Zut alors, y’all! C’est Batroc ze Leapair!!!
Ahhhh, c’est magnifique!
Mais assez parlé de ce plus grand des hommes! Il est Jeudi soir, ce qui signifie qu’il est temps pour une autre session de l’Internet la plupart des critiques de bandes dessinées sacre bleu!
Avant de nous–
Ahem.
Sorry about that. Anyway, before we get around to the reviews, however, a quick plug! No, I don’t have any auctions running this week, just a new site that you oughtta be reading: Dateline: Silver Age, a new site that chronicles the headlines of Comics’ Great Metropolitan Newspapers! Heck, I like it so much that I’ve even contributed one myself! So seriously, add this one to your RSS reader of choice and prepare to be amazed when headlines like this pop up to remind you of that most wondrous of ages.
Now then, here’s what I picked up this week…
…and here’s what I thought about ’em!
Dark Reign: The Cabal: I’ve got to admit, I’m a little torn about Dark Reign. On the one hand, it’s a pretty ridiculous idea. I mean, Skrull war or no, Norman Osborn did chuck a girl off a bridge that one time, and I’m pretty sure everyone knows it. Heck, I’m pretty sure he went to jail for it in a comic written by Mark Millar and stood trial for crimes he committed as the Green Goblin in a comic written by the same guy that later decided nobody would object if he was basically put in charge of everything. Being in charge of the Thunderbolts was one thing–especially seeing as he was working in secret–but you’d think when it came time for presidential appointments, someone might bring up the whole killed-an-attractive-young-blonde-while-dressed-in-a-Halloween-costume thing and
On the other hand, I can see the appeal of having that as the big shake-up. It opens up some interesting possibilities, especially for Spider-Man, and everything that I’ve actually read that ties into it–Invincible Iron Man, Incredbile Hercules and Agents of Atlas spring to mind–has actually been very good, and, well, comics have been turning terrible ideas into gold on a pretty much monthly basis for the past 71 years. Thus, we have The Cabal, which does just that in stories by Matt Fraction, Rick Remender, Pete Miligan and Kieron Gillen (who also has the well-worth-your-dollars Phonogram 2 out this week). They’re all solid, highly entertaining short stories about the relationships between each of the members of Osborn’s little sewing circle, but the high point is far and away Jonathan Hickman’s lead story, which does such a good job of explaining why Dr. Doom is bothering with Osborn that I think it might actually go back and retcon some of the stupid out of the concept. Good stuff.
Dr. Doom and the Masters of Evil #4: And speaking of good stories about Dr. Doom, we have this, and I’ve gotta say: It might just be the best Dr. Doom story since Waid and Ringo’s Fantastic Four.
That’s a bold statement, I know, but for what is ostensibly a (relatively) lighthearted kids’ book, it’s amazing how Paul Tobin was able to cut so directly to the heart of the character. And the amazing thing about it is that he’s able to do these amazing Dr. Doom moments–including the scene where Doom is essentially all like “Oh, did I forget to mention that I made myself immortal last week for just such an occasion?” that had me cracking up with the pure Marvel Comics joy of it–without losing the accessibility or fun that he’s been working with.
I mean, seriously, at the climax of the story, the bad guy wins. Definitively. And the one character that’s been sympathetic in a book full of villains is made to live with the guilt of allowing someone to transform himself into monster so that he can better terrorize the world! That’s pretty heavy stuff for a kids’ comic, and that’s exactly as it should be. Tobin never talks down to his audience, and instead just gives them the best comic he can that they can come to fresh. And it works beautifully.
It’s one of those rare examples of How It Should Be Done, and it might end up being one of my favorite single issues of the year.
Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #4: (Spoilers follow, obviously)
Throughout its seventeen year run, the major selling point of Legion of 3 Worlds has been its earnest commitment to complete and utter bat-shit insanity, but with this issue, I think the goofiness may–may–have hit critical mass.
