Black Widow #4 – Review

by Nathan Edmondson (Writer), Phil Noto (Artist)

The Story: A strong and mad Russian monk against a Russian super spy. Fight!

The Review: Black Widow is probably one of the characters who received quite a lot of attentions and the most chances from Marvel. Appearing in the 60’s, during the rise of Marvel comics, she was heavily featured in many teams, from many iterations of the Avengers down to the Champions. Appearing in many titles as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, one of Daredevil’s old flame and through various versions, she has always been a staple of this universe in many ways, yet never in ways that felt as if she was ready for a big spotlight.

Cue the Avengers movie, with Scarlett Johansson playing her in ways that not only made her cool, but also as a true character with actual potential. Enamoured with her as she kicked Chitauri butt and manipulated the very god of lies and deceit on the silver screen, the potential to make her a bigger star was there. With Nathan Edmondson primed on her series and writing it quite adequately so far, the series if off to a brilliant start, yet can it stay the course and continue a quality streak, or will a specific issue bring it down a notch?

The unfortunate answer is found in this issue, as the fourth chapter in Natasha Romanov’s saga is a good deal weaker than the first three issues, due to a certain number of problems, the first of them being the actual plot.

Focusing on Natasha chasing down a certain criminal after a botched job that didn’t even began in the right way, there is a certain lack of buildup or progression that allows for the titular character to shine or actually be of importance. While the focus on Molot, the antagonist of this issue, and his actions is a sound approach to storytelling, it would make for a lot better issue if there was more to him than just his actions.

Punisher #3 – Review

by Nathan Edmondson (Writer), Mitch Gerads (Artist)

The Story: Can you harm electricity with bullets? I suppose Frank will find out soon enough as he fights Electro.

The Review: It must be tough to have a handle on a popular property. When a writer gets to write another chapter in the continuing adventures of a highly known and liked character, there must be a high amount of pressure. There’s a need to stick to what makes the property well-liked in the first place, but also a need to add something new all the same, to integrate a new voice all the same to the continuity.

It’s what Nathan Edmondson has to struggle with in this latest volume of Punisher. With some definitely highly-regarded stories done by reputed storytellers before him, the writer has the challenge to match them but also distinguish himself from what came before, which is a tough task with a character as singularly-minded in his appeal as Frank Castle. While past issues did their best to make it so this new volume has promise, does the third issue shows the same promise is the premise faltering?

Unfortunately, it’s a bit of a weaker offering this time around, despite some good ideas being thrown around to make things interesting. The explanation of what the weapon that brought Frank to L.A is, the arrival of Electro and the pretty solid amount of action is definitely a plus for the book, putting forth a good amount of what the character is appreciated for as well as a certain amount of depth to the first story arc.

What’s also good, but also different, is the manner in which Frank acts and operates with his mission. A bit more open to other people, yet not without his tactical approach to wholesale slaughter of criminals, this is a new type of Punisher that is quite fun to read. The contrast in how he talks to Tuggs in this issue and how he simply blast his way through henchmen is a rather simple, yet effective one that do send the message that Edmondson knows who Frank Castle is well.

Punisher #2 – Review

by Nathan Edmondson (Writer), Mitch Gerads (Artist)

The Story: The Howling Commandos get even more interested in Frank as he begins to settle down in L.A.

The Review: Some people believe that opening issues are crucial. They need to open up possibilities, set up one or many ongoing threads, set up a world and its characters along many other things. There is a need for a hook to make sure readers are ready to get invested in the story and how the characters have to do with it. In a market with plenty of new series and new volumes starting in a competitive manner, that is something that stands up as even more truthful these days.

It is also something that I believe in, yet I also completely believe in an even bigger importance in the second issue. The follow-up to the opening needs to prove that it can sustain the themes and the possible progress the title has previously introduced. Unfortunately, as much as the first issue of this current volume of Punisher had been potent, there are some problems with the second one that does not necessarily bode well for the series.

