Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen: Who Killed Jimmy Olsen?

I read a lot of insane, wacky stuff. I love The Tick, Madman, Deadpool, Harley Quinn, Tales From Bizarro World. Oddball stuff just seems my nature. But I don't think I've ever rad anything so off-the-wall, strange and sometimes down right silly as the 12-issue Jimmy Olsen miniseries from Matt Fraction!

After accidentally destroying a giant lion statue erected by one of Lex Luthor's ancestors, the whole city of Metropolis has it out for Jimmy Olsen. Perry White would fire him if it wasn't for all the revenue generated by Olsen's online reporting. Still, the high ups at the Daily Planet advise Olsen to lay low for a while. So when someone makes a hit on Jimmy's apartment, Superman's pal must fake his own death and go into hiding to find out who did it!

It was Luthor! WE all know it was Luthor, right? 

Actually, Lex Luthor might be trying to keep Jimmy Olsen alive. Now why would he want to do that?

And why did Olsen steal one of the wheels off the Batmobile and it's not even the holiday season? 

And why is the feline Red Lantern Dexx-Starr and his acidic blood vomits involved in all this?

There is so much going on in this story and none of it is in order. It's like Matt Fraction (Hawkeye) decided to make a Quentin Tarantino Superman story. Oh, my God! This book should be Tarantino's final film! It's got nostalgia. It's got mystery. It's kinda noirish but silly. And there's a lot of blood, death and mayhem. 

You don't have to be a fan of the old Jimmy Olsen books from the 50s, 60s and 70s. But it helps! What you do need is to be someone who looks at the world a little askew. Like me! Or Fred Hembeck. This is not a serious Superman story. But it is very much a Superman Family tale told with love.

The only thing I wasn't a fan of were the variant covers by Ben Oliver. I mostly didn't like Jimmy Olsen's face. Oliver makes Superman's pal look like a SAWK (scary-ass white kid. See: Village of the Damned). But the inks, color palette and tributes to the Saturday Evening Post covers of Norman Rockwell were really cool. Though I must warn you- stay away from the cover gallery until you finish the story. The alternate cover for issue #12 is in my opinion a real spoiler to the very end of Fraction's yarn.

Be ready for anything with this one!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Order #3

(2007-2008) Marvel Comics. Story by Matt Fraction. Art by Barry Kitson.

   Sometime in the late 90s, a version of the Defenders became this shadow group known as the Order. There was a paradigm shift with a mix of good and evil all rolled into one. I really liked that story. It's why I held on to this book, thinking the two teams were related.

Only the name matches as this Order is a group of heroes are tasked with protecting the citizens of California. Springing out of the pages of Civil War, this Initiative group is undisciplined, unbalanced, and completely unlikable.

  This book was a real disappointment. Matt Fraction is usually such a masterful storyteller. The Order that I read was a hodgepodge of forgettable characters, bureaucratic nonsense, and pseudo-science.

I won't be holding on to this.

Not Worth Consuming!

Rating: 3 out of 10 stars.

Hawkeye, Volume 4: Rio Bravo (Marvel NOW!)

    Clint Barton's war with the Track Suit Bros comes to a head with the addition of Clint's brother Barney (AKA Trickshot) and a clown-faced assassin cum real estate lawyer. But the biggest shocker in a story line about things coming to an end is the epic run of writer Matt Fraction and artist David Aja. 

   Together Fraction and Aja reenergized the character of Hawkeye into a grittier more human character instead of a purple costumed buffoon. I hate to see them go. I am quite afraid that without Fraction this series is going to lose its heart. And without Aja, all of the unique art techniques and creative framing will be no more. 

   My wait will not be long. Along with this volume, I was able to get my hands on volume 5. I'm eagerly anticipating Jeff Lemire's run on Hawkeye as I really have enjoyed what he did with Justice League United. But replacing Fraction is with anyone, no matter how talented, is like substituting Jim Morrison for John Lennon. He's great but the Lizard King just wouldn't work as the lead man for the Fab Four. 

  Matt Fraction = unreplaceable!

  Worth Consuming

  Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Hawkeye, Volume 3: L.A. Woman (Marvel NOW!)

The cover by David Aja. A great example of his masterful touch.

   

The friction between former mentor Clint Barton Hawkeye and student/ now independent woman Kate Bishop Hawkeye carries over from the last volume sparking Bishop to head off on her own in sunny California. But when Kate refuses to play 'daddy's little girl' she winds up on broke, on the streets and in the lair of Madame Masque.

    Thus begins a unique take on the female bow slinger. Her adventures in this volume reprint issues 14, 16, 18, and 20. I'm assuming the odd issues deal with Clint Barton, but I'm not sure. If it does, then the come focuses on not one buy two Hawkeyes.

    The art throughout this series is also very fresh. The first chapter, which reprints Annual #1, features art by Javier Pulido. Here, Pulido channels the Hernandez Bros., especially their work with the Luba storyline. There's also a hint of Darwyn Cooke mixed in. One cool aspect is that Bishop's inner monologue is depicted by an almost stick-figure representation of herself, often poses in humorous positions.

