Just How Much Can These People Take?

The Walking Dead tpb Vol. 15: We Find Ourselves (collecting issue Nos. 85-90)
Image Comics
Robert Kirkman, writer
Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn, artists

I've talked about discovering The Walking Dead before here and here. Here we are again at Volume 15.

These trades don't read like superhero trade collections. Collecting six issues is a standard length for a trade these days. Depending on story content, some might be only four or five, other might include seven or eight or more regular issues of a series. But with a typical superhero trade collection, there is a definite issue break. Often, specific covers are reprinted before each "chapter" of the story in a trade, but even without those, I suspect most readers would have little problem pinpointing the transition point between issues. Not so with The Walking Dead trades. Sure, I could count pages if I wanted to or maybe even spot the issue breaks in other ways, if I really wanted to. But my point is that these trades truly read like one long ongoing story. The transition from issue to issue is smoother in these books as one chapter naturally flows into the next and each book flows into the next and these people's journey just plays on and on. That's not meant to be a criticism or a subtle way of complaining that the writing is boring and drudges on. For me, it helps give me that sense of how much these survivors have faced since their world turned upside down.

This trade opens after a rather horrific zombie attack seen in the last trade. After losing the prison they'd called home for several issues (and a few more cast members), Rick Grimes and company make their way to a walled community. They find a group of people living there in relative peace, but these folks have become somewhat complacent by their circumstances. That's what led to the attack in the last trade. Now the folks who are left must clean up the zombie carcasses, some of whom used to be friends the day before and repair the damage to the wall. They don't stop there, however; Rick, now in charge of this larger group, solicits ideas to fortify the community's defenses, make them stronger and more secure. And the newcomers must also deal with some of the long-timers who aren't too keen on Rick being in charge.

As this tale wears on, it is becoming more and more obvious the toll being the leader is taking on Rick. He feels responsible for all the life and death decisions he is forced to make, and fears that they are becoming easier to cope with.

This continues to be a story not about zombies so much as about the people trying to continue to survive in a world filled with zombies -- what they are forced to do to survive, what they are willing to do to survive, and how those changes and decisions affect and change them. Yep, still very much enjoying this series.

The Sense Of Wonderment Is The Key

Superman: Secret Origin tpb
DC Comics
Geoff Johns, writer
Gary Frank and Jon Sibal, artists

When this miniseries debuted, I was still of a mind to try anything and everything I might possibly like (if I could afford it). My thoughts at the time and for a few years prior were that, sure, I would end up buying some stinkers, but I would miss far fewer gems. In the interest of saving some money, however, I would often try to trade-wait limited series such as this one rather than buy the individual issues. Then, once the trade for this series was solicited, I had shifted my mindset to reflect my new conservative attitude toward buying. I don't necessarily intend to keep every single issue or trade I buy now, some will still be sold, either because I don't ultimately care for them or because they were good, but not likely to be reread so why take up space by keeping them, but I'm definitely buying a lot fewer books these days. So I almost didn't buy this trade. Do I really need another retelling of the origin and early days of Superman? Even folks who don't read comics know that basic story, right?

I'm glad I decided to take a chance on this one anyway. Johns and Frank had a solid run on Adventures of Superman prior to this series coming out, and it was partially on the strength of those issues that I took a chance here. And they didn't let me down.

Johns skips over the parts of the story most people can quote verbatim, instead focusing on key moments in Clark Kent's early childhood -- re-establishing his time as Superboy into the character's continuity along the way -- and debut in Metropolis. And there's something about the way Johns handles the character that brings out the sense of wonder at someone discovering he can fly and deflect bullets and help people. This book and Johns' characterization of not only Superman, but the other characters around him, help the reader rediscover what it was like to be a kid and enjoy such adventures from that perspective. From Clark's first learning of his true origins, learning to cope with his emerging powers, his first encounters with Lex Luthor and the Legion of Super-Heroes to his first day at the Daily Planet and his public debut in costume -- this book is pure fun and wonder.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that Frank's art is nice to look at, too, but I especially love the way both his depictions of Clark Kent and Superman are modeled on Christopher Reeve, the true Superman of my generation. I've enjoyed old episodes of "The Adventures of Superman" with George Reeves, and the more modern "Lois & Clark" with Dean Cain and "Smallville" with Tom Welling, but I was 11 when "Superman the Movie" debuted, and Christopher Reeve is "my" Superman brought to life. It doesn't hurt that this character looks and feels like him.

