CONFESSIONS OF A SPINNER RACK JUNKIE.

Time now for a horribly overdue CONFESSIONS OF A SPINNER RACK JUNKIE, where I opine upon comics that I have bought and/or received in the interval between July 4 and July 19, some of which may even still be on sale at finer comics selling establishments worldwide if you're lucky. Or not, as the case may be.

AGENTS OF ATLAS #7, 8: #7 was mostly tying up the loose ends of the whole Namor/Namora/Dark Reign thing; #8 gives us a freaked-out doped-up Hulk doing the sort of stuff you'd imagine a freaked-out doped-up Hulk would do, and we get nods to the old Hulk TV show as well as grotesque mutants to boot. I don't know how much it jibes with what's going on with the character in his own title, or titles, and truth be told, don't care much- he's done well here. Parker and Co. continue to roll on like a well-oiled machine; the effect is similar to that in other genres such as music or film, when a eight minute song, to name but one example, is so good that it doesn't really seem to be an eight minute song, and is over before you know it. Working with and also independently of the whole Dark Reign thing, every character is handled in an intriguing fashion, even Venus (although my standard objections apply), and character interaction as well as plot direction is always fresh. Yet strangely, each issue is also as easy to forget about afterwards as it is easy to read, and if I could figure out why that is (and it may just be me), that would be wonderful. Perhaps if the better-than-I'm-making-it-sound-here art was a little more distinctive, who knows. Both issues: A-

BATMAN AND ROBIN #2: Maybe I'm just being stubborn, but while this is still better than the run of the mill DC comic, the creators seem bored, content to give us a serviceable Batman thriller and little else. Quitely, with his ever-scratchier ink line, gives us a few of his patented time-lapse multi-panel action shots, always welcome but after two issues I find myself underwhelmed by the whole thing, nowhere near as good as the best issues of All-Star Superman. Be that as it may, it's still better than Gotham City Sirens and Streets of Gotham. B+

BATMAN: STREETS OF GOTHAM #2: If Morrison's bored, Dini's just punching the clock here; this is some of the most uninspired Batman writing I've seen since the dozens of late-80's and 90's scribes not named Doug Moench calcified Bats in the pages of Legends of the Dark Knight, Detective, and name your Bat-title of choice. Dustin Nguyen's art is fine, often very good; I still think he could do better but perhaps he's just not particularly inspired by the script. The Manhunter backup is fine, but is hamstrung by the presence of one of DC's less-believable Bat-villains, Jane Doe, whose shtick is completely dependent on comic-book science, and less likable because of it. Still, it's early and I liked Andreyko's stuff enough in the ongoing to cut some slack. C+

THE BOYS #32: The gang gets ambushed in the hospital in which the Female of the Species was recuperating (glad she didn't get killed). By now, you ought to know what to expect from Ennis and Robertson, and here's more of the same. A-

B.P.R.D.: 1947 #1: I was a bit concerned about how smooth the transition would be between the art styles of the Moon/Ba team and 1946 illustrator Paul Azaceta, especially because I've become a big fan of Azaceta's work. Shouldn't have worried; as we all know, the brothers are an excellent team and more that equal to the task. True, they're a bit more whimsical in their choices than the more grounded Azaceta (some of the facial expressions on their Varvara are priceless), but always to the enhancement of the story, never the detriment. Some of the sequences, later in the story when Professor Bruttenholm's quartet is trying to cool their heels in the village, masterfully evoke mood and apprehensive atmosphere. Writer Josh Dysart's straightforward, terse style is much more effective on these fantastic goings-on, as opposed to the more overheated Unknown Soldier, and this continuation of the previous series is promising. A

FABLES #86: In this issue, we get, well not exactly an origin for the Man in Black that isn't Johnny Cash and has done such terrible things to my beloved Fafhrd and Gray Mouser, but more of a look at the mysterious (and quite interesting) magic cabal who is charged with keeping the likes of him in captivity- in particular one brave soul who succeeds in leading the effort to "box", or magically trap and keep him from doing harm. Jim (Scarlett) Fern, at liberty since Crossing Midnight got the axe, teams with Craig Hamilton to provide some very handsome, if a little stiff, art. Another solid issue of Fables, and it's good to be done with the crossover I didn't follow. A-

FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: DANCE #2: Well, it's bright, and breezy, and colorful, with the requisite dash of cynicism in place. But it's also X-Statix, in different clothes, and without the benefit of a U-Go Girl. Proceed accordingly. B

FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: RUN #3: Of all these Final Crisis follow-ups, I'm enjoying this one the most; it's somewhat gritty, but not so grim- a total superhero wallow, and in the fetid current DC mud bog at that. However, I'm finding the desperate plight of the Human Flame, despite his resemblance to Carl of Aqua Teen Hunger Force fame (well, to me, anyway), improbably interesting, and unlike the other spinoffs (especially the execrable Escape), I actually look forward to finding out where it ends up. Kudos to Matthew Sturges, who has pretty much left me cold in his other endeavors. And kudos as well to Freddie Williams II (what is it with artists named Williams and the attendant numerals?), whose style has really improved since his Seven Soldiers: Mister Miracle stint, and who does a good job of depicting the cluttered group superguy fight scenes and not lapsing into incoherence. Nicely done, fellas. B+

INCOGNITO #5: Our hero, or at least our main protagonist, spends the evening on the run with the amusingly named Eva Destruction, who helps fill in some of the blanks in said protagonist's memory as we rush headlong into the resolution next issue. Despite the superficial resemblance to Sleeper, this has been a very good series in its own right, and a testament to how in sync Brubaker and the always-excellent Sean Phillips are. A-

THE MIGHTY #6: I'm pleased to report that this quiet, under-the-radar little title, yet another deconstructionist look at a Superman-ish character who of course isn't as benign as we're supposed to think he is (of course, anybody who's got an IQ of 25 or above saw that coming) is still quite readable, thanks to the continued emphasis on sympathetic human liaison Gabe Cole (a redhead with a signal, but not quite a "Pal"). He begins to put the pieces together in this issue, and a scene in which Alpha takes Cole up into space takes on a nicely done air of tension and danger. Credit to Peter Tomasi and Keith Champagne for taking such derivative material and making something of it; I'd bet that it was some sort of Superman pitch at some stage or another. Also props to Chris Samnee, who took over for original artist Pete Snejbjerg and didn't miss a beat. B+

SCALPED #30: Even though circumstances are closing in on Dash Bad Horse like a vise, he's beginning to get his head straight as well as find his balls and get away from some bad habits, proving that he is shaping up to be a survivor. Of course, surviving is sometimes relative, and I have no hopes of anything resembling a happy ending, when an ending of some kind does arrive (and I hope it's gonna be a long time coming). Nice scene with hoodoo man Catcher at the beginning as well; you'd think introducing the- well, "supernatural" is not quite right, but perhaps "extraordinary", in the strictest sense, will do- extraordinary would completely wreck the mood, but Jason Aaron isn't going to let that happen. Another solid issue in a long line of solid issues of the best dramatic title of the last few years. A

SOLOMON KANE TPB VOL 01: CASTLE OF THE DEVIL: I reviewed this as singles; I was favorably disposed. If you want the details, go here, and here. Just flat out love the Mignola cover to this collection, so reminiscent of old Dell/Gold Key comics cover design. I hope we see more Kane from Dark Horse, and soon. A-

