We stand here at about the mid-point of the month of December. Christmas is rapidly approaching, and the week after that, the new year – and with that, a lot of people are putting out their year in review pieces. But is it quite time yet? There’s still a full twelfth of the year left, but the people in charge of the wrap-ups act like nothing that happens in December matters! So for the sake of those poor, orphaned announcements that have been left out of the year end lists, I thought I would talk about a few of them in the here and now. And fans of the Christmas Party, fear not — I talk about the Christmas collaboration between Scott Kurtz and Neal Adams, as well as the new Ghostbusters Christmas one-shot!

Everything But Imaginary #333: The Year Ain’t Over Yet
Inside This Column:

by Jeff Parker (writer), Dan Panosian & Gabriel Hardman (art), Elizabeth Dismang & Sotocolor (colors), and Tom Orzechowski (letters)

The Story: The final battle is waged between the Agents of Atlas and the Great Wall.

What’s Good: M-11 really comes off as the star of this issue.  In fact, the robot is more fun this month than he’s ever been.  A lot of humor comes from Ken’s placing a personality microchip into the robot, leading to some utterly ridiculous rhyming trash-talk from the usually silent M-11.  The revelation of who M-11 is impersonating was also unexpected and enjoyable.  All the more wonderful still was how the chip ultimately led to M-11 showing perhaps the most sentience we’ve seen from him in the series, proving that there really is a personality and character underneath all the metal.

Naturally, this issue also has a good deal of action, and it’s all gloriously rendered.  A lot of this is thanks to Elizabeth Dismang’s efforts on the colors, making it all take on a particularly fiery hue.  Again though, M-11 steals the show, with by far the best action scene of the book.  The robot brawl/boxing match is all kinds of awesome, with M-11 bringing back some classic Menacer robot quips.

Beyond M-11 though, the other character who really shines this month is Temugin.  The character has spent a lot of the series as uneven, unlikable, and oddly underpowered for his skills, and while the last point isn’t rectified, the other two definitely are, as Temugin becomes a strangely engaging character that I really had no problem cheering for.  I’ve always been a sucker for formerly villainous characters showing heroic qualities, and ultimately transitioning form bad guy to bad ass.  Temugin’s actions are some of the most heroic this issue and the sequence is almost heartwarming.

What’s Not So Good: While he’s a good artist, I still don’t like Panosian on Atlas.  While last month’s issue was glorious thanks to its being heavier on the Hardman side of the team than the Panosian side, the opposite is true this time, and the comic suffers as a result.  Hardman is perfect for the series, and is just a league above Panosian, whose angular, cartoony, and at times pin-up styled artwork just doesn’t jive with the comic.  His angular faces in particular at times feel just a bit too comical.

I also have to add that the first third of the comic is an incredibly frustrating experience overall.  Opening this month’s issue, I actually felt as though I missed a book, and it’s irritating and disorienting.  Last month, Atlas was holding their own against the Wall, but at the start of this issue, Atlas is crippled and near a route.  Huh?  Worse still, last month ended with the cliffhanger of the newly upgraded M-11 showing up to kick ass.  Now, this book opens up as though that never even happened.  Why even bother with last month’s ending and the extended mad scientist scene if the upgrades accomplish nothing and are never even to be shown in use?

Lastly, I’m wholly disappointed with Jade Claw.  As a former lover of Jimmy, she had such potential as a character.  Instead, Parker seems sadly content with keeping her a completely one-note character who sounds like any clichéd female villain.  There’s absolutely nothing that makes her special and the character’s voice is monotonous and unchanging.

Conclusion: Great character moments in a flawed issue that sadly hints at future story-arcs that probably will never come.

Grade: B -

-Alex Evans

July 2009 | Boom!

Creator: Mark Waid
Writing: Mark Waid
Art: Peter Krause
Colour: Andrew Dalhouse
Letters: Ed Dukeshire
Cover: Dan Panosian

Qubit tells his story of first meeting The Plutonian. Nations of the world gather to discuss this global crisis and almost every country is willing to offer the fallen super his every desire.

Another issue blows me away. Every time I ask myself, how could this get better? Each time I read the next, I’m left in awe gaping the last page.

This is brilliance. Everything I’ve ever wanted from an oversaturated genre and I don’t want it to stop.

There is a specific scene in this book that keeps haunting my mind. The scene where Qubit finally gets his answer to a question he asked when first meting the Plutonian. It was a beautiful moment that made me sit back in my chair and release a contented sigh.

If I were ever to meet Mark in person, I’d probably be filled with such joyous emotion, tears would spill down my cheeks.

