I’m really not sure what Daniel Way was thinking when he wrote this issue, but it works.  It also is literally a musical, but it still works.  Of course only Deadpool could get away with doing a musical comic book for though we would probably laugh at an issue of Wolverine: The Musical we would be doing so because it wouldn’t fit and be completely out of character.  Editor Jordan D. White basically plays radio D.J. for the issue for that matter, letting us know what song we should be thinking of at the current moment while reading through this issue so note: It does actually help the flow if you are familiar with the current tune.

So the premise of this musical is rather simple, its retelling the big events that Deadpool has gone through lately.  A recap issue musical that stretches all the way back to Deadpool’s fight vs. Wolverine in Wolverine: Origins #21-27 that started back in 2006.  After that it goes through other major events, all which by the way are at least mostly collected already in a trade paperback.  Only the last few parts of this musical I’m not sure is collected into a trade or not yet, but as I own a good portion at least I will list them for you later.

As such though, if you want to get into Deadpool, this is a great time to do so as it will give you a run through of what Deadpool has been up to since 2006.  And for anyone interested in the trade versions this is collected in or the issues, well here:

• Wolverine Origins: Deadpool (Wolverine Origins #21-27)
• Deadpool: Secret Invasion (Deadpool #1-5)
• Dark Reign: Deadpool Thunderbolts (Thunderbolts #130-131 & Deadpool ##8-9)
• Deadpool: Dark Reign (Deadpool #6-7 & #10-12) <– this contains maybe my favorite comic fight ever
• Deadpool: X Marks the Spot (Deadpool #13-18)
• Deadpool: Monkey Business (Deadpool #19-22 & Hit-Monkey #1)

I’d assume the last few pages of the musical will cover at least most of the issues between 22 and 44 or so.

read/RANT

Between work, delayed comic deliveries, an understandably demanding five-week-old daughter and my almost three-year-old son thinking my tablet PC (on which I read the comics I don’t collect in hard copy) is exclusively his for the purpose of playing Angry Birds – my New 52 One Sentence Reviews are becoming increasingly late.

I apologise, but am stubbornly committed to continuing my series and I know that, because of the leaderboard, dropping the ball just once means the whole thing is over red rover.

So, better late than never (like Justice League #5, I guess) … here are last week’s reviews.

Each comic is scored out of five and at the end I have a cumulative leaderboard to show which are consistently excellent, which are on the rise, and which are circling the drain.

I have also reviewed the mini-series issues but they aren’t included in the leaderboard.

Warning, there could be spoilers ahead (although I try to avoid them).

Batman #5
When I left the cinema after the first time I saw Fight Club, I thought ’WTF was that?’ but on reflection and after many, many, many rewatchings it has become possibly my favourite film … and so it was with this issue, with Snyder and Capullo blindsiding me with disorienting page orientation (which at first seemed like bad design, then an improbable mistake and finally the penny dropped), surrealistic imagery and paranoia-inducing narration … and so you have my first 5/5 review for the New 52 (check out a full review here, as this issue definitely deserves more than one – albeit giant, mutant, triple-barrelled – sentence)  – 5 

Catwoman #5
After a rough start, this title really has grown on me, and this is another strong issue that pits Selina against the superpowered Reach (who appeared near the end of #4) in a way that feels much more satisfying than most of the “David vs Goliath” battles we see in our funny books (check out a full review here) – 4

Red Hood and the Outlaws #5
This was far and away my favourite issue of this title, as I finally connected with the characters, especially Red Hood as writer Lobdell has finally given him a context separate to his history with Batman to define his actions going forward … maybe there’s hope for this title yet – 4 

Green Lantern Corps #5
This issue isn’t without weaknesses, but the introduction of an ass-kicking band of older Lanterns known as the Mean Machine tickled my fancy, and the whole issue reminded me of the Dirty Dozen type films (heck, Bronchuk even LOOKS like Charles Bronson … and I’m sure that’s not an accident) – 4 

Birds of Prey #5
Purposefully (I think) confusing, this issue nails the tone I think the creators were going for, but I found it a little less entertaining than most of the previous issues … still a fine issue for this surprisingly strong title – 3.5 

Supergirl #5
A solid but perhaps unspectacular issue has Kara departing Earth in search of her former home, which she finds along with a big clue about the ominous-sounding World Killers – 3.5

Blue Beetle #5
Two things kind of let this issue down for me (I’ll try to avoid spoilers), firstly, they basically backflip one of the most impactful developments of the series so far and, secondly, they seemingly pull the plug on an impending conflict that they have been slowly building up for the past four months … otherwise it’s a decent issue – 3.5

Wonder Woman #5
I found this one of the weaker issues of the New 52 Wonder Woman, with the only thing really pushing the plot forward being some highly questionable information offered by the too-slick-for-my-liking Lennox, however there are some good character moments (see here for a full, arguably more favourable, review) – 3.5

DC Universe Presents #5
Fittingly, the conclusion of the Deadman story arc is talky and largely uneventful – like the rest of it – but, as in #4, the things being said in this issue are at least interesting and feel like they contribute something of value to Boston Brand’s character development (see here for another review) – 3.5

Nightwing #5
It’s interesting to compare this to Catwoman #5 because both pit their protagonist against a much more powerful adversary, in this case Nightwing fights a hulking demon, but – while being a decent read and pushing forward the overarching storyline - it just doesn’t match the drama and believability delivered in the Catwoman issue – 3.5 

Captain Atom #5
Writer Krul seems to be able to get bits and pieces right each issue, but struggles to bring it all together all at the same time, as this issue nails the hero’s struggle with his transformation into something more than human, but fails to deliver entertaining action – 3

Legion of Super-Heroes #5
I assume part of the appeal of the Legion for its many fans (it does have many fans, right … it currently has three comics a month) is the huge cast, but for me that’s probably it’s biggest drawback, which is highlighted here in the way it flits from one character to the next like a coked-up hummingbird, providing plenty of width but very little depth in terms of characterisation – 1.5

Diablo #2 (of 5)
While my past experience with the Diablo computer games helped me through #1, that goodwill was exhausted in the course of this overly wordy, fairly ugly and not particularly interesting issue, which was consequently a real chore to read – 1

My Greatest Adventure #4 (of 6)
I forgot this one last week … and wish I hadn’t remembered it, because three variously entertaining but at best mediocre stories combined into one highly mediocre anthology issue that I ended up skimming – 1

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #3 (of 6)
It has finally dawned on me that, while maintaining the leaderboard requires me to read all ongoing titles regardless of their craptactularness (boy, am I looking forward to The Savage Hawkman #5), there’s no such obligation to read miniseries that don’t interest me … and the problem with this issue, which promises some backstory on NoMan, is that I just don’t give a fig about NoMan or any of the other characters in this comic book, so I stopped after page three or four – No Score

If you haven’t already, check out last month’s reviews and those from earlier this month here:

Part 13

Part 14

Part 15

Part 16

Part 17

Part 18

Please note, since a title is only as good as its last issue, the books are ranked firstly by their average score, then their most recent score (shown in brackets), and the number of issues is the final number.

