Logan Dalton, Author at Graphic Policy

Author Archives: Logan Dalton

TV Review: Broad City S308 Burning Bridges

Posted on April 9, 2016 by Logan Dalton

Over the past 28 episodes (and a webseries), we’ve had the chance to hang out with Abbi and Ilana through their misadventures, awkward moments, and epic journeys. “Burning Bridges” uses this built up good will and characterization and just lets the emotions come out. Because this is a turning point for Broad City as a show and Ilana and Abbi as characters, it fitting that Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson are on writing duties on an episode that shifts the status quo. Abbi and Trey’s (Paul W Downs) one month sex friends thing ends, and the longer, more emotionally resonant relationship between Ilana and Winston (Hannibal Burress) is also over. And it’s not like they’re friends or anything because their former open relationship complicates. I hope that Winston makes a cameo or two as the series continues because Burress’ matter of fact, deadpan delivery is great, and he has a great callback gag in this episode as he is still lugging around Blake Griffin’s basketball shoe as man purse.

But first, the funny stuff. Director Lucia Aniello leads off with a split screen cold open, but switches things up by using a 360 camera effect that you may have seen in those annoying ads on Facebook. The open itself is a simple, yet funny as Ilana has to take a drug test at work and using Abbi’s urine even though she smokes a lot of weed as well. It’s also connected to this episode’s conclusion with the shared drug as companionship motif because they might lie to each other and have relationship struggles, but at the end of the day, they’re still just two friends smoking weed in the bathtub Wait this paragraph was only going to talk about funny things in Broad City, but the feels keep creeping up, which is basically the experience of watching “Burning Bridges”.

For example, the tense, painful for anyone who has tried being in an open or polysexual relationship conversation between Ilana and Winston is preceded by a sunny tracking shot montage of Ilana blithely going through her day. It seems like yet another manic Mon, er, Ilana day, but it gets a little darker when Abbi takes a chair from a guy, who was using it to From his actions on the show and general demeanor, Lincoln is really a kind human being and is trying to let down Ilana as easily as possible. He is straightforward and self-aware about their relationship and wisely doesn’t play the “just friends” card because they’ve really only been sex buddies or talking about sex with other people buddies this season.

But this doesn’t mean Ilana doesn’t feel hurt. And there is a searing pain in her eyes the whole the rest of the episode that she tries to cure with cat-calling random men and women while she’s sitting on a bench with her parents, making out with a married man she falsely assumes is in an open relationship and ends up being a jerk, and just plain walking out when she sees Abbi with Trey. She is currently at a very low point in both her life and career, but Glazer and Jacobson show shades of her old self as she makes dick jokes while smoking weed as the credits wrap. That’s one coping mechanism for heartbreak.

The centerpiece of the episode is a dinner scene as Ilana is celebrating her parents’ anniversary with her brother Eliot (Eliot Glazer) while Abbi is going on her first actual date with Trey. It’s a series of tried and true comedic misunderstandings that culminates in an epic parkour sequence as Trey does the Heimlich on Mrs. Wexel (Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Susi Essman) and finally realize the reason why Abbi has been making worse and worst excuses to leave the table as the night has gone on. (Jacobson’s best work comes when there’s a little truth to the lie like telling Trey, “I’m emotional tonight.”) The fallout of the show is what blows the episode apart as Trey walks in on Abbi telling Ilana that he thinks he’s a “joke” while trying to reunite with him. This is bound to make things awkward because he is her boss at Soulstice. There could be another job search episode in her future.

“Burning Bridges” is a huge and potentially risky move for Broad City as Glazer, Jacobson, and Aniello play with some loose serialization by turning Trey and Abbi’s relationship into a kind of three act comedy of errors with a drunk “komboozecha” filled kiss, a Pixar move induced one night stand, and finally an attempt at a real date that fails miserably. Ilana’s storylines have been looser this season with everything from mishaps at a food co-op to volunteering for the Hilary Clinton campaign, but her breakup with Winston is definitely a huge fixed point in her arc and an opportunity to show both her dramatic and comedic range as a performer. And it’s super sad too unless you ship Abbi and Ilana. (This reviewer might…)

Overall Rating: 9.0

Television

Review: Midnighter #11

Posted on April 6, 2016 by Logan Dalton

Violence and tenderness collide once again in Midnighter #11 as Apollo saves his ex-boyfriend and our protagonist from certain death stemming out of last issue’s Deadshot exploding plane trick cliffhanger. The opening three pages showcase Aco’s storytelling abilities as he goes from the slow, very homoerotic burn of a shirtless Apollo tending to a wounded Midnighter to applying his layout skills to Apollo’s Superman-level speed and power set as he catches Midnighter in a moment that will make long time fans of the couple from their Wildstorm days in Stormwatch and The Authority beam with joy. Writer Steve Orlando‘s plot is mostly action-driven with Bendix (the man who experimented on Midnighter) unleashing The Unified and justifying its existence with the brashness of a more articulate War on Terror-era George W. Bush as Midnighter, Apollo, and Helena Bertinelli battle the Suicide Squad while learning from their mistakes. But he also leaves enough time to dig into Apollo and Midnighter’s (kind of) reconciliation showing that they still deeply care for each other and also that they make a great team. And their conversations are the beating heart of the issue.

With the arrival of Apollo, colorist Jeromy Cox introduces some real radiance to the Midnighter title, which has mostly been blood splatters or cold, clammy labs and secret bases with some splashes of color, like Parasite’s purple body. But Cox gives Apollo quite the aura with a kind of halo behind him and a gorgeous sunset backdrop in both his opening scene, and when he catches Midnighter. Aco also finds a new use for his snapshot panels in showcasing Apollo’s abilities and showing how different he is from Midnighter. Instead of using these panels to show the limbs that he is breaking, Aco uses them to show the number of people Apollo is saving as Bendix takes control of the door technology that Midnighter uses to get around and almost turns Helena and some Spyral agents into street pizza.

However, this being Midnighter, there is a room for a bit of the old ultraviolence, including a brutal, yet masterful fight sequence between Midnighter and Afterthought, who is the precognitive Rookie of the Year on the Suicide Squad. Orlando and Aco continue to have a talent in finding foes that match up well with Midnighter and give his fight computer a workout even if Afterthought doesn’t have the personal dimension Prometheus had. This isn’t a problem because Afterthought is just a checkpoint on a longer journey directly connected to Midnighter’s origin, and his fight with Midnighter is like watching a Rocky film on speed as M takes hit after hit until turning a corner just in time with a sound effect inflected punch. And as an added bonus, Aco gets to show off Helena’s crossbow skills when she squares off against Captain Boomerang in a ranged weapon battle royale. He and Orlando don’t waste the colorful characters of the Suicide Squad creating opportunities for fun, flashy battles and well-timed quips from Midnighter. Hugo Petrus also gets to draw some pivotal scenes featuring Amanda Waller and Bendix as she is confronted with her tactics (including nanobombs to keep her supervillain hit team under control) being used on a chaotic, almost godlike scale with Bendix turning up her mistrust of superheroes and Machiavellianism to eleven as the issue concludes.

