Atomic Robo: The Ghost of Station X #3

Last issue, someone made a pretty good attempt at killing Atomic Robo. Now, he and his team are trying to figure out which of their enemies could be behind the attack — and the attack doesn’t really fit the M.O.s of any of the groups they’ve tangled with in the past. One of their analysts is able to hit a lucky bit of data that lets them trace where the calls into the company HQ were coming from, and the team scrambles to take them out with a surgical strike. Meanwhile, some of Robo’s old employees are working with British intelligence to track a two-story flat that’s been mysteriously stolen — they’re finally having some progress with interviews, but it just opens up more mysteries. And in Omaha, Nebraska, where Robo’s team has tracked the rogue signals, they find an empty office building — and they get ambushed by a large military force. They’re able to elude them and even take out some of their forces, but these guys are not willing to let Robo get away again.

Verdict: Thumbs up. Great action, great art, wonderful humor and dialogue. This comic is insanely fun, and I don’t know why more of you aren’t reading it. Why do you hate fun and joy, non-readers? Whyyyy?

The Amazing Spider-Man #674

Spider-Island is no more, but some people are still coming to town wishing they could get some spider-powers of their own. They’re soon inducted into a new gang that specializes in high-rise burglaries and sometimes killing their members by dropping them from great heights. Peter Parker and his ex-girlfriend Carlie Cooper soon realize they’re after the same group of people, but long before they get too far in their investigation, we are introduced to the high flying gang and their leader, the Vulture.

Verdict: Thumbs up. I don’t know if they really meant that last-page reveal to be a big surprise, but anyone who wasn’t expecting the Vulture after seeing the cover or reading any of the rest of the story just wasn’t paying any real attention. Still, nice story, good dialogue, decent action.

Severed #4

Jack’s friend Sam — a girl passing as a boy to avoid unwanted creeps in 1930s Chicago — is very suspicious of “Alan Fisher,” the shark-toothed killer who is pretending to be a phonograph salesman. She stole one of his business cards and calls his boss, who tells her he hasn’t heard from the real Alan Fisher in days and agrees to meet with her to figure out what’s going on. However, Jack believes what Fisher has told them, and they have a big argument — though they eventually reconcile. Unfortunately, when Sam goes to see Fisher’s boss, it turns out it was really Fisher all along. Is there going to be a good ending for either Sam or Jack? I wouldn’t bet on it…

Verdict: Thumbs up. Dead grim Depression-era horror, with some serious scares and a ton of suspense. I really do love the way Scott Snyder seemingly came out of nowhere to become one of the comics world’s best and most important writers.

Today’s Cool Links:

• Here’s a really cool video by Alan Moore, creator of a lot of the best comics in history, talking at length about the importance of the late Harvey Pekar.
• Lots of webcomics are coming up with interesting ways to talk about depression.
• Hey, do me a solid and go sign this petition. These Internet blacklist bills Congress is working on passing are guaranteed Internet-killers. They’d shut down Google, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Etsy, Wikipedia, and most of the blogs in the country, including this one.

Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #3

Frankenstein and the Creature Commandos have finally met up with his ex-wife, the Bride — unfortunately, they’re all stuck on a planet full of chittering arachnoid monsters — and it’s all about to crash into Earth from another dimension. They’re really badly outnumbered, but Khalis the mummy unleashes some completely unexpected mystical powers to completely incinerate all the monsters on the entire continent. Unfortunately, there’s still one insanely gigantic Godzilla-sized spider monster they still have to fight. Even if they can stop it, do they have a chance to deal with the other two continents full of monsters, too?

