What I Bought 6/20/07

By the Great Comic Spirit, whose policy of double-bagging keeps all his comics in mint condition, I got four comics this week to review for you! Isn't that awesome?

Amazing Spider-Man #541 - It should be so easy to give up on this "Angry Spider-Man" comic, even easier considering I'm gonna have to drop it in a few months, since I can't afford three issues of it in a month, and yet, it's so hard. And that's so sad.

This issue can be summed up pretty simply: Spider-Man threatens people, Peter and MJ try to speed up Aunt May's recovery, and the Kingpin prepares for an inevitable confrontation. I wonder though, how much JMS wants to write Angry Spidey. Some of the scenes are just so, odd somehow, it feels like JMS is trying too hard. Scenes where Peter removes webbing from a guy's face , but he doesn't 'do it gently'. Scenes where Peter basically threatens the same guy with being eaten alive by sewer rats, while giving us a lesson on the food chain.

Personally, I think Garney's artwork does a better job of conveying the darkness. There's a moment after the rat scene, where Pete is in May's hospital room, sitting by her side, holding her hand. The left half of his face is hidden, both eyes are in shadow, and he looks like he's scowling. Even in a moment when he should be sad at what's happened to this person he cares about, he's enraged. It's consuming everything else.

I do want to give JMS some credit though, he's arranged things so the Kingpin might credibly be able to survive more than five seconds against an enraged Spider-Man, who should normally be able to punch his head off (No, I don't want to hear about the Kingpin having a cane full of weapons, or being solid muscle. Spidey dodges bullets and lifts buses. He wins). It shouldn't last much longer (even though I'm sure it will), but there's at least a few ready-made explanantions for when it does. Still, not a particularly good issue or anything, so 2.7 out of 5.

Annihilation: Conquest Prologue - This mini-series is gonna have to fight a pretty serious battle to overcome my expectations. I know I shouldn't expect it to kick as much (or more) ass as Annihilation, but I'm really hoping it will. As for how this issue does? Well . . .

It follows much the same format as Annihilation: Prologue from last year, taking us through what's going on in currently where the story will take place, and showing us the initial assault by this year's big problem. Just like with Annihilation: Prologue, the apparent big threat is revealed on the last page, but I'm not quite as enamored of this one. I mean, I guess it could be interesting, but it's a problem from '90s X-Men comics, so I think my expectations just got lowered.

That being said, I do find Phyla and Moondragon to be an interesting pair. Phyla's the impatient, impulsive one, looking to make a big difference real fast, while Moondragon's much calmer, more deliberate, understands that sometimes it's important to make small differences. I'm thinking it's going to be fun to see Phyla grow more accustomed to using the Quantum bands, as she tries to assume the role of Quasar. I also think it's nice that Abnett and Lanning have her showing respect for her predecessor; it helps to avoid that "He was a lame-o, and we killed him off for this cooler, more extreme version" feel.

What else to say? I know I've seen this general plot before, probably in a Star Trek episode or some sci-fi movie, so I'm not sure how enamored I am with it overall. Still, I'm interested to see what the various writers do, and if the mini-series follow last year's pattern of focusing on the characters and how they develop. 3.0 out of 5.

Shadowpact #14 - Since he starts off the issue being confronted by an angel planning to kill him, it is perhaps understandable that Blue Devil spends the remainder of the issue trying to take steps to reduce his effectiveness as a pawn of hell, to improve his odds of not dying. But still, we're going to see an attorney getting involved now? I think Willingham is just jerking our chains at this point.

In other news, Dr. Gotham causes trouble to draw out the Shadowpact so he can kill them. Personally, I think his pony tail is much too long, and it should absolutely play a role in his inevitable defeat that will come some time in the next few months. It probably won't, but it ought to. Also, I don't know if it means anything, but the line work on Ragman seems a lot heavier than on the other characters. It makes him look darker, sketchier, somehow. Maybe it represents the darkness of all the evil souls caught in the rags, I don't know, it's just something I noticed. 2.5 out of 5.

Ultimate Spider-Man #110 - I tell you, Kingpin needs to hire smarter goons. He tells them to shoot Moon Knight/Ronin in the head, I think they shot him in the neck. Sigh, it can't be that hard to find good help, can it? Also, Moon Knight's mind is still really creepy and weird. Especially that little red-haired girl.

Then we get a flashback with Iron Fist revaling to Kingpin how the "Ultimate Knights" fell apart, only to then reveal that - surprise! - maybe they didn't fall apart so much after all. And we learn that Ultimate Daredevil is a scary dude. I guess it's part of that "the Ultimate Universe is your favorite characters without restrictions" thing, but without going to the extent of how Millar's Ultimates were pretty much reprehensible characters.

Bagley's contrasting of the look of horror and fear on Wilson's face, with the teeth-gritting anger on DD's face was a nice touch. Right after that we get two panels: one of Fisk with his head tilted down, chin on chest, but eyes looking straight ahead, at something on roughly their same level. It does a nice job of making him look smaller and inferior, even though he towers above Daredevil. It also gives him a hint of a scared child, trying to be sorry enough to avoid a grounding.

Anyway, things look pretty hairy there for a second, but Ultimate Spidey makes a rousing speech that gets Daredevil on a slightly more even keel, and they give Fisk an ultimatum that just so happens to conveniently dovetail with a decision Moon Knight makes to put Kingpin in an unpleasant situation.

I like what Bendis has done with Peter in these post-Clone Saga issues. He's still a kid, but one that's more grown-up. He can be proactive, he doesn't get intimidated as easily, and he's had experiences that enable him to relate to other's fear and suffering, and connect with them. Still, that last page didn't make much sense. I get why Peter looks so sad, but I can't figure why Bendis wanted to end the arc on that note. I think it would have been better to end it with something happier, like Peter in the hospital giving Aunt May a big "I love you" hug or something. So, deductions for that. 4.2 out of 5.