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Quick Critiques – Feb. 18, 2007

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Astonishing X-Men #20 (Marvel Comics)
by Joss Whedon & John Cassaday

I’ve been enjoying this series, despite its sporadic publishing schedule, pretty much since the start (well, since #2). and there’s a lot to like about it. Cassaday’s art is always breathtaking, and even though his detailed style tends to lean toward a more dramatic, stoic atmosphere, he still manages to capture the whimsical elements writer Joss Whedon tosses in. Whedon’s dialogue really makes these characters come alive, and he’s brought some intense action and innovative plotting to the mix. And despite those strengths, I just didn’t enjoy this issue. After reading it, I sat back and wondered how the plot shifted so suddenly and dramatically from a super-villain assault on the X-Mansion to a space opera. Whedon seems to refuse to allow any particular plotline to resolve before throwing the characters waist deep into their next catastrophe. It’s dizzying. The frenetic pace of the multiple plots almost seems desperate in tone. On top of that, this notion of the X-Men’s strongman as a prophesized destroyer of worlds strikes me as an awfully hard pill to swallow. Furthermore, Agent Brand fails to come across any kind of character, but rather the voice box for every all-too-convenient plot device that allows the impossible action to leap forward from scene to scene. Whedon strings together small, clever ideas about the application of the X-Men’s powers here, but the plot serving to link to those scenes just doesn’t work. 6/10

Death, Cold as Steel #1 (Panel Press)
by Bram Meehan & Jamie Chase

The indy-press crowd responsible for Raised by Squirrels offers up this new limited series set in the same superhero-meets-espionage continuity. The story, set in the wake of the Second World War, sees a fresh new face in the U.S. government’s super-hero division forced to head up an investigation into the murder of the Steel Soldier, the shining icon of heroism and power who helped turn the tide of the war. Artist Jamie Chase is clearly inspired by Frank Miller’s Sin City here. The first act is immersed in shadow and a noir atmosphere. Characters are rendered inconsistently later in the book, and the art really relies on the script to identify the characters. There are moments when Chase’s work boasts some real strength, even taking on a rather Alex Toth-esque appearance. But overall, it’s rough in tone and calls out for the artist to hone his craft (especially when it comes to anatomy and movement). The story is limited. Beyond the revelation of the Steel Soldier’s murder, the script consists primarily of exposition. The latter half of the issue dwells on simply introducing all the players. Writer Bram Meehan doesn’t provide enough in the ways of clear cues as to when the story is set. A blurb on the back cover firmly establishes the story as being set in 1946, but there’s nothing nearly as overt to be found in the script itself. There’s nothing in the way of character development. Mind you, the issue is highly accessible for new readers, and there’s potential in the plotting, even though it’s hidden by the awkward pacing. 4/10
For more information or to purchase, visit PanelPress.com.

The Messengers graphic novel (Dark Horse Comics)
by Jason Hall & Kelley Jones

Writer Jason Hall and artist Kelley Jones offer up an adaptation of a horror flick that’s currently gracing the big screen in theatres around the world. I haven’t seen the movie, but it seems as though Hall’s script explores the plot from a different perspective. Instead of the scary moments the teen protagonist experiences (as seen in the movie’s promotional campaign), Hall’s script focuses on a broken man who’s haunted both figuratively and literally by the family and life he’s lost. That alternative point of view is an interesting approach, and it makes for a potentially fresh look at the story for those who have seen the movie. Still, I felt as though I was missing out on parts of the story, as we rarely get a glimpse of the ghosts as the kids do in the movie proper. But what’s really disappointing about this book is Kelley Jones’s artwork. Jones is a master of horror storytelling in comics; his work on Neil Gaiman’s Sandman is among the most memorable visual highlights of the series. But his work here is rushed, poorly defined and sorely lacking in backgrounds. It’s sometimes difficult to differentiate between the two main father-figure characters in the story, even though one has facial hair and the other doesn’t. I do like the format in which Dark Horse has presented this short graphic novella. It’s the same slim, inexpensive digest format used for Hellboy Animated: The Black Wedding, and I’m pleased to see Dark Horse playing around with more affordable, slick presentations. 5/10

Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. #12 (Marvel Comics)
by Warren Ellis, Stuart Immonen & Wade von Grawbadger

Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen bring this series full circle with the final issue. The first two episodes of Nextwave focused on the rampage of a Silver Age icon of Marvel monsterdom and just how ridiculous the character concept is in the context of the 21st century. They do so again with this conclusion as they reveal the mastermind behind the bizarre plot is another classic Marvel monster, behaving ridiculously. This issue delivers yet another dose of M.O.D.O.K. fun; after recent M.O.D.O.K. material in Marvel Adventures The Avengers and the previous issue of Nextwave, it’s proving to be quite the trend. It seems as though every other panel boasts a hilarious image or memorable, funny line of dialogue. Immonen’s art celebrates Marvel’s past while poking fun at it at the same time. The intensity of the action and extreme nature of the characters make for dazzling visuals. The zaniness of the circumstances and designs distract from the fact that Immonen has meticulously crafted over-the-top, impossible detail that’s in keeping with the overall tone of the script. As fans of the series probably know, this is the final issue of the series, which is unfortunate. The good news, though, is that Ellis’s ending leaves the door wide open for further stories, with something of a new status quo in place that transforms the title team into a parody of The Authority (which Ellis created a few years ago at DC/Wildstorm). 9/10

Scalped #2 (DC Comics/Vertigo imprint)
by Jason Aaron & R.M. Guera

Jason Aaron’s story of corruption, poverty and misery on a South Dakota reservation continues, and he continues to bring a level of intensity to the characters and plot that engages the reader quite well. We really don’t learn much more about these characters in this second episode, which is too bad, because there’s some strong potential. Probably the most interesting figure in the drama so far is the villain, Lincoln Red Crow. Later on in this issue, he comes across as a typical crimelord character, but earlier in this issue, Aaron depicts him as a skilled, slick leader (from a public-relations standpoint). Red Crow boasts an intelligent and charismatic quality, and I wish that showed through every time we see the character. One of my complaints about the first issue was that all of the characters seemed so harsh and unlikable. In this issue, a more ethical, centered player is introduced, clearly intended to inspire the main protagonist somewhere down the line. Still, the dominant, overwhelming tone remains harsh. The same holds true with Guera’s artwork. It’s in keeping with the tone set out in the script, but the linework is a bit difficult to make out at times as well. I remain intrigued by Scalped, especially given the ambitious and unique nature of the subject matter, but I’m still not sold on it yet. I think Aaron could strengthen his scripts more with real-world sociology about the plight of the native American as well as some kind of symbol of success from within those unfortunate circumstances. 6/10

February 18, 2007 Don MacPherson

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14 thoughts on “Quick Critiques – Feb. 18, 2007”

  1. Nick Piers says:
    February 19, 2007 at 4:03 am

    I just picked up the first Nextwave TPB last week and laughed my butt off. The last issue in the first book where the Nick Fury parody throws all sorts of oddball offensives at them had me cracking up.

  2. Palladin says:
    February 19, 2007 at 10:00 am

    I agree about Astonishing X-Men. The first arc was good, but since it just seems to meander. Dialouge is nice, art is nice, just doesn’t keep me glued to the action. A shame since Whedon is capable of better in my opinion.

  3. Don MacPherson says:
    February 19, 2007 at 11:51 am

    Nick wrote:
    The last issue in the first book where the Nick Fury parody throws all sorts of oddball offensives at them had me cracking up.

    Wait ’til you get to issue #11 and see the never-ending barrage of weird and weirder assassins.

  4. Jack Donnelly says:
    February 19, 2007 at 2:07 pm

    Re X-Men: Has everyone forgotten that Cassandra Nova’s fate was left vaguely undefined when the group was pulled into space? Whedon is waiting to pull her out of the new kid’s psyche, maybe even to jump into Colossus and drive his prophecied destructive acts.

    On a minor point, Don: What exactly defines a “space opera?” I’ve seen that term thrown around a lot on other sites, seemingly only because the X-men are now in outer space. That the tale is meandering, perhaps. We’ve been saddled with additional non-core characters, definitely. But is space travel itself enough to make the story a “space opera?”

