Superman: Lois And Clark #2 - A Review

Thanks to the secret intervention of Clark Kent, The Space Shuttle Excalibur has landed safely, though the crew has mysteriously vanished! This is a matter of great concern to Mr. Chambers - a government agent who seems as mysterious as the incidents he investigates. But Clark Kent has other concerns of his own. Namely, the armed men who are chasing after his wife and son...


The plot thickens in this second issue of Superman: Lois and Clark, though not much happens beyond laying more ground work for the new series. This is a different kind of Superman story and one I'm glad to see being told. Most of the issue's focus is off of Clark Kent and set on Lois Lane, who proves as capable a heroine as ever in defending herself and her son before Clark shows up.

One wonders how long they're going to try and deny their secret lives as savior of the world and investigative author to their son. This issue shows that  Jonathan iss already becoming suspicious of his parents' lies... even without the hint he's discovered his super-hearing at issue's end.  Still, the story by Dan Jurgens is tightly-plotted and riveting to read.


Jurgen's script comes to life perfectly under the art team's direction. Lee Weeks' character designs look great and his pencils are perfectly enhanced by Scott Hanna's inks. And the colors by Brad Anderson are well-chosen.

Superman: Lois And Clark #1 - A Review

There was a battle. Cities and their chosen champions, plucked from time and space and pitted against one another for the right to exist. But some of those heroes united during this so-called Convergence and in doing so defeated their captor - a future version of the artificial intelligence known as Brainiac. And leading the charge, as usual, was Brainiac's greatest enemy - Superman!

But now The Convergence is ended. And the Clark Kent and Lois Lane of an older Earth - who married and had a son named Jonathan together - find themselves in another world. A world that is darker and more suspicious than their own. A world in need of heroes. But this world has a Lois Lane and a Clark Kent of their own, who have their own destinies to fulfill. So Lois and Clark go into hiding, disguised as an ordinary farm couple, while still doing what they do best.

As the years pass, Lois becomes a famous yet anonymous author of books that expose government corruption. And Clark continues to do what good he can, subtly, when he isn't tending to their farm. It is a good life but it is about to become far more complicated than even they could have imagined!

Attention DC Comics fans who have been displeased by recent events in the Superman books or just generally unhappy with The New 52 universe in general! Our prayers have been answered! They have delivered unto us the Superman/Lois Lane comic we've always wanted! And it is good!

Hyperbolic Old Testament prophet dialogue aside, this truly is a great issue. Dan Jurgens sets up the new status quo and explains away Convergence with economy while delivering a well-placed jab at the reality of the new Earth Prime of The 52 Universe. Jurgens calls it a place without faith, which is an interesting and accurate description of the darker new DC Comics Universe and one senses we're going to see something special here.

It's too soon to tell if this series may be Jurgens' Kingdom Come - the first canon shot against a movement against the increasing cynicism in modern superhero stories. But this issue offers plenty of reasons to be hopeful. If nothing else it's nice to see Lois Lane being treated as an equal to Clark and that she gets her own subplot showcasing how she too has become a different kind of hero in facing a new world.


The artwork perfectly matches Jurgens' script. Lee Weeks' characters look wonderful and are perfectly enhanced by Scott Hanna's inks. Of particular note is the coloration by Brad Anderson, who depicts most of the world in muted tones save for the superheroes, who are vibrant and colorful figures that stand out all the stronger for that. Many of the pages depicting Lois' story have a Film Noir aspect fitting of the darker, mystery-filled world that Lois inhabits.

Future's End #1 & #2 - A Review

After reading the lackluster Future's End #0 (which DC Comics released on Free Comic Book Day this year), I fully intended to give this series a miss.  I've had my fill of stories involving dark futures, the heroes failing to save the day and enough angst and ennui to fill a dozen Morrisey albums.  The fact that the story - at its most basic level - was a blatant rip-off of X-Men: Days Of Future Past didn't help matters.

Still, I happened to read a preview of Future's End #2 and learned that it would involve the funeral of Green Arrow.  Being as big a fan of Oliver Queen as I am, that was enough to pique my curiosity.  So I picked up the first two issues last weekend to see what I might see.

Not much, as it turns out.


Future's End #1 combines the worst aspects of Countdown and Brightest Day.  Specifically, we get to see a lot of heroes die horrible, random deaths and we get to see Ronnie Raymond act like an incompetent, entitled douche-bag.  Why DC Comics keeps forcing the unnatural Ronnie Raymond/Jason Rusch partnership is beyond me.  I don't know anyone who likes this version of Firestorm and the low sales figures/cancellation of the New 52 Firestorm series would seem to bear out that idea that more people hated it than not.

Indeed, Roy Harper says it best in Future's End #2 when he calls Raymond "a liar... As well as a fraud -- phony -- and a complete and total coward."  And he is not wrong.  Raymond is directly responsible for Oliver Queen's death and his actions in this issue do nothing to endear him to the reader.  Yet I somehow think we are meant to sympathize with Ronnie, because all he wanted to do was sleep with his girlfriend while on the clock at his day job as Oliver Queen was radioing for him, specifically, to help avert a disaster.

This doesn't work.  At all.

What does work is the funeral sequence, which has a hint of Jeff Lemire's writing about it.  There are so many wonderful, subtle details revealed here.  Roy Harper in a red costume modeled on Green Arrow's uniform.  Black Canary crying in the background.  And Animal Man's eulogy, in which he talks about Oliver Queen leading the rebellion against a second Apokoliptian invasion.



