Action Comics #34 – Review

By: Greg Pak (story), Aaron Kuder & Scott Kolins (art), Wil Quintana (colors)

The Story: Brainstorms aren’t always good things and this one seems to prove it.

The Review: Recently, I’ve thought that if we could just move past the Doomsday stuff, Doomed might be a pretty decent storyline. I’m glad I stuck to my guns in saying there’s nothing further to develop with Doomsday, not even in the body of Superman, because that’s largely turned out to be the case. Obviously, it’s not terrific that it took an excruciating number of issues to make that clear, but the important thing is we’ve finally gotten past that.

The way I see it, the story of Doomed only truly started once Brainiac started flatlining everybody on the planet, sparing neither superhero or supervillain, yet keeping them all alive for purposes we can only speculate to. Doesn’t that sound a lot more interesting than “Superman infected by Doomsday virus”? Now we’re talking about a legitimate global disaster that requires a proportionate response, which is going to be hard to come by when the threat is actually bigger than the planet itself.

Secret Origins #2 – Review

By: Ray Fawkes, Jeff Parker, & Scott Lobdell (writers); Dustin Nguyen, Alvaro Martinez, & Paulo Siqueira (pencilers); Derek Fridolfs, Raul Fernandez, & Paulo Siqueira (inkers); John Kalisz, Rain Beredo, Hi-Fi, & Pete Pantazis (colors)

The Story: “I watched my parents die in front of me. I’ll never let that happen to anyone again.” – Batman

“Man, I never got to take that fishing trip…” – Aquaman

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear your complaining over my years of slavery and abuse.” – Starfire

The Review: Throughout his seventy-five year history Batman has always been one of DC’s most marketable properties and, especially in recent years, he’s practically demolished his competition. When the New 52 started, the Batman family of titles boasted eleven ongoing books, or over a fifth of the company’s mainline publications, and that number has only just ducked below that with New 52 nine titles announced for August. So yeah, it’s not really a secret that Batman sells comics. Add in two characters who seem to enjoy appearing in various states of shirtlessness and undress and you’ve got a book that looks like gold on paper. So is it?

“We know this story,” a seemingly omniscient narrator tells us on the second page of Ray Fawkes’ Batman story, “Even if we’re new to it, we know it.” It’s a fitting way to start this tale, Batman’s beginning is well known to us, in fact there’s even a movie about it. Perhaps what’s most amazing about Fawkes’ story is that, even knowing that, he doesn’t really try to find a new angle on this classic tale, instead choosing to dive straight in and let the story stand on the strength of his narration. It’s certainly a bold move, and one that bares more fruit than you might expect, but I’m not sure that it’s quite what it takes to sell this comic.

“Man in the Shadow” is a solid retelling of the origin story that largely sticks to the classic framework laid down by “The Legend of the Batman – Who He Is and How He Came To Be” all the way back in 1939. You’ll see Bruce’s parents gunned down, a scene of him mourning them, a scene of him creating the first draft of the mission that will last the rest of his life, a montage of him acquiring the skills he’ll need, and finally the famous night in the study, in that order.

It’s tough to leave your stamp on something that’s been rewritten in that same format so many times, but, to his credit, Fawkes manages to do a decent job of it. The biggest addition is probably the explicit look at how Gotham was changed by the death of the Waynes and the appearance of Batman. The Christopher Nolan films dealt with this theme in their way, as have other stories, but I don’t know that I’ve ever seen it so succinctly put. The idea that Gotham, as a community, never fully healed from the loss of its first family is perhaps a bit of a stretch as presented here, but a brief but crucial mention of the unique values and positions that the Waynes held in the city does a bit to back this up. It brings a smile to my face to see Martha’s contribution to Bruce’s character remembered, especially as, going by the descriptions here, she easily could be seen as the greater loss to the city.

Fawkes’ real contribution here is to boil Batman down to what matters most and present it simply and clearly. There will always be arguments about what the true message of Batman is but Fawkes gives as strong an argument as anyone could in the span of a single page when he opts against the classic, but largely dated, concept of a candlelight oath.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #22 – Review

By: James Tynion IV (writer), Julius Gopez (pencils), Ray McCarthy (inks), Nei Ruffino & BLOND (colors) 

The Story: Jason prepares to lead to the League of Assassins into battle against the Untitled, not knowing that they’ve enlisted Arsenal. It’s up to Starfire to save the world, and, hopefully, her friends as well.

