Review: Green Lantern Corps #37

I was pretty impressed with GLC last issue.  I even went so far as to pick it as one of the top 5 books of the month.  Well, this issue the story kind of slipped into neutral.  As a result, the book’s momentum stalled out.

A lot happened last month.  It kept the pages turning pretty quickly.  But this issue hits a lot of the same story beats.  The majority of the Lanterns are still putting down a break-out in the Sciencecells.  Arisia is still on Daxam trying to overthrow Mogul.  At the end of the issue, very little has changed from the end of last issue.

The book starts off with Sodom Yat appearing to make the ultimate sacrifice to save his people.  It lacks a certain dramatic punch given that we have seen Sodom alive and well in the future in Legion of Three Worlds.  As a result of… whatever he did… Daxam’s sun has been turned yellow and all of the Daxamites have been given Superman-like powers.

The Daxamites are understandably ready for a fight.  As they struggle to contain their new found powers and their rage, Arisia takes command.  She orders them not to rush into a fight against Mongul.  Instead, she vows to train them and lead an underground resistance in honor of Sodom Yat.

Yeah, it felt kind of phoney.  The only reason for it is to delay the story to the point where Sinestro can arrive.  Like so much of this issue, it felt like padding to stretch things out until Blackest Night starts.

Back on Oa, Kyle Rayner makes what promises to be a Faustian bargain with Kanjar Ro.  This too seems forced to serve the plot.  And Lyssa Drak searches for the Book of Parallax only to find an entirely different book on Oa.  It leads to the coolest moment in the books.  So, I won’t spoil it.  But I will say I am getting really sick of seeing Scar crying black goo!

The highlight of the issue was the art by Patrick Gleason.  Gleason delivers a two-page spread of the Sciencells break-out that is every bit on par with the work of Ivan Reis.  His artwork saved what was otherwise a bit of a lackluster issue.

For more comic goodness, go here.

Review: Flash Rebirth #3

If you want to read a positive review of this issue, click here.  For a review from someone who doesn’t wet himself every time Johns puts pen to paper, read on!

(I tease, Bruce Castle!)

Seriously, this book isn’t bad.  But, I am really confused.  Last month, I asked who this book is for.  After this issue, I think I have the answer.  Johns is writing this for himself (and apparently Bruce Castle who may or may not actually be Geoff Johns.)

(Just kidding.  Although I have never seen BC and GJ in the same place.  hmmmmm…)

Back to Flash: Rebirth, this book requires a lot of Flash knowledge of the reader.  Characters appear and disappear without any real explanation.  Characters return from the grave only to die in the next panel.  Unless you have been keeping up with the Flash (and Impulse) for the last twenty years or so, I have to think you’d be lost.  And if you have been reading all of these Flash stories (as I have) you may not be relishing in Barry return or the ret-cons that have accompanied him.

I will say that issue 3 is an improvement of sorts over the last two issues.  The first two issues were primarily told in flashback.  The purpose of the series seemed to be to ret-con Barry Allen into someone modern audiences would want to read about.  With the majority of the ret-cons out of the way, Johns actually starts moving the story forward… a little bit. 

(Although, he did still find time to further address the troublesome issue of Barry Allen’s bow tie.  Seriously.)

Last issue ended with the trademark shocking last page from Geoff Johns.  In that issue, it was revealed that Barry is still around because he is the new Black Flash.  His touch means death to speedsters.  This issue, we see Barry dealing with that revelation.  And his solution is to run back into the Speed Force to save the other speedsters.

It’s a reasonable solution.  Frankly, I had problems with Superman’s objection to it.  Barry had already sacrificed himself once to save the world.  Why shouldn’t he sacrifice himself a second time to save his Flash family.  They belong to this time.  And as Barry has repeatedly pointed out, he doesn’t.

The cover image suggesting a race between Superman and the Flash is a bit misleading.  There isn’t much of a race to be had here.  Although the issue of who’s faster is addressed.  It’s one of the cooler moments in the book, so I won’t spoil it.  Although it’s one of those Geoff Johns moments where he seems to have built the entire book around setting up one cool line.

What follows just had me scratching my head.  Apparently within the Speed Force, Barry is reunited with Johnny Quick and Max Mercury.  As soon as they show up, one of them appears to die.  I can’t imagine a death or resurrection have much less impact than that. 

This all leads up to this issue’s trademark shocking last page from Geoff Johns.  The original Reverse Flash shows up with no explanation.  This was obviously supposed to have the reader geeking out.  But for me, it just landed with a big thud.

So far, Flash Rebirth just feels like a jumble of scenes that pander to hard core Flash fans.  But even on that level, I think the book misses it’s mark.  It’s a Barry Allen book featuring a character who doesn’t act very much like Barry Allen and it requires extensive knowledge of the Wally West Flash run. 

I hope Geoff Johns is enjoying the book.  Because I have a hard time imaginging that many other people are.

