Avengers vs. X-Men #12 – Review

By: Brian Michael Bendis, Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction & Jonathan Hickman (story), Jason Aaron (story & script), Adam Kubert (pencils & inks), John Dell & Mark Morales (inks), Laura Martin & Justin Ponsor (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story:  The Scarlet Witch and Hope take on Dark Phoenix Scott Summers for all the marbles.

The Review:  No one will ever accuse AvX of being subtle, nuanced, or even particularly smart writing.  That being said, it never really aspired to be more than it is.  So really, how much you enjoy it, and how much you’ll enjoy this issue, is really largely dependent upon your feelings about big event comics in general.  For myself, I honestly had fun reading this issue.  It wasn’t anything exceptional, but I enjoyed myself.  It was a solid, cathartic conclusion to the story and, yeah, AvX winds up being about a hundred times better than Fear Itself.

Avengers vs. X-Men #9 – Review

by Jason Aaron (writer), Adam Kubert (pencils), John Dell (inks), Laura Martin & Larry Molinar (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story:  With their backs against the wall, the Avengers attempt a daring jailbreak.

The Review:  I’ve actually found the last few issues of Avengers vs. X-Men to be relatively enjoyable.  It’s something of a disappointment then that this latest installment felt a tad underwhelming.

Part of that, I think, is that this issue is another testament to the fact that AvX could easily have run the standard 8 issues instead of twelve.  The first two-thirds of the issue felt like a lot of wheel-spinning.  Perhaps that’s a little strong, as things DO happen, but it feels like little more than the pieces being shuffled around on the board.  It’s almost as though the book is on a holding pattern – minor consolidations of characters’ alignment are made, it’s hammered home repeatedly that the Avengers are stuck in neutral, and the end result is that, for all the action scenes, the book is surprisingly dull.

Moreover, I have to say that I was a bit disappointed by the portrayal of Magik and Colossus.  The strongest element of the “Phoenix Five” has been the way that the Phoenix hasn’t just corrupted them, but done so in a manner that accentuates each of their unique and inherent character flaws.  Magik and Colossus, however, just come across as evil, straight-up villains.  Well, with Colossus trying to resist his villainous side, anyway, while Magik is completely malevolent.  But the problem is there’s nothing unique in their corrupted behaviour – they’re just violent and nasty.  I wish it was a little more nuanced in the delivery.  It’s particularly strange given that Jason Aaron was also the guy behind last week’s issue of Wolverine & the X-Men, which did such a great job in its depiction of corrupted Colossus.

Thankfully, this isn’t the case with Aaron’s takes on the empowered Emma and Scott.  These two characters thankfully maintain that interesting element of the Phoenix’s corruption – they aren’t just evil, but rather, the corruption emphasizes certain character flaws.  The vengeful Emma Frost and her inner struggles were a great example of that and a major highlight of the book.  Aaron manages to make her perfectly monstrous, the Phoenix corrupting her in a manner that fits perfectly with her nature, but also a sympathetic figure, all in the space of two pages.

Wolverine and the X-Men #14

By: Jason Aaron (story), Jorge Molina (pencils), Norman Lee (inks), Morry Hollowell (colors), Chris Elipoulo (letters)

The Story: Colossus/Juggernaut/Phoenix tries to win back the heart of Kitty Pryde as  only Colossus/Juggernaut/Phoenix can…a seafood buffet!

The Good: Almost everything. Seriously, Jason Aaron serves us an incredible issue that is full of great humor and fun. From the opening of Colossus parting the sea for his date with Kitty to the remaining staff at the Jean Grey School attempting to run the school with only a fraction of the staff available, we get to see more sides to Kitty Pryde than we have since Whedon handled her. It’s very much her issue…in fact, for a title called Wolverine and the X-Men, is it strange that I don’t remember the last time Wolverine was present?

