Last week I think was overwhelmingly positive for me, to the point that I had to bring in a book I disliked from another week just to bring in some negativity to balance it out. This week, not so much. Nothing I straight-up hated, but at the very least a lot of high expectations dashed away. Perhaps, then, I'm to blame for this disappointment? Hype and expectations can affect the enjoyment of something so much more than the actual content; wanting so much from something can turn something merely mediocre into garbage and by focusing on not getting what you expected one can become prone to miss the merit that is there. Conversely, not expecting very much from something can make the good in it that much more impactful, although this applies more to movies as I revel in bad movies while with comics I rarely am willing to shell out for something I don't expect to be good in the first place. Of course there are things that hype-proof, some things are just solidly good and, having managed to watch Batman Forever twice this month, I can safely say some things are just outright horrible.
Anyways, let's look at comics.
Comics for 2/16:
Transformers: Infestation #2 (of 2)
Mass Effect: Evolution #2 (of 4)
Fables #102
Silver Surfer #1
Thunderbolts #153
Spider-Girl #4
Amazing Spider-Man #654.1
Transformers: Infestation #2 (of 2) From IDW. Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, art by Nick Roche, colors by Joana Lafuente
"Corrupted and MUTATED! MORE than meets the eye!"
For our weekly dose of Infestation, we head back to the robots in disguise. Last week, I tossed some praise towards this comic in the Infestation: Star Trek review. This issue seemed to go out of its way to make me regret that. The issue opens with one character speaking for five pages of exposition, recapping what happened in Infestation #1 and the events that led up to Infestation: Transformers #1. I'm sure that helps anyone who decides to come into the series at the second of two issues in the Transformers branch of this crossover, but that's almost a quarter of this comic devoted to a recap that, alternatively, the first issue was able to cover most of in a succinct paragraph on the credits page inside the cover. I normally like Abnett and Lanning, and to their credit I think they at least did some nice character work here, and I'll concede as a non-reader of the recent Transformers comics there may be concepts here I'm just not familiar with, but the main action of the story felt like just a bunch of random things happening and making up a bunch of pseudo-science on the fly to move the story along. Again, I'm a bit surprised I'm saying these things about the Transformers title and not the Star Trek one. Nothing is ever really explained, just things happening accompanied by people (and robots (and robot-people)) stating what as is happening as they do it. I'm actually researching some of these things that come up as I write this and I'm finding there is some precedence for a lot of the concepts thrown around, and given by the ads at the end Abentt and Lanning are probably re-introducing Galvatron's "Heart of Darkness" and the Dead Universe as they'll be a part in their upcoming Galvatron comic, which in some ways make this an obtuse issue 0 to that in the middle of the concluding issue of another series. I suppose this might all be welcome to people who've been immersed in the continuity, but it's not too welcoming to someone just diving into the series. As I said, though, I do at least like the character work, the writers grasp who these characters are and each individual manages to have a recognizable voice.
One thing to praise, though, was the art. It's far more stylized than any of the other books in the event, not quite to the level of Transformers: Animated but still all the characters have a slender, organic feel to them, relatively speaking to them being giant boxy robots, but again, a lot of the character that comes through is from the expressions and the design of the characters. Only drawback I see to it is Optimus' little ear-dealies are long and slender to the point of looking like exaggerated elf-ears, and it feels like when someone draws Batman's cowl-ears just absurdly long, which has always been a bugaboo of mine.
Mass Effect: Evolution #2 (of 4) From Dark Horse. Written by Mac Walters (story) and John Jackson Miller (script), art by Omar Francia with Manuel Silva, colors by Michael Atiyeh
"(Human) adapt. We learn. You hit us with something we haven't seen before and a week later we're mass-producing it and selling it back to you."
As opposed to Transformers, I am well-versed in Mass Effect continuity. Easily too much, especially since lately I've been researching something I want to write on here so I've been knee-deep in interviews and Wikis about the series. To a similar end, I'm loving this series but I can't imagine someone who hasn't at least played Mass Effect 2 enjoying this comic on its own merits nearly as much. The protagonist and one of the villains are integral characters in ME2 and ME1 respectively, buried in the lore of this already-established universe, we're seeing how they came to be how they are when we as Commander Shepard meet them. However, where this differs from Infestation: Transformers is the series at least attempts to make things simple and approachable. I think, at least if you start with the first issue, you could jump in unfamiliar with the Mass Effect universe and still appreciate the story somewhat, albeit without much of a clue what a lot of the details are referring to. Given the scale of the world that's been built, the comic takes a very narrow focus. In the first issue, we only see Humans and Turians, and know that they're at war, and we're viewing one skirmish in the midst of that greater war. Third issue has a few panels with Asari in the background. It's a nice, slow wade into the world the story takes place in, without loading down the narrative itself with information that would probably be helpful but also very cumbersome. Hard to say about the quality of the story overall at this point, we're at the second issue of four and we're still seeing the set-up falling into place. The art is solid, I remember Francia's stuff from when I had read Star Wars: Legacy and he's a great choice, generally speaking but also excels at the whole sci-fi scene. He nails the guns and ships and the all-around feel of it.
