Justice League of America #44 – Review

By: James Robinson (writer), Mark Bagley (artist), Rob Hunter and Norm Rapmund (inkers), Ulises Arreola (colorist)

The Story: A training session of the JLA is interrupted by a great big glowing green rock that sucks half the team into space. After the rescue, they race after it and face the demon Etrigan over who controls the rock.

What’s Good: Bagley does action well. I have small issues with his proportions, but his layouts are dynamic and people in his panels *move*. Bagley is ably assisted by thick, textured inks by Hunter and Rapmund and some bright and evocative color work by Arreola. On colors, Arreola used dominant color for a lot of panels that really helped the layout choices burst from the page – like the green explosion on the satellite, the fiery orange in Germany and the grays and earth-tones after the dust settles in the big JLA fight. The art was also consistently clear, in that no matter what was going on or how many fists were swinging, who was where and which direction they were going was never a secret.

Justice League of America #43 – Review

By: James Robinson (writer), Mark Bagley (artists), Rob Hunter and Norm Rapmund (inker)

The Story: Green Arrow is defending the JLA satellite at the same time that the rest of the JLA (plus hangers-on) are duking it out with a bunch of villains. The JLA aren’t doing well because they’re not working like a team. Dick Grayson (the guy who seems to me the most likely to eventually emerge as the leader) doesn’t have time to try to make them work better together because the villains get away. Then they find the JLA satellite trashed and Green Arrow gone hunting. They have lots to do, but their experienced, heavy-hitters have other things pulling them away. Is this JLA roster going to be dead on arrival?

What’s Good: Robinson is on his game. I trampled his work on Cry for Justice, but liked his work on New Krypton. He’s got a grip on most of his characters here, has clear personal challenges for each and has obvious (if occasionally overly-obvious) external obstacles for the heroes. This is a story about people growing into big shoes, either overtly (Dick Grayson and Donna Troy filling in for Batman and Wonder Woman on the JLA) or more subtlety (Congorilla and Starman getting to the idea that they’re good enough to be on the Justice League). And the dialogue was crisp and fun. Check out Congorilla’s deadpan lines like “I feel like I’m sixty all over again” and “Now all I need to do is make people understand that apes aren’t monkeys.”

On art, Mark Bagley gave us a mixed offering. The action sequences that require a Kirby-esque dynamism were on target and he makes flying characters look effortlessly graceful. He also did a fine job of keeping a 31-page comic with about 20 characters pretty clear. And his work on faces and expressions was excellent in close-up.

Titans #23 – Review

By: Eddie Berganza (writer), Scott Clark and Adrian Syaf (pencillers), Dave Beatty and Vicente Cifuentes (inkers)

What’s Good: This is the first time I’ve seen Eddie Berganza in the writer’s chair. He’s been editing Blackest Night, Cry for Justice, Wednesday Comics, and others up to now, but I think he did a fine job as a writer. I don’t know if this is a new direction for him or if he’s just pinch-hitting while they find a replacement for the excellent J.T. Krul who has taken over as writer of Green Arrow. Berganza takes us through the perspectives of three characters (Dick Grayson (now Batman), Wally West (now the third Flash) and Donna Troy) as they reminisce about their early adventures in the 1960 and how Speedy (now maimed and fighting for his life under medical care) touched their lives. Berganza has skillfully made all the narrators unreliable, because although they remember the same events, their individual regrets and bitterness tinge the narrative. It’s very hard to write a character that is fooling themselves or not seeing the big picture and Berganza did a good job. There’s a lot more bitterness and regret in the Titans’ history than I knew about. But, all this would be nothing if Berganza couldn’t tie this to the present and the struggles of now. Berganza does this by showing Dick, Wally and Donna struggling in their new roles (especially Dick) as some of the heavy-hitters in the DCU. Lastly, I really like how Berganza made Speedy/Red Arrow both a sympathetic and unsympathetic by showing his errors and his core humanity as a father, with the added tension that he still doesn’t know his daughter is dead. All in all, Berganza has shown that he is every bit the character writer that Krul is.

Clark, Syaf, Beatty and Cifuentes did some fine work too on the art chores. They separated the past from the present with the shadows and tones of the inking. The scenes set in the past had almost no inking on the characters, even in the dark, which made the scenes effectively moody and even a bit ghostly, which underscored the unreliability of some of the narrators.

