FIRST IMPRESSIONS
A quick look at various first issues of the last month.

Reviewed by Scott Grunewald, Paul Hanna, Ben Peek, Pindaros, Andrew Wheeler

PUNISHER #1

Writer: Garth Ennis
Artists: Steve Dillon, Jimmy Palmiotti
Colorist: Chris Sotomayer
Letterer: Richard Starkings and Comicraft's Wes Abbott
Published by Marvel Knights
$2.99

Ah, this is the Punisher at his most minimal, at his bare bones: attitude and ammo. And I'd have it no other way. This issue is pretty damn cool, certainly a 180 from the Golden/Wrightson series. Dillon's pencils look wonderful with Palmiotti's inks, and the colors are some of the best done on Dillon's artwork. Ennis' Punisher has the presence of Dirty Harry, but he decimates his opponents like McBain. I just hope there are no gratuitous superhero appearances - it would be the only thing that could screw up the entire chemistry of this fun action-drama. Considering that this is a Marvel book, it's quite ambitious; they're letting the creative team get away with quite a bit. PH

Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, creators of PREACHER, start off a twelve issue series that promises, among its various deaths of bad guys, the creative use of a flamethrower. The best thing about this issue is that it is doing away with all that horrible fantasy stuff (angels, Heaven, whatnot) that the previous incarnation of Frank Castle had gone through at the hands of his first Marvel Knights revamp. So if you were screaming for the return of the lots-of-guns-killing-the-bad-guys-Punisher, then this is exactly what you want. Basically, Frank returns to New York and begins to kill the bad guys. And it isn't all shoot-outs and beatings - it is also about throwing them from the tops of very tall buildings... which is just great fun. The dialogue is witty, Ennis's incarnation of Frank is very similar to that of Eastwood's Dirty Harry, and Dillon's art looks very nice with Jimmy Palmiotti's inks. The only downside of the title is that some of the more graphic violence found in PREACHER will be missing here. BP

No psychology, lots of violence. A realism that consists of obeying the laws of physics and providing acceptable reasons for why certain people deserve to die. Ennis and Dillon have set themselves a laudable goal and have already shown elsewhere that they have the chops to pull it off. Which means simply this: every one of us tells every fan of creative violence we know about this book, so that it gets the audience it deserves. In a just world, something this simple and pure should have the power to save comic books. P

HELLBLAZER #146

Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artist: Richard Corben
Colorist: James Sinclair and Digital Chameleon
Letterer: Clem Robins
Published by DC Vertigo
$2.50

Brian Azzarello and Richard Corben arrive to take John Constantine to prison, thus allowing Azzarello to stay within the whole crime genre that he so obviously has a passion for... which is a shame. 100 BULLETS is a great series, but it seems Azzarello is not going to show readers he is capable of other genres, unless coupled with crime. The issue itself is not very good: it features an amazing amount of prison cliches, from the consensual rape of the narrator for an easier prison life, to the tour around the prison, where Constantine is shown a whole array of prison stereotypes, including wiseguys. The art is cartoonish and at best only serviceable. But perhaps the biggest change in the story is the loss of Constantine's first person monologue, to have it replaced by a far less interesting character's narration. There are a few nice moments, but ultimately Constantine feels like a supporting character and the story is full of American prison cliches. It is simply not a good start for a five part story, and while one of the most important questions for the arc is why Constantine is in prison, it's hard to be curious when you don't care that he's in prison. BP

ASTRONAUTS IN TROUBLE: SPACE 1959 #1

Writer: Larry Young
Artist: Charlie Adlard
Published by AiT/PlanetLar
$2.95

Larry Young approaches comics with an almost frightening zest and affection, and this shows in every word he writes. His comics are light, fun, and completely enthralling. The second series in his ASTRONAUTS IN TROUBLE universe takes place, as the title suggests, in 1959 - a year when man wants to go to the moon, and the legendary Channel 7 News team got its start in "moving pictures". It's a delightful look at a period of wonder and excitement. A time when every door looked as if it could be opened, and anything could be achieved. Young captures this mood wonderfully, and flawlessly, and Adlard's artwork does the same with the visuals. If the first AiT was the action movie with a brain, SPACE 1959 is the film noir mystery with a sense of humor. SG

After last year's success with AiT, Larry Young returns with artist Charlie Adlard for another romp, this time around the time of the space race. It begins with a new Channel 7 crew rushing to the scene of a murder crime, then propels along, with my one problem being that it makes a large jump in the story from the murder scene to a secret test sight. The only other problem is that some of the characters seem a little skint on the characterisation: there is hardly anything, after putting the issue down, to make me remember them. But there is no denying the energy in the series: it's fresh with that new paint smell, and has this hint of the 60's in it. It's paced quickly, Adlard's art has some really nice moments and, despite my problems with the characters, I will be back for the rest of the series because of the good natured energy in this book. BP

BATGIRL #1

Writer: Kelley Puckett, Scott Peterson
Artists: Damion Scott, Robert Campanella
Colorist: Jason Wright, Jamison
Letterer: John Costanza
Published by DC Comics
$2.50

The set-up couldn't work in any other medium: a paraplegic data-gatherer and a woman whose only language is literally violence build a friendship. Moreover, this relationship grows up under the sign of the Bat, with 60 years of narrative drifting in and out of the shadows. In the "silent Batgirl" stories done so far, the biggest problem has been that some writers tell what Batgirl is thinking. Peterson and Puckett have already shown in "Mark of Cain" that Batgirl can tell her story through flashback, action and body language, and they're continuing this experiment in the series. If they succeed, they could produce Bat-art as good as that of Neal Adams, Jim Aparo and Frank Miller. P

