Wednesday Number Ones 4/4/07
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 we will cover Avengers Initiative #1, Danger Girl Body Shots #1 of 4, Fallen Son Death Of Captain America: Wolverine, Miscellaneous Adventures Of Stykman #1, Omega Flight #1 of 5, Painkiller Jane #0, Runaways #25, and Savage Tales #1.
Nick Budd Read and Thought:
Omega Flight #1 of 5
Writer: Michael Avon Oeming
Artist: Scott Kolins
Company: Marvel Comics
Omega Flight is a solid, opening issue that happens to chug right along to the same story structure that most every other team book does, as it chronicles the reformation of the team at a semi-slow pace with a few bouts of action thrown in for eye candy. In all honesty, there may have been a more slam-bang, eye catching way of grabbing the reader’s attention but Oeming still does some of his best writing and ends up making it work. Seeing Sasquatch, the only survivor of the original team, being charged with the title of leader was interesting, as are the inner conflicts that he has to overcome in order to become that leader. On the action front, we get to see the Wrecking Crew doing what it does best: Destroying things. Never a bad thing and when it’s all drawn by Scott Kolins, trying out a new art style that’s slightly different but equally as interesting, it’s even more compelling to read. A worthy book but the slowness of the story could end up hurting it.
Dave Farabee Read and Thought:
Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America #1
Writer: Jeph Loeb
Artist: Leinil Yu
Publisher: Marvel Comics
The contrived premise for the Fallen Son miniseries is to explore the effects of Captain America’s death through a series of stories, each themed around one of the five stages of grief (denial, anger, acceptance, etc.). For all that the concept seems a little too on the nose, Jeph Loeb manages to tell a pretty decent done-in-one story to kick it off. Features Wolverine exploring the denial phase - this based on the fact that so many heroes (Cap included) have been wrongly thought dead before. I wasn’t wild about lone wolf Wolverine bringing in so many superhero allies to help him in his investigation (I’m still in denial this guy could ever be an Avenger), but the story’s tightly-plotted, punchy, and features appropriately gritty art from Leinil Yu.
The Miscellaneous Adventures of STYKMAN #1
Writer: Jonnie Allan
Artist: Jonnie Allan
Publisher: a.k.a. Comics
Picture a Tick-style superhero absurdism with a sentient stick for the heroic lead and a Hawaiian-shirt-wearing alien in the role of Arthur. That’s the gist of STYKMAN #1, a goodhearted effort that misses more than it hits. The humor’s of a highly schticky variety - never my bag - and the book also has some craftsmanship issues (like dialogue awkwardly split between word balloons). Its strongest quality is its actual cartooning, which could use some polish and refinement, but shows promise in the school of cartoony cartooning.
Dan Grendell Read and Thought:
Avengers: The Initiative #1
Writer: Dan Slott
Artist: Stefano Caselli
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Dammit, I was this close to enjoying this book. I really was. Caselli’s art is strong, especially in the characters’ faces. It really sells the developing relationships between the new characters. Slott’s writing actually had me interested in the training of new heroes in the Initiative program, and considering how much I hated Civil War, that’s saying something. I was into the idea of young heroes forming ties in hero boot camp, it was being executed well, and then BAM! I hit the last three pages. You know what I don’t want to read about? Secret government plots and cover-ups of killings. I don’t want to see these kids get manipulated and screwed by the government and Hank Pym, but I guess that’s where Marvel lives right now. Dammit.
Painkiller Jane #0
Writer: Jimmy Palmiotti
Artist: Lee Moder
Company: Dynamite Entertainment
It’s not often that I get a book like this. One by two established comics creators, with talent, that sucks. Hard. I have never read a Painkiller Jane book before, so I figured this might be a good place to start. Wrong. Jane is I guess supposed to be a badass, but she spends the first few pages of this issue getting her ass tattooed by a moron while she is on a stakeout. In case you didn’t catch that, the first few pages are focused on Jane’s exposed ass. It then moves on to some idiot who robs a bank down the street because he needs to pay for a tattoo. The cops come, there’s a shootout with a Russian gangster who apparently lives at the tattoo parlor, and the place explodes. Um, what? Moder’s art is off-kilter, with strangely compressed and stretched heads making people look like bizarre freaks. This book is only a quarter, and yet I feel robbed.
