Challengers of the Unknown #4 (of 6)

writer: Howard Chaykin
artist: Howard Chaykin
published by DC Comics

Howard Chaykin is exactly what Frank Miller should have become. A smart, incisive writer who's just as comfy penning mainstream books as he is edgy creator owned faire. Like Miller, Chaykin has a flair for filling the page with text and images designed to bombard you with the world he's created. Like Miller, Chaykin works in other media (as a TV writer, he's worked on The Flash, Viper, Earth: Final Conflict and Mutant X. Chaykin's dipped into the well of noir (his amazing collaboration on The Shadow with Bill Sienkiewicz orThe Black Kiss), history (American Century) and has created dystopian masterpieces like American Flagg and (hopefully) the alternate universe revamp of Challengers of the Unknown.
Where did Miller go wrong? I think he just started believing the hype. He started doing comics for something other than the love of the medium, though he has his pet projects that prove he's not a lost cause (Sin City, 300, Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Roboy. But, like Ricky Ricardo would say...Frankie, you got some 'splainin' to do about that DK2 crap! (end rant)
I've never read the original comics, so I honestly don't give a rat's patootie about how it's changed or how he's raped the keister of DC's superscience investigative team. I just care that Chaykin tells a good yarn.
And dammit, he does. Finally things are starting to come into place. We learn that our intrepid heroes are actually highly trained sleeper agents and assassins who were programmed to return periodically to their organization for additional programming/brainwashing. They worked for the Hegemony, a supersecret cabal that controls things (Sorry kids, it ain't the Jews. It's WASP moneymen who control things in Chaykin's world...and ours. [pbbbbbt!]).
Things are coming to a head and with two issues to go in the series, we know it's gonna get worse. Much worse. The body count's piling up and the Challengers find out things about themselves that they never even dreamed. Most importantly, though. They find out they are simply mortal...and their enemies play for keeps.

The Flash #214

writer: Geoff Johns
artist: Howard Porter
published by DC Comics

The Flash rules. Nuff said.
Seriously, Geoff Johns has been kicking all kinds of ass on this book for a couple years, and it doesn't seem like it's ever gonna end. The shockwaves from Identity Crisis are starting to reverberate through the the DCU, and the Flash isn't immune to it.
The dirty little secrets of Barry Allen come rearing up by the end of the book. Of course we have to wait until next month before we find EXACTLY what Wally West's predecessor has to admit...but so far, things to not look good for the heroes. All the dirty laundry...all the mistakes and judgement errors...all of it is coming home to roost.
Wally West; ex-Kid Flash, ex-sidekick, ex-member of the Teen Titans, current Flash and member of the JLA; is struggling on the precipice of utter disillusionment. He's long idolized his predecessor. Barry Allen was too good for words. Now we're finding the former Fastest Man Alive had feet of clay. Oddly enough, the Flash's arch-enemies, the Rogues, are keeping a low profile. They know the massive manhunt organized in Identity Crisis will sweep them up if they're not careful. Once again, it's not just the smart depiction of the hero...it's the brilliant depiction of Flash's enemies that gives the story its great color.
What's coming? No clue. But, I'm there, as long as Johns keeps up the amazing quality he's shown thus far.

The Walking Dead #11

writer: Robert Kirkman
artist: Charlie Adlard
published by Image Comics


I don't really think it's safe to say I'm a horror comic reader. I've adored a few...Tomb of Dracula (the original...I'm not postive I'm in love with the new one), Morbius, The Living Vampire (the 90s reboot sucked) and Crimson would be three noteable exceptions.
However, I have big love for The Walking Dead. Robert Kirkman's book is one of the best reads in comics today. It's smart, well-paced and (like Romero's zombie movies) pertinent. The eleventh issue follows the survivors as they settle in at a farm with a distubing secret: They've kept the zombies of all of their neighbors in the barn.
Bad idea, huh? Well, not everyone's seen a zombie movie. With no news and no information, how would people know that the zombies couldn't be revived? Sure, it's kind of silly to assume that someone who's missing half their face is gonna be OK...but think if it was someone you were fond of...a neighbor, a friend, a family member? Not knowing the rules of the genre, would you have it in them to put a bullet in their brain?
Of course, it's a zombie comic, so it's a given that this is a VERY BAD IDEA.
Something tells me that a member of Rick's family is gonna get zombified. And Rick's gonna be forced to wrestle with that question on his own. In any case, another strong issue from the best damn horror comic on the market today. The second volume trade paperback is out soon, so get off your ass and pick it up.