Now THAT is a comic I want to read!  Alas, that's the biggest problem with this series and - in many ways - much of the New 52 line so far.  We keep getting teased about stories that are far more interesting in abstract than the stories we've been given.

I want to see Green Arrow fighting alien invaders with nothing but sheer chutzpah and a madman's arsenal of trick arrows.  I want to see how Roy Harper became his staunchest defender and why Dinah Lance cries the hardest at his death.  But most of all, I want a story where the heroes are fighting villains instead of each other.

This is not that story.  Maybe Justice League United will become that story in the future?

I hope so.  I'd really like to read that story.

Why I'm Dropping Green Lantern - A Review of Green Lantern Annual #2

WARNING: This review will get spoilerly and rantish after the first paragraph.  Stop reading after that if you care about spoilers.

Ever since Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi left their respective books, I feared this moment might come.  And now it is here - the moment I can no longer justify supporting the Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps titles.  Understand this - the books by Robert Venditti and Van Jansen have been well-written and engaging.  This annual, too, has a good story and good artwork.  But after reading Green Lantern Annual #2, three things have become apparent to me.

1. You HAVE to read all the Green Lantern family of books now.

Despite being an annual for the Green Lantern book itself, this issue is really meant to cover all of the titles in the Green Lantern "family", including Red Lanterns and New Guardians.  This has become an increasing problem in many New 52 DC Comics titles.  Indeed, it's the reason I dropped Supergirl, which has become increasingly interdependent on a bunch of Superman books I have no interest in reading. 

I can't keep reading two good books if I also have to read two books I really don't care about to know what is going on in the books I enjoy.  I have no interest in The Red Lanterns as a group.  I hate that Guy Gardner - my favorite Lantern in the post-52 books under Tomasi's pen - is now attached to them.  And I really hate that Kyle Rayner has been turned into a Space Jesus messiah figure that has nothing in common with the character I loved 15 years ago.  On that note...


2.  There's No Point To Kyle Rayner Existing Except As Nostalgia Fodder.

And I say that as someone who got into comics BECAUSE of Kyle Rayner.

If you needed any proof that certain aspects of The New 52 universe were not planned at all, one need only look at The New Guardians title.  For the first year, it told the story of an attempt to build a team with one member of each of the various Lantern Corps.  It also showed a slightly different version of Kyle Rayner's original background, with Ganthet giving Kyle some basic instruction into how his ring worked in the wake of Emerald Twilight. 

Then suddenly the word came from on high - Emerald Twilight never happened and Hal Jordan never went crazy and destroyed the Green Lantern Corps.  So why was Kyle Rayner necessary?  Now the story was that he was chosen by Ganthet as part of an experiment to see if one being could harness the power of multiple spectrum energies at the same time. For some reason, this retcon also required them to establish that Kyle's girlfriend Alex did exist in the new reality and that she was stuffed in a fridge... even though Major Force - the villain who originally did the deed - didn't exist in the new reality! And then Kyle was assigned the task of looking after... The New Guardians - a group of the blue-skinned aliens who founded the Green Lantern Corps who had been in stasis while their brothers set about screwing up the universe. 

This issue seemed to give Kyle a heroic death and a point to the sudden 180 that The New Guardians title took.  That lasts a scant few pages before it reveals that - Psych! - Kyle Rayner is alive and an even greater destiny awaits him that The New Guardians have known of all this time, despite knowing very little of the universe and how things have changed until this point.

Kyle should have stayed dead.  And he'd be better off in limbo with Wally West, Donna Troy, Jenny-Lynn Hayden and most of the other heroes of his generation.  Literally none of his background and everything that made him interesting as a character remains.  Now he's just another generic cosmic hero with a destiny.
 


3.  The Wasting Of Relic and The Absolution of The Green Lantern Corps.

I liked the idea of Relic, the scientist from a previous universe who believed that his universe had been destroyed by "the lightsmiths" - his term for the Lantern Corps of his universe - slowly leaching away the energy that held the cosmos together.  It was a brilliant conceit and one that gave the various Corps a common enemy to unite against in the wake of the death of The Guardians.  More, there was the frightening idea - what if Relic was right?  What if it turned our our favorite heroes, good intentioned as they are, were truly causing the universe to become sick even as they were trying to save it?

It's the sort of idea Alan Moore might have spent years playing with, touching on issues of conservation and environmental responsibility vs. the belief in manifest destiny and the idea that such energy would not be there if it were not meant to be used.  Alas, Relic is now dead and his concerns have been rendered largely mute by the sacrifice of Kyle Rayner and the emotional entities.  The only real loss is that a number of the alien Green Lanterns who weren't getting any screen-time anyway have quit the Corps in disgust rather than contribute to the eventual destruction of all reality... which is no loss at all since we still have Hal Jordan calling the shots and he never really believed Relic in the first place.  So really, nothing has changed at all save the Green Lanterns are now based on Mogo instead of Oa and there's no Blue Lanterns anymore. 

The loss of the Blue Lanterns seems an apt metaphor for the Green Lantern books as a whole now  It is a universe without hope.  And that's a universe I want no part of. 

Green Arrow #17 - A Review

I think I'm well established as one of the most prominent Green Arrow experts on the Internet.  At the very least I think no one can deny my status as one of the most devout and nit-picky of Green Arrow fans.  So when the Green Arrow title shifted creative teams (yet again), I felt the need to give the series one more go, despite my better judgement and past experience.  So please understand all that and where I'm coming from when I say this regarding Green Arrow #17.


Well done, DC Comics.  You finally got it right!
 
