Silky Smooth

What do you get when you cross Spider-Man with the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt?  You get Silk.

Marvel Comics' Silk has become one of my favorite series.  It's unique and offers some character development that a lot of series don't.  Besides fighting crime, there's the mystery of Silk's life in a bunker, adjusting to life outside the bunker, where her family is now, and her weird sexual connection to Peter Parker.  She's Asian, too, which gives some diversity to Marvel's superhero line-up.

The art seems a bit too cartoonish, but it's a well-written series.  Check it out!

It's No Secret: the Latest Event Series is Lame

Back in the 80s, I read the Secret Wars limited series and freakin' loved it.  It was so exciting and so many exciting things came out of it:  Spider-Man got his black symbiote costume, The Thing stayed behind on Battleworld and got his own series, She-Hulk joined the Fantastic Four, etc.  Not only was the series unique and interesting, but Secret Wars action figures came out of it.  There were characters I had never had or seen before to play with!  Yes, they were pretty cheaply made with no points of articulation, but still it felt revolutionary.

A couple of years later came Secret Wars II, which was just plain farcical with the Beyonder in his white Miami Vice leisure suit. 

After the most recent shitty Marvel event series, AXIS, I was really looking forward to the new Secret Wars series.  I finally read Secret Wars #1 (2015) and all I have to say is, "Huh?"  What the fuck was that?  Seriously.  What the fuck was that?  I don't even know what the hell happened.  It felt like I was picked up and plopped down in the middle of something going on -- a battle of some sorts on Earth -- and I'm supposed to enjoy that and follow along?   Did I miss the introduction?  This was the first issue, correct?  

I guess I shouldn't be surprised.  It was written by Jonathan Hickman after all, who has previously turned me away from his storytelling on Fantastic Four and the Avengers.  There's no character development.  No character interaction.  No enjoyable/followable plot.  It's just battle after battle after pointless battle, like watching Man of Steel on repeat.  And while his comics always have more word balloons than most comics, they don't really say anything.  The dialogue doesn't feel real or seem to come naturally to the characters speaking it.  The characters are always telling what is happening, when the pages should naturally just "show" it without explanation and the extraneous wording. 

After reading the latest Secret Wars #1, I can only guess that the rest of the series will be equally boring and pointless, much like every Marvel event series that has recently preceded it.  Wake me when the Marvel Universe is over. 

The Better-Than-Average Spider-Man

I started reading Amazing Spider-Man again with #583, the comic that grabbed all of the headlines because it featured President Obama on its variant covers.  I had stopped reading just before #400, when I quit comics all together.  I had never been as satisfied with ASM anyway, after the fantastic storylines of Spidey's black costume, the first appearances of Venom, and Todd McFarlane's art chores.  The stories were just kind of so-so.  

Amazing Spider-Man #698

Jump to #583 and beyond.  The stories still were just kind of average, but I still kept buying them.  I've put up with Mary Jane and Peter Parker splitting up as if they've never been married, Spider Island with a bazillion Spider-Man rip-offs running around NYC, the introduction of the annoying Alpha, and all of the extra "Point One" issues.  I even put up with ridiculous three issues per month stint with various writers and artists, making the series so incoherent and inconsistent.  Finally, Marvel signed on Dan Slott and went to a twice monthly publication (at a heftier $3.99 price tag), giving the series at least some consistency and regularity.  I truly admire Dan Slott for being able to put out so many stories of Spidey every month.  It's quite a feat.  Unfortunately, to me, the stories, again, have just been so-so (with the exception of the poignant issues, #655 and #657). That is, until issue #698 when it was revealed that -- SPOILER ALERT!! -- Doctor Octopus had mysteriously switched bodies with Spider-Man, leaving our web-headed friend in a dying body.  Even the cover is one of the best I've seen since picking up ASM again.  At first you think Doc Ock has discovered Spider-Man's secret identity and is calling him out on his deathbed.  Only inside do you discover that that's actually Peter saying his own name to try to get people to help him.  Now, that's AMAZING.  

There are a lot of angry readers out there, disgusted by the thought of a "Superior Spider-Man."  I, for one, am actually looking forward to where Slott is going to take us with Doc Ock as the new Spider-Man, since this is one of the best storylines I've seen for Spider-Man in YEARS.  I also wonder when Peter Parker will "come back to life" and take back control of his own body.  And...will the series still be called Superior Spider-Man?  Or will we see the dawn of another Amazing Spider-Man title?  Will the sequencing start over again with #1?  Or will it return to the 700s? 