I mean, don’t get me wrong: I’m more than willing to accept the goofiness as part of the fun, especially in a book that opened with a museum exhibit on The Amazing Transformation of Jimmy Olsen
I mean, having the Time Trapper reveal his “secret identity” after fifty years of just being the Time Trapper is crazy enough, but having him turn out to be Superboy Prime? On a page with the words “PRIME TRAPPER” on it? That’s just Ludacris, man, and I honestly don’t know if I love it or hate it. It has me completely stymied.
So congratulations, Geoff Johns: You win. I have no idea how you’re going to top that.
GI Joe: Origins #3: And now, a Joeku:
Lines on the sword’s hilt?
Oh, son! I know what that means:
Arashikage!
Marvel Assistant-Sized Spectacular #2: You know, I work tirelessly for a day when every character has a hot, be-minidressed teenage girl equivalent. And so, apparently, do Jordan White and Adam Warren (though the latter doesn’t really come as a surprise on that front), who, along with Hector Silva Lujan, bring us this issue’s breakout star, Galacta: The Daughter of Galactus. It’s the same idea that brought us X-23–the teenage, foot-clawed version of Wolverine–writ large and taken to its logical extreme, complete with a fur-lined collar and a plunging neckline.
It’s crazy, but it’s a hypnotic kind of crazy that you want to see more of, and while there’s other stuff in the issue–namely a nifty Luke Cage by The Daily Show’s Wyatt Cenac and an Elsa Bloodstone story that drains both an alien parasite and the fun of the character–none of it can stand up to the sheer madness of a character that makes Golden Oldie seem like the model of restraint.
According to the issue, there’s a poll going on on Marvel.com to decide which character gets another shot, but I haven’t voted, both because I can’t decide between my everlasting love of the Mini-Marvels and the mesmerizing insanity of Galacta, and also because the website is currently besieged by pictures of Wolverine, and no link presented itself before I got tired of looking. But if you’re feeling industrious, have at it!
Sherlock Holmes #1: This might not come as a surprise to anyone, but I’m slightly fascinated by detective fiction, and I was a pretty big fan of Sherlock Holmes when I was younger, reading through my father’s beat-up copies of The Annotated Sherlock Holmes and later replacing them with my own set of the new Norton editions
Well, except for that one issue of Detective Comics where he teams up with Batman, which is totally awesome.
Anyway, this one comes courtesy of John Reppion and Leah Moore–whom I believe I am contractually obligated as a comics blogger to point out as the daughter of Alan Moore–and I really enjoyed it, although if my theory is right, they’ve left the biggest clue to the mystery right out in the open.
But at the same time, that’s what I really like about it. Holmes stories set the model of the Fair-Play Mystery (most notably seen in comics in Mike Barr and Adam Hughes’ Maze Agency
I will say that Holmes seems a bit uncharacteristically flustered at the end of the first one–this dude did straight up fake his death after a wrestling match on a waterfall after all, he doesn’t shake easily–but I suppose a little twitchiness is to be expected when a heroin addict is framed for murder.
Thor: Ages of Thunder HC: So you know that Motorhead video, “Killed By Death,” where Lemmy drives a motorcycle out of his own grave?
This is just like that, but with vikings. So yeah. You’re gonna want it.
And that’s the week! But before we go, a quick reminder:
This Saturday is Free Comic Book Day all across this crazy world of ours, so even if you aren’t a regular comics reader–although I can’t imagine you’d be reading this if you’re not–get out to your local comic shop and enjoy some comics For Free! It’s a great way to spread the fun–especially if you have kids, as the majority of FCBD books are specifically geared towards younger readers–and a lot of shops have sales, guests, and giveaways beyond just the Free Comics.
It’s something that we on the retail side of things look forward to as a way to get people interested (because really, there aren’t a lot of people working in comics retail for the money; we tend to be evangelists at heart), so tell your friends and come by to enjoy!
And check back here on Saturday afternoon too, as there might just be a special FCBD Bonus from the Action Age!
