New Comics: January 11th 2005

Yesterday was Wednesday, and we all know what that means; New Comic Day. Seriously, if you don’t collect comics, you should, simply for that fact collecting gives you the feeling of a weekly mini-holiday every Wednesday.

In the future I’d like to highlight weekly some categories such as Top Pick, Best Line (dialogue), Favorite Panel, Best Cover, Best Artwork, Best Writing, Best New Series (when applicable), Funniest Moment, and Best Value, but frankly, it was slim picking’s this week.

Top Pick: Captain Atom: Armageddon #4
I’m a fan of this book for the exact same reasons I’m not a fan of the WildStorm Imprint; that is, Nathaniel Adam confirming the lack of heroic behavior and the elitist, cavalier attitudes meta-humans of the WildsStorm Universe have for their effect on humanity.

Bumped into the next Universe over in a catastrophic explosion, Captain Atom finds himself in a world where every meta-human is feared, villain and hero alike, and for good reason. With no respect for collateral damage or public safety, each meta-human lines up to take a crack at Captain Atom, sometimes employing trivia games to decide pecking order. The then DC Hero cleans each one of their clocks.

Bonus: In this mini-series, we see the first in-continuity use of Alex Ross’s costume design of Captain Atom from Kingdom Come.

Best Line: Hawkman #48, Page 12, Panel 2.
After assisting Hawkman and being told to essentially keep his quips to himself, Kyle Rayner responds “Excuse me, but I just saved you from uncertain death.” Honestly, whether Kyle saved him or not, whether Carter Hall dies or not, we all know Hawkman will be back… again, and again, and again, et cetera, ad nauseum.

Favorite Panel: Ultimate Extinction #1: Page 7, Panels 3, 4
This might be better described as “Best Moment,” since it’s technically two panels long. Captain Carol Danvers, a very strict and serious woman, is assigned to Mahr Vehl, the alien Pluskommander of the Kree Void Navy, who is presently in S.H.E.I.L.D custody.

Susan Storm of the Fantastic Four greets Danvers by asking, “How’s it going with you and Marvel?” Captain Danvers replies, “I’m his security detail.”
“You know what I mean,” prods Susan, to which Carol Danvers glibly responds, “I don’t.” Giddily pressing the issue, Susan Storm informs Danvers that Mahr Vehl is her “alien boyfriend,” and in turn, Capt. Danvers angrily glares at the Invisible Woman and informs her that “I have a gun.”
Undaunted, Susan ventures, “After this? We need to go shopping and you can tell me all about it.”

Also, I loved Brandon Peterson’s hedcut style of inking throughout this issue. For another great moment by Warren Ellis, dig through your local comic book shop’s back issues for Ultimate Secret #2, page 8, panels 4-6.

Funniest Moment: JLA #124.
I’m sure it was not meant to be funny, but it’s laughable when Green Arrow calls Batman gimmicky in a heated dispute. “Kal and Diana… I get! They have powers. But you… You’ve got nothing but your gimmick and you’re treated like a god,” says the man who shoots boxing glove arrows.

Best Cover: Ghost Rider #5.
I could spend hours staring at Clayton Crain’s digital paintings. The mind boggles at how long it takes him to render the artwork. Kudos to Crain for giving Ghost Rider subtle, convincing expressions, or at least broadening Ghost Riders appearance beyond “grim.”

Best Artwork: Chris Moeller for Justice League of America, JLA Classified: Cold Steel #2.
You have got to love a book that’s painted, even if the concept for the mini-series is another Voltron wannabe.

Best Writing: Craig Kyle and Chris Yost for New X-Men #22.
I wouldn’t have really considered this book for best writing, since, as far as plot goes, the book has been meandering around for several issues without any clear focus. There is one reason to read this book, however; the addition of X-23 to the team. X-23’s presence generates several humorous, powerful, and awkward moments throughout the book.

Humors Moment: When jokingly ridiculed by Hellion, a.k.a. Julian Keller, for her association with Wolverine, that is, the fact that X-23 is a female clone developed from Logan’s DNA, X-23, a.k.a Laura Kinney, responds with ambivalent silence. Seeking to further his joke, Julian adds, “Down, girl.” To this comment, Laura expressionlessly extends her claws, presumably too close to Hellion’s manhood for his own comfort, and walks away. No longer fearing the immediate danger of the possibility that he might spending the remainder of his life as a eunuch, Hellion retorts, “Didn’t they clone you a sense of humor?”

Powerful Moment: X-23 is confronted by a vision of her dead mother, whom she was brain washed into killing. The apparition is revealed as a hoax telepathically created by Virginia Frost. Frost, no less dangerous or dubious than the programmed killing machine that X-23 was created to be, uses the confrontation to express her perception of Laura Kinney as a “cold-blooded killing mahcine who know’s nothing but death and murder,” and her own intent to coerce Laura to leave by any means necessary, including apparently causing further emotional damage to X-23.

Awkward Moment: Laura, meeting her new roommate at Xavier’s School for the Gifted for the first time makes the accurate observation that Dust, a.k.a. Sooraya Qadir, is Sunni. When Sooraya asks Laura if she is familiar with her home country, X-23 responds, “Yes. I have killed in Afganistan,” as easily as one might mention that they had visited Connecticut, only to be trapped in a moment of awkward silence with Dust.

Best New Series: Daughters of the Dragon #1.
Misty Night and Colleen Wing are showing up everywhere these days, from a recent reprinting of their original adventures in Daughter of the Dragon: Deadly Hands Special to Ultimate versions of Misty and Colleen slugging it out in Ultimate Extinction #1.

For the very first time, Colleen actually looks remotely Asian, as is her heritage, and Misty’s hair is bigger than ever! Oh, and the Rhino gets a cherry ’68 Mustang dropped on him. Or a cherry ’66 Mustang, depending on the panel and reference Palmiotti decided to use.