Pop Mythology Pop Mythology: Movie, Book, Comic reviews & commentary
Too many titles and not enough time to wax philosophically! Let’s get to the list!
DC Comics
Batman Detective Comics #942
“The Night of the Monster Men” concludes in this issue. It was a pretty simple premise, but what I really liked about it is that we saw a return to a cross-over event style of publishing. DC really hasn’t got a track record of doing this in the last few years. But one of my greatest DC memories was the All-Star Squadron/JSA/JLA cross-overs back in the 80’s. Even though this story didn’t have that multiple worlds basis, it still had that one thing that I think really adds to the value of comic publishing house: continuum.
We need more of these stories to continue to add to the value of the house. If we have more writers working in concert, timing stories well and being aware of each other’s story schedules then we get a combined value of unity and shared purpose that adds to the value of the overall writing effort at DC. Good quality comes from good teamwork.
Image Comics
The Fuse #22
Just when you think this comic can’t get any better, the intrigue level on this book just ramped itself up 100%! We learn more about Ralph Dietrich’s mysterious past, why he even volunteered for duty on the Fuse and even more!
The great thing about this book is that there are a hundred different types of domestic, political, alien or social stories Johnston and Greenwood can follow. But Klem’s retirement instills a fear of the end of the series within me. I hope no because this is a book that is an example of solid talent and creative effort.
Jupiter’s Legacy 2 #4
Just a riveting story with the right amount of human pathos to allow the reader to relate to these super-beings. It’s an unbelievable trip and the energy level compels you to turn the page at a frantic level; which is a shame because then you miss all of Frank Quitely’s emotionally rich pencilling.
Millar has certainly delivered with this tale. It’s definitely something that can be appreciated from a family perspective but also from a socio-political one. If you think about it, this is an illustration, granted a fanciful one, of the maxim that absolute power corrupts absolutely. One generation of this family may have had good intentions but the next generation has grown indolent and spoiled. Now they use their own powers for their self-serving needs and it’s a tried and tested story-line.
Millar’s gift for dynamic and staccato dialogue forces us to consider the characters by their actions, and by their deeds, do we know them. This is visual storytelling at its best and its best to empathize with characters when we see them doing the right thing, and hate them when we see them show the evil they are capable of. It’s probably one of my favourite books.
Lazarus #25
It’s clearly a banner Image month.
Just an incredible premise: the world is now divided on financial terms. Wealth determines your social status and nothing can change that – unless you can prove your use to one of the controlling families, and then you are an investment, and that’s a Lazarus.
The enhanced champion of a family, a Lazarus can tip the balance of a military engagement, a covert operation or even settle disputes by personal combat. A Lazarus represents the pinnacle of technological and scientific advancement a family can demonstrate and as a result, can influence the success of that family.
This is a great issue – Forever Carlyle, the Lazarus of the Carlyle Family has discovered her use and her value; what’s more, from the revelation she learned in the previous issue, Forever now has to decide what she is going to do with this information: either save her family or save herself. It’s an astounding book but this issue is going to have drastic repercussions for the rest of the series. If there was a point to jump on to, it’s this issue. Greg Rucka and Michael Lark have got one hell of a winning book here.
Reborn #1
This is a glorious book!
Yeah – blanket statement, I know, but when you see something this vibrant and dynamic, it literally reduces your senses to pulp and you are just left with the ability to express yourself in one word … and that was the one that I went with.
The backgrounds are luxuriously described and the colour work is astounding. Greg Capullo is the man who got me back into Batman with his ability to finely render focused action shots in motion. His work is the work to select for this comic. With the colour work by Fco Plascencia and inking by Jonathan Glapion, he has an art team that can clearly deliver up to his high work standards.
Mark Millar has proven himself once again to be a storytelling genius.
Millar has the ability to take the most basic of human feelings and weave them into a tapestry of extra-ordinary proportions and colours. He answers the questions that we all ask in life and frames the answer in the most fantastic context that one can almost imagine wishing that this is the way it really was.
Is this all we are? Perhaps so, then Millar creates a story that his readers of all walks of faith, all philosophies can enjoy and imagine themselves a part of, and that is the true secret of Mark Millar’s storytelling talent: you want to be a part of this story. After all, don’t you wish for something greater after our time on Earth is done? Mark Millar delivers that to us in an epic manner.
Hell, I want to be a part of that.
Marvel Comics
Moon Knight #7
Again, we spend time with the Fist of Khonshu – as described by Jeff Lemire.
But this time, he’s a Starfighter pilot. How long can Lemire maintain this partial perception of reality?
Well, I still don’t know what’s real and neither does Marc Spector. As much as I liked this approach in the beginning, we’re seven issues in and I’m getting a little antsy waiting for some sort of resolution. This reality lapse was a bit extreme, even for my weird tastes. But I have to say this issue reminded me of Jeff Lemire’s Trillium.
Darth Vader #25
The greatest villain of the 20th and 21st centuries.
First of all, the cover is simply stunning to behold. This is the type of art that every Star Wars fan would stare at in a stupefied fashion while uncontrollably drooling at the mouth. It’s got the same vibe that the original film poster had back in ’77. If you were like me, you stared at that movie poster in the theatre while your parents bought popcorn and marvelled at it. Forget the Snickers bar, I had true eye candy to devour.
It’s heavy too. It’s a huge weight of paper but that just signifies how important this book is.
Basically, it’s Vader ascendant.
It’s absolutely amazing to see Keiron Gillen interpret the evil majesty of this character so accurately well. He’s everything I could imagine him to be and Salvador Larroca has the emotionless void, the stiffness of his motion intricately drawn. It’s a perfect representation of Vader and fill sin all those missing years between Episodes IV and V. What’s more, the fact that we are treated to two extra stories makes this an absolutely great ending point for this book. It was probably the best out of the Star Wars run, including the main title.
But that brings us to the Pick of the Week!
It definitely has to go to Reborn #1!
Interviewing Greg Capullo last month and learning about his work ethic has certainly given me a better concept of the ideal of the dedicated artist. When you understand the level of quality that this guy aspires to – and how he holds others to that same standard – then you understand what sort of dedication went into this comic. Greg Capullo is more than just talented, he’s a powerhouse of artistic energy and that dynamism is easily perceived when you look at the glorious detail that went into describing it. Capullo moves from domestic to epic fantasy level as easily as walking through air. That’s how much power is this man’s work.
Hook that up to Mr. Millar’s imaginative engine and you have a true dream team. I’m keenly fascinated by this book and can’t wait to see how this epic promise fulfills itself.
So that’s it for another week. Like I said, not enough time and too many comics to ignore!
