Pretty Deadly 4 (January 2014)

Pretty deadly 04 A real cast list. All I ask for is a real cast list. It’s got to make sense–and even I figured out the main girl’s destiny–but a cheat sheet would be so helpful. I probably could look online, couldn’t I?

But I like being off balance with Pretty Deadly. Something about Rios’s art makes discovering story connections, instead of worrying about them before reading, a more pleasing reading experience.

This issue might have DeConnick’s first tranquil scene in the series–Death talking to his love (more her talking to him). It’s a strange, beautiful, sad scene.

There’s also a big fight scene. Rios does fine with it, but it goes on way too long. Rios has a lyrical quality to her action, especially this fight–told mostly in long shots–and the horizontal panels get a wee long in the tooth.

DeConnick’s setting up for something rather big.

B+

CREDITS

Writer, Kelly Sue DeConnick; artist, Emma Rios; colorist, Jordie Bellaire; letterer, Clayton Cowles; editor, Sigrid Ellis; publisher, Image Comics.

Ghost 1 (December 2013)

291501 20131218091543 large Ghost is a fairly amusing read with great Ryan Sook art. Or maybe Ghost is an excellent read from Kelly Sue DeConnick and Chris Sebela with decent art. It changes from page to page. DeConnick writes well but doesn’t have a good plot. She does wonders with the characters.

Sook is responsible for taking that okay but bland script and making it bold. He does. It’s pulpy, it’s noir, it’s very visually Chicago–Sook isn’t lazy at all. Oh, and there are demons. But I don’t remember anything except the scenery, maybe some of the noir angles, and neither memorable moment seems enough. Because the art is kind of bland too.

Sook doesn’t go crazy, DeConnick doesn’t go crazy. Ghost would be the perfect comic to pick up from time to time without hunting it down–there’s nothing compelling. The writers don’t conceive a protagonist so much as a subject.

CREDITS

Writer, Kelly Sue DeConnick and Chris Sebela; artist, Ryan Sook; colorist, Dave McCaig; letterer, Richard Starkings; editors, Everett Patterson and Patrick Thorpe; publisher, Dark Horse Comics.

Pretty Deadly 3 (December 2013)

290028 20131127114217 large The issue opens with a recap of the previous issues. Only it’s more confusing than anything else–DeConnick has so much going on, what with mixing a Western with the supernatural and all. The recap implies someone might actually be able to follow the comic… and, if one out there is following the story without taking notes, more power to them.

But I tend to think Pretty Deadly works so well because it doesn’t need to make sense necessarily. Not along the way. Along the way, DeConnick writes good scenes and Rios draws good scenes and they all add up to something in the end.

It’s still a Western after all. These guys are doing this thing over here, those guys are looking for the first guys and so on. The rest of it doesn’t matter too much. The details make Deadly different, but it’s a Western; a good one.

B+

CREDITS

Writer, Kelly Sue DeConnick; artist, Emma Rios; colorist, Jordie Bellaire; letterer, Clayton Cowles; editor, Sigrid Ellis; publisher, Image Comics.

Pretty Deadly 2 (November 2013)

290028 20131127114217 large I want to see DeConnick’s script for this comic, just because I want to know how much Rios comes up with on her own and how much is already in the script. Because there’s a lot I can’t imagine someone getting from just the text of a script. There’s a big action sequence too and that action is very straightforward (compared to the rest of the comic) but the scenes leading up to the action? They’re bewildering.

As a rule, Westerns tend to be obvious. Probably because the genre started in mainstream filmmaking. Pretty Deadly isn’t just revisionist because it’s about women or non-whites; DeConnick and Rios are trying tell their story in the most confrontational way they can find. Not just for a Western either… it’s hard to think of another comic demanding so much of its reader.

They’re successful in their efforts. Maybe not entirely, but enough.

B+

CREDITS

Writer, Kelly Sue DeConnick; artist, Emma Rios; colorist, Jordie Bellaire; letterer, Clayton Cowles; editor, Sigrid Ellis; publisher, Image Comics.

Pretty Deadly 1 (October 2013)

287188 20131023124715 large I think Pretty Deadly is off to a good start but it’s hard to say for sure. Kelly Sue DeConnick is doing a maybe supernaturally themed Western and, if she’s not, she’s doing revisionist Western. Or she’s doing both at once.

After this first issue, I think the revisionism is clear–she and artist Emma Rios are looking at female characters in the Old West. More, the protagonist of the comic is a kid. It’s not clear how old she’s supposed to be, probably twelve or thirteen; she and an old blind guy apparently go from town to town and tell stories for tips. The storytelling sequence is real rough going. Rios goes wild with it. The enthusiasm gets it through.

