Eye on Comics

With 2013 upon us, it’s time here at Eye on Comics to observe our (mostly) annual tradition of spotlighting the high points of the past year. Perhaps the most exciting one came when my wife and I found and closed the deal on our first house. We can’t wait to move in and… Oh, the Glass Eye Awards are about picking the best comics of 2012 and the creators who stood out from the crowd with their stellar efforts in the medium. Right, got it.

Before I delve into my selections for the best work and artists of the year, I would urge readers to seek out as many best-of lists as they can on other websites as well. No one list is going to be definitive or even comprehensive. My comments about the Glass Eyes are merely made up of my best recollections of the comics I read in the past year, and there’s no way for anyone to read everything new in the medium. My comics reading in 2012 (as in the years before) would only have scratched the surface. With that in mind, let’s celebrate comics… Read the rest of this entry »

Avengers Arena #1 (Marvel Entertainment)
by Dennis Hopeless & Kev Walker

When the concept for this series was announced, there was a swift, negative reaction, and I can understand. The notion of a random group of characters being brought together for a homicidal battle royale is an uninspired and rather derivative concept (which writer Dennis Hopeless acknowledges in the script with a reference to the book that inspires Arcade’s choice). Of course, the controversy was likely part of the plan for this book from the start; it’s why I decided to read the comic in the first place. I likely wouldn’t have given it a second look otherwise. Ultimately, the problem with the writing here doesn’t lie with the focus on killing characters. Instead, it’s the fact it just doesn’t make much sense given the context in which it’s set. The notion that 16 young heroes — including wards of the Avengers — could go missing and there’d be no chance of the elder heroes of the Marvel Universe to find them is too big a pill to swallow. I also have little idea who most of these young heroes are, and therefore, I don’t feel as invested in their fate. Read the rest of this entry »

Human Bomb #1
“Chapter One: Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know”
Writers: Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray
Artist/Cover artist: Jerry Ordway
Colors: Hi-Fi
Letters: Taylor Esposito
Editor: Harvey Richards
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99 US

I’ve a huge fan of legacy characters, especially when it comes to DC’s Golden Age super-heroes (or “mystery men,” as they’ve been called). My favorite storyline from Roy Thomas’s All-Star Squadron was the one in which he revealed the “untold” origin of the Freedom Fighters, which included the original Human Bomb. That being said, DC has apparently tasked writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray to retool and reinvent the Freedom Fighters characters for the 21st century (for the second time, as they penned a couple of Freedom Fighters series in the years right before DC’s New 52 relaunch). As is the case with Earth 2, DC has apparently decided to sever its Golden Age properties’ ties to the Second World War, and from a nostalgic perspective, I find that disappointing. While I was interested to see what Palmiotti and Gray were doing with these concepts with a series of limited series, I figured I’d wait to see what the word online about such comics as The Ray and Phantom Lady. If the buzz was positive, I’d seek out the collected editions. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been a lot of chatter about them, and since I think the Human Bomb concept is a cool one, I decided to check out this first issue. While it’s devoid of any connection to the preceding spins on the character, the writers have crafted an interesting story that manages to overcome some significant challenges posed by the subject matter that didn’t exist when it was created in the 1940s. Read the rest of this entry »

Avengers #1
“Avengers World”
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Jerome Opeña
Colors: Dean White
Letters: Virtual Calligraphy
Cover artists: Dustin Weaver (regular)/Steve McNiven, Esad Ribic, Skottie Young & Mark Brooks (variants)
Editors: Tom Brevoort & Lauren Sankovitch
Publisher: Marvel Entertainment
Price: $3.99 US

Writer Jonathan (The Manhattan Projects) Hickman brings his sensibilities and talents — both in terms of content and design — to the mainstream Marvel Universe. Sure, he had a much-lauded stint on Fantastic Four, but now he’s working on the publisher’s flagship property. His style isn’t a perfect fit for the Avengers, but it’s interesting nonetheless. And what’s more, it’s definitely a radical deviation from how the title team has been portrayed in recent years. Hickman starts things off with an event-sized plot that seems to unfold apart from the rest of the shared continuity. It’s refreshing to see not all cosmic-level storylines being spread out over the entire line of Marvel super-hero comics. The end result is a story that’s big in scope, but since it’s not crossing over everywhere, the focus seems to be on storytelling over marketing. Read the rest of this entry »

