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.

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.

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.

Thunderbolts #13 – Review

Charles Soule (Writer), Phil Noto (Artist), Guru eFX (Colorist)

The Story: General Ross explains to Venom just how he got Mercy to be on his team.

The Review: While he had a less than stellar introduction to the Marvel universe, the Red Hulk soon became, under the pen of some talented writers, a character that has evolved to a point where he could be called a fan-favourite. As we followed his adventures, we soon saw that this man was one who had to pay for his past mistakes as he went on to make new ones, being part of a cycle that was almost unending, much to the satisfaction of the readers. With his solo title being given away to his daughter, it made sense to put him in a title consisted of other fan favourites with similar mindsets and even similar backgrounds to continue his adventures, thus a new and very different volume of Thunderbolts was born.

However, I have to admit that this title really did not sink me when it started, as it never went really far beyond the concept and the general tone of putting such characters on the same team. While it had the potential to be somewhat akin to Uncanny X-Force, it never reached that level. It could, however, see a boost in its quality as we now have a new writer, Charles Soule, who you may have heard of from the Distinguished Competition. Does he have the capability to make this title reach the level it could very well have?

As we have seen in the last issue, which had also been written by Soule, he is not only able to play with the characters and plot points that Daniel Way had set before, but he can also use them as his to propel for further conflict and stories in his own tenure on the title. Here, we get a tale that is about two characters: Red Hulk, also known as General ”Thunderbolt” Ross and Mercy, a character created by Peter David in the end of the 80’s. What he does here not only explain to us how Ross got such a powerhouse on his team, but what it could also mean to have her around them in the long run.

Uncanny X-Force #35 – Review

Rick Remender (story), Phil Noto (Artist) and Frank Martin Jr. (colorist)

*Spoiler Alert.*

The story: After all that X-Force had to deal with during the Final Execution arc, the team disbands and searches for answers among other things.

The Review: Uncanny X-Force, for many, has been a revelation. A story that had a concept straight out of the 90’s with popular characters like Wolverine, Deadpool and Psylocke, written by a writer that had done few work for Marvel before. It could have been the recipe for catastrophe, full of self-indulgence and lame action, but it became something big, something with true quality to it. Over time, it had offered us some great character development along with amazing action scenes, turning this title into a true delight with each issue. Now, the final issue has hit home.

After the big and tragic events of issue 34, we get the big downtime issue where we can see how everyone reacts to what they faced during the Final Execution arc. Each character gets their moment to shine, seeing how all these adventures as part of X-Force has changed them, some not necessarily for the better. Most of these moments hit the right note, but the best one to me is without a doubt the Deadpool moment. The conversation he has with Evan is nothing short of touching, seeing how even a killer like him can be a hero in the eyes of a teenage boy. Their interaction is full of earnest development from both characters, making me wish other writers could take advantage of this in future titles featuring the merc with a mouth.

Another good moment in the issue would be the one where the team meets up for one last time to see each other again, as they have something that needs to be shown to Psylocke. What happens then is something that is a little bit predictable, yet the way it’s done is ripe with potential for future stories starring that character. With the team officially disbanded right after the revelation that Fantomex is now back, we get a single moment with two characters that have truly marked this series, Psylocke and Fantomex.

Uncanny X-Force #32 – Review

By: Rick Remender (writer), Phil Noto (art), Frank Martin Jr. & Rachelle Rosenberg (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story:  Deadpool to the rescue!  Quick, somebody rescue Deadpool!

The Review:  If there’s one thing this issue hammered home for me, it’s that I really, really love how Rick Remender writes Deadpool.  Honestly, if Deadpool were written like this more often, I might actually be tempted to pick up his ongoing.  Remender’s Deadpool actually feels like a three-dimensional, believable human being.  Yes, he’s unhinged, yes, he’s goofy, but he’s not the over-the-top cartoon caricature that he’s usually portrayed as.  Rather, he has inner struggles and insecurities and one always gets the feeling that there actually is a hero with a sense of morals underneath all the jokes.  That’s the thing about Remender’s Deadpool:  there’s a real person, and a good one at that, sitting beneath the surface, or fascade, of wackiness.  That’s not something a lot of writers do correctly, most seemingly focused on that surface as being the be all and end all of Deadpool.

