Magen Cubed's Blog, page 9

Comic Book Review: Captain Marvel #7

After her dramatic showdown with the Spartax, things look to be slowing down for Carol as she sets off to rendezvous with the Guardians of the Galaxy. However, once more plagued by nightmares, and with Tic stowing away on her borrowed shuttle, Carol’s respite is short-lived. Carol’s adventures in deep space take a strange turn, shifting from intergalactic political intrigue to some good old-fashioned alien horror in this issue from series writer Kelly Sue DeConnick and artist Marcio Takara.

Just when she’s at her highest, Carol finds herself slogging through nightmares of loss and failure, bringing her back to earth in the face of recent traumatic events. It doesn’t help that the young alien refugee Tic has hitched a lift with her, refusing to stay on Torfa in lieu of seeking adventure with Carol. This shift in tone from the heights of Carol’s recent win against J’Son reads more like an epilogue than a continuation of the Higher, Further, Faster, Morestoryline, but it works. I always appreciate DeConnick’s careful balance of action and character development as Carol flies from crisis to crisis, sometimes unable, but mostly unwilling, to deal with her problems upfront. Predictably, Carol chooses work over reflection, even as her fear and doubt persists.

Despite her stubbornness, Carol still draws people in, even when she doesn’t want to. Tic, like Kit, is another self-proclaimed sidekick, adding an intergalactic branch to Carol’s eclectic tree of friends and family. The mirroring image of Kit holding Chewie in Carol’s nightmare and Tic holding Chewie in the last page really speaks to Carol’s fear of letting down her loved ones, and her reluctance to let others in. These small, personal touches keep this character grounded for readers in poignant and relatable ways.

While Carol and Tic come to a temporary resolution, they meet up with Rocket to pick up her ship and cat. Rocket, still insisting that Chewie is a vile Flerken, continues to rub Carol the wrong way in an amusing clash of egos. Their eventual confrontation is cut short by the arrival of a strange alien creature that tries to break into the ship, seemingly after Chewie. Takara brings levity to their energetic banter, interspersed with Chewie’s cartoonish interference, making the most of the scripted visual gags. His panel compositions and character poses are very energetic throughout, from the flyaway wisps of Carol’s hair to his bombastic and expressive Rocket, making from a brisk and dynamic read.

Carol defends her beloved pet against Rocket’s advice to hand the cat over to the alien, only to discover that Chewie is indeed a Flerken, and a very proud one, having laid a huge clutch of eggs. Just when the alien pierces the ship, the eggs begin to hatch, and Carol has more trouble on her hands than she knows what to do with. Fun from start to finish, Captain Marvel #7 is yet another successful issue in this arc, promising even more adventure in the next leg of the story.

Comic Book Review: Moon Knight #7

With its new writer and artist, Moon Knight #7 begins the latest chapter in the life of the night’s greatest detective. Warren Ellis and Declan Shalvey departed the title after just six issues, leaving very large shoes to fill, especially given the sharp tone and tight, done-in-one adventure storytelling this series has been known for. To their credit, Wood and Smallwood certainly rise to the challenge before them, and do manage to continue the spirit of this title as readers have come to know it. It’s not quite the same Moon Knight you’ve been reading for the last six issues, but it’s strikingly close to the formula. Just how long Wood and Smallwood can, or even want, to keep it up, however, remains to be seen.

A high-tech assassin stalks the streets of New York City, using digital camouflage to hunt a foreign dignitary. The general is Aliman Lor, now recognized by the U.N. as a legitimate political leader, is responsible for the deaths of thousands of his own people in a bloody civil war. His would-be killer is a former member of an advanced recon team who witnessed Lor’s cruelty first hand during a peace-keeping mission. Now he’s come to the city to pursue Lor with all the weapons and gadgets at his disposal to create havoc for unsuspecting by-standers. This greatly displeases Moon Knight, who doesn’t stand for that kind of vigilantism and chases the gunman down. Dispatching the former soldier, he soon learns that his own former psychiatrist put the hit out on Lor, looking to avenge her family. Things, it would seem, just got a little more complicated for Marc Spector.

Overall, this new team’s debut is a compelling one. While the story itself is pretty standard revenge fare, Wood’s scripting is impressive, delving into complicated themes of duty and justice. As for the artwork, Smallwood’s sense of pacing, storytelling and layout  is equally engaging, maintaining the tone of previous issues without coming off as emulation. The deliberate absence of black outlines affects a more open, fluid transition from panel to panel, bringing the gutters and empty spaces into the overall page design. As the layout varies page to page, from dense fifteen-panel action sequences to the broader scope of wide five-panel pages, Smallwood plays with panel composition in interesting ways. Some layouts are more successful than others, but I appreciate the effort to break up the page. Bellaire, as ever, applies beautiful palettes and textures to this stark cityscape, building upon Smallwood’s thick, finely detailed line art with deft touches of light and color.

