Low 1 (August 2014)

Low #1 Low is a gorgeous comic. Greg Tocchini doing sci-fi. It’s just gorgeous, especially the double page spreads.

Unfortunately, it’s clear from the first few pages of the comic writer Rick Remender is not bringing the same caliber of work. Instead, he’s writing a derivative, wordy, knock-off of “Lost in Space,” only set underwater.

The issue opens with lots of marriage banter between the narrator and his upper class wife. He’s just the guy who drives the ship–in this case, the ship is the bubble city humanity survives in. He wants to teach the daughters to drive, the wife doesn’t. I didn’t think Remender was so cheap he’d use tragedy to endear the reader to the family in the first issue but I was wrong. Remender’s a really cheap writer.

If it were just bad dialogue or dumb plotting, the art might make it worthwhile. But not both.

CREDITS

The Delirium of Hope; writer, Rick Remender; artist, Greg Tocchini; letterer, Rus Wooton; editor, Sebastian Girner; publisher, Image Comics.

Deadly Class 1 (January 2014)

292277 20140101185418 large In the back matter, writer Rick Remender explains Deadly Class will have “no magic” and “no spaceships.” This promise comes a page after there’s a hidden magical high school in a hollow earth under San Francisco.

Class was already tiresome by the time Remender finishes the issue with that back matter, explaining it’s based on real violence he saw as a kid. Wes Craig’s art–what’s with all the Paul Pope lites these days?–does nothing for the reality. It’s stylized, glorified comic book violence, no matter what Remender wants to tell the reader they should think.

The whole thing seems pretty glib considering it’s about a fourteen year-old homeless kid. Remender gives him a big eighties story–all the bad things in his life are Reagan’s fault (either due to bad governing or criminal conspiracy); it’s desperate.

Craig’s art isn’t bad, but it’s far from enough to compensate.

CREDITS

Writer, Rick Remender; artist, Wes Craig; colorist, Lee Loughridge; letterer, Rus Wooton; editor, Sebastian Girner; publisher, Image Comics.

Black Science 1 (November 2013)

290050 20131127141251 large I can’t think of much worse than Rick Remender’s narration in Black Science. The story–a rogue scientist who gets into trouble because of his anarchist views (except in very sci-fi situations)–ought to be interesting enough to make the narration a non-issue. Especially with Matteo Scalera’s awesome art.

A moment on that art. Scalera does a mix of old gods, cute animals and humor. It’s fabulous artwork. I really thought it would be enough to get me through the crappy narration. But it’s not. Nothing could overcome Remender’s narration on this comic.

I’m not sure what Remender’s going for. Instead of talking about the fictional science or even the alien world his protagonist is running through, the guy is going on and on about his family. It’s like an apology to his wife or something.

It’s unfortunate; Scalera’s artwork should make it worth a look. But no.

CREDITS

Writer, Rick Remender; artist, Matteo Scalera; colorist, Dean V. White; letterer, Rus Wooton; editor, Sebastian Girner; publisher, Image Comics.

Venom 7 (November 2011)

Venom finally meets the Anti-Venom… only it’s unclear why a meet-up is so necessary. Eddie Brock’s rambling, religious “hero” is kind of a buzz kill. The meeting has no weight for Flash Thompson, only for the symbiote. And, regardless of series title, Flash is the main character.

So instead, Remender uses the issue to deal with Flash’s growing dependence on the suit. You’d think the government would vet him well enough to know he has an addictive personality.

The whole issue–down to the reconciliation with the dying father–feels forced. Flashbacks showed us how terrible Flash’s dad was to the family, yet Flash gives him a tearful forgiveness. Either Flash is lying to be a swell person or Remender’s taking a really big short cut as far as character development.

While Fowler’s art is still awesome, Remender can’t make the requisite tie-in issue belong in Venom.

Venom 6 (October 2011)

“Spider-Island” seems a lot like that Batman crossover, “War Games.” Just in the city in panic stuff. Maybe I’m thinking of a different one.

But this issue has Fowler back–and on it solo, doing all the creatures, an area where he excels–and my biggest complaint has nothing to do with the crossover.

Actually, it’s all fine. The crossover stuff, I mean. It could all fit into the comic without a lot of forcing, so it does work. And there’s a Venom dog. Strangely, it’s kind of cute.

No, my problem is Remender’s handling of Flash’s father dying. All of a sudden Betty Brant is at the hospital with him. Flash walked out on the guy, so obviously something has happened. Either it was in a previous crossover issue, which is malarky, or something got cut to make room for crossover nonsense.

