Unity #5 – Review

by Matt Kindt (Writer), Cafu (Artist), Brian Reber (Colorist)

The Story: Dr. Silk strikes in a bizarre way as the many players on this book learns the existence of a previous team much like their own.

The Review: The more I read some writers, the more I can begin to distinguish when they actually put in some effort and when they don’t seem to actually care all that much. While a lot of creators always do try to put in a semblance of effort, it can be easy to see when some, like Bendis, Hickman and others, have an actual passion for what they are writing.

Matt Kindt is not a writer that actually serve as an exception, with some titles like Mind MGMT being a much better showing of his talent than his tenure on Justice League of America and Suicide Squad. With a bit more creative freedom in his other work, he does tend to present a wilder and more imaginative side to his persona that does make for quality stories. However, with him being rather popular at Valiant right now, does his work on Unity stand out as a more passionate or as an after-thought?

Teen Titans #23.1: Trigon – Review

by Marv Wolfman (writer), CAFU (art)

The Story: After a disappointing debut in Scott Lobdell’s Teen Titans, Trigon has returned to the hand that birthed him as Marv Wolfman steps in to give us another version of the demon warlord’s origin.

The Review: A lot has changed since Trigon’s 1981 debut, and the classic New Teen Titans style is no longer in vogue, but thankfully that wacky wandering Wolfman has found a way to incorporate at least some of his unique narration. Unfortunately, though the caption boxes in this issue contain more than one interesting concept, they rarely make good on their ideas or reach the lofty heights that the original Titans run managed with such panache.

The other thing that Wolfman brings with him is a delightfully old-school sensibility when it comes to layouts. The panels vary in size and placement, drawing the eye with them. I hadn’t noticed until this issue just how rare it is to see panels flowing both horizontally and vertically in a single row, but it really is a novelty. Even better, Wolfman plays with his panel arrangements, finding fascinating ways to represent scale, the passage of time, and the enormity of Trigon’s malevolence.

Like so many of its Villain’s Month brethren, Trigon’s issue is primarily dedicated to a retelling of his origins. The story of the New 52 Trigon has a slightly different beginning than its predecessor; however he’s essentially the same character. Especially with this being the case, I can’t help but wonder why Trigon needs an origin story. I’ve never heard much about Trigon’s birth, nor have I needed to to enjoy the character’s presence.

Earth Two Annual #1 – Review

By: James Robinson (story), Cafu (art), Julius Gopez (pencils), Cam Smith (inks), Pete Pantazis (colors)

The Story: The big guy goes after the small fry.

The Review: While some might use the recent announcement of Robinson’s departure from this series (and DC as a whole) as ammunition against DC’s creative instability, I happen to see it as a perhaps wise, even necessary thing.  Robinson’s power on Earth Two began waning a long time ago, and by now, his writing is no longer a factor for why I remain attached to the title.  Really, it’s more the concept, as opposed to the execution, that keeps me on board.

It is not lost on me, however, that even conceptually, this series is fully a product of Robinson’s imagination.  I’m perfectly willing to admit that in terms of actual plot development, he has good ideas and Earth Two has become a compelling, independent world because of it.  But his character work has been horrendously shallow on this series, mostly as a result of an increasingly hackneyed style of dialogue and narration.

Green Lantern Corps #13 – Review

By: Peter J. Tomasi (story), Cafu (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Gabe Eltaeb (colors)

The Story: Even in dead space you gotta watch your back.

The Review: A lot of people have already compared this Rise of the Third Army storyline as a thinly veiled rip-off of Blackest Night, and I can see why.  You are dealing with yet another series of dronish Lanterns who multiply by infecting others—and then you have the similarities to the Rot over in Animal Man and Swamp Thing, who are conceptually a hop, skip, and a jump away from Marvel Zombies, but for the nature themes.

So no, I won’t give much weight to Rise of the Third Army for originality.  Still, I’d be remiss in my duties if I don’t point out the slight, but important differences between these Third Army creatures and their counterparts elsewhere.  For one, it’s unclear if the assimilated people actually die in the process, notwithstanding the disposal of their hearts.  For another, the assimilation itself is a creepier, more traumatic experience for those involved.

Action Comics #0 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Ben Oliver (art), Brian Reber (colors)

The Story: Look out, Metropolis—this hick from the boonies is ready to rule this city.

The Review: Let’s not beat around the bush.  Zero Month, as the posters at my comic book shop call it, is a clear ploy to reignite the attention and enthusiasm DC had upon its initial relaunch.  I’ve already made it clear how annoyed I was at the number of series where their stories felt truncated or artificially altered to fit in a sudden #0 issue.  That said, it’s not a bad idea to offer an opportunity to explore the origins and backgrounds of these characters.

Morrison wisely skips us past the “boy rocketed to Earth from doomed Krypton” stuff.  That bit has become so ubiquitous to Superman that even if people know nothing else about the character, they know that part.  Instead, he takes us to the real juicy point of Clark’s life, his early days in Metropolis.  When this series debuted, Morrison basically tossed a radically new version of the Man of Steel at us and left us to figure the how and why ourselves.  Now we can get a clearer picture of how Clark made his way to T-shirted vigilante, scruffy journalist.

