Sinestro #4 – Review

By: Cullen Bunn (story), Rags Morales (art), Jason Wright (colors)

The Story: Why does it always have to be about Hal Jordan? Jordan, Jordan, Jordan!

The Review: Around the fourth issue of a new series is usually the point when I know whether it’s a keeper or on the road to being Dropped. I’m more than happy to give every title a fair shake, recognizing that there are such things as sleeper hits, but my time is also better spent seeking out worthy replacements than sticking to the stubbornly mediocre. Also, and this is no minor point, I am not made of money.

In better economic times or with a leaner choice of titles out there, I might have stuck with Sinestro for a while yet. I remember the hard, early days on this site (and I shudder to think that was nearly four years ago) when I covered the consistently underperforming Doom Patrol, R.E.B.E.L.S., Justice Society of America, and Legion of Super-Heroes for months on end, mostly because I had few other options to turn to (or so I thought). Now, if I set aside Sinestro, there are at least three possibilities to take its place.*

Sinestro #3 – Review

By: Cullen Bunn (story), Dale Eaglesham & Rags Morales (art), Jason Wright (colors)

The Story: As with most former dictators, it’s hard to wring an apology out of Sinestro.

The Review: So I saw Transformers: Age of Extinction last night, the first Transformers film I’ve ever seen beyond the trailer. This isn’t really the time and place for a fully-fledged review of the movie, but for those curious, I’ll say that it’s extremely distressing to see how much money could be spent to produce something so soulless and utterly lacking in redeeming quality other than visual spectacle. Clearly very little of that $210 million budget was expended on the writing.

More than anything else, I’m angry at myself for actually paying money to see the film and thus indirectly supporting such wanton lack of integrity. That’s the upside of reading comics; even if you feel like you’ve wasted your money on some bad issues, you can take comfort in knowing the profits aren’t terribly encouraging anyway. And with that, I think I’ve successfully brought us back to our real topic of choice, Sinestro #3, which might not be exceptional, but at least it has characters with dimension, which can’t be said of certain works with a gajillion times the resources.

New Avengers # 17 – Review

byJonathan Hickman (Writer), Rags Morales (Artist), Frank Martin (Color Artist).

The Story: T’Challa and Namor find common ground admits the destruction of worlds.

The Review: One of the most fascinating aspects of this series has been the continued evolution of the relationship between the Black Panther and the Sub-Mariner in the wake of Atlantis’ attack upon Wakanda in the pages of Avengers V.S X-Men. While Namor has been shown to actively trying to bring further destruction down upon Wakanda during the events of Infinity his relationship with Namor in this issue is equal parts melancholy and camaraderie, two weary warrior kings commiserating over where their paths have led them; as witnesses to the destruction of multiple Earth’s. While Namor’s motives are always suspect, the conversation between the two does contain some moments of bitter-sweet honesty and understanding between two characters who’s dynamic could easily fall into a tiring pattern of constantly being at each others throats in the hands of a lesser writer.

Green Lantern #23.1: Relic – Review

By: Robert Venditti (writer), Rags Morales (penciller/inker), Cam Smith (inker), Andrew Dalhouse (colorist)

The Story: Robert Venditti gives us a lesson in the history of a dead universe.

The Review: Though the overall theme of Villain’s Month is tied into Forever Evil, this comic has its eyes on another prize, the upcoming Lights Out crossover. All the hints scattered throughout the last three months of Green Lantern: New Guardians are brought to bear this week as we get our first peek at Relic’s past.

Relic, we discover is a somewhat tragic figure, a scientist defined by events beyond his control. In his own way, he’s kind of a twisted Jor-El figure, though by the end he’s become his own Superman on a universal scale.

It’s a solid story that introduces a vein of moral ambiguity into Relic’s character, much-needed after his brief visit on Elpis last month. Unfortunately, the story is so archetypal and his motivation so understandable that there’s not much in the way of surprise here. Relic’s been wandering the galaxy screaming about lightsmiths for two months now and it’s not surprising that his cryptic ramblings have dropped some pretty serious hints in that time.

Robert Venditti’s script is rather unique in that it calls for only nineteen panels in a twenty page comic. Every page is a splash and there’s almost no dialogue, with a single page containing the comic’s two word bubbles. The rest of the story is told in caption boxes. This odd storytelling choice gives the issue something of a storybook vibe. This is only furthered by the third person narration delivered, apparently, directly to the reader.

Action Comics #18 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Rags Morales & Brad Walker (pencils), Cam Smith & Andrew Hennessy (inks), Brad Anderson (colors)

The Story: Does anyone know which dimension we’re in?

