November 29 Reviews

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Sensational Spider-Man #41

Marvel
Writing: Straczynski
Pencils: Joe Quesada
Inks: Danny Miki
Colors: Richard Isanove
2/5

On the horizon Spider-Man has a potential oasis in Brand New Day. Its chances of bringing relief may end up a mirage but pray not, because if so – Spidey’s hope is lost. Then again, let’s not get too worked up about hope or relief just yet because before any of that gets going, there stands this shit.

Plainly put, this is not at all good. The rumors that’ve been circulating are true, and if you haven’t heard them, well, read and enjoy ‘true believer.’ This is truly bad, and almost seems funny in light of how much people are discussing and trashing it all across the Internet. Some parts of me were hoping it wasn’t going to be all that bad, and that despite how people feel about the choices made in the story that the writing and presentation itself would at least be well-done and enjoyable. Those same, and additional, parts of me are very much let down. Was this not the final campaign before the passing of the torch, I would definitely not be coming back. Straczynski and Quesada have produced a string of terrible Spider-Man comics and the new creative teams are going to have to be very good very quickly to keep me around. They’re getting a chance, which is better than anything more from Zyn would get at this point, but I’m anxious to get it started.
-Grady

Ultimate Spider-Man #116
Marvel
Writing: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Stuart Immonen
Inks: Wade von Grawbadger
Colors: Justin Ponsor
4/5

Coming in from OMD, Ultimate Spider-Man is like warm cocoa, blankets, and a hug from your mom. This book is totally refreshing and undoubtedly the best Spidey title out at the moment. Bendis makes the cute melodrama and modern lingo work with his younger incarnation of Peter Parker, and understands the type of balance this character needs in his stories. This is classic Spider-Man formed in the contemporary mold and is the type of thing you can imagine yourself or your children enjoying some years from now. In many ways Ultimate Spidey has been more collected, grounded and accessible than the original stories and is definitely the title I’d use to introduce a young new reader to comics. I wish this was slated to come out three times a month.
-Grady

Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder #8
DC All-Star
Writing: Frank Miller
Pencils: Jim Lee
Inks: Scott Williams
Colors: Alex Sinclair
5/5

People can laugh, joke, praise and rage about Miller’s current over-the-top Batman creation all they want but read the thing and there’s no denying that he’s illuminating untouched areas in these characters twisted psyches. Areas that have probably always been there but never this plainly exposed. In about three pages he gave me the most believably terrifying version of the Joker I’ve read. It was exactly the type of gruesome dark psychotic disturbia I’ve always wanted to see from the character. He's just one of many too, as the whole cast is stripped and reduced to fascinating threads of consciousness and personality that Miller cranks up and smashes together. Sometimes a greater meaning results, other times greater hysteria. Either is hilarious.

Batman and Robin have an honest and insightful discussion in the batcave, Miller manages to make fun of recent and current Batman creators, there’s a Little Nemo reference that made me feel both young and old at once, and on several occasions Bats refers to getting a guy “stoned out of his mind.” Surprisingly one of the most compelling aspects of the book is the exploration between hero and infantile sidekick, something that Miller hopefully focuses on further in the future. His All-Star version of Bruce Wayne would have focused on it more this issue except when pestered he explained, “I can’t think about that right now. I’ve got a retarded Demigod to take care of.” Honestly. Why aren’t you reading this?
-Tom

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