Monthly Archives: June 2012

Camelot 3000 10 (March 1984)

Posted on 30 June 2012 | Leave a comment

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I get Barr’s dramatic thrust now–Merlin’s been kidnapped, Modred has the Grail, but I can’t remember what the series’s initial dramatic thrust. What was Arthur back to fix? Was it the unhappiness of human race or was it to drive the aliens off the planet?

He failed the second in the comic and I assume the first too, even though Barr has basically forgotten there are people in Camelot‘s world besides his main cast.

This issue has visual throwbacks to both Tron and the Flash Gordon movie. Not sure either of those films should be a visual source guide; also not sure who’s to blame, Bolland or Barr.

The art’s decent, though it shows signs of a rush again. Austin apparently can’t work miracles.

There’s a neat implication Morgan LeFay can’t have any contact with other people because her back fungus eats them. Makes one wonder if she’s lonely.

CREDITS

Prelude to War!; writer, Mike W. Barr; penciller, Brian Bolland; inker, Terry Austin; colorist, Tatjana Wood; letterer, John Costanza; editor, Len Wein; publisher, DC Comics.

Contemporaneously…

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Camelot 3000 9 (December 1983)

Posted on 30 June 2012 | Leave a comment

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Barr really doesn’t know what to do with a big cast, does he? I keep forgetting about the Japanese Knight of the Round Table and the black one. The Japanese guy is actually Lancelot’s son, but Barr hasn’t explored the subplot, which is too bad.

The art, from Bolland and Austin again, is great. Too bad the story isn’t. Some of the problems do come from Bolland’s composition though. It was unclear the Earth had been overridden with the aliens; Bolland could have established that setting better. He doesn’t.

There’s a lot of flashbacks to Old Camelot this issue, most of them revealing how awful the characters behaved. Arthur tried to drown his son? The transgender (now female) knight used to rape peasant girls? Barr doesn’t acknowledge they don’t seem any better than Morgan LeFay. A lot less amusing in fact.

At least it’s a relatively fast and painless read.

CREDITS

Grailquest 3000; writer, Mike W. Barr; penciller, Brian Bolland; inker, Terry Austin; colorist, Tatjana Wood; letterer, John Costanza; editor, Len Wein; publisher, DC Comics.

Contemporaneously…

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Camelot 3000 8 (September 1983)

Posted on 29 June 2012 | Leave a comment

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The art this issue, with the Austin inks, reaches an outstanding level. It makes the comic worthwhile, which is good, since Barr’s plotting is a disaster.

He continues the betrayal subplot, then decides to force an entire issue out of it by contriving a complication. Worse, he keeps complicating the situation to contrive more pages. Sure, the art’s great, but it’s an utterly pointless narrative.

One can see Barr’s outline–this issue ends with the quest for the Holy Grail returning. Why is the Holy Grail important, because of Arthurian legend… but Arthurian legend only has as much to do with Camelot 3000 as Barr forces it to have.

He’s also got this relatively new character (the girlfriend for the girl who used to be a guy) who’s the stupidest human being on the planet. And Barr’s future has a lot of overpopulation.

Or maybe it’s just Barr being lazy.

CREDITS

Betrayal; writer, Mike W. Barr; penciller, Brian Bolland; inker, Terry Austin; colorist, Tatjana Wood; letterer, John Costanza; editor, Len Wein; publisher, DC Comics.

Contemporaneously…

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Camelot 3000 7 (August 1983)

Posted on 28 June 2012 | Leave a comment

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Terry Austin takes over inks and immediately the art starts looking great again. Bolland (or Austin) even manages some backgrounds. Too bad the comic’s really, really dumb.

First off, the battle scene. Maybe Merlin magicked the Knights to survive in space without protection, but he didn’t magic all the supporting cast they meet to survive.

