Review: Arkham Asylum- Madness

Welcome to Arkham Asylum, a home for both the Criminally Insane and the desperate and downtrodden fringe of society paid to house them. Where burned-out doctors walk the halls barring the Johnathan Cranes of the world to spread their own unique brands of madness. The walls have their own story to tell, however... Crafted deftly by the eccentric hand of writer/artist Sam Kieth, Arkham Asylum: Madness is an eerie 24-hour whirl through the famed haunted house of Batman lore.
Sam Kieth's artistic style, especially in his stellar Batman work, drew me to this book. But instead of the dark insanity that usually sprawls across the pages of a Keith-drawn Batman comic are replaced but a more fluid experimentation in the artist's technique. Still punctuated by trademark Joker close-ups we all come to expect from Sam, he has seen to evolve artistically. His characters are more clearly defined and the refinement really works. I particularly like his re imagining of Killer Croc. Aiding in his task is master colorist Dave Stewart, using his own deft touch to affect the book's tone. The story doesn't shed any new light on the psyche of this loony bin's inhabitants like Grant Morrison and Dave McKean's Arkham Asylum, Kieth instead focuses on how the house and its foreboding reputation play on the minds of its workers. The Joker doesn't help matters either as he unleashes a some new practical jokes on his caretakers.
Kieth's pacing and storytelling read like a great suspense filled horror movie rarely seen in the last ten years(at least). I've even mapped out this books creepy soundtrack in my head. Just think of the possibilities of using the Batman movie franchise on an idea of this magnitude: a horror movie set within the Batman universe, starring the Joker, with cameos from a long list of Batman's enemies, WITH NO BATMAN. I'll line up to see it twice. Will it ever happen? Doubtful. Perhaps as a sequel to an animated Arkham Asylum? Now I'm really nuts. But this book could pull it off, with a few small tweaks.
In name alone, AA:M will doubtlessly draw comparissons to the Morrison book of a similar name, they really have very little to do with each other. Same characters, new house, and a great read from the mind of my favorite Batman artist.

Amazing Spider-Man: More or Less Amazing Since Brand New Day?

The Fantastic Four may be the first family of Marvel. Iron Man may be it current cash cow. But make no mistake, Marvel's golden child has always been Spider-Man. Right behind Superman and Batman, heroes with much longer shelf lives, Spidey is probably most well known character in the pop-culture lexicon. So when Marvel began a dramatic shift in their main character's preeminent book, the comic book world took notice. Gone would be the object of Peter Parker's affections and constant source of odjita Mary Jane Parker. The storyline was called One More Day. The story read well in parts, but the entire angle pulling MJ out of Peter's world fell flat in a big way, Straczynski's low point on the book. But I'm not here to talk about One More Day. I'm here to discuss the Brand New Day that followed: Spidey hits the shelves like the plague, upping publication to a whopping 3 books a month. Parker awakens in what amounts to the '70's Spidey mythos with a few twists to keep it modern day. Harry Osborn, once deader than Uncle Ben, is reincarnated ("Harry's been in Europe") and owns his own coffee house. But most importantly, MJ is nowhere to be seen. She is only a ghost from Pete's past only mentioned in whispers. For this reason ASM has really taken off.
I don't want to come off sounding like a MJ hater here. I have nothing against the red-headed population, nor the super-models. But since the increasing of tensions between Tony Stark and Parker since pre-Civil War, every other panel of the book was dedicated to the emo whining concerning MJ or Aunt May's safety. Talk about dragging a book to a swift halt. Staczynski did what he could, but its impossible to write anything backed into such a creatively stifling corner. While I would have moved towards killing MJ, Marvel decided to take their lumps now and bring back Harry as well. This removes the later calls of bullshit when MJ mysteriously rises from the ranks of the temporary Marvel deceased.
Brand New Day also introduced the concept of the "Spidey Brain trust"- a number of the Marvel writing stable both collaborating on where the book was headed in a big picture sense while rotating the actual writing duties. The concept has given the book a fluidity that makes it read as if a single writer was diligently firing off scripts. The group introduced some interesting new villains and redesigning almost every main baddie from Spidey's history during "The Gauntlet."
While the writing has been sharp, the artwork has been schizophrenic. There has been some inspired work, particularly that of Chris Bachalo and John Romita, Jr. But the break neck pace of 3 books a month has left Marvel seemingly scrambling for artists to get the book out on time. This has left the talent level well below where a book of this stature should be as ASM motors toward number 650 likely early next year.
So the book has been markedly better since wiping Peter Parker's slate clean. The only real suggestion I would make is to absorb a few top name artists into the Spidey Brain trust and get them in a rotation to improve the book's artwork. It is a comic after all. I suppose I'll look back at this in a year or so when Marvel reunites the happy couple, only to watch sales decline as ASM once again writes itself into the corner. Mary Jane's a nice girl and all, she just ain't comic material.