And to fight a god, you need one of your own, and luckily for Waller, Spyral, and the whole DC Universe, Apollo is back. I discussed his signature visual style earlier, but his real impact on Midnighter #11 is emotional, not just as an incredibly fit deus ex machina. Midnighter pours out his soul to Apollo in a heartfelt monologue about how he has come to terms with being Midnighter all the time, not having a secret identity, and dating again even if his last boyfriend turned out to be a supervillain. It gets sappy too, but Orlando breaks things up with a little flirty banter and probably the sexiest this book has gotten since Dick Grayson wore a towel. Aco has a knack for the slow rhythms of foreplay, but Apollo and Midnighter’s reunion must come on the field of sketchy, genetically enhanced black ops war. The final page featuring them is poster worthy though, and issue twelve can’t come soon enough

Midnighter #11 introduces Apollo to the series at the best possible time as Steve Orlando, ACO, Hugo Petrus, and Jeromy Cox explore his fractured relationship with Midnighter and awe-inspiring power between and during a series of excellently choreographed scuffles with the Suicide Squad and Bendix’s The Unified.

Story: Steve Orlando Art: ACO and Hugo Petrus Colors: Jeromy Cox
Story: 8.5 Art: 9 Overall: 8.7 Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Review: The Wicked + The Divine #18

Posted on April 6, 2016 by Logan Dalton

WicDiv #18 signals the beginning of the comic’s imperial phase with the triumphant return of artist Jamie McKelvie and colorist Matthew Wilson as they and writer Kieron Gillen drop the introspective character studies of the previous arc for some well-earned action sequences and magical musical explosions. It’s like when your favorite band stopped playing small clubs and intimate venues and started playing arena rock. But damn good arena rock, like Queen or Rush in the late 70s and early 80s, the Smashing Pumpkins on their Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness album, or Muse in this millennium. (Before they started putting songs on Twilight soundtracks.)

But beneath the most creative use of divine powers since the death of Luci, WicDiv #18 is a comic about transformation. Somehow, Laura has survived being “killed” by Ananke after being transformed into the 13th Pantheon member, Persephone, and she is back with a vengeance playing gigs with black, oozing tendrils in the background as McKelvie and Wilson recreate the rhythmic dance floor layout in WicDiv #8 but paint it black this time. And her little bit of attitude that was kind of adorable in the previous issues has been exchanged for pure coolness as she performs feats that and is in pure sarcasm mode. The squeeing fangirl has become a goddess.

However, through Ananke’s tense attitude and constant freaking out, Gillen reveals that Persephone is something called the “Destroyer” and sets the stage for a war between the underworld gods and sky gods. Think Civil War without the heavy handed political allegories and with more stylish outfits. (I hate to use this word, but Persephone is definitely on fleek when she faces off against Ananke, Woden, and Sakhmet.) The direction of the plot has gone from passive aggressive sniping and covert actions to all out war between hot headed young gods while their handler continues to manipulate them.

However, the big action beats on WicDiv #18 really hit home thanks to the more character focused direction of the previous arc as small moments, like Baphomet losing his parents in WicDiv #16 or Baal beating up Morrigan in WicDiv #12, have solid payoffs. For example, Morrigan reminds Baphomet of his own orphan status, and leads him to saving Minerva’s parents even if they don’t show up on panel. And Baal and Baphomet are really in a kind of “Bad Blood” situation as they face off physically twice in the course of this issue’s melee with some flame sword and fierce headbutting action. (Wilson really juices up the pastels when Baal headbutts Baphomet in a kind of testosterone fueled homage to Baal’s dead lover Inanna, which is the reason why he hates Baph so much.)

Everyone is really angry in WicDiv #18 as McKelvie and Wilson turn up the bombast as divine energy and speed lines are flying everywhere. But it’s not mindless Hollywood destruction porn as the team puts the Pantheon members in clever or interesting situations, and Gillen is always ready with a timely quip written in each character’s distinct voice from Baphomet’s douchiness to Morrigan’s pretention and Badb’s plain rawness. Woden’s outburst of “Laura Fucking Wilson” when Persephone does some Earth-bending meets The Matrix with a side of Green Lantern stuff is the funniest moment of the issue. (And of course, Ananke gives him a chiding.) McKelvie takes familiar visual elements of Laura like her beaten up smartphone and again transforms them into weapons of war against Ananke and her supporters. And her “S’okay” expression from when she gave Baal the brush returns after she uses her Persephone abilities to create some kind of a portal from Valhalla to the Underworld, which has been impossible up to this point. Gillen and McKelvie consign decompression to the flames of Tartarus, and Persephone play an immediate, game changing role in the series’ plot while also starting to flesh out the differences between her and Laura.

After opening with a gorgeous full page spread of Persephone in all her glory and creating a parallel between Persephone losing her parents and Minerva still wanting to keep hers, WicDiv #18 dives right into the set pieces as the characters that Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, and Matthew Wilson have been building off get to blow off some steam in an epic way. McKelvie truly makes Persephone the star of the show design-wise while making her simultaneously non-chalant and pissed off at Ananke, and Wilson’s color work for her is intoxicating with blacks for the underworld and pinks and greens for spring when she is using her abilities in Valhalla. WicDiv #18 is electrifying reading, and its more quiet final page really messes with the character dynamics and sets up a war, both physical and emotional. No one is going to be okay by time this arc wraps up.

Story: Kieron Gillen Art: Jamie McKelvie Colors: Matthew Wilson
Story: 9.5 Art: 10 Overall: 9.8 Recommendation: Buy

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Feeling the Pulse #8-9

Posted on April 4, 2016 by Logan Dalton

Feeling the Pulse is a weekly issue by issue look at the follow-up series to Alias featuring Jessica Jones and a team of reporters at the Daily Bugle, who investigate and report on superhero related stories.

In this installment of Feeling the Pulse, I will be covering The Pulse #8-9 (2005) written by Brian Michael Bendis, pencilled by Michael Lark, inked by Stefano Gaudiano, and colored by Pete Pantazis.

In The Pulse #8-9, writer Brian Michael Bendis and artists Michael Lark (Daredevil, Gotham Central) and Stefano Gaudiano tie up the “Secret War” arc with an air of measured cynicism as the Daily Bugle decides to not print the story of Nick Fury sending superheroes to fight an unsanctioned war on foreign soil. And it’s not because they’re afraid of Nick Fury, who shows up all grandfatherly in a hologram to Luke Cage and Jessica Jones towards the end of The Pulse #9, but because they don’t have all the facts in a story that could lead to World War III. But these issues aren’t all down in the dumps as Jessica Jones resists HYDRA interrogation (Pretty damn easy after all those cops in Alias and an earlier issue of The Pulse) and shows her love for Luke by looking for him all over the state of New York before having an emotional reunion involving the words “I love you”. It’s sweet, well-earned, and adds humanity to the conspiracy and journalism plots. However, The Pulse #8-9 isn’t without its flaws even though Lark, Gaudiano, and colorist Peter Pantazis evoke Michael Gaydos’ style on Alias when drawing Jessica Jones and the various supporting characters. First, there is Wolverine yelling about being raped in front of Jessica Jones, who has been forced to watch young women being sexually assaulted by Killgrave. This isn’t mentioned at all, and Bendis just uses it to make Wolverine seem really crazy when Pantazis’ blood red colors do an even better job of showing him that he’s not in his right mind. There is also Danny Rand (aka Iron Fist) acting completely mean and cold around Jessica and not letting her see Luke thinking she’s just another Power Man groupie. Night Nurse comes out and blames it on insomnia, but it’s a little sad that Luke’s best friend and girlfriend get off on the wrong foot for seemingly no reason.

