Infinite Opinions

DCnU - Red Hood and the Outlaws #1 from DC's New 52

2011-10-03T18:19:00.001-04:00

Red Hood and the Outlaws is written by Scott Lobdell and features art by Kenneth Rocafort.

Okay... so here it is. For those of you who were worried there was edict from DC to "de-sexy" DC's comics, your answer is here. For those of you were hoping there was an edict from DC to treat female characters better... your answer is also here.

I wanted to get this out of the way right at the beginning. Clearly, editorial at DC is still okay with cheesecake, in case Catwoman didn't convince you.

Apparently Tamaraneans are very different in the New DCU. In the old continuity, Starfire was fiercely loyal, caring, and very open, if a little naive at times. Now, she isn't nearly as loyal, because she doesn't really see humans as poeple, but instead as vague collections of sights and smells.

She doesn't remember the Titans she used to hang with - not Dick, not Garth, none of them. It's not a change I am a fan of. It's an interesting concept for a character, particularly for an alien on earth. It would be terribly lonely to be surrounded by creatures that you don't really see as people, but as kind of close. There could be a lot to explore here.

Instead, Starfire deals with it by having sex. A lot. Within seconds of her introduction, as they are in a battle, Jason manages to brag about the fact that she "has been with me."

And then the moment Jason wanders off, we get Starfire confirming to Roy (Arsenal) that she doesn't remember any of the Titans, and saying that she is bored with him and offering to have sex.

They do, and Jason walks in on them lying together in the morning, walking past them non-nonchalantly to get his mask and heading off while they lie sleeping.

So, apparently, banging Starfire is a perq of being on the Outlaws? Really?

And this is a shame. Because there are some really good bits in this comic. The character called Essence who shows up is very interesting. She is somehow linked to the training that Jason underwent on the way to becoming the Red Hood, and proof that not all women are to be objectified in this comic. The way Rocafort draws here is very reminiscent to me of Tony DiTerlizzi's work on the Planescape setting for Dungeons and Dragons, and on Changeling for White Wolf. That is not faint praise. DiTerlizzi's work on Planescape was one of the best parts of a very strong setting.

In fact, overall, I really like Rocafort's art. It feel very "right" for this book. It is kind of cartoony, which may well turn some people off. A close friend commented on how ridiculous it is that the Red Hood has facial expressions with his hard mask on. I get how that bothers some people, but I'm okay with it.

To be honest, I feel like this book is almost two completely different things - one is everything to do with Starfire, and the other is kind of good. I was amused by some of the interaction between Red Hood and Arsenal when Jason was rescuing Roy right at the beginning of the book. I was intrigued by Essence and the promise of knowing more about Jason's training. I didn't overlook that when Roy was naming titans, neither Donna Troy nor Wally West came up. I'm interested in why someone in Chicago (where I think I spotted the Mysterious Lady in Red, in one of the harder to see appearances this side of Batgirl) is waiting for evidence of a Tamaranean on Earth. And I even liked that the comic was ended with "To be explained" rather than "To be continued."

The problem is, right now for me, the negative is overwhelming the positive. Not just because I don't like the changes to Starfire, but because in this form, the character is aggressively unlikable. And Roy is a douche for sleeping with her. Yes, he has always been a lady's man, but this seemed almost... taking advantage of her. Which I have never associated with him.

If they can turn Starfire around a little and make me care about the character, or at least tone down her interactions a little, I may stay past the opening story arc. Otherwise, this one is likely to drop any time.

DCnU - Nightwing #1 from DC's New 52

2011-10-03T07:38:00.001-04:00

Nightwing is written by Kyle Higgins, with pencils by Eddy Barrows and inks by JP Mayer.

So, here we are: My favorite member of the Batman family. In many ways, I do like Dick Grayson even more than Batman himself. In the first three pages, we get the info dump: He has been living in Gotham for a year, filling in for Batman, who was "...away." And that he is thrilled to be himself again - Dick Grayson. Nightwing.

I feel like Higgins has a good grasp for the Nightwing character. He is an optimist in a dark world. But not naively so. He understands how serious what he does is. He knows lives depend on him. But if he can have a little fun while saving lives, that seems like a good deal to him.

In this issue, Dick Grayson reunites with the circus he grew up in. His upbringing in that circus has always been part of the emotional core of the character, so it is good to have it figure prominently in his first story arc. Given the prominence of the circus in the character's background, it is also appropriate that this is where we see Flashpoint's Mysterious Lady in Red observing Dick.

Then, on his way home from the circus, Dick Grayson is attacked by a costumed type, who kills two cops to get at him. He quickly changes to Nightwing and confronts him, to find that he would-be assassin is after him because "Dick Grayson is the fiercest killer in all of Gotham. And he doesn't even know it." This revelation, and the fact that the killer is even faster than Nightwing allow the mysterious figure to get the upper hand at the end of the book.

So, we have a body over in Batman #1 that has Dick Grayson's skin under it's fingernails, and here, we have a costumed assassin accusing Dick Grayson of being a killer. The plot thickens. I like the idea, but do hope this doesn't become a cross-over where you have to buy both comics.

Overall, the story was well-told and moved at a quick pace. The characters were interesting and multi-dimensional. I'm interested in who this killer is, and why he wants Nightwing dead.

I like the art, and feel it suits Nightwing very well. Much of Barrows' work is very kinetic, showing off how quick and agile Nightwing is.

Barrows also uses some unusual panel shapes - particularly diagonals to good effect. Whether it is to show the confined nature of a subway train, or to show that when you spend as much time leaping around as Nighwing, perspective is somewhat skewed, it really works well. Within the panels, he uses alot of up-looking angels as well, which again, helps to communicate Nightwing's high-flying nature.

I see from the solicits for Demeber that issue #4 has a different artist. I am not sure if that is a permanent change or not.

Overall, this book is definitely a keeper for me. I got drawn in to the mystery, and enjoyed everything around it as well.

DCnU - Legion of Super-Heroes #1 from DC's New 52

2011-10-03T06:56:00.000-04:00

Legion of Super-Heroes was written by Paul Levitz with art by Francis Portela.

Paul Levitz has a long history with the Legion. He has written more than 8 years' worth of Legion stories.

His familiarity with the characters and setting shows through here, both in positive ways, and in negative ones.

I'll start with the negative, because there are fewer of them. This book does not seem like it would be a good jumping-on point for new readers. The Legion Espionage Squad is investigating a planet on the border of the Dominator Empire. We aren't really told much about the Dominators in this book, nor even really what the Legion is, and why they are the ones investigating. Long-time fans can probably piece it together. Hopefully it isn't too confusing for new ones.

Part of the reason for this is that continuity for the Legion seems to be basically unaffected by the Flashpoint. Variable Lad has just died (referenced as Oaa in the comic - that is another thing that makes the Legion a little harder to just pick up. Very few of the Legionnaires use each other's code names. Real names or nick names are much more common. This adds a feeling of reality once you know all the characters, but can be confusing when you first jump on board) and all the story lines from the pre-relaunch DCU are still in place.

But on to the good stuff. Levitz' command of the characters allows him to quickly sum each of them up, in both a summary box listing name and powers, as well as with dialogue. In a cast this big, it can be a challenge to not have any characters get lost. Levitz manages to bring a few coer characters to the forefront while still allowing many at least a small chance in the spotlight. This is truly challenging on a book with this scale, and his experience is evident.

This Legion team feels a lot like the classic one, which was tremendously successful many years ago. Interesting characters with some depth, some very powerful heroes and enemies, and internal strife which gets put aside when necessary but overall leads to strong character development. This is the stuff a good book is made of, and this is what Levitz promises to bring with this first issue.

He's got political intrigue, action, and has set up redemption story arcs and some internal mysteries. Lots to draw on here for future stories.

Portela's art is very well-suited to the book. The story is clearly told, the technology seems very natural, not taking center stage, but always being present. There are different page layouts and such used to good effect.

Overall, if you can stick with this comic even though it isn't necessarily a ready-made jump-on poing, I expect it to be rewarding. And while it may not be the perfect jumping-on point, it certainly is the beginning of a story arc.

DCnU - Green Lantern Corps #1 from DC's New 52

2011-10-02T08:35:00.000-04:00

Green Lantern Corps #1 is written by Peter J. Tomasi, with pencils by Fernando Pasarin and Scott Hanna.

This is the tale of John Stewart, Guy Gardner and a supporting cast of alien Lanterns. Although, it doesn't start off with them. It starts off with two alien Lanterns from space sector 3599 getting killed by a figure so fast it is nothing but a blur. Once both Lanterns are dead, the figure ominously says, "Where there is a force of will, there is a force of destiny."

We then cut to our two human heroes, each trying to get his life on earth back in order by finding a job. Guy is unable to get a high school football coach. The school's administrators are concerned about the fact that he could have to fly off at a moment's notice, as well as at the dangers he could bring with him, and the liability insurance they would have to carry having a publicly known Green Lantern working for them.

At the same time, John Stewart is having a conflict with some potential employers over a building he designed. Due to his insistence on higher security standards than the building code, the building looks to go over budget. The people who are building it will not budge on the money, and John will not move an inch on what he believes to be "the right thing." With the Mysterious Lady in Red looking on, he teaches the developers a lesson, and flies off.

We see a cataclysm on a water planet, in sector 3599, the same one where the Lanterns were killed at the beginning of the comic.

After that, we head back to our human Lantern heroes considering what to do, and deciding to head back to Oa. Once there, they meet up with Salaak, who is about to send a team of Lanterns to investigate sector 3599. It turns out that not only were the 2 Lanterns we saw killed, but their replacements were also killed, on the watery planet we saw in a previous cutaway.

It turns out, someone stole all the water from the water planet, killing the people living there, and leaving the two new Green Lanterns staked out.

The next issue is called "This Means War."

The story in this issue was solid - it started moving right from the start, and set the stage nicely for the coming battle.

Scott Hannah's art isn't blowing me away, but it is solid and suits the tone of the story fairly well.

DCnU - DC Universe Presents #1 from DC's New 52

2011-10-02T07:20:00.000-04:00

DC Universe Presents is written by Paul Jenkins with art by Bernard Chang.

Everybody loves Deadman. Since he first cropped up back in 1967, he has never really gone away from the DCU. His own series, featured roles in other mystical comics, presence is several of DC's big "events." Deadman, the acrobat who died a jerk and has been trying to atone ever since as a ghost who can possess others. His costume is kind of cool, and it is an interesting idea, so he has persisted.

And now, here he is featured in the New DCU. (Aside from his appearance as Dove's boyfriend in Hawk & Dove.) We get his background here, how he was a jerk when he was alive (complete with Mysterious Lady in Red observing him back then) and how he died, then was set upon the path to redemption by the goddess Rama.

From there, we get a tour of some of the people he has helped, and the next person he will be helping. But we also see that he is becoming dissatisfied with just following the path that has been set out before him. He wants some answers, and has devised a plan to get them.

The story is very much setup. Little characterization outside of Boston Brand, the Deadman. We do see a little bit of psychic Madame Rose. But otherwise, the issue is setting up how Deadman came to be where he is today. And, right at the end, how he intends to move forward.

It's pretty well written, and the art is good, so I enjoyed the journey. Having a whole issue for setup works, because this story will be 5 issues, and there is enough content here to warrant 20% of the arc.

I'm also looking forward to learning who the next character is going to be in DC Universe Presents, and who the creative team working on him will be.

DCnU - Catwoman #1 from DC's New 52

2011-09-30T07:13:00.000-04:00

Catwoman is written by Judd Winick with art by Guillem March.

There has been a lot of talk about the perceived sexism in this book online. It starts off with a boob shot of Catwoman, and the whole first page, she is basically running around half-undressed. And we don't see her face. That doesn't show up until page three. And there is a butt shot at the bottom of page 2 as well. To be fair, most of page 2 is taken up by the people coming to kill her.

There have been many reviews, op ed pieces, articles and blog posts taking Winick and March to task for this.

This isn't going to be one of them. I'll note this: There is cheesecake in this book. Mr. March's art is gorgeous, and he clearly enjoys drawing the female form. If you are offended by this, and see it as objectification, you will most likely not like this book. If you are tittilated by this, you'll probably love the book.

It is equally clear what is on Mr. Winick's mind, as when Catwoman's apartment is being searched, she remarks that all they will find are "bras, books, wine and cat food." I was interested by those choices. Had they all been "b" words, I would have understood starting with "bras." But does Catwoman have no other clothes? If it has been "bras, books, booze and baby food. For these babies, of course - my feline companions" I don't think it would have jumped out at me the same way.

So, going in, know that you are getting a book that is about sex. It's clearly on both writer and artist's mind. Catwoman is hypersexualized in this book. Some people will find this offputting.

With that out of the way, as already mentioned, I find March's art to be absolutely gorgeous. And sometimes disturbing. Selina goes undercover to a Russian mob party (and our Mysterious Lady in Red is there, too). There she sees someone who once shot a friend of hers. She loses it. She goes from more of the sex kitten (you should pardon the expression) stuff - in this case used to get close to her target in the men's washroom - as shown on the left into a raging fury as shown below.

The sheer savagery of her attack, for me, shows a few important character details about Selina - she is, much like her namesake, mercurial. She didn't seem to get that upset when her apartment was blown up. Merely curious as to why. But when confronted with someone who hurt a friend? She tears him apart. And she does it with all the gusto of a cat. When a cat attacks something, it goes all out. Catwoman does, too. The power of these images also serves to completely tamp down any prurient thrill that came with the shot shown above.

And again, like her namesake, after this attack, Selina makes her escape from the Russians, with a smile on her face for much of it. The damage done, she returns to her more serene self.

Once she has escaped, she goes back to her hotel room, and Batman shows up. Here is the next part which many people have had issues with... She throws herself at Batman, who turns her down. But when she is a little more forceful, he gives in. She says "Every time... he protests. Then... He gives in. And he seems... angry."

Then, they have sex. Sure, we don't see the penetration or anything, but the suggestion is clear, and the images bordering on erotic. This scene bothered a lot of people. I get why people may not want sex in their comic. I also get that I am not a woman, so I may be seeing this from the wrong perspective, but to me, this scene is not bad. Catwoman is the aggressor - she starts the situation, perpetuates it, and ends up on top. She says "Usually it's because I want him. Tonight it's because I need him." She has been through a lot, and needs to feel close to another person on a day where she lost her apartment and brutally beat, perhaps killed someone from her past.

That doesn't seem a ludicrous reaction. And "between consenting adults" and all that. Even if they both dress up as animals and run around in the night.

Overall, I am certainly intrigued enough to read the second issue. If the emphasis on cheesecake remains high, I will lose interest, bur for now, the combination of Selina's risk-taking personality, her true closeness to her friends and the question of who wants her dead have me interested enough to stick around. Between that and the art, this book is definitely worth me checking out issue 2. If it is more like the middle of the book, and less like the beginning and ending, then I will be around for a while.

DCnU - Captain Atom #1 from DC's New 52

2011-09-30T06:12:00.001-04:00

Captain Atom #1 written by J.T. Krul with art by Freddie Williams II.

As I mentioned in the preview, Captain Atom is one of my favorite characters. I also really like his expy in the form of Dr. Manhattan. Basically, I am predisposed to like this book.

Unfortunately, I was still a little disappointed. The direction that this comic is going is kind of interesting, but something about the execution felt a little lacking.

I didn't really have an emotional connection to Captain Atom at all in this story. I don't care that he is falling apart.

The art wasn't my cup of tea, either. I found there were parts of the story I had to work a little too hard to follow with the art. It wasn't terrible, and wouldn't drive me away from a book I was enjoying, but it also isn't going to keep me on a book that I am ambivalent about.

And that is how I felt about this comic... ambivalent. The mystery of why there is a volcano in New York? The rat-becomes-monster subplot? Will Captain Atom be disintegrating? None of it was heavy motivation to me.

This felt like a setup issue, so I will give it a couple more to see if it picks up, but so far, I am sad to say that Captain Atom is on the bubble.

Oh, and you can find the Mysterious Lady in Red in Manhattan, watching Cap stop the volcano.

DCnU - Blue Beetle #1 from DC's New 52

2011-09-29T04:57:00.000-04:00

Blue Beetle #1 is written by Tony Bedard. Ig Guara did pencis, and Ruy Jose inks.

Somewhere, out there in space, (Space Sector 2 to be precise) and long, long ago, we see a blue, armored figure ripping into an army. And winning. He destroys tanks, slashes soldiers, and brings wreckage to all who oppose him.

We learn that the warrior running roughshod over the army is one of them. He mourns after the battle, and it becomes clear that the armor is controlling him, and he has just helped to bring about the destruction of his own people. We are told that the same type of scarab that turned him into a weapon against his own people is off preparing another world. That scarab runs into a Green Lantern, and avoids destruction at his hands, but crashes to the planet it was headed to anyway, seemingly damaged but not destroyed.

Then, today, we get to know Jaime Reyes and some of his friends. Just normal high school kids at El Paso High School. One of them has birthday party coming up, and she also has an aunt who has security goons and money from a mysterious source. We then cut to Jaime being told he cannot go to her party, because it is at her aunt's place.

From there, we cut to that aunt's place, and she is in contact with Brutale, a mercenary, to recover an object. Unfortunately, the Brotherhood of Evil is already there, with Phobia, Warp and Plasmus on scene. Brutale's team attacks, and we get a short throw-down before Jaime and Paco happen upon it. Brutale's team has the upper hand, and Rompe-Huesos stops long enough to try and kill Jaime and Paco before grabbing the backpack with the scarab in it.

As Jaime grabs the backpack and runs to distract Rompe-Huesos from Paco, Brutale cuts him down with thrown knives while the Mysterious Lady in Red looks on. A knife into the backpack awakens the scarab.

We end with Jaime transformed into the Blue Beetle.

In the old DCU, Jaime Reyes as Blue Beetle just didn't connect for me. In this comic, it really did work for me. I enjoyed the story, the characters, and the use of Spanish. I had to have Google translator open for some of it, although not knowing the exact words being said would not have spoiled the flow of the story. That reminded me of the good old days of reading X-men comics with my father's German/English dictionary so I would know what Nightcrawler meant when he said "Unglaublich!"

The art was clean and tells the story clearly. The colors are bright and bold, suiting both the Texas sun, and sci-fi based origin of the Blue Beetle.

It's good to see the Brotherhood of Evil in the DCnU. The Doom Patrol comes and goes, but somehow The Brotherhood of Evil perseveres.

This was a fun read. I am definitely on board for at least the first story arc.

DCnU - Birds of Prey #1 from DC's New 52

2011-09-28T19:54:00.001-04:00

Birds of Prey is written by Duane Swierczynski with art Jesus Saiz.

Like Justice League before it, you get a team here that does not have everyone in the cover inside the book.

I have to admit, it feels a little "bait-and-switch" to me.

Overall, the story was okay, as was the art.

Black Canary and Starling are the only two Birds to show up in this issue. They fight guys in costumes that give them Predator-like ability to be camouflaged. They are trying to lure the Birds out of cover, and are manipulating a reporter to do so. The Birds, on the other hand, are using the same reporter to lure the dudes in the costumes out. And the Mysterious Lady in Red is watching the Birds watch the reporter watching the Birds the first time that Canary notices the reporter.

We get a big fight, which takes up most of the issue. Interspersed among the action are flashbacks telling the story of how we got here.

Black Canary is being hunted for murder, after supposedly killing a man with a punch. Ev or Starling is wanted as well.

We see Black Canary meet with the now-mobile Barbara Gordon, who recommends adding Katana to the team, but will not be a part of the team herself.

The battle ends with the Birds running off with the reporter, when Canary - who was kissed as part of the fight - starts to feel weird, the reporter's eyes start to bleed, and he explodes.

Ummm... yeah.

So, this was not one of my favorite books of the New 52. I am hoping it picks up when Katana and Poison Ivy are added over the next 2 issues.

DCnU - Batman #1 from DC's New 52

2011-09-28T05:27:00.001-04:00

Batman #1 was written by Scott Snyder, and features pencils by Greg Capullo and inks by Jonathan Glapion.

In this comic, Scott Snyder shows us both sides of Bruce Wayne/Batman and how they help Gotham. We start off with images of Gotham, and with a speech in the background about what Gotham is. From there, we move into Arkham Asylum where Batman is putting down a breakout attempt withe the help of the Joker(?). All the while, the speech continues.

Batman meets Commissioner Gordon on the roof of Police HQ, and they talk. Gordon asks him about the fact that the closed circuit footage seems to show Batman and Joker fighting alongside each other. Batman assures him that would be ridiculous, and Gordon says, "That's what I figured... Just a simple trick of the light."

We then step into the Batcave, and get a great two-page spread of it, showcasing the different vehicles Batman keeps, as well as some of his trophies. We also see the Joker in the Batcave, talking to Batman, who has his mask off.

By now, I assume something is up, and all is revealed - it is a member of the Bat-family in disguise.

We are then treated to several more pages of Bruce Wayne giving his "What is Gotham" speech, which was present through the opening sequences. I'll be honest - this could've been a little shorter. From there, we move to Bruce hosting a party as a fundraiser for an urban revitalization project. He meets a mayoral candidate, but flakes on him because the lip-reading software in the contacts he is wearing reads that Commissioner Gordon has gotten a call to a murder that seems like something of a mystery.

When he gets there, he smells linseed oil, and uses Bullock's cigar to light it. In burning letters on the wall is the message "Bruce Wayne will die tomorrow." A message made even more unusual by the fact that the body has been there for a week. Did he know when he would be found? Is, maybe, someone watching to see when it was discovered? And who is targeting Bruce Wayne?

And in a twist, Batman scans skin tissue he finds under the victim's fingernails, and finds it to belong to Dick Grayson - Nightwing.

Overall, the writing was good on this book. As mentioned, the speech might have been a little long, but it does help to establish Bruce Wayne's character well.

I really liked the art. The fights are very kinetic, the story telling clear, and I like his take on Batman. There was one little issue I had - In this picture of Bruce and his boys, Dick Grayson looks like he still has some growing to do.

I did really like this issue. I have concerns - primarily that the twist could lead to mistrust between Batman and Nightwing. I like the idea that Bruce has a (relatively) healthy relationships with The Robins Three (Hmmm... I feel like that should be a miniseries) and feel that will help to keep him more human, and less "Batdick" as we were starting to see him almost exclusively pre-relaunch.

This is, by the way, the least interesting insertion of the Mysterious Lady in Red so far - standing around an oil drum right there on the first page.

DCnU - Superboy #1 from DC's New 52

2011-09-25T17:21:00.000-04:00

Superboy #1 was written by Scott Lobdell, has pencils by RB Silva, and inks by Rob Lean.

Silva and Lean's art is wonderful. Great use of traditional layouts and full-page splashes. Panels within panels, and use of white space. It is all used to direct the reader's attention to the story.

This issue is a stage-setting issue. There is a lot of exposition, but it is well-handled. Superboy has a unique perspective and it is interesting to read from his perspective. He is a clone of Superman, and some unknown human.

The people around Superboy continually underestimate him. They stick him in a virtual reality world to determine how he thinks. In the VR world, he ignores a woman burning to death in a fire to flirt with Rose Wilson. A hired killer who is, if it remains consistent with the old DCU, Deathstroke's daughter. Although in the VR, she is less cold-blooded killer and more character from Mean Girls.

The people observing him determine he doesn't have empathy for the woman. What they don't know is that Superboy's senses are not the same as ours - he knows he is in a VR because the way he takes in sensory information can instantly tell.

It is unclear if the lack of desire to help the woman stems from a lack of empathy, or from the fact that he knows she is just a program.

By the end of the comic, we understand that what Superboy really wants is to be free from his prison.

One of the leaders of N.O.W.H.E.R.E., Zaniel Templar shows up (under observation by the Mysterious Lady in Red) and orders Superboy to be released to handle a problem for him. The doctor in charge resists, but is overruled, and just like that, Superboy is ready to join the Teen Titans.

I'm guessing this is leading towards Superboy being inserted into the Titans as a double agent, then breaking free from N.O.W.H.E.R.E., who will end up being an ongoing enemy. Red, the doctor who is in charge of him will likely end up leaving with him.

In this issue, we are also introduced to the mystery of who the human DNA donor was in the Kryptonian/Human hybrid clone that is Superboy.

DCnU - Suicide Squad #1 from DC's New 52

2011-09-25T16:37:00.001-04:00

Suicide Squad is brought to you from the dark mind of Adam Glass, and the sinister pencils of Marco Rudy.

I've been a fan of Suicide Squad since day 1, when they came into existence during the Legends event back in the 80's. I have at least some comics of each of their incarnations since then. I seem to have a soft spot for comics featuring villains.

This comic is ABSOLUTELY not for those who are easily disturbed. The first half of the comic is the main characters being tortured, in gruesome and brutal ways. It starts off with a torturer inducing rats to burrow in to Deadshot's stomach, and doesn't get much better from there. This review will touch on some of these elements, so even the review might not be for those who find no possible entertainment value in this kind of thing.

And I loved it. These characters are such hard asses that they can't even be tortured. See the panel below for one of the reasons I love Deadshot so much. (Also, note the Mysterious Lady in Red on the side of the panel, observing and unobserved in a torture chamber.)

The torturer doesn't even make Deadshot want to kill him until he mentions the one person that he cares about. Up until then, it was just business. But Deadshot is so confident that he will turn the tables that he is mentally updating his list while someone tries to intimidate him. And shoves their hand into the wound the aforementioned rats just made. With a disturbing "Qwish" noise.

This is my first introduction to the Chato Santana version of El Diablo. I have a feeling that I will start learning some Spanish following this book. To me, he was one of the standout characters of the issue.

And my favorite scene of the issue? King Shark. Wow... King Shark. Feigning unconsciousness under the impact of heat lamps drying him out, luring one of the torturers in to check for vitals. Which leads to King Shark biting his arm off, which leads to this:

Disturbing and awesome. I also love that Deadshot, Harley Quinn and El Diablo all get an introspective moment on how they came to be there, while they are being tortured. King Shark? "MEAT! MEAT! MEAT!" Sure, Black Spider and Voltaic don't get their "moments" either, and Savant breaks.

All of this rendered in an art style perfectly suited to the darkness of the comic, and that unflinchingly shows you exactly what is going on in this issue.

We also see something on the last page that I thought was interesting. I made some mentions of how I expected some characters to move closer to the more widely known media versions of themselves, and when we see Amanda Waller at the end of this comic, she is thin and beautiful. Not the short, squat version of "The Wall" that has been the interpretation since she was created. Much more Angela Bassett than Nell Carter.

This book is absolutely staying on my pull list, and may have made its way pretty darn close to the top.

DCnU - Resurrection Man #1 from DC's New 52

2011-09-25T15:45:00.000-04:00

Resurrection Man, one of the New 52's most unusual heroes is written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning with art by Fernando Dagnino.

The comic starts off by showing us what is unique about Mitch Shelley, the Resurrection Man. The comic starts with him coming back from the dead. He rises from the dead, and finds that he has some sort of magnetic powers, and an urge to get on a flight to Portland. His powers change with each life. Each time he dies and comes back, he has a different power, and a different feeling of a task he must accomplish.

He gets on his flight, and a woman named "Sue" sits down beside him, offering her left hand to shake. Mitch notes both her attractiveness, and the oddity of her not knowing how to shake hands.

She proceeds to read the reasons of various other people on the plane for travelling to Portland, tells a bit of the future, tells Mitch his soul is overdue, rants that "they are close" and turns into a four-armed angel of death.

Yup, it's going to be that kind of ride.

The air marshall tries to stop the angel, and pays for it with his life. Mitch and Sue take their battle outside, where he uses his magnetic powers to try to hold the plane together, and to attract a lightning strike to Sue. That seems to take care of her. Unfortunately, the shockwave knocks Mitch off the plane and into the engine. He dies, and the plane goes down, just like Sue said it would.

Mitch wakes up a little later. New powers, being watched by the Mysterious Lady in Red, and turns into water and flows away from the scene of the crash.

