Comics I Bought 27 November

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #19
This is the fourth part of 'Time Of Your Life', in which Joss Whedon has brought Fray, the vampire slayer from the future he created in his first comic book work, into the fold of the official Buffy lore. For some reason, time travel stories feel a bit strange in Buffyverse, but that could be just me. In it, Buffy has been caught by Fray because she has been led to believe that she will destroy their world according to a dark Willow, who is still alive in this future and being bad. There is action and heartache (this is a Joss Whedon comic, after all) and good dialogue, and there are hints of what is coming up in future storylines. Really, what you want from a comic book.

It's not perfect, mostly due to Karl Moline's art – his work on the original Fray mini-series was good but this seems a little rushed and not as detailed. I like the style, and some of the action scenes are dynamic, but overall it's not as strong as it could be. The likenesses come and go, depending on the scene, and I'm not sure who exactly the big reveal is (I think it's supposed to be Riley, but I really don't know), which is very important in a comic book that is supposed to be the continuation of a television series with very specific people for the characters. Still, you can tell who is supposed to be who, and that counts for something.

Body Bags: One Shot
I really like Jason Pearson's art. I've even got an Uncanny X-Men annual he drew. I first saw him on the Five Years Later Legion of Super-Heroes and followed him since (I really enjoyed his Savage Dragon mini-series that was basically a tribute to John Woo films). His creator-owned series, Body Bags, first came out in 1996 at Dark Horse Comics in a four-issue mini-series; unfortunately, there hasn't been many more stories of body baggers Mack aka Clownface and his teenage daughter Panda, who is effectively his assistant in the body bagging business.

This special was supposed to come out two years ago (which is why he has to discuss the book at both CBR and Newsarama) but I don't mind waiting for his art if he needs the time to produce a thoroughly over-the-top and entertaining story with lots of swearing and violence and the ridiculing of Scientology and Tom Cruise. What more could you ask for? I had a ball with this – Pearson's stylistic art, mixing great comedy facial expressions and ballistic action, and the interplay between Mack and his daughter: it makes for a lot of fun (although I realise I do have a slightly warped sense of enjoyment). Bullets through people's heads, knives stuck through brains, explosions, and giving Scientology a good kicking – top stuff. I just wish he could be more prolific.

Thor: The Truth Of History
Technically, this book didn't come out this week; it came out in October but I picked up this week after I discovered that there is a connection to the ClanDestine, and I'm a big fan of them (if you didn't know). I hadn't put on my subs list, and my shop had run out by the time I returned the next week. I wasn't too worried initially because, even though I am a big fan of Alan Davis, I'm not a big fan of Thor (outside of the Walt Simonson run). Fortunately, fate intervened and I now have in my possession.

This is an old-fashioned sort of book – Davis has a fondness for the traditional superhero story – with a simple yet enjoyable process: Thor and the Warriors Three end up in Egypt 4000 years ago (after Volstagg falls into a mystic gateway to Midgard). They fight bad guys and save the day and return to Asgard, leaving a small mark on the people. The joy in the book is the art: I could read Davis illustrate The Yellow Pages, to paraphrase. Inked by Mark Farmer, the workmanship is exquisite, the anatomy divine (if you'll pardon the pun), the storytelling spot on, the action dynamic, and detail is err detailed. There are lots of nice touches as ever: likenesses of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy for the bookend pages, the comedy of misunderstanding of two cultures, the hieroglyph at the end, the hint of the Asterix books in the air. I'm not sure of the ClanDestine connection (unless it's the Griffin, linked to the Gryphon in the books) but apparently Davis will have more connections in three annuals he is doing next year (Fantastic Four, Daredevil and Wolverine), so I'll learn more then. This isn't groundbreaking comic books, it's enjoyable and fun, and I'm always glad to see more Alan Davis work.

Thank goodness for Thor, or I would've only had two books to talk about. I really need to start buying more comic books ...

Comic Review – Astonishing X-Men: Unstoppable

Astonishing X-Men #19–24 and Giant-Size Astonishing X-Men #1 by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday

After the first three trades, Joss Whedon brings to a conclusion his X-Men story in rousing fashion, and his tribute to the Claremont/Byrne days is complete. Not that this is a negative – there is nothing wrong with being inspired and dedicated to a particular era, and Whedon uses it (and Morrison's work beforehand) to create new and interesting stories in their own right.

Agent Brand of SWORD has brought the X-Men (Scott, Emma, Hank, Logan, Kitty, Peter and Whedon's own creation, the student Hisako) on board her spaceship heading to Breakworld, which believes that Peter will destroy their world, and have a weapon that will destroy Earth. This is a big story of a cosmic scope, in keeping with the X-Men of old, but it is also about the characters themselves and the way they interact with each other in a crisis situation – exactly the sort of ingredients for good entertainment.

Whedon displays his understanding of the characters but also his excellent dialogue – this isn't crowbarred into the action for the sake of humour, but it relevant to the situations. 'Did he teach you the handshake?' 'I'm thinking of calling myself “Claws”' You know, I thought I'd have a lot more fun if I ever got to say this: that's no moon.' 'Annnnnd, shrinkage; People are funny but in direct correlation to what it is happening – this is impressive.

He is helped in this by the excellent art of Cassaday – he has a solid, clear style, without flashiness that is still beautiful. He sticks to a grid layout for the most part, only bringing out unusual layouts for big moments, but he has a great eye for panel composition, using the camera to emphasise the action. He also has a wonderful way with emotions: in issue 21, where Kitty and Peter have an intimate encounter, the lower three panels are all about facial reaction, and the two looks on Kitty's face speak volumes about what is going on in her head, and it is brilliant. And he does this all the way through every issue.

On the story front, Whedon brings some great moments, my favourite being Scott sacrificing himself in a perfectly executed plan (with a lovely callback to the same scene but with the telepathic dialogue this time). I'm not spoiling things by saying that the X-Men save the day, but it's not without the biggest moment: having Kitty, his favourite character, doing the most noble thing as she saves the Earth – well, it had to be for a big reason – which unfortunately seems to becoming a signature of his now. I'm not sure I like the way he left Kitty, although it is the perfect ending to the story, but that's just my sentimental side. These four trades have not been consistently brilliant, but this final collection comes together to provide almost perfect traditional superhero comic book action. Highly enjoyable.

Trimming The Collection – Thor: Vikings

Thor: Vikings #1–5 by Garth Ennis and Glenn Fabry

I started a theme a long time ago – Trimming The Collection – where I chatted about comic books I had bought but now, when reading them again, I'm not sure why I've kept them and decide whether to keep them or not.

I recently had a sort through my longboxes, mostly to tidy up and file things in the correct boxes. In doing so, I found some books that I could barely remember reading, let alone buying, so I thought I'd read them to work out the thought process and to see if they should be on the list.

