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Columnist Thunder Mod
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Denver Area, between Asgard and Krypton
Posts: 21,390
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The Mighty Reviews 9/17/09
Wktf’s Reviews
This has been a hellish week for all of The Mighty Reviewers. We simply weren’t able to get our usual reviews done. So, I’m cranking out some quick “pellet” reviews from the office with an extremely limited amount of time to do so. Short and hopefully sweet. Here we go…
The Lone Ranger #18
Dynamite Comics
Written by: Brett Matthews
Drawn by: Sergio Cariello
Cover by: John Cassaday
The character is so completely coming into his own that, with this issue, he assumes his legendary name and we begin to see the problems this identity may cause the rest of his life. The relationship between the Ranger and Tonto with the sheriff that both has allied himself with them and has grown to depend on them takes a sudden dramatic and potentially damaging turn, only to right itself in a way that feels incredibly satisfying. The sheriff’s character, and his weary response of “A different line of work” to the Ranger’s question of “What do you want?” is the most interesting part of this story. With a new arc building, a murder wrap placed on our heroes that brings the sheriff calling, and an enemy about whom The Lone Ranger and Tonto aren’t fully aware heavily arming himself, the creative duo of Matthews and Cariello have produced another beautifully illustrated and tautly plotted and scripted installment of one of comics’ very best ongoing series from any company. Trouble is looming for The Lone Ranger and Tonto from at least two different fronts. This title is worth anyone’s pull list.
Captain America: Reborn #3 (of 5)
Marvel Comics
Written by: Ed Brubaker
Drawn by: Bryan Hitch
Cover by: Bryan Hitch
The mystery of what’s happening with Captain America’s body and spirit intensifies with this issue. We begin in the frozen wasteland indelibly etched into Cap fan’s minds with Avengers #4, the place where an enraged Sub-Mariner unknowingly cast the entombed Captain America into the warmer seas for the Avengers to find. In a stated tribute to Vonnugut’s “Slaughterhouse Five,” Cap’s spirit has bounced back to his body from this moment, and there’s a well managed transition to today’s Namor in the same environment begrudgingly working with Mr. Fantastic and Hank Pym (I still have trouble calling him The Wasp) where they raise Cap’s coffin for inspection. What they find only adds to the mystery our supporting cast must uncover. What’s really thrilling in this issue is not necessarily the all out patented Hitch rendered action the heroes pursue to free the captured Bucky, cool as that is. No, with this issue we begin to see what may well be a conflict between the highly addled Red Skull, Dr. Doom and Norman Osborn as the circuit of villains (including Zola, Crossbones, and Sin) converge even as the heroes involved converge as well. I’m really hooked by what Bru is doing with this story, how it’s writhing around, and the fact I still can’t fully tell where it’s going. My only problem is Hitch’s art. It’s solid and beautiful as ever (except the panels where he forgot to draw Namor’s ankle wings…come on, guys!). My issue is that while each panel is stunning, each panel also works independently as opposed to being the stunning sequential art we’re used to from Epting on Captain America. Great as Hitch is, I’d rather have seen Epting on this series. Still, while personally conflicted as to whether Steve should come back and what this might mean for Bucky, this series is firing on all cylinders!
Blackest Night #3 (of 8)
DC Comics
Written by: Geoff Johns
Drawn by: Ivan Reis
Cover by: Ivan Reis
Whoa! Awesomeness abounds in this third installment of Blackest Night! Geoff Johns advances the storyline with some surprising and unexpected intervention while also giving us more of the pain and trauma that’s the hallmark of this series. The Indigo Lanterns join the fray and provide and explanation to our heroes not just as to why the Black Lanterns are rising but also delivers, and demonstrates, some hope as to how to defeat, or at least combat one by one, these horrors. Ray Palmer also offers a simple but brilliant theory regarding the relationship between the black rings and their dead hosts: maybe their dead friends and enemies aren’t wearing the rings, maybe the rings are wearing them. Are these really their friends and enemies, or are they vessels chosen for a purpose by a darker power? Regardless, we begin to see how the heroes can fight back now. That said, this ray of potential hope is nearly dashed by the absolutely devastating scene between the current and currently Black Lantern Firestorm. This conflict is painfully drawn out over a number of pages, reminding me of the brutal extended knife battle in Saving Private Ryan, and the outcome is rendered by Reis in the most excruciating way possible. The dialogue between Flash and GL, two heroes back from the dead, was expertly handled as Barry talks some serious sense into the more mercurial Hal. Brilliant writing and art. What a talent combination. My pick of the week.
