Fantastic Four #9 – Review

By: James Robinson (Writer), Marc Laming (Penciller), Scott Hanna (Inker, 4-6), Jesus Aburtov (Color Artist), VC’s Clayton Cowles (Letterer), Leonard Kirk & Israel Silva (Cover Artists)

The Story: Problems are always made worse when running into your ex-girlfriend.

The Review: First of all, the cover. It’s something quite fun and exuberant, and it’s not often you can say that for today’s comics. Partly that comes from the smiles on the children’s faces, which, again, is not something that you’re likely to see on any given cover nowadays. (Assuming, of course, that Franklin’s expression is, in fact, a smile. How unfortunate that the most prominent face on the cover is also the most poorly depicted.) Also fun? The Kirby-crackle in the Human Torch’s powers, with flames that are also more bubbly instead of edgy.

Inside, it’s artist Laming’s turn to provide art, and he has a key set piece in presenting an Escher-like scientific Eden. By contrast, one of the other scenes really require much else, such as a window-paneled SHIELD headquarters and gray walls of a prison. What I’d like to see more of, overall, is some variety of expression by the characters. In general, everyone just slightly opens his/her mouth, as everyone is in a constant state of saying “uhhh….” until there is an occasional subtle smile. Push those expressions more, please, and have characters act/pose in a greater variety than simply lifting a hand to indicate they are talking.

I count a total of eight blows given by supervillains, making the first time in half a year or so that there’s been a hero-villain showdown, thanks to the Thing being imprisoned. It’s all a set-up for a surprising reveal of the She-Thing, which promises some interesting interaction for sure, at least for those that remember she was once Ms. Marvel, a member of the Fantastic Four, and love interest for Ben Grimm. (Still, some part of me wonders if there is a logical piece of the story missing– as in the actual investigation of Grimm’s accusation of murder. I get the sense that this is just taken for granted since the story that is “important” is the Thing’s life in prison, but it reflects poorly on any other aspect of the FF’s world.)

Kings Watch #4 – Review

by Jeff Parker (Writer), Marc Laming (Artist), Jordan Boyd (Colorist)

The Story: Ming comes out of the gate, ready to integrate Earth to his empire, whether its population wants to or not.

The Review: Revamping characters has got to be a rather hard task. Whenever a character needs to be updated for a newer audience, there is always the need to preserve what has been unique to the character while removing the elements that might not be working as well today. Some characters, in many ways, do tend to translate well to a modern audience thanks to a good imagination and some solid concepts behind them, but not all character are so lucky.

It’s why it’s rather impressive to see that Jeff Parker has successfully brought back some older pulp character to the forefront without removing much of what made them likable to begin with. In Kings Watch, parts of the fun was the merging of old-school sensibilities with newer methods to push forward some characters that were definitely simple back in what some might call ”the good old days”. However, with the way the story got bigger with each issues, how could Parker actually continue in a way that could keep up with the conflict without sacrificing any of the previous strengths?

The writer mostly find a way. Without being a perfect continuation to this rise in terms of threat, the opening of the issue as well as the ways the trio of protagonists deals with the army from Mongo does make for an interesting continuation of the story.

The threat that Ming represent is made clear in this issue, bringing in various humanoid beasts, aliens and some clever additions and changes in the battlefield that is the Earth that allows for the heroes to shine in various ways. The way their army and their technology makes them a superior force to reckon with makes it so the stakes are big, but also indubitably clear. Those are the kind of problems that super heroes are there for.

Kings Watch #3 – Review

by Jeff Parker (Writer), Marc Laming (Artist), Jordan Boyd (Colorist)

The Story: The protagonists finally band together as the secret of the Kings Watch stands revealed.

The Review: Patience is a virtue that I can be lacking sometimes. In a world where everyone wants everything straight away, these kind of thoughts tend to parasite things we enjoy among a multitude of others. While I am a fan of Jeff Parker, I was getting a bit tired of this mini-series, with how disconnected some of the events could seem and how its three protagonists did not seem to do much beside explain one or two points in each issues. It wasn’t tedious or boring, yet I had seen Jeff Parker write much better comics than this.

Well, it seems my impatience has been unjustly rewarded as the third issue of this series is where not only everything connects, but it also give plenty of rather entertaining and awesome moments for either fans of the characters and those that wish to know a little bit more about them.

One of the rather great elements of this issue is the sensation of spectacle, as there are some introductions and display of major players and what they can do, all done in impressive and satisfactory ways here. Mandrake the magician, the legacy of the Phantom, the secret of the Kings Watch, Ming the merciless and other such concepts are presented in ways that are rather big and expansive. It’s a bit reminiscent of modern super hero comics in a way, as reveals here are treated as results of huge buildup, which is what this story does in a lot of pages. In terms of action and development, it is a ton of fun.

King’s Watch #2 – Review

Jeff Parker (Writer), Marc Laming (Artist) Jordan Boyd (Colorist)

The Story: The Phantom learn more about what is going on about the Kings Watch, while Flash gets attacked by the Cobra.

The Review: Old characters still hold some kind of charm, don’t they? After all, the most iconic of super heroes all picked up one or several elements from pulp characters or other old tales in their conception, as traces of the Shadow and Zorro can be seen in Batman, some bits of Mandrake the magician can be seen in Dr. Strange and the list goes on. They may not be the most seriously taken characters nowadays thanks to some of most silly aspects that are attributed to them (like the Phantom’s costume), but for some they hold a cherished place in the collective consciousness of comic readers.

It seems they hold a dear place to Jeff Parker’s heart as well, as he seems to not only respect the origin of those characters, but also manage to bring them to modern time without making them look ridiculous or dated. It would be particularly tough to see the Phantom as an effective and threatening figure, yet Parker seem to succeed as he build on many elements of his mythos to bring the story up to speed while adding flavour to the ongoing narrative. The same also goes with Flash Gordon, a character mostly know for the serials that would nowadays look quite dated, as he participates in the action, showing what makes him special without destroying the tale in the process.

King’s Watch #1 – Review

by Jeff Parker (Writer), Marc Laming (Artist), Jordan Boyd (Colorist)

The Story: It seems the end of the world is close at hand, as people investigates it, some reacts to it while heroes are on the move.

The Review: There always comes a time for any readers when they decide to follow an artist or a writer. Most people go and buy most of the series involving their favourite characters, but most of us do have a tendency to try out some of the names in the industry. It might be because of a title they wrote, or their personal view on certain subjects and theme, but whichever the reason, it makes us want to see more from that particular author.

It’s no secret that I have a fondness for Jeff Parker’s work, who made me a fan of the Red Hulk and made me love the dysfunctional yet always likeable cast from Thunderbolts. He also had a knack for inventive stories and using golden age heroes, which has been a staple for the numerous Agents of Atlas volumes written by him. With such a pedigree, it seems that him handling a bunch of pulp heroes and teaming them up together should be right up his alley, but is it so?

In a way, it’s a mixed issue, as it does bring up some of the themes rather nicely, yet fails in some other areas. One of the aspects which he does nicely, however, is bring in the general tone that is fitting of each of the character, with Flash Gordon being the reckless adventurer he always is, Mandrake being a bit unsure, yet full of mystery and the Phantom being the brave action he always had been. Even with the minimal knowledge that some may possess of these characters, Parker does not fail to bring their personalities to the forefront.