Shade, the Changing Man, Vol. 3: Scream Time

Shade, the Changing Man, Vol. 3: Scream Time by Peter Milligan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Shade's conflict with the American Scream and Wisor of Meta comes to a brutal conclusion. Also, Shade saves Christmas.

In the third volume of Shade the Changing Man, the American Scream's origin is revealed, Kathy deals with some things, and Shade brings the first arc of his series to a close. This volume was the best of the three so far. Chris Bachalo's art has improved in leaps and bounds since the first issue and all the seeds Peter Milligan planted in the first 18 or so issues bore fruit.

Shade was always overshadowed by other books like The Sandman and The Doom Patrol when it was being published but I'd say it's more original than either series. Milligan's weirdness is more purposeful than that of the Doom Patrol and I think his writing is on par with Gaiman's.

I love that this volume has a Western theme, part of it taking place in a bizarre version of the old west. Another thing that I thought was really cool was that this volume felt more connected to the Steve Ditko Shade the Changing Man series of the 1970's, with mentions of Meta, Shade's fiancee Mellu, and Shade's body floating in the Madness Zone, still wearing the M-Vest. Heck, Milligan even reveals the origin of the M-Vest.

That's about all I have to say. I'm hoping DC reprints the rest of Shade so that I may read it.

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Batman: Heart of Hush

Batman: Heart of Hush by Paul Dini
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hush returns and begins striking at Batman however he can. But when he attacks Catwoman and removes the heart from her chest, has he gone too far?

The Heart of Hush further fleshes out the childhood relationship between Bruce Wayne and Tommy Elliot, aka Hush, as well as that between Batman and Catwoman. It also cements Hush's place in Batman's Rogues Gallery along with legends like The Joker, the Penguin, and the Riddler.

Much like in his initial appearance, the big draw with Hush is that he knows Bruce Wayne well enough to strike him close to home, where it would hurt the most. In this case, it's Catwoman, who is used to show that Batman is still just a man. Hush continues to pal around with Bat-villains like Scarecrow and Mr. Freeze in order to achieve his goals. One thing I really liked in this volume was the Scarecrow juicing up a kidnapped, bat-fearing kid with Venom and unleashing him on Batman.

At the end of the day, however, it's not as remarkable as Hush or The Black Mirror, other recent Batman favorites of mine. Three stars, edging toward four.

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Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman Volume 4

Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman Volume 4 by Jonathan Hickman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Thing becomes human for a week. The Silver Surfer discovers the corpse of the future version of Galactus and comes looking for answers. Valeria makes a deal with Doom. Susan Richards gets caught in a conflict between Namor and the other Atlanteans. The Anti-Priest hatches a scheme that will see one of the Fantastic Four dead...

Over the course of the past three volumes, I've mentioned that while I like Jonathan Hickman's ideas, everything seems like set up. Not so with this one. The foreplay is over and the penetration has begun!

All the seeds Hickman has sown thus far come to fruition. Annihilus, Galactus, the Council of Reeds, Nu-World, the Future Foundation, all of it. It feels like a summer blockbuster. Everything that can go wrong does, and while it all works out eventually, nothing is the same.

Super hero deaths are so frequent that they barely register with me any more. The Human Torch's death was different. The issue was largely silent, showing the reactions of Johnny Storm's death through the super hero world. Franklin Richards' chat with Spiderman and The Thing brawling with Hulk and Thor were by far the most touching parts. How often do you see Thor shed a tear and the Hulk trying to comfort the Thing?[Super hero deaths are so frequent that they barely register with me any more. The Human Torch's death was different. The issue was largely silent, showing the reactions of Johnny Storm's death through the super hero world. Franklin Richards' chat with Spiderman and The Thing brawling with Hulk and Thor were by far the most touching parts. How often do you see Thor shed a tear and the Hulk trying to comfort the Thing? (hide spoiler)]
I had my doubts about Hickman's run all the way up until this point but he has completely redeemed himself.

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Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman - Volume 3

Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman - Volume 3 by Jonathan Hickman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Reed Richards assembles promising young minds and forms the Future Foundation. The Human Torch takes Franklin and Leech shopping. The various versions of Nathaniel Richards, Reed's father, are hunting one another through the time stream until only one remains...

