Polite Dissent

Just a couple quick thoughts on some of the titles that I caught up on reading today (yes, I know I’m way behind):

Fantastic Four - Overall, I’ve been a pretty big fan of Mark Waid but I’ve been mostly unimpressed by his run on the FF, including his much vaunted “re-imagining” of Dr. Doom. The art though, that is nice. Despite some of the weak storylines, Mike Wieringo does a wonderful job on the art — I can think of few people who can draw the Thing or the Invisible Woman better. His Franklin and Valeria are tops too.

Plastic Man – While I generally enjoyed the first story arc, I thought it went on at least two issues two long. I’m loving this latest storyline though. Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth and the Time Trapper. What more could you want?

Excalibur - So the concept for the series is laid out at the end of issue four. Isn’t that three issues too late?

Witchblade - It’s like watching a bad movie made with a super-model (or Goddess of Love, with Vanna White). Dialogue. Pose. More dialogue, another pose. Lather, rinse, repeat. I can just hear a photographer in the background shouting, “work with me, work with me! Now like a tiger! Grr! Good!” Sadly, it’s not even good cheesecake art with proportions out of whack and limbs at weird angles.