Mouse Guard: The Black Axe #1
Once again, David Peterson has managed to capture my attention and evoke an emotional response within the first few pages of this latest installment of the Mouse Guard saga. Centering on Guardmice trainer Celanawe, the story introduces Em, a distant relative of Celanawe and the last of her lineage. She seeks Celanawe out for a special mission, one that is endorsed by the reigning Matriarch Bronwyn, much to Celanawe's surprise. While the story is engaging and the artwork nearly perfect, what drew me in completely and totally was the emotional response brought on by the death of the crow that brought Em to Celanawe.
Imagine being able to speak to beasts to such a degree that they would be willing to bear you as a mount across an ocean simply because you asked. Now imagine that you, being naive of the world in which you have just entered, dismount and in your haste to deliver your message to your last remaining kinsman, neglect to comprehend the danger your mount is in from a marauding pack of fishers. You watch from safety, sobbing, as they rip your friend apart and even worse, you understand every single caw that issues from the beak of the dying bird; bearing within your heart the knowledge that you are to blame for its death.
It's panels like that that make me want to find David Peterson and hug him very hard for finally understanding that one of the most important things needed in order to make a comic readable is the engagement of the reader. I have read all of his installments of Mouse Guard and he is one of the few writer/artist's that have always been consistent in his storytelling. The gorgeous art work is a bonus; I would continue to read his series even if he decided to use stick figures. Just saying.
Green Lantern/Plastic Man: Weapons of Mass Deception one-shot
When was the last time you read something from Marv Wolfman that didn't involve a crisis of some sort or infinite worlds? Although not his usual standard script, Wolfman does not disappoint even though the premise of this is pretty dumb: Plastic Man experiences a new type of technology being used in a heist, finds the video footage, and basically tells an adult. The adult, Green Lantern, seems unconcerned until he sees the weaponry being used and realizes that the case he is working on coincidentally parallels this new situation brought to his attention by Plastic Man. Weird how that works, eh?
What ensues is pretty much what you'd expect from this kind of team-up: Plastic Man quoting various movies (including one of my favourites, Star Wars), getting into trouble, and being rescued by Green Lantern. The dialogue is smartly written and the banter between Green Lantern and Plastic Man is just outrageous enough to remind the reader that Plastic Man is not playing with a full deck. The humor, while base at times and completely obvious, is also subtle and gets a laugh out of you even if you don't want to admit it. I giggled like mad while reading this and I am not ashamed of it. I especially adore how artist Brent Anderson manages to perfectly capture all of Plastic Man's insanity when dealing with the underworld and juggling various disguises. I don't want to ruin this book but I will say this: if you are a fan of either Plastic Man or Howard the Duck or both (thumbs up!), run to your comic shop and get this book. Now. Seriously. You won't be disappointed, except when you get to the end and you realize it's a one-shot. Boo, Marv Wolfman. Boo.
Until next time, keep reading and stop emailing me to tell me I haven't updated the blog. I already know that. Sheesh.