Action Comics #12 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Rags Morales, Cafu, Brad Walker (pencils), Rick Bryant, Bob McLeod, Andrew Hennessy (inks), Brad Anderson & Gabe Eltaeb (colors)

The Story: Superman gets his hands bloody and finds a potential new career path.

The Review: Much of what this title has been about is building up the legend of Superman for a new generation of admirers, if there are any to be had.  While Morrison’s changes to his powers and mythology can’t be overlooked, it’s the re-definition of Superman’s character that’ll prove most crucial.  Quite frankly, the iconic hero of yore had become avuncular and preachy, too far prone to lecture us and remind us of our smallness.  It’s hard to connect to someone like that.

The new Superman is a guy who hasn’t got it all figured out just yet, so he can’t really hold himself above the people he helps out.  At the same time, the very core of his being gears so tightly to goodness that even by instinct alone, he just always does the right thing.  Who else would not only put himself in harm’s way to save the people who just beat him down seconds earlier, but doesn’t even hesitate to do so?  I mean, what a guy—what a hero.

Action Comics #11 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Rags Morales, Rick Bryant, Brad Walker (art), Brad Anderson (colors)

The Story: Superman, at some point, you have to realize that a cat is just a cat.

The Review: Say what you like about Morrison, but he is a man with a plan.  Now, whether his plan results in something worthwhile is a completely different question, but you can always reliably depend on him to deliver a big revelation or moment which had its seeds sown issues earlier.  Not a lot of people can pull that off; indeed, not a lot of people have Morrison’s creative license to pull that off.

He’s certainly earned it.  This is a guy who has such awareness of everything he writes (his “inventory,” as writer Ron Carlson so likes to put it) that he can use a throwaway detail as the basis of an entire storyline, like the hamsters from last issue and their newest owner, Lois’ niece Suzie.  No one could possibly have predicted this cute-as-a-button girl would turn out not only to be precocious, but a member of an entirely new species, “A nutant.  Neo-sapiens—born one hundred thousand years ahead of our time…”

Action Comics #10 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Rags Morales (pencils), Rick Bryant (inks), Brad Anderson (colors)

The Story: Don’t kid yourself—Superman loves all pets, not just cats.

The Review: One of the great hallmarks of Morrison’s writing style, one for which he is both revered and reviled, is his fragmented sense of narrative.  His habit of switching in and out of storylines, juggling various settings and periods, is loose, bordering on erratic.  Because this is Morrison, no matter how disjointed his story is, it all comes together at some point, but it could be a frustrating reading experience along the way.

In this issue, we have almost six, arguably seven, different plot threads going at the same time.  While there are definitely some connections among them, all too frequently you’ll turn a page and run smack-dab into a scene which has no bearing on what you’d been reading.  Complicating the issue even more is for the most part, all the scenes have some kind of interest going for them, so Morrison does himself a disservice by minimizing each of them to make room for the rest.

Blackhawks #8 – Review

By: Mike Costa (story), Cafu (pencils), Bit (inks), Guy Major (colors)

The Story: When the day’s flying is done, every bird must go back to its nest.

The Review: Just a few days ago, I noted in my review of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #6 that with Nick Spencer going off that title, I didn’t really believe there was any title that could really take its place.  Upon reflection, I may have overstated things a bit.  After reading this issue, I firmly believe that Costa might have, given some more, written turned this series into such a title, which makes its cancellation all the more tragic.

From the first issue I ever read, I noticed and greatly admired Costa’s sprightly writing, which has a similar combination of wit and intelligence as Spencer’s.  Even with tons of exposition being exchanged, he keeps the pace breezy, making sure each bit of information comes through a logical part of the dialogue.  He also knows the right timing to throw in a smart joke and break up the tension (“Attila wet his pants.”  “My nervous system was being short-circuited!”).

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #6 – Review

By: Too many to list—check out the review.

The Story: All storms must end sometime, and with them go the thunder.

The Review: After my review of last issue, reader Don asked me what titles I could recommend to satisfy his craving for Nick Spencer material, once this series wrapped up.  I had to admit I knew nothing that blended superheroics and political thriller so seamlessly and with such sophistication, wit, and craft.  It reminded me of how much I’ve enjoyed Spencer’s work here since it debuted, and how sorry I am to see it go.

If you like T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents as much as I do, then you’ll also be particularly dismayed to see how quietly this issue pulls the curtain on the series.  Spencer obviously has a lot of affection for all these characters, however brief their working lives are, and he attempts to give each of them as neat a resolution as possible under the circumstances.  Even so, you can clearly tell he had a much longer endgame in mind, and things were never intended to end this way.

Blackhawks #7 – Review

By: Mike Costa (writer), Cafu & Carlos Rodriguez (pencillers), Bit (inker), Guy Major (colorist)

The Story: A “Keep Out” sign is pretty meaningless when you fly a plane into it.

