Wednesday Number Ones 6/04/08
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 Duostar Racers #1, Haunt Of Horror Lovecraft #1, Manhunter #31, Scream Queen #1, Trinity #1 and Ultimate Origins #1.
Nick Budd Read and Thought:
Ultimate Origins #1 of 5
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Butch Guice
Company: Marvel Comics
It’s been awhile since I’ve really delved into any of the Ultimate books. I used to read them all the time and enjoy the majority of the stories they had to tell, but they got tiring after awhile and I stopped reading them. That said, Ultimate Origins is a pretty decent read. What it is essentially is, is a book that will somehow tie much of what has happened in the Ultimate Universe over the years together. And so far, the ideas that Bendis has introduced in this issue are interesting and bode well for an entertaining story that’s worth telling. There are a few instances where his typical Benids speak comes through, but for the most part it feels reined in. For me though, the big draw is Butch Guice’s artwork. I’ve always enjoyed his work but here he tackles the action of the thing, the World War II battlefields and the Secret government installations alike, with the necessary tenacity and style. Overall, if you’ve liked any of the Ultimate stuff, or are just looking for a solid read, you might want to take a gander at this one.
Duostar Racers #1
Writer: T P Louise
Artist: Ashley Wood
Company: IDW Publishing
As with all Ashley Wood projects, Duostar Racers is equal parts awesome art and exotic story. For me, there are a lot of similarities with Wood’s stuff to Paul Pope’s style of work, especially the sci-fi elements that he uses. The main focus of this book however is street racing…Though not the typical type where people use souped automobiles to have some fun. No, in this little world, the cool hipsters and racers use giant robots to get their kicks and cash. The idea itself is pretty cool, and more importantly has a lot of possibility, but it never reaches the that level and instead leaves things kinda cold. Wood’s art, while great, has the tendency to feel too abstract and scatter-shot at times. The way the book is colored especially hurts some of the bigger moments, as its hard to tell what exactly is happening. All in all, a solid idea that just doesn’t come across in the execution.
Dave Farabee Read and Thought:
Manhunter #31
Writer: Marc Andreyko
Artist: Michael Gaydos
Company: DC Comics
I’ve been meaning to check this series out again since dabbling in it once or twice in the past, and while a new #1 would’ve been nice after the series’ hiatus, this is effectively the same thing - complete with an intro that summarizes the story thus far. On the plus side, most of the stuff I liked about the series is intact: its all-too-human lead, a single mom who’s a metahuman criminal defense lawyer by day, vigilante by night; a strong supporting cast, including her tech-guy, a likeable weasel who used to work for the bad guys; and a good sense of social justice competing with the desire most of us struggle with to see some eye-for-and-eye justice dispensed. That’s the good side. Not-so-good is new artist, Michael Gaydos, best known as a frequent collaborator with Brian Bendis. I found Gaydos’s weighty, photo-referenced art to be almost claustrophobically scrunched here (especially the action scenes; the talky scenes looked good). That may be the result of a too-dense script - I just know I found myself missing those Gaydos pages in a Bendis book where the art really opened up. Is it possible he’s so attuned to Bendis’s style that he doesn’t fit other writers easily? Be that as it may, I’d still encourage readers to give Manhunter a shot. It’s a worthy book getting what’s effectively a relaunch here. Bendis/Brubaker fans are especially likely to be pleased.
Trinity #1
Writer: Kurt Busiek & Fabian Nicieza
Artist: Mark Bagley, Scott McDaniel & Andy Owens
Company: DC Comics
I was rooting for this one to be a success, but I’m content, at least for the moment, with it being merely solid. For the record, Trinity is DC’s third weekly series in recent years, following on the heels of 52 and Countdown, though standing as its own entity. This is the series that spotlights the Big Three of DC - Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. The main story, slickly drawn by Marvel defector Mark Bagley, is largely a character piece. Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman gather in civilian identities to discuss a similar-yet-subtly-different dream of foreboding that they’ve each been plagued with. Busiek’s got some sharp writing here, showcasing both the heroes’ friendship and their differing personalities (even down to their different orders at a coffee shop). I thought it was a bit of a shame they didn’t see any action (though oddly enough, guest-star The Flash does), but it’s a weekly book; I’m sure they’ll get into character before long. That’s the first fifteen pages. The second fifteen pages (and this split-issue approach seems to be the book’s standard format) gives us a group of villains arraying themselves against the heroic trinity. I was half-expecting the back-up to be unrelated, but it’s an integral tie-in to the story - a focus I applaud. At the same time, neither of the two villains (one old, one new) grabbed me much and Scott McDaniel’s art was…not his best. All told, though, this is a good enough start. Hell, I’m just happy that it doesn’t appear to be tied to any pending event! I suggest giving it a shot.