Uncanny X-Force #27 – Review

By: Rick Remender (writer), Phil Noto (artist), Dean White (colorist), and Cory Petit (letterer)

The Story:  Unrequited love or not, Fantomex races to Psylocke’s rescue.

The Review:  This is one of those issues that’s very difficult to review without spoilers, so bear with me.

Really, this issue encapsulates  much of what makes Remender’s X-Force a success:  heart-pounding drama and intensity.  The book’s pacing is fantastic, as it keeps you turning the pages, desperate to know what happens next.  It’s one of those books that grabs you and doesn’t let go.

Uncanny X-Force #26 – Review

By: Rick Remender (writer), Phil Noto (artist), Dean White (colorist), and Cory Petit (letterer)

The Story: Wolverine, Deadpool, and Nightcrawler fight for their lives against the Omega Clan, but Psylocke and Fantomex have problems of their own.

The Review:  It’s amazing just how much ground Rick Remender covers in this issue not so much in plot progression, but in tone and style.

On the one hand, the action in this comic is ridiculously brutal and creative with buckets of gore.  It’s an entertaining and furious comic in this regard.  As has often been shown in this series, Remender is also unflinching and disgustingly inventive with his violence and there’s certainly a scene this month that’ll add to that reputation.  On the other hand, however, the scenes with Psylocke and Fantomex appeal in an entirely different way.  The dialogue and the ordeals these two go through are gut-wrenching, with Remender being absolutely merciless to his characters.  It’s harsh, hard-hitting stuff that has a lot of heft, emphasizing the dark, intimate character-work that sets this book apart.

Before Watchmen: Minutemen #1 – Review

by Darwyn Cooke (writer & artist), Phil Noto (colorist), and Jared K. Fletcher (letterer)

The Story: Getting to know the Minutemen…

The Review:  Well, it’s finally here, the moment you’ve either been looking forward to or dreading but are, most likely, at least highly curious about.
After reading this first issue, I’m left feeling that a Watchmen prequel, or more Watchmen comics in general, actually isn’t a bad idea.  It’s not so much the characters that necessitate returning to so much as the Watchmen universe.  Cooke’s artwork really hammered this point home.  Not only is it gorgeous in Cooke’s usual stylish, retro way, but it’s really immersive and creates and establishes a unique world that is evocative and characterful in its own way.  Cooke legitimately gives us a world that feels like a different time and, well, just flat out different.  Minutemen is a book that is, more than anything else, an escape, or a trip, to another world and another time.  In that sense, Minutemen #1 is an easy book to get lost in, in the best way possible.

Cooke devotes almost the entirety of the issue to introducing each member of the team individually.  Overall, it’s extremely well-executed.  In 2-3 pages, we get a firm handle on the core essence of each of these characters, that is, their personalities, their backgrounds, their motivations, and their physical presences.  Speaking on this last point, I loved how Cooke distinguished each member’s unique fighting style; each battles the baddies in an entirely different way, even if it always involves fisticuffs.  Each also has an entirely different persona and by the end of the issue, you feel like you know each of them and can see each as a distinct piece that slots into the team in its own way.  Guiding this all along is narration by Hollis Mason from his book “Under the Hood,” which gives the book a controlled, structured feel that also makes everything seem significant.

Overall, the best I can say about this comic is that throughout, it’s amazing well-crafted.  More than most comics I read, it felt like a tremendous amount of thought, and labour, went into each individual textbox and each individual panel.  Everything is well-considered and you can tell that Cooke, and his editors, presumably, have put a lot of time into making the best comic they can.  The end result is an issue that feels tremendously polished, one that feels a cut above the usual weekly morass.  It feels well-crafted, with an effort to make everything just right.  This also leads to a comic that is very structured with a clear, methodical pace and plan in mind.  You can tell that a lot of work went into preliminary outlines and such long before Cooke ever wrote a single line or drew a single panel of it.

