written by Nick Spencer
penciled by Ryan Ottley
inked by Cliff Rathburn
colored by Nathan Fairbairn
The line-wide Absolute Carnage crossover comes to the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man, in which the mysterious new centipede-infested villain known only as Kindred makes a major move against Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, who, as a direct result, has to fight for his life, as well as those of Normie Osborn and Dylan Brock, against a symbiote-infused, possessed Norman Osborn.
Not being a fan of Carnage, I was grateful that Nick Spencer, apart from a page or two to provide exposition, provides very little connective tissue between this story and the main "saga," choosing instead to focus on Peter, and everything that he's lost to Norman Osborn, something that apparently he and his mysterious supernatural antagonist have in common.
These two issues, more than serving as a crossover for the Carnage event, serve a very specific purpose and that is to raise anticipation for Spencer's mystery villain to a fever pitch, and in this they are a rousing success. Spencer plays around with a non-linear storytelling format which is interesting but which doesn't quite click with me. It's been done better by other writers, in my opinion. Still, now I REALLY want to get my hands on the big story finally revealing who Kindred is. This character is apparently tied quite intimately into who Peter is. It irks me that Spencer will leave off his big reveal for another few months as the next couple of months will showcase a 2099 crossover, but I'm willing to wait. All I can say is that Spencer had better make the payoff worth the nearly two years we've waited to see who this character really is.
Also, and I know I'm going out on a limb here, I hold out hope that Spencer will finally take the opportunity retcon "Sins Past" out of existence once and for all.
Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Ryan Ottley's art, which is the strongest it's been in quite a while. I suppose it helps that Spencer gives Ottley the opportunity to draw the gratuitous bloodletting he was used to depicting over in Invincible, (and what better way to draw lots of red fluid without running afoul of the book's age rating than by depicting Carnage's red symbiote?), but Ottley effectively nails the action beats as well, which kind of makes me wistful for what could have been had Ottley illustrated "The Hunted" instead of Humberto Ramos. I don't know how much longer Ottley will stay on this title before moving on to other Marvel books, but I sure hope we get more issues like this before he finally goes his merry way.
8/10
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Late Post: Spidey and MaryJane Sitting in a Tree...
written by Nick Spencer
drawn by Francesco Manna
colored by Carlos Lopez
Given that I'm posting this review at least a month late I was initially tempted to not post anything at all, but given the content of the story and what it may portend for Peter Parker and Mary Jane, I really couldn't help but drop a few lines to share my thoughts on this story.
Following the tumult of "The Hunted" and just before Nick Spencer finally starts to unravel the mystery of the walking centipede farm named Kindred, he and guest artist Francesco Manna tell a relatively quiet tale about Peter and MJ's relationship. MJ has just taken an acting job (for, unbeknownst to her, Mysterio) which will take her away from New York and out to the West Coast. Peter wants to see her off at the airport, but instead gets drafted by his long-lost sister, superspy Teresa Parker (who was introduced as a retcon in an original graphic novel over five years ago and who has periodically popped up since then) into a mission to save a fellow agent. Anyone familiar with Spidey's stories will know how this turns out.
On its face, this seems to be a pretty innocuous, throwaway story between big events, with decent art and some nice character moments, particularly a heartwarming couple of pages of dialogue between Peter and Aunt May, but thanks to the last-page revelation (which I won't spoil) I'd say there's a bit more to it than that. With the exception of "The Hunted" I've quite enjoyed Spencer's run so far, and I'm starting to understand why: like me, Spencer appears to have grown up on comics of the 80s, which would explain his misguided love letter to "Kraven's Last Hunt," and one of the seminal storylines of that era was--what else?--the marriage of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson. Is that where Spider-Man is headed? I sincerely doubt it; while Marvel endured far more grief for the infamous "One More Day" than they would have wanted, they did get to their end-goal of an unmarried Peter, and to be fair, in the eleven years that have passed since then, writers like Dan Slott have done a fairly respectable job of telling the kind of stories that Marvel had hoped to tell with a single Peter. Spencer may flirt with the idea of undoing "One More Day" and maybe one day he'll even pay off the last of the mysteries it teased, like the woman in red, but personally, I sincerely doubt Marvel will let him take the plunge.