The Review: It goes without saying that getting cancelled would not count among the top ten experiences of your life.  For any creator who cares about his work, there’s the heartache, of course, not only from the realization his baby has no support, but also from the fact he won’t get to see that baby grow up.  Also for anyone who cares about his work, he now has the difficulty of trying to wrap up at the last second stories he hoped would play out for a while.

What you often get is a mad scramble to draw the act to a close and finish with a bang, much like you do in this issue.  There’s a clear feeling of haste throughout, as Costa must rely on heavy exposition, much more than he’s done in any issue I’ve read of him thus far, to speed the action toward its climax.  Hence Lincoln’s narrative spiel taking the Blackhawks from their shaky recovery from a direct attack on their turf to their de facto final mission, all within five pages.

At any rate, Costa disguises the blistering pace of the issue pretty well, using a combination of lively dialogue (“Those guys are firing carbon-fiber needles at 3,000 meters per second…You were briefed to stay out of range!  They dissolve from friction after 4,000 feet.”  Canada: “How much math am I supposed to do here?!”) and meticulously timed action sequences, throwing in a few slow-mo panels to break up the rush just before you get overwhelmed.

Blackhawks #5 – Review

By: Mike Costa (writer), Cafu (penciller), Bit (inker), Guy Major (colorist)

The Story: Dogs on a satellite!  Hm…doesn’t have quite the same ring to it, huh?

The Review: Can you believe it’s been just about half a year since the new 52 premiered?  At what point do I stop calling it “new,” I wonder?  Anyway, quite a few titles I collected at the beginning have fallen by the wayside since then, so of course I’ve been scoping around for new ones to pick up in their place.  Blackhawks was one of those I heard quiet praise about, and once I saw Cafu switch over from Grifter, I knew I had to at least give the series a shot.

In any case, the Blackhawks, much as it’s weird to say so, is one of my favorite properties, or at least the concept of them is.  Now that the vast majority of heroes in comics have superpowers of some kind, it’s actually kind of a big deal to have a team composed of nothing more than ordinary humans demonstrating extraordinary aptitude in their particular skill-sets as they take on the big baddies of the world.

And that they certainly do in this issue, facing head-on the big momma of them all, the aptly named Mother Machine.  Like most mothers, this villainess is ruthless in her desire to take her charges under her wing.  To chastise the Blackhawks for their disobedience, she lays on all kinds of punishments: “I’ve also shut down the oxygen compilers and internal heaters.  You’ll slowly start to smother, but in the hours it takes for that to happen, you’ll also gradually freeze.  Or else, you would, except…I’ve just disengaged [this satellite] from orbit.”  What’s hilarious is she sees this grim experience or joining her as a fair choice.

Grifter #3 – Review

By:  Nathan Edmondson (writer), Cafu (penciller), Jason Gorder (inker), Andrew Dalhouse (colorist)

The Story: Seriously, Cole—didn’t anyone tell you, “Bro’s before ho’s?”

The Review: Ah, the brother-versus-brother showdown.  Among classic fictional conflicts, there aren’t any much older, whether you’re talking Cain and Abel or Michael and Gob.  And when you couple it with the family-versus-justice dynamic, you can’t have anything but major tension to start with, whether it comes to any good or not.  The success of this end game largely depends on the character strength of the brothers themselves.

Right now, neither Cole nor kid brother Max have so enough going for them to make their confrontation all that intense.  We know close to nothing about Max, other than an indubitably loyalty to his military higher-ups, and with Cole, the best thing most of us can probably say about him is that we don’t not like him, which is not exactly the strongest resonance in the world.

Whatever true drama Edmondson achieves from the scene comes mostly from his writing.  In theory, he should have done a much better job than what we end up with.  His dialogue in past issues has been on point, snappy, and natural, so the switch to overly complicated, expository lines (“You want to talk about pacts?  How about shoulder-to-shoulder, forged in fire?  Stained with cordite.”) that feel even more inappropriate given the context of what’s happening.

Otherwise, Edmondson continues to craft a very layered, long-term plot.  This issue confirms our suspicions that the military knows far more about the neon-blue entities than they’ve let on, meaning their continued pursuit of Cole has little to do with a genuine belief that he’s a terrorist.  Their beef with him goes much deeper, in issue and in time (“There are no mere chances when dealing with operatives of his caliber, Staff Sergeant.”), than that.

Grifter #2 – Review

By: Nathan Edmondson (writer), Cafu (penciller), Jason Gorder (inker), Andrew Dalhouse (colorist)

The Story: He fought the law, and the law got sent on fire.

The Review: If you have any familiarity with the Wildstorm universe, or if you’re even a big fan of that publisher, one thing you should realize as you read this series that this isn’t the Grifter you used to know and love.  He has many things in common with the Cole Cash of times past, but within the context of the new DCU, he should be considered a new character, and like any new character, he must build up his exploits, background, and world from scratch.

