Name

“Codename Baboushka: The Conclave of Death” #1 has the seeds of a great series, but it doesn’t add up to a great first issue. Antony Johnston and Shari Chankhamma offer up a cool premise, dynamic cast and smooth aesthetic, but “Baboushka” can’t quite decide what it wants to be. As it shifts between modern thrills and Bond-riffing playfulness, the reader doesn’t get a clear sense of where the series is going or what it wants to accomplish. “Codename Baboushka” is an enjoyable reclaiming of the Russian Bond girl, but I finished it without a strong sense of what’s coming next — something I should have gotten from a first issue. “Baboushka” follows Contessa Annika Malikova, a former Russian mafia boss who’s been blackmailed into covert operations by the U.S. government. In this issue, Annika and her right-hand man, Gyorgy, are tasked with assassinating one gun-runner and purchasing valuable data from another. Johnston gives Annika a superspy’s self-assurance and a fun bag of one-step-a

Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham’s “Nameless” #5 is built around a classic horror genre tactic: raising doubt about sanity and perception. In the last issue, Nameless seemed to be the last man standing, the last one to succumb to malevolent alien possession. “Nameless” #5 is a flashback issue that reveals how the main character might not be what he thinks he is. This is a classic horror moment of truth: the evil the protagonist fears has already made its home inside him without his awareness. This re-framing works to stir up some surprise, but it doesn’t max out the potential shock value. This kind of inversion works best when the reader has built up significant trust in one person’s version of events, which isn’t the case here. Nameless seemed more trustworthy than the other characters, but that’s because he was the only character with any dimension; the world-building was always too mind-bending and chaotic for the reader to develop any sense of security. To say that “Nameless”

In “Nameless” #2 by Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham, Nameless joins his new teammates in outer space. Morrison combines his usual interests in mysticism and antiauthoritarian attitude with sci-fi horror plot twists and a potentially world-ending threat. “Nameless” #1 focuses heavily on the occult, but the second issue leans more towards space opera. Nameless, the titular hero, continues to be a combination of magician, wise man and rebellious loner. His doomed romantic motivation is a cliche and his “gruff cowboy with a heart of gold and all the answers” persona is also a familiar stereotype, but Morrison manages to make the character feel new by giving Nameless scene-stealing dialogue like his request to use the “moon toilets.” While Nameless hasn’t been given a lot of fleshing out, he can hold the spotlight. The same isn’t true for the other characters. Morrison spares readers the usual character ’round-the-spaceship or roundtable introductions. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a

Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham’s “Nameless” #1 doesn’t go for an easy first issue. It takes a convoluted in medias res route, plunging readers right into the middle of a dangerous and fast-moving situation. By the end of the issue, though, you’ll find yourself hooked and wanting to see what happens next, even as you’re still catching your breath. It’s difficult to fully describe the plot of “Nameless” #1, something that feels more than a bit deliberate on the part of Morrison. Without giving anything away (not that I’m entirely sure it’s possible), it follows our protagonist, Nameless, as he embarks on a series of missions through an atypical landscape. As I said before, “Nameless” #1 has a slightly convoluted path. Readers are left to figure out what’s going on and, while Nameless gives everyone enough to piece together the series of events, it’s not a simple, gentle or hand-holding experience. Because of the sort of mission that Nameless is on, we’re left with shifting scenery, a

“The Names” feels like a stealth series; one that’s been dropped into the comics market without much fanfare or attention. That’s a real pity, because Peter Milligan and Leandro Fernandez’s nine-issue limited-series feels like something that should appeal to a lot of readers, especially those who enjoyed “100 Bullets.” “The Names” #3 continues the tight, tense mood that began in the first two issues. Milligan’s created a thriller that’s as much about physical danger as it is mental puzzles. We end up with a good combination of protagonists on that front; Katya gets to be the muscle while Philip is the brains of the operation. And while some of the clues seem overly complex as the duo try to piece together what their ex-husband/father was trying to tell them in his farewell message, there’s a certain little thrill to get to see what seemed like throw-away information and phrases turn out to have so much more meaning. Milligan also introduces the Tulips, a counter-organization to the

“The Names” #2 by Peter Milligan and Leandro Fernandez proceeds along the conventional path of a murder mystery and conspiracy tale about an international secret society. It had the familiar catalyst of a widow’s quest for the truth. None of the plot elements in “The Names” #2 are new, but Milligan succeeds at avoiding staleness. Katya makes for a strong protagonist and point-of-view character, sympathetic in her energy and how she seems to have genuinely loved her rich husband. Milligan sprinkles in effective little pockets of characterization throughout “The Names” #2, in flashbacks in which Katya remembers her husband. Milligan also expands the character of Philip, who is equal parts creepy and canny. True to the setup of a stepson and young stepmother to a rich man, Philip is hostile to Katya, and their barbed conversations flow well. Their temporary alliance develops smoothly without any needless exposition in “The Names” #2. Milligan deploys the plot twist of Philip’s return t

“The Names” #1 opens and closes on Wall Street, with the life of Kevin Walker being lost in the balance in this Vertigo comic by Peter Milligan and Leandro Fernandez. Pitched as a thrilling corporate espionage caper with just a pinch of mystery mixed in, the debut issue sends Walker’s widow, Katya, on a quest for vengeance. Fernandez’s exaggerated anatomy carries the essence of Kelley Jones, as Kevin is given an ultimatum that bears the pricetag of his life. The artist works wonders with shapes and outlines, heavily shadowed and dramatically composed, forcing the plot to zip along despite its depth. Milligan’s story stretches from New York City to Macedonia to London and back to upstate New York, but Fernandez focuses on the shadowy aspects of those locales to tie everything together. Adam Stoker, Giles Cameron and the Surgeon are primary players in the nefarious deeds, and Fernandez makes each one of the characters visually distinct, regardless of their breadth in “The Names” #1. T