Mitey Musings: Best of the week: Comics bought 24 November

miteymusings

Sex, drugs, and obscure pop culture references.

Saturday, December 02, 2006

Best of the week: Comics bought 24 November

Well, don't say I didn't warn you that this post would be late...

I'm going to try and keep this reasonably brief, with a bit of other stuff I want to write tonight. I got a fair few comics, with a decent amount of good stuff, but not a great deal of great stuff.

Oh, and I'm now including "cover of the week", as well.

Previous weeks:

Cover of the week:

Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #24, by Barry Kitson.

Quote of the week:

"Of course, I haven't had to kill 20 people by myself in over a hundred years. It might take me a little longer than it used to - maybe even 15 minutes or so."
- Angel, giving his confident tough guy routine, Angel: Auld Lang Syne #1

Best of the week:

Action Comics #845
DC Comics
Written by Geoff Johns and Richard Donner
Art by Adam Kubert
Cover by Adam Kubert

I found the previous issue of Action Comics quite disappointing. I didn't hate it per se, but the story seemed to be rushed, and the art wasn't Adam Kubert's greatest by any stretch of the imagination.

Thankfully, I was far more satisfied with the latest issue. It brings both Bizarro and Lex Luthor into the mix, and they are villains who should be feared. And let's not forget that little thing about the kid from Krypton, which really makes you care.

I'm not going to go into any more plot details and spoil the story, but it works brilliantly - especially the twist on the last page.

Kubert's art has vastly improved on the previous issue. It's still not his greatest, but he at least seems to be coming to grips with Superman and his world.

Amazing Spider-Man #536
Marvel Comics
Written by J Michael Straczynski
Art by Ron Garney and Bill Reinhold
Cover by Ron Garney

For a comic where nothing much happens, the latest - and incredibly late - issue of Amazing Spider-Man is an excellent read. Taking place over the course of Civil War #5 (and apparently #6), it deals with Spidey's decision to switch sides from Iron Man's pro-registration, to Captain America's anti-registration.

Naturally, with any such decisions, there will be consequences, and Spidey is already learning this the hard way. And I have a feeling things will get worse. Spidey is the moral compass throughout Marvel's latest "event", and this title has been superior to the main Civil War miniseries consistently. An excellent read.

Punisher: War Journal #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Matt Fraction
Art by Ariel Olivetti
Cover by Ariel Olivetti

The Punisher's a funny character - it's so easy to get him wrong, especially when incorporating him into the Marvel Universe. Garth Ennis's issues have been amusing (not that I've kept up with them regularly), though they're over the top issues, designed for Marvel MAX.

What we have here is a toned down series, set in the more colourful Marvel universe, with him taking on costumed criminals, and getting involved with the civil war. Who's side does he choose? Well, if you read Civil War #4, or Amazing Spider-Man #536, you already know the answer.

Matt Fraction's writing is great, capturing the world, the Punisher's insanity, all with a great sense of humour. And Ariel Olivetti's art is beautiful, managing to suit the tone far better than you'd think possible.

I read the orignals:

Many people consider Superman/Batman Volume 3: Absolute Power as the point where the series jumped the shark. The early chapters may indicate this, though the story quickly builds into a fulfilling adventure, and great examination of what makes the titular heroes who they are.

On the flip side, thr Squadron Supreme Volume 1: Prewar Years Premiere hardcover starts strong, but starts to meander and become incredibly self indulgent, completely ruining a great amount of potential.

Army of Darkness Volume 4: Old School is where the series starts to get stale. That said, I don't think the story is any worse than the previous ones at all, but once you've read a couple of the arcs, nothing really changes. This also includes the annual, with some great short stories.

Cancellations:

I cancelled JSA Classified for the same reason I cancelled JLA Classified a little while back - it's an anthology, and you can't always count on the talent involved to be, well... talented.