Comics Round-up: January First Issues

All New Invaders by James Robinson (Marvel) - When I talk to comic book fans about Robinson, they always say he's 'hit or miss'. I loved Robinson's Starman, and I hate to relegate him to a hit-or-miss status; but unfortunately, I have kind of come to the same conclusion through the years.

So I was on the fence of picking up this team-up of Marvel's World War 2-era heroes. Initially, I wasn't going to pick it up, but Steve Pugh's art convinced me otherwise.

Reviews of the first issue were mixed, mostly negative. In the past, Robinson has had his best luck with older (chronologically) characters.  this book should really be in his wheelhouse- Captain America, Namor, Winter Soldier and Human Torch.

The reviews I read tended to blame the book's misses on Robinson's dialogue. I don't know that I noticed anything out of place with the dialogue, but issue 1 was a bit of a mess.  There seems to be a few stories being cobbled together and no one character really comes across as someone to latch on to.  Between trying to understand the stories, and not really liking the pacing of the story, I doubt I will continue on. 

Empire of the Dead by George Romero  (Marvel)-  Romero is bringing his latest script to Marvel joking that he would film in New York, but it's too expensive.  Though Romero's last few films haven't done much, he seems to have some good ideas still in the tank.

Empire's biggest challenge isn't just Romero's legacy, but it's that so many have come since Romero, influenced by him and have made iconic statements.  Surely, one can't read this comic without automatically going to The Walking Dead comparisons.

Empire is a nice surprise though.  It feels really fresh, and even if some of the thoughts have been seen elsewhere, he's got the right formula here.  Dialogue, pacing, characterization all work well.

The real hero here may be artist Alex Maleev (and colorist  Matt Hollingsworth).  I really enjoyed their work on Daredevil- a style that captured a certain urban anxiety that put the fear of being mugged or otherwise criminalized to paper.  Similarly, it's the right tone here, to give Romero's world a certain element of dread that the reader feels.

I really enjoyed this comic a lot and think it is a good medium for Romero to tell his next story.  i am looking forward to see where he goes here with the Living Dead in NYC idea.