And as this issue shows us, what Edmondson builds up for Grifter is The Bourne Identity with a sci-fi spin.  If there’s one thing this title doesn’t lack, it’s action; you have Cole swinging flour and fire together to detonate a cop’s face, a military man sniping the tire out of a stolen police car and sending it flipping into the air, shootouts in a New Orleans diner…  As you might imagine, you’re never in want for excitement.

All action and no exposition makes a flashy husk of a comic, though, so it’s a good thing Edmondson takes care to introduce some new plot and character elements into the mix.  One of the biggest wrinkles has to be Cole’s admission of his former military ties.  It sure explains his magnificent martial ability, and it throws his previous lifestyle as a common con-man into a new light.  You have to wonder what went down to cause this major career change.

Grifter #1 – Review

By: Nathan Edmondson (writer), Cafu (penciller), Jason Gorder (inker), Andrew Dalhouse (colorist)

The Story: Ghosts on a plane.

The Review: For years, I had little familiarity with any comic that didn’t belong to the Big Two publishers.  Even so, among the hordes of titles featuring Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, and the X-Men, I could pick out one prominent, unfamiliar face: a blond man, dual pistols a-blazing, a red and black cloth covering his face.  While hardly an icon like the aforementioned characters, Grifter is the face of the Wildstorm universe, and has a respectable status of his own.

In DC’s efforts to promote its acquired Wildstorm properties, Grifter is thus the obvious choice to get his own solo.  But the renewed DCU is quickly becoming a crowded place, and it’ll be a struggle for him (or any lesser-known character, for that matter) to scrounge out a special corner for himself.  What can he bring to the table that we can’t find elsewhere?  Why does he deserve a spot on the stands next to Green Lantern and the Fantastic Four?

Jumping out of a plane after plunging a pointed instrument into a passenger’s eye and before cracking the neck of a flight attendant is a good start.  Really, you don’t get more wakeful openers than that.  The sequence has all the marks of a strong, tense in medias res intro: instant action, a bewildered understanding of events, and a gripping protagonist.  By the time you hit the splash credits in midair, just above the ocean, you’ve already half-invested yourself in his fate.

Edmondson then smartly takes us back to Cole Cash’s quieter days, though you can hardly classify even those as normal.  Even before Cole takes on the name, his talent for confidence tricks has already earned him a rep as an impressive grifter.  That said, the con sequence comes laden with logistical confusion.  You don’t know the target’s identity, the nature of the faked transaction, or even what he gets out of it (since the money he’s given turns out counterfeit).

Superboy #10 – Review

By: Too many to list—check out the review.

The Story: No offense, Superboy, but honestly, one of you is more than enough.

The Review: From the get-go, we knew the Hollow Men would wind up Superboy’s first major opponents in this title, but only in recent issues have we gotten some clarification about their exact nature.  While previously, they seemed a race unto themselves, Jeff Lemire revealed they merely act on the orders of one Eben Took, a former Smallville resident who used some dark means to say alive.  As it turns out, that dark means has a name: Tannarak.

There’s a bit of bad timing in all this, as the revelation of this new villain came just two chapters before the title must run its course.  This issue is an attempt to shore up Tannarak’s background and give the evil sorcerer some kind of weight before things wrap up in a couple weeks.  We do get to learn a couple bits of important information: that ol’ Tan’s been around for a while, and he’s powerful enough to give even famed Atlantean sorcerer Arion some pause.

Instead of making us take the necromancer seriously, the period sequences actually have the opposite effect.  AA defines insanity as “doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results,” and under that definition, Tannarak can pretty much be classified as old-school megalomaniacal.  In each time period, he stubbornly makes the same attempt to conquer the world through doppelgangery, only to be defeated—rather simply, I might add—every time.

But if Tannarak expects different results this time around, he has ample reason for once.  After all, his biggest obstacle has always been the Phantom Stranger, and now he literally has the white-eyed man crawling on his knees—hatless, on top of that!  What you really would’ve liked to see is more of the specific relationship between the two mystics and their origins, as even way back in 45,025 B.C., they already had a mutual dislike that went back even further.

Even though the story lens focuses on the ancient mastermind this issue, we also get some light shed on our (relatively) more human villain, and how he got caught up in all this.  Don’t expect Took’s tears over his dead baby son, the resurrection of whom motivates him to join forces with Tannarak, as his grief comes less from a deep, paternalistic attachment and more from regret that his family can’t grow any bigger.  As is, this goal sounds mostly like the ravings of a radical nutjob; we have no idea why it’s so particularly important for him to have a huge family.

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #7 – Review

By: Too many to list—check out the review.

The Story: Most of the time, you say, “I’m gonna kill my mother” rhetorically.

The Review: When DC chose to “hold the line” at $2.99 and cut the page count of its issues in exchange, the results were varied: some creators adapted right away, others went through some growing pains, and a few still haven’t adjusted to the change.  None have managed to confront how to squeeze multiple storylines into a significantly shrunken medium without some pain.

