Young Justice S02E20 – Review

By: Kevin Hopps (story)

The Story: As if Earth’s atmosphere didn’t have enough problems already.

The Review: There’s a reason why sitcoms usually go for an hour when they do their series finale.  While half an hour may be enough to deliver a neatly wrapped story for that one episode, a finale has more than just one story to resolve.  Over the course of a show’s lifetime, you have a lot of individual plot threads that need revisiting, loose ends to tie up, and of course, plenty of goodbyes, not just among the characters themselves, but between you and the show, too.

Although I have no evidence of this, I imagine the producers of Young Justice probably fought for an hour finale only to be, as so many of us have been, cruelly disappointed by Cartoon Network.  As a result, they were forced to deliver an epic conclusion to their Invasion storyline and hit a ton of other beats besides, all within a twenty-one minute episode.  Unsurprisingly, the finale ends up speeding through nearly every scene, leaving you winded when it’s all over.

Young Justice S02E15 – Review

By: Jon Weisman (story)

The Story: It stands to reason that a race which envisioned the Death Star wouldn’t fall for a massive planet-destroying spaceship.

The Review: For anyone experiencing early pangs of nostalgia and grief about the impending end of this show, the show doesn’t make it easier by continuing to stick to its high level of excellence despite the doom before it.  It especially doesn’t help when the show manages to deliver not only a respectable episode, but one of the best showings it’s ever made, one that puts all its sophistication, class, and appeal right in the forefront for everyone to see.

As much as I appreciate the show returning briefly to the “Wanted” Leaguers and their trial on Rimbor, the scene only serves as a catalyst for a much bigger and more important development for our heroes back on Earth.  The introduction of WarWorld, with its zooming dissolves and brisk exposition, feels truly epic, the stuff worthy of a blockbuster action-adventure film.  For anyone wondering, this is how you inform the audience of the episode’s premise without forcing them to slog through a long, excessively detailed briefing.

Young Justice S02E10 – Review

By: Kevin Hopps (story)

The Story: This will teach Miss Martian to look before she leaps—into someone’s brain.

The Review: As I understand it, there’s some weirdness going on with the release of these episodes.  The official schedule set this episode to come out in January, but apparently, you can the jump on the television viewers if you have iTunes—or various “other sources,” as I do.  I won’t say more, just in case Cartoon Network’s intelligence community catches wind and breaks down my door, demanding turnover of my Young Justice episode.

They would have to pry it from my struggling fingers, too, because this was a highly enjoyable episode.  It puts on display every virtue this show has boasted from the beginning, and all the others it’s gained since its second season.  It also starts the show on the path towards the culmination of every major plotline it’s introduced in the last nine episodes.

Young Justice S02E08 – Review

By: Greg Weisman (story)

The Story: The original Roy Harper proves he can take on Lex Luthor with only one hand.

The Review: I will never understand this show’s habit of going on hiatus mid-season.  Of course, this is the same show which aired its pilot months before the rest of the first season episodes, then took a summer-long break in between.  I’m sure there are some very good practical reasons why all this must be so, but it’s annoying anyway.  You would never put up with this on a lesser show.

However, Young Justice has the good fortune of being a very good show, so it can afford its logistical oddities from time to time.  We left off last time with some fairly gnarly plot twists, and this episode shows that the creators have given plenty of thought over the summer as to how to proceed.  More than any other cartoon I’ve heard seen on American television, this series does not mess around when it comes to exploring its stories from every possible angle.

Young Justice S02E03 – Review

By: Kevin Hopps (story)

The Story: Now this is the textbook definition of “frienemies.”

The Review: One thing that has really impressed me with this show is how well the writers have paced themselves in terms of revealing major plot points, throwing in the occasional twist, and building up character storylines.  Although season one had the rare filler episode, they always felt like enjoyable breaks rather than irritating distractions because the nearly every episode had some overarching importance to it.

Season two continues that trend, only now the writers have to do double-duty in setting the grounds for future events, but also bringing us up to speed on the current state of affairs for the characters.  Of course, we’re all wondering about the missing YJers, the ones that haven’t stayed on as mentors or that haven’t moved up to the big leagues.  You have to wonder if their departures were amicable, violent, or something uncomfortably in between.

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.

Superman #713 – Review

By: J. Michael Straczynski & Chris Roberson (writers), Diogenes Neves, Oclair Albert, Eddy Barrows, JP Mayer, Jamal Igle, Jon Sibal (artists), Marcelo Maiolo (colorist)

The Story: This is a job for Superman!  What?  He’s not there?  Leave a voicemail, I guess….

