Batman: The Devastator #1 - A Review

The Dark Knights continue to carve their way across Earth Zero. The Knight known as The Devastator - a Batman who turned himself into a monster born of Kryptonian science to stop the corrupted Superman of his world - is about to pay a visit to Lois Lane and make his mark on Metropolis.


If nothing else was accomplished by Batman: The Devastator #1, it gave me a new level of respect for Frank Tieri and James Tynion IV. I shan't spoil the hows or details but the flashback sequence detailing the creation of The Devastator puts a nail in the coffin of the idea that Batman would easily beat Superman in a fight given enough time and resources. Emphasis on the word "easily". The artwork by Tony Daniel and Danny Miki proves equally impressive, being vividly detailed yet smoothly presented.

The Final Analysis: 10 out of 10. A Must-Read for all fans of Superman and Batman. 

Action Comics #19 - A Review

And now, a moment of silence in memorial for Andy Diggle's one-issue run on Action Comics and what might have been.

 ...


This was it.  This was everything we'd hoped for in a Superman comic in the New 52.  This issue was everything a Superman comic SHOULD be.  Not to disparage Grant Morrison's work on this title or disavow every positive thing I've said about it before, but having read this issue I see now the problem with Morrison's run that I sensed but could not put words to before.  Morrison's Action Comics was not about Superman as a character - it was about the world of Superman and what Superman represents.  Was it worth reading?  Absolutely!  Was it about Superman?  Not really. 


Diggle focuses upon the characters as characters and reveals everything you need to know about them in the span of a few pages.  Lois Lane is outspoken and tough as nails without seeming shrewish.  She may rib on "Smallville" but you still see the respect she has for Clark Kent.  Lex Luthor is appropriately diabolic - the sort of man who keeps a psychiatrist hostage to analyze him for any mental weaknesses, only to argue her diagnosis.  Diggle also explores how Luthor is Superman's totally opposite in the respect that both men perceive the problems with the world and wish to save it but Luthor's ends are not the same as Clark Kent's.  And Superman?  He is summed up as neatly as I've seen anywhere as a man who hates bullies and won't start a fight but will damn well finish it if he must.


Tony Daniel's artwork is as skillful as ever.  Reports say that he'll be handling the writing on this book as well, finishing the scripts based on Diggle's plots.  I wasn't a big fan of Daniel's Detective Comics run but I think I'll give this series one more issue to see if it can hold my interest.  As it is, this issue is well worth your time and money.

Justice League #14 - A Review

First, a correction.  In my review of the last issue of Justice League, I took issue with a part of the new origin for the villain The Cheetah.  Specifically, I took issue with how the comic said that she was empowered after cutting herself on a knife recovered from a tribe in the Amazon Jungle and became possessed by a goddess of the hunt.  I asked why, if she had been empowered by a South American goddess, she had taken the name of an African predatory cat. 

What I missed was that the jungle the team journeyed to at the end of the comic was in The Congo - not The Amazon.  Further, this issue does explain how this knife - dubbed The Godslayer - had been used in Africa to bind one hunter goddess/cheetah spirit and made its' way to South America, where it wound up in the possession of the aforementioned Amazon tribe.  My apologies to Geoff Johns for the error.

Now that that's said, on with THIS issue... 



Justice League #14 offers a lot of material I wish we'd seen in this title sooner.  Still, there's no point in crying over what should have been done earlier.  The fact of the matter is that, for the first time in a long time, this book did more right than it did wrong.

The first half of the book focuses upon our team as they have to cope with the dual threat of The Cheetah running loose and a magically poisoned Superman growing ever-closer to death.  There's a lot of nice little touches here, but three stand out for me in particular.  First, the conceit of having Superman be the teammate placed in danger and - for once - through means other than a piece of Kryptonite is a novel one and really helps to sell the drama.  The second is Johns' use of Cyborg, whose powers are used in a uniquely creative fashion.  (At least I've never seen Cyborg act as a universal translator before!)  Finally, there is Aquaman's brief, wordless moment of awesome in which Johns once again showcases how Aquaman's powers are far from useless.