If I had one gripe about this issue, it would be Wood’s characterization of Spector. Perhaps I’m just spoiled by Ellis’ sharp and pithy take on the character, but Wood’s Spector is just a bit too wordy for me. Perhaps I’ll come around in time, but for now this is indeed a strong offering from this team. I had my reservations, but Moon Knight is still a great book, and one of my favorites on the shelf.

Comic Book Review: Black Widow #10

The race to save Isaiah from his mysterious captors sheds even more light on Natasha’s complicated past in Black Widow #10. Picking up after Natasha’s recent begrudging team-up with the Punisher, this issue opens with a lengthy flashback, interspersed with scenes of Isaiah’s torture at the hands of his kidnappers. Sins of the past are, as ever, the theme of the day as someone in the shadows uses Isaiah to strike back against Natasha where it hurts. Despite Isaiah’s attempts to keep Natasha out of it, and her own dogged self-reliance, her loyalties to others will always make her a target.

Flashback sequences dominate the book, following an assignment in Pakistan from several years earlier. Tasked with helping a fugitive named Rashid escape to the country, the job put Natasha on the wrong side of SHIELD and the Avengers alike, protecting Rashid from a relentless (although conflicted) Hawkeye. Just what Rashid did to put him in danger is unclear, as is the full extent of the Avengers’ involvement in the mission, which will likely be revealed in coming issues. However, a candid phone conversation with Captain America reinforces Clint as the garbage man of the Avengers, so to speak, the guy who they send to kill people when higher profile heroes can’t be caught in such a compromising position. Pitted against her friend and former lover, this contrast between Avenger and operative plays out Natasha ultimately chose the mission over her heroic affiliations, keeping her word to protect Rashid,despite his presumably unsavory deeds.

In the end, Rashid escaped with his life but Natasha couldn’t protect him from Clint’s arrows, one of which scarred his face when it pierced the hood of the getaway car. Back in the present Rashid reveals himself as one of the kidnappers, reaching out to Natasha to draw her in. However, it’s going to take help from her friends to save Isaiah, and she’s going to call on some more Avengers to get the job done.

As tightly scripted and beautifully rendered as ever, Edmondson and Noto deliver yet another a fast-paced and engaging read. Although the story is a straightforward one, split between the flashback to Pakistan and Isaiah’s torture, the use of red lettering in the flashback sequences was a subtle yet clever, bringing visual balance to the issue. Drawing from the dry, earthen palettes of the chase scenes across Islamabad and into the desert roots the action in that particular time and place. It creates a nice contrast with the black backgrounds and text of the interspersed torture sequences, and affects a distinctive tonal shift between these scenes.

Small touches such as these, while seemingly nominal, make the book memorable and interesting issue after issue. Deliberate design choices like this really bring the art, scripting and lettering together as a fully engaging collaborative effort, and make the most of what’s on the page. Great work all around.

Comic Book Review: C.O.W.L. #4

As C.O.W.L. chief Geoffrey Warner leads his men to the picket lines against Mayor Daley’s proposed hiring of non-C.O.W.L. heroes, it’s up to deputy chief Blaze to try to unite this fractured department. With the inaugural arc of this series coming to an end in the coming issue, the troubles for C.O.W.L. are continuing to heat up. Intrigue and internal conflict abound in C.O.W.L. #4 as chaos and mystery continues to beset the restless streets of 1960s Chicago, building up to conflicts that will likely shake the city to its core.

Navigating problems both at home and with his fellow heroes, Blaze has inherited a divided house. The slowly unfolding story of Blaze’s brother Elliot, former leader of the Chicago Six, teasing future tensions as Blaze’s ward and nephew, Elliot’s son, manifests his father’s powers. Demonstrating outside City Hall, picketing heroes cause tensions with the police, while Eclipse and Radia continue their secret assault on mob boss Camden Stone. What began as settling the score with Stone has turned into an ongoing mission as Radia takes point on a bloody series of raids, despite Eclipse’s reservation and the pressures of the ongoing strike.

