Indefinite Hiatus

There's just no way I can maintain this blog properly. It's on indefinite (permanent?) hiatus. Please enjoy some Kitchen Fresh ramblings.

Long Time...

It's been a long time since I've posted to this blog, primarily because I've had a tough time just maintaining the Kitchen Fresh Blog. But the July previews for Marvel have come out and I thought something disturbing regarding the House of M crossover solicitation was worth posting here:

The solicitation states:
"The last page of this issue will blow your minds and crack the Internet right in half!"

Now, I read the internet rumors and advance solicitations probably as much as anyone else. But the idea that the writers are trying to stump fans who discuss comics on the web is silly. Just tell us good stories. Frankly, from everything I've seen, House of M does not look like it will be a good story. I sure hope I'm wrong, since it seems like a long time since the X-Men and Avengers showed up in the same story.

Wolverine: The End, Revisited

I previously reviewed both issues #5 and #6 of Wolverine: The End in this space.

I have just re-read the entire mini-series. My intention was to re-read Origin as well, but instead I read some synopses of it online.

First, I have to say, that I had been confusing the character of John Howlett (whose first appearance is in this series) with that of Dog (the character from Origin). Now that this situation is clearer in my mind, I can more easily criticize this book.

This miniseries does not work. Partly, this is due to expectations. In a series that is supposed to be a character's final adventure, this is not the adventure we would hope for. Wolverine is more than just the mystery swirling around Weapon X and he is more than just a man waiting to find out all the things the reader knows (and some the reader didn't know) about Origin.

Origin was a nice story because it gives a background to a character that we never knew, and it's never clear if the background will ever be revealed to him. Various X-Men psychic foes have mentioned snippets of Origin to him, and he had a dream about Rose from Origin but we never know how much he'll find out.

The End tries to tease out a lot of these connections, such as how will Wolverine learn the truth and how did he end up at Weapon X. But the notion that he had a brother (who was supposedly dead in Origin) following him around like a stalker from the sidelines throughout his life, is a bit much.

Did we really need a brand-new villain in this series? It's also chock-full of "where are they now" references without the characters showing up (such as Victor Creed's death, this mysterious accountant son, and others).

Somewhat related to this is that I am a big Wolverine fan, but I have no idea about anything relating to Weapon X anymore. In the first Wolverine ongoing series, Larry Hama and Mark Silvestri tried to elaborate on Barry Windsor-Smith's Weapon X series, and for the most part, it seemed pretty clear. But somewhere along the line, between Deadpool, the Weapon X series and Grant Morrison's Weapon Ten, the entire concept has gotten muddled around in my brain. I'm just as confused as Wolverine!

The End tries to set the record straight, but it just ends up more confusing. It would have been nicer if this story wrapped around Wolverine's man/beast dilemma and some of the themes of honor and being an X-Man, rather than this long-lost brother.

Review: Ultimate X-Men #56

Ultimate X-Men #56
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Artist: Stuart Immonen

It's no secret that Brian Vaughan is one of my favorite current writers. He's doing great work with Y: The Last Man and Ex-Machina, and this week marks the return of Runaways.

One of the trends in the Ultimate books, is the use of "familiar" names just for the namesake and applying them to brand-new concepts in the Ultimate Universe. The last story included much of that, with Fenris making their appearance. Same goes for the Mr. Sinister appearances, and even during the Bendis storyarcs where a ton of mutants with normal MU counterparts were introduced. I don't like this trend.

At the same time, this is the first part of the story that I've truly enjoyed. The characters are growing and their relationships being tested fairly well within some action sequences. Vaughan has done a fairly strong job of balancing so many different characters. The art by Immonen isn't terrible but it's not as flashy as the art from previous artists, such as the Kuberts or Finch.

This book is pretty strong, but I think I would prefer it if the next story doesn't try to "re-invent" too many previous concepts. At least we haven't seen Ultimate Shi'ar (there seems to be a moratorium on cosmic Ultimate stuff).

Review: Superman/Batman #17

Superman/Batman #17
DC Comics
Writer: Jeph Loeb
Artist: Carlos Pacheco

Sometimes these alternate dimension/timeline stories get tiresome. Sometimes, but this is not one of those times. What a fun adventure through the possibilities of no Superman or Batman! Pacheco's art is crisp and clean, and Loeb has been dropping hints that this story links with some of the first issues of the series. Along the way in this story arc, we've gotten a "who's who" of different characters as well. It's all good fun and this arc makes this book one of the best that's out there right now.

Review: Madrox #5

Madrox #5
Marvel Comics
Writer: Peter David
Artist: Pablo Raimondi


In the past, I've read Peter David titles for a while, but then found that his intricate continuity got too complex and the humor got to be a bit silly. I felt this was certainly the case with some of his recent work, such as Young Justice and Captain Marvel. Initially I found both these series enjoyable but as they wore on, I started to get a bit tired of them. Recently, David has been back on the Hulk, and also has a critically acclaimed book in DC's Fallen Angel.

