Don’t Believe the Hype! – Wednesday Comics

When it comes to the recently completed Wednesday Comics, I will say this much for DC: they are not afraid to take chances, and I will always like that about them.

As you all know, Wednesday Comics has been yet another in a long line of DC’s mostly successful weekly comic serials, but was produced this time with a twist: designed to read and feel like a Sunday newspaper comics section. DC published their anthology in an oversized format that could be unfolded and read like a paper.  Each page of the comic featured one story from a different creative team, and each week the stories would slowly come together, page by lavishly rendered page.

Cool idea, right?  I sure thought so.  But now here I sit, glaring thoughtfully at the stack of Wednesday Comics that have been gathering over the weeks, and I’m wondering why it has left me feeling strangely unimpressed and underwhelmed.  How could such a fresh and inventive idea have turned out to be just another adequate comic experience?  I need to understand why, and if you’re reading this then I’m hoping you do, too.

Wednesday Comics’ faults certainly can’t be found in its production value, that’s for sure.  On all levels this was a gorgeous book, and that’s saying something for glorified newsprint.  Mark Chiarello had an eye on design and aesthetic appeal when he put together this project, something to be expected from DC’s Editorial Art Director, and if his bosses haven’t yet given him a fat bonus for his work then they really, really need to.  By adopting the oversized pages, Chiarello gave his art teams the chance to shine and have some real fun with this book (and say what you will, but Wednesday Comics was a comic clearly intended for the artists.  Don’t believe me?  Just look at what Dave Bullock pulled off with Deadman).

I also found the portability of it to be incredibly appealing, and enjoyed the reaction I got from non-comic readers when I took it out into “the real world.”  I remember one moment where I was sitting in the doctor’s office and, for lack of anything else to do, pulled an issue out of my bag, unfolded it, and began reading.  An older gentleman sitting across from me leaned over and said “those the funnies?”  I smiled and said kind of, and then explained how it was actually a comic book designed to be read and carried around like a newspaper.  He asked if he could flip through it, and asked me questions as he did.  We talked and had a good time, but more on this in a bit.

So Wednesday Comics looked good, and was physically fun to read.  Where then did things go wrong for me?

Sadly, I find fault with the majority of the writers and their inability to use the Wednesday Comics format to their advantage.  Of course, this isn’t to say that no good stories were told, because a few like Strange Adventures and Kamandi were consistently wonderful week after week, but it became painfully obvious that most of the writers were either uncomfortable with this format or simply didn’t know what to do with it.  It seemed to me that they took the safe way out by telling conventional stories that gave their artists little opportunity to do anything other than what they were instructed to.  Azzarello’s Batman and Busiek’s Green Lantern were glaring examples of this; both had the potential to be great, and were ripe with artistic opportunities, but the plots were so formulaic and the scripts so rigid that they instead languished in mediocrity.

I was also shocked that such a “low-fi” project like this (as opposed to comics that tout glossy paper and computer-rendered colors) had the gall to charge $4 an issue.  I mean, we’re talking about 15 pages of story on newsprint here… even the typical 22 page comic book costs less than this.  What if you were only buying this comic so you could read Kyle Baker’s Hawkman story?  Even if you liked the other stories, you simply had to read this one weekly.  This means that if you wanted to follow his entire story, you would have to shell out $48 (assuming you didn’t care one bit for all the others).  That price obviously goes down as you increase your number of must read stories, but anthology comics like this are mixed bags where not every story is going to be that damn good, (did anybody actually read Caldwell’s Wonder Woman!?) and when those stories don’t deliver the maximum bang for the buck each and every week, you’re left paying for more than you actually wanted.

As I look over these complaints and compliments, it seems to me that they ultimately speak to a larger missed opportunity, and that’s one of reaching new readers.  Remember that older gentleman from the doctor’s office I was telling you about?  Why wasn’t Wednesday Comics written for him?  Or the kids who (hopefully) read Teen Titans and Supergirl, why wasn’t this entire serial written exclusively for their enjoyment?  In an awkward attempt to appease all of the people all of the time, DC tried to market this comic to fanboys, new readers, and young readers alike without ever fully capturing any of them, and that’s a shame because Wednesday Comics could have made a great primer to introduce new readers into the medium.