Review: Moving Pictures

Unlike Rush's seminal album, this Moving Pictures leaves you wanting more. Moving Pictures is a WWII drama set in occupied France. The talented Immonens (Kathryn writing, Stuart artwork) document the real life struggle of Ila Gardener. Ila, a Canadian museum curator, sets forth on a dangerous task of hiding priceless works from the Nazi war machine. That is about as exciting as this true (and mind-numbingly boring) story really gets. Ila is a terrifically boring heroine with very little ways to impact the book. Along the way Ila meets the German officer Rolf Hauptmann, whom has been charged with cataloguing the museum in which Ila works. The two have a standoffish relationship that inexplicably leads them into an implausible romantic entanglement. The relationship costs the relative of a coworker her life.
This story was first published as a web comic, as can be seen in the pacing. Bad web comics have a choppy start-and-stop quality when read. Its much like a movie overusing the jump cut. Something just seemed a little off with how Moving Pictures reads. It leaves me wondering if it was better suited staying web-based for readability. Another of the curious choices the pairing made was their presentation of occupied France. I have never once seen a picture of France during the occupation that didn't have a swastika somewhere in the frame. While I admire a unique take on any story, the lack of Nazis in a WWII story set in Europe is like the Smurfs without Gargamell. This is also the first time I have been left disappointed in the usually fantastic artwork of Stuart Immonen. His Marvel work has a certain flair, a passion that translates onto the page and seems to come alive. His work on Moving Pictures, being a main drawing point to even reading the book, left me flat. The characters lacked diversity, which is further compounded by a lack of color that left me unable to tell certain characters apart. While I love b&w artwork as much as, if not more, than work in color, the lack of detail left me begging for a colorist's touch.
As a fan of the Immonens in the little I have sampled, this book seems like a good idea without the factual drama to make it a good story. As both a history buff and comic reader, I must recommend you move on past Moving Pictures.

My Top 10 Favorite Comic Book Writers, #'s 1-5

This is a list of my favorite comic book scribes. I've limited it to works completed since 1980 to the present day. The list will give brief descriptions of my favorite works by each writer.

5. Neil Gaiman
Neil is responsible for my favorite comic title to date, the Sandman. I can't say enough about the story of Morpheus and his kin, other than you must read it if you haven't had the chance. DC asked Neil to eulogize (or so we thought) Bruce Wayne, he did it with his trademark excellence. Gaiman also relaunched the long forgotten Eternals into the Marvel U, only to watch the monthly title flounder under poor writing and artwork. An earlier work like Black Orchid is a good read also.

4. Robert Kirkman
Mr. Kirkman is responsible for bringing me back to comic books after a very long hiatus. His Walking Dead has everything one could want in a great work of literature, set amongst a world infested with zombies. Invincible is rewriting the way to do a superhero monthly. Its witty, engaging and brutally violent (check this month's issue for a top 5 example). Even earlier works like Battle Pope bring an outrageous concept home with trademark Kirkman charm.

3. Mark Millar
I first became aware of Mark after reading Wanted. The book blew me away in both concept and execution. I haven't been disappointed by a thing he's done since. Civil War and Old Man Logan are two classic stories. The Ultimates and Ultimate X-Men run shaped the fantastic road the Ultimate Marvel Universe travelled for a decade. His new creator owned works- Kick Ass, War Heroes, Nemesis- are gutsy, medium-expanding, and most importantly fun.

2. Garth Ennis
Everything I've read from Garth Ennis is excellent. Preacher is amazing. He reinvigorated Frank Castle. Crossed gives a perverse and gloomy look at a world ravaged by plague. The Boys continues to kick the superhero comic in the nuts as only Garth can.

