Friday 7 January 2011

The Pull-List - 23/12/2010

The Essential Comic


Batman Incorporated #2
By Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette
Grant Morrison is the master of short form storytelling; that’s what I’ve learned from reading his Batman and Robin run, featuring nice and compressed three-part arcs, and from reading this first arc of Batman Incorporated, which concludes in this second issue. The tale of Batman in Japan teaming up with Mr. Unknown to fight the sadistic Lord Death Man has been a lot of fun, just the sort of high-flying adventures we needed in the wake of the increasingly dark Batman and Robin arcs Morrison was churning out throughout 2010. That’s not to say this isn’t dark, however; Lord Death Man is a perfectly monstrous villain, whose actions in this issue are disturbing and violent. The resolution of the issue comes thick and fast, and fits with the tone Morrison has established throughout the last two issues. Yanick Paquette’s artwork is stunning, as ever, and maintains a crisp feel throughout, without falling into the traps other such artists would with the almost muddy colouring. If there’s a flaw with this issue it’s the suggestion that Catwoman will not be a regular staple in this series; she’s one of the best parts of this issue, and it will be a shame to lose her in the coming months. Other than that, jump aboard: this is the most fun Batman book that’s been published in years.
Rating: 10/10




And the Rest


American Vampire #10
By Scott Snyder and Mateus Santolouco
American Vampire is crafted so perfectly as a piece of storytelling that it even manages to be compelling when my favourite character is omitted. Yes, this is an issue completely devoid of Skinner Sweet and his sadistic antics; instead, our focus falls upon Pearl, the young woman who became a vampire at the start of the series and has, for all intents and purposes, been our primary protagonist, as she struggles to maintain her relationship with the human Henry, who is shown to be conscious of just how dangerous being in love with a vampire can be. A large portion of the issue is also dominated by another storyline involving Hattie, who is being tortured by a regular vampire determined to unlock the secrets to killing this new breed of American monster. It’s a great concept and Scott Snyder writes it so wonderfully that every page is alive with tension and drama. The art is by Mateus Santolouco in this issue, and while not as good as Rafael Albuqurque, it does manage to retain the brilliantly gaudy and intense look the series has been known for since its inception. This story concludes next issue, but right now it’s the perfect jumping on point for anyone desperate for a fix of vampires that doesn’t totally suck (pun intended).
Rating: 10/10


Azrael #15
By David Hine and Cliff Richards
As Azrael heads towards its conclusion in February, the pieces are beginning to fall into place for something of an epic finale; the hero is dead, by his own hand, an event foreshadowed in the early issues of this series, but only now are things getting even more interesting. Batman takes centre stage as he investigates the death of Michael Lane, and David Hine manages to make the story feel alive, something the series has lacked prior to this arc. The art by Cliff Richards is competent enough and serves the book well, but doesn’t really wow beyond the first glance. Hopefully this series ends on a high note, because then it will be the first time an Azrael series can warrant a recommendation.
Rating: 7/10


Batman Annual #28
By David Hine and Agustin Padilla
After some rocky moments, this two-part annual story between Detective Comics and Batman’s yearly volumes was a great tale; Bruce and Dick in France, alongside Montoya’s Question and the mysterious Nightrunner all added together to make a great comic book adventure. These new tales, spawning from Batman Incorporated, all feel genuinely exciting and original, and David Hine shows in this issue that he understands how to weave a gritty crime tale and add layers of the supernatural and mysterious to it. This is definitely a story to check out if you’re ever in the mood for some dark, gritty Batman fun.
Rating: 7/10


Batman: Streets of Gotham #18
By Paul Dini, Fabian Nicieza, Dustin Nguyen and Szmon Kudranski
An extra-short main feature means much less to love in this instalment of the final arc of this series. We’re learning more about the past of Thomas and Martha Wayne, and the start of their relationship, as Bruce returns to the fray to take on Bedbug. The story is fairly decent, but no matter how awesome Heart of Hush made Thomas Elliot, I still absolutely hate the character and seeing him don the bandages again, no matter how obvious, was a moment to sigh. The back-up was decent, but the fact that it took precedent over the main feature is both irritating and a sign that this story is being padded and rushed to fit the required amount of issues.
Rating: 7/10


