What I Bought 4/11/2012 - Part 1

Explain this. A package from home can reach me in two days. A package from the comic store, which needs to travel a third the distance, took five (not counting Sunday). Does the weekend really mess things up that badly? Anyway, there aren't any comics from this week, just from the previous four. Which still only adds up to 9 books. Sigh.

Angel & Faith #8, by Christos Gage (Script), Rebekah Isaacs (Art), Dan Jackson (Colors), Richard Starkings and Jimmy Betancourt (Letters) - Does it seem like Faith is supposed to be holding something in her right hand on that cover? Just the way the hand is positioned, and how Morris didn't draw it as appearing tightly clenched, makes me think maybe there should be a knife or stake.

This issue teaches us to never listen to Angel when it comes to family. He told Faith to give her dad a second chance, and yeah, that was a bad idea. Good news: Faith's dad does not appear to be in league with Whistler, Pearl, or Nash. Bad news: He came to see Faith because he owes a mobster money. When it becomes apparent "Handsome Jimmy" intends to bleed Mr. Lehane's new income source dry, he expects Faith to kill Jimmy. His exact logic seems to be, "Hey, you killed people before, why shouldn't you kill for me?"

This guy is a worse father than Magneto. Ha, you thought I was going to take a potshot at Cyclops or Batman, but I didn't. Because I thought of Magneto first, but still.

In defending her father from, ugh, Handsome Jimmy, Faith kinda, sorta, maims the idiot. It was an instinctual thing, not intentional, but neither was the deputy mayor's death. Her father exacerbates things by being a condescending, manipulative piece of trash, and Faith goes running off - to Drusilla. I can safely say I very badly want the next issue in my hands right now. So mission accomplished on the front, creative team! I'm surprised Gage wrapped up the subplot with her dad that quickly. It's possible it isn't finished, but frankly, I'm more worried about that black cat that was sitting on the fence when Angel shoved Mr. Lehane out the door. It was watching them, you know, and cats are evil.

As for the art, Isaacs does a great job on Faith and her father's expressions, his especially. She gives him this smile that's just so disgusting. It perfectly captures just how hateful the words he's saying to his own daughter really are, and that he knows this. I haven't really discussed the coloring much, though I'm considering looking at when backgrounds fade to a simple wash of color, and if there's a pattern to it. Beyond that, I like how Dan Jackson seems to know how to use most of the series being a night to make it moody, but not so murky you can't tell what's happening. Everything's visible, but there's still some sense of atmosphere.

Atomic Robo Real Science Adventures #1, by Brian Clevinger (Words), Ryan Cody, Yuko Oda, Chris Houghton, John Broglia, Joshua Ross (Art, it's an anthology book), Matt Speroni (Colors), Jeff Powell (Letters) - I like the fading/staining around the edges, like a real old-time adventure mag. Plus, 'but you will believe a robot can punch!' is a great line.

So it's an anthology series. Always a bit of a gamble, but it's Atomic Robo so the odds are better than most. I do question having two stories (To Kill a Sparrow, Leaping Metal Dragon) that are going to stretch across six issues. Perhaps just devote one full issue to each? Just a thought. "To Kill A Sparrow" puts Sparrow 'the most dangerous Allied commando" together with Virginia Hall 'the most dangerous Allied spy' to kill Nazis. "The Revenge of Dr. Dinosaur" is exactly what the title says, and quite a shift in tone from the Sparrow story. "City of Skulls" is more of a sad tale of how the past can hang on longer than we think (sort of). "Leaping Metal Dragon" is Robo meeting Bruce Lee.

I want to give major credit to Matt Speroni, the colorist. Every story has a different tone, and probably purpose (hard to say with the multi-part ones), and he has a different way of doing things for each one. "To Kill A Sparrow" is flooded with blacks and shadows, the other colors seemingly washed out. "Revenge of Dr. Dinosaur" goes much brighter, with mostly great contrast, but a few places where the colors are almost smeared, in a way that helps them blend smoothly. "Leaping Metal Dragon" has this effect, like old newsprint, or maybe pointillism. Lots of tiny dots all over the art. It's a really impressive bit of work.

If I had to pick a favorite, it's Dr. Dinosaur, since I keep laughing at the ending every time. Sparrow or Leaping Metal Dragon could end up being better, but it's so early it's hard to tell.

Rocketeer Adventures 2 #1, by Marc Guggenheim (story), Sandy Plunkett (art), Jeromy Cox (colors), Robbie Robbins (letters); Peter David (story), Bill Sienkiewicz (art and letters); Stan Sakai (story, art, letters), Dave Stewart (colors) - Criminey, why did I have to decide to add full credits on the day I review two anthology books?

First story, Cliff crashes on a farm, after being chased by two biplanes. Who would be after the rocket in 1939 that's still relying on biplanes to do it? Yeah, all the world powers still had biplanes in the air corps at that time, but they also all had much better planes available. So Cliff crashes and most of the locals - having nothing better to do - arrive and debate what he is. Having determined he's a vigilante, the preacher says they turn him over to state police. What is it about stuffy preachers hating fun loving outsiders? This is Footloose all over again. Don't impinge on a man's right to get down with his funky self by strapping a rocket to his back, religious authorities! Anyway, a young boy Cliff saved convinces them to let Cliff go by sending them into the corn, I mean, with a heartwarming speech about not treating good guys like bad guys. Then Cliff flies off as Death lurks in a cloud and promises to get him next time, Gadget.

Moving on, David and Sienkiewicz give us the Rocketeer through the prism of a Daffy Duck cartoon. Which is funny enough to work as a short. I'm guessing the way Sienkiewicz spelled his name on the page ("Sinkevitch") is how it's pronounced? I suppose the real fun is watching how Sienkiewicz plays around with the panel borders, sound effects, and character movement to make everything flow. It's incredible.

The last story involves Cliff being shot down over a farm (again? I know the country was more rural in the 1930s, but Cliff sure seems to crash over farms a lot) This time, by an angry fellow named Lex who wants to take the rocket apart to see how it works, then build a better one. Cliff's saved by a small boy with a stick who just wants to fly. So Cliff takes him for a ride, and the boy (dressed in red and blue) greets his parents by rushing out the front door with a cape shouting, "I Flew!" I especially like his mother's reaction, question mark overlaid with an exclamation point. Nice effect.

That was a pretty good first third of the books. Will tomorrow's selection receive as favorable a review? *Looks at next three books* Hmm, probably not.