You Have Killed Me – A Review

You Have Killed Me

Publisher Oni Press

Writer Jamie S. Rich

Art Joelle Jones

Format : Hard Cover Book

180 Pages B&W

Okay this book came out earlier this year and it was sitting on my bookshelf as is Cooke’s adaptation of Parker “The Hunter”. I pick up stuff when it comes out because on trades or original graphic novels I worry I will forget about it and never pick it up. Also my store (as many others) is not going to have copies of this type of book sitting on their shelves, which is a shame when you think about. The rack space it takes up is the same as a comic; plus the profit margin is higher. For the fan the actual bang for the buck is great as five $4 comics would only contain 110 pages of story and art. Also another thing this type of product delivers is a story with a beginning, middle and an end.

I have to say that this book was exactly what I expected and also much more then it should have been. This is like starting off your story with “It was a dark and stormy night”, it had tons of cliché ridden characters in it, but it worked and was a beautiful book. I felt like I was watching a great old movie when all of these clichés were being established.

The story is set in the late thirties. It is the best timeframe for this type of story as all the technology and gadgets that are available today take away the idea of using shoe leather and old fashioned interrogations to gather information. Plus you have the great old cars which breathe style as opposed to so many of today’s cars being almost indistinguishable from each other. Just having people smoking in the story gives it that certain vibe that you can’t get in a modern politically correct society.

Tony Mercer is our down on his luck PI. We have no idea of exactly why he is a private dick, but we know that he does it because it is what he knows to do. The femme fatale shows up and it is the sister of an ex-flame Julie. Jennifer (the sister) tells him, Julie has disappeared and she needs Mercer to find her. Julie was due to marry and the family would be devastated if she does not show for the wedding.

Mercer follows a winding path through the home of the sisters, a jazz club, a dark alleyway or two, a horse track, and on and on. The trail leads to death, Mercer getting shot by a girl and back again. I won’t write a plot summary, because I hope you go and buy the book, but it is just the feel and flavor of this book that made me fall in love with it.

At the beginning they felt like cookie cutter characters straight out of central casting and then I realized that I loved a lot of old movies like that. There was a great old film from 1944 (yes Lee even before I was born) called Laura that about a police detective investigating a high society girl’s death. He becomes obsessed with her even thought she is dead. There is a more modern version about the detective obsessed with a girl thought to be dead and called Sharkey’s Machine, perhaps the best movie with Burt Reynolds ever (not high praise, but it is a good movie). While this book thematically is not following that path it has the same feeling of the PI is chasing and looking for a girl that he loves. He is being played for a fool at times, but has the tough edge that will see him though to the end.

Joelle Jones art got better and better as the book went on also. At first I felt it was all a little too angular and her giving the PI a partial beard that disappeared here and there made me wonder about the time setting as that is to me a more modern affectation. As I continued to read and be pulled into the story I realized how strong her work is as many pages were wordless and she was carrying the story telling. The layouts and page design were great. Her women were sexy while still feeling real, yet at the same time they exuded a hint of danger or even madness depending on the character. Each character looked different and with a wide a cast as this story had it would have been easy to make some of them generic, but she never did. It is definitely more of what I call an indy style, which means it is not a super hero style or a pure noir style, but a realistic style that appears simplistic, but is amazing complex and sophisticated in her story telling abilities.

Overall Grade A – You Have Killed Me is a wonderful throwback to an era where the private eyes were dicks and the women were dames. A noir book at its heart, taking the familiar and making it new and fresh again.

What I’m Getting Wednesday November 25

The end of the month is always a crusher. I guess the rush to publish is partially because all business look at monthly numbers and it is important to publish to count those books as sales. This week was big enough without Dark House moving up Chronicles of Kull TP Volume 1 and Chronicles of Solomon Kane TP Volume 1 as both were originally solicited for December. I know I will spend the same amount, but I hate having a huge bill coming due and then two extra trades hit also. Both of these books I picked up just to be able to re-read one day and then pass on. Some good material to be sure, but nothing that stands out as stuff I need to own forever.

The rest of the independent side of thing is light this week with only Chew #6, I Am Legion #6 (of 6), Creepy Comics #2 and Goon #33 being on my list. Of those four I confess that Chew #6 is the one I’m looking forward to the most. Tony Chu has fast become a favorite character of mine. After last issues big reveal that his ex-partner is trying to solve the mystery of what really killed everyone and that the whole Avian Flu thing could be a cover story, I can’t wait to read more. Tony will be getting a new partner and still has to track down his old partner; I have to see where we go next. This is a very entertaining book that mixes a great story and humor with some fun concepts and great art.

