The Drifting Classroom Volume 3

Written by Kazuo Umezu
Illustrated by Kazuo Umezu
Viz

I continue to wind my way slowly through this horror manga by Umezu, not because I don't like it but because my local library illogically seems not to want to carry it, so, like Parasyte, I have to get it in doses.

As this volume picks up the narrative, Sho and his mother have found a way to connect to each other through the mysterious time shift, a plot point that I am sure will come in handy later, when ever Umezo opts to use it. This, quite naturally, drives her insane, because in typical horror fashion, she's the only one who can do so. In a nice change of pace that is no less horrific than what has come before, we watch Sho's mother become ever more desperate in her attempts to reconnect with him.

But perhaps all is not lost, for just as things look bad for Sho back in his timeline, a link to the past may just save him.

Of course, safe is a relative word in this new world, as even if Sho can manage to elude the crazed adults, he must still try to find a way to be an anchor for the young children left at the school. Who knows what they might do without a leader?

It looks like things might be okay for awhile, but in true horror fashio, Umezo twists the knife yet again on his ragtag bunch of school kids, as an escaped lunatic and deadly monsters combine to make even more trouble. (This part is done particularly well, as Umezo balances the two plot points just about right to both up the ante and keep the suspense going.) Just as all is lost for Sho and several of his friends...well, things just get worse, as another malcontent is heard from. And she's not there to make friends, either.

Soon, the whole school--or what remains of it--looks ready to turn into a chaotic mess. But will even the resilient Sho be able to stop what looks like total anarchy amongst the children? I guess I'll have to wait about a month or so to see...

It's hard to keep the momentum going on a horror story without seeming contrived, but Umezo has done a good job so far. Each of the threats has seemed natural--well, as natural as horror threats can get--and they've ranged nicely from psychological to physical, keeping the tone varied enough to make you want to read from volume to volume. Even his use of recurring characters as points of stress is well done and don't feel like cheap shots to pad page count.

Heck, I even think seeding the idea of a connection between the times is a smart one. After all, this has to end sometime, and what better way than sowing the seeds now, so the reader was along for the ride from the word go?

Artistically, I think this was the least interesting volume so far, which is really the only thing I have to complain about. The shadowy drawings are replaced by more white space, as characters move outside of the school. I understand the idea of keeping things fresh, but I think the darkness of the backgrounds really added to the mood.

Drifting Classroom continues to be an enjoyable read, and I definitely recommend it--if you can find it!

Emma Volume 3

Written by Kaoru Mori
Illustrated by Kaoru Mori
CMX

Emma's new adventures begin as she joins a family of maids at the service of a German family who immigrated to England because of the societal connections. She's a model employee, perhaps just a bit too model for those around her.

Will her quiet consideration lead to moving up the ranks? What do you do when your education does not match your social standing in a society where class is all important? Plus, how do you deal with being the new kid on the block when you're asked to do extraordinary things?

Those are the main questions this volume of the continues-to-be-excellent manga featuring a young woman's journey through England in the late Victorian period. Mori once again outdoes herself with meticulous research on England of the time, in this instance the hierarchy of a large serving staff being the focus of her efforts. She also deftly constructs a new set of characters while revisting some of the older players as well. (Never fear, William's part in this manga is far from over, especially if some of the hints thrown down are true and not red herrings.)

I continue to have the very small problem that descriptions of the setting are ocassionally more important than the characters, but that's part of what sets Emma apart from other mangas.

It was very adventurous of Mori to pull her title character out of her comfort zone and remove the romantic conflict that was built up over the first two volumes. While I still think we'll see this revisted in a later edition, the idea was brilliant. It also helps that Mori did not go for the standard trope of "character has good position, someone dies, now their life turns to misery." Instead, Emma is given a job that, while certainly not good as we'd define the term, is pleasant enough for her station in life. Points to her for keeping the character's life free of writer-driven angst rather than natural progression.

As much as I enjoyed the start of the series, I'm really looking forward to the complex dynamics Mori set up for both the servants (who seem to have their own dysfunctions within a smoothly operating household) and the wealthy family they work for. Plus, the fact that she did not completely abandon her original creations says there's a lot to look forward to over the course of the series.

Emma is a quality manga that you should definitely be reading.

Nextwave Agents of Hate Volume 2

Written by Warren Ellis
Illustrated by Stuart Immonen
Marvel

It's both a shame and a good thing that there were only 12 issues of Nextwave. While it's always fun to have a totally screwed up series like this exist, especially in the hands of Warren Ellis, there's also something to be said for going out on top, rather than limping to the finish line when the jokes get stale.

There's no danger of staleness for this trade, as Marvel really lets Ellis and Immonen go crazy, bringing in--of all things--characters from Not Brand Echh, a twisted take on the Mindless Ones, and a whole host of splash pages with crazy villain concepts that once again make me wonder about the sanity of Marvel's editorial staff.

Ellis uses the Nextwave gang to hit just about every nook and cranny in the forgotten parts of Marvel, which is appropriate given that's where he put the team together from. So we get a Dim Dimension story, where the Mindless Ones simply replace the humans they kill, leading to biting commentary and hysterical scenes of monsters dancing ala West Side Story. Another section gives this team the Doom Patrol treatment, complete with Grant Morrison-like enemies and a plot that makes absolutely no sense to anyone, not even the characters.

