Meaningless Awards of the Week- 4/4/07
Some really great comics came out last week. Unfortunately, this is a really busy week for me, so I really don’t have any spare time to write about them. But by next week this will all be old news. So if anyone asks what I did today at work, I wasn’t writing this blog post. Honest.
Transition of the Week- Joss Whedon takes over Runaways
I’d venture to say that if you were somehow unaware that Joss Whedon was taking over Runaways and didn’t look at the credits box in the issue, you wouldn’t know the change had taken place. Granted, Runaways has always sounded somewhat “Whedonesque,” but anytime a book changes creative hands without a prominent change in tone is an accomplishment. It certainly helps that Joss Whedon is a professed uber-fan of the series. And it also helps that Brian K. Vaughan did such a good job during his 42-issue run on the title of giving each character a unique and specific voice.
Issue I’m Glad I Didn’t Buy of the Week- Fallen Son: Death of Captain America- Wolverine
There were two books this week that I was really on the fence about, both of which were spin-offs of Civil War. The first was Avengers: The Initiative #1, last week’s Book of Doom, which I bought and enjoyed. The second was Fallen Son: Wolverine, which I read in the shop and really didn’t like.
What was wrong with it? I’m not sure. The story of Wolverine invading the SHIELD Helicarrier to confront Crossbones was decent enough. Leinil Yu is an artist I still look forward to seeing, even if I feel he’s gone slightly downhill as of late. It could just be that the issue didn’t feel like the event Marvel was making it out to be. It was light on plot and heavy on characterization, which usually isn’t the type of story that gets put into a one-shot (or mini-series, depending on how this Fallen Son thing turns out). This story would have been much more appropriate as a single issue of Wolverine or Captain America. Especiialy Captain America, because then it could have been written by Ed Brubaker instead of the recently disappointing Jeph Loeb.
What irked me most about the issue is that mere weeks after the end of Civil War and immediately after the assassination of Captain America, two wanted fugitives were able to sneak onto the Helicarrier, abuse a prisoner, and leave with pretty much no consequence. I can suspend my disbelief just as much as the next guy, but if the top security force in the world can do nothing to prevent Wolverine and Daredevil from doing whatever the hell they please, then why they hell does it even exist? Why is having a half-assed SHIELD in charge of protecting us from superthreats any better than having half-assed superheroes in charge?
Issue I’m Glad I Did Buy of the Week- Madman Atomic Comics #1
I’ve always really liked the idea of Madman. The visual is one of the best is comics history. Mike Allred’s art is always great. The little I know about the character and his supporting cast interests me. Jim Doom has heaped a lot of praise on Madman and Allred here on the blog (as well as other forums). Yet for some reason, I’ve never read a Madman comic. So when I saw a new #1 solicited in Previews a few months back, I ordered one. Then I forgot about it. So it came as a very pleasant surprise when Madman Atomic Comics #1 was in my pull box last week. Turns out, it was even a really good issue, recapping everything I need to know about the character and using that information to start a new story arc. Very cool. Now I just have to decide if it’s worth plunking all that money down for that huge Madman Omnibus coming out.
Ridiculous Stand Off of the Week- Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born #3
The scene started out pretty cool: Roy Depape, one of Hambry’s corrupt deputies, facing off against Cuthbert, a member of Roland’s ka-tet, pistol versus slingshot. And the slingshot has the advantage. But then Eldred Jonas, another corrupt deputy shows up out of nowhere and puts a gun to Cuthbert’s back. Then Alain shows up out of nowhere and puts a knife to the deputy’s back. Then the corrupt Sheriff Avery shows up out of nowhere and puts a gun to Alain’s back. So of course Roland shows up out of nowhere and puts a dagger to the sheriff’s back. Where did all these people come from? Considering this all takes place right by the front door, shouldn’t they have seen each other outside of the bar? Someone sneaking up behind the guy with the slingshot is fine. Even someone sneaking up behind that guy with a knife seems reasonable. But having someone holding a dagger to the back of someone who’s holding a gun to the back of someone who’s holding a knife to the back of someone who’s holding a gun to the back of someone who’s aiming a slingshot at someone else? Is this Dark Tower or Looney Tunes?
Fallen Son is a 5-part miniseries covering the five stages of grief. This was denial. So it will fit in with the other 4 parts.
And didn’t you see how Wolverine and Daredevil’s ability to sneak on and escape was addressed in the book? I thought Wolverine’s departure, though only one page, was powerful enough on its own to redeem Loeb for the stinkfest that’s been in Wolverine’s solo book.
Nobody pays attention to Dr. Strange.
Wait, did he just assume that Wolverine and Daredevil snuck onboard the helicarrier?
Why, yes, it looks like he did.
I believe so. And he appears to assume they just snuck around without anyone noticing, and then just snuck off.
Wow. It’s almost as if he didn’t read it.
Fin Fang, you should start a new weekly series called “Problems I Have With Books I Didn’t Read.”
Oh no wait, call it “I Have Issues With Issues I Don’t Have.”
I’ll give you that one FOR FREE.
HAHAHAHHAHAHA
Actually never mind, I take it back. It’s mine! Doom Delouise, let’s get to work!
Wouldn’t SHIELD have precautions in place to help them combat magic-based opponents? Certainly Dr. Strange is the greatest of all magicians, but there must be something in place that would give SHIELD some idea if magic was being used in the vicinity, right? Iron Man and Yellowjacket saw and talked to Wolverine…why did they not at least attempt to take him down? Why did they not sound an alarm and let every single SHIELD agent know Wolverine was onboard? Sure, they wanted to “get the word out” that Cap was indeed one hundred percent dead, but they allowed one of America’s most wanted to escape in in order to do so? Why not capture Wolverine, and then let Beast or some other well-respected but non-SHIELD-affiliated scientist-type guy confirm that it was Cap? And if “Dr. Strange did it” is the new excuse for letting stuff happen without reason, then that just sucks.
So, wait, did you actually just stand in the shop and read the entire issue? You cheap bastard.
And I think that “Dr. Strange did it” is actually a pretty good reason for something happening without reason.
In case this discussion has accidentally created an alternate reality in which the book was written how you wanted it to be written, I’ll help get the ball rolling on how to keep hating it.
SHIELD can overcome even Dr Strange’s powers? Since when is Tony Stark God? Sure he’s smart but this is DR. STRANGE we’re talking about!! There’s got to be SOME limit to SHIELD’s power or this is just unbelievable. And why are all the heroes now acting like villains, just attacking Wolverine like that? Weren’t these guys friends and partners? You expect me to believe they wouldn’t stop and talk first?