Art What I Like: Burn, NYC, Burn

The latest collection of DMZ, Collective Punishment, is a good one, but that's not really anything surprising, at least from the standard the series has set for itself. The thing that I really dug about this particular volume was the art, all provided by guests rather than regular artist Riccardo Burchielli, and since this point in the long-running plot is seeing the merciless bombing of New York City by the US military, they all get to show off their own particular takes on the fiery destruction of the most famous city in the world. It's harrowing, arresting, gorgeous stuff (almost) all around, an awful, beautiful spectacle.

The one exception, unfortunately, is Cliff Chiang, who limits his large-scale destruction to a cityscape engulfed by orange clouds:



But everyone else takes the opportunity to dazzle with their destruction. Andrea Mutti eclipses Chiang's idea by rendering the skyline in silhouette and degrading the image to the point that the buildings look like burnt husks of themselves, making for a simple and horrifying image:

David Lapham does something similar in one image, making the whole city seem to be ablaze while death rains down out of the sky:

But he also includes a more visceral, apocalyptic image, including both the cause and effect of all the horrifying destruction in one breathtaking splash page:

Danijel Zezelj provides a long view of the city, and his rough-yet-detailed style takes the aforementioned "burnt out husk" idea and turns it into a city-wide bonfire, with the skyscrapers seeming like the protruding bones of Manhattan turned to smoldering embers:



But for my money, nobody beats Nathan Fox, who turns a birds' eye view of the city into a horrifying inferno, death raining down from above like nonchalantly destructive hailstones:

But he makes the rooftop view even more horrifying, an urban hellscape of flames and explosions:

 

DMZ has often been a harrowing read, bringing the foreign idea of war home to Americans, but rarely has it been so dismally horrifying, so full of widespread death and destruction. These artists have really risen to their task; I doubt I'll ever forget the awful sights they've shown me.

Collection catchup: Vertigo-go

Elsewhere: I reviewed Jason's Werewolves of Montpellier over at IndiePulp, and I hope it's not a spoiler to say I liked it.

The Unwritten, volume 1: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity
Written by Mike Carey
Art by Peter Gross

If there's any (sub?) genre that gets a free pass (of sorts) from me, it's metafiction, especially stories in which  characters discover their fictional nature.  I don't know why, but that sort of thing really pushes my geek buttons, maybe because of the exquisite existential horror of finding out that you're not actually real, that some unseen higher power is controlling you (this might also explain my atheism).  So I'm kind of predisposed to like this series, which involves a character who was supposedly the inspiration for the hero of a Harry Potter-like series of books, but might actually be that character, somehow pulled into the real world.  There's a lot of mystery and intrigue involving the ways fiction and reality overlap (especially geographically), some violence and gore, and plenty of weirdness, like an assassin who can reduce objects down to their component words, which kind of ties into that fictional/existential horror I was talking about.  At this point in the story, there's much to be discovered and explained, but so far I'm liking the ideas being explored, especially the way a globally popular character can come close to an actual religion.  There's also a one-off story about Rudyard Kipling that establishes a centuries-long conspiracy in which powerful men use writers to reshape world history, which gives the whole thing an even more epic sweep.  So, yes, I'm liking this one, and I'm quite interested to see where it goes next.  I'll keep my fingers crossed for an appearance from Kilgore Trout.
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DMZ, volume 8: Hearts and Minds
Written by Brian Wood
Art by Riccardo Burchielli and Ryan Kelly

The chief triumph of DMZ is the way it has made the experience of life in a war-torn country relatable to Americans for whom such a notion is near-impossible to comprehend.  By placing the war zone right in one of the most familiar cities in the country, we get the shock of seeing the violence, damage, and chaos in a familiar context, rather than half a world away.  And Brian Wood has managed to keep exploring aspects of war and conflict, keeping readers on their toes.  This volume sees one of the best examples of this motif so far, in a Ryan Kelly-illustrated story that takes the foreign-seeming concept of suicide bombers and terror cells and makes it seem understandable, which is no small achievement.  Usually, we think of these people as crazed religious zealots, following an inexplicable moral code, but Wood makes us realize that all it takes to exploit people is tragedy.  Someone who has lost everything and feels that he has nothing left can be manipulated into doing terrible things, and Wood shows how through a look at an organization that gathers men whose families have died and combines a support group style of "therapy" that is actually designed to keep wounds fresh along with military training that brainwashes the men into unquestioning puppets, the perfect formula for unfeeling killing machines.  It's horrible to witness, and suddenly the thought of people so broken that they'll indiscriminately sow terror and death makes sense.  All it takes is an onslaught of death that ruins lives, and the soil of fanaticism is fertile for planting the seeds.  It's a short story that seems (so far) to be a kind of pause in the main narrative of the series, but it's one of the most powerful ones that Wood has included in the series so far.

As for the main part of the book, which seems to wrap up the ongoing "Matt works for an increasingly dictatorial political leader" plot, I'm not sure what to think.  It sees like Wood may have rushed to end it, since it all seems to fall apart at once, but that is the way of political fortune.  He does spend time on the plot involving the atomic bomb which Parco Delgado (the aforementioned charismatic leader) acquired in a misguided attempt to be relevant on the world stage, showing how this was basically just a bid for power that overrode all the pure-sounding rhetoric about peace and brotherhood.  And Matty himself follows a similar path, getting caught up in the pursuit of power rather than actually trying to help people, eventually ruining everything he fought for over the course of his years in the DMZ.  It's hard to watch, but seeing all the ways in which he has made the wrong choices, it's kind of expected.  A new character gets introduced here, a female DJ running a station called "Radio Free DMZ", and while we have yet to see her face or hear her name, maybe she's on her way to being Matty's replacement as the voice of the people, the person striving for truth and justice rather than power.  We'll see how it goes; whatever happens, I'm excited to see what happens next.

Collection catchup: Vertigo plus one

Links: Have I pointed out Kevin Church's new projects? He's got a weekly strip called The Loneliest Astronauts with Ming Doyle, and it looks pretty damn enjoyable. And there's also what appears to be more of a serialized crime story called She Died in Terrebone: A Sam Kimimura Mystery, with art by TJ Kirsch. They both look quite good; that Church fellow is going places.

This Paul Pope strip of a scene from Dune is pretty nice-looking.

Hey, let's make this a regular thing (which probably dooms it to obscurity): short(er) takes on collections of ongoing series, what those in the publishing world (and, inexplicably, the comics community) call trade paperbacks. Go!

Fables, volume 12: The Dark Ages

Written by Bill Willingham

Art by Mark Buckingham, Mike Allred, and David Hahn

There were a couple possible ways to go with Fables after ending the long-running war plot, with the more difficult one seeming to be seeing how things work out in Fabletown and the Homelands after defeating the Empire. What would happen in all the liberated worlds, and how would the new leadership (such as it is) cope? Bill Willingham hints that this might be what is going on in the first issue of this collection, but then he immediately upsets the new status quo in a pretty surprising way, knocking the victorious Fables back on their heels and leaving them scrambling to not only survive against a new threat, but trying to figure out what has happened and who has done it to them. It's pretty canny storytelling, jumping back into the pattern of downtrodden heroes fighting a powerful enemy, but in a much different way than they had been before, and with a lot of new wrinkles to the setup. Yes, the title continues to be as gripping as ever, and I couldn't be happier, even with the tragedy that befalls the beloved characters here.

