Each week, I make a blind pull from Siri's (randomized) choice of one of the 32 alphabetically-organized shortboxes that constitute my comics collection, (re-)read it, talk about it, and, on (or about) Wednesday, post whatever emerges; you can subscribe via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or your preferred podcast delivery system. This week: "plain boiled turnips!" / RIP cow / smurf ice cream…
Every Wednesday morning, I make a blind pull from Siri's (randomized) choice of one of the 20 alphabetically-organized shortboxes that constitute my comics collection, (re-)read it, write about it, and publish whatever emerges. Earlier installments live here.
(Box19): The more I encounter '90s Marvel (though DC was guilty of it too) comics in these Wednesday blind pulls, the more I'm amused by how every character's dialogue has the same rhythm: to imagine each being read by Paul Soles (Spidey's voice in the '67 animated series) is not only not a stretch, but adds an even deeper amusement (MJ and Peter's connubial woes, for example, are brilliant in a Soles voice; little wonder writers of the time wanted to ixnay the marriage – though that doesn't mean I agree with the decision).
But: MAXIMUM CARNAGE! And it was, indeed, Maximum, even down to the length of the crossover 14 parts... which would then prove to be not MAXIMUM enough, what with two-year-long CLONE SAGA a year in the future (but I'm sure I'll get to some of those issues as I do more of these). And this issue, in particular, opened with CARNAGE WITH A BIG GUN.
MAXIMUM!
Derision of the MAXimal thereness of much of the issue aside (being part ten of 14 tends to do that), I do have to mention here that Alex Saviuk draws one hell of a Spider-Man: his action scenes (of which this is wall-to-wall) MOVE and he can capture small emotional beats that would otherwise be (and were) glossed over in the hands of lesser artists. Should be mentioned as one of the definitive Spidey artists.
But yeah, Carnage with a big gun. Probably could have led with that and saved both of us some time. MAXIMUM time.
Every Wednesday morning, I make a blind pull from Siri's (randomized) choice of one of the 20 alphabetically-organized shortboxes that constitute my comics collection, (re-) read it, write about it, and publish the resultant review/memory/whatever. Earlier installments live here.
(Box19): 2005-06 seems to be the years of years in these Weds Randoms thus far – with few diversions into the 90s – for better or for worse. I swear I have more than a few years of DC Comics in these 18 boxes, though now that I've added the spinner rack fully into the mix, I suppose I should add 19 to my randomizer...
Anyhow: INFINITE CRISIS / Maxwell Lord neck-snapping / Brother Eye-OMAC / Rucka era of Wonder Woman, post-IDENTITY CRISIS (want to revisit sometime) Rags Morales art. Something about this run that grabbed me more than any other effort – Azzarello's New52 series being a close second, though; I suppose that I have an affinity for odd pairings of creator to character that, on the surface, seem unlikely to work but that end up being among the best iterations of both – at Diana: love the collision here of warrior, international intrigue, and the perception of "superhero" that Rucka (unsurprisingly) exploits here – Diana on the world stage, superheroics and doing the right thing up against the perils of international diplomacy and bureaucracy.
And snapping Max Lord's neck.
Also: why am I thinking that Artemis is killed at some point soon after this issue? Didn't she replace Diana as Wonder Woman around the Doomsday / Knightfall / Emerald Twilight era? Vague memories, FTW.