Modern Comics Review: Batman Beyond #3

I was really hoping that the Batman Beyond miniseries would live up to my expectations. I was hoping for a nice continuation of the TV series aimed at maybe a slightly older audience and, unfortunately, I’ve only partially gotten that wish. The first two issues were good, but felt less like a Batman Beyond comic, and more like a futuristic version of the normal Batman books. The rogues gallery of Terry McGinnis is being increasingly ignored for returns of rehashes of Bruce Wayne’s old enemies and this is really disappointing. It’s like the creative team can’t decide whether they are writing this more for the Batman or Batman Beyond audience. That does not mean that this a bad book, but it does have so much more potential.

Continuing where issue #2 left off, Terry is losing a fight against the man that seems to Hush as he tries to kill the aged Calendar Man. Unfortunately for Terry, he’s being hit both by Hush and sleep deprivation and has Bruce Wayne yelling in his ear. Things go about as well as you might expect for him. After Hush escapes, Terry heads home for some much needed rest and then visits Bruce only to find that Bruce isn’t exactly pleased with Terry’s performance as Batman. This continues to be the one area where writer Adam Beechen excels: he has absolutely nailed Terry’s voice perfectly. He reacts to any given situation exactly as you would expect not just the Terry McGinnis from the show, but also how any teenager in his situation would act. The fact that Beechen handles him well is a large part of the reason this book isn’t worse than it could be.

However, his other characters don’t fare so well. Bruce, though he was also harsh and critical of Terry in the show, was never as overly angry as he is represented here. Every little thing that Terry does bothers him and even when Terry almost gets himself killed from pushing himself too hard, Wayne still scolds him for not being devoted enough. This might have been acceptable if this series took place very early in Terry’s career, but this issue establishes that the series takes place after the movie “Return of the Joker” which is probably the point where Wayne thinks most highly of McGinnis as Batman. It’s a huge character inconsistency that I would like to see resolved somehow.

I’d also like to see that plot itself go somewhere. This issue really didn’t tell the read anything new. Really all that happens is that Wayne makes a particularly harsh statement about his lack of faith and we discover who Catwoman is running around for. This mini is at its halfway point and the story really hasn’t moved along at all. At this point, I’m just hoping that the resolution isn’t too rushed, but then again, there also isn’t too much to the plot either so, unless there’s a twist coming, there is not much that needs to be wrapped up at all. Either way, it’s a worrying sign for the series.

On the other side of the creative team coin, I’m trying really hard to like Ryan Benjamin’s pencils, but it’s just so inconsistent. Some of his panels look absolutely amazing and his Hush is actually frightening. He looks powerful and scary and like he could actually take Batman apart all by himself, which is really impressive for a guy that is only wearing a trench coat and bandages. I also really like how nimble he makes Batman look which is a necessity for the Batman Beyond version. However, at the same time, his faces still look odd, especially Terry’s, both in an out of the mask. And for some strange reason, Terry’s mother has gone from moderately-sized with red hair to much skinnier with black hair. I’m not sure if that was a conscious decision to separate a plot point about Terry’s “real parents” introduced in the last episode of Justice League Unlimited or just an error on Benjamin’s part, but it really bothered me.

Despite all the criticism I’ve thrown at this series, it really does have a lot of potential and that’s exactly why I’m being so hard on it. Honestly, most of problems might not be issues for some readers; some might enjoy the increased focus on the villains of the past and others may really like every panel of Benjamin’s pencils, but I think this could be so much more. There’s still time for Beechen to change this around and he shown that he knows the backstory of this universe well and can do (most) of the characters well, so I hope that the latter half of the mini can really make Batman Beyond into the powerhouse it should be.

Overall: 6.5/10

Modern Comics Review: Amazing Spider-Man #640

Well, I can say that the Amazing Spider-Man #640 is easily the best of the three issues of the “One Moment In Time” storyline. Unfortunately, this still isn’t saying much. The story continues to be Joe Quesada’s personal attempt to justify the events of “One More Day” and explain what exactly was changed by the deal with Mephisto a few years back. The events of this particular issue are definitely less ridiculous than the previous two and make more sense, but I still just don’t like the way this story is going.