Hickman's guiding of Marvel's First Family continues. This time, he plays with B-list Fantastic Four foils like Arcade and Impossible Man. The formation of the Future Foundation sows the seeds for the Future Foundation's own title down the road, as well as giving The Thing something to look forward to every year.

By far, my favorite storyline in the collection was Nathaniel Richards snatching college-agedReed, Ben Grimm, and Victor Von Doom for a jaunt through time to combat another version of himself. Maybe it's because I've been watching a lot of Doctor Who lately but I really dug this story.

Still, it wasn't all peaches and gravy. Dale Eaglesham is gone, replaced by the not-quite-as-good Neil Edwards. Just as with the previous two volumes, it feels a lot more like setup than standalone tales. While I know Hickman's got something huge brewing, I don't know if I have the patience to stick around long enough to see it.

All that being said, I love the sheer amount of ideas Hickman is throwing at me. Even if the pace isn't as fast as I prefer, the man knows the Fantastic Four. 3 stars.

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Run Man Run

Run Man Run by Himes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I went on a quest for some Chester Himes not to long ago, hearing that he was an influence on Joe Lansdale. This was the first of his books I stumbled upon. The blurb on the cover says "Lush sex and stark violence, colored Black and served up raw by a great Negro writer." How could I not buy it?

A drunken cop, Matt Walker, is stumbling around Harlem and can't find his car. He wanders into an automat where three black men are working as porters. He immediately accuses them of stealing his car. While he's pointing his gun at one of them in a drunken rage, the gun goes off "accidentally." Seeing the trouble he'll be in, Walker finishes off the man he shot, kills another porter, and wounds the other, Jimmy Johnson. Johnson survives, but Walker is on his trail...

The suspense in this thing is unbelievable. It's not hard to empathize with Jimmy, what with the psycho cop Walker stalking him at every turn. You also feel for Detective Brock, Walker's brother cop and brother in law. And though some of her behavior is horrible, you even feel for Linda, Jimmy's girlfriend who's not sure what to believe.

You can definitely see how Himes influenced Lansdale. It's not hard to believe that Lansdale's Texas and Himes's Harlem exist in the same world.

I'd recommend this to all crime fans, especially those of the pulp and Hard Case variety.

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The Real Cool Killers

The Real Cool Killers by Chester Himes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ulysses Galen is shot down in the streets of Harlem and Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson are on the case. The prime suspect is a member of a gang calling themselves The Real Cool Moslems. After an incident with the Moslems, Coffin Ed is suspended. Good thing, since one of the girls that runs with the Moslems is his teenaged daughter...

It's a crime that Chester Himes isn't more well known than he is. The writing in The Real Cool Killers is gritty and straight to the point. I can see Himes's influence in not only Joe Lansdale's writing but also James Ellroy's. Himes's Harlem isn't a nice place to live, that's for sure. The revelation of who actually killed Galen is fairly surprising.

I think I'll be tracking down the rest of the Harlem Detectives series. Coffin Ed and Grave Digger Jones are ass-kicking machines and I'd like to see them on another case where they can fully cut loose.

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Hot Day, Hot Night

Hot Day Hot Night by Chester Himes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When a pantsless man with his throat cut dies at the feet of Coffin Ed and Grave Digger Jones, it's up to the toughest detectives in Harlem to find out who killed him. But can they solve the murder and figure out who's causing the riots that threaten to destroy Harlem?

Hot Day, Hot Night, aka Blind Man with a Pistol, is more than a pulp detective story. Like Himes's other books featuring Coffin Ed and Grave Digger Jones, it's a commentary about racism and racial equality. You can definitely tell by reading it that Himes wasn't planning on writing another Harlem Detective book. This one is bleak, chaotic, and even the baddest detectives in Harlem seem to be getting tired.

Chaotic would be the best way to describe the narrative. There are riots, murders, and all kinds of crazy shit. Coffin Ed and Grave Digger were just as in the dark as I was for most of it. The ending pretty much sums up the point Himes was trying to get across in the whole book: violence doesn't make sense.

It's a shame Chester Himes isn't very well known. He was definitely ahead of his time.

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