Thor: Vikings came out in 2003, towards the end of the Bill Jemas era of Marvel Comics, where they were experimenting a lot more, getting writers to come in and do interesting things with their characters. Garth Ennis had been lured to Marvel with the promise of being able to do whatever he wanted with The Punisher. His twelve-issue story – Welcome Back, Frank (with Steve Dillon on art) – turned out to be the basis of the recent Punisher film with Thomas Jane (but don't let that put you off – it's a great story), and Ennis went onto write a host of Marvel characters you wouldn't expect him to (Hulk, Ghost Rider,Spider-Man) and those you might (Nick Fury, in a story which allegedly put George Clooney off doing a Fury film).

After Hellblazer, Preacher and Hitman, Ennis became one of those writers where you would try almost anything of his, which is why I bought this mini-series. After this mini-series, I didn't afford him this luxury. Not that this is a bad story – Ennis isn't capable of writing really bad stories, he's that a good writer – but it just feels wrong.

You are warned on the cover – Parental Advisory: Explicit Content – so you shouldn't be surprised by somebody stepping on a woman's head on the first page. However, it's this mix of gritty realism of what Vikings were actually like and the noble and heroic Thor punching people while wearing tights. Obviously, we don't see any Vikings raping women – it is a Marvel comic – but Fabry enjoys drawing Vikings stabbing, beheading, hanging and generally killing absolutely everyone in sight in the most bloodthirsty way possible. To be fair, Fabry does good gore (although his colour work still doesn't capture the sharpness of his black and white work from his early days) and I've no objection to it; however, the combination of this with a traditional superhero tale of Thor fighting just doesn't come together as Ennis intended.

Some Vikings have been cursed, and turn up in Manhattan in 2003, amped up and seemingly unstoppable, killing everyone and turn the city into a death camp. Thor tries to stop them, only to get the crap kicked out of him, and the Vikings to keep on killing. Then, Doctor Strange turns up to explain everything and come up with a solution – find descendants of the shaman who did the original curse gone wrong and use some proper magic to empower them (a Viking maiden, a Teutonic Knight, and a Luftwaffe pilot) and Thor to fight the Vikings, which they do (with Thor rather embarrassingly starting it with the phrase: 'Tis On.) And win. The End.

It's a very strange idea, albeit put together more than competently, and it's fine if you all you want is some over-the-top violence set in the Marvel universe. Ennis does his war and soldiers themes as well as usual, although his Thor is fairly one-dimensional and his Strange seems a little too effete, although more capable than most people write him, with the occasional good line. But it feels like Ennis was cajoled into working up a Thor idea (it's a good concept, mixing the Norse God with the original Norsemen) and the final product not given the necessary editorial reigning in that another writer might have been. I don't think this will stay in my collection – re-reading it didn't bring the same joy that Preacher or Hitman does and that's the line I have to take.

Reviewing The Comics 20 November

Before I talk about the comic books I bought this week, I just wanted to mention Screenwipe – Charlie Brooker, the scabrous and viciously funny journalist/presenter, returns to BBC4 to review and comment on recent events. Best programme on television at the moment, and you should be watching it. On the first show of this new series, he opines on Manuelgate, talks about the financial crisis (and its affect on making television), reviews Britannia High and a programme with the charisma-free Paul Ross reading from a book. Excellent TV, but it could do without the poetry.

Ambush Bug: Year None #4
Keith Giffen, with the aid of Robert Loring Fleming, returns to use Ambush Bug to mock, deride and kick DC in the balls. The first page makes a joke out of the fact that issue two had an entire page missing its letter balloons, before holding up Dan DiDio to huge ridicule (with a cartoony style to represent all the real people, including Giffen and Fleming). This issue targets 52, the year-long event from DC after Infinite Crisis, an event that Giffen was the breakdown artist for in the first place. There are lots of specific references, as well as obscure references that I don't recognise, but it's still funny stuff: 'My name is Renee Montoya and I'm a former lesbian cop who quit the force after my partner got killed. That didn't come out right. I'm a former cop, but I'm still a lesbian.' There are some jokes that don't work (what is the page about Wicker Bug about?) but then he makes a joke about Swamp Thing (hoping to keep Mike Sterling on board) and the Legion of Super-Heroes, before the Ambush Bug Revenge Squad turn up to mock the fanatical comic book fan. It's all very scattershot but the hit rate is fairly high, and that's what counts.

Ex Machina #39
Brian K Vaughan and Tony Harris do sterling work on Ex Machina, the story of Mitchell Hundred, formerly the hero The Great Machine and now the Mayor of New York – it feels like a quality television drama (probably HBO) only in comic book form. Because of this televisual aspect, I find it hard to come up with the necessary words to describe the quality. I enjoy it very much, although I sometimes forget aspects of the story from one month to the next, and I know each issue will be interesting, entertaining, thoughtful and something novel. And, when it comes down to it, what more can you ask from a comic book? Harris has evolved since I first saw his work on Starman (truth be told, I prefer his earlier style), which is good in an artist, although he seems to use Ian McKellen as a facial model in one scene. Vaughan continues to mix the past with the present, including the bold choice of using the attack on the Twin Towers as a plot point, and this issue sees an indication of a possible escalation of Mitchell's position in the world of politics. The only problem is that working on Lost is taking a toll on the regularity of Ex Machina, with this being the seventh issue since this time last year.

X-Factor #37
How many different artists has Peter David gone through on X-Factor? He's on to another one in this issue, Valentine De Landro, after Larry Stroman's short return to the series. The art is competent, with a nice style, and not as stylised as Stroman's, so no more really obese people or woman with enormous backsides. This issue sees the next instalment in the search for the kidnapped Darwin, while Val Cooper chats with Siryn about her relationship with X-Factor. David is very good at juggling the balls of multiple plot, characterisation, action and dialogue (he peppers the script with some nice one-liners: 'I thought we just fell through a plot hole!' 'Issues? She has the trade paperbacks.') – X-Factor continues to be an entertaining series, even during the large X-Men crossovers.

Comic Book Review – Power Pack: Day One

Power Pack: Day One issues 1–4 by Fred Van Lente and GuriHiru

Back in March, when I first read about the mini-series, I took a slightly defensive stance to the announcement – why should they revisit an already perfect story? Hmm?

On reflection, this was perhaps an over-reaction to a completely sensible idea: if you are doing new Power Pack stories (and people are buying them in sufficient numbers that they continue to be printed), where is the harm in retelling a classic origin story for new readers who haven't read it before? It's not as if you can get the original comics in trade format ...

