Oct 17th RoundUp

posted by JediSheltie @ 7:16 PM

Brave and the Bold 7

I've been checking this out since the first issue, though the opening 6 part arc never really gave me a chance to do a review that wouldn't end up being en medias res. Now we get a refreshing little one shot story that acknowledges the previous issues without requiring they be read. A happy little combination of Wonder Woman and Power Girl doesn't hurt either, and there's even some Superman thrown on for good measure at the end.

Brave and the Bold is a team-up book. The first arc, though one story, featured a revolving cast of team-ups that all kind of came together near the end. The nice thing about a book like this is that is gives readers exposure to characters they might otherwise not have known about and it gives some characters who aren't regularly featured a chance to shine. In this case neither major players is without representation in a major book, though. Wonder Woman in, well, the name escapes at the moment, and Power Girl in Justice Society of America.

What starts as by the numbers team-up to put down some garden variety undead turns mysterious as Power Girl reveals her plans to kill Superman that afternoon when handing Diana's magic lasso back to her. Not sure about her own intentions, she rushes off, Diana in pursuit, wanting to help figure out what happened to the otherwise clueless Supergirl of a defunct Earth-2.

The remainder of the book is the effort to figure out who's behind the brainwashing and stop it. Obviously a happy ending is enjoyed by all in what was a nicely paced, self contained effort that is certainly a good cure for anyone suffering from epic story arc fatigue.

Perez's art is great. As the guy who was responsible for bringing Wonder Woman back after Crisis on Infinite Earths, he draws the "modern" Diana, with her straighter locks and slightly altered costume, very well. If one had to pick nits on this one, it would be that writer Waid's Power Girl is her "old self" in this one, headstrong and impetuous. Johns has shown her growing up and not making rash decisions so much as chairwoman of the JSA, and that wasn't the Kara on display here.

Justice League of America 14

Meltzer's gone and people are getting punched again, regularly. Though I just complained about doing reviews of comics in the middle of their arcs, I'll toss in a short one on this, the second entry of McDuffie's inaugural arc.

First off, I admit, and have before, growing up on Superfriends toons, so the big reveal of the Legion of Doom- er- Injustice Society's domed headquarters in the remote swamps of the Florida Everglades was certainly appreciated. The Hall of Justice and the Legion of Doom's HQ are both now part of DC cannon, and it's cool.

This issue focuses on the two remaining members of the JLA who haven't been captured by the Injustice Society - Black Lightning and Superman. Clark is itching for a rescue attempt, naturally, and Luthor shows up holographically to prey on that very desire, one he's counting on. The interplay with Luthor is well done. This is certainly the classic villain Luthor, openly goading the Man of Steel as he shows images of the JLA imprisoned and tortured. This is the Luthor that knows how to push Clark's buttons, force him to make the first move when he's already planned for it.

As vexing moral dilemmas go, Clark doesn't have much of a choice. He and Black Lightning both know it's a trap, but they have to go. Trap it is, and soon all the JLA are in the hands of the Injustice Gang.

Benes is back on art, and I've liked his work since the first issues. His art was one element that kept me going through Meltzer's lazy arcs. Glad he's getting a chance to flex his action muscles this time around. For once, no only am I interested in the exciting conclusion, I know some heads will be busted in the process.

July 18th Comic RoundUp

posted by JediSheltie @ 7:45 PM

All Flash 1

Mark Waid returns to a title that remains a claim to fame for him. He does so bringing along the recently returned Wally West to the red and yellow leotard. This special issue picks up where the last issue of the now defunct Flash: Fastest Man Alive title left off. Bart is dead, but there's no question who did it. Wally quite literally "catches up" with the prime mover in Bart's death, Inertia and has a little word with him.

As you now no doubt know from clicking that Wikipedia link, Inertia is a clone of Bart, which doesn't make it any easier for Wally to confront the boy, as Bart is obvious inside. It's not exactly a spoiler to say who wins. Interia hardly has a chance against the experienced speedster. Inertia's ultimate "fate" is left for the end of the book, which switches gears to get people a bit more acquainted with Wally. The book gives you as much of a primer as you might need to jump on board.

The art in the book is by a selection of top-notch talents. Though efforts were made to confine one artist to one section of the book, it does seem a little choppy in places, as we see some fairly desperate art styles. None of them "bad" per se, simply different enough from one another to make the transitions a bit more obvious than they would have been otherwise.

Waid's script is tight and focused. The individual primarily responsible for Bart's death is brought to justice, though the remainder of the Rouge's are still at large, and rather worried about their current notoriety. Wally's visit with Bart's grandmother (from the future) reveals some teases of his future, promising that is will be a fairly rich ride. Doubt they'll be killing him off any time soon, at least.

Justice League of America 11

Meltzer's last issue is pretty good, mostly because he's not weighed down with pacing issues. He's got a one issue story that's far less decompressed than previous efforts. Though the characters of our tale are quite compressed, indeed. Featuring only two members of his league, Red Arrow and Vixen, this is quite the claustrophobic character study.

Trapped beneath a partially collapsed Watergate Building, Red Arrow and Vixen are stuck, awaiting a rescue the Red Arrow considers unlikely to come. These are 2 members of the JLA who don't have the convenient ability to simply dig their out with brute force, after all. It's Red Arrow who takes the initiative and begins plotting escape. Vixen, perhaps more heavily wounded, is a bit less pro active. Red Arrow is faced with the task not only of devising an escape, but of keeping his trapped companion alive and willing to fight.

Its here we learn one secret Vixen has been keeping nearly throughout Meltzer's entire run, one that puts a bit of a hitch in Arrow's escape plans. The revelation isn't all that stunning, but it's well handled and make sense in terms of how it was presented both in this issue and in previous ones.

Art is handled by guest artist Gene Ha, who turns in an excellent performance, even considering that much of the book's panels are dominated by black. The rendering is artistic, in that the characters, as we 'see' them can't really see each other in the pitch darkness of the collapsed building. Ha provides a good impression of the claustrophobia by having virtually every panel framed in deep black, with only the characters and the meager space between them visible.

Dwayne McDuffie is taking over JLA. I'm defiantly primed for a new take on JLA. Meltzer's work wasn't the greatness I was hoping for, I have to admit. McDuffie's experience in other mediums, both with the animated JLA and other comic teams, makes him a good choice for the role. I'm excited to see what the future will hold here.

Birds of Prey 108

Just wanted to give a quick overview of Gail Simone's "swan song" on Birds of Prey. In an epilogue to the last arc, and perhaps to her run, we see Barbara Gordon prove her true strength over her physical handicap, her friends. Challenging Spy Smasher to a duel for control of the Birds, Barbara quickly reminds her old friend why she was Batgirl. The fight is nicely rendered by Nicola Scott, who is certainly getting a workout with Simone's last few issues.

Spy Smasher doesn't give up easily, even after Barbara manages to bruise her up fairly well. It's only when an old friend shows up with quite a few other friends that Katrina understands it's a fight she can't win. Nicola Scott gets a stab not only at Bird's members old and new, but also some of their friends, like the JSA. I won't spoil the spread completely, but it's impressive.

With Amazon's Attacking for another couple months at least, we're not going to be seeing Gail take over Wonder Woman immediately, but I certainly can't wait. Oh, and for those looking for a Tora fix, check out Checkmate 16, where the reunion we expected actually does take place.

June 20th Comic RoundUp

posted by JediSheltie @ 7:16 PM

Spoiler Alert. But you've probably been spoiled by like 80 other reviews by now, so who cares?

Flash: The Fastest Man Alive 13

Via various obfuscations, the ending to this issue was kept pretty effectively under-wraps. Even within the pages, writer Marc Guggenheim managed to give the briefest glimmers of hope that perhaps the inevitable could be avoided. It was not to be, and Bart Allen pays the the ultimate price to save the eastern half of the United States of America.