Fables #102 From Vertigo. Written by Bill Willingham, penciles by Mark Buckingham, inks by Steve Leialoha, colors by Lee Loughridge
"I'm not an expert on much, but I know my funnybooks."
I'm a recent convert to the Fables cause, earlier last year I tore through the available trades and got caught up somewhere around the 90th issue. I loved the earlier stuff and towards the middle, but I feel like it kind of peaked around the excellent Good Prince storyline and never quite got back to those lofty heights since then. I was honestly planning to drop it after issue 100, but the premise of working the super-hero motif into the Fables world was enough of a shake-up that I wanted to see where they're going with this. The bulk of the issue is giving us a look at the Fables' next initiative in the battle versus the Dark Man, spearheaded by Ozma and surprisingly Pinocchio which seems to be relying heavily on the "just crazy enough to work" angle, in building a "super-team" out of Fables to focus confidence and because "a super-team always beats the bad guy!". Given that a major plot point of a lot of Fables and even Jack of Fables has been how much strength, longevity, etc, is derived from how well-remembered the Fables are in "our" world, or at least the real-world of the comic, I have a feeling this may tie in to the old trope of how superheroes are the myths and fables of the modern age. Since my focus this post has been heavily on how easy a new reader can jump in versus someone steeped in continuity, I'll continue on that thread by mentioning this is probably a very good jumping-on point. A good deal of time is spent catching up with the Fables' situation as it is since issue 100, but done naturally through the dialog without feeling like you've been beat over the head by a recap. Ironically, issue 101 would probably have been the worst for new readers as it was catching up on a character away from the action who we hadn't seen for a bit and starting its own storyline that may or may not tie into where 102, or simply continue to get further away for the time being. Alternatively, being familiar with the bulk of Fables at this point I'm not feeling this as strongly as I would like to. While the early stories had a lot going on, and may be just that the war in the Homelands went by so quickly but this Dark Man over-arc seems to be circling somewhat, especially after expecting it to come to a head in 100 and now, while not exactly back to where it started, they're not too far off either.
I think Fables tends to read better as a trade than by single issues and this didn't move anything forward too much by the end of it, but for a first issue in an arc it certainly did an excellent job setting everything up. All, of course, complimented by Buckingham's excellent art.
Silver Surfer #1 From Marvel. Written by Greg Pak, pencils by Stephen Segovia, inks by Victor Olazaba, colors by Wil Quintana
"I suppose the stars can wait."
Coming off Pak's Chaos War, although seemingly independent of Surfer's goings-on in Thanos Imperative/Annihilators, this story takes the Surfer out of space and grounds him on Earth once again. Not in any literal sense (at least, he came here of his own volition for this story), but we're looking at the human (Zenn-La-an?), emotional side of the character amidst fights with government operatives and the High Evolutionary. As a limited series, especially with the character in a separate ongoing starting next month, you're pretty safe in thinking Surfer is going to get through this alright and that makes the main focus of this looking at the character. Since Fantastic Four #48-50, we've basically had the Surfer as a bridge between the continuity on Earth and the greater cosmic stories unfolding; a way to bring the Power Cosmic down to earth as well as put a sympathetic, emotional character out amidst the cosmic entities and abstracts he functions as an extension of. To make the focus on this humanity within him, though, is often a handipcap as he is more often than not a melancholy, depressed character and this can grow tiresome. A Cosmic Emo, if you will. I am not sure if this is going to be maintained throughout the series as there is a bit of a tonal twist at the end but early on in this issue we are given more than a couple pages of this same old Surfer, waxing darkly poetic about his detachment issues and the life he lost in becoming Galactus' herald. Although admittedly, in the same situation I'd probably whine a lot too.
As a set-up to the rest of the series, this comes off bit jumbled, but I think perhaps purposefully so to the narrative. We have Surfer contemplating life and its meaning, arriving in the middle of a drug-deal gone wrong with government ties, and a separate party in the High Evolutionary gunning for the Surfer himself all colliding in the same skirmish; with a clusterfuck like that things are bound to get a little confusing. That said, though, it doesn't necessarily make for a good read. Pak is an excellent writer and has earned my readership and my trust so I will stick around to see where this series is going, but for a first issue this had a lot going on and that left it a bit messy. If I had to make a recommendation, I might say this is one that's better to wait for this as a trade, to have the whole story in front of you rather than get in increments like this one.
