WCBR’s Top Picks

Dean’s Top Picks

Best of the past week: Batman #8 – Even if you’re not interested in reading a Bat-event (like me), this was a wonderful issue.  Scott Snyder has made the atmosphere so damn claustrophobic that it’s hard to see what Bruce/Batman can do but fight for his life at this point.  This is also an example of why new characters (and especially villains) are so pleasant.  Part of the sense of danger in this story comes form the fact that we don’t know much of anything about the Court of Owls and their Talons.  We really don’t know the lengths they’ll go to in accomplishing their objectives and that makes them scarier.  Plus, as a not insignificant bonus…. we don’t have to hear any fanboys saying, “Given that Talons were trained by British missionaries and are fond of proper swords, they would never use small daggers and speak the way these guys do.  It’s as if Snyder has never read Detective Comics #___ to #____ from 1968.  These guys are so unprofessional….”  And the art is simply sublime.  I hope fans will also notice that Greg Capullo hasn’t missed an issue yet.  I can’t even imagine the dedication to craft that it takes to produce a book this beautiful on a monthly basis.  Runner-up: Amazing Spider-Man #684

Most anticipated this week: American Vampire #26 – It’s just a Scott Snyder party over here I guess.  But, it’s hard not to get excited about a new story arc in one of the best comic series on the market.  Regular artist Rafael Albuquerque gets a break this issue in favor of guest artist Roger Cruz.  I really don’t know much about Cruz, but the guest artists who have (or will) worked on this AV property are: Sean Murphy, Dustin Nguyen, Jordi Bernet, Matheus Santolouco and Danijel Zezelj.  Even the guys on that list you haven’t heard of are really good.  So I’m expecting Roger Cruz to be pretty hot stuff since Snyder, Albuquerque and Vertigo don’t let chumps draw their books.

Other picks: The New Deadwardians #2, Spaceman #6, Rebel Blood #2, AvX Vs. #1 (morbidly curious), FF #17, Supercrooks #2

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Alex’s Top Picks

Best From the Past Weeks: Uncanny X-Force #24 – Really an issue with everything that makes this series a good one.  A heavy sense of tragedy, this is never a book that makes for a light read.  Phil Noto also brings fantastic art with colorist Dean White doing his thing, a welcome relief after the last arc.

Most Anticipated:  Moon Knight #12 – Brian Bendis and Alex Maleev’s has been a fairly controversial title and, I’ll admit, I wasn’t particularly sold on it in its first 3-4 issues. Slowly but surely though, it got better and better until suddenly, it was one of my most enjoyed titles, with a great tone and a great supporting cast to match up with the beautiful artwork.  I’ll miss this series quite a lot and it’s a shame to see it go just as it was hitting its true potential.  If you’re considering picking up this book in trade, but are having your opinions swayed by naysayers online or whatnot, know that most of those folks probably either dropped the book before it improved or wrote it off entirely from the get-go based on an initial dismissal of the “Avengers gimmick” or a general hatred for all things Brian Bendis.

Other Picks: Aquaman #8, The Flash #8, American Vampire #26, Spaceman #6, Captain America #10, Daredevil #11, FF #17, Mighty Thor #13, New Avengers #25, Secret Avengers #26, Uncanny X-Men #11

Uncanny X-Men #520 – Review

by Matt Fraction (writer), Greg Land (pencils), Jay Leisten (inks), Justin Ponsor (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: Psylocke, Wolverine, and Colossus go Predator-hunting in NYC while Magneto tries to get Utopia’s population to trust him.

What’s Good: Overall, I’ve been enjoying Matt Fraction’s Uncanny X-Men quite a bit more after Utopia, and this month continues the positive trend.

I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that Fraction has taken a much more character-driven approach.  This month once again shows just how much the addition of Magneto has helped in this regard.  Fraction is doing his damndest to make the former villain into a sympathetic character, and he’s definitely making headway.  Magneto’s presence alone also brings a lot out of other characters.  His battle to gain trust and his constant sense of guilt and self-loathing all worked to give him a kind of vulnerable humanity.

This was nicely juxtaposed to his having grown accustomed to being the guy in charge.  Even as he tries to redeem himself for what he was, the vestiges of his past still govern his manners.  His consequent conversation with Cyclops was far and away the high point this month, with Fraction capturing the tension perfectly.  It’s so odd to see Cyclops as the dominant personality between the two, with Magneto being the one in the subservient position seeking approval, and Fraction highlights and plays up this interesting dynamic rather well.

