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Good Stuff #27: Mike Neumann, writer of "Brothers In Arms," Comments on the Most Surreal Moment of the Week! Heath Ledger Makes a Pencil Disappear and Gives a Great Performance as the Joker, Archangel Returns, Moon Knight Battles Werewolf by Night, Captain America Vs. Captain America PLUS MUCH MORE! HOLY CRAP!!! I'm 24 Today... Scary!
Posted: Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Posted By: Kevin Powers
The Good Stuff. Of course, that all comes down to personal opinion and what your general tastes are. Here at the Comics Bulletin, you can speak your free mind and discuss this blessed art-form with other individuals who are just as passionate about comics as you are. At Comics Bulletin, we pride ourselves on great reviews, fantastic features and a spectacular atmosphere for discussion. Our reviews are second to none covering every corner of the industry from the big guys to the little guys. But sometimes a comic book that doesn’t achieve a certain mark features a scene or a moment that really stands out. A 2.5 bullet book could have the best scene of the week’s stack, but the overall book could come up short in a reviewer’s opinion. So here it is, a column devoted to those moments, a “best of the week” type thing that acts as an addition to our extraordinary reviews. Feel free to agree, disagree, call for the tar and feathering of Kevin Powers, but take a second to check it out; maybe you missed some of the Good Stuff and you can grab it with this week’s stack.
Good Stuff #27: Mike Neumann, writer of “Brothers In Arms,” Comments on the Most Surreal Moment of the Week! Heath Ledger Makes a Pencil Disappear and Gives a Great Performance as the Joker, Archangel Returns, Moon Knight Battles Werewolf by Night, Captain America Vs. Captain America PLUS MUCH MORE! HOLY CRAP!!! I’m 24 Today… Scary!
Where is it?X-Force #5 Bloody Variant
Written by: Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost
Cover by: Clayton Crain
I think I’ve said a couple of times that I think X-Force is the best X-book on the shelf right now. It’s pretty much everything you could ever want from a military style X-Men unit. There’s Cyclops, totally badass and in control and then there’s the field team, Wolverine, Warpath, X-23 and Wolfsbane, probably the most violent group of good guy mutants you can muster. I’ve loved this series and the bloody struggle with the Purifiers and the underlying tone of this being Cyclops’ way of preserving the mutant race. Last issue, Warren Worthington, who seems to be financing the operation, had his wings telepathically stripped and altered due to the remaining Apocalypse strain from his time as Archangel. The Purifiers used the Archangel DNA to create their own army of angels to wage a jihad on mutant kind. However, I don’t think they really expected to alter Warren as well. In fact, Warren gruesomely transforms back in Archangel. I’m not sure how long this will stick or whether it will go beyond this title, but it was dark, chilling and totally wild. The bloody variant of this cover is gorgeous and frightening at the same time. Archangel flies towards us covered in blood, in the background, Purifier bodies split in half and exploding in bursts of red. Adding to the insanity of this cover is the smile on Warren’s face. This cover also directly relates to the plot as Archangel has a very violent outburst when Wolverine and company try and help him. I hope this image also foreshadows the type of doom speeding towards the Purifiers. Absolutely wild.
Where is it? The Dark Knight
Starring by: Christian Bale, Aaron Eckhert and Heath Ledger
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Who is it? The Joker
Whether you loved the film or not, there is one thing that everyone agrees on. The massively hyped and Oscar rumored final full performance of the late Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight. I found this to be the best and most frightening portrayal and interpretation of the Joker I have ever seen. All the buzz around Ledger’s performance is true, he’s barely recognizable, he’s insane and he most certainly becomes the Joker. There’s no back-story to the character, he breathes off of chaos and moral corruption, he doesn’t care about money, and he only wants to make a point. He’s not afraid to go head first after Batman and he’s not a typical villain full of empty threats. He’s a mass murderer, a man who promotes anarchy and a man who consistently changes the story about his smile. But he’s also comical in the role. The scene where he walks out of the hospital in a nurse’s outfit, while blowing the building up, was pure brilliance. The performance is astonishing; it is unfortunate that we will never see Heath Ledger in this role, or any other for that matter, again. It was bone chilling, enough to scare children in their sleep. Not to mention, I loved the magic trick, you know, making the pencil disappear. Ha. Ho. Hee. Ha. Ho. Hee. Ha.
