moriarty@fluke.UUCP (Jeff Meyer) (07/03/85)
IN THIS ARTICLE: Reviews of :
BLUE DEVIL THE ALADDIN EFFECT FIRESTORM X-MEN
and assorted Snapshot Reviews.
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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: Byrne/Claremont's Starlord |
|==>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< Rather boring, or a few good spots mixed with more bad ones. Ex:Mars|
|==>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 16 [B]:
A couple of very nice comedy bits (the final page, with the Journal
of Hypernormal Conflicts out-take, had me doing a Ken Ardnt
fall-outa-my-chair routine; heck, if DC *really* wanted my
sheckels, they'd sell back issues of The Journal instead of the DC
Universe stuff...). Also, Dan has a nice exposition on just why he's
finding himself in the hero role; we finally put Kid Devil to rest; I
continue avoiding the _Mask_ filler; and I see what Jerry see's,
page 7, 2nd panel; besides Thor and *last* month's Blue Devil,
those folks sure do get around (more Cathedrals Perilous?).
THE ALADDIN EFFECT [D+]:
"From a plot by Jim Shooter". Yeah, I can imagine what that plot
looked like. "We then have the Wasp appear in a state of virtual
undress, and get beaten up by some local louts. Note to Greg &
Vince: Heavy on the T&A." And I'm sure the "You're under arrest,
you son of a bitch" was Jimbo's idea, once again showing the
progress available under Graphic Novels.
Luckily for the readers, Shooter assigned David Michelinie, one of
the best writers Marvel had several years ago, to script this.
Michelinie disappeared into the blue after his IRON MAN stint, and
hasn't been heard from (by me) since; but the same skill which
made Iron Man one of the most popular comics under Michelinie and
Bob Layton, and did so many fine STAR WARS stories (next to Jo
Duffy, Michelinie is unquestionably the finest writer SW ever had)
5manages to pull this soft-porn exercise out of the ditch. While
most of the story is pedestrian Marvel (at best), Michelinie makes
the little mutant girl's family interesting enough to keep my
attention, especially at the beginning, when we don't know quite
what is going on. Also the sheriff's speech to the town, while not
something to remember, transcends it's plot-device nature and
comes off as a nice piece of dialogue.
Not worth the price, but not a total loss. I hope to see more of
Michelinie, and less of Shooter, soon.
FIRESTORM #40 [C]:
A couple of people ask why the heck I'm still reading this book.
Gerry Conway is really the answer, but this is as good an example
as you're going to get. Ronnie graduates, but also comes to terms
with some interesting subplots which have ranged over the last
few issues. I equate Firestorm (in the writing dept. under Conway)
with the skill I used to see in Spider-Man, before he became the
prime example of corporate scripting. Ronnie has faults, but
they're consistent faults, and like the kids in _Power_Pack_, he
learns from them and how to deal with them. Actually,
_Power_Pack_ and Firestorm have a lot in common -- they're both
about humans going through different stages of maturity, and both
are being handled very well (though _Pack_ is more consistent in
its quality). And the character of Martin Stein is one of my
favorite -- a person who is mild-mannered, a true thinker and
humanitarian, and a friend to Ronnie -- an all-over good person.
I use to equate Conway on the same scale as Bill Mantlo, but
Conway's work, over the last few years, has been very good in the
area of characterization. And, as trite as it may sound, I always
feel that he has put a lot of himself into it -- no Conway story of
recent memory has given me the feel that he went "Throw in Plot
Device #23 on this one, Sid...". I think he deserves a little credit
here.
X-MEN #197 [D-]:
This might well mark the X-Men issue I finally got pissed enough
at Claremont to think about taking this book off the list (yeah, I
know, not until after #200...). Several things get me right off:
Kitty has turned from an interesting, three-dimensional youthful
character into some caricature of a new-wave hipster. The
majority of her dialogue no longer talks about how she feels; it's
used to remind us how cool she is, the Spider-Man wisecracks, the
tough talking from the side of her mouth. Apparently we need a
16-year-old version of Wolverine to bring sales up, eh, Chris?
