What a shame that Inhuman followed N-Zone because this one was just terrible. The Ultimate series was supposed to be a way for new readers (like me) to get involved with long running series without having to know the huge back history of some of these characters. Inhuman takes that concept and completely throws it out the window.
There are two stories in this volume, one about an old acquaintance of Reed's who now wants to kill him and one about Johnny meeting a girl who's essentially a goddess. I guess. If the second story hadn't been so terrible the first might have passed as OK but together they're just a mess.
The Thinker had no set up. None. They just kind of threw her at them. Her motivations made no sense and the story felt like it was missing pages. It seemed like it needed more time to tell the story it was trying to tell.
The Inhuman story was even worse. First, just how old is Johnny supposed to be? Reed, Sue and Ben are all 18-19 and Johnny is Sue's younger brother. So really, 16, maybe 17? How is he getting into bars? Sure, he's one of the beautiful people but it'd be nice to see the bouncer wave him in or for him to try flashing a fake ID, or something to acknowledge that these characters are supposed to be in their youth. Then to want to follow this girl home because he loved her? I was expecting to find out that Crystal's powers involved some kind emotional manipulation because it seemed so out of character.
This one was terrible, it's a 1.
Showing posts with label Mike Carey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mike Carey. Show all posts
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Crossing Midnight: A Map of Midnight
Crossing Midnight: A Map of Midnight (by Mike Carey, Jim Fern, Eric Nguyen and Mark Pennigton) picks up where Cut Here leaves off so it was great to be able to sit down and essentially read them together. I actually liked this volume a bit more. There was less exposition to wade through because that was all set up in the first volume so this one could get down to the story that Carey wants to tell. And it's a great story.
The twins get pulled further into their respective courts and further from each other. The world was better merged than in the first volume. There was more of a feeling that the real world and the world of myth and legend existed not just beside each other but with aspects dipping in. I really want to learn more about what's expected of Toshi and just what is expected of Kai.
The gifts of the twins are starting to become more defined and there seems to some kind of destiny attatched to them. With their birth status, one on either side of midnight, I'd expect there was something tied to that. I found the end of Toshi's story in this volume a little predictable, it makes sense that she'd be set against her brother, but I was intrigued by the direction that Kai seems to be taking. I thought he'd just be her protector but it seems as if someone has plans for him too.
For just being tighter and more focused (the art seems to be settling down as well) I'm giving it a 5.
The twins get pulled further into their respective courts and further from each other. The world was better merged than in the first volume. There was more of a feeling that the real world and the world of myth and legend existed not just beside each other but with aspects dipping in. I really want to learn more about what's expected of Toshi and just what is expected of Kai.
The gifts of the twins are starting to become more defined and there seems to some kind of destiny attatched to them. With their birth status, one on either side of midnight, I'd expect there was something tied to that. I found the end of Toshi's story in this volume a little predictable, it makes sense that she'd be set against her brother, but I was intrigued by the direction that Kai seems to be taking. I thought he'd just be her protector but it seems as if someone has plans for him too.
For just being tighter and more focused (the art seems to be settling down as well) I'm giving it a 5.
Crossing Midnight: Cut Here
Crossing Midnight: Cut Here (written by Mike Carey, penciled by Jim Fern and inked by Mark Pennigton) was kind of a surprise addition to my pile of books. I say it's open to stuff to rise to the top if it's something someone just wants me to read and this one jumped to the top pretty quick.
I really like the concept of this one: boy/girl twins born on either side of midnight and marked by the forces of the Japanese parthenon. I'm a fan of legend and mythology, although I don't know much about the Japanese tradtions. It took a little time for me to wrap my brain around what was happening because I'm not that familiar with that world but once I learned the "language" of the story I really enjoyed it.
The are was kind of hit and miss for me. It seemed like Fern was really going for a Japanese style but couldn't always keep to the style he was aiming for. The Afterword by Carey was helpful in filling in the holes in what I'd figured out about the difference between the two courts the twins were dealing with. The only real complaint I had was with the story dealing with Toshi going for the gun. It didn't seem to fit in as well. That could have been the point as modern methods of dealing with the problem are not going to save them. I'm giving it a 4.
I really like the concept of this one: boy/girl twins born on either side of midnight and marked by the forces of the Japanese parthenon. I'm a fan of legend and mythology, although I don't know much about the Japanese tradtions. It took a little time for me to wrap my brain around what was happening because I'm not that familiar with that world but once I learned the "language" of the story I really enjoyed it.
The are was kind of hit and miss for me. It seemed like Fern was really going for a Japanese style but couldn't always keep to the style he was aiming for. The Afterword by Carey was helpful in filling in the holes in what I'd figured out about the difference between the two courts the twins were dealing with. The only real complaint I had was with the story dealing with Toshi going for the gun. It didn't seem to fit in as well. That could have been the point as modern methods of dealing with the problem are not going to save them. I'm giving it a 4.
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