COMICS: Dave's Other Rant: NHS,Cerebus.Mage,StormWatch
Dave Van Domelen
Dave's Other Rant:
Ninja High School #62 "Family Affair"
Cerebus #230 "Catching Up"
Mage v2 #7 "Hat Trick"
StormWatch v2 #6 "Dawn"
I was tempted to just do Capsules on all of these, but I decided there
was at least one spoiler-related thing I wanted to say about all of them.
These won't be full reviews, tho, sorry.
NHS: Don't really have much to say about the lead story except that it
might get Antarctic some nasty letters from West Virginia and Arkansas.
In the backup, Jaka is revealed as the traitor who planted the bomb in
Asrial's quarters. Shyeah, right. Not to unduly impugn his abilities, but
if Jaka were trying to blow up Asrial's quarters, he'd probably end up
detonating his own shorts. Hopefully someone will come to his backhanded
defense with that point next time out...he's too incompetent to be the
traitor ("Why thank y...HEY!").
Cerebus: Jaka comes into the bar, having apparently been through life
experiences as significant as those Cerebus suffered through since they last
met. Neither is the same person they were during Jaka's Story (so sue me if
that phrase is ungrammatical), and oddly, both are a lot more mellow.
Cerebus actually *relaxes* around Jaka, which says more about his growth than
anything else to happen in the last 30 issues. Last time Cerebus was at ease
around her...was the first time they met. Oh, there's still a Damoclean
sword over Cerebus's head...it's still "Rick's Story," and he might return.
Plus there's the issue of when/whether Cerebus will tell Jaka that Rick was
just at the bar...considering all the other things he did tell her, he
doesn't seem to have any reason to not tell her. But, of course, that's the
problem: it's not a reasoning issue. It's an unreasoning, emotional,
fear-based one.
Oh, nice back-cover plug for Lethargic Lad, albeit for the wrong
publisher.
Mage "Infirm of Purpose": I like Wally Ut's magic hat. Not only does it
change from panel to panel, it also seems to block the Bad Guy's scanning,
since while Kevin is carrying it, the power conduit is blocked.
That's all. Well, and Athena's a babe. But that's not really a
spoiler. }->
StormWatch "A Finer World Part 3 of 3": I rather liked how Jackson used
tactics and brains to bring in the rogues, not a big fight scene. But the
one thing I really wanna comment on is the fourth page from the end (gah, no
page numbers). When Apollo hugs Christine and Midnighter seems to be
crying. Is it just cathartic release of stress that the mission is over? Or
was there something (probably one-way and kept quiet) between him and Apollo?
Since the characters are being put on a bus, we may never know.
Dave Van Domelen, "I know what you're thinking. I'm in a barracks full
of soldiers alone. You all have guns and grenades. You're smug in the
knowledge that I'm doomed. I'm going to enjoy crippling you all." - The
Midnighter, doing his best Wolverine-vs-the-Hellfire-Club-goon