Waid Captain America

Captain America 1-7

Mark Waid returns to Captain America after a year-long Heroes Reborn hiatus.  

Rob Liefeld.  Comic book America's favorite punching bag.

The first seven issues deal with the the idea of Captain America as celebrity.  The public is feverish with Capmania, reaching heights of hero worship that make Steve extremely uncomfortable.  He questions whether they’re seeing him in the way he would like, as a symbol of inspiration.  (They’re not.)  He’s become a commercialized entity, and everyone’s lost sight of what he represents.  

Cap talks about his doubts with his teammates across a couple of issues.  Hawkeye naturally gives him a hard time, which Thor is more earnest in his advice.  Either way, it was nice to see Cap chatting with his fellow Avengers as old, old friends.  There’s an ease to those conversations and a comfortable respect that comes across in the writing.  It was also just entertaining to have Cap and Thor talk over a milkshake.  

Only Hawkeye could get away with this.

It turns out this is all a Skrull plot.  Build up the people’s trust in Captain America, impersonate him, and tell everyone that one in twenty people are Skrulls.  Let chaos ensue.  It’s a mini-scale Secret Invasion, and the riots that follow are entirely believable.  The ploy plays on our natural suspicions of anyone that’s different, and is still applicable in its relevance today.

Skrull as the Sensational Hydra, in all his sadistic and hilarious glory.

Oh yeah, Captain loses his shield to the depths of the ocean, ushering in the unnecessary energy shield era.

Ron Garney hands the pencilling reins over to Andy Kubert, by way of Dale Eaglesham.  Kubert really needs a good colorist to showcase his work.  (His early X-Men art looked the same, but suffered greatly from flat colors.)  With Joe Rosas, he’s got one.

Fine, but flat.  Coincidentally, also Joe Rosas on colors.

What a difference five years of coloring technology makes.  Absurd pose, but I love it.

What throws me off is that Rosas does a much worse job earlier in the issue with Eaglesham’s panels.  (Eaglesham and Kubert split the work in issue 7.)  

Dale Eaglesham pencils.

Andy Kubert.  It's not just me, is it?  It's the colors and not the pencils?

There appears to be a drastic change in the color shading between the artists.  Or am I missing something?  Kubert uses a lot more black with his shadows.  Could that be what’s making the difference?

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? Yes

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Fine

Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty 5-6

Capmania wasn’t limited to within the pages of the comics.  Waid and Garney were so popular that they got a second Captain America title for a year, covering stories throughout his history.  It appears that I wasn’t so enamored of Waid even back then to buy more than these two issues.  Meh.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? No

Would read again? No

Rating: Didn’t suck

Waid/Garney Captain America

Barnes and Noble’s having a buy 2 get 1 free graphic novel sale, plus an additional 15 percent off code.  This is on top of Amazon-level discounted prices.  I got the entire Bendis Avengers collection for mega cheap.  So much new reading to do now.

Anyway, we now move from Black Widow to Captain America.

Captain America 250

A newspaper starts a rumor that Captain America is running for President of the United States, which starts an uproar among the public and the Avengers.  Pretty much everyone is in favor, while Cap wonders why no one cares if he’s even qualified for the position.  (Oh Cap, you naive thing, you.)  

Roger Stern spins it into a nice conversation about civic duty and serving your country to the utmost of your ability in the best way you can.  (Which leads, obviously, to Cap announcing that he’s not running.  Also surprising: No one knows who he is underneath the mask, and no one cares.)  

Heh, Cap facepalm.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? Yes

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Nice

Captain America 1-3

John Ney Rieber and John Cassaday teamed up for six issues.  I stuck around for three, entirely for the art.  Cassaday is so good at what he does.  (Planetary is still his peak.  Uncanny X-Men is a close second.)  

This was published in June 2002, and directly addresses the attacks on 9/11; The first issue starts with Steve Rogers digging through the rubble of the World Trade Center, looking for survivors.  His narration runs through each issue.  He talks about the need to be strong, he rails against the people who did this, He reaffirms the strength of the American Dream and the horrors of war.  He struggles with the neverending clash of global cultures, then reminds himself to focus on the people he’s trying to save.  His thoughts are all over the place, and I’m not sure if it’s poor writing or an intentional reflection of the swirl of emotions and confusion that was sweeping through the nation at the time.  And although the prose frequently brushes up against platitudes, I can’t fault it for the intent.  At the end of the day, Rieber (through Cap), is preaching the unity of all Americans, across all cultures.  Something everyone can stand to remember.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? Yes

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Fine

Captain America 444-448, 450-454

The much-lauded Mark Waid first run.  I’ve always liked these issues, but not so much this time around.  The stories felt a little more far-fetched this time around - Captain America fighting Nazis in the Cosmic Cube?  Bill Clinton strips Cap of his US citizenship?  It borders on silly when I stop to think about it, and I’m sorry that I stopped to think about it.  This is a fond memory that I would like to keep that way.

