Monthly archives: October, 2006

By Tony Bedard (W) and Manuel Garcia (A)

Cover price $13.99. Published by Marvel Comics. Originally printed as Spider-Man: Breakout 1-5.

The Plot: Spider-Man tries to apprehend two feuding supervillain factions that escaped from the Raft when Electro broke into it in New Avengers.

Strengths: The villains are the stars of this book, and a lot of fun things can happen when the main characters have no qualms about doing naughty things. Like murder and mayhem and guys that look like monkeys chemically seducing women. The Corruptor forces people to act out the very darkest aspects of their psyche, and has a man’s co-workers line-up in front of him as he shoots them all in the back of the head. Mandrill (who looks like a mandrill) uses his pheromone powers to convince a woman to hammer a pen into her ear and later uses them to convince 20+ women to have an orgy (although they’re interrupted before it actually happens). That’s not something you’d see Spider-Man or Captain America doing.

Weaknesses: Too much explaining! Spider-Man explains to the former warden of The Vault how he tracked her down after she faked her death. Then the warden explains why Crossfire is a cool villain (he’s not, though). Then some guy who knows the U-Foes explains to them how he tracked down the warden. Then the warden explains to Spider-Man the previously unmentioned connection she has with Crossfire. Then she explains why she became the warden of The Vault and why she faked her death. Then Crossfire explains why his group and the U-Foes are looking for the warden. And then to top it all off Spider-man explains the painfully obvious tactic he used to trick Crossfire into unknowingly sending out a distress signal to Captain America and Iron Man. That’s like half the trade right there.

Spider-Man’s really a supporting character in this book. The U-Foes (Vector, Vapor, X-Ray and Ironclad) and Crossfire’s group (Crossfire, Mister Fear, The Controller, The Corruptor and Mandrill) are the stars, and you probably haven’t heard of any of them. I’ve been reading Marvel comics for well over ten years and I don’t think I’ve ever read a single story with any of those characters in it. Yet they don’t even bother explaining who these people are or what they can do until you’re halfway into the story. And yes, I realize I said there was too much explaining already, but when the stars are a group of characters the readers haven’t heard of, you need to explain who they are.

Grade: D. Spider-Man: Breakout feels like a below-average fill-in arc in a below-average Spider-Man series, not a mini-series spun out of the top-selling monthly Marvel title. It wasn’t a story that deserved to be told for any reason other than to take three more dollars a month from Spider-Man and New Avengers fans. It had its moments, specifically anything involving Mandrill, but ultimately it’s a waste of time.

By Darwyn Cooke (W/A) and Dave Stewart(C)

Cover price $19.99. Published by DC Comics. Originally printed as DC: The New Frontier 1-3.

Click here for the Library of Doom entry for DC: The New Frontier Volume 2.

Plot: The story of the DC Universe unfolds in the 1950s, with events taking place in real time as the very first Silver Age comics were released.

Strengths: Darwyn Cooke’s art is beautiful. If Alex Ross is the pinnacle of realistic comic art, Darwyn Cooke may be the pinnacle of cartoon-y comic art. The wonderfully painted cover above is only a taste of what awaits inside.

Not only that, but he’s a damn good writer, too. The bulk of the story focuses on Task Force X, the Suicide Squad (not that one), the Challengers of the Unknown, John Jones and a pre-Green Lantern Hal Jordan. Cooke writes about two groups I’ve never heard of, one I’ve never cared for and two superheroes I’ve never found all that interesting (before they’re even superheroes), yet he had me riveted from cover to cover.

The writer also deals with actual history-making events from the 1950s and how it would affect a world with superheroes. Hal Jordan is a fighter pilot in Korea, where Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen are reporting. The JSA retires when the House Committee on Un-American Activities demands all super-heroes register their identities with the government. Superman and Wonder Woman become a two-person military force in Southeast Asia. A great comic makes you think about things like you never have before, and this one certainly does.

Weaknesses: New Frontier isn’t exactly a story for the DC newbie. A tremendous knowledge of DC history is expected from the reader, both in the history of the characters and the history of the company. While this does make aspects of the story flow better (the story isn’t burdened by unnecessary recaps of origins we all know by heart), it might make a new DC reader feel overwhelmed.

