Day: September 3, 2013

Highland Laddie 5 (December 2010)

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Yeah, Ennis’s rehabilitation of Annie continues big time. So does McCrea and Burns’s terrible rendition of her–at one point her eye is in front of her hair. Very creepy.

After going too slow the last issue, Ennis goes too fast this time. There’s the whole English guy who hangs out with Hughie, there’s stuff with his parents, there’s a lot with Annie… not to mention the smuggling subplot coming to a head. Or starting to come to a head, just in time for a cliffhanger.

It’s just too much and it hurts some of the better moments in the book. Ennis doesn’t pull off whatever he’s trying. The bad art has a lot to do with the failings, but he’s also got too many pots on.

His attempts to resolve the various subplots doesn’t leave enough time for any of them. Hopefully he’s got a good finish planned. Hopefully.

CREDITS

Wisdom of the Ages; writer, Garth Ennis; artists, John McCrea and Keith Burns; colorist, Tony Aviña; letterer, Simon Bowland; editor, Joseph Rybandt; publisher, Dynamite Entertainment.

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Prophet 38 (August 2013)

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What an issue. With Roy and Milonogiannis splitting the art–basically between Old John and New John–it’s a visual feast to be sure. It’s also exceptionally confusing.

The Old John stuff is simpler. It’s a tie-in with Supreme, which most Prophet readers can’t be familiar with, right? But Graham runs with it.

He doesn’t give enough time to the sidekicks though, especially not with the middle issue changeover to New John. And New John doesn’t really do anything–he gets a new arm–before Graham moves on to some planetoid.

At that point, the issue becomes completely incomprehensible. I think a planet gets broken up to free a planet-sized Prophet from a gravity well. Or something.

The backup, from Kate Craig, is cute. It’s a little too cute, with a white koala bear looking guy on a distant planet playing with the weird indigenous lizards. It’s fine.

CREDITS

Prophet; writers, Brandon Graham and Simon Roy; artists, Bayard Baudoin, Giannis Milonogiannis and Simon Roy; colorist, Joseph Bergin III, Jessica Pollard and Roy; letterer, Ed Brisson. Catch and Release; writer, artist, colorist and letterer, Kate Craig. Publisher, Image Comics.

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Ultimate Spider-Man 110 (August 2007)

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I’m kind of hoping Bendis realizes he can’t keep bringing Kingpin back. This issue “resolves” Ultimate Kingpin, but also features Spider-Man threatening to tattle on Kingpin to Nick Fury.

It raises a big question. Why the heck hasn’t he done so already? If it’s such a big threat, why’s Peter protecting Wilson Fisk from Nick Fury’s wrath? Possibly because Bendis can’t write that story… it’s too much of an empty threat.

It’s not a bad issue though. There’s a big fight scene with Iron Fist and the other Ultimate Knights, then there’s Daredevil threatening to kill Kingpin’s wife (which would have been awesome… but Bendis chickened out) and then the big resolution. It requires a character surviving a gunshot wound to the head, but as long as it gets rid of Kingpin… maybe it’s worth it.

The Bendis tries a final page he just shouldn’t have….

Otherwise, not bad.

CREDITS

Ultimate Knights, Conclusion; writer, Brian Michael Bendis; penciller, Mark Bagley; inker, Drew Hennessy; colorist, Justin Ponsor; letterer, Cory Petit; editors, John Barber and Ralph Macchio; publisher, Marvel Comics.

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Star Trek 20 (May 2013)

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Not only don’t Sulu and Chekhov rate their own origin issues, they don’t even get one bad artist. They have to share two lousy artists.

I wonder if Johnson knew he was going to have two artists or if the told him later. The change is handled somewhat seamlessly. It goes from bad to bad; I thought maybe Sulu would get one part, Chekhov the other, but no… it’s all jumbled. Except Kirk shows up in Chekhov’s story arc because, well, apparently Chekhov’s even less interesting than Sulu.

Johnson’s problem with all these origin issues is pretty simple. He’s writing inane adventures in Starfleet Academy. Everybody’s in the Academy at one point or another in their stories and they’re all bad. It’s like Johnson hasn’t got it figured out how not to be condescending about the morals of the Star Trek universe. It’s a shame.

Produces terrible comic book too.

CREDITS

Writer, Mike Johnson; pencillers, Claudia Balboni and Luca Lamberti; inkers, Erica Durante and Lamberti; colorist, Arianna Florean; letterer, Tom B. Long; editor, Scott Dunbier; publisher, IDW Publishing.

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