On 6 July, 2006

I went to the store at a relatively busy time today. Quite a few customers, all guys, enough that chiming in on the Civil War discussion they had going just didn't feel right. Plus, when another woman entered the store, one of the guys joked about it being a sign of the Apocalypse. Two women in a comic book store at the same time, right? Not offensive, just not real original. The only reason I mention it is, well, that's the first "Ohmygosh, a girl!" type comment I've heard in that shop. Either that's unusual and I've been lucky, or people are pretty open-minded in mid-Michigan.

Needless to say, I'm in a pretty good mood. Getting this done early, since one of my aunts is coming to visit from out of town tomorrow, and if I don't do this now... who knows if it'll ever get done? Yeah, best do it while I'm in a relaxed mood and taking joy in seeing the world through a wonderful new pair of glasses.

Reading music: Dusk Till Dawn: The Best of Capercaillie

--Warning: Spoilers ahead--

Dark Horse

Archenemies #4: It's funny. I really didn't expect a bittersweet philosophical conclusion to this series but... that's what this was. A tale told primarily in flashback by an angsting Ethan on the phone with his father. There is a breakup; an origin story; a climactic fight between the archenemies; the discovery that one isn't all good, and the other isn't all bad; and the discovery that both have father problems. There are a few fun moments that sort of lighten the mood, but wow. Quite the departure from the first issue, that's for sure. It's not bad; it just took me by surprise, is all.

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes
Do I Care? Yes.

DC

All-New Atom #1:

Study the following three prologues, which are presented in non-linear fashion. Discuss how the sequence of events differs from traditional story-telling methods. Why did the author choose to present the epilogues out of chronological order?
-All-New Atom #1

Atom #1 is a symmetrical book. Nothing about the first prologue (pp. 1-3), which I won't try to describe, clicked until the last page. The second prologue (pp. 4-5), the sequence in which a pack of dogs kills a professor, is referenced about halfway through the story. The third prologue (pp. 6-7) deals with Dr. Ryan Choi's past and leads us nicely into his present, and the "meat" of the story. By presenting the prologues in this order, rather than chronologically, the story takes that symmetrical form. The prologues themselves force the reader to ask the questions, "What's going on," "What's up with those dogs," and "Who is Dr. Ryan Choi." In that general-to-specific order. These questions represent a major overarching problem, an immediate mystery, and the main character for whom trouble looms. All are elegantly connected. The order also makes for a tidy wave of a story, from the introduction, to the problem of Ray Palmer's belt (its shrinking capabilities in particular) and the general weirdness of Ivy Town, to the climactic rat scene, to the denouement (the presentation of the belt to the poker-playing scientists.) There is no definite conclusion, but then, this is comic book story-telling we're talking about, and this is a first issue. And a fun one at that. What is up with those dogs?

(Geez, these essay questions... This is graded on a curve, right?)

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes
Do I Care? Actually, kinda yeah.

Marvel

This is a Civil War free week for me, which is wonderful. I am generally enjoying that story, but I think I OD'ed on it last week. Last month, even. It's detox time now, though, with three helpings of old-school Fantastic Four!

Fantastic Four: First Family #5: Sometimes, it seems, angst can be energizing. One scene Sue is commiserating with Ben, the next she's leading the team off to rescue Reed from his insane nemesis. In a flying bathtub. The flying bathtub. Johnny's recovery from a rescue-gone-wrong (Human torches and runaway tanker trucks don't mix well.) will now have to wait 'til the cosmic ray-powered zombies (as seen on the cover) are neutralized. Great set-up for what should be a feel-good explosive conclusion.

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes
Do I Care? Yes

Marvel's Greatest Comics: Fantastic Four #52: I was a negative 17 years old when this was first printed, and the most economical way to get something like this tends to be black-and-white reprints. So this is a treat. Classic Kirby-Lee Fantastic Four complete with the Black Panther, the Inhumans, and the day-saving Wyatt Wingfoot! I'll have to go back and spend some time really reading the old ads and bulletins and fan letters. Because, you know, they're there and they're fun.

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes
Do I Care? Yes

The Thing #8: Dan Slott concludes his first (but hopefully not last) run of The Thing with a poker party, a Bar Mitzvah, and a couple fun flashbacks involving Squirrel Girl and the Impossible Man (no, not at the same time.) It's wonderful, and it is a huge departure from Civil War. The first two-page spread is proof enough. Everybody's playing (and sometimes cheating at) poker, having a grand time. Namor's not being a total ass. Johnny's not comatose. Iron Man and Captain America aren't at each others' throats. And Ben... Ben gets a long-deserved respite. Not from his form (still the Thing), but from his sorrows. He gets to focus on the good things in his life for a change, namely his friends, his family, and Alicia. *sigh* Next week it's back to business as usual on Earth-616 (which, again, isn't bad), but for now, I'll just relish this.

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes
Do I Care? Yes

Virgin Comics

Devi #1: Well, darn. I was hoping for more Indian mythology and less, er, cheesecake. The first half of Devi #1 is the story of Devi's deveat of Bala, the evil god. Devi is a god-gifted warrior (kind of like Wonder Woman?) of light dressed in, well, a few tendrils of fire and not much else. So, anyway, she defeats Bala and offers her gifts back to the gods.

Part two? Bala has, of course, escaped, and he's on the phone with a scantily-clad Heaven's Assassin as she systematically slaughters a group of Yakuza. (These Yakuza are everywhere. They need their own Sopranos spin-off or something.) I'm not sure whether the assassin is a reincarnation of Devi or what but... Ugh. I guess I just don't care that much. And next issue has a Greg Horn cover to boot. Suits the book, I suppose, but... eh. Guess I'll pass on this series and learn about Indian legend elsewhere.