It’s still good, I’m just perturbed.

Venom 5 (October 2011)

Wow.

The comic opens, unfortunately, with Tony Moore. He handles the Venom part, Tom Fowler handles the Flash Thompson part. My complaints about Remender waiting on establishing Flash are, it turns out, ill-founded. At least they appear to be after this issue.

It’s a depressing look at Flash’s family life, with occasional callbacks to his origins in Amazing, without going so far as to flashback (though Fowler’s Peter Parker is definitely Ditko influenced). Fowler’s lush work turns a regular kitchen conversation between Flash and Betty into the most exciting action in the comic. Fowler drawing someone cutting carrots is more visually engaging than Moore showing Venom webbing a falling chrch bell.

While Flash’s vet stuff makes it topical, Remender and Fowler transcend it (I wonder if Remender realized how edgy it was to make the homeless vet young). They make a comic about Venom as a secret agent timeless.

Venom 4 (August 2011)

Why did Tony Moore have to come back? He ruins the last scene of the comic, with Pete and Flash having their first sit down as unknowing nemeses. The scene should have been a mixture of confusing, ominous and fun. Moore ruins it.

Remender focuses mostly on action this issue. Spidey and Venom continue fighting–with some of the bad guys showing up for another action scene–and the aforementioned quiet finish.

It should have all worked well. Remender is comfortable with Flash and his dialogue is fine… so what happened?

The comic can’t hold up without compelling art. As an action comic, the art is often the only communication method for a couple pages when dialogue balloons take a break.

Remender plotted this issue, and the last two, as continuous. It makes it so Flash doesn’t have much resonance yet.

It’s also hard to return to Moore after Fowler.

Venom 3 (July 2011)

Tom Fowler drawing Venom is a waste of talent. A glorious waste of talent. While Fowler’s able to do a crazy Venom, full of tentacles and slime, the regular stuff is better.

The comic opens with a guy playing racket ball and seeing Fowler’s attention to movement is great. And it’s not just a Venom comic–it’s Tom Fowler drawing Spider-Man, which is pretty darn awesome too.

There’s so much good design (Fowler manages to do both, design and draw), Remender can get away with almost anything. Fowler sells the big bad guy’s silly henchmen and their silly costumes (it’s more and more a homage to the original Amazing it seems). He’s also able to sell the terror of Betty being kidnapped.

The mix of Remender’s competence and homage and Fowler’s artwork makes Venom a singular Marvel comic. It’s fun, standalone, good and enthusiastically admiring of its Amazing roots.

Venom 2 (June 2011)

Moore really starts to hinder Venom this issue. Maybe the flashy inks (no pun intended) weren’t enough to correct his weaker impulses. There’s a scene with Peter and Betty (Remender does a good job bringing in the traditional Spidey soap opera, even if it’s Flash’s book) and Moore fumbles the entire thing. He can’t do the scene.

But the opening art, with Venom on the run from Kraven in the Savage Land, isn’t bad. The first few pages at least are decent, probably because Moore’s drawing Venom in costume. Or in alien slime.

Remender does a quick little reference or two to “Kraven’s Last Hunt” and Venom feels like a trip through Spider-Man history. Like a guided tour (but there are no reminders to check out the original stories).

But it’s surprisingly good stuff. Remender continues to write Flash quite well; he makes Venom worthwhile, overpowering Moore’s weak art.

Venom 1 (May 2011)

What a depressing comic. It’s like Rick Remender looked at some old Spider-Man comics and tried to figure out how he could make any even more depressed arachnid superhero.

Flash Thompson (the new Venom) comes into the comic a jingoist and leaves it a broken wretch. I initially had problems with Remender’s characterization because it seemed cheap–Marvel trying to sell comics to the U.S. Army. The end decidedly makes the book something quite different.

There’s a slight disconnect because Thompson’s “Agent Venom,” the worst detail in the comic is that name, comes in acting like a super-U.N. peacekeeper, but it’s soon revealed he’s just a black ops guy for the U.S. government. Neither fit into Flash’s self-image at the start of the comic.

But Flash was never smart, something Remender doesn’t shy away from.

Tony Moore’s okay enough. I think the overdone inks actually help him.

CREDITS

Project Rebirth 2.0; writer, Rick Remender; penciller, Tony Moore; inkers, Sandu Florea and Karl Kesel; colorist, John Rauch; letterer, Joe Caramagna; editors, Alejandro Arbona and Stephen Wacker; publisher, Marvel Comics.