Wednesday Number Ones is a weekly feature here at Comic Pants. We take the books that are premiering a first issue from that week and give a quick opinion on them. From time to time we may also include more than issue number ones in this feature. If a noteworthy one-shot or the first issue of a new story arc is released, we may talk about it in this feature. This week’s feature is on Thursday due to holiday shipping, and next week’s feature will be as well.
This week we will cover 30 Days Of Night Spreading The Disease #1, Battlestar Galactica Zarek #1, Cyberforce X-Men #1, Hack Slash Slice Hard, Okko Cycle Of Water #1 and Winter Soldier: Winter Kills One Shot.
Dave Farabee Read and Thought:
Battlestar Galactica: Zarek #1 of 4 (Dynamite Entertainment): These new Galactica books from Dynamite are decently written, but what’s with all the second-rate art? Not terrible…just second-rate. Still, if you’re a Galactica fan who digs Richard Hatch’s charismatic political firebrand, Tom Zarek, you’ll find a credible history of his early years here. This first issue is really more the story of his blue collar parents, doing their best to survive on a colony where cheap labor is just another word for slavery. It works, though, revealing the formative events that made him the man we know from the show, and writer Brandon Jerwa’s got some well-thought ideas about the initial creation of and clashes with the Cyclons. Jerwa’s a bit of a go-to guy for retroactive history, having done a fine job doing the same with Snake-Eyes: Declassified at Devil’s Due, and he only occasionally slips and writes a scene that feels a little “comic-booky” (A spoken vow over a grave? Yikes). Overall: pretty enjoyable. Galactica fans should consider it.
30 Days of Night: Spreading the Disease #1 of 5 (IDW Publishing): I haven’t followed any 30 Days of Night minis since the original one disappointed me with mediocre execution of a good vampire concept. Fortunately, writer Dan Wickline (taking the reigns from series’ creator Steve Niles) tells me everything I need to know for a story that obviously follows hot on the heels of the previous mini. The salient hook is that we’ve got a disgraced FBI agent being fed clues by a mysterious “X-Files”-style informant, with vampires conspiring around him as he trails them through bars and hospitals. But: the incidental writing’s uninspired and the artwork not worth slogging through the mud-inspired color palette. In other words, it fits the franchise history.
David Martindale Read and Thought:
Winter Soldier: Winter Kills One Shot (Marvel Comics): A bit on the weak side when compared to the quality of Brubaker’s Captain America stories. The art seems decent enough, and the dialogue feels right too. Unfortunately, the plotting seems a bit loose, and the tone seems strange. At times, the issue feels like a Christmas issue, but at other moments, Bucky is stabbing people in the neck with arrows. The book feels like it can’t decide what it is. There is also an overabundance of brooding in the issue. I think Brubaker could have gotten Bucky’s angst across without hitting the reader over the head with it repeatedly. Certainly not a bad comic, but it is quite skippable.
Nick Budd Read and Thought:
Cyberforce & X-Men #1 (Marvel/Top Cow): Seriously, this one was not as bad as I had expected. In fact, this out of continuity action fest is actually quite entertaining. Though Marz’s script doesn’t explain why it is that these two mini teams happen upon each other in the same universe, it’s a point that in the end, doesn’t really matter. The only thing that detracts from the fun are Pat Lee’s poor and muddled visuals. They spoil things a bit, but seeing Wolverine, Psylocke, Cyblade and Ripclaw take on a portion of the Hand and a few Sentinels, should manage to bring out the X-Geek and action fan in anyone.
Hack/Slash Slice Hard (Devils Due):Tim Seely returns to his cult hit with Hack/Slash Slice Hard, a one shot that has Cassie Hack and her compatriot Vlad falling into the hands of a covert agency that are collecting the slashers that Cassie herself has been axing. It’s a somewhat entertaining concept but it feels a tad cookie cutter in appearance. And while the staple sarcasm, wit and sadistic charm that come with the book are all still there, the fact that the story is so predictable is disappointing. What’s worse though, is the amateurish art that it’s paired with. All in all, Hack/Slash: Slice Hard is something that people who are already fans of the series might enjoy. If you’ve never happened upon the story, check out the Hack/Slash: First Cut trade and see the fun you’ve missed out on.
Randy Lander Read and Thought:
Okko: The Cycle of Water #1 of 4 (Archaia Studios Press): Chalk up another winner for Archaia, as Okko is every bit as engaging and beautiful as their other books. Like The Killer or Mouse Guard, Okko evokes a familiar style, in this case the epic, lyrical work of animators like Hayao Miyazaki and Katsuhiro Otomo, but with a skill that makes it fresh, not cliche or imitative. Writer/artist Hub introduces a cast of quirky, dangerous characters including a demon warrior, a monster-hunting ronin, a drunken monk and a young boy who has lost his family and puts them on the trail of pirates who have stolen a pregnant geisha for reasons unknown. Hub’s world is full of spirits, demons and haunted shrines, as well as intricate and beautifully designed settings reminiscent of Japanese feudal culture. At this point, it seems that Archaia can do no wrong, and all their books should go on every fan’s “must buy” list.
