Static Shock 3 (January 2012)

Every issue of Static Shock I wonder if it’s possible for McDaniel to get worse as an artist and as a writer. Once again, he doesn’t disappoint.

Besides the action scenes being incomprehensible, they’re badly paced. The big action scene this issue is reduced to one crappy page. It’s sort of amusing in its incompetence.

Speaking of incompetence, on to McDaniel and Rozum’s writing. Static’s special science high school–named after Dwayne McDuffie no less–is overrun by gang bangers. Science-happy gang bangers.

And then there’s the narration. Static is just as bad Spider-Man cocky in his day-to-day narration as he is in his dialogue with bad guys. Except we’ve never seen the women drool all over him; he appears to be a complete zero with the ladies. Overcompensating? Closeted denial?

The dueling clones are still interesting. They’re so compelling, not even McDaniel can ruin it.

CREDITS

Turnabout; writers, Scott McDaniel and John Rozum; penciller, McDaniel; inker, Andy Owens; colorist, Guy Major; letterer, Dezi Sienty; editor, Harvey Richards.; publisher, DC Comics.

Static Shock 2 (December 2011)

I’m not sure where to start.

Now, the first issue of Static Shock was unbelievably bad, but this second issue… it somehow manages to be even worse.

Maybe I just blocked the awfulness.

First, the art. McDaniel and Owens open with an incomprehensible action scene. Apparently, Static’s arm gets cut off and reattaches. I only figured out the extent of the injury during the truly godawful page where he talks to himself about his problems. The art doesn’t show this event clearly enough to follow it.

Then there’s the villains. They don’t just talk in exposition, they talk in exposition and tell the other villains exactly what to do–which kind of kills the narrative progression.

Oh, the gang stuff. Apparently, gang members in the new DC Universe talk like Steve Urkel.

I can’t believe Rozum’s got his name on this garbage. Static Shock‘s not just bad, it’s laughably incompetent.

CREDITS

Disarmed; writers, Scott McDaniel and John Rozum; penciller, McDaniel; inker, Andy Owens; colorist, Guy Major; letterer, Dezi Sienty; editor, Harvey Richards; publisher, DC Comics.

Dark Horse Presents (1986) #157

The final issue of Dark Horse Presents doesn’t even note it on the cover. On either cover actually. If it weren’t for The Goon, one might say the series just trailed off. Luckily, it does have The Goon.

That statement is not to suggest The Goon is fantastic. It might be only my second ever Goon comic. Powell’s art is nice and his writing is fun in a very mean-spirited way. I thought the series was about zombies, but here it’s just The Goon and Franky bullying people (not even sure Franky gets named in the story). Well, bullying fish. Still, it’s big and it’s different and distinctive.

Without it, Presents would go out on Witch’s Son. In this installment, Allie seems to be setting up a new superhero. Sook gets assists from Moline and Owens inks them both. The art becomes indistinct. It’s not terrible, but somewhat lame.