Comic Reviews For 27 July

For some reason, Powers #19 didn’t make it to the UK, so I will have to wait for my latest Pilgrim & Walker fix. And I decided against Jack of Fables, waiting for the inevitable trade to try it out. Which means that my haul for last week was exceedingly slim. I know I'm a cheapskate who can't afford a lot of comics (and would rather only buy good comics where possible), but two comics in a week is not enough to satisfy my cravings. I feel bad for not having a huge pile to review, like Chris or Greg for example. However, at least the two I did get were of high quality.

New Avengers #22
Some lovely art from Yu, despite the pointless, silly cover. His sense of the real world (the background detail, such as the size and shape of an African-American woman’s arse in one panel) to the power and majesty of superheroes (as shown particularly in the powerful splash page) is bloody impressive. Yu for regular penciller anyone? The story is familiar Bendis – lots of dialogue, emotion, conflict and action – which is nice to see in this title. In fact, you know how good this issue was? It made me want to read Civil War. Exactly. The moments (the sense of long-term friendship between the heroes, the money shot, the sense of triumph through tears in Jessica’s face in the last panel) made this a very enjoyable comic.

Astro City: Samaritan Special
I’ve mentioned before that I don’t dig Anderson’s art. Reading this allows me to specify this statement: I don’t like his faces and figure work. The rest of his work is pretty damned good – the eagle on the first page, the double-page spread of the Infidel’s citadel, show how talented an artist he is. However, when it comes to people, which will be the main focus of all superhero books, I find his art rather ugly to look at. This is a shame. The story isn’t about Samaritan, as we might be led to believe, but about his nemesis, the Infidel, and how he came to be and how the treaty between them started. It is interesting and well-written, as expected from Busiek, telling the story in typical Astro City fashion – conversations and flashbacks to action that isn’t the focus of the narrative but provides history. There is some philosophical chat and mental jousting, making for a superhero story that isn’t part of the norm, and is the better for it. Not bad for a tale of a character created a decade ago for a feature on super-villains in bloody Wizard Magazine.

Q&A: Cypher

Doug Ramsey had the mutant ability to understand all forms of language and communication. Somehow, this enabled him to become a member of the New Mutants, meaning he was constantly in danger of being hurt in fights with other mutants and dangerous super-powered beings. Fortunately, his friendship with a techno-organic alien being called Warlock allowed him to go into battle with his friends when he was protected by the living metal of Warlock’s body. He died stopping a bullet aimed at Rahne Sinclair, aka Wolfsbane. Any resurrection ideas or mention of Douglock are ignored for the purposes of it being stupid.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Not being dead.

What is your greatest fear?
Coming back to life as Douglock.

Which living person do you most admire and why?
All of them, for being alive.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Whining about not being allowed to fight, even though I had no physical powers.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Silence.

What is your greatest extravagance?
Allowing an alien organic being to merge with me so that I can live the dream of being a hero.

What is your most treasured possession?
My brain.

What do you most dislike about your appearance?
The lack of sexiness I brought to spandex.

What is your most unappealing habit?
Whining. Whinging. Moaning.

What is your favourite word?
You can’t ask that of someone who understands ALL languagues – all words are my favourite.

What is your fancy dress costume of choice?
Alien robot.

Cat or dog?
Dog, if only because of Wolfsbane …

What is your guiltiest pleasure?
Being a member of the New Mutants (while alive).

To whom would you most like to say sorry and why?
To Betsy, for putting her in the uncomfortable situation of fancying me but not being able to do anything about it.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Rahne.

Which living person do you most despise and why?
The bastard that shot me.

Have you ever said 'I love you' without meaning it?
Never, not even in a foreign language.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
I’m Doug Ramsey, and I’m dead.

What is your greatest regret?
Not getting a sexy secondary mutation that would make me more viable for a superhero team dependent on physical attributes.

When and where were you happiest?
In the hey day of the New Mutants, the Claremont years, drawn by Sienkiewicz and Art Adams and Alan Davies.

How do you relax?
Surfing the web in Chinese.

What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
Life.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Didn’t get to be alive long enough, I’m afraid.

What keeps you awake at night?
The fact that all other mutants seem to come back to life, but I seem to be the Barry Allen of X-World, except I didn’t save the multiverse.

What song would you like played at your funeral?
Happy Talk (except they didn’t play it, the bastards).

How would you like to be remembered?
At all would be nice.

What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
Having a non-physical power in a world where there is a lot of fighting between powered individuals is not a good idea.

From A Library: A Plague of Frogs

BPRD: A Plague of Frogs
by Mike Mignola and Guy Davis

I think Hellboy is one of the great comic book creations of recent years, despite the fact that I’m not really into the Cthulhu/Lovecraft horror thing. I prefer the supernatural adventure, the punching, the folklore from around the world, and the fact that Hellboy is cool. He has horns, a tail, a Right Hand of Doom made of stone, and carries a big gun. What’s not to like?

The other appeal of the Hellboy comics is the moody art of the creator, Mike Mignola. His ability with shadow, composition and atmosphere is sublime, and it doesn’t feel like Hellboy when he’s not drawing the character. This means that I haven’t read much of the other work that is outside of the main books written by Mignola, nor the spin-offs that don’t have Hellboy; therefore, I decided to sample A Plague of Frogs.

A story of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, it has resident merman (sorry, icthyo sapien) Abe Sapien, the pyrokinetic Liz Sherman, Johann Kraus (a disembodied ectoplasmic spirit in a containment suit), Roger the Homunculus and Director of Field Operations Kate Corrigan investigating frog demons (last seen in Hellboy: Seed of Destruction). The reason for the story, though, is the ‘origin’ of Abe Sapien. The fact that Abe was discovered in a glass tube of water was enough of an origin for me in the Hellboy universe, but I suppose Mignola had to get round to it eventually, especially with the way the stories all tie in with each other so well (it’s really nice to see footnotes in comics again, letting you know where everything connects).

Instead of Mignola on art duties, we have Guy Davis, whose art I remember from Sandman Mystery Theatre. His ease with period setting there and his ability to draw absolutely anything suits the tale well, as the Hellboy stories always have a timeless feel to them, as if the current time period in which they are set is not really important. I find Davis’s art a little loose and straggly for my tastes, and always prefer Mignola’s art on Hellboy, but he does a good job of marking his own stamp on the work while keeping a connection to Mike’s visual styling.