Infested.

Spider-Girl loses her short-lived solo series and Marvel throws her a bone by giving her a Spider Island-related three-issue mini-series.  Wow.  What a rotten send-off that was. 

I just read all three issues back-to-back and had to give myself spider bites just to stay awake.  Not only is New York City infested with spider-people, but now wasp-people are after the spider-people.  (Really?)  And they're called the Sisterhood of the Wasp.  (Do they also wear traveling pants?)  How about throwing in Spider-Girl partnering with the Kingpin to stop the flying insects?  Really?  Suh-weet. 

If you're at all interested in the Spider Island storyline (personally, I think the hype was better than the actual stories), be sure to pass on the snoozefest that is Spider Island Spider-Girl. 

Amazing, Spider-Man.

Amazing Spider-Man #655 was probably THE single best issue of Spidey that I've read since I started reading his adventures again three years ago.  To start, the cover was literally...well, amazing.  It said so much...in so little.  All the white space surrounding a genuflecting, sorrowful Spider-Man was beautiful and really set the tone for the story inside.

The story is set after J. Jonah Jameson's wife Marla dies at the end of issue #654.  As I opened the comic, I found page after page of wordless panels.  I studied each and every panel, as they all told a story.  The message was extremely powerful and well "written."  The image of J. Jonah Jameson lying in bed alone with his wife's side undisturbed.  Him getting up to turn off the alarm clock that was still on her side of the bed.  The wedding ring he still sported.  The dual bathroom sinks no longer being used simultaneously.  These images were so striking.  No words were even necessary.  It was a refreshing change of pace to see JJJ humbled, even under these unfortunate circumstances.  

I won't reveal anything more about this issue because I think it speaks for itself and should be read in full to really appreciate it.  This was the kind of story that Spidey has been missing for a long, long time.  Thank you, Dan Slott, for coming in, taking on consistent writing chores for ASM, and providing us with such a memorable story that will surely go down in Spidey history as a classic.

Meet: the Venisher

 

Dear Marvel Comics,

Seriously?  The new Venom?  A cross between Venom and the Punisher?  The Venisher?  I think I'll pass.

Regards,

Former Fan of Venom 

Wide Load Coming Through

Batman: The Widening Gyre #4

I haven't posted anything lately.  I guess I really haven't read anything really noteworthy to discuss.  I did read Kevin Smith's Batman: The Widening Gyre mini-series in its "entirety" about a month ago, though, so I'll write about that.  (You'll see why I put "entirety" in quotes later.)

First, I'll start with the title.  The title is taken from a poem called "The Second Coming" by William Butler Yeats.  The poem was written in 1919 in the aftermath of the WWI. While the various manuscript revisions of the poem refer to the Renaissance, French Revolutions, the Irish rebellion, and those of Germany and of Russia, others suggest the text refers to the Russian Revolution of 1917.  The poem uses Christian imagery regarding the Apocalypse and second coming as allegory to describe the atmosphere in post-war Europe. 

The poem begins:

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
    The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
    Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
    Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.

If you're interested, you can find the rest of the poem here.

With that imagery in mind, "the widening gyre" in Batman's case is the appearance of many of his villains all at once.  He's bombarded with different villains in each issue.  Meanwhile, there are subplots of Bruce Wayne/Batman's romance with Silver St. Cloud (that comes with a lot of jealousy from a famous feline lady), as well as the appearance of a new vigilante in town sporting a goat mask by the name of Baphomet.  (You can read about the origins of that name here.)  

"The Widening Gyre" was supposed to be released monthly.  However, like Kevin Smith's Spider-Man and the Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do, there were delays.  The six issues were released in October 2009, November 2009, December 2009 (so far so good), and then February 2010, April 2010, and lastly, September 2010.  Ouch.  Nearly a year for a six-issue mini-series.  (Note to Kevin: if you're not going to write them in timely manner, please don't take or ask for the assignments; there are many, MANY other comic writers out there who would LOVE to have the opportunity to write a mini-series.  Note to DC and Marvel Comics: don't start printing/releasing Kevin's comics until he's completed all issues of a mini-series.)  

Bruce and Silver frolic in the water.

