By Jeff Parker (writer), Miguel Sepulveda (artist), Frank Martin(colorist)

The Story: The Thunderbolts, having more than a few lunatics on the team, have a problem. The satisfaction of victory over Power Man and Iron Fist was snatched from them last issue. They’ve had nothing to do since then. So somebody prods at Mr. X, which causes him to escape from their HQ. The Thunderbolts follow him to the Colombia-Venezuela border.

What’s Good: Sepulveda provides some very fine artwork for this issue. In terms of setting, there are lots of moody, cloudy effects, dreamscapes, and a whole lot of Venezuelan jungle. The art communicated most of what it needed to for keeping the story moving too (although I wondered from time to time if Ant-Man was flying under the influence). There’s a lot of dynamic action here that’s fun to watch. Sepulveda also has a multiple image effect to show Mr. X’s speed, which was effective. And the FARC guerrillas and their equipment were authentic, down to the rubber boots that they wear instead of combats. He’s obviously done his research.

The story was serviceable. It was actually a variation on a classic Marvel theme: good guys fighting each other until something bigger forces them to unite. In this case, it’s villain on villain action. This series has been pointing at the fractures in the team for quite some time and it’s fun to watch the effects the petty betrayals have. The dialogue was excellent.

What’s Not So Good: While the Thunderbolts creative team has been good in showing the little splits between team members, nothing definitive is happening, so I’m starting to wonder if this low-level bubbling of personalities will ever actually lead to anything. It seems that every issue, somebody talks about killing someone else and then the following issue, they’re back to their base level of animosity. And on that score, in six months time, some readers may wonder why this issue was important. It’s not character study. It’s not driving a new arc. It’s just shooting and blowing stuff up, which works for some. The danger with an issue like this is that it doesn’t continue any momentum from the previous issue, nor does it launch the next issue with any momentum either. Making that slightly worse is the fact that I didn’t feel much was at stake. If none of the T-bolts are going to do anything serious to one another, and the FARC is a pretty unmenacing antagonist, there’s not much left to worry about. (Unless you think that a platoon of spottily trained guys with hand weapons is going to pose a genuine threat to the Thunderbolts – FARC aren’t the Hulk-Busters, Cape killers or even a properly equipped modern army.)  That makes it easy to say that this is not a critical issue for collectors.

For the purposes of nit-picking (can’t nerd out without nit-picking, right?), odds are long that FARC guerrillas would be skirmishing with Venezuelan forces, but that’s just nit-picking.

Conclusion: If you like to watch your favorite villains pretending to be heroes and shooting and beating each other, this issue is for you. Otherwise, nothing much changes in the Thunderbolts universe, so if you need to skip an issue, it shouldn’t affect how you read next one.

Grade: C

-DS Arsenault

Deadpool Team-Up #899

By Fred Van Lente (Writer) and Dalibor Talajic (Art)

The Story: Deadpool and Hercules, both plagued by nightmares, find themselves trapped in a strange labyrinth created by villains Nightmare and Arcade.

The Good And The Bad: The first issue of Deadpool’s new series delivers everything I want from a comic featuring a team-up between Deadpool and Hercules. Fred Van Lente’s script is funny, action-packed, and surprisingly clever. And since the writer manages to find a sweet spot between what a Deadpool comic is like and what a Hercules comic is like to great effect, Deadpool Team-Up #899 is filled with all the violence, wacky comedy, and mythology you could ever want from a team-up between Wade Wilson and the Lion of Olympus. The only real downside to Van Lente’s script is that it follows a fairly predictable team-up formula. The heroes meet, they fight, they team, and they win out in the end. You’ve seen it before.

Dalibor Talajic’s work in Deadpool Team-Up #899 is impressive all around. His action scenes are dynamic and brutal, his character work is solid (I especially like how accurate his Hercules looks), and his storytelling compliments the script extremely well. My only real complaint about his work is that a few scenes look slightly “off.” Bodies look either disproportionate or awkward at times.

Grade: B

Assault on New Olympus #1

“Assault on New Olympus Prologue” by Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente (Writers), Rodney Buschemi (Art), and Guillem Mari (Colors)

“Godmarked” by Jeff Parker (Writer), Gabriel Hardman (Artist), Elizabeth Breitweiser (Colors)

The Story: “Assault on New Olympus” begins with a reveal about what the mysterious Continuum project is and a fight between Hercules and Spider-Man over the affections of Hercule’s wife Hebe. In “Godmarked,” the Agents of Atlas take on the god Phorcys in order to save Venus.

The Good And The Bad: While previews make the plot of Assault on New Olympus sound fairly promising, there really isn’t a whole lot to the first part of the Incredible Hercules event. Sure, the Continuum reveal is interesting, the confrontation between Herc and Spidey is fun, and the visuals by Rodney Buschemi and Guillem Mari are very nice, but, as a whole, it’s clear that Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente are saving the most interesting stuff for later.

The strongest part of the Assault on New Olympus prologue is the Agents of Atlas backup story. Thanks Jeff Parker’s entertaining dialogue and Gabriel Hardman’s outstanding visuals (I seriously think Hardman’s Phorcys attack is one of the coolest scenes of the year), I wouldn’t be surprised if “Godmarked” ends up being one of the year’s best surprises.

Grade: C+

Psylocke #1

“Kill Matsu’o” by Chris Yost (Writer), Harvey Talibao (Pencils), Paul Neary (Inks), and Ulises Arreola w/ Brian Reber (Colors)

“A Girl Called Hope” by Duane Swierczynski (Writer), Steve Dillon (Art), and Matt Hollingsworth (Colors)

The Story: Psylocke heads to Japan and finds out that her past isn’t as far behind as she thought. In the backup story, Hope deals with a wound and Cable deals with a sniper.

The Good And The Bad: The story that begins in Psylocke #1 isn’t all that inviting to people new to the title character, but Chris Yost deserves credit for attempting to make sense of her twisted continuity regardless. Yost does a fine job of letting Psylocke’s somewhat cold personality come through in the dialogue and it goes a long way towards helping make up for the inaccessible nature of Yost’s continuity heavy story. The artwork throughout the book is pretty slick (thanks, largely to the impressive color work), but it’s also obnoxiously heavy on T’n'A fan-service and posing. Also, it must be noted that Harvey Talibao has a problem keeping Psylocke’s face looking consistent. She looks like a completely different character in a more than a few panels.

The backup story about Cable and Hope is an effective character piece that establishes the relationship the characters share for those that haven’t been following the Cable series. There isn’t much to Swierczynski’s tale, but Steve Dillon’s visual storytelling more than makes up for that. One odd thing about the backup story is that it makes Hope seem younger than I believe she is supposed to be at this point. I could be wrong through, so if I am, feel free to correct me in the comment area.

Grade: C+

Haunt #2

By Robert Kirkman (Writer), Greg Capullo (Layouts), Ryan Ottley (Pencils), Todd McFarlane (Inks), and FCO Plascencia (Colors)

The Story: Daniel Kilgore finds himself getting pulled deeper into his brother’s former life as he learns to adjust to his new powers.

