Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2.fluke 9/24/84; site colossus.fluke.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!houxm!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!fluke!moriarty From: moriarty@fluke.UUCP (The Napoleon of Crime) Newsgroups: net.comics Subject: Crisis on Infinite MORIARTY REVIEWS (Part II of II) Message-ID: <2490@colossus.fluke.UUCP> Date: Sun, 8-Dec-85 23:38:15 EST Article-I.D.: colossus.2490 Posted: Sun Dec 8 23:38:15 1985 Date-Received: Tue, 10-Dec-85 06:21:08 EST Distribution: net Organization: The Institute for Criminal Masterminds Lines: 190 REVIEWED IN THIS ARTICLE: JON SABLE SOUTHERN KNIGHTS SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN THE MASKED MAN BLOOD OF THE INNOCENT HAWKMAN SPECIAl X-FACTOR BLUE DEVIL VISION AND THE SCARLET WITCH STAR TREK and GREENBERG THE VAMPIRE ---- JON SABLE, FREELANCE #24 [C]: I don't mind a "Waste-their-Ass" (i.e. you set up villains so nasty that you're just waiting for the protaginist/hero{ine} to "waste their ass") type of story every once in a while, as long as it's done well, e.g. not simplistic, cardboard villains, etc. These guys look like, well, scum you'd find in reality. So, waste their ass, Jon... SOUTHERN KNIGHTS #10 [D+]: Not up to snuff; as I've said before, drama does not become the Knights real well, and I kept getting the impression that things were a bit rushed -- the FBI agent at the end rattles off a very hurried summary of Viper in a way that sounds stilted. And the little character quirks I've enjoyed in the supporting characters weren't there, either (though the Viper agents were well done -- Henry seems quite adept at writing thugs who sound like Company Men). The backup story was more in the spirit, but I figured out what was going to happen in the first three panels, and the dialogue wasn't funny enough to keep it going. Hope the next issue is better... SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #110,112 [C]: I think the thing I enjoy most about Peter David's writing is that his plots don't end up with nice neat answers that everyone likes; or even neat answers people aren't crazy about. Like real life (or, as it's known on the West Coast, Real Life), his stories end in compromise, frustration and failure as often as having a "happy ending" -- the Jean DeWolffe four-parter showed this. He also brings up situations which really have no right or wrong answers, and leaves them hanging. Again, the parallels to Hill Street Blues seem strong... The Christmas story was nicely done ("Last year it was slasher films. Now it's this. I'm not laughing"), though the art had too much T&A emphasis for my tastes (Miami Vice Comics!). Also, DD and Spider-man now know each other's true identity, though Matt may be too gonzo from the occurences in DD to remember later. Anyway, it appears that Spider-Man and Batman are suffering from the same fate of "public" secret identities -- seems everyone knows who they really are, these days... THE MASKED MAN #6 [D]: This is getting maudlin... BLOOD OF THE INNOCENT #1-4 [C]: I'm not sure why this has gotten so much lauding by various critics. It is, to be sure, an interesting story which I enjoyed very much; however, I think overall I prefer the film "Murder by Decree" for Jack the Ripper speculations. I've read a lot of books and mysteries in the vein (sorry, couldn't resist) of this series -- combining the Ripper with Dracula (or Holmes), and while this is a pretty good job, it isn't up to some of the other ones. Also, unless you're already familiar with the case, I think you may find the plot confusing (the text sections in the back help, but my memories of "Murder By Decree" helped fill in most of the gaps). HAWKMAN SPECIAL #1 [C+]: Dat Tony Isabella, boy, he shure can write. Comes up with an original plot, great dialogue, and introduces about the most unlikely ally to the Hawks in the Shadow War you can imagine. Gentleman Jim Craddock has been a villain that has survived almost forty years, in the pages of the Golden Age Hawkman, and it's nice to see Tony breathing some, err, new life (or new death?) into the character. He's the kind of a rogue Napoleons of Crime try to set aside as examples... X-FACTOR #1-2 [D]: I didn't expect to dislike this book as much as others have (though Jean's ressurection still grates); and you won't be getting any rabid thrashing diatribes from me about this book. However, it has several major problems, and I think it's safe to say that this book is off my list from now on. First point: #1) The plot here is riddled with more holes than Idi (V.D.) Amin's brain -- Madeline is just left up in Alaska (where's Candy Southern? after #1), Hank's personality has regressed, etc. This point has been repeated over and over again, so I'll leave it lying. #2) The stupidity of having a method of finding mutants which stirs up anti-mutant