Therefore, when I saw the digest-sized trade paperback in the comic book, I picked it up on a whim – this is a very strange thing for me to do, because I know that it is a dangerous thing for my bank balance to pick up books just because I feel like it. However, I felt unprofessional slagging off something without seeing it, and I've got a soft spot for Power Pack, so I bought it.

Firstly, I'm assuaged by the line inside: Based on a story by Louise Simonson and June Brigman. They're paying some sort of tribute to where this story comes from, and that is a good thing. And, essentially, the story is the same as told by Simonson and Brigman – the Powers family, the kids (Alex, Julie, Jack and Katie), the antimatter process, the Z^nrx (aka Snarks), the Kymellian (horsey/pony) Aelfyre aka 'Whitey', his smartship Friday, the 'elemental' powers, the special suits, travelling in space, the parents not having memory or knowledge – but with a modern sensibility, a nice sense of humour and additional characterisation. Van Lente (more known for Action Philosophers, Comic Book Comics, The Silencers and Incredible Hercules) has a nice touch with this all-ages book, and the art by the art team of Gurihiru (two Japanese chaps: Sasaki on pencils/inks, Kawano on colours) is achingly cute – I had to use the cover for issue 3 because it sums up the adorable quality of this book. The other nice approach is to tell the origin story as the kids telling Franklin Richards how they got their powers, occasionally interrupting the flow as each of the Powers kids tell their story in their own unique manner, causing the family bickering to erupt.

I can't fault this book – I don't think I could hate Power Pack (well, except for the Tom Morgan-written issues, where they tried to darken up the tone – best forgotten) – and it is very enjoyable. The tone is a perfect mix of the light and the serious, the magic of being a child with superpowers and the reality of the death of Whitey – as I said before, the origin story is a perfect tale. But the charm of Power Pack was always there, as the first child superhero team in the Marvel universe, so it already a firm foundation. I don't know if I'll go out and buy the rest of the recent Power Pack books, but I've no objection to them continuing in this mode now that they haven't made a hash of the origin story. The original Power Pack stories (those written by Simonson and drawn by Brigman and later Jon Bogdanove) still exist in my comic book collection and I shouldn't begrudge the modern comic book fan from enjoying the delights of the best superhero kids team in the world of comics.

Film Review: Zach And Miri Make A Porno

Kevin Smith deserves to have a mainstream hit but Zach And Miri Make A Porno isn't it – trying to mix his verbose vulgarity with the gross out sensibility unfortunately doesn't work, creating a sporadically funny but uneven film that doesn't hang together.

The film does what it says on the tin – long-time friends Zach (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) have no money and decide to make a porno; while making the film, they discover their feelings for each other are more than they realised. Using the three-act romantic comedy structure, this concept works perfectly for the various inciting incidents and plot points for the story: they need money, so make the film; they have sex and realise the feelings; they have to have sex with other people for the film to make money, which incites jealousy; the reaction to this causes the split; before the romantic denouement. Mix this with comedy amateur porn, and you have a great recipe for a film. The only problem, however, is that it ends up as a John Hughes-style romcom with Kevin Smith dialogue in places.

There are some very funny lines and there are two hysterical pieces – the 'frosting' incident and Jason Mewes bending over while naked (it's in the middle of the emotional climax, so is a very funny comedic counterpoint) – but there aren't enough huge laughs necessary for a large-scale comedy film like this. Smith's dialogue doesn't come off as strong as usual; this isn't helped by the main star, Seth Rogen, for two reasons. Firstly, his delivery is mewled – there's something about the way he speaks that just doesn't come across very clearly (for the first twenty minutes, I thought the cinema sound was off), and he tries to overcome this by shouting a lot. It gets stuck in the front of his mouth, with that little lisping edge softening everything. This is not a good thing for a dialogue-heavy role, especially as Rogen has most of the good lines. This is the second problem – Rogen is known for his improvising skills, something that I personally don't think always works in films (I found it very distracting when I watched Knocked Up, which I also had problems with), and I think is at odds with Smith's films. Playing with a carefully constructed screenplay with things that somebody thinks are funny on the day doesn't mean that it is going to work within the context of the film. A normal Smith script would have more pop culture references, but I think he toned it down for this attempt at the mainstream, so it seems out of place when Rogen improvises pop culture references. It also means that Rogen gets the opportunity to riff while Banks is left as the straight women, which is completely unfair.

The incompleteness of the Miri character is another aspect where the film falls down – Banks is a good actress but is left with an undeveloped storyline (what exactly does she do for a vague living in the movie? What does she want from life?) and just follows things rather than makes choices from within the character. The transition from 'What are we going to do?' to 'Yes, let's make a porno' just doesn't feel believable. Ultimately, she just has to smile after the sex scene to show her realisation, and cry at the end when Rogen comes back, and that's not a story arc. And don't get me started on the fact that Rogen is a fat and ugly man who is not in the same league as Banks, and being funny and caring do not make up for that.

The thing I missed in a Kevin Smith film was the personal quality he brought to his other films. Admittedly, there are aspects that are personal – Zach being a slacker who makes a self-penned film at night in the place where he works reflects Smith's experience of Clerks; the people making the film become a family who continue to work with each other, reflecting Smith's preference for using the same people – but it feels distant and detached. The lack of development of the other aspects accentuate this – a couple of montage shots are supposed to indicate that the people on the set have suddenly become a close-knit group of friends, and feels false – and the way the film brings about the resolution also feels unreal and inorganic.

I wanted to like this film and for it to be Smith's breakout hit (I'm a big fan), but it's just okay. The Smith/mainstream chimera doesn't hold together and, apart from Jeff Anderson's delivery, it doesn't feel like a Smith film. There are some nice turns from Justin Long and Brandon Routh, and it was nice to see Jason Mewes looking so healthy, but Zach And Miri Makes A Porno doesn't make for a great comedy.

Rating: VID

Comic Book Shops I Have Known

I've talked about comic book shops – both in London and elsewhere – that I shop at, have shopped at or are around for me to access in London. For a final post on the topic, I wanted to get out of my system the other comic shops I have known but are either no longer around, or I don't necessarily classify as 'comic book shops' or, worse, I can barely remember but sure they existed.

The first in this list is Top 10 Comics, a shop co-owned by long-time comic book fans and media people Jonathan Ross (famous telly personality, of the BBC documentary about Steve Ditko and snogging Neil Gaiman at the 2007 Comic Con) and Paul Gambacinni (radio DJ and titular inspiration for Paul Gambi, the tailor to the super-villains in The Flash). It was a small unit in St Anne's Court in Soho, a small alley between two roads; the size didn't matter because apparently Ross was the major purchaser of comic books in the shop. I shopped there for a little while, especially when they gave a 10% discount if you had a subscription list with them. Unfortunately, it didn't last; I turned up one Saturday to discover they had closed down. Turns out Ross isn't as successful as a comic book shop owner as he is a television celebrity (with the exception of the recent Manuelgate episode).