It was fun to enjoy this little bit of nostalgia, though, which hearkened back a little bit to the David Michelinie/Todd McFarlane issues I enjoyed in elementary and high school. Next issue it's back to regular programming, with the Absolute Carnage crossover.
8/10
drawn by Francesco Manna
colored by Carlos Lopez
Given that I'm posting this review at least a month late I was initially tempted to not post anything at all, but given the content of the story and what it may portend for Peter Parker and Mary Jane, I really couldn't help but drop a few lines to share my thoughts on this story.
Following the tumult of "The Hunted" and just before Nick Spencer finally starts to unravel the mystery of the walking centipede farm named Kindred, he and guest artist Francesco Manna tell a relatively quiet tale about Peter and MJ's relationship. MJ has just taken an acting job (for, unbeknownst to her, Mysterio) which will take her away from New York and out to the West Coast. Peter wants to see her off at the airport, but instead gets drafted by his long-lost sister, superspy Teresa Parker (who was introduced as a retcon in an original graphic novel over five years ago and who has periodically popped up since then) into a mission to save a fellow agent. Anyone familiar with Spidey's stories will know how this turns out.
On its face, this seems to be a pretty innocuous, throwaway story between big events, with decent art and some nice character moments, particularly a heartwarming couple of pages of dialogue between Peter and Aunt May, but thanks to the last-page revelation (which I won't spoil) I'd say there's a bit more to it than that. With the exception of "The Hunted" I've quite enjoyed Spencer's run so far, and I'm starting to understand why: like me, Spencer appears to have grown up on comics of the 80s, which would explain his misguided love letter to "Kraven's Last Hunt," and one of the seminal storylines of that era was--what else?--the marriage of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson. Is that where Spider-Man is headed? I sincerely doubt it; while Marvel endured far more grief for the infamous "One More Day" than they would have wanted, they did get to their end-goal of an unmarried Peter, and to be fair, in the eleven years that have passed since then, writers like Dan Slott have done a fairly respectable job of telling the kind of stories that Marvel had hoped to tell with a single Peter. Spencer may flirt with the idea of undoing "One More Day" and maybe one day he'll even pay off the last of the mysteries it teased, like the woman in red, but personally, I sincerely doubt Marvel will let him take the plunge.
It was fun to enjoy this little bit of nostalgia, though, which hearkened back a little bit to the David Michelinie/Todd McFarlane issues I enjoyed in elementary and high school. Next issue it's back to regular programming, with the Absolute Carnage crossover.
8/10
Sunday, October 13, 2019
Stopped, For Now: Unstoppable Wasp Unlimited Vol. 2
written by Jeremy Whiteley
illustrated by Alti Firmansyah, Gurihiru
Jeremy Whiteley's second Unstoppable Wasp series comes to a close, this time with a compassionate look on the challenges of being a teenage girl, whether it's because you're struggling with bipolar disorder, having a hard time coming out as gay to your authoritarian parent, or being recruited by a supervillain organization to fight their battles for them.
Nadia still grapples with her bipolar disorder, but with the loving help of Jan, her therapist, and her friends, the indefatigable members of G.I.R.L., she comes to terms with her condition and realizes that she cannot simply "conquer" it like she does other challenges in her life. In the meantime, G.I.R.L. member Shay, who is now in a relationship with fellow G.I.R.L. member Ying, struggles to come out to her overbearing soap opera actress mom. Finally, the agents of A.I.M. strike again, but this time the agents of G.I.R.L. won't be such easy targets.
