Wednesday Number Ones 09/19/07
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 30 Days Of Night Beyond Barrow #1, Compass #1, Countdown To Mystery #1, Cyblade Pilot Season #1, Cyblade Pilot Season #1, Green Arrow Black Canary Wedding Special #1, JLA Hitman #1 of 2, Jungle Girl #1, Marvel Comics Presents #1, Penance Relentless #1, Streets Of Glory #1, Tales Of The Sinestro Corps Parallax #1, and Umbrella Academy Apocalypse Suite #1 of 4.
Nick Budd Read and Thought:
Jungle Girl #1
Writers: Frank Cho & Doug Murray
Artist: Adriano Batista
Company: Dynamite Entertainment
Hmmm, this was much better than I thought it’d be. The one thing that puzzles me is why there needs to be three of these types of books running right now. Sheena, Shanna the She-Devil and now Jungle Girl all coming out just seems odd as the overall cheesecake vibe and general themes all feel the same. But I digress, as there is something about Jungle Girl that sets it apart from the rest, which would be the setting. I’m sure you’re scratching your heads with that one but really, the Skull Island-like vibe that you get is something that has always been cool and Batista’s art chops, at least with the numerous creatures and dinosaurs, is hitting the notes that you’d want hit. As for the story, so far it’s all about survival, as a group of almost Discovery Channel type show runners get stranded after their airplane crashes. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before in stories such as these but there are a few above average moments and interesting ideas that make me think that this story could get better. We’ll see if that’s the case.
Tales of the Sinestro Corp: Parallax
Writer: Ron Marz
Artist: Adriana Melo
Company: DC Comics
If DC is doing one thing right, it has been the current Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps storyline, The Sinestro Corps. It’s been, what’s the right word? Oh yeah, awesome. Maybe it doesn’t reach the same level of cool that the Annihilation stuff has but so far it’s been something worth reading. Now, we get these stories, these single issues that focus on one of the core members of the Sinestro Corp. The idea seems sound but essentially what its doing is capitalizing on the series’ overall success and going the Countdown route in order to get people to pick up yet another book for the whole story. Barring that minor annoyance though, this issue is fairly pointless as the whole thing is two characters, Ion and Parallax, talking and taunting each other inside Ion’s mind. The art is nice, evoking the superhero vibe that you want, but really, the only people that I would recommend this one too are Ion fans. If you’re not one of those, I’d say this was entirely skipable.
The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite #1
Writer: Gerard Way
Artist: Gabriel Ba
Company: Dark Horse Comics
Okay, now this is what I call a fun read. Yes, you heard me. I said it. FUN. To start, Gabriel Ba’s art is a blast to look at. His style, seen in the pages of Casanova, has always been a unique and off the wall riff on the Mignola style of art. With Umbrella Academy, nothing has changed. There is so much energy stored in his pencil work that you can’t help but be drawn in by it. When you have those and Dave Stewart doing his always gorgeous stuff on the colors, watch out, because you’ve just entered the wonderful world of awesome. As for story, Way surprises me a bit. The main focus of the story spotlights seven children, all of which have some sort of special power, and who are meant to save the Earth. From what? Well, I don’t want to spoil it but I will say that it involves space aliens and the Eiffel Tower. The cast is diverse and interesting to read, especially the children’s father figure, Sir Reginald Hargreeves (a.k.a. The Monocle). Overall, I’d almost say that if you’re a fan of things like Hellboy or The Amazing Screw-On Head, which has the same kind of odd but funny cast of characters and action, then Umbrella Academy is right up your alley. Fantastic stuff.
Dave Farabee Read and Thought:
Cyblade: Pilot Season #1
Writer: Joshua Hale Fialkov
Artist: Rick Mays
Company: Top Cow
Ever see the first episode of Alias? Jennifer Garner doing all kinds of sexy spy babe stuff, only to learn she was working for the bad guys and not the CIA, but hey, at least she had an inside man so she could begin subverting ‘em? Okay, now imagine Jennifer Garner had psychic powers and you’ve got the Cyblade one-shot. Only Cyblade doesn’t have Jennifer Garner, Ron Rifkin, Victor Garber and a thumpin’ techno soundtrack. It does have some pretty nice art from Rick Mays, but…that’s about all it has going for it.