The Good And The Bad: In all honesty, Haunt #2 is only a tiny bit better than the first issue of the series. In other words, it’s a pretty bad comic. Alex covered all that’s wrong about the series in his review of Haunt #1, so instead of repeating everything he said, I’ll just say that the only thing Haunt has going for it is a somewhat interesting story. A nugget of potential exists somewhere within the plot Kirkman and McFarlane are developing. I’m sure of it. It needs to reveal itself soon though or else Haunt is going to be remembered as nothing more than a failed vanity project.

Grade: D

-Kyle Posluszny

By Jeff Parker (Writer), Carlo Pagulayan, Gabriel Hardman, Chris Samnee, & Carlos Rodriguez (Pencils), Jason Paz, Hardman, Samnee, &Terry Pallot (Inks), and Wilfred Quintana & Veronica Gandini

Some Thoughts Before The Review: The first X-Men Vs. Agents of Atlas book was solid and entertaining. That said, it wasn’t anything special and a bit too much of an “X” title for my taste. Perhaps the second half of the mini-series will swing things more in the favor of the Agents of Atlas.

The Story: The X-Men and the Agents of Atlas fight for a while until they realize that there is a connection between them. Meanwhile, Venus finds herself at the mercy of a follower of Aphrodite.

What’s Good: The fight that opens X-Men Vs. Agents of Atlas #2 is easily the highlight of the entire book. It’s chaotic as hell and a whole lot of fun to see play out…especially when Mr. Lao the Agent’s dragon gets involved. The art team does an excellent job of packing a ton of characters on each page during the scene and Jeff Parker’s battle-banter shines. Also, importantly, both teams come out of the encounter looking pretty damned good. The Agents prove that they’ve got what it takes to hang with the big dogs, while the X-Men once again show why they are one of the best comic teams of all time.

While Jeff Parker’s script is entertaining and serviceable, the only real surprise about it is how he manages to tie the bonus story from last month into the main X-Men Vs. Agents of Atlas plot. It’s a nice twist to an otherwise predictable story. Thankfully, the book as a whole is elevated by the impressive artwork. The styles used fit the various segments and really make each piece of the story feel visually distinct.

What’s Not So Good: Outside of the interesting plot twist involving the bonus segment from X-Men Vs. Agents of Atlas #1, there’s little in X-Men Vs. Agents of Atlas #2 that you haven’t seen before. Jeff Parker uses standard “good guys vs. good guys” plot beats from start to finish. The teams fight, someone gets both sides to listen, and soon they realize they shouldn’t be fighting. It’s predictable and, to be honest, a bit boring. The great action and artwork covers up the dull plot to a certain extent, but it can’t mask it completely.

Conclusion: X-Men Vs. Agents of Atlas #2 is a visually impressive, entertaining conclusion to a fun mini-series. It doesn’t really do anything new, but chances are you probably won’t mind.

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny

• BATMAN THE UNSEEN #3 (OF 5) – Good news, Larry Hama!  Kelley Jones and Doug Moench are still out there proving that no matter how awful a team’s Batman run was, someone out there still thinks it was great and is willing to pay for more.  You should have your mini by 2013.

• BATMAN WIDENING GYRE #3 (OF 6) – Does anyone out there know if this is any good?  I do like Smith’s writing and the scripts are all in so it should come out on time, but his last mini (Cacophony?) was pretty much universally panned so I passed it up.

• HAUNT #2 – I actually dug the first issue and am interested in seeing where this goes, at least for the first story arc.  A note, though, Todd: you only get to redraw Spider-Man so many times.

• GHOST RIDERS HEAVENS ON FIRE #4 (OF 6) – I can’t wait for this to wrap up so I can sit down and read the ending of the most Awesome Ghost Rider run ever (okay, that may be setting the bar a little low).  But Marvel?  $30 for the Danny Ketch TPB?  WTF???

• X-MEN VS AGENTS OF ATLAS #2 (OF 2) – I did wind up getting issue #1, and it was EXCELLENT (not that I’ve read any bad issue of AoA yet). And Carlo Pagulayan’s art is extraordinary.  I hope this drums up more interest in the Agents’ regular series.

I owe DC an apology for my comments on last week’s issue of Batman. Judd Winick’s run on Batman is apparently over and he’s been replaced by Tony Daniel.  I really enjoyed his art with Grant Morrison, but I
wonder if part of the reason I found Batman RIP so hard to read was because the art wasn’t telling the story correctly.  I guess we’ll find out!

I had hoped to put up resplendent pictures of me in my M.O.D.O.K. costume from Halloween, but the geniuses at A.I.M. weren’t working with me and the costume never finished coming together.  Maybe next
year.  All I know is that it would have probably just been easier to grow my head until my body could no longer support it, then invent a hoverchair.

So, that’s it for me.  What are YOU getting this week?

It appears that the answer is yes. The Agents of Atlas will be appearing in no less than four books this January. The best part? Each of those stories will be written by Jeff Parker. The worst part? Looks like I’ll be spending more money on comics in January.

Now, if these were AoA stories that were not written by Jeff Parker I would probably have to think twice about picking them up. Since that is not the case I will be supporting Jeff Parker and Agents of Atlas in any way I can to help insure that an AoA monthly returns. Though, if there just so happens to be any unwanted reprint bullshit in any of these books I will be the first one to bitch about it just to be fair. Here are the solicitations:

AVENGERS VS. ATLAS #1 (of 4)
Written by JEFF PARKER
Penciled by GABRIEL HARDMAN
Spacetime is being selectively eroded by an unknown force. To stop the effect, the Agents of Atlas seek the help of the Avengers- and find a much earlier version of the team than they expected: Captain America, Iron Man, Wasp, Giant-Man and Thor are together again, with the atomic wildcard THE HULK!
40 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

THUNDERBOLTS #140
Written by JEFF PARKER
Penciled by MIGUEL SEPULVEDA
Thunderbolts vs. Agents of Atlas—round 2! The hunt down in the swamp comes to a head when one of the T-Bolts ends up dead! There’s not going to be much time to cope either, because Norman Osborn needs his team of killers ready for a final mission—and this is what he’s been saving them for!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

Ya, I know I have been highlighting a bunch of Marvel solicitations this week. I’ll try to find some DC and independents to help balance it all out. If you have never been to Jeff Parker’s blog and would like to go check it out I’ll post a link below.

J.

Parkerspace/Jeff Parker’s Blog

Chicago traffic feels suffocated. On local streets, a green light is not permission; it is an urgent command, enforced by a chorus of honking car horns. Stop signs and residential speed limits are, at best, suggestions, and at worst, impositions to be shaken off with defiance and force. Forward motion proceeds like a law, not a choice. The collective spirit has been coerced into a madness for progress, as if Red Bull and a sense of myopia were as necessary to drivers as their state licenses. On the streets of Chicago, no one is allowed to breathe. This is unfortunate, because respiration is very important. Everything needs to breathe.

Sometimes breath is induced by surprise. You may know this from experience if you have ever had the wind knocked out of you by a zealous tackle during a football game. Momentum dies, for a little while, but something else lives, in the space between struggle and struggle, while you lay on the ground in a daze, eyes steadfastly staring toward heaven. The unwanted interruption, the mandate to slow down and breathe, can be a blessing, an opportunity to regain perspective.

