Post-IC Commentary with Reviews

There's been a lot of blogging going on re: Infinite Crisis 7 and the bit of retconning that went on. I must admit that to me it's not a big deal since for me, that's the way things have mostly been, no matter what's been written in the last 25 years in the DCU. That's partly what happens when you stop reading something like the DCU for a decade or so.

There was only about 4-5 years where I didn't read comics at all, when I gave up the last title I'd been reading, Teen Titans/Titans, around 1991. But in 1985, after the first Crisis (when Supergirl was killed), I stopped reading just about everything else. And when I picked up DC Comics again in the mid-'90s with the Nightwing mini and the Arsenal one-shot and slowly added titles, I didn't look back. There were big gaps in my DC knowledge that slowly got filled in by talking to people, reading the DC message boards, and from the tidbits dropped into the comics I was again reading.

I never read the Year One books, except for the Robin/Dick Grayson mini (I tried the Nightwing one, but thought it pretty dull). At least, I think those were Year One books, albeit a bit late in the game.

Gradually, I learned that Ollie Queen had died and his son, a new character, was the then-current GA. I learned about Hal turning bad and Kyle being GL. I couldn't ignore those changes, but others, the ones dealing with backgrounds or who founded the JLA (which I wasn't reading and hadn't read since pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths) were either unknown to me or were of no consequence since they didn't make a difference in the stories I was reading. So hearing that Wonder Woman again is a founder of the JLA isn't a big deal. She always has been to me.

I pretended the post-Crisis DCU was simply another alternate reality. I don't really buy the bit about realities converging. Sure, maybe for that moment, but I'm a big fan of the science fiction construct that realities are created at every decision point. As soon as the first decisions were made in the then new DCU, reality splintered once more. So the planets of the DCU were similar to the one I'd lost, just enough so that I could read and enjoy the stories without dwelling on Kara's death, or Ollie's, because I knew they were alive somewhere and anything I liked that happened to my favorite characters probably happened in those other unseen versions of the DCU, too. So seeing the Earth-2 Clark and Lois wasn't out of left field for me. More like a bit left of center.

It's hard for me at times to keep track of all the versions of a character. I grew up with the Silver Age and soon thereafter, the multiverse. Retconning of retcons makes me dizzy. In many things, what we learn when we're young tends to stick with us, sometimes more than what we learn later. It's hard to forget some early lessons, even misconceptions. So when I can't remember the current details of Batman's origin, I fall back on the version I've read the most: the old one.

And now, once again, realities have converged and I know, it's only for the moment. What the DCU is now, the stories we're reading, are just one version of reality, because one nanosecond after, someone made a decision and reality splintered once again, only the characters populating the DCU are unaware of it. Perhaps, they'll never find out, if that's what the writers and editors decide.

Once you accept that alternate realities can't help but exist (okay, I take this on faith and have no idea if they exist for real, but within fiction, I aim for consistency with this concept), you then can look to the future as being flexible in that millions of possible futures exist for each reality. So the future where the LSH exists is but one future. The future Booster Gold knows is but another future and if 52's first issue can be a guide, he's about to learn just that.

So, my reviews here are based on this view of the DCU.

Nightwing 120
Somewhere, the real Nightwing lives. This isn't it. If ever a character has been screwed over so quickly and completely, it's Dick Grayson. As bad as Devin's last arc was (and I'm a fan of her writing in general), as angst-driven as he was, at least I could recognize him. This version of Dick bears no more than a physical resemblence to him. And the story is just bad. I can't see why Clancy was brought back. I like her, but she's serving no purpose other than as someone Dick knows from before. She could've been anyone from before. The fashion show stuff was just crap. Cheyenne is a meta? Ho-hum. She's already been established as boring, immature, and idiotic, so why should I care about her? Where is Babs and why aren't she and Dick still together? That's what I care about. First, Tarantula, now Cheyenne? What is this need to surround Dick with out-of-control women? And I'm not going to get started on Jason, because I'm one of those people who was happy when he died and wished he'd stayed that way. The art is serviceable. The only reason I'm reading this book, still, is the hope that the next arc will be better. Well, I can dream.

JSA 85
The pace is a bit slow, but I'm enjoying the history of the Gentleman Ghost. Unlike the JSA Classfied arc featuring Vandal Savage and not much of the JSA, Levitz is weaving the Ghost's story in nicely with the JSAers. And I liked Jade's ghost visiting her father and trying to get him to fight to live. It was probably one of her better appearances. And nice art from Rags and company.

