Tag: Marc Guggenheim

Rocketeer Adventures 2 (2012) #1

Rocketeer Adventures 1

The best story in this issue is Peter David and Bill Sienkiewicz spoofing “Merry Melodies” cartoons, featuring Daffy as the Ducketeer. The art’s great, the script’s funny; David knows how to pace the story right. It’s nice because it’s so subtle–obviously, there’d be pop culture about America’s only science hero.

Stan Sakai’s story makes a similar acknowledgement, but it tries too hard. Or maybe Sakai’s art just doesn’t work for the story. Cliff encounters a farm boy with parents named Jonathan and Martha and a nemesis named Lex. It’s cute, but slight. And the way Sakai draws faces is off-putting.

The worst is Marc Guggenheim and Sandy Plunkett’s story. The art is good, but the writing is moronic. Cliff’s injured and unconscious; his rescuers have to decide if they’re turning him in since he’s a wanted vigilante. Guggenheim’s script gets worse as it goes.

It’s a disappointing issue.

Rocketeer Adventures 2 1 (March 2012)

863520The best story in this issue is Peter David and Bill Sienkiewicz spoofing “Merry Melodies” cartoons, featuring Daffy as the Ducketeer. The art’s great, the script’s funny; David knows how to pace the story right. It’s nice because it’s so subtle–obviously, there’d be pop culture about America’s only science hero.

Stan Sakai’s story makes a similar acknowledgement, but it tries too hard. Or maybe Sakai’s art just doesn’t work for the story. Cliff encounters a farm boy with parents named Jonathan and Martha and a nemesis named Lex. It’s cute, but slight. And the way Sakai draws faces is off-putting.

The worst is Marc Guggenheim and Sandy Plunkett’s story. The art is good, but the writing is moronic. Cliff’s injured and unconscious; his rescuers have to decide if they’re turning him in since he’s a wanted vigilante. Guggenheim’s script gets worse as it goes.

It’s a disappointing issue.

CREDITS

The Good Guys; writer, Marc Guggenheim; artist, Sandy Plunkett; colorist, Jeromy Cox; letterer, Robbie Robbins. The Ducketeer; writer, Peter David; artist, colorist and letterer, Bill Sienkiewicz. A Dream of Flying; writer, artist and letterer, Stan Sakai; colorist, Dave Stewart. Editor, Scott Dunbier; publisher, IDW Publishing.

Batman Confidential (2007) #54

Bc54

It ends with a quote from the Bible.

And Batman joining the Justice League.

His powers were only temporary back in China—those dastardly Chinese turned opium into a superpower elixir!

What’s so funny—besides laughing at Guggenheim’s writing, his dialogue, his narration—is Guggenheim’s plotting. He never lets Batman uncover the mystery he’s been pursuing the last five issues.

It’s really lame. I think this arc might be the worst comic I’ve read in many years. If DC’s hiring writers like Guggenheim, I’m really not missing much by sticking mostly to Marvel lately.

It’s hard to explain just how terrible, on a page level, his writing gets. One could sit down with a red Sharpie and notate the issues (I assume neither DC or Marvel pays editors to actually edit for quality).

Bingham’s art is a little better this issue, but he’s not working miracles….

This comic is crap.

Batman Confidential (2007) #53

Bc53

Guggenheim implies he’s going to give Batman superpowers. Let me explain—in China, the superheroes Bruce Wayne runs into tell him they source of superpowers is the totem (or logo). There’s an atrocious bit where Batman’s later calling the Justice League’s logos their totems.

Anyway, it turns out the Chinese are lying to Batman and you really have to drink a magic potion to give you superpowers. It ends with Batman drinking it.

Isn’t Batman secretly having superpowers something on the level of organic webshooters? I mean, I don’t really follow comic news blogs, but I imagine if anyone read this comic… someone would have made a comment.

Really awful modern day art from Bingham (he doesn’t care; he’s working on the flashback stuff and modern day art be damned). I think DC just tinted his page layouts and had them colored.

Guggenheim’s writing somehow gets worse, which is surprising.

Batman Confidential (2007) #52

Bc52

Oh, wow.

So this arc is actually about Batman’s first meeting with the Justice League.

Now, I’m not up on my DC continuity—and is Miller’s All-Star Batman continuity now—but I’m pretty sure Batman had met Superman by year three. This story is set in year three. But no, Batman hasn’t met Superman (or Super-Man as he calls him), the Flash or Green Lantern.

The issue ends with him breaking in to the Justice League headquarters. Wayne Technology installed the compound and left Batman a way to break in. It’s so convenient and not at all unethical.

The flashback story (again, Bingham’s art on the flashback is fine) turns out to be about Bruce Wayne hanging out with Chinese superheroes.

I thought Morrison was in charge of Batman now… I guess not. Guggenheim’s writing and ideas are painfully insipid.

Bingham’s weak, modern time period art doesn’t help.

Batman Confidential (2007) #51

Bc51

Bingham spends so much time on the flashback art—I think it’s colored ink washes—it’s like he doesn’t have the enthusiasm for the present day stuff. Especially not since Guggenheim has him matching it all, sometimes splitting the panel between past and present down the center.

Both stories, past and present, are more action oriented this time and Guggenheim has less room to do a bad job with his writing. It’s still bad writing—and Guggenheim still misses a lot of opportunity, like the idea of Batman fighting an alien—but it’s not as bad as it could have been. Opening with a terribly written issue means Guggenheim probably will just improve as the arc continues.

None of those comments mean the issue is worth reading. It’s a pointless waste of time—though half the Bingham art is interesting—and there is a train wreck quality to Guggenheim’s plotting.

Batman Confidential (2007) #50

Bc50

I wanted to read this issue because it features the return of Jerry Bingham, who did some great work in the eighties.

He does some good work here too, just not on the present action of the issue. There’s a flashback portion, with something approximating painted art, and it looks good. The modern stuff looks too unfinished. Bingham doesn’t do a good job inking himself..

But Bingham draws a decent enough Batman, so it’s not terrible.

What’s terrible is Guggenheim’s writing. He belongs to the All-Star Batman school, but he doesn’t even have any imaginative dialogue. It’s an absolutely awful reading experience; cringe-inducing.

The plot is undeveloped here (for some reason there’s an Identity Crisis tie-in).

The second half of the issue is a fake Silver Age Justice League story also tying in. Farmer inks Bingham to good effect and Guggenheim feigns the tone. It’s better than the Batman story.