Runaways, Professor Marston, Action Comics, Mage

Professor Marston and the Wonder Women

I’d been meaning to watch this since it opened, and finally caught it on DVD last night.  It’s really only tangentially related to comics, as the creation of Wonder Women just happens to be the occupation of the protagonist.  The film focuses on the relationship between Professor Marston, his wife Elizabeth, and their lover Olive. The lead up to the consummation of their love enthralled me with the tension and barely constrained passion.  The resultant persecution that they endured in the aftermath followed the standard, predictable tropes, despite the unconventionality of their relationship. I’m happy that this story exists, but the execution was only fine.  Rebecca Hall and Bella Heathcote’s performances stood out, but I also could not stop thinking that this was a timeshifted movie starring Emma Thompson and Heather Graham.

Bella

Heather

Rebecca

Emma

Regret Watching? No

Would watch again? No

Would buy on DVD? No

Rating: Fine

New Comics!

Mage: The Hero Defined 8

More of the same.  The usually awesome Matt Wagner art, glacial continuation of the plot, and I’m happy for more.  THOUGH. Would I ever want to reread it? Hmm. Not sure I can answer yes. But I haven’t revisited the other Mage volumes, and I’m perfectly content to own it.  I think I’d be sad not having that art on my shelf.

Action Comics 1000

Sigh.  I got suckered in by the large round number, all the hype on Twitter, and Bendis’ name on the cover.  And I got what I should have expected - A bunch of unsatisfying, subpar 5-page stories by writers and pencillers who have done much better work elsewhere.  The Brad Meltzer/John Cassiday collaboration was the strongest, and even that was borderline. I’ll keep it for Bendis completionist sake, but if his run somehow sucks, this won’t be sticking around.

Runaways 1-18

I don’t know that I’ve ever reread this, but it was pretty darn good this time around.  It’s one of the few Brian K Vaughan titles that I followed from start to finish. As good of a writer as he is, Vaughan rarely manages to keep me interested all the way through.  I didn’t make it through Ex Machina, Y: The Last Man, Paper Girls, or Saga. I found all of them very strong in both premise and art, but lacking in effective follow through. Perhaps they’ll convince me otherwise when I get to them later in this project.  

Runaways, though, is wonderful.  I don’t think I ever considered dropping it.  The hook is brilliant. Every kid thinks their parents are evil.  What if they actually were supervillains? So good. And the follow through is just as fun.

It succeeds because of the cast.  Each of the kids has a distinct, flawed personality, and the way they bounce of each other creates wonderful interactions.  These are teenagers (except for Molly), and they behave like it. (I have got to finish the tv series. I watched the first episode, and it was pitch perfect.)  

Molly Hayes is the best.  It took me a little while to warm up to her the first time, but now I love her from the start.  She’s hilarious in her innocence and exuberance, and she gets all the best lines.

Shout out to Jo Chen, who should do all the covers everywhere.  She somehow manages to mix anime, Marvel, and photorealism in her paintings, and I find them gorgeous.  

I don’t have much else to say.  I blew through the eighteen issues of the first volume in no time at all, with no regard for the clock.  I just wanted to see how the story ended. (Even though I already knew.)

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? Yes

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Pretty good