Verdict: Thumbs up. Lots of fighting, but we also get a little time for some characterization, some suspense, and some of Frankenstein’s wonderfully over-the-top pulpy dialogue. I do hope that Khalis won’t be used solely as a deus ex machina, though…

Demon Knights #3

With hordes of dragons and an enemy army attacking the village of Little Spring, Madame Xanadu uses the power of her own blood to fuel a spell to create a shield to protect the village. It weakens and ages her terribly, and Etrigan, infuriated that he may lose his lover for the sake of humans he doesn’t care about, attacks and maims a priest. The Horsewoman is seemingly able to pass through the mystic barrier, but she refuses to get off her horse to do any other preparations. Vandal Savage tries and mostly fails to teach the villagers how to fight. Exoristos lets a local girl sneak through the barrier to find helf for the village. And the Shining Knight continues to confound everyone around him. Um, her…

Verdict: Thumbs up. Good action, but by far the best thing about this one so far is the wealth of characterization. Getting to know these guys as people is something I didn’t really think would be possible in the midst of several battles and a siege, but it’s working out quite well.

Today’s Cool Links:

• Lo and behold, it turns out that Marvel Comics has problem with female characters — namely, with the cancellation of the X-23 series, they have no comics starring solo female characters.
• Meet a real-life Doctor Doom.
• Well, Frank Miller has gone and joined the Crazy Comic Creators Club with Dave Sim. Here’s sci-fi author David Brin with a nice smackdown.

The Unwritten #31

Tom Taylor has decided to take a more active role against the Cabal, essentially declaring war on them. He ambushes them in supposedly safe locations, using magic spells lifted from the Tommy Taylor children’s fantasy novels his dad wrote. His friends, Lizzie Hexam, Richie Savoy, and Frankenstein’s Monster, aren’t sure how well he really understands magic, but Tom is able to find out plenty of secrets using magic. But magic may prove to be a fickle power…

Verdict: Thumbs up. Lots of action, good dialogue, fun plot developments. I’m still fairly jazzed by the idea of Frankenstein’s Monster being an actual member of the cast.

The Dunwich Horror #2

The Horror comes after our small band of heroes, but they manage to elude its grasp. Doesn’t mean they’re out of the woods yet — so they need to find a way to send it back to the horrific dimension it hails from. To do that, however, they’ll need the Necronomicon from Miskatonic University’s library — but the university recently decided to scan the decaying book to preserve it, and the librarian who scanned it went nuts, burned the original book, swallowed a flash drive with the files, and then died in the hospital when the flash drive blew her apart. Our heroes have finally managed to break the code on her computer — but how can you read a book when everyone who looks at its pages goes mad?

Verdict: I think I may thumbs this one down. The story has an interesting Lovecraftian feel to it, but there’s really not a whole lot to tie it in with Lovecraft’s classic short story. We get the Necronomicon, madness, mentions of Wilbur Whateley… and there needs to be a bit more if we can really call this an adaptation of the story. Plus, it still comes with “The Hound” as a backup — and the lettering is still mostly illegible. No need to subject yourself to eyestrain for just a backup story…

Today’s Cool Links:

• Just one link today: Here’s the most intensely sad thing you’re going to read about a comic creator this month: Marvel Comics giant Bill Mantlo, writer of hundreds of comics in the 1970s, is currently living in a nursing home after a hit-and-run accident in the ’90s left him with severe brain damage. He gets few visitors, has almost no possessions, and is just a whiff away from dead broke. It’s a long, sad story, but read the whole thing.
• Okay, one more link: The HERO Initiative tries to help out creators who, like Mantlo, are down on their luck and need help. I know the economy is rough, and we’re getting closer to Christmas. But please consider sending a contribution their way, if you can.

Batwoman #3

Batwoman has a close call against the Weeping Woman who keeps kidnapping and drowning children, and no sooner does she escape her clutches, but she gets apprehended by DEO agent Cameron Chase, who thinks she had something to do with the kidnapping/terrorist attack engineered by her seemingly dead sister. And once she escapes from the DEO agents, her double close calls convince her to fire her cousin Bette as her sidekick. Chase leans on Kate’s father trying to get information, and Kate reconciles with Maggie Sawyer, while Bette prepares to take to the streets in her old Flamebird costume.

Verdict: Thumbs up. This is the most amazingly beautiful comic you’re gonna find. It’s not just that J.H. Williams III is an outstanding artist, but he’s a brilliant draftsman, too, with comics panels unlike anything else you’re going to see. He even uses some old art styles when he draws Kate in flashback. Even without the wonderful storytelling and emotional characterizations, it’s amazing, beautiful, intricate work, and you should — no, you **need** to be reading this comic.