And the art. The story wouldn’t have the deep impact without Peter’s wonderful art. And how about Dan’s cover? So beautiful. I’d love a poster of that to put on my wall.

I’ve used all the words left in me. This series is wonderful. Just read it. Go to your local comic store, or online seller, and just buy it. Right now.

Jun 2009 | Boom! Studios

Creation: Mark Waid
Writing: Mark Waid
Art: Peter Krause
Colour: Andrew Dalhouse
Letters: Ed Dukeshire
Cover: Dan Panosian

The Plutonian is still having issues and the bad guys want to know if he’s on their side now and how they could use him. They find the secret hideout of Inferno and start snooping around. What they don’t expect, is The Plutonian.

Right off the bat I’m reminded why I love this comic so much. How delightfully disturbing that whole rape was. You really see how low Plutonian has gotten. Some classic behavioral issues there. I can’t wait to see more of them.

When The Plutonian talked with all those villains, I was almost fearful this comic would turn to crap. I could see the nose starting to tilt downward and the plane starting to teeter downward. And I was so delighted to be wrong when what followed happened.

This is everything I’ve ever wanted in a supers book. A good-guy turned bad for very valid reasons I can identify with and the results are far from family friendly. And it’s better off that way. This is something I’ve needed for a long time and hopefully the start of a trend. I want more books focused on villains doing unspeakable things. The only way the series will fail, is if the good guys win. Then I’m seriously going to have to go on a manhunt and beat a few people with rubber hoses.

Let me tell you the kind of world I live in.

It is a world of miserable, bitter, ungrateful paramecium who lash out at you in a state of perpetual rage for not solving their problems fast enough.

*Sigh.* I’m in love. I’m in love the words. I’m in love with The Plutonian. I’m in love with story. I’m in love with everything. This series has become an obsession. I need it like a junkie needs a fix. I just can’t function without more, or other books of equal caliber and artistry. And those are hard to come by. This is my top series this year with Crossed following close behind.

This is hands down one of the best supers comics I’ve ever read and likely will ever read.

Hullo! Be sure to check out this week’s Impulse feature: my interview with Dan Panosian, the friendly and very talented artist on X-MEN ORIGINS: SABRETOOTH! Yeah, he’s like your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man … of art.

Remember, comments at the forum are encouraged and much appreciated. Enjoy! And check back at the end of each week for updates. No time? Subscribe to the Impulse Creations newsletter.

Suggest-a-topic is on! Is there a comic, trade, or graphic novel you’d like to see reviewed on the forums? What about something that’s been on your mind that you think is worth discussing, or someone in the industry who would make a great interviewee? Leave a comment on this post or any of my Impulse Creations weekly updates (or shoot me an email) suggesting a good article idea that you’d like to see me talk about over on the Impulse forums, and I might just take you up on it! And of course, drop your name (and homepage, if you have one) in the article as credit.

Overall rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Still no comics in the mail yesterday, here’s hoping there’s something new today. Until then, here’s a review of a good two-part “Ultimate” story. (Well, a review of part one anyway.)

-LOTRKing

By Aron E Coleite and Joe Pokaski (Writers), Dan Panosian and Mark Brook (Pencilers), Danny Miki and Troy Hubbs (Inkers), and John Rauch and Antonio Fabela (Colorists)

While I enjoy the occasional “Ultimate” comic, I’ve never been a huge fan of that universe.  I don’t plan on “converting” any time soon, but this issue sure makes a strong showing that the Ultimate U can offer a traditional Marvel story, while still maintaining its own flavor.

In the future sentiment has turned against all those with powers, and the X-Men have become a group of illegal freedom fighters. Eventually these X-Men decide to travel to the past to destroy the thing that started this hellish future: Reed Richards. As they invade, we see a rather entertaining fight between the FF of today and the X-Men of tomorrow. Twenty years of honing power and skill allow the X-Men to be victorious in capturing Reed, and the remaining FF decide to turn to the one group they believe can help them: the current X-Men. What follows is a typical mystery as the two teams work together to solve exactly what the future X-Men intend to do, and why they’ve only captured Reed, instead of killing him.

As a quick side note, the two things that interested me about the future X-Men were discovering who the new Captain America (yes, he joins the X-Men, and no, he’s not Steve Rogers) and the new Phoenix are (in this case, it is a character who is finally yet introduced in the Ultimate U) And if you think the future X-Men are cool, just wait until the last page reveals the future Fantastic Four!

Overall, this was an extremely entertaining plot, and I can’t wait for part two in two weeks! If you are a fan of the “regular” X-Men or the Fantastic Four these two issues would be a great thing to pick up to give you a taste of their “Ultimate” counterparts. (Grade: B+)

-M. Staples