st4ludicrous

Jupiter's Legacy:

   This is how you do a proper Watchmen comic! Forget the very "bleh" feeling you got from the very pretty, but very indistinct, Before Watchmen books, and sink your teeth into Jupiter's Legacy. This book could very well be the story we've all been waiting for since Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons took pen to paper about three decades ago… yeah, its that good.
 This story has almost everything I like about Mark Millar in it, and the first issue in this series feels like it's shaping up to be his strongest work to date. It has that "this is all really happening" feel that goes hand and hand with Millar. That style can be a hit or miss with me, but in this instance, I feel like it's a big hit for two reasons. Firstly, he's not playing with iconic characters from the "Big Two", which in a lot of cases can really take the piss out of some of the fantasy elements of the Marvel and DC characters. Sometimes the grounded approach can be powerful, and at other times it can feel like Qui Gon explaining Midichlorians, but since Jupiter's Legacy is a new mythology, the real world parallels work as wonderful social commentary and relatabilty. The second reason is that Millar is flat out clashing the nostalgic idealism of the 1930-50's against the our contemporary world, and its shaping up to be the main theme of the entire book. Alan Moore created variations of our iconic comic heroes and placed them in the very real and very turmultrious 1980's construct.  Millar does the same thing here, but he sets the stage in a slightly askew version of our 2013. The difference is that the superheroes from the 1930's are still very relevant, and how they interact, not only with the current problems of 2013 (economy, social media, commercialism etc.), but also their very jaded and cynical (not to mention super-powered) children's perceptions of the world, will make for some excellent tension.
  Is Frank Quitely the best comic book artist working today? It's something that I wouldn't dare even try to answer, but Quitely's work most assuredly has earned the right to at least bring up the question. Every time his work hits the stands, be it his X-Men run, We3, or All-Star Superman, he seems to be changing the industry for the better, and from the first installment of this book it appears that his streak is continuing.  His work's harmonious balance of simplicity and detail is personal and amazing, like how he doesn't over accentuate muscles but will seemingly draw every fiber of a character's hair. His cartooning and realism strikes a very powerful cord, like the energy he creates when a character falls through glass or is thrown through the air, but its rendered accurately enough to have its own, very unique, sense of physics. In the first pages of the book he captures that Golden Age pulp feel of the 1930's comic, and then the book shifts into the modern-day feel of convention centers, clubs, and flat screen TV's that we all relate to. Amazingly, throughout the entire book, he never loses that 1980's Heavy Metal/Moebius style that Quitely has been influenced by and is most known for. Frankly, this is some masterful shit!
  It's too early to tell what the book will mean in the long term, but I couldn't be more excited about where this book could go, and that's exactly what you want from a first issue. It's a book that I hope makes it's way to Northampton, and finds Alan Moore. I really do think that it's a type of book that would cheer Moore up (at least for this month) after all the Before Watchmen drama that went down last summer. It's not that I think Before Watchmen is entirely bad (I'll give a proper review of the entire collection as a whole soon), but I feel Jupiter's Legacy is also shaping up to be Watchman's legacy and is more akin to the book than DC's recent attempt to revisit the series. Hopefully, if the quality of Jupiter's Legacy keeps this pace up, we will have an instant classic that has relevance beyond the confines of the comic shop.

Mark Millar has always been an enigmatic writer to me. His stories are always just a hair away from making me think that he's the best or worst writer in comics, but that might be the genius of it. Millar is always playing with moral and structural boundaries, and such is the case with his latest two books, Hit Girl and Secret Service.