Even a skilled writer like Spencer isn’t immune, although he deals with the problem as best as you can hope for.  It might have been wiser for him to scale back or eliminate altogether one of the “features” he includes in this issue, but as he said in a CBR interview, the talent had already hopped aboard and he was unwilling to let it go to waste.  Given that, you wind up with pieces that are strong in themselves, but don’t really further the issue’s goals overall.
It’s hardly worth mentioning the current story, where Colleen gets precisely two pages (underutilizing the always terrific Cafu, Bit, and Santiago Arcas on art) to take an airplane to Morocco and deliver a teaser line.  The moment packs a punch, and promises good things for next issue, but otherwise does nothing to advance the story.

This is problematic since the bulk of the issue involves a drawn out flashback.  In fact, the pacing of it is such that it seems Spencer forgets he’s only got so many pages to indulge in this kind of luxurious storytelling.  But the sequence needs this slow push to work; the prolonged scenes of domesticity tighten the wire of calm before snapping it in an all-out rush of chaos.  It’s the jump in gears from cutting cucumbers to tossing the knife into a man’s neck that gives the flashback some worthwhile tension.  And Mike Grell draws it all so beautifully, showing how an old-school, retro style can still bring intensity to both drama and action, though it’s Val Staples’ warm colors with a yellowish cast that gives the art its period look.

The flashback also gives you some essential bits of info that’ll make Colleen’s upcoming conflict that much stickier: her parental union between one of the greatest T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents and one of the Agents’ most notorious enemies.  An interesting twist to be sure, it also brings new meaning to her sympathy for Toby’s two-faced loyalties last issue.  But Spencer brings layers to most everything he writes.  Why else would he choose Dion’s “The Wanderer” to soundtrack the early parts of the flashback?  An oldies tune sung in doo-wop fashion, the rollicking rock rhythm of the song masks the rather dark undertone of its lyrics: the line “I with my two fists of iron and I’m going nowhere” certainly rings true for Colleen’s parents, given their backgrounds.

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #6 – Review

By: Nick Spencer (writer), Cafu (penciller), Bit (inker), Santiago Arcas (colorist)

The Story: The Iron Maiden…she’s a cautionary tale for all the S&M lovers out there.

The Review: It’s tough to transition from one story arc to the next in a superhero comic.  After the noise dies down, you’ve got this obligatory timeout for the characters to lick their wounds and reflect on their latest adventure, and after that comes the gradual setup for the next storyline.  In a way, these interludes lose the momentum the writer spent the entire story arc developing.

Spencer does two smart things to address this point.  First, he neatly dovetails the conclusion to the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents’ first mission and the intro to their next in one issue—good.  That means events can just get rolling when we come back.  Second, he keeps up the tension by playing out the dramatic plot threads he set down throughout his introductory arc.

This strategy is particularly clever because it does double-duty: it allows the characters some growth, and it keeps you invested in their individual plotlines.  Dynamo’s finally experiencing the side-effects of his new powers (“…like I’m ‘bout to break apart.”  Doctor: “That’s normal.  Take your shirt off for me, please.”).  Lightning still can’t bring himself to connect with his estranged family despite knowing he may soon lose his chance.  And NoMan remains as forebodingly inscrutable as ever in the midst of his dwindling humanity.

Spencer doesn’t use a lot of dialogue or narration, and the characters don’t really do anything lively, but he writes the subtext so well you never have a problem sensing the conflict at stake.  One of many good examples: when his young daughter picks up, Lightning never says a word, but you know exactly why he calls and why he can’t or won’t speak up.  It’s a scene that breaks your heart without much fanfare or drama.

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #5 – Review

By: Nick Spencer (writer), Cafu (penciller), Bit (inker), Santiago Arcas (colorist), Ryan Sook (guest artist)

The Story: She doesn’t know that he knows that they don’t know what he knows about that other guy knows about them—no, I’m not describing a Friends episode.

The Review: The first story arc of any new ongoing can be the most critical for the title’s livelihood.  Besides setting the tone and mission statement for the series, it also determines the loyalty of its first-generation readers.  A strong leading storyline can establish a fanbase that forgives possibly weaker arcs down the line; a poor or even mediocre lead wards readers away, so even with dramatic improvements, there’s no audience to help it survive.

This issue detonates a ticking time bomb that’s been lurking in the team’s midst, and the fallout is tremendous.  The revelation of Toby’s specific connection to Spider is definitely unexpected (using some complicated, but ingenious identity-transfer logistics).  But the twist at the end—the way his use of the Menthor helmet ultimately turns on him—really plays brilliantly.  It pays tribute to the original Menthor and elevates Toby from your typical smart-alec to mentally fractured dark horse—a big promotion for an already entertaining character.

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #4 – Review

By: Nick Spencer (writer), Cafu (main penciller), Bit (main inker), Santiago Arcas (main colorist), George Perez (penciller), Scott Koblish (inker), Blond (colorist)

The Story: Dynamo learns firsthand being a T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agent isn’t all it’s cracked up to be—not that it was much to begin with.

The Review: “Less is more.”  This old bromide has been tossed around for Lord knows how long, but its practical implications are as relevant as ever—especially so for comics.  It is, after all, a medium that places equal weight on text and art.  When writers go even a little overboard with the words, the comic gets dragged down in a hurry.  In those cases, it’s frequently best to cut back on the narration and let the art and reader’s imagination do some of the storytelling.

