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Strange No. 1 (Marvel) - $3.50
J. Michael Straczynski & Sam Barnes - Writers; Brandon Peterson - Artist
Reviewed by I. Martin
"Any man not busing being born is busy dying." - Bob Dylan
That quote closes this first issue, and is a nearly perfect summation for the years of Stephen Strange's life that are shown in this first issue. The origin of Dr. Strange has been told before, and told well, so
this mini-series has a steep challenge to improve upon the classic stories of the Silver Age. If the entire series holds up as well as does this first issue, the creative team may actually be successful. And, if
they pull it off well enough, perhaps it will demonstrate that there is room for a mystic series in the monthly Marvel line-up of titles. That would please me greatly, since Dr. Strange has (for me, anyway) held
the title of "Character Most Deserving of Their Own Series" for several years.
The story begins well, showing a brilliant physician who is full of concern for his fellow Man, devoting half a year of his life to treating villagers in the remote reaches of Tibet. There are elements of the
traditional story here, like the old man (probably The Ancient One) who accompanies the young physician on a spur-of-the-moment trek up a mountain trail, toward a previously unnoticed ancient monastery built into
side of the mountain. Wong is here as well, as a youngster who has been traumatized by something he experiences, and subsequently hasn't spoken in years.
Over the course of this first issue, we see Stephen Strange go from being a brilliant and idealistic young physician to becoming a wealthy and cynical man, who has forgotten the idealisim of his youth, or discarded
it as unnecessary baggage. This actually humanizes Strange a bit, because most people are fairly idealistic in their youth, and to varying degrees that idealism is tempered or mangled by experience with reality.
Most previous origin stories of Dr. Strange have begun with him already at the point that he doesn't reach until somewhere around the mid-point of this first issue. And the tragic accident that will begin the
dramatic reshaping of his future life doesn't occur until the very last page. It is presented in a different manner than previous versions of the story, but that isn't terribly significant. The important thing
isn't how the transformation from cynic to mystic is initiated, the important thing is that the change is initiated.
The artwork throughout the issue is really good. The slick paper holds the colors well. The cardstock covers are also nice, although with a cover price of $3.50 an issue, I guess those features are almost required.
There is a mysterious woman who appears twice in the issue (its got to be a coincidence that she bears a striking resemblance to one of Straczynski's characters from his creator-owned Rising Stars title that
would be published by Image if he'd ever finish the final three issues). The first time she appears, Strange sees her, but she's gone when he looks again. The second time she appears, he does not see her. He turns
his back, she appears, then disappear, like magic. I'm speculating that she is Clea, since that is the only major supporting character of the Dr. Strange pantheon who would otherwise be missing.
Based upon this initial issue, I plan to follow the mini-series to its completion. (I believe it is slated for a 4 issue run).
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Adam Strange No. 1(DC) - $2.95
Andy Diggle - Writer; Pascal Ferry - Artist
Reviewed by S. Hutchison
I've never read any previous Adam Strange titles and I wasn't planning on picking up this limited series, but after reading a couple of interviews and seeing some sample art I decided to pick up the first issue.
And I'm glad I did.
Strange is trapped on Earth, having returned to clean up the last few details of his life before permanently returning to Rann to be with his family. However, his expected return ride (the zeta-beam) never arrives
and he has no way to get back, nor any idea of what has happened. His wanderings since that time are revealed to the reader through his statement to a police interrogator who is looking into the earlier destruction
of Stange's apartment.
After multiple zeta-beams failed to arrive, Strange went to Gotham to enlist the aid of 'influential friends' to find out why the zeta-beams have stopped. After a few weeks, a somber Kal-El reports to Strange that
Rann is no more as its primary star went supernova and vaporized the entire planetary system. Strange was distraught over the news and eventually found himself seeking solace in the bottom of a bottle, which is
exactly where the police found him when they went looking for answers to the explosion in his apartment.
The police think he is a crackpot and decide to hand him over to the psych-ward. Strange has other ideas. He wants to find out who blew up his apartment and why. He tries to escape when the police take him out
to transport him to Arkham and ends up being attacked by the alien who blew up his apartment - an alien who claims Rann actually disappeared before the star blew up and believes Strange is responsible for its disappearance.