The two subplots Barr works on here–former Sir Tristan, current Lady Tristan, betraying the Knights for a sex change from Morgan LeFay and then Guinevere gleefully cuckolding Arthur–are exceptionally lame. The Tristan decision has no weight, but it’s not monumental (yet). But Guinevere and Lancelot? There’s no narrative purpose other than a melodramatic one. Barr’s got to keep the characters shallow and poorly written to excuse his goofy plot turns.

The art does make up for some of it, and Morgan LeFay continues to amuse, but the writing’s painfully weak.

Camelot‘s a bore.

CREDITS

Betrayal; writer, Mike W. Barr; penciller, Brian Bolland; inker, Terry Austin; colorist, Tatjana Wood; letterer, John Costanza; editor, Len Wein; publisher, DC Comics.

Contemporaneously…

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Camelot 3000 6 (July 1983)

Posted on 27 June 2012 | Leave a comment

Dick Giordano pitches in to help ink (or finish) and it’s a small disaster. This issue takes a completely different tone thanks to the art change. It’s the faces, really. The detail is gone from them.

After what’s so far the series peak last issue, Barr returns the comic to a middling affair. Arthur and Guinevere are getting married, which brings in questions about Arthur as the savior of the human race. Barr hasn’t thought it out. He also mucks around with the duality between being a regular person and a reincarnated one. Like I said, middling.

Barr doesn’t even keep up the tension through the comic. There’s a lot of drama, but it relieves, then tenses again. Barr never gives the reader enough information to know what’s going on with all the characters.

Camelot 3000 was DC’s first twelve issue maxi-series; I think Barr needed some more issues.

CREDITS

Royal Funeral; writer, Mike W. Barr; penciller, Brian Bolland, Bruce Patterson and Dick Giordano; inker, Patterson and Giordano; colorist, Tatjana Wood; letterer, John Costanza; editor, Len Wein; publisher, DC Comics.

Contemporaneously…

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Camelot 3000 5 (April 1983)

Posted on 26 June 2012 | Leave a comment

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Well, it’s only taken Barr to the fifth issue but he’s finally made Camelot 3000 a compelling read.

He opens with Morgan LeFay’s story and it’s a good one. The finish is ludicrously contrived–without any acknowledgment of the contrivance–but the idea of a medieval witch who goes off to space and revolutionizes an alien race is a gleeful homage to Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Then Barr moves on to the Knights of the Round Table, who are bickering amongst themselves and generally unhappy with their newfound lot in life. The characters all of a sudden become interesting with all this turmoil and the issue benefits from it.

As for Barr’s characterization of Arthur as slightly deranged and a hopefully murderous cuckold… it’s interesting for a mainstream comic to say the least.

And Bolland does well in this contained setting. He’s not lazy here and he has some fantastic panels.

CREDITS

The Tale of Morgan Le Fay!; writer, Mike W. Barr; penciller, Brian Bolland; inker, Bruce Patterson; colorist, Tatjana Wood; letterer, John Costanza; editor, Len Wein; publisher, DC Comics.

Contemporaneously…

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Camelot 3000 4 (March 1983)

Posted on 25 June 2012 | Leave a comment

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Bolland’s art gets downright lazy quite a few times this issue and not with his white backgrounds either. He’s losing control of faces here; no matter how many iconic double-page spreads he does, he’s not going to make up for lazy faces.

The issue’s weak overall. Barr’s vision of future governments is incredibly similar to modern ones–the United States, China, some vague Soviets and even more vague Africans. And for all the multiculturalism of the resurrected Knights of the Round Table, Barr’s not above an evil gay dude at the United Nations out to spoil the heroes’ fun.

As for the heroes, Barr uses the human character to state the obvious. It’s annoying at the start of the issue and insufferable by the end.

Bolland also shows another weakness… the inability to make a big battle scene interesting. It’s sad seeing such good illustrating with such weak composition.