Cripes, when I think of how the best writers today (Moore, Grell,
etc.) spend 20 or so issues trying to build up the complexity and
consistency of their characters, and now I watch Claremont
shatter all the development he, Byrne and Paul Smith built over a
70 issue run, it just makes me sick. Burned out is right, Henry.
Also, Arcade used to be one of the most nicely-done villains ever
to grace Marvel under Claremont/Byrne. Now he comes off as a bad
combination of the worst factors of The Joker and Mr. Mxyzptlk
(sp?). I can't say I've ever enjoyed watching talent atrophy into
maudlin mediocrity, so unless Claremont does something quick,
it's Sayanora, X-Men.
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SNAPSHOTS
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SUPERMAN #411 [C+]: Worth the price (I still ignored the MASK
insert!); when you think of the people Julius Schwartz has known,
the things he's produced, and the work he edits now (AMBUSH BUG,
for instance), you realize just how much he has contributed to
comics and SF. A lot of people seem to have wanted to thank him
for his efforts, and this is one heck of a nice way to do it. Happy
Birthday, Julie! (Remember me? I probably paid for your
granddaughter's bridgework...)
AMBUSH BUG #4 [B]: You thought Supergirl dying was bad? You
thought Phoenix croaking was a tragedy? Well, the Ambush Bug
mini-series is over...
...And I cried.
(Well, not really, that was just to get in the letters page, but I did
feel kinda bad about it. If you want raw emotion, wait a couple of
weeks for the withdrawl symptoms to set in...)
SOLOMON KANE #1 [D-(?)]: Sorry, Jerry, but next to the Chaykin's
MARVEL PREMIEREs of the same story, this pales in comparison.
Chaykin made lines like "Men shall die for this" so starkly
menacing that I am unable to judge how good this version is -- I
just know it to be far inferior to Marvel's previous effort. Next
issue, with a story that Chaykin did not do, I'll be able to judge
with more acumen.
CEREBUS #74 [B]: Wow. Now THAT'S a final scene to take your
breath away... with the realistic selfishness of the rest of the
characters, it strikes me that Jaka may be the most remarkable
character in the book...
A DISTANT SOIL #5 [D]: You know, this is the fifth issue of this
magazine, and I'm getting pretty damn impatient for the plot to
start moving and get it's head out of the ground. So far, little
seems to happen except mysterious strangers popping up. This
issue takes this concept to an extreme, introducing no less than
*18* new characters. Cripes, cut the interstellar cocktail party
and get this show on the road!
TIME BEAVERS [C+]: I thought this very good work, Truman Art or
no Truman Art. The humor works very well (handing Hitler back
the pistol); and while the space drama (especially Shiner's
sacrifice) was extremely hackneyed, other scenes worked very
well; for instance, I really enjoyed the Lincoln scene ("Listen,
they're not even applauding." "They will, boy. They will."). I don't
know if they can try to tap what is essentially the same market as
Grimjack, but it might not be bad as an occasional back-up feature
(on second thought, no, not if it replaces Munden's Bar).
JON SABLE #28 [B]: Setting up some future subplots in the first
half with amazing grace and passion, and some wonderful
interpersonal humor in the second half. You can tell (and I delight
in it) that Grell has long-range plans for this book.
STAR TREK #18 [D]: Stodgey, and Hannigan does a lousy mystery
story. Also, why the kiddie story device of having the planet the
drug is being shipped from called "NARKtos"? And the drug itself
called "Barbit"? Me thinks me can figure it out, Ed... Also, Sutton's
art is great for wide shots or machinery, but only his close-ups
really show talent in the character drawing. It's almost
impossible to distinguish one character from another at a
distance.
SUPERMAN ANNUAL #11 [B]: I have little to add about Moore's
writing; I would note that Gibbons is one of the few artists who
seems able to draw Wonder Woman looking like an Amazon. Haven't
been following Batman lately, but if the new Robin, Jason Todd, is
this well-done under Moench, I approve. By the way, what's the
significance of Supes putting away the model of (?) Kandor before
accepting WW's present?
THE ORIGINAL E-MAN #1 [B-]: I think this has to have one of the
freshest new issues around... it makes me hope for good things
from Cuti in the current E-Man book. A really delightful style....
