Stormwatch #7 – Review

By: Paul Jenkins (writer), Ignacio Calero (penciller), Sean Parsons & Julio Ferreira (inkers), Pete Pantazis (colorist)

The Story: Add one more item to the “Nuclear Risks” list: alien beacon.

The Review: I’m just gonna put this out there: I believe Paul Cornell is one of the burgeoning great comic book writers out there.  Sure, he doesn’t have nearly the recognition that Grant Morrison, Matt Fraction, or Geoff Johns do, but I’d argue he can pen a script with the best of them.  Like all the greats, he has a very recognizable storytelling style completely idiosyncratic to him, which from the start made Stormwatch a totally distinctive series of its own.

In a way, such strong and inimitable writing is a double-edged sword; you really feel the painful end of it when once the writer departs and someone takes his place.  It’s not that the new guy (or gal) is necessarily deficient or ineffective in any way; it’s just not the same without the original around.  Unfortunately, that was always going to be the case with this title once Cornell left.

Then again, you can make the argument that Jenkins simply doesn’t have what it takes to follow in his predecessor’s footsteps.  If you have any experience with Jenkins’ writing from DC Universe Presents, you already have a good idea of the range of his ability: competent, wordy, and mostly blunt in the way he tackles theme and meaning.  Hence you have the personification of Pripyat (the Soviet Union town emptied by the Chernobyl disaster) hacking and wheezing into an oxygen mask as suffers the spread of his cancer.

Truthfully, Jenkins’ work would be serviceable enough if not for his completely bland take on the characters, characters whose voices have developed tremendous personality over the course of six issues, only for it all to be abandoned here.  All the wit, intelligence, and boldness you’ve grown to love have gone.  Perfect example: Jenny Quantum used to sport the perfect blend of precociousness, youthful malaise (“Okay.  I vote for you.  Whatever.”—one of her best lines, from #6), and pep.  Jenkins has reduced her to a default “action-exposition” dialogue and a running gag about wanting a puppy (“Pleeeaase?”).

DC Universe Presents #5 – Review

By: Paul Jenkins (writer), Bernard Chang (artist), Blond (colorist)

The Story: I have a question for y’all: why ask the question?

The Review: Wow, hard to believe it’s been five months since I first considered the merits of applying a story-arc format to this showcase title.  I’ve tried to reserve my judgment along the way, but now that we’re at the end, I believe we can say conclusively that this has been largely a waste of the format.  If the purpose of this series is to brighten the dimmer stars of the DCU, then it’d be difficult to consider this story a success.

To follow the recurring motif of this issue, consider this question: would you consider Deadman any more appealing a character now than he was at the beginning of the series?  After all he’s been through, and all the information he’s gleaned from various sources, both human and divine, Boston has failed to learn anything of permanent value, and certainly nothing that’s changed him in any significant way.  He first appeared to us a wise-cracking rebel, and he ends on pretty much the same note.

The first problem is so much of what he’s learned has been plot-focused.  His encounters with the Son of Morning and the demon-angel who guarded his book of life yielded much to deepen his suspicions of Rama, but little to affect his outlook on life.  By the end of the issue, it’s hard to assess exactly how much he’s accomplished.  While he’s forged a new deal with Rama, presumably with better terms, the fact remains that he is still, for all intents and purposes, her servant, and his mission is essentially the same as before.

Perhaps the only difference in his renewed contract is that he’s no longer attached to the souls he possesses, or at least those he’s possessed before.  Jenkins tries to pass this off as a major point, but he’s failed all this time to explain what, exactly, is the peril in having Boston’s fate connected to his many lives.  He vaguely states these people “deserve to go on with their lives,” maybe implying that they now exist in some kind of purgatory, but considering how many of them are still counted among the living, this explanation doesn’t entirely work.

DC Universe Presents #4 – Review

By: Paul Jenkins (writer), Bernard Chang (artist), Blond (colorist)

The Story: Raise your hands and start screaming, we’re riding with the devil tonight!

