Solar Flare: Science Fiction News

Editors Note: Let me just interrupt for a brief moment to say how pleased I am to have Panels Without Borders as a new regular comic review column at Solar Flare. I’d like to thank Panelologist for being willing to move his column here and I’d also like to thank his existing readers for following the column over here too. Eoghann

Panels Without Borders: Four

• I am a very big Avengers fan. They are my all time favourite team and I have every issue of their main publications and at least 95% of all the other comics they have ever appeared in. Knowing all this you would think it would be very hard for me to be objective about YOUNG AVENGERS issue 3 and you would be absolutely correct.

  This book has had my complete interest since it launched and as far as I am concerned it has not hit a wrong note yet. Heinberg and Cheung have flawlessly captured that super powered teenage naivety feeling that I have not seen done so well since Wolfman launched the Nova comic and Dell’s inks with Ponsor’s colouring help to make this book a treat to peruse. The double page spread was particularly nice.

  Did I happen to mention that my all time favourite Avengers villain was Kang? Well it is and his last panel appearance in this book made it the best comic money I spent all week.

• Another young super group is the TEEN TITANS. In number 23 we get the conclusion of their battle with Doctor Light and a thrilling one it is.

  John’s turns in his usual dependable script which this time focuses on some of the fallout from Identity Crisis. As is pointed out in the story, Light used to be a pushover but now he is in full control a fundamental force of physics, just like his Marvel counterparts Graviton and Magneto, and this makes him a much more dangerous villain. This tale shows us all what it now takes to contain the man, now that his mind is free.

  McKone’s pencils have always seemed photographic to me. Instead of reading comic panels it’s like looking through a series of snaps that just happen to have superheroes in them. This is not a complaint, just an observation: the man can certainly draw and Alquiza’s inks fully enhance the overall package.

  Taking all of the above into consideration, plus the fact that one of the Titans makes a very interesting personal revelation which I won’t spoil for you here, makes this comic well worth your attention.

• Endings are important in life and that’s what the theme for issue 215 of SUPERMAN is about. In my opinion this particular ending was a true reflection of everything that has made up this entire twelve issue run: interesting in parts but ultimately very unsatisfying.

  Azzarello’s script is not his best work but it does the job and Lee’s visuals while up to their usual standards didn’t show me anything new or exciting.

  There is a re-launch of the core Superman titles coming next month and on the strength of this work it is not before time.

• The spirit of radio reference gives me a clue: either Vaughan is a fan of that old Rush song or he was subtly re-telling us about Mayor Hundred’s power of being able to talk to machines. He is saying that all man made devices have a mind and his hero can talk to them.

  A Doctor Dolittle for the digital age.
  
  EX MACHINA the comic has a mind behind it and a conscience as well. In fact the book reminds me very strongly of the Superman television show with Dean Cain. In that programme, the irregular appearance of the costumed hero seemed incidental, the real story was centered on the man inside the costume and this publication has the same strength.

  The actual plot of issue 10 is the conclusion of the Tags storyline but also manages to wrap up the gay marriage sub-plot. Throw in an attempted murder and that neatly rounds out this months contents. This book is full of politics and D.C should be placing them in large stacks beside the boxed sets of West Wing DVDs. The audience for that show would love this book as well.

  The writer of this title is riding very high right now and deserves to be. His work has levels of characterisation in it that other writers can only pray to their own personal muse to deliver to them someday. The guy is on stunning form and the Eisner nod just confirms it.

• ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN 76 is a really big battle between the Hobgoblin and Spidey. It lasts the entire issue ……..and that’s about it really.

  Bendis supplies the script; Bagley and Hanna supply the pictures but probably the most important person working on this issue was the letterer Chris Eliopoulos because it was he who supplied the sound effects for the fight. This meant that Chris had a lot of them to do this time; in fact probably more than in all the comics he has worked on in the previous six months at least.

  If not for the overtime that this guy must have picked up by working about thirty extra hours to fit in all those sound effects then the really big battle issue might well have been thought of by us readers as utterly pointless and a complete waste of a tree.

  Way to go Chris. You’re the real hero of this story dude.

Panelologist