I think I like Tony S. Daniel more as an illustrator than I do as a writer.  His depiction of The Cheetah and her jungle realm is appropriatlye savage and would not look out of place in a Tarzan story.  He also does well with the more mundane scenes later in the second half of the book when we get to the other major subplot in need of resolution.



One big complaint that many DC Comics fans had about the declaration that Superman and Wonder Woman were now a couple lay in how sudden the declaration was made.  There was no build-up in Justice League to suggest such a thing was happening - no hint of romance or even a suggestion that the two viewed one another as anything but teammates.  While it may be too little, too late, the second half of this book is  a step in the right direction.  It focuses upon Superman attempting to show Wonder Woman who he really is - not in the sense of his secret identity but by showing her places that are important to him and taking her to do things that remind him of the people they are protecting.  This is something that the Amazon Princess has never spent much time doing and it helps to emphasize the main difference between the two heroes.  Wonder Woman, first and foremost, is a warrior.  Superman, first and foremost, is a protector.  Both characters get some much needed development and the idea of a romance between the two seems a little less forced as a result.

Less enjoyable, however, is the back-up story featuring Shazam.  Or, as I'm quickly thinking of him in my own head, Sham-zam.  I had hoped we were done with these back-up stories after last month's excellent story involving Green Arrow and Steve Trevor teaming-up.  But it was not to be.

Thankfully, we see very little of Billy Batson this time around, save for a scene in which he and his cohort Freddy buy Billy a trenchcoat to cover up his costume and ponder how to spend the rest of the $20 they were given for saving a woman from a mugger.  Most of the story focuses upon Black Adam, learning something of how the world has changed since he last walked upon it and further learning that some things have not changed.  Namely, the powerful still stomp upon the weak for their own glory, though the pharaohs now call themselves CEOs. 


Is it wrong that I find myself cheering Black Adam in this story?   Should I NOT be rooting for him to slap some sense into Billy?  Because Johns' take on Black Adam so far seems to be exactly the same as how he wrote the character back in JSA and so far Black Adam has been the most heroic person in this book ignoring - you know - the whole dropping a pension-stealing CEO to his death thing.

Gary Frank's artwork is still uniformly excellent.  Indeed, I'd argue it's far better than this story deserves.  I'm hard pressed of a way to describe precisely why I find Frank's work so good.  Like the old saying says, I don't know much about art but I know what I like.  Well, I do know a bit about art and I like this.  So take that for what it's worth.

All in all, this book is definitely worth your four bucks.  I had been on the fence about it for a while but for now I'm in, if only to see what Johns does with his upcoming crossover with Aquaman.

Justice League #13 - A Review

Justice League #13 provides another example of how infuriating many of the New 52 books by Geoff Johns have been.  Like Johns' Aquaman, this issue offers us a look at a larger DC Universe while at the same time offering us surprising little insight into that universe.  While this issue does offer several good bits of character business, it is icing on a bland cake.


The main plot focuses upon the League's attempts to capture The Cheetah - once again the closest thing to an arch-enemy that Wonder Woman has.  Her background has changed slightly, with archeologist Barbara Minerva now having been a one-time ally of Wonder Woman who became possessed by a goddess of the hunt after accidentally cutting herself with a ritual knife belonging to a lost tribe in the Amazon jungle.  Why she took the name of an African predatory cat when her powers come from a South American goddess is not explained.

As always, Johns is at his best when he forgets the story and focuses on making his characters characters.  The best moments in this issue are the little scenes where the heroes are allowed to be people.  The awkward moment when Wonder Woman and Superman discuss the kiss they had in the heat of the moment last issue.  Barry Allen's reassuring Victor Stone that he is still more man than machine as the two discuss the recent shake-up of their teams.  And the real prize of this issue - a back-up story co-written with Animal Man writer Jeff Lemire, in which we see Steve Trevor and Oliver Queen discussing evidence Green Arrow found that a covert super-villain team exists.