Fate knocked the wind out of Geof Bradfield’s Saturday afternoon performance of African Flowers, his collection of new sextet compositions, in the form of an irresponsible little girl who set off a fire alarm. This left a dazed crowd gasping in the chilly air on the steps and the sidewalk in front of the Chicago Cultural Center, staring with fixed, blank gazes down Washington Street toward the approaching fire truck sirens. It took a while for the fire department and the employees of the cultural center to act out the inefficient drama of assessing the problem and allowing the confused tourists back into the building. Although I don’t know how this affected most of the people who spent all that time waiting outside, I know that the band seemed unfazed by the interruption, shrugging it off as a minor hiccup, something that added to the fabric of the day instead of shattering it.

Once the performance reconvened in the Cassidy Theater, Bradfield offered some explanatory narration. His project was inspired by a recent tour of Africa, where he and his fellow musicians were constantly being interrupted by minor misfortunes, including power outages and police extortion. In their travels, they did not only see the nasty effects of corruption from a safe second-hand perspective, but faced their own share of trials in the hospitals and airports. In a perfect world, perhaps Bradfield and his traveling companions would have avoided all such troubles, limiting their experience to the best of local musicians and some less offensive varieties of interesting food, but the positive encounters that left their mark on the music they brought back were interspersed with frustrating interruptions. You could see in the way that they reacted to the fire alarm episode a small example of how the band approached their mission in the face of fate’s opposition: with confidence, humor, and, perhaps most importantly, plenty of breathing room.

When I say their music breathed, I do not mean that it was fraught with retreats or lapses in conviction. I am referring instead to a rare and unusual peace between the compositions’ strength and the strength of the musicians. The compositions bore unique and subtle patterns of interlocking rhythms and melodies, adding layers of interest and purpose to standard and well-worn jazz ensemble textures. They took advantage of thematic development and growth, spreading ideas across the band and across adjacent songs. But the deft counterpoint work and large scale thematic structures never came close to choking out the individuality of the sextet’s members; each musician had an opportunity to explore the spaces within the pieces, bridging the different sections together. Each member’s solo space highlighted his own strengths, such as the rhythmic backdrops shifting against Victor Garcia’s intricate and soaring trumpet work, or the spacious and suggestive groove that framed one of Jeff Parker’s patient, probing, and continually surprising guitar solos.

Yes, everybody sounded great, and yes, it was a fine specimen of Africa-infused jazz, but as Bradfield told stories that framed each composition, it became ever clearer to me that his pieces had not been crafted to support theories about jazz fusion or to declare the self-importance of art, but to honor meaningful experiences, encounters that had transported him and his fellow musicians out of the ordinary flow of life. He did not suffocate things with ideas or technique, even as interruptions and the forces of fate sometimes seemed to conspire against his art’s existence. He responded to the threat with a deep breath and a self-assured expression of freedom, and it is this freedom and confidence that is the seed of beauty. He didn’t bring pain or sorrows back from Africa; he brought flowers.

Title: X-Men vs. Agents of Atlas #1
Writer: Jeff Parker
Art: Carlo Pagulayan and Jason Paz
Backup Story Art: Chris Samnee
Publisher: Marvel
Price $3.99

The Gist: Somebody has kidnapped AoA member Venus. The AoA don’t know who has her or where to even begin looking. In order to locate Venus the AoA decide to steal borrow Cerebra from the X-Men since Scott Summers and company are not using it at that moment.

I have been very much looking forward to this book two reasons. One, because it was an Agents of Atlas comic and two, because Jeff Parker was getting at crack at writing the X-Men. I haven’t liked the X-Men books in a long while. Not even Matt Fraction’s take on them. I figured that if Jeff Parker can make me like the worst team in comics today, The New Avengers, he could surely write an X-Men comic that I would enjoy, right? The short answer is yes he can and yes he did.

Quick side note: One of the small annoyances I had with Fraction’s Utopia storyline was his constant use of caption boxes to the let the reader know who almost every single character in the book was. The captions would list the characters name, sometimes their mutant ability but always had a quippy, not very funny, comment to end the caption. The captions did do a good job of letting me know who was who but really did nothing to tell me what they were about and what exactly their powers were. Well, in this comic Parker also uses those same captions but to much greater effect. Here are a few examples:

Utopia: Formerly Asteroid M, orbital base of Magneto. Shot down, crashed in the ocean for years. Now risen to serve as island home for mutant populace.

Namor: King of Merpeople, mutant hybrid. Without equal in water.

While only using a few words to describe major locations and characters, Parker let’s readers know all of the important information as well as giving them a glimpse of some recent history. And ya, he does throw a couple of quippy comments into the captions but the are actually humorous. End of not so quick in retrospect side note.

Nobody writes superhero team books in the industry better than Jeff Parker. Absolutely nobody. The motivations as for why the AoA are stealing borrowing Cerebra are relayed to the reader through natural flowing dialogue between the characters and how the X-Men actually find out about what Atlas is up to is done with simple deductive reasoning. If you think that since Parker is the regular writer for AoA that he is going to make his team shine and always get the better of the X-Men you’re wrong. In their initial tussle the AoA may have bettered the X-Men briefly but the cliffhanger ending shows us that this isn’t the X-Men’s first time to the dance and when they hit back, they hit hard.

So, was it worth the $3.99 price tag? The answer again is yes. There is an new 8 page backup story which tells a silver age tale of the original X-Men’s first meeting with the Agents of Atlas. Parker does a great job of writing the dialogue as if it were taken directly from the 60’s. Lots of expository dialogue. Loved it.

If you have been holding out on reading the Agents of Atlas for whatever reason but have been wanting to, now is the perfect time. It also need to be said that this is the most enjoyable X-Men comic I’ve read in a quite some time.

One last thing: I would be remiss if I did not mention the great artwork in the main story by AoA semi-regular artist Calro Pagulayan. He was born to draw the Agents of Atlas and I hope he continues to do so for a very long time.

J.

By Jeff Parker (Writer – Both Stories)

“The X-Heist” Art Team – Carlo Pagulayan (Pencils), Jason Paz (Inks) and Wil Quintana (Colors)

“Atomic Age Heroes” Art Team – Chris Samnee (Art) and Veronica Gandini (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: The X-Men/Agents of Atlas crossover seems a bit unnecessary. That said, I can’t help but support it if it helps to grab more readers for the next volume of the Agents of Atlas ongoing.

The Story: In “The X-Heist” the Agents of Atlas attempt to steal Cerebro from Utopia in order to use it in their search for the missing Venus. “Atomic Age Heroes” is decidedly old school in tone and style as the X-Men and the Agents of Atlas fight it out because of mutant wildlife.

What’s Good And What’s Not So Good: X-Men Vs. Agents of Atlas #1 (lead by the “X-Heist” story) is, somewhat surprisingly, a fine start to what looks to be an entertaining bridge between the Atlas ongoing and the eventual monthly Incredible Hercules bonus feature. The X-Men and the Agents have a confrontation for a logical reason and that goes a long way towards making the limited series feel more meaningful than your typical cash/reader grab-fueled crossover right from the start. The “Atomic Age Heroes” story, meanwhile, is a fun slice of retro comic goodness that proves to be a nice little addition to the book.

While the storytelling and character work by Jeff Parker is as strong as expected (it’s what has made Atlas a favorite of mine) for both stories, Parker’s use of Matt Fraction’s now signature character information boxes in “The X-Heist” is, in a word, annoying. I get that the limited series is designed to get Uncanny readers interested in the Agents, but by using Fraction’s style it seems as though Parker (it might be Marvel’s fault) is setting up a bait and switch move. Agents of Atlas has never read like an “X” book, so maybe it would have been a better move to let the limited series read more like an Atlas book. At the very least it would have given new readers a better taste of what the Atlas series is really like. At least “Atomic Age Heroes” makes up for it somewhat by reading like long like comic from Marvel’s past.