And that's the other thing that Willingham does: focus on characters, rather than just hitting plot points. The big event here (aside from the main plot developments, that is) has to be the worsening condition of Boy Blue; watching him slowly deteriorate while fighting his war injury until he looks like little more than a desiccated corpse is tough, and the moments he has with friends and loved ones are pretty great, especially his eye-opening confrontation with Rose Red, who also looks to be growing into a major character who is full of fascinating flaws. But even the little stuff is neat to see here, like Fables who were born after the evacuation to the mundane world wanting to gain a birthright by taking over some of the newly-freed worlds, or the way the animal Fables bristle at the way they get brushed aside from being included in big decisions. And the new bad guy, the ominous Mr. Dark, is one hell of a creepy fellow; I'm very interested to spend more time with him.

On the art front, Mark Buckingham is as good as ever, filling pages with tons of gorgeous detail that combines a realistic setting with fantastical characters and still seems like something out of a storybook. His art definitely fits the title of the arc, as it gets increasingly dark over the course of the story, using some interesting toning patterns and lots of inky shadows. Mike Allred also turns in some nice guest art on that aforementioned filler issue, which sees Pinocchio giving Gepetto, the deposed Emperor, a tour of Fabletown while dodging the various angry protesters, shopkeepers who refuse him service, and people who march up to give him a piece of their minds. I'm especially struck by Allred's depiction of Pinocchio as an innocent-seeming, dot-eyed young boy, which stands in contrast to Buckingham's usual cynical-faced miniature adult.

Yes, it's another good volume, and I'm as excited as ever to get to the next one. Interestingly, there is a bit of metafictional exploration here, as characters wonder about the power that mundane storytelling has over them. It hints at the contents of the next arc, "The Great Fables Crossover", which sees Jack of Fables, which usually goes much further in that metafictional direction, and a miniseries about an even more metafictional type of Fable, The Literals, meet up with the main title. I have no idea where it's going, but I can't wait to find out.

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Unknown Soldier, volume 1: Haunted House

Written by Joshua Dysart

Art by Alberto Ponticelli

This is one hell of an intense book, and not in a good way. That is, it's full of action and violence, but it's the type of thing that happens in the real world, and it's stomach-turning in its (only slightly exaggerated, I imagine) nastiness. Joshua Dysart famously made a research trip to Uganda to gather material for the story, and it shows, with lots of details that come straight from real life, and a sense of moral outrage at the awful way people can treat each other (both face-to-face and through willful ignorance and unseen advantage-taking). It's the kind of thing that's designed to make one angry at the inhumane acts being perpetrated on people, and mind-boggling to consider that it's only focusing on a small portion of the violence and horror that's going on in the world.

But all that detail is in service to an interesting story about a heroic African-American doctor who has pledged his life in service to the downtrodden refugees (or "internally displaced persons", to use a less headline-grabbing term that keeps them off the world's radar) of northern Uganda, along with his loving and equally-medically-talented wife. But the anger he feels at what he sees seems to be welling up inside of him, assisted by horrifically violent dreams, and one day he snaps after being caught in a standoff with a rebel soldier, with a strange, ominous internal voice urging him to commit his own acts of violence. He complies all too easily, sending him into what seems to be madness, and he ends up taking up a one-man war against the people who would casually rape and murder innocents, sporting the telltale bandaged face of the long-time war-comics character after he mutilates himself in despair at his actions.

There are hints at a story there about how he gained such deadly prowess with weapons and strategy, something about CIA brainwashing, but it's not really necessary; the real focus here is on the actions that spur him to take up arms, including the recruitment of children as soldiers, the rape and kidnapping of girls, and the casual murder of civilians just because they are in the way. There's some gut-wrenching stuff here, and its understandable to see the character want to painfully murder the perpetrators, but the actions he takes are just as horrible. And pointedly, they seem to make matters worse. He does his best to make things right, to stop those who are laying waste to the people and destroying lives left and right, but in doing so, he murders children himself, and only spurs them to retaliate in ever-more-awful fashion. Before his "conversion", he gives a speech about how violence only begets violence, and he just proves it later, turning into more and more of a monster and taking good people like his wife down with him. That seems to be the real message here, that peace needs to be achieved through something other than killing, and Dysart is doing his best to show why that is, and making sure we know it's not just artful speculation, but a very real issue that is killing more and more people each day.

Italian artist Alberto Ponticelli provides the art here, and it's often quite gorgeous, capturing the landscape really well and filling plenty of pages with the dirty details of medical camps and battlefields. The people, on the other hand, can sometimes be awkward, and maybe even a bit cartoony, but his exaggeration really brings out the lost innocence of the child soldiers, as their big heads, spindly limbs, and extreme difference in size from the adults really make them seem tiny and frail, especially when they are carrying huge guns that they seem barely able to lift. Some of the action is a bit hard to follow at times, but the gist is always clear; we understand who is being gutted and decapitated, or just shot, and even when it's a rah-rah action movie moment, there's a real feeling of disgust at what we see. Maybe a more "realistic" artist would have been more appropriate, but Ponticelli still does a good job of filling in all the nasty details, and he makes some of the more surreal touches and dream sequences really work. And who knows, maybe he'll get even better as the series goes on. That's something to hope for.

Ultimately, one wonders why Dysart chose to tell this story in this way. If you're going to do such extensive, dangerous research, why make an action story starring a version of a long-lived

war comics character? But maybe flying something like this under the radar as if it was just another bit of Vertigo violence is sort of the point. I suppose something like Joe Sacco's journalistic comics would have been more "acceptable", but maybe a release from a mainstream publisher will attract the attention of those who don't normally read about what's going on outside of their lives of Western comfort. Those of us who stick to what's comfortable occasionally need something to jolt us out of our complacence and realize the reality lurking beneath our entertainments, and maybe this will be enough to get us off our seats and actually do something, anything, to help make the world a better place. Sure, it might be kind of far-fetched, but it's a nice idea. Maybe Dysart can actually do something to help it happen.

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Wasteland, volume 4: Dog Tribe and Wasteland #25

Written by Antony Johnston

Art by Christopher Mitten

By this point, you're probably either on board this post-apocalyptic series or not, but it's still a comic worth discussing, considering the thought and work that Antony Johnston has put into the world-building here. It's much more than just a dusty adventure story; Johnston has crafted several different cultural traditions (so far), and much of the interest comes in seeing them crash together in different ways. And it's fascinating to watch, whether you're trying to understand the nuances of the slang that the people use or the different relationships between people. There's a continuing plot featuring some well-drawn characters and a lot of action and intrigue, but seeing the world they move through continue to be defined is the big treat for me.

The fourth volume sees some continuing development on that front, as Michael and Abi, on their quest to find the fabled A-Ree-Yass-I, almost immediately stumble across and get captured by a couple of "dog tribes" of people who live in close association with packs of dogs that have become much more than just pets. The main characters kind of just sit in the background while an intense drama plays out around them, involving a conflict between the tribes that is now being resolved via a marriage between the chiefs' families. It's another example of the way Johnston defines these characters and cultures so well; we get involved in their conflict very quickly, although we don't necessarily understand what they're talking about or the way they relate to each other right away; flashbacks work to get us caught up in the tragic story.

It's very effective work, with the alien society really coming to life. Johnston does a lot of the work, but Christopher Mitten's art is what really sells it, from the vaguely African tribal fashions of the people to the way they interact with their dogs, and the deference that lower-ranking people show to the chiefs is palpable. It's gorgeous work as always, in Mitten's signature scratchy style that hides a surprising amount of detail.

And then in the twenty-fifth issue of the series, Johnston and Mitten give us one of the regular interstitial stories that doesn't directly affect the main narrative, this time being a flashback to an encounter between Michael and the nomadic trader Sultan Ameer, explaining some of the animosity that we've seen. It's a nice little story, mostly focusing on one of Ameer's wives as she tries to visit her family, who she hasn't seen since she was forced to leave them as a teenager. It's sad stuff, effectively told as always. And the big highlight is Mitten's art, which for this special occasion is in full, painted color, looking quite beautiful, with lots of deep blues and purples and searingly bright oranges. Hopefully this won't just be a one-time treat.

