Men of War #1 – Review

Main story by: Ivan Brandon (writer), Tom Derenick (art), Matt Wilson (colors), Rob Leigh (letters), Kate Stewart (assistant editor) & Joey Cavalieri (editor)

Navy SEALS back-up by: Jonathan Vankin (writer), Phil Winslade (art), Thomas Chu (colors) & Leigh (letters)

The Story: DC returns to war comics and one of them’s last name is Rock.

What’s Good: The most exciting thing about the new DC 52 titles is that there is a heavy helping of non-traditional superhero fare.  Most of it is still in the same sci-fi vein (Swamp Thing, Animal Man, etc.), but the inclusion of a title like Men of War is all kinds of exciting for the comics industry because our hobby could use a LOT of diversification.

The highlight of this issue was really the Navy SEALs back-up feature.  The main story featured a couple of negatives that I’ll discuss below, but this back-up was a pure war story.  I can’t really comment on how accurate the depiction of Navy SEALs was, but this was just a quick story of American soldiers on a patrol, they get shot at by a sniper, one get’s wounded and the others have to go sort out the sniper.  Good stuff, great art!  Very solid war comic.  More of this please!

The main story had some good parts and was enjoyable enough.  It spends a lot of time establishing this Corporal Rock as a modern day US Army soldier who has a familial relationship to THE Sergeant Rock.  Probably the best thing about this story was the US soldiers are the good guys.  Sure, some of their commanding officers are dicks, but I am so sick of every fictional story about US soldiers have the token guy who rapes prisoners or the redneck racist guy or the drug-using guy.  I’m patriotic and want to see positive depictions of the US armed forces… Sue me!

Justice Society of America #44 – Review

By: Marc Guggenheim (writer), Scott Kolins (art), Mike Atiyeh (colors) & Rob Leigh (letters)

The Story: The JSA takes on a super-powered terrorist.

What’s Good: Ugh! Not much.  This was a hot mess.  The best thing about the comic is Kolins’ art, which is quite good in places.  Compared to the current inking style that uses heavy blacks, Kolins is using a much more nuanced shading scheme that probably takes a lot more time.  This combines with Atiyeh’s colors to give the page an almost painterly look that is quite nice.  They also have to handle drawing elderly heroes, which is something an artist isn’t called on to do everyday.

Action Comics #892 – Review

by Paul Cornell (writer), Pete Woods (artist), Pere Perez (artist), Rob Leigh (colorist)

The Story: Lex Luthor continues his quest for complete control of everything, after having tasted true power as an Orange Lantern.  However, being so determined to gain domination brings much resentment in the form of super villains.  Lex surely has his work cut out for him when he has to face Deathstroke in a match for total survival!

The Good: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.  I am not a fan of the “villain of the month” ideology.  Why?  Because most of the time, it’s done poorly.  This, however, is a matter of personal opinion and taste.  So does it necessarily take away from the book itself?  No, it doesn’t.  To achieve complete dominance of the world and/or universe, one must go through many obstacles, including opposing ideas and individuals that will attempt to hold you back.  Essentially, that is what Lex is going through.

We all know Luthor to be a selfish man who will do what he needs to get himself ahead.  What’s interesting is the logic that he has to use to get past each obstacle.  And this is where a villain of the week concept can actually work.  When you show a differentiation of thinking and planning against each foe than you did the month before, there’s a little more sense of purpose to the structure.

Action Comics #873 – Review

Such a misleading cover...

By Geoff Johns (Writer), Pete Woods (Artist), Renato Guedes (Artist), Wilson Magalhaes (Artist) and Rob Leigh (Colors)

After months of building up the tension between the people of Kandor and Earth, the “New Krypton” finale fails to finish “properly.” For weeks, we followed this story as the overlooked important event in DC and to Superman’s life. With so many battles established in the previous issues and personal conflicts introduced, we simply do not get enough closure here. Instead, we are left with a moment that fails to be monumental, and that succeeds in leaving us dissatisfied.