A Plague of Frogs is an enjoyable tale, but it doesn’t make me want to go out and read more BPRD stories. I am intrigued by the group as a whole, as Mignola has created a bunch of interesting characters (both intellectually and visually), but this story didn’t grab me, possibly because of the Lovecraftian gods aspect. However, the supernatural adventure side of things was provided in full, and there’s not much like it out there for the same sort of entertainment.

Comic Reviews For 13 & 20 July, Plus Incoming

Comics of 20 July

Casanova #2
Fraction keeps to the page limit with this issue of Casanova, packing it full of action, funny dialogue and mad ideas. Ba’s art copes with it all with ease, drawing some sexy and cool art that serves the story. I’m not completely sold on it yet, but this definitely showed that the idea works in the format and there is great potential.



Runaways #18
Underwhelming. A nice sleight of hand to begin with, but the actual death left me shrugging my shoulders. I can see it was heroic and tragic, but it didn’t affect me the way it should. Vaughan keeps up his pop culture credentials ('All your base are belong to the New Pride' and the Transformer van) and Alphona does an excellent job as usual (particularly the full-page spread of the moment the heart stops), but the book didn’t pack the emotional punch I thought it would.

Supergirl and the Legion of Super Heroes #20
It seems like writing 52 is too much for Waid, as Bedard joins him on writing duties. This is in keeping with Kitson, who doesn’t last on solo art duties for more than an issue now, this time providing layouts for DeKraker (who does a good job with his slick superhero work, with a touch of Leonard Kirk softness to it). The story has giants trying to steal odd artefacts and the LSH going out to stop them, only for Supergirl to do all the hard work, to the annoyance of some. Meanwhile, Brainiac is still trying to bring Nura back from the dead. The book seems to be building to something, which had better be spectacular, as the instalments aren’t dazzling. I hope its worth it – I shall have to review my decision to buy this if it isn’t.

X-Factor #9
Another good issue from PAD. Pietro comes to Mutant Town to stay, the X-Men show up for a visit, and Madrox makes a decision. Calero’s art is dark and uneven but he seems to be improving. PAD handles the juggling act with aplomb and wit ('Your Aegis! From the New Warriors. Or are they just the Old Warriors now, because of the New New Warrrors …' and 'He may be a slimeball. He may be an evil monster.' 'You know I can hear you, right?') and references to The Hitch Hikers Guide To The Galaxy, as he uses the Civil War crossover to help his storylines and keeps the X-Factor flavour.


Comics of 13 July

100 Bullets #74
The conclusion of ‘A Wake’, with lots of death, exquisitely drawn by Risso (which is necessary after the gorgeous cover by Johnson). 100 Bullets is great testosterone, hard-boiled comics with added street poetry that never fails to satisfy. I hope this finishes well.




Fables #51
A fun if slight tale of Cinderella running around to get the current Giant king to sign the treaty with Fabletown, bypassing the slowness of politics and indebting herself to Frau Totenkinder in the process. It’s nice to have Cindy as a tough action heroine, rather than the drippy version of the fairy tale. Shawn McManus provides nice art as guest artist, keeping the flavour but adding his natural cartoony edge.

Squadron Supreme #5
I’m still enjoying Frank’s art, which makes JMS’s stories so much easier to swallow at times. He is taking his time (as usual) but at least this is thoughtful superheroics, addressing both sides of the argument via Stan, Emil and Mark. There is more character development for Edith, as they come across an orphan girl who reminds her of herself and how she got her revenge on the people who ruined her life. Storylines are mentioned (Joe Ledger and the funny voice, Redstone is in China) and things tick on, but you still want more things to happen.

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Incoming Inventory

Astro City: Samaritan Special
I have always felt that the first issue of Astro City, about Samaritan, was one of the best issues, so I’m looking forward to an entire issue dedicated to the character. I’m not happy that Anderson is still providing art, as I think he’s getting sloppy, and Astro City could survive a transition to another artist, but the book was always about the writing anyway, so it isn’t as big a problem as it could be.

New Avengers #22
After the disappointing Collective storyline, Bendis seemed to be refreshed by the Civil War crossover, so this issue might see a continuation of quality, especially with the talents of Yu on art duties (even if the cover looks like Cage is getting the same treatment that Jessica got in the early issues of Alias).



Powers #19
Meanwhile, Powers still keeps going strong. Some think that it might have jumped the shark with Deena getting powers, but I disagree; I still find this consistently well-written and well-drawn crime superhero comics, so keep it coming.





Debating: Jack of Fables #1
I really like Fables. However, I’m not wild about spin-offs. I’m not happy that it requires a co-writer (a writer and artist together seems fine, but two writers doesn’t work for me – Robinson on Starman was always better than Robinson and Goyer, for example). I think I might wait for the inevitable trade to get it (dependent on the reviews of the rest of the blogosphere, who will kindly try it for me).

British Journalism - Best In The World?

I don’t pick up The Metro, the free newspaper found littered on tube seats in London (oh, and in dispensers outside stations, I suppose). Not only is it shit, chock full of filler fluff (exemplified by the completely vacuous ‘Green Room’, by the odious Neil Sean) and pathetic articles masquerading as news, but it is a sister paper to the Evening Standard, a completely fucking awful London paper that you have to pay for the privilege if you want to feel insulted by semi-literate nonsense.

The reason for picking it up yesterday was because I had unexpectedly finished my book early (The Unbearable Lightness of Being in Aberystwyth by Malcolm Pryce – well written but the mix of humour and hard-boiled deaths didn’t gel for me, especially at the end), it was late and I needed something to keep me awake on the tube home, the fear of the heat sending me into a coma that would see me wake up in Cockfosters enough to cause me to turn to the Metro.

I flicked through, struggling to stay awake even with the help of the useless paper. Until I came to the item about Spider-Girl. Then I woke up, as my tolerance for stupidity (and particularly stupidity when it comes to reporting about comic books) was breached.