For more comic goodness, go here.

Review: Red Robin #1

I have to admit, I thought this book was going to be awful.  But, I’m a Tim Drake fan.  So, when I realized it was Tim behind the mask, I figured I’d check it out anyway.  I’ll say right up front that I was pleasantly suprised.  But it took a little while for the book to win me over.

The issue starts with Tim Drake traveling Europe looking for some clue that Bruce is still alive.  Right off the bat, I’ve got two problems.  One, Tim is, by his own admission, crossing some lines he wouldn’t ordinarily cross.  And two, I can think of no good reason why Tim would wear the Red Robin costume.

Yost actually does a pretty good job of explaining what has pushed Tim Drake to this point.  The guy has been through a lot.  He’s lost his biological and adoptive parents.  His best friends have died.  And someone else has taken up the role of Robin.  To make matters worse, he is the only one who believes that Bruce may still be alive.  In fact, he’s desperate to believe it.

Given everything Tim has been through in the last few years, I was willing to believe that he would go to these lengths to hold on to the last remnants of the life he knew.  It’s a compelling premise and I look forward to seeing where the story goes.  I hope to see Tim redeemed when Bruce inevitably returns.

The question of the Red Robin identity is a stickier one.  Yost suggests that Tim picked this identity because it was already tarnished by Jason Todd.  Since he knew he was going to cross a few lines, he didn’t want to bring an shame to the identities of Batman or Robin.  But bringing shame to Red Robin is okay.

It’s about as good of an explanation as you’re going to get.  But it still doesn’t hold up to scrutiny.  To the best of my knowlegde, Jason Todd wore the Red Robin costume in a trip through the multiverse.  He ditched the costume as soon as he got back to the proper earth.  I’m not aware of anyone wearing it since.  So, Red Robin doesn’t really have any kind of history – much less a tarnished one.  If anything, it makes more sense for Tim just to create a new identity under which to investigate Bruce’s disappearance.

But, DC wanted to use the Red Robin identity.  So, you just have to accept this explanation or let it ruin the book for you.  I chose to let this one slide.

The art by Ramon Bachs wasn’t particularily to my liking.  Having said that, I think it could grow on me over time. 

I am looking forward to seeing where Tim’s quest takes him.  I hope Yost can keep this search fresh for as long as Bruce is off stage.  It seems like a daunting task, but this issue gets things off to a pretty good start.

For more comic goodness, go here.

Review: Batman 687

Judd Winick and Ed Benes on Batman!  That’s a recipe for a bad book if ever I saw one.  But the end result wasn’t bad at all.  In fact, I could even recommend this book with a few disclaimers.

First of all, the timing on this book is just weird.  At the end of Battle for the Cowl, we saw Dick Grayson take up the mantle of Batman.  Then in Batman and Robin #1, we saw Dick and Damian operating as the new dynamic duo.  They seemed to have been at it for a little while.  But in this issue, we see Dick dressed as Nightwing – reluctant to put on Bruce’s costume.

Presumably, this story happens at some point prior to the final pages of Battle for the Cowl.  But the time frame is never fully established.  I’ve read interviews with Winick in which he explained that he had written a large amount of Battle for the Cowl but was told by DC to shoehorn it into the on-going series.  That’s what this issue feels like; Judd’s version of Battle.

Once you get past some of the inconsistencies with other titles, there’s a lot to like in this issue.  I enjoyed Winick’s take on Dick’s decision to take up the mantle of the Bat more than anything that occurred in the Battle for the Cowl mini-series. 

Although some of the internal monologue felt over-written at times, I liked the way Winick portrayed Dick and Alfred’s sense of loss.  The scene in which Superman and Wonder Woman visit the cave to return Bruce’s costume was especially poignant.

We give Ed Benes a lot of grief on this site for his objectification of women.  And of course, Wonder Woman is drawn in the typical Benes style.  But with very few women in the cast, Benes artwork wasn’t distracting the way it can be in a book like Justice League.  Keeping him on a book with a largely male cast may be the answer.

As for Winick, I’ve been looking for a book to restore my faith in him.  He’s done some good work in the past (Power of Shazam) but the last year or so on Green Arrow and Titans has just been awful.  This book represents a return to form for Winick.  It’s not great.  It certainly pales in comparisson with Morisson’s B&R.  But it’s good enough.

If you were expecting a train wreck from Winick’s return to Batman, you won’t get one.  If your expectations are sufficiently low, you may even be pleasantly surprised.

For more comic goodness, go here.

Review: Action Comics #878

I think that, in my last few reviews, I’ve made my feelings about Rucka’s run on Action Comics fairly well-known.  I’ve always (and still do) consider Greg Rucka to be one of the top talents working in mainstream comics today, but thus far his Action has been bland, dealing largely with a conflict that was old before it started.