We get a quick look at a pair of women trying to track Mitch down at the morgue he first woke up in. These would be the "Body Doubles" from his original series. Still beautiful, still placing no value on human life.

A fireman on the scene is sporting the same teardrop tatoo/marking that Sue had, and identifies himself as Suriel. One of the four Archangels, and a benevolent angel of death. He tells the "bosy upstairs" that Mitch's soul is "So bright, like it is polished by coming back so often." He also mentions that it seems the "basement office" is interested in Mitch as well.

Finally, we see Xanadu doing a reading, and the Resurrection Man keeps coming back. And this time, that means trouble.

This story is well-paced. It gives us a solid introduction to Mitch Shelley and his powers, as well as to the forces arraying against him. And I am a sucker for a well-written struggle between Heaven and Hell.

The art is dramatic, and suits the supernatural nature of the story very well.

This was a strong comic, and I'm looking forward to the second issue. The only potential downfall is that as much as I love a good struggle between the upstairs and downstairs offices, I can be a pretty harsh judge as well. It will not take a large misstep for me to drop this book. So far, all signs point to sticking around.

DCnU - Red Lanterns #1 from DC's New 52

2011-09-25T15:10:00.000-04:00

Writer Peter Milligan and artists Ed Benes and Rob Hunter bring you this tale of rage that is Red Lantern #1.

This comic focuses on Atrocitus and his Red Lanterns. One of the new Lantern types introduced in the last couple of years, like Green Lanterns use will power to fuel their power rings, and the yellow power of the Sinestro Corps' rings comes from fear, the power of the Red Lanterns comes from rage. Atrocitus leads, by virtue of being the toughest and angriest, a group of Red Lanterns whose main emotion is anger.

I heard in another review that some folks found Green Lantern #1 hard as a jumping on point for new readers, and I see that. Since Green Lantern was carried through basically intact from the pre-relaunch DCU, people who didn't know Sinestro and the significance of him becoming a lantern could have been lost. Particularly those who saw the movie, during which he WAS a Green Lantern.

I think the same problem could be true here. The plot revolves around Atrocitus having lost some of his burning rage because Hal Jordan killed Krona. Who was a renegade Guardian of the Universe who caused the destruction of all life in Atrocitus' sector of the universe, including his family.

I wonder how well, "Why am I not as angry as I was" works as a plot line if this is the first time you have seen this character.

From my perspective, the art is gorgeous. It was perfect for the characters, from Atrocitus to his Red Lanterns, and on down to his cat.

The issue is that I didn't find the story compelling. Atrocitus risks losing leadership of his Red Lanterns because he isn't angry enough, but ends up with a revelation that he must allow the Universe's rage to be his own. In order to live up to his task, he will need his Red Lanterns, but at the same time, one of them, a female named Bleez is fomenting rebellion.

And I found that I don't care.

We also get a look at an old man murdered in the UK on Earth for some money, and his grandsons' reaction to his death. Raymond get angry, and punches his brother for not reacting as strongly. We see the Mysterious Lady In Red who has appeared in all the #1's in the background for this conversation.

I think it is clear that Raymond's rage will eventually have him embroiled with the Red Lanterns somehow.

Overall, I found this issue a visual treat, but not very compelling. I will be picking up the second one, but it won't take much for this to fall off of my pull list.

DCnU - Mister Terrific #1 from DC's New 52

2011-09-25T08:33:00.001-04:00

Eric Wallace writes, Gianluca Gugliano provides pencils with inks by Wayne Faucher on Mister Terrific #1.

I've been a fan of Mister Terrific for a long time. I liked the one from the JSA (Terry Sloane) back in the Silver Age. I liked Michael Holt as soon as he was introduced in the pages of the Spectre.

I like that he is a thinking man's hero. Quite capable of fighting his way out of many situations, he prefers to use his mind.

I also come predisposed to like Eric Wallace's writing, although I haven't read his work on Ink or Titans. He writes for Eureka, which is a show I really enjoy. A nice, frequently character-driven show that also has super science in it. That's a strong pedigree to bring to a comic about a super-inventor. Eric's blog, The Revealing Science of Ewrote shows how he feels about science. Not to mention, he just discovered FX's Louie and was blown away, so we know he has a great sense of humor.

The story starts strong, with Mister Terrific battling a battle-suited opponent. He uses a combination of science and a good right cross to overcome his opponent while Londoners, and the Mysterious Lady in Red, look on.

As he is being thanked for saving people, the first mention of race that Wallace brings in to the comic comes up. I'm glad to see it. I am glad that DC is including more diversity among their leading characters, and it is good to see an intelligent black man, writing about an even MORE intelligent black man, and that he isn't going to avoid the social impact of race.

As the comic continues, we get insight into Michael Holt the man. He is damaged by the loss of his wife, with whom he had an idyllic relationship. They were well-matched, and she was everything he could have wanted. She died, pregnant with their son in a car accident.

At that point, Michael lost his faith, as well as much of his will to live. It was only by a visitation from that lost son that he found the strength to carry on with his wife's final wish: Not to stop educating the world, like he had done for her and would have done for their son.

We get introductions to Mister Terrific's supporting cast in this book as well. Karen Starr, who was Power Girl pre-relaunch shows up as a friend (seemingly with benefits) who runs her own software company, StarrWare. No evidence in this comic if she is still super-powered. She has a discussion with a woman named Aleeka, who seems to work for Michael, and also have romantic designs on him. Here again, we see race come up as an issue between the two women. And lastly, Jamaal, who is barely sixteen, but has an IQ of 192. And is trying to scam champagne.

The characters fit together very organically. The story progresses well, and we are introduced to a phenomenon that bears Michael's investigation. An average guy on the street suddenly becomes brilliant, and acts without morals. He, for no apparent reason, turns his savage intellect on his waitress, reducing her to a sobbing mess, and then kills a homeless man for being a drain on society. He follows this up by writing out equations that Michael says would "give Stephen Hawking a headache."

All of this, and a surprise twist ending make this a very strong story. If Wallace can continue along this vein, I think this can be a very successful comic. Intelligent stories, a willingness to examine race issues, and other social issues from a mature stance. This could be a great comic. I was also a fan of Michael Holt taking an "issues rather than party" stance when it comes to politics. Too much in today's political world is one side automatically gainsaying the other. I love that Michael is willing to throw his support behind a candidate based on issues rather than whether he wears an elephant or a donkey on his lapel.

The only downside to this book is the art. I find it inconsistent. Some panels are good, even great. Others, much less so. One of the main problems I had was with the way Gugliano draws faces. They are sufficiently inconsistent that it can be hard to recognize a character from panel to panel. See below for an example.

All 4 of those shots are of Michael Holt. The definition to his widow's peak, the width of his nose, the broadness of his jaw, and pointiness of chin, all of these things change within these four pictures of the man.

I find Gugliano's work to be okay, but would actually like to see different artist on this book, in the hopes that it could really reach the audience I think it deserves. To that end, I am quite interested in checking out issue #3, where it seems that Scott Clark, an artist with a very different style from Gugliano will be guesting for an issue.

DCnU - Legion Lost #1 from DC's New 52

2011-09-25T07:29:00.000-04:00

Legion Lost is written by Fabian Nicieza, with art by Pete Woods.

Seven Legionnaires arrive in the current time, barely getting through the "Flashpoint Breakwall" and damaging their time bubble on the way through.

They are back here to stop someone named Alastar, who we have seen decree that all humans deserve to die, and then transform into monster and stomp through a town called Red Falls. The Mysterious Lady in Red also has watched him do his Hulk impression, which came to an end when he came across a small girl looking for her sister.

The seven Legionnaires are Wildfire, Timber Wolf, Tyroc, Gates, Yera (Chameleon Lass), Tellus and Dawnstar.

The Legionnaires are dealing with problems with their technology. Their "transuits" are not filtering the atmosphere properly, which has a serious effect on Dawnstar with her enhanced senses.

The effect is much less on Timber Wolf, who leaps off to find Alastar. The others go to follow him and discover that their Legion flight rings are also on the fritz.

Each of the Legionnaires gets a chance to use their powers here, to show off what they can do. All in the service of trying to prevent or mitigate the release of a pathogen in their past - our present.

Nicieza's story moves at a brisk pace, and is exciting despite their not really being a fight in this comic. Which is too bad, because I love to see Timber Wolf kicking ass.

Woods' art suits the young heroes to a "T." He does a great job with the characters. They all look great, and the story is easy to follow. Alaster's monster form is cool, and the little girl who stops his rampage is as cute as anything in a Pixar film.

This book clearly expects you to pick up the next issue. It is definitely a stage setter, but it worked for me. This creative team, combined with a few of my favorite Legionnaires, well, I'm hoping Nicieza has his next New Warriors on his hands.

DCnU - Grifter #1 from DC's New 52

2011-09-25T06:44:00.000-04:00

Grifter is brought to us by writer Nathan Edmondson with art by CAFU.

Grifter, like most of Stormwatch, is an import from the Wildstorm Universe. I was never that in to the Wildstorm Universe. I have a few issues of Authority around, and maybe a crossover or two with the Wildcats. I didn't even really know his powers, other than the fact that he was good with guns, and was a little older than he looked. Because of all of that, I came into this comic with virtually no expectations.

There are spoilers below, I guess. I give away a lot of the plot of the book, but this comic isn't about a clever plot, nor about any twists, at least not the way I see it. Giving away the plot to this comic doesn't seem so bad to me, as it much more about how the story is told than the story itself.

In some ways, the plot of Grifter #1 is the kind of thing that could appear in a quick couple of page "origin of" recap, but it works very well as the main story of this issue.

The comic leads off with Cole - Grifter's real name - on a plane, where he is hearing voices. The normal-looking woman beside him seems to be the source of the voices, and when he says so, she extracts a weapon from inside her hand. He turns the weapon back on her, and kills her, only to realize there is another source of the mysterious voices only he can hear on board. He then grapples with a flight attendant, who also issues the mysterious voice. They tumble out the door to the plane, and as they plummet towards the water...

We see how Grifter's story begins - appropriately enough, grifting someone. Someone who thinks he is getting the better of Cole. So we know he is good at what he does, and smart. Then, while he is making arrangements to meet with his partner, he is yanked into an alley. He wakes up strapped to a table with some weird alien creature in a tube next to him, and goes to make a run for it. This alien doesn't look like most of the portrayals of Daemonites in the old Wildstorm Universe, but like them seems to posses humans.

He makes a run for it, and on the way, realizes he can "hear" a strange voice. On the way out of the place he woke up, he is confronted by someone who "speaks" with the weird voice, and beats him down, killing him. I love that his reaction is to say "Oh God. Oh God. I just murdered someone." It seems like a very human reaction - he did what he had to do, but what he had to do was kill an unarmed man.

We go on to learn that while he thought he was out for 17 minutes (the name of the story), it was actually 17 days according to his accomplice in the grift he was running. And that Cole, who threatened to blow up the plane he was on (pretending a small bottle of alcohol was a dead man's switch for a bomb) in order to get the door opened so he could jump out, is wanted as a terrorist.

We then get a quick aside that tells us that Cole is former Delta Force, and his brother still works special forces. His brother is sent to bring him in.

Which brings us back to Cole, hiding out in a graveyard, getting ready to take the battle to these aliens that only he knows are among us, possessing people.

And an unfortunate mistake. So, the story is called 17 minutes, because that is how long Cole thought he was out, but we find out it was actually 17 days and 17 minutes. So, as Cole gets ready to go after these aliens, he says, "I want my seventeen hours back you bastards."

Still, even with that error, the ending of the book is authentically badass, and I have always liked the look of Grifter's mask.

Grifter surprised me. I found some of the Wildcats stuff hard to follow before because it was so enmeshed in the Kherubim/Daemonite war, and I didn't get into that on the ground level, and found the required knowledge to be a barrier to entry.

I was worried that this version was going to head down the same path, but it didn't. For a story about people being possessed by aliens, this was a very human story. I liked Cole, and I was caught up in his story every step of the way. Edmonds and CAFU did a great job on this book, and it will remain near the top of my pull list.

We also learn a little something about the Mysterious Lady in Red in this one - we learned in Demon Knights that time was no barrier to her. Here we learn that she can ignore the laws of gravity, as we see her floating in the air over Cole looking down at one point.

DCnU - Green Lantern #1 from DC's New 52

2011-09-24T15:45:00.001-04:00

Green Lantern is written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Doug Mahnke, with inks by Christian Alamy with Tom Nguyen.

This comic pretty much grabbed me from page 1. What? Sinestro a Green Lantern again? Okay, there was a little bit of my mind blown right there.

And then we see Hal Jordan trying to adjust to real life, without a ring. And doing so poorly.

Sinestro taking on a member of the corps named after him? And destroying a yellow power ring? Awesome.

Johns does some good work here. People sometimes complain that he is too kind to his favorite characters. Hal Jordan has some pretty good sad sack moments in this one.

Mahnke's art is excellent for this series. The feel of the light constructs is good, and there were some cool aliens shown as part of the Sinestro Corps group that was enslaving Korugar, Sinestro's home planet.

I'm very pleased that DC fooled me. I knew something was up with the "teaser" cover they released, but I don't mind admitting when I am wrong: In talking about the previews, I said, "They are not even committing at this point to this being Hal Jordan. But there will be a Green Lantern book. Geoff Johns will be writing with Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy handling the art. I believe it will be Hal, and I think that will come out shortly. One of the most consistent parts of this launch is that Green Lantern's continuity since Rebirth will be held to." So, they fooled me. It wasn't Hal at all, but Sinestro. Sure, Hal is featured in the comic. And I feel like he will have his ring back within the first six issues (heck, the Mysterious Lady in Red is even watching him and Carol while she is bailing Hal out rather than Sinestro). But they got me with the first one, at least, and it is surprises like that that make reading comics so much fun.

DCnU - Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E #1 from DC's New 52

2011-09-24T15:12:00.000-04:00

Jeff Lemire, who also wrote Animal Man did the writing duties on this one, with Alberto Ponticelli on art.

This issue struck me as being... full of potential. The first few pages were too info-dump heavy for me. All those boxes of the computer files on where we were, what the things there were, etc. followed by exposition-heavy dialogue and, well... ugh.

Both of Lemire's entries into the New 52 have started with a "what you need to know" kind of set up. Animal Man used that interview page, and Frankenstein used a lot of computer and character exposition.

I have to admit, I preferred the interview.

Once the real action started on this book, it definitely picked up. I am a fan of Universal's classic horror films, so it was, of course, fun to see them all represented here, with the Creature from the Black Lagoon in the form of Nina Mazursky, the Wolfman as Warren Griffith, Dracula as Vincent Velcoro, and the Mummy represented by Khalis.

Unfortunately, Ponticelli's art isn't really to my taste. It isn't bad, and it tells the story just fine, but it isn't a style that I prefer. He did a nice job of slipping the Mysterious Lady in Red in during the battle, though.

If the pace of the second issue picks up, and this book starts to feel a little more like it is part of a coherent universe, I will stay on board for a while, but Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. is currently on the bubble with me.

DCnU - Demon Knights #1 from DC's New 52

2011-09-24T11:18:00.000-04:00

Demon Knights #1 is written by Paul Cornell. It features art by Diogenes Neves and Oclair Albert. This issue has a cover by Tony S. Daniel.

At first pass, I didn't really like this comic. But then medieval comics have never really been my thing. However, in re-reading it to write this review, I saw it from a different perspective. Maybe I was tired the first time around?

Amusingly, this comic is the start of many Dungeons & Dragons adventures. "So, you all meet in an inn." Circumstances lead several people to an inn in the town of Little Spring, where the Horde of the Questing Queen is about to arrive.

Paul Cornell, who also wrote Stormwatch, clearly knows the DCU pretty well. The people who show up in this comic have ties to the mainstream DCU in the future. Mordru, who has been a villain for the Justice Society of America in the "present" (pre-relaunch) and to the Legion of Super Heroes in the future is working for the Questing Queen, helping to direct her Horde. On the Demon's side are Madame Xanadu, Vandal Savage, an Amazon, Sir Ystin who is Grant Morrison's Shining Knight. Additionally, of course, is Jason Blood, the Demon's human host. Rounding out the team is Al Jabr, a Arab.

The comic sets up the story, and ends with a cliffhanger ending, with our heroes being attacked by what looks like overwhelming force.

The comic is a solid set-up piece. It isn't among my favorite books of the New 52, but if you enjoy swords-and-sorcery books, it could be yours. There is a great deal of potential for interesting character interaction here, and it will be good to see how it works out.

In this book, we also learn that time is no barrier to our Mysterious Lady in Red. She is there in the Dark Ages, watching the Questing Queen's Horde.

DCnU - Deathsroke #1 from the DC's New 52

2011-09-24T10:23:00.000-04:00

Deathstroke is written by Kyle Higgs and has art by Joe Bennett and Art Thiebert. Simon Bisely did the cover.

Deathstroke is DC's number one mercenary. He is a hard case among hard cases. Enhanced reflexes, speed, strength, higher brain functions. Master of many weapons, and master strategist.

This comic starts off telling us all of this, as an overlay that has him on a mission to Moscow where he casually takes out a man who has at least 8 heavily-armed guards. This little jaunt also features the appearance of the mysterious Lady in Red as well - right on the first page.

It turns out, the narration about what a bad ass Deathstroke is is actually coming from his agent, who is trying to convince him to take a job. Deathstroke agrees, but will be working with some young up-and-comers who are either called the "Alpha Dawgs" or "HarmArmory" or something like that. And no, I'm not being dismissive. These guys haven't decided what to call themselves yet for sure.

Deathstroke fights some soldiers infused with Clayface DNA on a plane. The scene is reminiscent of the fight in Hawk and Dove, but more kinetic. And it leads to a Pulp Fiction moment. Deathstroke is faced with a briefcase.

And again, later after Deathstroke is back from the mission, the briefcase figures prominently again.

Unlike many of the series from the New 52, this one doesn't end with a cliffhanger, but there is the mystery of the briefcase, and also a clear story of Deathstroke taking back his reputation, after people think he has gone soft.

There is a great twist in the book with Deathstroke's relationship with the Alpha Dawgs/HarmArmory I don't want to spoil it, but there is a page in the book that gave me a strong reaction.

This is one of the gorier books from the New 52, definitely not child-friendly. But for a more mature reader, it was a good ride, well told both through writing and visually.

DCnU - Batwoman #1 from DC's New 52

2011-09-24T09:10:00.000-04:00

Batwoman #1 written by J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman. J.H. Williams III is also the artist on the book.

This book was mentioned by some as being one of the less new-reader-friendly books from the New 52.

I don't think I agree. There is a lot of information in this book, but I think it brings a reader up to speed nicely. Sure, you won't have every single detail that you will if you had read Batwoman: Elegy, but you will have enough information understand where we are now, and how we got here.

Williams' art here is excellent. It suits the character and the story. Bold layout choices, flowing spreads, it helps the book to really be immersive. He has a great handle on expressions as well, which suits the emotional tone of the book.

He also slips in a little bit of cheesecake, as the ladies change in and out of their costumes. I don't feel that it was excessive, nor that it objectified the characters, but it is present.

The story is strong - an urban legend come to life stealing children. Those children who have turned up are found drowned. All from the same predominantly-Latin neighborhood. In that neighborhood, there are legends of "The Weeping Lady" who is the one behind this horrible spree.

The story connects on a visceral level. You absolutely feel the loss of these characters. It is well-written. As are some of the somewhat more light-hearted moments between Kate Kane (Batwoman) and Bette Kane (Flamebird, Batwoman's cousin and sidekick who is currently in the much plainer identity of "Plebe").

The mystery of the issue brought me right in, and the quality writing kept me there. This is a series I will definitely be picking up.

DCnU - Batman and Robin from DC's New 52

2011-09-24T08:18:00.000-04:00

Okay, so here I am, late at starting week 2's reviews. The first book from week 2 of DC's New 52 is Batman and Robin. With Bruce Wayne wearing the cowl, and his son Damian as Robin. Peter J. Tomasi writes the story, with art by Patrick Gleason and Mick Gray.

I expected to rather enjoy this book, but I found it middling. I just don't like Damian. The character doesn't intrigue or capture me.

The bookends to the story - someone taking out Moscow's Batman, Inc. representative and saying he was coming for Bruce Wayne was more compelling for me than the main story.

The main story was Damian thinking he was awesome, and leading to mistakes that led to mistakes that led to him killing people, and him not seeing that he isn't perfect. I get that is his character, but it will quickly start to get into the same realm that Scully was on the X-Files for me for quite a while - how long could she continue to be a skeptic given what they had seen. By the same token, how long can Damian continue to think he is getting it all right when his actions lead to some of bad guys getting to make a break for it (although he did stop them) and having to be assisted by Batman when caught in an explosion that would likely not have happened had they used the element of surprise.

Overall, it was still an enjoyable story. Batman's method of dealing with the fuel rods was awesome and classic Batman. And I like the direction Tomasi is taking Batman that may be the path to make him less obsessively dark, and more just naturally dark.

Gleason's art style suits Batman very well. The lines are clean, the equipment looks functional and pragmatic. Damian's haughtiness is evident in the character's bearing. Gleason slips the Lady in Red in this book at the pool, just before Batman drains it.

My only complaint about Gleason is sometimes the way he does hands. There is something weird about some of the images that have hands in them. For instance, there is something wrong with the way Damian grabs Bruce's hand in this image. At the very least, this image looks like their hands are the same size. That kind of thing usually doesn't bother me, but since this is Damain's introduction in the New DCU, it was a little jarring.

Overall, this book is so far the bottom of my list of Batman books, but I will not be ditching it right away. My continued enjoyment and buying of this book is directly tied to Damian's character development. We'll see how that works out.

DCnU - Swamp Thing #1 from DC's New 52

2011-09-24T07:10:00.001-04:00

Swamp Thing written by Scott Snyder and with art by Yanick Paquette.

Okay, so I have never been a fan of Swamp Thing. I've never disliked the character, but he has never been one that I have bought a lot of comics of. I have some friends who have absolutely loved his previous incarnations, though.

In fact, you'll see as a trend through these reviews that I didn't typically follow too many of the more mystical comics. Hopefully, this relaunch helps me get over some of the reasons for that.

Swamp Thing is a good start in the right direction.

Swamp Thing #1 was a solid book. It introduces you to a pretty complicated character in the form of Swamp Thing, by introducing you to the man who was bonded with the plant elemental, Alec Holland.

Most of this comic is exposition. Typically, I am not a fan of comics that are mostly exposition. Scott Snyder's writing is good enough that you barely notice. He manages to give you insight into Alec Holland, make you wonder about what is going to come next for him, and solidly ground this series in the DC Universe by having Superman show up.

We see Alec Holland's connection to plant life - to The Green as it was frequently referred before the relaunch - that predates his time as Swamp Thing. Snyder either has done his research or has some botany in his background, whether as a hobbyist, or what have you.

All of this, plus introducing a weird undead-thing that kills by sending flies into your ear which then snap your neck around 180 degrees. Yeah, you read that right.

Paquette's art is really good in this issue as well. It clearly conveys the story (a theme which I have hit on the importance of a few times in these reviews) while still being able to portray the "weirdness" of some parts of this comic.

Like a director of a movie who wants to make you feel a little uncomfortable, Paquette varies up how he uses the medium to communicate ideas clearly. When there are people interacting, you get a nice, squarely broken up page. As soon as the forces of nature, or of the undead killer fly thing, get involved things change. The borders between panel go from square to something less... rigid. I particularly love the page where he makes the transition partway through, moving from paleontologists having a conversation to the undead thing coming, and the panels change accordingly. It's an effective technique, and a great touch.

Overall, I recommend this book pretty highly. If you are looking for standard super-hero fare, this won't be your cup of tea, but the story promises to be interesting, well-written and well-drawn. I'm definitely along for the ride on this one.

Oh, and the Lady in Red? She shows up behind the truck while Holland is talking to his co-worker.

DCnU - Stormwatch #1 from DC's New 52

2011-09-20T06:28:00.000-04:00

Stormwatch, a significant presence in the Wildstorm Universe is brought together with the mainstream DCnU in this book written by Paul Cornell and with art by Miguel Sepulvida.

Cornell has written some Doctor Who stories, so I think it is interesting that his story starts in the bleed, and area between worlds, in much the same way as many of the Doctor's stories start on the TARDIS.

This story has a lot to communicate. Stormwatch is a covert agency trying to protect the world against alien threats. In this issue, they are dealing with the fallout of something that happens in Superman #1, which isn't out yet. That makes me sad. I wish that at least for the first month, DC could have kept time lines straight.

At the same time as that is happening, they are trying to recruit a new member in the form of Apollo, because he may be the most powerful person on earth. This said after he punches the Martian Manhunter and bounces off. I'm guessing that makes him - at best - second. Just before this interaction, we see the Lady in Red, our mysterious passenger on all of these titles, watching Apollo. Page 15, top left panel.

We also get introduced to several other characters, most of whom were around in some form in the days of Stormwatch/The Authority in the old Wildstorm Universe. Some of these characters powers differ significantly from the typical - Jack Hawksmoor who can communicate with cities, adn manipulate them, for instance. Or the Projectionist who can sense and manipulate media. Pretty important skill to a team that wants to remain secret. The full reach of what that means is barely touched on in this issue.

This comic is clearly going to be darker and edgier than a lot of the fare from the DCnU. The characters are less "goody-goody" and their isn't even really a clear-cut villain in the issue.

It's an interesting corner of the DCnU. There were a couple of flaws in the book, including the usual over-badassery of Midnighter when he first appears (he sneaks up on a telepath and a man who communicates with cities IN a city. And then he takes down the Martian Manhunter with a pressure point strike? Interesting assumption that that would work on a shape-shifting alien) that makes me less interested in the character, but overall, I will definitely at least read #2.

DCNU - Static Shock #1 from DC's New 52

2011-09-20T05:45:00.000-04:00

Static Shock, was written by Scott McDaniel and John Rozum. McDaniel also did the pencils, with inks by Jonathan Glapion and LeBeau Underwood.

I don't have much of a history with this character, but I have loved Scott McDaniel's work on street-level heroes such as Daredevil, Batman, and particularly on Nightwing. I think the early issues of Nightwing remain some of my favorite comics ever, and McDaniel's art was a strong contributor to that. He's not a photo-realistic style of artist, but he clearly communicates what is going on in a panel, and gets a real sense of motion into action sequences.

John Rozum wrote for Milestone Comics back when it was an imprint of DC. He didn't work on Static back then, but he is definitely familiar with the character.

Unlike most of the New 52, this book starts off with our hero, rather than setting the scene. And he dives right into action. Static saves some people from an energy burst being released by a S.T.A.R. Labs experiment gone wrong. He happens to be on site because he is working at S.T.A.R. as an after-school job.

He then hunts down the experiment, and fixes it. Throughout, he cracks wise, and uses his scientific knowledge to handle the situation. There is a similar tone to Spider-Man when that book is being fun.

McDaniel's art compliments the action well, and I really enjoy the way he plays with the layouts of the pages.

Static puts a stop to the experiment gone wrong, only to have the pilot of the suit killed in his hands. He uses some cool scientific know-how to try to track the shooter, but loses him.

There is an interlude, where we see the group that Static is unknowingly up against here. It is a large, well organized group who have ins to the police and the DAs office at least. They are not happy to have fun afoul of a superhero like Static, so they sic a killer named Virule on him.

We then get to see Virgil interacting with his family, and there is real affection here. It's good to see a super-hero who comes from a supporting, normal family environment. And a little creepy to see the mysterious Lady in Red watching them through their window at the top of page 15.

After this, Virgil goes to his secrect headquarters and has a chat with Hardware, another character from the Dakota setting of Milestone Comics, and Hardware is clearly Static's patron in this book.

As he heads off on patrol, Static is ambushed by Virule, in a cliffhanger ending.

I am definitely picking up Statck Shock #2. The writing was fun, the dialogue good, I love the science bits that Virgil uses to supplement his powers. And, of course, I am a fan of the art.

It's also nice to know that S.T.A.R Labs is still a player in the DCnU.

