W O R D S 1

I read Joss Whedon's stab at X-comic work, Astonishing X-Men #1. John Cassaday, one of my favorite comic artists, handles pencils. I wasn't always a Whedon fan. It all started the week before the final season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. They aired the season finale of the previous season in order to re-whet everyone's appetites for the new season. Willow had become this very powerful witch and was MAD AS HELL because her girlfriend was killed. She decided she was going to murder the world to end its suffering. The power of friendship is what stopped her, when Zander "talked her down." The poignancy and the fantasy so closely intertwined I guess is what drew me in. The sort of mundane and the fanatstic. I have subsequently bought all of the first 5 seasons of Buffy on DVD and think they're amazing. Comedy, drama, fantasy, horror, science fiction all in one. Fun.




I have to say it may take some time for the synergy between Whedon and Cassaday to really take form and reach its full potential between this team (interestingly, this is the subject matter of Whedon's first story). With Warren Ellis and Cassaday, for example, there seems to be a real profound understanding of one another that isn't quite there yet with Whedon and Cassaday. But maybe that has more to do with Ellis' tendency toward fantastical landscapes and crazy creatures. I do have to say that the pacing set by Whedon is taut and evocative. The opening panels were wonderfully dark and the the end got a bit dizzying, but a quick re-glance (one of the luxuries of comic reading) made it all clear.

Mutants the victims of genetic disease? I don't know why no one came up with it before.

Grant Morrison I fell in love with when I somewhat recently read the old trades of Animal Man that came out originally in the 80's, I think. I read them quickly and voraciously and when I was finished I mourned. I've started on more than one occasion to read his Invisibles, but keep losing interest. Whenever this happens, I tend to think it's that I'm not ready for it, since I have an established trust for the writer in question. This is certainly true of Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which I just know I will love once I'm ready.


Anyway, Sea Guy is the newest Morrison work coming out on Vertigo. The first issue seemed silly to me. I know it was supposed to be, but I wasn't seeing the irony, either. I know Ellis mentioned Sea Guy among some other accolades in an otherwise desolate comics culture, but after reading it, I felt like it wasn't much more than lip service. I was reminded briefly of Brian Michael Bendis' Powers, though I can't say for sure why. I know I was at first turned off by the cartoony art, but after a while grew to appreciate its moodiness.

My jury is still out as to whether I'll buy issue 2. It's only a three issue series, so I'm a little concerned that my attention wasn't fully grabbed after 1/3 of the reading.

Brian posted at 11:05 AM.