The Pulse #8 opens with several silent pages as we get to see the supervillain attack Luke and Jessica’s apartment in Harlem and explode (Another great use of red from Pantazis.) before coming to the present day where HYDRA is giving her the old sales pitch appealing to her outsider nature, talking about S.H.I.E.L.D.’s corruption, and promising money and support for her and her baby. At the Bugle, Ben Urich is desperately trying to find Jessica and get to the bottom of this Nick Fury story when he gets a call from a retired S.H.I.E.L.D. agent named Al McKenzie, who corroborates Jessica’s story about Nick Fury doing something seriously wrong, and tells him that the attack on the hospital was technology themed supervillains taking revenge on Fury for invading foreign soil without the sanction of the U.S. government or U.N. McKenzie says that Urich should print this story even if Fury’s activities have been off limits in the past. Urich has his usual argument with Jameson, but the story’s still in play as Agent Clay Quartermain and S.H.I.E.L.D drop in and save Jessica after she tells a HYDRA agent to stuff thousands of dollars in cash up her ass. The issue ends with Jessica acting Quatermain about the “Secret War” and S.H.I.E.L.D’s illicit activities, but he doesn’t say anything.

The Pulse #9 amps up the drama and opens with Jessica Jones berating J. Jonah Jameson for being a terrible person and letting her get kidnapped by HYDRA. As she runs off to look for Luke, Urich follows her and tries to help when Al McKenzie (who looks a lot like Donald Sutherland) shows up, applauds Jessica for not joining HYDRA, and then gets punched by her. She lets him go after he gives her an address where Luke is in upstate New York. Urich knows he’s lying, but Jessica goes into a nearby dive bar any ways and runs into a drunk, rage filled Wolverine. Wolverine hits on her, then gets angry when she mentions S.H.I.E.L.D., and talks about Jessica was probably set up so he would get angry enough to kill Fury on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D. Wolverine says that Luke Cage is a good guy, and Urich suddenly has an epiphany that Luke is staying with the Night Nurse to patch up his wounds. (He knows about her because he’s friends with Daredevil.) Luke is being heavily guarded by several martial artists, including Misty Knight, Shang Chi, and Iron Fist, but after a super emotional jarring conversation with Danny Rand, Jessica finally gets to see him and sharing a touching moment. This is ruined by a hologram of Nick Fury showing up and saying he cares about them, but doesn’t give any details about the Secret War. (Jessica totally tells him off.) The issue ends with Jameson and Robbie Robertson deciding not to print a story about Nick Fury’s illegal activities and going with their usual “Spider-Man: Menace” headline.

Pete Pantazis really punches up his colors in The Pulse #8-9 in ways both subtle and bombastic. As I mentioned earlier, he uses red during moments where Jessica Jones feels her life or her baby’s life is being threatened. The two page opening scene of The Pulse #8 is very powerful because Bendis lets Lark and Pantazis do the heavy lifting with plenty of shadows overlaid by red and by showing the scene from Jessica’s POV as her apartment crumbles all around her. It’s a visual representation of how terrible she has been feeling throughout the arc. This red comes back when Jessica runs into Wolverine at the dive bar where he is drinking away his trauma of being used as a human weapon yet again by S.H.I.E.L.D. in a similar manner to the Weapon X program. He flashes his claws as Lark breaks up the page, but relents just before the killing blow as Pantazis relaxes his colors from scarlet red to just a general dark palette.

This is a strong way to show Wolverine’s berserker rage as well as his humanity, but Bendis kind of ruins it by having him yell, “Stop raping me” over and over again in regards to secret government organizations manipulating him. Comics is a medium that prides itself on economy of storytelling, and the best comics use a well-placed facial expression or use of color to convey meaning instead of dialogue. But Bendis won’t let Pantazis’ excellent color work stand for itself, or even Lark’s panels of Jessica Jones looking terrified as Wolverine pops his claws. He has to have Wolverine go on about being a rape victim in front of someone, who was actually sexually assaulted. Of course, he’s not in his right mind, but usually when Wolverine goes feral, he’s non-verbal or monosyllabic. (See the laconic killing machine when he was brainwashed in the “Enemy of the State” from Mark Millar’s run on Wolverine.) So, this is both out of character, insensitive, and just plain takes me out of the story. Luckily, Bendis course corrects by the end of the scene with Pantazis returning to a neutral palette, and Wolverine saying that Luke Cage is one of the four good guys he knows. (Who are the other three, I wonder? Maybe Bendis expands on this in his New Avengers run that I’ve only read in bits and pieces.)

Along with Wolverine, Bendis’ characterization of Iron Fist is inconsistent in The Pulse #9. It’s perfectly understandable that he, Shang Chi, and Misty Knight (We could have used a pointless ninja brawl with those three in the same panel.) are protecting Luke Cage, whose injuries were considered life threatening back in The Pulse #6. However, Danny acts very rudely towards the mother of his best friend’s child. It isn’t like he doesn’t know who Jessica is and tersely acknowledges her presence and pregnancy in their first interaction. However, then he goes on a long diatribe about how he and Luke have had many enemies since their days as Power Man and Iron Fist, and how does he know that she’s not one of them. Then, he closes by claiming that Luke might not be the father of her child. (Lark nails Jessica’s anger in this scene with a subtle zoom towards her bloodshot eyes and bandaged face.) But before he does or says anything, Night Nurse and Misty Knight shut him up, and we finally get some payoff to Jessica’s breathless search throughout New York that included enduring a HYDRA monologue, calling in a favor from an ex-boyfriend, and having adamantium claws a couple inches from her face.

So far, I’ve said a lot of negative things in this article, but The Pulse #8-9 does an excellent job with its characterization of Ben Urich as well as creating some genuine emotional catharsis in Luke and Jessica’s reunion scene. These issues incorporate the Daily Bugle reporters into the narrative nicely while showing that Ben Urich has had to compromise in the past to get stories and has connections other than the ones who wear red and run or swing from rooftops. Bendis and Lark use the illustrated script format to make the extended conversation between former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Al McKenzie and Urich easy on the eyes as well as pulling a twist that, yes, S.H.I.E.L.D. is okay with the Bugle printing a story showing Nick Fury in an unfavorable light. Lark’s art shows how restless Urich is as he shifts from side to side and looks over his shoulder, especially after McKenzie says the call has been “monitored”, which is different from being “bugged” and what the government does to all major media companies in an post 9/11/NSA/Patriot Act world.