It spoils little to say that the slate has been wiped clean with this issue and that no previous experience with the New 52 Green Arrow title is required.  The plot centers upon Oliver Queen scrambling to recover as he is left without resources or allies as he loses his company and is framed for murder.  One can say this about Jeff Lemire - he does not do things by halves.  His script is highly reminiscent of Frank Miller's work on Daredevil and I suspect that by the time The Kill Machine is over I'll be able to do a "compare and contrast" essay regarding it and the similarly themed  Daredevil: Born Again. 


The artwork by Andrea Sorrentino is spectacular!  Not many books in American comics are penciled, inked and colored by a single creator and Sorrentino's work here is an epic argument against the "assembly line" method favored by  American comic publishers.  If Lemire is mirroring Frank Miller, I can only compare Sorrentino to the great Mike Grell.  Both have a similar sense of drama, with heroic poses against the moon and half-page splashes amidst the action.  Sorrentino's panel work here also reminds me of Jock's work on Green Arrow: Year One. 


Every comic reader and Arrowhead in the world should give this book a try.  If you're a fan of the Arrow TV show who has been curious about the original comics, now is the time to get started reading Green Arrow.  If you're an exile like me who was left cold by the New 52 take on Ollie, now is the time to come home.  And if you just like good comics with grand action scenes, high drama and gorgeous art... well, you'll just love it to pieces!

Aquaman #14 - A Review

Despite being the first part of a multi-issue crossover with Justice League, Aquaman #14 doesn't feel like the start of a major storyline.  This is actually to the story's benefit, as this issue proves to be a wonderful jump-on point for those Justice League readers who haven't been reading this book.  Geoff Johns does an amazing job of establishing several important facts for new readers as well as establishing some trivia that suggests some major changes for the New 52 Aquaman continuity. 

My favorite sequence takes place in a brief interlude which confirms Black Manta's seriousness as a villain.  For all the grief Aquaman has received over how lame a superhero he is, I think Black Manta has gotten worse ribbing from the fandom at large.  After all, how lame do you have to be to repeatedly get your butt kicked by Aquaman?  In previous issues, Geoff Johns showed how Aquaman's true power has been frequently underestimated.  Now, he does the same for Black Manta, showing the lethal ingenuity of a man who - like Batman - must face all manner of threats with nothing but his fierce intellect, raw cunning and the best toys money can buy.


The main thrust of the issue centers upon Aquaman having a meeting with his brother.  Well, half-brother technically, but they address one another as brother.  One revelation we learn in these sequences is that Aquaman's brother rules Atlantis and Aquaman apparently refused the throne.  Those who have been reading Aquaman can't help but wonder how this jibes with the story in Aquaman #0, where it appeared that a young Arthur Curry was preparing to lead a violent revolt in Atlantis.  Presumably things came to a more agreeable end?


An early scene in this book holds a point of interest for long-time Aquaman fans as well as fans of the classic Teen Titans.  Arthur's brother makes mention of a boy with purple eyes named Garth and a prophecy which says that a boy with purple eyes will bring about the end of Atlantis.  This is clearly a nod to the original Aqualad, whose name was Garth and who did indeed have purple eyes.  Does this mean that Aquaman and Mera will soon be getting a new sidekick?  And if so, will the rest of the original Titans, absent from The New 52 thus far, be appearing soon?

You may have noticed at this point that I continue to refer to Arthur's brother as nothing more than Arthur's brother.  There is a reason for that.  He is not named once in the entire issue - not by his true name nor by the villainous nom de plume he went by in the old universe - The Ocean Master.  The artwork also makes a point of shadowing his face or obscuring it, despite his wearing a full helm that almost completely covers his face.  This is especially odd given that appears, unobscured, on the front cover.



The artwork of this issue seems somewhat uneven.  I suspect this is the end result of employing two pencilers and five different inkers.  None of the artwork is bad but the look between pages is inconsistent.  Some pages - such as the above throne room scene - are so heavily inked as to be almost completely black.  Others, such as the splash page below, seem overly stylized to the point of being cartoonish.  I half-expect the fish surrounding Aquaman to begin singing a jolly calypso number about the joys of living below the ocean.


Despite this, I'd still gladly recommend this comic to any curious parties.  If you haven't been reading this book before, now is the perfect time to dive in!

Whither Constantine? - My Thoughts On The Hellblazer Cancellation

SOUIRCE: DC Cancels Its Longest Running Series, Hellblazer, And Replaces It With New 52 Title, Constantine

Am I upset?  Yes, but it's the same, muted sadness you get when an elderly relative who has been dying a slow death of cancer finally passes on.  You've already seen the worst and accepted the inevitable, so there's nothing left but the moving on.

I've already been accused of being a heartless bastard and a DC Comics apologist once over this point.  So really, there's no harm in my refuting all the whining I've seen over this point this morning.



They're replacing it with a PG version!

As of this afternoon, the only person I've seen saying this is Warren Ellis.  And unless there was a revolution I missed this morning, Warren Ellis is not in charge at DC Comics or Vertigo.

If Constantine is part of the New 52 line, that means it will be a PG-13 equivalent, at worst.  I think it far more likely Constantine will be a T+ title aimed at 16 years old and up.  Which, I will say as a librarian and comics fan of some years, is probably the age at which most comics fans start reading Vertigo titles.  No less a luminary than Andy Diggle said he first read a John Constantine title at the age of 15.



They can't possibly do the same things in a New 52 title that they could with a Vertigo one!

