Batman/Doc Savage Special #1 operates, in many ways, as a preview, an attention-getter, for the upcoming launch of DC’s “First Wave” project in March of 2010.  Written by Brian Azzarello, with Phil Noto on art, this issue introduces lasting pulp icon Doc Savage to the DC Universe as he comes to Gotham to investigate and possibly apprehend the brand spankin’ new vigilante known only as the Batman.  The series as a whole will use a number of famous pulp heroes, from Doc Savage to the Spirit and beyond, to recast DC’s early days as a dark adventure for a world heading into the unknown.

Azzarello’s writing on this issue is largely solid.  There are a few slip-ups that some may find irritating – such as a confrontation between Batman and Doc Savage in which Bruce’s narration continually insists that he has just one more chance, which is followed by his last chance, which is followed by another assurance that he still has a chance left – but for the most part, Azzarello does a stellar job introducing us both to the less assured, riskier young Batman and the celebrated renaissance man, Doc Savage.  The characters are distinct and interesting, though the issue’s plotting is nearly nonexistent and it does little to suggest solid supporting casts.

Noto’s art is similarly plagued with minor problems, as the issue is filled with relatively stiff fight scenes and a strange propensity to always make it look as though Batman is smiling, regardless of whether or not it’s appropriate to the scene at hand.  Despite those flaws, however, he also does a fine job, giving the book a notable, memorable style that stays largely consistent throughout.  The book has plenty of memorable images, thanks largely to Noto’s design and coloring.

Batman/Doc Savage Special #1 definitely reads like a prologue, and a pricey one at that.  But it also serves as a rock-solid introduction into exactly what Azzarello has planned come next year as he lays down plot threads that can take our heroes all over the place.  A brash young Batman is a particularly nice addition to the team as the character’s return to his roots (and his guns) will have some modern fans shaking their heads, but will leave plenty delighted to see the little-discussed rookie-years of the character.  Azzarello does a great job distinguishing rich-boy crime-fighting genius know-it-all with a military-trained butler Doc Savage from the remarkably similar Bruce Wayne, and making both characters interesting in their own right.  It definitely left me looking forward to the next step of the project, and regretting the long wait.

Grade: B+

- Cal Cleary

Read/RANT

Immortal Weapons #4

Four issues in and Immortal Weapons continues to be woefully inconsistent.  Given the nature of the book’s shifting creative teams, that comes as no surprise, but I am beginning to see the flaws in the strategy as I begin to imagine a collected edition.  Is it worth buying the ill-conceived stories for the heartbreaking ones?  This issue is by no means as bad as “Bride of Nine Spiders” was – it is at the very least a coherent martial arts story featuring the titular character, Tiger’s Beautiful Daughter.  It is exciting and fun, and has a few big action sequences that are well-illustrated.

It is also remarkably slight and about as cheesecake-y as a book can be.  Artist Khari Evans does a fine job illustrating a culture of bikini’d warrior women with all the requisite bounce and heft – and also a strikingly consistent sense of tone and design, surprisingly – but the story is beyond slight, almost to the point of nonsense.  Fun nonsense, granted, but where Evans brings consistency, the best Swierczynski offers is chaos.

The back-up feature continues to move quickly forward as a quick bit of ‘intuitive deduction’ – read: plot crunch – reveals the true fate of Jada’s younger brother.  With Foreman off art, the back-up continues to suffer as Hatuey Diaz’s shaggy, cartoonish style doesn’t fit any of the tones Swierczynski seems to be going for.

Grade: B

Secret Six #15

John Ostrander comes onto Secret Six, the first writer other than Simone to deal with the book since its revival in Villains United.  Some readers may balk at the fact that he has largely shied away from Simone’s familiar offbeat humor without abandoning any of the book’s signature darkness, but Ostrander knows his strengths – and knows his character – and instead turns the book into an introspective character study of Deadshot, in many ways the team’s most heartless member.

With Calafiore doing a stellar job on art, Ostrander takes us deep into Deadshot’s damaged mind.  The pair work well together, especially in the one-panel shots of Deadshot-Vision we occasionally get, a cold reality in which we see the deaths of everyone in the room at his hands.  The issue has its flaws, including some seemingly trite pop psychology and a so-so origin story retelling, but its core is rock solid… and, to be quite frank, more than a little chilling.

Grade: B+

Stumptown #1

The recent, excellent resurgence of the crime comic comes largely at the hands of three writers: Brian Azzarello, Ed Brubaker, and, finally, Greg Rucka.  With Stumptown, Rucka returns to ONI Press, who published his stellar Whiteout and Queen and Country, for another crime comic with an earthy female protagonist in over her head.  While Rucka is in some ways becoming predictable, Stumptown #1 displays the benefits of such predictability: it’s polished and experienced, a rock solid introduction to a new title.

Matthew Southworth and Lee Loughridge, Rucka’s partners here, do a great job on art.  The panel layouts are simple but extremely effective, while the art is expressive without losing the darkness we expect of a crime comic.  Dex, the P.I. in charge of Stumptown Investigations, is a well-realized heroine with an already-growing supporting cast, all excellently illustrated.  An excellent, traditional entry into the ever-growing pile of great modern crime comics.

Grade: A-

Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural #2

After a remarkably solid opening issue, Remender and Palo drop the ball quickly with this second issue.  Picking up after his confrontation with Dr. Doom last issue, Voodoo is stranded in another dimension, one in which his powers are severely hampered… and in which resides a powerful foe for the new Sorcerer Supreme.  It’s a remarkable coincidence that leaves Voodoo stranded here, unless Doom was working for/with the issue’s surprise villain, but its one that’s never visited.  The action is brief but effective, but the book’s twist is ineffective at best, and the backround we get on Jericho this issue feels fairly out of place here.

