Constantine The Hellblazer #11 - A Review

Look up "reluctant hero" in the encyclopedia and you'll find John Constantine's picture. Still, when a friend calls in a favor, John's willing to play messenger-boy in a futile effort to convince the angels that run Los Angeles to grant refuge to the the dispossessed magic community of New York City.

Once that's done, John is off and running to find a new hideout. Unfortunately, there are those who want to fight Neron's spiritual takeover of The Big Apple and they've recruited Deadman to secure John's aid in their fight... one way or the other.

Given the current Lucifer series, it's so odd for me to see Gabriel whole and hardy as he is here.Then again, this is the new DC Universe and not Vertigo. Odd as it is to think that this series is taking place in the same world as the rest of The New 52. Still, Ming Doyle and James Tynion IV have the patter of the established characters down and the pairing of Deadman and John Constantine is always enjoyable though never quite so filled with slapstick comedy as this outing. Think The Man With Two Brains.

The coloration for this issue is its most noteworthy feature. At first I thought Ivan Plascencia had done a fine job using washed out, muted tones to convey the banality of Heaven's influence during the opening part of the comic. It isn't until the later pages, where John is flying toward New York, that I realized the dull palette was a constant decision. It's a shame, because the colors used by Kelly Fitzpatrick in the middle section of the comic - where Deadman confronts John in a bar - are bolder and more memorable. Travel Foreman and Joseph Silver offer their usual solid performance on pencils and inks respectively.

Injustice: Gods Among Us - Year Five #14 - A Review

Damian Wayne tracks several of Gotham's Most Wanted to the nearby city of Bludhaven. Never one to ask for help, Robin quickly winds up in over his head. Luckily, Damian has more friends than he knows and an unseen presence is looking out for him.


Mike S, Miller is back in fine form in this week's issue of Injustice. The action of this issue is wonderfully illustrated. And the colors by J. Nanjan prove perfectly chosen.


It is Brian Buccellato's story, however, that proves the real prize. I've never been a big fan of Damian Wayne but he actually seems sympathetic in this issue. And the scene at the end with Superman and Damian bonding is rather sweet even ignoring the horrific implications of just how far both of them have fallen.

Injustice: Gods Among Us - Year Three #10 - A Review

John Constantine may have escaped The Spectre's wrath but two allies have paid the price for his freedom.  First The Ragman fell and now Boston Brand - the ghostly acrobat known as Deadman - is about to die his final death.  As Brand races the clock to appoint a successor to his position as an agent of balance, John Constantine must face the one being he dreaded seeking aid from most... The Swamp Thing!


What makes this issue so wonderful - and indeed this series so amazing - is Tom Taylor's command of the characters.  This goes beyond well-written situations and funny dialogue - Taylor truly understands the essence of each character and finds unique ways of playing them off one another.

For instance, Pairing John Constantine and Batman seems like an odd coupling until you realize they are both pragmatic strategists who have both invested a lot of time and effort into thinking on how to take down their more powerful colleagues.  Likewise, Taylor gives us a successor to the Deadman mantle who proves so natural a fit that it's a wonder no other writer has run with that same idea before.


Per usual, the art by Mike S. Miller and J. Nanjan is wonderful.  Miller's figures are expressive and Nanjan shades the artwork without overemphasizing certain elements. or obscuring the details in shadow.  This is of particular concern in the sequences with Swamp Thing, which manages to maintain a certain vibrant level of energy despite its dismal setting.

Injustice: Gods Among Us - Year Three #9 - A Review

John Constantine is, to put it politely, up a certain creek without a certain steering implement.  His plan to kill Superman has fallen apart, his one immediately available ally is dead and he's been left alone to face The Wrath of God Himself (i.e The Spectre), two Sinestro Corps members (including Sinestro himself) and a fear-ring empowered Superman who is mad enough to curse openly!  There's nobody who can get ol' ConJob out of this one... but maybe a spirit can save him where No Body can?


Given that the title of this chapter is Dead Man, it spoils little for me to say that everyone's favorite avenging acrobat is the source of Constantine's salvation.  But that's the wonderful thing about a Tom Taylor story and his work on Injustice in particular - there's still plenty of surprises even after the resolution of last week's cliffhanger.

For instance, this issue tackles an interesting question - what happens when Deadman attempts to possess someone who is already possessed by another spiritual force?  Like say, Shazam?  Or The Spectre himself?  The answers to these questions, based on the minutia of the DC Comics universe, are worth the price of the book even if you ignore the riveting story... which you shouldn't!


The artwork is just as wonderful as the story.  Bruno Redondo does his usual stellar job, with dynamic choreography and figures that seem to jump off the page even when they're just standing there talking. And the pencils are made all the bolder by the inks and finishes of Juan Albarran.