Whiteley's story is nicely compact and, like I said earlier, compassionate, but it's not terribly compelling stuff. For one thing, there's a rather anemic subplot involving Mockingbird and special guest star the Winter Soldier which feels like a half-hearted attempt to goose sales a bit (not that Bucky is much of a draw), and apart from Nadia's and Shay's plots, there isn't really all that much going on, which feels like a bit of a contrast to the first volume, which had a lot more going on.
I liked the art, even though Gurihiru took a break for the first two issues, as Indonesian artist Alti Firmansyah turns in work that is pretty consistent with the overall vibe of the book. I was glad to have Gurihiru back to close out the story, though. These two deserve some A-list work, in my opinion, especially since this book's come to an end.
6/10
illustrated by Alti Firmansyah, Gurihiru
Jeremy Whiteley's second Unstoppable Wasp series comes to a close, this time with a compassionate look on the challenges of being a teenage girl, whether it's because you're struggling with bipolar disorder, having a hard time coming out as gay to your authoritarian parent, or being recruited by a supervillain organization to fight their battles for them.
Nadia still grapples with her bipolar disorder, but with the loving help of Jan, her therapist, and her friends, the indefatigable members of G.I.R.L., she comes to terms with her condition and realizes that she cannot simply "conquer" it like she does other challenges in her life. In the meantime, G.I.R.L. member Shay, who is now in a relationship with fellow G.I.R.L. member Ying, struggles to come out to her overbearing soap opera actress mom. Finally, the agents of A.I.M. strike again, but this time the agents of G.I.R.L. won't be such easy targets.
Whiteley's story is nicely compact and, like I said earlier, compassionate, but it's not terribly compelling stuff. For one thing, there's a rather anemic subplot involving Mockingbird and special guest star the Winter Soldier which feels like a half-hearted attempt to goose sales a bit (not that Bucky is much of a draw), and apart from Nadia's and Shay's plots, there isn't really all that much going on, which feels like a bit of a contrast to the first volume, which had a lot more going on.
I liked the art, even though Gurihiru took a break for the first two issues, as Indonesian artist Alti Firmansyah turns in work that is pretty consistent with the overall vibe of the book. I was glad to have Gurihiru back to close out the story, though. These two deserve some A-list work, in my opinion, especially since this book's come to an end.
6/10
Thursday, September 5, 2019
Savoring Spencer's Superior Spidey Streak: A Review of The Amazing Spider-Man #28
written by Nick Spencer
art by Kevin Walker (pencils) and John Dell (inks)
colors by Laura Martin
Nick Spencer's three-and-bit issue story featuring the all-female "Syndicate" comes to a close with a number of humorous revelations for the characters involved, and yet another unexpected team-up for Spidey following his already cringe-inducing team-up with supervillain Boomerang.
I quite liked how this arc shaped up over the last few issues, and I'm happy to say that Spencer ends it on a high note, pretty much banishing the bad taste that "The Hunted" left lingering in my mouth. This was a story full of humor and heart, and even though Spidey took a bit of a backseat here to characters like the Beetle, her gang and Boomerang, I surprisingly didn't mind. I quite liked Boomerang's zingers, and I have to say my curiosity's been piqued by his killer revelation about why Kingpin has it in for him, one which Spencer is keeping from us readers for the time being.
It helps, again, that Kev Walker and John Dell deliver some really strong art to wrap the issue up. If these guys aren't going to be the regular artists on this book, I hope they at least rotate every now and again with whoever is coming on board.
I know we only have a few issues left before Spencer unleashes his next big story arc, and while I'm still a little nervous about it considering what a hash he made of his grand Kraven story arc, smaller arcs like this have me cautiously optimistic for what the future holds.
8.5/10
art by Kevin Walker (pencils) and John Dell (inks)
colors by Laura Martin
Nick Spencer's three-and-bit issue story featuring the all-female "Syndicate" comes to a close with a number of humorous revelations for the characters involved, and yet another unexpected team-up for Spidey following his already cringe-inducing team-up with supervillain Boomerang.
