Bendis is hooking me again

Action Comics No. 1010
DC Comics
Creators: Brian Michael Bendis, Steve Epting, and Brad Anderson
Release date: April 2019

I wasn’t sure what to expect with Brian Michael Bendis taking over the Superman titles at DC, but I’ve enjoyed his writing in the past, be it in Avengers titles, Ultimate Spider-man, Powers or Daredevil. So I opted to give his runs a chance.

I very much like the dynamic stories he’s presenting in Superman, first taking us back to the Phantom Zone, then recounting Jon Kent’s adventures with his grandfather, Jor-El. The Ivan Reis and Joe Prado art certainly doesn’t hurt that title, either. I fell in love with these guys’ art when they helped relaunch the New 52 Aquaman title, and they are still at the top of their game.

But if I had to pick a current favorite Bendis Superman title, it would be the story arc going on in the pages of Action Comics, “Leviathan Rising.” Superman and his wife, Lois Lane, are both embroiled in an espionage tale that also involves all the clandestine groups from DC lore — A.R.G.U.S., the D.E.O., Checkmate, Spyral, Amanda Waller, Sam Lane, Mr. Bones. It’s all here, and I’m loving how Bendis is weaving it all together.

I’ve said before, here and in other forums, that Superman should be a light character. Superman represents the very best of what humanity can be. He is the shining light for which we strive. I believe Bendis gets that. And he’s wisely using the bright, shiny Superman sparingly in this story. Rather, he’s focusing on Clark Kent and Lois Lane, two investigative journalists who sometimes have to root around in the shadows to properly do their jobs and bring things to light. Take it another step darker, and even Lois and Clark are having to utilize assumed identities to go undercover. (That's them in the image above, if you didn't know.) Bendis' storytelling simply adds more and more layers to a mystery that desperately needs to be unraveled.

Getting Steve Epting for the art on this story was a great move, too. I have loved a lot of Epting’s past work, but he thrives illustrating this type of story, with shadows and subtle shifts, all the cloak and dagger stuff. He’s a brilliant choice for this arc.

It doesn’t hurt that this story is promising to explode out of Action Comics into other titles soon, either. Rather than feeling overwhelmed by that prospect, I’m looking forward to new titles like Event Leviathan and Lois’ solo title. That’s how good this story feels, and how excited I am to read each new piece of the puzzle.

I’m hooked, Mr. Bendis; please, don’t stop.

Pass The Popcorn; I'm Ready To Watch

Velvet 6
Image Comics
Ed Brubaker, writer
Steve Epting, artist

Another short post today. I've praised this series before, and it continues to be a solid read.

Ed Brubaker is crafting an intriguing story about a former spy who re-enters the game after one of her colleagues turns up dead. Complicating her search for answers, Velvet Pendleton quickly finds herself framed for the murder she is trying to investigate. And along the way, she is finding out that much of her life has revolved around lies she never suspected as untrue before. It is a story that I was quickly sucked into and am thoroughly enjoying.

Add to that Steve Epting's wonderful, cinematic art, and this series is like watching a favorite old action movie for the very first time.

In fact, my only real complaint about this title to date has been the lag between this issue and the previous one. This title seems to be following the Image trend of taking a break from the single issues during the month that a new trade comes out. If it gives the creative team a break, that's great; but I want my Velvet every month, if possible.

With A Pedigree Like This, It Has To Be Great

Velvet 1
Image Comics
Ed Brubaker, writer
Steve Epting, artist

I tend to be more of a story fan; be it comics or prose, if the writing is good, I'm in. I confess, I haven't read everything by Ed Brubaker, and I have read a few titles by him I haven't cared for as much as others. But for the most part, if he wrote it and I didn't buy it, it was because the subject matter didn't grab me more than anything else. Brubaker has had some fantastic runs on some titles I've really enjoyed, titles like Batman, Daredevil, Gotham Central, Scene of the Crime, and Criminal. His writing is full of rich characters he makes come alive with his talent for dialogue, and Brubaker has a knack for making his characters feel like real people. They don't always do what you want them to do, but you can believe that they would act as he portrays them.

Just because I tend to notice writing credits more doesn't mean I ignore art credits. There are a number of comics artists that I very much like and whose name on a project is a definite plus. As with Brubaker, I haven't read every single book Steve Epting has worked on, but I have enjoyed very much the ones I have read. I first became aware of Epting's name during his all-too-short collaboration with Dan Jurgens on Aquaman in 1999-2000. Epting's art next caught my eye when he moved to CrossGen and supplied the art for Crux and El Cazador. Epting just has a crisp, realistic art style I appreciate. His figures are dynamic, and his panel layout is clear and easy to follow.

These two creators came together in 2005 to relaunch Captain America for Marvel Comics. I like superhero comics, so I mean no disrespect when I say that their run on Captain America didn't feel like a superhero comic -- it felt superior. They took Cap's association with S.H.I.E.L.D. and made the title an espionage book. It wasn't straight-forward spy versus spy, but damn close. Both the writing and the art combined to give the book a cinematic feel. That mixed with the high adventure; the human drama of re-inroducing Cap's former partner, Bucky Barnes; the simple decision to have Steve Rogers appear without his Cap costume so much of the time alongside former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and girlfriend Sharon Carter all worked to make this feel like a very real drama playing out on a worldwide scale.

More of the same is what I hoped for when I first heard of Velvet, the new Image title by this same creative team. And that is what we are getting, judging by this debut issue.

Velvet Templeton is the secretary/head assistant for the head of a secret British spy organization. Think Miss Moneypenny from the James Bond franchise. Only Velvet is so much more, as she so skillfully demonstrates when several of the organization's top agents are killed.

It seems that Velvet was herself the super-spy in previous decades before being assigned to a desk job. But just because she is currently riding a desk doesn't mean this lady can no longer cut it in the field. She begins by conducting her own investigation into the first murder, that of Jefferson Keller, Agent X-14. Before long, Velvet finds other dead agents and is framed for the murders. And all of this is in just the first issue!

Merry Christmas to everyone celebrating the holiday! See you again, Friday!!