Comics roundup: July (2 of 2)

Astro City #1 and #2- written by Kurt Busiek (DC/Vertigo) - Apparently Wildstorm is gone, so Astro City is back, and fittingly is on DC's Vertigo imprint.  The book was once a must read, but due to some inconsistencies in publishing (Busiek has been deathly ill) and the problems that come with being around 20-plus years, you can't be blamed for not being excited that much anymore.

Still, this is a prime opportunity to relaunch this title, and based on local comic sales, the move to DC and the bright "#1" has helped people notice. I ran into a couple of the more recent arcs that didn't really give me the tingle that the early stuff did.  This relaunch takes a giant leap at bringing Astro City back.  Issue one has an Anime-type character which is in line with what Busiek is trying to do in his universe, but gave me some worry.  Issue two, though, really  brought me back to the fold.

As Busiek usually does well, this is a good jumping on point, so if you don't have any experience with his world, now is a good time to start.  Issue one was decent.  Issue two was really strong.

Superior Foes of Spider-Man#1- written by Nick Spencer (Marvel)- Part of Marvel's Spiderman month is this issue written by one of the best new writers in the business.  This features a group like the Sinister Six, which means a lot of good things for readers.  It may not seem like much, and it's one of the oldest books in the business (villian teamup).  There's action and some really funny scenes, brought to life by artist Steve Lieber.

Additionally, it doesn't feel like you need to be picking up additional Spiderman titles to keep up, or necessarily be a marvel expert.  You might not have seen this one coming (unless like me, you spotted Spencer's name) but this is going to end up being one of the best books of the year.

Superman Unleashed -written by Scott Snyder (DC)- DC is obviously heavily geared towards Superman this summer, and part of that includes this series which includes hot writer Snyder and Jim Lee on art. It even features a gimmicky page that folds out.

SU isn't a bad story and I really like some of the things that Snyder works with such as the transition from the Daily Planet to modern media, and the way Superman might be viewed in the current Post-9/11 political atmosphere.  The problem of course is the last couple of people that I have read on Superman titles- Grant Morrison and J Michael Straczinski- really put a spin that really moved me.  So, Snyder struggles in that he fails to live up to those recent works.

It's okay, though.  Wait.  Did I just say a "throw-away" story about some C-list Marvel villains is better than the biggest story on the biggest hero in the DC Universe?  Absolutely.

The Wake -written by Scott Snyder (DC/Vertigo) - I complain about Vertigo because they are like that rock clubs that only brings in cover bands because they are afraid of trying something different, because no one might show up. I feel like every title on the Vertigo imprint is either 20 yeas old or older (Fables, Astro City) or based on characters who are (Watchmen, Hellblazer).   In this case, Vertigo teams up the powers behind the last couple of Vertigo books that have succeeded despite being exceptions to that rule.  Scott Snyder -the writer of American Vampire  and Sean Murphy- the artist of Punk Rock Jesus

I am definitely trying to support Vertigo, and this is a story that takes it's touchpoint from things like John Carpenter and the Abyss- paranoia-style horror in an underwater setting.  It's action and it's horror.  Murphy's art is striking and Snyder's characters are competent.

This one didn't quite blow me away, but is written well enough that I am at least going to stick with it for the payoff.  Given the team behind it, I expect this to be worthwhile

Day Tripper: "He just loved to live that way and he loved to steal your money" edition

Okay, I apologize in advance, but I can't resist.

We went on a day trip in southwestern Iowa, and not every site we took in was about the good people in Iowa being robbed.

It just seemed that way.

In Adair, Jesse James committed the first ever train robbery. In expectation of a train carrying $75,000, the James Gang picked a corner the train would be turning on, and removed the spikes from the rail. The Engine did plunge over the tracks, but was not carrying as much money as thought, and the Jameses took $3000.



The track itself is there as a historical marker.



I know it is an odd bit of roadside America, but it is amazing to see for me.

Just down the road in Stuart some 50 years later, Bonnie and Clyde robbed the bank.

It's a typical Iowa town, but the bank is memorialized for all to see.

This being 2013, it means the sign is currently over a salon, but like some Iowan towns, it doesn't take much imagination to figure how the town was late out in the 1930s.

It is odd of course to commemorate, but like James, Bonnie and Clyde have become American icons and it was worth going just to go.