Biased Political Opinion! E.L. Doctrow Lays the Smack Down on the Shrub

Daaaaaaaaamn. Good column.

Yeah, I'm STILL biased. Sup?

Marvel Knights 2099 one shots

(Black Panther 2099 #1, Daredevil 2099 #1, Inhumans 2099 #1, Mutant 2099 #1, Punisher 2099 #1)
writer: Robert Kirkman
artists: Kyle Holtz, Karl Moline/Mike Perkins, Cliff Rathburn, Khary Randolph, Pop Mhan
published by Marvel Knights

Robert Kirkman is proving himself to be a great new storyteller.
First I'd heard of him, he was doing Invincible over at Image (I need to get the trades for that series). Then, I finally caught up with him by reading The Walking Dead, perhaps the best horror comic on the market today (and I've got another ish on my stack of books to read).
Now, he's all over Marvel. Writing Captain America, a couple of the solo X-books, etc. When I heard about these books, I thought they were just relaunching the failed 2099 universe that Marvel created in the mid-90s...which were, well, bad. Then, I heard Kirkman was doing them. They went from "Funk Dat" to "Gimme Dat" in about 3.2 seconds.
They're all self-contained stories and they all showcase Kirkman's magnificent storytelling ability. He's beginning to remind me a bit of Richard Matheson in the way he sets readers up for the punch at the end. Almost all of these titles have a bit of a twist to 'em, except for Mutant 2099, which oddly is the one hopeful book of the bunch. They all tell fantastic stories quickly and economically, and you never quite know where you're going. If they do yet another reboot of the Twilight Zone for TV...they need to get Kirkman on it. He's perfect for the job.

Wolverine #20

writer: Mark Millar
artist: John Romita, Jr.
published by Marvel Knights

There's a fantastic Akira Kurosawa film (in fact, my favorite Kurosawa film) called High and Low. It's about a kidnapping plot in Japan where the kidnappers mistakenly kidnap the child of a rich man's driver instead of the rich man's child. It's a great police procedural with some of the most stunning cinematography of an auteur's career.
Mark Millar borrows a bit from High and Low at the beginning of this ish. Just a bit. A chaffeur's son is kidnapped and the rich man refuses to pay the ransom for his employee. The first two pages play out like cinematic storyboards for a remake. Good stuff.
Then Wolverine shows up. And things kick into high gear. Turns out, this ain't Kurosawa no more. This is a knock down, drag-out, ass-kickin' zombie ninja story. We're treated to some wonderfully horrific gore that would be such a no-no if the ninjas weren't already dead and spewing green blood instead of the traditional red (Millar's apparently up on his ancient Sam Raimi as well). That continues for another eight pages and then Millar switches gears again. The fact that none of this feels remotely wrong is testimony to Millar's storytelling skill.
Now it's a story about Wolverine's old partner in crime, Kitty Pryde, looking for her now-missing bud. We're sorta back into Kurosawa territory as the parents of the missing kid mourn their apparently dead son. Two pages and on we go to the next genre.
SHIELD is investigating a series of cult-like slayings, the latest of which has happened in Minneapolis. Nick Fury and Elektra suspect it has something to do with the Hand (the wonderful undead ninja clan from Frank Miller's Daredevil who've since bedevilled the X-Men and particularly Wolvie himself. There's hints of a plot by Hydra and the Hand to take out 16 key figures in the superhuman community...and Wolverine tops the list.
They find Logan in South America (beat to hell, missing an eye and burnt to a crisp...that mutant healing factor is damn handy occasionally) and Elektra arrives on the SHIELD ship they're treating him on (yeah, a SHIP...not a helicarrier or some levitating fortress...someone must be cutting SHIELD's budget). Wolvie wakes up, starts killing people and all fucking hell breaks loose.
The fact that we're treated to all of this in a mere 24 pages is a treat. It goes against the supposed nu-Marvel idea of nothing happening for six or seven issues. Since this is part one of a story arc, you'd think Millar'd be able to pace things leisurely. Nuh uh. Not gonna happen. Get your runnin' shoes on and try to keep up. He writes a damn fine Logan. He writes a damn fine Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD. And he writes a damn great Elektra. Why this boy isn't allowed to play with the toys more often, I got no idea.
Add to that the fanfuckingtastic art by Romita (with inks by Klaus Janson, who's a damn good artist himself) and I've already signed up for the entire six issue run. The final shot of Wolverine is damn near pinup worthy. I may yet go back to the comic shop and pick up another copy so I can rip that last page out.