Batgirl #3

Batgirl tries to save one of Mirror’s potential victims on a commuter train, but is foiled because Mirror has hidden his bomb on a passing train instead. Afterward, Babs has a brief but emotional visit with her father in the afternoon and a much more rambunctious but equally emotional encounter with Nightwing that evening. Will Batgirl go it alone, or will she accept help from the people she loves?

Verdict: Thumbs up. This really is a beautifully emotional story, told through flashbacks and fisticuffs. It’s nice to see that the always stormy Babs Gordon/Dick Grayson relationship has survived the Reboot intact, though it’s a bit surprising that everyone in the story seems to expect Babs’ miraculous spinal regeneration to wear off at any moment. Still, for a comic that I was considering dropping, I’m very happy to see that this comic is definitely worth keeping in the pull file…

Today’s Cool Links:

• Siskoid has some fun suggestions for Elseworlds comics that would make fun RPG backgrounds.
• Gavok takes a closer look at another comic y’all should be reading: Avengers Academy.
• Like D&D? Like politics? Check out this feature on the presidential candidates as D&D characters.

Snarked #2

Princess Scarlett and Prince Rusty are hiding out with Wilburforce J. Walrus and Clyde McDunk to avoid being captured by the traitorous royal advisors. They hope to be able to set sail to locate the King, but the advisors have other plans — they’re going to hire the most feared, most unstoppably unstoppable tracker and bounty hunter in the nation — the Gryphon! Will they be able to give him the slip, or are they all bound the the royal dungeons?

Verdict: Thumbs up. Fun cartooning and excellent, deceptively emotional storytelling. I love the re-imaginings we’re getting of Lewis Carroll’s characters, and the dialogue is quite good. You’ll definitely want to check out the backgrounds while you’re reading — lots of funny stuff gets hidden outside the main action.

Justice League International #3

Multiple giant robots threaten the Earth, and the Justice League International has not yet been successful at stopping even one of them. Do they have a chance when they have to divide their efforts around the world? Maybe if they don’t take the giants on directly. Booster Gold and Batman focus on the ground underneath a giant in Peru, while Rocket Red and Ice travel to Russia, Fire and Vixen visit South Africa, Godiva and August General in Iron go to Canada, and Guy Gardner checks out the situation from orbit. But there are more threats to be dealt with, both underground and in outer space…

Verdict: Thumbs up. In a way, I want to not like this — it’s not a particularly deep, meaningful comic. The villains are pretty forgettable. The dialogue is not ideal, though the characterization is getting stronger. And I don’t know why a bunch of giant robots and a huge spaceship would mobilize a bunch of second-stringers and not the entire Justice League. But it’s good, solid, unapologetic superheroics. I like the characters, I like the costumes (and since so many of the A-list DC Reboot comics have been plagued by awful costume changes, that’s saying something special), I like the action, I just plain like what I’m seeing here.

Today’s Cool Links:

• Oooh, plush tentacles? I’ll have me 8-10 of those…
• Does Wonder Woman’s new origin reduce her status as a feminist icon?
• David Brothers takes a look at the notoriously racist “Tintin in the Congo.”

The Amazing Spider-Man #673

Spider-Island is over, the Queen has been destroyed, and everyone in New York City has been de-spiderfied. That means a lot of people hanging around NYC without any clothes on, which brings us plenty of very funny episodes. Most of this issue is dedicated to wrapping up the previous storyarc — Aunt May finally gets to leave the city for Massachusetts, Kaine leaves town, Carlie has figured out that Peter is Spider-Man and breaks up with him, and Peter finds out from Dr. Strange that the spell that kept anyone from learning his secret identity is no longer in effect.