I am flummoxed by Ron Garney’s art.  There are few artists who bounce around so much in quality, let alone from panel to panel.  I suspect the inkers - he goes through four in the first arc alone.  I’m going to focus on all the stuff that looks good.  When he’s on, he’s on.  

Garney draws Cap with a great chin.

Love the little smile.

The inks are so clean here, yet so scratchy earlier in the issue.

Garney clearly loves this layout.

Heh.  Clinton playing with Cap's shield.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? Yes

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Nice

Waid/Samnee Black Widow

Black Widow Vol. 7 1-7

What a way to start a first issue!  Natasha fights her way out of a SHIELD office building for five pages, doing the standard burst-through-a-window-with-an-explosion-behind-her escape.  Well executed by Chris Samnee, but nothing out of the ordinary.  Until I turned the page and see:

Natasha's one of those little dots on the right.

I literally gave a little inhale of surprise.  And it’s not like I haven’t read this issue before.  Nicely done.

My college film professor once told me that the best part of Star Wars comes in the opening sequence - First, the Tantive IV appears, and the audience is amazed by the detail and the size of it.  Then the tip of the Star Destroyer punctures the top of the shot and proceeds to first bisect, then swallow up the entire screen.  The sheer scope of the ship and shattering of expectations after the setup of the Tantive is mind-blowing.  (And the movie world would never be the same.)  

For my professor, it’s all downhill from there; Nothing else in the movie is nearly as interesting.  I agree with him on the sweetness of the shot, not about the rest of the movie (because Star Wars is the best thing ever), but I couldn’t think about anything else after reading the next six issues of Black Widow Volume 6.  Nothing else in the series lives up to the promise of that first splash page.  

I can’t put my finger on the reason; Widow is just as capable, and just as fallible.  The story, by Mark Waid, is perfectly fine.  It’s no worse than Edmondson’s in the previous volume.  Perhaps it’s the art - I love Chris Samnee’s work, but maybe Black Widow requires the more realistic style that Phil Noto brought to the title.  No, that doesn’t work; Bill Sienkiewicz’s work (checking to see if I spelled that right without looking...Yes!) is clearly stylized, and I liked that title more as well.  Maybe the more cartoony nature is too much at odds with the gritty ‘realism’ that I except from an espionage story.  Which is a shame.  The craft is clear and apparent, but it doesn’t click for me.  (I’m not crying too hard; Waid and Samnee are currently reunited on Captain America, and that’s been a ton of fun two issues in.)

Also, Waid has a lovely summary of Black Widow in the first issue. If Edmondson nailed her psychology with the cat line (read yesterday’s post), Waid encapsulates her physicality in lovely fashion:

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? No

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Fine

Edmondson/Noto Black Widow

Black Widow Vol. 6 1-14

Even better than yesterday’s batch!

Nathan Edmondson’s iteration of Black Widow is a spy for hire, flying around the world to earn her paychecks.  Her lawyer/manager, Isaiah, plays Joan Cusack to her John (watch Grosse Point Blank), and isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty when necessary.  

Isaiah wraps up Edmondson’s take on Natasha as he’s feeding her cat: “Just like Natasha.  You only act like you can do it alone…”  And while Natasha certainly performs Bondian feats of espionage, Edmondson also writes her as someone who’s well aware of her shortcomings.  It’s a nice balanced take that I’m enjoying.  

But let’s not kid ourselves.  It’s Phil Noto’s art that shines here.  It is absolutely gorgeous in ways that I didn’t not previously appreciate, and what follows will be a bunch of art while I rave about it.

I have never ever paid attention to a character’s hair to the extent that I have today.  Natasha’s appears in a variety of styles, but each with a deliberate purpose.  I first noticed this in the first issue, when she takes out her ponytail after infiltrating a building.  It’s a small detail, but one that adds a great deal of realism to the scene.  (Though it does make me wonder why she wouldn’t prefer to leave it up when she’s about to engage in hand-to-hand combat.)