Guggenheim's run was certainly a turn for the better after the, to put it delicately, "disaster" that was the original OYL debut from Bilson and De Meo. Whether Bart's eventual fate was in response to the near complete flop that was the OYL launch, or whether this was planned all along, we may never know. I have to assume Bart was doomed by his first writing team, though. Even as they plan to restart the numbering from the last series, it seems quite a specular detour to have taken simply to provide the Flash with another "death."

Bart Allen's tenure as Flash was quite short, and he only found sure footing at the end. He will probably end up a mere footnote in Flash history, though. Even as the Rouges pound on the powerless Bart Allen, they notice he isn't "the Flash," just a kid. They manage to kill him nonetheless, though. Guggenheim's refreshingly simple reintroduction of Bart as a guy who "runs fast" and "helps people" becomes an epitaph of sorts. There's little laboring on a funeral, simply a full spread of a statue with a vigil around it to close out Bart's brief career as Flash.

I wouldn't have minded seeing Bart succeed as Flash. I did like the light-heated character that was Impulse, and saw the possibility in him becoming Flash. But a back story of draconian complexity and the rather tepid "aimless young man" that arrived with the OYL launch was completely counter to those possibilities. Bart always would have that headache inducing back story, but that hardly meant his character couldn't be compelling. Leaching him completely of the sense of humor and turning him into a such a stock character signaled bad things from the start.

Bart has left us, the Flash is dead.

Justice League of America 11

Long live the Flash.

I suppose the only major problem I had with this crossover in general is this: if you consider it to be a mystery, it was a poorly developed one. I saw it as a mystery, and, in the end, the resolution simply came out of left field. Was it cool? Sure, yeah, it was cool, but there was little in any of the preceding issues that really provided the reader clues to the eventual outcome. (Unless they were only visible to the most hardened DC continuity fanatic, which I'll admit even I'm not.) The general expectation is the author will show the reader and their protagonists the clues, and someone will eventually figure it out.

Why was the "old" version of the Legion of Superheros, the ones Clark knew as a "boy", back? Other than choosing the restore a part of Silver/Bronze Age back story to the character of Superman, they were here to bring someone back. Someone who could ride the lightning.

It's only in this final issue we see the hints of their intended target, appearing to Batman and others as apparitions. But even these apparitions are misleading. Bruce sees the gaunt, withered form of Barry Allen, shortly before he perishes in the act of destroying the Anti-Monitor's super weapon. Coming, as it did, one issue after the original Kara Zor-El's demise in CoIE 7, it was a pretty bad time to be wearing tights in the DCU.

The Legion raise their lighting rods as the members of the JLA and JSA urge them to reconsider, knowing, from Clark's exposition a few issues back, that one of them will die in the process of this resurrection attempt. Bruce Wayne and the 3rd Smartest Man in the World, Mr. Terrific, race to counter the personal shields designed by Brainiac 5, which keep the heroes from simply taking the young Legionnaire's lightning rods home and sending them to bed without a snack.

Brainiac 5 and 31st Century technology wins over the best minds of the DCU, and the lightning strikes. Wally West and family appear an instant later, and a particularly nimble Karate Kid simply dodges the bolt that would otherwise have taken his life. Goeff Johns' own star rose after his well received run writing Wally West in the Flash, so perhaps this choice isn't all that confusing. In a brief epilogue, we find that I called it, Flash is the last member of the Justice League.

Coincidentally, the Flash title also needs a Flash, how bout that?

Why there were pages devoted to Geo-Force, other than a smokescreen, I have no idea. He was even listed on the JLA roster for this crossover, but he was little more than a background character with nary a single significant story contribution.

Art was great. I like Benes' work, and this was certainly a fine effort. This issue continued a nice little shout-out to Superfriends from the last JSA installment. Who doesn't like to see a certain domed structure listing in a swamp? Especially with the JLA and JSA in a kinetic engagement all around it. Michael Turner's cover was great to, had my two favorite members of the JSA prominently displayed, so what's not to love?

News that Meltzer's follow-on to the JLA is now finalized. Dwayne McDuffie is best known for working on the toon JLA from Justice League Unlimited as well as now writing Fantastic Four at Marvel, so he's got a feel for group dynamics. After spending so long talking up his cast, Meltzer's group will be somewhat dissected apparently. Not that I mind, so long as the core remains untouched, and I seriously doubt that will be the case.

Madame Mirage 1

Yes, I read more than DC. Not much more, granted, but it happens.

Paul Dini's work in Detective Comics has been great, and I decided to see what he'd do with a character of his own creation. In a certain fashion, the titular (had to do it) Madame doesn't stray too far from the vigilante ways of one Bruce Wayne. Batwoman, she isn't, though. We don't learn much about her background in this first issue, but she doesn't bother with cowls or display the slightest hesitation in terminating the bad guys rather permanently.

The Madame cruises her world not in some superhero-stock skin-tight catsuit, but in perhaps an equally tight white dress, tastefully set off with black thigh-boots, a very small bolero jacket, and a big swinger hat. (Best guess on the hat type, had to look it up.) Granted, I'm one of the few people in the world who might describe thigh-boots as "tasteful." It certainly is a new take on on a superhero outfit, or perhaps one that may have shown up in a 40's nior, had any of those actually featured a superheroine...

Dini gives us the front page of the world in question rather succinctly. It's the future and at some point technology advanced to the point where it could provide people with "superpowers". Heroes sprung up, but most people decided it was a lot easier to take the other path and make out like literal bandits with the new toys. Pandora is eventually stuffed back into her box and the technology is outlawed, leaving the few heroes to stew in prison and the many bad guys to slink back into the dark and use their ill-gotten gains to form big corporations.

The Madame had a grudge against one of these Corporations, a lovely monikered "Aggressive Solutions International." Why is yet unclear, but this issue details her initial efforts to destroy it. So far her name is certainly indicative of her "powers". She can perform flawless impersonations of both male and female, and vanish at will. The source of these abilities is also unrevealed. Her one known allay in the fight is a younger looking blond who is shortly revealed to be her sister. Her powers, so far, include the ability to shoot people with guns.

Madame Mirage is no slouch in that department either, and her gold plated pistol may be dainty, but it seems to pack quite the punch.

The art style could have been some neo-nior that, on the fact of it, seemed to fit the property. Not to say it might not have been a good choice, but what we get I more throughly enjoyed. Kenneth Rocafort's art is detailed not only in terms of scene and actor, but the attention lavished on Mirage's curves is quite exquisite. The art has a throughly modern look that fits in with the setting more than some attempt at capturing 40's nior would.

Dini's writing is crisp. He's at home here, basically, writing about a vigilante at war with criminal elements. It's much the same home Bruce Wayne lives in, just with very different furniture. Nothing wrong with that, really, it's a home that a lot of superhero comics live in. This issue was, rightly so, almost all Madame with very little intrusion by her foes. An early entrant in a budding rogues gallery makes an appearance, but this issue is primarily an intro to the character, not so much the world or her foes.

I'll keep picking it up, as I'm curious to get the Madame's back story and learn more about her. This is Dini's own little sandbox, removed the strictures of the DCU, should be interesting to see what he does with it.

May 31st Comic Roundup

posted by JediSheltie @ 9:59 AM

Ah, took off for Memorial Day, back just in time for the big number 850 for Action, not that it ultimately mattered much...

Action 850

“Fifties” aren't quite the milestone that your average “00” is, but they're the closest second you can get. “Twenty-fives” were kind of hoping to make the bronze, but you really have to draw the line somewhere... no pun intended, of course. Kurt Busiek, Geoff Johns, and Fabian Nicieza team up to bring you Action 850, which packs on a few more pages, basically to tell a story you already know. Well, in the strange way you know it, but you don't know exactly how it happened.

We find Supergirl and her pals in the Legion of Superheroes looking for a way to send her back to her own time. Not coincidentally, Supergirl is about join the Teen Titan, so the recent mentions of her looking for a way to return in the Legion comic and this Action issue are merely the boilerplate that means I'm dropping Legion and starting to pick up Teen Titans. I don't see why she couldn't be in both, but I'm betting the whole massive personality disjunction between the “future” Supergirl and the current one is getting a little too broad for anyone to swallow, even me. With any luck, they'll be wrapping that up soon, and I'm betting our newfound Multiverse will come into play.