As Pierce continues to unravel the conspiracy of the C.O.W.L. –designed weapons, Blaze must deal with the PR disaster of Arclight’s extracurricular activities. After the ensuing skirmish, Warner further pressures Blaze by choosing to put Arclight on the picket line as the face of C.O.W.L., creating even more tension among the department’s already fractured leadership. Before any of this can really be resolved, however, a fight breaks out on the picket lines and heroes clash with police outside City Hall in a violent show of power, making things far worse than they already were.

Smart and well-scripted, writers Higgins and Siegel prove that their deconstructed vision of superheroes amid the political corruption of 1960s Chicago works, and works well. The tension comes from tightly written character interaction rather than big fight sequences, with the palpable discord between this cast simmering to an inevitable conflict. So much so that when the action kicks in it’s pleasant rather than overplayed, as Radia inflincts satisfyingly bloody violence on Stone’s superpowered muscle. The decision to put Radia in the forefront of her and Eclipse’s war on Stone is also cool, in that positions her to take a more defiant stance among the rest of her cohorts, proving she is much more than just a pretty face. Also, the little teases about Blaze’s brother Elliot set the stage for family tumult, as well as further intrigue regarding the redacted material in the backmatter, opening the door to an interesting dynamic in coming issues.

As for the artwork, beautiful is the only word that comes to mind. The line work is refined and elegant, with painterly strokes of color and texture to bring depth and emotional context to small, cleverly composed panels. The soft, almost gauzy sunlight in the sequences at Blaze’s breakfast table are some of the loveliest pages in this issue, with the bold highlights on their skin affecting the heat of a sun-warmed kitchen. Small and thoughtful touches, like the smudged white marks of telekinetic energy shielding Radia from the rain, or the use of white in a dark hallway to delineate a character’s silhouette, make this book a sumptuous visual experience.

Comic Book Review: Elektra #5

Picking up after last issue’s dramatic ending, Elektra’s Antarctic showdown with Cape Crow comes to a head in Elektra #5. As Kento races to protect his father, Bloody Lips makes his final stand against Elektra, the four threads of this adventure meeting in the artic wasteland. Still working under her contract with Kento, Elektra promises to honor her word and keep Cape Crow safe, bracing herself to take on the waves of assassins that will come for them next.

Heavy on the action, Blackman and Del Mundo construct a visually stunning tale that interweaves prose-like exposition and sharp dialogue amid lavish fighting sequences. As ethereal as it is visceral, Del Mundo’s artwork truly makes this book. It strikes an impressive balance between the beauty and energy of Elektra’s violence in motion with the lurid nature of Bloody Lips and the headspaces  he inhabits. He also takes the time to incorporate fun little flourishes like his glowing heart-shaped eyes or the K.O. written in blood.

The double-page spread of Bloody Lips’ mind as he tastes Elektra’s blood is a feast to the eye and the biggest highlight of the issue. This nightmarish journey of pain and death winds through the intricate labyrinth of colors, textures and shapes to recount the many great tragedies of Elektra’s life. It is fair to say say  lot of artists tend to abuse the double-page layout, Del Mundo always brings his A-game.

While Blackman’s scripting is well-paced and thoughtful, I found the amount of narrative shifts between Elektra, Kento and Bloody Lips a little clunky. The dual exposition of Elektra and Bloody Lips in juxtaposition with each other has worked overall in previous issues, but Kento’s sudden involvement in the narration felt a little out of place. Compared to the overall successes of this issue, it’s just a small nitpick that doesn’t take away from a highly enjoyable book.

Comic Book Review: Ms. Marvel #7

Ms. Marvel’s first superhero team-up continues in this issue, as she and Wolverine battle against the Inventor’s giant alligators in the sewers beneath Jersey City. Even if battling mutated alligators created by an evil anthropomorphic cockatiel isn’t your cup of tea, the dynamic creative force of Wilson and Wyatt will win you over regardless with this charming adventure. From heroic bonding to important life lessons, Ms. Marvel #7 is sure to please.

With Logan’s healing factor failing him, it’s up to Kamala to do most of the heavy lifting. This unlikely duo have great chemistry together, thanks to Wilson’s knack for endearing and witty character banter, which capitalizes on Logan’s well-documented paternal bond with teenage X-Women like Kitty Pryde and Jubilee. Always eager to prove herself, Kamala rises to the challenges of the Inventor’s secret lair through strength and perseverance, and some timely advice from the elder hero. Artist Wyatt imaginatively brings the story to the page with clever page design and highly expressive stylization, such as Kamala’s frequently bugging eyes and tendency to chibify herself in moments of panic.