Dan Grendell Read and Thought:
Haunt of Horrors: Lovecraft #1 (of 3)
Writers: Richard Corben and H.P. Lovecraft
Artist: Richard Corben
Company: Marvel MAX
Richard Corben draws an amazing line. His incredible ability to put detail on the page, his fine linework, all are evident here. He’s also a good horror writer. Unfortunately, his take on horror doesn’t match up well with Lovecraft’s. In each of the stories here, we get the original Lovecraft version, and the Corben interpretation. In the case of the story “Dagon”, Corben takes what was a tale of a glimpse of the unknown driving a man to madness and turns it into something completely different. Corben’s story is well done, but it ceases to be very Lovecraftian and becomes more of a monster story. The same thing continues to happen with the adaptations of Lovecraft’s poetry. What does all this mean? Well, it means that I enjoyed the book as some excellent Corben horror, just not as a Lovecraftian adaptation. Go into it looking for the former and not the latter and it should delight you.
Randy Lander Read and Thought:
Scream Queen #1
Writer: Brendan Hay
Artist: Nate Watson
Company: Boom! Studios
Before Hack/Slash came along, I didn’t consider myself a fan of slasher genre stories. I’m still not, really, but Hack/Slash is an exception. Scream Queen might be another one. In some ways, it’s a straightforward slasher tale, as the power politics of high school serve as a backdrop for a maniac chopping up pretty girls and good looking guys who mostly deserve it. However, some strong character development and a weird romance angle make Scream Queen a bit different, darkly humorous instead of merely bloody. And Nate Watson is an artistic find, a beautiful mix of realistic and stylized that calls to mind guys like Charlie Adlard and Duncan Fegredo, with uniquely expressive characters reminiscent of Kevin Maguire. In addition Andrew Dalhouse’s bright, clear colors help set Scream Queen apart from the usual dour color palette of horror, helping to convey the somewhat playful tone. This was a pleasant surprise, and I’m definitely looking forward to more.
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I have given “Manhunter” more than a fair chance, having read the first two trades, but it just does nothing for me. The lead character, far from being the breakout complicated female protagonist that I hear everyone say she is, comes off as a typical ballbuster tough chick, complete with smoking and bad parenting.
The stories are nothing special, the art is lackluster and inconsistent at best and, of course, being a DC comic, it’s interrupted every 2 1/2 issues with some crossover or other. All in all, I really don’t see what all the fuss is about. Are we really so starved for good female characters that we’ll take any we can get, regardless of how well written or illustrated the book is?
I looked at the preview of “Trinity” on Newsarama and found it to be a fun-looking old school superhero romp kind of deal. I’m tempted to check it out, but I’ll probably just wait for trades. I just wish they would come out earlier than a year from now.
04 Jun 2008 at 1:46 pm
QuoteWhat I love about Manhunter, and what might be part of its problem in finding solid traction at DC, is that it feels like a contemporary update on an 70-80s Marvel book. Kate is not my favorite character (although I like her a lot more than Sluggo and find her to be a human, fallible lead wanting to be and make the world better) because every member of the supporting cast is fleshed out, interesting and has a role to play. The designed-to-induce-sales crossovers are an issue, but really only come up once in the initial run before being a consistent presence in the 1st relaunch. I still thought that Andreyko did a better than average job integrating them into his larger story every time. In general the stories were smart and tied to larger plot points and themes every step of the way, often using resuscitated D-List villains in a sufficiently menacing fashion. All told, I’m thrilled one of my favorites is back and agree that fans of Brubaker or (early, non-event) Bendis’ work should give it a try.