Kara's efforts to return to her own time start with a machine that allows her to see her past and the past of people to whom she was connected. Unwilling to swallow the pill of her own past, she instead chooses to look at the past of her wet blanket of a cousin, the stern authority figure to whom she wishes to rebel, mild-mannered Clark Kent. The framing device out of the way, we learn some elements of the story of Superman, post Infinite Crisis.

Don't expect any world shattering changes here. There's very little shown that alters any of the generally established continuity to which we're mostly familiar. Any elements that are now subject to continuity revision were pawned off as some kind of inter-dimensional static and not able to be shown to Kara as she looked back, primarily the time that would have included Superboy. We do confirm details like Clark having powers from infancy and that Krypto was around, though his current whereabouts remain unknown.

The few “historical” beats will probably be the focus for the issue as a whole, but that would be overlooking some well crafted emotional beats that show Clark growing up and his relationship with his adoptive parents. Busiek & Co. craft a story that illustrates the loneliness in Clark's life as he lives with the knowledge he's the last of his kind. The irony is pointed in who is watching the story, and is, eventually, not lost even on a self-centered teenage girl.

850 is one of those “jumping-on” issues, it seems. Fill in character background to get new readers up to speed and keep them going. This is kind of odd, especially since we're back to “Last Son” next issue, it would seem. Going from jumping-on to “Part 4” could be a bit confusing to new readers, especially since they can't just do something simple like pick up the last 3 issues to see the other parts to the story.

Just want to keep my promise and point out what I feel is exceptional art when I see it, and Renato Guedes is amazing. Beautifully detailed and expressive, he does pencils and colors on this issue, with Jose Wilson Magalhaes doing inks. I know they nailed down the new artist for Action after the Bizzaro World arc, but I wouldn't mind seeing this team long term.

Amazons Attack 2

Seems from the general reviews of #1, I was one of the few to have actually read the lead-in issues of Wonder Woman when I wrote mine. I mentioned it wasn't particularly confusing, but perhaps my “involuntary” knowledge of the background lead me to make that statement. Not like I could “un-read” those issues and look at it from a purely stand alone perspective. I still think the first issue wasn't exceptionally complicated. The “our story thus far” is pretty simple actually: tall broads in curvy breastplates appear in the middle of Washington DC and start tearing the place up.

In a six part series do you really expect to have everything laid out for you in issue one?

In issue two the idea the series can stand alone outside the current Wonder Woman arc is pretty much tossed out the window, though. Wonder Woman 9 brought about a couple big plot developments that would leave a lot of readers out of the loop if they barreled in to AA 2 unawares. Crass cross marketing tactic? You bet. Not to worry, Jodi Picoult's work over there is good. If you're enjoying AA, then you're probably reading Wonder Woman anyway. If not, then just skip both and you're fine.

AA 2 is pretty much the Justice League issue. The explanation of why there's no full frontal assault is fairly effective. Clark and Bruce agree and the League shifts into rescue/evacuation mode to clear civilians out the immediate war zone. The mole in CTU... er... the Department of Metahuman Affairs is revealed and Nemesis takes over command. This is one of the crossovers from WW 9 they actually show again. Those AA readers who are wondering what happened to Circe will have to pick up that issue though.

AA 2 sees the war expand beyond Washington, to Vandenberg AFB and to another location I wont spoil, but it seems the Amazons (and editorial) are at least aware of who the need to keep otherwise occupied lest their war end quite prematurely.

With Circe's departure, the war seems to be running purely on Hippolyta's misandry-driven bloodlust. Confrontations from Donna Troy and her own generals don't seem to harsh her man-hate buzz as she expands the attacks. AA 2 is purely build-up as we have 4 more issues to go, but as build-up goes, its handled well.

Pete Woods art is great, rendering both character and combat with equal skill. With a couple minor exceptions, most of the combat in this issue is off-page, so the character work really shines here.

May 16th RoundUp

posted by JediSheltie @ 7:42 PM

Lots this week, picked a few of the ole standbys. I've got some things to say about Jimmy Olsen in Countdown, but I'll save that for an 4-issue wrap-up.

Batman 665

"The Black Casebook" continues in this issue, where we learn what, exactly, said Casebook is. It's right up the alley of Grant Morrison, a guy known in the industry for "going big." His run on JLA was known for its epic story arcs featuring the "gods" of the DCU duking it out across the heavens in world spanning battles. Outside of Morrison's natural talent as a writer, the announcement he'd be doing a Batman title seemed a bit of a poor fit in terms of usual choice in story. Batman, after all, was generally not quite so well known for being involved with such large dust-ups outside of the JLA.

Morrison proves that things in Gotham can get just as epic without the help of the JLA. In this issue we see the as-yet-unidentified Venom user get hit by no less than 2 vehicles and nearly do what his "inspiration", Bane, accomplished in breaking the back of Batman. Bruce Wayne starts putting the few pieces together as he realizes the hulking Bane/Batman hybrid is meant to tap the fears that still linger from one of his more spectacularly unsuccessful fights. It's clearly spelled out here this guy is not Bane, simply someone using the same drug that gave Bane his size and strength.

Bruce realizes someone is taking pages from the Black Casebook, which is basically Batman's "X-Files." All the aliens, ghosts, para- and supernatural encounters he's logged are in the Black Casebook. The Joker is just a homicidal maniac with a bad facelift, after all, he doesn't have super-powers. There is a specific reference to an encounter in the casebook where this Batman/Bane hybrid was seen before, along with 2 other Bat-analogs, one of which has Bruce more concerned than the 9 foot tall hulk. Not having been a reader prior to Infinite Crisis, I'm not sure if Morrison is making this up. I doubt it, I'm just not familiar with the original story.

Giving Batman an "X-Files" is something that really seems to go with Morrison writing the title, as it provides a way to give the character those more "epic" encounters for which Morrison is so well known. This story and the solicits for issue 666 make it clear he's going to milk the numerical significance for all it's worth. The only oddity to the book is it veering off in last few pages back to Talia and his son, dropping the Black Casebook story entirely in something that seemed a bit tacked-on. The two stories will probably mesh next issue, but it did seem like a strange gear shift after the fight and the revelations about the Casebook.

Supergirl 17

Okay, so, apparently the sun went red in #16. I'm not sure I remember that, but now that I check, I think I just assumed all the redness on the last page was just an "artistic" interpretation of the dire events unfolding. Like the skies in all the, er... Crisis-i. It was that, too, perhaps, but now we know that Earth's sun is now red. This, as one might imagine, has a bit of a deleterious effect on the local Kyrptonian population at a rather bad time, namely when the ghosts of the Phantom Zone are loose and possessing most of the population of Earth.

Kara, who we learn has been napping for a month or so while the sun went red and the ghosts overwhelmed the Earth, finds herself still powered. It appears pop planned for just this kind of eventuality by implanting the sun crystals inside her body. As we've been learning, pop Zor-El planned for a lot of stuff that Kara's fuzzy memory is not very great at spelling out for us, the helpless reader. Finding herself alone on a ghost possessed Earth, Kara is confronted by the possessed versions of people and heroes she'd encountered over the past few issues, like Wonder Girl and Robin, before unsuccessfully seeking out Batman for a little bit of non-crazy fatherly advice.

Failing that, she has only one person to turn to.

Clad in what we assume is the Kryptonian equivalent of red-sun environmental armor, Clark is still trying to save the world. It's perhaps unintentionally ironic that we could assume this is something like the armor Superboy Prime used to feed himself yellow solar radiation upon his return to the DCU for the climax of Infinite Crisis. Clark's doesn't look like the Anti-Monitor inspired suit at all, but it seems to serve the same purpose.

