Comics Fondle

I’ve read this Man-Thing comic before, the movie prequel, but not since having actually seen the movie. Rodionoff sprinkles the comic with tie-ins, the same characters, some of the same scenery showing up in Kyle Hotz’s art, but it’s rather separate from the movie. The big difference–and what I loved about the comic when I first read it–is in the tone. Rodionoff’s protagonist in the comic is an unflappable insurance investigator who encounters (and names) the titular creature.

It’s a cool way to do a movie tie-in and a nice change from the standard three issue limited. Rodionoff’s got a limited number of pages and he uses them well, amusing and interesting the reader as he goes. The present action isn’t particularly long and it’s not a widescreen comic either, so Rodionoff fills the pages mostly with comedy, but also a good deal of suspense. Kyle Hotz’s art doesn’t exactly work for suspense, though–Hotz is a competent artist, but he reminded me a little of a watered-down Mike Ploog.

The nicest thing about Rodionoff’s script is the protagonist setup. He enters the story at the beginning, just like the reader, but instead of it unfolding in front of him (and the reader), he finds himself in the middle of it. Rodionoff does an excellent job of letting the bigger narrative unfold around the insurance investigator’s relatively small story.

Unfortunately, since the protagonist’s story is so small and does have so little to do with the surrounding events, the whole thing is much ado about nothing. It’s also too bad Rodionoff has a better ending for the comic than he does for the movie, especially since the comic’s rather nice ending suggests such good things about his writing.

B

Finally, one of Werewolf’s longest subplots–the mystery of Jack’s step-father–gets wrapped up. It’s about ten issues too late, especially given Wolfman’s weak close to it (I’m assuming it’s the original conclusion, even if Gerry Conway’s not writing, the editor’s the same). In fact, it’s practically an aside, segueing immediately into the comic’s next issue.

Wolfman also homages, maybe unintentionally, the old Universal monster movies with the brain transfer. Jack’s step-father gets transfered into a monster, but only powers the beast, doesn’t actually think. I’m pretty sure this one’s from House of Dracula, when Larry Talbot gets a new brain. But stays the same person.

The art in issue thirteen features some of Ploog’s nicest work on the series, so it’s unfortunate the next issue features some of his worst. It’s all just way too lazy in issue fourteen, even if the obligatory and absolutely unnecessary Marvel flashback does feature an excellent Eisner homage. These issues introduce Jack’s love interest, Topaz, and comparing the way Ploog draws in the first and then the second, it’s obvious something was affecting his art.

The standard fight scenes are pretty boring and rather drawn out. Wolfman really likes to hammer in his narration over the fight scenes and, after three panels, enough is enough.

There’s even a car chase in this one.

C

What terrible art. Randy Green’s incredibly bad, whether it’s faces or figures. I suppose his scenery isn’t atrocious.

Danny Fingeroth’s dreadfully overwritten (like that, dreadfully overwritten?) script is kind of a neat idea. Earth’s going to explode, just like Krypton, and some little earth baby is getting sent into space. Except, Superman’s here to save Earth… and then bring the baby home.

The problem’s are in Fingeroth’s execution and Joey Cavalieri’s editing. They play the whole thing like a poorly illustrated Man of Steel homage, down to sharing the same opening page and lifting lots of Byrne’s pacing. Fingeroth then goes on to lift from Superman: The Movie, only adding robots.

His Superman is also decidedly not super. While I know post-Crisis Superman can’t breath in space, he’s worried about getting too hot under the Earth’s surface here. He’s Superman, isn’t he?

And Fingeroth’s over-reliance on Superman’s internal dialogue produces more a surfer dude than anything else.

But the idea’s kind of cool. Kind of.

D

Wow. Mike W. Barr has really done something here. He’s turned in the most sexist superhero origin I’ve ever even heard of. Looker is a homely woman–as homely as a woman in a mainstream comic book can get, anyway–who gets turned beautiful. With this change, she can finally give her husband what he deserves, which, apparently, is marriage to another woman.

Besides that astounding rational, these issues aren’t bad. Barr contrives to get Metamorpho kidnapped, then brings the Outsiders together searching for the equally–pre-beautiful–kidnapped Looker. Shockingly, they were kidnapped by the same mysterious party, an underground civilization.

I guess it all ties in to older Outsiders issues, but it seemed like a main to go back and check.

There’s one of Barr’s single-minded turns of events–Halley’s Comet is going to hit Earth, with enough time for it to make a newspaper, but, you know, Superman can’t just go and take care of it. Or Supergirl. Or Wonder Woman. Or Martian Manhunter. Or, gee, Green Lantern. No, only his new superhero, Looker, can take care of it and she does it in an extreme long shot panel. One panel it’s headed towards Earth, the next away. Crowds cheer.

Alan Davis’s art is still problematic. Lots of problems with figures and expressions. His Batman is positively goofy-looking.

I’m trying hard to think of a really good element in the comic but I’m coming up totally empty. The plot’s lifted from Edgar Rice Burroughs, only with superheroes thrown in.

But it’s not terrible–it’s a competent, middling superhero comic book–just the most sexist thing I’ve ever read. I mean, you’d think Barr would try to get his name taken off a story like this one.

C

When I saw Brandon Thomas’s name following “Writer:” I knew I was in for a terrible issue, but–as always–I was surprised at how putrid Thomas’s fan-fiction writing got.

As I recall Thomas’s story in Spider-Man Unlimited was what got me to stop reading that series.

This “issue” is a first-person narrative about being a superhero, much like Thomas’s Spider-Man was. Thomas’s observations toggle between dumb and shallow.

I think the whole story has something to do with Identity Crisis, but I really can’t tell. It’s called “The Promise,” but Thomas never actually gets around to explaining the title. Wikipedia and Google were no help.

Another stupid thing is the villain threatening Robin, telling him to warn Batman beating up the criminals isn’t enough anymore–well, wouldn’t killing Robin and etching the message into his back or belly be a better warning? I mean, the bad guy misses the opportunity to decapitate him….

Of course, reading this issue ran me through the symbolic guillotine.

There’s another few hundred brain cells Thomas has killed.

F