Runaways

Runaways 25-30

Back to Runaways after a week, it’s nice to return to these characters.  They are clearly in Joss Whedon’s wheelhouse, who has much experience writing groups of teenagers.  Molly appears to be his favorite as well, and he give her plenty of moments to shine. (With equal credit to Michael Ryan for execution on the art side.)

A valid question.

I’m positive that Whedon introduced Punisher into this storyline for this sole purpose, as he adds absolutely nothing else to the plot.  Worth it.

It's up there with Batman taking out Booster Gold.

I would happily post all of Jo Chen’s covers from this run, but I’ll limit myself to four.

Whedon continues to push the “Nico is a horrible leader” narrative.  Both Victor and Xavin constantly get their digs in on her, and while they’re total dicks about it, I don’t disagree with their pov.  She really doesn’t have the best ideas (meeting w/ the Kingpin? Seriously?), and her aptitude as a battlefield strategist is inferior to others on the team.

Then a little torture at the hands of her great-grandmother somehow knocks a load of power, maturity, and competence into her, as well as a sadistic streak that she unleashes on Gert’s parents:

They’ll go back to when they came from.  And they’ll know. What happens to Gert, what happens to them, they’ll know every second it’s coming.  They won’t be able to change anything they do. Or say anything. Not even to each other. For all the world their short, useless lives will play out exactly like they did before.  But inside, they’ll never stop screaming.

Whedon also gets a chance to exercise a little of his own cruelty with Lillie and Victor’s doomed love story.  Lillie tries to change her past and give herself a second chance at happiness, but Time (and Whedon) doesn’t work that way.  Whedon really doesn’t like to see his characters happy. I get that it usually makes for a more dramatic story, but he really needs to give them a win every once in a while.  Don’t get me started about Dr. Horrible.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? Yes

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Pretty Good

Infinity Gauntlet, Avengers: Infinity War

Avengers: Infinity War

Some nitpicks that I came across as I discussed the movie with my wife over the past 24 hours.

I got really tired of the emotional anguish that the writers kept inflicting on the heroes, mostly  because of how repetitive it got. The situations came in two flavors:

1 - A tortures B until C gives up D.

A	B	C	D
Thanos	Thor	Loki	Tesseract
Thanos	Nebula	Gamora	Soul Stone location
Thanos	Iron Man	Dr Strange	Time Stone

There’s never any suspense.  C always gives it up.

2 - A struggles with the decision to kill B so that C can’t get D.

A	B	C	D
Star-Lord	Gamora	Thanos	Soul Stone location
Scarlet Witch	Vision	Thanos	Mind Stone

Somewhat surprisingly, A always goes through with it.  Unfortunately, the tough decision is always negated by Thanos’ ability prevent the death, robbing the previously tense moment of any impact.  (It’s interesting to note that the heroes are always okay with the sacrifice if it’s by their own hand. They don’t have the stomach to passively watch it happen.)   

Infinity Gauntlet 1-6

I started collection comics two times in my life.  The first came when I was in elementary school, and the only thing I bought was Marvel’s Transformers.  I stopped after four or five years. The second came in 1991, and Infinity Gauntlet 5 is the second non-Transformers comic that I ever bought. Nostalgia colors this review to no small degree.

My second step in a life-long journey.

I jumped ahead in my collection to read this today.  The movie obviously inspired me to read the source material.  

This series feels placid and small-scale in comparison to the hyperkinetic pageantry of the film. Despite the epic nature of its contents, it still feels like a Broadway version of the movie, constrained in what it’s able to show.  The Thanos/heroes fight, in particular, feels staged. There’s a Bruce Lee-esque quality to it, where small group of people take their best shot at Thanos while everyone else hangs back.  Which isn’t a bad thing, it’s just a jarring shift after the chaos of Infinity War. (And it’s not like the movie didn’t do the same thing at the end as Wanda destroys the Mind Stone.)

These two covers work so well together.

For me, issue 5 is where it’s at.  The confrontation between Thanos and the cosmic beings blew my middle school mind, showing me conflict at a scale that I had never seen before.  Even today, the words of Jim Starlin bring a thrill to my soul.

Many of the edicts of nature fall victim to the assault.  I sense near collapse along the entire spectrum of reality.

I honestly can’t tell you if it’s good writing or the rose-tinted remembrances long ago, but it doesn’t really matter.  It combined with Ron Lim’s awe-inspiring art to create the perfect experience for a new comic reader.

