REVIEW: ULTIMATE CAPTAIN AMERICA.
Ultimate Captain America was a terrific comic, worth buying in trade. For some of you, your heads are shaking and you’re firing up to drop a comment about what a schmuck I am. Well, if you’re talking purely from a “character” or plot standpoint, I guess I agree with you. There’s not much story here—most of Jason Aaron’s miniseries (now collected in a trade volume) is a standard brainwashing dialog between Cap and his captor, the Ultimate version of Nuke. But think about it from the perspective of the purpose of the Ultimates: New takes on old ideas.
Frank Miller’s Nuke character (and no other version of Nuke is worth reading about) was introduced in the pages of Daredevil (in “Daredevil: Reborn,” one of the greatest DD stories of all time) as a human weapon/drug addict who could be pointed at anything and he’d blow it up. A purely destructive force with a flag on his face. He was the perfect foil for Captain America, who is also draped in Old Glory, but who is also an idealist in the extreme. Between the two characters sat Daredevil, who at that point in his life was an idealist whose ideals had failed him and for whom violent revenge was an increasingly appropriate, attractive option.
In Ultimate Captain America, we see Cap being forced to face some similar hard truths about his government–the issue he wrestles with is whether his country has lived up to his ideals. Nuke is brought in as the epitome of American arrogance and failure. And unlike the obnoxious, chauvinistic Captain America that Mark Millar created in the pages of Ultimates 1 and 2, Jason Aaron’s Ulti-Cap is more nuanced—he has faith in both God and Country (and in that order as well), not just in his own ability to overwhelm his enemies.
So I’m sticking by this series as one of the best examples of how to “Ultimitatize” Marvel characters. Check it out.
HAUNTED CITY (Comic book review)
This book was a submission, and it’s hard to get a good flavor for a single issue of a comic–particularly when you’re sent only issue #2. But from what I gather, in #1 I missed the exposition of the concept: NYCPD Tom Whalen got shot in the head and now is protecting New York from an Irish death Goddess, a ghost, and various other things that go bump in the night. And merciless criminals who, of course, are as scary as anything supernatural. And we’re in the middle of a race riot in Harlem. And there’s some corrupt cops.
There’s an awful lot going on in Chap Taylor, Peter Johnson, and Michael Ryan’s book, on Aspen Press, not the least of which is the art. Ryan has a wonderful ability to make humans look “real” and “real creepy” at the same time, mostly by spending time on faces. Faces are something too many comic artists ignore or hide in shadow. But there’s very little shadow in Ryan’s work. And yet, he can still do horror. Quite good.
It’s hard to get a sense of the writing from this one issue, particularly because the concept is so rich and the plot develops at a pretty breakneck pace. Not that I’m complaining: You’re pretty much in and running from page one, never slowing down.
THE JUNE IN COMIC BOOK TRADES
What to buy, what not to buy from the past month.
WHAT TO BUY: THE TOP 5 TRADES OF JUNE 2011
These get a 100 percent solid recommendation from this city corner of the interwebs:
Honorable mention: X-Men: Second Coming. This gets a mention because it’s a lot of fun. The tale of Hope coming to the present from the future, to save all mutants. It sounds stupid, I know, but this is where the X-Men work best: In a straight-shot storyline where there’s lots of doom and gloom and lasers and all kinds of battling. It’s basically a long-form brawl, and if you’ve not kept up with the mutant line, you can easily jump in here.
5. Baltimore Volume 1: The Plague Ships. Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden introduced Lord Henry Baltimore back in 2007, but now he’s 
got his own series. One of the best-selling indie books of the year (#1 sold out, even though it was also offered for free comic book day). After Lord Baltimore unwittingly releases a horde of vampires, he goes searching to destroy their leader. Gothic steampunk horror.
4. Marvel Universe vs. The Punisher. A miniseries that could have gone horribly wrong goes wonderfully right. Hilarious, action-packed, and featuring some of the best Deadpool stuff I’ve ever read. Written by Jonathan Mayberry and illustrated by Goran “PunisherMAX” Parlov. Chris borrowed my copy of the hardcover, and still hasn’t read it. Shame on him. Go on, everyone shame him. Oh, and also on sale this week (6/29) is the sequel: Marvel Universe vs. Wolverine. Mmmmm. Good stuff.
