All Consuming : b.iv.lo

A well-drawn short story

nobody@allconsuming.net (b.iv.lo) — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 01:09:49 GMT

by Jason Lutes

This little book follows Harry Houdini’s plunge from the Harvard Bridge in Cambridge in 1908. It’s a very small story, but told well. I like how Houdini is shown as a rather small, not especially handsome, but certainly determined man. He was a superstar in his time, but didn’t look like an action hero.
There aren’t any real plot twists in the book (though Houdini does trick his audience and fret over his possibly waning fame), but it is solidly illustrated. Houdini’s escape towards the end, which is as certain as the Titanic sinking, is gripping.

Another dreary Decimation title

nobody@allconsuming.net (b.iv.lo) — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 00:58:55 GMT

Decimation: X-Men - The Day After

by Chris Claremont

Like Quicksilver, this book exists for little reason than to be dreary and somber.
Most of the mutants lost their power as a result of House of M. The X-Men respond by making the X-Mansion a mutant reservation, and are attacked by the Sapien League. The new government agency ONE responds by sending human-piloted Sentinels to man the perimeter of the X-Mansion. Begrudgingly, the X-Men accept. Then, in the last two issues, Polaris and Havok go on a road trip and meet one of Doop’s relatives.
I enjoyed seeing Chris Claremont bring back Trish Tilby, who was Beast’s girlfriend forever ago, but most of this book is pointless continuity building. Peter Milligan was great on X-Statix, but he just seems to be going through the motions. Same for artist Salvador Larocca.

This fable is almost one of the superhero greats

nobody@allconsuming.net (b.iv.lo) — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 00:53:59 GMT

The American Way

by John Ridley

The American Way is a great idea for a comic story that could’ve been an amazing book, but certain scenes hold it back from being ranked among the other good superhero books like Watchmen and Powers.
The American Way follows government-sponsored superheroes (under the decidedly unheroic but bureaucratic name the Civil Defense Corps) in the early 1960s (just as Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were resuscitating the superhero genre) that has two big problems: they’re all white, and they’re all a sham. The Corps, especially its Southern Defense Corps branch, is as racist as many Americans were during the 1960s, and all the Corps big battles are government-staged theatre to placate the population fearful of the Red Scare. The book follows a former advertising executive who joins the CDC and tries to integrate the group while maintaining their secret.
When I looked at the American Way trade paperback, I quickly noticed that the first half of the pages have white edges and gutters, while the second half is black. That does reflect a darker turn in the book’s plot, as the villainous Hellbent and virulent racism rips the teams apart.
Both of the book’s twists-~~the racism and the fake battles~~-are very excellent ideas. Some of the Southern heroes (which also includes a sage, still-living Mark Twain) spew N-words and other epithets without conscience in ways that you don’t see in early Spider-Man comics, but were common in the South. And if a government were to create superheroes, why not use them as propaganda?
While the ideas are great, the execution falls flat in places. Writer John Ridley makes some crucial scenes (like the Wanderer going crazy) a bit too confusing. Throughout the book, he packs in a few too many characters, and as a result some are merely analogues of DC or Marvel characters with similar powers. Ole Miss is an intriguing character, as is the racist Human Torch-esque Southern Cross, but I barely picked up any character from X-15 or the East Coast Intellectual. Georges Jeanty does a serviceable job on the book, though none of his character designs are that iconic.

Why it's taking me forever to finish consuming "King-Cat Classix"

nobody@allconsuming.net (b.iv.lo) — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 08:04:08 GMT

King-Cat Classix

by John Porcellino

returned to the library, page 163.

An almost worthless interstitial between two crossovers (rated 2 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (b.iv.lo) — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 22:29:53 GMT

Decimation: Son Of M TPB

by David Hine

Son of M follows Quicksilver after the events of House of M, when he helped his sister The Scarlet Witch recreate the world, and ended with her depowering most of the world’s mutants, including him. The good first issue of the series follows Quicksilver as he copes, with Spider-Man guest-starring. It reminded me a lot of Peter David’s issue of X-Factor where he showed that Quicksilver is always agitated because he goes faster than the rest of the world. His depowering brings him down to the level of everyone, and he’s bitter.
However, his bitter turns to crazy, as he seeks sanctuary with the Inhumans, spending time with his wife Crystal and daughter Luna. He steals the Terrigen Mists, carelessly exposes his daughter to them, and winds up making both the Inhumans and his dad Magneto mad.
On the whole, he’s just a big troublemaker, for no good reason, and, thus, not a sympathetic character.
The only thing about the book I enjoyed was Roy Allan Martinez’s art. His take on the Inhumans reminded me of Ladronn’s miniseries.

