I'm back with some quick comments on some stuff I've read this past week. Jumping right in, Final Crisis #3 was a bit of a letdown. Unlike a lot of the reviews I've read of the series so far, I have really enjoyed it. The first issue was great set up, very understated with a lot of interesting ideas thrown at us. Number two was phenomenal I thought. One thing I loved about the first two issues was that upon completing them I found myself revisiting over and over. Grant Morrison has this way of writing that always brings me back time and time again, partly because he tends to machine gun ideas at you so fast that it takes a second and some times a third read through to understand everything. But he also has such a great handle on characterization and can write some fantastic action sequences.
Everything I liked about the first two issues is present here, from the big ideas to the character moments to the action bits but it's just way too choppy for me. I'm not sure what happened but this issue just seems to jump from character to character without ever slowing down to let everything fall into place. The art was a little uneven too this issue which might point to why Carlos Pacheco is coming on to help with art duties. I'm still anxiously awaiting the next issue of FC, and I'm sure it will even out some now that we're past the set up phase of the story. This issue was definitely a let down though.
I bought Uncanny X-Men #500 this past week. I'm not an X-Men fan but the Alex Ross cover caught my eye, I like Brubaker and Fraction and I'm becoming something of a Dodson aficionado. These factors all contributed to my decision to purchase the first non-Joss Whedon X-Men title I've ever plopped down my hard earned cash for and I have to say, I enjoyed it a lot. I realize Magneto is played out but I liked his presence here and you get the impression there is more to his attack than what plays out here. I loved the art from both art teams. I have always enjoyed Land's work on some level, despite his supermodel characters and he really does some solid work here. The Dodson's continue to impress and it seems the X-Men will be a natural fit for them. Brubaker and Fraction write some good lines (aside from that whole "suck it" debacle), get across some great character work and write one whale of a sentinel battle. I'm not an X-Men fan but I'll probably be tuning in more frequently if the talent involved can turn out issues of this quality on a regular basis.
Finally, Peter David's X-Factor and She Hulk both made it home from the comic store with me this week. I've followed both series from a distance. X-Factor through trades and She Hulk with the occasional issue picked up in hopes that the quality was improving. Now both titles are crossing over thanks to the Secret Invasion event. Strangely enough its the She Hulk issue that comes out on top as the X-Factor issue falls by the wayside due to some horrific art. X-Factor has always been hit or miss on the visual side of things but usually David's writing overcomes those obstacles. Not this time however. The story just isn't interesting enough to hold my attention when I'm looking at something that makes me want to spoon my eyeballs out with an ice cream scoop. She Hulk does much better, thanks mostly to the terrific art team of GG Studio. This stuff is good. David's writing on She Hulk continues to disappoint but as usual even a disappointing Peter David is better than most comic book writers on their best day. If you like She Hulk pick that issue up. If you like X-Factor, well, be warned. The Skrull side of this story isn't exactly prevalent and seems to fall more into the red sky model of tie in than something like New or Mighty Avengers.
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