Comics

Rating the Relaunch, Part 2

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I guess it’s time for my take on the second half the DC relaunch.  While this set didn’t have the same number of standout books, I think the overall quality was about the same as the first 2 weeks.

All-Star Western. Writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti. Art by Moritat.
Gray and Palmiotti have quietly put out some of the best work to come from DC Comics over the last five years. Among others (Power Girl, the underrated Freedom Fighters) their biggest success has been Jonah Hex. With the re-launch they stick with that character, but the focus of the series changes. Hex is now in Gotham City and part of a continuing story instead of a done-in-one. It works wonderfully. Hex is teamed with Gotham psychologist Amadeus Arkham (founder of the famous asylum) to solve a series of Jack the Ripper-esque murders. Jonah and the Doctor couldn’t be more different, but they are also both outsiders in Gotham City. The reveal of the truth of the situation at the end is perfectly horrifying.
While the writing team sets up a terrific western murder mystery, the art is the star of this book. Moritat’s clean lines somehow establish the grimy-ness of a burgeoning late 19th century city. He really succeeds at making Gotham as much of a character as Jonah Hex or Dr. Arkham. The great art combined with writing that is more than simply adequate but actually very good makes All-Star Western one of the best books of the month.
9/10

Aquaman. Writer Geoff Johns. Art by Ivan Reis & Joe Prado
Geoff Johns is the master at distilling a character to a simple, relatable idea. His take on Aquaman is compelling. He uses the real life perception of Aquaman, that he’s a lame, stupid superhero, to his advantage when setting up the hero. John’s Aquaman is hero in two worlds, neither of which appreciates him. He may be king of Atlantis, but due to his above water heritage, they see him as an outsider, while the population on the surface doesn’t believe in his undersea tales or ridicules him for them. Aquaman is clearly affected by his reputation, but he is not discouraged by it. He is a hero.
While Johns might lay it on a bit thick with the reputation stuff, the writing is mostly crisp. Interesting, though likely a bit gory new villains, some sort of anglerfish men, are introduced and Aquaman’s history and situations is deftly weaved into the story. Ivan Reis’s art is perfectly fitting and up to his usual high quality. The few flashback panels are especially good, though that is probably as much the colorist as anybody. Still, this issue is a fine first issue, a perfect establishment of who and what Aquaman is.
8/10

Batman. Writer Scott Snyder. Art by Greg Capullo & Jonathon Glapion.
Snyder, fresh off an excellent run on Detective Comics, writes a very good, not quite great, new Batman. There are many clever touches here, like a facial recognition contact lens and Dick Grayson masquerading as the Joker to help stop a riot in Arkham, but there isn’t much that’s not standard Batman stuff. A new rich rival, a new mysterious villain and requisite appearances but pretty much the whole supporting cast. It is perfect for someone who only knows Batman from the movies to jump on. I do love the return of Harvey Bullock and that Snyder wrote Commissioner Gordon as Columbo.
Capullo’s art is a big surprise, in a good way. I didn’t expect much, but I hadn’t actually had much experience with him. I shouldn’t have worried. His art has personality, it has character. Everyone is distinct and recognizable. It is just really nice. This is a very good book.
8/10

Batman: The Dark Knight. Writer/Co-Plotter Paul Jenkins. Artist/Co-Plotter David Finch.
Finch draws Batman extra brawny and everything very detailed. Aside from the faces, his art is solid. The writing and plotting, though, leave a lot to be desired. Bruce Wayne gives a speech at a fundraiser, and then tries to quell a riot at Arkham Asylum. This is standard Batman stuff. In fact, most of it happened in the much better Batman. There is tons of narration about the nature of fear that is overwrought and just plain bad. Overwrought pretty well describes the whole comic, art and writing. Except for the last page “shocker” that reveals the worst possible take on Two-Face, that is just stupid. Still, this isn’t an outright terrible comic, but there are definitely better Batman comics out right now, like Batman or Batman and Robin. This is slightly better than Detective Comics, but not a lot.
3/10

Blackhawks. Writer Mike Costa. Finishes by Ken Lashley. Layouts by Graham Nolan.
For a comic that I had no expectations about, this still manages to disappoint. Not that it is especially bad, but it could have and should have been much better. The idea here is basically a DC Universe G.I. Joe team. The characters, whose personalities are only hinted at in this issue, could develop into an interesting team. The problems crop up with some just stupid bits of plotting. Like a covert ops team painting their logo on their plane, then being in trouble when someone spots it. Why put it on there at all? The art is inconsistent, never actually good but it does veer into awful for a while. It looks rushed and sloppy. This is a bad first issue of a comic that could be very good.
3/10

Birds of Prey. Writer Duane Swierczynski. Artist Jesus Saiz.
This has potential. Saiz’s art is clean and reasonably detailed that very effectively tells the story. The story is a bit of a muddle, like coming in on the third act of an action movie. The situation is broad enough that it is easy to get behind the heroes, despite accusations of murder and other crimes. But who their anatomists are isn’t really clear, nor is the connection between the characters or far that matter who our heroes are. I know Black Canary from previous comics, and this establishes her as a martial arts superhero, but the rest and all of Starling, the other lead, is a blank. This issue does set up a mystery that could and should be interesting, but it is clumsy. Not a bad start, but not the cleanest one.
6/10

Blue Beetle. Writer Tony Bedard. Art by Ig Guara and Roy Rose.
Some may complain about the retelling the origin of a character that has only been around for 5 years, but it is clear that the reason for doing it is to remove allusions to the crossover Infinite Crisis as well as to have a nice multimedia friendly origin. For the most part, this book works. The art is solid, though nothing to get excited over. The writing has some strange bits, like an editor’s note that says translated from Spanglish when it isn’t, but the story is a solid one. The only really troublesome change is that they turned the Reach, the villains who sent the scarab to Earth, from somewhat ambiguous assimilators to evil conquerors. Still, it is hard to escape the fact that if you’ve read the last series you’ve read a better version of this story. That doesn’t mean that this is a bad version, simply a mediocre one.
6/10

Captain Atom. Written by J.T. Krul. Art by Freddie Williams II.
This is a book where the art stars. Williams renders Captain Atom as a bright figure of reality on an almost impressionistic, dark background. In the end our protagonist, even though he is a completely unreal flying blue man seems more real than the world around him. It is really good, stunning work. The writing by J.T. Krul, who hasn’t written much that is good and plenty that is terrible, is also solid. There are certainly flaws — how did there get to be a volcano in New York? Is anyone even remotely intrigued by the cliffhanger? — but it is mostly solid superhero stuff. Captain Atom is not just a man losing his humanity but also a man whose self is actively deteriorated. It is an interesting hook.
7/10

Catwoman. Written by Judd Winick. Art by Guillem March.
From cover to cover, this book made me feel dirty, like some cheap cable soft-core porn. It is literally impossible to separate the plot of the book from all the T&A because it pervades all parts of this comic. While a trashy romance take on Catwoman is not an inherently bad idea, here it is not done with much skill or class. Winick does nothing to make Catwoman in interesting character. All we learn of her from this issue is that she uses her sexuality to solve her problems, even when it doesn’t make sense for any reason other than the artist wants to draw some boobs. March has a unique style to his art and while his work here isn’t terrible, it absolutely exacerbates the voyeuristic felling the whole comic has. I really, really did not care for this.
3/10

