Comic Book Mutterings...

Sitting here on a rainy, cold Monday, got some Jay-Z on the stereo (Kingdom Come) and finished watching The Internship (way better than I had expected). Finished putting away a month's worth of comics and thought I'd take a few minutes to jot down some thoughts on recent reads...

X-Books "Battle of the Atom" (Marvel)

I'm not writing about these books until this awful time travel cluster firetruck is over. Good on Bendis (W) to challenge us and toss a few twists into a tired storytelling idea, but I've had enough.

Death Sentence (Titan Comics)

You get an STD which results in the development of super powers. Pretty sweet right? Oh, there's a catch though...you have 6 months to live. So what are you going to do with the little time you have left? That's the conundrum our three central figures will be facing over the course of this 6 issue series. I'm not familiar with either of the creative team (Monty Nero & Mike Dowling) however this work bodes well for them and this series. I look forward to seeing how it plays out. 

Extinction Parade #3 (Avatar Press)

I'm still working through if I'm really enjoying this. It's early still and I'm learning that Avatar books can sometimes take time to get into. I picked up on this because I've become a fan of Max Brooks (W) and his World War Z. Conceptually, this series is brilliant and covers a subject completely overlooked throughout this zombie hype cycle. In a world where vampires exist, and zombies take over...what the happens to the vampires? How do the live? What will they feed off of? The first two issues were setting up characters and the world we find ourselves in. This issue addresses to a degree the human aid system that supports the vampire society. It's quite interesting and presented in a very compelling perspective. I think that's what draws me to Brooks. He takes subjects and plays with them until they have a reasonable level of realism - from there he can ask or address questions that are often not even contemplated. I hope the writing keeps up because I do want to see how this ends. I just have concerns that the journey itself may take overlong to play out. I don't see this as having Walking Dead type potential in terms of longevity. 

Wonder Woman #24 (DC)

This and Aquaman were the two titles that for me, most benefit from the DC relaunch. Azzarello's (W) work has been tremendous. His use of ancient mythology to add character and depth to the WW universe has given this character a breath of fresh air. I'm very curious to see how this works, with Wonder Woman now being the of war. Throw in the unresolved issue of the First Born and Olympus' political upheaval and this should be a story arc good for quite a while yet. I'm most pleased that the Superman & Wonder Woman hasn't spilt over into this title. I'm all for continuity, but in this instance I'm alright having this title sit it out - I'd rather see more of the New Gods and Orion.  

Zero #2 (Image)

When I first wrote about the premier issue, I was wavering on it and felt it needed a second read - which I did and benefitted from. Issue two was superior and quite enjoyable, even perhaps worthy of the hype. In some ways, this almost read as a premier issue which may have come into play for me.  

Hawkeye #13 (Marvel)

My favourite title out there. Period. So long as the creative team remains the same though, Matt Fraction (W) and David Aja (A). They've taken a character who's really only ever been moderately interesting at best, and turned him into a complex character with interesting emotional quandaries and everyday problems. In other words, he's relatable. Sure it sounds simple in concept, but to do it well is a real challenge, especially when this is a character driven title, not the typical "super hero" book. If you haven't as yet, get on this title. There are two trades out already and can get you caught up.  

That's good for now. We can do this again later this week.