Review: The Shade #4

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.

Review: The Shade #1

The Shade #1, cover by Tony Harris

Starman.  Even after everything else Robinson has done, even after the flat-out embarrassment of Cry for Justice, Starman has endured as a shining example of many of the best things serialized superhero comics can offer.  Jack Knight remains a memorable creation, and the book Robinson built around him stands up well, even to this day.  But, for whatever reason, it’s a feat Robinson has never been able to repeat.  With The Shade, a 12-issue mini-series  launching today, Robinson returns to Opal City and to the morally ambiguous former villain he popularized.

Review: Justice League of America #49

Review: Free Comic Book Day 2010

Well, I could pretty much copy my intro from last year’s FCBD coverage. I did pretty much the same thing. I didn’t go to the comic book store, instead spending my time with boxing, beer, and babes. I got my free comics early, so I can still review these things.

Review: Superman: Last Stand of New Krypton #1

This week, DC released two issues that kick-started massive event stories.  Of the two, Last Stand of New Krypton was the one I was most looking forward to.  However, the Justice League: Rise and Fall Special was a pleasant surprise.  And Last Stand was a mild disappointment.

The WORST part of Cry for Justice

I just posted this response over at the DC Message Boards and I thought I’d re-post it here:

After the first issue, I thought it would be hard to top Hal’s multi-page dressing down of the rest of the JLA for the title of “the worst part of Cry for Justice”. I mean, that was just inexcusable. Hal redefined the word hypocisy and the rest of the JLA just sat there with shamed looks on their faces. Any one of them could have and should have put Hal in his place. And then Hal should have apologized profusely for getting so far out of line.

But that wasn’t the worst part of Cry for Justice. Not by a long shot. Just about every issue after that seemed to be competing for the title of worst issue.

The worst part of Cry for Justice has to be the plot. It just makes no sense whatsoever. What did Prometheus have to gain from his actions? Not a damn thing. For all his effort, Prometheus gets himself captured, begs for his freedom, gloats when he gets it and then gets an arrow between the eyes.

Okay, he didn’t see the last part coming. But really, THIS was his plan? Even if GA hadn’t killed him, Prometheus was no better off at the end of CFJ than he was at the beginning. And up until then, his plan had come off pretty much perfectly.

Review: Justice League: Cry For Justice #7

Well, that was unpleasant.  Spoilers after the jump.

Review: Superman: World of New Krypton #12

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

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

Grade: B+

- Cal Cleary

Superman: World of New Krypton #11

Superman: World of New Krypton #10

Review: Superman: World of New Krypton #11

Superman: World of New Krypton continues its renewed creative upswing with this issue.  After floundering a bit in the middle, #11, the penultimate issue of the series if I recall correctly, suggests a fine return to form as it has a little bit of everything that made the title so very fundamentally enjoyable.  Nothing gets wrapped up in these 22 pages, but an awful lot gets set-up for what will hopefully be a stellar finale.  Adam Strange and Superman team-up to find out who attempted to assassinate Alura.  Though evidence suggests the leader of the Labor Guild, neither Superman nor Strange believe it.  The Council is divided on what the attacks mean and how he should proceed, and Zod seems to be on the way to a speedy recovery.  And just what is that mysterious, lead-lined military structure that they ‘forgot’ to mention to Kal-El when he took over?

It’s a lot to cram in here, but Rucka and Robinson make it work.  Pete Woods continues to turn in excellent work, delivering exciting action sequences and a bizarre panache of sci-fi scenery to give Krypton an alien feel.  Rucka and Robinson have escaped the formula that so made the middle of the series drag, and have instead returned to the book’s strongest elements: the collapsing politics of an alien planet.  Anyone who claims to be a Superman fan should be reading this book, but it’s reach is beyond that: despite a few slip-ups, Superman: World of New Krypton often delivers a fun, engaging pulp sci-fi adventure that digs into Superman’s character without hinging upon it to drive the book.

Grade: B+

- Cal Cleary

Read/RANT

Superman: World of New Krypton #10

Superman: World of New Krypton #9

Review: Blackest Night: JSA #1

Hey everyone.  Expect another BEST OF list in the next few days.  Until then, we here at Read/RANT will be taking things a little slow for the holiday season.  Hope you all enjoy the next week or two, and we’ll be back with the same excellent reviews in 2010!

The same creative team that brought you Blackest Night: Superman is back for another tie-in mini-series, this time focusing on the Justice Society of America.  Following directly after the Superman mini, Blackest Night: JSA follows the team after the death of Damage in the main Blackest Night book.  While the core group tries to hold off the superzombies that are wreaking havoc on the city, Mr. Terrific and a few others remain hidden inside the JSA compound, examining the bodies of zombie Superman and zombie Lois Lane.

The story here is a little tighter than it was in Blackest Night: Superman and the script is a little more believable, but the action is weaker and the suspense that made the first half of the Superman mini so engaging is all but gone.  Barrows is notably stronger here than he was on Blackest Night: Superman as the action is more straightforward and the atmosphere pretty much amounts to “it’s dark out”.  Robinson and Barrows work together here to put out an enjoyable mediocre action tie-in.  Fans of Blackest Night will probably find much to enjoy.  No one else will care.

Grade: B-

- Cal Cleary

Read/RANT

Blackest Night: Superman #3

Review: Superman: World of New Krypton #10

After last month’s surprisingly disappointing entry, Superman: World of New Krypton is largely back on track.  Rucka and Robinson’s entry still feels more formulaic than the often unpredictable early issues did, but it’s still reliably fun and still capable of stepping out of its established trend to tell a decent story.  WoNK #10 returns us, lightly, to some of the Kryptonian intrigue that made the early issues such a joy as Adam Strange is quickly cleared of his murder charges and enlisted to help Superman solve New Krypton’s first murder.

