Many many people have had the idea of doing an adult take on Archie and his gang, but few have executed it with so much skill and insight. Criminal: The Last of the Innocent uses the familiar characters of the gawky boy, his dopey friend, the girl friend who wanted to be the girlfriend, and the desirable rich girl in a noir-ish tale about murder and reinvention. Plus, with contrasting visuals of dark present day and brighter, simpler pages that […]

This paperback is my latest lead exhibit in the argument for collections being better reading experiences than miniseries. When the five issues of Hellcat were running monthly, I had no idea what was going on. Writer Kathryn Immonen wasn’t hand-holding the reader (refreshingly), so I quickly got lost with the time gap between issues. Reading Patsy Walker: Hellcat all at once, I was impressed and entertained with a story about Patsy in Alaska, helping find the missing heir of a […]

David Mack brings his long-running series full-circle in Kabuki: The Alchemy with a mind-bending conclusion. Kabuki, formerly an assassin, has escaped from the institution where she was being kept in Metamorphosis and is seeking the mysterious friend who helped her, a woman she’s never seen. But as the character says to the reader early on, “All you need to know is that there is a scar on my face, I’m starting a new life, and I have a friend who […]

Based on reader recommendation, I tried The Incredible Hercules, and I’m glad I did. Now I have a superhero title I can follow and enjoy. I started right when the title changed, with #112. (Previously, the series was The Incredible Hulk.) That issue through #115 are collected as Against the World. Written by Greg Pak (whose work I loved in the already-forgotten Warlock) and Fred Van Lente (Action Philosophers, Comic Book Comics) with art by Khoi Pham with Paul Neary […]

Nextwave: Agents of HATE Volume 1: This Is What They Want collects the first six issues of the superhero satire. Third-rate characters from the outskirts of superherodom assemble into a team dedicated to, as one of the taglines puts it, “healing America by beating people up.” Elsa Bloodstone is a violence-loving English Buffy type, a gorgeous fighting machine. Tabitha, PMS made flesh, is a California party girl formerly known as “Boom Boom” because she blows things up. The team’s Captain […]

In Madrox: Multiple Choice, writer Peter David refreshes the superhero story by combining it with elements of detective noir. Jamie Madrox, the Multiple Man, has the ability to create duplicates of himself. He’s opened a investigation agency, staffed by other mutants, but the case here is a little more personal. He’s got to figure out who killed one of his bodies. Jamie’s been expanding his skills by sending out duplicates to learn new things and try different experiences. One of […]

Because I enjoyed the Peter David-written Madrox miniseries, it was recommended that I try his earlier run on X-Factor. He started on X-Factor #70 in September 1991 with the wrapup to some big X-Men crossover. It’s full of lots of chatter, too many guest stars, and showy character bits, as when Wolverine swallows a cigarette instead of extinguishing it. That’s the kind of thing that would normally interrupt a story, but since there’s not really one here, instead, they’re character-defining […]

She-Hulk: Single Green Female collects the first six issues of the acclaimed superhero comedy series. Writer Dan Slott does a great job balancing jokes and character bits while exploring how a citizen of a superhero universe deals with life. Jennifer Walters is an accomplished lawyer who’s also the super-strong She-Hulk. She’s become something of a party girl, dating models, winning cases, and saving the world with the Avengers. Her new boss, though, the head of a prestigious law firm, wants […]