Comic Reviews -- Week of June 9th

MARVEL:

Nemesis #2: I should have tossed this comic aside when Millar revealed Nemesis' lair -- a futuristic (and brightly lit) type of Batcave -- with a TABLE FULL OF BLOW!!! Most hosts would offer a drink of some type, or at least a light snack. Nemesis? He offers lines of cocaine, and tells his henchmen to "Sit down and enjoy a couple of lines. I'm thinking up riddles for our brilliant Chief of Police." So, basically while his lackey's get high as kites, he muses on the clever ways he can confuse his arch enemy. I should have tossed it aside when the president's head of homeland security asked Blake Morrow, "Do you want fries with that?" because he feels like Morrow is overstepping his bounds. But I didn't. Additionally, Millar blatantly rips off The Dark Knight by giving Nemesis a "Nemesis-Pod" that launches out of his Audi roadster. And lastly, the issue ends with the classic, "I planned to get caught!" line. Jesus wept. This is a shit sandwich with shit sauce. I can't tell if this is a brilliant ploy to expose the idiocy of the American public, or if he seriously feels this is a good story. This is trash -- but not even good trash. It's unsophisticated, empty, and hollow. I'm disappointed in Mark Millar because I normally look forward to his stories because of their grand scope. Here, he seems to be trying too hard to outdo himself. It's not working. Simple storytelling is Millar's area of expertise. He needs to go back there before he makes a bad name for himself.

Ultimate Avengers 2 #3: This is a pretty mediocre issue with a mediocre ending. Compared to the two previous outings, though, this is like Melville. It's much more interesting than Millar's earlier efforts, but it's still Millar desperately trying to make his story interesting. Poor Leinil Yu. His art is superb in this series, and his Ghost Rider illustrations are top notch. But he's still drawing a Millar story so it's attempting to be grand and explosive, but forcing the action a bit too much. If you pass on this, you won't be missing much. Actually, you won't be missing anything.

Ultimate Spider-Man #11: David LaFuente's art is the highlight of the issue. Its really grown on me, and I'm glad that people like Bendis and Quesada had faith in him because his work definitely suits the Marvel Universe. Bendis throws in his usual humor -- witty dialogue and clever situations -- but the issue clips along at an incredible pace so that when you get to the last page, you feel the sense of shock that Bendis was trying to convey. Millar should take a hint from Bendis: good characters make good story. Interesting story plus flat characters equals mediocre results. I think we're seeing Ultimate Chameleon's introduction into the Ultimate Universe. This is an exciting time to be reading Ultimate Spider-Man.

IMAGE:

The Light #3 (Edmondson & Weldele): Much like Robert Kirkman's Walking Dead series, Nathan Edmonson seems to be showing that in the face of apocalyptic disaster, survivors are the greatest threat. We still don't know what caused the light to become toxic, but I kind of hope we never do. That mystery is one worth saving, seeing as how the series closes out in two issues. At the end of the issue, the mystery takes an interesting turn. I don't like that this is ending in two issues because there's a lot more story to tell. Hopefully this is only the first part in a longer series. If you haven't read the Light, I highly recommend it. The Light is a great new series.

MISC:

Logans' Run: Last Day #3 (Blue Water -- Salamoff & Gete): I love this damn series! Paul J. Salamoff perfectly balances Logan's story and the Sandmen's story, as well as keeping the heart of series so prevalent. Salamoff shows us Logan's brutality, but offsets this with Jessica's humanity. I like how she has the opportunity to end Logan's life, but she doesn't take it because she's "seen enough death." I'm conflicted because I want to read William F. Nolan's novel, but I'm afraid it will dampen the experience of Salamoff's series. For now, I'll stick to the comics -- the art and story are completely engrossing. But at some point, I'll turn to the novel. If Paul Salamoff can be credited with at least one thing, it's bringing interest back to the original Logan's Run story. Read Logan's Run: Last Day. It's worth the time and money.