Rucka and Robinson do a good beginning to sell New Krypton’s increasing tensions, as merely showing up to question Labor Guild representatives very nearly causes a riot to break out, but the story lacked the weight it should have had, thanks to the need to shoehorn another through the revolving door of cosmic guest stars.  New Krypton’s first murder (and, potentially, first assassination) does not come across as as big a deal as it probably should have, but the story was otherwise better than the book’s had in months.

Woods, this time with help from Randall, continue to do fine work on art, improving with almost every issue.  With the next event in place – War of the Supermen with, sadly, Barrows on art for the opening issue rather than Woods – it seems that World of New Krypton is pretty definitely leading towards war.  Hopefully, the impending crossover won’t distract Rucka and Robinson from continuing to tell a decent story here, as World of New Krypton has, last issue’s failures aside, been a remarkably enjoyable examination of Superman and his second home.

Grade: B+

- Cal Cleary

Read/RANT

Superman: World of New Krypton #9

Superman: World of New Krypton #8

Review: Superman: World of New Krypton #9

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

Mini-Reviews

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

Review: Justice League of America #38

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

Review: Superman: World of New Krypton #8

For all my current qualms with the storytelling of Rucka and Robinson on the Earth-based books, especially post-”Codename: Patriot”, Superman: World of New Krypton, their collaborative project with artist Pete Woods, continues to be one of the consistently strongest books the Superman-family of books has produced.  Separated from his tiresome gallery of villains and massive support network, World of New Krypton continues to use the struggles of the new nation trying to form its identity to look at previously underused facets of his personality.

Rucka and Robinson occasionally pile it on a little thick, as illustrated in this issue in particular.  A relatively common criticism I heard of Aaron Sorkin’s famous show, The West Wing, was its often simplified view of politics that frequently boiled down to a single idea: “We could solve any problem if only everyone just sat down and listened.”  That could definitely be thrown against the current issue of World of New Krypton, which rushes through the Thanagarian conflict in a matter of pages before moving onto the much larger threat of the moon hurtling towards New Krypton.

Woods continues to display a strong sense of design, adding the Thanagarian battle fleet and Kryptonian tech designed to move a moon to his resume.  While his art isn’t as eye-catching as some of today’s superstars, he continues to display a workmanlike mastery of DC’s cosmic side and an ability to handle action and drama with an equal amount of skill and comfort.

Despite the rush-job – and the morally and narratively easy way out – with the Thanagarian conflict, the issue is still essentially enjoyable.  They continue to play to Wood’s strengths with a large variety of sci-fi inspired costumes and settings in which to work, and the book displays none of the jerky, cliche storytelling currently plaguing the two core titles.  It isn’t the book’s strongest issue to date, but continues to cement Superman: World of New Krypton as both a must-read book for Superman fans and general superhero sci-fi fans alike.

Grade: B+

- Cal Cleary

Read/RANT

Superman: World of New Krypton #7

Superman: World of New Krypton #6

Review: Superman #692

When last we left Superman, Mon-El had been beaten up, a bomb had gone off, Lane’s plan was revealed to us, and Superman himself, back on Earth for a brief time, had tried to stop a Kryptonian agent from a devastating strike.  And while this issue is in many ways a direct follow up to that, it feels painfully schizophrenic in doing so.  The world now believes Mon-El to be dead, a water shortage has caused its value to skyrocket, everyone thinks Superman is a traitor, Lane is a national hero, John Henry Irons is in a coma and Zatara has been kidnapped, taken to an alternate dimension, and is being pumped for infor… wait, what?

Before “Codename: Patriot”, Robinson’s Superman was a stellar blend of action and drama that managed to turn Mon-El and the Guardian into compelling characters.  Now, we skip entire story-lines – such as the Zatara one – and get our exposition through psychopathic rants from Morgan Edge, who spend the entire issue enraged and half-shaven and just generally looking homeless.  Anti-Kryptonian sentiment runs rampant as Edge and Lane stir up an insultingly jingoistic humans-first agenda, but the plot is missing exactly what Robinson normally does best: the human touch.  Frankly, every single one of us knows how the bulk of this story will play out.  What we don’t know is, how are the people in Metropolis reacting?  Why?

Unfortunately, when a book’s scope magnifies and the crossovers begin, one of the first things we lose is almost always that human element.  New artist Fernando Dagnino is given little to do with this issue, so it’s hard to judge how well he’ll fit on the title.  His brief action scenes seem competent, but then, his Morgan Edge looks like a complete lunatic.  Though it is impossible for me to make any long-term statements about him on this title and nothing in the issue sets him apart as a particular talent, he does a fine job with illustrating most of what Robinson throws his way.

Pre-”Codename: Patriot”, Superman was only a crossover in name.  It was given space to explore its own world and tell its own stories, and it had a great deal of potential there.  With “Patriot” come and gone, however, the book is rushing headlong into the master-plot.  If that master-plot was fascinating, perhaps this wouldn’t be a problem, but  Superman is offering nothing you haven’t seen before.  It isn’t terrible, it’s just painfully average.

Grade: C-

- Cal Cleary

Superman #691

Superman #689

December 2009 DC Solicits + Commentary

I’ve been doing these for a little while now and they always seem to be popular.  So until people stop reading them, I’ll probably keep doing them.  For those who are new, here’s what you can expect.  I go through the latest DC solicits and add my (sometimes snarky) commentary.