LEADER BOARD

1.  Swamp Thing  4.4  (4.5)  5

2.  Animal Man  4.2  (4.5)  5

3.  Batman  4.1  (5)  5

4.  Resurrection Man  4  (4.5)  5

5.  Batman and Robin  3.9  (3.5)  5

6.  Aquaman  3.88  (3.5)  4

7.  Batwoman  3.8  (3.5)  5

8.  I, Vampire  3.75  (4)  4

9.  Justice League Dark  3.75  (3.5)  4

=10.  Batwing  3.7  (4)  5

=10.  Green Lantern Corps  3.7  (4)  5

=12.  Birds of Prey  3.7  (3.5)  5

=12.  Blue Beetle  3.7  (3.5)  5

14.  Stormwatch  3.6  (4.5)  5

15.  Green Lantern  3.6  (4)  5

16.  Wonder Woman  3.6  (3.5)  5

17.  Detective Comics  3.5  (3.5)  5

18.  Justice League   3.5  (3)  4

19.  Batgirl  3.4  (4)  5

20.  Supergirl  3.4  (3.5)  5

21.  Demon Knights  3.4  (3)  5

22.  Batman – The Dark Knight  3.38  (4.5)  4

23.  Teen Titans  3.38  (4)  4

24. Blackhawks  3.38  (3.5)  4

=25.  Action Comics  3.3  (4)  5

=25.  Catwoman  3.3  (4)  5

=25.  Suicide Squad  3.3  (4)  5

28.  Green Lantern – New Guardians  3.25  (4)  4

29.  Nightwing  3.2  (3.5)  5

=30.  Captain Atom  3.2  (3)  5

=30.  Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E.  3.2  (3)  5

32.  Justice League International  3.1  (3.5)  5

33.  Red Lanterns  3  (3.5)  5

=34.  Deathstroke  3  (3)  5

=34.  The Flash  3  (3) 4

=34.  Superboy  3  (3)  5

=37.  Men of War  2.9  (3.5)  5

=37.  Mister Terrific  2.9  (3.5)  5

=37.  O.M.A.C.  2.9  (3.5)  5

40.  Static Shock  2.9  (2.5)  5

41.  Voodoo  2.88  (3.5)  4

42.  DC Universe Presents  2.8  (3.5)  5

43.  All Star Western  2.75  (3.5)  4

44.  Red Hood and the Outlaws  2.7  (4)  5

45.  Superman  2.5  (2.5)  4

46.  Legion Lost  2.4  (2.5)  5

47.  The Fury of Firestorm  2.38  (2)  4

48.  Green Arrow  2.3  (3)  5

49.  Grifter   2.3  (2.5)  5

50.  Hawk and Dove  2 (2)  5

51.  Legion of Super-Heroes  1.7  (1.5)  5

52.  Savage Hawkman  1.5  (1)  4

Voodoo #5

I’ve been enjoying Voodoo for the most part.  And I feel the same way about the New 52 in general.  Sure, they each have their problems – Voodoo danced (unsatisfactorily, so far) with some tricky sexual politics; the New 52 has had some major writing shake-ups and PR slip-ups – but they started off as ambitious, interesting ideas, something unpredictable in a market that desperately loves the smell of stagnation.  But lately, I’ve been having trouble with both as their flaws became more and more evident.  What does that mean for Voodoo #5?

Earlier this week, John Rozum posted an absolutely fascinating article about his time with Static Shock.  In it, he talks about how artist Scott McDaniel’s love of ‘spectacle storytelling’ led to livening up dull comics with ill-advised decisions like a pointless clone subplot.  I bring this up because Rozum’s treatment seems similar (though far harsher) to that of Ron Marz, who was dismissed without explanation from a book that experienced heavy editorial oversight.  His replacement, Josh Williamson, entered the book with issue #5, and his first major creative choice is… a clone subplot.

Now, it’s entirely possible that the clone subplot was Marz’s idea.  His run on Voodoo thus far has hardly been flawless.  And I’m not really faulting the editorial process here – editors are necessary and, in general, tend to be pretty darn good at their jobs, especially at Marvel and DC.  They can and should fire anyone who isn’t working well on a title.  The worry here is that Voodoo, which had a surprisingly subtle first issue, is tossing what made it work out the window in favor of more ‘spectacle’ (which this issue undeniably does).  Because I can’t think of anything that would kill my interest in the book faster.

Not all is grim, of course.  Sami Basri’s art is still top notch, smooth and crisp, though I think he’s better suited to the slower, shiftier series of the first couple issues; Voodoo’s fight with a Daemonite traitor had some neat images, but it’s a very static fight scene, with no sense of movement or action in the panels.  And Voodoo remains a conceptually compelling book – the idea of following a shapeshifting alien spy running rampant in the new DC Universe is a profoundly cool one, and I still have hopes that Josh Williamson can live up to the book’s promise.  But this was still a profoundly disappointing issue of an otherwise mostly enjoyable series.

Wonder Woman #5, cover by Cliff Chiang

Wonder Woman is too many things to too many people.  Inevitably, any attempt to do a bold declaration of “This is what Wonder Woman stands for” turns out to be fairly divisive.  She is an ambassador of peace, but she is also a great warrior and military strategist.  She is chosen by the goddess of love, but no love interest will ever be worthy of her in the eyes of her fans. The contradictions continue, and help explain (I believe) why there is no one definitive Wonder Woman story for her fans.  Perhaps my favorite part about Brian Azzarello’s current run on Wonder Woman is that he doesn’t delve deep into Diana’s character and lose himself in that particular hall of mirrors.  No, under Azzarello’s pen, Wonder Woman is a supremely confident action heroine fighting massive, horrific enemies who see humans more as ants than people, a superhero trying to beat back the tide of a horror film.  It probably shouldn’t work.  It so does.

That’s not to say that Diana lacks a personality.  Wonder Woman #5, titled “Lourdes”, deals with many of the same issues Azzarello has been playing with all along – issues of family, as Diana finds out the truth about her father and gains new, untrustworthy siblings; of loss, as she copes with the death of her mother; and of loyalty, as she defends humanity from her new family.  We don’t need to be told who Wonder Woman is – her actions and reactions tell us everything we need to know.

“Lourdes” isn’t my favorite issue of Wonder Woman.  In fact, it’s probably my least favorite since the relaunch.  The introduction of the mysterious Lennox, who shares family with Diana and may know some family secrets she doesn’t, opens up some interesting story possibilities, but is clumsily handled here.  His too-cool attitude and mysterious knowledge, combined with Wonder Woman’s fascination with his fairly bland origin story, make him seem a bit like a Mary Sue.  And Tony Akins turns in some solid work – I particularly like his bizarre, monstrous take on Poseidon – but doesn’t entirely fit in with the tone Azzarello and Chiang had been building

All that said, it’s still a fairly solid issue.  A late issue twist that doubles as Wonder Woman’s first shot at Hera is both hilarious and fascinating, and the issue sets up a potentially fascinating story as Hades and Poseidon join Apollo in the contest to take over for the now-absent Zeus.  Similarly, Wonder Woman’s budding relationships with Hermes and Zola is refreshing, and offers a pleasant contrast with the no-nonsense warrior side of her we saw in early issues.  Wonder Woman is a character full of contradictions – but then, most real people are.  Azzarello’s surprisingly confident take on the character presents those contradictions to us without comment and lets us be the judge.  And in this thrilling, stylish story of one woman rising up to defend us from the gods, I have to say, I like what I see.

- Cal C.

read/RANT

Top ten best superhero actors.

Batman #5

I haven’t reviewed Scott Snyder’s Batman in awhile.  It’s not because I haven’t been reading, or because it hasn’t been worth discussing.  By and large, I don’t review it on a monthly basis because openly gushing month after month would grow embarrassing pretty quickly — and this is a book worth gushing about.  Batman #5 continues Snyder’s winning streak, telling a chilling story that pits Batman against a truly worthy foe in a creepy, surreal, issue-long manhunt.

Captured by the Court of Owls, Batman finds himself wandering an elaborate labyrinth, hunted by a foe he couldn’t defeat at full health and slowly starving.  Not sure how he got there in the first place, not even completely sure where he is, Batman prowls the lavish maze looking for something, anything he can use as leverage against the Court of Owls, even anything that will help him get out of there in one piece.

When Greg Capullo first started working on the book, I saw a lot of criticism about his stylistic choices.  And while it’s true that he lacks the technical mastery and design ambition of J.H. Williams III or the brooding Bat-hunk Finch is using, to me, Capullo’s slightly more cartoonish take was a more instantly iconic look.  And I very firmly believe that, with this issue, Capullo and his art team (Jonathan Glapion and FCO) should have silenced all doubters.  In addition to the wonderfully insane labyrinth – which they use to disorient the reader, too, playing games with paneling and even orientation – they deserve credit for crafting Batman’s subtly unhinged look.  Jumping from darkness to light, from color free to bright splashes of red, the book is a visual feast, and every trick employed just pulls you deeper under Snyder’s spell.

