Spotlight Week of October 20th, 2004 By Roger Burks November 1, 2004 - 10:03 These rankings are compiled from the top 3 vote-getters of 16 different voters on the Internet for comics released on October 20th, 2004. 1. Identity Crisis #5, 15 pts This issue has a lot of death for death's sake here, with almost nothing redeeming to make up for it. There is a little sympathy here and there for the characters, but it's sparsity belittles the emotion and makes it seems almost insulting. The good dialogue and Melzter's good handling of some of the characters makes up for that in part. However, Meltzer seems to have absolutely no idea who some of the characters are that he is using. I would rather that they hadn't been included at all. 2. Teen Titans #17, 10 pts This one get a high rating almost solely for the chilling atmosphere. I generally don't like serious time-travel stories, but this one was well-done. To think that you could visit your own future and not like what you have become, this is enough mystery to keep me interested. I think the battle was poorly considered, and wouldn't have really happened, but ignoring that, I like the issue. 3. Human Target #15, 9 pts "Peter Milligan delivers major goods in this second of a 3-parter. As Christopher Chance impersonates a religious 'saviour', his life gets more insane than before; attempted assignation on his life, the resurrection of another, and the temptation of forbidden fruit he's trying to let go of. Cliff Chaing's artwork, 2nd only to Michael Lark, is so wonderful to view, its one of the best comics DC/Vertigo puts out." DubipR, DC Message Boards 4. Plastic Man #11, 7 pts I tried the first issue of this series, but if it had been as good as this issue I would have kept buying. Great satire of nearly everything, including politics and Superman. One of the best superhero spoofs on the market. 5. Fantastic Four #519, 6 pts "Reed comes up with a unique solution to the problem, which leads to an entirely different problem... Not what I expected, which was good. I'm looking forward to seeing where Waid is going to go next." Positive Man! DC Message Boards 6. The Goon #9, 4 pts Another great Goon story, with the typical good humor and irreverence. Not a lot of horror this issue, but with lots of crime family activity. The football aspect of the story is just window dressing for the great characterization and deep messages of the story. (tied for 7th) Manhunter #3, 3 pts I definitely agree that the plot has some problems, and that the protagonist is not likable at all, but this comic has some appeal for me that I can't entirely explain. I did find the characterization of the Shadow Thief to be the best since Hawkworld, definitely far better than his other appearance this week. Even though I don't find Kate to be a particularly good person, I like reading about her. The art was very effective as well, and that's something I generally don't pay much attention to. (tied for 7th) Firestorm #6, 3 pts "The final fate of Ronnie Raymond is revealed... sort of. Martian Manhunter's opinion aside, the opening pages seem to indicate that Ronnie isn't quite dead, so I still expect to see him pop up sooner or later. Jason seems to be getting drunk on the power of Firestorm REALLY quickly, but maybe his sudden shift to the dark side is a response to readers' complaints about the title's leisurely pace in its first arc. Regardless, I'm not pleased with Jason's behaviour but it's all part of growing up and I expect him to be acting more like a hero soon. Art was so close to ChrisCross for a minute I thought he reconsidered his decision to leave." Mister Miracle, DC Message Boards (tied for 7th) Bighead (gn) "Jeffrey Brown is known for his slice of life work, but Bighead falls into the category of a superhero parody. Brown satires just about every aspect of superheroes, catching some new aspects of superheroes that creators, to my knowledge, haven't poked fun at yet. Further, His unique style gives a new flare to even the more oft-satired aspects. Brown also manages to work in some genuinely funny humor that does not relate to satire, and his one-liners will not fail to make you laugh. One of the most enjoyable aspects of Brown's stories is his art. He uses a dark, inky, and even rough style. And it works. The characters' facial expressions are some of the funniest parts of the book, too. There's one panel, and if you read the book you'll know what I'm talking about, that is especially ... funny. All in all, Jeffrey Brown may not have created any groundbreaking work, but if you want a good laugh, you can't go wrong with Bighead." Tek3311, DC Message Boards (tied for 7th) Terra Obscura, Vol. 2 #3, 3 pts A decent story, with many of the trappings of nostalgic comics mixed in with modern storytelling. I still don't think that the characters have been established well enough to engage my interest fully, but this issue contains the best storytelling and dialogue of either mini-series, IMO. 3 pts: The Invaders #3, Ocean #1, New X-Men: Academy X #6, Star Wars: Tales #21 2 pts: Madrox #2, JSA: Strange Adventures #3, Amazing Adventures of the Escapist #4, Ultimate Spider-Man #67, Tales of Tellos #1, HERO #21, Batgirl #57 1 pt: Cable & Deadpool #8, Robin #131, Lucifer #55, 1000 Steps to World Domination Vol. 1, Batman: Gotham Knights #58 © Copyright 2002-2026 by Toon Doctor Inc. - All rights Reserved. All other texts, images, characters and trademarks are copyright their respective owners. 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