Superman and the Lost Frog

Lost Frog



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Quick Comic Reviews

Bugtown #1

by Matt Howarth

A great example of how to do a new first issue for a series that's been around in various forms for twenty-five years. Howarth opens with a short story about Brent Foxx, a convicted hacker on parole in Texas who, after a night on a drunken binge, awakens to find himself in the strange extra-dimensional city of Bugtown, where the normal rules of both physics and society no loner apply. This allows new readers to be introduced to Howarth extended setting through the eyes of a newcomer, while introducing long-time readers to a new player in Bugtown. The action then shifts to a Bulldaggers reunion concert being organized by Russ Post, one of the feared Post Bros. We are further introduced to many of the major characters in Bugtown, as well as the typical weirdness and ultraviolence, and the plot for this six issue series kicks into high gear. Of course, it should go without saying that Howarth's art is in top form, and he exhibits a great ability to present a story that is full of info-dumping without getting bogged down.

Rating: 3.5 (of 5)




Action Comics #821

by Chuck Austen, Luke Ross, Renato Guedes, Shane Davis, Cliff Richards, Fabio Laguna, Lary Stucker & Will Conrad

No, your eyes do not deceive you. It took seven different artists to produce this steaming pile of nonsense. The problem isn't really with the art--individually, each of the four different art teams is okay. It's just the story that's utter tosh. Last issue ended with the return of Doomsday to Metropolis, and indeed this issue begins with the population of the city evacuating after hearing reports of Doomsday's return. But then the plot veers off into completely unrelated directions: Preus--apparently one of the characters from that gawdawful "Godfall" storyline--hooks up wih some sort of ultra right-wing survivalist group, whilest meanwhile Superman reacts to recent events in Adventures of Superman by standing around and gazing longingly at Lois in the hospital. The story ends on a cliffhanger of sorts, with Preus beating the stuffing out of the Martian Manhunter. Now you might think that the next issue would deal with the resolution of the Preus situation, or maybe even remember that Doomsday is reportedly around; but no, the next issue box says that Lois and Clark return to Smallville for the holidays. This is easily the worst Superman comic of the year, probably the decade, and perhaps ever.

Rating: 1 (of 5)




New Thunderbolts #1/82

by Fabian Nicieza, Tom Grummett & Gary Erskine

The original Thunderbolts #1 featured at its end one of the greatest reveals in the history of comics. It would be nearly impossible to repeat that feat, but Nicieza does give us a twist ending that puts this reassembled Thunderbolts team in a new light. With the Avengers is disarray, Mach IV decides that the time is right to resurrect the team of former villains trying to go straight, with a couple of old faces and some new ones as well. Like DC's late, lamented Suicide Squad, Thunderbolts provides an opportunity to resurrect and possibly redeem minor villains; Nicieza gives us The Blizzard as a new Thunderbolt trying to travel the road to redemption, and five long-forgotten water-based villains as the menace facing the new team. Grummett is a fine super-hero artist who is comfortable with team books with a lot of characters, as seems perfectly suited to this book. The good news is that it appears that Nicieza is not 'writing for the trade' here, and will be giving us the sort of comic that, while being an ongoing soap opera-style super-hero book, will make each issue an individual reading experience and drive you to want to pick up the next issue next month. This is a comic that will give a better reading experience in monthly doses than collected in a trade.

Rating: 3 (of 5)




Nightwing #99

by Devin Grayson, Zach Howard & Andy Owens

Presumably a placeholder issue until next month's #100, nothing really happens in these 22 pages. While the Taratula busts some crooks' heads in Gotham (yawn), Nightwing recovers from his gunshot wound, and then gets an info-dump from Batman about the end of "War Games" and the new state of affairs in Gotham. Grayson has built her career around a reputation for spot-on characterization, but for some strange reason her Nightwing has been populated by pod people.

Rating: 1.5 (of 5)




Green Arrow #44

by Judd Winick, Phil Hester & Ande Parks

As expected, this issue features the reactions of Mia, Ollie & Conner to the revelation of Mia's HIV status, and Winick packs in a good deal of teaching about HIV. It's admirable and not too heavy-handed, and is redemmed by some good character moments at the end. Hester & Parks do s good job with a script that is mostly talking heads; it was recently announced that they will soon be leaving the title, and boy will it miss them.

Rating: 3 (of 5)




Avengers Finale

by Brian Michael Bendis & a bunch of artists

What a surprise: The Avengers 'celebrate' the end of an era by sitting around in the burned out Avengers Mansion and talking. Now, an issue by Bendis of people talking can be good, but not in this case. A lot of faux emotion and characters coming to bad conclusions in order to force the plot down the path to Bendis's New Avengers title. And while it makes a certain amount of sense to have the two-page spread flashback scenes illustraed by different artists, the incongruity up the different artists for the main narrative is unfortunate. Michael Goydos & George Perez are both great artists, but their style are completely incompatible. It's an ignoble end for the 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes.'

