No Sacrificing, Strike Like Lightning: Tucker on 6/16
Posted by: Tucker Stone on June 19, 2010
Categories: Reviews
Tags: Spider-Man, Tucker
Hey, I’m into single issues of things that come out on a weekly basis in a paper format that I can purchase with American currency. Here’s a few of them.
More than any of the rest of the stories leading up to Grim Hunt, Shed was sad, a dark story that concluded with Spider-Man rejecting self-preservation when it demanded that he hurt innocent people. (He survived, blah blah blah, the drama of that moment had nothing to do with “how’s he going to get out of this”, it was a showcase for determination, a flipped version of the standard Spidey “whatever it takes” moment.) Visually, 633 suffers from the same Bachalo-didn’t-draw-it-all problems that hampered 632, and the only real arguments that can be made in defense of that is that 1) the work that is here is incredible, and 2) it’s not as hard to stomach as that Sinister Spider-Man mini-series where he only drew the fight scenes. (Did anybody else read those comics? Not-Bachalo draws Venom jumping off of a building, and Bachalo draws the landing? Not-Bachalo draws Venom walk through a door, Bachalo draws what’s inside? That didn’t work.)
The most memorable moments in Amazing in the last few months have all been visual–Azaceta’s catching-the-ceiling moment, Marcos Martin’s Family Circus casino fight and his inset square of a Ghost World style Carlie, Javier Pulido’s repetition of the seated Rhino while a jailbreak goes down–and Shed had at least two more, the first being when Curt Connors “died” in 631 and the second being when Spidey got buried at the bottom of a pile of crazies in this issue and chose not to fight his way out. Problems? Yeah, 633 has some. VERY GOOD nonetheless.
I don’t think anybody was expecting Jeph Loeb to come riding in on a white horse with a new African-American super-hero right when Heidi Macdonald needed one most, but hey, here he went, and look what he brung. Art’s art is EXCELLENT.
Hellblazer # 268
This is the second part of “Sectioned”, which is probably the scariest Hellblazer story since that Warren Ellis issue about a room that made people commit suicide. It’s got a similarity of tone to one of the earlier Milligan stories, the one that achieved all of its drama by behaving exactly like one of those “i’m going to save the girl” soap operas right up until the point where it ended by saying that no, you dummy, the girl is dead and will always be dead and you’re as dumb as John for thinking that dead doesn’t mean dead forever. I don’t think I’m alone in thinking that most of the tension right now in Sectioned is wrapped up in wondering whether or not John Constantine actually did beat a woman so badly that he chipped her teeth, split her lips and broke her nose. I’ll admit, it’s pretty fucked up to have the primary importance in a story that involves a woman being beaten to be about ensuring that the male hero of the story isn’t responsible for doing it, but I’m hoping that’s an accidental casualty of the serialization of the story more than it is a reflection of what “Sectioned” is really about. I hope it is. This guy wrote Enigma, you know? I can’t see him busting up ladyfaces as window dressing.
What’s unsettling about “Sectioned” is how its taken John and turned him into one of those crazy/doomed side-characters in a Shade The Changing Man storyline, and now Milligan’s bringing the actual Shade on board as fellow protagonist. It’s scary because the story–like all of Milligan’s so far, except for the India arc–is about breaking John down, about attacking every aspect of the character’s historical behavior. What’s John done since Milligan took over? Failed, consistently. He hasn’t saved most of the people he was trying to save, he very nearly raped a girl who didn’t want to date him anymore–get somebody else to explain that–and now Milligan’s bringing the story closer to Delano’s old threat (mental collapse) than any writer has since Ennis.
Not to encroach on Brian’s territory, but most Hellblazer readers have to be aware that the comic has a shitty trade program and low single issue sales, that its continued existence stands in stark opposition to the business model that every other Vertigo comic follows. Hellblazer is the one nostalgia hold-out that Vertigo publishes, and Vertigo’s gotten pretty merciless in the last few years. (Regardless of their quality, Air was a comic that they wrote about in Elle fucking magazine, and Unknown Soldier got a sales-jump write-up in the New York Times, and those comics still got shut down.) So when somebody like Peter Milligan comes along and starts writing Hellblazer stories that keep slamming against what-Hellblazer-is-usually-like, and then he starts doing thematic callbacks to the way the series began (with John’s fearing a return to straitjackets and suicide attempts), and when all of that is coming after two failed Hellblazer graphic novels (Dark Entries and Pandemonium), there’s an added measure of “this could be for real” attached. I’m not trying to imply that “Sectioned” is scary because “oh shit they might cancel Hellblazer”, but the fact that they very well might cancel Hellblazer gives Peter Milligan–one of the original writers that helped establish Vertigo in the first place–a gravity of consequence that the series hasn’t had since Azzarello figured out how freaked out he could make readers by making John into the factual bisexual Delano probably always intended him to be.