One Great Story, One Long Greek Tragedy

The Manara Library Vol. 1 hardcover
Dark Horse Books
Hugo Pratt, writer
Milo Manara, artist
***mature content warning***

This volume contains two stories: Indian Summer and The Paper Man. Of the two, the much shorter Paper Man is the better. Indian Summer is not bad because of its length. In fact, it's not a bad story at all. I just prefer the secondary tale.

Indian Summer opens with two young braves spotting a lone white girl along the beach in Colonial times. The youths assault the girl, and afterward begin to frolic together in the ocean. A third young man comes upon the scene, and deducing what has happened, shoots and kills both of the young Indians. Feeling himself a hero, this young man gives the girl back her torn clothing, kisses her despite her protests, and decides to take her back home where his mother will know what to do next. Almost this entire opening scene takes place without dialogue.

What follows is a tale of Puritan America, hypocrisy, incest, sexual and physical violence, friends attacking friends only to go along with peers -- it is NOT a happy story by any stretch of the imagination. A story doesn't have to be happy for me to enjoy it, and certainly the subject matter would seem to preclude happiness, but I just didn't care for this tale. None of the huge cast of characters is really very likable. This reader, at least, was left feeling pity and contempt for most of them rather than empathy.

The Paper Man is also set in Frontier America. It also is not a very happy story. But this tale, unlike the first one, has moments of whimsy that override the sadness. The title character is a young man traveling through Arizona on his way to Canada. Along the way, he happens across first a lone British soldier seemingly still wrapped up in the Revolutionary War, and a young Sioux woman charged with some unspecified crime. Circumstances throw these three travelers together again and again despite attempts to go their separate ways, and the reader feels their growing affection for each other along the journey in spite of their various protestations. These characters, I developed an affection and appreciation for.

I hope to get the other volumes in the Manara series because his art is very good, but this first volume was a bit uneven for my tastes.

Now It's Her Turn To Suffer A Broken Heart

Black Widow: Web of Intrigue hardcover
Marvel Comics
various writers and artists

This is another collection of Black Widow tales from Marvel Comics, but not necessarily all-inclusive. This volume contains the four-part Black Widow story from Marvel Fanfare Nos. 10-13, a black-and-white Widow tale from Bizarre Adventures magazine No. 25, and the Black Widow graphic novel, The Coldest War.

The Marvel Fanfare series in its original printing was my first exposure to the character. The tale is very convoluted but nicely told by co-writers Ralph Macchio and George Perez. The art in this four-parter is also by Perez, so you know it's highly detailed and very gorgeous. The two creators pit Natasha against a succession of villains and assassins, much of it playing on her relationship with her companion and father-figure, Ivan.

The black-and-white tale is more a straight-forward espionage tale as befits Marvel's magazine content from the time period, which was often geared for an older audience. Natasha wears her trademark skintight bodysuit, but she is the only costumed individual in the story which is otherwise populated by uniformed soldiers and trenchcoated spies and double-agents.

The Coldest War is a tour of the Black Widow's past, bringing her former husband, the Red Guardian, back into the mix while also focusing on her former relationships with other costumed heroes Hawkeye and Daredevil. Ultimately, the resurrection of Natasha's husband is not quite what it seemed, and the Widow is once again left alone at the end of the tale.

Overall, this hardcover was a nice return visit to a tale I enjoyed several years ago, and a chance to read two tales I hadn't previously been exposed to. I'm glad I had a chance to read them, but there was little here that made me think I would revisit these stories any time soon again.

Good, Just Not What I Was Expecting

Unknown/Unknown: The Devil Made Flesh trades
BOOM! Studios
Mark Waid, writer
Minck Oosterveer, artist

I'm on a Mark Waid kick, I guess. This is the third and fourth series by him I've read recently. But man, can that man write some truly intriquing, interesting characters!