The big two are the incredibly huge two this week. Marvel has two expensive hard covers coming out this week with Marvel Masterworks Deathlok Volume 127 and Captain America Death of Omnibus. Marvel decided to cram a ton of Deathlok material to keep this a one and done Masterwork and I agree that it was the right idea. The second Omnibus for Brubaker’s Captain America series only goes to issue #42 as opposed to 25 issues like the last one, but I’m okay with that as my perfect size book is the slightly oversized volume with a year run in it. So 18 issues works for me and I believe the price was knocked back to $65 as opposed to the solicited $75.

A bittersweet book from Marvel is Thor Giant Size Finale. I hate to see J. Michael Stracynski leave this series, but at least he was given time to wrap up some of his story lines. I think JMS has years of Thor in him, but Marvel wanted Thor back into the MU and JMS did not want to be part of that type of tight continuity. I hope we get a nice one or two volume set collecting this run as JMS defined Thor for this generation and gave him a reboot that should last for decades.

The whole Dark Reign thing has become boring for me and even I end up reading about it more then I want. This week we have Invincible Iron Man #20, New Avengers #59, and Secret Warriors #10 as all being books that are considered part of that landscape. Of these Iron Man has been drawn out, but well done and I’m curious to see how they rebuild Tony and what he has become and will become down the road. New Avengers has lost me and I barely remember from issue to issue what is happening. Secret Warriors I enjoy as I get my Nick Fury fix with this book. I’m looking forward to seeing Nick back in charge of a new Shield down the road.

Marvel also has Criminal Sinners #2 continuing Brubaker and Phillips great noir book. Next up is Fantastic Four #573 which is the second arc for writer Jonathan Hickman and Dale Eaglesham. I love how this book has gotten back to its roots and it has made me want to go and finally crack open the collected editions I have of Mark Waid’s run on the book. Also we have Guardians of the Galaxy #20 which is part of the Realm of Kings story line that has started out very well. To round out Marvel’s books I’m getting this week we have Immortal Weapons #5 (of 5), Incredible Hercules #138 and Ultimate Comics Avengers #4. Whew, that is a bunch and DC is even bigger.

Blackest Night #5 (of 8) is of course THE book of the week. I have been enjoying this series a lot and even the cross-over books have been working for the most part. Although Adventure Comics #4 and the Superman / Batman blackest night books last week were either bad or just blah. This week we get what I consider to be a core book with Green Lantern #48 and the ancillary cross-over books of Justice League of America #39 and Teen Titans #77. The BN material has been so strong I held off dropping Teen Titans because it crossed over. What has intrigued me the most is how this will all play out. The death of so many characters is an issue and I hope Geoff Johns does help to define death in the DCU. To me the best idea would be to leave a lot of these characters dead and redefine dead as dead again. It would make the DCU a place where repercussions actually exist. Although in talking of death I do not think Kyle’s story is done and if anything I see him playing a major role as some sort of white lantern or something.

Of course no DC week is complete with out books out of the bat family. This week we have Arkham Reborn #2 (of 3), Gotham City Sirens #6 and Detective Comics #859. Detective Comics is currently exploring the secret origin of Batwoman. Rucka has been doing such a great job with Kathy Kane and I was excited to see them get down to an origin of her character finally. To have it all be brought to life by JH Williams III is just a further bonus. His work has always been great but he has hit a different level on this book.

Rounding out the super hero side of the DCU we have Justice League Cry for Justice #5 (of 7), which enjoys great artwork, Justice Society of America #33 which is leading up to the team splitting up (and getting two books), Superman #694 which now features Mon-el, The Web #3 which really missed last issue, Wonder Woman #38, World’s Finest #2 (of 4) and Superman Secret Origin #3 (of 6). For some reason I’m not hearing a lot buzz on Superman Secret Origin, but I think everyone feels it is a rehash of what they already know. Too many people have forgotten that since Byrne did the reset on Superman his continuity changed and this is giving us the new status quo. Not only is it doing that but Johns is giving us a great character study and Gary Franks is giving us some great art. In my book this is another big title from DC.

Vertigo and Wildstorm and one inexpensive hard cover are the last books from DC. The Saga of the Swamp Thing Vol 2 is a $25 hard cover collecting more of Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing run with issues #24-32. I assume that this is a good break point and with so few issues that a lower price point was decided on. We also get Northlanders #22, which contains Part 2 of the Plague Widow story. Last and not least from Vertigo is Madame Xanadu #17. With Matt Wagner and Amy Reeder Hadley on this book each issue is sheer magic. Finally the Wildstorm corner of the DCU gives me Wildcats #17, which is a book that I’m close to dropping.

