East of West #10 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (Writer), Nick Dragotta (Artist), Frank Martin (Colorist)

The Story: It’s never a good idea to get in the way of someone whose eye just got pulled out of its socket. Doubly so if it’s Death itself.

The Review: To read different books is to allow for our expectations to be adapted. A Geoff Johns book will have a particularly different focus than one written by Peter Milligan and so forth. With each writers having a particular approach toward building worlds, characters and stories, it would be silly to expect them all to be alike in their themes and their methods. It is a part of the game, yet it can be sometimes a bit frustrating if anyone forgets some specificity about some creators.

Case in point, Jonathan Hickman has always possessed a particular style that do not always makes for the most satisfying of issues. The monthly grind, in its own way, does not do a major service to the kind of stories the writer is trying to tell. With a mind set on expansive ideas, building worlds and setting up a unique mythology, the creative process behind East of West is certainly a fascinating one, yet it also suffers a bit from quite a bit of setup and not enough payoff. While the world itself was fascinating enough and the art always splendid, could this issue provide a crack in the plans of the book which might provide some sort of lesser form of enjoyment that this book could deliver before?

The actual answer is more complicated than that, as while the previous issue did seem to spin its wheels a good deal instead of actually progressing with some of the more fascinating elements, this one does so yet in a less obvious and unsatisfying manner. Without actually spoiling anything, the actual lack of payoff in this issue is part of the point, a rather brilliant one in fact, yet one that does still leave readers wanting more.

East of West #9 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (Writer), Nick Dragotta (Artist), Frank Martin (Colorist)

The Story: Life is harsh when you’re a prince that believes in the message. Meanwhile, Death deals for something he is looking for.

The Review: To say I’m a fan of this series would be superfluous at this point. As part of the recent wave of excellent creator-owned titles from Image, East of West has been a tour-de-force when it comes to world-building as well as setting up mysteries slowly without them becoming too vague or ambiguous. While there have been moments when patience was certainly a requirement, the creative team of Hickman, Dragotta and Martin always delivered on multiple fronts to make the world and story as interesting as possible. However, excellence is never really a standard, as anything that is absolutely great is bound to have a few missteps along the way.

To say this issue is a misstep would certainly be an exaggeration on my part, but it isn’t nearly as well done as previous ones. While the ideas of an alternate America and how some few deviations might have turned this country differently makes for a rather intriguing read, there is something amiss in this issue. The magic, technology and general state, be it political or social, is a bit amiss here, sacrificed for the most part in service of other aspects, some of them which aren’t as dynamic or interesting as other parts.

Make no mistake, though, as the introduction of John Freeman, prince of a division of America in which slaves grew to become rich and prosperous, is actually phenomenally interesting. The way Hickman presents him as being a philosopher, a believer and a bit of a rogue makes for something that ensure he is already interesting as he explains himself through actions and speeches. The way the culture of his kingdom works, how many brothers he has and the way he deals with his father makes for some very potent opening for what is sure to be a powerful player in the ongoing narrative that is East of West.

East of West #8 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (Writer), Nick Dragotta (Artist), Frank Martin (Colorist)

The Story: It cannot be easy to be the president of a country that is part of a world that is kind-of dying.

The Review: Jonathan Hickman’s book are never really simple, aren’t they? With a certain flair for non-linear storytelling and a certain talent for the symbolic and poetic, he is something that can be both cherished and despised in terms of writing, as you can always know how his approach to storytelling works. Big ideas, slow execution and lots of divergent subplots. To say that patience can be required when reading one of his book is an understatement.

Still, some of the books he writes play very well with his strengths, while others not necessarily so. East of West is definitely of the former category, with plenty of world-building and ominous prophecies that allow for a multitude of plot threads in such a large environment ripe with possibilities. Still, there must be always a certain progression or at the very least some important information in each issues, which is the challenge of creating a whole world from scratch. Does this issue provide enough materials for fans, though?

