The Year of the Blackest Night

But first...

Batman 688
A decent Dick as Batman story. Not as fine and fun as Batman and Robin, but nice. And Two-Face is clever, no doubt about it.

Green Lantern 43
Prologue to Blackest Night. A nice, creepy look at the history of Black Hand.

Titans 15
Also a prologue to Blackest Night. And it's telling that the best issue of this book has little if anything to do with the Titans team. We finally, if murkily (and boy, does he narrate a lot and boy, is his narration self-serving and rather "oh, poor me"), learn what happened to Garth, but while the substitute Aquaman of the last Aquaman book is mentioned, Mera's role from that is glossed over with her absence noted here, and no mention I noticed of Garth being stuck in a helmet tank thingie because he couldn't breathe properly in the ocean or some such. That was the point I lost interest in that other book, so my memory is a bit cloudy, and clearly, I'm not the only one with that problem. The scene with Garth and Dick was nice, but this seemed to have nothing to do with the Titans other than it was the only logical place to stick Garth who must have a role in Blackest Night.

More reviews to come, Blackest Night and not so black nights. ;)

Let's Go to the Reviews!

Booster Gold 22
I can't argue with a comic that features the Teen Titans of the Wolfman/Perez era. I was especially happy to see that Dan Jurgens remembered that Kory is rather tall, something the artists of the current Titans book often forget. I love how this comic plays with time and is sticking nicely to the current events, in this case, Dick as Batman. Well, no more because the Black Beetle has succeeded in killing him in the past. Good stuff here and the Blue Beetle story holds up the back of the comic most capably, managing in its few short pages to throw in action, adventure, and character development. I can't ask for more from a comic.

Green Arrow and Black Canary 22
I don't like the changes in Dinah's backstory, yet they worked well, which pretty much sums up my feelings about the book: I both like and dislike it. The writing has been decent, but the characters don't feel right to me. I imagine Ollie's sudden bloodthirstiness will have some sort of explanation that will make sense, but right now, it's just annoying. I'm not dropping it yet, because I don't hate it, but I'm not loving it, either. It's most annoying.

WildCats 11-12
The current storyline ends, sorta, even if the situation remains nasty. It's been a fun ride, and Maxine has never been more entertaining, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the incoming creative team does with this title.

Green Lantern 40-41 and Blackest Night 0
Aside from making me giggle with thoughts of the Color Wars we had when I was a kid in camp, the battle of the various Lantern color corps, leading into Blackest Night. Here's hoping Blackest Night lives up to its leadin.

Zorro 14
The story ends, but I hope the book will continue. This is grand fun.

Flash Rebirth 3
After what was, for me, a slow (!) start, the book is picking up steam. More flashbacks with Iris and Barry and a villain revealed. Okay, I'm now interested. This better not disappoint by story's end. ;)

JSA vs Kobra
Kobra is one of those badguy organizations in comics that I found truly scary, and it's nice to see not only Kobra back, but elements of Checkmate that hark back to the the intrigue that made Checkmate great.

The stack of unread comics continues to grow. More reviews, brief though they may be, soon, I hope.

Get Your Reviews Here

I keep reading, and the stack keeps getting higher. That means despite cancellations of comics I like, there's still plenty to read.

Gotham City Sirens 1
I had to try this because of Catwoman and was pleasantly surprised. Paul Dini is a good writer whose work I've enjoyed in the past. He handles female characters well, and the three here -- Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and Selina -- all have distinctive personalities. The art by March is nice enough, though I think Selina is a bit off. But the cartoonish aspects suit the book. A fun start to what I hope is a consistently entertaining title.

Detective 854
Starring Batwoman, by Greg Rucka, with art by JH Williams III. This jumps right into things, and Rucka clearly has control over his star character. She's fully realized and I love having her father be part of her team. no worry about keeping her crimefighting life a secret from him, a concept (keeping secrets from family) old enough to be cliche. Rucka, with Cully Hamner on art chores, is writing the backup story starring The Question. Renee tackles what looks like a small time crime that is leading to something bigger. I like both stars and with Rucka still guiding their adventures, I have high hopes for this book.

Booster Gold 21
The new Batman is worked into the story, only to have him eliminated from the timestream. The Black Beetle is back and Booster has his work cut out for him. Blue Beetle is back, too, in the backup feature, and writer Sturges picks things up pretty much where they were left off. Jaime is dealing with what happened to him at the end of his own book, not to mention a new threat, but with the best supporting cast in the DCU, the villains don't have much of a chance. I'm so glad to have Blue Beetle back, and in a book I already love.

Batman 687
Dick takes over as Batman in what turned out to be a nice, emotional story. The panels with Dick, Superman, and Wonder Woman are emotionally charged, and Alfred, as he does in the new Batman and Robin book, provides stability. He's the emotional center of these stories, the one person who understood Bruce more than anyone could, and who understands Dick as much. He knows how to be supportive, based on the personality of whoever is wearing the cowl. Good stuff. I might have to keep getting this.