Secret Avengers #28 – Review

By: Rick Remender (writer), Renato Guedes (artist), Matthew Wilson & Jeremy Mohler (colorists), and Chris Eliopoulos (letterer)

The Story:  The Avengers away team confronts Hala’s ruler, Minister Marvel, to break Hala free from its Phoenix worshipping mind-control.

The Review:  This issue of Secret Avengers goes a long way to showing how valuable a good colorist is.  I’ve been raving about Guedes’ art for this arc and in this issue, it’s just as hyper-detailed and imaginative.  However, something is definitely lost with Bettie Breitweiser off the title.  Wilson and Mohler’s work is just fine and the art is still solid, but it’s lost that really eye-popping, European sci-fi vibe that has made this book so impressive of late.  We’ve gone from a book that had some of the best art coming out of Marvel at the moment to artwork that is merely solid, all due to the loss of a colorist.

Unfortunately, Remender’s conclusion of this arc is also fairly underwhelming, mostly because 3 issues just wasn’t enough for this story to really come together.

Avengers vs. X-Men #6 – Review

by Jonathan Hickman (writer), Olivier Coipel (penciler), Mark Morales (inks), Laura Martin (colorist), and Chris Eliopoulos (letterer)

The Story:  The Phoenix Five begin to reshape Earth; the Avengers make a daring raid on Utopia to snatch Hope.

The Review:  I’ll admit that after last issue, I thought AvX had jumped the shark.  As a result, I was pretty worried when I started reading this issue.  Instead, against all odds, I had a reason to be excited.

Hickman has done some great work here with the Phoenix Five.  What we get is a story of gods among men and the resulting intersection and conflict between the two.  The result is a story that is much smarter, more meditative, and more global and nuanced in nature.  AvX has suddenly become a whole lot more than Avengers and X-Men punching each other.  Better still, Hickman muddies the waters at just how godly the Phoenix Five really are and the extent to which they are merely mortals gifted with godly powers.  The result is that the intersection/conflict isn’t just between gods and men, but also between the godly powers of the Phoenix Five and their human/mutant cores.

The result is a strange sort of antagonist: their acts are amazing and philanthropic, and yet they feel so alien that you can’t help but find them somewhat sinister.  Scott only continues to be more disturbing; while he acts and talks like a god, he still carries that vengeful chip on his shoulder.  This leads to scenes where he’ll drop his godly guise and seem like…Scott, with powers he shouldn’t have.  There’s also an especially strong scene where Scott plays the nasty, biblical God: teasing and tempting Hope only so he can chide and reject her for her lack of blind faith in some form of sadistic “test.”  For all the good the Phoenix Five do, it’s the hints like these that Hickman uses to suggest that men cannot and should not be gods.

Olivier Coipel’s art refreshes AvX just as much as Hickman’s script does, if not moreso.  While Romita Jr. truly was doing his best, Coipel blows him out of the water.  Coipel is everything you expect out of a “big event” type book, with an incredible sense of scale and drama and a polished, “big budget” feel to his work.  His art goes a long way to rejuvenating AvX and making the book an exciting one.

Avengers #27 – Review

By: Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Walter Simonson (penciler), Scott Hanna (inker), Jason Keith (colorist), and Cory Petit (letterer)

The Story: The Avengers confront the betrayer in their ranks as Noh-Varr strikes a deal with the Supreme Intelligence.

The Review:  As someone who also reads Rick Remender’s Secret Avengers, this arc of Bendis’ Avengers poses an odd conundrum, essentially following the same characters through a story with shared and conflicting plot elements.  That said, while last month I was less certain, I’m actually thinking that Bendis’ story might be the better one.  While Remender fell back on ye olde mind control plot device to explain Noh-Varr’s betrayal and the general Phoenix obsess of Hala’s residents, Bendis goes for a simpler, but more genuine idea.

