This Week In Comics: 07-30-2003

[Clayface]

Welcome to This Week In Comics for July 30th - Aug. 5th, 2003.

For those who are new: Every week there is a thread titled "This Week In Comics" in the Comic Book Culture Forum. Here, you can discuss the material you've bought (or that you plan on buying), and talk about comics in general (news you've read on comic news sites, the state of the industry in general, upcoming issues you're excited about, etc.). If it's potentially spoilerific, then use your common sense and cover the text with the spoiler code (or provide spoiler space).

If you have any feedback/comments/suggestions... just contact your friendly neighborhood comic moderators!

Highlights of the Week!

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So...what do you want to talk about this week?

[Clayface]

Ouch. Expensive week for me this week. Lots of good stuff, though!

BATMAN #617: Wow. I was floored by this issue, and in a good way. I take back a lot of the bad things I said about Loeb's writing - he explained away a lot of my complaints about this storyline with this issue. The ending was a shocker, and I'm iffy on how good it is, but I'm now willing to wait and see how this all plays out before getting upset about that last reveal. I gave this issue 4.5 out of 5 - you can read why, and more of my comments over in the talkback thread.

BATMAN/SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN: TRINITY #2 (Of 3): It was nice to see more of the Bat in this issue, since #1 only had a breif appearance. But overall, it really felt like the writing and art declined in this issue. Some of the dialogue was just plain bad - Batman often sounded like a bad b_movie character ("Look, Lady!" to Wonder Woman, and "Why I oughtta" - I was expecting him to finish with a "Bang, zoom, to the moon, Diana!" ala The Honeymooners). The first issue had art reminscent of something from a Frank Miller book - this one didn't. It just seemed off. $6.95 was too much to pay for this book, but unfortunately, since I've read the first two issues, I'll probably dish out the $6.95 for the final issue. I'll give this one 2.5 out of 5.

BEWARE THE CREEPER #4 (Of 5): Another great issue. Creeper's antics get larger and more dangerous, resulting a true tradgedy, and the set-up for the final issue is a whopper. Great writing by Jason Hall, and wonderful art by Cliif Chiang. Don't know why more people here aren't reading this. I give this one 5 out of 5. More comments over in the talkback thread.

BORN #2 (Of 4): Part 2 of Punisher's "origin". We get to see more of Frank in action as he deals with enemy snipers and his own men out of control in the jungles of Vietnam. Typical Ennis stuff here, but typical Ennis stuff is always a guilty pleasure to read. Not sure anything in this issue has really given us any unique insight to the character that we didn't already know, but I can't complain too much. I'll give this one 3.5 out of 5.

CATWOMAN #21: Catwoman goes to Keystone City and must help Captain Cold pull off a caper in exchange for some information. A fun read - mostly Catwoman in action. Its interesting to see her side-by-side with a character like Captain Cold, and I like seeing that she's still willing to commit crimes to get what she wants. I'll give this one 4 out of 5. Head over to the talkback thread for more comments (I'm feeling lonely there).

CSI - CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION: THICKER THAN BLOOD: I don't think this show translates well to comic format. Its difficult to get a good artist that can capture the actors' likenesses, and you lose a lot when you go from the moving images of TV (with subtle glances between characters) and the flat medium of the comic page. This one-shot was ok, but nothing spectacular. Some of the dialogue was cheesey, but the story was decent. The art could have been better. I'll give this one 3 out of 5.

EMPIRE #0 & #1 (Of 6): Wow! I'm loving this mini-series! The premise: a supervillian tries to take over the world, and succeeds. Now the question is: what does he do with it? Surrounded by people he can't trust, tiring of the responsibilities, and trying to shield a daughter who isn't aware that her father is the "bad guy", we're given a fascinating story with unique characters and really no boundaries on what the characters can do. Sometimes incredibly violent, and with some sexually explicit scenes, this book is definitely for "mature" readers. Issue #0 reprints the original two issues that were published under another company, and issue #1 picks up where those left off. I really, really hope this gets made into a regualr series to further explore the world Waid has created, or at least gets a number of mini-series in the future. I give this one 5 out of 5.

GI JOE FRONTLINE #10: The conclusion to the Zanya "origin" story. We see Zanya's first talk with her father Zartan, some more of her troubled past, and how she finally gets accepted into the Dreadnoks. An ok issue, but it really felt sort of unnecessary to make this a separate story in and of itself - I knew most of this already from what's been revealed in previous issues, and I didn't need to see it all spelled out. I'll give this one 2.5 out of 5.