I don't know if the series is still gaining any readers, but hopefully if anybody hasn't kept up with it, they'll give it a second look, because as the series progresses, the creative team's talent for crafting a fascinating world for their tale to play out in becomes more and more apparent. I hope they'll be able to continue to wow readers for as long as they need to finish telling their tale.

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DMZ, volume 7: War Powers

Written by Brian Wood

Art by Ricardo Burchielli, Kristian Donaldson, and Nikki Cook

It seems like the intensity never lets up in this series, but it's morphed into intensity of a different type in these later volumes, going from characters trying to survive in a war zone to protagonist Matty Roth trying to navigate the complex world of politics, barely able to understand the forces pulling him in different directions, with dire results not just for himself but for all of Manhattan if he makes the wrong decision. It's hard to watch, and while we can sympathize with his plight, he still seems to be letting others push him around and manipulate him too easily. He does finally take some steps to remedy that trend, but even that seems to be a selfish act, rather than the "right" one. But that shows him to be realistic, acting as a normal person would, which isn't always likable.

The title story of the volume is sort of the main event here, but the volume starts with a two-parter in which Matty travels to a U.S. Army base on Staten Island, where he finds a sort of bacchanal in which the base commander negotiated an unauthorized truce with the rebel army to facilitate some mutual partying. It resembles Rick Veitch's Army@Love, although toned down quite a bit, and with less of a satirical intent. But it's the kind of thing that one can see happening in a war zone, especially when the enemy shares your own culture and values. And when it all inevitably falls apart, it's as hard to watch as anything else in the series, considering that it all seems like it's taking place in the real world, in an alternate universe where these kids are next door rather than on the other side of the world.

And then the main event starts, as Parco Delgado takes power as the provisional governor of the DMZ, immediately making some controversial moves, declaring the region to be a sovereign nation and kicking out both combating armies and severing all military contracts, especially any involving the Blackwater-esque Trustwell Corporation. This leads to plenty of chaos, and Matty is kind of left in the lurch, with nobody telling him what's going on. It turns out that he's an important part of Parco's plans, since he has contacts to Wilson, the Chinese gangster who might have a source of funds for the administration. And after securing those funds, Matty finds that Parco's got a lot of plans that don't necessarily seem to line up with his idealistic campaign promises, and at least one action that seems reprehensible in its "ends justify the means" cynicalness. It's hard to watch, as Matty's dreams of peace seem to get further and further away, but as with everything else in the series, it seems all too real, the stuff of real-world backroom deals and compromises in morality to achieve political goals. And the thing is, Delgado is enough of a charismatic talker that you almost believe him when he explains his actions. And who knows, it might all work out for the best, but given the real-world-imitating nature of this series, that certainly seems unlikely.

The volume wraps up with a single-issue story that follows Matty's (ex-?)girlfriend Zee, who left him and went off on her own into the unpoliced, dangerous area of the city after getting disgusted with the compromises that he was making. But even she can't escape the tough decisions, as she ends up forced to choose between helping out a wounded mercenary or letting her die. She's dragged right back into the conflict, or at least its periphery, as is her nature. As much as she might protest, she's in this for the long haul, like everybody else.

Yes, the quality of this series keeps going at the same level, and it's admirable that Wood is continuing to develop the conflict in new directions, and not take any easy shortcuts. If you can handle the depressing levels of violence and the despair that comes from realizing that the real world is just like this (or worse), the series continues to be required reading. I'm confident that Wood can continue to keep it up, and I only hope I can do the same.

Series collection catchup

Here are some shorter looks at various trade collections that I recently got around to reading:

The Boys, volume 4: We Gotta Go Now

Written by Garth Ennis

Art by Darick Robertson and John Higgins

I'm not sure why I like this series so much when I tend to get annoyed by the regular attempts to make superhero comics all "realistic" and "edgy". Maybe it's that Garth Ennis doesn't hold anything back; his heroes are exactly what we would expect from celebrities who are not only rich and famous but also have massive power and no consequences for their actions. Ennis seems to enjoy coming up with as much sick and twisted shit as he can, but he still grounds it in humanity, and while the violence and sex can be over the top, when it comes time for real horror, he pushes it right in our face. The dirty secret behind the series' stand-in for the X-Men is pretty damn awful, and while the consequence is horrifying, it still feels deserved, both for the perpetrators and those who aided them by not saying anything. Damn.

I also am enjoying the relationship between Hughie and his girlfriend. That's another way that Ennis grounds this over-the-top story: by developing realistic characters and relationships among all the nastiness and carnage. He's as good at writing tender romance as he is at coming up with funny sex and violence, which is surprising, but also quite nice.

And despite complaints I've heard that this storyline went on too long, I thought it worked rather well. It looks like I made the right decision when I switched to trades on this series.

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DMZ, volume 6: Blood in the Game

Written by Brian Wood

Art by Ricardo Burchielli

Reading this collection, I'm left wondering who equates Matty Roth with Brian Wood, since Matty comes off as a naive, easily-influenced doofus, even if he is well-meaning. He does seem to fight for what he thinks is right, but this story sees him get involved with a candidate in the election for a "provisional governor" of New York City, and while the guy seems charismatic, he doesn't appear to have much substance below the surface, riding mainly on the message of "giving a voice to the people". That's nice, but who knows what he's actually going to be able to accomplish, if anything. The series does seem to have taken a turn here, and maybe future stories will see Matty learning about the twisted politics and red tape that have to be dealt with in a tangled situation like this one, not to mention the fact that it's a dangerous war zone.

It's very interesting to see what Wood is doing here; as I've said from the beginning, the real power behind this series is that it takes the real-life violence of war and plops it down in our backyard, where American's don't have that distancing barrier of the TV screen to make it easy to think it doesn't matter because it's happening on the other side of the world. The obvious analogy is Iraq, but there are many more similar areas of conflict, and all of them are full of complex issues like we see here. The plot sees an election for a "provisional government", but what does that even mean? Is Manhattan going to become a new country, separate from the split nations of the U.S.A. and the Free States? Will this government have any power, or is it just listening to the "occupiers"? Does all the fighting and death that springs up around the election have any value at all, or are the people just pawns being fought over by powerful governments and corporations? Sure, this is all fiction, but these exact sorts of questions are very real in conflict zones all over the world, and Wood brings it home for readers and makes us realize how lucky we are that we don't have to face them. Yet.

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Powers, volume 12: The 25 Coolest Dead Superheroes of All Time

Written by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming

Art by Michael Avon Oeming

And so ends the current "volume" of the series. Not volume 12, like it says on the spine, but the volume that has been published by Marvel starting in 2004. Those issues constituted pretty much one long story, and it was pretty damn interesting, seeing major changes for the series' characters and some pretty dramatic events taking place. Even so, I'm not feeling this series like I once was; Bendis' dialogue, which once seemed refreshing, different, and funny, has become much more commonplace now that he has slathered his sub-Mamet-isms across the Marvel universe. It is still good to see him really cut loose though, pumping nasty sex and violence into his stories of superpowered crime and often making things quite disturbing. There's a sort of super-drug-addiction thing going on here that's really gross, and affecting since it's totally based in reality, with people willing to do anything for that next hit.