Overall, if you like traditional super-hero books, I can definitely recommend this book to you.

DCnU - OMAC #1 from DC's New 52

2011-09-20T05:02:00.000-04:00

Keith Giffen and Dan DiDio wrote OMAC, with Giffen also handling the pencils and Scott Koblish doing the inking duties.

This book is a respectful tribute to the early days of comics, with a focus on Jack "King" Kirby's style. Kirby was the original creator of the concept of OMAC, the One Man Army Corps. The art is clearly modeled after Kirby's right down to the "Kirby krackle."

This issue contains an introduction to the supporting cast, and a fair amount of action. The issue I had was that OMAC doesn't have a lot of personality, which made it hard to identify with the lead character. I'm hoping over time this resolves itself, as Giffen has always been a writer who does a great job with characterization.

Which is also where the tribute to Kirby was a little less well-executed. When I think Kirby and DC, I think of characters who deliver speeches mid-battle. With OMAC essentially being an automaton here, there just wasn't the ability to get that kind of character-driven stuff inserted into the fight.

Unfortunately, for me, this meant that the whole comic being a battle for OMAC was still not that compelling. It was good to see the role that Cadmus plays in the DCnU, and nice to see that Dubbliex is still around.

The bookend bits - Jody Robbins and Tony Jay at the front, and Kevin Kho at the end were both pretty entertaining, and once Giffen DiDio bring that same personality to the main character, or shift the focus more to the impact OMAC has on the lives of Kevin and those around him, this will be a solid book.

Until then, this book could slide off of my pull list.

And our mysterious cloack-and-hooded Lady in Red from Flashpoint in this book? Page 6 of the digital version, bottom left of the page, in the crowd scene.

DCnU - Men of War #1 from DC's New 52

2011-09-18T09:11:00.000-04:00

Men of War is brought you by writer Ivan Brandon and artist Tom Derenick. It's a gritty tale of men serving in the US military in a world where there are people who are more powerful than tanks.

It starts off introducing us to Corporal Joe Rock, injured and in the middle of a battlefield. Then it takes us back to a "how we got here" view. We see Joe being recruited by Sgt. Torisi for some kind of special duty. The interview process includes a General who is present saying, "I knew your granddad, Corporal. Frank Rock was one of the best who ever wore this country's Flag. Think of the shoes you have to fill." To which Joe replies, "If it's all the same to you, I got my own shoes, sir."

Corporal Joe Rock is a career soldier. A man whose men mean more to him than orders from above. But he is a fighting man. In this first issue, right as Sgt. Torisi and his team, including Rock are jumping into a situation, a super attacks. The whole plan goes pear-shaped as their stealth mission has been disrupted by a hero, who is then attacked by another, and they devastate the location that Torisi, Rock and their squad were dropping in to.

We never even see who these super-powered beings are - they are silhouettes. We do know that at least one of them doesn't wear a cape, and must be dressed in red, as he leaves a red trail behind him as he flies. The one who tackles him leaves a blue trail. And that is all we see of them.

Torisi and Rock try to lead their men to accomplish their mission while dealing with the insurgents in the area and the fallout of the super battle taking place right in the area.

Once the action starts in this book, it is non-stop. However, I wasn't really compelled by the action. Maybe too much happens "off-screen" or maybe I wasn't attached enough to the characters. Regardless, it just didn't suck me in the way I had hoped.

It's actually the opposite of what I was expecting. I enjoyed the recruitment portion of the comic more than the action portion. We'll see if my opinion changes when I pick up issue #2.

We do see the Flashpoint Lady in Red here, at the bottom of page 17 of the digital version.

The backup story of the Navy Seals, "Human Shields" part 1 was pretty good, and had me looking forward to the next installment.

DCnU - Justice League International #1 From DC's New 52

2011-09-18T08:15:00.000-04:00

Justice League International features writing by Dan Jurgens, pencils by Aaron Lopresti and inks by Matt Ryan.

I find Dan Jurgens to be one of the most talented comic book creators working today. His work on Superman, particularly during the Death of Superman story line was excellent, and he created Booster Gold. Not surprising, then, that Booster is one of the main characters in this title.

One of the things I liked about this book was the broad selection of characters - many of whom are B-list or C-list characters that were brought together to form this team. It's a great mix, and will be interesting to see how the personalities mesh. Not to mention how well Booster does leading a team with Batman on it.

Speaking of the personalities involved, those of you who were following the previews might have seen some changes to this cover. In the original version, the bottom left was taken by a dark-haired woman in a dark costume.

Interestingly, this image, when I downloaded it from DC's site, was called "jlifinalcover.jpg." Apparently not. As time passed and more details came out regarding the New 52 titles, there was speculation about who that character was. We were told by Aaron Lopresti that it was not Donna Troy, but we really didn't get much more. There was a lot of speculation about who is could be.

Fuel was added to the fire when a newer version of the cover was released, this one with no character there. It has been said that the JLI team may well have frequent roster changes, so I cannot help but wonder if perhaps the woman who was there originally, whoever she was, will be turning up in a later issue.

But enough about what is not, what about this issue itself? Flatly stated, this was a hell of a comic. The opening page made me happy. The Creeper is still part of the DC Universe, as is Plastic Man. Metamorpho, too. We also see B'wana Beast and it looks like Congorilla is still around, too. I love that they used this book to help lay that groundwork in the new universe. And now I find myself very much hoping for a Creeper story arc in DC Universe Presents.

From there, we go into a character named Andre Briggs leading a meeting on assembling a super-hero team that answers to the UN. They evaluate several heroes, settling on Booster Gold as the leader, with Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Rocket Red from Russia, Godiva from Britain, Vixen from Zambesi, Ice from Norway, Fire from Brazil and August General in Iron from China. Some other heroes are suggested, but refused for various reasons, including Batman. When his name comes up, the answer is, "I thought the idea was a team we could control. No."

There is an interlude where we see a research team get swallowed by the earth in Peru. That seems bad.

And then the team arrives at the Hall of Justice. And there are protesters outside, upset that a public building of some repute is now off-limits to them, and of course, some people who are against the UN in general. Our Flashpoint Lady in Red shows up here among the protesters as well.

There is a line of dialogue in here that has caused something of a stir among comic fans. When Booster Gold remarks on the protesters, Briggs says, "Ignore them. They're nothing but a bunch of basement dwellers who spend all day whining on the 'net. Not an single open-minded one in the the bunch." A lot of fans took this to be criticism of people who were crying doom and gloom for the New 52 without ever seeing a single issue.

In an interview on theouthousers.com, Jurgens did discuss this a little bit.
I was going to quote the salient part here, but this review is already long enough. There is other good stuff in the interview too, and I recommend following the link and giving it a read if you interested.

7 pages of story, and so far, I am excited by the characters who are mentioned to exist in the DCnU, interested by the team's makeup, and we have seen a minor internet controversy. Not a bad start.

Now, we see Guy Gardner's reaction to being on Booster Gold's team. He walks out. This is a tremendous blow for the team. Losing the power of a Green Lantern is not something to be taken lightly. On his way out, Guy runs into Batman. Batman encourages him to stay, but Guy is having none of it. Batman tells Guy he is underestimating Booster, but Guy says that personal experience tells him different, and leaves.

Here is another interesting Batman moment. He is clearly admired by some of the other heroes. Even Guy mellows when talking to him, but he is not the omniscient character he had grown into in the old DC Universe. People do not just blindly do as he tells them because he is the Batman. And he is more interesting for it.

The team takes off to find out what happened to Reasearch Team 3 in Peru, and are joined by a suprise visitor. Okay, not so much of a surprise - he is on the cover. Batman is in their jet with them. When Booster sees him, it leads to another great exchange.

Note - so far, there has been no fighting, and I am still loving this book. Despite my focus on how quick some of the other books get into the action, this one is doing such a good job with characterization and humor that I would be okay if there wasn't a single fight in the issue. But there is. The team is set upon in Peru, leading to an extended fight scene, which includes Godiva telling Batman to "sod off."

Overall, this book was excellent. It was the standout book of the first full week of the New 52 in my opinion, and Godiva may have been the standout character. Dan Jurgens writing shows his normal sense of humor, and good ear for dialogue and characterization. Lopestri and Ryan do a great job with the art.

Conflict between team members, and between Booster and Briggs, as well as the protester subplot gives lots of great room for stories and character development.

As of now, this book is definitely staying on my pull list as long as this creative team stays on board.

DCnU - Hawk and Dove #1 from DC's New 52

2011-09-18T06:50:00.000-04:00

Hawk and Dove number one features writing by Sterling Gates and art by Rob Liefeld.

In this story, we get Hawk griping repeatedly about how much better a partner as Dove his brother was than Dawn is. His brother died in the line of duty, and fans of the old Hawk and Dove series know that Don's powers left him seconds before he actually died. I'm not sure if that is true in the current continuity, but while Dove is talking to her boyfriend, Deadman, she indicates there is something about how she became Dove that she hasn't told Hawk.

So... here's the thing. Hawk is aggressive and confrontational. But he has been partners with this Dove for two years. Given that they are both college-aged, it strikes me as odd that after two years, he still spends a lot of time comparing his partner to his deceased one. Not that I think he should necessarily be over having lost his brother, but I'd think he'd be pretty used to the dynamic of working with the new Dove.

Okay. So, having clarified that, here we go: The first page, as it has been in a lot of the New 52 so far is an info dump that introduces Alexander Quirk, who calls himself a Science Terrorist. It is revealed that he has hijacked a plane and is using it to deliver his "Monsters of Mass Destruction" into Washington D.C.

From there, we jump into a two-page spread inside the plane, of Hawk beating up on some of his men. Now, I am not a Liefeld hater, but this was not a good place to start. Maybe it's the lack of motion lines, or the straight up-and-down stance Hawk is in, but this feels very static rather than kinetic.

The fight in the plane goes on, with the Monsters of Mass Destruction - zombie-like critters - waking up and attacking Hawk & Dove. They dispatch them, and try to land the plane without taking out any of the national landmarks in the DC area on the way down.

So, here's the problem. I really like Hawk & Dove. One of the things I liked about their old series was that the fights were really well done. Now? Not so much. In 6 pages of the opening battle (counting that two-page spread), there are two punches thrown by Hawk, and one kick by Dove. One of the zombie-things also lunges at Dove and nearly gets her, but she dodges out of the way.

Then, they try to land the plane. They run into Washi Watanabe who is part of the D.C.P.D Special Crimes unit. He tells them that Captain Arsala says hi, which is a nice call back to Sal Arsala's significant role as a supporting character in the previous series. I can't help but wonder if now that he is a Captain if he still wears Hawaiian shirts all the time.

After that, we get some character development as Hank talks to his fater, and Dove patrols with Deadpman. Then, we he origin story of Hawk and Dove (Hank and Don, that is), and Dove reveals that, "If the world is going to stay safe, Hank can never know about me and Don." It's unclear if that is because Dawn somehow "stole" the power of Dove from Don, or if there is something else going on.

After that, we get the mandatory appearance of the Flashpoint woman (2nd to last page, top panel), and introduction of next issue's threat. It looks kind of like Kestrel from the last series - who I really liked - but not quite. The coming attractions on DC's site reveal that it is Condor. and that he and Swan will be coming to make Hawk & Dove's lives a little harder.

Overall, I wasn't too thrilled with this issue. My affection for the characters will definitely lead to picking up issue #2, but at this point, the comic has to work to win me over. It won't be hard - I am hoping that the problems I had with the first fight scene were due to Liefeld trying to get across the cramped quarters of fighting in a plane. I also hope that the degree of bitching about Dove from Hawk was pushed heavily because it is the first issue. Alexander Quirk has some potential as a villain, and I am looking forward to seeing Hawk & Dove square off against other avatars.

I'm also hoping that we don't see the normally considerate and good Dove, avatar of peace, crush someone's car while she is out on patrol because she is having a conversation that makes her a little uncomfortable. Particularly since she can fly, and never needs to land on someone's car. I may be alone here, but stuff like this really bugs me. This, Superman throwing a dog's ball past the horizon in the latest movie, that kind of thing. Heroes who are supposed to be good people just randomly being dicks. And Dove is definitely supposed to be good people.

DCnU - Green Arrow #1 from DC's New 52

2011-09-17T09:55:00.001-04:00

J.T. Krul writes with pencils by Dan Jurgens and inks by George Perez. This take on Green Arrow puts him in charge of the Apple-like Q-Core division of Queen Industries. References are made to "QPhones" and "QPads" throughout the comic. The rest of Queen Industries is treated as stodgy and a typical corporate entity. I suspect that at some point in the future, Q-Core will break away from Queen Industries, and somehow Emerson, it's CEO will end up being cast in a villainous role.

Also, we are told on the first page that the Q-Core division alone is "Scrounging around with the likes of WayneTech, Lexcorp and Holt Industries." Sounds to me like Ollie Queen is probably well and away the wealthiest man alive.

And he is also the Green Arrow. A more youthful take on the character than we have seen in the recent past. We get some insight into the character right away, him expressing his resentment of the romanticization of criminals, specifically mobsters, pirates and hit men. We are also immediately introduced to his support staff - Naomi, a computer guru and Jax, who is more mechanically inclined.

Ollie, who is in France, shuts off his call with his CEO to jump into battle on a yacht with three super-powered villains, who are new as far as I know. Supercharge, Dynamix and Doppleganger. They don't pose much of a threat to Ollie, though. In his own way, he is as competent and self-assured as Batman. He uses high-tech arrows and gadgets, and also uses lower-tech, including punching one of the villains, after using some fairly low-tech arrows on him. We also get a look at what our mysterious lady in red from Flashpoint wears under that cloak during this battle, when she shows up on page 8 right at the beginning of the fight as Ollie uses one of his non-arrow gadgets.

We then get a couple of pages of character development, as Ollie continues to indicate a distaste for corporate life, and speaks to his motivation for fighting the evils of the world, in broad terms.

After that, we see a set up for an even bigger show down with more new villains next issue, with a promise that they will be showing the online world the death of the Green Arrow.

I saw good and bad in this comic. I like the fresh start. I like the new villains, and that Green Arrow is a globe-trotting hero. I appreciate the incorporation of the reality tv/everyone wants to be famous angle, which helps modernize the story.

I love the art in this book,as well. It suits superheroics perfectly.

But the dialogue. Not that the dialogue itself is poorly written, but there is a LOT of it. The panel above is a pretty good example. That's a lot to say while throwing a disc. Of course, some of that happens in all super-hero comics. But with all the world-building and setting stuff that gets communicated through expository dialogue in this one as well, it starts to feel a little heavy.

It might have been worse because it is a #1, and there is a lot of information about who the character is to be communicated. And it certainly wasn't so bad that it'll stop me from picking up #2, but it is a little lower on my pull list than it would be if it didn't have that issue.

As a final note, according to DC's website, the cover which previously was shared as #1 is actually going to be used for #2.

DCnu - Detective Comics #1 from DC's New 52

2011-09-17T07:13:00.001-04:00

Here's a review I never would have thought I'd be writing. Detective Comics #1.

Tony S. Daniel handled both writing and pencil duties on this one. And Tony S. Daniel has a great feel for the Batman. And the Joker.

Daniel's Batman comes off as hyper-competent, but yet not the "BatGod" you sometimes see people complain about, who has a contingency for everything, and can never be surprised.

He does his homework, is in peak human condition, is smart and quick, but can still make mistakes. This is Batman the way I like to read him.

Daniel's Joker is... well... crazy, for one. But brilliant. And physically, he may not be Batman's equal, but his unpredictability still makes him dangerous. He is nearly impossible to track down, also due to his brilliance and unpredictability.

The first confrontation between the two in the DCnU was excellent. The pacing of the story and the action were spot on. Daniel gave us some insight into Batman's character (protecting the innocent is more important than punishing the guilty), showed us some of his relationship with Alfred and with Jim Gordon, and used narration boxes to show us how Batman's mind works.

In fact, it is interesting to compare and contrast these with Batgirl and Batwing, also both out in the first week. Batgirl thinks about more - there are more words, and definitely more doubt and questions in her internal monologue. Batwing, on the other had is more telling the story of what has happened. Part of that is necessity - while all of these are #1's, Batwing is the only truly new title. And it is set somewhere that most readers are not familiar with, with different customs and cultural mores. His narration helps those who don't know anything about where he is from understand a little better.

There is no uncertainty in Batman's narration. Even when he does err, he just vows "Never again. Never. Again." and moves on. No self-doubt. Only acknowledgement that he missed something and moving on. Batman is the confident, competent character he should be. And seeing him at a point where much of the police force is actively hunting him is fun.

And the ending of this book... well... let's just say, I am very curious to know what is going to be happening next. Several of the books this week have had real cliffhanger endings, and in most cases, it is accomplishing exactly what it is supposed to. I'll definitely be picking up the next issue of Detective Comics.

Oh, and our Lady in Red from Flashpoint #5? She shows up here as well, at the bottom of page 15 of the digital version, in the crowd shot. I still don't know what her purpose is in-story, but am having fun picking her out in all of these books.

DCnU - Batwing #1 from DC's New 52

2011-09-16T06:14:00.000-04:00

Batwing, the African Batman. Written by Judd Winick with art by Ben Oliver.

I said in my preview entries that I thought this would be a good book, but also that I didn't have high hopes for it continuing to sell, since it was set outside of the USA.

If the quality of this book keeps up to the standard set by this issue, I can see it lasting quit a while. The story was strong, the villain, Massacre, is menacing and bad ass, and the art is absolutely beautiful.

Winick tends to take on social issues, and a book set in Africa is a wonderful place to do that. I also love that he sets up the fact that Batwing isn't the first hero Africa has had.

This book was tightly paced, with some good action scenes, and lots of good character stuff. I like that Batwing's secret identity of Officer David Zavimbe is one of the few good cops in Tinasha, a fictional city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Striving to get the system working by day, and working outside it by night, trying to accomplish good however he can. His admiration for the Batman is plain. And Batman shows him respect in the flashback appearances he has in the book.

Batwing's supporting cast is interesting. Officer Kia Okuru is a clean-ish cop in a place so dirty that "clean-ish" is the best you can expect. She sees the progress that has been made to clean up corruption in Tinasha and sees it as good, whereas David comes off as just as extreme as Batman himself on this issue. When a case is let to drop, David asserts it is because there were no bribes to be had. Kia says "It is better than it was," to which he replies, "That means nothing. Tinasha is one of the most crime-ridden cities in all of Africa. We need to do more than just 'better.'" This is nice bit of exposition that reveals both soething about the character, and about where he finds himself. Batwing also has an equivalent to Alfred in the form of Matu Ba. And the relationship is very different. As opposed to Alfred's hiding his caring for Bruce behind upper-class snark and disapproval, Matu Ba is unabashedly supportive of David.

Good hero, an engaging mystery, strong villain, supporting cast that draw your attention, and a shocking ending to the story, all beautifully rendered? This book is definitely staying high on my pull list.

DCnU - Batgirl #1 from DC's New 52

2011-09-16T05:29:00.001-04:00

Batgirl #1 - the return of Barbara Gordon to the role of Batgirl.

This was one of the most talked-about relaunches of the New 52. Getting Barbara Gordon out of the wheelchair was a big move on DC's part. It had it's fans, and it had people opposed to it. There was a very poignant post called "Oracle is Stronger than Batgirl Will Ever Be," on Newsarama from Jill Pantozzi, a red-headed woman who is in a wheelchair due to Muscular Dystrophy, and who has a blog called "Has Boobs, Reads Comics."

Gail Simone has always been sensitive to all groups, and understood the weight of the decision that was made to have Babs walking again. She also did an interview with Jill months ago, and answered as many of her questions as honestly as she could.

Jill's post and Gail's interview show the emotionally-charged nature of this change. And it was made clear that "The Killing Joke," the story where Barbara Gordon was paralyzed, still happened.

Which wasn't at all ignored in this issue.

As usual, Gail's knack for characterization shines through. Even before her stint as Oracle, Barbara was among the most cerebral heroes. Here, her internal monologue shows it. She is always analyzing. In some ways, that is like Batman, but in others, it is pretty far removed - she is not only analyzing her surroundings and her opponents, but also herself, and her feelings.

The book starts off with a new villain who kills a man, in a rather unusual way - using a syringe-type device to drown him - and then crosses his name off a list. A list we see the name Barbara Gordon on.

We go right from that into a several-page action sequence. Well written, and beautiful to look at, we see Batgirl in action, and see that she might be a little rusty, but still very capable. There is also a line which nods to the fact that there are now two redheaded Bat-females running around Gotham, as the folks she saves say "Bless you, bless you Batwoman."

Some more quality character stuff, with Barbara telling her father that it is time for her to move out, and meeting her new room mate, who promises to be an interesting supporting character. The art is as great in these scenes as it is in the action scenes. I love the way that Ulises Arreola used such a completely different palette for these scenes as well, really helping delineate the Barbara vs. Batgirl worlds.

However, Barbara's "getting to know the roomie" time is interrupted. She gets a text that was sent to her father, and heads off to stop the Mirror, the new villain of the issue, at a hospital, where he has headed to kill another person. We get a little more insight into the motives of the Mirror here, and it seems that he is killing people who had incidents that should have killed them.

Batgirl heads over on her motorcycle for a confrontation that did not go the way I expected. Once again, Gail manages to wrap character and action together very well, and leaves us with a "Holy crap" moment that also leaves Batgirl very firmly on my pull list.

I also love the fun that Adrian Syaf has with the bat-symbol in this issue. Even the tire tread of Batgirl's motorcycle is done in that motif, as well as the tops of her boots (quite evident when she is kneeing one of the home invaders).

He also did a nice job showing some armoring on Batgirl's costume, which I think is a nice touch.

Oh, and the mysterious character in red who has been showing up everywhere? This book is the hardest to spot the character in yet. So where is Waldo? Second to last page, bottom panel, there is a reflection in the window.

Oh, and one last thing: I don't intend to be a shill for Newsarama, but Jill Pantozzi does share her thoughts on this book in the "Hey, That's My Cape!" entry for week one.

DCnU - Animal Man #1 from DC's New 52

2011-09-15T07:16:00.000-04:00

Here goes my third review of DC's "New 52," Animal Man #1. Full disclosure: As acclaimed as it was, particularly under the pen of Grant Morrison, I never really read Animal Man's previous series, although I know enough about it understand the character pretty well, I think.

The new series opens with a one-page interview by "The Believer" with Buddy Baker, Animal Man. I saw that, and immediately stopped reading on my Android, figuring this was one better read first on the larger screen of my home PC.

Appropriately enough for DC's Everyman Hero, the issue then moves to Buddy's home life, as he discusses the interview, finances and his daughter's desire for a pet dog with his family.

This part was charming, well written, and the art suited it very well. Jeff Lemire's dialogue has a very real feel to it, and Travel Foreman executes this well also. In fact, the slight smile on Ellen's face as Buddy kisses her before he heads out to play super hero at the hospital salvaged that character for me. In the rest of the scene, Ellen comes off as almost shrewish at times - giving Buddy a hard time no matter what he says. But that kiss just before he leaves looks to me like this is just the nature of their very loving relationship.

Then, Buddy reaches into the "Morphogenetic Field" and flies off. No mention of "the Red" in the whole issue. "the Red" was, later in Animal Man's last series defined to be what he taps in to to channel animal powers, and it was a field that surrounds a planet, much the way Swamp Thing taps into "the Green," representing plant life the world around.

I have to say. I am not a fan of Animal Man's new costume, although I think that might be mostly
due to the headband-hood thing. He looks better when he takes that off, which happens almost immediately.

Buddy faces a problem that suits his family focus. Someone has a gun on the children's ward of a hospital, and wants his daughter back. His daughter who was lost to cancer three weeks earlier. The man has had a break with reality, cannot accept his daughter's death and believes the doctors have just hidden her from him.

It's tragic, and resonates with family man Buddy, who still has to stop the man. He tries to talk him down, but still does have to use his powers, this time referring to reaching out to the "Life Web" but still no "Red."

As the situation winds down, Buddy's powers have an unexpected side effect. As a doctor is called to check him out, we see the mysterious figure in red who supposedly appears in all the New 52 #1s hanging around observing.

The side effect is temporary and seemingly non-threatening, so Animal Man heads back home to see his family. That night, he has a disturbing dream, all in grey of his family being hunted by someone. Then, in a shock of color added to the dream, he sees a river of blood, and the dream gets even weirder. He then wakes up to find Ellen missing from bed, and follows her and the kids out to the yard, where his daughter Maxine's desire to have a pet of her own has caused her to manifest some kind of power. Some fairly creepy kind of power.

Overall, this story is a significant change of pace from the first two I reviewed. Justice League and Action Comics were fast-paced super heroics. Animal Man is a much more dialogue-driven book. If you are looking for super-heroes battling it out, this is not the book for you. It is clear right from the get-go that we can expect Animal Man to spend at least as much time out of costume as in, and that his family will be tremendously important supporting characters.

Jim Lemire's writing fits the character like a spandex jumpsuit. He writes very good character interactions, and the priority that Buddy gives his family shines through in this book.

Travel Foreman's art for the most part is also well suited to the book. My only reservation was that sometimes his facial expressions are a little overdone. When Buddy is going to head off to help the police at the hospital, the expression on Ellen's face goes well beyond irritation at Buddy missing dinner into borderline homicidal rage. He seems to have a good grip on subtle facial expressions (particularly, as mentioned above, with Ellen) and dramatic ones, put to good use in the dream sequence, but maybe could work a little on the territory in between.

For now, Animal Man stays on the pull list. It is one of the books that is currently on an issue-by-issue basis. This is not because of any inherent flaw in the book, just that my preferred super-hero action to home life ratio skews more to super-hero action than it looks like this book will. If your taste skews more the other way, then this book could absolutely be your perfect cup of tea.

DCnU - Action Comics #1

2011-09-15T05:38:00.001-04:00

Action Comics #1. A momentous title. Something pretty big happened the first time a comic was published with that name. Superman was introduced to an unsuspecting world. Perhaps the greatest of the modern myths. In his first appearance, there were no super-villains to be opposed. He took on a wife-beater, a gangster and a corrupt Senator.

In that comic, he extracted a confession from the Senator by leaping from building to building, terrifying the man into confessing.

Cue 2011's Action Comics #1.

This one starts off with Superman landing on the balcony of a corrupt business man named Glenmorgan and intimidating him into a confession by leaping off the building with the man in his arms. The parallel is clear, and great to see.

There are some differences, however. When Superman first appeared in Action Comics #1 back in June of 1938, he was also new to the world in which he existed. In this Action Comics #1, Superman is known to the world, having been around for 6 months. He is still working in jeans and a t-shirt, but he is known to the world.

Glenmorgan is doing business with a very short man who gets away when Superman arrives, taking a elevator down away from the action, with what I must say was a very devious-looking smile on his face. I cannot help but wonder if we have just seen the first DCnU appearance of Dr. Psycho, although I may be reading too much into this. He has, after all traditionally been a Wonder Woman villain.

Superman is perhaps a little edgier here than most recent interpretations, but clearly still motivated by doing the right thing. And like the first Action Comics #1, he faces no villains who bring super-powers to bear against him in this issue.

Instead, once he makes a public appearance, he is lured into an attempt to capture him by the military, it seems, with an adviser. Yes, it is only fitting that Lex Luthor makes his first appearance alongside Superman.

Grant Morrison does a great job here. All the characters have personalities that stand out. Lex Luthor's motivation is almost sympathetic, if his "ends justifies the means" way of achieving his goals is not. Lois Lane and Jimmy Olson are already established as being the kind of characters who are going to find their way into trouble every chance they get, and there are some great nods to old continuity as well. I love that Jimmy's cell phone makes a "ZEE ZEE ZEE" sound, just like his signal watch for Superman did in the old days. I love the prominence the line "Sombody save me" was given on the page, and again, I may be reading too much into this, but that very line is the beginning of the chorus to Remy Zero's "Save Me" which was the theme to Smallville.