A fantastic start to what promises to be a great mini-series. Diggle's script is quite interesting and enterinting. It quickly pulls you and doesn't let you go. Pascal Ferry's art is quite brilliant and an excellent
fit for this science-fiction based tale. This one is a winner.
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Marvel Knights: Spider-Man No. 6 (Marvel) - $2.99
Mark Millar - Writer; Terry Dodson - Pencils; Rachel Dodson - Inks
Reviewed by I. Martin
The situation at a glance: Aunt May is still missing; a visit to the X-Men reveals that Aunt May might (very, very strong emphasis on might) be dead; Norman Osborn is in jail, and people are burglarizing all
of his offices; and an anonymous billionaire has donated $5 million as an open reward, publicized via the Dialy Bugle, for the unmasking of Spider-Man.
While all of this is going on, Mary Jane has insisted on staying in New York to try in her own small way to help out-think whomever has kidnapped Aunt May, and the authorities are taking super-villains like Doctor
Octopus on late-night rides to mysterious tests. When Ock almost busts loose, Spidey stops him, but faces a bigger obstacle when the dozen or more S.W.A.T. agents try to unmask him in order to claim the reward.
Meanwhile at the Daily Bugle offices, about ten people a day are trying to turn themselves in as Spider-Man in order to get the reward for themselves.
The story is shaping up reasonable well, although like Osborn himself, I was a bit surprised that Spidey would go to Norman for any kind of help at all. Osborn may not have revealed Spidey's identity over the years,
but I tend to think that's more because he's criminally insance than because of any unspoken gentlemen's agreement. After all, if he shares Spidey's secret identity with the world at large - then he would no longer
have the sole pleasure of being able to create problems and cause discomfort, fear or anguish for Peter Parker and his family.
The artwork in this issue was nice, and actually blended fairly smoothly with that of Frank Cho's art in the preceding issue. I like the way the Dodson's pace the visual action, and the way they use lighting and
shading to convey mood.
What I'm not so excited about is the news that the "Aunt May is kidnapped" storyline is going to run through three connected story arcs of four issues each. This means the entire first year of this title will be a
part of this storyline. I don't know if the writing can hold its quality for that many issues, without feeling like it's wandering or being needlessly stretched out for purposes of bulking up a trade paperback collection.
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Conan No. 9 (Dark Horse) - $2.99
Kurt Busiek - Writer; Cary Nord - Artist
Reviewed by S. Hutchison
This is almost a stand-alone story, though it does lead into the next story-arc (but one can easily enough jump in next month without having read this one). The issue opens in a tavern where a couple of brigands
are shaking down the customers. The proclaim themselves to be great thieves. Their boasts draw the disdain of Conan, who happens to be sitting in a dark corner enjoying a bit of drink. After (physically) putting
the bandits in their place, Conan provides them a tale of a true warrior and thief. The rest of the issue centers around Conan's tale of his entry into that particular township and how he crossed paths with an ill-mannered
city official who set his guards upon him. Conan manages to escape, but promises he is not through with the man. Later in the evening, after making inquiries as to the man's location, Conan steals into his manor and
confronts him. He decides against killing the man after seeing what a pitiful worm he is, but he does steal the sceptor that marks the man's position in the city.
The theives in the tavern claim Conan's boastful tale is false until he displays the sceptor. The thieves decide it is a fine opportunity for them to take the sceptor from the barbarian. However, as they brashly take
possession of the sceptor, the city guards burst into the tavern and apprehend them, announcing the men will be put to death for breaking into the manor and stealing the sceptor. After the guards leave, Conan appears
from behind a curtained alcove where he had hidden upon hearing the guards approaching outside and is showered with appreciation from the other patrons.
Busiek's story is quite entertaining and Nord's art really fits this title perfectly. I've really been impressed thus far with this series, and though I haven't had any previous interest in past Conan publications,
this one will continue to make my reading list so long as the current creative team remains with the title
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The Balad of Sleeping Beauty No. 1-2 (Beckett) - $1.99
Gabriel Benson - Writer; Mike Hawthorne - Artist
Reviewed by I. Martin
The first issue of this title was (and will remain) only available as a Free Comic Book Day edition. Beckett Comic www.beckettcomics.com also sent a number
of free sample copies of issues no. 1 to comic shops across the country. Once fans do have to start paying for copies, they will be pleasantly surprised by the regular $1.99 cover price.