Quick Hit Reviews – Week of April 20, 2011

Sheesh….we can’t review everything in full…..  🙂

Wolverine and Jubilee #4 – So, this n

ice little miniseries written by Kathryn Immonen wraps up and it is a must read if you are a Jubilee fan because this arc really establishes where she will be going forward.  Kudos to the X-creative team for taking an interesting direction with Jubilee.  I know there are some folks out there who feel vampired out, but I’d much rather have characters cast into a new status quo and then see what various creators do with the new toys than allowing characters to languish.  Besides being important for Jubilee, this was a good story if you enjoy seeing the fatherly side of Logan too.  And, of course, for the art snobs out there, it just doesn’t get much prettier than Phil Noto.  If you can find an artist who draws prettier eyes on female characters, I would like to see it.  He also get’s bonus points for drawing women who look like actual women as opposed to back-arched, DDD-boob porn creations.  Very nice issue.  Grade: B

Avengers Academy #12 – Why aren’t more people reading this series?  Every single issue by Christos Gage & Co. has been pretty good and this one continues the string.  This issue picks up the Academy kids’ battle with Korvac where the kids have had their consciousnesses placed into their future selves, giving them access to their adult-level powers so they can beat Korvac.  Not only is it fun seeing what these kids could become, but it’s fun seeing some of them (Mettle & Hazmat) being quite disappointed that they still face limitations in the future!  Great story and the Raney/Hanna art combo does a great job of telling the story.  Grade: B  

Twilight Guardian #4  – I actually kinda liked this series about a slightly mentally ill (or maybe not) female comic fan who goes out on some really uneventful patrols in her neighborhood.  This issue she runs into her long-lost daddy which is kinda cool.  This comic really has a lot of potential because Troy Hickman did the hard thing: he made me care about his central character a lot.  That isn’t easy to do.  Now, he just needs to punch up the pace of the story a little bit.  I don’t know any of the circumstances behind this story’s creation, but this smacks of a story that could’ve used a ‘laying on of hands’ by a good editor.  Still, it is a good story and I’ll be keeping an eye out for Hickman’s future work because he knows how to do the hard stuff.  The art isn’t too shabby either.  Grade: B-

’68 #1 – It’s another zombie book and while it was nice to read and had pretty good art, it didn’t seem to have a lot novel to offer beyond a unique setting (to me, at least): the Vietnam War.  The story is that of an isolated firebase in Vietnam that is about to have the shit hit the fan in a much worse way than the Tet Offensive!  This issue actually represents one of my favorite parts of any zombie story: The early stages where no one really knows what the hell is going on.  The art is nice and crisp too.  If you like zombies, this seems like a solid series but I don’t see anything stunningly unique about it yet.  Grade: C+

Iron Man 2.0 #4 – I really like Nick Spencer and I wanted this series to be good, but it just isn’t and I honestly couldn’t even make it through this issue.  For me the problem is really on the side of the art.  I hate to pee on artists because I can’t even draw a stick figure very well, but Spencer is trying to tell a deliberately paced story and this story needs the art to do a little more to help it along.  This issue features page after page of people talking about Palmer Addley in debriefing rooms.  I question that a little bit as a story-telling device because LOTS of people are going to struggle to read it, but the art doesn’t help at all.  Some of it is due to choices that Olivetti makes (boring poses and really boring backgrounds) and some of it is the choice of Olivetti for this issue at all.  Olivetti’s art is very pretty, but this uninked, straight-to-painted-colors style just isn’t vital enough to hold the reader’s attention.  Talking heads needn’t be this dull (see Spencer’s Infinite Vacation #2 where the girl in the story discusses her aversion to the technology of the story).  Why Marvel hampers these C-list titles (like War Machine 2.0) by screwing around with the art — by making odd art assignments and then switching the artists around — is beyond me.  Grade: D

-Dean Stell

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Quick Hit Reviews – Week of March 23, 2011

Amazing what a sneaky heavy week of comics last week was, eh?  But, we here at WCBR endeavor to bring you the broadest coverage possible, even when we can’t get a full review up for every comic on the stands….

Daredevil Reborn #3 – Ugh.  This is really not good!  I hate to be flip at the expense of something that a comic creator put his effort into, but if Diggle’s run on DD were a boxing match, the referee would be stopping the fight and sparing us the final issue of this miniseries.  Let’s just skip ahead to the Mark Waid series coming in a few months and be done with it.  Here we continue seeing Matt Murdock (and his well groomed neck beard….Where does Matt shave btw?) locked into his battle against small-town cops from hell.  The story just isn’t that compelling.  Matt/Daredevil isn’t a creature of the desert…….he’s a man of the shadows and that’s the only place I want to see him.  Did you know he can drive a truck?  Well, he can provided that he kicks out the windshield first so his echolocation works…..  Did you know while driving said truck, he can also tell when he has cars catching up behind the truck?  Don’t know how that one works…..  Grade: D-