Focusing on the "villains" of the young mutant soap opera (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (b.iv.lo) — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 19:20:32 GMT

New X-Men: Hellions TPB (X-Men (Graphic Novels))

by Nunzio Defilippis

The Hellions are supposed to be the antagonists to the New Mutants team that is the star of New X-Men: Academy X. This book takes place right after Volume 3 of that series, as the Hellions crash at the house of their leader, Hellion. They get caught up in a monkey’s paw like scenario with a guy called The Kingmaker that the writers try to make enigmatic by having him always wear sunglasses.
There are several nice character moments, with Dust, the Afghani, burka-wearing mutant (who disappeared in the last couple volumes of the regular series) reuniting with her mom, and Hellion decided to kind of be a good guy. Still, other characters’ plights, like Wither’s Death Touch, and Mercury’s metallic skin, are the exact same problems faced by old X-Men, Rogue and Nightcrawler, respectively. Rockslide’s decision to use his power to become a wrestler completely rips off Spider-Man and The Thing’s wrestling aspirations. At the end of the four issues, guess what, the Hellions learn that maybe they shouldn’t sign a contract with an enigmatic dude, and being good isn’t so bad.
Clayton Henry has a nice fluid style that works well on Marvel’s second-tier superhero books. He makes reading books like this and Alpha Flight easy, and once or twice an issues draws something really fun.

A pleasant, soul-crushing look at middle school

nobody@allconsuming.net (b.iv.lo) — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 19:10:45 GMT

Stuck in the Middle: 17 Comics from an Unpleasant Age

by Jim Hoover

Stuck in the Middle mixes well-known artists (Joe Matt, Daniel Clowes) with less-known artists, to talk about how much middle school stinks. Most but not all of the stories are (or feel) autobiographical. While the subject matter seems rather narrow-focused (though “middle school” can cover lots of agony), the selected artists had a nice array of style, from Clowes’ cold, almost-ugly style to Eric Enright’s blob figures and Cole Johnson’s big heads, and Robyn Chapman’s lack of backgrounds that reminded me of Eisner’s later work. I especially liked Aaron Reiner’s uplifting story “Simple Machines” about how he turned his doodling into stage design, and Jim Hoover’s “A Relationship in Eight Pages” which is a clear example of why dating licenses should be handed out with drivers’ licenses. Editor Ariel Schrag does well by placing her extremely uncomfortable story “Shit” at the very end of the book, so people don’t get too hopeful after reading Reiner’s story. Middle school stories shouldn’t end happily.

A solid true crime gang story

nobody@allconsuming.net (b.iv.lo) — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 06:31:08 GMT

Brownsville

by Neil Kleid

Brownsville follows the criminal career of Allie Tannenbaum and the Jewish mafia in Brooklyn in the 1930s. Writer Neil Kleid does a good job stressing the differences between Tannenbaum’s real family and criminal family. It was a breeze to read through the story of Tannenbaum and his complex relationship with “Kid Twist” Reyes. Jake Allen’s black and white art is serviceable, with lots of nice shading and several good panoramic shots of old New York.
I wish Tannenbaum’s personality jumped off the page a bit more. He was drawn into crime at a young age, and I would’ve liked to see more how he became a trusted member of his gang. Also, his real family disappears through the second act of the book—I wish his wife was seen as more than a nag.

Another pop economics book (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (b.iv.lo) — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 06:23:23 GMT

More Sex Is Safer Sex: The Unconventional Wisdom of Economics

by Steven E. Landsburg

With all the good pop economics book coming out, I really beginning to choosing to study political science rather than the Dismal Science.
More Sex is Safer Sex treads the same path as Freakonomics, The Wisdom of Crowds, and The Undercover Economist, all of which do a better or more entertaining job of tying economic principles into everyday life. Steven E. Landsburg revels in coming up with unorthodox solutions to problems—truly charitable people should only give to ONE charity, racial profiling ISN’T a terrible thing, and the titular solution of encouraging certain people to have more sex to prevent spreading STIs.
All of these are thought-provoking, though I think Landsburg drops the ball in his explanation his solutions. I can see that there’s solid math behind his arguments, but after reading through them, many, especially the section on charity, still weren’t completely clear to me. Perhaps this is a personal failing, but I haven’t had this problem with the other pop economics books I mentioned. One section that was quite clear to me was his tirade against xenophobia, calling it the new racism.
Also, Landsburg’s most common way of remedying problems is either having the government tax or subsidize good behaviors, but in the last section, titled “Things that make me squirm,” he references a chart that shows that economic openness leads to a stronger economy. Thus, subsidies that encourage the behavior he wants would hurt the economy as a whole. This puts a kink in many of his solutions that he doesn’t iron out.