That’s it for what I’m getting this Wednesday, come back next Monday we will do this again next week.

Stop that Time Traveler!

When I was laid up for about a week and a half after my surgery last month I had lots of reading time. I also didn't feel like going all the way down to the basement where the comics cabinet is or going through its shelves, so I went with the easier to find stuff I have on a bookshelf in the living room. Now I have several things I read then to go over.

I'll start with DC Comics Two Thousand. Awhile ago I reviewed 1998's DC Comics 1,000,000 and didn't have much positive to say about it. Two Thousand, which came out in 2000, bore little resemblence to 1,000,000, other than the titling similarity. Where 1,000,000 was done in 4 issues over the course of November 1998 and had a myriad of single issue tie ins to other titles, Two Thousand is self contained in two issues published in the graphic novel format. Considering that fans, for reasons beyond my comprehension, actually liked 1,000,000, I don't know what possessed DC to opt for this eminently more readable and coherent format. I'm glad they did, though.

Two Thousand was written by Tom Peyer, pencilled by Val Semeiks, inked by Prentis Rollins and colored by John Kalisz. It tells a story of T.O. Morrow. I don't know that it has anything to do with current DCU history, but I don't really care, either. It's excellent story telling, consistent with the characters it uses, regardless of where or whether it fits into continuity. Truthfully, I'd be just as happy if DC opted to disregard the continuity battle altogether and just went with telling good stories in each of its titles. That's how I decide to buy titles anyway.

Where was I? Oh, yeah. The story. Thomas Oscar Morrow, born some time after the 1939 World's Fair, is obviously a precocious kid, as the main setting of this story is June and July 1941, and Morrow's already reading comic books. I know they were aimed at a younger audience then, but not that young. Morrow's parents actually named him so he would be Tomorrow on purpose, after having been impressed by the future posited at the World's Fair. Morrow's father has died in a jet pack accident and his mother is clearly more concerned about the fantastic future than the dismal present in which she and Morrow live. Morrow, of course, grows up to be a "mad scientist" obsessed with the future. When he travels to some distant future as an adult and finds himself little more than a zoo specimen, he escapes back to his present and proceeds to change that present, and the far future, by sending technology from 2000 back to 1941. He's smart enough to send not just weapons but technology that will have a broader appeal, such as a cell phone, a lap top and an artificial heart.

The real stars of the story are the 1941 JSA, a group that has only recently banded together and is not quite comfortable in its internal dynamics. The JLA is ostensibly the co-stars of the story, but their role really makes them support characters. The interesting interactions and character developments occur with the JSA because they're the new guys and they're trying to figure out what's going on with this technology from the future. The JLA have been working together a long time and know what the threat is, coming from the same era as the errant tech. As a result, the JLA are more set pieces than evolving characters. There are some great interactions, especially during a sort of "getting to know you" dinner at the JSA HQ, but a lot of the appeal of those meetings is either due to the reader's knowledge that the JLA knows things that they're not telling the JSA or the juxtaposition of societal norms of 1941 confronted with different norms of 2000. With no minority members in either group, we don't have any direct discussion of differences in racial norms, but Peyer manages to get in some well placed remarks involving women and a stand in for race with the alien Martian Manhunter.

I haven't read many stories involving T.O. Morrow over the years, but he always struck me as a sort of stock character with a typically deterministic name. But in this story, like in 52, he's a more fully realized character. He's not a bad guy just because he's a bad guy, or even because his parents gave him a dumb name. He's a bad guy because he came out of childhood a dangerous combination of damaged goods and brilliance, further magnified by his experience as sub-human in the far future. His motivation for changing his present so that he's the undisputed ruler is perfectly understandable in his narcissistic world view. It's all about using his brilliance to make the world better for himself without regard to the consequences for others.

And the JSA are aghast at the world the JLA is trying to save. Through the powers of the Spectre they see avarice, strife, conflict, and immorality in that world. I thought it appropriate and telling that Peyer would have the JSA view WWII as a terrible thing to be avoided at all costs, whereas we now view WWII as a necessary evil, but ultimately beneficial in many respects. I also found the JSA's shock at the dismantling of many of FDR's New Deal programs and the perceived abandonment of the poor in character with a bunch of heroes formed almost in response to the New Deal actions. The Reagan and Clinton roll backs on programs for the poor would seem cruel and unforgiving, rather than attempts to make the poor more self sufficient. Reading it now it makes me wonder what that JSA would think of the deregulation of investment and savings banks that occurred in the Clinton years, the consequences of which wouldn't be felt unitl 2008, though they were easily predicatable when enacted.

