Miles’ Book
High Rollers #4 (of 4)
Written by Gary Phillips
Art by Sergio Carrera
Colours by Andrew Dalhouse
Boom Studios, 2008
I have never been more confused after reading a Random Book of the Week. What the fuck happened in this comic? I mean, I should know, I did read it, but I think there were pages missing. Actually, I know that there weren’t because every scene flowed so well into the next one that it would be impossible. There were just fantastic transitions from one story I didn’t understand to the next story I didn’t understand.
All I know about this is that it’s a crime drama that seems to have about 20 main characters. Each one of them seems to know what’s happening, but they won’t tell the audience – it’s like there’s some inside joke between the writer and the artist. One of the stories seems to be resolved at the end of the book, but all the others drift off so that I can only assume they are over. And there are two explosions. That’s all I fucking know, and I spent four bucks on this stupid rag. FOUR WHOLE DOLLARS!!
Which now brings me to my first rant: Publishers, do not publish a story when it doesn’t make sense. Yes, I’m joining in on issue four of a four-part story, but that’s not an excuse. This is an episodic medium and there should be something that tells me about the episodes that came before it. This should be a graphic novel, not a over-priced waste of paper. As a graphic novel, this might be a fantastic story, and I would love it, but it’s not been adapted for serialization.
And now for the second rant: Colourists, less is more. Gradients are pretty cool and really easy to make with Photoshop; I understand your addiction to them. Yes, colourists back in the day would kill for a little colour-fading action. But holy crap, CHECK YOURSELF. This is a case of great art ruined by an over-zealous colourist. Andrew Dalhouse, the colourist, is trying to force a three-dimensional look on art that is supposed to be a little static and flat — that’s why he has heavy inks. I know you want to feel like you’re earning your money, colourists, but restraint, my friends, restraint!
Isaac’s Book
Invincible Iron Man #7
Written by Matt Fraction
Art by Salvador Larroca
Marvel Comics, 2008
Everything was very Spider-Man centric in this comic, and while that’s ordinarily a very good thing, I came into this expecting an issue of Iron Man.
We open on Ben Urich trying to manage his band of reporters at the Frontline newspaper, wishing he could just go write something, and finally grabbing Peter Parker to go do a piece on Tony Stark relating to some attacks that I assume occurred in the previous issues of Invincible Iron Man.
We’re all aware of the problems of Peter Parker meeting up with Tony Stark in this post Brand New Day comic-scape; had they ever met out of costume before? What would the reaction be? Well, Peter had worked for Stark, but has left and is now “taking pictures for a website”.
Tony Stark says that’s a “Great career move there, guy.” And I end up hating the man just a bit more. Really? You can’t just be a multibillionaire-super hero-idol o’ millions, but you get to have some schadenfreude, too?
So it’s settled, right? This is the official relationship between these two characters out of costume; ex-employee and ex-employer, end of story. Unfortunately I just don’t have enough faith in Marvel editorial to be able to crossover the Marvel and Brand New Day universes. If this was an issue of Amazing Spider-Man, it’d be a different story, I could trust it. But it’s not, and I don’t.
That distrust of where this comic sits in continuity really taints what would otherwise be a really strong issue. We have some laughs, some action with the Tinkerer and this Wheele guy (you remember the guy in the 90s Spider-Man cartoon that drove around in a giant rocket wheel, was obsessed with timing, and tried to kill Rocket Racer? Well, this is some version of that guy I guess), so yes, a pretty good Spider-Man comic. I’m trying to forget that this is supposed to be an Iron Man comic, because the threats are pretty laughable from that point of view.
It’s a case of trying to fit a square peg through a round hole. The writer wanted to have this ending where Spider-Man reflects on how sad and unsure Stark seems these days, accompanying the article Ben Urich ends up writing titled “The Head that Wears the Crown” and it’s a nice ending idea, but it’s either impossible with these characters as they currently are, or it just wasn’t written properly for this issue. Either way, if the story doesn’t work, it shouldn’t be forced like this.