The Review: Having taken quite a few philosophy classes in my college days, it’s a bit sad to reflect on them and realize I took away absolutely nothing which I can honestly say still applies to my life now.  In my defense, I can only say that when you learn philosophy, you don’t really learn a way to live; no philosopher worth his salt will give you a straight answer to anything, much less give you an outline for living.  All you get for your questions are more questions.

That seems to be the running theme in this installment of Deadman’s quest for answers.  You remember all those people he possessed and failed to help?  His frustration at being unable to solve their problems stems from the fact that he was perhaps never intended to find answers for them at all.  He realizes, “It’s not about answers.  They all represent a question.”

And who better to answer those questions than the Son of Morning, one of the big know-it-alls in the universe and beyond?  Unfortunately, the whole sequence of Deadman asking the SOM twenty questions feels like an exercise for Jenkins to cop out on us as many times as possible.  Using a mix of metaphor and wit, with little cleverness or true logic, SOM answers each of Boston’s question in a way that makes you feel that it’s a waste of time to ask the question at all.

Let’s look at a couple good examples, shall we?  Deadman starts off with a biggie: “What is the meaning of the universe?”  SOM: “It was a failed experiment, abandoned by its creator.”  What’s particularly annoying about the answer is not only does it not truly respond to the call of the question, it’s incomplete.  An experiment to do what?  Why considered a failure and abandoned?  I think we can all agree on the lameness of this point.

Other times, Jenkins just goes for the most convoluted, tortured analogy possible, one that feels like he’s just running off his mouth.  “What is fate?” Deadman asks (and let’s forget about the ridiculousness of the very question here).  “Think of it as a tapestry, rather similar to cheap linoleum, which is printed on the fabric of the space-time continuum.  Your job is to tread on it until it tears, and then sew it up again with conscious thought.”  In the words of 30 Rock’s Liz Lemon: “What the what?”

DC Universe Presents #3 – Review

By: Paul Jenkins (writer), Bernard Chang (artist), Blond (colorist)

The Story: Just because he ties up old ladies and steals their books doesn’t mean he’s not a hero!

The Review: It took me a while to get this review underway because I had to spend some time trying to find the words for my particular feelings toward this book.  Even though Jenkins’ writing has been admirable, the plotting fine, and the overall direction interesting, I still have a strange dissatisfaction with the series.  And now I think I know why: the title just talks too much.

Here me out.  Deadman has always been a lighthearted hero, one more given to quips and jokes than deep thought, and more inclined towards fast-paced physical action and slapstick, despite the inherent spirituality of his mission.  Through Brightest Day, he’s become more thoughtful and layered, a growth I don’t begrudge, but the overemphasis on his more introspective side has turned the story into a philosophical and expositional slog.

Past issues had Rama trying to broaden Boston’s understanding of the universe through innuendo, a fruitless exercise that gave as little enlightenment to us as him.  This time, we have the fallen angel of libraries, or something, giving Boston a lead to someone who can provide the real answers he needs—for a price, of course.  While undoubtedly crucial info, Jenkins takes far too long to get there, dragging us through a scene that repeats a pattern of the angel refusing to speak, then giving in with each of Boston’s casual threats.

Jenkins does better when he goes for a straight-up narrative, like Deadman’s recounting of his attempt to save an innocent man on death row.  The tale has a lot of weight to it, asks all the right questions (“There must be a last-minute reprieve, I thought.  Otherwise, what was I doing here?”), and ultimately ends on a powerful, sobering note—all within three pages.  It also has the added bonus of getting you just as invested in demanding answers from Rama as Boston is.

DC Universe Presents #2 – Review

By: Paul Jenkins (writer), Bernard Chang (artist), Blond (colorist)

The Story: To understand the meaning of life, take a few courses in quantum physics first.

The Review: What with both Wonder Woman and Herc coming out this past Wednesday, this seems to be the week of dealing with gods and all their intrigues, doesn’t it?  One thing you’ll surely learn after observing so much divinity firsthand is that even the humblest, most benevolent gods have things to hide.  While these particular immortals generally have well-intentioned motives in keeping secrets, they almost invariably turn out for the worst.

DC Universe Presents #1 – Review

By: Paul Jenkins (writer), Bernard Chang (artist), Blond (colorist)

The Story: He’ll force himself inside you whether you like it or not.  That’s just wrong.