Rating: 2 (of 5)

Quick GN Reviews

The Originals

by Dave Gibbons

As teenages in a retro-future city, teenagers Lel & Bok want nothing in life other than to join The Originals, a mod gang who are all about style. They get their wish when they help The Originals in a rumble with their arch enemies, The Dirt, a biker gang of ruffians. Of course, once you get what you've always wanted, you discover that there's more you want, and that there are others who want what you have. It's a stylish twist on a classic tale with a dose of violence, and while the plot takes a while to get into full gear, it ends explosively. It's from Dave Gibbons, so you know it's going to look great, and his toned black and white illustration lives up to expectations. Gibbons' storytelling abilities are also in fine form, as he makes ample use of wide panels to give the book a cinematic feel, and his designs do a great job of evoking the retro-Avengers vibe he's going for. This is good comics.

Rating: 4 (of 5)




The Bunker

by Bruce Mutard

Next door neighbors Jason and Annie have been friends ever since they were little kids. But now that they are 14 and 15 respectively, their relationship is in that awkward teenage boy-girl stage. But there's a twist: Annie says that she can't sleep in her own room because it is haunted by a ghost, so every night she sneaks over to Jason's room and spends the night, sneaking back out again before daybreak. But even though they seem closer friends than ever, they are actually drifting apart. Mutard puts together a well-crafted story, though it goes in some fairly obvious directions, at least it does so interestingly. I had a problem with the very end though: the last two pages spell out explicitly what we had already figured out; had Mutard instead left this implicit I feel it would have made for a better story. He easily could have left out those two pages and ended it there, and it would have made for a better story. Mutard's art reminded me a lot of Jason Lutes, especially in his layout, line quality and backgrounds; however, his figure work was often weak and not quite up to par with the high quality of the rest of the art. Also, he makes ample use of flashbacks and the narrative jumps around a bit, but the time transitions were often not clear and it sometimes took several panels before I realized I was reading a flashback.

Rating: 3 (of 5)

New This Week: November 10, 2004

Based on the NCRL list for this week's comics shipping from Diamond, here are a few things to look for at the local comic shop tomorrow:



The Pick of the Week is Bugtown #1 from Matt Howarth & Aeon Press. For nearly 25 years Howarth has been an original, bringing us the Post Brothers, Savage Henry & The Bulldaggers, and the rest of the wacked-out, mind-trippy adventures of the denizens of Bugtown. So give it a whirl.



DC has new issues of Gotham Central (#25), Fables (#31), JSA (#67) and Ocean (#2), and the debut issue of Leah Moore's Wild Girl. There's also the trade collection of Superman: Secret Identity and a new Human Target collection.



Marvel have Bendis's Avengers Finale, the debut of New Thunderbolts, plus the first trade collections of She-Hulk and The Pulse.



Indy books of note include Captain Canuck #2 from Comely; Colonia #11 from Jeff Nicholson; a new Finder (#35) from Carla Speed McNeil; and Cenozoic (#1) looks like it could be interesting.



Looks like a fairly light week, so if you have a little extra $$$ in your pocket, why not try one of the Courtney Crumrin collections?

Casshern in America

Now Playing Magazine reports that the live action version of Casshern has been picked up by Dreamworks for domestic distribution (no release date is set yet). If you've seen the trailer then you know why I'm excited. Actually, I have little idea what it's about, save for that it's a live action version of a post-apocalyptic anime, but even if the story is absolute crap it'll still look fantastic on a big screen. (I was worried that I'd have to resort to an imported DVD).

Quick GN Reviews

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, vol. 2

adapted by Andy Seto

This is not, as you might suspect, an adaptation of the film of the same name. Rather, it is an adaptation of Wang Du Lu's five volume epic Crane - Iron Pentalogy (of which Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is the fourth volume). The events in this present volume take place earlier than those depicted in the movie, as we get to see the roots of the unrequited love between Li Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lien. It's nothing terribly original, but what really makes this comic shine is the absolutely gorgeous art from Andy Seto. Rendered in full color, no detail is too small for Seto's fine linework. There are some fabulous one- and two-page spreads, and even the smaller panels show a loving attention to detail. The feel of ancient China just pours out of the pages. As if that weren't enough, Seto is one of a very few comic artists who can capture the furious motion of a martial arts movie in the static images of a comic. These are some of the most amazing combat scenes you'll ever see in a comic. For a pure visual treat, this is definitely worth your while.

Rating: 3.5 (of 5)




Electric Girl, vol. 1

by Michael Brennan

Virginia was born with the ability to generate and conduct electricity, but she doesn't use it to fight crime or any such nonsense. No, Ginny just wants to live a normal life. Too bad that she has an invisible gremlin 'friend' whose job it is to cause mischief. But she does have a cute dog with a very cool name: Blammo; and a supportive family and good friends. It's mostly all-ages fun, the exception being an out-of-place story where a younger Virginia has a near run-in with a child molester. If AiT/Planet Lar had decided to shink this collection down to manga-size, I suspect they could have had a huge hit.