This issue sets up the events that will lead to the more permanent break up of Mary Jane and Peter as well as how, in the post-OMD continuity, Spider-Man was able to make everyone forget his identity. Unfortunately, all of this once again hinges on the random henchman that has been behind all of the One More Day problems. The same guy that was Electro’s henchman and the guy that fell on top of Spider-Man to make him late for his wedding is the one hired by the Kingpin to try and gun down Mary Jane and her Aunt Anna. I don’t understand why Quesada is pushing this guy so hard; he’s just not that interesting of a character and certainly not a threat worthy of Spider-Man. Maybe Quesada wants to show how any bad guy can be a threat to Peter, but he just is not a well enough developed character to hinge so much on. Also, the use Doctor Strange gets in this issue just feels so uninspired. I was hoping that the plot thread he is being used to solve would have a more surprising and interesting person behind it.

One area that I do have to give credit where it’s due is in the art from Paolo Rivera. I know that I previously been unhappy with his work, but that was mainly when it was juxtaposed against pre-existing art from the Amazing Spider-Man Annual. Here it is actually very good and looks quite classic and like a modern version of the art from the 80’s and 90’s. It really does look good and I loved his take of Peter here. The only problem I had with his work was when the assassin almost shoots Mary Jane, I honestly couldn’t tell if she had been shot or not. It wasn’t until later when someone says she only has a concussion that I knew for sure. Quesada’s artwork is still and odd as always. His characters still look like blobs that are all connected together and his faces just look so odd. Luckily, he barely has to draw any panels this issue, so I didn’t mind as much as in previous issues.

All in all, this is far and away the best issue of “One Moment In Time,” but it’s still a mess of a story. This one isn’t as completely annoying as the other two were and it’s at least nice to look at (for the most part) and the story make more sense, but it still just feel as though Joe Quesada is just trying to make people think “One More Day” was a good idea to begin with. I really would have been fine with this story never being written and I don’t see it getting much better in its final issue, though hopefully it’ll be at least readable like this issue was.

Overall: 5.5/10

Modern Comics Review: Invincible Iron Man #29

I respect what Matt Fraction is trying to do in Invincible Iron Man, I really do. I love that he has managed to bring Tony Stark back from being one of the most hated characters in comics and establish as a hero again. I also love that he’s finally been able to add some much needed personality into Tony’s supporting cast and that he’s working to expand that cast at the same time. I even really like the idea of the new Stark Resilient company and it’s goals, yet for the past few months, I have been so bored with this series.

I recognize and even appreciate that the focus of this story arc is not Iron Man fighting a villain in an epic showdown, but it is just moving too damn slow. This isn’t even me just saying that there is too little action going on, it just feels like the story barely inches forward each issue. I want to see something actually happen. It doesn’t have to be a huge battle, but it’s about time we actually got somewhere and saw whether or not Stark Resilient could succeed and just what exactly the Hammer family is up to. I’d also really like all the female characters to stop being so annoying. They all come off as really grating to me, especially Pepper. Her constant whining about own Iron Man (sorry, Rescue) suit was not endearing and just turned me off. All that being said, that doesn’t mean there aren’t interesting parts to this issue. There’s a new twist shown in the Pepper and Tony relationship that makes sense and is an effective to create drama naturally. I’m also really beginning to take a shine to all of Tony’s new employees, even if they don’t get much time this issue. They all ave really human reactions to the things going on around them and it makes them much more interesting for it. I hope they stick around for the long haul and get some more screen time.

Despite the slowness of the story, easily the biggest problem remains artist Salvador Larocca. It pains me to say this as there was a period in my life where I counted Larocca as my favorite artist from any comic book company. He really had a knack for clean characters and great action, but here he just keeps getting worse and worse. His characters sometimes barely look human and all look downright ugly. Also, I know this had been mentioned plenty elsewhere, but his tracing of celebrities faces for his characters is so painfully obvious and only hurts the art that much more. Colorist Frank D’Armata only makes things worse too. His colors make everyone look really muddy, like he water colored them and all the colors ran together or something and he adds far too much shadowing that doesn’t look even remotely natural. I’m honestly not sure if there would be any answer to this short of replacing the whole art team, though Marvel seems to want them for the long haul. It’s really sad to see such a talented artist fall so far.

I would still argue that Invincible Iron Man is a good book. It may be slow, but Fraction clearly has places he plans to go and many of the ideas he’s had have been really great. If he could pick up the pace and just make this a little more interesting from month to month, he’d be in great shape. It says something for Fraction that despite all of the problems I’ve listed here, I still come back for every issue and probably will for a while. He is good plotter and he just needs to make everything get to where he wants it in a more interesting fashion. For anyone that’s interested in starting on this series, I would, without a doubt, say to wait for the trade as it is almost guaranteed to read better in that format. Also, I want the old Salvador Larocca back.