The item was picked up by the chaps at the Newsarama blog, who erroneously identify it as coming from the Evening Standard (see here), correctly pointing out that the retarded journalist identifies an eight-year-old character as new. I kept a copy of the page and scanned it in badly here (click to enlarge):

The wonderfully nonsensical title has changed between print and web – are all girls afraid of spiders? I know Jayne Atherton is a woman, but is she a spokesperson for all womankind? – but it is the whole thing that is so embarrassingly terrible that it makes one wonder how it saw print.

Spider-Man is not getting a female ally, what with him being retired in this FUTURE, ALTERNATE MARVEL UNIVERSE.

Fans who pick up the next Spidey comic book will be confused by the fact that he has just outed his secret identity to the public, a rather big piece of news that goes unmentioned (even though they did talk about the his costume change as if it was the second coming or something) and Spider-Girl is nowhere to be seen AT ALL, what with not actually appearing in any of them.

May Parker is NOT the secret daughter of Peter Parker – her parents are fully aware of her existence, thank you very much.

Spider-Girl does not have an hour-glass figure – look! There’s the slim, athletic, thin-hipped teenager in a PICTURE RIGHT NEXT TO THE ARTICLE – to appeal to male fans.

Does Lara Croft lead the way in the female hero stakes because she has two films and some computer games? Not, say, Wonder Woman, who has been around since the 1940s, had her own TV series and is to be made into a big screen version? Or are they just obsessed with the hour-glass theme?

Where the hell does ‘shock makeover’ idea come from? Spider-Girl has nothing to do with Spider-Man, and has been in her own comic book for 100 issues. How is it a shock makeover exactly? Please, somebody, tell me.

Can you call a movie that isn’t out for another year ‘latest’? You might get away with calling it ‘the latest Spider-Man movie’, but they don’t.

Who the hell is this comic book expert Elliot James? And what has his comment to do anything? And how has Spider-Girl been designed to be both sexy and appealing to new, younger audiences, but also keep people interested in comics and superheroes? That’s bloody impressive. It would seem that Spider-Girl is the second coming, we just didn’t know until Elliot James told us.

‘A full-colour story’ – wow, the things they do with technology these days. They make comics with COLOUR! Amazing. At least they mention that it is coming out in October, despite it contradicting the second paragraph about picking up the next Spider-Man comic.

You’ve almost got to admire the cheek of the last paragraph, suggesting that it was only the Metro that revealed to you, the lucky reader, the news about Batwoman – ignoring the fact that every in the world knew about it after DC gave them a press release, and the inaccuracy of Batwoman not being the first ever lesbian comic superhero (does that mean she’s Ellen Degeneres? Or that Batwoman is particularly funny?)

I’m stunned by the manner in which somebody was able to twist a press release from Marvel into this news article. Do the words ‘second life’, ‘milestone 100th issue’, ‘relaunched’, ‘re-debut’, ‘previous 100 issues’ and ‘triumphant return’ indicate nothing to the reporter (even if Marvel can’t spell ‘helm’, something CBR didn’t change)?

I would write and complain, but what would be the point? Shoddy journalism is shoddy journalism, and what do you expect with a free paper? It just makes me angry that the world of comic books are treated so badly, especially after Comic Con (at least Empire magazine reports accurately on the Hulk 2 movie, the proposed Doom Patrol movie and the Luther Arkwright film, even having the admittedly geeky but good fella Chris Hewitt blogging about Comic Con), so why can’t a professional journalist do some simple fact-checking and intelligent reporting? Or is that too much to ask …?

Film review: Superman Returns

This isn’t really a review. It’s more of a collection of my thoughts on the film. This film has been reviewed to an incredible degree on the blogosphere, as is appropriate, and I’m writing this over a week after it came out in the UK, not to mention the two weeks before that when it came out in the US. Thus, this is somewhat less structured than normal, with some reflections on the film more than anything else. There will probably be spoilers, but anyone reading this will have seen the film already (if not blogged about it themselves), so I’m sure I won’t be ruining it for anyone.

I’m not an enormous fan of Superman. I can’t pinpoint the specific reasons, but I haven’t read many stories that have really made connect with the character. I understand his importance, and I have enjoyed stories in which he has been a part, but I don’t have that primary love for him that is associated with many fans of comic books. It doesn’t help that I don’t particularly like the first Superman movie (which is practically heresy), despite it being a well-made film – I just HATE, HATE, HATE the ending beyond belief, as well as other niggles that are probably to do with my take it or leave it attitude to the Man of Steel. That’s the end of my disclaimer.

Superman Returns is a very good film that I like very much but don’t love. I think that Singer has made essentially a love letter to Superman the character and specifically the movie version. As such, I don’t know if that makes a completely satisfying movie experience, but it is definitely the best cinematic Superman (for me) and it looks fantastic.

Starting with the visuals, the film is beautiful. Singer has taken considerable care to ensure that the screen caresses the eyes with stunning optical opulence. From the beauty of the desolate Smallville farm, to the architectural grandeur of Metropolis, to the alienness of the Fortress of Solitude and the new land mass, no detail is too small. This is shown best in the FX used to create Superman in action – breathtaking visual poetry, capturing the essence of the Superman character the way that Spider-Man the movie captured the way Spider-Man should move in real life. The power, the speed, the flutter of the cape, the heat vision, everything looks exactly as it should do. Perfection.

In fact, for me, this is contributes to the lack of total narrative satisfaction, as we don’t see nearly enough of Superman in all his glory. The set piece with the shuttle and the jumbo jet is so spectacular, it leaves you wanting more of seeing Superman in his element – saving the day, being powerfully superheroic and doing the stuff other superheroes are not equipped to do. It is a compliment to Singer that he can make it so stunning that you want more.

Talking about Superman means talking about Brandon Routh. He is the Superman for our age, perfectly capturing Clark and Kal-el, so I hope he gets the chance to breakout of being typecast, as he does a great job. There is a spooky resemblance to Christopher Reeve, but it doesn’t linger and you can enjoy him in the role. Even the suit worked well in the film, something I wasn’t sure about from the publicity shots. Kevin Spacey is note-perfect as Lex Luthor, the anger, the intelligence, the danger. Kate Bosworth does a nice job as Lois, channelling the feel of Katharine Hepburn and Rosalind Russell, but I never really got the feeling that she WAS Lois Lane. I don’t know if it’s because she’s a natural blonde or the youthful face, but it never completely clicked, but she inhabited the role well. The other characters are mostly superfluous, although it was nice to see James Marsden get to do more acting and be on screen more than in both X2 and X-Men 3 combined.