I happened upon a 10-page preview of the initial Unknown either in some other book I was reading or maybe online somewhere. That preview introduced the situation and two main characters for this four-issue series originally published in 2010. There's Catherine Allingham, a world-famous detective known for her keen ability to crack "unsolvable" cases. We also learn quickly that she is being "haunted" by hallucinations. And we learn that the cause of those hallucinations is an inoperable tumor, which prompts Allingham to hire James Doyle to assist her with what she believes will be her last case. We see Doyle's powers of observation and his own considerable deductive skills at work when he busts a co-worker for stealing from his "friends," which is what impresses Allingham enough to hire Doyle on the spot.

After all that, I wanted to read more, and seeing Oosterveer's fantastic art on those preview pages only sweetened the deal. I've never heard of him prior to this series, but the man draws real pretty. Yet, his work has a down-to-earth quality I thought worked well with what I believed to be a grounded story much like Waid's earlier Potter's Field.

Now, in all fairness, on the very first page of the book (and the preview I'd seen), we see one of Allingham's hallucinations, and the guy she is seeing can only be described as creepy looking, vaguely vampire-like, but definitely something of a supernatural nature. That likely should have been my tipoff that things might not stay as grounded as I was expecting, but it didn't. Allingham wakes up to see this figure calmly sitting by her bed, watching her sleep. She stares at him for a beat, neither saying a word. Then she takes a few pills from a bottle on her nightstand, swallows them, and the guy fades away. Straight-up hallucination is what I thought. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

As it turns out, however, I should have read more into that hallucination. The unknown of the title refers to the afterlife, and Allingham's determination to find out what awaits her after death before she reaches that point naturally. So there is a DEFINITE supernatural element to this story. Now, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It can be quite a good thing in some stories. And I in no way mean to imply that this is a bad story. But I went in expecting a grounded-in-reality story and didn't get that. SO I WAS a tad disappointed.

I was so certain I would like the story, however, based on the 10-page preview, that I didn't just buy the trade collection of Unknown, but also the follow-up trade, Unknown: The Devil Made Flesh, which opens with Doyle trying to land a job in Italy. One year has passed since the first arc, but it quickly is made obvious that Doyle has little memory of Allingham or their adventure together. When chance reunites the pair, it is also clear Allingham has no memory of Doyle, either. What's more, she is still alive and kicking despite her inoperable tumor, and is telling a new acquaintance that she has been given six months to live. Obviously, another adventure follows, this one even more steeped in the supernatural than the previous one. Again, not a bad story at all, but not what I was initially expecting from this series.

Put these down as definitely worth a read, but mildly disappointing due to my own LACK of observation skills, I guess.

Be Careful: She'll Break Your Heart

Black Widow: The Sting of the Widow hardcover
Marvel Comics
various writers and artists

This volume collects some of the earliest appearances of Marvel's Back Widow, Natasha Romanova. In fact, these are so early in her career, the character still doesn't even have a last name by the end of this volume, still being referred to in her civillian identity as simply Madame Natasha.

The Widow's first appearance, facing off against Iron Man from the pages of Tales of Suspense No. 52, is the lead-off story in this collection. This volume is not for completists, however, as the next story included is Amazing Spider-Man No. 86, wherein the Widow first adopts her modern costume. The intervening adventures for the character are summed up in a text piece, but one gets the idea this involves several years' worth of guest appearances in many Marvel books.

Following her appearance in Amazing Spider-Man, the Black Widow moved to headlining Marvel's Amazing Adventures comic with the Inhumans. The first eight issues of that title's Black Widow stories are included, followed by her guest-appearance in Daredevil No. 81, which is the last adventure reprinted here.

Overall, these stories depict a Black Widow who goes from villainous Russian saboteur to immigrant-American superheroine and espionage agent. She is a very competent fighter employing martial arts skills along with her trademark Widow's sting and weblines. She tackles some villains along with a few social injustices, as comics of this time period sometimes did, but there is a heavy soap opera quality that is also present in comics from this time period which starred a female lead. That melodramatic quality might detract for some, but overall this is a solid read for anyone curious about the beginnings of the Black Widow character.