The art is largely excellent.  Tony Daniel, fresh from Detective Comics, does a fine job of rendering the action of the main story, with savage pencils defined by the inks of Richard Friend & Batt.  Less memorable is the back-up story drawn by Brad Walker, whose Oliver Queen looks far-too baby-faced for my liking and indeed seems to look like a young boy in some panels!

Ultimately, the biggest problem with Justice League is that it fails to seem like the flagship title of the company.  Everything here is competent but Justice League should be more than that.  It should be amazing - an action movie on paper!  And this... this just isn't that exciting or enthralling.

Friday Comic Con News Round Up - Part One

All news from the DC Comics Justice League & Green Lantern panel.


* Justice League #12 will bring big changes to the team. New people will join. Old people will quit. Tony Daniel will take over writing after Issue #12.

# The relationship between Billy Batson and the wizard Shazam will be antagonistic once they finally meet. According to Geoff Johns, "Shazam is weirded out that a kid is visiting him, whereas Billy doesn't like Shazam telling him what to do. Johns says that Billy will be joining the Justice League." An empowered Billy Batson will be part of the new Justice League.

* Again, the Green Lantern on the cover of Green Lantern #0 is an original character, who carries a gun as a back-up weapon in case his ring runs out of power at a bad moment.

* Again, the upcoming "Third Army" the Guardians create will come about because of their conclusion that emotion and fear aren't the cause of the universe's problems - it's free will.

* Johns also made reference to "The Fall Of Guy Gardner" in the coming months.

* By Issue #12, we will learn how and why a ring from each Corps wound up going to Kyle Rayner. More, Kyle will wind up with one of each ring again and apparently have to learn how to use and master each color of the spectrum heading into "The Third Army".

* Tony Bedard also said that upcoming stories will spell out more of Kyle Rayner's past - a neccesity given, as Geoff Johns pointed out, that over half of his girlfriends may not exist in the new continuity. Jade definitely doesn't. The fate of Donna Troy and Soranik is still in question. No word on if Major Force still fridged Alexandra DeWitt.

* There probably won't be any resolution to the dangling plot-thread of Lobo getting a Red Lantern ring.

* The Dex-Starr Valentine's Day special is coming. They just need to bring Krypto back before it can happen.

Thursday Night Comic Con News Round-Up - Part Two

* Joker will be returning in a big way in "Death Of The Family" - a crossover spanning most of the Bat-Family books. Scott Snyder, Tony Daniel and Kyle Higgins all agree that their respective contributions are by far the most disturbing things they have ever written. (Batman: Beyond The Night Of Owls Panel)

* Lady Shiva will make her first appearance in a New 52 title in Nightwing #13. (Batman: Beyond The Night Of Owls Panel)

* Ed Benes will be taking over as the regular artist on Batgirl with Issue #13. (Batman: Beyond The Night Of Owls Panel)

Savage Hawkman #1 - A Review

Out of all of the iconic figureheads of the DC Universe, I don't think any of them have a more convoluted back story than Hawkman. Over the years Hawkman has been a reincarnated Egyptian prince, an alien cop come to Earth to study our ways, a warrior from a planet of decadent nobles, an avatar of some kind of Hawk deity or some combination of at least two of the preceding elements. To say that Hawkman was in need of some serious simplification would be an understatement and it has been hoped by many a Hawk-Fan that Savage Hawkman #1 would give Carter Hall the fresh start he sorely needed.

