Wednesday Number Ones 09/26/07
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 Demons Of Mercy #1, Immortal Iron Fist Annual #1, Justice League Of America #13, Punisher MAX Annual #1, and Uncle Sam And The Freedom Fighters #1.
Nick Budd Read and Thought:
Punisher Max Annual #1
Writer: Mike Benson
Artist: Laurence Campbell
Company: Marvel Comics
To start, I’ll say if you’re a fan of the Punisher character, this annual is not a bad done in one tale. It’s not up to the caliber of what Ennis has done but it doesn’t fall into the campy antics of Fraction’s work either. What it does is sort of fall in-between the two as Benson, rumored to be the man to take over the regular book once Ennis leaves it, crafts the gritty tale of a crew of a Mob boss being hunted one by one by the Punisher. The story itself isn’t anything we haven’t already seen before but the way it’s told, focusing more on the head bad guy instead of the Punisher, is a nice little turnaround that makes the story stand out. Campbell’s art fits perfectly with the mood of the story being told too, a combination of harsh lines and heavy shadows. Like I said, The Punisher Max Annual isn’t bad and is perfectly readable, it just doesn’t stack up that well against what Ennis has done for the character.
Dave Farabee Read and Thought:
Demons of Mercy #1
Writer: R.H. Stavis
Artist: Walter Geovani
Company: Marvel Comics
If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought I just read a Top Cow book. It looks like their house style, reads at their usual writing level. But its Marvel putting out this freebie, video game tie-in, maybe just working with some of the guys Top Cow farms out to ‘em these days. The story follows a babe assassin in the near future, captured by the cops and recruited on the spot to go undercover as a hooker to trap a killer. She seems to have a magic nunchucks that turn into a gun and a sword. What more can I say? It’s about the craft you’d expect from a video game comic.
Dan Grendell Read and Thought:
Justice League of America #13
Writer: Dwayne McDuffie
Artists: Joe Benitez and Victor Llamas
Company: DC Comics
This isn’t the first part of this story, though it is McDuffie’s first issue on this title. The story arc kicked off in the JLA Wedding Special, which re-introduced the Injustice League, and continues here with the JLA at the mercy of the villains. Things continue to get worse, as the bad guys ambush the remaining Leaguers, there’s some cool heroic moments, and we learn why Black Lightning got rid of his fro. All around, just some great superheroics, and I continue to be glad to see McDuffie at the pen. I’m not so sure about Joe Benitez, who draws the characters in an elongated style that will take me a bit to get used to, but is still overall cool. It’s been awhile, but I’m digging JLA again.
Randy Lander Read and Thought:
Immortal Iron Fist Annual #1
Writers: Ed Brubaker & Matt Fraction
Artists: Howard Chaykin, Jelena Kevic Djurdjevic & Dan Brereton
Company: Marvel Comics
Technically, this isn’t a standalone story, as it takes place between Immortal Iron Fist #9 and #10 and imparts important information to the lead character. However, if you wanted a sample of some of the crazy fun that Immortal Iron Fist offers up, this pulp-tinged annual wouldn’t be a bad choice. Basically, Chaykin illustrates Danny Rand sitting down with an old colleague of his recently deceased mentor Orson Randall and Djurdjevic and Brereton paint sequences wherein this colleague recalls their madcap martial arts/weird science adventures. Tommy-gun toting dragon ladies, drinking games with the Lightning Lords of Nepal, airships, thinly-veiled pulp archetypes, it’s kind of like someone took Iron Fist and ran him through a Planetary/Saturday afternoon matinee filter. In other words, it’s a lot like the Immortal Iron Fist ongoing, but focused on different characters. It’s a hell of a lot of fun, and nirvana for those with a love for pulp sensibilities, painted art and snappy dialogue.