Carlo Pagulayan’s work for “The X-Heist” is very impressive and does both teams justice. The X-Men look iconic, the Agents look appropriately pulpy, and the action makes good use of all the characters battling it out. Everything looks slick, modern, and polished during most of the “X-Heist,” though I’m not quite sure that’s exactly the best style for the comic. It makes the Agents look really out of place and, I hate to say it, but a bit silly. Two scenes employ a more familiar Atlas style however, and it makes me wonder why the look couldn’t have been used for the entire book.

Chris Samnee’s work for “Atomic Age Heroes” is a perfect fit for the way the short bonus tale plays out. It’s retro and old school without ever giving off the sense that someone was trying to hard. In short, Samnee’s art hits pretty much all the right notes and helps “Atomic Age Heroes” to be a lot of fun.

Conclusion: More Atlas is always a good thing, but I can’t help but be disappointed by the fact that someone felt that the Agents needed to conform to the X-Men style.

Grade: B

-Kyle Posluszny

Not much of a post today, but I picked up Jeff Parker’s new book Underground pretty much sight unseen. It was solid, but so far it doesn’t feel like a story that HAS to be told, it’s just a story about a cave and some park rangers. And while I feel pretty strongly that comics can be used to tell ANY story, I’m not entirely sure why comics are the best medium for THIS one.

At this point I trust Mr. P., though. He’s earned the benefit of the doubt so far.  I just wish I hadn’t used my best joke on the mouseover text.

I was gathering images for my most recent Stormwatch post and kept coming across great artwork of that Canuck scene-stealer Wolverine! It seems to me that ‘ol Logan deservs his own mini-post to highlight some three gems! So here we go!

Wolverine by John Bolton for the cover of X-Men Vignettes Volume 2.  This is Wolverine at his most dangerous.  his costume is all ripped up from a fight, but his healing factor has taken care of any injuries he sustained.  I love the expression on his face in this image.  He looks like he’s ready to go for round 2!

Ed McGuinness draws the battle between Wolverine and Gorilla Man for the variant cover of  the upcoming X-Men Vs. Agents of Atlas written by Jeff Parker!  This Wolverine is more of an adventurer as well as scrapper, matching Gorilla Man for animal intensity!
X-Baby Wolverine looks a bit upset about having to deal with any even younger version of himself in this fun cover to X-Babies #3 by Skottie Young!  I don’t know why there are two ‘lil Wolvies, but I’m itchin’ to find out in this mini-series!

]]> http://lemurcomics.wordpress.com/2009/10/06/this-weeks-books-and-some-rude-comments/ Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:11:19 +0000 Jesse http://lemurcomics.wordpress.com/2009/10/06/this-weeks-books-and-some-rude-comments/

Wow! Finally a decent-sized week for me!

• BATMAN AND ROBIN #5 – Unlike everyone else, it seems, I liked #4. I dug the art (much more modern and less “lumpy”) than Quitely’s, and Morrison’s still telling a good story.

• BATMAN ANNUAL #27 - This one will come down to page count and storytellers for me, but I’m leaning towards picking it up. The cynic in me says that the days of annuals being special are gone, with the dearth of minis and one-shots rendering them meaningless, but it’s been so long since we’ve had one, I think I’ll give it a shot.

• BLOOM COUNTY COMPLETE LIBRARY HC VOL 01 – One of the best strips ever, finally collected in the deluxe format it deserves. I can’t wait for this.

• IRON MAN ARMOR WARS #3 (OF 4) – I think I was just the victim of unrealistically built-up expectations on this one. Not bad, but not incredible, which is especially disappointing if you dig the idea of seeing Tony Stark fight a boatload of Iron Man suits while wearing a Doombot.

• PLANETARY #27 - I know Matt’s been pretty disappointed with the delays on this one, but I always thought #26 was the last issue, so this is just a bit of lagniappe for me. I plan on reading through the whole series in one sitting (well, not ONE sitting, but as close as possible) as soon as I can.

• SPIDER-MAN 1602 #1 (OF 5) – Dear Jeff Parker, I love you and would buy this is if it weren’t $4. Even so, you’re good enough you don’t have to take Neil Gaiman’s crumbs. Joe Quesada should respect you more, and I would be happy to sit down with him and explain your worth if you would like me to. Your friend, Jesse

• STRANGE TALES #2 (OF 3) - The price point on this one is killing me, but this book is awesome. Once Strange Tales wraps up, PLEASE check out these guys’ indie books.

• WAR HEROES #3 (OF 6) - Well, I remember LIKING the first 2 issues, but it’s been a while, and all I really remember is the US Army and an unused Ultimates plot. Still, it’s Millar and Harris, so you know you’re going to get a quality, if cynical, book.

• X-BABIES #1 (OF 4) – Fuck you, Marvel. Seriously. “Let’s throw it at the wall and see if it sticks” is not a publishing strategy.

• X-MEN VS AGENTS OF ATLAS #1 (OF 2) - The price point may mean I don’t pick this up, but assuming there’s a decent page count, I’m in. Have I mentioned yet how incredible Carlos Pagulyan’s art is? Incredibly detailed and realistic without sacrificing storytelling. I don’t know if AoA is his first book, but I look forward to seeing more from him.

Well, that’s it for this week, but I feel terrible. I’m getting way too cynical about comics. Obviously every company wants to sell their product and make a profit, but it just seems like Marvel and DC just see dollar signs instead of readers. I know the Internet is supposed to bring us together, but when the only thing you can trust is that Editor/Writer/Artist X is following the company script, does that really help the reader? Sure Stan Lee’s canival huckster act was gladhanding, but when it only came from one place once a month it felt more sincere…

There’s a lot of Storm on the horizon!  Let’s see what’s coming up!  As always, click on any image to see it larger!

Uncanny X-Men: First Class has been quite the enjoyable mini-series.  One issue focused on Nightcrawler interacting with the Inhumans and another showcased Banshee (who is dead in current continuity *snif*).  These stories were so character driven and so full of excitement that they made me wish that the series was an ongoing!  Besides, this is the group of X-Men that most interests me.  However, I have much love for the original roster ( Angel, Marvel Girl, Iceman, Beast and Cyclops) and was really enjoying Jeff Parker’s take on them in the First Class comics preceding this series.  In a perfect world, we’d have both.  Speaking of First Class comics, if you are not reading Wolverine: First Class, you are missing out on some great stories told by the amazing Peter David.  The stories are meant to take place in between the back issues of  Uncanny X-Men when Kitty first joined the X-Men.  So some time has passed after the new stories of Uncanny X-Men: First Class.  I’ll leave that math to someone else who enjoys fitting stories into continuous timelines.  It’s not my thing these days, but best of luck to those who like it.  I hope you’ll share the results of your research with me here on stormantic.  The above image was drawn by Paul Pelletier and I love seeing Storm and Phoenix cutting loose!

