September
21
Escaping the Past
Mister Miracle #1
Creators: Grant Morrison, writer; Pasqual Ferry, artist
DC Comics, 32 pages, color, $2.99
So? The second phase of Morrison's Seven Soldiers megaseries kicks off with this four-issue revival of Jack Kirby's escape artist superhero. But this isn't the Mister Miracle fans of Kirby's Fourth World know and love; instead it's Shilo Norman wearing the mask and miraculously escaping from the gravity of a black hole in the opening pages. It's tough to work on Kirby's DC characters because they were such an extention of the artist, and anyone else's interpretation invariably disappoints simply by not being Kirby's. The continuity that put Shilo in this identity is something I missed, but however it happened Morrison makes this story work well. It's got an edgy tone that mixes a small taste of Kirby with a thoroughly contemporary setting, making for a mix that's far enough removed from previous versions of the character to stand on its own. Ferry's art is terrific and the coloring of Dave McCaig puts a great visual twist on Kirby's costumes by making the distinctive outlines glow. While Identity Crisis and House of M have made the most noise, Seven Soldiers is so far the most satisfying and original big comics event in a long time. Grade: A-
Polly & The Pirates #1
Creator: Ted Naifah
Oni Press, 32 pages, black and white, $2.99
So? Polly Pringle is a shy, orphan girl attending a 19th century private school, who avoids even her best friend's pleas to take part in the normal adventures of childhood. So of course, she wakes up one day to find herself on a ship full of pirates who say they need her to take the place of their vanished captain, the pirate queen Meg Molloy — who also turns out to be Polly's mother. Naifeh, creator of the popular Courtney Crumrin series, does another excellent job creating a compelling children's story with a girl hero. The story is solid and Naifeh's slick cartooning is modern, pretty and charming. Grade: A-
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Americans owe, doesn't owe Vietnam veterans an apology
Posted by: citroen | September 30, 2007 at 09:34 AM