Agents of Atlas #11 – Review

by Jeff Parker (writer), Dan Panosian & Gabriel Hardman (art), Elizabeth Dismang & Sotocolor (colors), and Tom Orzechowski (letters)

The Story: The final battle is waged between the Agents of Atlas and the Great Wall.

What’s Good: M-11 really comes off as the star of this issue.  In fact, the robot is more fun this month than he’s ever been.  A lot of humor comes from Ken’s placing a personality microchip into the robot, leading to some utterly ridiculous rhyming trash-talk from the usually silent M-11.  The revelation of who M-11 is impersonating was also unexpected and enjoyable.  All the more wonderful still was how the chip ultimately led to M-11 showing perhaps the most sentience we’ve seen from him in the series, proving that there really is a personality and character underneath all the metal.

Naturally, this issue also has a good deal of action, and it’s all gloriously rendered.  A lot of this is thanks to Elizabeth Dismang’s efforts on the colors, making it all take on a particularly fiery hue.  Again though, M-11 steals the show, with by far the best action scene of the book.  The robot brawl/boxing match is all kinds of awesome, with M-11 bringing back some classic Menacer robot quips.

Beyond M-11 though, the other character who really shines this month is Temugin.  The character has spent a lot of the series as uneven, unlikable, and oddly underpowered for his skills, and while the last point isn’t rectified, the other two definitely are, as Temugin becomes a strangely engaging character that I really had no problem cheering for.  I’ve always been a sucker for formerly villainous characters showing heroic qualities, and ultimately transitioning form bad guy to bad ass.  Temugin’s actions are some of the most heroic this issue and the sequence is almost heartwarming.

What’s Not So Good: While he’s a good artist, I still don’t like Panosian on Atlas.  While last month’s issue was glorious thanks to its being heavier on the Hardman side of the team than the Panosian side, the opposite is true this time, and the comic suffers as a result.  Hardman is perfect for the series, and is just a league above Panosian, whose angular, cartoony, and at times pin-up styled artwork just doesn’t jive with the comic.  His angular faces in particular at times feel just a bit too comical.

I also have to add that the first third of the comic is an incredibly frustrating experience overall.  Opening this month’s issue, I actually felt as though I missed a book, and it’s irritating and disorienting.  Last month, Atlas was holding their own against the Wall, but at the start of this issue, Atlas is crippled and near a route.  Huh?  Worse still, last month ended with the cliffhanger of the newly upgraded M-11 showing up to kick ass.  Now, this book opens up as though that never even happened.  Why even bother with last month’s ending and the extended mad scientist scene if the upgrades accomplish nothing and are never even to be shown in use?

Lastly, I’m wholly disappointed with Jade Claw.  As a former lover of Jimmy, she had such potential as a character.  Instead, Parker seems sadly content with keeping her a completely one-note character who sounds like any clichéd female villain.  There’s absolutely nothing that makes her special and the character’s voice is monotonous and unchanging.

Conclusion: Great character moments in a flawed issue that sadly hints at future story-arcs that probably will never come.

Grade: B –

-Alex Evans

Agents of Atlas #10 – Review

by Jeff Parker (writer), Gabriel Hardman & Paul Rivoche (art), Elizabeth Dismang (colors), and Tom Orzechowski (letters)

The Story: Jimmy Woo and company prepare for round two with Jade Claw and the Great Wall.

What’s Good: This is quite possibly my favourite issue of the ongoing series thus far, as it demonstrates why Atlas is at its best when allowed to dwell in its own fringe corner of the Marvel Universe.  With no Dark Reign, Captain America, New Avengers, or Hulk in sight, this issue is nothing but the sort of unrestrained, pulpy, sci-fi retro chaos that we should be getting from the Agents of Atlas

A key example of this is the scene with Dr. Zu, the mad scientist responsible for many of the Menacer robots.  It’s total mad scientist territory here, with rows of dormant robots and crackling Tesla coils.  It’s a perfect blend of kooky 60s sci-fi and classic matinee horror that reminds us of what this series is capable of.

I also really liked how Parkman paced this series, dividing the book into separate little scenes/ vignettes, each one or two page sequence getting its own title.  It only added to the comic’s already dynamic feel.

While all the characters were flawlessly written this month, Temugin was done exceptionally well.  Early on, he’s called out for his idiotic, arrogant bravado, but later, his arrogance actually leads to him sounding and acting like a hero in some very well-played outrage.  It certainly helps that he also finally comes off as the legit badass that he is.

Perhaps boosting this issue the most, however, is Gabriel Hardman.  I’ve made no secret of my belief that Hardman is far and away the best fit for this series and also one of the best artists on Marvel’s roster.  Once again, he brings that retro, pulpy vibe that almost makes the comic feel like newsprint, in a good way.  Hardman is just so perfect for this book and everything looks grimy and old school, yet detailed and characterful.