(This also gives Immonen a chance to shine, as he pulls off a Starlin impression, a Clowes impression, and a Mignola impression all within a few pages, to the point that they were so good I double checked to make sure they didn't ask them to guest-pencil a few pages each.)

As things get more rediculous, with Ellis tweaking his fellow Ultimate Universe/Authority writer Mark Millar on the nose and creating some truly horrific backstory for Bloodstone, it's clear that this can't end anywhere but the most rediculous set of villain reveals ever.

So that's just what Ellis does, because, hey, he's Warren Ellis.

As we move into the the final issue climax, Ellis and Immonen really got into overdrive, throwing the most rediculous concepts ever seen in a Marvel comic (this is saying something, folks). You'll want to go back and re-read the last major group fight scene because there's so many little touches, such as killer Steven Hawkings.

Yup. I'll wait for you to clean up the mess from your brain exploding.

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Back? Okay, good. I don't want to spoil the ending for anyone who's not read the series yet (and seriously, why haven't you? Go do it now!), but regardless of its continuity, it's a perfect way for this rediculous series to go out--against one of the more rediculous concepts in the Marvel pantheon.

Nextwave is stupid fun for a long-time Marvel reader presented in the sickest way possible that still gets past an editor. From the sarcastic narration boxes to the idea that Aaron Stack has lost his respect for humans, this comic keeps the abuse going and comes back to give you more. No one involved is saved from the abuse, and even Photon (the straight woman in this motley crew) starts to get into the act by the end. Perhaps best of all, despite all the insanity, Ellis does what a good creator does when a concept ends--leave enough there to return to someday.

If you love comics that don't take themselves--or the industry--seriously and can stand some of the cruder parts of the humour spectrum (we are talking literal toilet humour here), then you really need to be reading Nextwave. If only to learn the Avengers's various pick up lines. (P.S. Stay away from Ant Man's feet.)

Nextwave Agents of Hate Volume 1

Written by Warren Ellis
Illustrated by Stuart Immonen
Marvel

Wow. I bet Marvel was rethinking this about the time issue two hit the stands.

Picture a set of five loser superheroes (the female Captain Marvel, Machine Man, Boom Boom, the daughter of one of the loser vampire hunters, and a "Captain" that I don't think we've seen before) who realize they're being played. Next thing you know they're out killing off terrorist stuff and trying to avoid capture by their former bosses.

Now, that's not really all that unusual for Marvel right there. Might even call it "Newer Avengers" or something. But then you add Warren Ellis into the mix and it all turns into a surreal laughfest full of "I can't believe they let him do that" moments such as Fin Fang Foom trying to put Boom Boom in his pants.

I won't spoil any of the other moments, but suffice it to say he's got a very interesting take on Aaron Stack--including a laugh-out-loud scene with the Celestials--and Monica never lets anyone forget she used to run the Avengers.

The romping is all over, as they face Broccoli/Dr. Doom hybrids, corrupt cops, and well, I won't spoil the ending but let's just say by this point Ellis is clearly just trying to see how far he can take the concept before Quesada says "that's enough."

Filled with editorial asides, cut scenes ala Family Guy, and other little touches, this is a gem of a book reminds me comics still can be fun. There's just fewer of them nowadays.

Avengers The Initiative Volume 1

Written by Dan Slott
Illustrated by Stefano Caselli and Steve Uy
Marvel

Continuing my read-through of the post-Civil War Avengers material, this is Dan Slott's dark take on the underbelly of Tony Stark's grand plans for the superheroes of the Marvel Universe.

And my oh my, is it ever dark. Slott seems to be best known for the man who wrote She Hulk stories in the tradition of Byrne or his all-too-brief run on the Thing. But he's also capable of pulling off dark stories that don't feel dark just for the sake of being "edgy." His "Arkham Asylum: Living Hell" is a great comic because it's extremely dark--one of the most horror-filled Batman comics I've ever read--and yet at no time do you feel like hes just piling it on because he can.

That's true here in the Initiative. Slott merely wants to show that Stark has no idea how his grand concept can be corrupted in the hands of Peter Henry Gyrich, the superhero-hating ex-liason for the Avengers now working as part of the Initiative. In his quest to get control over the project, he's willing to stop at nothing, from working with ex-Nazis to putting together "Secret Avengers" to killing people to achieve his aims.

But part of what makes this work is that at no time does Slott use characters out of place. You don't see Rhodey involved in the shady dealings at Camp Hammond because that would be out of character for him. You do see Hank Pym doing things a real hero might not do, but that's because Pym's life is full of questionable decisions and therefore it's in character. Similarly, the cameos by Curt Conners, Ben Grimm, Hank McCoy, and others are all handled in such a way that clearly indicates Dan Slott has read a *lot* of comic books.