With so many Kryptonians, General Lane has decided that he really, really doesn’t like them.  Yes, by being on Earth, they’re breaking the law – I hate comic book laws, by the way, and this one ranks right up there with the SHRA for nonsensicality – but also, he just really hates them.  General Lane really doesn’t like them.  In fact, he has a number of rants torn straight from the pages of 40 years of X-Men comics letting us know just how much he doesn’t like them, especially Thara Ak’Var and Chris, despite all evidence that suggests that they are, indeed, on the side of angels.

On the upside, the issue does reveal why the arc is called ‘The Sleepers’.  Not, as we were lead to believe, because there are undercover Kryptonians fomenting hate among the populace, as the first issue lead us to believe.  The next Kryptonians are, in fact, anything but undercover, acting instead like two carefree sociopaths with the powers of Superman and absolutely no sense of creativity.  For such a major threat, the pair do little damage before they are handily defeated.

Diego Olmos, the third artist on Rucka’s run thus far, opts for a slightly more cartoony style than either of the previous artists.  While at least a little interesting, and effective during some of the fight sequences, it really doesn’t fit the tone of the book to date at all.  Aside from that, the issue offers some of Rucka’s most utterly average work in a long time.  It’s not bad - the plot is coherent, moves along nicely, the issue sets things up, characterization is consistent – but it’s not up to the quality that Rucka is capable of.

Grade: C-

(as a note: unless there is only a single issue left in this arc, this will be my last Action Comics review for some time.)

Read/RANT

Review: The Walking Dead #62

This is it! The beginning of the “Fear the Hunters” arc! Boy, The Walking Dead has just been dishing out the awesome lately, huh? As you should know, we haven’t had a death in this book for a while. Well, except for the harrowing last issue! Robert Kirkman even commented on possible future deaths.

So how was this issue? Well, great, as always, but this was, to use an old phrase, “the calm before the storm.” I think the most interesting thing about the last year of The Walking Dead is Carl’s evolution. He’s always been a good, headstrong kid, but lately he’s truly beginning to act like his old man. Unfortunately, he’s acting more like “Rick to the Extreme!” With his actions last issue and his reaction in this issue, one wonders if Rick will actually have to take down his own son. However, Carl does display a bit of humanity near the climax of this issue. Speaking of climax, like almost every issue of The Walking Dead, this issue has a good one.

Even though this is just the beginning of the new arc, it’s quick and hard-hitting. I eagerly await the next issue. Oh, when I picked this up in the shop today, a guy asked me if this was good. So, for those of you who haven’t read this comic, the trade is only ten bucks, and it should get you hooked.

Grade: B+

For more comic goodness, go here.

Review: Flash: Rebirth #3

 

Since the Wally-lover handled the last issue, I thought it’d be a nice change of pace if an actual Barry-lover (Yes, I’m a hundred years old, you young whippersnapper) reviewed this issue. Having said that, let’s get the bad out of the way first.

The Bad: This issue came with the promise of some kind of big Superman/Flash race. Yeah, that lasts about a splash-page, fitting, I suppose, since the Flash is so damn fast. However, where this issue does seem to meander a bit is in Barry himself. Now, as a big fan of Barry’s, I couldn’t be happier, but some of the youngins have never read a single Barry comic. Will they care? Probably not. To them, they’re paying to see an old man reminisce about bow ties. And what doesn’t help is the fact that we’ve seen so little action so far.

The Good: Johns has done a good job of modernizing Barry. He’s from the Silver Age. Barry is a consummate hero, and that’s “boring” to today’s audiences. So, Johns’ main goal is to try to give Barry new purpose. We’re seeing the part Barry plays in the Flash family dynamic. We see that Barry still has an unsolved case to solve. We may also see the return of some old Barry villains. Also, the fact that Barry himself keeps asking “Why am I here?” is a very smart move in that it helps answer the fan’s questions, and makes him more relatable. Though every issue has been near-actionless, at least they all have a cool last page. This one is no different. Oh, and Sciver is still rendering the best work of his career.

Final Word: This is the best issue yet. As a Barry fan, I’m happy and touched to see Barry alive and running again. I just worry about the Wally and Bart fans. Johns has tried to please them, but I’m not sure they’re sold yet.

Grade: A-

For more comic goodness, go here.

Detective Comics #854 Preview!

Check it out!

So sweet. Sadly, the PDF doesn’t really do Williams justice, but that’s all the more reason to actually pick up the comic!

I’m just as excited about this as I was for Batman and Robin #1!

For more comic goodness, go here.

Review: Seaguy: Slaves of Mickey Eye #3

As my previous reviews suggest, Seaguy: Slaves of Mickey Eye, the follow up to Morrison and Stewart’s 2004 Seaguy, has been hitting all the right notes for me.  #3, the final issue in the middle third of what Morrison planned to be a trilogy, hit the same week as Morrison’s much more high-profile Batman & Robin.  Despite being buried under the avalanche of Batman-love, as well as coming out in the same week as the always-stellar Secret Six, however, Slaves of Mickey Eye #3 was pretty handily the best comic on the shelves last week.  

