Powr Mastrs Vol. 2 Review

Recently reviewed by me at CBR: Powr Mastrs Vol. 2 about which I write the following sentences: "This is a PictureBox comic, after all -- home of Gary Panter art books and former Fort Thunder artists galore. So it doesn't look anything like your average issue of 'Ms. Marvel' or 'Nightwing.' It looks, on first glance, like an amateurish attempt at some kind of Tolkeinesque fantasy world, with tarantula men and elves, blue princesses and submarines. 'Powr Mastrs' openly rejects traditional comic book page layouts and storytelling techniques, striving for something more primal and confrontational. I don't think this is an ugly comic -- in fact, I think it's beautiful in its own way -- but it challenges the accepted notion of comic book beauty on every single page."

Read the entire review HERE.

Young X-Men #8 Review

Recently reviewed by me at CBR: Young X-Men #8 about which I write the following sentences: "But all of it adds up to exactly what I said in the opening: a perfectly fine comic. It's almost exactly what you'd expect a comic titled 'Young X-Men' to be. It's younger mutants acting like junior members of the X-Men. It even echoes some of the events in the 'Uncanny X-Men' series, as the former Young X-Man known as Ink -- who thought he was a mutant, but it turns out his tattoo artist was the one laying the super-powered ink on him -- runs into some trouble with the Hellfire Cult. The Hellfire Cult seems less frightening here though. This must be the junior varsity Hellfire Cult members. It wouldn't be fair, otherwise."

Read the entire review HERE.

Squadron Supreme 2 #5 Review

Recently reviewed by me at CBR: Squadron Supreme 2 #5 about which I write the following sentences: "Ten years ago, if you had heard that Howard Chaykin would return to comics in the first decade of the 21st century, and that he would not only end up drawing the Punisher, but he'd be writing a Marvel comic about a parallel universe, you'd probably think, 'I bet it will be great, with Chaykin's signature cynical wit.' Oh, how wrong you'd be."

Read the entire review HERE.

Three Thoughts for Tuesday

1. The final page of Air #4 changes everything.
I'm a big supporter of G. Willow Wilson, and I think she's a refreshing new voice in comics (and, of course, I'm one of the mods on her discussion board), but I haven't been sold on Air after the first handful of issues. It's mostly M. K. Perker's art which really turns me off, but Wilson's strange characterizations -- her people don't act or react the way people normally would or should -- has baffled me. But the dreamlike aspect of the series has been growing stronger and stronger, and the final page of the newest issue puts everything in a strange and wonderful new context. It's definitely the best page Perker has drawn for the series so far, and now I'm looking forward to the next issue, definitely.

2. Joe Pokaski has come in as the writer of Ultimate Fantastic Four and, in a single issue (and an Ultimatum crossover issue, to boot) he's nailed the team better than anyone since Mark Millar.
Even Tyler Kirkham's artwork looks better (now that he actually has an inker), but Pokaski delivers a strong story in his opening salvo and he's great with pacing and dialogue. Forget the Mike Carey-written Ultimate FF of the past year or so -- this is now a comic worth reading again. Pokaski started with a bang on Secret Invasion: Inhumans, and it's nice to see him continue to produce quality work here. He is, by far, the best Heroes writer working in comics today.

3. I've always liked Amanda Conner's linework, but she's leveled-up in her work on Terra.
I can't believe how great Terra looks. It's a nice little series so far, decently written, but the art is fantastic. I think it's actually the best-looking comic of the last month. Amanda Conner has amped up her style, and it now looks to have echoes of Adam Hughes and Cameron Stewart or something. I know a veteran like Conner probably isn't aping other artists, but whatever she's done to her work has improved it dramatically. Maybe it's just because she's inking herself here, I don't know, but it looks gorgeous. I'd love to see her draw a regular DC title, though her upbeat style probably wouldn't fit the dreadful seriousness of most superhero comics these days. She's really, really good.

Star Trek: The CW Generation

The other day, over at Geoff Klock's blog, I made a comment about the J. J. Abrams Star Trek trailer looking like something from a CW television show, and commenter Andy Bentley pointed me to this:



Pretty funny, no?

I wasn't being snarky when I said they looked like characters from the CW. They really do look more like teen prettyboys (and girls) than Starfleet officers.

Note: I am by no means a Star Trek fan or a Star Trek hater. I'm ambivalent about the whole thing. I'm just sayin'.