Rating: 3 (of 5)

Quick Super-Hero Reviews

Astonishing X-Men; JLA Classified; Superman/Batman; Avengers; Batman; Detective Comics



Astonishing X-Men #6

by Joss Whedon & John Cassady

Joss's initial arc comes to a conclusion, with a good deal of hitting and a good deal of talking, as some things are explained while others (like Ord's motivation) are not. And Whedon doesn't skip on the denouments, giving a bit of closure to the arc while setting things up for the next one. One might suspect that this series has been built around a few spectacular moments--such as the fantastic two-page spread in this issue that leaves long-time fanboys (like me) with a big smile--strung together with clever dialog and a bit of plot. But really, is that so wrong? Much has been made over the seeming regression of the X-books to their pre-Morrison days, but while Whedon is certainly invoking the spirit of the good ol' Claremont/Byrne days, except for the costumes he hasn't done anything to contradict what Morrison set up (unlike Claremont & Austen, who have completely undermined the central Xorn/Magneto conflict). Whedon is taking what Morrison left and going in the direction that he wants to go. And I, for one, am willing to go with him.

Rating: 3 (of 5)




JLA: Classified #1

by Grant Morrison, Ed McGuinness & Dexter Vines

Only Morrison would start a new series featuring the JLA with only one JLA'er in the whole thing. Yet it still feels like a JLA story, opening with a chaotic fight between the Global Guardians Ultramarines and Gorilla Grodd (a villain who it seems that McGuinness was born to draw). Batman (Morrison's ultimate JLA'er) shows up near the end, digging into his 'sci-fi closet,' a wonderful metaphor for the past Batman tales which modern writer pretend don't exist, but in which Morrison obviously revels. It's high-concept JLA fun. And next issue: Robot JLA!

Rating: 3 (of 5)




Superman/Batman #13

by Jeph Loeb & Michael Turner

I really don't understand the amount of venom that's being heaped upon this title. Yes, Loeb's narration can get grating at times and Turner's artwork is rather stylized, but it delivers exactly what it promises: big fights and over-the-top emotion. And yes, the plot falls apart if you look at it too closely, but this is a book that needs to be enjoyed on a surface level, riding across the tops of the waves. I certainly appreciate it more than the faux importance of Azzarello's Superman or Austen's brainless Action Comics. And let me give a special shout-out to Peter Steigerwald, who turns in one of the best super-hero coloring jobs I've seen in a while.

Rating: 3 (of 5)




Avengers #503

by Brian Michael Bendis, David Finch & Danny Miki

I don't have a problem with Dr. Strange showing up to be Exposition Guy, and the reveal of who is behind the Disassembly of the Avengers makes sense in the context of the story that's been presented to us. There was no cheating here; the clues were left and many things make more sense now in hindsight (including the odd coloring choice I complained about in the last issue). What I do have a problem with is that after delivering the exposition, Dr. Strange sticks around and solves the problem as well. It's a Deus ex Machina of the worst kind. This is the Avengers after all, and story-wise the Avengers have to solve their own crisis, or it's just a cop out.

Rating: 2 (of 5)




Batman #633

by Bill Willingham, Kinsun, Aaron Sowd, Rodney Ramos & Adam DeKraker

It's been no secret that I haven't cared much for "War Games," and this conclusion to the long, overwrought story does little to change my mind. The handling of Spoiler leaves me especially pissed off. Heaven forbid we have a strong teenage female character as a hero; no, better to have her act like an idiot, abuse her and then kill her off. All of the hype around the female Robin a few months ago now seems exploitive in its vindictive glee, a big f-you to anyone who was pulled in because of that, or who has been following the character for years. The lone bright spot here is the art by Kinsun, who brings an energy to the explosive fight scenes and renders the deathbed scene with a quiet dignity.

Rating: 2 (of 5)




Detective Comics #800

by Anderson Gabrych, Pete Woods, Cam Smith & Drew Geraci; David Lapham

Gabrych uses this issue to set up the new status quo in Gotham: Everyone besides Batman and Catwoman leave, with Batman at odds with the GCPD and Catwoman pissed at him for not being open with his feelings (but really, what does she expect?) Black Mask now controls the Gotham underworld, and seems to be mixing things up to keep both Bats and the cops off-balance. As a denoument to "War Games" it works well, but it seems a bit of a waste for a big anniversary issue. What really drew me to this was the back-up story by Lapham, a prelude to his run on this title which starts next issue and which I've really been looking forward to. But man, I really hope that it turns out better than this, eight disconnected pointless pages...

Rating: 2.5 (of 5)