300 Comics in 2008 Challenge Part 3

Almost all of the comics in this batch are relatively recent, many from just within the last couple of weeks, including the popular new Hulk series from Marvel and Joss Whedon's latest issue of his official Buffy: The Vampire Slayer Season 8. Also included is the first full issue of a comic written by a friend of mine, Everett Soares.  Sky Pirates of Valendor just had it's official debut at a comic show I attended on Sunday (I'll be posting an article on that event shortly). And speaking of events, the one comic book I purchased at the recent Wicked Faire is also reviewed here. It's Supercollider, a special crossover featuring several very popular webcomics. 

Zorro #1 (Dynamite Entertainment, 2008): Matt Wagner writes a newly fleshed-out origin story for the classic hero, setting up a nice supporting cast and a very reasonable origin which has the young man who would be Zorro learning from the cultures of his Spanish father and Native American mother. The cultures were presented in somewhat stereotypical fashion, but were used effectively in the storytelling. Francesco Francavilla handles the artwork skillfully, with a particularly effective final page. The cover looks great too. Dialogue was a bit stilted, and was probably the weakest area of the comic. Overall, though, this is a worthy addition to the Zorro legacy, and by far the best comic I've read from Dynamite. [6.5 out of 10].

Hulk #2 (Marvel Comics, 2008): The Hulk is red. And he's loose on board the SHIELD Helicarrier, and that's never a good thing. Remember, folks, YOUR taxpayer dollars paid for all that equipment that is being smashed. Anyway, Hulk beats the heck out of She-Hulk (mostly off-screen) and fights Iron Man to a standstill. Most unintentionally funny moment comes when Tony Stark, faced with the possibility of the Helicarrier crashing into Manhattan orders his armor-drones to redirect the crash landing... To New Jersey! The goal here by writer Jeff Loeb is to keep the reader guessing about what's going on, and so all kinds of seemingly contradictory clues are being thrown around about the nature of the new version of the Hulk. For now, it works pretty well, and the story is fast-paced and loaded with action. The generous use of full-page and two-page spreads makes for some nice visuals. Very solid work by the art team of Ed McGuinness, Dexter Vines, and Jason Keith. I am hopeful that the eventual explanation will live up to the expectations that are being set, but for the moment, the new Hulk is turning into quite an enjoyable ride. [7 out of 10].

Project Superpowers #0 (Dynamite Entertainment, 2008): Elaborate Golden-Age flashback that sets up the backstory of the Project Superpowers universe. Alex Ross did the cover, and handles plot and art direction. Script is by Jim Krueger and interior art chores fall on Doug Klauba and Stephen Sadowski, with some interior painted pieces by Ross. The basic story has the Fighting Yank, now in his old age, looking back on his battles against the forces of supernatural evil, beginning in World War II, and in particular his dealings with Pandora's Box. Confronted by The American Spirit, he begins to have doubts about the actions he has taken since the war. This had a nice look to it, but it managed to be very wordy, while still mostly failing to get to the point. It involved too many characters, too long a span of time, and too little to hook the reader into the story. Visually pretty, but not all that compelling. [5 out of 10].

Supercollider: A Webcomic Mash-Up (Silent Devil, 2006): This is a real treat for webcomic fans. It's a crossover involving six different popular webcomics. In order of appearance: Sluggy Freelance (www.sluggy.com), Partially Clips (www.partiallyclips.com), The Devil's Panties (thedevilspanties.keenspot.com), Fragile Gravity (www.unseenllc.com), Order of the Stick (www.giantitp.com), and Super-Frat (webcomics.silentdevil.com). The somewhat flimsy excuse for a plot has the wayward gods of Partially Clips dimension-hopping into the other webcomics while providing running commentary, plus a (very funny!) little bit of their origin story. If you're not reading these webcomics, you're not going to "get" everything, although there are still plenty of funny gags to be found. This seems to be more about entertaining existing fans of the webcomics than about introducing them to new fans. Still, it's a fun romp through a pretty impressive collective body of work. [7 out of 10].

