Given that Andy Diggle’s run was just starting to pick up some momentum, I have to admit to not having been hugely enthused by the prospect of this fill-in two-parter by Jason Aaron. Not least because I’ve always been a bit uncomfortable with Americans taking on John Constantine – no offence, but it’s never seemed like they’d get the character in quite the same way (I hold up the Azzarello run and a certain movie as evidence) – although I suppose this is akin to the idea of British writers taking on the flagship Superman, Batman and X-Men titles, so I should probably keep my trap shut.

Particularly since, as it turns out, Aaron doesn’t need any lessons in “getting” Constantine at all, and the opening part of this story strikes all the right notes, even as John himself doesn’t appear until the last couple of pages. Aaron recognises that, as an “outsider” to the UK, the best way to examine the character is through the eyes of fellow interlopers – and so the story is told from the perspective of a group of Americans making a punk rock documentary series, who’ve travelled to Newcastle to find out more about the disappearance of Mucous Membrane.

And maybe it’s just that I’m a sucker for referencing classic British punk and new wave (X-Ray Spex, the Adverts and the Vibrators all get namechecked alongside the usual suspects) along with delving into Hellblazer mythology, but it’s an entertaining read. Aaron draws some great humour in the first half of the issue from his mildly naïve cast (of particular note is the guy from Ohio putting on a bad British accent – slightly metatextual? – the young, hip presenter calling “Basket Case” the greatest punk song ever, and a laugh-out-loud cameo by Chas), before things take a dark and deeply unsettling turn in the second half, with scenes that are more uncomfortable to read than anything I’ve seen in a comic for a good while.

Perhaps it’s the colouring that does it, but in the last couple of years there’s been a quite consistent “look” to Hellblazer even as the artists have shifted, and Sean Murphy’s art generally sticks with a similar style to that of Leonardo Manco (still in my view the best artist the series has had since Steve Dillon). He handles the grisly part well, and the only point at which he really falls down is in the final-page splash of John himself – there’s character to it, but it just feels a little off, and more than a bit sketchy. Oh, and while it’s fairly uncharacteristic of the series, that’s an excellent cover.

If you could aim a criticism at recent Hellblazer – Diggle’s run included – it’s that it’s relied on fan-pleasing references to the past rather than building a new chapter of the character’s mythology. But to be honest, for a series that’s struggled to really grasp its own identity in recent years, it’s nice to have stories that feel like Hellblazer, even if they’re not hugely original. Aaron at least takes an original storytelling perspective, and he writes well. Constantine’s punk days are generally underexplored – most writers have used them as a character backdrop rather than a story setting – and just as with Peter Hogan’s unpublished Marquee Moon, it’s good to see a writer with a genuine understanding of the cultural context of 1977 London taking it on – not to mention a writer that really clicks with the horror sensibilities of the title’s early years. Not bad for an American.

In something of a quiet week, our attention switches to British football comics, with the sad news of the passing of writer Fred Baker, and the rather more pleasant prospect of a happy nostalgia trip for Roy of the Rovers fans. Elsewhere, we bemoan the fact that it’s… well, a quiet week, really – and the usual linkspamming of articles written elsewhere that we don’t even really need to mention in these leads any more, do we? (continue reading…)

Coming at the end of a sub-par arc, this issue feels like something of a return to form for X-Factor. The book’s speciality is placing relatively conventional X-Men plots in a more realistic setting, and Peter David imbues the story with a real sense of pace as Mutant Town collapses in the aftermath of Arcade’s appearance. The adjustment that the writer makes to his team’s status quo here is one of the most obvious that could be implemented; yet his constant fake-outs and red herrings make the result feel like anything but a foregone conclusion.