You can see how DC kind of wanted to try this.  While it helps that they also serialized the Superman story in USA Today, why didn’t they then also serialize stories in teen magazines, or fucking Highlights for that matter?  Why was Wednesday Comics only sold in comic shops when it could have done so much more good in a bookstore, grocery store, or Walmart?  By trying to appeal to those of us already locked into the direct market, DC inadvertently missed even greater markets of new readers and customers.

Ultimately, the stories contained in Wednesday Comics were nothing I needed to read, and as a diehard fan with years of reading experience I felt they weren’t anything I haven’t already seen before.  I applaud DC for taking a chance in trying something different, but I’m disappointed that they worked so hard to sell this to me, the guy who’s going to buy their comics regardless, when all along they should have marketed it to a newer, younger reader, and thus a potential new customer.

-Tony Rakittke

Wednesday Comics #12 – Review

Well, there you have it. Perhaps the most novel and interesting comic book format to ever hit the stands wraps up this week with the final installment of Wednesday Comics. My co-editor Tony has a longer column in the works about this whole endeavor, but before I get to the individual story reviews, I’d be remiss not to share some brief general thoughts.

When this comic first came out, I absolutely loved it. I mean LOVED it. But as the installments kept coming, my enjoyment began exiting. I think the main reason for this is that in the beginning, this truly unique newspaper format captured and catapulted my imagination into directions the comic itself wasn’t taking. For example, I for one wasn’t thinking that every story was going to be an arc. I thought there would be some variance in the stories and some would be a series of one shots, some would be mini-arcs, and some would be full blown arcs. I was shocked that they would all be slow building arcs, which essentially meant that creators were making a full comic and segmenting it into different parts. To me this is a failure to really maximize the format and an inability for the content to match the novel form.

As I said, more to come from WCBR on this topic, so now let’s get down to grading the individual stories per this issue and their final grade:

Batman by Brian Azzarello (writer), Eduardo Risso (artist) – A tragic story whose conclusion we all saw coming 2 months ago. However, this installment captured the moment fantastically much like the first one. Unfortunately, I will always associate this strip with the bloody kiss at the end. Yuck. B+ (Final Grade: B)

Kamandi by Dave Gibbons (writer), Ryan Sook (artist)– A great ending to a great series. This is one of the true successes of this series. A (Final Grade: A+)

Superman by John Arcudi (writer), Lee Bermejo (artist) – Great, great art. But stupid writing. For example, why would residents of Smallville be comfortable with a huge Alien sitting in the street? Little dogs just walking by it? Superman using a pay phone? Confusing Lois and Batman scenes at the end… C- (Final Grade C+)

Deadman by Dave Bullock and Vinton Heuck (writers), Dave Bullock (artist) –This was the surprise hit for me. I could never imagine being into Deadman, but this was one of my favorites. Nice ending that tied-up loose threads cleanly. A (Final Grade: A)

Green Lantern by Kurt Busiek (writer), Joe Quinones (artist), Pat Brosseau (colorist) – Overall, an unimaginative story with excellent character development that played homage to iconic moments. Fans of old school GL will probably like this much more than those of us in the post- Johns take on GL. This issue was a true microcosm  of the story’s entirety. B- (Final Grade B)

Metamorpho by Neil Gaiman (writer), Mike Allred (artist) – This comic came together much better than when it started and in the end, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The end kept up the fun weirdness and quirky characters. A- (Final Grade B)

Teen Titans by Eddie Berganza (writer), Sean Galloway (artist) – Lame action, confusing story, and failed nostalgia. Really hoping the bad guy (who ever it was- I was lost to it) destroyed the Titans. D (Final Grade D)

Strange Adventures by Paul Pope – Awesome comic, awesome installment. Clicked on every level and ended in existential musings that were perfect for this title. Put Pope on this regularly. A+ (Final Grade (A+)

Supergirl by Jimmy Palmiotti (writer), Amanda Conner (artist) – This was my second favorite series behind Strange Adventures. The direction was clear, focused, and the momentum took it to all the right places of the DC Universe. Loved the ending, even though it was cliche’ and silly. A (Final Grade A)

Metal Men by Dan Didio (writer), Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (artist) – Really enjoyed the art and characters, but the story was just stagnant and claustrophobic. Such a forgettable ending and series… B- (Final Grade C+)

Wonder Woman by Ben Caldwell – I never read this. The color scheme and art turned me off, so I have no grade. But, I will read it….. one day… maybe.

