is trying to make this more Uncle Ben’s story. It works, too. I can’t help but feel for the guy.

Tony Harris does more incredible artwork in this issue. It’s, by far, the highlight of this series. He had to be happy to finally get out of the wrestling locker room and draw New York, monsters, and just more Spider-Man-esque stuff. The colors continue to be a big part of this book as well – J.D. Mettler and Paul Mounts create a world rich with color and what can I say? It’s just a feast to the eyes. Story wise, this book passes… barely. Art wise, it’s utterly beautiful. (Grade: C-)

-J. Montes

Spider-Man: With Great Power #2 (of 5) – Review

By David Lapham (writer), Tony Harris (pencils), Jim Clark (inks), J.D. Mettler (colors)

*sigh* I want to love this book. I really do. Spider-Man’s my favorite character, the creative team is incredibly talented, and yet, this book fails on so many levels. David Lapham’s story is such an enigma; it’s just frustrating. I can’t remember having this much disdain for Peter Parker. Instead of the sweet tempered kid, we get a pompous jerk who is completely caught up in himself.

Now, I know it took a disastrous turn of events to make Peter realize his mantra of responsibility, but in this mini-series you don’t even want to root for him. He’s a complete jerk and I was honestly cheering for him to fail. The only people I genuinely care about are Aunt May and Uncle Ben. The disrespect and crap Peter puts them through is just outrageous.

Once again, the only beacon of light comes from Tony Harris, Jim Clark, and J.D. Mettler. Every page they do is just pure magic. Props also go out to Joe Caramagna for making the lettering pop out in a flamboyant, but fun way. I love David Lapham as a writer and artist. But this story just isn’t working for me. I’ll keep reading, hoping things improve, but my doubt is running high. I can understand if you’re trying to teach Peter Parker a lesson in humility, but this is ridiculous. A person this pompous doesn’t deserve to wear that outfit.

Marvel says it wants Spider-Man to be care-free and fun again, but this book is anything but. Peter Parker is a complete emo, filled with teenage angst and zero charisma. (Grade: D)

– J. Montes

Spider-Man: With Great Power #1 (of 5) – Review

By: David Lapham (Writer), Tony Harris (Pencils), Jim Clark (Inks), J.D. Mettler (Colors)

Make no mistake, I’m a huge fan of David Lapham’s body of work – especially his earlier Valiant work. The Batman story he did a couple of years ago? It was pretty good. His Terror Inc. mini-series is fun. And being that Spidey’s my favorite character, I was really anticipating this storyline.

Alas, Spider-Man: With Great Power reminds me of something John Byrne did about a decade ago with Spider-Man: Chapter One. Honestly, who’s idea was this? How many times must we read a different take on Spider-Man’s origin. The fact that this story takes place now (with pop culture references to Jay Leno and Dave Letterman), makes this story more dismissible. Yes, it’s the classic story of Peter Parker and Lapham doesn’t miss a beat on who he is and what happens to him – but it’s all just a retread. Sure, Lapham adds some new story bits with Flash Thompson, Liz Allen, and Peter’s wrestling career, but because this story isn’t true Spider-Man canon, it’s completely useless.

There is one thing that shines in this book, however: the art. I’m not sure if I’ve seen Tony Harris’ art before, but good lord, this guy can draw. No, really, this guy can really draw! J.D. Mettler also adds a lot of depth with his colors; this is one beautiful book!

I suppose if you’re new to Spider-Man or new to reading comics, this could be a nice introduction to the character, but it just feels like another origin story forced down our throat. I mean, didn’t we just get Mythos: Spider-Man last June (yet another re-telling of Amazing Spider-Man #15)?

The biggest insult is that this book is $3.99! Who decides this stuff?! I’m sorry, despite the gorgeous art, I can’t recommend this book. We’ve read this story too many times. It’s time for something new. (Grade: C-)

– J.Montes