Fatale #4
Written by: Ed Brubaker
Drawn by: Sean Philips
Story: The plot of Fatale progresses as we see more and more mysteries solved while other mysteries form. Normally that would put me at ends with this comic but since its limited 15-issue series this kind of setup is perfect. The story leaves you on the edge of your seat with the great mix of murder mysteries and horror-story elements peppered throughout.
Writing: Brubaker’s strength as a writer involves taking classic noir elements of writing and improving upon them. He combines the inner monologues and caption boxes of noir characters and mixes them with real solid, believable dialogue unlike most noir. Sure some of the story may seem cliché but those clichés are flipped on their heads by the introduction of horror and occult into the writing. Brubaker’s rhythms and pacing are excellent and nothing ever gets monotonous. There’s even an extra section in the back with a background/biography on Philip Marlowe. Overall the writing is pretty solid.
Artwork: Sean Philips pencils are thick and gritty with a splashy feel about them, which is helped out by the inking and coloring. His characters are simplistic in design but he always manages to express emotions and reactions through them. The real star is the colorist Dave Stewart, whose mix of moody, pale colors for depressing scenes and brighter colors for less depressing scenes (there’s not a happy moment in this book) works perfectly in conjunction with the storytelling.
Grade: 4.5/5
America’s Got Powers #1
Written by: Jonathan Ross
Drawn by: Bryan Hitch
Story: A young boy gets hit with an explosive wave as he is born, and surprisingly doesn’t get super powers. He manages a convenience stand at a yearly event where superheroes bash the hell out of each other. The premise for the book was “American Idol with super powers.” That description is somewhat accurate in the game-show aspect of the comic but this is a whole different ball game than American Idol. Characters beat the crap out of each other and fight and lots of arguments get thrown around. It’s a quick moving story that requires an attentive eye to get the story the first time through. A lot happens in this issue, and it’s awesome.
Writing: Jonathan Ross comes back from writing Turf with a renewed sense of style. Ross has a distinctive taste and flavor to his words that brings character and imagery to the story. Ross has toned down the amount of narrative and dialogue from Turf but there still seems to be long stretches of exposition placed in random bursts that tends to disrupt the narrative flow. Other than that one minor quibble, Ross is spot-on with the writing, especially in characterization.
Artwork: Bryan Hitch is one of those artists from the early 2000’s who pioneered the style of “wide-screen comics.” His stories were massive and momentous in scale; especially in Mark Millar’s the Ultimate’s. Here he continues that wide-screen style and clutters the page with an enormous amount of objects and detail. His pencils cover every inch of the page, with very little room to breathe. While this is a nice showcase of the artist’s skill, it tends to make things hard to read and look at. If he develops more use of negative space this could instant become a better comic.
Grade: 4/5
The Shadow #1
Written by: Garth Ennis
Drawn by: Aaron Campbell
Story: Garth Ennis opens up the story of the Shadow in true pulp fashion by setting it in World War II with an attack on a cargo-unloading bay no less. From there on we move to the Shadow exchanging conversation with two mysterious business-men while pummeling gangsters in a back-and-forth between scenes. The comic ends with the Shadow himself talking to his lover and predicting their future. Ennis sets up a simple yet complex plot that will lead to a lot of glorified violence and some excellent trashy, pulp scenes. This is basically a pulp throwback story done right. Garth Ennis hits all of the sweet spots and pulp-“isms” of that era and provides a great look-back into the time period of the 1930’s.
Writing: Garth Ennis tones down his usual extremities from other books and plays things a little more to the taste of the pulp era. He hits all of the right trashy dialogue and smooth word beats of the era. He also sprinkles in his own style by writing in lots of righteous, depraved violence and he provides great characterization for Lamont Cranston. Ennis has always proven great at defining his characters, and here is no exception. Basically, this is a well written Ennis comic, which is a rarity in itself. Hopefully he can maintain the quality of this work.
Artwork: Aaron Campbell has a style reminiscent of Francesco Francavilla without emulating him completely. The art has a loose, hand-drawn feel to it that brings a lot to the table in terms of where the art can go. Aaron Campbell may not draw very-detailed characters but his backgrounds, scenery and action are amazing. His style is very loose and sketchy without being a complete blur between pages.
Grade: 4.5/5
The Flash #8
Written by: Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato
Drawn by: Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato
Story: The Flash enters the speed force to take on a new antagonist named Turbine. Turbine isn’t a typical antagonist. He has a back-story and a motive that make him human, and I’m glad Manapul decided to humanize this villain rather than just create a faceless Flash rogue. The story gets pretty topsy-turvy and wordy for my tastes but it’s pretty good. Turbine and the Flash are both given sense of purpose and it helps define two characters that have quite a bit going for them. This issue cements Flash’s role in the new DCU.
Writing: Francis and Brian have embraced a dynamic that shows off Barry’s talent for super-heroics while giving him a solid personality and appeal. Before this Barry Allen was easily the weakest Flash, but Manapul’s script gives Barry characterization and personality through his dialogue and reactions. Turbine is a well-written character on paper except for that awful stuttering dialogue he has at points that ruins the flow of the story. Otherwise the script is well-written and moves at a speedy pace fitting for a Flash comic.
Artwork: This is where the Flash really shines. Manapul gets incredibly inventive with the art on the Flash, and it is probably some of the most innovative comic art today. One double page spread tells the story in a sort of back and forth sequence where you start at the top of the page, go right, head down to the next section of panels, then read left. That continues on for the rest of the spread. Also, his technique of mixing the layouts in as part of the story is incredibly unique and serves more purpose other than to organize the comic. Also of note are Buccellato’s colors, which bring solid definition and clarity to otherwise standard-looking characters.
Grade: 4/5
Other good comics:
Secret Service #1-Finally got a chance to read this and it’s a fun superspy story with a family and political dynamic thrown in.
Swamp Thing #8-Basically one gorgeously drawn, wonderfully narrated battle scene in which Swamp Thing kicks some ass. This sets up the rest of the arc nicely
Avengers vs. X-Men #1-not a great book but a good one. Bendis bores me, but the story and action has some awesome things going on.
Justice League #8-Am I the only one who liked this? I thought it was a fun-filler read to set up Jim Lee’s next six issues and it was a good showcase for Green Arrow. He does come off a bit whiny but the rest of his characterization is good, especially the social hero aspects. The artwork ranges from sub-par to gorgeous, which is the result of 3 or 4 artists on this book.
Supercrooks #2-I loved the twist with the Gladiator at the end and each character gets solid characterization. A very fun read indeed
OTHER NOTES:
-I will be picking up all six new wave titles of DC, but I foresee myself dropping G.I Combat, World’s Finest, and Ravagers. Ravagers I’m only reading for Beast Boy and Terra.
-There are so many good cartoons right now, from Young Justice (season 2 this week wooh) and Avatar: The Legend of Korra
-Anybody else want a Green Arrow movie?
-TRASH BOOAATT