The Review: No matter how much you get into a superhero comic, at some point you’ll notice the faint tingle of suspended belief tingling at your amygdala (or whatever part of your brain matters of faith are located in—obviously I should never be anyone’s doctor or shrink).  But keep it at bay you must, otherwise all sorts of uncomfortable questions about the logic and realism of what you’re reading will cow your simple pleasure into submission.

But when the writer himself chooses to address those questions, there’s really nothing you can do about it, is there?  Fortunately, Roberson brings up several valid, thought-provoking issues that neatly ponder the implications of having a super-powered alien in our midst:  the fear of his overwhelming might; whether he can be trusted to use his powers appropriately; the possible resentment from the mere mortals.

The subject matter works; the format which Roberson chooses to address these things does not.  Characters telling stories within stories can be tricky to begin with, but in a comic, a bunch of brief, exemplary anecdotes just produces facts and details with little to no movement or substance whatsoever.  Having Clark and his “guide” asking random passerby their opinions on Superman certainly adds no dramatic depth, and it just seems inherently forced.

Teen Titans #97 – Review

By: J.T. Krul (writer), Nicola Scott (penciller), Doug Hazlewood (inker), Jason Wright (colorist)

The Story: Who cares how many there are?  You’ve seen one demon, you’ve seen ‘em all.

The Review: If you’re going to dislike a certain writer’s style, it’s probably a good idea to be clear about what turns you off about their work, and an especially good idea if you’re reviewing their pieces for public view.  By now you’ve probably caught on to the fact that I don’t really care for Krul’s writing, and since we’re on the final chapter of his opening story arc on this title, now seems a good time as any for me to get into some specifics.

The man can’t let an issue go by without inserting at least one pontificating homily on whatever theme he has going on in the story.  Readers should be free to infer whatever theme they can get out of the writing, and certainly it doesn’t need to be shoved under our noses.  And can there be a less engaging opener than a preachy monologue?  Red Robin: “…confidence has a lot to do with being a good leader.  But that confidence is not about believing in your own ability.  It’s about believing in your team.”  No one likes a high-minded goody-goody, Tim.

Superboy #9 – Review

By: Jeff Lemire (writer), Pier Gallo (artist), Jaime Grant & Dom Regan (colorists)

The Story: It’s like looking in a mirror, isn’t it?  Make that several hundred mirrors.  In 3D.

The Review: It’s sometimes difficult to take teen superheroes seriously partly due to their smaller scale adventures.  Their villains tend to be sub-par versions of more famous counterparts (not unlike the heroes they face off with), and even when they manage some degree of originality, they rarely pose the kind of serious threat Justice Leaguers face on a daily basis.

Superboy sure has come a long way from sparring with King Shark off the Hawaiian coast.  Ever since he saved the universe during Infinite Crisis, his caliber of villain has definitely gone up a notch.  Limiting his flying grounds to Smallville seemed on the surface to hold him back, but this issue proves there’s plenty of dastardly stuff happening in the Midwestern farm town, and let out of control, the world will no doubt suffer.

Of course, the fact Phantom Stranger is involved should be proof enough that Superboy faces nothing short of an epic challenge, especially considering the fedora-wearing man’s unusually urgent behavior of late.  This recent take-charge attitude turns out to be a ruse for a pretty significant plot twist, one with half a chance of surprising you.  Although Lemire does a fairly good job using Stranger’s cryptic clauses to cover up the big reveal at the end, let’s face it: old P.S. has been acting rather out of character (read: grim and patronizing) lately.

Actually, we get quite a lot of major developments this issue, as Psionic Lad’s (Psion, I should say, as he and Simon agree the “Lad” part sounds more like something his great-uncle would’ve really dug) loyalties finally get put to the test.  While it’s comforting to see his moral compass remains squarely in goodhearted territory, it all becomes a moot point when the mission in Smallville’s underground Hollowville takes a turn for the worse.

Action Comics #902 – Review

By: Paul Cornell (writer), Kenneth Rocafort & Axel Giménez (artists), Brad Anderson (colorist)

The Story: And I was like Doomsday, Doomsday, Doomsday, no…  Stop singing?  Okay.

The Review: One thing you’ll notice with a lot of movies nowadays is that they’ll pile on the action to keep you from noticing how little story there is to begin with.  After the last explosion has flared from the screen and you come blinking out of the theater, you’ll suddenly think, What the heck was all that about?  That trend has definitely infected the decompressed story arc in comics, though some writers manage to disguise it better than others.