Spencer could have gotten a lot more done by applying that lesson to this issue.  By now, we’ve all had it hammered to us over three issues that there’s a price to being a T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agent and that price is death.  This point hasn’t only been told to us, it’s been illustrated with very effective, chilling detail.  It’s easy to understand the importance of emphasizing this major distinction between the Agents and the rest of the superhero teams out there.

But now it just feels like Spencer is preaching to the choir, and that’s a waste.  Consider this issue’s opening sequence—it’s executed well and offers a few useful pieces of info about the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. program and Dynamo’s powers.  But if you take a step back, you realize that’s five pages devoted to exposing information you mostly know already, which means five pages avoiding the action at large.  And there really hasn’t been much action to spare since this series began.  Even by issue’s end, you’re still left in the first—what?—fifteen minutes of the mission.

Even more problematic is a whole page devoted to Toby’s sales pitch.  Again, there’s nothing wrong with the way it’s written.  It just feels like we’ve heard this speech before, three issues ago, and the only real payoff from having it redone is Dynamo’s deadpan, “So what’s the money like?”  Like I said, the scene itself plays well and there’s a lot of humor and character work that follows it.  Still, that makes you foam even more at the mouth to get newer material instead of this old news.  You just really want to see Spencer give you more of the unexpected.

Superman 80-Page Giant 2011 – Review

By: Too many to list—you’re better off reading the review.

The Story: Jor-El does Mission Impossible; Perry White takes a shot with Wildcat; the many lives of Jimmy Olsen; the inconsistent grammar of Bizarro World; Supergirl’s ten-second boyfriend; Lois Lane’s good deed; and Superboy, the Werewolf Slayer!

The Review: Annuals may be a grab bag of mixed features, they’ve got nothing on these “giants” DC likes to put out now and then.  You can’t always take them too seriously, but they’re often a surprisingly good showcase of unknown or rising talent in DC’s ranks.

Jor-El’s adventure into Krypton’s core starts off strong and has some great thrills, but his stream-of-consciousness narration drags the pace down.  Had Bud Tidwell more page-time, all his Krypton continuity might have paid bigger dividends, but mostly they’re distracting.  Still, you can’t go wrong with Cafu on art duties; from Jor-El’s expression of relief on his successful escape to Krypton’s skyline at night, everything’s just beautiful to look at.  And let’s just agree Bit’s inks and Santiago Arcas’ colors should accompany Cafu’s lines at all times.

Most Daily Planet stories revolve around Lois and Jimmy, the paper’s point men.  But Neil Kleid shows that they’re continuing a journalistic spirit begun by their boss.  Perry White’s boyhood tale of a run-in with Wildcat and the Guardian not only pays tribute to DC’s Golden Age stories, but speaks sentimentally to the bonds between fathers and sons.  Dean Haspiel gives a great retro look to the script that’s appropriate and lively, but also respects the emotional scenes.

In a strange twist, Abhay Khosla and Andy MacDonald’s Jimmy Olsen feature ends up the moodiest story in the issue, sort of discussing the philosophical implications of Jimmy’s multitude of wacky adventures.  It’s narrated and drawn well, and even has some good moments of humor, but lacks grounding.  It feels very Twilight Zone—you sense there’s an important point being made, but the execution is so weird you just wonder how it’s intended to affect or say something about the character.

I have nothing to say about the Bizarro story except it makes little sense—which is fitting, I suppose.  Dan McDaid’s cartoony art is perfect for fun Bizarro hijinks (though the yellowish cast over everything gets nauseating after a while), but Steve Horton doesn’t really offer much in the way of a coherent script, much less one with appreciable humor.

Joe Caramagna gets the right voice for Supergirl—curious, a bit self-conflicted, but hopeful—but it can’t be said he gives her appealing characters to bounce off of.  They seem like they’re just thrown in to give her people to talk to and some easy conflicts.  Sure, there are some clueless guys out there, but these dudes take the cake (“‘Karalinda.’  Asian, huh?”  Seriously?  She’s totally white and blonde!).  Trevor McCarthy draws it fantastically though—his lines are kinetic and youthful, though colored a bit too darkly by Andre Szymanowicz.

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #3 – Review

By: Nick Spencer (writer), Cafu (feature penciller), Bit (feature inker), Santiago Arcas (feature colorist), Howard Chaykin (flashback artist), Jesus Aburtov (flashback colorist)

The Story: As the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents make their next move against Spider, the many lives of NoMan come to light, with betrayal on both fronts.

The Review: Any time a new team of heroes gets together, you’re going to have a mix of rookies and the old vanguard.  Sometimes the conflicts between the two pop up further down the line, but sooner or later, the ghosts of the team’s past will come to haunt them.  From the beginning you had the sense that some old history was definitely at work behind the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents’ current mission.  After this issue, you’ll know if these new Agents survive, they’ll be rising from the ashes of their predecessors.

