War Journal Entry number 734 - Weekly Haul 3/17/10 - Special Erwin Schrödinger edition
Hello, boys and girls, this episode of Weekly Haul is brought to you by the number 3 and the scientist Erwin Schrödinger. That's right, three of this week's comics mentioned the Austrian theoretical physicist famous for possibly killing a cat. And some other things, but mostly people think of that poor little kitty cat existing both dead and alive at the same time.
Let's get to it, shall we?
MARVEL
Avengers vs. Atlas #3 of 4 - Jeff Parker + Gabriel Hardman. An early version of the Avengers and the current (only) version of the Agents of Atlas take on an early version of the Hulk. It's a battle royale, with cheese. Features the first reference to Schrödinger as “a physicist who contemplated the dichotomy of two opposing states existing at the same time.”
The back up by Paul Cornell + Leonard Kirk features Venus giving love advice to various Marvel characters including Hercules, Deadpool, Jocasta, and the Hulk.
Dark Avengers #15 - Brian Michael Bendis + Mike Deodato. Occurs concurrently with the Siege: The Cabal special, detailing the dirty deed that Bullseye took care of while the Sentry was busy. This will not end well.
Deadpool: Merc With a Mouth #9 - Victor Gischler + Bong Dazo. DP's adventure in the zombieverse ain't over yet.
Deathlok #5 of 7 - Charlie Huston + Lan Medina. Continues to be great psychological science fiction experience. Vastly different in tone from most of the other things I'm reading right now so it stands out starkly. I'm interested in going back and rereading it all at once when it's finished. I did that with Peter David's Halo: Helljumpers miniseries and it pulled together excellently as a single read, much better than it did reading the issues individually as they came out.
Doomwar #2 of 6 - Jonathan Maeberry + Scot Eaton. Remember the days when Dr. Doom was a manipulatively evil bastard that was a force to be feared? Those days are back. The X-Men lend a helping hand to T'Challa and the Black Panther in their attempt to retake their country, but every victory they achieve is merely another part of Doom's plan. He's such a stinker.
Guardians of the Galaxy #24 - Dan Abnett/Andy Lanning + Wes Craig. Another fantastic issue of a fantastic series. Also serves as proof positive that 3rd person narration still has a place in comics.
Hulk #21 - Jeph Loeb + Ed Mcguinness. Things go from bad to much, much worse for Red Hulk as the Fall of The Hulks reaches its climax.
Incredible Hulk #608 - Greg Pak + Paul Pelletier. Banner's plans fall apart as the Fall of The Hulks reaches its climax. Also has a Red She-Hulk back-up by Harrison Wilcox + Ryan Stegman shows the lead up her to her appearance in the Code Red story.
Marvel Boy: The Uranian #3 of 3 - Jeff Parker + Felix Ruiz (really Bill Sienkiewicz?). As alien and government agents both makes moves to use Marvel Boy for their own purposes, Agent Woo pulls MB into the team that would eventually become the Agents of Atlas. Also includes three Bill Everett illustrated Marvel Boy tales from the 50s.
Nation X #4 of 4 - Dooptopia by Peter Milligan + Michael Allred is pointless, just pointless. Please keep Milligan out of the X-Men, and maybe all mainstream comics while we're at it. The Emma Frost and Stepford Cuckoos tale by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa + Harvey Tolibao was a little to complex for its eight pages. The Storm and Namor story by Joe Caramagna + Niko Henrichon works pretty well as a short character piece. Lastly, Ivan Brandon + Rael Lyra's story of some New X-Men fighting Warpath to get a midnight snack does the best at illustrating life on the mutant Utopia island.
All right, I'm back. What did I miss? Oh, right, you don't realize I was away for three days.
Nova #35 - Dan Abnett/Andy Lanning + Mahmud A. Asrar. The finale to Nova's trip into the fault features the second mention of Schrödinger for the week.
