Friday, January 19, 2007

Wonder Man #1-#2

Wonder Man #1-#2
In spite of Simon Williams' presence in this book, it's quite GOOD. It's quite unapologetically and self-referentially a superhero retelling of Shaw's Pygmalion. It abounds with Eliza Doolittle references, and even the title of the story is "My Fair Super-Hero". If you don't get the joke, then there's something sorely lacking in either your English Literature background or your pop-culture database.
What makes this title so good though, is exactly what hasn't been advertised overtly in the solicits or even on the covers: it's Peter David's portrayal of Henry McCoy. As one who's so brilliant that he needn't even make an effort - or so he thinks.
The "dark future" scenes are largely throwaway - unless Peter David is hinting at their placement in the 2099 universe populated by his characters from Spider-Man 2099. The main story doesn't seem to have anything to do with these scenes.
The art is also a bit offputting.
But taken as a whole, this is really GOOD stuff, and should, at least for those among us who enjoy the classics, at least be perused.

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