But even a writer as clever as Cornell can only do so much to cover for a largely nonsensical storyline, though he uses every trick in the book to do it.  Actually, the whole thing reads like a hysterically spliced mashup of every action film trope ever made: rampaging clones, time-traveling killers, giant objects from space hurtling towards Earth, massive tidal waves, and ensuing global hysteria.  With all that, you can’t actually say nothing happens in the issue.

And yet nothing does happen in this issue.  To begin with, you have a very hard time following the premise of the story: someone (you don’t know who) has cloned a number of Doomsdays, who obviously threaten to destroy the Earth, so the Super-family intervenes, only to have their brawl interrupted by an intelligent Doomsday from a parallel universe who to wishes destroy the cloned Doomsdays, but when he’s prevent from doing so, he unleashes them to destroy Earth.  Got it?  Good—now explain it to me, because frankly, I can’t make head or tail of it.

In a complete turnaround to the complex character development Cornell brought to the title when it still starred Lex Luthor, subtlety flies out the window here.  Doomslayer gets the broadest moments by far (“The essential anger of what I am makes me do these things!  But all that ends today!  Do you understand?!”), but Superman’s thought bubble sequence definitely takes the cake in leaving nothing to the imagination: “Lois.  I could get there first.  Fly her away.  Then to Ma’s—NO.  You don’t get to choose one life over another.  Never mind one over millions.”  I’m usually a sucker for pure-hearted virtue, but this just reeked of fishing for respect.

Superman #712 – Review

By: Kurt Busiek (writer), Rick Leonardi (penciller), Jonathan Sibal (inker), Brad Anderson (colorist)

The Story: What’s the matter, boy?  What?  Connor’s stuck in a time-space crisis?  Let’s go!

The Review: As much love exists between a man and his dog, it has nothing on that between a dog and his boy.  As a clone with hyper-accelerated growth, Superboy had little in the way of a typical boy’s life—and that’s before he started playing the teen vigilante in Hawaii, often with two girls on either arm.  But owning a dog can’t fail to inject some responsibility into your life, so Krypto has had the effect of normalizing Connor a great deal.

Most writers have fun with Krypto as Superboy’s loyal companion, but few have really explored the depth of his affection for Connor.  I can think of no better man to do so than Busiek, whose work on Astro City proves him as one of the greatest humanizers of superheroes.  Here, he shows what makes Krypto inarguably the most appealing and lovable of super-pets (besides the fact that he’s a dog with a cape, of course).

Underneath all his powers, Superman is in spirit an overgrown Eagle Scout with your good ol’ Midwestern values, and by the same token, Krypto has the soul of a playful, devoted hound.  Busiek lets that soul shine in all of the super-canine’s behavior in this issue, making the story that much more touching.  Really, if you look past his flying around and using X-ray vision, this is at heart the tale of a dog looking for his lost boy.

Even so, Krypto’s powers allow greater understanding than most dogs, giving that much more weight to his simple range of emotions.  As he tracks Connor’s trail (during the events of Infinite Crisis), his enhanced senses give him rich details of what his owner got up to, ending amidst the ruins of Alexander Luthor’s world-destroying tower, which Connor destroyed at the cost of his life.  Krypto’s glass-shattering howl upon the discovery is a poignant allusion to Superman’s cry upon Supergirl’s death in the original Crisis on Infinite Earths, and quite heartrending.

Superboy #8 – Review

By: Jeff Lemire (writer), Pier Gallo (artist), Jamie Grant & Dom Regan (colorists)

The Story: Superboy and the Chamber of Secrets.

The Review: The moment Lemire launched this title, he injected a supernatural tone to the Smallville mythos that he many times said he would expand in time.  The Phantom Stranger’s multiple appearances heralded significant horrors to come for the Boy of Steel, but till now we’ve gotten radio-controlled frogs, time-traveling psychics, and plants from outer space.  Superboy seemed well on his way to joining his cousins in primarily sci-fi-based heroics.

Then this issue comes, and magic once again rears its unpredictable head, in the form of the Hollow Men, your classic creepy farmers with a twist of zombie.  This isn’t your usual Western European tradition of mysticism: witches and warlocks, nonsense words and fairy creatures.  Lemire takes a much more primal kind of magic and gives it a mad-scientist spin, a union that really suits the earthy, Midwestern backdrop of Smallville and Superboy’s scientific roots.