Kara explains all her weird-ass dreams about whats going on with the ghosts to Clark and they decide to work together to save the day. Only, what I'm guessing is the reason the Auctioneer found 3 Kryptonian life forms on Earth back in Action shows up at the end to put the kybosh on that team up idea. I won't spoil it, but close perusal of World War III's few Supergirl related pages is all you need to figure out "who" shows up.

Kara's going to be on the new Teen Titans book, so all her major mental problems are going to be sewn up one way or another soon. This McKeever guy who's doing Teen Titans seems to like the character, and I'm almost disappointed they're throwing the main book to some relative unknown when this guy, who's known for doing good "teen" work, is now on the DC team. Maybe he'll get the book eventually. In fact, after my not officially writing down my Simone/Wonder Woman prediction, I'm going on record, here, now, as saying McKeever will eventually write Supergirl.

I'm banking on it.

Justice League of America 9

One of the problems with having a set of characters set 1000 years in the future of your current storylines is that, when your current storylines undergo massive revision, your characters 1000 years later are invariably effected. Thus the history of the "Legion of Superheros" is something constantly in flux with the myriad Crises and a retcons over the years. The current, Supergirl-assisted Legion is not the same Legion from the character's "heyday" of years past.

It seems the main upshot of this epic JLA/JSA "Lightning Saga" crossover so far, other than being a little confusing, is that all that stuff with "Superboy" and the Legion of Superheroes, perhaps the most famous part of "Legion" history, actually happened once more. Why else would Clark have statues of "old" Legionaries in his Fortress of Solitude? Not being a big fan or student of that period of Legion history, I'm assuming a lot of this designed to tug nostalgia strings for people a little more "in the know" than myself.

Outside of the LSH issues, the JLA and JSA's team-up is flowing rather smoothly, if also somewhat confusingly. Character beats with Powergirl and Hawkman seem an odd, forced aside to the main story. Though Arsenal's somewhat "meta" assessment of the team-up was one of the more enjoyable aspects of the script. He notes that it certainly is not proceeding by the usual team-up numbers, so to speak. This is certainly a plus, as the "meet them, fight them, team-up in the end" formula is, I've noted in the past, so completely overused.

Another moment of interest is the Legionaries describing the recent events in Infinite Crisis as the "middle" Crisis. Since this weeks issue of Countdown featured the fight between Batman and Karate Kid from last installment of the Lightning Saga, it's further evidence that something big remains on the horizon. The line could almost be overlooked as a throwaway, making the foreshadowing all the more enjoyable. Events from this crossover are going to have major implications for both Countdown and the DCU as a whole.

Which kind of makes me long for better understanding than I have had until this point. I was totally lost on the big "villain reveal" for instance. No clue who any of them were. I assume some names will be dropped sooner or later, but I feel I'm a bit in the dark about the overall direction of the story. Foreshadowing is nice, of course, but I'd like to have an accessible story supporting it.

Art's nice. People are complaining about Benes' Power Girl boobs, but they look just spiffy to me. I mean, it's a comic book, not an anatomy textbook. I have little patience for armchair plastic surgeons who moan about how they disagree with an artist's interpretation of the human form. I have a similar, and I think reasonably analogous, peeve about artists who can't draw military aircraft well, but I'm not going to hold their feet to the fire over it. It's my own little pet peeve, I understand that and move on. Sure, the human form might be more "elemental" to comics, but still, if you have that big a problem with it, just skip the book.

May 9th RoundUp

posted by JediSheltie @ 7:22 PM

Slow week, with one extremely notable exception, of course.

Countdown 51

Fast on the heels of weekly comic even 1, we have weekly comic event 2, Countdown. I'm not sure how I'll be handling this one, as ignoring 52 until the end might not have been the best course of action. Still, I don't want a weekly 'fixture' in the column. Supposedly these issues will be divided into monthly sub-arcs, so I might go with reviewing those, wrap-up style. Obviously the premiere issue is the premiere issue, so can't just ignore that.

As a bit of a mea culpa, and as absolutely no one pointed out, my "wrap-up" of 52 overlooked Ralph Dibny's story arc completely. A significant oversight, as he ended up being the much-promised "death" indicated at the beginning of the series.

Countdown promises many things, according to various press releases, but primarily it seems to attempt to continue the idea of plucking some lesser known inhabitants of the DCU and building interesting stories around them, while adding in some of the "headliners" to the mix. Thus there's a big guy in a blue suit with an "S" on his chest right in the middle of the big wraparound cover to this issue.

Unlike a lot of big events, this one doesn't start out with the proverbial world-shattering bang. They've got 52 issues to fill, so perhaps they're saving the world shattering for something in the lower teens. Not to mention whatever this is “counting down” to. To wit, we find Duela Dent, sometime member of the Teen Titans and self-professed daughter of the Joker, performing the petty heist of the latest pop starlet and getting foiled by recently “resurrected” Jason Todd. Most people didn't find her linage claim credible, but it turns out that was only because all those people were not from her earth.

Duela, like a few others rattling around "Earth 1" are refugees from different parts of the multiverse, and the Monitors are on the job... monitoring them. And killing them, it turns out. Duela meets her maker basically for being out of her universal jurisdiction. Todd is next on the list before another Monitor intervenes to stop it. The idea of "rogue" Monitors seems to provide the initial foundation for the bigger events of the series, and being a veteran of the original Crisis, is one I find quite interesting.

Such larger events are equally foreshadowed in a move that picked my fond Superfirends memories. Darkseid is back, with his usual ill intent. After being absent from the DCU for almost 2 years, we learn he's actually managed to ratchet up his ambitions from simple universal domination.

Like 52, there's more than 1 thread here, not all initially portending a massive altering of the status quo in the DC Universe. Mary Marvel, now de-powered, is shown recently awaking from her coma, finding out she's no longer able to wield the power of a god and finding “normality” a rather odd sensation.

Two members of the Flash's "Rogues Gallery" get together to banter a bit briefly in the one introduction that doesn't really go anywhere. It's not to say I might not be attached to these characters 1 year from now, but, out the gate, that segment didn't 'wow' me. Experience with 52 has shown that time is on their side if the story is good enough.

Paul Dini pens the issue, of Batman The Animated Series fame, and recently of Detective Comics. As the guy who created Harley Quinn, he has fun with Duela Dent before he kills her. Seems like a bit of waste, but I'm not going to mourn her passing too greatly. After all, there's a few extra universes out there and one of the probably has a Duela left over. The rest of the script is generally setup, and as such the dialog is mostly expository in nature. It's the first issue, so none of this surprising.

Art chores went to Jesus Saiz, who performed well. Again, I'm in the "it's fine" category here, where I find myself on most art except the very best or very worst, and even those categorizations are so subjective as to be useless. Countdown is off to a good start. Great, not yet, but it's only issue 1. There is a different creative team here than on 52, but the lessons of 52 should be relatively fresh. I'm confident this will be a worthy successor, even without the “rock stars” of DC penning it.

JLA Classified 38

Though better than "Red King" this effort doesn't seem to be doing much of the proverbial "justice" to the so-named League. I've seen in numerous places the claim that recent stories have been composed of stories that were initially planned for release in the main "JLA" title, prior to Infinite Crisis and the ending of the JLA series. Seeing stories that were "tabled" is, in part, interesting, but like deleted scenes on a DVD, sometimes you can't help but say to yourself, "Yeah, they deleted this for a good reason."

Apr 25th Comic RoundUp

posted by JediSheltie @ 9:05 PM

DC's summer event kicked off this week. Slightly less ambitious than your average Crisis, but still promising a planet-spanning cast, tall women in iron breastplates and really impractical skirts are running amok in Washington DC. No, it's not as fun as it sounds. But first...

Action Comics 848

Fill-in issue number 2 comes down, and, unlike the previous one, has nothing to do with the now “abortive” Zod storyline. Since they've probably got the next six or eight issues in the can, the decision to scrap efforts to immediately complete the Zod story are probably for the best. Sure, I'd like to know how it turns out, and we will, in some annual, at some point in the future.

Hey, maybe DC can put Alan Heinberg and Adam Kubert on a comic together. Is there a term for something that comes out once every decade?

