LXG: Black Dossier Review

Unlike the material itself, this is going to be relatively short and sweet, because chances are you've already decided whether you're buying it or not.

I did.

On the plus side, you get outstanding production values, James Bond, Harry Lime, and a reference to The Thirty-Nine Steps while following Allan Quatermain and Mina through post-Orwellian 1950s England.

On the down side, the story makes little sense after the first read-through, less after a second, and none after a third. The last fifth of the book is told entirely in 3-D (yes, glasses are included) and goes completely off the rails more or less, by having our characters end up in some sort of fourth-dimensional Hub of Imaginary Characters... or something. I'm still not quite sure, although there's an immortal transsexual involved named Orlando.

What the Black Dossier is, really, is a short-ish Allan/Mina story bolstered by "official documents", "reprints of fictional magazines", "postcards", and other pseudo-documentary-type material that attempts to flesh out the "Leagueiverse".

And frankly, it's all a bit wearying, from the aforementioned "Orlando" piece to the porn-tastic Fanny Hill section, to the prose pieces that keep trying to halfheartedly drag the Cthulhu mythos into the action. I just got tired.

And I think that's probably got more to do with the fact that this book just seems so darned unnecessary. Yeah, the production qualities are nice, but cripes, the plot's just pointless, which I should have half suspected going into it anyway. The original LXG was darkly funny and a fresh twist at the time. This one? Well, it's dark, anyway.

I will say, though, that Kevin O'Neill is one goddamned versatile artist. His stuff continues to impress.

Anyhoo --- I know there are people who worship the toilet seat Moore sits on, but really I'd think that outside of a novelty/curiosity purchase this really isn't worth the time.

Chris' Reviews 3/7, Pt. 1

Good God a'mighty, it's review time! Things have calmed down here at Frobozz Software (and points to commenter Anonymous who got the reference in the apology post last Thursday), so it's back to comics. Here's the deal: this part of reviews is dedicated to one comic only (because it deserves it), then I'll get to the rest of my pile tonight or tomorrow morning.

I cannot stress this enough:

MASSIVE SPOILERS AHOY!

One more time for the cheap seats:

MASSIVE SPOILERS AHOY!

CAPTAIN AMERICA #25

Well, it happened, didn't it? It's not so much a story as it is an event, and a well done one at that. The short version: as Cap's escorted into a courthouse, Crossbones shoots him with a sniper rifle, prompting a Bucky/Falcon team-up to find the shooter. In the ensuing chaos, Cap gets gut-shot again three times by...

wait for it...

wait for it...

A brainwashed Sharon Carter, acting under a spell/mindscrew/something courtesy of Doctor Faustus and the Red Skull.

So yeah, he's dead, regardless of the nonsense you may have seen in Civil War: The Initiative. (And we'll be getting to that pile of crap a little later.)

Steve Epting brings his "A" game as usual, with scenes such as the Bucky/Crossbones fight really delivering the impact, and smaller ones like Bucky leaping over cars in traffic conveying action exceptionally. Additionally, the panel showing Bucky and Crossbones punching through a billboard Iron Man was just awesome on two or three levels. I have to admit I didn't care for Epting when I first started reading Cap, but he's become one of my favorite artists.

Three things that make this a good comic:

1) The Falcon. Very nice flashback scenes with Green Jumpsuit Falcon, even! Sam's internal monologue makes it clear how much he appreciates and admires Cap, and he even gets a few good action scenes. We need to see more of the Falcon, period.

2) The twist at the end. Sharon's sudden remembrance at the end caught me completely off guard, and managed to get me fired up about even a Cap-less Captain America comic, which is what I suspect we'll be getting for the foreseeable future, stupid Punisher hints dropped in Civil War notwithstanding.

3) Cap, having been shot, is laying on the ground, and instead of screaming like the rest of us would be, what is he doing? TELLING PEOPLE TO GET THE CROWD TO SAFETY. That, friends, is a hero. I don't mind telling you, it got a little dusty in the room when I read that.

Best Moment: I'm going with the twist at the end. I was totally unprepared for it, because I'm stupid. But it was great.

Worst Moment: Well, if "Captain America gets killed" isn't a worst moment, I don't know what it.

