Uncanny X-Men #22 – Review

By: Brian Michael Bendis (writer); Chris Bachalo (pencils); Tim Townsend, Marc Deering, Mark Irwin, Jaime Mendoza, Victor Olazaba, & Al Vey (inks); Chris Bachalo & Jose Villarrubia (colors)

The battle with S.H.I.E.L.D. comes to an end this week as Cyclops, Beast, Maria Hill, and even Magneto put aside their differences to combat the rouge heli-carriers. Everything comes together this issue as the huge cast of Uncanny X-Men finds its way into the climactic battle.

Bendis does do an impressive job of laying out the stakes. Particularly if you respect Logan’s dream for the Jean Grey School, the threat of annihilation is exceedingly real and present throughout the issue. Likewise, each victory for the X-Men, no matter how small, feels like reason to celebrate, thanks in no small part to the sheer amount of set up that’s led to these crucial moments. The whole affair is appropriately cataclysmic, but Bendis actually gets a couple of nice jokes and fist pumping moments in amongst the gloom. Despite the building feeling that this is the end, a sensation that is all the sweeter for its rarity on this series, Bendis’ plotting has some serious problems.

There’s no denying that this is something of an abrupt ending, and one that deals more in expectations than in actual content. The best example is probably our villain. After last month ended with Beast dramatically announcing that he knew who was behind this, you’d expect that the answer would be fairly forthcoming, but I assure you, you’ve got a bit longer to wait. Despite repeating his certainty on page 5 and again on page 13, Hank isn’t ready to reveal his findings to his fellow X-Men until halfway through page 14…off panel. The scene actually ends with Scott demanding “Who?! Who is it?, leading me to actually throw up my arms on a crowded subway and cry “oh come on.” In actuality it doesn’t take too much longer to learn the identity of the mastermind, but, like much of this series, it’s absurdly and painfully drawn out.

Worst of all, when we finally do meet our villain, it comes out of nowhere, lacks any attempt at motivation, and is largely without value for the title going forward. I respect Bendis as a writer too much to believe it, but it almost feels like he planned this arc without knowing who the villain was himself! More likely, the rushed and confusing resolution is the result of the upcoming “Original Sin” tie-ins. There may be any number of reasons why things turned out this way, but it doesn’t change how flimsy the ending comes across.

Luckily that apocalyptic tone I mentioned is beautifully realized by Chris Bachalo, who provides one of his strongest issues in recent memory. Bachalo starts with an unusually stark style that works wonderfully with the bright simplicity of the Canadian sky. The next scene introduces a little bit of grit into this style before it all breaks loose on the grounds of the Jean Grey School.

Batman/Superman #11 – Review

By: Greg Pak (story), Karl Kerschl & Daniel Sampere (art), Tom Derenick (pencils), Vicente Cifuentes, Marc Deering, Wayne Faucher (inks), Hi-Fi (colors)

The Story: When you’ve got even the ghosts in a panic, things aren’t going well.

The Review: Unenthused as I am by Doomed, it was with some dismay when I saw that Batman/Superman would be also be participating in the crossover. It shouldn’t have surprised me, what with Pak being an architect of this storyline and all. And on the plus side, at least I’ll be mostly up to speed on everything going on Doomed, which, as my recent frustrations with the Batman/Superman–Worlds’ Finest crossover show, isn’t something that happens very often.

Interestingly enough, even though Doomed is a Superman-centric storyline, he features hardly at all in this issue. I approve. At this point, there’s really nothing left to do with Superman except to see him decline further, and there’ll be plenty of that later on. If Superman has a presence at all, it’s in spirit; his friends spend a lot of the issue considering what he’d do in their shoes: Batman putting his faith in others; Wonder Woman repressing her warriors’ instincts; Ghost Soldier exchanging loyalties to stand up for what’s right; Steel risking everything to save everyone. It’s a sweet testament to Superman’s impact on the world, and a reminder of what’s at stake if he’s lost.

Green Lantern: New Guardians #31 – Review

By: Justin Jordan (writer), Diogenes Neves (penciler), Marc Deering (inker), Wil Quintana (colors)

The Story: As Kyle confronts the distressing possibility of his increasing godhood, he discovers a somewhat familiar alien who doesn’t share his hesitance.