A collection of great gag strips

nobody@allconsuming.net (b.iv.lo) — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 06:09:18 GMT

Let Us Be Perfectly Clear

by Paul Hornschemeier

Before opening this book, I only knew Paul Horn… er, Hornscheimeier’s name because he works in the same studio as Jeffrey Brown, whose raw, autobiographical and satirical comics I really enjoy. Hornscheimer’s a completely different story. This collection of 1-6 page strips has beautiful artwork with varying levels of detail (much like The Perry Bible Fellowship) that alternate between quick gags and more meditative pieces.
I have to find more of Hornscheimeier’s work—I already have “Mother, Come Home” checked out from my library.

Nikola Tesla, supervillain (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (b.iv.lo) — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 19:15:46 GMT

Barnum!: In Secret Service to the USA

by Howard Chaykin

Just yesterday, I finished reading The Five Fists of Science, in which Serbian scientist Nikola Tesla saves the world (or at least New York) from the evils of Thomas Edison and J.P. Morgan. Today, I plowed through Barnum!, which has the titular circus barker teaming up with a secret service agent to stop Tesla from assassinating President Grover Cleveland and forming his own country on the west coast of the U.S.
Much like Five Fists, I thought the villainy didn’t make much sense. Here, Tesla is a mustache-twirling, heartless foreigner with souped-up joy buzzers. The protagonists are much more believable: why wouldn’t P.T. Barnum and his circus freaks, with their constant traveling schedule and “special” powers, become secret agents? Alas, the Barnum written by Howard Chaykin and David Tischman isn’t as entertaining as Matt Fraction’s Mark Twain.
I picked up this book not for the Tesla, but for Nico Henrichon’s artwork. I was blown away by his work on Pride of Baghdad. His art on Barnum! has a lot more ink, and at times is muddled, but on the whole is quite descriptive. He draws cluttered fight scenes well, though his wide angle shots, like of Tesla’s dirrigible, are not jaw-dropping. Turn-of-the-century circus folk should have a different art style than modern-day, war-torn lions, and Henrichon can do both well. I hope he continues to team up with Brian K. Vaughan.

Nikola Tesla, superhero

nobody@allconsuming.net (b.iv.lo) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 19:34:07 GMT

Five Fists Of Science

by Matt Fraction

As a good, inquisitive American boy, I had a great love of Thomas Edison, inventor of the lightbulb, the wizard of Menlo Park. The older I get, the more unsavory details I learn about him—his patent disputes, his dealings with early moviemakers. Last year, I visited the Nikola Tesla museum in Belgrade, Serbia, and learned about their dispute over AC and DC (the current, not the band). Tesla’s AC was much safer than Edison’s DC, yet Edison, due in part to smear tactic, won out.
The introduction to Five Fists of Science retells this story as it introduces the main characters in this historical fiction superhero comic. It stars Tesla and Mark Twain as good guys, looking for world peace (and millions of dollars) and Edison, J.P. Morgan, Marconi, and Andrew Carnegie as villainous frauds who also dabble in the dark arts. The idea of Tesla as a science hero (akin to Alan Moore’s Tom Strong) is really clever, but the main star is Twain. Matt Fraction writes Twain as a fast-talking barker promoting Tesla’s latest invention, a giant exoskeleton that could bring about world peace through Mutually Assured Destruction. Turning other scientists into cloak-wearing Dark Arts practitioners makes less sense.
This book is a lot of fun. Fraction loosely blends Moore’s Tom Strong and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, using real (American) celebrities from the turn of the century. Steven Sanders does a good job distinguishing between all the white guys, though I wish some of the night-time fights could’ve been a bit clearer to read—Tesla’s first appearance is especially hard to figure out.