Honestly, is the public’s unconditional trust of Norman Osborn that much more ridiculous than all of the former supervillains who genuinely did switch sides and were accepted for it? This kind of thing happens often enough that they’re probably used to it by now.
Regarding the legion o’ 3 woilds ending-
*SPOILERISH*
The time trapper has actually been ‘shockingly revealed’ as about a dozen different Legion members and alien races over the years, and I’m betting Johns knows this. My guess is he still has something up his sleeve.
Actually, this is at least the fourth time the identity of the Time Trapper has been revealed. In the past, (s)he’s been:
-a Controller
-Glorith (Mordu’s lover/apprentice)
-Cosmic Boy
I’m the Time Trapper!
I’m less intrigued by Osborn and more by Loki’s machinations. Relatedly I’m finding Loki’s involvement with the Might Avengers to be both a good read and a neat reference to the original Avengers story.
I wish I had your enthusiasm for the Assistant Editor books. I just found both issues..slight at best. All the creators that I was familiar had done better. Really only the mini-Marvels one was A-game I thought. I don’t know. Maybe if Galacta had ANY kind of explination for her exsistence I’d be more into it. Though, except for the Elsa Bloodstone story, none of them were BAD. They just were ok…
*shrug*
Anyway, hows that Skaar book? I’ve been curious about the character. Also hoping he’ll join the GoG. Mostly because I want all the space-based heroes to join the GoG. Then they can all take turns beating on Vulcan. Because, MAN, do I hate Vulcan. Not EmoBoy Prime levels of hate, but still, really hate him…
David, I would suggest that the difference between Norman Osborne and say, Power Man, or Quicksilver, is the sheer number of times he’s been proven to be a maniacal killer. When most bad guys turn good, like Sandman, they get about one shot with the public and that’s it (X-Men, as always, have different rules).
I mean, obviously it’s just comics, but what grinds my gears more than his rise to political prominence is that Norman, in the last 10 or so years, has been assigned a level of competence he NEVER possessed before he came back from the dead. I mean, forget killing Gwen, this guy had a whole slew of serious mental problems. I mean REAL problems, that would impede one’s career as a super-villain. Multiple personalities and amnesia and stuff.
I misread “Conan the Cimmerian” as “Conan the Charlatan,” and I think I’m onto something. Imagine what thrilling adventures Conan could have as a marauding con man, pretending to be a doctor, lawyer, investment banker, or reputable snake oil merchant.
I think http://poll.fm/xvb5, or http://s3.polldaddy.com/p/1580225 should get you to the poll without Wolverine’s Shining impersonation.
I finally started reading up on old Sherlock a few weeks ago when I realized that the Barnes & Noble 2-volume edition will net you the whole run of Doyle material for, like, 14 bucks.
I hadn’t earlier realized that Sherlock Holmes is an arrogant, bipolar, coke-addicted, Dr. House-style anti-hero, and I think it’s wonderful that he was such a mainstream success well over a century ago.
Also cool & in the same vein are the A.J. Raffles stories, which feature a Victorian gentleman burglar, all written by Conan Doyle’s brother-in-law.
(I think Raffles will also be in the next LOEG book soon, so it’s new-comics relevant.)
Your blog is cool.
I want Geoff Johns’ babies.
That is all.
To me, it’s not just that supervillains are constantly turning good. It’s also that every month or so there’s a plot in which, say, the Fantastic Four are accused of being evil, the public turns its back on them, et cetera, until this is proven untrue again and they are embraced. . .etc.
I think there’s a pretty good argument for the Marvel U public being — on the one hand — fantastically gullible and — on the other hand — justifiably confused about who’s good or not.
Granted, I’d like to see a little more in-universe explanation for this, but it’s far from the stupidest thing a comic book has asked me to believe.
Mostly, though, as you say, I’m just enjoying the hell out of the ‘Dark Reign’ stories. The Initiative was probably a better idea in terms of story logic, but it didn’t produce all that much good or memorable storytelling — for me, “the Order” was about it.
