What I bought - 26 July 2006

Another fine week in the comics world, astwo storylines come to an end (sort of),another highly anticipated pairing disappoints (slightly), and one of the best books out there goes on hiatus. And, of course, Shark-Man came out. SHARK-MAAAAAANNNNNNN!!!!!!

Astro City Special #1 by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson. $3.99, DC/Wildstorm.

There are people in this world who don't like Astro City. Those people we call Communists. Oh, I'm kidding! I can understand why people don't enjoy Astro City as much as I do, but you have to admit that Busiek can tell a mean story, and he's obviously in love with the superhero form. This is the story of Infidel, Samaritan's arch-nemesis (andit's a nice subtle oppositionof their names), and his repeated attempts to - well, it seems like he just wants to live in peace and explore knowledge and Samaritan keeps stopping him,which doesn't sound all that bad of him, buthe also keeps enslaving people to work for him, and that's not terribly nice. Busiek does a nice job, however, of not exactly making us sympathetic to Infidel, but at least making us realizewhat he wants and that he's not necessarily evil even though he does bad things occasionally. The pretext for the issue is that he and Samaritan, realizing they are evenly matched, have dinner once a year to check up on the other and make sure there's no mischief a-brewing,and thisallows Infidel to reminisce about his life and his encounters with Samaritan while tempting him with the idea of taking over the world so that he can save it. Samaritanresists, of course, but Infidel thinks he's getting to him. Busiek uses a nice story about an eagle wearing down a mountain over the course of centuries by sharpening its beak on it, and Infidel,because he is immortal, believes that he is the eagle, but then he begins to have doubts. It's a nicely done story.

Because it's an Astro City story, we feel like Busiek has told the tales of Infidel and Samaritan's fights before, even though this is (technically) Infidel's first appearance. Busiekhas done such a nice job with this series that everything feels like it's part of a vast continuous stream of stories, and that's what makes Astro City such a joy to read. This is a good, solid story of men who respect each other but don't like each other, and each one has their own agenda, and it feels like we have been with them throughout all their encounters.

Anderson doeshis usual steadfast job with the art. He's not spectacular, but heis good. Busiek mentions that the next AC mini-series should be along soon enough, but this is one series (like Planetary) that I don't mind waiting for. Each issue is a nice little gift of comicgoodness.

Batman #655 by The God of All Comics! and Andy Kubert. $2.99, DC.

Well, it's finally here. Does this mean that Morrison is finally finished the last Seven Soldiers book and we might see it in this millennium? Wouldn't that be nice? So. How's the Neal Adams hairy-chested love god Batman?

Well, to tell the truth, it's a tad disappointing. Yes, I have questioned our Great New Age Deity! It's not horrible, mind you, and I'm going to pick up the next issue to see where he's going with it, but as an introductory issue, it's a bit heavy on the exposition and light on the action, which isn't the best way to go with Batman, because we know so much. Just throw him in and let him wade through the crap! Sure, it begins with the Joker getting shot in the face, and I know Morrison has promised a new Joker, but come on - DC is not going to kill the Joker. That whole scene is a wee bit strange - why is Batman throwing the Joker in the dumpster? I thought it was the fake one, but he's dead. Would Batman really do that?And what's this about ending all crime in Gotham? Stuff like this makes my head hurt.

Anyway, the early part of the book, up until Bruce and Tim and Alfred are all in the cave together, had me really banging my head against the wall, because it was bad. Once Bruce decides to go on his vacation, however, things got a bit better, but still stayed far too ... I guess subdued is the right word. Bruce and Alfred flirt (don't tell me they don't!), Kirk Langstrom shows up, Bruce acts like a dick just like he always does when a writer "wants to explore who Bruce Wayne is" (which is why Moench's 1990s run is interesting, because Bruce doesn't act like a dick), and Talia (I assume) shows up with Batman's son. I'm still waiting to see if it's the kid from Bride of the Demon. That would be cool.

Anyway, there's some interesting stuff going on here, but if it weren't Morrison, I might not come back. I trust him enough to read some more, but I hope it gets better. Oh, and Kubert's art is Kubert-ish. I like his brother a little more, but I don't really have anything against Andy.

Daredevil #87 by Ed Brubaker, Michael Lark, and Stefano Gaudiano. $2.99, Marvel.

SPOILERS AHOY! You have been warned!

