What is a Short Pants Review? While we’d love to give full reviews to everything, there just isn’t enough time in the day. So we’ve come up with Short Pants (the name was given to us by Eye on Comics‘ Don MacPherson) as a way of providing capsule reviews from our varied review writers, giving quick hits and short capsule thoughts about various comics we’ve read recently. This time out, Nick and Randy cover Doctor Strange: The Oath #3, Invincible #37, Irredeemable Ant-Man #3, Nextwave #10, Superman Confidential #2, Teen Titans #41 and True Story Swear to God Vol. 2 #2.
Nick Budd Read and Thought:
Nextwave #10 (Marvel): Utter drivel. Garbage. Stupid to the point of being idiotic. Crap. More crap. I’ve heard Nextwave called all of these things (a few things worse even), but if it was that bad of a book, why is it that I’m still laughing? I guess that’s the question really. In issue #10, we’re given the batty battle between three Beyond Corporation superteams and the Nextwave squad. Standard action fare but when Forbush-Man (a guy with a bucket on his head) takes matters into his own hands, things get a bit squirrelly. Every member of Nextwave, save one, are transported into their worst nightmares, which range from becoming a tax insurance agent to being the last human in a land of monsters. Whether you enjoy the book or not, you have to appreciate Stuart Immonen’s artistic talents. With this issue alone, he tackles five different art styles and all of them are gorgeous (especially the Mignola riff towards the end). Like it, love it or hate it, this issue of Nextwave is seriously a blast.
Invincible #37 (Image): Dependable, fundamental and quippy superhero action/adventure. These are the reasons why Invincible has worked so well in the past, and it’s why it continues to do so even now, 37 issues down the line as we see Invincible take on the diabolical D.A. Sinclair and his Reanimen. Again Kirkman dips into the darker material, putting Invincible in a situation where he almost kills, but like always he manages to work some humor in to lighten things up. The strange romance story between the Rex Splode clone & Monster Girl continues to grow, and is a nice addition to the story. What really shines though are Ryan Ottley’s superb artwork and Bill Crabtree’s complimentary colors. Ottley handles both the talking head portions and the full on action scenes with class and Crabtree’s colors only make them better. It may not be the strongest issue overall, but Invincible fans will not be disappointed.
Teen Titans #41 (DC): Every once in awhile, a book comes along that has a strong story but the art is a miscalculation, and invariably causes the book to suffer. That’s the case here in the latest issue of Teen Titans, as Geoff Johns concludes his enjoyable “Titans Around the World” arc. It’s always nice to see new characters, interesting bad guys and some decent team based action take precedence in a book, and that’s exactly what Johns provides as we see the Titans (both new and old) stop arguing with one another and take the fight to the Captain Atom-like character, Bombshell. The fatal flaw with it though is the art provided by Paco Diaz & Ryan Benjamin. Their styles aren’t cohesive with one another’s, and at times, the characters feel grossly out of proportion and have the tendency of looking half-drunk or stoned. Not a bad outing in the end, but with more capable art, Teen Titans has the potential to be something worth reading.
Randy Lander Read and Thought:
Doctor Strange: The Oath #3 (Marvel): Brian Vaughan and Marcos Martin provide a nice action sequence, a cool mindscape sequence, some limitations on how magic works in the Marvel Universe, a little more insight into the bad guy that deepens the mystery of the plot and a few favorite faces from the Doc’s rogues’ gallery in another entertaining issue of this miniseries. Vaughan provides some great character moments, from Night Nurse’s deductions about broken noses to Doctor Strange’s regard (or lack thereof) for due process, and makes the whole magic adventure world that Strange inhabits more approachable without entirely losing the larger-than-life aspects of the subgenre.
Irredeemable Ant-Man #3 (Marvel): I have to admit, I give Irredeemable Ant-Man a lot of bonus points just for being unusual. A thoroughly unlikable lead character and an origin sequence from six months earlier running concurrent with the modern story are two of the more unusual elements, both of which I like. In this issue specifically, we’ve got a hero using his shrinking powers to spy on his showering date after he’s shown the door as well as doing some unintended damage to half of an abusive couple. Eric is fairly reprehensible, but there’s a sense that he is not irredeemable, regardless of the subtitle of the book, and I like the glimpses of guilt and humanity in this narcissistic character as much as the dark humor in his selfish actions. Throw in terrific artwork by Phil Hester, Ande Parks and Bill Crabtree and you’ve got a pretty intriguing new title that’s off the beaten path for Marvel, and has a lot in common with Kirkman’s idiosyncratic Invincible series at Image.