Where is it? Captain America #40
Written by: Ed Brubaker
Art by: Steve Epting
What is it?: The Grand Director vs. Bucky-Cap
While I could go on forever about how well done this fight was I’d probably be repeating much of what I said in my review.
“The fight scene is great. It's fast-paced, and more or less one-sided. It's a battle of survival for Bucky as he knows he is completely outmanned. Brubaker maintains his excellent writing of Bucky's inner voice, relaying his feelings on the action as it transpires. Bucky isn't as strong as Steve Rogers, nor is he as agile, thus the excitement and suspense of the battle builds every time Bucky gets hit. While Steve Rogers would most certainly adapt to such a situation, Bucky has to strategize and approach the Grand Director from a tactical standpoint. A well placed punch or kick to the head could severely injure Bucky. With every blow the Grand Director lands, Brubaker and Epting compensate with a panel showing Bucky recovering, giving off a disoriented sort of vibe. While the fight takes place, Bucky continues the internal debate over whether or not he's really fighting Steve Rogers, a Steve Rogers who is somehow stronger and faster than Bucky knows.
I thought the way this fight scene slows down was well timed and brilliantly executed. Bucky uses a little bit of psychological warfare of his own to confuse the Grand Director and cause some worry for the Red Skull. Bucky finally puts all the pieces together when he realizes the Grand Director can't be Steve Rogers because he has no idea who Bucky is. He only recognizes Bucky as the man who killed Jack Munroe. This moment goes all the way back to the first few issues of the series and reminds the reader just how long Brubaker has kept this phenomenal story going. The very end of the fight where the Grand Director essentially defeats Bucky is also important because the Falcon, who rescues Bucky as he falls off the top of a building, says that Bucky acted just as Steve would have. Regardless, the psychological tactics Bucky uses to distract the Grand Director leave the Red Skull, Faustus and Armin Zola pointing fingers at one another, yet another sign of the cracks in the villains' plan.”
Where is it? Batgirl #1
Written by: Adam Beechen
Art by: Frank Calafiore
I’ve always been fairly intrigued by the Cassandra Cain incarnation of Batgirl. I didn’t totally love the character until the “Batman: Murderer” story-arc earlier in the decade. Since then, the character hasn’t had the greatest run, she is kind of teetering the line between anti-hero and full out villain. It’s been a few years since she’s been the focal point of her own series but Adam Beechen does a great job re-introducing the character to both new and old readers alike. He covers just about everything, from her origin, to her attitude about her role in the hero world, and finally her role in the bat-family. I especially loved the confrontation with Nightwing that was broken up by Batman. I interested to see where Beechen goes with Cassandra and I hope that she’s here to stay for a little while. Jim Calafiore, who just wrapped up Gotham Underground handles art duties for this issue and he does a great job. I think Calafiore is an underrated Bat-artist and after his run here, he should be assigned to one of the bat-books.