MEGATON MAN #4 [B-]: Not as good as the previous issues, but the
sight gags alone make it worthwhile (Joe Robertson appearing
every panel going "Tsk!"; "Uh, Megaton Vision, sir?"; the very
well-deserved shot at Steranko). Read this book! Woo!
NEW TEEN TITANS ANNUAL #1 [D-]: Did I miss something? I don't
understand this at all! Reminds me of one of those tie-in issues
with G.I. Joe soldiers or some such thing...
TALES OF THE TEEN TITANS #58 [C-]: Just who is Gizmo supposed
to be parodying, anyway? Wein? Goodwin? Claremont?
NEW TEEN TITANS #12 [C-]: Not up to the old standards, and the
ghost story is ended too neatly to be really spooky (one wonders
what Alan Moore could have done with it, but hey, he can't be
everywhere at once). Notice that Joe really does look like a
Cabbage Patch Kid in this issue, and that Kole is not only dressing
like a cheerleader these days, she seems to be acquiring the same
bland personality? On the other hand, nice to have the cops
thanking Cyborg -- considering all the super-powered nasties they
have to on Earth-1 New York, they probably appreciate volunteers
quite a bit more than other places...
FANTASTIC FOUR #282 [D+]: A really nice graphic opening sequence
turns to... what? Another Microverse story? Cripes, it was boring
the first time the Hulk did it, and it's boring now...
THOR #359 [B-]: I'm having a good time. Jerry's apparently having
a good time. That family wandering around is having a good time.
Walt and Louise are DEFINITELY having a good time. Read this
book! Have a good time! (I mean, the scenes with Thor explaining
to Hildy, etc., about what a great guy Loki is....). Also, Simonson
adds real dimension to characters who were stock characters
under Stan the Man and Roy Thomas for years, like Heimdall and
The Enchantress. Yow! We are having fun now!
DR. STRANGE #73 [C]: Doc sitting around a future Avengers card
game: "You heard of Clea? Ruler of the Dark Dimension? Well, I
used to date her...." I figured this romance was dead for a long
time, but rather nice to see Clea come into her own as the
Sorceress Supreme for her dimension (Doc's got Earth, after all...).
GREEN LANTERN 191-192 [C]: The jury's still out, but the story has
been entertaining, and Stanton's art is the best in years... his
_E-Man_ stuff isn't this good.
BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS #25 [C-]: "Don't do it, Halo! Don't
tell... aww, no, now almost 40 people know who Batman really is!"
In other words, Mr. B. Wayne needs to redefine what "secret I.D."
really means (he should be reading the Journal of Hypernormal
Conflicts!). Davis's work is getting very good, though...
BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS ANNUAL #2 [D+]: Well, I guess they
got out of the Kobra problem! :-) Really, the art is atrocious here,
and the only thing that saves it for me is that I've enjoyed
Metamorpho for years, and Staggsie blowing up at the end put a
nice capper onto it. Also, Barr's Batman is *so* weird that I enjoy
superimposing my own captions into the story (for instance, the
scene where Wayne walks into the church full of poisoned
churchgoers: "Gee, after two years, you'd *think* they'd invite me!"
(Maybe it's your breath, Bruce...)).
CRISIS #7 [C-]: Handled well, but no great emotions for me... those
old Mooney Supergirl stories have ruined Mooney's art for me for
the last 15 years -- I couldn't look at one character in his issues
of Amazing Spiderman without getting slightly nauseous... But
(back to the subject) this was nicely done.
NEXUS #13 [C+]: I'm not sure I like it, but Damn! you've got to give
these guys credit for originality. By the way, I didn't know that
Dave and Judah are Norwegian....
MARVEL FANFARE #22 [D]: This would have gotten worse, but Ken
Steacy knows how to do fine art, though this looks rather rushed
(his poorer work tends to look like his earlier work...).
MECHANICS #1 [Haven't got yet!]:
What? This contains a new story? Excuse me, need to head down
to Xanadu Comics... [sound of running footsteps, and door slamming...]
"Don't embarrass us."
"Have I ever?"
If he's not one thing,
he's another. ---> Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc.
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