Having fallen behind on some series, I just finished a Katana marathon, reading the last five issues of the cancelled 10-issue series.
Wow. Did that suck. I shouldn't be surprised, though. It's my own fault, really, for thinking that anything current by Ann Nocenti would be good. I like Katana, though, as a character and wanted to be supportive of her solo series. Correction: I like the pre-New 52 Katana. This new one is defunct of personality. When she was a member of the Outsiders back in the 80s, she had a distinct personality that was hard-as-nails, yet she had a mothering instinct toward the naive Halo. Now we're presented with a character devoid of personality that talks to her sword. ALL. THE. TIME.
It didn't help that the entire storyline presented in Katana's solo series was so convoluted and poorly written. Nobody ever really knew what was going on. And the New 52 Outsiders is a society formed of various weapon clans? Yawn.
I really can't say much more about how bad the series was other than to quote an article I read online about Ann Nocenti's writing: "It’s like if I was a food critic and you heard that there was a new
restaurant down the block –- it’s a dumpster with the word “poop” scrawled
across it in spray paint. Do you really need to hear my recommendation?"
With that, I bid adieu to Katana (and any future comics written by Ann Nocenti).
I just finished reading a few of Marvel's new #1 comics, specifically Fantastic Four #1, Ms. Marvel #1, and She-Hulk #1.
Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk were both sensationally crafted stories, which is too rare from DC and Marvel NOWadays. What made these two first issues so great was that they were both character-driven. They didn't rely on fighting villains and battle sequences. They gave the reader insight into the main characters as actual characters, people who just happen to be (or will become) superheroes. Ms. Marvel tells the story of Kamala Khan, a teenage Pakistani-American. She lives in a house where her parents have old-fashioned values. Because she's somewhat of a nerd, a good kid, and physically and religiously different from others at school, she's not popular. She does have her friends, though, and we're introduced to them as well. She reminded me a lot of a female teenage Peter Parker when he was new at being Spider-Man. The entire issue served as an introduction to Kamala the person. Only at the end of the issue do events begin that will (we assume) lead to her becoming the new Ms. Marvel. The artwork seemed well-suited for this particular comic, too. It reminded me of an independent comic.
Because of the cover, I wasn't sure if the new adjective-less She-Hulk comic was going to "break the fourth wall" like John Byrne's Sensational She-Hulk did back in the 80s. The nostalgic part of me was hoping it would, but the sensible part of me thought it might seem redundant and not be pulled off as successfully. Spoiler alert: it doesn't. The first issue is about Jennifer Walters, Esq., who just happens to be big and green. The writer, Charles Soule, focused first on Jen as a person, not as a superhero. We see her in her everyday life as a lawyer, doing some heroic things on the side, including a visit to Tony Stark (aka Iron Man), but it's not the main focus of the book. It was an interesting story about Jen acting as an attorney for a woman in need, as well as figuring out her own future. I'm not as crazy about the artwork for She-Hulk as I am for Ms. Marvel, though. It seems almost too basic and cartoon-like, and doesn't portray Jen as the beautiful (but green) woman she is. I think I'll get used to it, though, and appreciate it for what it is.
Both Ms. Marvel #1 and She-Hulk #1 were steps in the right direction content-wise, and they've quickly jumped to the top of my must-read list on a monthly basis. I'm already looking forward to (and can't wait to read) the second issues of each.
Sadly, as expected, Fantastic Four #1 was pretty humdrum. I think it's about time they lose the "World's Greatest Comic Magazine" title until they've really earned it again. And what was up with those new red costumes? There was no explanation given to the reader. And why in the roster did they list "Susan Storm" instead of Susan Richards? She hasn't used "Storm" as her singular last name since she married Reed in the 1960s. Other than marketing purposes and sales, I'm not sure what constituted another #1 issue of the Fantastic Four after they just had one last year. The only interesting turn of events that happened was that Ben went back to Alicia and told her he wanted to see her again. Where's the banter between Ben and Johnny? Where's Johnny, the ladies man? I'm really trying to love the Fantastic Four comic again like I did in the 1980s, but every resurrection since I started reading them again in 2008 doesn't measure up. The story and dialogue are average at best. Should we begin looking for a new #1 in 2015?