Luckily, I didn't start reading the issues until I had them all, so it was fairly cohesive for me.   I enjoyed Batman facing off against his most popular foes, one after the other.  It reminded me somewhat of "The Gauntlet" storyline that just ran through The Amazing Spider-Man series last year.  Best of all, though, was the romance developments between Bruce Wayne/Batman and Silver St. Cloud.  She's the only non-superhero who could handle being partnered with Bruce Wayne, knowing what he does in his spare time.  She's mature, yet fun.  Attached, yet not clingy.  And she certainly doesn't need the Wayne fortune.  It left me wondering, though, if this series was a dream, took place in the distant past, was an Elseworlds story, was a "what if?" type scenario, etc., because this could seriously change Bruce/Batman emotionally, not to mention his relationship with Catwoman.

Kevin Smith

As I finished reading the sixth/final issue, it ended with a cliffhanger (I won't reveal what) and said to look for Volume Two.  WTF?  When?  2026?  This was supposed to be a six-issue mini-series and now there's more?   I want to know what happens, but I don't want to know on Kevin Smith's time schedule.  Imagine if Dallas had decided to take a three-year break to reveal Who Shot J.R.?  I enjoy Kevin Smith's writing and the stories he comes up with for such superheroes as Batman, Green Arrow, and Spider-Man, but I'm more than a bit frustrated with his lack of dedication, as well as DC and Marvel's acceptance of his flagrant disregard for deadlines.  He's not exactly winning over fans.  Perhaps the "widening gyre" refers to the gap in time between comic releases?

 

The Dark Side of the Black Cat

Amazing Spider-Man #194: 
the Black Cat's first appearance (1979)

I've always felt that Spider-Man's Black Cat was a rip-off of Batman's Catwoman.  Arguably, Spider-Man and Batman are Marvel's and DC Comics' most popular superheroes, respectively, and sell the most comics for an individual character.  That's why there are nineteen Batman titles and The Amazing Spider-Man is published sixteen times per month.  I exaggerate, but you get my point.  Anywho, it only felt natural that Marvel give Spidey a flirtatious good girl/bad girl character, too.  Hence, the Black Cat.  While I didn't mind the Black Cat, I never thought of her as anything but a two-dimensional Catwoman clone.

I read the latest Black Cat mini-series and thought it was pretty crappy (see my review).  In doing a little background work for my review, that's when I discovered that Black Cat had another mini-series back in 2002/2005*, written by writer/director/actor Kevin Smith.  The official title of the six-issue limited series is Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do, but it's primarily a story about Black Cat with Spider-Man's name thrown in there for sales purposes. 

*Apparently, Mr. Smith couldn't finish the story in 2002.  Issues 1-3 were published in 2002 and issues 4-6 were published in 2005.  Lame?  Yes.  Luckily, I didn't purchase the series in 2002 and then again in 2005 because I would have been totally lost.  I recently bought the COMPLETE set off eBay and got to read it in its entirety in one sitting. 

Despite Smith's apparent lack of dedication to the story, I was undoubtedly impressed by the final product's gritty and mature subject matter:  drugs, rape, and incest.  Both were treated very well and were vital to the overall story.  Smith balanced these heavy subjects by injecting humor, pop culture references, and flirtations between the Black Cat and the then-married Spider-Man.  

The series gave me a new appreciation for Felicia Hardy, the Black Cat.  Smith created a three-dimensional version of her, something I had never seen before.  He offered a lot of background to her life, showing us why she is who she is today.  The background stories were as interesting, moving, and sobering as the unfortunately canceled Emma Frost series. 

Reading "The Evil That Men Do" makes me want a monthly Black Cat series.  If only it was done right and she was treated as a three-dimensional character, and not like she appeared in the recent poorly written and poorly illustrated 2010 Black Cat limited series, or even the lame wannabe Sex and the City 2009 Marvel Divas limited series.   It also makes me think that now that Peter Parker is single again (thanks to the stupid time-altering Spider-Man "Brand New Day" and "One More Day" storylines), perhaps he and Felicia should explore a serious relationship together.

Spidey's Black Cat Brings Bad Luck

I just finished reading the Black Cat four-issue mini-series published by Marvel Comics. I wish I had read issue #1 before I bought the rest of the series.  I might have saved myself an additional $12.   

The Black Cat is Marvel Comics' answer to DC Comics' Catwoman.  Like Catwoman, the Black Cat is -- what else? -- a cat burglar, but she's not a villain.  She also flirts and has random sexual hook-ups with Spider-Man, much like Catwoman and Batman.  It's probably no surprise that they're similar since Spider-Man was probably conceived as Marvel's answer to DC's Batman.   Spidey and Batman are also -- arguably -- the two comic giants' individual heaviest hitters (and most profitable).