This happens throughout the run.  Her hair’s up in a bun as she goes through her morning ablutions, tied back as she washes the dishes, down when she’s in an evening gown.  It’s a very human point of detail in a superhuman universe.  I love it.

I’m blown away by the body language here:

So natural and casual.

Other notes:

Issue ten has an amazing ranged duel between Widow and Hawkeye.  They’re not trying to kill each other, but they’re working at cross purposes,  It makes for an entertaining action sequence where they’re trying to stall, not injure the other.  The marksmanship is impossible, but I don’t care.

From a house ad.  Love the barbed wire/helmet visual.

Rice Krispies.

Can’t argue with crazy.  Words to take to heart.

Look at how the DD becomes part of the panel borders.

Looks like a Pascal Campion painting.

Pascal Campion.  Check out his stuff, it’s wonderful.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? Yes

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Good

Black Widow

What a FUN batch of comics today.  All of these read like James Bond stories without the misogyny.  Give Scarlett Johansson her Black Widow movie already!  

 

Black Widow Vol. 1 1-2

This was the first of many Black Widow mini-series.  Devin Grayson and JG Jones introduce Yelena Belova, the new Black Widow, to the Marvel Universe.  Belova is driven to exceed the standards set by Natasha, which naturally leads to conflict between them.

I’m sadly missing the final issue of this series, which is a shame.  I would have liked to read the ending.

Love the body language, how she’s casually propped up in the booth.

Black Widow Vol. 2 1-3

Greg Rucka joins Grayson, and he’s a perfect fit for a Black Widow story.  He does spy stories extremely well, as evidenced in both this arc and his superb Queen and Country series.  It’s basically Face/Off, as Natasha swaps faces with Yelena in a tough love attempt to show her the true nature of the job.  It’s a rampant mindfuck for the new Widow, and it’s delicious to read.

Scott Hampton does the painted art, which I initially found to be an odd choice for an straight up spy plot.  But then on second thought, it fits perfectly with the confusion in Yelena’s mind as she struggles to cling to her identity and make sense of what’s going on around her.  Everything’s hazy, nothing’s truly defined, and reality itself must seem like a questionable thing to her.

Lovely.

Not related at all, but I found this which searching for the previous image, and it's just so pretty.  Also by Scott Hampton.

Black Widow: Pale Little Spider 1-3

Yelena investigates the murder of her training instructor in the depths of a BSDM club.  She’s forced to confront some unpleasant truths about both her teacher and herself.  Rucka handles the writing without Grayson.  The unconventional location and subject matter is handled respectfully (I thought), and makes for story not usually found under the Marvel banner.  (Yay for the MAX imprint!)

Black Widow Vol. 3 1-2

I only have the first third of this mini.  Bill Sienkiewicz on art!  It gets off to a fun start, and I don’t know why I stopped following it.  I’ll keep an eye out for it in the back issue bins.

(For all the issues)

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? Yes

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Nice

Black Panther

I’ve been wracking my brain tonight for a standout Black Panther story, and I can’t come up with one.  Granted, the three I read tonight cover the majority of my exposure, so very small sample size.  But I can’t think of a Black Panther appearance in any other title in which he shines either.  

Black Panther 1-6

Everett K Ross is clearly the star of Priest’s early Black Panther issues.  The first couple issues are amusing enough with Priest’s humor and time-jump storytelling, but a running gag involving Ross’ lack of pants (and later acquisition of devil pants) can only mask the lack of anything of substance for so long.  (Mark Texeira’s distinctive style provides excellent cover as well.)

The character might be boring, but Texeira’s art sure isn’t.

T’Challa exists as a plot device more than a character, and pitting him against Mephisto (who also doesn’t have a good storyline in him) doesn’t help either.  Texeira oddly chooses to go with Romita Jr’s depiction of the demon, instead of the more traditional human-faced representation.

Romita Jr.

Texeira

Joe Jusko's version of the more common look.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? No

Would read again? No

Rating: Fine

Black Panther 50-53

I got these because I love the visual of Black Panther dual-wielding pistols.  

Jorge Lucas art.  I'm also a sucker for a guy in a trenchcoat, apparently.  Probably originated with Gambit.