It just blows my mind that Hit-Girl doesn't get more shit than it does. It's some of the most violent insaneness you will ever see in a book, and it seems to revel in it. This isn't the, Saving Private Ryan, "Oh the horror of it all", kind of violence, it's the I Spit On Your Grave, seventies kind of violence that harkens back to the grindhouse era. If that's your thing, and I understand it's not for everyone, it doesn't get better than Hit-Girl. There are so many "that shit is fucked up" moments that I'm really shocked the more sensitive contingent of comic readers haven't started an uproar yet. I'm glad it hasn't, but I do feel like I'm getting away with something when I read it.
Hit-Girl is violence-porn, but its like one of those pornos with the high production value to make it feel more "classy". The dialogue is sharp, and JRJR's artwork, even when its just breakdowns, are pretty legendary. However, Hit-Girl is about as sophisticated as Death Wish, or Above The Law when it comes to the plot of the book.  The comic fulfills everything you want out of an Eastwood or Bronson type action movie, sets it in a modern day world, and adds healthy doses of satire and weird humor to make it a fun read. Essentially, it's a popcorn comic that's very enjoyable, but definitely not the end of the world if you skip it.
Now, I've always gravitated towards thinking about Mark Millar's comics like they were movies. I don't think its any secret that most of his comics are pretty much templates for film endeavors. It works for me when its done subtlety, and really doesn't work when its done obviously; Millar's comics often drift in and out of having a cinematic appeal, and just feeling like pre-production. Working with the most renowned artists in the industry can alleviate that feeling for me, but still, it manages to pull me out of the story sometimes. It's completely subjective, but it's something that keeps me from putting Millar in the same category as the earlier works of Garth Ennis or Frank Miller. It was like he was on the same track as them with Superman Red Son, but then the movie boom happened, and he got a little more deliberate with his cinematic style, but again, some people think that's the best thing about his stories. I just wish his line between film and comics were just a little more clearly defined.
With Secret Service, you get a much more intriguing plot, and that's pretty much why I've enjoyed the book slightly more than Hit-Girl. If you know Millar's work, its like Wanted, only with secret agents and rather than super-heroes, and the main character is a punk kid from a rough neighborhood rather than a spineless office drone. I like this a lot more than Wanted because one: it's not associated with a shitty Angelina Jolie movie; and two: the characters in SECRET SERVICE are slightly more relatable than the one's in Wanted. The violence is toned down, (by Mark Millar standards) but it's still entertaining because it focuses on just how cool it would be to be a secret agent. The best thing about the book for me is far an away the art. I've always been a huge Dave Gibbons fan, and it's really interesting to see him work completely digitally. He's just such a formal, classic, meat and potatoes comic artist, and he brings his tight story telling to this book as he always does. His work is so good, the writing would totally suck and I'd still highly recommend the book. Thankfully not only is the writing good, but Secret Service is an example of Millar at his best.
Mark Millar is a really great writer, but I have to be honest and say that if he wrote something that only an adequate artist drew, I probably wouldn't pick up the book. The good thing is, Millar has excellent taste in the artists he pairs up with, so I probably won't stop reading his comics any time soon. He might not be able to carry a book on his own in my eyes, but he almost always makes his artists better creating witty, and provocative worlds for them to play in. His track record has shown that if his name is on the cover, you can usually count on picking up a quality book.

(Spoilers Ahead)

So after a full life of murder, mayhem, and all around douchebaggery, Otto Octavious is now the new Spider-Man. Dr. Octopus used technology to apparently switch souls and steal the body of Peter Parker, leaving dear old Petey to die unceremoniously in Otto's decrepit carcass, but there's a catch! During the Vulcan mind meld climax of Amazing #700, Peter Parker transferred his memories into Otto, thus making him want to be a do gooder. That's where Superior Spider-Man #1 begins.

The first act shows a weak sauce version of the Sinister Six beat the shit out of the new Spider-Man. Otto leaps into action, head on, the way Spider-Man would, but the thing is; he's not Peter Parker, Spider-Man, he's Otto Octavius, Spider-Man. Otto-Spidey doesn't think and act the way Petey-Spidey does, and the b-squad Sinister Six responds to his poser fighting style by making him eat a shit sandwich. One of my favorite parts of the book is that even though Otto is a good guy now, he talks and thinks about the bad guys like he's still one of them. He's more mad that they are committing crimes poorly than the fact that they are committing the crimes. So, after the Sinister Six slap him in the mouth like they were his momma, he runs away in what one of the members hilariously calls, "rabbiting", but before he does, something compels him to save a obese police officer that has come into harms way.

One of the things that concerned me about a different Spider-Man was that he was funny, and the book would lose its humor if a new character donned the costume, but Dan Slott still keeps the book filled with the humorous tone that he's known for. The laughs that the new Spider-Man is just a little more sarcastic and snarky as opposed to Peter Parkers, Bugs Bunny-ish one liners. Also Otto still has this air of villainy about him that just makes him comically awkward around the supporting cast.

