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.

Blackhawks #8 – Review

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

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

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

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

Blackhawks #7 – Review

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

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

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

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

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

Blackhawks #6 – Review

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

The Story: The moment you let the media in, everything goes to hell.

The Review: Remember how last month, in Voodoo #5, I mentioned that I hate research and I don’t keep up with the news as well I ought?  To make it clear, that applies to the comic book biz, as well.  So it probably shouldn’t surprise you to learn that two weeks after picking up Blackhawks for the first time and enjoying the heck out of it and looking forward to following it diligently, I discovered that it’s on the chopping block.

To be frank, having only just leaped onboard, it’s hard to get too choked up about the loss, but I’m feeling some pangs, nonetheless.  Costa won me over almost instantly with his smart, nuanced writing last issue, and he continues to impress here.  The opening is almost an exercise in how to deliver an action-packed scene, convey the necessary exposition, and make it all sound natural and lively.  In just a few lines of dialogue, you know exactly what’s going on with the creepy-crawly hive mind of robots, and you also get some great character bits (asked if he can land a plane with power, Canada replies, “Girl, I could land a brick.”).

Costa can also tackle complex political and social issues credibly, without dumbing down the ideas or going over the top (see Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray in Freedom Fighters).  The discussion between Blackhawks spokesperson Mr. Schmidt and the U.N. representatives over the team’s mission is a perfect example.  Costa renders the debate over emerging technology and society’s ability to absorb in a very well-balanced fashion, though colored by Mr. Schmidt’s dry rebuttals to the pointed questions he receives:

“Change is destructive, yes, but are you really trying to avoid what our future is supposed to be?”

“Well, maybe out future is ‘supposed to be’ some supervirus wiping out 98% of the population and leaving only those naturally immune.  Would you suggest shutting down our epidemiology centers and stopping scientists who work on cures?”

Blackhawks #5 – Review

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

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

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

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

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

Birds of Prey #15 – Review

By: Marc Andreyko (writer), Billy Tucci & Adriana Melo (pencillers), JP Mayer & Eber Ferreira (inkers), Nei Ruffino (colorist)

The Story: They just can’t get him out of their heads.

The Review: Simone brings such a strong, distinctive voice to her writing, and such a high level of craft, that you find it hard to swallow anyone else’s work once she departs from a project.  This seems especially true with the Birds of Prey, her first high-profile title for DC, one still making her reputation to this day.  Still, Andreyko seemed a good candidate for the job; he has plenty experience writing strong superheroines from his formidable Manhunter ongoing.

So why do the Birds sound so uncharacteristically fraught?  Oracle snaps, “I’m doing everything I can here, Manhunter!”  Kate’s professional response?  “Well then do something else!”  These women have gone through some pretty harrowing experiences (and in fact, the arc just before this had a particularly grisly one), so their testiness in this issue seems a tad forced.  Sure, two of their own are in danger, but again, nothing new there (the previous arc also had that plotline).

This may have nothing to do with the fact that Andreyko’s a man, but you feel more aware of the Birds’ gender this issue.  Their banter has an unnaturally flirty, Sex in the City quality that has almost nothing to do with their personalities or types: “Hey, big guy!  Can we play, too?”  “Oh, and a wordsmith, too?  Are you single?”  “S’OK, handsome.  I like it rough.”  These lines come in stark contrast to the textured, dimensional dialogue these ladies usually come equipped with.

Birds of Prey #14 – Review

By: Marc Andreyko (writer), Billy Tucci & Adriana Melo (pencillers), Billy Tucci & JP Mayer (inker), Nei Ruffino (colorist)

The Story: These dames aren’t here to mess around—they’re out to kick Nazi butt!

The Review: One of DC’s greatest strengths is its long, incredible history, especially its rich beginnings.  Once you add up all the properties DC has assumed from other publishers over the years, you’re looking at a rather inspiring cast of legacy characters, some of whom continue to operate today, either in an elder statesman status like much of the Justice Society, or with younger generations taking up their names and icons.  Call me hopelessly sentimental, but I think that’s nothing short of marvelous.