The problems have nothing to do with some of the finer points like the cast. The way Frank Castle interacts with Tuggs, his weapon supplier, Lou the restaurant owner and officer Stone is actually quite interesting. With the character previously portrayed as a loner dedicated solely to his job, it is kind of refreshing to see a sort of nuance to how he actually talk with them in a semi-friendly manner. The addition to Loot, a coyote Frank saved could also bring a nice little humanity to the character that has been missing in previous iterations.

Black Widow #3 – Review

by Nathan Edmondson (Writer), Phil Noto (Artist)

The Story: In and out of a mission, one does not mess around with Natasha Romanov.

The Review: Formulas are somewhat hard to judge. While many books can be called out for using the same plotlines and the same methods for a long period of times, there is always a certain usefulness to regularity. Adding consistency to a book, a formula can be played with, subverted or twisted around in order to make it more entertaining or daring, yet not all writers can pull it off.

While Black Widow is a decidedly young title, the formula is already set in place, for good or ill. Natasha accepts a mission, run the whole thing and then return to her apartment as her development with the cat advance a tiny bit. While this approach might become somewhat problematic in the long run for this series, the immediacy does serve its purpose in developing the character and the title all the while. However, does the third issue show cracks in the regular proceeding, or does Nathan Edmondson provide plenty of qualities for the book to thrive?

In some ways, while the formula is played just a bit around, there are some improvements in this issue which does show that the writer does have ideas for the character. Opening straight on a mission, this issue skips around the introduction of some of its elements in favour of putting the character right in the middle of the action. Juggling development, explanations and a good touch of mystery to the tale, Edmondson is able to keep the readers on their toe without sacrificing any other aspects of this issue, balancing things out rather beautifully.

Punisher #1 – Review

by Nathan Edmondson (Writer), Mitch Gerads (Artist)

The Story: Now located in L.A, Frank Castle continues his war on crime.

The Review: Like any human being, I am full of contradictions. While I do enjoy cosmic and high adventure tremendously, I still have a soft spot for lower settings, for the more mundane stories with a more realistic approach. Preferring ambitious stories instead of more traditional ones, I still find ways to thoroughly enjoy the adventures of characters like Frank Castle and the noir approach of certain writers like Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka.

Thus, it’s a rather welcome sight to see the Punisher getting a new ongoing, with a creative team that has shown it can handle military, espionage and warfare very well in The Activity. With the writer being rather good when it comes to realistic settings and to a more nuanced approach to violence and war tactics, this could be very well the beginning of a very beautiful thing. However, does Nathan Edmondson provides the necessary spark to begin a new chapter in the life of Frank Castle, a character that has been touched by a plethora of talent in the past?

If the first chapter of this new volume is any indication, this ought to be good, as Nathan Edmondson dives right into the heart of the matter, giving new readers and fan a good take on the character without forgetting to add to the character. There has been many different interpretation of the character, with Garth Ennis driven and rather stoic Punisher, the more bombastic and pragmatic one from Rick Remender or the more silent and professional version that was Greg Rucka’s. Edmondson version is his own, with a more talkative personality and a certain penchant for conversation and repartee that is not unlike Ennis or Remender, yet it is dialed down to a certain approach to his work that makes this an elegant amalgamation of three distinct voices without being defined as just that. Distancing the character from the loner perspective that has been his in the past, there are a few supporting characters with which Frank might interact with in further details down the line, cementing this as not just being the ongoing war on crime that Frank is in, but perhaps something more. It is a certain diversion of what the character is known for, yet it is not one that remove or destroy anything from the character. As far as alternative versions goes, this one isn’t bad at all.

Black Widow #2 – Review

by Nathan Edmondson (Writer), Phil Noto (Artist)

The Story: A contract goes very wrong in Shanghai as Natasha needs to get out of a mess.

The Review: There is no such things as a bad character. While this is a rather controversial statement, it is something that I believe in, with every single character possessing the potential to draw in readers if a right angle can be found. Titles like X-Men Legacy and Journey Into Mystery proved to me that characters such as David Haller and Sif could be actually interesting and entertaining with their general outlook on their philosophy and their adventures and so did Black Widow.

