WHAT, NO PICTURES?

Is there really any need for books that feature these characters? Certainly the superhero is best suited to the comic book format. That's why they have dominated the comic racks for so many years. Movies and other media that feature superheroes are fun for a while, but ultimately their novelty wears off and we return to the medium where they rule. That doesn't mean that there is no place for superhero novels. They can be quite fun if done well. As you might expect, they quality of these books varies quite a bit from book to book.

Plot wise, a viscous being with a marked similarity to Venom is murdering and causing general havoc. Spider-Man, of course, must investigate but immediately discovers that Hobgoblin is involved and just to make matters worse, Venom himself (itself?) is very unhappy that something is impersonating him (it?) and joins the hunt. For almost 350 pages this book has just about everything we have come to expect from a Spider-Man story. Peter and Mary Jane have money troubles, Mary Jane faces a tough choice at an acting audition, Peter agonizes over every move he makes and doesn't make and of course Spider-Man gets beat up a lot.

In fact, the very familiarity that makes this book so much like a Spider-Man comic is ultimately it's chief failing. It's so much like a Spider-Man comic that you find yourself wondering if you've read all this before. You haven't. Not exactly. It is, however, as if they took all of the common elements that recur through all of the Spider-Man books and made sure that each and every one was represented here. There are much worse failings. The book is still one of the more entertaining of the superhero novels out there, and is actually the first book of a trilogy. It just doesn't add anything new, and Duane does such a competent job that you can't help but wonder what might could be done with a little more daring.

This book reminded me quite a lot of the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby glory days of the FF. The plot moves briskly and there are just enough suprises to keep you interested. While Kirby's contribution may have been cosmic scope and grandeur, Stan Lee made you care about the characters and Collins' builds on that. You really believe that this is a superhero family. Their responses to each situation and each other never seem forced or simply an excuse for cheap humor. The Fantastic Four was one of Lee and Kirby's most character rich books and this book uses them well. In addition to the Four themselves, you have the regal Namor and the stately evil of Doctor Doom thrown in for good measure.

While not the best superhero book on the market, Fantastic Four: To Free Atlantis is still a worthy introduction to superhero novels. It might actually lead a couple of novice comic readers to the classic Lee and Kirby strories. That would be a very good thing indeed.

It roughly concerns Iron Man's attempt to stop MODOK from assembling the necessary componates to create the ultimate weapon. He recruits Captain America, War Machine and the Black Panther along the way, although they are really very little help. The trio spreads all over the world, getting their butt kicked by various adaptoid versions of a number of supervillians. Any great story needs conflict, but these villians come across so lame that you find yourself booing the heroes for their inability to mop the floor with them. Just about every second string bad guy is represented here; Mandarian, Mr. Hyde, the Cobra, the Cold Warrior, Deathlok. In fact, it is as if the author believes that he can compensate for the weak story by tossing in so many plot elements and guest stars that you'll be too confused to notice that every so-called plot twist is telegraphed pages ahead of time.

I'm not going to give this a one panel rating because it does have some good illustrations by underrated comic artist Tom Morgan. I really think that there is a terrific Iron Man novel out there waiting to be written. Needless to say, I'm still waiting.

The Incredible Hulk: Abominations  by Jason Henderson (1997 Byron Press/Berkley) Back in the early days of his comic career, the Hulk would have made a terrible subject for a novel. Saying "Hulk will smash!" a lot and having everybody shoot a him simply wouldn't make for very good reading. Thanks mostly to Peter David's long run on the book (sadly, now over), the Hulk is not only more intelligent, but one of the more complex characters in the entire world of comics. While not the best Hulk book on the market (we'll get to that later), this is a pretty good read.

