The Web Haunt of Ryan K Lindsay

Four comics this week, things are getting crazy, but we’ll manage. Some really good things here, people, really good things. And first up is Resurrection 7. How are you, old chap?

Resurrection: This week brings new issues, a cult to be specific.

I thought they saw themselves as more of a religion?

Resurrection: When you’re dealing with the end of the world you’d be surprised how many religions really show themselves as cults.

Ouch, I like it. There’s no doubting that whatever this group is their prayers were answered; they live in a massive city that has not been touched by the bug invasion at all. That’s pretty impressive. Everyone else was razed to the ground and they’re sitting pretty.

Resurrection: Yes, how interesting when you’re embroiled with a bug that suddenly you are protected from the bugs.

This bug, if it is the same one as featured in the intro, was around in Landstuhl, Germany on June 3rd, 1982. It’s been on Earth longer than I have been, though I was in utero then, but the bug had most likely been around for some time by the time we see it. I guess my question is, does it having been on Earth almost exactly as long as I have been have anything to do with the story?

Resurrection: …

I guess not, but anyway, I thought it was cool. We get at tease of this bug years ago then once our merry and intrepid explorers are kidnapped by hooded and gun toting goons they are taken to the pristine city and meet the bug who brought them there. And who knew they would come and knows all of their names. It’s a great end to an issue and I didn’t mind the interplay as they get sprung in the first place because they were all too busy considering their own position and not looking out as they should have been.

Resurrection: The issue gets everyone into place for the entire arc to now play out like a tune. Whether it’s a top 40 tune or a nails-down-the-chalkboard tune is yet to be seen.

It’s a simple week, I think, but I keep forgetting that I’m only getting 16 pages. It’s only two-thirds of what I consider an issue and you still set everything up pretty nicely. The back up story is a bit sad.

Resurrection: Yes, the burn.

For those who don’t know, burns are the people left over from bug experiments. They’re melted people who wander the landscape soulless and broken. They’re pretty sad and this short made them somehow even sadder. But in a well written way.

Resurrection: I’m glad you enjoyed it.

Yeah, overall, I really did. I’ve been enjoying the back up stories a lot, they rarely disappoint as they are sweet little done-in-one’s. I can’t wait to see some more of this cult they’re all stuck with. And if they’ll care about President Clinton at all. Thanks, Resurrection, now we’ll have a chat to my comic of the week, Secret Warriors 12.

Secret Warriors: Comic of the week, that’s a big wrap.

No, what’s a big wrap is the tapestry you are weaving in this title. This single issue seemed to give me so many ideas and I am in such awe at what you are accomplishing. There’s such insanity and depth on the pages that I sat back and simply enjoyed myself, which is exactly what this comic reading game is all about. You progress four stories here and that’s pretty good for a single issue. I really am in awe.

Secret Warriors: Which storyline are you enjoying the most?

That’s the thing, they’re so varied that I enjoy them equally on different levels. To kick things off we get Gorgon fighting off some Leviathan goons. It’s a bit of crazy kung-fu action which ends with Leviathan tendrils into faces and Viper being stolen away. It’s pretty cool and very well paced.

Next up we have Stonewall taking Yo-Yo for a drive to get her used to her arms. They have just seen her mother and she is happy once more. Such a family reunion leads her to push Stonewall into seeing his father. We learn the horrible past of Stonewall’s father, involving violence, rapes, and death, and then we meet the man himself, behind bars. I won’t spoil who he is, but it is pretty cool. I’m not sure it gels with what he had been saying during one scene in Secret Invasion. I’ll wait it out and see what they do with it, though.

Then we get a six year prior flashback that explains how The Hive was created, for want of a word. It’s clever, nasty, brutal, and ultimately awesome. Especially because we know how it is now, so to see the formative stage is a real eye opener.

We cut back to Gorgon, who has assembled the other leaders, to discuss that he believes there is a traitor somewhere in their midst. He’s going to root them out, and we know there is one, so this will get interesting. I like that the reveal of the traitor came many issues ago and we’re just getting back to it now. I kind of appreciate that longevity of storytelling.

Nick Fury continues to talk to his team leaders, of which there are more than we had at first thought, and he explains to us how Leviathan came about, and it’s interesting the thought Jonathan Hickman has put into it. HYDRA came from post-war Japan and Germany but Leviathan is Russian in origin and that is why it is so intensely different. It’s a very cool, and well explained, origin.

Finally, we see Leviathan interrogate Viper and get a glimpse at the next stage of the plan. And it looks pretty strange. And awesome. The arc is called Wake The Beast for a reason.

Look at all I’ve mentioned and imagine it in one single issue of a larger arc being told. It’s fantastic. It’s kung-fu, it’s family drama, it’s spy-fu, and it’s intensely crazy shenanigans. Book of the week for sure, book of the year so far, perhaps. It helps that Stefano Caselli is honestly doing the work of his career. I picked up a lot of his Avengers: The Initiative run and it didn’t always grab me. The people looked like clay figures, like each panel could have slipped off the page, but here he’s got it in one. He brings the crazy characters to life in amazing ways and I think this partnership gets better with every issue.

Secret Warriors: Do you actually need me here to say anything?

You shouldn’t have to, you said it all on the page already. Just kick back and get a free massage up the back.

Secret Warriors: Is Betsy here?