DC Universe Presents #1 - A Review

DC Universe Presents marks the return of the classic comics anthology. DC Comics boasts one of – if not the largest – stables of fictional characters in existence and it’s gratifying to see that with all of the old favorites boasting multiple titles in the Revamp that they would devote a single title toward shining a spotlight on obscure heroes. This #1 issue – reportedly the first of a three part storyline – is devoted to Deadman.

The script primarily focuses upon the life and death of Boston Brand – a trapeze artist shot down in mid-swing. His soul snared from oblivion by the deity Rama, who offers Boston a chance to better his position in the afterlife by helping the unfortunates he ignored while alive. He wanders the earth now, following a magical instinct that takes him where he needs to be, using his power of possession to take people over and help them when they most need it. At about the midway point, Brand begins to speak of his current assignment – a disabled American soldier – and his confusion as to what he is meant to do in this case.

Paul Jenkins has been one of my favorite writers for a long time and – in my opinion – is one of the most criminally underrated authors in the comic book industry. His script introduces the concept of Deadman masterfully and moves at a quick pace through the various lives Boston has helped improve in the past. The one flaw with the story is that we see nothing of Boston’s life before his death so we don’t have any evidence apart from his own word – and that of a medium he once knew that he tries to speak to - that he really was enough of a jerk to deserve being cursed with undeath. We are told he was but there’s nothing that really shows it to us.

Former Wonder Woman artist Bernard Chang handles the art duties and shows why he’s a popular artist in and outside of the industry. There’s a good solid line of visual storytelling going from page to page, making the reading of the book intuitive despite some odd panel placements. And I love neat little visual pun in that Rama – an avatar of the god Vishnu – looks somewhat like one of the blue-skinned cat people of the film Avatar. Maybe I’m reading too much into the art but I thought it was amusing!

All in all, this isn’t a bad book but it’s really not something I plan to keep reading. The script is good, though we could use more showing and less telling. The art isn’t bad at all. Really, the only reason I don’t want to pick up issue #2 is that I really don’t find Deadman to be all that interesting of a character. That's no fault of the creative team - it's just personal taste. But if you've never read a Deadman story before, check this one out. It might be your cup of tea.

One Good Thing And One Bad Thing About Brightest Day #14

GOOD THING: Some good character stuff here for Deadman, as we get a more in-depth look at his mast and motivations than I think we've ever gotten in anything written in the modern age.

BAD THING: The ending is a tad predictable, with this romance between Deadman and Dove (or at least, the potential for one) having been telegraphed pretty heavily before now. At least the revelation that contact with the White Ring somehow restored Bruce's memory of Maxwell Lord is a surprise... but that's mostly because Maxwell Lord hasn't shown up in this book since the early issues!

The Final Verdict: Some good character stuff but the ending is anti-climactic and the surprise revelation might mean something to those following the Maxwell Lord story-line in the other books connected to this one... but not this book itself.

One Good Thing And One Bad Thing About Brightest Day #13

GOOD THING: I'd never been a big fan of Hawkman but I loved Geoff Johns' writing enough that back in the day, when he was writing Hawkman's solo book, I gave it a shot. It became a consistent favorite and this issue, in which Johns focuses almost entirely upon the Hawkman/Hawkwoman storyline reminded me of just why his run on Hawkman was so awesome... even for someone who didn't really like Hawkman.

BAD THING: Speak of late, lamented titles from back in the day... am I the only one disappointed that Mitch Shelley (aka The Resurrection Man) only had a brief cameo in this book and that was rendered totally anti-climactic by the no-surprise announcement of just who the White Lantern is meant to be?

The Final Verdict: A good read for us nostalgia buffs and fans of Hawkman, despite an anti-climactic ending. And in case you haven't seen the many adverts yet.... Bruce Wayne is supposed to be the next White Lantern.

One Good Thing And One Bad Thing About Brightest Day #9

BAD THING: The plot with Hawk, Dove and Deadman has stalled and stopped being interesting. What is worse, this issue, it distracts away from the really interesting things that have been happening to Aquaman and Mera.


GOOD THING: Green Arrow finally gets drawn into the action of the main Brightest Day book and we get to see him paired up with Martian Manhunter to boot, as we get a little more insight into the power of the Star City forest (which managed to instantly repair most of the damage caused by J'onn's presence) and exactly what J'onn's destiny is.

The Final Verdict: As per usual, the main storyline seems to be a distraction from the more interesting subplots. Still, at least Ollie finally gets a direct tie into what is going on. And the stuff with J'onn is pretty cool.

One Good Thing And One Bad Thing About Brightest Day #7

BAD THING: We finally get a full glimpse of what the resurrected heroes and villains have been brought back to accomplish... and we still don't have any idea what they are supposed to be trying to accomplish, save that it ties into finding a new Entity. Ten To One it's Dove.

GOOD THING: At least we know Miss Martian is still alive and well. It would really suck for her to be dead just in time for the new Young Justice cartoon.