Thunderbolts #153 From Marvel. Written by Jeff Parker, pencils by Kev Walker, inks by Jason Gorder, colors by Frank Martin
"Whoever knows fear..."
Thunderbolts has usually been a solid book when I've read it, but after Jeff Parker took over was the first time it really hit my radar as a must-read book. He assembled a good team of characters I knew and some I wasn't too familiar with and Man-Thing. Putting my favorite character on the team was certainly a big part in piquing my interest to buy the book in the first place, and was glad to see the book was actually great when I started reading it. The dynamic has changed significantly to a more Suicide-Squad-like team of incarcerated villains being used as a semi-black-ops team. This issue and the one before, specifically, has been the team repelling some giant kaiju escapees from Monster Island while dealing with new teammate and homicidal maniac Hyperion. There are some great action scenes, and the wonderful character work that Parker has been doing since he came on, with Juggernaut and Ghost certainly as stand-outs this time around. And, as mentioned, as a fan of the Macabre Man-Thing, the last page of this issue was simple but just beautiful, topped only by the next issue preview being a full-page shot of the mossy dude by himself. It helps that Kev Walker, doing some great character work of his own all-around, draws what may be my favorite version of Man-Thing too; less monstrous than he's normally depicted, just this sad, shuffling mass of green with big, doleful eyes. My love for the Man-Thing aside, this was a solid, fairly action-packed issue and was in my running for best book this week if only for the opposite of bitterly disappointing me, and even going so far as to be actually a fun read.
Spider-Girl #4 From Marvel. Written by Paul Tobin, art by Matthew Southworth and Paul Azaceta, colors by Chris Sotomayor with Andres Mossa
"The Spiders, they are passive. We are not. They spin webs and wait. But we... hunt."
Overall, this isn't
bad, and I know Tobin is a good writer, but through four issues this series has been all over the place, tonally, and I'm never sure what to expect from month to month anymore. And I hate to say it but I just hate the art on this. Love the artists, Southworth and Azaceta, although I only think he did a few panels on this book, have both done great work, but here it just felt a bit rushed and sloppy, and beyond that it's just a stark contrast from where the rest of the series has been, with the art, that there's a disconnect from issue to issue when the style changes so often.
To end on a positive, though, it was nice to see Tobin bring Chat out of his Spider-Man Adventures line and into main continuity.
Amazing Spider-Man #654.1 From Marvel. Written by Dan Slott, pencils by Humberto Ramos, inks by Carlos Cuevas, colors by Edgar Delgado
"See you around, partner."
After months of teasing, we finally got our first real look at the Venom comic. As I said last time, I think this is the best thing that's happened to the character, period. He was initially a good idea for a villain, and better as an antihero, but being filtered through the sensibilities of the '80s and '90s didn't help the execution particularly shine. The symbiote, however, has become a standard but in a lot of ways stagnated with how people continually used it, but forgot elements, including some powers that I don't think have been used in a decade but also the idea of the symbiote being its own character and even the speaking in first-person-plural seems to have fallen by the wayside. Remender seems to be embracing all these discarded elements in his Venom, and at the same time subverting them. I am resisting going off on a several paragraph rant about this, saving it for its own post, but in the meantime, 654.1, with Big Time team Slott and Ramos together again, gives us our first look at Remender's Venom in action. Essentially, it's an action movie wherein the super-spy hero has all the powers of the symbiote but we are introduced to what I imagine will be the primarily conflict of the series, the symbiote taking over. It's more reminscent of Peter's descent when he first had to deal with the suit than either later hosts Eddie or Mac, with Flash using the suit and the suit changing Flash rather than a partnership between the two. This was a fun story, and I can't wait for Remender to take over the reign. Additionally, we get a two-page spread of what's to come in Slott's Spider-Man, including a few little teases of stortlines and look at the return of the Sinister Six.
Only thing I don't really get is the point-one aspect. The others so far have been meant as a jumping-on point for new or lapsed readers to catch up, but this was a bit different. Granted it was still Slott doing this, but it's a good way to bring in new readers to
Venom, not so much Amazing Spider-Man. One page breaks away to check in on Peter, and give a little bit of recap but goes right back to Flash. Even that two-page preview for ASM would be just a lot of nonsense information being tossed at new readers who haven't been following Spidey or Marvel comics in general.
And that should be it for this Marvel-heavy week. Aside from Fables being Vertigo I didn't have a single DC book this week. We'll see what next week brings but if it's not fairly obvious yet, I'm pretty heavily a Marvel fanboy. I've grown to enjoy a lot of their titles over time, but I grew up with Spidey, and the X-Men, and Fantastic Four, so I'm much more attuned to that end of the spectrum.
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