Mr. Fantastic: “I think it's a little like that concept of--”
Namorita: “What Happens in Vegas stays in Vegas?”
Mr. Fantastic: “Actually, I was thinking of Schrödinger's cat, but yes.”
Now, do I really have to keep saying how great everything written by Abnett & Lanning is, or are you starting to get the picture?
Prelude to the Deadpool Corps #3 of 5 - Victor Gischler + Phillip Bond. The comic that dares to ask, “How much for that doggy in the dumpster?” No, seriously, that's the title of the issue. It's the story of Dogpool, if you will. It's a alternate reality version of Deadpool that happens to be an immortal circus performing dog specializing in living through certain death. It's truly full of the funny, and I'm glad to see that Dogpool doesn't talk. A unexpectedly enjoyable surprise highlight for the week with the most sympathetic version of DP ever conceived.
Realm of Kings: Imperial Guard #5 of 5 - Dan Abnett/Andy Lanning + Kevin Walker. An excellent end to an excellent series, with a satisfying conclusion for itself while still advancing the overall cosmic plot that Abnett & Lanning are crafting.
Siege #3 of 4 - Brian Michael Bendis + Olivier Coipel. After years of decompressed stories and events, it is very satisfying to have as action packed yet quickly moving story as this is. You thought Osborn was the big threat? Nope, but he's certainly getting what he's richly deserved.
Spider-Man & The Secret Wars #4 of 4 - Paul Tobin + Patrick Scherberger/Clayton Henry. Occurring quite literally between moments of the climax to the original Secret Wars, the issue is wholly concerned with character introspection and observation over plot. And it's all very good.
X-Men: Legacy #234 - Mike Carey + Yanick Paquette. A one-off issue focused on Rogue and her relationships with some of the other characters on the island, it's better than the issues that were part of Necrosha but still lacks something. I find myself not caring, which is odd since Rogue used to be a favorite of mind.
X-23 one-shot - Marjorie Liu + Filipe Andrade/Nuno Alves. X-23 meets up with some of her NYX friends while also dealing with some telepathic psycho playing in her head. Has some really neat woodcut looking art for the telepathic stuff, but right now all the rest pretty much falls flat for me. None of the plots are resolved, or show even a hint of movement. The regular art depends overly much on shadows. And the conversations are mostly circular and pointless.
I've got to admit that I probably would simply have loved X-23 back when I was fifteen, but I'm having a hard time with how she's typically handled. She is a complex character, I just don't think most of the writers that write her are actually skilled enough to manage her. She's a character with a great big hole inside her that's surrounded by depression over her lack of self identity and purpose, but she hides it, and all her feelings, under a tight-lipped emotionless veneer. That's not a character that just anyone can write.
BOOM COMICS
Muppet Show Comic Book #3 - Roger Langridge. The gang returns to the theatre, meanwhile Gonzo is still traveling back using a series of bizarre methods.
Features the third Schrödinger reference. Using Beaker instead of a cat. Poor, poor Beaker.
DC
Booster Gold #30 - Dan Jurgens + Jurgens/Jerry Ordway. The last moments of Coast City are just a backdrop to Jurgens' revelatory penultimate issue. Though I'm looking forward to Giffen & DeMatteis taking over with #32, I'm also already missing Jurgens. Thankfully, current plans are for Jurgens to return once G&D are done.
Green Lantern Corps #46 - Peter J. Tomasi + Patrick Gleason. Guy Gardner is using a battle plan based on an episode of the original Star Trek series. And that's just to start things off. There's action, violence, and emotional suffering - just another Blackest Night tie-in.
WILDSTORM
Authority vol.4: The Lost Year #7 of 12 - Keith Giffen (from a plot by Grant Morrison) + Joel Gomez (from breakdowns by Brian Stelfreeze). The team yet again prove to be their own worst enemies. Fortunately there was another Authority to take it out on. The fact that this series is a lot of mini-arcs is going a long way to making it consistently enjoyable.