More comics reviews for 6/02
The rest of my "rapidly growing out of control" pull list:
Zatanna #2
Beowulf #2
Atomika #3
Matador #2
Noble Causes #10
Invincible #23
Smoke #1 -- best of the week!
Zatanna #2. I think books about magic are just not meant for me. Weird sci-fi, superheroes in spandex, mysteries, crime, noir, spies: fine. Backwards spells and magic mirrors and my eyes start to roll backward in my head. And I really do not like the whole "teen sidekick" concept, it's what's kept me away from DC titles. Even though the roles seem a tad reversed between the "hero" and her "sidekick, which is a nice twist. The art on this is very nice though and will probably keep me reading another issue.
Beowulf #2 (Speakeasy). Still has an intriguing plot and I like the character of Wulf. Still really not liking the coloring on this, where each scene or page has a strong-hued tone. If the idea is to tie a scene together in theme, it's not working for me. Please do not let whoever colored this loose on MillarWorld's next redesign.
Atomika #3 (Speakeasy). Strongly reminding me of the quarter of Russian Lit I took - and at the end of the quarter it was either drown myself in alcohol or drown myself in a small pond from the sheer depressing weight of Russian melancholy. But, damn, it's beautiful melancholy, just like this issue.
Matador #2 (Grayson/Stelfreeze; WildStorm). Picks up quite a bit from issue #1 - the characterization of Isabel Cardona seems much more solid, serious, focused, the way you would expect a detective to be. Interesting plot developments here and I'm intrigued.
Noble Causes #10 (Faeber/Bueno; Image). The false identities seem to be sorted out and everything is back on track, right? Noooo, because this is Noble Causes you are reading, the best superhero spandex guy soap opera ever. Doc is still puny, Rusty is still in pieces, Frost is still a cross between a good-guy-wannabe and a d$ck. Zephyr's got a b-o-o-o-yfriend, which is good, though he has the most strangely drawn lips in comics. A well-written team book is a wonder to behold and Faeber balances everything very nicely.
Invincible #23 (Kirkman/Ottley and Crabtree (if that isn’t a band name or a politics show, it should be);Image) aka "Sex and the Semi-Single Superhero, Rated:G" - for once I thought I was actually going to see the oft-promised tentacle porn (my favorite email spam, right up there with the Nigerian banking scams) in a comic, but I forgot that Invincible has a G-rating. Rats. I do love mono-focal Allen the Alien, though, and I liked seeing him again. Loved Kirkman's broad, sly narrative style in this one.
A-a-a-a-a-nd, coming in at #1 this week:
Smoke #1 (DeCampi/ Kordey; IDW). Lively, exciting, fun, crammed with action, great characters and lots of little visual presents for the readers. Warrants a second and third re-read so that you catch them. And the great thing is that it's a ton of pages AND it's #1 of 3! Alex loves us and has 2 more in mind. This is a very good thing.
Zatanna #2
Beowulf #2
Atomika #3
Matador #2
Noble Causes #10
Invincible #23
Smoke #1 -- best of the week!
Zatanna #2. I think books about magic are just not meant for me. Weird sci-fi, superheroes in spandex, mysteries, crime, noir, spies: fine. Backwards spells and magic mirrors and my eyes start to roll backward in my head. And I really do not like the whole "teen sidekick" concept, it's what's kept me away from DC titles. Even though the roles seem a tad reversed between the "hero" and her "sidekick, which is a nice twist. The art on this is very nice though and will probably keep me reading another issue.
Beowulf #2 (Speakeasy). Still has an intriguing plot and I like the character of Wulf. Still really not liking the coloring on this, where each scene or page has a strong-hued tone. If the idea is to tie a scene together in theme, it's not working for me. Please do not let whoever colored this loose on MillarWorld's next redesign.
Atomika #3 (Speakeasy). Strongly reminding me of the quarter of Russian Lit I took - and at the end of the quarter it was either drown myself in alcohol or drown myself in a small pond from the sheer depressing weight of Russian melancholy. But, damn, it's beautiful melancholy, just like this issue.
Matador #2 (Grayson/Stelfreeze; WildStorm). Picks up quite a bit from issue #1 - the characterization of Isabel Cardona seems much more solid, serious, focused, the way you would expect a detective to be. Interesting plot developments here and I'm intrigued.
Noble Causes #10 (Faeber/Bueno; Image). The false identities seem to be sorted out and everything is back on track, right? Noooo, because this is Noble Causes you are reading, the best superhero spandex guy soap opera ever. Doc is still puny, Rusty is still in pieces, Frost is still a cross between a good-guy-wannabe and a d$ck. Zephyr's got a b-o-o-o-yfriend, which is good, though he has the most strangely drawn lips in comics. A well-written team book is a wonder to behold and Faeber balances everything very nicely.
Invincible #23 (Kirkman/Ottley and Crabtree (if that isn’t a band name or a politics show, it should be);Image) aka "Sex and the Semi-Single Superhero, Rated:G" - for once I thought I was actually going to see the oft-promised tentacle porn (my favorite email spam, right up there with the Nigerian banking scams) in a comic, but I forgot that Invincible has a G-rating. Rats. I do love mono-focal Allen the Alien, though, and I liked seeing him again. Loved Kirkman's broad, sly narrative style in this one.
A-a-a-a-a-nd, coming in at #1 this week:
Smoke #1 (DeCampi/ Kordey; IDW). Lively, exciting, fun, crammed with action, great characters and lots of little visual presents for the readers. Warrants a second and third re-read so that you catch them. And the great thing is that it's a ton of pages AND it's #1 of 3! Alex loves us and has 2 more in mind. This is a very good thing.