Quick Takes for July 31, 2005

Since I am still recovering from Harry Potter madness, here is a quick take on five comics that I got this week.

Astro City: The Dark Age: Book One #2: Writer Kurt Busiek has completely sucked me into the world of Astro City with this latest story telling. Going back to the 1970’s, during a time of great unrest for the citizenry, two very different brothers are dealing with their own realities and how a dark secret about one of the city’s super heroes affect them. From panel one, I was captivated. Brent Anderson brings a specifically old school feel to the look of the issue, focusing on the drama instead of the backgrounds. If you have never read any of the Astro City books, I can’t recommend them highly enough. Though plagued in the past by late shipping, Busiek brings a sense of whimsy and sadness to the universe he created that can’t be replaced by any kind of gloss.

Fantastic Four #529: I want Mark Waid to come back to the book now. I am sure that new writer J. Michael Straczynski means well with a big shake up right off the mark, but I am dreading what happens next instead of anticipating it. Recreating the cosmic storms that occurred is all good and well, but the repercussions are frightening. I guess I don’t understand why when a new writer comes on a book; they feel that they have to reboot it. The good news is that Mike McKone’s art is spectacular.

X-Men #173: Remember the angst we all felt when Rogue and Gambit couldn’t touch but were so in love? Wasn’t that like 10 years ago? Hasn’t she had power issues that have allowed her and Gambit to be intimate and have a normal relationship over in X-treme X-Men?

For some reason, Peter Milligan and the editorial staff at Marvel has chosen to forget the past and reboot Rogue and Gambit’s relationship out of nowhere. We are suddenly back to the insecurities and madness that got old after awhile back in the day. To top it off, Havoc has decided that the wonderful relationship he had with Annie and her son was just some kind of drama he needs to get past.

For the first time in my life, I want to burn a comic and laugh evilly while doing so. I hate this book, and coming from an old school X-Men whore, that says a lot.

Flash #224: After wiping the tears from my eyes at the prospect of Geoff Johns leaving this title, I got down to some serious reading. Just when I thought this story arc “Rogue War” was going on much too long, they threw in not just one, but two curves. Johns and artists Howard Porter and Livesay have me counting the days until issue 25, the penultimate chapter, comes out. Geoff, I’ll miss you, and I don’t know if there are recovery classes available or not, so I may need a little self medication to get through it. You took an excellent book and made it great.

New X-Men: Hellions #3 (of 4): Yes, I bought the four issue mini-series spinning out of New X-Men. I have been intrigued by the rogue team of young wannabes, so I wanted to follow them on their vacation. No disappointment here, except to say to be careful what you wish for. The kids that comprise the team have complicated lives and they don’t even have their driver’s licenses. I especially fascinated by Julian AKA Hellion and Cessily AKA Mercury. These characters have compelling personalities, and I am especially wondering how what occurs here will fit back into the main title.

That’s it for this week. Have a great week, and a wonderful August!

Comic Reviews