The Review: Morrison is a complicated writer.  We all know that and many of us even love that.  But there are times when he’s complicated with purpose, and there are other times when he’s just complicated.  Unfortunately, I think his stature has gotten to a point where DC just greenlights pretty much everything he produces without much interference (quite a contrast to the treatment given other, lesser-known writers, if rumors be believed).

I don’t mind it when content and substance have layers that require a little more effort on your part to parse through and appreciate.  I cannot, however, abide needlessly confusing structural choices.  By far, Morrison’s worst problem is that characters frequently don’t seem to actually respond to each other’s lines.  Take Ferlin, son of Mxyzptlk and Nyxlygsptlnz, accusing his dad, “It’s your fault my dear mother’s blood stained this foul item I’ve treasured in her memory.”

Action Comics #17 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Brad Walker & Rags Morales (pencils), Andrew Hennessy, Mark Probst, Cam Smith (inks), Gabe Eltaeb & Brad Anderson (colors)

The Story: Superman lives the worst days of his life all at once.

The Review: If you’ve decided to be a Morrison fan, then you’ve already resigned yourself to the serious highs and lows that kind of commitment requires.  Because when the man is on, he is on and you have the pleasure of reading something that can very well remain a part of comic book history.  And when he is not so good, it really is a crisis of faith, isn’t it—where you begin to reconsider whether Morriosn really deserves the reputation attached to him.

But I’m projecting.  My point is, you read Morrison knowing he aims high, so there will be falls along the way.  The worst is if he makes the descent at the end of an arc, when his trajectory should be in the opposite direction.  Most unfortunately, that seems to be the case here.  Though he spent the last year laying all kinds of bombs set to go off at this, Superman’s finest (thus far) moment, the release of energy here is chaotic and confused, with almost no sense of control.

Action Comics #16 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Brad Walker & Rags Morales (pencils), Andrew Hennessy & Mark Probst (inks), Brad Anderson (colors)

The Story: God among men versus god.

The Review: Mr. Morrison, I know you’re probably too wily and experienced to succumb to the temptation of perusing the internet for remarks on your work, but your probably know already the general criticisms about your work.  “Confusing” is the operative term you likely most often hear, but I think a more accurate description is “headache-inducing mind bogglement.”  Granted, you don’t want to alter your craft on public whim alone, but sometimes, the public has a point.

Because this issue is a prime example of what people are talking about when they complain about the obtuseness of your work.  Now, I know what you’re about to say: this is a story about time and space going bananas at the shenanigans of a fifth-dimensional being so of course the narrative will run off-kilter.  Unfortunately, that’s not where my point of contention lies.  Your reality-warping nonsense is your fictional style at its most classic and actually the best part of the issue.  The real problem lies elsewhere.

Action Comics #15 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Brad Walker & Rags Morales (pencils), Andrew Hennessy & Mark Probst (inks), Brad Anderson (colors)

The Story: Hey, even extradimensional beings can have a Shakespearean romance.

The Review: Sadly, one of my favorite moments from Morrison’s run on New X-Men was “Magneto” giving Jean a massive stroke on a planetary scale.  It was the most ingenious way to kill a being of her power I’ve seen.  That scene clued me into the scale at which Morrison develops his ideas.  He’s the only one who can embrace the sheer lunacy of the Silver Age and give it enough sense and logic to work for our highly technical generation.

In this issue, Morrison takes his ideas train into overdrive, almost flippantly tossing delightful bits of imagination at us.  Tesseract mines which release a new predatory environment when triggered may seem wonderfully bizarre at first, but they have nothing on the fifth-dimensional material which follows.

Action Comics #14 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Rags Morales (pencils), Mark Propst (inks), Brad Anderson (colors)

The Story: Is the god among men ready to face the legions of heaven?

The Review: Like a lot of people, I imagine, I was immediately struck by the covers to this issue.  You have Superman assailed by a flock of angels—with wings and togas and flaming swords, the whole deal.  How can you look at that and not think, What the what? or some more vulgar equivalent?  That there, my friends, is the very thing that gives Morrison a big name among comic book writers: an unwavering commitment to the wondrously strange.

As it turns out—spoiler alert—these angels actually represent the Multitude, which has laid waste to various worlds, rebuffed only once by Jor-El of Krypton, and now targeting Earth.  True to any Morrison concept, the Multitude requires a great deal of abstract imagining on your part, for it is “all one thing—a single weapon with countless points aimed at us from a higher, 5th dimension.”  That’s comparatively tame when you consider some of the truly crazy ideas seen in other Morrison projects, but nonetheless, a worthy challenge for Superman.