And in this short exchange, we drift away from the world of superheroes to explosions and to a world where people who leak government secrets are literally stuck in Russia. This fear of retaliation from an organization that can send a full squad of agents based on a cellphone call from three days ago (Jessica freaking out and calling Agent Quatermain with no result before she fainted and was scooped up by HYDRA agents.) is truly frightening, and the HYDRA agent’s words about S.H.I.E.L.D. now being extralegal terrorists kind of rings true in the light of these events. Espionage is one thing, but this is covering up a military engagement against the sovereign state of Latveria. (These details actually don’t make it into The Pulse, and not reading the actual Secret War adds to the suspense and makes the ending doubly bitter.) The “Secret War” arc ends in bitter resignation as Urich types up a story about the Secret War even though he knows Agent McKenzie is manipulating him to take down Nick Fury, but it’s Robbie Robertson, the idealist and proponent of news journalism as truth, who doesn’t decide to print it, not the pragmatist J. Jonah Jameson. He realizes the messiness and potential gravity of this situation and decides to protect his readers (and the United States by extension) by not going forward with a story that relies on an unnamed source. It would be thrilling to read about the Daily Bugle taking down a corrupt S.H.I.E.L.D. All the President’s Men style, but Bendis and Lark give us a story that rings true to the 21st American surveillance state albeit in the heightened world of the Marvel Universe.

The short, quiet scene that Jessica and Luke share towards the The Pulse #9 is a heartwarming to the cold dose reality served up by the Daily Bugle deciding not to print a story about Nick Fury and Secret War. Lark uses a nine panel grid to isolate the focus on Jessica and Luke’s feelings while Bendis easily conveys their chemistry together by having Jessica’s confession of love stem from a witty retort to a good natured quip from Luke saying she used to be a “tougher broad”. But, of course, Nick Fury shows to ruin the mood, but letterer Cory Petit turns thing up to eleven when Jessica tells the hologram to “Get the @#$% of our lives”. Like, in Alias, where she just wanted to make ends meet, Jessica just wants to keep her child and Luke safe and not have to deal with random explosions and S.H.I.E.L.D cover ups. Her anti-superhero/anti-establishment attitude serves her well in this situation.

Some issues with his writing of Wolverine and Iron Fist aside, The Pulse #8-#9 is a strong ending to Brian Michael Bendis, Brent Anderson, Michael Lark, and Pete Pantazis’ “Secret War” arc, which acts as the darker counterpoint to the investigative journalism triumph that was “Thin Air”. Lark was a good choice of artist for this story compared to Mark Bagley because he is known for doing stories that are more street level and cynical of costumed heroes, like Gotham Central or Daredevil. He also works well in the shadows, which really shows in the climactic scene in the dive bar with Wolverine or even the HYDRA warehouse. “Secret War” is overall a better arc than “Thin Air” because it also focuses more on Jessica’s and Ben Urich’s story than Spider-Man’s grudge with the Green Goblin and gets bonus points for shedding new light on Secret War from a different perspective.

Comics

TV Review: Broad City S3E07 B&B-NYC

Posted on April 2, 2016 by Logan Dalton

Broad City airs at 10 PM EST on Comedy Central.

On this week’s Broad City, writers Paul W Downs and Lucia Aniello introduce a couple drama bombs into an episode about sub-letting and sex with NBA players. (Blake Griffin of the L.A. Clippers spends more time sans clothes than with them on.) First, there is the loss of most of Abbi’s worldly possessions as her charming French boarder, Henri, isn’t what he seems and runs off with her stuff for seemingly no reason. In most stories, this would be the setup for a steamy Euro-romance, but Downs and Aniello just make it an instance of being robbed in New York City with the police assigned to Abbi’s robbery running off to apprehend “a black male pretending to read on a bench” in a darkly satirical takedown of systemic racism.

The second drama bomb happens in the slow fracturing of Abbi and Ilana’s relationship, but it’s played pretty slow and subtle until Abbi lies to Ilana’s face about being alone. This is because she decided to have sex with her co-worker Trey (played by Downs), who she calls to keep her company after the break-in. Downs and Jacobson have a kind of breezy, yet slightly awkward chemistry that stems from their mismatched interests. Trey is into fitness (He said he’d have his “cheat meal” at Remy’s restaurant in Ratatouille, the movie that he and Abbi watch.) beyond it just being his job while Abbi cares more about art. However, Trey is interested in Abbi’s art and even amuses her by pretending to be a cubist painting. But there is something off about their pairing, and this is possibly why Abbi lied to Ilana about having sex with them when they are usually super open about their sex lives. Hopefully, it will be expanded upon in later episodes.

However, this lie isn’t just an attempt to create drama for drama’s sake. Director Lucia Aniello hints at it throughout the episode as Abbi and Ilana (who are killing time until their tenants leave because they have nowhere to crash) overhear a loud, obnoxious pedestrian talking about a private party at the 40/40 Club (an upscale sports bar owned by Jay-Z), and in true Broad City fashion, find their way into this elite establishment complete with hair whipping waitresses. Aniello uses some swag-filled slow-mo to show how joyful Abbi and Ilana are to be drinking and dancing at such an amazing place, and Glazer and Jacobson pull some crazy faces and dance moves while definitely showing that they don’t belong. However, when they interact together, Abbi and Ilana aren’t on the same page and act the exact opposite of the cold open where they were video chatting while in the bathroom. For example, Abbi is too busy laughing at Henri’s “texts that could be sexts” to consider the offer of a three way with Ilana and Blake Griffin, and Ilana ends up putting her phone on “Do Not Disturb” and isn’t there for Abbi when her place is robbed. There could be trouble in paradise.

But along the way, there are a lot of laughs, especially during Blake Griffin and Ilana’s “sex scene”. It opens with Ilana freaking out about how well-endowed Griffin is and then realizing that traditional sex won’t do, and this leads to a semi-montage of different roleplaying scenarios, including drinking tea in chairs, yoga poses, piggyback rides, and Griffin swaddling Ilana like a baby. As well as being an uproarious example of physical comedy, it also shows that fun, sexual activities don’t always have to involve penetration. Downs and Aniello definitely deserve kudos for their creativity and end Griffin and Ilana’s time together with a stealthily feminist discussion about how Griffin thinks that WNBA players are secretly more talented than him, and that he steals move from them all the time. This line is pretty relevant with the whole situation of the more successful (They’ve advanced past the quarterfinals.) US women’s national soccer team getting paid far less than the men’s team.

“B&B-NYC” gets a little sad and serious with Ilana and Abbi’s relationship dynamic even though it features crazy sex with an NBA player, slow-mo dancing, Pixar movies, and Lincoln (Hannibal Burress) using one of Blake Griffin’s Jordans as a man-purse. It’s just a tiny lie, but it will be interesting to see what happens with Abbi, Trey, and Ilana going forward as Broad City embraces small, shifting character arcs (Abbi and Trey previously connected and kissed at a party in “Rat Pack”.) instead of standalone picaresque stories like in the last two seasons.

