Harley Quinn #2 – Review

By: Amanda Conner & Jimmy Palmiotti (story), Chad Hardin & Stephane Roux (art), Alex Sinclair (colors)

The Story: Harley makes it clear that pet control will not be part of her landlady duties.

The Review: Does anyone remember Animaniacs?  Much as I didn’t care for Yakko, Wakko, and Dot, I loved pretty much every other segment and character on that show, and one of my favorites was “Good Idea, Bad Idea,” a recurring sketch that envisioned the hapless Mr. Skull carrying out the various good ideas (“Drinking fresh milk from the carton.”) and bad ideas (“Drinking fresh milk from the cow.”).  It was a weekly lesson on the value of execution.

I bring this up because Harley Quinn can really stand to take that lesson a little more to heart.  While almost everything that happens in this issue may have started out as a good idea in Conner-Palmiotti’s head, what ends up on the page is almost invariably a bad idea.  Let’s start with an easy one: Bernie, Harley’s charbroiled beaver.  Besides just being weird for no other reason than to be weird—and maybe to get the juvenile pleasure of having Harley talk about her beaver all the time—Bernie also has confusing implications for Harley’s mental stability.  Most writers see the source of her crimes as coming from a highly skewed perspective on life, not unlike her mentor and soulmate.  Talking to Bernie places her squarely into Crazytown.

Detective Comics #27 – Review

by John Layman, Scott Snyder, Paul Dini, Brad Meltzer, Gregg Hurwitz, Peter J. Tomasi, Jason Fabok, Neal Adams, Dustin Nguyen, Guillem March, Bryan Hitch, and Sean Murphy

The Bat-Man, a mysterious and adventurous figure, fighting for righteousness and apprehending the wrong doer, in his lone battle against the evil forces of society…

Giant anniversary issues like this are always interesting to dissect. What’s the best use of all those pages? Will it connect to current storylines, or should it serve as a celebration of the character’s history? This behemoth issue tries to have its cake and eat it too, but that’s only a problem if it fails. So the question is: did it?

Let’s start at the very beginning, as I hear that that’s a very good place to start. The issue opens with a story from Brad Meltzer and Brian Hitch that goes by the highly appropriate title, “The Case of the Chemical Syndicate.” This iteration of “Chemical Syndicate” is a clever retelling of the 1939 original. Though it has been updated, it is a remarkably faithful adaptation. The major difference is the addition of Batman’s later character traits and a running commentary from the Dark Knight, himself, which would not have been possible in the original story without spoiling the surprise ending.

Though Meltzer displays an impressively economic writing style, cramming a lot into a short fifteen pages without overcluttering his story, the real meat of this story is in the narration. Basic Batman caption boxes do a fine job of showing up a mysterious and yet inexperienced version of the Caped Crusader. Meanwhile, a series of journal entries posit a number of answers to the question “why does Batman do it?” The answers are a master class in Batman, neither overglorifying the vigilante, nor digging too deep into his neuroses to appear heroic. Particularly over the last few days, I’ve been growing tired of a Batman too damaged to inspire us to anything healthy. Perhaps I’m biased by my recent musings, but I think this story navigated these dangerous waters very well.

Batman: Li’l Gotham #7 – Review

By: Dustin Nguyen (story & art), Derek Fridolfs (story)

The Story: Today, Batman is canceling the apocalypse.

The Review: If you’ve been reading the reviews of Li’l Gotham here on WCBR or the ones I’ve been uploading on my own blog, you might have noticed a common theme between them; namely, that Li’l Gotham isn’t living up to its potential.

Well, thankfully, the title is making the attempt. This issue contains the first two stories of Li’l Gotham’s second year in publication and there’s a clear change between this installment and the last. For the first time, Nguyen and Fridolfs take us out of Gotham City, providing a Li’l Justice League story, or at least a Li’l Brave and the Bold. What’s more, the story in question teams Batman and Aquaman, the League’s most undervalued member, rather than a big name like Wonder Woman or Green Lantern.

Nguyen and Fridolfs clearly had a story they wanted to tell with this one, and I assure you it’s something you won’t find in DC’s normal Batman or Aquaman offerings. It’s the sort of thing you could only really do in a title like this, but the underlying framework is every bit worthy of a New 52 issue.