The Review: Like most of the series in DC’s new lineup, this title received its fair share of controversy even before it launched.  The point of debate in this case had nothing to do with costume changes or snarls of continuity, but revolved around the choice to feature characters through extended story arcs rather than one-shots.  Some people figure, not inaccurately, that a title meant as a vehicle to expose lesser-known heroes should have a quicker revolving door.

Despite their lack of fame, these characters generally have a certain continuity and appeal all their own.  To discover all that, you really need more time than a done-in-one can often provide.  Does this mean we should always get stuck with one character for six months’ worth of issues before moving on to the next?  Perhaps not.  But before we start judging stories by their length, let’s take them on by their merits, shall we?

It’s easy to catch on to Deadman’s gimmick, but beyond the whole possessing people bit, you don’t really get a sense of what his purpose is.  It turns out the friendly ghost may not know that either.  Jenkins fills the issue with questions that have no easy answers, some for Boston to mull morosely upon, and some for our own speculation as well.

The big theme that flows through the center of all these questions is why must Deadman do what he does?  You can see how Boston’s circus skills come in handy when he works with people with practical, tangible problems.  But what use can he have for a priest questioning his faith, a doctor making a life-or-death choice, an innocent on death row, a stripper with daddy issues, or a man dying alone?  Compelling situations indeed, but also a little disappointing since Jenkins doesn’t actually tell us how Boston dealt with these seemingly insolvable conflicts.

Thor: Heaven and Earth #4 – Review

By: Paul Jenkins (writer), Lan Medina (artist), Chris Sotomayer (colorist), Charlie Beckerman & Jake Thomas (assistant editors)

The Story: A Welsh Prince steals the wife of a Viking. The Vikings sail over to settle accounts. The Welsh, getting kicked around, call for help, by offering beautiful damsels for their dragon to eat. The dragon accepts the payment and mows down the Vikings, who call for help of their own: the Norse gods.

What’s Good: You’ll recall in my review of Thor: Heaven and Earth #3, that I’d been blown away by Jenkins’ powerful writing. This issue is no different. Once again, it is a stand-alone issue that is entirely focused on what makes Thor different. In this case, Jenkins focuses on the fact that Thor is part of an ancient pantheon of gods, who once had worshippers who could call them for help, worshippers who had enemies in a pagan cosmology. The second thing that’s cool about Jenkins’ story is that there is a strong moral element. The challenge in lending a moral argument to a tale of the past is that very often, to meet the moral needs of modern readers, an anachronistic ethic is inserted into a past it doesn’t belong to, making the story feel inauthentic. Jenkins gets around this by making the original crime (wife-kidnapping) something that will offend the morals of both modern readers and vikings. Clever and effective. The third cool thing about Jenkins’ story is the frame of the narrative. This is a story being told. There is a listener and a teller, and instead of being just a literary device, Jenkins makes the frame part of the story by having one of them change. So, there’s character change in the story, and character change in the framing story. Quite well constructed and satisfying.

On the art, I was quite pleased. I noticed the camera angle technique right on the first page: starting above the train, then in the train on the teller and the listener, and the close-ups on each of them. Big to small. Distant to intimate. I also liked the detailing of the expressions and the work on making average characters part of a heroic story. And on heroism and action, it was competently done, and I felt it really came alive when the Aesir and the dragon came on the scene. That just goes to show that superheroes and monsters are still the natural fauna of comic books.

Thor: Heaven and Earth #3 – Review

By: Paul Jenkins (writer), Pascal Alixe (artist), Sotocolor (colorist), Charlie Beckerman (editor)

The Story: Thor fulfills a promise to reconcile the existence of the Viking gods to a faith-stricken Catholic priest.

What’s Good: I had checked out this issue totally on a lark, and was blown away by the story. It’s been a while since I’ve led the “what’s good” part of a review with the writer, but Paul Jenkins delivered a perfectly written story with cosmic and personal depth. What made it perfect for me? First of all, this story gets to what Thor is about: a major god from a pagan pantheon intervening directly in a Judeo-Christian-Muslim, largely secularized world. Thor’s 50-year run in comics has required readers to deliberately suppress or ignore questions about which religion is true. Doctor Strange had much the same problem, and Marvel largely sorted these out in Marvel Premiere in the early 1970s. Jenkins didn’t duck this problem; he made it the core of his story and he pulled it off without being trite, facile or dishonest.