The exploits of the X-Men in NYC provide lighter fare, bringing a bit of humor to the book.  Of course, it helps to have Fantomex around when you want to lighten the mood and create an adventure/mystery plot.  All told, Fantomex is well-written and Fraction’s balancing of his two plots means good pacing, as we never become bogged down in Utopia’s tensions, nor does the book ever feel like insubstantial roving in New York.

Beyond that, this secondary plot also allows Fraction to play with some rather underused characters, and that’s never a bad thing.

Uncanny X-Men #518 – Review

by Matt Fraction (writer), Terry Dodson (pencils), Rachel Dodson (inks), Justin Ponsor (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: Scott ventures into Emma’s mind in an attempt to seperate her from the void as tensions grow among Utopia’s residents.

What’s Good:  X-Men fans will no doubt be absolutely thrilled to know that this month is a Greg Land-free zone.  I’ll admit that over the past couple of months, my position on land has reached something akin to sadly ambivalent resignation.  The Dodsons’ signature style has always been fun and as a result, this entire experience of this issue is a much more pleasant affair compared to the past few Land-drawn books.  I can’t necessarily point to specific images that blew me away, nor can I talk in specifics.  All I can say is that the book as a whole feels so different and so much better under the Dodsons’ hands.  It feels so much more fun, so much more full of life, and so much more likable.  Hell, even though they aren’t writing, the book even feels smarter.  Under the Dodsons, Uncanny essentially becomes a better book, one that’ll leave you feeling a lot happier and a lot more eager to read it.

To be fair, though, this is also a better outing by Fraction as well.  While last week’s book was little more than an extended action sequence, this month is much more character-based and human.  It’s a more intimate, relatable, and engaging read for these reasons.

Normally, I’m not a fan of books centered on one character’s adventures in another’s mind.  Such comics often end up being strange for strange’s sake, while not carrying the gravitas that a good book should.  That said, I rather enjoyed Scott’s adventures in Emma’s brain.  Largely, this is due to the dynamic between the two characters, but even more so, it’s because Fraction does not attempt to have these abstract psychic adventures fill the entire issue.  We get extended breaks from all the psychic wandering, and as a result, what wandering there is more palatable and the book feels much better paced.  Furthermore, Fraction takes a minimalist approach to Emma’s mind.  It’s big, blank, and full of doppelgangers; the Void’s presence makes it weird and creepy, but Fraction’s restraint keeps it from going off the deep-end.

Meanwhile, Beast’s reappearance in the book’s pages is a welcome, grounded relief and he remains a well-written character.  I also continue to enjoy whenever Fraction treats the logistic difficulties of living on a “floating” asteroid.  His acknowledging the real difficulties of sustained living on such an impossible location make the book feel more intelligent and eases the already massive strain on the suspension of disbelief.

What’s Not So Good: Fraction’s minimalist approach to his depiction of Emma’s mind is a bit double-edged.  While it prevents the book from becoming lost in the wilds of indecipherable abstraction and metaphor, Fraction may very well have taken it a little far in making Emma’s mind nothing but a white blank.  It’s bland and empty and one can’t help but wish Fraction pushed the very able Dodsons a little more.

Also, while the artwork was great, I’m not sure if the opening scene with a Predator X was necessary, given how much was already going on in this book.  It doesn’t help that it’s the only scene not on Utopia and as a result, it feels detached and not at all the sort of introduction or prologue that an opening two pages should be.

Conclusion: A really good issue of Uncanny accompanied by refreshingly vibrant, characterful artwork

Grade: B+

-Alex Evans

Uncanny X-Men #517 – Review

by Matt Fraction (writer), Greg Land (pencils), Jay Leisten (inks), Justin Ponsor (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: The X-Men attempt to stave off the Predator X attack.

What’s Good: This is an action comic, pure and simple and in that capacity, it delivers; it’s big, bloody, and explosive.

Better still, Matt Fraction makes the most of the fact that it’s a team based action comic.  One really gets a sense of strategy in the X-Men’s dealing with the Predator Xs.  Abilities are used in perfect concert and the X-Men feel like a well-trained, well-oiled machine.  Multi-level, cooperative strategy is employed as the mutants essentially combine and chain each other’s abilities in a sort of cooperative harmony that was clearly quite well thought out by Fraction.

Taking this perhaps a little more literally is Fraction’s use of Rogue.  He uses her power absorption ability to synchronize X-Men mutant abilities, allowing him to essentially play a cool and creative game of mix and match with mutant powers.

While action-based, the issue is nonetheless not without development.  A very interesting Phoenix-related occurrence happens with respect to the Cuckoos that is foreboding and is sure to pay dividends at a later date.  Furthermore, the last page of the book is similarly intriguing, as we get a look at Danger’s idea of a prison.  Those who have read William Gibson’s foundational cyberpunk novel “Neuromancer” will probably get a kick out of the scene.

