Review: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN No. 1 / #802 (2018)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Nick Spencer
PENCILS: Ryan Ottley; Humberto Ramos
INKS: Cliff Rathburn; Victor Olazaba
COLORS: Marte Gracia; Edgar Delgado
LETTERS: VC's Joe Caramagna
EDITOR: Nick Lowe
COVER: Ryan Ottley with Laura Martin
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Shane Davis and Michelle Delecki with Morry Hollowell; John Romita, Sr. and Terry Austin with Jason Keith; Erik Larsen with Dean White (Remastered); Jim Cheung with Justin Ponser; Greg Land with Jason Keith
56pp, Color, $5.99 U.S. (September 2018)

Rated  “T”

Spider-Man created by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee

“Back to Basics” Part One

Here we go.  Back in the summer, Marvel Comics published yet another The Amazing Spider-Man #1, but the publisher did not jettison its “Legacy” numbering.  So this new #1 comic book is also The Amazing Spider-Man #802.

It is a fresh start, of sorts, with a new creative team.  Nick Spencer is the new series writer.  The new art team is Ryan Ottley (pencils) and Cliff Rathburn (inks).  Laura Martin is on colors, and Joe Caramagna is on letters.

The Amazing Spider-Man #1 finds Peter Parker still trying to get his life back together in the wake of the crash and burn of his company, Parker Industries.  He shares an apartment with roommates, and he has reconnected with M.J. - Mary Jane Watson.  But something is wrong.  People are giving him the side eye, when they aren't being outright hostile and dismissive.  And he and the Avengers are in the middle of a massive alien invasion.  Is there a conspiracy against Peter Parker and Spider-Man?

I enjoyed Dan Slott's run on The Amazing Spider-Man.  Of course, I only experienced the second half of Slott's long tenure on the title, and I understand that some readers and fans were ready for Marvel to move on from him.

I don't know if readers are satisfied now, but I like this almost tripled-sized issue.  Without reverting Peter Parker to childhood, Spencer takes Peter Parker back to the days when he suffered the bane of a hero's existence – no good deed goes unpunished.  Indirectly and directly and by action and inaction, Parker and Spider-Man are causing trouble for the people for whom they care.  Obviously, there is a lot of dramatic tension and conflict.  Still, Spencer writes a light-hearted comic book with both wry humor and dark undertones.

Ryan Ottley, known for his long run on Robert Kirkman's Invincible (Image Comics), is the perfect Spider-Man comic book artist, for now.  He reminds me of Mark Bagley on Ultimate Spider-Man, and, at the time (late 2000), both that comic book and Bagley were much needed breaths of fresh air for the Spider-Man franchise.  Ottley recalls the past while being something different, essentially an indie superhero comic book artist taking on a venerable mainstream superhero franchise.  Ottley is back to basics without being retro.

Cliff Rathburn on inks accentuates the newness of Ottley's clean pencil art.  Laura Martin's colors seems out of place, too heavy for Ottley and Rathburn's illustrations.  There is nothing distinctive about Joe Caramagna's lettering.  At least, it seems that way to me.

Former Amazing Spider-Man series artist, Humberto Ramos, delivers a killer back-up story.  With his striking illustrative style, Ramos usually presents potent storytelling, and his tale enforces my belief that this Amazing relaunch could be something special... at least for awhile.

8 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.



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DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 8, 2014

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Review: SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE Volume Two

SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE VOLUME TWO
DC COMICS – @DCComics

WRITER: J. Michael Straczynski
PENCILS: Shane Davis
INKS: Sandra Hope
COLORS: Barbara Ciardo
LETTERS: Rob Leigh
ISBN: 978-1-4012-3196-5; hardcover (October 2012)
136pp, Color, $22.99 U.S., $26.99 CAN

Superman: Earth One re-imagines various Superman stories, setting them on a new Earth with an all-new continuity. Superman: Earth One Volume Two is the second in this series of original graphic novels that depict the early years of Superman. It is written by J. Michael Straczynski and drawn by Shane Davis, the authors of the first book, Superman: Earth One.