DCU Presents: Deadman. Written by Paul Jenkins. Art by Bernard Chang.
Another competent but unremarkable comic. Chang provides nice, clean art. Nothing to get excited about, but also nothing to complain about. The story is an effective explanation of who Deadman is that quickly and intelligently remakes his origin. He is no longer searching for his killer, but trying to balance some sort of Karmic scales because in life he was a douche. It is a good hook for a hero, but one that can never end because when it does, Deadman dies. Strangely, Deadman is a getting a big push in the new DC Universe, with a spot on a Justice League team, a supporting role in another book and a 5 (or 6) issue story in what is supposed to be an anthology title. I think wasn’t a good idea to start this title with such a long story about a character, but it doesn’t seem to be a bad story.
6/10

The Fury of Firestorm. Written by Gail Simone and Ethan Van Scriver. Art by Yildiray Cinar.
This is a complete re-imagining of the Firestorm concept. Now Ronnie Raymond and Jason Rusch are high school students that through the use of some sort of SUPER SCIENCE capsule become Firestorm. It opens with a disturbingly violent set of murders, something that continues to happen throughout the book. Then we get to our heroes. Simone and Van Scriver set up our heroes as complete opposites with about as much subtlety as a hammer. But the hammer is a tool they clearly know how to use, so it doesn’t come off too bad. The art never rises above middling, with some rough pages of Ronnie playing football offsetting the nice pages after they become Firestorms. The concept seems good, much better than the mess that the characters were in in the previous continuity. My only substantial complaint is the level of violence that this book treats so casually. The Fury of Firestorm isn’t great, but it certainly is interesting.
7/10

The Flash. Story and Art by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato.
I had some trepidation with artists taking over writing duties on this title, but luckily, my fears were unfounded. Maybe it’s just because it is currently fresher in my mind than Batwoman, but I’m calling this the best-looking book coming out of DC. This is a nearly perfect melding of story and art. There are several pages that are just jaw droopingly awesome. The story itself is nothing special, though it sadly has a somewhat uncommon tone. This is a traditional superhero book. It is about the Flash solving a crime. There is little blood and only one possible death. It is refreshingly straightforward and heroic. We actually get to see the protagonist hang out with some supporting cast. While I would guess Barry’s reunion with Iris West is inevitable, I like Patty Spivot. While she appeared some in the previous Flash series, this one issue made me like her. And Iris comes off as a wonderfully pushy Lois Lane type. Even the previously personality free Barry Allen is interesting. If the creative team can maintain this level of artistry and keep the story moving this could be the best book of re-launch.
9/10

Green Lantern Corps. Written by Peter Tomasi. Art by Fernando Pasarin.
I have to admit that I was inclined to like this book before I read it. Tomasi’s previous Green Lantern Corps run was a favorite of mine, and I have an unhealthy affection for Guy Gardner. While trying to be as unbiased as possibly, I still think this is a really good comic book. It effectively establishes the two heroes, Guy and John Stewart, showing their problems fitting in on Earth now that they are superhero space cops. Then they pop back into space just in time to investigate some something that is killing Green Lantern. This book isn’t great and it isn’t flashy, but it works. The art is the best sort of realism that manages to make the crazy aliens look just as real as the actual people do. Plus, I crack up every time I see that panel of Guy almost crying when they tell him he can’t coach football.
8/10

Green Lantern: The New Guardians. Written by Tony Bedard. Art by Tyler Kirkham.
Tony Bedard has an interesting story he’s setting up here, but he doesn’t do a very good job of it in this first issue. There is a pointless retelling of Kyle‘s, the fourth Green Lantern, origin that glosses over why the guardians would give the ring to him. The rest of the issue isn’t particularly bad, but underwhelming. The art does it no favors. Kirkham’s art is like a watered down Jim Lee, only now with anime hair. The whole style is dull and off-putting. The art and writing together add up to a kind of bad comic book that at least has the promise of a decent hook.
4/10

I, Vampire. Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov. Art by Andrea Sorrentino.
The cover does this book no favors, but inside it is pretty decent. A vampire guy and his vampire lover debate whether they should try to take over a world that is filled with superhero’s that will absolutely kill them. Then on starts a war on humanity and the other tries to stop it. Some of the dialogue is over the top ridiculous, but for the most part, it works. The art fits the mood of the book perfectly, with everything being dark and foggy. It does make it hard to differentiate some characters, but it looks really good. I’m not sure how far this book can go when the end point is already known. There is no way these vampires have a chance against Superman and the rest of the superheroes. I do appreciate the bait and switch of the Twilight looking cover and inside real, murderous vampires.
7/10

Justice League Dark. Written by Peter Milligan. Art by Mikel Janin.
While the title is dumb, this is a good concept, a Justice League team set up to deal entirely with magical threats. This first issue illustrates both how the Johns/Lee Justice League could have introduced all the characters in the first issue and why it didn’t. The whole of the eventual team appears in this book, but assuming you don’t have any previous knowledge of them this book does little to clue you in. And most of these characters aren’t even close to household names. Sure, John Constantine had a movie and Zatanna has been in a lot of DC cartoons, but the rest are mostly unknowns outside of rapid comic book fandom. Still, the book gets all the players on the board and tells a reasonably coherent story. Plus, Mikel Janin’s art is really, really good. It does look a little stiff and posed occasionally, but with the excellent coloring, the art on Justice League Dark definitely helps set the creepy tone of the book. This is by no means a perfect book, but it is one with potential.
7/10

Legion of Superheroes. Written by Paul Levitz. Art by Francis Portela.
As I said with Legion Lost, the Legion of Superheroes has a reputation for being impenetrable. And in this re-launch that has held true. This is a book more dependant on what came before than any other book that DC published this month. Unfortunately, it does almost nothing to let the reader know what that was. It’s not that the story is particularly hard to follow, it is just that this isn’t chapter 1, it is more like chapter 12. It is easy enough to follow the plot, but there are relationships that drive the story that are only hinted at. Portela’s art is fine, aside from the occasional wonky face, but as a new start, this issue is a mess. I can’t imagine this gaining the Legion any fans, but I assume it won’t lose them any either.
4/10

Nightwing. Written by Kyle Higgins. Art by Eddy Barrows.
Dick Grayson returns to his old identity, and it is like he never left. I really enjoyed this. It shows where Dick has been and where he is now while hinting at where he is trying to go. This feels like a continuation of the old Nightwing series, and that is a very good thing. His long running series (nearly 15 years) was often very good superheroics that actually benefited from starring Batman that wasn’t Batman, as that freed it up to tell stories with a greater feeling of danger. Kyle Higgins seems to write in the mold of Chuck Dixon, and while that rarely produces great comics, it usually produces very good ones. Eddy Barrows art is mostly good, giving Dick a great sense of motion and an acrobatic style. This is an upper end good book.
7/10