In the heart of the underground maze, Logan and Kamala discover one of the many kidnapped teenagers that have been powering the Inventor’s machines and bring her to safety. When Logan returns to New York, he tells Captain America of Jersey City’s plucky young Inhuman hero, who in turn relays the message to Medusa. Medusa, overseeing the reconstruction of her decimated empire from Attilan’s new home on the Hudson River, resolves to see that Kamala is looked after until she grows into her powers. Despite Steve’s hesitation, she sends Lockjaw to watch over Kamala, opening the door to their future adventures together.

Full of action and humor, Ms. Marvel #7 is a well-crafted superhero adventure from start to finish.

Comic Book Review: The Punisher #9 and Black Widow #9

While Friend from Foe is being marketed as a two-part arc spanning this week’s The Punisher #9 and Black Widow #9, it is actually a single done-in-one from the perspectives of both titular characters. (As such, it seemed appropriate to treat these issues as one complete story and combine reviews into a single overview.) Taken captive by Crossbones after his recent encounter with the new Howling Commandos, Frank Castle finds himself dropped onto an oil tanker in the middle of the ocean. There he meets Natasha Romanov, who’s come to the tanker with SHIELD’S help, tracking the activities of the mysterious organization known as Chaos.

With the tanker wired to explode, Frank proceeds to take out Crossbones’ men to ensure his escape while Natasha interrogates her target for intel, leading these two capable killers to personal and professional conflict. The emotionally invested Natasha completes her mission and quickly gains control of the situation, hijacking Frank’s plane and dropping him off on her way back to Los Angeles. Frank ends up in a nondescript jail cursing the Avenger and Natasha gets a call from Isaiah’s captor, ending their begrudging team-up and setting each character up for the next leg of their respective stories.

With the scripts of both issues following the same events, they vary only in terms of tone and exposition through the use of first-person narration, as well as the distinct visual styles of Gerads and Noto respectively. Noto’s muted palettes and soft lines bring a completely different sensibility to the violence from Gerads’ sharper, stylized character anatomy and minimalistic panel composition. Gerards’ style is as perfect for Punisher’s story as Noto’s is for Black Widow’s, and there’s a certain novelty in seeing how they each approach these same scenes and action sequences without feeling repetitive or gimmicky.

Overall the use of this dual perspective is an entertaining one on the part of Edmondson. While I typically see this kind of multiple perspective gimmick used in massive crossover events, I appreciate the decision to use it on such a small, self-contained storyline. Readers don’t need to pick up one issue to understand the events of the other, but readers of both titles will still appreciate seeing the story unfold from Frank and Natasha’s very different perspectives. Unnecessary, sure, but a welcomed little twist, nonetheless.

Neither issue particularly stands out on its own, but together The Punisher #9 and Black Widow #9 make for an enjoyable done-in-one adventure.

Comic Book Review: New Avengers #22

“THIS IS THE VERY END…” The Illuminati shatters under an exploding planet.

After the destruction of Earth-4,290,001 by Namor at the end of the last issue, the Illuminati splinters in the fallout. The team turns its collective back on the Atlantean as the truth of Namor’s involvement in the attack on Wakanda comes to light, bringing his blood feud with Black Panther once more to a fever pitch. With the weighty moral strain of Namor’s decisions taking its toll on the team, there’s little time to mourn the dead as the next incursion begins. The endless cycle of death continues unbroken, and the Illuminati must accept what they have become.

Rife with the operatic drama and philosophical questions this title has been building up to for twenty-one issues, New Avengers #22 is a solid postmortem on the dizzying ethical quandary the team now faces. As Namor forces the Illuminati to come to terms with their own actions (or inactions), Hickman’s script doesn’t miss a beat, maintaining the compelling momentum he’s established within the dynamics of this fractured and dysfunctional team. The long-awaited fight between T’Challa and Namor utilizes long-held tensions as each member makes his case, leaving the matter open to reader interpretation as no reconciliation can be found amid such horrific circumstances.

As he has since the beginning of this series, Hickman doesn’t spoon-feed any specific interpretation to his audience. While many writers in cape books all but instruct readers how to feel about the moral issues that their protagonists face, Hickman simply lays out the dilemma at hand and leaves the reader to ponder the consequences just as much as the heroes themselves. There are no clear right or wrong answers, and none of these characters can wash their hands of this now. This has been by far one of the most compelling elements of the series so far, and this issue is a strong example of that willingness to trust the reader rather than tell them how to feel.