The cover of Nation X #1 showcases most of Marvel’s Merry Mutants ready to defend their new island home!  It seems that between Magneto, the Black Queen and the Agents of Atlas, they they will be busy indeed!  I think Dustin Weaver did a great job communicating the intensity of this new status quo for the X-Men.  You can practically smell the desperation and defiance as Cyclops strikes the Utopia flag in the ground.  I’m really looking forward to see where Simon Spurrier (writer of Nation X) and Matt Fraction (writer of Uncanny X-Men) take this storyline!

I’ve been hearing a lot about the new Marvel Super Hero Squad Show lately.  Seems that people really find it to be amusing or revolting.  The people who found it amusing liked the cutesy squashed physiognomy (the show is based on a toy line of the same name.  You can play the game online).  The folks who don’t like it seem to mostly groan about how the Silver Surfer talks like a stereotypical surfer dude.   I haven’t seen it yet, but I’d like to see any of the episodes with Storm or the Enchantress.  Have you seen it yet? What did you think?

I cannot properly explain just how excited I am about the upcoming run on Astonishing X-Men by Phil Jimenez and Warren Ellis!  I have faith that Jimenez will deliver all that Ellis asked of him in the script and more!  Jimenez is a huge Storm fan and I cannot wait to see what his rendition does for her! Feast your eyes on his cover to  Astonishing X-Men #31.  I’m already happy that 1. Storm’s costume is streamlined from Simone Bianchi’s design (but keeping the white color as a nod to it), 2. Hisako has a hairstyle that differentiates her from Illyana “Magik” Rasputin (I know their color is different, but still, this is a step in the right direction for our girl Armor). 3. Beast looks ferocious again! (No more sad and dopey cat face). 4.  His renditions of Scott, Logan and Emma are spot on too, but I’m used to his versions of these characters from his run on New X-Men with Grant Morrison.

This is the sketch variant.  Love how the art really stands up without all the lovely color!  Strong expressive lines and an eye-straining amount of detail!  Yes!

And here’s an Astonishing X-Men #31 Variant Cover by Travis Charest.  It’s so awesome to have Angel and Nightcrawler on this cover.  How did Wolverine get so high in the air?  I would have guessed a fastball special, but Colossus is right below him.  I just hope ‘ol Logan doesn’t slip a Adamantium disc with that move.  Really, I’m just nitpicking, I think this cover has a nice clean expression to it.  Wonder if Charest will get a chance to do more alternate covers during the run?  I’d be cool with it.  As for the writing, I’m hoping that Ellis uses a lot more than just his regular cast, but I will be happy enough with lots more Storm front and center!  Also, any interaction that Ellis writes between Storm and Emma Frost is pure gold.  Those women are so different in personality and ethics that conflict always seems unavoidable.

Artist Carlo Pagulayan and writer Jeff Parker bring the team spirit to the 2 issue mini-series X-Men Vs. Agents of Atlas!  No, make that two teams spirit!  I cannot wait for this superteam explosion!  So much potential for amazing showdowns!

That quite the X-Men roster!  I hope the Agents of Atlas are prepared!  Then again, they have a dragon on their side (But since you’ve been reading Agents of Atlas, you already knew that, right?).  On a side note, I am really loving the inclusion of Cloak and Dagger to the X-Men!  Cloak, Pixie, Magik and Nightcrawler are all teleporters but none seem redundant to me as their powers do differ quite a bit.

These dynamic alternate covers are by fan favorite Humberto Ramos and I hope to get my hands on copies of these beauties!  Yay Storm is on the cover (and fighting Namora)!  I love the Cyclops versus Jimmy Woo moment and how angry Colossus looks!  Go get ‘em Petey!  It’s funny to say that, because no matter which team wins, we can all expect to feel like champions.  I have complete faith in the writing mastery of Jeff Parker to know that this will be a book that is talked about for a long time!  I hope it gains many more readers of the new Agents of Atlas ongoing!

Whew!  Who knew that our Windrider was going to be featured so much?!  I think the tide has turned, true believers!  It looks like Marvel is really going out of their way to give our goddess her due!

Never read a graphic novel before? Haven’t read a comic book in years?

(Still catching up. Time keeps on slipping-slipping-slipping into the future. For your patience… a sorta-kinda Halloween-themed edition!)

Here’s some brand new stuff that came out the week of September 23 that I think is worth a look-see for someone with little to no history with comics. That means you should be able to pick any of these up cold without having read anything else. So take a look and see if something doesn’t grab your fancy. If so, follow the publisher links or Amazon.com links to buy yourself a copy. Or, head to your local friendly comic book shop.

Don’t have a lot of time, so not much commentary from me. Just imagine me being excited about all of these because they all look awesome.

Disclaimer: For the most part, I have not read these yet, so I can’t vouch for their quality. But, from what I’ve heard and seen, odds are good they just might appeal to you.

Ghost Comics: A Benefit Anthology for RS Eden – $10.00
Edited by Ed Choy Moorman
176 pages; published by Bare Bones Press

Ghosts of dinosaurs, transforming robots, and forgotten pasts abound in this star-studded book of staggeringly good comics.
All proceeds benefit Minneapolis substance abuse treatment facility RS Eden.

Including: Monica Anderson, Tuesday Bassen, Jeffrey Brown, Kevin Cannon, Allison Cole, Warren Craghead III, Will Dinski, Will Hayes, Hob, John Hankiewicz, David Heatley, Toby Jones, Reynold Kissling, Aidan Koch, Lucy Knisley, Mike Lowery, Sean Lynch. Jessica McLeod, Ed Choy Moorman, Sarah Morean, Corinne Mucha, Abby Mullen, Madeline Queripel, Evan Palmer, John Porcellino, Zak Sally, Jillian Schroeder, Mark Scott, Eileen Shaughnessy, Jenny Tondera, Sarah Louise Wahrhaftig, Maris Wicks, and Jessica Williams.

“An excellent sampler of what’s being done in today’s indie comics scene.” – Midnight Fiction

A different take on ghost stories. Here’s a preview of each story from this 2008 Xeric Award winner.

Bart Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror #15 – $4.99
Edited by Sammy Harkham
48 pages; published by Bongo Comics; available at PictureBox

Guest edited by Sammy Harkham, the award-winning creator of the popular Kramers Ergot anthology, this year’s issue is jam-packed with some of the most idiosyncratic takes on “The Simpsons” universe ever.

Among Halloween-inspired short strips by such visionary cartoonists as C.F. (Powr Mastrs), Will Sweeney (Tales from Greenfuzz), Jordan Crane (Uptight), Tim Hensley (MOME), and John Kerschbaum (Petey & Pussy), are four featured tales of inspired Simpsons lunacy: heralded artists Kevin Huizenga (Ganges, Or Else) and Matthew Thurber (1-800 Mice, Kramers Ergot) collaborate on a weird and wild story equal parts Lovecraftian eco-horror and Philip K. Dick identity comedy. Jeffrey Brown (Incredible Change- Bots, Clumsy) does a creepy and suitably pathetic story featuring Milhouse in a “Bad Ronald”-inspired tale of murder and crawl space living. Harkham and Ted May (INJURY) pull out all the stops for a tragic monster tale of unrequited love, bad karaoke, and body snatching at Moe’s Bar. Ben Jones (Paper Rad) does the comic of his life with an epic tale of how bootleg candy being sold at the Kwik-E-Mart rapidly spirals out of control into an Invasion of The Body Snatchers-like nightmare of a Springfield filled with cheap bootleg versions of familiar characters. And nobody does squishy, sweaty, and gross like up and coming cartoonist Jon Vermilyea (MOME), who outdoes himself with “C.H.U.M.M.,” a C.H.U.D.-inspired parody featuring everybody’s favorite senior citizen, Hans Moleman!