Superman Confidential #2 (DC Comics): I have mixed feelings about this issue. Tim Sale’s artwork is amazing, capturing the same period tone that Darwyn Cooke’s script evokes, and I really do like the unusual voice that Cooke brings to his work. Lois’s interactions with casino owner Tony Gallo show her off as a strong character and Gallo as an intriguing adversary, the quiet scenes between Superman and his father are note perfect and the effect that Superman has when he arrives to rescue the islanders from the volcano is likewise exactly what I’d want. However… Cooke has Superman not just failing to save children and innocents, in some cases he seems to be actually responsible for an old woman and a dog dying in fairly horrible ways, and to me that seems an unnecessary bit of realism and darkness that contrasts pretty strongly with the generally optimistic, superheroic tone of the book. Not quite enough to put me off, considering how much Cooke gets right, and how great Sale’s art looks throughout… but it does come close.
True Story Swear to God Vol. 2 #2 (Image): The move to Image hasn’t slowed Tom Beland a step, and hopefully it’s giving him more of the wider readership he deserves. This issue, focusing on a story of Lily exploring her growing attachment to buddhism by shaving her head, is, as always, funny, touching and delightfully human and real. Beland’s comic timing shines through, as in the scene where Tom comes home to find that Lily is angry at her mother (via the sound of crashing dishes), but what really makes the issue sing is his ability to convey the inner workings of relationships. Lily and Tom talking on the couch about her shaving her head, Lily’s conflict with her mother, Tom’s blunt talk with Lily’s mother on his girlfriend’s behalf (very noble and very brave), the contrast in a couple’s lives where one has had a good day and the other a bad and any of a dozen other little things all show someone who has observed life and knows how to transform it into the dramatic beats of a story without losing verisimilitude. If this issue of True Story doesn’t make you tear up a little, you might be a robot.
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Excellent new addition fellas.
10 Dec 2006 at 1:47 pm
QuoteTechnically, you guys have already been doing this, but you’re focus was limited to first issues. Short Pants seems to embrace the same format as Wednesday Number Ones. Perhaps you should include Wed. Number Ones in the Short Pants category as well.
10 Dec 2006 at 2:38 pm
QuoteYou know, Eric doesn’t seem like THAT bad of a guy. He’s not sadistic or mischevious, just sort of lecherous, kind of like Barney from How I Met Your Mother.
10 Dec 2006 at 4:04 pm
QuoteI’m glad to see the reviews expand out of just the first issues. Thanks guys.
10 Dec 2006 at 5:38 pm
QuoteLike the new category title. However, I thought about a variation of the “Short pants” title (and this dates me a bit): “Floods”. (Was this a West Coast thang or do I need to elaborate?).
11 Dec 2006 at 1:43 am
QuoteI’m still on the fence wheter to buy the Darwyn Cooke and Time Sale story in TPB or not. The reviews have been very mixed till now, but like both creators alot.
On the other hand, the more I read about ‘True Story, Swear to God’, the more I just want to get that first TPB. That’s a series I should be able to enjoy.
These Short Pants Reviews are a great addition to the site, thanks.
11 Dec 2006 at 3:05 am
QuoteI think Superman Confidential is going to be a pretty dark story overall. It’s pretty clear that the overall theme is going to be exploring the nature of mortality. Not exactly a light subject.
I’ve hated the DC turn towards over the top grit, but this feels different. It’s more sophisticated than, say, having Ma Kent raped by Kryptonite Man. It’s an exploration of the fears and vulnerabilities of an otherwise invulnerable man. We’ll see how it plays out, but I definitely like Cooke’s story so far.
I would say that it is dark without being cheap.