Astonishing X-Men #5

writer: Joss Whedon
artist: John Cassaday
published by Marvel Comics

Joss Whedon is a great fucking writer.
Yeah yeah yeah. I dropped foul language. But, I feel strongly about this. I've been a fan of Whedon's writing since the first episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I watched Angel and Firefly and watched him develop as a writer and creator. His previous comics work on Fray, a tale of a future slayer in the Buffy mythos, was outstanding as well.
But...DAMN. The characterization in this series takes 40 years of continuity in its arms and also forges boldly ahead. I was a huge fan of Grant Morrison's run on New X-Men, but Whedon's reasons for dismantling so much of that feels so right.
On top of that...Colossus back among the living? And done WELL. Damn. I really can't say enough good things about the joy I have with this book at this point. Hell, I haven't even made mention of Cassaday's gorgeous artwork. This is really the book that DEMANDS I get to the comic shop each month.

The Tomb of Dracula #1

writers: Robert Rodi and Bruce Jones (story), Robert Rodi (script)
artist: Jamie Tolagson
published by Marvel Comics

I'm still, to this day, a huge fan of the original Tomb of Dracula series from the 70s. In fact, I'm rereading the 2nd Essential collection of that again...but don't have volume one in my library (sigh).
This book ain't it.
As first issues go, it's not bad. But, it follows the continuity of the Blade movies instead of the original comics. Blade is the main character, half-vampire like in the movie. There's a member of the Drake family, though not Frank Drake...not that she's EVER been mentioned before...and there's a Van Helsing, though not Rachel Van Helsing (who's dead in continuity anyway)...but this Van Helsing's NEVER been mentioned before (and I'm pretty sure it had been alluded to that Rachel was the last remaining Van Helsing...but what do I know?). Don't get me started on the hair metal band reject Dracula on the last page...
So, basically, I'm bitching because the continuity is utterly wrong. Well, aside from that, it's not a bad read. The team is assembled quickly and the objective is clear. How far they can milk this...well, I'm guessing this is a limited series...

Black Widow #1

writer: Richard K Morgan
artist: Bill Sienkiewicz
published by Marvel Knights

Bill Sienkiewicz is my favorite comic book artist. Bar none.
He makes comics look like ART.
He's an original, and his runs on New Mutants and The Shadow are amongst my favorite bits of comic art.
I could wax poetic about how much he rules. I'm not gonna. Instead, I'll just say that, first impression...this is one of the smarter espionage stories I've read in comics. I haven't read any of Vertigo's spy titles, so I can't judge against those. But...Black Widow has one thing those books don't have. Bill Sienkiewicz.
Great, great stuff.

Identity Crisis #4

writer: Brad Meltzer
artist: Rags Morales
published by DC Comics

So, the entire idea of the Identity Crisis series is that the DC Universe is undergoing a sea change. No longer will everyone be guaranteed a happy ending. There will be suffering. Bad things will happen to good people.
I can sort of accept that. Sort of.
I can see the publishers wanting to make things more realistic in the DCU. However, they still have 20+ fictional cities in the US where the majority of their stories take place. DC's America really bears no resemblence to the real world anyway. Why not indulge?
Nothing against Identity Crisis as a story. Meltzer's writing keeps things cruising. The mystery is compelling...there's a killer stalking the family's of the DCU's heroes who seems to be using methods taken from the Suicide Squad.
Half the heroes in DC's books are directly investigating the crimes. Atom saves his ex-wife with a smart use of his powers. Green Arrow and Wonder Woman visit a villain whose MO matches one of the attacks. And Batman lurks in his cave, going over the evidence...
Who's the killer? Well, they haven't tipped that card yet.
Tell you what, though...I'm on the edge of my seat. Lovin' it.