Red Hood and The Outlaws. Written by Scott Lobdell. Art by Kenneth Rocafort.
I am going to give Lobdell a pass on Starfire in this issue. As she is written it is damn close to vile, but I am willing to believe that it is not intentional, that there is an explanation. Fiction is predicated on things not being what they seem. I hope that is the case here. Other than that, this is a decent trashy buddy comic. The Red Hood and Arsenal are both losers, but together they make a decent team. Rocafort’s funky page layouts and oddly chiseled looking characters are strangely compelling to me. And the colorist Blond really nails it. I want to see more of this art. But for that, this book needs to be better. Lobdell hit Superboy out of the park; I hope he can right this ship. There is trashy fun to be had here, if there is a decent explanation for Starfire.
5/10

Savage Hawkman. Written by Tony Daniel. Art by Philip Tan.
This is a hard issue to judge. It isn’t good, but I’m not sure it is terrible. Tan’s art is very good on some pages but confusing and sloppy on others. The new set up is interesting, but this issue doesn’t tell us much about Hawkman. Daniel describing him as an alien Indiana Jones sounds great, but that doesn’t really come across in this issue. The dialogue is the best I’ve seen from Daniel, but honestly, that is almost an insult.  Much of the premise is still vague or unclear and the villain is the most uninteresting sort of rage murder monster.  I could see this developing into a pretty good action comic, but after one issue it is a mess.
4/10

 

 

Supergirl. Written by Michael Green and Mike Johnson. Art by Mahmud Asrar.
If this comic had been a little meatier, I would be lauding it as one of the great successes of the relaunch, up there with The Flash and Aquaman. Unfortunately, it is a little light. Asrar’s art is clean and crisp, avoiding the blatantly sexual posing that pervades cape comics while simultaneously making Supergirl seem like a confused, scared girl and a powerhouse. The story is an intelligent take on the way Jeph Loeb portrayed Supergirl only a few years ago. Her unfamiliarity with humanity emphasizes Superman’s Earthly upbringing. She is clearly lost. But there just isn’t much to this issue aside from Supergirl crashing to Earth and waking up. She then fights some guys in mechs, which looks nice but doesn’t really accomplish anything. Not a bad start, but a slow one.
7/10

Superman. Written by George Perez. Art by George Perez and Jesus Merino.
This is one dense comic. Perez packs 25 pages with more word balloons and narration boxes than any other 3 comics. That in and of itself is neither good nor bad, it all comes down to the merit of all those words. For the first half of the comic it is pretty good. A touched cramped, there is a lot of information being thrown at the reader trying to set up Superman’s new status quo, but nice a meaty in comparison to something like Supergirl. Then there is the second half, where Superman’s fight with a fire monster is obscured by both the T.V. coverage and Clark’s own newspaper story. The newspaper take on the fight is really unnecessary and is easily the comics biggest fault. It is both badly written and redundant with the visuals and the T.V. take, which is actually integral to the story. The art is hard to fault. Perez is a legendary artist and Merino manages to smooth over some of the excess detail. This is a comic that needs to breathe; it needs to pack less information in the space provided. Its density makes it ponderous. Still, it is not a terrible start for the new Superman.
6/10

Teen Titans. Written by Scott Lobdell. Art by Brett Booth and Norm Raphmund.
Teen Titans is much better than I expected. The writing is reasonably crisp, and the plot is much more upbeat and fun than the solicitations made it seem. While all the characters are rebooted, although for Red Robin I think it is just his Teen Titans past that is gone, but none seem to have been greatly damaged by the change. They seem young and reckless, which is probably how they should feel. Booth’s art is not quite the albatross around the neck of this book that I though it would be. It still isn’t very good, his style makes everything looks elongated and weird, but it isn’t as early Image terrible as some of his stuff looks. This is a reasonably decent comic. Not great by any means, and with Booth’s art not good as far as I’m concerned, but not terrible.
5/10

Wonder Woman. Written by Brian Azzarello. Art by Cliff Chiang.
Chiang is the king of drawing. This book is up there with The Flash and Batwoman as the best looking of the re-launch. If only for the art this is one of the better books of the month. Fortunately, Azzarello also sets up a nice story. His Diana is powerful, but not cold. There are the seeds of a great dynamic between her and Zola, the woman she is protecting from the anger of at least one of the Gods. The modernized version of the Greek Pantheon in this book are visually more interesting than they have been, but it seems a little tired after reading Incredible Hercules. Wonder Woman is set up as the intercessor between men and gods, having to protect a pregnant woman from the capricious immortals. I am a sucker for modern mythology stories, and this is among the best I have read.
9/10

Voodoo. Written by Ron Marz. Art by Sami Basri.
I was kind of dreading reading this, but I ended up liking it a lot. Like Supergirl, it is sparse, especially on details about its title character, but this comic sets up its mystery better than most of the mystery-ish books of the re-launch. It is impossible to ignore that this book is set mostly in a strip club. While there is a flimsy story pretext for this, it mostly seems to be there because the Wildstorm Voodoo was also a stripper. The combination of Basri’s clean art and Marz matter of fact treatment of the subject help this book to not feel exploitative. Still, this is 20 pages of the worst secret agent ever and his partner watching a stripper that they believe is a shape-changing alien. They have a theory about her, and part of it is confirmed. This issue leaves it up in the air if its protagonist is a monster or not and it actually feels like a mystery worth pursuing.
7/10

Comic Reviews (Non-DC)

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I thought about skipping this since I wrote 3000 words about the DC relaunch earlier this week, but I do read comics that aren’t from DC, and some that I’ve read recently are really, really good. So more comic reviews.

John Carter, A Princess of Mars 1 (of 5).
Written by Roger Langridge. Art by Filipe Andrade.
I have been on something of an E.R. Burroughs kick lately, so when I heard that Marvel was doing an adaptation, written by Roger Langridge of Thor: The Mighty Avenger, I knew I had to check it out. (I know about Dynamite’s series, but the covers are a little too porn-y for my tastes.) This first issue was anything but a disappointment.
Langridge is doing an adaptation, so the base of the story is already laid down for him. He does change the opening up to get to the action more quickly, and it works. Much of the explanation of Martian life in the novel is no longer necessary with the accompanying art. Right away John Carter is established as a good man, if he is more sarcastic than in the books.
Andrade’s art is where the book really shines. His Mars really looks alien, perfectly capturing the dying world look of this Barsoom (as Mars is called in the books.) His characters are sketchy and bendy and fluid. It is really just a joy to look at.
This series seems to be avoiding the Dynamite one’s problems of porny-ness but eliminating the conceit that no one on Mars wears clothes, something that almost has to be done for a visual take on the book to not seem lurid. This is just a very good comic. [****]