Detective Comics #23.3: Scarecrow – Review

By: Peter J. Tomasi (story), Szymon Kudranski (art), John Kalisz (colors)

The Story: There’s a war out there, and you’ve got a pick a side—evil or other evil.

The Review: To be frank, I’ve mostly been unimpressed with Villains Month, both in concept and on execution.  I tend to dislike these company-wide gimmicks in general, mostly because they reek of editorial mandates thrust upon unprepared or, worse, unwilling creators.  That lack of preparation and enthusiasm has often come through in the various issues I’ve read.  Plagued by stilted writing and sloppy art, it’s no wonder this has been my lightest DC month yet.

But the law of averages dictates that there shall be gems among the rubbish.  Finding one is a bit like winning a small sum from the lottery, in the sense that you can’t tell if your excitement is from the prize itself or from the fact that your losing streak is finally over.  As a writer who emphasizes character over plot, Tomasi can generate good material from the thinnest stories.  In this case, he manages to do more than simply make lemonade out of lemons; he makes you look at lemons in a whole new light.

Batman: Li’l Gotham #3 – Review

By: Dustin Nguyen (story & art), Derek Fridolfs (story)

The Story: Who ever knew that the Joker could be so lovable—or smell like it?

The Review: Whenever superhero writers make changes to the characters as an attempt at greater “realism,” they never seem to appreciate there’s always a trade-off involved.  Take the relationship between Harley Quinn and Joker.  In the new 52, their coupling has grown more disturbing, which arguably befits such a decidedly crazy sort of pair, and yet this misses out on the unrequited romance aspect which made them sympathetic.

So as much as I enjoy Scott Snyder and Ales Kot’s respective elevations of Joker and Harley as villains, I think they did lose an important part of their original personalities in the process.  Which is to say that I enjoyed myself heartily seeing the two of them play cat-and-mouse with each other again.  Nguyen-Fridolfs could have chosen any of the famous Bat-couples for this story, but I can’t think of a better choice for a Valentine’s Day spotlight than Joker and Harley.

Batman: Li’l Gotham #2 – Review

By: Dustin Nguyen (story & art), Derek Fridolfs (story)

The Story: Christmas in May.  Who am I, Laura Ingalls Wilder in The Long Winter?

The Review: Of course, I’m all for complex storytelling with deep, meaningful themes, but I think the world can also use more stories that are just purely for fun, without having to rely on vulgarity or meanness to get there.  Having just read an issue from another Batman title that for some reason felt that it couldn’t deliver laughs without being offensive, I have to say that just plain silliness is a rare and wonderful virtue in humor.

Which is why I’m very glad to see Li’l Gotham as part of DC’s main publishing line, rather than a kiddie imprint.  I like the statement it makes, that everyone, grown-ups and kids, can appreciate a little more innocence in their comics.  The idea of Gotham as a city doomed to perpetual fear and chaos is admittedly thought-provoking—but it’s also an incredibly grim outlook on things.  At some point, don’t you secretly hope that Gotham can finally see a brighter day?

Detective Comics #15 – Review

By: John Layman (story), Jason Fabok (art), Jeremy Cox (colors)

The Story: Look on the bright side, Clayface—no messy, expensive divorce proceedings.

The Review: Ah, love—that most elusive of virtues.  If I’ve learned nothing else from How I Met Your Mother (and indeed, what you learn from HIMYM boils down to pretty much nothing), it’s the more effort you put into finding love, the more it seems to escape you.  Another thing I learned from HIMYM: it’s that even the least deserving people can be suckers for love.  You can take the toughest, most dominant bozo in the room and love will reduce him to a weeping mess.

In short, love is the most wonderful horrible thing—and vice versa.  It shouldn’t surprise you, then, that Clayface also gets caught in its trap in a big way.  It’s easy to feel sorry for the big lump.  He’s not nearly as inherently evil or sadistic as some of the other crazies running around Gotham, and the protective way he looks after Ivy is rather touching.  As he flips cars and bellows at the world to give him his wife, you can see just how far gone he is over her.