Countdown to Mystery #1 of 8
Writer: Steve Gerber & Matthew Sturges
Artist: Justiniano & Stephen Jorge Segovia
Company: DC Comics
I’ve always been more of a Doctor Strange than a Doctor Fate guy, so you’d think I might like Fate more when his host, Kent Nelson, gets retconned with a Dr. Strange-style “once a selfish bastard doctor” backstory. But mostly it felt derivative. And according to one of my colleagues, isn’t actually a retcon. Y’see, apparently the Kent Nelson in this issue is not the original Kent Nelson Dr. Fate, but is apparently his grandnephew…also named Kent Nelson. That shouldn’t be confusing! There’s also an asterisked reference to all those Helmet of Fate one-shots from a few months back, a lot of flashback angsting featuring Gerber’s outdated overwriting, one bum fight, and all the usual problems that seem to come with writing magic characters (lotsa mumbo jumbo talk that isn’t particularly compelling). Looks like I’m still a Doctor Strange guy. At least the back-up story’s a bit more interesting, spotlighting DC’s new power-temptress, Eclipso. Her target is Plastic Man, which provides the book its first injection of energy, and the art by Stephen Jorge Segovia’s got a nice Lienil Yu vibe to it. The problem, as with so many DC titles these days, is that you really need to know the DC Universe to get much out of the story. Whether it’s references to Eclipso’s host body being the Atom’s ex-wife, the Spectre’s confusing new habit of walking around with his human host, Crispus Allen, or the jarring appearance by a major DC villain…I can’t see this story as being very accessible to any but the DC devoted. Seems DC’s having as much trouble as Marvel is with Mystic Arcana in reinvigorating its magic-themed franchises.
Dan Grendell Read and Thought:
30 Days of Night: Beyond Barrow #1
Writer: Steve Niles
Artist: Bill Sienkiewicz
Company: IDW
Well, of all the things I was expecting from another 30 Days of Night book, especially one that takes place in Barrow, the Alaskan town where the whole series started and that gets attacked by vampires yearly during its months-long darkness spell, I wasn’t expecting to be bored. This issue was all set-up. Vampires converging on barrow are killed by a mysterious force, and rich adventure seekers arrive to have a little fun and see a vampire or two. The force may or may not be Eben and Stella, the vampire protectors of Barrow. There’s the possibility of a fun story here, and Niles makes the adventure hunters annoying enough that you can’t wait to see them bite it (no pun intended), but it looks like the real action won’t start until later. Sienkiewicz’s art fits the series nicely, not too different from what I’m used to seeing from Ben Templesmith, but with a bit more clarity. He also uses some cool techniques, like red squares in one panel around what a vampire sees going to his eyes in another panel, that are experimental but work well. Very nice.
Compass #1
Writers: C. B. Cebulski and Akihide Yanagi
Artist: Ryusuke Hamamoto
Company: Image Comics
This was a fun read. Nothing groundbreaking, but some cool ideas. Magic is fading, as belief fades, and four young girls are chosen by their mentors and the spirits of magic to bring in a new age and return it to power. Each comes from one of the four cardinal directions on the globe, and has a different specialty. At their Ascension Ceremony, though, mysterious robots attack and kill the girls’ parents, forcing them to quickly learn to work together and support each other. It’s tech vs. magic in this bildungsroman, suitable for teens and older (maybe younger, depending on whether the parental death thing bothers you). The art is done in a fairly classic big-eyes manga style, though in color, which fits the comic quite well and gives it a certain charm that I found quite appealing.