Also, most of the trade focuses on the non-superhero adventurers that were being published by DC Comics before the superhero resurgence that started with Showcase #4 and the debut of the Silver Age Flash. The cover, featuring most of the JSA along with the Big Three and Flash, may be a little misleading. While Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, the Flash and Martian Manhunter all make appearances, most are not in ways that you’d expect.

Grade: A. Quite simply one of the best projects DC has put out in a very long time. Given enough time and exposure, this could easily become one of the all-time classic comic book tales.

By Ed Brubaker (W), Steve Epting, Michael Lark and Mike Perkins (A)

Cover price $14.99. Published by Marvel Comics. Originally printed as Captain America 8-9, 11-14.

Plot: Captain America becomes convinced that the mysterious Winter Soldier is his long-thought-dead partner Bucky and will stop at nothing to save what is left of his oldest and dearest friend.

Strengths: While there are three separate artists in this trade, you might be hard pressed to figure out where one artist ends and another starts. At one point in Winter Soldier Volume 2, Steve Epting handles the current day storyline while Michael Lark handles the WWII flashbacks, and the transition back and forth is seamless. All three artists have a sort of gritty, realistic style, as opposed to the high-energy, exaggerated superhero style you see from guys like Steve McNiven or Chris Bachalo. That style of art works perfectly for Captain America, who himself is less flashy and more down-to-earth than most superheroes.

Ed Brubaker took a gamble with a story that breaks one of the fundamental rules of comics: “Only Uncle Ben and Bucky stay dead.” No doubt there would have been a tremendous fan outrage if the revival wasn’t handled as well as it was. It’s a testament to his talent that what could have become an enormous controversy pretty much flew under the radar as a well-crafted story in an often overlooked title.

Weaknesses: Winter Soldier Volume 2 is, just as the name entails, the second part of a larger story. Naturally, it doesn’t read as well alone as it would as part of the whole. In Volume 2 you jump into the middle of the arc without any clear recap of what took place in the first half of the story, although events from Volume I are referenced quite often.

Grade: B+. While not as accessible as the first volume, Winter Soldier Volume 2 is equally as good a story. Though it has a bit of a rocky start, the story picks up quite a bit by the third issue, and guest appearances by the Falcon and Iron Man and a very interesting subplot featuring the latest holder of the Cosmic Cube help lead to a great ending.

By Geoff Johns (W), Mike McKone, Ivan Reis and Tom Grummett (A)

Cover price $9.99. Published by DC Comics. Originally printed as Teen Titans # 8-12.

Plot: The Teen Titans set out to rescue a reborn Raven from the new Brother Blood and receive an unlikely assist from Deathstroke the Terminator and the new Ravager.

Strengths: Geoff Johns is known for having a great respect for what’s come before him. He’s able to utilize existing stories to his advantage to tell more compelling ones today. And somehow, he makes it easy to understand what’s come before even if you’ve never read comics featuring these characters before. In this arc Johns tied in previous Titans stories, tales from Young Justice and even issues from Impulse and Robin. Yet, as a relative DC newbie, it didn’t seem overwhelming.

Above all else, Teen Titans is a fun read. These are kids, after all. In one scene, Robin “borrows” a Batmobile from Gotham without telling Bruce and goes for a joyride with Kid Flash at the wheel. This new version of Teen Titans is more like a club than a superteam, with the younger heroes only making it out to Titans Tower on the weekends. They joke around while giving each other the unique support that they just can’t get from Batman or Ma & Pa Kent or Jay Garrick.

Weaknesses: Mike McKone is a great artist. Tom Grummett is a great artist. But they have two very different art styles, and changing between Mike’s art and Tom’s art can be a little bit of a shock to the system.

Also, the storyline ties in heavily with the previous Teen Titans trade, which tied in heavily with an arc from the Marv Wolfman/George Perez New Teen Titans days from twenty years ago. That could certainly be off-putting to a new reader unfamiliar with previous Teen Titans stories.

Grade: B-. As is often the case with Geoff Johns, his superb writing is more than enough to overcome any art inconsistencies or unfamiliarity with the history of the characters he’s writing. It’s not the best jumping on point for new readers, but Teen Titans: Family Lost is a strong addition to the Library of Doom.