Randy Lander Read and Thought:
Danger Girl: Body Shots #1 of 4
Writer: Andy Hartnell
Artists: Nick Bradshaw & Jim Charalampiois
Company: DC Comics/Wildstorm
I’d forgotten how much fun Danger Girl can be. The original series won readers on the basis of Campbell’s cheesecake art and fun G.I. Joe meets Charlie’s Angels vibe. With Campbell gone, original co-writer Hartnell has taken the book away from G.I. Joe and more firmly into Charlie’s Angels territory, and like that movie, it’s kinda cheesy, maybe bordering on dumb, but it’s also a lot of fun. Hartnell knows how to write both interesting, imaginative action scenes, secret agent style supervillains and girl-girl bonding quite well. Artists Bradshaw and Charalampiois present art that is still settling down into one style and changes gears awkwardly at times, but it often looks quite beautiful, reminiscent of Leinil Francis Yu, the cartooniness of Campbell and maybe a little bit of Speed Racer and the like thrown in for good measure. A pleasant surprise, and one that has me thinking about going back to reread the last couple Danger Girl trades and see what I missed.
Runaways #25
Writer: Joss Whedon
Artists: Michael Ryan & Rick Ketcham
Company: Marvel Comics
I’ll say this for him: Joss Whedon gets the Runaways. They sound right, they act right, they’ve got the same wit. But that’s to be expected, given that they were such Whedon-esque creations in the first place. Given the changes in the characters and relatively recent deaths, it probably makes sense for a slight adjustment to the status quo, and Whedon pulls it off masterfully, with a clever use of a big Marvel baddie and a temporary change of scenery, featuring terrific artwork by Ryan and Ketcham that almost makes me forget how much I’m gonna miss Adrian Alphona. I’m a little worried about the cameo at the end, as he feels out of character, but overall, this is a strong start to Whedon’s six-issue run. Now it’s time to start worrying about who is going to replace him… because the book seems to be in good hands for now.
D3 (David Martindale) Read and Thought:
Savage Tales #1
Writer: Various
Artist: Various
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
A pretty good idea with lackluster execution. The book has four separate stories, each with its own creative team. There a few nice moments, but generally the book never reaches any distinct highs or lows. Mostly, it’s just forgettable. The concept, though, is good. If at least one of the stories was sci-fi, noir, or horror instead of fantasy, and if the book could pull in a few headliner level artists or writers, I think it could do well. If you have a jones for a pulp anthology, pick up Heavy Metal, but if you want a second pulp anthology to read, give this one a try; $4.99 for a biggie sized book with four stories ain’t bad.
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I’m getting Omega Flight later today, and looking forward to it. I hope that your concerns are overcome, as I really want this book to survive and see more releases.
Looking forward to Runaways as well. Whedon has high standards to live up to.
It’ll be nice to get to my comic shop on a Wednesday for once.
04 Apr 2007 at 12:30 pm
QuoteHm, I was hoping for a thumbs-up or -down on Avengers Initiative before heading to the store. Slott’s lost a little luster for me, having “peaked”, in terms of my interest in his work, with Spidey/Torch a couple years back. Now that he’s been around a few years and his style is not quite such a breath of fresh air any more, a little goes a long way for me. BUT, I’m intruged with what he could do with a project of this scope.
Though I still think Slott should be the next ASM writer, provided Joey Q is unable to kidnap Darwyn Cooke like Kathy Bates in Misery, and set Cooke to work on the title.
04 Apr 2007 at 2:54 pm
QuoteAnd then the shop owner forgets to add Omega Flight to my pull list and I don’t get there before its sold out. Good news is that demand really went up over the last couple of weeks at the shop, due to good early reviews, but bad news is that I wait two weeks for my copy.
That said, while I wait to get my actual copy, I got to read it, and it was a pretty solid opening for me. I can see where you thought it was a semi-slow pace, Nick, and I can’t completely disagree. For old school fans, the whole Talisman intro really brought back memories of the mysticism that was so prevelent in the original Byrne run, and its a piece of Canada that I love to see back in, given our high aboriginal population. It may have been a page or two too long, but it did what I think it wanted to do. I also loved the conflict Sasquatch feels with being put in the leader role, and it will be interesting to see how he copes when his leadership is inevitably challenged by USAgent.