Palo (joined by Gabriel Hardman on art) seems to have lost some of last month’s visceral energy, but he remains the book’s star player.  His illustrations of a nightmare New Orleans are memorable,  as are the monstrous designs of Nightmare’s horde, but the art feels more rushed here, despite a momentum-killing origin-story in the middle of the issue.  Hopefully, the team can regain some of the momentum of their opening issue soon.

Grade: C+

- Cal Cleary

Secret Six #13

Immortal Weapons #3

Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural #1

Coming out of retirement because this shit just blew my mind. What is the origin of Layla Miller’s power?

Of course! Her future self came back in time to blast her with all her future memories!! DUH!! That explains everything!!

…but wait, that’s not all.

#### THAT.

No matter what Robinson and Rucka have been doing to Superman and Action Comics, their collaboration on Superman: World of New Krypton has never been anything less than sharp.  With Pete Woods constantly improving on art, the book was becoming one of DC’s most consistently enjoyable books.  Unfortunately, Superman: World of New Krypton #9 sees the book’s first real stumble.

Rucka and Robinson seem to have gotten into a comfortable pattern with WoNK – alien threat from last page of previous issue appears, is talked down by Clark, leaves an ally, new alien threat appears on last page.  If it’s kept honest and exciting, there’s little problem with this, but the confrontation with Jemm and his Saturnian contingent was utterly unremarkable.  The fight was surprisingly confused for Woods’, whose fights have previously been clear and smooth.

World of New Krypton #9 ends with another surprise cosmic visitor in a compromising situation, and I have no doubt that Kal will resolve the issue quickly and without more than perhaps a brawl or two.  There are, as always, interesting potential roadblocks, but thus far Rucka and Robinson have largely shied away from putting Superman in any sort of actual moral quandry.  There’s nothing inherently wrong with predictability when it’s paired with honest drama, exciting action, or any number of other well-handled story-telling.  But this issue feels bland, and combined with the last couple, it feels a lot like the book is just spinning its wheels until the next big crossover kicks in.

Grade: C+

- Cal Cleary

Read/RANT

Superman: World of New Krypton #8

Superman: World of New Krypton #7

A number of years ago, Fables revealed the surprise fate of one of its most well-known characters: empty-headed princess Cinderella was, in fact, one of Fabletown’s most potent spies, an off-the-books agent who would get the job done without question.  Using her cover as an international fashionista, Cinderalla does whatever Fabletown needs, wherever they need it done.  With only a few issues focusing on her adventures, she seems a strange choice to focus a new Fables spin-off on, but Chris Roberson and Shawn McManus do a good job introducing her to non-Fables fans while diving straight into the action.

Set after the war with the Adversary concludes, Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love #1 is at a strange point in Fables continuity, but it doesn’t care much, quickly sending her away from Fabletown to travel the world searching for mystic artifacts that are being trafficked from the Homelands into the mundane world.  Much like Jack of Fables, this promises to give us another glimpse into the strange intersection between the mundane and the surreal and how other supernatural creatures have found a place elsewhere in the world, albeit from a completely different angle.  Whether a new point of view is reason enough for another spin-off, only time will tell.

Artist Shawn McManus’ cartoony style fits the Fables Universe well and he has no trouble jumping betweeen a belltower showdown with an assassin and a meeting between Cinderella and her secret informant’s, which include, for example, one of the blind mice.  Roberson, meanwhile, provides the beginnings of a simple story that promises plenty of action, intrigue and magic – which is pretty much exactly what was expected.  Well-conceived and largely well-handled Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love #1 seems to be a worthy, if unnecessary, addition to the Fables stable.

Grade: B+

- Cal Cleary

A couple years back, DC’s excellent 52 introduced us to a team of Chinese superheroes – or, as they were called by their government, super-functionaries – called the Great Ten.  Throughout the time, and for a good while after, there was frequent talk of a Great Ten miniseries in the works.  Talk eventually died down, and outside of a few cameos in comics like Checkmate, the team was largely forgotten… which is the perfect time to launch that mini, right?

Happily, while the book isn’t nearly as off-the-wall as it could have been with a more daring creative team, Tony Bedard and Scott McDaniel provide a solid superhero tale set-up so that it can give us a great deal of background on these new characters without slowing the book’s pace to oblivion.  The opening issue, featuring the origin of Accomplished Perfect Physician, the team’s most rebellious member, offers solid action combined with some clunky (if admittedly unavoidable) social commentary and a fascinating new team with an interesting mythology behind them.

McDaniel does a fine job on art.  Illustrating scenes with a character whose powers are all based on sound – Accomplished Perfect Physician can diagnose and cure illnesses, stop bullets and earthquakes, and do a whole lot more with nothing more than whistles, hums, growls and shouts – but McDaniel keeps it fairly simple, never letting the page get too cluttered or confused.

The Great Ten #1 never rises beyond an action comic, despite its attempts at social commentary, but it doesn’t need to – the action is quick, fun and to the point, all either furthering the plot or helping us get into the head of one of our characters.  If each issue can introduce us so nicely to another member of the team, future creators will have an excellent blueprint of these characters with which to work.  A worthwhile purchase for fans of myth-based comics, Bedard and McDaniel are turning in solid, fun work.

