What I Bought 8/27/08

In pull-related news, Diamond (or the shipping companies) aren't on the ball because Ken didn't get his reorders of Punisher, Moon Knight, or the Layla Miller one-shot. So maybe next week. But this is this week, so let's worry about that for now.

Immortal Iron Fist #18 - I dig that cover. I don't know that blood smear on the wall is necessary, but it does make a nice contrast. Plus the gap where his tattoo normally is, suggests Danny as an empty husk, that he housed something greater, but it's outgrown him and moved on.

As to the issue, Danny has survived his first fight with his predator, but this servant of Ch'i-Lin knows how to draw Danny out again. Honestly, I'd like to think a fellow like this could play by some sort of rules beyond simply "find Iron Fist, kill Iron Fist", but I guess not. I am surprised at how Danny escaped. I thought that particular advantage wouldn't come into play until the final battle, much the same way Spidey's irradiated blood didn't come into play against Morlun until the very end of their big showdown (ignoring their fights in The Other, because that's really for the best, don't you think?). So I'm genuinely curious what Danny's solution to the issue will be.

One thing I noticed about Travel Foreman's art is he seems to prefer long panels, to tall ones. To the point that when he does one slightly diagonal (as when Danny reacts to getting headbutted on page 6), it stood out. I'm not sure about the odd red-and-orange background in that panel either. Reminds me vaguely of some of those Kirby "I'm so imbued with energy I'm a dark outline with eyes and surrounded by crackles!" panels I've seen in some of my dad's comics. It's an impressive hit, but Danny takes some more of those and Foreman doesn't repeat the technique. Also, later in the issue, he seems to go with a style of giving us an image, usually a person, set in front of a blank background. I suppose it's meant for emphasis on the image, because he does some decent backgrounds, but it seems a bit like a waste of page space. Still, his artwork is working mostly well for me.

Nova #16 - I like the idea of the cover, but I'd like it more in practice if Alves had drwan it. It feels shiny, but lifeless. I'm not feeling Nova's punch striking against the Super-Skrull's force field. Anyway, Rich responds to a distress call, and gets ambushed. To the Skrull loonies' credit, they sent 5 Super-Skrulls after Nova, so at least I can't say they underestimated him. Rich is having a little trouble with the Worldmind being gone, because he has to tell his suit what he wants, instead of having a brilliant computer to recognize what he needs instantly. Fortunately, one of the Super-Skrulls is the real deal, accept no substitutes, "I blowed up the Harvester of Sorrows in Annihilation real good", Super-Skrull, and he's got Rich's back. Or does he?

Yeah, I'm pretty sure he does. I could be wrong, but Kl'rt's move smells like one of those, "get your numerous foes to drop their guards" strategies, and he's certainly sneaky enough to try it. I like that with Worldmind out of commission, Abnett and Lanning gave Rich someone else to banter with. Super-Skrull doesn't have Worldmind's dry sense of humor, but he does have a different perspective from Rich, so when he starts giving exposition on Secret Invasion, he doesn't emphasize the same things Rich might consider most vital. Alves doesn't get to draw any creepy stuff this month, which is kind of a bummer, but he still does a good job diagramming that sweet destruction of those filthy Skrulls. Except for Super-Skrull, of course. And, ALves draws some adorable scared kitty-people, too!

Oh, and in a somewhat encouraging sign of people being on the same page, Kl'rt's reason for heading for Earth is the same one demonstrated in She-Hulk this week. The writers are communicating with each other! Outstanding!