DC Universe Presents #0 – Review

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

The Story: The Return of the Canned.

The Review: For a showcase title, a #0 issue presents an interesting question, doesn’t it?  How does one choose an origin story for a series open to all origin stories?  I suppose not choosing is one answer.  As annuals and the ambitious but ultimately unsuccessful Weird Worlds prove, comics don’t handle multiple features well, at least not if you want to get some substantial, serious reading out of them.  DC’s definitely pushing it with five pieces stuffed in one issue.

Justice League Dark #4 – Review

By: Peter Milligan (writer), Mikel Janin (artist), Ulises Arreola (colorist)

The Story: Now, now, June, there’s nothing to lose your head about.

The Review: As a reviewer, I try to keep my biases under control when I do these things, or at least make them obvious when I can’t keep them inside anymore.  So I’ll admit it: I really looked forward to this series back when all the new 52 were announced.  It featured a bunch of my favorite characters within one of my favorite genres, and it had a fairly qualified writer and artist on deck to boot.  But now I must confess this series has been a disappointment on a lot of levels.

For while Milligan has been a competent storyteller for this series, dedicated to selling the “dark” part of the title, he has made the plot and tone dull through repetition.  He needs to understand that we get it—Enchantress has gone loco and so is her counterpart, June Moone, and so is just about everyone gathering to confront her.  In fact, I’d give good money simply to never hear the words “crazy,” “insane,” “mad,” or any synonym thereof ever again.  Milligan sprinkles them throughout every issue, and they’ve lost meaning as a result: “Enchantress has gone crazy.”  “A magic that’s stronger and crazier than [Zatanna’s].”  “Oh God, I’ve landed in a madhouse.”

Milligan just needs to learn the wisdom behind “Less is more,” or at least the value of timing.  He’s so eager to convince you of how twisted this story is, he doesn’t seem to realize that subjecting you to so much grimness can only build your resistance to it.  We’ve already seen decayed golem girlfriends come back to life, women getting themselves killed en masse in the street, and a guy who needs a seizure to activate his powers.  Homicidal children feel pretty commonplace after all that.

Justice League Dark #2 – Review

By: Peter Milligan (writer), Mikel Janin (artist), Ulises Arreola (colorist)

The Story: Enchantress would never have gotten into this funk if she had a sassy gay friend.

The Review: Now that DC has a whole host of supernatural books under their Dark group of titles, it’s easier than ever to distinguish which ones really float and which ones are clawing to get to the surface.  Milligan produced a solid effort on the premiere of this occult-based Justice League, but when taken side-by-side to his colleagues’ work in Swamp Thing or Animal Man, which feel effortlessly gripping, his story seems like it tries too hard to reach the same intensity.

Birds of Prey #12 – Review

By: Gail Simone (writer), Jesus Saiz (artist), Nei Ruffino (colorist)

The Story: The Birds tackle their latest mission, Charlie’s Angels style.

The Review: Ever since this title relaunched, it’s been hassled by the distractions of Brightest Day, and though good stories have come out of it, none have really captured the magic from Simone’s original run on Birds.  But now that the crossover material’s out of the way, Simone has the freedom to tell the stories she wants, the way she wants.

Almost no one in the comics biz writes the scene macabre as convincingly as Simone, and for good reason: most dance around making their characters “dark,” but Simone will take darkness by the throat and shove it in your face.  The opener offer no direct info about who the characters are, but some choice words (“What.  Do you see?”  “A woman’s entrails still steaming, fresh from an evisceration.”) tells you volumes about who you’re dealing with.

As graphic as they can be, Simone’s characters also never fall into caricature territory.  Beneath whatever depravity they possess, there’s humanity as well.  Lethal as the twin women undeniably seem, they’re also vulnerable.  Their attempts to appear “normal” for what they hope will be a “normal” job has an almost endearing sincerity, and even when one of them admits she sees in the Rorschach test a woman’s skull she’s stomped on, there are tears in her eyes.