Bwah-ha-ha-ha! Go back and check it, people - I told you Foggy wasn't dead! Although what is he doing in the Witness Protection Program? Against whom he is testifying?

And then there's Iron Fist as the fake Daredevil. That was pretty cool.

And so we come to the "end" of Brubaker's first arc, although the only real resolution we get is that Matt gets out of prison and the Director of the FBI gets caught for his attempt to stir up trouble. I mean, we learn some stuff, but a lot goes unresolved, and it appears that that's just the Brubaker is going to roll, and we're just going to have to like it! I don't really have a problem with that, but I still think this initial arc was too long for what exactly happened. Three issues would have been enough - four, tops. But that's fine, because it's still an interesting read, and if Brubaker actually gives us a "swashbuckling" Matt in Europe, I'll be very happy.

And I like how Dakota North is smarter than Matt, Danny, and Ben put together. Oh, that feisty Dakota!

GÃ¸dland #12 by Joe Casey and Tom Scioli. $2.99, Image.

And so the insanity that is GÃ¸dland comes to a short close, as Casey and Scioli take a break to make sure that they can get back up to speed. They've done a pretty good job of getting this book out regularly, and I'm willing to wait a few months so they can get another head start rather than sitting around for months in between issues. Yes, I suppose I could wait for the trade, but, you know, I'm old-school!

Speaking of old-school, if you like insane comics with big bright colors and wacky villains and bombs that can blow up Manhattan, thereby opening a dimensional doorway so a weird god can rule supreme, then you really should be reading GÃ¸dland. If that still doesn't convince you, how's this: King Janus shoots energy out of his hair extensions. Plus, Neela has a Dave Bowman/Robert Forster moment¹, and Adam saves Manhattan - but at what cost? - and we have two nice cliffhangers to chew on for a few months. The art, as usual, is spectacular, as Scioli pulls out all the stops to finish up the first year. This has been one of my favorite books since it debuted, and this issue does nothing to change that opinion. While it's not as flat-out funny as some of the other issues have been (there are some laughs, especially Janus' exposition, but the lack of Friedrich Nickelhead means there are fewer jokes), it's a grand superhero fight on a cosmic scale, and if you don't like those sorts of things, I weep for your cold, dark soul.

Don't be a Communist - buy GÃ¸dland!

Jack of Fables #1 by Bill Willingham, Matthew Sturges, Tony Akins, and Andrew Pepoy. $2.99, DC/Vertigo.

Because Fables is one of my favorite books, I figured I'd pick up the spin-off title just for shits and giggles, to see if Jack can sustain a series on his own (as the cover says, "No one deserves his own book more"). I'm still mulling it over.

It's not a bad beginning. When last we saw Jack,he was losing his movie business and being told that if he ever showed his face around Fabletown again, there would be trouble. Now he's hitchhiking around, and a hot babe (naturally) with a few mysterious henchmen pick him up and kidnap him. They take him to a "retirement community," where one of the inmates - an old Fable - tells him that they'll keep him there until his story is forgotten. That's how they kill the Fables, or at least turn them mundane. The old Fable - Sam - is all spooky, telling Jack about the "warden," Mr. Revise, and the scary henchmen who aren't really human.Jack is in for another surprise, as when hegets to his new cottage, he finds a naked Goldilocks relaxingon his bed. It's aVertigo book, remember!

It's basically a set-up issue, with a few explosions when Jack tries to escape. It's intriguing, and I'm willing to give the set-up a few issues to see where it's going. It's just tough to really review it, because it's so obviously the first part of a story. Willingham still shows that he has a nice grasp of this world he's created, and I can't remember if Akins' art always looks like this or if he's purposely aping Buckingham. The art is decent enough. Like I said, it's tough to give thumbs up or down on this - it's good enough to bring me back, and then I can get a better handle on the series. We shall see!

JLA: Classified #25 by Steve Englehart, Tom Derenick, and Mark Farmer. $2.99, DC.

Like the previous four issues, there's nothing terribly wrong with this arc about our long-gone losers in JLA: Detroit. It's a superhero story. Englehart tries to inject it with some modern angst, and Gypsy takes center stage in this issue, so we get a psychic vision of Vibe's and Steel's deaths, which adds a bit too much gravitas to what should be a more light-hearted story (but which I assume has something to do with JSA: Classified #15, which I won't be buying). The Justice League bonds some more, they defeat the Royal Flush Gang, Aquaman is entirely superfluous to the story (seriously - what is he doing in this story?), and J'onn realizes that hey! these kids can actually fight. It was an entertaining enough story, but is weakened just a bit by the internal monologues that we had to endure. The story was supposed to be about the kids becoming heroes and learning to trust each other, but whenever they internal monologued, they came off as whiners. Just a bit.