What is probably most surprising of all is this and the last fill-in on Action have been very good. Fill-ins are certainly not something known for fostering a great deal of artistic merit, but I enjoyed the rather personal story from 847, and Fabian Niciezia turns in an amazing effort dealing with one of the 2 things one doesn't discuss around the dinner table.

The DCU is not without its connections to Christian mythology, best known amongst them is The Spectre, who has figured significantly in many DC events. Enter Redemption, a missionary hero whose power appears to be fueled by the beliefs of those to whom he ministers in the name of the First Church of Redemption. Problem is, he has a little trouble controlling those powers, and in an attempt to defend his fellow missionaries from local militias, everyone ends up dead.

Investigative reporter Clark Kent first heard of Redemption on year previously, when investigative reporter Clark Kent wasn't anything more than that. One month prior to the current Zod storyline, even though he's feeling like his old self, he heads out to investigate the incident as a reporter. This book is a classic example that, however well known it may be, the “bumbling” Kent from the films is not the “real” Clark Kent.

Niciezia's story is anything but black and white. Clark finds the man otherwise known as Redemption broken down, weeping about what he'd done. He also finds the congregation's leader is a driven man whose beliefs could be pushing the boy beyond his limits. Unsure of how to resolve the issue, he leaves. Unresolved, history repeats itself, and the confrontation Clark hoped to avoid by visiting as a reporter finishes the book out.

The reader is left to read into the story however much they wish. Is Redemption an allegory for Christianity as a whole? Should metas promote religious agendas in the first place? Unspoken, at least for now, are any allusions to the messianic attributions heaped on Clark himself, though I sense they won't be unspoken by the close of next issue.

Art is fine, nothing spectacular, nothing bad. All in an all, an excellent issue for something forever destined to be labeled “fill-in.”

Wonder Woman 8

I haven't been doing Picoult's run on ye ole Amazon, and was probably planning on doing a wrap-up when it finished. Then “events” reminded me it was a tie-in with the big DCU summer event, Amazons Attack. Events like this issue leading right into it, even “spoiling” the “big secret” of who is leading the aforementioned Amazon attack. It's not that it was bad, it was just the plan to do 2 issues monthly meant that Wonder Woman might have turned into a bit of a monopoly in terms of column space.

Our story thus far... Picoult's run pretty much started from the same place Heinberg's did. Diana Prince is Wonder Woman's new secret identity, and she's trying to fit into human society. Whereas Heinberg pretty much kicked things into full-on superhero action from the first few pages, Picoult actually took some time to explore how Diana attempts to acclimate to “the man's world.” Amazon princesses aren't sculpted from clay knowing how to pump gas, for instance.

She's partnered with Nemesis, in a kind of boy-girl buddy flick relationship where Diana plays the uptight, by-the-book one and Tom Tresser is the plays-by-his-own-rules, charmingly sexist one. After rescuing Nemesis from Circe, who's been getting around lately, Wonder Woman turns herself in to the very department for which Diana Prince works, and is promptly tossed in to what, one assumes, is a pretty secure holding cell. The pretense of arresting her for Max Lord's death suddenly took a backseat to Sarge Steel's newfound desire to learn about... oh dear lord... this again?

You know, if there was one thing I thought I'd never hear about again from Infinite Crisis, it was the Purple Death Ray...

Ahem... Yes, thankfully even that thread doesn't last, as other doings are afoot. Namely Circe, who has been using her powers to do some resurrecting, and not so Diana can enjoy a very special episode of “This is Your Life.”

Nemesis, going by those “plays-by-his-own-rules” instincts, decides he doesn't really agree with the whole incarcerate Wonder Woman agenda after all, and effects a daring rescue. He breaks her out just in time to crawl out a hole in the DC sewers and into a full scale Amazon invasion.

Picoult's shifting gears with this issue, going from explorations of how Diana is fairing with integrating into bigger issues of whether she should or not in the first place. A conversation with Circe before her recuse illuminates Diana's personal identity crisis, one that will become intensely more personal very shortly. There are sides to be chosen. Though it's hardly in doubt which one she'll come down on, it's all about the journey.

The Dodsons prove they weren't the hold up during Heinberg's run, turning in more excellent artwork here. All in all this has been an enjoyable run. Gail Simone might actually be able to pick up the character on a strong note when she assumes the reigns. That's something I really wouldn't have been expecting a few months ago.

Amazons Attack 1

As stated before Wonder Woman 8 leads directly into this, but it's not an essential prerequisite if you're not a regular Wonder Woman reader. The only major disjunction is the characterization of Circe, who appears to have a slightly more playful, sarcastic spin under Picoult than on Amazons Attack scribe Will Pfeifer, where she becomes a slightly flatter, stock villain.

Why is there an Amazon attack? Well, much like the “slavery” explanation of the Civil War that got you through those early grades before some haggard teacher sighs and starts explaining about “states rights” and, well other stuff I forget at the moment, there is more than just a single reason for this attack. The Amazons were regularly ill-at-ease with the rest of the world, and the recent capture of Diana was a tipping point. Circe's voice in the ear of the Amazon leader didn't hurt much either.

The opening issue sets the attack in motion with all due haste, and bloodshed. This is an all out war being waged on the streets of Washington DC, which are soon in flames. Art by Pete Woods, who did most of the OYL “Up, Up, and Away” arc in the Superman titles, illustrates spectacularly the Amazon war “machine”, which is less machine and more flesh. With large beasts hauling siege weapons and healthy amounts of chainmail, the Amazons bring to mind the armies of Mordor... if the armies of Mordor were total hotties.

The response is orchestrated by the Department of Metahuman Affairs and leader Sarge Steel who gets in touch with a tactician of some renown to lead the heroic response. Like I said in the Justice League of America 7 review, Black Canary may be JLA chairwoman, but you don't ignore Batman's advice when it comes to planning a winning strategy. Sarge seems quite keen on getting the heroes in there to solve the problem, referring to the “really big guns.”

For an opening event issue, it hits all the right notes. Action, guest stars, and the first few twists combine to make for a strong debut. Pfeifer's script is fairly average, which is fine. He's not got quite the same gift for dialog that a Gail Simone would bring, but the story is compelling enough to stand on its own merits without too much flashy crosstalk. Wood's art is great, illustrating everything from “curvy” breastplates to F-16s with aplmob. Pfeifer could brush up on his fighter pilot lingo, but that's really, really nitpicky.

I wasn't really keen on seeing the Amazon's come back when I first heard about this. From picking up trades from the last Wonder Woman run with Rucka, I found the elements that mixed in the Greek gods and the Amazons in general to be tedious. Too many characters with a whole set of pointless politics among deities that no one even worshiped. This has been handled well so far, and no sign of the annoying deity parade so far. Besides, after the events of the opening issue, I doubt the Amazon's will be hanging around long after this is over.

Apr 18th Comic RoundUp

posted by JediSheltie @ 10:30 PM

Well, World War 3 happens when I'm out of town? Such bad timing.

Yes, picked up the books a day late as I was out on “the coast”, the East one, the less balmy of the 2. Spent some quality time with some Rifftrax and a dog named Daisy, who, though she is not a Shetland sheepdog, is okay in my book. Someone else was there, too, but I'm foggy on the rest...

World War III 1-4

Why not roll it all into one review, especially since most of the changes that are addressed in this mini-event-within-an-event occur to characters I'm not following. Yes, the anxiously awaited questions about what happened to Firestorm, Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Batgirl, the Teen Titans, Nightwing, and a few others whose books I don't read are here. Split into 4 parts, the series examines in a bit more depth what happens in and around the events of Week 50 in 52.

The first 2 parts, A Call to Arms and The Valiant are written by Keith Champange, while the second 2 parts, Hell is For Heroes and United We Stand, are from John Ostrander. The framing device for the story is Martian Manhunter's travels through the DCU after an initial attempt to stop Black Adam after he destroys the entire country of Bialya. Adam uses Manhunter's mental powers against him, filling him with the death throes of the millions of dead innocents. J'onn J'onzz takes this harder than Vulcan Jedi, and ends up questioning his mission and place as a defender of humanity.

