Marvel’s Secret Avengers has taken on its fourth regular writer in under two years, and it’s one that perhaps fans would not have instantly associated with the property. As of issue #21.1 Rick Remender (Fear Agent, Punisher) has taken the reigns of Marvel’s covert ops superhero team. Now, four months later (with issue #25), his first proper story arc has come to a close. How he’d do?

Before we critique the books, let’s briefly summarize: after a standalone point-one issue (in which Captain America recruits Hawkeye to take the reigns of this team), our heroes face off against a secret society of robots who live in a giant city underneath the Earth’s surface. These robots are made up of lots of classic synthetic Marvel life, including Doombots, Sentinels, and Reavers. Their leader, Father, has big plans for his robotic progeny, but before he can carry them out he has to locate 20 so-called “high breeds,” the first synthetic life created on Earth besides the original Human Torch. When Father’s path crosses with the Avengers, though, Earth’s Covertest Heroes (shouldn’t that be their slogan?) are determined not to let him have his way.

The Good:
-The Art: Regular series penciler Gabriel Hardman does a tremendous job on his four issues. Together with colorist Bettie Breitweiser, he turns in pencil-heavy, natural-looking pages that complement the covert tone of this book well. His work reminds me of 1980s British comics, and I mean that in a good way (for a more modern comparison, check out the art on Grant Morrison’s BOOM! series Steed and Mrs. Peel). One-shot artist Patrick Zircher (#21.1) does a solid job as well, with work closer to a more traditional superhero vein.

-The Characters: Remender shakes up the Avengers team a bit when he takes over the book (possibly due to editorial mandate), and the choices he makes are welcome. Putting Hawkeye in the lead maybe isn’t the greatest move (he’s kind of an annoying character; see below) but one can see where it’d be necessary given Cap’s schedule. But the other new additions — “Agent” Venom, the original Human Torch, and especially Captain Britain — are absolutely welcome and bring a nice dynamic and power set to the group. Captain Britain looks on track to be the breakout character of this run; his otherworldly, magical abilities set him apart from everyone else on the team (even the Asgardian Valkyrie, who at the end of the day is more of a brawler), and I look forward to seeing what Remender has in store for him. It’s also nice that Remender brought back the Eric O’Grady Ant Man, one of the things I missed most about Warren Ellis’ run on the title, although that return may not be so permanent.

The Bad:
-Soap Opera: By far the most annoying thing about this run of comics is Remender’s tendency to throw a magnifying glass on the most annoying aspects of his characters. Not an issue goes by, for instance, that Hawkeye doesn’t yell at somebody. Even the scene in which Beast points this out is painful, full of dialog that’s supposed to be snarky but is really just annoying and distracting. Almost all of Remender’s characters are on edge all the time, and it’s really frustrating. He’s embracing the very worst common ground between soap operas and superhero comics, and I hope that he stops soon. Issue #21.1 is an especially egregious example, as Captain America and Hawkeye get into a bitch-fight (including some really facile psychoanalysis on Cap’s part) while the two leap around a hostile city in an attempt to save their life. It reads as fairly amateurish.

-Vague Plotting: The main villain of this piece, Father, keeps referring to his master plan as “The Event.” Either he intends to bring back a failed NBC show, or again Remender’s embracing the worst aspects of superhero comics — vague long-term plotting — in an attempt to seem cool and shadowy. Either way, it’s just bad.

What I’d Like to See More Of:
-The Avengers actually being Secret: No writer besides Warren Ellis has actually embraced Secret Avengers’ potential. This book is tailor-made to feature a genre mishmash of James Bond and superheroes, something that hasn’t really been seen before, at least not with characters as prominent as these. Why does no writer actually pay attention to this? Instead, every conflict in Remender’s run is a giant action setpiece. Ellis deployed those much more subtly, letting them build naturally from an espionage mission instead of having the Avengers charge in all guns blazing. This is probably an intentional change on Remender’s part, but it’s a real shame that the writer on a book with so much conceptual potential would choose to ignore almost all of it.

So although I’m enjoying Remender’s Secret Avengers enough — and a lot of the credit for that goes to Gabriel Hardman — I can’t help but put this book on pull list probation. I do look forward to the next arc, but the no-doubt forced AvX tie-ins are really going to test me, especially since the cover of the next one features Thor flying the group through outer-space to strike at some mutant outpost. What the hell is secret about that?

Last week we published our commentary on the 2012 Eisner Award nominations, and I lamented that every year it seems like I never read enough books to know most of what’s up to win. As it happens, the author of one of the nominated books (several noms, actually!) saw the article and e-mailed me asking if I’d like to check out his work. Well, of course I would! So this morning I sat down and read the first four issues (the first story arc) of Princeless.

Princeless is an fantasy-action-adventure comic aimed probably most squarely at the witty teenaged girl set, though one can imagine it easily finding an audience outside that crowd. The book stars Adrienne, a young daughter to a king who’s just come of marrying age. As things tend to go in these stories, the king and queen lock their daughter in a tower and have her guarded by a fire-breathing dragon, waiting for the day her Prince Charming will come and save her. But Adrienne’s heard that story before, and she doesn’t like it. She’d rather cut a new path for herself. So with a little help from her dopey dragon guardian and some unseen friends, she bursts out of her tower and sets off to rescue her other sisters, currently also victims of tired patriarchal practices.

Princeless is a really accessible, attractive and fun series based on familiar territory but with a keen eye toward subversion. I recently saw and was thoroughly disappointed by Hunger Games (you can find my harsh critique here, shameless plug) and I sadly found myself unable to name an actually admirable young female protagonist newer than Harry Potter‘s Hermoine Granger. Princeless‘ Adrienne more than fits that bill; she’s twenty times the heroine Katniss Everdeen is, easily. Her defiance of her father’s wishes is totally bad-ass and relatable, and it makes for a really compelling character. Adrienne knows what she wants out of life — or at least what she doesn’t want — and she’s going to fight to shape her destiny.

Writer Jeremy Whitley’s scripting in these four issues is swift, action-packed and funny. It’s accompanied beautifully by Mia Goodwin’s emotive and fluid pencils. Goodwin especially excels at scene choreography; for folks with more mainstream tastes, the easiest comparison I can come up with is to Ultimate Spider-Man‘s Mark Bagley. Goodwin favors large, somewhat uncomplicated figures that will be familiar to fairy tale/storybook fans, and they only add to the inviting, fast-paced nature of the book.

But for me, Whitley’s script is the real joy here. It’s no easy task to turn in a genre parody that still has genuine characters in which readers are invested, but that’s what’s going on in Princeless. And while younger fans will probably be drawn to Adrienne’s quest unironically (why shouldn’t they be?), older readers have plenty to enjoy beyond that. The Eisner-nominated issue #3 is the best example of this; there, Adrienne attempts to purchase armor for herself and is offered skimpy variants based on classic female warriors — “the Diana,” “the Sonya” and “the Warrior Princess.” Adrienne wonders why she can’t wear armor that doesn’t accentuate her sexuality but instead actually protects her. Fair question (I did appreciate that, in a pinch, Adrienne temporarily chooses the Diana).

When I first spoke to Jeremy over e-mail, I warned him that I didn’t think Princeless could unseat Unwritten #24 as my pick for best single issue of the year. And, you know, I don’t think it did. But it came a lot closer than I would’ve imagined. Princeless is a smart, funny, great-looking and action-packed series. If I had a comic-reading daughter, I’d make sure this was at the top of her pull list every month. This book’s certainly deserving of its Eisner nominations, and if you’re in the market for a good fantasy tale or a truly strong female protagonist, it’s absolutely worth your time.

When Scott Snyder and Yanick Paquette’s Swamp Thing #7 saw release, it was met with generally spectacular reviews, at least in part because after six issues the book finally delivered on the promise in its title — it finally featured Swamp Thing. Not many mainstream comics would wait over half a year to introduce their main character to audiences; a decade ago it was a noteworthy when Brian Michael Bendis waited just a couple months to do so in Ultimate Spider-Man. So why did author Snyder choose to wait, and what effect does it have on the series as a whole?

To answer that, let’s look at the genre or genres in which Swamp Thing operates. On one hand, as part of DC’s New 52 Swamp Thing is essentially a superhero comic. And although DC has been open to featuring different genres as part of its massive relaunch (All-Star Western, Men of War), Swamp Thing also stars a character that has previously been associated with straight-ahead action, a character that spends time with Superman and Batman. He’s a warrior whose job is to protect the Green from its assailants in violent, action-packed ways. In that sense, at least, Swamp Thing is a superhero book.