  5. Don MacPherson says:
    February 19, 2007 at 2:13 pm

    Jack wrote:
    What exactly defines a “space opera?”.

    I’ve always taken it as a cross between space-faring science-fiction and soap-opera storytelling. Wikipedia’s definition seems to be in line with that thinking:

    “Space opera is a subgenre of speculative fiction or science fiction that emphasizes romantic adventure, interstellar travel, and space battles where the main storyline is centred around interstellar conflict and character drama.”

  6. Joe says:
    February 19, 2007 at 4:16 pm

    I’ve cooled on this latest AXM story. I’ve never been a big fan of the off world X-Men tales. I’m off this title now. I just pray Whedon does destroy what I love about Runaways.

    I didn’t find anything good at all for Scalped #2. It’s really disappointing. I thought The Other Side by Aaron was good but so far this series hasn’t done anything for me.

    It just seems to me like a book made just for the attempt to see how many curse words can be put into a book. Seems like there is one every third word or so. I mean..damn..come on. I understand plenty of people talk that way. I know people who do and have friends who do but just a little too much for me. It took me out of the story and that’s something I don’t like.

    I see potential in the book but I just don’t know if it’ll ever come to show it for me. I’ll finish this story out and then make a decision though.

  7. Don MacPherson says:
    February 19, 2007 at 4:43 pm

    Joe wrote:
    It just seems to me like a book made just for the attempt to see how many curse words can be put into a book. Seems like there is one every third word or so. I mean..damn..come on. I understand plenty of people talk that way. I know people who do and have friends who do but just a little too much for me. It took me out of the story and that’s something I don’t like.

    Man, don’t ever read Preacher. 🙂

  8. Hellhound says:
    February 19, 2007 at 7:25 pm

    While I can’t argue with any of your criticisms of Astonishing, for some reason the character moments won me over this issue. My enthusiasm for this title had been slowly waning during the second year, but for me this issue worked despite the frenetic pace and the lack of a compelling villain.

    I will say that Whedon would’ve been better of just skipping the Hellfire storyline even if it does somehow end up tying into the current story.

  9. Don MacPherson says:
    February 19, 2007 at 7:38 pm

    Hellhound wrote:
    I will say that Whedon would’ve been better of just skipping the Hellfire storyline even if it does somehow end up tying into the current story.

    I rather enjoyed the conflict with the new Hellfire Club. As you note, “Unstoppable” lacks a “compelling villain.” Ord and the other barbarian aliens strike me as being generic antagonists.

  10. Hellhound says:
    February 19, 2007 at 8:26 pm

    I thought the Hellfire arc in and of itself was okay, but I think Whedon is trying to spin too many plates at once plotwise. Since he never really wrapped up the Ord storyline, and has decided to bring back Danger, I think the 2nd year would’ve benefited from a more concentrated focus on the old plots without introducing new ones.

  11. Don MacPherson says:
    February 19, 2007 at 8:32 pm

    Hellhound wrote:
    I think Whedon is trying to spin too many plates at once plotwise.

    On this point, we definitely agree.

  12. Joe says:
    February 20, 2007 at 1:52 pm

    Heh. I probably will at some point one day. I got no problem with certain words but I just don’t want it to be too distracting and have it take me out of the story.

  13. L.P. Mandrake says:
    February 20, 2007 at 5:30 pm

    My problem with AXM is the same it’s been since the beginning. It just doesn’t feel new. It’s equal parts Morrison and Claremont with a lot of in-jokes and “hell yeah” moments tossed in for the fans. I’m still buying it because, being an x-nerd, I enjoy those things. Whedon’s run, for me, will probably end up being entirely forgettable.

    Oh, and anyone who has played X-Men Legends 2 is well aware of the implausibility of Colossus being the destroyer of anything, let alone an entire world.

  14. Gabriel says:
    March 1, 2007 at 2:36 am

    I have to agree on Hellhound re: X-Men. Last couple of issues have been pretty boring, but this latest one won me over basically for the character moments. Loved the talk between Logan and `Armor`, how Emma used her powers during the landing. While everything Don said I agree with, those moments make up for it.

    Oh, and Preacher. Go read Preacher. Yes…

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