Rating: 8.0

Feeling The Pulse #6-7

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Logan Dalton

In this installment of Feeling the Pulse, I will be covering The Pulse #6-7 (2005) written by Brian Michael Bendis, drawn by Brent Anderson, and colored by Pete Pantazis.

In the “Secret War” arc of The Pulse, which acts as kind of a follow up to The Pulse writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Gabriele Dell’Otto’s miniseries Secret War about Nick Fury sending different superheroes to Latveria to depose Dr. Doom, Bendis, new artist Brent Anderson (who won 7 Eisners for Astro City and drew the famous X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills graphic novel), and colorist Pete Pantazis tap into the old Alias magic and craft a conspiracy plot that gets pretty personal. The Pulse #6 opens up very enigmatically with Wolverine running around ferally before the story cuts to Jessica Jones and Luke Cage’s apartment in Harlem blowing with both of them rushed to the hospital. Luke is in a coma after taking the brunt of a power blast from an unknown superpowered female, and the doctors can’t do anything to bring him back because no needles can break through his unbreakable skin. There’s yet another annoying police interrogation session, and then Nick Fury and Captain America burst in with Cap socking Fury in the jaw and then heading out with Luke and Danny Rand. (This arc is more mysterious if you haven’t already read Secret War) Jessica is really perturbed about this and tries to call her lawyer Matt Murdock, but ends up talking to Ben Urich instead. Then, lights start to flash in the hospital with explosions everywhere, and the issue ends with Jessica Jones in the wreckage of the hospital.

The Pulse #7 is all about Jessica freaking out with Ben Urich and wondering where Fury and Cap took Luke. A nurse at the hospital blames her for the damage on the hospital and then says that Luke Cage should have never dated a white woman. After this painful exchange, Ben calls into the Daily Bugle and finds out that there was a “fireworks incident” at the pier while a homeless man tells Jessica that he was saved by Daredevil at the same location. Something doesn’t really add up. Then, she frantically calls everyone from her ex boyfriend and current SHIELD agent Clay Quatermain to Misty Knight and Danny Rand and finally Luke one more time. There’s no response so she and Ben head to the Daily Bugle where Jessica is furious when Robbie Robertson tells her that the Bugle and all media outlets turn a blind eye to Nick Fury’s activities because he is protecting national security and the greater good. Then, Jessica runs off and ends up collapsing outside Misty Knight’s apartment where some teenagers try to steal her wallet before they’re scared off by HYDRA agents in a crazy cliffhanger.

Whereas “Thin Air” was more of a Daily Bugle story, the first two chapters of “Secret War” feel like an actual Jessica Jones solo story. Sure, there are cameos from Captain America, Nick Fury, Wolverine, Iron Fist, and other superheroes’ voice mails, but their appearances remind me of the first arc of Alias where the big name characters are used to create tension and show that Jessica’s paranoia is well-placed. The Pulse #6 and #7 also look like a Jessica Jones story as the standard superhero art of Mark Bagley is replaced by the realism and gritty lines of Brent Anderson. As an artist known for his character first, spectacle second approach on titles like Astro City, range on emotions are at the forefront of his work. For example, Captain America can go from angrily berating Nick Fury and punching him in the face with speed lines zooming and then pivot and ask Jessica how her baby is doing before leaving without a word. In Alias, Cap said Jessica was a true hero, and this is a nice reminder of their previous positive interactions as well as showing that he is a decent human being even in a terrible situation.

But most of Anderson’s work is dedicated to showing Jessica’s vulnerability, paranoia, and how terrible she feels, but that she’s an ex-superhero/P.I and a current journalist, who wants to get to the bottom of this situation protocols about Nick Fury be damned. His pencils and ink work are pretty bleak showing the swaths of destruction created by this unknown supervillains, and he even opens The Pulse #7 with a highly detailed, almost watercolor painting of a sad, exhausted Jessica Jones. The fact that this is a conspiracy involving the man she loved has taken an extra toll on her, but has also increased her resolve to get to the bottom of it.

The Pulse #6 and #7 is filled with sudden, insane events that make no sense to anyone who hasn’t read Secret War. Why is Nick Fury giving Captain America orders like he’s just another soldier? Why does a simple Daredevil and Black Widow team-up level a major docking area in New York and warrant a double page destructoporn spread? And why are random, hidden in the shadows superhumans showing up and blasting energy at buildings with striking gold colors from Pantazis? With the departure of the superheroes in The Pulse #6 and the inability of the Daily Bugle to publish or even investigate anything having to do with Nick Fury, Jessica is truly on her own in this situation.

Also, in The Pulse #6-#7, Jessica Jones sounds and acts like herself. In a couple pages with black gutters simulating the bars of an interrogation room, she tells off police officers, who focus on her possible mutant status, constantly refer to Luke Cage as her husband, and give her no space, because she has just lost her home and possibly her boyfriend. Again, Bendis turns his focus on casual sexism as the police say they’re big fans of Luke Cage, but don’t even acknowledge her abilities, career, or even listen to her when she says over and over again that she’s not married to Luke. And in a more simple return of the character’s voice kind of way, the hard swearing Jessica Jones of Alias is back even though her f-bombs are censored because The Pulse is set in the mainstream Marvel Universe. And, like in Alias, it’s not profanity for the sake of shock value, but Jessica Jones is super freaked out and alone and turns to her reporter friend, Ben Urich, to help her sort out this crazy situation.

But The Pulse #6-7 isn’t just a conspiracy thriller and character study of Jessica Jones. Bendis uses the beginning of the “Secret War” arc to show how news media is complicit in government cover-ups because of “national security” reasons or because they’ll lose their access to press briefings, which hurts their access to breaking stories and will probably make them lose circulation and readers. Of course, Jessica won’t have any of this, and J. Jonah Jameson tactfully chooses the more idealistic Robbie Robertson to break their “no Nick Fury stories” policy to her even though him getting punched by Captain America while Luke Cage and Iron Fist look on in a hospital that later gets levelled would make a hell of a news story. Even Ben Urich, who has stood by his conscience for years and not exposed Daredevil or Spider-Man’s secret identity, agrees with the Bugle’s stance. This leads to angry running from Jessica Jones as Anderson’s layouts go from a grid to overlapping shapes as she looks at a Hulk headline and realizes that the media exists to make money and not show the truth about the world. It actually makes perfect sense that Jessica Jones is furious in this situation because her old job was a private investigator and to expose the secrets of the powerful (including a presidential candidate in the first arc of Alias) while the Daily Bugle reporters are implicit in the cover-up.

Even though some of the suspense and/or understanding of The Pulse #6-7 is contingent on if you’ve read another Brian Michael Bendis comic actually called Secret War, these two issues are a true artistic improvement over the previous five as Brent Anderson is the documentary filmmaker to Mark Bagley’s superhero stylist. Anderson really hits that sweet spot between cartooning and photorealism as his art is detailed, but not stiff. You can really feel the pain in Jessica’s eyes as she sees seemingly random superheroes fighting and arguing while her boyfriend is in a coma, and the power in Cap’s blow as he sucker punches Nick Fury, who is looking very guilty. Anderson and Bendis aren’t afraid to expose the dark, cynical underbelly of the Marvel Universe and even show that honest reporters, like Ben Urich, aren’t always paragons of integrity.