I actually skipped the November solicits because Blackest Night took over the majority of the DC books.  One of my problems with Blackest Night (and I have many) is that the story is already getting repetitive.  We’ve seen the same couple of scenes repeated ad infinitum.  When you go through the solicits and every book has the same basic premise (Hero A comes into contact with Dead Person B!) it gets boring.  I couldn’t stand the thought of writing up all of those Blackest Night tie-ins, so I took a month off.

December is really no different.  So I’m going to be more selective about which books I include in this write-up.  And some books will no boubt be lumped together.  That way, I don’t bore you with the same entry 15 times.  (I’ll only bore you with it once – ba dum dum.)

Now that I’ve set the comedic bar at a level I can reach, let’s look at what DC will be offering in December:

Blackest Night Books

BLACKEST NIGHT #6
Written by Geoff Johns
Art and cover by Ivan Reis & Oclair Albert

    The secrets of Nekron are revealed as darkness consumes the DC Universe.
    Everything else: TOP SECRET.

GREEN LANTERN #49
Written by Geoff Johns
Art and cover by Ed Benes

    BLACKEST NIGHT continues! John Stewart comes face to face with his greatest failures, the planet Xanshi and his wife and fellow Green Lantern, Katma Tui. Plus, what does Fatality truly want with John?

These solicits are a little light on details.  But that’s a good thing in my book.  My concern is that from the details that are included in the solicits, it sure doesn’t sound like a whole lot has happened from Blackest Night 0 up to Blackest Night 6.  Doesn’t it sound like we’re in pretty much the same place we’ve been in from the start of this thing?

Also, did you see that Ed Benes is drawing GL 49.  You know what that means?  Fatality butt floss on every page!  Plus, zombie cleavage I would think.

Review: Blackest Night #3

Rant: Blackest Night #3

Review: Green Lantern #45

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #43

Written by Peter J. Tomasi
Art and cover by Pat Gleason & Rebecca Buchman

    Red rain falls! As the Black Lanterns continue their reign of terror and chaos on Oa, things go from bad to worse when a horrible loss for the Green Lantern Corps results in Guy Gardner becoming so enraged that he becomes a Red Lantern! And hell breaks loose as the Central Power Battery faces an attack from the newly arrived Black Lantern Corphans!

I split this one out from the other BN books for a couple of reasons:

1. Something happens!
2. An angry Guy Gardner is a good thing.

Yes, it kinda sucks that they went and spoiled this development a full 3 months before it happens.  But at this point I’m pretty glad to see any sign of forward plot movement from Blackest Night.  So I’ll take what I can get.

Also, I’ve seen a lot of Guy fans complaining about this already.  Come on, guys!  You know this isn’t going to last any longer than when Kyle got possessed by Parallax.  And that was the single coolest thing to happen in the Sinestro Crops War storyline.  So you should just be grateful that Guy is getting a spotlight.

Turing into a Red Lantern sure beats the one-panel “death” Jeph Loeb gave Guy in “Our Wolrds at War”.  It pretty much guarantees Guy’s going to be around at the end of Blackest Night.  But those close to Guy (whose deaths might push Guy into a rage) better watch their backs.

Review: Green Lantern Corps #39

Blackest Night Mini-Series

BLACKEST NIGHT: THE FLASH #1
Written by Geoff Johns
Art and cover by Scott Kolins

    The Flashes of Two Cities – Barry Allen and Wally West – battle the undead Rogues. Will the legendary speedsters be able to handle the Black Lantern Rogues’ revenge? Plus, witness the resurrection of Barry’s greatest enemy, the Reverse Flash in this hyper-speed miniseries event reuniting the fan-favorite FLASH creative team of Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins!

BLACKEST NIGHT: JSA #1
Written by James Robinson
Art by Eddy Barrows & Ruy José

    The mystery men of yesterday are back and they seek the hearts of their new counterparts! It’s Mr. Terrific vs. Mr. Terrific, Dr. Midnite vs. Dr. Midnite, Sand vs Wesley Dodds! Can the new generation of heroes survive the rise of the Black Lantern JSA? Find out in this all-new miniseries from original JSA co-writer James Robinson and rising star artist Eddy Barrows (BLACKEST NIGHT: SUPERMAN)!

BLACKEST NIGHT: WONDER WOMAN #1
Written by Greg Rucka
Art by Nicola Scott

    Fan-favorite writer Greg Rucka returns to chronicle the adventures of the Amazing Amazon in the DC Universe’s darkest hour! Black Lantern Maxwell Lord has risen and he seeks revenge and retribution for his murder at the hands of Diana. Look for unexpected changes to await Wonder Woman in the course of this series as she plays a major role in the War of Light against the Blackest Night.

I had pretty low expectations of the first batch of BN tie-in mini-series.  And so far, they have met or exceeded by expectations.  BN: Superman actually had a pretty strong first issue.  But it seems like you can skip all three and not miss anything.  And Tales of the Corps was an embarrassing money grab.  DC should be ashamed of that one.

This crop of tie-ins seems a little more promising to me.  I was a fan of the Johns/Kollins run on Flash and I liked the first 2/3 of their “Rogues Revenge” mini-series.  So while “Rebirth” isn’t to my liking, I expect I’ll like BN: Flash okay as long as Johns can keep the retcons to a minimum. 

The stand-out to me promises to be BN: Wonder Woman.  I know Rucka was upset he never got to deal with the fallout from the death of Max Lord.  Now, it looks like he’ll get that chance even if it years a few years late.  Plus, you’ve got Nicola Scott.  Nicola Scott + Wonder Woman is worth my $3 every time.

