Isaac’s Book
Adventure Comics #3
Geoff Johns, Michael Shoemaker (w), Francis Manapul, Clayton Henry (a), Brian Buccellato, Brian Reber (c). DC Comics.
Take the first “act” of the first story — Superboy is in chemistry class talking with an eccentric classmate, while surrounded by eccentric classmates. What is this? Sky High is surrounded by flying kids who shoot laser beams from their eyes? No, I don’t mean eccentric in that way.
I say “eccentric” only in that these background drawings are nuanced characters in and of themselves; any of them could be having a conversation with Superboy and I’d want to read it (disregarding my rabid Superboy fanboyism that would make me read anything with him in it). He’s talking to a well intentioned mad-scientist-to-be, but there’s Lori in the background sleeping away (that one’s obvious since she has a name and everything already), the girl beside Lori who is amazed at the chemical reaction she’s just created, the guy with the chemistry teacher who is scratching his head with a good-natured “Well, I didn’t get it the last time, but sure, explain it again” expression on his face, and in the far back a student reaching for a beaker high up on a shelf above her head while chewing gum in class (aha, another rebel) — I get the feeling that if Superboy walked up to any of them in the next panel, asked “ ‘sup?” we’d have a fun story, with conflicting wants and points of view and EVERYTHING!
If we were to go back a few years to when Superboy first moved to Smallville — he thought it sucked! It was a prison for him, and I can’t really blame him — if I lived in a cookie-cutter high school in a cookie-cutter small town with no real people around, I’d hate it too. It’s almost like Superboy was reacting to the sub-par comic environment he’d been placed in, and acted accordingly.
Shift to the next scene where Superboy has to deal with Krypto gathering the kids’ rogues gallery from around the world, and it’s an example of off-panel living. If a character isn’t on screen or the star, that doesn’t mean he’s not doing anything. Krypto just flew around the planet collecting some of these guys in his spare time. It makes me wonder what Ma Kent is up to… ah. Knitting a sweater. Well, winter is coming.
What I’m trying to get at is how the art and writing combine to imply the reality of the story and world in this comic far better than most things on the shelf. It probably has the most to do with Francis Manapul being a GENIUS!
Owen’s Book
Fantastic Four #572
Jonathan Hickman (w), Dale Eaglesham (a). Marvel Comics.
While it’s cool to get excited about a comic property that I love — Batman or Spider-Man immediately come to mind — it’s much more impressive to me when a creative team can get me eagerly anticipating the next issue of a book that I’ve never had any fondness for. I never thought that I would be adding Fantastic Four to my pull list, let alone making it my book of the month. I’ve never found the characters that interesting, I’m not that into space adventures (which tend to be common with these characters), and any time I’ve tried reading this book there has been nothing that made me want to come back… until now, that is.
Hickman has infused this book with a slick characterization that drew me in. He made me understand not only what it might be like to be the smartest man in the world (and the pressures that come with that), but also what sets Reed Richards apart from other “smartest men in the world.” It’s a slick move that marks Hickman as a name to watch. And while we’re talking about names to watch, I’ve been praising Eaglesham’s name since his Justice Society days, but he just keeps getting better. His expressive and controlled work on this book is top-notch and I only hope that he can keep up the pace on a monthly book, because a guest penciller would be a real shame.
And that ending… what a moment. It’s the kind of ending I love, where it works on several levels. Not only does it tie up the plotline and tug at the heartstrings, but it also explains why the creators chose to tell the story that they did. In that last panel it becomes clear to the reader why we should care about these characters, why they’re different, and what our investment in them should be over the next several stories.
Next month we will follow Thing and Human Torch’s vacation into Nu-World. I don’t know what that is, but I will be reading for sure. Congratulations, Fantastic Four, you’re my book of the month. I never thought it would happen, but that’s what makes it so darn impressive.
Chew #5
John Layman (w), Rob Guillory (a). Image Comics.
So this month was a toss-up between several of my favourite titles. Some have been on that list for a while and others had just recently showed up. But I’m going to go with the title that has stolen my heart, and that’s Chew. Like any good comic, it’s shown innovation and storytelling beyond what the reader has asked for or expected. It delivers with an incredibly quirky storyline, with characters that each have their own distinct personality. The art is just so perfect for the story that it almost brings a tear to my eye. Such perfect unions are always very touching. This issue brought to an end a very exciting arc, but Guillory and Layman definitely still have many tricks up their sleeves. The chicken conspiracy has just gotten juicier. If you want to know what I’m talking about, go buy it. As for me, I shall sit in quiet anticipation for the week that the new arc starts up again. That week, will be a good week.
Miles’ Book of the Month
TIE: Detective Comics #858
Greg Rucka (w), J.H. Williams III (a), Dave Stewart (c). DC Comics.
The Invincible Iron Man volume 2: World’s Most Wanted Book One
Matt Fraction (w), Salvadore Larroca (a). Marvel Comics.
Sorry for the split decision folks. It was going to be Iron Man but the last page of Detective Comics kept pulling at me, saying, “I was so haunting and wonderful — what about me?” So let’s start with that one.
This issue begins the official origin story of Kate Kane into Batwoman. The issue opens 20 years ago as Kate and her sister play on an army base, the children of two officers. The most noticeable part of these flashbacks — and it’s been talked about a lot — is the different style Williams uses for the bulk of the issue. It’s a really effective choice. The thicker lines make the art look simpler and classic — like it’s from a less complicated time. Rucka’s script is sparse and effective. It’s amazing that in about 30 lines of dialogue I meet and end up really liking Kate’s mom. The ending of the issue is particularly haunting and Stewart does an amazing job colouring this scene — the moment the colour leaves Kate’s skin.
In the other big comic universe, Iron Man is getting his ass kicked and I couldn’t love it more. After three years of Tony Stark showing up in every other Marvel title with the express purpose of being a dick to the title characters, it’s nice to see Stark in a different way. The concept alone is enough to make my pick up this book — in order to defeat Norman Osborn, Stark is making himself dumber. And it’s a chase story, and I do love a good chase story. But it would all fall flat on its face if it weren’t for Fraction and Larroca’s expert execution of the idea. It builds organically and there’s this hanging dread that even though Tony is winning, he’s still losing. Some great character work by Fraction.
It’s also refreshing to have Pepper Potts and Maria Hill have plots where they prove they are awesome broads who kick ass in their own way. It’s a nice counterpoint to the “ladies man” Stark we always get.