I dunno, I might be continuing to read this series out of momentum; it's certainly had its moments over the last decade, but it doesn't seem all that unique anymore. Oeming's art, which does do its job pretty well, can grate a little bit, with men mostly conforming to the broad-shouldered, square-jawed look, and women being short and wasp-waisted. I do appreciate the ever-changing nature of the characters though, and the sense of time moving forward and real change taking place. At the end of the volume (which is a natural endpoint and an understandable reason for the forthcoming relaunch and new #1 issue), Walker and Pilgrim are definitely in different places than they were at the beginning of the Icon series, and Pilgrim especially should make for a character to watch. She's stuck with some real guilt about what she has done, and all her relationships have been pretty much destroyed. I don't see her being written out of the series though, so maybe she'll become a PI or something. And Walker's burgeoning relationship with his new partner should be interesting as well, as long as Bendis can keep coming up with interesting cases. So will I keep reading? Yeah, probably. I hope I don't regret it.

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Jack of Fables, volume 5: Turning Pages

Written by Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges

Art by Tony Akins and Russ Braun

It took me long enough to get around to reading this volume, but I'm glad I finally did. This really is a very entertaining series, one that takes the "fairy tales come alive" concept of its parent series and gives it a humorous spin, exploring the limits of the concept and even beginning to introduce some metafictional ideas. It's also slowly moving back toward the main Fables title, just in time to crash right into it for the "Great Fables Crossover", I assume.

Interestingly, the humor gets downplayed in the first of the two stories in this volume, which is a flashback story about Jack in the Old West, when he was a murderous outlaw named Jack Candle. He's always been kind of a lovable bastard, but here he pretty much drops the "lovable" part, and his mayhem spurs Fabletown to send Bigby Wolf to hunt him down and bring him in. It's a striking change for the series, as Jack is seen as kind of a nihilistic misanthrope while still remaining the basically cowardly doofus who mostly gets by on luck that we're used to seeing. When the showdown between him and Bigby finally occurs, he has a sort of breakdown that explains his murderous turn, confessing that after all the death he witnessed in the Civil War, he feels like human life is worthless. It's striking stuff, and a nice bit of characterization and unexpected use of real-world events.

And then it's back to the normal shenanigans, in a three-part story that gives details about the three Page sisters, explains a little bit about the Literals (who will be important in the crossover, getting their own tie-in miniseries), and sees Jack return to the Golden Boughs Retirement Home for what will presumably be a big battle in the next volume. There's some interesting stuff here, including a scary transformation for Humpty Dumpty, a bunch of imaginative "forgotten" Fables, narration directly to the reader by one Eliza Wall (she has three brothers), and some really tumultuous plot developments. It's enough to make me really interested in where things are going next.

I dunno, I really dig the main Fables book, but this one is fun as well, in a different sort of way. It's got kind of a tongue in cheeck attitude, and since it focuses mostly on one protagonist, it's a bit more focused. It's really a different style of storytelling, less epic and more adventurous, but still quite enjoyable all the same. I had been wondering if I wanted to continue to stick with it, but apparently that was just fading memory due to lack of exposure. No, I'm in for the long haul now.

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Northlanders, book 2: The Cross and the Hammer

Written by Brian Wood

Art by Ryan Kelly

Wow, here's another book to really get behind. Brian Wood is really stretching and trying to tell different sorts of stories with this series, and if you ask me, he's succeeding wonderfully. This second collection of his series of Viking stories takes place in an occupied Ireland in 1014 AD, splitting between the viewpoint of a self-styled freedom fighter named Magnus, and his pursuer, an educated Norseman named Ragnar. It's a fascinating, intense, and violent story of the latter chasing the former as he carves a swathe of violence across the kingdom in a one-man crusade to rid his country of its occupiers. And while it's just a minor subplot, an actual fight for the freedom of the country is taking place in the background, as an army of Irishmen have risen up to confront the Norse king and drive him out of their land. This might seem distracting from the main confrontation, but as the story hurtles toward its end, we see that it works as a counterpoint toward Magnus, who seems like an unstoppable badass carrying out his principles but is eventually revealed to be a broken, delusional murderer. It's a great conclusion, one that brings new light on everything that occurred over the course of the story.

Ryan Kelly's art is pretty great too, surprisingly full of blood and gore coming from the artist of Local. He rises to the occasion here beautifully, really bringing Wood's script to life through gorgeous landscapes (which, due to the contribution of colorist Dave McCaig, really match the harsh, forbidding vistas of the other artists who have worked on the series) and clearly-read emotions from the characters.

The story ends up being an excellent examination of the mentality of the nationalistic zealot and what constant violence can do to the mind. Wood has outdone himself here, and aside from one apparent error (SPOILER: Ragnar specifically states that Magnus has a companion, but we later find that Magnus' daughter was imaginary. END SPOILER), the whole thing holds together wonderfully, setting up what seems to be a straightforward story and then yanking the rug out from under readers at the end. This series has quickly become one of the best books that Vertigo is publishing.

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House of Mystery, volume 2: Love Stories for Dead People

Written by Matthew Sturges, Bill Willingham, and Bethany & Peter Keele

Art by Luca Rossi, Tony Akins, David Petersen, Henry Flint, Berni Wrightson, and Kyle Baker

The best thing about this Vertigo series is probably the various short stories that appear in each issues, usually sold as stories told by patrons of the bar in the titular house. The first story arc saw several of these, and they provided a nice break from the confusing main storyline, often leading to some funny and/or horrific images by a string of excellent guest artists. Unfortunately, they seem to be downplayed in this second volume, with the focus returned to the regular cast and their strange encouters with the weirness of the house in which they are trapped. Sure, the shorts pop up in each issue, but with only one exception, they all focus on backstories of the cast; they're still entertaining (with the Tony Akins-illustrated story of Ann the pirate probably being the best, although Berni Wrightson's art on the story about the hapless maiden in all the monster movies is also pretty good), but they all seem to be in service of the increasingly tiresome main storyline, which is a disappointment. And that story is getting more annoying; weird shit happens, nothing gets explained, characters complain. I think I've had enough of that. It's just not clever or interesting enough, despite all the effort from Matthew Sturges writing and Luca Rossi's moody art.

I dunno; I guess it's just not doing it for me, which is a shame, since it started out well. I could also mention Kyle Baker's story about one character's magical childhood adventures, and David Petersen's fairy tale about a war between the cats and the birds; those were also decent. But I'm just not feeling it anymore; I think I'm done with this.

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And there's a dent in my reading pile! Not enough of one though, so I better keep reading.

This week, I'm getting too old for this shit

Hey, this is neat: Brian Wood put together a Google Maps thing that shows all the important locations of events that took place in DMZ. I feel one step closer to Matty Roth now.

Ugh, getting behind on reviews again...

New comics this week (Wednesday, 6/17/09):

Boys Herogasm #2

Reportedly, this miniseries about a crisis/orgy among the superheroes of the Boys-verse isn't very good, at least judging by the first issue. I'm sure I'll still read it at some point though.

Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #4

I thought this was the final issue of this miniseries, but there's one more to go. I might review this for Comics Bulletin; we'll see. Short version: Jonathan Hickman needs to do more with his ideas, instead of just throwing something like "pirate FF" into the story for fun.

Destroyer #3

Hey, I think I figured out why this is a Marvel MAX book, rather than a creator-owned thing. In a vintage ad that's reproduced in this week's Young Allies special, we see a character named Destroyer striding menacingly across the globe with Captain America, Submariner and the like on the cover of All Winners #4, and he looks pretty similar to the guy in this Kirkman/Walker miniseries. I guess Marvel already owns the dude, so it's more of a revival (if this was already common knowledge, just ignore me). And it makes the conceit of the series, in which an aging hero is killing off all his former villains before he dies, work pretty well. Neat. So check it out if you feel like more violence and old-man sadness and that sort of thing.