The Review: Green Lantern: New Guardians Annual #2 was a strange but welcome addition to the story that Justin Jordan has been telling and one that ended on a rather unsettling cliff hanger. This issue picks up pretty immediately where that one left off, taking a little time to recount what’s occurred and provide a bit of insight into Kyle’s mental state as it does.

It’s immediately clear that the series has turned a corner and that awareness does sharpen the issue’s focus, however, as was the case with the annual, Kyle’s confusion makes it hard to get settled. Without anyone to talk to, Kyle’s inner monologue loses a bit of grounding, and the book feels kind of floaty. Despite this weakness, the issues that Kyle is wrestling with are fascinating.

This is hardly the first time we’ve examined the consequences of superhuman power in a comic, but Jordan mixes uncertainty with maturity quite well. It’s no surprise that this comes from the author of The Strange Talent of Luther Strode, but oddly enough there’s almost a greater sense of horror here, as the threat is entirely internal, immediate, and unknown.

Supergirl #30 – Review

By: Tony Bedard (writer), Emanuela Lupacchino with Yildiray Cinar & Diogenes Neves (pencils), Ray McCarthy & Marc Deering (inks), Hi-Fi (colors)

The Story: It’s time to put that anger to good use.

The Review: Tony Bedard continues to propel Supergirl onto the cosmic scene with the second true chapter of “Red Daughter of Krypton”. This issue pits Kara and her Red Lantern comrades against the Diasporans, a particularly awesome looking race of social Darwinists, out to cleanse the universe of weakness.

The Diasporans are not the most original adversaries but they’re a perfect threat for Supergirl. Bedard has previously set Kara up against the last Czarnian and an immigrant girl afraid of her own power, clearly he has a taste for pitting Supergirl against thematic foils and these hellish lizards are par for that course.

The addition of the Red Lanterns places Bedard well within his comfort zone, writing quirky cosmic teams, and it shows. The presence of Skallox and Zilius Zox instantly livens up this issue and allows Bedard’s knack for banter and interplay to come to the fore. Kara is feeling more complete, but she still lags behind the rest of the characters a bit. Her emotions are comparatively simplistic when they’re the center of attention, however there is some good thought behind them and she’s much stronger when engaging with her cohorts.

Green Lantern: New Guardians #24 – Review

By: Justin Jordan (writer), Brad Walker (penciller), Drew Hennessy with Marc Deering & Ryan Winn (inkers), Wil Quintana (colors)

The Story: Remember when Kyle Rayner became Ion and had access to nearly god-like power? Well, if so you’ll appreciate the irony when he has to take on Ion and five of his business associates. Have fun there, fella…

The Review: You know what I’ve been aching to see in my Green Lantern comics? Heroes arguing reasonably. With five Lanterns representing one gender of one species of one continent of one planet, you’d think that there’d be more of an attempt to distinguish them from one another. Though Hal’s thick-headedness definitely outweighs his heroism in this issue, it’s really nice to see reasonable disagreement among the corps.

Justin Jordan does a fine job of writing a tense and exhilarating aftermath moment. Though it’s pretty much just a bunch of Lanterns and rocks floating in space, the first three pages of this issue feel suitably meaningful.

Justice League of America #8 – Review

By: Matt Kindt (story), Doug Mahnke (pencils), Christian Alamy, Tom Nguyen, Keith Champagne, Marc Deering (inks), Gabe Eltaeb & Hi-Fi (colors)

The Story: It’s going to take a heck of a bail to get the Leaguers out of this prison.

The Review: I’ve come very close to dropping this series on several occasions, which is a fairly big deal considering the title, the characters, and the creative team we’re dealing with here.  In fact, it’s only the mere potential of those three things that have kept me going, even after some fairly lame issues.  It’s just plain disappointing that you can have so many icons on a team and still not seem to figure out what to do with them.

Of course, the size of the team was always a part of the problem.  It’s difficult to give each character his or her due within the span of an issue or even a whole arc if you have to get the requisite exposition and action scenes out of the way first.  Perhaps Kindt recognizes these difficulties, which may explain his choice to work with only two Leaguers for his opening arc.  The resulting issue is focused and effective, without unnecessary distractions from too many voices crying for attention.