The plot of the film echoed too much of the first film to allow the film stand on its own. I understand that it echoes the modus operandi and goal of Luthor, but it just seemed to be the same idea for the new millennium. Having a ditzy female (Parker Posey in an unusual role) as Luthor’s plaything who feels sympathy for Superman was too reminiscent, although at least she didn’t have to save Superman (thus negating the arc of Superman and his status as hero, a problem I have with the first film). The explanation of Luthor getting out seemed completely silly, but it is only a minor point. Superman saving the day by being Superman was a much more emotionally satisfying climax than the first film, which made me happier. Only it wasn’t the climax, as we had to have the bizarre mumbo jumbo between father and son at the finish.

This emotional ending seemed a little strange (leaving it open for the future films that may or may not happen), but the whole child issue seemed a little strange. It was only a minor point throughout the film (and obviously we have to ignore Larry Niven’s Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex essay), even though the five-year gap meant it was there immediately. I think it was part of the love letter aspect, Singer giving Superman a son (without the nappy years) and a woman who will always love him (and he her).

There are some wonderful moments in the film (the wonderful tension of Lois, Richard and baby in the yacht as it sinks is stretched to the actual moment where you think that Superman won’t be able to save them; the rapturous applause of the baseball park when he casually places the plane on the field after stopped it from crashing into the park; the heroism of Superman pushing the landmass into orbit while kryptonite crystals are pulsing towards him; Spacey shouting, 'Wrong!') that made it a delight to watch and made the two and a half hours fly by (if you’ll pardon the pun). I was humming the John Williams theme all the way home on the tube. My girlfriend, who is more a fan of Superman than I, loved it (and thought Routh was great as Superman), a review that Singer would be happy with, as he fashioned the film to be a ‘chick flick’ (in his words). The gayness thing wasn’t there (what were people going on about), even if the Jesus thing loomed in the mention of sending his only son and needing a saviour, but not to the detriment of the film. Still, trying to appeal to everybody might be the reason why the film stops short of perfection for me, but how many perfect films are made these days, especially with one of the most recognised icons on the planet? And it was better than Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. Definitely the most enjoyable blockbuster I’ve seen all year.

Rating: DAVE

From A Library - The Authority: Kev

The Authority: Kev
by Garth Ennis & Glenn Fabry

I’m not sure why this comic exists.

I’m not talking existential angst or getting deeply philosophical. I mean, why would Garth Ennis write a series about a former SAS assassin interacting with the widescreen superheroics of The Authority? I can’t make the leap in logic nor follow any train of thought that arrived at the conclusion that says that a man who loves writing about war (and the people involved) but hates superheroes would write this. It’s confusing.

Kev is a freelance assassin for the British government after getting thrown out of the SAS because the cabinet minister he was guarding got eaten by a tiger. That concept alone is pure Ennis. And, with his uncanny ability to attract trouble but somehow escape it, it could make for a small but humourous (well, very black comedy) tale about someone who lived in and for the army system but was spat out the other end. When you mix in superhero archetypes, well, you’re struggling to make oil and water mix.

In the first mini-series (which I brought in comic form), Kev kills The Authority, having been duped by an alien, leading to their invasion of Earth, only for the Carrier, the Authority space ship that lives in The Bleed, to turn back time in the vicinity of his accidental slaughter, allowing The Authority to save the day. This is very silly, and not in the good Nextwave way. Even though Ennis handled some sci-fi during his time on 2000AD (and Bloody Mary, which looked like an aborted 2000AD pitch), I don’t think he gets it, using the bits that allow him to get away with his ludicrous story but not seeing it through. The best bits are the low-level stuff, with Kev being attacked by IRA men or chatting with his SAS mates down the pub (one of whom is writing an SAS cookbook, ‘Bistro Two Zero’). When the superheroes appear, it jars, causing the story to crumple a little. This isn’t helped by Glenn Fabry, a wonderfully talented artist but who isn’t suited for the world of superheroes. His detailed but grimy artwork is perfect for the low-level stuff, but seems out of place in superhero worlds.

The second mini-series collected in this book sees Apollo and Midnighter interacting with Kev because of the incident with the cabinet minister and the tiger. Turns out the cabinet minister was an alien wanted for crimes by an alien race that will destroy Earth if we don’t return him to them (perhaps Garth had just watched Men In Black?). Again, the superheroes are mostly present for mocking by Kev (even though he does get beaten up by them), and the best bits are the backstory – involving Kev and SAS friends on a job – and the interaction of Kev with his army mates. The story feels genuine in those moments, with the dry Ennis sense of humour coming through and Fabry’s art creating a believable world, great facial expressions and background jokes (mostly berating the beloved football team of Ennis’s artist of choice, Steve Dillon).

I’m glad I read the story, but also glad that I didn’t decide to buy it, as it is very slight Ennis and throwaway stuff that shouldn’t really be interacting with the Wildstorm universe. Still, any comic that, for the panel talking about the Carrier, has ‘Ying-tong-ying-tong-ying-tong-tiddl-y-po’ as the description can't be all bad.

My Top Five Sitcoms

Tom started this off with his Top Ten Sitcoms (and a bizarre 'No Animation' rule), followed by Dr Sordid with a more-British perspective, and Logan. This was a while ago, admittedly, but, as you can tell if you read my blog regularly, being timely is not my strong point. I've been thinking of changing my sub-heading quote to 'There's No Clock On Criticism!' Not wishing to feel left out when it comes to talking about comedy television programmes, here are my Top Five Sitcoms (I like the High Fidelity aspect of the Top Five concept):

Blackadder
Even though it didn’t really get funny until Blackadder II, the series as a whole is brilliant. For me, the six episodes of the second series are comedy perfection. Rowan Atkinson created a wonderful character, supported by a cast of great people, and it was consistently funny and very good. The historical setting means that it can never date as a sitcom, a problem that can happen to most other sitcoms that are set in their present time, so this will just keep on being wonderful while others may lose their relevance.