Ame-Comi Girls #2 – Review

By: Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti (story), Sanford Greene (art), Randy Mayor (colors)

The Story: Not your typical girls’ night out, but you do have some smack-talking here.

The Review: I praised Legends of the Dark Knight #2 as a great showing from DC’s digital offerings (which transferred just as well—I presume—onto paper), but I’m afraid not everything that’s come from their virtual vaults has been as impressive.  Ame-Comi Girls is something that probably sounded great in the pitch meeting, but when it comes to the actual delivery, it’s been mostly a very, very mixed bag.

For one, I still don’t really understand what makes the series anything like anime.  I speak true; I grew up on the stuff, far more than I did American comics, and nothing about either this issue or the one featuring Wonder Woman do I get the same kind of vibe I’ve ever had reading, say, Love Hina, Air Gear, or Fairy Tail.  Somehow, the kind of material Gray-Palmiotti have been delivering feels too little and too much for the style they’re shooting for.

Detective Comics #14 – Review

By: John Layman (story), Jason Fabok (art), Jeremy Cox (colors)

The Story: It’s a rough night when you get your thunder stolen by the Penguin.

The Review: Another review, another Batman title.  I’ll spare you the lecture on how every series sharing a brand should at the very least bring something different to the party.  Instead, let’s talk a little about Detective Comics, the book which not only brought Batman to life, but from which DC Comics as we know it today took its confusingly redundant name.  In theory, at least, this title should focus on Batman as investigator, rather than avenger or superhero.

However, to write the world’s greatest detective, you need to be a fairly good one yourself—no small task for the ordinary, non-fictional person.  How else can you expect to set up clues amidst the plot with enough intricacy and subtlety that the reader doesn’t spot them and put them together with his commoner’s brain faster than the Batman himself?  With his experience on the unusual and surprisingly complex Chew, Layman seems up to the task.

Swamp Thing #14 – Review

By: Scott Snyder (story), Yanick Paquette (art), Nathan Fairbairn (colors)

The Story: This isn’t quite like Huckleberry Finn, but it’s as close as you can get in Rotworld.

The Review: I won’t deny that I’ve been less than thrilled with the first chapters of Rotworld, which seems astonishing as we’re talking about a highly anticipated storyline from two extremely fine writers working on two very compelling characters.  It’s hard to pin down why exactly the last few months’ issues have failed to elicit the expected excitement.  Somehow, the plot just seemed way simpler, more predictable, and even duller than you anticipated.

It’s to my great relief that Snyder turns that trend around in a big way here.  Now that we’ve gotten past the obligatory briefing on the world’s status, we can now focus on taking some action.  Now surrounded by the enemy, with few options and little hope of success, Alec faces the ultimate test as the Green’s avatar.  It seems appropriate, then, that his powers just keep getting bigger and bigger, quite literally so in this case, making quick work of the Rotted Titans and their minions using one carefully placed step.

Swamp Thing Annual #1 – Review

By: Scott Snyder & Scott Tuft (story), Becky Cloonan (art), Andrew Belanger (pencils), Karl Kerschl (inks), Tony Avina (colors)

The Story: What’s more romantic than a historical tour of a village on a barren mountain?

The Review: If you’ve noticed nothing else about Snyder’s work in the last few years, you’ve at least realized by now that he’s had big ideas for the DCU ever since he started working on Detective Comics.  As amazing as his work has been, though, only lately has he begun to stretch his legs and take command of the material like his own.  He now sees much more comfortable taking the familiar characters and twisting them to his own vision.

You might be thinking that he’s always done this, which is true, but you have to admit he’s become quite a bit more radical in the last few months.  The early issues of this series displayed a huge amount of knowledge and respect for the Swamp Thing mythos, retaining as much of the preceding authors’ continuity as possible.  In #0, you saw Snyder muck with Alec’s origins in a pretty significant way, and here, that mucking turns into full-on historical revisionism.

Ame-Comi Girls #1 – Review

By: Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti (story), Amanda Conner (art), Tony Akins (pencils), Walden Wong (inks), Paul Mounts (colors)

The Story: Diplomacy in a metal bikini—what can be wrong with that?