That won't be the only pleasant surprise for comics fans who pick up this series. Early hype from the publisher was comparing this book to the DC/Vertigo hit Fables. I read Fables every month, and
have since the day I picked up no. 1 off the shelf a month or so after meeting Steve Leialoha at a Kansas City comic convention. This book is very different from Fables, yet at it's heart are some very
strong similarities. THings like an interesting story, mysterious characters, and a familiar foundation based upon fairy tales, but taking place in a very modern world. One big difference is that this book is
set in the American west of the mid-to-late 19th century, sometime after the U.S. Civil War. I guess technically that makes this a bit of a western title, which is fine. Western comics have a long and valuable
role in the history of American comics, and it's a genre that since the mid-1970s have been woefully absent from the American comics scene.
The basic story of sleeping beauty is present, but with some subtle twists. The person who places the curse upon the beauty is an old Indian woman (or Native American, if you prefer), who is turned away from the
samll town of Briar Rose in the middle of a harsh winter, because the settlers already don't have enough for their own, let alone for an outsider (and an Indian, to boot). In the spring the woman returns and bestows
her "gift" upon the beauty. An unexpected twist is that the curse prevents any townsperson from getting out the village alive, until someone comes from outside to awaken the beauty with their kiss. And when the
beauty falls asleep on her 18th birthday, so does the entire town.
There's another story woven alongside this, and some additional elements that I don't recognize from any stories, like the ghost of the INdian warrior who is pursuing Cole, one of the main characters. While being
a ghost, his arrows are real enough. There's a back story behind Cole involving the ghostly Indian warrior, Cole's wife Laura, and Cole's mysterious friend who rescues him from the hangman's noose. Along with
Cole, a kid named Red was also on the gallows. The reasons are not yet clear, but Red is a kid (probably about 16 to 18 years old) who wants Cole to hlep him find the town of Briar Rose.
On top fo the interesting story, the book has wonderful artwork. Hawthorne has a nice style that is somewhat stylized, but still plenty realistic enouhg to be believable. The art is attractive and the panels
are well arranged. The colors also jump out pretty nicely from the slick pages. The covers aren't quite cardstock, but they're close. They're pretty similar to the covers on Marvel's Ultimate line of books,
but slightly heavier.
So far both issues have also contained some previwe pages from Fade From Grace, anotehr Beckett comics, which premiered with a $0.99 issue in August. And no. 2 included a sketchbook page, featuring Hawthorne's
rough pencil design from the last page of that issue.
This is a series worth keeping an eye out for, because it's got all the hallmarks of quality. As long as it can avoid the One Deadly Sin of comics (shipping late or erratically), it is going to be a success. While
it's sales might not match that of Fables, the level of quality so far is right up there with that award-winning fan favorite comic. If you missed seeing the first issue on Free Comic Book Day, ask shops in
your area if they might still have copies available. It may take a bit of hunting, but like diamonds and gold, this is a book that is worth the effort to find.
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Marvel Knights Spider-Man No. 4 (Marvel) - $2.99
Mark Millar - Writer; Terry Dodson - Pencils; Rachel Dodson - Inks
Reviewed by S. Hutchison
Last issue Spider-Man found himself on the wrong end of a severe ass-kicking by the villain Electro. Unconscious, doped up on pain killers, and in the hospital (bandaged up and out of costume), Peter appears
to be an easy target for the Vulture. Peter manages to wake up in time to avoid being gutted, but he can't stop the Vulture from dragging him out of the hospital. The Vulture manages to remove the bandages
from his face to get a look at him. Peter's face is so bruised and swollen, the Vulture doesn't recognize him (though it is possible the Vulture never saw any publicity shots of him way back when he was touring
on the book of Spider-Man photos - Webs - he had published). Fortunately for Peter, the Black Cat shows up in time to save him. But the danger isn't over since a number of surgeons and nurses saw him in the
hospital when they were working to save his life. In addition, an orderly from said hospital presents photos to Robbie and JJJ he claims to have taken of the unmasked Spider-Man at the hospital.