Comics

Broad City S3E06 “Philadelphia”

Posted on March 24, 2016 by Logan Dalton

Broad City airs at 10 PM EST on Comedy Central.

“Philadelphia” is the first Broad City episode to take place completely away from New York City as director Todd Biermann uses rapid cuts interspersed with Abbi and Ilana taking selfies of the other sleeping on the train to show their Amtrak and train journey from Penn Station to the Philly suburb Wayne, Pennsylvania. Yes, “Philadelphia” doesn’t take place in Philadelphia at all, but deals with the awkwardness of going back to your hometown as a young adult and seeing how it and you have changed. But this being Broad City, there are plenty of hijinks, including Ilana doing hardball negotiations in Mandarin Chinese over a commemorative Jon-Benet Ramsey Beanie Baby, a character named Syphilis, and a subplot about looking for Will Smith’s mom’s house because Wayne is technically west of Philadelphia that has an amazing punchline at the end of the episode.

The Jon-Benet Ramsey Beanie Baby subplot is yet another example of Ilana’s drive to make money in the most creative way possible as well as a bit of a satire on nostalgia culture and profiting on the death of celebrities. It also show that she has talent and energy, but doesn’t know how to harness it into her real job. Knowledge of Mandarin (Yiddish) Chinese, negotiation skills, and the exchange rate between the yen and the dollar could definitely come in handy on a C.V., but Ilana uses them to almost get $13,000 for a Beanie Baby. It’s pretty hilarious to see her constantly on the phone or taking shots of the plush toy while Abbi deals with the guilt of doing a dance benefit or inadvertently giving one of her former classmates the nickname “Syphilis” for the rest of his adult life after a field trip to colonial Williamsburg.

And the main throughline of “Philadelphia” is Abbi’s quest for redemption in her own way by returning the $900 that she raised for her classmate Alice, who was hit by a schoolbus on a Saturday. (So unlucky.) This money has been sitting in an envelope for God knows how long, and Abbi is on a trek across Wayne to find Alice and closure at the same time. But, like an P.I. with “expenses”, she and Ilana end up spending most of the money along the way on random things, like bowling shoes and liquor for teenagers. The teens don’t end up getting the booze or giving the girls a ride after a tense, silent Mexican standoff-like sequence where the police stare down the teens, then Abbi and Ilana, and run off. This scene is another footnote in an Infinite Jest length work about how visual comedy is all about editing. By the time she finally ends up at Alice’s (played by actress, model, future star of the Baywatch reboot) basically mansion, the money has dwindled down, and Abbi gets called an “asshole” for having the nerve to bring up her accident and lie about the money she raised. But even though she might not be the most tactful person, Abbi has an amazing friend named Ilana in her corner, who gives the Jon-Benet Ramsey Beanie Baby to Alice so Abbi can find “atonement” and not feel guilty any more. This is a big and kind of insane move on her account because Alice is a wealthy model with 10+ campaigns while Abbi and Ilana are barely scraping by. But the episode ends with a nice dance/cooking montage featuring Abbi, Ilana, and Mr. Abrams (played by the one and only Tony Danza) so it’s not all sad feelings and awkwardness.

Broad City continues its gold streak of guest stars with Tony Danza’s turn as Abbi’s divorced single dad and health enthusiast, Mr. Abrams. He’s the perfect mix of parental embarrassment and warmth with his anecdotes about Stevia and telling a young Abbi that he was divorcing her mom by the trash can so that she would stop playing in trash. Abbi still professes a liking for it, and this is a nice segue to the discovery of the Beanie Baby as well as her old dreadlocks from her jam band obsession day, which is a fun payoff from her Phish references in “Co-Op”. His elaborate handshake/dance/high five combination is truly an achievement in physical comedy from both Jacobson and Danza, and it’s a pity he doesn’t get more screen time.

In “Philadelphia”, writers/series creators Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer get down and dirty in exploring the complicated feelings of going back home and seeing your old friends and enemies success and failures in their careers and as human beings. It also continues Broad City Season 3’s trend of showing the consequences of Abbi and Ilana’s actions while not abandoning its weird and wonderful comedic take on life for twentysomethings.

Rating: 9.0

Review: Batman #50

Posted on March 23, 2016 by Logan Dalton

Batman #50 is an epic capper on the ten part “Superheavy” arc that closes out Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s almost five years on the title as Bruce Wayne returns as Batman and with the help of Jim Gordon, Duke Thomas, and even Geri Powers banishes Mr. Bloom and the people he has infected from Gotham City. In the issue, Snyder reiterates the theme of a family and community approach to heroism that has echoed throughout his run from Batman’s mistakes in “Death of the Family”, his growing relationship with Jim Gordon and Alfred Pennyworth in “Zero Year”, and finally in “Superheavy” where it’s the aging, dying ex-police commissioner, who saves the day using the literal power of the people, and not the superhero at the peak of his powers. (This is because the dionesium that revived Batman healed all his scars and wounds from his crime fighting career in a clever bit of plotting from Snyder.)

Basically, rugged individualism gets you someone like Mr. Bloom, who in trying to make Gotham a better place for the disenfranchised, ends up literally twisting the people he wants to save. Newly energized, Batman tries to do everything himself early on in the issue, but fortunately, Gordon overrides his command, and a simple command for his “rookie” suit that was used early on in “Superheavy” ends up turning the tide. A Yanick Paquette drawn epilogue hints at a more teamwork friendly Batman working closely with the GCPD (who is being supported financially by Geri Powers) as well as training Duke Thomas as the new Robin. It will be interesting to see what the new Batman team does with this new status quo as Gotham tries to bounce back from Bloom’s attack, which crippled Gotham’s willpower and electrical power.

The art team of Capullo, inker Danny Miki, and colorist/Why hasn’t he won an Eisner extraordinaire FCO Plascencia give Batman #50 an air of bombast, horror, and triumph with a side of tragedy while Snyder furthers characterization and themes through his novelistic narration and dialogue that has been a hallmark of the series. Everyone is at the peak of their powers from an early double page spread where Batman quickly takes out some of Bloom’s goons in a hail of fire, steam, and blood as Alfred quips about him having some new wounds to stitch up even though he is fresh for now to a pretty frightening sequence where Bloom overrides the various Powers Corporation Batmen and gives them the faces of various Batman villains, including the Joker.

