Wednesday Number Ones is a weekly feature here at Comic Pants. We take the books that are premiering a first issue from that week and give a quick opinion on them. From time to time we may also include more than issue number ones in this feature. If a noteworthy one-shot or the first issue of a new story arc is released, we may talk about it in this feature.This week, we will cover Aliens #1, Batman In Barcelona Dragons Knight One Shot, Cursed Pirate Girl #1, Dark Reign Hood #1, Final Crisis Aftermath Ink #1, Last Days Of Animal Man #1, Rapture #1 and Starcraft #1.
Nick Budd Read and Thought:
Aliens #1 of 4Writer: John Arcudi
Artist: Zach Howard
Company: Dark Horse Comics
Even better than I could have hoped for. John Arcudi, co-writer of B.P.R.D. and the writer of a cornucopia of previous Aliens stories, puts together a coherent, claustrophobic and character driven story that perfectly translates the ideas of Ridley Scott to comic book page. Still, that in no way means that Arcudi doesn't throw a few curve balls here and there to keep you on your toes, this time adding in an almost religious/zealotry like angle to the story of a group of scientists exploring a major find on a previously unknown planet. Howard's art is pitch perfect for the sinister aspects of the story too, nailing the light and shadow effects while also illustrating harsh action. Oh and did I forget to mention his kick ass renditions of the Aliens themselves? Believe me, casual and die hard Aliens fans alike should take note of this series. It's stupendously cool.
Batman in Barcelona Dragons KnightWriter: Mark Waid
Artist: Diego Olmos
Company: DC Comics
A rare one shot that pits Bruce Wayne versus Waylon Jones, aka Killer Croc. What's cool about this Mark Waid penned one shot though is the framing device and the locale it's set in. Taking Batman outside of Gotham is something that always peaks my interest, but steeping it in the culture and centering it around the myth of St. George and the Dragon make it that much more creative. But that's Waid for you, always with the details and the small things that tie the book together. The art, provided by Olmos (who worked on Supernatural Rising Sons) is very swanky looking. He indeed captures the feel of Barcelona and capably renders the action of the story with ease and skill. All in all, this is one of those one shots that has all of the right ingredients that make it a must read.
Cursed Pirate Girl #1 of 3Writer/Artist: Jeremy Bastian
Company: Olympian Publishing
I remember reading the solicit for this title a few months back and thinking that if done right, this could be the new Polly and the Pirates or Mouse Guard. And truthfully, Bastian comes very close. There's humor abounds in this tale of a young girl (the Governor's daughter) befriending a would be Cursed Pirate Girl. So much so that it does indeed remind me of Ted Naifeh's work. Still, Bastian's cleverness and adept story telling doesn't end with the words of this little adventure. No, his skill as an artist is astounding. Each page is like an adventure in its own right and as your eyes take in the almost Shel Silverstein-like style of his art, new layers are revealed one after the other in an almost endless sea of awesome. Give this one a shot, especially if you're in the mood for a little light hearted adventure.
Dark Reign Hood #1Writer: Jeff Parker
Artist: Kyle Hotz
Company: Marvel Comics
AHHH....Mind Hurts...Pulling in two directions. Must not think too hard! Okay, okay. Really, I don't enjoy what Marvel has done with the Hood lately. They've taken that novel notion of a down on his luck scumbag that you could feel for that BKV created and turned him into the new King of Crime. It just doesn't feel right. Still, when you put a book out written by the always talented Jeff Parker and the original artist behind the series, you've got my attention. And really, Parker does a good job with what he's handed here. He gets the character and shows both of his sides quite well while throwing in call backs to the original series several times. All of this is well and good, but the initial speedbump of this different and Dormammu charged character prevents the possibility of ultimate enjoyment.
Final Crisis Aftermath: Ink #1Writer: Eric Wallace
Artist: Fabrizio Fiorentino
Company: DC Comics
Fabrizio Fiorentino's art is the real showpiece of this one. There's a real slickness to it and he gives each character a uniqueness that differentiates them from everyone else. He also gives the Tattooed Man's powers some oomph and an eye popping quality that they previously haven't had. That said, despite how good the art is, Wallace's story about a villain seeking redemption and his newfound status as a hero after Final Crisis tends to stray into the slightly boring side of things. Seeing the character interact with people if all fine and good, but there's nothing here besides a generic who done it plot when someone else, using tattoo based powers, starts to kill people, to capture and keep people's attention.
Last Days of Animal Man #1 of 6Writer: Gerry Conway
Artist: Chris Batista
Company: DC Comics
This is another one of those stories that fall into the okay but kind of boring classification. Conway, best known for co-creating characters like Firestorm and Punisher (also for a hefty run on Amazing Spider-Man), delves into the future life of Buddy Baker and asks the question of What If Animal Man Lost his Powers? Okay, that's not the actual title, but it's a fair call. The pros for the book are that Conway really does get the character and portrays him in a very real way. The back and forth conversations between Animal Man and his wife are especially indicative of that. Batista's art is another thing that goes in the plus column. He's able to capture that sort of iconic feel to superheroes and channel it with a bit of fluid photorealism. Despite the books many advantages though, the main thoroughfare of the story just feels like a plot point that we've seen countless times before. I do hope there's more to it with subsequent issues, but right now it's kind of forgettable.
Rapture #1Writers: Michael Oeming & Taki Soma
Artist: Michael Oeming
Company: Dark Horse Comics
Normally, and not to sound too mean, but Oeming's work holds no interest for me whatsoever. The plots to his books carry a feeling of being uneven and occasionally, simply bad. Still, you never know what people will come up with. They can surprise you. I'd call Rapture a surprise. There are a few hiccups in the first few pages of this story that tells of how people survive after the heroes and villains of the world move on or disappear, mainly during the back and forth between the two main characters. Their dialogue feels a tad too cheesy than it needs to and the love between them feels a bit overdone. Still, the concept for the story is sound, there are some great moments to enjoy and Oeming's art looks a bit different from his usual Powers fair. Overall, I'd call this one worthy of a look. It's much better than I thought it would be.
Starcraft #1Writers: Keith Giffen & Simon Furman
Artist: Federico Dallocchio
Company: Wildstorm
I have a love for most anything that Keith Giffen and Simon Furman attatch themselves too. They both have an overabundance of talent and know just how to use it. That said, I felt a bit lost with this one. Maybe that's because I had no knowledge of the Starcraft Universe, but the story sort of drops you into the middle of things and lets you go. It's a tad too exclusive, would be how I would describe it. Still, there are some clever action scenes and some of the characters are defined and expanded on, which is nice. Still, I doubt many people other than pre-established fans are going to seek this one out.
2 comments:
Aliens took a weird turn I was *not* expecting. Really looking forward to more. I just wish they'd been a bit more secretive with revealing the aliens. Not that we're not already familiar with them, of course, but at least some element of mystery on that front would have been effective.
A mild disagreement on Rapture. I found it to be a mess. Superhero apocalypse, trite love-on-the-rocks slop, cannibals, and a Spectre analog offering our heroine her standard Joseph Campbell deny-then-accept call to adventure. I'm sure Oeming has a plan, but wow, I hope something in this book gels next issue.
I'm surprised you didn't recognize Short Halloween, the Spidey one-shot by SNL's Meyers and Hader with fantastic art by Kevin Maguire. The writers got Peter's voice just right, the humor was near-perfect (well, duh), and Maguire's art was less goofy than I remember; he's become a damn good storyteller.
My two cents. Peace.
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