Otto-Spidey has this Monarch from the Venture Brother's vibe going on that I really like, and he exudes it throughout the second act of the story. As Otto interacts with the people in Peter's life, you get to see all the ways that he's different than Peter. He uses horizon labs to create his own personal high tech arsenal, and precedes to bullshit his boss into thinking that his Invader Zim weaponry is for the greater good. He totally could give a shit about what Mary Jane is saying on their date, and is staring at her tits the whole time. The book makes a pretty brilliant gag of putting text blocks of Otto's horny old man thoughts over Mary Jane's word balloons to show that it's not exactly conversation that he's interested in. That's some shit that sweet sensitive Peter Parker would never do. He would have hung on every word and been the shoulder to cry on, but the new SM has traded in his boy scout Luke for the bad boy Han approach. And think about this, what if Dr. Ock actually gets in there?! Doc Ock would go down in the annals of super villain history by not only killing his arch nemesis, but also banging his girlfriend, and what is essentially Peter Parkers mom, Aunt May! Come to think of it, now that Otto is Peter, it pretty much means he stuck it to his own elderly aunt… creepy.

In the third act, Otto-Spidey gets payback on the Sinister Six by defeating them in a more methodical, Dock Oct sort of way. He tracks them with Nano bugs and traps them in a spider web the size of a city block, then proceeds to dispatch them in with a mix of evil-genius gadgets and good ol' fashion Spidey powers. He uses his scheming, evil plan-esque ways to dispatch them in a way that parallels to how a real spider catches its prey, and it's those elements I really like about the new book. Spider-Man now fights in a way that is more tech-related, and I could see how a more snarky, tech-savvy Spider-Man probably perked up the decision makers ears at the Marvel offices. Even though Doc Oct. is one of the oldest Spider-Man villains, as Superior Spider-Man, he appeals to more modern times.
Finally, the big drumroll, tune in next episode, tease comes when Otto-Spidey is about to beat one of the Sinister Six to death when suddenly, the ghostly hand of OG Peter Parker stops him from crossing the line. So now I'm led to believe that there is this, Patrick Swayze in Ghost, type plot device that's going to go on throughout the book, but Otto is more like Demi Moore than Whoopi because he can't hear Peter talk even though he's doing supernatural shit to keep Otto from doing evil. Ghost Peter Parker vows to come back to life somehow, and to use all of his supernatural influences to prevent having to watch Mary Jane lick his arch nemesis's tant (not really), and the books zany premise is established.

The book seems funny and weird enough for me to stay on it. I think the convoluted identity swap dynamic is pretty interesting, and even though old school Petey is near and dear to my heart, it is a refreshing break from the classic story. I'm sure the old Spider-Man will make a triumphant return (probably coincidently at the same time as the Spider-Man film sequel), but until he does, at least there's a funny, entertaining, and different comic to fill its place.

We've seen many incarnations of the Dark Knight over the years, but the one recurring concept the character tackles that resonates most with me is the horror genre. Batman's ability to dive deep into the ugliest and darkest part of the human condition is what I find to be one of the most compelling aspects of the story. They put the most stress on the character's moral code, and this emphasizes just how unrelenting the Caped crusader truly is. No story in recent memory (possibly since Dark Knight Returns) has attempted to blast through Batman's resolve more than the "Court of Owls" and "Death of the Family" story-lines. Scott Snyder and Greg Cappullo have fully engrossed themselves into the more frightening side of Gotham, and it's resulted into the best, most complete, mainstream comic coming out right now.
     
                                                                    Concept
  The advent of Batman in the New 52 relaunch brought with it a clear identity: a dark, suspenseful, horror comic. Are there other elements to this book besides this? Yes, but on a whole this has one, intrinsic theme, which falls clearly into the horror/suspense genre. The powers that be assembled the book with creators deeply routed in horror, and has delivered a book that is fully committed to leaving it's reader unsettled and anxious, but in a good way. The one pitfall of having a book with a singular focus is that not everyone will like it. Many comics are like a stew that have smatterings of what might appeal to everyone, and I give credit to DC for giving Batman a very distinct identity and tone.