The Young Ones
The arrival of The Young Ones onto BBC2 announced to the rest of the country the official introduction to 'alternative' comedy. Anarchic, stupid, silly, but mostly just funny, it was the first time that you felt that a connection in a sitcom, rather than watching the dry farces of before. The second series really got it perfect for the group, with some moments of sublime comedy antics that live with me still. And, of course, they did it right by killing them off in the last show.

Spaced
If The Young Ones was the first sitcom to cause a connection, it was Spaced that spoke directly to its audience. A show about twentysomethings trying to find meaning in their lives, it was the beautiful blend of humour, pop culture references, cinematic camera technique and brilliant characters that struck a chord with the audience, knowing that they were talking and referencing all the things that were important to you. Films, computer games, comic books, sex, drugs, skateboarding, guns, clubbing – Spaced was and will always be geek sitcom of choice.

Alan Patridge
The whole of the Alan Partridge on television (allowing me to include Knowing Me, Knowing You …, as well as the actual sitcom of I’m Alan Partridge) is a creation of comic genius by Steve Coogan (even if Lee & Herring were the first people to come up with the germ of the idea on Radio 4’s On The Hour). Starting off with ripping the shit out of the chat show format, then mining the vein of cringeworthy comedy that would see Ricky Gervais get his Golden Globes later for The Office, Partridge was pure British comedy distilled to perfection. Coogan may worry about Partridge being his legacy, but what a legacy.

Father Ted
The idea of three priests on an island does not sound like a very good situation for comedy to ensue. How wrong. In three deliriously oddball series, Father Ted proved to the perfect setting for comedy and wonderfully grotesque characters. Even though it is set in present time, with the occasional pop culture reference, the setting seems to exist outside of time, allowing it a long life in a similar way to Blackadder. The antics of Fathers Ted, Dougal and Jack, with their housekeeper Mrs Doyle, were spooky in their reality of Ireland and the approach to priests, the truth of which makes it even funnier. It was a shame when Dermot Morgan died so young, but he will always be remembered.

Outside of the Top Five, some close contenders:

The Office
Exquisite in painful laughter, where you were looking through your hands because you couldn’t believe what you were seeing, The Office is quite excellent, perfect in its creation of the real world and the larger-than-life characters that inhabit it. Kudos to Gervais and Marchant for agreeing to keep it short and sweet.

Peep Show
Another sitcom in the vein of excrutiating laughter, Peep Show sees the world literally through the eyes of the two central characters as we see what they see and hear what they are thinking at the time, no matter how embarrassing or horrible it might be. It is like nothing else on television, and brought to the world the talents of David Mitchell and Robert Webb. Hysterical stuff.

Scrubs
I have mentioned British comedy for the most part, and shows that didn’t go on forever. This doesn’t mean I am averse to long-running US sitcoms; even though I haven’t seen enough Seinfeld to be able to put it on this list, the small amount I have seen was superbly written and acted, and made me laugh. I could even occasionally chortle to the well-written lines of Friends and Will & Grace. However, Scrubs is the show that makes me laugh out loud the most consistently of any US show. Not only very funny, it is also very well made, with the single-camera set-up and the flashbacks, asides and fantasy sequences. I know it might be a bit early to put on a list like this, after only four seasons (for us over here) but it is that good.

Frasier
Frasier was the only long-running US sitcom that didn’t just blend into the background, a problem I had with a lot of US shows I have seen. For example, I saw some Everybody Loves Raymond while I lived in the US – a couple of laughs while watching it, perhaps, but nothing memorable to stick in the mind after it was gone. I got the feeling from shows, too many to remember or list, that they were as basic as possible so that they were like televisual wallpaper – you could have it on without being offended enough to turn it off but not engaged enough that you thought about switching over when the adverts came on. Frasier was different, with a wonderfully clever writing team and a sharp cast of actors being razor sharp every week.

Coupling
This is my slightly unusual choice. The first series was above the norm, and the less said about the horrible fourth series the better. However, series two and three were just amazing in their mixture of laughter, emotion and challenging narrative structure, all in half-hour episodes of a traditional sitcom format. The setting up of scenes and jumping in time were brilliant, and, in Richard Coyle as Jeff, one of the most wonderfully perverse yet innocent characters ever created. When he left, so did the heart of the show. But when it was on, it was sheer delight. Ignore the Friends comparison; enjoy the bizarre uniqueness.

Solicitations, Inventory, And, Erm, Stuff

A lot to get through today, so let’s crack on and commentaritating (and making up words):

Marvel solicitations for October

As Marvel ploughs on with the massive Civil War crossover, there are only a few items worthy of merit that deserve mentioning, for whatever reason I see fit.

Ultimate Power #1
Bendis starts off this bizarre crossover, with Ultimate U meeting Squadron Supreme U. Shouldn’t DC be suing for stolen ideas – isn’t this a Marvel version of the JSA meeting the JLA? It should be interesting seeing Marvel do something like this, especially with the multiple writer approach of different writers doing three chapters in a row. I don’t think that this bodes well for the quality of the comic, but it is definitely worthy of attention.

Dr Strange: The Oath #1
Yet another attempt to ‘do’ Dr Strange for the current climate (the question everyone wants to know: will Neilalien like it?), this looks like it has a fighting chance in the form of Brian Vaughan, an interesting sounding story, and some fluid art of Marcos Martin. The preview pages are funny and attention grabbing, so could this be the one that works its magic? (Pun unfortunately intended.)

Criminal #1
Pure crime noir from Icon comics from the class Sleeper team of Brubaker and Phillips. Despite the nagging feeling that there isn’t a market for this book (the good crime noir books with superheroes – Sleeper, Gotham Central, Powers – have never done excellent business, so why will that change if you remove superheroes from the equation?), I will be there for what should be a cracking read from creator combo with good previous form. Here’s hoping that Marvel support it …

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Incoming Inventory

Supergirl and the Legion of Super Heroes #20
Following the nice aside of the whodunit of last issue, I hope the plot progresses a little with this one, and perhaps we’ll get another issue done completely by Kitson?






Casanova #2
Despite my feeling that Fraction missed the point of the Fell format in the first issue, there was a lot to enjoy about the introduction to Casanova Quinn, so this issue will be a test to see if it can work in 16 dense pages.