Anyway. “Sectioned”. It’s a GOOD story right now, Camuncoli’s still draws some of the most fluid bodies-in-motion panels of anybody right now, Vertigo’s gotten over their early decade fear of non-rust coloring, and Simon Bisley’s covers are goofy perfect. Blah blah blah, I like this one.
20th Century Boys Volume 9, VERY GOOD
This relates, but it’s still tangential and you have to guess why.
I had to go to this mega-life-important meeting at this out-of-my-income-bracket hotel recently, one of those kind of meetings that you show up an hour early for because being late for it is a non-option. Being early fucks me up though, because that means I spend an hour milling around in the nearby vicinity getting myself more worked up until I’m as nervous as I get, which is a decent amount, although not as much as some. I was listening to “Chase Scene”, which is the only song on the new Broken Social Scene album that I’ve fallen in love with as much as I fell in love with that song “Atlas”, which was what I used to listen to when I’m nervous and needed to pump myself up a bit. Anyway, I walk towards the hotel, take a deep breath, walk inside the hotel, hit the marble staircase, and right then, at the height of my anxiety, I look up and see this totally-out-of-place guy standing at the top of the marble staircase: he’s wearing a brown t-shirt, one in that bleach-washed style that Old Navy probably has a patent on, and it says something about “always being in a Florida Keys state of mind”, and its tucked into his jeans, which are stone-washed, lycra-tight with hand-rolled cuffs (!), and yes, because he’s a real person who lives like a cartoon character, he’s wearing a gigantic fuck-you-heroes fannypack right over his junk. Rocking some glasses like they came from mail order. He’s looking past me as I hit the marble stairs, and there’s somebody behind me that he knows, because he straightens up, claps his hands and goes Bang Bang with his finger guns, and then he–i’m not making any of this up–he spins on his the ball of his right foot and starts walking toward the front desk.
He immediately tripped, hit the ground.
He hopped up real quick, didn’t need help from the bellhop or his friend, both of whom came running. I silently thanked him over and over again while I was waiting for the elevator to take me to the 18th floor. That guy saved my life.
Slightly off topic-
In terms of Hellblazer graphic novels, I’d very much like to read them. But they always get released in hardcover.
I hate hardcovers. They are too expensive and they don’t look right on my shelf next to the hundreds of softcovers I have.
I made the mistake of buying ‘All His Engines’ when it first came out and it looks wonky.
If Dark Entries and Pandemonium would just get released in soft cover I’d buy them right away.
Your 20th Century Boys review sounds like it was written by a high Ray Smuckles.
Man, I’m going to take that as a compliment. Ray Smuckles ripoff = high praise.
If you bought Dark Entries and Pandemonium, your copy of All His Engines wouldn’t look so out of place…
It’s been a long while since I’ve read Hellblaze, but thaks to your review, Tucker, I might just give this storyline a try.
Rob S, if by that you mean those books were absolute crap, then I couldn’t agree more. Dark Entries would have been over-formatted if it had been printed on toilet paper.
FACT.
Smuckles is only paid as a compliment. If you can buy Airwolf, too, you may even transcend him.
Yeah, I’m probably going to take a look at those HELLBLAZER issues of Milligan because the few I tried didn’t grab me and I want to see what everybody’s getting so het up about.
I also think that in ten-fifteen years time, Azzarello’s run on HELLBLAZER will be remembered as the best run since Ennis. It was just way too ahead of its time. Also, with the bestiality and the Bruce Wayne slash-fic You Are Not Helping, Brian. I’d warrant it was probably the best selling HELLBLAZER comics in a long while.
Yea, Azz’s Hellblazer was by far my favorite run. I just read the first Milligan TPB, “Scab,” and I couldn’t finish it. The story and art weren’t my cup of tea. But your review of this new storyline has piqued my interest.
[...] Club crew on assorted titles, from Jonah Hex: No Way Out to Meta 4; Rachel Cooke on George Sprott; Tucker Stone on assorted titles, from Hellblazer #268 to 20th Century Boys, Vol. 9; John Reed on The Search for Smilin' Ed!; Ben Morse on five recent first issues, including Young [...]
You might want to start working on hiding that contempt you have for people who you think are nerds, considering that you write comic book reviews on the Internet and you want people to read them.
Not sure what brought that on. No problems with nerds that I can think of.