East of West #7 – Review

Jonathan Hickman (Writer), Nick Dragotta (Artist), Frank Martin (Colorist)

The Story: As Death tries to make a deal with a certain lady, the other horsemen see that the keeper of the message has some kind of mess on his hand…

The Review: While universe-building is certainly something that is fun to see develop, there are always difficulties that permeates both the readers and the writer. A world, per se, is a specific setting in which a good deal of characters, be they important or not, in which they live and interact in. A good story does need a lead, a point-of-focus that can create change and opportunities, but it also need various other point-of-views to allow the scope of its event to be perceived in stimulating ways, thus other characters.

With the first five issues of East of West focusing mostly on Death, it was a nice touch that the latest issue pushed him away for a spell in order to focus on other characters. This issue, however, does thing a little bit differently as it mix the focus between Death and other characters, with the former getting a lesser amount of pages. Does this issue manage to be as satisfying as the last one, however?

For the most part, this is the same poetic, yet harsh world presented by Hickman as this issue deals a lot more with the other horsemen, characters that do need a bit more fleshing out. While there is one scene that shows what Death is up to, the rest is given to the horsemen, who becomes a bit more complex and interesting as a result. Showing their personality throughout scenes in the present and in the past, Hickman allows us to see something a bit more complex with these characters, with Conquest being a particular treat. Making a comparison to how they see worship, how they used to banter a bit with Death and their relation to the keeper of the message makes for some characterization that gives much more opportunities for these characters in the long run.

East of West #6 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (Writer), Nick Dragotta (Artist), Frank Martin (Colorist)

The Story: Solomon becomes the target of the council, as he himself decides to seek the help of someone else to deal with them.

The Review: It’s a great time to be a Hickman fan. His event and his general Marvel work is going strongly without seeming to be losing steam for the time being and this goes the same for most of his indie work. With Manhattan Projects still going on and Secret supposedly continuing soon, his star is continually on the rise, yet it seems it never is enough as Hickman continues his ongoing projects.

One of his latest is East of West, an ongoing story featuring an alternate take on American history with a splintered U.S.A in three factions. Continuing the ambitious style of storytelling Hickman is known for, there are a lot of elements put in place with each issue as the world-building is never completely done with. However, does this issue continue to use this new setting in inventive ways or did the concept run a bit fry after explaining its premise in the first five issues?

It is my delight to affirm that the world-building still continues and find ways to continue being utterly fascinating. Putting Death and the other horsemen away for this issue, Hickman instead focus on the politics and some of the history of this different America he has created to great success. Focusing instead on Solomon and Chamberlain, Hickman starts yet another subplot as the treachery and the motivations between some of its characters become apparent and mysterious at the same time.

East of West #5 – Review

Jonathan Hickman (Writer), Nick Dragotta (Artist), Frank Martin (Colorist)

The Story: Death and Xiaolian have a lot to discuss about; now that a multitude of people have died in trying to make sure they did not meet.

The Review: Mixing genres, for writers and the like, can be a pretty challenging notion. Making sure that none of the elements clashes against each other, negating what makes them work is something that sounds difficult, as a lot of writers tend to stick to a single genre or to experiment with others without completely leaving behind what they know. For readers, it creates worlds and concepts that can make them invest their time toward the book. For creators, though, it must be an accomplishment to see that nothing stumbles against each other as the world they built continues to work.

This very notion is what makes East of West a particularly unique and satisfying book. Combining the tropes and other such elements of western, politics, science-fiction, romance, post-apocalyptic in its narrative in a successful manner, Hickman made a world that we may think we can completely understand, yet continues to go in directions and adding new stuff to surprise us. Characters, ideas and action become then something meaningful as we never know what to anticipate from this strange version of America that is presented to us.