Instead, Noh-Varr turns out only to be doing what he thinks is best, taking big risks, playing people against each other, and making sacrifices in a desperate gambit to save Earth.  The result is a more human story and, more than that, by issue’s end, Bendis delivers the repercussions that “mind-control” devices are used to skirt around.  Without such a “get out of jail free card,” Noh-Varr is forced to face up to the consequences of his betrayal and we get a more meaningful story.

Avengers vs. X-Men #5 – Review

by Matt Fraction (writer), John Romita Jr. (penciller), Scott Hanna (inker), Laura Martin (colorist), and Chris Eliopoulos (letterer)

The Story: The Phoenix arrives.

The Review:  I really, really was starting to think that AvX was going to be a good, fun story, but after last month’s shaky issue, I’m getting the sinking feeling that this month’s issue could very well be the moment that this series truly jumped the shark.

Overall, the general problem is that this entire issue is devoted to the big, gigantic twist near the end of the issue.  This leads to around 15 or so pages of treading water, as Fraction basically kills time before dropping the bombshell on us, which is the sole notable thing to happen here.  This leads to more pages of Avengers and X-Men punching each other with very little emotional significance to their particular struggles.  Everyone is paired off and Hope makes it clear that they’re trying to kill each other.  So yeah, lots of hollow panels of action with heroes punching, grappling, and blasting each other.  Perhaps if I were 8 years old again, I’d find it awesome, but at this point, it just feels shallow and a bit meaningless, particularly given that we’ve already had so much of these characters punching each other.  Fraction tries to make these action scenes different by having Hope basically emphasize, through narration, how desperate everything is, but it feels like a case of telling rather than showing; the action doesn’t LOOK any different from what we’ve gotten before, regardless of what Hope tells us.  It doesn’t help that Hope’s narration is built around an extended metaphor on her part that, while a decent idea and well-intentioned, ends up being clunky and more awkward that it’s worth.

But really, this may all be forgivable if the big bombshell Fraction was building up towards was actually a good one.  Unfortunately, it’s not.  I can’t really go into WHY it isn’t without spoiling it, but this really feels like the one, singular moment where things really went wrong with this series.  I really, truly hope I’m proven wrong.  As such, I can guarantee that it’s a twist that you will NOT see coming.  However, upon turning the page, I literally said out loud “are you @$!@ing kidding me?”  It’s a real “facepalm” moment here.  It just feels really, really stupid.  There’s no other way to describe it.  It’s just…dumb.

Wolverine & the X-Men #11 – Review

by Jason Aaron (writer), Nick Bradshaw (pencils & inks), Walden Wong & Norman Lee (inks), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: Going to the X-Men’s aid, Jean Grey School teachers battle Avengers while Logan and Hope are intercepted by a squad of Shi’ar Death Commandos.

The Review:  Two issues in, it’s become clear – AvX has effectively derailed one of Marvel’s best books, and isn’t that the eternal nightmare for comics readers wary of event tie-ins?

The problem is that focusing on Avengers vs. X-Men forces Aaron to move away from much of what’s made the book a rousing success.  We spend far too much time away from the school and from the students.  Indeed, much as the bit with Genesis was last issue’s best moment, this issue’s bits with Kid Gladiator and Kitty’s class’ reaction to Iceman’s fight with Hulk are the highlights, but these portions are far too brief.

No, instead, the bulk of the issue just features mindless action.  Once again, we get to see Avengers and X-Men punching each other in Wakanda/Tabula Rasa/Wundagore/Savage Land, exchanging dialogue that feels completely phoned in, with heroes reiterating their teams’ basic stances.  Most of these characters fighting have no real beef or connection to one another, so the fights really feel meaningless, while other characters have never even played a role in this book prior to this issue (Red Hulk and Doctor Strange, for instance).  Frankly, this “splitting the teams amidst four locations” has been a point I’ve really hated about AvX, as it’s just led to tie-ins like this one, spinning their wheels by filling pages with random heroes punching each other.  Perhaps it would be more forgivable for readers with less extensive pull-lists, but it’s starting to feel like every damned tie-in is doing these “checking in” action scenes; it was lifeless and tiresome to begin with and at this point, it’s simply irritating.

