Worst to First: 5/2/07

A very large week for me this week with fairly mixed results. There was the end of one big event (52) and the beginning of another (World War Hulk). There were a couple books nearing the end of a run and the long-awaited rejuvenation of another. Plenty to talk about, so let’s do just that. And, as always, I’ll usher you through the weak that was by starting with the chaff and working our way to that golden kernel that is the best comic of the week…

Worst: Omega Flight #2

You may recall that I was once very excited for this series. It has (supposedly) US Agent and Beta Ray Bill, two of my favorite heroes, silly as that may sound. In this issue, US Agent finally shows up, but the space-donkey-cyborg-god has yet to show his elongated orange face. Sasquatch continues to get the crap kicked out of him, which pretty much constitutes the plot. Topping off the bucket of chum, the art is some of the worst in comics. It looks like Darick Robertson’s unused sketches.

Doomed from the start: Incredible Hulk #106

Normally, I try to make it a little bit of a mystery on Thursdays as to what I think of our weekly choice for Book of Doom. It’s a bit hard to disguise the fact that this clunker nearly came in at the bottom spot. But, if you want to find out why I disliked it so much, you’ll have to wait until Saturday when we gather for the weekly round table.

Hexing: Jonah Hex #19

This book had a great run for the first dozen or so issues, with Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray writing some really clever western tales. From there, especially after the departure of Luke Ross’s art, things have been pretty erratic. The nadir came with the rape/torture festival of a few weeks back. This week sees some improved art (though Phil Noto is so reliant on computers in places the pages lose all depth) and a tricky storyline that is much closer to the early issues. It’s a bit confused, though, meaning a disappointment overall.

Split personality: Iron Man #17

I’m no regular Iron Man reader, and I really don’t like where the character has gone of late. But it’s always interesting to see a hero taken into a very non-superhero area, and setting Tony Stark up as head of SHIELD offers that opportunity. This book moved very tensely and worked well when the focus was on business, so to speak. It would’ve earned a much higher spot on the list, but all the action sequences were as bad as the dramatic sequences were good. Just a bad mix, which only leads to indigestion.

Schizophrenic: Green Lantern #19

GL is another series that I don’t regularly read (in part because it comes out so sporadically), but I’ve enjoyed Geoff Johns’ stuff for the most part. This was just a whole bunch of nuts, though. There are a couple of scantily clad women in pink and lots of flying and some bad guys and weird aliens and lots of references to old relationships that didn’t really register. I’ve never missed editor’s notes so much.

Bi-polar: Superman #662

Another book that was just all over the map. I seem to do a good job of jumping into series at the exactly wrong time. Such is the case here, as this thing left me scratching my head and flipping pages all at once. The initial highlight of Power Girl telling off a robot (which could’ve been standing in for all of ogling fandom) collapsed into a whirlwind tour of the world. Dizzying. Also, what the hell kind of haircut was Lois sporting? It looked like a pageboy cut with super long sideburns. Is she trying to get Clark to leave her? Also, why didn’t Zatanna put on something more than a thong when Supes came calling? Wouldn’t that be incredibly awkward? “Oh, yeah, I’ll help you with your magical questions. Don’t mind my ass cheeks hanging out. All my fishnets are dirty.”

Faux-tastic: Detective Comics #832

Paul Dini is gone, which always is a bummer, but Royal McGraw (a baseball player’s name if I ever saw one) steps in with a Dini-esque tail of murder and mystery among some C-list villains. Someone’s bumping off the Trio (dumb villains who wear dumb masks), and Batman’s on the case! The plot weaves around in not terribly intricate but still elaborate patterns, winding into a mildly surprising conclusion. I like that Detective is going for a consistent feel, but I’m wondering why they’re so insistent on bumping off so many of Batman’s minor enemies. Ever since Face the Face, that seems like it’s made up the bulk of Batman plots.

Patiently awaited: Hellboy: Darkness Calls #1

I love Hellboy. Let’s just get that out there up front. He’s a great hero and Mike Mignola’s art is inspired. That said, Hellboy stuff comes out far too infrequently nowadays, and the lengthy wait for a new series just meant more time for my expectations to grow. Well, it’s finally here. First thing, Duncan Fegredo is handling art. I’m not overly familiar with his work, but he seems to be trying to emulate Mignola’ s abstract-cubist-high contrast feel. Mostly, it works, though a lot of thanks goes to Dave Stewart’s coloring.

Mignola and editor Scott Allie have said this is going to be an epic Hellboy story, which is saying something. Things start off on a nice track, with the return of the Queen of Witches, now controlled by a man-lizard-magician of some sort. Hellboy, then, is recuperating with an old friend somewhere in England. He was lost for years at the bottom of the ocean before returning to man in The Island. To this point, which is about two thirds into the book, everything is going along nicely. But the last third dives into this very minor-feeling story of a British chap who killed some witches, then was killed himself. It turns into a strange adventure, and it might have large implications, but it feels very small in scope to much of what Hellboy has faced before.

Deadly good: Astonishing X-Men #21

The X-Men are on Breakworld, fighting for their lives. Either the planet will be destroyed or they will, seemingly. Joss Whedon and John Cassady continue the alien-themed actionfest, albeit with dialogue not quite as sharp as Whedon usually manages. The team gathers and splits up again. Colossus has some classic battle moments, reminding me how sad I was to see him die years ago. Most of the issue focuses on relationship building in unique ways. “Armor” becomes Wolverine’s new young pal, taking Jubilee’s old post. Beast shacks up (or down) with the green-haired bitch. Kitty and Piotr find another tender moment (and again fuel my fears that the big Russian just had his “last meal”). And Cyclops reveals he finally fell in love with Emma. It’s a lot to pack into an issue, but Whedon does it with room to spare. And he even manages what just may be his best cliffhanger yet.

Late but great: Shazam #3

For some reason this didn’t make it to the shop until this week. Well worth the wait, as Captain Marvel continues to battle both Mr. Mind and Dr. Sivana, not to mention their goons. The plot grows more complicated with Mary’s abduction and Jeff Smith above all captures the difficulty a child would have when dealing with superpowers. While Smith continues to pack in the social and political commentary, he at least doesn’t let it override the plot. Aside from that and a few “cute” moments that are a bit much, this is a superbly fun read.

Best: 52 #52

The series that’s like a rollercoaster ride meeting a slow steamer across the world finally ends and does so by reaching a new high. Aside from the World War III hiccup (and it really wouldn’t have been so bad if DC hadn’t cranked out the four superfluous issues), this was an excellent series and a successful experiment. Now we’ll see if DC can continue the weekly magic with Countdown…

But, for at least one last moment, let’s just all remember that a whole ton of people put a massive amount of work into 52, and at the very least, they made this last issue that currently sits atop my list of best single issue of the year.