Sgt. Rock by Adam Kubert (writer), Joe Kubert (artist) – I liked the message and emotional importance of the ending, but overall, seeing Rock get tortured for 4 weeks straight was a waste of this story. Loved the art though. B (Final Grade C)

The Flash by Karl Kerschl and Brenden Fletcher (writers), Karl Kerschl (artist) Iris West by Dave McCaig (writer), Rob Leigh (artist) — Can someone please diagram for me what happened here? I have never been so lost in a story. Did Kershel acknowledge that the whole plot was nonsensical when Iris read a Flash comic and said, “I don’t get it?” Art saves this from being an F. D- (Final Grade D-)

The Demon and Catwoman by Walter Simonson (writer), Brian Stelfreeze (artist) – Solid outing all around. That being said, none of this particularly interested me. The Shakespeare reference was cool, though. B+ (Final Grade (B-)

Hawkman by Kyle Baker – Next to Pope’s work, this was my favorite art. Looked like drawings on a wet newspaper and I loved it. Overly, chatty ending that seemed all a little corny. But, really an entertaining story in entirety.  B (Final Grade A-)

Grade: B

-Rob G.

Blackest Night #2 – Review

By Geoff Johns (writer), Ivan Reiss (pencils), Oclair Albert, Julio Ferreira (inks), and Alex Sinclair (colorist)

The Story: After the brutal events in issue one, the dead continue to rise and wreak havoc throughout the the universe. In this issue, Hal and Barry’s fight with J’onn ends up in Gotham City; meanwhile Tempest (a.k.a. Aqualad) and Mera pay Aquaman’s grave a visit.

What’s Good: The art and the action. If you thought last issue’s violence was brutal, wait till you read this one. From more bare hands ripping out hearts, to sharks and eels being summoned to bite the arms and faces off some guards, the chaotic violence was over-the-top and glorious!

What also helped amplify all this action and make this issue an entertaining read, was Ivan Reis’ work. When I first discovered that Ethan Van Sciver wasn’t going to have a hand in this blockbuster GL event, I was a little skeptical with Reis attached to this Johns project. But now, I’m sold. In this issue, Reis delivers the goods in order to make this book the fast-paced, compelling issue it is. However, in addition to all the bloodshed, Reis also shows that he can illustrate the more human moments. Surprisingly, the most tragic and haunting moment in this issue wasn’t someone’s face getting bashed in, or some creepy Black Lantern’s resurrection, instead it was a “little man” talking on the phone.

What’s Not So Good: With all the bloody mayhem, it’s sad to say that the plot doesn’t exactly thicken in this issue. It simply follows issue one’s narrative structure: more dead folks rise, and a pretty significant hero dies. Furthermore, we weren’t treated to anything really memorable with the Black Lanterns in this issue. Nothing/ nobody really made a lasting impression like the Dibnys in the previous issue. Instead, we got an all-out fight scene between the Atlanteans.

I highly doubt people were pleasantly surprised by all the aqua action. Aquaman, Tula, and the other Atlantean broad weren’t that important to begin with– which was why they were fogivably killed off over and over in the first place. I simply wish I could’ve seen more of the Black Lanterns on the cover… Or even some more creepy moments with the Black Lantern Dibnys….

Conclusion: With this issue mirroring the previous one too closely, it falls a little flat with its formulaic scenes of heroes rising and dying. Nevertheless, it’s still an exciting read that’ll keep you wanting more of the Blackest Night.