Secret Avengers #27 – Review

by Rick Remender (writer), Renato Guedes (art), Bettie Breitweiser & Matthew Wilson (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: Mar-Vell, Noh-Varr, and Ms. Marvel deliver a beatdown on a Hala gone mad.

The Review: This is an issue where in many respects, the script plays second-fiddle to the art.  Much as was the case last month, Renato Guedes is cranking out some of the best work of his career here.  Seriously, this is miles above the work he put out on Wolverine not too long ago.  It’s clear that Guedes excels at drawing outlandish, alien, science fiction environments and narratives.  His work is incredibly detailed, almost uncomfortably so.  His work on Secret Avengers has felt almost as much a comic as some kind of European sci-fi artbook.  Bettie Breitweiser and Matthew Wilson really do a lot to enhance this feel, with a very unique palette that furthers the European aesthetic.  This is particularly impressive in the case of Breitweiser, who has clearly completely changed up her game for this series.

Unfortunately, unlike last month, this issue feels somewhat forgettable insofar as the plot.  I love the fact that Remender is telling a cosmic story, but I’m sort of non-plussed that we’re ultimately just getting yet another “mind control” story in a comic.  It always feels like an “out” when writers do this, a way to cheat by having heroes double-cross each other or do bad things, without having to deal with the consequences or ramifications, without Marvel actually having to commit to the swerve.  It leads to stories and characterization that doesn’t really have he significance that it would otherwise have.

As a result, when you see Ms. Marvel and Mar-Vell romancing and rekindling a flame and taking their relationship to a new level, should we really care?  What could be a significant moment for the two characters is undercut by the fact that it’s probably not for real and could very well just be part of their being mind controlled.

The Avengers #26 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Walter Simonson (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Jason Keith (colors), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: Cap sends Thor and a team of Avengers to space on a suicide mission to head off the Phoenix.  However, all is not what it seems for Noh-Varr.

The Review:  Let’s be clear here: the big selling point on this issue is Simonson’s artwork.  I imagine that there will be a lot of readers who won’t enjoy his style.  Admittedly, it’s not the polished, photo-referenced stuff that’s become commonplace in comics these days, nor is it the labour intensive awesomeness that you’d get out of a Lee Bermejo or Alex Ross.  In fact, Simonson’s art is basically a throwback.  Really, though, that’s part of why it’s so much freaking fun.  It’s filled with gleeful nostalgia and it’s really dynamic, fast-paced stuff.  This is also reflected in Simonson’s layouts as well.  His work has a tremendous amount of energy and character to it and it really just breathes “comics” in its purest form.  Hanna and Keith do great work in supporting Simonson’s work as well: Hanna simply emphasizes the already present strengths to Simonson’s work while Keith matches Simonson’s energy with simple but vibrant colors.

It also helps that Bendis realizes that Simonson is the big selling point here; he essentially writes a script that offers plenty of time for Simonson to shine.  Obviously, this means we get to see a lot of Thor, which is great, especially for that priceless nostalgia.  More than that though, Simonson gets to draw the Avengers battling the Phoenix in space, which is so much grandiose fun to read and look at.

Unfortunately, while the art is a lot of fun, the script is a puzzling one in that I’m left wondering why this story had to be told.  The problem is that Bendis is basically telling the exact same story that Remender told last month in Secret Avengers.  Both books are focused on the same team, the same general story/conflict, in the same setting.  It’s a bizarre duplicate.  Of course, this also leads to problematic contradictions between the two – the Avengers rig  up a second device in a second attempt to contain the Phoenix (which never happened in Secret Avengers), while Mar-Vell, a big part of Remender’s version of the story, is not present (here, all the Kree double-crossing is left to Noh-Varr).  It’s stuff like this that really makes your brain  hurt.  Why are two creative teams telling the same story in two different books, at the same time?  And how can there be such glaring contradictions between the two?  How did editorial okay this?  I understand that they wanted to give Simonson a Thor story, but surely it didn’t have to step on Secret Avengers’ toes to this extent.