All-Winners Squad: Band of Heroes #1

By: Paul Jenkins (writer), Carmine Di Giandomenico (artist), Bill Rosemann & Alejandro Arbona (editors)

The Story: This story is split between the events of December 1944, in German territory, and modern-day USA. The characters in 1944 are a squad of superhero soldiers led by Captain America, and in the present, a 93-year-old man and his granddaughter.

The Review: Jenkins offered some fine writing in this first issue of an 8-issue limited series. I was dropped right into the confusion of a running WWII battle, nuanced with gritty, low-powered, wartime superheroing. I think Jenkins did a better-than-fair job of catching some of the peculiar word choices of the time, which helped the art create a feeling of authenticity. And while it would have made the read easier if he’d provided slightly more text on the dramatis personae, I accepted that if his goal was to create in the reader a sense of the chaos of a pitched urban battle, one way to contribute to that is to give the reader less information. I enjoyed the modern setting less, partly because we shift from action and a sequence of micro-cliff-hangers to a sedate character piece. Now, the change in focus isn’t a problem in, but that I felt Jenkins didn’t succeed so much in the establishment of authenticity. The focus on wartime comic books in the beginning seemed to be a bit too meta-fictional for me, and the dialogue felt less honest as the level of exposition-through-dialogue increased. That being said, I think the scenes were effective in connecting the WWII era to the present.

X-Men: Prelude to Schism #3 – Review

By: Paul Jenkins (writer), Will Conrad (art), Lee Loughridge (colors), Rob Steen (letters), Sebastian Girner (assistant editor) & Nick Lowe (senior editor)

The Story: Cyclops recollects a special woman in his life as he grapples with a momentous decision regarding the future of the X-Men.

What’s Good: By now, it’s pretty obvious what this miniseries is, so wishing for it to be more is unrealistic (although we’ll get into that below).  This issue feeds us a pretty strong dose of Cyclops and him missing his mother as he’s grappling with this HUGE decision that the X-Men are facing.  It shows how his mother was with him as a young boy who was starting to have issues with his mutant powers (nasty headaches) and how she sacrificed herself so that Scott and his brother could survive after the small plane they were flying in developed problems and they only had one parachute.

It also had a nice bookend to that situation by showing Cyclops talking with Emma before informing the gathered X-Men of his decision.  I liked how he asked her, “How sure am I?” and she probes his mind to see how many doubts and fears he has.  What an interesting way to spot-check your decision making process!

The art is effective.  It’s nothing awesome, but it tells the story effectively and all the characters look like they should.

Quick Hit Reviews – Week of May 18, 2011

Try as we might, there are always a few comics that slither through the cracks and don’t get the full review treatment here at WCBR.  Still, it probably makes sense to tell you whether we generally liked the issue or not.  Thus, the Quick Hit Reviews….

X-Men: Prelude to Schism #2  – In the category of “blatant money grabs” we have Prelude to Schism.  The Schism event itself should be pretty hot (written by Jason Aaron and a host of A-list artists), but clearly someone at Marvel figured that if they published a title like Prelude, the hardcore X-fans would buy it even if it wasn’t telling a necessary story.  We are now two issues into Prelude and we still don’t know what is really going on any more than we did at the end of issue #1.  All we know is that something horrible is coming to Utopia and there is a question of whether they should evacuate and that somehow Cyclops and Wolverine will fight over it (although we only “know” that last part for promotional materials/interviews).  It seems that this series will consist of Cyclops getting counseled by his various chief advisors.  Last issue, he got advised by Xavier.  This issue we get Magneto’s advice which comes wrapped in a pretty good story about Magneto’s origins as a Jewish boy in Nazi Germany.  Not bad, but we already knew that.  Art is not great as the wonderful Roberto de la Torre (who drew issue #1) is replaced by Andrea Mutti who I just personally don’t like as much.  Grade: D+ 