Another shop I visited a couple of times, although I didn't have a subs list, was Krypton Comics, in the Seven Sisters area of North London (also known as Seven Murders). I can't remember too much about the shop, apart from it being a nice space with lots of back issues; it's claim to fame (in geek world) was being the comic book shop Silent Reading in the episode of Spaced where Tim briefly worked (deliberately getting himself sacked with the line, 'Babylon 5's a big pile of shit']). However, it seems that Krypton Comics is now only online – this must have happened recently because they are still listed in online directories of comic book shops in London at the same place; however, I know they're not there because I dragged my long-suffering but wonderful girlfriend up and down Tottenham High Road, and it's not there.

A place I used to like visiting, and occasionally exchange old comics for money or trades, was the Book & Comic Exchange in Notting Hill. I haven't been there in a while but I used to love rifling through the back issues they had there, at extremely reasonable prices, and trying new things buy swapping old comics for whatever they were worth. I didn't do that a lot – it took a long time for me to get rid of my comics, love them as I do – but it seemed a sensible thing to try at least. I don't know if they still do comic books, because they tend to be listed as books/DVDs/CDs exchange, but I hope they still do business.

Now we get onto memory that even Google can't help fill in the gaps. There was an actual comic book shop in Notting Hill, down on Portobello Road (which made it a bitch to get to on market days). I think it was called Fantastic Store – I remember it even had the same font for the shop sign as the Fantastic Four comic book logo – and had a nice mix of new and old comics. I recall getting my fingers dirty going through their longboxes, and they were one of the first places I remember having cheap bins – I picked up a reprint of Lone Wolf and Cub (with a Frank Miller cover) for 50 pence so that I could see what all the fuss was about. The shop doesn't exist any more, and I don't know what happened or when, but I'm glad it did if just for the best title of a comic book shop ever.

The weakest memory, such that I sometimes think I'm imagining it, is of Meanwhile – this was a fancy place in Camden, just opposite the tube station, which was going for upscale end of the graphic novel market. It was more like a book shop for the trendy set, as I recall, but my memories are vague from only one visit and I seemed very out of place in there (I was a poor student at the time) and knew I wouldn't be back. I don't think it lasted the year, which doesn't surprise me – even London wasn't ready for a posh comic book.

There might have been a comic book shop in Leytonstone – I recall being on the Central line nearly to the end of the line – but that's so clouded in the shrouds of mystery that I can't even recall a name for the shop. And that's about it; I don't think there's any more memories to inflict upon you, and I won't be visiting comic book shops around the country just for content for this blog, so that's your lot. Go and enjoy your own comic book shops.

From A Library: Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes

Action Comics #858–863 by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank

There are certain writers of a large stature in the comic book field who I don't really understand why they are so popular and I don't really like the work of theirs I have read. One such writer is Jeph Loeb – I'm disappointed that he's doing an arc on Season 8 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and I didn't even bother talking about The Long Halloween because I didn't like it so much) – and the other is Geoff Johns. It's irrational because I haven't read very much of his work but maybe it's just first impressions.

So, it was a strange twist that I actually wanted to read this collection. The reasons for this:
1. I had read good reviews of Johns' story
2. I like Gary Frank's art
3. I like the Legion of Super-Heroes and was told that they were treated well in this story

The LSH nearly changed my comic book fanboy history – rather than Uncanny X-Men #201 starting me on this journey, I might have become an LSH fan after buying a couple of issues of the book while on a summer holiday in my early teens. The idea of a team of lots of heroes with lots of powers and lots of different backgrounds was obviously very appealing to a young chap interested in superheroes like me and, even though I didn't become one of the die-hard Legion fans, I did always keep a soft spot for them (particularly the Giffen 'Five Years Later' iteration). So I had to read this book.

Johns comes up with a good concept and a good thematic link – in the future, someone who was rejected from the LSH (Kirt Niedrich, calling himself Earth Man, and leading his Justice League) usurps the idea of Superman, saying he was not an alien but a human who hated all aliens, meaning the members of the LSH who are aliens have to leave and the human members are 'race traitors'. The link to Superman is that he was rejected as a teenager (according to Johns' version).

Superman is brought into the future by Braniac 5; however, the Earth's sun has been turned red, so he is powerless. Nice twist and allows the other Legionnaires to step up with their powers, as well as allowing for Superman to wear a Legion ring. Johns' is obviously a fan because he fills the story with lots of details from Legion history in nice touches. This is also a big story because the threat is of sufficient scale – if this Justice League isn't handled then the rest of the United Planets will go to war with Earth.

On the art front, Gary Frank does a good job – he's a good superhero artist, with dynamic poses and good differentiating all the members of the Legion. Superman looks suitably heroic and everything is clear, something that can be tricky with such a large cast (although everyone is distinguished with a nice ident theme). The only problem with Frank's art is the look on women's faces sometimes – the grimaces that should be smiles and the strange 'dead eye' look, which makes them look a bit demented. He likes to sexy the women's costumes – the first time we see Dawnstar in the first issue, with her boob window costume, it took me two looks at the panel to realise that she was actually saying something in the panel, and his versions of Shadow Lass and Phantom Girl are more sexed up than I remember – but it seems to be unfortunately the way of modern comics.

I really enjoyed this book – Johns knows the characters and puts them in a great story that is true to the history of the Legion while tweaking and updating them and making them a genuine concern for current comic books. The connection to Superman is very nicely played too, and the way he interacts with them suggests years of history, which is a nice touch (and seemed to ignore the ridiculously complicated continuity developed for the LSH when they decided they Superboy did not exist and the LSH were not inspired by him). I may not have enjoyed previous Johns' work but I dug the hell out of this; I may have to reassess my opinion. Highly recommended.

Reviews Of Current Comic Books: 13 November 2009

So, the irregularity of posting recently might suggest an upheaval of some sorts, disrupting my attempts at consistent posting (I try to have a post every weekday, if you were wondering). This change is also the reason for this post, and I hope is a regular feature.

I recently got a new job (yeah, I know; I'm lucky to get a new job in the current economic climate), which obviously requires some adjusting to a new place, new people, new work practices and integrating into an established system. I'm getting there, but it's interfered with the writing, something I'm trying to rectify. As a way of getting back on track, I'm posting this on Saturday, a day when usually people don't read blogs (not that days of the week affect when people don't read my blog, but that's not the point).

The positive aspect of the new job, when it comes to comic books, is that the office is in central London, meaning I can pick up my new comic books on the day they arrive here in the UK by nipping out during my lunch hour. Therefore, I aim to write reviews of the books I've bought for my Friday post from now on, depending on what I've bought – the first week I started in the new job, there were no comics on my subs list that week, so I couldn't start then.