11 Dec 2006 at 4:36 am
QuoteMissed ‘True Story, Swear to God’ so I’ve to pick it up next week. And if Short Pants reminding me to buy TSSTG isn’t enough proof that this is a great addition I don’t know what is
11 Dec 2006 at 9:42 am
QuoteI agree with another poster that Superman: Confidential #2 was dark without being cheap. The idea that Superman failed and was actually vulnerable and scared (and not from kryptonite) was shocking, and a great plot point. I thought the inner monologues and overall writing was well-paced and of course Sale’s drawings were impeccable. The idea that Superman inadvertently caused that dog to burn up as he was trying to escape was a throwaway, which I actually wished the story highlighted to shore up his feelings of guilt and horror. It makes sense that if a Superman was saving the world, that he would be haunted by the people he failed ot save, and face situations that would threaten his mortality. I think this makes Superman even more heroic, than just the stakes of missing a dinner date with Lois. This story feels like a continuation of the tone of Loeb and Sale’s “Superman for All Season” which had some great writing, but a weaker plot to hang it on. I’m enjoying this comic, and can’t wait to see where it heads.
11 Dec 2006 at 11:59 am
QuoteI’m not as jazzed about Tim Sale’s art, but I have to say, Darwyn Cooke’s scripting on Confidential is the best I’ve seen from him, like Loeb without the withering condescension.
11 Dec 2006 at 12:39 pm
QuoteDon said:
Technically, you guys have already been doing this, but you’re focus was limited to first issues. Short Pants seems to embrace the same format as Wednesday Number Ones. Perhaps you should include Wed. Number Ones in the Short Pants category as well.
You’re over-categorizing again, Don.
There’s a pretty clear delineation: Wednesday Number Ones is for books that came out that day, jumping-on points and first issues only. Short Pants is an expansive category that covers everything else. The format is the same, but the focus of the features is entirely different, so it’s best to keep them separate.
Kevin said:
Like the new category title. However, I thought about a variation of the “Short pants” title (and this dates me a bit): “Floods”. (Was this a West Coast thang or do I need to elaborate?).
I’m not entirely sure I get it, but given what short pants generally means (youth) and what the word floods and younger people brings together (remember, I’ve got a daughter just out of potty training), I’m not *sure* want you to elaborate.
Medard said:
I’m still on the fence wheter to buy the Darwyn Cooke and Time Sale story in TPB or not. and the more I read about ‘True Story, Swear to God’, the more I just want to get that first TPB.
For what it’s worth, I highly recommend the TSSTG trade to everyone… it’s a book that really deserves a wider readership, and most who have read it (including guys like D3, who was very much a doubter) have really enjoyed it. As for Superman Confidential… I’ve got my issues with it, but right now, my guess is that I’ll be buying the trade (or hardcover) when it comes out. Cooke has yet to let me down when all is said and done with a story, and Sale’s art looks great.
Albert said:
I agree with another poster that Superman: Confidential #2 was dark without being cheap. The idea that Superman failed and was actually vulnerable and scared (and not from kryptonite) was shocking, and a great plot point.
Differing opinions here, and we actually discussed this a bit amongst the Pantsers last night, and will no doubt discuss it further in this week’s Cooke-centric podcast. But where I come down is, no one should ever die because Superman was there. I’m not wild about Superman failing to save everyone, because, y’know… he’s Superman. He shows up, everyone should be saved. But this is his early days, and I can accept that Cooke is showing him to be fallible and limited in his early career. What I didn’t like was the notion that his presence basically *caused* the death of an innocent old woman and a dog. Too much for me.
The idea that Superman inadvertently caused that dog to burn up as he was trying to escape was a throwaway, which I actually wished the story highlighted to shore up his feelings of guilt and horror. It makes sense that if a Superman was saving the world, that he would be haunted by the people he failed ot save, and face situations that would threaten his mortality.
This seems to be the common wisdom these days, that it’s more realistic for superheroes to be haunted by their failures. I say, cut out the angst and give me heroes I can look up to! I don’t want a hero who makes me think “Wow, that’s just like me.” I want heroes that I can aspire to, who remind me that humanity (or it’s adopted aliens) can be nobler than the everyday. Does it make sense? Well, sure, I can’t really argue that. But I’d prefer a slight flexibility on the realism to really play up the heroism.
I mean, if you think about it, it’s more realistic that some lucky punk with a gun would have taken out Batman by now. But that’s not a story we really want to see, is it? (I say, fully expecting that Mark Millar or Brian Bendis has that very story in his drawer as we speak.)
This story feels like a continuation of the tone of Loeb and Sale’s “Superman for All Season” which had some great writing, but a weaker plot to hang it on. I’m enjoying this comic, and can’t wait to see where it heads.