3. Uncanny X-Force: Deathlok Nation (hardcover). You can wait for the paperback, if you like, but don’t sleep on this, the best X-book around. When Jason Aaron tried to bring Deathlok back in the pages of Wolverine, it sucked. This doesn’t. Plus, it builds on threads extending to the first appearances of Fantomex (in Grant Morrison’s New X-Men, which is mentioned all over this post!) Featuring Deathlok versions of Captain America, Spider-Man, Elektra, Cyclops, Venom . . . A whole buncha cool stuff. Plus, they throw in a reprint of Deathlok’s first appearance in Astonishing Tales #25 (1974).
2. Sweet Tooth Vol. 3: Animal Armies. If you aren’t reading this book, you’re missing one of the best Vertigo books of all time. Truly. It’s spooky, odd, quirky, and touching. And Chris, if you still haven’t read the trades I loaned you: Shame on you!
1. Batwoman: Elegy. Possibly the most visually arresting comic book produced by one of the big two in the past 10 years. The story can be a little confusing, but it’s well worth paying attention to. I had to post some of the interior art here–just to let you see the kind of innovative design you’re missing.
THE TOP 5 REISSUES OF JUNE 2011
In addition to some trades of recently created comic books, check out these blasts from the past:
5. The Boys Definitive Edition Vol. 3. Yes, these issues have already appeared in trade paperbacks, and yes $75 is a lot of money. But this is oversized and hardbound. Darick Robertson’s art is worth it, don’t you think?
4. The Impossible Man. Everyone’s favorite imp, in every appearance drawn by Jack Kirby. It includes his first appearance in Fantastic 4 #11 (written by Stan the Man), his best appearance in FF #176, my favorite issue of Spider Woman (#45, from 1978), and the best X-Men Annual ever (#7). Among other things. Yes, the late 1970s through the mid 1980s were a fantastic time to be reading comics.
3. New X-Men by Grant Morrison Book 2. The only flaw in this is that it’s “digest sized”—slightly smaller than the average comic book. But I’ve always said that Morrison’s New X-Men run was about the words, not the pictures. (Although the issues drawn by Frank Quietly are pretty good, they’re not his best—and I’m not a big Ethan Van Sciver fan.)
2. Daredevil: Yellow. From the days when the name Jeph Loeb meant something, with art by one of the best: Tim Sale.
1. Creepy Comics Vol. 1. Reprinting the first four issues of Dark Horse’s reboot of the pre-code horror title, and featuring the work of folks like
Doug Moench, Bernie Wrightson, Angelo Torres, Mike Woods, and Jason Shawn Alexander, among many others. I saw this at my local shop (Victory Comics in Falls Church—holla!) and almost bought it immediately. But then I remembered I needed to have money for dinner that night. Maybe next time.
ONE I WANNA BUY, BUT DON’T KNOW MUCH ABOUT:
Osborn: Evil Incarcerated. The story of Norman’s life in prison. I don’t know much about it, but I love the writer (Kelly Sue DeConnick, who wrote the under-read and under-rated Sif miniseries) and the artist (Emma Rios, who is freaking amazing).
THREE NOT TO BUY
Spider-Man: The Original Clone Saga. The only Spidey story so bad they had to re-make it. Seriously, this is terrible. Don’t even be curious.
Daredevil: Reborn. Because Shadowland wasn’t enough to convince Marvel to kick Andy Diggle off of this title.
Uncanny X-Men: Quarantine. Okay, this actually isn’t a horrible book, but what makes me crazy is that Marvel thinks I have amnesia. Am I supposed to completely ignore the fact that Grant Morrison did a virtually identical storyline in New X-Men? Wait. How could I forget that, when Marvel is reprinting New X-Men this very month (see above)!!! And most importantly, how could Cyclops forget it?!?