Randy Lander Read and Thought:
JLA Hitman #1 of 2
Writer: Garth Ennis
Artist: John McCrea
Company: DC Comics
They say you can’t go home again, but Ennis and McCrea return to Hitman with the same charm and wit that they brought to the original 60 issues of the series. As with last week’s Suicide Squad, this is a flashback, a lost tale, told by the original writer (and in this case, the original artist, too), and it does feel like a bone thrown to the fans of the characters rather than something aimed at a totally new audience. Not that a new audience won’t be able to enjoy the tale of Tommy Monaghan, super-powered hitman, being dragged into a JLA case involving the origin of his powers, but half the fun here are the references back to happenings in the Hitman series, from “Zombie Night at Gotham Aquarium” to the minor classic story where Tommy talks with Superman on a rooftop. Ennis and McCrea slip back into the rhythms and excellent characters of Hitman like a pair of comfortable old shoes, and turn in a tale that will remind Hitman readers of how good the book was, and tantalize those who never read the book with the desire for more. So let’s get those Hitman trades out already, DC!
Green Arrow and Black Canary Wedding Special #1
Writer: Judd Winick
Artist: Amanda Connor
Company: DC Comics
Winick has gotten a bit of a bad rep as a superhero writer, but this is the kind of area where he excels, the human relationship stuff with a streak of humor. The whole wedding thing is feeling a bit long in the tooth, as this is the third wedding special, but the Black Canary special was mostly fluff and the JLA special was mostly the start of Injustice League; this one is definitely the special that’s about the relationship between the bride and groom and their friends and, of course, the wedding itself. It’s kind of goofy, but kind of fun, with some terrific character writing, cute (occasionally cheesy-cute) moments and perfectly matched cartoony art from Amanda Connor. It wouldn’t be crazy to compare it to the Giffen/DeMatteis Justice League, especially given that Connor is about the only artist who can match Kevin Maguire in terms of expressive characters and comedic beats. And then… there’s the last three pages, which are pretty much right in line with the “shocking twist” school of writing that is ruining DC Comics right now. It certainly ruined what was otherwise a cute, fun book in the Wedding Special. Skip those last three pages and stop reading all Green Arrow and Black Canary books, and you’ve got a nice happy ending for a pair of characters that deserve it. Read all the way to the end, and get ready for another morass of doom and gloom from the folks who brought you Sue Dibny’s rape and Blue Beetle being shot in the head.
D3 (David Martindale) Read and Thought:
Penance: Relentless #1 of 5
Writer: Paul Jenkins
Artist: Paul Gulacy
Publisher: Marvel Comics
The new Thunderbolts ongoing series from Ellis and Deodato is an exciting, action-packed title featuring spectacular art. This Penance miniseries feels like an attempt to emulate that book. Unfortunately, it neither achieves the core title’s quality level nor does it offer anything different. The biggest error this book makes is being a poor man’s Thnderbolts. If the title could be its own book with its own feel and tone, it might be worthwhile instead of just feeling like an attempt to cash in on both the success of the core Thunderbolts title and an attempt to be cool and hip by showcasing the oh-so-emo Penance. The book even goes so far as to drive the point home with a big shot of Robby Baldwin’s facial and nipple piercings (note to middle aged comic writers: STOP TRYING TO BE HIP!). Even the art feels like a pale imitation of Deodato on the core title. Gulacy’s work is perfectly solid and even looks great in a few spots, but the shameless emulation of Deodato’s art style detracts from anything positive that Gulacy achieves. If you really want to see how easily the new Thunderbolts could have been a weak title if it had been given to a different creative team, pick this one up.
Marvel Comics Presents #1
Writers: Various
Artists: Various
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Marvel’s new anthology book features several stories by a wide variety of creative teams so obviously, some are worth reading, and some are not. Most are not. Most of the stories feel like the first five or six pages of the first issue of a new story arc rather than a complete first installment of a story arc or even a complete story. Rather than teasing the second chapter, theses stories merely let you know who the protagonist is and essentially drop you off with no more information than that. There are two notable exceptions though. The Hellcat story by Kathryn and Stuart Immonen features an interesting hook, a fun protagonist, and great art. The Thing story (story and art by Nelson) is a heart warming done-in-one narrated by Alicia Masters. If the book didn’t have the higher $3.99 price tag, I might suggest picking it up for the two stories alone. With the higher price, I’m on the fence. Flip through and see for yourself.
