I'm glad the overall feeling of Secret Invasion 1 seems pretty positive. I liked the first issue a lot. This is how Skrulls ought to be used.
Anyways, review
American Splendor, Volume 2, Number 1
As far as excellent, if somewhat pretentious comics go(and deservedly so, if for nothing else than their awareness of their own brilliance), the only thing that compares to the Granddaddy of downright extraordinary comics, "American Splendor" is the now defunct "Love and Rockets." Comic-writing wunderkind Harvey Pekar returns to his original subject matter nearly thirty-two years since issue 1 of volume 1 was published, this time with the Vertigo label.
One of American Splendor's strongest points is the rotating cast of competent artists brought on to draw each of the shorter stories within between the covers, a legacy started by the now infamous R. Crumb. Pekar chooses well with this issue; not a single of the artists gave a let-down performance; the tone of each piece matches brilliantly with the subject matter. The noir-inspired Zachary Baldus art in the second to last piece, with heavy shading (I wonder who did the inking work? It's fantastic) is particularly suited, and gives the piece an entirely different read.
As one of the few writers out there who doesn't look far afield to the superhero/science/fantasy genres in order to find material for his work, Pekar is in his fine usual form of suburban, daily life as a source for comics, a welcome break after his last entry, the socio-political work "Macedonia," which, while clever, informative, educational, and sometimes brilliant, is a piece designed much more for someone who believes in the comics media as an outlet for anything rather than your usual fair. The piece he wrote on the reviews of "Macedonia" is strong, if a little didactic and lecturing, a tone which I find condescending from most writers. Is it fair of me to not be annoyed with this tone if it's from Pekar? Even if a writer as well established and competent as... say... Starlin would aggravate me with the patronizing tone. But Pekar, with his "old wise man" voice, and the fact that he's probably the best talent that comics has produced since, say, Will Eisner, can get away with it.
The first short, "I'm No Help" is probably the most emotionally affecting of the lot, as we see Pekar struggle to connect with a young man. It sets a beat for the rest of the issue, which is a startling break from his usual work, a point he drives home in the piece "Restraint:" he seems older, wiser, and much less cynical than his usual work. He seems to lose a lot of humor and verve with this change of attitude, but the wisdom in his words more than makes up for it.
Best line from the issue: "As for the text, graphic novels can read like lectures; fine, engrossing lectures can be heard in our nation's colleges and universities every day. To deny that comics can lecture effectively is to put limitations on them that don't exist. Comics are words and pictures, you can do anything with words and pictures."
He makes an important point here: professionals, readers, and reviewers place too many limitations on comics. As much as I adore good superhero work, it's refreshing to see those pieces that come out which are so much more. "American Splendor," as the title implies, celebrates the daily life through the comics medium, a welcome break from the escapist fantasy that you generally get on the shelves.
A solid nine for Mr. Pekar's work.