Before I started my reviews, I just wanted to point out comic book podcast that has started that is very enjoyable – House to Astonish by Paul O'Brien (of The X-Axis and Ninth Art [Have they lost the domain name? Their archives aren't there any more]) and Al Kennedy (also of Ninth Art). They live in Edinburgh, so have decided to meet up and chat about comic book news and do some reviews. There is only one at the moment but I look forward to more because the first was very enjoyable.

Captain Britain and MI:13 #7 by Paul Cornell and Leonard Kirk
This is the second part of Hell Comes To Birmingham (some would say that Hell is Birmingham, but that would be cruel) where the team is helping Captain Midlands with a mystical problem – Plokta, who is able to fulfil a person's deepest desire in exchange for their soul, and is making Mindless Ones. Captain Britain is offered Megan (who I assume was killed some time ago), which gives Plokta a source of magical power. The rest of the team goes in, trying to ignore the deepest desires being offered them (such as Faiza's obvious attraction to Dane, Pete's desire for all the dead he's responsible for are alive) and Dane gets in trouble with his sword, the Ebony Blade. Cornell fills the book with lots of action and characterisation but I still don't love this book as much as I want to – I can't quite explain why this is, but it's not as if it's a bad book. I enjoy it but only to a degree. It doesn't help that Kirk's art is muddied by the three different inkers, but I'll be reading this for the foreseeable future.

Fables #78 by Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham
Under the extremely creepy James Jean cover is another good story from Willingham. Having ended the conflict with the Empire, he's already setting up new threats to the Fables community. Here it is Mister Dark who, with pale skin, dark clothes and letter balloons of black with white text, seems to echo Neil Gaiman's Sandman but with a darker twist and a bizarre sense of humour. He has come out of a Broadcast Box, used by Geppetto to power his Sorcerer Corps, the contents of which will cause problems for the Fables community. This is seen immediately with the destruction of the Witching Cloak and the release of ... something from the basement and an unexpected result of his bravery for Boy Blue. As always, Fables is good comic books – good writing and good art.

100 Bullets #97 by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso
The excellent series is nearing its ending, a long time in coming. Azzarello's writing and Risso's art have been consistently enjoyable but I honestly couldn't tell you exactly what is going on here. I'm going to have to read the whole series and take lots of notes to get all the connections and strands. Still, apart from Risso making women in a hot-tub look like they have lizard skin rather than moisture/water (he makes up for it by drawing one of them in her tiny bikini for the rest of the issue), it is another good issue, ending with a sniper's bullet being fired but we don't know the intended target. Can't wait for the ending.

Anna Mercury #4 by Warren Ellis and Facundo Percio
This is a very interesting mix of 1950's sci-fi, pulp fiction and 'a superhero' heroine, the sort of thing that percolates and springs from Ellis' brain. In a way, it seems almost more story than necessary for a five-issue mini-series, but this is a good thing – there is a world (and worlds plural) to explore in more adventures, if Ellis wanted (and sales warranted). The art by newcomer Percio is good – European vibe with a funky modern line, able to handle the quiet slice-of-life material in the beginning of the book and the dynamic action at the end. This is a very interesting little series – it didn't turn out how I expected and there are lots of layers in what is an action book.

I can't pick a book of the week from these four – they are of equal quality – so no final pithy comment to end this post. Erm, er, that's it. Back to normal schedule next week.

From A Library: All Star Batman And Robin The Boy Wonder Vol. 1

All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder #1–9 by Frank 'Goddamn' Miller and Jim Lee

Brian Michael Bendis once talked about breaking the internet in half, but I would posit that Frank Miller's return to Batman is the divisive superhero book that has divided opinions on the blogospher in half. On the one hand, you have the likes of long-time supporter of the book Mike Sterling and Kevin Church; on the other hand, the rest of the blogosphere. Reactions have been extreme.

I didn't buy this book when it came out but was curious to read it after the hoopla (I was the first to get my library copy, something I'm quite happy about). I've lost interest in the comic book work of Miller – I thought his Sin City descended into awful parody of itself and his artwork was getting ugly to look at (I thought it progressed to very ugly by Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again) – so it was a shock to see his vision in a superhero book again. Because this is very much Miller's Batman (Bob Shreck's foreword accurately describes this as the prequel to The Dark Knight Returns; but his foreword also comes across as a desperate plea for faith in the book: 'It's all about trust' and 'Trust me!' scream to me 'The book isn't shit, honest!') – when the third page of the first issue is a full page spread of a woman in bra and panties in high heels with the description, 'She's trouble. The kind of trouble you want.', followed by a panel of her sucking her finger and then a close up of her pert bottom, you know for certain that this is a Frank Miller® Comic Book. There's even a montage of sexy costume changes on the next page (Jim Lee draws sexy and at least it's not Miller trying to sexy women – check out his ugly variant covers for unsexiness).

Miller is setting the scene for his Batman Year Two, leading into TDKR – Gotham City is totally corrupt, normal people don't trust cops, and Batman is the only man who can stop the rot. Lee gives this a slick sheen to this rough and dark world, although his Batman looks more like Miller's Batman in TDKR, especially the last page of the first issue, a splash page that is actually quite striking, with Batman holding up Dick Grayson and tells him, 'You've just been drafted. Into a war', echoing the TDKR talk of soldiers in his battle against crime.

The second issue is where the hard-boiled narration really loses it – as long as it was only Batman doing it, you could almost accept it. However, when EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER talks in the same way, even a 12-year-old Dick Grayson, it is very, very stupid. This issue, the Batman narration goes totally overboard and the dialogue goes insane, with the infamous: 'What, are you dense? Are you retarded or something? I'm the Goddamn Batman.' (It's obvious that Miller wants to use a stronger word than goddamn, so it smacks of an old man desperately trying to be down with the kids, but this is supposedly for all ages so we get this substitute.) An example of Grayson narrative:

'He sucks air and for a second it looks like he's got a razor blade stuck between his teeth – then he talks and it sounds like every single word he says is a jagged chunk of glass that scrapes his throat on the way out. Just listening to him is like being punched in the chest. Again and again.'

What kind of 12 year old thinks like that? Even if it was a child who had read nothing but hard-boiled fiction their entire life would not create sentences like that or equate an action with these words – it's goddamn retarded, and it takes the reader out of the story.

In issue 3, Miller brings us Black Canary, which is one of the most idiotic sequences I've seen in a Batman book; I felt quite sad after reading it, even if it has a Chris Sims special – a kick to the face – by Lee on a double-page spread, with teeth flying out of the face-kickee's mouth. The dialogue is awful and the choices taken with the character is more and embarrassing, importing a Miller woman into the DC universe. Horrible.

