Southern Bastards #1

So, this isn’t Scalped. And I’m not sure that is a bad thing. Scalped is one of my favorite comics of all time, but man, it is emotionally exhausting. You feel like you’ve had a long day after reading a collection of Scalped stories. Southern Bastards still feels like a Jason Aaron comic, but maybe one that won’t be quite as emotionally exhausting.

Earl Tubb is our protagonist. He’s an escapee from the small town in Craw County where our story takes place. He’s a man who only comes home to clean things up and race back out again, hoping his return lasts only three days, or maybe even two. Earl promises someone on the phone that he’s not sticking around, and in this first issue we never see who it is he’s talking to. That’s a nice narrative lead that Aaron can pick up on later, as is the fact that Earl’s uncle has moved into a nursing home. The Uncle is in a home, not dead, and therefore an excellent source of future drama, exposition, and plot development. Aaron knows what he’s doing.

Craw County feels like a pretty corrupt place from the start. If the pooping dog on page one or the fact that “Boss” owns everything in town, then the orange wash hanging over every panel would probably give you the right idea. It’s a place Earl wants to get away from, but just going out to get dinner starts to get him tangled up.

It’s interesting that Aaron loves these stories about men returning home to places they’d rather leave behind. Dash Bad Horse wanted out of the Rez, and Earl wants out of Craw County. While Dash had orders to stay, Earl gets involved in some local criminal enforcement from someone called “the Coach.” I don’t think the Coach will take kindly to having his boy’s smacked around with a fry basket. That’s another similarity between Dash and Earl; they are both ass kickers.

Jason LaTour does a nice job with the action, everything is clear. The book has a lot of flashbacks, most of them wordless. But the parallels between past and present are effective and striking. LaTour does a nice job with the cast, too. It can’t have been easy to give these similar characters their own look and personality, but LaTour pulls it off. You can get vibes from these characters just from the “acting” on their faces. Especially the reluctance from Earl.

This is a GOOD introduction to another compelling crime comic. But that $3.50 price tag is disappointing. If Image is boosting their prices now, my budget is going to go even shorter than it is now!

Silver Surfer #1 & 2

What a delight. From the opening page through each and every “PLORP,” this comic is just unapologetic fun.

I knew I was enjoying the book, based on the insane synergy of Dan Slott and Mike Allred. The wacky aliens, the tremendous poses, the insane 50’s style tech. These are all design elements Allred’s fans know and love, so seeing them implanted in the Marvel U was always going to be awesome. And Slott clearly knows his Surfer, too. In the second issue, he actually works in the Surfer crying out “Where the Surfer soars, he soars alone!” If there is one thing I love about the Surfer, it is that NO ONE mopes about his situation more. That dude can WHINE! And I love it!

What I wasn’t expecting was the Dr. Who twist of giving the Surfer a manic pixie dream girl companion to guide along the space ways. Dawn Greenwood is a tremendous breath of fresh air in Norrin Radd’s world. She brings a sense of joy and excitement to every page. Seeing her instantly bond with great alien extras like Mr. Plorp is priceless. The calm way she takes in all the madness after living her life in an isolated vacation town proves that she needs to see more worlds too. The glimpses of possible futures in issue 2 shows that she has a lot of potential with the Surfer personally too.

Mike Allred’s surfer is, of course, amazing. The poses are fantastic, the alien vistas are stunning, and the actual aliens are original and amusing. I also wish we could have seen more of the mighty hero Battle Jack! Maybe his father will get in the armor soon? I also have to laugh at the conveniently placed polka dots on Dawn’s shirt. That isn’t a coincidence, right?

This is an EXCELLENT comic. Plus, it is another book I can read with my daughters. The combination of the Surfer’s inherent coolness and a plucky Earth girl has made this one of their most anticipated reads. They are asking me every day if the next issue is out!