The Review: This month the Outlaws are on their own. James Tynion has created a fascinating web of alliances that pits our heroes against each other. As ever, Roy Harper is a standout character, his combination of brilliance, directness, and unwavering loyalty making him hard to dislike, but easily the most desperate of the trio. He’s even got a new hat!

Starfire is still struggling to find her voice. Thankfully, she’s the one getting things done and working for the good, but the star of the show is still Jason Todd.

Jason’s plotline sees him exploring the underground utopia that forms the core of the League of Assassins empire. Though Jason is a little bit of a blank canvass after his mind wiping adventures, it’s great fun to get to know the League’s members. The Bronze Tiger and Lady Shiva give a great sense of the League’s ethos and power, and focus on their interactions with their peers help the issue feel immersive and connected to the greater DCU.

Tynion has also  come a long way in his portrayal of Cheshire since Red Hood and the Outlaws Annual #1. Where she came off a little generic and oversexed there, Tynion’s settled into a much preferable playful rhythm for her sophomore appearance that makes her an oddly likable cuthroat assassin.

DC Universe Presents #18 – Review

By: Joe Keatinge (story), Federico Dallocchio (art), Allen Passalaqua (colors)

The Story: A village threatened by oppression—and one lone outlaw comes to save the day.

The Review: Two things you ought to know about me: first impressions count a long way with me (probably more than they should, come to think of it), but to make for that fact, I tend to bend over backwards giving folks the benefit of the doubt—even if the red flags are waving that they are, in fact, crazy people.  I think this comes across in my reviews.  I’ve forgiven and shown loyalty to many a writer based on one good showing.

Joe Keatinge really impressed me with his deft handling of Arsenal in last month’s DC Universe Presents, so I was quite eager to see what he could do with the archer’s alien bombshell of a teammate.  Starfire is such an obvious piece of cheesecake, especially nowadays, with her ever-revealing outfit, that it’s hard to take her seriously.  You can call her warrior princess and give her all the powers you want, but she’ll seem like Beyoncé with flaming hair and orange skin.

DC Universe Presents #17 – Review

By: Joe Keatinge (story), Ricken (art), Pete Pantazis (colors)

The Story: Arsenal proves that you can do a lot with a quarter if you know how to use it.

The Review: I hadn’t planned to review this issue so soon; after all, it wasn’t as if DC Universe Presents was ever much of a hot title before now.  But when I went to pick it up at my favorite comic book shop on Wednesday, I was surprised to discover it had sold out.  Seriously?  I then made a call to my back-up comic book shop, who informed me (on Thursday morning!) that they only had one copy left, which is the one I eventually bought with no little amazement.

I can’t say I completely understand what made this particular issue of DC Universe Presents such a must-buy, but I have some thoughts.  Surprisingly, Red Hood and the Outlaws is actually one of the most popular titles from DC (ranking in the top 25 for the last few months).  Besides his starring role in that title, Arsenal has also figured pretty prominently in Young Justice, so he’s got quite a bit of exposure lately.

R.E.B.E.L.S. #28 – Review

By: Tony Bedard (writer), Claude St. Aubin (penciller), Robert Campanella (inker), Rich & Tanya Horie (colorists)

The Story: You’re not the boss of us anymore, Starro!  We’re taking back our streets!

The Review: It’s been a strange, not-so-long journey for DC’s non-Green Lantern-related space opera.  Having started with a fairly high-stakes mission rebelling against the rule of Starro the Conqueror, how fitting it is that we finish with—a mission rebelling against the rule of Starro the Conqueror.

Unfortunately, there’s little interest to be had in reading L.E.G.I.O.N.’s (way to make even the title for this series pointless) final adventure, as the conclusion is pretty much foregone. Last issue Lyrl had already conceived a foolproof way to free the Rannians from the grip of Starro, so there’s not much left to see on that point.  Last issue also saw Lobo and Smite’s duel cut short by their mutual love of bars, so we can’t even look forward to that possibly entertaining brawl.

Speaking of which, as amusing a gag as Lobo and Smite’s newfound bond, you can’t dismiss the fact that it comes out of nowhere and for no reason.  Well, no reason except to have Smite provide the non-essential members of L.E.G.I.O.N. a convenient way to get back to the planet.  And also so Bedard can execute a silly, conclusive wrap-up to Starro the Conqueror’s uneven career as a villain, indicating you were never supposed to take any of this story arc seriously.

Pretty much the only moment of tension in this issue is Starro’s last act of defiance, threatening to have all the Starro-controlled citizens do away with themselves.  And yet there’s a bizarre gap of logic in all this: all the Rannians bring knives to their throat.  Where and how they find such instant, universal access to knives (especially Adam Strange’s little daughter), we don’t know.  It’s pretty clear this is the only method Bedard can think of to threaten their lives without having the risk of their actually harming themselves too soon.