Side note: in the first issue, we see a close up of Bruce Wayne's face in the circus at the murder of the Graysons, and he's clean shaven; yet, an hour or so later, as Batman he has a face full of stubble. How did that happen? Is it make up? It irked me.

Onto the fourth issue, which deserves special kudos for the six-page pull-out spread of the Batcave that is actually quite cool, and that's the only time I felt that while reading this book, but it is also thematically resonant because it reflects Dick's first reaction to seeing the place. In contrast, it sees the return of Miller's (via Batman) disdain for Superman, who can't fly yet, suggesting that it was always there rather than a late reaction to how Superman turned out in TDKR. The final page, with Batman striding off from an argument with Alfred, looks so much like a Frank Miller Batman as drawn by Lee it's quite scary, and seems to hammer home the connection to TDKR.

Issue 5 has the early Justice League – Superman, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Plastic Men (eh? What's he doing there?) and Wonder Woman (who has a Miller hard-boiled narrative, because she's angry and shit, you know ...), and Miller can barely hold in his disdain for the characters. I wonder why he feels the need for it. He doesn't care as long as he gets to include 'I love being the Goddamn Batman'. Even Alfred gets in on the act: 'Not until Zorro ... A mother took one last look into the eyes of her only son ... and saw him become a demon.' Who, apart from Miller, thinks like this?

I couldn't understand the point of Barbara Gordon dressing up as Batgirl in issue 6 – why is it there? It doesn't seem to lead anywhere other than to have it in the book. It seems pointless, and she looks very silly, with a mask that doesn't even do the job, and readily identifiable long red hair, and all the stupid sparkly things around her waist. The embarrassment level is high, with Black Canary as an Irish lass, with a really silly way of talking (American writers should stop romanticising the Irish thing, seriously), and some of Batman's one liners are just awful: 'Eat glass, lawman!', 'Let me take you to school, suckers ... in chemistry!' WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN? And he seems to be repeating himself, using the line 'Striking terror. Best part of the job.', which I'm sure he used in the sequel to TKDR.

The seventh issue actually posed a question: do Batman and Black Canary have sex after their beating of some criminals? Canary: 'We keep our masks on. It's better that way.', followed by symbolic lightening. I hope so, but that might be just me. Of course, there is still stupidness: Batman recognises Canary's accent as being from County Monaghan – yeah, I don't think so, Miller ...

Issue 8, and my stamina is being sapped. It's time for the Joker to turn up, and his own hard-boiled narrative: 'Gotham City cries. She is a sad old whore. I love her when she cries.' Oh, please dear God in heaven, make it stop! He follows this up with a particularly nasty murder, seeming to enjoy the grisliness for its own sake, which is rather unpleasant. Keeping up the stupidity, Dick Grayson (a 12-year-old circus performer, remember) recognises Alfred's accent – 'British accent. Upper class. South Kensington, from the sound of it.' FUCK OFF, JUST FUCK THE FUCK OFF. Stop right now before I have to kill you. Meanwhile, Miller lays into Green Lantern ('That moron', 'He's as dumb as a post', 'What a damn idiot.') but, conversely, he puts in a nice touch by having Dick wanting to be called Hood after Robin Hood but Batman calls him Robin to get rid of the hood in the costume.

Finally, the last issue of this collection (and this is three years after the first issue) and we see Batman and Robin meeting Green Lantern in a room they've painted yellow and are themselves covered in yellow paint ('Dumbest weakness I ever heard of ...'). At least there is an actual attempt at genuine humour – Dick: 'He's got a point. Maybe I am Dick Grayson.' Jordan: 'Don't try to confuse me, damn it!' (Question: is it me or does Lee's Hal Jordan echo Neal Adams' version?)

When it comes down to it, this book is all about the title: 'Robin the Boy Wonder'. It tries to explain how incredibly exceptional Dick Grayson is – a 12 year old, whose parents were killed in front of him, becomes a crime fighter immediately afterwards. 'This kid's brain is as fast as his hands.' 'He's a natural.' 'He might just be a genius.' Grayson has to be something amazing in order to survive this ordeal, let alone be exceptionally good (which makes it even more of a shame that Miller pisses all over this by turning him into a bad guy in TDKSA).

Is this book awful? No. It's well drawn and interesting (in a scientific way). Is it good? No. Miller's narration is the same for everybody, even the third-person omniscient narrator, and it seems very dated – compare with Brubaker's exquisite dialogue and captions in Criminal. Maybe the style feels old because we have become used to the current vogue for telling stories without thought balloons or first-person narrative. Here, it seems tired and laughable, an old man trying to hang onto his former glories. There are too many silly aspects and pointless asides and digs at superheroes. I'll let Sterling and Church to enjoy it.

Comic Book Shop Memories: Canterbury

The chronological continuation of recollecting my comic book shop patronage moves from Bristol to Canterbury in England's garden, Kent. After my undergraduate degree at Bristol, I went to the University of Kent at Canterbury (its full title) to do some post-graduate work for several years. Even though it's only 90 minutes from London, I was worried that there would be no comic book shops (not a factor in my decision, you understand); I needn't have worried.

When I first moved to Canterbury in the early 1990s, there were two places to buy comics. The first was Siegi's Comics, a small shop near Marlowe's Theatre. It was a very basic unit, just a small square room, but completely filled with longboxes of old comic books – in the middle of the room and around the walls, box upon box of old books that could take many hours to peruse. There were shelves for new comics, but I think that the owner (the Siegi of the name) tended to work with subscriptions more than people coming in to buy things. There were was some merchandise, and even trade paperbacks and graphic novels, but the shop never really cared about that – Siegi was a living embodiment of the Simpsons' Comic Book Guy, a hugely overweight man with some facial hair and a coterie of friends who hung out in the shop to talk about comic books and other pop culture ephemera, creating an unfriendly atmosphere for any outsider who might accidentally venture inside. Luckily I was accepted, knowing enough to not seem stupid (even answering questions I would overhear) and buying sufficiently 'cool' books to be seen an insider. Unsurprisingly, the shop didn't survive – they weren't turning a profit on my purchases (it was the time I began my maturing in my tastes; I recall buying lots of back issues of Sandman, Black Orchid, Animal Man and other of their ilk), and Siegi had to close down about a year or so after I moved there, and I had to look elsewhere for my comics. In doing a bit of research for this post, I discovered (via this forum post) that Siegi had passed away; perhaps not unexpected due to his size, but still a shame nonetheless.

