Day 45: Four-Color Funnybooks for 03-19-08

Mar 23, 2008 12:30


Not many out this week, but everything was really good.  Definitely one of those weeks that reminds you why you read comics.

Not many out this week, but everything was really good.  Definitely one of those weeks that reminds you why you read comics.

Captain America #36 - Bucky’s long march toward being the new Captain America continues.  He’s got the fighting down, if not exactly like Steve Rogers, but the other parts of being Cap, those intangibles you can’t train for, are coming a little bit harder.  A lot of times, writers have the tendency of making characters just follow Cap because he’s Cap, but in this issue, Brubaker shows that the original had a presence.  There was something about the man that made you want to pay attention; something in him that made Steve Rogers the perfect leader.  After years of operating as a ghost, blending into a crowd, and being invisible, Bucky still doesn’t have it down.

My favorite part of the issue is Crossbones talking shit to new Cap (BuckyCap?  Cappy?) about not being up to par with the original, because he can’t fight like Steve, and then Crossbones is upset when the Cappy proves him right by stabbing him in the leg.

Incredible Hercules #115 - This is exactly what I want from comics.  This issue manages to be funny, exciting, well-written, well-drawn, and have tons of character development for all three major players handled with incredible (ha) economy.  I’m not saying that every issue of Captain America needs to have a knock-knock joke or that Green Lantern needs more pratfalls, but it’s nice to know the Pak can do handle any type of story or situation and knock it out of the park.

We get to see everyone’s motivations and flaws laid on the table, and it truly enriches three characters who spent, until the last couple years or so, their entire existence as supporting characters in someone else’s or team books.  Just think, three years ago, telling someone that they had the best run on Hercules (or Nova, or Iron Fist, or Booster Gold) was damning with faint praise.  Now it means you’re writing one of the best books out there.

Invincible #49 - The last issue before Kirkman’s promised issue 50 which will change everything.  Kirkman manages to pull numerous plot threads together AND give us a giant fight scene involving most of the heroes in the Image Universe complete with double page splash pages.  Ryan Ottley continues to impress as his drawing style gets sharper and better.  I usually don’t notice things like inking or coloring because I’m shallow, but I feel the need to acknowledge Bill Crabtree’s colors because everything in the issue is bright and colorful, but not cartoonish or silly.  Some of my favorite books are Captain America, Daredevil, Iron Fist, Batman, and Criminal, and they tend to wander toward the darker end of the spectrum, so it’s nice to have a splash of color.

The Immortal Iron Fist #13 - I hate this comic for giving the illusion that making great comics is easy.

It has everything.  Kung-fu, fighting tournaments, conspiracies, terror priests, living weapons, a great last page reveal, and it manages to infuse Danny’s character with so much just by having everyone close to him shudder at the words “Danny has a plan.”

Fuck Spider-man.  Make this the weekly book.

Warbound #4 - This is probably the only title I can’t just outright recommend.  I like it quite a bit, but I like the Hulk (character, not the current title) quite a bit, and the Planet Hulk and World War Hulk storylines made him good again.  A major part of this revival is giving him a supporting cast that doesn’t include people named Betty, Rick, or Thunderbolt.  I grew to care for and appreciate Hulk’s buddies, the Warbound, because they were, for a variety of different reasons, monsters and outcasts just like him.  He wasn’t alone for once, and I liked seeing that aspect of the character where he had to open up to and depend on others.  I was happy to see this group get their own mini, and I am enjoying it, but what the hell are they going to do after this?  Gammaworld stays up and they, what, become a stretch of desert’s own team of superheroes?  The Radioactive Avengers?  Or, conversely, it goes down, stays down, and now they’re outcasts again.  I don’t see them joining SHIELD, and I can’t see them going on the run, because their continued eluding of the law would make the Initiative and SHIELD look silly and incompetent.  Maybe Pak has something up his sleeve that I just don’t see coming, but right now, it looks like they can all die or join SWORD.  Or maybe the Guardians of the Galaxy.

So, what did you read this week?

Matt

warbound, resolution, reviews, four color, iron fist, captain america, funnybooks, hercules, invincible, comics

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