Fairest TPB

I don’t know what I was expecting with this Fables spin-off, but I don’t think this was it. Based on all the covers and press I’d seen about Fairest, I assumed it was a new series following Snow White, Rose Red, Cinderella and the many other princesses involved in the world of Fables. 

Instead, Bill Willingham seems to have expanded his Fables book into two titles. This book literally picks up some dangling plot points from the main Fables series and sees them through a logical conclusion. It is good stuff, and an enjoyable read, just not what I was expecting!

The leads in this are Ali Baba, Briar Rose, the Snow Queen, and a silly little genie obsessed with Earth (or Mundy) culture. After Briar Rose put a whole city to sleep (including the Snow Queen), Ali Baba has to wake her up with true love’s kiss. Only it turns out that’s more of a fable-code requirement rather than actual love.

Willingham continues to play around with what fairy tales actually mean and how they can relate to each other. Fairy powers are broken down to spells with redundant language. Former villain Snow Queen isn’t so bad once she’s free of the Adversary’s influence. Ali Baba falls in love with the wrong royalty. The same tone of originality and attention to detail so present in the Fables core title is on display here. If you like that book, you really must be reading this one!

I don’t associate Phil Jiminez with this sort of fanciful art, but he really does a nice job with it. Jimenz’s Snow Queen and Briar Rose really steal the show with their exotic costumes and dynamic facial expressions. I really appreciate the variety in the different fairy godmother designs too. Each one has a ton of personality in her almost super-heroic outfit.

Matthew Sturges and Shawn McManus have a done-in-one featuring the Beast that is heartbreaking, but only on the last few pages. The abrupt departure from the first story is part of what makes this series feel like a companion to the core Fables book.

Good

Avengers #5

Now that we’re a few months in to Jonathan Hickman’s run, I’m enjoying it quite a bit. This is probably my favorite issue so far. Hickman introduces us to Izzy Dare, a would-be astronomer who got stuck home taking care of her farm in the Midwest with her Dad and Grandfather. Things seemed to be going along pretty quietly until she found a set of power-goggles that turned her into the new Smasher of the Imperial Guard.

There is a real “special destiny” tone to the comic. Izzy’s life is fine, but her Grandfather thinks she’s in a cage in a “normal” life. She’s set free to join both the Avengers and the Imperial Guard, and now she can blossom. It’s a great, classic theme in comic books; everyone wants to believe they have some awesome potential.

Hickman is doing a nice job with the reduced cast, too. I’m actually starting to get a feel for Manifold, a character who has been an enigma since this book launched. Cannonball and Sunspot show up, but are not named and don’t do much. I hope they get something next issue! Captain America and Wolverine get some spotlight, as does the Hulk, so the core guys are getting their panel time.

It is also really nice to see the Imperial Guard again. I recently re-read the old 90’s series (review coming soon) so it is neat seeing Oracle, Warstar, and the others showing up. I don’t recognize everyone, but that almost adds to the intrigue of another star system’s super-team.

I’m not sure who designed the new Smasher costume, but Adam Kubert does a nice job with it. She’s got a bit of a pilot look with those goggles, and the generic “T” chest symbol is a neat touch. Smasher looks like a character who could have any number of power sets, like someone made up in character generator software. But the design, colors, and powers are striking. I really hope she sticks around.

Good

Superior Spider-Man #2

Ah, so that’s how Dan Slott is going to dodge the Doc Ock/MJ issue. Unlike Peter Parker, Doc Ock is smart enough to simplify Peter’s love life. I sure hope this isn’t the last word on the subject, but for now, it’s a great dodge to keep from straying into too “icky” of territory with a Doc Ock-controlled Peter Parker.

Even more than the romantic developments, I was shocked at Peter Parker’s presence in the book. Rather than just popping up at vital moments, Peter Parker is constantly riding shotgun in Doc Ock’s consciousness. So much so that when Ock-Spidey is webbing down the street, Peter is in-costume webbing along beside him. Now that’s weird! It keeps our lead front and center in this book. As crazy as the Ock situation is, we readers are still getting our Peter Parker fix.