Action Comics #12 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Rags Morales, Cafu, Brad Walker (pencils), Rick Bryant, Bob McLeod, Andrew Hennessy (inks), Brad Anderson & Gabe Eltaeb (colors)

The Story: Superman gets his hands bloody and finds a potential new career path.

The Review: Much of what this title has been about is building up the legend of Superman for a new generation of admirers, if there are any to be had.  While Morrison’s changes to his powers and mythology can’t be overlooked, it’s the re-definition of Superman’s character that’ll prove most crucial.  Quite frankly, the iconic hero of yore had become avuncular and preachy, too far prone to lecture us and remind us of our smallness.  It’s hard to connect to someone like that.

The new Superman is a guy who hasn’t got it all figured out just yet, so he can’t really hold himself above the people he helps out.  At the same time, the very core of his being gears so tightly to goodness that even by instinct alone, he just always does the right thing.  Who else would not only put himself in harm’s way to save the people who just beat him down seconds earlier, but doesn’t even hesitate to do so?  I mean, what a guy—what a hero.

Action Comics #11 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Rags Morales, Rick Bryant, Brad Walker (art), Brad Anderson (colors)

The Story: Superman, at some point, you have to realize that a cat is just a cat.

The Review: Say what you like about Morrison, but he is a man with a plan.  Now, whether his plan results in something worthwhile is a completely different question, but you can always reliably depend on him to deliver a big revelation or moment which had its seeds sown issues earlier.  Not a lot of people can pull that off; indeed, not a lot of people have Morrison’s creative license to pull that off.

He’s certainly earned it.  This is a guy who has such awareness of everything he writes (his “inventory,” as writer Ron Carlson so likes to put it) that he can use a throwaway detail as the basis of an entire storyline, like the hamsters from last issue and their newest owner, Lois’ niece Suzie.  No one could possibly have predicted this cute-as-a-button girl would turn out not only to be precocious, but a member of an entirely new species, “A nutant.  Neo-sapiens—born one hundred thousand years ahead of our time…”

Action Comics #10 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (story), Rags Morales (pencils), Rick Bryant (inks), Brad Anderson (colors)

The Story: Don’t kid yourself—Superman loves all pets, not just cats.

The Review: One of the great hallmarks of Morrison’s writing style, one for which he is both revered and reviled, is his fragmented sense of narrative.  His habit of switching in and out of storylines, juggling various settings and periods, is loose, bordering on erratic.  Because this is Morrison, no matter how disjointed his story is, it all comes together at some point, but it could be a frustrating reading experience along the way.

In this issue, we have almost six, arguably seven, different plot threads going at the same time.  While there are definitely some connections among them, all too frequently you’ll turn a page and run smack-dab into a scene which has no bearing on what you’d been reading.  Complicating the issue even more is for the most part, all the scenes have some kind of interest going for them, so Morrison does himself a disservice by minimizing each of them to make room for the rest.

Action Comics #8 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (writer), Rags Morales, Brad Walker, Rick Bryant, Bob McLeod (artists), Brad Anderson & David Curiel (colorists)

The Story: Watch out, Brainiac—Superman’s gonna blow your mind.

The Review: Back in 2006, NBC premiered two new shows, both premised on the backstage activities of a sketch-comedy show.  One was Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, a powerhouse production created and written by the great Aaron Sorkin, with veterans of both big and small screen, Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford, starring.  The other was 30 Rock, a frugal sitcom led by Alec Baldwin and SNL’s former Weekend Update co-anchor, Tina Fey.

I bring this up to illustrate the fact that you can never predict what creative projects will work out in the end.  Suffice to say, no one would’ve expected Studio 60 to get canned within a year, while 30 Rock years later (and still running—I won’t say “strong”) would bring on Sorkin as a guest to mock him for his costly failure.  It just goes to show that A-list producers and ideas don’t always translate to quality material.

Back in the comics world, we’ve seen this semi-paradoxical situation in Justice League, which, despite its tremendous sales numbers, will likely go down in history as a largely mediocre affair.  Lately, I’ve come to find a similar problem with this series.  You would think pairing Grant Morrision and Superman, with Rags Morales on art, would be a shoo-in for a sure win.  Yet somehow, for whatever reason, the talent hasn’t gelled with the story as much as anyone imagined, and the disappointment is all the greater since your expectations were so high.