In many ways completing most of the plots left dangling in the original Seaguy miniseries, this issue finds our hero in direct confrontation with Seabeard and the vast forces of Mickey Eye.  There’s love, there’s loss, there’s betrayal – the issue crams quite a bit in, all expertly illustrated by Cameron Stewart at his absolute strangest.

I’m curious to see where Morrison will take this if his proposed third miniseries ends up happening.  Even if it never does, however, Morrison’s exciting commentary on the conventions of comic books finds yet another solid resting place.  This recent mini has had very few missteps, and I’m looking forward to more.

Grade: A

- Cal Cleary

Read/RANT

Review: Secret Six #10

 

It’s no secret that I love this book.  Last issue was a bit lackluster compared to the 8 issues which preceded it.  And yet, it still topped my list for the best comics in May.  (It also ranked on Seventh Soldier’s list.)  We all agreed that while it wasn’t the best issue of the series, it was still a great read.

This issue is the first part of the “Depths” storyline.  And to my mind, it is a return to greatness after a minor stumble last issue.  I loved every page of this book.  Obviously, being the first issue in a multi-part story, this issue is mostly set-up.  But Simone seems to excel at set-up issues for Secret Six.  This may be the best issue since the first one.

As the story begins, we’re introduced to the villains.  They are slavers running some kind of underground mine.  When one of the slaves refuses to work, the leader of the slavers breaks her spirit with a calm brutality that is simply chilling.  In five pages, Simone establishes complete personalities for two of the villains and their victim.  (The third villain is mysteriously silent the entire time.  So, while we don’t learn a lot about her, we are definitely intrigued.)

Once we’ve met the villains of the story, we check in on Bane.  Appropriately, Bane is not doing so hot.  In the first 9 issues of this series, Bane has really been put through the paces.  Tortured to the brink of death.  And finally succumbing to Venom in an effort to save the life of Scandal Savage – of whom Bane is strangely protective.  It seems that Bane is still juicing after his Venom relapse.  And it is up to Scandal to help him kick the habit.

In the world of the Secret Six, we experience a lot of depravity.  (Most of it coming from Deadshot or the hysterical Ragdoll.)  But the scenes between Scandal and Bane are always touching and, dare I say it, beautiful.  Their relationship is unconventional to say the least.  It’s almost unspoken and completely undefined.  Scandal has no interest in a romantic relationship with a man and Bane is fully aware of this.  And yet, there is a tenderness between them that is undeniable.  If it weren’t for these glimpses of humanity, the book could easily turn into the kind of revolting exploitation other writers have been cashing in on.

(I’m looking at you Mark Millar!)

Before I move on, I am positively giddy at the thought of Bane busting up this slave ring.  Simone has really put Bane to good use in this book (something DC has stuggled with for the better part of a decade).  And as a former prisoner himself, you just know he’s going to rip through the joint with the same ferocity we saw last issue.  Personally, I can’t wait.

From Bane and Scandal, we move on to another odd couple, Deadshot and Jeanette.  Both are thoroughly dispicable characters that Simone manages to portray as deliciously wicked.  Jeanette has arranged a meeting with the team’s newest prospective client.  And the setting is a place of special significance to her.  When she explains to Deadshot that it is the location where she killed her first husband, it is nearly romantic.  At least in her mind it is.

The twisted courtship is interrupted by the arrival of the slavers from the first scene.  And once again, Simone does a great job with the characterizations.  These guys take pride in the tradition of their occupation.  They speak passionately about the history of great empires being built on the backs of slaves.  It’s reprehensible.  But you get a very clear image of who we are dealing with.  And so does Deadshot, who has no problem agreeing to take the job anyway.

The meeting ends with a tantalizing mystery that is sure to be explored for the rest of the story arc.  The slavers work for a mystery employer named… Mockingb ird.  Sound familiar?  In Simone’s first Secret Six mini-series, Lex Luthor formed the team under the same identity.  It’s doubtful we’re dealing with the same Mockingbird here.  But you can bet the connection won’t be a good thing for the Six.

Ofcourse when the mission begins all hell breaks loose.  That’s what happens in the Secret Six.  Deadshot makes a decision that perfectly captures his true nature.  And a guest star shows up who will be no surprise to readers of the solicitations for coming months.  All in all, the pieces are in place for what promises to be a rip-roaring adventure.  

For more comic goodness, go here.

Review: The Boys #31

The second half of The Boys begins now! But, this is Ennis, so, being that this is the start of a new arc, it’s probably a bit slow, right? Wrong! In fact, this issue features a few shocks that I sure as hell wasn’t expecting. I wonder: “Will this issue’s death be permanent?” Probably not, since we’ve been promised an “Origins” arc for these characters. Still, the twist was fun.