And I don't mind poses on comic book covers that have no relation to the story within, but that cover is so misleading it annoys me. Vibe says one thing to Aquaman in the whole story, and he tells him they don't need his help. At no point does Aquaman need rescuing from Vibe. Nor is Vibe outside the cave at all in the issue. Annoying.

Shark-Man #1 by Michael Town, Ronald Shusett, David Elliot, and Steve Pugh. $3.99, Thrill-House Comics.

If you remember Steve Pugh from, I don't know, Animal Man, or some fill-in issues of The Spectre, then you might be completely surprised by his work here. It's stunning. It's the star of this issue. Just check out that cover! I don't know who that chick is, because she doesn't show up in the issue, but look at how gorgeous that is. The whole book is like that!

So begins Shark-Man, the (I assume) first book from Thrill-House. The story is a bit clunky at times, as Shusett and Pugh (who are credited with the script, while the other two are credited with the story) try to cramas much exposition into awkward places as they can, but that's a neophyte mistake, and I'd rather have too much information than not enough. Alan Gaskill is Shark-Man, who protects New Venice City, a city he created and effectively rules through his bank. At the beginning of the book, a cruise ship is headed to New Venice when it is attacked by pirates. As Shark-Man tries to save the passengers (and fails, as they are mostly eaten by sharks), someone drains all the money from his bank and the governor of the city declares that all the evidence points to him and an arrest warrant is out on him. When he gets to his bank to figure out what has happened, the pirates destroy his secret lair (the Shark-Cave?) and kill his friend Edgar, while a creature calling itself the Shadow-King enters his office and attacks Alan (and here is where the dialogue gets a bit clunkier than it should). Meanwhile, Alan's son Tom is coming to help him with the allegations against him, but before he can arrive, the Shadow-King kills Alan. Tom finds the body just before the cops burst in, and in a standard cop-show cliche, find him holding the knife that killed his father. Oh dear - that can't be good.

The story is fun and intriguing, and promises some nice direction as Tom (presumably) learns that his father was a superhero (it does not appear that he knows) and that he is going to take up the mantle (again, I assume that's what's going to happen). As I mentioned, the real star of the book is the art, as Pugh does a magnificent job bringing this city and its environs to life. Shark-Man is a ferocious-looking dude, and the fights with the pirates early on and later with the Shadow-King are very neat. I don't know how much of this is photo-referenced, because some of the faces look too perfect, but for the most part, it's absolutely stunning. On that alone, this is worth a look. I'm interested to see where the story goes from here. Let us hope this can come out on a relatively regular schedule!

X-Men #189 by Mike Carey, Chris Bachalo, and a bunch of inkers. $2.99, Marvel.

I enjoyed this issue. Okay? But I have many questions. Let's fire them off!

Why is it so important to fool Val Cooper into thinking that Xavier is at the estate? Is he under house arrest or something and can't go off into space? That said, Mystique's appearance as Xavier was very neat.

Why is Northstar in SHIELD prison? What did I miss?

When did Northstar and Aurora become Fenris? Their appearance at the end of the book was very cool, but what's up with that power they have? Is this some obscure piece of Alpha Flight trivia I'm not up on?

I'm sure it's just an artistic conceit of Bachalo's, but weren't those chains on Sabretooth ridiculous?

I assume the host of inkers is somehow Bachalo's fault, but how so? I can't imagine all the inkers are behind, so what's the deal?

Anyway, this is a nice little story. The bad guys aren't terribly original, but it's all about what the writer does with them, and so far they're deliciously nasty and look formidable. Carey is still finding his footing in terms of the X-people who are going to be part of the book and those who aren't, but that will get sorted out. This book has an interesting vibe to it, but I hope Carey gets the small stuff out of the way soon and gives us a coherent team, because the big plot is pretty neat.

MINI-SERIES I BOUGHT BUT DID NOT READ.

The American Way #6 (of eight) by John Ridley, Georges Jeanty, and Karl Story. $2.99, DC/Wildstorm.