Comics of the Week: Doctor Fate #8 (DC Comics), Titans Hunt #4 (DC Comics), Will Eisner's The Spirit #7 (Dynamite Entertainment)

I couldn't decide on just one comic this week. The third week of the month is the week when I seem to have more "favorites" released, so I'm just going to go with the flow. I'll even make them short.

Doctor Fate #8 -- by Paul Levitz and guest artist Ibrahim Moustafa -- continues the adventures of the reluctant superhero. This title, which flies so low under the radar that I see very few reviews, has become my favorite of DC's current ongoing titles.

Levitz has been allowed to weave together the individual strands of Khalid Nassour, his parents, girlfriend, and educational goals, Nabu, and the Egyptian gods into a wonderful tapestry of story that leaves me eager to read the next issue. (And he's creating a world where Doctor Fate appears to be the only superhero. There's been no sign of Batman, Superman, or Wonder Woman yet. I'm kinda hoping they don't show up unless Levitz starts building his own Justice Society of America.)

Moustafa, who fills in for regular artist Sonny Liew, doesn't copy Liew's artistic style but uses his own style to add to the mythos being created in this title. The coloring by Lee Loughridge is spectacular as always and a proves to be as perfect a fit for Moustafa as for regular artist Liew.

With DC Comics now talking about a "Rebirth" this summer, I hope that this title is allowed to continue and finds an audience. Not since Neil Gaiman's Sandman or Brian Azzarello's recent run on Wonder Woman have I felt like there's a saga in the making.

Rating: 5 Stars

I don't know how I managed to go so long without reading anything by Dan Abnett. It could only be because he must have been writing a title I had no interest in, or maybe I've just forgotten how good he is. All I know is I became a fan of his with Convergence: Justice Society of America and I'm loving the whole "gang's getting back together" vibe of Titans Hunt.

The fourth issue of the series follows Dick Grayson, Donna Troy, Roy Harper, Garth, Lilith, Mal, Gnarrk (I have a problem calling him Caveboy), Hawk, and Dove as they continue to fight the feeling that there are hidden memories, wanting to know who's messing with them but knowing that they're being summoned together for a reason. Having been a fan of the Titans since 1972's Teen Titans #42, it's good to see some silver/bronze age goodness return to DC. Abnett manages to capture the essence of the characters as they were then and combine it with how they are published now and make it work. If only the story would pick up the pace just a bit.

Rating 4 1/2 stars

Last year I sat down and celebrated the Spirit's 75th anniversary and read the entirety of his adventures (thanks to the fantastic Archive Editions and other collections from DC and Dark Horse Comics). I even read the First Wave Spirit series. (That makes it sound like it was a bad series; it wasn't, it was just a little less fun that what I expect from a story featuring Will Eisner's best known creation.) As part of the 75th anniversary, Dynamite Entertainment introduced a new Spirit series by Matt Wagner, Dan Schkade, and Brennan Wagner.

Will Eisner's The Spirit #7 continues Matt Wagner's tale of The Spirit's return to Central City after being held captive for two years. Though on the trail of the mysterious Mikado Vaas, The Spirit is given some time alone with Ellen Dolan and discovers that her feelings for him haven't changed. Ebony White and Sammy Strunk continue to steal the scene whenever they're on the page. (I'd support a Strunk and White miniseries. How about it, Dynamite?)

Dan Schkade's art is reminiscent of Eisner's later, looser artwork from the 1960s until his death. There is no mistaking that Schkade has taken the time to figure out how each character should look. Ellen is still the beautiful girl next door and Commissioner Dolan still has the tufts of hair that stick out and Officer Klink has that jawline that is instantly recognizable. The only place where Schkade veers from Eisner is in the height of Ebony and Sammy, but it's all good as they now look like they can handle the danger in which they sometimes find themselves.

Brennan Wagner's colors complement Schkade's art and provide a sense of film noir for the series. As with Lee Loughridge, who I mention in the Doctor Fate review, above, there is a sense of perfection as the art and color come together.

Rating: 5 Stars


Three reviews -- though not as short as I planned. Check 'em out, I think you'll like 'em!