Wednesday Reviews: Week of August 6/09

Echo #14 by Terry Moore (W&A)

Echo continues to be an impressive comic. The story, while made up of elements that are familiar, is something new. Grounded in reality but with the hint of the supernatural that is pervasive in the medium, Echo just takes a little longer in its delivery. The slow pacing works great, and Terry Moore seems to know exactly how to build tension and give us just enough information to keep us interested. His art style is clear and deliberate, and his characters are complex and likable. If you haven’t been reading Echo then get on board, things are just heating up.

Grade: A

Irredeemable TP and Irredeemable #5 by Mark Waid and Peter Krause (A)

Irredeemable is a superhero story where the hero becomes the villain. The idea has been explored before, but there’s something a little different going on here. A seemingly incorruptible hero suddenly reveals himself to be corrupt, and now a ragtag bunch of his former friends are left to try to control the body count. It seems as though things are building towards a big reveal, and the story has definitely hooked me. The writing is classic superhero stuff, fast paced, minimal explanation, and definitely owes a lot to Golden and Silver Age writing. The style works great with the story, though it’s something that would only happen to Superman when a villain was messing with his mind.

In a smart move from Boom Studios, both a trade collecting the first 4 issues of Irredeemable and the 5th issue were released on the same day, and the 5th issue is only $1.00!

Grade: B+

Greek Street #2 by Peter Milligan and Davide Gianfelice (A)

I read the first issue of Greek Street and quite enjoyed it. A melding of modern Crime comics and material from Greek myth, it seemed as though the series had a lot of promise. I was expecting more of the same from issue two, thinking the focus would shift towards another Greek myth, maybe add some supernatural creature or character. Instead Milligan decided to go all out Crime. I can’t really find much trace of the original concept, except the naming conventions. There are drugs, a crime lord, gangs, and a few odd references to the Fates that seem out of place. It seems to me like the book really lacks a focus right now, and at this point is merely a mediocre crime book. Overall I find Peter Milligan as a writer to be incredibly inconsistant, and I’ve both loved and hated his work. But Greek Street is my first experience with his work that ilicits almost no response – it’s too bland to hate and too unfocused to love.

Grade: C-

Frankenstein’s Womb by Warren Ellis and Marek Oleksicki (A)

Frankenstein’s Womb is the latest in a loose series of short graphic novellas that Warren Ellis has been writing for Avatar. I’ve been impressed with the wide range of topics and the clarity and conciseness with which Ellis writes, and Frankenstein’s Womb is on par with it’s predecessors in that regard. Chronicling a fictional meeting with Mary Shelley and the “real” Frankenstein’s monster, Ellis acts as part biographer and part historian as we become unstuck in time and get a feel for Mary Shelley’s life. art lends an ethereal, mystical quality to the story, and it was easy to become lost in the entire experience. Frankenstein’s Monster is an unexpected but welcome addition to this weeks offerings.

Grade: A-

Final Crisis Aftermath: Run #4 by Matthew Sturges and Freddie E. Williams II (A)

Run features the most unlikeable protagonist I’ve ever encountered in a comic. A unknown villain with pathetic powers and a horrible existance is on the run from something he did in Final Crisis, and we get to see what lengths he goes to to escape. It’s a Superhero comic featuring a non-heroic character, and Sturges pulls the concept off perfectly. Personally, I want to see the crap this guy is doing backfire on him, or have him get captured, as he’s a total dick. But that also means I’m hooked – I want to know what’s going to happen next! In this issue he beat some people soundly, and it sure looks like he killed at least one of his villain bretheren. I’m assuming that next issue there’ll be some consequences to his actions, and there’s a great cliffhanger at the end of the issue that suggests they won’t be what I expect. Run continues to be a fun, unexpected and exciting miniseries, filled with twists, turns, and emotional moments.

Even if that emotion is usually hatred or incredulity.

Grade: A-

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #27 by Jane Espenson and Georges Jeanty (A)

Lately I’ve felt like the Buffy Season 8 comics, which chronologically follow the Buffy characters about a year after the last season of the show, have been a little lackluster. The story hasn’t grabbed me, characters haven’t been talking in their particular voices, and the world itselfs seems to make very little sense. I’m happy to say that the most recent issue is a departure from all that, and at least offers a glimmer of hope for the series. Things actually seem to be moving in a cool direction again, and although the overall plot concept still seems questionable to me, I have less doubts than I did before. Buffy and company may not be speaking exactly as I expect, but things aren’t as forced as before, and it looks like they’re gearing up for a showdown that might at least offer some insights into why things have been happening. I’ll be sticking around for a couple more issues.

Grade: B