Review: Blackest Night: Superman #2

ADVENTURE COMICS #5

Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Jerry Ordway; co-feature art by Francis Manapul

     Concluding the 2-part BLACKEST NIGHT tale of Superboy-Prime! The Black Lanterns have forced Prime to face his deepest and darkest fears, but what – and who – are they? And how will Superboy-Prime strike back after this devastating attack?
    Plus, Conner Kent faces off with Superman’s greatest enemy in an exciting co-feature by Geoff Johns and Francis Manapul. That’s right: Superboy confronts Lex Luthor!

I’m truly torn on this one.  On the one hand, I’ve been enjoying Adventure Comics so far.  On the other, I’m really sick of Johns’ take on Superboy-Prime.  The end of Legion of Three Worlds totally crossed a line for me and I was hoping not to see the character again for a while.  But Johns just can’t seem to stay away from him.  On the upside, I’m looking forward to the Conner/Lex confrontation.

Review: Adventure Comics #2

BOOSTER GOLD #27

Written by Dan Jurgens
Art and cover by Dan Jurgens& Norm Rapmund
    Black Lantern Ted Kord is out for blood in this BLACKEST NIGHT tie-in issue! Blue Beetle Jaime Reyes joins forces with Booster Gold in an attempt to take down Black Lantern Ted Kord once and for all. But the battle will have consequences for the Blue and the Gold, and Booster and Beetle’s lives will be forever changed!

This is another tough one.  This issue definitely fits into the “Hero A comes into contact with Dead Person B” formula I talked about earlier.  And there’s no way I won’t be sick of that by the end of the year.  And DC has already gone to the Ted Kord well at least one time too many since killing him off in Countdown.  But still, I really like Booster Gold.  I feel like Jurgens does a great job with the book and I’d like to see it get some attention.  Hopefully Jurgens can rise above the formula and deliver one of the better tie-ins to this event.

TEEN TITANS #78

Written by J.T. Krul
Art and cover by Joe Bennett & Jack Jadson
    An unexpected BLACKEST NIGHT team-up! Ravager has sworn to kill her father Deathstroke. But what happens when they’re forced to fight side-by-side against their dead friends and relatives? Will they kill each other before the Black Lanterns do?

Remember when Titans was the goose that laid the golden eggs?  Well, DC totally killed that goose.  (I think that goose may even be a Black Lantern!)  This franchise is in a tail spin and DC doesn’t seem to know what to do to pull out of it.  I’ll give you a hint, DC, a Deathstroke/Ravager issue is NOT the answer.

On the upside, I don’t see Sean McKeever’s name anywhere on this comic book.  Therefore, I will buy it on principle.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #40

Written by James Robinson
Art and cover by Mark Bagley & Rob Hunter
    The JLA can’t escape the BLACKEST NIGHT! Faced with the continuing threat of the Black Lanterns, Zatanna, Vixen and the rest of the team confront their pasts when fallen friends and foes return for blood!

I can’t be the only one who finds Bagley’s cover to be hideous, right?

I recently posted an article about the new JLA line-up.  Interesting to see Vixen and Zatanna featured so prominently after not being included in the official line-up.  I guess the rumors that Robinson’s team will be super-sized are true.

As I said in my article, I really can’t muster up any excitement for Robinson’s JLA after 3 issues of Cry for Justice.

JLA: the New Line-Up

BATMAN #694

Written by Tony Daniel
Art by Tony Daniel & Sandu Florea

    While Black Mask and his Ministry of Death struggle to maintain control of Gotham City, The Dark Knight sets his sights on Kittyhawk – a young thief pivotal to the outcome of Black Mask’s gang war. But will a powerful adversary thought long dead spoil all of Batman’s plans? Guest-starring Oracle and the Penguin!

Not too much to say here.  I’m having some trouble keeping up my enthusiasm for Batman with the back-and-forth writing from Winick and Daniel.  I mean, these are two of my least favorite writers in comics these days.  Black Mask and Penquin both feel over-used these days.  And I’m enjoying them more in Dini’s Streets of Gotham.

*shrug*

DETECTIVE COMICS #860

Written by Greg Rucka
Art by JH Williams III; co-feature art by Cully Hamner

    Batwoman’s origin story concludes here! In “Go!” part 3, Kate Kane becomes Batwoman and goes after a terrorist cell in Gotham, but all does not go according to plan. Plus, in the present, Kate confronts her father about her supposedly dead sister!
    In the co-feature, the Huntress joins The Question in her quest to track down the leaders of the human trafficking ring. But finding them – and bring them to justice – will be harder and more dangerous than either hero thought!

Confession time: I’m a behind on this title.  But I love the art on the book.  Rucka’s writing hasn’t completely won me over to Batwoman yet.  But maybe I’ll feel differently once I catch up.  I am looking forward to seeing the Huntress and the Question though!

Review: Detective Comics #857

BATMAN: STREETS OF GOTHAM #7

Written by Paul Dini; co-feature written by Marc Andreyko
Art by Dustin Nguyen & Derek Fridolfs; co-feature art by Jeremy Haun

    Paul Dini returns to STREETS OF GOTHAM as Batman and Robin uncover a sinister plot involving dozens of Gotham City’s young runaways. Is Arkham Asylum escapee Humpty Dumpty at the center of the scheme – or is he just the tip of an even more dangerous iceberg? Guest-starring Abuse and Zsasz!
    And in the Manhunter co-feature, now that Kate has finally tracked down Two-Face, she’s ready to confront him for the hit he ordered on Gotham’s former D.A. But their confrontation is not going to go the way she planned!

I haven’t gotten around to writing up a review for Streets of Gotham, but I have been keeping up with the book and mostly enjoying it.  I wasn’t thrilled with the 60′s-TV show-worthy bad guy, The Broker.  But if you’re going to do the character, last issue was about as good of a story as you could possibly tell.  I am enjoying watching Dini re-invent Mr. Zsasz.  And I am enjoying the build-up in the Manhunter back-up to the inevitable showdown beteen the former DA of Gotham and the new sheriff in town.