In this issue, following the bloodbath of the previous one, we finally get the meeting between Death and his loved one, Xiaolian, the new ruler of the house of Mao. Right from the very beginning of their conversation, Hickman goes toward a route that is unexpected, as the baggage that both characters carry within themselves gives the dialogue a whole new flavour– combining traditional lover’s quarrel, like an old couple that have marital problems, with the prophecy of the message as it written for us to read. Mixing the prophetic, the metaphysic and the down-to-Earth situation between those two lovers create a scene that create a slow build toward a very potent revelation, one that propels this book toward a new direction that is full of potential for the book itself. The poesy that a warrior and Death ceased to be such things in order to love make for a touching irony, yet the scene they do share after such an act is filled with revelations and some neat moments.

East of West #4 – Review

Jonathan Hickman (Writer), Nick Dragotta (Artist), Frank Martin (Colorist)

The Story: The house of Mao stands between Death and his loved one. Battle and destruction ensues.

The Review: It’s always a nice thing to see something that is quite ambitious in its ideas succeed. Not all stories told try to go big, which can be fine a lot of time, yet stories with big concepts, big ideas and big characters are always so satisfying to read when done right. God knows those kind of stories must be hard to pull off, to be able to write a big world that makes the readers want to invest their time into discovering.

This is why this series is special. This may seem a bit premature to come and say something like this after only four issues, yet the quality of the book has been consistent on every front. Hickman, Dragotta and Martin have offered us a big new world full of potential that seems larger than life and filled with potential that definitely sucks the readers in.

One of the main reason of the book’s appeal, as noted before, is the world itself. Hickman has created a really weird, yet compelling mix of sci-fi, western, political, fantastical and post-apocalyptic to create an America that is so different to the one we know. By using many historical elements from our own world and twisting it into a new version, Hickman makes a connection with the readers, creating both a sense of expectation that he can crush every second and he opens up new possibilities to surprise us at every corner.

He does this very effectively in this issue with some information on the house of Mao, of Mao Tse-Tung’s fame. Here, Hickman asks a simple question and extrapolate on it in a very effective way: what if Mao had exiled himself to America? This, of course, opens up tons of other questions, some that would be very interesting to follow upon. The aforementioned house of Mao, in this issue, is key to the action and to the story, which gives us some interesting insight in how some parts of the world function.

Another part which makes the title so fascinating in a lot of ways are the characters. You can have a great world and a great story, yet you need a good point-of-view, a compelling lead or at least someone to follow that is interesting. Here, we have many choices, from Death itself, to his brethren, Xiaolian, his beloved or Chamberlain, all characters that have big personalities, goals and depth just waiting for us readers to discover. Their dialogue, their interaction, their actions, everything is big, poetic or just plain captivating, which is always so satisfying to read. There are some titles that people follow for a specific character or two, yet here everyone is just interesting enough for us to want to know more about them.

East of West #3 – Review

By: Jonathan Hickman (Writer), Nick Dragotta (Artist), Frank Martin (Colorist)

The Story: Turns out Death fell in love with a woman, one that is still alive and that he wants to see again. However, the Chinese might have something to say about that…

The Review: There are several types of reading experiences. There are some that are direct in their approach to things, giving uncomplicated, yet inventive and exciting concepts that fuels the imagination in ways that are stimulating, like many superheroes comics (though not all). There are also some that are much more complicated and intricate in their revelation of information, giving us a few hints and letting their world and characters slowly suck you in as you get invested in the bigger questions that the book leaves for the reader to figure out.

East of West, in many ways, is close to the very definition of the latter type. While there are many more ways to interpret a reading experience, this book is one that rewards those that pay attention and allow for speculation for the readers. How did things turn out this way? Why is Death in love with this woman? What kind of powers does he actually possess? What his is agenda and for the matter what is the agenda of his siblings? Those are but a few questions that Hickman leaves for us readers to ponder on as we read and discover this world he has created and fleshed out with three issues so far.