FCBD: Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #0

Wow. A lot happened in that! I’m not sure exactly what John Barber and Tom Scioli are going for in their psychedelic mash-up of Jack Kirby and Herb Trimpe, but it sure isn’t boring!

The madness opens in space, where Starscream is chasing Bumblebee towards a backwater planet. The Cybertronian dialogue all shows up like wavy lines of static, with helpful translations from the editor in the bottom of the panel. This odd presentation immediately drills in the alien-ness of the Transformers. That’s hard to do with properties we know this well. It’s an effective tactic that holds up as the point of view switches to the residents of that backwater planet. The G.I. Joes on Earth.

There are a lot of Joes in this issue, but the spotlight is a bit more focused. Hawk, Scarlett, Snake Eyes, and Duke are the leads, but they aren’t exactly the versions we know and love. Hawk carries a tomahawk. Snake Eyes is a trained ninja, but he’s a handsome blonde with no mask. Duke is a rookie hitting on Scarlett during combat. Of the group, only Scarlett has consistent characterization (as a butt-kicker) from other Joe comics I’ve read. The cast is a lot more expansive, with Stalker, Heavy Metal, Bazooka, Roadblock, Doc, Ace, Wild Bill, and more all getting little ID cards. We also see Cobra Commander shoot and kill Zap and Short Fuse along with a few unnamed Joes. I guess it doesn’t pay to wear a generic green costume in this book; Steeler, Grunt, and the rest of the originals had better get some fancy new gear quick!

Things turn out a bit rough for the heroes in this. After the battle between Autobot and Decepticon clashes into the Joe/Cobra conflict, things get confusing, with the two battles combining, but no one really realizing just what’s going on. In the end, Bumblebee has lost his head and Snake Eyes might have some scarring to blame on Cobra Commander.

I’m honestly puzzled on how to grade this book. Scioli’s art is dynamic, fun, and anatomically creative. The action is always clear, even if it isn’t exactly clean or realistic. I love that this will clearly be a book with a lot of cameos from old favorites. If this was my only option to read about the Joes or Transformers, I’d be all over this. But with IDW already publishing so many excellent books like Real American Hero and More Than Meets the Eye, I’m hard-pressed to find this required reading.

I’m not sure how the plotting and scripting split out either, since Barber and Scioli discuss their process in the back material of the book, it seems like this is pretty much a team effort. This is a FAIR comic, and an entertaining one. But the fact that it isn’t the best place to find the Joes OR the Transformers means I will probably stick with the books I’m already buying. 

Amazing Spider-Man #1 (2014)

So here we are, a pretty Saturday morning, heading out for Free Comic Book Day. Westfield Comics has two posters up that my daughters are looking at as they get excited about picking up free comics. One poster is the cover to this issue, with a very happy-looking Peter Parker joyously swinging over New York, reveling in being a super hero. The other poster is Batman Eternal #1, showing the dour Dark Knight splashed in blood brooding on a rooftop. Now, I admit the Batman image is striking, and well within the expectations for the character. But I asked my daughter, “who’s blood do you think that is?” and she couldn’t answer. I can’t either. At this point, I honestly don’t know which is more likely, that Batman would be posing on rooftops after getting the crap kicked out of him, or if he’s stand around showing off the tremendous about of blood he managed to wring out of some criminal. Either way, I know which comic I want to read.

Dan Slott has clearly been waiting to bring back Peter Parker. There are multiple things in this issue that simply would not have worked with Doc Ock in the webs. The silliest part is Skein (formerly Gypsy Moth) dissolving Spidey’s costume. Spider-Woman’s response to this is absolutely perfect, and nails the tone Slott wants in this issue. Peter Parker has crazy adventures, folks, and he’s got bad luck that won’t always hurt him, but he isn’t going to come out looking good.