Streets of Glory #1
Writer: Garth Ennis
Artist: Mike Wolfer
Publisher: Avatar
Avatar’s newest Western comic has a gentleman from the East coast getting a rude introduction to the West, a mysterious, gunslinging, badass old man, and a gunfight with over the top violence on the first few pages. Ennis does a great job bringing the adventure and danger of the Old West to Streets of Glory. Not bad for the first issue of a Western. The art is a little on the weak side and lacking in detail, but it gets the job done. The book also feels a touch on the formulaic side, but it’s a formula that’s worked for westerns over and over again. I’m quite interested in the second issue; this one may very well be worth the unfortunate steep price of $3.99 that Avatar charges.
Loading ...
If DC does what i think they’re going to do (and I think everybody can guess at what that is, especially considering recent solicitations) then I’m gone from their superhero universe for good.
Or rather once JLA/Hitman finishes
19 Sep 2007 at 3:15 pm
QuoteI have a similar sentiment, but the upcoming Green Arrow/Black Canary series with Cliff Chiang on art is too irresistable to pass up. I love that guy’s art:
http://www.comicartcommunity.com/gallery/categories.php?cat_id=244
19 Sep 2007 at 3:47 pm
QuoteI know emo is all the rage, but Penance seems to be approaching goth, with all that self-mutilation.
Are there really that many people clamoring for a Penance solo series? Sure Ellis is using him well (i.e sparingly), I don’t see too many emo/goth kids hanging around my LCS, so who is this aimed at?
19 Sep 2007 at 3:55 pm
QuoteDidn’t Warren Ellis’ Wolfskin come out on Avatar this week as well? Has anyone read that? Is it worth checking out?
I’m surprised how much material Warren Ellis is pumping out. I hope he doesn’t fall too deep into “auto-pilot” mode.
19 Sep 2007 at 4:00 pm
QuoteI’m not an emo kid, and I don’t pretend to be, but when I think of emo, I think of fruity bangs and black eye-liner and whining about the girl that dumped you in high school.
I take issue with calling Penance emo.
Speedball blames himself for the death of a couple hundred kids and his best friends. Just because he’s messed up, dark, and emotes, does not make him emo.
19 Sep 2007 at 5:24 pm
QuoteI’ve read it, it’s not his best work, but it’s pretty entertaining, the story is more of a backdrop for cool action, the art is more impressive, from the guy who’s doing Black Summer. I’d recommend it.
19 Sep 2007 at 5:36 pm
QuoteFrom Wikipedia, which is of course always right:
“Emo people are portrayed as melodramatic, self-pitying teenagers who pour their efforts into writing depressing poetry. Contemporary emo has been called a “sad caricature” of what it once was. Some have accused emo of celebrating self-injury or suicide, which those who do usually refer to “helping ease the pain.”
By that definition, I’d say emo is pretty on target.
19 Sep 2007 at 5:50 pm
QuoteGlad to hear Umbrella Academy is groovy. I loved the sample handed out on Free Comic Book Day and have been looking forward to this since then. I need to pull that issue out to re-read. Is this new #1 a retread or extension of that story, a continuation or something completely new? Just curious. That one-shot was fantastic, if I recall.
19 Sep 2007 at 6:05 pm
QuoteActually, this is all new material. And it is indeed groovy.
19 Sep 2007 at 8:09 pm
QuoteJust read Umbrella Academy #1 and yes, I agree with everyone here, it was groovy. I’m sold for the rest of the series. I’m now regretting not getting the FCBD issue. That Spider-man comic by Slott and Jimenez was hard to resist! Is there a way I can read the FCBD issue, other than buying it for $20 on eBay? I don’t live in the US and I have bad experience shopping online from other countries.