However, despite the strength of the script, the issue falls disappointingly short due to the work of artist Kev Walker. A poor fit for the tone of the book, his poses are stiff and awkward, with facial anatomy that proves increasingly inconsistent and somewhat off-putting throughout the issue. Four-to-five panel pages attempt to create drama through action sequences but read more as filler instead, with the panels consisting mostly of flat and empty background space. Interspersed as they are with random splash pages, there’s no real sense of tension, leading to a very bland and visually disjointed reading experience.

Comic Book Review: Moon Knight #6

A threat from the first issue is back to cause problems for Moon Knight! This mysterious person is the new BLACK SPECTRE and it doesn’t mean anything good for the protector of night travelers.

Wrapping up their critically acclaimed six-issue run, the creative team Ellis and Shalvey offer one more fascinating tale for the night’s greatest detective before making their exit. Moon Knight #6 sees the return of the Black Spectre, the mantle taken up by a New York City police officer.

Tired of being brushed off, street cop Ryan Trent resolves to take his lifetime of disappointment out of Moon Knight’s hide. Trent has suffered failures and letdowns his entire life, sleepwalking through a seemingly loveless marriage and an unexceptional career in law enforcement. Working with NYPD consultant Mr. Knight, earning Trent’s squad the moniker “Freakbeat,” has wounded his pride for the last time as his own shortcomings are rubbed in his face. Desperate to be appreciated, he hatches a plot to win the respect of his superiors and the love he never received growing up.

This issue picks at the end of Moon Knight #1, moving through some familiar scenes and settings from the previous five issues. Having just wrapped up Mr. Knight’s first case alongside the rest of Freakbeat, Trent uses his access to evidence and information to research Marc Spector. This leads him to Carson Knowles, the original Black Spectre and former enemy of Moon Knight. Ellis delivers another tight, sparse script in this quietly gripping story of revenge, with his usual cutting dialogue and sharp storytelling. Consumed by his need to prove himself, Trent trains, develops weapons, and tracks down some of Spector’s former associations, setting himself to succeed where his predecessor had failed. Finally he concocts an elaborate plan, kills his wife and takes several hostages to lure Spector into a confrontation.

Once his long-awaited showdown with Spector finally begins, however, there’s no satisfaction in the battle. In the closing fight, another wonderfully tense and compelling action sequence from artist Shalvey and colorist Bellaire, Trent finds himself thwarted by his own hubris. Easily bested, Trent is once more unremarkable, a stupid lazy criminal left behind in Moon Knight’s wake, unworthy of even his stolen title. “I never wanted to be loved,” Moon Knight tells Trent as he leaves him bleeding and wounded in the street, serving to perfectly punctuate not only this issue but Ellis’ run on the title. “That’s why I always win.”

An extraordinary run from start to finish, Moon Knight #6 closes this arc with another brutal, engrossing, and unequivocally cool issue. Ellis and Shalvey will be missed, but they gave us one hell of a ride before they left.

Comic Book Review: Hawkeye #19

I was going to begin this review by briefly summarizing the delays this title has gone through, but I decided against it. It’s not worth talking about this book’s erratic shipping schedule. It’s not worth talking about the numerous hiatuses and numbering hijinks. These are all inconsequential gripes when a book is this consistently good, this consistently affecting, and delivers this level of storytelling issue after issue. Hawkeye #19 is no exception.

Deafened during the last assault on the building, Clint is left reeling. He refuses to speak or sign, creating immediate tensions with a wheelchair-bound Barney as Clint retreats into his own head. The story that unfolds is a masterfully-paced tightrope walk of guilt, anger and love, juxtaposing Clint and Barney’s violent childhoods with the violent turns their lives have once again taken. Fraction’s sparse, emotionally loaded script is fully realized by Aja’s densely designed pages, silent visual exchanges interspersed by sign language and broken text.

The decision to show Clint and Barney’s conversations through sign language, often without translating it for unfamiliar readers, is a moving one. It’s such a simple visual trick that only resonates with readers who sign, but it brings a sense of intimacy to the issue. The use of sign language involves the reader in Clint’s experiences with hearing loss, both as a child and an adult, and creates an illusion of silence that is both sad and enriching in different ways. As the emotional fist-fight between the brothers instills Clint’s resolution to strike back, spoken language gains real weight, making his plea to Jessica for assistance all the more important.

Hawkeye #19 is an example of the power of graphic narrative, and a testament to the strengths of Fraction and Aja as storytellers. Delays be damned, this is a truly wonderful issue from an amazing team of collaborators.