As I've noted before, I pre-order my comics and have the orders held until they reach over $100 so I don't have to pay shipping. Because I've cut back so severely on my comics, that takes about three months to accrue, so I don't read most comics-related blogs because I don't want to hit spoilers. Once my comics arrive, it is usually another week or more before I can get to them, meaning I read most comic books as much as three to four months after they are released.
This weekend, I spent the time catching-up on Aquaman and The Flash's latest series. Aquaman came rolling out of the deep and into my heart the first issue, but the second and third issues failed to capture my attention as much. The storyline was ho-hum and the ending was so obvious from the beginning... I'm not sure they should have started with a soft story like that one, even though I understand why they were going for something with a definitive ending.
The first issue of Aquaman was as good as it was because it was all about character, and characters, and it limped across the finish line with tightly-scripted plots. "The Trench" started out strong but was always a low-concept venture. It was easy to latch onto the fun of it in the beginning because there was development and character interaction, but by the last two issues, it was just a battle with a foregone conclusion that was less interesting to watch play out.
The Flash was similar in its trajectory, starting off with a bang but limping along after that. It also featured mobs of low-level villains instead of one or several actual foes. I admit to losing interest in the last incarnation of the series once I learned it was being canceled and have yet to finish it, but I plan on reading through the whole thing one of these days. Still, there is more character work in The Flash than in Aquaman, and not just because there are more characters.
© C Harris Lynn, 2012
A rambling melange of pop-culture.
No comments:
Post a Comment