moriarty@fluke.UUCP (The Napoleon of Crime) (09/18/85)
Reviewed in this issue:
BLUE DEVIL SWAMP THING AMERICAN FLAGG! JON SABLE
MARVEL SAGA MIRACLEMAN NEXUS DC PRESENTS
GREEN LANTERN FANTASTIC FOUR JOURNEY FURY OF FIRESTORM
SCOUT MOONSHADOW THE MASKED MAN
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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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BLUE DEVIL #19 [C-]:
Really a Kid Devil issue, this doesn't score quite so high due to the fact
that only the first issue was really up to snuff. However, the Institute
for Hyper-Normal conflicts is one of the best comedic idea to come along in
ages -- I look forward to seeing more of it as time goes on. This issue
also brings up the question of just what the heck all of the Flash's Rogues
Gallery members are going to do now that the Fastest Man Alive... isn't.
Appears the Trickster has found something more legit...
SWAMP THING #43 [B+]:
Oh, lord, this man should be doing TWILIGHT ZONE episodes, he really should.
Swamp Thing is only in this story during the first page; but the effects of
his "physical" presence are felt througout the rest of the comic. The last
two pages are extremely, well, satisfying; not dramatic or soul-tearing or
gut-wrenching or anything like that. Just satisfying. My general guess is
that Chester would have a very good trip, because he IS a good person; only
good people doubt whether they're good or not. Bad people are sure, one way
or the other...
AMERICAN FLAGG! #27 [C+]:
"Hmm... Well, I'm sure there's a moral in this somewhere..."
JON SABLE #31 [B-]:
Writing's so good, I didn't even notice how much this conflicts with my
beliefs about what's going on in Nicuragua until the third reading. Which
is as it should be... The interpersonal relations are really excellent in
this book, and the dialogue is sterling. And I don't find his art any
"poorer" lately -- just in a different, less precise, style. Which fits the
less precise world Jon Sable inhabits... (PS nice to have SHATTER out of
there...)
THE MARVEL SAGA #1 [C-]:
Much less detail than I had expected -- pre-FF #1 stuff is kept to a bare
minimum, which strikes me as unusual. Perhaps I am expecting a more
complete overview of the whole thing...
MIRACLEMAN #1 [B]:
Wait. Hold it. Let me get this straight.
It gets BETTER?!
Whoosh, mon... (Actually, this was not the greatest issue... but the
*potential*...).
NEXUS #16 [C]:
What IS going on in Nexus's head? They left his resurrection in the
previous issue on the side; he seems to be his old self in some ways, and a
bit more... pompous?... in others. Well, it ain't boring -- and Rude's art
is improving, if you can believe it -- his layout and composition here are
excellent.
DC PRESENTS #88 [F]:
Really disappointing, considering that Englehart and Giffen did it. The
story is half-baked, but the worst thing is the art -- I know Giffen can do
better stuff than this. It looks like just plain laziness to me....
GREEN LANTERN #195 [B+]:
Fascinating...
FANTASTIC FOUR #285 [C+]:
I'll agree with Jerry here -- worth it if one kid reads it and realizes what
you can and cannot do in the real world. And an intelligent use of the
Beyonder to boot... Still, after Jerry's description in his reviews, I
expected even more from Byrne. The problem is, JB is doing good work -- but
he's not up to the standards he set in X-Men of the first year of FF.
Perhaps if he dropped The Hulk... I had planned to stop reading FF with
this issue, but decided to take a look due to the pointer from Jerry. Worth
it, but I think I'm still going to drop it...
JOURNEY #22 [B]:
This almost reminds me of the atmosphere Moore sets up in some of his
lower-key SWAMP THING stories. Just a hint of horror, along with a dollup
of weirdness -- the snow which wraps around all the characters veils both
human intentions (the Iroquois, the villagers of New Hope) and the inhuman.
However, Moore wouldn't resort to this form of comic relief -- which is just
fine by me, as Loebs does a fine job with it. "'EY, COCHON! Wake up!
You're Dead!" An oft-overlooked consistent pleasure.
THE FURY OF FIRESTORM #42 [C-]:
One of the weaker CRISIS tie-ins; but I like Conway's "burned-out lightbulb"
metaphor -- that man consistently surprises me.
SCOUT #1 [Scout: D; Fashion in Action: C-]:
Timothy Truman's latest series, SCOUT, seems to lack both originality and
drive; it limps along like a weak echo of COYOTE and THE ROAD WARRIOR.
FASHION IN ACTION, however, combines a glib dialogue with an appeal to all
of us closet NICK FURY AND HIS AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. fans, and it's worth a
look or two. I'll probably pick up the next issue for that reason...
MOONSHADOW #5 [B]:
Well, *I* can't explain why I like this book so much; but after several
rather lackluster issues previous to this one, I find MOONSHADOW back on the
top of my list this month. Really, there has never been anything like it;
and while the same could be said of Kaluta's STARSTRUCK, MOONSHADOW differs
in that it strikes an emotional resonance, somehow -- something STARTSTRUCK
is unable to do to me (probably due to 15 tons of excess, superflous
detail). J.D. Matteis has met with only limited success in Marvel's
mainstream line; but here he has found a nitch all to himself. I hope that
after MOONSHADOW, he can continue to find books which will give him a chance
to exercise his unique talents.
THE MASKED MAN #5 [D]:
There are times when B.C. Boyer's character simplifications are just too
much to swallow, and this is one of them. I suspect that he's guilty all
the time, but usually he has enough of a sense of comic relief to cover it
up; in this issue, I keep feeling that I've got someone over my shoulder
saying "There are no Bad Boys, only Misunderstood ones." Maybe I'm reading
too much into it; maybe it's those Cabbage Patch Kids eyes in every panel;
maybe I'm just cranky because the novelty has worn off. I dunno...
"The man pervades London, and no one has heard of him."
Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
ARPA: fluke!moriarty@uw-beaver.ARPA
UUCP: {uw-beaver, sun, allegra, sb6, lbl-csam}!fluke!moriarty
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