Grade: B

-Ray Hilario

Blackest Night #1 – Review

By Geoff Johns (writer), Ivan Reiss (pencils), Oclair Albert (inks), and Alex Sinclair (colorist)

The Story: The super villain Black Hand and the Guardian Scar, both minions of some unseen death-force, resurrect heroes and villains from across the DC universe to build the Black Lantern Corps. Starting with some gross skull-licking of Bruce Wayne’s dead head, Black Hand creepily emerges as a threat to all life as we the reader are treated to the back stories of many well-known DCU deaths, as Green Lantern and Flash conversate. Scar takes on the rest of the Guardians as Oa is attacked by the cosmic undead.

What’s Good: The wait is over! Blackest Night has begun. That in and of itself is reason to rejoice, but the fact remains, this is a particularly strong and well-executed first issue for this series. Johns continues the great story from last week’s Green Lantern story while working his DC-spanning story.

There is a ton of story here and Johns and Reis deliver. It feels like the creators are mindful that a lot of this comic is backstory/ build-up to catch new readers up with what is going on. Because of that, we get lots of beautiful panels and quality dialogue in few pages, dedicating the the rest of this large issue to new developments. One has to think that now that all of the backstory is out of the way, this series will only get better.

Some of the Black Lantern Corps members are appropriately brought back to life. Not to spoil things, but a few dead heros come back in a big, big way. There is one couple that steals the show and are downright frightening. Plus, there are a few “deaths” of heroes that are a complete surprise.

As far as the art, Ivan Reis is exceptional and he draws so many different characters, settings, and themes dead-on. I hope he can maintain the pace down the road. The way he draws the Flash is particularly memorable and unique.

What’s Not So Good: Not a lot to complain about. I had no idea who a lot of the corps were and since they seem like marginal heroes, like C or D list, I wonder if there was any point in telling us their names. Also, the Hawkman drama scenes with him and Atom were a little ridiculous. I had no idea why Hawkman was getting so upset at the Atom and then when he moves into his love stuff with Kendra, I was ready to turn the page.

My chief complaint is that the Guardians didn’t receive enough attention in this issue except for getting beaten down and overstating the obvious, repeatedly.

Conclusion: Blackest Night won’t disappoint. There is a ton going on here and it sets the tone for a riveting and exciting event. More questions are raised than resolved and I can’t help wonder what Bruce Wayne’s pivotal role in this series will be. I am  also extremely curious who the force behind the Black Lanterns are and I really  hope it’s not the overused and predictable Anti-Monitor. Let the tie-ins begin as this event looks to be awesome.

Grade: A-

-Rob G.

Unthinkable #2 – Review

By Mark Sable  (writer), Julian Totino (pencils, inks), Juan Manuel Tumburus (colors)

The Story: Alan Ripley tries to put a band-aid over the bullet hole as the insane ideas he concocted about doomsday scenarios come to fruition. He and the remaining members of the think-tank try to prevent a new terrorist attack but find themselves irrevocably caught in the web of the perpetrators they had tried to snare.

What’s Good: The story has a lot of fuel to it and moves along at a pace that matches its explosiveness. Both writer and artists do their job in delivering us the goods. Mark Sable does a good job of instilling the sense of chaos that has gripped his created world into the reader; andJulian Totino’s art captures this degraded sense of chaotic reality. The overall tone provided in this book is strong and consistent.

What’s Not So Good: The fact  that this issue had a weak and confusing plot and this helped  to confirm my initial theory about this series, which is,  that it relies on sensationalism. The terrorist attacks that are the setting– and really, the pull for this series– are a little cheap in the sense that Sable just takes every fear, prediction, warning, and danger we’ve experienced since 9/11 and throws them into the story with no clear idea for direction or meaning. Its like a Michael Bay independent, art comic book.

Conclusion: Being that this issue is half way through the whole series, I’m willing to give Sable the benefit of the doubt that he will tell us a good story here and that he has a clear exist strategy to wrap up this tale. In the end, this series serves as a good representation of comics being good without having to rely on the supernatural or the super-powered.

Grade: B-

-Rob G.