     

Reading it 27 years later, Infinity Gauntlet still entertains.  It’s very much a relic of its time; I suspect that a reboot of the story would read very differently today.  But I love it for what it is, and for showing me a glimpse of what this medium is capable of.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? Yes

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Pretty Good

Avengers: Infinity War

Avengers: Infinity War

Spoilers.  And some thoughts.

Wowwww.  That ending.  My first thought was, “This is the MCU’s Empire Strikes Back.”  (“That really old movie,” as Peter Parker would say.) I avoided most spoilers going into this, only watching the standard trailers.  Totally the way to go.

Part of me knows that there are so many ways out of this.  The entire premise of the Infinity Gauntlet means that most of this will be reversed.  The other part of me really doesn’t care. The Russos milked the emotional heck out of each hero’s dissolving, and I willingly went along.  (Peter’s death, in particular, really got to me.)

Can we agree that all of this is Peter Quill’s fault?  What an idiot.

I really thought they were going to kill Tony at the end there.  They should have, it would have felt more permanent and emotionally satisfying than the sure-to-be-rolled back deaths of Spider-Man and Black Panther.  Loki’s death was pretty good. I wish I cared more about Gamora’s.

The random appearance of Red Skull (not played by Hugo Weaving!) made absolutely no sense, but it also totally something I wouldn’t have batted an eye at in a comic book.

It sure seems like Korg and Valkyrie should be dead after that initial fight.

Peter Dinklage’s cameo started an audible ripple across the theater as people gradually identified who it was.  Then an aftershock of giggles as they realized the dwarf was now a giant.

Points docked for making Stormbreaker an axe and not a hammer, but the Groot handle makes up for it.  

So many awesome fights, but it’s still annoying that Thanos engaged in as much physical combat as he did.  At least in the comic, Jim Starlin came up with a reason for Thanos to limit himself to the abilities of the Power Gem.

As always, the best moments came in the little character moments - Everything between Peter and Tony, especially that final desperate plea.  The tenderness between Wanda and Vision. Shuri patronizing Bruce. Cap and Thor’s little moment on the battlefield. The Guardians collectively swooning over Thor’s magnificent physique.  Ben and Jerry’s hero flavors. Ned’s distraction. Bruce saying hi to Natasha. Rocket coveting Bucky’s arm.

Man, that ending.  Love it. Will be watching it again in the near future.    

Regret watching? No

Would watch again? Yes

Would buy on DVD? Yes

Rating: Good

Legend of Wonder Woman

Legend of Wonder Woman 6-9

Plot similarities to the movie continue.  Diana makes it to the war front in Europe.  Attends a ball with Steve Trevor. Fights (an agent of)  Ares. Accepts her destiny as the world’s guardian. And like the movie, the second half of this story isn’t as good as the first, with the exception of a kickass battle.  

With each beat of the fight, Diana discovers a new ability and unlocks another aspect of her potential power.  The art reflects this awakening, the standard issue uniform that she’s wearing gradually gives way to the shining gold armor that’s hidden beneath.  De Liz’s art continues to stun, with vibrant colors from Dillon.

I can’t finish this without giving a shout out to Etta Candy.  She’s basically a less obnoxious Rebel Wilson in both appearance and attitude.  (Actually, I don’t know what Wilson’s like at all. She’s a less obnoxious Fat Amy from Pitch Perfect.)  She’s fiercely loyal to her girl friends, a kick ass singer, and knows what she wants. I love her fashion sense, her optimism, and her confidence.  For anyone who reads it, her relationship with Diana reminds me of Faye and Bubbles from Questionable Content.    

Give it a shot, it's a really fun webcomic.

You totally crush it too, Etta.

Quick props to Dustin Nguyen for his lovely variant cover:

To my major sadness, DC cancelled the sequel to this title after some controversy with De Liz and Dillon.  I’ve tried many takes on Wonder Woman over the years, and none of them have kept my attention.  (Perez, Rucka, Azzarello, Jimenez) This interpretation of Wonder Woman may be the only one that I’d like to keep reading, and it looks like there won’t be any more to read.  Even worse, there may not be another series from this team for a good long time. It seems like they’ve been blacklisted in the industry, which is such a waste of talent. (From a purely artistic standpoint.  I’m not commenting on the ethics of their actions.)