Green Arrow and Black Canary #5 (DC Comics, 2008): Ollie is ready to give up being Green Arrow for the sake of caring for his comatose son, Connor. We get some extended flashback sequences offering insight into Connor's childhood and Ollie's only-occasional role as a father. We also get a wedding, and the beginning of a new major plotline. The dialogue and emotion of this issue go way beyond the somewhat contrived plotline, and the result is some excellent storytelling. Lots of character development here for Ollie and Dinah, and good use of the supporting cast. The awesome final line of dialogue left me wanting more. Written by Judd Winick with art by Andre Coelho. [7.5 out of 10].

Fantastic 4 #554 (Marvel Comics, 2008): The team of Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch begin a new storyline with the FF returning home from a slightly problematic bit of time travel. From there, it's just back to normal life for the team. Johnny is living the life of a C-list celebrity, complete with a new reality TV show in the works. Sue is starting up a new all-female super-team as an effort to raise money for charity. Ben visits his old school, while Reed receives a visit from an old love interest. One who's working on a secret project to build a haven for humanity in the event of a global catastrophe. I enjoyed the pacing on this. Nothing was rushed, and the characters were given time to be themselves and to have some fun doing it. The humor wasn't forced, and the Lee-Kirby-era goofy science fiction worked very smoothly throughout the issue. [7.5 out of 10].

Catwoman #76 (DC Comics, 2008): Selina is trapped in a parallel Earth. Or maybe this whole adventure is taking place inside her head. The art team of David Lopez and Alvaro Lopez turn out some very pretty action scenes, and writer Will Pfeifer makes a gallant effort at keeping the dialogue fresh and interesting, but the eyeroll-inducing nature of the scenario makes for an uphill battle. In the end, a bunch of stuff happens that is ultimately meaningless in the "real" story, no matter how good Selina looks doing it. [4.5 out of 10].

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #11 (Dark Horse Comics, 2008): "Season Eight" continues with the beginnings of a new storyline and the introduction of a new villain. Overall, this was great. Joss Whedon manages to do some really great "serious" work with his dialogue. I was particularly impressed with a very smart and touching interchange between Buffy and Satsu (which manages to be smart and touching in spite of it taking place in the middle of a battle with some generic vampires). Also excellent: The new villain Twilight is out to attack Buffy when she is most vulnerable. No, it's not her loyalty to her friends. That's been done to death. Twilight is out to plant the seeds of doubt about Buffy's cause. Excellent idea, and it's about time Whedon addressed it directly. The dialogue in the Twilight sequence was very hit-or-miss. It felt like Whedon is still getting the feel for the character. Some of the attempts to throw humor in fell flat, and Twilight does have a couple of really weak lines (Understand this, girl. You cannot fight me." Um... Sorry, Joss. Lame). I'm also skeptical about Joss' fascination with exploring superhero comic book style action. I understand what he's going for here; just not sure he's making it work all that well given the cast of characters. Still, the character interaction is solid, the action is good (artists Georges Jeanty and Andy Owens aren't afraid of beating Buffy up a bit), and this issue makes a good starting point for those who aren't reading "Season Eight". [6.5 out of 10].

Sky Pirates of Valendor #1 (Free Lunch Comics, 2008): A pirate captain is hired for a dangerous rescue mission that will bring him into conflict with some old enemies, and force him to work with a former friend. Excellent pacing, clever dialogue, and an intriguing setting filled with sky islands and flying pirate ships make for an enjoyable read. The initial scenario clings to clichés a bit too much, but writer Everett Soares brought in some surprising plot twists in issue 0, and I am confident that there will be many twists and turns to come as this moves forward. The cast of characters has a ton of potential. Art team of Brian Brinlee and Michael W. Kellar give the book a nice look, especially on their work with the feline furry character Shyni. The art has improved tremendously since the debut, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of the world of Valendor. [7 out of 10].

Grendel Tales: Homecoming #1 (Dark Horse Comics, 1994): Main story is a pretty standard stranger-returns-to-town bit, although I love the look of the main character, Susan. One of the few believably tough female characters I've run across in comics. The story and art are by Pat McEown, with some dialogue help by Grendel creator Matt Wagner. I'm not sure how much of the dialogue is McEown's and how much is Wagner's but the result is pretty engaging stuff. Backup story features some Grendel-universe politics courtesy of Matt Wagner doing both the writing and the artwork. It was a bit confusing, but very interesting visually, and the complexity of the political plotline make a nice contrast with the very straightforward plot of the main story. [7 out of 10].

Total Comics Read/Reviewed In 2008: 30