Review: Batman: Streets of Gotham #1

BATGIRL #5

Written by Bryan Q. Miller
Art by Lee Garbett & Trevor Scott
Cover by Phil Noto
    It’s Bat vs. Bat in “Core Requirements” part 1! As Gotham City burns, the new Batgirl comes face-to-face with Batman and Robin, who are anything but happy about her running around with a bat-symbol on her costume. Batman confronts Oracle as Damian confronts Stephanie in the ultimate Bat-family feud.

My favorite thing about this series so far is the Phil Noto covers.  And I think this is Noto’s best cover yet.  But the first two issues were pretty mediocre.  And it’s not promising that the solicit for this issue reads an awful lot like the one for the first issue.

In all honesty, if the next issue is a marked improvement over the first two I am unlikely to be here for issue 5.

Review: Batgirl #2

Review: Batgirl #1

GOTHAM CITY SIRENS #7

Written by Paul Dini
Art and cover by Guillem March
    Catwoman takes charge as the other Sirens fall victim to their most dangerous challenge yet!

Does the text for this solicit even matter?

Hey, I like Catwoman’s boobs as much as the next guy.  Depending on who the next guy is, I may like them more.  I’ve got a healthy collection of Jim Balent’s boobtastic run on Catwoman to prove it.  But even I got sick of this bad girl retread after the first couple of issues.

Can this book really be written by the same guy who is writing Streets of Gotham?  Maybe there are two Paul Dini’s.  One of them worked in animation and wrote Detective Comics and Streets of Gotham.  The other guy wrote Countdown and this.

It’s the best explanation I can come up with.

Review: Gotham City Sirens #1

SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN #4

Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Gary Frank & Jon Sibal

    While everyone wants something from Metropolis’ first Super Hero, Superman must fight his first Super-Villain – someone who wants everything – the Parasite! Meanwhile, Lex Luthor turns his attention toward The Man of Steel…
    Geoff Johns and Gary Frank continue their bold reinterpretation of the origin of The Man of Steel for the 21st Century!

Geoff Johns can hand in a blank script for all I care.  I’m on board this mini-series for Gary Frank’s art.  As I said in my review of the first issue, the art pushes all my Superman fanboy buttons.

Review: Superman: Secret Origin #1

ACTION COMICS #884

Written by Greg Rucka; co-feature written by James Robinson & Greg Rucka
Art by Pere Pérez; co-feature art by CAFU

    When Lois tries to run the story that will clear Flamebird and Nightwing once and for all, she finds herself blocked at every turn. With the world’s anti-Kryptonian sentiment escalating to a near-frenzy, not even being General Lane’s daughter will keep her safe!
    Plus, to the shock and horror of Flamebird, the problems with Nightwing’s uncontrolled aging reach a critical juncture! and in part 6 of the new co-feature, Captain Atom squares off against his old adversary Major Force just as some troubling memories start to resurface – one word: Monarch!

I’m not loving the Anti-Krypton story that seems to be taking hold of the Superman books post Codename: Patriot.  It just feels like watered-down X-Men.  Are you really going to cover any new territory here?  I don’t think so.

As I mentioned in my review of the latest issue, the Captain Atom back-up is just getting tiresome.  The word “Monarch” does nothing to improve my outlook on that subject.

Review: Action Comics #881

SUPERMAN #695

Written by James Robinson
Art by Fernando Dagnino & Raúl Fernandez

    Part 2 of Man of Valor! Metropolis gets a chance to see the new Mon-El in action. But now the stakes are raised even higher and the action escalates as Mon finally goes mano-a-mano against the Parasite! This is a battle that’s been brewing since Mon’s emergence on Earth and now it explodes into the streets and skies of the city.
    Plus, with Mon-El’s secret identity publicly known, how will the Science Police react to him now that they know he’s been living among them all this time? All this plus the return of Natasha Irons and the fate of Steel!

I’ve actually enjoyed most of Robinson’s run on Superman.  But even I have to admit that the pace has been somewhat slow.  Some issues have felt like padding.  But this issue looks like it will finally advance some long-dangling plot threads.  And that’s good – as long as they aren’t tied up as sloppily as the Codename: Patriot finale.  That was a stinker.

Review: Superman #691

SUPERMAN: WORLD OF NEW KRYPTON #10

Written by Greg Rucka & James Robinson
Art by Pete Woods

    New Krypton is a planet so fresh, it’s experiencing countless things for the first time. Its first spring. Its first blooms. Its first birth of a child. And now its first homicide. When an important figure in Kandor is murdered, the suspect seems obvious to everyone but Superman. But can he make Zod or the Council believe this is more than an open-and-shut case? And can he uncover the real killer in time to save the life of the accused? It’s a dark mystery, but R.E.B.E.L.S. star Adam Strange arrives in time to help find answers…even though the truth may blow apart the civilized trappings of Kandorian society in the process.
    This action-packed arc leads all the way to the series’ final issue, which itself sets the stage for huge happenings in the DC Universe next summer!

The other Superman books have their charms.  But I can certainly understand why fans would be disappointed in them some times.  World of New Krypton, on the other hand, always delivers.  Next to Secret Six, it is the book I look forward to the most from month to month.  I’ll be sad when it’s over!