Supergirl #24 – Review

By: Michael Alan Nelson (writer), Diogenes Neves (pencils), Marc Deering (inks), Guy Major (colors)

The Story: Brainiac and the Cyborg Superman have come to I’noxia. Now it will face the wrath of a force unimaginable: an angry Supergirl.

The Review:

Spoiler Warning: It’s going to be very hard to discuss this issue without spoiling the events of Supergirl #23 and Action Comics #23.3: Cyborg Superman. Honestly I’m not going to try. If you’re really concerned about spoilers for those comics, check out their reviews in the archives. You’ll probably like this comic at least as well as you liked them, but don’t say I didn’t warn you if you choose to read on.

The last time we saw Kara Zor-El, two months ago, she was in something of a bad way.  In fact, she had just been murdered; the flesh stripped from her bones and used to reconstitute the Cyborg Superman. A lot of heroes might take that as the universe telling them to take some time off, but from the very first page it’s painfully clear that Supergirl doesn’t care what ‘a lot of heroes’ think.

Michael Alan Nelson caught my attention with his surprisingly honest version of Kara and that’s still very much in play. Nelson’s Supergirl has always been a powerful and intelligent character, even if she tends to prefer one to the other, and he’s taken evident glee in showing how much she can accomplish when she calls upon the full breadth of her talents. Kara’s journey has been one of controlling her anger and tempering her strength with intelligence. This month we’re reminded how powerful that anger can be.

Suicide Squad #23 – Review

By: Ales Kot (story), Rick Leonardi (pencils), Andy Owens, Derek Fridolfs, Marc Deering (inks), Brad Anderson (colors)

The Story: Two teams of crazies, but only one will make it out with pie on their face.

The Review: All too soon, we’ve come to the end of Kot’s promising run on this series.  I still don’t really understand why this had to happen, though the continuously dwindling sales probably have something to do with it.  At any rate, my mind’s made up to depart from Suicide Squad at the same time Kot does.  In just four issues, Kot has definitely established a powerful, specific voice and direction for this title, which I don’t believe anyone can emulate.

There is a very, very fine line to the tone Kot has brought to the Squad, balancing precariously on a tightrope between extreme* and excess.  Take James Jr.’s attraction with Waller, for instance.  Despite how difficult it is to believe that a sociopath like him can experience something like sentiment for anything, James’ feelings are still convincing.  Of course, choosing Waller as his object of affection is simply inspired—no other word for it—but it’s the sinister curiosity behind James’ obsession with her that seems true to his character.

Justice League of America #7 – Review

By: Geoff Johns & Jeff Lemire (story), Doug Mahnke (art), Christian Alamy, Keith Champagne, Marc Deering, Walden Wong (inks), Nathan Eyring, Pete Pantazis, Gabe Eltaeb (colors)

The Story: A broken mirror brings bad luck.  What about one with a dead man inside?

The Review: I’ll have you know that in my original draft for this review, I started off by saying something like, “As Trinity War rages on…”  But then I realized that “rages” really overstated the kind of tension we’ve been getting in this storyline.  Aside from a brief, breathless skirmish between Justice Leagues early on, there hasn’t been as much direct conflict as you might expect.  If there’s an actual war to be had, it’s being fought guerilla style.

While you may appreciate how Trinity War has been admirably restrained in its use of mindlessly brawny battles so far, you can’t help itching for some real action.  Thankfully, the multiple cliffhangers of the final pages set you up for just that—in the next issue.  In the meantime, you’ll have to bear with a lot of stringing along and dead ends as our heroes try to figure out who caused all this trouble in the first place.

The sad part is they’re about several steps behind on the trail than you are, since you’ve known for quite a while now that the Secret Society has been pulling the strings since day one.*  And it is really some remarkable string-pulling, given the divisions among the Leagues, the various conspiracies at work, the involvement of figures who exist beyond time and ordinary worldly affairs.  Where all this is leading to remains unclear; if the goal is simply to rid the world of its heroes (as all the promotional materials claim), this is a highly elaborate way of going about it.