If you’re hoping to finally witness Superman be torn and stuck in the middle of a war between his friends and his people, you’re in for an unexciting ending, and that all stems from the characters’ inactivity in this finale; which leads me to I have many gripes with the characters in this ending. First and foremost, Superman. After his cousin failed to be rational and decided to punch him in the previous issue, Superman doesn’t do much to scold or regain Supergirl’s allegiance. He even fails to serve a much deserve smack to Auntie Alura for being an ungrateful bitch and all the banter. Superman simply doesn’t do anything– atleast anything important or memorably entertaining. But wait, maybe it’s not about Sueprman. Maybe it’s about Luthor, the savior on the cover. Wrong again. Luthor does nothing as well, as Johns fails to make him the antihero that some of us were looking to root for, in erradicating those pesky Kryptonians. And as for Zatanna and her magic crew, you’ll find them fluttering around just like their introduction in last splash page in the previous issue.

This closing issue is clearly disappointing, since I expected more epic scenes and something revealing. Johns had a chance to challenge Superman with a story involving family and with this concept of him not being alone anymore. But instead, he gives us an arc that doesn’t seem fully delivered, as he leaves us with an easily forgettable final chapter. I think it’s pretty obvious that this issue isn’t exactly a conclusion. The reader is left with an ending similar to the previous arc– where Superman stands before Pa’s grave and rips his shirt to reveal the “S,” and two epilogues that are supposed to wet our appetites that features a highly prominenet member of Superman’s rogues. But we’ve seen this formula before in your last story, Johns. Superman is served with a personal loss, and a known villain is re-introduced. Should we expect another story with an ending absent of closure that’s going to be filled with these recurring elements?

Grade: C+

-Raymond Hilario

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

Superman/Batman #53 – Review

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

The Story: Whenever Bruce Wayne has business in Metropolis, Superman insists on filling in for Batman in Gotham in exchange for the same courtesy. A run-in with Silver Banshee has some lasting and drastic consequences that causes Batman to gain the Kryptonian’s powers while leaving Superman powerless.

What’s Good? My favorite part of this series has always been the inner monologue of Batman and Superman. It perfectly illustrates them as opposite sides of the same coin. The story itself has a lot of appeal as well, playing on the idea of what would happen if Batman had superpowers. Would Gotham be cleaned up overnight? Would they hinder him? So far it looks like the latter, but we’re one issue in. Even more interesting than Batman with powers is Superman without them. I’ll probably catch hell for this, but Superman’s heroics are overrated in my eyes. I’m not saying he’s not a hero, but someone like Batman who can die is more heroic than a god doing the right thing. It’s not like your local thug can stop off at the corner mart for some kryptonite. Still, I’ve grown to appreciate Superman more over the years. Even though he’s wanted to be more human, will his lack of powers make him see that mortality’s overrated? I’m excited to see how things pan out and where Green and Johnson are taking our heroes.

What’s Not So Good? Silver Banshee is a lame villain. I’m sure she’s just a pawn or even a throw-away. But Batman and Superman switching powers is a big deal, and one I’d rather see that go to a better villain. The other negative is that we haven’t gotten much setup for the story. Is it going to be all about Bruce and Clark adjusting to the new powers or lack thereof? Or is there a larger force and story at stake.

Conclusion: Even without too many seeds being planted for the arc, this issue does more than enough to get me excited. The pressure is on for issue two, since not much was established beyond the power-switch. Nevertheless, the role-reversal should have a wide appeal for both these heroes. Fans should check this one out.

Grade: B

Ben Berger

Joker’s Asylum: Two-Face – Review

By David Hine (writer), Andy Clarke (art & cover), Rob Leigh (letters)

After seeing the near perfect depiction of Two-Face in The Dark Knight I was worried this would fall flat. I should know by now not to doubt this series.

I’m always curious when reading a Two-Face story if it’s going to be more Dent or Two-face. Here, David Hine actually gives us a pretty good mix of the two. The scenes between Hunt and Dent in Arkham have a good undertone of Harvey the DA, while later scenes do a good job of depicting the “crazier” half. After escaping Arkham, Two-Face puts his plan in motion. It’s something you’d expect – he gives Hunt two choices – the proverbial heads or tails scenario. Both choices are pretty nasty, but that’s the point.  As The Joker wraps up the story he demands that the reader flip a coin to determine the final panel. It’s like a Choose Your Own Adventure book with love and suicide. This little surprise is so Two-Face and brilliant, I’m surprised nobody had thought of it earlier.

Andy Clarke’s art is a real treat. We get a lot of detail without being too gruesome in reference to Two-Face or Hunt’s burns. My favorite page shows the infamous Two-Face’s coin flip. It’s nine quick panels with close-ups of the major characters and the coin and serves as an excellent tension builder. My complaints are more on preference than anything else. First, I’m not a fan of The Joker looking like a regular guy. When he starts to look more like a mime than a psychotic clown, he loses some edge for me. I’ve also never understood the goofy, bleached hair on Two-Faces burnt side. Sure the acid might do something like that, but I think it’s more likely to just burn it all off. Again that’s preference – Clarke does an amazing job.