Review: Superman: World of New Krypton #7

SUPERGIRL #48

Written by Sterling Gates
Art by Matt Camp

    Uh-oh! The Silver Banshee is back in Metropolis! This time she’s after an artifact that could finally break her family’s eternal curse. When Inspector Mike Henderson gets involved, Supergirl is pulled into the conflict! Meanwhile, Lana Lang’s mysterious condition takes a turn for the worse. Will the Girl of Steel be able to save her only two human friends? Join fan-favorite writer Sterling Gates and guest artist Matt Camp (SUPERMAN: SECRET FILES 2009, Zero Killer) to find out!

I hate to say it, but the usually reliable Gates/Igle team has hit a bit of a speed bump with the last couple of issues.  Crossovers into Codename: Patriot and Hunt for Reactron have pushed the book slightly off track.  Hopefully, now that those crossovers are in the past, the team can get back to delivering very good (maybe even great) Supergirl stories.

Hey!  Where’s Igle?

Review: Supergirl #44

WORLD’S FINEST #3

Written by Sterling Gates
Art by Jamal Igle

    The Toyman has crafted the ultimate killing machine to protect himself from the Kryptonian menace, and Oracle has sent Supergirl and Batgirl to stop it. But when Supergirl faces off against the Kryptonite Man while the new Batgirl takes on Catwoman, they both find themselves in over their heads.This looks like a job for…

Oh, here he is.

This solicit sounds good enough to me.  So, I’ll use this space to address something that has been bugging me.  With no Birds of Prey book, I’m not sure what Oracle’s role is in the DCU.  She just seems to be all over the place.  Is she running The Network, mentoring Batgirl, or just setting up random operations like this one?  I don’t know.  But I’d really like to see her concentrate on setting up a regular group of operatives like what she had in Birds of Prey.

I really miss that book!

GREEN ARROW & BLACK CANARY #27

Written by Andrew Kreisberg
Art by Renato Guedes & Jose Wilson Magalhaes and Mike Norton & Bill Sienkiewicz

    First up: “Five Stages” part 3! Cupid and Green Arrow team up against Black Canary and Green Arrow (?!) just as the mysterious soldiers of Cobalt make Star City their own battlefield!
    And then in the co-feature: Just where did this mysterious second Green Arrow come from? And how is Cobalt connected to his recent past?

Every month, when the solicits come out, Green Arrow/Black Canary is one of the first things I look at.  It’s not because I am anxiously awaiting hints of what is to come on the book.  It’s because I desperately hope that DC will replace Andrew Kreisberg.

Every month, I am disappointed.

And then I see Cupid on the cover and I can barely contain my fanboy rage.  Please, DC, do something about this book!

Review: Green Arrow & Black Canary #21

JSA Books

Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Travis Moore & Dan GreenJSA ALL-STARS #1
Written by Matthew Sturges
Art and cover by Freddie Williams II

    The Justice Society struggles to pick up the pieces after the team’s devastating break up! Regrouping at a new, temporary home base, the smaller team reflects on the recent infiltration of their ranks and how they can protect themselves from another such attack in the future! And why is the new Dr. Fate acting so weird?

 

    An all-new ongoing series! The Justice Society spin off group struggles to pull itself toward some semblance of order after the JSA’s devastating split! New home base, new training methods, new villains – all bringing the JSA All-Stars face-to-“face” with one of their greatest villains again – for the first time! Join writer Matthew Sturges (JUSTICE SOCIETY, JACK OF FABLES) and artist Freddie Williams II (ROBIN) for a new chapter in the JSA legacy.

Well, the cast is definitely big enough to support two books.  So, this seems like a no-brainer to split the team.  I don’t know if I’ll follow both books or not. 

Review: Justice Society of America #29

POWER GIRL #7

Written by Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray
Art and cover by Amanda Conner
    A blast from the past! The alien Vartox has come to Earth to claim a wife—and her name is Power Girl! PG may have wanted a boyfriend, but not quite like this! The fan-favorite team of Palmiotti, Gray and Conner craft another winner!

I’m a big fan of Amanda Conner’s art.  And I feel she is the perfect artist for Power Girl.  But the writing team of Palmiotti and Gray always leaves me feeling underwhelmed.  This book is a great book to thumb through at the comic shop for the art.  But reading it sometimes feels like a chore.

I appreciate the light tone and the art.  I just wish the writing were a little more interesting.

SECRET SIX #16

Written by Gail Simone
Art by Peter Nguyen & Doug Hazlewood

    The supremely powerful and infinitely dangerous Black Alice returns and she’s decided she wants to be a member of the Six – even if someone has to die to make room!

Of all the books coming out in December, this is the one I’l looking forward to the most!

And yay Black Alice!

Boo no Nicola Scott!

Review: Secret Six #13

WONDER WOMAN #39

Written by Gail Simone
Art by Aaron Lopresti & Matt Ryan

    This is it! The secret behind Wonder Woman’s new power and the true meaning of the Olympian are revealed right here!
It’s an all-out action issue as Diana faces an old foe with a hideous new face!

I’m still hoping Gail Simone can make me love her Wonder Woman as much as I love Secret Six.  This issue sure sounds like a winner.  You know I’ll be there.

(But odds are Seventh Soldier will beat me to the punch when it comes time to write a review.)

Review: Wonder Woman #34

TITANS #20

Written by Mike Johnson
Art by Angel Unzueta & Wayne Faucher

    Spotlight on Donna Troy! What happens when a young twenty-something woman feels like she grew up too fast and deprived herself of a twenty-something kind of life? As Donna ponders this, the Fearsome Five continue their Titans revenge streak. They picked the wrong time to do it…

Seriously, if you’re not going to do anything with this book, just cancel it and spare us all the trouble.

read/RANT

Review: Blackest Night: Superman #2

Blackest Night: Superman #1 was handily the best thing to come out of Blackest Night thus far.  An excellent blend of superheroics and horror, it managed to do more with a few off-panel deaths and the color yellow than any ten gore-splattered comic corpses could.  Though Robinson carries over some of the semi-horror traditions – the idyllic small town, especially – to Blackest Night: Superman #2, this issue is much more of a straight-up superheroic battle.