On the one hand, it is a wonder that in all the years Peter has been battling in his heroic guise that such a thing hasn't occurred prior to this. There have been many occasions where he has been fortunate in
that he wasn't injured badly enough that he would be in severe need of medical attention (as was the case following his battle with Electro in issue 3) to such a degree that he would require a lengthy hospital
stay and perhaps even be unconscious for a long period of time.
On the other hand, there are already too many people who are aware of Peter's identity, and now having a number of hospital staffers knowing what he looks like, as well as the Vulture, it will be almost impossible
to keep that information from becoming common knowledge to all the wrong people. Even given the condition of his face (swollen and severely bruised), it would seem unlikely that someone wouldn't be able to provide
a decent enough description that a resourceful individual (such as a Wilson Fisk) would not be able to determine who he is. Then of course there are other methods available. Since he was in surgery, it is likely
they took some blood (or at least there is a sample somewhere from his injuries) that could eventually be tied back to Peter (of course this has been a problem that has long existed --- any individual or
organization who has access to a database of medical records would have been able to compare samples of Spider-Man's blood taken from one of the many places where he has fought --- and this is probably why
Nick Fury is aware that Peter is Spider-Man … as presented in the recent Spider-Man/Wolverine mini-series).
Regardless, it would seem that Peter is royally screwed. And Mary Jane and Aunt May along with him (because we all know villains like to hit close to home).
I'm not sure how (or if) Millar (and/or Marvel) is going to clean up this potential mess. But I'm certainly not too thrilled with the direction this is going.
(it was still a good story with excellent art - even if I don't particularly like the potential direction)
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Mary Jane No. 1 & 2 (Marvel) - $2.25
Sean McKeever - Writer; Takeshi Miyazawa - Pencils
Reviewed by I. Martin
This title is aimed squarely at pre-teen and early-teen girls. It's aimed at those who are more likey to have read the "Mary Jane" young-adult novels than the Spider-Girl comic books. It's aimed at people
who are more likely to check out a manga trade paperback graphic novel in a bookstore than they are to hang out at a comic book shop. And these first couple of issues are pretty good, with art that has a manga
influence, but isn't the ugly Ameri-manga --- a phrase I've heard used to describe American comics that are attempting to look like manga by making suerficial visual changes, but without capturing the same
storytelling appeal of genuine quality manga books. These were good comics, and far better than I had anticipated.
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Spider-Girl No. 74 & 75 & 76 (Marvel) - $2.99
Tom DeFalco - Writer; Ron Frenz - Pencils
Reviewed by I. Martin
As with most issues of this series, these were all highly enjoyable. This is possibly one of the best comics Marvel publishes that can be read and enjoyed without feeling you have to read another title in
order to understand everything that's happening. While these issues do link together to form a larger whole, they are also perfectly enjoyable when read alone. The highlight of the batch is issue 75, in
which May "Spider-Girl" Parker ends up donning a black-and-silver costume that is eerily reminiscent of the black symbiote costume that eventually became Venom. Mary Jane's first reaction when she sees it
for the first time is priceless and perfect. The major subplot involving Black Tarantula is moving along at a brisk and exciting pace, while the May-Normie-Blackie Drago romantic triangle plot is continuing
at a slower, but still satisfying pace.
This is a book that should be read by ... well, for lack of a better piece of hyperbole, let's just say Everybody! and leave it at that.
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Spectacular Spider-Man No. 15 & 16 (Marvel) - $2.25
Paul Jenkins - Writer; Michael Ryan - Pencils
Reviewed by I. Martin
This was a two-part story that ties in with the events of 'Avengers Disassembled', and guest-starred Cpatain America. The story was back down to the low quality that most issues of this title have suffered,
although the art was significantly better. Those bonus points were lost, however, when the second issue of this two-part story ened with "to be continued". The characterization of Captain America was particularly
annoying, as it flies in the face of all prior characterization that I have seen. Even his portrayal in The Ultimates is better than this.
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Amazing Spider-Man No. 509 (Marvel) - $2.25
J. Michael Straczynski - Writer; Mike Deodato, Jr. - Pencils
Reviewed by I. Martin
This was the first issue of a major new story arc, and the debut of new artist Mike Deodato, Jr. on this title. The art was very good, and the fresh change of style earned a couple of bonus points in that area of
grading this time around. Straczynski is taking a major trip to the past in this story arc, bringing in plot elements that deal with Gwen Stacy (the original -- no clones!) from the late 1960s and early 1970s.