The issue ends with a potent symbolic explosion, and with a child missing his father.  And that’s why Snyder’s Batman: The Black Mirror made our best graphic novels of the year list last year, and why there’s a pretty fair chance his current arc will make it this year.  Snyder is willing to terrify us.  He’s willing to put Batman up against amazing enemies.  He’s willing to give us tightly-plotted stories and decades-long conspiracies.  But he never forgets that the heart of Batman is in the characters.  It’s in Damian, longing for his father.  It’s in Gordon, faithful when no one else is.   It’s in Bruce Wayne, lost in the darkness.

If you read one Batman book, this is the one you pick.

- Cal C.

read/RANTs

DC Universe Presents: Deadman #5

I have mixed feelings about my relationship with DC Universe Presents, particularly with the opening arc focusing on everyone’s favorite undead acrobat, Deadman.  That sounds really stupid. Let me explain. No, there’s too much – let me sum up.  On the one hand, I really like that writer Paul Jenkins had an ambitious idea for a self-contained story, with little by way of action and absolutely no big-name characters.  On the other hand, the plotting was fairly haphazard, the stakes were never properly established and the story’s fumbling reach for profundity fell short.  All of which makes this a tough book to review, but an interesting book to contemplate.

I recently wrote far too much a really thoughtful essay on the first 13 issues of Brian Michael Bendis’ run on Ultimate Spider-Man.  In it, I singled out “Confessions”, the thirteenth issue, for particular praise:

A stand-alone story that sees Peter confess his identity as Spider-Man to childhood best friend and long-time crush Mary Jane, the entire issue is, essentially, a single conversation between Peter and Mary that sees their entire relationship with one another shift with Peter’s revelation — and then shift again with Mary Jane’s

Now, I bring that up here because, well… that’s pretty much exactly what DC Universe Presents #5 is.  Sure, there’s a three-page action sequence near the end, but the core of the book, the climax of the story, is found in Boston Brand’s lengthy conversation with Rama, a discussion that alters the fundamental relationship between the pair.

Unfortunately, where Ultimate Spider-Man succeeded and DC Universe Presents failed was, as I mentioned, in the execution.  USM grounded its story in secrets and relationships that had been building for some time.  DC Universe Presents grounds its conversation in a philosophical difference of opinion between two characters without ever giving us any real grounds to consider one of them as a character at all.  Peter and MJ both have power in the USM story, and their conflict is recognizable; in DCU Presents, not only is Deadman holding all the cards, we aren’t even ever fully aware of what precisely their conflict IS.

And yet… it almost works.  Bernard Chang’s art is vivid and lively, and a great fit for the mythic, larger than life milieu in which the story takes place.  Brand’s confidence and underdog status makes him easy to root for, and Jenkins only rarely overplays Rama’s inscrutability and godhood.  But murky stakes – I never really understood the ‘connection’ Deadman felt to his previous hosts – and an anti-climactic conclusion to not only Deadman’s story, but to that of Johnny, Brand’s host for much of the story combine to drag the book down a little.

Next month, DC Universe Presents will shift its focus, and we’ll be getting a story about the Challengers of the Unknown from Dan Didio and Jerry Ordway.  Despite the not-entirely-satisfying nature of this first five-issue arc, I confess, I’m excited.  Monthly comics are an inherently predictable medium, both because that’s what fans want and because that’s the nature of a lot of serialized stories.  But DC Universe Presents is far from predictable.  When I picked up the first issue, I definitely didn’t expect to get a bizarre supernatural drama focusing on issues of guilt and redemption.  Will the “Challengers” story be a pulpy adventure?  A horror-tinged action story?  I don’t know, but I’m more than happy to jump on and find out.  DC Universe Presents had an interesting first arc, and I think I can forgives its flaws in favor of recognizing the thoughtful, relaxed tone that is so rare in mainstream comics, and so easy to slip into here.

- Cal C.

read/RANT

DC Universe Presents #2

Once again – with gusto – here are my New 52 One Sentence Reviews.

Each comic is scored out of five and at the end I have a cumulative leader board (averaging the scores of each title) to show which are consistently excellent, which are on the rise, and which are circling the drain.

I have also reviewed the mini-series issues but they aren’t included in the leaderboard.

Warning, there could be spoilers ahead (although I try to avoid them).

Resurrection Man #5
I’m a sucker for redemption stories and I don’t know much about Mitch Shelley before the New 52, so I hungrily devoured this issue’s origin tale, which gives a telling glimpse of Mitch’s past … and it ain’t pretty – 4.5

The Ray #2 (of 6)
Backing up strongly after a fantastic debut, this issue continues to follow some of the freshest characters of the New 52 as they tackle some of the most interesting (and unique) situations I’ve seen in a DC comic … it’s got everything, including action, drama and a healthy heaping of humour (here is another read/RANT review for this issue) – 4.5

The Shade #4 (of 12)
Wow, another high quality and greatly entertaining issue in this impressive maxi-series, in which the Shade shares an adventure from yesteryear, aptly and beautifully illustrated by Cooke (here is another read/RANT review for this issue) – 4.5 

Green Lantern #5
Writer Johns seems hell-bent on making Sinestro likable as a hero … and it’s working (on me, at least), as the tyrannically-inclined Lantern – with fairly minimal assistance from Hal – works to free his homeworld of Korugar from the oppressive presence of his fear-powered corps – 4

Bagirl #5
Despite a few odd bits and pieces in this issue (already commented on by my friend here), I really enjoyed the introduction of new villain Gretel and a cracker of a final page – 4

Suicide Squad #5
While this title lacks the heart and sense of fun of its predecessor, Secret Six, it’s doing most other things pretty well … this issue in point, in which Deadshot and his desperate crew must put down a super prison riot – 4

Batwoman #5
As beautifully illustrated as always, Batwoman’s final confrontation with the Weeping Woman isn’t as exciting as I’d hoped it would be, which the DEA story is more interesting in terms of where it could lead in the future than what’s actually on the page in this issue – 3.5

Batman and Robin #5
Some great, emotionally-charged scenes dealing with Batman’s role (failure?) as a father and the darkness that continues to plague Damien are let down a little by an uninspiring back story for Nobody – 3.5

Mr Terrific #5
After bagging the previous issue for its Ninth Dimension setting, #5’s conclusion to that story is surprisingly good, despite a very dull final two pages set back on Earth … it’s a shame this title is getting axed because Michael Holt is a character with potential – 3.5

Demon Knights #5
This title is “good” but could be a lot better, which the slow pace being the primary drawback … the siege set up in the early issues is only (seemingly) getting underway on the final page of this issue – 3

Superboy #5
Another solid issue that nevertheless failed to wow me … I just don’t like this Superboy yet, but maybe the rebellious streak he further demonstrates in #5 will help to eventually endear him to me (the sooner he escapes from N.O.W.H.E.R.E. the better, I think) – 3

Deathstroke #5
Is it possible that this week’s announcement about Liefeld taking over this title from #9 is already spoiling it for me … I wonder because, while there’s nothing really bad about the back story for Ravager and Peabody or the throwdown with a powerful, new Legacy, I just didn’t dig this issue that much  – 3

Frankenstein – Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #5
I don’t think Ponticelli’s artwork is suited to city settings, as while the panelling and visual storytelling of Frank’s fight with O.M.A.C. are quite good, I found it a bit messy and ugly, meanwhile when the story moved away from the brawl the issue lost a lot of momentum – 3

Grifter #5
Clark’s artwork works well for this title, and this issue has a good dose of action … but I still don’t care enough about Grifter as a character to genuinely enjoy it – 2.5

Legion Lost #5
Like my fellow reviewer (click here), I have found this the most readable – almost enjoyable – Legion title in the New 52 and have appreciated the individual character perspective approach used in each issue … but I also don’t particularly like Tellus, so the focus on him detracts from #5 for me – 2.5

If you haven’t already, check out last month’s reviews and those from earlier this month here:

Part 13

Part 14

Part 15

Part 16

Part 17

Please note, since a title is only as good as its last issue, the books are ranked firstly by their average score, then their most recent score (shown in brackets), and the number of issues is the final number.