The other place to buy comics at the time was a stall in a covered marketplace, run by a friendly chap called Manny who called his operation Whatever Comics. It was a small unit, enough for only two other people to look through the longboxes with Manny there, but he had a good collection (at good prices), was chatty and approachable, and it was only a matter of time before he expanded. This he did before Siegi closed down (1992, according to the website), opening a well-laid out and well-presented shop on Burgate Lane near the north wall of Canterbury city. The new comic shelf was large (and with a wide variety of different comics), neatly arranged and always kept tidy. The longboxes expanded to fill the rest of the shop, but again everything was neatly organised and easy to peruse – as I did, for many hours, filling the gaps in my collection (I seem to recall picking up almost the entire run of Suicide Squad for 25p each). I returned to Canterbury recently, to find that he has expanded again, moving to new premises on the high street, St Peters Street (see the photo above), which is a great location. The shop is again a well-presented facility: a large shelves of new comics, longboxes with old comics and trade paperbacks, and a lot more merchandise (especially in the window – being on the high street means more casual shoppers dropping in). It was great to see such a good shop and Manny doing so well – I felt that I almost helped him make the move with all the books I bought from him. Not that he needs it anymore – there were plenty of people in shop when I was there, in the middle of a weekday, both casual shoppers for the merchandise and comic book fans looking through the boxes and buying trades.

The strangest aspect of the new location is that it is literally (and I used the word 'literally' in its correct sense) around the corner from the other comic book shop in Canterbury, Incognito Comics, on The Friars up from the Marlowe Theatre. Before, these two shops were at either end of the high street – now, they are next-door neighbours. Incognito came to Canterbury some time after Whatever Comics opened into the shop – I think about 1994, but I'm not sure – which came something of a shock; I was just getting used to only having the one shop in town. Incognito is a small and cramped shop – it hasn't changed since I was last there but I don't remember it as well because I didn't frequent it as much as Whatever. On one side, the shelves of new and recent comics (lots of them, a good selection); on the other side, longboxes of trade paperbacks – I think they leave the back issue selling to the online shop. There is lots of merchandise of all sorts, from busts to lightsabres, filling every other available space on the walls and behind the counter – comics may be in the title of the shop but it's not the focus. The staff are very friendly – they were entertaining a family looking to buy a lightsabre – and the shop, although small, was full and and had a nice atmosphere.

I was delighted to see so many people in both shops – they can obviously survive the competition, and I hope they do for many a year. I have fond memories of both shops, and my collection has many books from them too, and I'm glad they're still around. It was a shame that Siegi couldn't stay around, but three comic book shops in a city as small as Canterbury (and trust me: having lived there for over three years, it is small) would never have worked. I was spoilt for comic book shopping during my time there, I know that, but you should try it: there's something very nice about having two comic book shops on your doorstep.

Scalped: Casino Boogie

Scalped #6–11 by Jason Aaron and RM Guéra

Garth Ennis, in his introduction, asks the reader to blog about Scalped – it's taken me a long time, and I don't think my post will be of benefit, but I had to say my bit because this book is just really damn good and people should be buying it.

This is the second trade of the ongoing series; the first trade, Indian Country (which hit me between the eyes), collected the first five issues, which came hurtling out of the gate with a blast, grabbing your attention and not letting go. Aaron created a breathtaking and electric story right from the start, with a great central character in Dashiell Bad Horse, a great location in the Prairie Rose Indian Reservation in South Dakota, and great protagonists in Chief Lincoln Red Crow and FBI Agent Nitz. After the first arc set things up, Aaron takes a little more time to investigate characters in this second arc.

The events of the six issues all take place around the opening night of the Crazy Horse casino; Aaron goes backwards and forwards, looking at what specific characters are doing while the big night ensues, as well as giving us snippets of backstory. The first issue sees events from the perspective of Bad Horse; the second issue is about Red Crow and his history; the third chapter is about Diesel, the white boyfriend of Dash's mother who thinks he is Indian, and his secrets; the fourth episode is about Catcher, an Indian of Red Crow's generation, who thinks he is seeing people's animal totems and having visions; the fifth concerns Dino, a teenage Lakota and his life on the rez; and the final chapter spends time with Dash's mother, Gina Bad Horse and her connections with Red Crow.

To say this series is multi-faceted would do it an injustice; all the characters are fully fleshed out, the motivations are believable, the details are well researched, and storylines are multi-stranded and absorbing. The reality of the situation – the hardness of life on the rez, the effect of the casino on community, the things people (both Crow and the FBI) do in order to achieve their goals – makes this series stand out and help to make it so captivating. Guéra's art, gritty and visceral and dynamic, adds to the atmosphere but it is Aaron's story is the star, and I look forward to seeing how it pans out – so just buy this book already.

Mini-Marvels: Rock, Paper, Scissors

By Chris Giarrusso

Back in 1999–2000, the Bullpen Bits ran in the back of Marvel comics books; the strip featured kid counterparts of superheroes and villains – you can see them at the website of Giarrusso. They were charming four-panel strips that shone with a light-heartedness that is missing from a lot of comics today.

Since those single strips, Giarrusso has created longer stories for these adorable characters, which have been collected in this book. These include Paperboy Blues, Cereal Quest, Paperboy Showdown, three stories about the Hulk (Hulk Date, Round Trip, and World War Hulk: Rally The Troops), and The Iron Avengers. If you want fun, amusing, entertaining and utterly charming comics, these are for you.

The stories are straightforward but not dumbed down, and everything you need to know to enjoy them are included in the book. Paperboy Blues sees Spidey (not Spider-man) delivering the Daily Bugle for (the adult) J Jonah Jameson; however, because he is failing to collect the money, JJJ threatens to give the route to Eddie Brock (who is wearing the Venom costume; he still wants to eat people's brains, but he looks cute with one big bottom tooth). So, Spidey has to visit all his deliverees: the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, and the Hawkeye-led Thunderbolts. This whistle-stop tour of the Mini Marvel universe is a delight – all the characters are easily identifiable and the interactions are great.

Cereal Quest sees Wolverine trying to obtain a box of his favourite cereal, X-Crunch. He is hampered in this by the people who work in the supermarket and by evil mutants, and he looks great with his uniquely Logan hairstyle. Paperboy Showdown sees JJJ get Spidey and Brock to fight over the one place on the route they both don't want – Norman Osborn, with some walk on parts for lesser known members of the Marvel universe. The Hulk stories see Hulk on a date (suffering from advice from Hawkeye), witnesses the Mini Marvel Illuminati remove Hulk from the Earth, and the third story is a lovely tale about World War Hulk, featuring the greatest panel of humour in all of Marvel comics books (it's the one in the bottom left corner, if you're wondering: see below). Finally, a cute story about Iron Man giving everybody their own Iron suits (perhaps a dig at the Spider suit from Civil War).