The Review: I know I’m playing into stereotype here, but I actually preferred anime and manga for many years before getting back into American comics.  Like most fans, I was drawn partially by the exotic air of the material, but mostly by its extremes of imagination and emotion.  Later, I’d realize anime and manga have their gradations of low-brow and formulaic versus intelligent and inspired as any other medium, but at the time, it all seemed utterly original to me.

Originality would not be the predominant quality of this series, and in most respects, you don’t see anything in particular which really ties Ame-Comi Girls with a Japanese aesthetic, either in substance or design.  If there are certain tropes manga usually fall into (and there are plenty), this title doesn’t really use them.  Nothing in the way the story proceeds or the way characters behave really remind you of anything you ever read in a tankōbon.

Swamp Thing #13 – Review

By: Scott Snyder (story), Yanick Paquette (art), Nathan Fairbairn (colors)

The Story: Some people would consider a Garden of Eden in the sky kind of romantic, Ivy.

The Review: I gave Animal Man’s counterpart to this issue a thorough thrashing in my review the other day.  This arc has been one of anticipation ever since Snyder and Jeff Lemire’s collaboration was announced, and for it to start with less than a bang makes you feel a bit cheated.  Rotworld leaves our heroes with only one inevitable choice of action: go back and reverse what has been.  That inevitability saps the arc of its thrill almost from the start.

This issue doesn’t do a much better job of convincing you any other option is possible.  With the world laid waste, its very geography altered (“This ‘desert’ is Louisiana, Holland,” Ivy informs him bitterly), and everyone dead and grotesquely deformed, even if Alec and Buddy somehow manage to defeat Arcane and the Rot by themselves, what would be the point?  I can only see a way back if the Red, Green, and Rot all work together to put things right—which isn’t a bad possibility, come to think of it.  I just take issue with the predictability of the story’s direction.

Birds of Prey #12 – Review

By: Duane Swierczynski (story), Cliff Richards (art), Gabe Eltaeb (colors)

The Story: Greenpeace won’t be too happy about the Birds stealing their thunder.

The Review: As someone who likes to support women, particularly in the comics biz, I’ve always had a great deal of respect for Birds of Prey.  Correct me if I’m wrong, but do you realize that at 127 issues during its first run, 13 issues during its second, and now a dozen issues post-relaunch, this is the longest-running superhero series starring primarily women?  Certainly a far cry from Marvel Divas, no?

Furthermore, this title also has the distinction of starring women who spend the vast majority of their time doing and discussing things that have nothing to do with finding/dating/marrying a guy.  For those reasons, I’ve stuck by Birds of Prey even when it doesn’t hit a very high bar of quality.  And that may explain why, despite a string of underwhelming issues, it still has a place on my pull list when titles like The Flash or Justice League International fell off the radar.

Birds of Prey #11 – Review

By: Duane Swierczynski (story), Travel Foreman & Timothy Green II (pencils), Jeff Huet & Joseph Silver (inks), Gabe Eltaeb (colors)

The Story: Poison Ivy’s killer course on how to save the planet.

The Review: Look, none of us are naïve here.  We all know that there are some people in this world who can stand a little killing.  And I’m not talking about the ones who are clearly disturbed, like serial killers or child rapists.  I’m referring to the jags who see you waiting-signaling for a parking space and zip into it anyway, the corporate honchos who do everything short of snatching cash from your hands, the guy who leaves his pee all over the toilet, etc.

But horrible as these folks are, you don’t actually believe they deserve death (at least, I hope not because otherwise I suggest you seek counseling).  It just goes to show that our valuation of human life outweigh a whole slew of awful human behavior.  At the same time, most of us acknowledge somewhat hypocritically that there are things far more important than us.  It’s only when we have to practice that idea that we begin reconsidering our priorities.

Birds of Prey #10 – Review

By: Duane Swierczynski (story), Travel Foreman (art), Gabe Eltaeb (colors)

The Story: Didn’t you know nearly all Birds in the Amazon are endangered?

The Review: Fiction writers follow hardly any rules but loose ones, and one of the loosest and most followed rules goes something like this: don’t always stick to your guns.  Big ideas are important, and if you bring some to the table right from go…great!  But don’t be afraid to traipse off the well-trodden path to pursue a plot thread or develop a character you never once thought about.  A lot of times, these wind up replacing your original plans as the real meat of the story.