I have to confess I never had much interest in Natasha Romanoff before, with the Avengers movie only providing me with a little spark of curiosity in face of the old Marvel character. However, by taking a chance, the first issue managed to be rather good, with a certain emphasis on her taking jobs, providing a few surprises and some qualities along the way. However, first issues aren’t everything as the team must prove that their concepts can provide entertainment for the long run. Is the second issue as good as the first one?

In a general manner, this issue is consistent in terms of quality, although there are some areas in which it is a bit stronger and others where it is weaker. The overview of how Natasha operates and the kind of life she has led until her Avengers days are rather interesting, putting a lot of potential for problems and conflicts from her past, which shows up in this issue. The way Edmondson already plays a bit around the motivation behind her actions and the results of her present and past demeanour makes for something that is indeed interesting to follow.

Black Widow #1 – Review

by Nathan Edmondson (Writer), Phil Noto (Artist)

The Story: Natasha Romanoff tells us a bit about herself and what she does when she isn’t with S.H.I.E.L.D. or with the Avengers.

The Review: I almost didn’t buy this book. I had close to no real intention of ever reading this thing at first, but then I remembered I had made the resolution to try out new things for 2014. With close to no expectation except perhaps a bit of espionage action, I went out to buy the book to at least give this title a chance.

Black Widow, as a character, is not one I’m exactly terribly fond of, as cool as she was in the Avengers movie. Perhaps it’s the fact that she does not seem as cool as other members of every team she was in or the fact that I could not remove the fact that she has been mostly used as either a double-agent or an over-sexualized character in other titles, I was never that huge a fan of her.

Still, reading this issue, I was pleasantly surprised as the take of Nathan Edmondson takes c page out of Matt Fraction’s book, with a certain angle that is not dissimilar to Hawkeye, yet goes in a different way all the same. What does Black Widow do when she isn’t with any iteration of the Avengers? With a quick done in one tale, the writer demonstrates just who the character is and what she does quite aptly, although he does some mistake in the process.

Dream Merchant #1 – Review

By: Nathan Edmondson (writer) and Konstantin Novosadov (art)

The Story: A man has strange dreams and is chased by spectres of death.

Review (with minor SPOILERS):  This probably simply isn’t my type of comic.  I’ll go into details about why I didn’t love it, but it obviously works for some people because as I pull-up the issue on my iPad, I see that the Comixology community is rating it 4/5 stars.  Of course, most of the comics on Comixology have 4/5 stars, but still, someone is clicking those buttons and enjoyed the issue.

Ultimate Comics X-Men #22 -Review

By: Brian Wood & Nathan Edmondson (Writers), Carlo Barberi (Penciler), Juan Vlasco (Inker), Jesus Aburtov (Colorist), Joe Sabino (Lettering)

Review: I dig that whole line of thought that when you’re tasked with reviewing something you should do so in a kind of bubble. You can only really give your personal honest opinion – otherwise you’re just acting as an aggregate for the communal hum of the internets. As such, I make it a rule to only read other reviewers’ critiques on a comic until I’ve submitted my own for publication. This serves me well. Occasionally though, I have to stick my head above the parapets and make sure that I’m not veering wildly off target, blinded by a cantankerous mood swing or unnerved by a total misreading of the material on my own part.

Ultimate Comics X-Men prompts this second-guessing behaviour more than most. I scratch my head and wonder why most other reviewers seem to be almost floored by Wood’s handling of the material, proclaiming the book to be one of, if not the, best X-titles on the stands (Ultimate or otherwise). Either I’ve been missing something entirely these last few months or these guys are all smoking the same blend of off-brand crack.