This is a more-than-solid issue of The Boys. It contains all of the usual humor and lovely characterizations, but with lots of fighting to keep my brain entertained. I’m still utterly fascinated to watch these characters, and the story, progress. The only unimpressive element of this issue was, sadly, the art.

Yes, Robertson has taken another brief leave of absence. Filling his big shoes is Carlos Ezquerra, and his renderings were a bit inconsistent. Some moments worked fine, like Hughie’s dazed look after committing some terrible acts. Ezquerra is certainly a capable artist, but damn it, some panels were just sloppy. But hey, this is his first issue, so let’s all hope that he gets more comfortable. With Herogasm’s humorous opening and now this, it’s a good time to be a fan of The Boys.

Grade: B

For more comic goodness, go here.

Batman and Robin #4 Covers

The Quitely cover is the main one and the Tan cover is the variant. Quitely covers can be hit or miss, but I like that one. It got me excited. The Tan one? Not so much. I’m glad Quitely will do some covers, even on the issues he’s not drawing.

Check out our review of Batman and Robin #1!

For more comic goodness, go here.

Review: Ultimate Spider-Man #133

Oh, lord. I do love this series. I really do, but man, the last few issues have not been the best, and it all, unfortunately, culminates in this terrible issue. Ok, it’s not really terrible, but it’s frustrating.

“This is a SILENT issue.”

That’s on this book’s first page, as if it’s to save Marvel’s ass when the fans try to get their money back for a wordless, four-dollar issue. Yeah. Four dollars. Regular length. Wordless. Kind of pisses you off, huh?

Having said all that, this issue isn’t a train wreck, thanks to the talent of Stuart Immonen. I’ve never been his biggest supporter on this book. Yes, I liked Bagley. No, I don’t think Immonen is a bad artist. In fact, his work on Nextwave was exceptional. Anyway, even fans who didn’t appreciate Immonen’s art on this book can marvel at this issue’s beauty. Immonen does a stellar job, and he was indeed a fine replacement for Mark Bagley.

So, this was a decent issue. It’s not bad, but damn it, why pay four dollars for a wordless comic, when you could pay three dollars for a well-written comic with gorgeous art?

Grade: C-

For more comic goodness, go here.

Grant Morrison on Newsarama!

 

Check it out!

Yahoo! Frazer Irving is going to do the third Batman and Robin arc! I’m so happy!

That’s bad news for Phillip Tan. I like him, but he is no Frank Quitely or Frazer Irving.

Group Review: Batman & Robin #1

The Read/RANT team assembled together for this one!  Out of curiosity of Morrison and Quitely’s new project, we opted to forego our traditional system of reviews in favor of something a little more dynamic for Batman: Reborn, part 1.

SEVENTHSOLDIER: Once again, expectations are the enemy for me.  Morrison provided a perfectly good issue, setting up the new status quo, introducing some new villains, giving us a preview of what we can expect, and more, but coming off of a stellar multi-year epic on Batman, this felt slight for me.  Not bad, just less than what I’d hoped for.  That said, I don’t think that I was alone in half-seriously expecting the book to reinvent the wheel, at least when it came to Batman comics.

Instead, Morrison gave us what, in all fairness, he promised to give us – a rousing, fun adventure story about a new Batman and new Robin bonding. 

DCLebeau: I guess I had the opposite experience.  I realized going in that there was no way this issue could meet people’s sky-high expectations.  I was fully prepared to be disappointed.  I was expecting a disjointed assault on the senses, and instead I got a very solid Batman and Robin story with a few Morrision touches.  I was pleasantly surprised!

Bruce Castle: I knew the expectations were going to get me, too. Luckily, I came to terms with that last night. All of those agonizing months, with only the lackluster-at-best Battle for the Cowl to satisfy my Batman tooth, really built this comic up to deliver. But, thankfully, I was able to open up the first page, knowing that I was in for nothing but fun, and that’s what I got.

SEVENTHSOLDIER: The part that shined, for me, was the art.  Quitely is a rather divisive artist, but I think he was on his A-game here.  I doubt he’s the first artist to incorporate sound effects into the art itself, but the effect here is nonetheless stellar here, noticeable without being distracting.  Further, Morrison seems to have crafted Pyg and his Dolls specifically to Quitely’s admittedly chunky style, and the effect, for me, was rather mesmerizingly creepy.

DCLebeau: I couldn’t agree more.  Quitley’s art has never looked better.  Usually Morrison is the star of any book he’s on.  Even the characters sometimes take a backseat to Morrison’s rock star persona.  But on this book, Quitley stole the spotlight.  Although, as you say, clearly Morrison was helping to turn the spotlight on his collaborator.