When I got to the last page, I predicted that the new, mysterious figures who seemed to be after Peter Parker, rather than Spider-man, were either a) JImm and Paul Stacy, Gwen's cousins who wre introduced by Howard
Mackie during the 1990s Clone Saga , or b) the previously unknown children of Gwen Stacy and (presumably) Peter Parker.
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Amazing Fantasy No. 1 (Marvel) - $2.99
Fiona Avery - Writer; Mark Brooks - Pencils
Reviewed by I. Martin
Some on-line Spider-Girl fans were worried that this title might dilute the support for the Spider-Girl title, since this book also presents a young, female spider-related character as the solo lead feature. After
I read the first issue of this series, I knew those fears were unfounded. Where Spider-Girl relies on characterization and plot to weave single-issue stories and larger arcs into an interesting tapestry that holds
fans' interest, this title is completely lacking in characterization and plot. At the end of the first issue, the main character - who was so uninteresting that I can't even remember her name - is placed in a life-threatening
cliffhanger situation. The writer had done such a poor job with characterization, that at the end of the issue I don't care enough about the character to come back for the second issue to see whether or not she survives.
Since she's the title character, I'm pretty sure she will, but I found myself hoping that perhaps she would die, and the whole series could be written off as a 2 issue experiement. Don't waste your valuable money or time
on this. It's a stinker from the first panel to the last.
0 zombies
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Spectacular Spider-Man No. 14 (Marvel) - $2.25
Paul Jenkins - Writer; Paolo River - Painted Art
Reviewed by I. Martin
This was a done-in-one issue and, was fullypainted. The art was unique and far superior to most of what has been seen in previous issues of this revived title. The story itself wasn't terribly memorable.
I read this, and the three following issues, back-to-back. By the time I was done, all I remembered was that this was one of the better issues of the batch. It was one of the better stories in this title
by Paul Jenkins, who has yet to consistently match the quality of stories he wrote in Peter Parker Spider-Man (vol. 2) a couple of years ago.
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Venom No. 14 & 15 (Marvel) - $2.99
Daniel Way - Writer; Skottie Young - Pencils
Reviewed by I. Martin
These issues mark the first half of a four-issue storyline. After reading them, I had to set aside the other two for another day, because there's only so much drivel a person can read in one day and not
have their mood affected. If Spider-Man hadn't appeared in these issues, they'd still be rotting on the shelves in the comic book shop.
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Amazing Spider-Man No. 507 & 508 (Marvel) - $2.25
J. Michael Straczynski - Writer; John Romita, Jr. - Pencils; Scott Hanna - Inks
Reviewed by I. Martin
These two issues marked the conclusion of the 'Book of Ezekiel' story arc. I was mildly surprised at home Simply J. Michael Straczynski resolved the situation at the end of the story arc, especially since
Ezekiel was the first new character he created for his first story arc when he took over this title with issue 30 - a.k.a. 471. The art was the usual high calibur one expects from John ROmita, Jr., and it
marked his second swan song from this title (he also had a stint on this book in the eary-to-mid 1980's). GIven those factors, I expected soemthing a bit more dramatic in these issues.
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Captain America and the Falcon No. 1 (Marvel) - $2.99
Christopher Priest - Writer; Bart Sears - Pencils; Rob Hunter - Inks
Reviewed by S. Hutchison
Sam Wilson - .a.k.a. the Falcon - is in Cuba where he has been accused of breaking into the marine base at Guantanamo Bay and freeing a supposed enemy combatant. Steve Rogers - a.k.a. Captain America - has
been ordered to find the Falcon and bring him back within a twenty four hour period. If he is unsuccessful in this endeavor, another unidentified entity (or entities) will hunt Sam down. While Steve is
trying to uncover Sam's motives by questioning Robbie Robertson of the Daily Bugle (whom Sam met with briefly before departing for Cuba), another individual is actively tracking the Falcon in Cuba. The
catch? This individual happens to be carrying a familiarly painted shield and wearing the costume of Captain America.
My first question upon seeing the solicitation for this comic was Why? Why is this title needed? The current Captain America monthly series has met with only marginal success in recent years. Why the need for a
second title? If this is a bold new direction Marvel believes will be highly successful, then why not just incorporate it into the regular monthly series (and replace the current creative team with this one)?