Chew #16
By John Layman and Rob Guillory
And so begins what is, for all intents and purposes, the second season of Chew. In the aftermath of last issue, everything has changed for the characters as Tony attempts to find a missing FDA genius who may be able to decipher the mysterious message in the sky. This issue also offers up our first glimpse at the horrors of the world in the middle of the Avian Flu crisis that kick started the chicken prohibition and elevated the FDA to the premiere law enforcement agency in the United States. It’s perfectly clear from every page of this issue that John Layman has a masterful plan laid out perfectly, and is giddy at the chance to show us the twists and turns as they come. Rob Guillory continues to astound with his inventive, zany art style which dominates every page of the book and catches the eye, even in the most subtle of ways. If you haven’t read Chew yet, this is the issue to start from; you can pretty easily pick up all the pieces and just run with it and enjoy what is surely one of the finest independent books on the market.
Rating: 10/10


DC Universe Legacies #8 (of 10)
By Len Wein, Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway and Scott Kolins
This mini-series has been spectacular fun; a truly wonderful and engaging history of the DC Universe through the eyes of one particular human being. In this issue, we move one step closer to the modern era as we deal with the fallout from Knightfall and the Death of Superman and head into the Green Lantern stories of the early 1990s. It’s great fun throughout, but the true highlight here is the back-up with art by Frank Quitely, detailing an encounter between Orion and Darkseid on Earth, which is truly spectacular. When this gets collected as a trade you need to pick it up if you haven’t already; it’s an outstanding piece of work.
Rating: 9/10


Fantastic Four #586
By Jonathan Hickman and Steve Epting
As we draw closer and closer to the conclusion of Jonathan Hickman and Steve Epting’s “Three” arc, it’s becoming less and less obvious which member of the Fantastic Four is going to perish in the final chapter. This is a great thing, though, as we witness each member of the team fall into their respective dangers and confront what could be their respective undoings. Will it be Sue Storm, trapped in Atlantis? Will it be Johnny or Ben, facing the servants of an old enemy? Or, will it be Reed Richards, stuck on the other side of the universe, desperately trying to save an alien world, as well as Earth? The answers will come next month, but until then, the contemplation is gripping enough.
Rating: 10/10


Green Lantern Corps #55
By Tony Bedard and Tyler Kirkham
At last I’m enjoying Green Lantern Corps again, and the feeling is amazing. This book has been on a downward spiral since Tomasi left to pen his godawful Emerald Warriors series, which has been glaringly entertaining in comparison to this waste of a book. Now, it looks like the Green Lantern books are on the road to redemption in time for the Green Lantern War in the Spring, and the film shortly after. This issue reveals a dark secret surrounding Ganthet and his reasons for becoming a Green Lantern; the art is great, the story feels fresh for the first time in this run, and the cliffhanger was awesome.
Rating: 8/10


Green Lantern: Larfleeze Christmas Special #1
By Geoff Johns and Brett Booth
As far as Christmas specials go, this was the most fun I had over the holidays; the character of Larfleeze is fun more often than not, and here he seems innocent and insignificant in his childish search for Santa Claus. Geoff Johns clearly had fun writing this, and it all seems to be a nice one-off to celebrate the holiday, which at the end of the day, is all you can ask of a Christmas special.
Rating: 8/10


Hellblazer #274
By Peter Milligan, Guiseppe Camuncoli, Simon Bisley and Stefano Landini
Hellblazer is a series I’ve always meant to read, but never got round to looking at properly. This arc has been my first exposure to the series on a monthly basis, and going by this arc, alongside the City of Demons mini-series, I’ve been missing out on a lot. It’s a horror comic book with a twist; it’s also a heavily involving character piece looking at John Constantine and the world he inhabits. Constantine is such a great character, and this arc in particular has highlighted that; his relationship with Epiphany is engaging and human, while also mired in the supernatural and the creepy. The next issue should be an absolute blast, because right now, this might be one of the most fun books out there, and it’s easily accessible if you’ve never tried it before.
Rating: 10/10


Incredible Hulks #619
By Greg Pak and Paul Pelletier
It’s surprising to me how much I like this book; I’m not reading anything related to Chaos War outside this, but this is an absolute joy to read, and from someone who isn’t that big of a Hulk fan that’s high praise indeed. The issue features the resurrections of some classic characters to help the Hulks in the war they’re trapped in the middle of; it’s a decent story, but not the real reason you’d pick up a Hulk book. Rest assured, though, the art wonderfully conveys the Hulk attitude of smash-crush-destroy and makes the book an even more enjoyable and wholly fun experience.
Rating: 8/10