That was enough to give it a four-issue trial before I decided I didn’t care at all about Kasper Cole or his predicament as a cop struggling to stay afloat in a corrupt NYPD.  (Dan Fraga gets the credit as his co-creator.  Haven’t seen his name in ages, since his time at Extreme with Rob Liefeld.  I’ve had a soft spot for him ever since he gave me a tour of the studio when I was in middle school.  He only draws issue 50, and then doesn’t return to comics for another 13 years.)  

Interesting to see that Priest brought “noogie” over from Quantum and Woody.

A pretty big deal when this first came out.

Didn't expect it to cross over from Valiant to Marvel.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? No

Would read again? No

Rating: Fine

Black Panther 1

Ta-Nehisi Coates starts as the writer.  A huge deal considering his not-comic work before this, so I gave it a shot.  This was boring.  Zero interesting, an immediate drop.

Regret buying? Yes

Would buy again? No

Would read again? No

Rating: Boring

Avengers vs X-Men, America

Finishing off the rest of the AvX-related issues.  Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to everyone!

Versus 1-2

A series that does a deep dive on the 1-on-1 battles taking place throughout the mini-series.  It makes no effort to be anything but extended fight scenes, starting with the wonderfully tongue-in-cheek FAQs at the beginning of each issue.

Own it!

I’m impressed by the talent that Marvel recruited for a throwaway money grab.  The first two issues alone include Jason Aaron and Kieron Gillen among the writers, and there isn’t a weak artist between Adam Kubert, Stuart Immonen, Steve McNiven, and Salvador Larroca.  Beautifully illustrated, fun fights peppered with AvX Fun Facts?  Even if I don’t get the rest of AvX main story, I’ve got the trade queued up for purchase on Amazon right now.  

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? Yes

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Pretty Good

Uncanny X-Men 12

Ugh.  A whole issue that revolves around Namor’s sexual prowess.  Couple that with Greg Land’s photo-referenced models awkwardly shoehorned into their comic panels, and you end up with an issue that leaves me feeling icky.  A story that could have been better told in a Versus segment, and without an alien asking if Namor and Thing are going to mate.  

Less said about this the better.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? No

Would read again? No

Rating: Didn’t suck

AvX 3-4

After the initial massive free for all between the two teams, the writers find a way to split the X-Men and Avengers up into 5 smaller groups so that they can fight each other in various tie-in issues. Meanwhile, Cap and Wolverine have an entertaining fight after Steve Rogers is somehow surprised that Logan’s solution to the Phoenix problem is to kill Hope.  Did he really not see that coming?  

JRJR's not bad at the 1-on-1 action scenes.

I stopped reading AvX after these issues.  I wasn’t in the mood to watch a Phoenix-powered Cyclops tell everyone he knows best when it comes to fixing the world (and kill Professor X in the process.)  

Other notes:

JRJR's not so good at the group scenes.  Everything's a lot less dynamic.  George Perez he ain't.

Gotta respect the sentiment.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? Yes

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Nice

New Avengers 27-30

On the other hand, I kept buying New Avengers.  Because Bendis rules all.  Why didn’t I regularly collect his Avengers run?  Totally buying it after I write this.  Highlights:

• Spider-Man gives Hope his “great power/great responsibility” speech.  It should be corny and it’s overused, but in Bendis’ hands, it doesn’t matter.  It inspires Hope and it inspires me.
• Hawkeye breaks out of prison, and it’s awesome.

When did Hawkeye start ripping off Bulleye’s gimmick?  I thought he was only good at bows.

• How many people can spend an entire issue on a conversation between people sitting around a table?  I’ll have to remember to keep an eye out, see who can challenge Bendis for that championship title.  

Doctor.  Doctor.  Captain.  Captain.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? Yes

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Good

America 1-2

I’m a fan of Marvel’s recent push for more female solo titles - Ms. Marvel, America, Wasp, Squirrel-Girl, etc.  And I loved America Chavez in Young Avengers, so I gave her solo title a spin.  To my disappointment, the writing was a little too out there for my taste, and I’m cutting the two issues that I bought.  It reeked of Hickman’s Complex - Words that make sense individually, but not after they’re strung together into a sentence.  Though now I’m tempted to read the Moon Girl title.  A nine year old as the Marvel U’s smartest person?  I’ll give that concept a go.  

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? No

Would read again? No

Rating: Didn’t suck