Ultimate Comics Iron Man #2 Review

By: Nathan Edmondson (Writer), Matteo Buffagni (Artist), Andy Troy (Colorist), Joe Caramagna (Letterer)

The Review: I get the impression that the Ultimate Comics editorial team is fairly flexible with their corner of canon, happy to let new creators come on board and add to their characters’ mythologies with a decent degree of autonomy. If they hit Gold the plot can perhaps be worked into the relevant ongoing title and if it’s bad it can always be glossed over – anything in the middle is just a neat story, a satisfying extension of the universe. In the case of Ultimate Comics Iron Man I’ve little doubt that this will turn out to be an enjoyable standalone tale, but I also have modest hopes that it could be something more. Edmondson seems to be aiming high, attempting to expand upon the hero’s more permanent roster of confidants and rogues, and to delve into some of the more divisive moments in the character’s formative years. Not a bad idea at all, especially considering that Tony Stark is perhaps one of the more overlooked characters in the Ultimate line.

After surviving the Mandarin’s tech-orientated attack on his company and armour last month, this issue picks up with Tony taking stock of the fallout and setting out a plan to get to the bottom of who or what exactly the Mandarin is. He’s soon joined by the President’s Chief of Staff, Carol Danvers, who’s keen to do the same, even if she has to dodge some of that famous Stark ‘charm’ to do so – Tony’s all over her like an Extremis cocoon but is swiftly put in his place. A little bit of probing and discussion prompts a quick trip across the Pacific to Hong Kong and the source of the cyber-attack, an investigation that goes awry with the interjection of yet more troublesome attack drones and a further breach of Tony’s now drastically compromised armour.

Dancer #1 – Review

By: Nathan Edmondson (writer), Nic Klein (art/colors) & Jeff Powell (letters)

The Story: An assassin on the run.

Recap/Review: Dancer #1 is a very promising start to a series.  There’s nothing too unique about the story itself.  We’ve all seen this “man alone” story where a spy/soldier/assassin is being hunted by the company/army/government that used to employ him.  That theme endures in fiction because it’s compelling and offers lots of opportunity for believable conflict.  With stories like this, it’s really a question of how well the creators execute.

The plot is pretty simple: the “organization” (it’s left vague who this group is), decides to kill their star assassin.  When they come after him, his real-life girlfriend get’s sucked into the violence.  Now they’re on the run together and she’s only learned about 15 minutes ago that her boyfriend is a hired killer.  And, there is a wrinkle at the end that I won’t spoil (but it is very good).

Grifter #6 – Review

By: Nathan Edmondson (writer), Scott Clark (penciller), Dave Beaty & Walden Wong (inkers), Andrew Dalhouse (colorist)

The Story: Wonder Woman might give up the power of flight for this invisible plane.

The Review: I might as well be honest and admit that lately, out of a sense of economy (and also in preparation for DC’s “second wave” of series), I’ve been actively pruning the number of titles on my pull list.  It’s really a testament to the higher quality of titles across the board of the new 52 that the picking and choosing has been rather tough.  Just last year, a C+ book would have made the grade to be kept on, but now even B- books face the risk of getting dropped.

An issue or so ago, Grifter might very well have ended up as one of these lighter middleweights I cut simply because it wasn’t dazzling me, despite its solid quality.  Then came this issue, and suddenly I find ridding myself of the series a lot less painful than before.  This change comes as a bit of a surprise; even though the title has experienced a slow decline in nearly all respects, not for a moment would you expect yourself actually reading it with disgust.

Edmondson must be slipping on his game, or else the steadily descending numbers on this title has left him discouraged and uninspired, for the dialogue has never been so problematic before.  Cole narrates, “Trust is faith and faith means things unseen.  If I can’t see it I can’t count on it and I won’t hope for it.”  Not only are the lines clunky in rhythm, they also don’t make much sense, given the fact he’s a con artist, who often has to rely on a lot of unseen factors—a point he even concedes later.  Sure, he recasts these factors as “variables,” but the conflict of ideas still practically screams at you.