Executive Assistant Iris #1

I'm loath to pay any attention to a comic from Aspen, but the concept of this one amuses me, at the very least. It's about a secretarial type who is also a bodyguard and assassin and whatnot. Of course, I'm sure it will probably be unreadable and feature much in the way of T&A and general stupidity, but the basic idea is halfway decent, which is more than I can say for anything else I've ever seen from Aspen. Or maybe I just find women in business suits and glasses hot, especially if they're carrying swords. U-Decide!

Ex Machina #43

And the mayoral career continues on. Let's get Mitchell Hundred over to Baltimore; he'll blow Tommy Carcetti out of the water.

Groom Lake #3

Chris Ryall and Ben Templesmith keep doing their alien thing. I liked the first issue, but I'm a sucker for Templesmith. I might have a review of this one up at Comics Bulletin this week; I'll let you know.

Incognito #4

Brubaker and Phillips keep their supervillain series going, with this issue seeing Zack fight somebody named Zoey Zeppelin, who might be a hero or a villain; I'm not sure. Please read this, so the team can keep doing Criminal. As enjoyable as this is, that's where the real quality resides.

Jack of Fables #35

Part 8 of the Great Fables Crossover, which is almost over. I really have no idea what it's all about, so hopefully I'll be able to catch up by the time I read it. I bet I'll like it though, because I'm Fables' bitch.

Madman Atomic Comics #16

Mike Allred seems to be kind of limping to a close with this series, doing a repeated musical homage thing, with this issue's cover aping Abby Road (and hey, it looks like Joelle Jones drew a couple pages!). Of course, I might be mischaracterizing it, since I haven't read the last few issues, but I've been pretty unsatisfied with this volume of the series overall; maybe I'll come around when I get around to reading the whole thing.

Mr. Stuffins #2

It's been a couple years (I think) since the first issue of this series came out, but Boom! is finally continuing it. For those who don't know, it's about a teddy bear that has some sort of robotic defense chip installed, so it takes defending the kid who owns it as a serious military task. That first issue was fun; we'll have to see if it was worth the wait. Johanna Stokes and Andrew Cosby write, Axel Medellin draws.

Mysterius: The Unfathomable #6

It's the end of everybody's favorite miniseries of the year, so hopefully it will be collected soon and I can catch up. I hope I don't kill the series by waiting for the trade. Still, I'm excited to read it, since I dig Jeff Parker and Tom Fowler's art looks great. Don't let me down, Mysterius!

Olympus #2

I didn't hear much about the first issue of this series about Greek/Roman mythology in the modern world; did anybody read it? Is it any good? This second issue should get some looks, at least, since it features a Frank Quitely variant cover.

Red Mass for Mars #3

Wow, this series is taking its sweet time coming out; I blame Marvel, who has snapped up Jonathan Hickman and is in the process of smoothing out his rough edges and turning him into the next Matt Fraction. And actually, I didn't read beyond the first issue of this series, which didn't really grab me. Still, it's got some nice art by Ryan Bodenheim, so I encourage people to give it a flip-through.

Thor the Trial of Thor

This appears to be a one-shot along the lines of the Matt Fraction ones that came out recently, about Thor standing trial for murdering innocent Asgardians. Who wants to bet that Loki is behind it? Anyway, this is definitely of interest due to the creative team: Peter Milligan and Cary Nord. Let's hope it's not hackwork...

Ultimatum Spider-Man Requiem #1

I guess this is sort of an epilogue to the series, before it gets relaunched in a couple months? It does feature some nice art by Stuart Immonen and Mark Bagley, with a story about J. Jonah Jameson remembering being saved by Spider-Man, or something like that, but we probably shouldn't encourage this sort of thing.

Young Allies Comics #1

Here's this week's anniversary thing, featuring a story about Toro and Bucky teaming up to punch the Red Skull and Hitler, or something like that. Probably fun; it's by Roger Stern and Paulo Rivera. The reprint backups look kind of doofy, with a comic about Terry Vance, Schoolboy Sleuth and some prose stories by Stan Lee. Still, it's probably one of the best things Marvel has out this week. I might have a review of this one instead of Dark Reign: FF; we'll see.

Batman The Black Casebook TP

Ah, it's the trade collecting a bunch of the stories that Grant Morrison referred to in his run, which could be fun or could just be cringe-inducing. I guess if you care about whatever happened there, you might want to see this. Me, I don't, but I'm not a Batman freak like some people.

Body Bags TP Vol 1 Fathers Day

This collects Jason Pearson's original miniseries that introduced his violent setting and over-the-top characters, with a bouncy girl wanting to get close to her daddy, a badass bounty hunter/assassin. It's pretty fun stuff, full of blood and gore, and Pearson's got style to burn. Here, if you want a sample, you can read the first issue online.

Bone Vol 9 Crown Of Thorns TP/HC Color Edition

I don't know if this is just coming out or if it was already released, but I figured I should mention it just in case. It's the final volume in Jeff Smith's excellent series, finishing off the colorized version of the comic. This is great stuff; I highly recommend it if you haven't read it before. Not a bad price point either; you can get it in softcover for ten bucks, or hardcover for twenty.

Fart Party Vol 2 GN

I never did read the first volume of this book, because Julia Wertz's art just doesn't really grab me. But it did get a lot of acclaim when it came out, and I liked Wertz'sattitude when she spoke on a MoCCA panel I attended about comics in a down economy. I'm going to piss her off though and do exactly what she complained about: you can read her comics online for free (although her site seems to be down at the moment) if you don't want to drop cash for the book. There, I'm an asshole (her words).

From Wonderland With Love Danish Comics In The Third Millenium TP

Midtown Comics shows this as shipping this week, but I kind of doubt that that is the case, since Fantagraphics' site has almost no information about the book, which indicates that it's not coming out quite yet. It's a collection of Danish comics, spotlighting the scene in that country that gets overlooked in the U.S. in favor of Japan, France, etc. It looks pretty nice; you can see some samples at the Comics Journal message board. I wish I had checked out more European comics at MoCCA (including several creators featured in this book); that was one area I didn't look at too much, and I regret it. This book appears to be one way to remedy that oversight.

Hitman Vol 1 A Rage in Arkham TP

Is DC finally responding to fans' demands and putting out trades of this series? That would certainly be nice. This Garth Ennis/John McCrea series is pretty well regarded, and rightly so from what I've read, with its main character exploring themes of brotherhood and morality while getting involved in goofy shenanigans around the street level of the DC universe. This first volume deals with his origin, which is decent enough, but I think it picks up significantly in subsequent installments. Let's all buy it, so DC actually finishes collecting the series.

The Irredeemable Ant-Man TP

People seemed to like this Robert Kirkman-written series about a jerk of a guy getting superpowers and messing around with other Marvel superheroes; I think I read a little of it, but it didn't really do anything for me. But here's a second chance, with a trade that collects the whole series. Maybe I'll see if I missed anything. To the library?

Nexus as it Happened Vol. 1 TP

Since the Dark Horse archive editions of this series are so damn expensive, it looks like Steve Rude and company are offering a cheaper alternative, reprinting the first seven issues of the series (that is, an initial three-issue miniseries, then the first four issues of the regular series) in a black and white digest-size for ten dollars. Not bad. I've barely read any of the series, but it's one of those that everybody seems to love, so maybe I should check it out now that it's affordable.

Sleeper Season 1 TP

Brubaker and Phillips again! This was their well-regarded if ultimately doomed series from Wildstorm, and it's pretty awesome, about a hero working undercover in a supervillain gang. It's really good crime comics, paving the way for their current masterpiece Criminal. Check it out if you haven't before; this book collects the entire first volume of the series for $25. Dig it.

Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane Season 2 TP Sophmore Jinx

Oof, this was sure a disappointment. I really enjoyed Sean McKeever's run on this series, but Terry Moore just boring-ed up the joint, and Craig Rousseau's art didn't really make things livelier. I say give it a miss; If you want to know more, read my reviews of the first and third issues.

