moriarty@fluke.UUCP (The Napoleon of Crime) (01/07/86)
Folks, I'm sorry, but I've gotta both shorten and cut down on these things.
So I'm generally picking only the comics which are changing from good to bad
or visa-versa, and giving generally minced appraisals.
REVIEWED IN THIS ISSUE:
SISTERHOOD OF STEEL AMERICAN FLAGG GRAPHIC NOVEL
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN THE OUTSIDERS THE BOZZ CHRONICLES
THE NEW MUTANTS MR. MONSTER SIX FROM SIRIUS 2
MIRACLEMAN STAR WARS THE MASKED MAN
NEXUS DAREDEVIL
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"There *are* standards. If you can't see one, you *make* one and stick to
it come Hell or high water -- until you see a BETTER one."
-John Gaunt
"Well, if you can't believe what you read in a comic book, what *can*
you believe?!"
-Bullwinkle J. Moose
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|==>A< One of the best of the year. Example: ZOT #8 |
|==>B< A very good issue, one of the best of the month (usually 6/month) |
|==>C< A well done, entertaining issue. Satisfying. Example: Jon Sable |
|==>D< Boring, but with a few good points. Example: SQUADRON SUPREME |
|==>F< Boring AND stupid or childish. Example: Secret Wars. |
|==>Z< Actually offensive. Example: Several of Haney's UNKNOWN SOLDIERs |
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SISTERHOOD OF STEEL #8 (Last issue) [C+]:
I'm sorry to see this consistently entertaining comic go. Sure, you can
look at it as a variation of the Alien Legion or what-have-you, but the
characters are nicely rounded, I like the Sisterhood, and it hits me with
the same adventurous zest as Dumas stories. This is also the first place
that I've really enjoyed Mike Vosburg's art, though it seems rushed this
issue. Anyway, I hope this title pops up later -- while the ending was no
great surprise, it was handled like a good Perry Mason episode.
AMERICAN FLAGG! GRAPHIC NOVEL: HARD TIMES [B+]:
I got this rather late, as I assumed that it would be pretty redundant for
someone who has the original issue (I've been following FLAGG! since it's
inception). Unh-unh. THIS is the way that Chaykin's art should be seen;
from now on, I'll be unsatisfied with his comics work whenever I see it,
because I know how much better it'd look when blown up. The plot is easier
to comprehend, you can see much more clearly how Chaykin ties in (and up)
subplot threads, and the entire thing comes off nicely. I don't think I
ever completely caught Reuben's dispair with the corruption of Chicago until
reading this -- the bright colors and large splash pages really bring out
the sewer :-). I promise -- if they publish the rest of Chaykin's AF stuff
in this format, I'll buy every one.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #275 [D]:
Oh Good Lord, Stan Lee lives again in the writing of Tom DeFalco. I picked
this up to see if they were going to unmask the Hobgoblin (next issue -- my
bet is Ned Leeds, and I also suspect that The Rose is Silvermane. For more
predictions, see my 1986 Comics Forecast in this week's National Star!).
Pure Lee soap opera, through and through. I really liked the idea of Peter
opening up to MJ, but it came off so banal so often, I ended up not giving
much of a hoot who the HG is. In fact, the bugger seems a little dwarfed by
the rest of the events of this comic. Who is Betty Brant really in love
with? Will Flash Thompson's extra-mariotial affairs spell the doom for his
wife? Am I making these questions up, or did I see them in the letters
column? Will I pick up another issue of ASM while Defalco writes it? No.
THE OUTSIDERS #6 [C+]:
The best team book around, I think. Certainly DC's best, with the Titans
rolling downhill quickly. The gag strip with Jim Engal art in the back is
just the kind of weird sh*t you'd expect in this book. Kind of like old TV
Avenger's shows...
THE BOZZ CHRONICLES #2 [D-]:
My last issue of this. Everything's played so broadly that Micheline's few
attempts at drama or horror are completely at odds with his Benny Hill
humor. The gags in this are so bad that they remind me of old Jerry Lewis
comics -- Salem doesn't even have the personality to be a caricature, much
less a character. In a word, ugh (though Jimmy Hoffa involved in this thing
does look like an interesting touch)...
THE NEW MUTANTS #38 [C-]:
This is actually not too bad, despite the fact that the art still looks like
Noveux New Wave. I'll be interested to see how Magneto pulls out of it.
MR MONSTER #4 [C]:
The beginning was a bit of a let-down, but the Mad Doctor ("The A.M.A. shall
here of *this*!") brought this up. The story at the end is amazing, as it
shows just how well the people from Eisner's studio could imitate Eisner.
Astounding.
SIX FROM SIRIUS 2 #2 [B-]:
Now THIS is the Moench and Gulacy I remember from MASTER OF KUNG FU! Head
and shoulders over SIX FROM SIRIUS.
MIRACLEMAN #3 [B]:
Well, what do YOU think?
STAR WARS #104 [C+]:
Now THIS is the reason I used to read STAR WARS -- it reminds me of a cross
between the Muppets and a good Marx Bros. movie; good-humoured chaos with
weird creatures. Joe Duffy doing what she does best -- swashbuckling with a
grin.
THE MASKED MAN #7 [D]:
If this is supposed to be a take off on the current Miller DAREDEVIL
plotline, it's half-baked. If not, it's just dumb.
NEXUS #19 [C+]:
Amazing -- almost all of the mysteries behind Nexus's powers are revealed in
one issue. I almost feel like it should have been done over a few, but it's
noit a big thing. Still it seems a bit rushed, and adds an interesting plot
idea: now, Nexus has no excuse for going out and murdering despots. He's
not being forced by headaches. Also, Sundra and Nexus's reconciliation
seems terminated a bit early for a Christmas gag (though it's still funny).
DAREDEVIL #229 [B+]:
You know, I feel sorry for David Mazzucchelli. His art in these books is
excellent, but it will always be written off as an imitation of Miller and
Janson's style. And it is quite, quite good here. But.... the person I
have to laud is Miller. His writing, his sentances, are timed and crafted
to hit the reader with a stacatto emotional punch; but each connects with
the next scene, with the next line. like a well-run train. The man is a
consumate professional -- this is great stuff, "film noir" translated to
comics. A lot of people have had been named "comics geniuses" over the last
few years -- Moore, Byrne, Sienkiwicz, and Miller. But of any of these
people, I think Miller is the only one who really does what a genius does --
he pushes the limits of his medium in which it hasn't been pushed before.
He isn't content to stick with a new style; he has to be *constantly*
blowing the lid off the envelope.
"Simple, candid, crazed and madcap
(quintessentially retarded) our hero fights an
with a PLUCK and SPIRIT that is totally American
to the core!!"
Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
ARPA: fluke!moriarty@uw-beaver.ARPA
UUCP: {uw-beaver, sun, allegra, sb6, lbl-csam}!fluke!moriarty
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