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Overall, I thought this was a damn fine week. I actually liked Hack/Slash Slice Hard a great deal more than Nick… it might be my favorite offering from the series thus far. The art is hit and miss (that happens when you’ve got like half a dozen artists), but in some cases it’s actually really strong, and even at worst it’s passable. The story, meanwhile, introduces a new and interesting slasher villain, calls back some of Cassie’s old conquests, offers up a couple insights into Cassie and Vlad’s relationship and provides plenty of gory fun.
Also quite liked Winter Soldier, found it to be more or less on par with a lot of Brubaker’s Captain America work. A nice use of the unfortunate choice to bring Bucky back with some good flashback stuff, terrific work with the guest-starring Young Avengers, Brubaker’s usual excellent handling of the crap Civil War concept, not to mention fantastic art by Lee Weeks and solid action sequences… I call it must-reading for Cap fans, and a surprising bright spot for you poor bastards spending your life savings on Marvel’s Civil War tie-ins.
Otherwise… latest issue of Daredevil finally gives us some answers, and while it reads more like a Bendis/Maleev issue than a Brubaker/Lark one (in other words, lots of talky talk), there is some action and it’s an interesting climax to the story, tying back pretty solidly into the foundation laid down by Bendis. The Killer #2 doesn’t disappoint, neither does the latest Jack of Fables (a lighter, funnier version of the Fables book itself, appropriate to a spinoff for its trickster character), the latest Batman and the Mad Monk and the latest Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, which has some great stuff between Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane. Also found some fun moments in Crossing Midnight #2 and Iron Fist #2, thought neither has quite hooked me yet, and the same is true of Hellstorm #3.
Several great reads, several good ones… pretty solid week!
28 Dec 2006 at 9:23 am
QuoteI only bought The Immortal Iron Fist #2, and holy crap I thought it was fun. The first issue was good but not great, but I had a blast with this issue. I liked especially the dialogue; Brube and Fraction balance Danny’s experience as a warrior with his still kind of shaky experience in the real world. And they got John Severin to draw pages! I really like this added backstory of many Iron Fists over the years. It gives the concept depth the original Roy Thomas penned concept lacked a bit.
I did read the Winter Kills one-shot, and I have to say, if we’re going to be stuck with a reborn Bucky (Still, I can’t help wondering if Brube’s got a Cosmic Cube “everything you know is wrong” up his sleeve), at least we get good stories like this. I don’t know if this was added as part of the stopgap for the delays, but I’m glad it was made. The scene at the end brought a bit of a tear to my eye.
And if Heinberg never comes back to YA (and given how horrible Wonder Woman is, maybe that’s a blessing), perhaps Brubaker should take a whack at it. It’s kind of a shame that book is on hiatus because Civil War has interesting implications for it.
28 Dec 2006 at 1:44 pm
QuoteI only bought The Immortal Iron Fist #2, and holy crap I thought it was fun. The first issue was good but not great, but I had a blast with this issue. I liked especially the dialogue; Brube and Fraction balance Danny’s experience as a warrior with his still kind of shaky experience in the real world. And they got John Severin to draw pages! I really like this added backstory of many Iron Fists over the years. It gives the concept depth the original Roy Thomas penned concept lacked a bit.
It’s interesting, because I sort of mildly enjoyed both Iron Fist #1-2, but I’ve got some gripes with it, ironically some of which are what you enjoy about the book. Like you, I dig the notion of adding an Iron Fist legacy, but I don’t know that the character *needed* it. In fact, I think the basic concept we’ve had is plenty strong. My favorite sequence in #2 is the interaction between Power Man and Iron Fist. Call me an old school traditionalist, but I’d really rather just have a new PM/IF book instead of Cage in the Avengers and Iron Fist as a kung-fu action book. I’m also really not fond of the dialogue, which makes Danny way too quippy. I like Fraction, but it does seem like he’s got one voice, and it’s the self-aware ironic quippy style. Works for some guys, but unfortunately not the Marvel guys he’s writing. In my opinion, at least.
And if Heinberg never comes back to YA (and given how horrible Wonder Woman is, maybe that’s a blessing), perhaps Brubaker should take a whack at it.