WASTELAND TP BOOK 4: DOG TRIBE: The focus is narrowed in this collection; rather than the Byzantine and often confusing power struggles of all the different classes of people Mr. Johnston has seen fit to populate his post-apocalyptic saga with, we spend most of our time with nominal leads Michael and Abi and their captivity at the hands of the titular tribe, whose entire social structure is based upon dog terminology- and yes, their women are called "bitches", and all the other slang and oaths all the characters use is still kinda sun-damned goat-sucking cheesy. Be that as it may, this more intimate scenario provides more opportunities for drama and tension, with fewer characters clamoring for our attention, as both sides (as well as a well-intentioned but mostly ineffective stranger) get a chance to let us see what motivates and shapes them. I suppose it's a good thing when, four collections in, I find myself more interested now than I was at the beginning. Artist Chris Mitten has improved, as well- he still has a default chin-on-chest position for nearly everybody he draws, but it's not as much in evidence and he's getting real good at using his deliberately spare and scratchy style to give us an appropriately cinematic and evocative feel. Can't really say you should start here, but if you're curious, know that you can start at the beginning and be assured it gets better as it goes along. A-

WITCHFINDER: IN THE SERVICE OF ANGELS #1: Mignola seems determined to flesh out every fringe character that gets a mention is one of the many sagas he's given us so far, and now it's Edward Gray's turn. Victorian-era "occult investigator for the Queen" Gray is, even though he comes across as a cross between Poe, Van Helsing, and Billy Sunday (with his perpetual scripture-quoting), an interesting dude, and Mignola's given him a decent enough mystery to solve, beholden to mummy-movie tropes as it may be. Ben Stenbeck does a good job of giving us approximate-Mignola murk, but keeps it straightforward and manages to keep enough of his own style to not appear to be an imitator. Promising start. A-



Sorry this has taken me so long, but life seems to find new and varied ways from keeping me from reading stuff and writing about same. Hopefully I'll be able to get to the contents of the DCBS box I received last Friday sooner than I did its predecessor...

CONFESSIONS OF A SPINNER RACK JUNKIE.

Here I go again with CONFESSIONS OF A SPINNER RACK JUNKIE, that more-or-less ongoing and often overdue feature in which I write shortish reviews of various works of sequential fiction that I have perused in the interval since the last time I inflicted such reviews upon one and all, or to be specific, the period from approximately February 7 through 21, some of which may even still be on sale at finer comics selling establishments worldwide if you're lucky. Or not, as the case may be.

AGENTS OF ATLAS #1: Where the first miniseries kinda danced around the edges of the Marvel U proper, this one immerses itself fully via a tie-in with this whole "Dark Reign" thing, and manages to emerge unscathed for the most part. So far. And since it is a "Dark Reign" tie-in, we get the obligatory Norman Osborn appearance; he's brought in for a dick-measuring contest with the Atlas corporation which unfolds in interesting fashion, reaffirming Jeff Parker's talent for such. That guy's really on a roll these days. Amusing (for every one but him): the fate of Man-Mountain Marko, a quite obscure 70's Marvel badguy who, to be honest, may be (have been) a major player in all things Marvel U for a decade now, but i wouldn't know because, frankly, I havent been paying attention. The art, by Carlo Pagulayan, Benton Jew (!), and Jason Paz is servicable; it lacks the professional sheen that Leonard Kirk brought to the first miniseries, but it gets the job done and is appealingly, rather than appallingly, raw in spots. Good first step; let's see where it goes from here. A-

BATMAN #686: Well, it's Gaiman, so you know it's fanciful fantasy; using some sort of funeral setting, so divorced from reality that it has a (appropriately enough for the Sandman auteur) dreamlike texture, even though we're told at the beginning it is not- it's a weird mix of events and styles from all aspects of all things Bat: the crude early days, the rootin' tootin Forties, the Camp 60's, the grimmer decades that followed. The whacked-out space-faring Batman tropes of the 50's aren't represented, but this is only issue one of two. We just went through a period in which Morrison was supposed to be doing the very same thing, trying to reconcile all the different aspects of Bat-lore from decades past, a Quixotic undertaking if ever there was one, and while Moz succeeded at some level, Gaiman outdoes him at his own game; this is twice as clear and more interesting than any part of Grant's tenure. I just wish I could discern a point to all this imaginary-story stuff. Neil's fortunate to have artist Andy Kubert along for the ride; although he's just a little too close to this side of Jim Lee and his ilk for my taste, he still has enough spark and imagination to stand out from that pack, and he shows a chamelonic streak here as well; I keep seeing subtle references to other artists' styles- a Kaluta face here, an Eisner perspective there, shades of Gibbons, Adams, and others but never once does he descend into Mike Allred-style imitation. I am intrigued by this in spite of myself; I wish that it wasn't so obtuse, and I wish someone with more poetry and less industry in his soul was illustrating it, but on its own terms it works. It may not be another "Whatever happened to the Man of Tomorrow", like some have suggested, but those don't come along all that often. We'll know more in a month or so. B

THE BOYS #27: Good to have Robertson back, I suppose, but I'm afraid it seems like Grant is stretching this arc out to no apparent good effect; this issue's St. Paddy's Day grousing is earned, I suppose- I can see why it would be galling to true Ireland natives, especially those inclined to be crabby about it, and the gross gag at the end is no less amusing for it, but I really wish Ennis would cut to the chase. B-

B.P.R.D.: THE BLACK GODDESS #2: This storyline rolls on and on, as we at least seem to find out what's been going on with Liz Sherman and precious little else. Good thing I like these characters so much, or I might find myself growing a wee bit impatient with this endless "Impending menace and earth-shattering consequences from frogs under the Earth with skullfaced robots and such" storyline which has been running through this series since 1994 or so. Fortunately, Guy Davis is on hand to make it all look cool. B+

CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND THE MI-13 #10: Reviewed at PopSyndicate.com. A-

FABLES #81: Things keep going from bad to worse for our cast, as the evil Black-clad entity brings death, woe, and destruction upon they heads. The way things are going, I fully expect a guest appearance by Matt Murdock. A-

HAUNTED TANK #'s 2,3: This oddball mix of Topper and Three Kings continues to rumble around in the desert, just like the tanks they're all driving, giving us random skirmishes between US and Iraqi troops- except when ghostly Rebel Col. Jeb Stuart and the easily aggravated black Sgt. Jamal Stuart are having verbal skirmishes of their own. This is too heavy-handed in its message, and much too talky by half- and the dialogue is way too disjointed to really leave an impression, other than a general sort of chaos, almost like an Altman flick- if Altman's writers had no command of the English language. Flint Henry's art strives mightily to hold it all together, and whatever storytelling clarity there is here is due him, I think. I really wish this was sharper, or at least a little less obvious, and I wish it would give us an indication that there's a point coming up- but alas, I don't think one is forthcoming. C

HELLBOY: THE WILD HUNT #3: Nice to see an update on what I'm pretty much convinced is the best, and if not the best the purest Hellboy story to date, "The Corpse", as HB reunites with the baby he rescued from a changeling's fate, relatively unscathed- or is she? Anyway, more than meets the eye with her, I'm sure, but once more Mignola is effectively marshaling dire forces to go up against our hero, and I am looking forward to seeing how all the granly plot threads knit themselves together. If they knit themselves together; I remember the last Hellboy mini after all. Duncan Fregredo once more gives us the best Hellboy that isn't by his creator; There just hasn't been enough of his lively work over the last two decades. A

HEXED #2: We pick up where #1 left off, with our heroine "Lucifer" entering a extradimensional world located in the belly of a corpse in order to steal some kind of mystical object from a pissed-off demonic creature of some kind...and then she spends the rest of the issue talking about it. I like the art, Luci is interesting if a bit derivative, and the intensely bright coloring works OK, but I hope things pick up a bit soon. I'm comped, so I can afford to be patient. Others who pay, I'm not so sure. B+

INCOGNITO #2: Even though there remains a nagging sort of "seen this before" vibe to the whole thing, Brubaker and Phillips are so in sync that they make this, yet another rumination on identity and human nature and so forth as filtered through the prism of superhero and b-movie tropes, seem fresh and involving. I mean, holy crap, Phillips is so good at evoking nuance and subtle personality indicators, just via his linework and shading; I still maintain that he's one of the very best illustrators working in the field today, and has been for a long time now. A-

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #10: After reading and reviewing #9, I got kinda curious about what was going to happen next. We're still Dark Reigning, so Norman Osborn continues to twirl his figurative moustache, Stark is still striving to get rid of everything and get away, Pepper Potts is left to oversee the dissolution of the whole Stark Industries thing, and this Maria Hill person gets her smoove on with the still-dashing Mr. Stark. Oh, and we get Iron Person armor with tits. This isn't as compelling as some Marvels I've been reading lately, but it does work on a TV series, Lost/24/Heroes kind of level. B-

JERSEY GODS #1: It's as if the Kevin Smith of Clerks and Mallrats collaborated with Jack Kirby on yet another pseudo-mythological Grand Sweeping Epic, but that makes this sound heavier than I intend; it's played light all the way as we meet a young Jersey lady who has terrible luck with boyfriends, and gets mixed up with godlike beings from another world who happen to bring their battle to the local mall. This is obviously New Gods and Eternals territory, but it's enjoyable, and in no small part as much fun as it is thanks to the retro-style Dan McDaid art; it's somewhat Kirbyeque, perhaps reminiscent of some of Darwyn Cooke's attempts at replicating the advertising art of a half-century ago, but that's not really accurate either; regardless, it's quite good and brings this somewhat 3/4 baked concept fully to life. Well worth checking out, says I. A-

PATSY WALKER: HELLCAT #5: Kathryn Immonen frustrates me to the very end on this; after the relatively straightforward #4, she gets a bit scattershot again in the finale- but thankfully doesn't devolve into the chaos of the middle of the run. It's as if she had 12 issues' worth of story (and she probably does, no doubt) but felt as if she had to cram it into five because she would never get any more, and I guess looking at it realistically that's not unreasonable. Still, as a whole, it was a lively, sometimes dodgy read, and it was really enhanced by Dave LaFuente's appealing art and John Rauch's candy-coated colors. I sincerely hope we get more. B+

SANDMAN: THE DREAM HUNTERS #4: A nice tale, with a mostly-satisfying but not especially happy ending, most notable for being brought to life by the as always unique and completely brilliant illustration style of P. Craig Russell, one of the few artists that automatically makes a project worthwhile just because he's involved. A

SOLOMON KANE #5: The appropriately-enough-apocalyptic grand finale, which ends with lots of demon-killin' and fire and stuff. I think Scott Allie really did a good job on Kane's difficult-to-pin-down personality, and I hope that we get many sequels from his pen. Or keyboard. Or whatever. That said, I hope we get many sequels by some other artist; while this Mario Guevara guy was able to bring a crude sort of kineticism to his action scenes, I thought his linework looked scratchy and his figures were inconsistent. Looking forward to the trade collection. A-

SCALPED #25: We're in Ocean's territory in some ways, as a new player (in several manners of speaking) comes to town, to hit Red Crow's casino. I don't think this will end like any Ocean's flick, be it with Frank & Dean & Sammy, or Clooney & Pitt. This particular hustler seems to have some deep mental issues, which manifest themselves over the course of the narrative, and make for some involving, tense reading at times. Aaron and Guera, like Brubaker & Phillips above, are locked in right now and this is the first chapter in what I'm sure will be another excellent, if not particularly pleasant, storyline. A

SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE UNIVERSE: VOL 5: As always, a mile wide and an inch deep, as much Twentysomething relationship drama as it is anything else, and of course NOTHING IN THE WORLD is more important to Twentysomethings than their relationships, unless it's their video games- or so you'd think from nearly every single effing thing you read or see about them. But the not-so-secret weapon, this way this whole thing is redeemed, is by the enthusiastically creative way that O'Malley presents his weird mix of soap, video games, manga/anime cliches, and of course rock band shenanigans; it's so loopy and cheerful (even when the events depicted aren't so much), all drawn in his increasingly confident (bet he's wondering when critics will think he's become accomplished) and unique, ever-so-oddball drawing style that the reader is immediately disarmed and can't help but get caught up in it all. This edition is mostly setup for next issue's grande finale; it's a bit downbeat as well but not excessively so- there's still a lot of action and some humor mixed in with all the "Is you is or is you ain't my woman" stuff. A-

TINY TITANS #13: Aw yeah. Cute. A-

VIXEN: RETURN OF THE LION #5: By no means do I think Willow Wilson is a poor scripter, but this has been as enervatingly by-the-numbers as anything I've ever read, completely devoid of anything that could be interpreted as fresh, different, or unexpected. The bad guys get beat, our heroine reaffirms that yes, The Power Was Inside Her All Along, and she proves herself to the Justice League once more. Cut, print, wrap. The art is as generic as the script, and altogether this is a thoroughly competent, completely unchallenging experience, livened only by Josh Middleton's covers, which have been uniformly excellent and display the spark which this pro forma character spotlight/license perpetuation so desperately lacks. C-

Black Hat, Gold Key.

From the letters page of the final issue, above is the cover- or so the lettercol suggests- for the upcoming TPB collection of the recent (like it says there) Solomon Kane: Castle of the Devil miniseries, by (as if you couldn't tell) Mike Mignola. I love this design, which is intended (or so I think, it isn't explicitly stated) to imitate and/or pay tribute to the old design of many Dell/Gold Key covers of the 50's and 60's. As someone who enjoyed a great many titles from that imprint growing up, I think it's about 650 kinds of cool. The only way it could look more like, say, an issue of Boris Karloff Presents or Ripley's Believe It or Not is if Mignola had chosen to paint it, rather than go the pen and ink and Photoshop route. I Tumbled this earlier today, but I wanted to put it up here in case you don't follow my Tumblr site. I think Mignola does a smashing Kane, by the way.

Reviews coming soon!

CONFESSIONS OF A SPINNER RACK JUNKIE.

Yep, time once more for CONFESSIONS OF A SPINNER RACK JUNKIE, that more-or-less ongoing and often overdue feature in which I write shortish reviews of various works of sequential fiction that I have perused in the interval since the last time I inflicted such reviews upon one and all, or to be specific, the period from approximately January 16 through 30, some of which may even still be on sale at finer comics selling establishments worldwide if you're lucky. Or not, as the case may be.

THE BOYS #26: Well, this is another of those books about which not much new can be said; Garth's pisstaking superheroes again, the X-Men this time, but he's doing it with an interesting cast and a minimum of nastiness (for a change). John Higgins fills in for Darick Robertson, and I really can't tell much difference. As always, for them that likes, and I do like, here's more. A-

B.P.R.D.: THE BLACK GODDESS #1: Reviewed at PopSyndicate.com. A-

EL DIABLO #5: Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters make an appearance, as Chato continues trying to figure out what he's supposed to be doing, as well as fend off bitter rival Vorpal, who wants to go snicker-snack with his head. Lots of talk talk talk, as all characters banter and bicker and philosophize about politics and American Spirits and blah blah blah. Jai Nitz' Uncle Sam is nowhere near as likeable as Jimmy Palmiotti and Jason Gray's, so I guess that means we'll see NItz take over the next Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters series, just you wait. Still nicely drawn, but mostly this is a snooze despite the snazzy looks of the lead. C+

FABLES #80: Things go from bad to worse; Willingham is really putting the screws on this time. Nice to see the creators remain in a good groove for eighty issues; some teams can't go one-tenth of that. The back feature stars Mowgli of Jungle Book fame; it's a storyline which has been kinda going on behind the scenes for some time now and how it all fits in is anybody's guess. That said, Peter Gross is doing a fine job on art. Another consistently good issue of a consistently good title. A-

FINAL CRISIS #6, 7
FINAL CRISIS: REVELATIONS #5
FINAL CRISIS: SUPERMAN BEYOND #2: Since I read FC: Superman Beyond #2 and FC #'s 6 and 7 pretty close together, I'll just say what I have to say about both of them, since they're pretty much cut from the same cloth, and I'll get to Revelations before I'm done. OK, first things first- as if we needed reminding, and apparently in some circles we did, stories are eternal, comics can be a medium "free from restrictions,", and Superman is the foremost avatar of the manifestation of the human imagination, and superheroes are not meant to have darker sides but should remain heroic, Alan Moore be damned. Also, Grant really, really, really liked Jack Kirby's comics. Or something like that. It's hard to say what this would have been like if Morrison had had his way from the outset; this just reeked of editorial interference, which he denies. That would be an excuse, anyway, because even by Moz's standards, this was so chaotic and messy that it was a real chore to follow. Sure, he at least played fair with the readers by keeping everything as linear as production schedules would allow, but the storytelling style he employed was choppy and haphazard- we got glimpses of things, rather than any sort of coherent, sustained scenes, with admittedly a few exceptions, and while I am not always averse to narratives in which the reader is expected to do his or her share of work to get the total picture, I keep wondering if this message, that's he's given us before, is worth the effort. Part of this readablility issue may have to be laid at the feet of this art collaborators; one wonders what a seasoned old pro like George Perez, who has lots of experience in depicting multitudes of characters, all shouting and brawling and shooting things out of their hands while rubble and cosmic energies crack and sizzle around them, would have done. J.G. Jones is a hell of an artist in my book, capable of drawing lithe, sensual figures and telling a story well, the same with Carlos Pacheco and co., and Doug Mahnke, whom I consider one of the best, if not THE best, artist working on mainstream superhero comics today, comes along at the end and saves the day...but it's as if all of them saw Morrison's involved scripting and took it as a sign to ramp up their OWN tendencies towards obfuscation irregardless of how disjointed it all became. I suppose after all is said and done, though, this has to be viewed as a measured success, even though I have to wonder if this is what the braintrust at DC had in mind when this all got started; Morrison did, I think, say what he wanted to say and in the process gave us some FUCK YEAH moments, some of which will stick with readers, or at least this reader, for a long time- not the least of which was Mahnke's brilliantly realized image of Frankenstein riding a hell hound to the rescue, as well as the ascension of Mr. Tawky Tawny to Chief Tiger Badass (amusing, and fitting), Batman's climactic showdown with Darkseid (I still liked it better when he dodged the Omega Beam in Justice League Unlimited) and Superman's climactic aria (a nicely realized idea, more I should not say). Still, after all this, I have to wonder: first of all, is a more sophisticated-in-the-telling version of Showcase #100, or even Crisis on Infinite Earths, something that we should celebrate and one of our best writers aspire to? And two, is our Grant a one-trick pony? He's been trotting out the same metaphysicalities for two decades now, from Seven Soldiers back through Seaguy all the way to the Invisibles. Based on the odd work like the more-excellent-as-time-passes WE3, I'd say not. But to be honest, I find myself wishing that Morrison would step away from the capes and even comics in general for a little while and take a vacation of some sort, recharge the old batteries, do a little sigil magic whilst masturbating, whatever- think of something new. We'll see where he, and DC, go from here; one has to suppose than event fatigue will someday set in, even among the hardcore faithful, who seem to be dwindling in number. Oh- Final Crisis: Revelations? I'd say that providing the rationale for one panel at the end of your big cross-title mega-event is a pretty sorry excuse for killing enough trees to print approximately 100,000 comic books, wouldn't you? FC: SUPERMAN BEYOND 2: A-. FINAL CRISIS 6,7: B+. FC: REVELATIONS 5: D+

HELLBOY: THE WILD HUNT #2: We pick up where last issue left off, in which Hellboy takes a spear through the chest and lives, making me (once more) wonder exactly how much abuse a living creature can take- even one with demonic lineage. Otherwise, everything else is excellent, as we follow up on the rescued changeling baby (as well as the disgruntled fairy/elf/magical being trapped in the form of a dwarf with a boar's head) from waaay back in the excellent one-shot The Corpse, and Duncan Fregredo shines on art, merging his busily rendered, kinetic, frenetic style with Mignola's placid tone very well. A

HERO SQUARED: LOVE & DEATH # 1: Reviewed at PopSyndicate.com. B+

MANHUNTER #38: About as good a way for a lame duck book to go out as any, I guess. Of course, we kinda get a "one more time" look at the cast, as they each get a chance to do their thing, take a bow, and disappear back into the genpop of the DCU continuity prison. I couldn't help but think it might have been better if they all came out and did a curtain call, perhaps a song or two like they did in Freakazoid's last episode. Oh well. It's unfortunate that this version, the first one I've really liked since Goodwin and Simonson's Paul Kirk, just couldn't sell in the numbers DC wanted, but hey- she had a good run, almost as much as the two previous iterations put together. The art on this one is by a diverse group; they don't really fit together very well, but who the hell cares. Nice readin ya, Kate Spencer. B+

MYSTERIUS THE UNFATHOMABLE #1: Now don't quote me, but I think this comic represents Jeff Parker's attempt to avoid being pigeonholed as "that guy who writes the kids comics at Marvel", and yes I know about Agents of Atlas...but let's face it, right now, when you think about Parker, those of us whose memories don't go back farther than, oh, 2004 think (and justifiably so) of his outstanding work on Marvel's all-ages offerings, as well as X-Men: First Class. This is nothing at all like any of those, nor is it like his indie-published debut The Interman either...it's a supernatural thriller dressed in Terry Gilliam clothes. Mysterius is a grouchy, disheveled celebrity mystic who does seances for the rich and famous, and collects a healthy fee to do so, which no doubt adds to his cynical stance. Thing is, he's the real deal, a man who possesses mystic abilities but has let himself slide for reasons which have yet to be made clear. We see all this through the reader identification character, our Alice (if you will) name of Delfi, who has a little mystic aptitude of her own; she starts out as a reporter doing a story on the celebrity seance that takes up the opening part of the book, but soon ends up as M the U's personal assistant. Mysterius is quite a character- he's slovenly and debauched, but still charismatic and even a little rogueish, like a less pissed-off John Constantine gone to seed. You want to know more about this guy from the onset. Delfi, not so much, although she is appealing. At first I wasn't sure about Tom Fowler's art; it seemed too caricaturish and broad to sustain my interest. But the more I read, the more I began to notice what a skilled cartoonist he is, capable of bringing a raised-eyebrow stance and barely-suggested mean edge to the proceedings. If I had to compare him to someone, I'd say perhaps Phil Winslade or even Jack Davis, to an extent, in its looseness...but regardless, he's very well suited. This is a great beginning, certainly a refreshing change from the usual Wildstorm recycled Millarisms and bland TV adaptations, and I'm looking forward to seeing what's next. A

SANDMAN: THE DREAM HUNTERS #3: Look, I didn't read the original, OK, so I'm loving this, not least because I love Craig Russell's art. But if you've already read the hardcover this is adapted from, and are not disposed to like Russell's work, then adjust your expectations. There. Simple, isn't it? A

SOLOMON KANE #4: Things are rapidly coming to a close, as Solomon gets to throw down with a werewolf, and other dire things happen around the castle keep in which the principals are all dwelling, or trying to get away from. I'm still not crazy about the art, but he does do a good job with all the werewolf-fighting stuff so that's a plus; Scott Allie has done a bang-up job of adapting the source material, especially dialogue-wise. Good show, gentlemen. A-

THUNDERBOLTS #128: The Rehabilitation of the Yelena Belova character continues apace; I won't belabor it, especially since I did so the other day. Best thing about this issue (well, besides that) is how well Diggle writes the whole "meeting with the President" scene, full of sly asides and outright hostile exchanges- one is almost sad when it gets interrupted by standard spandex cliché. We also get a gag stolen from the Warren Ellis-scripted episode of Justice League Unlimited, which makes me envious and amused in equal measure, even though I don't know anything about the "Irredeemable" version of Ant-Man. Plus, my inner 12-year-old got giggly at the "fap fap" sound effects Yelena's guns made when fired. Artwise, this is good; this De La Torre fellow has a good command of anatomy and action scenes, even though his ink line recalls the heyday of Tony DeZuniga and Rudy Nebres. A-

TINY TITANS #12: Oh so cute. A-

CONFESSIONS OF A SPINNER RACK JUNKIE.

Here we go again with CONFESSIONS OF A SPINNER RACK JUNKIE, that more-or-less ongoing and often overdue feature in which I write shortish reviews of various works of sequential fiction that I have perused in the interval since the last time I inflicted such reviews upon one and all, or to be specific, the period from approximately November 24 through December 6th, some of which may even still be on sale at finer comics selling establishments worldwide if you're lucky. Or not, as the case may be.

AMBUSH BUG YEAR NONE #4: Damn. It pains me to write this, but this is just as tedious and unfunny as the stuff they're trying to send up, and somehow I don't think that's what they're shooting for. C+

APOCALIPSTIX V1: Hanna-Barbera get further validation, as this answers the question "What if, instead of Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space, we put them in a post-apocalyptic Mad Max-style future instead?" The girls, a rock band forced to fend for themselves after a nuclear explosion, encounter the standard giant monsters (cute little homage to Them) and punked-out goons and thugs (some of which are musicians, too) as they travel to California, where it's said to be relatively safe and unscathed. The scripts are kinda hackneyed, without a lot of spark, hardly dull but never breaking any new ground. Fortunately, artist Cam Stewart is on board to provide spark and then some- this is a great showcase for some of the best art I've ever seen from him- lively, appealing, full of wit and humor, it's really an eye-opener. I liked his stint on Catwoman, but this is light years ahead of that. Perhaps writer Fawkes will be able to expand on this and get in a groove, so you might want to get in on the ground floor here; I wish this was a bit more of this or that, but what it is is not bad. B+

BATMAN #681, 682: The devil, Grant? Really? Isn't that kind of, oh, juvenile? Kinda cliché? Are you channeling Dana Carvey's Church Lady? OK, I'm willing to grant that you were most likely trying to dovetail this with All-Star Superman, a yin-yang sort of thematic thing...but was that any reason to give us such a whimper of an ending to what was already a convoluted mess in the first place? Even so, I'm willing to cut slack here because let's face it, you were saddled with a not-ready-for-prime-time illustrator; not since the bad old days of the early 90's has the major storyline of a flagship title been presented in such slipshod fashion. Be that as it may, the method in which Bats got the upper hand back with aid from an unexpected source, was well-done (albeit reheated; we've seen this before, you know we have), and for my money it's always nice to see the Squire, but ultimately I fail to see why this entire storyline has sparked the discussion it has- are we that desperate for something to write about, or so in thrall to Morrison's spread-thin genius, that we elevate this routine potboiler (which, let's face it, would have been done in no more than two issues in an Irv Novick-illo'd Detective Comics showcase in the 1970's) to the level of "something remarkable"?. #682 is slightly more fun, and slightly better-drawn, although not by much- artist Lee Garbett displays much better work on his website, here displaying a dismaying reliance on the scratchy-line inks of the Image early 90's heyday. For someone who has fond memories of the brief 70's Detective featurette "If Bruce Wayne Had Not Become the Batman", it has a bit more resonance that it probably should have. Look, I sympathize and to a point agree that Batman had become too much of a Miller-ish psychotic, arrogant prick and needed to be shifted back towards a more reader-friendly center...but I'm not so sure that rummaging around in his canonical closet and pulling out the zebra costumes, spaceships and Bat-Hounds are the way to go about it. Just stop writing him as a prick, that's all! ETA, because I forgot this point I meant to make for days now: Most importantly, though, what this issue does is give Grant an out for the events of the last dozen or so issues- if this Zur En Arrh crap proves unwieldy or unusable, then hey! It was all in Batman's mind as he was being screwed around with by the Lump (neat to see him again, by the way- he appeared in one of my favorite issues of Mister Miracle) and the two Apokolipsian scientists. How convenient! #681: C+ #682: B-

BLUE BEETLE #33: Despite some amusing byplay between the myriad guest stars (mostly the Teen Titans, back for an encore) which the decision-makers behind this dead title walking seem(ed) to believe was/is crucial to its success, this is another underwhelming exercise, well-drawn (mostly) by Rafael Albuquerque (who has some Travel Foreman-like clarity issues at odd times here) but ultimately more run of the mill superheroics. There's been a lot of discussion about the whys and wherefores of the failure of this title, some even from the previous scripter, and I can't really argue with a lot of the points people are making. Like I mentioned above, I'd posit that the endless stream of presumably interest-piquing guest stars didn't help; it gives the unspoken connotation that this character wasn't interesting enough on its own, and needed other, more popular characters around at all times to make it so. Maybe someday DC will trust its characters to stand on their own, perhaps even in our lifetime. C+

BODY BAGS ONE SHOT: The title describes even as it delegates! Anyway that brutal pop-and-daughter duo is back again, picking up right where they left off (I don't remember the last time I saw a BB story; perhaps in something affiliated with The Ride, maybe? This one's a tad overdue) with a lot of blood n' cussin n' sassy humor and of course excellent Jason Pearson art. I freely admit that this won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I have a soft spot for this sort of thing, especially by a talented creator such as Pearson, so I won't try to defend myself. If you share my predilection, you will probably already have this, but if you haven't partaken and aren't particularly offended by a lot of stabby stuff and crude humor, you might want to start here. Good luck with the back issues. A-

DAREDEVIL #113: I forget who it was that was complaining about the White Tiger character when she was first introduced, but apparently their opinions were heard, because she's dealt with in desultory fashion by that Lady Bullseye character towards the end, a waste if you ask me- but that's the Big Two these days- if a writer doesn't understand, respect or want to use a character, don't let him/her/it languish in Limbo, perpetrate some sort of savagery on him/her/it! It's kewler and more adult that way! Just like Yelena Belova. Sigh. Anyway, just for the record, I'm passingly interested in how they'll finagle Matt out of his latest jam, so I'm sticking around for that anyway. B-

