Advertise on Eye on ComicsQuick Critiques – June 1, 2008
Posted by Don MacPherson on June 1st, 2008
Batman #677 (DC Comics)
by Grant Morrison, Tony Daniel & Sandu Florea
Morrison is slowly winning me over with this story arc, which is a sales event/stunt first and a character study second. The writer is clearly trying to humanize Bruce Wayne/Batman, primarily through his relationship with Jezebel Jet. Unfortunately, I still find the new supporting character to be somewhat irksome, and Morrison hasn’t sold me on why Bruce is so drawn to her. There are elements of traditional super-hero plotting that are both a bit charming and hard to swallow at the same time. The main conflict in this story seems to be Bruce’s internal struggle over the notion that dressing up as a bat to beat up bad people is a rather crazy one. Morrison approaches the idea of the vigilante super-hero from a realistic perspective, and I’m intrigued by the psychological examination. It’s unfortunately that last year’s three-part story arc with J.H. Williams III plays such an important role in this new storyline, as it creates an accessibility problem (and I read that earlier arc). Tony Daniel’s art remains a poor fit for this story. Morrison’s script is clearly aiming for a more refined tone, but Daniel’s work here never really seems more than simply adequate and ordinary. It’s not that he’s performing poorly on this title; it’s just that his style and Morrison’s strike me as a bad match. 6/10
Marvel 1985 #1 (Marvel Comics)
by Mark Millar & Tommy Lee Edwards
This makes for a perfect companion comic to writer Mark Millar’s Kick-Ass series. That title considers what might arise if a real-world comic-book fan became a super-hero. Marvel 1985 posits what might happen if comic-book characters showed up in the real world. The premise is a bit over the top, but what keeps things firmly on the ground is the powerful and compelling characterization. Middle-school student Toby’s imagination and quiet emotional limbo make for a compelling protagonist, and the dialogue between him and his best friend is snappy and fun. More importantly, the dialogue between Toby and his father makes for a touching, poignant and telling scene. My hope for the series is that it will be those sorts of scenes that will define it, not the megalomania of super-villains. Tommy Lee Edwards’s artwork is absolutely stunning. The airy, dreamlike quality of his work evokes the young lead’s innocent imagination and the tenderness of the character-driven moments. 8/10
Pigeons From Hell #1 (Dark Horse Comics)
by Joe R. Lansdale & Nathan Fox
The title is cheesy as hell, and the plot is rather formulaic. But damn, if this wasn’t one entertaining foray into campy horror storytelling. Writer Joe R. Lansdale’s script introduces the characters clearly, but more importantly, they manage to bring some smarts to the story by hinting at elements of history in the backdrop. The script gets a little awkward in the latter half of the issue, as Lansdale ends up repeating a bit or two of exposition unnecessarily, but overall, this is a solid repackaging of a Robert E. Howard property. Of course, what really sells the story is the artwork by Nathan (DMZ) Fox. His work here looks like a cross between the styles of Paul (100%) Pope and Duncan (Hellboy) Fegredo, and that’s good company to be in. Fox exaggerates the appearance of the main characters and the nasty dead things lurking in the shadows, but there’s a level of detail at play that also brings a sense of realism into play. That further enhances the tension and horror of what happens. The dark detail combines nicely with Dave Stewart’s colors to achieve a creepy, unnatural atmosphere, and I love Fox’s Miyazaki-esque phantoms, which turn up in the final moments of this introductory episode. The graphic depiction of one character’s injury also adds a real sense of urgency and doom to the story. Given the goofy title, I didn’t expect to be all that impressed with this horror comic, but I was pleasantly surprised to find some truly entertaining fare. 7/10
June 2nd, 2008 at 3:36 pm
For mine, Morrison’s Batman is a character study that would have been better suited to being “All Star Batman” or some such, as it’s forced into being a “sales event/stunt” more often than the story and themes warrant it (see the generally putrid “Resurrection of Ra’s al Ghul”). The burden of being the in-continuity Batman book doesn’t serve Morrison’s story – my interpretation of which is, rather than the often told “what would cause a man to dress like a bat & fight crime?”, “what would happen to a man who made that decision and then lived through all of the crazy $#!^ that followed?”
A stand alone run of 12 or so issues (a la he and Quitely’s All Star Superman) might have also solved one of your criticisms I agree with 100%: being paired with a talented and appropriate artist. Daniel isn’t a hack, but this story relies on subtlety and nuance in both the character work & the telling of a detective story. He doesn’t seem to be up to the job on either score. Normally I’d call work like this adequate, but that won’t quite cut it in this case.
The other thing I agree with you on, of course, is Jezebel Jet. She seems to be here to provide the outsider perspective and ask the questions that long-time cast members (and readers) wouldn’t ask, such as “aren’t there better ways to spend your money?” and “are you sure you’re not crazy?” While he obviously needs an in-story way of bringing those things into the discussion, Jet is an example of one of my least favorite Morrison tics – big ideas over details. And I’m not talking about slavish devotion to continuity detail, but basics like developing new characters and providing valid reasons for existing ones to interact with them – especially here where both are crucial to the audience buying the fact that Bruce would love and trust this woman to this extent.
I’d also assert that not only is the “Club of Heroes” arc required reading for the “R.I.P.” storyline, but the whole of Morrison’s run should be (except perhaps the aforementioned “Resurrection”). It’s clear that he’s been building to this since taking over the title post-52, and those seemingly meandering issues are now coming into focus.
I’d lean toward an 8/10 myself. Regardless, it provides fertile ground for speculation, interpretation and discussion. I am always glad for art in any medium that can accomplish that.
Thanks as always for your thoughts and work, Don.
– Sean