Likes & Dislikes - the Likes, part 1

In an earlier entry I took shots at a few writers. In the interest of being objective, here is an honest entry to praise work by those slighted writers. In truth, the dislike stated in that earlier entry is pretty much reserved for the ideas and arcs mentioned there.

As I mentioned, I liked Brian Michael Bendis' take on Daredevil. I was relieved when he took over, because I did not care for the Kevin Smith or David Mack issues. The Bob Gale issues were okay, but it was obvious when Bendis took over that they (Marvel) were just killing time.

Bendis handled the supporting cast in a great way. It was about time that Foggy Nelson got the credit for being the great character he always was. Frank Miller touched on it during his too-short tenure, but Bendis really brought him to life. It was also nice to see Ben Urich used as a significant player in this series. Whether or not the Luke Cage/Iron Fist/Jessica Jones thing is going to be worthwhile in the years to come is debatable. For now, they are valid characters, pretty much singly because BMB wants them to be.

Speaking of Jessica Jones reminds me how much I enjoyed Alias. That was a pleasant surprise, as I pretty much fished all the issues I have out of the dollar boxes. An excellent read, and one of the most interesting portrayals of Captain America I've read in recent years.

And, of course, how could I talk about Bendis without mentioning Jinx and Powers? Jinx was something I came across at the recommendation of a guy who ran a shop I frequented in the early 90s. I was looking for something new and interesting (and if you remember the comics landscape in the early 90s....it was kinda slim pickings).

Jinx was published by Caliber Comics and wasn't one of those "must have" titles. But I got it on this recommendation. And I liked it. Excellent noir reading. Pick it up if you haven't already - especially if you are a Bendis fan. Powers was a lot of fun and presented some interesting ideas about superheroes in general. If you're interested in a sort of deconstruction of superheroes, this is worth your time.

Now on to Greg Rucka. I had no interest in collecting Detective Comics at the time - but I found five consecutive issues at the 3 for $1.75 store. So I took a chance. The art was interesting, and the stories looked intriguing. Little did I know that Detective would soon become a "must have" title for me. It still ticks me off that I can't find issue 756 for a decent price. The run was excellent up until the "Bruce Wayne Murderer" arc. It was good after that, but I liked it a lot more before that.

The idea of giving Bruce Wayne a bodyguard was hilarious. Rucka played that hand wonderfully. And it is doubly interesting that the character of Sasha Bordeaux went on to become a larger player in the DC Universe. Rucka was another writer - like Bendis - who used his character's supporting characters brilliantly. His stories made Crispus Allen and Renee Montoya such great characters that you'd think they'd been there all along.

Rucka was also excellent on Gotham Central, a series he shared with Ed Brubaker. It featured a Gotham where Batman was a warily regarded peripheral player, and it focused on the cops who disliked his "interference" in solving crimes.

It is an interesting perspective, as Batman has become such a well-defined character that you don't usually think about how he might be perceived by the cops he sometimes works alongside. The series (what I read of it...about 25 issues) was excellent, and recommended highly.

I hope to complete my collection and read the remainder someday soon. As you probably guessed, I also totally recommend Rucka's Detective issues to anyone who enjoys good comics.