They wouldn't necessarily need to rename it. They could just continue to publish it as Captain America and keep the same numbering. Or they could add the Falcon's name to the title and keep the same numbering.
Or they could cancel the current monthly series and just start over with this new one. There just doesn't seem to be any need for two Captain America titles, especially when one is struggling to find an audience
already.
I didn't buy this issue with plans to continue reading the series. I bought it strictly for the purpose of review. That said, I found the script interesting. The mystery surrounding Sam's invasion of the marine
base and the rest of the events depicted have piqued my curiosity enough that I will probably look in on future issues of this title to find out what exactly is going on and who is pulling the strings of the mystery
Captain America impersonator. The art is typical Bart Sears. I've liked his illustration style since my first exposure to his work in Justice League Europe. Sears is well known for his over-exaggerated musculature
and there is certainly no shortage of that here. In fact, there is almost too much. Seeing his interpretation of Captain America, it is hard to imagine this overly-bulging hero is capable of the agile movements
he constantly employs in combat (someone of this build wouldn't have the flexibility to pull of those moves).
Not a bad start, but it remains to be seen whether there is a place for two monthly Captain America titles.
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4 No. 3 (Marvel) - $2.99
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa - Writer; Steve McNiven - Pencils; Mark Morales - Inks
Reviewed by S. Hutchison
In this Marvel Knights title, the fate of the FF has taken a dramatic turn. They've lost their fortune, government funding, and have been kicked out of the Baxter Building. In order to make ends meet, Sue
has become a teacher while Ben has begun working in construction. Johnny hasn't been as fortunate as he has yet to find gainful employment himself. Reed has been somewhat in denial over their misfortune
and has been using his considerable intelligence to try and develop an equation that will allow him to beat the stock market. While there is every possibility his efforts would be successful eventually,
his family, along with Ben and Johnny, don't have the luxury of waiting for a breakthrough. They need him to take part in supporting the family and team now, both financially and as an active participant
in their every day lives (such as picking up Franklin every day from school at the appointed time, which he has already failed to do once as he was so absorbed in his work on the equation).
In this issue, the team is moving the last of their belongings from the Baxter Building (which provides for a brief visit with Willie Lumpkin). Reed finds himself at the unemployment office. Johnny appears
as though he may be looking into a position with the NY Fire Department in a future issue. Ben discovers that his work ethic is causing problems for the other construction workers. For one, they are unable
to keep up with his pace. More importantly, projects are getting done at a much quicker rate, meaning they spend less time working and thus earn less money. Reed runs afoul of a group of bank robbers when
he stops in to check his balance. Though it takes little effort to subdue them, the delay is enough that he is late picking up Franklin. Though Franklin is initially disappointed, his attitude quickly changes
when he learns that his father got a job at a law firm managing their computer network.
I want to like this title. The overall script is well written (the dialogue specifically) and the art is very good. But the premise and some of the execution is just ridiculous. I have a hard time accepting
the fact that the Fantastic Four would find themselves in the position where they have divest themselves of nearly all their possessions and find regular jobs in order to make ends meet. It shouldn't take
long for Reed to create new technologies that he could then license for manufacturing, thus providing them plenty of royalties. In the meantime, they should easily be able to acquire funding by means of
bank loans to cover their current expenses (it isn't as though Reed is an unknown in terms of his capabilities for producing revenue streams - the guy could be considered as much of a sure thing as one might
find in terms of new or improved technologies). Even putting all that aside, why on Earth would Reed EVER need to visit an unemployment office? Reed surely has tons of connections in the scientific community,
and you can bet there are numerous companies that would absolutely love to have him developing technologies for them. If he put the word out in the community that he was interested in finding gainful employment,
he would have offers coming in within a matter of a day or two, if not within hours. Or how about a visit to Monster.com or another of the job-seeking web-sites. He could find something he is interested in
and then contact the company. I'm fairly certain he would shoot to the top of the candidate list. Or how about Stark Enterprises (or whatever the company is called now)? I'm sure Tony would be more than
happy to welcome Reed into his employ. And what about the sequence where Reed stops into the bank to check his balance. Does anyone even do this anymore? Wouldn't Reed be more likely to check it on-line,
or just stop at an ATM and get the balance? Why would he bother actually going into the bank? As I said, just a poor premise and instances of bad execution. There should be a lot more thought being put into
this than there has been thus far.