It’s a misunderstanding to say that X-Factor has been derailed by its eagerness to participate in Marvel’s crossovers. In part, the concept seemed tailor-made to show such events form a different perspective. The book managed to thrive during its Civil War story, providing an interesting street-level look at the conflict, but the hasty curtailment of its Huber arc in time for Messiah Complex left a bad taste in the mouth. What sets this issue above its immediate predecessors, in addition to some superlative art from Valentine De Landro, is the way David allows Jamie some victories, however fleeting. The bleakness of the present story, with Mutant Town burning and Madrox overcome by despair, felt slightly odd when placed alongside the comedy that has always characterised the book. The easier tone here is a great relief. Another part of this success is the resolution of the slightly forced grievances between the cast members, and the appearance of a familiar face. The manner of Layla Miller’s partial return to the book should irritate, but the sheer check of David’s approach eventually wins the reader over. Her new status as Madrox’s imaginary friend allows the reader to enjoy some of David’s sharpest dialogue, and allows us to hear the main character’s thoughts without the sometimes-clunky use of narration.

A slight fly in the ointment is the confirmation that Val Cooper will be an ongoing part of the book’s furniture. Despite her longevity, she’s a character who has acquired remarkably little depth, and the sheer number of anti-mutant bigots she’s worked with makes it hard to accept her claims a responsible approach to mutant affairs at face value. David uses this in an excellent gag during her first meeting with Rictor, and it’ll be interesting to see if the writer is finally able to imbue her with a more rounded personality. The final page makes explicit her role in X-Factor’s pseudo-noir world. She’s the all-powerful mob boss, whose dirty work the team will occasionally have to do to stay in business. The agency’s relocation to Detroit gives a strong feeling that David has finished his adjustments, taking the strongest elements of the concept’s original incarnation, and transplanting them to a setting more compatible with the X-Franchise’s new direction.

As part of Comics Daily’s attempts to expand, diversify and (most importantly) prevent any fatigue setting in after a good 8 months of TIRELESS, uninterrupted daily posting, Seb and I have invited our good friend Julian Hazeldine to join the Comics Daily roster. Plese extend to him the appreciative, if largely silent welcome that all bloggers can hope to receive from their audience as you read his first review, which will be going up shortly.

This is the latest in a series of changes you’ll see being made to the site over the summer as we expand our remit a little bit to feature creator-interviews, articles and other comics-related content. Perhaps you’ve already noticed the X-Men Legacy Annotations that I have been tirelessly plugging? Expect more stuff along those lines! 

Even so, all this will be on top of what we already do, and the site’s focus will of course remain our original mission statement: One new comics review every week day!

Unlike “Enemy of the State” which was little more than a murderous free-for-all, Millar’s first issue of “Old Man Logan” shows a nice amount of depth to Wolverine. He’s become a pacifist following some horrifying event in the past where most of the heroes died, and as a result he’s settled down and become a family man, running a farm. He’s still struggling with his inner-rage, but it’s pretty much under control. Of everything in the book, Wolverine is the best character, and it actually feels a lot more like Wolverine: The End than Paul Jenkins’ dubious effort a few years ago.

However, the problem with “Old Man Logan” is that it’s set in a future that’s been gratuitously constructed out of Marvel continuity, rather than any specific logic. The Hulk’s grandchildren ride around in the Fantasticar, beating rent out of farmers. Hawkeye turns up in…the Spider-Mobile? Wolverine has named his son after Cyclops, for some reason that will either be very symbolic or… not. It’s yet another mix & match Marvel Future, and god knows we’ve got plenty of those as it is. The unique selling point of this one? It’s a little Mad Max-meets 1930s US-depression inspired. Yay.

There are some really cringeworthy elements in the book, including the big double-page reveal of a map filled with the kind of nonsense a 4 year old would write if he was asked to imagine a Marvel future. Electroville, the Mutant Forbidden Quarter, Paste Pot Creek… seriously? Unlike Kick-Ass and 1985, Old Man Logan returns to the Millar of Civil War, who has a lot of ideas but struggles to find a clear narrative to wrap them around.

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At least, on the other hand, McNiven’s art is fantastic. It’s not really clear why Wolverine suddenly looks the same age range as Hawkeye when everyone knows Wolverine barely ages, but we can let that slide simpley because McNiven’s version is so damn accurate. Even without the classic hairstyle, it’s immediately recognisable. The art has as much characterisation as Millar’s dialogue.