Treasury of XXth Century Murder Vol 2 Famous Players HC

Rick Geary keeps pumping these volumes out, and they keep being entertaining and informative. This one is about the murder of Hollywood director William Desmond Taylor. Good times, with the shooting and the secrets and the hey hey.

Wasteland TP Vol 4 Dog Tribe

I didn't realize another volume of this series was coming out already; I need to catch up. I'm on record as digging this post-apocalyptic series by Antony Johnston and Christopher Mitten, so I'm excited to get caught up. I believe this volume collects issues #21-24, which are about Abi and Michael getting caught up in a war between "dog tribes". The bit #25 is coming soon, and it's going to be a full-color special. I need to get back into this thing; it's good comics.

Will Eisners Spirit Archives HC Vol 26

This is the final volume of DC's fancy collections of Eisner's signature series; it apparently limped to a conclusion here, so the best stuff is in earlier volumes, but I bet it's still good reading. I've only sampled The Spirit, but one day (one magical day, in which I have unlimited funds to spend on comics and time to read them) I hope to get to this series and experience more of Eisner's genius.

Wonton Soup Vol 2 GN

Hey, I had no idea this second volume of James Stokoe's space cooking series was on its way, so this is a pleasant surprise. I quite enjoyed the first volume, so it should be fun to see what sort of goofy sci-fi deliciousness Stokoe comes up with here.

You Shall Die By Your Own Evil Creation TP

Everybody seems to love Fletcher Hanks, so here's the second half of his dubious life's work. I've only read a little bit of his comics, and it's enjoyable, in a demented way, but I'm not seeing the big deal that everybody else seems to see. Not that it's bad, but everyone insists that there's more to this stuff than "so bad it's good", and I don't necessarily agree that he was a misunderstood genius or whatever. Eh, maybe when I eventually read the books I'll change my opinion. In the meantime, I'll still recommend them, since they really are some weird, crazy shit.

Naoki Urasawas 20th Century Boys Vol 3 TP

Aargh, I'm behind again. I really liked the first volume, and word is that it only gets better from there. Someday I'll be able to catch up, but I've got a bunch of other stuff to get to first. Yes, I'm complaining about having too much good stuff to read. Woe is me.

Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei The Power Of Negative Thinking Vol 2 GN

I've been hearing good things about this series, which sees a depressive, suicidal teacher deal with various wacky students of his. Yet another one to check out someday.

Shojo Beat Vol 5 #7 July 2009

Final issue! Boo hoo hoo. If all went well, you should see a review of this issue directly below this post. There's going to be a hole in my heart for a while; I think the positive view of humanity brought on by this ultra-feminine dose of comics each month might now wither and die. On the other hand, quitting the monthly dose of estrogen might stop this troublesome bleeding...

Yokai Doctor Vol 1 GN

I dunno if this will be any good, but I'm often interested in stories about Japanese monsters, so this series from Yen Press Del Rey about a guy who treats their illnesses could be fun. Maybe one to watch out for?

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Once again, not an especially momentous week, but that's good, since it allows me to make a lame attempt at catching up on reading and writing. Keep you browser pointed here; I've got junk to blab about.

DMZ: War, what is it good for?

It's never a good sign when you have trouble coming up with something to say about a book.  Hopefully this won't be a waste of everyone's time...

DMZ, volume 5: The Hidden War

Written by Brian Wood

Art by Riccardo Burchielli, Danijel Zezelj, and Nathan Fox (with colors by Jeromy Cox)

I've been following Brian Wood's Vertigo series about a war-torn New York City since the beginning, and it's been a consistently good title, covering issues about life in a war zone in a way that (hopefully) gets insulated, safe Americans to realize what it's like to have your life torn apart by death and violence.  For the first four volumes (or 22 issues), Wood focused on reporter Matty Roth, who covered the situation on the ground and ended up involved in some important events while trying to show the outside world how Manhattan's inhabitants survive living among constant explosions and gunfire.  But this volume sees a slightly different approach, almost completely sidelining Matty in favor of getting a glimpse into the lives of some other, more minor characters, some of whom have appeared previously and some who are new.  It's basically six one-shot issues, but taken as a whole, they delve into the lives and thoughts of these characters in a way that would have been impossible when sticking to the normal storytelling as filtered through Matty's reporting.  It's a nice change from the usual, and a good way to do a series of "breather" issues between major storylines.

The first story follows a graffiti artist who goes by the name "Decade Later".  He is still living in the DMZ, trying to keep creating art as the city crumbles around him.  We get some flashbacks to before the war, as he developed his art and philosphy and refused to join either side of the fight.  Eventually, the story seems to take a turn toward commenting on the unethical imprisonment of "terrorists" who may or may not actually have any involvement with actual terrorist activities.  It's an oddly-structured issue, and possibly the weakest of the stories here, but it has some effective scenes.  Regular series artist Riccardo Burchielli illustrates the issue, and he does a decent job, if not the best I've seen.  Jeromy Cox really adds to the atmosphere with the coloring though, especially in the pre-war flashbacks, which have a nice washed-out feel, as if those times were less "heavy" than the current violent atmosphere:

The second story follows Amina, the suicide bomber from the "Public Works" storyline that Matty "rescued" (which effectively cut her off from all support, since she couldn't go back to the terrorists and she refused to let him help her).  Since then, she has moved to the Bronx, and survives by running deliveries for local (wannabe) criminal bosses.  It's far enough from the main fighting to not be too dangerous, but she still has to watch her back.  She ends up getting caught up in a squabble between corrupt military and local gangsters, and it looks like no matter how hard she tries, she's not going to be able to stay far from the war for long.  She'll probably make more appearances in the series, but this is a good opportunity to get a glimpse at her thoughts, as she resents Matty for what she sees as condescension and naivete:

It obviously wasn't easy for her, as someone of Middle-Eastern descent in post-9/11 New York, and when she got stuck in the DMZ, she didn't have many options; considering the suspicion with which she was viewed by seemingly everyone, throwing her lot in with terrorists didn't seem like a bad choice.  It's definitely not something any sane person would endorse, but sanity isn't necessarily an option when you could die at any time.  This is the kind of thing that Wood does so well with the series: help us relate to people that might make inexplicable choices, while not glorifying or even approving of their actions.  He also makes the good point that people don't have the luxury of leaving the horrors around them.  Even innocent people, who might try to get as far away from the fighting as possible, will eventually be affected.  It's easy to forget, when we live half a world away from these countries, but when it's happening next door, there's always the possibility that the violence is going to find you.

We get an art change-up in the third chapter, with Danijel Zezelj illustrating the story of Chinese gang boss Wilson.  It's another fascinating tale, as we see how Wilson used the opportunity of the war to gain power in Chinatown and then act to cut it off from the rest of the city, creating a sort of ethnic safe haven for his own people.  He has "his people"'s best interests at heart, but how much of it is motivated by petty racial strife and pursuit of power and money rather than actual good will?  It's the sort of thing that happens all the time in war-torn countries, and once again, Wood does a great job of recontextualizing it so we can recognize it happening in a more familiar location.  

The art in this chapter also bears special mention; Zezelj has a really distinctive style, full of heavy shadows and moody atmosphere.  It works pretty well for the most part here, although the color doesn't always do it favors.  Cox mostly sticks to monochromatic colors, with lots of variations on reds and browns:

Which makes the occasional bursts of color all the more distinctive:

But, as can be seen in some of Zezelj's other work, he probably looks best in simple black and white, and a scene in which an explosion takes place demonstrates that especially well here:

It might have been a risk, but I would have loved to see the entire issue done like that.  That's beautiful stuff.