The JSA doesn't think the JLA is necessarily a bad group, though they distrust the JLA because of the information the JLA has witheld and the attempted theft of future technology the JSA had obtained. Nonetheless, the JSA determines to fight the JLA's effort to retrieve all the tech Morrow has sent back to 1941 in order to prevent the terrible future that the JLA represents.

In the second issue the JSA sets out to do just that, though they soon lose the Flash, who forsees the problems with using the future tech. Morrow also steadily loses control, and in fact, the JSA takes control of his program, only to result in a more repressive and depressing 2000 than the one they sought to prevent or the one Morrow had created. Their 2000 ends up being ruled by corrupt heirs to the JSA who manifest combinations of their powers and seem to number close to a small army. Morrow attempts to salvage his vision of his own 2000 by going back to 1941 and killing his mother, but he's prevented by the JSA Flash, who shows him that's a line even he can't cross. As a result, with Morrow's knowledge of where he dropped different future tech in 1941, the Red Tornado's mapping of changes from the 2000 the JLA had known, and the use of a time travel device called M.O.R.R.O.W., the JLA retrieves all the future tech and reclaims its 2000.

It's a story that ends up with the status quo unchanged, but it was a good journey getting there. Peyer provides individual character voices to each of the myriad characters in this yarn, even with the JLA having more minor roles. The JLA's role does expand significantly in the second issue, where there's alteration between 1941 and 2000, whether the JLA version, the Morrow version or the JSA successor version. It's interesting tht Peyer posits that the JSA succussors were corrupt from their founding because they did not earn their powers but were handed them. Given that the JSA tales told at that point featured a team that had the children of members, who were born into their powers, this presumption seems to be one that could easily be disputed, but for the sake of this story, and the small part this element played in the overall story, it's something that can be overlooked.

Altogether the story was a nice exploration of the ethics involved with technological developments and the differences in perceptions of society depending on not only the era of the person but also the person's approach to life and the handling of conflicts. All of the JSA view the JLA's 2000 askance, but the Flash and then Dr Fate also question the course lead by the Spectre to change that 2000. Other members of the JSA fall along a spectrum between blind obeisance to the Spectre's goal and outright fighting against that goal as the Flash does. While the destination to the status quo is foreordained, the journey that is the development of the JSA members, including the Spectre, is a trip worth taking. Best of all it was a time travel story that didn't give me a headache, a rare feat indeed.

Semeiks's pencills, along with Rollins's inks and Kalisz's colors presented the story cleanly and kept the flow moving. Facial differences weren't pronounced, but with almost everyone wearing a distinctive costume, it wasn't overly necessary, either. It had a nice combination of modern and JSA era feel to it. I suppose my major query is why DC didn't reverse the covers for the two issues. The first issue cover features the JLA, while the interior story features the JSA. The second issue cover features the JSA, but the interior story features more balance with the JLA. Picky, I know. And when have comics covers been an accurate representation of what's going on inside? Still, I want to know.

Lists and Christmas

Between the radio already playing Christmas music and the ads on TV, it appears that Thanksgiving gets more and more marginalized with each passing year. And while I try to avoid joining in the fray, sometimes it can’t be helped. With everything going on and coming up, Wife and I already know that Christmas shopping time will be limited this year. So, while we really didn’t want to, Wife and I went Christmas shopping last weekend while the Grandparents watched the kids.

Basically, we went to Toys’r’us on a Saturday afternoon to avoid all the crazies that will be there after Thanksgiving. Luckily, Wife jump started the whole process by helping the kids develop their Santa wish lists. I hadn’t seen the lists yet, so I was amazed at the difference between them.

Girl completely gets the materialistic side of Christmas. Her latest copy of the American Girl catalog is so dog eared and worn that it looks like a Golden Age Comic book. And, not one of the nice ones. She also started watching the mail for catalogs. She now ‘owns’ a Toys’r’us, Target, Walmart, and several mail order only toy catalogs. It’s amazing. Apparently, when wife asked what she wanted, I wasn’t sure the list of wants would ever stop.

Tiny to a lesser extent gets the idea of the Christmas list. But the problem is that Tiny worships Girl. So whatever Girl wants, Tiny wants, even if Tiny doesn’t really like it. With Tiny, it’s more a matter of filtering through her list to see if she really wants it. At the same time, trying to figure out if there is anything she would like. As parents, we would like Tiny to have something that is uniquely hers, even if she doesn’t know she wants it yet.

