Astonishing X-Men (v.3) #1 (2004)

 

Astonishing X-Men (vol.3) #1 (July, 2004)
"Gifted (Part One)"
Writer - Joss Whedon
Art - John Cassaday
Colors - Laura Martin
Letters - Chris Eliopoulos
Edits - Marts, Quesada
Cover Price: $2.99
On-Sale: May 26, 2004

Heyyy, howsitgoin' everybody... long time no write. Like, ya know actually write, and not just pop in once a day to promote a podcast. I figured since we're at our new Wordpress digs, I may as well give the tires a kick and see about writing an actual blog post.

But, what about?

Well, there are plenty of things I'm wanting to write about... and if not for those horrible things we call "time" and "real life", I'd be glued to my laptop all day long cranking out content in all forms. I actually quite miss the "simpler" days of Chris is on Infinite Earths... taking a random DC Comic and spending a few hours sharing it with all of you. Digging into some real obscurities... bending the old rigid rules of the blog to shoehorn a non-DC Comic into the mix. Those were some fun times. Maybe one'a these days I'll get back to it.

Can't make any promises, however.

So, whatta we gonna talk about today? Well... if you do listen to any of the X-Lapsed family of shows... First of all, thank you. Second of all, you may've heard me kvetch one or two... dozen times about my disdain for Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men run. That kvetching is usually followed up with a comment about how I haven't actually read Astonishing since it came out... and how I probably owe it something of a retrial to see if I still feel the same way about it all these years removed.

And so... with a shiny new blogging OS, and a few minutes to spare this afternoon... I figured "What the Hell?"... let's do the thing.

I hope we... ahem... survive the experience (I'm so sorry...)

--

Our story opens in the nightmare of a young girl named Tildie. She dreams of her mother screaming... and whatever it was that caused the screaming next coming for her. She awakens, and we can see that she's actually under the observation of Dr. Kavita Rao... who, with the benefit of hindsight, we know will eventually be a member of the X-Club alongside Doctor Nemesis, Madison "Box" Jeffries, Danger, and that dude from the Marvel Godzilla comic.

From here, our scene shifts to Kitty "Don't Call Me Kate" Pryde arriving back at the Mansion for her first day in her new position as a mentor. Naturally, since this is something of a "love-letter" to the Claremont run, we get a few nods to the past. We see the classic "Professor Xavier is a Jerk" panel, as well as Kitty holding the mistletoe over Colossus's "sexy" head.

She phases through the wall of the main hall, and winds up making a somewhat "grand" entrance in the middle of an Emma Frost lecture to the student body. Also on the stage are Beast and Cyclops. Kitty and Emma snipe at one another before the former takes her seat. We learn that she'd missed Scott's introduction speech... which was apparently so boring that it nearly put him to sleep in the delivery. Cuz, lest we forget... Scott Summers is boring.

Emma's speech basically comes down to the fact that the humans will always hate the mutants... groundbreaking stuff, am I right? I remember thinking this was a massive step backwards from the few years of actual progressive storytelling we got from Grant Morrison. It was like "Okay, so we're back to the X-Men just being about... this." Anyway, Emma's speech crescendos with some special effects Sentinels tearing their way into the roof of the place like something out of Uncanny X-Men #281. Emma would later tell Scott that 10% of the student body were actually excited by the possibility of a throwdown with the big bots.

We jump to the next morning, and we're in Scott and Emma's bedroom. And, don't look now, but we're not alone -- Wolverine's here too. Remember, this is a love letter to the Claremont run... and so, we gotta have Scott and Logan fighting over Jean... even though she's, ya know, dead.

Scott SHKOW's Wolverine out the window, and it looks like they're going to duke it out. Emma might just have the line of the book when she mentions how she's got superpowers, a scintillating wit, and the best body money can buy... and yet, she still rates under Jean Grey... who, lest we forget, is currently a corpse.

From here, the "admins" get their stuff together long enough to have a faculty meeting... in Hawaii? Or, I suppose high above Hawaii. It's all an illusion... only Beast hasn't yet figured out how to make this thing work right... and so, it's as though our heroes are giant kaijus literally standing over the islands. Hey, at least it makes for an interesting backdrop, right? Anyway, the chat here is about how to make the X-Men what they once were. It's basically a response to the "black leather" Morrison era... because Joe Quesada retroactively decided that he hated all that stuff after Grant went DC-Exclusive. Now, don't get me wrong... I wasn't a fan of the black leather either... but, to me that was more about Marvel shoehorning the look of the X-Men movies into the comics than anything else.