LEADER BOARD

1.  Swamp Thing  4.4  (4.5)  5

2.  Animal Man  4.2  (4.5)  5

3.  Resurrection Man  4  (4.5)  5

4.  Batman and Robin  3.9  (3.5)  5

5.  Batman  3.88  (4.5)  4

6.  Aquaman  3.88  (3.5)  4

7.  Batwoman  3.8  (3.5)  5

8.  Blue Beetle  3.75  (4.5)  4

=9.  Birds of Prey  3.75  (4)  4

=9.  I, Vampire  3.75  (4)  4

11.  Justice League Dark  3.75  (3.5)  4

12.  Batwing  3.7  (4)  5

=13.  Green Lantern Corps  3.63  (3.5)  4

=13.  Wonder Woman  3.63  (3.5)  4

15.  Stormwatch  3.6  (4.5)  5

16.  Green Lantern  3.6  (4)  5

17.  Detective Comics  3.5  (3.5)  5

18.  Justice League   3.5  (3)  4

19.  Batgirl  3.4  (4)  5

20.  Demon Knights  3.4  (3)  5

21.  Batman – The Dark Knight  3.38  (4.5)  4

22.  Teen Titans  3.38  (4)  4

23. Blackhawks  3.38  (3.5)  4

24.  Supergirl  3.38  (3)  4

=25.  Action Comics  3.3  (4)  5

=25.  Suicide Squad  3.3  (4)  5

=27.  Captain Atom  3.25  (4)  4

=27.  Green Lantern – New Guardians  3.25  (4)  4

29.  Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E.  3.2  (3)  5

30.  Catwoman  3.13  (3.5)  4

31.  Nightwing  3.13  (3)  4

32.  Justice League International  3.1  (3.5)  5

33.  Red Lanterns  3  (3.5)  5

=34.  Deathstroke  3  (3)  5

=34.  The Flash  3  (3) 4

=34.  Superboy  3  (3)  5

=37.  Men of War  2.9  (3.5)  5

=37.  Mister Terrific  2.9  (3.5)  5

=37.  O.M.A.C.  2.9  (3.5)  5

40.  Static Shock  2.9  (2.5)  5

41.  Voodoo  2.88  (3.5)  4

42.  All Star Western  2.75  (3.5)  4

43.  DC Universe Presents  2.63  (3.5)  4

44.  Superman  2.5  (2.5)  4

45.  Legion Lost  2.4  (2.5)  5

46.  Red Hood and the Outlaws  2.38  (3)  4

47.  The Fury of Firestorm  2.38  (2)  4

48.  Green Arrow  2.3  (3)  5

49.  Grifter   2.3  (2.5)  5

50.  Hawk and Dove  2 (2)  5

51.  Legion of Super-Heroes  1.75  (2)  4

52.  Savage Hawkman  1.5  (1)  4

Catwoman #5, Cover by Guillem March

Catwoman #1 was not an easy book to support.  The cheesecake was excessive, the sex was gratuitous, and the take on Selina seemed, at first, to be incredibly reductive and simplistic.  But I enjoyed it anyway.  The pacing was propulsive, the action was non-stop, and there was a wit, a sense of fun, that many books in the New 52 lacked.  Those were the qualities that kept me interested in the book, and I’m glad I stuck by it: though Winick and March’s Catwoman is still fairly flawed, it’s also a ceaselessly exciting read, a hyper-active take on a classic character that magnifies all her best and worst traits to a cartoonish degree and then sets her loose to wreak havoc in DC’s grimmest city.

We last left our heroine falling from the sky, having been flung a quarter mile into the air and then left flailing for help.  Thanks to some quick thinking, Catwoman manages to survive the fall and, toughing out her injuries, beat down a minor supervillain.  Her reward?  A bag full of money – a lot of money.  Selina, a cocky girl with minor impulse control issues, immediately takes that money and starts living large.  Unbeknownst to her, however, the cash isn’t stolen from drug lords, but from corrupt Gotham City cops… and now the entire force is coming after her!

It’s a simple story, but an interesting one.  Corruption in Gotham City is nothing new, of course – it’s the backbone for about a billion Batman stories, after all – but I like the scope of Winick’s story, which has Catwoman on the run from virtually the entire police force, and I hope he dedicates a few issues at least to keeping up the level of intensity this one concludes with.  There are a few problematic aspects – Alvarez is spectacularly boring, and seems positioned to be a love interest for Catwoman, and the way the cops speak very specifically about the crimes they committed while still in the police station is an incredibly clumsy device to relay exposition – but whenever Catwoman is on the page, the story turns electric.

I have two minor complaints about the issue on the whole.  The first is this: March returned to the cheesecake here, and in a pretty big way.  After a few issues of relative restraint, this has more than one gratuitous shot of Catwoman’s breasts veritably bursting free of restraint.  It makes sense when she’s getting a massage; it’s less likely that her costume would just magically unzip that far every time she put the damn thing on.

The second is a slightly more pressing concern, but also one I’m of two minds on.  After the death of Lola, Selina seemed determined to turn a corner, to begin making some changes in her life.  But here, she even acknowledges how impossibly reckless she’s being, spending the money in Gotham so soon after stealing it.  And while I love the book’s breakneck pace – which her recklessness here maintains – I do think it breaks faith with the character, at least a little bit.

But… I still have to say, Catwoman is worth checking out.  Winick is building a solid plot, and he’s moving in interesting, unexpected directions with it.  March’s mastery of posture and facial expression make Selina’s mercurial reactions a joy to observe.  And the book combines somewhat gritty action with cartoonish intensity better than just about any other book out right now.  Though this isn’t the best issue for new readers to jump in on, people who have been following along should find a lot to like with the issue’s contribution to the book’s ongoing narrative.

- Cal C.

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I’ve already spoken at some length about what I see as the flaws of the recent push into digital made by DC, Marvel, Image and other major comics companies.  Like the music industry, they tried for a long time to treat digital products exactly like their hard-copy counterparts, a strategy that failed miserably.  People WANT digital – easy to find, cheap to buy digital – but comics companies have been reluctant to fully make that shift.

Now, I’m not here to talk about the pros and cons of digital comics.  I love my local comic shop, and when I moved to Atlanta, before I found a place to live, before I found a grocery store, I made sure to find a good comic shop – go Oxford Comics! – but there needs to be a balance between digital and print, between new and old.  And, according to this report on The Beat and this post on The Source blog, DC may have just made a very, very smart push towards finding that balance.

It’s been argued by smarter folks than me that young readers are the future of the industry.  Right now, we’re dropping old readers faster than we’re gaining new ones – that’s why all titles across the board are in a slow, steady decline, sales-wise, and have been for years.  To counter, comics are raising prices or cutting back on content, are pushing for aggressive branding or crossover event publicity, and while these are all strategies that will work, they are also strategies that are inherently limited.  You can price things out of the range of buyers. You can brand things so strongly they become hard to jump into.  You can force people off books with incomplete crossover stories.  The bring in money, but they don’t bring in readers, and that’s a dangerous strategy.

That’s what I love about the Hero Factory app.  Lego and DC are both major names, and collaborating should be great for increasing attention to both, but more than that, the app offers a free copy of debut issues for major all-ages or kids DC titles like Tiny Titans or The Batman Adventures, and price other issues at a reasonable 0.99$ – what I’ve been arguing should probably be the price point for all digital comics all along.

Hopefully, this will make a few new, lifelong fans.  And hopefully, those fans will one day find themselves wandering into a comic shop, with access to those hundreds of trades and back issues from dozens of publishers.  And, like me when I was a teenager, they’ll never want to leave.

So after the first issue, I had been enjoying this series.  Nothing great, nothing I absolutely could not wait until the next issue came out to continue the story. The story has mostly been steady, and as a new reader to the Legion group I’ve been enjoying how Nicieza has focused mostly on one member per issue.

So what has the series done to lose me?  Well, its a number of combinations, and the first I’ll mention (and very minor bit) being I’m just not a fan of Tellus so far, and he was the focus of this story.  A far bigger part is something I have hinted a bit in a couple of comments at least that in a week or two I will make a full post on.