Batman Annual #2 – Review

By: Scott Snyder & Marguerite Bennett (story), Bennett (writer), Wes Craig (pencils), Craig Yeung, Drew Gerraci, Craig, Jack Purcell, Sandu Florea & Marc Deering (inks), Ian Hanin (colors) and Dave Sharpe (letters)

The Story: Batman meets a new/old denizen of Arkham while testing out their security systems.

Review (with minor SPOILERS): Bravo to DC and the creative team for introducing a new character!  I know that the fanboys love to read another Joker story, but I personally find new villains to be much more interesting.  Only with new characters are there unclear motives, unclear powers and unclear outcomes.  All the new character needs is a little hook to make them unique and it is suddenly fascinating to watch the creators fill in the blanks of the character.

The new character from this issue is named yhe Anchoress.  She has a really cool hook in that when her powers manifested, she accidentally killed her parents and was sent for therapy at the original Arkham Asylum back when AA was a place where a Dr. Arkham actually tried to help the mentally ill.  As such, she hates Batman for turning AA into a supermax prison for his rogues gallery.  Once that happened, nobody cared about helping the mentally ill. They just wanted to keep Joker and Clayface in their cells.  It’s an interesting way to introduce a character and to make us look differently at a landmark like AA.  I mean, I think almost all modern Bat-fans look at AA as a prison.  It’s easy to forget that AA probably used to have a different purpose….like treating the mentally ill and perhaps now those mentally ill don’t have the same prospects for treatment.  Readers of this site know I love real-world parallels (and so does Scott Snyder, I think), so I can’t help but see relationships between this take on AA and the closing of mental health institutions in the 1980s and all the crime and homelessness that happened as a result.  It’s just interesting to think about some of these criminals or bums as mentally ill people who have been failed by “the system.”

Supergirl #22 – Review

By: Michael Alan Nelson (writer); Diogenes Neves (penciler); Marc Deering, Oclair Albert, & Ruy Jose (Inks;) Dave McCaig (colors) 

The Story: The Cyborg Superman gives Kara a gift for the girl who has everything, but he wants one in return.

The Review: Supergirl’s a character that I think has gotten a bad rap. She’s been a household name for a long time now, but she’s never really become anything more than Superman’s cousin to most people. Well, if you’ve always scoffed at the idea of ‘girl Superman’ or never found the time or money to investigate Kara Zor-El, may I suggest doing so now.

While she doesn’t have the same spunk that made Power Girl such a hit before the reboot, the New 52 Supergirl is hardly the Kansas farm girl that many presume her to be. In fact, I’d risk it to say that she’s actually one of the best representations of a teenager looking for her place in comics right now.

Rather than play her for humor, Michael Alan Nelson gives Kara real troubles and writes them with all the seriousness they deserve. Supergirl has always suffered most when defined, in this order, by being a girl and by being a teenager, but here Kara is a hero who just happens to be young and just happens to be a girl.

But lest you think that this is a grim n gritty read, I assure you that the book nails Kara’s moments of confusion, bringing a different but enjoyable brand of comedy and character into the series. When the Cyborg Superman reveals his plan, Kara responds beautifully, (beat) You want to say that again? I couldn’t hear you over all the creepiness coming out of your mouth!” This is a young woman who feels alone in the universe but that doesn’t for a second get in the way of the her certainty of what she feels. Whether it amounts to conviction or foolhardiness, Kara’s precarious but unwavering self-confidence makes her feel like a real teenager.

GI Joe #5 – Review

By: Fred Van Lente (writer), Steve Kurth (pencils), Allen Martinez, Marc Deering and Juan Castro (inks), Joana LaFuente (colors), Chris Mowry (letters)

The Story: A small GI Joe team has to fight its way out of an American town that has been completely flipped by Cobra.

Review (with minor SPOILERS): “Pretty good story undone by poor art!”  THAT is the headline for this issue.