Grade: B+

- Cal Cleary

Read/RANT

Arkham Reborn #1 (of 3)

With the popularity of the absolutely stellar Batman: Arkham Asylum and the recent relaunch of the Bat-franchise, it should come as no surprise that Gotham’s infamous Arkham Asylum would get its own miniseries.  After the mass breakout from the Asylum and subsequent explosion, Jeremiah Arkham, ancestor of the Asylum’s original designer, has taken it upon himself to continue the grand, bumbling legacy of the world’s only criminal institution with a revolving door.

Hine does a good job building the book slowly, despite the fact that the entire mini-series is only three issues long.  Here we meet Arkham’s new staff, specifically Jeremiah Arkham, who believes in curing Gotham’s madmen with love and respect; Alyce Sinner, sole survivor of a massive suicide cult and expert on the criminally insane; and Aaron Cash, now Arkham’s head of security and one of the tragic figures to come out of Dan Slott’s excellent Arkham Asylum: Living Hell.  Jeremiah has met with some small success in his bid to rehabilitate, but we know that the laws of comic book storytelling says that that can’t last – Dr. Sinner soon betrays him, revealing the Asylum’s dark, heinous underbelly in a bid to keep things crazy.

There’s nothing unpredictable here, but Hine does a good job setting the mood and introducing everyone, while artist Jeremy Haun turns in excellent work on all fronts, designing a few new characters and an all-new Arkham and still managing to craft a few extremely memorable images.  The pair seem well-suited, and while it seems that the entire mini’s purpose is to keep Arkham Asylum the same hellhole it has been these past few years, at least they seem to be having plenty of fun with it.

Grade: B+

Detective Comics #858

Years after the character was introduced and months into her first solo title, “Go” marks our first foray into the origins of Kate Kane.  Growing up moving from military base to military base, Kate and Beth Kane really only had each other growing up.  A few issues back, it was hinted that something bad happened to her growing up, and now we see what that is: after earning a post in France, Mrs. Kane, Kate and Beth were kidnapped by terrorists during a security alert.  While Kate couldn’t see what was happening to her mother and sister, the aftermath certainly left an impression.

Rucka’s storytelling is far more solid here than in the previous arc, perhaps due to the shortened arc’s tighter focus.  Whatever the reason, the issue provides a quick, tragic glimpse of an origin that didn’t go at all where I thought it would, and was wrapped up in a single issue, leaving next month for the fallout.  J.H. Williams III makes an abrupt shift in style for the bulk of the issue, giving the flashback to Kate’s youth a vastly more structured layout and color-palette.  The contrast between the two time-periods is gorgeous and memorable, once again suggesting Williams as one of comics’ top talents.

The Question back-up finally wrapped up its opening arc with this issue.  The lack of room the story had, confined as it was to these back pages, took away from some of the suspense the story might’ve had if it had had more room to build up an atmosphere or throw us a plot twist or two, but it has nonetheless remained a consistently entertaining action comic, thanks in part to Rucka’s collaborator, Cully Hamner, whose layouts and art make it a joy to watch Renee in motion.

Between the issue’s two parts, Detective Comics features a pair of artists at the top of their games, anchored by strong writing of two fascinating new heroines.  It’s well-worth your time.

Grade: B+

Astro City: Astra Special #2 (of 2)

Astro City: Astra Special concludes on a high note.  Anyone who has graduated college can relate to what Astra is going through as she continues to tell her boyfriend Matthew about the increasingly bizarre possibilities open to a young woman of her immense talents.  From mundane jobs with research institutes on Earth to a chance to untie, one world at a time, a series of realities knotted together by a madman’s destructive last act, Astra has, for the first time in her life, no idea what to do next.

While the other part of the book will probably resonate less with others, using a now-grown child heroine to look at and condemn our deranged obsession with celebrity culture largely works.  Though there are a few painful, relatively clunky moments, Busiek works hard to keep the emotions honest and keep it all part of Astra’s story.

Astro City: Astra Special combines Jack Kirby’s flare for bizarre cosmic world-building with a more grounded, human story.  Anderson’s pencils are much improved when he’s dealing with these larger-than-life concepts, and together the pair brings us a small-in-scope, massive-in-scale story about the pains of growing up.  It isn’t the most memorable Astro City story, but it’s honest and entertaining, and continues to flesh out the best setting in comics.

Grade: A-

Blackest Night: Superman #3 (of 3)

Blackest Night: Superman, which started out so much vastly stronger than the other “Blackest Night” related books, ends here more with a whimper than with a bang.  The book does have some interesting revelations about the weaknesses of the Black Lanterns, as well as an explanation for what New Krypton is up to throughout the event, but it amounts to little more than that, in the end.

Despite its failure to live up to its own eerie opening issue, Blackest Night: Superman #3 nonetheless offered solid action illustrated by Eddie Barrows doing what he’s most comfortable doing, with (perhaps sadly) the best writing Robinson’s been doing, lately.  Robinson continues to use the emotional spectrum’s color-coding to vastly more effect than the main mini to give us a neat, inside peak into the characters heads in otherwise wordless scenes, a trick that works especially well with Psycho Pirate in the mix.  Ultimately, Blackest Night: Superman isn’t bad.  It’s just forgettable.

Grade: B

Mini-Grade: B

- Cal Cleary

Read/RANT

Astro City: Astra Special #1

Blackest Night: Superman #2

Detective Comics #857

With part two of “Warkiller”, Simone continues to move her pieces in place.  The Olypmian rules a Themyscira undergoing rapid, inexplicable change – women are spontaneously impregnating on an island now rocked by storms, while Hippolyta is prisoner to her former, mad guard Alkyone, now wife of Achilles and Queen of Themyscira.  And while Ares’ physical form might have been destroyed by Diana, truly killing a god proves vastly more difficult than that, resulting in an uncomfortable visitation from the God of War.