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Alpha Flight No. 1 (series 3) (Marvel) - $2.99
Scott Lobdell - Writer; Clayton Henry - Pencils; Mark Morales - Inks
Reviewed by S. Hutchison
New challenges require new faces to meet them. Or at least that seems to be the idea. Dr. Walter Langkowski, perhaps more widely known as Sasquatch, is attempting to form yet another team of heroes under the
Alpha Flight banner. In this debut issue, Langkowski travels to various points in Canada to pitch his idea for the team to five candidates he has selected (all brand new characters with the exception of Nemesis,
a former adversary of Alpha Flight). Being a better scientist than a salesman, he is rebuffed in his efforts to convince them to join and is left contemplating a new plan of attack.
I have no idea who the target audience of this title is and I very much doubt it is going to find it. Fans of the previous incarnations of Alpha Flight will find little to please here, unless they are fanatical
about Sasquatch. The script is absolutely atrocious. It is obvious Lobdell is trying for a humorous approach, but it is very forced and he falls flat. The art is passable. Nothing appreciably special, but by
no means bad. The problem is the script. It drags everything down. From the first page to the very last, you just want to advert your eyes from this train wreck of story. I don't know what Marvel is thinking
giving the green light to this project. Even if the premise seemed promising enough, the final product certainly can't have lived up to expectations. I don't know whether to be more shocked by the idea that
Lobdell obviously thinks this is a winning formula or the fact that an editor gave the thumbs up and let this see print as is. Given that Marvel's focus has been moving toward projects that are viable for a big
screen pitch, I don't understand what the motive is for putting this out there. I can't possibly see a Hollywood executive seeing this as a potential block-buster project.
0 zombies (really, this never should have made it to press)
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4 No. 1 (Marvel) - $2.99
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa - Writer; Steve McNiven - Pencils; Mark Morales - Inks
Reviewed by S. Hutchison
This issue begins with the Fantastic Four discovering they are broke. A bill has been passed in Congress that results in all of the FF's federal funding being revoked. To top it off, the FF"s money manager
has apparently swindled them out of their fortune (along with money he's taken from Stark Enterprises and Osborn Corporation among others) and has fled the country. So the FF are forced to seek employment
individually. Johnny tries to get work as an actor but finds his talents are not desired. Ben manages to find a job working in construction. Sue decides to try her hand at teaching. And with their federal
funding revoked, the city decides to take control of the Baxter Building and evict the FF in return for forgiving them of all debts owed the city due to damages caused by their 'adventuring'.
I've got good things and bad things to say about this series.
The pictures are pretty. Steve McNIven and Mark Morales present some nice images. That is the good.
As for the bad … this whole premise sucks. It is completely ridiculous. We're talking about the Fantastic Four here. Reed Richards. Mr. Fantastic. Potentially the smartest man on Marvel Earth. It isn't
unlikely that the government could revoke their funding. Certainly that is in the realm of possibility. And it isn't impossible that a man of poor morals might make off, at least temporarily, with their
fortune. But that is where it stops. The FF wouldn't be going off trying to find jobs. They've got Mr. Fantastic. With all the amazing things he has created over the years with his intellect, you can't
tell me that he couldn't put something together to track down the missing money manager within the span of a few hours or a day at the most. So instead of running off trying to find employment, the team
should be jumping into a fantastic car and hunting down the swindler to get their money back.
This is just awful. And if this was Jemas' plan (for replacing Waid), it doesn't surprise me at all.
(and that is for the art)
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Abadazad No. 1 (CrossGen) - $2.95
J.M. DeMatteis - Writer; Mike Ploog - Illustrations
Reviewed by S. Hutchison
Abadazad is a fantasy world made famous in a series of books not unlike the Harry Potter phenomenom. But is Abadazad really just a fantasy world, or is it in fact a reality. That is what fourteen year
old Katie is going to find out (five years following the mysterious disappearance of her younger brother Matt) after the crazy old woman across the hall bestows upon her a strange gift.
This looks like a very promising title. J.M. DeMatteis weaves a wonderful tale with this top notch script. Mike Ploog's art is nothing short of brilliant in evoking the feel of a classically illustrated
childrens' tale.