The Final Verdict: I think I may stop reviewing this book if things don't pick up. I'll still read it but - as far as the plot line goes, so far it's been much ado about nothing.

One Good Thing And One Bad Thing About Brightest Day #5

BAD THING: As much as I appreciate the sentiment, the opening scene in which Aquaman and Mera go into action to fight an oil spill... too much, too soon DC.

GOOD THING: There isn't a page of this comic that feels like filler, with three plots each getting a fair amount of development this time. In addition to the revelation regarding Mera's past and what that means to Aquaman, we also get to explore an apparently familiar realm with Hawkman and Hawkwoman and discover a little more behind the purpose of The White Ring that Boston "Deadman" Brand was given.

The Final Verdict: Apart from an opening page that aims for relevance but comes off as just a little bit tacky in light of recent events, I think this may have been the best issue of Brightest Day so far. The action on all the features storylines moves well and nothing here feels like padding.

The Good, The Bad And The Ugly of Brightest Day #0

Quite a bit happens in this book. Some of it looks interesting. Some of it doesn't. Some of it seems like filler. Wanna know more? Look behind the cut. Spoilers and Images behind the cuts, as always.

1. Deadman...LIVES? - Honestly, this is one of those concepts I'm amazed nobody has thought to do in something else before. And putting an already unbalanced Boston Brand in charge of the White Light... brilliant.

2. Barry Checks Up On His Rogues - This brief scene was a lot better paced than The Flash #1 and a heck of a lot more fun. But I suppose I am biased being a bit of a Captain Boomerang fan.

3. Carter and Shiera, Together Again - I forgot how much I missed Geoff Johns' Hawkman and this brief scene brought all the fondness for that series back in a rush... even before the interesting hook of Hawkman's gauntlet apparently now being enhanced by The Power Of Love.

4. J'onn's Housewarming Party - I'm glad to see J'onn back. And I laughed out loud when I saw Guy's gift, proving that he can be a Nice Guy without getting hit in the head.

5. Star City Goes Green - Okay, improbable as the star-shaped blast in Cry For Justice was... this is just cool. And as I said before... Robin Hood needs a Sherwood. :)

6. Sinestro's Back... - ... and he wants a ring. So any worries about Sinestro no longer being a bad guy now that we know his anti-heroic origins? Gone. Now he's chasing after the White Ring, presumably because only he has earned it after all that he went through.

1. The Return Of Maxwell Lord: Evil Overlord - Honestly, is there ANYONE besides Dan Didio who thought bring Maxwell Lord back was a good idea? Particularly bringing him back as the uber-telepath would-be world-ruler who is, at least according to the story going into the new Justice League: Generation Lost, powerful enough to make nearly everyone on the planet forget he ever existed?

Well, that's just great. But what about the video archives of his death? The print archives and the digital archives of the print archives? Telepathy can't erase newspapers. And the Greek Gods who already intervened once when someone tried to mind control Wonder Woman (see Blackest Night: Wonder Woman, if you must)

2. The Return Of Jade - Speaking of resurrections nobody wanted, Jade's return is proving to be as horrendous as I thought. Because it's impossible for Kyle Rayner to be in a committed relationship and just be happy, we're treated to a lot of forced drama as Kyle's current girlfriend seethes over the ex-being alive and well, even as she insists that she's not making a play for Kyle and Kyle insisting that he's just happy an old friend is alive... while grinning like an idiot in a way that never happens around women who are "just friends"... although that could be the fault of the artist.

3. The Fury Of Firestorm - And speaking of forced drama... wow! Who could have predicted it? A white idiot man-child and an angry the black man who (rightly, I think) hates his guts are forced to work together to access their amazing superpowers to Save The World!

I liked this comic better when it was called Quantum And Woody.

1. The Scene With Aquaman and Mera - It's good character stuff. But it doesn't really seem to set anything up or accomplish anything except giving us hot soaking-wet redhead babe fan service and the leading nominee for the two panels "Most Likely To Wind Up On Superdickery".

2. The Return of Osiris - Hardly anyone cared when he died in 52. And hardly anybody cares now that he's back. Hell, I'm indifferent to the Marvel Family as a whole after what they did to Mary Marvel.

3. Hank Hall: Rapist Asshat - Really. Here's one more person who just needed to stay dead. Am I the only one who remembers that this guy (or at least, a version of him from a parallel timeline where he didn't die) ACTUALLY RAPED DOVE back in JSA? Just checking.

Now taking bets on how long it will be before The Monarch shows up again. And I don't mean the skinny guy in orange from The Venture Brothers.



The Final Verdict: More good than bad, though much of the book seems to be filler and we're still left wondering why a lot of these characters were brought back at all. Presumably there will be some method to the madness later on. Still worth picking up, in my opinion, if only so what happens later may make more sense.