Bonnie Lass 1 (of 4).
Written by Michael Mayne and Tyler Fluharty. Art by Michael Mayne.
Nothing I’ve read recently touches Bonnie Lass for sheer energy. It is a pirate western mash-up that at its best feels like Hayao Miyazaki’s Castle in the Sky. The art is cartoony and colorful and, like the rest of the book, full of energy. There is some definite and fitting manga/anime influence. It is exciting. The story sets the stage for what promises to be a grand adventure. The titular Bonnie and her crew, consisting of her brother and one other buddy, get their hands on a treasure map and when the people who had sought to buy don’t come through with the cash they decide to search out the treasure for themselves. But first, they must escape the town because they have recently become wanted men. Action packed doesn’t tell the half of it, but it is almost a weakness. At times, like the brawl on their deck and the ship chase at the end, the action is almost perfect, but there is little downtime between action scenes, giving the book a bit of a hectic feel at time. Still, the seeds are laid for a great adventure, even if the characters haven’t been fully fleshed out yet. I’d rather this err on the side of too much action than too little. The problems with this book are slight enough that I can whole-heartedly recommend it to everybody. [****½]

Below the break are some quick reviews:
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Rating the Relaunch

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Its now three-ish weeks into the DC Relaunch and I guess its time for my take on the books released so far. I have read them all, and so far I’d call the relaunch a success. I’m going to give my take on all 27 of the books released so far with a brief review and a score from 1-10, going in alphabetical order because why not?

Action Comics.  Grant Morrison and Rags Morales.

The best book of the relaunch so far. Morrison gives us a significantly younger, less powerful Superman, as well as one who is more proactive. This issue moves at a frantic, frenetic pace, never really stopping to let the reader catch their breath. It is heavy on action but still manages to seed tons and tons of Superman stories to come. Most amazing is the fact that nearly throughout it all Superman is smiling. He may have a touch of Batman in his methods, but he isn’t dark and brooding. Just a great, great issue.
10/10

Animal Man. Jeff Lemire and Travel Foreman.

Another truly great book. Lemire lays the ground work for an excellent horror tinged superhero family comic. Foreman’s sparse artwork complements it perfectly, especially in the terrifying dream sequence near the end. The only flaw, if there is one, is that it is pretty dense. Lemire uses an excerpt from a fake magazine interview to explain who Animal Man is that is as clumsy as it is effective. This is shaping up to be something different than the usual superhero fare and an excellent read.
9/10

Batgirl. Gail Simone and Ardian Syaf.

Gail Simone writes Barbara Gordon’s return to Batgirl, and walking, and it is something of a disappointment. This is not a strictly bad comic, but it is somewhat overwrought, especially that last page, and too focused on what came before. There is a tepid new villain and a potentially interesting roommate and some generic superhero action. Ardian Syaf’s art is adequate, at times very good but not consistently. Simone does occasionally tend to miss with her stories (though for every bad one there are 4 good ones) and I expect this comic to improve as it goes.
6/10

Batman and Robin. Peter Tomasi and Pat Gleason.

Pat Gleason’s art is wonderful. It is detailed and elastic and a touch gruesome. I think he might be better suited for a book with monsters, like his previous work on Green Lantern Corps or something like Frankenstein or Demon Knights, but it is always very good. Tomasi lays it on a bit thick, perhaps, but subtly is not always a virtue. This is a book that new readers should be able to pick up and quickly grasp the relationships between the characters. It is little more than a simple Batman story, but it is a very executed one.
7/10


Batwing. Judd Winick and Ben Oliver.

This is a basically new character and this first issue gives the reader no reason to care about him. Winick actually tells the us very little about Batwing and introduces a ridiculous (in a bad way) villain named Massacre. The story is just unappealing and unexceptional. Oliver’s art has great figure work, but it is severely lacking in background detail. This is a problem and the books main selling point is that it is Batman in Africa, but there is little in the art to cue the reader in to the exotic locale. This is simply not a very good book.
4/10

Batwoman. J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman.

This is the best looking book of the reboot. Williams art is fantastic, with inventive page layouts and stunning attention to detail. He changes the look of the book completely depending on whether Kate is being Batwoman or not. The story is also very good. It might read a little too much like the continuing adventures of Batwoman for some new readers, but since there is really only one previous Batwoman story and it is excellent this is no big deal. It does establish who Kate Kane and her friends are. Just another great book.
9/10

Deathstroke. Kyle Higgins and Joe Bennet.

This sure is a Deathstroke comic. Higgins effectively, save for some over-the-top early captions, establishes who Deathstroke is and what problem he faces. Bennet’s art is clean and effective. It is a violent comic, but that is a feature, not a bug. It is not to everyone’s taste, it is not to my taste, but it works as what it is. A comic about hired killer trying to prove he isn’t over the hill could be decent, but it is not really something I want to read. It does fill its niche with quite well, though.
6/10

Demon Knights. Paul Cornell and Diogenes Neves.

Another good book. Cornell is setting up a swords and sorcery magnificent seven and it is highly entertaining. The cast quickly shows themselves, though there is barely time to establish the scene. Neves’ art occasionally looks sloppy, but there are some great facial expressions and some awesome dino-dragons. This issue is not quite as slum dunk as the concept, but it has the story moving forward and promises great things to come.
7/10

Detective Comics. Tony Daniel.

This is a bog standard, grim and gritty Batman comic. Tony Daniel tries to write like Frank Miller, not a bad goal, but doesn’t pull it off. His art looks really good for the most part, though. The problem is that this is mostly just a Batman versus Joker story, something that even people who don’t read comics have seen a thousand times, and a not particularly good one. It ends with a gruesome surprise, but it doesn’t feel like something that will stick. This is a bad issue.
3/10

Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. Jeff Lemire and Alberto Ponticelli

Here Lemire sets up a science action team made of monsters lead by Frankenstein. He throws idea after idea on the page in the perfect Kirby fashion. This is an efficient and effective introduction. We meet the team, same as the Flashpoint mini-series plus a mummy, and get right down to the monster killing. Ponticelli’s art is scratchy and wobbly and a perfect look for the book. Big on action and on craziness, this is exactly the kind of book I like to read.
8/10

Green Arrow. J.T. Krul and Dan Jurgens.

This is a dull issue. Green Arrow has been nearly entirely rebooted. He is now much younger and more James Bond than Robin Hood. To go with this new look Green Arrow, we have art that is decidedly old fashioned. Jurgens work is not bad, but it looks like a book from the early to mid 80’s. An odd fit for a new take on an old character. The story is not bad, it is a simple superhero story. It is nice to have some of those, but this is not particularly interesting. Though I doubt Green Arrow fans will be happy with this new take, maybe the emerald archer will find some new life with this not uninteresting set-up.
5/10

Green Lantern. Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke.

This might as well be Green Lantern issue 68, since nothing changes from before. Just like at the end of the War of the Green Lanterns crossover, Hal Jordan has lost his ring and Sinestro has returned to the Green Lantern Corps. Two thirds of the issue is inept mess Hal on Earth, realizing that without his ring he is a horrible screw up and the other third is Sinestro’s adventures in space. Mahnke’s art is amazing, as always. He makes the unreal aliens that make up much of the cast look as real as the people. This is not a fresh new take, but it is still really good. Johns’ Green Lantern work has faltered occasionally, but this is a return to from.
8/10

Grifter. Nathan Edmonson and Cafu.