At least I have this short, wonderful series that was more than worth the wait.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? Yes

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Good

Legend of Wonder Woman

Legend of Wonder Woman 1-5

I originally heard rumblings about this being good back when it was an online series.  Then it came out in hardcover, but I couldn’t read it in the stores like I wanted to because it was inexplicably shrinkwrapped.  (Shrinkwrap mission accomplished, I suppose.) Then I happened to find an open copy at an indie (read: Not Barnes and Noble) bookstore (it wasn’t me, I swear) and read the first couple issues.  I really liked it, but not enough to buy in hardcover. It took another year for the thing to come out in trade, but after waiting all that time and snapping it up in trade, it languished on my to-read pile for months.  It happens sometimes. My to-read pile is sad about how high it is. My backlog of Mark Waid Daredevil’s is like 5 trades deep.

Anyway, this trip gave it a chance to step up, and boy has it ever.  Writer/Penciller Renae De Liz succeeds in both roles (with husband Ray Dillon on inks, colors, and letters).  To be sure, it reads a lot like the Wonder Woman movie, but there's only so much variation you can give her origin story.  It’s the recency that makes it feels so familiar, but there are huge differences in the personalities of the titular character.

Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman was all naive innocence, eager to do her part to bring peace to the world.  De Liz's Diana carries the weight of a world lost to her forever. She didn't leave Paradise Island by choice, and believes that her place is with her sisters.  There's a civil war brewing on Themyscira, and her only goal is to return to her mother's side. This Diana is not interested in learning about a world that she has every intention of leaving.  

De Liz's art beautifully renders Diana's isolation and sadness.  The solemn melancholy that dominates her thoughts comes through in every panel.

Beautiful.

I love this bit of unintentional (for her) humor.

She's even sad when she's in love.

We’re over halfway through this series, she has yet to don her iconic costume, and I couldn’t care less.  This is a wonderful comic book, and I can’t wait to finish it tonight.

The Pulse

The Pulse 7-9, 11-14

This was so good.  Tempted to call this Really Good, but it’s not quite there.  The Brent Anderson art is sadly regrettable. He’s serviceable on Astro City, but he’s really not the reason I read it.  Here, his characters are actively ugly, and I’m pretty sure it’s not intentional. I get that Jessica Jones is not at her best, with Luke Cage missing and in a coma, but she should not look identical to Ben Urich.  In the same panel, no less.

They have the same jawline and mouth. 

Anderson also sucks at the Bendis repeating art across multiple panels thing.

That image is so not good for repeating purposes.

Jessica is borderline hysterical, and it feels a little over the top.  It’s actually a realistic, human reaction to a missing loved one, but I’ve noticed that people who act realistically in crisis situations in movies, tv, and books often come across as annoying.  I’d totally be that woman in Speed, freaking out in an about-to-plummet-to-the-ground elevator, but then I’d also be the person that everyone in the theater hates.

The Pulse depicts such an important period of time in the Cage/Jones relationship.  They’ve been together for while, a baby is on the way, but they haven’t fully committed to each other.  As such, the conversation between Danny and Jessica in issue 9 enthralled me. His attitude, overprotective to the reader, is really perfectly justified.  He doesn’t know her.  There’s no reason for him to trust her.  From his point of view, considering his long history with Luke, he should be the one to look after his brother in arms.  If this was an issue of Iron Fist, he’d be the reasonable one.  That makes this scene that much more brutal. So good.

It also makes gives additional weight to the subsequent I love you scene, where Danny sees the depth of the bond between Jessica and Luke for himself.  

Some final observations:

Michael Gaydos, having working with Bendis for such a long time, knows how to do repeating panels.  

All he did was change a few of the eyes.  Perfect.

Reinforcing the point made in last week’s Mister Miracle 8, everything else seems trivial once you’ve had a kid.  

And heh.  If he only knew.

The first meeting between Luke and Jessica is absolutely perfect.  Writing this review’s convinced me to bump it up a notch. It’s just too good.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? Yes

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Really good  

New Avengers, Black Lightning

Black Lightning S01E02

I watched the first episode when it first came out, and I’ve fallen behind.  I just watched the second one, and it’s still really good. All the good guys are well realized with clear motivations, and none of them are annoying.  I particularly liked Jordan Calloway playing Khalil. He brought a fresh take to the kid with the classic bad background doing his best to work his way out of the neighborhood.  

More importantly, I thought I recognized Cress Williams (Black Lightning) from somewhere, and I was elated to confirm that he was Steve Sarris on Sports Night.  He's come such a long way.

I don't think I've seen anyone ever grimace as effectively as Williams.

I wonder what Felicia would think about him now.

I really need to catch up this.  And SHIELD. And Jessica Jones. And Runaways.  And Legion. Sigh.

