Two team books came out today, with mixed results. Justice Society of America 29 featured the first story by its new team, writers Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges, and artist Jesus Merino. I usually enjoy Willingham's work, but this was just a lot of stuff thrown together. As soon as Todd didn't answer Alan's call, I knew he was the black egg thing that had been found, negating any suspense, which was not a good way to start. Characters sounds a bit off, and the new legacy characters both annoyed me. And isn't Power Girl supposed to be team leader? I don't recall that changing, yet she was barely present in the story, just standing around, although she did have a line or two, "Bring it, Cupcake" being the most memorable. And Mr. Terrific, who has shone in both this title and in Checkmate (well, at least under Rucka's skilled hand), was hardly at his best. No way that kid should have been able to take him down that easily. Am I the only one disappointed by this? I'll give this more time, but I'm gonna need a great payoff to keep me reading beyond this story.
Justice League of America 35
Written by Len Wein, so I bought it. But I'm no fan of the Royal Flush Gang. And a team consisting of Firestorm, Vixen (both of whom I do like a lot), Dr. Light, Red Tornado (neither of whom does anything for me), and Plastic Man (who I can take or leave) is not a JLA team I want to read about. I'm not sure if I'll keep reading, or just wait for the permanent new team and see what they do with this less than stellar JLA book.
Wonder Woman 34
Gail Simone is keeping the Amazon and Genocide stories percolating, while giving us a dream team-up of Diana and Black Canary. Much fun here.
I also read Final Crisis Aftermath: Escape 1-3. I'm thinking I should've waited for all 6 issues to read them all at once. Maybe the story would make sense then. It is intriguing, and a real job of mind warping, but I haven't a damn clue what's going on. I like Nemesis, which is why I'm reading this FC Aftermath title and not the others. I just hope it's worth it when finished.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Recent Reads
See, I can change my review post titles! :)
Green lantern 44
Okay, we're now in Blackest Night. We know this because it says so on the cover and because the Martian Manhunter has risen to attack Hal and Barry. There were some nice bits in this, mainly the conversation in the beginning between Hal and Barry while checking out Bruce's raided burial plot, and just seeing Hal buddy buddy with someone other than Ollie. The main action is apparently going to be kept in The Blackest Night series, with the related titles showing risen dead attacking the lead character. A decent read and nice art, but the actual Blackest Night book promises the better entertainment for the money.
Speaking of which...
Blackest Night 1
This rocked. The art by Reis and Albert is wonderful, making the impossible look real. I liked how the book covered a number of fronts, quick looks at a number of characters. The... (don't read further if you haven't read this yet and don't like spoilers)... killing and raising of Hawkman and Hawkgirl (they're not quite dead yet at the end of the issue) makes sense because Katar and Shayera's souls are renewable resources in the DCU and they can live again after Blackest Night is over. Much as I liked Kendra, I'd love to see Shay come back as herself, so to speak. Ralph and Sue make for freaky undead, and I hope after this is over, they're either alive again (yes, fat chance) or they allowed to return to their peaceful, happy non-existence.
Power Girl 3
The end, mostly, of the brief opening arc. PG rules over Ultra-Humanite. So far, this isn't looking like a serious, somber title, which is okay. It was fun and Amanda Conner continues to be one of my favorite artists, excelling in facial expressions. Her art might be on the cartoonish side, but the characters look and act real.
Gotham City Sirens 2
Selina gets out of revealing Batman's ID by revealing it, along with other names, which was a neat take on the hide the truth among lies concept taught to her by Talia. It did come out of left field, not having been set up prior to the cliffhanger in last issue, but it was a nifty trick, and Harley and Ivy are so much fun, I didn't mind. And Hush as Bruce showing up keeps this book tied to the rest of the current Bat books. Fun read.
Streets of Gotham 2
Here's where we see Hush publicly take over as Bruce, and it looks like he's determined to give away the Wayne fortune. Decent story, but I'm reading this book for the Manhunter backup story, which was fine. I just wish the supporting cast from her book could've made the move east with her. I miss Dylan and the others.
JSA vs Kobra 2
Comic book spy/suspense at its best. Eric S. Trautmann does a good job building on Greg Rucka's recent run on Checkmate which, for me, set the gold standard for books like this. Kobra is one bad-ass organization, one of the nastiest in the DCU because they don't play by the usual bad guy rules or even the usual DCU religious cult rules. They really keep the heroes guessing without making the heroes look incompetent, which is a nifty bit of writing. Don Kramer and Michael Babinski do a wonderful job with the art. The opening page of Power Girl with her arms crossed under her ample breasts could have looked cheesy, but here, it's just the way she looks and the pissed off expression on her face is as dominant as her boobs. (I used the word boobs instead of breasts here to shamelessly encourage search engine hits. Heh.) In fact, the shading on the faces are quite nice.
Supergirl 43
I saved the best for last and I didn't think I'd ever be saying that about the latest incarnation of a Supergirl title. Joshua Middleton's cover is just stunning. He'd previewed it a while bag on his blog and I've been looking forward to seeing it in hardcopy. And I never imagined this book would bring a tear to my eyes. Many tears, which is what happened when I got to the last scene. Kara has been chaffing under her mother's apparently menial tasks and as a typical teenager, can't see beyond her own irritation. For her part, Allura is hardly the most communicable mother, and when she finally tells Kara, my annoyance with Allura, who has been horrid toward Kara since Zor-El was killed, took a turn for the better. Despite everything, Allura does love her daughter and wants her to make an informed decision about which Guild to pledge. Kara's decision is one of maturity and just made my eyes well up.