Bruce Castle: I’ll also play the part of the Morrison historian here. Did you all remember to reread Batman #666 last night? Well, if you had, you’d know the grizzly fate of the monstrous Professor Pyg. You’d also know a good deal more about his Dollotrons. Both of those characters first appeared in that numericly satanic Batman issue. Also, since the Batcave was compromised during “Batman RIP,” everybody has set up shop in Wayne Tower. This also ties into Batman #666, since Damian’s headquarters were still in Wayne Tower in that future. Could this be a permanent move? No. I’m sure everything will be back to normal, once that pesky Morrison is off of the title.

SeventhSoldier: True enough, true enough, though the nice part of setting #666 so far in the future was that it’s hard to mess up.  Not even killing Damian can stop it, because… well, comics.

DCLebeau: Wow, BC, you are truly amazing.  I barely had time to squeeze in reading B&R #1.  Now, you’ve gone and done it.  I’m going to have to go through my back issues.  Thanks a lot! 

As a side note, the book is remarkably new reader friendly.  Considering all of the Batlore that has been heaped on us lately, this could have been a nightmare.  But it’s not.  You can come into this book having never read a Batman story before.  RIP, Battle for the Cowl, Final Crisis… you can skip them all.  Everything you need to know is right here.

Granted, if you’ve been reading Morisson’s run on Batman, you’re going to get more out of this issue.  But it can be read either way.  And that’s high praise!

Bruce Castle: Did you just tell people  to skip RIP and Final Crisis? People, don’t listen to this man! He’s crazy!

DCLebeau: If you haven’t read them by now, you’re probably not a Morrison fan.  and if you’re not a Morrsion fan, you’re not going to like them.  Anyway, my point was that none of that stuff is required reading to enjoy Batman and Robin #1.  The book is surprisingly accessible.  I imagine a lot of people who hated Final Crisis and RIP will still enjoy Batman and Robin.

SeventhSoldier: I’ve seen a number of people say that they felt it was over too soon and that that’s a good sign.  I understand the logic of it – that it makes you desperately wish there was more there is certainly a sign that you enjoyed the read – but in a medium this expensive, this is a persistent problem I have with the Big Action comics.  Still, the amount of joy packed into this issue means that I’m kind of morally obliged to keep reading.

DCLebeau: Don’t even get me started on the economics of comic books these days!  I could launch into a rant that would completely derail this article, but I won’t.  I will say that compared to other comics, I think B&R provided a pretty good bang for the buck.  Quitely’s art alone was worth the price of admission.  The fact that the story was good too was almost gravy.

Bruce Castle: At least Batman and Robin doesn’t cost four dollars. Oh, and it has words too. Sorry, I just read the wordless, four-dollar Ultimate Spider-Man #133.

SeventhSoldier:  Man, that sounds downright painful.  I just feel bad for you, honestly.

With Morrison and Quitely working together again, I can’t help but feel like I’m reading a companion piece to ALL-STAR SUPERMAN in some ways.  It has the same sense of fun, the same potential for tragedy or emotional climax, etc… that a lot of mainstream books don’t necessarily have for me.  It’s hard to blend the darkness with the light, as many popular comics writers demonstrate, but I think that A-SS did it quite well, and this first issue suggests that B&R might as well.

Obviously, with Morrison, you can’t avoid comparisons and interconnections with the rest of his work.  I’m curious – does anything stand out to any of you?

DCLebeau: One minor quibble that I had was that Pyg seemed familiar.  (And not just because we’d seen the character in a previous issue of Batman.)  The fact that he controlled his minions with disfiguring masks reminded me of Darkseid’s M.O. in Final Crisis.  The pig-face reminded me of the particular look Morrison inflicted on Wonder Woman in that series.  Like I said, it was a minor complaint.  I just couldn’t help thinking that as creepy as Pyg was, he didn’t feel especially fresh.

Bruce Castle: Well, one thing that did bother me was that Morrison is the king of first issues. I mean, think of his first Batman issue. Commissioner Gordon falling to his death, infected with Joker’s gas. The Joker, standing triumphantly over a dead Batman with a bloody crowbar in his stand, screaming “I finally killed Batman!” Oh, and just the small reveal that Batman has a kid!

So, compared to that, this issue was extremely tame. But we must remember, this isn’t really a true beginning. This should have been Batman #687. So, thinking that way, it doesn’t really bug me. And hey, Morrison did have to single-handedly introduce the new Dynamic Duo. Tony Daniel didn’t do anything. In addition to that, Morrison established Professor Pyg, and introduced the Toad, which, by the way, is brilliant. If Batman is already fighting one literary icon, why can’t he fight another?

DCLebeau: I was impressed by just how much I liked the new Batman and Robin.  I was pretty ambivalent at the idea of Dick as Batman.  I saw it after Nightfall.  It was okay then.  I expected it to be okay now.  But Morrison does more with it.  His Dick Grayson as Batman is a completely different animal that Bruce.  And Morrison achieves this by having dick behave differently, not just having Dick tell us how different he is from Bruce in internal monologue.