D3 (David Martindale) Read and Thought:
Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters #1 of 8
Writers: Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti
Artist: Renato Arlem
Not terribly exciting or original. Despite opening up with action, the static art keeps the fight scene from being truly exciting, and it just goes downhill from there. The subject matter and tone of this book feels very much like an attempt to capitalize on the Initiative status quo at Marvel. The book even goes so far as to discuss the characters’ press agents and how having a team member with a “party girl” public appearance helps the team’s popularity among teen girls. The concept of a government sponsored team in the DC universe is certainly a viable direction, and it’s been done well several times in the past, but this one just feels derivative and unoriginal. Go read The Order instead.
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Man, I love what Fraction and Brubaker have done with the Iron Fist mythos. I love the core storyline following Danny, but I’m addicted to these past Iron Fist stories. I’d be all over a Tales of the Iron Fist ongoing that did nothing be tell these stories about past Iron Fists.
26 Sep 2007 at 2:34 pm
QuoteTwo issues of Iron Fist , McDuffie on JLA and new issues of the Spirit, Green Arrow Year One, Criminal and the Order all on the same day? It’s gonna be a good day tomorrow!
I second DeeSnider’s suggestion for a Tales of the Iron Fist monthly.
26 Sep 2007 at 2:48 pm
QuoteNah, I like how they just incorporate it into the regular monthly book.
26 Sep 2007 at 3:01 pm
QuoteI liked the way they did one issue between arcs for another back story. I hope they keep that up as well as the bits in the main book itself. Every six issues or so, while the regular artist takes a break or something, throw in another non-Rand story.
26 Sep 2007 at 6:02 pm
QuoteVery “Starman”, and that’s a VERY good thing.
26 Sep 2007 at 8:24 pm
QuoteWhere’s the review for Wonder Woman #1 Annual that came out this week? I was really looking forward to it.
26 Sep 2007 at 9:04 pm
QuoteWe didn’t review it, because it’s actually part 5 of the Allan Heinberg launch (consider it issue 4.5), and we were already reviewing enough stuff that wasn’t actually the first issue. I read it, though, and I thought it was a good wrap-up to Heinberg’s story. It hit several high notes, showed the respect that the DC heroes have for Diana and why, and the artwork was overall quite good. I was happy to be reading a good Wonder Woman story after so long.
26 Sep 2007 at 9:34 pm
QuoteYay, someone else read and liked it!
‘Course, that Circe-is-kinda-nice angle doesn’t work at all now thanks to the wretched literary monster fetus that was Amazons Attack.
And it was a little wangsty with the “Woe is me, I’m a golem” bit, but not as wangsty as Amazons Attack.
The art was good, at least, though the colouring on the last story was a bit iffy, though, I found. Everyone was exceptionally pale and craggy-featured.
Ugh. Amazons Attack. *shudder*
27 Sep 2007 at 12:29 am
QuoteI was pretty turned off by The Punisher MAX Annual. I’m very sad to see Ennis leave the main title, but if he has to go I was actually hoping that Stuart Moore would be the man to take over Frank Castle. His Punisher X-Mas one shot this year was surprisingly great and I don’t even think it was a MAX book.
27 Sep 2007 at 8:37 pm
QuoteI’d totally read a Dee Snider comic where Iron Fist beats on Mark Metcalfe. I’m easy to please.
27 Sep 2007 at 9:17 pm
QuoteI have to say, I wasn’t real happy with Justice League #13. Dan’s being kind in being “unsure” about Benitez’s art. I’m quite sure about it. Sure that I’d rather have Ed Benes back on art. He may be cheesecake happy, and his storytelling isn’t perfect, but it would have been an improvement on this. The storytelling wasn’t easy to follow, the characters’ expressions are laughably bad (check out the anguished surprise on Black Canary’s face as she calmly relays the situation on Red Arrow in dialogue, for one example), the cheesecake is still in full effect. It’s just ugly, bad artwork.
But what really disappointed me was somewhat weak writing. I certainly didn’t need to have the Sue Dibny thing brought up (I thought it was handled well in the Wedding Special, but if they’re going to keep harping on it, I’d rather they never use Dr. Light again), there’s too much casual dragging in of Justice League Unlimited continuity and the characters seem, well, kind of dull. Most importantly, though? The whole thing seems scattered and kind of boring. The villains of the DC Universe get together to take out the Justice League, that should at the very least be action-packed and interesting, but about halfway through, I found myself very much not caring.
