Walking on the Moon

Several reviews up on Bell, Book, and Candle.

Will Eisner’s The Spirit #28, Uslan, DeSnato, Justiniano, Wong. I’ve been enjoying these fellows’ take on The Spirit, but this issue didn’t have the winning character interaction from the core team that’s been holding up the short run. I found the plotting a little convoluted – a lot of exposition to introduce – and the art had some gratuitously odd perspective that didn’t improve the storytelling or look convincing. Still any issue that includes the line “Ellen, they poisoned my ketchup…” has something redeeming in it.

Glamourpuss #7, Sim. Honestly, too much unfunny parody, too little meticulously rendered comics history. Definitely playing away form the series’s strength from my perspective.

Seaguy: Slaves of Mickey Eye #3, Morrison & Stewart. An ending of sorts for Seaguy. In keeping with the rest of the series, it’s not so much that Seaguy’s changed his world, but he’s definitely done what he can, and emerged different. The art’s still gorgeous and the odd world is consistent throughout. If you liked the other issues, you’ll like this one. I may be an old softie, but I thought the closing sequence was very sweet.

Secret Six #10, Simone, Scott, Hazlewood. After the last couple issues of one-shots, we’re back to a longer arc. Simone reminds us that these folks are bad guys, even with their redeeming qualities, by having them accept a job from some very bad guys. Beneath this rollicking adventure series is a very interesting look at good and evil, with very sympathetic but flawed characters asking hard questions. And it’s a smart, rollicking adventure. With art perfectly tuned to the story, and to communicating the characters internals. If you can stomach super-stuff at all, this should be on your reading list.

Capsules for The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, The Audacity of Hope, and The Kite Runner are up on Bell, Book, and Candle.

My capsule review of William Shatner’s autobiography, Up Till Now, is up on Bell, Book, and Candle.

Seaguy: Slaves of Mickey Eye #2, Morrison & Stewart. Seaguy continues its reign of oddness, but this issue ends on a hopeful note – unlike any of the others. I continue to like the magical world Morrison & Stewart have created, even with its tone of melancholy and conspiracy. I fully expect to have my spirit crushed along with Seaguy’s next issue, but if so, it will have been intentionally crushed by some good writing and Stewart’s clean beautifully laid out art.

Secret Six #9, Simone, Scott, Hazlewood. Another enjoyable genre tour de force. There’s all the fun of having Blake, Bane, and Ragdoll working a simple mission together, along with more exploration of the series’s subtext of the differences between heroes and villains. Simone’s dialog is funny and also manages to tell us a lot about these characters and expand on the theme all at once. The plot conceit that this is hung on is the idea that Batman’s dead and that someone will be replacing him – perhaps even Catman or Bane. As obvious as it is on the surface that these two aren’t heroes, Simone actually does a few really nice things with the idea. First, at no point does anyone deliver the speech about why these guys aren’t qualified; she shows us conclusively that it’s not the case, but no one preaches at us. She also makes it clear why they want to be Batman without beating us over the head. Finally, she shows us very specifically and very clearly not only why these guys won’t be heroes today, but why they won’t be heroes any time soon despite their earnest desires to play that role. None of this is done in the preachy “Very Special Episode” kind of writing that plagues these sorts of things.

All that and Ragdoll making every phrase sound perverted and some serious Nightwing beefcake. Something for everyone.

My capsule review of Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s Death by Black Hole is up on Bell, Book, and Candle.

My review of The Ghost Map is up on Bell, Book, and Candle.

Not many this week, and they’re really from last week, but here we go.

Captain America #49, Brubaker, Ross, Magyar, D’Armata. We spend an issue with Sharon Carter tracking the aftermath of her difficult time with the Red Skull and company. It’s good to see the fallout of living in the Marvel Universe, and Brubaker handles it well – except maybe the contrived trigger that jogs her memory. A few hints at the future seem to be littered about this issue as well. Next issue seems to be another big look at Bucky and his new responsibilities. I hope that’s not the case.

Incognito #3, Brubaker and Phillips. Unlike Captain America, which seems to be slowing down from it’s zippier start, Incognito keeps things moving at a breakneck speed. Characters come and go, as Zack’s situation goes from bad to worse with predictable rapidity. While the plot’s fun to watch, it’s really the well executed noir tropes overlaid on the super-hero world that are the reward here. Good fun. I wandered over to Criminal and enjoyed that as well.

Seaguy: Slaves of Mickey Eye #1, Morrison and Stewart. I think Seaguy is genuinely good comics that takes aim at the current storytelling tics with a dead-on satire that exaggerates their failings well beyond the threshold of human hearing. Unfortunately when the failings include a hopeless tone and stagnation it’s hard to read. The hopelessness clings to every panel of Morrison and Stewart’s genuinely wonder-filled world creating a grueling congnitive dissonance. I think it’s well worth the time, but I can understand not reading it.

My review of George R. Stewart’s Names on the Land is up on Bell, Book, and Candle.

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