It’s been a quiet week for comics while delayed and mis-timed event books empty the schedules, so this week we’ve only got a few capsule reviews: Captain Britain #7, Fantastic Four: True Story #4 and Wolverine #69, the latest chapter of Old Man Logan. Continue reading »

Depending on how you took last issue, Wolverine #67 will offer you more of exactly what you like - or didn’t like. Personally, I found the future depicted to be an incredibly unlikely mish-mash of current Marvel Universe concepts designed more as a nod to the fans than as any real, organically-reached time period.

Fortunately - or unfortunately, depend on how you look at it, those references are way more interesting than the hopelessly contrived idea of Wolverine as a pacifist. It’s amusing to see a homely, humble Ultron and wonder how that happened, but waiting for Wolverine to pop his claws and come out of retirement isn’t the same. We know it’ll happen - it’s virtually the point of this story - and it’s not going to have the significance it wants to have, because there’s only the flimsiest explanation of why he put away his claws. “They broke me, bub” he says, as if that were possible. Let’s hope we get a little more clarification on what actually happened, because, let’s put it this way - Batman’s “badass” trait is that he just won’t go down. Wolverine’s, on the other hand, is that every time he goes down, he’ll get back up. That’s what he does. Removing that aspect of the character doesn’t evolve him, it removes one of the core things that make the character consistent.

McNiven’s artwork is clearly the best reason to keep reading this book. Wolverine hasn’t looked this amazing in years, and it’s a pity that the story doesn’t feel like it has a little more to do with the character. it’s more about Hawkeye giving us a tour around the latest bleak Marvel future, and we’re just along with Wolvey for the ride. The level of detail in the pencils is staggering and virtually every panel would make an amazing poster, but it’s hard to hang an entire comic off looks alone.

The idea of a future gone rotten isn’t exactly a new one - the last time we saw one with Wolverine in was in Grant Morrison’s New X-Men run, which conceived and resolved it brilliantly in one arc. This story, however, feels more like it’s been conceived to add texture to the future so that Millar’s Fantastic Four run has some extra context when the two tie together.

Ultimately, there are some fun moments, but it’s not hanging together well as a story for me. In fact, that’s the problem with the whole Wolverine title at the moment. Gone are the continuing adventures of Logan (spun out into Wolverine: Origins) and we’re left with a series-of-miniseries, where no story can ever really impact the character - and that goes double for stuff set in alternate futures.

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.

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.

Slott’s first arc on the character comes to an end, and it’s almost hard to know what to say. It’s been good. Really good. Whether or not you liked One More Day, it’s very hard not to argue that these last three issues comprise a really classic Spider-Man story. Or perhaps it’s more accurate to call it “classical.” In just about every way possible, it’s sticking fairly close to the accepted Spider-Man formula. He’s down on his luck, having trouble with the Bugle, trouble with his web-shooters, trouble with the police and he’s wisecracking hard despite his responsibilities as Spider-Man getting in the way of his welfare once again. If anything, they’re almost trying too hard to cram it all in, and the final issue especially comes over a bit jumbled at the finish. 

It’s especially good to see Spidey tackling something street-level. Mr. Negative, a mobster with some vaguely-defined, apparently low-level powers, is exactly the sort of character that heroes like Spider-Man and Daredevil should be tackling - not vampires and mystics and, god help us, Mephisto. Sure, it makes a nice change on occasion, but it’s nice to see that for all the recent screwups, Marvel are finally proving that they know what makes a good Spider-Man story, and that’s a good Spider-Man villain.

Sure, some people are saying that the character’s been taken back to the 70s, but that’s an over-simplification. What they’ve done is taken the character back to formula, so to speak, and if that feels like the 70s - well, Slott, Wacker and the other members of the Braintrust could’ve done far worse than create work that’s accused of resembling one of the most iconic and creative periods in Spider-Man history.

Still, as good as these last few issues have been, it’ll be interesting to see how close they stick to the basics in future issue. 3 issues of web-shooter problems are entertaining, but how will we take it if we get 6, or 12, or 24? This story, quite rightly, goes back to the core of the character, but if that’s all the new Spider-Man’s ever going to do, well, it might start to wear. For now, there’s plenty in the works to bring people back. The much-hyped Jackpot has barely appeared so far, and the ongoing plot threads regarding the new supporting cast and the new villains are weaving nicely in and out of the story without feeling intrusive. I’m anxious to see how Guggenheim - the next writer in the rota, and one with a fairly inconsistent history - performs in his issues. If nothing else, this arc has convinced me that Slott’s issues are going to be worth it.