Justice League: Cry for Justice #6 – Review

By: James Robinson (writer), Scott Clark (artist), Siya Oum (colors)

The Story: Supergirl has discovered out that Freddy is really Prometheus in disguise. An all-out battle follows.

What’s Good: Mauro Cascioli’s artwork was what held me to this book when everything else crumbled. You can imagine my disappointment when I discovered that Scott Clark had been subbed in on the art. However, Clark (who also helped out last issue) did a pretty good job of keeping alive the stylistic feel that Cascioli had established. Check out the gritty texture and the fine detail of Freddy changing into Prometheus. Or, look at how Clark did a brilliant job on the double splash page of stacked panels to show the JLA attacking Prometheus. Clear, dynamic and moment-to-moment. Scott Clark is welcome to pencil any series I’m reading!

Titans #21 – Review

By: J.T. Krul (writer), Angel Unzueta & Chris Batista (pencils), Wayne Faucher (inker)

The Story: Fractured, Part One: The Titans are mopping up a second string crew of thieves. Donna is pretty upset about what Prometheus has done to Roy in Cry for Justice #5. Flash is going through a crisis of his own due to the return of Barry Allen. Kory has been offered a berth on the Justice League, but doesn’t know what to do. And Cyborg is stuck thinking about what to do with this evaporating team.

What’s Good: As you can tell from the summary, Krul has set up a character-heavy story. I first noticed his work on those 1-issue solo Titans stories that came after that god-awful Deathtrap arc. He shows here that he’s just as able to simultaneously make life painful for five characters as he is for just one. There’s so much good stuff in here that I’ll just stick to some of my favorite moments: Donna Troy, going to town on Vault with a ton of anger; Wally West, running backwards, faster than Carom, and trash-talking; Wally’s take on the return of Barry Allen and what it means to him; and Kory’s visit to Batman, particularly her insight into him. I also loved how she explained away Donna’s criticism of the visit and repositioned what she was doing in terms of her culture and who she is. What was a bonus for this book was seeing Dick Grayson as Batman, and how he is adapting to a role, rather than changing his personality. No one but Kory could have seen that subtle distinction, because no one else has watched him so long with so much interest. Krul is doing some really subtle nuance work with these characters. On the art, we got some dynamic action sequences and some good layout work.

Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #2 – Review

By: Greg Rucka (writer), Nicola Scott and Eduardo Pansica (pencillers), Jonathan Glapion & Eber Ferreira (inkers)

The Story: The contents of this issue take place entirely between the back splash page of Blackest Night #5 (Wonder Woman becomes a black lantern) and the back splash page of Blackest Night #6 (Wonder Woman becomes a star sapphire). It is a 22-page path of carnage as Black Lantern Wonder Woman treats Mera, Donna, Cassie and her mother to an Amazon zombie battle axe fiesta.

What’s Good: I enjoyed Rucka’s triple narrative following Diana through her torment. Her own thoughts (“Stop this.”), warred with the black lantern’s words (“Everyone you loved is dead.”), while the sleazy ring keeps up creepy subtext (“Flesh. Rage.”). It was fun technique to read, even if it took a bit more effort. Rucka also did a good job of making Mera a kickass character (something Geoff Johns and James Robinson are also doing in other issues). She took a beating and delivered one too. Scott and Pansica delivered some fine work on the art side, with lots of expressive faces and moody shots.

Wonder Woman #39 – Review

By: Gail Simone (writer), Aaron Lopresti (art), Matt Ryan (inks), Brad Anderson (colorist)

The Story: Warkiller Finale: Queen Alkyone has fragmented the Amazons and isolated the true queen, her consort, and Diana. Now she has summoned a monster from beneath Paradise Island itself to kill Diana and Ares’ finale plot is hatching.

What’s Good: The Warkiller arc built up to this issue. Now, in a carefully controlled way, Simone brought together all the pieces into one big climax. This issue does what must be done in any good Act III – it answers all the questions and releases the reader’s emotions. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but Simone had me on some tense highs and some feelings of immense satisfaction as the conclusion unfolded. I cheered not only for Diana’s heroism and her Superman-level power (used to kick ass), but for the insight and wisdom Simone seems to give her in every issue. I elated with the quick reversals. One moment Diana and Achilles were in the zone, the next Alkyone and the dragon had them on the ropes. And back again. Like the best action movies, Simone also kept me guessing even on stuff I could see in front of me. The cavalry becomes the enemy. A monster becomes a magical ally. An ally becomes your killer. Simone tricked me (in the way the best writers misdirect) again and again and I loved it. Finally, you also get a lot of fun divine moments, like Athena and Zeus talking like the weathered ancients they are, or when Ares makes his move, or when Zeus switches on a very powerful piece of magic. And I loved it when Achilles told Alkyone never stab someone whose heart comes from a god. Good advice! Alkyone should write that down.