Ambush Bug: Year None #4

Recently reviewed by me at CBR: Ambush Bug: Year None #4 about which I write the following sentences: "Issue #4 isn't just a parody of '52' -- although it is that -- but it's a joke-filled attack on the DiDio reign, and/or the fan perception of it. Comic book fans are certainly not spared Giffen and Fleming's wrath, although it's certainly a blunt-edged wrath, kind of like getting punched in the face by a giant Ambush Bug-embroidered pillow. It's all in good fun, and because of Giffen's willingness to offend everyone, he gets away with it."

Read the entire review HERE.

Fantastic Four #561 Review

Recently reviewed by me at CBR: Fantastic Four #561 about which I write the following sentences: "Between 'Kick-Ass,' 'Marvel 1985,' 'Wolverine: Old Man Logan,' and this 'Fantastic Four' series, Mark Millar is producing some of the best work of his career. Critics have complained that his recent stuff is too-high concept, too pandering, or too much flash and not enough substance. But I think that's when Millar is at his best. He's not going to be the one to write the subtle, touching story full of thematic ambiguity. He's going to give you the summer blockbuster in the pages of a comic book, but with his own slightly-skewed twist. And though his 'Fantastic Four' run started off with some rocky, tonally uneven moments, this 'New Defenders' (Or 'Nu Defenders') arc has been quite good, and this issue is probably the best yet."

Read the entire review HERE.

Another Interview?

It wasn't planned this way--as the two interviews were conducted weeks apart--but now you're just going to have to read another interview with me, this time conducted by CBR's Andy Khouri.

This one focuses solely on Teenagers from the Future and there's hardly any overlap with the one I linked to yesterday. In other words, you ain't off the hook just because you read that one.

So, if you are a Tim Callahan interview completist--and who isn't?--then hop on over to CBR and read all about Teenagers from the Future.

Tim on Tim Interview Action

The generous and delightful Tim O'Shea sat down to interview me recently (and by "sat down," I mean e-mailed me some questions and I answered them), and he's posted the exchange at his blog, Talking with Tim.

It's like Frost/Nixon, but with more subtext.

A Glimpse at What I've Been Writing

Art by Todd Casey, Simone Guglielmini, and Pat O'Donnell

When Words Collide: Twilight of the Space Gods

Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez is a continually under-appreciated artist. Sure, he has a "Modern Masters" book devoted to him, and all the cool kids have their complete run of "Atari Force" (of which he only drew the early issues anyway), but Garcia-Lopez deserves to be in museums. He deserves Wizard Top 10 status. He deserves to be tattooed on your forehead.

Or, if not that, then he at least deserves a reprinting of "Twilight," which has some of that fancy po-mo deconstruction by way of Howard Chaykin.

It's good. It's out of print. And I write about it in this week's "When Words Collide."

James Robinson, Grant Morrison: ???

Two "Lying in the Gutters" things worth talking about, from this week's column:

I understand that James Robinson and Dan had a stand up argument that led to Robinson quitting the Superman books and the DCU in general.

Geoff Johns was HIGHLY supportive of Robinson at the Baltimore Con (and late at night afterwards), and I wonder how Johns will react to one of his teammates bolting just as the new Superman continuity is getting underway? Or maybe Johns himself wasn't happy with Robinson's work after all? Or maybe none of this is true and is pure speculation?

And a bigger bombshell from Rich:

A familiar source known collectively as "New York comics industry employees talking in bars" tells me that the last issue of "Final Crisis" is further delayed as it is suffering from serious rewrites. It appears that DC Executive Editor Dan DiDio was unhappy with the way the story concluded and the implications for the DC Universe for a while and had ordered changes from a, naturally, rather unhappy Grant Morrison. Considering this is the way he wrote the pitch for the book.

As a result, creative teams working on a number of spinoff and affected books have also had to stop work while the “Final Crisis” ending is reworked.

Expect more lateness, more annoyance and less likelihood of Grant Morrison doing DCU work in the near future.

Now, if this turns out to be true, and it sounds more than plausible, then this does not bode well for "Final Crisis," or the DCU, at all. If Morrison isn't allowed to nail the ending, then what's the point of everything he's established in the series so far? It's been a slow build toward something, and if he's not the one in charge of that something, it will certainly spell disaster.

Also, might this mean that "Batman R.I.P." will basically be Morrison's Batman swan song after all. He might not want to go back to the character if this kind of stuff is going down with "Final Crisis."