And somehow, he makes the whole "Superman hunted by the law and the military" feel entirely natural. Which, given the departure from the typical view of Superman )and the one Morrison wrote so effectively in All-Star Superman) seemed to me like it might be hard to make me buy into it. Kudos to Morrison for doing so.

And Rags Morales' art suited the book perfectly. It had everything you could ask for. Beautifully dynamic action panels mixed with some great still poses. The story and action were easy to follow, and each character looked distinct.

Action Comics is definitely staying on my pull list.

Oh... and about the mysterious character in red mentioned in my review of Justice League #1, look on page 28 of the digital version - in the panel with the passengers on the train.

Let the reviews begin! - Justice League #1

2011-09-14T07:48:00.001-04:00

Sorry for my two-week-or-so absence. I did post on Google+ about my feelings about Justice League #1, but this post will officially begin my reviews of the New 52 from DC.

Just so everyone knows, I have decided to go digital when it comes to these books. I have 22 long boxes currently stored at my home, and cannot justify filling up too many more unless the books really resonate with me. I may well go back and buy some of the titles I really loved, but for the most part, my initial reviews will be based on digital reading.

That said, the primary screen on my home system actually allows me to see the comics a tiny bit bigger than the paper copies would be, so I don't feel like I am missing out on quality of the image. Some of the titles I also read with the Comixology/DC Comics apps on my Android phone. But all have been read at least once on my home system.

All of that said, let's begin with the first title.

Justice League #1.

It starts off looking like a Batman book. A well-drawn, action-packed Batman book. Is that Killer Croc he is chasing? I don't think so... but there is some change to continuity so maybe? Wait... weird energy in his eyes and mouth? Probably not Croc. Energy blast? Weird armor, flaming energy flowing off the creature, and starting to beat Bats down? Definitely not Croc. Something bigger and scarier to completely catch Batman off guard and start to slap him around.

Then Green Lantern shows up. And runs over the flaming energy creature with a ring-created fire truck. I love it. A little of the creativity Hal used to show, and less of the "just blast it" we have seen more of recently.

Some good character stuff here - In just a couple of lines, we cover that Batman is an urban legend, and that he uses fear as a tool, while we also see Hal's cockiness and desire to be liked. Then, flaming energy, winged beast strikes again. It distracts the heroes by knocking a few helicopters out of the air, changes form somewhat and takes off.

We get some more interaction between Batman and Lantern, and then we see the creature sticking something to the wall. It makes a "Ping" noise, and looks kind of familiar... could it be a Mother Box? The creature turns on them and shouts "For Darkseid!" So, then, yes. Mother Box. Nice to see the New Gods back in their glory.

Batman and Green Lantern decide to go talk to Superman. Batman mentions that his power levels make him dangerous. Hal responds that it won't be a problem for him and his ring... Foreshadowing?

We then get a subplot of a character who will eventually be Cyborg playing in his high school football game, which his father didn't show up to. We see how this might affect his prospects as a football player. We also get (on page 18, in the crowd shot of the stands) our first look at the mysterious character who shows up in all the #1s this month. She's the one in the hood with the serious expression in the stands.

Finally, our heroes meet up with Superman, and we get to see where Green Lantern's cockiness gets him.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It doesn't really feel like a Justice League book yet, as it focuses only on a couple of characters.

The advance copy said that it would focus on Batman, so that was certainly no surprise. Given the characters that Geoff Johns loves, it was also no surprise to see Green Lantern Hal Jordan as the second focus character.

Jim Lee did a nice job with the art. I like the new interpretations of the characters costumes, and he has a very dynamic style that lends itself nicely to action scenes. His work on Batman has always been some of my favorite stuff that he has done, and this did not disappoint.

Batman's dark sense of humor came out well in the comic at several times. Green Lantern was a little one-dimensional (there wasn't a lot to him besides cockiness, but there will be time to develop him further) although he, too displayed something of a sense of humor. They played well off of each other. There was a touch of Kyle in the way that Hal used his Green Lantern ring in this issue.

Superman's brief appearance was a great introduction to the character, and we get a good look at his costume minus the red briefs.

And I have to say... no disrespect to Grant Morrison and his body of work, but I am happy to see Darkseid back as a big bad. I didn't like Final Crisis as much as many did, and it was partly because of the way that Darkseid was portrayed. And they made the creature, which could well be a Parademon, that served Darkseid sufficiently impressive.

So far, the start of the "DCNu" is strong in my opinion. I look forward to the next issue, and am even more excited for the rest of the titles this month.

Comixology Sale on Superman Comics

2011-07-30T09:40:00.000-04:00

ComiXology is doing a sale on Superman comics this week, just like they did for Wonder Woman several weeks ago. The sale is only good for today and tomorrow.

Lots of Superman comics available for $0.99. Unfortunately, the site isn't easy to navigate to find a collection of the titles available for that price. I ended up clicking through to the DC Store and found them available there. That also includes the free Superman 101 title, which gives you a grounding on the Man of Steel.

I highly recommend Matt Wagner's Trinity: Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman series. An excellent series, and tough to beat at the price. The Man of Steel by John Byrne is also an excellent series, and was fundamental to the modern-day interpretation of the character. If you are interested in interpretations of the character that stray from the standard DC Universe, but are still excellent reads, then look into Kingdom Come by Ross and Waid, as well as All-Star Superman by Morrison and Quitely.

Myself? One of the things I have never read and always meant to was the critically- and fan-acclaimed Superman: Red Son. An "Elseworlds" tale of Superman's rocket crashing in the Ukraine instead of in Kansas, set in the cold war era. It was written by Mark Millar and has art by Dave Johnson, Kilian Plunkett, Andrew Robinson and Walden Wong. At less than $3 for the series, I have already started enjoying it on my Android phone. So far, so good.

A lot of the stories here are iconic, and you really can't go too far wrong. Not to mention, the first appearances of Superman, Jimmy Olson and Lex Luthor, each for less than a buck.

Ripping the Covers

2011-07-29T06:53:00.000-04:00

Marvel has started a promotion where if retailers send them 50 covers from a group of Flashpoint titles (all number 1's, first printings only) then Marvel will send them a variant cover to Fear Itself #6.

Marvel clearly seems to be in the driver's seat in the comics world right now. Fear Itself #2 sold more than Flashpoint #1.

In a way, this isn't too surprising. Flashpoint is very cool for those of us steeped in DC continuity, but might be a little too inside for general consumption. That and the fact that Marvel generally makes up around 45% of all books sold, compared to DC's 25-30%.

Marvel is also dominating in the theaters this year. Green Lantern has been a financial disappointment for DC, and, in my opinion just flat out was not as good as Captain America, which is the best comic movie since Iron Man. Marvel is in the catbird seat, and is looking to stay there.

This promotion is an interesting gambit - taking comics off of the back issue shelves (none of the books on the list are new releases) that might not be likely to sell in return for something they can sell to a collector for a much higher price point. Hmmm... less shelf space for a competitor, combined with buzz for themselves. Sounds like a good promotion.

My only issue is this: I don't really like the idea of one publisher encouraging destruction of another's product. It makes sense financially here (probably for both Marvel and the Comic Book Shops) to do so, but it feels... dirty to me. And not as in "that's dirty pool" but instead as in "unclean."

I am torn, though - I do approve of the benefit to the Local Comic Shops. They have inventory that they have already paid for, and may not be able to move ever. And they can render this inventory legally unable to be sold, send the covers to Marvel and recycle the actual books. Marvel will then send them something they can sell, hopefully for enough to make up for the "unsellable" inventory they destroyed, or at least close to it.

But again... that destruction of comics just seems so... needless. I would much prefer a promotion where Marvel sends out similarly rare variant covers in exchange for receipts from non-profits that show that some unsold Marvel comics have been donated. Same benefit to the local comic shops, adds benefit to the community, and doesn't involve destruction at all. Of course, that is less of a one/two punch from a "we're up and our competition is down" perspective, so I see why this is being done as it is.

At any rate, I think it is a clever move on Marvel's part to solidify their relationship with comic shops even as some of those very same institutions start to resent DC's "Day-and-date digital" approach to comics. The next 6-12 months are going to be very interesting ones in the world of comics. Here's hoping that all of the attention helps everyone involved, and the industry comes out better for it.

DCnU and DC Universe Online

2011-07-27T05:53:00.000-04:00

I'm sure it isn't a surprise to anyone that I play DC Universe Online, the MMORPG set in the DC Universe.

It's a fun game, though it doesn't have as much depth of content as I might like, and after Sony Online's hacking issues, the number of players has decreased, so it is harder to find a decent pick-up group to run missions with.

It makes up for the lack of depth by having all of that content be DC content. You are helping the heroes you read about, and you are fighting the villains you read about (or vice-versa if you choose to play a villain). My speedster villain, Velocicrat is about to go on a raid on a JSA safehouse. Taking on the JSA - that's just cool. So is putting Harley Quinn away, or battling Lex Luthor to save Superman from a kryptonite force field.

What makes this game so much fun is that it is, most definitely set in the DC Universe. So what happens in September? Already, it's a little weird to be buying things from Cass Cain Batgirl. One of my characters regularly buys from Power Girl, Jay Garrick Flash and Hawkgirl. I've seen no mention of any of those characters in the DCnU come September. As mentioned, my villain is about to take on the JSA, who will not be part of the DCnU.

I am concerned this could actually impact my enjoyment of the game. Not that it makes the game any less fun - and it is a well-designed game in my opinion. I love the fact that all power sets have two roles they can take on - a damaging one and another one that helps to round a team out. There are certainly improvements that could be made. When I switch from one role to another, the powers available to me switch automatically - why do I have to go in and manually switch my equipment piece by piece? But overall, the game play is pretty balanced, and can be a lot of fun.

But will that fun be impacted when I run missions centered around Black Adam - whether trying to save his love, Isis or entering his sovereign land, Kahndaq - knowing that he currently doesn't exist in the DCnU? I really hope not, but I fear it might. A huge portion of this appeal is playing with and against the characters that I read about regularly. I'm not sure playing in an "Elseworlds" version of the DCU will have as much appeal to me. And, possibly as much of a concern, after recent beatings to the player base, if I find it doesn't impact me, but it does impact others, how much harder will it be to find people to share my adventures with, and how will that impact attracting new users if the two settings don't match?

I'm hoping this quality game weathers the storm, and can gradually tweak characters, costumes, etc. to better reflect the DCnU. I'll definitely be watching with interest the post-September impact on the game.

Review of Captain America: The First Avenger

2011-07-25T06:27:00.001-04:00

Time to sit back and review the fourth and final Super Hero movie of this summer. So far, I have enjoyed the first three (Thor, X-men: First Class and Green Lantern) to varying degrees. Each had their strengths, and their weaknesses.

In Captain America: The First Avenger, a very personal story is told against the epic backdrop of World War II. The acting is excellent, the pacing good, and the use of effects was right on. In fact, the pre-Super Soldier Serum Steve Rogers was probably the best CGI I have ever seen.

I was talking to a colleague on Friday, and we were speculating how much of that CGI they would have vs. how often it would be a close-up of Chris Evans' face, or him behind something, or other tricks to reduce the need for the effect. I have to say, it didn't feel like there was much of that kind of trickery, and if it was there, it was masterfully executed.

This movie has a hero who is more than his heroics. By showing us Steve Rogers back when he was a 98 pound weakling, we see what will make him a great hero. He wants to go fight in the war. He talks about other men putting their lives at risk to support the country and says "I have no right to do any less." After being rated 4-F (not fit for duty) 5 times, he is approached by someone who asks him "do you want to kill Nazis?" Steve's response is telling: "I don't want to kill anyone. I just don't like bullies." To me, that was one of the defining lines of the movie, along with the interaction between he and Peggy Carter, where he names all the places he was beaten up as they drive through Brooklyn on the way to make him into a super soldier. Peggy asks him, "You have some kind of problem with running away?" and Steve answers "Once you start running, they'll never let you stop."

After the application of the Super Soldier Serum, we get a Captain America who is a blend of the classic one, and the Ultimate Universe one. He carries a gun, and is even willing to use it, but it isn't the first thing he goes to. He has the more pragmatic approach of Ultimate Cap, but none of his propensity for violence. In this film, Captain America doesn't shy away from violence, but he also doesn't revel in it. He got beaten up enough before he was Cap to enjoy hitting other people.

Chris Evans is close to perfect in his role. He plays Captain America as a man who believes in and wants to help his country. Whether that means selling war bonds or being a one-man rescue mission. Evans was also surrounded by other strong performances - Haley Atwell was very strong as Peggy Carter, Stanley Tucci turned in a strong performance as Dr. Erskine, Dominic Cooper was great as Howard Stark, the eventual father of Tony "Iron Man" Stark. We see in him the showmanship and love of women that is even more pronounced in his son. Tommy Lee Jones was outstanding as Colonel Phillips. And Hugo Weaving, as always, turned in a top-notch performance as the Red Skull.

Despite my recent entry about heroes being defined by their villains, and that being one of the weaknesses of the Green Lantern movie (the enemy being a CGI "force" as it were), here Captain America and the Red Skull don't interact much. The climactic fight of the movie is, of course, between them, but for me, the important part of the movie was the character development of Steve Rogers, and him taking his role as a true super hero.

That said, the "opposite sides of the coin" was done well, and Weaving made you believe in a character who thought he was walking in the footsteps of gods and that all the earth should be his.

Captain America: The First Avenger opened on 3,715 screens. This compares to 3,955 for Thor. As of my typing this, estimates put Cap at $65.8, just a rounding error higher than Thor's $65.7 on opening weekend. The difference being Thor didn't have to cede as many 3D screens to a certain teen wizard. Thor made about 60% of its opening-weekend revenue from 3D, while the good Captain was below 40%. I saw it in 2D. These days, I pretty much only watch 3D movies that were shot in 3D, not that were converted in post-production.

All-in-all, marvel seems really well set up for next Summer's Avengers movie. A teaser for which comes after the credits of Captain America are done rolling. I found it definitely worth staying for. It's short, but definitely got me excited for the movie, the first of the Marvel movies to be released by Disney without another company involved. Less than 10 months before I get to sit down to this one.

Comics Events

2011-07-12T10:24:00.000-04:00

Okay, so we are part way through both Marvel's Fear Itself and Flashpoint. I've read only the core Fear Itself books (plus the lead-up, "Book of the Skull"), and have read most of the Flashpoint tie-ins.

The truth is, I am a little weary of cross-over events. And so is my wallet. So, my early impressions of both of these cross-overs may be tinged by that, but I will try to be objective.

Overall, both are interesting. The Asgardian corner of the Marvel Universe has never been my favorite, so Fear Itself has its work cut out for it to pull me in. The main book's focus on Thor and the Asgardians as well as Odin's opponent, The Serpent, contain the bare minimum needed to drive the story forward. Each issue of Fear Itself ends with a page or two telling you what other books you should pick up.

So far, by my reckoning, Fear Itself has been a little slow moving. I'm not sure why... there seems to be a lot of story, but it doesn't seem to be moving. It might be because some of it is a foregone conclusion to me - Steve Rogers is going to come back to being Captain America. Three issues of him warring between being a SHIELD administrator and a field operative do not hide that. So, when Bucky Cap gets killed, and Rogers steps up, it doesn't feel like a significant development, it felt a little more like "finally." Not to mention, I am never a fan of "good guys gone bad" stories, like with the Thing becoming one of the Worthy. Overall, this is not my idea of a great event, but I still have hopes for it.

Flashpoint, on the other had is moving at a breakneck pace, as suits a story that focuses on Barry Allen. I have always loved Marvel's What If and DC's Elseworlds. Flashpoint is like one of those, so it is right up my alley. I love watching Barry piece together what is different about his new world. The nice job of having Cyborg stepping up as the primary hero in a world where there is no Superman, and where Batman is even less social than in the familiar DCU. And I haven't felt like I needed to read anything other than Flashpoint itself to follow the main story, and understand the scope of it.

I have to say, in the battle of the event books for 2011, so far I feel like the decision goes to DC's Flashpoint. And, of course, the payoff is bound to be bigger on the DC side - Flashpoint is leading up to big September relaunch.

I don't think either of these would be welcoming to someone new to comics, and I think that is an issue. Yes, in the current environment, events sell. But they sell to the existing audience, and probably not to new readers. If I didn't already know Deathstroke the Terminator as he exists today, how much would I care that he is now a pirate, and how significant would it be that he was killed by Aquaman? Similarly, with Fear Itself, the Asgardians are such a significant part of the story, and they are converting characters to the Worthy, Thor-like powerhouses. Using characters like Titania, Absorbing Man, Attuma and the Grey Gargoyle. Is this the right approach? Maybe the next Marvel crossover should feature in starring roles the characters who are in the movies - and be self-contained.

Judged by Their Villains?

2011-07-08T06:48:00.000-04:00

I have always believed that a great hero can be judged by their villains. I think this is one of the challenges that new books starting off these days have. Many of the great heroes have villains that fans love to see appear.

Spider-man has his menagerie of animal-themed villains: Vulture, Rhino, Doctor Octopus, Tarantula, Puma, Scorpion, Chameleon, Lizard, Jackal. And I probably missed a few. You could also include Venom and Carnage here, as they are at least somewhat spider-based. In fact, if you go to the wiki page on his villains, it is amazing just how many are themed after animals. And those are not even necessarily the best - Green Goblin has always been my favorite Spidey foe.

There are similar lists for all kinds of heroes. Think through Batman's gallery of rogues. Joker, Two-Face, Riddler, Poison Ivy, Hush, Bane, Scarecrow, Mr Freeze, Ra's Al Ghul... a great group of villains. And just like many of Spider-man's villains are animal-themed just like he is, many of Batman's villains are suffering from "one bad day" syndrome. On one bad day, Bruce Wayne lost his parents. Two-Face was scarred for life. Joker was disfigured. Mr. Freeze's wife was frozen. Many times, a villain is a dark reflection of the hero.

Spider-man and Batman have two of the greatest Rogue's Galleries in comics. Flash isn't too bad either. Some other well-known heroes are kind of passable (Superman, for instance. Lex Luthor is a good villain, but some of his others just aren't that memorable. The Hulk is the same way) and still others have real challenges in this area. The Punisher has problems because he keeps killing his villains. So, either he doesn't get recurring villains, or he really sucks at his job.

I think this concept might have been part of the problem with the recent Green Lantern movie. As I have mentioned, I still liked it, but I don't know that Paralax was the best villain to feature. A kind of embodiment of a concept might not be the best villain, and Hector Hammond wasn't really given enough screen time to be a proper villain. I actually think that once upon a time, Hal had a really good group of enemies. Some of them relied a little too much on the color yellow, it's true, but even so, Goldface, The Shark, Doctor Polaris, Sonar, Hector Hammond, Black Hand, Major Disaster, Star Sapphire and of course Sinestro. I think for the first movie, something a little more human would have made for a better opponent.

X-Men first class went classic - the big bad worked with the Nazis. The opposing characters had clear motivations, and some of them looked downright sinister.

In many cases, a hero is judged by his villain. Having a great villain is the difference between emotional investment and intellectual detachment, in my opinion.

A Long Weekend!

2011-06-30T03:54:00.000-04:00

I'm out of here for the long weekend. I hope my readers in the USA and in Canada both enjoy your respective long weekends as well.

I'll be back early next week with some more thoughts on the world of comic books.

Justice League Revealed

2011-06-28T04:39:00.000-04:00

So, glass maker 'Toom Tumblers released an image used on an upcoming glass to their Facebook page. The image was of the Justice League.

Over on DC Women Kicking Ass, they identify most of the characters, with one exception. The mystery woman on the right, second from the bottom. They do speculate on who it could be.

I posted before that I didn't think it made sense to have Firestorm and Captain Atom on the same team, and I am glad they didn't do that. I can't tell which Atom that is from the picture (2nd down on the left). And Deadman? He's already on the cover of Justice League Dark as well. And seems a better fit there.

So, it looks like the 15-member JLA is going to be Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern (Hal), Cyborg and Aquaman as the "Big 7." Joining them will be Deadman, Atom, Element Woman (from Flashpoint... kind of a female Metamorpho), Firestorm, Green Arrow, Hawkman, Someone, and Mera. Interesting that Geoff Johns is writing Aquaman, and two characters from that mythos make it into the League.

This is also a good look at Jim Lee's version of some of these costumes. I like his take on Superman's boots better than George Perez'. And I see he hasn't completely done away with the "underwear on the outside" look... now they just are all the same color as the pants. And Lee really does have a thing for the downward angled belt, doesn't he. Even characters not actually having real belts like Flash and Green Lantern have the "pointing to my groin" look.

I also have to say that I think he over-did the beak on Hawkman a little.

And my own 2 cents on the mystery woman? Power Girl. From an interview on ComicVine:

CV: Will we be seeing Power Girl in the future?
Bob: Yeah, she'll be around.
CV: But not in her own title?
Bob: No, she won't have her own #1 title, but Karen Starr will appear in one of the 52 titles.

I think it is odd that he uses her real name and not her code name when he refers to her directly - it may be that the character is changed somehow. If that is her, they have definitely changed her outfit. But that would make sense - no more JSA, no more "Cousin of the original Superman who doesn't exist anymore." Really, what I like about the character is her personality and attitude, with her power level as an added bonus. If she retains those things, even if the powers and origin are modified, I can live with it.

The One Challenge Super-Heroes Cannot Overcome? Marriage.

2011-06-27T05:46:00.000-04:00

Inspired by Captain Elias over on Superpowers That Be, I was thinking about marriage in superhero books.

What is it about married super-heroes that some find so challenging? Not that there are not characters who are married. There are some that have had long marriages, such as Reed and Sue Richards, Flash (Jay Garrick), Flash (Wally West) and Animal Man. But it looks like Superman will not be once DC's Relaunch happens in September. Spider-Man's marriage has been cosmically erased due to the events of "One More Day." Not to mention that as they worked their way through the morass of Hawkman's continuity, one of the things that didn't survive was his marriage. Elongated Man's wife was killed, and Atom's wife turned into Eclipso. Flash (Barry Allen)'s wife was killed. Some of this veers into "Women in Refrigerators" territory, and it is easier for me to come up with examples where the marriage went away than where it became the new status quo.

Why do creators not want these Superman and Spider-Man - in many ways the flagship characters for each of the companies - married? I have a few theories. First off, back to a recurring theme I have hit on several times here: the inter-media status quo.

In his movies, Superman isn't married. The same is true in Spider-Man's movies, most of his cartoons, etc. So, as a reader moves from one medium to another, from a practical, "we've hooked 'em, now we've got to land 'em" perspective, I can see wanting the character on the page to be as close as possible to the character on the screen. This does present challenges, of course. Amazing Spider-Man is a three times a month book. Superman is in a number of titles every month. There is bound to be a lot more development at that pace than at one movie every 2 or 3 years, and now they are looking to reboot the franchise. To keep the comics looking like the movies, then there can be no real character advancement, and those romantic relationships these characters have will have to be in a constant state of romantic comedy-like misunderstandings and making up to have a good reason to never move the relationship forward.

This also gives the characters an easy sub-plot. Many writers are comfortable writing conflict in a non-married relationship. But they don't want to do the same within a marriage. I'm not sure if this is a cultural taboo, or what, but most marriages that do exist in comics are generally shown as being supportive and harmonious all the time. I am a happily married man. Very happily. But that doesn't mean that my wife and I never have any kind of conflict in our relationship. The dynamic changes, but there are as many interesting stories to be told about married couples as dating ones. At least I think so.

Of course, there is a third aspect to my theory. In many ways, super heroes are wish fulfillment for their fans. Maybe on some level, writers think that the fans want the freedom of not being tied down? I don't know. That may be true for some. For others, part of being a good person is making real connections with other people. Marriage is, perhaps the ultimate expression of that. I feel like super heroes should be role models. Finding the perfect person in your life, and committing to spend the rest of your life with them? Working through problems with them, supporting each other through good times and bad, in sickness and in health? Well, that is a role worth modelling.

Which is not to say that all characters should be married. Just that I wish that characters who are married off are not seen as having closed off creative options. Instead, maybe, that they have opened up some new ones.

There are some things I will really miss post-reboot at DC. The JSA, Babs in her wheelchair, and Superman's marriage.

Green Ronin Ready for Pre-Orders of DC Adventures Heroes & Villains, Vol. I

2011-06-26T04:44:00.000-04:00

For those of you who are role playing gamers as well as comic fans, You've probably checked out Green Ronin's DC Adventures. The system is basically the same as Mutants and Masterminds 3rd edition, which is a solid system.

The original book came with X characters in it. On the hero side, there was: Aquaman, Batman (Bruce), Black Canary, Captain Marvel, Flash (Barry), Green Arrow (Ollie), Green Lantern (Hal), Martian Manhunter, Nightwing, Plastic Man, Robin, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Zatanna. And the villains were represented by Black Adam, Black Manta, Braniac, Catwoman, Cheetah, Circe, Darkseid, Gorilla Grodd, Joker, Lex Luthor, Prometheus, Sinestro, Solomon Grundy, and Vandal Savage. Additionally, there was a quick start PDF that had stats for Superboy and Knockout. Overall, I thought the stats were good, but not perfect.

Green Ronin has the license to create two books of characters from the DC Universe. The books are named, cleverly enough Heroes & Villains Volume 1 and Volume 2. There have been challenges in getting these out. I think everyone expected them out a little sooner than they have been, but they are now taking pre-orders. They have also put a PDF preview up on their site, showing this book will cover from Abra Kadabra to Kobra & the Kobra Cult. I'm quite pleased to see that they have included multiple version of characters where applicable (including Golden Age versions of these heroes) for instance, all three versions of Batgirl are present in the book, as well as entries for the Blue and Indigo Lantern Corps. There is also a good cross section of villains, and team entries.

The price point is a little high - $49.95 for the print version (from Green Ronin - Amazon is selling it for much less). It's $27.00 for the PDF. Personally, I will pony up the money - I like to support any efforts to create RPGs based on existing comic book universes. There are a lot of characters here that will give players a good look at how to create some interesting abilities, and will also help GMs with letting players interact with the DC Universe.

Wonder Woman Digital Comics Deal Today and Tomorrow

2011-06-25T06:58:00.001-04:00

For two days only, those interested in seeing how DC handles its digital comics on the cheap can check out some Wonder Woman stories for just $.99 each today and tomorrow.

Details on which comics are available are in the DC blog post here. Strangely, clicking on the image promoting the sale just takes you to... that image. But there is a link in the blog post that takes you to the page where you can buy the books or you can just click here.

If you are not familiar with the work George Perez did with the character, I highly recommend looking in to Wonder Woman volume 2. That has been my favorite take on the character to date. Deeply steeped in Greek mythology, a butt kicking warrior princess, and a truly good and caring person, all in equal measure. This interpretation of the character is the one that I automatically go to when I think Wonder Woman.

Also note, there are a few comics in the list that are free! All Star Comics #8, her very first appearance, as well as Sensation Comics #1, where her origin story continued from All Star Comics #8. Also, DC has put together a Wonder Woman 101 book that brings people up to date on the character, and that is also free.

But I'll be checking out some of the books here that I have not read myself, just to get a feel for DC's digital comics delivery system. A preview of what to look forward to with their day-and-date delivery in September.

The Death of Ultimate Spider-Man

2011-06-23T12:51:00.001-04:00

It's happened: the death of Spider-Man. Sure, this isn't Marvel's mainstream Spider-Man we are talking about, but it is Peter Parker, and it is a version of the character who has been consistently published for over 10 years. Marvel is killing Ultimate Spider-Man.

And to be honest, I think this is a long time coming.

Don't get me wrong. I love this take on the character. But I think this is what the Ultimate Universe should be about. Being willing to take chances. Being willing to kill a character if it means better stories. Spider-Man kicked off the whole Ultimate Universe, and now they are going to be experimenting with what happens when he dies.