Clark and Conner continue to battle zombie Superman in the skies above Smallville while zombie Lois Lane holds Martha (and the corpse of Jonathan) Kent hostage on the streets below.  The tension this issue, however, comes from the sudden arrival of a new player: Psycho Pirate.  As he incites all sorts of colorful emotions on the unsuspecting populace of Smallville, the idyllic town descends into utter chaos… and becomes the perfect food for the Black Lanterns.

Barrows is on more solid ground than he was last issue – he’s far more capable at showing bad-ass superpeople fighting than he is at creating a pervasive atmosphere, and this issue is far more about the fight than it is about the horror.  Along with Ruy Jose, he also manages to wring a lot out of the Black Lantern emotional spectrum schtick, giving us snapshot reactions of the characters without looking ridiculous.

Psycho Pirate is a natural villain for Blackest Night.  In fact, there’s absolutely no reason he should be here rather than in the main mini, where his ability to manipulate emotion could bring the book down to the personal level it very much needs to reach.  Though he has some fine scenes as he terrorizes Smallville and forces people to become the perfect food for his companions, he serves no real purpose in the narrative.  Normally, I wouldn’t mind a loosely connected side-plot, even in a three-issue mini… but Blackest Night: Superman already has a loosely connected side-plot in the form of Supergirl’s plight on Krypton.  With one issue to go, can Robinson bring those stories to a meaningful resolution?

We’ll find out in a month.  Regardless of the side-plot issue, however, Blackest Night: Superman #2 remains a decent read.  It lacks the grace of the mini’s opener, but it’s replaced it with some solid action scenes, a tongue-in-cheek tone that doesn’t break the drama, and the set-up to what promises to be the fight of the century.  After all, what mother hasn’t wanted to beat up her daughter-in-law at some point?

Grade: B

- Cal Cleary

Blackest Night: Superman #1

Blackest Night: Batman #1

Blackest Night #3

JLA: the New Line-Up

So, this is the new Justice League, huh?

First reaction: I don’t love the art.  Mark Bagley’s DC work has been solid.  And I applaud any artist who can meet deadlines these days.  But I haven’t loved his work at DC and this image is no exception.  The characters always seem a little “off” to me.  And what’s up with the weird size discrepancies?

Honestly, I don’t much care who is on the JLA.  It’s all about execution to me.  I’d rather have a good book filled with 3rd stringers than a crap book starring the Big 7.  But, the line-up is more important to the JLA than it is to almost any other team in comics.  People have certain expectations of the JLA that they don’t have for the Titans for example.

With that in mind, I thought I’d run through the new line-up and share my thoughts.  In alphabetical order we have:

The Atom:Ray Palmer is the first of Robinson’s “pet characters” to make the list.  Ray’s been on the League plenty of times before.  Even when he wasn’t a member, he was one of the first reserves to get the call to action.  No doubt that he has a place on the team.  Unfortunately, Robinson has written him really poorly in “Cry for Justice”.  I really don’t want to see more of the same here.  Also, a part of me really wishes DC would have given Ryan Choi more of a chance.

Batman:Sure, Batman belongs on the League.  Okay, so this is not Bruce Wayne.  Doesn’t really matter.  Dick’s lead the JLA before (in the Obsidian Age storyline).  Being Batman means being in the JLA.  This one is a no-brainer.

Congorilla:If any new member is going to raise eyebrows, it’s Congo Bill.  When people heard he was going to be featured in “Cry for Justice”, they scratched their heads.  Most people took a wait-and-see attitude.  Robinson swears he’s going to make all of us love Congorilla.  I’m still waiting for that to happen.  Based on what I’ve seen so far, there’s no way I think he belongs on the Justice League.  But as Robinson’s pet character, he makes the cut.

Cyborg: Really?  Cyborg?  Okay.  I mean, if Steel isn’t available, sure.  I guess.  I’m not sure why Cyborg needs to make the step up from Titans to the League.  But I have no problem with it… except… well, more on that later.

Donna Troy: Hey, what do you know?  Another Titan.  I really don’t have a problem with Donna on the League.  I’m not sure why Wonder Woman is unavailable.  But I guess we’ll find out in due time.  The problem is that this line-up has 4 Titans on it (5 if you count Ray Palmer who was a Teen Titan in the 90s).  It just seems like over-kill.  It’s okay to have a Titan or two on the roster, but they shouldn’t be the dominant force.

Dr. Light:First of all, the name is most commonly associated with a villain.  One of the most hated villains in the DCU to be specific.  On the other hand, she’s got the power level to be on the League.  And as an Asian woman, she adds some diversity to a mostly white team.  I’ve never been a fan of the character, but I’ve got nothing against her.

Green Arrow: Much was made of Roy Harper taking on the name Red Arrow and taking Ollie’s place on the League.  So in a way it feels like a step backward to bring Ollie back this soon.  Then again, with so many Titans on the roster, something had to give.  There’s no doubt that Ollie belongs on the League.  But there may be a few reasons why he doesn’t belong on this League.

1. He’s married to Black Canary.  Black Canary led the last incarnation of the League and was fairly humiliated when Hal told the League why they sucked and stormed off.  Ollie should be standing by her side, not Hal’s.
2. When you have Ollie on the League, there are certain characters you want to see him interact with.  And almost none of them are here.  No Black Canary.  No Hawkman.  Just Hal Jordan.  And…
3. Robinson’s take on Hal and Ollie’s banter has been one of the most painful things about “Cry For Justice”.  I doubt he’s learned how to write either character any better.

