Having this week resisted both a takeover bid from a major media conglomerate and the suggestion that we should change the site’s name to Entertainment Daily, we continue unabated with your weekly batch of capsule reviews. Under the microscope this week are Amazing Spider-Man, Booster Gold, Hulk Team-Up and Thunderbolts.
Review: Amazing Spider-Man #604
Fred van Lente’s Chameleon arc has had its moments – a particularly chilling reinterpretation of the villain chief among them – and continues to do so in its closing chapter, with some good Jameson/Spidey material (“Look at his moustache!”) and in finally giving us the much-promised conversation between Peter and MJ (although frustratingly doing little to clear up what’s now supposed to have happened between them, and where they stand – particularly as regards MJ knowing his identity, given that nobody was supposed to know it post-Mephisto). But it’s never really recovered from that unconvincing attempt at a shock cliffhanger – and if you have to spend two pages on the character explaining through narration just how they escaped the death trap, then your storytelling’s lacking a bit. And as for the last page, well… lord save us from yet more Kraven the Hunter offspring, frankly. [SP]
Review: Booster Gold #24
Okay, first things first – if anyone can tell me why this issue is an “epilogue” to the current storyline, I’d be grateful. As far as I can see, it’s simply another chapter – and not even the last one, at that. Still, that quibble aside, this is relatively entertaining – if unchallenging – stuff. The Black Beetle may be turning into DC’s equivalent of the Red Hulk – disappointingly all-powerful, with the drawn-out mystery of his identity and origins becoming ever more tedious by the month until you just wish they’d get it over with – but while the ongoing mythology stuff falters, there’s still a fun little alt-history story here. Any sort of promised throw-down with Trigon fails to materialise (he’s merely an already-victorious background presence, rather than a foe to be challenged), but there are good touches throughout – Hal Jordan’s power ring seeking out its new owner years after it should have done, Booster taking the place of Deathstroke in order to make the events of that Titans issue pass as they should have done (and throwing in a retrospective reference to Morrison’s Batman at the same time), and Luthor being forced to team up with the heroes (despite the fact that his voice feels oddly wrong, and indeed that he’s forgotten about halfway through the issue). The backup strip, meanwhile, brings the Blue and Black Beetles together, and makes for an interesting development in the relationship between Jaime and the scarab – but it still feels like ten pages in the back of another series simply isn’t the deserved place for Blue Beetle. [SP]
Review: Hulk Team-Up #1
The X-Men and the Hulk don’t really seem like a natural pairing, but somehow, Hulk Team-Up #1 (optimistically described as a one-shot by the indicia) really makes it work. It’s certainly advantageous that the story is set definitively in recent Hulk/X-Men continuity (Hulk issues #4-6, in fact) and that it uses the X-Men’s San Francisco setup to full effect, giving it a relevance in continuity that many team-up books lack. There are plenty of things to like, though. The use of “X-Men” to mean characters other than Wolverine, Emma Frost and Cyclops, for example. The fact that the story loosely builds off a classic Hulk annual which also featured Angel and Iceman. The fact that there’s a thematic link between the Hulk and Angel. Sure, it’s never going to set the world on fire, but it’s enjoyable and inoffensive. Well, mostly, anyway – the Dazzler-meets-Bruce backup strip would be enjoyable and inoffensive, were it not for the art. Chin draws a very good Hulk, but her ridiculously-proportioned Dazzler looks like she stepped right out of a saucy 1970s Playboy comic strip. [JHu]
Review: Thunderbolts #135
Diggle’s run on the title might be nearing its conclusion, but much like Ellis’ appearance, it’s going to make for a surprisingly complete arc – although we probably could have done without the Deadpool crossover mid-way through. Although the return of Songbird and the former Thunderbolts cast has probably been the most fan-pleasing element of the title, it’s good to see Diggle moving new characters forward. Just as the original Thunderbolts managed to take a team of mostly c-list villains and turn them into characters capable of appearing in Marvel’s flagship Avengers title and computer game spin-offs, so Diggle has done stellar work on turning c-list villains into credible characters here. This issue sees Mister X posing the kind of threat he never could’ve over in Wolverine, while Ghost gets another moment of morally ambiguous brilliance. If there’s any problem, it’s that the stakes feel far too high for a book of Thunderbolts’ profile, and that sucks the credibility out of the final few pages. Even so, it’s a great read for those that have stuck with it through the constant reworks and creative shuffles. [JHu]