The whole action sequence with the Wrecking Crew was well done, and it was good to see the power of Sasquatch on display. This is a guy who has gone toe-to-toe with the Hulk, so he can lay the beats with the best of them, although he’s rarely been seen doing so.
My biggest concern from the outset is the upcoming new Guardian, because most of all, this will be the toughest sell to old school fans. Heck, I never wanted the original back after he died, but every new writer the original series had wanted to bring him back, and it almost became a joke. Maybe Oeming will get it right and put James MacDonald Hudson to rest for good. I’m doubtful that it’ll happen, but we’ll see.
All in all, I think it was a good issue from both a fanboy perspective and just a casual reader’s perspective. Hopefully, it will make people trying it out want to stick around.
04 Apr 2007 at 8:08 pm
QuoteSince Bob was asking, I read Initiative as well, and it wasn’t a bad beginning. It had the usual first issue trappings of introducing the new characters and each of their powers, while adding in a bit of a dark side to the whole thing.
However, if you were looking for more Avengers, look somewhere else, as this is the New Mutants to the Avenger’s X-Men. While guys like Justice, War Machine, and Yellowjacket are in the issue, this is about the kids that are signing up and being put through basic training. And whether they can handle it and become licensed heroes.
I’ll add that I didn’t give it too in-depth a read. So you may want to take my comments with a grain of salt. However, for a light read through, it was entertaining enough. With my limited budget, I don’t know that I’d keep going on it, as it wouldn’t bump something out of their spot, but it was certainly worth the look.
PS. Runaways was all sorts of goodness. My concerns were unfounded. Looking forward to future issues!
04 Apr 2007 at 10:11 pm
QuoteDid Randy *really* just praise Whedon writing a comic? Praise for him on ‘Runaways’, no less???
05 Apr 2007 at 9:40 am
QuoteI love Whedon as well, and was still worried about him on Runaways. But everything Randy said is right on the mark. He does seem to get them, and it did feel right. There was the usual witty repartee and some laugh out loud moments.
“Oh! Let me! Pick me!”
If it remains this good for the next 5 issues, I’m going to be begging him to stay.
05 Apr 2007 at 10:03 am
QuoteWednesday, I got Uzumaki vol 2 and 3 in the mail. Bought them from eMerchandise.com. I still have to find vol 1.
Also missing the last digest of BKV’s “Runaways”. I know that #25 is prolly written for new readers, but since I am willing to fill the gap, now I gotta sit on #25 for a week more.
Good week of comics though.
05 Apr 2007 at 10:54 am
QuoteWow Dan I’m of the opposite mind with regards to Avengers the initative. I was a little bored until the last three pages. How much do I want to read about pro-military super heros run by a dick like Henery Gynrich who wants to use them so America can further mess up the world with it’s military presence? Not at all. The american government and military has been so terribley incompetent for a good while now, it’s nice to see the Marvel universe reflect this instead of whitewashing it. If I wanted that I’d watch Fox News.
05 Apr 2007 at 11:01 am
QuoteBronn said:
That’s about right. I definitely got a “New Mutants for the Avengers” vibe, which makes sense given that the ’00s Avengers are basically just like the X-Men as they expanded. Two main titles (Mighty and New), a New Mutants book, a Classic book… if they follow the exact same pattern, there will be about twenty Avengers books in about five years. Solo books for a lot of the characters (although that’s not really a stretch, given that Iron Man, Cap, etc. have solo books), maybe some kind of weird European book that matches a formerly revered creator with the characters (Roger Stern or Jim Shooter return?), a critically-lauded but lower-selling book from Peter David, and maybe the female clone of Captain America, A-51.
I’m only half-kidding.
I’m onboard with both these notions, although I worry that Slott has lost a lot of what I liked about him in assimilating into the Marvel editorial collective. Can’t blame him, the darker style is what sells, and Avengers: Initiative will probably be his best-selling book, but I miss the guy who wrote The Thing and Spider-Man/Human Torch. Me and the other eight people that read those books.
