Favourite Comic(s) of the Week - The ones by Matt Fraction (with David Aja, Jamie McKelvie, Salvador Larroca, and Alan Davis)
This week, Matt Fraction gave us Hawkeye #2, Defenders #10, Invincible Iron Man #524, and The Mighty Thor #19 (co-written by Kieron Gillen), and I loved them all.
Hawkeye #2 showed us that David Aja is a master of comic book art and storytelling. I love all of the head-shot panels used to show conversations or emotions, each from a different angle, non-repeating. Like the 14 panels used to show Kate saying "Well that's cool" in slow motion. And I loved Kate Bishop. As Clint says, "She's pretty great." I'll be glad to see her develop as part of this series. In just this one issue, she was already made more awesome than in any of her other appearances.
Defenders #10 was a great move towards an end game for this series. If Aja's art in Hawkeye was all about small panels and small moments, McKelvie's art in Defenders was all about big moments and big ideas expressed in grand form. The death Celestial, She-Hulk punching a bird, and those Silver Surfer pages... it was all awesome. I recently re-read the last 9 issues of this series, and it was definitely better on a second read than the first. I'm hoping for a deluxe hardcover collecting the whole series one day.
Invincible Iron Man #524 moves the series closer to its finale, and that last splash page has me super excited for it. Fraction has been a great writer for Tony Stark, and Larroca hasn't missed a beat. I'm curious to see where he will be going next, because his 60ish issues of Iron Man have made me a fan.
Lastly, The Mighty Thor #19 continues the progress of "Everything Burns" nicely. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Alan Davis's art, but having only one artist for the whole 6-part story, or two more similar stories, might have been better. One thought on where they're going - "King Volstagg" has potential.
Other highlights from this week -
Action Comics #0 by Grant Morrison and Ben Oliver - I really liked this story, and Oliver's art worked great for it. It wasn't really about Clark or Superman. It was about how he affected everyone around him, and the first time Lois and Jimmy ever really saw him in action, and how Lois named him. I'm enjoying the new Superman status quo, but it's also good to see some things never change. And now I want to go watch my Lois & Clark DVDs.
Age of Apocalypse #7 by David Lapham and Renato Arlem - I lost interest in this series after the second issue, but this month had Doom in it, and that was enough to make me check it out. Now I want to see more of the story of this Doom and his fight as a rebel human trying to take back Latveria.
Amazing Spider-Man #693 by Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos - Part 2 of the Alpha story was great, and I'm really excited to see where Spider-Man's heading. I love the Jackal, and his clone army has a lot of potential. I never imagined him as a "rule the world by killing everyone and replacing them with clones" kind of villain though. Alpha's feeling more fleshed out and realistic as a character, and Peter's reaction to that feels true to his character. And the re-building of a closer relationship between Peter and MJ is something I'm thrilled to see. I saw a lot of good come out of OMD and BND, but I love MJ and feel she always needs to be a part of Peter's life.
Earth 2 #0 by James Robinson and Tomas Giorello - Apparently this Earth 2 Terry Sloan doesn't believe in "Fair Play" like his Golden Age counterpart, but it made for an awesome story that should pay off over the next little while in Earth 2. I'm looking forward to it.
Green Arrow #0 by Judd Winick and Freddie Williams II - I like Freddie Williams II's artwork. Liked it on Robin, liked it on Flash, liked it here. What's he working on right now? The story in this comic was great too, and it seems that it could lead very well into Green Arrow: Year One. Two things that really surprised and pleased me were the introduction of Merlyn, and where he was left at the end of the story, and the cause of Ollie's girlfriend's death. Definitely a different direction than I expected.
Green Lantern #0 by Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke - So unlike all the other #0 issues that are jumping back several years, this one keeps the present running, first introducing Simon Baz and his origins, and then taking us right up to the point where he gets the power ring in the present. The most interesting part - "Simon Baz of Earth. You have the -- ERROR -- ability to overcome great fear."
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #14 by Brian Michael Bendis and David Marquez - Loved the first page parody/tribute. Loved Gwen's attitude towards Captain America. Loved Mary Jane's stance on things. Loved that Mary Jane was in it (she needs to be more). Loved Aunt May's words of wisdom and gift for Miles. Loved the fight with the Rhino. Loved Cap's decision. Just loved it. Long live Miles Morales. (Maybe introduce a 616 version as a new Prowler... there's an idea.)
World's Finest #0 by Paul Levitz and Kevin Maguire with Wes Craig - Best #0 issue so far. There are so many more stories you could tell with these characters, and I would love to see them. Maguire's art really works for them too. I liked that Selina's Catwoman costume on Earth 2 looks a lot like Helena's new Huntress costume now that she's stuck on Earth 1. If you haven't been reading World's Finest, I suggest getting hooked on this issue and then picking up the rest to catch up.
Trade Paperbacks & Graphic Novels -
Aquaman vol. 1: The Trench Hardcover by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis - I've been telling my friends for years that Aquaman is awesome. This book is proof I was right all along and I am going to shove it in their faces.
New Avengers Omnibus vol 1 by Brian Michael Bendis and various - I already own the deluxe size hardcovers of the entire series, but if you don't, you should buy this. It's absolutely gigantic, collecting everything from Avengers Disassembled through to the discovery of Skrull Elektra, including 8 one-shots or specials, for a total of 42 issues, or 1208 pages. I don't think I own an Omnibus this big yet.
Spider-Man: Revenge of the Sinister Six Premiere HC by Erik Larsen, with backup story by Terry Kavanagh and Scott McDaniel - This is a great, fun story from the early '90s, right after Todd McFarlane left Spider-Man. I was happy to get it in hardcover. I remember they only added the backup story originally because Larsen's house had burned down, he had lost everything he owned, and he couldn't churn out the pages as fast as usual for two issues, while fixing and replacing things. But that just means two stories instead of one!
Starman Omnibus vol 2 softcover by James Robinson, Tony Harris, and JH Williams III - If you weren't lucky enough to get the hardcover (I was), you should at least get the softcover of this - possibly one of the greatest comic series of all time.
Comic news from this week -
There were 4 new Marvel Now! teasers posted. "Lightning," (with cross-hairs aiming at it) by Daniel Way and Steve Dillon. "Survive," (with blood spattered on it) by Dennis Hopeless and Kev Walker. "Killers," by Sam Humphries and Ron Garney. And "Wanted," again by Dennis Hopeless, but this time with Salvador Larroca. I have no clue what any of these are, but Jonathan Hickman posted on Twitter that "The SURVIVE promo today for [Dennis Hopeless] and Kevin Walker's new book was hands down the best pitch of the Marvel Now books." That's the best endorsement I can think of, and has me very intrigued.
Other than that, the preview of Avengers with Jerome Opena's art was the news highlight of the week. I love that other artists cursed him on Twitter for being so good. It's nice to see that fun and games among them.
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