Titans #21 - A Review

Roy Harper is convinced he has uncovered a super-villain conspiracy but Donna Troy fears he may be back on heroine and hallucinating. When Dick Grayson and Wally West go to confront their friend and former teammate, who will emerge victorious in the fight that follows?


Usually whenever you have a comic where the heroes are fighting other heroes, it is lazy padding. Granting I may be biased as a Roy Harper fan who is thrilled to see a story that remembers that Arsenal is a master strategist and no mean detective, Dan Abnett still writes a fantastic issue full of pathos, ethos and action.  The artwork is top-notch, with Paul Pelletier giving every panel a sense of active motion - even the simple scenes of characters talking on the phone. The finishes by Andrew Hennessy and Adriano Lucas are also excellent.

The Final Analysis: 10 out of 10.

Nightwing #29 - A Review

Lost within a ring of snow and ice - the second circle of the labyrinth formed out of Gotham City - our heroes find themselves contending with a twisted version of Mr. Freeze and an army of frost giants! Thankfully, Nightwing has arrived on the scene to join the search for Batman, but he faces his own inner-conflict regarding the menace they face. Meanwhile, The Teen Titans meet up with The Suicide Squad, forming a reluctant alliance to get into the maze themselves...


The unfortunate thing about comic-book crossovers is that new readers, attracted by the linking story line, may find themselves turned away from a single chapter due to unexplained references to the book's regular story. This problem plagues Nightwing #29 which makes repeated mention of a villain called Dr. Hurt and Dick Grayson's connection to The Court of Owls. While I am vaguely familiar with this plot-line from Scott Snyder's Batman, Tim Seely doesn't do a very good job of explaining it and it's largely incidental to the action of the issue in any case. Even that much might be confusing for those readers who haven't already read Batman: The Red Death #1, which is more efficient in explaining the basic idea of The Dark Multiverse.

Thankfully, this issue's script makes up for this shortcoming in other ways. Seely's grasp of the characters, for instance, is top-notch. I was particularly gratified to see Killer Croc as being written as something other than a complete idiot, though Damian Wayne is back to being a spoiled brat. Your mileage may vary on if this is an accurate assessment of his character, but it doesn't jibe with what we saw in Teen Titans last week. But whatever - I can forgive a lot simply for the revelation that Harley Quinn and Green Arrow are both pen-and-paper RPG players.


The artwork is a similarly mixed bag. Paul Pelleiter is a good artist but his detail-driven style suffers in the small panels that the story requires. This frequently causes the panels to be cluttered and only the fact that Andrew Hennessy applies his inks so sparingly saves the issue. Even then, the fine details are often lost in the more heavily-shaded panels with a higher saturation of darker colors.

The Final Analysis: 6 out of 10.  Decent enough but it could have been so much better.

Aquaman #16 - A Review

The war between Atlantis and the United States is over. Now is the time for rebuilding - both homes and relationships. Yet Arthur Curry may find some things beyond even his ability to mend as he and a team of Atlantean volunteers work to rebuild his childhood hometown of Amnesty Bay...


Aquaman #16 introduces a new villain into Aquaman's life but there's little to say about them at present. The heart of this issue lies in Dan Abnett's exploration of Arthur Curry's central conflict - that he is a man of two worlds and yet an outsider to both of them - and how that conflict alters other people's perceptions. This includes both the sheltered Atlantean councilors whom Arthur tries to expose to the good parts of the surface world and the townies whom he tries to convince that he is still plain old Arthur Curry - even if he is now a Justice League member and King of Atlantis.



The art team brings Abnett's script to life with great skill. I fear getting smacked with the pun hammer for describing Brad Walker's style as fluid but the adjective applies as Walker shows great versatility throughout. The finished art pops on the page thanks to the inks of Andrew Hennessy and the colors of Gabe Eltaeb.

Aquaman #6 - A Review

Aquaman and Mera continue to flee towards freedom, as The United States and Atlantis spiral ever downward toward all-out war. Superman steps in to try and talk his friend into surrendering peacefully. It may be too late for that, however, as all Arthur Curry wants now is to return home and investigate who has betrayed his wishes for peace with the surface world.