“Warkiller” doesn’t have the snappy pacing of “Birds of Paradise”, nor the epic action of “Rise of the Olympian”, but it has nonetheless been been fairly satisfying.  Simone continues to lay groundwork for a massive overarching story throughout her run here with the massive changes to Paradise Isle, and at times, that’s part of the problem: both this issue and the last have, by and large, felt like set-up.  Simone has a deft hand for character-based drama and comedy while Bernard Chang continues to gain skill and confidence, so it was certainly entertaining set-up, but the pacing definitely feels off.

Grade: B

- Cal Cleary

Read/RANT

Wonder Woman #36

Wonder Woman #35

The end of the year is coming fast! I read 17 comics in October, and these were the best.

5. Detective Comics #858

JH Williams III, arguably the best artist in the biz, and Dave Stewart, arguably the best colorist in the biz, grace Detective Comics’ interiors. Those two are literally a dream team. Yes, Rucka can’t quite produce a script that can match their ability, but who can? Morrison can’t write everything. This issue dips a toe into Kate’s origin, building off of last arc’s twist. Kate’s story is simple and adorable, which spirals into terrible tragedy. Rucka’s writing is strong, reminiscent of his Queen & Country days, but it’s the aforementioned dream team that really gives this issue an emotional punch.

4. Hellboy: The Wild Hunt #7

After last issue’s startling revelations, The Wild Hunt is steamrolling towards its conclusion. This series has indeed changed Hellboy. Hopefully, this doesn’t mean the series is ending. Fegredo’s Hellboy is strong, as always. He’s with Mignola every step of the way, as this issue brilliantly illustrates the core nature of Hellboy’s character. He’s always trapped in a cyclone of destiny, fighting with every breath to do good.

3. Invincible Iron Man #19

As the solicitation reads, “Everything ends.” At last, Fraction’s year-long epic concludes. Unfortunately, Larroca is still around. So, this issue doesn’t look great, but only someone like Larroca could render a “year-long epic” in less than a year. With this oversized culmination, Tony’s heroism shines bright. He spends most of the issue lumbering around like the Hulk, with even less brainpower. And when he utters his last words of the story, we cheer.

2. The Walking Dead #66

The Walking Dead doesn’t have many two-page splashes, but when they’re used, they make for some of this great series’ best moments. Besides the general awe of Adlard’s work, and Rick’s terrifying words, “Hold him down.” What makes the image so effective is the shading of Rick’s left eye. Remember this guy? He’s the dark mirror of Rick. So, whenever Rick’s a bit of a bastard, I suspect we’ll see his left eye shaded a bit. Besides all that, this issue concludes the “Fear the Hunters” arc, Carl confesses, and another character dies. That all makes for one of the strongest Walking Dead issues of the year, if not the best.

1. Dark Reign: The List – Wolverine

Yeah, done-in-one stories rule this format, especially when they’re produced by Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic. Aaron, who channels the humorous, kickass writing you can see in his Ghost Rider. And Ribic, who abandons his usual, painted style in favor of kinetic linework, which captures the insane energy of this story perfectly. Aaron loves Grant Morrison. So, when handling his characters, Fantomex and Noh-Varr, it’s a labor of love. Aaron insisted that he wasn’t attempting to write like Morrison, but this is the best treatment these characters have received, since Morrison first wrote them. This comic is tons of fun!

For more comic goodness, go here.

We’ve finally hit the halfway point of Blackest Night, and as some of our readers have noted, we here at Read/RANT haven’t been particularly kind to the deeply flawed semi-horror event.  This issue illustrates a marked improvement over the past issues, and it somehow comes as no surprise that the title’s strongest issue is its least Hal-centric.  Yes, the Halwankery still comes on thick and strong in a few portions of the book, particularly when Johns’ other comicrush, the omnipresent Barry Allen, is speaking.  However, the issue also provides a couple of the book’s strongest moments, most notably a Geoff Johns Shock Ending (TM) that actually mostly works within the narrative.

This issue was extremely action heavy.  In fact, this issue was, with the exception of a couple pages of Ray Palmer, Mera and Barry Allen talking, just about every page had some violence on it.  It is perhaps this apocalyptic focus that helps the issue escape the worst of Johns’  tendencies.  Only one major legacy characters get blandly murdered and no women, and for all that Barry can’t seem to help but suggest that the only way to fight this is to ‘be like Hal’, the rest of the characters seem to be taking the apocalypse with the appropriate amount of fear and courage.  He even manages to slip in a few clever character beats largely absent from previous issues, like the Scarecrow wandering around a monochromatic Gotham City, immune to the Black Lanterns because his emotions are so deadened he hardly registers.

Reis continues to turn in strong work.  While the sheer number of Black Lanterns has dampened any terror there might have been at their appearance, he seems to have enjoyed crafting their new look immensely.  The action sequences are large in scale and well-illustrated, though a tad too dark.  Meanwhile, colorist Alex Sinclair is used sparingly to illustrate the emotional spectrum, but when he does, he’s gotten on board with the Blackest Night: Superman idea of allowing the characters to feel more than one thing at any given time.

Blackest Night continues to be deeply flawed.  That said, as the series marches on, it seems to be getting stronger and finding its voice.  This issue dropped almost all of the book’s failed pretensions of horror in favor of a dark, gothic, very traditional superhero story, a tonal shift that can only work in the title’s favor.  With the already-spoiled Nekron reveal, Johns and Co. have moved on to the next stage of their story.  Let’s hope they continue to trend towards a decent story.

