Push and Pull

PULLED

ECHO #1, Terry Moore Strangers in Paradise is one of the absolutes of comic book history and quite possibly the best of everything that’s ever been written about love. Sonnets included. Most people just don’t know it yet. And it is mind-boggling how it all came down to one creator—the lyric, the art, the painful and joyful dissection of longing: Terry Moore. So, Echo #1. It’s different and it is good. It reads like a superhero book, a down and out almost divorcee accidentally gets rained on by putty pellets, a result of a government weapon experiment gone menacing. Details are planted and I’m beginning to like Julie already. Definitely on board.****

JUSTICE LEAGUE THE NEW FRONTIER CLASSIFIED #1, Darwyn Cooke Trinity origin! Titans together! And Wonder Woman’s breasts on fire! It’s predictably good all around. What’s surprising though is the Black Canary and Wonder Woman team-up that delivers the funny. It’s not a necessary read but when did we care about necessary, right?****

TEEN TITANS YEAR ONE #3, Amy Wolfram, Karl Kerschl, Serge Lapointe, and Steph Peru Got on board this title mainly for the art—rest in peace, Mr. Peru—and as always, it’s worth the cover price. But it’s turning out to be as fun as the cartoon with subtle characterizations that work. Batman and Robin’s relationship was succinctly defined in one panel, and that’s quite an achievement. ****

PUSHED (Spoilers!)

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SEASON EIGHT #12, Drew Goddard and Georges Jeanty What the fuck? Drew Goddard, with Jane Esponson, wrote Conversations with Dead People, one the best Buffy episodes in its 7-year run. It’s purely a character piece with a few genuinely frightening moments so I was looking forward to his arc on this title. While the writing is funny, with a few well-planted surprises, the biggest surprise was totally, glaringly, out of character. Okay. I’m calm. When you get Buffy to sleep with another woman, that’s just. Grr. Not calm. See if it were Captain Janeway, I wouldn’t be surprised because somehow, flirting has been implied with Seven of Nine. But with Buffy, zero. Maybe it’s a dream sequence, just like Xander said. Will get back on this when the arc finishes, but for now, it’s disgruntled much. **

Spider-Man 3 Bullet Review

Hiya ako.

Spider-Man 3 wastes no time in delivering the goods smack at your face. Settle down in your seat fast because Goblin II kicks some serious spandex ass in the first 20 minutes of the movie. Sure, you still can tell apart the CGI effects from the actors but it doesn’t take away from the crazy angled alley dogfight. Off to a good start so the muddled middle was bewildering. Joel Schumacher bewildering.

(Hides under the table. Waves white flag. Coast is clear.)

Gwen Stacy. Flint Marko/Sandman. The disposable Eddie Brock/Venom. Harry Osborn/Goblin II. All crammed in jumpy 10-minute exposure so they make their darnest best to make an impression. By the end of the movie, it felt like wearing shoes two sizes smaller.

Here there be spoilerage bullets.

The Good

• Thomas Haden Church's Flint Marko/Sandman is the best thing about this movie. Great effects. Resonant acting. Touching in bits.
• Evil Peter Parker. Strutting down the street with his Blink 182 `do, funny that one. Just goes to show that Parker/Spider-Man is the geekiest of them heroes. Even when he turns into an ass, he is still his nerdy, awkward, uncool self.
• Action sequences. Spidey using the falling debris to launch himself to catch Gwen Stacy was a nice show of spider agility.
• Gwen Stacy straight out of the comic book.
• MJ's flailing acting career. Heh. Nicely done though, subtle yet painful to watch.
• Goblin II. Minus the overexposed pearly whites. Cool gears, too.
  

The Bad

• The Venom/Sandman team-up. Let's have them close a deal because the movie's getting too lengthy, feels like it.
• Spider-Man/Goblin II team-up. The ending turned into a messy buddy-flick.
  
• The chick-flickness. Not as bad as Superman Returns but sometimes you kinda wonder what you're watching in the first place.
  
• The children. They're all over the movie. Bad lines. Bad reaction shots. Unfunny jokes.

The Fugly

• Venom. The movie could've done without. Forced. Flat. And Topher Grace's wooden snear is fucking annoying.
  

Should you watch it? Hell, yeah. It's fun. It's...fun. But like Spidey's Back in Black hoopla in the books, this movie is all hype, minus the sting. No surprises here. **

World War III

52 #50, World War III 1-4

This is DC's fuck you to Marvel's Civil War, five installments in a day, kudos to the group just for this rare experience.

Twists and Dead Ends: The thing is, DC doesn't seem to be interested in attracting new readers. World War III's marketing blitz is a tiny, lonely spark compared to the fireworks display of Civil War or even Infinite Crisis. No doubt it is a major event with gazillion book crossovers but it does feel that it is solely for 52 readers. I can't imagine jumping into this arc without reading the past 49 issues of 52 and a few OYL titles (Supergirl, Trials of Shazam). With this frighteningly focused market, in this sense, World War III is an ambitious indy act, let's say Sufjan Stevens, let's say Sufjan Stevens' Avalanche album, an acquired taste, a collection of rarities and B-sides, and only for the loyal listeners. 52 #50 is, not surprisingly, the best of the bunch, drawing to a close Black Adam's murderous rampage. The other closures---the Question and Montoya's, Batman's soul searching, Luthor's rain of the supermen---all neatly tied, if a little too hushed. Black Adam's journey in contrast is superhero UFC smackdown, loud, fast and furious. The ending is quite a punch, mystical in nature but true to the characters.

