COMICS FIRST
Been busy, now I’m back. No excuses. Back to the grind.I’ve grown a little behind on comics reading, but that’s mostly because I buy too much. Lots of good stuff recently, though. For example:
I’ve seen the latest issue of Street Angel (#5) compared to the first issue of Shaolin Cowboy a lot online, but to me it’s Shaolin Cowboy that reminds me of Street Angel. The reason? The second issue of Shaolin Cowboy showed a tonal shift from the first, with wide open puns and parody humor replacing the first issues action fantasmagoria. The only other recent title I can name that offers such an over the top grab bag with glaring shifts in tenor is, you guessed it, Street Angel. Both books also are insanely FUN, and leave me with a sense that the creators don’t really know where they are going (yet) but aren’t that worried about it as everyone just hangs on for the sake of the ride.
Good books recently have come from unexpected quarters. I’m enjoying Breach, the first issue of which I picked up as a lark, but which sucked me in the same way that the similarly (deceptively) low key Batgirl: Year One sucked me in a few years ago (the art actually bears some similarity as well). I haven’t heard jack squat about this title, however, and I can’t help but wonder if this is supposed to be, basically, Captain Atom: Year One (it kind of works this way). Likewise Legion of Superheroes surprised me. Now, I’m in to try any Legion title, but after an acclimation period (it took the third issue before the everything-silver-aged-is-new-again vibe really clicked into place for me), I’m really digging this.
Ultra is now over, and I was a little underwhelmed by the ending. Most of this is likely due to the minimalist rotascope-lite art, which was light and refreshing at the start, but degenerated as the series wore on (I don’t know if the art actually worsened, or whether my tolerance for seeing poorly drawn mouths simply dissipated), but I also found the story exceptionally meh in the last 2 issues. I couldn’t even arouse enough interest to figure out how the ending fit together with the prophesy in the first issue (by the way, they probably should have reminded us of the specifics of the what the fortune teller said at some point in this issue…it’s been awhile for us plebes shelling out for the singles). Don’t know if I’m following the creators to their next project (Girls) or not.
DC needs to declare a moratorium on crossovers in titles I get. War Games basically ruined the bat-titles I read (Catwoman – don’t get it anymore - and Robin – barely holding on due to my support the locals attitude about Bill Willingham), now flash has been utter crap for a half year thanks to useless Identity crisis tie ins and now some ridiculous Wonder Woman cross over. I also have a ruined issue of Wonder Woman to look forward to.
I reread Arkham Asylum and the script, all part of the 15th anniversary edition, or some such. I enjoyed the script in an ideas-flying-around watch-your head kind of way, but I can see why other writers laughed this off when it was first submitted. The whole affair seems kind of silly. If you want to dress the Joker like Madonna in the Open Your Heart video why do you need to link the resulting image to the tarot, kabbalah, and the i-effing-ching. The Joker dressed like Madonna is self-explanatory. And for a guy who claims how kids today can’t write Batman… crap! This is the least Batman-like Batman comic ever. This isn’t dark and brooding of sci-fi Batman. It’s I-need-my-mommy Batman. The word association scene is just laughable. The saving grace of the whole project is that the ideas are, ultimately, some fun, and the McKean art forcibly drowns the silliness and capriciousness under 3 feet of dream weirdness that makes things (kind of) work.
Well, this was just to climb back in the saddle and I’ll be thrilling you with additional posts shortly.
posted by Todd C. Murry @ 3:31 PM
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