the stuff inside my head that must get out
archives
Fri, 29 Apr 2005
Click here for an up to the minute status report on the health of Abe Vigoda. Besides playing the cranky old cop with bowel problems on Barney Miller his finest role was Sal Tessio in The Godfather. Think good thoughts for him, won't you? Thanks to Mark Evanier for blogging about this first.
Justin G reviews a go-go
Richard Dragon #12
DC Comics
by Chuck Dixon, Scott McDaniel, and Andy Owens
As predicted a few weeks ago here at Hijinx, the series Richard Dragon is
now over. This final issue marks the underground arena showdown between
sometimes lovers, sometimes mortal enemies, Dragon and Lady Shiva Wu San
determining who is the best hand to hand fighter in the world. Green
Arrow Connor Hawke is even briefly in the fray before he and Eddie Fyers
are spared by Dragon. Dixon plays up the understated respect, but
competitive edge these two exhibit toward one another. It's very
impressive that at one point during the rumble, Dragon has Lady Shiva
cold with her own move, the Leopard Blow. This suggests that barring
outside interference, Dragon may very well be the best hand to hand
fighter in the world. Shiva may be the best warrior, the most ferocious,
Connor may have the best reflexes and form, Arsenal may be the best with
weapons, Bronze Tiger may be the best mentor, but Richard Dragon is the
best overall due to his mastery of an eclectic mix of fighting
styles.
In a stunning visual display, Wu San kills, that's right - kills
Richard Dragon with the powerful and lightning quick Leopard Blow, her
signature move. His death was unexpected. I liked it. It gave weight and
importance to this underutilized character. There was emotional resonance
there when his life flashed before his eyes. But then, Neron brings him
back to life and the reader is a little uncertain as to why. The ending
dialogue is a bit evasive. Does Dragon have a new lease on life, a clean
slate? Have his sins been washed away? Does he live only to face Shiva
again? None of the above? All of the above? This is what happens when
series are cancelled abruptly.
I would submit that Dixon and company should have actually killed Dragon
and let him be at peace. Judging from the poor sales figures on this
book, I don't think anyone would have minded. I mean, really are there
any hard core Richard Dragon fans out there? This book had one of the
best writer/artist combinations around and nobody was clamoring for it. I
think that Dragon's true death would have been the catalyst for a great
event. "The Hunt for Lady Shiva" I would have called it. Bronze
Tiger, Connor Hawke, even Nightwing and Bats could have been involved.
This could have kicked off a huge event where they all went after Lady
Shiva Wu San as the killer of their friend/mentor/ally. How about that
DC? An event that is character driven and story driven, not all
fabricated hype. As always, Dragon is a fun, engaging read. Find all 12
cheap back issues today! B+
Superman/Batman #19
DC Comics
by Jeph Loeb and Ian Churchill
This issue revisits Supergirl as she attempts to find her place in the
world and explore her powers under the watchful eyes of Superman and
Batman. Churchill's pencils are surprisingly taut here, he's grooving
with sort of a Michael Turner influence, which whether you like it or
not, has worked very well for this book in the past. As always, I really
like Jeph Loeb's dual running narration. He really has a talent for
getting into the minds of DC's big guns. It's still entertaining and
grounded in their personas, even 19 issues in. I've really been enjoying
all the appearances of Noah/Calculator as sort of the slimy anti-Oracle.
It was also nice to see Batman a little more vulnerable than usual when
Supergirl pops right into the Batcave, as opposed to the uber-competent,
near invulnerable, grouchy super-sleuth that he is often portrayed as.
One slight glitch was some weird out of character banter that Martian
Manhunter had, perhaps she's "trying to ditch him?" Does he
really talk like this? As always though, this book is super fun, looks
great, and is just a fun time. The ad blurb for the new Supergirl series
from Loeb and Churchill due out this summer is also exciting.
B+
Supreme Power #16
Marvel Comics, MAX
by J Michael Straczynski, Gary Frank, Jon Sibal, and Chris
Sotomayor
In a lot of ways, Supreme Power is the exact opposite of something like
Superman/Batman. And I don't mean that in a negative way, it just goes to
show that you can have wildly different approaches to storytelling and
still present a very entertaining package. At the most basic level,
Supreme Power is Marvel and not DC. It focuses on somewhat familiar
archetypes of characters, not big gun properties which are household
names. The storytelling is very decompressed, rather than the in your
face brawl of say Batman, Superman, and Supergirl taking on Darkseid on
Apokolips. And of course, the MAX line is definitely for mature readers
as opposed to the come-one, come-all approach that Supes/Bats is meant to
be in the marketplace. Supreme Power is a fantastic read and really
deserves the MAX label, not for nudity or cursing, but for the very adult
and complex themes that are presented.
The main characters we've been introduced to are becoming increasingly
bogged down in this bureaucratic morass that would likely surround an
individual with these types of powers. In their attempts to be "good
samaritans" or to just "help people" their intent becomes
convoluted within political posturing and the media's perception. I'm
reminded of the saying "Do a great right, one must do a little
wrong." While trying to save people's lives, the speedster character
discovers that he has broken half a dozen laws. All of this serves to beg
the question, if superpowered individuals did exist, would they, should
they be held to the same criminal and civil liability as anyone else? If
they're not, what would this do to the supposed egalitarian fabric of
society?
All the while, you can really feel something building within Supreme
Power. Each of the characters are being slowly forced out of the
conventional paradigms they've been living in. As something uncomfortable
brews, each of them is being pushed a little closer to one another,
ultimately we assume, culminating with the formation of a team that
stands above or beside "normal" society. Joe and the aquatic
woman have a bond. Mark Milton is totally disenfranchised, a loner. Power
Princess is running amok, directionless. The speedster character is about
to burst out of his corporate sponsored confines. And Nighthawk has long
been living on the fringe of acceptable societal norms. I can't wait
until all of these seemingly disparate elements converge. Straczynski's
best work to date. Grade A.
Kabuki #4
Marvel Comics, Icon
by David Mack
David Mack is brilliant. There isn't one
artistic medium he hasn't perfected and adapted to graphic storytelling.
He is a revolutionary to me, pushing the bounds of how this medium can
express itself. I hope they'll be teaching David Mack in art classes 20
years from now. He is the epitome of how innovative this medium can be.
And Kabuki is his grand symphony. 6 volumes already in print. Volume 1:
Circle of Blood earned him an A for this Master's Thesis. Volume 5:
Metamorphosis is one of my favorite books of all time.
This issue is within Volume 7: The Alchemy and blends the typical
metaphysical, stream of consciousness type of storytelling with some
auto-biographical bits from Mack. It even mentions a brief cameo in
Powers. As always, Kabuki is a striking comment on our identity, the
security of personality, and how masks both mental and physical allow us
to engage with the world and with our own truths in various ways. And
that's just the sub-text. Superficially, it's about a rogue government
assassin, an Agent of the Noh and her exemplary service, breakdown,
institutionalization, escape, and self-induced rehabilitation. Pick up
any Kabuki book as fast as you can or you'll be missing out on one of the
most innovative artists of our time. Grade? The first ever A+
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