Checkmate 1
I never read about this group til the Crisis Countdown series. The concept intrigues me and the political aspect of the new series has a lot of potential. The art is nice, but I can't always tell some of the characters apart.

52 Week 1
Wow. I'm impressed. By ticking off the days, they really gave this a real-time feel. The cover is stunning, as good as the preview promised. The writing, especially the dialogue, is crisp and the art is wonderful, very evocative in places. The characters are full of life. Ralph's pain was palpable, even moreso than in Identity Crisis when so much else was going on and was distracting from the personal aspect of his loss. As with any good story, a lot happened, but not too much, giving a hint of things to come.

I suspect things to come includes the death of many beloved characters. One of the managers at the comic shop where I keep my pull list said a "ton of characters" will die in 52. I still suspect Roy "Arsenal" Harper will be one of them. If no, I don't know what DC hopes to gain by not giving us a hint of what's to come for him. And if he does die, the surprise in that is gone for many of us who are convinced he will die. If he doesn't, there will be no surprise, just enormous relief. With Dick playing boy toy and idiot du jour, if I lose Roy, I'll be hard pressed to find a new fav. Although, WildCats is supposed to return with a new book. There's no one quite like Cole "Grifter" Cash. It will be odd to have a fav comic character outside the DCU. Very odd. But unless Roy returns, or Dick shakes off the funk he's in, or someone else steps up and makes me take notice, Cole it will have to be.

Infinite Crisis 7 and a Couple of Other Comics

The title says it all. The other two are hardly worth mentioning. Okay, maybe not that bad. I'll start with the end of the Infinite Crisis saga.
What a ride this has been. And I'm feeling an odd paradox having read it: exhilaration and disappointment all in one.

The Good: The art. From the cover through to the last panel of the last page, the art has been breathtaking. Few artists can draw so many characters and make them each look like an individual and George Perez is one of the best at it. So is Phil Jimenez. Put them together and we've got a real treat. The 2-page spread of the battle for Metropolis in the beginning, with the red backdrop of sketchy characters highlighting the main action. Just gorgeous.

More Good: The dialogue. The story. The action. The power of the storytelling. Sure, some lines were a bit trite, but we expect our heroes to say all the right things. When there's nothing to back that up, it's a cheat. When there's so much emotion behind it, when you can believe the characters mean every word, that makes a book worth reading. This was worth reading.

Favorite moments:

• Cassie and Bart when he comes back, older.
  
• Dick taking the hit while warning Batman and Bruce's reaction. The whole scene, with Alex and Robin and Bruce was heartfelt. The white eyes in Batman's mask when he says, "Nightwing," showed emotion even without showing Bruce's eyes. Just the shape and shading are enough to convey the feeling.
• The GL rings announcing the deaths of their Lanterns and seeking replacements.
• Diana and Bruce when he has Alex under the gun.
• The 2 Supermen battling Superboy, Power Girl's grief at her cousin's death, his rejoining his Lois.
• Bart telling Jay he's again the Fastest Man Alive (a hint for the new Flash book -- and more of that in Outsiders).
• A quick fill-in re: some changes in the new Earth's history vs the old one; they were worked in well, without being too jarring
  
• Joker's revenge on Alex.
  
• Diana, Clark, and Bruce saying their goodbyes; Bruce saying things will be different this time because he won't be alone.
• Psycho Superboy still scheming, still psychotic.

The Disappointment: Where the f is Roy Harper? After his role in the Villians United Special leading up to this issue, which led me (and some others) to think he'd have a real role to play in IC7, all he got next to nothing to do and it was nothing to brag about. Lots of female characters have been treated poorly in comics over many years. Jade was one of them, but at least she got a noteworthy death. She got... panels! Roy got to look like a total wimp, yet again.

I'm all for hurt/comfort/angst writing. Roy got shot 5 times, then had trouble dealing with it. It was a strong storyline for him. He had something, an inner demon to deal with, and he did, with some help from his friends. But this, this is pure neglect.

I thought he was going to die. I thought they were building up to his death, not revealing anything about his fate OYL so they could shock or surprise us with his death. Maybe he'd get a few panels. Maybe Ollie would've spared a moment to shed a tear.

