boyajian@akov68.DEC (Jerry Boyajian) (09/11/84)
Yet more reviews, again using the Moriarty Scale: **************************************************************************** |==>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 | **************************************************************************** SIX FROM SIRIUS #4: C While I have liked this series so far, I must say that it has gotten more and more convoluted and confusing with each issue. Still, enough is under- standable to make for time well-spent in reading it. And the art is stunning! Some people are undoubtedly going to complain about the garishness of this comic (especially if pages 24-25 fry their eyeballs), but I think it's masterful use of color. I think I've fallen in love with LaMasque just because of her green eyes. The text feature in the back about how Moench & Gulacy got together on this book implies that there may well be a sequel. If one is done, I will look forward to it. MACHINE MAN #4 A There's only two differences between this issue and any of the previous ones: Smith co-plots and Trimpe is nowhere to be seen. It's not clear that the first has had any effect on things. Oddly enough, the second is a slight (note: *slight*) detriment. I found I was rather fond of Trimpe's layouts in the first 3 issues, and Smith has tended to crowd too much into a lot of panels. Still, this flaw aside, the art here is better than almost anything being published to- day. And I'm glad that Smith did the coloring himself, because he understood how muted the colors needed to be to jibe with the dreary BLADERUNNER-esqueness he was trying to achieve with the pencils. There's only one thing that could have significantly improved this mini-series, and that's to have published it as a graphic novel. This is without doubt the best mini-series that Marvel (or anyone else, for that matter) has published to date. THE NEW MUTANTS #23 C- Claremont seems to being continuing a tighter cross-continuity between this and THE X-MEN, not only with another guest appearance by Colossus (and the announced guest appearance of some more X-Men in next issue), but by continuing the subplot from X-MEN #188 involving Magneto and Lee Forrester. As to the story proper, well it honestly just kind of fumbles along, more or less fighting a holding action until next issue. It does have a couple of interesting charac- ter bits, though, as well as introducing what may be a couple of new supporting characters (I'll bet Harry Morrel is a mutant or something; there's at least more to him than meets the eye, I'm sure). And watch for the guest appearance by a certain Frenchman... SECRET WARS #9 D+ Good Lord! Praise be to Allah! I prostrate myself before this miracle! What we have here is an issue of SECRET WARS that I actually *almost enjoyed reading*!!!! Reed Richards ponders the sense and/or logic behind this whole fi- asco, thinks he's figured it out, and ends up having a rap session with Galactus to discuss the matter. And, of course, Dr. Doom is back to his old, nefarious, scheming, power-hungry self and makes a grab for all the gusto he can. Meanwhile Jim Shooter proves that he actually *can* understand some of the characters: he manages to stick in some nice character bits of the Hulk (who is feeling rather useless because now that he's slowing losing his intelligence, he thinks he's too civilized to be the asset his berserker strength would make him yet not in- telligent enough to be helpful in the techno area), Thor (who seems to be begin- ning to like this whole business, as it gives him the opportunity to be the war- rior he feels he was born to be), and Spider-Man (ever the jolly, bantering fool who acts as he does to keep sane in an insane situation. And I'm even more con- vinced that Peter is a schmuck for dumping Kitty in favor of Zsaji. Even the cover looks nice (though the interior art hasn't improved any). I almost feel that they may be some hope yet for this series. Naaahhhhh! ********** Last, but not least, I want to make a couple of comments on the two LSH books, without an actual review. I find that I'm getting a bit confused reading the two storylines concurrently (though I'm not having a similar problem with THE TEEN TITANS). I also find that I rather like the Lightle/Mahlstadt art in the Baxter title, enough so that I don't really miss Giffen at all. I wish I could say the same about the Shoemacher/Kessel art in the Mando title, which is merely ade- quate at best. --- jayembee (Jerry Boyajian, DEC, Maynard, MA) UUCP: {decvax|ihnp4|allegra|ucbvax|...}!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-akov68!boyajian ARPA: boyajian%akov68.DEC@DECWRL.ARPA