19 Sep 2007 at 8:44 pm
QuoteAbout Penance: Relentless #1, I would have bought this issue, if it was written by Warren Ellis. Jenkins is not doing anything for me lately. I have been turned off by his writing since Civil War: Frontline. That speech about NASCAR and American Idol really put me off.
Now about that upcoming, Green Arrow/Black Canary series, I love the characters involved in the comic and Cliff Chiang’s art but Winick as the writer is not something I’m fond of. He’s the same as Jenkins, I lost interest in his writing. While, I still have to read the Green Arrow and Black Canary Wedding Special, I take it that it’s the weakest of the three specials?
19 Sep 2007 at 9:19 pm
QuoteI’m out of the loop on solicitations, and my issues of Countdown are piling up unread (begging the question, why not un-bought?!). What’s the theory on what DC’s going to do?
(My name at alumni then a dot then clemson then a dot edu if you don’t want to give anything away here in the comments.)
19 Sep 2007 at 10:29 pm
QuoteYeah, what the hell happened to Winick and Jenkins? I used to like their writing (although come to think of it, it’s been years since they’ve done work that I dig).
Still, I’ll buy pretty much anything Chiang draws (has anyone read the excellent Dr. 13 mini he did with Azzarello?).
20 Sep 2007 at 1:05 am
QuoteThat Doctor Thirteen mini just came out in a collection, right? Is that story recent? I think I need to check that out.
Ennis @ Avatar.. I know there will be a trade, so I wait for all Avatar books. They’re books are expensive and late, so I just wait and wait for the complete package. Glad to hear his new western was good-ish.
Wedding specials. I picked up Wedding Planner and Wedding Special yesterday. Read both last night. Planner was pretty cool. I liked how we skipped by the heroing stuff.. the call comes from Batman at the satellite and then pair go to work.. then next page we’re back in the “in between” time. I dug that. And a few of the single page things from Christine Norrie were fun. The JLA wedding special was lame if you wanted to read about the wedding (covered this last week tho). the GA/BC Wedding Special.. I was having fun! Yay for the art and the swearing! Yay for the battle and the resolution. And “What a Twist!” ending was very disappointing. It’s regrettably difficult for me to find superhero books I can love. Annoying.
20 Sep 2007 at 8:35 am
QuoteWell, the recent solicitations for the the new Green Arrow/Black Canary series have Conor Hawke as Green Arrow. With DC’s current course you can probably guess what happened. I read it today in my LCS and if I had bought it I would’ve done a “D3″ and flung it across the room
20 Sep 2007 at 10:09 am
QuoteI think I may one of the few people who could care less about Ollie and really dig Connor, so I’m actually looking forward to the new series. I just wish Winick wasn’t writing it. He can be good, but he’s a writer I’m cautious about.
20 Sep 2007 at 12:22 pm
QuoteI finished reading Green Arrow and Black Canary Wedding and about those last few pages, WTF was that?!?! The entire issue was enjoyable for me until at that moment. Now I have to read Arrow/Black Canary series to know what’s happening. A Skrull must be involved that’s the only reasonable explanation for it!
20 Sep 2007 at 6:49 pm
QuoteYou know, after reading Suicide Squad #1 from last week (sorry for late comment on this but it WAS another #1) I had to go back and re-re-read the original series (add a few “re-’s” in there for good measure). For all I complain about missing the “good ol’ days” of 80’s comics, this series reminds me a lot of what I am having issues with nowadays. The series as a whole was awesome…BUT, they were really getting into Crossover Events even in those golden days of comic yore. By the 20’s, they were already involved in a couple major crossover events with so many “If you want to know what happened, read…” blurbs my head nearly exploded. Only Ostranders single-minded determination to keep his characters fresh, consistent and interesting saved it. Granted, the one Checkmate related x-over was kind of neat (wargames between all the espionage titles) and it compares to Annihilation in its innocent sideline appeal when compared to the juggernaut Millennium or Crisis crossover events of the 80’s. Still, it kind of sucked you couldn’t go 10 issues without reading about some other series I needed to get (and didn’t). X-Factor has this today. It started out in one event (House of M?) and went on through all since then and still has more to deal with (House of M, Decimation, Civil War, Endangered Species) and yet mostly David has kept the writing solid but I still can’t wait until SOMEDAY it becomes its own book that will stand on its own merits. Hopefully.