What we got was a panel with Roy sprawled on the ground, Doomsday swooping down, and Roy saying: "Ollie, it's... What do we do?" Did he get killed? Did I miss it? Nor did I see him on the chart of missing heroes. Donna was there, alive, flying in over the screen. But no sign or word of Roy. He's just... gone. And he deserved so much more, so much better than that. Especially when minor characters, ones with less time served in the DCU, got more.

---o0o---

Outsiders 36
Spoiler Alert: The mysterious speedster seems to be a de-aged Jay Garrick. That's it. That's all that really happened in this and the big revelation came on the last page. The art was nice, though.

Supergirl 6
More nice art, and an intriguing setup for Kara and Karen as the new Nightwing and Flamebird of Kandor. And Kara is convinced Argo is still around. Will we find her parents alive in this version of the DCU as in the Silver Age? There was nothing really exciting here, but a hint of promise to keep me interested.

Villains United

Villains United: The Infinite Crisis Special
Roy Harper was in it. Arsenal. My fav in the DCU. He was his regular, competent self with some quality panel time. Gail Simone's writing, from her plotting and action scenes to her dialog and character bits, was dead on as usual. There were lots of neat cameos. The art was nice. Nothing spectacular, but just fine. The story leads into next week's Infinite Crisis 7 and didn't feel like a fill-in issue. And I'm pretty much convinced now that Roy dies in IC. Damn. I hope I'm wrong. I so want to be wrong. damn

Two Reviews

Infinite Crisis 6
As I said recently, this issue has stunning art. Superboy's death seemed preordained. There were some nice bits. As others have mentioned, the cameo of Swamp Thing's arm was a neat touch. The story didn't have any surprises, but was solid and sets up the final showdown with Superboy Prime.

A few time anomalies are really bugging me, though, not with the Crisis per se, but the whole time frame of the Crisis books. Many books ended pre-OYL in certain places that picked up nicely in the OYL issues, mainly Catwoman (in which Selina's actions at the end of the pre-OYL issue is clearly a factor OYL). Even books like Outsiders, which ended on a quiet note and picked up in the middle of something else, make sense. Except for that anomaly with Dick who as Nightwing in his book in no way is resembling the NW in Outsiders which presumably is the same time frame. But the book that has me completely confused is Green Arrow. We clearly saw him at death's door in his own series, yet in Infinite Crisis 6, he's alive and well and sharing a wonderful moment with Batman. Ditto Black Lightning who was in bad shape in GA's book and has a nice scene with Mr. Terrific here. Was that GA pre-OYL issue supposed to take place after Infinite Crisis 6? If so, it's not a good fit, but after makes no sense. For a series that has been so well thought out and executed, this stands out horribly and I can't see how or even if this will be explained in the OYL books or in 52. I hope I'm wrong.

The OMAC Project 1
Only one big development here, but it was a nice one. Sasha regains her humanity, more or less. And I must admit, I'm looking forward to Checkmate, a title I never read in its previous incarnation. This was a solid if uninspiring entry, and while reading it isn't necessary (Brother Eye crashed down in the mid-East, but was still active, but Sasha destroyed it and her metallic shell was cracked after saving her, so now you know all you need to know if you haven't read it), it wasn't a waste of time, either.

IC and GL

Green Lantern 7
Lovely cover with the green guys, GA and GL. I thought this guest pairing would make me more emotional than it did, given that GL/GA was one of my all-time favorite comics. Ah well. You really can't go back to some things and recapture the feelings. Nostalgia is funny that way.

I am loving the slick paper, covers and inside pages. Makes for nice, vibrant colors. The banter between Hal and Ollie was well done and there were nice character bits, but I was a bit disappointed that Ollie's dream included Connor and not Roy. hmmmmm.... Anytime Roy's ignored, I get a bit peeved, so that's not a complaint about the comic, just my bias getting in the way. But still.... Nice start for the story, though, so I'm hoping the next issue is as good.

Infinite Crisis 4
This just gets better and better. So much so, it's actually tempting me to go back and actually read Crisis on Infinite Earths. All of it. Fortunately, I keep coming to my senses. I've said it before, but it bears repeating. I loved the multi-verse. As a kid growing up reading DC comics, I never had trouble telling everyone apart or what Earth they were from. I loved alternate realities in books and TV shows, too. The Mirror Universe on Star Trek, for ex. And now Stargate has been playing with the concept. Frederick Pohl's The Coming of the Quantum Cats and many other science fiction novels. I happen to think parallel time is cool. So, if we end up back to one timeline, one universe, I'll be disappointed, but I also know that the theory goes thusly: Every decision point can lead to an alternate reality. So from some point in the DCU after consolidation, more universes can be spun off once more as decisions are made, with all the alternate decisions and their ramifications. Some realities will be very similar, while others will be very different. Consolidation does not mean it has to be that way forever. I take solice in that, even if DC never follows up.