Boy on the other hand is a Christmas list disaster. He looked at each catalog once, decided what he wanted and was done. Girl has spent hours, if not days, carefully analyzing every toy and every option and then asking for them all. Boy asked for a Nerf machine gun. That was it.

So, back at Toys’r’us, wife decided to look at the toys the girls were asking for while I got sent off to find something for Boy. It went something like this “You’re a boy. Go figure out what he wants.” Great. Thanks for the guidance honey!

Luckily, I remember that I never had a list as a child either. I remember things showing up at Christmas. Now being older wiser, I realize that Santa brought me things when it was time for me to have them. Or when he thought that I should get them. So, this really became a chance to see what toys I wanted but he could play with until I get them back in a couple of years.

Since he asked, the first thing I went to see was the nerf gun. It was immense. Don’t get me wrong it was super cool and I wish that I could have gotten one as a kid. But it was huge. Seriously, I don’t think he could lift the thing. And, because it’s a nerf gun I know that I won’t get it in a couple of years, so I made a mental note about some smaller ones and continued on my way. Then I went to remote controlled gizzy’s. They have new, non harmful, indoor remote controlled helicopters. I’m sure he’ll love it! I know I will once he goes to bed.

Finally, I ended up in the section that all the boys end up in… Action Figures. I casually looked around and took a couple off the shelf and returned to Wife.

Wife: What are those?
Lee: They're action figures for Boy. I think that he'll really like them.
Wife, incredulous: He will like these? Seriously?
Lee: YES, he will. He's had his eye on this Mr Miracle and Captain Cold for awhile now. I'm pretty sure he wants them. And, I brought this Wonder Woman over for girl. As a stocking stuffer you know. And even a Big Barda for Tiny. That way they can all play together.
Wife: Put them back. I'll shop for Boy later.
Lee: What????

It's almost like she didn't believe me! It's like she thought I would be waiting for the kids to stop playing with them so I could have them. Come to think of it, Boy does have a really cool Batman from last Christmas that he doesn't play with anymore.

Marvel Preview Review for January 2010 Part 3 of 3

X-FORCE #23
Written by CHRISTOPHER YOST & CRAIG KYLE
Pencils & Cover by CLAYTON CRAIN
X-FORCE has a new mission: KILL SELENE. As Utopia burns, Wolverine and the team heads to take down the Black Queen and rescue one of their own, but they have no idea what they're in for when they arrive on the shores of Necrosha. The biggest X-Force story yet continues as Selene's Inner Circle begins to tear itself apart, and the truth about Wolfsbane is finally revealed. PART FOUR (of SIX) 32 PGS./$2.99
Lee: Well, at least the cover isn’t dripping blood. More like hanging chunks of meat. Completely different.
Jim: Marvel's version of Blackest Night continues. There is a part of me that wishes I still cared about the X-Men and the various spin offs, but I don't.

NATION X: X-FACTOR
Written by PETER DAVID
Penciled by VALENTINE DE LANDRO & Cover by CHRISTIAN MACNEVEN
Utopia. The sanctuary for mutants to escape a world that wants them extinct. So is it the ideal home for X-Factor? That's what Cyclops believes when he invites the world's only mutant detective agency to relocate to their floating island retreat and take up residence there. But will Madrox and his team believe that it's the best place for them? What old faces will pop up, and what old acquaintances will be renewed? And will there even be a Utopia left when the mysterious Crone shows up and threatens to bring the entire place crashing down into the Pacific? 40 PGS./ $3.99
Jim: And now Marvel is really ticking me off. X-Factor is the one book that I have been able to follow as they stay in their own corner of the MU. This appears to be changed once more (as they were dragged into Messiah War or whatever.) It maybe time to drop X-Factor.
Lee: I'm with you. I read this in trades and it's time to cut the losses. I can't keep up with every Marvel event, nor do I want to. I shall miss this but it's time to go.