But Swamp Thing also possesses strong elements of the horror genre that can’t be denied. The Swamp Thing character has always had roots (pardon the pun) in supernatural thrillers, an angle that was famously put to great use by Alan Moore in the 1980s. Additionally, Scott Snyder’s comic-book pedigree certainly tends toward the horror vain; his most notable success coming in to Swamp Thing was American Vampire, a modern thriller created with Stephen King. In that way, then, we can rightfully talk about Swamp Thing‘s relationship the horror subset of fiction.

Swamp Thing, then, is a book that lives in two worlds. In the first eight issues of his run on the series, Scott Snyder uses the tactic of delayed gratification, especially when it comes to revealing the book’s protagonist, to fully embrace both genres in which it operates.

The horror aspect of Swamp Thing is perhaps the easier of the two to pin down. Snyder’s artist partner-in-crime Yanick Paquette (as well as fantastic fill-in penciler Marco Rudy) must be given equal credit for contributing to the terrifying world in which Swamp Thing lives. The first eight issues of this book are filled with demented visuals of men with their heads spun backwards, half-rotten animal carcasses and cancerous growth that literally explodes from sick bodies. Complete with Nathan Fairbairn’s dark, broody palette, Swamp Thing is a book that can rightfully be called both ugly and beautiful.

But as good as the art is, it would be wrong to not recognize Snyder’s contribution to Swamp Thing‘s horrific tone. He does so not just in the scenarios and antagonists he cooks up but also in the way he structures his narrative. The book is deliberately plotted to reveal only things its audience needs to know. There are always questions and unanswered threads hanging over every scene, creating an aura of suspense, of waiting for the other shoe to drop. This is a tactic horror filmmakers have used since the dawn of the genre — each scene is limited in what it shows you; there’s always a sense that something really awful’s about to turn the corner.

The most obvious example of this is the through-line connecting the first seven issues of the series — will Alec Holland embrace his destiny and become the Swamp Thing, or will he continue to run from it? We assume from the title of the book that eventually he’ll become the hero he’s meant to (or else there’s really no story), but we can never be sure when. The second issue teases his transformation when we meet a previous iteration of the Swamp Thing avatar, but that issue ends with the Green’s protector horrifically wilting away and Alec affirming his choice not to give into the destiny the Green’s chosen for him.

Alec’s decision prolongs the title’s suspense in a couple ways. For one, it obviously keeps readers wondering when the hero of the book will appear. But it also means that whatever threats Alec and his companion Abby encounter will be actual threats — without the powers of a wood god at his disposal, Alec’s basically just a mere mortal (even though he has flashes of being able to control the Green, which are limited in his human form). What results is that readers spend six issues on the edge of their seat, waiting for Alec to become the title character and finally take care of the bad guys.

But then, at the end of issue #6, Alec dies.

Issue #7 seems like it’s finally going to embrace Alec Holland’s transformation into the Swamp Thing — and it does! — but then the series’ most obvious example of delayed gratification rears its head. Issue #7 doesn’t give us a full image of Alec’s new Swamp Thing form — we only see his eye, his back and his image in shadow (much the same way we’re introduced to main antagonist Sethe in issue #1). We have to wait until about halfway through Swamp Thing #8 — after a brilliant page by Paquette that images Swamp Thing as a dot on the horizon, then a figure approaching, then so close he’s practically out of frame — to finally see the fantastic full-page image of Swamp Thing’s new, impressive look.

From that point on, the game changes. Paquette’s design indicates that this Swamp Thing is a fighter through-and-through. He can grow wood claws from his forearms, he can sprout wings from his back, and his mossy tendrils act as piercing arrows. Within a few pages’ time, Swamp Thing fights off a horde of Sethe’s army, only to be stopped by the twisted appearance of his one-time love, Abby, now corrupted by the Rot.

Swamp Thing #8 plays out in full-on superhero mode. After seven and a half issues of waiting for Alec Holland’s true power to manifest, Snyder and Paquette deliver here in a spectacular and exciting sequence. Readers get caught up in the action much like they would seeing Wonder Woman fight off an invading army. Just for a moment, Swamp Thing drops the cerebral suspense of its first seven issues for a superhero brawl, and it’s fantastic.

But this sequence wouldn’t work nearly as well had it come earlier in the series. Snyder needed the seven issues of horror and suspense to set the tone for the book, so that when its champion was finally introduced his impact could really be felt. Put another way, seeing Swamp Thing battle a threat that’s been built up for eight issues means a lot more than seeing him scuffle with an enemy that we only just met. It gives us a deeper understanding of the abilities of both Swamp Thing and his enemies, and it just makes for a more satisfying story.

Therefore, to really optimize the payoff of Swamp Thing’s heroic debut, Snyder needed to spend months playing up the title’s horror and suspense. Conversely, the horror and suspense seem more satisfying when they eventually collide with a mighty hero on the level of Superman or Wonder Woman; they contrast brilliantly with the things we love about the superhero genre. The two genres in which Swamp Thing lives feed into each other, creating a perfect blend of superhero action and, as the old Vertigo tagline read, “sophisticated suspense.” There is perhaps no one more qualified than Scott Snyder to merge these two worlds, and what results has consistently been — and will likely continue to be — one of the most compelling books of the New 52.

After what some (well, me at least) might consider a rocky start, Grant Morrison and Rags Morales‘ Action Comics reached the end of its first arc with a pretty satisfying confrontation wherein Braniac forces Clark Kent to choose between his adopted home and his biological one. It was nature versus nurture for the fate of the planet, and Clark’s solution — which found a way to incorporate both — saved the world and set him on the path to becoming the Superman we all know and love.

But how does Action‘s first arc measure up as a whole? To make that assessment, I’d like to take a look at the things I think it did really well, the things that maybe it missed the ball on, and a few things I’d like to see the story explore more moving forward.

The Good:
-The Villains: my favorite thing about this opening story arc has been its incorporation of so many different important Superman antagonists. Although businessman Glen Glenmorgan was ostensibly set up as the villain of the piece in the first issue, the series quickly included its own takes on Lex Luthor, Braniac and Metallo, as well as a few other mystery bad dudes. I’m curious as to the identity of the “Teetotaler,” the tiny man who only Glenmorgan and the Anti-Superman Squad interact with. Glenmorgan calls him the Devil, but this wouldn’t be the first time Morrison has faked out having the Devil in one of his books. Any guesses?

-The Action: Under Morrison and Morales, a book called Action Comics truly lived up to its name. This series stars a younger Superman whose powers haven’t fully developed, and it takes advantage of that by presenting some brilliant lo-fi action sequences that feel refreshingly down-and-dirty for Superman, whether it’s in issue #2 (where Luthor makes Clark a lab experiment to see the limit of his powers) or #4 (where Superman fights an army of scrappy invading robots). Not that I can complain about Superman being super, but I believe Morrison believably found a way to depower him and give us a taste of a time when the character really had to fight his battles.

-The Iconography: There’s no doubt that Grant Morrison understands the iconic power of superheroes. The first few issues of Action didn’t seem to be interested in that version of Superman, though, but the last few — #7 and #8 — took a nice turn and began to embrace a more familiar version of the character Seeing Clark don his ancestors’ armor and battle Braniac for Metropolis’ freedom really felt to me like Superman stepping out of his early “punk” phase and into a larger world.

The Bad:
-Issues #5-6: “Rocket Song” is not so much a bad story as one that’s poorly timed. There was no reason for it to interrupt the Braniac story in the way that it did, save giving Rags Morales time to get his pencils done. I don’t even know if “Rocket Song” is totally comprehensible until after you’ve read issue #8; it certainly doesn’t add anything to #7-8 to have read #5-6 before. Unfortunately, given their placement in the release schedule, “Rocket Song” just seems like an excuse for Morrison to be weird. No doubt some of the questions raised within will come back later (it gives us another look at the “Teetotaler,” just who are the Anti-Superman Squad?) but these books had no business coming out when they did.

-The Inconsistent Art: Not to heap on Rags, whose work I’m mostly enjoying here, but Action needs a better command of its release schedule. It’s very telling that even this book’s second issue had to resort to inferior fill-in art. In contrast, the much-discussed Justice League didn’t hit a delay til #4, and Jim Lee didn’t take a break on art until #7. Again, I think Morales is a fine artist — there’s a nice humanity in the way he draws Clark’s face, especially — but I don’t think he’s good enough to warrant inconsistency.

-James Dean as Superman: Rereading the first arc in its entirety, I’m still not totally sold on young Clark/Superman’s snotty attitude. I’ve come to like his more socialist “man of the people” approach here, but a few of the scenes where he back-talks authority — police especially — still rub me the wrong way. Maybe this is just totally personal, but those parts seem like they’re trying too hard to establish Clark as a bad-ass.

