boyajian@akov68.DEC (JERRY BOYAJIAN) (06/18/85)
Reviewed this time around: BATMAN #387 LONGSHOT #1 SUPERMAN #411 BATMAN & THE OUTSIDERS #25 NIGHTVEIL #2 SUPERMAN ANNUAL #11 CONQUEROR #6 THE ONE #1 SWAMP THING #40 GENE DAY'S BLACK ZEPPELIN #1 SWIFTSURE #2 Ratings for the comics reviewed are as according to the Mad Armenian Scale, a shameless rip-off of the Moriarty Scale, stolen out from under the very nose of the Napoleon of Crime. Nyah-ah-ah!! "For a critic, having wrong standards is better than having none at all." -- Elmer Allyn Craft ******************************************************************************** |=>A+< A veritable Classic. One of the best of All Time. Example: THE SPIRIT | |==>A< One of the best of the year. Ex: TEEN TITANS #38: "Who Is Donna Troy?" | |==>B< A very good issue, one of the best of the month. Example: CEREBUS | |==>C< A well done, entertaining issue. Satisfying. Example: JON SABLE | |==>D< Rather boring, or a few good spots mixed with more bad ones. Ex: ROM | |==>F< Boring AND stupid or childish. Example: MARVEL SUPERHEROES SECRET WARS | |==>Z< Actually offensive. Example: DAZZLER --- THE MOVIE GRAPHIC NOVEL #12 | ******************************************************************************** BATMAN #387 [DC, $.75] C I used to be one of the elite few who wondered why everyone thought Doug Moench was doing such a great job on Batman. The Nocturna/Nightslayer storyline was boring and seemingly interminable. The issues that followed, for the most part, have been quite good. This issue marks the end of another multi-parter pitting Batman against another Moench-original foe, Black Mask, and I must say that I was quite satisfied with it. Unlike Nocturna, Mask was an intriguing villain, and seemed to be very much cut from the same cloth as the classic Bat-villains. While I hope he doesn't return *too* soon, I really wouldn't mind seeing him again. BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS #25 [DC, $.75] C Similar comments to what I said above. Despite all of the grousing I've done about Barr's handling of the book, it's starting to look better, even aside from the Alan Davis art. First of all, the relationship between Brion and Denise Howard is taking a turn for the better. Secondly, Halo is the only one of the Outsiders that I've found to be all that interesting (despite her silly "origin"), and I'm glad to see her in the limelight. And third, I think Barr has, so far at least, gotten a good handle on the character of Kobra, who is one of my favorite villains. It's about time that Batman had another crack at him. By the way, speaking of The Outsiders, I've noticed that the new ads for the forthcoming Baxter edition label the book as just THE OUTSIDERS, and don't show Batman at all. I wonder if this has any CRISIS-related significance. You don't suppose...... nah! They wouldn't dare! Would they??! CONQUEROR #6 [Harrier (UK), b&w, $1.75] C- I've been up and down about this title ever since it started. I'm pleased to say that it finally looks like it's going somewhere. The art is improving (though it still has further to go), the writing is improving (ditto), and the characters are improving (ditto ditto). BUT, there's some long overdue action in this issue, along with quite a cliffhanger, and a subplot or two is finally starting to come together. I hope this issue isn't a fluke. GENE DAY'S BLACK ZEPPELIN #1 [Renegade, b&w, $1.70] D I'm really sorry to say that I didn't go for this. I've admired Gene Day's artwork, and have even followed scattered issues of his fantasy fiction semi-prozine, DARK FANTASY. So, I wanted to like this. Unfortunately, the stories in here are quite amateurish, especially considering the talent behind them. Admittedly, they were all done some time ago, but still... Dave Sim's was probably the best done of the lot, but even it was trite and predictable. A bitter disappointment. LONGSHOT #1 [Marvel, mini-series, $.75] D+ Beautiful art, but the story was so damn confusing! If I hadn't read some articles about the series in AMAZING HEROES and elsewhere, I'd have had absolutely *no* idea of what was going on. Since it's only going six issues, I may hang around for the whole run, but I'm not sure it'll be worth it. NIGHTVEIL #2 [Americomics, $1.75] D- In a continuing effort (and I mean *effort*!) to give Americomics a fair trial, I thought I'd try this one. In a word --- blechh! I'll admit that it has its moments, and the concept isn't too bad, but the inept scripting and the amateurish artwork leave a lot to be desired. A little girl telepath seeks out Nightveil (a fourth-rate Dr. Strange) for help when a Cthulhu-type cult captured her older sister for sacrifice. In the meantime, a fundamentalist group is out to destroy the demon cult, the two girls (because their telepathy is obviously Satan-derived), *and* Nightveil (because she's a sorceress). It'd be an intriguing story if it were handled by more competent people. By the way, this is the first of a 2-issue story that was originally scheduled to be a graphic novels. Just as well that it appeared as 2 $1.75 issues instead of a $4.95 or whatever graphic novel. THE ONE #1 [Marvel/Epic, mini-series, $1.50] C- Well-drawn (scriptwise, I