East of West #2 – Review

By: Jonathan Hickman (writer), Nick Dragotta (art), Frank Martin (colors) & Rus Wooton (letters)

The Story: Don’t like the Electoral College?  How about having the Four Horsemen choose the next President?

Review (with SPOILERS): This was another really strong issue for East of West.  Some little mysteries are explained, but more is left vague–and left vague in a good way.  The ultimate effect is to leave me wanting the next issue immediately!  This comic just has “IT”.  It reminds me of that old Simpsons‘ episode where Bart gets hired over Lisa to do local news because Bart has “zazz”.

East of West #1 – Review

By: Jonathan Hickman (writer), Nick Dragotta (art), Frank Martin (colors), Rus Wooton (letters)

The Story: A future American is visited by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Review (with slight SPOILERS): I can’t say that I fully grasped East of West #1, but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t love it.  One thing I enjoy about Jonathan Hickman’s storytelling is his interest in “What If?” settings.  Pax Romana was about what could happen if the modern day Catholic church was able to send an army back in time to smooth out dark ages and “fix” events that caused the Catholic church to lose influence.  The Manhattan Projects is about what could have happened if the super-scientists of the early 20th century banded together.  Transhuman was kinda a “what if” with science run amoke.  Hickman is just really good at coming up with scenarios that are funhouse-mirror versions of our own world.

FF #18 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Nick Dragotta (art), Chris Sotomayor (colors), and Clayton Cowles (letters)

The Story: Johnny takes the class on a field trip to the Negative Zone.

The Review:  For the second straight month, FF proves that Jonathan Hickman has a really solid grasp on comedy.  Unlike the last issue of FF, however, the comedy in this issue isn’t always the direct focus, nor is reliant on big gags with set-up.  Instead, Hickman lets the dialogue bring the laughs, mostly courtesy of Johnny, whose voice Hickman has an excellent handle of.  From his trademark arrogance to his wonderful dynamic with the students, Johnny is really great this month.  I loved the simultaneously affectionate and dismissive stance he takes to the kids and his treating them like the ordinary kids they aren’t leads to some great laughs.

I also really liked the fun spin Hickman put on the insect denizens of the Negative Zone.  They’ve long been seen as the faceless, single-minded swarm, so seeing them rebel for….democracy and self-government (?!) was a brilliant, brilliant twist by Hickman that led to an amusing, but also quite smart issue.  It also leads to a wonderful conclusion however that balances things very well – while the bugs of the Negative Zone may want democracy and self-government, they’re ultimately still bugs from the Negative Zone.  It’s almost a quasi-historical/political statement by Hickman; if you interfere with another culture’s politics and that interference leads to them taking after your own political practices, that may not necessarily mean the erosion of that culture’s inherent beliefs and values.  Despite all the fun and comedy, it’s a nice turn by Hickman and made me wonder if he was at all inspired by the current situation in Egypt, where after rebelling and gaining democracy, they look to be on their way to electing either an Islamist regime or electing to bring back the military-authoritarian regime they just got out of.  Who knew that cosmic insects and the Marvel’s first family could be so relevant?

There’s a lot else to like about this isssue; once again, we get to see Franklin flex his cosmic muscles, which is always a treat.  The final page is also an excellent cliffhanger.  While the twist could perhaps be easily predicted, Hickman does it in a way that at least is guaranteed to get a laugh.

FF #17 – Review

By: Jonathan Hickman (writer), Nick Dragotta (art), Chris Sotomayor (colors), and Clayton Cowles (letters)

The Story:  Can Peter Parker possibly survive the sheer, mind-imploding aggravation of having Johnny Storm for a room-mate?

The Review:  Jonathan Hickman is among my favourite writers, but he wouldn’t exactly be my first choice to write a sitcom, much as I wouldn’t choose, say, Brian Azzarello to write a romantic comedy.  Yet, somehow, Hickman gives us a superhero sitcom with this issue and it is, well, fantastic.  All the jokes are hits and this is a book that is guaranteed to get you smiling.