Verdict: Thumbs up. I think after that lengthy storyarc, it’s nice to get a little breather issue in. Love that cover, too, by the way…

American Vampire #20

We get a flashback within our flashback as the Indian woman in the cave tells Hole in the Sky, the renegade Apache leader, her story. She was formerly the wife — or maybe the slave — of a frontier trapper. She agreed to travel with a party exploring the country as a native guide. She enjoyed the journey, but became suspicious of the party’s captains, and soon discovered that they were vampires. When they caught her, she was turned into a new kind of American vampire — and her bloodlust was almost entirely uncontrollable. Desperate to find a way to keep herself from killing more and more people, she blocked herself inside a cave — until Hole in the Sky set her free. Even then, she doesn’t want to cause any more harm, and Hole in the Sky, disgusted with what he sees as her cowardice, kills her. But is that the end of the nightmare, or just the beginning?

Verdict: Thumbs up. Nice story, nice characterization, nice art, and a fun twist on vampires from a Native American perspective.

Swamp Thing #3

Much of our story focuses on a kid named William, who has to spend his life inside a plastic bubble because he has an extreme allergy to chlorophyll, and he’ll die if he ever leaves a sterile environment. His doctors want him to socialize as much as possible with other kids, but some of the other kids, even terminal cancer patients, are a bit psycho and are looking forward to ways to pierce his sterile bubble and expose him to the air that would kill him. Meanwhile, we get to know Alec Holland’s new benefactor — Abigail Arcane, who used to be the Swamp Thing’s lover, but who Alec can just barely remember. It turns out that, like Alec and his intrinsic connection to the Green that makes him a natural candidate to become a Swamp Thing, Abigail and all of the Arcane family have an intrinsic connection to the Black, the underworld of dead matter. Oh, and you know William, the kid in the plastic bubble? His last name is Arcane, too.

Verdict: Man, I do not know. The horror here is very good. The art is top-notch. And I think it was clever to name the doctor in this issue for Dick Durock, the actor who played Swamp Thing in the movies and TV series. But I think I’m starting to get really tired of Alec Holland not being Swamp Thing. I’m not going to be able to stomach more than one or two more issues where Holland isn’t mossy, noseless, and slow-speaking…

It’s Prize Fight night, and SpaceBooger has declared that it’s a night for Arch Enemies. And I looked around my comics, and I don’t have any particularly good fights with Batman and the Joker, or Superman and Lex Luthor, or Spider-Man and the Green Goblin.

So I went wandering a bit farther afield and hit on the Big Red Cheese. There are some fights between Captain Marvel and Dr. Sivana, but they’re a bit anticlimactic. But there was at least this battle with one of Cap’s sub-arch enemies, Ibac.

So, from July 1973’s Shazam! #4 by Denny O’Neil and C.C. Beck, here’s Captain Marvel vs. Ibac!

And of course, Ibac surrenders soon afterwards.

Don’t forget to head over to SpaceBooger’s place and vote on your favorite fights!

The Goon #36

Nowheresville gets a visitor this issue — a real live burlesque performer named Roxi Dlite! She’s on the run from just about everyone for crimes ranging from simple seduction to theft to murder and everything in between. Once she and her pilot Abercrombie blunder into Nowheresville, they decide to re-open the burlesque house, but are quickly captured by the harpies and Madame Elsa — but Roxi quickly turns the situation to her own advantage. Meanwhile, the Goon and Franky have stolen the world’s most expensive knick-knack and peed on a wealthy dowager — but will they be able to keep the knick-knack out of Roxi’s greedy hands? And will Franky ever know true love?

Verdict: Thumbs up. Very funny, very cheesecakey, wonderfully violent and crude. All the things Eric Powell and the Goon do best.

Avengers Academy #21

It’s a new day for Avengers Academy — Veil has left the program, but it’s now been included to allow any powered teenager to be trained at the West Coast Avengers campus. But the previous members of the Academy are now worried that, as the potential villains they all are, they’ll be thrown out by the Avengers. And that leads to the Academy members trying to beat up the Avengers, which doesn’t go very well. But the Avengers realize that they need to treat the kids with more respect, and they introduce two new members joining the inner circle — Lightspeed from the Power Pack, who’s now about 17 years old, and White Tiger, who gets her powers from her Jade Tiger amulets. But Jocasta, who has been trying to figure out a way to help all the Academy members, has just been killed — something pretty tough to do to a robot with multiple backup bodies — and it looks like someone on the Academy campus is responsible.