Besides our usual flock of Birds (plus guest Manhunter), we also get to see in action Golden Age bombshells Dinah Drake (the original Black Canary) and Sandra Knight (the first Phantom Lady), with Lady Blackhawk an anachronistic link between the two generations.   Considering the tremendous credentials of all these ladies, we have evidence that from the start, DC has been a pretty good place for heroic women.

The story splits between the past and present, but the plot is nonetheless light and predictable: long-thought-finished antagonists rising again to haunt his former defeaters.  Andreyko goes for a jingoistic, rah-rah America tone (“Guns are fer [sic] grownups, Hitler youth!”) as he sends the pre-Nixon heroines into Argentina to recover a mad-scientist Nazi.  They encounter resistance in a swarm of blond-haired, blue-eyed adolescents, a kind of Aryan Children of the Corn.

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.

Birds of Prey #3 – Review

by Gail Simone (writer), Ed Benes (pencils & inks), Adriana Melo (pencils), Mariah Benes (inks), Nei Ruffino (colors), and Steve Wands (letters)

The Story: The Birds find themselves under siege as White Canary’s deadline looms.

What’s Good: I’ve enjoyed the Penguin’s presence throughout this arc and I loved his role this month more than ever.  The guy is absolute, pervy gold and Simone puts forth her Secret Six-best in writing him.  His delusional fantasies are hilarious and Simone has an entertaining grasp on his voice.  I don’t think that I’ll ever quite erase the image of the Penguin dressed as Superman, embracing Dove.  Pretty much everything having to do with the Penguin this month is awesome.

I also continue to find myself a fan of Hawk’s place on the team.  He’s just so out of sync with the rest of the team in power level and attitude and he’s so contrary to the team’s dynamic that it ends up being quite a bit of fun.  The guy is a complete jackass and his disdainful summary of the Birds’ adversaries as “cops and karate” was a great moment for the character.  Although he does take space away from the Birds themselves, I like his oddball role on the team so much that I really didn’t mind.

Beyond these two characters, the chemistry that is the lifeblood of Birds of Prey is still very much present.  Huntress and Canary’s friendship still feels really genuine and close and it serves to heighten the drama and desperation of this plot more than anything else.  Their concern for each other and the continuing contrast between their methods is well-played and works to highlight the Birds’ current dire straits.

I should also mention that the last page reveal of the mastermind’s identity is absolutely wonderful.

Birds of Prey #2 – Review

By: Gail Simone (writer), Ed Benes and Adrian Melo (artist), Ed Benes and Mariah Benes (inkers)

The Story: A mysterious enemy is gunning for the Birds, but she’s got something more sinister than the near-deadly frontal assault in mind. The Birds are in real trouble.

What’s Good: I think Janelle Seigel has lined up some first-ranks creative talent for this series. First of all, Simone is a favorite writer of mine. I think she’s done some very subtle and powerful work on Wonder Woman and Secret Six. She can deliver a strong plot, and as this issue shows, she can deliver a complex one, too. This issue is the last part of Act One, where the heroes find out just how bad things are before they have to start dealing with them. I don’t want to spoil anything, but this issue makes issue #1 look easy for the ladies. Simone brings crisp, dynamic and funny dialogue to the table, and grim silences and panicked worry where necessary. The monologues are effective in bringing us up to speed on character and as well as events.

Artwise, I know Benes inspires love or hate depending on the reader, but I’m going to put him and the art team on the strongly positive side here. His women (and men) are all obviously idealized, exaggerated and heroicized (I doubt those are all words, but you get my drift…) as superhero perfection. In Benes’ mind, no hero or heroine can be any stronger, sleeker or more attractive. That’s his artistic vision. Agree or disagree with his artistic vision, but he is skilled enough to put his vision on the page. Hair flows. Heroes move in dangerous and dynamic ways. Their muscles ripple and their clothing is textured and folds when they move. Some artists can only do this, and usually less well than Benes, but take a look at the police and the Penguin in this book. Benes can handles non-heroic expressions and physiques with the same skill.