THOUGHTS ON THE WALT SIMONSON THOR OMNIBUS
I’m not one to break my old loosies out of mylar and mothballs. Too often, I’ve got a backlogged stack of trade paperbacks waiting for my eyes, and it’s too risky to bring a collectible outside with me on errands anyway. So it’s been a long, long time since I read Walter Simonson’s epic, 4-year run on the golden haired Avenger. But when Amazon offered me a copy of the Omnibus: 1,192 pages for $77 bucks and free shipping, I couldn’t say no.
So, was it worth the money? Hit the break!
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THE EXTERMINATORS: Graphic Novel Review
I became a fan of Tony Moore’s art with his work on the much-maligned Frankencastle series, and continued to be a fan with his work on Venom. The man knows how to bring creepy to life. So I checked out his work on the 2006 Vertigo title, The Exterminators, written by Simon Oliver.
And I can’t understand why fanboys don’t recognize this as easily one of the top 5 Vertigo series of all time.
Granted, I’m only 5 issues deep (the others are shipping as we speak), but I can’t remember the last time I read a horror/action book that was so thoroughly developed. There are several side/back stories going on here–the lead characters prison past and connections to white supremacists, the history of the Bug-Bee-Gone company and its quirky evil(ish) scientist, and all of the other Bug-Bee-Gone employees, each one stranger than the next. Every character has a clear voice and distinct motivation–which is something that is hard to do in a comic book, as comics tend to have at most one or two points of view–and an equally distinct look. Warning: It’s not for the squeamish. While not being overly gorey, there are some definite moments (someone rips apart a rodent with his bare hands; there is some nudity and some gross nudity of an obscenely obese woman; etc.).
Perfect art, terrific writing, and a mysterious story that unfolds gradually, with more many threads and complications that you can spot–it’s hard to tell which will lead somewhere and which won’t. It’s thoroughly unpredictable, and one of the best reads I’ve had in a long, long time.
Check it out.
BATWOMAN:Elegy
I (finally!) got my hands on the loose issues of Detective Comics #854-57, the first Batwoman arc titled “Elegy.” I knew nothing about the character and dug this issues up solely based on the tremendous press the story has gotten from various comic book reviewers and bloggers. Oh, that and the fact that it is written by Greg Rucka, whose batman work I’ve enjoyed immensely–particularly on Gotham Central, a non-superhero/crime book written in a superhero universe that should be considered a must-read by anyone who calls themselves a Batfan.
Imagine my surprise when I found myself not even looking at the words.
The magic of comic books is that they can combine the best elements of film (i.e., visuals) and novels (i.e., words) to tell a story in a unique way–one that couldn’t be told by either of those other media. The best comics are those in which the writer and artist act as one, with the words complimenting the pictures and the pictures telling us more than words can. I’m thinking of the fluidity of Frank Miller and Klaus Janson’s Daredevil work; the way that Frank Quietly manages to fill in all the narrative holes left behind by Grant Morrison; and the way that Sean Phillips and Brubaker seem to mind-meld on every one of their projects. But at bottom I’m usually a “words” guy–I’ll buy a book for the writer even if I don’t love the artist.
But, again, when I dug into Elegy I realized I wasn’t reading it. I was watching it.
I didn’t know anything about JH Williams III coming into this book, but the man is a master of the double-page spread, telling the “super” parts of the story often through panels arranged in the shape of Batwoman’s chest symbol and the “secret identity” parts through close, taut sequences. But that’s just in the beginning. As the tale picks up speed, the panels become more jagged, more chaotic, even as the heroine herself descends into a mad hallucination at the hands of her adversary. Artistically, this is the book that should be held up when people say, “Why should I read comics when I can just watch a superhero movie?”
But I don’t want to skip over the words, because after I spend sufficient time admiring the images, I went back to the script, and this is some of Rucka’s best work. He was able to introduce me, a Batwoman neophyte, to a character who apparently had a rich history without miring me in minute backstory that, frankly, I could care less about. And he’s got some great one-liners as well, from the tough-talk when Batwoman crashes a gang of henchmen while looking for the gang’s female leader (“Names mean power. You fear mine. I want hers. And at least one of you is going to tell me.”) to when Batwoman first confronts her adversary–a lunatic modeled after Alice in Wonderland–with the words: “You speak fluent crazy. . . Didn’t anyone give you the memo? Gotham already has one Carroll-inspired freak.”