Instead of writing a good mystery in this issue, Edmonson wrote a dull one confusingly. It is not a complex story, but it is told in a way to make it hard to understand, all disjointed and out of order. The art is simply adequate. There is just not a lot to recommend here. It could develop into something interesting, a man fighting monsters only he can see, but this first issue is a mess.
4/10

Hawk and Dove. Sterling Gates and Rob Liefeld.

I don’t have the somewhat comical, hateful reaction that most of the internet seems to have to Rob Liefeld’s art, but neither do I like it that much. It is not so much stylized as sloppy. With him on it, I don’t think I was ever going to like this book. It doesn’t help that it was written to deliberately play to Liefeld’s strengths and not, it seems, to tell a good story. It is also odd that Hawk and Dove seem to have come through the relaunch completely unchanged, despite not being a particularly fresh concept. This is probably a treat for Liefeld fans, but it is mostly a mess.
2/10

Justice League. Geoff Johns and Jim Lee.

The only problem with this comic is outrageous expectations, a problem DC brought on itself. Unlike nearly every other book, Justice League is an origin story. It is going show how the Justice League came to be. It might have been more effective to show the whole league in action, but I don’t see any reason to complain about the book being something it is not. Lee’s art is the same genre defining art it has been for 20 years, and Johns plays this issue a little more slowly than usual. Probably a bit too slowly. Batman and Green Lantern are the only members in most of the book, and their interactions ring true. GL is reckless and overconfident and Batman is more than a little dismissive, though he seems to see the advantage of the powers GL possess. This is not an outstanding issue, but it is a good one.
7/10

Justice League International. Dan Jurgens and Aaron Lopresti.

Jurgens’ writing is a bit ham-fisted, with some clumsy team building pages and some nonsense about protesters outside the Hall of Justice, but the plotting is mostly tight. It sets up a varied cast for a U.N. controlled team that might not be under control for long. Lopresti is a terrific artist, and the book is bright, colorful and expressive. Maybe it is my attachment to these characters, but I am inclined to like this book.
7/10

Legion Lost. Fabian Nicieza and Pete Woods.

Legion Lost indeed. The Legion of Superheroes, DC’s super teens from the future, has a reputation for being impenetrable. Whether that is generally true or not, it is true for this issue. It is hectic and poorly explained and downright confusing. Pete Woods are is nice, but looks unfinished on some pages. There is the seed of a good series here, with heroes from the future being stuck in the past, but it needs to slow down and breathe.
4/10

Men of War. Ivan Brandon and Tom Derenick. Jonathan Vankin and Paul Winslade.

This issue introduces the reader to the new Sgt. Rock, grandson of the old Sgt. Rock. The concept her is solid, soldiers dealing with the wake of superheroes. The execution is also solid if not particularly great. This book simply lack oomph. This first issue doesn’t really take advantage of either its war book setting or its superhero connection. It just sort of is.
5/10

Mr .Terrific. Eric Wallace and Gianluca Gugliotta.

This is an intriguing but sloppy first issue. I am fond of Gugliotta’s art, but some panels and figures just seem off. The plotting is good, with a nice balance of action and world building, but the dailogue is sloppy. I am going to give Wallace the benefit of the doubt that this was supposed to have a snarky tone, but that is not effectively communicated. Everyone in the book seems like an asshole. If it finds a consistent tone this could be a really good book. This issue was simply okay.
6/10

O.M.A.C. Dan Didio and Keith Giffen.

This is simply wall to wall action.  Office drone Kevin Kho is turned into a monster but the mysterious Brother Eye then tears his way through Cadmus Labs until he finds and destroys what he is looking for.  It is a Kirby homage that throws as many of the Kings DC ideas into the book as possible. Giffen’s art captures Kirby’s energy. It is pure fun for 20 pages. There isn’t much that isn’t fighting some kind of crazy science creation, but there doesn’t need to be.
7/10

 

 

Red Lanterns. Peter Milligan and Ed Benes.

If the whole issue was like the opening I would have rated this issue much higher. The absurd and gleeful violence in this book is entertaining. Milligan plays it so close to satire but doesn’t quite go over that line. It is definitely self aware, but not mocking the concept. Benes provides his usual trashy but competent art, which looks much better when there are blood vomiting cats on the page than absurdly sexualized aliens. If it didn’t end with overwrought Earth violence and a backstory explaining soliloquy from Atrocitus this could have been a really good issue.
5/10

Resurrection Man. Danny Abnet and Andy Lanning and Fernando Dagnino.

This book seems perfectly crafted to not appeal to me. The art isn’t necessarily bad, but it is dark and scratchy I just find it off-putting. The main characters power is interesting, that he dies and comes back to life with a new power, but we don’t learn much about him besides that. The fact that he is wanted by both the forces of Heaven and Hell is not a plus, that doesn’t interest me in the slightest. This whole issue is dull and faux edgy.
4/10

Static Shock. John Rozum and Scott McDaniel.

This is an effective attempt to horn in on Marvel’s Spider-Man market. Rozum and McDaniel do a good job of mixing superheroics and family time while still communicating who Static is.  The villain team isn’t anything that interesting, but whatever.  The art is stylized and fit’s the story and character. My only problem is that I don’t particularly care for Spider-Man, let alone knock-off electic Spider-Man.
7/10

Stormwatch. Paul Cornell and Miguel Sepulveda.

I expected better from Cornell. Sepulveda’s art looks rushed and sloppy, but it al least has a nice style. The writing, though, does little but clumsily introduce the cast. It is a good concept, though it doesn’t seem to be the same as the Wildstorm version was, though they share many characters. I know by issue 3 they are going to be fighting the moon, but this first issue is just clumsy.
6/10

Suicide Squad. Adam Glass and Federico Dallocchio.

No book got a more negative pre-realease reaction than Suicide Squad. Between the ill-advised character redesigns to the interviews with the writer that suggest a complete misunderstanding of the characters and concept, it seemed like this book would be a stinker. And it is. The art is inconsistent at best and the story is ugly and nasty and poor. There is nothing to recommend here.
2/10

Superboy. Scott Lobdell and R.B. Silva.

Superboy is another character who got a complete reboot. He, however, seems to be coming back exactly as he was when he first arrived. This issue is dense. It may be only 20 pages, but it covers much more ground than most of the other titles. Superboy is a lab experiment, with no morals because he has had no experiences. It is as much about the N.O.W.H.E.R.E. lab that he was made in than Superboy himself. Silva’s art is clean and expressive; it looks really nice. The only problem I can see is that it seems to tie in to Teen Titans, which looks terrible.
8/10

Swamp Thing. Scott Snyder and Yanick Paquette.