Spider-Man is perhaps an even more influential figure in the Ultimate Universe than he is in the mainstream Marvel Universe. He has crossed over with just about everyone, and his power level feels a little more impressive to me in that universe. Maybe that is just me, but I always love seeing Spidey being thought of as in the upper tier of heroes. In this world, where there are fewer cosmic-powered types running around, Spider-Man really is a very impressive hero. He deals with the same challenges that the mainstream Spider-Man always has, but there were also changes. Like the movies, he generates his webs organically. Also like the movies, he shares his secret with Mary-Jane Watson early on in his career. Many of his rogues have made appearances as Ultimate versions of themselves, and some of the classic stories have been touched on or re-told with a more modern twist. All of this has been a great ride. But now, that ride is coming to an end.

I am happy to see the original creative team back together for this. Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley worked on 111 issues of Ultimate Spider-Man together, the longest run ever on a Marvel comic by two people. They passed Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's work together on Fantastic Four. Bagley's art suits this character so well. I'm thrilled that Bagley came back to help write the end of the version of Peter Parker that he helped to define for so long.

As much as I love this character, I hope they leave him dead, and I hope that the lack of a Spider-Man has far reaching consequences for the Ultimate Universe.

Making Sure Digital is Done Right

2011-06-20T16:42:00.000-04:00

DC is going to be releasing digital comics day-and-date with the print versions as of the release of the New DCU in September. Marvel has a plan where for $5 per month, you get unlimited access to all Marvel’s digital comics – around 8,000 at the time of this writing.
Are they doing enough? Are they doing it right?

What I would want out of a digital comic plan is access to a database that helps me make the best use of these comics. Use image and text recognition to make these as searchable as possible. And keep a list of characters that appear in each book. If I am suddenly interested in Sabretooth, let me search all your comics for him. Let me select if he is present in the comic, if he has a fight in the comic, or if he is just mentioned.

Allow me to search for all times that two characters fight each other – whether it is Batman vs. Deathstroke or Spider-Man vs. Venom. Allow me to get a list of all the characters you can show me Captain America interacting with in your group of digital comics.

If you are not going to be doing a lump sum subscription like Marvel is, then consider packages whereby I can buy, for a reduced rate, access to all appearances by a specific character or team. Want to drum up interest for a new upcoming series? Offer discounted access to the character’s back issues, origin and most important appearances. And story arc discounts as well - give me a reduced rate on all issues of "Kraven's Last Hunt" or "Brotherhood of the Fist."

At least as importantly, allow people to follow creative teams. Fans develop favorite writers and artists who they enjoy no matter what book they are working on.
Also, allow easier sharing of these books. In order to help bring in new readers, allow those who have a subscription a limited number of free “shares” of books, and a sliding scale beyond that, getting more expensive the more they are shared, particularly of the same series.

There are also promotional possibilities. Include a free download of a comic with a cereal box, or in the DVD/Blu Ray case for Disney or Warner Brothers movies. Give people a taste for free, and see if you can get them interested. I think there are a lot of possibilities.

Moving to digital is important, and is a great thing for these publishers to do, but they really need to take advantage of all the tools that are available in the digital world. In order to truly make digital comics come in to their own, it isn’t just a matter of transitioning the existing experience onto another platform, but instead, it is important that digital is viewed as a whole new medium, and the powers that be at Marvel and DC think in some detail about how to make their product as strong as it can be in this medium.

Pants? Pants Are a Big Deal?

2011-06-19T07:17:00.001-04:00

Okay, so there was a rumor going around that in the new DCU, there was an edict that female characters were not to be exposing leg. That they were expected to be wearing pants. And I was surprised by the uproar this caused. Yes, it would mean changing some classic costumes. Many super heroine and villains tend towards cheesecake. Especially in the hands of some artists.

That's the work of Ed Benes. I think he is a realy good artist, and he clearly does love the female form. In fact, he does work on commission, including pin-ups. That picture is, in some peoples' opinions, what is wrong with comics today. New fans are not coming in because they see things like that and think that comics are all about fanservice, and that they are for pubescent teens or dirty old men to get their rocks off.

That's not all that comics are about, of course, although it would be disingenuous to claim that fanservice of various sorts is not present in comics. But honestly, I don't think pants are going to help. Even in the picture above, look at Hawkgirl. Pants... check. As highly sexualized as any of the other characters in the picture? Pretty much, yep. The only character who doesn't come off that way is maybe Vixen. And it isn't hard to find images where she is being handled that way, despite the pants.

If DC believes that decreasing the level of fanservice directed at people who like the look at the female form will truly help sales, I'm in. I have no problem with Wonder Woman now wearing pants, as long as they match the rest of the costume, and suit the character. Honestly, I'd rather see Diana in the kind of skirt that a Hoplite wore, as it seems to fit her origin and character better. But I have no particular attachment to Supergirl or Mary Marvel wearing skirts. I'd be happy to see those characters in tights, or even baggier pants if the costumes were designed well.

As it turns out, there was no such edict from DC editorial. This can be pretty clearly seen on the cover of the new Suicide Squad title. Harley Quinn is not what I would call modestly dressed on that cover. And even if she were wearing pants, that top is not helping. But here is the thing. I don't think women mind sexy, for the most part. Growing up reading comics, I wanted to be able to see myself in the role of Batman, or Spider-Man, or whoever. I imagine female fans feel the same way. And I don't think they the escapist alter-egos of women are typically bland, any more than I would want to look like a schlubby, overweight version of Batman if could be as impressive as he is.

What I think is important is to make sure that women's presence in comics is more that just fanservice. That the characters are strong, capable of looking after themselves, and have depth to them. If all that is true, then I think people will enjoy reading about the character whether she is wearing pants or fishnets. However, if a character is present only for fanservice purposes, then it hurts the overall integrity of the comic. It's important to me that this industry carries on, and if having less cheesecake is part of the way to do that, so be it. But let's also address the idea of creating characters that girls and women will want to be, or at least admire and look up to. Then dress them appropriately for that character. I love the fact that Zatanna's costume calls to mind a stage magician or magician's assistant. I think it suits the character. I'm sad to see it looks like that costume is gone in Justice League Dark. That said, if the white top Zatanna wears buttons all the way up to her neck and there is no cleavage, I am fine with that - it is still appropriate to the character. And that, to me, is really where these decisions should be coming from.

Worth mentioning, by the way, that Ed Benes does a lot more than just cheesecake. I don't want to be seen as picking on him. The man does great work on all sorts of characters. Here are a couple of examples of his work that I really like.

Green Lantern Review

2011-06-18T05:54:00.014-04:00

My take on the Green Lantern movie, and the things it made me think of.

I’ll start off by saying a few things: Firstly, despite my passion for comics, I am not someone who expects slavish devotion on the part of movies to the source material. As long as I feel they have the spirit of a character right, I am generally okay with re-interpretations needed for the big screen, particularly if they are adapting an ongoing character with years of continuity. Secondly, I am a fan of Ryan Reynolds, going all the way back to Two Guys and a Girl (I didn't watch it at all when there was a pizza place involved). I find him charismatic and entertaining. Thirdly, it had been a pretty long week at work, and I was ready to sit back and be entertained.

I will say that the movie accomplished the last for me. As I write this, the movie has a 23% rating from critics on RottenTomatoes.com, and a 72% "liked it" rating from viewers.

Additionally, Leonard Malkin finished his review by saying, "But despite those caveats..." (The caveats here being that the movie tries to do too much, with too many characters and too many subplots) "...the film offers a dazzling array of visual effects, a likable hero, a beautiful leading lady, a colorful villain, and a good backstory. It also doesn’t take itself too seriously. Green Lantern entertained me, and I can’t dismiss that because of its imperfections."

Roger Ebert, the critic I respect most gave the movie 2.5 stars, and says, "The bottom line: This is a comic-book movie. Fans of the Green Lantern (in his intergalactic story mode and not his earthbound TV series) will no doubt enjoy its visualizations and its references to details of the back story that escaped me. There's a whole lot going on. We don't really expect subtle acting or nuanced dialogue. We appreciate an effective villain. We demand one chaste kiss between hero and heroine, but no funny stuff. We enjoy spectacular visuals like the Green elders, who are immortal and apparently spend eternity balancing on top of towering pillars. 'Green Lantern' delivers all of those things, and for what it's worth, I liked it more than 'Thor.'" I'm not sure I liked it more than Thor, myself, but certainly think the two were much closer than the praise heaped on Thor vs. the disdain for Green Lantern would indicate.

Malkin's criticism is on the money, in my opinion. At 1:45 in length, this movie tried to cover too much back story, introduce too many characters, and too much sub-plot. A couple of visits to Oa with the Guardians and some of the Green Lanterns there being introduced. Hector Hammond back on earth, and the big bad, an interesting take on Parallax. Not to mention the introduction of Dr. Amanda Waller. She has a small role in the film, but Angela Basset has such great screen presence that she still feels important. I can't help but wonder if this is the DC equivalent of having Nick Fury show up after the credits in Iron Man. All of this on top of Hector Hammond, a relationship sub plot between Hal and Carol Ferris... it really does feel like a little too much.

I'll be honest. I think the story would have been simpler if they had just told the comic book fall of Sinestro as the main plot. Hal gets the ring, gets trained by the other Lanterns, including Sinestro, and after overcoming some kind of threat, goes to see Sinestro. He finds Sinestro is using his ring to rule his people, and we get a battle between the two. Cleaner, I think, and fewer characters needed.

Even so, I found the effects in this movie to be awesome, the acting to vary from solid to excellent, and the story to be good. It might be a little confusing for those who do not know the Green Lantern mythos, although my wife liked it, and doesn't know that much about it other than the whole "space cops" idea.

All in all, for fans of the genre, this will be a fun movie. And even though there is a set-up for something of a sequel in the credits, I don't know that DC has managed to really hit it out of the park here. I'm not sure why it is that Marvel has had so much more success on the big screen than DC (outside of Batman, of course) but I don't think that Green Lantern is going to change this.

Green Lantern opened on over 6,000 screens, whereas Thor opened on 3,955, and X-Men First Class opened on 6,900. Thor had an easier time holding on to those screens when it opened a month and a half ago, and it opened on a lot of IMAX and 3D screens, which proved to be a very successful strategy for the movie. Predictions are that Green Lantern will open to about $60 Million, which will put it ahead of X-men: First Class, but below Thor. So far, it looks like Thor is going to be the #1 hero this summer, unless Captain America can show him how it is done.

Diversity in The New DCU

2011-06-17T04:44:00.010-04:00

DC has repeatedly mentioned that one of the hallmarks of the new DCU is more diversity. Comics have gotten a little better at this over the years, but do still have a ways to go, and I am glad DC is moving in that direction.

In talking about diversity in comics, I'll start off with what diversity is not - diversity is not tokenism. DC should not have a checklist - "Do we have an Asian, a black, a Latino, a homosexual, etc..." That isn't what diversity is about. Part of the issue with tokenism is that characters often become stereotypes of the "niche" they fill in these cases. True diversity will come from creators working to make the books look more like the real world around them, as far as makeup goes.

But there are also challenges in this. Since this isn't truly a reboot, but rather a relaunch, drastic changes such as these cannot really be made to A-list characters. Superman cannot suddenly be black, or gay, or what have you. That gets away from being the iconic version of the character that everyone knows.

I am glad to see many of the existing characters who help with this back: Apollo and the Midnighter, a gay couple who have a lot of character beyond their sexuality. Blue Beetle Jaime Reyes, Hispanic teenager turned superhero. Jason Rusch, black teenager and part of the composite superhero called Firestorm. Cyborg, now a member of the Justice League. Mister Terrific, the third-smartest man in the world getting his own series. Batwing, a black hero based out of somewhere in Africa as well. I'll be honest, I am not sure of Voodoo's ethic background, but she frequently looks to be drawn a little duskier than the average white heroine. Static, a black teenager who is still around from the defunct Milestone comics. And of course, Batwoman is back, a lesbian character who has always been written well, and not used for salaciousness.

I'm also hoping to see some of the DCU's more popular team books have the presence of LGBT characters, and characters of color, and perhaps some who are both. DC has a fair number of existing characters to choose from. Kurt Busiek introduced Skyrocket in 2002, and she featured prominently in his Power Company series, which I thought was a good read, but then I have always like Busiek's writing. If you haven't read his Astro City, do yourself a favor and pick up some of the trades. Skyrocket is an interesting character - military background as a Navy Aviator, but having challenges in that field due to being a black woman. She is smart, but doesn't have the kind of money she needs to keep her gear running. She ended up with the Power Company, let by Josiah Power, the mind and money behind the concept of the Power Company, which is like a corporate version of Marvel's Heroes for Hire. Power is a gay black lawyer who doesn't like to use his powers, but is supposedly among the most powerful metas alive when he does. Skyrocket's Argo Harness allows her to absorb, redirect and store for later use all kinds of energies. She has made several appearances in the DCU since Power Company ended. She'd make a great addition to the Justice League, or even to Justice League International, if they could handle another American.

The other option, of course, is to create new characters who fill these roles. New characters tend to fail in comics, so this has to be handled carefully. Even with the best of intentions, it can be hard to do this well, without it feeling gimmicky. As an example, Steve Englehart, who has written some amazing things in his career, including some pretty iconic takes on Batman and the Joker, wrote a book called the New Guardians for DC for 12 issues. This book featured Extraño, a flamboyantly gay Peruvian man although the standards of the time prevented anyone from actually saying he was gay. Gloss, a Chinese woman who could draw power from the Dragon Lines of the Earth. Jet, a black woman from England who few and fired blasts of energy, as well as having magnetic powers. Betty Clawman, an aboriginal Australian who became a disembodied cosmic force. Ram, a Japanese man who could communicate with electronic devices over great distances, and was durable. Add in the Floronic Man and Harbinger, and you have yourself a team. Unfortunately, they came off much more as cliches or stereotypes. Of course, maybe in 1988, having even cliches out there was a step forward for comics (and to be fair, Jet was maybe not as much of a cliche as the others). But not today. Today, new superheroes created need to be deeper than that.

But the fact remains - as creators work on new characters, they should be challenging themselves to think about why a certain character must be white, or straight, or male. Can there be a female villainous mastermind who doesn't use her sex appeal as part of her shtick? How about a Native American hero whose powers are not necessarily tied to his heritage directly? Which is also not to say that there should be a moratorium on the creation of new white male characters - just that we may have reached a time where that should no longer be the default state.

By the way... unrelated, but worth knowing. In issue #2 of The New Guardians, in a story called "Jungle Snow," The New Guardians faced one of the most unusual villains I have ever seen. He was called Snow-Flame, and his greatest line in the story was "I am Snow-Flame! Every cell of my being burns with white-hot ecstasy. Cocaine is my God-- and I am the human instrument of its will!" And this series also had a vampire called Hemo-Goblin who bit several of the characters and possibly infected them with AIDS. Clearly, Englehart was taking on social issues as well as a comic in the late 80's published by one of the big 2 would let him. Unfortunately, it may have been an idea whose time had not yet come.

Solicits for September's New DCU

2011-06-13T18:52:00.005-04:00

The September solicits are out, in some cases giving more insight into DC's 52 new titles.

One of the most interesting is Justice League International. The mystery woman in the bottom left corner that I could not name previously? She's gone. And not mentioned in the solicit. New character or surprise guest? Either way, DC doesn't want to talk about it.

They have also released the covers of the previously missing Green Lantern titles.

Looking at some of the titles, there is a mish-mash of ratings here, too. Several of the titles got T+ ratings. Not surprisingly, the entire Justice League group of comics got T for Teen ratings. Red Lanterns got a T+ rating, no doubt due to their "battling against injustice in the most bloody ways imaginable!"

Among the Batman titles, only Catwoman got the T+ rating.

Looking at the titles from "The Dark" group of books, we see, not surprisingly, a few more T+ ratings. Swamp Thing, Animal Man, I, Vampire, Resurrection Man, and Voodoo all got that rating.

None of the Teen books got T+ ratings. They are all Teen rated, appropriately. There is a little information here about Hawk & Dove that wasn't previously available. It looks like they are setting up some inter-partner discord, and a long-term baddie here. Still excited to read this book.

"The Edge" group of books also have a pretty even distribution of T and T+ ratings. Stormwatch is T+, as are Deathstroke, Suicide Squad, Men of War, and All-Star Western. It will be interesting to contrast the T-rated Blackhawk and the T+ Men of War, both covering modern warfare, but clearly from different perspectives.

All of the Superman books are rated T, not surprisingly. The solicit for Supergirl makes it sound... well... unappealing to me. "Meet Supergirl. She’s got the unpredictable behavior of a teenager, the same powers as Superman – and none of his affection for the people of Earth. So don’t piss her off!" Why do I want to read about a god-like character who doesn't care about the people of earth? And how is she a hero?

Still, like all the others, I will give Supergirl a chance. Hopefully, I find her more compelling than it sounds.

JSA - Resting... but not gone?

2011-06-13T18:31:00.008-04:00

As I touched on in my previous post, no mention was made of the JSA. Well, someone has mentioned them. DC Comics co-publisher Dan DiDio said on his Facebook page, "AS for JSA, we have decided to rest this concept while we devote our attention on the launch of the three new Justice League series. As for other characters and series not part of the initial 52, there are plenty of stories to be told, and we're just getting started. best, DD"

So, no ongoing JSA series as part of the re-launch, or immediately following it seems. However, hope springs eternal. In response to people saying they would miss them on the very same page, DiDio says: "who said we weren't going to see the characters?"

I'd love to see them show up in DC Universe Presents or perhaps as supporting characters. I don't need to see them still in tights fighting crime (though I wouldn't mind...), but it would be nice not to have their contribution ignored. They were the first super-team, and a respectful nod would be nice to see.

I grew up loving this team. I remember reading an old comic at my grandfather's house with these characters who I didn't know. And loving it. Not to mention their classic cross-overs with the Justice League. It somehow made them special. I'll take a moment of silence for the team, but am going to try to remain positive on how this re-launch moves forward.

A Look at the DC Relaunch

2011-06-11T10:53:00.011-04:00

Okay, so I am a comic fan. That means I complain. I'm going to start off with that.

There are some things missing from DC's relaunch in my opinion. No Justice Society of America. No mention in any of those books of Alan Scott, Jay Garrick, Ted Grant, any of the "oldies but goodies" that I love so much. I really hope that even if it is just as hard-assed "get off my lawn" retired types, some of these characters are still alive. But it seems unlikely. As the blurb for Action Comics says, "Superman defends a world that doesn’t trust their first Super Hero." If Supes is the first, then no JSA could have existed. That may also get rid of many of the legacy heroes around the DCU. No more Power Girl? A shame after her recent series. But without the background of Superman of Earth-2, isn't she just a slightly older take on Supergirl? Also, on the magic side: No mention of the Spectre or of Doctor Fate in the darker side of the DCU. More characters with JSA ties... gone. At least Mr. Terrific is around, though he no longer will have taken inspiration from Terry Sloane - the first Mister Terrific, I assume.

No mention whatsoever of the Marvel Family. They have been a fundamental part of DC so long that I have a hard time believing they won't be around in some capacity. But maybe they won't. Maybe with Superman and Apollo around, and the magic side of the DCU taking a turn to the dark they felt there was no place for the Big Red Cheese. This is even more of a shame because of the stature that Black Adam had attained in the DCU. It seemed writers were having a hard time differentiating Captain Marvel from Superman, and attempts to tie him more firmly into the magical world were not as successful commercially as they might have hoped. But people loved Black Adam.

As mentioned previously, I have seen nothing on Wally West (Flash/Kid Flash), Donna Troy (Wonder Girl/Troia), Raven, Garfield Logan (Changeling/Beast Boy) or Garth of Atlantis (Aqualad/Tempest). I'm hoping that the relative prominence of Nightwing, Arsenal and Raven means they are still around, and look forward to finding out.

Nonetheless, though these characters will be missed by some, if they are indeed missing, I think this is a great opportunity for DC, and I am looking forward to my small role in it as a reader, and reviewing the books for this site.

It has come out this week that this will not affect Vertigo. This isn't a surprise, as some of those characters are creator-owned, but in announcing that Flashpoing tie-ins Booster Gold #45 and Batman - Knight of Vengeance #1 have sold out, DC mentioned that "Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso team up again for SPACEMAN, coming to Vertigo this fall."

That brings me to the new day-and-date release of the digital books. I'll be honest. I am not entirely sure what to make of this. There will doubtlessly be a benefit for people who don't have a decent local comic shop. I don't know this will have a huge impact on shop sales. I think a lot people like to own and actually flip through the books. Back in Toronto, it was a ritual - I'd go to the shop, pick up my comics, and chat with like-minded souls. I'd flip through some books I wasn't already buying, and see if I might want to. Look at the latest action figures. I'd get recommendations on new titles from the owners or their employees, or from other customers. That has always been one of the best ways to hear about new titles and if they were any good. It was an experience I really enjoyed. And I got a discount for being a good customer. I even used to get a bottle of wine from the guys who owned the shop at Christmas time. I wouldn't trade that in for the convenience of digital. That said, the trip to the shop here is longer than it was there. It feels less personal, and with fifteen long boxes in the house these days, I now have storage space issues.

I can definitely see buying some books, and getting ones that I just want to read a couple of times digitally.

But there are other people out there. People who don't know where their local comic shop is. Who wouldn't go there if they did. But who will watch X-men: First Class, or the Green Lantern movie. Who might read news stories about things happening in the DC Universe, or in Marvel. And would be tempted to check out what all of this is about. But the story the news says is coming out "today" isn't available. And won't be for months. Do we expect a non-fan to remember for months that they want to check out a comic? And forget about waiting for the trade paperback. Marvel gets those out reasonably quickly. DC on the other hand... well... let's just say that by the time the paperback comes out, it's no longer relevant if you are at all up to date on what is happening in the DC Universe. I'd love to see DC take care of that as well.

So, overall, my opinion is this: DC's announcement of day-and-date release is not the death knell of the local comic shop. The element of community that many collectors like just isn't quite the same online as it is in person. That will continue to be true for some time. Digital is a distribution channel that might help bring or keep more people in the hobby, and that is always a good thing. The things that make the local comic shop so appealing to a number of people in the hobby will not go away. And for those for whom digital comics are a more appealing/practical choice, they will be there.

The Last Wave of the New DCU

2011-06-11T09:40:00.017-04:00

In this last roundup, I will cover the last 6 titles just announced. The first two are not associated with a particular grouping, and the last 4 are the Superman family. Yes, in the New DCU, the Green Lantern family of comics has as many titles as the Superman family. Has DC's "Big 2" moved to a "Big 3?"

Blue Beetle: Jaime Reyes is a normal teenager. That is, if you don't pay attention to the scarab created by aliens who conquered or destroyed whole planets as a way of life. Using the powers of this scarab, Jaime becomes the Blue Beetle. The latest incarnation of hero with that name, Jaime is also my second favorite. I still miss Ted Kord, but at least he went out defiant. Tony Bedard is writing this book. I like his work, and am looking forward to reading this book. Ig Guara is handling art duties, and if Guara does his usual excellent job, this will be a gorgeous book. I made the call earlier that this character may show up in Justice League. I'm not sure if they would have a teenager who should be in high school in that illustrious organization, but regardless, I expect Blue Beetle to be an important part of the DCU moving forward. He's powerful, has a legacy, and contributes to the diversity of DC's offerings. I really hope this new book raises this character to the upper-tier of DC's heroes.

Suicide Squad: I've always liked the idea of the Suicide Squad. B-list and C-list and maybe even D-list villains showing up to run missions for the government who may well not make it out alive. Sure, the core team is unlikely to die. But you never know if a new character brought in is going to be a new part of the core team, or if they might even replace a one of the core members. This one features Harley Quinn, Deadshot and King Shark. Adam Glass is writing and Marco Rudy is doing the art on this book. Glass seems to have an interest in writing villains (He is writing the Legion of Doom story for Flashpoint). That will serve him well on this book. Rudy has a very stylized way of drawing. It promises to give this book an appropriately dark feel. My only minor nitpick so far is not liking the look of the redesign on Deadshot. Even so, if the character is as good as he frequently is, I can overlook it. I'm looking forward to seeing who makes it through this revolving door.

And now, on to Superman.

Action Comics: The longest-running monthly comic of all time will be releasing a #1. It's been almost 75 years since this has happened. I'm almost expecting a shaft of light and a choir of angels when I pick up this book. Grant Morrison is writing, and he did a great job on All-Star Superman. The amazing Rags Morales is the artist bringing Morrison's take to life visually. This looks like it will be a very different take on Superman, as the blurb says "Superman defends a world that doesn’t trust their first Super Hero." I like the fact that Morrison is taking this in a different direction, particularly compared to All-Star where Superman was so well thought of that no one would ever doubt the Man of Steel. That said, as I have mentioned previously, I have found Morrison to be hit or miss. Hopefully, this one is a hit.

Superboy: Scott Lobdell is writing this book, which appears to be a story of redemption, much like the story of Red Hood, which he is also writing. The official release says "They thought he was just a failed experiment, grown from a combination of Kryptonian and human DNA. But when the scope of his stunning powers was revealed, he became a deadly weapon." The cover looks like he might also be part robot. This looks like a different take on the Connor Kent Superboy, and I look forward to seeing this comic with art by R.B. Silva and Rob Lean. Some of my concerns about the new Action Comics apply here as well. Of all the corners of the DCU to bring dark, brooding stories to, I don't feel as though Superman's corner is the right place for it.

Supergirl: Michael Green and Mike Johnson who wrote for Smallville (which I really wish was streaming on Netflix, by the way) as well as for Superman/Batman are going to be chronicling the story of the Kryptonian teenager with art by Mahmud A. Asrar. Green wrote not only for Smallville, but also worked on the Green Lantern movie, and Heroes. He clearly understands the genre. Asrar's art is clean, and doesn't feel too dark. This book looks like it could be a lot of fun, and should capture the light side of the Superman family. Supergirl has been a very uneven series over the years, but hopefully this creative team can bring the book to another upswing. I'll be along for the ride to see how it works out.

Superman: George Perez is writing this, and Jesus Merino is handling the art. Perez is generally more thought of as an artist, (and one of my all-time favorites at that) but I am looking forward to seeing his take on the Man of Tomorrow as a writer. Jesus Merino has done good work on Superman in the past, and I enjoyed his work on Justice Society of america as well. Looking at this cover, it does indeed look like Superman has done away with the "undies on the outside" look. The belt and boots look a little more high-tech. And the cover looks like there may be a good reason why the population doesn't trust Supes as mentioned above in "Action." This blurb refers to "Superman’s startling new status quo." This is where I have concerns. Like I have said about the new Star Trek movie - it was a good movie, and I get why a lot of people liked it... but it wasn't my Kirk. Kirk shouldn't lose every fight he is in. That too was a re-launch, but I felt it, in the case of at least that one character, took me too far from what I loved about the original - the very reason that it was around long enough to re-launch. I have my concerns here as well. Throughout a lot of this overview, I have referred to getting back to the most iconic or best-known versions of the characters. I hope DC hasn't decided to not do that for the one character who is among the most iconic fictional characters of all time.

Time will tell how these relaunches go. I am looking forward to reading them, and to making the choices of the ones that I want to continue following.

Next: my thoughts about the relaunches as a whole, and about the day-and-date digital release and its potential impact.

X-Men: First Class

2011-06-11T09:00:00.005-04:00

A break from my musings on the New DCU. I went out last night and caught X-Men: First Class last night. Overall, I found it a really fun movie. As I have probably mentioned before, I never go to a comic book movie expecting to see the comic book faithfully reproduced. It happens sometimes, and I don't mind it when it does, but I also understand that sometimes a less episodic medium requires different approaches. And, of course, there is no budgetary concerns in a comic book. The most amazing effects can be done with no problems whatsoever, as long as your artist can draw it.

So, I have no issues with the fact that this comic takes various ideas from different X-men story lines and mashes them together to form its own story. The movie is set during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. The Hellfire Club is prominently feature, including Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw, January Jones as the White Queen, Emma Frost and supported by Azazel, a demonic-looking teleporter (Azazel is only really shown to be a teleporter and swordsman in this movie, not touching on all the other powers he has in the comics) and Riptide, a character who has been changed from the comics into being able to generate whirlwinds rather than being able to spin at incredible speeds and generate bone-like weapons.