Every year “The Simpsons” TV show does a special Halloween-themed episode. They also put out a comic book that’s probably even more bizarre and hilarious. Here’s a review of it with some previews.

Underground #1 – $3.50
By Jeff Parker & Steve Lieber
32 pages; published by Image Comics

Park Ranger and avid caver Wesley Fischer is on a one-woman mission to stop Stillwater Cave from being turned into a tourist trap, but public opinion is not on her side. When locals begin blasting in the cave, Wes and a fellow ranger investigate – and a confrontation spirals into a deadly chase deep under the Kentucky mountains!

Yes, there are even comics about people who explore caves. Claustrophobics be warned. Here’s a 7-page preview. One of the characters are named Corey, so I don’t really think it’s possible for this to not be awesome.

(And if you haven’t read Whiteout, I highly recommend it. I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I haven’t really heard good things about it. Like with Watchmen and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, ignore the movie and enjoy the comic.)

Things Undone – $12.95
By Shane White
80 pages; published by NBM Publishing’s ComicsLit; available at Amazon.com

The author of the acclaimed “North Country” is back with a dark comedy. Despite Rick Watt’s best efforts to keep it together, he feels his life is falling apart, turning him into a zombie. After a cross-country move with girlfriend in tow, his fresh start turns into a festering mess. As a video game artist, Rick is subjected to the incompetence of three bosses and a kinky art director. His overactive imagination helps him cope until… his seven-year relationship tailspins and his ex takes flight with the guy across the parking lot. Other jobs and a new GF don’t look any better. Caught between his fantasy world and reality, Rick decides to pull the trigger.
With a foreword by Robert Kirkman, creator of the Walking Dead.

Here’s a 10-page preview. That flooded comics scene might be the most horrific thing I’ve ever seen in my life.

Outlaw: The Legend of Robin Hood – $11.99
By Tony Lee & Sam Hart
160 pages; published by Candlewick Press; available at Amazon.com

How did Robin of Loxley become Robin Hood? Why did he choose to fight injustice instead of robbing for his own gain? Expressive and gritty, this graphic novel whisks readers back to Crusades-era England, where the Sheriff of Nottingham rules with an iron fist, and in the haunted heart of Sherwood Forest, a defiant rogue — with the help of his men and the lovely Maid Marian — disguises himself to become an outlaw. Lively language and illustrations follow the legendary hero as he champions the poor and provokes a high-stakes vendetta in a gripping adventure sure to draw a new generation of readers.

Here’s a 30-second preview for you:

And here’s the graphic novel’s blog, for interviews, reviews and some other preview images.

The Fantasticks disappoints more than it thrills

Porchlight Theatre presents:

The Fantasticks

by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones
directed by Sean Kelly
through November 15th (buy tickets)

reviewed by Timothy McGuire

  The 1960 musical The Fantasticks, the longest running performance in American theatre history (almost 50 years!), was built-up to be spectacular production. Every musical theatre actor I know wanted to be a part of Porchlight Theatre’s production and long time musical fans praised The Fantasticks as a must see musical in Chicago. However, this production, now playing at Theatre Building Chicago, is a disappointment.

The story is about two innocent kids: Matt (Sean Effinger-Dean) and Luisa (Emma Rosenthal,) who naively fall in love due to the manipulation of their fathers. Knowing that all kids will do the exact opposite of what their father wants them to do, the fathers: Hucklebee (Dan Ferretti) and Bellomy (Ryan Lanning). pretend to despise each other and forbid Matt and Luisa from interacting. They insult one another in front of their children and build a tall fence to separate the two young neighbors. Of course, now that their interaction is forbidden, the two seek out each other’s company and there is a new passion that fills their shared moments. The fathers then plan their ultimate bizarre plan to bond the two lovers in marriage, but it all blows up in their faces when the kids realize that they have been manipulated. But don’t fear, all seems to work out in the end.

The set is cold and bare (maybe this is a  common element for the show), leaving the backyards of Matt and Luisa up to our imagination. The blue lighting softens the set a little bit, and being able to watch the pianist and Harpist play in the back of the stage provided the only magical romantic feeling to the scenery.

The story is filled with catchy songs with fun satirical lyrics and beautiful accompaniment by the pianist and harpist. The vocal talent on stage is top-notch. The song “Try To Remember” is absolutely one of my favorites from any musical I have seen. I am still singing it in my head and, lucky for me, I can still hear Jeff Parker’s (El Gallo) soothing voice singing it. Unfortunately, the quality of songs is lost in the randomness of the choreography. The characters flit around in dance moves that have nothing to do with what the songs are about, adding nothing to the words or the feeling of the songs. At one point it looks as if jumping-jacks are substituted for actual dance. The bare stage offers the opportunity for the choreography to add to the play’s atmosphere and provide the emotion behind the music, but this opportunity is missed, coming off as childish fun.

Additionally, individual character development is lacking. There is no chemistry on stage – so there is a lack of believability to the emotional moments between Matt and Luisa. Many times Luisa appears to be pretending to have feeling for Matt, rather than truly falling in love with the boy in front of her. Luisa’s character is oddly cast. Emma Rosenthal’s voice, although beautiful, was too powerful and makes Luisa sound too womanly and older than her character. Ms. Rosenthal’s movements project a resolute maturity that surely would be lacking in a teenage girl – her strength then does not match up with the shy boy she is supposed to be fantasizing about.

Sean Effinger-Dean’s character, however, is thoroughly enjoyable. Matt is not the typical “pretty boy” that may be found in a commercial love story. A 22-year old biologist, Matt sings and acts with the insecurity and social awkwardness that a 22 year old who is in love with a teenage girl would have. His role might not be as charming as it could have been, but the portrayal of the immaturity in a 22 year old boy is thoroughly convincing.

Jeff Parker’s El Gallo brings the only inspiring dramatic moments and sense of continuity to the play , but my favorite character in the play is the elegant mute (Tanya McBride).  Her subtle additions to the staging help create the feelings that surround the play, and it is incredible to witness her expressive face and fluid balletic movements, providing more magic to the stage than the interaction between characters.

This production makes one question the relationship between the two fathers. Do they have a fondness for each other beyond friendship? Do they want their offspring to marry just so that they can share a sense of a domesticated relationship they could not achieve in their current situations, or did their characters just lack the masculinity that I expected from a play written in the 1950’s?

I am skeptic when it comes to musicals (I don’t enjoy the fluff,) but I have seen good musical theatre and this is not it. This play has been successfully performed well for over 40 years, so the book would seem strong, so don’t turn your back on The Fantasticks as a whole, just this production.

Rating: ««½

Playing at the Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. Chicago, IL, Friday & Saturday at 8 pm, Sundays at 3 pm, running time is 2 hours with intermission, through November 15, 2009.

Fantasticks Personel

Show Notes:

We’re back…and just in time for the conclusion of Old Man Logan, No Hero, and the Batwoman Elegy arc!