The arcane elements in this issue are equal parts alchemy, necromancy, and druidism, a perfect match for the eerie frontier of Smallville’s Wild West, the setting for Nathaniel Kent and Albert Valentine’s encounter with the town’s darker side.  It’s got all the stuff that makes great ghost stories: the banished Puritan doctor and his disturbed family; hidden spaces with macabre secrets; shudder-worthy murders; the inevitable building gone down in flames.

Like all great ghost stories, these details inevitably come back to haunt the real world once more, as the entire town falls into a stupor right before Connor’s eyes.  The answer lies of course in the “broken silo,” his only clue to the mysterious events of #2, and the place Nathaniel Kent found has more to it “than life and death,” in the words of crazed surgeon-occultist Eben Took.  Our payoff: the final splash showing what’s “below” Smallville, a stunner of a reveal if there’s any.

Action Comics #901 – Review

By: Paul Cornell (writer), Kenneth Rocafort & Jesus Merino (artists), Brad Anderson (colorist)

The Story: To kill five Super-people, of course you need five Doomsdays, right?

The Review: In my review of Superboy #6, I described Doomsday as a shallow character who no one cared (or at least, I didn’t) much to see again, a statement worth elaborating on given how this issue plays out.  Doomsday, for all the hype surrounding him, simply exists as a means to endanger Superman, that’s all.  D-day has little thought or depth to his character, and almost no potential to be anything more than a convenient way to threaten Superman.

Small wonder then Cornell’s previously excellent writing on this series has devolved along with the class of villain featured in this storyline.  Mind-boggling as it is to believe, the script comes off generic—at best!—and confusing, a big step down from the thoughtful, elaborate, and witty material we’ve been used to getting when Lex Luthor ran this title.  Cornell even descends to moments of melodrama: “Lois, I will find my way back to you!”

It’s hard to tell whether the confusion of this issue comes more from the almost absolute lack of direction (the Super-family literally don’t know how to get out of the starship) or from the puzzling motivations of the characters, like Superman choosing to drag Doomsday along with them because he’s “worried the other Doomsdays might harm it.”  Why exactly would they harm essentially the source of their creation?  And how can the original Doomsday get harmed by his lesser-powered clones anyway?

There’s a lot of chattiness in this issue, yet without much purpose to the chatter except to kill time before we can claw our way to getting this storyline over with.  It really shows how the characters have no idea what to do with themselves.  Eradicator: “—this looks like a language…  If we could start to translate it…”  Superman: “Yes, that should be part of our long-term plans.”  The implication they could be staying here for much longer is enough to make you wince.

Teen Titans #95 – Review

By: J.T. Krul (writer), Nicola Scott (penciller), Doug Hazlewood (inker), Jason Wright (colorist)

The Story: First rule of creepy-island exploring: don’t split up!  Geez, doesn’t anyone learn from movies?

The Review: Writing these reviews can get a little tricky.  A lot of the times, there’s so much to say even about one issue that parsing down the most pertinent points can be a challenge.  And it’s not just the good ones; even a terrible issue—dare I say, especially the terrible issues—can generate a lot of commentary.  I almost never run into a situation where I’ve got nothing to talk about.

But today’s dosage of Teen Titans proves it’s the mediocre material that offers the least interest.  Some decent action goes on, but rather than providing energy to the story, it just goes through the motions, as if Krul’s following the formula for the classic “group in a hostile environment” plot: steal away one, have the group follow, then pick them off one or two at a time, with some dashed hopes peppered in between.

Even not-Ravager’s turnaround feels a bit forced and predictable, since all of us knew from last issue she was a fake.  The whole sequence where she leads Superboy away from the group to backstab him feels very familiar, although you’ve got to enjoy how incredibly thickheaded he is to not see all the red flags: “This place.  It frightens me… Can you not feel the fear in my heart?  Please, you mustn’t let anything happen to me.”  Come on—she’s not even trying!

Most of the plot just feels stale, but there are a couple inescapably pointless moments.  It’s one thing for Kid Flash to fail in his rescue of Cassie and the others—that’s part of the formula.  It’s another to make him go through such a desperate final action, like setting a whole mountaintop on fire as a distress signal, only to have no one take note of it at any point.  They won’t need it to find the enemy anyway, since Rankor essential becomes the mountaintop at the end of the issue.

Superboy #7 – Review

By: Jeff Lemire (writer), Marco Rudy with Daniel HDR (artists), Jamie Grant & Dom Regan (colorists)

The Story: Superboy discovers what the fuss is all about with these hallucinogenic plants.