This may very well be the runaway hit of the year. Run run run to your nearest comic shop and pick up a copy. You'll be sorry if you miss it.
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The Pulse No. 1 (Marvel) - $2.99
Brian Michael Bendis - Writer; Mark Bagley - Pencils; Scott Hanna - Inks
Reviewed by I. Martin
This issue launches the new Marvel Universe-oriented book that picks up where the recently ended series Alias wrapped up. The series comes largely from the creative team of Ultimate Spider-Man - Brian
Michael Bendis as writer, Mark Bagley as penciler - and adds inker Scott Hanna (of Amazing Spider-Man) to the mix.
The series offers the possibility of really expanding upon the characterization of J. Jonah Jameson, as he is launching a new weekly magazine, titled "The Pulse", out of recognition that his anti-superhero
positions may be partly responsible for some financial shortcomings at the Daily Bugle. It's a painful admission for the character, but long overdue.
Other characters include Jessica Jones, the headliner from Alias, who will probably also be the lead character in this book; Kat Farrell, who was introduced in the mini-series Deadline; Joe "Robbie"
Robertson; and Ben Ulrich.
The artwork is very good. Hanna brings a different style to Bagley's pencils than does Art Thibert on Ultimate Spider-Man, and the result is a different feel to the book. It's a more all-ages book
than was Alias, but it still carries a darker feel. With Bendis at the writing helm, the book offers the possibility of being the Marvel Universe conterpart to Bendis' own book, Powers.
It's early to offer an opinion on the direction of the series as a whole, but the first issue provides a very promising start.
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Secret War No. 1 (Marvel) - $3.99
Brian Michael Bendis - Writer; Gabriele Dell'Otto - Art
Reviewed by I. Martin
The original Secret Wars mini-series from 1984-85 (officially titled Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars) was, for a time, a pretty dramatic even in the history of the Marvel Universe. The biggest impact
of that 12 -issue series was probably the introduction of Spider-Man's black costume, which eventually became the villain Venom. The series also introduced a new Spider-Woman. The 9-issue follow-up
mini-series, Secret Wars II, that came out in 1985-86, was a pretty dismal flop, and not really noteworthy for anything at all. Now Marvel is revisiting the idea, with a new five-issue mini-series,
Secret War.
The big difference this time is that Marvel has brought in some pretty big guns to work on the project. Brian Michael Bendis, the man whose prolific pen is responsible for dozens of great books, including
Marvel's top-selling Ultimate Spider-Man, is writing the series. In the tradition of Marvels, the book is being completely painted by Gabriele Dell'Otto, who is probably not widely known in the USA. In
Europe though, Del'Otto is much better known. The quality of the artwork in this first issue makes it pretty clear that before too much longer, Dell'Otto will be well known here, too.
In addition to a great story and fantastic art, this issue has a few bonus items in the back. For starters there is a transcript of an interrogation of Jason Macendale (Jack O'Lantern, Hobgoblin) by two
S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. That is followed by a wonderful pin-up by Dell'Otto from 1999, feating Spider-Man, Hulk, Thor and Wolverine. Then there's a letter from Bendis himself, explaining a little bit about
the kind of bonus features that will be seen in future issues. Bendis' letter is followed by several more pages of wonderful pin-ups by Dell'Otto, which are, Bendis says, what got him the job illustrating
Secret War. The pin-ups are pretty nice, including the Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man vs. the Lizard, the Black Panther, Archangel and Jean Grey: Phoenix. The full-color pin-ups are nice to look at, and serve
as a good showcase for Dell'Otto's obvious talent. Bendis' letter also has a B&W Spider-Man by Dell'Otto accompanying it.
The plot of Secret War already looks to be quite different from the earlier Marvel series of 20 years ago. And better. Much better. It looks to have all the intrigue and hidden connections that Bendis
has written so well into books like Powers and Alias. The dialogue is as strong as his work on Ultimate Six and Ultimate Spider-Man. And the painted artwork is fantastic. I can't wait to see what
twists and turns these creators have up their sleeves for future issues. And I'm confident that before the series is finished, Gabriele Dell'Otto will have another major project lined up. His painting
in this book is going to garner him some instant comparisons with Alex Ross, and while his style is different from Ross', the comparisons are valid.
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