On the other hand, let’s not get so excited about exploring new directions that we get totally mixed up about where we’re going—and forget how to get back to the trail to the picnic area.  I don’t think we’re at a point where Swierczynski can’t lead us back to where we laid out our blankets and lunch, but those sandwiches are feeling further away all the time, and we’re feeling a bit peckish, to say the least.  (The extended, completely ridiculous metaphor ends here.)

Birds of Prey #9 – Review

By: Duane Swierczynski (story), Travel Foreman (pencils), Jeff Huet (inks), Gabe Eltaeb (colors)

The Story: We have a serial killer and a group of pretty women—who’ll come out on top?

The Review: Another “Night of the Owls” tie-in.  Huzzah.  In all seriousness, though, it’s not like I think Batman-spawned plot is terrible—I haven’t even read it, after all—but it just doesn’t feel like any of these titles which have crossed over with the storyline really needed to.  The formula is simple: enter an undefeatable Talon; hero of the hour struggles against it for a while; hero finds some method (clever or no) to subdue it; fade out.

Lo and behold, that is exactly how this issue pans out.  Swierczynski makes an attempt to give Henry Ballard, the Talon in question, a bit of character, but like the Talons of Batgirl and Batman and Robin, the haste in which the issue wraps makes it impossible for you to develop any sentiment toward him whatsoever.  He has a whole shtick about the unchangeable nature of history (“Gotham’s streets are the same.  The blood flows in the gutters just the same.  The crimes, the wicked acts, the atrocities…all the same.”), but Swierczynski doesn’t explore that theme enough to make it worth your attention.

Birds of Prey #7 – Review

By: Duane Swierczynski (writer), Jesus Saiz (artist), June Chung (colorist)

The Story: Black Canary, there’s a reason why we call ‘em “frienemies.”

The Review: Another reason the Birds of Prey—and here I’m talking about the pre-relaunch version of the team—were so appealing was they acted not only as a highly effective team, they were a group of women bound together as much by friendship as necessity.  As much fun as it was to see them take names and kick butt, the moments where they bantered, poured their hearts out, or gave each other emotional support were even more enjoyable.

That’s probably the one thing this current version of the team lacks so far.  Swierczynski has given the Birds grit for days, what with a ninja, an agent of the Green, a master spy, one of the finest martial artists on the planet, and Batgirl banding up together.  But since Canary gathered many of these ladies more for the sake of their special abilities than anything else, the bonds among them were tenuous at best, always susceptible to snapping, given enough tension.

You don’t stress out the team spirit any more effectively than shooting upon your teammates.  Frankly, it surprises me none of the Birds thought something like this might happen, considering Choke obviously messed with their heads all the way back in #4.  In fact, I’ve been waiting for a mind-controlled betrayal to happen for a while, and since Starling has gotten the most brutal after-effects of all the ladies, it was almost inevitable she’d be the one to turn on them all.

Choke’s choice of Starling for his prime sleeper agent is brilliant for two reasons.  First, there’s definitely some kind of irony about the woman with an inbred sense of paranoia becoming an unwitting pawn for a mastermind, and refusing even to acknowledge that possibility.  Second, we know that of all the recruits to her team, Canary trusts only Starling, which she states outright to Batgirl.  Thus Choke’s turning of Starling seems to be a direct psychological attack against Dinah more than anyone else, indicating his agenda may be personal at heart.

Birds of Prey #6 – Review

By: Duane Swierczynski (writer), Javier Pina (artist), June Chung (colorist)

The Story: Just when you think you know a guy, he turns out to be a secret killer agent.

The Review: Some would argue that the real measure of a great superhero is a great supervillain, and that seems pretty true.  You can’t really think of any of the giants—Batman, Superman, Captain America, Spider-Man—without simultaneously thinking of their evil counterparts—Joker, Lex Luthor, Red Skull, John Jonah Jameson (and yes, that last one is, in fact, a joke).  So it stands to reason that often, the failing of any new hero can often lie with mediocre nemeses.