This point is true in one respect.  They'll probably have to bleep out the swearing and cut the nudity.  But if that's what you're reading Hellblazer for, let me blow your mind - you can see real tits, asses and dicks for free on the Internet EVERYWHERE!   Those of us who just want to read a story about a smart-arse, lower-class mage dealing with magical weirdness can imagine what is happening just off-panel just fine.

Seriously, Animal Man and Swamp Thing are a part of the New 52.  And they're just as disturbing and messed-up as ever.  I think John will be fine, particuarly with a writer like Robert Venditti at the helm.



How Can They Cancel It?  It's The Flagship Title Of Vertigo Comics!

Perhaps in the minds of British comic fans, Vertigo = Hellblazer.  As an American who worked in the comic-selling business, I can confidentially say that Fables has been ruling the roost at Vertigo for some time now and that most long-time comic fans are more likely to name Sandman as the title that defined Vertigo Comics rather than Hellblazer.   In all honesty, the Vertigo shared universe hasn't really existed outside the pages of Hellblazer since Lucifer came to an end.   In recent years, Vertigo has been more of a creator-owned imprint than an adults-only line.  And with DC Comics' new ratings system, having an entire adults-only-only line isn't quite as neccesary as it once was.



It's Disrespectful To The Rich History Of The Character To End The Book!

In my opinion, the legacy of John Constantine has been disrespected for a while now. And judging by the most recent sales figures on Hellblazer, most of his fans agree.  The sales have been dropping steadily for a while now.

196 - HELLBLAZER (Vertigo)
09/2007: Hellblazer #236 -- 12,938
09/2008: Hellblazer #247 -- 11,851
09/2009: Hellblazer #259 -- 10,813
09/2010: Hellblazer #271 -- 9,851
----------------------------------
09/2011: Hellblazer #283 -- 9,597 (+2.4%)
10/2011: Hellblazer #284 -- 9,608 (+0.1%)
11/2011: Hellblazer #285 -- 9,500 (-1.1%)
12/2011: Hellblazer #286 -- 9,404 (-1.0%)
01/2012: Hellblazer #287 -- 9,368 (-0.4%)
02/2012: Hellblazer #288 -- 9,553 (+2.0%)
03/2012: Hellblazer #289 -- 9,363 (-2.0%)
04/2012: Hellblazer #290 -- 9,472 (+1.2%)
05/2012: Hellblazer #291 -- 9,426 (-0.5%)
06/2012: Hellblazer #292 -- 9,533 (+1.1%)
07/2012: Hellblazer #293 -- 9,247 (-3.0%)
08/2012: Hellblazer #294 -- 9,396 (+1.6%)
09/2012: Hellblazer #295 -- 9,143 (-2.7%)
----------------
6 months: - 2.4%
1 year : - 4.7%
2 years : - 4.6%
5 years : -29.3%

To put the above numbers in perspective, the last issue of the recently canceled Resurrection Man sold 16,672 copies. Even at it's lowest, it was still selling just over 13,000 a month.  It's honestly a miracle Hellblazer has been allowed to go on so long as it has.

I personally stopped reading the book back in October of 2009, precisely because I thought Peter Milligan was ignoring the rich history of the character so that he could promote his own love interest for John and do whatever the hell he wanted with the rules of magic in John's universe.  Besides that, John stopped aging and should- by all rights - be looking 70 years old if the plan to age him in real time meant anything anymore.  At this point, closing out the door on this version of John is a mercy killing.
 

Green Arrow Comic Recieves Yet Another New Creative Team

SOURCE: Lemire & Sorrentino Take Over "Green Arrow"



Just when I think I'm out, they pull me back in...

Animal Man author Jeff Lemire and I, Vampire artist Andrea Sorrentino will be partnering up to depict the monthly adventures of The Emerald Archer, starting with Issue #17 in February.

Jeff Lemire had me at "If you liked Mike Grell's GA run...."  And the preview cover above looks appropriately moody and atmospheric.

Green Arrow #0 - A Review

I dropped Green Arrow three months ago but some of you wrote in to tell me I should give the #0 issue a shot, if only because it was supposed to finally explain Ollie's origin story.

Honestly. One of you might have mentioned that it was written by Judd Winick!

I don't think I can fault you all, though. Even the cover scan on DC Comics website credits Ann Nocenti as the writer. I'd like to think it's because The Powers That Be finally realized that Judd Winick's name is a poison arrow to the heart to all Green Arrow fans. I'd LIKE to think that but given the reports that he was offered the Green Arrow title in order to keep him working with DC Comics (whether this was before or after Nocenti took over the book, I don't know) I know it ain't so.

I'm going to start off discussing the artwork this time because... well, Geebus Suffering Crackers, just look at the first page!





This is the work of Freddie Williams II, whose work you might remember from Captain Atom. Note that Ollie here is missing a pectoral, has an upper-left arm that is out of proportion to the rest of his body and the linework on the middle of his face leaves him looking like he has an arched unibrow. To call Williams' grasp of anatomy off would deny you the chance to use words like abysmal and nonexistent. And yet, thanks to the inking of Rob Hunter, this is still an improvement on Williams' work on Captain Atom, where he handled his own inks and you frequently couldn't separate the characters from the backgrounds.

Incidentally, am I the only one amused that a man named Rob Hunter is working on a book about a superhero inspired by Robin Hood? Probably so. But if that thought does amuse you, even a little, hold on to that happy thought. It's may help you get through what is to come.