Grade: B-

- Cal Cleary

Read/RANT

Blackest Night #3

‘Tis the season! With the end of the decade and Halloween approaching, now’s the best time to torture your soul with the best horror this decade has to offer. Now, please, forgive me. The horror genre, like everything else, is getting blurrier. It’s hard to tell just what exactly is a horror film these days. I attempted to honor the genre, while keeping a clear opinion of what the best are. Enjoy!

10. 30 Days of Night

It was either this or Zombieland. A) You already know and love Zombieland. B) This is a comic site! I have to mention the adaptations when I can. 30 Days of Night could’ve easily been mediocre. An essential part of the book’s success was Templesmith’s art. Having said that, this movie looks pretty damn good. Snow always feels epic. 30 Days of Night is well-acted and well-made. It manages to naturally stretch Niles’ novel, making it, in some ways, better. To those of you who vomit at the sight of sparkly, beautiful teenage vampires, watch 30 Days of Night. These are just about the ugliest vampires ever filmed, and that’s a good thing.

9. Land of the Dead

I would’ve loved to re-watch this one, but I figure I have to get this out before Halloween. Romero’s return wasn’t as earth-shattering as we may have liked, but there’s plenty of merit here. For one thing, Land of the Dead looks great and features actors who can actually act. For another, Romero still manages to scare us with creatures who aren’t all that scary, providing uniquely gory deaths for his decent actors. And what would a Romero Dead flick be without some social commentary? With “Fiddler’s Green,” he managed to capture both the atmosphere of rich nations, who live in luxury while many still live in hell-holes, and of a post-post 9/11 world. While we sit comfortably, discussing American Idol, the evil is still lurking, and, perhaps, evolving.

8. The Mist

Ok, it’s kind of a zombie movie with bugs, but that’s different, right? In fact, thanks to the titular mist, the creatures can be grand and epic, without looking too cheesy. We’ve got some great actors here: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Toby Jones. They help elevate the material. Frank Darabont, the director of The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, completes his King trilogy, and it’s a lot of gruesome fun. This being a comic site, I have to mention Darabont’s Walking Dead TV involvement. If you want to see if he’s right for that adaptation, this movie will give you a clue.

7. 28 Days Later

Again, I would’ve loved to re-watch this. I even rented it, and I will watch it, but I’m a slave to this post. Danny Boyle was a good director before Slumdog Millionaire. I swear he was, and this film is part of the proof. I mentioned in my introduction how the horror genre has gotten blurry. Indeed, this film helped start that, with many rabid fans crying, “These aren’t zombies!” Well, whatever they are, they’re scary as hell. 28 Days Later has many impressive, grim shots of a destroyed London. It has great performances from the then-newcomer Cillian Murphy and the always-fantastic Brendan Gleeson. This may have helped splinter the zombie genre, but at least it’s pretty damn good.

6. Shaun of the Dead

This movie hammered home what George Romero has known since the 70’s: zombies are hilarious! They’re such boring monsters. In this film, we can barely tell them apart from the boring humans, maybe that’s just because they’re British. Shaun of the Dead is hilarious, but it also manages to touch upon the important elements of zombie movies, such as banding together, social commentary, and that wonderful gore.

5. Drag Me to Hell

I don’t want to oversell this, but Drag Me to Hell is arguably Raimi’s best film. We’re back to Evil Dead 2, with the perfect mixture of terror and comedy. Christine isn’t as lovable as Ash. She’s not really meant to be. However, Alison Lohman is a perfect horror heroine. She has the innocent looks and a wonderful scream. Amongst the laughs and gasps, this movie teaches us some very valuable lessons. Never deny an old gypsy! And never dig up a body in the worst storm of the decade!

4. Grindhouse

Yeah, it’s one film, damn it. Funny thing about this being on a “best” list, it’s trying so hard to be bad. That said, this is probably the most enjoyable pick on my list. Ok, so Deathproof isn’t much of a horror film, even though hot girls are getting hunted and slaughtered by a badass Kurt Russell, but Planet Terror is horror all the way, in the vein of a Carpenter flick. You’ve got the babes. You’ve got the gore. You’ve even got the great actors, like Bruce Willis! And if you’re not at least a little scared of testicle harvesting, I don’t know what to tell ya.

3. American Psycho

Finally, a slasher movie where the murders don’t matter, even within the context of the film! Bateman’s murders are an expression of his boredom and vanity. Mary Harron took this material and made it an exploration of male insanity, rather than just Bateman’s. You’ve all seen these guys. They’re on Wall Street. They’re trying to sell you something. They might even be firing you. American Psycho documents masculine squabbles in deliciously, horrific detail. Perhaps, most chilling of all, the film asks, “What if these assholes really are killing, and, with wealth & power, their mess is wiped clean?”

2. Antichrist

I was mugged by God. That was my initial reaction to this film. True of almost every great film, on the first viewing, we’re not really sure what we’ve seen. This movie’s depth is so endless, it threatens to swallow you whole, taunting you to disregard it as Eurotrash. What I am sure of is the bravery of Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsburg, who follow Trier’s insanity to the end. Trier is a madman, as most great directors are, and his images, no matter how shattering to our senses, are fully realized here.

1. Sweeney Todd

The bloodiest musical, Burton’s possible best, and indeed, the greatest horror film of the decade. Burton stays faithful to the original tale, as well as Sondheim’s music. Depp and Carter are dressed like 30’s horror stars, paying homage to both the genre and the original film. I never felt Sondheim’s music should be gloriously sung, no matter how talented Angela Lansbury is. These songs are sad and personal, and though Burton’s cast aren’t singers, they are actors, and they deliver their tunes in the best possible way. You won’t find any prancing or choreography here. Sweeney Todd is a dark, terrifying tragedy that will slash its way into your nightmares as efficiently as Mr. Todd’s razors.

