Kato Origins #1: Way Of The Ninja – Review

By: Jai Nitz (writer), Colton Worley (pencils and inks), Romulo Fajardo Jr. (colors), Joe Rybandt (editor)

The Story: Way of the Ninja, Part One: The police come to the home of the Green Hornet to ask Kato for help. A Korean grocer has been killed, and they need a steady hand doing translation. Britt (the Green Hornet) tells Kato to go, despite knowing that Kato is Japanese and can’t speak Korean. Kato finds a whole lot of racism (this is just after Pearl Harbor), a beautiful woman, a dead Korean with broken fingers, and a message that makes this whole case look a whole lot more personal that he thought.

What’s Good: This is a very sophisticated story. The action is gritty and noir. The panel layouts are brisk and dynamic, and despite the fascinating and insightful monologue by Kato, the narrative almost feels terse. The art says a lot through body language (check out the detective pulling Kato towards the corpse, or the tense altercation with McLaughlin) and facial expressions (look at Kato’s expressions as he looks at the body – there is menace in his curiosity, a bubbling anger that complements the ironic narrative). The fight sequences are awesome, with silent panels showing panicked, strobed movement before loud blows land and decide the outcomes. Worley and Fajardo do brilliant work of making us feel the setting, the emotions and the action in equal measure.

Powers #1 – Review

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

The Story: Detectives Christian Walker and Enki Sunrise try to learn to live with each other as they embark upon their first case together.

What’s Good: Powers is a rightfully celebrated series and I can assure you that this relaunch issue lives up to its previous volumes.  In more or less every way, this is the definition of what a good comic should be.

Certainly, all of the Bendis hallmarks are in place.  The staccato dialogue and the creative profanity are in fine form.  That said, what also returns is Bendis’ ability in Powers to portray multi-layered, real, and complex human relationships.  It’s all the more impressive that he manages this with Enki Sunrise, a character that has remained ill-defined and two-dimensional up until this point and was one of the few weak spots of Powers’ last arc.  Finally, Bendis manages to flesh out the character a bit and give her a little more life.  Moreover, he’s actually well on his way to making her likable.  Readers of Powers will know this to be no small feat.

And he does this through minimal, subtle strokes.  In a few pages of near-wordless action, we arguably learn more about the character than we have through the entirety of the last arc.  Furthermore, when she attempts to forge a bond with Christian, the dialogue is expertly played; her conversation is scattered, stumbling, and awkward.  Really, the syntax says as much about the character and her desires as her actual words.

For a first issue, Bendis also manages a large scope.  Upon finding an old associate dead, we get a flashback to a period of Christian’s past that is all gaudy film noir.  I’ve always loved Bendis’ visiting of Christian in previous eras, as his treatment of these time-periods are evocative yet honest, and this is the case here.  I also have always enjoyed noticing the subtle differences, and similarities, between Christian’s personality then and now.  It’s an absolute pleasure to see a Christian this month that is, for lack of a better word, an asshole, if not a tag-along.

Beyond this, the sense of mystery is palpable and Bendis makes me want more.  This is also thanks in large part to Oeming’s artwork, and this is his best work in some time.  His paneling is as abstract and creative as ever (one memorable double-page spread tracks our characters’ path across a street and up a building), without causing the confusion that Powers’ previous arc was at times guilty of.  Colorist Nick Filardi also improves the series, alleviating it of the slightly excessive darkness of prior issues.

Oeming’s style urban environments are absolutely beautiful despite their seeming simplicity, heavy with mood and dark ambiance.  His rendition of the flashback is also well done: it glows with just enough life and vibrancy to distinguish it from the present day without becoming overly self-conscious, and of course ,the present-day is as grim and gritty a place as ever.

What’s Not So Good: None whatsoever.  Some might say that we didn’t get enough information regarding the actual murder and make cries regarding plot progression.  Relax, it’s only the first issue and besides, Powers has long been more about the characters anyway.

Conclusion: Comics bliss… This should satisfy even the most stalwart Bendis-hater.

Grade: A

-Alex Evans

X-Men: Noir #1 – Review

By Fred Van Lente (Writer) and Dennis Calero (Artist)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: I am not exactly sure what to expect from X-Men: Noir. The teaser images grabbed my attention and the premise is filled with promise, but it all comes down to execution. I believe Fred Van Lente and Dennis Calero can pull the series off successfully from a creative standpoint. The real question is whether or not they can make each individual issue feel satisfying enough to overcome the negatives associated with a $3.99 price tag.

The Story: X-Men: Noir #1 is all about setting up the tone and direction of a new version of the Marvel Universe. Noir begins, like many noir tales do, with the rather grisly death of a young woman. Her name is Jean Grey and she was a member of the X-Men, a group of sociopaths operating throughout the town without the guidance of their mentor, Charles Xavier. The case leads the detectives working on it to encounter a number of the colorful characters living and operating in the city.

What’s Good: The creative team does a good job of crafting a world that fans of both the X-Men and the genre should enjoy spending time in. The snappy dialogue and moody artwork goes a long way toward capturing what it is that makes the noir genre so appealing. Also, it is a lot of fun seeing the card dealer Remy Le Beau, the Brotherhood operating under the chief of police, and many familiar faces throughout the book.

What’s Not So Good: It is never a good sign when the debut of a new series makes me instantly think about trade-waiting. While the Noir #1 handles the world quite well, the story lacks any sort of punch or urgency that would keep me interested in picking the series up. I understand that is a key component of noir in general, but it doesn’t change the fact it makes for a frustrating and unsatisfying way to spend almost four bucks. The various pieces used in the story are interesting, as mentioned above; but they aren’t really doing anything of particular interest. In other words, there are a few of good ideas but I need more then that to justify the price it costs to follow the series.

On top of the story complaint, I also want to mention how frustrating Dennis Calero’s Greg Land-styled artwork is. The obvious use of certain celebrities I can deal with. What I can’t deal with is how he constantly reuses certain images over and over. Also, it is sometimes difficult to tell characters apart– the dark colors do little to help anything in that regard. While it captures the mood well enough, it doesn’t do the reader any favors whatsoever.

Conclusion: X-Men: Noir #1 is ultimately a frustrating and unsatisfying start to a series that is saddled with an unfortunate cover price. While I hate to come down so hard on something that feels quite fresh, it didn’t succeed in selling me a story or visuals that I can feel comfortable investing in. Give it a shot if you must, but don’t expect to get too much out of it.

Grade: C-

-Kyle Posluszny