That said, I bought but haven’t yet flipped through or read #31 - and Dave’s critique of Gaydos has me a little worried. I’ve never been a big fan of his work and the art of Saiz, followed by Pina, was a big part of what I have loved about the book in the past. Time will tell…
04 Jun 2008 at 2:22 pm
Quoteargeed on Manhunter as Character but found her Backstory neat “she’s got other people’s spare parts’ That works for me becuse if I lived in the dc universe i’d hit police auctions until I found a green lantren ring or spell books or somesuch
04 Jun 2008 at 2:30 pm
QuoteWho reigns in the land of Benidspeke?
04 Jun 2008 at 2:52 pm
QuoteVery much a case of “To each his own” and “Beauty (or a good comic) is in the eye of the beholder”.
04 Jun 2008 at 3:12 pm
QuoteDefinitely going to pickup Manhunter this week.
I’m glad that Trinity starts off. Well, I think it starts off well according to the review. After reading the review, it suggests the comic is more than just “merely solid” with the praises it got. I’m glad Busiek didn’t start off by having the three fighting on the very first issue, if so, wouldn’t critics say it’s yet another bash ‘em up comic, since you’ll just see them fighting for no apparent reason, since it’s just the first ish? Anyway, I hope the series does really well cause Busiek and Bagley are on it, not because I want to fatten the wallets of the fatcats at DC or Time Warner or whatever. Here’s hoping there will be no additional comics you have to buy that’s connected with Trinity like with War World III for 52, cause WWIII sucked. Anyway, what are the other Panteons thoughts on Trinty #1?
Also, what are your thoughts Robin/Spoiler one-shot? Is it a good read like his Robin or is this the first time Dixon slip-up since coming back to Robin?
04 Jun 2008 at 7:59 pm
QuoteGreat King Benid reigns in Benidspeke.
In the land of Bendisspeak, Lord High Mamet rules.
04 Jun 2008 at 10:41 pm
QuoteIand a good sense of social justice competing with the desire most of us struggle with to see some eye-for-and-eye justice dispensed.
What struggle? SCREW social justice! Off with their heads! Huzzah!
Anyway, I was skeptical about the new artist, the lack of a new number one and a promised focus on the Law & Order aspects of Manhunter, but after reading #31, my main reaction is: Thank God it’s back. For however long we get it, I’ll treasure it.
I actually thought Gaydos’s work here was the best it’s been since Alias, maybe even slightly better since Andreyko is better at scripting action than Bendis. And the book has a lighter touch than Brubaker’s Daredevil, which it could be compared to… it’s not quite as dour, the characters don’t feel like they’re always miserable, or a hair’s breadth from being miserable. There’s plenty of wit and humanity to go along with the moodiness.
And the use of Texas-Mexico border crime and politics, not to mention the guest star brought in as a result, made me quite happy.
If you’ve already been a Manhunter fan, good news… this is a return to form. Now let’s just hope that despite DC fumbling the ball on the marketing of the relaunch, more new folks check it out and keep it going.
I thought it was… OK. Nowhere near as dire as Countdown, and probably about as good as 52 began, although I was in skim mode for most of the backup story. I think I’ve discovered that I have little interest in Morgan LeFay in Marvel or DC continuities.
I liked Bagley’s art quite a bit, although I wasn’t quite as pleased with the character stuff as Dave F. was… I found it all a bit forced, and bordering on too cute.
It’s a good read, and a little more explanation of how Tim and Steph will interact now that she’s back, and what lead Stephanie to decide she had to break her isolation and faked death and return to Gotham. Really nice art, too, especially on the second story in the book. Regular readers of Dixon’s Robin shouldn’t miss it, it’s basically another Robin issue. Not entirely sure why it was published as a one-shot, to be honest.
And I loved Haunt of Horror: Lovecraft, but I’m a huge Corben fan, and a bigger fan of the mythology that has sprung up around Lovecraft’s work than of Lovecraft’s writing itself. I found Corben’s adaptations much more approachable than Lovecraft’s prose, and yet perfectly in keeping with what I think of as the tone of the Cthulhu mythos.
Pretty good week, actually, and that’s just the number ones.
04 Jun 2008 at 10:53 pm
QuoteI absolutely love Hack Slash and am interested in Scream Queen but my only worry is that it’s a little too close to feeling like a “clone” (for lack of a better term) of the cult DDP book. I mean if you change the blond ’s hair black on the cover that could pretty much be Cassie and Vlad. I really like that it has a vivid color palette (I get so tired of comics washed in one or two tones, it was different the first couple times I saw that, now it just seems bland and overused) and the critique of the art sounds great.