As Superman: Earth One Volume Two opens, 20-something Clark Kent is basking in the glow from the journalistic scoop that earned him a job at the Daily Planet, the top newspaper in Kent’s new home, the city of Metropolis. This “beginner’s luck,” however, has earned him the scrutiny of fellow (rival?) Planet reporter, Lois Lane. Lane is not the only complication. Kent has moved into a new apartment, where he captures the attention of a lusty neighbor, a young woman named Lisa LaSalle, who starts turning his world upside down and inside out. Lisa awakens in Clark feelings and emotions he thought that he had tamed.

Clark is also struggling with how to use his power as Superman. How can he be effective? Can he make sure that he won’t inadvertently hurt any? But Clark isn’t the only man struggling with power. Raymond Maxwell Jensen is a stone-cold killer, but when an accident turns him into a thing called Parasite, he cannot get enough power. Only Superman can stop him, but the cost of stopping a monster for this still-new hero is a level of vulnerability he has never experienced.

Where as Superman: Earth One was like an action movie that introduced a new take on the origin of Superman, Superman: Earth One Volume Two delves into Clark Kent’s character and personality. In fact, writer J. Michael Straczynski approaches every character he places in this story from a personality/motivation point of view, even if he is ultimately vague about motivation.

With an opportunity to build a version of Superman from the ground up, Straczynski seems determined to start with Clark Kent, the man. His new Kent, like practically all the other Clark Kents, keeps secrets. Straczynski’s Kent not only keeps secrets, but he also constructs a life in which he does not stand out. Kent makes no waves and makes sure no one really notices him, so few people will realize that there is even a personality with secrets to keep. Straczynski is clever in the way he writes this new Clark Kent, but sometimes it becomes too anal and detailed. There are a few passages in Superman: Earth One Volume Two that read like fan fiction. This is balanced, however, by wonderful scenes such as the one in which Pa Kent and teen Clark have an awkward conversation about sex that rings with authenticity.

Artist Shane Davis really improves from his work in the first book. His art is not pretty in terms of style, but as storytelling, it is gorgeous. Davis doesn’t alter his style when he needs to switch from romance to drama to action. The way he draws is good for everything, so without theatrics, he authors graphical storytelling that encompasses the human drama of struggling characters and also the theatre of fantastic beings locked in struggle. I don’t think that Sandra Hope’s inking does Davis’ pencils in any favors, but Barbara Ciardo’s colors augment the subtle intensity of Davis’ art.

Superman: Earth One Volume Two is more about the man than it is about the Superman. Superman does his super things, of course, but this new version of Superman wants to dig deeper into the myth and mythology that is the Man of Steel.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Review: SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE (OGN)

SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE
DC COMICS

WRITER: J. Michael Straczynski
PENCILS: Shane Davis
INKS: Sandra Hope
COLORS: Barbara Ciardo
LETTERS: Rob Leigh
ISBN: 978-1-4012-2468-4; hardcover
136pp, Color, $19.99 U.S., $23.99 CAN

Superman: Earth One is a graphic novel series that re-imagines and retells Superman’s early years. Written by J. Michael Straczynski and drawn by Shane Davis, the first volume of Superman: Earth One was first published in October 2010. It is a damn good read, and I consider it to be the best retelling of Superman’s early days since John Byrne’s still-excellent, Superman: Man of Steel.

Superman: Earth One focuses on a 20-year-old Clark Kent. This farm boy arrives in Metropolis, but he isn’t like other 20-somethings looking to begin their adult lives. Clark can fly, see through walls, and burn objects with his gaze. He goes on job interviews, and leaves his potential employers in shock and awe because of his talent, knowledge, and skills. Still, young Clark is alone and without purpose, but the arrival of otherworldly visitors will reveal his history and may give him purpose – if he so chooses.