Good ol' convoluted superheroin'

nobody@allconsuming.net (b.iv.lo) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 04:42:57 GMT

JSA: Darkness Falls (Book 2)

by Geoff Johns, David Goyer, Stephen Sadowski

The JSA exists mainly to bring up weird old bits of DC continuity, and make them sensible, fun, threatening, or interesting. In a time when most trade paperbacks hold six issues, it only makes sense that this JSA book holds 9. This book references comics from the golden age of the 40s to the Zero Hour days of the 90s, and with aplomb.
The best story in the book is probably a single-issue story about Wildcat fighting an Injustice Society that breaks into the JSA headquarters. It’s great to see the non-powered JSA member punch out people who can fly and move the earth. The story at the end that ties all the issues together finds the JSA fighting Extant, the villain from Zero Hour. It’s a bit confusing (Stephen Sadowski has to draw a lot of swirling lines to represent the time stream), but a nice way to refute the crossover that sought to kill the JSA.
Other good moments:
~~I like how Sadowski draws Atom Smasher when he yells~~-his mask can barely contain his mouth.
-Mr. Terrific really is a terrific character. Same with Doctor Mid-Nite.
-This version of Kobra is way better than the version in Greg Rucka’s Checkmate
Problems:
-I really don’t get Hourman at all
-Black Canary’s costume is at the time is bad. I mean, a lot of it isn’t even black.
-Who the heck is Mr. Bones?
-Why did Starman leave?
-I was impressed with Sadowski’s art, except that he can’t draw Metron (of the New Gods) at all.

More origins for Batman (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (b.iv.lo) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 04:24:55 GMT

Batman: Snow

by JH Williams

Just like “Batman and the Mad Monk,” which I finished yesterday, “Batman: Snow” follows Batman in his second year, learning crime-fighting lessons on the job. (Both books even end with an illusion to The Flying Graysons.)
This book show’s Batman’s first battle with Mister Freeze, the cold scientist. Writers Dan Curtis Johnson and J.H. Williams III warmly portray Victor Fries as a doting husband and successful scientist, with an abrupt switch to Crazy that struck me as rash.
At the same time, Batman has a spat with Detective Gordon and starts up his own crime-solving crew. Given that he later chooses to work only with Robin, his relationship with his crew ends badly.
The most distinctive thing about this book is Seth Fisher’s art. I was hoping that Williams III, the artist on Promethea and Desolation Jones, would be drawing Batman, and was sad to see Fisher’s flat style on the cover. But, the more I read, the more fun Fisher’s rough, colorful art became. There are weird moments where steam comes out of Detective Gordon’s ears, and sometimes Batman looks like an overweight guy in a sweatsuit, but his iced-up Mister Freeze is neat, and he does a good job with all the new characters in the book.
What I don’t get is why this book and “Batman and the Mad Monk,” which both were set in Batman’s second year, show Batman in different costumes. This one has Batman wearing the yellow oval, which I’ve always preferred for some reason.

Another great Batman origin story (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (b.iv.lo) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 04:10:11 GMT

Batman and the Mad Monk

by Matt Wagner

Batman is such a well-defined archetype that so many of his memorable stories exist out of the preset day continuity. Examples include Year One, Batman Begins, Dark Victory, Dark Knight Returns, and Batman Year 100. Even Paul Dini’s recent “Detective” book has a timeless feel to it, although it does use Batman’s current trappings (meaning, Batman calls Robin “Tim” rather than Dick or Jason).
Matt Wagner’s “Dark Moon Rising” series (“Batman and the Monster Men” came before this book) goes on that list. Wagner’s art is gorgeous—he and colorist Dave Stewart combined to make a painted look that reminds me of Tim Sale or Darwyn Cooke, but is less histrionic. In both books, Wagner revives old Batman villains that are now unheard of, and makes them compelling, and threatening to an inexperienced Batman.
The Mad Monk is a vampire with a cult following who gets his teeth on Bruce Wayne’s girlfriend (another disposable Gotham socialite). He, and his castle, lay the hurt on Batman pretty good, but I was disappointed with how The Mad Monk was finished off. The moral of the story, at least for Batman, is to be careful who you let close to you.
This book was billed as a sequel to ”...and the Monster Men” and while the story with Wayne’s girlfriend and the mafia does continue, the villain is completely different. I was disappointed not to see Dr. Hugo Strange, creator of the Monster Men, at all connected to the Mad Monk. At first, I thought Strange himself might be the Mad Monk.