Rumors are rumors, obviously, but Rich seemed to nail the Shooter situation even though we didn't find that out until recently.

Thoughts?

Fantastic Four: True Story #4 Review

Recently reviewed by me at CBR: Fantastic Four: True Story #4, about which I write the following sentences: "Paul Cornell is one of the most inventive writers working in the superhero genre today, and if you missed this series in single issues, consider picking up the inevitable trade paperback collection. It may not look like one of the best Fantastic Four story you've seen in years, but it sure reads like one."

Read the entire review HERE.

Young Liars #9 Hits THE SPLASH PAGE

You can't tell by this image, but the final cover of Young Liars #9 features a pull quote by none other than me. It's just one more step in my long walk toward unprecedented fame and fortune.

Sure, I'm not credited with the quote, but that doesn't mean I didn't write it. And sure, people probably aren't going to search for the relevant review and find out which brilliant CBR writer penned such an evocative and precise line of criticism, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't.

Let's face it. I'm a pretty big deal.

You know who else is a big deal: Chad Nevett. And when he and I get together to discuss Young Liars #9, it's like an epic battle of greats doing great things while wallowing in their greatness.

You should check out this week's Splash Page to see it all.

Or click away: HERE.

Eternals Annual #1 Review

Recently reviewed by me at CBR: Eternals Annual #1, about which I write the following sentences: "Van Lente, aided by artist Pascal Alixe, provides more plot and characterization in his single story here than we've seen in the entire Neil Gaiman mini-series and the half-dozen ongoing 'Eternals' issue thus far. Van Lente uses captions to quickly establish who's who and the essence of their character (no small feat when you're dealing with a large cast like this), and then demonstrates the shifting alliances between the Eternals throughout their combat with the Young Gods."

Read the entire review HERE.

Black Terror #1 Review

Recently reviewed by me at CBR: Black Terror #1, about which I write the following sentences: "Black Terror' #1 is what happens when you take a silly public domain character and try to make him as 'cool' as possible. But just because you yell, 'this is serious!' over and over, that doesn't make it so. And it definitely doesn't make it any good."

Read the entire review HERE.

JSA Kingdom Come Special: Superman #1 Review

Recently reviewed by me at CBR: JSA Kingdom Come Special: Superman #1, about which I write the following sentences: "It's quite a powerful story, marred only by its incompleteness. It's part of a larger 'Kingdom Come'-inspired event that's running through a series of one-shots this season. So none of Superman's questions are really answered, but, then again, it's more about the questions than the answers anyway. And Ross handles Superman exceedingly well, providing a look at a powerful man whose burden is greater than anyone can ever know."

Read the entire review HERE.

Mo and Jo: Fighting Together Forever Review

Recently reviewed by me at CBR: Mo and Jo: Fighting Together Forever, about which I write the following sentences: "This isn't a book built on a pervading logic, nor should it be. It's full of childish whimsy as the two kids, with costumes labeled 'Mo' and 'Jo' fight the supervillain Saw-Jaw whose sinister plan involves popping a gigantic hippopotamus parade balloon. The story is really a parable about the importance of teamwork, but as a parent, I appreciate that the lesson isn't so heavy-handed as to ruin a good story. The kids couldn't win without teamwork, but Lynch and Haspiel don't hit the reader of the head with the message any more than necessary. This is a book that revels in the silliness of kid superheroes fighting a lizard guy who's trying to pop a giant balloon, and it's all the better for it."

Read the entire review HERE.

Jack and the Box Review

Recently reviewed by me at CBR: Jack and the Box, about which I write the following sentences: "Spiegelman has never been a great comic book stylist -- or if he has been, then his most successful style has been that of stark minimalism, at least visually. His roots in Underground comics might have given his earlier work a stronger sense of visual clutter, but even on the most densely-packed pages of 'Maus,' his simple, iconic characters and straightforward compositions unified the look. But even with all that in mind, 'Jack and the Box' is distilled simplification."

Read the entire review HERE.

When Words Collide: Who is the Black Glove?

With only a couple of weeks left to go before the end of "Batman R.I.P." I had to weigh in on the various Black Glove theories, and that's exactly the kind of thing that's perfect for "When Words Collide."

So, check out my odds-making on the various suspects in "Who is the Black Glove?"

Then, go over to my WWC forum to add your own two cents.

And, if you're into it, you can go back and read all of my relevant Morrison Batman posts over the past couple of years.

After that you can, I don't know, do something more productive with your life. Or not.