Aquaman #6 proves a suitable conclusion for this series' opening story-arc. The centerpiece of the issue - the brawl between Superman, Mera and Aquaman - is a thrilling one, not the least of which because it establishes the strength of both our heroes and their ability to trade blows with Superman. The subplot involving Black Manta was resolved a little too quickly for my liking but the resolution was logical and well-handled.

My only real complaint about the story is how over-the-top the Chief of Staff is regarding wanting to see Aquaman killed. Or the fact that The White House Chief of Staff is afforded any control over the military at all! Perhaps this is one of those ways in which the DC Universe differs from our own?

Regardless, the artwork continues to impress. The story flows like the ocean waters under Brad Walker's guiding hand. Andrew Hennessy's inks are like Baby Bear's porridge - just right. And Gabe Eltaeb's colors are appropriately bright and exciting as befits a high-energy story like this one.

Action Comics #18 - A Review

There is little I can say about this issue - or indeed the entirety of Grant Morrison's Action Comics run - that I have not said before in part or in whole.  As before, Rags Morales, Brad Walker and their respective inkers do a fine job of capturing and displaying the action of Morrison's script, which is a fitting summation to the whole series with a callback to every major storyline.   While Morrison's conceit of a battle to destroy Superman fought across five dimensions is a complex bit of writing, it is the simplest images - like a Superboy and his dog victorious - that hit the reader the hardest. 


Simplicity is also the rule of Never-Ending Battle - the back-up story by Sholly Fisch. Told entirely without spoken dialogue (but not without words), this story set in the 23rd century shows how Superman's example continues to inspire heroism in the most unlikely of places years after his passing.  Fisch's subtlety is welcome here, given that social issue comics on subjects like bullying tend to be anything but.  The lack of dialogue only adds to the power of the images put forth by Chris Sprouse and Karl Story.   


This last story alone makes this comic a must-read, even if the larger part of the issue is largely inaccessible to those who haven't been reading Action Comics since the first issue.  Never-Ending Battle is Eisner-worthy for how well it captures spirit of heroism - not just in superhero stories, but in the human spirit itself.  I'd encourage any comic fan to buy this book.  Even if you're not a Superman fan.  Especially if you're not a Superman fan. 

Action Comics #17 - A Review

With Action Comics #17, the phrase "never-ending battle" has taken on another meaning.  It seems like Grant Morrison's final storyline for this series has been going on forever and the novelty of Morrison's conceit for this story - an assassination attempt executed through multiple points in space, time and probability - has begun to wear thin.  This entire issue feels like filler up until the final pages, where Superman finds himself with a most unlikely ally in his darkest moment leading into next issue's conclusion.


The back-up story by Sholly Fisch is far more enjoyable.  Indeed, I'd recommend this issue just for this story alone.  Stories about Clark and Pa Kent having a good father/son chat are hardly new but Fisch's story here - centering on a time-displaced Superman being given a chance to talk to the dad who never got the chance to see what he did with his life - seems both brand-new and touching.  It reminded me of a similar story that J. Michael Straczynski penned for Amazing Spider-Man #500 yet it still comes off as it's own unique tale.


This book continues to be blessed with top-notch artists across the board.  Brad Walker?  Rags Morales?  Chris Sprouse?  You'd be lucky to have one of these artist's illustrating a story, never mind all three of the working in concert!  While I may grow annoyed with Morrison dragging his feet, I cannot complain about how this book looks even as it seems we are treading water in terms of the plot.

Action Comics #16 - A Review

It's folly for me to attempt to describe the story of Action Comics #16 beyond what I already explained in my review of last month's issue.  Reality has begun to break down as Superman faces attacks at multiple points in space and time, all thanks to the plotting of a Fifth Dimensional being.  Thankfully, Superman is not without allies even in futures just born into existence which should not be.  A new addition to the morass this month includes a version of the Legion of Superheroes from a future where a tyrannical government born of a villain from the past now threatens of all creation and their only hope is a desperate trip back in time to aid Superman in his greatest battle!