Blackest Night #5 – Review

By Geoff Johns (writer), Ivan Reis (penciller), Oclair Albert & Joe Prado (inkers)

The Story: The leaders of the seven lantern corps ready themselves for an assault on the black power battery. Barry Allen and Wally West lead the DCU’s heavy hitters against the tide of black lanterns defending their own power battery in Coast City.

What’s Good: There is an epic scale going on here, more than I’ve seen in other major comic book events. It really is for all the marbles. Johns elicited the same emotions I had when I read Return of the King or Crisis on Infinite Earths. And just when I thought things couldn’t get worse, they do.

Although the scale of the action doesn’t allow very many character moments, Johns exploited the ones he does have. I loved the scene with the Flashes. Wally’s line “I’m the Nightwing to your Batman,” to Barry was revealing, almost as much as Barry’s reply “You’re the Flash to my Flash.” I can’t wait until April 2010 to see what Johns does with these characters in the new Flash series.

There’s lots of zombie slapdown if you’re more into the slugfest-apocalypse side of things. We also get to see Dove take on the black lanterns. For those who followed the Blackest Night: Titans miniseries, you’ll know what I’m talking about. And while we’re on the Titans mini, Donna Troy is now in a worse place in Blackest Night #5. I’m loving the fact that the Blackest Night minis are subplots and what happens in them affects the main book. Most events forget that.

Reis, Albert, Prado and Sinclair bring on some fine artwork. I’ve gone on and on about this art team in other BN reviews, but just to pick out a couple of the more evocative images, I really loved the bony matrix that the Atom and Mera shrank into and I loved the ropey muscle under dead the grey skin of the black guardian. The color work was ethereal in the right places and the mood dark and black in others.

What’s Not So Good: In all honesty, there’s little to complain about in Blackest Night. It’s true that writers can’t sustain tension on a high note forever, but I found some of the wise-cracking by the lantern corps a bit inauthentic for the level of tension that had already been established. Maybe those lanterns are scared and overcompensating, but to make that work, you need to lay a bit more ground work on the way the characters feel inside. That gets me to my main point about the book, which is not a flaw, but inevitability in an epic. It’s really hard to find the space to show what characters feel. I mentioned the great Flash moments above, but I couldn’t help but miss the perspectives of Superman and Wonder Woman. They’re so big that if they’re on the page, you expect much of the DCU to be turning to them for leadership and courage. All these are minor points, or results of the creative choices Johns et al had to make.

Conclusion: Another strong issue of Blackest Night. If you haven’t picked up this series yet, I’m not sure there’s help for you.

Grade: A-

-DS Arsenault

 

 

Justice League: Cry For Justice #5 – Review

By James Robinson (writer), Mauro Casciolo & Scott Clark (artists), Adam Schlagman (assistant editor), Eddie Berganza (editor)

The Story: The whole issue is one meeting after another, wherein heroes tell each other what has happened so far and start arguments they don’t finish. The only exceptions to the absence of action are the shocking last three pages of story.

What’s Good: Cascioli’s art continues to blow me away. It is so powerful, that for the first half of the issue, I didn’t realize nothing was happening or that the characters were incomprehensible. The muscle work, texture, shading, skin tones, postures and facial expressions are blowing every other artist in comics out of the water. Incidentally, Donna Troy never looked better. Check out panel 4 of page 1. Now, there’s no dramatic reason for her to be in a bathing suit, but the view is great and the gratuitous T&A distracts from the story problems.

What’s Not So Good: For the most part, I’ve enjoyed Robinson’s work on Superman: World of New Krypton, which was what had me so surprised that Cry for Justice seems to be falling apart before my eyes. I used suspension of disbelief to buy into the idea that some major and central characters in the DCU took up vengeance as a deeply-held value to be pursued to the point that they would break ranks with friends and loved ones. Yet, by issues 4 and 5 of Cry for Justice, Mik and Congo Bill have changed their minds, and Green Arrow is back at the Justice League HQ as if nothing has happened.