I don’t want to say more about the plot and story details. I want the reader to be delightfully surprised over and over again as I was. I initially avoided reading about Superman: Earth One, partly because I thought it would be mildly entertaining, nothing more and certainly not worth my time. I used some Leroy mojo and got DC to give me a review copy, and the review copy put some hoo doo on me. After the first few pages, I really thought that this was just warmed over Smallville, but soon, I was dreading that this fun would end. I think Superman: Earth One does falter early on and in places at the end, but its strengths gloss over such imperfections.

J. Michael Straczynski gives everything about Superman and Clark Kent a sense of purpose and meaning. This is indeed a darker Superman, but not in a grim and gritty or cynical way. Clark Kent lives in a world where people use power, aggression, and self-centeredness to serve their ends. Young Kent is not only trying to figure out what he should do, but also why he should do it. He is looking for signs, but those signs most resonate with him. Plus, Straczynski writes a page-turning action yarn here, so this is thoughtful and explosive.

Shane Davis, who seems to be channeling Carl Potts-era Jim Lee, turns Straczynski’s script into a visually potent comic book. Davis captures Kent’s brooding, stubborn nature with clarity, and presents the science fiction elements and action scenes with energy, a sense of movement, and power that the static images of comic books usually don’t have.

Superman: Earth One is the Superman book that everyone who reads Superman should be reading. Or put it this way: if you know about Superman, you probably need this book in your hands.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

Is DC Comics Rebooting Via Original Graphic Novels? - An I Reads You Juniors Special

From the DC Comics's The Source blog:

Monday, December 7th, 2009
By Alex Segura

That major publishing event we mentioned earlier today? Well, here it is.

Original stories featuring Batman and Superman in graphic novel form from the biggest creators out there. But these aren’t one-offs. We’re talking ongoing series of OGNs in a new continuity, on a new Earth.

Sound appealing?

Starting next year, DC Comics will unveil SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE and BATMAN: EARTH ONE, two graphic novels spotlighting the most powerful heroes of the DC Universe, with their first years and earliest moments retold in a standalone, original graphic novel format, on a new earth with an all-new continuity.

Return to Smallville and experience the journey of Earth’s greatest adopted son, as he grows from boy to Superman in SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE by J. Michael Straczynski and artist Shane Davis.

Watch from the darkest corners of Crime Alley as a young boy is struck by unbelievable tragedy that will forge the greatest crime-fighter to ever stalk the rooftops of Gotham City in BATMAN: EARTH ONE, by writer Geoff Johns and artist Gary Frank.

What does JMS have to say? Well, here’s a snippet from his first interview on the subject: “What I’m trying to do is to dig in to the character and look at him through modern eyes. If you were to create the Superman story today, for the first time, but keep intact all that works, what would it look like?”

“It is monumental for us as comic readers to see Superman birthed for the first time,” Davis said. “It’s a privilege to realize that you’re the artist that gets to draw it, better yet having the luxury to do it in an original graphic novel. This is going to be epic!”

What about Geoff Johns? Well, we happen to have a bit from his first interview as well: “BATMAN: EARTH ONE allows Gary and I to break the restraints of any continuity and focus on two things: character and story.”

Want more? Sure you do. Why not check out the interviews AIN’T IT COOL NEWS just posted with the previously mentioned Johns and Straczynski? [END]

MY TAKE: I wonder if DC Comics is using these original graphic novels (OGNs) as a way of rebooting its universe and/or core characters for readers outside the comic book store market. Are they modernizing these characters or starting from scratch as a way to entice new readers who don't have to be familiar with the comic books sold in comic book stores through the Direct Market?

If DC markets these well, they could sell a lot of books to people who like super heroes and don't buy comics books, but are not resistant to reading a comic book. Do a lot of people like superheroes? Well, superhero movies sure seem to be doing well at the box office...

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