It's a damning statement on the condition of the New 52 Legion of Superheroes books that - despite Morrison not focusing on their characters - the vision of The Legion we see here is far more accessible and far more likeable than any of the characters I saw in Legion of Superheroes or Legion Lost.  Let that thought sink in for a moment - a story by Grant Morrison about reality collapsing and the text of the story reflecting that is more lucid and easier to follow that Legion Lost.  That statement goes double for the enjoyable back-up story by Scholly Fisch, in which we see the LOSH at a point in their past where they accidentally set their dark future into motion by stopping a political assassination.  


The art teams for both sections of this series continue to excel.  Walker and Morales continue to paint vivid pictures of reality running together as Superman's enemies begin to attack time itself.  Chris Sprouse's stylized pencils show us a Legion as fun and as colorful as the team at the height of their popularity.  High quality, all around.

Action Comics #13 - A Review

Action Comics #13 is many things.  A tale of revenge.  A ghost story.  A Halloween tie-in comic  A tribute to the writings of Ray Bradbury. A parable about the power of faith and the inevitable triumph of good over evil.  And yes, it is even a story about a boy and his dog..



Our plot centers upon Dr. Xa-Du - the first criminal to be sent into The Phantom Zone.  Sentenced to "total physical dematerialization" for his experiments in suspended animation which "unleashed the horror of living death" on Krypton, Xa-Du is quick to swear revenge on his accusers.  In particular he singles out the scientist who discovered The Phantom Zone and suggested it as an more humane alternative to the previous methods of criminal punishment on Krypton - Jor-El a.k.a. Superman's dad.

Does this seem a bit familiar?  A bit.  The trial scene and subsequent scenes in the Phantom Zone are totally cribbed from the Superman movies, with Non and Ursa being among the other criminals eventually sentenced to The Phantom Zone and one figure says "Kneel Before - " before getting cut off.  But Grant Morrison has proven his ability to take classic superhero cliches and make them seem new and exciting time and time again and does it again here.


How does he do it?  By emphasizing the horrific elements of Xa-Du's experiments and confirming that he almost caused the Zombie Apocalypse on Krypton.  Some Kryptonian criminal escaping from the Phantom Zone and trapping Superman inside it?  Not that new.  A Kryptonian criminal escaping from the Phantom Zone using an "ecto-suit" that makes him look like a mummy, who traps Superman inside it so that he can begin a new reign of terror backed by an army of super-zombies?  NOW we're cooking with super-gas!

Truly, this story is so awesome that not even the inclusion of Wandering Judas (I refuse to call this character The Phantom Stranger as he isn't a stranger and outright tells Superman who he is!) can weaken it.  Not in the face of the concentrated furry ball of awesome that is Krypto The Super Dog.

Yes, Krypto - the family hound of the House of El - is still alive.  Trapped in the Phantom Zone while protecting a young Ka-El from an inter dimensional attack, he has been there for many years, watching and waiting for his young master to return to him after apparently tracking him part way across the universe by smelling him.  Does this make a lick of sense?  No.  Do we care?  Not really.  Because the idea of a ghost dog that can track someone across the whole of space and across the dimensional divide is just awesome. And the concept becomes even more awesome in the back-up story by Sholly Fisch, where we see that Krypto has been watching over young Kal-El for quite a while.


The artwork for the issue is generally as impressive as the story.  Travel Foreman, who penciled the main story, does a fine job with The Phantom Zone sequences, using light inks on the ghostly figures trapped in the Zone while heavily shadowing Xa-Du in the far-shots to visually emphasize his own dark corruption.  The color palette by Brad Anderson also helps emphasize the three levels the art plays upon.  The only problem I can see is that  Foreman's design for Krypto seems inconsistent, with Krypto largely resembling a husky or short-eared wolf-hound in most panels but suddenly having longer, floppier ears in some panels as above.  The artwork in the back-up story, by Brad Walker and Andrew Hennessy is more consistent, with Krypto clearly defined as a more wolfish breed as opposed to the Beagle-like breed we're used to seeing.

This issue is a wonderful jumping on point for those of you who have resisted the draw of Action Comics up until now.  It would also make a fine gift for any dog lovers you might know or anyone looking for an unusual ghost story this Halloween.