The "First Class" was made up of Banshee, Havoc, Angel (but not Warren Worthington), Mystique, Beast and Darwin. On top of this were a young Magneto and Professor X, though older than the characters who make up the class.

The acting overall was quite good. The story flowed well, and the effects were top-notch. This was a great prequel to the X-men movies. I definitely recommend seeing to anyone who enjoys a good super-hero movie, but go in knowing that there are differences. Banshee is not Irish, and neither is Moira MacTaggert. Emma Frost here in her first appearance already has the ability to turn her body to diamond, something that didn't appear until much later in the comics. Riptide was never part of the Hellfire club, nor was Azazel.

If you are a purist, and those kinds of changes are frustrating for you, then you may want to skip it. If You don't know the history of these characters in intimate detail or are able to enjoy a movie that is an alternate look at these kinds of things, this is a fun movie definitely worth seeing. There are all kinds of nice touches. The effect used for the teleporter Azazel is the same as used for Nightcrawler. In the comics, Azazel is Nightcrawler's father. The origin of Magneto's helmet is covered. There are jokes about Xavier's hair. Overall, they really had fun with this movie, and it shows.

DC Comics Going to the Edge

2011-06-11T07:24:00.016-04:00

The next round of titles that DC released brought the total number to 46. 6 left after this post.

All-Star Western: So, I have never really been a huge fan of Westerns. Not in movies, not on television, (except you, Brisco!) and not in comics. That said, I do like - and sometimes love - Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti's writing. Moritat's art is great, and I think will suit the setting, too. And as mentioned before, I do like the fact that DC is branching out a bit from the straight-up super hero book. It's also a cool take to set at least this first story arc in Gotham (maybe not so west) as Amadeus Arkham tries to get Jonah Hex to work with the Gotham Police Department. Maybe this series will even touch on the creation of Arkham Asylum and how it ended up cursed. Gray and Palmiotti did such a great job on the most recent Power Girl series, I practically feel like I owe it to them to pick this one up. I also do like books with back-up stories. That way you can get introduced to new characters, or maybe find a new favorite, and this one will feature back-ups about DC's other western heroes.

Blackhawks: "A set of contemporary tales that battle the world’s gravest threats." If these guys were working for the government and not mercenaries, it would almost feel like an updated take on G.I. Joe. And that is not a slam. I loved the original Marvel G.I. Joe comic series. I typically don't think of myself as a war comic fan, but G.I. Joe had drama, heroism, and was just enough over-the-top to get my escapism quote in. I've also always kind of liked the Blackhawks from DC's WWII titles - the opposed things like "The War Wheel." Over-the-top enough as well. Writer Mike Costa is currently working on IDW Publishing's G.I. Joe: Cobra. I think he has the sensibility I am looking for. I'm not really familiar with Ken Lashley's art, but I did find a Hasbro G.I. Joe poster online, and it looks like he is well-suited for this kind of book. I imagine I'll be collecting this one for a while.

Deathstroke: Kyle Higgins will be writing, and Joe Bennet and Art Thibert will be handling the art on this book. In the official description, it says "Deathstroke will reclaim his fearsome legacy by any means necessary." I'm not sure how he lost it. But I think that this will be great, as long as he is kept at the right level (or at least my opinion of what the right level is...). Deathstroke should be able to take Batman in a straight up fight. With preparation, he should be a team buster. But he should not, like in Identity Crisis, be able to take out the JLA on, basically, raw physical ability. Deathstroke has been a cool part of the DCU since he was created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez to take on the Teen Titans. Hell, he is so cool that even the knockoff Deadpool has gone on to great things. This series could certainly be a good one, but I have concerns that Deathstroke works better as a supporting character. I'm hoping Higgins can change my mind. Oh,and if you were wondering where Batman's fins got to - looks like Slade picked 'em up.

Grifter: A title from the Wildstorm universe, Grifter is making it over to the New DCU. The high-action ex-black ops hero is set against the law when he goes around killing creatures in human form that only he can see. Grifter was one of my most-liked characters from the Wildstorm universe, and I am pleased to see him get his own title here in the mainstream DCU. Nathan Edmondson is writing his adventures, with art by CAFU and Bit. CAFU and Bit have done good work on T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents. I've not read any of Edmondson's work. Nonetheless, I am looking forward to reading this book, and seeing how Grifter fits in to the New DCU. I hope that the initial storyline, while potentially intresting, isn't the ongoing theme. With all the super powers running around the DC Universe, for aliens or monsters to be able to hide from everyone but Cole would stretch my suspension of disbelief.

Men of War: The grandson of DC's most famous WWII soldier, Sgt. Rock will be leading Easy Company, a crack team under the auspice of a military contractor in this book by Ivan Brandon. Artist Tom Derenick's work is really engaging and dramatic. I expect this one to feature a lot of activity outside the US, since the description of the book refers to them braving "the battle-scarred landscape carved by the DC Universe’s super-villains." Unless the whold of the New DCU is going to be really dark, I would assume that the status quo of super-battles not leaving "battle-scarred landscapes" behind in the middle of Gotham and Metropolis will hold. Brandon did announce on his site that he will be writing a new Sgt. Rock book, so it is clear that despite the name, the leader of the team will be the focus of this modern military story. This genre is not one of my favorites, but if I am right about most of it taking place internationally, then I will enjoy seeing the far-flung corners of the world in the New DCU.

OMAC: There seems to be an agenda at the very top of the DC house to try and make OMAC work. I get that. Jack "King" Kirby designed the original character. The man was brilliant, and his creations deserve respect. Given that I have seen no mention of the New Gods in the New DCU, they may well still be gone after the events of Final Crisis. So it is nice that Co-Publisher Dan DiDio is writing this series with co-writers and artists Keith Giffen and Scott Koblish. Brother Eye will be present in this book to. Please, gentlemen, please. Do not have it refer to itself in the first person all the time as "Eye." I'll definitely pick up the first couple of these, but I haven't sen a good treatment of OMAC in some time. I don't know, for some reason the character just doesn't work for me. The creative team has an uphill battle in keeping this particular reader on board.

Stormwatch: Wow... this title is the very picture of integration of Wildstorm universe into DCU. Martian Manhunter is on this team. It is great to see that he will still be around. Jack Hawksmoor has always been a cool idea for a character, with his ties to cities, and it will be interesting to see Paul Cornell's take on Midnighter and Apollo. Having one of comics' most high-profile gay couples still around will definitely help with DC's work on stressing diversity. Artist Miguel Sepulvedas did great work on the Thanos Imperative. I am looking very much forward to reading this comic. I stopped reading the Authority because it was too mean-spirited for me. I'm not into characters raping each other, with or without jackhammers, particularly being treated as casually as it was in that book. If this book keeps the main characters good, but makes them dark, and willing to do what others are not, I will enjoy it. If it goes down that path where the main characters are just as reprehensible as the villains, but at least these guys are on our side, I'll be reading for a pretty short time.

Powers and Puberty

2011-06-09T04:35:00.014-04:00

DC has announced several teenage superhero titles to be a part of their re-launch in September. This announcement brings the total number of titles they have announced up to 39. Only lucky 13 to go.

Hawk and Dove: Okay... Sigh... here goes. I love these characters. Have done for a long time. My appreciation goes all the way back to, well Teen Titans Spotlight featuring Hawk, I guess, thought I kind of liked them before. Then I saw the limited series written by Barbara and Karl Kesel. Loved it. And here, we have the artist from that series, Rob Liefeld back on these characters. I'm not going to lie. I liked his art on Hawk and Dove back then. Sterling Gates is writing the book, and I am not too familiar with his work. He has gotten some very positive reviews, and seems like a good guy in interviews I have read, and no one can disparage his comic book geek credentials. The characters, the embodiment of War and Peace, Chaos and Order, have really cool concepts, and I be that Gates will be able to do a lot with them, and I look forward to his take. But back to Liefeld. I know that a lot of people on the internet hate Liefeld. Some hate his work... some seem to hate him personally. He also took a couple of shots at Stan Lee on Twitter back in January. So, I get why there is vitriol towards the man. That said, he co-created Cable and frickin' Deadpool. He is one of the co-founders of Image Comics. He has left a legacy in the comic world that is hard to dispute.(However, his impressive legacy is a small fraction of Stan The Man's and I have to pretend that those shots at Stan didn't happen or my brain kind of fractures. Maybe he feels that Stan has gotten more of the credit than he deserves, and Jack Kirby deserves a larger share. That is a fair opinion, but to suggest that Stan is utterly without talent is ridiculous, bordering on idiotic.) All of that said, I'm still looking forward to this book. I don't expect a comic artist to be photorealistic (though I don't mind if they are), all I want from them is the ability to clearly communicate what is happening in the story. Liefeld does that, in a very action-oriented style. Hopefully, that style ends up suiting the pacing of Gates' writing, and we can all go home happy.

Legion Lost: I hgave been a fan of several of the various versions of the Legion of Super-Heroes we have been treated to since the 70's, when I started reading comics. I dig this idea - seven members of the Legion are stuck in the 21st century trying to save their future from annihilation. Fabian Nicieza is writing this tale of Dawnstar, Wildfire, Tellus, Gates, Timber Wolf, Chameleon Girl and... someone (I think it might be Invisible Kid, though I am not sure) stuck in their past. I loved Nicieza's work on New Warriors for Marvel many years ago. He has done other, very impressive work more recently, but if he can capture half of the fun, emotion and kick-ass-ness in this series he did about teenage heroes that he did in that one, I'm on board for as long as he is. Legion Lost will feature the art of Pete Woods, who will make this series look great. Woods has been working on Action Comics of late, showing the confidence that DC has in his art. This book will always be at the very top of my read pile. Unless, maybe, they announce a JSA title by Roy Thomas with George Perez drawing. Then I'll put one of those at the top, and one at the bottom to make sure my read is always bookended by sublime comic experiences.

Legion of Super-Heroes: Normally, I'd say that I would feel sorry for whoever is writing the other half of the Legion of Super-Heroes, the ones still in the 31st century, as they will have their work compared to Nicieza's. In this case, I'm not worried. Paul Levitz has been a long-time favorite of Legion fans, and I am sure he will continue to bring the goods. Francis Portella will be providing the art on this book, and I am very much looking forward to his interpretations of the characters, and to seeing Levitz and him introducing new recruits to help fill the hole left by the seven characters lost in time in Legion Lost. Reading books set so far in the future is always fun, because there is less of a sense of status quo, giving the creators a great amount of latitude. This series will be a fun read.

Static Shock: Static is the most successful character to come out of the Milestone Comics imprint from the mid-90's. Milestone was an effort by a group of creators to have minorities better-represented in mainstream comics. Much like the Wildstorm universe more recently, the Milestone universe existed seperately from the DCU, although there was a "Worlds Collide" cross-over event, and the Milestone universe has since been merged in to the DCU proper. Static was also the star of the Static Shock animated series that ran for 4 seasons starting in 2000. Recently, he has been a member of the Teen Titans. John Rozum will be writing with Scott McDaniel who will also be handling art duties with John Glapion. This title fits in well with DC's desire to be more diverse. Rozum was one of the original creators of the Milestone universe. Static is a popular, established character who brings some diversity to DC's core lineup. And although I know some people who dislike McDaniels' are as too stylized, for the right book, I love it. His work helped to define Nightwing for me when that series launched, and I loot forward to seeing that art again every month as I read Static Shock.

Teen Titans: Last, but definitely not least is DC's flagship "teens with powers" book, Teen Titans. DC has tapped Scott Lobdell to handle the writing on this book, with Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund on art. Lobdell has written some amazing books for Marvel and in the Wildstorm universe in his time in the comic industry. It will be great to see him writing for the mainstream DC Universe. This is the second book he is writing that will be featuring a former Robin - he is also handling the writing duties on Red Hood and the Outlaws. The makeup of this team is interesting - Tim Drake as Red Robin, Kid Flash (announced to be Bart "Impulse" Allen rather than Wally West), Wonder Girl who is a "mysterious and belligerent powerhouse thief," what looks like Superboy, and a couple of characters I do not recognize, though one almost looks like a female version of Obsidian. It looks like there are going to be some changes to this book.

Overall, I am looking forward to reading about these characters. There are 13 more titles to come, but I feel like there has been precious little love for the "middle generation" of DC's heroes. Yes, Nightwing is getting his own ongoing, and Roy "Speedy/Aresenal/Red Arrow" Harper will be in "Red Hood and the Outlaws," but what about Donna Troy and Wally West? Maybe Garth/Aqualad? Hopefully at least the first two of those are addressed soon.

Dark side of the DCU

2011-06-08T04:38:00.027-04:00

DC has announced several titles that will feature their dark side. As with previous posts, links are to creators' pages where they are available, or to their Twitter accounts. Particularly if a creator's name appears linked more than once in the entry, the second link is likely to be to a Twitter account.

Animal Man: Animal Man for a while was one of DC's most interesting books under Grant Morrison's guiding hand. He was a part of 52, out of his element travelling through space with Starfire and a blind Adam Strange, dying and coming back to life an issue later, leading to a role in Blackest Night and Brightest Day. He has often been on the fringe of most of DC's super heroic world. When last we saw him, he was concentrating on being a husband and father, but this series, written by Jeff Lemire and with art by Travel Foreman and Dan Green, takes a look at what happens to that family life when his daughter Maxine develops dangerous powers of her own. This is the first of two books that Lemire is writing that has Morrison's stamp on it, see Frankenstein below. Great to see a Canadian touch on DC's New DCU!

Demon Knights: "Gone, gone, o form of man! Rise the Demon, Etrigan!" Sorry, had to get that out of my system. Paul Cornell will be writing this series, set in the Middle Ages, featuring the Demon leading a team trying to defend civilization and "preserve the last vestiges of Camelot against the tide of history." I do love that DC is publishing more than your standard big city American super hero fare with this launch. And it will certainly have a strong British flavor with Cornell writing it. I'd give it a chance just based on his having written the "Family of Blood" episode of Doctor Who featuring the tenth Doctor. The art of Diogenes Neves and Oclair Albert is just further incentive. That cover is gorgeous. No indication if anyone we might have heard of is going to be on this team, but I'll give it a shot anyway. Hopefully the Demon is Etrigan, and he is still speaking in rhyme back then. (In current continuity, he is part of caste called rhymers, and always has, but this is a New DCU after all.)

Frankenstein, Agent of SHADE: Jeff Lemire is writing this book along with Animal Man above. Frankenstein was a breakout character from Morrison's Seven Soldiers metaseries. In this series, he is working for a government organization called the Super Human Advanced Defense Executive. Alberto Ponticelli is handling art duties. This sounds like it could be interesting stuff. Shades of Mr. Bones, only a lot more vioient. Ponticelli has done some work for Vertigo, so he certainly does know how to handle the darker side of comics. This one could be interesting, but I don't feel drawn in enough to give it very long to get there.

I, Vampire: Writer Josh Fialkov and artist Andrea Sorrentino bring us this story of a vampire who has to defend the DCU against his kind, even if it means going his love, the Queen of the Damned. I've not read anything by Fialkov, but he has gotten good reviews from good people for several of his previous series. Andrea Sorrentino's work is gorgeous. This one has definite potential, and I am looking forward to it. I do enjoy vampire stories, and have always rather enjoyed horror-themed comics. It makes sense to try something like this in the wake of the success of the Walking Dead. It will be interesting to see how this one works out. I am not sure if this idea will lend itself well to an ongoing, but then they haven't been specific if this is destined to be an ongoing or just a limited series.

Justice League Dark: Okay, some people are going to hate this one. This comic is going to put John Constantine, Deadman, Shade the Changing Man and Madame Xanadu together, to "stop the dark things the rest of the DCU does not see." It seems likely to me that if this crosses over with the standard JLA at all, it will be a big disappointment to fans of this corner of the DCU. That said, I like Constantine and Xanadu, and I have always been kind of fascinated by Shade the Changing Man. Peter Milligan, no stranger to Shade, will be writing this and Mikel Janin will be the artist. I like Janin's work, and Milligan has written some good titles. I was almost going to refer to this book as the "trenchcoat brigade" but realized they have managed to find several mystic characters who don't wear them, at least the cover by Ryan Sook looks like Constantine will be wearing one.

Resurrection Man: DC is going to bring this character back from the dead. Yeah, I know... I couldn't help it. The creative team of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning who created Mitch Shelley and wrote his original adventures return to this character with a great concept. Every time he dies, he comes back with different powers. Abnett and Lanning will be joined by artist Fernando Dagnino, whose art I really enjoy. This one feels like it might well be migrating close to the top of my read pile. Cool character written by his talented original creators, with great art? What's not to love. And I'll never forget the time that Resurrection Man appeared with Hitman, and Tommy kept killing him until he got the powers he wanted. That flashback alone makes me want to love this book.

Swamp Thing: Apparently, this is the 40th anniversary of the creation of the character, and he is coming off of his big role in Brightest Day. Scott Snyder and Yanick Paquette will be working on this title. DC's nature elemental, looking to divorce himself from his history in that role. DC is launching titles to explore some directions that mainstream comics have not been going in lately, and the new Swamp Thing series is to be a horror title. Snyder has shown an ability with horror, having previously written American Vampire. This title will likely be DC's flagship dark title, and looks like it will be a gorgeous book. I am really interested in seeing how these books exemplifying new directions for DC go, and will be watching this one very closely.

Voodoo: This title features Ron Marz writing with Sami Basri doing the art. I've loved some of Marz' work, particularly on Silver Surfer way back when. Basri's artwork is great. Voodoo is a character who existed in the Wildstorm Universe, and is now in the mainstream DCU. This brings up interesting possibilities regarding some of the other Wildstorm characters, like seeing the Authority or Planetary in the mainstream DCU. I'm really looking forward to seeing if they keep Voodoo's origin, which was strongly tied in to much of the Wildstorm universe's mythology, or if they introduce a new angle that makes her a little more stand-alone. Either way, this is a great indicator that we could see Majestic, Grifter and more in the DC Universe, and it could be great.

Next: Looking at the teenagers in the DCU. Tim Drake is back! And one title that may supplant even Gail Simone's Batgirl as the top book on my to-read list.

Flashpoint #2 sells out

2011-06-08T04:36:00.003-04:00

DC announced on their blog yesterday that issue #2 of Flashpoint has sold out. It sounds like the "All new #1s strategy" may be drawing some attention for them.

Hopefully, some of those sales were to new readers, and DC is able to keep them. More people reading comics is good for the industry as a whole.

11 Bat Family Books

2011-06-06T20:44:00.029-04:00

Holy Crap... eleven. Also the announcement of a twelfth, but one of the others may be a limited series.

Batman, Detective, Batman and Robin, Batman: The Dark Night, Batwoman, Batgirl, Catwoman, Birds of Prey, Nightwing, The Red Hood and the Outlaws, Batwing. 11 titles. And I am looking forward to almost all of them. They've given us a little less detail on these ones, but I will share my thoughts. Links to creator pages where I could find their official pages.

Batman: Loving the look of this cover. Glad to see Croc back, and that looks like Riddler with a question mark shaved onto his head and Two-Face who is lying there. The short guy could be the Mad Hatter? Regardless, they are certainly not hesitating to bring the traditional Bat Rogues back into the New DCU. And unlike the situation with Flash, I am glad to see this. Batman's villains have always been a good match for him, so it is good to see them still around. Written by Scott Snyder, a Batman veteran, and art by Greg Capullo.

Detective: Wow... Detective #1. Batman wasn't even IN this book the first time around. He didn't show up until Detective #27. Not true this time, though. From the cover, it looks like this is where the Joker will show up, but according to supplied with the cover online, it looks like he is on the trail of a serial killer known as the Gotham Ripper. I hope that they don't take Joker down as an afterthought in getting ready for this one. I had enough of that back when they were trying to prove that Hush was a bad ass. "When criminals want to scare each other, they tell each other Joker stories." Tony Daniel is handling writing and art.

Batman and Robin: Peter Tomasi and Pat Gleason are looking at the relationship between Bruce Wayne, the one and only Batman and his son Damian, who is serving as Robin. While I loved Batman: Son of the Demon, where Damian was conceived, born, and hidden from Bruce, I'm not a fan of the Damian character. He reminds me of a caricature of Jason Todd back when he was Robin. That said, it will be interesting to see how the harder, less forgiving Bruce deals with him. I am definitely looking forward to seeing if this brings out a more human side of Bruce.

Batman: The Dark Knight: David Finch is handling writing and sharing art duties with Jay Fabok on this story of Batman heading deep into the halls of Arkham Asylum. On this cover, Batman has his fins back - a little smaller and more subtle, but they are there. This is my selection for the book that might end up being a limited, to be replaced in early 2012. This book has a tough act to follow after the amazing Baman: Arkham Asylum video game. But the Asylum is so rich with story possibilities that I am sure there are other angles to be taken.

Batwoman: It's great to see Batwoman still around. Not to mention that it is nice to see a mainstream lesbian hero. The cover of her new book looks great, and the creative team is J.H. Williams III, Haden Blackman and Amy Reeder. She is one of the best things to come from all of the recent Crises, and it is great to see her still around as part of the New DCU. This book will not be hard to drag me into. Batwoman has been a very practical, kick-ass kind of hero, and hopefully she will continue that into this new series. I'm also interested in how much interaction there might be between Batwoman and Batgirl. Two red-headed bat-females swinging around Gotham? That might be too much even for this city to handle.

Batgirl: What? Barbara Gordon back in the tights? Nice. Written by Gail Simone? Amazing! This comic is going be right near the top of my read pile. Ardian Syaf and Vicente Cifuentes are sharing artistic duties on this book. Gail did such a great job with this character as Oracle in Birds of Prey, it will be great to see how she writes Babs as Batgirl. This one is definitely "don't miss." According to the DC website, "Batgirl’s going to have to face the city’s most horrifying new villains as well as dark secrets from her past," which should be interesting - really looking forward to some new villains by Gail Simone,and particularly to see how those characters are realized by Ardian Syaf and Vicente Cifuentes. This book holds the promise of being a well-written, beautiful title. Interesting that the image name for this cover (from the DC website) has "solicitation only" in the name... Not sure if this means anything.

Catwoman: Still a thief in the night - still obsessed with Batman. Judd Winick and Guillem March bring this take on DC's top thief, and frequent anti-hero. I'll be honest - this character has never held my interest in her own series, and I have tried a few times. I've enjoyed Winick's work, in the past - he was great on Exiles - and hope that he can break my streak with this one. I think that Winick's history of exploring gay issues in his books will lend itself well to the more diverse look that DC is going for with the New DCU. Guillem March's art style should lend itself very well to sensuous Catwoman, as it did in Gotham Sirens.

Birds of Prey: Well, I guess that isn't Black Canary on the cover of Justice League International. A new take on the birds, featuring Black Canary, Katana (I think), Poison Ivy, and... Grace? Realy not sure who that last character is, but it could be Grace Choi from the Outsiders. Could be someone new. Duane Swierczynski and Jesus Saiz are doing this one. I hate to be negative before I even see the book, but I do not like the look of Katana here. A little too much like Marvel's Silver Samurai. Nor do I like the new Black Canary costume. I appreciate the attempt to keep the fishnets, but that outfit just isn't working for me. Still the writing could well carry it. It will be weird after all this time to read a BoP book without Gail Simone writing it, but change can be good. I'm definitely going to give Swiercynski and Saiz the chance to wow me here.

Nightwing: Dick Grayson back where he belongs - not as Batman, but as his own man - Nightwing. Not that he didn't make a great Batman. And I loved the way that Two-Face figured out he wasn't the original - because he actually has fun being a hero. Kyle Higgins writes and Eddy Barrows handles the art on this book. I kind of like the latest take on the Nightwing costume. There are fins on his gloves now. Maybe Batman lent him half the length of his fins? Do I seem fin obsessed? He looks bad ass on this cover, and I hope he stays that way, and retains the sense of fun that he has always had, whether it be as a wise-cracking Robin or as Nightwing.

The Red Hood and the Outlaws: Arsenal, less of a mess than when I last saw him and Starfire being led by former Robin Jason Todd as the Red Hood. This one looks like it might be a little dark for my preferences, but the art by Kenneth Rocafort looks great, and Scott Lobdell is a solid writer. I will definitely be checking this out. I likely won't be staying with it. But I can certainly see how others would really enjoy it. I've always liked Arsenal. With luck, he will retain some of his wise cracking womanizing ways we used to see from him, before he entered a crap spiral that cost him his daughter, his arm and sent him off in some weird directions.

Batwing: Justice over Africa. the first black Batman will be featured in this series by Judd Winick and Ben Oliver. This is a series that comes from Grant Morrison's current work on Batman, Inc. in which Batman is spreading out, franchising the mantle of the bat to make the whole world safer. This one will definitely be worth checking out, though I am not optimistic on how long it will be lasting. I haven't seen too many books based outside the US perform very well, but I admire DC for trying this again. I also think this will be a great platform for Winick to look at the impact of AIDS in Africa.

Some really interesting books here, but I cannot help but notice the lack of a certain member of the Bat Family - Tim Drake. Here's hoping they announce a Teen Titans or Young Justice-style book with him in it as the leader. It'll also be interesting to see what (if anything) has happened to Cassie Cain as Batgirl.

The twelfth book is the return of Grant Morrison's Batman, Inc. promised for early 2012. I find Morrison to be very hit or miss. I love his work on All Star Superman, and Animal Man. His Doom Patrol work was out there, in a great way. JLA: Earth 2 was a great read. But at the same time, had to force myself through Final Crisis, and didn't like his modern take on the Seven Soldiers and re-invention of the New Gods.

If my counting is right, there have now been 26 books announced for the September release - half way there. Next - The dark side of the DCU.

New DCU Titles So Far - Part 2

2011-06-05T06:28:00.016-04:00

Part 2 of my take on the DC titles announced so far as part of the launch of the New DCU.

Justice League International: Looking forward to this title. Loving the fact that the August General in Iron from China is part of the team. Icelandic Icemaiden (or just “Ice”) and Green Flame or "Fire" from Brazil. Rocket Red from Russia, and Vixen from Africa. Add in Guy Gardner and Booster Gold, there is a lot of potential for some interesting character dynamics here. Not all of these characters are going to get along, but it should be fun to watch. Apparently series artist artist Aaron Lopresti has said that the woman in the bottom left is not Donna Troy. Interesting. Is Black Canary going to finally let her hair go natural? It is a kind of martial-artsy pose. The multi-talented Dan Jurgens is writing this one.

Mister Terrific: Glad to see him getting his own series. If he is half as cool as Michael Holt has always been in the JSA, I am going to enjoy this. Also, note that Mr Terrific showed up as part of the JLU on the animated series. I expect to see the same hold true here. This is also a step towards diversity in the right way, in my opinion. He is a great character who is black, rather than creating a black character and trying to make him catch on. Not to mention, like Cyborg, another black character who doesn't have "Black" in his name, and isn't a stereotype. The description of this book makes it seem like it almost has a pulp feel to it, which I hope is the case. Written by Eric Wallace and art by Roger Robinson. Anything written by someone who has worked on Eureka is worth checking out.

Captain Atom: JT Krul is writing one of my less-favorite heroes in Green Arrow, and one of my all-time favorites in Captain Atom. I love his last ongoing. I dug him when he crossed over into the Wildstorm Universe. I am fascinated by the potential of this character. It looks like JT Krul is too, as it looks like they are taking the "Dr. Manhattan" approach to the character (many of the characters in Watchmen were expies of Charlton characters). "Captain Atom has all the power in the world, but no hope of saving himself. Charged by nuclear energy, possessing vast molecular powers, he has the potential to be a god among men – a hero without limits. But the question is this: Will he lose himself in the process?" Freddie Williams will be doing the art chores on this book.