mean) characters and an intriguing premise make this a comic that is worth a serious look. A rather corrupt industrialist brings the world to the brink of nuclear war for his own profit, never believ- ing that a war would actually take place. Well, the laughs on him. In the face of near-obliteration, a truly mystical (in the same sense as 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY) event takes place. I say no more; take a look at it for yourself. SUPERMAN #411 [DC, $.75] C I don't normally read SUPERMAN, but this is a special issue. Issue #410 had the first part of a trilogy invloving a fight with Luthor. Everyone thought that this issue would have part two. BUT, a few sneaks managed, behind Julius Schwartz's back, to put together a surprise Happy 70th Birthday issue for Julie. The story itself is rather silly: Superman saves a broken-down bum who is the Earth-1 counterpart of Julie, only to find that he is dying anyway. So, Supes takes him to Earth-Prime where he can merge with the *real* Julie. Silly, but heartwarming. While I haven't been enamored by the Superman-family of books that Julie's been editing the last 15 or so years, I'll always remember him for the science fiction titles of the late-50's/60's, like STRANGE ADVENTURES, et al. It's ncie to see this tribute to him. Next month, I'll have the opportunity to meet him at Pulpcon (Julie had quite a bit to do with the pulps of yesteryear), and I'll definitely be sure to get this one autographed. SUPERMAN ANNUAL #11 [DC, $1.25] B- I'll get the negativity out of the way first --- though it wasn't *bad*, I didn't think all that much of the Dave Gibbons art here, which dragged the overall rating down to a B-. The Alan Moore script I found almost impeccable. The story was suspenseful (hell, he even remembered Lyla, the Kryptonian actress from the Mort Weisinger-era story, "Superman's Return to Krypton"!), the characterization of Superman, Batman, Robin, and Wonder Woman were right on (especially the last --- just think of how the WW comic could be returned to greatness with Moore at the helm). The only flaw I could see was that Mongul (one of DC's best villains), while sufficently sinister, didn't have quite the monstrously evil aura that he did in the various Wein/ Starlin DC COMICS PRESENTS issues he appeared in. Not an *outstanding* comic --- Moore has done better --- but certainly one of the best of this month. SWAMP THING #40 [DC, $.75] B One of the best things about my system of reading each week's comics in alphabetical order is that occasionally, like this week, I get to read two Alan Moore comics in a row. Frankly, I don't know how he does it. After just finishing a story that presented an original treatment of vampires, here he gives us an original treatment of werewolves. The combina- tion of an old Indian sacred place (in Maine, Stephen King country --- I'm wondering if this was deliberate), the lunar cycle, and a woman's menstrual cycle serves to turn the woman into a werewolf. Sounds a bit silly on the surface, but Moore does manage to fit those elements together in truly horrific fashion. Equally horrifying is the transformation scene. It's a good thing that they decided not to submit this book to the Comics Code Authority, as this issue probably would've given the Authorities conniptions. SWIFTSURE #2 [Harrier (UK), b&w, $1.75] C- This issue contains further installments of four of the five features from #1 ("Code Name: Andromeda" was rotated out this issue). The new rotating feature that starts this issue is "Forest" by James Hill and Kev Hopgood. This is quite a good strip, and is so far, the best thing to come out of Harrier. The setting is a bit trite --- a super-scientific pre-cataclysmic Atlantis --- but the creators toss in enough characteriztion and political intrigue to give this a fresh look. And the artwork is very much up to professional level. --- jayembee (Jerry Boyajian, DEC, Maynard, MA) UUCP: {decvax|ihnp4|allegra|ucbvax|...}!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-akov68!boyajian ARPA: boyajian%akov68.DEC@DECWRL.ARPA soon to be: boyajian%akov68.DEC@DECWRL.COM
moriarty@fluke.UUCP (The Napoleon of Crime) (06/25/85)
In article <2746@decwrl.UUCP> boyajian@akov68.DEC (JERRY BOYAJIAN) writes: >BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS #25 [DC, $.75] C >[...] By the way, speaking of The Outsiders, I've noticed that the new >ads for the forthcoming Baxter edition label the book as just THE OUTSIDERS, >and don't show Batman at all. I wonder if this has any CRISIS-related >significance. You don't suppose...... nah! They wouldn't dare! Would they??! Maybe he leaves the Outsider's in a huff after Halo has revealed his secret I.D to Kobra (I thought he told Ambush Bug he was LEAVING the D.C. Universe :-) ). He showed up at the wedding of Rex and Saphire because he was asked (maybe he paid for it). By the way, Aparo is doing the art (ah-ha!). "If this is foreplay, I'm a dead man!" If he's not one thing, he's another. ---> Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc. UUCP: {cornell,decvax,ihnp4,sdcsvax,tektronix,utcsri}!uw-beaver \ {allegra,gatech!sb1,hplabs!lbl-csam,decwrl!sun,ssc-vax} -- !fluke!moriarty ARPA: fluke!moriarty@uw-beaver.ARPA