It's All About Character

Potter's Field
BOOM! Studios
Mark Waid, writer
Paul Azaceta, artist

This is another series that passed below my radar when it first came out in 2007, but I've since heard good things about the three-issue series, and I've come to appreciate the writing of Mark Waid whether it is on iconic company-owned characters or his own creations. Finally managed to get my hands on copies of the individual issues earlier this year and enjoyed this series enough to hope BOOM! produces more at some point.

The title of this series refers to the generic term given to cemeteries where unnamed individuals are buried. Many big cities will have a community burial spot for unidentified bodies never claimed by family or other survivors.

The central character, about whom little is known, is simply called John Doe by those few who know of him. For unknown reasons, he makes it his mission to identify these unnamed dead, giving survivors a sense of closure but also giving the dead the respect that comes with not dying anonymously, unmourned.

Through his various investigations, John Doe comes into contact with many people, some of whom might have skills which can aid him in the future, so he maintains "contacts" with a select few. One of these associates inadvertently divulges some of the mystery man's secrets, allowing a living client for the first time to reach out to Jon Doe for help.

This title is populated by some truly fascinating characters. I guess that is one of the appeals I find in Waid's writing. The man creates some truly interesting, layered individuals who are engaging to read about.

All About The Gotcha!

Empire 1-2/1-6
Image Comics/DC Comics
Mark Waid, writer
Barry Kitson, artist
***mature content warning***

I don't know the entire history of this title, but it debuted from Image Comics in 2000 and saw two issues published before disappearing. I first heard of the series in 2003 when DC Comics agreed to publish the limited series by the popular writer/artist team. DC released a special 0 issue which reprinted the earlier Image books, and then completed the series as a six-issue mini. I bought the six new DC issues, but preferred to hunt down the original two from Image for the beginning of the story and recently reread this series while in the process of trying to winnow down my enormous collection to a more manageable size.

This series holds up to multiple readings and will continue to take up space in my collection; it's just that good.

The basic concept of a major villain winning the day and taking control of the planet is not a new concept. Many writers and artists both in and out of comics have tackled the premise before to varying degrees of success. Even series co-creator and writer Mark Waid has mined this popular concept in his current BOOM! title Irredeemable, which I also enjoy.

I just find Empire to be a step above in originality and surprise factor. Because the core concept has been done so many times, it is easy to fall into cliche and that much harder to surprise readers with story developments. But Waid is operating on all cylinders with Golgoth and crew and produces some truly great twists. There are several developments which were perfectly foreshadowed in retrospect but which nevertheless caught me off-guard on first reading. I won't reveal them here to preserve the shock value, but seek out this series, if you've never read it before. Waid's writing and Kitson's gorgeous art make it well worth a look!

Anticipation Is Making Me Wait

Elephantmen Vol. 4: Questionable Things
Collects issues 24-30 and more
Image Comics
Richard Starkings, writer
various artists
***mature content warning***

I first tried and reviewed Elephantmen here. This is still a great book, that's why I'm still buying it four humongous trades in. Rather than spoil details from this collection, I'm gonna discuss these wonderful trades in general.

I started out with the trades because I was coming into this series late. I've stuck with the trades because it is always hard to know when to start picking up single issues to avoid duplication until you know what the next trade will contain, and by then, it is too late to order some of the singles in between.

Some potential buyers might be put off by the higher price tag that comes with these Elephantmen trades. They typically run $24.99 retail, whereas most other trade collections run between $12.99 to $18.99, depending on how many issues are included and how popular the title. The thing to remember is, these Elephantmen trades tend to be four or five times as big as the average trade, typically containing an average of seven or eight complete issues of the regular series and tons of extras like sketches, behind-the-scenes notes and more. Seriously, these things are huge, so you are actually getting more bang for your buck with these trades than with most others.

That means the only real drawback to buying this series in trade is the slightly longer than normal release time between trades because of how much content each one contains. But again, they are worth the wait.