Masks #1
Writer: Chris Roberson
Artist: Alex Ross
Letters: Simon Bowland
Cover artists: Ross, Jae Lee, Francesco Francavilla & Ardian Syaf
Editor: Joe Rybandt
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Price: $3.99 US

Dynamite Entertainment has slowly been resurrecting classic pulp/adventure heroes that pre-date the super-hero genre, and it’s built a decent stable of titles in that niche. With Masks, their go-to guy Alex Ross brings them together in what’s a fairly typical super-hero team book, penned by Chris Roberson (which took me by surprise, given his declaration about creator ownership some time ago). The first issue looks great; it was fun to delve back into Ross’s painted artwork, which we don’t see gracing the interiors of comics that much these days. While it was fun seeing these like characters interacting with and reacting to one another, it’s a fairly ordinary, formulaic story about a group of heroes meeting and joining forces. Unfortunately, the plot that sees them come together is ridiculously over the top, ham-fisted and rather difficult to accept as a premise. Read the rest of this entry »

FF #1
“Parts of a Hole”
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Mike Allred
Colors: Laura Allred
Letters: Virtual Calligraphy
Cover artists: Mike Allred (regular)/Mark Bagley & Mark Farmer, Arthur Adams and Skottie Young (variants)
Editor: Tom Brevoort & Lauren Sankovitch
Publisher: Marvel Entertainment
Price: $2.99 US

I had a rather lukewarm reaction to the first issue of the relaunched Fantastic Four title earlier this month. While I’m a fan of both writer Matt Fraction and artist Mark Bagley, I thought it was a serviceable but rather ordinary issue installment in the ongoing adventures of Marvel’s First Family. Nevertheless, I was eagerly anticipating the debut of this sister title thanks to artist Mike Allred’s participation. Furthermore, I figured the more unusual, oddball leanings in Allred’s style and sense of design would spark Fraction to include some more surreal and off-the-wall elements in his plots. It remains to be seen if that’ll be the case, but what I found here was a somewhat inaccessible and humdrum gathering-of-the-team story… albeit one that looks fantastic. Read the rest of this entry »

Amazing Spider-Man #698 (Marvel Entertainment)
by Dan Slott & Richard Elson

This issue is quite Shakespearean in tone, and by that, I mean it’s much ado about nothing. The big reveal at the end of this issue (which I won’t spoil) has a lot of readers talking and boosted demand for the comic book. And honestly, I don’t know why. It’s kind of a ridiculous concept that lacks any real tension, as any major change to the title character’s status quo is bound to be temporary. But more importantly, it’s hardly the newest idea for a super-hero plot. I was immediately put in mind of the premise behind DC’s Silver Age event from 12 years ago, which was wisely crafted as a fun, fleeting diversion rather than a serious story, as is the case with Slott’s plot (hee, rhymes). To give credit where credit is due, Slott’s script is pretty accessible even though it’s founded on several recent changes in Spidey’s world in recent years. Accessibility is a smart move for this issue, as the publicity it’s generating is bound to attract new or lapsed Amazing Spidey readers. Read the rest of this entry »

Mankind: The Story of All of Us Volume One
Writers: Marv Wolfman, Nathan Edmondson, Shawn Brock, Neo Edmund, Devin Grayson and Joe Brusha
Artists: Tom Derenick & Bill Sienkiewicz, Dennis Calero, Giovanni Timpano, Lara Baron, Javier Aranda, and Matt Triano & Mike DeCarlo & Wes Huffor
Colors: Dash Martin, Dennis Calero, Falk, Stephen Downer, Vanessa Banos, Alberto Muriel, Marc Reuda and Josera Bravo
Letters: Jim Campbell
Cover artists: Neal Adams, Bill Sienkiewicz & Dennis Calero
Editors: Joan Hilty & Shawn Brock
Publisher: Zenescope Entertainment
Price: $14.99 US

Zenescope Entertainment has developed a reputation for and a niche market with its bad-girl comics, offering buxom heroines and villains from fairy tales and fantasy, so it’s easy to overlook it when the publisher offers something outside of that milieu. This anthology — spinning out of the History Channel’s documentary series of the same name — features a nice mix of experienced talent and newer creators. The overall tone of the storytelling suits the brand nicely. There’s a matter-of-fact approach to the narration and dialogue throughout the book, but some of the stories offer a strong, personal tone that makes it easier to relate to characters that are far removed from the audience, both in terms of time and culture. Read the rest of this entry »