Okay, on to IC 4. This is a wonderful look at how even the noblest heroes can be corrupted, how good people can end up doing bad things for what they think are justifiable reasons. Superboy's battle with uh, Superboy (Conner) is a case in point.

A lot was packed in here. There was a lot to read, which is why I didn't read it right away (as in on the subway ride home), but saved it for when I had time to concentrate. The tying up of a lot of incidents to Alex and the Psycho-Pirate filled in a lot of gaps and snipped loose ends. Now we know for certain why OMAC went rogue and the true intent behind the Society of Villains, the attack on magic, and what happened with Shazam and with the Spectre.

We also took the big step to a new Blue Beetle and Spectre (the latter set in motion by the Day of Vengeance Special), so things are starting to come together in a big way. Of course, had I realized just how this month's Nightwing fit in with IC, I would have read it after, or at least, the events in Bludhaven wouldn't have been so startling when I read NW on the subway ride home on Wednesday.

Stuff I loved:

• The delicious art. It really doesn't get better than this. Every character is drawn as an individual, which in a crowded book like this, is no mean feat.
• Bruce and Dick's conversation. Bruce: "You've put an importance on keeping up relationships that I neglected. You care." YES! And Bruce: "The early years. I've forgotten if...They were good for you, weren't they?" Dick: "The best."
• Spectre resisting entering his new host, begging for another chance.
• The pitiable and pitiful Superboy after he's killed: "You're ruining me!" So unheroic to put blame on others. Too immature to see the evil that he's done.
• Jay admitting he's not fast enough, followed by Linda grabbing the babies and heading into the speed force: "Wherever you're going-- your family's coming with you."
• Bart's: "Grandpa?"
• The montage of Lois and Clark's life together (don't they number pages anymore so I can cite them?)
• And finally, Supes 2: "We're here, Lois. We're home."

I can't wait for IC 5.

Day of Vengeance: Infinite Crisis Special

Day of Vengeance: Infinite Crisis Special
The ending that the mini-series failed to deliver. Of course, with so many mini-series feeding into Infinite Crisis and the Crisis itself, now underway, plus all the tie-in issues of regular books, a lot of coordination is required re: timing. This was very satisfying. I like the cast of the Shadowpact, many of whom are new to me or retconned versions of characters I used to know. I liked this enough to want to put the upcoming Shadowpact series on my pull list.

Of course, this isn't really the end. We won't get that til we know whose body Spectre is headed to join. And there's a little something to finish off with Captain Marvel. But the threat posed by Spectre is ended and fittingly, with great sacrifice by Nabu. I appreciated the reference to Hector no longer being Dr. Fate, but I would love at some point Hawkman dealing with Hector being gone.

The art was nice and I especially liked the cover.

Infinite Crisis 3

Yes, I finally got Infinite Crisis 3 and read it. The art was stunning. I just want to get that out of the way. That's how Diana is supposed to look. And the emotion on all the faces.... just wonderful.

A lot was covered here, going back and forth among a few groups of characters, tying things together as the story moves forward in an ever-complex fashion. Clearly, there are plenty of surprises to come, with some already hinted at. And clearly, there's more to the first Crisis Earth 2 survivors than we've been told. Fav moment: Supes of Earth 2 telling Bats of what was Earth 1 that the Dick Grayson of Earth 2 isn't as good a man as the one Bats knows. I like that Bruce asked as much as I liked the answer.

One nitpick. Either someothing major occurred in the Aquaman book I don't read, or Tempest's kid had a sex change operation, because Tempest tells Dolphin to get their daughter out of there and I could've sworn they had a son, though I was pleased Johns (or someone) remembered he is a father.

I never really read Crisis on Infinite Earths. I skimmed and had planned to read it straight through when done, then saw Supergirl killed and never bothered reading the hated thing. This time, I'm trying to keep a more open mind and accept the change. I like to think I'm more grown up now and as a writer (aspiring to pro publication), I understand the creative urge to stir things up, remake the universe, etc. All I ask is that they do it well. And that Roy Harper survives. I do have limits re: what I can accept.