Go Robo Comic Pulse! June 20th 2012 Edition

I’ve recently decided to cut back on the number of comics I buy ever month so I’m seeing what I REALLY like and dropping the stories I’m either buying out of habit or waiting to turn good.  So, goodbye Batman Beyond, Batwoman, Aquaman and Spaceman.  You were all good in your own way, but just not good enough for my to keep paying for your stories.  That’s $13 saved right there every month.  I can’t really see myself dropping the following titles although you never know when a book might start sucking at the drop of a hat.

Saga#4

Written by Brian K. Vaughan. Art by Fiona Staples. Lettered and Designed by Fonografiks. Edited by Eric Stephenson

Rated: Optimal

If i didn’t love Saga before this issue, I certainly did after I opened up the comic and saw two giant sexy lady heads with legs on the very first page.  It was another unexpected moment in a series that has gleefully toyed with audience expectations since the start.  But underneath the humor and oddity of the opening pages was a much nastier, uncomfortable truth about what constitutes “love”. Everyone seemed to be keeping secrets in Saga #4, which had the heart, the humor, the tragedy and the excitement that has come to be expected of the series.   It was also kind of a cool down issue where the main characters took a bit of a breather before the action ramped up again: Alana and Marko rested before continuing on to the Rocketship Forest, while The Will took a holiday from hunting on the aptly named planet Sextillion.  It gave the creative team an opportunity to shade in the characters a little bit more by pulling the curtain back on Marko and The Will’s background, making them a little more human.  Once again Fiona Staples provided excellent art, as her soft style and subtle facial expressions enhanced everything about Brian K. Vaughn’s story. I mean, the moment where The Will sees the darker side of Sextillion is heartbreaking, and a lot of that had to do with Staples’ amazing work on that sequence.  The issue ended on a big @&$) yeah! moment that i cant wait to see continued next month. The time to rest is over.  Now it’s time to fight.

Supergirl #10

Written by Michael Green and Mike Johnson. Illustrated by Mahmud Asrar. Colored by Dave McCaig. Lettered by Rob Leigh.  Cover by Asrar and McCaig.  Edited by Will Moss

Rated: Functional

One of the real good things about this Supergirl series is that the writing team knows to write to he strengths of the artist.  A good chunk of issue ten consists of The Maid of Might fighting a giant Kryptonian Flamedragon inside the mind of the black banshee, and Mahmud Asrar killed it as usual with big splashes of action and adventure.   It’s cool to see Kara mope about her place in the world, but sometimes you just want to see her kick ass. “Rescuer” closed out The Silver Banshee arc with the two super ladies fighting World’s Worst Dad 2012 Nominee The Black Banshee.  The comic was light on plot as usual but Asrar’s action packed art made things entertaining.  It also looks like there’s going to be more of a supporting cast going forward, so hopefully that will lead to some solid storylines.  And if not, oh well.

Wonder Woman #10

Written by Brian Azzarello.  Illustrated by Kano and Tony Atkins. Inked by Dan Green and Kano. Colored by Matthew Wilson.  Lettered by Jared K. Fletcher. Cover by Cliff Chiang.  Edited by Chris Conroy and Matt Idelson

Rated: Functional

Diana Prince is both a lover and a fighter and those two sides were on full display here, in “Vows”, the end of her adventure in Hades.  Azzarello has shown that he knows how to write a fist pump moment for the amazing amazon throughout his run, and he got one in early on that gets the comic off to an exhilarating start.  From there things slowed down as the rest of the cast showed up to bring this chapter of Azzarello’s saga to an end.  Tony Atkins and Kano split art duties, and thanks to the strength of the coloring and their somewhat similar styles, the whole comic had a uniformly strong look throughout. I was a fan of Kano’s work on the Superman books back when i was younger, so it was cool to see him back in the DCU. it was all stylish, character driven stuff that was closed out nicely with a final moment that summed up Diana’s character pretty damn well.

Glory #27

Written by Joe Keatinge. Illustrated by Ross Campbell. Colored by Joseph Bergin III.  Lettered by Douglas E. Sherwood. Edited by Eric Stephenson. Cover by Kris Anka

Rated: Functional

The war hats been hinted at since the beginning of the series relaunch has seemingly begun, but the real battle might not have even started yet. The action in Destroyer Part Two: Savage was brutal and graphic, as Joe Keatinge and Ross Campbell showed that there’s a serious sense of danger to the battles fought in this series. Anyone can die at anytime, and at least one cast member does just that.   It was a well realized moment artistically but the person was barely realized as a character so it didn’t really hit as hard as it could.  one of the things I’ve really liked about Keatinge and Campbell’s run is how they’ve breathlessly moved from plot point to plot point so far in their five issues. Everything moves really fast but like Supergirl there’s a greater emphasis on action that makes the comic feel a little thin plot wise.  Still, there was at least one interesting moment that continued to show how Glory has influenced those around her for better or worse.  Considering the creeping darkness inside her, maybe its the latter.

Adventure Time #5

Written by Ryan North, Paul Pope, and Chris & Georgia Roberson.  Illustrated by Mike Holmes, Paul Pope, and Lucy Knisley.  Colored by Studio Parlapa, Nolan Woodard & Zac Gorman and Lucky Knisley.  Lettered by Steve Wands, Edited by Shannon Watters and Adam Staffaroni.  Designed by Stephanie Gonzaga.  Cover by Elanor Davis

Rated: Optimal

I love how underneath all of the candy coated settings and cute looking Characters, there’s a real underlying creepiness to The Adventure Time universe.   Basically, everyone’s really messed up and it makes for some great comedy. The main chapter in Issue Five was a standalone tale focusing on Finn and Jake’s race to win a (literal) cupcake made by resident hand held game BMO.  While running, and eventually walking, they discover new parts of the Land of Ooo and a kid who looks strikingly familiar to the duo. The comic was typical Adventure Time: weird, funny and creepy all at the same time.  It also explored one of the tried and true comic concepts: the doppelganger.  Its always fun to see distorted versions of familiar characters and how the reflect back on the original versions, and this time was no exception. In the backup material, Finn and Jake broke the universe and Ice King had a bit of an emotional breakthrough until he didn’t.  If you love the cartoon, you’ll love the comic.  If not, what’s wrong with you?

Daredevil #14

Written by Mark Waid. Illustrated by Chris Samnee. Colored by Javier Rodriguez.  Lettered by VC.s Joe Caramagna, Cover by Paolo Rivera, Edited by Ellie Pyle and Stephen Wacker

Rated: Optimal

I wonder if Mark Waid loves to fuck with daredevil as much as i love reading about it.  For a character who relies a lot on swagger and arrogance, its kind of fun to see him knocked down a bit from time to time.  Sure hell always win in the end but not before he gets smacked around for awhile.  Murdock spent most of issue 14 playing from behind and away from home, running for his life against the military guard of Latverian dictator doctor doom.   Waid’s script was high on action and tension, with a ticking clock story structure as DD raced to make it home before it was too late.  Artist Chris Samnee is joining the book as the regular artist and he’s going to be a great addition to the team. His fight scenes had energy and power, his quieter moments had mood and melancholy. Samnee’s just a great draftsman overall, with a perfect balance of style and Storytelling skills.  May Waid and Samnee’s future issues together be as good as this one.