Scott Snyder’s first book of the relaunch is something of a disappointment. Not that it isn’t good, it is, but because I was expecting great, which it wasn’t. There just isn’t much here. Too much time is spent trying to reconcile and recap Swamp Things history and not enough time is spent on the actual story. The story that is started and teased is intriguing, but it is unfortunate that in a comic titled Swamp Thing, Swamp Thing doesn’t appear until the last page. Paquette’s art is really good, though. This is a good start, but not a great one.
8/10

There are my thoughts on the first half of DC’s New 52. Most of the books I was really looking forward to have already come out, but there are still several good looking ones on the horizon. Wonder Woman looks great, as do Batman and Aquaman. While I have no idea what the writing will be like, I can say for sure that The Flash will be a good looking book, possibly challenging Batwoman for the best art of the relaunch. See ya later, space cowboys.

Comic Reviews for late August

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Time for more comic reviews.

  • Batgirl 24. Brian Q. Miller and Pere Perez.

If there is one book disappearing in the big DC relaunch that I’m going to miss it is Batgirl. Unfortunately, this issue rushes through what was probably supposed to be an epic showdown with Steph’s in order to have an actual farewell. As a single issue, it is not that impressive. As a goodbye at the end of a phenomenal 2-year run, it is terrific. Perez’s art is perfectly fitting and there are some wonderful and touching heart-to-hearts. There are also a few great fantasy pages (due to Batgirl being infected by a Black Mercy) that are all worthy of Elseworlds miniseries on their own. It is a good issue, but only for those sentimental for this title. ***½

  • DC Retroactive The 90’s: Justice League 1. Keith Giffen, J.M DeMatteis and Kevin Maguire.

The old JLI team reunites one last time. This feels like a greatest hits of the old JLI team, in a good way. Villains who are more a danger to themselves than anything else being stopped by heroes who are more a danger to themselves than anything else. Guy Gardner is a jerk; Blue Beetle and Booster Gold are lovable doofuses. Martian Manhunter having to put up with them. If you are a fan of the old JLI, this is a worthy farewell. If you are not go die in a fire, if you can Satan spawn. JLI is one of my favorite comics, and all the characters from there a favorites of mine. Giffen and Dematteis say this is the last time they will write this crew. If so, that is sad, because we will never get anymore, but this is also a nice goodbye. I loved it. *****

  • Mystic 1 (of 4) G. Willow Wilson and David Lopez.

This is a really good comic. It is a steampunk Charles Dickens story. Two young orphan women who slave away at the orphanage where they were raised spend as much time as possible sneaking in to the library to study, in the knowing unachievable goal of being accepted as apprentice magicians. When they must leave the orphanage, they end up as maids in the castle. The art is cartoony, expressive, and just really damn good. Wilson establishes the characters and the world without losing sight of the actual story, something most writers fail to do. The friendship is poised to shatter because one’s dream was denied and given to the other. This is really good. ****½.

  • Spider-Island: Cloak and Dagger 1 (of 3). Nick Spencer and Emma Rios.

Rios’ art is great. There is really nothing else to say about that. Spenser’s writing is not quite as great. It is not bad, this comic does a good job of setting up who Cloak and Dagger are and the problems they face, but it feels hollow. The dueling thought boxes work well, except when the work in tandem. Most of the issue the two heroes seem to be on completely different pages, but sometimes they are basically finishing each other’s sentences. It just sort of shifts back and forth. I’m still interested in the rest of the mini; hopefully with the explanation of whom these characters are out of the way we can get to something substantive. **1/2

Flashpoint:

  • World of Flashpoint 3 **
  • Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown 3 **1/2
  • Deathstroke and the Curse of the Ravager 3. ***

I’ll lump these together. Not because they are all equally good, Frankenstein is a good deal better than the others are, but because these are three Flashpoint minis that no one seems to be talking about. There is a good deal about how great Batman: Knight of Vengeance and Project Superman are and how terrible all the books about the Aquaman/Wonder Woman war are. While I do not disagree with that, these three were also pretty good. They are also the only three Flashpoint tie-ins, as far as I can tell, that had happy endings. World of Flashpoint is easily the weakest of the three. It follows young witch/magician/whatever Traci 13 as she teleports around the Flashpoint universe looking for help to stop her dad from nuking Europe in the hopes of saving the world. This gives her the knowledge to combat her grief-crazed father and save the world. In the end, both Traci and her father lose their magical powers and walk off to rebuild their lives. The art is somewhat bad and the dialogue is spotty, but it is a fairly enjoyable comic.
Deathstroke and the Curse of the Ravager ends the saga of pirate Deathstroke. His crew, upset with how little profit there seems to be in their current path, mutinies against Slade and his new partner — in more ways than one — Jenny Blitz. So they kill all the mutineers while the mutineers kill everyone else, leaving just Slade and Jenny. Slade finally finds his daughter Rose being held captive by yet more pirates. So they kill them too, leaving a happy family amidst the wreckage. It had to end this way, but it actually manages to be a spot touching.
Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown is a comic with crew consisting of Frankenstein and his bride, a werewolf, a vampire and a creature from the Black Lagoon who try to escape killer government robots by going to Transylvania. There they find a village of monster men, all slaughter by the robots that beat them there. So while the creature and the werewolf, as well as their one human friend, try to find the scientist who created them so they can cure the werewolf’s debilitating lycanthropy, Frankenstein and the rest fight the robots. They win, and the former werewolf and creature settle down to live a long happy life, Frankenstein and his bride ride off into the sunset to save the day again. It tries to fit in too many ideas for the amount of pages available, but when the ideas are that great it is hard to fault them.

Really Quick Reviews:

  • Green Lantern Emerald Warriors 13 ***. Guy and Bats solve a locked room mystery on a space station. A very nice done-in-one.
  • Jonah Hex 70 ***½. Terrific Sook art and a thoughtful end to a very good five year run on Hex.
  • Superboy 11 ****. A fine end to a fine comic. It hints at all the great things this comic could have been had it continued. One of the real tragic losses of the relaunch.
  • Supergirl 67 ***. The only real flaw is the yucky faces. Snappy dialogue, I wish DeConnick had more time on the title.

Happy Birthday Jack Kirby

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On August 28, 1917 Jacob Kurtzberg, better known as Jack Kirby, the King of Comics, was born.  As everyone should know Kirby was at least partly responsible for most of Marvel’s superheroes and for innumerable characters for many other comic companies.  From Captain America to the Fantastic Four to the New Gods, Jack Kirby is responsible for more characters that have appeared in comic books than anyone else.  To commemorate his birthday I am posting one of my favorite images ever from Jack Kirby.

Click to view it in all its glory, with its Wild Human Preserves and Orangutan Surfing Society and the Mad Hole, Country of the Screamers. This is the map of the world of Kamandi, The Last Boy on Earth.  It is a world where men are the animals and animals rule.  Like planet of the apes but with tigers and dogs.  There is enough wild imagination in this image to keep me marveling over it forever.

I love this map.  I love it so much.  DC is putting out a Kamadi Omnibus next month and you can be sure I am down for that.  Dynamite is currently publishing a series of comics called Kirby Genesis, which focus on unused Kirby concepts.  It is a pale imitation, like a glow in the dark neon tie-dyed shirt is pale, but it is as close as you get to new Kirby these days.  I like it a lot so far. With time and the inclination I could post hundreds of  amazing Kirby drawings, but I think this one is enough.