And if the dialogue doesn’t bug you with its forced quality, it’ll certainly grate on you by getting over the top, practically soapy: “Oh, Cole!  How did—why did—”  “You brought my girlfriend here, you animals?”  “Let her watch as the curate wraps his black fingers around this man’s throat and—”  Flipping through early issues, I don’t see one that’s even gotten close to this level of silly melodrama.  How it’s come to this is anyone’s guess.

Grifter #5 – Review

By: Nathan Edmondson (writer), Scott Clark (penciller), Dave Beaty (inker), Andrew Dalhouse (colorist)

The Story: Don’t think of it as an abduction, Cole, but as a free trip to the stars.  Free, I say!

The Review: I must say, you have to give credit to DC for taking such major efforts to integrate their Wildstorm acquisitions into the fold and get them some attention.  True, none of them have really taken off as a pop hit, but it’s not for want of trying.  They all have very solid creative teams on board, and it’s clear editorial is working overtime to keep their plots running parallel to each other, prepping for a fairly significant crossover at some point.

But all of that will come to nothing if the stories themselves don’t sell.  While Voodoo has been a solid read throughout, Grifter has mostly hemmed and hawed and meandered until it’s lost all sense of direction.  Perhaps that’s fitting, given the roaming nature of our star, and the fact that he himself has little idea of what’s going on and few options for his next moves.  Even so, that doesn’t excuse the title for being so thin on plot at this late stage of its story arc.

Frankly, Edmondson has been downright stingy in the information he’s given us.  A lot of what we know is couched in such stubborn vagaries that even speculation is mostly futile.  After all this time, we barely know anything more about the Daemonites than we did at the start of the series.  Even the reveal about their intention to capture Cole and offer him to “the Black Curate” is so obscure, it’s hard to get all worked up about it.  In fact, it’s underwhelming to think they’ve gone through all this trouble just to obtain a human sacrifice.  Rather simple, if you ask me.

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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Grifter #4 – Review

By: Nathan Edmondson (writer), Scott Clark (penciller), Dave Beaty (inker), Andrew Dalhouse (colorist)

The Story: Who knew that arrows-versus-guns isn’t a completely one-sided draw?

The Review: Action can be a tricky thing in comics.  While you can cobble together an entire movie composed of mostly gunshots, car chases, explosions, and kung-fu, with just enough of a plot to hold it all together, this strategy doesn’t quite work in a comic book, probably because even the most dynamic two-page splash in the world can’t quite compare to even the most budgeted stunt and special-effects sequence on the big screen.

So while I’ve made comparisons between this series and The Bourne Identity, that’s not to say you’ll enjoy following Grifter’s chaos nearly as much as you do Jason Bourne.  True, the action on this title sure makes for a wild ride—literally.  At one point, Grifter breaks into a car, ties his belt to the steering wheel, shatters the front window, turns on cruise control, and climbs onto the hood, firing his pistol as he yanks on his belt to maneuver the vehicle through traffic.  It doesn’t get much more intense than that, frankly.

And yet it does, when you add Green Arrow to the mix.  G.A. has always been a bit of a goofy character, with the whole Robin Hood shtick, but in the new DCU, he has a modern edginess to him that, quite honestly, makes him feel more like DC’s Hawkeye than ever.  Setting that aside, you can’t deny his extreme competence in this new iteration.  I don’t know how he gets on in his solo title, but here he can dole out the special moves with the best of ‘em: slapping aside Cole’s gun from point blank and sticking an electric arrow in the muzzle in two panels.

Just like Kyle Rayner’s guest appearance in Voodoo, Green Arrow makes a sensible choice for Grifter’s first encounter with a blue-blooded DC hero.  As the owner of Q-Core, a company devoted to advanced technology geared toward military applications, Oliver is a sensible target for the infiltrating Daemonites.  Technically, you don’t know exactly what they’re infiltrating for, but a weapons research corporation can come in handy in all kinds of situations.

Grifter #3 – Review

By:  Nathan Edmondson (writer), Cafu (penciller), Jason Gorder (inker), Andrew Dalhouse (colorist)

The Story: Seriously, Cole—didn’t anyone tell you, “Bro’s before ho’s?”