Kick Drum Comix #1 – Now this was some electric stuff!  Holy cow did I love this issue that was actually the very LAST off the pile due to his non-standard format (kinda Golden Age height, but not Golden Age width).  Brought to us by Jim Mahfood, Kick Drum Comix offers two stories of urban action that will be loved by anyone with an affinity for 80’s/90’s R&B/Urban/Punk music.  The first story follows the saga of the Popmaster from his roots in early hip-hop music to becoming a take NO prisoners, hard-core music mogul and his eventual struggle with his estranged daughter.  The second story is revolves around two urban youths with a love for Johnny Coltrane.  Mahfood illustrates the whole issue in a crazy style that is really hard to explain.  His panels are SO content-filled that you can just stare at them and continue to notice great new elements.  Just be sure to buy this.  You’ll love it! Grade: A

Echoes #4 – The psychological creepfest keeps chugging into a strong 4th issue.  As if the basic premise of the series wasn’t disturbing enough (whether a 30-ish man has “inherited” from his father a predilection for killing small girls and making tiny dollies out of their skin, bones & hair), now we are teased with a couple of double-reverses to the story that makes me wonder if it is all in the main character’s head.  Joshua Hale Fialkov is really bringing the plot twists in this one!  And Rahsan Ekedal is contributing great B&W art by being the one thing that this series really needs: creepy!  Grade: B+

Marineman #4 – So what if it is a little derivative of Aquaman?  We all wish Aquaman could be this interesting of a character!  Steve Ocean (a.k.a. Marineman) is a really fun character that seems to have all of Aquaman’s abilities, but he isn’t a dick!  In fact, he’s so incredibly likable that you spend most of the issue cheering for him to succeed.  Ian Churchill is doing career-best artwork on this series too.  Everything about his Marineman just screams “larger than life” and I’ve rarely seen more compelling underwater scenes due to the outstanding coloring.  Grade: B+

Quick Hit Reviews Week of Feb. 16, 2011

Some weeks it is just insane how many comics get published.  Despite the intrepid efforts of our writing staff here at WCBR, we simply can’t do a full review of every comic.  Thus, we bring you the quick-hit reviews where we say a few words about some comics that were pretty darn good and some others that are not so much…

Silver Surfer #1 – The story here is pretty good stuff.  It isn’t the best story ever regarding the Surfer, but a very solid story involving Earthly affairs with a surprising guest starring role from the High Evolutionary.  This action seems to dovetail with the High Evolutionary story occurring in the Iron Man – Thor miniseries from Abnett & Lanning.  What really puts this issue over the top is the art.  Stephen Segovia and Victor Olazaba do an awesome job drawing and inking (especially inking) the Surfer and Wil Quintana contributes great cosmic colors.  I am trying to pare down my “non-essential” Marvel titles, but this display of art will probably have me sticking around.  Grade: A-  — Dean Stell

Wolverine & Jubilee #2 – This is a great series so far that casts Wolverine in his best role: as mentor to a younger hero.  Not only is this my favorite role for Wolverine, but it has always been the best way to bring new members into the X-universe.  Jubilee isn’t new, but she is in a new “role” as she adapts to her vampiric powers (which we learn more about in this issue).  Kathryn Immonen even works in some very funny bits such as Wolverine’s revelation that one can apparently get one’s tongue stuck to Colossus if it is really cold outside.  I DEMAND that that story be in the next Strange Tales!  This issue is also telling a neat story that shows Logan and Jubilee finding zombies in Siberia and it would have gotten a better grade if not for a wholly confusing final page.  Seriously, the final page made me wonder if there was a printing error and I’d missed something.  Phil Noto’s art is again wonderfully pretty.  He draws such pretty eyes on his women.  Grade: B+  — Dean Stell

Venom/Deadpool #1 – No character but Deadpool could pull off a comic like this, and I highly doubt that many writers other than Remender could have written it. This fourth-wall slaughtering romp through the Marvel U is a great deal of fun, with in-jokes, creative references and absurdity to spare. The artwork is big and bold (as well it should be for this kind of a tale) and the story itself–Deadpool is on a quest to find the Continuity Cube, thus making himself the single most relevant character in the Marvel Universe–is a very funny concept that both Remender and Moll execute very well. I must admit, I’m glad I bought the single, $2.99 comic rather than trying to piece together the four mini-chapters that were spread out over four different books. The story is good enough, and fun enough, that $2.99 feels just about right. Any more cost–or effort–than that would be a little much though, even for a ‘Pool-addict like myself.  Grade: B    — SoldierHawk