The New Avengers #26 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Mike Deodato (art), Rain Beredo (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story:  K’un-Lun gets its new Iron Fist as well as a very special guest.

The Review: This issue proves that last issue wasn’t just a fluke, one-issue thing: despite not featuring a single Avenger, being set in the past, and being an event tie-in, this is one of the best New Avengers stories since the relaunch of the title.  Actually, it’s probably my favourite next to the first, Stuart Immonen illustrated arc.

Bendis’ Avengers books have gradually fallen into a creative rut of repetition and stagnation, but this issue, much like the issue before it, allows Bendis to do something totally different: a K’un Lun comic.  The result is a book that is filled with a sense of wonder.  Bendis immerses us into the strange world of prophecy and mysticism that is K’un Lun and the result is an ominous, escapist trip that only comics can provide.

Perhaps the one weakness of this issue is the lack of meaningful character-work, particularly in the case of our redheaded protagonist, who really hasn’t been explored much beyond the surface level.  Oddly, I’m fine with that in the context of this comic.  It’s clear that Bendis has chosen instead to focus on the atmosphere and tone of dread and impending cataclysm; it’s clear that this story, and its characters, are completely driven and controlled by events.  Characterization takes a backseat, but only because the characters are simply pieces in a larger game with the highest stakes.  In this sense, Bendis’ approach actually works for the comic.

Avengers vs. X-Men #3 – Review

By: Ed Brubaker (writer), John Romita Jr. (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Laura Martin (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: Cap and Wolverine have a “discussion” regarding his actions on Utopia.

The Review: I figure a lot of readers are going to have a different interpretation of this issue, one that ends up being much more negative.  Why are the characters behaving so stupidly and resorting to violence so easily?  Why are they going directly against their clearly stated principles?  For more cynical readers, this will no doubt be ascribed to poor writing and “event storytelling.”

But I don’t think it’s that simple.  Rather, much like in the first issue of AvX, we’re finally being given an event that has heart and character moments and not just heroes smashing things.   I think the ease with which Cap and Wolverine resort to violence is a testament to their fraying at the edges under the pressure of this impending cataclysm, as well as the pandemonium of friends having become enemies.  That Cap behaves stupidly in so quickly throwing his fists isn’t poor writing at all – rather, it shows that he’s human.  He’s not some unassailable paragon.  Under tremendous stress, with the X-Men now enemies and the world turned upside down, Cap is slowly losing his cool, instead becoming more like….well, Tony Stark in his uglier days.  Stress is breaking these heroes and seeing events take their toll on their psyches is what makes this story feel meaningful and rife with significance and desperation.

Secret Avengers #26 – Review

By: Rick Remender (writer), Renato Guedes (art), Bettie Breitweiser & Matthew Wilson (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: A special team of Avengers head off into space in a desperate attempt to contain the Phoenix before it reaches Earth.

The Review:  It’s hard not to be skeptical going into this issue of Secret Avengers: it’s a tie-in issue and one that only features half the regular team, the other half of the roster being filled with guest stars (Thor, Ms. Marvel, etc).  This screams “derailment,” the fear that always looms when there’s a tie-in.  Worse still, regular artist Gabriel Hardman is nowhere to be found.

Yet, against all odds, this may very well be the best issue of Rick Remender’s run thus far.

New Avengers #25 – Review

By: Brian Michael Bendis (writers), Mike Deodato & Will Conrad (art), Rain Beredo (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: The ancient, until now unknown ties between K’un Lun, the Iron Fist, and the Phoenix Force are revealed.