In both Hickman’s energetic, upbeat script and Nick Dragotta’s cartoony, high-paced artwork, this issue of FF maintains a consistently jocular tone that keeps you in a mood primed for laughter.  Pete’s increasing level of suppressed anger, slowly rising to boiling point, is matched perfectly to Johnny’s complete and total obliviousness.  Hickman plays the dynamic perfectly; he gives us peaks into Peter’s mind, which only make Johnny’s behaviour all the more ridiculous.

FF #16 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Nick Dragotta & Steve Epting (art), Chris Sotomayor & Paul Mounts (colors), and Clayton Cowles (letters)

The Story:  The Future Foundation pick up the pieces in a ruined NYC….and what exactly happened to Doom when the Bridge closed, anyway?

The Review: I’ve ragged on FF now and then since the return of the main Fantastic Four title for at times feeling like an album of b-sides.  Last issue, for instance, was of questionable necessity.

However, this issue of FF definitely serves a good purpose.  After the big events of the last issue of Fantastic Four, a nice, clean epilogue to consolidate the characters, tidy things up, and provide a little room for reflection is generally a good idea.  This is exactly what FF #16 accomplishes, showing the characters’ reactions to what just happened, while also setting the stage for future Fantastic Four stories.

The result is that there are some rather nice developments: Johnny and Spider-Man becoming room-mates (much to Spidey’s lack of enthusiasm) is a great idea, the new Baxter building is really pretty cool, and Franklin’s interactions with his future self are as enjoyable as you’d expect.

There are nonetheless problems however.  Hickman has Val narrate the issue and her voice isn’t quite consistent with how Hickman has written her thus far.  She’s just too “kiddy” and generally immature.  Were it another writer coming onboard, it’s actually not a wholly inappropriate voice for Val as a character, it’s just that it doesn’t quite jive with the voice Hickman has established for her throughout her run.  It does, however, lead to a hint of a future romance between Val and Bentley, which is pretty awesome.

There’s also the fact that in being an epilogue, it really only does very bog-standard epilogue-y things.  Characters are shuffled around, things are tidied up, and Hickman basically is just putting the FF’s house back in order.  In other words, it’s not an earth-shattering read.

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #10 – Review

By: Too many to list—check out the review.

The Story: You ever get the feeling your mother’s holding something back from you?

The Review: Back in the olden days, whenever that was, heroes were the good guys and villains the bad, and hardly ever, if not never, did the twain meet.  Nowadays, members from both classes come in degrees, which makes getting a handle on them a little harder, but definitely a lot more interesting.  As Gail Simone’s superb Secret Six shows, we get no end of intrigue trying to figure out just where in the scale of humanity a character falls.

So it makes perfect sense that the Agents, who each want to use their powers for personal redemption, have no greater enemy than Iron Maiden, a woman who has absolutely no interest in redeeming herself.  Nick Spencer portrays her as a woman seemingly incapable of remorse, with an almost monstrously finite level of affection.  Whatever connection she had to husband Dynamo, it clearly does not extend to his values or loved ones, as we see in grisly detail.

Her callous actions force you to wonder if she feels pain at all.  When she charges Bill Henry that, “My husband is dead.  You killed him,” her tone has no chill to indicate an emotional stake in the statement, but the barren bluntness of fact.  Upon disposing of him, I. Maiden actually smiles as she says, “Give my love to Len.”  This is not the curse of a vengeful widow; this is the ironic remark of a villain, an idle curse for her enemy to join his comrade.

So by all appearances, Colleen’s conclusions about her mother seem correct.  A woman with such little regard for human attachment could never find satisfaction in domestic felicity alone.  That said, we have an interesting implication that murder doesn’t necessarily satisfy the Maiden either.  Rather, the act and challenge of killing occupies her soul in a way homemaking can’t.  In Colleen’s words, Maiden does what she does because “You were bored, weren’t you?”