And, yes, Batwoman’s secret ID is a lesbian. But Rucka handles this well, without fanfare. The woman is gay because she’s gay, not because DC is trying to be inclusive. She’s not a trophy or a token, she’s a real person. Rucka has done this before, in the pages of the afore-mentioned Gotham Central, and the lesbian police captain from that series reemerges in this title as well.
A truly amazing book. I will be ordering the hardcover because, as they say, this one is a keeper.
DOCTOR OCTOPUS: YEAR ONE
With so many years of back comics to deal with, it’s important for this site to go back to reaching back. I used to recommend an old book to my readers at least twice a month, but I’ve fallen out of the habit. Shame on me. Here’s where I start to come correct.
Today, I’m recommending Doctor Octopus: Year One. Never heard of it? I’m not surprised. People love it when our heros’ origins are retold and retconned, but our villains? That’s unusual, to say the least. And throw on top the creative team behind this gem of a book and you’ve got something very, very unusual indeed. Zeb Wells, the writer of some of the greatest Spider-Man stories of the past decade (the “Sometimes it Snows in April” and “Shed” story arcs in Amazing Spider-Man, and several stories in the vastly underrated “Tangled Web” series) brings us Otto Octavius’ early childhood and teen years and draws clear parallels to the experiences of another nerdy lad. In fact, we see Peter Parker and Otto meet for the first time, neither knowing the other, in a laboratory, and even then Octavius’ contempt is obvious. You may be thinking that it’s kind of obvious to connect the childhood experiences of hero and villain, and you’re right, but Wells’ writing is constantly surprising. At the same time that he engenders sympathy for Doc Ock by showing him suffer at the hands of abusive and neglectful parents, he never lets us forget how purely evil, and sadistic, the man can be. All the while, we see the development of nuclear power in the Marvel Universe. Wells is complex, challenging, and mature without being profane.
But you only know the half of it. The art is from Kaare Andrew, the Eisner-winning Canadian non-literal artist who won a Schuster award for his work on Doctor Octopus: Year One. You might recognize his dark, noir-y style from his work on the afore-mentioned Spider-Man’s Tangled Web series, the alternate-future Spider-Man: Reign miniseries (another recommended book, by the way), or his work on Astonishing X-Men with Warren Ellis. 
Best of all, you can get this terrific comic cheap. It’s available used on Amazon for a buck. That’s right, a buck.
And if anyone is interested in all four of the wonderful Spider-Man: Tangled Web anthology books, I got extras. It’s got some great creators telling short tales of Spidey and/or his villains, like Garth Ennis, John McCrea, Greg Rucka, Darwyn Cook, Lee Weeks, Daniel Way, Sean Phillips, and many more. I’ll sell and ship the set–all four–for $20. E-mail me if you’re interested.
Review: WOLVERINE: WEAPON X VOL. 2, “INSANE IN THE BRAIN” + THE TOP 5 MARVEL WORKS OF JASON AARON!
Once upon a time, there was an Alabama man who wrote a 5-issue mini series for DC/Vertigo about war based on conversations he’d had with his cousin, a guy whose autobiographical experiences became the basis for Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket. It was a powerful piece of work titled, “The Other Side.” But since nobody reads war comics, nobody heard of it. The dude then started up an ongoing Vertigo series called “Scalped,” but since nobody reads comics about Native Americans, only a few astute critics and nerdy Vertigo fans heard of it. It was enough, though, to get that man an exclusive contract with Marvel Comics.
That man, of course, is Jason Aaron. And by many accounts, he’s one of the best things at Marvel right now. An author who is able to work within continuity without stretching the boundaries of his characters, and who is able to be gritty without being gross, and violent without being cartoonish or inappropriate. That’s probably why they gave him Wolverine: Weapon X.