Not to imply the story has been terrible, exactly—more like we’re getting just your garden-variety Superman origin story with some snazzy dialogue and a T-shirt thrown in.  Speaking of which, Morrison’s rapidfire style of speech has gotten a bit out of control.  Between Glenmorgan’s pill-laden breakdown (“It’s like one of those films where—those horrible films—they’re trapped in hell and the bartender is the devil…”) and Corben’s rage-induced malfunctions (“I read what she wrote about you.  About your eyes!  Search: ‘Faster than a speeding bullet!’  That’s Metropolis’ latest wonder of tomorrow…”), it gets a bit wearisome to read at times.

Action Comics #7 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (writer), Rags Morales (penciller), Rick Bryant (inker), Brad Anderson (colorist)

The Story: Ooh—I love your miniatures in a bottle collection.  Wait, is that my house in there?

The Review: I tend to feel Superman has the same problem as the Flash in terms of appeal.  The whole heart of the Man of Steel is he’s one of the finest and purest superheroes you can think of, a blank perfection which makes him respected and admired, yet also inaccessible.  To exacerbate matters, he’s just so darn powerful that he can afford to stick to his guns; if you have the ability to solve any problem without sacrifice, you never have the problem of making tough choices.

In All-Star Superman, Morrison overcame these obstacles by giving our hero big, Herculean challenges which allowed him to actually struggle.  Morrison’s attempting something like that here by taking away a sizable amount of Superman’s strength and knowledge, putting him on a lower footing than his problems.  It’s certainly raised the stakes for him across the board, but for us readers, seeing him wheeze as he jumps hurdles that wouldn’t have even made him blink some months ago has been a rather jarring gear-shift.

That’s why this coming showdown with Brainiac (I’m pretty sure we all saw him coming some time ago, so I won’t even bother calling this a spoiler) is a very welcome event.  Superman’s not only going to have to fight without the benefit of his peak abilities, he’s going up against one of his greatest foes of all time—don’t let that “1.0” designation fool you.  Brainiac, like Luthor, derives his menace from his mind, not his brawn.  Even though Superman spends only a very brief part of this issue physically fending off Brainiac’s various robo-guards, he’s under attack the entire time as Brainiac constantly strives to screw with his mind.  The climax of all this is Brainiac’s attempt to force Superman into one of those sticky choices that plagues so many of his heroic peers from time to time: save the people of his origin or those of his adoption?

Ultimately, while the question may be a nail-biter for the rest of us, it’s a moot point for our hero.  For one thing, Brainiac miscasts the decision as a “nature versus nurture” problem, as if Superman choosing to save either Kandor or Metropolis is a symbol of loyalty.  The issue is Clark knows nothing—or at least, very little—of his pre-Smallville life.  So the real question is whether his desire to learn more about his background is powerful enough for him to betray the life he lives now.  No matter how you slice it, the answer is probably not.  Besides, this is Superman; he would never allow anyone to force him into such a quandary: “I won’t choose between any one life and another!  All of these people are under my protection, you got that?”

Action Comics #4 – Review

By: Too many to list—check out the review.

The Story: Man of Steel, meet Man in Steel.

The Review: I’ve become a bit wary of DC’s backup and co-features over time.  The fact they hang on to a bigger, stronger storyline definitely poses some drawbacks.  Only rarely do they have a charm and intrigue of their own.  More frequently, they either serve as dead weight or lackluster sideshows to the main event.

Sholly Fisch’s “Steel” backup leans more towards the latter.  It doesn’t break out John Henry Irons by any means, nor does it offer much of a realized identity.  Fisch relies too much on obvious beats (“It wasn’t until after my parents died that I finally understood why they chose my name.  They wanted me to grow up to be like John Henry.”) to flesh out John’s narrative, and repeats them to the point of embarrassing predictableness (“I’m a steel-driving man!”).

It’s a problem all these smaller features run into, sooner or later; with such limited space, writers feel the pressure to tell their stories rather than show them.  For all of John’s quirks (including a genuinely odd fixation with scientists who play bongos), he does little more in this issue than take down a second-tier villain so Superman can handle the real enemy at hand.  Besides rather admirable art from Brad Walker, this backup is mostly a forgettable “bonus.”

As for the real meat of this issue, Grant Morrison makes good on the series’ title and delivers plenty of action.  The animated mechas from last issue, dubbing themselves “Terminauts,” don’t go out of their way to harm people as their Kandorian counterparts did, but their very presence creates quite a bit of chaos in Metropolis anyway, and that’s before the city gets shrunken and bottled up by an entity with centipede limbs and a fondness for pairing pink with green.

Action Comics #3 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (writer), Rags Morales (penciller), Rick Bryant (inker), Gene Ha (guest artist), Brad Anderson & Art Lyon (colorists)

The Story: Corrupt people rabidly spouting nonsense on TV—what will fiction think of next?

