Comic Picks By The Glick

This latest volume contains a lot of good stuff:  Carl beating down two bastards with good reason, more information about the Whispered and what their deal is, Carl potentially finding love, an assassination plan gone awry, Carl doing something potentially very stupid for said love, and Jesus Saving.  All of this is handled with Robert Kirkman’s knack for knowing when to adhere to convention and when to subvert yet.  Yet, as good as this stuff is, the most interesting thing about this volume may be how little a certain character figures into it.

I did complain about the lack of actual bondage in the first volume of this series, and creator Stjepan Sejic works hard to rectify that here.  Not only are some of the key scenes here set in a high-end bondage club -- where we see the performers on stage -- but we get some extended sojourns into Ally’s past.  First we get to see her history with Alan at college, full of good times and great sex that they take a bit too far.  Then we get to see what happens when Ally worked her dominatrix magic on a genuine submissive and the tragedy that resulted from that.  These scenes are actually quite effective as Marion’s, the woman in question, thrill at this new experience goes from “new way to have a good time” to “life-dominating obsession” which Ally feels responsible for.  That’s the source of the drama for this volume as Lisa has to help her new mistress/friend/lover work through her issues and see if they can take their relationship to a level that extends beyond satisfying each other’s kinks.

I’m of the opinion that Sejic makes that work here.  We see our two protagonists interacting in ways that don’t involve sex, Ally introducing Lisa to her circle of friends, and their “safeword” being broken out for the first time.  Yes, the bondage sex may be the draw here, but Sejic adds enough depth to make the interactions between the expanding cast the star of the show here.  The man’s art is also more than enough to make the many scenes of the characters talking about stuff visually engaging as well.  There’s a vibrancy to the expressions of his cast that makes it easy to get involved in what they’re talking about.  Whether it’s appreciating a show at the BDSM club, getting up for drinks and a “quickie,” or discussing the finer points of submission, I find myself interested in all their various discussion points because everyone -- convincingly -- looks like they’re having a good time or deeply invested in the subject.  Sejic’s art here is undeniably stunning in this regard, and it becomes even more impressive when you see how he “re-mastered” it in the extras at the back.  Vol. 3 is due out in September, and I have every expectation that it’ll read just as well when it arrives.

It’s been a while since I talked about this title, so I figured I’d let everyone know that I’m still reading and enjoying it.  Granted, mangaka Fumi Yoshinaga hasn’t figured out how to deal with its main recurring problem -- how the narrative in any given chapter grinds to a halt when the cooking starts -- but that’s less of an issue now.  She’s developed Shiro and Kenji’s social lives and personalities to the point where it’s quite entertaining just to find out about what’s happening with them in the latest volume.  In this case, we get a story where the normally frugal Shiro gives Kenji an early birthday present in the form of a trip to Kyoto.  Though Kenji is thrilled at first, his nerves slowly start fraying at his partner’s unusual behavior.  Buying expensive souvenirs, having his picture taken with Kenji and holding his hand in public later on, reserving a room at a pricey inn, it’s all extremely out of character for Shiro.  Kenji’s unease and anxiety is perfectly conveyed to the reader because we’ve seen how stingy his boyfriend has been with their finances over the course of the previous seven volumes.  So we’re prepped to identify with his situation.  When the reason for Shiro’s actions is revealed, however, it’s a welcome relief even with the tiny bit of sadness that accompanies it.

Another thing that Yoshinaga has successfully done over the course of this series is build up a diverse and appealing supporting cast.  You’ve got Kayoko, married neighbor to our protagonists and a cooking buddy with Shiro, and her somewhat irresponsible daughter Michiru who is having her first child.  Even though Michiru doesn’t mean to, she has a habit of constantly irritating/exasperating Shiro due to her ill-informed consideration of his sexuality.  Fortunately her husband, introduced in this volume, appears to be a perfect foil to her unintentional thoughtlessness.  We also get a bit more of Mr. Kohinata and his demanding boytoy Wataru here, though I’m still at a loss as to how the former puts up with the latter.  There’s even a chapter devoted to Go, a womanizing hairdresser who works at Kenji’s salon, and how he breaks up with his latest girlfriend in a way that impresses his male co-workers.  None of this is really transcendent, but it’s consistently good and the ongoing characterization Yoshinaga adds to her cast with each volume is a joy to take in.  Even if the cooking disrupts the narrative flow of each chapter, the parts surrounding it make this series delectable.

jason@glickscomicpicks.com

The Snyder/Capullo run on this title has been marked primarily by big event storylines:  “The Court of/City of the Owls,” “Death of the Family,” and “Zero Year.”  It hasn’t left much room for shorter stories, but this volume collects all of the miscellany that has accumulated between these arcs.  Worth noting right up front is that even though Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s names are on the cover, they’re only directly responsible for three of the issues collected here.  “Bright New Yesterday” acts as a prologue to “Zero Year” as we witness Bruce Wayne’s attempt to infiltrate the Red Hood Gang and his first encounter with Commissioner Gordon.  It adds some nice context, and further establishes the villainous credentials of the Gang’s leader, but is hardly essential reading to enjoy the rest of the storyline.  “Nowhere Man” has the creators putting their own spin on another of Batman’s more noteworthy villains as Bruce Wayne apparently embarks on a crime spree in broad daylight.  Still struggling with the death of his son Damian, Batman has to work through his grief to figure out what’s going on here.  It’s a fun action caper that hits all the right notes for a “Batman” story while making the sentiment towards Damian’s passing feel particularly heartfelt…  Even if the character is back now.  With superpowers!

