My initial reaction was this: David Arquette should not be allowed anywhere near a comic writing gig. My more tempered assessment of DC’s Infinite Halloween Special #1 was 13 tales in one comic is just too much for even a 70 page book. The comic was the first one I picked up last week, on Halloween, probably the most disappointing - there’s just TOO MUCH per page. The convoluted tale is pretty much the one on the cover - of various villains telling tales about their superhero enemies. But some stories seriously job the ball in this regard by forgetting it’s the villains telling the stories.

And let’s say nothing of David Arquette’s contribution - a color-coded team of vigilante werewolves called the Watchdogs, and starring a guy who looks a lot like David Arquette!

The only other Halloween treat was Robin Annual #7, an adequate but somewhat lackluster read which featured another Halloween tale for Tim Drake (he already had the aforementioned werewolves) as well as one for Damian Wayne. The whole thing was really intended to set the stage for “The Resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul”, but the story offers very little insight in the end.

I suppose the only other Halloween-y comic on the DC side was “Countdown to Mystery #2″. Its a really great read, though I wish the comic wasn’t split in half. I really like the new Doctor Fate, who psycho-analyzes his opponents while learning the ropes to magic and finding a dead-in job as a janitor. I’m just not quite crazy about Eclipso - while seeing her target super-heroes like Plastic Man and Creeper is suspenseful, its not necessarily enjoyable.

Tony Bedard’s “Birds of Prey” was a bit of a let-down (though I should mention the writer’s Lovecraftian contribution to Aquaman in Infinite Halloween was well-crafted). The problem is Calculator - if there was one character Gail Simone wrote well, it was the cheesy supervillain turned information broker. But all of that’s gone out the window here, where Calculator attends a computer con in disguise, chats up with Barbara Gordon, is thwarted by Oracle, and of course still fails  to realize Gordon IS Oracle even after she throws a numbchuck right into his hired help’s head. This tale of super-villain hubris might have been refreshing if not for - oh yeah - it already happened with LEX LUTHOR.

And finally on the Halloween path, Hellboy is tying together a scary amount of loose ends in “Hellboy: Darkness Calls”, Mike Mignola’s first contribution to the Hellboy mythos he created in quite a long time, and as rumor has it, possibly his last for a long while. Even in this penultimate issue, there were plenty of cameos from past Hellboy tells like the fairies from “The Corpse” as well as Baba Yaga herself. Definitely worth checking out.

And the Justice Society of America is going to a pretty interesting place in the 10th issue - when the Superman from Kingdom Come appears. A pretty dour individual, he secludes himself from a reality he can’t connect with - even though the reformed Justice Society might be the one thing stopping our world from turning out like his.

I finally picked up New X-Men, and while I have absolutely new clue what’s going on, I’m not only pleasantly surprised - I’m hooked. The characters are all preoccupied with what they see as imminent death - when the next big X-Villain walks through the doors, they figure they have a better chance of bitting the bullet then graduating. Its this rare sense of self-awareness which makes this book both timely and incredibly promising.

Of course, the big news last week was X-Men: Messiah Complex, a crossover I’ve become completely hooked on. The first chapter - written by Captain America writer Ed Brubaker and drawn by Marc Silvestri - was both eye-watering and mind-blowing. The first mutant has been born since M-Day and the X-Men are placed last in a three-way race to find this new child. If this series can hold its hype, its certainly worth picking up.

The second chapter of X-Men: Messiah Complex debuts this week with Uncanny X-Men #492. DC seems  to have left a wide berth for Marvel’s key event - there’s virtually nothing of mention on the DC side this week.

New Avengers: Illuminati has always been an enjoyable read, but now we have the first gathering since Civil War - and setting up for the Skrull invasion next year. Can Brian Bendis really navigate some treacherous waters without sinking it? The fifth issue is probably the first and the best indication.

Astonishing X-Men #23 also brings the penultimate chapter of Joss Whedon’s latest X-rally, “Unstoppable.” As per all Joss Whedon tales, the situation is extraordinarily bleak - and considering he’s tying up the loose ends he started when he first penned Astonishing, things are looking really really bad!

I’ve been loosely following Nova, and Annihilation: Conquest #1 brings the revamped character - along with several other cosmic bad-asses - into an all-or-nothing struggle with the Phalanx. The surprise hit of last summer, Annihilation might be the cure to the common crossover, no Skrulls attached (at least, that we don’t already know about).

If you liked that, try...

1. Comic Rundown: Monsters and Messiahs
2. Comic Rundown: Hell Yeah
3. Comic Rundown: Hellboy and What the Hell is up with Green Arrow?
4. Comic Rundown: Reboots and Werewolves
5. Comic Rundown: Colbert Vampire Skrulls

2 Comments »

1. 
   Devin de Gruyl
   November 6, 2007 at 2:57 pm

   So we can safely add “comic book writers’ rooms” to “wrestling rings” and “film sets” on the List of Places David Arquette Should Never Be Allowed…

   [Reply]

2. 
   Richard Pulfer
   November 6, 2007 at 6:15 pm

   And the list grows and grows and grows . . .

   [Reply]

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