I got this book originally for my girlfriend, who laughed at every page and enjoyed it immensely, but I couldn't help be won over by the delightful art, the light touch of the stories and the charm of the humour. These are a lovely antidote to some of the seriousness that permeates the world of comic books today, allowing you to enjoy the idea of a universe where the Marvel superheroes are all friends and meet up to enjoy their interactions, the sort of notion that develops when one first experiences the interconnected universe of Marvel comic books. Giarrusso is still drawing and writing/co-writing Mini Marvels back-up strips (mostly in the pages of Power Pack stories) and I can't wait until they are collected as well. Go buy this book and make yourself feel good about superheroes again.

Comic Book Shop Memories: Bristol

My series of posts about comic book shops has been limited to London, because that's where I live and have done for quite a few years. However, I have also lived elsewhere and found places to buy comics in these cities; I thought I'd share some memories to keep up the theme.

It makes me feel old by writing this, but twenty years ago I went to the University of Bristol. I had a great time, and Bristol is a wonderful place in its own right, but it was also great in that it had a comic book shop on Park Street. Park Street is a steep road going down from the Wills Building (part of the university) before it becomes College Green towards Bristol Cathedral. Book shops, record shops, restaurants and other non-chain stores filled the street, which saw a lot of visitation from the students because it was so close, and for me because it had the comic book shop.

The comic book shop was Forbidden Planet, about halfway down on the right hand side as you walk down. It was an old-fashioned shop, nothing fancy or trendy, just a packed interior with two levels, which could be seen as you entered the store. There might have been merchandise, but I only remember the comics because (a) that's all I was interested in and (b) I couldn't afford anything else at the time – I was a student. I remember that it wasn't very well lit, even though it had a big window to let in sunshine.

My memories are not as sharp as I would like – I don't recall the layout and I don't remember the people who worked there – but I know it existed (even if I don't have a photo of it) and my collection shows that I was buying books from that time. A specific memory I have is of reading Peter David's The Incredible Hulk for the first time in the shop – I think I must have read of it in the pages of Comics International; I was a big fan of Chris Claremont's X-books at the time, so the thought of reading anything else was quite novel for me. Unfortunately, my finances wouldn't allow me to get an extra book, so I had to wait for a while before I introduced the book to my collection and went back to get nearly the whole run. The shop never seemed to mind people reading the comics on the racks, but that could be because they were on the upper level and they couldn't see you so easily. It was a charming old shop, the type you don't see any more, and I was very fond of it.

The shop is no longer there – I don't know when it closed or what happened. I recently returned to Bristol for a reunion with old university friends and got the chance to wander the streets of my college days. Although the old shop isn't there, a comic book shop has taken its place – a Forbidden Planet which, by the look of my photo (which is not the greatest; it was very difficult to get a decent angle, and there is a bus stop right in front) and my walk through the store, is part of the Forbidden Planet franchise but does not appear on its website. It has the same layout and design, and looks exactly the same as the London shop I posted about in this post. It warmed my heart that Bristol had such a big shop (it takes up a lot of space) and in such a prominent location, at the top of The Triangle, just up from Park Street. I don't know if the old shop was linked to the Forbidden Planet chain, but I'm happy that the name is still retained and the comic book shop of my student days still lives on.

Reading Lots Of Books From A Library

I have been indulging in 'reading too many comics' syndrome – I'm glad that the library is there to help me with my problem, which saves me from buying them all the time – but, like last time, the books didn't inspire much passion. I can't stop myself writing about in some form, so you get a list of short notes on a variety of books.

Iron Man: Enter The Mandarin, by Joe Casey and Eric Canete, was a six-issue series that is 'Based on Tales of Suspense #50–55 ' which looks visually interesting, based on the cover; however, the interior art isn't as nice – it's rather scratchy and sketchy by comparison and with a skewed sense of anatomy (looking like Mark Badger in places). It's also very talky – Casey has the Mandarin going on and on and on – and doesn't really add up to much. Disappointing.

JLA: Syndicate Rules is by Kurt Busiek and Ron Garney, collecting JLA #107–114 and JLA Secret Files 2004, and is something I never thought I would read – a dull and boring story from Busiek. How can this happen, when you have the DC Big Guns versus the Crime Syndicate of Amerika? It just doesn't gel, and it doesn't help that Garney's art, so sharp and dynamic in his early work, lacks the pizzazz and special quality it once had (even looking like the artwork of Rick Leonardi in places). A very odd and dreary tale.

The Authority: Human On The Inside is a one-shot by John Ridley (writer of the film Three Kings) and Ben Oliver, in which someone tries to keep doing something with The Authority. Pity anyone who writes this team – a poisoned chalice since Ellis & Hitch left. Ridley does have a big idea for the book – about the loss of hope of humanity – but the story feels like it isn't necessarily about the Authority. The team are beaten by the Greek goddesses of justice and Shen seems to be disintigrated, only for them to be saved by Danny Chan, who seems to be just a super martial artist (automatically making me suspicious of him). Chan then messes up the team from within while the overwhelming feeling of despair from the future robs the present of hope. However, the story logic evaporates in order for the climax of the tale to work, with a silly man from the future and Chan actually being a construct. Oliver's art is nice but doesn't seem to work for Authority – it's too soft and charcoaly for the violence, brutality and reality of this book (not even showing Chen's naked properly when she was taken prisoner – why?) - which diffuses the point of the story.

Bullseye: Greatest Hits is a five-issue collection from Daniel Way and Steve Dillon that I only read because of Dillon's art (it's so bizarre seeing him on Marvel mainstream superhero comic books – his facial expressions and storytelling seems at odds with their normal approach). The first issue is actually intriguing, with the interplay between government agents and the setting up of the story; however, with the remaining issues becoming readily apparent that everything is a lie, it becomes quite pointless, especially when you know that, like the Joker, they are not going to kill Bullseye. It is nice to see Dillon's art, especially on the Punisher again, but it is only the details that make this readable – like having Bullseye in a high-tech prison on a liquid diet and laxatives because 'they're afraid that if I have a solid bowel movement, I might just kill somebody with it'. But trying to humanise Bullseye seems a waste of time, despite being well told.

I've enjoyed Mike Carey's Felix Castor books so I thought I should try his Hellblazer work. Black Flowers (collecting #181–186) and Staring at the Wall (issues #187–193) are standard John Constantine stories, involving double dealing and Constantine being a bastard, although they are well researched and well constructed. I've never got the appeal of Constantine, but he's very similar to Castor, so Carey can write this stuff with ease. The stories are atmospheric and the smaller stories build up to an over-arcing backstory, and it's nice to see good artists doing good work (an early Jock tale, the moody and cartoony style of Marcelo Fruslin); however, I don't feel connected to it or the character. Strangely, I would read more Carey-written Hellblazer.

And that's the list, a little more than I anticipated, but it's good to get the thoughts out there. Blame the library for having such a big selection of trade paperbacks ...