Overall, this book is just pure fun, the sort of fun that is perhaps best encapsulated by its ludicrously awesome final image, which I won’t spoil.

What’s Not SoGood: Unfortunately, Hardman had some help on the art from Paul Rivoche and the frames which see Rivoche’s assistance are occasionally pretty glaring, particularly when they involve close-ups.  It’s not bad or anything, just a bit off-putting at times to see facial features being drawn differently in a couple of frames.

Also, while it’s by no means a major focus, Parker’s hinting and foreshadowing Atlas’ upcoming second feature in Incredible Hercules is a little irritating given that the plot has absolutely nothing with the Great Wall or Jade Claw.  It’s poorly placed self-promotion that feels a bit digressive.

Finally, a minor quibble, but where the hell is Khanata?  We get one image of him getting a massage, and then he disappears.  Even when the team goes to battle, he’s not there.  Did I miss something?

Conclusion: Excellent characterization, atmosphere, and a little bit of good old action make for some of the best Atlas we’ve gotten in some time, proving that Atlas is at its best when allowed to do its own thing.

Grade:  A-

-Alex Evans

Agents of Atlas #5 (Dark Reign) – Review

by Jeff Parker (writer), Carlo Pagulayan (pencils), Jason Paz (inks), Jana Schirmer (colors), and Nate Piekos (letters)

The Story: Atlas takes on the New Avengers in one big, mighty brawl.

The Good: Well, after how awkward the whole Captain American debacle was last issue, I expected this to be a complete disaster.  After all, if one non-Atlas character was poorly written and out of place, surely the presence of that character’s whole team would only make for an even worse affair, right?

Well, that should be the case, but thankfully, Parker writes a fantastic Spider-Man.  Spidey sounds like and acts like Spidey and his naturally humorous character and zany edge actually make him a very good fit in an Atlas comic.  Parker seems to realize this and also appears to recognize that Spidey is easily the Avenger he is best able to write.  As a result, Spider-Man probably says more and does more of consequence in this issue than the rest of the Avengers combined.  And that’s just fine.  Parker is just fore fronting his strengths and hiding his weaknesses.  The Spider-Man/Atlas dynamic is funny and superb; watching a lovesick Spidey be hypnotized by Venus or hearing Gorilla-Man yell threats at him is just funny.

Also, I really enjoyed Parker’s use of Spider-Man’s spider-sense here.  If Atlas is faking, how would this work with this power?  It’s a very, very clever and interesting situation.

Other positive things going on in this issue were Temugin beginning to cement his place on the team and M-11 recognizing Wolverine’s voice from the team’s run-in with Logan in Cuba in 1958 (way back in issue 1).  Seeing Temugin cooperate made him strangely likeable and creates a more interesting, less directly adversarial.  Meanwhile, the M-11/Wolverine thing was just damn smart.  I knew they’d be facing the New Avengers this issue, but I’d forgotten that they’d already met Logan once before.

Art-wise, Pagulayan’s pencils are solid, pretty, and sleek.  Nothing groundbreaking, but they get the job done.  The real star though, is Schirmer’s work on the colors, which take Pagulayan’s art to the next level.  Everything is bright, beautiful, and glimmering; making the art go from solid to very good, while managing to add a more unique look.

The Not-So-Good: Well, giving Spider-Man the heaviest place on the Avengers works well, because while he does carry it, there are still moments where Parker has trouble writing the other Avengers.  Luke Cage in particular, though only saying 2-3 lines, has some particularly poor moments, especially at the beginning of the issue.

Also, I really do miss the parallel 1958 flashback story.  The parallel story structure was what made this series unique, and it all feels a little more typical without that element.  I truly miss it.  The last couple of issues have seen the 1958 portion as probably the most interesting, so it’s a shame that it’s gone at the moment.  I really hope that this removal isn’t permanent.  The parallel stories really added something unique, both from a writing and art standpoint, particularly as I enjoyed the art in the flashbacks more as well.  The longer the 1958 segments are removed, the more I worry about this comic getting lost in the shuffle.  The interlocking stories were probably the freshest part of this comic, and they need to be brought back.

Conclusion: A really fun comic.  The Spider-Man/Atlas dynamic is no small amount of fun and the action sequences are definitely enjoyable.  I’m really looking forward to the very logical conflict with Namor next issue.  With Namor and Dark Reign, it makes a lot of sense.  That said, with this issue, I can’t overstate how much I missed having a 1958 story.  I feel like the comic, while still having the same great characters, has lost a part of what made it special.

Grade: B

-Alex Evans