What I’d Like to See More Of:
-Clark’s Journalism: Though it ran through the background of six of these issues, I feel that Clark’s takedown of Glenmorgan at the end of this arc isn’t really earned. I realize there was a lot to do in this opening arc, and Morrison certainly aimed high, but going forward I’d like to see more of a focus on Clark Kent’s day-to-day life, like his work at the Star/Planet and his friendship with Jimmy.

-Morrisonian Touches: Granted, I did harp on “Rocket Song” above, which seems like classic Morrison weirdness, but again, it’s the placement of that story that really kills it for me. I realize Grant is doing something different here than in All-Star Superman, but I’d still like to see some of his crazy mind-bending tales pop up in these pages at some point. Given the tease for next issue (“Meet the Superman of Parallel Earth 23!”) I may get my wish.

Overall, I feel Morrison’s Action has done a lot to assuage some of my earlier misgivings about it. It’s a book I definitely enjoy and look forward to reading, but it still hasn’t climbed to the top tier of New 52 titles for me. Maybe that’ll change now that Superman’s origin is out of the way. We’ll find out next month!

Is this a fair assessment?

I can’t read every book every week, but I read the ones I think I’ll like and write about them here.

Daredevil #10.1: Consider: there’s really no way around the fact that point-one issues are just an excuse for Marvel to sell an extra book a month. And given artist work output limitations, this issue has to substitute usual series artists (and Eisner nominees!) Paolo Rivera and Marcos Martin for Khoi Pham – nothing against the guy, but why mess with success? Yet what could be an off issue for Daredevil is just another in a string of hits. Pham’s art actually fits in pretty well — perhaps it’s a little beefier than we’re used to on this title, but the coloring of Javier Rodriguez doesn’t make this issue seem too dissimilar from what’s come before. On the story front, Mark Waid‘s script continues to impress. I love the way that so many of these issues are one- or two-part stories that connect to the larger narrative Waid’s telling about mega-crime. It gives the title that epic comic-book feeling so many love without being alienating; that may actually be Waid’s greatest strength here (and he has many). Also, a whole issue dedicated to showing how Matt Murdock, not Daredevil, kicks ass is totally welcome.

Animal Man #8: The thing that surprises me month after month with Animal Man, and I’m not sure why, is that this book is so horrific. There is a part in this month’s issue only four pages in where I literally gasped; there, it appears that the book brutally kills one of its main characters. Of course this is a fake-out, but the mechanism for the character’s escape is so clever that I never saw it coming (but also so clever that, were I paying attention, I should’ve known it could happen). Notably, this issue marks the final transition between this series’ original series artist Travel Foreman and new penciler Steve Pugh, who, it should be said, has drawn Animal Man before. Foreman’s unique visuals (I’m sure he hates that adjective, but I mean it purely as a compliment) suit this book perfectly, but it looks like Pugh will do just fine (especially with a consistent colorist). There are a couple Pugh panels here I found especially impressive (rabbit punt ahoy) and indicate that he’s a great fit for the book.

iZombie #24: There’s just something irresistible about Chris Roberson’s iZombie. It’s somehow found the perfect mix of irreverent fun and legitimate drama; it knows when to take an ironic distance from its material, and it knows when to embrace its weirdness head-on. If only all “cool” comics were that smart. This one-shot issue takes a look into the past by spotlighting Agent Kennedy, a secret government operative/Dead President, as she investigates a popular AOR band with ties to the occult. It’s pretty awesome. Usual series artist Mike Allred takes a break in favor of Jim Rugg, whose work I think is outstanding, full of big figures and swift, wholly enjoyable action. Though I consistently enjoy this book, this is my favorite issue in awhile.

Stormwatch #8: It’s tough to know what to make of this issue, the second part of what’s essentially a two-issue fill-in between arcs by writers Paul Cornell and Peter Milligan. Writer Paul Jenkins does a fine job with his story of the Gravity Miners, an extra-dimensional alien race whose very existence threatens to destroy planet Earth. It seems like maybe his scripts lack a little bit of the humor (so essential to the book) that Cornell brought, although Jenkins does do some pretty solid character work, especially with the Engineer and Jack Hawksmoor. I’m not crazy about Ignacio Calero’s art (I definitely miss Miguel Sepulveda, who returns next month), though #8 looks a little sharper than #7, possibly due to the addition of Daniel Hdr’s pencils as well. In general, these two issues have been a little closer to average than I’d like to see in Stormwatch, but next month it’s a whole new game anyway, so no reason to fret.

Sweet Tooth #32: Jeff Lemire’s artwork possesses an undeniable humanity. It’s almost like you look at his characters and love them instantly — or at least sympathize with them. His visuals make every issue of Sweet Tooth worth reading, bar none, though his stories are nothing to sneeze at either. Lemire has a great command of dramatic tension, masterfully stretching out big questions over entire story arcs, so even as one situation’s being resolved another comes up that demands attention. Here we finally learn the mystery of Jepperd’s captor, and the revelation of his identity is one that I can’t imagine anybody saw coming. It’s surprisingly joyful to learn who he really is, and it brings some earned levity to a book that’s normally quite gloomy. Even though their current predicament seems resolved, I can’t wait to see where the cast of Sweet Tooth goes next.

Did you read these books and agree/disagree with my opinion? Share it in the comments below! Did you read ANOTHER book and want to see it represented on the site? E-mail me and we’ll talk!

I don’t know about you, but every time the Eisner Award nominations get announced, it reminds me just how few comics I read the previous year — at least important ones. I suppose it’s the same with any awards ceremony (though I was pretty up on this past year’s Grammys), but with comics, I always feel like I should know more of the primo stuff than I do. But hey, at least part of the reason these awards exist is to bring new attention to works that deserve it, after all.

Earlier today Comic-Con International released the list of nominees for this year’s ceremony, which will be held on Friday, July 13 in San Diego. We’ve reprinted their list below, with comments when applicable. Unfortunately (well, for us, anyway), voting’s pretty limited to industry insiders; press can’t vote unless they were nominated (we’re not), and fans can’t vote at all. Still, it’s cool to know what work people think in their own industry is worth celebrating. So, let’s have at it — here are the Eisner Award nominees for 2012.

Best Short Story
“A Brief History of the Art Form Known as Hortisculpture,” by Adrian Tomine, in Optic Nerve #12 (Drawn & Quarterly)
“Harvest of Fear,” by Jim Woodring, in The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror #17 (Bongo)
“The Phototaker,” by Guy Davis, in Metal Hurlant vol. 2 (Humanoids)
“The Seventh,” by Darwyn Cooke, in Richard Stark’s Parker: The Martini Edition (IDW)
“The Speaker,” by Brandon Graham, in Dark Horse Presents #7 (Dark Horse)

Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)
Daredevil #7, by Mark Waid, Paolo Rivera, and Joe Rivera (Marvel)
Ganges #4, by Kevin Huizenga (Fantagraphics)
Locke & Key: Guide to the Known Keys, by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez (IDW)
Princeless #3, by Jeremy Whitley and M. Goodwin (Action Lab)
The Unwritten #24: “Stairway to Heaven” by Mike Carey, Peter Gross, and Al Davison (Vertigo/DC)

Very cool to see Unwritten nominated, particularly that issue, which is a real winner. I haven’t read all of these, but I hope it wins. Conversely, while Mark Waid’s Daredevil is fantastic, issue #7 — where Daredevil saves a bunch of kids in a bus accident — kind of pushed the boundaries of believability (not to mention readability) a little far. I’m happy to honor the series, but I think there are far more deserving issues. 

Best Continuing Series
Daredevil, by Mark Waid, Marcos Martin, Paolo Rivera, and Joe Rivera (Marvel)
Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys, by Naoki Urasawa (VIZ Media)
Rachel Rising, by Terry Moore (Abstract Studio)
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, by Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli (Marvel)
Usagi Yojimbo, by Stan Sakai (Dark Horse)

More love for Daredevil! That’s the only one of these I read regularly, and I wouldn’t mind a win for it. 

Best Limited Series
Atomic Robo and the Ghost of Station X, by Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener (Red 5)
Criminal: The Last of the Innocent, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Marvel Icon)
Flashpoint: Batman – Knight of Vengeance, by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso (Vertigo/DC)
The New York Five, by Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly (Vertigo/DC)
Who Is Jake Ellis? by Nathan Edmondson & Tonci Zonjic (Image)

I really liked Knight of Vengeance (you can catch some of my reviews for it on the site), but I feel like I read better comics last year.

Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 7)
Beauty and the Squat Bears, by Émile Bravo (Yen Press)
Benjamin Bear in Fuzzy Thinking, by Philippe Coudray (Candlewick/Toon Books)
Dragon Puncher Island, by James Kochalka (Top Shelf)
Nursery Rhyme Comics, edited by Chris Duffy (First Second)
Patrick in a Teddy Bear’s Picnic, by Geoffrey Hayes (Candlewick/Toon Books)

Best Publication for Kids (ages 8-12)
The All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold, by Sholly Fisch, Rick Burchett, and Dan Davis (DC)
Amelia Rules: The Meaning of Life … And Other Stuff, by Jimmy Gownley (Atheneum)
The Ferret’s a Foot, by Colleen AF Venable and Stephanie Yue (Graphic Universe/Lerner)
Princeless, by Jeremy Whitley and M. Goodwin (Action Lab)
Snarked, by Roger Langridge (kaboom!)
Zita the Space Girl, by Ben Hatke (First Second)

Sholly Fisch (from Brave and the Bold) is currently writing backups for Action Comics. Pretty cool, eh? 

Best Publication for Young Adults (Ages 12-17)
Anya’s Ghost, by Vera Brosgol (First Second)
Around the World, by Matt Phelan (Candlewick)
Level Up, by Gene Yang and Thien Pham (First Second)
Life with Archie, by Paul Kupperberg, Fernando Ruiz, Pat & Tim Kennedy, Norm Breyfogle et al. (Archie)
Mystic, by G. Willow Wilson and David Lopez (Marvel)

Best Anthology
Dark Horse Presents, edited by Mike Richardson (Dark Horse)
Nelson, edited by Rob Davis and Woodrow Phoenix (Blank Slate)
Nursery Rhyme Comics, edited by Chris Duffy (First Second)
The Someday Funnies, edited by Michel Choquette (Abrams ComicArts)
Yiddishkeit: Jewish Vernacular and the New Land, edited by Harvey Pekar and Paul Buhle (Abrams ComicArts)

From this list I only read Dark Horse Presents, and I was not impressed. I get that anthologies will have uneven quality, but that one was way too far in the negative column for me.

Best Humor Publication
The Art of Doug Sneyd: A Collection of Playboy Cartoons (Dark Horse Books)
Chimichanga, by Eric Powell (Dark Horse)
Coffee: It’s What’s for Dinner, by Dave Kellett (Small Fish)
Kinky & Cosy, by Nix (NBM)
Milk & Cheese: Dairy Products Gone Bad, by Evan Dorkin (Dark Horse Books)

Chimichanga is great.

Best Digital Comic
Bahrain, by Josh Neufeld, www.cartoonmovement.com/comic/24
Battlepug, by Mike Norton, www.battlepug.com
Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant, by Tony Cliff, www.delilahdirk.com
Outfoxed, by Dylan Meconis, www.dylanmeconis.com/outfoxed
Sarah and the Seed, by Ryan Andrews, www.ryan-a.com/comics/sarahandtheseed01.htm

Best Reality-Based Work
Around the World, by Matt Phelan (Candlewick)
Green River Killer: A True Detective Story, by Jeff Jensen and Jonathan Case (Dark Horse Books)
Marzi: A Memoir, by Marzena Sowa and Sylvain Savoia (Vertigo/DC)
Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths, by Shigeru Mizuki (Drawn & Quarterly)
Vietnamerica, by GB Tran (Villard)

Best Graphic Album – New
Bubbles & Gondola, by Renaud Dillies (NBM)
Freeway, by Mark Kalesniko (Fantagraphics)
Habibi, by Craig Thompson (Pantheon)
Ivy, by Sarah Olekysk (Oni)
Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand, adapted by Ramón K. Pérez (Archaia)
One Soul, by Ray Fawkes (Oni)

Best Graphic Album – Reprint
Big Questions, by Anders Nilsen (Drawn & Quarterly)
The Death Ray, by Dan Clowes (Drawn & Quarterly)
Richard Stark’s Parker: The Martini Edition, by Darwyn Cooke (IDW)
WE3: The Deluxe Edition, by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely (Vertigo/DC)
Zahra’s Paradise, by Amir and Khalil (First Second)

I’ve read and really enjoyed WE3 and Parker. Also read Zahra’s Paradise, and while I liked it, I feel WE3 should take it over that. 

Best Archival Collection/Project – Strips
Flash Gordon and Jungle Jim, by Alex Raymond and Don Moore, edited by Dean Mullaney (IDW/Library of American Comics)
Forgotten Fantasy: Sunday Comics 1900-1915, edited by Peter Maresca (Sunday Press)
Prince Valiant vols. 3-4, by Hal Foster, edited by Kim Thompson (Fantagraphics)
Tarpé Mills’s Miss Fury Sensational Sundays, 1944-1949, edited by Trina Robbins (IDW/Library of American Comics)
Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse vols. 1-2, by Floyd Gottfredson, edited by David Gerstein and Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)

Best Archival Collection/Project – Comic Books
Government Issue: Comics for the People: 1940s-2000s, edited by Richard L. Graham (Abrams ComicArts)
The MAD Fold-In Collection, by Al Jaffee (Chronicle)
PS Magazine: The Best of Preventive Maintenance Monthly, by Will Eisner (Abrams ComicArts)
The Sugar and Spike Archives, vol. 1, by Sheldon Mayer (DC)
Walt Simonson’s The Mighty Thor Artist’s Edition (IDW)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material
Bubbles & Gondola, by Renaud Dillies (NBM)
Isle of 100,000 Graves, by Fabien Vehlmann and Jason (Fantagraphics)
Like a Sniper Lining Up His Shot, by Jacques Tardi and Jean-Patrick Manchette (Fantagraphics)
The Manara Library, vol. 1: Indian Summer and Other Stories, by Milo Manara with Hugo Pratt (Dark Horse Books)
Night Animals: A Diptych About What Rushes Through the Bushes, by Brecht Evens (Top Shelf)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material – Asia
A Bride’s Story, by Kaoru Mori (Yen Press)
Drops of God, by Tadashi Agi and Shu Okimoto (Vertical)
Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths, by Shigeru Mizuki (Drawn & Quarterly)
Saturn Apartments, vols. 3-4, by Hisae Iwaoka (VIZ Media)
Stargazing Dog, by Takashi Murakami (NBM)
Wandering Son, vol. 1, by Shimura Takako (Fantagraphics)

Best Writer
Cullen Bunn, The Sixth Gun (Oni)
Mike Carey, The Unwritten (Vertigo/DC)
Jeff Jensen, Green River Killer: A True Detective Story (Dark Horse Books)
Jeff Lemire, Animal Man, Flashpoint: Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown, Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. (DC); Sweet Tooth (Vertigo/DC)
Mark Waid, Irredeemable, Incorruptible (BOOM!); Daredevil (Marvel)

Jeff Lemire, without a doubt. Without a doubt. 

Best Writer/Artist
Rick Geary, The Lives of Sacco and Vanzetti (NBM)
Terry Moore, Rachel Rising (Abstract Studio)
Sarah Oleksyk, Ivy (Oni)
Craig Thompson, Habibi (Pantheon)
Jim Woodring, Congress of the Animals (Fantagraphics), “Harvest of Fear,” in The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror #17 (Bongo)

Tough category. I love me some Craig Thompson.

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team
Michael Allred, iZombie (Vertigo/DC); Madman All-New Giant-Size Super-Ginchy Special (Image)
Ramón K. Pérez, Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand (Archaia)
Chris Samnee, Captain America and Bucky, Ultimate Spider-Man #155 (Marvel)
Marcos Martin, Daredevil (Marvel)
Paolo Rivera/Joe Rivera, Daredevil (Marvel)

Wow, the critics love Daredevil; here it’s got TWO noms. I can’t say which of those two teams I prefer, but just by the odds it looks like ONE of them will win it. 

Best Cover Artist
Michael Allred, iZombie (Vertigo/DC)
Francesco Francavilla, Black Panther (Marvel); Lone Ranger, Lone Ranger/Zorro, Dark Shadows, Warlord of Mars (Dynamite); Archie Meets Kiss (Archie)
Victor Kalvachev, Blue Estate (Image)
Marcos Martin, Daredevil, Amazing Spider-Man (Marvel)
Sean Phillips, Criminal: The Last of the Innocent (Marvel Icon)
Yuko Shimizu, The Unwritten (Vertigo/DC)

AGAIN with the Daredevil. All of these guys do great work — I’m particularly fond of Shimizu — but I’m calling it for Martin.