     The remaining chapters has regular series artist Annie Wu back with covers by David Aja. Aja's covers are stunning and belong in a museum for modern art. They're that good. Wu continues to channel the chaotic life that comes with being a Hawkeye with creative paneling, Geometrically designed flow charts, and kick-ass fight scenes.

    Despite how wonderful the artists in this series are, they're success is due in large part to scribe Matt Fraction. Fraction has this clever look at how stories are framed. He can write a story from beginning to end and back again all occurring at the same time. It might start out a little confusing but when you get to the last page, you'll have seen the beautiful mosaic all the while slapping yourself in the head wondering "why can't I do that?"

     There is one bit to the story line that's not 100% unique and that's Bishop's chosen profession while she stays in LA. For some reason, just about any superhero in the Marvel Universe that moves out west must become a private investigator. Is this some unwritten rule from the House of Ideas? Spider-woman became a PI, so did She-Hulk. Why even Matt Murdock flirted with the idea for a while when he first went west. The only difference is that Fraction doesn't let Kate be very good at the 'for hire' gig. It makes for some great moments, especially with Detective Claudle, who sees the life of misery in store for him if he encourages Kate to become a private dick.

     Once again, Marvel and it's updated universe keeps blowing DC and it's New 52! out of the proverbial water. They know how to take a classic story and make it fresh and wonderful. Sure, Marvel NOW! isn't perfect but its pretty darn close and this is proof positive.

    Plus, who says women can't make great superheroes? Not Marvel and definitely not this Madman.

     Worth Consuming

    Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

FF, Volume 2: Family Freakout

WARNING: SERIOUS SPOILERS ARE REVEALED IN THIS REVIEW!

I waited and my library finally got in volume 2 of Matt Fraction and Mike Allred’s run of FF. In this volume the Freedom Foundation, led by Scott “Ant-Man” Lang, Medusa, Ms. Thing, and She-Hulk continue their search for the missing Fantastic Four, who have seriously overshot their 4-minute time traveling absence from the present timeline. After being invited to a pool party by a wealthy industrialist, the FF meets an ageless alien time traveler who not only posed of Mighty Caesar, but also befriended the Fantastic Four during their recent time travels.

 

Through the new ally, it is discover that Doctor Doom is behind the Fantastic Four’s inability to return to 2013. SHOCKER!!!! Actually, if something bad was to happen to the Fantastic Four and you didn’t assume Victor Von doom had anything to do with it then I’d be surprised. Anyway, this revelation brings up some really bad memories for Scott Lang, seeing as Doom is responsible for the death of his daughter, Cassie.

Now armed with a target- and a vendetta- the FF take a field trip to the Moon and hold the Watcher hostage. It’s really a ruse for Ant-man to search through Uatu’s personal records on Doom and what happens is completely awesome! Doctor Doom gets his butt handed to him in epic fashion. That’s right, for once; Doom doesn’t get to used his diplomatic immunity, nor fake out everyone with a Doombot or make a deal with some cosmic entity for safety. No, for once Doom gets everything and more that he deserves.

Other than the Red Skull, Doctor Doom is my least favorite villain. He’s not like the Joker or Venom, you know, a person you love to hate. I hate that guy. I’m so glad to finally get an issue where Doom loses. True, you couldn’t have Reed Richards do it; he’s got too much of a conscience. So, by having chippy Scott Lang give the leader of Latveria the what-not is totally acceptable. Now, if only the Red Skull could finally get his rear end whooped once and for all by Captain America.

This series was awesome. I love Fraction’s writing and I am such a fan of the Allred’s artwork. I think they are in my top five artists. What is a real crime is that this series is currently cancelled. No more FF! Hopefully this will be an oversight corrected real soon and it will involve not just Fraction and Allred, but star Ant-man, She-Hulk, Ms. Thing, and those loveable genius scamps who learn at the Freedom Foundation.

(PS- if you haven’t read the first FF publication, be in for a little confusion about certain plot mysteries, such as “why do one of the moloids just a floating head in a jar?” You can enjoy this entire series without reading that book. But, feel free to go back and seek out that series like I plan on doing.)

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Hawkeye: My Life as a Weapon (Marvel Now!)

I’ve seen the future of comic books and his name is Aja! Daniel Aja is to Hawkeye as Jim Steranko was to Nick Fury in the 1960s. Aja experiments with panels, uses stylized shadowing and 1950 and 60s pop art to craft one of the most visually stunning works I’ve seen in nearly 20 years! A great example is in issue 2, when Aja breaks down Hawkeye’s apprentice’s words to a panel-by-panel millisecond pause contrasting with the bowman’s lightning fast reflexes.

Helping with this process is series scribe, Matt Fraction, who has crafted an fantastic collection of stories that paint the Arrow Avenger not in a shining light, but one whose shine has tarnished thanks to numerous bad decisions.

This is an amazing series that must be read to capture the full experience. My descriptions cannot do it justice. The duo of Fraction and Aja are the real superheroes in a book about heroes without powers and at times, morals.

Worth Consuming.

Rating 10 out of 10 stars.