CREDITS

Assault on New Camelot!; writer, Mike W. Barr; penciller, Brian Bolland; inker, Bruce Patterson; colorist, Tatjana Wood; letterer, John Costanza; editor, Len Wein; publisher, DC Comics.

Contemporaneously…

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Camelot 3000 3 (February 1983)

Posted on 24 June 2012 | 1 Comment

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What a goofy ending. Barr’s going for fifties sci-fi, which doesn’t seem appropriate, especially since he doesn’t have any humor about the book. Camelot 3000 is all very straight-faced, even Queen Guinevere’s futuristic battle garb being comic book female hero trampy. Meanwhile, Lancelot gets a bitching set of space armor.

Barr handles the love triangle unexpectedly, which starts the issue off on better footing than it finishes. He also reveals the source of the alien invasion, contriving a connection to the resurrected Knights of the Round Table. Why’s it contrived? Because he didn’t write the first issue with the revelation incorporated. The series would be much stronger if he had.

Bolland draws a lot of different stuff this issue, lots of future Earth locales, but he continues to ignore backgrounds once he’s done an establishing panel or two. The comic suffers for that decision.

Still, it’s mildly engaging.

CREDITS

Knight Quest!; writer, Mike W. Barr; penciller, Brian Bolland; inker, Bruce Patterson; colorist, Tatjana Wood; letterer, John Costanza; editor, Len Wein; publisher, DC Comics.

Contemporaneously…

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Camelot 3000 2 (January 1983)

Posted on 23 June 2012 | Leave a comment

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This issue’s goofiness isn’t all Barr’s fault. For instance, Bolland’s the one who reduces a riot scene to three people against a white backdrop. Guess he didn’t want to take the time on backgrounds.

But amidst the combined, considerable goofiness, there are a couple good things coming through. First is the love triangle between Arthur, Lancelot and the queen whose name I can’t remember. Guinevere? Anyway, Barr continues it straight–they’re all reincarnated or resurrected, but the history exists. It gives Camelot some actual volume, which the series desperately needs. The human protagonist from the first issue is barely present here. Barr uses him to do a Marvel-style recap of the first issue but nothing else.

The other good part is Merlin and Arthur’s bickering. Merlin treats Arthur like a moron. It’s funny, especially since Bolland draws Merlin so mean.

The art’s masterful, but boring. Maybe it’s the subject.

CREDITS

Many Are Called…; writer, Mike W. Barr; penciller, Brian Bolland; inker, Bruce Patterson; colorist, Tatjana Wood; letterer, John Costanza; editor, Len Wein; publisher, DC Comics.

Contemporaneously…

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Camelot 3000 1 (December 1982)

Posted on 22 June 2012 | Leave a comment

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Besides the beautiful, precise art from Brian Bolland and Bruce Patterson, it’s hard to determine exactly what Camelot 3000 has going for it from the first issue.

Mike W. Barr writes the human protagonist pretty well; his emotional turmoil is believable, for example. But a lot of the comic features a larger than life King Arthur, who remains unperturbed whether he’s waking up after two thousand years, fighting aliens or playing with ray guns. He’s a lousy character, especially since Barr changes the focus from the kid (who becomes Arthur’s squire) to Arthur around the halfway point.

While the art’s beautiful, it’s ineffective. Bolland’s occasional full page spreads never have enough oomph. The Lady of the Lake raising up Excalibur is an iconic shot but a dull scene.

Barr doesn’t spend enough time establishing the setting either, though he deserves credit for dropping the reader into an alien invasion cold.

CREDITS

The Past and Future King!; writer, Mike W. Barr; penciller, Brian Bolland; inker, Bruce Patterson; colorist, Tatjana Wood; letterer, John Costanza; editor, Len Wein; publisher, DC Comics.

Contemporaneously…

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Daredevil 166 (September 1980)

Posted on 22 June 2012 | Leave a comment

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Matt has to run out on Foggy’s wedding because the Gladiator (I guess DC’s not the only company with idiotic villains) is holding a bunch of kids hostage–underprivileged kids, no less.

