Though Wednesday Comics #2 didn’t do much to improve over the flaws of the first one, and certainly won’t change any minds about the project as a whole, it also kept all the charm, wit and creative energy of the first issue, and even improved upon some of the slower stories. The keyword with Wednesday Comics is variety, and you get a lot of it.
Busiek’s Green Lantern is a wonderfully retro The New Frontier-style sci-fi adventure, while Pope’s Strange Adventures is classic pulp action. Flash reads like a bizarre blend of romance and super-hero stories, while Baker’s Hawkman offers a dark, fascinating look at a frequently muddled character. As with the first issue, not every story is a hit, and the two biggest offenders from #1 (Teen Titans and Sgt. Rock and Easy Co.) remain relatively weak, though both show at least some signs of improvement over the previous issue.
Meanwhile, the creators are making full use of the space, sometimes in interesting ways. The Gaiman/Allred Metamorpho is essentially one enormous panel while Caldwell’s surreal Wonder Woman features roughly fifty panels on its only page.
The format is definitely bringing out the best in many of these artists, most of whom have admirably risen to the challenge. The less-glossy pages and creases that come from the folding were a worry to some people when it came to the quality of the art, but rest-assured, this is rarely the case. Only Caldwell’s Wonder Woman and the Arcudi/Bermejo Superman seem to have been hampered by the fact, each of them a little too dark for their own good. Despite that, however, both pages remain well-crafted and interesting.
Wednesday Comics is too scattershot to appeal to everyone, but those who try it out will find a selection of interesting stories by star creators that hearken back to the early days of comics and the traditional stories without being lazy or condescending. Everyone involved seems to be having far too much fun to either.
Grade: A-
- Cal Cleary
Tags: Adam Kubert, ADAM STRANGE, Amanda Conner, Barry Allen, Batman, Ben Caldwell, Brenden Fletcher, Brian Azzarello, Brian Stelfreeze, Catwoman, Dan Didio, Dave Bullock, Dave Gibbons, DEADMAN, Eddie Berganza, Eduardo Risso, Flash, Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, HAWKMAN, Iris Allen, Jimmy Palmiotti, Joe Kubert., Joe Quinones, John Arcudi, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, KAMANDI, Karl Kerschl, Kevin Nowlan, Kurt Busiek, Kyle Baker, Lee Bermejo, METAL MEN, METAMORPHO, Mike Allred, Neil Gaiman, Paul Pope, Ryan Sook, Sean Galloway, Sgt. Rock and Easy Company, Strange Adventures, Supergirl, Superman, Teen Titans, THE DEMON, Vinton Heuck, Walt Simonson, Wonder Woman
July 15, 2009 at 11:19 pm |
Very cool site! Keep up the great work. Thanks!
July 28, 2009 at 11:33 am |
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