Our story opens with 19 year old Oliver Queen throwing a party. On an oil drilling platform his dad owns. Where he's supposed to be working as a supervisor as punishment for having blown off the last three jobs his dad gave him. All of this is explained to Ollie again (and us) with all the subtlety of a fart in a nunnery by Ollie's girlfriend, Leena.





A quick side note about Leena. Leena is your typical Judd Winick girlfriend - going from Bimbo To Responsible in 2.3 seconds. One page she's defending Ollie's archery skills to his best friend. On the next, she's calling Ollie out for his irresponsibility for throwing the party she was enjoying until about two seconds ago.




Faster than you can say Louis Gossett Jr., a cyborg terrorist who calls himself Iron Eagle crashes the party and starts trying to steal the oil. And faster than you can shout "WOLVERINES!", Ollie decides to abandon his cowardly best friend Tommy Merlyn and go all 80's action movie.

If the name Tommy Merlyn sounds familiar, you've obviously been keeping up on the announcements regarding the upcoming Arrow series. In that, as here, Ollie's best friend before being shipwrecked is named Tommy Merlyn. I bring this up because out of all the things Judd Winick could have taken from the information about the Arrow storyline we know so far, this point is the only thing he chose to bring over. I could forgive them blatantly ripping off the Arrow pilot - it's a highly anticipated show and the Green Arrow title right now could use all the help it could boosting it sales. But no - the only connection the two have is the name of Ollie's best friend. That's it.





Goofy as Williams' rendering makes the ultimate layout, I have to admit this is an effective sequence. It establishes Ollie as someone who will try to fix his mistakes, taking responsibility for saving the lives of his friends after his lightening security at the oil platform for his party put them all in danger. Oliver proves himself to be resourceful and clever in a fight. And dare I say... he is both brave AND bold.

Of course since this is a Judd Winick story, and Judd has never been able to write a Green Arrow story where Ollie didn't screw up things up in the worst possible way, his attempt to shoot the bomb trigger out of the Iron Eagle's hand goes wrong. Seems the trigger is a dead-man's switch and the sudden lack of pressure results in one big gooey kablooey. Somehow, despite reportedly hiding downstairs, Tommy is suddenly propelled over the side alongside Ollie and is more horribly burned and disfigured than he is.



Perhaps the art is meant to imply that Tommy pushes Ollie out of the full force of the blast but - as I've pointed out - Freddie Williams II is a terrible visual storyteller.



Somehow, despite the two floating on rubble only feet apart and being in the same current, the two get separated. One year and one one-page montage later, Ollie has spent a year on a desert island, somehow having learned how to make his own bow and arrows. This despite there not being any indication that his aforementioned $400 an hour archery lessons also included information on primitive bowery and fletchering or that Ollie had any survival training at all.



Twelve months later, Ollie is bailing a young rogue named Roy Harper out of prison and press-ganging him into helping him with a crusade to "make things right" after Roy hacked Queen Industries' computers.

Why did Roy do this? What are his motivations? Money? Boredom? Protest? And where did he pick up his mentioned - but not demonstrated - skills with weapons and technology? Why did Ollie think he could assure Roy's loyalty only by bailing him out and offering him a job? Was it a whim? Or some idealism he thought they shared?



These are all good questions that are completely ignored and will probably be explained later. Maybe. In Red Hood and The Outlaws, once we get done figuring out how to explaining away how Bruce Wayne had four Robins in six years and one of them is a 10 year old ninja he sired with the daughter of his worst enemy. And if you think I'm being glib about them not bothering to explain anything about Roy Harper and his connection to Ollie in this book, take a look at the official history for Green Arrow.



It has yet to be fully explained... because YOU COULDN'T BE BUGGERED TO EXPLAIN IT!

Make no mistake, children - this is a bad comic. It is incompetently produced. Some might guess - justifiably - that it was rushed to completion. The artwork is disjointed, over-stylized and generally terrible. The script explains too little and portrays Ollie as a total boob by forcing him into a situation where his attempts at heroism get people killed, thus attacking the very concept of heroism and taking responsibility for ones wrongs in the first place. And yet, despite that, I have no trouble damning it with the faint praise that this is the best thing anyone has done with Green Arrow title in the whole of the New 52 canon. Make of that what you will.

DC Comics? Please - forget this book, reprint Green Arrow: Year One and send a memo to anyone who might every write Green Arrow in anything ever, which reads "THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT".

Justice League #12 - A Review

Four words sum up Justice League #12 - Too Little, Too Late.

Quite a lot happens in this issue. Unfortunately, most of it is things that should have happened several issues ago or shouldn't have happened at all. I mentioned in my earlier reviews of this series that the villain of the current story arc - Graves - was ill-defined in terms of both powers and motivation. For some reason, this final chapter opens up with far more exposition than we ever had before regarding not only what happened to Graves and his family but we also get a clear explanation of just what happened between Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor in the five year gap between Issue 6 and Issue 7. We really could have used this information earlier!



Issue #12 also features the first time we've see a Hal Jordan in this book who is portrayed as having an ounce of common sense, being the only Justice League member to see through Graves' manipulations. It's also the first time we've seen Hal Jordan acting like a noble hero instead of a horny frat boy, making a noble - though probably unnecessary - sacrifice in the name of team unity.

But the big story here - at least, in the minds of DC Comics' PR Department - is the beginning of a romance between Superman and Wonder Woman. To say that this romance comes out of left-field and feels entirely driven by editorial fiat is putting it mildly. Even Geoff Johns at the height of his powers is unable to sell this story.



