Short Reviews for Wednesday, January 23rd, 2013

YOUNG AVENGERS #1: Well the fanboys on the internet are in an orgiastic frenzy over this. Will that translate to sales? Probably not (go ask Journey into Mystery). The fact that this book is, so far, awful certainly won't help. Granted, it's only one issue. Perhaps it's setting up awesome things to come. Writer Keiron Gillen doesn't seem to understand that you have to hook people early. A #1 issue should blow your mind and make you salivate for #2. This book is just...boring. It's also fucking confusing as hell. It feels like this is issue #12 or something. There's barely an introduction to anyone. I have no clue who these people are besides Kid Loki and Hawkeye's girl friend. Very terrible stuff. -No Stars-







HELLBLAZER #299: The end is neigh. I'm sad...but honestly this book has been merely standard lately save for the awesome Simon Bisley covers. In March it starts as Constantine #1 with a new creative team and no curse words or nudity. This issue is typical; John dies but doesn't. There's a demon. It's #299...don't expect different shit now. **1/2
















CHEW #31: So this is the start of the second half of this book. I guess it's stopping at #60 for no real reason. This book could either be better as a monthly forever book or one that stopped at #12. I'm not sure because it has gotten a little stale but it is still amusing and fun. Tony's sister was dismembered and murdered in #30 so this is the funeral. Plus we have the boys working on a case involving deadly energy drinks. With a funeral you'd expect this book to at least show some emotion and swerve a bit but it's all one note fluff. For a book to go sixty issues it really needs to produce more than comedy hijinks. **










HELL YEAH #6: This book is bizarre. It plays with parallel universes and super-heroes but hasn't quite hit the perfect note yet. It also makes no sense. There is a topless hottie in it. Go Image! **












JUSTICE LEAGUE #16: This is "Throne of Atlantis" part three. The army of Atlantis attacks the United States. The art is good (Ivan Reiss) and it's typical group super-hero stuff. I never thought these mega-group books worked for one reason or another. Maybe in the 60's when dumb action was what worked they were good. And it's only #16 and Jim Lee is already gone. DC, you suck. **1/2

Best Book of 2012: SAGA Best Issue of 2012: SAGA #1

It was the year of Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staple's Saga. Sorry if you're tired of hearing about it...but it was the best book of the year and the first issue was the best issue of the year. It was well written and beautifully drawn but the reason that it was superior to everything else was the fact that it delivered on the hype. A new Vaughn book is rare; this one is already right up there with his best, Y: the Last Man. I suppose it's because it has everything; action and romance, weirdness and emotion, great heroes and great villains, and even a great letter column. The first issue had people with TV's for heads having sex and an alligator butler...also one hell of a last page. This was just epic and sublime at the very same time. This is why we read comics.

Best Cover of 2012: BEFORE WATCHMEN: OZYMANDIAS #2

 

If you happened to see this in a comic book store on the rack or saw it online then you were curious. It got you interested. It's dynamic and draws you in. That's what a good cover should do. I guess the only problem is that this doesn't happen in the issue.

Best Writer of 2012: BRIAN K. VAUGHN "SAGA"

I'm not sure if he ever gave a reason to return to writing comic books. Perhaps his time in Hollywood wasn't as dynamic as he hoped (currently he's adapting Stephen King's Under the Dome for Showtime...not the greatest assignment, is it?), or maybe he really does love writing comic books. Either way, Brian K. Vaughn came back with Saga, his first book since the mediocre Ex-Machina. Saga is a return to form. It's funny, it's weird, it's compelling, it's beautiful. Sure, Marko is more or less Yorrick, and sure, it's more or less Y: the Last Man in Space, but why change a working formula? The characters, the story, the dialogue...it's all so perfect. Even the letters column is a treat. He's already one of the best writers in the history of comic books. If you don't believe me, try an issue of Saga and be blown away.

Best Artists of 2012: AMANDA CONNER & PAUL MOUNTS "BEFORE WATCHMEN: SILK SPECTRE"

Hell has frozen over. There actually was something worthwhile in these Before Watchmen books. First off, the entire line is pointless. Alan Moore's book already delved into the past of all the characters. Second, this book, Silk Spectre, was trite. Written by Darwyn Cook and Amanda Conner, the story involved the psychedelic 60's San Francisco and a drug introduced into the hippie community that made them want to buy material things. Yes, it was stupid. But the art! Oh, God, what glorious, colorful Archie-esque art by Amanda Conner and colorist Paul Mounts. The story was okay but I looked forward to each issue just to look at it. Conner, sadly, rarely draws, and it's a shame that DC wasted so much talent on this bad idea that was Before Watchmen but at least we got the best art of the year out of it. It's something.

Best of the Year: 2012

I think the biggest story in comics this past year was the return of writer Brian K. Vaughn. I think that says a lot that the return of a writer is actually a big story. That his and Fiona Staples' new book, Saga, turned out to be incredibly entertaining and fun and weird and gorgeous is almost a given. The other big deal was the fact that so many books I read ended (Scalped, Sweet Tooth, I Zombie, The Boys). Some books kept chugging along; Image published the 100th issue of The Walking Dead (poor Glenn). Image also re-booted a handful of old Rob Liefeld books and, surprise surprise, Glory turned out to be phenomenal. DC had their first full year of their "new 52" and Batman was the star thanks to great art by Greg Capullo and some very dark and interesting stories by Scott Snyder involving The Joker and The Court of Owls. Marvel copied DC and re-started a bunch of titles with new #1's and shuffled the writers/artists around...and Hawkeye turned out to be their book of the year. Oh, and Peter Parker died. Yeah. So it was an eventful year.