Runaways #18
I’ve deliberately been avoiding any news, interviews or discussion of Runaways stories, just so I can enjoy the unravelling of a death of a Runaway in an old school kinda way. It seems a shame to ruin a great last page from issue 17 with knowledge of what is to come.




X-Factor #9
PAD continues his ability to make me care about these characters and work them into a company-wide crossover, so I’m looking forward to this issue (with the showdown with Quicksilver), even if Calero is still doing the art. He’s improved since he began, but I’m not convinced. Yet.

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Other stuff:
Jog makes it to two years, so belated congrats to the most prodigious writer in the comic blogosphere, with not an image in sight. Timely, consistent, jaw-droppingly insightful, I’m too scared to comment on his posts for fear of my stupidity being displayed next to such intelligent writing.

Kevin provides scans of the first issue of OMAC – I still don’t get Kirby, but it was interesting to see it at least.

Frank Miller to adapt and direct a film of Will Eisner’s The Spirit – will this work? Is Frank the one to do it? I've not read any Spirit stuff, but I am fully aware of the respect in which it is held, so this adaptation has to really do justice to the source material for the sake of comic books.

DC Comics Solicitations for October

Life (and the amazing rarity of wonderful British sunshine) meant that I didn’t buy my comics for last week and I didn’t see Superman Returns. I feel ashamed to the pit of my soul, which is why I find it ironic that my next topic of discussion is upcoming comics (that I will buy much later than when they come out) from DC.

DC solicitations for October

Seven Soldiers #1
A rather uninspiring cover protects the final issue of the Morrison maxi-series. I’ve been waiting ages for this to be solicited, so I'm really looking forward to finding out how it all pans out. It also means that I can sit down again and read it all in one sitting and see what I’ve missed.




The Authority #1
The delicious-sounding combination of Grant Morrison and Gene Ha take on The Authority, the super team that seems to be batted willy nilly between creators (Ellis to Millar, nutmegging Peyer, chased by Robbie Morrison, punted to Brubaker, a substitute by John Ridley, and some silliness from Ennis). If anyone can make The Authority great again, it’s Grant, so the potential for this bimonthly title is huge, and some sumptuous art from Ha to make it even more lovely. (However, the cover is a little bland – the promotional art at the wikipedia entry is a better cover for a new book)

Astro City: The Dark Age Book 2 #1
This will probably read better in the trade, but Astro City is too enjoyable not to buy the comics, even if Anderson’s art is losing some of its shine. (Despite his static figure work, I’d prefer Ross – the cover is very good.) Busiek always brings out something a little special in his Astro City work, and this big storyline should be even more distinctive.

Desolation Jones #7
I really enjoyed the first arc of Desolation Jones – I think it’s a great vehicle for Ellis’s story sensibilities – and it was a shame to see the evocative art of JH Williams go. Still, the new artist Danijel Zezelj (how the hell do you pronounce that?) seems like an interesting choice, based on the cover alone, so I can’t wait for more DJ, even if it is only bimonthly.

Planetary #26
I have to mention this because it is a wonderful thing to see Planetary on the schedules. This is something for the long-time fans of the series to relish, where things are brought to a conclusion (epilogue pending). This has been a fantastic series, with an interesting premise told in almost poetic form and with stunning art. It will be a shame to see it go, but the delayed schedule of late has made the parting something we’ve got used to.


Notes on the solicitations:

• What the hell is Wildstorm doing A Nightmare On Elm Street – surely that’s Avatar territory?
• I’m sure Neil Gaiman’s bank balance loves the idea of the hardcovers, but what kind of extras justify the $99 price tag? Going back to the well one more time …
  
• Skimpy women covers – Supergirl 11: you can see her thinking, 'Can everyone see up my skirt? Is this really the best choice of costume? Can my skirt twirl anymore without showing my pudenda?'; Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters – a classic porn costume of covering everything else but being skimpy around the breasts and pants areas. She looks like she’s in the middle of a porn film, jerking off the Invisible Man at superspeed (which is why there is a special light affect on her wrist). If you want to draw naked women on the cover, 100 Bullets #77 shows you how to do it with class.

Comic Review - The Defenders: Indefensible

The Defenders
by Keith Giffen, JM DeMatteis, Kevin Maguire

I love the creative team that is Giffen–DeMatteis–Maguire. They make fun, enjoyable superhero comics. I love their Justice League, both the original and the recent 'Formerly Known As …' stories. There is usually a serious tone underneath (because drama usually requires conflict) but they show that it doesn’t ALL have to be doom and gloom and rape and death, not mentioning any names …

Because of the love I have for them, I was a lock for their trip to the Marvel universe in the guise of a Defenders mini-series (a story now titled ‘Indefensible’ for the trade). I have recently instigated a wait-for-the-trade policy on a lot of my purchases, just to curb the spending on my four-colour fix, which is why I hadn’t got this before. However, my lovely and wonderful local comic shop, Gosh!, have a habit of collecting comics in a series and selling them for a cheaper price, meaning I picked these five books up for £6.50 – a bargain not to be ignored.

I’m not that familiar with The Defenders, having not read many of the original comics. The closest interaction was in the pages of Peter David’s run on The Incredible Hulk, in issues 370 & 371, where there was a mini-reunion of the team. Either because of David’s naturally humour-prone approach or because of the basic idea, I have long associated the team with laughs, making it the perfect concept for the G–DM–M team to work their magic. It is an inherently silly concept – put together four individuals into a team just because they don’t belong to any other team, explicitly because they are not team players. It’s nonsensical – there is no justifiable reason for Dr Strange, the Hulk, Namor ('It’s Prince Namor! Why can’t anyone get it right?') and the Silver Surfer should be on a team together. Which is why you get the Kings of Nonsense to do them.

The story begins with Nightmare giving Strange a warning that the dread Dormammu and his sister, Umar the Unholy, have teamed up to conquer the universe (and to ask him whether he knows if Wong is a last name or a first name), leading to Strange recruiting Banner and Namor (the Silver Surfer decides not to join because he is hanging out with fellow surfers, in an effort to understand things, a running joke throughout the five issues). Of course, things go tits up, and Dormammu becomes a god, changing the universe to his image, including an Earth where things are very different.