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I’ve heard a lot of good things about Sterling Gates in the last year or two, largely to do with his revitalization of Supergirl.  With that in mind, and knowing that he’d be writing next year’s Kid Flash title, I figured I’d give his newest mini, World’s Finest, a shot.  I’m still not sure how well Gates will handle the notoriously difficult Bart Allen, but World’s Finest #1 offered a quick, entertaining adventure.

For those unfamiliar with the premise, World’s Finest is a team-up book in which each issue features a different pairing between the Gotham Knights and Team Superman, all tying into a larger story.  Gates does a satisfactory job of that here, introducing all his players with a relative minimum of exposition – though he goes a bit overboard with the new Nightwing, especially given that the title page already talks about his origins – and giving us a done-in-one story connected by the presence of a malevolent figure revealed in the book’s final pages.  His dialogue is simple and to-the-point, and he manages to slip in a fairly clever action beat that lets them wrap up the issue’s big fight quickly.

Artist Julian Lopez does some fairly solid work here as well.  See how thrilled Tim looks when he thinks the tactile telekinetic help he gets mid-fight is Conner, or the otherworldly nature of the Nightwing costume the first time we see it, or, perhaps most impressively, how he manages to make Tim look his age again in a single, relaxed panel as he contemplates something he loved and lost.  Lopez’s action sequences look a little stiff, but, for the most part, he provides clean, simple art that works well with Gates’ script.

World’s Finest isn’t particularly revolutionary, but it is fun. A reasonably solid action comic with a brief, reluctant touch of drama, it’s opening issue provided a nice bit of superheroic escapism.  The good guys prevail, an even bigger bad is revealed, and in the end, everything stays the same.  Slight, but engaging.

Grade: B

- Cal Cleary

Read/RANT

I think that, when it comes to Read/RANT, I’m the resident James Robinson fan.  It isn’t easy these days.  Go back a few years, and there were few who would dispute Robinson as a top-notch creator.  Admittedly, many hadn’t heard of him, nor had they read the title that earned him such accolades… but that just meant they couldn’t really dispute the claim.  Now, however, Robinson has failed to produce a truly successful follow up to Starman, instead giving readers a string of mediocre-to-bad comics, from his uneven Superman to his downright laughable Justice League: Cry for Justice.  And yet, with many of Starman’s fans, good will remains.  His newest, and arguably his highest profile book to date, hit yesterday as he takes over writing duties on Justice League of America with issue #38.

Unfortunately, there’s little of value in Justice League of America #38.  Robinson opens the issue with the death of Blue Jay, insults Young Justice on the following page, and then introduces Gypsy by having her brought in unconscious and thrown around by Despero.  It’s hard to describe that sequence of events without at least imagining that Robinson is slyly satirizing the recent trend to piss off fans of the critically-praised, beloved JLI and Young Justice, but he plays it so straight and with so little heart that it almost seems incidental to everything else.

Led by Vixen, a group of heroes battered by Prometheus in Justice League: Cry for Justice has gathered in the headquarters of the original Justice League to discuss the future of the group.  Vixen, Dr. Light, Plastic Man and Red Tornado can think of few reasons why the team should exist, let alone any world in which they could be the glue that holds it together, but a surprise attack by Despero unites the four injured heroes with Gypsy and Zatanna.  Together, they manage to fend off the attacker, and that’s when we get the real news: this is a “Blackest Night” tie-in.  Taking place at the exact same time as the events of Blackest Night #3, the newly-formed Justice League decides to crash the Hall of Justice and confront the now-undead villains, seemingly led by the malevolent Dr. Light.

Mark Bagley, recent superstar of DC’s Trinity, does a fine job on the art.  His style is extremely traditional – impossibly thin, curvy women and enormous, muscle-bound men – but that hardly hurts the issue.  The action segments flow smoothly and he keeps the dialogue-driven scenes running well, too, most notably because of Plastic Man, who looks increasingly as though he’s about to fall apart as the issue progresses.

This is a book that I very much wanted to like.  A Justice League comprised of Vixen, Zatanna, Plastic Man, Red Tornado, Gypsy and Kimiyo Hoshi is… well, that’s a pretty damn interesting team, and there are a lot of stories to be told.  Unfortunately, Robinson takes the easy way out – a whole lot of exposition broken up by a brief brawl with a bland baddie. The issue does not suggest that we will see the clever, character-driven action and well-constructed drama for which Robinson justly became a star.  Justice League of America looks to remain, at least for now, a book desperately struggling to find a voice, tone or interesting creative direction.

Grade: C-

- Cal Cleary

Read/RANT

I didn’t read the two Annuals leading up to this launch, despite the last one featuring the Question and Huntress, two characters for whom I share more than a passing fondness.  The extremely heightened price tag and my so-so interest in Azrael, combined with the fact that I prefer a tongue-in-cheek Nicieza to a grim-n-gritty one, made them fairly skippable.  But Nicieza does still have some good will with me, and the Batman-family relaunches have been fairly interesting to follow, so it seemed worthwhile to give the main title a shot.