Partly that’s because Meltzer left McDuffie with a dud of a team, but honestly, I was surprised at the kind of lackluster dialogue and plodding plotting. Hope it gets better from here, and really hope there’s a new artist. Because even if McDuffie winds up writing to his usual high standards, I don’t think I can stomach reading the book with Benitez’s art. How on Earth did DC decide this guy was an A-lister worthy of their flagship book?
27 Sep 2007 at 9:24 pm
QuoteHave to agree with Randy.
I actually went to a comic shop other than my typical one (because they were out) specifically to find a copy of this issue, and didn’t buy it because of the art. Ugh. Bad anatomy, poor storytelling.
28 Sep 2007 at 12:57 am
QuoteLet me also echo the request for a ‘Tales of the Iron Fist’ ongoing. This annual was an absolute blast.
Also let me add that Brereton should be required by law to paint it.
28 Sep 2007 at 6:39 am
QuoteYou won’t get any arguments from me about Brereton. I’ve been singing the guy’s praises for years, and he nailed this annual.
28 Sep 2007 at 12:13 pm
QuoteSure, I was being nice. But really, I’ve only seen one issue of art, so I’m also trying to keep an open mind. I didn’t like the art in this issue, but I’m hoping it improves. Quickly. I’m trying not to judge too harshly based on the one issue. If it does keep up at this level, though, it will be a problem for the book.
28 Sep 2007 at 12:17 pm
QuoteImmortal Iron Fist is my favorite comic right now. Me and my boy at the LCS were both commenting the other week that it’s the first time in a long time where we can’t wait for the next issue to come out. Bru and Fraction should co-write all of their books that aren’t Criminal or Casanova. And the Annual confirms that artists must be asking to work on this stuff. So much fun.
Randy sums up my feelings about Justice League pretty well. Just disappointing. McDuffie’s writing my favorite FF in years, but this seems trite, uninventive and everybody seems out of character. Superman’s “not much of a detective”? Umm, reporter, remember? Suddenly Bats & Diana and John & Kendra have sexual tension? The JLU stuff is being rammed in (which may be a strong way of saying it, but this is the rape-tastic DCU we’re talking about here - but more on that in a sec). Benitez art is the least of my worries here, and I never thought I would type that about a McDuffie penned JLA.
I think it may be impossible for me to be un-jaded about a Wonder Woman comic at this point, because I thought the annual was awful. Completely doesn’t fit with anything that’s come since, which would be fine if what’s here didn’t come across as something all involved shat out to fulfill a contract. Even some of the art seems really light and sloppy. The only potentially interesting bit (the spinning leading to humanity) is mostly just nostalgia for a bad TV show. Wasn’t Cassie not speaking to Diana the last (and next ) time we saw (see) her? How did they manage to make Nemesis and Sarge Steel sooooo boring? That Circe is nuts, huh? Are there three of each supervillain these days - cause with this, JLA, Sinestro Corps, Infinite Crisis, they sure are all everywhere lately (skrulls, prolly). Nice that we get a Hercules “I raped your moms” speech, that’s what DC Comics needs more of. Hey, didn’t he show up in the first issue of Wonder Girl? I guess we know where that’s headed…
Whew - didn’t mean to rant that much. The quagmire that is the DCU today does that to me, especially when it comes to my Amazon Princess. Guess I’ll start re-reading Rucka’s run and hope that Simone can do something, but, Hera Help Us, did they leave her with a hot mess.
28 Sep 2007 at 1:50 pm
QuoteDon’t worry - Benes is back next issue. And I enjoyed the Wedding Special enough to give McDuffie a pass on this issue, which was above-average without being anything really special.
I thought Uncle Sam was surprisingly strong, with good art, solid character work, and a neat cliffhanger. More people should pick it up.
28 Sep 2007 at 3:05 pm
QuoteIs that a Twisted Sister pin on your uniform, Dan?
28 Sep 2007 at 5:12 pm
Quote28 Sep 2007 at 6:58 pm
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