Creepy #7 – Review

By: Joe Lansdale, Keith Lansdale, Dan Braun, Bill Morrison, Martin Salvador & Archie Goodwin (writers), Guus Floor, Patric Reynolds, Wilfredo Torres, Steve Skeates & Steve Ditko (artists) and Nate Piekos (letters)

The Story: Uncle Creepy is back with three new tales of terror and two old reprints from the Creepy archives.

Review: This isn’t a “bad” issue of Creepy, but it does commit the cardinal sin of an anthology: It doesn’t have a singular story that sets your socks on fire.  Probably the closest to excellence that this issue comes is with the second story: “The Shroud” by Dan Braun and Patric Reynolds.  This snappy little story involves a young couple that visits an auction and acquires a creepy shroud with a demonic face on it.  It’s kind of an evil-looking Shroud of Turin.  That’s just not going to turn out well!  Reynolds’ art is crisp and the only thing holding this story back is that it ended kinda suddenly.  My two cents is that they could’ve ditched a panel or two of people nagging the guy to get rid of the shroud and had another couple panels at the end.

The other two new stories aren’t bad, but don’t do anything to stand out.  “Mud” was an interesting concept, but the art was too… well… muddy for me to really enjoy it that much.  “Bloodsuckers” was also just okay.

Dark Horse gives us TWO old reprint stories in this issue.  On one hand, it DOES expose readers to the excellence of those old Warren Publishing Creepy magazines.  Whether you collect the single issues (like me) or buy the archives that Dark Horse is publishing, those are MUST READS for any horror fan.  On the other hand, neither of these two stories are picked from the A-list of old Creepy material and it seems a little cheap to sell us a “new” comic that is 40% reprint material.

Batgirl #4 – Review

By Bryan Q. Miller (writer), Tim Levins & Lee Garbett (pencillers), Dan Davis, Aaron Sowd & Trevor Scott (inkers), Harvey Richards (assistant editor), Michael Siglain (editor)

The Story: As always, Miller makes his themes (in this case, the title “Field Test”) do double duty. Stephanie Brown is field testing her new high-tech Batgirl costume. Barbara Gordon is helping monitor the suit while giving advice, but when she has to deal with something, Batgirl herself is field tested against someone well out of her league.

What’s Good: If there’s one issue that can vouch for Miller’s writing, it’s Batgirl #4. The plotting and thematic ideas are always tight, but my hat remains off on his character work. His characters are just fun to follow. The back and forth between Barbara and Stephanie is solid, as Miller packs his dialogue with personality. Stephanie’s running self-deprecation could get tiresome in another character, but when put together with her natural exuberance and fun, it works, with lines like “And this Batgirl doesn’t sing – not in front of people anyway” and “I’m almost fifty percent sure nothing could go wrong.” I’m also waiting to see where this romantic tension between Batgirl and the young detective is going to go.

Art team has changed a bit. Tim Levins has replaced Scott and Hope in the driver seat with Lee Garbett. The art is clear, the expressions tell the story and the poses are more natural. The layouts also seem to be evolving positively. The final battle page between Batgirl and the villain is a funny and well-told stack of panels.

What’s Not So Good: The superhero skeleton of the story is nothing original. Batgirl’s encounter with this super-villainess is pretty forgettable, but I’m wondering if the search for something truly field-expanding is what Batgirl readers are looking for when they buy this book. Would something truly original to the field (think the teen angst of Lee/Ditko Spiderman, the gritty noir of Miller’s Daredevil or the soap opera of Claremont’s X-Men) fit within a book whose focus is the fun of watching a flighty, occasionally quixotic teenager turn herself into a real superhero? But if ground-breaking work is not in Batgirl’s future, will the series survive? Sales estimates for issue #3 from Diamond are around 37,000, which is pretty respectable for a new book, so Michael Siglain has some flex before making any serious decisions, but Miller has got some work ahead of him to convince readers that Stephanie Brown matters, without losing the fun of what makes her great.