X-MEN FOREVER #15 & 16
Written by CHRIS CLAREMONT
Penciled by PETER VALE (#15) & TBA (#16)
Cover by TOM GRUMMETT
GREAT JUMPING ON POINT the fate of PERFECT STORM! The last time we saw Storm, she was fleeing from the X-Men, having blinded Sabretooth and killed Logan. Now, we turn our focus to Wakanda to see what became of the evil clone of the woman that the X-Men loved and trusted. ALSO: new two-part story starting with Issue 16 as CHRIS CLAREMONT continues his landmark run on X-MEN FOREVER! Don’t miss a single panel! Plus, an extra feature detailing a timeline of what other Marvel Universe stories were occurring during the current X-Men Forever saga!#15 - 40 PGS./ $3.99#16 - 32 PGS./ $3.99
Lee: There is almost too much wrong with this to cover in the three sentences I'm allowed. But let me try. So, the Marvel U is soooo complicated that I now need a timeline to show how everything connects? What happened to the days when it was fairly simple? And do we really need another Dark Storm or Storm the God storyline. Claremont hasn't been one of my favorite writers for a long time but he's better than this. At least, I hope he's better than this.
Jim: Lee, you might be missing that X-Men Forever is it's own little convoluted timeline. This is the X-Men starting from when Claremont left the book years ago. We are pretending he never left and are now moving forward with what was Claremont's vision of where the X-Men were going. In order to set the story in the proper place and time the timeline makes "comic book" sense. The whole problem is this an idea that should have never been green lighted. It is playing to a very small niche market and I can't imagine the sales on this book are growing.
Lee: Oh yeah. I missed that. Maybe they need a "good jumping on point" or something like that. I can tell you, if I did buy this on a whim (which I won't) I wouldn't have been happy to learn it was basically a gaint 'What If'... I'll try not to pick this again.

X-MEN ORIGINS: CYCLOPS
Written by STUART MOORE
Art by JESSE DELPERDANG & Cover by ADI GRANOV
The X-MEN ORIGINS series continues with this month spotlighting Cyclops! Witness the origin of the X-Men’s leader from his childhood through his joining of the X-Men with both classic moments and a few scenes that you’ve never scene. Don’t miss this book!40 PGS./One-Shot/$3.99
Jim: Cyclops has one of the most convoluted personal histories of any character and re-telling his origin only gets a one-shot? Why?
Lee: The sad part is that it was one of the simplist origins for a long, long time. Marvel just keeps trying to cram details into the nooks and crannies that every heroes history has become a convoluted mess.

S.W.O.R.D. #3
Written by KIERON GILLEN
Penciled by STEVEN SANDERS & Cover by JOHN CASSADAY
Agent Brand, Beast, Sydren, Beta Ray Bill, Marvel Boy, Jazinda, Karolina and all the other aliens on Earth have been captured by Henry Gyrich and his “NO MORE ALIENS” agenda. Only one person can free them and save the world: Lockheed.32 PGS/$2.99
Lee: Let me see if I understand this cover. A dragon that flies and breathes fire needs guns. How about I declare this stupid beyond belief and we call it even.
Jim: LOL. The dragon has always been a cool side character, doing this is plain ignorant.


MARVEL MASTERWORKS: THE INHUMANS VOL. 2 HC
Written by DOUG MOENCH & SCOTT EDELMAN
Penciled by GEORGE PEREZ, GIL KANE, KEITH POLLARD & AL MILGROM
Collecting THE INHUMANS #1-12, CAPTAIN MARVEL #52-53 and the rare Inhumans tales from WHAT IF? #29-30 & THOR ANNUAL #12.272 PGS./ $54.99
Jim: I'm stunned that the Inhumans got two Masterworks released so close to one another. I'm really looking forward to an Iron Fist Masterwork and hope we see a couple so we get to the early Claremont/Byrne work on that series.
Lee: The Inhumans are getting this so quickly because of the Perez art and their current inclusion in the War of Kings stuff. Interest for this particular C-list team is as high as it's gonna get so why not. On the upsite, it has great art by Gil Kane and the stories aren't that bad. Don't get me wrong, it's still Marvel 70's slugfests, but if you like non-stop action, then this is a good read.

Jim: It is sad that Marvel is what made me fall in love with comics and I could probably stop following Marvel all together if I was doing serious cutbacks.
Lee: These days, I'm basically into hc's and reprints of material through the 80's. It's a sad state of affairs.

Irredeemable #8 – A Review

Irredeemable #8

Publisher BOOM Studios

Writer Mark Waid

Art Peter Krause

Colors Andrew Dalhouse

Thomm pointed out how apologetic I was in reviewing Punisher #11, well I’m about to do it again. So before I delve into this review I want to say I think Irredeemable is one of the best new series of 2009 and may even be a top ten series for 2009. I also have tons of respect for Mark Waid and my fantasy job would be writing comics and having an editor like Waid to push me to learn how to be the best I could be. Also Peter Krause is a heck on an artist, but this review is not about the art. It’s about one element of the story. Finally half of the book was its normal terrific self as the current day story line was extremely well done. More then enough mea culpa, onto what was wrong with this issue.

For seven issues we have been learning about the Plutonian and all the secrets behind what have driven him over the edge. We learned about his super hearing allowing him to hear the jeers as well as the cheers, the whispers about him thought to be behind his back. This was a nice little thing to throw out there because everybody is ripped behind their back by acquaintances and co-workers. Often it is in fun, but it maybe mean spirited and if we heard all these things it might eat away at us.