Nick Spencer continues to use flashbacks to furnish the backgrounds for the characters, but this time around he’s beginning to lay the path for those old ghosts to walk on.  NoMan’s past comes across as particularly chilling, but speaks to Spencer’s writing talent.  For frequent readers of superheroes, it’s easy to take the origins and science of their powers lightly.  Spencer takes some major steps to show the price of these extraordinary abilities, and in doing so, sets the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents apart from the rest of their DC counterparts.  NoMan’s increasing inability to feel as a side effect of his constant body-switching is shown to horrifying effect.

As effective as these flashbacks are at giving you a grasp on these characters, they also deaden the pace of the present story.  The current mission just inches forward with each issue, and with all the page-time devoted to the past, the logistics of the current mission tend to get lost in the shuffle.  So far, all you know is that the original Raven has been captured and the Agents are out to get him back.  But so little time has been spent explaining the risks and importance of the mission that it all feels very low-stakes and there’s hardly any suspense at all.

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #2 – Review

By: Nick Spencer (writer), Cafu (penciller), Bit (inker), Santiago Arcas (colorist), Chriscross (flashback artist), Brad Anderson (flashback colorist)

The Story: The newest set of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents embark on their first mission, accompanied by their retainers, the feisty Colleen and the smooth-even-under-pressure Toby.  Agent Lightning gets the first move, and as he experiences for himself his overwhelming new powers, his motivation to become one of the short-lived agents comes to light.

The Review: For a writer, the debut of a superhero team can be overwhelming.  Not only are you responsible for establishing a team dynamic and overarching mission for them, there’s also the myriad personalities and baggage each member comes with.  To make a great team comic, every one of these has to be given proper attention.  For Nick Spencer, the task is made both easier and harder by the recruitment of completely new T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents.  They may not have a thick set of continuity issues to wade through, but coming up with all-new continuity is no walk in the park.

Spencer chose to use his first story arc to offer in-depth looks at his Agents, meaning a sacrifice in a substantial amount of action in favor of enormous character and world-building.  For the most part, his ploy succeeds, thanks to his gift for dramatic storytelling.

This issue focuses on Lightning, AKA Henry Cosgei, Olympic runner turned tech-enhanced government hero.  Switching between almost journalistic exposition and brief glimpses into the most important moments of Henry’s life, Spencer almost instantly gives Lightning a rich backstory and a pretty good reason to be on the team.  What’s really impressive is how even in the midst of recounting Henry’s story with sympathy, Spencer manages to lay a few quiet clues that something more sinister is working behind the scenes to make these Agents as they are.

Whereas the previous issue gave us the grisly aftermath of using T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents tech, the actual experience of using it is on full display here.  Now, the concept of “powers that kill you” is pretty old, but Spencer’s execution of it works really well on a number of levels.  Rather than showing the lifespan-shortening effect through physical symptoms (blood coming out of various openings of the body is a popular mainstay), the psychological sensations of feeling the end of your life drawing closer is displayed.  It’s nigh-impossible to take the price of being a T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agent lightly after reading this chilling sequence.  Color me yellow, but it reads like one of my top twenty nightmares.

Besides the intense character work on Lightning, Toby and Collen get some page-time to banter and show some enjoyable personality quirks—a good choice, since they’ll be serving as constants linking the big-picture plotline of this arc together.  It’s a bold move, starring the bureaucratic agents while the actual superpowers simmer on the backburner.  Thank God their dialogue plays well (“I just sounded like a stupid American there, didn’t I?”  “Just there, yeah.”), and double-duties as both humor and exposing mission logistics.

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #1 – Review

by Nick Spencer (writer), CAFU (pencils), BIT (inks), Santiago Arcas (colors), and Swands (letters)

The Story: We’re introduced to the world of the THUNDER Agents and their modus operandi.

What’s Good: I really wasn’t sure what to expect out of this book, but what I got was decidedly unique from anything offered by DC.  It’s very much a Nick Spencer book and feels sleek and modern much like a Marvel comic might, but still has that grain of DC kookiness.  It has the atmosphere of a spy-book and actually felt quite a bit like an answer from DC to Marvel’s Secret Warriors and, of course, the fact that I’m even making that comparison is a very good thing.  Honestly, as far as tone goes, I can’t remember reading a DC title quite like this.

There’s no mistaking that this issue is a high quality product on both the writing and art fronts.  As far as the writing goes, Spencer’s dialogue and plotting just feels smart.  It occasionally gets flowery in its dialogue, which is welcome, but it also carries the cold effiency and the crazy twists, turns, and back-and-forth conspiracies of a good spy yarn.  At times, the twists and the dialogue might strike some as a little too flashy or larger-than-life, but I loved every second of it.  It makes the book feel bold, exciting, and constantly intelligent, making for something far, far from your average, run-of-the-mill superhero comic.

CAFU also helps make the title stand out.  Despite this being a smaller property, CAFU gives the book a big comic feel.  His work is incredibly polished and slick and has a high-budget feel that looks distinct.  Combined with Arcas’ colors, the book also somewhat steers away from grittiness, opting instead for an inviting look with just the hint of a wacky, Doom Patrol feel.