In spite of these insights and the tough exterior with which Colleen delivers them, we can plainly see in her increasingly pained interrogation (“Go on, then.  Tell me I’m wrong…  Tell me you were forced to…  Tell me something.  Tell me anything.”) a desperation to grasp at any pearl of genuine love her mother might have for her.  Like the final nail in the coffin, Maiden denies her with the kind of mockery we’ve come to expect: “You always did cry too much, girl.”

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #9 – Review

By: Too many to list—check out the review.

The Story: You know what they say: beware a redheaded woman with assassin’s credentials.

The Review: You can always count on Nick Spencer to deliver an engaging, enjoyable read, even if the actual substance of the writing isn’t always what it should be.  That’s not to imply this Iron Maiden story arc has been superfluous or anything, but with this arc decompressed to the max, it gets a little harder to remember why you’re invested in this story with every passing issue.  The events in themselves work and rarely fail to garner your interest, but the sluggish pacing often defeats whatever excitement the story generates.

The culprits can only be the flashback sequences, which serve strictly as expositional vehicles.  And by far it’s the 60s “back-up” feature that takes up the most time and space for the least value.  While Spencer is to be congratulated for channeling that Silver Age style and continuity with accuracy, the material has for a while become less cute and more tiresome, especially here, where it reveals almost nothing new or useful to the story.

Even the 80s sequence, which usually plays a pretty big role in the issue, seems unusually slow and redundant.  Since we already knew the original Dynamo would break a deal to free his wife and daughter, and any such deal requires a hefty price, we also already knew Len would be the one to pay it.  His final epistle to Iron Maiden is predictably touching, but gives us a poor gauge of their love, as the letter mostly reveals her ball-busting (“…there’s no use yelling at me, Red.”  “I know you never thought I was the brightest man to walk the earth…”) attitude.

While we have every indication that I. Maiden was truly in love with Dynamo, we can also safely conclude he may have been the only individual for whom she had any real feeling.  Just look at her taking her sweet time painting her lips while the girls she collected on her payroll get mowed down.  Keep in mind she also abandoned Colleen at some point, possibly implying any affection for her daughter was tangentially derived from that for her husband.

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #8 – Review

By: Too many to list—check out the review.

The Story: I think in this case, we can say she’s a lady-killer.

The Review: Last time, I complained Spencer’s use of two period “features” in the issue, though enjoyable, didn’t really do much to expand on the story and in fact, dragged on the story’s pace, especially given the lower page count.  In that case, the features reduced the present story to a handful of action-less panels, but didn’t offer much substance to make up for it.

Spencer makes better use of them this time around, especially the 80s sequence depicting the uncertain fate of Colleen’s parents after they get captured by her dad’s former employers (mind you, she’s just a little babe when all this goes down).  For one thing, we get a new appreciation for Iron Maiden’s deadliness when we find out she has singlehandedly killed 4,819 individuals.  We saw her dirty work firsthand last issue, when she dispatched 4 spec-ops men with only a bloody nose on her part, but the specificity of the grim statistic can’t fail to take you aback.

So you may not be entirely convinced by her husband, formerly Dynamo, when he claims “She’s changed.”  Considering her callous indifference when faced with a casualty of one of her hits, a four-year-old girl who was in the building when Iron Maiden blew it up, she may not be entirely as sympathetic as he insists.  But it’s worth noting no one argues when he says she helped him save the world at one point, so some benefit of the doubt may be in order here.

Which leads us to yet another Silver Age inspired, 50s back-up feature.  It’s hard to tell if the prevention of Uru, the Subterranean Warlord, and his armies from attacking the surface world is the war Dynamo refers to earlier in the issue, but I. Maiden plays a helpful role, regardless.  Anyway, you’ve got to love the over-the-top bluntness with which everyone delivers their lines: “You can’t do this, I love him!”  “Foolish woman!  I only told you that to get you on our side!”