Green Lantern:See point 3 under Green Arrow.  Also, Hal Jordan is dangerously close to being over-exposed in the DCU these days.  It would have been nice to see another GL featured here.  With Hal getting the main book, Kyle and Guy in GL Corps, I would really like to see John Stewart on the League.

The Guardian:Like Congorilla, the Guardian is anything but a household name.  In and of itself, that’s not a problem.  But this team is sorely lacking heavy hitters.  The only reason the Guardian is getting the nod is that Robinson likes him.  And I’ve enjoyed Robinson’s take on the character in Superman.  But Superman already stars Mon-el and the Guardian.  Did we really need to have both characters here too?

Mon-el:The Superman family’s pretty darn big.  I’d rather have Supergirl or Steel fill in for Superman while he’s off planet.  For story reasons, I understand why Supergirl wouldn’t make a good fit.  Kryptonians aren’t real popular these days.  And Steel may not be in fighting shape after the ass-whooping he got from Atlas a couple months ago.  So, I guess Mon-el makes the most sense.  But I really don’t care for that “S” they added to his costume.

Starfire:Another Titan.  I’m not sure I understand what Starfire is brining to the table.  Sure, she’s powerful.  But so are a lot of other characters who could have brought a little more of a “JLA” feel to the book.  On her own, I can see it.  But with all the other Titans floating around, will this book still feel like the JLA?

Which brings me to my next point.  What’s going to happen to Titans?  Surely these four characters’ aren’t all going to be pulling double duty on both teams.  Rumor has it Beast Boy is also leaving the Titans for Teen Titans.  So, it seems likely that book may be headed for cancellation.

 If Titans does get cancelled, it’s no big loss.  The book has stunk from day one.  (Honestly, Billy’s blasting of Titans 1 is the most read article on this blog of all times.  And not just because he included screenshots of all the naked pictures of Starfire!)  But I thought Wally West fans were being told they could read about their favorite character in Titans.  Now I have to wonder if Wally still has a home.

Which brings up another point: the team is lacking a Speedster.  With both Wally and Barry running around, it seems like at least one of them should be on the League.  With Barry getting the main book, it would have been nice to see Wally here – as long as he wasn’t one more Titan.

There’s a few other surprising omissions.  Vixen was confirmed as being on the team at one point.  Maybe she’ll show up later on.  Who knows?  also, after all the hub-bub around McDuffie not getting to pick his League, you have to wonder why DC was so quick to throw aside the members of that version of the team.  Zatanna, Firestorm, the recently returned Plastic Man… what happened to those guys?

There’s still some story left to tell.  And maybe it will all make more sense when we see how Cry for Justice leads into the main title.  I’ll be interested to see why Starman, Supergirl, Captain Marvel, etc didn’t make the cut.

I’m a huge fan of the Justice League.  It’s my favorite team in comics.  And I really want the book to be good.  This line-up could work, but it doesn’t really excite me.  My main reservation about the book is the creative team.

I like Robinson’s work on Superman.  But man-oh-man do I hate Cry for Justice.  There’s no reason to think his take on the main JLA book will be any better than his mini-series.  So, my expectations have been lowered to zero for that reason alone.

Couple Robinson with the capable but “off” artwork of Mark Bagley in the DCU and a line-up I just don’t care about and you’ve got a recipe for another lack luster Justice League.

This is one case where I would definitely like to be proven wrong.

read/RANT

Review: Action Comics #881

Last issue was part of the Codename: Patriot story that crossed over all of the Superman titles in August.  The opening chapters of C:P was very promising.  And I thought Action Comics in particular benefitted from all of the characters coming together to face a common threat. 

But then things went off the rails.  The Supergirl chapter of the story just stalled out.  And the entire affair crapped out completely in Superman.  Codename Patriot started off well, but ended us a thudding disappointment.

This issue of Action is the first book to really deal with the fall-out of Codename: Patriot head-on.  (WoNK was wise enough to largely steer clear of it.)  Unfortunately, that means the first half of this issue suffers from a lot of the same weaknesses as Codename: Patriot.

By the end of last month’s crossover, it was hard to remember who was fighting who and why.  The first half of this issue sees the characters just as confused as the readers about everyone’s true identity.  Accusations and punches are thrown about freely before anyone starts to catch on that things may not be what they seem.

The second half of the book narrows the focus to the characters who are participating in the “Search for Reactron” storyline.  Once this issue pulls away from the mess of Codename: Patriot, things improve mightily.

It makes sense that Supergirl and Flamebird would have some issues to resolve.  Kara’s father, Zor-el, was a surrogate father to Thara in Kandor.  Both Kara and Thara hold her responsible for his murder at the hands of Reactron.  When Kara finally voices her resentment, an emotional fight ensues.

But there is also conflict between Thara and Lor Lor “>Zod.  During a quiet moment, Supergirl explains that Flamebird and Nightwing are Kryptonian myths.  For the first time, Lor starts to doubt Thara.

After being stung by Codename: Patriot, I’m a little gun shy about the Hunt for Reactron.  However, this issue did a pretty good job of putting the former mess in the rear view mirror and focusing on some genuine conflict.  The second half of the book is all about the characters’ emotions and it gets past all the shape shifting shenanigans that marred Codename: Patriot.

Then we come to the back-up feature.  Chapter three still doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.  Honestly, I’m starting to get frustrated with Rucka and Robinson intentionally leaving the reader in the dark this long.  Yes, we’re getting closer to some kind of explanation.  But it’s hard to imagine the pay-off being worth the slow build-up at this point.

read/RANT