For these new Birds, their first antagonist is kind of a weird bird.  On the one hand, the scope of his abilities and his altogether faceless nature poses some worthy challenges for our heroines.  On the other hand, we haven’t really seen Choke actually do anything, nor do we know much about his motivations.  Without a clear goal, he’s just being manipulative for the sake of being manipulative—which in itself might be interesting, but this issue hints nothing like that.

The real antagonists the Birds have faced thus far have all been these Cleaners, sleeper agents activated by remote hypnotic triggers.  Swierczynski makes the rather pleasant decision to buck the trend of leaving nameless thugs to be nameless thugs and actually follow one of the Cleaners around.  And his name is Brendan, by the way.  Seeing his experience of living a fairly normal routine most the day, only to black out and find himself in pants-wetting situations later (by which I mean he’s been suddenly stripped naked in a warehouse, Katana poised over him with a syringe), definitely shows you how disorienting and frightening it must be to live his life.

Birds of Prey #5 – Review

By: Duane Swierczynski (writer), Jesus Saiz (penciller), Javier Pina (inker), June Chung (colorist)

The Story: I don’t suppose anyone thought to write down what we were doing on a Post-It?

The Review: The best part about a title that features a group of solely women is for once you get (when executed properly) the kind of variety among characters of a single gender that you’ve been getting with dude-focused titles for years now.  It’s remarkable how many comic book writers tend to approach scenes featuring more than two women as if their only experience of such interactions is from what their girlfriends made them watch of Sex and the City.

In sharp contrast to the sameness of females over on Justice League International, each Bird has an immediately recognizable and distinctive voice and bearing.  Poison Ivy is brusque and to the point; Starling is equal parts brash and sensitive; Katana, while cool and businesslike, reveals a sense of humor beneath a surprising shyness; and Black Canary, as the emotion center of the team, has a little bit of everything bubbling her cautious exterior.

You’ll notice I haven’t mentioned anything of Batgirl yet.  The reason is simple: she doesn’t really get much of an appearance in this issue.  And the reason for that?  Well, it’s complicated.  As Canary very efficiently sums up, “Last thing I remember, we were on Choke’s secret floor fighting a dozen of those creepy ‘Cleaners’—and all five of us were kicking ass.”  Cut to the first page, and the Birds (minus Batgirl) are under military fire in the midst of a rubble, with no clue what’s gone on in the last few hours.

It’s not just that they’re missing time out of their lives.  None of them seem to have consistent memories of what’s happened (some remember Batgirl being there, others don’t).  Starling’s broken hand has mysteriously healed up.  More significantly, each of them comes away from the experience troubled and out of sorts, which they each deal with in their own way, revealing interesting bits of backstory along the way.

Ev can’t settle herself at the range, so she goes to visit a lady-acquaintance with whom she seems to have a complicated past (“I know what you said…but I really, really needed to see you.”).  Also intriguing is Ivy’s dealings with an unidentified businessman, which may bode ill for her loyalty to the Birds—or it may not; his question of, “You’ll still honor our arrangement?” could mean treachery, or it could mean he’s asking if she’ll keep up an earlier, unrelated bargain with him while having a go at “the hero thing.”

Birds of Prey #4 – Review

By: Duane Swierczynski (writer), Jesus Saiz (artist), June Chung (colorist)

The Story: I’m telling you—the 19^th floor exists!  It does!

The Review: After reading through this issue, it occurred to me that comics have conditioned us to expect supervillains in these kinds of stories, by which I mean crazy wackos with weird costumes, terrible codenames, and themed powers and weapons.  The side-effect is we tend to underestimate the more down-to-earth criminals, the ones who’ve got a plan and don’t need to show off to get it done.  These types see superheroes as obstacles, not nemeses.

I think that’s the situation we have with the big, unseen mastermind (with the name “Choke”—not a bad one, as these things tend to go) haunting the Birds at every turn in this story arc.  Sure, his “invisible” thugs (called “Cleaners”) don’t really pose much of a threat to our well-trained ladies, but you can’t deny how far the reach of his manipulations can go.  It’s not just the bombs he can secretly implant in your head; he can turn people into living microphones, transmitting to him all they see or hear—for what, we can only guess, but it’ll be big, that’s for sure.