Here’s the thing, though… is Wonder Woman actually horrible? I think it’s actually decent, solid superhero stuff, but the delayed expectations and Hollywood writer raise the bar, and so when it comes out it can’t help but disappoint. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got no sympathy for Heinberg here, because the lateness on that book is terrible. It’s kind of like how Ellis and Granov fucked up a potentially big sales relaunch of Iron Man with lateness that dropped its sales back to tepid levels. Same deal with WW, which started off looking like a potential big new launch and now, thanks to lateness, is back to third tier territory.
I’m just saying, devil’s advocate, that the book’s quality isn’t really that bad. It’s just that the lateness robs it of all-important urgency and connectedness with the readers.
28 Dec 2006 at 2:23 pm
QuoteYou know, I don’t find Fraction’s quippy style that bothersome. It’s light and fun and makes me smile, I don’t get the feeling he’s trying to one-up people or is talking down to Danny Rand in any way. With Punisher War Journal he’s clearly satirizing the character, but unlike most I consider that a perfectly legitimate approach.
I mean, if you want REALLY bitter self-irony that takes itself too seriously, you should read The Boys. Jesus!
As to Wonder Woman, well, if I were a big WW fan perhaps I’d get more out of it, but I’m tired of the “supporting character in her own book” approach, like the weaker aspects of the Priest Black Panther run, or Rucka’s overrated run. Only Heinberg’s like “Here’s my continuity reference!” over and over again it seems. It’s like Heinberg’s anxious about writing Wonder Woman as a three dimensional person, so the book mainly consists of Diana running around in the background while other people react to her. I wouldn’t say it’s horrible, but it’s certainly annoying to me.
Iron Man, for its first three issues, might have been the best IM story ever, if Ellis hadn’t obviously slacked off when he realized Granov would take forever to turn in the art (he said he completed the first DRAFT of issue #6 in JULY 2005. How long did it take to write “IM and Mallen punch each other for 20 pages and then scientist lady gets arrested?” God, I hate him so much sometimes). Paul O’Brien recently pointed out that the Knaufs and Zircher haven’t done much to stop the bleeding, and the CW tie-ins aren’t helping either. Considering how the next year at Marvel seems determined to position Iron Man as the MU’s Big Bad, that’s not a good sign.
28 Dec 2006 at 8:43 pm
QuoteYou know, I don’t find Fraction’s quippy style that bothersome. It’s light and fun and makes me smile, I don’t get the feeling he’s trying to one-up people or is talking down to Danny Rand in any way. With Punisher War Journal he’s clearly satirizing the character, but unlike most I consider that a perfectly legitimate approach.
Eh. I feel like the character has earned his respect, and more to the point, I’m not thrilled that Fraction came into Marvel and with what is essentially his first story offed a villain created by some of the earliest Daredevil creators. Maybe this isn’t fair of me, but I don’t feel he’d earned it.
You heard me… I don’t think he had earned the right to kill Stilt-Man. I’m well aware that Fraction will probably point and laugh at me for making this remark, if he sees it. I will bear his scorn proudly.
As to Wonder Woman, well, if I were a big WW fan perhaps I’d get more out of it, but I’m tired of the “supporting character in her own book” approach, like the weaker aspects of the Priest Black Panther run, or Rucka’s overrated run.
I think part of why I dug it at first is because I’m not a Wonder Woman fan, and I at least thought Heinberg’s run had some nice action, solid art from the Dodsons and a nifty use of some old continuity without rubbing it in your face if you don’t know it. I mean, I know almost nothing of WW’s history, but I got the Heinberg Wonder Woman.
Paul O’Brien recently pointed out that the Knaufs and Zircher haven’t done much to stop the bleeding, and the CW tie-ins aren’t helping either. Considering how the next year at Marvel seems determined to position Iron Man as the MU’s Big Bad, that’s not a good sign.
What’s weird is not that I dislike it so much, but that it’s a rare case of Marvel dropping the ball from a business/marketing point of view. I mean, I hate Iron Man as villain, just as much as I hate 90% of what’s going on in the Marvel Universe right now, but I can’t deny the sales effectiveness of it. The smart thing to do would be to reposition Iron Man as a starring book for a villain, and try to make Tony a sympathetic villain… give his point of view, so that he doesn’t just come across as the total asshole he’s being portrayed as in CIVIL WAR proper. I’d hate it, wouldn’t read it… but these days, you could splash that quote across most of the Top 10 or 20 selling comics, so maybe that’s a good thing.
28 Dec 2006 at 9:11 pm
QuoteFor me, this week was a week where I was surprised by some of the comics that I read…Pleasantly surprised, that is.
As for Hack/Slash, my problem with it wasn’t that it was horrible. In fact, the book was far from that. What my issue with it was, was that I had sincerely enjoyed the First Cut trade, both in the well-crafted, very clever story and the nice art. With Slice Hard, I was underwhelmed by all that it offered, but it wasn’t something that I loathed or anything.