Comic Book Goodness: 4/5. An outstanding issue, and thank God Marvel let Brubaker do this instead of having Millar hack out this in Civil War. Action-packed like the best issues of Cap, and filled with fond memories. Buy this comic.

Manhunter, Now and Then

So, today I want to talk about Manhunter #28, and Manhunter as a whole series.

First of all, this is one of like 3 books I gleefully look forward to every month. Unfortunately, that is going to be short lived. As with issue #30, this series is to be cancelled. Sigh. Deep sigh.

I will not go into great detail on the background of the book. Comic readers will have awareness into this already.

I enjoy the cast of characters. Cameron Chase, Dylan, the DEO, Mark Shaw, et al.
I enjoy the human “aspect” of Manhunter, Kate Spencer. When not Manhunter and in the courtroom, the story still has great pacing. None of the guest appearances, from JLA in issues 6-8, or some Golden Age DC heroes, have been forced and flow very well into the storyline. The writer/editor (whomever) has not force-fed us some appearance of Batman for $$$$.

Which now brings me to the current arc of Manhunter, guest-starring Wonder Woman, and friends. This book may be ending, but let me tell you, it sure as hell is not going out with a whimper, but leaving a mark in DC with an important storyline.

Skipping the backdrop of 26 & 27, the none other than Blue Beetle, THE Ted Kord, shows up suddenly at the courthouse, causing a ruckus of questions and comments from the mass of media that is present for the Wonder Woman case. Blue Beetle, Wonder Woman and Kate Spencer all bail out of there to the “Bug” and are promptly attacked by the MadMen. K. We still have only Kate. Wonder Woman has to save her out of a falling “Bug” after Blue Beetle bails out first, leaving Kate.
Enter, friend of Wonder Woman, the one and only Batman. Why? Because Wonder Woman wants to know who Ted Kord really is, and Mr. Bat Detective is the best way to find out for sure, as, well, he doesn’t trust the magic of the lasso, which would also of course work.
So, enter Batman. Spooking Kate from the shadows when he appears. So we get fun Batman? He makes mention of how Kate’s “reputation preceeds her”, as an off the cuff mark in his knowing she is Manhunter.
We get lots of blah blah blah from Ted, WW and the Bat, and lots of amazement and some awe from Kate of the company she is currently keeping. It is interesting blah blah blah, but I don’t want to spoil it.
Exit Batman, saying it will take time for the bloodwork, and his remarks as he left to Kate were something along the lines of “I’m not finished with you yet” (I do not have the exact messaging in front of me while writing this) as a sign of times to come. Way back in issue two, I think, she had a dream sequence of Batman scolding her for the whole “you don’t have the right to take a life” routine when she off’ed Copperhead in ish 1. So, Kate already has a chip on her shoulder about that, and now, in the flesh, ol’ Bats throws her for a loop with that last comment.
AND then, for the grand finale on this ish, Enter a shadowed figure, offering to give the REAL tape of Max’s killing to Kate, not the muted one that was made public. Who was this tape from? Lets just say there is a big ol’ forefront, I believe, chess piece of a King or a Bishop. Can you say, Sasha? Checkmate? I can, and I will!

Oh, and we get some more monkish/Tibetan Mark Shaw stuff, and some Cameron Chase action, with a Dylan coming out of witness protection to try and protect his gal! That was cool!

This book was fun, added more mystery, and sure as hell does not seem like its ending, not with the continuity/history being considered, nor the persons in the book.

This my friends is a great book, and a great series. I am very sad to see it go. I hope that one day it rises from the ashes and Marc Andreyko gets to write this character, with cast, again as it is a star book.

To those who said write letters to DC for extending the book again, great!
To those who said thank DC for the additional 5 issues when it was to be cancelled at 25, the hell with that. Screw you DC! This book jumped 10 spots to be the 95th most purchased/ordered book. Still low, but you know what, in all the responses I read from people trying this book for the first time, never, ever did I see a negative or neutral response. Not one!

And a GREAT BIG SHOUT out to Gail Simone, for taking Manhunter to the Birds of Prey, one of the other three books I look forward to every month. You Rule!!!

Fine! Cancel it! Just means I get to give you less $$$ during the year in response to your cancellation of one of my favorite series for other books. SO THERE!

Anyways, my jaded take on Manhunter #28, rating is 5/5!