Review: Blackest Night Green Arrow #30

After the first wave of fairly mediocre BN tie-ins, I’ve avoided most of the others unless they’ve spilled into books I was already reading like Secret Six.  However, I made an exception for this issue.  I have been a very vocal critic of Andrew Kriesberg’s run on Green Arrow and Black Canary since the very first issue.  And at long last, that run has come to an end.

JT Krul takes over as the new writer on this issue.  So the big question is: How’d he do?  Well, in my mind, there’s no doubt Krul is a vast improvement over Kreisberg.  For the first time in a long time, the characters feel somewhat familiar again.  And I really enjoyed seeing the full Arrow family together again.

Unfortunately, Krul has a lot of masters to serve in this issue.  Obviously, he’s got to squeeze in an obligatory BN tie-in without advancing any of the plot threads of the main title.  So there is no real forward momentum here.  Instead, we get a lot of internal monologue as Ollie brings us up to speed on all of the cast while his Black Lantern self tries to kill them.

Krul also has to deal with messes left by previous GA writers.  Most notably, he has to address Connor Hawke’s transformation at the end of Judd Winnick’s run.  Even so, Krul did a good job of making new Connor feel like he was still the same guy I was used to reading about.  And apparently he’s learned how to shoot a bow and arrow again.

The art by Diogenes Neves was really strong.  He managed both the action scenes and the character moments very well.  And the misty tone fit the dreamlike quality of a possessed hero’s internal struggle.

In spite of having to clean up after previous writers and mix in a tie-in, Krul’s run is off to a promising start.  I’m happy to report I’ll be checking out the next few issues of Green Arrow again.

readRANT

Review: Blackest Night #7

Coming off a semi-strong pair of issues, Blackest Night #7 is something of a mess, filled with almost-action scenes that cut in too late and then leave before anything is done.  To those reading all the tie-ins, this issue must have been fabulous: at least from what I can tell, Johns did his best to throw in nods to all the major running tie-ins.  Abandoning the obsessive, almost signature exposition that accompanies so much of Johns’ work, the unlucky reader is instead dropped in and out of situations that mean very little without rhyme or reason.  None of it is particularly hard to follow – all the Corps show up and fight Black Lanterns, the Earthbound heroes show up and fight Black Lanterns, Dove is alive now and fighting Black Lanterns (or, more specifically, she merely seems to exist in the general direction of Black Lanterns, and then they die) – but just because I understood what was happening doesn’t make it enjoyable.  Despite a questionable late-issue revelation about the origin of life, the issue is saved by the occasional inclusion of some excellent character work.

While Reis’ pencils are fine, the ceaseless black atmosphere continues to take its toll on him, detracting from the art as things tend to get muddy.  To combat that, of course, all the living heroes are coated constantly in monochrome neon lights, obscuring action but color-coding the story for us in case we forget Lex Luthor is supposed to be greedy just because he is now incapable of doing anything but screaming “MINE” over and over.  The best that can be said about this effect is that it’s certainly unique, so I suppose we’ll stick with that.

Blackest Night was designed to be just about the simplest book imaginable – larger-than-life heroes and villains thrown together against a common enemy, hell, the greatest enemy: Death itself.  To that end, while the green rings don’t make the Corps any Will-ier and the yellow rings don’t terrify whoever puts them on, the other rings all seem to rewrite their bearers into one-dimensional caricatures.  Unfortunately, by reducing the setting to caricatures fighting caricatures in a set of spastic action beats spread across multiple titles, Blackest Night has also managed to strip away everything essential to the story.  Johns is a gifted creator capable of so much more, but Blackest Night has collapsed under its own weight.

Grade: D

- Cal Cleary

Blackest Night #6

Blackest Night #5

Review: Superman: World of New Krypton #12

Superman: World of New Krypton was always doomed to have a disappointing conclusion.  The best issues of the series has little ongoing plot other than to explore New Krypton, to familiarize us with the unique problems of this alien world.  While there was always, in the background, a metaplot going on, the most exciting moments often came when Superman and Zod clashed: neither wrong, but both with a fundamentally different understanding of what the planet needed.  With Superman: World of New Krypton #12, we once again have to abandon a great deal of the exploratory aspect of the book to plot, though it’s handled much more deftly than it was in previous issues.  A traitor is revealed, and it all finally ties back to earth.  War is imminent, but not before a final page reveal that leaves the fate of the the Kryptonians in some jeopardy.

Pete Woods and Ron Randall, provide some excellent concluding visuals, like the surprise one-panel visit to a Starro-ruled planet or a glimpse of Krypton’s Jewel Mountains, overflowing with lava.  While the mini concludes on a cliffhanger that does little save set up the next event prelude – Superman: Last Stand of New Krypton – the final issue is at least largely a satisfying read in its own right.  That an event is coming so inexorably is a sad thing.  Superman: World of New Krypton could have been so much more than a competent, enjoyable prologue.