But does it transcend the feeling of being a Hack Slash knock-off?
05 Jun 2008 at 1:51 am
QuoteBrendan Hay is actually a very old friend of mine (from our days as Marvel interns!), so any similarities are most likely because we’re the exact same kind of nerd. Hell, Brendan and I created my first comic, LOVEBUNNY and MR.HELL together.
TIM SEELEY
05 Jun 2008 at 7:33 am
QuoteAmen, brutha.
Having read the issue now, I can also say that my concerns about the art were for naught. I liked it a lot - much more than I remember liking Gaydo’s work on Alias. I feel like a lot of credit should go to Jose’ Villarubbia. The colors somehow seem vibrant and dark at the same time, and really make the pages pop.
05 Jun 2008 at 7:56 am
QuoteBy the way, where’s the Salem #1 review?
05 Jun 2008 at 9:23 am
QuoteWe decided not to review it since we had covered the 0 issue, but we forgot to take it out of the lineup at the top of the article. I’ve fixed that.
05 Jun 2008 at 10:02 am
Quotei thought Manhunter was pretty good. i’m not sure about the new artist but i wasn’t turned off by him either.
Trinity was good.
05 Jun 2008 at 10:24 am
QuoteAbsolutely. It’s similar in tone, being sort of a darkly humorous book with strong characterization and roots in the slasher genre, but the premise is completely different, and while Hack Slash hews closer to horror/adventure, I’d say Scream Queen is more horror/romance/comedy. (But not romantic comedy… this isn’t When Harry Killed Sally or anything).
05 Jun 2008 at 12:47 pm
QuoteUltimate: Origins was a promising start to the series, but I’m not sure how I feel about the revelations.
It feels a little too small universe/Phantom Menace for me.
Could be a blast though.
05 Jun 2008 at 1:05 pm
Quoteargeed on Manhunter as Character but found her Backstory neat “she’s got other people’s spare parts’ That works for me becuse if I lived in the dc universe i’d hit police auctions until I found a green lantren ring or spell books or somesuch
What are the spare parts? I bought the first trade and read several of the singles because I loved the concept. The concept, as I understood it, was a ballbuster chick DA that stole tech/weapons/spare parts from the LAPD evidence room and used said stuff to fight crime. What I didn’t like was that the tech was never identified. It would be cool as hell if you could look at her uniform and spot gear from say Shadow Thief or Deadshot or Electrocutioner. It seemed like such a missed opportunity to me that I couldn’t enjoy the book. I hope it sticks around though.
05 Jun 2008 at 1:53 pm
Quotewell as I recall…
1. azreal’s gloves
2 Manhunter (Mark shaw.) power staff
3. Manhunter (pual kirk main costume.)
05 Jun 2008 at 2:10 pm
QuoteThanks. Good to know. I’m glad that Andreyko went this direction. This must have happened after I stopped reading because I don’t remember Karen having Azrael’s flame-sword gloves. Paul Kirk is a complete unknown to me though so if that was referenced as the source of her costume it would have gone over my head. I think I might revisit the book.
05 Jun 2008 at 2:46 pm
QuotePArdon it was not “gLOVES” it “glove” not sure what that does to powers.
05 Jun 2008 at 3:03 pm
QuoteActually, that was done, just later in the series. I think it was maybe the first issue in the third collection, and it did an origin story where we see the origins of all her tech. Some nice third-string character references there, and one of the best stories in the run.
05 Jun 2008 at 7:24 pm
Quoteit was in trade of some sort i’ve never even seen it as a comic.
05 Jun 2008 at 9:25 pm
QuoteIt was issue #15, Rob. It came out as an issue and was collected in the 3rd trade. For those who don’t want to look it up, her suit came from the Darkstars, the gauntlets are what Azrael wore when he acted as Batman, and the staff was the Mark Shaw Manhunter’s. The issue explains how each piece got into the evidence room.
05 Jun 2008 at 10:09 pm
Quotewait holy fricking cow it’s a DARKSTAR suit?! that’s powerfull stuff RIGHT?
05 Jun 2008 at 10:15 pm
QuoteRandy and Tim,
Thanks for the further info on Scream Queen. None of the shops within a reasonable distance carry many indys without preorder so I gotta order them pretty much sight unseen. I’m definitely checking it out now.