But it’s not all explosions and robots as Capullo and Miki do an excellent job of showing the physical and mental punishment Jim, Julia Pennyworth, Batman, and Duke Thomas take on this long night of the soul. And their depictions of Bloom’s victims are incredibly creepy, especially when Duke finds out that his cousin Daryl is behind the program, which went horribly wrong and is a powerful conclusion to his subplot throughout “Superheavy”. This is the trauma that causes him to fight back and take the final step in his journey to become a hero and Robin in his own right. He gets to a drive a blimp too, which is cool and reminded me of when Carrie Kelly saved Batman from the Mutant gang in The Dark Knight Returns with the help of the Bat-tank. Duke is a living embodiment of what Jim Gordon says in his speech about Batman teaching the people of Gotham to save themselves and become heroes in their own right.

Batman #50 is both an action packed and a thematically resonant conclusion to the “Superheavy” arc and Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, and FCO Plascencia’s Batman epic. There are a lot of moving parts and MacGuffins flying about in this double sized, definitely worth your $5.99 issue, but Snyder ties it all together through a powerful speech from Jim Gordon about the power of ordinary human beings working together to fix things, like poverty, inequality, and crime. But Batman can only be Batman, and Paquette shows this in the heartbreaking final pages as Julie Madison rebuilds the daycare center that an amnesiac Bruce Wayne built and sadly can’t be a part of any more.

Story: Scott Snyder Art: Greg Capullo, Danny Miki, and Yanick Paquette
Colors: FCO Plascencia and Nathan Fairbarn
Story: 9 Art: 10 Overall: 9.5 Recommendation: Buy

TV Review: Broad City S3E05 2016

Posted on March 18, 2016 by Logan Dalton

Broad City airs at 10 PM EST on Comedy Central.

In this week’s Broad City, Ilana deals with the woes of being unemployed and does some creative things to get money, like being an overenthusiastic bike messenger, doing dance moves on the subway in rainbow colored, and finally an unpaid volunteer at Hilary Clinton . (She thinks it’s paid though.) In Abbi’s storyline, a hairdresser (Who is a sassy gay man. Stereotype, much?) tweaks her neck after she pays with a coupon from Ilana’s old job, Deals, Deals, Deals, which throws her dreams of the perfect DMV photo into disarray. Luckily, her chiropractor Dr. Heller (played with warmth by the legendary Alan Alda) is there to save the day. And there’s a cameo from Clinton herself at the end that maybe goes on for a little too long, but fits the surreal tone of this episode.

Director Todd Biermann and writer Chris Kelly go deep into the continuity well in “2016” bringing back references to Trey’s (Paul W. Downs) gay porn career as Ilana’s brother Eliot (played by Glazer’s real life brother Eliot Glazer) finds “enjoyment” in a couple of his videos while Ilana freaks out about working for Clinton. (And Abbi mentions “pegging” in front of the presidential candidate herself.) And, in more of a visual callback, Biermann makes the DMV that Abbi goes to in Queens a mix of a low budget zombie film set, refugee camp, and waiting for the last lifeboat on the Titanic. He makes a nice contrast in lighting between the usual DMV and the “appointment” DMV, which is gaudy, filled with chocolates, a masseuse, and an incredibly polite concierge played with bombastic surrealism by first time actor Andrew Ward. The addition of this room sequence plus the nice subversion of “old people suck at the Internet” trope with Dr. Heller keeps the DMV plot line from being the same old “DMV is hell” joke for half an episode.

And Alan Alda is brilliant in his short scene as Abbi’s chiropractor as he shows genuine care for her by helping to sell her art, asking about her sleep, and evening her bangs after the hatchet job of a haircut. Abbi’s reaction of “I love you” can definitely stand in for the audience’s reaction, and he joins Kelly Ripa, Amy Poehler, and Patricia Clarkson as famous folks, who have shone in Broad City. (He does get to make the slightest of jokes about Abbi’s butt, which is basically a character in the show by now.) Dr. Heller feels like family to Abbi and with the reveal of Abbi’s old pictures on her phone (including her gay high school boyfriend) and next week’s episode taking place in her hometown of Philadelphia, Jacobson could get a chance to flesh out the pre-Ilana version of herself.

And speaking of Ilana, Glazer is pure madcap in her outfits, line deliveries, and body movements throughout “2016” and truly sells her passion for Hillary Clinton. She even gets a rare quiet moment soothing her friend Linda, who owns a temp agency and is going through a midlife crisis while Ilana is going through a quarter life one. Hooray for intergenerational empathy! Also, a bike messenger is kind of a perfect job for her as she rides around New York via a fastly paced tracking shot from Biermann shouting, “Ass, ass, ass.” as random passerbyswith her bike helmet/wig combo and makes acrobatic envelope throws. (She’s definitely the best TV bike messenger since Tyres from Spaced., a show that also combined insane surrealism with the harsh reality of life and work as a twentysomething.) There’s no scene of her getting fired so hopefully we get to go on more rides with Ilana. And speaking of firing, Glazer’s almost deadpan tone as she shows Hillary Clinton’s campaign office to Abbi while literally cleaning out her desk is kind of amazing.

Clinton’s cameo could be a great sight gag or a fun surrealist gag (in keeping with “2016’s” tone) a la Madeline Albright showing up in a Season Six episode of Gilmore Girls with a pair of winks, a perfect pantsuit, and Abbi and Ilana’s hilarious reaction. But it kind of rolls on, and Kelly even tries to shoehorn her into the Broad City universe with her adding the inflatable red thing from Ilana’s old job to her campaign office. But what this sequence does get right is how almost any of us would react to one of our heroes appearing out of the blue, and Glazer and Jacobson’s reactions are super genuine and passionate with a side of the slow mo that Broad City directors usually employ when Abbi and Ilana are getting fired up about something.

With a scene stealing guest performance from Alan Alda and some tremendous energy from Glazer, “2016” is a successful dip into the surreal side of the Broad City universe even with the slight awkwardness of the end credits cameo tag featuring a Democratic candidate for president.

Rating: 8.5

Feeling the Pulse #4-5

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Logan Dalton

In this installment of Feeling the Pulse, I will be covering The Pulse #4-5(2004) written by Brian Michael Bendis, penciled by Mark Bagley, inked by Scott Hanna, and colored by Pete Pantazis.

Spider-Man has a prominent guest role in The Pulse #4-5, but he doesn’t steal the spotlight from the real heroes of the “In the Air” arc: the journalists of the Daily Bugle, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage, whose picking up Norman Osborn’s limo throws a wrench in the newspaper’s plan. However, it ends up opening up the story a little wider as J. Jonah Jameson decides to forgo the sensationalism of TV journalism and focus on the victims of the Green Goblin’s murders. Along the way, writer Brian Michael Bendis and artists Mark Bagley and Scott Hanna spend some time taking stock of Jessica Jones’ feelings about her pregnancy as she is freaked out that the Green Goblin has killed her baby and goes berserk in some power packed panels.