Best Coloring
Laura Allred, iZombie (Vertigo/DC); Madman All-New Giant-Size Super-Ginchy Special (Image)
Bill Crabtree, The Sixth Gun (Oni)
Ian Herring and Ramón K. Pérez, Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand (Archaia)
Victor Kalvachev, Blue Estate (Image)
Cris Peter, Casanova: Avaritia, Casanova: Gula (Marvel Icon)

I think it’s silly that the guys who do the coloring for the Green Lantern books don’t get nominated. Have you seen how many colors are in those? 

Best Lettering
Deron Bennett, Billy Fog, Jim Henson’s Dark Crystal, Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand, Mr. Murder Is Dead (Archaia); Helldorado, Puss N Boots, Richie Rich (APE Entertainment)
Jimmy Gownley, Amelia Rules! The Meaning of Life … And Other Stuff (Atheneum)
Laura Lee Gulledge, Page by Paige (Amulet Books/Abrams)
Tom Orzechowski, Manara Library, with L. Lois Buholis(Dark Horse); Manga Man (Houghton Mifflin); Savage Dragon (Image)
Stan Sakai, Usagi Yojimbo (Dark Horse)

Best Comics-Related Journalism
The AV Club Comics Panel, by Noel Murray, Oliver Sava et al., www.avclub.com/features/comics-panel/
The Beat, produced by Heidi MacDonald et al., www.comicsbeat.com
The Comics Journal, edited by Gary Groth, and The Comics Journal website, www.tcj.com, edited by Timothy Hodler and Dan Nadel (Fantagraphics)
The Comics Reporter, produced by Tom Spurgeon, www.comicsreporter.com
TwoMorrows Publications: Alter Ego edited by Roy Thomas, Back Issue edited by Michael Eury, Draw edited by Mike Manley, and Jack Kirby Collector edited by John Morrow

Well, The Beat is my favorite comic website, but the AV Club is my favorite website of all time. Also, I’ve chatted with Oliver Sava on Twitter and he’s a stand-up guy. Definitely pulling for them. 

Best Educational/Academic Work
Alan Moore: Conversations, ed. by Eric Berlatsky (University Press of Mississippi)
Cartooning: Philosophy & Practice, by Ivan Brunetti (Yale University Press)
Critical Approaches to Comics: Theories and Methods, edited by Matthew J. Smith and Randy Duncan (Routledge)
Hand of Fire: The Comics Art of Jack Kirby, by Charles Hatfield (University Press of Mississippi)
Projections: Comics and the History of 21st Century Storytelling, by Jared Gardner (Stanford University Press)

I try to follow academic comic stuff pretty closely, and I’d only even heard of a couple of these. Bad news for me.

Best Comics-Related Book
Archie: A Celebration of America’s Favorite Teenagers, edited by Craig Yoe (IDW/Yoe Books)
Caniff: A Visual Biography, edited by Dean Mullaney (IDW/Library of American Comics)
Drawing Power: A Compendium of Cartoon Advertising, edited by Rick Marschall and Warren Bernard (Fantagraphics/Marschall Books)
Genius Isolated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth, designed by Dean Mullaney (IDW/Library of American Comics)
MetaMaus, by Art Spiegelman (Pantheon)

Best Publication Design
Genius Isolated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth, designed by Dean Mullaney (IDW/Library of American Comics)
Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand, designed by Eric Skillman (Archaia)
Kinky & Cosy, designed by Nix (NBM)
The MAD Fold-In Collection, designed by Michael Morris (Chronicle)
Richard Stark’s Parker: The Martini Edition, designed by Darwyn Cooke (IDW)

So there you have it. Daredevil‘s a real favorite with the nominators this year, and it’s nice to see Unwritten get represented thrice. Anyone want to guess the winners by July?

Bruce Springsteen is not typically one to sequelize his albums. Except for Nebraska/The Ghost of Tom Joad/Devils & Dust, which can rightfully be viewed as a sort of trio, most of his records attempt to do something markedly different from past efforts: Born to Run was a teenage epic, Darkness a working-class ode, The River a celebration of rock & roll, etc. Yet in Wrecking Ball we can see Bruce provide almost a direct sequel to one of his previous albums, one comprised of material that he didn’t even write — We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions.

Without a doubt, Wrecking Ball finds Bruce in full-on folk troubadour mode. He’s not so much singing about people as for them, as evidenced by the pronoun shift in his anthemic lead single, “We Take Care of Our Own.” Certainly Bruce has sung his share of bitingly sarcastic political anthems, but even in his most famous example, “Born in the USA,” there’s an “I” at the center. Not anymore. If there is a main character to be found in Wrecking Ball — as hokey as this sounds — it’s America itself.

These things happen. Artists age, and their fascination shifts outward. Such an evolution has been obvious even in Springsteen himself; his earliest records were enthralled with his own experiences; note that Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., even in its title, is all about a Boardwalk boy being overwhelmed by the big city. Starting with Darkness but mostly on The River and Nebraska, Bruce became fascinated instead with the plights of others, particularly the working man; lyrically, this is the content he’s most known for. So, in a way, Wrecking Ball is a natural progression for the man, though surely the current political/economic climate didn’t hurt.

Unfortunately, this album suffers a bit as a result. Man-of-the-people folk songs must, by their nature, be at least somewhat generic. That explains tracks like “Easy Money” and “Shackled and Drawn,” pretty simple songs with a down-on-his-luck narrator that could’ve been written in the 1920s. They’re fine, but when put side-by-side against Springsteen’s best work, who has amassed a fortune turning tragedy into poetry, they can’t really help but disappoint.

Lyrically, then, Wrecking Ball is certainly straightforward and unsubtle. Musically, it’s a little more interesting. The album displays a lot of Irish influence, probably both a reflection of Ireland’s strong folk tradition and of Springsteen’s buddies in the Dropkick Murphys, with whom he recorded a song last year (in fact, this album’s also kind of a sequel to Dropkick’s Going Out in Style). Sometimes that influence pays off (“Death to My Hometown”) and other times, again, it just seems fairly generic (sorry, “Easy Money”).

However, while the lyrics don’t much vary, the music changes pretty drastically for what’d be Side 2 of the record, which opens with “Wrecking Ball,” definitely the most rocking track on the record. That follows up with a Tunnel of Love throwback, the simple ballad “You’ve Got It.” Then we come to by far the most interesting song on the record, “Rocky Ground,” which manages to feel both very traditional and fairly modern. Its combination of a sampled sermon from half a century ago, a gospel choir and a hip-hop artist breakdown makes for a really refreshing track that is absolutely the standout here. Side 2 also includes a nicely reworked “Land of Hopes and Dreams,” which has been a Springsteen concert staple for years.

So is Wrecking Ball bad? Certainly not. Is it Bruce’s strongest work? Again, that’s a definite no. It’s a great-to-excellent folk record that sees Springsteen’s interests shift elsewhere. It’s well-orchestrated, with lyrics and messages important for our time. It’s no Born to Run or Darkness, but it’s also not Lucky Town/Human Touch. It’s certainly worth a listen, but try to check your expectations. If its disconnect to the rest of Bruce’s catalog is too strong to overcome, just imagine Pete Seeger has undergone some serious vocal surgery.

Super Serial aims to dissect series of pop art — be it a filmography, discography or run of comics — by looking at its individual components

It’s been a long, hard journey. We’ve been from Russia with love, to the Swiss Alps, and even to outer space. Through 22 (+1) films, I can’t say I’m a diehard fan — hell, I can’t even say I liked most of these films — but it was important for me to fill this gaping hole in my cinema experience. If anything, seeing all of these films over a few months span has allowed me to closely identify the running themes, similarities and differences between them. I’ll never forget some of the Bond Girls, villains, gadgets and songs (for better or for worse). Now that I’ve seen these films, there is no doubt in my mind that they are truly “iconic.” And even when they’ve been bad, they’ve still been fun.

As for Quantum of Solace, this is strangely the least substantial film of the series. Perhaps this has more to do with the momentum built by Casino Royale, and it may not be completely fair to have held such high expectations. Quantum isn’t at all a bad film, and there are few major problems, but it doesn’t seem to go anywhere in its brisk 107 minute runtime — making it the shortest film of the series. It feels much more like a bridge between films than a complete film itself, which is a bit troubling given the financial nature of MGM and the consistent hold-off Bond 23. Lucky for us, Skyfall is in the works. Hopefully it will answer many of the questions put forth.

Quantum does feel like a very contemporary Bond flick. The way the action is directed is very reminiscent of many other blockbuster films in cinemas today. If I had to guess, I would say the average shot length here would be less than a second. I’ve heard a lot of grumbling from critics about the fast-paced action, but I don’t know if I can say it better than former Bond Roger Moore: “I enjoy Daniel Craig, I think he’s a damn good Bond, but the film as a whole, there was a bit too much flashy cutting for me.” In a nutshell, that wraps up Quantum of Solace pretty well.

