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Quick Critiques – Jan. 21, 2007

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Fantastic Four #542 (Marvel Comics)
by Dwayne McDuffie, Mike McKone, Andy Lanning & Cam Smith

Writer Dwayne McDuffie takes over the regular duties as FF scribe from J. Michael Straczynski with this issue, and the good news is that it doesn’t interrupt the flow of the storytelling at all. In fact, the transition is fairly seamless. McDuffie’s take on the Civil War plot points is as smart and sharp as Straczynski’s, perhaps even moreso. He makes Reed’s decisions in the divisive crossover event make sense to a certain degree. Once again, his emotional side has been engulfed by the scientist in him. I love how McDuffie writes Reed and the Mad Thinker as respecting one another’s intellect. These are lifelong enemies, but their dedication to science and knowledge trumps their disdain for what the other represents in terms of social position. Johnny’s dialogue in the opening scene is plausible and clever, and I like that McDuffie manages to maintain the character’s grounded tone while not resorting to depicting him as a dullard. McKone’s art is as crisp as ever, and the softer tone he brings to the characters’ faces emphasizes their humanity above the sci-fi trappings and impossible super-powers. The Thing’s adventures in Paris aren’t really holding my attention anymore. It was a cute diversion for an issue, but the Odd Couple riff between the rocky hero and the City of Lights isn’t something that works long term. 8/10

Outer Orbit #1 (Dark Horse Comics)
by Zach Howard, Sean Murphy & Reed Buccholz

Outer Orbit reads rather a bit like a science-fiction take on filmmaker Guy Ritchie’s storytelling style from Snatch or Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. The pace is frenetic, and the tone is zany, intense and never serious despite excessive violence and gratuitous sexuality. The odd-couple riff with the two main characters we meet in the opening scene is quite effective and entertaining, but the storytelling gets a bit difficult to follow at times. However, it’s not the creators’ use of flashbacks that’s dizzying, but the topsy-turvy action sequences that don’t include enough dialogue to inform the reader of what’s going on and why The dark, angular style in the artwork suits the over-the-top qualities of the personalities and the plot quite well, and I’m impressed that there’s a visual consistency throughout the issue despite Howard and Murphy’s decision to trade off art duties for specific scenes. The stereotypically sexual design for the fierce female figure who appears later in the issue is laughably obvious in its goal to titillate. Short shorts and a sports bra? C’mon. Ultimately, what drives these characters is never made entirely clear, and after I’d finished reading the issue, I knew I’d been amused, but I was left confused as well. 5/10

The Spirit #2 (DC Comics)
by Darwyn Cooke & J. Bone

Once again, Darwyn Cooke manages to walk a fine line between the classic, 1940s noir feel of the original Spirit source material by the late Will Eisner and a more modern, refined tone to achieve a great revival story. Just as he did for Ebony, the Spirit’s sidekick, the writer/artist also updates P’Gell for the 21st century without losing the character’s strengths. Cooke also incorporates a classic love triangle into the plot, but he does so subtly. It doesn’t override or interfere with the main plot, which ultimately reveals itself to be tragic and melodramatic in tone. That comes as a surprise and adds some depth to P’Gell. She’s still the main antagonist in this issue, but Cooke wisely exposes her human side rather than focusing solely on her raw sexuality and ambition. And once again, I like that the Spirit only gets the better of the hired muscle about half of the time. He’s not smarter than his opponents, just fortunate when it comes to friendship and dumb luck. Cooke’s artwork is absolutely lovely. There’s a timeless look to the visuals, but he still incorporates modern technology without sacrificing the simpler, iconic tone. Dave Stewart’s muted colors reinforce the noir tone of the storytelling; a brighter palette would make this look like a garish and clumsy Silver Age piece instead of the more refined entity it is. 8/10

Superman and Batman Vs. Aliens and Predator #1 (DC Comics/Dark Horse Comics)
by Mark Schultz & Ariel Olivetti

Ariel Olivetti’s style, with his lantern-jawed heroes and airy colors, is perfectly suited to this guilty-pleasure project. Though there’s a rich level of detail and texture in his work, he doesn’t aim for a realistic look. Instead, his art tends to take one into a world of gods at the top of the world. There’s a mythic, timeless look to the characters and the backdrops. This looks more like a supernatural legend than a science-fiction action story thanks to his approach. The plot… well, it’s not nearly as refined as the artwork. Schultz faces an insurmountable challenge when it comes to achieving any level of credibility with this concept, so he wisely doesn’t even try to overcome it. The plotting is Silver Age-like in its simplicity, so much so that clunkier elements will spur one to roll one’s eyes. Still, I like that he examines the Predators as an alien race with a culture and religion, with citizens capable of reason and communication. The Aliens play an incredibly minor role in this first of two chapters, but as the most mindless of the characters, they’re actually the least interesting anyway. Perhaps the greatest liability of this limited series is the expensive format in which it’s presented. I’m tempted to suggest publishing it as a cheaper original graphic format would have been the way to go, but I see DC’s April 2007 solicitations have the collected edition listed for 101 pennies more than the cost of the original issues combined. 5/10

Thunderbolts #110 (Marvel Comics)
by Warren Ellis & Mike Deodato Jr.

A story about corrupt government operations, super-villains as heroes and media manipulation certainly makes for a good fit with writer Warren Ellis, and there are scenes to be found in this opening episode that are riveting. Furthermore, Mike Deodato offers up some of his stronger work in recent memory, and I rather enjoyed his decision to “cast” a recognizable face in the role of an icon of comic-book villainy. I think where the book goes awry, though, is in how it jumps ahead months in time, portraying the new incarnation of the title team as being well established. The book seems dichotomous; some scenes focus on the setup, and others dwell on the media message that’s apparently been drilled into the American social psyche. I also find it odd that the public would be aware and accepting of the employment of monsters as their new heroes. Furthermore, the team’s role as hunters of non-registered super-heroes seems limiting, especially given the impossibly infinite nature of the resources at their disposal. The scenes spotlighting a former D-list hero and his lover bring the story down to earth, but given the recent release of similar material in Civil War and its tie-ins, it also comes off as a bit redundant. Ultimately, I’m compelled to check out the next issue by the creepy, intense tone that Ellis achieves in his characterization of Norman Osborn. 6/10

January 21, 2007 Don MacPherson

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