OML Comments for August, Part 3

I was driving to work in the pre-dawn hours this morning when the thought crossed that next week is the last Wednesday of the month. Boy, September goes fast when you aren't in school. Anyway, the last Wednesday means that I'll be getting my DCBS shipment soon and I'm way behind on the comics for August. Add to that, the fact that Halo 3 ships next week and I'll be using less time to read comic books, so I decided to get my act together and post any thoughts on the last batch of books I've read. Again, I'm posting in the order read.

Category C (cont.)
Metal Men #1
Much to my surprise, I really liked this comic book. I admit that after living through the reworking of the DCU after Crisis on Infinite Earths, I am always a little scared as to the new presentation of favorite characters; hell, Mike Carlin's horribly conceived version of the Metal Men, you know the one, where Doc Magnus decided to become a robot, was six years distant from CoIE and Carlin still saw fit to screw with a good concept. Not Duncan Rouleau, the writer/artist, though. The man appears to understand the concept and is not embarrassed by it. I may have seen his art before, but it didn't make an impression on me, but it did here. When I saw the cover in Previews, my first thought was that the art had a Walt Simonson feel to it and I like that style of art. Add to it a little mystery involving alternate earths, I think, and you have a terrific first issue. I'm hearing murmurs that the next issue is just as good, so it is good to know the first issue isn't a fluke.

Action Comics #854
Kurt Busiek writes interesting Superman stories. I don't know if it is because of the subject matter, the continuation of the "Mr. Action" story started in Countdown, or he just is capable of writing Superman without having to lean on Clark and Lois to pad out a story, but I hope Busiek writes the character for a long while. I'd really like to see him get a chance to write done-in-one stories or two stories per issue ala the Weisinger era. Not all stories need to be multi-part and I think Busiek has the talent to write tight, good stories.

Teen Titans #50
Not bad, not good, just kind of there. The story jumped around, something not helped when there are multiple writers on a story. I enjoyed this comic when Geoff Johns was writing it, but I don't know if I'll be staying around much longer.

B.P.R.D. Killing Ground #1
Continued competent work from Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, and Guy Davis. I actually like this comic more than Hellboy.

Welcome to Tranquility #9
Take Eureka, remove the scientists, replace them with retired super-heroes, and you have this comic. It is actually a lot better than my description, but I think it only works because of Gail Simone's writing. I don't think any other writer could write this comic and not turn it into a lampoon, so I'm hoping she writes for as long as it is published.

Shadowpact #16
I like the basic idea of Bill Willingham's story: Hell is using Blue Devil as its poster boy to entice more to sell their souls. I hope BD doesn't end up worse than when he started.

The All New Atom #14
Take Gail Simone, add the clean art of Mike Norton and you have another comic book that more people should be reading. My only question is if anyone else thinks the inker made Norton's art look more like second-rate Alan Davis rather then first-rate Mike Norton?

Ultimate Fantastic Four #45

Ms. Marvel #15
I like this title more than I should. It is just a shame that it takes place against the backdrop of the post-Civil War Marvel Universe.

Illuminati #4
The cover for this one is really a good example of bait and switch. I was hoping for a story where the wives/girlfriends of the Illuminati acted in their place. I have figured out what Bendis's greatest strength as a writer is, though. If Stan Lee was the champion of the illusion of change, Bendis's writing is based on the illusion of action. Boy, his characters really talk a lot.

Powers #25
And that talking/pacing is what helps make Powers a must-read comic. Speaking of not ending well, I don't see Deena's story having a happy ending. However, Christian got some in a two-page spread, in small panels. Am I the only one who thought that scene a homage to Howard Chaykin's work in the early issues of American Flagg!?