Generation Hope #7 – After a really shaky beginning (due to odd publishing decisions), Generation Hope has kinda found its footing as a series.  This second story arc was pretty solid as we saw Hope and her “lights” (with Kitty Pryde along as chaperone) head off on a mission to find yet another new mutant.  If you like stories about new characters, you’ll like this series because we’re still learning who these kids are, how they behave, what their powers can do, etc.  Also, from a sheer conceptual standpoint, there were some winner ideas.  For example, the new mutant is an unborn baby who is so afraid of being born that he is using his power to turn everyone around him into mindless attack drones.  Or you can look at how the good guys avoid this power: by having Kenji extend a meat-tentacle and “plug in” to each of their brains via the back of their heads.  Freaky.  It also led to a moment when they wanted to plug into the unborn baby’s head and my brain quickly said, “NOOOOOO!  They’re not going to show that are they?”  Thank goodness the meat tentacle just plugs into the back of the mother’s head.  Whew!  I thought some tentacle porn was coming!  So, the story in this issue was good and solid.  I still question whether we really need more mutants when there are so many who don’t get enough time in the main X-books.  Salvador Espin’s art is very solid from a storytelling standpoint, but isn’t otherwise good or bad enough to spend much time on.  Grade: B-

Alpha Flight #0.1 – How’s that for stupid numbering?  In theory, the whole point of Marvel’s .1 initiative was to create jumping on points for fans who were maybe afraid of jumping into the middle of a series.  Why you need a .1 issue when #1 is coming out in a few weeks is beyond me.  And, I’m giving the creative team a bit of a pass because this issue stinks of “publishing gimmick”.  The story really isn’t that compelling because I don’t think what we got in this issue is “the story” that we’ll get in the true #1 issue and it doesn’t even do that great of a job of showing new fans who these Alpha Flight characters are and what they can do, nor does it do lots of things to appeal to fans of the original John Byrne Alpha Flight from the early 1980’s.  If I had to guess, Fred Van Lente and Greg Pak had a really cool story for the “real” Alpha Flight series and someone in editorial or publishing said, “Hey!  The fanboys are positively salivating for this series.  Let’s come up with a quick .1 issue because they’ll buy it.”  I didn’t think the art got the job done either.  Alpha Flight needs old-school, superhero art.  Someone like Tom Grummet would be perfect; or Dale Eaglesham who will draw the regular series.  So, this issue wasn’t great, but I still think the regular series is worth checking out.  Grade: C

Astonishing X-Men #38 – Another creative change on this series after we got the much-delayed issue #37 last week.  Now we have Christos Gage writing and Juan Bobillo on art.  The summary is that the story is pretty good: The Astonishing X-Men go into space to rescue Agent Brand from a research facility overrun by the Brood.  It’s fun and jaunty and I LOVE the Brood and they will always have a soft spot in my heart because my first issue of Uncanny X-Men was #162 which was kinda the beginning of the original Brood story.  [God that was a great story!]  The thing holding this issue back from a higher score was the art, so we’re ending up with a pretty average issue.  I generally like stylized art, but this was just not working for me as a lot of faces (especially Beast) just looked bizarre and detracted from my enjoyment of the whole issue.  Nice job on Storm, though.  Grade: C

-Dean Stell

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X-Men: Prelude to Schism #1 – Review

By: Paul Jenkins (writer), Roberto de la Torre (art), Lee Loughridge (colors), Rob Steen (letters), Sebastian Girner (assistant editor), Daniel Ketchum (associate editor) & Nick Lowe (editor)

The Story: Something is coming to Utopia that is causing the X-Men to contemplate an evacuation and (if marketing is to be believed) this will cause a SCHISM between Cyclops and Wolverine.

What’s Good: Roberto de la Torre’s art is really nice.  He draws with a style that looks like it is based in photo-reference and then gets all kinds of scratchy.  It’s almost like he is taking the accurate anatomy of photo-reference and then inking over the top to inject vitality to the characters.  Given that this issue consists mainly of characters standing around and talking, it really needed visually appealing and interesting art or it would have just been boring as hell.  I really enjoyed de la Torre’s work on Daredevil recently and I’d LOVE to see him stick around the X-titles for a good long time because I prefer his art to about 5-6 artists who have been getting regular work out of the X-office.  Lee Loughridge also does a very nice job coloring.  Almost this entire issue takes place in the shadows and he manages to do his part to keep a slow-paced issue interesting.