You bet’cha. Ah, another satisfying meeting, who’s next?

Fantastic Four: Here, Ryan, and ready to go.

Issue number 575, I must say, you had some moments this week. You were certainly enjoyable but you could have done more for me.

Fantastic Four: You do realise I was written by Jonathan Hickman as well?

Don’t try and rest on those laurels. You’ve got to prove yourself each week just like everyone else in here.

Secret Warriors: The man’s got it.

Fantastic Four: Stay out of this.

Hey, don’t get all testy with him just because I’m calling you out here. Now, to business. I liked you, don’t get me wrong, but let’s run down what you do for me. You bring a bunch of moloids to the surface to act as herald for the Mole Man to ask the FF for help. They then learn about the High Evolutionary’s crazy city that was evolving creatures but when the moloids went in they could speak and they didn’t seem to like it so they dumped the evolved children into the sidebars of history, harsh. Everyone then tours the underground for, like, four pages, and when they hit the city the Thing goes off to save the kids while the FF deal with the city. Grimm saves the kids and evolves a little as well, he gets a humongous Ken Griffey Jnr on the old cough syrup head, and the FF watch the city raise to the surface and don’t affect the situation at all. It sounds like a bit but most of it could have happened off-panel, all of the travelling, the city coming up anyway. The FF simply watch it all they don’t really do much, except for Grimm, but his evolution wears off, so we are told.

Fantastic Four: This issue sets up a lot of things, a grand palace needs a solid and rewarding foundation.

I don’t doubt it and though I love sausages I also do not want to know how they are made. This issue just seemed a little redundant to me, or could have been handled among more action instead of during inaction. Even the FF seem on downtime with the issue opening with Reed serving everyone coffee, it’s break time all around.

Fantastic Four: Come on, that is actually pretty funny.

Yeah, I’ll pay it. However, not to rant all fanboy-like all night long, I loved that splash page.

Fantastic Four: I assume you are speaking of the corpse of Galactus from another dimension that Reed buried in the underworld.

Damn skippy, that was pretty cool, as was the splash at the end of the High Evolutionary statue in the middle of the raised city. I also really dug the one page of info-bites that tell us what happens over the coming days of the city having been raised. It was info we didn’t necessarily need to see play out but we need to know, nice way of doing it, I thought. I didn’t feel cheated by it. Sadly, though, the whole issue could have started right at the end, with the FF being called out because the city had already arisen. Then the story could kick off, but I guess it needs to be there for further set up later. It also meant we got to see some awesome Eaglesham art as we tour the underworld.

Evolution is a tricky subject but I trust Hickman enough to treat it smartly at all times. I’ve got faith, FF, I just want to see a return to those first three issues. I want the next three to really bring the brain.

Fantastic Four: We can most certainly accommodate that.

I have no doubt you will and still thoroughly look forward to discussing it all with you next month. Now, Daredevil 504, being my boy and all you come at the end of the stack no matter what. You didn’t get the book of the week title, but you were still pretty good.

Daredevil: Thank you. I hope you like where we are taking things.

I do, but again, felt like I didn’t quite get enough from my single issue fix. We see Daredevil start to set up shop on the site of a recent failure, where he will build something called Shadowland. I’m intrigued and that’s a very good thing to put into your reader. Then you show me Foggy and Dakota chatting to a judge with some information they feel is very pertinent, and they then discover that Norman Osborne isn’t behind all things evil. The Hand stamp their authority on Hell’s Kitchen and a massive fight ensues between said ninjas and the troops of H.A.M.M.E.R.

Daredevil: That certainly sounds like you got a lot.

It should sound that way but it didn’t feel that way. Everything whizzed by but I didn’t feel enough of it. I think, and I stole this off a very good friend’s review, that I might be missing the inner monologues. Usually we get to know what Murdock’s thinking but here I have no clear clue and I’m not sure I love that. I like me some captions, gives me more writing and gets me deeper into the story. Here, I feel a little on the outside looking in. Not necessarily bad, but I yearn for so much more.

Daredevil: You yearn?

Yeah, I do, I yearn. All the time, and right now I yearn for a comic that will give me plenty to chew on. Secret Warriors did it but nothing else really did. They either started things off, or I think ended things but without anything really being resolved. Diggle’s first arc is only going to echo into the next one and while I like a long form story I also like getting some story not trace elements of a story. I’m hoping with Murdock going to Japan to see the leaders of the Hand we’ll get some good action. I’m also surprisingly pumped to see Anthony Johnston come on board for this coming arc. I think it will be kind of cool, so let’s see what happens next. Daredevil would have to do a lot for me to drop him, not that he’s anywhere near this yet.

Daredevil: You’re thinking of dropping me…even considering the optional possibility is shocking.

Calm down, It’s not going to happen. You’re solid in my book, and Diggle is really taking DD in some new places, it’s okay, I like it, I just want to absolutely love it. It was the same with Brubaker, it fizzled a little bit but the Lady Bullseye arc really brought me back in. I have faith, Murdock always comes through with the goods.

Daredevil: Whew, thankfully we’ll still have you around to chat to each month.

Alright, sarcasm aside, it was a good week, and Secret Warriors really made it great. Thanks for turning up guys, I’ll catch you all next time.

Posted on January 31st, 2010 by ryan
Filed under: comics