It’s never a good sign when an issue credits three inkers.  The art on this series hits new lows in this issue.  The problem is mostly related to depth.  If you stare at a lot of the panels, a crazy “magic eye” thing will happen.  Suddenly characters’ arms and legs will appear to be in totally different planes than the rest of their bodies.  It’s screwed up.  And once you start to see these problems with depth, the anatomy of the characters starts to come undone too because your mind starts trying to rationalize how an arm/leg could bend to achieve these weird depth positions.  Steve Kurth has never been my favorite penciller, but it’s not fair to heap this on him.  Depth problems are generally the fault of inkers and colorists.

Smallville #7 – Review

By: Bryan Q. Miller (story), Chris Cross (pencils), Marc Deering (inks), Carrie Strachan (colors)

The Story: I hate to say it, Batman, but people have a habit of getting shot around you.

The Review: With all the news coming out of DC about upcoming new series, it’s made me start thinking about my reviewing future.  I have a pretty sizable stack of series I cover, somewhere upwards of thirty a month, and anyone who’s followed my work since I joined this site knows I have never once skipped a review unless I’ve Dropped it first—which means I’ve never actually skipped a review.  So adding titles to my list is always a fraught, juggling act.

So let’s say I want to cover Vibe, Katana, and Justice League of America next year (and there are even more I’m looking at).  Do I really want to do 33+ reviews a month (including weekly coverage of Arrow and Young Justice—if and when it ever comes back)?  I do have a life, difficult as that is to believe.  I guess what I’m trying to say is I’m giving a good hard look at the things I’m reading and it looks like Smallville may be one of the expendable items.

Smallville #6 – Review

By: Bryan Q. Miller (story), Jamal Igle (pencils), Marc Deering (inks), Carrie Strachan (colors)

The Story: Batman discovers it’s a little harder to flip-drop Superman than other folks.

The Review: Last month, I went through a strange, almost revelatory moment with the title, where I realized that no matter how much I or Miller or anybody else wanted it to replace the show we watched semi-diligently, it never would.  Comics, particularly ones involving superheroes, are all about indulgences, taking fictional liberties and playing up the action.  For a drama and talk-centered series like Smallville, comics don’t always translate its appeal.

Remember how often and how much of the show used to involve two-character scenes, with long, windy streams of dialogue (and lots of talking while turning away from the other person).  Fighting sequences were limited by budget constraints, but that made the personal storylines more integral to the show.  Miller has almost reversed the action-drama ratios here, and that produces an “episode” that doesn’t much resemble those of its televised predecessor.

Green Lantern #13 – Review

By: Geoff Johns (story), Doug Mahnke (pencils), Christian Alamy, Mark Irwin, Tom Nguyen, Keith Champagne, Marc Deering (inks), Alex Sinclair & Tony Avina (colors)

The Story: Caring for someone so much and wanting to kill them—classic sibling love.

The Review: This issue pops up with almost every legacy character, but anytime someone new takes up the cape or mantle or mask, you’ll have waves of protest and rejection across the comic book readership—just scores of folks saying they’ll never accept this interloper and ridiculing him to fringe status forever.  Inevitably, of course, all that goes away and the new guy/girl ends up a fact of comics life anyway.

Some of you may hate to hear this, but in my head I’ve already begun accepting Simon as Green Lantern.  Certainly I don’t consider him as the Green Lantern (obviously it’s Hal, but in my heart I’ll always hope Kyle Rayner makes a comeback), but I know that when all this—whatever “this” is—is over, I won’t have any problem with him keeping the ring.

Green Lantern Corps #0 – Review

By: Peter J. Tomasi (story), Fernando Pasarin (pencils), Scott Hanna & Marc Deering (inks), Gabe Eltaeb (colors)

The Story: When being an interstellar space hero still leaves you the family disappointment.

The Review: What I’ve appreciated thus far from the #0 issues is they’ve avoided retelling the same old origin story of characters you’ve heard a dozen times before.  There’s no point seeing again Batman’s parents getting shot, Superman arriving on Earth in a rocket, the Flash cooking in lightning and chemicals, or Green Lantern coming upon a dying alien with a ring.  If anyone’s origins are ripe for revisiting, it would be those of the “other” Green Lanterns in the DCU.