Joe Hill's The Cape #1
By Joe Hill, Jason Ciaramella and Zach Howard
Joe Hill can do no wrong, and this book perfectly illustrates that. It was gruesome, on par with Locke and Key, and yet a perfectly human story with enough wit and drama to keep the average reader engaging throughout. The art is amazing, too, and it looks like this will be the next series by Hill to watch out for in 2011. The question is, where will it go from here, and will it be as good as this one-shot suggests?
Rating: 10/10


Justice League: Generation Lost #16
By Judd Winick and Fernando Dagnino
As cemented in the latest issue of Power Girl, Max Lord is an evil, evil man and the cliffhanger to this issue took a complete left turn from where I expected it to go. The majority of this instalment was dedicated to an extended action sequence, as the Justice League International battled the Creature Commandos. There was also a great sequence involving Batman and Power Girl that ties neatly into the events of the latest Power Girl issue. I love how this series and Power Girl are complimenting each other perfectly, and this proves to be just as overwhelmingly fantastic as the solo series for the buxom heroine. She’s only supporting here, but every time she appears, it’s fantastic.
Rating: 10/10


Morning Glories #5
By Nick Spencer and Joe Eisma
It’s almost cruel how much more awesome Morning Glories gets with each issue. This is easily the highlight of the series so far, an action-packed instalment as the Glories attempt to escape from the academy and deal with some disturbing mysteries along the way. There’s a mysterious object that influences one of the book’s most violent moments, while the majority of this issue’s humour is derived from the interactions between the Glories and the traitor amongst them. The best parts, in my mind, however, were the sequences involving Mr. Gribbs, who will surely become one of the prominent antagonists as the series continues. I don’t know where Morning Glories is going, but right now, it seems to be going in the right direction.
Rating: 10/10


Power Girl #19
By Judd Winick and Sami Basri
This issue was awesome; the first one of Winick’s run to really, properly, smack me in the face with its brilliance. The hopelessness of the Max Lord situation is becoming more and more painful to witness, and by the end of this issue, I wanted to break down and cry. I’m genuinely frightened for all of the Justice Leaguers, particularly Power Girl, and the Justice League International. The end of the issue was great, too; the cliffhanger wasn’t something I saw coming, but it worked perfectly. This is such a great series.
Rating: 10/10


Punisher: In The Blood #2 (of 5)
By Rick Remender and Rolan Boschi
It’s become clear to me reading this mini-series that Rick Remender understands the Punisher perfectly; to him, Frank Castle is the perfect protagonist, and he uses him to fantastic effect in everything he’s appeared in of Remender’s. This is supposed to be the finale to Remender’s previous work on the character, and as such, it feels like we’re building towards a gruesome climax; the Punisher is on a warpath, something we’ve gotten used to over the years, but this time it’s wonderfully personal and sadistically gritty. This might only be the second best Punisher book, but while we wait through the long interim between issues of Punisher MAX, this will do as the definitive Punisher title.
Rating: 9/10


Secret Avengers #8
By Ed Brubaker and Mike Deodato Jr.
It seems Ed Brubaker has realised that if you put Max Fury into a comic book it instantly becomes amazing. This issue was an absolute delight to read, merely for the story; the Secret Avengers’ battle against Shang-Chi’s father was a decent set-piece, while the scenes involving Max and his ulterior motives were fantastic. The art by Mike Deodato is alright, but still feels far too muddy and underwhelming for a book as big as this; I understand that he’s a big name, but it just doesn’t feel like he can hold a book like this down for very long.
Rating: 8/10


Superman/Batman #79
By Chris Roberson and Jesus Merino
I had a lot of fun with this comic book, and I can’t really explain why. The fact that most of it was set in the future with a different Batman, Superman and a robot Robin was probably one of the main generators of said enjoyment; the sheer silliness of the story by Chris Roberson made me smile throughout the whole book. It wasn’t the most deep or involving story, but it was entertaining. The art, meanwhile, felt sluggish and looked ugly in places, lessening the impact of an otherwise fabulous story.
Rating: 6/10


Teen Titans: Cold Case #1
By Mark Sable and Sean Murphy
A one-shot surrounding Tim Drake’s remembrance of his father’s death is something that seems like it should have been published two years ago, or before. That being said, this was a great one-shot featuring the Teen Titans of a time gone by; it was a fun story as they faced off against the Rogues, it was extended, too, meaning there was a lot of bang for your buck. The art by Sean Murphy was absolutely fabulous as it always is. This is worth a look, especially given the amount of content for the price and the amount of fun you’ll have reading it.
Rating: 9/10


