Comic Reviews

MARVEL:

Amazing Spider-Man #645:

This issue of Amazing Spider-Man is noteworthy in that Spidey spends almost the entire issue kicking the crap out of his rogues. Most of his attacks are contrived situations -- his villains happen to be in the right places at the wrong times. But still, Mark Waid knows how to write a cool story. My two favorite moments: Spider-Man tears down a dockside warehouse by pulling the beams apart underwater; Spider-Man chases the Chameleon through a mansion, only to pull him through a wall. All of this is because Peter thinks Norman Osborne and Lilly Hollister's baby is dead, and he thinks he's responsible. The truth will out, obviously, but where others have found this series to be growing stale, I still see it as a continuous solid outing.

DC:

Superman #703:

I'm still enjoying Superman's trek across America. This story is a bit more cliched than others, however, and the moral is shoved down readers' throats. But, It's still more interesting than watching Superman try to battle some alien menace in Metropolis while at the same time dealing with his "marital issues." I think what Straczynski really wants to do is retcon Superman's previous fifteen years. Since that's damn near impossible, this is the next best thing.

VERTIGO:

American Vampire #6: Stephen King has stepped aside after completing his five issue run so now Scott Snyder is the primary creative force behind American Vampire. How'd he do? Check below for a further review.

ICON:

Nemesis #3:

I can't even clearly review this piece of shit. Here are some "highlights:" Nemesis kidnaps Blake Morrow's son and daughter, makes Morrow admit that his son is gay, then he uses Morrow's son's sperm to impregnate Morrow's daughter. Oh, and he "rigged [the daughter's] womb to completely collapse" if they attempt to abort the child. Seriously -- RIGGED A WOMB TO BLOW?!? This is the shittiest piece of shitty shit to ever get shit out.

Superior #1:

Now, while Nemesis may be a steaming pile, I actually enjoyed Superior. Superior is the story of Simon Pooni, a boy with Multiple Sclerosis who is granted a wish by a space monkey. Again, I can't make this shit up. But the difference here is that where Nemesis is all about flash over substance, Superior has heart. There's a lot to like here -- Millar is writing a story that most people can relate to. How many comic book fans wished, at some point, for super powers? Imagine if they were granted, but not to any douchebag on the street. Instead, they're given to a boy who has every reason to own them. What will he do with them? We'll have to wait and see. But Millar admits that Superior is more "family-friendly," despite the book being littered with four letter words. This is a vast improvement from the work he's been doing in his other comics, and I'm looking forward to seeing what Simon does with his abilities. And by the by, Simon Pooni is the name of a guy who won an eBay auction, the proceeds of which went to buy a bus for a school with special needs students. So Millar isn't a complete asshole -- just a guy who shouldn't be given too much "ego space."


Bannen's Book of the Week:

American Vampire #6

My pick this week is Scott Snyder's Vampire/Western/History of America book. We still have the continuous issue of the barons of industry fighting the simple folks of the frontier. This time, we're pushed to 1930's in the middle of the depression, and we're introduced to another character: Cashel McCogan. He's the new chief of police, replacing his father who was killed two months prior. The morals have shifted slightly -- there are undercurrents of the evils of drinking, gambling, prostitution, and much of the issue is devoted to the frustrations small towns faced when big businesses came in and built large structures like dams, bridges, or factories. Snyder writes Cashel as part rancher and part bad ass. He uses bucolic phrases like "You and yours," but still maintains an air of control. The story feels big, and I imagine that Snyder must feel like he can sprawl a bit more, now that he's got a full twenty-two pages to play with. This is a great beginning -- Snyder still uses Skinner Sweet (who is easily one of the coolest comic creations), and Rafael Albuquerque still provides the beautiful images to go with Snyder's story. Where readers may have been interested to see if the story loses any of its "oomph" with the departure of Stephen King, I can assure it doesn't. It still has just as much bite as before.