Strolling Down Memory Lane

Captain America & Bucky 622-625
Marvel Comics
Ed Brubaker and Marc Andreyko, writers
Chris Samnee, artist

These are the final three issues of this arc looking back at the history of Bucky's partnership with Captain America and continuing through some revelations about his time as the Winter Soldier. This book continues the numbering from the previous Captain America series and is featuring rotating co-writers with Ed Brubaker and rotating artists for each arc.

This look back at Bucky's history isn't so much an everything-you-know-is-wrong retcon as comics are somewhat notorious for. Rather, Brubaker and Andreyko craft several solo stories narrated by the modern Bucky about his past relationships with Cap, the Invaders and Black Widow, among others, which serve to flesh out the character -- especially his current incarnation as created by Brubaker -- and add some welcome depth to Bucky's backstory. Nothing here contradicts what has come before, but rather adds to the mythology, building on what other creators have done.

That isn't a new idea; in fact, it's a convention that is quite popular now (and much appreciated by this longtime fan). Comics don't always get credit for building on what has gone before, but when done right, these kinds of stories give continuity a good name.

Well done, all!

***************************************

On a housekeeping note, I think the Tuesday/Friday schedule is working well enough that I want to add a third post each week. Sunday would seem to be the next natural day to add, so check back here this Sunday for another all-new post in addition to the ones on Tuesday and Friday. Hope to see you then!

Plumbing The Depths

Aquaman 1-4
DC Comics
Geoff Johns, writer
Ivan Reis and Joe Prado, artists

This was the title I saved for last because it was going to hold the least surprises. I get too much Aqua-info from almost daily visits to Rob Kelly's Aquaman Shrine (and am typically behind enough in my reading) that sitting down with these four books brought little new information. They've all already been reviewed on the Shrine.

That doesn't mean these four books weren't a joy to read. Johns "gets" Aquaman in a way true fans have always appreciated the character. What's more, with his writing, Johns is not just showing why Aquaman isn't just a lame hero who talks to fish; he's taking those jabs and dealing with them head-on by including them in his narrative. This is a hero who lives in a world where many common folk DO think Aquaman is a joke and aren't shy about telling him that to his face. And Aquaman gets back at them not by fuming or shouting, but by showing them just how awesome and inspirational he can be.

Johns is crafting some truly original, highly imaginative stories that still manage to incorporate what other creators have done and build upon that foundation, much as he has done with other characters in recent years. It's no wonder Johns is the chief creative officer at DC. And Reis and Prado are doing simply beautiful work illustrating what Johns is writing.

If you aren't picking up this book, do yourself a favor and get it in back issues or trade. You'll be glad you did.

There's Promise, But Just Not Quite Enough

Teen Titans 1-4
DC Comics
Scott Lobdell, writer
Brett Booth, artist

This was another title that DC made pretty easy for me to drop.

The New 52 version of Red Robin/Tim Drake isn't too far removed from his characterization from before Flashpoint, but then, I think Tim/Red Robin was being written a little too dark, brooding and bossy -- a little too Batman at his worst portrayals -- for my tastes both in his own book and some of those later pre-New 52 Teen Titans issues. The new Wonder Girl/Cassie Sandsmark is just not likable at all, and the new Bart Allen/Kid Flash is Impulse-annoying at his worst. Add a Superboy regressed back into being a footsoldier for the bad guys, and the existing characters in this team aren't much of a draw for me.

The new characters introduced with the reboot show promise. Bunker is the only character who seems to have a sense of humor about anything, but he's also a bit too flamboyant for my tastes. I'm intrigued by Skitter and Solstice, but they're deliberately being kept mysterious at this point, so there's really not much draw in their promise, either.

Add to that the announcements (current at the time I read these four issues) of a major crossover between this book and two other existing titles I don't normally get which would lead into the creation of yet another tie-in title, and Teen Titans just seemed too expensive to follow for the very little bit of enjoyment the title was bringing me. This title got dropped before the pending crossover could begin. And if sales figures are an indicator, the new title springing out of the crossover, The Ravagers, is not doing so well.