Everything else in this volume is a mix of various writers and artists, with Snyder at least having a story credit in most of them.  There’s another story about how Batman responds to Damian’s death with impressive art by Andy Kubert and Alex Maleev.  Maleev also illustrates a story from James Tynion IV featuring a Batman/Superman team up against a demonic foe.  Tynion also gives us stories about what the three original Robins were up to prior to meeting Batman, and a tie-in to the “Gotham Eternal” series that may come off as a little confusing to anyone who hasn’t read at least the first volume of that title.  A couple of Rick Remender’s favored collaborators, “Deadly Class’” Wes Craig and “Black Science’s” Matteo Scalera, illustrate stories about Batman encountering a scientific nightmare as he volunteers to test Arkham’s security, and his efforts to stop a serial killer targeting Gotham’s forgotten inhabitants.  Those two come to us from Marguerite Bennett and Gerry Duggan, respectively, and a par for the course in this volume.  Enjoyable yet unexceptional.  Even if this volume is “one for the completists,” the odds are they’ll still be satisfied by the stories being told here and the wide variety of artistic styles to appreciate as well.

The good news is that this volume addresses a lot of the issues I had with the previous one.  It’s clear now that the gimmicky descriptions given to the core cast members were just that, and the Queens themselves are quickly becoming their own characters.  Now it remains to be seen if writer Kurtis Wiebe can deliver a story that’s worthy of them.

The first volume of this title was entertaining enough, even if its lasting contribution was underlining just how much Warren Ellis’ dialogue is starting to irritate me with its familiarity.  That’s not an issue I have with new writer Brian Wood’s style.  Granted, his dialogue is not that distinct at all, but I don’t read his comics to see how his characters are saying their words.  He’s great with pacing, action, and presenting socially conscious ideas in an accessible and entertaining way -- and this volume is a great showcase for his abilities.  Wood even manages to find an engaging way to riff on the single-issue storytelling Ellis laid out for the first volume.  While each issue tells a complete story, they’re all discrete parts of a larger story of revenge.  It kicks off when General Alimar Lor, of the fictional nation of Akima, is set to address the U.N. and winds up being targeted for assassination.  As he’s a night traveler at this instance, the general finds himself under Moon Knight’s protection.  The superhero himself, however, finds that this plot has a close personal connection that will put his ties to the Egyptian god Khonshu in jeopardy.

A nighttime attack with a subsequent citywide blackout.  An assault on building being held by a man with a grudge and a point to make.  Revisiting past atrocities through hypnosis.  Trying to escape a secure facility where enemies of the state are held.  These are just some of the scenarios Moon Knight (a.k.a. Marc Spector, a.k.a. Steven Grant…) encounters in this volume.  They’re all well-executed action setpieces accompanied by some genuine cleverness.  The best of them is the building assault which is told entirely through the perspective of cameras associated with the action.  It may sound like an awkward way to tell a story, but artist Greg Smallwood makes the unique perspectives work thanks to his layouts that keep the story flowing in a natural way.  It’s also clear that the writer and artist work well together as it takes a certain amount of trust between the two to make the many fifteen-panel-grid pages in this series work as well as they do here.  I wouldn’t say the art here is as relentlessly experimental as the first volumes’, but it’s always interesting to look at and does an excellent job of drawing you into the story.

It’s too bad this second volume didn’t arrive with the same amount of buzz the first one had as it’s the better of the two.  If you were onboard with vol. 1 because of Ellis/Shalvey, then don’t skip this one simply because they’ve moved on.  Wood/Smallwood may not have the same ring to it, but this team delivers.

How do you make the wait between volumes of a series not seem interminable?  Make sure that the last volume has a significant amount of closure to it.  Vol. 9 of “Black Lagoon” wrapped up the title’s longest-running arc in explosive fashion with the kind of energy that you usually see reserved for series finales.  There was no official word that this was going to be the final volume of the title, and you had this big hint that there was more to Dutch’s past than he was letting on to give you the indication that we’d be seeing more of Lagoon Company in the future.  Still, the first nine volumes made a pretty complete story on their own.  If mangaka Rei Hiroe decided to give us more, excellent!  If not, then the title’s legacy is at least secure.

Now, almost five years after vol. 9, vol. 10 has finally reached our shores.  As Hiroe explains at the end of the volume, he meant to have this out sooner but things got complicated.  Eh, at least he gave us an explanation even if it isn’t all that detailed.  The good news is that “Black Lagoon” is back and ready to kick more ass!  Right?  Not really, if this volume is any indication.  Rock, Revy, and company’s return is more “Gunsmith Cats:  Burst” than “Battle Angel Alita:  Last Order.”  The tone is right and there are some good ideas and entertaining moments, but things just aren’t firing on all cylinders here.

My friend Steve joins us as we discuss this XTREEEM Japanese male power fantasy, which has not been license-rescued for some reason...