We learned that his girl friend rejected him. He had hidden his secret identity away from her and when he finally revealed who he was, she freaked out and walked away. We have been trained to expect the girl to swoon and love that it is the hero, but in real life the reaction was more natural. She had been falling in love with a façade and not a real person, the trust had been broken. She was not going to jump into bed and be happy after finding out the man she loved, was not who she thought he was. Michael Corleone’s wife was not too happy either once she found out he never stopped being part of the family.

We learned how his sense of duty and his super senses never allowed him to get a moment’s rest. I know when I’m constantly pushed that I start to lose perspective on things and something small can make me angrier then it should.

Then we learned of the guilt he felt regarding the fact that he was responsible for a horrible virus. He gave away alien technology and it was misused and it caused the death of children. He felt this keenly as being his fault.

All of this was a great build up so we could see the pieces as they were lining up and I read with rapt anticipation of what would be the straw that broke the camel’s back. This issue we find out that his best pal Samsara found out that Tony was responsible for the virus getting out. Samsara has now lost trust in the Plutonian and this causes him to destroy Sky City and kill millions. What?????

I didn’t buy off on it. I wanted the pace of the story to move, but the ultimate act and thing that pushes him over the edge rang hollow. We had not built up the relationship between Tony and Samsara enough for this act to have that much of an impact. I know that he was at his breaking point and this could be the tipping point, but it just did not ring true for me. He never just killed somebody before and to go from the consummate hero trying to save everyone to wiping out a city, well I need more. Samsara has been portrayed as Tony’s friend, but we had not learned enough to know that Tony losing this relationship would be of such a magnitude. More worked needed to be done to show the Plutonian was slipping over the edge and more work needed to be done to show the depth of this relationship. Then maybe that tipping point would be enough.

Now I also trust that there is even more to this then Waid has revealed, but I would have wanted that more to come out first before seeing him blow up a city. Of course having to run the back story and main story at the same time causes both stories to have a slower pace as each story only gets a half an issue every time out.

We still have plenty to reveal about the Plutonian and plenty more to come with all the action in the modern day, but the big reveal this issue was disappointing. Also I hold this book to a very high standard, so it is harder for this book to achieve what I expect because of the high expectations.

Bottom line this is still a great series, but I felt like the big reveal of Tony’s past did not hit the mark.

Overall Grade B - It was a split grade A for the present C for the past.

Marvel Preview Review for January 2010 Part 2 of 3

SPIDER-MAN: THE CLONE SAGA #5 (of 6)
Written by TOM DEFALCO & HOWARD MACKIE
Penciled by TODD NAUCK
MAXIMUM CLONAGE! It’s Hoo-Ha Time as MJ goes into labor while Peter, Ben Reilly, and Kaine have a clone war for the ages…in the heart of mid-town Manhattan! Only one will walk away as the controversial crossover rockets to its mind-blowing conclusion! 32 PGS./$3.99
Lee: Here’s something to ponder. What if Peter decides he wants to ‘hang out‘ with the Black Cat for the night and asks Ben, his clone, to keep MJ occupied for the evening. If it’s also Friday night date night at the Parker house and MJ hooks up with Ben Reilly, is she still a dirty ho for cheating on Peter? Makes you wonder doesn’t it.
Jim: But in that scenario she is not cheating on Peter, since she has no clue it is Ben. Peter is the dirty ho for cheating on MJ, which leaves MJ free to divorce Peter and take half his income from the movies.

FALL OF THE HULKS: RED HULK #1 (of 4)
Written by JEFF PARKER
Penciled by CARLOS RODRIGUES & Cover by ED MCGUINNESS
FALL OF THE HULKS continues in this all-new series! What secrets will be revealed? What plans has the RED HULK been hiding from everyone? And what does all of this have to do with the COSMIC HULK robot!? Don’t miss this thrilling first chapter by JEFF PARKER (Agents of Atlas, The Hood) and CARLOS RODRIGUES (Thunderbolts)! 40 PGS./ $3.99
Jim: Oh goody, goody. Not only do we have two Hulk series we now have an extra series about the fall of the Hulks, taking up one of my favorite writers time and efforts. This sounds so lame, Cosmic Hulk robot, please stop.
Lee: AH AH AH! But, it's Jack Kirby's Cosmic Hulk Robot from the Eternals series. That makes it completely ok. You know it's getting bad when you're digging up the cosmic hulk robot.

