{REVIEW} PICK OF THE BROWN BAG: 4/29/98
Rayctate
Pick of the Brown Bag
a weekly review
by
Ray Tate
April 29, 1998
Welcome to the Pick of the Brown Bag. In this column, I pick
from my current batch, the most enjoyable and the most
disappointing comic books. E-mailed compliments and
criticism are welcome. You may also post your complaints
and kudos to rec.arts.comics.misc. Argument is encouraged.
Flamers will be indicted by the Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man.
Contenders
Avengers 5* Batgirl
Bone 32 Lois Lane*
Mist Modesty Blaise 13*
Simpsons 36* Spirit 2*
Tomorrow Woman Troy
X-Files 39* Young Justice*
DC takes advantage of the Xena phenomenon with their Girl
Frenzy week, but I'm crazy about few of the girls. "Batgirl"
replaces the elan of the animated model and the professionalism
of the DCU Darknight Damsel with hollow characterization by
Kelly Puckett. Rich Burchett and Jim Balent however make a
fantastic team.
The adventure portion teaming "Troy" with Captain Marvel and
Wonder Woman to pit them against the most vile villains of history
captures your attention with strong plotting and self-sacrificing
heroism, but this aspect fails to mesh with the superfluous narration.
James Robinson continues to disappoint. His Mary Marvel facing
the "Mist" struts with a pretentious vanity the character simply never
had. This trodding on legends technique is slowly becoming Mr.
Robinson's trademark and why "Starman" has been struck
from the Contenders.
I'm sorry to say that "Tomorrow Woman" by making the main
character question herself and giving her the opportunity to
recognize the evil in her electronic essence simply besmirches the
purity of her noble end in "JLA." I was hoping DC had the
technology to rebuild her not sully her name.
The real star of Girlfrenzy lacks super-powers or obsession--
although she may wear the fragrance. Karl Kesel with dangerous
curves courtesy of Amanda Conner and Jimmi Palmiotti headlines
LOIS LANE into a globe-trotting, investigative reporter one might
find in a lost sixties adventure show.
Turn the James Bond spoof splash page, and we discover very
revealing dialogue. Mr. Kesel's implication seems to be Lois
exudes a confidence befitting that of the Warriors Princess, and
Ms. Conner and Mr. Palmiotti support the draft with accompanying
body-language.
We next relish a sexy rewrite to the Man of Steel's and Woman of
Kleenex's relationship, but when Superman flies from view, page six
chills with a decidedly nasty mystery that employs as much scientific
fact and current events as well as speculation. Within the mystery,
insight into Lois' army-brat roots provides an action-packed finish.
Hmmmn, I wonder if Lesley Stahl ever had to do any of that.
Another original materializes among this week's Contenders. The
guys at my comic book shop often remark about the price of
"Modesty," but quite frankly, the five-ninety-five marker is worth
it. The magazine/comic book reprints the entire story, and I can
wager a fortune it will be better than anything in print today--not
that I make such comparisons; it wouldn't be cricket.
Peter O'Donnell doesn't create a plot then plop characters into
the situation. Like all great writers, Mr. O'Donnell evolves the
plot through an interaction of character. Plot is incidental to
storyshowing. The plot to "Idaho George" is extremely thin and
it allows Mr. O'Donnell to concentrate on writing dialogue and
action that makes his characters breathe. These breaths issue
quality.
To some degree, every character possesses intelligence, but
Modesty is the most cunning individual in Mr. O'Donnell's
universe, and artist Romero convinces you of that singular
intellect by designing a never matched uniqueness to Modesty's
extraordinary eyes.
Though stylish, Romero never forsakes realism. Wrinkles wrap
the characters' clothing. Breasts never inflate to the size of a
character's head. Waists never shrink to the width of a character's
wrist. The proportion alone can make even the most jaded comic
book buyer cry in delight. What's more though proportionate,
"Modesty Blaise" thrills with an equivalent if not better ratio of
dynamism to dialogue than other books, or any strip for that matter.