DC Universe Presents: An anthology book. I love anthology books. I love that rotating creators get a place to tell stories about their own personal favorite characters, and that those b-list, c-list or lower characters get a chance to shine. Unfortunately, these kinds of books are frequently not successful. Though there have been exceptions, like Marvel Comics Presents, although that one was bolstered by having 4 different stories in it, nearly one of which was always Wolverine. This one is starting off with a Deadman story told by Paul Jenkins and Bernard Chang. I've never been a huge Deadman fan, but I respect his longevity and important role in the DC Universe. Regardless, I'm kind of geeking out on this title, and will definitely be following it for as long as it is around.

And now, to their own little corner of the DCU: Green Lantern and his extended mythology are getting 4 of the 52 books. Only Green Lantern #1 has a cover release, and so far, I have seen it referred to as a "teaser."

Green Lantern: They are not even committing at this point to this being Hal Jordan. But there will be a Green Lantern book. Geoff Johns will be writing with Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy handling the art. I believe it will be Hal, and I think that will come out shortly. One of the most consistent parts of this launch is that Green Lantern's continuity since Rebirth will be held to.

Green Lantern Corps: Guy Gardner and John Stewart as well as "an elite Green Lantern strike force" will be featured in this one. I would suspect there will be some crossover between the characters in this one and in the film. Written by Peter J. Tomasi with art by Fernando Pasarin and Scott Hanna. I like Tomasi's writing, and he seems to like large casts, so I am looking forward to this one.

Green Lantern: The New Guardians: Tony Bedard will be writing, and Tyler Kirkham and Batt will be bringing the visuals of a team led by Kyle Rainer, Hal's replacement as Green Lantern when Hal was possessed by the fear monster Parallax. This team is made up of representatives of emotional spectrum from the last several years worth of Green Lantern tales. There is some interesting possibility for character interaction here, with representatives of avarice and rage on the same team as hope, compassion and love. I'm definitely looking forward to this one. Bedard is a writer who I have greatly enjoyed in the past. His work with Hourman and Bane in JSA Classified, and on Exiles for Marvel were great.

Red Lanterns: Atrocitus, and his corps of rage-fueled Red Lanterns are getting their own series. "This Lantern Corps takes no prisoners, they are judge, jury and executioners!" No offense to Peter Milligan, who is writing this, or to Ed Benes and Rob Hunter, who are sure to make this a great-looking book, but I tend to like my DC a little lighter, and this book may well not satisfy that. However, I have also read my fair share of Lobo, and Milligan will bring a British sensibility to this, so maybe this will end up appealing.

And that wraps it up. These are all the titles that have been announced so far.

New DCU Titles So Far - Part 1

2011-06-04T14:50:00.024-04:00

Here are the titles that will be in place at the upcoming re-launch that DC has announced on their own site so far:

Justice League: I touched on the cover to this one last post. This article says the League will end up having 14 members when all is said and done. So far, we know about Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Cyborg and Aquaman. Given some of the titles listed below, it wouldn’t surprise me to see this rounded out with Firestorm, Green Arrow, Hawkman and Mister Terrific. That’s 11. That leaves 3 more to go. I’d expect we may see another female character or two… maybe Zatanna? I also would not be surprised at all to see the Blue Beetle in the form of Jaime Reyes show up. I guess we could also see Captain Atom, but if Firestorms powers are at all consistent with his past versions, it seems like having he and Captain Atom in the same book would be almost redundant. Although one could end up on the International team.

Wonder Woman: Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang will be doing Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman has seldom been handled well, but Brian Azzarello is an excellent writer, and Chiang an excellent artist. My personal WW preference was back in the George Perez days, with the Greek mythology being a significant and firmly present part of her backstory. That said, as per my earlier post, I wouldn't be surprised to find that element toned down to match what others "know" about her. Some of that is also considered a little confusing, and perhaps removed from what many non-comic readers think of as her "iconic" version. Not to mention, had her television show gotten picked up this year, she would have been a much more "modern woman" interpretation. I expect some of that to stick.

Aquaman: I have a confession to make. I have loved this character ever since I had Aquaman Underoos when I was a kid. I loved him especially, many years later, under the able pen of Peter David, when he seemed to be able to defeat opponents just by being cooler than them. Think about that - Aquaman, cooler than just about anyone. The blush wore off a bit when Erik Larsen took over. I love Savage Dragon, but he just didn't do as good of a job on Aquaman for my money. Geoff Johns, who has done a tremendous job on runs of Flash and Green Lantern is taking on Aquaman, with Ivan Reis doing art duties. Johns really loves these characters, and Reis' work is gorgeous. I'm really jazzed to see how this book turns out.

The Flash: Francis Manapul, artist on the Flash right now, will be writing his first comic series, as well as handling the art. No indication here if this will be Barry Allen or Wally West. I grew up with Barry, but Wally has been wearing the scarlet PJs for longer now. However, Barry was the character in the one-season TV show. I've always liked the Flash, but found him hard to read. His powers are so overwhelming that it stretches my suspension of disbelief to understand how anyone who isn't as fast can be a challenge. It'll be interesting to see how Manapul handles the Fastest Man Alive. It looks like his first foe will be an new villain rather than one of his established Rogues. Also, I kinda dig the chin guard on his costume.

Fury of Firestorm: I've always liked Firestorm. I thought the idea of a composite consciousness driving this hero was cool. I've always liked his powers, and am excited to read anything that Gail Simone is working on. Ethan Van Sciver, generally thought of as an artist is a true comics fan, as passionate as anyone about these characters, and he will be writing with Gail. (I played City of Heroes with her a few times - I'll permit myself to use her first name) They'll be working with Yildiray Cinar who will be handling the art, although Van Sciver did the cover for the first issue, which looks amazing. The cover leads me to think that what could be happening here is a little meta-. Firestorm has typically been made up of two personalities - this looks like they are combining two of the Firestorms (Ronnie Raymond/Professor Stein and Jason Rusch/several people) into the new Firestorm. Love the idea.

The Savage Hawkman: Tony Daniel who writes Batman and Phillip Tan who did art on Agent Orange, among others will be working together on The Savage Hawkman. I have always liked Hawkman a lot. And it looks like this will be Hawkman as his most raw - an archaeologist who isn't afraid to pick up an archaic weapon and hit people with it. A lot. I'm very much looking forward to see how they handle Carter Hall's particularly convoluted background, what with having lived so many lives over thousands of years, and having alien lives weaved in these days. I expect this character to read a lot like the rumored film treatment for the character: part Indiana Jones, part Da Vinci Code, and part Ghost. As the folks at mtv geek news put it, "like Indiana Jones, but a huge, muscly a-hole." By the way, although I love this character and would love to see such a film, this clip of comic characters who have had movies made gathering, and Hawkman being on the outside looking in, is very funny.

Green Arrow: I confess. The Emerald Archer has never been one of my favorites. JT Krul will be trying to change that with art by the very talented and skilled Dan Jurgens. It won't be a hard win for me - I have always wanted to like the character, but I just haven't read that many interpretations that got me there. His post-Infinite Crisis series almost got me there, but then they had him take out Deathstroke. I hate seeing a character watered down to make another one look tough. I hated when the JLA were watered down for Deathstroke in Identity Crisis, and I hated it the other way around there. Also, I can't help but notice that the costume Ollie is wearing on the cover looks to be a little inspired by his Smallville appearance. Also, like Oliver on Smallville, he will be an orphaned billionaire. Again, I think this is a good move. No need to confuse potential readers by removing elements they "know" about a character as long as you are launching the New DCU.

Next Time in Part 2, Justice League International, Mr. Terrific, Captain Atom, DC Universe Presents, and the 4 Lantern-based titles that have been announced.

Cover of Justice League #1

2011-06-04T13:20:00.010-04:00

As I type this, DC has revealed that first of the new number 1’s to come out with the “launch of the New DCU” will be Justice League #1. It will be by their creative wonder team of Geoff Johns (Chief Creative Officer) and Jim Lee (Co-Publisher).

I’ve enjoyed work by both gentlemen in the past. However, I’m on the fence regarding the cover.

I like some of the touches Jim Lee has added – Cyborg looks great - updated and sleek. Hal Jordan’s hair looks like there may be some inspiration drawn from Ryan Reynolds. I like the change to the “S” emblem on Superman – it feels powerful and impressive. I also notice that unless there was a coloring error, Supes no longer has the "undies on the outside" look. Lee always draws a wonderful Batman - although this one seems to have traded in the fins on his gloves for something a little more gauntlet-like. I prefer being able to see Flash’s eyes, as he has always seemed like among the most human of heroes, the most “common man” of the bunch (though it remains to be seen if that continues) and being able to see his eyes plays into that. I’m not sure I like the move from gold to silver for Wonder Woman, but I imagine I will learn to live with that. The look of the costume seems to have some commonalities with what they were working on for the abortive attempt at a Wonder Woman television show this year.

My primary real complaint about this cover is how emotionless all of these heroes except Batman seem, and Batman is just doing his usual grim. This is the re-launch of the greatest, most iconic super team in history. Where is the determination? Where is the pleasure of belonging? Anything? Flash - rushing forward at super-speed, lightning arcing around him, looks like he might as well be reading an economics text book as opposed to… whatever it is they are doing here. The same goes for most of the rest. This is the introduction to the new DC Universe? Pretty, but lacking depth or substance? I may be reading too much in to this, (I do that) but this cover should be the thing that draws me in, and gives me my first peek into the personalities of these characters who I may or may not still know. It should not be the thing making me question if this new launch is heading in a good direction.

Coming out of Retirement

2011-06-04T08:22:00.004-04:00

It's been 5 years since I last posted on this blog. So, it took something big to bring me out of "retirement."

DC is doing something big. Come September, they are restarting all of their books at number 1. Equally interesting is that they are now going to be doing day-and-date release of digital comics. You will be able to get the digital versions of these books on their website or on your mobile device of choice at the same time.
On the day of release, and for the next 4 weeks (i.e., until the books would be moved from the “new releases” shelf to the “recent issues” shelf at many comic shops), the price will be same online as for a print copy (“Holding the line at $2.99” –unless you live outside of the US, or for larger “special” editions) and then after that, it will drop by $1. Expect a future post on the implications of this sales model from multiple perspectives.

I like the idea, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the 52 comics that are going to be released will be.

One of the things that DC has going for it is that their characters are some of the most recognizable in the world. Superman and Batman may be the two most iconic heroes on earth. Marvel has Spider-man and the Hulk, but they don’t quite touch the level of DC’s big 2. Then there’s the next tier of DC heroes - Wonder Woman, Flash and Green Lantern. Again, these characters are incredibly well known. But there is a problem that comes with this. These characters are well known in their most iconic forms (at least the big 2).

Superman is Clark Kent, is strong, has vision powers and can fly. Anyone can tell you that. Batman is Bruce Wayne. He is a bad ass. Again, anyone can tell you that. But lately, in comics, Batman hasn’t been Bruce Wayne. I love Dick Grayson. The Nightwing series, when it was done well, was my favorite comic at the time. But it makes it hard to get new readers if what they “know” about a character is not right. Wonder Woman has a little of that problem as well – from her 70’s TV show. Green Lantern might have a similar problem if the movie is as good as it looks.

This reboot (or, as Bob Wayne, Sr. VP of Sales for DC said in a letter to retailers, “…this is the launch of the New DCU. It is not a ‘reboot.’ I think you will soon discover why that is,”) is a powerful opportunity to tie these characters back to what has made them iconic, and yet update them for a modern audience.

There will be some loss. I dread to find out what is going to happen to my beloved Justice Society of America, with their origins so tied to WWII. One of the things about DC that has always been great is the rich history it has to draw on. Some of that could be lost with a “launch of the New DCU.”

But there are also so many positive possibilities. I have to admit, I like the idea of characters with a little more diversity having the opportunity to shine. From all reports, Cyborg, a black character who doesn’t have “Black” in his name, which is nice, will be one of the A-listers in the JLA.

The quote from Mr. Wayne above does make me wonder, though. “New DCU.” “Discover why that is.” I think the fact they are launching 52 issues – the same number as the number of universes in DC is also significant. I suspect that the “New DCU” may be a lot like Marvel’s Ultimate line. A jumping-on point that develops parallel to the “standard” DCU. Stories set on another of DC’s earths. And honestly, I am okay with that. I am fine with keeping the current world in amber, so to speak. I just hope that if that is the case, they are not too quick to jump back at initial outcry from fans. Even if this is only just a grand experiment with the characters I grew up on, I feel like it is an experiment worth completing.

Power Girl - another take

2006-06-10T13:42:00.001-04:00

Okay, so recently in the days leading up to Infinite Crisis, it has been revealed that Power Girl is actually Kal-L, the Superman of Earth-2’s cousin. This was her original origin, but after Earth-2 was folded into the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths, this origin became impossible – there had never been a Kal-L.

Power Girl’s origin then went through a few possibilities – was she related to this Earth’s Superman? Was she the granddaughter of ancient Atlantis’ sorcerer supreme Arion? Was it something else entirely? As her power levels fluctuated, and her origin did, writers stopped using her. Her continuity was so messed up that despite the puerile attractions of the character (rumor has it that when she was originally created, her breasts were drawn larger with each issue, until an editor stopped the creative team. She has remained one of the bustiest characters in comics, and in the world of comics, that is not a trivial statement to make) she started to be seen less and less.

She recently returned (appropriately, since she was a member during the crossovers with the JLA) in the pages of JSA, and it was then made clear that her current origin would one day be cleared up. At that time, I stopped working on a story I had in mind for her.

You see, one day I would like to be writing for comics, and Power Girl caught my interest, largely due to my fascination with the JSA and characters that carry on part of their legacy. I had some ideas for a re-writing of her origin which might tie up some threads, and move her solidly into the Post-Crisis world, keep her position as one of the most butt-kicking characters in DC, but differentiate her from the Superman family.

It was inspired by the addition of magic to her origin. I saw a possibility for helping this character take the next step. I would’ve have toned down her confrontational nature. It had evolved from forceful woman to stereotypical “ball breaker” and while I think she should be strongly involved in women’s issues, I also think she should be basically likeable.

Power Girl would be partly Kryptonian in origin and partly magical. Centuries ago, when Atlantis was under attack, several of the wizards of Atlantis got together to create a defense system. They mystically searched the annals of time for the greatest heroes of the Universe. They find Superman among them. Mystically, they draw out some of the essence of what makes Superman a hero – both physically and mentally. They store the essence, and are set about making the perfect body to hold it. Unfortunately, during that process, Atlantis comes under attack, and they channel the energies into the body of a fallen captain of the Atlantean guard. As they do so, they also make some changes. Certainly, a guardian of Atlantis cannot be vulnerable to magic. That has to be changed. As they channel the energies into the body, the sorcerers themselves come under attack. They are unable to fully animate the body, but do put the rudiments of what is needed to do so into it.

Over the following millennia, the energies in the guardswoman’s body gradually change themselves to evolve a personality, taken partly from Superman and partly from the guardswoman. A desire to do what is right. A strong belief that women are the equal of men, and a need to demonstrate that belief. She gains memories, albeit vague ones of both Krypton and Atlantis. One day, the vessel in which the enemies of Atlantis stored her body opens, and Power Girl emerges.

That was the origin, and would be told over the course of the first issue of a mini-series I had in mind for PG. It would open with Dr. Mid-Nite doing tests on her to determine if she was Kryptonian, or what. The tests would be inconclusive. A further consultation with Dr. Fate would have shown the magical energies, and eventually, Dr. Fate’s probes would have shown the truth: Power Girl was a mystically altered Kryptonian/Atlantean hybrid. It turns out her power fluctuations are because of this origin. When they altered the essence of the hero, the sorcerers unwittingly cause Power Girl to be powered by magic. When she believed herself to be Kryptonian, Power Girl went out of her way to avoid magic, thereby unknowingly weakening herself. Now, on a team with Doctor Fate and Alan Scott, she had magic around her all the time and it was allowing her to reach her true powers. It was to be the end of the evolution of the magic energies inside of her.

Her powers would change. She would still be super strong, among the strongest on the planet, able to fly and nearly invulnerable. But her secondary powers would change. No longer would she have heat vision, and telescopic vision, or super breath. She would be able to emit blasts of raw concussive force from her hands or eyes. She would have a special kind of vision that would tell her if someone was knowingly lying.

She would continue to fight crime, and not even use these new powers so often. Power Girl has always been a very straight-forward character. She would, in the first issue, face the threat of Major Force. Major Force is an established character who can hang with the big guns, and a good place for Karen (Power Girl’s adopted name) to take out some of her frustrations. He would get her by surprise, and of course make a few comments about PG’s physical characteristics, and call her “babe,” etc. After freeing herself from the enormous glob of matter that he has summoned, she beats him down, quickly and efficiently, while making sure he knows that as stupid as he is, she might have gone easy on him out of pity, but after hearing what he did to Green Lantern’s girlfriend, this guy deserves no pity. The beating would be conclusive – when it comes to raw power, Power Girl lives up to her name.

In the second issue of the series, Power Girl travels to Metropolis to tell Superman what she has learned of her origin. Once there, she manages to track down the Metropolis Marvel, who is facing down a new villain called Double Agent. He can split himself into two identical duplicates of himself, and also has the power to make those around him look and sound exactly like him. He doesn’t have the power to hang with Superman, but his crimes are difficult to stop due to the fact that he is hard to track down as he uses his power to mix in with a crowd. He can also teleport one of his “selves” to the other. Here, Power Girl would have the chance to demonstrate her new “truth sight.” Once she does so, she and Superman quickly put a stop to Double Agent’s crime spree. Superman and Power Girl talk about her origin, and part with a friendly hug, Superman explaining that he hopes she still feels like family, and for the first time, Power Girl admits, she might actually do so now.

Issue 3 and 4 were dedicated to the rise (and first defeat) of a character who I had hoped would go on to become a villain of some significance in the DC Universe, but I do not want to give too much more away on that score, just in case I ever do get the chance to write comics, and use that character.

I hope you enjoyed this little insight into a path I would’ve taken a character. I am not, by the way, trying to indicate this would have been a better path, just something a little different. As it is, I am glad that Power Girl got to keep her legacy.

By the way, check out the first ever Power Girl movie (it's a short done by a fan. And not in the same vein as most of the Power Girl pictures drawn by fans you'll find if you do a search on the web) here.

Last Minute Changes, or, Why I Think Nightwing Was Supposed To Die

2006-06-01T09:08:00.001-04:00

I have been saying for a long time that Dick Grayson, the first Robin, and the current Nightwing was going to die in Infinite Crisis. The reasons were several:

His series seemed to stall just before Infinite Crisis, as though they didn't want to introduce any sweeping new story arcs.
Typically, someone of serious significance dies in these crossovers (Flash in Crisis on Infinite Earths, for instance)
Preview images for his comic revealed Nightwing holding a weapon that looked a lot like the ones that Jason Todd, the second Robin, who is now the Red Hood wields.
They seemed to be systematically destroying his relationships with, well, everyone.
There was so much emphasis on him in the early part of the series.

For those of you who don't know, he didn't die. But I still think that was the intention. In the comments on my previous entry, one of my friends notes that Batman seemed out of character with the gun pointing at Alex's head. Well, I think so too, and I think it is because he was supposed to be thinking about avenging the death of his adopted son, Dick Grayson. In the attached picture, Nightwing is not looking well. There is a picture on the same page of Robin's reaction (also pictured above). Robin cried when Superboy died in issue number six, but isn't in the habit of crying every time someone he likes gets knocked out by a villain. Both of these characters are having an emotional over-reaction to Nightwing merely being knocked out.

Also, and this is not intended as a slight on Bruce Jones, current Nightwing writer at all, but the current Jason Todd/Dick Grayson Two Nightwings story feels a little... slapped together. The Nightwing Judd Winick is writing over in Outsiders certainly doesn't feel like Dick Grayson. I think Nightwing was supposed to be Jason todd, Post-Infinite Crisis.

Another bit of evidence: A quiz from Wizard, wherein each question was supposed to have only one correct answer. I have included a portion below:

1)Which one of these heroines will give birth in '06?
A)Wonder Woman - No.
B) Power Girl - No.
C) Catwoman - Yes.
D) Oracle - No.

2)Which one of these heroes will be stripped of their powers?
A)Superman - Yes.
B)Wonder Woman - No.
C)Supergirl - No.
D) Hal Jordan/Green Lantern - No.

3)Who wll become Mayor of a crime-riddled city??
A)Wally West/Flash - No.
B)Dick Grayson/Nightwing - No.
C)Bruce Wayne/Batman - No.
D)Oliver Queen/Green Arrow - Yes.

4)Who will have Amnesia and become unable to tell friend from for??
A)Martian Manhunter - No.
B)Aquaman - Yes.
C)The Atom - No.
D)Elongated Man - No.

5)Who will take on the mantle as the most powerful hero in the DCU??
A)Booster Gold - No.
B)Animal Man - No.
C)Kyle Rayner/Green Lantern - Yes.
D)Earth-2 Superman - No.

6)Which hero will become a criminal in the eyes of the world?? (this one I do not know yet, but I am thinking it might well end up being Shazam, as revealed in the upcoming issues of 52 and of the maxiseries starting in August, the Trials of Shazam)
A)Hal Jordan/Green Lantern -
B)Superman -
C)The Flash -
D)Shazam -

7)Which one of these heroes is the only one who'll be around after 'Infinite Crisis'?
A)Wally West/Flash - No. Disappeared into the Speed Force.
B)Conner Kent/Superboy - No. Killed by Superboy-Prime in the pages of Infinite Crisis.
C)Guy Gardner/Green Lantern - Yes, and one of the leaders of the Green Lantern Corps.
D)Dick Grayson/Nightwing - Yes, and struggling for his identity with another Nightwing.

Wait a minute... do you see what I see? All the other questions DO have only only one "Yes" answer. But that last one... there's two? Now, I suppose it could have been Guy Gardner who was supposed to fall, but given the other evidence, I think that it is much more likely that we have a case of Dick Grayson being spared at the last minute. Now, I am glad of that, albeit unsure of the reasons why. I just wanted to throw it out there. The original Robin, who went on to become Nightwing may have been on the chopping block. If so, I want to thank whoever changed their mind. Dick Grayson is integral to the DC Universe. The one person that everyone both likes and respects, even though he is assoicated with Batman. (although, I do fervently hope that stops being a negative thing, soon. )

Thanks. Thanks for holding on to one of the good ones.

Infinite Crisis #7 – review and summary

2006-05-31T11:07:00.000-04:00

This is it! It all ends here. No Jim Lee alternate cover here – just a beautiful classic Perez cover, with as many villains and heroes on it as possible, fighting on the fallen symbol of the Daily Planet. (As an aside, the downloadable desktop of the cover from www.dccomics.com has a couple of significant coloring errors – Sinestro’s energy shield is purple rather than yellow (a main point of the character is that his ring takes advantage of the Green Lantern's rings weakness against the color yellow), and Golden Age Flash Jay Garrick is punching out someone with the normal Flash colors, rather than Zoom, who wears the reverse. It also cuts off my favorite part of the scene – Hourman punching out Deathstroke right in the bottom right.)

I will also take the time here to mention that I didn’t review (by choice – I think that while they enrich your enjoyment of the series they are not necessary for it) any of the tie-ins, even those spawned from the lead-up series. The Villains United tie-in sets up this giant battle, and does it well. I haven’t been shy about singing the praises of Gail Simone on this blog. I will continue not to be shy about doing so. She does great characterization, and knows how to write super heroes as well as anyone writing today for my money.

On to the issue at hand.

The scene starts right where last issue let off. Only now, they are talking. It starts off with Clark saying that Superboy’s death “is our fault. That should have been us.” Wonder Woman says “I’m sorry, Clark.” (I’m not sure if Cassie or Nightwing are supposed to know Superman’s identity. At this moment, no one cares.) He answers, “Sorry isn’t going to help Superboy. We should have been here.” Batman speaks up, again, not to harp on this endlessly, but notice the lack of recriminations. Notice the tacit acceptance of his own error in here: “Never again. It never happens again. We learn from it. We learn from them.” Batman is admitting that the Titans “got it” better than he and the rest of the league. You never turn your back on your friends. The remaining characters from the tower show up, and Kal-L tells Power Girl that Lois (from Earth-2) is dead. Kal-L is now in narrator mode, and explains how misguided he was. As Superman pays his respects to the fallen Superboy, and then as Robin arrives, seeing what might be his best friend lying there, lifeless, and can only cry and collapse over him, distraught, Kal-L narrates: “I thought their Superboy was unworthy of the symbol I built. But I picked the wrong one to condone. And the wrong one to condemn.”

Hal then summarizes the whole of the aforementioned Villains United crossover in one panel. The villains have cracked open every metahuman containment facility on the planet, and are attacking Metropolis. “They say if Superman’s city falls, the others will follow.” In the Villains United tie-in, we find that Oracle has been organizing the heroes not directly involved in the tower battle to try to stop this, with only limited success. But they did manage to contain Arkham Asylum, and a couple of others.

There follows a two-page spread of the battle for Metropolis. The art is excellent as far as it goes, but it seems very… static. While the state of some characters such as Aquaman seems to show that the battle has already been joined, the image seems to be mostly about people posing. As much as I like the look of the art, there isn’t enough action in it to portray the chaos of the battle for Metropolis.

We then step into vignettes of the battle.

First, we see Bane breaking Judomaster’s back. I was disappointed with this. Judomaster is often thought of as being right up there with Lady Shiva and Richard Dragon as a potential for the best martial artist in DC, and Bane, who has been out of action for a while, without his venom harness (the drug he used in his early appearances to give him increased strength, resistance to pain and savagery) he really shouldn’t be able to hang with Judomaster, despite the lame name.

Next, Prometheus is blowing a hole in Peacemaker’s chest. (Peacemaker – his tagline was “he loved peace so much, he would fight for it.”) The greatest significance to this is that Judomaster and Peacemaker were two characters brought over when DC bought Charlton Comics, as was Blue Beetle. These two scenes so close together, and coupled with the death of Blue Beetle in the countdown, and the lack of Captain Atom in the mainstream DC Universe, (he has been over in the universe of the Authority, et al. in his Captain Atom: Armageddon series) caused many fans to wonder if DC was trying to purge their stables of Charlton characters. However, Nightshade has figured prominently in Infinite Crisis, and is a member of the Shadowpact going forward, and the Question is to be featured prominently in 52, the story of the year after the Infinite Crisis if the previews are to be believed, both of whom also came over from Charlton.

The next panel has Wild Dog, a little-remembered character from the late 80’s in his own short-lived series, and occasional feature in Action Comics Weekly, The Vigilante (not the motorcycle-riding cowboy from the Seven Soldiers of Victory, but the gun-wielding one) and someone whose identity I am not sure of (it has been identified as the current Crimson Avenger, but that doesn’t seem right to me – the speech pattern is wrong, and I think that is a headband and not a blindfold the character is wearing) raining bullets down on the Trigger Twins, a couple of Batman Family enemies, and the Madmen, old Blue Beetle enemies, among others.

Next, we see Killer Croc and Hourman going at it, and Shining Knight beating down the Riddler. (Both of whom, incidentally, were specifically shown in the Villains United tie-in not getting away… oops! Hard to forget because the artist of Villains United broke from the accepted appearance of Croc enough to make me wonder if I had missed a further mutation, and because of a great interaction between Huntress and Riddler when he was caught. Huntress from behind the Riddler, whose accepted identity is Edward Nigma (E.Nigma… yeah, I know): “Riddle me this, Nigma. What’s got a bad mustache and doesn’t breathe?” Riddler: “Me, if I move?” Huntress: “You, if you move.” Did I mention that I love Gail Simone’s writing? ‘Cause I do.)

Next, we see Black Adam in full-on bad ass mode. He tears the head off of Amazo. Yeah, he tears the head off of the android that has all the powers of one of the most powerful incarnations of the JLA. (Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern at least… do you really need any more?)