Conclusion: Batgirl is an entertaining book and very accessible to the new reader. This is what mainstream comics do well. But I hope that Batgirl does not get lost behind a lot of other books that are also delivering mainstream stories.

Grade: C+

-DS Arsenault

Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko – Review

By Blake Bell

Blake Bell’s history of artist Steve Ditko’s career begins with a seemingly prophetic story from Fantastic Fear # 5 (1953). Lawrence Dawson is a bed-bound invalid whose meager self-worth cripples him into hatred for the world. When a new drug allows him to live a normal life (which subsequently imbues him with super-elastic powers), Dawson chooses to seek revenge on the world and take the fortunes that are apparently “owed” to him. His elastic condition, however, becomes too much to control, leaving Dawson to steal the only cure and impetuously killing the only man who can help him. In the end, Dawson, because of his haste, avarice, and egocentricity, literally liquefies himself. This is Ditko’s very first published work.

Many argue that Ditko’s departure from Marvel Comics in 1965 was the result of a man tired of not getting recognition for his work, and who sought, disastrously, to attain the fortune “owed” to him. Bell elucidates the situation and takes the reader back to a time before red and blue tights and big city lights, to a small Pennsylvania mining town and bespectacled young man. The Ditko family was a modest but loving home, filled with encouragement for the family talent: drawing. From an early age, Steve Ditko was raised on comics that were cut from the newspaper and sewn together into a clothe-bound book by his mother

Despite this love and encouragement, Ditko remained shy. Bell relates a story where Ditko returned home for the holidays after moving to New York City as a illustrator. Always committed to meeting his deadline, he worked in his parent’s kitchen on a breadboard, basking in the company of his immediate family. Yet, when one of his cousins or other relatives would enter the room, he would become noticeably uncomfortable.

Bell notes other awkward reactions. While sharing a studio with fetish artist Eric Stanton from 1958 to 1968, Ditko inked a few of Stanton’s seedy stories. If it weren’t for Ditko’s immeasurable inking style, no one would be the wiser. Whenever he would be confronted with the Stanton material, which was unaccredited, the artist denied his affiliation with it outright. On one occasion, Ditko rebuffed an inquiry made by fellow artist Joe Rubenstien, saying: “No I didn’t… There’s no proof.”

Ditko’s rejection of the erotic work may simply be out of embarrassment or possibly his Objectivist beliefs. Heavily influenced by the works of Ayn Rand, Ditko reasoned that his work at Marvel Comics in 1965, namely the incredibly successful Spider-Man, was insufficiently respected and compensated by the company. He demanded, as Bell notes, for proper creative credit and more pay even before the “King of Comics”, Jack Kirby, dared to do so. His departure from the company was intended to find better pay and greater autonomy in comics; he found the latter, but at the cost of the former.

Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko is an effervescently written history about this peculiar and tremendously talented writer and artist. With additions of reprinted strips and un-inked pages, Bell strips away the heavily shaded corners of this man’s life and helps the reader better understand him. Unlike his first published character Lawrence Dawson, Ditko hasn’t melted into the carpet; through his amazing comics and struggle for artists’ rights, he is far from dripping away into nothingness. (Grade: A)

–Steven M. Bari

Amazing Spider-Man #559 – Review

By Dan Slott (writer), Marcos Martin (artist), and Javier Rodriguez (colors)

I’ll not mince words, I’m a big Mary Jane fan. She is the person most meant for Peter Parker. I know I’ll hear it from the Gwen fans out there, but that’s okay. No one’s been there more for Peter than MJ, and do I hope that we’ll eventually see the return of their marriage.

With that out of the way, I’ve got a strong suspicion that Amazing Spider-Man #559 sets the stage for Mary Jane’s return. The pretext for her return will most likely be linked to Peter’s new gig as paparazzi photographer for the Daily Bugle – a job he comes into with this issue. The job’s trashy, despicable, and shady – Peter knows this, but he also knows that his talents are perfect in this arena, and the money’s too good to pass up. With Peter stalking a high profile male celebrity, it’s almost too predictable that he’ll cross paths with MJ when it’s revealed that she’s dating said celebrity. But whatever, if it comes to that then so be it. Just bring her back already!