I do worry a LITTLE about Parker’s ability to comment on the developments on the printed page. When Doc Ock is coming on to MJ using villain-dialogue, that is already obvious, I’m not sure we need Peter yelling out “He’s using villain-speak!” or whatever to make sure we get it. It’s funny, yes, but I wonder if the Peter pop-up video is going to detract from the madness of the core concept.

This issue spends most of its time tackling Peter’s love life, with a few more sprinklings of Doc Ock’s “improvements.” Some weird little Vulture dudes show up, but there aren’t a lot of super-heroics happening. I am intrigued about the Carlie Cooper subplot, though. Surely she knows something is up.

Ryan Stegman is proving to be a solid Spider-Man penciller. I’ve liked his other work, but this is my first time seeing him do Spidey. His J. Scott Campbell-influenced style works nicely on Spidey, and it looks fantastic on MJ and Carlie Cooper.

Good

Hawkeye #7

Matt Fraction is clearly greatly affected by superstorm Sandy and the destruction in New York and New Jersey. He has a wonderful chance to do something great and write a story not only dealing with the storm, but he’s donating his royalties from this issue to hurricane relief. That’s putting your money where your mouth is. Over the years, Fraction has proven to be a solid writer, but he sure seems like a good guy too.

This issue tackles the storm from the perspective of the two Hawkeyes. Clint Barton helps one of his neighbors prep a house for the storm surge in New York, while Kate Bishop has to ride out the storm in New Jersey. There are no comic book villains here. Clint’s adventure is strictly man vs. nature as he tries to deal with getting a few people out alive. Kate’s battle does include some man vs. man conflict, but in the end her fate is out of her hands too. In addition to the message it sends, this issue is a solid character piece showing what makes our leads tick.

The text piece at the close of the issue describes how rushed this issue was during creation. Matt Fraction enlisted Steve Lieber and Jesse Alan Hamm, both of whom do solid work. I’m a bit of a Lieber fan; he’s done some nice super-books over the years, although he is more of a non-costume artist. (That tendency to shy away from costumes makes him perfect for this title.) I’m unfamiliar with Hamm’s work, but the work is professional throughout, so I’d expect to see more from him.

Good

Avengers #4

Well, Jonathan Hickman’s plan for the title is a bit odd, but I like it. After showing the expanded team take on Ex Nihilo and his companions in the first three issues, it looks like the follow up on Earth will showcase the Avengers in a bit more detail. In dialogue, we hear that Omega Flight and some others are tackling some of the impacted evolution zones, leaving a few for the Avengers. This issue focuses on Black Widow’s team as they travel to the Savage Land. More specifically, Hickman gives us the background of the new/current Hyperion.

Hyperion is a bit of a confusing case, at this point. There have been at least three or four versions of the character appearing in Marvel Comics so far. We’ve got the original villain from the Avengers (who died, I believe), the Squadron Supreme version, the Supreme Power version, the evil version from Exiles, the zombie version from the recent Marvel Zombies series, and now this guy. Marvel really wants to play around with their Superman, huh? Fortunately, Hickman keeps this guy’s origin fairly simple.

Hyperion hails from an alternate Earth that had the full Squadron Supreme, but they were all killed by the “colliding Earths” threat that is the main plot in the New Avengers title. After Hyperion’s Earth was destroyed, he drifted in null space until he was pulled to Earth 616 by AIM. That doesn’t seem to have lasted too long, as Cap and the Avengers rescued the guy and put him on the team.

Hyperion is sad character. He clearly has had a hard time fitting in on both worlds, and all his talk of “two Hyperions” makes it clear he is a conflicted character. (Of course, saying “two Hyperions” when he has such a convoluted past makes it a bit confusing.) I like the idea that Hype is Avenging during the workday and commuting back to the Savage Land to care for some crazy new race after work.

I also appreciate the clear effort Jonathan Hickman is putting in to re-establish AIM as a premiere threat in the Marvel U. A stutter and basic confidence is all it takes for the Savage Land AIM leader to become a memorable villain.