Nicieza’s writing here seems to be all over the place.  There are some aspects of it that are stellar, including a bizarre, memorable cliffhanger, and there are some that are downright ridiculous, like the fact that the cliffhanger happens ‘6 months, 6 days, and 6 hours’ after… I’m assuming that ‘Now’ always refers to the start of the issue, but it is nonetheless a clumsy device used by a writer trying to be too cute by half.  The bulk of the issue falls somewhere in between those two extremes, with a quickly-solved mystery that largely functions as an examination of how Azrael will operate and a very brief introduction to Azrael’s seemingly bland supporting cast.

Ramon Bachs is almost certain to be the subject of a great deal of argument amongst the book’s readers.  His broad, cartoonish style hurts some of the books slower moments, and give some of the action sequences a fairly stiff, posed quality that takes away from the excitement.  However, alongside inker John Stanisci and colorist JD Smith, he also manages to create some genuinely memorable images, whether it’s the single, bright red band on Bullock’s hat in the otherwise sepia-colored flash forwards or the crackling afterglow of Azrael’s swords.

Overall, Azrael is a strange book.  An awkwardly-conceived religious warrior with a pair of magic swords, he doesn’t seem to fit Gotham’s image terribly well, and a lack of consistency may turn off potentially interested readers.  Nicieza appears to have some solid ideas as to where he wants to take the book, but he offers little evidence that he’ll be able to consistently keep the book interesting long enough to pull an audience with him.

Grade: C

- Cal Cleary

Batgirl’s opening arc, ending with this issue, was brief and uninspired.  That’s not to say it was bad; it was inoffensive enough, if nothing else.  In it, Stephanie proved herself worthy of becoming the next Batgirl in Barbara’s eyes, got a new costume, took one college course, and had it tie (thematically) directly into her case.  We know it tied in to her case thematically because Miller, over the course of this issue, tells us so.  More than once.

Garbett continues to turn in respectable work.  His style is a little too broad for some of the book’s more dramatic moments and the Scarecrow sequences were relatively bland, but he maintains a level of quality that the book needs.

Batgirl is a reasonably acceptable standard superhero book.  It has its share of narrative flaws, but when it comes right down to it, it isn’t trying to do anything terribly complex.  It’s straightforward plotting is hampered by inconsistent characterization; it’s action sequences by a lack of compelling build-up or follow-through.  Fans of Stephanie Brown may enjoy the hero’s rise to prominence and the journey to restore and bolster her confidence, but most readers can find the same content in a hundred other places.

Grade: C-

- Cal Cleary

Read/RANT

Batgirl #2

25 is sort of a signficant number for Booster Gold.  His original series ended with issue 25.  Do this issue officially ties Booster Gold’s personal best run for a solo series.  Pretty cool, huh?

The issue itself is also pretty cool.  It’s billed as the “aftermath” of the recently concluded “Day of Death” storyline.  “Aftermath” may be overselling things a little.  This is more of an epilogue.  Last issue, Booster fixed the timeline and saved the day.  But he still hadn’t accomplished the main goal he set for himself at the start of the “Day of Death” story.

During Geoff Johns’ run on Booster Gold, Booster went back in time to try to stop the Joker from crippling Barbara Gordon.  But try as he might (and he tried a lot) Booster failed.  And unfortunately for the fledgling time master, Batman had pictures documenting his failure.

Since no one is allowed to know about Booster’s time travelling mission, it is important that Batman’s pictures don’t fall into the wrong hands.  With Bruce Wayne gone, Booster decides to break into the Batcave to steal the pictures.  In the first issue of “Day of Death” Booster got busted by the new Batman.  This time, it’s the new Robin’s turn to bust Booster.

Once upon a time, Dan Jurgens was a super star in the comic book industry.  After the “Death of Superman”, the spotlight on Jurgens burned bright.  And then it cooled.  Eventually, it seemed like Jurgens was out of the spotlight enturely.  Now he’s the writer and artist on his own creation.  And the amazing thing is, his work is better than ever.

Jurgens has always been a great artist.  And his pencils are as strong as ever.  The style may be a little old-school, but it doesn’t feel dated at all.  Where Jurgens has improved is in his writing.  Back in the 90’s he had a way with plotting.  But I always found his pacing off.  And his dialogue could be really bad.  These days, his dialogue is actually quite strong.  He nails the characterizations of the new Dynamic Duo, for example.  His pacing can still be a little slow at times, but I guess that’s what the next 25 issues of Booster Gold are for.

I’ve been a supporter of Booster Gold (and the Blue Beetle back-up feature) since the beginning.  Both are fun comics that provide a pleasant change of pace from the grim comics that dominate the shelves these days.  Unfortunately, it’s easy to loose sight of Booster Gold.  The book doesn’t really interact with anything else and that leads to the book seeming less relevant.

Next issue, both Booster and Beetle will be delving into the Blackest Night crossover.  While I’m not the biggest fan of Blackest Night as a whole, I’m hopeful that the crossover will get some people to sample Booster Gold again.  I’m confident that once they see what they are missing, some readers will stick around.

Booster Gold #21

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The Superboy reunion tour continues with this issue.  After reuinting with his ex last issue, Conner finally spends some time with his best friend.  As much as I enjoyed the soapy Conner/Cassie issue, seeing these two best buds together again was even better.

It’s been tough times of late for Tim Drake.  In story terms, he’s lost just about everyone he’s ever been close to.  But more importantly, no one has done a very good job writing him in the last few years.  And the Red Robin gig ain’t helping things.

It was refreshing to see Geoff Johns’ take on Tim Drake.  For the first time in a long time, the character was familiar to me.  THIS is the guy I want to read about.  Not that borderline psycho he’s scowling in Red Robin these days.  Like Conner says in this issue, Tim has never been a “cowl guy” before.

