Before Watchmen: Minutemen 2 (September 2012)

871391 And now I’m not sure with where Cooke takes things. He turns Minutemen, in its conclusion this issue, into a really tough, uncomfortable book. It’s like I can’t decide if it’s homophobic, if Cooke’s just using the material or if he’s just being straightforward about it. There’s probably no comfortable way to handle it.

I’m talking about the superheroes, not the bad guys. For the bad guys, Cooke goes even more subtle and poetic even. He’s really playing with his format this issue; not just how his style doesn’t seem to lend itself to grit, but also how he occasionally mimics the original Watchmen panel arrangement.

It’s a good issue, well-written and well-illustrated, but I’m not sure how much I like it.

He also has a meta allusion to the Before Watchmen series at the open.

Higgins’s pirate art is too slick this time, sinking the backup story.

CREDITS

The Minute of Truth, Chapter Two: Golden Years; writer and artist, Darwyn Cooke; colorist, Phil Noto; letterer, Jared K. Fletcher. The Curse of the Crimson Corsair, The Devil in the Deep, Part Six; writer, Len Wein; artist and colorist, John Higgins; letterer, Sal Cipriano. Editors, Wil Moss, Camilla Zhang and Mark Chiarello; publisher, DC Comics.

Before Watchmen: Minutemen 1 (August 2012)

869965 I’m a little surprised, but I only have one problem with Minutemen (at least the Darwyn Cooke material). Who the hell is Hollis Mason talking to? He’s basically summarizing his book, right? It doesn’t make any sense.

The only surprises are Silk Spectre and the Comedian–she’s a model faking being an adventurer and he’s already a vicious psychopath. The revelation of a rough childhood reads like giving his behavior an excuse, even if Cooke doesn’t intend it. But it doesn’t really matter because it’s Darwyn Cooke doing period superhero art.

There’s not much better, except maybe Darwyn Cooke doing really violent period superhero art and he does that art here. The issue’s a feast for the eyes and Cooke’s got the time period down.

The pirate backup has good art from John Higgins, but two pages isn’t enough space for Len Wein to do anything in terms of writing.

CREDITS

The Minute of Truth, Chapter One: Eight Minutes; writer and artist, Darwyn Cooke; colorist, Phil Noto; letterer, Jared K. Fletcher. The Curse of the Crimson Corsair, The Devil in the Deep, Part One; writer, Len Wein; artist and colorist, John Higgins; letterer, Sal Cipriano. Editors, Wil Moss, Camilla Zhang and Mark Chiarello; publisher, DC Comics.

The Boys 28 (March 2009)

760771 Hughie disobeys orders to try to help the G-Wiz, which doesn’t go well for them. It also doesn’t go well for the reader because Higgins is back on the art and he’s bad. He’s bad when he’s just doing regular scenes (he draws Butcher like a hobbit at one point) and he’s even worse for the bloodbath with the Frenchman and the Female.

Ennis tries to fit a bunch of characters in–the bad guy suits, the Legend, everybody gets an appearance (except Annie)–only it’s all very slight. When Mother’s Milk reveals the secret of the G-Men, it’s been obvious to the reader for a couple issues.

Hughie’s behavior also doesn’t make any sense. He’s not a social worker. Ennis hasn’t been playing him like one; needing him to be one these last few issues has been a misfire.

Ennis never found a story for this arc.

CREDITS

We Gotta Go Now, Part Six; writer, Garth Ennis; artist, John Higgins; colorist, Tony Avina; letterer, Simon Bowland; editor, Joseph Rybandt; publisher, Dynamite Entertainment.

The Boys 26 (January 2009)

546422 I’ll never complain about Robertson being lazy on The Boys again. Actually, I probably will, but I sure do miss him this issue. John Higgins fills in and, while he can handle a lot of the content, he misses the nuance to some of it. He draws Annie like any other bimbo comic book blonde. Gone is the innocence. It changes the character quite a bit.

Higgins’s finest work might just be on Terror. He might draw the dog better than anything else.

Ennis is stretching out the story arc unnecessarily with this issue. Hughie’s interlude with Annie doesn’t build from the previous foreshadowing, Butcher’s subplot is just a tease, Mother’s Milk only has two pages. The Frenchman and the Female only have one.

Ennis focuses on the G-Men because he’s got some good X-Men jokes. But he’s overdoing it. Making fun of the X-Men is easy.

CREDITS

We Gotta Go Now, Part Four; writer, Garth Ennis; artist, John Higgins; colorist, Tony Avina; letterer, Simon Bowland; publisher, Dynamite Entertainment.

The Thing from Another World 2 (January 1992)

I think Pfarrer really likes The Thing, the movie I mean. It wasn’t as clear the first issue, but this one, it really feels like Pfarrer is trying to make a sequel to something he likes. Maybe because he brings back the Keith David character, Childs.

Sadly, Pfarrer doesn’t seem to get how to write a movie adaptation. He writes these lines you can’t imagine the actors saying and, when it’s a sequel to a movie—with the characters who are only in that movie—there’s an expectation. When Childs’s dialogue is full of “dudes,” you know, because he’s black, it’s ludicrous.

Sadly, while the writing is a smidgen better, the art is worse. Higgins has a lot of action and talking heads to do; he doesn’t manage either. Painted art is just wrong here.

Just when it’s getting interesting, Pfarrer runs out of pages.

And the abbreviated finish’s weak.

CREDITS

Writer, Chuck Pfarrer; artist, John Higgins; letterer, Richard Starkings; editor, Randy Stradley; publisher, Dark Horse Comics.

The Thing from Another World 1 (December 1991)

Do how does Dark Horse handle a sequel to a film unable to have a sequel?

Lamely.

Chuck Pfarrer’s writing is weak all around. Some of it isn’t his fault. Making Kurt Russell’s character talk to himself more than Peter Parker is a necessity. What if a reader hasn’t seen the movie? Too bad it’s poorly written dialogue.

The plot is also problematic. Macready gets away and heads immediately back to the site of the film to destroy it. I thought the movie ended with it being destroyed but apparently not. Men with guns–they have some lame backstory (Pfarrer’s not good, really not good)–appear and predictable complications ensue.

I suppose the pacing’s all right (I kept expecting to the issue to end, but Pfaffer kept having more).

John Higgins’s painted art is wrong for the title and his action inserts are sometimes painful.

Still, there’s worse licensed material.

CREDITS

Writer, Chuck Pfarrer; artist, John Higgins; letterer, Richard Starkings; editor, Randy Stradley; publisher, Dark Horse Comics.