Comics Candy: December 2010

Coincidentally, there’s a whole ‘back from the dead’ vibe to the first clutch of reviews this month. At least Thunderstrike #1 (Marvel) has the decency to keep the original Thunderstrike (Eric Masterson) well and truly pushing up the daisies and pass his mantle (and mace) onto his son, even if he ends up looking exactly like the original!

Co-creators Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz have enough years in the business to know exactly what a first issue should deliver, and sure enough this is a solid start, with good characterisation, plenty of back-story for newbies, a few simmering, mysterious, in-the-background subplots, and some old school action.

What it lacks is something new and different enough, either in story or execution, to really grab you, drop your jaw and make it utterly essential to pick up issue #2. Increasingly, in a market where even key books and first issues are struggling to sell 20,000 copies, it’s just so, so important to give readers an upfront solid incentive to come back for more.

Twenty years ago books like Thunderstrike would run and run. And while I don’t want to jinx this current incarnation, times and the market have changed beyond all recognition. Still, fingers crossed!

Also back from the dead is Bruce Wayne. Yawn. It’s beyond cynical in my opinion to kill off a character (Captain America, Batman, and — imminently, it seems — Daredevil & Spider-Man) for the inevitable hike in publicity/sales, only to bring him or her back a few months later.

There’s an inevitable law of diminishing returns to this gimmick. Killing off a character used to be an event; now it’s a floundering, directionless stop-gap, dictated by marketing rather than editorial.

That aside, Batman, Inc #1 (DC) is a decent enough read, and you at least sense a real urge to try something a little different in the way the Bat-books have restructured/re-launched. It helps that it’s a very readable Grant Morrison script, with enough trademark oddness and sly/knowing humour to make it stand out but not so stream-of-consciousness that it obscures the story.

Lord Death Man has the makings of an interesting/engaging villain and the Japanese setting gives the issue a defined flavour. For once I buy the Batman/Catwoman relationship. It works. And the whole issue gives you just enough of your money’s worth but still teases you to the extent you really want to know what’s going on. One to watch!

The same can’t be said of Chaos War #3 (Marvel), and based on this showing I can’t believe #1 & 2 were any better.

Yet another all-powerful entity we’ve never heard of starts killing Gods wholesale, for reasons that either weren’t clear or I couldn’t be bothered to divine. Oh, and a lot of dead characters are now alive again (!!!). Oh, and Galactus is apparently a bit of a wuss.

Honestly, I was just bored — I couldn’t seem to care about any of the characters, even the ones you're supposed to care about. And the last page reveal elicited only a huge disinterested yawn from this reviewer. An event too far!

Which, sadly, made the chances of my liking Chaos War: Alpha Flight #1 (Marvel) slim.

Having steered Alpha Flight’s destiny myself for a couple of years, I’m always glad to see Canada’s finest back (and eager to see them thrive in good/capable hands). But, true to expectations (based on my immersion into Chaos War #3), this is a misguided exercise, with a lot of standing around talking and vacillating (will they/won’t they help these Great Beasts — who cares?) and, yep, four characters ‘back from the dead’.

I almost cried at the wholesale, shoulder-shrugging ease Guardian & Co. came back to the land of living. At one point, Sasquatch wonders about the dead Puck, only to be told by Shaman, “I tried, but he slipped away to a place even I dare not follow.” Clever Puck, I thought, clever Puck.

Another arbitrary and unwelcome resurrection came a while back in the shape of Norman Osborn. That one kicked and mugged the collector/fan in me, who loved the original Death of Gwen Stacy/Green Goblin storyline from Amazing Spider-Man.

But, demonstrating that I refuse to let my prejudices blind me to quality, I did rather like Osborn #1 (Marvel). The dialogue throughout was snappy and believable, the set-up intriguing and full of potential, and Marvel have, in Norman Osborn, created a fascinating and disquieting major league villain. So maybe, just maybe, this is one resurrection that has, um, lived up to its aspirations.

But enough already! Is there no rest for the wicked (or heroic for that matter) in today’s comics industry?

When I picked up and started reading Khan: Ruling in Hell #2 (IDW), I could have been forgiven for thinking it was the first issue. I’m pretty au fait with my Trek, and I was at pains to see what the first issue could have contained, unless it was a recap of the original episode that introduced Khan, ‘Space Seed’.

Otherwise, this issue expands on the missing years between that original appearance and Khan’s return in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan quite nicely (if a touch uneventfully). The problem, as always, when you know the beginning and end already, is that it takes something pretty special in between to make you sit up and pay attention.

Still, I enjoyed this. It felt like a story I want to read, rather than just continuity padding.

Hadn’t picked up a Star Wars comic in a long time, certainly not since I started this column. It was time, I figured, to correct that oversight.

So, mostly because I liked the title, I plumped for Star Wars: Knight Errant #2 (Dark Horse). And, in a low-key way, it’s worth the price of admission. Nice art by Federico Dallocchio, my co-collaborator on StarCraft for a while, and an engaging story of competing Sith Lord brothers and a Jedi or three caught in the middle.

There’s a slight sense that, bar the light sabres and mutterings about ‘The Force,’ this could be any old brand of sci-fi adventure, but overall I enjoyed my brief foray/return into Lucas’s back garden.

What I admire most about Elephantmen #28 (Image) is the sense of a grand saga unfolding, with its constant flashbacks to the war-like Elephantmen of old and its inter-issue cross-referencing.

I also admire how Richard Starkings took what was essentially a promotional character (Hip Flask) for his fonts and spun it into such a sweeping saga. And if you’re into Elephantmen, this issue delivers more of what you’ve come to expect, and moves the larger story along nicely.

If I have a criticism, it’s that by now it feels like part 28 or 29 of a grand opus, and maybe it needs a minor internal reboot/restart to make it more accessible to the casual punter. But a class act nonetheless.

And finally, Skullkickers #3 (Image). My first read of this left me completely underwhelmed. But, strangely, when I picked it up again I enjoyed it a lot more.

Not enough happens for one issue, and it’s self-indulgent stuff, but it creeps up on you in a way I can’t quite explain and grabs you. Probably if I read it again I’d be hooked. Weird.