The Review: Ever since Geoff Johns wrote Superboy as the product of the world’s greatest hero and the world’s greatest villain, this dual nature has become a focal point of his character—too much so, in fact.  Ignoring the fact that genetics don’t really work that way, this plot point has infected almost every Superboy story since it first came to light, which has really cramped the Kid of Steel’s style.  It’s like writers are trying to wring the issue for all the angst it’s worth.

Superboy’s nightmare come to life falls under those lines.  Now, there’s nothing wrong with the way Lemire executes the story.  He actually keeps things clipping at a quick pace with his habit of jarring scene-cuts. You’re constantly shunted back and forth between Superboy and Psionic Lad’s present mystery in orbital space, and the future apocalyptic hellscape, which Connor apparently unleashes on the world.  It definitely keeps you invested in what the heck is going on.

Instinct tells you to think this is where Psi-Lad reveals his true colors.  You know he’s from the future, and that it’s a grim dystopia (or so he says), and he’s intended to turn on Superboy at some point, so all the signs for his betrayal get put in place.  But once Lori and Red Robin show up in this alternate timeline, and they don’t seem to get from Connor’s t-shirt/jeans get-up that he’s not the ruthless murderer they seem to know, you know something fishy’s happening.

Teen Titans #94 – Review

By: J.T. Krul (writer), Nicola Scott (penciller), Doug Hazlewood (inker), Jason Wright (colorist)

The Story: If all you know about Hinduism is the Kama Sutra, let me tell you—there’s nastier where that came from.

The Review: In a lot of ways, this current round of Teen Titans has been around each other a pretty long time.  Kid Flash, Red Robin, and Superboy have worked together long before they even became Young Justice, when they were still known as Impulse, Robin, and…Superboy.  This crew has experienced Raven’s rebirth, Superboy’s clone rage, Kid Flash’s sudden age progression and death, and Superboy’s saving the universe—and death.

So it’s discouraging to see how tepid their interaction has been on this series so far.  A lot of what they have to say just goes through the motions of personality, but without any real life behind it: “Wonder Girl’s lasso.  She wouldn’t leave it behind.  Not ever.”  “No sign of her…but there’s a lot of dark cloud cover limiting visibility.”  There’s just something distant and kind of clinical about these lines, making it feel like they’re strangers talking to each other.

The scene where the Titans search through the demon forest and muse on which of them could be the modern-day Rama comes closest to getting an actual team dynamic.  Unfortunately, it’s mostly between Ravager, who we all know is Krul’s favorite, and his original character Solstice.  While the two girls supply most of the energy in this issue (“So this Ramen guy—”  “Rama.”  “Whatever.”), their teammates’ responses never fail to underwhelm (“Me?”  “Huh?”).

Certainly they get no help from Raven, who has lately become a major buzzkill to every issue, increasingly obsessed over her own dark nature.  She kind of has an excuse in this arc, as being in a demonic dimension likely brings out the worst (read: histrionics) in her.  That doesn’t make you stop wishing she’d just get her breakdown over with already.  Then maybe she can move on and go back to the eager-to-please girl trying to get her act together when this title first started.

Teen Titans #93 – Review

By: JT Krul (writer), Nicola Scott (penciller), Doug Hazlewood (inker), Jason Wright (colorist)

The Story: It’s getting dark, guys.  Hey Solstice–lend us a light?

The Review: There’s a very clear separation between what’s good, what’s bad, and what’s mediocre, but it can be difficult to explain what makes them such, especially when something falls in the big, fat binbox of “just okay.”  By nature, you’re not inclined to have much feeling about something middling in quality.  You just stick through it like you would the filler tracks on a club mix, hoping the hit single will pop up next.

Krul’s Teen Titans lands squarely in serviceable territory.  His plotting offers standard fare: kidnapping in exotic locale, possible demonic origins.  The characters don’t come off completely one-dimensional, but they don’t reveal many layers either.  The opening monologue is a good example of Krul’s limitations: it rambles, avoiding having to show anything worthwhile, and re-emphasizes “we’re…a family,” as if the more it’s said, the more it’ll convince you it’s true.

The recent page-count cut may have forced writers to drop scenes or gloss over things they might have otherwise gone into detail with, but this issue features Red Robin telling Superboy that at some point since he rejoined the team, Wonder Girl ceded leadership to him for vaguely personal reasons.  Since Krul chooses not to show this presumably significant conversation to us, we have to assume no one, not even the writer, takes Cassie’s role as leader seriously.

