Criminal Vol. 2 #3

This week saw the release of the third issue of this series. There was a long gap between issues two and three which Brubaker explains was because of Philips' who lay sick on a hospital bed and still drew this issue. And it still looks sexy as hell. Maybe he used all that pain to good use.

This is third in a series of one-shots that focus on a particular character, and this time we have Danica's story. Danica has been a player in the last two issues as well, and now that I look back it seems natural that this was an inevitable story. Brubaker non-linearly brings us to this point, with the first issue telling us about Danica at the very beginning, but also at the end, while the second issue told us what inevitably lead to that end. This issue tells us of the events leading up to the story in the second issue. And that is where my sole problem with this book lies. It is very obvious that Brubaker wants us to read the singles, but these issues are much more satisfying when read together, as the dots Brubaker puts in there, are so much more satisfying when connected.

That aside, I believe this issue would still have been very satisfying for anyone who decided to pick it up, without having read anything before. Even I didn't remember most of what had happened in the past issues, and had to go back and read the past issues to discover the connections. And yet it was beautifully written as a stand alone story. It opens with Danica in a car going somewhere with a man, who is the everyday average man, with non average fantasies. The story is mostly a flash back as we go through her past and her many tragedies. And Brubaker excels when dealing with shades of gray.

The main character is by no means, an angel. She's, as cliches go, molded by circumstances. And yet there are parts of her that aren't black. She still has some kindness in her, the realisation of which leads to the inevitable conclusion of this chapter, as revenge becomes everything for her. And we wait with baited breath for tragedy speeding towards her. The last one. And when it comes to tragedies and noir, count on Brubaker and Philips to deliver.

Secret Invasion #1

Because This is supposed to be hot, right.

I am primarily a DC fan. I like my fair share of Marvel(by fair, I mean 2 or 3 titles) but I like to think that if there's something good from either company I'll read it. So reading this was an endeavor in that direction.

And besides its supposed to be hot, right.

I came into this without ever having read either of the Avengers titles. Well except that one issue where Elektra is killed, and turns out to be a skrull. I disliked that issue immensely and decided that not reading Avengers was a good decision on my part. I even read the first issue of Mighty Avengers. And the use of thought balloons was so nonsensical, I decided to not try any further.

Right, thats the background. No previous knowledge of where this title is coming from. The issue opens with........ Ok, I don't think that method of reviewing will work, because this issue really didn't have a plot. It was a series of reveals. With first character A revealed then character B and then a whole spaceship worth of possible characters. All of that w have been cool, IF, I actually knew most of these characters. I was actually revealed in the online prologue that Dum Dum Dugan was a skrull. Now that would mean something to me if I actually knew who this Dugan fellow is. And then there's that full page of Mar-vell indicating that either he's a skrull or he knows someone at Thunderbolts is. And I have no idea who Mar-vell is. Am I supposed to think that Bendis is trying to tell me, go read the tie-in issues because I can't tell you everything here. Is that what self-contained is supposed to mean. I don't think so. And if this crossover is supposed to bring in new fans, well then good for Marvel. But the new fans might not last long reading such a series.

So instead of a plot, we have a series of reveals. And instead of a script, we have what I may refer to as Bendis-speak. Because thats what most of the dialogue, especially in the pages containing Stark, Pym and Reed had. Bendis-speak. Unreal, unfunny and without the slightest amount of edge which a title whose entire premise is an underlying paranoia, is supposed to have. Then again, writing like this is the primary reason I do not like Bendis writing superheroes.

Yu, on the other hand impressed me. While I would hardly call his faces expressive, the actual line work was good, making you want to look at the pages slightly longer than what a Bendis script would make you.

Mind you, this was more of an analysis. When I first read it, I felt it was alright. Nothing brilliant but readable. On the other hand an analysis of the issue would make it out to be worse than it actually is. Why that discrepancy? Possibly the fact that the scope here is huge. That feeling you get when you are going into a blockbuster movie which sometimes clouds your judgement because of the preconceived notions about it. Thats what this has.

Besides, how can I not like the fact that both DC/Marvel are basing their big events this year on Kirby's stories. That counts for a lot in my book. But then again, in my book, Morrison has no equal in skill. That may indicate where my sympathies lie in terms of stories I am looking forward to.