Black Canary said it best when she said that these guys only came back because Prometheus is too big to chew on. Now, if you accept the idea that Prometheus, although smart, could really hold out for more than a couple of seconds against Green Lantern, Supergirl or Shazam, then the conviction and depth of our heroes’ beliefs is pretty shallow. If, on the other hand, Prometheus is as weak as he appears to me, then the writer is moving all these characters around for his own ends, and not the story’s.

Either option is bad, but given the other motivational problems and choices in the book, I’d opt for the second. Robinson wants to build his new JLA and he’s doing it here, even if what the characters are doing makes no sense. Let me give you a few incomprehensible character moments: Supergirl, Congorilla, Green Arrow and Black Canary are around a gravely, gravely injured teammate. What do they do? Supergirl cauterizes a dismembered limb and rushes off with Congo Bill to “Get the bastard who did this!” Green Arrow, overcome with grief, wants to stay to help (for god’s sake, someone give him first aid!), but Black Canary, the one he’d been fighting with GA about the whole vengeance thing before, suddenly says “Keep focused. You need to find who did this!” Where did this come from in her? What’s Green Arrow’s response? “Let’s get the son of a bitch” (and leave dear friend dying of shock). There are more. Watch for them.

The issue also feels episodic, with one conversation bleeding into another, with a huge cast, very little momentum and no action until the last pages. Arguments and anger flare and don’t go anywhere. New heroes join the effort with little enthusiasm or explanation required. And worst of all, most of the issue is filled with characters standing around doing nothing.

Conclusion: Art wise, I don’t think there’s another artist in comics I’d rather see right now than Casciolo, but he couldn’t save this issue, and probably not this series. Save your money. Wait until Robinson starts on the main JLA title in 2010. It isn’t really important why some people are on the JLA and others aren’t, is it? Even if you read Cry for Justice, I’m not sure it becomes any clearer.

Grade: D

-DS Arsenault

 

Wonder Woman #37 – Review

by Gail Simone (writer), Bernard Chang (artist), Sean Ryan (associate editor), Elizabeth Gehrlein (editor)

The Story: Warkiller, Part 2: Diana’s early morning privacy is disturbed by Ares (whom we last saw with Diana’s axe in his head), who has come to promise her that even though he is dead, he isn’t done with her. He’s going to strike at her through her people, the Amazons. After he leaves, Diana does some heavy thinking, about the visit, and about who and what she has become and how her enemies have used her loved ones to strike at her. She chooses to head home, but every part of the greeting she gets is entirely unexpected.

What’s Good: Simone continues to hit the right notes with Diana, her strengths and her vulnerabilities. Simone makes her a kick-ass character with a lot of dimensions to her. She’s not just muscle. She’s got brains and heart too, which is what makes her different (and superior) to every other heroine in comics. (In my opinion, the only one who comes close to Diana in this respect is Claremont’s Ororo.) It also means that Diana’s solutions to problems end up being different than the ones of other heroes. Simone’s deft development of multi-dimensional characters does not end at Diana. I saw something new in Ares in this issue. Layering his resolve and his violence is a pain and regret that wasn’t there before. It is a measure of Simone’s skill that this does not diminish him, but makes him more intriguing. He’s no Magneto yet, but Simone has taken the first steps in that direction. Same goes for Alkyone and Achilles. I loved seeing the Amazon foreplay going on between them. Don’t worry. It’s nothing over the top, but the flavor is definitely more Klingon than romantic comedy.

What’s Not So Good: I know Bernard Chang’s been doing a bit of Wonder Woman art here and there, but his cartoony style feels like a step down from Lopresti, who really made Simone’s vision come alive for me. I checked out the DC website and Lopresti is listed as the artist for issue 38, so all I’ll say is that I hope he had a good vacation. I don’t think Chang is a poor artist. I just don’t think the style is right for Wonder Woman.

Conclusion: The mismatched artist really put this book off its game, despite a really great story by Simone. Still, this is the second part of a 4-issue arc, so you might not want to miss it.

Grade: C

-DS Arsenault

Blackest Night: Titans #3 – Review

by JT Krul (writer), Ed Benes (art), Rex Ogle (assistant editor), Brian Cunningham and Eddie Berganza (editors)

The Story: The Titans are trapped in a massive slugfest with the dead.