I have to say that the first story arc in 2009’s Wolverine: Weapon X, “The Adamantium Men” (reprinted as “volume 1”) may be the best Wolverine story you’ll ever read that wasn’t created by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller. It was an absolutely brilliant, exciting, and fast-paced action story that added depth to Wolverine’s origin without being a retcon.
Having said all that, I can’t give a thumbs up to volume 2, Insane in the Brain. The story is predictable and, frankly, stupid. Wolverine is being held captive in a looney bin and is being experimented on by doctor with psychic powers. It’s basically a remake of the classic shlock film “Don’t Look in the Basement” but with Marvel mutants. I was so disappointed in this, words can’t express. Even the single-issue done-in-one that’s tacked in at the end of the collection, about Logan’s love life, is kind of dull and, again, predictable. I expect this stuff from Daniel Way, not Jason Aaron.
But they can’t all be homeruns I suppose. And since I can’t see writing a purely negative piece about one of the most exciting writers in Marvel’s stable, I’m moving from review mode to “top five” mode, since I am completely sold and convinced that Jason Aaron is a writer you need to know all about.
THE TOP FIVE JASON AARON MARVEL COMICS
Note: I’m including only stories that have been anthologized. The current Weapon X storyline, featuring Deathlok and Captain America, is supposed to be great, but it’s not collected yet.
Double Note: If you’re not reading Scalped, you don’t know how great comic books can be. Read it. Seriously.
5. Wolverine: A Day in the Life (reprinted in Wolverine: Weapon X, vol. 1: Adamantium Men). With art by the brilliant Adam Kubert, this story shows how it is remotely possible that Wolverine can be featured in 9 different Marvel books per month. Tongue-in-cheek, but fantastic.
4. PunisherMAX vol. 1: Kingpin. This would rate a lot higher if I didn’t dislike Steve Dillon so much.
3. Immortal Weapons #1 (collected in the trade paperback, Immortal Weapons) (2009). Jason’s story about the unflattering origin of Fat Cobra—one of the many fascinating characters created by Matt Fraction and Ed Brubaker in the pages of Immortal Iron Fist, was touching and hilarious. An example of how great a done-in-one can be, and how minor characters can support a full story.
2. Wolverine: Weapon X, vol. 1: Adamantium Men. See above review.
1. Wolverine, “Get Mystique.” Wolverine and the fine foxy blue lady go at it for 120 pages of mayhem and destruction, ending with her “death.” A great example of an extended knock-down-drag-out. A brief coda, “Get Mystique: Slight Return”, which is fun but nonessential, can be found in Dark X-Men: The Beginning. Essential reading.
Honorable mention: Black Panther, “See Wakanda and Die” (2008). A Secret Invasion tie-in that did a nice job of finishing what Reggie Hudlin started in his 2007 relaunch of the character by putting Black Panther in context. All in all, it’s a really fun read and a fine example of what Aaron does best: Action stories.
SHADOWLAND!
I’m such a huge fan of hornhead that I made a pledge to buy every single Shadowland and tie-in (except for Thunderbolts, which I’ll probably get in trade). I’ve never done that before, ever, but since they promised to include so many of my favorite hard-to-find characters (Misty Knight, Colleen Wing, Shang Chi, Black Tarantula, White Tiger, Iron Fist, Ghost Rider, etc.), I decided to go all in for the first time. I’ve been surprised, and not always in a good way. Some of the ones I thought I’d love, I’m not digging, and the one I thought would be the worst (a new Power Man???) is looking like it has massive potential. Here’s my take on all of it, now that we’re halfway through, ranked from worst to first:
- Shadowland: Blood on the Streets (Antony Johnston/Wellington Alves). Paladin is, and always has been, stupid. Silver Sable isn’t much better. And the art is awful. Skip this one, people, seriously. Grade: F
- Shadowland: Bullseye (John Layman/Sean Chen). A funereal tribute to Bullseye? Really? It was a poor decision to make this the first one-shot for Shadowland. Laaaaame. D-.
