Penny Reviews: Ministry of Space

Published from 2001 to 2004, Ministry of Space is a three-part alternate history comic detailing the ascension of the British space program. It's a series that is more about establishing a setting; an enthralling long form version of lying alongside Warren Ellis in your sleeping bags at a birthday party, playing "would you rather" in the dark.

This scenario asks us to choose between our current world, with its embarrassing interest in space, and a world with Sir John Dashwood, who heaps bodies, dreams, and human decency high enough that Britain can scramble atop and clutch the Moon as early as 1953 and Mars a mere sixteen years later.

It's a delicious thought: slick spaceships plying the skyways and spaceways of Earth, bearing the symbol of the whole and eternal British Empire. Even Americans can feel the call of that single-minded sense of purpose, to leave the world and its quibbles behind and we move towards something—anything.

The final pages of the book reveal the costs, bringing the romantic conjecture to a full stop. The ominous framing device and damning egomania of Dashwood aren't enough to fully herald the sins committed and good extinguished by his mission to elevate Britain above all other nations.

Dashwood directs the eyes of The Empire toward the stars, so that they would never stray into its own heart. The social advancement of Britain isn't just arrested--as many American reviewers assume--but reversed into archaic institutions it has historically never held. Ministry of Space's technological progress is beholden not to a public will, but the very private will of John Dashwood. It invites the possibility that we haven't gone to Mars yet because we aren't yet ready for Mars. The possibility that grandeur of space will wait for us.

But still, what if?

Penny Reviews: Saga #1-7

Like Irredeemable and The Manhattan Projects, Saga benefits greatly from being an original series by an experienced writer working for a comic book publisher outside of the big two. Brian K. Vaughan—known for his work on Runaways, Y: The Last Man, and Ex Machina, amongst many others—is writing on a premise you're familiar with: two lovers from opposite sides of a great war try to escape the chaos which has engulfed their world.

Of course, in this case, the world consists of the entirety of the galaxy, and the lovers in question have created a child that's the first hybrid between the two principal participants of the war. Both Alana and Marko are former soldiers, and the story begins with the birth of their child, a year after they've deserted their own armies for one another. News of the child upsets the authorities from their home planets (Landfall and its moon, Wreath) enough that they're upgraded from "embarrassing nuisances" to "targets," and the story begins in earnest.

The narrative threads of the beleaguered parents, and their two hunters—one from either side of the conflict—tag in and out in perfect synch with the miniature cliffhangers that keep you eager to read the next chapter. The challenges of the universe are such that even seven issues in, only two of these players have so much as spoken to one another.

Penny Reviews: 2011, Part II

I got a lot of comics in 2011, and as people often do at the end of a year, I’m taking this week (week does not include Playing Favorites Tuesday, It’s the Magic Friday, Weekend Music Saturday, or Sunday) to reflect on my purchases and share the resulting insights with you, the unwary reader.

Daredevil: Born Again by Frank Miller

Daredevil is not and will never be on a top ten list, except for possibly “Top Ten Things Called ‘super’ That Can Stub Their Toes on Florescent Orange Safety Equipment,” a category in which he would take nine slots out of ten, ultimately losing to a comatose Miss Marvel.

His momma so fat—oh, right his mother left him as a child and never loved him so her body proportions are unknown.

Born Again is about The Kingpin learning that Matt Murdock is Daredevil and destroying Matt Murdock. Murdock gets better. The end.

Honorable Mention

Penny Reviews: 2011, Part I

I got a lot of comics in 2011 (while reviewing them for this blog, I made the mistake of estimating their cost and lost three hours to a haze of fiscal shame), and as people often do at the end of a year, I've taken a moment (actual value of moment is three days) to reflect on my purchases and share the resulting insights with you, the unwary reader.

Planetary Vol 4 by Warren Ellis

Fucking. Awesome.

#1 Best

Penny Reviews: The Reboot

Justice League International #1

Booster Gold, Guy Gardener, Batman (of course Batman) and an unhealthy level of nostalgia for the previous JLI prompted me to try the new one. The team's foundation is vague, but hopefully it'll be revisited and some of the Chinese and Russian stereotypes will simmer down. It's not explained what The Hall of Justice's history is that makes it so contentious, but that's the forth central conflict the issue presents while still cracking jokes, introducing the cast, and doing everything else a first issue should do, including addressing potential fan outrage. It's just good comics and fits the reboot. B-

Penny Reviews: The Disappoint

A side feature that I update whenever possible, Penny Reviews tells you all about a comic in 100 words or less.