The plot, such as it is, is not the focus here – we are here for the jokes. The main storyline is perhaps dragged out over five issues, with some over-indulgent bickering between Dormammu and Umar going on too long, but the quality of the banter compensates. Giffen and DeMatteis define the characters strongly so that they can play off each other to good effect. Strange is arrogant but dedicated to his postion; Namor is ridiculously arrogant, haughty and generally doesn’t like anybody; Banner is smart while the Hulk is … well, the Hulk really; and the Surfer comes across as an acid burnout. From this, the dialogue flows naturally and aplenty, which is how it should be. And any comic that gets the Hulk laid has to get respect in my book – it makes him so relaxed that Banner can’t change back after the event. Now THAT is funny.

The real star of the show is Kevin Maguire. An artist I have long admired (he’s in my list of favourite artists just outside my Top 5), here he shines. It is well established that he can do the facial expressions that make the comedy work here (there is one page in issue 5 which has 16 panels, all head shots of a dialogue scene between Namor and his Dormammu doppelganger, with each panel having different facial expressions – not a Bendis-style repeat conversation either), but he also shows what a good visualiser of superhero character he is. Namor looks like he is aquadynamic (is that a word?), with his head structure and his body not being excessively wide or muscular. Hulk looks like an explosion of muscle and veins, a ultra-large human figure bursting out of the page. The Surfer looks really sleek and shiny, more like the T1000 terminator, rather than the naked man in pants looks he usually gets. Strange looks arrogant, as he should – check out the arched eyebrow he sports on the cover of issue 1 for the level of character and detail in a few lines. Maguire is, simply put, a delightful super hero artist, and he draws very sexy women (why did they draws those pointless bikini lines on Umar when she is bathing, for goodness sake?) that are real and not biologically impossible.

The Defenders: Indefensible is a lot of fun. It is not perfect, and perhaps could have survived being four issues, but it is enjoyable and doesn’t treat itself too seriously (from the silliness of the credits page to simple joke that the Surfer is not actually in the adventure), and provide the sort of comic book diversion you’d expect from the Bwa-Ha-ha Justice League guys.

Comic Reviews For 29 June

Yes, the reviews are two weeks out of date – you really should be used to that by now. I don’t need no steenkin’ timeliness …

Even though I read these comics as the same time as I read the comics for 22 June at the same time (in a crazed comic bender last weekend), I separate out the reviews for the sake of some sort of order. I’m weird like that.

Usagi Yojimbo #94
I’ve haven’t scanned it yet, but it’s a great image on the back cover. This issue is a done-in-one story, but with the groundwork for future stories. Usagi is staying with a merchant and his young daughter, when the merchant is attacked by assassins (one of whom Usagi has crossed paths with before). The artwork is gorgeous, as always, as Stan does the playful scenes with the child, to the cold-blooded look on Usagi’s face in the midst of fight. The story seems to end in a positive note, only for the wind to be taken from our sales in the final panel. The ominous thought balloon ('Soon, Ronin, soon …') means trouble ahead. Masterful stuff once again.

Supergirl and the Legion of Super Heroes #19
Well, well, well – Kitson does a whole issue. Makes a change. The story (of Chameleon solving a classic closed room whodunit in SP holding cell) is a tight little tale, reminding me of Waid’s Ruse and his love of detective stories. It’s nothing particularly significant, trying to link to the ongoing stories, but enjoyable enough, and allows a nice focus on Chameleon.

PVP #27
That’s an odd cover – nothing like it happens in the issue, and it suggests that Kurtz watched Porky’s too much growing up. The main storyline here is Miranda trying to seduce Max Powers ('Are these things on?' made me laugh out loud) and failing, ending up with sensitivity training with the majority of the office. This is very traditional sitcom territory, but it doesn’t matter when you care about the characters and they make you laugh from sharp writing. Hardly groundbreaking, but appreciated in comic books. The rest of the book is filled with small strips about whatever Kurtz had on his mind at the time (the gold farming bit is slightly forced), which bring out a chuckle here and there. It would be interesting to see Kurtz tackle a whole issue devoted to the classic sitcom format of Plot A and Plot B coming together with the characters at the end, but I don’t mind what we get at the moment.

New Avengers #21
I never thought I’d see the day when Howard Chaykin would be drawing mainstream Marvel superheroes, but I’m glad he did with this issue. He does do fight scenes well, the feeling of movement, the sense of adrenaline (the sound FX as wallpaper), the crackling fizz in the air as Cap is attacked in the warehouse. Bendis seems to step up his game after the rot that was The Collective, defining the characters through action, extensive internal dialogue and even external dialogue ('You don’t even know what you’re fighting for.') He moves the story along organically, playing people off each other in a dramatic yet natural manner. This is more like it. Maybe he shouldn’t do his own plots for a while, and just play off others …

Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. #6
EXPLODO! The fighting is on, and Immonen excels at the fights scenes, with Elsa battling Samurai robots using a shovel. Nextwave is superhero nonsense – to quote Monica, 'This is getting silly now.' – which it should be. Over the top and ludicrous; what’s not to enjoy? Ellis lets rip, with Immonen up to the job – just look at the expression on Anger’s face when he sees Aaron with the dress. Priceless. 'Licky my blinky diodes.' Nextwave is love.

Runaways #17
Vaughan brings a one of his great cliffhangers to this issue – is the character dead? – but that is not the main focus of the issue, nor the limit of Vaughan’s strengths. The interplay of the characters and the sharp banter is a joy ('B.F.F.?' 'W.T.F.' 'What … what just happened?'), and he plays with the notions of obvious plot points and avoids clichés. Great stuff. I just hope he doesn’t feel he has to keep killing characters …

X-Factor #8
The art from Calero seems a little tighter this issue, not so erratic or messy. David always seems to be able to handle crossover issues so much better than most people, so this issue doesn’t feel forced or incomprehensible. There are jokes, character interplay, surprises – Jamie Madrox, Agent of SHIELD – and X-Factor finding out about Decimation through Siryn and her pheromones on Spidey, all setting up nicely for next issue. Very enjoyable.

Inventory, Good News, A Great Film

Incoming Inventory – 13 July

To make up for last week’s barren list, this week the publishers of the ninth art provide me with periodicals:

100 Bullets #74
I’ve been reading this for too long to switch to the trades now, so I look forward to my monthly hit of Bullets, as we head towards the last quarter.