HELLBLAZER #186: John takes a walk in the Dream World in the hopes of meeting up with the ghosts of Aboriginals to get some info about the Shadow Dog. Of course, things never go as planned, and John has to deal with an unexpected situation. An ok issue, but nothing jaw-dropping or terribly exciting. I'll give it 3 out of 5.

MARVEL MUST HAVES: ULTIMATES #1-3

MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE VOL 2 #5: Everyone's after the confused Man-At-Arms - who wil he believe: Skeletor or He-man? Or neither?? Not a whole lot new happens in this issue. It almost felt unnecessary, though I understand why the writers did this - they need to get the characters to a certain point, story-wise. Unfortuantely, it wasn't all that interesting. Hopefully the next issue will keep me more entertained. I'll give this one 3.5 out of 5.

RED #1: The new director of the CIA decides ex-CIA agent Paul Moses knows too much and should be executed, and send a team after him. But Moses is more than they prepared for, and things get messy. Warren Ellis writes an interesting start here, and I'm looking forward to just what Moses is going to do now that an attempt on his life has been made. I'll give this one 4 out of 5.

SILVER SURFER #1: Hmmm. Not sure what I think of this one. I like the art, and the story appears to be an interesting new way to approach Silver Surfer. But, it sure as heck moved slowly. I'm willing to give it a few more issues before I make a judgement call on this one. I wish they had kept the original cover, but I do like the image on the cover the issue shipped with.

THOR: VIKINGS #1: I've never been a fan of the character Thor. But, come on, this has got zombie Vikings, and its written by Ennis. How could I not try it out?? And I'm glad I did - its brutal, gorey, violent, harsh, and creepy. This isn't Shakespeare, but its not meant to be. Another "guilty pleasure" issue. I'll be back for the second issue without a doubt. 4 out of 5.

TRANSFORMERS GENERATION ONE VOL 2 #4 (Of 6)
TRANSFORMERS MORE THAN MEETS EYE OFFICIAL GUIDE #4 (Of 8)
VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE #3

WIZARD COMICS MAGAZINE #0: Two exclusive comics are included in this Wizard Magazine relaunch - a prologue to the upcoming Ultimate Six storyline, and an original Batman story from Loeb and Lee. I had to pick this up for those alone.

[Jor-El]

Beware the Creeper 4 — There's so little point in discussing these issues. They're all great and nobody else ever has anything to say about them. A

The Flash 200 — This issue WOWed me in a way that not even other Johns issues of FLASH have WOWed me. I'm in a state of complete and utter WOWed-ness. A+, Book of the Week. In fact, it takes over Teen Titans 1's spot as Book of the Month

Batman 617 — Will someone tell me when it's over? Seriously, Jeph Loeb was an unstoppably good writer. SUPERMAN FOR ALL SEASONS, THE LONG HALLOWEEN, DARK VICTORY, DAREDEVIL YELLOW, his run on SUPERMAN... all incredible, beautiful stuff. Where did he go so terribly wrong? C+ Explain your way out of this one, Loeb.

Wizard 0 — I haven't really READ it yet, but I've looked through it and I have to say that, from what I've seen, I really love the redesign for everything.

[Brainiac]

COMICS:

Batman #617--And so "Hush" continues. Unlike most, I don't have a problem with the whole identity of Hush thing. Maybe it's because I just started reading Batman as of the "Hush" storyline...hopefully there's more to it, though...A

Fantastic Four #501--This was definitely a great follow-up to the "Unthinkable" arc. No fancy fighting and whatnot. It's more about how they are going to deal with everything that came out of the unfortunate incident. I liked how the focus was not on Reed's scar, but on Franklin's silence! It was great to see that he wasn't just going to go back to being a normal kid, who just happened to get trapped in Hell by Doctor Doom. What they did do with Reed was nice--I'm glad they didn't cop out and say, "Well, he's elastic, so the scar doesn't last." Quite the opposite. And the time machine? I'm interested in seeing what happens...I have a feeling that Reed won't let Johnny do anything to him...A

Wizard 0--I got this solely for the Hush and Ultimate Six stories. It really annoyed me that they did this...oh, well, they were enjoyable. And I'll get to read the magazine...

FIGURES:
Marvel Mini-Mates Spider-Man/Carnage 2-Pack
Wow. These figures just keep on getting cooler. Carnage is easily one of my favorite mini-mates yet, along with the Green Goblin. He has little interchangable hands so he can have an axe, a large claw, or just a hand. Very cool. Spidey's awesome, as well.

Marvel Mini-Mates Spider-Sense Spider-Man/Green Goblin 2-Pack
Green Goblin is definitely cool. His boots and hood are a nice addition, and the sinister face they've got on him is great. Only downside is that the pumpkin bomb is permanently attached to his hand...oh, well.