Justice League of America #54 – What a difference new art makes!  Bagley’s time on this title was pretty drab, but I really, REALLY like the work that Brett Booth is doing in this issue.  Booth’s classic figures (with a beautiful fine line from inker Norm Rapmund) combines really well with Andrew Dalhouse’s understated colors.  I so enjoy this muted color scheme to brilliant and shiny colors.  The story is pretty good too showing Eclipso coming “back” and beginning to recruit shadow-powered villains.  Very little actual JLA in this issue, but that’s fine.  Hopefully this is the arc where James Robinson’s turn on the series finds its footing.  Very promising.  Grade: B  — Dean Stell

Captain America: Man Out of Time #4 – This series continues to be a wonderful character showcase for Steve, and a more overarching look at his current relevance to the Marvel Universe. I especially like Cap’s being forced to face the less-savory parts of American history he’s missed (rather breezily–or perhaps, very calculatingly–passed over by Tony Stark’s version of the temporal tour.) I am and always will be a huge Tony Stark fan, so the contrast we see between his America, and General Simon’s America, was fascinating, and a lot of fun to read. My only complaint is that, in this issue especially (and mostly for the sake of pushing the story along), Steve seems awfully naive. I understand that both he and the 40s are supposed to represent a more innocent and morally straightforward time, but…c’mon. Cap’s a soldier. He fought the Nazis for crying out loud. He’s seen the absolute worst of what humanity has to offer…and he’s really THAT shocked by the fact that, yes, crime and Bad Things still exist in America today? I do understand why he might be disappointed, but Waid and company spend far too much time milking that for the sake of a larger message.  Grade: B-   — SoldierHawk

Wolverine & Jubilee #1 – Review

By: Kathryn Immonen (writer), Phil Noto (art), Clayton Cowles (letters) & Jeanine Schaefer (editor)

The Story: Jubilee is now a vampire.  How will the X-Men deal with her?

What’s Good: There are a lot of good things about this comic.  From a story standpoint, it has the feel of a story that “matters” to the character of Jubilee and (to a lesser extent) the other X-Men.  That’s no small thing in today’s era of highly disposable 6-issue story arcs that reference very little from the past and will be referenced by very few stories in the future.  Too often Big 2 superhero comics tell stories that are just chasing their own tails, so it is nice to see some real character changes and progression for someone like Jubilee as she and the X-Men struggle with how to manager her new status as a vampire.

I also really enjoy the dynamic that Wolverine has with any young female character because these situations allow him to showcase his fatherly (or at least avuncular) nature.  When Wolverine is alone or hanging out with the Avengers, he gets grumpy pretty fast, so I really treasure his relationships with Kitty Pryde, Rogue, Armor (who makes a rare appearance in this issue) and Jubilee.  He’s just more interesting as a character when his sensitive side is on display.

But, what is most interesting is Jubilee herself as she deals with the compulsions she feels now that she is a vampire.  It seems pretty clear that there is no “cure” for her condition, but this will allow all sorts of interesting stuff to be done with her as a character, especially as Marvel seems to be really dusting off the vampire corner of their publication history.  One thing I HOPE that Immonen explores is Jubilee’s new immortal nature.  A thing that makes Wolverine such an odd guy in the Marvel U is that he is basically immortal, so he’s going to outlive all of the current heroes.  Perhaps now that Jubilee is immortal too, Wolverine can at least have a pal?

Of course, no discussion of this comic would be complete without saying some nice things about Phil Noto’s art.  Noto is an accomplished painter and I honestly can’t tell if this art is painted or not.  I tend to think it is a mix of painted art and art that he has colored digitally, but he brings a painter’s perspective to all of his colors and linework.  You can really see this shine though (no pun intended) in a sunset scene.  Most colorists wouldn’t capture this scene as well as Noto does.  This painter’s sensibility also is on display in the women’s hair that is so subtly shaded and contoured.  Ironically, he can’t really show his stuff as much on Jubilee’s dark hair but Emma and Pixie look GREAT.  And, Noto also does some of the best eyes that you’re going to see in comics.  Really glad that Immonen wrote Emma into the script so that Noto could use his retro style to draw her so nicely.  There are pages in this comic that are just a feast for the eyes.