On art, Greg Land actually acquits himself quite well, particularly for his often-weak standards.  While certain female faces do lack detail or appear a little awkwardly photo-referenced, there aren’t any real catastrophes this month.  Compliments are due, however, for Land’s drawings of the Predator X monstrosities, which look horrifyingly savage and distinctly alien.  That last page with Danger was also quite beautiful.

What’s Not So Good: While the use of teamwork in harmonizing abilities and employing strategy was impressive, that doesn’t change the fact that this is just one big, extended action scene across 21 pages.  In other words, it’s hard not read this without realizing that while you’re entertained, the book nonetheless feels strangely hollow, shallow even.  Indeed, this is mainstream comics at its most popcorn superficial, the sort of book that the indie comic fan no doubt points to in horror.  That doesn’t mean it’s bad, but it also means that the book doesn’t summon any sort of emotion beyond the base-level amusement that comes with reading a good action scene.  It’s not a smart read in the slightest, nor is it a dense one, though it is enjoyable for what it is.

Also, some of Fraction’s voices are still off.   He struggles with Rogue’s colloquial accent, for starters.  At times it disappears altogether or is at least very minimal, while at other times, she sounds like a painfully exaggerated hillbilly.  Fraction can’t seem to find a middle ground, nor can he find consistency.

Magneto’s voice also feels problematic this month and reminds me of Fraction’s struggles to write Xavier’s voice in past issues.  At times, Magneto just sounds too young, hip, and catchy, particularly with his battle banter.  Worse still, in a later scene, he goes back to the more aged, formal tone we saw last month.  Like Rogue, not only is the voice problematic in itself, but it also lacks consistency.

Conclusion: Enjoyable for what it is, this issue still feels a little thin due to its not striving to be anything more.

Grade: B –

-Alex Evans

 

Uncanny X-Men #516 – Review

by Matt Fraction (writer), Greg Land (pencils), Jay Leisten (inks), Justin Ponsors (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: Magneto tries to make his position clear and Nation X faces its first attack/invasion.

What’s Good: Magneto is the obvious star of the show here.  Fraction does a solid job of writing the character.  His voice is enjoyable, at once likable and yet impossible not to find suspicious, always carrying that air of sophistication, intelligence, and power.

What’s even better is how his very presence alone only deepens the already present cracks between X-Men.  If anything, Fraction uses Magneto not just as a character, but also as a kind of social phenomenon among Nation-X’s residents.  This leads to a particularly interesting legitimization of Scott, as he puts Professor X in line.  It makes the issue feel intelligent, something that Uncanny sorely needs.

Magneto is also a good fit ideologically within Nation X in his non-combative stance.  It allows a number of interesting discussions.  His conversation with Cyclops over the possibility of continuing the mutant race is a definite highlight, with Scott’s stance of hope standing nicely in contrast to Magneto’s noble pessimism.  It’s a nice debate with both characters occupying rather touching positions.

Art-wise, Greg Land, overall, actually does a pretty good job.  Magneto looks good, with one double-page spread detailing Magneto’s recent history with the High Evolutionary being very impressive.  I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention that this is probably my favourite Uncanny cover in a long time.  Nightcrawler is also very well done, whether static or in motion.  Thankfully, much of this issue is dialogue, meaning Land can stick to the basics.

What’s Not So Good: That said, Land, even on a good month, commits an atrocity.  This month, I was stunned to see Land seemingly re-use images from last month.  There is one particular panel featuring the mysterious new crew of baddies, with Bouncing Bettie and Verre in the background.  I’m pretty damned sure that Land just took prominent images of the two characters from last month’s issue and pasted them in, hoping that just because they’re now in the background, we won’t notice.  Then later, he uses the same image of Bouncing Bettie again in another panel.  Now, perhaps this is just a case of Land re-using a photo-reference, but it sure doesn’t look it.

Speaking of cutting corners, Fraction clearly wanted to quickly create a rift between Xavier and Summers over Magneto, but chose not to do it in any logical manner.  Magneto removes his helmet and invites the X-Men to read his mind.  Why then would Xavier assume Magneto’s guilt without using his telepathy, let alone launch a psychic attack?  It’s a shame, as the Xavier/Cyclops dynamic is a good one here, but Xavier’s actions didn’t make sense.

Beyond this, I felt that scenes with Scalphunter went on a little too long.  I also don’t feel that Fraction has yet settled on bad-guy leader Lobe’s voice, which veers wildly between formal and colloquial in a manner that’s just strange.

Conclusion: It’s actually a pretty good issue of Uncanny, and mainly because Magneto rules!

Grade: B –

-Alex Evans