For the remainder of the week, I too was taken by Winter Soldier: Winter Kills. I have no stake in the Bucky controversy either way, and I have really liked what Brubaker has done so far with him. A few issues ago we got to see him infiltrate a S.H.I.E.L.D. base and with this one, we not only got some solid artwork turned in by Weeks, but it felt like a classic superhero team up. I miss those and this sort of fit the bill for me.
Ostrander’s Batman was a tad on the dark side but Mandrake really draws one of the best Batman’s around and it was a fine read (though I maybe in the minority on that). Daredevil was a nice summation to the overall mystery that has been plauging Murdock (though I see where Randy is coming from with the talky comment) and Connor Hawke continues to provide a solid story with energetic art by Donovan.
Oh, and though I again might be in the minority, Nextwave was again a laugh out loud, over the top bizzare action extravaganza! Yes, I say these things about this book, knowing full well that I will be mocked to no end.
28 Dec 2006 at 9:13 pm
QuoteOnly Christos Gage’s special I think, really portrayed Tony as trying to do the right thing instead of the conflicted fascist he’s been shown to be in other books. He’s deluded enough to think that if HE’s in charge, things will be done “right.” And yet, only Gage has portayed things correctly.
28 Dec 2006 at 9:27 pm
QuoteAnd I just forgot; Gage threw in Tony discovering the Project Wideawake Sentinel program. That’s a a good motivation, I think.
28 Dec 2006 at 9:31 pm
QuoteYou know. I’ve kept away from Brubaker’s Cap just because of the whole Bucky. I’m damn pissed at what they did with that and basically out of spite, I’ve ignored anything with Winter Soldier and all that crap. But I’ve heard a lot of praise for the Cap’s series under Brubaker and now this WS oneshot, I can’t help but wonder if I’m missing out on something good.
How about it guys, should I get over myself and check this out?
28 Dec 2006 at 11:59 pm
QuoteHonestly… probably so. I’ll be honest, I think bringing Bucky back, regardless of how well it was carried out, is ultimately foolish and pointless. It’s not out of line to suggest that I utterly hate this development.
And yet… the writing and art on the new Captain America series has been so good, and some of the stuff with the Winter Soldier actually pretty intriguing as well, that I find it has melted my hatred somewhat. It’s probably worth checking out the trades and seeing what you think. If you want to skip over the Winter Soldier focus (probably a good idea) to see if it’s worth your time, I suggest reading the Red Menace Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 trades, which are probably the strongest the book has been, in my opinion.
29 Dec 2006 at 12:09 am
QuoteOnly Christos Gage’s special I think, really portrayed Tony as trying to do the right thing instead of the conflicted fascist he’s been shown to be in other books. He’s deluded enough to think that if HE’s in charge, things will be done “right.” And yet, only Gage has portayed things correctly.
If Iron Man being a delusional fascist can be considered portraying things correctly.
The essential problem is, Millar and Bendis don’t seem to see any difference between the Ultimate versions of the characters and the regular versions. They’ve as much as said so in interviews. And that fundamental misunderstanding of the characters infects everything, so that even the writers who do a good job with the tie-ins (Brubaker, possibly Gage although I wasn’t impressed with my skim of that one-shot) are still really trying to shore up a ridiculous bit of mischaracterization. At best, they can provide reasonable retcon excuses for this weird behavior… but I couldn’t ever call it correct.
29 Dec 2006 at 12:13 am
QuoteOkko was outstanding. I’d stack it right behind Killer and Mouse Guard if I had to rank them but it was still really good. Intresting to see the listings of some more Archaia books coming in 07. I think they’re the one indie group to watch for. I saw that Mouse Guard 2 is already in the works which has me jazzed as well with with the first hardcover but I need that last issue.
So much stuff this week. I finally got in my Runaways V2 HC which is great. Now I can read what I didn’t get to which is everything before issue 8 of the current volume.
Killer was great. Batman/Mad Monk great. Daredevil great. Just a great big week. My wallet really took a pounding.
29 Dec 2006 at 1:22 pm
QuoteThanks for the comments on Hack/Slash! I picked it up and wasn’t blown away (although I liked the teddy-bear-with-a-butcher-knife concept), but on your recommendation, I’ll have to hunt down that first TPB.
02 Jan 2007 at 9:52 am
QuoteI’m really glad Okko’s getting so favorably received. The folks at Archaia work really hard on their stuff and–full disclosure–I’m thrilled to be working with them on such series as Okko. I can also say The Secret History is shaping up to be a real treat for me too: the story gets better and broader with each book, and sifting the real from the invented with historical research has been enlightening. I’ll be happy to jump on board with issue #5 of The Killer. Hope this hasn’t been too shameless a plug: happy reading, and thanks again!
02 Jan 2007 at 10:41 pm
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