BLACK WIDOW & THE MARVEL GIRLS #3 (of 4)Written by PAUL TOBIN
Pencils & Cover by SALVADOR ESPIN
She’s S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Natasha Romanoff, and Nick Fury has two missions for his newest recruit. First, find out everything possible about the mysterious Ms. Marvel, and deal with her if deemed necessary. Secondly, infiltrate the Red Skull’s organization and discover the location of one of the Skull’s “Sleeper” robots before it spells doom for all mankind. Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, is soon to find that combining these two cases is the one way to stay alive. 32 PGS./$2.99
Lee: If I were a logical person, I might ask why the Black Widow, who can’t fly, is 30-40 feet ABOVE the nearest rooftop. Let’s assume Ms. Marvel dragged Black Widow into the sky. Why would BW struggle to get away? Personally, I would cling to Ms. Marvel with all I got. I would be hanging on to any tract of land or asset that would stop me from falling. But that’s just me.
Jim: And when did the Black Widow all of a sudden become the go to girl character in Marvel? She guest starts in every darn book out there and has two mini-series going right now. Who does she think she is, Wolverine?
Lee: I know it's retorical but there's an Iron Man movie coming which just might... I'm not sure... maybe have the Black Widow in it. But, the trend of having 40 appearances by Character X who just happens to be in the new Marvel Movie Y is annoying. But, at least we can plan for it later.
Jim: So if they actually make a Deadpool movie he will be in even more comics. That is a scary thought.

MARVEL ADVENTURES SUPER HEROES #19
Written by PAUL TOBIN
Penciled by IG GUARA & Cover by NIKO HENRICHON
The Avengers have barely moved into their new mansion before they have their first visitor, the super villain known as the Plant Man. But Plant Man isn’t crashing the party, he’s asking for help in his battle against a violently berserk Silver Surfer, an interstellar powerhouse intent on planting the Plant Man. How much will the Avengers put on the line to protect a super villain, and can even the assembled Avengers stand against the Power Cosmic? 32 PGS./$2.99
Lee: Here’s a question, shouldn’t the cover in some vague way indicate what the story is about? If the answer is yes, then shouldn’t the hype have something to say so that the cover and the story mesh together? If yes, then this cover & hype is a miserable fail.
Jim: Let's hope it is just some sort of mix-up, otherwise this makes no sense at all.

AVENGERS VS. ATLAS #1 (of 4)
Written by JEFF PARKER
Penciled by GABRIEL HARDMAN& Cover by HUMBERTO RAMOS
Spacetime is being selectively eroded by an unknown force. To stop the effect, the Agents of Atlas seek the help of the Avengers- and find a much earlier version of the team than they expected: Captain America, Iron Man, Wasp, Giant-Man and Thor are together again, with the atomic wildcard THE HULK! 40 PGS./ $3.99
Jim: The group that can't be kept down. Sure there regular series has been cancelled, but between this, the X-Men vs Agents book and backing up Hercules these guys are more prevalent now then when they had a series.
Lee: I do like the Agents. They are becoming the new SpiderGirl of the Marvel U.

SUPER HERO SQUAD #1
Written by TODD DEZAGO
Pencils & Cover by MITCH SCHAUER
The new ongoing series kicks off with a KABLAGABANGADINGDONGDOOBAWIBBAWABBA!!!!! Check out TWO new stories based on the hit animated series, THE SUPER HERO SQUAD SHOW! 32 PGS./ $2.99
Jim: I know Marvel is self promoting this crap and I don't begrudge them their due, but I miss the mini-Marvels, which I thought were a lot more fun. Lee: I liked the Hero Squad appearance on the cover of the Punisher the other month. You remember, the cover with Frank blowing some criminal to bits and a happy, smiley Hulk face in the corner. Loved that cover.

MARVEL BOY: THE URANIAN #1 (of 3)
Written by JEFF PARKER
Penciled by FELIX RUIZ & Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
A young man has travelled billions of miles through space in a rocket to help our world. But is Earth of the 1950's ready for a new super hero? Before he became the dark figure the Agents of Atlas call The Uranian, Bob Grayson raced through the skies as Marvel Boy! From the critically acclaimed writer of AGENTS OF ATLAS and FALL OF THE HULKS: ALPHA comes this all-new look back at one of Marvel’s first heroes! 48 PGS./ $3.99
Jim: See this is more of what I was talking about, my favorite team is getting more face time then Tony Stark was in Civil War, well maybe more face time then Quicksilver in New Avengers, but they are headliners!
Lee: I like Marvel Boy because of his history but this outfit is really, really bad. Grey? With a bubble on his head? I understand having the 50's retro costume but isn't it time to upgrade? Please?

PART 3 Tomorrow