All that aside, the 2010 mini-series featuring a solo Black Cat follows her on a race to steal expensive artifacts in order to rescue her kidnapped mother from the Kravinoff family (i.e., Spider-Man's foe, Kraven).  Unfortunately, the story, characters, and art all lacked luster.  The supporting characters were interchangeable with no real personalities, so I often got confused as to who was who, and this was reading each issue back-to-back, not once a month.  Or maybe I just didn't care because the simple premise of the story was dragged out for four issues and none of the characters -- not even the Black Cat herself -- were well-written. 

The art was on par with current issues of The Amazing Spider-Man, which is to say that it wasn't good.  Gone are the days of Todd McFarlane and Erik Larsen when the web-slinger and his supporting ladies were beautifully drawn.  Welcome back, 1960s Spider-Man with jagged edges, disproportionate body parts, and no depth to appearances, background, or details.  

To add insult to injury, all four issues were priced at $3.99 each.  However, readers were given about 25 cents of quality.  Save your money and look for Catwoman stories instead.  Like Spider-Man, The Black Cat falls flat on her fur-lined ass. 

Amazing Spider-Man, Not-So-Amazing Price

So, as you may have heard, Marvel Comics decided to move Amazing Spider-Man's thrice monthly printing to a bi-monthly printing.  I'm assuming it was because of reader dissatisfaction with multiple writers and having to pay $2.99 and sometimes $3.99 three times a month for below average stories and art.  I know I've considered dropping it because it's too costly for too little in return.  So I was excited to learn that ASM was moving to a bi-monthly schedule.  Still not as great as once per month, but acceptable if the quality increases.  

I picked up Amazing Spider-Man #647 yesterday.  $4.99.  Yes, you heard me.  Four dollars and ninety-nine freakin' cents.  It's not a "special" issue or a landmark issue like #650 will be.  Now Marvel is going to try to recoup its thrice monthly sales by charging more for the two issues per month it publishes?  

How amazing is that?  NOT so amazing.  I'm outta here.

What's the opposite of Amazing?

Amazing Spider-Man #300
(Todd McFarlane art)

Amazing Spider-Man should change its title to Opposite-of-Amazing Spider-Man.  Why?  It's so...average.  I remember back in the 80s how cool (and monthly) ASM was.  It featured breakout artist Todd McFarlane, Peter Parker and his longtime crush Mary Jane married, and it introduced the black costume that would one day become Venom.  Cool stuff.
Lately, ASM has been mediocre.  I re-joined the series after the highly criticized "Brand New Day" storyline that apparently wiped everyone's memories of Spider-Man's secret identity and, with it, Peter Parker's marriage to Mary Jane.  I've been fairly underwhelmed with the stories that are printed thrice monthly. 

Amazing Spider-Man #641

Recently, I read the "One Moment in Time" storyline (Amazing Spider-Man #638-641) which reversed the memory-wipe from "Brand New Day."  Seriously, what's real and what isn't anymore then?  I'm so confused. 

At $3.99 each, Amazing Spider-Man issues are also higher priced than many other comics.  Three times a month.  That's $12 per month, which could possibly be some kid's monthly allowance.  This past week, both issue #641 AND #642 were released.  Why?  Scheduling/printing conflict, Marvel says.  Okay...but why not just push everything back then?   Since it's published practically every week, I hardly doubt someone's going to miss it if a week goes by without a new issue of Not-So-Amazing Spider-Man.  It's not like they have to wait another month; they'll just catch it the next week.  What kind of logic is that?  So, basically I spent $7 on crap this week.  (#642 was only priced at $2.99 and, by the artwork alone, it's really only worth 99 cents.  But I'll get to that in a moment (in time).)

From Amazing
Spider-Man #642

The worst thing about printing an ongoing weekly comic series?  The writing and art become very inconsistent issue to issue.  To catch up, it seems like Marvel is hiring any old artist off the street for one of their oldest and most popular titles, not giving Spidey the respect he deserves.  Cheap unknown writers, cheap unknown artists, figuring people will buy the title just based on the character Spider-Man alone.   Check out a panel of the latest issue (#642).  Is that Mary Jane and Peter Parker?  What's wrong with them?  Has Mary Jane contracted rickets and turned Asian?  Does Peter have cerebral palsy and Frankenstein bolt-head disease? 

From Amazing
Spider-Man #642

Trying to produce a comic that's published so often is really harming the image of Amazing Spider-Man.  A little depth, good storytelling, and great art go a lonnnnnnng way.