Invincible Iron Man #33 - I'm not up to speed on the current Iron Man arc, but organic recaps made that a non-issue. The story centers around physical conflict, but was more than punching something until it was broken. It balances a glut of distinct, unlikable villains with Tony and his supporting cast. Yea: The natural supervillain reveal. Nay: Supervillain team up teaser. If C is what average superhero book should be, Invincible Iron Man #33 was a C. However, Good Morning Tony, the feature story at the back, was a solid B (maybe B+) and my real reason for picking up this month’s issue.

Thor, the Mighty Avenger #8 - Thor's recap isn't that smooth, but you get the point: a magic god of ancient lore is pitted against computers and government in an excellent contrast that nudges the main plot forward. His team-up this week is--who cares? It's the characterization and art that make Thor: The Mighty Avenger fun to read. Thor manages to juggle haughtiness and innocence expertly in a beautiful book. There's even a classic pre-team-up fight, but no one mentions what a cliche it is, subverting the subversion of the cliche, which in-and-of-itself has become a cliche. Overall, looking forward to next month's issue.

...aw.

Action Comics: Lex Luthor # 896 - Just pointless. Fans of the Luthor-as-protagonist Action Comics will probably like the villains-as-protagonist concept of Sinister Six, but I hate crossovers and can’t get Sinister Six, so it's aggressively pointless. It even features the one line motivation of "makes as much sense as anything we do," which is just so. weak. It’s loud, thoughtless filler that keeps the Mr. Mind/Loisbot subplot slowly boiling in the background so you don't notice it. Loisbot dies, but she'll be back because she's part of the main plot. Maybe they're actually writing a book that people who are and aren't paying attention will enjoy.

Penny Reviews-Stupid Hero Tricks

Batman and Robin – The Sum of Her Parts, Parts 1-3 (Issues 17-19)

‘The Sum of Her Parts’ is an aptly named, three-story arc that introduces Absence to Gotham City. The first half of the arc finds her appropriately missing. Only her work identifies her; missing body, missing finger, missing fingernail. Absence works with things that aren’t there; it’s her requisite Batman character signature, and though it may not stay that fresh in subsequent appearances, it is in this one. I'd much rather her brand of plotting freak (and gross affront to science) than another psycho in a flamboyant costume, sidekick turned bad, or gritty muscle man screaming Batman's (or his own) name.

The dynamic between Dick and Damian has dropped from arguing to bickering. Their conversations are short here, but still entertaining. Listening to Damian talk about how ridiculous dating is and whine about Dick being too friendly break both the investigation and recap threads up nicely, in addition to starting a countdown timer to his inevitable, disastrous, and hilarious first romance. Paul Cornell just took over the book from Grant Morrison, and he seems eager to assure us of his Batman qualifications, giving us well-executed deathtraps, knockout gas, monologing, a crash through a window, and some good, old-fashioned world’s best detecting.

Change for a Dollar: Penny Reviews

Avengers Academy #7: A Good Troi Episode for Hank Pym that’s good because it’s smart enough to have him acknowledge what a douche he is. This is probably one of a half-dozen attempts at a redemption storyline for Pym since he…y’know, but this one at least nods at the rest of them, throws a few good ideas out with the clichés (“It was effective, but I’ll never be able to do it again.”), and does clever work with the inexorable resurrection of Janet “The Wasp” Pym. It still has far to go to prove itself a worthy successor to The Initiative though.

Daredevil, aka Black Panther: Man Without Fear #513: The introduction of Black Panther filling Daredevil’s shoes. It does an adequate job of explaining why a man with a wife and a nation would go stag in Hell’s Kitchen, but it’s still painfully obvious that they wanted Black Panther here and he’s going to be here so you you better just get used to it. The story itself is workhorse comic; superpowered crime lord, T'Challa adapts to his new surroundings, the tragic victims of indifferent crime. I’m going to keep buying it because I want to get to know Black Panther better, but I recommend you read it first.

X-Factor #212: The story of X-Factor in Vegas with Norse gods continues, and it's still pretending it's a comic book universes' pulp/noir/detective story, but don't tell Peter David it isn't because he's writing a story that perfectly balances action with character and fun with drama (it's still an X-title). While the cast is large (some might say ‘bloated’), David does a good job giving the each of the cast, from Layla to Morph plus an obscure character connected to Wolfsbane—who isn’t even on the team anymore—a place in the story. The only thing better would be a “Shatterstar/Thor” limited series.