Streets of Gotham 1
The Batman story in this didn't work as well for me, but I'm buying this book for Manhunter. It's great to have Kate Spencer back, and working in Gotham. The art by Jeanty and Story is nice enough, but not as good as the art when Kate had her own book. She looks too young, and everyone looks like they just walked out of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic. It's rather disconcerting, but the story gets off to a good start setting things up.

Batman and Robin 2
Morrison and Quitely continue their version of Dick Grayson/Batman and Damien/Robin, along with some of the creepiest villains ever to walk the pages of a DCU comic. Damien clearly needs to learn some discipline, and to develop some respect for Dick's authority. Lots of good character stuff, and entertaining if grim story, and fun art make this a must-read book. It's worth it just for the first page with Dick and Alfred.

Secret Six 11
Probably my favorite comic right now. The mismatched teammates form sides as the repugnant task they've unwittingly agreed to has some of the team wanting to void their contract and the others insisting they gave their word and have to go through with it. And when this team resorts to infighting, it gets ugly. And when Wonder Woman shows up at the end of this chapter... well, next issue should be even better than this one.

In Brief

Some quickie reviews as I try, as usual, to catch up.

Justice League of America 34
Not bad. It wasn't the JLA that I particularly want to read about, but it was a nice enough conclusion to the current story arc.

Wonder Woman 33
Gail Simone concluded the Rise of the Olympian arc. Maybe. There's nothing new about Diana being on her own, without the Amazons, which is how this ends, but Gail made it feel fresh, and Lopresti's art, with inking by Matt Ryan, is among the best I've seen on this book.

Justice Society 27-28
A fill-in 2-parter by Jerry Ordway, with art supplied by Bob Wiacek, to bridge the gap til the new team takes over. The first half was better than the second, which got a bit bogged down with repition over the Hiroshima ghosts and it felt as if nothing was happening. But in essence, this felt stale.

Power Girl 
Aside from my love for Amanda Connor's art, I found myself nearly breathless as PG tried valiantly to get free of the "crazy monkey guy" and I'm looking forward to seeing how she finally manages it. Palmiotti writes crisp dialogue, giving PG a strong personality. The cover is stunning.

Supergirl 42
Gates, Igle, and Sibal continue the restoration of Kara as a strong character who can carry a book on her own. This is a Kara with real feelings, deep emotional conflicts, a determination to do what's right, and a youthful energy to back it up. Finally, she has a supporting cast that actually supports her. Her scenes with Lana have been great, and in this issue, the interaction between Kara and Lois after Lois learns about Lucy's activities and death were painfully realistic. Kara/Supergirl is definitely back, and I couldn't be happier. Or more relieved.

Green Arrow and Black Canary 21
With the "clever" title of Green Arrow vs Black Canary. The lack of speech is a gimmick, but it's playing out better than I'd thought past the initial scene last issue (I think I'm remembering that correctly, but the book hasn't been all that memorable lately), with the words coming in thoughts only. Ollie has his hands full with his stalker, and while the book continues to be a disappointment (I'd hoped for more Nick and Nora Charles that some bad comedy act), this issue was better than expected. At least it wasn't dull.

Secret Six 10
A new story as creepy or more so than the last gets started, with the gang in a rather nasty predicament at the chapter's end. Good times, folks. This is my favorite team book right now.

Attention Span of a Gnat

I have been reading comics, just not all that quickly, but I hope I have a good excuse. I've been playing with my new digital slr camera (a Canon Rebel T1i). I got a nifty macro lens for it and have been playing. This is a shot with the macro lens of the Catwoman Heroclix figure.

The pile of comics here continues to grow and I suspect it soon will be as tall as me (and I'm just under 5'3"). I'll get to them and reviews of them soonish, or at least, that's the plan.

Happy Father's Day to all fathers out there.

Short and Sweet

The stack of comics waiting to be read is now a mountain. Actually, two of them. *sigh* Here's what I read recently.

Titans 14
I skimmed this. It focused on Vic. He ended up deciding a social life would be nice and went on a date. For some reason, I feel as if we've been through this before. Plus, it was boring.

Trinity 51-52
Nice end to this weekly series that cut to the heart of what makes Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman tick, and why they're the mind, heart, and soul of the DCU.

Greem Arrow and Black Canary 20
GA and BC see a marriage counselor, Dinah flashes back to discovering her Canary cry when she was a teen, Ollie's crazy stalker is back, and some other stuff happened. I must still be reading this for Ollie and Dinah; it can't be for the stories.

Justice League of America 33
Some nice moments for Dr. Light don't make up for the complete mess this book became. I appreciate the frustrations McDuffie had on this book re: editorial issues, but I'm hoping the next writer finds a way to make this work, because really, when the main characters become a sidenote in their own team book, something's wrong. And when the best part of a book is a preview for another book, well, that's the end right there.

Supergirl 41
Now here's a turnaround that worked. Rather than try to fix the mess left by his predecessors and risk making something murky murkier, Sterling Gates started writing a superior version of Kara, gave her a whole new outlook, a supporting cast that makes sense, and worked her into the overall Superman storyline to give SG a cohesive storyline and solid place in the DCU. His characterizations, pacing, dialogue, and plotting are first rate. After the big reveal of last issue re: Superwoman, he didn't stop with the surprises, and gave Kara a real jolt that will no doubt resonate for the next story arc and beyond. Kara matters again, and I couldn't be happier.