Madrox is a miniseries that reunites some of the characters from David's run on X-Factor. It's a pretty good concept in a comic universe of X-Clutter. It is set in District X, the mutant ghetto of Manhattan, which is a strong concept and has been featured in a number of books since its inception (including Uncanny X-Men). In fact, I'm surprised that nobody had thought of this before.

David writes a nice, smart noir story here and the Multiple Man is a great protagonist because it always allows him to do a switch-a-roo. The mystery is compelling and the characterization is strong. I don't recall having seen Raimondi's work before and he does a good job of capturing the dark, noir-like environment that the series is trying to create. This was a good miniseries, perhaps not as good as some online reviewers have said, but definitely a fresh look at existing characters. The ending implies there may be more adventures down the line, and I would certainly welcome them. When so many comics are heading in a direction I don't like, this one is doing the opposite.

Review: Daredevil #69

Daredevil #69
Marvel Comics
Writer: Brian Bendis
Artist: Alex Maleev

Daredevil's a book that I've been reading since Kevin Smith relaunched the character. Prior to this series, I had not been particularly interested in him. Bendis has been writing a nice story with Daredevil, and putting him through the ringer. All along, Maleev's art has complemented the grim and gritty setting of Hell's Kitchen. The only down point of this run has been when David Mack substituted for Bendis for several issues and wrote a dragged out story involving Echo and Wolverine.

Now we move on with another chapter in the "Golden Age" story, and it hadn't been that memorable to me, so I read all four parts in one sitting. This is a good story that spans several different time periods. I like how the stories are woven together and crafted, but the unchronological storytelling of even the more modern events seems a lot like a gimmick. But that's nitpicky. When Bendis returned from the short hiatus, I thought this comic had declined in quality but this arc has proven me wrong. Maleev's art is as spectacular as ever, especially when trying to capture the different eras of the story. Get the word out, Daredevil's back on track.

X-Men: Death Becomes Them

A great parody of Morrison's New X-Men.

Review: Planetary #22

Planetary #22
DC Comics/Wildstorm Comics
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist: John Cassaday

Planetary remains one of Warren Ellis's better works, and perhaps one of the better comics out there right now. If only it came out more regularly! It's hard to remember what happened the last few issues, one almost hopes for a recap page or something.

William Leather of the Four was captured in a recent issue and now we learn more about his background and why he's part of the Four and what their motivations are. This issue is very strong, with a great backstory for Leather, who provides the primary narration. The art is beautiful as usual, and Planetary has once again bought itself a few months of me gushing before I get upset that it's so long between issues again. We must be in the home stretch since now only two members of the Four are at large.

One other side note - I noticed the Wildstorm imprint puts out about eight to twelve regular titles. Oddly enough, I buy four of them (Ex-Machina, Planetary, Sleeper, The Authority), making that the largest percentage of any "line" that I buy. Also, most of these books are high quality. Throw into the mix Alan Moore's line, America's Best Comics, and there are some really good comics being made at the Wildstorm group, with a wide range of genres. Too bad the titles don't sell that well.

New Heroes

You ever wonder what will happen once all the various comic book super heroes/stories have been mined and made into movie franchises? There doesn't seem to be too much new stuff coming down the pipe.

Review: Sleeper: Season Two #8

Sleeper: Season Two #8
DC Comics/Wildstorm Comics
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Sean Phillips

Ed Brubaker is writing some good comics right now. I've caught a glimpse of Gotham Central, which I thought was a dopey concept, but is a great crime comic. His relaunch of Captain America has been top notch. The Authority: Revolution isn't quite as good, but it's the best version of that comic that hasn't been written by a jaded fellow from the UK. That brings us to Sleeper, the book everyone loves to praise but nobody loves to buy.

We're in the home stretch for Sleeper, and one thing I enjoy is that it's totally unclear what the outcome will be for Holden Carver. With other titles, the protagonist is expected to survive the end of the series because his name is "Superman" or some other equivalent. On the other hand, Holden's story has an ending, but we do not know if it will be at the end of this "season" and we also do not know if it will be a happy ending.

This series has the same quality Planetary does, in that each issue is a self-contained story within a larger framework. This works really well for the monthly comic books and doesn't have the same feeling as some of the decompressed storytelling that's so popular these days. In the first series, Brubaker took each issue and used it to spotlight a different character. This time around, he's managed to create little stories within the bigger espionage conflict.

Miss Misery gets a little focus in this issue, and here's a character that's well conceived -- a villainess who has to do bad things or else she will wither up and die. A tragic villainess - a woman whose physical well-being is dependent on her actions. It's strong characterization and the game of trust and knowledge that is Sleeper continues on.

I've never seen the tv show Alias, but from what I heard it's like Sleeper. If that's true then it's probably a pretty good show.