The Bloodpack (a bunch of characters who got their powers when DC created a series of annuals called “Bloodlines,” these characters got powers when aliens tried to feed on them. The only one who went on to significance in the DC Universe was Hitman) take on Solomon Grundy, only to be incinerated with him by a blast from “off-screen” while a voice says “I still can’t tell the heroes from the villains.” It’s Superboy-Prime. He survived the battle with Superboy, seemingly not significantly the worse for wear. He reveals that Alex Luthor’s new plan (he says it with quotes, obviously not thinking much of it) is to use the Society to take this earth and make it perfect rather than replace it.

As they talk, we see a foot that can only belong to one character – Doomsday. Meanwhile, while Alex and Superboy discuss the fact that this isn’t Earth-1 but a new earth, with changes (Wonder Woman is again a founding member of the Justice League, Batman’s parents killer has been caught, but he still fights for justice, and there are rumored appearances of Superman before his first public appearance, just for starters) from the established continuity, Superboy-Prime kills Major Disaster (shame – I liked his redemption arc) Baron Blitzkrieg (no real loss – most Nazi villains are not really that pertinent any more – certainly no need for Blitzkrieg and Captain Nazi running around in the modern day) and Charaxes (Killer Moth of old, evolved into a true insect form by the devil Neron in the Underworld Unleashed crossover).

Doomsday bears down on Arsenal and Green Arrow, tossing Aztec and someone in a suit aside. In comes the cavalry. Both Supermen swoop down and lay in to Doomsday. Doomsday lands a punch on Kal-El, but Kal-L blocks its attempt to hit him, snapping one of its bone protrusions. He then knees it in the face, and both Supermen hit it together to knock it out. In the eyes of watching heroes, you can see the tide of battle turning. Kal-El speaks up. “They murdered Superboy. And now they say they are going to take my city. Then they’re going to take the earth. I say… Like hell.” The last is in its own panel, and shows Superman leading a charge of himself, Kal-L, the Ray, Power Girl, Martian Manhunter, Stargirl, Raven, Green Lantern Hal Jordan, Green Lantern John Stewart, Wonder Girl, Wonder Woman, Robin, Aquaman, Batman, and Nightwing. They are charging right over Doomsday’s prone body. The two Supermen drop Bizarro. The Batman family (Batman, Nightwing and Robin) take on Deathstroke. Hal drops Sinestro while John Stewart gets his back. The newer, heroic, female Dr. Light teams with The Ray and Black Canary to drop Dr. Light while the Martian Manhunter looks on. Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl take care of the Cheetah. The JSA take on Zoom, as Wildcat begins to remember Kal-L, but Power Girl’s affirmation of his feeling is interrupted by a blast from Alex Luthor. He wants to destroy her as he feels that she should have been in the first place.

Kal-L intervenes and confronts Alex, asking how he could do this, how he could use Lois’ death, Lois, who was like a mother to him, to manipulate Kal-L and Superboy-Prime, as well as Power Girl. Alex shows just how far gone he is with his reply: “Because I… am like my father was. The only hero in a world full of villains.” In his twisted frame of reference, all of the others, even the Supermen, are villains. Their conversation is interrupted by a blast from Superboy Prime, which destroys one of Alex’s machines. His “world view” which was calculating the Society’s war plans. Grabbing Wonder Girl, who is unconscious (undoubtedly at his hand) Prime says, “I told you, I don’t want this earth. I don’t want anything that impostor had.” At this point, he is jumped by a blur, who punches him repeatedly at super-speed. The blur says “You killed Conner. You killed my friend. Still got Flash phobia?” It’s Bart, formerly Impulse, formerly Kid Flash, now fully grown and in Barry’s Flash uniform. It’s apparent that Prime is still afraid of the Flash. Superboy-Prime’s fear feeds his anger. He decides he will fly through Oa (once again at the center of the universe with Alex’s tower and rift gone) at light speed and recreate the Big Bang, with only him to survive. Yep. The “hero” is going to destroy the entire Universe, so he can be the only hero.

Martian Manhunter broadcasts his plan to all who the heroes and those who can fly are off in pursuit. Prime stops to blast Zauriel, trying to kill an angel. He blasts Breach, Earth-8’s Captain Atom, who has been standing in on this earth while Atom was elsewhere, as explained earlier. Breach’s shell is ruptured, and he explodes, with Looker and Technocrat of the Outsiders (formerly, anyway) right near him. It is unclear if either of them survived the blast. In the void left by Breach’s explosion, the real Captain Atom returns. (Take that, Charlton nay sayers!) Kal-L uses these delays to get a hand on Prime’s ankle, and tries to reason with Prime. He’ll have none of it. He is beyond reason. He outdistances the other heroes heading to Oa.

Still on Earth, Batman, Nightwing and Robin are done taking out Deathstroke. Alex blasts Nightwing, furious because the destruction of his tower has “doomed this earth.” Nightwing falls, in a significant pool of blood. While Alex complains because his power is waning, Robin goes to help Nightwing. An enraged Batman says to Alex, “No one else dies. Not because of you!” As he says that, the General (General Wade Eiling, control freak from the U.S. Air force, responsible for the creation of Captain Atom and Major Force, since transferred from his own body into that of the Shaggy Man, a Silver Age JLA opponent who is indestructible, super strong, and was mostly mindless. Eiling shaves the body, so he is no longer Shaggy, but his “end justifies the means” mentality combined with the powers of the body he is in (and a healthy dose of instability) make him a JLA-class threat) lands in their midst, scattering Batman, Deathstroke and Alex.

Superboy is congratulating himself on outdistancing the other heroes, only to run into a solid wall of green. He flies through it, but we get the narration from Guy Gardner, “Three-hundred-mile-thick wall of pure damn willpower slowed him down. Thin Green Line will stop him cold.” Thin Green Line here refers to the Green Lantern Corps, all of whom are on Superboy-Prime. Prime counterattacks, killing Lanterns. On this page, an excellent device is used: as the lanterns die, their rings call out the death of their wielders, and the beginning of their search for new wielders. Prime gets his hands on Guy, and is going to kill him, face to face, only to have the other heroes arrive, and Hal frees Guy from Prime’s grip. The Supermen both grab Prime, while Martian Manhunter holds Power Girl back.

Back on earth, Alex is telling Batman that they are not so different. Mostly, their differences are only a matter of scale and of willingness to take shortcuts. Interspersed with this, we see an image of the battered Nightwing, lying in a pool of his own blood, and an image of Robin, crying again. Batman’s response to Alex? Actions speak louder than words, and he clocks him. Alex is down, and Batman picks up one of Deathstroke’s guns. “I know what Superman is going through.” (Remember, even though Jason Todd is now back, he did die at the hands of the Joker, before Superboy-Prime’s reality-altering beating on the walls of his “heaven.” “He doesn’t deserve that. Superboy didn’t deserve that. What do you deserve?” Alex is bleeding from the nose and mouth, and has a gun pointed right between his eyes at point blank range. Batman does something with the gun that makes a “chak” noise (I choose to believe he is turning the safety off, as nothing else really makes sense with an automatic) and we hear a voice. “Bruce.” It’s Wonder Woman. She walks towards Batman and Alex, the desire to kill evident in Batman’s face, and she draws her sword. Alex, who was watching as Superman stopped her from killing Mongul in the first issue of the series knows there is no Superman to stop her now, and Batman doesn’t seem inclined to even try. She brings the sword down, and breaks it on the ground. She tells Batman that it isn’t worth it. Alex is looking like it is a good thing that he is wearing those high-tech jimmies of his or there might be a wet spot. Batman says, “I know. Dammit.” And throws the gun over to lie with the broken sword. Alex regains his confidence and says that this doesn’t change anything or make Wonder Woman better. Then a building falls on him. Batman and Wonder Woman are not sure if he got away or not.

Back in space, Superboy is taunting the Supermen, saying that they cannot do anything about him. They can’t send him back into the speed force, as they aren’t fast enough, so where are they taking him. He throws punches, as the two Supermen silently carry him to their destination. They take him to where Krypton exploded, but this Kryptonite has no effect on Prime or on Kal-L. The kryptonite of each of their realities is different enough that they are each immune to the other’s kryptonite. Prime laughs. “Did you think these rocks would stop me? HAHAHAHA! Did you really?” Then he realizes the real plan, as the grimly determined Supermen push him through the red sun. Kal-El works like a solar battery. He stores power from a yellow sun to power his abilities. Superboy-Prime works like pre-crisis Superman, where he is immediately weaker in the presence of a red sun. That is why he built his harness, to channel him yellow sun radiation even when not in its presence.

The three supermen come out the other side and crash on Mogo, the Green Lantern that is also a planet. Prime begins to try to fry Kal-L to death with his heat vision. It is working, until his heat vision fizzles. In response to Prime’s question of “what’s happening,” Kal-L replies, “You’re losing.” And clocks him. Prime lands, face bloodied and realizes that the trip through the sun destroyed his harness. He retains enough power to beat Kal-L to a bloody pulp. Kal-El intervenes, and he and Superboy start going at it. Unfortunately for Kal-El, some of the fragments of Krypton have also landed here, and Superboy-Prime uses that against him. As he tries to choke the life out of Superman, he says “When you’re gone… I will be Superman!” Kal-El replies by tearing the S-shield off of Prime’s chest, and, while laying down a beating on the red-sun-weakened Prime, and resisting the pain of the Kryptonite himself, says that being Superman isn’t about where you are from, or what powers you have, “It’s about what you do… it’s about action.” Superboy-Prime is out. Superman then succumbs to the kryptonite himself. As he lies there, the other heroes arrive and destroy the kryptonite. All the Green Lanterns left create a prison for Prime.

Power Girl rushes to Kal-L. He tells her that he finally understands what Lois was trying to tell him. That Power Girl will never be without him and Lois. Even if she can’t see them. And Kal-L, the first Superman, dies, holding the girl he loved like a daughter’s hand, with the true love of his life’s name on his lips.

From here, we go into a kind of epilogue mode. We see heroes helping to recover from the events of the crisis; we see Power Girl and Wonder Girl at the graves of Kal-L, Lois and Conner. Bart gives the Flash costume to Jay Garrick, explaining that he had some residue of the speed force in him, but that he is no longer fast. Jay says that he is still fast, as with him, it was a metagene, and not just the Speed Force that powered him, but he now tops out around the speed of sound. But these days he is still, the Fastest Man Alive.

In Gotham City, Alex Luthor has indeed survived. He is already working on a new plan. Then, he hears laughter. He turns, and is sprayed in the face with acid, from a flower on a purple lapel. He looks up, to see a rather frightening-looking joy buzzer descending on him. This is shoved into the eye on the side that has been corroded of his face, by the acid-squiring flower. The Joker laughs as he tortures Alex Luthor. Alex tries to crawl away, begging for help, and his had touches a rather fine shoe. It’s Lex. “Oh, Alex. You made a lot of mistakes. You underestimated Superman. Superboy. Me. But the biggest one?” Alex begs for his life as he sees the Joker pulling out a rather large gun, and leveling it at his head, much like Batman had, “You didn’t let the Joker play.” Viewed from a distance, we hear a BLAM! And the Joker’s maniacal laughter. Lex smirks downward and asks “now who’s stupid?”

We then see the trinity, in their civilian identities. Diana is off to be human for a while. Clark is lacking his powers, after the red sun and kryptonite incident, but seems confident they will be back and Bruce is heading on a world tour to retrace the steps he took to become Batman, rebuilding him, but this time with a difference. Dick and Tim, Nightwing and Robin are going along. Like a family. The three part as friends, renewing their vow to stand together when the world needs them. And thus begins two things: the One Year Later series of comics, where all of DC’s regular titles jump right after this comic, and the 52 maxi-series. An issue a week describing what happens between the end of this comic and the beginning of One Year Later. 52’s tag line is “a world without Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, but not a world without heroes.”

The next two page spread shows the heroes who will be populating that world, and there are some interesting things to be seen. A new Batwoman, someone wearing the Barry Allen flash suit, but no sight of Jay in his trademark helmet, the Atom, who hasn’t been seen since Identity Crisis, a much-changed Marvel Family, an new Uncle Sam, or at least a new look for him, a new Phantom Lady, an OMAC, a new Black Condor, a change of costume for the Ray and for Robin, as well as the Martian Manhunter. It should be an interesting year.

Meanwhile, on Oa, at the center of the universe, Superboy-Prime is in prison, surrounded by a miniature red-sun eater, and encased in an emerald prison, with fifty Green Lanterns watching him at all times. Prime has carved the Superman symbol into his own chest, and says “I’ve been in worse places than this. And I’ve gotten out.”

And thus ends Infinite Crisis.

Overall, I thought it was a good ride. I am disappointed with this as the final legacy of the first Superman. In this series, he was the villain for an issue (or so it seemed) and misled for several, then did nothing outstanding save for show Doomsday who’s boss. His death was… unimpressive. He took as ass whupping from Superboy-Prime, apparently just to give Kal-El time to recover, and to let Prime wear his power levels down on him a bit. It strikes me that if this is what they brought him back for, they should have left him in is Post-Crisis state, when he was willing to sacrifice everything to save the universe, and was rewarded with eternal happiness with Lois.

I would’ve liked much more to have seen Prime still powerful enough to slap Kal-El around, only to be dragged through the red sun again by a nearly-dead Kal-L. This action drains still more of Prime’s power, without his harness, and leaves Kal-L in a state to do his death scene which I thought was handled well. The weakened Prime is then beaten to unconsciousness by Kal-El, and the story continues as it did. I like the tone of willing sacrifice for the greater good that Kal-L’s first disappearance had, and would have like this one to have this more explicit in it. I also fervently hope not to ever see Prime again, the ending aside.

I really enjoyed the interaction between the Big Three in their civilian identities, and the idea of Bruce Wayne taking Dick Grayson and Tim Drake on a trip that is part vacation/part re-centering trip.

Next- my reasons for thinking that Dick Grayson wasn’t going to survive the Crisis originally, and my opinion on the series as a whole, and it’s effect on the DC Universe.

Infinite Crisis #6 – Review and Summary

2006-05-30T12:21:00.000-04:00

Okay, the penultimate chapter. I bought the issue with the Jim Lee Cover. This surprises me, as I am a life-long Perez fan, but while Perez’ cover was very reminiscent of Crisis on Infinite Earths, the image of Superboy-Prime in his Anti-Monitor armor, and holding Wonder Girl’s lasso (I think you can tell by the energy coursing off of it), standing over a batarang, Wonder Woman’s Tiara, a GL Lantern (all looking like they had seen better days), and with Superboy’s T-shirt flowing in tatters in the background – well, Lee hit a home run with this one.

The comic starts with Batman’s (and Booster’s?) team in space in the Bug. The fearlessness, and confidence of Hal Jordan is the first thing we see. They are off to confront this world-beating satellite, and he is whistling “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” When Green Arrow asks him about it, he explains that he is just looking forward to the start of the season next week, because Guy Gardner has tickets on the dugout. There is no doubt in Hal’s mind that the heroes will emerge victorious.

We also see another couple of developments. John Stewarts GL ring seems to be afraid of the Blue Beetle. This is an interesting development, but the new Blue Beetle changes the subject, only to be condescended to by Booster. Batman’s response? “Booster. You have no idea how to talk to kids.” This from the man who until recently was known far and wide as “Batdick.” The efforts to make Batman more human seem to be going well. Even when Jaime starts to falter as the new Blue Beetle, complaining of the strain of looking for something invisible, Batman chooses supportive rather than intimidating: “I know it’s difficult, but if Booster’s right, you’re the only one who can help us.” This is not the same character who told Superman that his most inspiring act was dying, clearly. The events of the series so far have started to have an effect on Batman. Little things like this are easily lost in the scope of an event like Infinite Crisis, so I am glad that Geoff Johns has spent the extra time making sure that we see the change in Batman, rather than just having him be more human come “One Year Later.”

The Blue Beetle is able to cause Brother Eye to become visible, and it and Batman, its creator have a chat, which ends with the Bug coming under attack by the OMACs.

Scene change to the two Supermen. They bond over one of the most powerful things they have in common – a love for Lois Lane. Wonder Woman shows up and talks to them, passing along what she learned in the previous issue from Diana Prince – that everyone makes mistakes, and all they can do is learn from them. When Kal-L asks, “How can you still have faith in your earth?” Kal-El gives him an answer: “because they still have faith in us.” Kal-L immediately goes to work with Kal-El and Wonder Woman to fix what he has helped Alex Luthor wreak. The next two pages have some views of other earths, showing the residents of several worlds have been shunted back to those worlds, while still others are shown for what I believe is the first time. We see the Marvel Family on Earth-S, the “Tangent Comics” (a re-imagining of heroes with the same names as DC standbys by various creators) characters on Earth-97 (The year Tangent was first released – some books came out in ’98 as well), Earth-247 featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes, Earth-898 where DC’s Western heroes play out, Earth-0, which seems to be Bizarro-world, and Earth-154 which seems to be the earth of the Super Sons from an old story arc in World’s Finest, I believe, and Earth-462 which seems to be in World War 2 with close analogues of members of the All-Star Squadron fighting Nazis, including Baron Blitzkrieg and Captain Nazi. Alex grabs these last two earths, and smashes them together to see what kind of world he gets. There is a bit of a joke here – Marvel has defined its prime earth as Earth-616. The sum of the two earths crammed together? 616. The result of putting those two worlds together is an Aztec Batman family (plus Wonder Woman) against an Aztec Superman family. Or maybe one, or both, are Toltec or Inca. I am not up to date on my Native American Headdresses enough to know for sure. Regardless, Lex isn’t happy with this world, and destroys it. Again, Psycho-Pirate points out that he feels something like millions of voices, crying out at… no wait… I mean he feels people “being reborn in pain, and given essence - then destroyed. Billions at a time.” Alex, as usual, feels nothing for these losses, seeing them only as part of a grand experiment.

All of the magic characters get together to try and help – it was key in the first Crisis to have them. Spectre wrestled the Anti-Monitor at the beginning of time back then. Now, they are going to summon the Spectre again. My personal favorite mage-type, Faust, the son of Felix Faust and one-time member of the Outsiders points out this is a bad idea, and is mocked for it. Zatanna speaks her magic, and the Spectre appears, still inside Crispin Allen, the GCPD detective who was killed by Jim Corrigan. Spectre bursts out of Allen, and looms over the gathering. The Phantom Stranger, he of the uncertain origin and unclear level of power goes to talk to the Spectre, calling him “old friend.” The Spectre ignores him, passes judgment on the murderous Star Sapphire, turns her into glass, shatters her with explosive authority, and leaves. Faust, adjusting his ever-present shades: “Told you.”

Back to the tower that Alex built. Wonder Girl, the love of Superboy’s life joins Superboy and Nightwing to help take down the tower. Alex is distracting and frustrated, sifting Earths. Psycho Pirate is busy perving on Power Girl, planning to “remind” Alex that he was promised her. Psycho Pirate is a fascinating character, at once amazingly powerful, as most everyone has emotions he can manipulate, but at the same time, crazy enough to be non-functional most of the time. As Superboy decks the Psycho-Pirate, the OMACs leap to defense of the tower.

Batman’s team begins their assault on Brother Eye. Blue Beetle comments that Hal is insane, to which Metamorpho says, “You don’t know the half of it, kid.” This is a recurring theme for many who feel that Hal being “fearless” is not an admirable attribute. It was touched on earlier in the story, and raised again here. Many writers and readers defended Kyle Rainer when he replaced a fallen Hal Jordan by pointing out that his heroism was more pure because he did feel fear, and had to overcome it. Be that as it may, Hal’s brash confidence is fun to read, and here he surfs the Bug through a mass of Brother Eye’s defenses, shielding the bug in front, as he goes.

The Bug breaches Brother Eye, and Batman sends his team off on their jobs. Green Arrow asks why Batman had called him, and Batman answers, “Just to see if you’d show.” Green Arrow tried to kill Batman in the last story arc of the recently-deceased JLA comic, spurred on by Envy of the Seven Deadly Sins. Batman and Green Arrow were the centers of the conflict as to whether or not the League should exist even after all that had happened. This may be as close as Batman gets to conceding that a League is necessary.

There is some interesting commentary between Mr. Terrific and Black Lightning about their names, and Mr. Terrific reveals the most compelling reason he is here – he is invisible to machines. While the others do what they have to, including Black Lightning fighting off Brother Eye’s attacks, Mr. Terrific heads to the machine’s core.

Back to the tower, and Earth-2 and Donna Troy’s spaceketeers. Wonder Girl and Superboy are trying to free the Martian Manhunter from the tower, while Alex reaches to combine his own earth and Earth-2, where both Supermen and Wonder Woman currently are. As we have already seen, such a combination results in a new world, not necessarily containing the same beings as on either of the source planets. Donna realizes why she put this team together – to prevent the death of Superman and Wonder Woman (and the other Superman). Alex is trying to fuse Kal-L with the Lex Luthor of Earth-3. Earth-3 is where the Crime Syndicate is from. An evil version of the Justice League, their chief opponent was Lex Luthor, the greatest (and only remaining) hero of that Earth. As the two of them merge, Kal-El merges with Ultraman, the evil version of himself, and Wonder Woman with Superwoman, her own doppelganger. As Alex focuses on this, we see Nightwing climbing the tower, ever closer to him. Firestorm, on the advice of Professor Stein, figures out how to hurt Alex’s giant hands, which are smashing the planets together, and blows off one of his fingers. This injury is real – Alex is missing a finger. The resultant feedback causes many of the heroes at the center of the universe to disappear.

Back at the tower, Alex has lost it. He intends to destroy Earth-2 in revenge for the loss of his finger. No longer concerned about creating the perfect earth, Alex has moved beyond “the end justifies the means” into “batshit crazy.” So, Nightwing kicks him in the face. As he looks up, the heroes who were in the tower have been freed. Power Girl leads the assault. Wonder Girl is unsure if they should free Black Adam, but Superboy insists. Alex falters under the assault, but he fights back. Psycho Pirate approaches Power Girl, intending to make her so angry that she will kill the Ray. He is interrupted by Black Adam. As he tries to manipulate Black Adam, Adam pokes his fingers through the eyeholes in the Medusa Mask that the Pirate wears. He then, saying “No more silly faces,” shoves the mask through Psycho-Pirate’s head, fingers first. The Ray and Power Girl are both taken aback, and Power Girl asks him if his actions were necessary. A blood-spattered Adam responds, “Absolutely.”

Nightwing, Superboy and Wonder Girl look to figure out how to shut down the tower. And they are interrupted. Superboy-Prime flies by, hitting Power Girl, Ray and Adam. Adam goes to lay a beat-down on Prime. The magic that gives Adam his power is causing him pain, ostensibly due to the death of the wizard. He continues to lay his beat down anyway. Superboy-Prime shrugs it off, and knocks Adam flying. He flies too far from the tower, and is transported to Earth-S. Superboy-Prime is freaked out because being away from the tower doesn’t send him back to Earth-Prime. Alex hypothesizes that he has changed in the core of his being. He gets in Alex’s face and informs him that the perfect earth will be the one Superboy is from… Earth Prime. Alex doesn’t look like he likes being told what to do, but his snappy “Your life means nothing to me… I am like un to a god,” reply is lost, as the Martian Manhunter shows Superboy-Prime what happens when you don’t jump him by surprise. He uses the incredible number of powers he has (here stretching, phasing and Super Strength) to kick your ass a bit.

Meanwhile, Nightwing tries to get Superboy to step up and use his tactile telekinesis (which has always struck me as an oxymoron – does he have to touch it, or is it “tele” meaning, at a distance? For this character, it means he can control whatever substance he touches, primarily to disassemble things) to take apart the tower, something much bigger than he has ever tried. Lady Quark, The Ray and Breach triple team Superboy-Prime, but it does no good. Nightshade hits him with darkness, and he flips out. He knocks just about everyone but the Manhunter, Power Girl, and the three Titans on the tower back to their worlds.

Back to Brother Eye, where Batman is doing the “you can’t stop me” walk through his innards. Brother Eye taunts him that his friends will fail. When Batman (again, showing heretofore unseen for years confidence in his allies, and actually using the word “friends” in a non-ironic way) says, “My friends can take care of themselves,” Brother Eye reveals he is talking not about the ones on the satellite, but instead the ones fighting Prime. When he specifically mentions Nightwing trying to face down Prime, Batman actually starts to sweat… or are those tears falling from under his cowl? But, being Batman, he continues on with what he needs to do. (By the way, throughout all of this, the damn satellite keeps using “eye” instead of “I.” In the first person, though, so it isn’t just referring to itself in the third person…)

On the tower, Nightwing gives Superboy a pep talk about taking down the tower. They are almost there when the buzzing OMACs get the better of Wonder Girl, and Conner is distracted. Prime attacks both Nightwing and Superboy. Alex goes back to trying to create the perfect world, and Nightwing takes out his Escrima sticks and prepares to face down Prime. Prime explains he wasn’t even trying when he fought and killed all of those titans. As he rushes Nightwing, Conner lands on his back, and says, “Neither was I. Round two!”

Back on Brother Eye, Brother Eye tells Batman that his assault on the main memory core is a waste of time. Batman’s plan comes out – he wasn’t there to destroy Brother Eye, Batman was a distraction while Mr. Terrific, who is invisible to machines, triggered Brother Eye’s thrusters to move him out of orbit, so Brother Eye would crash to the earth, in pieces. Not to harp too much on this, but here was a plan by Batman that allowed for someone other than him to do the heavy lifting… will wonders never cease?

Brother Eye grabs Batman with his defensive tendrils, determined to take Batman down with him. The OMACs fall apart, revealing people inside, who Green Lantern John Stewart sets about saving. Black Canary informs Hal Jordan that they are ready to go, but cannot find Batman. Even as this is going on, Blue Beetle says that the scarab says that they are done, and have to get away from the Green Lanterns, and he disappears. Hal goes in to save Batman. Batman, the one hero least willing to give Hal a second chance after he became Parallax. Batman, the man who cannot forgive Hal for being party to wiping his mind. In many ways, Hal epitomizes the reasons why Batman created Brother Eye. And when Brother Eye is trying to convince Batman to fix what he has done, it says, “You can never trust them after all they have done,” right as Hal reaches out his had to Batman. Batman says, “I’ll take my chances.” As they leave the satellite which is rapidly becoming a fireball on re-entry, Batman directs Hal to fly them to Alex’s tower.

Meanwhile, the battle at the tower reaches a fever point. Nightwing stands amidst the people who were formerly the OMACs protecting the tower, and Prime lays an unholy beat-down on both Wonder Girl and Superboy. Alex reaches out for Earth-Prime. It looks like he is going to listen to Superboy-Prime after all.

The beating on Cassie drives Conner over the edge. Conner says he is tired of Superboy-Prime’s hypocrisy – claiming that this world’s heroes don’t live up to some ridiculous standards, while beating people to death himself. Prime doesn’t even know what hypocrisy means, and sets out to prove Conner isn’t smarter than him by beating him up. The two crash in to the tower, locked in a death grip struggle. The tower is destroyed by the impact, and from all the possibilities, a new earth is created.

Judging from the shards shown around the earth being created, there are some changes to continuity forthcoming – we can see Kal-L in those shards, we can see that there was a Superboy in Smallville, that Wonder Woman participated in some of the Justice Leagues early adventures, and that even when he was relatively young, Joe Chill was arrested for the murder of Batman’s parents. None of these are true in what was “current” continuity up until now.

Cassie digs through the rubble of the tower, looking for Conner. She finds him, and he is in rough shape. Cassie tells him he did it. He saved the earth. He saved everyone. He replies weakly that he knows he did. “Isn’t it cool?”

On the last page of the comic we see Batman, Nightwing, Wonder Woman, Kal-El and Kal-L standing around Wonder Girl, holding the dead body of Superboy in her lap, collapsed over him. Most of them look to be in mourning, but anger is evident in the face and posture of Kal-El, and in the clenched fist of Nightwing. Clearly, in issue #7, there will be a reckoning.

This was a powerful issue. The fights with Prime were excellent, the art for the sections on Brother Eye was perfect, and Conner’s death both meant something and was poignant. I am sorry to see the character go, but at the same time, can never be too sad to see a hero die a well-written hero’s death. The characterization in this issue was excellent. This is what a cross-over issue should be, in my opinion.