Tomasi only gives you one of them.  No doubt the choice was made out of economy and to deliver a meatier story, but I still raise my eyebrow at the focus on Guy instead of John.  I suppose there’s an argument to be made that of the two, Guy has the edge in popularity, but stacked against John’s five years as primo Green Lantern on the animated Justice League series (and big cameos on Young Justice), I wonder at the truth of that.

Smallville #5 – Review

By: Bryan Q. Miller (story), Chriscross (pencils), Marc Deering (inks), Carrie Strachan (colors)

The Story: Just when you thought the teenage angst was gone, along comes a teen and angst.

The Review: Once you got used to the idea of seeing Superman on television (especially in the low-rent settings of a CW show—remember how often people would have to drive up to farm just to have a conversation?), the funnest part was the guest stars.  I’m not really talking about the actors so much as the parts they played.  For anyone longing for a live-action Justice League, seeing Aquaman or Cyborg or Lois Lane in an Amazon outfit was just irresistible.

The transfer from small screen to printed/digital page sucks a lot of the fun out of the experience, sadly.  For comic book fans, the appeal of guests and cameos on Smallville was seeing your favorite characters come to flesh-and-blood, grizzled and beautiful life.  It’s like how putting Clark in the cape and costume in a comic doesn’t really compare to putting Tom Welling as Clark in a genuinely stitched-and-sewn cape and costume on a high-def TV.

Supergirl #67 – Review

By: Kelly Sue DeConnick (writer), Chriscross (penciller), Marc Deering (inker), Blond (colorist)

The Story: Think Ghostbusters meets the Goonies, with a splash of the Breakfast Club.

The Review: In my review of Zatanna #13, I mentioned that a supporting cast can really make a title, a point worth elaborating.  No matter how strong a star, they can’t carry an entire issue on their backs all the time.  Getting a few other people into the mix breaks up the story, keeps you from stalling in one place for too long, and adds any number of possibilities to send the plot into an unexpectedly wonderful direction.

DeConnick clearly understands the value of giving everyone something important to do, even the ones who probably (well, definitely—this is the end of the line for the series, after all) will never show up again.  Even though Professor Ivo’s bank of the absolute finest genetic potential humanity has to offer doesn’t really go anywhere out of the ordinary, the story zips along and keeps you interested, in no small part due to the antics of the non-capes in this issue.

Remember, you have a crew of geeky geniuses (the two things aren’t always synonymous), and they’re in a sewer with a bunch of mechanical junk lying around.  Put them together, and you have a pump capable of funneling sewage water to drown a pack of robotic rats, and several stun guns with various vacuum cleaner attachments for their muzzles.  Now you have a Supergirl rescue squad, which means the threshold for danger gets that much higher.

Supergirl #66 – Review

By: Kelly Sue DeConnick (writer), Chrisscross (penciller), Marc Deering (inker), Blond (colorist)

The Story: And here I thought college was supposed to get you out of the sewers.

The Review: To capture the audience’s attention and to keep it, even long after the story finishes, you need characters who strike you with as much vitality as a flesh-and-blood person would.  Some writers try to do this by piling on the backstory, hoping their meticulously realistic attention to detail will somehow form the character and make him/her live.  But it’s so much more effective to let the character interact with the story, revealing their lives in the process.

Look at this issue’s redheaded girl, a member of Henry Flyte’s merry band.  Her boast, “We don’t need a map.  We’ve got a Henry,” and her assurance that “He’s just messing with us,” indicates an attachment to her leader beyond respect.  No one has to point out her possible crush; in fact, mentioning it outright would make it easier for us to dismiss her, a bad choice as she also demonstrates a take-charge attitude and intellect that implies she was probably Hanks’ right-hand woman.  That’s a lot of information for us to gather without any of it ever being told to us.

Just imagine what DeConnick does with her star characters.  Lois Lane’s craftiness has never had better display, using a mixture of disarming small talk and aggressive questioning to get the answers she wants.  After the direct approach fails (she’s caught sneaking and rummaging through the Stanhope College president’s office), she offhandedly mentions Kara’s (feigned) interest in the institution, then slyly segueways into the matter at hand by claiming concern over her “niece’s” safety, leading into the missing students case.  Well-played indeed, Lois.