05 Jun 2008 at 10:37 pm
QuoteKate’s suit is either damaged or she just doesn’t know how to use it, because she doesn’t fly or generate a force field, masers, or a shoulder cannon, all things a Darkstar exo-mantle can do. The suit does seem to give her increased speed, strength, agility, and toughness, though.
06 Jun 2008 at 12:15 am
QuoteI found “Trinity” was disappointing. The second story was so boring I couldn’t believe it. I was hoping it would be an all action book: Kick’Splode with the Big Three. Ah well. Anyone else notice that the Flash’s eye color switched from blue to green? I expect it’s just a mistake, but I know that green eyes is supposed to mean something.. I think. But I think it was a mistake here.. but it distracted me for a few seconds.
Also, I know that the depowering of WWoman occured in the terribly scheduled Heinberg story, but it does seem weird that it hasn’t really be addressed by the others. Or do they all just accept it.. “She loses all her powers without her costume? That’s too bad. What’s for lunch?” Maybe the delayed story just sorta ate up the appropriate timing for DC to talk about that.
My LCS has a huge sale once a year. At that sale I bought all the Manhunter trades (it was a good price!). I am excited to read them. And glad to hear that Gaydos is back. I mean, I know he was on “Snakewoman”, and I did follow him there, but after a few issues of that, I went to “wait for trade” and never really heard anything more about them. Well, I know there are at least two trades out, but are those stories any good?
06 Jun 2008 at 6:20 am
QuoteDan is spot on with his review of ‘Haunt of Horror’. Lovecraft just seems to be inherently unadaptable. If anyone has seen a good *and* faithful adaptation - in any format - I’m all ears.
06 Jun 2008 at 7:49 am
QuoteI was also disappointed by Trinity. Not so much because I found anything bad in it but it just didn’t grab my interest enough for a weekly book. Yeah, a good argument can be made that this is only 1 of 52 chapters but I think I might wait for this to be collected.
Manhunter was a nice change of pace for me. Someone mentioned this reads like an updated Marvel title and I would probably agree. This books “feels” less like the DCU to me that books like Trinity and FC. I thought it was a decent relaunch of sorts. The stunner (even though it shouldn’t be) of having Blue Beetle show up at the end really piqued my interest. I’m looking forward to seeing where this will lead.
I’m not sure how to feel about Ultimate Origins. Having come late to the Ultimate Universe, many of the breadcrumbs that that been left here and there slipped past me. I have to admit that I was pretty suprised by the reveal. In which books can those be found? Still, it was a decent read and I’m definitely interested enough to see where this is going.
06 Jun 2008 at 8:23 am
QuoteThanks too all for the Manhunter details. It’s that level of knowledge that makes this site and the podcast such a pleasure. Now, can anyone explain 100 Bullets to me? Kidding, kidding. I don’t want to know.
06 Jun 2008 at 8:54 am
QuoteI think the only good adaptation of a Lovecraft story is that which is projected on the inside of your mind. Lovecraft’s power was his ability to conjure images in the head of the reader by suggestion and mood without ever explicitly describing what his narrator was seeing, usually because putting the images into words would cause the narrator to “fall into the black infinite abyss of insanity”, or some other applicable overwrought early twentieth century phrasing.
Therefore, anyone having read a Lovecraft story expecting to connect with an interpretation of said story in a visual medium is setting himself up for disappointment. Someone else’s vision of an Elder God or other such beastie will almost always look “off” in comparison to your own, Lovecraft’s work being so much more open to interpretation than a writer who spells everything out more plainly for you.
Or at least that’s what Yog-Sothoth told me. And we all know how wacky he can get.
06 Jun 2008 at 9:02 am
QuoteThat happened to me after reading Jeph Loeb’s Ultimates.
06 Jun 2008 at 9:46 am
Quotegood lovecraft? try this
http://sonic.net/~jason/dream/index.html
you’ll be the hippiest kid on your block and I know you woke up today wondering “how can I help Rob’s buddy sell comics?”
06 Jun 2008 at 9:54 am
QuoteI told you no such thing. Stop your lying.
06 Jun 2008 at 10:52 pm
QuoteOh, snap.
08 Jun 2008 at 3:28 pm
QuoteVerbally bitch-slapped by an Elder God. I feel low.
09 Jun 2008 at 7:30 am
Quote