Otherwise, its the lack of death!  The first issue started with a team of seven.  Though issue 1 was my least favorite issue by far, Nicieza at least set some stakes by killing off two of the characters at the end of the issue!  Even if I didn’t really care about the deaths myself, it helped set some meaning, and was something that carried with the next few issues.

Then the end of issue 4 brought back one of those supposedly killed members.  That char at least needs some help getting out of her situation.  This issue though brings back the other ‘killed’ character, and he just shows up shouting “LIKE SPROCKIN’ JUPITER” like he’s just popping by from a slight vacation.  Maybe it fits the character (I don’t know), but it really kills the meaning of death in this series for me.  That matter, it won’t help me in terms of deaths for the rest of DC, despite what Blackest Night was suppose to have done.

The only saving grace this comic may have (and that may cause me to flip through the next issue on shelves) is Martian Manhunter’s appearance.  Still, he oddly announces himself in third person which kind of kills any epicness his arrival really had for me.

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The Lowdown on Conan Movies.

Rob Liefeld joins three ongoing series

Can DC honestly not understand that Rob Liefeld’s contribution to Hawk and Dove was the worst thing about it and – I have no doubt – one of the primary reasons it didn’t sell particularly well?

Their next step after canning the low-selling Hawk and Dove – GIVE LIEFELD THREE OTHER TITLES TO F@#$ UP!!!

Every so often I can look at a single Liefeld drawing and find something slightly appealing about it (I didn’t mind him on Deadpool Corps just from a historical perspective), but he is an AWFUL visual storyteller.

And as bad and lazy as a visual storyteller he is, he’s an even worse writer – from Youngblood (cough Teen Titans cough) to Agent America (ahem … no further comment necessary) his work is first and foremost derivative and unoriginal.  Let’s not even discuss the obvious links between Deadpool/Wade Wilson and Deathstroke/Slade Wilson (especially in the beginning before Deadpool’s character was developed in a way that differentiated him significantly from the DC villain).

Once again, DC are making decisions that make the New 52 feel less like a “bold, new direction for the future of comics” and more like Image Comics circa 1992.

Ultimate Spider-man #1

When Marvel’s Ultimate line first launched, I hated it with the passion that only a fanboy can muster to hate something they’ve never read.  I eventually got around to sampling many of the titles, and what I read, I hated.  That tarred my opinion of the entire line for a good long while.  From the crass big-screen action of The Ultimates (which I never finished but plan to soon) to the cartoony retreads of Ultimate X-Men, it just seemed like a waste.  Here we had a major publisher, probably the biggest monthly comics publisher in the world, and they were wasting their time and money doing gritty reboots of old stories rather than doing something interesting and innovative.

I similarly dismissed Ultimate Spider-Man, though, unlike the other core books of the Ultimate Universe, I’d never actually read a page of it.  But I knew everything I needed to know – Spider-Man hasn’t grown and changed enough that I felt he really needed to have his entire mythos retold bit by excruciatingly slow, decompressed bit.  But then, something happened.  General interest for the Ultimates waned.  Same thing with Ultimate X-Men and Ultimate Fantastic Four and a variety of other titles.  But Ultimate Spider-Man grew more and more respectable as the years passed until it became essentially the centerpiece of the Ultimate line and, this past year, made our list of the Top 10 Graphic Novels of 2011.

Last year was the year I caught up with Ultimate Spider-Man.  This year is the year I write about it.

When I discussed Ultimate Spider-Man as a kind of elder statesman of the Ultimate line, I purposely didn’t mention how rough it started.  All the criticisms leveled at the book upon its release were (I still hold) totally valid: “Power and Responsibility”, the first six issue arc, is a fairly brutal slog through the Spider-Man origin story.  Unlike the comparatively thrilling The Ultimates, Ultimate Spider-Man was settling in for the long haul before #1 even began – a fact that may have helped it survive as long as it has, but certainly makes it harder for new fans to really get in to.

There’s been a lot of talk these last few years about how decompressed storytelling has hurt comics, particularly monthly comics.  And while I would say that, after a couple arcs, Ultimate Spider-Man is one of the very few examples of decompression done right, that wasn’t always the case.  “Power and Responsibility” and, to a much lesser degree, its follow-up arc “Learning Curve” are both painfully slow at times, as though Bendis wrote a story and then just decided to fit it into six issues, no matter what.

I don’t want to be too dismissive, though.  There’s a reason Ultimate Spider-Man has thrived when so many of the other Ultimate titles have disappeared, and those reasons are readily apparent even in the opening issues.  Peter’s relationship with Uncle Ben and Aunt May is well-drawn from the start, with Bendis successfully crafting a believable, heartfelt family dynamic that is undeniably close but still occasionally tense, particularly as Peter begins to gain confidence and act out (as many teens do).

Parker’s relationship with Mary Jane also works well, too, though the hyper-exaggerated bullying of Kong and Flash never feels interesting or earned.  It feels like the worst part of the Ultimate Universe – an attempt to shoe-horn in ‘milestones’ from the source material, or a lazy way to have Parker discover some aspects of his powers (which is redundant – Bendis found a much stronger way to showcase that discovery when he had Osborn send a hitman after Parker).

But, as we quickly learn, there are advantages to working off of a 40-year long history of stories.  Superheroes are all about soap opera.  The stories, designed to run as long as possible, are filled with freaky twists, shocking betrayals, surprise relations and dozens of other cheesy twists designed to keep readers invested.  But by working with that history, Bendis cherry-picks what works and draws connections ahead of time.  Knowing what’s coming, he can turn 40+ years of stories, some good, some bad, into a single (semi-) coherent narrative.

Really, there’s something about the series that’s easy to underestimate.  Because even though I described the opening arc as rough, as tough to get into, I just re-read it again earlier today, and it’s even more fun than it was the last two times.  Sure, he spends seven issues telling a story most writers could tell in two and some writers could tell in one.  But when those seven issues are good, why should that matter?

“Learning Curve”, which starts with issue #8, has a much more traditional beginning – Spidey foiling a robbery by a D-list supervillain.  From there, the issue moves on to setting up some more classic bits of Spider-Man mythology (albeit with a much-needed modern twist) as Parker learns that the Daily Bugle, a struggling newspaper, is paying top dollar for pictures of Spider-Man.  Showing up intending to be a photographer, he is quickly dismissed — before he lands a part time job helping them maintain their website. (side-note: This subplot is both more realistic and more depressing today than it probably was the day he wrote it)

I spoke above about an advantage of the Ultimate Universe, and this is a prime example.  In “Life Lessons” (USM #5), Peter finds the criminal who killed his uncle.  After subduing him, Peter takes his drivers license – though we don’t find out why for a few issues longer.  In “Working Stiff” (USM #8), Parker becomes the web services guy at the Daily Bugle and gains access to their databases.  Using the information he now has at his fingertips, he looks up the mugger, and finds that he’s affiliated with a much larger network of criminals.  This information brings him directly into conflict with the Kingpin, the second arc’s villain, in “Meet the Enforcers” (USM #9).

Now, it’s no great feat to set up a story a few issues ahead of time.  That’s basic serialized storytelling, in fact – you never want to give the reader a time to ‘jump off’ your book, so you want to be seeding future stories as you go.  Not necessarily in big, flashy ways – Parker grabbing the mugger’s ID was almost certainly forgotten by most readers when Peter began to throw down with Osborn in some fight scenes thrillingly illustrated by series artist Mark Bagley – but you want to keep setting things up.  The more self-contained your arcs and episodes are, the easier it is for a reader to just skip a few, or a dozen, or fifty and then come back later and jump in without picking up the trades; the more serialized your arcs are, however, the harder it is for new readers to join you midway.  In Ultimate Spider-Man, Bendis often errs on the side of caution, tending to make the arcs very self-contained (and very uniform in size and style), but there are little touches scattered throughout the run that help him build a mythology all his own for the character, and his patience in building that world may be occasionally frustrating, but it’s also incredibly rewarding.