Overall: 6.1/10

Modern Comics Review: Superman #702

Since the started of the “Grounded” storyline, Superman has become such an odd duck of a series. I really can’t tell if I like it so far or not. It’s very charming in a lot of ways and really does have some nice scenes in it, and yet I’m having trouble getting myself entirely on board. I think I like the idea of the story more than I’m liking the execution. I wouldn’t call this a bad book, but it couldn’t definitely use some improvement.

I liked last issue largely because it took Superman away from the threats he normally faced. The problems he now had to deal with were, real street level ones that your average person might encounter going about their day. This is still true to an extent this issue, but this month there is also aliens that are encountered and a giant robot suit to be fought. I’m sure there are people out there that miss Superman having regular fights, especially since he did spend most of the last year not fighting, and this issue might appeal to them more. I, however, went into this storyline not looking for big fights, but instead to see how Superman, who is used to dealing with huge problems he can usually punch away, would handle everyday problems that he can’t use his fists to solve, so this issue appealed to me less for the robot suit fight. That being sad, it is a rather small part of the book and does end fitting into one of the more down-to-earth problems presented the issue. There’s a particularly great scene in which Superman interacts with an old man who used to work in a Detroit steel mill before it was shut down. This is easily the best part of the issue and is quite poignant at times.

What really bothered me here, however, was Superman’s voice. It seems strikingly inconsistent and can jump all over the place. One moment, he’ll be very humble and acting very friendly and as you’d expect, but other times he comes off as really arrogant and forceful, especially when dealing with some aliens living on Earth. I understand why he’d have to be more forceful with them, but he seems unusually aggressive towards them when they are really quite peaceful and it seems decidedly un-Superman-like. When Straczynski does manage to get Superman right though, it feels very right. Hopefully he can even that out more in future issues.

I’ve always been very on the fence about artist Eddy Barrows’ work; sometimes it is truly dynamic and great, but other times it is extremely muddy and his characters look lumpy. I honestly would never have picked him for street level story like this, but he actually pulls it off very well. His people look very diverse, as they should, and all of his humans look very human. That sounds silly, but a lot of artists can’t seem to draw regular people looking all that average, but Barrows does it admirably. In the scene I mentioned earlier about the steel mill worker, I’m not sure whether I should give the credit for that scene more to Straczynski or Barrows as he really sells this character and draws some stellar emotion on his face. It helps to make the scene as moving as it should be. He also draws one hell of a Superman. I’ve never seen any other artist make Superman look as kindly and innoccent as Barrows does here. There’s even one scene that is just Superman smiling and it is drawn so well I couldn’t help but smile myself. Eddy Barrows is truly bringing his A-game here.

I really do love the idea of this story. I’ve always been a supporter of the idea of Clark Kent being the real person and not just how Superman hides and that’s the idea that “Grounded” should be pressing. There’s so much potential and I know the creative team could do it justice, I’m just still waiting for that to happen. We’re only two issues in, so I’m really hoping to see the next ten issues to live up to what it could be.

Overall: 7.7/10

Modern Comics Review: Spider-Man/Fantastic Four #2

Whenever I read a comic that takes place in the past and claims to fit in between two previously established stories, I’m always worried that it won’t fit quite as well the writer thinks. Luckily, Christos Gage seems to have already mostly assuaged my worries in only two issue of Spider-Man/ Fantastic Four while also fitting some truly great character moments. Just like last issue, this an extremely entertaining issue that can easily be enjoyed by anyone whether they are familiar with this period in Marvel Comics history or not.

This issue jumps forward in time from the last one to right after Mr. Fantastic and the Human Torch helped Spider-Man to remove the future-Venom symbiote from his body. With a little help from the series’ overarching mystery villain, the symbiote breaks free and attempts to seek out a new host: Franklin Richards. The plot is a whole lot of fun this go around as the symbiote latches onto everyone from Mr. Fantastic to She-Hulk. Out of all the characters readers have seen be (at least temporarily) bonded with a symbiote, the Fantastic Four has never been among that number and it adds a unique freshness to the issue. There’s some great little continuity jokes thrown in well that only enhance the issue if you are familiar with the past of the FF and Spider-Man. The story doesn’t fit quite perfectly into continuity as the events of this issue seem like something that would have been mentioned in the comics since they occurred, but this is one of the necessary downsides that come with stories such as this.

Despite all this fun, where Gage really shines is in the voice he gives the characters. This particular issue focuses mainly on Spider-Man’s interactions with Reed Richards and there is some great stuff about how Peter Parker idolized Reed since even before he was Mr. Fantastic. Peter’s voice was handled expectedly well, but Gage really treats Reed’s with amazing skill. He manages to create a Mr. Fantastic that is both the smartest man in the room and family oriented without coming off as the cold, arrogant jerk he so often is these days. This Mr. Fantastic may be forgetful, but he is still concerned with spending time with his son and wife and does so lovingly. It’s one of the better depictions I have seen for the character in a while.