The Review: I imagine a lot of people are going to be pretty upset about this issue and would probably demand that it get no better than a D, if not lower.  Aside from the fact that it’s written by Bendis (an almost automatic F in some readers’ eyes), it’s a tie-in, it doesn’t feature a single Avenger in it, and it centers on one big old retcon of the history of the Iron Fist.

Of course, as regular readers may know, I’m not all that opposed to writers playing fast and loose with it or bending it to better suit their aims, provided it means a good story.  Of course, those that feel differently will despise this book.

Avengers vs. X-Men #1 – Advanced Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (writer), John Romita Jr. (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Laura Martin (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: The signs are made apparent – the Phoenix Force is coming to Earth.  But for some, that may not be a bad thing…

The Review: Based on this first issue, Avengers vs. X-Men delivers everything you could want out of a big superhero event – a big cast, high stakes, epic scale, and lots of drama.  In fact, if you find that you end up hating this issue,  it likely has more to do with superhero events not being for you more than anything else.

What’s most refreshing about AvX compared to, say, Fear Itself is that the conflict at its heart feels meaningful.  Much as was the case with Civil War, this is a game with incredibly high stakes that is fueled by the strong beliefs of its key players.  Really, much of this event is built around a fundamental disagreement between Cap and the Avengers and Cyclops, a disagreement built out of their beliefs and, more importantly, what they believe their respective roles to be.  Cap is the guardian of the globe, while Cyclops is the leader of mutantkind.  That juxtaposition, and the firm stances within, are what drive this issue and the result is the kind of sincerity and emotional tension that has been lacking in previous events.

Another place where AvX succeeds: a lingering feeling of dread.  With the tension between X-Men and Avengers simmering throughout the issue up till the boiling point at issue’s end and the constant feeling that a major conflict is inevitable along with the Phoenix’s imminent arrival and gradual progress towards Earth, there’s a really dark, desperate feel to this issue.  There’s a crushing dread that hangs over this issue that suggests that things are can only go one way: very badly.

Avengers vs. X-Men #0 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis & Jason Aaron (writers), Frank Cho (art), Jason Keith (colors), and Chris Eliopoulos (letters)

The Story: The Scarlet Witch is back in action and Hope becomes a crime-fighter.

The Review: How much you enjoy AvX #0 is largely contingent on what you expect to get out of this issue.  In many ways, this is somewhat falsely advertised as a prelude to the big Avengers vs. X-Men event and, as such, both Brian Bendis and Jason Aaron’s stories kind of fail in this regard.  Barring a final page in Aaron’s story that doesn’t reveal anything we didn’t already know, this issue doesn’t particularly set up any significant story beats or give us too much of an idea of what that story is going to be.

Instead, what you get with this issue are two character sketches, one of the Scarlet Witch and the other of Hope.  It gives readers new and old to get a little better acquainted with both characters and where they’re at in their lives right now.

Bendis’ story with Wands is no doubt the stronger of the two.  The action scenes are fantastic and really play to Frank Cho’s strengths, at times quite literally leaping off the page.  And hey, it’s MODOK.  Not just that, but particularly with Cho’s illustrations, Wanda’s powers are really cool to see in action and they make for one hell of an entrance.  Really, that’s what this is all about: Wanda’s return to the stage; Bendis succeeds in ensuring that she makes one hell of an impression.

I can also tell that Bendis worked harder than usual on this one.  The dialogue never falls prey to Bendis-speak or out of character voices.  Instead, the dialogue is brimming with emotion and sincerity.  Ms. Marvel’s dynamic with Wanda is a lot of fun, with Carol clearly being well-intentioned but overly optimistic, and all the more lovable for it.  The real meat comes with Wanda’s meeting with Vision.  Bendis manages to make Vision ice-cold, but brutally truthful and, nonetheless, also makes Wanda a sympathetic figure.  It’s a conversation that’s been a long time coming, and it delivers, scars and all.