Where is it? Brothers In Arms #2
Written by: Mike Neumann with David Wohl
Art by: Davide Fabbri
What is it? Nazi Soldier, Man of God
The Nazis are the most easily accessible group of villains anyone can use, whether it be in a historical sense or a neo-sense when it comes to fiction, especially comics. But Dynamite’s World War II epic and video game adaptation, Brothers in Arms, paints a very different portrait of individual Nazi soldiers during World War II. The writer of this book is also the writer of the game, Mike Neumann, and he pulls off some fantastic moments that I haven’t seen since Spielberg in Saving Private Ryan. Historically, we as a people are taught about the evils of Nazi Germany, the horrors they committed and their general disregard for all things non-Aryan. There’s also some debate over the influence of religion in NazI Germany. Hitler was indeed obsessed with religious artifacts and the occult, but there’s never much mention of God’s place with the Nazis. But that doesn’t mean that God did not exist in the individual German soldiers. Neumann does a fantastic job of highlighting the difference between an individual German soldier and the Nazi Army in this issue. There’s a moment in this issue during the invasion of Normandy where a Nazi soldier pulls out a golden necklace with a crucifix attached and kisses it. This Nazi was a man of God. This Nazi was just a soldier. I was compelled by this moment, part shock, part heart-wrenching, and totally beautiful. It’s weird to say that, but I asked Neumann about this moment and he summed up exactly what I was feeling as I witnessed it in the beginning of the issue, and again at the end when that Nazi is killed and the cross is visible outside his uniform.
Neumann: “The German soldiers weren’t mindless evil robots—they were men with families and beliefs. The crucifix represents a dichotomy of war, so to speak. Or, you could say that god doesn’t choose sides.”
Yeah, that pretty much covers it. But even beyond that, while Neumann used fantastic transitions to show American soldiers and their civilian lives in the first issue, he does it again here on a much smaller scale. He shows six panels, three on the left and three on the right. The three on the right show a dead Nazi soldier, the panel of the left shows a brief glimpse into that soldier’s civilian life. While I got delayed in writing my review of this issue, it should be up on Thursday. Brothers in Arms is an amazing book, truly epic and truly beautiful.
Where is it? Amazing Spider-Man #566
Written by: Marc Guggenheim
Art by: Phil Jimenez
What is it? “Occasionally one or two (crank calls) from Superman, which is pretty impressive considering he’s fictional.”
So Peter Parker’s roommate has snagged his Spider-Man costume and been mistakenly kidnapped as the web-head by the new Kraven. For some bizarre reason, most likely due to the hand of Mephisto, Spider-Man, even being an Avenger and at the whole Spidey thing for quite some time, only has one outfit? In the words of Kitty Pryde, “Yeahbuhwhat?” Anyways, Spidey pays a visit to his favorite blind lawyer, Matt Murdock. His mission? He wants to borrow Daredevil’s costume, the one with the eyes cut out. But when Spidey calls Murdock before stopping by, Matt doesn’t believe that it’s actually Spider-Man, claiming he gets “no fewer than six calls from Spider-Man per week.” However, as Matt reveals a few other crank caller identities, one of the surprising ones was Superman. Murdock says in regards to crank calls, “Occasionally one or two from Superman, which is pretty impressive considering he’s fictional.” I got a good laugh out of this line for a few reasons. One, that people would crank call Murdock as a hero that doesn’t exist in the Marvel Universe. Second, it suggests that like Marvel Comics, DC Comics exists in the Marvel Universe. To me, this one line of dialogue elevates the stock of the Marvel Universe because it acknowledges the existence of the comic book world’s greatest and first superhero. While it’s merely a small piece of dialogue, it stuck with me all week and really brings the entire world of comics together.
Where is it? Final Crisis Rogue’s Revenge #1
Written by: Geoff Johns
Art by: Scott Kolins
What is it? Johns and Kolins back together in Keystone City!
I’ve read comics just about my entire life. I’ve always been in love with characters of both Marvel and DC and as I’ve gotten older I’ve become much more aware of the individual creators. However, there is one creative team that will forever stand out to me. They first got together when I was still in high school and to this day, I think they are one of the greatest creative teams in the modern era. Of course, I am referring to the two men who took The Flash and made it one of the best books you could buy. Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins did amazing things with Wally West and specifically, the Flash’s cast of rogues. Many consider the Flash Rogues to be the greatest group of villains in comics, Johns and Kolins both have a great deal of influence in taking these villains to greater heights. Last week saw the release of Final Crisis: Rogue’s Revenge, marking the first time In quite a few years that Johns and Kolins have teamed up. Here they revisit their old stomping ground, and while the landscape of the DC Universe has indeed changed, it’s almost as if Johns and Kolins never left. The issue is fantastic and focuses on the Rogues and how they deal with Libra, the death of Bart Allen and the changed criminal landscape of Keystone City. I hope Johns and Kolins return to the realm of the Flash full-time once again and give us yet another epic run starring the Scarlet Speedster whether it be Barry or Wally’s series.
