COMICS: Wed. 8/11/04

Bite Club: This one isn't really holding up in the long run. First Risa has her silly, kitty cat-inspired epiphany last issue; this issue Leto goes from good guy to bad way too quickly to be convincing. One minute he's a priest, next minute he's taking over the crime family, feeding the Monsignor to the crocodiles, giving his sister a hot kiss, and banging his old girlfriend. This book never transcended its "vampire gangsters" high concept the way I hoped it would.

Challengers of the Unknown: On the other hand, I think Chaykin's other book is getting better each issue. More backstory filled in, more frighteningly evil activity from the Fox News surrogates, and now this religious mysticism -- when she says "Holy Grail," is that a euphemism, or is that really the Holy Grail? I still couldn't name the five Challengers for you, but I'm fascinated by their story, and Chaykin's storytelling with his art is fantastic.

Captain America: I am really disappointed with this book. Kirkman's writing, which I enjoy so much elsewhere, is mediocre at best here. It's by turns corny, obvious, and dumb. Seriously, Diamondback slips a mickey into Cap's drink? That's the Red Skull's brilliant evil plan? Lame. And the SHIELD conspiracy is even lamer, falling for a trick from Red Skull more obvious than "Throw me the idol, I'll throw you the whip." And Batroc? What the? Laaaaaame. And what's with Batroc saying he's never seen Captain America so brutal? #1, Cap certainly is nowhere near "brutal" here, and #2, Batroc obviously missed those Marvel Knights issues where Cap was nothing but an intense, "brutal" downer. Kirkman is trying to make Cap lighter and more brutal at the same time, and you simply can't have it both ways. He's aiming for goofy, old school fun (I presume), but he's really missing the mark. I had high hopes for Kirkman coming over to Marvel; I'm still looking forward to his Marvel Team-Up, but much less so now.

SpyBoy: Pop Mhan's art looks different, and nowhere near as good as it normally does. Is it just me? Is it a rush job? Is the inker not quite getting his style? What? And this story seems off to me. Alex's grandfather and the SHIRTS agent seem surprised by the appearance of SpyBoy, when they really shouldn't be. And if SpyBoy is going after SpyGuy with extreme prejudice, why didn't he just shoot him when he had the chance? This story isn't coming together very well for me at all.

Fables: Now that's a hell of a next-issue teaser: Frankenstein vs. the Wolf Man! Cool. Too bad Mark Buckingham is off the art chores for this story; I can't tell one damn soldier from another. This issue is a decent enough interlude, but I'd rather get back to the main Fables action. This is only going to be a two-issue story, right?

Powers: Okay, we learn a little more about the new Retro Girl. Could she be the original Retro Girl's daughter? Could Walker be a daddy? I have no idea if that's the conclusion I'm supposed to be reaching or not. And Deena may be a badass in the interrogation room, but she really needs some lessons in her field work. She's always getting her ass kicked. Why would she go by herself to a superpowered suspect's door? An okay issue, mostly for the interrogation stuff, but not great.

It seems like I'm forgetting something. I usually do. Oh well.