The Review: Anybody who’s read much of Superman has wondered this question at some point: which is the real alter-ego, Superman or Clark Kent?  For most superheroes, their secret identity serves as a mere cover for their vigilantism; their true selves emerge when they spring into action.  For a while now, interpretations of Superman have gone the opposite route.  When Clark slips on those tights and spit-curls his hair, he’s still Clark at heart, only more so.

In this issue, we spend most of our time with him out of costume, getting to know him beyond the proletariat grandstanding he does when he’s got his cape on.  If anything, Clark the man is even more stridently principled than Clark the Superman.  As a citizen, his powers can’t come into play, so his indignation becomes more hot and vocal: “You need to be the cop you wanted to be when you were a kid…  Back to cop school, guys!”

It makes perfect sense that at this younger segment of his life, Clark would be rasher, bolder, and more competitive, all of which makes him a more compelling figure now than the endearing but slightly straight-laced reporter of DC past.  You just relate to him more, like when he says in exasperation, “Aliens on the news!  This is what I’m saying…”  If you’re a reader who finds the media at large a mind-boggling place to be these days, you know what Clark means.

Actually, that line builds upon a mystery from last issue, namely how much Superman knows about his origins.  Judging from his scoffs at the sensational reportage of “space monsters,” he really seems to have no clue.  This, of course, explains why he demonstrates such a singularly human lack of self-restraint in his temperament, and why he has such passionate, folksy ideals.  Once he learns the truth, he’ll have to re-evaluate both these qualities, and it may be rough, especially since the public negativity has him already doubting this whole Superman thing.

Action Comics #2 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (writer), Rags Morales & Brent Anderson (pencillers), Rick Bryant (inker), Brad Anderson (colorist)

The Story: We’re no Guantanamo, but we’ve got ways of making an alien in a T-shirt talk.

The Review: One thing Morrison does consistently well is place characters into unusual situations, and when it comes to iconic superheroes, that takes some doing.  These guys have been around the block in their long history, so nothing really takes them (or us) by surprise anymore.  So kudos to Morrison; certainly I never thought I’d see Superman getting relentlessly jolted in an electric chair.

That said, the whole interrogation sequence doesn’t really do much to advance the story, or even build Clark’s character.  Mostly he just takes the various tortures to the chin and stays readily, steadily silent, a pain-eating farmer to the core.  As a result, we don’t ever take his predicament that seriously; we know his escape will come, sooner rather than later.  He has less resilience now than we’re used to, but he’s still Superman, after all.

This issue has two moments which, taken separately, don’t seem all that important, but when you put them together, they bear a major revelation about this version of Superman.  One is when Luthor asks, “Does the word ‘Krypton’ mean anything to you?” and Clark merely replies, “…Noble gas…number…36…”  At first glance, you just figure he’s jerking Luthor’s chain.  Then you get a creeping suspicion when he seems completely baffled by the mention of a rocket.

It all comes together later in the issue, when Clark stumbles upon a rather slick-looking little rocket ship that speaks to him, then covers itself with impenetrable crystal when he tries to touch it.  You suddenly realize that, for whatever reason, he never had any contact with his alien heritage aside from his cape and consequently, he really hasn’t a clue what Krypton is beyond an element on the periodic table.

Action Comics #1 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (writer), Rags Morales (penciller), Rick Bryant (inker), Brad Anderson (colorist)

The Story: If he falls, a Superman has to get up, dust his jeans off, and hit even harder.

The Review: For those of you desperately attempting to push back the memories of Grounded into the far-flung recesses of your brain, don’t fear—I bring it up to make a brief point.  A lot of that storyline was about getting Superman back among the little people again, both figuratively and literally “grounding” him.  Yet despite rubbing shoulders with some of the homeliest homebodies in America, he wound up seeming more distant and out of touch than before.

On that note, we may call this series, “Grounded: Take Two.”  Morrison spoke a great deal of wanting to evoke the original, semi-socialist Superman, the figurehead of the masses, a man seemingly embodied with their collective strength.  An interesting premise, if nothing else, and Morrison certainly executes it well here.  Much as Superman’s powers unnerve both The Man and The Establishment, the everyday folk have an awed sense of pride over their bejeaned hero.

This public trust not only gives confidence to Superman’s actions, it actually affords him some physical protection.  His immature abilities give him some much welcomed vulnerability, and allows him to experience what we haven’t seen from him in a long time: peril.  Limitations may be hindrances, but they let a character display ingenuity and fortitude in overcoming them.  For Superman, we get to see him channel the tough, farmer boy inside to grit through his obstacles.