- Shadowland: Ghost Rider (Rob Williams/Clayton Crain). Seems a little hard to believe that Ghost Rider aligns himself with Snakeroot, but the GR character is so confusing in general that I was willing to buy it. If for no other reason than he’s a burning skeleton who rides a motorcycle and fights using chains. Yeah, I’m that shallow. C+.
- Shadowland: Daughters of the Shadow (Jason Henderson/Ivan Rodriguez). I was looking forward to this one the most, but I was underwhelmed. The art is mediocre, and I don’t get the whole feud between Misty Knight and Colleen Wing. I know Zeb Wells made it happen in the old Heroes for Hire book, but they’ve been friends for decades—aren’t they over it by now? And Colleen really wants to be an assassin in the Hand? Just to satisfy her mommy issues? This is a reach, and they’ve got to grasp hard in the next issue to get their grade up. B-
- Shadowland: Elektra (Zeb Wells/Emma Rios). A completely unnecessary book, but I love the Wells/Rios take on this character. B.
- Shadowland: Moon Knight (Gregg Hurwitz/Bong Dazo). I’m not a huge fan of Hurwitz on Moon Knight—he’s all right, but I prefer Doug Moench and Charlie Huston—but I’m loving Bong Dazo’s art. The story so far is serviceable, but there’s potential. The first issue seemed like a lot of set up. A solid B.
- Shadowland: Power Man (Fred Van Lente/Mahmud Asrar). Although the first issue was pretty trite and stereotypical, issue #2 begins to show promise. I’m still not buying how easy it is to beat up Iron Fist, but other than that, this new Power Man could be an interesting character. Cheers to Van Lente for taking on the nearly impossible task of creating a new Marvel hero. B+
- Shadowland (Diggle/Billy Tan). This limited series is, to quote Shakespeare, good, but not greatly good. DD is turning into a caricature—a Sam Arkoff movie villain—and we don’t see enough of any one storyline to really connect with anyone in particular. It’s too bad—I get the sense that if they’d taken more time with this, it could have been much more interesting. But as events go, it’s got lots of fighting, good splash pages, and enough explosions to keep me entertained. Liking it, not loving it. B+
- Daredevil (Andy Diggle/Roberto De la Torre). It’s a little frustrating to see what’s being done to the character de-development (or perhaps devolution is a better word) that was so painstakingly crafted by Frank Miller, who brought Matt to his knees and allowed him to rise again with scars but dignity; Brian Michael Bendis, who threw Matt in jail for being too self-righteous; and then Ed Brubaker, who showed that prison does indeed make a man a better criminal. Andy Diggle, after a promising Dark Reign one-shot and a few initial issues on the main title, seems to be turning Murdock into (literally) a man possessed. This screams cop-out. I’m still hooked on the book, but it’s more because of its past than its present. Cheers, though, to Diggle’s focus on Foggy and Dakota North, two of the best side-characters in the business. A-
DAREDEVIL BLACK AND WHITE #1
I bought this comic on principle: I love Daredevil, and I love the potential in the art form of black and white comic books. Unfortunately, few b&w books actually achieve that potential, mostly because they’re done as novelty done-in-ones or anthologies. This one is no different. The first story is by Peter Milligan, and it’s passable but predictable: DD is offered the chance to get his sight back, but decides against it. I’m sure you can figure out why, but if not, don’t read the next paragraph unless you want the “suprise” spoiled.
(That’s right! Seeing actually makes him less powerful! Why? They don’t explain that. Nor do they explain why a sighted person can’t also use radar. Seems to work for submarine captains and airplane pilots. But whatever.)
The second story is a snoozer about Kingpin by Rick Spears. And the third is actually a short story–I mean, with paragraphs and everything. If I want to read words all strung together like that, I’ll pick up the copy of that Joe Strummer biography I’ve been trying to get through for the last few months. It’s by Ann Nocenti, and I have never been a fan of her take on DD anyway.
As for the art, it’s great. I love black and white art. The art chores are by Jason Latour, Mick Bertilorenzi, and then by David Aja, who also did the terrific cover.
My recommendation is to buy this to encourage the art form and/or to look at the pictures. But if you’re like me, the words will only annoy you.