The real surprise for me was how much I liked Damian as Robin.  How awesome was he?  After the unreadable Resurrection of Ra’s al Guhl storyline, I didn’t really have any burning desire to read about the son of Batman again.  But I just loved the grim little Robin snapping at “Pennyworth”.

Bruce Castle: Yes. Anyone who thinks Morrison can just do crazy spectacle should read this issue. Characterization up to your ears. Damian being a good mechanic was also seen in Batman #666. Remember that sweet Batmobile?

Oh, and just what the heck is up with those dominoes?

SeventhSoldier: I have no idea what’s up with the dominoes, honestly.  It’s a strange, strange touch.  Obviously, it’s going to come back up – there’s too many mentions for it not to – but I couldn’t really say in what capacity.  I like that Dick’s first foe as Batman is an evil circus, though.  Domino tiles and bones, with, according to the previews, just a smidge of blood.

Well, my interest is piqued, though I don’t necessarily know what to think of it yet.

Bruce Castle:Yeah, Dick fighting a circus is pretty sweet. Speaking of the preview of the blood on the domino, we couldn’t possibly get through this without talking about the previews for the next year. Let’s see, we have:

Damian quitting Robin.

Already?

A new Red Hood, with a shadowed character behind him.

Perhaps his version of Harley?

Dick fighting Batwoman, with Batman coming out of lava?

And of course, Dr. freaking Hurt, holding the keys to Wayne Manor.

What do we think?

SeventhSoldier: Hurt with the keys to Wayne Manor really got me – that was just a solid image, and I couldn’t for the life of me say why.  Bruce is gone for now, etcetera, but that was just a great way to build off of RIP without directly following it.  Even if you never read a page of RIP, Wayne Manor just isn’t something a bad guy should have the keys to.

And was that Batman coming out of the lava… or out of a Lazarus Pit?  ’Cuz I thought it was a Pit.  I don’t think that’s Bruce – I think there’s something else going on – but I definitely think it was a Lazarus Pit.

As for Damian quitting as Robin, well, I suspect he’ll do that more than once.  He’s an insecure kid, and I don’t know if he’ll work out in the long run or be able to stay redeemed… but I think it definitely fits with Alfred and Dick to try and reform him… especially if he’s the last real piece of Bruce they have left.  There’s a lot going on with that obnoxious little kid, and I’m looking forward to it.

Red Hood was the image that didn’t do it for me, ‘cuz I had absolutely no idea who it was.  I thought it was a ‘fire’ version of Mr. Freeze, honestly – which just goes to show you how long I’ve been reading Batman comics.

So, yeah – the issue is a solid bit of action storytelling, that much we can all agree on, though how much we necessarily were looking for a solid bit of action storytelling is up for debate.  Nonetheless, I think we’re all excited for what’s to come, at least here.

How about you, faithful readers – what did you think about the issue?  We all enjoyed it, the other two more so than my self, but we want to hear what you have to say!

For more comic goodness, go here.

Review: Irredeemable #3

Mark Waid and Peter Krause return with BOOM!’s Irredeemable, a dark book that essentially asks, “What if Superman snapped?”  At least, that’s how the book is often pitched.  In reality, while the comparison to Superman snapping is fitting, the book sometimes feels more about the question “Why would Superman snap?” as it looks at the constant, thankless stresses that people who should be our heroes feel every day when we take them for granted.

#3 focuses largely on the small-time villains of the Plutonian as they gather in the abandoned hideout of a murdered superhero.  The book, fairly action-lite this time, though Waid makes up for it by having the beginning and, subsequently, the ending scenes be about as creepy as they can be, with a few nice character moments in between, all ably illustrated by Krause.

Irredeemable seems to be moving at a snails pace and confounding expectations at every turn.  Despite that, however, the book remains a consistently enjoyable read.  I still have, quite honestly, no idea where the book is going, and I mean that in a good way – despite being one continuous arc, it would be hard to call it predictable – and as we see the whys and wherefores slowly being answered along with the ‘what nexts’, the series just keeps getting better.

Grade: B+

- Cal J Cleary

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Review: Superman: World of New Krypton #4

Greg Rucka and James Robinson work together with Pete Woods to produce Superman: World of New Krypton, the only book in the Superman line actually featuring Superman himself.  Generally speaking, for whatever reason, it is also the strongest of the Superman titles available.  World of New Krypton #4 remains true to the quality of the stories, but it is also the first real disappointment of the bunch.

The Green Lanterns are coming, and in true comic book fashion, the cover is completely misleading.  No, sadly, this issue does not feature Superman beating the tar out of Hal Jordan – in fact, the Kryptonians, even Zod, go out of their way to be polite to the Hal, John, and Sodam Yat.  Minor intergalactic political squabbles ensue, but the promising plot thread gives all appearances of being quickly dropped as Rucka and Robinson just ran out of pages to do what they seemed to want to do.