Indestructible Hulk #1
“Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.”
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Leinil Francis Yu
Colors: Sunny Gho
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Cover artists: Yu (regular)/Joe Quesada, Yu, Scottie Young & Walt Simonson (variants)
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publisher: Marvel Entertainment
Price: $3.99 US

One of the reasons Mark Waid’s Daredevil has proven to be such a critical hit was his tempering of the dark edge that had defined the character for the past few decades with a lighter, more playful tone reminiscent of his Silver Age origins. DD is a must-read for many, and I’m sure there were plenty of people who were eagerly anticipating Waid’s foray into the world of Marvel’s iconic rage monster/hero. The overall tone of Waid’s script and plot here, though, is far more modern. The script dwells on solving ills that plague the planet in the 21st century, while the plot presents a mad scientist has a terrorist threat. Nevertheless, despite the title character’s bestial nature, what makes this an engaging read is the intellectual quality of Waid’s dialogue. He’s crafted a smart script about a ridiculously smart man, and while it didn’t quite click for me on the level of Daredevil, I remain interested and plan on following Waid’s run on this relaunched book. Read the rest of this entry »

Avengers Assemble #9
Writer: Kelly Sue DeConnick
Artist: Stefano Caselli
Colors: Rain Beredo
Letters: Virtual Calligraphy
Cover artists: Steve McNiven (regular)/Bobby Rubio, Joe Quesada & Avengers movie still (variants)
Editors: Tom Brevoort & Lauren Sankovitch
Publisher: Marvel Entertainment
Price: $3.99 US

While I think Marvel and DC’s constant relaunching and renumbering of its ongoing super-hero titles is irksome and offers only short-term gains, I feel it’s a shame the debut of this new creative team for Avengers Assemble won’t benefit from the spotlight of a new start like so many titles that make up the publisher’s Marvel Now! campaign, because it’s one that not only Marvel fans should check out, but anyone who enjoys super-hero genre comics. Kelly Sue DeConnick’s sharp sense of humor and her exploration of parallels and polar differences between two founding members of the team make for a thoroughly entertaining and intelligent read. This is the sort of accessible and fun Avengers comic that should’ve been ready for viewers of the Avengers movie when they emerged from theatres this summer, and it reminded me a great deal of the classic Justice League run by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis and Kevin Maguire. Don’t miss this Avengers comic. I almost did. Read the rest of this entry »

Fantastic Four #1 (Marvel Entertainment)
by Matt Fraction, Mark Bagley & Mark Farmer

This is another one of the Marvel Now! relaunches that caught my attention with the creative team. Matt Fraction has proven himself with several projects at Marvel, but his best to date has been his run on Invincible Iron Man, in which he demonstrated his skill at conveying futurism, among other things. His script here is in keeping with traditional FF storytelling; longtime fans of Marvel’s First Family will no doubt enjoy what they find here. After I read this issue, I had the same thought I had after reading the first issue of Kieron Gillen and Greg Land’s new Iron Man title: other than an attempt to boost sales, why is this a first issue? Fraction’s story is quite consistent with what we saw from Jonathan Hickman’s Fantastic Four and FF. The plot driving this first story arc appears to be the waning of the title character’s powers — again, hardly the newest concept for the team. The family aspect is properly emphasized here, as is the adventure-seeking goals of the group. But if I had to sum up my reaction to the story in one word, it’d probably be, “Eh.” There’s nothing technically wrong with the storytelling here, but there wasn’t anything about it that excited me either. Mind you, I do like that the premise here is opening the door to an oddball new FF, to debut in a couple of weeks in the relaunched FF title, with art by Mike Allred. Read the rest of this entry »

Where Is Jake Ellis? #1
Writer: Nathan Edmondson
Artist/Cover artist: Tonci Zonjic
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.50 US

