One of the artists on the short list of "someone whose work I'll buy no matter what comic it's in" is Alan Davis.I've always liked his artwork - it's powerful but clean, dynamic and fresh. He tells the story clearly, but always with an original take and a style that's very much his own. There are some influences in there - some Neal Adams, some John Byrne, a little Dave Cockrum, some Brian Bolland - but he's really blazing his own trail by now, and his work is a strong as ever.
And one of the things I really like about his work is that each character is unique. Too many artists can only draw one body type, and they just change the costume or the hair. Davis' characters are all different - Iceman is slim, Wolverine short and stocky, Namor is regal, and Osborn radiates evil.
He's also a heck of a good writer (as evidenced by the sadly unappreciated comic Clandestine, among others). Here he's teamed up with Matt Fraction, who's no slouch himself.
But this story is a mighty thin one, as Norman Osborn decides to get his revenge on Namor and Emma Frost by sending a monster against the Atlanteans and the X-Men.
This issue could just as easily have been titled Sub-Mariner, since he's really the star this time around. Not that I'm complaining - one of the things I like about the Dark Reign books is the return of Namor to the spotlight. That's long overdue.
So the issue's not much more than a big battle between the heroes and the monster, with some posing and threats passed around between Osborn and Namor. I'm not really sure why this merited a special issue (other than the chance to score another $3.99 from the fans).
But my, the art sure is nice.
Grade: B-
No comments:
Post a Comment