Weekly Review - GLA (the series)

Well, Dan Slott is my new favorite writer. Between his excellent work on She-Hulk and his understated masterpiece Spider-Man/Human Torch, Slott is the best writer currently working for Marvel.

This series is great. Slott resurrects old, obscure characters like Squirrel Girl (created by Steve Ditko, artist and often plotter on the original Spider-Man comics) and makes us care for them, deeply. The humor is thick and fast, and its a measure of Slott's ability that he can find the humor is a tale where characters are dying at an unprecedented rate (not counting Mr. Immortal who dies three or four times an issue).

Beyond that, Slott manages to make extra-textual comments in ways that serve the story and allow those "in the know" to get the joke - yet clueless newbies will not feel lost. Slott creates tales with the perfect balance of accessibility for new readers and in-jokes and allusions for the long time fans.

A perfect example comes from the second issue, where Flatman and Doorman go to New York in order to recruit heroes. On one level, it's a rather hilarious romp where they get turned down by famous hero after famous hero - and it works on that level just fine. However, once you realize the heroes have turned them down with excuses like "I'm a loner - teams just don't work for me - I'm not a team player" and then notice all those heroes are now members of the New Avengers - well, it allows for a whole nother level of humor.

The last issue (which came out last Wednesday) has a hilarious ending, yet it also manages to be more than just funny. Mr. Immortal finds out new truths about himself that gives meaning to his suffering - and the result is almost touching - and then it leads into the best joke of the book. But go read it yourself - or get the trade if/when it comes out. Either way - this is one of the best books of 2005.