I’ve definitely picked up on a “Loeb, but better” vibe from Cooke as well. This might be why the Spirit/Batman collaboration between the two of them worked so well. Cooke has a similar vibe to Loeb at his best. I’m also thinking that Loeb should really do more period work, rather than working in the modern, continuity-intensive universe, as I think that’s where his strengths lie as well. Let’s remember, most of Loeb’s work with Tim Sale has been very good to exceptional.
11 Dec 2006 at 1:20 pm
Quote“This seems to be the common wisdom these days, that it’s more realistic for superheroes to be haunted by their failures. I say, cut out the angst and give me heroes I can look up to! I don’t want a hero who makes me think “Wow, that’s just like me.” I want heroes that I can aspire to, who remind me that humanity (or it’s adopted aliens) can be nobler than the everyday.”
I think it’s important to remember that we’re still on issue two. I have little doubt that, by the end, the Superman you want to see will make his appearance. Darwyn Cooke is no Millar or Meltzer.
11 Dec 2006 at 5:48 pm
QuoteWhen I write Spider-Man stories, I think back to the days when I began reading the character. Peter Parker never really had an easy time of it… but to bring that point home, Stan Lee focused on the little things that drove Peter nuts.
Spider-Man would save the city from the Kingpin, or Doc Ock… but when he became Peter Parker, he’d find a parking ticket on his motorcycle… or find out he wasn’t dying, but had an ulcer. The problems were things that would make Charlie Brown groan “good grief” and that’s how I got to relate to Parker.
But nowadays, it’s about taking Parker, smashing his face into the dirt and really working that heel into his skin. Life does to Parker what Michonne did to the Governor in Walking Dead. I think it’s a bit too much, personally.
I think this is true of Superman as well. With Superman… I think I’ve lost a lot of the wonder that makes him who he is.
Thanks for the nice words, by the way.
11 Dec 2006 at 8:51 pm
QuoteAlec said:
I think it’s important to remember that we’re still on issue two. I have little doubt that, by the end, the Superman you want to see will make his appearance. Darwyn Cooke is no Millar or Meltzer.
Oh, absolutely. My faith in Darwyn Cooke is a lot stronger, especially as he has pretty much always delivered. It’s just always a bit annoying to me to see these tendencies in work I otherwise like.
Tom Beland wrote:
But nowadays, it’s about taking Parker, smashing his face into the dirt and really working that heel into his skin. Life does to Parker what Michonne did to the Governor in Walking Dead. I think it’s a bit too much, personally.
Absolutely, and I think the point you make is dead on. These days, too many writers have taken to flip writing advice like “Kill your darlings” and “Conflict is what makes a book interesting” and “Your heroes need to suffer to have something to triumph against” and forgotten the complexities and rewards that are meant to go with it. So what we get are writers submitting the characters to increasing and varied methods of punishment and suffering, and generally forgetting that the point is for them to triumph over that adversity, rather than wallowing in it.
Thanks for the nice words, by the way.
You’re welcome. Still loving the book, as always.
11 Dec 2006 at 9:16 pm
QuoteRandy said:
I’m also thinking that Loeb should really do more period work, rather than working in the modern, continuity-intensive universe, as I think that’s where his strengths lie as well.
Funny you should say that, in a recent interview with Tim Sale on CBR he implied that Jeph Loeb got a bit of frustrated with working at DC. Probably due to the massive continuity they have over there.
That’s a bit strange, considering that DC could’ve just given him work outside of the DC continuity. But Marvel, for a fact, is alot less uptight with handling continuity within their books.
I’m looking forward to the Darwyn Cooke-centric podcast.
12 Dec 2006 at 5:32 am
QuoteRandy said:
“Your heroes need to suffer to have something to triumph against”
This is one I absolutely hate. And I will tell you why, my favorite character is Daredevil. And this is all he does, all writers think to do. Do they do it well? Some of the time, sure. But what just cemented my dislike of this method was the fact that I started Daredevil with the Kesel run. Which deviated the norm, at best. I think it is fantastic, but it does make the rest of the series harder to take.
I do like Brubaker’s run, perhaps because he does seem to be sliding out of everything going wrong, maybe it is taking DD out of the country, I don’t know. Granted it is not all smiles and sunshine, but what few people remember is that neither was Kesel’s run. I think alot of it depends on where you came from with a character. I know I am not so critical of what is going on with other characters.
Oh, and I love TSStG, too. Just to show more of that praise.