Fables #51
I hope that this keeps up the hit of last issue, which was great. I worry that Willingham might be stretching himself, what with his work in the mainstream DCU and the spin-off, so I hope he keeps up the momentum.






Squadron Supreme #5
JMS has yet to convince me that this should have continued without the MAX umbrella, but at least he is one of the ‘tourist’ writers who has come in from outside comics who actually produces the work in a timely fashion. (See Paul O’Brien’s review of Wonder Woman #1 for a reasoned attack on the TV/film people who don’t understand the meaning of the word 'deadline' when it comes to something other than their ‘real’ jobs – the review is made all the more interesting by the fact that Allan Heinberg sent him an email to say that he never sends his scripts in late – doesn’t he have better things to do than scour the web for reviews of his comic books?) At least he didn’t take the clichéd route I was worried he would in the last issues, and he appears to be grounding it very much in a real-world setting, which should make for interesting story connections.

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Diamond Geezer, one of the most consistent, and consistently entertaining, bloggers makes the jump from web to print, as he writes an article for Time Out (London). Naturally, it’s about London, and seems to be an extension of his journeying around London. This is lovely news, as he is a very enjoyable writer and it is good to see the adage coming true of if you enjoy what you are doing, then the people will come to you and reward you for your efforts. Congratulations, DG.

I’m really happy when bloggers I enjoy get into print (not that it is the only validation of their excellent work), as it is cool to see that other people can enjoy what you have been digging for a while, a bit like an indie band no-one’s heard of suddenly getting signed, or a cult film you’ve know about for ages suddenly getting respect. Obviously, I’m jealous of their success, because I am a shallow and pathetic human being like that, but I know that my writing isn’t print worthy, which is why I blog for myself, and so I can just live vicariously through their success and say I knew them when …

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I saw Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang on DVD last night, and basically wanted to say how great it was. I don’t want to do a complete review (apart from the fact that it has taken ages for me to see it, due to the slightly bizarre calculation that LoveFilm does to select the DVD they are going to send you from your rental queue – I’ve had this film at the top of my list since it became available to rent, which was March for chrissake. If it wasn’t for the fact that they keep offering me 2-for-1 and 3-for-1 on monthly subscription, I would give up on LoveFilm) because, at this stage, it won’t help the film.

But it is an absolute cracker of a movie – Robert Downey Jr is on top form, Val Kilmer is great as Gay Perry, the mood is hard-boiled noir, but the humour of the dialogue and the narration is sublime. It is incredibly quotable ('Still gay? No, knee-deep in pussy. I just love the name so much I can't get rid of it.' 'When in doubt, cut up a pig - that was the town's motto.' '… and to all you good people in the Midwest, sorry we said fuck so much.'), it mocks itself, it plays with the notion that it is a film, it takes the piss out of LA – it’s just great entertainment.

Shane Black likes his private investigators (The Last Boy Scout, The Long Kiss Goodnight) and he writes the sort of film I would like to be able to write, if, you know, I had the talent for his cool dialogue, and any screenwriting ability at all. This film was the top of a short list where I want to see what happens to the characters in the future, even though the story provided a satisfying experience. That’s a sign of a damned good film.

Comic Reviews For 22 June

These reviews are a bit out of date, but you will have to deal with it. You are emotionally strong; I’m sure you can cope. It was quite a rush, reading all my comics in one go after so long without new comics. I felt quite the junkie, getting my fix and overdosing. I read four of them on the tube home, my eyes fizzing from graphic goodness. Here is the first batch, by week of publication (and publisher):

All Star Superman #4
Wonderfully, delightfully silly, in a good way. Jimmy Olsen as a celebrity, warcops, underverse, gypsy curse, tungsten gas lifeforms, becoming Doomsday to take down a mad, bad Superman, and a cosmetic alteration to the moon. Superhero comics should all have this joie de vivre. Simply marvelous.



Ex Machina #21
Ex Machina stories follows a pattern, of a flashback involving The Great Machine, followed by a mayoral problem of the nearer past. This isn’t a problem, as it is done well, and we learn a lot about running a city, the politics of it, with factoids presented in a non-expository manner. This time, we get nuggets about the legal system and its involvement on the drugs/race issue. Next up is the plot and subplot – a mad fireman, and a suspicious character infiltrating the Mitchell team. Finish off with a striking visual, and you have another good issue of this very enjoyable book.

Casanova #1
Fraction seems to miss the point behind the Fell format – tell a dense story in sixteen pages. Here, we get 28 pages of an essentially regular-sized comic. It is an interesting comic, a sort of ‘son of Nick Fury’ kind of thing, set in a great world (consisting of spies, alternate worlds, robots and shooting things with guns). But it isn’t the Fell format, which was supposed to be the point. Ba’s art is very funky, coming across as a looser Risso, but his art requires space, room to breathe (witness the lovely designs of the front and back covers), which would be constricted by the gridded system required to tell a good story in sixteen pages. There are some good touches to the book, demonstrating that I should have faith in the writer (such as the nice use of empty speech balloons to indicated Casanova’s state at the funeral, and the great name that is Newton Xeno), Casanova Quinn is a character I’d like to know more about, so I want to read the next issues, but I worry if Fraction can pull off the discipline required to stick to sixteen pages.

New Avengers #20
In which the Collective goes to Genosha to meet the depowered Magneto and give him his power back and try to sort out the Xorn mess that Marvel has got itself into since it decided to ignore Grant Morrison’s brilliant story about Magneto pretending to be somebody else to infiltrate the X-Men. This book looks and feels so very old-fashioned – it’s a little sad. The cluttered, over-full panels with the messy, scratchy art – it looks like a book from the late ‘70s or something. These Avengers are mostly witnesses to events, making this story seem completely pointless, as well as rather woeful. I hope this is a blip from Bendis, because he can do better.

Ultimates 2 #11
The lovely, lovely art always make this worth the wait, especially in the case of this issue when we are in a holding pattern to the big fight. Therefore, it is not a completely satisfying read in of itself, even if there are some nice moments to keep us entertained ('Relax. Room’s secure.') and the return of the Hulk (even if it uses up a double-page spread and splash page to do it). A light read, made palatable by gorgeous art, while we wait for the big explodo next issue.