Murphy said:
Don’t worry, it’s still me. I still dislike Astonishing X-Men. And I think Buffy #2 was a little weaker than the first issue. But Runaways #25 was legitimately good, maybe even great. Certainly my favorite read this week.
Tim.Agen said:
I’ll say this, you can read 2 and 3 without reading 1. Volume 2 was the first Uzumaki I read, and I don’t think it hurts the experience.
I was surprised to enjoy a couple of Marvel’s event books this week. I hated Civil War, but I’m starting to feel like I might be onboard some of The Initiative. Understand, I’ve become so detached that I basically read the Marvel Universe as a What If? universe at this point, but on that level, The Initiative is an interesting idea. The first issue of Avengers: Initiative is well-written, has some funny moments andsome great new characters (Gauntlet, the superhero drill sergeant, is great, and I really like “Captain America Jr.” as well). I’m not thrilled to see “New Warriors” turned into a perjorative, but Slott has one of the characters comment on that and I guess it makes sense in context… and I’m not thrilled about the darker turn on those last three pages either, but it didn’t put me off the book as much as it did Dan. Like he said, that’s where Marvel lives now, and the whole thing did read a lot like the training sequence in the Starship Troopers movie, so that kind of random act did fit with the parallels. I’ll give it another issue, at least. Wish Slott hadn’t done that to the new character I liked the best out of his whole roster, though.
And Fallen Son: Wolverine? As Dave says, the notion of five issues, five stages of grief (another “winner” from JMS, who provided the idea) is… well, he said on the nose, I’m gonna say stupid. But Loeb and Yu pull it off well, and I kind of liked Daredevil pulling in his super-buddies to do it. Yu does some pose-y stuff in his art (the double-page splash with Wolverine and Daredevil is just self-indulgent) but overall is more solid here than he’s been in New Avengers, and Loeb doesn’t go into too weepy or melodramatic territory, instead keeping things reasonably grounded despite their outlandish costumes and settings. Not a bad start to the five-issue Cap tribute. Not as good as what Brubaker’s follow-up will be, I’m sure, but where the hell is that anyway? Shouldn’t Cap #26 be out by now?
Something that did occur to me in reading Fallen Son and Initiative, though, is that the Powers-That-Be at Marvel (and by that I mean Quesada, Bendis, Millar and the rest) have successfully turned it into the Wildstorm universe. Instead of superheroes, we’ve got black ops and soldiers and spies. The story in Fallen Son is basically a spy infiltration story not a superhero one, and Avengers: Initiative bears a much closer resemblance to a sci-fi action film than a superhero comic. I’m not making a value judgment (OK, I am, I prefer a superhero vibe), but it’s just something I noticed.
05 Apr 2007 at 11:52 am
QuoteRandy - with the ‘militarization’ of the Marvel Universe, do you think this is something of a sea change?
While I’m not particularly enjoying it, is this something that’s going to stick around? Do you think that your reaction might be the same as people in the 1960’s who didn’t like the angst that was introduced via early Spider-man and the X-Men.
What I’m getting at is, maybe this isn’t just a cabal of Marvel guys taking the IP in a different direction, but a paradigm shift reflective of the times.
05 Apr 2007 at 12:50 pm
QuoteThings that I like at Marvel right now
Thunderbolts Norman Osborne is fun I get the idea he is trying to be a good guy even if really is evil
The new ff is fun stuf WW Hulk looks fun
Things im avoiding like radioactive rat vomit Inititive why?
1. I don’t care WHAT’S going on in the universe SUPERHEROES dont go though that “Bad movie boot camp speech as a reader I AIN’T HAVIN’ IT
2. Why in the name of god was Cap not pro reg but HENREY PYM IS? the treasonus wife-beater is more law and order than CAP? AND why is he Yellowjacket again? time warp?
05 Apr 2007 at 1:03 pm
QuoteRegarding that character you mention at the end of Runaways Whedon has said in no uncertain terms that if he ran Marvel that character would be the first he’d kill off. So “out of character” is to be expected.