Marvel Mini-Mates Damaged Spider-Man/Venom 2-Pack
Also nice figures, but I wish the Venom came with an interchangable head like the promo shots showed...would've liked that, because other than Spidey's web, there are no other accessories. Still great, though.

-Brainiac

[Storm]

These are comics that were from last week but I just picked them up....


Teen Titans #1: I really enjoyed this issue. Great art and storytelling. I really liked how Geoff told the story for people who were already getting into the world of The Titans. I really loved the chemistry between Stafire and Wondergirl and also the little climax at the end was shocking. Lex? Superboy? What the heck is going on?

A+



Outsiders #2: Not as good as Teen Titans but it's getting there. I really think Lex and Grodd are being over used. The witty comments and action are all good but I want to see some character growth. Nightwing proved he is still a good leader and I'm pretty fond of Arsenal's new look. I just hope Thunder don't become the typical black heroine.

B+



Trouble #1: Adult Swim meets TRL is how I can define this comic. It's has great art and Mark Miller proved he can work a story that doesn't evolve superheroes. This is a nice touch to the Marvel universe but beware it's rated PG Plus.

A-



Xtreme X-Men #27: The God Loves, Man Kills II storyline is good but it can't top the original GLMK. I dunno is it just me or Claremont should've just left this storyline alone and Marvel should stop milking in X2? Atleast I get my Storm and Cannonball fix.

B-



Birds of Prey #57: Savant is quite an intresting BOP foe and maybe my favorite. The art and story itself were grand. I loved how Huntress and Oracle shared a private moment and actully put their differences aside and became a team. Is it just me or Huntress' new look is just plain bad? Can't wait for the next issue.

A+



Uncanny X-Men #428: With Mystique being one of my favorite bad girls I just had to pick up this issue. It was great. I really loved the whole spotlight orgin of Mystique it showed she is more then just a villainess she had a life and she had feelings. She actually loved someone. This just proved how much Mystique is important to the X-universe. Very dark and amazing. Really enjoyed it.

A+



- Storm


Oh yeah like your new avatar Clayface

[wonderfly]

What, no AVENGERS?!?! Doesn't Avengers come out on the last week of the month?


I got:

Fantastic Four #501:

Silver Surfer #1: Wow....just Wow...I'm commenting about the art. I love this look for the Surfer. I'm not quite sure where the artist get's his influences from, (Ron Lim had the Surfer all shiny and metallic; Ron Garney had him smooth and more white in texture, and there's nothing like Jack Kirby's original "larger than life" version) but this is a version that I haven't seen before...heck, I'm this impressed, and the Surfer doesn't even truly appear till close to the end! My point in discussing the art is only to say that I think the Surfer is one of the greatest characters to visualize through art, and I was impressed here, (though I like all versions).

As for the story, well, it's just getting started, so I don't know what to make of it yet. This was much like the first issue of Wolverine, (by Greg Rucka): it's a teaser of things to come. I did love the detailed look into true Voodoo culture of New Orleans, (which I've studied a tad bit), so I thought it was presented authentically. Grade: B+

Spectacular Spiderman #2: Meh. It was allright. I still don't know what to make of this storyarc. It's a puzzle/mystery, and with such a story, we the reads simply must wait and see where the pieces fall into place, and then determine wether it was a cool read. Ramos does draw a cool Venom though. Grade: B

Back issues I got:

Punisher, (2002) Issues 14-17. I'll read these at a later date, possibly.

Wizard #0: Lots of detailed articles, cool minicomics, I liked it! I hope Wizard's on a true rebound quality wise....

I'll give reviews upon reading them.

[Funkatron]

all I got was Ultimate X-men TPB Volume 6: Return of the King

[The Detective]

JLA Year One TPB: I'm enjoying this but I'm a little confused on the continuity.

I went to the library (yes the library ) and got:

The Ultimate Guide to the X-Men: Need info for my site.

Ultimate Marvel Team Up TPB: I mainly got it because the library had it.

Crisis on Infinite Earths TPB: Heck, I've never actually read it so I figured know is as good a time as any.

I'll go to books a million tomorrow for a bunch of month behind comics.

[AF$]

Picked up Ultimates #11, and looking forward to a big next week with Trouble #2 and Ult Spidey. August should be a big month for me as I will add the new JMS Squadron Supreme title, 1602, and Ultimate Six.