Batman/ Doc Savage Special – Review

by Brian Azzarello (writer), Phil Noto (art)

The Story: A rookie Batman runs afoul of Doc Savage, the famous Man of Bronze, when he’s thought to possibly be involved in a grisly murder on the streets of Gotham City.

What’s Good: A lot.  DC’s First Wave line has officially launched with the release of this 56-page special and I’m happy to report that there’s quite a bit to like here.  When hearing the premise of yet another alternate DC Universe involving established and not exactly underused characters such as Batman and Black Canary, I was admittedly suspicious of the necessity of it’s existence. The inclusion of Azzarello as writer didn’t do much to excite me either, as I found his earlier work in the super-hero genre underwhelming.  However, if this one-shot is an indication of the enjoyment to be had with the concept, then I’m eagerly onboard for more.

Azzarello is clearly at home with the subject matter.  Fans of the writer’s usual fare such as 100 Bullets shouldn’t find it surprising that the man knows how to write a comic that leans heavily on noir and pulp sensibilities.  The Batman and Doc Savage Special is full of a damaged, world-weary cast of characters and he infuses them with a wonderful array of wit and charisma.  His gun-toting Batman is instantly dynamic and his Bruce Wayne even more appealing.  This Dark Knight is a younger, brasher individual than his mainstream counterpart, yet it quickly becomes evident that he’s just as sly and cunning.

The writer also ably services the other star of the book.  Doc Savage is obviously meant to fill the Superman role here, and it works.  Batman as a character traditionally works well when used as a foil for lighter, friendlier heroes.  While having Savage play this role ran the risk of making this team-up seem a tad too familiar to some readers, the writer managed to inject a different flavor into the two heroes’ interactions.  Unlike the Man of Steel, Savage is just a man.  A physically and mentally near-perfect man, but still a man.  When he finally confronts Batman, there’s a sense of fair play in the dynamic between them that has been absent in the “God vs. Man” vibe that arises whenever Superman is around.  It makes for a fresh variation on a story we’ve seen many times in the past.

I can’t say enough positive things about Phil Noto.  I find myself picking up the thesaurus often whenever I’m in the position of describing his work.  It’s surprising how quickly you can go through all the synonyms for amazing.  Noto is literally perfect for this story.  His retro-modern style beautifully brings Azzarello’s 1940’s-inspired Gotham City, as well as its inhabitants, to life.  Noto casts Los Angeles in the part of Batman’s infamous stomping grounds and it fits like a glove.  He also does an admirable job on the character of Doc Savage.  While it’s hard to go wrong with the Dark Knight, the Man of Bronze isn’t as well-known to the current generation of readers.  Noto smartly doesn’t change much about the hero’s signature design, but accomplishes conveying a sense of weight and experience in his face and stature.  Even if I were unfamiliar with the character’s history, I’d be able to guess at some of what he’s been through by simply looking at him.

There’s also an eight page behind-the-scenes segment of the upcoming First Wave miniseries that this special leads into at the tail end of this issue.  There’s some nice artwork by Rags Morales previewed and informative text pieces by Azzarello that spotlight some of the additional characters that we can look forward to showing up.  It’s a nice peek at the creative process and serves to further entice me to give this new title a peek when it’s released.

What’s Not So Good: A few minor nitpicks, really.  While Noto’s artwork suitably brings this new world to life, he does have a tendency to produce stiff action sequences. It’s far from a deal-breaker as the plot doesn’t really center on the fight scenes, but it can distract.  On the writing side, Azzarello’s script seems to come to a rather abrupt conclusion.  Just as our two stars finally come to terms with each other, they receive a phone call that effectively ends any reason for the story to continue.  And it just stops.  It’s far from an exciting culmination to what was an otherwise entertaining read.

Conclusion: Azzarello and Noto serve up a fine introduction to DC’s pulp-tinged new universe.  Lush visuals supported by a strong script that persuasively sells the character of Doc Savage as a worthy headliner make this an enjoyable read.

Grade: B

-Joe Lopez