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #7 – Review

By: Too many to list—check out the review.

The Story: Most of the time, you say, “I’m gonna kill my mother” rhetorically.

The Review: When DC chose to “hold the line” at $2.99 and cut the page count of its issues in exchange, the results were varied: some creators adapted right away, others went through some growing pains, and a few still haven’t adjusted to the change.  None have managed to confront how to squeeze multiple storylines into a significantly shrunken medium without some pain.

Even a skilled writer like Spencer isn’t immune, although he deals with the problem as best as you can hope for.  It might have been wiser for him to scale back or eliminate altogether one of the “features” he includes in this issue, but as he said in a CBR interview, the talent had already hopped aboard and he was unwilling to let it go to waste.  Given that, you wind up with pieces that are strong in themselves, but don’t really further the issue’s goals overall.
It’s hardly worth mentioning the current story, where Colleen gets precisely two pages (underutilizing the always terrific Cafu, Bit, and Santiago Arcas on art) to take an airplane to Morocco and deliver a teaser line.  The moment packs a punch, and promises good things for next issue, but otherwise does nothing to advance the story.

This is problematic since the bulk of the issue involves a drawn out flashback.  In fact, the pacing of it is such that it seems Spencer forgets he’s only got so many pages to indulge in this kind of luxurious storytelling.  But the sequence needs this slow push to work; the prolonged scenes of domesticity tighten the wire of calm before snapping it in an all-out rush of chaos.  It’s the jump in gears from cutting cucumbers to tossing the knife into a man’s neck that gives the flashback some worthwhile tension.  And Mike Grell draws it all so beautifully, showing how an old-school, retro style can still bring intensity to both drama and action, though it’s Val Staples’ warm colors with a yellowish cast that gives the art its period look.

The flashback also gives you some essential bits of info that’ll make Colleen’s upcoming conflict that much stickier: her parental union between one of the greatest T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents and one of the Agents’ most notorious enemies.  An interesting twist to be sure, it also brings new meaning to her sympathy for Toby’s two-faced loyalties last issue.  But Spencer brings layers to most everything he writes.  Why else would he choose Dion’s “The Wanderer” to soundtrack the early parts of the flashback?  An oldies tune sung in doo-wop fashion, the rollicking rock rhythm of the song masks the rather dark undertone of its lyrics: the line “I with my two fists of iron and I’m going nowhere” certainly rings true for Colleen’s parents, given their backgrounds.

Fantastic Four #588 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Nick Dragotta & Mark Brooks (art), Paul Mounts (colors), and Rus Wooton (letters)

The Review:  Given the upcoming involvement of Spider-Man in Jonathan Hickman’s upcoming FF, it isn’t a stretch to think that Hickman and Dan Slott have been corresponding with one another, and Fantastic Four #588 may provide evidence of that.  As such, Hickman makes similar creative decisions in his dealing with character death as Slott did in this week’s issue of Amazing Spider-Man.  As such, many of the strengths that my cohort Mr. Stell expounded upon in his review of that comic also apply to this one.

Perhaps the most noticeable similarity is Hickman’s decision to have the entire issue, save the back-up and the final page of the main feature, go entire without dialogue or narration.  What results is an experience that’s far more haunting and emotional.  The images on the page and the events they depict become so much heavier and more laden with significance, as the emotions and sorrow of the characters does not have to be expressed, and hence contained, in words.  When it comes to conveying raw emotion, language is a limitation.  It takes, in this case, powerful grief, and shoves and squeezes it into the shape demanded by language’s framing structure, which forces it to adhere to context and that which words can actually express.

Without dialogue, we are without restriction or middle-man.  The emotion of the characters and the story are far more direct, far more honest, and not at all mitigated.  We are allowed to feel the brunt and truth of the emotional pain created by Johnny Storm’s death amongst his family, friends, and the world he left behind.  It’s a serious, heavy comic that is unrelenting, unwilling the compromise the significance of Johnny Storm’s passing with any attempts at banter.  The grief and sorrow are served to us without spice, chaser, or sweetener.