R.E.B.E.L.S. #27 – Review

By: Tony Bedard (writer), Claude St. Aubin (penciller), Scott Hana (inker), Rich & Tanya Horie (colorists)

The Story: Prepare to be sucker-punched—and by sucker-punch I mean getting a telepathic starfish in your face.

The Review: A big cast can be a handful to write, but their usefulness to fiction is invaluable.  The more well-developed characters you have, the more opportunities you have to mix and match them up to see what kind of reactions you can get out of them in various situations.  If you give them a chance, they can practically build their own stories for you.

So it’s not a shocker that when Bedard gets more of the R.E.B.E.L.S. involved in the plot, the issue instantly feels more active and invested.  The back-and-forth chatter among them has an energy and dynamic that’s largely absent when it’s just Vril Dox condescending to whoever manages to get his attention that moment.  It’s also plain refreshing to see the team acting like—well, a team.

Even so, they still get comparatively little to do, what with half of them beaming back to Rann to counter the Starro invasion, and the other half going off to find Brainiac (a mission which proves virtually worthless as the first team winds up accomplishing both).  Really, it’s Vril’s son and lady-friend who get the most page-time, with Lyrl devising a method to free the Starro-infected, and Blackfire facing off against the Conqueror himself.

Lryl’s use of Tribulus to disinfect the Rannians from the possessing starfish is quite ingenious, although the science behind it doesn’t get explained very well.  It also seems a bit too easy, as the invasion barely feels like it’s started (mostly because Bedard’s focus in past issues has been on Starro the Conqueror and his Lobo clones).  On top of that, the whole plot has been executed predictably; Starro stories rarely go any other way, after all.

R.E.B.E.L.S. #25 – Review

By: Tony Bedard (writer), Claude St. Aubin (penciller), Scott Hanna (inker), Rich and Tanya Horie (colorists)

The Story: The return of Starro the Conquerer!  Or, more technically, the return of the return of Starro the Conquerer!  By the way, it’s raining Czarnians.

The Review: There are generally two kinds of villains: your garden-variety, day-to-day thugs who might end up occupying our heroes for half a day, if they’re lucky; and then you have your big-momma, criminal masterminds who will push the good guys to the brink of defeat before inevitably giving way.  No matter which you end up, they all end up like bad houseguests: no sooner gotten rid of before they’re back again.

Starro the Conquer certainly fits the bill; since his introduction, he’s served as the main baddie of now three story arcs in R.E.B.E.L.S. Considering the series is still relatively young, at twenty-five issues, this feels like one arc too many.  Although the initial concept of a humanoid Starro offered some interest at first, by now we all know that besides a giant axe and super-strength, he follows the same M.O. as all Starro plots: possessing people by throwing starfish in their faces.

It all boils down to predictability.  Bedard writes the issue competently enough, but you just can’t help having a “been there, done that” attitude about the whole thing.  After all, Starro is still after taking Brainiac 2 for his own, and he’s still all about galactic conquest.  Since his motivations aren’t any different than before, and neither are his means for carrying them out, half the premise has been recycled from previous stories—not exactly thrilling.  Still an army of Lobo clones (male and female, interestingly enough) has some potential for thrills, though it’s unclear how they’ll be used in this arc.

R.E.B.E.L.S. #24 – Review

By: Tony Bedard (writer), Claude St. Aubin (penciller), Scott Hana (inker), Rich & Tanya Horie (colorists)

The Story: With a bout of peace at last, our R.E.B.E.L.S. finally have some time to work on their romantic entanglements.  These are…the days of their lives…

The Review: With the last issue focused mainly on the Vega sector’s Green Lanterns, the R.E.B.E.L.S. haven’t had much opportunity to develop their characters and show their stakes in this whole operation.  Unfortunately, that’s been the case for most of the series’ run.  Despite a great cast of cosmic personalities, Vril Dox continues to get the lion’s share of page-time and big moments, and that’s really no way to keep up the integrity of a team comic.

This issue does some work to reverse that trend.  Sure, once again Dox’s burgeoning relationship with the edgy Blackfire gets the biggest showcase, but at least you also get touching scenes with Adam Strange’s wife and daughter (still one of the most well-adjusted families in the DCU), Captain Comet trying to drink away his problematic crush on Starfire, and even Lobo getting some action.  These are all good moments to give the characters some drama besides cleaning up whatever mess Dox has gotten them all into again.