Dark Avengers #9
Marvel Comics
Written by: Brian Michael Bendis
Drawn by: Mike Deodato
Cover by: Mike Deodato
I loved this issue, which focused almost exclusively on Ares and his very young son, Phobos. The father is a member of Osborn’s Dark Avengers, the son a member of Nick Fury’s Secret Warriors resistance group. Bendis provides an opening that’s painful to read, as Ares and his son discuss the mutant battle as well as Osborn’s character. Clearly, Phobos is seeking answers but also some level of approval from his father, and being cowed by him at the same time. When Ares tracks Milla and Phobos to Fury’s lair we’re given a more typical Bendis conversation, despite what clearly nearly did go another way, after a sudden and violent entrance by the God of War. Suddenly, Ares discovers not only that his son has chosen his own warrior’s path, but that Fury has become the surrogate father that Ares, by his own sympathetic admission, is having trouble being himself. I really enjoyed the Ares/Fury confrontation as it showed a side to both men that feels wholly internally consistent while too rarely explored. Kudos also for the nearly hilarious roundtable breakfast discussion among the rest of the Dark Avengers, the mystery about what’s going on with Osborn behind the locked door, and the shocking ending between Sentry and Lindy. Just awesome stuff by both Bendis and Deodato, whose art rarely looks so tight.
Batman: Streets of Gotham #4
DC Comics
Written by: Paul Dini
Drawn by: Dustin Nguyen
Cover by: Dustin Nguyen
Dini and Nguyen have become my Batman dream team. My only real complaint is that it’s not a full issue of their Batman, but is shared by a Manhunter back up story. The Manhunter work is fine, not great, and I feel cheated in not getting my money’s worth that I used to get from these two in Detective Comics. Black Mask’s most heinous partner, Victor Zsasz, moves front and center after being recruited by Black Mask last issue. The Broker, a behind the scenes high priced enabler, who procures hide outs for Batman’s villains, is doing business with Great White Shark only finding he has to strong arm the killer, himself. This he’s able to do, and we learn he’s not really intimidated by Batman’s rogue gallery, even The Joker, except for the unstable serial killer Zsasz. Dini’s a master at getting the reader inside his character’s heads, and Zsasz’s cold blooded nature and The Broker’s level of fear and revulsion are absolutely palpable. Of course, Batman comes calling and the interplay between him and the broker leaves it up in the air if this is a one-shot story or we’ll see a continuation and confrontation between Batman and Zsasz next issue. Regardless, with Dini’s incredible writing and Nguyen’s dark and expressive art, this is the best Batman book out there today, by far.
Invincible Iron Man #18
Marvel Comics
Written by: Matt Fraction
Drawn by: Salvadore Larroca
Fraction and Larroca have given us a nearly year long, brilliant storyline that’s due to conclude next issue. The regression of Tony Stark’s intellect, Tony’s only way to prevent Osborn from extracting the Registration Act information from his brain, and the backpeddling of Iron Man armor technology as Stark’s brain becomes less and less able to handle the later models’ sophistication, has been painful and fun to read. It’s in this storyline that Tony Stark as hero has really emerged, after the darker portrait of him in Civil War and then as head of SHIELD. Larroca’s art has been almost sweepingly cinematic and is especially well suited to the globe trotting settings to which Stark has been fleeing. The cast of Hill, Black Widow and Pepper Potts all have been working against Osborn to give Stark the time he needs but, now, it appears to be too late. The final couple of pages of this issue offer very little in the way of hope for Stark next month, when this arc closes. Simply put, the Eisner Award for best new series is absolutely justified for this book. I can’t wait to see what will happen next issue and where this title will go after that.
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