ted@usceast.UUCP (Ted Nolan) (09/24/84)
<this line was bitten by a radioactive bug>
Well, here I am again, finding the time and energy to post a new
batch of reviews after about 2 months. I don't have a fancy
rating system, just a very subjective 0-100 scale.
Last time I had separate ratings for plot and art; I am giving this
up since I now realize I don't know enough about art to intelligently
rate it. That won't stop me from mentioning it if I feel like it though.
If I hit some old issues, bear with me : they are probably still available
somewhere.
Onwards :
New Mutants Annual #1 : STEAL THIS PLANET - a rock fable
or
The Cosmic Cannonball Caper
The interesting thing about this annual is not the plot,
but what happens. This statement is less paradoxical than
it seems; Claremont has used this book more as a device to
advance the concept of the New Mutants than to tell a story
(although there is one here).
In brief, here is the plot : The NM attend a rock concert
and find an alien trying to off the singing idol. The
(woman) singer defeats the alien with musical energy (or something)
and teleports off for parts unknown with Sam (for whom she has
fallen - temporarily). The NM follow and defeat the (other) aliens
who have doublecrossed the singer in the meantime, rescuing her
and Sam. In gratitude she forgoes her plan to steal and sell
Earth (obviously she is more than an ordinary rock singer).
Adequate but not really engaging.
Here, however is what we learn along the way :
Claremont is backpedalling even more on the subject of
Illyana's magical powers. Now her soulsword only affects
"magical beings and creations". Apparently he feels (or is
being made to feel) that he made her too powerful in the
mini-series. While I realize it is difficult to write valid
stories about very powerful people (so Superman destroyed the
German army and the war was over...) but I liked her better
powerful and enigmatic. She seems even to be loosing that little
interesting touch of evil Belasco left her with.
Warlock is now an official part of the team and he is a metamorph.
He can look like a normal human male (or perhaps female too, who
knows) or pretty much anything else. When he is being something
else though, it seems to be the same sort of black circuit board
design of his original form. He reminds me a bit of Plastic Man
now, who as I recall from the little I saw of him, was always
turning into some type of object or another. Stranded in space
without a suit? No problem, Warlock will become a space ship for
you. (If he has enough energy). Now all they have to do is
teach him about the first person singular...
To me, these 2 points seemed to be the main purpose of the annual,
with the plot just the stage for their show. This may not have
been the original intention but it seems to have been the result.
Originally, the plot may have been more complex, there seems to
be a logical gap between pages 27 and 28 leaving us to wonder
a) how the NM got from the outside of a dyson sphere to the
inside and
b) what actually happened between Sam and the singer (the
implication is distinctly Rot13).
I'm not realy complaining, it was certainly nice to see Bob
Mcleod back on art and the story wasn't bad, just rather thin.
Much Better than the XM annual. Overall I'll give it an 85.
Spanner's Galaxy #1 - Castling
This book was a very pleasant surprise. DC's new mini-series has
a nice authentic sf feel to it; several times it put me in the mind
of Heinlein's _Citizen of the Galaxy_. The background of the book
gives that impression of a well thought out universe which is lacking
in so many sf comics , yet there are enough details left unexplained to
be intriguing; I hate being hit over the head with an explanation for
everything. I especially like the idea of Jelly farming and its
trials and tribulations. I won't go into the plot except to say
that through a series of events during his growing up, the hero,
Polaris Spanner, becomes the most wanted man in the galaxy. Why,
neither we nor he are sure.
The only negative at all in this book is the form of narration;
the story is related by Spanner in a voiceover from some time
in the future, where he is testifying before some sort of tribunal.
I dislike having the outcome of a story "preordained" in this way.
(As a related side issue, what was the point of having the Wasp seem
to die in Marvel's Secret Wars; anyone could look at the Avengers
and see her still alive : no suspense. )
Overall a must read 95 on my scale. Even the text page was good.