As J'onn watches, heroes undergo their transformations. The DC Nation section in the comics this week is the mea culpa of sorts by Dan Dido about why World War III exists, namely to show these transformations in absence of their original place in 52. While changes happen, Black Adam is off around the world, meeting new people and killing them. Various heroes and teams try to stop him in a piecemeal fashion, but all meet with failure, some disastrous, before the the final showdown in China.

Going through the changes is pointless. If someone you're following is in here, then I suppose you could pick this up. Supergirl's return is touched on very briefly in The Valiant, but little light is shed over than “she appeared and made a crater when she landed.” She flies through Martian Manhunter while he mediates in space before she reenters the atmosphere. Whether anything will be made of that remains to be seen in light of the recent issues. Carried off, unconscious, by Power Girl, she's not seen for the rest of the story, not even at the end when the heroes band together to stop Black Adam.

Having a fully charged Kryptonian around might have been useful.

As to the rest, sooner or later they'll either give the backstory in the individual monthlys, or you can probably just read Wikipeida at this point. You could probably have done that Wednesday afternoon, actually.

Taken a whole, the entire series is written reasonably well, and the art, though handled by 4 different teams, is actually fairly consistent throughout. If I had to make a call, I'd say the weakest was the first team, but that complaint is really a non-starter. The series ends with a teaser of more dire events to come by the current foreshadowing standbys, the new Monitors.

Have to “countdown” to something, after all.

Justice League of America 8

Okay, new day, new arc, big crosser. Even bigger, if you count the recent revelation the Legion of Superheroes will be involved in character, if not comic.

It is the appearance of these future characters that kicks our story off, as the JLA and JSA are enjoying a relaxing afternoon of shared training and games, Batman and Black Lightning deal with the appearance of the Karate Kid, who was so named long before Ralph Machio vied for the title.

In the early pages we have more of the little character moments of which Meltzer is so fond. Here it's less tiring than in the initial arc, only because I'm far more confident it won't overtake the story with Johns on the other end. Some quick doses of action from the new “it's not the Danger Room, really” training facility keep the story moving along a better clip.

The characters are meshing a bit more smoothly and I'm a bit more comfortable with the banter. Good banter can be nice icing on a team book, not necessary for success, but a pleasant addition. On the other hand, bad banter can drag an otherwise good effort down.

Shane Davis takes over art duties on this issue, and his detailed style complements Ed Benes' work on previous issues. It didn't immediately strike me it was a different art team when I first picked the book up. I've always liked the art on this book, and this issue doesn't disappoint in that department.

By the end, the teams are assembled and ready to do the standard, “let's split up” maneuver to find the missing Legion members who are in the past. Since these aren't horny teenagers in a slasher film (despite what the outfits of the 2 team leaders might lead one to believe), it's probably not such a bad idea.

I am definitely getting a sense of better things to come. I've never been a fan of the back story part of a superhero film (don't tell me the Smallville scenes in Superman didn't drag), so the first 6 issues pretty much dragged for me. Now we're past that, and the JLA should be saving the world full time now.

Birds of Prey 105

After the big reveal last issue, the story doesn't exactly catapult very far forward here. Ice has yet to get a line, and we discover she's the object of worship of some backward Russian peasants. The last member of the Secret Six shows up in all her red, white, and black acrobatic glory. The Birds little leadership tiff comes to a head a bad time, right about when the Six track them down. The rouge Russian general decides the Six aren't worth what he paid for them, so he sends his own merc army to wipe out everyone, Birds, Six, and the Ice-worshiping peasants.

I sense there will be an “alliance of convenience” on the horizon.

Heh, but only after Barda and Knockout beat the living crap out of one another. That alone is worth the price of admission on 106.

Of course, the real story here is Simone is abandoning the Birds for “projects unknown.” Oh, wait, ask Tygrrius, I friggin called it. I didn't post about it, so you won't believe me, of course, but it seemed like such an obvious choice.

Still... couldn't she have dropped All New Atom instead?

Well, best of luck Gail, I look forward to you taking over the Amazon. You've written Barda and Knockout, afterall. You've now reached the pinnacle of the “statuesque babe” food chain.

Oh, and this McKeever guy better not forget about Ice.

Apr 4th Comic RoundUp

posted by JediSheltie @ 1:10 PM

Yeah, I'm easily distracted, so what? MMO's are life stealing bastards. Kids, avoid them at all costs.

Supergirl #16

I'm going to be chartable and wait until the dust settles here. At this point in time it seems unwise to try and dissect what they're trying to accomplish without having the whole picture. If you're thinking, “Hey, sounds like you're suddenly not so gung-ho about this series you've been regularly defending”. No, I'm saying I'll reserve judgment until what's going on here is more fully formed.

There's some vaguely philosophically interesting points being briefly touched upon regarding the Phantom Zone, but the touch is very light, at best. The realigning of Kara's relationship with her father is... something I'll hold off on analysis, as well as the implications in Krypton's back story. Much of this seems, at first glance, quite unnecessary, I'll admit, but that's why I'm waiting.

I'm willing to give bonus points if this somehow ties into the current Action storyline, but with all the delays, I seriously doubt this will be anything more than an also-ran.

Justice League of America #7

Hey, the first issue, cool.

Okay, I read the Newsarama interviews (1, 2), and I don't, in any way shape, or form, disagree with Meltzer using the first 6 episodes to establish the team, and the “lesser known” members” prior to the big “public” debut. It's a great idea, one I support. Here's the problem. He could have done it better.

I hate to come back to the comparisons between JLA and Johns' JSA, but both writers did basically the same thing in their original arcs. They presented stories that involved the team formations, giving us the background on members who were brand new or about whom most readers would be unfamiliar.

Johns presented it in a way that included regular doses of great action that kept the story moving at a brisk pace. Meltzer continually left me asking when anyone is going to actually throw a punch. I said the JLA story will read a lot better in trade format, and I stand by that. The pacing issues will be a little less apparent when you read the story in one sitting.

In any case, issue 7 is actually the issue where the JLA “forms,” invitations are sent out and accepted. All that “Big 3 pick the members” stuff from the first issue is swept aside in favor of the convenience of “we who fought Amazo” being tapped for the job.

Headquarters are built, and yes, you know I'm an old Superfriends fan when I say I'm very “pro” on the new “Hall of Justice.” You other people get the bonus satellite, too, so you can be happy as well. Black Canary, chairwoman of the JLA? Sure, no problem there. I know, you're thinking “You're totally fanboy for that boring Kryptonian, how can you say that?” Easy, I really don't mind.

If you read most any JLA story, there's really never much weight put on a single “leadership” position. They fight as a team, and generally make decisions as a team. Saying Clark is the “leader” doesn't mean much. It means just as much as Dinah being the leader. You're probably not going to just ignore Bruce's tactical advice, or tell Clark not to keep the 50 foot tall atomic robot busy while the rest of the team captures the mad scientist.

Besides, maybe the chair just has to hang around the hall and give tours, you never know.

Superman Batman #33

This is the “we're buddies again” arc? Damn, what a waste. In fact, it's the only reason I even bothered mentioning this arc again in the column.

Yes, Bruce and Clark reaffirm their true friendship in the end here. Not wary or convenient allies, or merely persons of mutual respect, Bruce and Clark are friends, and years of John Byrne and Frank Miller peeing all over that might just be over.

Just kind of annoying it had to end here, in what was not a particularly spectacular arc that involved a laundry list of all bad cross-over cliches.

Yes, Despero was the final bad guy, and, you're not gonna believe this, but after both Superman, then Batman turn evil, they shake it off, and combine forces to defeat him. Seriously, never saw that coming. No, Mr. Verheiden, tossing in all other alien superheroes turning evil at the same time doesn't a hint of a vaguely original idea make.