Who Is Jake Ellis? was one of the most fun, intelligently written and stylistically impressive comic books I read last year, so I was eagerly anticipating the property’s return with this second limited series. Writer Nathan Edmondson has crafted an international intrigue comic that feels like something Greg Rucka could have written, spiced up with superhuman/supernatural elements. It’s interesting to note the indicia page for this debut issue labels it as the sixth chapter of an ongoing story, but a shift in the dynamics and a jump ahead in time from where we left off with Who Is Jake Ellis? allows this to stand on its own. It’s also quite accessible. While I definitely got a charge by revisiting with these characters and seeing how they’ve changed, Edmondson offers a two-page “Previously in…” spread consisting of pages from the previous series, a novel way to bring new readers up to speed and to refresh the memories of those of us who’ve been along for the ride from the start. There’s a fun and undeniable Jason Bourne riff at play in this book, but the fantastic elements Edmondson’s added and the understated intensity that artist Tonci Zonjic instills in the characters set it apart as well. Read the rest of this entry »

All-New X-Men #1
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Stuart Immonen
Inks: Wade Von Grawbadger
Colors: Marte Garcia
Letters: Virtual Calligraphy
Cover artists: Immonen & Von Grawbadger (regular edition)/Joe Quesada, Paolo Rivera, Skottie Young & Immonen (variants)
Editor: Nick Lowe
Publisher: Marvel Entertainment
Price: $3.99 US

While I lost interest in his Avengers comics in recent years, I remain a fan of writer Brian Michael Bendis, and Stuart Immonen’s always been one of the better and more adaptable artists in comics. But it wasn’t the creators that drew me to this new X title, but rather the weirdness of the premise. Marvel aims to shake up the world of mutants by bringing together the distorted, darker, modern versions of its mutant heroes face to face with their original counterparts from the Silver Age. It’s an odd story concept… odd enough to pique my curiosity. It’s also a potentially risky venture, as the juxtaposition of the old and the new could make and support the argument Marvel might have lost its way with the characters that served as its foundation for success in the 1960s. Maybe revisiting the original X-Men as teens might suggest to some readers the Marvel magic has been lost. There’s no concern about that happening in this issue, though, as the premise that drew me really isn’t to be found here, at least not until the last couple of pages. Read the rest of this entry »

Before Watchmen: Moloch #1 (DC Comics)
by J. Michael Straczynski & Eduardo Risso

Unlike the other Before Watchmen titles, this two-issue limited series explores a title character that’s essentially a blank slate. In the original Watchmen series, Moloch was more of a means to an end; he served to advance the Comedian’s and Rorschach’s plotlines. Writer J. Michael Straczynski develops an origin story that makes it easy to relate to a villain, that explains why he’s opted for a life of crime. Edgar Jacobi is painted as a sympathetic figure here (not unlike his aged, cancer-riddled self was in Watchmen) despite the murders, drug trade and other ills he lets loose on the world. His background doesn’t excuse his crimes, but it does explain them. Now, Moloch is probably portrayed as a little too self-aware in this story, but that’s in part the byproduct of casting him in the role of narrator of his own story and the introspective turning point that serves as a framing sequence. It’s easy to sympathize with and even relate to the young Eddie Jacobi. Everyone can relate to some form of pain he’s had to endure in a life defined by emotional, physical and social abuse. Read the rest of this entry »

Hobo With a Shotgun #1
Writers: Dave Howlett, André Myette, Josh Rodgers, Shawn McLeod & Jay Arnold
Artists: Mike Holmes, Andy Cotnam, André Myette, Patrick Burgomaster, Josh Rodgers, Shawn McLeod, Mike Campbell & Jay Arnold
Colors: Nathan Boone, André Myette, Patrick Burgomaster, Josh Rodgers & Shawn McLeod
Cover artist: James White
Publisher: Yer Dead Productions
Price: $2.99 US

Like the uber-violent B-movie of the same name, this comic book is regionally produced. Starring Rutger Hauer, Hobo With a Shotgun is a little known film that was shot and produced in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and the material in this anthology comic inspired by the flick was also crafted by Halifax creators and those from surrounding regions. Several of the creators boast a strong connection to award-winning comic shop Strange Adventures, and this comic was made available at my local Strange Adventures store as well. Despite having not seen the movie, I decided to give this comic a glance, in part to support independent and local comics talent. Like many anthologies, Hobo With a Shotgun is a mixed bag, boasting some strong, professional material and some that pales in comparison. Given the fact I was generally unfamiliar with the source material, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed some key stories. And given the strength of those stories, I was surprised by the inclusion of far more crude and amateurish efforts as well. Read the rest of this entry »