New Avengers 21-25, Civil War: The Confession

The Bendis Avengers trades that I got over Christmas have become the palate cleansers of this project.  If I need a break from what I’m currently reading, they make for a great change of pace. Also, when I’m travelling, they are a lot more space efficient than individual issues.  The ads really add a lot of bulk. So while I’m out of town for a 5 day business trip this week, I’m taking a break from Runaways and catching up on unread trades.

I’ve also decided that I’m counting these Bendis Avengers as re-reads, and thus part of the stats that I’m tracking.  I won’t be reading them over again the way I do most new comics. This is for two reasons: Firstly, with 10 (I think?) volumes, that’s just a ton to have to peruse a second time.  And secondly, it’s Bendis. These things are darn good and staying in my collection, I don’t need another go around to decide that.

I don’t own Civil War, but I’ve read it.  Bendis does a far better job here than Millar did on the main title.  To be fair, that’s because he doesn’t need to hit the major plot beats, and has the freedom to focus on the character moments that make this storyline fascinating.  He spends issues on Captain America, Luke Cage/Jessica Jones, Spider-Woman, Sentry, and Tony Stark. He’s able to dig into how the events affected them on a personal level.  The Luke/Jessica issue is particularly strong, and I’m going to run out of ways to describe why I love how Bendis portrays their relationship.

I’ve discussed both sides of Civil War with my wife at length, and I eventually came to the conclusion that I would totally be on Iron Man’s side IRL (I do not want random people running around fighting crime outside the law.  It’s seriously a bad idea.). That said, he never fails to come across as a gigantic, short-sighted tool in every appearance related to the argument, no matter how much he extols his own visionary capabilities.  In the comic world, I’m firmly on Team Cap. And that made it especially satisfying to see Iron Man admit that none of this was worth it when he monologues to Steve Rogers’ body on the Helicarrier. Putz. The schadenfreude is super sweet.    

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? Yes

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Pretty good  

Runaways, Moon Girl

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur 19-24

My first time reading this title.  This is the only volume the library had, but it doesn’t take long to catch up.  Lunella LaFayette is the smartest person on earth. She’s nine years old. She’s partners with Devil Dinosaur.  Done.

The tone of the writing doesn’t do it for me.  It feels a lot like Squirrel Girl, with a level of self-aware silliness that rubs me the wrong way.  It’s too proud if its sense of humor, and rubs its cuteness in your face.

But credit to Brandon Montclare’s depiction of the Doombot head Moon Girl keeps in her lab.  He somehow jumps around from object to object, continually proclaiming his genius and putting down Lunella’s.  It’s wonderful, for such is Doom.

The Lunella bots are also glorious.

Runaways 13-24

The rest of Brian K Vaughan and Adrian Alphona’s run.  It never wavered in its quality.

Issue 13 is phenomenal.  Molly embarks on her own solo adventure and handles it with flying colors, which maintaining her Mollyness the whole time.  

Still can’t believe they just killed off Gert in issue 18.  At least she gets brought back in the current run.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? Yes

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Pretty good (Really good for issue 13)

Runaways, Ms Marvel

Ms Marvel 4-5

I borrowed the first Ms Marvel trade from the library since the first three issues were pretty good, but I wasn’t sure if it was re-read material that was worth buying.  It’s not. It’s more Nice than Pretty Good, and it’s not worth a second go, in any case. Which is a little odd, since it’s got all the right pieces - A strong protagonist, good humor, non-annoying sidekick, and a realistically loving but difficult to live with family.  Kamala’s going through the learning phase portion of her powers, and while it’s not all smooth sailing, she’s exploring them relatively intelligently. So what’s not working? Maybe it’s the boring villain. I’ve got another trade, maybe that picks up a bit.

Coincidentally, since I’m reading Runaways right now, Adrian Alphona does the art for Ms. Marvel as well.  He inks his own pencils here, and it makes for a completely different look. I would never have realized it was the same guy.  

Scratchy Alphona inks.

Gotta say I like the clean Craig Yeung lines a lot more.

Runaways 7-12

Karolina going off with Xavin, her Skrull fiance, raises a bunch of intriguing questions.  Karolina’s likes girls, and isn’t interested in Xavin at all because he presents as male. But once he shapeshifts into a female body and reveals that “changing gender is no different than changing hair color,” Karolina’s reservations fade away.  My mind hasn’t begun to parse what Brian K Vaughan is saying about gender identity or sexual attraction here, but it’s got me thinking.

In other news, Molly Hayes continues to be awesome and Vaughan puts her in the best setups.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? Yes

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Pretty good