Not a large haul this week. I guess all the other publishers decided to get out of Marvel’s way, what with the death of a foundational character dominating the market (*crickets chirping*). And that was totally worthwhile, absolutely riveting stuff that does not feel at all contrived (*tumbleweed bounces by*).
Et tu, Ron Burgundy?
Hey, Conan The Road of Kings 2 — good to see ya. Roy Thomas is two issues deep in this storyline, and he’s established a pace that is positively warp-drive compared to that of his predecessor. That sounds negative, because I really did enjoy Tim Truman’s time on the title … but last issue ends with Conan and Olivia on the shores of the Vilayet Sea, and this one opens with them in Shadizar the Wicked and no attempt is made to explain how they traversed that distance or what happened along the way. That’s a good thing; Truman’s final two years on the book often felt like he was trying to fill every nook and cranny in Conan’s life, to the detriment of the story at hand. This particular story is one of thievery (what else does one do in Shadizar?), a little light lovemaking (again, “when in Shadizar …”) and a late-night swim through an ocean of gold pieces (umm, that’s more Scrooge McDuck After Dark than Shadizar, but I’ll allow it). Story-wise, I’m enjoying Roy Thomas’ return to Conan. Art-wise, Mike Hawthorne is beginning to bug me.
This is wholly subjective, but I do not like his cartoony style. I don’t think it fits with the tone of this story, I don’t think it’s suitable for a Conan story, and it conjures awful memories of the Conan cartoon from the early 90s. I really wish Tim Truman had moved in to the penciler’s chair.
Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Lost Command 1 was purchased with absolutely no forethought — my childlike brain still responds to that iconic logo with a primal “gimme it.” Speaking of “fill-in-every-gap-syndrome,” Haden Blackman and Rick Leonardi’s story involves a young Darth Vader trying to figure out exactly where he fits in the Imperial power structure, and how he fits in Emperor Palpatine’s plans. Take if from me, a huge Star Wars fan from way back when — I don’t care. Darth Vader is not interesting as a conflicted, timorous character — he’s interesting as a malignant force. That said, Blackman’s script features a ruthless and bloodthirsty Vader, one who has secret day dreams about his dead wife, but who smothers those thoughts with immediate violence. The story feels a little skimpy (nine full pages are given over to showing the Imperial forces taking a backwater city on a backwater planet, which is probably overkill), but Rick Leonardi is good at action so at least it looks nice. Honestly, I could go either way on this one. I love the classic Star Wars characters, but it’s not like there’s a lot here to obsess over.
I’ve been enjoying the DC Kids version of Shazam, so when I saw Shazam 1 on the racks I thought I’d give it a go. Shazam is not a character with whom I’m well-versed, but I know the basics. Eric Wallace and Cliff Richards seem to be doing your standard update ‘n’ reboot for a modern age, which is, you know, a plan. Of sorts. Billy and Mary Batson still seem to be orphans but have lost their Shazam powers, while Freddy Freeman, with whom I’m unfamiliar, retains his powers (and has a terrible high school haircut). Some demonic villainess named Blaze comes to steal Freddy’s power, the two fight, Mary does a little work in a soup kitchen, Freddy impales Blaze on a statue and then “Shazams” her back to hell — lots happens, but what does it mean? I dunno. I assumed this was just “first issue roughness,” but this is apparently a one-shot according to DC’s solicitation. Funny how it doesn’t say that anywhere on the cover; that monthlong branding initiative is already reaping dividends. Anyway, if Freddy can send her to hell with his powers, why didn’t he do that right away instead of letting her wreck the city? I’m also not clear on how old Billy and Mary are supposed to be — they seem a bit young to have their own apartment. I didn’t hate this, but it’s nowhere near as concise and fun as the DC Kids Shazam.
I know what you’re thinking: “He’s gonna give it to Fantastic Four, because at least the Thing didn’t die.” That’s not a bad think there, but I did read a new comic that was better than all this stuff. Fat Guy on Couch: Losing Control, from See You Next Wednesday Comics, is an eight-page mini comic written and drawn by Star Clipper’s own Mike Harvey. Mike plans to do one mini a week for the entirety of 2011, and this is the fourth issue. They’re non-serial, black & white comics about whatever Mike wants to write and illustrated in Mike’s idiosyncratic style; There’s a hint of anime in the Harvey page, more than a dash of classic 8-bit Nintendo character design and a little bit of the “do it fast and hard” style that typified the underground comics of the ’70s and that runs counter to everything in current mainstream comics — that’s a point in its favor.
Obviously, the publishing schedule means he’s streamlining some things (backgrounds are sparse), but that’s good for an artist’s development. He’s gonna learn some new tricks and probably some things he didn’t know he could do in order to stick to his schedule; it’ll be interesting to see how Mike’s style mutates and adapts over the course of this year. But the books stand on their own as single issues, because there’s something pure and engaging in the union of his drawing style and his goofy stories that works very well. The titular Fat Guy in this week’s comic drops his remote control and exerts a Herculean effort to recover it without ever getting off his sofa — he’s the hardest-working lazy man you’ll see. There also may be one (or more) fart jokes in this issue. What can I say? I laughed. Mike’s personality has come through in every issue so far, and that’s something a lot of highly-paid professional comic creators have never been able to do. See You Next Wednesday Comics is the best thing I read this week — and it’s probably gonna be in the running for the next 48 weeks, as well.
-Paul
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One of my favorite bookstores in St. Louis. Star Clipper offers not only the best selection of comic books and graphic novels in the city, but also a cornucopia of art, design and pop-culture related books and magazines. 