Fall of Cthulhu #1 was a much stronger introduction to the series, so much so that I wonder why Nelson and Boom! didn’t publish that first and throw in the #0 issue somewhere down the line. Stronger visuals from Dzialowski this time too. Nelson has a good grip on the Lovecraft style. Anyone notice the little visual clue linking #0 and #1?
Like Grendell, I too was put off by The Initative’s last three pages, not so much because it didn’t make sense but that it’s happened a billion times before in plenty of other books and genres and Slott didn’t bother to make it interesting.
05 Apr 2007 at 1:49 pm
QuoteYou have to wait for Fallen Son to finish, so, late May.
My only problem with Runaways was the jarring continuity error with the Kingpin.
05 Apr 2007 at 2:53 pm
QuoteI’m not sure what the Kingpin was doing in Runaways at all, and what they were doing with him. Very bizarre situation, and I’m not feeling eager to finish the story to find out. The story beats and characterization seemed really off, maybe because we’ve only known BKV/Alphona’s voice on the book. I think I’m done with the title. But I’d meaning to drop Runaways for ages….the second “season” never quite got off the ground IMO.
Also, was I the only one who was disappointed that he moved the story to NYC? One of the interesting things about Runaways to me is the unusual LA locale, and I was looking forward to a longtime LA resident writing the book, and instead he made it Yet Another Marvel Book Set In New York City. (no offense to NYC, the greatest city in the world)
05 Apr 2007 at 5:59 pm
QuoteA little late ain’t they? The “times” are shifting away from militarization as we speak. Maybe in 2002 it would have been a little more timely. Angst can’t really be compared as that’s a human emotion, not a trend. I give this military Marvel trend a year, maybe 2 max, It’ll certainly be dead by the next presidential election. Who wants to bet? I’ve been reading comics for 24 years and know quite a bit of comic history before that. This isn’t the first time that comics (as well as any media) shifted along with politics. Believe me when I say..”This too…shall pass.”
05 Apr 2007 at 9:33 pm
QuoteMaybe… but all comics tend to be cyclical, and even though this particular change seems like a hard one to steer away from, the Clone Saga seemed like it had ruined Spidey forever, and he did come back from that. Sorta. I mean, until JMS wrecked him again.
Absolutely, Marvel is taking their cues from modern trends… but they’re just doing it in such a dumb way. An allegory for the mixed politics of the Iraq War, the war on terrorism, etc. is probably a good idea for Marvel Comics. Doing it in such a way that Iron Man and Cap fight over positions that don’t really seem to fit their characters, probably not such a good way. Doing it in such a way that the bad guys essentially win and take over, probably not a good way.
I mean, I get that it’s interesting, I do, but… is that really the point of the Marvel Universe now? The bad guys win, the good guys get shot to death by snipers or blown up in random training accidents? Because that sounds a bit nihilistic to me, and it ain’t what I want out of superhero comics.
I honestly don’t know if it’s permanent… it sure feels like a bigger change than what has gone before… but I’m sure as hell hoping that, like everything else, it’s a cyclical thing.
I’m just saying, this whole “everybody’s got a black ops past and method of operating” thing that showed up in Illuminati, The Initiative, etc. was done about 10 years ago by Wildstorm. Done right, by Alan Moore, James Robinson, Warren Ellis, and more recently Joe Casey… it’s just that they didn’t have the big name characters, so nobody took notice. Shame, as it didn’t feel quite so wrong in that universe, instead it felt intelligent, mature and interesting.
Ah. He hates the character. Well, then that makes him an *excellent* choice to use as a guest star in his limited, six-issue run in a book where he really doesn’t belong. I could be wrong, but aren’t there literally *thousands* of other characters who he could have used that he doesn’t hate?
I was less disappointed and more outraged when I heard the Runaways were moving to NYC, for exactly the reason you mentioned… but it’s clear this is a temporary thing, and thus I’m OK with it.
But as for greatest city in the world? I lived there for about six months, and I’ll take Austin any day.
