Comics: Week of Feb. 21 2007

52 Week 42 - All Ralph issue as his story thread finally finds some redemption with me. Hooray! Gives me a bit more confidence in the master plan.

Civil War #7 - Um, okay. not quite the finish I was hoping for, but rather the one I could see coming. Really kind of ended on an quiet note. Maybe if i read every crossover to this thing, it might have had more kick to it, but as is it's just another status quo reset (and not even a major one). Marvel has always had this division between heroes who operated out in the open and ones that were a bit more vigilante. It's a trait of Millar's that I've noticed: the appearance of a kind of knowing, post-modern tweak or redefinition, but really it's just a return to old-school Marvel themes. Nothing wrong with it, just most times it has a bit more meat.

In the end, it didn't feel emotionally satisfying. Logically, things would make a certain sense, but in my heart things seemed wrong and out of control. I still don't understand Clor and why he was built (and why he was brought back after killing Bill Foster). I don't buy that it would take Cap so long to reach the conclusion that he does. I felt the art was choppy in areas and the wrap-up with Reed's letter was kind of a cheat.

This series ends as a set-up for a bunch of new series, relaunches and events. This series was my big sampler platter of Marvel U. I'd been avoiding most Marvel titles for years (with the odd exception here and there), and this was a chance to bring me back in to the fold. I can't say anything really interests me in any kind of follow-up. My confidence that Marvel will deliver what they say they will deliver is completely eroded. I'll buy X-Factor, but other than that, I think I'll stay away from their mainstream titles.

New Avengers: Illuminati #2 - Done. Man, I really like the idea of this series, but there's nothing to it, particularly in the tension department. How can you pretend to put characters in jeopardy that you know will survive? There are really no stakes here, and it seems to primarily be an indulgence in what is commonly referred to as "continuity porn". It's just not interesting to me.

The Spirit - Beautiful, from cover to cover, literally. Looking at the cover, I realized that DC has been using a kind of flat, semi-gloss paper instead of the high-gloss they use for their other books. It really complements the feel of Cooke's art and the colors. I like that attention to detail.

Another strong outing as we get the origin of The Spirit. Clever use of separate POVs and I loved the change-up in style, from thick brush work to scratchy line art for the flashback.

Tags: 52 civil war new avengers illuminati the spirit