Jamal Igle's art (with Jon Sibal on inks) continues to amaze. His facial expressions are flawless, his rendering of Kara's costume is the best outside of Middleton right now, and I loved how his art brought to life New Krypton, enhancing Sterling Gates' story which gave us a look at the Kryptonese culture along with the more personal story of a mother and daughter, and the father who, although dead, remains a force in his daughter's life and that of her mother. Kal-El's appearance (I can't really call him Superman here) is well done, fitting perfectly into the story. I could read this beautiful story over and over and not tire of it. And I can stare at the lovely cover all day, and feel as if I'm soaring in the clouds among the birds with Kara. This comes as close to being a perfect comic as possible and it's a great way to intro young people to comics, even if they don't know the backstory that led up to it.
Green lantern 44
Okay, we're now in Blackest Night. We know this because it says so on the cover and because the Martian Manhunter has risen to attack Hal and Barry. There were some nice bits in this, mainly the conversation in the beginning between Hal and Barry while checking out Bruce's raided burial plot, and just seeing Hal buddy buddy with someone other than Ollie. The main action is apparently going to be kept in The Blackest Night series, with the related titles showing risen dead attacking the lead character. A decent read and nice art, but the actual Blackest Night book promises the better entertainment for the money.
Speaking of which...
Blackest Night 1
This rocked. The art by Reis and Albert is wonderful, making the impossible look real. I liked how the book covered a number of fronts, quick looks at a number of characters. The... (don't read further if you haven't read this yet and don't like spoilers)... killing and raising of Hawkman and Hawkgirl (they're not quite dead yet at the end of the issue) makes sense because Katar and Shayera's souls are renewable resources in the DCU and they can live again after Blackest Night is over. Much as I liked Kendra, I'd love to see Shay come back as herself, so to speak. Ralph and Sue make for freaky undead, and I hope after this is over, they're either alive again (yes, fat chance) or they allowed to return to their peaceful, happy non-existence.
Power Girl 3
The end, mostly, of the brief opening arc. PG rules over Ultra-Humanite. So far, this isn't looking like a serious, somber title, which is okay. It was fun and Amanda Conner continues to be one of my favorite artists, excelling in facial expressions. Her art might be on the cartoonish side, but the characters look and act real.
Gotham City Sirens 2
Selina gets out of revealing Batman's ID by revealing it, along with other names, which was a neat take on the hide the truth among lies concept taught to her by Talia. It did come out of left field, not having been set up prior to the cliffhanger in last issue, but it was a nifty trick, and Harley and Ivy are so much fun, I didn't mind. And Hush as Bruce showing up keeps this book tied to the rest of the current Bat books. Fun read.
Streets of Gotham 2
Here's where we see Hush publicly take over as Bruce, and it looks like he's determined to give away the Wayne fortune. Decent story, but I'm reading this book for the Manhunter backup story, which was fine. I just wish the supporting cast from her book could've made the move east with her. I miss Dylan and the others.
JSA vs Kobra 2
Comic book spy/suspense at its best. Eric S. Trautmann does a good job building on Greg Rucka's recent run on Checkmate which, for me, set the gold standard for books like this. Kobra is one bad-ass organization, one of the nastiest in the DCU because they don't play by the usual bad guy rules or even the usual DCU religious cult rules. They really keep the heroes guessing without making the heroes look incompetent, which is a nifty bit of writing. Don Kramer and Michael Babinski do a wonderful job with the art. The opening page of Power Girl with her arms crossed under her ample breasts could have looked cheesy, but here, it's just the way she looks and the pissed off expression on her face is as dominant as her boobs. (I used the word boobs instead of breasts here to shamelessly encourage search engine hits. Heh.) In fact, the shading on the faces are quite nice.
Supergirl 43
I saved the best for last and I didn't think I'd ever be saying that about the latest incarnation of a Supergirl title. Joshua Middleton's cover is just stunning. He'd previewed it a while bag on his blog and I've been looking forward to seeing it in hardcopy. And I never imagined this book would bring a tear to my eyes. Many tears, which is what happened when I got to the last scene. Kara has been chaffing under her mother's apparently menial tasks and as a typical teenager, can't see beyond her own irritation. For her part, Allura is hardly the most communicable mother, and when she finally tells Kara, my annoyance with Allura, who has been horrid toward Kara since Zor-El was killed, took a turn for the better. Despite everything, Allura does love her daughter and wants her to make an informed decision about which Guild to pledge. Kara's decision is one of maturity and just made my eyes well up.
Jamal Igle's art (with Jon Sibal on inks) continues to amaze. His facial expressions are flawless, his rendering of Kara's costume is the best outside of Middleton right now, and I loved how his art brought to life New Krypton, enhancing Sterling Gates' story which gave us a look at the Kryptonese culture along with the more personal story of a mother and daughter, and the father who, although dead, remains a force in his daughter's life and that of her mother. Kal-El's appearance (I can't really call him Superman here) is well done, fitting perfectly into the story. I could read this beautiful story over and over and not tire of it. And I can stare at the lovely cover all day, and feel as if I'm soaring in the clouds among the birds with Kara. This comes as close to being a perfect comic as possible and it's a great way to intro young people to comics, even if they don't know the backstory that led up to it.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
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. ;)
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. ;)
Friday, July 10, 2009
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.
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.
Friday, July 03, 2009
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.
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.
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