World War III takes a close look at the events of 52 #50, with a few forced and useless plotlines, mostly found in Book Two. Supergirl comes back from the future changed. Duh. Or this is why she has two ongoing titles. Donna Troy picks up the Wonder Woman tiara, but never answers why. Bat Girl confused; Jason poses as Nightwing. Given, given. The return and death of Terra...whathafuck? How? And why?

But the books do succeed in telling the story of Black Adam and J'onn J'onzz. No spoilers here, but choosing Manhunter to be the narrator of the story worked beyond my expectations. The loss and guilt that connects both characters made the telling more...poignant. Not the greatest thing about a comic book mega-event but it's what is sorely lacking in Civil War. All fists. No punches.

Highlights and low life: Martian Manhunter vs. Black Adam. China's heroes vs. Black Adam. DCU vs. Black Adam. All sweet. Infinity Inc.'s response to Black Adam was hilarious. Loved the conversations between the DCU heroes before the final attack: love lives, rent woes, anything but what they were about to face. Major mehs: Teen Titans. Interesting pre-OYL line-up but too many questions left unanswered like why BB left the Titans in the first place. And Terra? When and how did this happen? Apparently it's the same Terra, GF's sister. And Frankenstein Jr.? Argh. Years worth of Teen Titans history in my head and the Titans are written out of sync. There's nothing remotely Raven about Raven, Gar's a mess, and...just too many gaps in the telling which started immediately after the OYL jump. Sorry, grumpy fan. And oh, the art. Not very good especially in the first two books. I guess it's what DC had to sacrifice to meet the shipping schedule.

All in all, a great story in the DCU continuity. And mired in continuity this is. Works for me but definitely not for walk-ins.

52 # 50 (Rucka, Johns, Morrison, Waid, Various artists) *****
World War III Book One (Champagne/Oliffe and Geraci) ***
World War III Book Two (Champagne/Smith and Snyder) *
World War III Book Three (Ostrander/Derenick and Rapmund) ****
World War III Book Four (Ostrander/Jadson and Ramos) ****

Bullet Points: April 12

Teen Titans #45 (DC) - They're going down fast much like the writing is devolving to cromagnon stating the obvious grunts. Damn you Beechen. Raven is all Deanna Troi, Wonder Girl's still weepy over Conner, Robin's still weepy over Conner, Bat Girl's all grr and hi-yaa but she gets kicked on the head by a one-armed C-lister, this from the girl who almost killed Shiva. Unbefuckinglievable. I love this book, used to be on the top of my pile. They're making dropping this title so much easier. *

52 Week 49 (DC) - Already? Sure, the art and writing were wobbly at times but the effort itself, the intersecting locations and characters, the simmering and the murderous boiling over as it reached the week 30 mark, everything, it's just mythic. Great Black Adam and Atom Smasher bit and the scientists in the Island of Dr. Morrow (funny, that) still mad giggly. It looks like I'm on board for World War III. ****

After the Cape #2 (Image) - The first issue was interesting enough. Alcoholic superhero gets booted out of super group and now robbing banks to buy a house, but the drinking still gets in the way. Nicholas Cage should star in the movie. Issue #2 is just meh. Pacing is slow and the plot is stuck in mid-air. And, yeah, that's about it. **

Fables #60 (Vertigo) - Finally back to its major story with the Frog Prince arc. Wheels are turning fast for Fly and his turn from bumbling fool to mighty avenger is both tragic and triumphant. The ominous soundtrack is back, new plots unravel and a few secrets are revealed. Yum. ****

Family Ties

DYNAMO 5 #1
story JAY FAERBER
art MAHMUD ASRAR
cover MAHMUD ASRAR & RON RILEY

Image has got me, got me good. If my partner ever asked me (God forbid. Seriously, God.) to drop a couple of titles for money reasons, then I would whip out my list of non-negotiables of which three titles are from Image, for now at least: Robert Kirkman's INVINCIBLE and WALKING DEAD, and Warren Ellis' FELL. Well, make that four. Jay Faerber's DYNAMO 5.

See, I'm a sucker for superheroes and only a few are exciting me right now. The WildStorm reboots suck eggs, just get on with the action already. DC's good old faithfuls just seem to be wading through to the next big event. I'm enlisted on all Brubaker titles over at Marvel (except the lost in space Xmen) but other than that, meh.

So Dynamo 5. Fresh writing. Action-packed. Stepmom gathers her dead husband's (Captain Dynamo. Invincible and Atomic Eve were at the funeral. Cool.) illegitimate children and forms a team. The kids are different enough to be memorable and stupid enough to make you care for them. And the stepmom? Nick Fury in a skirt, but way scarier.

Secrets. Sibling rivalry. Sibling flirting. I'm on board with this one.****