From here, we get "cinematic"... over the course of the next several pages, we get bits of Kavita Rao giving a speech, some boring Breakworlders maybe in the same place... maybe someplace else, and our heroes changing into their new costumes. Cyclops makes sure to say that the X-Men are going to, ahem, "Astonish".

This takes us to our ending, where Dr. Kavita Rao informs the world that... stop me if you've heard THIS one before - she's found the CURE to mutants! It'd been literally DAYS since the last cure, right? Groundbreaking!

--

Yeah, I still don't care for this. I can't say that it wasn't what was advertised, because it totally was. It was a throwback and a "love letter" to arguably the "Golden Age" of the X-Men. Only problem for me was, we were also coming off a pretty darn good run of X-Men comics... which Marvel and Quesada went to great lengths to bury out of personal acrimony with no real thought as to what their actual customers might feel about this. Was bringing in Whedon a good business decision? Well, since it was 2004... and not "current year", sure! But was that why Quesada did it? I'm... not convinced.

Perhaps I'm projecting... I probably am, but I remember being pretty bummed out myself when I learned that not only the X-Men... but Marvel overall was losing Grant Morrison. I was bummed, annoyed, maybe a bit angry over the territorialism and "exclusive this/exclusive that" garbage that had began to take over comics around that time... but, that doesn't mean I didn't really enjoy Grant's time on New X-Men. I didn't wanna see everything he'd built over the course of nearly a half-decade flushed down the toilet by a temper-tantrum throwing EiC.

Again... I might be projecting.

And, in fairness to Whedon('s storytelling)... no matter how hard I try, I can't divorce the story... no matter how good it might be, from the fact that it took friggin' forever for this to come out. Astonishing became the flagship X-Book on the strength of his name... and barely ever came out. Making it so the rest of the X-Books were left treading water and waiting to see what stories they could tell. Add to that, massive crossover events like House of M and Civil War gumming up the works even more... and, well... it just wasn't a great time to be an X-Fan... in my opinion.

So, with my baggage plainly laid out on the table... howsabout I actually talk about the issue in question, eh? It was... okay. I didn't love it... but, I also didn't actually hate it. I'm sure it was a "10 outta 10" of its day - because, of course it was... but, really - what does it bring to the table, outside of the star power of the creative team?

In my opinion... not a heckuva lot. Like I said during the synopsis, it felt like something of a step backwards, after years of pushing the envelope with what one could do with the X-Men - and, here we are, back with "Feared and Hated" as the be-all/end-all... and yet another crackpot talking about a "Mutant Cure". It's all very "been there, done that", isn't it?

Maybe it's comfort food... and, I can't claim that it isn't -- but, it just feels very samey, especially with such a hyped-up creator bellying up to the word processor. I remember the feeling of deflation I felt when first reading this back in '04... and, to be completely honest - I was pretty underwhelmed here as well.

Another thing I didn't much care for back in the long ago was... and, this might be heresy to some... but - I just don't like John Cassaday's art. I certainly can't say it's bad... it's just not for me... at all. I was hoping that my now-aged eyes might take more of a liking to it... but, nope - I still can't stand it.

Overall... I tell ya what, I was far more optimistic about this "Astonishing X-Men Retrial" project a few hours ago than I am now. I guess we'll see if this is something I come back to. I probably owe it to the story to give it at least a few more issues, right?

I suppose we'll see if I actually do!

In any event... it was nice to write up an actual blog post again, even if I didn't 100% enjoy the subject matter this time out!

Chris is on Infinite Earths, Episode 7: JSA #55 (2004)

Chris is on Infinite Earths, Episode #7

JSA #55 (February, 2004)
"Be Good For Goodness Sake"
Writer - Geoff Johns
Pencils - Leonard Kirk
Inks - Keith Champagne & Wade Von Grawbadger
Colors - Hi-Fi
Letters - Jared K. Fletcher
Associate Editor - Stephen Wacker
Editor - Peter Tomasi
For Jordan Marquis
Cover Price: $2.50

With everything going on in the world and personally... it took me until the 17th of the month to realize we're in July!  Well, we have a little tradition at this here site... that I'd hate to let pass us by, perhaps this year more than ever.

I tell ya, if there were any year where we (or I) need a little bit of Christmas on Infinite Earths... in July, it's 2020.

Nightwing #89 (2004)

Nightwing #89 (March, 2004)
"Avalanche"
Script - Devin Grayson
Penciller - Patrick Zircher
Inker - Andy Owens
Colorist - Gregory Wright
Letterer - Clem Robins
Editor - Michael Wright
Cover Price: $2.25

What if I were to tell you that we're about to discuss a comic that shows what happens when an oversized criminal kingpin discovers a costumed hero's secret identity... and uses that information to systematically take apart that hero's life?

You might say something like, "Hey Chris, I didn't know you covered Marvel books here!" or, "When did Daredevil join the DC Universe?"

Wellllllll.....

--

We open with Dick Grayson waking up at his ex-girlfriend Barbara Gordon's apartment... since they're no longer an item, and because his staying there might get kinda weird... she gives him the ol' heave-ho.  Dick hops on his motorbike, and heads back to Bludhaven.  Along the way, he recounts recent events... he's lost his girlfriend, his day-job on the Bludhaven Police Force... and Haley's Circus has been burned down.

We shift scenes to the big-bad... Blockbuster, Roland Desmond.  He's chatting up a couple of members of his gang, Giz and (don't call her Catwoman) the Mouse.  Worth noting, because why not... Giz has his trusty pet squirrel (named Goober) sitting on his shoulder.  Anyhoo, Rolly offers to double their pay if they make an upcoming... er, we'll just call it a demolition project... "memorable".

Dick returns to his Bludhaven apartment building, and runs into a fella named Yoska.  At this point, Dick was discovering his Romany roots... something that really seemed to irk many of the readers of the day, though I can't say for certain why this was such a big deal for them.  Granted, I never took the time to research either.  Anyhoo, Yoska refers to Dick as "Ryeka" and offers him an adorned bottle of wine perfect for "popping the question".  Dick mutters something about his current relationship status before graciously accepting the gift.

Dick then suits up, and heads out on a rare daytime patrol... he gets out just in time to see... his entire building exploded!

The building is literally gone in an instant... leaving nothing but a smoldering mess.  Nightwing rushes back to sift through the wreckage for survivors... and unfortunately comes up empty.

Nightwing discovers Yoska's body... and finds the beads that once adorned that celebratory bottle of wine, then... walking through the smoke... Tarantula?

At this point in time, Nightwing was acting as something of a mentor for this new female Tarantula.   She's been depicted as... let's say, unhinged (though, it's about to get worse), so Dick assumes that she's responsible for the blast.  He lunges at her... and she pleads her innocence.  She was only in the area because she knows that the original Tarantula (John Law) lived in the building, and she was trying to save him.  She also reveals that the baddie behind this tragedy is... Roland Desmond.

Then... Aaron Helzinger, perhaps better known as Amygdala bursts from the wreckage.  Ya see, Aaron's been released from Arkham, and has proven to be something of an ally and a pal (a pally?) to Nightwing.  He was also a tenant of the building, and right now, isn't quite in his right (gentle) mind.

The Bludhaven P.D. train their guns on Aaron... and Nightwing throws himself in front of the poor rampaging goof.  Captain Amy Rohrbach, Dick's former boss instinctively refers to Nightwing as "Dick"... and gives him a few moments to get control of the situation, which he does... by being brutally honest with Amygdala.

Rohrbach calls Nightwing over to see if he has any info... and he gives her the straight dope on Blockbuster.

Dick's taking this all as badly as you might imagine... and blames himself for the loss of life.  It's not yet clear whether or not he knows this destruction actually is a result of his living here... but, Dick's a smart cookie (and he's being written by that other D. Grayson)... so, I gotta imagine he knows what's up.  On his way out, he is approached by a very overzealous Maxine Michaels, who'd love an exclusive interview.  Dick punches her... cameraman...'s camera.

We wrap up with Blockbuster watching the news of his Bludhaven Bombing... and greeting the next member of his gang who is to continue running Dick Grayson through the wringer... Shrike!

--

So yeah... this is pretty much Daredevil: Born Again... again.

I must not have read "Born Again" before reading this the first time around, because I swear... I never noticed the similarities.  Then again, I've never claimed to be quickest on the draw when it comes to reading comprehension.

That said, it's not a bad story... but, then again, "Born Again" has gone on to become one of my all-time favorites, so I might be biased.  This story works really well... in a vacuum.

What I mean by that, is... I feel like we're supposed to forget that Nightwing might be the most well connected member of heroing community.  I mean, his "father" is Batman.  He's friends with Superman.  He's been a member of the Titans, Outsiders, and the Justice League of America.  What I'm trying to say is, dude's got this meta-powered army at his disposal... and he's going to spend the next several issues sweating Blockbuster?

I know a little while after this story hits we get Identity Crisis, that has a major focus on "mind-wiping"... so, maybe that's off the table (editorially) here... but, I mean... in the DC Universe, that's gotta be a go-to option in situations like this, right?  Hell, right around this time Batman told his entire "family" that he set up dummy identities for all of them, just in case word got out.  I dunno... maybe I'm thinking too hard... or, maybe this is a case of trying to force a square peg into a round hole story-wise.

Of course this all kinda culminates in that issue (which we've already discussed here)... so, I guess (if we throw this into that vacuum) taking Dick Grayson apart piece by piece kinda "sets up" that event from that issue.  It doesn't really excuse it... but, I suppose I can't argue that it puts Dick in a particularly vulnerable and "broken" place.

The apartment explosion here... kinda left me cold.  I feel like this was part of the plan for awhile, and so we were being introduced to more and more colorful tenants... forcing relationships between them and Dick.  They just felt like cannon fodder... which I guess, at the end of the day... they were.  Somehow, Frank Miller and David Mazzuchelli were able to evoke so much more emotion when they blew up Matt Murdock's building... and (best I can recall) we didn't even know his neighbors.

Overall... I can't argue that this is an important issue... nor can I argue that this was a beautifully drawn issue!  It might be worth a look, I suppose it's a "Your Mileage May Vary" sorta deal.

--

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Outsiders (vol.3) #17 (2004)

Outsiders (vol.3) #17 (December, 2004)
"Most Wanted, Part 1"
Story - Judd Winick
Art - Carlos D'Anda
Colors - Sno-Cone
Letters - Jared K. Fletcher
Associate Editor - Tom Palmer, Jr.
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.50

Well, there's a cover that just jumps off the shelves atcha, don't it?

--

We open with a scene that doesn't even feel like it belongs in this issue... Nightwing is relieved of his duties as leader of the Outsiders.  He isn't kicked off the team, or anything... they just don't want him to lead them.  A later chat, which also feels kind of out of place, between Roy and Kori reveals that Jade will be taking over.  Roy then storms off to do... something.  Not sure what it is, but it looks like the Outsiders are uneasy about it.

We jump ahead three weeks later, and join Grace and Shift (Shift was that gaseous-looking character we were all led to think was Metamorpho).  They are stomping around a storage facility looking for a weapons cache... and, wouldn'tcha know it... they find one!  They wind up getting attacked by the baddies... but are able to overcome the odds off-panel.

Feild-Commander Jade calls in to get their "twenty", and learns that all's quiet on whateverthehell front they're currently on.  Then, Grace sees a light coming from a door she hadn't noticed.  She approaches, crushes the door into scrap... and finds, a room full of children strapped to beds!

As if that wasn't shocking enough, Grace notices that they all bare a particular brand on their lower-backs.

We jump ahead six days, and rejoin Roy who is feeding Lian some... either pancakes or dry toast.  Gotta say, Lian's got some of the worst dialogue here.  It feels like an attempt toward Bendis-speak, but it falls completely flat.  I mean, she refers to a classmate as a "big stupid head".  Is this real life?  Do kids really say that... or is that what people think kids say?  Was "poopy head" a step too far?  Anyhoo, Roy receives a call from Jade, who is concerned because Grace didn't show up to that day's briefing.

The order of business... and this is important for my upcoming complaint... the Penguin is moving one of those drugs that gives the user superpowers that showed up in like every superhero book during the mid-2000's (hell, even today!).  Just remember that Jade has led the team on a weapons bust and a drug bust since taking over leadership.

We shift scenes to join Grace... who is beating the holy hell out of, well, some dude.  She's looking for answers on the branded kids... unfortunately, before she can get any... that "some dude" passes out.  At this point, Roy shows up on the scene... and boy howdy has that Dorito crumb on his chin grown!  Grace spills the beans about the kids... to which, Roy comments that Grace herself has the same brand on her lower back!

Grace share her origin... her time as a child slave.  She explains that she would be strapped to a bed in between "rentals" to folks who would have their way with her.  Lucky for her, her powers manifested when she was around twelve... but the others didn't get such a break.  I want you to remember this bit too.  Grace was abused until her powers manifested.  We'll come back to this in the very next scene.

We shift ahead to Grace informing the rest of the Outsiders of both her findings, and her past.  And, get this... Jade thumbs her nose at the idea!  Jade feels like the Outsiders are "better suited for the bigger picture".  That they should leave things like child sex-slaves to the police or firefighters!  Okay... here comes.  Since Jade took over leadership of the Outsiders... they've done a weapons bust... and a drug bust.  Those are part of "the bigger picture"?!  Those are "too big" for the police?!  What the hell has happened to Jade?!

Grace continues to plead her case... to which, Jade responds "It's not what we do."  Putting aside that the Outsiders just used their "abilities" to stop a weapons shipment and an inner-city drug-run... let's look at Jade for a moment.  We know she's a victim (or at least a target) of sexual abuse... and we know that, like Grace, it was only due to her powers manifesting that she was able to get away.  What's more... Jade was able to get revenge on her abuser!  And here she is poo-pooing Grace's opportunity?!  The hell?

At this point Dick, who has been hanging out off to the side, decides to finally interject.  He sides with Grace... he think this child slaves situation needs to be brought to the light.  Which makes me wonder... was Jade okay with not even reporting this?  Who in hell put her in charge?  More importantly, why is she being written so ridiculously out of character?

Starfire inquires as to what Dick means... should they call the police?  Well, no... not exactly.  Dick suggests (as if the cover didn't spoil it) that they turn to America's Most Wanted.  Shift thinks it's a silly idea... and so, Dick pleads his case.  He thinks John Walsh might be the best guy to have on their side... as his life's mission has become protecting children.  Plus, this would get more eyes on the situation than just going to the police.  Sounds like a good idea to me... it's almost like Dick should be leading this team or something!

Anyhoo, we wrap up with the big reveal... the Outsiders visit John Walsh.

--

Okay, now it's pretty easy to look at this cover... give it a giggle, and just dismiss it as a PSA or "very special issue"... but, you really get the feeling like their hearts were in the right place.

It seems almost unfair to look at this as a "comic book" and judge it like we would any random issue of Superman... but, that's kinda what we do here.  I feel like, had this come out in the 80's or 90's, it would've been one of those one-shot freebies they'd send to schools or something... so it's kinda weird seeing it as just the next issue of Outsiders.

From the nuts and bolts, it does kinda feel like this story might've been "shoe-horned" in.  If we look at the opening bit... it really doesn't look like it "fits".  It's as though there was another story that was supposed to stem from that, but we wind up with this story instead.

Let's talk characterization... in particular, Jade.  What the hell, guys?  Is she so far up her own ass as team leader that she's forgotten just what it is that heroes do?  Child sex slaves is somehow the "small stuff" they shouldn't sweat?  I mean, in a perfect world, the police could deal with the Joker without help from Batman... hell, in a perfect world, there'd be no Joker, but I think you get my point.

The mid-2000's were a time rife with characters being written out of character in order to facilitate whatever story the writer wants to tell.  I mean, this was the same year Civil War (the less terrible one) came out over at Marvel, where Mark Millar and company drove that last stake into the heart of true characterization.  I feel like the way Jade is being written... so aloof and dismissive, should get her immediately removed from leadership... if not the team altogether.

You get the impression that Winick thought this all up in the shower one day... and had to find a way to keep lobbing easy "pitches" that he could then knock out of the park.  Unfortunately, it just doesn't work.  Jade as the contrarian here... is not only out of character, but it's also freaking pointless!  Why not have her on board with the hunt for Tanner?  Why not play up her inexperience as a team leader to know how to go about doing it efficiently?  You'd still get Nightwing offering his two-cents, and the America's Most Wanted tie-in.

As a comic book, I have some problems with it.  With that said, I still feel like Winick and Company had their hearts in the right place when they put this together... so, ya know... no harm, no foul.  The art here is... inconsistent.  Not bad, but the character models change a bit from page to page... panel to panel even.  It looks like Jade must be taking some bad-ass biotin here, because her hair gets one hell of a growth-spurt about halfway through the book.  Though, in fairness... three weeks had passed.

Overall... is this a book you need in your collection?  Well, for the novelty of a John Walsh photo-cover... sure, why not?  It's probably the best John Walsh photo-cover of a comic book you're going to find.  If you're a John Walsh completionist, it should go without saying that you need this book.  The man himself has one hell of a story... he's turned his own personal tragedy into something incredible.  For the story of this comic... well, it's an important subject... but the way they get to it is kind of maddening.  This issue is available digitally.

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The Originals: Special Ashcan Edition (2004)

The Originals: Special Ashcan Edition (May, 2004)
By Dave Gibbons
Edited by Pornsak Pichetshote & Karen Berger

Even some five-six months after moving house, it's crazy how much of my life is still in boxes... and not just those long white ones we like to stack to the ceiling, either.

Came across the book we're going to discuss today in a random box, along with some of my "Press" materials from when I volunteered at the Phoenix (Cactus) Comicon back in the md-2000's... and hadn't the foggiest clue what it was!

My "ashcan" collection is... pretty small, I guess.  Just a handful of 'em.  I never quite know where to "keep" them, you know?  I suppose I could bag-n-board them, and just file them in the longboxes... well, yeah... that's probably the smart thing to do.  Problem solved!

That's what we do here at our humble blog... find problems, and talk our way to solutions!  Today ashcan-filing, tomorrow... low -fat cookies that taste good and world peace!

Anyhoo... any time I cover an ashcan or a "special preview" here, I feel like I'm cheating a bit... I mean, we've covered 100 page issues here, and today... I think this bugger weighs in at less than 10!  Oh well, I guess it's not a terrible thing to take it easy every now and again.  After all, we've been at this for 789 days straight... 

--

We open with a young fella named Lel waxing... er, petulant?  We get a bit of him complaining about the generation that came before him... he comes across here as very angry... very teen-agery.  He also mentions his good friend Bok.  Bok's a guy who was picked on because he is black.

Lel would stand up for Bok... and as such, found himself becoming pretty good at fighting.  He an Bok shared many interests... including the desire to join The Originals!

The Originals are a gang of oddly-dressed folks who ride "Hovers"... which are basically hovering motorcycles/scooters.  We see Lel (I assume), in full Originals regalia standing before a tagged wall.

We flash back to when Lel and Bok tagged that wall with The Originals logo.  Bok expresses a bit of concern... and Lel assures him "The Dirt" won't show up to put a crimp on their good time.  I can only assume that "The Dirt" is slang for police here?  Maybe some other governmental authoritarian unit?  Who knows?

As they tag, they discuss their goals... chief among them, coming up with the scratch to afford a "Hover" so they might join The Originals.  Some kid called Warren shows up to deliver some Dirty news... The Dirt yanked one of "Ronnie's boys" off their Hover.  Not sure if Ronnie is tied up with The Originals... but Lel and Bok aren't pleased regardless.  They tell Warren to beat it.

Lel and Bok return to the task at hand when suddenly... Hovers approach!

It's... The Originals!  And we're out of time...

--

Well, that was short and sweet!  Not at all what I expected, either!  Looking at the cover, I'd have bet money we were about to read about some weird band... not a futuristic motorcycle gang!

We don't get a whole heckuva lot here, but what we do get is pretty good.  I could do without the whole "screw you, dad" sentiment from Lel.  I find it hard to root for the petulant bratty type.

The setting here is kinda weird... we definitely get the vibe that we're in the future, but the only thing that seems futuristic are the Hovers.  Everything else appears to be "normal-ish".

I find the use of lingo a bit weird for an introductory piece such as this.  Referring to "The Dirt"... I mean, we might assume they're meant to be something akin to a police force... hell, they might just be a different gang.  I really couldn't say.  I'm never really one to request an "info dump", but if this is supposed to convince me to drop $25 on a 160 page hardcover... you're gonna have to give me something.  Otherwise, what's the point of even making an ashcan?

So... did this ashcan steer me toward shelling out the bucks for the hardback?  Well... I dig the sorta-kinda Akira-ness, and I'm a sucker for rise and fall... and rise again stories (which I get the feeling this is going to be), but I can't see myself paying full price for this.  We really didn't get enough to make this feel "must read".  That doesn't mean it isn't... it just means this ashcan didn't really "move the needle" for me.

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Introduction Piece:

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