I quite liked how this arc shaped up over the last few issues, and I'm happy to say that Spencer ends it on a high note, pretty much banishing the bad taste that "The Hunted" left lingering in my mouth. This was a story full of humor and heart, and even though Spidey took a bit of a backseat here to characters like the Beetle, her gang and Boomerang, I surprisingly didn't mind. I quite liked Boomerang's zingers, and I have to say my curiosity's been piqued by his killer revelation about why Kingpin has it in for him, one which Spencer is keeping from us readers for the time being.
It helps, again, that Kev Walker and John Dell deliver some really strong art to wrap the issue up. If these guys aren't going to be the regular artists on this book, I hope they at least rotate every now and again with whoever is coming on board.
I know we only have a few issues left before Spencer unleashes his next big story arc, and while I'm still a little nervous about it considering what a hash he made of his grand Kraven story arc, smaller arcs like this have me cautiously optimistic for what the future holds.
8.5/10
Celebrating 80 Marvelous Years: A Review of Marvel Comics #1000
written by Al Ewing and Various
art by Various
I'm not the biggest fan of anthology comics, or of "jam" comic books which feature the works of different writers and artists crammed into one massive volume. Sometimes they work for me, and other times they don't. This issue, which presents a multitude of different stories with one story threading through many of them, is a little bit of both and in my opinion, at least it does manage to work.
Marvel Comics #1000 is an unabashed celebration of 80 years of Marvel's existence as a comics publisher, which started way back in 1939 when they were still called Timely Comics, and as a result readers are treated to characters who have appeared in the publisher's books dating all the way back to the Golden Age, with one-page stories as envisioned by top-flight creators, some of whom have never actually worked on a Marvel Comic book before like the incomparable Brad Meltzer, who had previously only ever worked for one of the Big Two, namely Marvel's Distinguished Competition.
More than just an anniversary bash, though, main writer Al Ewing, who writes the most content of the army of writers, uses the occasion to launch a new story, specifically one dealing with the mystery of the black mask, one worn by the Enclave who created Adam Warlock, and which may hold the key to the future of the Marvel Universe. As cliche as that may sound, I have to say Ewing does a fairly good job of selling it, embedding his underlying narrative thread in a way that doesn't disrupt the festivities happening all around.
It's hard to rate an issue like this with so much disparate talent on display, but I was really thrilled to finally see Meltzer work on a Marvel comic book, and on my favorite character no less, Spider-Man. I was also thrilled to see a number of other Spidey one-page stories, including a cheeky little comment on his origins by Into The Spider-Verse architects Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, as well as a much-welcome sequel/epilogue of sorts to Spider-Man vs. Wolverine by the original creative team of Priest and Mark Bright! For me the cherry on top, though, was finally seeing Marvel acknowledge, in a way, how regrettable the execrable "Sins Past" storyline was in a one-pager by the author himself, J. Michael Straczynski.
There's way more to the book, of course, than three pages of Spider-Man stories. It was really quite an impressive feat to pull this all together, and to weave a coherent narrative throughout all of this. Apart from Ewing, credit, I think, must go to Marvel editor-in-chief, C.B. Cebulski, who reportedly conceived this project, and the editors who pulled everything together.
On the downside, though, it was quite pricey and I can't quite bring myself to scream "it was worth every penny" but I can honestly say I enjoyed it quite a bit.
7.5/10
art by Various
I'm not the biggest fan of anthology comics, or of "jam" comic books which feature the works of different writers and artists crammed into one massive volume. Sometimes they work for me, and other times they don't. This issue, which presents a multitude of different stories with one story threading through many of them, is a little bit of both and in my opinion, at least it does manage to work.