 

Biweekly Comic Reviews 8-22-11

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Time for another set of comic reviews, though only 4 reviews this time. Most of my stuff didn’t ship and I’m saving the Flashpoint stuff for the end of the month.

  • Mega Man 3. Ian Flynn and Patrick Spaziante.

This has been everything a person could want in a Mega Man comic. It is a brightly colored action packed all ages comic that also touches on themes like the horrors of war. Mega Man nearly loses himself to robot killer he has become, but he is pulled back from the brink by Dr. Light and Roll. I could read this book forever.   [****1/2]

 

  • Kirby Genesis 2. Kurt Busiek, Alex Ross and Jack Herbert

It is not often I wish a comic contained less than it does, but I feel that way with Kirby Genesis. It seems like Busiek and Ross have lost control a bit trying to flood all of these Jack Kirby characters onto the page. The mass confusion appears to be intentional and I have faith that they can rein it in or explain it sufficiently to ease the confusion and construct a satisfying story. It’s just that after 3 issues the plot is still lost in the cacophony of noise color and Kirby Dots. Still, this is a comic where a Sasquatch is abducted by aliens. That’s hard to top.  [***1/2]

  • Justice Society of America 54. Marc Guggenheim and Jerry Ordway.

I never learn my lesson with the JSA. The Johns/Goyer run is my favorite comic, ever. The relaunch was good even when it meandered. Then Willingham and Sturges took over and it took until they split the team for them to find their footing. Then came Guggenheim, who was terrible. Every time I picked up the book, it was terrible. But every three months or so I would try it again and it would still be terrible. Here we have some nice Jerry Ordway art, some actually snappy dialogue and as brain dead a plot as was ever thrown in the garbage in disgust. I’m a little sad that the JSA is not coming back (immediately) with the re-launch, but if it is going to be like this then good riddance. [*1/2]

  • Daredevil 2. Mark Waid and Paola Rivera

Continuing from last month’s stellar issue is another stellar issue. Few can craft a superhero comic like Mark Waid does. The fight with Captain America to start is a joy, and it is followed by advancing the other plots introduced in the first issue. The art by is as good as you can find on the shelves right now. Even for a Daredevil hater like me this book is an absolute delight. [****]

Quick Shot Reviews:

  • Superman 714.  Chris Roberson made some fine lemonade out of some rotten lemons. [***]
  • War of the Green Lanterns 2. Utterly pointless. A waste of time and money.  [**]
  • Xombi 5. Ethereal and odd, it is sad that there is only one more issue. [****]

A Question of Character 2: Guy Gardner

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I don’t think I went over exactly what I intend for A Question of Character to be in the first entry. That is partially because I converted what going to be an unrelated post into the inaugural AQoC post.

With A Question of Character, I plan to examine the history of a comic book character with the somewhat flimsy pretense of answering a question about who they are. This question can range from this month’s Why is Guy Gardner such a jerk? to something as simple as Who the hell is Wildcat? While I would certainly welcome questions from readers–assuming I have any–this is largely an excuse for me to write about some of my favorite lesser-known superheroes. Like Video Game Archaeology, this is going to be a monthly feature on my blog. Hopefully. I mean, this entry, for instance, was for June, though it wasn’t actually posted until August.

Green Lantern Corps #19

As was probably clear from that month long series of panels featuring him, I am a big fan of Guy Gardner, the one true Green Lantern. Also, even just from those panels, it should be obvious that good ol’Guy is a pretty big asshole. Like the majority of the human race, I’d say Guy has a pretty good reason for being kind of a dick to everybody. Not that is really excuses it, but you can see where he is coming from.

So why is Guy such a jerk? Continue reading →

Biweekly Quick Comic Review 2

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  • Action Comics 903. Written by Paul Cornell, art by Axel Gimenez.   I missed Paul Cornell’s work with Lex on this title, having started with 900, but unlike most people, I am thoroughly enjoying this Doomsday story. It is goofy, but in a fun way. Sure, there are plot holes you could drive a truck through, but Superman fires himself out of a cannon at the Doomsday fortress. This is merely an excuse for Superman and his allies to fight the biggest, most ridiculous threat imaginable and triumph. ***1/2
  • Daredevil 1. Written by Mark Waid, art by Paulo Rivera and Marcos Martin. Mark Waid does something not seen with Daredevil for the last quarter century: something new. He seems to be significantly brightening up the blind hero’s world. Waid is one of the best at pure superhero stories and the art in this book is fantastic. It is a new take on Daredevil that is simultaneously fresh and true to the character. This is a great comic. *****
  • Flashpoint: Project Superman 2. Written by Scott Snyder and Lowell Francis, art by Gene Ha. This is easily one of the best Flashpoint tie-ins, up there with Frankenstein. It is often gruesome, but with reason. The world of Flashpoint is a terrible place for everybody. Project Superman actually has an interesting “What if?” scenario for its main character. What if his rocket had been found but the government and not a kindly couple? I do like the reversal of his relationship with Gen. Lane, who here treats him as much like a son as possible. It also fixes a quibble I had with Flashpoint 3, that Superman would always be good. I don’t know if he will show back up in the main series, but his interactions with Gen, Lane give him reason to be a hero. ****
  • Green Lantern Emerald Warriors 12. Written by Peter Tomasi, art by Chris Batista. This title is plainly and obviously treading water until the big September reboot, but the last 2 issues have been the best of the series. A giant, green energy eating space spider is causing trouble for the corps, so Guy must form a team, without regulars like Arisia and Kilowog, to take care of it. So he gathers some red shirts and gets the job done. The only other survivor, the walrus-like Theodoric, is a character I hope to see more of. It is a good, not great, one off story. ***
  • Power Girl 26. Written by Matthew Sturges, art by Hendry Prasetya. Matt Sturges comes on to finish out this book with a pair of one shot issues. This one is pretty damn good. Power Girl is signing autographs at a Power Girl convention, which I have no problem believing exist in the DC Universe. One fan turns out to be an alien who wants to steal PG’s powers. With the help of some young fans, PG stops the alien. It isn’t complex, but it is fun and well executed. ***1/2

Even Quicker Reviews:

  • Batman: Gates of Gotham 3. Strong character work. ***½
  • Detective Comics 880. Not surprising, but still really good. ****
  • Flashpoint Wonder Woman and the Furies 2. A disjointed, sloppy mess. **
  • Flashpoint Kid Flash Lost 2. Lost is an accurate description, but it is still fun. ***
  • Flashpoint Lois Lane and the Resistance 2. Surprisingly strong, both in art and concept. ***
  • Green Lantern Corps 62. Kind of dumb. **
  • Supergirl 66. Fun, snappy superheroics. ***½
  • War of the Green Lanterns Aftermath 1. Turgid and dull. **

What’s so funny?

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Lately I’ve been spending entirely too much time reading newspaper comic strips. As far as vices go it is among the worst, I know. As a warning to other who might be tempted the follow this road, I am going the explain how my predicament came to be, a roadmap of my dissolution.

