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Reviews and commentary by Tony Isabella
"America's Most Beloved Comic-Book Writer & Columnist"
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TONY'S ONLINE TIPS
for Thursday, April 3, 2008
Sub-Mariner: Revolution [Marvel; $14.99] collects the six-issue series by writers Matt Cherniss and Peter Johnson with artist Phil Briones. The second half of the series features inks by Scott Hanna. The original editor was Warren Simons.
Namor has been quite the commanding presence in the Marvel Universe of late. He broke his ties with the secretive Illuminati when they voted to banish the Hulk into distant space and supported Captain America's freedom fighters in Civil War. This mini-series is notable for a major development in the fortunes of both the Sub-Mariner and his kingdom of Atlantis.
It starts when a deadly terrorist attack on American soil is traced to Atlanteans. Namor disavows any part in the heinous act, but his already shaky credibility drops to zero when it is revealed he has placed a dozen sleeper cells in our country. Namor swears he will find and punish the killers, but his efforts are hampered when Atlantis is subsequently surrounded by a SHIELD strike force led by Tony Stark. For a change, it appears Stark honestly wants to avoid conflict, albeit only on his terms.
Namor makes his way to America. He is attacked by government-sponsored super-villains and all but completely abandoned by those he had considered friends, but he does track down the terrorists. Telling you more than that would demand "spoiler warnings" and I'm not going that route today.
What I can say is that, while the writing is pretty good, I wasn't wild re: the revelations of the identities of the terrorists and their ultimate plan. I did like the art and I especially liked where the story ended, a satisfying conclusion that suggests many intriguing possibilities for the future.
Sub-Mariner: Revolution is a suspenseful story. Let's hope Marvel follows through on it and doesn't drop the ball as it did with Spider-Man. On my usual scale, this trade paperback earns a perfectly respectable three out of five Tonys.
My only major complaint about '76 #1 [Image; $2.99] is that there's not enough of it. In this first of eight issues, B. Clay Moore and Seth Peck, with artists Ed Tadem and Tigh Walker, are "screening" the comics equivalent of the double features I used to watch in the aging Broadway movie houses of the mid-1970s. I would take women I was dating to the musicals and plays, but these made-on-the-cheap action films were perfect for hanging out with the guys or when I needed a break from work.
Moore and Tadem's "Jackie Karma" is your basic American chop-socky flick. A decade earlier, Karma was a street fighter who cleaned up the neighborhood with his equally pugnacious friends. Now, in the 1976 setting of these stories, he's an attorney who must return to his former "career" when unfinished business from his past returns to New York City. In this 12-page chapter, Moore and Tadem capture the era and intrigue the reader, but 12 pages wasn't nearly enough to satisfy me.
Peck and Walker work the other side of the country in "Cool," a fun and fast-paced serial featuring Los Angeles bounty hunters on the trail of a bail-jumping bruiser, a feisty stripper, and a whole lot of money. I can't speak personally to how well they captured their setting, but it certainly seem authentic to me, who only knows the time and place from the movies I used to watch. Again, the chapter left me wanting more.
This issue also has delightful extras. The inside front cover has a quickie history of 1976. The sports teams standings of the year run between the two stories. An interview with Moore follows the comics while soundtrack lists for "Jackie Karma" and "Cool" can be found on the inside back cover. Good stuff.
'76 would've been better served by a different format, especially in the volatile world of the current comics marketplace. I think four double-sized issues would have made for a better and tighter package and that a - fingers crossed - trade paperback reprinting the complete double feature would be spectacular. However, at the end of the day - and this review - I had a blast reading this comic book. It earns an impressive four out of five Tonys.
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CLARIFICATIONS
Yesterday's column didn't give the final results of the actual Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards. Those were the results of the cheap knock-off Tony Polls awards, voted on by readers of this column.
Voting on the actual CBG Fan Awards is still open with their official results to be announced in CBG #1645, which will ship in July. I did cover this yesterday, but there seems to be a bit of confusion. Hence, this clarification.
When CBG announces its fan awards winners, I'll compare their results with ours and likely mock their results. Oh, don't look at me like that. You wouldn't have it any other way.
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TONY POLLS
This week's entertaining Tony Polls questions ask you to pick the "greatest" Spider-Man story, the next new member of the Justice League, Buffy Summers' next sleepover cuddle pal, and the worst comic-book movie of all time.
You can cast your votes by going to:
www.worldfamouscomics.com/tony/poll
Thanks for spending a part of your day with me. I'll be back tomorrow with all-new stuff.
Tony Isabella
<< 04/02/2008 | 04/03/2008 | 04/04/2008 >>
Discuss this column with me at my Message Board. Also, read Heroes and Villains: Real and Imagined.
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THE "TONY" SCALE
ZERO: Burn your money before buying any comic receiving this rating. It doesn't *necessarily* mean there's absolutely nothing of value here - though it *could* - but whatever value it might possess shrinks into insignificance before its overall awfulness.
ONE: Buy something else. Maybe I found something which wasn't completely dreadful in the item, but not enough for me to recommend it when there are better comics available. I only want what's best for you, my children.
TWO: Basic judgment call. I found some value, but not enough to recommend it. My review should give you enough info to decide if you want to take a chance on it. Are you feeling lucky today, punk? Well, are you?
THREE: This denotes something I find perfectly respectable. There are better books out there, but I wouldn't regret buying this item. Based on my review, you should be able to determine if it's of interest to you. Let the Force guide you.
FOUR: I recommend anything earning this rating. Unless you don't like the genre, subject matter, or past work of the creators, I believe you'll enjoy this item. Isn't it uncanny how I can look right into your soul that way?
FIVE: Anything getting this rating is among the best comicdom has to offer. You should buy/read this, even if the genre/subject matter doesn't appeal to you. It's for your own good. Me, I live for comics and books this good...but not in a pathetic "Comic-Book Guy" sort of way.
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