Beyond that Swierczynski (and can I just say, it takes me about a minute just to spell this guy’s name correctly every time—no offense) simply crafts a darn gripping plot, filled with all kinds of intriguing details that make Choke seem more impressive all the time.  As Starling explains, “They operate in the spaces between floors…phantom floors someone sneaked into the original design.  This building’s owners and tenants have no idea the creepy Cleaner is here.”  I don’t know if it’s really an original idea, but a fun one to think about, nonetheless.

Fun is really the underlying chord of this series.  Even in the most bombastic action sequence or sober string of exposition, Swierczynski manages to inject some humor.  Best of all, he doesn’t do it by dropping forced gags or strings of witty banter everywhere; he just stays true to the characters and lets them react naturally to the situation at hand.  For example, having Katana prelude her imminent bloodbath with, “My husband wishes to meet with you,” never gets old.

Birds of Prey #3 – Review

By: Duane Swierczynski (writer), Jesus Saiz (artist), June Chung (colorist)

The Story: The Birds discover the joys of flower power.

The Review: Like many Batman villains, Poison Ivy has become more complicated over the years, starting off as one of your typical deranged Gothamites and growing into an eco-terrorist of the first degree.  In the process, she’s transformed from villain to something of an anti-hero (with the occasional descent back into villainy).  Still, she’d never label herself as a “good girl,” and as seen in the now-kaput Gotham City Sirens, she likes to stick with other shady dames.

So it’s surprising Black Canary extends an invitation for Ivy to join her team—or it would be had we a different flock of Birds than we do now.  Starling won’t win awards for the pure of heart and Katana’s skill of plunging her sword into anything that moves won’t either.  Even Canary doesn’t have a stainless rep anymore.  So the real question is: what advantage does Ivy get out of joining when her only goal is to “prevent greedy individuals from despoiling the planet”?

We know what the Birds will get with the addition of “the talking salad” (Starling’s words, not mine): firepower.  Except for Dinah’s Canary Cry, the ladies’ talents all focus on espionage and sting ops skills.  Ivy offers a very different set of abilities.  As she demonstrates on one of the thugs they capture, her charm is as potent as ever, reducing him to a blithering puddle in the span of one page: “I’ll take you home you’ll like home let me take you home.”

Adding the semi-villainess to the Birds also adds some delightful new dimensions to the team dynamics.  Though Katana and Starling have just met and haven’t exactly taken to each other, both are immediately on the same page when it comes to their newest teammate.  When Canary asks what they think of Ivy, you have to love their silent exchange of glances seconds before they simultaneously draw their weapons.  Looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Young Justice Episode 14 – Review

By: Kevin Hopps (writer)

The Story: You have to hate it when villains catch on to the value of teamwork.

The Review: Over the course of this series, we’ve seen a lot of interconnected plotlines, a neat feat for a cartoon, one for which the show’s writers should give themselves a hefty pat on the back.  We’ve seen elements featured from early episodes, like the Blockbuster formula and Bane’s Venom, pop up again in later ones, developing into much bigger sources of tension.  We also know almost every foe the team has faced has some connection to the mysterious Light.

In this episode, the official halfway point of the series, almost all those elements finally get put into play when the Injustice League (or Society or what-have-you) launches attacks around the world.  It’s a pretty powerful group (Count Vertigo, Black Adam, Wotan, Ultra Humanite, Atomic Skull, Poison Ivy, and the Joker), but their particular method of collaboration is what proves most ingenious and challenging, not only for Young Justice, but their mentors as well.

Indeed, as much as our stars get to do, we see nearly as much action from the Justice League, which may draw out some wistful nostalgia for all you Justice League Unlimited fans.  Besides the usual suspects, we see appearances from some very surprising members.  Some are fun delights (Plastic Man), others interesting choices (Blue Devil and Guy Gardner as Green Lantern), and some just throw you for a loop (Milestone heroes Icon and Rocket).

But what of our young heroes?  While the big guns tackle the big, imminent threats, Batman entrusts YJ to take down the villains at the source, with no help or supervision whatsoever.  A major mission, to be sure, one that feels a tad early since the team still feels pretty rough around the edges.  At any rate, this should shut down any further accusations about being babysat and doing only grunt-work, once and for all.

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.