Marvel Comics #1000 is an unabashed celebration of 80 years of Marvel's existence as a comics publisher, which started way back in 1939 when they were still called Timely Comics, and as a result readers are treated to characters who have appeared in the publisher's books dating all the way back to the Golden Age, with one-page stories as envisioned by top-flight creators, some of whom have never actually worked on a Marvel Comic book before like the incomparable Brad Meltzer, who had previously only ever worked for one of the Big Two, namely Marvel's Distinguished Competition.
More than just an anniversary bash, though, main writer Al Ewing, who writes the most content of the army of writers, uses the occasion to launch a new story, specifically one dealing with the mystery of the black mask, one worn by the Enclave who created Adam Warlock, and which may hold the key to the future of the Marvel Universe. As cliche as that may sound, I have to say Ewing does a fairly good job of selling it, embedding his underlying narrative thread in a way that doesn't disrupt the festivities happening all around.
It's hard to rate an issue like this with so much disparate talent on display, but I was really thrilled to finally see Meltzer work on a Marvel comic book, and on my favorite character no less, Spider-Man. I was also thrilled to see a number of other Spidey one-page stories, including a cheeky little comment on his origins by Into The Spider-Verse architects Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, as well as a much-welcome sequel/epilogue of sorts to Spider-Man vs. Wolverine by the original creative team of Priest and Mark Bright! For me the cherry on top, though, was finally seeing Marvel acknowledge, in a way, how regrettable the execrable "Sins Past" storyline was in a one-pager by the author himself, J. Michael Straczynski.
There's way more to the book, of course, than three pages of Spider-Man stories. It was really quite an impressive feat to pull this all together, and to weave a coherent narrative throughout all of this. Apart from Ewing, credit, I think, must go to Marvel editor-in-chief, C.B. Cebulski, who reportedly conceived this project, and the editors who pulled everything together.
On the downside, though, it was quite pricey and I can't quite bring myself to scream "it was worth every penny" but I can honestly say I enjoyed it quite a bit.
7.5/10
Monday, August 26, 2019
Enjoying Marvel-Produced Spidey the Only Way I Can (For Now): A Review of The Amazing Spider-Man #27
written by Nick Spencer
penciled by Kev Walker
inked by John Dell
colored by Laura Martin
It's been a painful last few days with the news that Walt Disney Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment have failed to reach a new deal over the shared use of the Spider-Man character to replace the one reached in 2015 and that expired this year, as a result of which Spider-Man will no longer appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was in this context that I picked up the latest issue of The Amazing Spider-Man #27 basically out of habit, having been disenchanted with the title since Nick Spencer's meandering mess The Hunted concluded a few months ago. The last two issues, including the oversized #25th issue, weren't quite able to snap me out of my indifference, but there's something about this one that has inspired me to write, even if it's just a brief little snippet.
This issue is basically part two of a new storyline featuring an all-female team of supervillains led by the Beetle, and they're out to get Fred Myers aka Boomerang aka Peter's roommate, because Kingpin has put a bounty on him, and the only person around to even help the former Superior Foe of Spider-Man is, well, Spider-Man himself.
With its humor and its interesting art style courtesy of Kev Walker, this issue has piqued my interest, even though it's already the second part. I didn't realize how much The Hunted, with its bloated story and awful Humberto Ramos art, had turned me off to this book until this issue finally snapped me out of my stupor; I couldn't even enjoy the extra-sized issue #25 properly.
Anyway, the last issue felt a little slow out of the gate, as did the disjointed issue #25 which mostly teased future storylines, but this one, with its banter and action, plus some refreshingly different art from Kev Walker, really clicked with me. I am really, really glad to be rid of Ramos and I look forward to more fresh faces like Walker and upcoming regular artist Patrick Gleason. I started on this book last year because Spencer and Ryan Ottley promised a fresh take on this character, and this is the first issue in some time that really feels true to the spirit of that endeavor.
There's one issue to go before Spencer begins his "Kindred" arc in earnest, and after enjoying this issue, I feel cautiously optimistic once more, and I will stay this way for so long as Marvel keeps Humberto Ramos far, far away from this book.