                                                                    Writing
  It's one thing to commit to an idea; to say you are going to make a horror story, but the amount of payoff rests in the execution of said concept, and Scott Snyder has delivered. He is an extremely balanced horror writer, and to create high-quality, disturbing, and, suspenseful stories on a mainstream book, a flagship book like Batman no less, is commendable. He knows the characters and the world as only a passionate admirer of the mythology can. He uses that knowledge to challenge what we know the character to be, and what they know about themselves. This creates tension and interest which amounts to more than just physical danger in the story. Snyder raises the level of jeopardy by challenging the psychological core of the character. In a medium where death is irrelevant, we see in Batman that the loss of identity is far more damaging, and with that, you never feel bored with the book. And when there is, physical peril, it is metaphorically intertwined with the psychological conflicts between the characters, which provides layers of interest. To sum up, Snyder's writing leaves the reader delightfully uncomfortable.
   
                                                                     Artwork
    The art is what brought me into the book in the first place. Greg Cappullo artwork was always something I enjoyed, but never quite flocked to the store specifically to get when he was on Spawn. After not seeing his work for five years, I feel like I really took his work for granted. His storytelling is better than it was before because it's cleaner and clearer. The focus is far more centered on the overall thematic feel of the story, rather than the overly-dynamic "pinup" style of the 1990's. His draftsmanship is precise, meticulous, but cartoonish enough to flow with an energetic pace. It's fantastic to see Cappullo now working with a main character with a human face because his proficiency in expressions, or the acting, have been a revelation. As always, his noir style seems to come naturally, using stark blacks with authority, and no part of his work ever feels lazy. We get panel after panel of methodical detail, giving us a strong sense of place even when the book descends into the most surreal, nightmarish, set peaces. But, the thing that impresses me the most about Greg Cappullo, and the entire Batman title for that matter, is that of the seventeen issues to come out, Cappullo has drawn sixteen of them, a rare occurrence amongst mainstream artists.

  As a monthly comic goes, it doesn't get much better than Batman right now. Each story arch might not contain earth-shattering revelations or game-changing events like some other books, but I see that as a positive uniqueness given the ever shifting landscape of mainstream comics continuity. Its relevant in a different way, and the ramifications of the story don't dwell necessarily in continuity, but in introspection.  Let's hope this creative team continues to stay on and make more stories of this caliber.

In this installment of Star Wars unconfirmed speculation, I'm addressing the comments John Williams made about coming back to the Star Wars franchise for Episode Seven. Apparently, Williams talked about a possible return in an off the cuff interview during a concert he preformed. That's enough to get my Rancor-sized appetite for Star Wars, over-opinionated, ruminations going.

So who would be better? John Williams or Michael Giacchino?

 It seems, much like the return of former cast members, the nostalgic return of former artisans accredited to the original trilogy has made fans rejoice like a Stormtrooper-helmet drumming Ewok, or thrown them into a full on, spear pumping, Sand Person fury. The more people want change, the more they want them to stay the same, and I found my self equally conflicted between new vs. old when it comes to my most beloved mythology. When Abrams was announced as the director, I was excited by the prospect of a Michael Giacchino scored Star Wars, and naturally assumed John Williams would have little to no involvement because usually directors are married to their composers. The score of a movie really sets the tone and captures the soul of a movie, and its not often a director would deviate from an already established partnership.
 Now that a John Williams return could be a possibility, it brings up the question of what is ultimately right for the new batch of movies. The conclusion I come to is that both Williams and Giacchino are such sure handed story-tellers, neither would detract from the movies enjoyment factor. However, I'm rooting for Williams because I feel that he has a warmth to his work that Star Wars really needs for this new set of movies. He's also stronger than Giacchino is at overall themes which we've come to expect in the Star Wars franchise, but lets face it, John Williams is God when it comes to the thematic score. That's not to take anything away from Giacchino, who I predict will leave an iconic stamp on the Star Trek franchise when all is said and done, and I probably would never endorse a director teaming up with a different composer when they have such a competent and talented creator such as he...

Unless that composer is fracking John "Imperial March" Williams!

 At the end of the day picking between these two is like asking a kid if he wants to go the toy store or candy shop, but when you look at these kind of dilemmas you can see just what a truly monumental job J.J. Abrams has ahead of him. He needs to make you feel like Episode Seven is a shiny new toy while at the same time maintain the authenticity of the originals. Not an easy task when you consider the source material, and its passionate, highly critical (aka, me) fans, but if he can do it for Captain James Tiberius Kirk, then he just may well do it for the Skywalker brood.

Meditate more on this, I will...