Anyway, you’d hardly expect a significant (and likely temporary) downgrade in power levels would stop Superman from doing what he does best: saving innocents.  But more than just standing on the sidelines, waiting for an opportunity to do his work, this Superman is more proactive—activist, in fact.  He has a strict agenda and a bone to pick, both very good for a character who’s mostly shied away from taking sides and being personally motivated.

Flashpoint: The Canterbury Cricket – Review

By: Mike Carlin (writer), Rags Morales (penciller), Rick Bryant (inker), Nei Ruffino (colorist)

The Story: We’re going to need a real big can of bug repellent

The Review: Originality is hard to come by in fiction nowadays.  To even grasp at the tail end of novelty, writers need the guts to plunge into the weirdness pool and fish out whatever fresh ideas they can get.  Done right, those ideas can move beyond the strangeness of their conception and produce a great story on their own right.  Otherwise, you just get a hodgepodge of promising details that never gel their potential together into anything substantial.

That’s much the case with the Canterbury Cricket, an undoubtedly odd character with an equally bizarre origin.  But for all its weirdness, the retelling of how he came into existence is strangely unarresting, and it takes up the vast majority of the issue.  On the day of the Amazon invasion into Britain, chauvinist Jeramey Chriqui takes refuge in the Canterbury Cathedral, which the warrior women destroy.  From the ashes rises a shockingly well-mannered cricket-man, a transformation he claims is as divine as the place where it takes place.

Vaguely interesting, but sluggishly told, then unwisely followed up by a pointless anecdote about his first team-up effort.  Again, Carlin presents an idea that’s far more intriguing in theory than execution: a group of “Ambush Bugs,” whose roll call includes all the insect-themed heroes and villains in the DCU: Queen Bee, the Cockroach, Firefly, and Blue Beetle.  We don’t see how the group gathers, nor do we have a firm handle on their goals, other than to annoy the Amazons, which they carry out rather ineptly, resulting in their near-immediate defeat.

Cricket tells his sorry tale to some present-day members of the British resistance, a group whose most recognizable figure is the crusty Etrigan, the Demon (“Continue to make that infernal racket / and everything inside that heart / can be skilled from your skin-jacket / all ‘round these wooded parts!”), who leads the hair-extending Godiva, the Creeper-like Wicked Jinny Greenteeth, and Mrs. Hyde.  Colorful characters, to be sure, but since we only get to see a couple pages of them in action, they do little more this issue than act as Cricket’s rapt audience (better them than me!).

Action Comics #900 – Review

By: Too many to list—check out the review.

The Story: Lex Luthor is about to bring fun, love, and joy to all the people of the universe—the crazy part is I am being totally serious right now.

The Review: Say what you like about Superman: he can be overly naïve, overbearingly preachy, arguably antiquated, and a hopeless optimist.  But any character who can support a title through 900 issues is doing something right.  This unassailable milestone is evidence that Superman remains a deeply embedded icon in our culture.  To be rid of him, our society would have to drastically change—and not necessarily for the better, as this issue demonstrates.

Paul Cornell wisely downplays the Big Blue’s return to his original title to finish off his epic Lex Luthor storyline in grand fashion.  In attempting to break down Superman by forcing him to experience the depths of human emotion, Lex reveals his own under-appreciation for humanity.

Superman already knows more about being human than most of us ever will, while Lex’s quest for his own divinization constantly sets him apart from his fellow man.  He squanders his chance to bless the universe with true, eternal bliss and gain ultimate power by his need to irrevocably prove himself superior to Clark Kent, best man of Smallville, of all people.

The grandeur of this plot gets blemished by the constant distractions from the Reign of Doomsday storyline, which seems obviously forced on Cornell.  He tries to accommodate it as best he can by using it as Lex’s “bait” to get Superman to come to him, but even so it comes off a clumsy, ill-conceived, far more superficial plotline (a grim portent of the material we’ll be getting in upcoming issues) in comparison to Superman confronting a godlike Luthor in space.

First Wave #6 – Review

By: Brian Azzarello (writer), Rags Morales (penciller), Rick Bryant & Phil Winslade (inker), Nei Ruffino (colorist)

The Story: If you happen to be fighting giant robots and dinosaurs on a floating city in the middle of a tsunami, you’ll get pretty down too.

The Review: Figuring out the ending to any kind of story is probably the toughest part of writing.  There’s an urge to neatly wrap it all up with a bow on top, but that’s not always possible.  Some endings take time to come together, making it rough for comic book miniseries.  Since there’s a definite cap to their space and deadline for their completion, they don’t have the luxury of letting the story meander along until it kind of finishes itself.