[Bond, James Bond]

For as much as we learned about Bond in Casino Royale, we don’t learn much more about his inner workings here. One of the major aims of the film is to build the tension between Bond and M and present Bond in the light of a killing machine — almost to comical lengths. Throughout the film, the only purpose of M is to keep harping that Bond is killing everyone in sight. He even gets blamed for people he didn’t actually kill. This all works in to a greater theme of trust: with a new crime syndicate on the horizon, it’s becoming more important to know who you can and can’t trust — and for some reason, M can’t seem to trust Bond, the only person in the film who does his job pretty well.

The film also tries to push Bond’s brooding state even more, building onto his reaction of the aftermath of Casino Royale and his relationship to Vesper Lynd. For the most part, this didn’t do much for me. Perhaps it was the fact that the film really feels more concerned with delivering action than it does in building the character. Like many elements of the movie, however, there are places to build in future films.

[The Mission]

Quantum of Solace begins directly after the end of Casino Royale, making it perhaps the most direct sequel of the franchise. Though there are interlocking threads throughout the series, there has never been any actual indication as to how the pieces all fit together. All of the films seem to exist in something like their contemporary times (though a few have a technological edge that really still doesn’t exist), but with the changes in cast and direction, the films tend to feel connected by the slightest of margins. I actually like the idea of the direct sequel and it is pretty fun moment when you realize the connection between the two films — as we’ve been trained for these films to have little connection to each other, it comes as a bit of surprise.

There are problems with this structure, though. Quantum of Solace attempts to expand on a particular story that didn’t seem begging for expansion. While Casino Royale ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, the film feels like its complete story. The extension of the story also makes it more difficult for the film to bring in really interesting villains and Bond Girls, as the film isn’t built around Bond interacting with these characters, but Bond following up on information from the first film.

The best scene of the film, however, is a direct tie in with Casino Royale — probably having more to do with that film than this one. The final scene of the film fully explores spoiler territory from the first film and should prove to be a very good jumping off point for the next movies in the series.

[The Villain]

Probably the most interesting thing to come out of Quantum of Solace is the introduction of a new major terrorist organization. Even though SPECTRE has had a great impact on the films, it has been a long, long time since they’ve had a major villain, even though I don’t think they had an actual end. There isn’t a lot of information or action from this new threat (known as “Quantum”), so yet again there’s something to build upon. We do know, though, that Quantum can be a force to be reckoned with, and they have agents everywhere, even within MI6. That is one thing that SPECTRE never had — an influence within government agencies.

Dominic Greene is our major player here, a top agent of Quantum who poses as a leading environmentalist. In the film, Greene is working with a Bolivian general to overthrow his country’s government, which would be a pretty awful thing for a terrorist organization to do. Greene, on the other hand, doesn’t seem quite so threatening. He ends up being one of the blander villains of the series, which seems to be by design — as Forster has noted he didn’t want the character to look grotesque. Looking at the Wikipedia page for the film, I also see that there was previously a “special skill” Greene was supposed to display, but this was changed in the final script. This sort of reads to me that Forster doesn’t quite understand what makes Bond villains great.

[The Bond Girls]

Whereas Quantum of Solace tries to work away from the norm with its villains, the Bond Girls are pretty ordinary with the series’ standards. Camille Montes is a sexual partner of Dominic Greene who is actually a former Bolivian secret agent trying to get close to the villain. Before we know her true identity, we see her used as a sexual pawn during business transactions, though she seems strangely okay with it. We also have a touch of Melina Havelock in Montes, as her parents were murdered by the the baddies. None of these Bond tropes come together satisfactorily, though, and she doesn’t have much emotional impact on the film. She mainly just feels like a tag-a-long, even when the film wants to make an emotional connection between her and Bond.

To me, the more interesting Bond Girl in the film is Gemma Arterton’s Strawberry Fields. Though she is only in the film for one or two scenes, she is able to make her presence felt in a way Camille never could with much more weighty material. I appreciated how the film seemed to cut out all of the games Bond Girls tend to play — it’s become much less interesting to see them continue to say they won’t end up in bed with Bond but then ultimately do anyway. Instead, cutting directly to Fields and Bond in bed together cuts out a lot of treading water and becomes a pretty good visual joke. Even though M describes Fields as someone who “just worked in an office,” she is surprisingly charismatic and the film uses her in a charmingly matter-of-fact way. Unfortunately, she is added to the list of Bond Girls that die young, though her being killed by being covered in oil is a nice call back to the greatest of Bond Girl death scenes.

[The Song]

As a fan of Jack White, I think his music fits well with a modern Bond film — it’s soulful, yet hip, and White’s talent allows him to adapt to a Bond-like theme. The duet with Alicia Keys even works pretty well, as it’s not the ballady sort of song I’m used to hearing from her. I don’t think “Another Way to Die” has as much fanfare as other Bond songs, but it’s among the best.

“A door left open
A woman walking by
A drop in the water
A look in the eye
A phone on the table
A man on your side
Oh, someone that you think that you can trust
Is just
Another way to die”

The opening title sequence is another example of something much better achieved in Casino Royale — here they are fairly bland and forgettable. Without having written any specific notes on them, I actually don’t remember what happens in them.

[Random Thoughts]

- OK, I watched this entire movie and I still don’t know what “Quantum of Solace” means.

- Where can I get one of those tables you can push around graphics on? Can I put it in my Amazon wish list?

- No one said anything about Bond having a license to grand theft auto.

- It’s assuring to know that Bond packs a tuxedo wherever he goes.

- The next time I’m at the opera, I’m going to be looking around for terrorists.

- Forster chooses to inter-cut a shoot-out with scenes from an opera — I didn’t realize I was watching a John Woo film.

- Rule of thumb for secret agents: Always have a personal line of credit.

- It’s not easy reading two subtitled conversations at the same time.

- Not that we didn’t know it already, but Bond is incapable of staying at a hotel of less than five stars.

- Even though the main villain is a bit bland, there is truly nothing scarier than an environmentalist.

- I imagine that most times Bond gets pulled over for a traffic incident it ends in a shootout.

- It would have been a little sad if this is how the series ended. I’m super glad MGM got their finances straightened out so we get to see Skyfall. Early prediction: Javier Bardem will be awesome.

- Thanks for reading.

Super Serial aims to dissect series of pop art — be it a filmography, discography or run of comics — by looking at its individual components

I didn’t feel too bad about never seeing The Man with the Golden Gun or For Your Eyes Only, but you can have legitimate beef with me for never seeing Casino Royale. I have no good excuse other than holding out on Bond films because I hadn’t seen any of them. For that, I apologize.

I’m not yet sure if I think Casino Royale is the “best” Bond film, but it has a definitive case. I would probably have an easier time saying that it may be the best film of the series without any Bond context. There are certainly enough Bond touches and homages to consider this a true “Bond film,” but it is actually pretty difficult to straight-up compare Casino Royale with its predecessors. This film has obviously different goals than most of the other films — though these goals are certainly much loftier.

Instead of going along with the previous films, which kept a slight strain of continuity between them, Martin Campbell (directing his second movie of the series) decided to cut the cord and start fresh. It’s not a perfect transition — mostly confusing with Judi Dench still around as M, which seems to keep some of the continuity around but scraps everything else — but the good certainly outweighs the bad (and I can’t blame them for keeping Dench around). This fresh start allows the film to get back to the basics and actually analyze its characters. Without presenting itself as a reboot it probably still would have worked, but with all the cloudy history of the series, why not just hit the reset button?

[Bond, James Bond]

I wouldn’t necessarily call Casino Royale a “character study,” but it gives us more character analysis of Bond than all of the other films combined.

Up to this point, there have been two basic ways the films have handled character transitions — either opening with a mysterious, shadowy view before a big reveal or (in the cast of Pierce Brosnan and Roger Moore) simply showing Bond in action. We learn everything we need to know about Daniel Craig’s Bond in the opening scene — he is relentless, violent, and a cold-hearted man of action. When we see him fist-fighting in a tiny bathroom before drowning his enemy in a sink, he almost has an anti-hero allure. It’s unclear whether Bond outright enjoys killing people, but he has absolutely no problem doing whatever he needs to do to best his enemies, even killing them with extreme prejudice.

This idea of Bond “doing whatever he needs to do” is expanded to present him as somewhat of a rogue individual. In previous films we’ve seen touches of this — like when Bond retires in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service or when he has his license to kill revoked in License to Kill. The difference in Casino Royale is that he finds a way to work within the system while still rejecting authority. The few scenes between Bond and M are the best ever, totally demolishing any tension between M and the Brosnan incarnation. There is also a fairly subtle scene early on that perfectly describes the “whatever it takes” attitude — Bond is shacking up with the wife of an enemy just to get some information (something we’ve seen countless times); when he discovers that her husband is on the next flight to Miami, he leaves her without any physical pleasure. Could you imagine Connery or Moore giving up great, easy sex for work? There is also a fairly cynical undercurrent of Bond straight-out using this woman that fits with his brooding figure.