(No, I’m not trying to start an Austin/NYC flame war… I’m just sayin’)
06 Apr 2007 at 12:05 am
QuoteAdmittedly, the second season wasn’t what the first was, but its still better than a lot of stuff out there (at least the mainstream stuff…I’m still mostly indy-illiterate). That said, I didn’t find Whedon’s characterization that off at all. In fact, I thought he got them pretty darn right. Molly was Molly. Chase seemed very Chase-like. Nico and Karolina felt the same (although I wasn’t overly fond of the unrequited love angle, even if BKV hinted at it in early issues). I didn’t have the issues with it that you did.
Well, of course, it would’ve been better if they had come up here to Vancouver and joined Omega Flight…..ah, pipe dreams.
PS. Go buy an issue of Omega Flight so they’ll make it an ongoing. Thanks.
06 Apr 2007 at 1:57 am
QuoteI guess I don’t mind topical comics. I guess one could argue it doesn’t belong in a superhero book, although stuff like Ultimates is pretty effective.
I just don’t like the insistence that topical = cynical. It’s the same with the notion in superhero comics that realistic = cynical. This stuff is too often nasty and mean-spirited and depressing in the name of topicality or realism.
There are several problems with this:
1) life isn’t as depressing as they make out. And I’m a liberal, and I don’t think the state of current events is as depressing as they make out.
2) Comics are escapism, obviously. Why would a reader want to turn from the depressing headlines just to read a depressing comic based on the depressing headline?
3) Some readers might like the job Bush has done, and you’re alienating these readers for…what? What are you gaining?
I think it’s possible for books to be topical AND uplifting (I think the V For Vendetta movie is a good example, regardless of what one thought of the film itself). And it SURE is possible to make a book realistic and uplifting (will someone please tell JMS this?). But I’m not saying everything should be sunshine and lollipops, or constantly jokey or filtered through rose-colored glasses…I’d just like to not feel empty or like my cat died when I get done reading a superhero comic book.
Anyway, I agree with Dan’s review of Initiative.
06 Apr 2007 at 12:03 pm
QuoteD3, I’m glad you’ve been talking up the Annihilation one-shots; I read the latest last night and really dug both stories. In fact, I just might find myself compelled to go ahead and pick up those Annihilation hardcovers. Probably need to sneak a read of someone else’s copies just to make sure, but…it really seems like Marvel found the right team to reshape their cosmic setting between Giffen, Abnett and Lanning.
I mean, seriously, the Silver Surfer is so damn cool in Annihilation.
06 Apr 2007 at 12:13 pm
Quoteworry not I don’t think Anything in current Marvel is as big as “She-Hulk in FF and Magneto as good guy (I LOVED THAT) sorry puriests.
as for Weldon…whose he hate? Kingpin? If so good for him. I’ve never liked him and in CURRENT Marvel he makes no sense Tony stark that sends Heroes to prison in another dimension but Kingpin is still breathing
06 Apr 2007 at 2:03 pm
QuoteWell, he’s going to prove to all of us stupid Andrews once and for all the Punisher just ain’t COOL, man.
Christ, I know the Punisher isn’t cool. He’s a homicidal maniac. Doesn’t mean they’re can’t be good stories told about him. Hell, Fraction and Ennis are doing that right now.
06 Apr 2007 at 2:09 pm
QuoteI just want to stop by and comment how utterly dissapointing this website is. Almost no comic boks of mainatream interest are reviewed on a regular basis. And the whole idea of reviewing “first issue” titles, while well intentioned…. is not particularly noteworthy. What about reviews of comics that people actually READ. Is this a foreign concept?
13 Apr 2007 at 10:11 pm
QuoteJust a note, given the above comment, that I love this column. I can’t afford to buy every new title that looks interesting, so it gives a good run down of what is out there and helps me to work out what is worth watching out for.
14 Apr 2007 at 8:42 pm
QuoteSo you stopped by to comment on how disappointed you are that we aren’t reviewing everything that people are already reading?
Hmm… why would we not spend all our time reviewing books people have already made their minds up about, and instead spend our time on good books they might not yet have discovered… you’re right, that clearly doesn’t make any sense.
But thanks for stopping by to tell us you don’t like the site. We’ll cry about it as soon as we get through reading all the comments from the many, many people who do.
15 Apr 2007 at 4:02 pm
QuoteWOOT! Thanks for the lulz.
15 Apr 2007 at 4:11 pm
Quote