Birds of Prey 84 (DC): While I don’t miss certain things about Ed Benes’s pencils on this title (his fondness for cheesecake, primarily), I do agree with writer Gail Simone’s assertion that Benes has a real facility for portraying emotional states through facial expressions. Joe Bennett does very competent work and he’s less likely to point a camera thongward, but his faces don’t have the nuance that Benes might have given them. Given the emotionally charged exchanges that drive this issue, that shortcoming hampers its potential impact.
Defenders 1 (Marvel): Fond as I am of this creative team’s work on Formerly Known as the Justice League and the recent JLA: Classified arc, it’s nice to see them apply their comedy style to a straight super-hero story. It’s fun to watch Booster Gold do something stupid and the subsequent wackiness, but it’s just as pleasurable to see Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis inject humor into a legitimately threatening scenario. Looking at the bones, this is an absolutely standard Defenders story: Dr. Strange learns of a plot by scheming (and squabbling) siblings Dormammu and Umar and assembles his longtime allies to deal with the threat. I don’t think anyone has ever articulated the dysfunction of this group quite as well, driving it with character and taking it to comic extremes. The creative team doesn’t have to resort to artificially ridiculous scenarios to generate laughs when the cast’s prickly dynamics provide plenty of fodder. Kevin Maguire’s visuals are essential to this, and his rich repertoire of sneers, smirks, grimaces, and eye-rolls gets a wonderful workout. (My favorite has to be the blissfully vacant, doe-eyed expression on the Silver Surfer.)
Ex Machina 13 (Wildstorm): This week on Murder, She Wrote… Okay, it’s not quite that bad, but writer Brian K. Vaughan’s efforts to get Mayor Hundred into a particular jury deliberation room seem strenuous, to say the least. The subplots tick along, and new aspects of members of the cast emerge, but the strained mechanics of the A story overwhelm everything else. (Yes, I’m perfectly aware that I’m nitpicking plausibility in a comic about a super-hero mayor.)
GLA 4 (Marvel): I’m still not sure how well the tone of this mini-series holds together. As a parody of grim-and-gritty spandex stories, it’s seemed just as prone to indulge in certain dismal excesses as the stories it parodies. In this installment, writer Dan Slott is a bit more successful in giving the malaise the level of absurdity I think it needs. The cumulative effect still probably ends up in bummer comics territory. On the bright side, Paul Pelletier does pull off some of the best sight gags in comics.
Manhunter 12 (DC): As much as I enjoy this series, this issue is a serious stumble. There’s entirely too much going on, and none of it gets sufficient attention or clarity. While the “Manhunted” arc could be interesting, none of the other Manhunters have gotten an adequate introduction to give their fates any weight. While I’m delighted to see DEO Agent Cameron Chase appear and think she could provide an interesting perspective on the book’s various themes, her function in the story is poorly defined. She doesn’t bring anything distinct to the proceedings, even for someone who enjoyed her solo series. Throw in subplots on Kate’s menacing father and a potential threat to techie Dylan, and you’ve got a comic that’s all over the map. Momentum and coherence take the biggest hits. (You’re welcome, Brian.)