I am well aware I didn’t do an INCREDIBLE HULK review. My plans to see the film fell through so I thought it was wise to not see the film and review it. That’s what Fanboys do and I am only a Fanboy on odd days after all. I’ll check it out this weekend. No worries. You may also wonder where that INDIANA JONES review is. Well, it disappeared apparently with the good script Lucas and Co should have used for the film.

Let’s talk Comics then.

BURNOUT
Minx (DC Comics)
Written by Rebecca Donner
Illustrated by Inaki Miranda

Danni is a confused teenage girl who does not have much time to get used to the idea of her father walking out on her and her mother before she is forced into moving in with her mother’s alcoholic boyfriend. To complicate matters she must share a room with her mom’s boyfriend’s son Haskell, who keeps to himself.

Danni tries to juggle her life and her pain of abandonment by her father as well as the new living arrangements and soon finds herself drawn to her new roommate. Upon learning Haskell’s double life as an eco-terrorist the two soon become close, sharing this strange vocation and falling in love at the same time.

Mounting pressure from the authorities and a mysterious midnight stalker, as well as fear that what they are doing will hurt people, make Danni pull out of the eco-terrorist business threatening her relationship with Haskell. She makes the decision to tell her mom about it but not before there is an accident and Danni’s life is forever changed.

This is the first Graphic Novel I’ve tried from Minx. I came into it with an open mind and I must say I really liked this story. It’s not a black and white story and the themes as well as the characters all walk through shades of gray. They’re real human beings with different sides to them, none of which appearing as villains while on the flipside none of them comes out of it smelling of roses either. It’s a rather good story to showcase a teenager and a very trying time in her life. I really dug it.

The art is clean and almost animated in quality. It makes the story accessible while delivering good storytelling and not only wonderful facial expressions from the characters but great body language as well. This last part is not one comic artists always can do well.

It’s an illustrated short story that I think appeals to anyone whether they’re in it for the type of story being told or the desire just to read a nicely crafted comic that is well written and illustrated. I may indeed have to pick up another Minx book and see if this is what one might expect from the line or an exception to the rule.

FINAL WORD: A pleasant surprise and proof that while DC might not have their mainstream line working right, their various other publishing lines and offshoots are doing something new and interesting.

ACTION COMICS #866

DC Comics
Written by Geoff Johns
Pencils by Gary Frank
Inks by Jon Sibal

Allow me to introduce you to the best drawn issue Gary Frank has done while on Action Comics. Even if you don’t like the story the art in this issue will knock you dead. Perhaps even giving All-Star Superman a run for its money as the best drawn Superman book on the stands.

Though I am not sure how Action fits with the regular Superman title, as Action seems more a modern take on the Donner Superman Films, right down to the Christopher Reeve drawn Clark/Superman (while Superman’s Clark doesn’t seem quite so geeky), you have to love the flavor of the book. We’re introduced too some different versions of Brainiac and I do believe Johns is trying to tell the “definitive” Brainiac story. We get a flashback on Krypton before we move to the main story, and the guest spots with Zod were a nice touch.

Though this is all foundation for later issues there were a lot of little touches I liked. The sequence with Cat Grant’s return to the Planet as well as her brief interlude with Clark is priceless. I also liked Clark’s talk with Lois proving he isn’t quite the Clark from the films, regardless how he is rendered on the page. I am hoping to get some more time with Superman’s supporting cast here like in this issue as the last long arc overlooked them completely.

Action Comics might be overlooked by a lot of people but Johns and Frank are really doing a marvelous job on it and this is the perfect issue to jump on board and see if it is for you.

FINAL WORD: Gary Frank is making this his book. Worth it for the art alone but not skimping on the story either.

INVINCIBLE #50

Image Comics
Written by Robert Kirkman
Illustrated by Ryan Ottley, Cory Walker, and Cliff Rathburn

Fifty issues? Already? Are you kidding me? I guess not…

There is something special to be said when a creator-owned superhero comic that is not run by the Big Two reaches this pivotal number and Kirkman and Co make us realize it by giving us, hands down, one of the best issues of the series so far. Not only does it represent a new direction for the main character but it also weaves plot threads together and answers some open ended questions.

Cecil Stedman betrayed Invincible’s trust by employing murderers he himself helped catch. Cecil sees this as a necessary evil to protect the world and once he labels Invincible a threat to his mission decides to ends him without prejudice. Invincible has a new weakness Cecil exploits and Mark races Cecil to Earth’s other heroes to avoid a rather bad outcome. The final moments between Cecil and Mark prove a bitter stalemate as well as foreshadowing possible futures problems.

Kirkman really delivered this issue. Not only does he make the story work from every angle, it moves everything forward laying the groundwork of course for where the series goes from here. Immediately after the main story showing Cecil as a bit of a evil character we are treated to his origin which shows once upon a time he felt as Mark does and how his views on the matter change. This works to make him a more sympathetic character while the previous story did the opposite and couple that with Mark’s increasingly violent and dark behavior (though not outright craziness) you almost have to see both the good and bad in both characters.

The Science Dog back up was interesting as well, but you know, didn’t buy the book for that.

Ottley really has come a long way on this book. He is one of the reasons it is one of the best superhero comics coming out. Everything Kirkman did right with the writing Ottley did twice as right on the art. You feel both the suspense as Mark tries to get away from Cecil as well as the sheer anger Mark exhibits as a result. God I can only hope there is another fifty issues I can get with this book and I hope Ottley’s in for the long haul.

FINAL WORD: The best way to celebrate a landmark issue is with a fantastic story. The creative team did not disappoint.

-SJD