THE LIST:

Mainstream:

[01:13] Wolverine: Old Man Logan Giant-Size #1
[10:35] New Avengers
[13:18] Dark X-Men: The Confession (One Shot)
[15:50] Uncanny X-Men #515
[22:21] Incredible Hercules #135
[23:20] Ms. Marvel #45
[27:40] Spider-Woman #1
[30:53] Detective Comics #857
[36:53] Superman Secret Origin #1 (of 6)
[42:29] Blackest Night Superman #2 (of 3)

Indies
[45:21] No Hero #7 (of 7)
[50:04] Underground #1 (of 4)

So what’s the status of our beloved Agents of Atlas at Marvel? Here’s the low down from Comic Book Resources, including this nice little excerpt:

The ‘Agents of Atlas’ back-up stories in ‘Incredible Hercules’ are scheduled to run till 2010. Fans don’t need to worry, though – Parker still has plenty of ‘Agents of Atlas’ stories to tell. ‘We have a whole game plan of Atlas appearances – yes they’ll be in Hercules because the plot with Venus dovetails into the mythology nicely. But we’re also coming out with a group of specials featuring the individual Agents. And after those conclude, the Agents will be involved in a major 2010 event.’

Any way we can keep Jeff Parker and the Agents of Atlas up and operating is fine by me, and I’ll definitely be picking up the mini-series’ to do what little I can to keep them around and flourishing until that 2010 event. It’ll give me a great excuse to finally check out Incredible Hercules as well!

Wow…What an uneventful week for me. That’s probably good, though, since I haven’t had a chance to read any of the new books I picked up last week. Instead, I recently filled in all the holes in my Justice League Europe collection so I opted to read everything between Breakdowns and the change to Justice League International. <SPOILER ALERT!> It was awful. That out of the way, here we go…

BLACKEST NIGHT SUPERMAN #2 (OF 3) – After reading the first issue last month, I’m going to pass on this one.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #37 - Is this James Robinson’s run yet?  No?  Well, still…I was really looking forward to reading Robinson’s run on JLA, but aside from the slagging Cry for Justice has been getting, the recently-announced line-up is distinctly underwhelming. It’s not Robinson’s fault that the main draws of JLA are unavailable, but someone is to blame for The New Teen Titans featuring Congorilla. These are NOT the World’s Greatest Heroes, so I don’t understand why this book even exists (or what happens to all of these characters already in Titans).

Note to DC: take a look at the JLA’s history. In all that time only once has a team of b-listers been successful and that was the Giffen/DeMatteis run. Aside from that, every time there’s been sales and interest has been surrounding the iconic characters of the DCU. With that in mind, why would you ever stop putting out that book in favor of a JL Detroit revival? Want to publish the JLD/JLE/JLI again? That’s cool, just give it another title and let the rest of us keep enjoying the Big Guns.

MUPPET SHOW TREASURE OF PEG LEG WILSON #3 (OF 4) – This book gets better and better each issue. Matt’s review last month was more in-depth and right on than anything I could say.

UNDERGROUND #1 (OF 4) – A new Jeff Parker book? I know nothing about it, but I’m in based solely on that.

WEDNESDAY COMICS #12 (OF 12) – I’m just including this because I’m thrilled that the inevitable TPB is now within sight.

Apropos of nothing, Marvel sure has a ton of books coming out this week, none of which look particularly interesting.

On an unassuming Thursday evening, notorious drummer Scott Amendola took to the stage of the Swedish hall, commonly known as Cafe Du Nord, to expand the minds of San Francisco’s avant garde fans to the breaking point… at which point guitarist Jeff Parker used the stretched out brain matter as strings on his hollow-body to take listeners farther outside to a rhythm that may or may not have existed during the hard-bop era of jazz.

Amendola, the percussionist and composer of the night’s mostly not yet recorded set of songs, can be credited as the activator for the catalystic musical reaction experienced by those in attendance at the dark-wooded, subterranean bar.  Scarcely inhibited but dense with the Bay Area’s theoretically knowledgeable group of exploratory jazz listeners attentiveness, Cafe Du Nord with its plush red carpeting proved a perfect setting for Parker and Amendola to stretch bassist John Shifflet’s intimate bass lines to the point of aficionado anxiousness.

By employing custom designed electronics, including looping machines, pedals and ring modulators, Amendola continually expanded a palette for Parker to explore with jazz rhythms and improvisational sensibility.  Watching him play, one gets the sense that for Amendola, the drum kit isn’t so much an instrument as a portal to a wide-ranging array of rhythmic settings and densely layered atmospheres.  One also gets the sense that standing up to leave midset would be the most impolite of gestures.

Also a composer and player but from the virtuostic underground scene of Chicago, Parker accessorized Amendola’s sound layers with hints of nearly decipherable jazz standards and improvisations drawing humbled applause from those with the capability to distinguish one tune from the next.

The humbled gathered as the only ones left in the bar at the eProxy-Connection: keep-alive
Cache-Control: max-age=0

of the two-set performance that night to lined up to purchase the rarely recorded material of this trio.  The rest of us will scour the internet for anything resembling what we remember as the experience of that evening.

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

Diamond Releases for 9/16/09

• AGENTS OF ATLAS #11 – This is, without a doubt, the single best book I get every month and I *JUST* finished reading #9.  I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but the more I like a book the harder it is to crack it open.  (I’m two issues behind on Tales Designed to Thrizzle which is, at best, an annual.)  Still, every human being  (and most animals) should be reading this. This new arc follows Chris Claremont’s advice that the best stories show our heroes outmatched, so Jade Claw has her own team of agents. And a sea serpent.  Thank you for being awesome, Jeff Parker.

• BATMAN AND ROBIN #4 – Morrison + Batman – Quitely = a knockout comic that might actually come out on time.

• BLACKEST NIGHT #3 ( OF 8 ) - Darn you, DC!  Of all the crappy mega-events that have come out over the past few years, this is the only one I’ve really been wanting to read, and you priced it out of reach.

• EX MACHINA #45 - I don’t remember what I said last month, but I’m sure it still applies.

• FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH ESCAPE #5 (OF 6) – Seriously?  There’s a Final Crisis book that still hasn’t wrapped up yet?

• MODOK REIGN DELAY – Going through the Diamond releases for this week was the first I’ve heard of this, but I’ll give it a try.  M.O.D.O.K. is only a book or two away from being tremendously over-exposed, though.

• ULTIMATE COMICS ARMOR WARS #1 (OF 4) – Does Marvel *REALLY* have 2 Armor Wars books going on at once?  Were we clamoring for more retellings of 15 year-old stories?  With this and the new Clone Saga book coming out, apparently so.

I guess I can’t be too judgmental, though, considering I picked up the *OTHER* Iron Man: Armor Wars book.  After reading Chris Sims’ glowing review, I decided I had to pick it up.  It was a solid, no-continuity
Adventures-line book, but not as madcap and awesome as I had built it up to be in my mind. Still,  Ursa Major was exceptionally awesome.

by Jeff Parker (writer), Gabriel Hardman & Paul Rivoche (art), Elizabeth Dismang (colors), and Tom Orzechowski (letters)

The Story: Jimmy Woo and company prepare for round two with Jade Claw and the Great Wall.