It’d be a relief too if the whole Connor/Cassie (Conassie?) relationship drama can be ignored from issue to issue, since it seems pointlessly angsty and frankly, agonizing over it does nothing for the characters or overall plot.  It seems clear there’s no real obstacle to their being together, and their breakup is likely forced by editorial or narrative necessity—much like the will-they-or-won’t-they plotlines that frequent almost every TV show nowadays.

Superboy #5 – Review

By: Jeff Lemire (writer), Pier Gallo (artist), Jamie Grant (colorist)

The Story: Like my alarm clock whenever I want it least, the race between Kid Flash and Superboy is on!

The Review: Some people are inclined to call interlude issues—the done-in-ones between story arcs—filler, and there’s just cause for that.  Since they tend to have lower stakes and be less involved than the usual stuff you tend to get, it’s easy to dismiss them as distractions from the bigger picture.  But interludes can be important if they not only entertain, but do some work developing the characters or laying the groundwork for the next big plot.

Lemire succeeds on all three points.  Sure, the Superboy-Kid Flash race is a hokey gimmick, but that doesn’t take away from the sheer fun and silliness of it.  It’s also a great legacy moment for the featured teen heroes, a reminder that one day they’ll take over for their predecessors and be counted among the world’s finest.  Now, I won’t spoil who wins the deal, but rest assured—it beats the obligatory “tie” that always seemed to be the result of the Superman-Flash races.

Connor’s bromance with Tim Drake is by now an old DC mainstay, and but his friendship with Bart Allen has been less developed.  As Impulse, Bart always seemed to exist in his own world, making it easy to forget he was part of the original team-up with Superboy and Robin as Young Justice.  Their heart-to-heart this issue is a nice step forward for them, with Bart’s cheerfulness taking the place of Tim’s sensibility for soothing Connor’s romantic woes.

In fact, Superboy’s interactions with all the Teen Titans sound so natural, they call attention to how awkward his relationships with his Smallville “friends” have been so far, particularly Lori.

Even now, her role in this series still remains up in the air, as Superboy himself is taking a lot of pains to exclude her from his heroic and civilian lives.  Still, the appearance of the Phantom Stranger and her many monologues show Lemire has big plans for her in the upcoming storyline.

Teen Titans #92 – Review

By: J.T. Krul (writer), Georges Jeanty (penciller), Rob Hunter (inker), Jason Wright (colorist)

The Story: These exploding Calculator robots are really harshing these Turkish clubbers’ buzz.

The Review: In crossovers, besides the stickiness of mixing up different characters (who may or may not be a good fit for each other), you’ve also got the issue of how the different styles of the writers will work together.  It’s usually best for them to co-write the story; you get a more cohesive product that way.  You also avoid the position of comparing one writer to another, which may be uncomfortable for the one who comes off weaker.

In this second half of a crossover with Red Robin, Krul shows with painful obviousness that his writing has a ways to go, quality-wise.  He’s simply not as deft or nuanced a writer as Fabien Nicieza, who wrote the first half of this story in Red Robin #20.

Their different approaches to dialogue say it all.  Nicieza’s takes for granted that these characters have history and know each other.  When Tim says, “We should—oh, sorry, Cass—you go,” he doesn’t have to explain what he’s sorry for; you get that from the context and what you know of them.  Krul feels the need to make everything explicit, resulting in chunky, in-your-face dialogue like: “Because you didn’t know [he was an android].  And killing him would have felt very real.  I couldn’t let you do that.”

The major weakness to Krul’s dialogue has always been that it doesn’t let the characters show distinctive personalities.  Most of the lines feel like babble: “If the circumstances were different, this looks like it’d be a fun place.”  Not only is this remark just silly (if there weren’t exploding robots around, everyplace would be more fun), but it’s lifeless as well—anybody could have said it.  It feels like filler, padding the time until something more meaningful happens.

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.

Superboy #4 – Review

By: Jeff Lemire (writer), Pier Gallo (artist), Jamie Grant (colorist)

The Story: Enter Psionic Lad, master of mental might, escapist of eras…and feigner of friendship.

The Review: There’s nothing like time-traveling hijinks to liven up a story.  It’s literally twice the fun: the world of the past and the world of the future.  Then there’s all the interest in connecting elements between the two, and seeing how their interaction may alter events in either period.  Time-traveling stories really only get messy when the past and future selves of the same characters come together, creating all manner of quantum loops and feedbacks that make your head spin.

