Whatcha Readin'? 3/5/05

Sorry I haven't been around much lately. A big freelance job was eating up my days, and any free time leftover has been spent messing around with the "Freedom Force vs. The Third Reich" demo. ;-) Still trying to catch up on several weeks' worth of comics:

OCEAN #4: It's Ellis doing what he does best -- freaky science & witty dialogue. I like how he sets up Kane as some super-badass, then deflates him a bit this issue by showing his vulnerable side. And you almost feel sorry for that creepy Doors manager. Chris Sprouse's art is outstanding as always.
"So far I've logged a hundred and sixty-three words for murder."

THE QUESTION #4: Terrific handling of Superman here; a great mix of idealism and pragmatism. "Ok, here's the standard speech I give to all the newbies..." I love the Subterraneans and their smart, practical approach to crime in Metropolis (and likewise, the way the Question uses psychology to get Minos to get careless and break cover). The stuff with the Science Spire is interesting, but Lois seems to be taking a long time to figure out that it's a giant anti-Superman gun. I'm really enjoying Edwards' unique art and coloring. And I just realized that design element he uses (where the high-contrast silhouette panels are overlaid onto the "regular" art) is lifted straight from Ditko's "Mr. A" stories. Nice touch.
"Next time the city starts talking to you...? Just say no."

BLACK WIDOW #6: A decent wrap-up to a pretty good little espionage yarn. I'm not crazy about some of the aspects of the revised origin, though. I preferred Natasha as the uber-competent normal who could nonetheless stand toe to toe with all the mutants and demigods. Worse is the fact that Nick Fury has been hormonally brainwashing her all these years. Seems very out of character for him, plus they're going to have a hard time explaining why the Widow doesn't put on a nose-clip and blow his brains out next time she sees him. But annoying ramifications aside, I did enjoy it, so I'm glad to hear there's more in the works.
"Because tonight, I'm going to solve all your problems."

SOLO #3: I'm a total nut for Paul Pope, and this is a great sampling of his work. I think my favorite is "Life Size Monster Ghost" -- I think every comics fan of a certain age can relate to sending away for one of those junky products, and the inevitable disappointment. The retelling of OMAC's origin was a blast -- I haven't done a side-by-side comparison, but it looks like he used Kirby's original dialogue almost verbatim. I dug his take on Batman and co. too (I had to laugh at him giving the Joker a Cesar Romero-ish moustache).
"He was given a parade for that. And when he killed the monster, he'd be given another."

FREEDOM FORCE #2: Speaking of Kirby tributes, here's another one. Unfortunately, Tom Scioli just isn't that great an artist. He's got the squiggly-lined mannerisms down pat, but his storytelling is poor. Too many medium shots, stiffly-posed figures, awkward panel compositions. It's fun seeing the events of the game play out on the page, but this is so clumsy and supercompressed that I can't imagine that anyone who isn't already a fan will get much out of it.
"And though I'd really like a girlfriend, I'd prefer one who wasn't a homicidal maniac." 

FOLLOWING CEREBUS #3: Alas, 3 issues in and this book is already running out of steam. Part of the problem is that Sim inevitably steers every topic back to his anti-feminist agenda. "Here's an interview I did with Harvey Kurtzman 30 years ago... by the way, feminists suck." Some of the comments about trademarks are pretty interesting, though. But "Gerhard on Sailing"? Oy, getting a little hard-up for filler, there.
"Just phone the Legal Department to check, and they'll tell you that the sky is, indeed, falling, but for $400 an hour at sixty hours a week and two or three years of full-time litigation, they can tape it back into place."

7 SOLDIERS OF VICTORY #0: Ah, thank God, a Morrison book where the art doesn't make me want to claw my eyes out. J.H. Williams delivers beautiful visuals for a trippy, breakneck-paced story. Morrison drops brilliant concepts like a cat shedding hair, and brushes them aside just as quickly to make way for the next ones. Can't wait to read the rest of this.
"How do you know when you've become a superhero and not just a crazy fetish person with a death wish?"

