The Ultimates 2, Vol. 2: Grand Theft America
Mark Millar, Bryan Hitch
Marvel, 2007
Rating: 4.0

The Boys, Vol. 1: Name of the Game
Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson
Dynamite, 2007
Rating: 3.5

Since superhero stories are at heart power fantasies, themes of unchecked power and corruption come pretty easily – especially in this day and age, in which America’s involvement in Iraq is painted as either selfless heroism or megalomania, depending on which divisive political commentator’s beliefs you subscribe to. That theme reared its potentially unwieldy head in a big way in the previous installment of The Ultimates, and it rests at the very core of The Boys, Garth Ennis’ and Darick Robertson’s gleefully aggressive tale of a covert group tasked with reining in the excesses of the super-powered set.

But in the end, both the first collection of The Boys and the final collection of Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch’s Ultimates run suggest that for both titles, questions of absolute power and responsibility are just so much window-dressing, serving as either justification or garnish for tableaus of violent action calculated to warm the heart of any red-blooded adolescent male.  (more…)

The Simpsons Movie
David Silverman, USA, 2007
Rating: 3.5

Fans of The Simpsons – whether they’re diehards who can rattle off the names of writers and show runners across the program’s lengthy run or more casual, occasional admirers – expect a lot from a big-screen adaptation of the long-running TV show. How could they not? The Simpsons stands as pop-cultural high-water mark for its deft satire, exuberant sight gags, unabashed crudity and, above all, its sharp wit. Even accounting for a recent (and precipitous) decline in quality, its 18-season track record is in itself a remarkable achievement, one with which any 90-minute feature would be hard-pressed to compete.

Inevitably, then, that long-anticipated movie version will disappoint a percentage of its target audience. (How could it not?) But for viewers who can’t list every episode’s title or aren’t familiar with behind-the-scenes personnel like Ian Maxtone-Graham, that disappointment is likely to be minor.
(more…)