Thank you. Rant over. Back to reading SS issues!
20 Sep 2007 at 6:59 pm
Quoteprops for reviewing umbrella academy without divulging opinion on MCR
21 Sep 2007 at 1:54 pm
QuoteWow. Couldn’t possibly disagree more on the Countdown to Mystery review. What did the non-Strange fans in the group think?
23 Sep 2007 at 5:09 pm
QuoteI should say that I don’t think I was predisposed to dislike a new Fate comic just because I like Strange better. If nothing else, I’ve always dug Fate’s visual, and Fate’s like Aquaman and Hawkman and even Green Lantern for me - characters I’ve always wanted to get into, but whose stories never quite win me over. But I root for ‘em to win me over.
For example, when I was a kid, I was a Marvel guy, but I bought a few pre-Crisis Flash issues ’cause he seemed like he’d be a cool character and he looked great. Stories didn’t quite take. Was also there when Mike Baron relaunched the book post-Crisis. Getting better, but those stories almost felt a little *too* Marvelized. But when Geoff Johns’ run finally came around…now THAT was the Flash I’d been wanting to read. Loved it.
And that’s the moment I’m waiting for with Dr. Fate. He’s got his work cut out for him, though. The only Fate story I can remember sorta liking is an old 70s one that got reprinted in DC’s The Art of Walter Simonson. And Walt’s art was a big part of why I liked it.
Aaaaaaanyway…
You dug Countdown to Mystery - what was it you liked about it?
24 Sep 2007 at 3:25 am
QuoteAs full disclosure, I should say I do really dig Fate, although largely because of the visual and one story I read as a kid. I don’t know his continuity and, frankly, I’m not a continuity fan in general, so confusion wasn’t an issue for me. Anything I didn’t know I was happy with, because the POV character was in the process of finding out as well. Also, I didn’t find Gerber’s third-person narration overwritten (Morrison’s prose story in Batman #663, on the other hand - *that* was overwritten). I liked the contrast between the omniscient narrator and the bewildered internal monologue. Whether it was ‘outdated’ or not is neither here nor there for me.
That’s the short version. I actually review for another website (Comixfan) and spelled out my reasons in more detail there. Please forgive me for breaking etiquette to link to it now: http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=43046 I’m happy to link back to our little discussion here in return, if you’d like. (EDIT: Done.)
25 Sep 2007 at 3:22 am
QuoteAs for the review by David Martindale about Penance: Relentless #1 of 5, I feel compelled to say something about it. I appreciate very much your complimments about my art on Thunderbolts. Thanks. I’m enjoying so much the scripts by Mr. Ellis that I believe it is reflecting on my work. I must respectfully disagree though, when you say that Gulacy’s art is a “shameless emulation” of mine.
Gulacy is an old master, who has been using this style for years, influencing many artists, me included. So, if there is someone emulating other, that would be me. I usually do not stop by to discuss a critique, but, been a fan of Gulacy as I am, I had to say something in his defence. I hope you don’t take this as an offense. I just wanted to clarify things in behalf of justice.
All the best,
Mike Deodato, Jr.
27 Sep 2007 at 9:19 am
QuoteThanks for the input, and no, I don’t take it as any offense. As a reviewer, I need to be ready to take criticism if I intend to be dishing it out.
I was actually unaware of Gulacy’s extensive use of this style over the course of his long running career. So, to say that it’s a shameless emulation would, in fact, be incorrect.
On the other hand, the editorial decision to use Gulacy and this art style still feels like a shameless emulation of the core Thunderbolts title, and Penance: Relentless still fails to rise above being a pale imitation from this reviewer’s perspective.
Please feel free to swing by and comment in the future if you feel the desire. Comic pro or comic fan, we all have a love for the medium. Thank you again for the input.
27 Sep 2007 at 11:35 am
Quote