Comic Thoughts - Week of July 11, 2007

Short bursts of thought about comics I purchased and read the week of July 11, 2007.

Punisher War Journal #9: Frank Castle does some bad stuff just to infiltrate a gang of neo-Nazis. Sure, he kills a lot of them, but to harm an innocent woman to do so…it seems to go against Frank’s typical black and white moral code. This story arc seems a bit drawn out – it could stand some compression to fix the pacing problems.

Countdown #42: The on again/off again art for this series can be a little annoying. This week featured the return of Carlos Magno’s pretty pencils – so all was well once more. The separate storylines were all touched upon briefly, but nothing much happened. Donna Troy and Jason Todd met up with the current Atom, Ryan Choi, to continue their search for the previous Atom, Ray Palmer. Pied Piper and Trickster escaped – manacled together with electric cuffs – from Deadshot’s custody, only to find themselves plummeting through the sky toward the earth below. Like gum stuck to the sole of your shoe, we have a period of stretching – this week – before a snap forward – some action – only to stretch, snap, and stretch again. We’ll get there…eventually.

X-Factor #21: This is the slow start of a new story arc. Madrox is still dealing with the ramifications of sleeping with both Monet and Siryn in the same night. Throw in a possible pregnancy – Monet as a mom; that would be interesting – and things are a bit complicated. The French girl X-Factor rescued from an assault on former mutants continues to vex Layla Miller (who knows things). Also, Rictor and Rahne become more intimate, while Guido is offered the job of sheriff of Mutant Town. This is still the only X-Men title I read monthly, and for good reason: Peter David writes an entertaining comic.

The New Avengers #32: I’m really into this whole idea of a secret Skrull invasion. Bendis does a great job presenting evidence as to the identities of other Skrull infiltrators in the Marvel Universe through the bickering of the team. Each member of The New Avengers has a weird history, making them suspect. Yu’s pencils are still some of the most energetic – even in a mostly “talking heads” issue – on a superhero book today. The plane crash at the end of the issue was fantastic. You feel almost as though you are on the plane crashing along with the team. Oohh, mystery.

Shadowpact #15: Doctor Gotham brings it but good to the Shadowpact. The Shadowpact arrives in Chicago to save a school bus of children suspended high up in the air by Doctor Gotham. A quick rescue and battle results in the “ticking off” of Doctor Gotham. And he’s one man you don’t want to upset. He decides to simply destroy the entire city of Chicago. Tell you what – I know I’ll be back next month to see the destruction and just how the tables will turn with the arrival of the JLA.

Justice Society of America #7: The new Commander Steel – now Citizen Steel – gets the spotlight this issue. Sure, he’s your typical reluctant superhero, but the notion that he can no longer feel (due to the mysterious metal alloy that has bonded to his skin and nerves) gives the character some added depth. In a book filled with “legacy heroes,” he’ll fit in perfectly. There was a nice exchange between Citizen Steel and Power Girl:

Power Girl: You’re a football player, right?
Citizen Steel: I was.
Power Girl: Stay right here. And catch what we throw at you.
Citizen Steel: What are you going to throw at me?

Turns out to be American supremacist Nazis. And everyone hates those guys!

In a side story, Superman visits Starman (from the 31st century) at the looney bin on a Wednesday – Sloppy Joe Day! While sharing Sloppy Joes and milk, Superman attempts to make sense of Starman’s – Thom’s – ramblings. The discussion ranges from Thom’s purpose in this time, to threats to the Mulitverse, and to the Legion of Superheroes in the 31st Century . A lot of this doesn’t make sense now, but it’s all connected to the DC Universe at large.

Green Arrow: Year One #1: A re-telling, a re-imagining, of the origins of Green Arrow. This is another strong work from the duo of Diggle and Jock. I expected this based on their prior work on Vertigo’s The Losers (of which I still have one tpb to complete the series). The Oliver Queen they present is kind of a jerk. He’s a spoiled rich, adventure-seeking, thrill junkie obsessed with the next high and the next supermodel that catches his eye. They throw in the requisite obsession with a bow and arrow – apparently he was trained by his parent’s friend, Howard Hill, the man behing Errol Flynn’s trick arrow shooting in the original Robin Hood movie. This re-imagining is interesting, and I’ll be anxious to see how it develops. Shipping every 2 weeks for 2 months, I won’t have to wait long.