The worst part of this series is that it’s ending. Lord knows Arkham has more crazies who could benefit from a Joker’s Asylum run. A weekly comic with such high quality is certainly rare, and that alone should warrant a purchase. I would have preferred to read this issue much earlier in the series, but I’m glad DC saved the best for last. It’s definitely overtaken The Penguin story as my favorite issue. (Grade: A-)

– Ben Berger

Superman/Batman #50 – Review

Michael Green, Mike Johnson, (writers) Ed Benes, Matthew Clark, Allan Goldman, Ian Churchill, (pencils) Matt “Batt” Banning, Norm Rapmund, Marlo Alquiza, Rob Hunter,(inkers) John Rauch, (colors) Andrew Robinson, Greg DiGenti, (Krypton sequence), Rob Leigh, (letters) Ethan Van Sciver, Ed McGuinness, Dexter Vines,  Dave McCaig (covers)

This issue has The League rebuilding Smallville and fighting it out with more rogue Kryptonian tech. As great as Superman is he just can’t seem to save us from his planet’s technology. After Brianiac, The Phantom Zone, and a Kryptonian probe, what’s next? But throw in a chance meeting between Thomas Wayne and Jor El and you’ve got a great start to this new arc.

Michael Green and Mike Johnson have done an excellent job with their run on this title. It’s unclear to me if the connection between Thomas and Jor El will carry through, or if it’s just a standalone scene – I’m thinking it’ll probably be the latter – in either case it’s very effective. Personally, I found it a little annoying that Batman and Superman are barely in the issue. Still, learning the details of their fathers meeting is great. It makes me wonder what things would’ve been like if Superman had crashed in Gotham.

A highlight of the book is definitely the pencils. The team is pretty massive, but everyone does a great job. The battle scenes are chaotic, but very detailed and easy to follow. My favorite of which is the fight between Batman, Superman and the crystal projections in The Fortress of Solitude. Not only does it feature their best villains, but awesome action as well. The backgrounds on Krypton during the flashback have a lot less detail, but it still fits really well. I’ve always thought Krypton would have a very streamlined architecture. I’m a big fan of the coloring during this sequence and the use of cool blues is a great choice, definitely better than your standard black and white.

Batman and Superman are like brothers in many ways, and this story reinforces that. Having Thomas Wayne reverse engineer much of Wayne Tech from his time on Krypton is a great touch. That said, I feel my biggest complaint is that it doesn’t seem like much happened; since most of the issue is a flashback it’s hard to really feel that progression. While it remains unclear if we’ll continue to see Thomas Wayne and Jor El in this book it’s still a good read with lots of good stuff for any fan. (Grade: B-)

-Ben Berger

The Joker’s Asylum: Scarecrow

By Joe Harris (writer), Juan Doe (art and cover), Rob Leigh (letters)

Scarecrow is one of those Batman villains who doesn’t seem to get a fair shake. I like him a lot, but he seems to be missing his “epic” story – one that either redefines, or reaffirms his place in the upper echelon of Bat-villains. This certainly isn’t his version of The Killing Joke, but it’s a fun read.

One thing I’ll get off my chest right away is I don’t buy the setup. Not the part about girls being mean in high school – that’s just life – but the fact that this girl Lindsey doesn’t know what Jonathan Crane looks like. She meets him as a patient and unless he’s been wearing a Mission Impossible caliber mask, I just don’t believe she’s never seen a newscast with this guy’s mug-shot. I’m also bummed that there isn’t anything done to hide the true identity of her doctor. We don’t see his face, but it’s clear it’s Scarecrow. Nitpicking aside, I really liked this book. Joe Harris writes some great dialogue and it acts as a mechanism to unfold more than just the story itself. Stereotypes exist for a reason and Harris plays up each high school archetype to its fullest effectiveness.

Artistically, I wasn’t a fan at first glance, but it grew on me – I think it just takes some getting used to. I usually prefer more detail but there’s something about this I really enjoyed. Maybe it’s a throwback to the older cartoons I used to love. Juan Doe does an excellent job of illustrating the points Harris makes about these high school stereotypes.  As Scarecrow’s gas evokes their deepest fears, we get to see them as they truly see themselves. There’s a great panel showing Batman as a monster through The Scarecrow’s eyes and it works very effectively.