[Clayface]

Xtreme X-Men #27: The God Loves, Man Kills II storyline is good but it can't top the original GLMK. I dunno is it just me or Claremont should've just left this storyline alone and Marvel should stop milking in X2? Atleast I get my Storm and Cannonball fix.

B-

It's not just you. This sequel really hasn't been all that terribly interesting, and I agree - Claremont should have probably just left the GLMK storyline alone.

Oh yeah like your new avatar Clayface

Thanks! I was beginning to wonder if anyone had noticed it....

[Bubblegum Girl]

Beware the Creeper 4 Wizard 0 — I haven't really READ it yet, but I've looked through it and I have to say that, from what I've seen, I really love the redesign for everything.

I have that. That issue has alot of neato stuff to look/read at.

[Conekiller]

I don't liek them releasing Transformers G1 AND MTMTE in the smae week. they should spread the TF goodness out some more (and go easy on my wallet, those MTMTEs are 6 bucks a pop!) I'll buy mine later today or tommorrow

[Clayface]

I don't like them releasing Transformers G1 AND MTMTE in the smae week. they should spread the TF goodness out some more (and go easy on my wallet, those MTMTEs are 6 bucks a pop!) I'll buy mine later today or tommorrow

Yeah, I know the feeling. I've also got the same problem going on with the GI Joe titles - for the past two months they've all come out on the same day. And now G.I. Joe: Frontline has gone weekly for at least the next month. I'm not sure I'm going to stay with it - the stories have been kind of hit or miss so far, and having to buy a GI Joe Comic weekly just to keep up is a bit much.

[wonderfly]

Were their multiple covers to Silver Surfer #1? The pic you have for the cover at the top of this thread, Clayface, is not the cover to the comic I got...

both images are cool though...

[Cogliostro]

Were their multiple covers to Silver Surfer #1? The pic you have for the cover at the top of this thread, Clayface, is not the cover to the comic I got...

both images are cool though...

No I believe there was just one, that was either promo art or what was originally intended to be the cover to #1.

[Cogliostro]

Another small week for me, I plan on getting:

Batman #617 - Which from the sounds of it seems to be very interesting, can't wait!

Born #2 - Been hearing good things for this issue as well.

Ultimates #11 - Oddly haven't heard anything about this?!?

[Hatter]

Man, weeks like this are the reason I read comics!
Oh, and I've decided to adopt the "Book of the Week" gimmick that other posters have taken to using...

FANTASTIC FOUR #501 -- It's satisfying, if somewhat disturbing, to see real consequences of the "Unthinkable" arc. Reed's apathy is sad to watch, and Johnny's plan is chilling, since he seems so casual and determined. Mike Wieringo's art is missed, but Casey Jones does a decent job of filling his shoes, at least better than Mark Buckingham did. His work comes a little too close to Ron Garney for my taste, though.

THE ULTIMATES #11 -- Wow, didn't we just get issue #10? It's so odd getting this book on time... anyways, great issue. Like before, the pacing struck me as very cinematic. It creates a great sense of tension and realism thoughout the book. We just get to see the begining of the battle in this issue, and I can't wait to see all Hell break loose next time!

SILVER SURFER #1 --Let me just start off by saying I really wish Marvel had gone with the original cover art for this issue. The one they chose really has nothing to do with this new volume. It really kills the atmosphere of the book.
That out of the way, I'm liking the new approach to the Surfer. It's very slow-moving, but hopefully it should pick up soon. The art was very distinctive, and I like Milx's interpretation of the Surfer.

THOR: VIKINGS #1 (OF 5) (Book of the Week!) -- Oh... yes. I knew from the moment that I saw the cover art, several months ago, that I would love this book. I guess it's because I wanted to read about the classic Thor. Ultimate Thor is cool, but 616 Thor just doesn't really cut it for me. I wanted a story featuring the clean-shaven Fabio who spouted quasi-medieval dialogue like, "Dost thou not hear the maiden, gravespawn?"
And man oh man, did this book deliver in spades! Frankly, if Marvel had any sense, they'd put this team on the main Thor title.
This book is what Thor should be. A genuine ancient/mystic atmosphere, curses, zombies... everything. And the violence is great. I don't think the Thor books have ever been known for being particularly edgy, but Thor works well in an atmosphere such as this. He's a Norse God; he's not phased by barbarian behaviour.
I confess that I haven't read any of Ennis' work outside of Punisher, and I now see his unique flair for the mystical that he used with books like Preacher and Hellblazer. Glenn Fabry's art was amazing, as well. It's easy to see the similarities with another Ennis collaborator, Darick Robertson, but Fabry's art is tighter and a bit more realistic.
I just can't get over how good this book is. The painted cover is pratically frame-worthy. And with Doctor Strange set to appear later on, this series is going to get better with every installment!

