Comics

The Shadow #8

/ / Comics

the-shadow-8-coverWith his business in Nepal complete, Lamont Cranston slowly makes his way home with his pilot Miles through Istanbul and Rome bringing him to the streets of Paris where the interest of The Shadow is piqued by the murder of an elderly French couple, the Spanish Civil War, and the beguiling Major Esmeralda Aguilar of Spanish Military Intelligence.

After an exciting night with the major, Cranston returns to his investigation leading him to stow away on a cargo ship full of gun runners making its way from France to Spain. When the gun runners are ambushed while unloaded their cargo The Shadow makes it out of the port by the skin of his teeth, eventually rejoining Miles in Barcelona where fate leads him to the real reason behind his arrival – George Orwell.

Writer Victor Gischler does a good job setting up several pieces of a larger mystery without giving us, or The Shadow, a clue as to the true purpose of his journey to Spain. I’m not as fond of Aaron Campbell’s art as Herbert‘s work from last month’s issue but it’s not enough to stop me from coming back to see how this story plays out. Worth a look.

[Dynamite Entertainment, $3.99]

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Fables #123

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fables-123-coverThe two-parter “The Destiny’s Game” concludes as the Big Bad Wolf learns that the fate he was given of an untimely end was assigned, not earned. Armed with the knowledge of how the Green Woman of the woods (the Lady of the Lake) truly operates from the teacup turtle, who tells him the woman collects and distributes fates as she pleases, he sets out to change his fate once again.

Armed with the hope that his fate may be overridden the Wolf returns but learns a fate, once given, cannot be reascended. However, not willing to be killed by the Wolf, the woman does find an appropriate loophole that allows the fate to take place but also allows both the witch and the Wolf to live.

I enjoyed both parts of “The Destiny’s Game” so much that I would have liked more of the story. Fables #123 does feel a little rushed, but it wraps up all the loose ends for all the major characters and allows the rules of the world to be bent without being broken. Worth a look.

[Vertigo, $2.99]

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Daredevil #20

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daredevil-20-coverAfter literally loosing his head in the pocket dimension Coyote has trapped him in, Daredevil begins plotting his escape a his body moves through the villain’s realm while his head keeps Coyote distracting in a Bond villain style rant (in which he explains every detail of his nefarious enterprises).

In the B-story Kristen McDuffie, who apparently works the offices of Mad Men, finds it impossible to get her bosses to take a crazy Daredevil seriously when they accuse her of having a lover’s spat with her boyfriend. Although it skirts the issue of Foggy‘s drunken confession, the McDuffie outcome is troubling at best as writer Mark Waid and Marvel Editorial have deciding the New York District Attorney’s Office is perpetually stuck in (an overly cliched version of) the 1950’s.

The Coyote story works far better, although bringing up (and showing) human trafficking as one of Coyote’s new interests does feel a little unseemly for what has been up until now a pretty safe all-ages book. Hit-and-Miss.

[Marvel, $2.99]

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Justice League #14

/ / Comics

justice-league-new-52-14-coverThe Justice League chases the Cheetah to the jungles of the Congo where Superman becomes infected by the curse and Wonder Woman is faced to deal with truth about the woman she once believed was her friend.

The “end” of the Cheetah story is a little awkward, especially given that it appears the super-villain’s plan was to be taken captive all along (and wasn’t searched for any transmission devices before being put in prison). Superman also take Diana home to Smallville for a little more mid-air smooching, which doesn’t go unnoticed by another member of the team. It will be interested to see where this storyline goes now that Batman knows about their relationship.

The Shazam! back-up story works a little better than usual as it is focused on Black Adam journeying out into the world with Dr. Sivana rather than the truly awful (not to mention unrecognizable) version of Captain Marvel that DC has presented us with as part of the New 52. Seriously, this character is already in serious need of a reboot. For fans.

[DC, $3.99]

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Iron Man #2

/ / Comics

iron-man-marvel-now-2-coverIron Man travels to the tiny nation of Symkaria to stop the spread of Extremis technology by engaging in gladiator-style combat with an Arthurian legend obsessed group known as the Circle.

The comic plays to the strengths of Greg Land as it offers several different types of armor and action without giving the artist too many opportunities to draw in porny women (although he still finds a way). The various armor of the Circle was created by an old enemy of Stark known only as Meredith who blames him for ruining her promising career. Knowing her armor couldn’t stand up to Stark’s one-on-one she put her faith in pilots by choosing gymnasts and marital artists including the talented Russian Alex Draguno.

Although writer Kieron Gillen is pretty heavy-handed with the Arthurian references and let’s Iron Man cheat his way out of a competition he should be able to easily win, the comic introduces a couple of intriguing ideas and a new stable of enemies for our hero. Worth a look.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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