Comic Proportions

Giant-Size Wolverine: Old Man Logan No. 1
Published by Marvel Comics. Written by Mark Millar. Pencils by Steve McNiven. Inks by Dexter Vines.

The Deal: Writer Mark Millar and artist Steve McNiven wrap up their multi-part tale of Wolverine in the future … with a giant-sized bang.

The Verdict: As far as I’m concerned, Millar is responsible for churning out some the best Wolverine stories ever — tales that capture the true bad-ass nature of the character like no one else. Millar did it first with his 12-part Enemy of the State storyline. And it looks like he’s created another classic tale with Old Man Logan. A futuristic Western of sorts, this adventure drips with blood, violence, tragedy, death and — in the end — hope for a better future. I loved this thing. Let’s pray Millar and McNiven craft a sequel.

Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.

Batwoman: Detective Comics No. 857
Published by DC Comics. Written by Greg Rucka. Art by J.H. Williams III and Cully Hamner (for the second feature)

The Deal: It’s the latest issue of Detective Comics starring the (relatively) new incarnation of Batwoman. And bringing up the rear is a backup feature starring the new female version of The Question.

The Verdict: This is, without rival, the prettiest comic book on the stands today. We’ll be looking back on the groundbreaking job that J.H. Williams is doing with the art for years to come. As pretty as the art is, however, I find myself enjoying the story in the second feature more. Maybe I just feel like I know the Question better than Batwoman. Anyway, this comic is definitely worth the $3.99 price tag.

Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.

Spider-Woman No. 1
Published by Marvel Comics. Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Art by Alex Maleev.

The Deal: I checked out the first issue of Marvel’s new Spider-Woman series — but only after checking out the first two episodes of her highly promoted motion comic. Material in those motion comics was basically the same stuff found in this first issue. The release of the motion comic marked the first time this new Web-based medium was used to launch a comic book series.

The Verdict: For the most part I liked the motion comics. Some of the dialogue was clunky and there wasn’t a ton of action, but the visuals were attractive and the animation moved smoothly without looking cheesy. In other words, it was light years better than those old Marvel cartoons form the 1960s. To illustrate my point here’s a look at the motion comic:

And here’s a look at one of those old Marvel cartoons:

Anyway, when it came time to read the print edition, I found that I wasn’t too excited because I already knew the story. Just something to think about before you clunk down hard-earned cash for either version of this new comic.

Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.

Armor Wars No. 1
Published by Marvel Comics (for its Ultimate line). Written by Warren Ellis. Penciled by Steve Kurth. Inks by Jeff Huet.

The Deal: The Ultimate Marvel Universe is still healing from the whole “Ultimatum” crisis; New York is in ruins and the global economy is in ruins (sounds familiar, eh?). In the midst of all this chaos, Tony Stark (aka Iron Man) returns to the Big Apple to retrieve some personal property and runs into two new players — one good and one bad.

The Verdict: I’m not the biggest fan of the Ultimate Universe (I didn’t read any issues of Ultimatum), but I do like the Ultimate version of Iron Man. The Ultimate Stark’s personality is less like the one found in the regular Marvel Universe (he’s a rather mopey dude) and more like Robert Downey Jr.’s take on the character in the movie — a fun drunk with loads of charm and great dialogue. And like Downey, Ultimate Stark carries the book, which features a pretty standard, straight-forward (yet exciting) plot. I’ve never seen Kurt’s art, but his work is good … sort a cross between Steve McNiven and Bryan Hitch. All in all, it’s an excellent read.

Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.

Sir Edward Grey, Witchfinder: In the Service of Angels No. 3
Published by Dark Horse Comics. Written by Mike Mignola. Art by Ben Stenbeck.

The Deal: Write Mike Mignola (the creator of Hellboy) and artist Ben Stenbeck roll out the latest installment of their Witchfinder limited series, which follows the exploits of Victoria-era paranormal detective Sir Edward Grey.

The Verdict: I’m really enjoying this book. Grey is a hero in the vein of Solomon Kane — religious and stodgy but a man of action. The story is engrossing and filled with cool period touches and just enough supernatural elements to make it scary. On the art side of things, Stenbeck’s work takes the best elements from Mignola’s shadowy drawing style and mixes it with his own to come up with something that’s unique but still able to work for the world of Hellboy.

Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.

Justice League: Cry For Justice No. 3
Published by DC Comics. Written by James Robinson. Art by Mauro Cascioli.

The Deal: It’s the third issue of the JLA-centric limited series starring Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Green Arrow, the Atom and several other DC heroes.

The Verdict: Damn, this book was damned-near unreadable. Filled with awful dialogue and some really preposterously coincidental plot points, I actually had to put it down a few times. Last issue was decent, but this is definitely a move in the wrong direction. But, all that said about the story, the art sure is pretty.

Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.

The media’s going batshit over the news that Disney is buying Marvel Entertainment. Here’s a look at just a smidgen of what’s been written so far:

• Will Disney Disrupt the Marvel Universe? — Politicsdaily.com

• Uslan and Disney Speak Out on Blockbuster Deal — Comicbookresources.com

• Stan Lee Calls Disney Deal ‘Perfect’ — Newsarama.com

• Pow! Bam! Are takeovers back? [Yeah, awful headline ...] — CNN.com

• Marvel/Disney marriage fallout: Fox preps more crappy Fantastic Four movies — AV Club

• And the coolest link so far: Disney/Marvel mashups — SuperPunch