Lunchtime Reading, part 2

My introduction by way of collected opinions continues!

Invincible Iron Man: A few days ago I would've said, "This book is fair - not amazing, but issue two was fantastic."But now issue two has gone and broken my heart. You see, in it we see a group of Filipino super-heroes taken down by suicide bombers. I was enamored by the concept that of course the rest of the world has its heroes, we just don't usually read about them in our American comics. Even if they we meet them just before they're lost, it felt like it was bucking the usual trend towards Eurocentrism. And the funeral scene following was beautiful.

But then I came across the message boarders (such as here) who point out that the depiction of the Philippines failed to be accurate at any level. And that's sloppy work on both Fraction and Larocca's parts. Sloppy to the point of disrespectful. This is especially disappointing to me coming from Fraction, not only because I have immense respect for his work (Casanova is magic), but because he's known for doing meticulous research (with works like Five Fists of Science) and has mentioned a desire for more diverse voices to be represented in mainstream comics.

So I'm not certain how to feel. The idea behind the scene is at odds with its execution. It's especially disheartening when that idea was the high point of the comic thus far.

Final Crisis: Rogues' Revenge: Phew. Let me mention something I'm digging. Geoff Johns is a writer I never paid much attention to until just very recently. He's working entirely within the bounds of the supers genre (and not pushing the bounds or stepping outside it like Ellis or Morrison or my usual favorites) and producing gems. I realize DC aficionados will wonder why I'm catching on so late, but, like I keep saying, I'm not a huge genre fan and am eager for compelling super hero stories.

Final Crisis #3 Addendum: Finally, something's happening and the disparate stories are starting to point somewhere. I may actually keep reading after this month.

Anna Mercury: Here's the problem I've been having lately with Warren Ellis. He's prolific and writing totally different characters in totally different settings, but somehow I feel like I'm reading a single story.

God, I'm focused on the negative here. I understand why message boards a reduced to such smarmy hate-fests: it's easier to focus on what's wrong than the praise what's working.

So let me try again: There's a lot that's compelling about this book, both in terms of the writing and the art. In fact I kinda wish it were more focused on its pulp roots. The action sequences are enticing and our titular heroine with her vast red tresses is sexy. I like the idea of base control watching over her like an astronaut, but don't really want to hear their story; I just want to follow hers.

Comic Book Comics: Industry history from the Action Philosophers folk. This is especially interesting to read after having just finished The Ten Cent Plague. Where that book glossed entirely over super heroes and was academic in its approach, Comic Book Comics is more than happy to tell Kirby anecdotes in its madcap style. If you're looking for an in depth analysis of those early years, I'd recommend Hajdu's book, but if you're mostly after entertaining juicy bits, this is a lot of fun.

Batman: Morrison has a mad and noble goal with Batman as well as All Star Superman. He's dissecting the characters with the assumption that every issue of backstory happened. He's not rejecting "continuity" or even brushing it under the carpet. This isn't simply a matter of parading out old cast or events, but trying to understand the mind of someone with such an array of experiences. Superman gets presented as someone for whom the extraordinary becomes routine and Batman, well, Batman is more complex and layered than ever.

The narrative has been hard to follow at times. This could be that I'm missing plot on the pages of other bat-books or it could be Morrison's arcane style, but, honestly, it's mostly been engrossing even when I'm completely lost. Well, maybe, those latest RIP issues have been pushing my tolerance for confusion.