As for the rest of this issue, it’s incredibly strong. Dan Slott returns to the book again with a new story arc and artist (Marcos Martin) in tow. Slott does a brilliant job of packing the pages with story – moving the plot faster than perhaps the last two or three story arcs combined! We’re also introduced to two new female villains: Screwball and Paper Doll.

Like The Freak, Screwball is an interesting concept that just doesn’t work. She’s a woman with incredible agility who broadcasts her crime capers via live streaming on the Internet. This idea fails on several levels because it relies too much on defying realism. A girl this gifted – I don’t care who she is – should not be able to best Spider-Man in any way. Spidey’s got too much experience and tricks under his belt to be shaken up by a newbie. Also, why her idiotic accomplices aren’t arrested or pursued makes no sense. It just doesn’t work. Yes, I know I said this issue was strong, so why am I complaining? Because as stupid as the idea is, it still managed to entertain on some level. I’ll just admit it, Dan Slott knows how to make a bad concept seem fun.

As for Paper Doll, she is the complete opposite of Screwball. In fact, this villain seems more suited to Runaways than a Spidey book. She’s creepy, brooding, and supernatural. As odd of a fit she as she is to this title, of all the new Brand New Day villains introduced thus far, I think she’s got most potential. Slott and the other Spider-Man writers just need to keep her mysterious and twisted for as long as they can. I’m really digging this character.

Lastly, the art. Marcos Martin’s work here is unrivaled. It’s the best art we’ve seen since Brand New Day started – and yes, it’s better than Chris Bachalo and Steve McNiven’s stuff. Martin’s style may not appeal to everyone, but his storytelling, his action, and his panel work are out of this world. Dan Slott said Marcos Martin’s style is a cross between Steve Ditko and Tim Sale, and he’s absolutely right. This issue is outrageously gorgeous and a technical wonder to behold.

Despite my misgivings with some of the story elements, these imperfections ultimately end up as the contributing factors that make this issue so damn fun. Oh, and the Starbrand Coffee ad is a nice easter egg. Give me more, I say! (Grade: A-)

– J. Montes

Spider-Man: With Great Power #1 (of 5) – Review

By: David Lapham (Writer), Tony Harris (Pencils), Jim Clark (Inks), J.D. Mettler (Colors)

Make no mistake, I’m a huge fan of David Lapham’s body of work – especially his earlier Valiant work. The Batman story he did a couple of years ago? It was pretty good. His Terror Inc. mini-series is fun. And being that Spidey’s my favorite character, I was really anticipating this storyline.

Alas, Spider-Man: With Great Power reminds me of something John Byrne did about a decade ago with Spider-Man: Chapter One. Honestly, who’s idea was this? How many times must we read a different take on Spider-Man’s origin. The fact that this story takes place now (with pop culture references to Jay Leno and Dave Letterman), makes this story more dismissible. Yes, it’s the classic story of Peter Parker and Lapham doesn’t miss a beat on who he is and what happens to him – but it’s all just a retread. Sure, Lapham adds some new story bits with Flash Thompson, Liz Allen, and Peter’s wrestling career, but because this story isn’t true Spider-Man canon, it’s completely useless.

There is one thing that shines in this book, however: the art. I’m not sure if I’ve seen Tony Harris’ art before, but good lord, this guy can draw. No, really, this guy can really draw! J.D. Mettler also adds a lot of depth with his colors; this is one beautiful book!

I suppose if you’re new to Spider-Man or new to reading comics, this could be a nice introduction to the character, but it just feels like another origin story forced down our throat. I mean, didn’t we just get Mythos: Spider-Man last June (yet another re-telling of Amazing Spider-Man #15)?

The biggest insult is that this book is $3.99! Who decides this stuff?! I’m sorry, despite the gorgeous art, I can’t recommend this book. We’ve read this story too many times. It’s time for something new. (Grade: C-)

– J.Montes