Perhaps the best example of this is when Rhodey and a Lizard ripoff try to take down Spider-Man while he battles half the Sinister Syndicate (the "lame half" according to Peter). Spidey works hard to take on the crooks while the other "heroes" are more interested in taking down him for violating the law. It's a theme we've seen time and again with Spider-Man, but Slott uses Peter to point out to Komodo just how screwed up the whole thing is. After all, if they're trying to depower one of the longest-standing heroes on the block, what makes her think they'll care about her if she screws up?

It's not so much a physical beatdown as much as it is a clinic on how an experienced hero fights a smart battle. As Mark Millar showed in the last issue of Civil War, Spider-Man, when written well, is one of the best at what he does--and he's smart enough to know it.

Slott even manages to do a good job with the World War Hulk crossover he's asked to do, finding a way to show the idealism of some of the heroes versus the ugly practicality of the Initiative. Plus, he uses the circumstances of the crossover to further his subplots, rather than distract from them.

But I think the best example of Slott's handling of the series is in the final issue of this trade, where a muder on the base leads to an investigation amongst the metahumans. Tightly plotted, Slott gives a whole host of suspects, shows that Gyrich is a total dick, and even throws in a surprise ending, all in 22 pages. That's some old-school single-issue goodness right there.

Really, the only problem I had with the Initiative is that I'm not a big fan of the artist, Caselli. His characters are too cartoony for the dark tone of this book. It needed a moodier, more angular artist to really capture the moments when the book swerves into black ops mode. The Nazi's speech to Pym about his admiration for him is a thing of beauty but the artwork just justn't sufficiently mesh with the idea. It's times like this that I miss the Buscemas of the world.

Even if you're not a big fan of the concepts spinning out of Civil War, you may want to give this a try. Slott's handling of Marvel's cast of characters is top notch and the story's pretty good too--dark with those hints of humour that help it all along. All in all, it's a pretty good start and an excellent handling of the idea of supheroes for all fifty states and what happens when opportunist government folks get their hands on that kind of power. Good stuff.

Batman: Masque

Written by Mike Grell
Illustrated by Mike Grell
DC

I love "What If..." stories, and am quite proud of my near-complete collection of both runs of the title. (I haven't gotten any of the newer ones, but I appreciate they exist and will probably get to them eventually. So many comics, so little time...) Therefore, I am also a big fan of DC's Elseworlds line, which shows up so rarely anymore it's criminal.

Most of the Elseworlds I've read involve either Batman or Superman or both because they're so iconic it makes them adaptable into other properties. In this case, it's Batman in the world of the Phantom of the Opera, with the usually wonderful Mike Grell providing art and script.

Now I realize I'm a reviewer and not a professional writer, so I try not to judge, but I think Grell missed a great opportunity here. What if Batman was the Phantom, haunting a corrupt theatre that killed his parents? Sounds pretty cool, and that's definitely what the cover implied.

But inside, we get a fairly standard Batman story that's just set in the world of the Phantom of the Opera. Batman patrols the night as the story opens, assisting the TV version of Gordon and O'Hara. He possibly causes a well-renowned actor to be badly disfigured and the next thing you know, the theatre is haunted by...well, a familiar Batman villain who leaves his change at home for this one.

Things follow the Phantom plot for a bit and then a fight scene ends the day, with Bats feeling like he cannot do anything but be Batman, just like in the "real" DCU.

A good alternative story takes the characters and shakes things up a bit or creates a situation that is familiar but changed by the world around them. An actor hurts himself and thinks he's Batman. A lawman can't beat Al Capone so he dons a mask to fight crime a different way. Power corrupts a good man and his quest for justice ends badly as he becomes worse than the foes he fights. Heck, maybe there's an evil Batman who can only be foiled by the heroic Joe Kerr.

My point is that for an Elseworlds story to work for me, there has to be something that changes the dynamic sufficiently to make it interesting. In this case, there is nothing in the plot that makes it necessary for this to be set anywhere but in "our" Gotham and so I'm left wondering why they charged $7.00 for what could have been, with a few less splash pages, 2 issues of Legends of the Dark Knight. (Keep in mind this is 1997 dollars, so we're looking at what could have easily been two $2.00 issues instead.)

It doesnt help that Grell doesn't seem to have put his strongest effort into either the artwork or the dialog. While the outlines of the characters are vintage Grell (and quite pretty), the work inside the lines is filled with, well, lines. Was he running out of ink the month he worked on this? The inking is so stuck with lines instead of actual inking, I thought maybe someone else had done it. When faces look like they slept on a pair of corderoy pants, it's distracting.

The dialog is similarly stilted, with Batman moping about as stererotypically as possible and the other characters spouting lines like, "And frankly, most of my men have the climbing skills of a water buffalo...on roller skates." Another example: "His death was a waste, Mr. Wayne...but his LIFE wasn't."

I've read as much Green Arrow and Jon Sable as I can get my hands on, and I really like them. This is not a case of me disliking the creative team so much as expecting more from someone as talented as Grell.

Batman: Masque is not a bad comic, or even a bad Elseworlds. It's just average, with some spots that are below average. For those who immediately recognize Mike Grell's name and body of work, that's going to be disappointing. Only those really jonesing for more Grell or more Batman should seek this one out. There's definitely better Elseworlds work out there.