What’s Good: This is quite possibly my favourite issue of the ongoing series thus far, as it demonstrates why Atlas is at its best when allowed to dwell in its own fringe corner of the Marvel Universe.  With no Dark Reign, Captain America, New Avengers, or Hulk in sight, this issue is nothing but the sort of unrestrained, pulpy, sci-fi retro chaos that we should be getting from the Agents of Atlas

A key example of this is the scene with Dr. Zu, the mad scientist responsible for many of the Menacer robots.  It’s total mad scientist territory here, with rows of dormant robots and crackling Tesla coils.  It’s a perfect blend of kooky 60s sci-fi and classic matinee horror that reminds us of what this series is capable of.

I also really liked how Parkman paced this series, dividing the book into separate little scenes/ vignettes, each one or two page sequence getting its own title.  It only added to the comic’s already dynamic feel.

While all the characters were flawlessly written this month, Temugin was done exceptionally well.  Early on, he’s called out for his idiotic, arrogant bravado, but later, his arrogance actually leads to him sounding and acting like a hero in some very well-played outrage.  It certainly helps that he also finally comes off as the legit badass that he is.

Perhaps boosting this issue the most, however, is Gabriel Hardman.  I’ve made no secret of my belief that Hardman is far and away the best fit for this series and also one of the best artists on Marvel’s roster.  Once again, he brings that retro, pulpy vibe that almost makes the comic feel like newsprint, in a good way.  Hardman is just so perfect for this book and everything looks grimy and old school, yet detailed and characterful.

Overall, this book is just pure fun, the sort of fun that is perhaps best encapsulated by its ludicrously awesome final image, which I won’t spoil.

What’s Not SoGood: Unfortunately, Hardman had some help on the art from Paul Rivoche and the frames which see Rivoche’s assistance are occasionally pretty glaring, particularly when they involve close-ups.  It’s not bad or anything, just a bit off-putting at times to see facial features being drawn differently in a couple of frames.

Also, while it’s by no means a major focus, Parker’s hinting and foreshadowing Atlas’ upcoming second feature in Incredible Hercules is a little irritating given that the plot has absolutely nothing with the Great Wall or Jade Claw.  It’s poorly placed self-promotion that feels a bit digressive.

Finally, a minor quibble, but where the hell is Khanata?  We get one image of him getting a massage, and then he disappears.  Even when the team goes to battle, he’s not there.  Did I miss something?

Conclusion: Excellent characterization, atmosphere, and a little bit of good old action make for some of the best Atlas we’ve gotten in some time, proving that Atlas is at its best when allowed to do its own thing.

Grade:  A-

-Alex Evans

By Jeff Parker (writer), Carlos Pagulayan (artist), Jason Paz (inker), Jana Schirmer (colorist)

Following Norman Osborn’s rise to power and abuse of the peacekeeping organization now known as H.A.M.M.E.R., James Woo and his comrades use the vast resources of the Atlas Foundation, the criminal empire Woo was destined to control, and take the only course of action that make sense to them.

They become the bad guys.

Although “Dark Reign” has been a largely an underwhemling storyline, it has nonetheless produced a handful of incredibly fun, inventive comics, of which Agents of Atlas has proven to be one of the best.  This assemblage of D-list sci-fi heroes from the 50’s first caught peoples’ attention with Parker’s 2006 miniseries, and enough people noticed to sanction the release of this ongoing series, which has thus far defied description with its deft blend of spy, superhero, and science fiction genres.

At the heart of this quirky comic is genuinely wonderful characterization that resonates through every page.  Under Parker’s guidance, the Agents of Atlas are written with great intelligence and gusto.  You can tell from the nonchalant way members interact with each other and the seeming ease with which they oppose the Marvel Universe that this is a team of old, dear friends that have been in the superhero business for longer than most; an advantage that has enabled them to find all kinds of clever ways to bend and sometimes break the rules in pursuit of their agenda.  In fact, Woo and his allies seem more like super-powered con artists than artists, walking a perilous line between order and chaos as they methodically work a long con that would make Paul Newman and Robert Redford grin with pride.

Being able to maintain such consistently strong writing over the six issues that comprise this graphic novel, while at the same time weaving in plot threads from “Dark Reign” as well as integrating the Agents into mainstream Marvel continuity, is a monumental task. Yet Parker pulls it off with ease and still finds time to make every issue entertaining.

If I have one critique of this title so far, it’s with the nauseating use of flashback sequences.  These moments were clearly designed to highlight the Agents’ past missions over the years as well as recount times when they have brushed up against mainstream Marvel society.  In theory I think that’s a fine idea and it opens the title up to a wealth of new stories that they can’t otherwise tell in current continuity.  However, in practice so far I have found these segments to be irritating and of little relevance to the rest of the comic.  Going forward, I would prefer to see any flashback sequences expanded in standalone issues or annuals where they can still be enjoyed, but not at the expense of the main storyline.

One disappointing thing with this volume was the included Marvel Adventures: The Avengers #1, an oversized issue in Marvel’s youth orientated line that was included here seemingly for no other reason than to increase the book’s page count (and because it happened to feature the Agents of Atlas).  Why couldn’t these pages have instead been used to include, say, Parker’s script to the first issue, or samples of Pagulayan’s original pencils and character sketches?  I always found that the extra features that highlighted the creative process were so much more interesting than wasteful filler issues. I strongly advise Marvel to consider such measures in the release of future graphic novels.

Other than that, it’s hard not to love the hell out of this book.  The art of Pagulayan, Paz, and Schirmer is lush and dynamic, as it captures perfectly all the bizarre nuances that is making this book such a critical success.  Whether you choose to buy this comic in monthly issues or graphic novels, Agents of Atlas is an entertaining story that will not disappoint.

Grade:  B+

-Tony Rakittke

By Jeff Parker (Writer), Salva Espin (Art), and Anthony Washington (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: First Exiles… Then Agents of Atlas… Not cool Marvel… Not cool at all…

The Story: The Exiles go back to finish their first mission. They also find out why Blink has been acting a bit strange…

What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: The latest, (and, sadly, last) issue of Exiles is just as satisfying as the others. Writer Jeff Parker finds a nice balance between fun, lighthearted dialogue and somewhat serious, weighty themes without ever allowing Exiles #6 to tip too far into one direction. In addition, Parker manages to give readers a sense of where the series (and character work) was headed, had it been allowed to continue while at the same time bring in an open-ended sort of closure that one comes to expect from a final issue (I believe longtime Exiles fans will find a lot to like). In short, Exiles #6 is pretty much a great example of an early cancellation handled right… Except for the one thing that can’t possibly be ignored.

I totally understand why Jeff Parker drops so much into the issue, especially considering that it’s clear he had a pretty big plan for the series. That said, the pages dedicated to laying out Parker’s vision are pretty dense and a bit boring. While the whole concept is fun to try to wrap your head around, the surprisingly dark, detailed explanation Parker reveals seems somewhat out of place as a whole. Spread out over what I’m sure would have been an arc or two, the whole thing would have probably been much easier to swallow.

Salva Espin’s clean, attractive artwork is, as I’ve said before, a perfect fit for the series. Thanks, in part, to Anthony Washington’s bright, vibrant color work, Espin’s style captures the funny, the sexy, the serious, and the action of Parker’s script incredibly well. While some expressions are a bit off and some of the work seems a bit simplified, Espin is an artist that I’m definitely going to be watching for quite some time. I can’t wait to see what series he lands on next.

Conclusion: Exiles, it’s been fun. You all will be missed.

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny