A Few Thoughts on Comics from This Week

Light week this week with only five new comics for me! Let's see if I can find something to say about each one.

Amazing Spider-Man #620 provides the wrap-up to the Mysterio storyline of this month. One of the things I really enjoyed about this story, and indeed about how Mysterio has been treated of late, is that he's no longer a goofy joke character, he's a serious threat. Mysterio is a special effects master that turned to crime. For a long period of time he was a joke, a relic of 1960s comic silliness as it was unclear how the character should evolve with the times. Mysterio is once again Master of Illusion and you can't be sure what is truth and what is lies. Pete's friend Carlie sees her dead father return. Was his death an illusion to go undercover or is this a robot claiming to be her father? The story keeps you guessing who is what. Fun art, silly Spidey wisecracks, some character building moments, a tease for another story - this was a good book and a good storyline.

Walt Disney Comics #703 does not feature the next part of the Ultraheroes storyline as they've been spun off into their own book. To this I say boo and hiss. Launching a storyline in one book and not having it finish there is bad form I say. Thankfully, this replacement storyline looks interesting: 'Mickey Mouse and the World to Come'. The cover is a homage to the movie 'Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow'. Doc Static's past inventions come back to haunt him and it's up to Mickey and Minnie to save the day! This story starts out in Antarctica, there are some spy-like passwords and double passwords, and once the story starts running after a comedy double-act opening, it just picks up the pace. This looks like it'll be a lot of fun.

Groo - The Hogs of Horder #3 featured no cheese dip. It does feature cheap imported goods, unemployment, banks looking for loans, and other financial perils. While sounding like the business section of the local newspaper, this is intentionally funny. There is also much vanquishing. 'Froo likes a real war! Not that there is anything wrong with the other kind!' Always good stuff.

Muppet King Arthur #1 starts the next 'movie'. The art is very wacky and cartoony, not by any means bad, but does jar slightly after the 'realistic' art of Muppet Peter Pan. The writing style feels a bit light, with frequent 'this is a comic and we're making jokes about it being a comic', similar to Muppet Robin Hood but to the next degree. Miss Piggy is cast as Morgane Le Fey which just seems weird. All in all, this is still funny, but seems a little more out there. If Muppet Robin Hood didn't do it for you, you might want to skip this one and reread Muppet Peter Pan again.

The Muppet Show Comic Book #2 gives me TWO Muppet Comics in one week! Can my heart stand the excitement? The Muppets are still on the road, touring while the Theatre is rebuilt. As Fozzie stayed behind to test himself on his own, the group picks up a temporary comedian who works the Don Rickles style of insult humor. This doesn't go down well with the gang but the audience doesn't mind. To lift the tone, the Muppets try to get him out of that style or, barring that, get him out of the show. The story takes some twists and turns from there. I won't spoil it. A good issue with a 'musical number' page that isn't a musical number but is at the same time. Writer/Artist Roger Langridge uses Rowlf so perfectly for these types of things. It's seems so effortless that it's magical. That's Muppety.