Thor: Wolves of the North #1
By Mike Carey and Mike Perkins
Another week, another so-so Thor one-shot/mini-series; this time around the creative time is Mike Carey and Mike Perkins and they’re telling a tale of Thor in the time of the Vikings. The action throughout is fun enough, and the art by Perkins shows some great flair and energy from page-to-page, but the overall story feels rushed and weak. Considering the amount of Thor stuff on the racks right now, this is probably not one to rush out and get for everyone; but if you’re a Thor fan you’ll probably enjoy it for what it is – a fun little interlude.
Rating: 7/10


Ultimate Doom #1 (of 4)
By Brian Michael Bendis and Rafa Sandoval
Despite the fact that this is the best issue of the latest Ultimate trilogy, so far, Ultimate Doom does manage to fall into the same traps as its predecessors. It’s a fast-paced, engaging action romp with a lot of character revelations as we learn just how evil this new threat is, and also discover that an old foe is returning to make matters worse for our heroes, Spider-Man in particular. The problem, though, is that the issue feels like half an issue; it just abruptly ends and doesn’t feel as though it flows well, as a result. Bendis is normally great with these sorts of things, but in almost every issue of this trilogy the ending has come out of nowhere and not felt organic or warranted. This was still fun, though, and sets up some interesting material for the next three issues.
Rating: 8/10


Ultimate Spider-Man #151
By Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli
A month after the extra-large 150th issue event (which was technically the 149th or 151st, regardless of how much Marvel tries to fudge their numbers) and we’re back to basics for Ultimate Spider-Man; Peter Parker is hanging out at school, and we get lots of teen drama from that in the aftermath of Gwen Stacy’s departure a few issues ago. There’s also some intense action as the Black Cat returns and gets wrapped up in the Mysterio storyline from a few months back. It’s amazing how Bendis can juggle all of these plot threads and manage to keep the plot fresh, original and engaging throughout. The art by Sara Pichelli is darker than it was on her previous issues, but compliments the usual David Lafuente style and drags the book into a more anime-influenced Manga style. As we head towards the impending “Death” arc, let’s hope Bendis and his team of artists can maintain this high level of entertainment and general brilliance.
Rating: 10/10


Uncanny X-Men #531
By Matt Fraction, Kieron Gillen and Greg Land
As Kieron Gillen looks to be taking a more predominant role in writing the flagship X-book, the story seems to be becoming more and more intense and enjoyable. As the characters struggle with the mysterious virus that has infected all the mutants on Utopia, we get a glimpse into the trauma of Wolverine and the anguish of Dr. Rao. Meanwhile, there’s two sub-plots both vying for our attention; the Emma Frost revelation was nice, as was the cliffhanger that came from it, while the story of these mysterious manufactured X-Men feels like it’s going to become incredibly important, but at the moment feels bog-standard in terms of storytelling. The only real fault, though, is with the art by Greg Land which maintains a consistent level of ugly traced images and lifeless action.
Rating: 6/10


Wonder Woman #605
By Phil Hester, J. Michael Straczysnki, Don Kramer, Eduardo Pansica and Various Others
This is the first issue without JMS as the sole writer of the series, and cracks that had already formed throughout his respectable run on the book are slowly started to open up even further as we wade into Phil Hester’s run continuing JMS’ story arc. The story continues to plod along at the same pace as previous issues, with very little action, but some nice character development; there’s also a nice moment where we see a reference to Wonder Woman’s removal from regular DC continuity. The art is a major problem, though, split between three artists this feels messy and confused, and that doesn’t help when the story is starting to lose what coherence it had to begin with. It’s a shame this series is falling apart, perhaps Hester can fix it in the next issue and beyond, but for now this, along with Superman, just shows how much DC’s big anniversary boasts about JMS were all just a cruel slap in the face.
Rating: 5/10


Zatanna #8
By Paul Dini and Cliff Chiang
Puppets are unbelievably creepy and this fantastic issue demonstrates just why they’re so sinister. The idea of a puppet haunting someone is wonderfully chilling and serves up numerous moments, which each offer their own unique thrills and spills. The art by Cliff Chiang is the main reason to pick this up, though; the man is an artistic genius and every panel seems alive with emotion, power and raw terror.
Rating: 10/10

No comments:

Post a Comment