Jim Lee's pencils are as strong as ever, though the look of the finished artwork is somewhat uneven. This is probably due to a team of nine (yes, NINE!) inkers being responsible for the first 28 pages of the book, many of whom have completely incompatible styles. Some pages are so thinly inked as to barely have any definition at all. Others are oversaturated with shadows, completely obscuring some details.

When the New 52 began a year ago, Justice League was meant to be DC's flagship title - a task it has largely failed in. More often than not over the past year, this book has been disappointing, seeming rushed and incomplete. Come to think of it, maybe that makes it a perfect flagship book for the New 52...

Aquaman #11 - A Review

The saga from last issue continues, as Aquaman and his former allies from The Others continue the hunt for Black Manta. A collection of individuals who gather power from and/or safeguard Atlantean artifacts, The Others were apparently around before Aquaman joined The Justice League. But Arthur Curry hasn't kept in touch with his former friends and some of them are a little upset about it.



My complaints and comments regarding the structure of the current storyline from last month remain. Geoff Johns is one of the best writers in the business but the structure of this saga is maddening! I have no problem with the concept of The Others. In fact, that's the single best aspect of this story thus far! I just wish Johns would have introduced us to them in a single issue flashback story rather than slowly doling out information one flashback at a time in the midst of three other stories at three separate points in time.

Johns is a great idea man and there's a lot of great character concepts here. A Russian Cosmonaut bred and conditioned to survive in the vacuum of space? A prisoner of war who has some kind of empathy-based powers due to a magical set of chains? Heck, even Ya'Wara is a novelty since it is so rare to see a non-Caucasian jungle queen character in American comics. I had hoped we would see more new characters like this in the New 52 and it's disappointing that we don't know anything about these characters. Perhaps it was Johns' intent to leave us wanting more? If so, he's done his job well but it is still an annoyance.



Again, while I may grouse about Johns' story structure, I cannot complain about Ivan Reis' artwork. It is as great s ever and the inking and coloring team bring his pencils to their full fruition. I should also note that the character designs are all memorable and distinctive.

This is a great book and a must-read for all comic fans but I suspect it will read better in the Trades than as a monthly title.

Batgirl #11 - A Review

Last week, I happened across an article which rated which characters had been the best and worst served by the New 52 Reboot. I was astonished to find that the author had put Batgirl on the list of the worst served.

Worst served than Catwoman? Worst served than Starfire? According to this author, yes.

"The book that makes no one happy. We went from goofy Barbara Gordon as '60s Batgirl to mega-competent Oracle then back to goofy Barbara Gordon as New 52 Batgirl who apparently forgot what it was like to be mega-competent Oracle. I'll even suspend judgment on the whole "getting-out-of-the-wheelchair" thing because, you know, comic books. But the aloof Batgirl just doesn't cut it once we've seen Barbara Gordon absolutely rule everything thrown at her back in the old DCU."

Wrapping my brain around this, a thought occurred to me. He must not have read the book since the first issue! Yes, that issue was a little heavier on the humor than usual. Yes, that issue did end with Barbara Gordon freezing up at gun-point and a cop dying as a result. And yes, Barbara has been spending some time - no pun intended - finding her feet since then.

But to say that Barabra Gordon has been completely goofy? To say that she's no longer mega-competent? To say that there's no bit of the woman who was Oracle left? There's no way he's been reading the same comic I've been reading for the last year! And this last issue proved it.




In the opening battle scene, Barbara holds her own against three metahumans for several minutes. She does eventually get brought to heel, but it's through no fault of her own. Later on, Barbara shows that she's still a genius when it comes to computers and that she's every bit Batman's equal as a detective, deducing from a few things in a woman's apartment that there's far more to the cop with a vendetta against her than meets the eye.




Praising the art of Adrian Syaf may be too-little, too-late as former Birds of Prey artist Ed Benes is poised to take over the art on this series with Issue #13. Still, Syaf is a talented artist whose work I have enjoyed immensely over the past year. Hopefully he'll find a new monthly gig elsewhere at DC Comics in the coming months.

If you're a Birds of Prey fan who has been reluctant to give this title a shot or was turned off by the first issue, come back. The Barbara Gordon you loved hasn't gone anywhere. Indeed, she's waiting for you to discover her again.

Green Lantern #10 - A Review

Issue #10 starts right in the thick of it, with Hal Jordan still trapped on the planet Nok.  The good news is that Sinestro, who is Hal's only way off the planet, is no longer brainwashed by the power of the Indigo light of Compassion.  The bad news is that neither are any of the gang of ruthless murderers, criminals and other assorted low-lifes who make up the Indigo Tribe.  


This issue is a poor one for new readers to jump in on but it is an amazing conclusion to what has been an epic chapter in Geoff Johns' on-going revamp of the Green Lantern mythos.  Despite the revelations of the Indigo Tribe being laid bare in previous issues  Johns still delivers a number of surprising moments even as he continues to explore the theme of redemption.  Chief among these is Sinestro's arrogance faltering for a moment as he actually admits that, for once, his way might not be the correct one.  


Doug Mahnke continues to wow the audience with his impressive pencils.  This issue seems to be more lightly linked than previous issues, subtly emphasizing the theme of the issue, vis a vis the lightening of hearts and the world not being quite as dark as we thought.  Truly one of the best books DC Comics has to offer now.  

Supergirl #7-9: A Review

As I've noted before, the new Supergirl title has proven to be one of the best books to come out of the original New 52 line-up.  The three issues released since my 52 Catch-Up review of the first six books have continued to uphold the same high level of quality in terms of both writing and art.

