THE WHOLE STORY Comic Reviews: Conan #0, G.I. Joe: Frontline #16, Ultimate Spider-Man #47-49

Nathan P. Mahney's THE WHOLE STORY Comic Review Column #9

I was a lazy bastard last week, so that batch of stuff gets combined
with this week's batch of stuff.  I'm also a lazy bastard this week,
because this is coming two days late.  Probably because of that we get
a bit more variety than usual - there's G.I. Joe, there's Ultimate
Spidey, and the triumphant return of Conan.

THIS WEEK'S REVIEWS

Conan #0 – "The Legend"
G.I. Joe: Frontline #16 – "Security"
Ultimate Spider-Man #47-49 – "Men of Influence/Suspended/Hero"

CONAN #0
"The Legend"

Kurt Busiek (Scripter)
Cary Nord (Artist)
Dave Stewart (Color Art)
Richard Starkings and Comicraft (Letters)

THE PLOT: A prince uncovers an old statue of Conan and becomes
fascinated with the man.  He has his advisor research Conan and tell
him a tale of the ancient king's deeds.

THE VERDICT:  Thus does Conan return to the comics world, and he's
more than welcome.  I was a fan of the Roy Thomas run (the second
one!) then an even bigger fan of Robert E. Howard, the man who created
Conan in the first place.  If the new comic maintains the level of
quality shown here, it might just oust Roy Thomas from his throne.
  Busiek shows us Conan through the eyes of people looking into the
past, and it's a good move.  Firstly, it gives the impression that
Conan did not live in some fantasy world – his land was Earth, in the
distant past.  Secondly, it allows him to show the full breadth of
Conan's career in a small number of pages.  Most of the story comes
from "The Nemedian Chronicles" by Robert E. Howard, specifically those
parts relating to Conan.  Howard's prose still crackles with a kind of
savage poetry, and the art only serves to make it more powerful.
  It is in fact the art that is more on show here than the writing. 
Busiek has presented a simple story, most of which is not his writing,
to give an overview of Conan that showcases the art.  And 25 cents for
art like this is a bargain in any century.  Nord's art is much more
detailed than I've ever seen it, with a visceral energy that is
perfect for Conan.  But it is Dave Stewart who gets the prize for his
outstanding colours.  They give the work a feel reminiscent of Frank
Frazetta, while still allowing Nord's pencils to show through, and the
style is very distinctive and very apt.  I spent a good minute on the
train staring at the embroidery on the skirt the dancing girl is
wearing, which probably gave any number of people the wrong
impression.
  Dark Horse couldn't have given us a better reintroduction to Conan. 
The art is gorgeous, the prose is gorgeous, and the price is gorgeous.
 Brilliant, by Crom!  (Sorry, I couldn't resist...)

Rating: 9 out of 10

G.I. JOE: FRONTLINE #16
"Security"

Will Wilson and Cory Mitchel with Brandon Jerwa (Story)
Eddy Barrows (Pencils)
Lynx Studios (Inks, Colors)
Dreamer Design (Letters)

THE PLOT:  Cobra Commander hires a Night Creeper assassin to dispose
of a traitorous Crimson Guardsman.  He also hires the same assassin to
kill Destro, as a way of testing his security measures.  And the Joes
get involved as well.

THE VERDICT:  As the plot outline above may have tipped you off, this
issue was not particularly memorable.  I hope this isn't a view of the
future of Frontline, or we'll be subjected to filler story after
filler story.  Joy.
  The big problem that I have is Cobra Commander's plan.  Test
Destro's security?  Fine.  Do it by hiring an assassin to kill Destro?
 Ghu-wha?  Devil's Due were on the right track with Cobra Commander,
making him somewhat less of a bumbling cartoon villain.  This issue,
and especially the conclusion of the story, have done some significant
damage to those efforts.
  That said, the rest of the story is competent enough, I suppose.  It
will be a much better story in retrospect if it has some
repercussions.  It certainly should – I would think Destro would hold
a grudge of some sort.  Indeed, the ending indicates that this might
be the case, assuming my interpretation is correct.  If it's not, then
this story will probably get swept under the carpet and forgotten.
  Eddy Barrows does good work, though.  I'd be more than happy to see
him get a switch to the core title.  As it stands, though, he's
probably the best thing about Frontline right now.  This is adequate
without being thrilling.

Rating: 6 out of 10.

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #47-49
"Men of Influence/Suspended/Hero"

Brian Michael Bendis (Story)
Mark Bagley (Pencils)
Art Thibert (Inks)
Transparency Digital (Colors)
Chris Eliopoulos (Letters)

THE PLOT:  The Kingpin of Crime returns to New York, having used his
money to dodge a murder rap.  He's also financing Sam Bullit, a
candidate for District Attorney, who is running on an anti-Spider-Man
platform.  Jonah Jameson, publisher of the Daily Bugle, is endorsing
Sam Bullit.  And Peter Parker?  He's not happy about any of it...

THE VERDICT:  Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley are certainly one
of the most consistent creative teams in comics.  Ultimate Spider-Man
is a joy to crack open every month (or is it every three weeks?).  My
only problem with the title that the stories always run overlong, but
the reintroduction of the Kingpin doesn't suffer from that at all. 
This is like all the strengths of the title condensed into half the
space, and all I can say is that this is more like it.
  The story serves mainly to bring back the Kingpin, who I imagine
will be sticking around for some time.  We also get the introduction
of Sam Bullit, a pseudo-villain from the late 1960s of the original
Spidey, who will serve as a more political foe.  Hopefully he doesn't
disappear after this storyline.
  Added to that we finally get to see more of the Daily Bugle, and
Jonah Jameson in particular.  We even get an explanation of just why
he hates Spider-Man, which makes a whole lot of sense.  And the
conclusion of the story will no doubt make longtime Spidey fans happy,
as things get brought more in line with the mainstream continuity.
  All that, and we get a few battles with the Enforcers, who are
always a lot of fun under Bendis.  Two battles in three issues, I
might add, which must be some kind of record for him.  It gives the
story a little bit more of an old school feel, and I hope that this is
the direction Bendis will continue in.
  As always, this is highly entertaining stuff.  Forget Ultimate
Starts next month – this is the place to jump onboard for Ultimate
Spider-Man, if only to catch the reintroduction of the Kingpin.  All
that, and it made me laugh out loud in McDonald's.  Between that and
my Conan incident, I'm probably developing a reputation as a weirdo.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

- Nathan P. Mahney -

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