Where is it? Moon Knight #20
Written by: Mike Benson
Art by: Mike Deodato
What is it? Moon Knight Meets up with Detective Flint
I know, I mentioned it in my review of the issue but I just couldn’t help it. I LOVE this page. The one I’m referring to is when Detective Flint wants to meet up with Moon Knight to discuss a possible murderer who fits the profile of a Werewolf. The moment was indeed Batman/Gordon-esque, but Flint and Moon Knight’s relationship is on a level much different than Batman and Gordon. Flint and Moon Knight realize they need each other; they need to trade information both of the supernatural type and the standard criminal type. Flint realizes he’s way out of his league, but rather than go to a high profile hero, Flint goes to a man with Werewolf experience and a man who is not afraid to get his hands dirty on the job. The scene set up by Mike Deodato is perfect for this type of relationship. Flint and Moon Knight meet under the George Washington Bridge, far away from prying eyes. I absolutely loved the images on this page, Flint putting out his cigar and then Moon Knight appearing before him. No pleasantries, just “So Talk,” and the two men are down to business. Mike Deodato has been a favorite artist of mine for a long time; his run with William Messner-Loebs on Wonder Woman is what really made me interested in the character and I loved his work with Warren Ellis on Thunderbolts. When Mark Texiera’s tenure is up on this title, I really hope that Axel Alonso considered putting Deodato on it because images like this page are just gorgeous. This image is dark, crisp, clear and perfectly captures the dynamic between Flint and Moon Knight. I wish I could get my hands on the original page. It’s my birthday… so Mr. Deodato… how about it?
Where is it? Moon Knight #20
What is it? Werewolf by Night #32 and #33
There are times when I’m working at my store and some customers complain about reprints being put in the back of certain books. Usually it’s the result of a higher price-tag on an issue, I usually enjoy when reprints are published, especially when there is some original content in the issue as well. Moon Knight #20 is an excellent example of how reprints should be handled. First, Mike Benson treats us to a “classic original” Moon Knight story. The story takes place seemingly in the early days of Moon Knight’s career and involves the Werewolf by Night. The cool thing about this issue, besides it being really good, is that Moon Knight was originally introduced as a Werewolf by Night villain/anti-hero. He was hired by the Committee to bring the Werewolf to them. At the time, Werewolf by Night was wildly popular and when a number of customers in their 40s picked up this issue, they looked at the two Werewolf by Night issues reprinted in the back and immediately broke into storytelling mode about when they first read the issues. For the first time in a while, I heard no complaints about the extra dollar that the customers had to pay for the reprints ofWerewolf by Night #32 and #33 and those whom I recommended the title let me know how much they enjoyed the “original classic” story as well as the reprints of one of their favorite Marvel books when they were younger. I must say, Marvel did a great job with this issue and really marketed the right reprints with the story.
Picks of the Week
Moon Knight #20
Captain America #40
Brothers in Arms #2
X-Force #5
Final Crisis Rogue’s Revenge #1
Batgirl #1
Books I’m Looking Forward to This Week
Green Lantern Corps #26 – The Saga Continues
Immortal Iron Fist #17 – Danny Rand’s 33rd Birthday Advance Review HERE: http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/121672901155249.htm
Hack/Slash Annual – My Favorite Slasher-Killer Hottie
Robin #175 – What’s Left of Chuck Dixon’s Run
Visit my comic store’s new website: http://www.atimelessjourney.com ( I built it)
Thanks for reading,
KP
kevin.powers@comicsbulletin.com
kevinpowers70@yahoo.com
Check Out My Personal Website:http://kevinpowers.hypersites.com
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