I enjoy the more nuanced take that Robinson and Rucka are taking with Zod in this series, in which he tends not to come across as a complete sociopath.  A man from another society, yes, and a military man at that, but Zod is not a cackling sociopath like Ursa over in Action Comics.  However, Superman’s allegiance to New Krypton changes things for him, and in a nice bit of subtle storytelling, Superman forgets that Hal is here as a cop, not as a friend – the resulting slip-up puts him and Lieutenant Nar squarely in Zod’s pocket.

Woods continues to perform adequately, capturing everything about the alien civilization of supermen with ease, if little style.  Nonetheless, not every artist has to try to reinvent the wheel in any given issue of comics, and Woods’ style may be simple, but he has perfected it.  

The book remains enjoyable, but is, four issues in, relatively formulaic – especially the Superman/Zod conflict.  We know that Zod does not have good intentions – this takes some of the drama out right away, of course, by removing the opportunity that he’s literally just doing what’s best for his people against the more conflicted Kal.  Despite the nature of the book so far, however, it also slipped in more information about Kryptonian civilization, both now and before their planet was destroyed.  While the bits  that Rucka and Robinson generally drop rarely seem plot-important, they are always appreciated examinations of this still-alien culture.  Good, as always, but not great.

Grade: B+

- Cal Cleary

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Review: Ultimatum #4

Why am I even reviewing this? You already know if you want to read this or not, right? Either you’re reading it and hopefully having fun, or you dropped it after the first issue, and then you took that first issue, lit it on fire, and threw it at someone you didn’t like. I didn’t get arrested for throwing a flaming comic; so that makes me one of the ones who is reading and enjoying this series.

Is it great? Hell no! In fact, there’s even a line in here that is borderline racist. Nick Fury actually talks about how much he loves Roscoe’s. Yeah. That’s a little messed up. But you better believe that this issue included more death, more shocks, and more of that lovely David Finch art that takes ever so long to produce. Although, to be fair, Finch just had a kid. So, maybe that is what’s slowing him down.

If you’re one of the few who is waiting for the trade, let me clue you in on what this series is. Something terrible has happened to the entire world. Absolutely devastating. And, quite literally, every issue is packed with the deaths of ultimate versions of the characters you love. I’ve even heard this comic compared to a snuff film. Now, does that mean Loeb doesn’t care about the heroes? Maybe. Or, did he have to discard these characters to further deviate the Ultimate U from 616? Quite possibly, as well. And, really, if you had to get rid of everything that came before, this is a fun and unexpected way to do it. It’s kind of like, “What if heroes faced logic?” Something happens to Angel in this issue and, considering Angel is just a human with wings, it’s completely realistic. So, enter at your own peril, trade-waiters. If you’re open-minded enough, looking for a good time, you should have it.

Grade: B-

For more comic goodness, go here.

The Iron Patriot Acts?

 

What the hell is this?

Where are Tony and Bucky (And maybe Steve)?

SeventhSoldier’s Top 5 for May

Everyone else is doing it, and I am nothing if not a lemming, and so I present my own Top 5 for the Month of May.  The month wasn’t my biggest, spending-wise, but that looks to be picking up fairly soon.

#5

Secret Six continues to be one of the most consistently enjoyable titles on the shelves, though #9 felt like a bit of a middle child in the grand scheme of things.  Still, the ruminations on the cowl were fun, as was the general taunting tone it seemed to take towards the holding pattern ‘event’, and Ragdoll, in Simone’s hands, can sell me on just about anything.

#4

After a somewhat lackluster first issue, Irredeemable‘s second issue delivered the thrills, deepened the twisted Superman-esque mythos of the book, and came packed with some pretty great art.  Though the book hasn’t yet lived up to Waid’s strongest work, it demonstrates a lot of promise that I hope to see come out more thoroughly in future issues.

#3

Robinson’s Superman continues to improve, for the first time beating out World of New Krypton in most every way.  Helped in no small part by artist Renato Guedes, the book feels vastly more human than most superhero titles out there, especially the issue’s closing page of Mon-El’s reflections in Paris.

#2

The Unwritten‘s premiere was enormous, affordable, creative and well-executed.  Carey and Gross begin a new Vertigo series with a great deal more promise and finesse than most new #1′s can boast, crafting an engaging tale that manages to combine aspects of Harry Potter, Books of Magic, and Sandman in ambitious fantasy. 

#1

Seaguy: Slaves of Mickey Eye certainly isn’t for everyone, but for those that enjoy its quirky brand of black humor and heroics, this issue provided everything you could’ve asked for and more.  This is Morrison and Stewart doing some of their finest work, offering a layered fantasy world that plays with our expectations and revels, at least a little, in our discomfort.

- Cal Cleary

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