hatred. Yes, it's a flashy plot idea, and technically it is very nice indeed when you don't think of the side effects, but geez... anyway, enough said on this point also. #3) All the great characterizations that existed under Roy Thomas or Chris Claremont are shot to blazes. These are very shallow people being described here, and I'll not follow their paths. #4) Remember how Marvel use to have incredibly slow subplot development in their early books? Karen Page and Matt Murdock taking 40 issues to admit that they loved one another? Jean and Scott waiting two years to hold hands? This kind of build-up annoys me these days, and I'm not going to wait four issues, much less ten, to have Scott tell Jean that he's married. I mean, let's remember how much these people were in love. They finally get back together and all they do is hold the fort? Gimme a break... #5) The humor here is rather cruel and crude -- the X-Factor people remind me of a group of stereotypical frat brothers out on a gag. Layton and Micheline came close to going over the bounds on this type of humor in their IRON MAN days, but Layton is just not up to it. In fact, I suspect this is the books biggest problem -- a weird plot premise I could take, if the scripting was good. But it's not. Bob Layton is a fine Inker/Penciller, and I like his Ant-Man stuff. But here he is shovelling coal, not diamonds. P.S. If you can't figure what's going to happen to Hank McCoy by the next issue, you haven't been reading comics very long... BLUE DEVIL #21 [C]: Say, if you want a free BD plotline from Mishkin, just write and tell them that Jack Edison is the guy who builds the Batman's cars, and you last saw him in the Legend of the Batman mini-series. VISION AND THE SCARLET WITCH #6 [C+]: Interesting that Englehart has probably got as good of a tack on Magneto's personality as Claremont. He is one heck of a versatile writer... STAR TREK #24 [B+]: Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee... GREENBERG THE VAMPIRE Graphic Novel [A]: Many, many moons ago I happened to pick up a copy of Marvel's BIZARRE ADVENTURES (back when it was black & white magazine format) advertising a Stephen King story on the front (something to do with a lawnmower). The King story lacked punch; however, a second story titled "Greenberg the Vampire", got to be one of the most re-read stories in my comic collection. It told the story of a writer of horror fiction who, a few years previous to the story, had been turned into a vampire. The women (i.e. female vampire) who had bitten him and caused his transformation, a perfectly nice midwesterner, had moved in after The Change, and he had settled down into a (more or less) stable lifestyle in New York. His family, while not crazy about it, were tolerant; and the understated, funny nature of J.M. DeMatteis's (at that time a *real* unknown property) story had me enjoying the characters a great deal. More importantly, however, I was amazed at the potential these characters had; all sorts of story possiblities presented themselves, and I *wanted* to see them present themselves. I wanted MORE. I had to wait a while... But it's worth it. Denise, Morrie, Ira, the (briefly seen) collection of vampires peacefully co-existing with New Yorkers (and considerably less weird than most...). And Oscar, the vampire author; through him, DeMatteis does a very beautiful, neat piece of work. It has its faults -- the demon part of it doesn't work as well as it should -- but there are few books that have two page text portions scattered throughout the book which I gobble up as cleanly (and with as much enjoyment) as the art pages. Mark Badger's art is quite good, in fact, probably the best he's done, though in a different, err, vein (there I go again...) -- like a cross between Kent (MOONSHADOW) Williams and Bill S-word. I think, perhaps, I'll write Marvel and J.M. this time, suggesting that they don't wait so long until the next appearance of Greenberg (I hope Matteis will consider doing another story -- maybe something a bit more in the mystery genre? Yeah, I know, Marvel's already GOT a vampire detective, Hannibal King (probably gives his younger brother Stephen all his story ideas...)). Anyway, the first Marvel Graphic Novel since "God Loves, Man Kills" that has been worth the cover price... Moriarty says, check it out. "Ah, you know the type. They like to blame it all on the Jews or the Blacks, 'cause if they couldn't, they'd have to wake up to the fact that life's one big, scary, glorious, complex and ultimately unfathomable crapshoot -- and the only reason THEY can't seem to keep up is they're a bunch of misfits and losers." Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer ARPA: fluke!moriarty@uw-beaver.ARPA UUCP: {uw-beaver, sun, allegra, sb6, lbl-csam}!fluke!moriarty <*> DISCLAIMER: Do what you want with me, but leave my employers alone! <*>