The next chapter is the most Matty-centric one in the volume, as it deals with the death of his sometime-girlfriend Kelly, a reporter for a Canadian TV network.  As with much of the rest of the book, it's striking stuff, as we see her body on the first few pages (along with Wood's beautiful cover of the issue) and then flash back to see the events leading up to it.  She was a driven woman, and as her pursuit of success increased, so did her desensitization to the horrors around her, culminating in a scene in which she photographs an abandoned child without even seeming to realize what she was looking at.  It's harrowing stuff, seeing the deadening toll that exposure to constant violence can take, and what happens when she realizes this and takes action to deal with it is horribly sad.  As with the rest of these stories, and the series in general, Wood does a great job giving his characters real emotions, making them human in an all-too-realistic situation.

The next chapter might be my favorite, at least on the artistic front, since the excellent Nathan Fox steps in to illustrate the story of a young DJ hoping to make his big debut in a DMZ nightclub.  Unfortunately, he gets bumped in favor of a popular DJ from Japan who is coming into the city to make a live recording.  It raises the issue of exploitation of people's suffering, as when celebrities try to make some statement about helping people but are really just aggrandizing themselves.  Looking at it from the point of view of the people being helped/exploited, it's horribly condescending, and that feeling breaks out into violence here, as it seems to in every issue.  It's a nice little story; that is, it's a good comic, if not an especially happy experience.  But it does have some really good art; I love Nathan Fox's style.  He throws in a lot of detail, but makes the storytelling as clear as it should be, whether capturing emotions and gestures:

Or splashing some glorious, chaotic violence onto the page (I especially like the streaks of color that follow moving sources of light):

Finally, we get a story about Soames, a member of the Free States army, which is fighting an insurgency against the United States.  I don't believe he has appeared in the series before, but this seems to set up some future appearances.  Here, he deserts the army after becoming disillusioned with their hateful mindset.  He ditches the boat that they take into Manhattan, and then he strikes out across the island, hoping to defect to the other side.  On his way there, he gets wounded and ends up feverish, hallucinating that he is hunting in the wilderness.  Burchielli turns in some of his best art in the volume, especially in a splash page in which Soames imagines that he is laying in the midst of a field of animal skeletons:

Eventually, he decides that he can't identify with either side enough, so he stays in the DMZ, probably destined to show up later at some point.  The story ends up being an interesting look at the war zone from the perspective of an outsider.  There's no sign of life in Manhattan, outside of the people shooting at each other.  Soames is amazed that anybody actually lives there, since simply travelling across the island nearly kills him.  Hopefully, we'll get to see how he adjusts to living in this inhospitable territory.

So overall, this volume ends up being a really good respite from the usual examinations of geopolitics, complicated military conflicts, and ethical quandaries of its young protagonist.  While Matty Roth is a good lead, it's nice to get a break from him and see life in the DMZ through the eyes of some of its other residents.  I look forward to seeing what large-scale conflict takes place next.  Brian Wood really has a great book here, and I hope it continues for quite some time.

Comics ketchup

I mean "catch-up". Whoops. I've got two weeks' worth of pamphlet-format comics to go over, and wow, it was a hell of a batch of comics. There's some really good stuff here, starting with:

All-Star Superman #8
Written by Grant Morrison
Art by Frank Quitely



This is part two of the Bizarro/Zibarro story, and it's one of my favorite issues of the series so far, right up there with the Clark Kent/Lex Luthor prison issue and the original trip to the sun. Strangely, it seemed to get somewhat poor reviews on a few comics blogs, but I absolutely loved it. Maybe people were put off by the Bizarro-speak that fills the issue; it does get difficult to decipher in places. But there are just so many crazy ideas here, and Zibarro is such a good character. He's so sad and forlorn, stuck on a planet of imbeciles who despise him. I love the way Morrison has thought this through. Superman is different from everyone on earth, and they love him. But on Bizarro World, Zibarro is different from everyone, and they hate him. And all the other crazy Bizarro ideas, like Bizarro Jor-El (El-Roj!), the Bizarro Justice League (featuring, among others, Bizarro Flash, whose top speed is two inches per hour, and Bizarro Green Lantern, who can't think of anything for his ring to create), or the hilarious Bizarro national anthem (I thought that was an amazing bit of writing on Morrison's part; the lyrics are the opposite of "The Star-Spangled Banner", but they still rhyme and even have the same rhythm!).

And Quitely turns in his usual excellent art, dazzling with the crazy designs. I love how Zibarro's hair has a Z-shaped curl on his forehead, like the S-curl on Superman's:



And the Bizarro Flash design is hilarious, with chains on his suit instead of lightning bolts:



He even sneaks in fun little details like the Bizarro version of the Daily Planet staff:



Beautiful stuff, as always. I can't wait until the next issue (don't I say that every month?).

Oh, by the way, I should point to Valerie D'Orazio's interpretation of the issue, viewing it as Grant Morrison trying to escape from the messed up world of mainstream comics (although I don't understand what Stephen Colbert has to do with it). That's a fun way to look at it.
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Chronicles of Wormwood #5 (of 6)
Written by Garth Ennis
Art by Jacen Burrows



Man, there were some images in this book that were downright stomach-churning in their gore. I guess that's what you get when you send Ennis to Avatar. Well, that and meticulously-rendered sex toys. The plot is heating up and coming to a big climax, and I'm really enjoying it, especially the sacreligious aspects. I mean, that last page (which I would love to spoil, but won't) was laugh-out-loud funny, but anyone with positive feelings toward Christianity would probably be horribly offended. There were other details I liked, like Satan showing up on his throne, being carried by the dead kings of earth: Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Boris Yeltsin, Saddam Hussein, Yassir Arafat, Moe Tse-Tung, and others. And a good character moment between Wormwood and his ex-fiancee, in which we see how he's (kind of) trying to be a good guy, but he can't help being a bastard; He's the anti-christ, for god's sake! Anyway, it's another good issue, and I'm excited to see the ending. I'm sure Ennis will pull out all the stops and make it hilarious and insane.
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Deadpool/GLI Summer Fun Spectacular
Written by Fabian Nicieza and Dan Slott
Art by Kieron Dwyer, Nelson DeCastro, Paul Pelletier, and Clio Chiang



Well, not everything gets praise this post. Man, this was disappointing. While I liked the other GLA/X/I series, I was worried about this one, due to the presence of Deadpool, a character I've never liked, and Fabian Nicieza, a writer that I don't have much respect for. And my fears were justified; Deadpool is annoying rather than funny (which I assume he is supposed to be), and many of the jokes ring of forced attempts at humor rather than Dan Slott's usual deft touch. Ha ha, Deadpool keeps stabbing Mr. Immortal or cutting off his head! Ho ho, Deadpool likes Bertha, but only when she's fat, because he's a chubby chaser! There is a fight between Deadpool and Flatman that's somewhat amusing due to Flatman's use of different origami fighting techniques (and Clio Chiang's nice art), but it's pretty much the only Deadpool-related part of the book that didn't have me rolling my eyes and/or yawning (I'm very expressive when reading my comics). Really, the best parts of the issue are the ones that involve Squirrel Girl trying to rescue her boyfriend, Speedball, from his current emo/goth incarnation, Penance. It's a goofy bit of self-criticism toward the post-Civil War forced seriousness of the Marvel Universe. And it has this hilarious bit:



There you are, the only bit of the issue that made me laugh. Now you don't need to bother buying it.
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DMZ #21
Written by Brian Wood
Art by Riccardo Burchielli



Oh, man, this book never stops, does it? This one features some comments and questions about war that really get one thinking, along with some truly excellent artwork. Riccardo Burchielli has gotten even better over the last 20 issues, turning in what may be the best artwork of the series so far, whether in flashback scenes of urban warfare:



Or simple scenes of conversation:



But the content of said conversation was what really had me catching my breath. It's a perfect example of what I think is the theme of the series: how different war would seem if it's happening next door rather than on the other side of the world. The military commander that Matty talks to this issue makes statements about living with bad calls, or men following orders and doing their job, and it's the kind of thing you hear all the time from military people or members of the Bush administration. But in this case, the "trash" that he's talking about fighting are Americans, and that changes everything about how we look at the war. It becomes horrific to even contemplate, and it's what we need to start thinking about war anywhere it happens. This is an important comic, one that should be put into the hands of pro-war people (I mean people who are for any war, not just the conflict in Iraq). Who knows, it might just change some minds.