Well over a year ago, I wrote about what I called “The Perils of the Grand Design“, an article that was partially inspired by the books I was reading for this column.  In it, I discussed what I see as the #1 Rule of Comic Book Writing: make me want to read more RIGHT NOW.  Don’t promise me that something good is coming later.  The best way to convince me that the next issue is going to be great is by making this issue great — and I think that’s where Bendis’ true strength on Ultimate Spider-Man is.

For all the talk about what decompression is doing to comics, people often forget that you can do it right.  Yeah, it took six issues before Spider-Man actually suited up and became a hero… but those first five issues were GOOD.  They were filled with memorable characters and witty banter.  They were filled with relationship drama and family fights.  They were filled with science gone awry and sudden, explosive action.  Re-reading the series, it was actually disappointing when Uncle Ben died, because it meant that we wouldn’t have his vibrant sense of humor sparring with Peter.

After the relatively minor (but undeniably enjoyable) Kingpin arc, Bendis quickly proves that he has what it takes to be concise, too.  In a series high-point, “Confessions” (USM #13) is the most low-key issue of the series yet.  A stand-alone story that sees Peter confess his identity as Spider-Man to childhood best friend and long-time crush Mary Jane, the entire issue is, essentially, a single conversation between Peter and Mary that sees their entire relationship with one another shift with Peter’s revelation — and then shift again with Mary Jane’s.

Bendis has a well-established gift for dialogue, with natural, punchy rhythms reminiscent of Joss Whedon, and he employs it  here to full effect.  With the help of Bagley’s exaggerated, cartoony faces (and the excellent reaction shots he crafts, particularly from Mary Jane), Bendis manages to craft a tense, emotional scene between two people that just oozes chemistry, despite both of them being illustrated.

“Confessions” is a boldly conceived, sweetly executed issue, and it’s where Bendis truly won me over.  For all the charms of “Power and Responsibility” and the excitement of “Learning Curve”, Ultimate Spider-Man #13 is where I truly realized that Bendis understood and loved these characters – and had the talent to do them justice.

I was dismissive of Ultimate Spider-Man in high school and college because, in my youth, I was convinced I was too cool for it.  Why go for sweet when you could have something cool, thrilling or unexpected?  But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realize that you can’t limit yourself like that.  Ultimate Spider-Man may not be the most ambitious book, but it remains perhaps the character’s most iconic take, a rousing adventure that successfully blends drama, romance, comedy and action in a high school setting.  It captures the moods of real life, if not its rhythms, and is almost unquestionably the benchmark against which I will measure most Spider-Man stories I read in the future.

- Cal Cleary

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Coming Up Next: Batgirl (vol. 4), #1-7 – “Batgirl Rising”

So I’ve been a bit quiet lately in my review writing.  Not that I don’t have the time right now, just that not much I’ve been reading has really striked me as worth the time to review.  First page of Batgirl 5 (pictured above) and more so the first few lines of the second page immediately made me want to write about this issue.

First off: Wow.  Just look at that picture and I was shocked.  I know Batgirl has always worn tight clothing that hugs the curve of whoever happens to be in the role at the time.  I know at least this Babs Batgirl has often been doing spread-leg maneuvers but… Well an image like that – especially being the first page and a full page scene – really just shocked me to see such a sexualized pose.

Second off: The information.  We finally get a full fledged answer to what “cured” her of being disabled.  And yes, I quoted “cure” for a reason that I won’t get into in this post.  Basically it was a “neural implant surgery that” eventually got her walking again.  Part of me wonders why a random woman from Gotham would be lucky enough to get this treatment over many others who could use it, but I suppose it wouldn’t be hard for Bruce to have set it up so she’d be part of it – even if Jim or Babs didn’t know.

In terms of the story, well its rather dialogue/inner monologue heavy.  Most pages is filled with text, but for the most part Simone makes it work well in this issue.  Barbara’s mother made a return in the last issue that is continued here, and I just can’t help but wonder how a woman who hasn’t been in her daughter’s life for many many years knows the name of her daughter’s new roommate (and why did that not seem to set off red flags to Barbara)?  Beyond that, other things seemed odd about the mom, but that may be chocked up to the awkwardness of estrangement.  Seems almost a theme of Batfamily (with their own books) having their past coming back at them.  Bruce with Nobody, Dick with the circus mystery, and now Babs having her mom suddenly back.  Not to mention it seems Talia will soon be returning to Damian’s life.

Detective McKenna is coming back, though I feel Jim may be making a mistake with that decision.  Another scene with McKenna interests me being when she is looking at some articles with Batgirl.  “Who is the girl dressed like Batman?” and “Where did Batgirl go?” being the main two.  The first one I’d guess is probably an old article from when she started, due to the title.  The second though makes me wonder about Batgirl history.  Was there no other Batgirls while Babs was in the chair, has it been a while since Steph (or maybe Cass) stopped being Batgirl before Babs took it back over, or does it tie into someone realizing that this newest Batgirl is probably the original one?

I still feel DC shouldn’t have removed Stephanie or the chair, but Simone’s work seems like it is starting to pick up.  Hopefully this new arc will continue on a strong path and won’t dip into Mirror territory.

Word of the Nerd – Recent interview with Simone, and where I got the in-page pic from.

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Anyone who has been paying attention to comic sales has doubtless seen countless reports on the performance of the New 52.  And while DC’s ambitious relaunch has done a lot of good for their market share (with Justice League routinely topping the charts and four books selling over 100k copies per month), the sales for a number of their books started lower than they hoped and dropped fast to pre-relaunch levels.  Cancellations were imminent, and today, DC made the announcement, naming six books that will be concluding with issue number eight.

None of these books should come as a surprise, but, well… Rest In Peace, Blackhawks, O.M.A.C., Hawk and Dove, Mister Terrific, Static Shock and Men of War.

Now, most of those, I don’t think we’ll miss.  Though Didio and Giffen’s fun, energetic take on O.M.A.C. quickly found a cult audience, particularly among dedicated comic fans who appreciated their history, it never found any mainstream hold at all, shedding 21,000 (over half its readership) in four months and showing no signs of leveling out.

Men of War, though….  Many of us here at read/RANT thoroughly enjoyed Men of War, a comic that (at its best) managed to combine superheroics and traditional war stories in interesting ways.  Though I think the comic was, in general, fairly flawed, it was an enjoyable book month in and month out, and one that had a lot of potential.

It’s also fairly disappointing that many of the characters in these canceled books were in the relatively small amount of minority heroes in the New 52 – Mister Terrific, Static Shock and OMAC all featured strong, interesting protagonists, and its a shame they didn’t find an audience.

Seeing where the cancellation lines falls can’t be great news for a few books on the New 52, as read/RANT critical darlings I, Vampire and Voodoo both hover perilously close to that line, while the less well-loved Captain Atom actually already crossed it, with #4 underselling Hawk and Dove by about 100 copies.

But DC has six brand new books ready to launch, and to my surprise and pleasure, they aren’t all standard, big name superhero books.  Let’s look at the list.

• BATMAN INCORPORATED – Writer: Grant Morrison. Artist: Chris Burnham. The acclaimed ongoing writer of ACTION COMICS, Grant Morrison, presents a fresh take on BATMAN INCORPORATED, in which the Batman brand is franchised globally in preparation for a major international threat.

• EARTH 2 – Writer: James Robinson. Artist: Nicola Scott. The greatest heroes on a parallel Earth, the Justice Society combats threats that will set them on a collision course with other worlds.

• WORLDS’ FINEST – Writer: Paul Levitz. Artists: George Perez and Kevin Maguire. Stranded on our world from a parallel reality, Huntress and Power Girl struggle to find their way back to Earth 2. Perez and Maguire will be the artists on alternating story arcs.

• DIAL H – Writer: China Miéville. Artist: Mateus Santoluoco. The first ongoing series from acclaimed novelist China Miéville, this is a bold new take on a cult classic concept about the psychological effects on an everyman who accidentally gains powers to become a hero.

• G.I. COMBAT – Writer: J.T. Krul. Artist: Ariel Olivetti. Featuring the return of a classic DC Comics series, THE WAR THAT TIME FORGOT, along with rotating back-up stories and creative teams – including THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER, with writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti and artist Dan Panosian; and THE HAUNTED TANK, with writer John Arcudi and artist Scott Kolins.