Slott takes time to check in with most of Pete’s supporting cast, and they all seem pretty OK with the returned Spidey. I’m one of those older readers that will always pine for a return to the Pete & MJ dynamic, but it certainly doesn’t seem imminent here. That’s OK, at this point most new readers wouldn’t even recognize that as an acceptable status quo. I also love that the cliffhanger comes from a Peter Parker relationship, not from a super-villain. If that doesn’t scream “Spider-Man” then I don’t know what does.

I LOVE the villains used in this issue. I’m not the world’s biggest Humberto Ramos fan, but he does draw striking ladies, so giving him a team of cute animal gals (and the Hippo) is a good choice. White Rabbit is fun as always (maybe Marvel should start treating her like Harley Quinn?), and Skein is always interesting. Although I have to say, I don’t know how to pronounce her name. The newest member of the Rabbit’s Menagerie is a panda villain with the type of too-clever pun name that makes comic books work.

One other comment on Ramos’ art; my daughter didn’t says he disliked it, but she did comment that Spidey looked awfully skinny to have such huge muscles! She also commented that the art looked a lot like one of her other favorites; Nova.

This is a fun, entertaining comic and a GOOD sign that Spider-Man’s continuing adventures are still in good hands. 

FCBD: DC: Future's End #0

I’m so desensitized to the ridiculous, over-the-top violence in DC’s books that I didn’t even notice when Batman got his arms chopped off during the climax of this comic. I mean, let’s face it, that was the third arm to be chopped off so far, after Captain Cold got sliced in the opening pages. Clearly, DC has created yet another TOTALLY RADICAL TO THE EXTREME COMIC that shows COMICS AREN’T FOR KIDS, TOUGH GUY!

There is something to be said for a good alternate reality/alternate future storyline. The danger lies when the situation is too repetitive and when you go to the well too often. DC steps in both narrative piles in this premiere issue.

So let’s think of the recent alternate future/world storylines where we saw our heroes brutally massacred. (The main strength of these stories is in playing “spot the character” right before their heads get blown off.) We have Age of Ultron, which even had robots taking over the world. We had Flashpoint, which was a similar “spot the angry hero” book. Rotworld is an example that came out in the DCU just a few months ago. And heck, the main villain, Brother Eye, was the main antagonist for much of the Infinite Crisis era of tripe that came out and necessitated the New 52. This has got to be a record, right? The panned storyline that killed the DCU is ALREADY being repeated?

The other risk is that when you are constantly telling What If’s and alternate futures that feature gory deaths, the bar gets raised. We JUST saw these heroes warped and turned in Rotworld. It isn’t amazing or shocking seeing it again so soon. And as for the deaths? There are so many that those are in danger of losing their impact too. After Flash, Captain Cold, Blue Beetle, John Stewart, Amethyst, and Grifter, does anyone really take Batman's death seriously?

The only thing I found interesting in this comic was the introduction of Batman Beyond. As someone too old to have seen the cartoon, I don’t’ know the character. I want to see what inspired the fans who love Terry so much. But I don’t see anything yet, because the star of Future’s end only appears on about a quarter of the pages in this preview comic.

This thing has a bevy of writers (and artists) but to be honest, I didn’t detect a real tone from any of the folks involved. Maybe a bit of Jeff Lemire’s grossness from Rotworld oozed through in the form of those dismembered spider-robots that used to be heroes. But other than that, no characters actually speak enough for any particular writers’ voice to come through.

The art has that same house look that so many DC books are sporting these days. It is a little surprising that Dan Jurgens and Ethan Van Sciver can make their pencils mesh so well, but that says a lot about how effectively their styles are merging into the DCU style.

As many other reviewers have said, this is a perfect Free Comic Book Day issue. It shows you exactly what the new 52 is all about, and it promises more of the same. EVIL.

Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #28

Folks, if that cover doesn't get your attention, I'm not sure we can be friends. 

What kind of a world do we live in where my favorite comic is Transformers? Am I 10 years old again? James Roberts has done the impossible; he’s writing a toy comic that is actually at the top of my stack when it comes out.