Adam Kubert’s art seems a tad strange on a few of the characters. His Thor looks really young, and I’m not sure I love the design on the new AIM beekeepers. Hyperion looks great, as do the other Avengers in their supporting roles. Most importantly, Kubert nails a unique and hopeful look for the weird striped race in the Savage Land. I immediately thought of White Tiger and her ties to the High Evolutionary.

Surely the High Evolutionary will weigh in on Ex Nihilo’s experiments? I can hope.

Good

Invincible #100

I’m pleased that Robert Kirkman’s shocking issue 100 didn’t have quite as upsetting a shock as it seemed. I knew when the preview pages were released that it couldn’t be as bad as it seemed; I actually think Kirkman did a nice job giving clues too. When Dinosaurus was battling Invincible in full costume, then Dino blasts out of some rubble with Invincible just in his underwear, I suspected shenanigans.

Things aren’t quite as dire as they seem, although Dinosaurus does succeed in killing a whole lot of people. I really enjoyed seeing Dino rationalize everything he’s done, and do it in perfect confidence. Mark Grayson succeeds in poking some holes in Dino’s theories, and in a wonderful scene, we see it shake Dino’s foundation. If there are angles he hasn’t considered, then he may be wrong, and if he’s wrong, then he is a monster. How many villains have that epiphany? Now I’m not certain that Invincible actually does kill Dinosaurus, as the even happens off panel. I wouldn’t put it past Kirkman to bring back the big lug at a later date.

This 100th issue is about refocusing the book in a new direction, while still retaining a lot of what made the series great in the past. Much like Marvel’s Ultimatum, the Earth in Invincible is now recognizably different from the “normal” world. Tides are gone, and two giant artificial moons now control the planet’s oceans. Even better, it sounds like those two moons will serve as the base of operations for an expanded Guardians of the Globe. That is a pretty radical change in direction.

But Mark Grayson is still Invincible; he’s still tackling relationship issues with Atom Eve and his parents. Best of all, he’s back working for the US Government. So he’s back as an adjunct to the Guardians of the Globe, hearkening back to what I think was the strongest era in this title. There are a lot of familiar elements to keep the long-time fans happy.

Ryan Ottley’s art is once again, stunning. The guy knocks it out of the park every month. I mean, did you know it was even possible for a Tyrannosaurus Rex’s face to show regret? Well Ottley can draw it. Just wonderful. Kirkman is so lucky to be blessed with gifted artistic partners on his flagship titles.

It says quite a bit that this was the first book off my stack this week, even beating out Avengers. That’s what 10 years of excellence earns you! How about 10 more?

Excellent

Green Lantern #16

Ugh, unrelated to content, I need to give everyone a warning. I subscribe to this book through DC’s mail-order program, so I get this in my mail box each month. It comes in bad shape. Folded down the middle, often with worn corners. It comes in a bag, but it is upsetting that the book gets this messed up before coming in the door. I am only paying like 50 cents an issue, so I suppose I can’t complain, but it is jarring! 

On to the actual issue! Once again, we see that Hal Jordan is one of the weaker characters in the DCU (nu or old). This new guy, Baz, is so much more likeable than Hal and he’s only been around a handful of issues. Seeing Baz muddle his way through his induction into the Corps says a lot about the guy, and it is all good. He is willing to take on his new GL role, but he makes sure to take care of unfinished family business first. 

And Geoff Johns really sells that unfinished business. Baz wants to try and pull his brother-in-law (and best friend) out of a coma. Unfortunately, according to the B’dg, the GL who is showing Baz the ropes, that it is simply beyond the power of a GL power ring. Only Baz doesn’t accept that. He keeps straining and working, focusing his willpower on his friend. When the issue is resolved, B’dg’s awe and respect instantly raises Baz’s status. In only a few issues, we can see the potential this guy has. Plus, he carries a gun as a backup weapon, so he’s good and modern, too! 

Doug Mahnke’s art is as striking as always. B’dg d doesn’t look as silly as Ch’p used to, but he clearly hails from the same planet. He’s a realistic drawing of a cartoon character. Mixed up in the dark world of the DCnU and Green Lantern, he fits in just fine. Baz’s mask is still ridiculous, but he spends enough time out of it that we can get a good feel on the character. Solid work. 

Good