Comic Reviews: Week of Jan 20th

VERTIGO:

Joe The Barbarian #1:

This new comic is penned by super scribe Grant Morrison. I’ve read All-Star Superman, Final Crisis, most of Batman R.I.P., and I’ve been enjoying the hell out of Batman and Robin. My comic shop guy recommended this to me, and I bought it based on the title alone. I’m a sucker for clever word devices that play off of more exoteric ones. While I have almost no idea about what’s going on, I was struck by Sean Murphy’s art. It’s sharp, but emotional. There’s a three and a half page sequence, sans dialogue, that communicates a depth of sadness about the character. I’m hooked. I’m trying to move away from the major comic companies to the lesser ones that can take more chances on characters. Now, Morrison has a tendency to be extremely convoluted, so I’m weary about where this is going to go. But the character is the intriguing part about the story. There’s a lot going on here.

DC:

Green Lantern Corps #44:

Peter Tomasi gives life to Mogo. He actually speaks -- somewhat -- in this issue. Mogo’s revealed as probably the most powerful Green Lantern in the universe for his ability to . . . purge. The issue with Guy Gardiner hasn’t been solved yet, and there’s a cool part where two lanterns question taking the red ring off of Guy because with it on, he’s killing the Black Lanterns by the thousands. What I’m more intrigued about is how there are several characters in this series who have the power to wield two rings. With only two more issues of “Blackest Night” left, it’ll be interesting to see how this is all tied together.

MARVEL:

Amazing Spider-Man #618:

Dan Slott is fast becoming my new favorite writer. His Spider-Man stories are spectacular, and as “The Gauntlet” continues, this time it’s Mysterio who takes center stage. There’s three separate plot lines that are introduced in this issue, and they are superbly balanced. I’m urging people to read Amazing Spider-Man. While One More Day and Brand New Day weren’t the greatest ideas, at least it led to this kind of story construction. I just hope they can keep up this type of pacing and storytelling!

Dark Avengers #13: I have no idea what Bendis is getting at in this issue, but it’s Sentry-centric, and it references the biblical story of Moses. Mike Deodato shows some incredible pencil work in this issue through a backstory of the Sentry through his wife’s eyes. I’ve said before that I love the way Bendis writes The Sentry, and this is further proof of that. What I enjoy even more is that while this issue has the “Siege” banner, it has nothing to do with “Siege,” at least not that I can see immediately. I’m not sure if Bendis is rewriting the history of Sentry (similar to how Geoff Johns rewrote the history of Braniac), or if he’s using Bob’s background as a catalyst in the end result of “Siege,” but it’s a great comic, and Bendis is a great writer.

BOOM:

Incorruptible #2:

Mark Waid continues his story of Max Damage (I know, I know) and his chance at repentance in the wake of the Plutonian’s rampage in Waid’s other comic, Irredeemable. The series is . . . okay so far, but not great. I’m interested to see how it ties in with Irredeemable, but this writing is as great as some of Waid’s other stories.