HAUNTED TANK #1: If I ever read any of the original sagas of Col. Jeb Stuart and the Tank, I don't remember them- even though I'd be amazed if I hadn't run across one in a reprint book or somesuch...so I guess I'm hardly any sort of authority on whether or not this is a satisfying continuation of an old character. But that rarely stops me from opining, so here you go! So here's the Colonel, all updated for the Aughts and plopped into the Iraqi War, and striving to help a stock multiracial cast of characters who drive a tank for the US forces. I wish the dialogue was sharper and the cast better defined except by their nationalities, but at least he doesn't skirt the issue of a Confederate soldier's ghost aiding a living black soldier, and while it's a lot too talky in the service of exposition, things do happen- enough to make me at least wonder what the writer has in mind, if anything. The art's not bad; Henry Flint can draw a little, although he has some awkward moments drawing faces and heads and hats on same, and he works a little too hard to ensure a Geoff Darrow-esque detailed style. I can't see this lighting any sort of fire under the collective asses of what passes for fandom these days, but I've certainly seen worse revivals, and worse comics in general, lately. B-

HELLBLAZER #249: Another in a series of John confronting various aspects of himself; OK as far as it goes, and it resolves Diggle's run in satisfying fashion. He did a good job; wish he hadn't felt such a burning need to write superheroes for Joey Q. A-

IMMORTAL IRON FIST #20: Reasonably decent conclusion to the whole "Iron Fists die at age 33" thing; Duane Swierczynski has a pretty good vision for this title, and I hope he gets the sales that will allow him to realize it. I also hope he gets a different artist soon; Foreman's muddled, poorly staged style makes these stories a lot harder to parse than they should be. B

INCREDIBLE HERCULES #123: Pak and Van Lente strive so hard for the yocks that this almost reads like a collaboration between Jack Kirby and Mel Brooks- Blazing Spandex, perhaps. But I like his buffoonish Herc, especially when he gets a good idea, and I love the deeper-than-usual mythological trappings the pair bring to the whole storyline- all the characterization, in fact, is nicely done. The slick, professional art, which seems like an amalgam of the best traits of Sprouse, Pacheco, and, oh, Leonard Kirk, makes it all look good, blending the comedy and high adventure pretty well. For once, I can see what the small but persistent fanbuzz is about. A-

JINGLE BELLE: SANTA CLAUS VS. FRANKENSTEIN: Reviewed at PopSyndicate.com. A-

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #21: To the surprise of absolutely no one that's ever read a comic book before, this Gog character turns out to be less than altruistic in nature. The usual conflicts and scrapes ensue, some drawn by the regular artists, some by Jerry Ordway, who just can't keep himself out of these sorts of things, and altogether we're just marching tediously along to another "senses-shattering conclusion in which nothing will ever be the same". Or something like that. C+

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA KINGDOM COME SPECIAL: KINGDOM COME #1: Seriously, guys, that's too much title. And really, what's up with all these one-shots that could have been inserted easily into the regular title? Is this some sort of marketing strategy that I'm too naive and ignorant to understand? Fortunately, as superhero dramatics go, this is pretty solid, especially given the direction this title's gone in, so I guess it gets an objective B-.

MADAME XANADU #6: Picking up where we left off, with Madame X languishing in a Marie Antoinette-era dungeon, losing her power and vitality, and making a deal with Death (you know, from Gaiman's Sandman) to get it back. A highlight for me was the scene in which she lays the tarot for the cute Endless; it really played to Amy Hadley's strengths as an artist. Less interesting was the post-dungeon stuff (I guess that's a spoiler, if you're kinda slow on the uptake), which features the final fate of Miss Antoinette and yet another confrontation with the Phantom Stranger, ever the stick-in-the-mud. All concerned have settled into a good little groove on this book, and right now I hope it has a nice long Fables-ish run. A-

NORTHLANDERS #11: Father and daughter, on the run from the occupying authorities in 11th century Ireland. A new story arc begins, and gets off to a good start; even though the beleaguered daughter seems to cry "DA!" a lot, the relationship born out of desperation between her and her father rings true. A big plus is the art by Local boy made good Ryan Kelly; he really is a superior illustrator. A-

SALT WATER TAFFY V2: A CLIMB UP MT. BARNABAS: Matt Loux and the Putnam Brothers are back in Chowder Bay, ME with another whimsical adventure in this, the sequel to V1, "The Legend of Old Salty", and it's as much fun as the first. After their father brags about climbing to the top of the titular mountain and stealing his hat from the giant eagle from which it gets its name, one of the Bros. goes out with it on and promptly gets it stolen back by the same eagle! Now, they must climb to the top themselves and get it back, in an episodic fashion which sometimes seems a bit like a video game but is generally kept light and fast-paced. Loux's oddball art style adds to the general off-kilter tall-tale feel of the whole thing, as well as the conveniently quirky touches such as the Bros.' ability to talk to animals (those lobsters are especially a hoot). Sometimes he writes the boys as such dolts that it's a surprise when they display the ingenuity to get out of some of t he scrapes they find themselves in, but I suppose it all balances out in the end. Another entertaining issue of what looks like a fun series so far. A-

SCALPED #23: Things keep getting bleaker for all concerned, no surprise there, and while it certainly doesn't make this an enjoyable reading experience, it does have its rewards, especially if you're an admirer of a tragic tale well told. I hope you know what I mean. A

SOLOMON KANE #3: Same intriguing story with some really good That's Our Kane moments; same middling art that's just too under-rendered to be pleasing to the eye; same drab but oddly appropriate coloring. This remains a better adaptation than I expected, and will make a really good trade collection if the ending isn't botched. B+

TERRA #2: We get more well-done JSA cameos, and a bit more info about our heroine and her world, if not her motivations necessarily. But once more, the chief reason to check this out, and the one thing that makes it worthwhile, is the art of Amanda Connor; it's sleek and sexy, yet playful and genial and she greatly elevates what would be, in lesser hands, a very marginal title indeed. B+

TINY TITANS #10: Still cute. A-

UMBRELLA ACADEMY: DALLAS #1: One of the oddest super-teams this side of the Outsiders is back and is dealing with the fallout from the previous series, which I reviewed here (go all the way to the bottom of the page). It's consistent in quality with its predecessor; lots of Gaiman/Morrison style oddness with it's biggest strength being the angular stylings of Gabriel Ba, and I have no doubt that this will be quirky, if nothing else. A-

UNKNOWN SOLDIER #2: The second issue of this earnestly sincere (is that redundant? Oh well) update/revamp of another old DC war comic hero proceeds in pretty much the same vein as the first; the idealistic young doctor we met last issue descends further into what seems to be some sort of schizophrenia as he continues his transformation into a killing machine in 2002 Africa. We also are introduced to a mercenary of some sort who is set to track down our soon-to-be soldier, thus establishing the menace and the conflict- besides his inner one. I really wish that more emphasis had been placed on Moses Lwanga's reaction to being torn from his life of privilege and his new state as a disfigured killing machine. He just keeps seeing visions and plunging into another rescue mission right off the bat, and I guess that's Dysart's way of goosing the story along. Perhaps I'm looking for something that he doesn't want to spend time with, who knows. The art is serviceable but bland; the run of the Vertigo mill. I'm interested for now, but not blown away- I think it deserves another couple of issues to get its legs, though. B+

VIXEN: RETURN OF THE LION #3: Also featuring the return of the creaky old "the power was within you all along, child" cliche, as well as a guest appearance by the Justice League because Vixen sure doesn't seem to be able to sell many copies on the strength of her name alone, right? Be this as it may or may not, based on her not-bad JLA (especially Black Lightning) here, Willow Wilson seems to me to be a lot more comfortable writing superheroes than she does flight attendants, which suggests that perhaps her talents might be better utilized in that direction, rather than on indulgences such as Air...so it's readable, if not especially exciting. It would help if they had found an artist with such a less aggressively ordinary style; this Cashew or Cafu or Coffe or Cafe or whatever he calls himself adequately illustrates the story, and nothing more- he certainly doesn't enhance the narrative, that's for sure. Unless you're just a fan of the character, and a not particularly picky one at that, you can safely skip this and not feel like you're missing out on anything. C+

Look for a longer post on the Local HC, as well as the Oni GNs Labor Days and Crogan's Vengeance, along with El Diablo 4, and others soon.