8/10
penciled by Kev Walker
inked by John Dell
colored by Laura Martin
It's been a painful last few days with the news that Walt Disney Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment have failed to reach a new deal over the shared use of the Spider-Man character to replace the one reached in 2015 and that expired this year, as a result of which Spider-Man will no longer appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was in this context that I picked up the latest issue of The Amazing Spider-Man #27 basically out of habit, having been disenchanted with the title since Nick Spencer's meandering mess The Hunted concluded a few months ago. The last two issues, including the oversized #25th issue, weren't quite able to snap me out of my indifference, but there's something about this one that has inspired me to write, even if it's just a brief little snippet.
This issue is basically part two of a new storyline featuring an all-female team of supervillains led by the Beetle, and they're out to get Fred Myers aka Boomerang aka Peter's roommate, because Kingpin has put a bounty on him, and the only person around to even help the former Superior Foe of Spider-Man is, well, Spider-Man himself.
With its humor and its interesting art style courtesy of Kev Walker, this issue has piqued my interest, even though it's already the second part. I didn't realize how much The Hunted, with its bloated story and awful Humberto Ramos art, had turned me off to this book until this issue finally snapped me out of my stupor; I couldn't even enjoy the extra-sized issue #25 properly.
Anyway, the last issue felt a little slow out of the gate, as did the disjointed issue #25 which mostly teased future storylines, but this one, with its banter and action, plus some refreshingly different art from Kev Walker, really clicked with me. I am really, really glad to be rid of Ramos and I look forward to more fresh faces like Walker and upcoming regular artist Patrick Gleason. I started on this book last year because Spencer and Ryan Ottley promised a fresh take on this character, and this is the first issue in some time that really feels true to the spirit of that endeavor.
There's one issue to go before Spencer begins his "Kindred" arc in earnest, and after enjoying this issue, I feel cautiously optimistic once more, and I will stay this way for so long as Marvel keeps Humberto Ramos far, far away from this book.
8/10
Breaking Sports Cliches: A Review of Fence Volume #3
written by C.S. Pacat
drawn by Johanna the Mad
colored by Joana LaFuente
And so, the first year of C.S. Pacat's and Johanna the Mad's manga-inspired sports saga Fence finally comes to a close, with the Kings Row Boys School fencing team tryouts finally coming to an end and the fates of all of the aspiring fencers, including series protagonist Nicholas Cox, finally being revealed.
It's been an interesting year following this series, and if I'm honest, this series really has provided me with a welcome break from my steady diet of superhero comics. Funny thing is, I was never really much into sports-related fiction, even through while I was growing up movies like the Rocky series and Hoosiers were all the rage, so it really was just C.S. Pacat's storytelling that drew me in, and the honesty with which she imbues her characters. There's something really engaging about how she eschews many sports-story cliches, like the stoical team captain, the hot shot who never loses a fight, or my personal pet peeve, the Rocky-style comeback. It was nice to see that the story not only played out differently, but also in a way that would tend to reflect how things happen more frequently in real life.
This is clearly Nicholas Cox's story above all the others, but without going into spoilers it pleases me to say that at all times Pacat is keen to remind both Nicholas and the readers that it's not only his aspirations that matter. We're all familiar with the adage that everyone is the hero of his own story, and it's refreshing to see a lead character being a hero in someone else's story as well. We've been riding with Nicholas all this time, getting familiar with his obsessions and insecurities, but as the hero reaches this crucial point in the overarching narrative Pacat really gets to the heart of the pain and sense of rejection that drives him, and it is utterly compelling to behold. Not only that, but Pacat lets us glimpse a bit the lives of a lot of the supporting characters, like Aidan Kane, Eugene Labao and, only very briefly Seiji Katayama, who flies into a rage at the thought of his defeat against Nicholas' half-brother Jesse Coste.