And really, as such, it’s a wonderful farewell for a great character, what that’s guaranteed to hit any FF fan hard.  More than that, at various points, the reader will become so caught up that he will most likely feel the characters’ emotions alongside them.  While I think various readers will respond differently to different scenes, for me, my eyes watered a bit during Ben’s emotional breakdown, which was beautifully told by Hickman and co.  Similarly, I found myself just as enraged as Reed by Annihilus’ absolutely grotesque taunting.  It was utterly sickening and almost too much for me to bear.  In other words, it’s fabulous writing.

Web of Spider-Man #10 – Review

The Extremist, Part 3 by: Fred van Lente (writer), Nick Dragotta (art), Brad Simpson (colors) & Clayton Cowles (letters)

Negative Reinforcement by: Marc Guggenheim (writer), Sana Takeda (artist) & Dave Sharpe (letters)

The Story: Spider-Man wraps up his conflict with the Extremist and Jackpot gets into a bind with Mr. Negative.

What’s Good: I’ve quite enjoyed this Extremist story over the last 3 issues of Web of Spider-Man.  It isn’t the best Spider-Man story ever and the ending here isn’t quite as good as the beginning of this story, but its still an above average Spider-tale.  Throughout it has played on the theme of the dual nature of Peter Parker who is both kinda wussy and spineless, yet incredibly brave once he puts on his mask.

The art is also quite good on both portions of this issue.  Dragotta is doing more of a classic Spider-Man look whereas Takeda is doing something more photo-referency with the Jackpot tale, but I don’t have any complaints with how this issue looks.

Web of Spider-Man #9 – Review

The Extremist, By: Fred van Lente (writer), Patrick Olliffe, Javier Rodriguez & Nick Dragotta (art), Andres Mossa (colors) & Clayton Cowles (letters)

Jackpot in Reflections, By: Marc Guggenheim (writer), Sana Takeda (art), Dave Sharpe (letters)

The Story: Spider-Man continues to grapple with The Extremist, a mysterious character who aims to eliminate the “shades of grey” and make it a black and white world.  In the backup, Jackpot is caught in a sticky situation having to do with the death of her husband.

What’s Good: Well, Marvel is doing a good job of making Web of Spider-Man worth picking up.  They just have a LOT of good Spider-Man stories to tell right now.  So much so that this week featured FOUR full length Spidey-comics and all were at least pretty good.  I really like the main story in the Extremist.  The “villain” is a dude with possibly mutant powers who can see a person’s essence: are the good, are they wishy-washy, are they bad, etc.  And he is out to eliminate the wishy-washy from the face of the Earth.  This story is just chock full of irony as the Extremist initially likes Spider-Man (who is pure and good) and wants to help him by attacking those people who would tear him down, but Spider-man must oppose him because Spider-Man defends everyone…whether it is in his best interest or not.  Very clever stuff as the Extremist starts to notice the similarities and differences between Peter Parker and Spider-Man.  We even get a decent X-Men cameo in this issue and the tantalizing possibility that the Extremist could be a mutant of sorts.  Isn’t it funny how the possibility of a mutant isn’t so annoying now that we’re years after House of M?  And we get more of Peter’s roommate Michelle!  And….she has a shotgun!  I really like her character and her relationship with Peter.

I also like that this story doesn’t seem to be required Spider-reading.  It isn’t too heavily tied to the major storylines going on in Amazing Spider-Man: The Gauntlet or The Grim Hunt.

For a story with 3 artists, the art was pretty good.  Often when you see that, it means that there was some kind of emergency with one artist not getting their work done on time, but in this case it looks like they proactively split the story apart by having one artist do the story in the past, one do the current story, etc.