Grade: B+

- Cal Cleary

Superman: World of New Krypton #11

Superman: World of New Krypton #10

Review: Joe the Barbarian #2

If Joe the Barbarian‘s first issue started a bit slow, its second makes up for it and then some.  As Joe ventures even deeper into the bizarre fantasy-land in his head, he teams up with Jack, his pet rat/master swordsman to defy an evil empire hellbent on destruction.  The issue has a couple killer action segments, gorgeous scenery and bizarre, epic world-building like only Grant Morrison can do.  There is an undeniably tragic undercurrent, though – after all, the book appears to be about a young man mythologizing his own rapid, needless death.  I do not know whether Joe will survive or not, but panels like the one where he falls from the attic are almost viscerally painful, and it’s these brief, infrequent reminders from Morrison that give the book it’s quickly-breaking heart.

Murphy continues to turn in extraordinarily impressive work, as does colorist Dave Stewart – an under-appreciated talent, especially notable in gorgeous panels like the first firing of the ray gun – and the pair together make the issue extremely memorable.  The two of them have crafted an extraordinarily lived-in fantasy world.  With Morrison’s script and Murphy and Stewart on art, Joe the Barbarian has already grown into a first-rate adventure, one that perfectly captures the bizarre melancholy and boundless creativity of childhood.

Grade: A

- Cal Cleary

Read/RANT

Joe the Barbarian #1

Review: The Unwritten #10

As The Unwritten‘s third arc begins, Carey and Gross take us to a profoundly strange place.  At the end of “The Inside Man”, Tom and his new companions escaped the rioting prison housing them all by means of magic doorknob.  They left in their wake a great deal of devastation, a pair of profoundly tragic deaths and a powerful enemy none of them know anything about.  But as always, The Unwritten never takes you where you think you’ll end up, and in this case, that means #10 begins with the three wanderers dropped in a dreamlike version of Hitler’s Germany, learning about an obscure story co-opted by the Nazi propaganda machine.

I have praised the art of The Unwritten before, and while Gross and his team, including Jimmy Broxton and Christ Chuckry here, are getting more confident, the action remains slightly stilted.  That said, The Unwritten generally bypasses that my focusing on the drama and the atmosphere, and those are two things Gross & Co. do quite well, a talent that comes in handy in the dreamy half-world of the current arc.

The Unwritten continues to be one of the strongest titles on the shelves.  Smart, fast and literate, Carey and Gross have crafted an unpredictable adventure.  ”Jud Suss”, the newest arc, follows the same pattern as before: even as the story moves forward, the setting continues to get deeper and more elaborate.  The issue ends on a shocking moment, but even if it hadn’t, my response would be the same.  I can’t wait for more.

Grade: A-

- Cal Cleary

Read/RANT

The Unwritten #9

The Unwritten #8

Review: X-Men: Pixies Strikes Back! #1 (of 4)

Kathryn Immonen won a great deal of good will from me with her excellent (if somewhat surreal) Patsy Walker: Hellcat last year.  Despite low sales and mixed critical reception, however, Immonen seemed to be on her way up, put on one of the very, very few successful modern franchise creations: Runaways.  The book thwarted more polished creators than her, however, with Joss Whedon and Terry Moore both coming off troubled runs, and Immonen proved no different.  Now she returns, however, with X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back, a mini-series that appears to have decided that Patsy Walker: Hellcat was just a little too normal.

Runaways artist Sara Pichelli joins Imonnen here, and while her style feels notably different than in her previous book, the dreamy, exaggerated style serves the plot well.  Pichelli’s cartoonish exaggeration fits into Immonen’s hyper-energetic world perfectly.  Though the issue may be a bit disconcerting to many, it’s energy, charm and savvy definitely deserve some notice.  From fake high schoolers talking in bizarre quotes to random bouts of high school violence, Pixie Strikes Back offers up a variety of surreal action that’s sure to baffle, confuse and entertain.

Grade: B+

- Cal Cleary

Read/RANT

Review: Batman and Robin #8

Batman and Robin #8 continues the book’s upward trend, a return to form for the critically respected pop action book.  Told largely out of order, it switches between a couple different timelines. The first takes place before #7, suggesting how Batwoman came to find herself in a coffin and who set Eddie up with a bomb on the subway, while the other continues after Batman slips, uh, Batman (that is, Dick slips Bruce) into a Lazarus Pit, intending on reviving the fallen hero.  It also fills in small blanks from Final Crisis, Blackest Night and more in the space of about two panels, has some solid action, introduces new characters and excellent new problems.

Cameron Stewart provides excellent art, a welcome change of pace after Tan.  The fight scenes are crisp and quick, the characters all have relatively distinct physical personalities – something that’s difficult to do, often overlooked, and was done excellently in B&R’s first arc.  The fight between the two Batmen is particularly well-handled.

Though there are one or two slip-ups – this is the second time in two issues Batwoman has been imperiled and helpless, to name one of the bigger ones – Morrison nonetheless does a good job characterizing her, Dick, Damian and more.  The final cliffhanger is exciting without being exploitive, and the writing and art are sharp and coherent.  Batman and Robin may have had a shaky sophomore arc, but “Darkest Knight” has been rock solid so far.

