Review - Superior #3 by Mark Millar and Leinil Yu

Superior #3 sees Superior/Simon Pooni save the crashing space station that was hurtling towards New York in issue two and then begin dramatically rescuing people in life-threatening situations across America.

Introduced in this issue is TV anchor-person, Madeline Knox who for an unexplained reason looks dressed to go partying rather than to work. She mentions in her voice over that when she was the highest paid television personality she wasn’t a very nice person. Held up in traffic she complains aloud that the stoppage must be because of ‘some kind of retard convention'. Hmmm... seems she’s not so much of a nice person now either! However she vows to find out who Superior is. I smell mismatched relationship happening, where Simon and Madeline learning something special from each other...ooh, won't that be nice. Millar referenced the movie Big in issue one and Superior, I dare say, is going to draw some close parallels.

This issue also sees the return of Ormon the talking monkey in a space suit, albeit minimally and it seems that he may not be the benevolent simian we were led to believe! Millar, you scoundrel! All talking monkeys, especially those in spacesuits should be working for the forces of good! This is an unwritten comic law!

What is excellent in this issue is the scale of heroics presented. This issue is mainly an onlooker's view of Superior’s actions. Really well done is the sense of wonder (which Millar has said he wanted to show) in how a man can pick up a space station. Superior is dwarfed and hidden by the space station so to an onlooker it looks as if the thing is hovering on its own. Yu's artwork and use of scope is excellent. He uses the widescreen format that Millar likes so much to great effect. His cityscapes are quite remarkable and the scenes of the space station using an array of worm's eye and bird's eye view angles are especially brilliant.

One criticism of Yu’s artwork is the somewhat gratuitous use of boob and crotch shots. Is this Yu ad-libbing or directions from Millar’s script? Either way, is there really a need for Ms Knox to have such a low cut dress, or a female train passengers' dress to ride up in a crash to reveal her panties, or… yeah, I think you get the idea. From the promo art for issue four it looks like it’s going to continue.

As I stated in my review of Superior #2 I’m not a fan of the colouring and in that regard for issue three my stance hasn't changed. It looks harsh and takes away from Yu's artwork.

Now, would a pre-teenager with massive power go straight to heroic actions? Would he even have an idea of how to stop a nuclear meltdown in a power station (as he does)? We’re not privy to Simon’s thoughts in this issue about what he's going through apart from the fact her likes the attention. It seems Simon just knows what to do. But I'm not really supposed to ask these questions, am I? I mean Superman and all those Golden Age heroes never had any other thoughts than to use their abilities for forces of good, did they? It was straight to work as the good guy! No doubts, no hesitation. This is what Superior is all about and it's working a treat.

The question is - why am I enjoying this, a fairly straight forward superhero comic? Well, unlike Grant Morrison's stuff, it's not taxing on the brain nor does it come burdened with years of comic continuity which means it can just be enjoyed on its own. And to Millar's credit, he knows how to pace a story to keep you interested.

This: Entertaining (portrayal of superheroics) and mildly annoying (sexist art) at the same time.
Forthcoming: I've come this far, I can't go back.

Read review of Superior #2.

Review: Fist Full of Comics #1, 2 and 3 - Various artists and writers, (FFO Comics)

This latest incarnation (Volume 3) of the Australian comic anthology Fist Full of Comics promises a 'long run of issues devoted to the tireless efforts of comic creators'. It's always encouraging, and surprising (considering the work involved), but plain pleasing to see someone devoted to Australian comics enough to want to publish other people's work. So first off it's a big hurrah! and kudos sent out to FFoC editor HEADFIST  for being committed to such a commendable task.

The great thing about Oz Comics is the diversity and breadth of ideas. No two stories in these three issues are the same.

The standout story in Issue #1 (June 2010) is David Follet's 'Dream #1'. Packed with movement and an ecelctic bunch of characters this silent comic (with a coathanger as a transport device!) is simply charming and very accomplished in execution. Brendan Boyd's 'God Bless America' is also a well-executed and distinctively styled tale of a traveller returning to a war-ravaged earth.

Starting in this issue are the ongoing stories 'Penny Lane: Anti-hero' (Bridget Hodder), 'If Ya Need!' (Kurt Murray), and 'The Adventures of White Wolf' (Frank Candiloro). All three offer wildly different art styles.

Candiloro's cartoon-like tale of a werewolf who has devoted his life to fighting crime, suffers from the single page devoted in each of the three issues making the story slow and difficult to get into.

'If Ya Need! sees a mixed gender netball team of misfits trying to get it together to compete in the amateur leagues. Initially I found Murray's cartoony, almost juvenile, styled art a little simple for my liking but on reviewing I was struck by the clean lines and how well-proportioned the characters are. Similarly each character is individually recognisable. 'If Ya Need''s art is deceptively good.