With this film starting at the beginning, it is also more interested in where Bond came from. Honestly, it’s never been a question that has been on my mind — in fact, until he’s sized up by Bond Girl Vesper Lynd, I didn’t realize how absent any Bond back-story had been. Though we never get a personal confirmation, Lynd guesses that Bond came from a poor background, possibly an orphan, who found his way going to Oxford but was constantly reminded of his past by his associates, classmates and friends. This possible reading of Bond is appropriate for Daniel Craig’s character, as he doesn’t have the natural charm of all previous portrayals.

[The Mission]

Casino Royale has a pretty weird mission plot. Bond isn’t needed to stop a bomb or recover a space shuttle or really even stopping a maniacal madman from killing millions. No, he has to win a poker game. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any stakes, as the game has been set up by the “private banker of the world’s terrorists” in order to pay back his debts. If the villain wins, he has $100 million dollars to fund mass-killing around the world.

The bulk of the film’s middle section is all poker game, which is pretty daring for an action movie. It doesn’t ever get really boring, but the poker scenes are very much a movie representation of poker. Every person has a “tell” and every hand seems to end in a full house or straight flush. With MI6 having to get involved, this also builds the premise that only Bond or the villain have a chance to win — even if they are the best two players, poker is still a game where the best will not always win. I suppose poker is a good microcosm for understanding people in stressful and confrontational circumstances, but it’s not exactly the most interesting thing to watch. Luckily, the film is able to deliver enough action in the first and third acts, and keeps the poker scene moving quickly.

This main mission plot ends with about 45 minutes left in the movie, and the poker game actually ends pretty abruptly. The final act of the film is very spoiler-heavy, and because this is actually a film that you should see, I’ll try to tread lightly through the rest of this overview. There is a lot of interesting discussion of themes and character that would rely on minor twists, but I will hopefully have enough worthwhile to say.

[The Villain]

As I’ve said, the main villain of Casino Royale is a banker and overall genius called Le Chiffre, played by Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen. First of all, Mikkelsen is a pretty great choice to play a Bond villain, as he meets many of the prerequisites — he is naturally debonair, but with the physical state to hold his own in any action, and is vaguely “European.” Still, the film seems more interested in giving him touches than fully fleshing out his character. There are a number of weird traits that certainly qualify him as a suitable Bond villain (asthma problem, bleeding eye), but don’t quite add up.

Really, this isn’t a film that is about the villain. In most Bond films, Bond has been the constant — he doesn’t change and we don’t need to really learn anything about him — with the villains being the variable. Here, though, Bond is now the variable, the character we need to learn about and analyze. Because of this, I’m willing to look around the fact that the film doesn’t do a lot to set up its villain or make him compelling in any way besides a few strange ticks.

One small nugget that we do get, however, is that Le Chiffre is a villain without any control. Before this point, all Bond villains either have complete control over their situations or are looking for the final pieces to create terror — and it is up to Bond to stop the death and destruction. Here, Le Chiffre made some bad business dealings and lost a lot of money because of it. Once Bond beats him in poker, he has little hope. Really, Le Chiffre is a henchman given the main stage — we haven’t really seen a Bond villain who’s biggest threat wasn’t Bond, but other terrorists.

[The Bond Girl]

Vesper Lynd (played by Eva Green) is an accountant commissioned with keeping Bond responsible for the money staked to him to enter the poker tournament and any winnings he may receive. She is a smart, tough woman, but like most Bond Girls is characterized mostly through her beauty. This is explicitly shown once the tournament has begun and she is most useful being Bond’s trophy girlfriend, being able to distract the others with her good looks. She is also quite clearly a damsel in distress through much of the film, literally being tied up and in the middle of road at one point in the film.

Her interactions with Bond are very much a part of the typical Bond formula. At first she is cold to his advances, but once they get put in serious situations together, it becomes a pretty sweet, loving relationship. She is definitely the Bond Girl type that is in a bad situation, way over her head, and the two lovers are able to bond over that.

As I previously mentioned, there are crucial plot twists in the last twenty minutes that give a lot more information and background to Vesper, which also makes her a much more interesting character. I won’t spoil any of the specifics, but she isn’t all that she seems to be. And then it is realized that she isn’t all that she seemed to be again. The twists are well played because it allows the film to fully develop her character, giving her a context which falls in line with the Bond archetypes, but in a unique way. The repercussions of the character’s situation are far more tragic than we’ve seen before, partly because of Bond’s reaction to them. He isn’t passive or hopeless as with similar situations, and his emotions boil over.

[The Gadgets]

Gadgets? We don’t need no stinkin’ gadgets.

[The Song]

Chris Cornell’s “You Know My Name” is a very middle-of-the-road alternative rock track. It’s nothing special, but also won’t damage your ears or musical taste.

“Arm yourself because no-one else here will save you
The odds will betray you
And I will replace you
You can’t deny the prize it may never fulfill you
It longs to kill you
Are you willing to die?

The coldest blood runs through my veins
You know my name”

More interesting is the title sequence, which is a perfect homage to those before it, while perhaps being the best of the entire series — hey, kind of like the film…

[Random Thoughts]

- In Madagascar, we see a fight between a mongoose and a cobra. I was a little disappointed neither seemed to be man-eating varieties.

- I love how the first vehicle Bond drives in the film is a huge bulldozer. And it’s totally unironic. If Roger Moore was behind the wheel, I think he’d also be in a clown suit.

- Yes, Bond CAN be sweaty and dirty.

- Another sign of great filmmaking: the parkour scene doesn’t feel terribly dated. Can’t say as much for all the poker.

- Bond catching a gun thrown at him and throwing it right back is literally one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.

- What better way to establish Bond as a “blunt instrument” than having him run through walls?

- At least some things don’t change: Bond gets to go to the Bahamas.

- Daniel Craig doesn’t quite meet the chest-hair quota. Hrm, I may not be totally on board with his casting after all.

- Is a machete the Ugandan drug lord’s weapon of choice no matter the venue?

- The Felix Leiter reveal during the movie is pretty awesome — hell, Jeffrey Wright is just plain awesome.

- For being a high stakes poker game, people get up and attend to other business an awful lot.

- There weren’t any 18-year-old online poker prodigies invited to this game? Totally not realistic.

- You know that Le Chiffre is definitely villainous when he raises when two others are already all-in.

- Did Le Chiffre ever consider an eyepatch? Emilio Largo knows a guy.

SERIAL, SUPER SERIAL will return in QUANTUM OF SOLACE

Super Serial aims to dissect series of pop art — be it a filmography, discography or run of comics — by looking at its individual components.

Die Another Day (Bond #20) is a Bond film of these times — mostly because it has an obvious ADD problem. There are too many characters, too many twists and WAY too much CGI. I have often complained about the obvious fakeness to action sequences throughout this series, but Die Another Day is the first film to obviously use a lot of computer graphics within the action. I can’t say whether the effects were realistic at the time, but they certainly look dated now! Director Lee Tamahori tries to bring a dynamic style to the film, with lots of slow-motion action scenes and swooping cinematography. While the more memorable Bond films have been made by more sure-handed filmmakers, Tamahori’s style feels inauthentic. He’s made other slick films in his career, but the stamps on Die Another Day seem to reach for being “cool.”

One thing that I feel I haven’t given the series enough credit for is how racially diverse these films are. Sure, many of the minority folks end up being the bad guys, but a majority of these films give big chances to non-white actors — something you can’t say for many big time, big-budget blockbusters. We’ve also seen a black CIA agent, a number of positive Asian and Asian-American portrayals, and even someone I’m still pretty sure is an actual alien. Die Another Day is a particularly diverse film, with a black Bond Girl and Asian villains. Let’s take a second and salute the casting department

Bond, James Bond

After the very, very lengthy pre-credits sequence, we see Bond gallivanting around North Korea before being taken captive. During the horrendous title sequence (more on that later…), we see a montage of Bond getting tortured by water, electric shock and overall beating. When we come back from this sequence, Brosnan is sporting a giant beard and long hair, my guess is in an attempt to give him a more rugged allure. We haven’t quite seen a sequence where Bond is tortured — and, truly, we don’t see much of one here — which is an insight to his toughness and dedication to his work as a spy.