Rarely has something so sweet left such a bitter taste. The joy at the fact that Dan Slott is so far proving to be an absolutely inspired choice of Spider-Man writer, and is already turning in the best material the main title has seen in years, is tempered by the fact that the success and acclaim of the run will surely allow Joe Quesada to crow that he was right all along – and that you can’t tell good stories with a married Spidey. Yeah, well, nice trick, Joe – but how different would it have been if you’d had Jeph Loeb up your sleeve for the relaunch instead?

Anyway, as it happens, the fact that the precise nature of the story is unimportant to the quality of the telling is demonstrated by the fact that, so far, Slott’s story has been neither groundbreaking nor particularly gripping. The villain is generic, “broke and misunderstood” is the quintessential Spidey scenario, and there are even elements of Ben Reilly’s brief and underappreciated tenure under the mask (that might just be because he’s skint and hanging out at a coffee house, but still). No, what makes this book so instantly unmissable is the way in which it’s told – finally we have a writer who just gets the core elements of good Spidey storytelling, balancing drama with genuine laughs. The whole thing feels effortless, and there’s a lightness of touch that even spreads as far as editor Steve Wacker (the editorial note on the last page is possibly the funniest bit of the whole thing). It may not be all that forward-thinking, but it’s exactly the kind of Spider-Man story for which we’ve been crying out for yonks. Watch out, too, for Slott’s deft grasp of structure – he’s now opened two successive issues with near-identical imagery used in completely different contexts. Who’ll Peter be smooching on the first page of issue #548, I wonder?

On art duties, Steve McNiven often gets criticism for his work having something of a staid, “action figure” quality, despite his undoubted technical brilliance. He definitely takes some time to settle in here, I think – his first full-costume shot is a bit awkward – but gets to grips with it later on, and in the final scene in particular he nails the Romita Jr-esque “lithe Spidey” look pretty well. The whole thing, though, is undeniably sharp and pretty, with a good grasp of character design – and a vast improvement on the artists Amazing has had to put up with in recent times. And if he can make it to the end of his allotted run without having to delay the book at all, well… job done, frankly.

It can’t be denied that it would be nice to see Slott flexing his muscles a bit more, and throwing Peter into a story with a bit more intrigue and interest to it. For the moment, though, he’s taking it one step at a time – restoring the character to his position at the pinnacle of purely entertaining superhero comics (and thereby ensuring that Spider-Man doesn’t get out-Spider-Manned by DC’s Blue Beetle, for once) and making great strides towards winning back the affections of longtime fans. Quesada’s story decisions may be abominable – but at least he can pick his writers.

Well, judgement day is here. We’ve all had our pops at Quesada, at Marvel, but now it’s time to accept the reality and move on with our lives. For some of us, that means no more Spider-Man comics. For the rest of us, that means getting to grips with the new, thrice-monthly Spider-Man comic. It’s here now, so what’s it like?

Well… It’s pretty good. Actually, it’s very good. Entertaining. Funny. Good - no, GREAT art. Is it a perfect comic? Well, no. But it is way above average.

As a fan and critic I’m torn. I admit, I didn’t want to like it. In my weaker moments, I wanted it to crash and burn. Unfortunately for me, Slott is a brilliant writer of comedy and drama, and McNiven is nothing short of fantastic - there’s no denying that this is a technically excellent comic, and I have to admit… I had fun reading it.

Yes, that’s “fun” - you know, like comics occasionally are when they’re not making you angry, or disgusted? Slott’s gift for comedy certain shines through the pages - Peter turning up shoe-less at a Soup Kitchen (after a spot of roof-running) only for Aunt May’s friends to think he’s become homeless was a particularly comedic moment, and demonstrates well how people are worried about Peter’s situation, being jobless and poor. The new cast of friends and villains shows up (and they’re actually pretty intriguing) and Jonah’s attempts to sort out the Bugle is a definite source of intrigue with a great soap opera-style cliffhanger.

But like I say, it’s not totally perfect. The spectre of One More Day hangs over events like a dark, sucking void. Harry is entertaining - if you don’t stop and think about why he’s there. There’s also terrible 2-page backup explaining the “revised” continuity. Surely if this information was important, it should’ve been incorporated into the story?

There’s also the nagging feeling that the reason this comic read so well is just because it’s the first “real” Spider-Man story in years, as the title has bounced from one status-quo redefining crossover to another. Ironically, Brand New Day is the first time in a long time that the title hasn’t been attempting to redefine the status quo, but simply operating within it.

In order to justify the dramabomb they’ve dropped on the character and fandom, there’s one real question that Marvel needs a positive answer to. Is Amazing #546 better than the title has been in the last 5, 10 or even 20 years?

Well, yes, it may well be. And that’s why I’ll be back next issue.