Comics Fondle

A lot of Emperor Vulcan is good. Specifically, the first two issues. Yost has a solid handle on the characters, even if his dialogue is a tad expository and lame. Paco Diaz’s art is also better in the first two issues than in the last three, since I spent the last three repeatedly checking the credits, shocked by the drastic incompetencies appearing.

But overall, it’s a failure.

Following two Ed Brubaker stories–Deadly Genesis and The Rise and Fall of the Shi’ar Empire–this series was supposed to be about Havok going after crazy brother and new emperor Vulcan. It’s more about Havok and the Starjammers (the Starjammers never get called out by name, like the X-Men appearing in the title do, which is noticeable… especially since I don’t know the Starjammers as well as the X-Men) trying to sway Shi’ar to their side, to a revolt against Vulcan. It’s not even good political intrigue, because of Yost’s simplistic scope. But the characters are still compelling.

Then the big thing starts–it’s not a Winchester ‘73, it’s about a big, bad ass alien species (never before seen, of course) and fighting with them.

In the end, Yost pulls a Marvel Brubaker. He cuts off the story, leaving it incomplete, but unlike Brubaker… there’s no sign Yost’s going to get to finish it. Havok’s now more powerful than Vulcan, but is probably imprisoned along with the rest of the Starjammers–except lovebirds Korvus and Marvel Girl, who do have enough chemistry (under both Brubaker and Yost) to have a limited of their own.

Emperor Vulcan’s sales, I guess, were okay, but not enough to warrant a conclusion, which is bull. Brubaker passed the buck on finishing his story with Rise and Fall (regardless of its quality) and now so has Yost.

Maybe if Marvel wanted it to have better numbers, they should have got someone who’s art a browser wouldn’t laugh at.

D

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