This last issue of First Wave definitely seems like a spare issue or two would have helped out a lot in pulling all its plot threads together in a tighter way.  Azzarello does his best with what he’s got, but the pace still feels rushed, almost furiously cobbled together.  Even to the very end, he introduces twists which never pan out—the serum that turns blood into gold, for example—which indicates he has a much grander vision in mind that what he ends up with.

Certainly a lot of the more emotional, pontificating scenes need more grounding to sell.  Anton Colossi’s childish breakdown would be more convincing had we seen more signs of his instability beyond a weird, but not totally off-putting devotion to his mother.  But his mad ravings are kind of an eye-roller: “I am sooooo [sic] done hearing can’t, when I can do any damned thing I want!”  You’re really left with the sense of him as an insignificant lunatic.

First Wave #5 – Review

By: Brian Azzarello (writer), Rags Morales (penciller), Rick Bryant (inker), Nei Ruffino (colors)

The Story: The Blackhawks, Doc Savage, the Spirit, Rima the Jungle Girl, the Bat Man, and the Avenger are set on a collision course with the Golden Tree just as it pushes toward its ultimate goal.  Facing destructive powers beyond those of the last world war, our heroes must act fast to prevent another from taking place—if they can survive long enough, that is.

The Review: Even though history’s taught us that the fifties weren’t quite the sunny years people believed them to be, there’s still a lot of nostalgia for that period, and for good reason.  It was a decade of unprecedented confidence in what people—Americans, in particular—were capable of.  That’s the magic Brian Azzarello attempts to capture in First Wave.  By making a world scrubbed clean of all metahuman and alien elements, he raises the stakes for his characters by challenging them to show what they’re really made of.

Having a world entirely populated by mortals instantly pumps the tension bar.  There’s no Superman to fly in, bare his bulletproof chest, and save the day.  The heroes have to take risks to get things done, and when they’re in danger, the only tools at their disposal are their skills and guts.  Azzarello does a great job setting up tight situations for his characters to force or bluff their way through, keeping the action pumping all throughout the issue.  It’s classic stuff—speeding bullets, fisticuffs, and daredevil stunts.

What prevents the issue from going totally pulp is the inclusion of a bit of retro sci-fi and exotica, which is very fitting for the period Azzarello’s trying to channel.  The technology has all the grandiose flair people envisioned back then, but has enough attention to actual engineering principles to make it believable.  The Red Right Hand is portrayed with the dress and mannerisms of stereotypical natives, but they demonstrate their intelligence through their posture and interaction.  The end result is a Golden Age that feels credible; you could be fooled into thinking this is a world that can exist in a modern era.

Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps #1 – Review

By Geoff Johns, Peter J. Tomasi (writers), Jerry Ordway, Doug Mahnke, Chris Samnee, Rags Morales (artists), Tom Nguyen, Christian Alamy (inkers)

The Stories: This three-issue limited series contains three stories. The first is about the Blue Lantern Saint Walker, and his sad origin and the nature of hope. The second story is an interesting father and son tale about Mongul. The third story is about a new group, the mysterious Indigo Tribe, and its encounter with a Yellow Lantern and a Green Lantern.

We are also treated with some great splash pages of the Blue Lanterns, the Green Lantern Corps, the Sinestro Corps and the Indigo Tribe. This means that Johns and Tomasi don’t need to do a whole lot of exposition during the story to keep new readers on track.

What’s Good: Saint Walker’s story is an intriguing look at hope, faith and religion in the face of terrifying disaster (think trials of Job). Walker’s faith is well done, compelling and it makes me want to read more about him. I obviously knew that Walker was going to get a blue ring and I expected a cliché ending, but Johns misdirected and surprised me. As for the story of Mongul’s son and how he perceived his father was interesting, and it ended neatly enough. And for the Indigo Tribe, the story was meant to tease and it succeeded.

Art: All the art was well-done. Ordway iss a strong, experienced penciller who did some fine work with Saint Walker against Larfleeze. All the images were clear, despite the fact that many panels had a lot going on. I loved Ordway’s take on a sun getting younger – a spectacular image of blue and red. Mahnke, Samnee and Morales were also strong visual storytellers in this book.

What’s Not So Good: The concept of a montage book of stories is good, but given that these are origin stories and character study stories, there’s a lot less incentive to collect this book. In fact, throughout, I was wondering why this was part of Blackest Night, when pretty much everything in this book could have fit perfectly into the Blackest Night preludes. Also, while Saint Walker had a complete arc, the story of Mongul’s son was not only brief, but I didn’t feel that anything changed for anyone enough to justify the story being told.