It started innocently enough. All I was doing was reading Chris Sims’ FunkyWatch on ComicAlliance. Every month he catalogues his experiences gazing into the abyss that is Funky Winkerbean, and its related title Crankshaft. The comic is the bleakest of bleak outlooks that only manages to be funny when being deconstructed by someone else.

That led to me reading Comics Curmudgeon, a blog by Josh Fruhlinger that takes Sims Funky based approach and applies to all the comics in the paper. Of course, the relationship is the other way around, as the Comics Curmudgeon has been around years longer than FunkyWatch and Sims admits to being inspired by the blog in his column. Fruhlinger will comment on almost any strip, but his primary focus is on the soap strips. I don’t care about those, but his insights are amusing at the very least. Plus, you’ll never look at Marmaduke the same way after being forced to realize that he is a human devouring hell beast that has enslaved that poor family. Unfortunately, Fruhlinger also introduced me to these two Luann songs, so I can never forgive him.

This inevitably lead to me buying a Kansas City Star most days and reading the “funnies” as they are sometimes called. It is addicting, like thirty or so thirty second sitcoms everyday. I like Dustin, as I’m easily able to see myself in the underemployed main character, and Cul de Sac, which is just freakily amusing. I also have a soft spot for Blondie, despite the fact that it is rarely funny. I like the weird juxtaposition of some of the archaic elements of the strip with modern technology.

I also get too much enjoyment out of Seanbaby’s occasional eviscerating of Family Circus. Of course, I’m sure he would admit that Family Circus is an easy target, but that doesn’t make his rewrites not funny.

I’ve also bought a collection of wonderful Calvin and Hobbes stuff. It is the essential Calvin and Hobbes and the only problem I have with it is that it is not the complete Calvin and Hobbes. Seriously, Calvin and Hobbes is the best.

Lastly, since I had the revelation that is Flash Gordon, I’ve found a website that has archived tons of old comic strips, including the old Flash Gordon stuff. The site is far from comprehensive and they charge a miniscule fee for copies of the strips, but it is a relatively easy way to read some old-fashioned comic goodness. The Flash Gordon strips are wonderful. Exactly like the movie in a terribly awesome way.

Quick Comic Reviews

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Now that I’ve started getting my comic books from an online service and get a shipment every other week, I’ve decided to do biweekly short comic reviews. I’ll be writing some brief thoughts on a handful of comics every other week or so. I won’t be reviewing all that I read, just the ones I feel like I have something to say about.

  • Flashpoint 3, Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert

With this issue, Flashpoint goes from being merely slow to being pointless. Last issues (hilarious) cliffhanger is quickly ignored and the plot moves on, but Flash and friends haven’t really done anything yet. This sort of slow build could be effective, but this is only a 5 issue series and we’ve already burned through three of them. I also take offense to the idea that Superman would be a hero no matter what. I would be fine if he didn’t return after this issues cliffhanger. ** (2 stars)

  • Green Lantern 67, Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke

The War of the Green Lanterns finally concludes. This crossover has been plagued with shipping problems and I’ll need to go back and reread the whole thing to really rate it. This issue was big on noise but short on sense. As is the way with Johns’ Green Lantern stories, it all comes down to Hal and Sinestro. It is suitably explosive, but the logic behind most of it is either not explained or nonexistent. *** (3 stars)

  • Green Lantern Corps 61, Tony Bedard and Daniel Hor

A fallout issue that follows up on the crossover that just ended. Most of the Lanterns who got their rings from the corrupted Mogo give them up, but one feels that she belongs in the Corps. So she and John Stewart go to her sector and try to stop a war. In general, this is the kind of story I want to see from Green Lantern Corps, highlighting a new/unknown member while still being about the main characters. Unfortunately, this is not a particularly good example of how to do that, unlike last months Emerald Warriors, which was perfect. *** (3 stars)

  • Birds of Prey 14, Marc Andreyko and Billy Tucci and Adriana Melo

Marc Andreyko comes on for two issues between Simone leaving and DC blowing the whole thing up. I like the concept of this story, exploring the WWII origins of some of the Birds characters that is really unexamined. Unfortunately, the art, as it has done for most of this series, hampers the writing. Not the Billy Tucci pages, those are good. But Adriana Melo is not great (weird faces) and her style clashes horribly with Tucci’s. **½ (2 ½ stars)

  • Detective Comics 879, Scott Snyder and Francesco Francavilla

Snyder’s excellent run on this title continues. Francavilla’s art is stupendous. Excellent use of color, with red and green tinting everything. There is a lot of good in this issue, but some stuff is unwanted. Like the opposite surprising appearance of the Joker and James Jr.’s goofy plan. Of course complaining about the Joker being in a Batman story is also really dumb. **** (4 stars)

  • Batgirl 23, Brian Q Miller and Pere Perez

Brian Q Miller’s excellent 2 years of Batgirl comes to end, part 1. As usual, this issue is great. It does feel like this is a larger story crammed into less space than would be desirable, but the snappy dialogue and excellent characterization are still in full effect. I am really going to miss this book. Month in month out this is one of DC’s best. **** (4 stars)

  • Superboy 9, Jeff Lemire and Pier Gallo

Superboy under Jeff Lemire has also been one of DC’s best books. Much like Batgirl, this issue seem to be trying to compress a longer story into the issue left before the relaunch, with longer building subplots abruptly coming to a head. Very good, if rushed. ***½ (3 ½ stars)

  • Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown 2, Jeff Lemire and Ibraim Roberson and Alex Massacci

While most of the Flashpoint tie-ins haven’t been very good, Frankenstein has been a welcome exception. This issue is not quite as good as the last one, but when you open with Frankenstein killing Hitler there is nowhere to go but down. Still, this is good stuff, though the art suffers in spots. **** (4 stars)

  • FF 6, Jonathan Hickman and Greg Tocchini

On the first page of this comic is a cast list. None of those characters appear. This issue exists to explain who Black Bolt is and bring him back to life. Presumably, this is a necessary step for later parts of this story, but it still makes for a disappointing issue. ** (2 stars)

  • American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest 2, Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy

I was going to criticize this issue for being too slow, then I realized that was dumb, just because this issue doesn’t get to any actual vampire fighting. However, the heroes survive a plane crash and infiltrate a castle full of Nazi vampires. And it is drawn by Sean Murphy, who is really good at drawing. Best of all, I don’t see this mini-series getting anything but better. **** (4 stars)

Even Quicker Reviews

  • Secret Seven 2 *1/2  This is not good.
  • Deathstroke and the Curse of the Ravager 2 ***½  This is good.
  • Citizen Cold 2 **  I like Kolins’ art, but his writing is stodgy.
  • Booster Gold 46 **½ Jurgens has left Booster a little fun.
  • Batman: Knight of Vengeance 2 ***½  Crazy, and good.
  • Emperor Aquaman 2 **½  Yawn.
  • World of Flashpoint 2 **½  Guy Gardner is an Australian Buddhist
  • Fear Itself: Youth in Revolt 3 **½ I like the characters because no one else does.