In his fourth film, this would be Pierce Brosnan’s last outing as Bond. Simply put, I was expecting more out of him and these films. Perhaps this is just an unfair nostalgic wish, as these films were a part of the social consciousness that I grew up in, but these last four films were overall less in quality, even when the technology and budgets were rapidly increasing. Die Another Day is the campiest of the Brosnan Bond films, much closer to the style of Roger Moore’s work. Although it is hard for me to praise Moore over Brosnan, the biggest difference here is that Brosnan doesn’t seem to know the type of film he is in. Even with all this wild stuff going on around him, he doesn’t seem to be having any fun — something Die Another Day could have sorely gained from.

The Mission

I was hoping to come here today and talk to you about James Bond in a post-9/11 world. Unfortunately, though, the film doesn’t have any responsible way of talking about terrorism, even though it seems to use all the right buzz words and talk about terrorism more than the usual Bond film does.

There is also a small insight in Bond’s recovery that could have been really interesting, but was undeveloped. In order to rescue Bond from North Korea, MI-6 exchanged him for Zao, one of the film’s many baddies and a well-known terrorist. In the film’s scene between Bond and M, she expresses remorse for turning over a terrorist who quickly goes on to bomb and murder again. The the film quickly moves on and this idea isn’t expressed again. Bond doesn’t show any contemplation over his role in the unseen deaths of many, which could have certainly added an emotional depth to the character — is that too much to ask? I certainly don’t think Bond (and possibly not the government) has any responsibility in releasing a known terrorist, but it is a complicated issue that the film has very little actual concern in.

The Villains

Die Another Day tries an interesting strategy through the first half of the film by introducing a number of potential or pseudo-villains. I suppose this is a more realistic look at evil in the world, but it’s not compelling in terms of a Bond film. Added on to that are an extraordinarily large amount of twists that happen — good guys turn out to be bad, bad guys turn out to be REALLY bad, bad guys turn out to be someone else entirely, etc. When all the dust settles and we know who are the major villains, they turn out to be incredibly over-the-top. Many Bond villains could be described that way, but most all of them have been interesting — the major players in Die Another Day are crazy and kooky, but not fun to watch.

First we have Zao, the North Korean terrorist who is traded for Bond at the beginning of the film. During the opening action scene, an action scene causes Zao’s face has forever become imprinted with diamonds (and his eyes turn steely blue for either the same or a different reason). Because of this, he looks like a Batman villain. At the beginning of the film, Zao is the assistant to a character named Colonel Moon, who is seemingly killed during the pre-credit sequence. I was strangely excited that a henchman (who are usually more interesting than their bosses) was going to be promoted to the main baddie, but instead….

We have Gustav Graves, a young British entrepreneur who will most likely remind audiences of the actor who plays the captain of the football team in every 1980’s film. On the surface he is very much like a young-gun version of the archetypal Bond villain — he is smart, wealthy, has good tastes, is suave and displays interest in satellite technology. It is fairly impossible to fully talk about his character without some spoilers, though, so I apologize. Graves has gone through some sort of DNA replacement transformation, and is actually Colonol Sun, who we briefly met before we saw him fall off of a cliff. So, Graves went from being an unlikable tool to being an unrealistic, unlikable tool.

During the final showdown between Graves and Bond, our antagonist employs the use of a robotic suit that enables him to use electroshock as a defense mechanism. Basically, he’s turned into a C-level supervillain. Although it doesn’t work at all in this film, I kind of like the idea of Bond fighting someone with actual super powers.

The Bond Girls

Like most films, Die Another Day gives us two more Bond Girls — ‘Jinx’ Johnson and Miranda Frost.

I remember a lot of hubub with the casting of Halle Berry as Jinx — probably coming from her previous two films, Monster’s Ball (for which she won the Oscar) and Swordfish (for which she went topless — could she do either here?!). In an otherwise dull and ridiculous (ridiculously dull?) film, Jinx is a stand-out. She’s not a particularly memorable Bond Girl for any specific character trait or anything she does in the film, but mostly because of this particular actress coming into the film at the peak of her career as one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Still, Jinx is pretty kick-ass, and Berry is believably sexy and strong. She almost feels too good for Bond — I’m not sure why she’s so into a “honkey” like him.

Jinx is also known for her entrance into the film, which is one of the all-time great character entrances. Coming out of the ocean almost directly mirrors the first Bond Girl’s introductory scene, Honey Ryder in Dr. No. Jinx’s bathing suit is even slightly updated. While the film tries to make an obvious homage to her predecessor, the similarities between Jinx and Honey Ryder end there — Jinx is action-oriented and has way more agency than Ryder. I’m actually pretty shocked that MGM didn’t try to create a spin-off for Jinx. While it certainly wouldn’t have been good, a female version James Bond film with Berry could have been pretty interesting.

On the other hand, we have Miranda Frost, who unlike Jinx is a complete amalgam of almost every Bond Girl type. She is first a passive-yet-skilled woman close to a potential bad guy (she is Graves’s publicist or something), then we know she is actually an MI6 agent who swears she won’t get too close to Bond (and then quickly does), but then we find out that she is REALLY a double agent, working for the baddies all along. The results are pretty confusing. Frost is played by Rosamund Pike, an actress I generally like, but there is something in the character that doesn’t quite work for her. Pike is classically beautiful in a way that fits the series, but she looks a little too young, naive, and bland for the role.

The Gadgets

In holding with the new world of CGI, Die Another Day’s gadgets employ a high level of technology. First is a new training tool we see Bond use — a virtual reality game that envisions a terrorist break-in to MI-6 headquarters. In the hands of Miss Monneypenny, though, it is a soft-core sexual wish fulfillment device.

The VR is all well-and-good, but it’s no invisible car. My question: does an invisible car really need automatic turrets? Isn’t that a little too much overkill? Anyway, the invisible car works and looks just as you would expect, with the Predator blur. Though I personally didn’t find the car overly objectionable, it is a pretty good symbol for the technology displayed in the film. Sadly, the car really never gets a lot of time on screen during an actual chase. In the end, it’s pretty much used like any other Bond gadget — as a way to get Bond out of a particularly random, yet specific, situation.

The Song

If you had to think about singers and bands that would work for a Bond theme, Madonna might not be the first person you would think of, but she would seem to fit the bill. Then “Die Another Day” happened, where Madonna tries to be a hip-hop star and repeats “Guess I’ll Die Another Day” over and over again. I don’t know if this is simply just the most recent bad Bond theme, but if I had to note the worst, this would be it.

“I’m gonna wake up, yes and no
I’m gonna kiss some part of
I’m gonna keep this secret
I’m gonna close my body now

I guess, die another day
I guess, die another day
I guess, die another day
I guess, die another day
I guess I’ll die another day
(Another day)
I guess I’ll die another day
(Another day)
I guess I’ll die another day
(Another day)
I guess I’ll die another day”

There is also a lyric that says “Sigmund Freud, Analyse This.” The tactic employed during the credits scene seemed interesting, but also doesn’t quite work. Instead of the usual silhouettes or bouncing ladies, we have a montage of Bond getting tortured. The violence we’re seeing on the screen further marks the awful song, which holds nothing of the tone we need for the images to work.

Random Thoughts

- Apparently, ‘Zao’ is a name that literally can’t exist in the Korean language, because there is no similar ‘Z’ sound. Way to fact check, Bond!

- Fun Bond Fact: This is the first Bond film where a CGI bullet comes through the chamber of the opening images.

- I know we’re supposed to detest the evildom of Colonel Moon, but tying up your enemies in a duffle bag and using it like a heavy bag is pretty cool.

- There’s no need for bad stereotypes, but giving Moon and Zao ANY semblance of an accent would have been good. They sounded like that kid from San Francisco who keeps schooling me on Modern Warfare online.

- The opening chase managed to blend two of my favorite things: Flamethrowers and hovercrafts.

- I have a theory that post-tortured Bond, with Brosnan sporting a healthy beard and long hair, came after a failed audition for Castaway.

- I don’t think the film specifically tells us how long Bond was away being tortured, but once he comes back everyone talks about how it’s a “different world.” Based on the beard: 3 days. Based on the technology: 30 years.

- Has it really taken us this long for a fencing scene in one of these films?

- Why do fencing matches in films ALWAYS escalate to bloodshed?

- Everyone is always hard on Madonna’s cameo in the film, but I don’t actually think it’s that bad. It’s surprisingly slight given all the hate. If it was just a random actor, no one would ever notice. And, if anything, it’s WAY better than her theme song.

- In the Bond world, getting into North Korea is as easy as snipping a wire fence.

- Being a post 9/11 Bond film, I was hoping Bond would apologize for his aid of the Mujahideen.

SERIAL, SUPER SERIAL will return in CASINO ROYALE