Wonder Woman 32
Gail Simone has really put Diana through the wringer since taking over this book and Diana is the better for it. She's stronger than she's ever been, physically and emotionally. She's a survivor, tough but fair, caring and determined, confident and capable, and when she's at her lowest, she claws her way back up, yet she never compromises her principles, no matter how frustrated, angry, or desperate she gets. As for where she and Tom might end up, who knows, but there's nothing simple or cliched about their relationship.

Batman and Robin 1
I haven't read an actual Batman book, other than the crossovers (notably The Search for Oracle and the gangwar storyline when Stephanie Brown was supposedly killed). I read the peripheral titles, mainly Nightwing, Catwoman, and Birds of Prey. I was getting tired of Bruce and as with Superman, decided, when I returned to comics in the mid-'90s, to not read the main Batman and Sueprman titles to help keep things manageable (yeah, that coulda worked out better). But I knew Dick won the cowl, so I picked this up, trusting Morrison and loving Quitely's art, and I was far from disappointed. This was fun. Creepy villains, strong dialogue, perfect characterization, and a sense of wonder put this title on my pull list. I don't know Damian well, and I don't really like him, but he's a good counterpoint to Dick. Personality-wise, Dick and Bruce were very different, and that holds for Dick and Damian. Dick and Tim would've lacked that byplay, as they have felt more like brothers when they've teamed up in the past. Dick and Damian have the feel of the old Bruce and Dick team, with a difference, a role reversal when their personalities are considered. Quitely's art is the perfect complement, catching nuances in expressions and filling in details in the backgrounds. The book is a perfect jumping on point and it's a great example of the sort of thing that made me fall in love with comics in the first place.

Zorro 13
This continues to excel, getting better and better with each issue, with its new spin on an old, beloved character. Solid writing and art keep this book on my list of favorites.

Justice League without McDuffie

McDuffie's off Justice League of America. I first saw the news here.

First off, unlike many other people, I enjoyed Brad Meltzer's run on the book. He gets the characters -- well, most of them -- and he actually wrote about them doing stuff.

Second, I get that McDuffie didn't get to decide who was on the team. It's a team book, it's one of DC's main titles, and while I can understand wanting to tweak it to your own liking, my feeling is that not being happy about the characters you're writing on a team book isn't that much different than being given Batman to write, then not wanting Batman in it. He had to understand going in who he'd be writing about. Right?!

He certainly wasn't inspired by the group he was writing. He seemed to do all he could to avoid writing about them. Oh, sure, he started out with them, sticking them in situations and having them deal with that. But in the last couple of arcs, other characters took precedence. The guest stars were taking over, never a good thing. When a book's stars become marginalized, the book loses focus and alienates fans of the starring characters, thereby making the book largely irrelevant, something JLA should never be. Even when dictated to by Editorial, there are good ways of handling things and not so good ways. The author still gets to write the words.

I do fault DC for coming up with their alternate JLA to be led by Hal and Ollie, but still, McDuffie dropped the ball in dealing with that. Instead of having Dinah's group take on the challenge, he wrote her acting out of character (more petulant shrew here than emotionally and physically strong and capable), fragmented the group that remained, and basically told us readers he didn't care, anymore, because that's how it felt reading the last couple of issues.

This quote from McDuffie is troubling:

"I’m distressed by where I left Black Canary, as my intention was to use the current subplot to strengthen her character and relationships with the new membership, and instead I’m leaving her at the bottom of a hole I’d intended to rebuild her from."

Uh, hello... Dinah isn't really yours to rebuild. Not that she's in BoP -- or that there is a BoP, anymore -- but that book left her in a very strong place when she left, meaning, she was someone who wouldn't plunge into that hole by what he wrote happening. Then there's that book she stars in -- Green Arrow and Black Canary -- that has more influence on who and what she is (not that she's perfectly in character there, but that's another discussion for another time).

He says he was fired for revealing back scenes info rather than for sales or creative issues, which is a shame, actually, because I thought the creative quality of the book took a downturn in recent months, and I think a dismissal should be based more on the merits of the book, not statements made by the talent. A warning should have sufficed if his indiscretions were really the reason for the dismissal. I do wish him well. I hadn't read his stuff prior to JLA, but I've been told he's a good writer. This book clearly wasn't the best fit for him.

I was seriously considering dropping the book, but now I think I'll keep it on my pull list in hopes the new writer will find the members of the Justice League an inspiration.

In a bit, I'll be off to collect my 2 weeks' worth of comics now that I'm back home. Reviews will be delayed while I try to catch up. I did see the new Star Trek movie while I was away, and all I can say is that it rocked. Just awesome, and I have to see it again for all the little bits I missed (seeing it in IMAX really blew my mind), such as the tribble on Scotty's desk (a friend mentioned it to me after).