What’s Good: Krul did a great job of tying a lot of the feeling of Blackest Night together. Blackest Night is about making every hero in the DCU feel loss, regret, horror and despair, as much as humanly possible, and then seeing how they react. Donna Troy turns out to be a serious badass. You can tell that Krul got James Robinson’s memo that Donna Troy is going to be a major heavy in his new JLA in January, because she’s a major heavy in this one. She’s a great hero. She feels pain, regret and sorrow, but she does what she has to do to lead her friends out of the darkness. It’s a great show. Krul also worked with Gar, the perennial loser at love, who regrets and yet still loves, even though he feels stupid about who he still loves. Krul has caught something important about love here. You don’t get to pick who. Love doesn’t make sense, but you still have to deal with it. Gar’s arc in this book is great to watch. On the writing and story, I finally have to say that I love that they found a new weapon to use against the Black Lanterns. They found two in Blackest Night: Superman, one here, and one in the main Blackest Night series, so I’m feeling a bit of hope.

On the art, I know some people don’t like Benes’ stuff. He likes to draw beautiful people. But even if Donna Troy’s neckline seemed to plunge especially low in this issue, every panel told the story clearly and cleanly. At no time did I have to ask myself what was going on. Everyone, hero and zombie, had a distinctive look, even if half the cast was colored with gray tones. And Benes delivered a few great visions. Garfield, as a bear or a dinosaur, turns out to be pretty effective at kicking zombie tail. Donna Troy’s hands turn out to be WMDs against these villains, even if the villains come back two minutes later.

What’s Not So Good: Okay, I’ll take a shot at the necklines. Donna Troy’s almost reaches her navel and Starfire’s costume looks like it got left in the drier too long. I know that companies have to push up (pun intended) sales to pubescent boys, but when heroines are over-sexualized for reasons that have nothing to do with the story (there are many examples in many comics), it takes away from the story. That’s the definition of gratuitous, plain and simple.

Conclusion: Krul and Benes delivered a very fine conclusion to this miniseries. Gar and Donna went through some heart-rending experiences that will change them as people. If you are fans of those characters, then this miniseries matters to you. And if you are not, you will be by the end of this book. Recommended.

Grade: B+

-DS Arsenault

 

Blackest Night: Titans #2 – Review

By J.T. Krul (writer), Ed Benes (artist), Scott Williams and Ed Benes (inkers)

The Story: Donna Troy’s dead husband and baby come after her as Black Lanterns. Black Lantern Terra and a few other old friends from the post-living move to smash Gar, Kid Flash, Cyborg and Starfire. Hawk and Dove fight Black Lantern Hawk before Terra plays with the foundations of the Titans Tower. Then things get really messy, zombie-apocalypse style…

What’s Good: The art is fantastic. I’ve always liked Benes, even though I know his art doesn’t fit everyone’s taste. I think a case can and should be made for him, on the basis of well-rendered figures, muscles, emotions and action that carry right through the book.

On the writing side, Krul delivered a solid Act Two. In a three-act series, the situation for the heroes gets worse and worse throughout Act Two, until the last straw is thrown on. The menace is there and it is scary (zombie baby – just picture it). Our heroes get in some great shots, though. Gar gets a wrestling smash in on Black Lantern Terra, Cyborg’s white sound seems to hurt them while Starfire leaves a smoking black lantern ring on a crispy, re-dead finger. Any bets on how long that finger stays crispy? Finally, in terms on villainous power, now I have slightly more respect for Terra.

What’s Not So Good: Not much to complain about. I’m not completely up on all my Titans mythos, so the identities of some of the villains were question marks for me without much more than clues to go on. The colors didn’t blow me away: competent, but not stellar. The grays and blacks and browns eventually became a bit overpowering. Even the spectrum of emotion colors didn’t look like more that a blurry patchwork. But these are smallish point in an otherwise pretty solid book. And if Krul left me with one dominant emotion, it was relief…that I don’t live in the DC universe.

Conclusion: If you’re following Blackest Night, even if you’re not a huge Titans fan, I recommend picking up this book (the first issue is probably still on some stands too). It’s a great story of fear and the undead hitting the DC universe, with fantastic art and an overwhelming menace.

Grade: B

-DS Arsenault