Sorta "like Deadwood, but comics"...

nobody@allconsuming.net (b.iv.lo) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 03:57:35 GMT

Loveless Vol. 2: Thicker Than Blackwater

by Brian Azzarello

That’s how everyone describes Brian Azzarello and Marcelo Frusin’s Loveless, because both are foul-mouthed, grisly, and well-written.
The second volume starts off with flashbacks for Wes Cutter, his wife Ruth, and former slave Atticus Mann (all drawn by Daniel Zezelj). Then, things get back into gear with the story of a couple killed in their house, and a bounty hunter coming to Blackwater to kill Wes, now the sherrif in town.
The series has only been around for 12 issues, but I already am confused by some of the characters. Azzarello writes sly, witty, dialogue, but is never content with enough subplots and secondary characters. While I enjoy reading this and 100 Bullets, I don’t have the attention span and memory to properly appreciate them. Maybe once he’s finished with each book, I’ll go back and read it all the way through.

Does a good job continuing the series

nobody@allconsuming.net (b.iv.lo) — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 22:07:01 GMT

New X-Men: Academy X Vol. 3: X-Posed

by Nunzio Defilippis

Volume 3 of “New X-Men: Academy X” does a good job juggling all the continued plot threads, like Josh’s old relationship with Wolfsbane and new one with Laurie, David’s fearsome dream, and the general New Mutants/Hellions angst. I especially liked Laurie (codenamed Wallflower) finally acting out and using her powers somewhat destructively. It’s a melodramatic book, and it continues to hit the spot.
One weak spot was the Wolverine tie-in which had Northstar’s funeral. As an Alpha Flight fan for years, I felt little sadness at his memorial.
Randy Green’s art on the first few stories is great, but the other artists, Paco Medina especially, can’t measure up.

A nice light story of young mutants

nobody@allconsuming.net (b.iv.lo) — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 17:23:18 GMT

New X-Men: Academy X Vol. 2: Haunting

by Nunzio Defilippis

There’s something satisfying about these light stories of young, not-all-that-well-developed mutants in the X-Men universe. “New X-Men: Academy X” seems like an attempt for Marvel to lure in manga readers. The main story, about the X-Mansion being haunted, is fun, because in a world where super-powered teenagers all hang out, why not throw in some ghosts?
The second story, about one of the New Mutants gaining an almost perfect intellect, is a fun, throw-away “what if?” story. I wish the writers did more with updating and enhancing the characters’ powers as they aged.

Just a serviceable JLA story (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (b.iv.lo) — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 17:10:21 GMT

JLA: Trial by Fire

by Joe Kelly

Martian Manhunter sorta goes evil, and it’s sorta Green Lantern’s fault! I’m getting a little sick of all the revisionist history with Martians and Oans—they both seem to have a lot of retcons.
On the whole, there were just too many characters in this book (Scorch? Major Disaster? Faith? Manitou Dawn?) for anyone to easily slip into it. Some of the major emotional moments, like Batman talking to Plastic Man’s son, also didn’t hit home.
In the end, and mildly fun blockbuster.

A questionable One-Year-Later relaunch (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (b.iv.lo) — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 06:13:39 GMT

Robin: Wanted

by Adam Beechen

I liked what Bill Willingham was doing with Robin before Infinite Crisis and One Year Later took over. Robin was standing up to Batman, and stepping out of his shadow.
Willingham must’ve gotten annoyed with DC crossovers—Robin’s dad died in Identity Crisis, which led to Tim Drake leaving Gotham for Bludhaven, then Bludhaven got killed in Infinite Crisis.
Adam Beechen did a great job on the Justice League Unlimited books, but his storyline, revolving around Robin being accused of killing Batgirl, isn’t that well thought out. Robin storming a Gotham precinct didn’t make much sense, and the revamp of Batgirl seems to undue any development that character made.
DC’s One Year Later jump seems like a gamble for books, with new creative teams and storyline coming out of nowhere, and I don’t like where Robin’s going.
Freddie Williams II’s art reminds me a little of Ed McGuinness, and was fun to look at.

A great assortment of alt comic strips

nobody@allconsuming.net (b.iv.lo) — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 06:05:49 GMT

I Love Led Zeppelin

by Ellen Forney

Having read the Stranger for awhile, I feel familiar with Ellen Forney’s comics, but hadn’t read many of them (besides her Lustlab personals gags) until I picked up this book today. I really enjoyed the first section full of various “How to” diagrams-~~ranging from a guide to erogenous zones to performing a military funeral. Her art reminds me a lot of Joe Sacco’s~~-it’s heavy on interestingly-lettered text—but she doesn’t crosshatch nearly as much as is a bit more cartoony. Forney is really good at cramming an entire story into a page, kinda like Jessica Abel.
The collection drags during her strips from ‘92-94, but I like the collaborations with Dan Savage and David Schmaeder (both also write for the Stranger) toward the end.