The Review: Ah, the brother-versus-brother showdown.  Among classic fictional conflicts, there aren’t any much older, whether you’re talking Cain and Abel or Michael and Gob.  And when you couple it with the family-versus-justice dynamic, you can’t have anything but major tension to start with, whether it comes to any good or not.  The success of this end game largely depends on the character strength of the brothers themselves.

Right now, neither Cole nor kid brother Max have so enough going for them to make their confrontation all that intense.  We know close to nothing about Max, other than an indubitably loyalty to his military higher-ups, and with Cole, the best thing most of us can probably say about him is that we don’t not like him, which is not exactly the strongest resonance in the world.

Whatever true drama Edmondson achieves from the scene comes mostly from his writing.  In theory, he should have done a much better job than what we end up with.  His dialogue in past issues has been on point, snappy, and natural, so the switch to overly complicated, expository lines (“You want to talk about pacts?  How about shoulder-to-shoulder, forged in fire?  Stained with cordite.”) that feel even more inappropriate given the context of what’s happening.

Otherwise, Edmondson continues to craft a very layered, long-term plot.  This issue confirms our suspicions that the military knows far more about the neon-blue entities than they’ve let on, meaning their continued pursuit of Cole has little to do with a genuine belief that he’s a terrorist.  Their beef with him goes much deeper, in issue and in time (“There are no mere chances when dealing with operatives of his caliber, Staff Sergeant.”), than that.

Grifter #2 – Review

By: Nathan Edmondson (writer), Cafu (penciller), Jason Gorder (inker), Andrew Dalhouse (colorist)

The Story: He fought the law, and the law got sent on fire.

The Review: If you have any familiarity with the Wildstorm universe, or if you’re even a big fan of that publisher, one thing you should realize as you read this series that this isn’t the Grifter you used to know and love.  He has many things in common with the Cole Cash of times past, but within the context of the new DCU, he should be considered a new character, and like any new character, he must build up his exploits, background, and world from scratch.

And as this issue shows us, what Edmondson builds up for Grifter is The Bourne Identity with a sci-fi spin.  If there’s one thing this title doesn’t lack, it’s action; you have Cole swinging flour and fire together to detonate a cop’s face, a military man sniping the tire out of a stolen police car and sending it flipping into the air, shootouts in a New Orleans diner…  As you might imagine, you’re never in want for excitement.

All action and no exposition makes a flashy husk of a comic, though, so it’s a good thing Edmondson takes care to introduce some new plot and character elements into the mix.  One of the biggest wrinkles has to be Cole’s admission of his former military ties.  It sure explains his magnificent martial ability, and it throws his previous lifestyle as a common con-man into a new light.  You have to wonder what went down to cause this major career change.

Grifter #1 – Review

By: Nathan Edmondson (writer), Cafu (penciller), Jason Gorder (inker), Andrew Dalhouse (colorist)

The Story: Ghosts on a plane.

The Review: For years, I had little familiarity with any comic that didn’t belong to the Big Two publishers.  Even so, among the hordes of titles featuring Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, and the X-Men, I could pick out one prominent, unfamiliar face: a blond man, dual pistols a-blazing, a red and black cloth covering his face.  While hardly an icon like the aforementioned characters, Grifter is the face of the Wildstorm universe, and has a respectable status of his own.

In DC’s efforts to promote its acquired Wildstorm properties, Grifter is thus the obvious choice to get his own solo.  But the renewed DCU is quickly becoming a crowded place, and it’ll be a struggle for him (or any lesser-known character, for that matter) to scrounge out a special corner for himself.  What can he bring to the table that we can’t find elsewhere?  Why does he deserve a spot on the stands next to Green Lantern and the Fantastic Four?

Jumping out of a plane after plunging a pointed instrument into a passenger’s eye and before cracking the neck of a flight attendant is a good start.  Really, you don’t get more wakeful openers than that.  The sequence has all the marks of a strong, tense in medias res intro: instant action, a bewildered understanding of events, and a gripping protagonist.  By the time you hit the splash credits in midair, just above the ocean, you’ve already half-invested yourself in his fate.