Anyway, this storyline wraps up next issue, as the city looks like it's going to fall into a riot following the verdict in the trial of the soldiers involved in the Day 204 Massacre. I'm sure it will be exciting and thought-provoking. I hate to ruin the mood, but here's where I talk about buying policies. I'm thinking I'll switch to trades at the next storyline, so that means figuring out where the break between trades is going to be and dropping the series at that point. While I don't mind reading the book monthly, I figure it will read a bit better in collected form. Here's to saving money!
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Madman Atomic Comics #3
By Mike Allred



Now here's the big one in this post. I thought about separating discussion of this issue into its own post, but I figure I should keep it here in order to try to not just scan the whole thing and post every page. The reason I would do that is because this issue consists almost entirely of Mike Allred copying the art styles (or possibly tracing, or "swiping" their art; I'm not sure what his exact process was) of influential creators throughout the history of comics. It's an amazing feat, with a new (yet recognizable) art style in nearly every panel. We get to see Allred's version of nearly every "name" in comics, from the likes of Winsor McCay:



And George Herriman:



Up to present stars like Paul Pope:



Or Frank Quitely:



Wow. The in-story reason for this is that Mr. Excitement, Frank/Madman's favorite childhood superhero, is taking him on a tour through his subconscious, sorting through all the influences he's had in order to get to his present, true state. Of course, these are really Mike Allred's influences, and like his character, he's throwing them all on the page, experiencing them one by one in order to show both himself and us what has led him to the current point in his life and career. It's an incredible experience, and I had a blast trying to identify the various artists being copied (the list/dedication on the title page certainly helped). I thought I recognized most of the artists, but some were hard to tell. I would love it if somebody put up some annotations explaining which artist was being referenced (maybe someone already has; if so, please let me know in the comments). The story itself is also good, full of the usual Madman philosophizing, and hopefully leading to the "Madman in space" storyline that Allred has talked about for years. But the real delight is the comics history lesson we get throughout the issue. Allred continues to astonish me and demonstrate why he's one of my favorite artists. Keep it up, Mike!

Oh, hell, I can't help myself; I have to show some other panels I thought were awesome. Here's Charles Schulz:



Mike Mignola:



And Chris Ware:



Okay, I better stop before I get in trouble for infringing copyright.
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The Punisher Presents: Barracuda #5 (of 5)
Written by Garth Ennis
Art by Goran Parlov



Man, this is a Garth Ennis comic to a T, featuring stuff like psychotic CIA agents shouting Bush slogans in the middle of a firefight:



A porn star getting shot nonfatally:



A pedophile getting impaled on a statue of Ronald Reagan, or a corrupt businessman being run over by a tank (multiple times). Nice. And that's not even mentioning the general gory violence or the implied cannibalism. It's tons of fun, even if you don't usually follow Ennis's Punisher book. I probably should have waited for a collection, but it was definitely worth reading. Good times.
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Runaways #27
Written by Joss Whedon
Art by Michael Ryan



I guess I shouldn't have doubted Joss Whedon; I had some problems with the previous issue, but this one turned out excellent. The kids are stuck in the past (late 19th century, it seems) and trying to get home. There are some pretty good ideas, like them being able to use their powers in public because there will be no photographic evidence. Or them meeting a group of Victorian-era superheroes who call themselves "Wonders" and count The Yellow Kid among their number:



I thought that was pretty cool. But the highlight of the issue for me was a scene in which the Leapfrog played back a holographic recording for the kids of its creators (Chase's parents and Gert's parents) working on it. The recording ends with Gert (who, for those who don't know, died around 10 issues ago) wandering into the room, and it's a surprising and poignant moment:



Check out Old Lace's sad eye in that panel. Nice work there by Michael Ryan. It's an excellent, sad scene, and it made the issue for me. But pretty much everything else was great too, from the kids' clothes to their mixed excitement and fear about being in an unfamiliar era. There's a bunch of dialogue that is hard to decipher, but it's one of those plots where it will surely all make sense in future issues. It looks like the kids are going to get mixed up in a war between factions of 19th-century superheroes (involving some familiar villains!), and that's pretty cool.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot: we also get a glimpse of a Victorian-era Punisher equivalent called the Adjudicator:



That's pretty damn funny. Good job, Whedon.
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Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane #20
Written by Sean McKeever
Art by David Hahn and Christina Strain



So this is the end of the Sean McKeever era of Mary Jane comics, and he certainly goes out on a high note. It's a really nice issue, with Peter/Spider-Man sort of breaking things off with Gwen and Firestar while Mary Jane also breaks up with Harry. There are several references to past comics (or related media), with Spidey and Firestar meeting up with Iceman to create a reunion of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, or Harry showing some anger issues, which we know points toward his eventual role as Green Goblin. But that's all window-dressing, with the relationships of the characters being the main course here (there's some mixed metaphors for you). I love the work that McKeever has done building these characters' personalities, and he brings his run to a satisfying close, with a beautiful hint of ambiguity on the last page.

The art continues to be pretty nice; I think the real star on that side of things is Christina Strain, who does the coloring. Check out how she depicts the characters' visible breath in cold weather:



That's a cool effect, and I don't think I've seen it before. I should also mention that I like David Hahn's depiction of Peter Parker; it reminds me of Steve Ditko's version of the character.

As for the book's future, Terry Moore (of Strangers in Paradise fame) is slated to be the new writer, but there has been no word as to when the next issue is coming out, who the artist will be, or whether it will be restarted with a new #1. I might use this chance to switch to trades, which have been printed in inexpensive manga-style digests for this series in the past. That is, if I keep reading the book at all...
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Y: The Last Man #57
Written by Brian K. Vaughan
Art by Pia Guerra



Damn. Brian K. Vaughan is a hell of a writer. This issue, we see Yorick and Beth together for the first time in the series (unless you count the phone conversation in the first issue), and their relationship is depicted perfectly. They're slightly awkward with each other, since they haven't seen each other for about five years, but we can still tell how close they are, and their reactions to news about each other is spot-on. Vaughan has a bit of a difficult place to get out of here, since while Yorick has been searching for Beth for the entire series, we don't really want them to be together; he's obviously meant to be with 355. But he still needs some closure on that relationship, and Vaughan is depicting the circumstances and his reactions perfectly. I'm sure he's had this all planned out from the beginning, but I'm really enjoying watching it all fall into place. And I'm sure there will be other complications, including but not limited to the arrival of Other Beth with Yorick's daughter.

Pia Guerra's art is as excellent as ever, and I love that she doesn't shy away from depicting (full-frontal) nudity, both male and female. Most of this issue takes place in a dim apartment, and I love her depiction of light and shadow:



Nicely done.

So there's only three issues left in the series. Man, it's killing me to wait for this story to wrap up. Keep up the good writing, Vaughan!
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Wow, I think that's everything for now. I decided to skip talking about The Dark Tower and Superman Confidential, but they were both pretty good. I might have another review up this evening, or a look at solicitations, but right now I need to rest my mind. Later.