• THE RAVAGERS – Writer: Howard Mackie. Artist: Ian Churchill. Spinning off from TEEN TITANS and SUPERBOY, this series finds four superpowered teens on the run and fighting against the organization that wants to turn them into supervillains.

I don’t think that anyone is shocked by Batman, Incorporated, a book many of us have been waiting for since the New 52 kicked off.  Same with Earth 2, a book that was announced ages ago and has been discussed in depth ever since.  G.I. Combat and The Ravagers are new to me, and though I’m not particularly excited by either, I’ll happily give both a shot.

The two most interesting entries on the list, to me, are in the middle.  World’s Finest, a pairing of Earth 2 Huntress and Power Girl stranded in the DC Universe, has a done of potential, particularly considering the critical love of the current Huntress miniseries and the previous Power Girl ongoing.  With a solid set of art teams and a neat premise, I have high hopes for that one.

Similarly, Dial H is the kind of splashy choice I’m shocked didn’t make it into the first batch of the New 52.  China Miéville is a fairly major modern writer, and attaching him to a psychological drama in the world of superheroes based on a cult classic could be a huge coup for DC, particularly when his first arc goes to trade and gets sold in book stores with Miéville’s name on the cover.

That said, comic writing, particularly monthly comic writing, is a VERY different skill set than writing books, and I’ve seen plenty of novelists try to jump into serialized storytelling and struggle.  Miéville is very talented, though, and the Dial H cover at the top of the page is ridiculously cool, so for now, I would say this: be excited.

- Cal Cleary

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The Punisher #7

I’ll admit, part of the reason you haven’t seen too many reviews of The Punisher popping up lately is, I lost interest.  Though the book opened strong, a detour featuring the Vulture was too campy to keep up the tone of the book, and a tightening financial situation made me decide to drop it.  But I like Rucka and Lark too much to stay away for long, and with sales on the title dropping like a rock and a bit of Christmas cash in my pocket, I decided to dive back in and see where things stood while I still could.

When I wrote last year about The Punisher #1 and #2, Greg Rucka’s relaunch of the venerable Marvel anti-hero, I described Castle as the slasher from an 80′s horror movie, a silent killer whose lack of personality was (ideally) made up for in the people he was hunting down and gutting.  It was through his relationship with the supporting cast – and by ‘relationship with’ I mean ‘impact on’ – that we truly get an idea of who he is.  I think that’s why the Vulture issues bored me so; it was all about the Punisher being tough, beating something up.  And while, sure, some of that’s to be

The Punisher #6 picks up four months after the Vulture fight.  The Punisher, gravely wounded, has been largely side-lined as he recovered, while Rachel Cole-Alvez, the Marine whose wedding-day massacre has inspired a lust for vengeance to rival Castle’s, has spent it in physical therapy.  Together – though neither knows the other is also targeting the outfit – they decimate the Exchange’s meeting place, nailing a bunch of high level criminals and meeting each other for the first time.

The Punisher #7, titled “The String,” follows the aftermath of their assault, as detectives Clemons and Bolt are called upon to investigate the massacre.  It’s the kind of bold, ballsy move that I so enjoyed about the book in the first place, a departure from the Punisher and an examination on the impact the Punisher has on the people around him.  Clemons and Bolt investigate the crime scene, trying to figure out what went down, while Clemons relates why (unlike many of his coworkers, partner included) he so badly wants the Punisher caught and imprisoned.

Rucka’s current take on The Punisher is not without problem.  From the terrible cover art for the issue – perhaps the most generic Punisher cover ever crafted – to the lack of a clear narrative hook in some issues, this one included, the book almost dares readers to jump over to the more ambitious, bloody Punisher MAX.  But I like what Rucka is trying to do here.  The scope of the story is fairly grand, and though the execution is occasionally lacking, he’s still using a notoriously difficult character for writers to tell vibrant, relatable stories about real people caught in tough situations.

It hasn’t made the leap from good to great that I’d hoped it would after those first two issues, but it also hasn’t made the fall from good to mediocre I feared it would after the Vulture’s appearance.  Greg Rucka and Michael Lark’s The Punisher is an essential read for fans of the character seeking something a little different, a little more serious.  From Lark’s dark, memorable art – I don’t think any artist has made Castle scarier – to Rucka’s offbeat scripts, it’s an engaging book, albeit an occasionally frustrating one.

- Cal Cleary

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The Shade #4, cover by Tony Harris

One staple of James Robinson’s legendary Starman was “Times Past,” a set of stand-alone stories diving into the history of the Starman legacy and Opal City.  It was a way to tell a fun adventure story, introduce some fascinating character traits, or deepen the mythology he was patiently building without using too much tedious exposition.  So imagine my surprise and delight when I opened this month’s The Shade #4 and found myself enthralled by the Shade’s fantastic adventures in 1944, an excellent stand-alone adventure that deepens our understanding of the main plot while telling its own story and welcoming new readers.

World War II is in full swing when the issue begins.  The Shade is largely ignoring the war, instead using the distraction to steal a ton of precious gems from the vaults of Opal City, but he is quickly drawn into a conspiracy to assassinate Darnell Caldecott, a wealthy British industrialist who was throwing his entire fortune into fighting the Nazis – and who happens to be the Shade’s grandson.  Teaming up with various masked adventurers, the Shade works to stop the assassination attempt, an adventure that leads to some surprising revelations and the re-introduction of Madam Fatal, a mind-numbingly fascinating character created in 1940 and largely unused since then, and one I now need to read a whole lot more about.

With illustration by Darwyn Cooke and colors by Dave Stewart, you know the issue is, visually speaking, an absolute treat.  Their way of covering the Shade’s face in shifting shadows is eerie and perfect, a neat visual reminder of both the character’s powers and his showy sense of style.  They also excel at the action scenes, crafting dynamic, often creepy, tableaux of shadow run amuck.  It would be worth the price of admission for the art alone.

I have been relatively rough on The Shade in my reviews so far.  The downside, I suppose, of my love of Starman and immense respect for the fascinating, complex character Robinson crafted the Shade into in its pages.  But The Shade #4 reaffirmed everything I loved about Starman – and perfected everything I’m still loving about the current The Shade maxi-series.  It’s a pitch-perfect callback to long-lost World War II adventure stories that gave birth to many of our favorite superheroes that explains the Shade’s complex relationship with Caldecott, the presumed villain of the early issues of the series, while still telling an exciting tale.  At his best, no one delves into the weird history of DC comics like James Robinson does – and this, unquestionably, is Robinson at his best.

- Cal C.

The Shade #1

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The Ray #2, cover by Jamal Igle

In part because of the holidays, I did not review the first issue of DC’s new mini-series, The Ray.  This is a problem for me.  Now, sure, there are plenty of books that go unreviewed.  Ideally, I’d like to buy every new #1 I see on the comics shelves each week, but with the rising cost of comics and the ever-diminishing amount in my bank account, that isn’t realistic.  I’m sure it’s the same for a lot of you – sure, I firmly believe that almost everyone who gives Animal Man or Mystic or any of a dozen of other awesome books a shot will like it… but that’s an investment we can’t all make.

I picked up The Ray #1.  That’s not my problem.  The problem with not reviewing it is, it was good.  It was very, very good.  It was a book with a solid adventure that works just as well for older readers as it does for younger ones, with a diverse cast – an adopted Korean-American hero with white parents, an African American best friend and an Indian love interest – that is well drawn and realistic within a single issue and a breakneck pace that blends well with their sense of humor.  If Palmiotti and Gray weren’t currently knocking it out of the park with their All-Star Western, they’d still have an impressive showing with The Ray alone.  It’s just a damn fun book, and it hasn’t seen the sales bump the rest of the New 52 have enjoyed (though even that is waning fast – the top sellers continue to do very well, but DC now has multiple books under 20k sales (including read/RANT favorites Men of War and I, Vampire).