The story itself….  Well, there is some good here if you’re really into the Cyclops – Xavier relationship.  Jenkins does a nice background of the time the two of them have spent together as Xavier is recognizing that Cyclops/Scott truly has grown up and HE (not Xavier) is the leader here.  Probably the highlight of this story is the flashing back to the early years of Scott’s time with Xavier.

The Rest Of The Stack

Superman: Secret Origin #1

Geoff Johns (Writer), Gary Frank (Pencils), Jon Sibal (Inks)

The Good and the Bad: Superman: Secret Origin is a near perfect “jump-on point” for those who haven’t picked up a Superman book in a long time. In this new mini-series Geoff Johns and Gary Frank don’t offer us a mere summary of how Superman came to be, instead they give us a funny and moving coming-of-age story of a small town boy that transitions from adolescent to a young man aware of his capabilities. However, since this is a story about Superman after all, Johns and Frank waste no time jumping straight to the superhero scenes. Right away they gives us the superhero puberty scenes, showing Clark realizing his powers in the most common teenage boy ways. From realizing his bone-breaking strength on the field, to his premature heat discharges with Lana, Johns and Frank win big in drawing the similarities of a hero in the making and the familiar and awkward moments of a young boy. Even though the pacing may be unfolding a little too quickly, we get a much-needed background on how Superman came to be. This is definitely worth checking out.

Grade: A-

-Raymond Hilario

Avengers: The Initiative #28

Christos N. Gage (Writer), Rafa Sandoval (Pencils), Roger Bonet (Inks), and Edgar Delgado (Colors)

The Good and the Bad: Avengers: The Initiative is one series that’s definitely making the most of the whole Dark Reign thing. As the Avengers Resistance assembles to help some like-minded Initiative members in need, it’s hard not to smile as the whole Marvel sandbox concept gets used to full effect. On a technical level, Avengers: The Initiative #28 is a winner. Christos Gage does a fine job of cramming in some really nice character work among all the clever action. The artists prove that they are certainly up to the task of handling anything (and anyone) that Gage throws at them in an entertaining, slightly chaotic way. That said, it’s unfortunate that the impressive artwork, as a whole, doesn’t really fit the surprisingly dark script all that well. Simply put, it’s too lively and vibrant for the story being told.

Grade: B

The Darkness/Pitt #2

Paul Jenkins (Writer), Dale Keown (Pencils & Inks), and Frank D’Armata (Colors)

The Good and the Bad: I never would have considered the likeable Jackie Estacado to be a racist homophobe until reading The Darkness/Pitt #2, but, Paul Jenkins’ questionable character work aside, the Top Cow mini-series is proving to be a fun, violent romp. The dialogue between Pitt, Estacado, and Timmy is mostly entertaining in that “odd couple” type of way and Dale Keown’s slick, polished artwork is elevated by Frank D’Armata’s moody, dark colors. If you don’t mind a generic, forgettable plot, give the mini-series a look at some point if you are in the mood for something with that special “90s” vibe.

Grade: C+

No Hero #7

Warren Ellis (Writer), Juan Jose Ryp (Art), and Digikore Studios (Colors)

The Good and the Bad: Whoa! That’s the word that comes to mind when I think about the conclusion to No Hero. Warren Ellis throws a very cool curveball into the plot that makes main character Josh Carver infinitely more interesting as a character. The downside is that the brutal, violent ending pretty much puts the kibosh on any more exploration of the very character that you’re probably going to want to follow a bit more (though a prequel might work…). Oh well. At least Ellis ends things with one hell of a finish, mostly thanks to the incredibly disturbing, disgusting, detailed artwork provided by the talented Juan Jose Ryp. Whether you want it to or not, because of Ryp’s work, No Hero #7 will stick in your mind for quite some time.

Grade: B+

-Kyle Posluszny