It’s not a hideous comic – certainly, no worse than the rest of Wolverine’s solo series has been for a while, but coming from Millar and McNiven, we’re trained to expect better than this days of future past/age of apocalypse type alternate future riff. Apparently it’s going to tie into Millar’s Fantastic Four run, which is currently setting the low end of the top 30 alight, and that in itself feels a bit strange – Wolverine is actually outselling F4, shouldn’t the tie-in be the other way around? If you’re reading F4, I’d certainly recommend picking this up, but let’s be honest – this run is going to have to pull something seriously entertaining out of the next issue or two if it wants to be held up alongside Millar’s work in title’s like Ultimates, and it’s beginning to look like he might never get that good again.

Every Wednesday we take turns to delve into our trusty longboxes, pluck out a dusty back issue, and give you our thoughts. We’ll also try and place it in the context of the time it was originally published.

With the Hulk movie out, I was thinking of finding a classic Hulk comic to review for this week’s Dusting Off. After all, the Hulk – done right – is one of my favourite characters. While looking through my back issues, I got to this one and stopped without even bothering to check the others – this is easily one of the greats.

There’s a lot to love about the justifiably-classic Incredible Hulk #300. The fact that Hulk runs around entirely in purple underpants for the entire issue, the fact that it features the BLACK SUIT Spider-Man, and, of course, the fact that the cover rather prosaically claims: “Special Abnormally Large Size Issue!” on the front.

The real reason, though, that it’s become a well-loved favourite, is the simple, fun and timeless nature of the story: The Hulk fights pretty much everyone, and he only loses on a technicality. The issue starts with SHIELD bearing down on a rampaging Hulk. Daredevil and Spider-Man are helping out where they can, but the battle between Hulk and SHIELD is causing all kind of damage to the streets, which are full of fleeing pedestrians. Meanwhile, Dr. Strange is at home, lamenting the fact that he caused all of this by helping Bruce mentally decide to become the Hulk, burying his personality forever (this is, of course, not as permanent as it sounds). As the Hulk ploughs through more SHIELD agents, Johnny Storm, Luke Cage and Iron Fist all fail to stop his rampage.

Eventually the Avengers turn up. Unfortunately, at this point in Marvel history, the Avengers are made up of Monica “Captain Marvel” Rambeau, Wasp, Scarlet Witch, Starfox and Vision, all of whom are a load of weaklings compared to the Hulk. He beats the crap out of a few of them, before he starts to fight the one decent Avenger – Thor. While this battle goes on, Dr. Strange is giving all of his evil friends a dimensional phone call, but decides that none of them are trustworthy enough to take care of the Hulk without killing him. Thor and Hulk battle to a stalemate, and the situation looks grim when suddenly, Strange shows up and tricks Hulk into jumping into a dimensional crossroads. Cue a year’s worth of stories about the Hulk’s nomadic, inter-dimensional exile.

Sounds a bit ridiculous, doesn’t it? Well, that’s because it is. Gloriously so. Mantlo – the first writer to introduce the idea that Banner was the victim of child abuse, adding significantly to the character - does his best to make it clear that the Hulk has finally become what everyone thought he was. A beast of pure rage and strength, without any humanity at all, tearing through the city unable to be stopped. The artwork comes from Sal Buscema and Gerry Talaoc, and even compared to today’s high standards, it holds up remarkably, with some brilliant splash images and some dynamic page layouts – be that Hulk smashing a billboard containing the credits, or Starfox being thrown the entire length of the page, top to bottom.

This story is very much a relation of the recent Hulk storylines. For example, Strange decides that the best way to deal with Hulk is to send him somewhere nice and out of the way (in this case it’s dimensional crossroads, not another planet as in Planet Hulk). Prior to that, he’d got everyone on the ropes, destroying the town and generally being unstoppable – much like in World War Hulk. It’s clearly a big influence with today’s creators, and justifiably so.

The occasionally simplistic nature of the character means that it’s fairly hard to find as many truly classic Hulk stories compared to the amount his peers have, but there’s no doubt that Incredible Hulk #300 is one of them.