Grade: A-

- Cal Cleary

Read/RANT

Batman & Robin #7

Batman & Robin #6

Review: The Question #37

The Question #37 continues the trend of disappointing Blackest Night tie-ins that aren’t so much bad as they are incomplete.  Teaming up Denny O’Neil, renowned Batman-family scribe and writer behind The Question’s longest-running solo title, and Greg Rucka, the writer who shepherded Vic Sage to his ultimate fate and has written his legacy ever since, was a brilliant idea at heart, allowing the two eras of the Question to be reconciled a little more fully. Unfortunately, given a full issue to work with, O’Neil and Rucka, working with art team Cowan and Sienkiewicz, end up turning in what feels like half a story.

Cowan and Sienkiewicz turn in atmospheric art that works well in the build-up, but slows the action down a bit too much.  The three-way fight between these gifted martial artists (or the preceding one-on-one fight) should not be quite as static as it is, and while Cowan and Sienkiewicz have the bleak, oppressive “Blackest Night” feel down pat, they don’t quite manage to balance it with the actual content of the book.

Ultimately, The Question #37 feels more like the beginning of a very traditional arc.  The creative team is extremely comfortable with it, and it shows as the issue is quite polished, a smooth, quick read that builds off pre-established relationships without too much exposition.  Finishing the issue, however, just leaves you with a vague emptiness.  Reviving beloved fan-favorite titles from cancellation was a brilliant marketing concept, but a one-issue round of fisticuffs just doesn’t satisfy the same niche that these books did when they were alive.  Just like the Black Lanterns they came back with, this latest month of tie-ins has all the trappings of the beloved titles, but lacks heart.

Grade: C+

- Cal Cleary

Read/RANT

Review: Wonder Woman #40 & Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #3 (of 3)

Wonder Woman #40

Simone and Lopresti start their new arc, “The Crows”, with #40.  Featuring the Amazonian children fathered by Ares, Simone does a fine job setting up a new and fascinating conflict for Diana.  Much like all the best issues of Rucka’s run, Simone presents the heroine with a new kind of challenge: public relations.  Of course, there it was because Wonder Woman released a particularly incendiary book, while here, it’s the Crows’ supernatural influence to spread the seeds of war, but the fundamentals remain the same.

Lopresti remains an impressive talent, and he’s given the Crows a suitably creepy feel.  For a character so dedicated to spreading hope, love and tolerance as Wonder Woman, the Crows are a natural enemy, and one I hope Simone does not abandon lightly.  Coming fresh of the heels of a few excellent arcs, however, I think it’s safe to say that she’s earned our trust on the book.  The set-up here is more exciting than some of her recent arcs on the book, and it combines Simone’s excellent characterization with a quicker pace and some fun new enemies.  Definitely a winner.

Grade: B+

Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #3 (of 3)

Ah, Blackest Night: Wonder Woman.  You started so strong, a stellar display of a fine heroine confronting her past in a sensible, exciting manner.  But the more ties you had to the main Blackest Night mini… well, here you end.  Blackest Night: Wonder Woman is less a story than a series of three largely unconnected one-shots intended to fill in the questions the main mini never touched on.  If you very, very desperately need to know what Wonder Woman is doing between the panels of Blackest Night (the answer: fighting Black Lanterns), the mini is for you.  Otherwise, however, it largely squanders a pair of great talents on a middling-at-best issue with no real reason to exist.

Scott still turns in exciting, gorgeous work, though even she has trouble making Wonder Woman’s Star Sapphire costume look right.  Despite Scott’s work and Rucka’s talent, however, Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #3 remains a mundane, unnecessary tie-in, too bound by continuity to explore anything particularly fascinating but not nearly important enough to matter to the main narrative.

Grade: D+

- Cal Cleary

Read/RANT

Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #2

Review: Siege #2

It would be preposterous to claim that the plot fundamentals of Siege made sense in any rational universe.  That is something that Marvel fans, however, have had a good few years to come to terms with, and editorial direction of the Marvel Universe notwithstanding, Siege #2 continues to deliver a surprisingly exciting ride from a writer not known for his thrilling action beats.  The issue is essentially a 22-page action comic, with occasional, brief breaks to give us reaction shots… and reinforcements.  While hardly groundbreaking, the opening half of Siege, ignoring all spin-offs and tie-ins, may be Bendis’ tightest work in the last couple years.

Coipel continues to be a big part of the mini’s success, deftly handling the bulk of the issue’s action.  While a few panels, most specifically the issue’s shocking, gory death, seem rushed and a little clumsy, others more than make up for it – seeing Maria Hill ride up in the back of a pick-up truck, rocket launcher in hand, was such a bizarrely charming sequence it couldn’t be ignored.  The issue continues to have flaws, but the fact of the matter is, right now this is exactly the sort of brief, simple beat-’em-up most people look for in these big events.  It may not be ambitious or revolutionary, but things are clearly happening, and these things are being caused by people with motives.  For a big event, this is success.

Grade: B+

- Cal Cleary

Read/RANT

Siege #1