12 Dec 2006 at 9:22 am
QuoteJustin, I dug the Kesel run as well. I think it is a bit of an aberration, in that it plays up DD as more of the Spider-Man swashbuckling knock-off that he was when he first started out, but there was some really good stuff in there. My own leanings for Daredevil do fall closer to the darker take on the character, if only because for me the best it ever got was Miller, and he really played up an angsty, noir style Daredevil.
That said, I still don’t want to see his girlfriends killed off in rapid succession. Kevin Smith’s offing of Karen Page was awful, just a shock value death that ruined one of the most long-standing supporting characters in comics. Really, it’s like killing JJ Jameson or Mary Jane. And everybody seems to get the idea that because Bullseye killing Elektra was such a moving and memorable scene, they should try to duplicate it, either by having Bullseye kill someone close to Daredevil or by having Elektra come back into his life and turn it upside down. Rarely can a writer pull it off, and really, Elektra probably should have been pulled from other writers’ hands after Miller brought her back, giving her her happy ending.
Seriously, has anything been done with her that makes it worth not leaving her alone to have her ending? Even the Rucka stuff, which I liked at the time, was basically bending the character into new shapes so she could be usable, in which case why not just create a new character?
Btw, I’m just ranting there. I know the answer, and it’s licensing and money. Elektra movie, she’s one of Marvel’s best known female characters, and so we see her in ongoing series, the Ultimate Alliance game, etc. Which really says more about the sad state of Marvel’s female characters, that one of their most recognizable women is a deadly assassin who they’ve had to turn into something of a good guy to make her easier to market.
12 Dec 2006 at 12:35 pm
Quote“Seriously, has anything been done with her that makes it worth not leaving her alone to have her ending?”
Yes; the Rodi run from the last ongoing was excellent, simple assassin action stuff, with some awesome Sean Chen art in the first arc. I’m sure a writer could really do something interesting with the character. I despise Miller so much these days I want an Elektra ongoing to exist just because I know it pisses him off.
12 Dec 2006 at 12:54 pm
Quoteto me the last Elektra series really went downhill after the first arc and that ark was slightly disappointing since I picked it up after I read Elektra:Assasin which just blew it away in comparison. Still that arc at least was a solid read on it’s own. The first arc was written by Bendis (normally I don’t like his writing but here it was ok). After that Rucka took over.
That said, the “Elektra & Wolverine: the Redeemer” illustrated graphic novel by Greg Rucka and Yoshitaka Amano and the Elektra mini by Scott Morse (both published in 2000 or so) were both very enjoyable reads.
12 Dec 2006 at 2:34 pm
Quotesorry, “Elektra & Wolverine: the Redeemer” was an illustrated novel (plain text and additional illustrations).
12 Dec 2006 at 3:21 pm
QuoteRandy said:
I’m not entirely sure I get it, but given what short pants generally means (youth) and what the word floods and younger people brings together (remember, I’ve got a daughter just out of potty training), I’m not *sure* want you to elaborate.
Don’t worry, Randy. This isn’t anything particularly gross. When I was a kid, we referred to kids who wore pants whose lengths were a bit short, therefore, the length was a bit higher than usual. The reference to floods comes from the fact that if your pants’ length were higher (shorter), then the flooded waters wouldn’t reach it. Hence, “floods”. After that explanation, I guess I’ve grown fonder to “short pants”.
12 Dec 2006 at 7:06 pm
QuoteMark,
Everything about Elektra is downhill since Elektra:Assassin. There’s one book they should bring back into print: heck, I’d even buy in that wretched PHC format.
13 Dec 2006 at 11:30 am
QuoteMark said:
That said, the “Elektra & Wolverine: the Redeemer” illustrated graphic novel by Greg Rucka and Yoshitaka Amano and the Elektra mini by Scott Morse (both published in 2000 or so) were both very enjoyable reads.
I actually liked both of those, but I’m not sold that they needed Elektra. Both could have been done with a new character more true to the mercenary with a heart of gold version Rucka and Morse wrote, as opposed to the more cold-hearted, broken woman that Elektra was when Frank Miller wrote her.
As for the Rodi run, Dan, I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree on that one. I found it boring as dirt. I know Don liked it at the time as well, though.
14 Dec 2006 at 4:01 pm
QuoteRAVEN ES LA MEJOR DE LOS TEEN TITANS Y TERRA Y DONA SON UNAS MALDITAS
12 Apr 2007 at 11:25 am
Quote