Day 38: Four-Color Funnybooks for 03/12/08 part 2.
I know, I know, but I forgot two of my favorite comics came out this week* so I while up in the area, I picked them up, too. Combine this with a complete lack of anything to write gives us a sequel to this week’s reviews.
*”If they’re some of your favorites, then why’d you forget them?” This just in: I’m fucking dumb.
Atomic Robo #6: Do you like Hellboy? Do you like action, soiled mattresses, adventure, vans with no windows, fun with science fiction, ball gags, lots of humor, and robots fighting giant bugs? Get in the car. Buy Atomic Robo.
This a fun comic from new company, Red 5, and the creative team of writer Brian Clevinger and artist Scott Wegener are really starting to hit their stride, and the recent announcement of a second series is great news. Bits and pieces spread across the previous five issues, even the stuff that seemed to only have resonance in self-contained stories, gets touched on, and brings about a satisfying end with an opening for lots of new stories.
The art is still strong, finding that delicate balance between cartoony and superhero style, and fits the story perfectly.
A bit of a tangent, but I love that they’re taking a break and then releasing new issues six months in a row. Rather than releasing issues whenever they get done (Whedon), the series is following the Hellboy and BPRD style of getting a story done, completely finished, and then releasing it. If something can’t come out monthly, this is infinitely better for letting readers know when a story is coming out, and not keeping fans wondering when something was going to hit shelves, and it keeps everything fresh in people’s minds. Stories are written in arcs anyway, why not release them like that?
Suicide Squad #7: Some of the dialogue is still a little too on the nose, as characters without a lot of face time are only given one or two word balloons to remind you of their personalities or motivations. However, the plotting and the pacing are both top notch. One gets a feeling for how dangerous superhuman combat could be when every person out there is a potential weapon of mass destruction.
As befitting a Suicide Squad tale, some people die, and no one is shocked to discover that a crew of super villains has a few traitors in the midst. The old series took its cues from the era, and this one is no different. The Squad is government sanctioned, but they operate a lot like independent military contractors. They (or at least the people running everything) are loyal to the US, but do work for hire, or in this case to get something (freedom from prison, getting medical treatment, etc).
The team’s mission is to take out the board of directors for a company that makes weapons for the US, who decide to branch out and auction off bio-weapons to the highest bidder. However the board has ties to the squad and is able to buy off half the team getting them to turn traitor and save the board.
It’s exciting stuff, with a fair bit of character development, and it’s easy to see why writer John Ostrander’s original Squad in the ‘80’s was so popular. Please, please, please DC let Ostrander write Checkmate once Greg Rucka leaves. Bruce Jones thought the Incredible Hulk would be good if the Hulk wasn’t in it, and did not give us anything remotely close to the entertainment that is Greg Pak’s Incredible Herc.
While excellent, Suicide Squad: Raise the Flag does have the same problem that Booster Gold has; you need a black belt in DC history to really appreciate the story. Granted, the mini’s almost over, but hopefully, we’ll get another or maybe even a new on-going, but if you’re not afraid of spending a little time on Wikipedia catching up this a good action and military superpowers title.
So, what else did you read this week?
Matt