Emil Blonski, former KGB agent and now Hulk's arch enemy, the Abomination, is out to wreck vengeance on the world that he feels has wronged him. The Abomination is formidable enough, but in this case is allied with a group called the URSA, a terrorist group who aim to restore the Soviet Union to its' former glory. The Hulk is drawn into finding the Abomination by SAFE, a superspy outfit that is a carbon copy of SHEILD. Why Cox choose to create this organization instead of simply using SHIELD is perplexing, as SAFE is virtually the same group. You may even find yourself mentally substituting the names of some of the members of SHIELD for those here. It is a small, if baffling flaw.

While he fumbled the whole SHIELD/SAFE thing, Cox got all of the other important elements right. He must have boned up on Peter David's issues of the comic because his versions of the Hulk, Betty Banner and the Abomination fit very well with the tone that David has established. The inclusion of the Abomination as the chief villain illustrates just how much this incarnation of the Hulk is a figure to admire. As Emil Blonsky self pity and loathing ultimately lead him to bitter madness, it shows the degree to which Bruce Banner has reconciled his own beast. We all have a Hulk lurking inside of us and most could not handle that beast being forced to the surface. Banner's struggle to maintain a clear identity is just one of the elements that make the character of the Hulk one of the most facinating in comics today.

The illustrations, unfortunately, do not add anything worthwhile to the book. James Fry is not an artist that I have ever particularely liked and this is some of his worst work. Except for the Hulk being large and the Abomination having gills. you would be hard pressed to tell any of the characters apart from these half finnished scribblings. I don't think most of us buy superhero novels for the art, so perhaps it's not a major flaw. Nonetheless, it distracts from an otherwise very good story. All in all a worthwhile read.

The Silver Surfer is recruited by Sue Storm (the Invisible Woman) to help her rescue the remaining members of the Fantastic Four who have been lured into the Negative Zone. Once there, The entire group attempts to aid Blastaar against Prodigion, a world devoring entity with a great similarity to the Surfer's former master, Galactus. The Silver Surfer sees a chance to redeem himself of his past transgressions as the herald of Galactus when the Prodigion convinses him that its' mission is one of creating life. Ultimately, the work of Prodigion is revealed to be just as devastating as that of the Surfers' former master. Luckily the Fantastic Four also discover Prodigion's destructive tendancies before they leave the Negative Zone, and return to aid the Surfer in defeating the evil being and ironically acheive a bit of redemption in the process.

It's an interesting story idea and with such great characters and a good writer how could they go wrong. Well, it's not a terrible book it just never gells the way that it should. It's as if Friedman wrote the book on autopilot- a competant, mechanically precise story- nothing more. Even though it's not the worst superhero book that I have read by a long shot, it was the most disappointing considering the creative people involved. It does have some really nice George Perez illustrations, though.

Three Panels (sigh!)

It does have a really great cover by Julie Bell. Unfortunately the interior illustrations are by James Fry and while they are better than his work in The Increadible Hulk: Abominations, they're still pretty lame. The cover, however, almost makes the book worth buying, if only as a between comics snack.

Peter David is definately capible of superior writing. In an outstanding ten year run of the Hulk comic he has brought a level of characterization that no one reading those "Hulk will smash" issues would have thought possible. He took a completely stagnant character and not only reinvigorated it, but completely redifined it. He is also very competant writing straight prose, as his generally excellent Star Trek novels have shown. So it's high praise indeed that this book doesn't disappoint in the least.

Perscuted by the obsessive Major Talbot ("Thunderbolt" Ross was still dead when this was written), Bruce Banner decides to submit to an experimental ooperation which might rid him of the Hulk persona. The operation succeeds, but it's not that simple because Betty discovers that she is pregnant and... actually I don't want to give any more away because this is one book that you really should read for yourself. Just when you think that you have the plot figured out, it takes another twist down an exepected dirrection. It also manages to include just about every version of the Hulk that you can think of, from the stupid Hulk of yesterday to the Maestro incarnation of the future.

Beautifully illustrated by George Perez, What Savage Beast is as close to a "definative" Hulk novel that I think that we can expect. Even if you're not a fan of the Hulk, this is one book that you should have.