Is It Wednesday Yet?

[RSS]

Sean flies solo this week with reviews of Spaceman #1 and Wolverine and the X-Men #1.

The above is from: http://www.earth-2.net/reviews/c/iiwy/iiwy-168.php

[Missy]

While we fully agree on Wolverine and the X-Men, we couldn't disagree more on Spaceman. As I said over here, it was "absolute gibberish bullshit." I couldn't make heads or tails of it, and I don't care to see where it's going.

[Koete]

Once my eBay money clears, I'm going to buy Spaceman and break the tie.

[prez]

I disagree with the analysis of the art on Wolverine and the X-Men. I thought Bachalo's cover image had insanely exaggerated proportions that can't be chalked up to perspective, particularly Wolverine. I thought it continued on the interior art, though certainly not as obviously. The interiors were very nice, but it seemed to me to vary wildly between realistic character depictions and disproportionate people.

[drqshadow]

Thanks for the feedback, all!

Mike, I had many of those issues with later story arcs of 100 Bullets - I had major trouble following Azzarello's dialog and felt like it was too convoluted and complicated for its own good. Loved it for the atmosphere, though, and learned to appreciate the series for that reason alone. I felt like Spaceman was similarly difficult to translate at a glance, but more singular-minded, with far fewer key players, and as a result more appealing to delve into. I'm also much more interested in dystopian futurist sci-fi than pulpy modern crime, though, so maybe that factored in here as well. Either way, I'm surprised we had such wildly different takes on it.

Prez, I think that exaggerration is part of what I love so much about Bachalo's artwork. In a world filled to the brim with cloned muscle freaks baring grit teeth and arched backs, it's often tough to differentiate one character from the next apart from the markings on their wardrobe. Bachalo's style is more interested in defining each different character's body type and personality than strict realism. He does have his slips and slides from time to time, granted, and I still yearn for a return to the hybrid style he showcased in Death: The High Cost of Living, but his modern work is pleasantly different. I get that he's a major point of contention among fans, though, and understand the reasoning on both sides of that argument.