Conclusion: Did anything super-important happen in this book? Not really, which was a bit of a disappointment given the advanced excitement Blackest Night has been getting. This is a collection of back-stories with one teaser for the future. Well-executed, but if you don’t buy it, it shouldn’t get in the way of your enjoyment of Blackest Night.

Grade: C

-DS Arsenault

Amazing Spider-Man #594 – Review

By Mark Waid (writer), Barry Kitson and Mike McKone (pencils), Rags Morales and Andy Lanning (inks), Jeremy Cox (colors)

The Story: Peter battles the new Vulture only to survive and have to face-off against his new ultra-bossy roommate. JJ and Osborn scheme against good ol’ Spidey as the public, inevitably turns against him.

What’s Good: I would be remiss in not stating what perhaps is my favorite aspect of this arc entitled “24/7:” the covers. Seriously, Joe Quesada put out three awesome– dare I say classic, Spider-Man covers in this arc. All of them catch a special tone of the city, while revealing something unique about Spidey as an iconic character. Completely beautiful!

Anyway, onto the book itself. As I mentioned in my last review, I like this new Vulture, which is a more animalistic and threatening version of the old and mostly harmless version. Although they were a bit overly-expressive, I like the way Mark Waid scripted out the battles with the Vulture. These fight scenes take up the bulk of the book and although I usually zone out over long battle scenes, these kept me interested. The fight that probably stood out the most was the final battle at Yankee stadium, which reversed the cliche of “hero beating up bad guy in front of adorning crowd.”  Also, the way Spidey disposed of the Vulture was unexpected and interesting.

I also like Peter’s bold decision at the end of this issue to pursue his mortal enemy. I always thought Peter made a much more interesting character when he would progressively go-for-broke against all odds, rather than being a passive victim to outside forces.

What’s Not So Good: Overall, there were more clumsy moments in this issue than the previous two. These impasses were most noticeable in the art. I’m not sure if it was Mike McKone taking a front seat while Berry Kitson grabbed the front, but there was a big drop in the quality here.

My biggest gripe is that right when I was beginning to think Marvel was cleaning house of annoying supporting cast around Spidey, they bring in the most irritating character to date: Peter’s new roommate. I am not looking forward to her direct effect in Spidey’s life for the foreseeable future. That aside, the addition of JJ’s father to ASM is a solid move and will make for a richer texture to Peter’s life. Additionally, I was a bit let down that some of the high drama that ended last issue, namely Spidey’s traumatic injury, was so easily worked out of the plot.

Conclusion: An unspectacular conclusion to a solid arc. However, everything post Character Assassination has been enjoyable and worth the time and money. Also, don’t forget that Joe Kelley kicks off a new arc next week. These are good days to be an ASM fan. Let’s just hope the editors don’t get punchdrunk and bring the focus back to Harry Osborn and crew.

Grade: B

-Rob G.

Superman/Batman #54 – Review

By: Michael Green (story) Mike Johnson (dialogue) Rags Morales (pencils and cover) John Dell (inks) Nei Ruffino (colors) Rob Leigh (letters)

The Story: Superman struggles to find his place in a world without his powers. After striving for so long to be more human, he’s discovering that it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Batman on the other hand, is loving his new-found strengths just a little too much. His new powers are helping him clean up Gotham at an alarming rate, but at what cost? They say absolute power corrupts absolutely, and Batman may fall prey to the rule.

What’s Good: The power shift between the two heroes is playing out very well. Not only because it’s nice to see their role reversal, but also how they’re reacting. The fact that Batman of all people is having trouble seeing things clearly with his new powers says a lot. Embracing his new-found god-hood and further alienating his allies sets up some good character tension down the line. Superman’s struggle with mortality and inability to help also comes off very well. We’ve all felt helpless in our lives, but to go from god to guy in a few seconds would be tough for anyone to come back from.

What’s Not So Good: My only real gripe is the lack of overall villain thus-far. Silver Banshee came in and did her thing, then Batman threw down with Bane and all of that was fine. But it’s still unclear if the arc will only be about the power-shift, leading to a powerless Superman trying to take down a power-mad Batman. Or if a larger problem looms on the horizon.

Conclusion: This arc is off to a great start but I feel that the sooner we get an idea of where things are headed the better. If you’ve ever wondered what Batman would be like with powers, or Superman would be without them, this is a must buy. You might be surprised at the results, and a little surprise here and there is a good thing.

Grade: B+

-Ben Berger