1. Brian Michael Bendis
Kind of an almost default pick by the amount of books I read from the man. I'll just skip the platitudes and give you some highlights by the writer of (almost) EVERY Marvel book that matters- Powers, his Daredevil run, Ultimate Spider-Man, Siege, Secret Invasion, New Avengers, Dark Avengers, Secret War

Honorable Mentions: Warren Ellis, Geoff Johns, Alan Moore, Jeff Lemire, Jhonen Vasquez, Eric Powell


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My Top 10 Favorite Comic Book Writers, #'s 6-10

This is a list of my favorite comic book scribes. I've limited it to works completed since 1980 to the present day. The list will give brief descriptions of my favorite works by each writer.

10. Mike Mignola
Mike writes Hellboy, one of my all time favorite titles. He draws upon myths and legends familiar, forgotten, and rarely told to shape his stories. His characters are engaging, making a book of primarily secondary players like BPRD as readable and fun as Hellboy's. Gotham By Gaslight was a creative slant on the Batman mythos.

9. Brian Wood
Brian's vast talent has produced a number of must-read titles over his relatively short career. Vertigo's DMZ and Northlanders are innovative and thought provoking, while titles like Local, Demo and the New York Four bring slices of life from twenty-somethings onto the comic page.

8. Brian K Vaughn
My list's second of three Brians, BKV has written a slew of critically acclaimed books I have not yet read, but I loved Y:The Last Man. My favorite work by BKV was Pride of Baghdad, chronicling the journey of four escaped lions during the first Gulf War. I am currently reading Ex Machina.

7. Matt Fraction
I first read Fraction on the Immortal Iron Fist, an epic run that really opened my eyes to a budding talent. He's completely changed my opinions on Iron Man. I once hated Mr. Stark, particularly after the Civil War, but Matt brought out the vulnerability and honor that I've never seen in Tony. He has reinvigorated an Uncanny X-Men title that had stagnated creatively. I recommend both Mantooth and Last of the Independents.

6. Grant Morrison
Simply put, Grant is the preeminent Batman writer. Starting with Arkham Asylum, to his more recent Batman story arcs and Batman and Robin, Grant brings a flair, poetry and just the right amount of madness to the Dark Knight. Morrison also brought myself and countless others back to New and Uncanny X-Men with his visionary relaunch. I also found We3 fantastic.

The Second Death Of Captain America

When Marvel announced plans for a series of origin films leading up to an Avengers live action movie, fandom went nuts. Iron Man had shown what good writing, directing, and perfect casting can produce. Robert Downey, Jr IS Tony Stark. Kenneth Brannagh was attached to write and direct Thor, a project easily in the prolific Mr. Brannagh's wheelhouse. Marvel's top dog was also getting a film, but details were sparse. Speculation swirled on the boards as to who would play the symbol of freedom and liberty. Brad Pitt? Leonardo DiCaprio? CHRIS FUCKING EVANS?! Wait, wasn't he ALREADY a character in the Marvel Movie Universe you ask? Of course he was- an abrasive, unfunny Human Torch in the two Fantastic Four abortions. But wait, isn't he abrasive and unfunny in every role he has had? Again, you'd be correct. For someone who quietly read on as Hack Brubaker half-assed a pathetic Steve Rogers return to the Marvel U, this cannot stand. Marvel's movie studio has made major inroads toward gaining legitimacy among Hollywood's major acting players. Pitt and DiCaprio may have been pipe dreams at best, but Chris Evans as Cap harkens to the days of Hasselhoff as Nick Fury. Dolph Lundgren as Punisher. Eric Bana as the Hulk. Foolish casting decisions made by lack of options. Evans has never put out that one performance critics can point to and say "this kid has the potential to be a capable performer of his craft." To leave such a important figure in the pop culture lexicon
in the hands of the star of blockbuster hits like Cellular and Not Another Teen Movie is shortsighted at best.
The most important in a long list of missteps with this project? The most embarrasingly ridiculous origin reboot ever attempted. Even when the Ultimate Marvel Universe debuted, the only origin to stay almost static was Captain America's. The story is patriotic, inspirational and displays the values on which this country was founded on and fought for. Why make Cap a modern day soldier who has to go through a generic film coming of age awakening? The movie was written in 1941 by Simon and Kirby, no reason to revamp what everyone knows and loves. Maybe Marvel will take a page out of Wolverine:Origins and make Red Skull and Cap brothers? We can only hope Marvel gets the reboot right in 5 years when they run out of crappy original ideas to alter the bedrock of their company.