What We’re Looking Forward To In November

Dean

There is a LOT to look forward to in November. For one thing, there is a lot of neat stuff in the Spider-Man world as Amazing Spider-Man kicks off its new “big” story line Big Time written by Dan Slott with art by Humberto Ramos. This is also the end of the thrice-monthly ASM with a rotating team of creators, so it should be interesting. Also in the Spidey-world, we get Spider-Girl #1 by Paul Tobin. This is not Mayday Parker (who could never find a stable audience) but Arana of Young Allies fame. If you like teenage drama, it should be fun. Finally, we get Osborn #1 by Kelly Sue Deconnick and Emma Rios (who are both really good) to see what Marvel’s favorite villain has been up to since Siege ended.

A few other things in Marvel that I’m looking forward to. She-Hulks #1 launches in November with art from Ryan Stegman. Stegman is a very gifted artist and he draws a mean She-Hulk, so this should be good. Although Invincible Iron Man has had slow pacing, the current story arc, Stark Resilient wraps up this month and Matt Fraction seems to have this title headed to a very good climactic battle. For all those Punisher fans who HATED Franken-Castle, you get plain, old, normal Punisher in the Blood #1 from Rick Remender. And finally, there is yet another X-book with Generation Hope. The idea for this book is to have Hope running around with all the “new mutants” who have had their powers come alive since Second Coming.

Over at DC the big news is in the Bat-books as we get 2 new Bruce Wayne titles: Batman, Inc. by Grant Morrison and Batman: The Dark Knight by David Finch. If you’re into Batman, these are going to be must reads. And….after much waiting and delay, we get Batwoman #0 by JH Williams, III. I am really excited for this book and eager to see if it can maintain the quality that Williams and Greg Rucka established during their run on Detective Comics last year. Also, just to prove it isn’t all about new Bat-books, we also get a whole new creative team on the venerable Detective Comics with Scott Snyder of American Vampire fame teaming up with Jock and Francesco Francavilla on what is sure to be very well done series of Dick Grayson stories.

Not a whole lot going on over at Image, but folks might want to take a look at Utopian #1 by Marc Guggenheim. The story is: “What happens after the heroes win and the world is saved?” Image has become the go-to publisher for many creators to do interesting things, so this has promise.

 

 

Alex

While I’m as excited about all the Grant Morrison stuff as the next guy, the Batman title that really has my eye is Detective Comics #871 by Scott Snyder and Jock. It’s an utterly fantastic creative team and Snyder’s promise of a realistic, CSI type Batman has me curious. Of course, there’s also Batwoman #0 by JH Williams III to consider, which anyone with a pulse should be excited for.

Outside of Batman, I find myself confronted by two relaunches of titles I’m either completely unfamiliar with and/or indifferent to. Yet I’m picking them both up. They are THUNDER Agents #1 by Nick Spencer and CAFU and Superboy #1 by Jeff Lemire and Pier Gallo. In both cases, it’s the creative teams that have me excited, crewed as they are by exciting new talent with writers that have proven track records outside the superhero realm.

At Marvel, it’s all about Spider-Man’s Big Time. Now bi-monthly with a steady, and good, creative team, I’m happy to be back aboard with Amazing Spider Man #648 and #649 with Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos. Hopefully big times are also good times. Meanwhile, Thor #617 by Matt Fraction and Pasqual Ferry has my attention as well, with its seeming promise of a reincarnated Loki. Fractions other book, Invincible Iron Man #32, also isn’t to be missed as it concludes the excellent slow-burn of “Stark Resilient” in explosive fashion.

Finally, it’s a big, but sad, month at Vertigo as two excellent titles reach their conclusions. Madame Xanadu #29 goes out with a bang as main series artist Amy Reeder returns for the farewell. Meanwhile,  Unknown Soldier #25 is sure to end things in bloody and tragic fashion, as Joshua Dysart’s fictional tale directly collides with a real world villain of the worst kind. On a happier note, Fables #100 is a giant-sized book of excitement featuring a mega-powered duel; it’s also a landmark for Vertigo, an imprint for whom longevity isn’t common.

 

SoldierHawk

So I’ve been harping on it since it was announced months ago, but my pick for November is, without question, Batwoman #0, the prelude to the new Batwoman ongoing series written and illustrated by J.H. Williams III. I’m quite literally X-ing the days off my calendar until this comes out. Kate Kane/Batwoman are fantastic characters and–perhaps even more importantly–she has a fabulous supporting cast surrounding her. Even leaving all that aside… MORE J.H. WILLIAMS III ARTWORK! That alone will be worth the cover price.

I’m also really, really looking forward both to the first Kill Shakespeare Trade (which collects Kill Shakespeare issues #1-6), and to issue #7. This series has been a gem (albeit a slightly rough one in spots) since its launch last April, and issue #6 set some very interesting plot points and characters into motion. I’m waiting with baited breath to see how this is going to play out, and what other famous Shakespeare creations might throw themselves into the mix.