A mute girl is trained by Oracle and Batman to be the latest fetishistic teen female super-spinoff in this stylishly but often incoherently illustrated new book. There is barely any real plot to speak of, and neither Batman nor Barbara Gordon seems to have much of a problem sending a mentally repressed teenage girl out to fight hardened criminals, which is the sort of thing one would expect a good writer to address. There is potential here, but the first issue is not persuasive. AW

REALWORLDS: BATMAN

Writer: Christopher Golden
Artist: Tom Sniegoski, Marshall Rogers
Published by DC Comics
$5.95

The first outing from the new DC Realworlds imprint, recasting superhero ideas in a real world setting, is a wonderfully sensitive story about a young mentally handicapped man whose greatest pleasure in life comes from pretending he is Batman. It is a childhood fixation that he has never grown out of, and it is entertained by everyone he meets. There is the book's biggest flaw, as its largely sentimental and optimistic portrayal of the world is little more 'real' than Gotham. The Realworlds concept sounds like it may have limited mileage, but this is still a marvellous and witty read. AW

WILDCATS #8

Writer: Joe Casey
Artist: Sean Phillips
Colorist: Matt Milla and Wildstorm FX
Letterer: Richard Starkings & Comicraft's Saida Temofonte
Published by DC Wildstorm
$2.50

The new creative team of Joe Casey and Sean Phillips take over from the stumbling previous team of Scott Lobdell and Travis Charest... and continue with the same storyline. I suppose it might have been too much to want the whole Kenyan/Emp conflict to disappear, though in fairness, Casey has made it slightly more interesting. But there is still the fractured team, Emp's new look as a giant talking rat, and, well, to be honest, most of the things that Lobdell had been doing for the first seven issues. So why should anyone pick this up? If you didn't like the direction of those issues, you probably won't like the direction of the title now, and for most people, Sean Phillips is not going to be an adequate replacement for Travis Charest. But dropping the book because of Phillips arrival as the new penciller woud be a mistake - his work gives the title a distinct look among the overly slick and unrealistically peopled superhero titles that currently fill shelves. If, however, you wanted to see the title take an entirely different direction, you're going to be disappointed. BP

GATECRASHER #1

Writer: Mark Waid
Artists: Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, Alitha Martinez, Thomas Flormonte
Colorist: Liquid!
Letterer: Comicraft's Wes Abbott
Published by Black Bull
$2.50

The first salvo, from Wizard magazine, in the campaign of the entrepreneurs to "fix what's wrong with comics today" (countdown to CrossGen!), and it could be a lot worse. The plot is serviceable (kid belongs to a team that deals with "gates" to other worlds), the art is top-drawer (the color in particular is excellent), and Mark Waid writes dialogue worthy of the divine Stan Lee. Apparently what's been ailing comics is that they lack the sophistication of MAXIM magazine. So the book makes sure to tell us that the main character has sex with girls (takes condoms to prom) and that the married (to each other) penciller and inker have really a lot of sex!! Dream on, fanboys. P

RING OF THE NIBELUNGEN: RHINEGOLD #1

Writer and Artist: P Craig Russell
Translator: Patrick Mason
Colorist: Lovern Kindzierski
Letterer: Galen Showman
Design: Cary Grazzini
Published by Dark Horse Comics
$2.95

Russell has already made a reputation depicting the visual drama of the 19th century's more imaginative stories, so it's a pleasure to see him turn his talents to Wagner's masterpiece. The visual aspects of the opera have often suffered in production, both from practical limitations and the fact that Wagner's greatest imitators were Adolf Hitler and Walt Disney. Comic books, fortunately, have had plenty of success with both imaginative excess and politically regressive imagery. If you decide to follow this, listen to a recording of the opera; the tone of the book will seem a bit kitschy if you haven't heard the drama of the music. P

BATTLEAXES #1 (of 4)

Writer: Terry Laban
Artist: Alex Horley
Published by DC Vertigo
$2.50

BATTLEAXES tells the tale of a troupe of outcast Viking mercenaries arriving at an afflicted town and electing to aid them in fighting their enemies. It may have been an original concept back when the first straight-to-video schlocker was commissioned, but it has little appeal today. The twist in this tale is that the mercenaries are all women; a mother and daughter, a pair of lovers, and an apprentice healer. As twists go, it is fairly uninspired, and if it is meant to carry with it some message about the roles of men and women in society, it is too tedious and unoriginal to carry it well. AW

TIN CAN MAN #1

Writer: Jim Thorton
Artists: Dietrich Smith, Pierre-Andre Dery
Colorist: Mark Nicholas of Next Color
Published by Image Comics
$2.95

Spawna-be. Good points: Has a distinctive take on the whole "Don Bluth draws Tales from the Crypt" style, and knows that a goofy hero looks more ominous if you never see all of him. Bad points: the suburban white-boy notion of life on the mean streets (ATMs in dark alleys, beautiful teenage whore brightening the lives of derelicts). Even worse, in place of McFarlane's religious devotion to the cuteness of young women and children, we get an eccentric view of native American spirituality, e.g., shamans carry little bags of pixie dust. I'll wait for the action figure. P

Thanks to all our staff and contributors for this month's First Impressions.

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