Mar 14th Comic RoundUp

posted by JediSheltie @ 7:07 PM

Alright, so I took a snooze too. I was just suffering from a minor bout of depression over the rather distressing revelation that Stephen Colbert is probably a Marvel fan. So disappointing in my little zero-sum fanboy world. DC needs to do something to get a little mainstream press love. Hmmm....

Quick! Kill Captain Marvel!

Uh... Not that I think it would garner any press for DC, I just don't like the character, that's all.

Short Version of Last Week-

Justice League of America #6

It's over, there was a fight, and it was... okay.

Overall, I'm not opposed to seeing more character driven, lower-key, long build-up stories featuring the JLA. It's just I think they'd work better in something other than the main JLA comic, especially the first 6 issues of a much-heralded relaunch. The main title needs to be the world shattering, epic stories of the JLA, consisting of the most powerful heroes in the DCU, banding together to meet threats only they can meet.

Meltzer got there, eventually, with Amazo, whose new power this time around was schizophrenia. Newbie Arsenal narrated the fight, while not contributing much against an android with all the powers of the Justice League. It was finally explained what Vixen was there for, namely Amazo had her power totem so he could swipe other heroes' powers. There's a brief kind of "gangs all here" implication at the end, promising we're done with the preliminaries. But there were vague promises of many more fights than one in the last six episodes.

I believe the JLA/JSA crossover is up next. With Johns on the other end of the line, I think we're at least assured there will be a more healthy helping of epic smackdowns in store.

This story was still good, the art was great, and it's just that it wasn't really the best way to lead off. I think this would, and will, no doubt, end up being a pretty good trade. You could tackle it in a single sitting, and appreciate the "slow boil" a little better because you get the bubbles in 60 minutes instead of 6 months.

Meltzer's a novelist by trade, where you don't really have to worry about the reader not having the next chapter for over a month. I think that might have something to do with the miss-steps in pacing in this initial story.

This Week-

Superman #660

Not much to say here, actually. This was a Prankster story. Not really a bad effort, overall, but you did kind of come away with the idea that this title is kind of "on hold" until the rest of the DCU (I'm looking at you, Action) sorts itself out. We learn the Prankster has his own bevy of 60's Batman TV show beauties/hench-chicks, and why he does what he does. Superman gets a few frames here and there as well.

The story paints the Prankster as a "distraction for hire", someone who will take the Super-heat for you while you go off and rob the bank, or snatch the odd purse or two. It's an interesting premise. I don't really think it calls into question Clark's intelligence, as the pattern is, no doubt, obvious. That doesn't make the distractions any less dangerous to people and property. He has to deal with them, even if he knows it's only a distraction. The Prankster knows he has to, and he knows he knows, and... You know... Ad infinitum.

Guest artists didn't do much for me. Serviceable, at best, but nothing like the top notch work seen in recent episodes. Granted, we all know by now that “top notch work” can be a bit time consuming, and I'm on the record as saying I'll take “okay” if keeps the presses running on time.

Wonder Woman #5

Who's Wonder Woman? We'll apparently find out at some indeterminate point in the future. For now it seems we all have to just "assume" this Diana chick is the real thing.

This rescheduled "fill-in" episode is written by Will Pfeifer, who's on the upcoming "Amazon's Attack" mini, which sounds pretty good. It's got Pete Woods doing art, who did most of the "Up, Up, and Away" arc post-IC on Superman and Action, so that's another strong vote in its favor.

Here we have a bit of a prologue to those events and more that noted bestselling novelist (oh no!) Jodi Picoult will be exploring in the next four issues, most of which are, from what's been said, in the can (oh yes!).

Pfeifer's fill-in is the "very special episode" kind of issue. It comes out strongly in favor of not beating women. Not that I disagree, but in terms of bold moral stances, that one is about as 'edgy' as being anti-Nazi.

Agent Diana Prince is sent to the "Athenian Women's Shelter" to determine if it has any connection to Wonder Woman. Sarge Steele doesn't have much reason to just "take her word for it" when Agent Prince reasons it's probably not. After all, she hadn't heard of it before.

That's pretty much the story in a nutshell. The window dressing is the stories of battered women who thank the Shelter for their help, and the people who run the shelter explaining to Agent Prince how Wonder Woman was an inspiration for them not to feel helpless. For one, it was the truly uplifting moment when Wonder Woman turned Max Lord's vertebrae into a pretzel on national TV.

I thought the solicitation indicated Diana would have a little trepidation about what her actions wrought. There's none of that here, just some tepid "right ons" as she listens to stories of battered women solving their problems with an equal helping of violence against their oppressors. I'm not saying there was not justification here, as any good Jennifer Lopez movie would have us believe, but I was expecting some reflection on the obvious cycle of violence these "inspired women" were creating.

The issue ends... Oddly. After saving a woman who married some nameless, retired meta-jerk from being pulped, giving him a good talking-to, and turning him in, Wonder Woman flies off into the sunset, confident of another inspirational job done. The guy then turns up dead in the last panel, but it is rather unclear as to whether he committed suicide or was murdered. If he committed suicide, then, wow, he did one hell of a messy job.

In any case, I've taken my moral lesson home for the week with this issue.

Jan 31st Comic RoundUp

posted by JediSheltie @ 5:32 PM

Hey, cool, the Action Comics Annual will fill the seemingly gaping hole in my monthly Superman fix this week! Oh, right, delayed... This week looks good, since it's on Midtown Comic's release list. So, until then, perhaps.

Perhaps the next actual issue of Action Comics will limp out sometime as well. I really didn't think they'd let it happen to Action, but once Action falls, nobody is safe. On the up side, Johns is leaving Teen Titans, though it seems to be so he can work on more new projects, instead of getting his 'minor' backlog cleared out.

Speaking of which...

Teen Titans #43

I've never read a Teen Titans comic, ever. Have no connection to the team other than seeing an episode or two of the animated series on Cartoon Network, which only annoyed me due to the faux-anime design aesthetic. I didn't even decide to pick it up because Johns was leaving, because I didn't find out until a couple days after I'd thought, “What the hell?” and grabbed it off the shelf.

So, as someone with a clean slate regarding the characters, looking at the start of what, well, DC marketing promises to be a “big arc,” what did I think? Eh, it was okay. As my primary area of comparison, Supergirl and the Legion of Superheroes, I found the characters less obnoxious and the general plotting to have a bit more gravitas. (Which is somewhat ironic, as the current Legion storyline has the entire planet Earth facing a mechanized Armageddon.) Granted, this is kind of a Star Trek II storyline, vs. the Star Trek I storyline of Legion. Which is to say, something with greater impact on a character level than on a “saving the universe” level.

Even being a more than a bit divorced from not just the recent, but long term history of the team, it was reasonably simple to climb on board the main plot train. Deathstroke, the old enemy from the past (the Khan role), is back with his own team of teens, whom he's calling the Titan's East, intent on destroying the “originals.” He blames them for the loss of all his kids, including the one that's a current member of the Titans, his daughter, who, inexplicably, seems to have her father's fashion sense... His other resurrected kid, Jericho, is also part of the Titans. I assume whenever the Titan's ever need new recruits, they look through all of Deathstroke's paternity lawsuits to find suitable candidates.

Johns propels the story well. Even the bits I wasn't all too clear on seemed interesting. I'd heard about the whole “evil Batgirl” thing, and that is explained in this issue. Granted, it's not a particularly compelling reveal, but there was a lot going on in this issue. Up next week evil Batgirl and... motivationally bereft Supergirl are going to go at it in Supergirl, so perhaps some additional back story will be found there. Daniel & Galphon's art is a solid, detailed realist take that I always enjoy.

All that being said, I might wait out the Titan's East story and then call it quits. Then again, I might do what everybody says they do, and “wait for the trade.”

JLA Classified #33

Nobody seems to have any trouble getting this out each month. Of course, that's what all patience-mongers plead about. Do you want delayed comics of quality, or crappy comics on time? I was a patience-monger, I really was... Action is starting to make me believe strongly in compromise...