'Penny Lane', a story of a girl trying to catch a killer of her friends, I'm sorry to say, hasn't grabbed me. I've found the art a bit too scratchy and (perhaps) rushed. The bodies of characters appear 'static' and stiff, and the absence of pupils in characters' eyes leaves them staring blankly into space.  The story's 'cut up' style merging art and text in #3 is interesting though in design. Hodder certainly has talent but perhaps a bit more time in production may be in order.

While each of these has some derivative elements they're at least engaging and I'm keen to see where they go.

Issue #2 (July 2010) introduces another ongoing story, 'Simian Soldiers' by Kurt Murray (writer) and Mathew Ryan Sweet (art) It's a tale of escaped homicidal Nazi-trained shock troop apes on the loose after the end of World War 2.  Murray's writing is a step up from his work on 'If Ya Need!' but it's Ryan's impressionistic artwork that steals the show, evoking the chaos of combat and primal, violent ape behavior.

On par with 'Simian Soldiers' for best in #2 is Peter Moerenhout (writer) and Pieter Rosseel's 'Cleansing by Fire'. This story of a man's life haunted by the threat of nuclear fire is sombre and filled with regret. Rosseel's  pencil art complements the 'widescreen' panels beautifully.

Kirk Kenny's two comic strip 'Shorts' provide some good giggles too. Kenny returns in #3 (August 2010) with a completely different art style for his 'Dethrok: Selling Out', which investigates the dilemma of the musicians going for cash or artistic integrity. Mawarini's 'Sushi Language' is a bizarre, but happy little story about speaking with your mouth full, while Chris McMurray's 'I am a Nightmare Walking' addresses being singled out in a crowd, although I would've liked a bit more to this to flesh it out.

On the down side the issues so far have needed closer editing for grammar and spelling. It's a shame that the quality of production is let down by these oversights which can be easily fixed by a solid proofread.

At AUS $5 a pop Fist Fill of Comics is cheaper than most US comics, is good value and a heap of fun. Plus each issue has a fantastic and striking cover from oneyeelephant (#1),  Sophie Louis-Ford (#2), and Mathew Ryan Sweet (#3).

At time of writing this latest this Volume of FFoC doesn't have a dedicated website. For contribution guidelines, subscription, and advertising information contact Fist Full of Comics via fistfullofcomics@gmail.com (or get yourself a copy).

These: Cool and very needed.        Forthcoming: Ready and waiting.

Review: Scarlet #2 by Brian Michael Bendis (writer) and Alex Maleev (artist)

  
Bendis reveals more about his red-headed vigilante and her mission to purge Portland of crime in Scarlet #2.  

Physically, but not emotionally, recovered from her shooting in issue one, Scarlet determines to find out the circumstances which led to her boyfriend Gabriel's death and thus try and make some sense of what happened. Over ten weeks she follows Officer Dunes, the cop who was responsible, and finds out he's subsequently been promoted.

Scarlet then confronts Guzman, Dunes' former partner, questioning him about his involvement in the shooting. The answers aren't what she expected, finding that apart from saving his own skin, there was little he could've done. Corruption in the Portland police force is extensive.

Far from being intimidated by the magnitude of her task, Scarlet's decision to fight back is reinforced. And the first person on her list to feel her wrath is the smug and reprehensible Officer Dunes.

Bendis and Maleev are really pulling the emotional strings on this one, asking a fundamental question - how can justice be done when the good guys are all bad? Scarlet's answer is to administer justice herself. Brutal justice. Her question is - are we with her or against her?

Again Bendis makes us involved in the story by having Scarlett address us directly as readers, making us complicit in her actions. By simply being readers we push the story along.

Maleev's artwork is as good as ever and the fact that he's using a model for the Scarlet character makes her depiction very realistic. Indeed Maleev captures Scarlet's expressions and depth of emotion in each illustration brilliantly.

This comic is characterised by Scarlet looking at us. On almost every page Scarlet checks if we're still with her, making sure that were coming along, and virtually asking for our approval and consent. When she says 'See? I'm trying desperately to find someone who would miss him enough to make it worth me not killing him', she's really asking us if we're that someone. The only way to avert his death is to stop reading. But are we going to do that?

Bendis goes to great lengths in both issues to show that Scarlet is just an ordinary girl. In issue one Scarlet says 'I'm not Miss America super hottie' and all her actions before her vigilantism are characterised by normality - normal upbringing and life experiences. Does Bendis have a twist in store for us about Scarlet? She seems to handle weapons quite well... Or are we set to see a tragedy? The degeneration of a typical, ordinary, girl into the corruption of the soul that ultra-violence brings.

Everyone wants to see corruption and purveyors of injustice punished. Vigilantism is appealing because it asks few questions and offers quick results. Bad guys are immediately erased. But what punishment fits the crime? The broad strokes with which villains and heroes are painted in pop culture are rarely mirrored in reality. That's why we have a justice system. 

Scarlet's story is intriguing and the artwork lush. I flew through this really quickly. There's many a page with no writing at all leaving me thinking - where's the rest? But no matter. It's good enough for multiple readings.

This: More brilliance.  Forthcoming: Yes, please! We want more brilliance.