(no subject)
so here is a post about some shit
comics shit for the last couple weeks, featuring Secret Avengers #13, the Static Shock Special, Onslaught Unleashed, Suburban Glamour and some other shit
~ So I haven't cared about Secret Avengers from the start, because even though it has characters I like (HANK but others also), I just can't stand Mike Deodato's art, and Ed Brubaker simply doesn't know how to handle more than one or two characters in a meaningful way. Either it turns out like Captain America, where the supporting cast suffers so the lead can shine, or like Secret Avengers, where the characters almost don't matter at all, because they're usually just taking backburner to the story being told. This is my least favorite kind of story! Characters should drive the plot, not the other way around!
Anyway, Secret Avengers #13 wasn't written by Brubaker, but Nick Spencer's taken over for the Fear Itself tie-ins. It was a Hank-centric issue, where he chills with a congressman dude he knows from young times. They'd worked some mutant rights work back then, though this guy's been in the civil rights business from long before. I really liked this issue, it was exactly as character-driven as I wanted, and very heartfelt. There's one panel where the guy's talking about how he used to be a teacher and misses it, and Hank gets this distant look because you know he misses it too. Sure, he's probably looking at the battemech thing on-panel through the window, but this is how I choose to see it.
Also! Art is by Scott Eaton, same dude who drew the majority of Endangered Species, so we already know he has experience drawing Hank. And because of this, it's possibly the first time he actually looks right in the better part of a year! Shit, it's the first time I recall his feet being drawn right since goddamn AXM! (doesn't help that everyone was sticking to that design since, and i really hated that design) But yeah, I was generally happy to read this and may have to keep an eye on these issues Spencer's doing if they keep up like this.
~ Onslaught Unleashed ended, I am not really down with how it ended. I do like that McKeever's handled the Secret Avengers way better than they had been previously (especially Sharon finally getting to be the boss she is, but where was Rhodey?), though what it meant to the Young Allies is really kinda...hrm. Two I liked ended up out of future stories, and I really am so tired of Gravity if we're being honest. Sure, it's the ending of McKeever's Nomad comics, but I'm just not really satisfied with that ending. And then at the end, Angie and Hank get to talk about Utopia, which is great! But it ended up being Angie coming to the conclusion that if two mutant minds together created Onslaught, then an entire island of them could only be worse, which is just...really McKeever? Also I wasn't wild about the art throughout.
~ If I haven't mentioned it before, iZombie is one of my favorite books out right now! Roberson writes fun, interesting characters, and juggles their stories effectively. Allred, as always, does the best fucking art.
~ The Static Shock Special was pretty great! Always great to see Cowan doing more work, and I generally enjoyed the main story. The real meat for me, though, was in the two-page backup by Matt Wayne, with art by John Paul Leon. Basically, it's Static and Rocket meeting Dwayne McDuffie, and they aren't playing any games. They play it straight and honest, calling it like things are, an appropriate tribute to the guy. Saying things like "Everybody loves you now because you're no longer a threat. Folks who ignored and belittled your work in life are annointing you in death," and "Worst of all, people who despised you now get to tell your story, they'll add and subtract stuff to suit their purposes. Nothing we can do about it, that's just what happens to legends." It was amazing.
~ Suburban Glamour! If you know Jamie McKelvie's name, it's probably for his gorgeous art of people in always great clothes. Suburban Glamour's no exception, but he's also writing this time, and turns out he's fairly decent! Don't let the first issue fool you, this is definitely a story of magic and fairies and even has a princess, and I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone! Only complaint is it's a bit short and I want more, but the trade's pretty cheap for four issues.
Saw X-Men: First Class earlier, have some thoughts, will share them later after I've gotten sleep or whatever. I really liked it for the most part!
comics shit for the last couple weeks, featuring Secret Avengers #13, the Static Shock Special, Onslaught Unleashed, Suburban Glamour and some other shit
~ So I haven't cared about Secret Avengers from the start, because even though it has characters I like (HANK but others also), I just can't stand Mike Deodato's art, and Ed Brubaker simply doesn't know how to handle more than one or two characters in a meaningful way. Either it turns out like Captain America, where the supporting cast suffers so the lead can shine, or like Secret Avengers, where the characters almost don't matter at all, because they're usually just taking backburner to the story being told. This is my least favorite kind of story! Characters should drive the plot, not the other way around!
Anyway, Secret Avengers #13 wasn't written by Brubaker, but Nick Spencer's taken over for the Fear Itself tie-ins. It was a Hank-centric issue, where he chills with a congressman dude he knows from young times. They'd worked some mutant rights work back then, though this guy's been in the civil rights business from long before. I really liked this issue, it was exactly as character-driven as I wanted, and very heartfelt. There's one panel where the guy's talking about how he used to be a teacher and misses it, and Hank gets this distant look because you know he misses it too. Sure, he's probably looking at the battemech thing on-panel through the window, but this is how I choose to see it.
Also! Art is by Scott Eaton, same dude who drew the majority of Endangered Species, so we already know he has experience drawing Hank. And because of this, it's possibly the first time he actually looks right in the better part of a year! Shit, it's the first time I recall his feet being drawn right since goddamn AXM! (doesn't help that everyone was sticking to that design since, and i really hated that design) But yeah, I was generally happy to read this and may have to keep an eye on these issues Spencer's doing if they keep up like this.
~ Onslaught Unleashed ended, I am not really down with how it ended. I do like that McKeever's handled the Secret Avengers way better than they had been previously (especially Sharon finally getting to be the boss she is, but where was Rhodey?), though what it meant to the Young Allies is really kinda...hrm. Two I liked ended up out of future stories, and I really am so tired of Gravity if we're being honest. Sure, it's the ending of McKeever's Nomad comics, but I'm just not really satisfied with that ending. And then at the end, Angie and Hank get to talk about Utopia, which is great! But it ended up being Angie coming to the conclusion that if two mutant minds together created Onslaught, then an entire island of them could only be worse, which is just...really McKeever? Also I wasn't wild about the art throughout.
~ If I haven't mentioned it before, iZombie is one of my favorite books out right now! Roberson writes fun, interesting characters, and juggles their stories effectively. Allred, as always, does the best fucking art.
~ The Static Shock Special was pretty great! Always great to see Cowan doing more work, and I generally enjoyed the main story. The real meat for me, though, was in the two-page backup by Matt Wayne, with art by John Paul Leon. Basically, it's Static and Rocket meeting Dwayne McDuffie, and they aren't playing any games. They play it straight and honest, calling it like things are, an appropriate tribute to the guy. Saying things like "Everybody loves you now because you're no longer a threat. Folks who ignored and belittled your work in life are annointing you in death," and "Worst of all, people who despised you now get to tell your story, they'll add and subtract stuff to suit their purposes. Nothing we can do about it, that's just what happens to legends." It was amazing.
~ Suburban Glamour! If you know Jamie McKelvie's name, it's probably for his gorgeous art of people in always great clothes. Suburban Glamour's no exception, but he's also writing this time, and turns out he's fairly decent! Don't let the first issue fool you, this is definitely a story of magic and fairies and even has a princess, and I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone! Only complaint is it's a bit short and I want more, but the trade's pretty cheap for four issues.
Saw X-Men: First Class earlier, have some thoughts, will share them later after I've gotten sleep or whatever. I really liked it for the most part!