The book opens promisingly, with Carter Hall - apparently sick of being a superhero - having journeyed to the woods of upstate New York in an attempt to burn his Hawkman armor. Made of the mysterious Nth Metal, the costume proves to be made of sterner stuff and indeed seems to come to life so it can attack Carter. Sometime later, he awakens in his apartment, having somehow made his way back to NYC naked, undetected and in surprisingly good shape for someone who passed out while being burned alive. Carter has little time to ponder this mystery, however, as he is called out to a dig site where his expertise as an archeologist and cryptologist is needed to examine an alleged alien spaceship. Hijinks ensue as some manner of shadowy creatures laying dormant inside the ship awaken and Carter is astonished to find N-th Metal flowing out of his body and enveloping him, his armor having apparently fused with his body in such a way that it can be summoned forth whenever he needs arms and armor.




The plot here is nothing deep or surprising. If you've seen one horror movie/sci-fi movie with a billionaire funding research into something unusual, you'll know what is going to happen long before Carter is called to the scene. Despite this, Tony Daniel does a good job of establishing Hawkman's powers and Carter's personality as a rugged all-American manly man. Daniel also neatly avoids the questions regarding Carter's past and just what would make him seek to destroy the armor in the first place. It is, to the story of this comic, unimportant.

The artwork by Phillp Tan is as slick and streamlined as the story. Tan's work is sketchy with thin inks that create an effect not unlike that of the paintings of Alex Ross. Full credit for this touch, however, must go to colorist Sunny Gho whose vibrant colors liven up what might otherwise be some very drab scenes.

All in all, this isn't a bad book though it really isn't my cup of tea. I prefer my heroes with a little more humor than Carter and the lack of a unique and interesting plot isn't doing this book any favors. Still, if you like your comics to be simple and full of action, I can't think of a better title for you than Savage Hawkman.

Detective Comics #1 - A Review

Batman chasing after The Joker – it’s a simple enough a beginning. Even the greenest of greenhorns to the superhero genre can be assumed to be aware of the long-standing feud between The Dark Knight Detective and The Clown Prince of Crime. You’d think then that Tony Daniel would have an easy time of it with this, the first issue of the new Detective Comics.

Sadly, the only real mysteries in this issue are those created through Daniel’s unclear writing. On the opening page, we are told through Batman’s internal monologue that he has linked The Joker to 114 murders over the past six years. This would seem to indicate that Batman has been battling The Joker for at least that long. Yet later monologues leave Batman questioning The Joker’s motivations and modus operandi, as if this was his first time facing the villain who would become his greatest nemesis!

This seems to be confirmed by the fact that, save for James Gordon, the police seem completely unaware that Batman is on their side and consider him a threat when they find him attempting to care for a little girl left behind during The Joker’s latest attack. This scene showcases the one saving grace of this story. While it is unclear just when this story takes place in the new timeline, we are given little doubt as to what Batman’s priorities are. Many Batman writers forget that Bruce Wayne’s motivations lie not in laying down vengeance upon criminals but in preserving the lives of the innocent. Mark Waid put it best in Kingdom Come, through the mouth of Superman – "When you take everything else away from Batman, you have a person who doesn't want to see people die."

The other characters are similarly well-showcased, with Alfred Pennyworth being his usual helpful yet slyly snarky self and Jim Gordon being portrayed as a good man caught between the legal obligations of his position and the moral obligations he has to properly protect his city, even at the cost of aiding a vigilante. Only The Joker – and I freely admit this may be a personal preference – comes off as being “wrong”, being portrayed by Daniel as more of a gibbering madman than a sickening showman.

The Joker proves to be the exception once again in the artwork, with Daniel’s portrayal of The Harelquin of Hate looking like one of the radioactive mutants from a Simon Bisley Heavy Metal comic. His Batman, however, is a thing of gothic wonder and the backgrounds depicting Gotham City are some of the best I’ve ever seen.

In the end, I don’t think I’ll be coming back for Issue #2. It’s not a bad comic, really. I just don’t find Tony Daniel’s take on The Joker appealing, in terms of dialogue or design. Throw in some confusion on just when this story is taking place and a Bottom-Of-The-Ninth-Inning “twist” ending that serves no purpose other than trying to convince you to buy issue #2 and what you have is enough of a mess to turn me off of this title.