Verdict: Thumbs up. Lots of appropriate teen angst — and they’re able to do it without killing each other. See that, Teen Titans? It’ll be nice to see some new members, too. Only downside — it’s too bad that the first time Jocasta does something interesting, she gets killed.

Static Shock #3

Static once again avoids death at the hands of Virule and the Slate Gang — and Virule learns that he can replicate if he’s exposed to Static’s energy. Virgil tries to figure out a way to track down the Slaters by using his own experiences with the gangs in Dakota’s Paris Island, which serves to get him some respect. Will Static be able to survive another confrontation with the assassins?

Verdict: Thumbs down. It’s boring me. I mean, the most interesting thing about this issue is the bizarre situation with Virgil’s sister and her clone. But I’m not going to stick with this one any more. I love the character, I love Milestone’s comics, but I can’t stick around forever and wait for it to get interesting.

Today’s Cool Links:

• OMG BABY GOATS!
• OMG BABY SPIDERS!
• OMG SLITHERING OCTOPUS!

Well, here we are. I’ve got nothing I particularly care to blog about. I’m done with all my reviews, at least ’til I go pick up new comics this afternoon. Not that I’ve got a lot of enthusiasm about that either, because I’m really feeling burned out on reviewing comics. There just isn’t much that feels like it’d be fun to blog about. I don’t have any particularly old comics that I could scan and make jokes about. I could run a “Dose of Awesome” post, but I can’t think of much that feels awesome lately. Waffles? Strawberries? Sleeping ’til just barely late, but not late enough to get a headache, on the weekends? No, nothing that feels like a really good topic.

Part of the problem is that there’s just not much worth getting enthusiastic about in the comics biz. I’m not saying there aren’t good comics out there, both from independents and by the big companies. But I’m well past the point now where I’m able to get very excited about anything anyone is offering.

DC’s rebooted 52 is an exercise in undisguised cynicism. Even with titles that are otherwise pretty good, you just can’t escape the idea that Dan DiDio and Geoff Johns are having a laugh at our expense. And that doesn’t even get into the way they keep treating women and non-white readers as some sort of barely tolerated embarrassment, only good for drumming up outrage, not so much for telling good stories to. There’s nothing like feeling used and disrespected to make you want to skip reading comics for a few months.

Not that Marvel is a lot better. Sure, they’re not doing anything as blatantly disrespectful as the “New 52,” but any company that’s still letting hacks like Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Millar call the shots is never too far away from pulling off something that’ll make “Red Hood and the Outlaws” look like Sunday tea with your maiden aunts.

On the other hand, I really do like a lot of what I’m reading from Dark Horse, IDW, Boom, Image, and other companies. In a lot of cases, they’re the only publishers who are really working to push the comics bubble. They’re working to expand what comics can do.

I think the only way we’re going to see exciting comics again is to work at it ourselves. If you write or draw, and you want to break into comics, it’s time to take Marvel and DC out of your Future Ambitions file. More and more often, working for the Big Two is a good way to tell stories the corporation wants but no one else does. Work on your own characters and your own stories, whether it’s within comics or somewhere else. Write webcomics, novels, screenplays, short stories, videogames, roleplaying games, children’s books, you name it.

And if you can’t write or draw — and there are plenty of us who can’t — keep reading new and good stuff. Keep pestering DC and Marvel about what a bad job they’re doing — because ignoring them just sends a message that we all approve of them. But let’s keep an eye out for good stuff, and let’s make sure other people know about them. Comics as an art form — heck, storytelling as an art form — must move forward, whether or not DC and Marvel are in the lead or at the back of the pack.

There won’t be much to be enthusiastic about immediately, maybe not for a while. But it’s got to happen eventually.

Ladies and gentlemen, boils and ghouls, it’s the Happiest Day of the Year again. Whether you’re dressing up, handing out candy, going out to party, enjoying some horror movies, or just feasting upon the blood of the innocent, I hope you have a wonderful, spooky day.

And now, that great Halloween tradition: A whole bunch of thematically linked comics covers!

Everyone have a safe and fun holiday.