2.18.09 Reviews

Mysterius The Unfathomable #2 (DC/Wildstorm): This book shows some promise. For $2.99, Jeff Parker's script feels very dense with plenty of material to sink your teeth into. There are a smattering of funny lines, but almost too many manic ideas at play. On the continuum of inventive (on one end) to unfocused (on the polar opposite end), it leans a bit toward the latter. There are interesting bits on auctioneering and the antiquities, Wiccan wise cracks, something about summoning Odin, David Blane jabs, Bostonian pentacle crash pads, a book of worms and a homeless guy, and a magic orgy flashback, but I don't exactly have a clear idea of how they all connnect. It's really all over the place. Tom Fowler's art is fun and energetic, but leans a bit too close to pure caricature for my taste. That said, it's colored beautifully and Dave McCaig really deserves a nod for that. Were I in the financial position to be a more adventurous consumer, I'd probably ride this title out, but as is it's just not quite strong enough for me to continue to support. Grade B.

Uncanny X-Men #506 (Marvel): Like an 800 pound zookeeper trying to carry enough food to feed the lions, tiger, bears, sea otters, giraffes, rhinos, flamingos, meerkats, snakes, and lemurs - yes, don't forget the lemurs - I fear this title is starting to collapse under its own weight. It's beginning to feel pretty unwieldy as too many sub-plots are being shuffled around, slowly trickling forward but never really taking major advances forward or resolving. What happened to Magneto? What happened to the Red Queen? What happened to (insert plot thread of your choice)? There's stuff from the very first issue, and every issue since, that gets introduced and is never followed up on, while more just continues to be piled on. At the same time, it's like we're not getting enough time to dedicate to the ideas that are introduced and major plot points seem to be glossed over. How does Piotr know that the prostitutes/sex slaves were mutants? Was he just lying to Scott? Not sure, and if prior plot points are any indication, we'll never know, because some additional idea will be introduced and then abandoned next issue. Dodson's art leans a little too far toward T&A gratuity this issue, seems that every single shot of Emma needs to explicitly show her bra or her ass stuck out toward the reader. On top of that, follow Scott's visor throughout the issue and see it morph. Sometimes it looks normal, sometimes it looks big and bulbous as if he has a soda can strapped to his face, sometimes you can see two beady red eyes through the visor, sometimes the whole visor is filled in red, it's just inconsistent and stupid. Dr Nemesis has a mask on during the action sequence, yet wears no mask on the cover, despite the shots being of the same scene. Whatever-the-fuck-ever. The action feels flat and static. Is that supposed to be Fin Fang Foom? I don't know. We're 7 issues in now and I have no idea where this is going or if anything we've been exposed to will ever be resolved. Oh, and it's therapeutic, not "theraputic." If editors aren't going to edit, then c'mon, spell check at least. Grade B-.

Tiny Titans #13 (DC): This book is kinda' hard for me to review; I've just been buying these and stashing them away for my daughter, as I'm not exactly the target demographic. For $2.50, it certainly feels like you're getting your money's worth. There are multiple stories, games, and a huge cast of characters. Kudos to Editor Jann Jones (no relation to the Martian Manhunter) for really putting some drive into the kids line, nice to see house ads for Billy Batson & The Magic of Shazam (Mike Kunkel!) and Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade. Grade N/A.

I also didn't pick up;

Comic Foundry: Winter 2008 (Comic Foundry, LLC): I really wanted to pick up the last issue of this great Tim Leong and Laura Hudson helmed magazine. I thought it was great and was sad to see it go. For me, it occupied the perfect market space somewhere in between the (at times) haughty erudition of The Comics Journal and (all the time) dick n' fart fratboy humor of Wizard. But alas, my retarded LCS experience went something like this:

Me: Did you guys order Comic Foundry this week?
Sea Donkey: No, we didn't.

Me: Really? Did you not order it because it's the last issue?

Sea Donkey: Oh... it's the last issue?

Me: Jesus...

I mean, I guess I could understand if you didn't order it because it got cancelled and you figured nobody was going to buy it. Not what I would have done as a retailer, but I can sort of follow the logic. However, if you didn't know it was the last issue, then that can't be the reason you didn't order it. Which means you just decided abruptly for no reason to stop. Umm, I bought the last four issues from you, why would you mysteriously decide to stop on the random fifth issue? Solid retailing practices at their best!

Queen & Country: Definitive Edition: Volume 4 (Oni Press): Now, this wasn't on Diamond's New Releases list for the week, but the Oni web-site still lists the available date as 2/18. Their dates just never seem to be accurate or updated regularly. I have no idea when this is actually coming out. Annoying!