Yeah, Tucker. Fuck you in the pants.
Brian T. and I are sick of your attitude. We discussed it over waffles and G.I. Joe figures and porn. Just like any other morning.
@Tucker:
“I look up and see this totally-out-of-place guy standing at the top of the marble staircase: he’s wearing a brown t-shirt, one in that bleach-washed style that Old Navy probably has a patent on, and it says something about “always being in a Florida Keys state of mind”, and its tucked into his jeans, which are stone-washed, lycra-tight with hand-rolled cuffs (!), and yes, because he’s a real person who lives like a cartoon character, he’s wearing a gigantic fuck-you-heroes fannypack right over his junk. Rocking some glasses like they came from mail order.”
Picking on somebody’s clothes like you’re a mean high school girl probably isn’t the best idea when half your audience probably would offend your fashion sensibilities just as much as this random guy you were mocking.
Also, in light of things like that convention report you did for another site where you dissed people for wearing T-shirts to a comic book convention and talked about how you were the only one “wearing a long-sleeved shirt like a grown up”, I’ve long wondered where you get off picking on people based purely on how they’re dressed.
I’ve read your blog. I already know you think you’re the coolest, most chill guy in the room. If you were really the coolest guy in the room, you wouldn’t need to be that shallow and cruel. It reeks of overcompensating.
I don’t know what I can say to you on this stuff, but I’ll try. I don’t care what anybody dresses like, my point with that thing wasn’t to ridicule that guy I’m describing, but if you want to take it as evidence that I’m sitting in judgment of people who behave or do things in a stereotypical “nerd” fashion, all I can say is “you’re mistaken”, and let you do what you want. I thought that guy was kind of amazing. He didn’t give a fuck, you know? I was the one who was “trying”, he was just doing his thing. Maybe you should google the lyrics to that song I was listening to, it’ll let you in on how “cool” i really am.
On the convention thing–i’m pretty sure that was in reference to the Harvey Awards, which were held in a ballroom type setting and, yeah, I did think it was pretty lame for a bunch of comics professionals to show up in cargo shorts and t-shirts, especially when a guy like Nick Cardy is sitting there wearing a suit. It’s a fancy dinner event, you are supposed to dress nice for that, that isn’t some earth-shattering proclamation. I think most of the bloggers who were at that event mentioned that, except for the ones who were dressed sloppy themselves. I’m almost positive I’ve never said word one about what people wear to the actual comic conventions, if I had, i’m sure it would’ve been a “ha ha look at that costume” because that’s an easy joke. But I don’t think I’ve ever done that either. I think you should dress like a pro when you’re a pro at pro gala-type events, and if you’re just a guest (which is what I was), then you should respect the people who are being given awards and dress and behave accordingly.
Alright, that’s enough. Sorry it pissed you off. Sometimes that’s what I’m trying to do, but this wasn’t one of those times.
Aside from the first arc, which is one of the best Hellblazer stories of all time, Azz’s Hellblazer turned out to be a huge disater to me. But then again, everything Azz does these days turns out to be a huge disaster to me.
Milligan’s Constantine is incredibly strong and Tucker made a great point about the current story- rather ingenious inversion, that. Why can’t Greek Street be this good?
hey tucker- you can totally UNfuck yourself in the pants. I actually think you are swell as hell. Advanced Common Sense is the fire.
Tucker – I get what you’re saying re: the confidence boost story. Honestly, I don’t think we’d hold it against you if you WERE critical of nerd attire. We should all make up our minds to grow out of Ninja Turtle t-shirts eventually.
And, fucking hell, my respect for Nick Cardy just went up a few degrees and I thought he was cool anyway.
Wait, so if I keep reading HELLBLAZER, I have to surrender my Ninja Turtle shirts?
The dueling points of this thread are confusing.
/sarcasm
[...] not to my memory, so I’m starting in on that. And Hellblazer… Hellblazer is just good. Let Tucker convince you. He’s right. So yeah, it’s a heavy Milligan week for me, but I can’t complain. [...]
[...] Tucker was the one who put the idea of Milligan’s run being about Constantine failing in my he…, and it’s one that’s proved to be true. He’s been forced to face his failures, whether recent or vintage, over and over. He did a cheap little spell to make some quick cash and it came back to haunt him decades later. His failure to rescue someone he loves, or thinks he loves, drives the more recent portion of the run. Milligan is putting Constantine up against something he can’t just magic away. You can’t fight time, and when you get old and your bones start creaking, you can’t just keep up with the big dogs like you used to. [...]
[...] still enjoying this, although the news that John Constantine is going to get married (?) strikes me as a [...]
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