JLA Classified is certainly an example of a regular comic that is currently not providing exceptionally stellar work in terms of storyline. This is hard for a guy who came to regular comic buying originally due to the Dan Jurgens' choreographed Death of Superman.

Jurgens' is scripting a story based on someone named Dan Slott's plot, so at least I have someone else to blame. Then again, the past couple issues of this “4^th Parallel” arc have produced some cringe-worthy dialog. This is a mostly Morrison era JLA, just with John Stewart as GL and no Aquaman (always a plus in my book). It's a story that evokes the time-honored tradition of DC mulitverses, in the form of a new “regular guy turned villain”, the Red King and his exploitation of 6 billion threads of reality.

The idea of “average guy / loser turns supervillain via deus ex machina” isn't particularly groundbreaking, though this particular loser is one of the better scripted elements of the story. His day-to-day ennui is transformed once he gets his hands on Dr. Destiny's Materioptikon after a JLA battle. Like a lot of guys, seemingly trapped in a mundane existence and waiting for something to simply happen to fix it all, he leaps at the chance once it appears. He wants to rule the world, but as the imprisoned Dr. Destiny points out, the JLA generally put an end to people with that ambition.

The Red King uses his newfound command of reality to engineer their downfall. This is the second installment of the arc, showcasing the first of the advertised “3” realities he will attempt to use to defeat the JLA. This attempt occurs from within, as a member of the JLA. He doesn't get around to betrayal by the end, simply explains how he becomes a member and attempts to “put the moves” on Wonder Woman. Suppose I can't really blame him. We're off to reality #2 next issue, so I guess this is some kind of “cliffhanger.”

I suppose I'll rationalize my continued pull of this comic as it is a regular monthly comic with Superman in it. I mean, that's gotta count for something in a time where books about Superman can't seem to achieve similar, apparently daunting, accomplishments.

Jan 17th Comic RoundUp

posted by JediSheltie @ 8:00 PM

In an effort to top my previous effort, this is late and light. Not only was it a slow week overall, but distractions on a number of levels abounded, and, what I can say, I didn't introduce you to the Lazy side of the Force last week for nothing...

Green Lantern #16

Ah, well, I can muster some wordplay for a comic where the Justice League busts some armored Russian skulls. No, it's not the Cold War again, nor is it something written by Brad Meltzer, as punches are thrown, it's just a petty jurisdictional issue regarding Hal and Russian airspace. The League shows up to escort Hal out, but the Rocket Reds, demonstrating a significant lack of appreciation for the basic military concept of retreat against a vastly superior force, proceed with their attempts to apprehend them.

Clark and Co. are successful in stopping them, and regretful they had to employ force to do it. Hal, concerned for his lost wingperson, and probably nursing a torch that lacks significant amounts of military discipline, is finally cornered by the original GL, Alan Scott, and forced to explain himself. He eventually rescues her, leaving the League to clean up the couple tonnes of Russian scrap iron.

Does he rescue Cowgirl from the clutches of the pursuing terrorist forces? Of course he does. Is Cowgirl a love interest in a Green Lantern comic? Of course she is. Does that work out well for her in the end?

Heh, it's pretty cold where they are, kind of like a fridge...

Ivan Reis is good, damn good, and with the League to play with, he was outstanding. The art was exceptional this issue. Most all of the Leaguer's got some individual face time, with a great spread to start it off. Johns writes the League as a coherent fighting force, so it's good to know that, sooner or later, Meltzer will have to get there too.

Dec. 29 Comic RoundUp

posted by JediSheltie @ 11:10 PM

Good lord, I got trampled last week. I thought I heard Marvel moved Civil War #5 in order to make sure it didn't hit last week. DC decided to drop damn near every title they publish in my box though. In any case, here are the usual suspects...

Justice League of America #5

Heh, remember when I said I kind of expected the action to pick up in this issue? Wow, I'm duly impressed that Meltzer again managed to play it out. I mean, there they were, mostly together, issue 4, heading off to kick some ass. Hasn't happened.

Now, I'm going to spoil you here. This issue ends with most of the team standing about five feet away from the Amazo/Red Tornado amalgam, virtually cracking their knuckles, vowing to bring him in.

Will there actually be a fight in issue 6?

Damned if I know. I can't say there will be. Without resorting to any kind of narrative escape clause like an extended flashback, I'm sure Meltzer could still pull it off. Standing face to face, five feet between the most powerful super beings on the planet and a schizophrenic super android that's endangering innocent lives. It seems much like a scenario that would end in a fight. Especially in a comic book. This isn't Masterpiece Theater, after all. If it was, my patience might not be running a bit thin. It's a comic book, I checked the cover a couple times to be sure.

Yet I can't be sure there'll be a fight.

Also covered this issue, Geo-Force shows up again, obviously ready to upset my “Flash is the unrevealed team member” apple-cart. I sure hope he is, at least, otherwise I'm quite unsure what the hell he's doing taking up an entire page. Also, Vixen is searching for the thing that “kind of” gives her her powers, by using her powers a lot. I'm pretty sure I don't care anymore about this subplot. The character simply hasn't caught my interest, and her spotlight is just tedious now.

All the kudos I've given to the story still apply, I can't complain about plot, overall. It's just the pacing is starting to catch up, or perhaps, lag behind is a more apt turn of phrase, the otherwise engaging story.

Superman/Batman #31

Were I the editor in charge in the Superman/Batman title, I would have only one rule. It's a simple rule, and it's designed to make sure lazy people don't take advantage of the biggest cliché the two characters have.

No "Superman goes bad" plots.

That's the rule, pure and simple. It's been done to death. Cough and your errant spittle will land on somebody's take on a Superman v. Batman story. Up and down through the ages, "Elseworlds" or not, it's simply been done. Stop. Take a break. Try to think up something that hasn't been reused at least 20 times before.

As you have probably surmised, the current arc leapt the rails for me at the end of the last issue. Oh, yeah, I saw it coming. I had my fingers crossed. I thought, surely... surely... they won't go there. They won't dig up the most tired convention the two characters have. Seemed like, just for a second, they were going to swerve at the last minute. But no, this issue seems pretty solid that the same “make me evil” pathogen that had infected most all of the DCU's aliens is also communicable to Kryptonians.

I'll float writer Mark Verheiden one tiny iota of credit, as there exists the tiniest possibility he's having Clark fake it. That was my hope for the swerve, but with the revelation that Kara Zor-El (and her costume) have been infected makes this hope quite, quite slim. Overall, I guess I should be happy it took them 30 issues to revisit this cliché. I only hope there will be at least 30 more before it's resurrected once again to parade, zombie-like, through my pullbox.

Art chores this issue fell to Matthew Clark, filling in for regular Van Sciver. Clark's style was a reasonable approximation of Van Sciver's work, so it doesn't pull you out of the continuity. The same inker helps, no doubt. With any luck this will all be put to bed soon enough and we can move onto the next arc, which, at least most likely, will not rehash Superman v. Batman again.

Justice #9

Alex Ross and Jim Kruger's epic remix of Modern Age, Silver Age, and Superfriends continues with an issue showcasing Captain Marvel. Having grown up with the Superfriends, I'm genetically predisposed to love this series, so don't expect ill words from me. Braithwaite and Ross's art is uniformly breathtaking, and it's obvious Ross is enjoying the opportunity to render damn near every character in the DC pantheon. With this issue, he even gets his chance to do some costume design.

This is the JLA writ large, featuring a wide pantheon of heroes fighting the Legion of Doom on a grand scale. The scope of the story would, in “regular continuity” would be perhaps a bit too big, but this remix of old, new, and Superfriends story style fits perfectly.

I have a personal affection for this issue because Superman puts Captain Marvel down after he's infected by the Legion's mind-controlling organo-nanites. For that reason alone I'd wish this was 'canon'. Sure, Marvel was about to come back, but Clark was obviously more than able to take him.

Why, no, I'm not a big Captain Marvel fan, why do you ask?

Ahem, anyway, this is just a really fun series. The art alone is worth the price of admission, but the story is great as well.