So, here: read The Ray.  Though #2 lacks the insane pace and surprise factor of the debut issue, it’s a solid, goofy adventure story, with some solid personal melodrama and the introduction of what I can only assume will be the main villain of the miniseries.  Jamal Igle is a blast on art, and colorist Guy Major gets to stand out a bit when the Ray begins absorbing the lights at a dance club, briefly turning him multi-colored (a scene that provides one small, laugh-out-loud joke I missed entirely my first time through).  It’s a quick read, but it’s an enjoyable one.

In an ideal world, I would have the money to buy the boat load of comics I want each week, the time to write about them, and the influence to make under-appreciated potential gems like this one get noticed.  But I don’t.  All I can say is this: The Ray is a rock-solid combination of light-hearted adventure and relationship drama that hearkens back to classic Spider-Man, but with a more mature point of view.  The art team is solid, the writers are confident, and the hero is charming.  It may not be the most ambitious title of the new DC Universe, but it’s one of the most fun.

- Cal C.

read/RANT

So, I’m soldiering on with my One Sentence Reviews, in which I read every DC New 52 comic for the week and sum each of them up in badly constructed single sentence reviews. Despite the arrival of a new baby and the fact that some titles are a real chore to get through, I’m too hard-headed to quit at this stage and will keep it up as long as I can.  I can’t promise, however, that sleep deprivation hasn’t affected my ability to be fair or rational in my reviews.

Each comic is scored out of five and at the end I have a cumulative leader board (averaging the scores of each title) to show which are consistently excellent, which are on the rise, and which are circling the drain.

I have also reviewed the mini-series issues from the week but, as usual, they aren’t included in the leaderboard.

Warning, there could be spoilers ahead (although I try to avoid them).

Stormwatch #5
I’m ranking this my favourite issue of the week, partially for something a bit different to my continued fawning over Swamp Thing, but primarily because it kept me on the edge of my seat, especially the fight between Midnighter and Harry Tanner (probably the two most interesting characters in the line-up) … however, I will say that the cool character backgrounds revealed by the Shadow Cabinet big-wig might have been more useful to me in #1 – 4.5 

Swamp Thing #5
I think I’m in love with this title, and I greatly enjoyed this issue’s faster pace and increased action … I can’t wait to read the next issue – 4.5 

Animal Man #5
This issue delivers surrealistic horror in spades and kept me fully engaged with the title hero and the perils the Baker family are facing … I even got a laugh out of one panel (is there anything writer Lemire can’t do?) – 4.5 

Batwing #5
I’m so glad writer Winick has given Batwing a challenging and morally complex back story because it provides this issue (and the title overall) the steel required for it to rise above an ordinary Batman-wannabe yarn, and #5 also sees the return of artist Oliver who further helps bring the world of Batwing to life – 4 

Action Comics #5
I know it’s not writer Morrison’s usual style, but this is the kind of issue I was hoping for with Superman being rebooted as part of the New 52 … while I found the Brainiac narration a bit odd at times, #5 was the most enjoyable issue so far, with an interesting origin update and an intriguing appearance in the final panel of the main story, as well as an excellent back-up story focusing on the Kents (although one part of it seemed to contradict the main story) – 4

Red Lanterns #5
I still don’t fully know what to make of this title, but thought this was one of its better issue, with some pretty artwork, interesting backstory for the broader cast, plenty of conflict and an intriguing final page – 3.5

Men of War#5
I found the ideas in the main feature very interesting and look forward to reading more, while the back-up was a bit jarring at times but overall quite good as well … for me this was probably the most entertaining issue for the title so far – 3.5

O.M.A.C. #5
While I begrudge most crossover stories (especially those that practically force you to buy another title that you mightn’t be reading already), the start of this tie-in with Frankenstein was at least fast-paced and action-packed – a good, old-fashioned superhero scuffle – 3.5

Detective Comics #5
The main feature was good but maybe a little thin on story, whereas the back-up seems more concerned with setting up a future story than with current developments – 3.5

Justice League International #5
I don’t have much bad to say about this issue except maybe that it didn’t overly excite me and I struggled to understand how the heroes prevailed in the end when they didn’t seemingly do anything different to before, when the villain disposed of them easily – 3.5

Green Arrow #5
This is the type of Green Arrow story that I normally like – Ollie versus a much more powerful adversary – but sadly I don’t like the New 52 Ollie very much, which takes a bit of the shine off this issue – 3

Huntress #4 (of 6)
To’s artword is pretty enough, but the rest of the issue is just bog-ordinary superhero fare – 3

Penguin – Pain and Prejudice #4 (of 5)
Honestly, this issue is what I expected this miniseries to be like after reading #1 – alright but mostly uninteresting for anyone who isn’t that keen on the Penguin – and that kind of squanders the excellent set-up the previous issues have provided … here’s hoping for a big conclusion next month – 3

Static Shock #5 
Despite some nice touches, this issue of this horribly inconsistent title is still all over the place and continues to strongly tie itself to previous continuity in a way that makes it extremely off-putting for new readers – 2.5

Hawk and Dove #5 
Nothing about this issue made me care about the story or the characters in it, as Hawk and Dove confront a souped-up Condor in an effort to save Deadman (who is a lot more interesting in the pages of Justice League Dark … Dove too, for that matter) – 2

If you haven’t already, check out last month’s reviews (#4s of the ongoing titles) here:

Part 13

Part 14

Part 15

Part 16

Please note, since a title is only as good as its last issue, the books are ranked firstly by their average score, then their most recent score (shown in brackets), and the number of issues is the final number.

LEADER BOARD

1.  Swamp Thing  4.4  (4.5)  5

2.  Animal Man  4.2  (4.5)  5

3.  Batman and Robin  4  (4)  4

4.  Batman  3.88  (4.5)  4

=5.  Batwoman  3.88  (4)  4

=5.  Resurrection Man  3.88  (4)  4

7.  Aquaman  3.88  (3.5)  4

8.  Blue Beetle  3.75  (4.5)  4

9.  Birds of Prey  3.75  (4)  4

10.  I, Vampire  3.75  (4)  4

11.  Justice League Dark  3.75  (3.5)  4

12.  Batwing  3.7  (4)  5

=13.  Green Lantern Corps  3.63  (3.5)  4

=13.  Wonder Woman  3.63  (3.5)  4

15.  Stormwatch  3.6  (4.5)  5

=16.  Demon Knights  3.5  (3.5)  4

=16.  Detective Comics  3.5  (3.5)  5

=16.  Green Lantern  3.5  (3.5)  4

19.  Justice League   3.5  (3)  4

20.  Batman – The Dark Knight  3.38  (4.5)  4

21.  Teen Titans  3.38  (4)  4

22. Blackhawks  3.38  (3.5)  4

23.  Supergirl  3.38  (3)  4

24.  Action Comics  3. 3  (4)  5

=25.  Captain Atom  3.25  (4)  4

=25.  Green Lantern – New Guardians  3.25  (4)  4

27.  Batgirl  3.25  (3.5)  4

28.  Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E.  3.25  (3)  4

29.  Catwoman  3.13  (3.5)  4

30.  Nightwing  3.13  (3)  4

31.  Suicide Squad  3.13  (3)  4

32.  Justice League International  3.1  (3.5)  5

33.  Red Lanterns  3  (3.5)  5

=34.  Deathstroke  3  (3)  4

=34.  The Flash  3  (3) 4

36.  Superboy  3  (2.5)  4

=37.  Men of War  2.9  (3.5)  5

=37.  O.M.A.C.  2.9  (3.5)  5

39.  Static Shock  2.9  (2.5)  5

40.  Voodoo  2.88  (3.5)  4

41.  All Star Western  2.75  (3.5)  4

42.  Mister Terrific  2.75  (1.5)  4

43.  DC Universe Presents  2.63  (3.5)  4

44.  Superman  2.5  (2.5)  4

45.  Red Hood and the Outlaws  2.38  (3)  4

=46.  The Fury of Firestorm  2.38  (2)  4

=46.  Legion Lost  2.38  (2)  4

48.  Green Arrow  2. 3  (3)  5

49.  Grifter   2.25  (3)  4

50.  Hawk and Dove  2 (2)  5

51.  Legion of Super-Heroes  1.75  (2)  4

52.  Savage Hawkman  1.5  (1)  4