Edmondson then smartly takes us back to Cole Cash’s quieter days, though you can hardly classify even those as normal.  Even before Cole takes on the name, his talent for confidence tricks has already earned him a rep as an impressive grifter.  That said, the con sequence comes laden with logistical confusion.  You don’t know the target’s identity, the nature of the faked transaction, or even what he gets out of it (since the money he’s given turns out counterfeit).

Quick Hits Reviews – Week of April 6, 2011

 

Is there ever going to be a “light week” of comics again?  Seriously, have these companies see the sales numbers?  Try as we might, sometimes we cannot get to everything for a full review, thus….the Quick Hits Reviews….

Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #5 – This was my “pick of the week” and it really came out of the blue because you usually don’t expect a middle issue (i.e. 5 out of 9) to be anything too special.  But, this issue had great action as the Young Avengers (and a few “old” Avengers) tangle with Dr. Doom, some neat time-hopping courtesy of Iron Lad and the return of an iconic character to the Marvel Universe.  So, it get’s “full credit” for story.  And Jim Cheung’s art is just incredible.  Sure, this comic only ships every other month, but it looks like Cheung is doing twice as much work and I’ve had zero trouble keeping the story straight in my head during the wait between issues.  This is really worth jumping on, folks!  Just go get the back issues and ride along from here.  Grade: A

Who is Jake Ellis #3 – This is a good example of how to maintain momentum in a story as the creators hit issue 3 out of 5.  Because they sprinkled their mysteries with a lot of Jason Borne-action in issues #1 and #2, the reader isn’t bored by now with the titular mystery.  I’m still legitimately curious about who Jake is…..and who Jon is for that matter.  I also really like that there seem to be only two plausible explanations for Jake (that he is a figment of Jon’s imagination OR he is some other ghostly agent somehow grafted to Jon), but that both seem equally plausible.  This is just a really tight series and I love the art.  Nice job guys!  Also very happy to see that this has sold well enough that it’ll we’ll be getting more than just the five originally planned issues!  Grade: B+

Sweet Tooth #20 – Here’s a tip (and a minor SPOILER)….. if you are a character in a post-Apocalyptic story and you stumble across some kind of underground sanctuary that offers copious food and shelter AND it is only being occupied by a singular caretaker, you should probably run away, right?  Do you think you’re the first people that he has brought into his trap….ooopppps…..I mean “HOME”.  Again with this issue, Lemire is setting up another story that is probably going to have a kinda grim ending because….well…..it’s Sweet Tooth.  But, you just know it’ll be told with style and will tug at your emotions in a way that very few comics will.  I’m also loving seeing Sweet Tooth himself begin to asset himself a little more in his dealings with Jepperd.  He’s come a long way from his days in the woods.  Great art!  Grade: B+

Who is Jake Ellis #2 – Review

By: Nathan Edmondson (writer), Tonci Zonjic (art)

The Story: There isn’t a whole lot to say about this comic except that it is really good.  If you enjoy spy thrillers (and who doesn’t?) you should be reading this.

In the last issue, we met our main character: Jon Moore.  He’s some type of ex-spy guy who is doing odd jobs for shady criminals.  What makes him unique is that he has a guardian angel by the name of Jake Ellis who can get him out of nasty situations by telling him when the bad guys are coming and which way to run when the shit hits the fan.

This issue sees Jon/Jake digging deeper into Jon’s past, as he is taken captive by the French police.  Jon escapes with a hostage (with Jake’s help) before “the Americans” can get there to take him into custody.  In questioning his hostage, Jon is told that he’s some sort of ex-CIA agent who was experimented upon and that he needs to turn himself in (giving it a very Bourne Identity vibe).