In this episode, Mr. O'Donnell impacts damage on Modesty and
complicates a great but believable escape. Likewise, thanks
to Mr. O'Donnell's meticulous detail, should you ever find yourself
in a similar situation, you'll be able to duplicate Modesty's feats of
stamina and acumen.
Willie Garvin becomes an object of unusual whimsy in "Modesty
Blaise," but those looking for Todd DeZago's Flashy amusement
will be disappointed, for YOUNG JUSTICE offers poignancy
amid a story with Legendary ties. Even Zany Bart reveals a
slightly deeper side in the premiere, and like Robin says "...so
let's not argue just to argue, okay?" The partners to DC's bigger
guns do their mentors and the concept of heroism proud.
Artwise, I finally see what Elayne harps on in her little column : ).
Todd Nauck can draw up a storm when teamed with a talented
inker like Lary Stucker. On the opening page, Robin's pose looks
very relaxed and natural. Superboy's subtle expression on page
two is priceless. The variation on muscle-tone is a nice touch.
Robin the trained fighter bears more sinew than Impulse who
seems more graceful--as one may expect--than either hero. In
addition, the team's emotional damburst from the secret guest
is really convincing and strikes a chord in your heart.
Jason Wright's colors must also be mentioned. The brilliance
of the light on page one creates bright fleshtones contrasted
with the muted night shades throughout the book. The
various skies with their oranges and purples nicely summarizes
the passage of time while creating an impressive aesthetic--
especially the lilac clouds on page sixteen. I'm seriously
considering boarding and bagging this one.
The usual poignancy and somber tone gurgles down the drain
in a black comedy called THE X-FILES--silly me, I've just been
calling it "X-Files." Writer John Rozum quickly lets you know
where his mind squelches by increasing the humorous Mulderisms
and Scullyisms amid an EC inspired mystery that nevertheless
stands on the solid ground of science. He even gets the part about
some algae belonging to the protista kingdom--not even recognized
in some inferior texts--correct.
Alex Sauvix and Rick Magyar continue to define themselves as
"X-Files" artists. They start the mystery with an intricate teaser,
and I swear I can hear Mark Frost's eerie incidental music while in
the mind's eye the theme song and opening plays. Perhaps because
of the tone, the creative team increase "the all-consuming shadows"
and stereotypic weather. In terms of character design they continue
to hone their Mulder--his face is a wee bit thinner than that guys--but
they make a precise effort for scale. Through planning or unconscious
experience, their Mulder towers over Scully. Now for most episodes,
this would simply be for accuracy, and their Scully almost perfectly
imitates the lovely Gillian Anderson, but there's another reason why
Scully is so short this episode. It heightens the comedic climax.
Bravo, gentlemen. A list of Mulderisms and Scullyisms can be found
after the Past Picks at the end of this column.
From the contrived means in which the Nerd Patrol reunite with
Homer, to the utterly meaningless gags for the sole sake of humor,
sometimes wonderfully tasteless, Ian Boothby scripts a superior
SIMPSONS effort while Erick Tran and Julius Pretite with reliable
Tim Bavington translate Mr. Boothby's laughs into the comedic
style of Matt Groening. The Morrisons; "Radioactive Man"
back up is twisted in so many delightful ways while the Simpson
profile and digitry on accurate heroic modeling disconcerts.
Cabled muscle and corded sinew rock the hero-filled pages in
George Perez's AVENGERS. Mr. Perez is one of the few
artists who can put in so much detail within a single panel while
still not giving you a migraine. His artwork has a style and soul
when compared to the inhuman, emotionless mechanics of manga.
Moreover, he even manages to wriggle some subtlety amid his
trade-mark open-mouthed expression, but I beseech you, Sir.
Remove those ugly, ugly, ugly veins from Thor's muscles.
Writer Kurt Busiek slowly unfolds his drama with some domestic
moments in the mansion and a Danger Room session that paves
the way for some tidy characterization between Warbird and
Captain America. This scene naturally segues to the usually
unflappable Iron Man and Scarlet Witch until the Avengers
assemble for a slug-fest that doesn't seem pedestrian but rather
nostalgic.
Three SPIRIT stories end this week's Pick of the Brown Bag.