On the other hand, Tony Bedard tends to be a little too talky with his writing.  He does pen some good dialogue, especially where his pet characters (Dox and now Lobo) are concerned.  But too often the characters talk about their problems or recall events instead of having those things shown, and that’s a pretty lame use of a visual medium.  For example, Strange and his wife spend two pages talking about their past and their friends’ love lives, all in panels of various close-ups, like the storyboard of a soap opera.  It doesn’t make for very lively reading.

And after all that, you still don’t really get much of a new handle on these characters than you did before.  Comet’s still a lovesick dog, Strange an adaptable family man, and Lobo—well, he’s still Lobo.  Dox still gets the most profit out of the issue as his evening with Blackfire show the semblance of his sensitive side—possibly even a genuine one.  It’s still pretty clear, however, that there may be some plotting happening from both parties.  These are probably the scenes that get the best treatment and have the largest stakes in the long-run for this series.

R.E.B.E.L.S. #23 – Review

By: Tony Bedard (writer), Claude St. Aubin (penciller), Scott Hanna (inker), Rich & Tanya Horie (colorists)

The Story: John Stewart, along with the Vega rookies, arrive on Rann as a delegation from the Green Lantern Corps to make nice with the R.E.B.E.L.S.  But with Vril Dox scheming on how to turn the photo op into profit on his end, both the ancient and new orders of peacekeepers may not be enough to save the system from total annihilation.

The Review: For a while now, R.E.B.E.L.S. has been the only title offering adventures from the cosmic corner of the DC universe that aren’t Green Lantern-centric.  That’s changed with the current story arc, which pits Vril Dox’s capitalist police force versus the newly-minted Lanterns in the same sector.  The crossover makes perfect sense for the story, and given that Tony Bedard’s writing duties now include Green Lantern Corps, the characterization of the Lanterns works very well against the more pragmatic R.E.B.E.L.S.

The downside is this issue feels more like a Green Lantern title.  God bless them, but there are already plenty of series about the Corps without them poaching the one dedicated to the rest of the universe.  Their guest shot had a mixed effect; on the one hand, they injected a good feeling of liveliness and direction to the story, but they also served to highlight just how aimlessly R.E.B.E.L.S. has been wandering around lately.

Bedard just hasn’t given the R.E.B.E.L.S. much to do.  Since their defeat of the re-imagined Starro the Conqueror, most of their work has involved butting heads with each other or with established cosmic villains, like Blackfire or Brainiac.  These aren’t bad choices for antagonists; they just feel done to death.  This title has access to everywhere in the DC universe that isn’t Earth—the motherload of story potential.  Every issue that crutches on previous material instead of introducing new characters, world, or concepts wastes the opportunity to generate a sense of adventure, the lifeblood of cosmic titles.

Blackest Night: Titans #3 – Review

by JT Krul (writer), Ed Benes (art), Rex Ogle (assistant editor), Brian Cunningham and Eddie Berganza (editors)

The Story: The Titans are trapped in a massive slugfest with the dead.

What’s Good: Krul did a great job of tying a lot of the feeling of Blackest Night together. Blackest Night is about making every hero in the DCU feel loss, regret, horror and despair, as much as humanly possible, and then seeing how they react. Donna Troy turns out to be a serious badass. You can tell that Krul got James Robinson’s memo that Donna Troy is going to be a major heavy in his new JLA in January, because she’s a major heavy in this one. She’s a great hero. She feels pain, regret and sorrow, but she does what she has to do to lead her friends out of the darkness. It’s a great show. Krul also worked with Gar, the perennial loser at love, who regrets and yet still loves, even though he feels stupid about who he still loves. Krul has caught something important about love here. You don’t get to pick who. Love doesn’t make sense, but you still have to deal with it. Gar’s arc in this book is great to watch. On the writing and story, I finally have to say that I love that they found a new weapon to use against the Black Lanterns. They found two in Blackest Night: Superman, one here, and one in the main Blackest Night series, so I’m feeling a bit of hope.

On the art, I know some people don’t like Benes’ stuff. He likes to draw beautiful people. But even if Donna Troy’s neckline seemed to plunge especially low in this issue, every panel told the story clearly and cleanly. At no time did I have to ask myself what was going on. Everyone, hero and zombie, had a distinctive look, even if half the cast was colored with gray tones. And Benes delivered a few great visions. Garfield, as a bear or a dinosaur, turns out to be pretty effective at kicking zombie tail. Donna Troy’s hands turn out to be WMDs against these villains, even if the villains come back two minutes later.