Fortunately, Jeff Lemire wisely avoids bringing in space-time paradoxes on top of what is already ramping up to be an entertaining story arc.  The appearance of Psionic Lad and his grim portents of the future signal much higher-stakes challenges for Superboy—a good thing, considering what few opportunities he has had to prove his competence so far.  Even here, besides the quick tussle with the Acropolis Science-Hunters, the action level still remains pretty low-key.

Still, the intensifying drama in this issue keeps you invested in where the story’s going.  The reveal of Psionic Lad’s motivations for seeking out Superboy’s help comes at a slow burn, but laced throughout his explanations are a bunch of questionable details that keep you guessing at his true intentions.  The final scene is one right out of the Handbook of Classic Twists, but Lemire’s paced execution still gets you pumped to see how this will all blow up in their faces.

At the same time, Lemire doesn’t neglect the plot threads he’s already lain down in previous issues.  Psionic Lad’s handy abilities allow Superboy and Co. to glean some more clues about the big bad guys still lurking in Smallville.  The Science-Hunters’ reactions to Simon Valentine also indicate that we may be treated to more clues about the boy genius’ ultimate connection to the Boy of Steel.  It’s nice to know Lemire’s got a definite direction he wants to take this title.

Teen Titans #91 – Review

By: J.T. Krul (writer), Nicola Scott (penciller), Doug Hazlewood & Scott Kobush (inkers), Jason Wright (colorist)

The Story: Teens these days…if they’re not listening to terrible pop music, they’re creating black holes in their schools.

The Review: Each of the major teams in the DCU stands for something—the Justice League representing strength in numbers, while the Justice Society is for heroic legacy.  But the Teen Titans have always emphasized family among friends.  It’s not a coincidence that when those themes are kept in mind, the stories tend to work better.

That’s the case with this issue of Teen Titans, which shows some improvement over the previous ones.  J.T. Krul clearly loves writing damaged goods.  The exchange between Ravager and Robin as they try to one-up each other on who has the most screwy parents is fun to read, but also just feels natural.  Certainly that was one of my favorite topics when I was a teen.  And the fact they have this conversation while beating down a horde of psychotic teens just makes it that much more entertaining.

Krul wraps up the drama between Connor and Cassie, although whether for the better remains questionable.  After all, even prior to Krul’s run, the heroic lovebirds didn’t get that much time to explore their feelings.  Something always got in the way: Superboy getting sucked into the future, Superboy getting mind-controlled, Superboy dying—huh.  I sense a pattern here.  And the pattern continues as Connor lets his—I hate to say this—emo hang-ups over his self-identity get in the way of an otherwise healthy relationship, just when Wonder Girl gets over hers.

The character work on the other Titans is similarly mixed or downright uninspired.  It’s a nice touch that Bart is finally starting to confront his death (which most writers have seemingly tried to forget), but there’s so much angst in the team now that dampening one of the more upbeat characters seems like overkill.  The question of Raven’s evil nature is old material, so old it dates back to her first appearance in the eighties, for crying out loud.  And Beast Boy literally gets three lines in this issue.

Worst of all, for all the action you get, there’s no resolution to the storyline whatsoever.  Take Barney and his genetically modified “friends.”  Their motivating emotional insecurities don’t get addressed or solved by the Titans, who basically luck out in saving the day—by which I mean they leave the entire student body either beaten into submission or taken into STAR Labs custody.  As for the mastermind behind it all, you learn close to nothing about him.  He can be a good villain with more than your usual mad scientist routine, but as is, he’s just a useful tool to bring some conflict to the Titans.

Superboy #2 – Review

by Jeff Lemire (writer), Pier Gallo (art), Jamie Grant (colors), and Sal Cipriano (letters)

The Story: Superboy teams up with Poison Ivy in order to figure out what is causing Smallville’s plant life to run amok.

What’s Good: This Superboy comic is delightfully weird.  There’s this wackiness that gives real life to the book throughout the story, from body-snatcher type aliens, to Parasite frogs, to people being physically attached to machines.  There’s a delightful kind of “weird science” to Jeff Lemire’s story, sort of like a slightly darker Back to the Future.  The tech looks home-made and zany and it adds a unique, almost Doom Patrol-like, taste to the comic, while also making the rural setting into something of a more surreal, rustic sandbox for Lemire to play in.

Lemire also continues to highlight Simon Valentine’s role in the comic.  On the one hand, Simon plays to the old literary tradition of being the guy who follows a great person, recording all of his mighty deeds.  This is, of course, complicated by Simon’s dissatisfaction of this state of affairs, and his strong desire to be a teammate as well.  Indeed, when Simon and Connor finally do team-up, it’s great fun and the two share a strong, and warm, dynamic.  How Simon comes to the rescue is also guaranteed to make you smile, as the kid in you will no doubt find it all kinds of awesome.