First Neil Gaiman criticizes the lack of realism in today's movies
and argues that what the cinema really portrays is a heightened
sense of cynicism; I whole-heartedly agree. This is observation
is especially pertinent since Will Eisner always made the Spirit
realistic while still balanced that believability with a heroism
for which you can cheer.
Eddie Campbell is an artist that's not so much concerned with
line-art detail. He rather likes to create an impressionist effect,
and for this story, I found it to be quite pleasing.
A Crumb/Kurtzman devotee artist Dan Burr cross hatches an
energetic Spirit while adding just the right amount of cheesecake,
but writer Jim Vance counters bad, bad, bad, naughty fetishism
by detracting from the definition victim.
John Wagner rolls the dice on a Spirited romp that captures
Will Eisner's love for the character-study, and Carlos Ezquerra
chooses a very young Spirit with a nice sense of unexaggerated
proportion for the black comedy.
Past Picks Remains of April
Batman: LOTDK 107
Flash 138
JLA 19
LSH 105
Superman: MOS 80
Vampirella 6 (Harris)
Xena vs. Calisto 2 (Topps)
Disappointment
Wonder Woman 134 : (
Mulderisms and Scullyisms in "The X-Files" #39 Issued by Topps
"I'll get right on it, Ma'am."--officer
"I hate it when people call me 'Ma'am'."--Scully (pg. 2)
Setting: Morgue
"I was going to suggest this chicken place I saw on the
way over here for dinner. But I'm having second thoughts
about eating anything I have to dismember first."--Mulder (pg. 3)
"....Whatever it is, it's highly acidic. It started eating through
my gloves. Off-hand, I'd say its also responsible for Leon's
sudden weight loss."--Scully (pg. 3)
"This is going to sound weird, but I think I know why they
wanted it blocked."--Mulder
"You'd think by now, Mulder, that you'd realize you no longer
need to preface your theories that way."--Scully (pg. 5)
"What if that waste mixed in with the 'Globber'...."--Mulder
"...and what...spawned some carnivorous blob monster?
Should we call Steve McQueen for help?"--Scully
"No. He's dead, Scully...."--Mulder (pg. 6)
The Pick of the Brown Bag is Copyright 1998 Raymond Tate. You
may of course copy the POBB for your own amusement or to share
with your friends as it is intended as a public service. You may
quote from it if you find some of my ramblings accidentally praise
your comic book project. Plagiarists will face the Curse of Kharis!
All hail Kharis!
"I'm half-human, on my mother's side."--The eighth Doctor
Elayne Wechsler-Chaput
[Crossposted and followups set to racdu.]
Rayctate (rayc...@aol.com) wrote:
: DC takes advantage of the Xena phenomenon with their Girl
: Frenzy week, but I'm crazy about few of the girls. "Batgirl"
: replaces the elan of the animated model and the professionalism
: of the DCU Darknight Damsel with hollow characterization by
: Kelly Puckett. Rich Burchett and Jim Balent however make a
: fantastic team. ^^^^
Rick. And while I certainly think he inks Balent better than John
Stanisci, I didn't think they meshed all THAT well.
: The adventure portion teaming "Troy" with Captain Marvel and
: Wonder Woman... ^^^^^^
DONNA Troy. She has a first name. Also, the flashback sequence was from
when she was "Troia."
: The real star of Girlfrenzy lacks super-powers or obsession--
: although she may wear the fragrance. Karl Kesel
^^^^^^^^^
No. BARBARA Kesel. It's worth noting because this is the only one of the
female-character books written (and, for that matter, pencilled) by a
woman.
: Artwise, I finally see what Elayne harps on in her little column : ).
: Todd Nauck can draw up a storm when teamed with a talented
: inker like Lary Stucker.
Actually, the Nauck/Stucker team has gotten bad reviews from me in the
past; this is the first project on which they've worked that I actually
LIKE what I see. I thought they were very mismatched for the LEGENDS OF
THE LEGION books they did.
- Elayne
--
"The kiss originated when the first male reptile licked the first female
reptile, implying in a subtle, complimentary way that she was as succulent
as the small reptile he had for dinner the night before."
- F. Scott Fitzgerald