Unfortunately, even with a nicely-scripted third act for this year-long tale, Fence Vol. #3 falls short of the potential it promised because more than at any other point in this series, Johanna the Mad drops the ball on the art. Her covers remain drop-dead gorgeous, of course, but the ratio of her "super-deformed" manga-esque characters to the more traditional, "serious" rendering of the story's characters is notably lopsided here, and it's not fun to look at after a few pages. It's not too different from her previous work but there's just way too much of it here, and it feels distinctly like taking shortcuts with the art. There are some panels that utterly stand out, such as Nicholas' reaction to his coach's declaration that she is proud of him, but in previous volumes pieces of art like this used to be the rule and not the exception. This is somewhat disappointing, especially when her work is measured up against the more polished work of the Gurihiru tandem over at Marvel's now-defunct Unstoppable Wasp series.
From this point onwards--and things are just starting to get really interesting--the story's format will change from monthly issues to OGNs, and I'm kind of hoping this will give Johanna the Mad a little more breathing room to produce the best art she can offer because Pacat's pretty much firing on all cylinders these days and deserves the best her artist can offer.
6.5/10
drawn by Johanna the Mad
colored by Joana LaFuente
And so, the first year of C.S. Pacat's and Johanna the Mad's manga-inspired sports saga Fence finally comes to a close, with the Kings Row Boys School fencing team tryouts finally coming to an end and the fates of all of the aspiring fencers, including series protagonist Nicholas Cox, finally being revealed.
It's been an interesting year following this series, and if I'm honest, this series really has provided me with a welcome break from my steady diet of superhero comics. Funny thing is, I was never really much into sports-related fiction, even through while I was growing up movies like the Rocky series and Hoosiers were all the rage, so it really was just C.S. Pacat's storytelling that drew me in, and the honesty with which she imbues her characters. There's something really engaging about how she eschews many sports-story cliches, like the stoical team captain, the hot shot who never loses a fight, or my personal pet peeve, the Rocky-style comeback. It was nice to see that the story not only played out differently, but also in a way that would tend to reflect how things happen more frequently in real life.
This is clearly Nicholas Cox's story above all the others, but without going into spoilers it pleases me to say that at all times Pacat is keen to remind both Nicholas and the readers that it's not only his aspirations that matter. We're all familiar with the adage that everyone is the hero of his own story, and it's refreshing to see a lead character being a hero in someone else's story as well. We've been riding with Nicholas all this time, getting familiar with his obsessions and insecurities, but as the hero reaches this crucial point in the overarching narrative Pacat really gets to the heart of the pain and sense of rejection that drives him, and it is utterly compelling to behold. Not only that, but Pacat lets us glimpse a bit the lives of a lot of the supporting characters, like Aidan Kane, Eugene Labao and, only very briefly Seiji Katayama, who flies into a rage at the thought of his defeat against Nicholas' half-brother Jesse Coste.
Unfortunately, even with a nicely-scripted third act for this year-long tale, Fence Vol. #3 falls short of the potential it promised because more than at any other point in this series, Johanna the Mad drops the ball on the art. Her covers remain drop-dead gorgeous, of course, but the ratio of her "super-deformed" manga-esque characters to the more traditional, "serious" rendering of the story's characters is notably lopsided here, and it's not fun to look at after a few pages. It's not too different from her previous work but there's just way too much of it here, and it feels distinctly like taking shortcuts with the art. There are some panels that utterly stand out, such as Nicholas' reaction to his coach's declaration that she is proud of him, but in previous volumes pieces of art like this used to be the rule and not the exception. This is somewhat disappointing, especially when her work is measured up against the more polished work of the Gurihiru tandem over at Marvel's now-defunct Unstoppable Wasp series.
From this point onwards--and things are just starting to get really interesting--the story's format will change from monthly issues to OGNs, and I'm kind of hoping this will give Johanna the Mad a little more breathing room to produce the best art she can offer because Pacat's pretty much firing on all cylinders these days and deserves the best her artist can offer.
6.5/10
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