The whole thing is very mysterious.  If you’ve followed Nathan Edmondson, you just trust that he isn’t telling a derivative of The Bourne Identity.  He’s too smart of a writer for that, so you pretty much know right off what Jon isn’t.  But there are still about a million possibilities for who he could be.  And, what about Jake Ellis?  Is he a manifestation of some 6th sense that Jon Moore acquired?  Is he the ghost of another agent who has been bound to Jon?  And perhaps most importantly, does Jake have free will and an agenda of his own?  It’ll be a LOT of fun finding answers to this stuff.

Who Is Jake Ellis? #1 – Review

By: Nathan Edmondson (writer) and Tonci Zonjic (art)

The Story: An international man-of-action has a ghostly protector named Jake Ellis.

What’s Good: I really liked Who is Jake Ellis #1.  It kinda has the important elements for a story like this: (a) it was fun to read, (b) it had good action bits and (c) it had enough mystery that I want to read the next issue.

Let’s start with the concept: We open with a great scene of our main character, Jon Moore, (unclear if he is a spy, mercenary, criminal or what) having a violent misunderstanding with two of his colleagues.  It is a neat scene, but a few of Moore’s spoken lines seem a little odd.  Hmm… Was he perhaps talking to someone else?

Then we replay the scene where we can see Moore’s guardian angel, Jake Ellis.  Suddenly you realize that Moore and Jake Ellis were speaking to each other.  So, Moore’s lines kinda made sense if you didn’t see Jake standing there, but once Jake is revealed the scene takes on a wholly new context.  Very cool!  What I especially like is how the creators paced the retelling of the scene.  That retelling scene was kinda the key for the whole series and if they had dropped the ball on the snappy pacing, as a reader you would just groan and move on.  But they nailed it.   Good for them for “going for it” right on page #1!

We’ve all probably thought at some point that having a guardian angel might be kinda cool, but Edmondson shows us that it isn’t all fun stuff.  Not only is Jake Ellis there to help when the bullets are flying, but he’s there when Moore sleeps with a woman.  He’s just creepily and wearily there to nag and shout warnings.  One would imagine that he’s also there when Moore is taking a dump, picking his nose, etc.  It seems like one of the other things this comic might explore is the complete lack of privacy from having a constant ghostly companion.  Does Jake only speak about impending danger, or does he offer advice on how to perform other – ahem – tasks?

Zonjic’s art is just perfect for this comic.  I wasn’t previously familiar with his work, but it reminds me a lot of David Aja.  I caught a small similarity to Sean Phillips too (although not a huge one).  I’m a big fan of both of those guys, so this is my way of saying the art is good.  It isn’t hyper-detailed, but it tells the story very effectively.  The coloring is also interesting.  It isn’t flat color as there is a little bit of shading, but it is pretty close to flat.  What shading there is mostly exists to convey shadow rather than body contours (that is all done with inks).  I dunno about you, but I’m getting a little sick of all the superheroes having these shiny cheekbones and shoulders, so it is great to see an artist inking in contours.

The Light #1 – Review

By: Nathan Edmondson (story) & Brett Weldele (art/letters)

The Story: A virus is infecting people who look at electric lights and causing them to burst into flames.  Amid the confusion a father and his daughter try to get to safety while avoiding looking at “the light”.

What’s Good: Thank goodness looking at the lights doesn’t turn people into zombies.  That’s such a crowded genre and even though I love zombies, unless someone really has something unique to say about them, it’s better left alone.  This first issue (of five total) is really just a set-up for the rest of that story, but it looks like Edmondson is in a good position to tell a nice post-apocalyptic story and that is always a fun genre.

This first issue quickly establishes our two main characters: a lousy drunk father and his teenage daughter.  I think their relationship is handled pretty well.  The crap hits the fan pretty suddenly in this issue and we wouldn’t expect the teenage daughter to respond well to her lousy father storming into her bedroom in the middle of the night demanding that she wear a blindfold.

The art is scratchy and moody.  It isn’t hyper-detailed, but it tells the story effectively.  The cover is a pretty good exemplar of what the issue looks like.