Rapid Reviews - 27 August 2003 - Part I

the forgotten: I've already told you the story of why I bought this. At the time I also read the first two issues, which was half of the trade. And I enjoyed them enough to order the book. This is a murder mystery, but it involves superheroes in a tangential role. This does not read like a superhero comic at all, though. It reads like a solid crime comic with a bit of powers thrown in for spice... except the powers are crucial to the subplot which comes roaring in like a train. There are lots of villains, but even the villains are fleshed-out and complicated people. The characterizations are wonderful throughout. And, despite having three different artists doing the pencils, the art is amazingly consistent. This is a book for mature readers, as the subject matter is a bit heavy for the young'uns, but it's well worth reading if you like a good mystery. And you don't even have to rely on my opinion, as the first two issues are available at the publisher's website. So go, check it out.

Amazing Spider-Man #57/498: I have mostly enjoyed this book since JMS took over the writing chores. The last two issues were fantastic. And this one is pretty good too. I admit that I like spidey best when he's dealing with down-to-earth issues like his students, though, so while I enjoyed the first half of the book a lot, the second half didn't do as much for me. Nice guest appearances... and I guess this arc is going to be a bit cosmic. I do like that Spidey is sensible enough to note that mixing science and magic might not be a good idea.

Marvel Previews #1/Mystique #1: I'll admit to being a bit annoyed at this new piece of Previews magazine. I'd much rather have this within Previews itself, and not as a separate book. I'm also not happy with the price jump this has caused in Previews. Anyway, that said, it's a nice idea. Including a complete issue of Mystique was a nice touch. There were a few other shorts, like Nyx and Wolverine: The End, but the most interesting mistake I saw was in the solicitation for Amazing Spider-Man, in which they use a page from the current issue with a banner proclaming it as "art from Amazing Spider-Man #501". Uh-huh. It's about time Marvel put back some information about their upcoming books, but I wish they'd have the grace to at least get the info right (I'll allow that they might re-use that page, but if they do, that's almost worse). As for the Mystique issue... very interesting. I didn't know Xavier could walk. Nor did I know that Mystique was inclined to spare anyone, either. Nor did I know that Forge and Mystique were ever an item. Not bad, but not enough to interest me in the book.