Speculative Friction:
a blog of comics and literary criticism written by Bill Baker

04-12-06

"back to the country"

I've lots of new ideas and reformulations of old ones, as well. But don't really have much to say this week. There's any number of reasons for this current quietude, but the main culprit has simply got to be...Spring.

Finally hit here, and it's been pretty much one fairly good or even beautiful day after another. Also, I had a happy and unexpected chance to get away for a well-deserved overnight visit with some friends. Wonderfully relaxing and rewarding, on all kinds of levels, none of which I can even articulate. And it was made all the better because I stopped at one of my favorite outdoor spots on the way home, Rapid River Falls Park, where I spent a few hours drinking in the gorgeous weather and atmosphere.

Here's a few shots to give you an idea of why I treasure my memories of this small but scenic way station.

What's Bill been reading this week?

4-5-06 to 4-11-06

The Battle for Bludhaven # 1 of 6
The city of Bludhaven has been left a shattered, toxic urban wasteland as a result of criminal actions during the Infinite Crisis. In an effort to deal with the consequences of this terrible blow, the government's declared martial law, sent in armed forces and relief personnel...and installed a dedicated group of metahumans to patrol the area in an effort to keep all other super powered individuals and groups from interfering. Or even crossing the quarantine line. But when the Nuclear Legion hit town, things start getting really deadly, really fast. Well-wrought, suspenseful superhero action where the battles have real consequences from the writing team of Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti, aided and abetted by Dan Jurgens and others. Also marks the major reappearance of the new incarnation of The Atomic Knights.

Infinite Crisis # 6 of 7
The penultimate issue of the mini-series which is redefining the entire DC Universe marks a major turning point in both this ambitious tale and the history of the DCU. Yeah, it is another one of those deaths, a scene which can easily become an iconic image, and act as a touchstone memory for an entire generation of comic readers. Even better, this issue's filled with memorable moments and sights which all lead up to an ending that is fairly affective and effective. Superhero epic storytelling done right, with a diverse art team headed up by Phil Jimenez, Jerry Ordway and George Perez doing Geoff Johns' script proud. This is mighty fine stuff, folks, and one of those issues that people will be discussing for years.

The New Teen Titans # 34
Another "One Year Later" book, one which makes really interesting use of a damaged Cyborg's perceptions as an introductory storytelling device to suggest the passage of time while also giving the reader a sense of how disoriented he would be when he comes to his senses and discovers the far-reaching changes the Infinite Crisis has inflicted upon the Titans and their world. Nice way of echoing the reader's disorientation, and of drawing them in to a nicely done, if a touch introspective, tale. Once again, Geoff Johns fine script is visualized with real flair by Tony Daniel, Art Thibert and company. Plus, it's got a really fine little shock awaiting everyone at the end that promises to develop into something of real note.
The thirty-fourth issue of The New Teen Titans picks up one year after the end of Infinite Crisis
DC Comics
www.DCcomics.com


Tom Strong #s 31 & 32
I had a real hankering to read some Michael Moorcock, something which was new but still familiar in the way only the Master of the Multiverse is capable of. And which was short enough that I could read it in about an hour. So I reached for this fun two-issue romp in which Moorcock integrates Alan Moore's Tom Strong mythos naturally and easily into his own vision of reality, sending Tom and crew on a mission across the Silver Roads to play pirate while securing "The Black blade of the Barbary Coast." Just wonderful stuff, beautifully realized and rendered by Jerry Ordway, et. al. Highly recommended, as is the entire ABC line.
The thirty-first and -second issues of ABC's flagship title features guest writer Michael Moorcock
America's Best Comics
www.WildStorm.com


Tom Strong # 36
The final issue of this entertaining pulp-fueled take on the superhero genre finds creator Alan Moore returning to show us how Tom and company fared during and after Armageddon. The result is a beautifully crafted, sweetly subdued and subtle elegiac farewell to the character, the reader and, by extension, commercial comics. And the character's co-creator, Chris Sprouse, as well as Karl Story, Jose Villarrubia and Todd Klein put everything they've got on the page in realizing Moore's final paid-for-hire visions and words. Superhero comics don't get much smarter, or wild at heart, than this folks.
The thirty-sixth and, at present, final issue of the ABC line's flagship title features one of Alan Moore's final scripts for a commercial comic
America's Best Comics
www.WildStorm.com


Hellblazer # 218
Denise Mina continues her flawless evocation of Vertigo's seminal antihero antimagician in this issue, adding further variables in what was already an interesting and intriguing scenario. Jumping between the present and the past, between Constantine's inner thoughts and external staging intermixed with dead-on dialogue, Mina's weaving a really intriguing story with a heretical secret heart, a tale that also allows Leonardo Manco and the rest of those good souls working on the book to really show their stuff in the best, and worst, ways. Highly recommended reading for mature and open minds.
The two hundred and eighteenth issue of Vertigo's Hellblazer features the third installment of "Empathy is the Enemy" by the book's new writer
DC Comics/Vertigo
www.VertigoComics.com


The Cat's Pajamas
The latest compilation of short stories by Ray Bradbury is further proof that he's a living treasure, and quite simply one of the greatest American storytellers. Covering almost the entire span of his career, this collects unpublished work from the fifties to more recent fantasies, both mundane and magical in nature. Yeah, some pieces, including the title story, are but lovingly rendered fluffs of fancy. But they're perfect examples of fun short fiction. And they're balanced by Bradbury's more intense, and introspective pieces which unfold effortlessly, with a beguiling lyricism, that can linger or even haunt your thoughts long after you've shelved the book. But that's true of just about every one of his books. Highly recommended.
The most recent collection of Grand Master Ray Bradbury's short fiction; hardcover released in 2004
William Morrow, an imprint of...
www.HaperCollins.com
www.RayBradbury.com


All Star Comics Archives volume 0
Having collected the entire original run of the seminal tales featuring the Golden Age adventures of the Justice Society of America into 11 volumes, DC caps it all off by reprinting the two issues which preceded that run, and which featured some really great and fun stories featuring many of the JSA's members in solo escapades. This is one of the original superhero anthologies, and it's filled with vibrant and dynamic work by the likes of Bill Finger, Bernard Baily, Gardner Fox, Shelly Moldoff and Craig Flessel, among other legends. Absolutely essential reading for the serious comics aficionado or historian, and recommended to all.
The final volume reprinting the entire run of All Star Comics in a series of library quality hard cover books presents the first two issues of the title
DC Comics
www.DCcomics.com


Neal Adams Monsters
Mr. Adams states in his introduction that he sought to create the comic book equivalent of a really fine Hammer Studio horror film when he created Monsters. And there's no doubt in this reader and critic's mind that he's succeeded admirably in doing just that with this lavishly rendered and colored masterpiece of straight ahead horror. Lush and disquieting, filled with hopes and fears and dreams realized and shattered and twisted into nightmares, Neal Adams' Monsters is sublime and darkly satisfying.
Neal Adams' Monsters is a high quality presentation of an original tale of horror by the living legend
Vanguard Productions
www.creativemix.com/Vanguard