CONFESSIONS OF A SPINNER RACK JUNKIE.

Time once more for CONFESSIONS OF A SPINNER RACK JUNKIE, that more-or-less ongoing and often overdue feature in which I write shortish reviews of various works of sequential fiction that I have perused in the interval since the last time I inflicted such reviews upon one and all, or to be specific, the period from approximately October 26 through November 7, some of which may even still be on sale at finer comics selling establishments worldwide if you're lucky. Or not, as the case may be.

BLUE BEETLE #32: Plot wheels grind slowly in this issue, and they're being spread awfully thin; we're still dealing with the leftover threads from the last few issues, and this time we get extended face time with legacy badguy Dr. Polaris, in a series of scenes designed to show us what an evil mofo he apparently is these days. As fast-paced as always, but this is coming across as inconsequential and slight, and that's not gonna move a whole lot of units...which is something this terribly sales-challenged book needs to survive. B+

THE BOYS #24: All the gross-out fratboy hijinks are clamoring to be the focus, but I'm liking the subtle character stuff more, such as the quieter scenes between the Frenchman and the Female, and Mother's Milk and the town cop as he investigates the death of Silver Kincaid. Here's the best-kept secret about ol' Garthie boy, y'see- while everybody remembers all the gross, irreligious, irreverent stuff in better works like Hitman, Hellblazer and Preacher, the glue that held them all together was the more-deeply-felt-than-you'd-think relatonship stuff as best exemplified by the three-way romance between Jesse Custer, Tulip, and Cassidy, John Constantine and Kit, or the BFF-style hijinx of Tommy Monaghan and Nat the Hat. It's here, too, but sometimes it hides. I can see it, though, and I hope you can too because that, and (once more) Garth's willingness to let his "good guys" be just as ruthless and arrogant as the "bad guys" is what keeps me reading. A-

CRIMINAL 2 #6: I said at the beginning of this arc that it this was not gonna turn out well for our kinda-sorta hero, and nothing I've seen since has convinced me otherwise, so there's a grim sort of inevitability to this story which truncates my enjoyment somewhat. Still, when you've got Sean Phillips illustrating your slow march to doom, that makes it worthwhile. A-

DAREDEVIL #112: Better than last issue, because if nothing else Brubaker once again gets to write Iron Fist for a few pages. Otherwise, this book remains in the same stylistic rut it's been in forever and a day now, but at least it's a still-mildly-interesting one, especially since Ed has expanded the focus a bit to work in even more recycled Miller concepts, the aforementioned Danny Rand, and that Tarantula dude he seems so fond of. Also nice to see Mike Lark back on pencils. I still have no use for this uninspired Lady Bullseye character though. B+

EL DIABLO #3: Writer Jai Nitz continues to establish the boundaries of his Robert Rodriguez-meets-Bernard Baily opus, working that "supernatural avenger from beyond the grave" thing for all it's worth as he establishes the ground rules as far as who's who and what's what. It's OK, even though we've seen it all before. I'm still enjoying the Phil Hester/Ande Parks art, too; it's as edgy and intense as the script demands. That said, I wish the parallel fight scenes in this issue had been spelled out a little more clearly; when you have your protagonists gain and/or lose their advantage off-screen, well, it doesn't help reader comprehension, I'm afraid. B+

FINAL CRISIS #4: There's so much noise going on with this book that it's hard sometimes to just look at it and see what's happening; between the scheduling gaffes and the artist foibles and adjusted expectations and so on, it sometimes seems that the actual story here is secondary to all the hoo-hah that has accumulated around it. Problem is, when you do actually try to look at this latest mega-event objectively, it presents itself as another ordinary "invasion of Earth by hostile extraterrestrials" saga, albeit one infused with the ideas of the King of Comics himself, Jack Kirby. I've come to expect greatness from Morrison (and I'm not alone), but sadly, this is a mess, and it's a bit disingenuous on Grant's part as well since this is merely the basic template he seems to always follow when writing this sort of story- his JLA comes to mind, and it seems like one of his New X-Men arcs was similar in execution. Which is not to say it's a mess like his concurrent Batman: RIP, which suffers from poor art as well as overstuffed plot; there is some imagination, spark, and Morrison's trademark succinct dialogue style in its favor. But really, the only thing that's in doubt is just how the good guys will triumph and reestablish status quo...and that's an awfully ordinary objective to strive towards. So perhaps Grant is just the victim of heightened, maybe even unrealistic expectations here, but in my opinion it seems like he's aware of this- and figures that he can't win no matter what so why not just try meet them halfway and be done with it. Another bone of contention lately has been the change in artists, as J.G. Jones has found himself unable to meet the arbitrary deadlines that have become attached to this project and had to bow out. That's a shame, because Morrison and Jones have a good sort of synchronicity when they collaborate under normal circumstances...however, this isn't a normal project and deadlines are more of an issue, especially when retailers get in the mix. In this issue, he gets assistance from Carlos Pacheco and Jesus Merino, whose work, with its dynamic action poses and lively layout style, has pleased me greatly in the past. They seem to be sublimating their tendencies in order to merge more smoothly with Jones' more designerly style here, however, and while overall the look is consistent, it doesn't really play to Pacheco and Merino's strengths at all. Anyway, come what may (as they sang in Moulin Rouge!) I'm in for the long haul, so we'll see how this all turns out. Is it wrong of me to hope that somebody shoots the Atom into Darkseid's ear again, just like Grant did in JLA? B+

HELLBLAZER #248: I'm really going to miss Andy Diggle on this book; nothing against Pete Milligan at all, and I'm sure he'll take ol' Conjob into some interesting places, but Diggle has such a great grasp of John's personality that it's been a pleasure to read his run so far. In this issue, we're still dealing with loose ends and characters from the last couple of storylines; John seems to sort things out in his typical fashion...but it seemed too easy, and it turns out there was a reason that it went as smoothly as it did. I have to give props to Leo Manco for really stepping it up a notch on art; his work is as good now as it's ever been since he came on board. A-

HELLBOY: IN THE CHAPEL OF MOLOCH: Reviewed at PopSyndicate.com. B+

THE IMMORTAL IRON FIST #19: For the second issue in a row, writer Duane Swierczynski's best efforts are undercut by murky, incoherent art by Travel Foreman, especially in the big showcase fight scene department- I mean, I've read this issue three times now, and I'll be damned if I can tell you much of anything about the battle between the Iron Fist Killer and the Mystical Cities Champions other than it seems to have ended at some point in a stalemate of some sort. It's just that choppy and poorly staged. I think he has a good handle on the characters, though, and this arc has been enjoyable enough- the opening confrontation is sparked by a pretty nifty twist (that I suppose I gave away earlier in this review, sorry), and even though the sudden-but-inevitable-betrayal at the end loses a little of its shock value because let's face it, the betrayer wasn't exactly one we had gotten to know very well, I'm engaged enough to see it through for the time being. I really wish that Travel would travel on, and give way to an artist that can compliment, rather than compete for attention with, Swierczynski's scripts. B+

INCREDIBLE HERCULES #122: I like fun as much as anybody out there, believe me, so when I kept seeing pages from this posted all around the Net, with its "CRAKKAJAMMA" and the admittedly hilarious "Prince of Atlantis! Check thyself!" line from the lead, well, I got curious. I don't fully understand everything that's at stake here, despite Sappho's best efforts to get me up to speed in the intro...but I don't guess it matters; breezy scripting, eye-pleasing art that's only a little stiff- that adds up to an entertaining comic that has me curious about others in the run. Hercules, or at least Marvel's version anyway, has always been a fun character, so it's good to see the tradition continuing in these troubled times. A-

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #20: On the other hand, this is not so much fun and is mostly devoted to that ongoing saga of Power Girl and her intradimensional adventures. I was never a fan of the old Infinity, Inc. book, nor of the 70's Justice Society revival (although I did have a fair amount of issues, mostly for the Wood inks), so most of this kinda leaves me cold. But, the characterization is solid if a little soapy, and even though competent but unexciting old pro Jerry Ordway draws about half of it, young buck Dale Eaglesham acquits himself well by comparison on his pages. Another good-enough chapter in the ongoing saga. B+

MADAME XANADU #5: In which Wagner and Hadley give us Madame X as a supporting character in Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette, continuing their Magical History Tour in mostly clever fashion. I like the on-again, off-again romance stuff with the Phantom Stranger, who conveniently keeps popping up when MadX is about to get in deep merde. I also think Hadley's pretty-face manga-esque style works very well with the Revolutionary French settings. Xanadu remains, if not essential, still interesting and enjoyable. A-

MIRROR'S EDGE #1: What sets this, the umpteenth attempt to capture the attention of the gaming crowd with comics (which is kinda akin to trying to capture the attention of hunters by promoting trap shooting), apart from other similar attempts is the stylized Oeming-cum-Mignola art of Matt Smith, he of The Keep, Astronauts in Trouble, and Day of Judgment fame. Even though his work is not quite on par with those gentlemen, he is a talented artist in his own right and he makes this visually interesting, at least, and certainly does a great job of reproducing the look of the game. Not being a gamer, I don't know what the lore is or what the objectives are, so I don't know how close this comics' account of a young, high-nerd-appeal Asian girl who gets recruited into what seems to be a group of people, couriers of a kind, who leap about on rooftops as they deliver sensitive information or what-have-you to people actually is to the source material. I do know that it can't be especially easy to craft any sort of narrative or storyline to what appears to be your basic running, jumping, shooting kind of game, and I'll give new-to-me writer Rhianna Pratchett, who apparently is involved in the game project in some capacity, credit for that. Well-drawn and mildly interesting, unlike about 99.9% of the rest of this genre, and if you're not expecting much, you might find this enjoyable. B+

SANDMAN: THE DREAM HUNTERS #1: Reviewed at PopSyndicate.com. A-

SCALPED #22: I wonder how, sometimes, I can be so dismayed by the constantly-bleak tone of books like Daredevil, but continue to champion this, one of the most unremittingly dismal narratives to be found in sequential fiction these days. I know that it has a lot to do with the fact that this is straight-up real world drama, with no fantastic elements, and it achieves a resonance that other more larger-than-life, fantastical narratives have no hope of achieving. Anyway, we continue our focus on Chief Red Crow, the nominal bad guy of the piece, who is besieged from all sides by all sorts of threats even as he struggles to come to grips with his past even as he is trying to carry out a heartbreaking task in memory of his late love/adversary Gina Bad Horse. Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera achieve an amazing synchronicity in their depictions of his memories and inner struggle; it's really something to see. Also, to a lesser extent we are watching young Dino Poor Bear, as he gets himself in deeper in his own troubles, which will certainly intersect with Red Crow's eventually. Another absolutely outstanding, deeply resonant issue. And yet, this comic sells less that 8,000 copies a month, no doubt due to the lack of magical fairy creatures or people who shoot force beams out of their hands...all I can do is hope, I suppose, that enough people are buying the trades (I myself bought the first two, foolishly dismissing this title after skimming issue #1) to make a difference and keep this going, at least until Aaron can bring it to some sort of conclusion. A

SGT. ROCK: THE LAST BATTALION #1: I'm not sure of Billy Tucci's research for this project went much deeper than screening Flags of Our Fathers and Saving Private Ryan, which this resembles, but I will say that I am absolutely amazed that his art, which I've previously associated with overly fussy and stiffly posed depictions of long-legged, Playboy-magazine-posed female ninja warriors and such, looks as good as it does on this subject matter- the soft focus touches, which seem to be so popular these days among some artists (Gene Ha is one which immediately comes to mind), really help add to the nostalgic air. Sure, Tucci's Sgt. Rock is downright metrosexual compared to the canonical versions by the likes of Joe Kubert, Ross Andru, Jerry Grandenetti and others, more Tyrone Power than John Wayne, I suppose- but not really ever having been much of a Rock fan in general (I was always more of a Sgt. Fury kid myself), I don't really care all that much. It's his scripting that bothers me a lot more- in attempting to pay tribute to, if not outright imitate, the inimitable Robert Kanigher dialogue cadences he just doesn't cut it, and the dialogue reads awkwardly to me. The everyman-whose-eyes-we-see-Easy cartoonist is a nod to Ryan, but it works OK and gives Tucci an opportunity to show us that he can do other styles as well. Setting Rick in the middle of a real-life wartime incident isn't a bad idea, however, so as far as I'm concerned the jury's still out. All in all, this turned out a lot better than I expected, and I appreciate the opportunity to be surprised...doesn't happen as much as it should. B+

SOLOMON KANE #2: Pretty much on a par with issue #1; well-written, passably drawn. Scott Allie has a good handle on Kane, and nails this issue's would-be seduction scene. Not having read the source for this tale, I'm looking forward to what develops. A-

SUB-MARINER: THE DEPTHS #2: Two issues in, and still no appearances by the fella whose name is on the front of the book...but that won't be such a problem when this is collected, which is probably how this should be read. I'm kinda liking this slow-moving, but dramatically valid, story which treats Namor like some sort of legendary creature being sought by a not-so-intrepid Skeptical Man of Reason, and the painterly soft-focus Esad Ribac art, which reminds me a bit of the visual style of Sky Captain. If you're the patient sort, you might too. B+

VIXEN: RETURN OF THE LION #2: This remains a resolutely mediocre showcase for a character that DC really, really wants us to like a lot. Storywise, fine if a bit on the cliched side as our girl, badly wounded by the supernatural badguy she scrapped with last issue, goes off into the plains to heal and see visions and stuff. Artwise, although the candy-colored color scheme is novel, "Cafu"'s figures are still stiff and his staging is bland. Showcases just aren't what they used to be. C+

Coming eventually, HOUSE OF MYSTERY #7 and more.