Joker’s Asylum continues to prove me wrong each week. Every time I expect the quality to drop with a new creative team. I’m glad the surprises keep coming. Scarecrow’s story is similar to The Joker’s in the sense that it takes some reflection for me to really enjoy it. In that instance, it may not be for everyone, but if you give this series a fighting chance, it may surprise you too. (Grade B-)

– Ben Berger

The Joker’s Asylum: Poison Ivy

JT Krul (writer), Guillem March (art and cover), Rob Leigh (letters)

I’m a person who likes consistency in my life. Without consistency in comics there’s no way to tell in advance how you’ll feel from one issue to the next. This series is a collection of one shots, but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating for readers. In spite of that, this is one of few mini-series that somehow improves each week.

JT Krul paints quite a picture of Poison Ivy. The retelling of her origin isn’t forced and isn’t intrusive for vets, yet is very clear for the newcomers. As an Ivy story, it’s more of the same (people who hurt Mother Earth must die) but its tone and style feels very fresh. The way sadistic ways she goes about killing these guys (especially the last one) actually makes me feel sorry for them. Another impressive thing about Krul’s work is how much he makes you root for Ivy. Maybe I’m sick in the head, but I really wanted her to get rid of these guys. It may be a lesser of two evils, but then again, I may have a thing for green-skinned redheads. Either way, Ivy makes for a pretty compelling protagonist and that’s a tribute to Krul as a writer.

Guillem March’s art is every bit as good as Krul’s writing. Ivy is drawn perfectly, she’s sexy, and has enough danger to be inviting, but not offsetting. Another testament to March is his panels of Gordon and Batman. Each show someone who’s seasoned, but not old (a common mistake) in glorious detail. An interesting style choice was how different The Joker was drawn from everyone else. It’s so different I thought a different artist was drawing him; March’s pencils do a good job of illustrating his insanity. The downside is it doesn’t really fit with the rest of the book.

Consistency may be hard to find in weekly comics, but there are a few elements to this series that carry through. Batman has a small roll in each, keeping the focus on the villains. Even though we get a new look and writing style each week, the overall tone has remained constant and hopefully that can carry through with the series soon wrapping up. (Grade: B)

– Ben Berger

The Joker’s Asylum: The Joker – Review

By Arvid Nelson (writer), Alex Sanchez (artist), Jose Villarrubia (colors), Rob Leigh (letters), Andy Kubert (cover)

My initial reaction to this book was “missed opportunity”. After my second read and some debate with a friend, I love it. My expectations were hurting my initial perception of the book. Instead of the psycho we’re accustomed to I got the The Joker proving a point without murder, and it has more of an impact in retrospect. The concept of the series is brilliant: we’re getting inside info on Arkham’s most notorious inmates, but from the perspective of the most notorious of all, The Joker.

The positive to Arvid Nelson’s writing is the plot itself. It does feel softer than the more modern interpretations of the character, but there’s definitely an edge which was missing at times from the cartoon or 1989 Tim Burton movie. I love the concept of The Joker going to such lengths to prove a point. To tell you “the point” is certainly a spoiler, but it’s definitely classic Joker, and makes you think about society with the recent onslaught of “reality TV”.

The biggest criticism I have is how long it takes to get to the point. Until those final panels it feels like a rejected concept for Batman: The Animated Series. The show is amazing, but it definitely pulled a few punches, most notably with The Joker.  That being said, once you accept the story as a whole you can appreciate the methods in place. It’s like watching Fight Club the second time and catching all those hints littered throughout.

Inconsistent is the word to describe the art. The Joker looks as terrifying as we’re used to on the cover, but not the interior. Even more frustrating is the fact that Joker’s look changes almost panel to panel. Sometimes he looks like Ledger’s version from the upcoming film, others he looks like a normal guy, and even Leatherface for a few panels. I just wish Alex Sanchez would’ve picked one and stuck with it.

Sadly, I feel consistency may be tough to find in this series since a new creative takes over for the next issue. From the perspective of making deadlines, I get it, but it’s almost a sure thing that the overall story will suffer since each team will probably have a new take on The Joker. There’s a lot of good work in this issue, for what it’s worth, and I’m excited to read more about Arkham’s best, seen in the eyes of Arkham’s worst. (Grade: B)

– Ben Berger