Poison Ivy is written very well.  Lemire does a very subtle job writing her; as you read the comic, you’ll constantly be distrusting her, even though you’ve no clear evidence for doing so.  Lemire also does a great job on her voice.  She’s arrogant, clearly feels superior, and many of her lines carry a distinct sexuality to their tone.  Yet, despite all of this, Lemire’s Ivy never chews the scenery or comes across as over the top, which makes her all the better of a read.

Pier Gallo’s art remains strong as well.  He delivers a comic that feels truly family friendly and, hence, likable.  Despite this, he also does a great job illustrating the machines, whether they’re made by Simon or the aliens.  I also felt that his framing was particularly strong.

Speaking of those aliens, I loved them in the couple of pages we saw them in.  From Gallo’s design to Lemire’s concept, they are simply brilliant.  The make the rural setting all the more weird, while functioning as a sort of call-back to old, black and white monster movies.  It’s body-snatching awesomeness and it makes me absolutely starved for Superboy #3.

What’s Not So Good: Not a lot.  I guess you don’t get as much reflection and thoughtfulness as last month and the insanity overrides the more contemplative stuff, but it’s still very fun, partially because of that.

Gallo also draws a couple of iffy faces, and his characters do look a little stiff at points.  Compared to how great the rest of his work is, it’s a little off-putting at some points.

Conclusion: Yup, no sophomore slump here.  Jeff Lemire is quickly establishing himself as a fresh new voice in superhero comics.

Grade: B+

-Alex Evans

A Second Opionion

Superboy #1 – Review

by Jeff Lemire (writer), Pier Gallo (art), Jamie Grant (colors), and John J. Hill (letters)

The Story: Superboy defends Smallville from a major member of Superman’s rogues gallery.

What’s Good: Reading this first issue of Superboy, it’s clear that there are two different Jeff Lemires at work here. There’s the contemplative, indie creator attuned to the tone and rhythm of rural life and then there’s the gleeful, DC fanboy eager to use his new toys in explosive fashion. The fact that these two sides of Lemire are perfectly balanced is why Superboy #1 is such a success.

It’s clear right from the get-go that Smallville itself is not only key to the book’s atmosphere, but is such a presence that it almost constitutes a character in its own right. Lemire has managed to use Smallville to give the book an affable, friendly, and joyful tone; Superboy reads a lot like the superhero cartoons you loved as a kid, the sort that had that happy innocence but also never condescended. Smallville makes this book lovable, what with its intimacy and its nuances. It influences Connor, forcing him into contemplation as he interacts with nature itself in almost Romantic fashion and is also a vulnerable figure that needs protecting.

Then the DC fanboy Lemire steps in. The DC figures (Phantom Stranger, Parasite) are so opposite to Smallville that they create a sort of dissonance the lends the book a kind of goofy weirdness while creating some real excitement. Once the action starts flowing or Parasite is shown sucking the life out of Smallville, it’s clear that Lemire is having the time of his life, and that joy is infectious.

The transition between Smallville contemplation and comic book action is also expertly done and Lemire’s sense of pacing throughout the book is fantastic. Part of this is thanks to those moments where the indie Lemire and the DC fan Lemire bounce off one another, which is also when the book is at its most interesting. Take, for instance, Lemire’s choice of Parasite as a first victim; big and purple-skinned, it doesn’t get any more comic-booky and Lemire goes on to show the villain destroying and rotting out Smallville’s farmland wherever he sets foot. It’s as though the DCU is poisonous to the sanctity of Smallville innocence.

Then there’s the wonderful link between the book’s beginning, which features lovely narration as Connor ponders thoughtfully over a field, and how that very physically foreshadows how Connor defeats Parasite. It was definitely a fist-pumping moment where, in a way, Connor uses Smallville’s natural setting to defeat the outsider, Parasite.

Pier Gallo’s artwork is also a wonderful choice for the book and reminds me of a simpler, stream-lined, and softer Frank Quietely. Gallo’s work is subdued and homey, and thus perfect for Smallville. This, however, contrasts wonderfully with his depiction of Parasite, who is a lumpy monstrosity. Jamie Grant’s colors are also wonderful match for Gallo, enhancing everything that makes his work strong while glossing over and smoothing out any weaknesses. His tones a bright, happy, and, in a way, innocent, mirroring both Gallo’s work and Smallville itself.