The Pulse #4 opens with Ben Urich getting ready to meet Spider-Man on the roof while Jessica Jones catches up Luke on what she’s been up to at work and even shares an adorable dream about their child and her superpowers. Then, there is a quick back and forth conversation between Ben and Spider-Man as he tells him how he discovered Spidey’s secret identity and about how the Green Goblin is just killing at random now. Spider-Man is worried about this and tells Ben that the Green Goblin killed the love of his life, Gwen Stacy, and to be careful with his story. Ben then talks to Terri’s (the Daily Bugle reporter who was killed) friend Sheryl and with great reluctance, Jameson lets him go to the police with his findings on Norman Osborn after Jessica says that these kind of stories are why journalism exists. The police come to Oscorp with Ben and Jessica, who is acting as an “outside viewer”, because they might make the cover of the Daily Bugle, and the issue ends with the Green Goblin throwing pumpkin bombs at them.

The Pulse #5 is mostly explosive superhero action that Bagley excels at drawing as Spider-Man swings in and saves Jessica Jones from the Green Goblin. Completely freaking out, Jessica gets a few licks in and throws his glider at him as he flies away. The scene switches to Jessica and Luke at a hospital where the doctor compliments her toughness, says the baby is okay, and says that her pregnancy and labor will be tough so she should see a doctor that specializes in superhuman cases. Next, a deranged Norman Osborn is conferring with his lawyer, who helped get the Kingpin off and should get his own spinoff comic, when Luke Cage wrecks his limo in payback for almost killing his kid. Spider-Man shows up to cool things down, but even he ends up as a weapon in Luke’s hands as Norman Osborn’s identity as the Green Goblin is on display for the whole world. This ends up being a big headline for the Daily Bugle with the Pulse section running profiles on the families of Green Goblin’s victims, and Jessica walking alone and saying all she cares about is her baby. The final page of The Pulse #5 is a great return to her attitude in Alias where she just wanted to pay the bills as a P.I. and not have to deal with superhero drama.

With plenty of whiz bang fight scenes in The Pulse #5 and opportunities to draw arguably his signature character, Mark Bagley seems more at ease in these issues. He even gets a little visual humor when Ben meets with Spider-Man on the roof and is almost blown away by the wind while Spidey just chills out and sticks on the wall like a spider. Colorist Pete Pantazis’ work doesn’t particularly pop, but he definitely uses brighter reds, blues, and yellows for Spider-Man and the Green Goblin tussling together versus muted browns and greys for Luke and Jessica just chatting about their lives. And his palette is almost clinical when Jessica is in the hospital in The Pulse #5 as inker/finisher Scott Hanna channels his inner Michael Gaydos and gives her some frown lines that reminded me of when she was stressed out in Alias. For once, she doesn’t look like a teenage girl, but a superhero mom-to-be, who has taken a little bit of a beating while protecting the ones she loved.

Bendis probes at a weakness in Spider-Man in The Pulse #4 and borrows a little bit from the deconstructive bent of Alias as Ben explores why he just lets the Green Goblin walk free after killing so many people, including his girlfriend. Spider-Man is afraid that if he tells the press or authorities what he knows about Norman Osborn’s true identity that his own secret identity will be exposed, and that he will go to prison for his supposed murders and crimes. And this is yet another iteration of the famed “Parker luck” where Spider-Man can never catch a break. (Except that might not be a thing any more because he’s basically Batman now in Dan Slott’s current Amazing Spider-Man run for some reason.) Does putting one murderer out on the street outweigh all the good Spider-Man has done for the people of New York? It’s a dilemma that gets solved by journalists and a hero, who went public years ago and still doesn’t end up being a part of the Superhuman Registration Act in Civil War because he wants to protect his neighborhood in Harlem and not exist at the government or S.H.I.E.L.D’s beck and call.

Speaking of Luke Cage, the fight between him and the Green Goblin is cathartic and memorable. A crazy psychopath hurt his girlfriend and almost killed their child so he’s back for revenge, and a limo or a pumpkin bomb won’t be able to stop him. Unlike Spider-Man, Luke doesn’t have to protect his secret identity from the public, press, and bad guys and is free to whale on the Goblin. Bagley even gives us the hilariously epic panel of him putting a pumpkin bomb on his bulletproof skin and then quipping about losing his shirt “again” because kevlar looks tacky as daily or vengeance wear. And Bendis gives Spider-Man a perfect rejoinder about “unbreakable pants”. But this isn’t in the end, and Luke fights the Green Goblin until the villain is unconscious in front of the Daily Bugle reporters. Without a shadow of the doubt, this famous industrialist is the murderous Green Goblin, and if Luke hadn’t come over and given him a piece of his mind and fists, there probably would be two or three more issues focused on the legal battle between Oscorp and the Bugle. Also, this sequence shows how much Luke cares for Jessica, and how he wants to keep her safe.

But the characters that come off as the real heroes of the first arc of The Pulse are the pregnant, ex-superhero Jessica Jones and the embattled, intrepid reporter Ben Urich. Bendis gives Jessica an amazing speech about how taking down men like Osborn is the point of a paper like the Daily Bugle, and “isn’t telling people stuff like this, like, the only reason to work here?” In any other character’s speech, this line would come off as a tad saccharine, but it seems more genuine coming from Jessica, who is usually cynical and sarcastic although she is a good person beneath it. If she’s the idealistic one, you should really go after the story. And her heroism is on display later as she beats the crap out of the Green Goblin, leaping and throwing him around to keep him away from Ben and Spider-Man. Bagley doesn’t depict these scenes like a typical superhero fight with punches and, but as an intense brawl with Jessica grabbing at the Goblin’s throat. There’s just a hint of sentiment as Jessica gets caught by Spider-Man, who is her high school crush, Peter Parker.

Ben Urich doesn’t get a big fight scene, but he gets several panels of getting his throat grabbed by the Green Goblin, who taunts him with bad jokes about journalists. Bagley and Hanna zoom in on his pain stricken and constricted face with Pantazis giving the backgrounds a fiery color after all the explosions and punches being thrown around buildings in New York. And after this and seeing the Green Goblin get away, he’s still brave enough to publish an article saying he’s Norman Osborn on the front page of the Daily Bugle. He’s also clever as hell as Bendis and Bagley spend several pages in The Pulse #4 showing how he realized Peter Parker was Spider-Man from the obvious of him getting the best pictures of Spidey to the soot on his costume he gets from running on rooftops like Daredevil and finally the fact that a school teacher from Queens knew Matt Murdock was Daredevil. Spider-Man’s first reaction to this is understandably anger, but later he fears for Ben’s life as he goes to take down Osborn via the printed word and even confides in him about his relationship with Gwen Stacy. Ben Urich is street level superheroes, like Spider-Man, Daredevil, and later Spider-Woman’s greatest advocate, but he isn’t naive about them and is still a solid journalist through and through.

The Pulse #4 may seem like padding for the trade, but it gives us a look at the time consuming and difficult journalism process as Ben Urich must corroborate sources and also make a strong argument to J. Jonah Jameson about printing his article about Norman Osborn being the Green Goblin. It also furthers the bond between Luke Cage and Jessica Jones as they talk about their future child adding an emotional layer to the slugfest of The Pulse #5.

It slips in some spots artistically and sometimes pushes its presumed protagonist Jessica Jones to the side, but the “In the Air” arc of The Pulse is a fairly triumphant melding of an investigative reporting story with a superhero comic.

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