After moaning like a sad old man about digital comics yesterday, it’s time to talk about the old-fashioned paper type again, as I get round to talking about comics I purchased for my entertainment back in February.
The Boys #39
For the most part, I didn’t enjoy this issue: the art by John McCrea is not his best, and Ennis doesn’t let his story flow naturally or fluidly, and the silly in-joke about 2000 AD seems out of place. But then the last page makes the issue have a point, as Butcher sees Hughie with Annie; makes the comic almost worth it.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer #32
Now this was funny: I didn’t think Brad Meltzer could do comedy so well. The in-jokes about comics in this book are very funny, as Xander geeks out on Buffy getting super-powers (best joke: ‘Can you phase?’). Other things happen in this issue: the reason for Buffy’s super powers is explained, a villain is revealed and we see where Giles, Faith and Andrew ended up. Nice to have the Buffy comic in the ‘good’ range again.
Criminal: The Sinners #4
Oh, Messrs Brubaker and Phillips: you do make a damned fine comic book. Tracy Lawless is put through the wringer, including getting shot, as he tries to keep his word. This is a great story – I hope it ends well (if you know what I mean).
Doom Patrol #7
And so ends my purchasing of this current iteration of Doom Patrol; this is the last issue that has Metal Men as a ‘Second Feature’, and the main story hasn’t done enough to keep me coming back for more, even though the return of Crazy Jane from the Grant Morrison run did capture my attention for a brief moment. I don’t think I’ll regret my decision but we shall see – at least Metal Men (when Kevin Maguire was drawing, as he did this issue) was good, as was this last story, doing superhero sitcom as it should be.
The Question #37
I don’t follow the DC universe much, let alone the big events, so Blackest Night didn’t really impact me. However, much like when I bought Starman #81, the experiment to do another issue of a long-finished comic series drew me in to buy this comic. I have the original issues for Denny O’Neill’s and Denys Cowan’s run on The Question, and they were a real eye-opener for me with regards to the types of the comics that could be produced by a mainstream publisher. Philosophy, well-choreographed fight scenes, no sound effects and a thoughtful hero and an intriguing cast of characters. It was excellent and I can see why Greg Rucka is such a big fan of it. This issue sees the old and the new meet, as Charles Victor Szasz, the original Question, is brought back to life to meet the new Question, Renee Montoya, with the original creators (O’Neill, Cowan and Bill Sienkiewicz) and Greg Rucka (current writer of the current Question) providing a wonderful addition to the original stories. It’s like things never changed but also without staying the same – it’s smart, it’s thoughtful, it has action, it has the same moody art. Thanks for this great footnote.