Dark Cybertron happened, OK? Enough said. Let’s move on to “Season 2” of the Lost Light and their quest for the Knights of Cybertron. As the characters often state, the supposed destination of the Autobot ship is less important than the journey, so once again the strength of the issue lies in the characterization and in the seeding of future plots. Roberts seeded his first 20 or so issues better than any other author I can think of in MTMtE #1, so let’s see how many I can spot now.

The cast is expanding in a big way. We’ve got Bluestreak. We’ve got Nautica (how did the franchise exist for so long without female characters?) Private investigator Night Beat smells a mystery in some missing door numbers. We’ve got our old favorites coming back like Rung, Swerve, and Ultra Magnus. Do you really think Chromedome is just sitting around grieving? Or is there something else going on?

But where’s the illustrious leader? Why have we not seen Hot Rod on the ship? Did something happen between him and new Captain Megatron?

That’s right, the Lost Light, an Autobot ship, is now under the command of Megatron. And it is clearly his ship. Ultra Magnus, Blaster, and Perceptor all salute him when he finally makes it to the bridge. But not everyone is happy; we see Whirl try to instigate Megatron into a brawl. And for once, Whirl isn’t acting on his own; this is part of a bigger plan.

There are a lot of flashbacks in this issue, as we see Megatron prepare for his trial. My biggest gripe about this is that Roberts writes a fantastic Prowl, but we know that Prowl ends up in the cast of Robots in Disguise, so the police car’s time in this book is limited. (Who would have thought that Prowl would become such a valued part of the Transformers mythos?)

And then, a coffin. Who’s in it? Rewind? Drift? Another new character? I can’t get enough of this book. Roberts has done such a good job in the past, I’m certain there are more narrative seeds here to bear fruit in future issues.

Alex Milne’s art. What can I say? The guy does some of the best big robots I’ve ever seen. He has made me love characters I used to despise, Ultra Magnus being the best example. I spend each and every issue looking in backgrounds to see who Milne sneaks in so I can pore over the details. Any chance for more Hound or some more G1 classics? I’d love to see Brawn get involved again…

This is an EXCELLENT long-form science fiction comic with a top-notch cast and a rewarding story. Don’t think of it as a toy comic. Think of it as the one of the most consistently written, best illustrated books on the stands.

Avengers: The Enemy Within TPB

There are some stories that I just plain don’t like. I’m not sure if I’ve seen them too many times, or if they just seem like they needlessly halt any forward momentum in the narrative. Of the plots that annoy me, giving the main character amnesia is near the top of my pet peeves.

So the fact that this storyline ends with Captain Marvel wiping her mind and being “blank” to all of her old friends and memories? That’s pretty much guaranteed to leave me cold. Perhaps if I was more invested during the main plot, I might have bought in more.

I like Kelly Sue DeConnick’s use of Yon-Rogg as the main villain. He’s a good scumbag with Kree ties, making him a natural for Carol Danvers’ rogues’ gallery. I think part of my apathy comes from using the Kree Sentries as a bulk group. They aren’t pushovers, but when the Avengers are splitting up to fight them all over the world, they just aren’t as neat as when there is only one or two there to dominate the heroes.

You know what is almost as annoying to me as amnesia? The hero loses powers story. So watching Captain Marvel zip around on a huge space-bike doesn’t exactly endear the story to me either. That said, bonus points for using both Wasp and Sersi!

Another nail in the coffin is the consistently weak art that has cursed Captain Marvel since she renamed herself. Perhaps using a more clear-cut super-hero artist might help, but at this point, I have a hard time getting invested in the unclear and overly stylized work in this story. Look at those covers; if the interior art looked like that, I’d be a heck of a lot more interested.

I know people love this book, and I’m clearly in the wrong that it isn’t connecting for me. For me, this is AVERAGE.

I’m going to give the new series a chance, though. I think a more “normal” artist is going to go a long way for me!