Johns does a great job paralleling what’s going on with Conner and Tim.  Both of them are on somewhat desperate quests that other might consider ill-advised or even a little crazy.  And it’s great to see them put judgement aside and help each other in pursuit of their goals no matter how crazy they might be.  The Conner/Tim friendship realy rings true and the dialogue is less melodramatic than last issue.

As always, the book looks great.  Francis Manapul is the perfect guy to be drawing a book set in Smallville.  He infuses every panel with a wholesomeness that stands in stark contrast to just about every other book on the shelves.

The issue was a little bitter sweet in a way.  When I finished the main story and moved on the the Legion back-up, I couldn’t help but be reminded that soon the Legion will be taking over this book.  I know that Conner will be featured in the Titans and Superman books, but I’ve been enjoying his story in this book so much.  It’s a shame it will be so brief.

As for the Legion back-up, I remain mostly unimpressed.  It’s a personal thing.  I just don’t really care for the Legion.  And these back-up stories are too slight to really spark my interest.  I’m sure they are great for Legion fans who probably can’t wait for Superboy to get out of their book.

In the meanwhile, I’m just going to enjoy Conner’s run while it lasts. 

Adventure Comics #2

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Secret Six is the rare book that continually exceeds my expectations.  The Depths has been the best story arc yet.  And the final chapter delivers everything I was hoping for, but not the way I expected.

Of course the fragmented team comes together and find themselves fighting side by side instead of against one another.  Of course the vile slavers get what’s coming to them.  There are showdowns and cathartic breakthroughs.  Relationships are tested, torn apart and mended.  And the team itself is changed in a significant by very logical way.

You want to see Amazons rise up against their jailers?  It’s in there.  Ragman taking matters into his own hands with a monkey wrench?  You betcha.  Scandal Savage creating a Venom-fueled monster to fight Grendel?  Done.  Deadshot being just plain awesome?  Oh hell yeah!

Fans of Gail Simone have come to expect a frothy mix of high-octane action, deeply personal characterizations and laugh-out-loud funny dialogue.  Only a writer of Simone’s caliber could manage to deliver such a morally ambigous tale and make it so darn entertaining.  She takes a cast of characters who are mostly reprehensible and makes them relatable without fully redeeming them.

Few artists could be expected to capture both the action and the emotion of this series.  But Nicola Scott is up to the challenge.  Scott’s action jumps off the page.  But she really shines at character work.  Her faces are expressive.  Even the way Scott’s characters hold themselves tells you volumes about who they are and what they are thinking.

Secret Six is the book I always look forward to every month.  And it just keeps getting better.

Secret Six #13

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After last month’s surprisingly informative one-shot, we’re back to following Tom Taylor, possibly the living incarnation of fames fictional boy-wizard Tommy Taylor, in the aftermath of the book’s opening arc.  Following the slaughter at the Villa Diodati, which nearly claimed Taylor himself, Tom is on his way to prison, to be tried for the murder of the group of writers who had met at the Villa for a horror convention.  With the world turned against him and his name ruined, Tommy is left defenseless in a famous French prison.

Carey and Gross give the story’s small details a loving attention.  As in early issues, we get snippets of the news, blogger reactions, forum posts and more in an effort to show the effect the plot is having around the world, the most fascinating of which comes in a late-issue scene between the children of Tom’s jailor and their father as he, nearly in tears, endeavors to hide from them the truth of what’s become of their hero.  Despite taking the time both to paint a picture of the state of the world underpinned with small, emotional moments, the issue also manages to move the plot along nicely thanks to Lizzie Hexam’s shocking new orders and an excellent cliffhanger.

Peter Gross continues to turn in fine work, alternating with ease between the dreamy fictional segments in which we visit “The Song of Roland” or Tommy Taylor’s clash with Count Ambrosio and the ‘real’ world.  The issue introduces a number of new characters, each of which manages to be distinct and recognizable without becoming cartoonishly exaggerated.  It was far from Gross’s strongest work, but he remains an excellent fit for the title.

The Unwritten is Vertigo’s first new must-read ongoing in years, a smart examination of the power of fiction that also serves as a fun, intriguing adventure.  The book manages to confound my expectations at just about every turn, but it isn’t frustrating.  Instead, there is a sense of something grand being laid out, one small piece at a time.  I can’t rightly say what The Unwritten is building towards, but if each issue is as enjoyable as this one, I can’t really say I’m worried.

Grade: A-

- Cal Cleary

Read/RANT

The Unwritten #5

The Unwritten #4

Spoiler Warning: Nothing happens in this issue. 

Well, nothing important anyway.

Actually the same thing happens over and over again.  A dead Green Lantern taunts a living Green Lantern.  The living Green Lantern declares that he or she knows that the dead Green Lantern isn’t the real thing.  And then the living Green Lantern blows up the dead Green Lantern and they start to re-form.

This sequence of events repeats seveal times.  First it’s Guy and Ke’Haan.  Then it’s Kyle and Jade followed by Soranik and Jade.  Next comes Arisia and her family.  Finally, Kilowog takes on Ermey.

That’s it.  That’s the whole comic except for the last couple of pages.  That’s when the evil kids and Indigo Lanterns show up with no explanation.

Yep, this issue is Blackest Night filler.  Pure and simple.  I wouldn’t even mind it so much if Tomasi’s filler wasn’t so damned repetitive.  Switch it up a bit, Pete!

The saving grace for me is Patrick Gleason.  I know he’s something of an acquired taste, but I love his weird style on this book.  It’s especially appropriate for the horror/sci-fi mash-up of Blackest Night.

If you’re reading Blackest Night and you want to save $3, this one is skippable, gang.

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