The Rest Of The Best: 20/1/06

THE REST OF THE BEST: 20/1/06

MISTER MIRACLE #3. (Written by Grant Morrison. Art by Freddie E. Williams).

Now the only reason this isn't in the Dogpile is that it may read better once the series has finished. In every other title, Seven Soldiers has been decent to superb - this mini has been the first disappointment. Not only is it the sole title that has yet to satisfy on an issue to issue basis, but it also is the title in which it feels like almost nothing has happened. While the unstable art has also played a factor, Freddie E. Williams' work here is excellent and with him in tow there is yet hope that Morrison can pull of an 'escape' job yet. (Yes I know that's an awful pun. Not even a pun really but this is quite a lot of writing to do in one sitting so it's what you're getting).

GREEN LANTERN #7. (Written by Geoff Johns. Art by Carlos Pacheco).

The Brave and the Bold are reunited proper for the first time since Hal Jordan's return this month as the repenting Green Lantern and the ever-grouchy Green Arrow pick up the slack from Geoff Johns and Alan Heinberg's JLA arc and take on Mongol. It's solid, if unspectacular, stuff elevated somewhat by Pacheco's excellent pencils.

THE FLASH #230. (Written by Joey Cavalieri. Art by Val Semeiks & Joe Cooper).

And so - after 230 issues of high speed drama, laughs and action - this volume of Flash comes to a close. Not with a whimper perhaps, but far from the pulse-pounding conclusion that would do justice to Mark Waid and Geoff John's work with Wally West. Obviously the Crisis played a part on this but surely it would have been better to re-schedule so that John's last issue was THE last issue? This four-part Vandal Savage centered arc was decent but it never surmounted it's obvious fill-in status. In saying that, there is some nice interaction between the various generations of speedster here that is especially poignant given the events of this month's installment of Crisis.

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #13. (Written by Mark Waid. Art by Barry Kitson).

Perhaps the only drawback from all the Crisis-related fun (other than the colossal beating of the bank balance) is that it has overshadowed Waid's excellent work on the Legion. It may still be debatable whether or not all the bathwater needed to go out (and with that poor baby in it too) but what cannot be debated is how successful the writer has been in rebuilding the concept from the ground up. With this issue the first big storyline comes to a close and there is some major pay-off here for those that have stuck with it. There's action aplenty and also some more of the intimate moments that have made it much easier for Legion virgins to get their bearing in Waid's brave new world.

RUNAWAYS #12. (Written by Brian K. Vaughn. Art by Adrian Alphona).

Alongside Young Avengers, this title confirms it is possible to create new characters in the Marvel Universe and have some moderate success. However, the fact that Runaways has not yet been more that moderately successful is both a travesty and a sad indictment of whoever is not yet buying it. Vaughn and Alphona have proved it is possible to carve out your own niche in the continuity while still being respectful to it. Other writers should take note of this. This month, our young heroes finish there West Coast holiday but not before they save the day and have some fun at Wolverine's expense. Which is no bad thing.

ALL STAR SUPERMAN #2. (Written by Grant Morrison. Art by Frank Quitely).

There was a time when I didn't like Frank Quitely. Right after he took over Bryan Hitch on the Authority his work wasn't clicking with me. But then there was also a time when I thought girls were icky. The point is that I got older, both as a comic fan and a human being, and developed appreciations that I did not previously possess. Now I lo-o-o-o-ove Quitely. And girls. Anyhoo, this month's All Star Supes doesn't quite hit it out the park like number one but with some nice Sci-Fi quirk from Morrison and the awesome pencils of you-know-who it's at least a stand-up double - if not a triple depending on how it hit the green monster. If you don't like baseball that means this was great but not astounding. And no I'm not just saying that because they're both fellow Glaswegians.

PUNISHER VS BULLSEYE #3. (Written by Daniel Way. Art by Steve Dillon).

Not much to say about this one. Dillon is excellent as ever, Way still seems a bit too much like he's aping Ennis. Whether that is due to Ennis' hegemony of the character or Way's limitations I am still undecided. Forgettable fun.

X-STATIX PRESENTS: DEAD GIRL #1. (Written by Peter Milligan. Art by Nick Dragotta & Mike Allred).

A welcome return for the mutants that Milligan can write here. X-Statix did lose some steam towards the end of its run but there can be no doubt that the writer's pairing with Mike Allred produced some excellent stuff. It's early days but this first issue suggests the duo are back in the zone that made their takeover of X-Force such a breath of fresh air in the fetid mutant market. As always Allreds turn in some groovy retrofits of familiar favourites while Milligan follows in the footsteps of just about every recent Marvel writer and has some fun at the expense of the oh so pre/por-tentious Dr Strange.

TESTAMENT #2. (Written by Douglas Rushkoff. Art by Liam Sharp).

While it is unclear as yet whether the semi-hysterical quotes at the front of these issues are a clever in-joke or OTT marketing (the latter methinks) the content of the book is a much clearer proposition. It's damn(ed)good. There's some thought-provoking stuff at work here as the writer splits the tale between bible time and the near future, drawing interesting parallels between the two. The art provided by Liam Sharp (where did this guy come from anyway?) is also top-notch and is a little reminiscent of the mighty Frank Quietley - sharing his knack for drawing hot but non-gravity defying women. This is exactly the kind of title that Vertigo should be producing and the emergence of this alongside the recent Exterminators suggest another fine chapter in the imprint's history is just getting started.