Comic Books
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #556
Price: $2.99
iFanboy Community Pick of the Week Percentage: 2.0%
Reviews
| User | Added | Spoilers | |
| mome | 04/26/08 | No | Read Review |
| Goaler31 | 04/15/08 | Yes | Read Review |
| patio | 04/15/08 | No | Read Review |
| Conor Kilpatrick | 04/13/08 | Yes | Read Review |
| viewaskew117 | 04/10/08 | No | Read Review |
| 52878org | 04/10/08 | Yes | Read Review |
| JohnnyDestructo | 04/08/08 | Yes | Read Review |
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Is this issue a good jumping on point, or where should I go back to/ wait for?
@Karotona – This issue is part two of a story arc so at the very least you should go back and get #555.
If you don’t want to buy the previous issue, know that Spider-Man is looking for someone in New York while a terrible blizzard rages. The opening pages should catch you up.
I was just thinking the other day that I’ve been missing super hero books that aren’t tied down by some over arcing event like Final Crisis, Secret Invasion or (still) aftershocks of Civil War, and I realized today that this is that book. Brand New Day has been pretty good, which I hate to admit because it shouldn’t take a deal with the devil to get me back on a book, but I’m really enjoying this. There have been new enemies and new situations. I think they’ve been successful with little re-do.
I’m not sure why so many people are so vocal abotu disliking Bachalo’s art. He’s one of the few artists whose work instantly gets me interested in any book that it appears in. I understand the criticism–the ONE possible criticism that’s dwelt upon ad nauseum–that sometimes during action sequences there will be ONE or TWO panels that seem incomprehensible. This is valid criticism. I get frustrated too when I can’t see who’s doing what to who, even though the very next panel shows the aftermath of what just happened anyway. But Bachalo’s style is so fresh and unique. He’s not a great storyteller, but usually he’s serviceable in that respect, and I think the good (his unique style) far outweighs the bad. His characters are usually so crisp and beautifully drawn. I don’t understand why a small majority seems to hate him so much. Maybe they just see something I don’t, or don’t see something I do. I remember one time on the podcast Ron said he couldn’t tell the difference between Ramos’ and Bachalo’s art–I just can’t understand that at freaking all.
^Er, I meant "large minority" not "small majority". It’s funny how "large minority" is a proper term whereas "small majority" seems more like an oxymoron. 🙂
3/5. I had to deduct a point because of Bachalo’s pencils and colors. Notice how I didn’t call it art? There is a couple pages that were uncomprehensible jumbles, like the last page reveal. I know I am supposed to think it is so-and-so, but it looks like somebody else entirely.
@flapjaxx
I am not really bothered by his action sequences, inasmuch as I don’t like his actual style. You said it is unique, and I agree. But often, when an artist is unique, some like him and some don’t. I don’t and haven’t since he changed his style in the very early issues of Generation X. I am with Ron in that sometimes Bachalo and Ramos’s stuff looks very similar, but surely you can see how they are two of the most cartoony artists on mainstream books and that their character designs are similar. Plus, I think when Ron said that, he was talking about X-Men, when Ramos and Bachalo were trading off and on and they were probably purposefully keeping the styles consistent. It’s not like confusing Alex Maleev with Jim Lee.
I think that one of the main things I dislike is that all his characters seem muddled and rubbery, so I don’t see how "crisp" they are. I mainly dislike his human design. I DO like how he draws Spider-Man, but his actual people…blah!
I liked this one well enough, but what was up with the image (picture?) of Earth on pg13… it looked super low-res with jpeg artifacts all over it. Which made the lightning look even more silly 🙁 Other-wise I’m a fan of the art 🙂
i’m a huge (one of the very few) fan of bachalo’s ART, but this was pretty weak compared to issue 555. in my opinion. Wells writing hasn’t been as good as the other spidey writers either.
I think not being able to understand what’s goin on in panels is a huge criticism for an artist. It’s the biggest one, in fact. Remember when Marvel had that "Silent Month" a few years ago, when there was no dialogue and the artists were counted on to tell the story? Imagine if Bachalo was doing the art for any book back then (I don’t remember if he was). It would be awful.
@gat0rl’: 🙂 Nah, you’re not one of the "very few" Bachalo fans. There are MANY fans of his, it’s just that the critics speak out a lot more. I think his track record of consistently being on top-tier comics projects speaks for itself. Lots of people like Bachalo. He has Vertigo fans and mainstream X-Men fans. To suggest that he’s like Rob Liefeld would be ridiculous. He’s basically been an A-list artist for 15 years now.
@Andrew: I see your point about his "uniqueness" being a dividing factor. That’s a good point. I’m sticking to my guns about the distinction with Ramos, though. Yes, Ramos was working a bit to match his style, but Ramos is WAY more cartoony and manga-ish. I remember for a fact that Ron went as far as to say that he literally couldn’t tell the difference. (No offense, Ron.) And I do think Bachalo’s style has DEFINITELY changed. He changed over the course of his Gen-X run. He changed again (for the worst in my opinion) when he first took over for Joe Mad on Uncanny. I didn’t read comics for years after that–but his work that I’ve seen since about ’05 was certainly an improvement from what he was going for in ’99 or so (when, imo, his characters all started to look like cartoon midgets). Maybe it’s just me paying more attention to the subtle changes (not that subtle in MY opinion) of Bachalo’s changing style. I don’t say that to sound like a snob, because there are many artists to whom I don’t really pay so much attention. If you don’t like an artist it’s much more likely that you’re going to continue to dismiss him for initial reservations about style. But I’ve seen a lot of development and changes in Bachalo’s art over the years. It’s not like I’ve plotted this out, but I’d say that he’s had at least four maybe five distinct styles.
@shogunt: Yes, I acknowledge that this criticism of Bachalo, but I really think people blow it out of proportion. The biggest criticism possible isn’t "not being able to tell what’s going on", though. In my opinion the biggest criticism is calling something boring. If it’s moving you, even negatively, than the art is at least doing something. And I’d guess that Bachalo knows what he’s doing. Hey, I don’t particularly like the 2-3 incomprehensible panels per issue either, but that’s the way Bachalo is. I really don’t think it’s that big of a deal if you do like his overall style. Imagine an author who every now and then uses words you don’t know or strange made up words or onamonopia like… once every six pages. It doesn’t RUIN the experience and is well worth putting up with if you like everything else. In my opinion people just use the incomprehensible panels excuse because they don’t like Bachalo’s overall style–which is fine. But, jeesh, there’re only like 2-3 panels like that per issue, tops.
Sorry for the essay. I’m durnk.