Issue #7 concludes the storyline started in Issue #5, with Kara Zor-El facing down a foursome of Worldkillers - sentient biological weapons created on Krypton.  This issue is noteworthy in that it confirms what had been hinted at in the previous issue - that Kara has completely accepted her status as a hero and the responsibilities her new-found powers have given her.  More importantly, the combat scenes show that Kara is more than dumb-muscle and has a natural head for strategy despite her relative inexperience as a warrior.



Issue #8 picks up on the heels of #7, with Kara facing down an ungrateful military platoon that is naturally scared about this young woman who defeated four monsters, single handedly, when their own weapons could do nothing.   Luckily Kara seems to have gained one supporter - a strong-willed, outspoken Irish woman named Siobnah, who has unusual powers too... including the ability to understand any language.



George Perez is the guest artist on Issue #8 and - while I am a bit biased in saying this as a Perez fan - I am hard pressed to think of a better artist one could hope to have had draw this particular issue.  The action moments early on and in the final pages are drawn well enough but the heart of this issue centers around two young women - both of whom have come a long way and are trying to rebuild their lives - getting to know one another and establishing a friendship that they both sorely need.  Perez is well known for masterfully drawing these slower moments while still infusing them with energy and this issue shows why his reputation as one of the grand masters of American Comic Artists is so well-deserved.



Issue #9 brings back artist Mahmud Ashar on pencils and inks. The sudden shift from Perez's style to Ashar's couldn't be more timely.  Ashar's darker inks and more stylized designs better suit this particular issue and it's decidedly disturbing story.



As the issue opens, we find  that Siobhan's dad is not as dead as previously imagined.  More, we discover that both father and daughter are infected by a magical curse that has transformed them both into creatures not unlike the banshees of Celtic Myth.  Of course Celtic Myth says nothing about male banshees but if they are anything like Siobhan's father, the Celtic Bards might not have gotten a chance to tell the tale after running into one.



 

The issue ends on a cliff-hanger, as The Black Banshee uses his magic to "unlock" Kara's energy, making her into a greater danger to the innocents watching the battle than the two banshees.  This leads Kara to make a faithful choice and a hero's sacrifice.  Or so it would seem.  Given that there's an Issue #10 coming out shortly I think we can safely assume Kara will emerge safe if not unscathed.  But it will be fun to see just how she manages it.  

Again, I say this is one of the best books DC Comics is publishing right now and one of their best-hidden secrets.  I'd suggest picking up the single issues on Comixpedia now, as the first print-trade of this series will not be out until September. You won't regret it.

Green Lantern Corps #7-9: A Review

When it comes to books with large ensemble casts, I am hard pressed to think of any author who has been so consistently excellent as Peter Tomasi.  If Geoff Johns can be said to be the brains behind the resurgence of Green Lanterns in the DCU, then surely Peter Tomasi is the heart.  For when you pick up a copy of Green Lantern Corps, you can safely bet that whoever the issue focuses on, you will get a fascinating character study that is second to none.

Issue #7 exemplifies this principle, being primarily focused on John Stewart.   In the opening arc of the series, Stewart and several other Lanterns were taken prisoner and Stewart was forced to kill Kirrt - one of his fellow Lanterns.  Kirrt had broken under torture and was close to  revealing classified information to the enemy before Stewart snapped his neck.  Afterward, Stewart lied about the circumstances of Kirrt's death, not wanting his final moments to cloud an otherwise exemplary record..  This issue focuses upon Stewart as he takes on the responsibility of cleaning out Kirrt's quarters and delivering his body to his family, all while coping with his own growing unease..





A soldier in the US Marines before being recruited for the Green Lanterns, Stewart is not unused to death and is no stranger to making hard choices.  He is also not unused to having to kill in the name of a greater good but that doesn't make the choices any easier to cope with.  Stripped of the science-fiction setting and the alien characters, this story could just as easily be portrayed in a modern military thriller.  Such is the magic of Tomasi's writing, that he so easily tells stories about characters that, though frequently alien to us, are all too human.

Tomasi's script is well rendered in this issue by guest penciler Claude St. Aubin.  Indeed, until looking at the credits while preparing this review, I was unaware there had be a guest penciler!  I don't know if St. Aubin was intentionally aping the style of regular GLC artist Fernando Pasarin or if their styles are just naturally sympathetic.  Either way, the artwork is well sketched and well emphasized by inker Scott Hanna.  

Issue #8 opens with a re-introduction to The Alpha Lanterns - the Internal Affairs department of the Green Lantern Corps.  Once wholly organic beings, The Alpha Lanterns were created by merging living Green Lanterns volunteers with the robotics technology used to create the Manhunters; a group of robotic police men who marked The Guardians of the Universe's first attempt at creating an intergalactic police force. 

To make a very long story short, The Manhunters started taking their directive to keep order too literally, having concluded that life, by nature, was chaotic and so the obvious solution to maintaining order was to start killing everything.  So if you're starting to think that bonding this technology to a sentient being and charging them to watch the watchmen is an incredibly bad idea, congratulations - you are smarter than The Guardians of the Universe!





Issue #8 delivers another sign that The Gods (or Guardians) Must Be Crazy, as they create a special command position for Guy Gardner - another Green Lantern of Earth, whose reputation for even-handedness and respect for others is non-existent.  Most would consider it charitable to say that Guy thinks with his heart.  Actually, most would consider it charitable to say that Guy thinks.