Weird, Josiah; I’ve been working through the complete Holmes as well. He can be an arrogant as at times, can’t he?
Chris, there are two non-Doyle Holmes stories I particularly like:
Stephen King’s “The Doctors Case,” where Watson is forced into the lead.
Neil Gaiman’s weird “A Study In Emerald,” a pastiche of Holmes and Lovecraft.
Dude, speaking of Sherlock Holmes, if you read any other collection of apocryphal Holmes stories, make it Shadows Over Baker Street, which contains “A Study in Emerald”, the story Joseph Finn mentions. It’s all about Holmes and his supporting cast being dropped into Lovecraft’s universe. The best thing about it, in my opinion, is that many of the stories only tangentially involve Holmes, instead preferring to follow Watson in his military service, for instance, or Sebastian Moran. Mycroft pops up as well, as does Irene Adler. The only one I don’t recall being included was Inspector Lestrade, though I could be wrong.
Pish, tush, dear fellow! Holmes is not a heroin addict. He’s a cocaine addict …
*Sigh* you missed gold there, Sims. the female Cable isn’t She-Cable.
…It’s Cabelle.
For true fun, track down the out-of-print “All-Consuming Fire”, by Andy Holmes. It’s a crossover between Sherlock Holmes and the Seventh Doctor, and is pure, undiluted awesome right from their first meeting, where Holmes tries to do his little guessing trick on the Doctor’s profession and place of origin and is utterly stymied. :)
Time Trapper has been:
A fascist Controller
Cosmic Boy
Glorith, Mordu’s wife
Lori Morning
The physical embodiment of Entropy
Superboy Prime
He’s somebody different every time, yo.
Oh Babel Fish, will you never learn?
But Superboy-Prime is the version of the TT to preserve! Why, he’s the Trapper Keeper!
[rimshot]
[crickets]
I so stoked that Connor Kent is back that I don’t even care who Time Trapper is. But he’s probably Tertwig masquerading as Superboy Prime masquerading as Time Trapper.
And in other news…
Another quality apocryphal Holmes story is Michael Chabon’s The Final Solution. Check that out!
Also, what do you think of Chesterton’s Father Brown stories?
Josiah, the Dr. House / Holmes similarities are not a coincidence:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_(TV_series)#References_to_Sherlock_Holmes
And as soon as Time Trapper is beaten in issue #5… he’ll become someone ELSE.
My bet is that he’ll become Dan Didio next time.
Anyway, the idiocy of the Marvel U public cannot be accurately measured. Never forget that these yokels firmly and completely accepted that Captain America was a villain and traitor during the superhero “Civil War”.
Honestly, I think the Marvel 616 public is one that is frighteningly similar to ours (except for superheroes), save that everyone has a relative IQ shift of -70 points.
*shrug*
We do not emote in this comments section, Lurker.
Neil Gaiman’s weird “A Study In Emerald,†a pastiche of Holmes and Lovecraft.
Does Holmes discover a magical world hidden from normal view that only plucky youngsters and crazy people can see and/or ponder the nature of storytelling?
…It’s Cabelle.
As much as it pains me when readers set out to “improve” the jokes that I slave over–sometimes for up to thirty seconds at a time–I’ve got to admit that in this one, isolated, singular, unique instant that will most likely never be repeated ever, you’ve got me.
Surprisingly, no!
And you’re sure it’s by Neil Gaiman?
…”lefapk”?
It may have been a clever doppelganger. Maybe someone else ghostwrote it for him.
That Gaiman Homlmes/Lovecraft story is creepy as hell. I was confused at first, until the end where I learn the true identity of the protagonist and his advesary.
Chris: Yes, but it’s part of an anthology where he also ponders the nature of storytelling as it pertains to Narnia, so it averages out.
“Be-minidressed”? You’re the John Milton of comics bloggers, son!
