Comics from August 2007 : catching up

Um. Holidays + lots of work have put a damper on the time I could spend on this blog. However, this is a VERY slow week (fitfth weeks in a month often are), so I'll do a bit of catching up. I have no intention of reviewing the whole hundred or so comics I've missed, but some highlights will do.

First, special congratulations to the Marvel Adventures books this month. Avengers #15 was as Good as ever, Iron Man #3 shows how fun this character can be and shares the same rating. Even Fantastic Four #27 was part of a Good patch thanks to Van Lante. But what surprised me most was Hulk #2 : I still have my doubts on the general direction of the title, but that hilarious Madrox guest appearance made this issue Very Good.

Meanwhile, among the X-Books...
- Astonishing X-Men #22 was too little, too late, and thus Eh. I can't be the only one counting the months until Whedon finishes this arc and we can finally move on to more momentous stories ?
- X-Men #202 was quite Good, though Ramos' art borders on the very irritating. I like Carey trying to integrate disparate elements of the 90s and 00s to a coherent whole, and the X-Men actually figuring the plot out. Some logic jumps were a bit much, but on the whole it works.
- X-Factor #22 ? As Very Good as ever.
- On the other hand, New Excalibur #22 seems to have lost the plot. Awful. And New X-Men #41 concludes a crap arc with a Crap ending. Am I really meant to care for Pixie or fake Illyana ?
- Wolverine #56 is a lowish Good story whose main merit is to be much more competent and fun than any other Wolverine story published this year. Faint praise indeed. Meanwhile, for some reason Wolverine Origins #16 also reprints the old Claremont/Lee story it cannibalizes, and this is not a comparison that does it any favor. Crap.

Marvel team books... The Order #2 was quite Good, and the media/celebrity angle was quite good. Omega Flight #5 (of 5) concludes with a whimper (Eh) : what was the point again ?

Marvel solo books... Immortal Iron Fist #8 starts its new arc with a bang (Very Good). Amazing Spider-Man #543 plays for time (Eh), but at least it is less aggravating than the former arc or the Awfully preachy Sensational Spider-Man #40.

Meanwhile, over in the DC Universe...
- Batman #667-668 is quite an improvement thanks to the superb art, but I can't go above OK : Morrison's obsession with Batman duplicates leaves me entirely cold.
- The utterly bizarre Outsiders: Five of a Kind (#1-4 of 5) mini is overall Awful : the random pairings and unsuspenseful outcomes don't work at all, and the Countdown tie-ins destroy whatever focus the plot had. I want to like this relaunch, but the signs are not good.
- Meanwhile, Bedart does his best to keep the spirit of Birds of Prey #109, but the random Death of the New Gods Countdown tie-in brings it down to a low Good.
- Again Bedart : the Black Canary (#3 & 4 of 4) concludes on a Eh note, with a awfully predictable twist which leads to a nonsensical ending.
- And Bedart yet again (how many books is he writing ? Ok, most are fill-ins, but it sure mounts up...) : Supergirl #20 finally features good art and an decent take on its title character, but is brought down to Awful by the Amazons Attack tie-in, in which she behaves like a complete idiot. Sigh.
- The less said about Countdown and Amazons Attack #5, the better. Crap.

And that's it for the high points. Next, some thoughts on this week's books.

Comics from 01/08/2007 : part 1

World War Hulk #3 (of 5) : Very strange scheduling : barely a fortnight after last issue, and it will be nearly two months before next issue. Also, it seems to be double-sized for some reason. Anyway, Gen. Ross takes his shot, and nearly succeeds thanks to Dr Strange's interference. We also learn what the Hulk is up to with all the captured heroes, and it is wonderfully insane. On the other hand, it hammers a bit too much that the Hulk really is a monster, and three straight issues of fighting is getting very repetitive. Let's say OK, but I really hope for a change of pace next issue.

Uncanny X-Men #489 : Let's be frank : this title has not really worked for me thus far. There is no sense of these X-Men being a team, as opposed to random protagonists selected because they are relevant to this storyline (especially with guest star Storm). I mean, the "team" is down to Xavier, Nightcrawler, Warpath and Hepzibah, and they split apart ? Also, three issues in I still have no sense of what Masque is up to and how Magneto fits into all this, which makes me dread that this is just a prologue for the winter crossover. On the other hand, there is an awesome cliffhanger that redeems a bit character whose characterization had sounded false up to now, so I'll mark it up to Good.

She-Hulk #20 : The "these are all the plots I was planning to go into, but I'm jumping ship to write Spider-Man" issue. And, taken in this regard, it works : it is a shame these will not go beyond outlines, but the issue is fun and self-conscious enough to make me smile. A low Very Good.

New Warriors #3 : Finally picking up, as it centers on Jubilee and the Night Thrasher mystery. Very good points are made, and the Registration's effects are interestingly explored. Sure, it is very melodramatic and very high on past continuity, but it works. A high Good.

Coundown #39 : Still not working. Most subplots are barely advanced, with the exception of the Rogues thread. I could do without Trickster's homophobia, though. But hey, the Question and Batwoman guest star, which slightly raises my interest (Rucka's statements that he was not consulted does not fill me with confidence, though). Meanwhile, the Monitor backup does not even bother with tedious recaps of past storylines and just tediously recaps its own "plot". It is still "To Be Continued", which makes my heart (and this comic's grade) sink. Crap.

Comics from 25/07/2007 : part 3

And now, the remainder from last week, just in time before New Comics Day :

Onslaught Reborn #4 (of 5) : Okay, I give up. Overlong delays + incoherent plot + consistently awful art = Crap. I don't even have any idea what the heck is meant to be happening beyond boringly generic mind control non-stories.

Sensational Spider-Man #39 : This Eddie Brock two-parter was OK : nothing actively bad, a nice insight into Eddie's situation nowadays, what with his inconsistent characterization in recent years. However, the stupidly static "Will May die ?" subplot is as annoying as ever, bringing down this issue's note by several marks.

Spider-Man Fairy Tales #3 (of 4) : Oh, the "angry Spider-Man" plot even managed to contaminate this ! Eh, but nice art.

Supergirl and the Legion of Superheroes #32 : Oh, a 6-part run divided into single- or two-issue miniarcs ! How quaint ! And it works : 6 straight issues of searching for Cosmic Boy would have been insanely boring, but a small two-parter exploring the Rands' home planet hijinks is a nice change of pace. Good.

Teen Titans #49 (AA) : This is even worse than last issue. Every single character acts like an idiot at some point, and the "happy" ending only underscores how insanely stupid the concentration camp plot was in the first place. And what little decent characterization shown in the main book is consistently ignored here. Crap.

Wonder Woman #11 (AA) : Last issue promised a potentially conclusive fight between Diana and Hippolita ; but there are two more months to go, so we actually have Superman telling Diana that it's too early to resolve the plot. Then, more insanity, and Circe comes back yet again from the dead. At this stage, the plot is becoming more and more insulting, and it's baffling to see ordinarily decent writers putting this Crap out.

Ultimate Fantastic Four #44 : Wow, the Psycho-Man as an impressive threat ? Quite a feat. This may event start overcoming my strange apathy to this title ever since Carey and Ferry took over. For now, just OK.

Wetworks #11 : The "Ab-Death is Awesome" Issue. And indeed he is. Pretentious narration excluded, this is barely a step below Carey's run, and I'll stick around for now. OK.

X-Men #201 : On the one hand, it's fun, action-packed, and very energetic. On the other hand, Ramos's art sometimes borders on the unintelligible. But overall, Good.