Surprisingly, given his hot-headed nature and general disrespect for authority, Guy seems to take The Guardian's request to mellow out to heart and later stops a potential bar brawl without brawling.  And in one of the best character-building scenes I've read in anything ever, John and Guy bond in the bar Guy runs in his off-duty time while John builds a small building out of toothpicks.  Even before Guy calls him out on it, this is a subtle sign as to John's true nature - that for all his warrior training, he is still, at heart, a creative spirit who would rather build than destroy.  And Guy, for all his blustering and bravado, is a far more empathic man than he lets on.

Things come to ahead in Issue #9, as the Alpha Lanterns - armed with footage obtained through a secret spy-cam in the deceased Kirrt's ring - arrest John Stewart on charges of murder.  Naturally, the literally-minded Alpha Lanterns care little for the circumstances behind the killing.  The letter of the law says killing a Green Lantern is wrong, even if he was about to betray The Corps and everything it stands for.





Most of the rest of the issue details Stewart's trial and the efforts undertaken by his fellow Lanterns, Guy chief along them, to defend their colleague's actions.  There are also some scenes which focus on Guy Gardner, as he butts heads with a group of Lanterns out to destroy Kirrt'smemorial statue in the Hall of Honor once word gets out about what he'd nearly done in a moment of weakness.  Anyone who doubts that there is more to Guy Gardner than a buzz cut and an attitude would do well to read this issue, as he defends both Kirrt's honor and John Stewart's decisions with intelligence and compassion along with the threat of a good ass-kicking.

   

Regular penciler Fernando Pasarin returns for Issues #8 and #9 and further cements his reputation as one of the best Green Latnern artists in years.  Pasarin's ability to draw unique looking aliens and detailed constructs is second to none but he proves equally capable, in these issues, of rendering even more mundane stories with a certain unique energy.  Again, Scott Hannah's inks and Gabe Eltaeb's colors help complete these images that seem to glow on the page.

I enjoy all the Green Lantern books published by DC Comics right now.  But if I were hard pressed to pick a favorite, I dare say Green Lantern Corps would be it.  The writing is consistently excellent, featuring some truly heart-felt tales and classical drama besides the amazing action.  The artwork is always eye-catching and memorable.  Really, I can't recommend this book enough.

Green Lantern #7-9: A Review

Reviewing Green Lantern is an increasingly difficult task for me.  The mythology Geoff Johns began with his Green Lantern: Rebirth mini-series has grown into one of the most complex in comics history.  That complexity has brought with it more sophisticated stories but it has also made it difficult to describe the book to a casual reader, to say nothing of finding a good starting point among the recent monthly issues for the new readers! 



Miraculously, Johns does a decent job of trying to establish the status quo for new readers with Green Lantern #7.  In brief, we are reminded how ex-Green Lantern Sinestro has been forcibly reinstated to his old post after an incident which bonded a Green Lantern ring to his hand.  Tasked with freeing his homeworld from the army of fear-empowered soldiers that bears his name, Sinestro turns to the one person whose talents he can rely on -  his arch-enemy, Hal Jordan! 

Needless to say Jordan is reluctant to join forces with Sinestro, even when offered a noble cause to fight for and a chance to be a hero again.  Still, Jordan agrees to the bargain and true to his word Sinestro does give Hal a modified Power Ring in exchange for his help.  Of course once the deed is done,  Sinestro notes that he never agreed to give Hal a battery and leaves him stranded on Earth.   Sinestro has come seeking Hal again as this issue opens, claiming to have discovered a prophecy which indicates that The Guardians of the Universe will soon destroy The Green Lantern Corps!





Surprisingly, Sinestro is telling Hal the truth.  Even as they speak, The Guardians are following Sinestro's trail and taking steps to kill any who they suspect may know the truth of their plans.  However, before Hal and Sinestero can take any action, the two are captured by the Compassion-powered Indigo Tribe and taken back to their homeworld - the planet Nok.




Issue #8 is a largely taken up by an extended action sequence, as Hal escapes from the Indigo Tribe's prison.  Critics who claim Geoff Johns is unable to write anything but talking-heads comics would be well-advised to check out this issue as Johns proves himself every bit as capable of high-action, low dialogue stories as the next fellow.



The plot picks back up with Issue 9, as Sinestro - who we briefly saw being tortured in the previous issue - is consumed by the Indigo Ring.  After making yet another hurried escape, Hal seeks out the source of the Indigo Power and meets Natromo - the being responsible for creating the Indigo Tribe.  It is Natromo who confirms much that has been hinted at previously regarding the Indigo Tribe being made up entirely of brainwashed criminals and further explains the history between The Indigo Tribe and Hal's predecessor, the Green Lantern Abin Sur.


 

If it seems like I am giving away too much, rest assured that what little plot information I am giving away is but a drop in the bucket.  And if I spoil or spell-out any details here, it is only to showcase the majesty of the universe that Johns has built.  There are many plot details and twisted turns I have said nothing about, so you can still enter into this book after reading this review without fear of knowing everything that is coming.

All three issues are amazingly illustrated by long-time Green Lantern penciler Doug Mahnke.  His work is as amazing as ever but it is the inking team - which includes Mahnke himself - who deserves the highest praise.  Believe it or not, a team of five separate inkers worked on these three issues but you would never know it from looking at the artwork, so uniform is the inking on each page.

In all fairness, despite the high quality storyline and wonderful artwork, I cannot whole-heartily recommend this series to new readers.   Pick up Green Lantern: Rebirth and start working you way to catch up to us.  But if you're a long-time Green Lantern fan looking for a good place to jump back in, you couldn't pick a better time to start reading.