“That said, I’ve never really felt the need to go beyond the Arthur Conan Doyle stories to see what else other writers have done”
I’m not sure if you’d count it as a Holmes story per se, but I would suggest you read The Final Solution by Michael Chabon if you haven’t already.
I’ll make this real simple for you, Chris.
The reason nobody remembers Norman having been outed as The Green Goblin, his serving jail time for being The Green Goblin or anything else that happened in that one Mark Millar Marvel Knight’s Spider-Man series is that when Peter made his deal with Mephisto to save Aunt May’s life and erase his marriage to Mary Jane from reality, Mephisto went out of his way to make other changes for no readily apparent reason other than to make Peter’s life as a 30-something college dropout living with his elderly aunt even more sad and pathetic.
We know about the major changes like how Harry Osborn is now back from the dead (for the sole purpose of giving Peter someone to go beg for money from) and erasing all of Peter and Flash Thompson’s friendship because we all know that bullies never change and that Peter still needs to be called Puny Parker a decade after high school. So it’s not too far fetched that Mephisto, having free license to weave the threads of fate in this case, would go all out and arrange for Peter’s worst enemy to have Norman’s secret identity restored and then enable him to be put in a position to TRULY make Peter’s life difficult, in costume and out.
In fact… what if Norman made his own bargain with Mephisto and everything regarding how he got to power so quickly with nobody asking any questions or remembering his past is tied to that deal, including Mephisto approaching Peter with an offer he can’t refuse so that Norman can – once again – try and taint Peter and make him into the perfect son he never had?
Nah… that would just make too much sense.
That’s… some rather bad fanfiction you got there Matt
Hey, I just work with the continuity I am given.
Where’s my No Prize?
Sol,
I’ve only seen about 1.5 episodes of House, so I had no idea that the Doctor’s apartment number is 221B…wow. That’s kind of lame.
Please don’t use alta vista babelfish to make “french.” It hurts my brain. I’ll translate for you if you need to do that again.
I can’t help but feel that the whole Prime is TT is all Booster Gold’s fault…
As much as I dig The Maze Agency, it’s not “fair-play.” A lot of stuff comes out because Gabe happened to see a piece of paper on which was written a vital clue which the reader never sees. The only “fair-play” mystery in comics that I can recall is Watchmen.
Poor French is a hallmark of ze Batroc ze Leapair nom, m’sieu!
Sherlock Holmes team-ups? How about that episode of the Real Ghostbusters?
Zut alors, you ‘ave made me see ze airreur of my ways! Point taken, m’sieu!
Normally, a team-up/fight between Magneto and a guy who’s completely encased in metal would be really, really stupid. Doom is probably the only person who could make it work.
“…which makes Dynamite’s offering the first Holmes pastiche I’ve ever read.
Well, except for that one issue of Detective Comics where he teams up with Batman, which is totally awesome.”
By that logic, shouldn’t Planetary count too?
I find your reviews funny, but with an alarming lack of Deadpool titles!
I’m the time trapper and so’s my wife.
That Etrigan episode of the Brave and the Bold was a Holmes team up, too. It was pretty fun. You should watch that after you read all of these Holmes pastiches people are reccomending you. Or multi-task. Whatevs.
That, and between Batroc starting a dating service and the Enforcers dalliance in telemarketing, Tobin’s Avengers has a great tendency to recast awesome supervillains as entreprenuers. Which, to my mind, is the single greatest reccuring motif in the medium ever.
“I find your reviews funny, but with an alarming lack of Deadpool titles!”
The best that can be said of Way’s Deadpool is that Way has a basic understanding of the character and doesn’t fuck him up too badly. The title is a far, far cry from actively good. Same for the Benson mini. As a rule, you shouldn’t read a Deadpool comic and think to yourself “this is… almost funny.”
Being the Time Trapper is like the 30th Century DCU equivalent of jury duty – everyone has to take a turn at it.
I’ve only read one issue, which was the one where he’s poisoned by the hunchback. The label made me bust a gut.