Do I Know What I Just Read? Kind of?
Do I Care? Nope.

Week's most memorable moment: The GLX-Men/Avengers get a new name almost nobody objects to Thing #8.

Tentative checklist for 12 July, 2006
(*Indicates a title I've preordered.)

Beyond #1 (Chose Devi over this today. Oops.)
Civil War: Director's Cut (Yeah, I know. Shush.)
*Civil War: Front Line #3
*Ms. Marvel #5
The Next #1 (maybe)
Snakewoman #1 (bigger maybe)
Wasteland #1 (hmm...)

On 7 June, 2006

There is a great little new and used bookstore kitty-corner from my LCS. I've been a regular there (the bookstore) for, well, years now. I'd been neglecting it of late, due to the distraction that is the comic book store, but I need a little more prose in my life. So back to the bookstore! (Er, also, they've expanded their inventory to include CDs, LPs, and a couple short boxes of miscellaneous comics, from Batman to Witchblade to that copy of Gumby's Summer Fun Special. Heh.) Anywho, I may start writing some "Project Prose" entries that may or may not be comic-book related. (That book of Wonder Woman short stories is, Charlotte Brontë's Shirley is most decidedly not.)

So, right... I best finish these silly blurbs and get to bed. Yesh...

Reading music: Serenity soundtrack

--Warning: Possible spoilers ahead--

Dark Horse

Archenemies #3: I'm sorry to say I never wrote in a letter to the Archenemies team. Should have. Maybe I still will. These guys certainly deserve all the kudos they get and plenty they don't.

Drew and company deliver a fast-paced, fun story, and what could be a candidate for the most violent funeral ever. Secret identities are compromised, major misunderstandings continue, new romance is (possibly) in the air, and Ethan actually displays a level of nobility. Not intelligence so much (That's Vincent's area), but heroism nevertheless. It's a lot of story packed into one little comic. Pity this is only a mini-series.

It's probably too late to shoot off an e-mail, but I might just do so anyway.

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes
Do I Care? Yes

DC

52 Week 1 & 2: Curiousity got the better of me, and it was a light week, so I went ahead and picked up the first two weeks of 52. They manage to cram a lot of different subplots into these things. Booster Gold's android's issues, the Question and Montoya, that... steel guy and his daughter, The Dibny mystery... Geez. Between that and the frequency of the publication, it's a little daunting.

So it's back to my original plan. Pay attention and pick up issues that involve Blue Beetle, but otherwise, just wait for the trade.

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes
Do I Care? Kinda...

Wonder Woman #1 is a fast read with slick (but not soulless) art and very, very handy captions introducing key characters. In other words, a heckuvan introduction for a new reader.

This makes two of the big three. Still haven't touched Batman (not sure why), but between Clark and Donna, we're two for two thus far.

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes
Do I Care? Actually, yeah

Marvel

Civil War: Front Line #1 is a three-parter. The first story, "Embedded," follows journalists Ben Urich and Sally Floyd (both interesting characters) as they work to report on the Civil War for their respective newspapers. Ben is frustrated with his right wing rag (The Daily Bugle), as he feels it's not covering the real meat of the story. Meanwhile, Sally gets an interview and a hot news tip from Spider-Man as she works to stay on the wagon (or not) and cover the liberal side of the big story. It's not a shocker of a story, but it works, and Sally's conversation with Spidey is the highlight of the thing.

The second story, "The Accused," follows the discovery and arrest of the one New Warrior who barely survived the Stamford disaster. It's not pretty.

The third and last part of the comic perplexes me. It attempts to relate the WWII Japanese concentration camps to Marvel's Civil War. This should work. Good people unjustly rounded up for security's sake just because they happen to superficially resemble the bad guys? Sure. Yeah, that fits. There are parallels, it's not a huge stretch. But... Spiderman swinging around and being angsty? I'm just not seeing the real connection. Ah, well...

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes.
Do I Care? Yeah...

Fantastic Four: First Family #4: And this is the issue where they all lose it, in their own separate ways. Yes, let the squabbles begin.

Really, the cover about says it all. (Woohoo, my first attempt at a cover analysis. Er, does it count if you've already read the story?)

There we have Reed, his back to us, clad in his unstable molecule uniform. All blue, all business, gazing into the void. To his left is Sue, the really only member of the Four in civilian clothing. She stands rather stiffly, holding one arm with the other. She's very stressed, and superheroing is hardly her first concern. Opposite Sue is Johnny, flamed on, almost smiling, heels on the edge of the platform, probably ready to take off. He's the only one actively using his new power, the only one who really enjoys it. Ben, nearest the front, stands hunched, lamenting his condition.

The platform itself is cracked four ways, though not beyond repair. The pieces may be coming together or drifting apart. It's hard to tell. The team stands facing outwards. We know why this really is, but that configuration is also a practically instinctive defensive position. If they can keep that platform together (and, again, we know they do), they'll be well equipped to fight for what they hold dear.

Do I Know What I Just Read? Yes
Do I Care? Yes

Week's most memorable moment(s): Again, Sue rocks the force field in Fantastic Four: First Family #4.

Tentative checklist for 14 June, 2006
Civil War #2
Ex Machina Special #2
Green Lantern Corps #1 (Probably against my better judgement, but we'll see. Maybe somebody will talk me into it...)
Marvel Romance Redux: Love is a Four Letter Word
Marvel Westerns Two Gun Kid
Ms. Marvel #4