There’s enough going on McKenzie’s weaker writing habits don’t glare like usual and the issue’s pretty good until it’s obvious the kids aren’t in any actual danger. And setting the big fight in a museum of supervillains is a little goofy. Sure, there’s supposed to be other stuff at the museum, but it’s just bad guys.

Miller and Janson do phenomenal on the action art and pretty well on the rest. McKenzie’s writing of Foggy’s family and Matt and his latest girlfriend is all so trite, it’s hard to think any art could stand out in those scenes.

McKenzie’s biggest problem is his inability to make Matt (or anyone else) into an actual person instead of a caricature.

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Daredevil 165 (July 1980)

Posted on 22 June 2012 | Leave a comment

Daredevil versus Dr. Octopus should be entertaining, right? McKenzie and (now co-plotter) Miller fail to make it entertaining.

The big problem, besides McKenzie’s now routinely silly dialogue and narration, is the Black Widow. She’s in Matt’s apartment, helping him do investigative work, but she’s not important to the issue whatsoever. She’s around to be jealous and to run off when he hurts her feelings.

McKenzie’s incapable of writing these troubled romance scenes. At best, they’re awkward. At worst, they’re laughable.

As for Doc Ock and Daredevil? It feels like Spidey and Doc Ock. Daredevil’s banter immediately drifts into Parker territory and McKenzie fixates on Spider-Man in Otto’s thought balloons. The issue’s another great cover without any story inside it.

Miller’s pencils also make a change this issue. With the exception of action scenes, everything is more static. He doesn’t have the compositional sense to make that approach worthwhile.

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New York Mon Amour (2008)

Posted on 22 June 2012 | Leave a comment

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New York Mon Amour is an interesting love letter to eighties New York City. It’s both realistic and fanciful. Jacques Tardi–who only actually writes one of the four stories in Mon Amour–varies his style depending on the story’s tone.

The first story, “Cockroach Killer,” written by Benjamin Legrand, is hyper-realistic. The story features a lot of hallucinations and incredible imagery, but Tardi’s New York is better than a photograph. There’s a fumetti postscript and one has to wonder if the photographs were some of Tardi’s reference materials.

It’s a great story, full of modern urban intrigue, but also a lot of examination on that state of immigrants. It’s just outstanding.

The next story is sort of a side sequel. “It’s So Hard…,” written by Dominique Grange, follows a guy who’s unlucky enough to look (almost) just like a famous New Yorker of the era. While the settings are real, Tardi doesn’t spend as much time on them. It’s about the protagonist and his discontent.

The third story, “Manhattan,” is the only one Tardi pens. It’s not a real New York, it’s a New York out of Taxi Driver and other Scorsese pictures. There’s even commentary on the connection, as the protagonist unhappily moves about the city. The art deserves a thoughtful analysis when compared to “Cockroach.”

Grange writes the finale, “Hung’s Murderer,” which again examines the immigrant situation. Interestingly, the immigrants are never French. It’s a nice little story.

New York Mon Amour is amazing disaffected fiction.

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Daredevil 164 (May 1980)

Posted on 21 June 2012 | Leave a comment

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I have two big problems with this issue. First, Ben Urich–as a character–was never going to out Matt as Daredevil. Wait, three problems. Okay, continuing. Urich was never going to out Matt, so why use him instead of another reporter who might actually do it.

Second problem, why do another Daredevil origin? Sure, Miller and Janson draw a great comic and even make the yellow costume look good, but it’s kind of pointless. The retelling gives no new information.

The third problem, which is related to the second, is all the “devil” stuff. Apparently the Marvel Universe is a place where people are afraid of devils a lot because everyone calls Daredevil one. Because of the horns? It’s just stupid. Along with Matt’s childhood nickname being Daredevil because he ran away from fights.

The utterly fantastic art makes up for a lot of McKeznie’s stupid script details though.

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