CONCRETE - THE HUMAN DILEMMA #2: Daaaaamn, just when you think Chadwick has found a comfortable rut with these characters, he starts shaking things up. I can't wait to see how all this stuff plays out. Will Ron and Maureen's shared intimacy bring them closer together, or is she going to feel all awkward and embarrassed about it in the cold light of dawn? Larry and Astra seem doomed -- it's kind of weird that the subject of kids never came up before now, but I suppose it happens. One thing about the series that hasn't changed... Concrete once again falls under the sway of a charismatic authority figure. Whatta tool.
"My life is so damned strange."

B.P.R.D. - THE DEAD #4: Boy, I hate to say it, but I'm starting to get bored with this story. Poor Abe seems like he's been dry-humping that zombie chick for years now, while everyone else just runs around in circles in the basement. Past time to wrap all this up. Nice art, though.
"We really don't want to work here anymore."

PATTY CAKE & FRIENDS #13: Neat little gimmick here in the first story... Roberts jumps ten years into the future to show us how his kid characters grow up. As you might expect, it's bittersweet. Patty is uncertain but optimistic, while Suzie is settling for a marriage of convenience. And Keith is... well, Keith. I enjoyed this a lot. The rest of the book goes back to "classic Patty" mode, including guest-art by the excellent Rich Watson. This series is always a fun read.
"What's it mean when they do this with their fingers?"

ADAM STRANGE #5: I never read Omega Men back in the day, and I can't really get too worked up about them now. And there's some stuff with Brainiac 3.14159, or whichever one he is, that I don't really get either. Luckily, by the end of the issue, the focus is back on Adam, and it ends in a nice little cliffhanger. Still loving the art and hating the colors.
"Can't talk! Gotta fly!"

VIMANARAMA #1: Woo, two well-drawn Morrison books in a row! Let's hope this is a new trend. Bond adds just the right touch of whimsy and charm to this odd little adventure (I love the synchronized "dance number" on pg. 2-3). Ali is a classic "ordinary schmuck caught up in extraordinary circumstances" -- I love his mix of stunned awe and "you gotta be kiddin' me" as all the mystical hoopla kicks in. This is gonna be a hoot.
"That tiny little sort of popping noise you just heard was the sound of me going completely insane."

PROMETHEA #32: Bonus points for the unique presentation, but there's really nothing here that Moore hasn't already spelled out in the previous 31 issues. As sermons go, at least it's more palatable than one of Sim's. But hey, it's 32 pages of lovely Williams artwork, so that alone is worth the price of admission. I'm too lazy to pull it apart and rearrange it, though... are the assembled poster images online anywhere?
"I've enjoyed our dance. You were the perfect partner, and I'm going to miss you."

ASTONISHING X-MEN #8: Ah, the Sentinels. Always good for some widescreen action. But I like how Whedon puts the cliche on it's ear by making the robot all torn up and pathetic. What the heck is going on? Does this have anything to do with Ord, or Emma's mysterious "partner"? I don't know, but I'm dying to find out. And that's what classic superhero soap operas are all about -- that feeling of "Holy shit, I'm gonna die waiting for the next issue!"
"Every now and then, Summers... I remember why you're still in charge."

JACK STAFF #7: Ha, Grist has balls, I'll give him that. It's like he just takes all the pages, tosses them up in the air, and prints them in whatever order they come down. It's more chopped up than Promethea... no segues or transitions at all, barely any indication of whether the scene is "now" or fifty years ago... just random puzzle pieces flying at the reader, challenging us to put it together. And yet, it works. It's a wild ride, that's for sure.
"Diese dinger sind so zerbrechlich."

AQUAMAN #17-19: Buddy Eric loaned these to me. There's a lot to like here, but man, is it slow. There's maybe one issue's worth of story in these three. I like Pfeiffer's handling of Aquaman's personality and powers, and the "Sub Diego" gimmick is pretty interesting. And I really like Lorena, who they seem to be setting up as a new Aquagirl or something. But there's a certain lack of drama to it all -- Aquaman overcomes the obstacles before him with ridiculous ease, so you never feel like he's in any kind of danger. The fight with the cool-looking monster in #18 is especially anti-climactic: "Oh yeah, that's right... I can command sea creatures. Go away." Bleh. Gleason's art is ok, but all the panels bleed together so it's unnecessarily hard to follow.
"How about now, Geist? Does now work for you?"