Meanwhile, Mario Alberti continues to prove himself better and better. This issue was absolutely gorgeous. His take on the symbiote is easily one of the most fluid and yet scary versions I have seen in quite some time. It looks truly fantastic on page and actually moves and acts like you would expect it would. And if you thought Venom was stretchy before, just wait until you see Reed Richards-Venom. It’s really entertaining to see each new version of Venom as he takes over new hosts. There’s even some really nice visual elements that Alberti adds for authenticity of the period this is set in, such as Franklin’s 4 ½ shirt and Sue’s hair.

Spider-Man/Fantastic Four #2 is even better than the first issue was. Both the action and characterization are ramped up to the next level and Alberti continues to bring his A-game. This was one of my personal favorite periods in Marvel history and Gage certainly did it justice. His characters even act similar to how they were characterized back then. If you have even a passing interest in any of the heroes involved, pick this book up immediately.

Overall: 8.9/10

A Couple of Comic Book Bin Articles

Hey everyone just wanted to let you know that I've posted a few comics up on Comic Book Bin too so definitely check them out!
Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #1: http://www.comicbookbin.com/Green_Lantern_Emerald_Warriors_001.htmlThanos Imperative #3: http://www.comicbookbin.com/ThanosImperative003.html

Nancy In Hell #1: http://www.comicbookbin.com/Nancy_in_Hell.html

Modern Comics Review: Ultimate Comics Avengers 3 #1

I wasn’t exactly excited to hear that there was already going be a new ultimate Daredevil after the original was killed in Ultimatum. It just seemed almost too soon for Marvel to be hyping a new version and it certainly didn’t help the series for me when it was announced that Steve Dillon was going to be on art. I have never been a fan Dillon’s art style and then when I heard the villains were going to primarily vampires, I was even less interested. Basically, UC Avengers volume 3 had a lot of strikes against it in my book from the get go.

Surprisingly enough then, I enjoyed it well enough. The story this time mainly revolves around a vampire named Anthony trying to take over the superhero community by turning heroes into vampires. The opening scene with Blade is nothing special and pretty much what I expected from the character, but it’s a serviceable entrance to the character. Where the book really shines in once it makes its way to Ray Connor, the boy who will become the new Daredevil. I actually really liked the characterization of this kid, more so than I ever like Ultimate Matt Murdock. I was pleasantly surprised by this, though Ultimate Stick wasn’t quite as interesting. He’s the same tired, gruff mentor you’re sure to have seen a million times. I really didn‘t like the sudden retcon that Daredevils exist for a mission to kill vampires though. As far as I know there was no precedent to even hint at this ever in the UU‘s history; it was too out of left field. The Avengers themselves barely put in an appearance here, though one of them shows up in a rather unexpected way, but not in a way I like for the character. I hope it doesn’t hinder his presence in the Ultimate Universe as he’s one of my favorites of the Ultimate Avengers. The “twist” towards the end of the book also wasn’t all that shocking as solicits had spoiled it months ago. I am definitely intrigued by the two panels that show a seemingly very old Iron Man suit that anyone that knows that character will recognize.

Even though it didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would, I still wasn’t a fan of Dillon’s artwork in this book. All of his characters feel very stiff, which is very bad for characters that are designed to be nimble such as Daredevil and, to a lesser extent, Blade. It made the action scenes quite poor and all of the people looked like stiff cutouts or action figures. His was also quite poor as well. Panels didn’t run from one to another very well. In one panel, Blade jumps out a window and looks like he’s flying and in the next he’s in a chase on car roofs. It all felt disjointed. There were some good moments to be had though. I actually quite enjoyed the training montage, though it only lasted a page, and Dillon rendered the Avengers themselves fairly well at the end of the book. Definitely not the worst I’ve ever seen from Dillon (*cough* Wolverine: Origins *cough*).

In terms of the plot, I’d say that this is easily shaping to be the worst of the first three arcs of Ultimate Avengers. It largely feels very unoriginal and it hasn’t really made me all that interested in seeing where it will go from here. It’s only real saving grace is that it has some strong character work with the new Daredevil. I hope the events of this issue don’t change him too much because he really is the best part here. I’m hoping Millar will have some of his trademark crazy ideas for future issues that will spice this volume up more in the future because otherwise I’m not sure if I’ll stick it out through the whole thing.

Overall: 5.5/10