Elfquest 20 -- Quest's End part 2
I'm not wholly decided about this yet. As I think I speculated
in a posting some months ago, 20 issues wasn't enough time
to tie up all the loose ends of the EQ saga. In particular,
this ending resolves neither the Two-edge nor the Winnowill
subplots, to say nothing about about the fate of all the elves
left at Sorrow's End. (OK, they all appear, but they don't do
anything). This issue then is more of a stopping than an
ending. I found the origin of elves less than inspiring also :
they just took the shape to impress humans, and then after the
fall were stuck with it; if they had felt humans would be impressed
by groundhogs, we could have had GQ -:). This still gives the
current elves nothing to hang onto, no real roots (except the
Wolfriders' ties to the earth through their wolf heritage).
On the other hand there were many good things too. I had been
afraid they were going to run the forbidden knowledge/endevour
plotline in Leetah's failure to fully revive One-eye, but
they make it plain that she wasn't wrong to try (and leave room
for hope too). The brief Cutter/Skywise rift in EQ 19 has healed
and the pair is not being split (*), and both Petalwing and Suntop
turn out to be useful.
As always the art is good and the characterization deft.
Let's say 90 ( and wait for the EQ graphic novel).
* By my count I'm batting 75% in getting my letters published in
comics. 3 out of 5 (if memory serves). Luckily they published
only the most lucid part of this one, written under the influence
of 3AM coastal summer air.
The New Teen Titans #4 -- Torment
Ok, I'm getting a little tired of this Trigon plotline (esp
since the book has been twice delayed), and we still don't
wrap it up here. Furthermore, we are treated to a classical
deus (perhaps literally) ex machina. Nothing the titans do
in this issue matters, they ARE broken by Trigon's torments
and freed only by the intervention of some superior power
working through Lilith. In addition, all this has apparently
been predestined (if Lilith can be believed) , something,
which as I mentioned earlier, I dislike.
I'm not thrilled either at the way Trigon breaks the titans,
by forcing them to kill. They have killed before in situations
which have passed being fights and become wars (the Citadel
war for instance) and while they didn't like it, it didn't
destroy them. Here it does, even though there are some indications
that they realize it is only a dream. I don't buy it.
The death of Raven : I don't buy this either. One way or another
she'll be back.
It's still a good looking book, but I can't give this issue
any higher than 60.
Time to go into capsule mode.
Warlord 88
A fairly entertaining issue, esp after the muddled time travel
plotline, but truth to tell this is one of the 2 (*) books I buy
for the backup strip : The Barren Earth. This is a swords,planets
and dessert type story set in the far future after the general
abandonment of Earth. The heroine is beautiful and competent
and the plot engaging, what more could you ask for? Well a
mini series for one thing, and this issue sets it up. It also
takes Jinal's character in a direction I'm not sure I like, as
the old ones deny her petition and she vows to become Conqueror
of the Barren Earth . Warlord 75 Barren Earth 85
* Starslayer is the other (for The Black Flame)
Avengers 250
Hmm, didn't we see this exact same expansion gimick a month or
so ago in the FF (with Gormuu (sp)) ? 45
Iron Man 189
James Rhodes impotent, Tony Stark alcoholic -- wonder if the suit
is cursed. I still like the idea of Rhodes as Iron Man, but it
looks like Marvel may be starting to chicken out. Rhodes is still
in his 'I hate Tony Stark' mood and Stark has begun tinkering with a
suit (for "work therapy"); Rhodes screws up monumentally : who
will wear it? Bright spots : the return of Stane and the continued
presence of Clytemnestra, whom I am really coming to like. 65
Alpha Flight 18
I don't see why so many people seem to dislike this comic; how
can you dislike anything that features an attack by scrambled
eggs? We still don't find out what happened to Aurora, but
the spare Guardian suit for Heather plotline is rejected. Things
start to look up for Shaman's family and Byrne finally starts
to do something with Snowbird. 80
X-men Annual 8
Well it beats the one with the vampires, but not by much. 50
(special added bonus thought How often does Storm shave and
when? There never seems to be any stubble.)
Ted Nolan
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Ted Nolan ...decvax!mcnc!ncsu!ncrcae!usceast!ted
6536 Brookside Circle ...akgua!usceast!ted
Columbia, SC 29206
("We pray for one last landing on the globe that gave us birth..")
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Ted Nolan ...decvax!mcnc!ncsu!ncrcae!usceast!ted
6536 Brookside Circle ...akgua!usceast!ted
Columbia, SC 29206
("We pray for one last landing on the globe that gave us birth..")
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