I'm still fighting a cold some damned thing, and not really in the mood to do formal reviews, but I do have some things I want to say about a couple of this week's comics, which I didn't get until Friday afternoon. So I'm going to do this Week in Review and see how that goes.
Batman #608 -- Retailers are reporting selling out multiples of their usual number of copies of this, the debut of the 12-issue arc by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee. As Johanna Draper Carlson has noted, the story primarily seems to focus on Jim Lee's love of drawing the soles of Batman's feet. This is no surprise to those who remember Lee's back-up story (written by Warren Ellis) in the first issue of DC's Gotham Knights.
What is surprising is just how disappointing this issue is. I've certainly been disappointed with Loeb's work before, that's nothing new, but I've also been pleasently surprised by him on occasion. Both Loeb and Lee are former partners in one way or another with Rob Liefeld, and they seem to be channeling that exact sort of Early Image vibe. Over-rendered art, under-rendered story, and things that you know are supposed to seem all ominous (like the villain who shows up at the end), and yet, really, are not. Catwoman appears, too, and clearly should not be handled by anyone whose name is not Ed Brubaker. Grade: 2/5.
Global Frequency #1 -- More Authority than Ministry of Space, thankfully. It's written in the same terse, tense manner ("There has to be someone to rescue people from the world they live in" is pretty much a Jenny Sparks quote), with a plot that actually reminds me of Ellis's early and excellent Stormwatch work. Anyone who says this isn't a superhero book is kidding themselves, but it's still a fun and compelling read. The series will probably make an excellent hardcover someday. This story is "Done in One," as they say in that other CBG, so pick it up and check it out without fearing you'll be committed to spencing $30.00 to get a complete story. Grade: 4.5/5
Y - The Last Man #4 -- If you've avoided this series because of the hype, have no fear -- it's the real fucking thing. This is probably the best issue yet, packed with suspense and tension and most extraordinarily of all, a somber, genuine realization of what has been lost to the world because all the men are dead. Unapologetic and stunning, the scene of Yorick and a new friend reflecting on the loss of the Rolling Stones and other male bands is one of the best sequences I've seen in a mainstream comic this year. And it's amazing how each issue's storytelling seems relaxed and uncompressed, yet every time you get to the last page of an issue, the cliffhanger hits you like a lead mallet and leaves you breathless in anticipation of what happens next?
Almost certainly the best new mainstream comic this year. Go get it. Grade: 5/5
Catwoman #12 -- Not too much to say about this one, except that it puts the series fully back on track after a few iffy months. A new storyline begins as Selina runs into an old friend with a secret. The best Batman comic this week, and the only Batman title that you actually should be reading every month. New artist Cameron Stewart says more about Selina in any one panel than Jim Lee says in her entire appearance in this week's mindless Batman #608. Ed Brubaker's focus on crime has amazingly turned Catwoman from the joke of the industry into one of the mainstream's most interesting and fun crime noir titles. Grade: 4.5/5
And because Tom Beland loves it when I plug my eBay auctions, I'll ask you to consider clicking over to them. A lot of them are ending today and everything is way below cover, so take a look and see if you find anything of interest.
Have a good weekend.