Wolverine #8 – Review

By Jason Aaron (script), Daniel Acuna (art), and Cory Petit (letters)

The Story: The girls get some much-needed back-up in the battle for Logan’s mind, as Dr. Nemesis and Cyclops get ready to pull the trigger.

The Review:  Celebrate!  The interminable possessed Wolverine/hell/demon stuff is over!  That alone made me enthusiastic, as this story has felt endless.  Worse still, by Jason Aaron’s standards, this arc has been “just ok,” particularly when compared to some of the ripping stuff he wrote in Weapon X.  Not only does the arc end, but it ends in a fashion that promises bloodshed and violence, as Wolverine is left very, very pissed and entirely dedicated to revenge.  Now THAT’S a Wolverine story I can get behind!

But back to this issue.  Much like the rest of these demon-related comics, while not spectacular, it’s not bad either.  Indeed, Aaron has some fun with the X-characters he brings in for cameos this month.  In particular, Dr. Nemesis and Fantomex shine with Aaron having a firm grip on both characters.  The good doctor is as much of a dick as ever, while Fantomex is his usual fun self.  It’s clear that Aaron quite likes writing these characters.

However, while humor works well here, in other places, that isn’t the case.  Given how grave this arc is, Aaron’s insertion of some comedy in the girls’ exploring the hidden corners of Logan’s mind (Emma finds his “sexual fantasies”) is jarring and terribly out of place.  Oddly paced, it feels very awkward

Though he never does or says anything earth-shattering, Aaron also does good work with Nightcrawler.  It’s a shame that Aaron’s entered the X-verse at a time where Kurt is dead, because it’s clear that Aaron not only likes the character, but has a good ear for him as well.  Aaron’s Kurt is incredibly likable and, even when he’s only in a comic for fleeting moments, it’s instantly clear why the character has the fanbase that he does.  I truly wish he was a live, if only so that Aaron could use him more.  Kurt’s really been a highlight the past couple of issues, with Aaron using the character very well.  In fact, I just wish this issue was longer so that we could see more of him.  Better still, I love how Aaron continues to suggest that while the other characters in Logan’s mind are parts of Logan, Kurt may very well be the real Kurt, back from the dead.  The ambiguity is excellent.

Superman: The Last Family of New Krypton #1 – Review

By: Cary Bates (writer), Renato Arlem (artist), Allen Passalaqua (colorist), Rachel Gluckstern (assistant editor), Mike Carlin (editor)

The Story: What would have happened if Jor-El, Lara and Kal-El all escaped the destruction of Krypton?

What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: Right off, I really enjoyed Arlem’s art. He puts rich texture and detail onto the page. Even with a computer, Arlem must have spent hours and hours and hours to stipple (put down little dots to denote texture and/or shadow) on the bedspread, wallpaper and chair on the last page (to say nothing of the people). Or, check out the panel where Lara tells Jor-El she wants to be alone. The Quitely-like level of detail is worth the price of admission. Arlem’s expressions evoke emotion and the action, and even the environments, are dynamic. Arlem is hereby invited to draw any book I buy.

On the writing, I want to split the technical, tactical telling of the story (the dialogue, the panel-by-panel unfolding, the character choices) from the strategic, editorial choice (the premise and the DC’s decision to tell this story over some other one).

On Bates’ telling of the story, I’m mostly pleased, with one significant exception. Bates delivers crisp dialogue and a well-paced story; although the jury is still out for me on whether to buy the motivations he’s selling for the characters, especially the all-important choice to foster Kal-El to the Kents. There’s obviously conflict there, between Lara and Jor-El, but also within Jor-El, but Bates takes the easy way out (for the writer) by dismissing the characters’ doubts without showing us why they would do that. To me, it seemed patently obvious that the decisions deserved more explanation. Still, if I forgive his tactical short-cut, I’m left to enjoy the execution of the story.