Wednesday Roundup: Week of Mar. 17/10

Single Issues

American Vampire #1 by Scott Snyder (W), Stephen King (W), and Rafael Albuquerque (A) (Vertigo)

The first issue of a new Vertigo ongoing series, American Vampire shows a lot of promise. A blend of well researched historical fiction and supernatural horror, American Vampire draws from many literary sources but distances itself from them as well. The vampires here reportedly have different abilities that are acquired upon their creation. More in line with vampire novels, they appear to be capable of surviving in direct sunlight, and are in control of some powerful corporate empires. It’s the varying abilities of the individual vampires that interests me the most, as it’s a new concept that is likely to encourage plenty of exploration. I was more impressed with the Scott Snyder story than the Stephen King story, although I did like that the two did connect through one of the characters. Rafael Albuquerque’s art is perfectly suited to the work, and he is able to convey both the period and the action beautifully. There’s not a lot of historical horror in comics right now, and American Vampire is a welcome addition to the Vertigo fold.

Grade: B+

Quick Thoughts

Torch #6 ( of 8 ) by Alex Ross (W), Mike Carey (W), and Patrick Berkenkotter (A) (Marvel) seems to mark a distinct switch in style, as the Torch has very little time left to tie up loose ends. I have doubts about whether we will see a satisfying conclusion to the story, but I’m enjoying this new chapter. The art certainly helps a lot with that.

Grade: B

28 Days Later #8 by Michael Alan Nelson and Declan Shalvey (A) (Boom) maintains its forward momentum but doesn’t really deliver on it’s promises of doom. It makes this particular story in a story seem unimportant, although it did build up the tension well before revealing its lack of overall impact. This is a good trend, horror books will always have more impact if you believe the result of a sequence will be one thing and it turns out to be another. I certainly don’t know what’s up next for this one.

Grade: B+

Joe the Barbarian #3 ( of 8 ) by Grant Morrison and Sean Murphy (A) (Vertigo) remains inscrutable, complex, and confusing. Things just sort of happen, quickly and with unknown consequences. With any Morrison book I’m a little afraid of whether he knows where things are going, but this is an 8 issue series with a finite end. I’ll trust he knows that this is all leading somewhere.

Grade: B

Fables #93 by Bill Willingham and David Lapham (A) (Vertigo) finishes up a short but sweet two issue story about baseball, murder, and being a medieval ruler. David Lapham did an awesome job on the art, and his style translated surprisingly well into the Fables world. This was definitely a welcome break from the incredible darkness faced back in the mundy world, but now I’m ready to get back to that.

Grade: A-

Collections

Batman International TP by Alan Grant (W), Mark Waid (W), Frank Quietly (A), Diego Olmos (A), and Arthur Ranson (A) (DC)

Three short Batman stories are collected here, connected by the theme of Batman going somewhere other than Gotham and doing something. In the grand scheme of Batman stories, these ones seem very average, neither exceptional or terrible.

The first five part story has art by Frank Quietly, and he’s definitely near the top of his game. The story is the weakest of the three, which is a little strange considering it’s also the longest. Plot holes and unbelievable elements combine to form a rather unsatisfying experience.

The second story is the shortest, and it seems like it could have benefited from more pages. Things seemed rushed and again, a little far fetched. The art by Diego Olmos makes up for some of the shortcomings.

The third story was the most resonant with me, and served both as an explanation of Batman’s spiritual beliefs and (comic book) Taoism as well. Definitely the best constructed story of the three, I felt engaged with the subject matter, and was impressed by the use of a “present” story and a “past” story converging. Arthur Ranson’s art seems a little dated, but very much appropriate to the subject matter and tone of the story.

If you’re looking for a Batman book outside of continuity, something you can just pick up and read, you could do a lot worse than Batman International.

Grade: B