The second half of the issue reveals the problem–the kid, Sissy, she stole something she shouldn’t have. Now there’s the bad woman after her.

Deadly’s competent and interesting.

B+

CREDITS

Writer, Kelly Sue DeConnick; artist, Emma Rios; colorist, Jordie Bellaire; letterer, Clayton Cowles; editor, Sigrid Ellis; publisher, Image Comics.

Girl Comics (2010) #3

Girl comics 3

Colleen Coover does another lame intro for issue. It seems better than usual, probably because of the atrocious first story, from Marjorie Liu and Sara Pichelli. It’s a Wolverine and Jubilee talking heads story; Liu’s dialogue is indescribably bad.

Next is another stupid Power Pack story from long-time writer Louise Simonson. June Brigman and Rebecca Buchman’s art is nearly okay, but clearly not ready for prime time.

Lea Hernandez’s attempt at being “cute” with Wolverine and Magneto is lame.

Ann Nocenti and Molly Crabapple do a Typhoid Mary story. The indie art doesn’t fit the poorly written story.

Even Kelly Sue Deconnick’s story is weak. The dialogue’s good, the narration’s not. And Adriana Melo and Mariah Benes do nineties Image imitations.

Carla Speed McNeil has Kitty Pryde and Wolveine go to a superhero bar. It’s pointless, but better than anything else in the issue.

Girl Comics is a debacle.

Rescue (2010) #1

So in this issue of Rescue—oh, wait, no, it’s the only issue of Rescue, which is a travesty (if that description doesn’t give you an idea of the book in advance…)—is set during an Invincible Iron Man arc where Pepper hallucinates talking to her dead husband.

Her dead husband is, for those who don’t follow Iron Man (like me), Happy Hogan. The limo driver from the movies.

Anyway, Pepper recounts this incident where she saved some people and didn’t save some people. DeConnick doesn’t reinvent the wheel here—Pepper the superhero has always been Invincible’s greatest creation, just because of the way Pepper approaches her altruistic activities.

But what DeConnick does do is put together a compelling story and gives Pepper a great voice.

Andrea Mutti’s art is a little rough, but the writing makes up for it.

I wish it was a series, not a one-shot.

Osborn (2011) #5

Osborn 5

DeConnick brings Osborn to a depressingly lesser conclusion. She needed another issue. She fast forwards a few weeks and everything’s resolved. It provides a nice narrative device (a Congressional hearing) but it’s not satisfying at all. Worse is the decision to narrate from Norah the reporter.

Norah is, as Norman points out, not special. She’s ordinary in an extraordinary world and if DeConnick had any particular insight into her, I’d have loved to see a Marvels revamp by DeConnick and Rios. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have any special insight because Norah’s a lame character. Instead of Veronica Mars, she’s barely Carrie from “Sex in the City.” Strange how gender works in the funny pages.

As for the art… Becky Cloonan isn’t on Rios’s level. I couldn’t identify Cloonan but a lot of the issue looked wrong.

It’s well-written and often beautifully illustrated, but it should’ve (and could’ve) been even better.

Osborn (2011) #4

Osborn 4

So, yes, it turns out—unfortunately—I was right. Norman Osborn is a megalomaniac who needs an audience, so he keeps Norah the reporter alive. However, his sidekicks are very bad people who would not. But still they hang out with her. In fact, I wish Osborn was an issue longer because DeConnick has such a great time writing Norah with the supervillains.

By pairing Norah with Norman here, Rios gets to combine her two styles on the series and it’s no surprise the relatively calmer Norah art is moved aside for the frantic Norman art everywhere. The result is a visual feast—definitely the best art so far in the series.

DeConnick’s script continues to be really smart as well as engaging—setting Norman up against the Senator, turning her into the antagonist and toning Norman down to be a suitable protagonist finally… it all works.

It’s quite good.

Osborn (2011) #3

Osborn 3

There’s a lot of great stuff in this issue of Osborn—my favorite is the way DeConnick mostly spends the non-Norman time with the senator, making it very different than what I expected. So after the utterly realistic scene where the Democrat senator realizes she’s getting blamed for sending Norman to a secret prison (shockingly, her Republican “friend” betrays her), DeConnick throws reality out the window.

Norah Winters has been present at Norman’s taking over the prison, up in an observation booth. He discovers her and brings her down to witness his return. Now, realistically, he’d have her torn into pieces or tortured or whatever. But he’s a supervillain, so he’s going to Bond villain her and bring her along. He hasn’t yet, but leaving her alive for a second makes it foreseeable.

And DeConnick’s otherwise thoughtful comic book becomes absurd.

It’s still good and the Rios art’s beautiful.