BATMAN #617 -- Well, I've read it twice, and I'm still not entirely sure what exactly happened. What I did understand, I liked. Lee's new design for the Scarecrow is excellent (much better than TNBA's hanged corpse), and I'm really enjoying the tentative relationship between Batman and Catwoman. Hopefully it won't be ditched when "Hush" ends. And as for the revelation at the end... well, it didn't suprise me that much, frankly. It was telegraphed several times thoughout the issue.
I'm still eager to find out where this goes!





*I just wanted to make a note this week to praise Paul Mounts, the colourist who did the work on three of the above titles. His work is always exceptional, especially for someone who does so many books. The Ultimates just wouldn't be the same without his lush, saturated hues, and any contribution he makes to any other title is always a positive one.

[randomguy]

Well, I didn't get anything that was released this week, but I did pick up, on a friend's reccomendation, a few copies of Gotham Central (#4, #6, #7, #8, and #9). I'm reasonably impressed by it, but I find some of the dialogue a little cheeseball, and it's hard for me to really like a lot of these characters. I'm kind of indifferent to Montoya's newfound sexuality, except for one thing: even though it probably wasn't going to happen anyway, I always thought a Batman/Montoya romance could have been interesting. Oh well. If nothing else, I do love the artwork... very gritty and very real. The book also does a nice job of mixing in standard Batman lore without feeling like it's trying to cameo a villian or hero in every issue (Robin's brief apperance in #4, for instance). I definitely like the book enough to add it to my regular rotation.

I also picked up Part 1 of the "Made of Wood" storyline in Detective Comics. Clayface is right, Detective seems like the Bat-book to own right now. The writing was excellent, and I loved the art: gritty and realistic, but still stylish and cinematic. I especially like the Batman costume in this issue- weird as it sounds, I don't think I've ever seen the suit drawn better. I really liked the interaction between Gordon and Batman, and Batman's zen-like moment at the start of the book was great. The Josie Mac back-up was pretty good, as well. I like the character and I look forward to seeing more of her exploits in Gotham Central.

[Clayface]

randomguy: Glad to see you trying out both Gotham Central and Brubaker's Detective. Gotham Central definitely isn't for everyone - its not the typical Bat-book, but I'm glad you liked it enough to possibly try it again. And I'm very glad to hear you enjoyed Detective so much - I'm assuming you'll stay on for the rest of this storyline? If so, I look forward to hearing more of your comments.

[Marc]

What I've reviewed so far...

JLA #83 – Another story that hits close to home in our current society. Had this been released four months ago, it would have had more of an eerie effect. I'm sure Kelly wrote the story back when the war in Iraq was just starting, if not earlier than that. Great issue though, with some good dialogue from Superman. Former Captain Marvel artist Chris Cross is on pencils, although his work here pales in comparison to his art on CM. He draws a truly powerhouse Wonder Woman, as she should be. B+

SILVER SURFER #1 - When I first saw the title "Communion", I immediately thought of the Christopher Walken film of the same name. This seems to be going in a similar direction, very Close Encounters-esque. Interested to see what part Norrin plays in this family's life, but I think I know where all this is going. Doesn't seem too difficult to figure out. Great art by the way. B-

THOR: VIKINGS #1 (Of 5) – Awesome stuff here. I was going to pass this one by, not aware that the names Ennis and Fabry were on the cover. Thankfully Jack, my comic book guy, insisted I give the book a shot. I'm glad I did. Intensely violent (it's Ennis AND a MAX book, what do you expect?), with gorgeous art by Fabry. Highly recommended. A

ULTIMATES #11 – Excellent. Heavy on the exposition, but that's a good thing as it's merely preparing us for what's to come. Got answers to several of my own nagging questions concerning this title and it's characters. A-

MIRACLEMAN LTD ED RESIN FIGURE – A beautiful sculpture of one of the greatest comic book characters of all time. Excellent detail on the figure itself, and MM fits nicely into the sculpted base, which is a replica of the crater caused by his magical transformation. A

And the rest...
STAR WARS: REPUBLIC #56: BATTLE OF JABIIM (PART 2 OF 4)
BATMAN #617
LEGION #22
SAVAGE DRAGON #109
VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE #3
BORN #2 (Of 4)
SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #2
TRANSFORMERS GENERATION ONE VOL 2 #4 (Of 6)
TRANSFORMERS MORE THAN MEETS EYE OFFICIAL GUIDE #4 (Of 8)
WIZARD #0

I may update with comments as I read the rest.

- Cap