What’s Not So Good: Okay, I’ll take a shot at the necklines. Donna Troy’s almost reaches her navel and Starfire’s costume looks like it got left in the drier too long. I know that companies have to push up (pun intended) sales to pubescent boys, but when heroines are over-sexualized for reasons that have nothing to do with the story (there are many examples in many comics), it takes away from the story. That’s the definition of gratuitous, plain and simple.

Conclusion: Krul and Benes delivered a very fine conclusion to this miniseries. Gar and Donna went through some heart-rending experiences that will change them as people. If you are fans of those characters, then this miniseries matters to you. And if you are not, you will be by the end of this book. Recommended.

Grade: B+

-DS Arsenault

 

Blackest Night: Titans #2 – Review

By J.T. Krul (writer), Ed Benes (artist), Scott Williams and Ed Benes (inkers)

The Story: Donna Troy’s dead husband and baby come after her as Black Lanterns. Black Lantern Terra and a few other old friends from the post-living move to smash Gar, Kid Flash, Cyborg and Starfire. Hawk and Dove fight Black Lantern Hawk before Terra plays with the foundations of the Titans Tower. Then things get really messy, zombie-apocalypse style…

What’s Good: The art is fantastic. I’ve always liked Benes, even though I know his art doesn’t fit everyone’s taste. I think a case can and should be made for him, on the basis of well-rendered figures, muscles, emotions and action that carry right through the book.

On the writing side, Krul delivered a solid Act Two. In a three-act series, the situation for the heroes gets worse and worse throughout Act Two, until the last straw is thrown on. The menace is there and it is scary (zombie baby – just picture it). Our heroes get in some great shots, though. Gar gets a wrestling smash in on Black Lantern Terra, Cyborg’s white sound seems to hurt them while Starfire leaves a smoking black lantern ring on a crispy, re-dead finger. Any bets on how long that finger stays crispy? Finally, in terms on villainous power, now I have slightly more respect for Terra.

What’s Not So Good: Not much to complain about. I’m not completely up on all my Titans mythos, so the identities of some of the villains were question marks for me without much more than clues to go on. The colors didn’t blow me away: competent, but not stellar. The grays and blacks and browns eventually became a bit overpowering. Even the spectrum of emotion colors didn’t look like more that a blurry patchwork. But these are smallish point in an otherwise pretty solid book. And if Krul left me with one dominant emotion, it was relief…that I don’t live in the DC universe.

Conclusion: If you’re following Blackest Night, even if you’re not a huge Titans fan, I recommend picking up this book (the first issue is probably still on some stands too). It’s a great story of fear and the undead hitting the DC universe, with fantastic art and an overwhelming menace.

Grade: B

-DS Arsenault

Titans #16 – Review

By Christopher Yost (writer), Angel Unzueta (artist), Wayne Faucher (inker), Edgar Delgado (colorist)

The Story: The Titans book continues to examine its characters one by one. This issue is about Starfire talking to a therapist. As uninspiring as that sounds, Yost and Unzueta carry us through the logical fallout of what Starfire has suffered not only in pitched war with Darkseid, Trigon, Jericho and others, but much farther back, right to the basics.

What’s Good: As I said in my last Titans review, if you wanted to get into the Titans, now is the time to do it. These self-contained stories are very forgiving to the new reader. As they did with Cyborg and Tempest, DC carries us through a complete arc with Starfire. This is a good character study, starting from denial and moving to acceptance. Yost does a good at storytelling, making us feel the difficulty that Starfire goes experiences.

Deeper than that arc, though, is a win that I think is not easy to do in comics. Many writers have penned Starfire over the years, from her start as a young alien visitor to Earth, through revelations of her tragic past, through love and breakup from Dick Grayson, to control by Jericho and Darkseid. When you add it all up, it’s a lot of disjointed, disconnected suffering. Too few writers take the time to pull those different experiences together and say, “What does it mean to the hero who has gone through all this?” Yost does that here, and in fact, what is more compelling is that he resists the temptation to knit the fabric back together again. Starfire is broken and this issue is about getting from denial to broken; leaving future writers with a lot of scope for this character.

What’s Not So Good: I’m going to take a swing at the art here. First, Unzueta and Faucher have a bit of a plastic style that is effective enough. However, given that this is really a character story, I don’t think the command of expressions and poses and emotions was subtle enough for what Yost was trying to do. That being said, it might just be a mispairing of artist to story. I get the impression that Unzueta would draw a dynamic slugfest.

Secondly, while I like to look at pretty girls as much as the next guy, I think there’s an element of overdoing it with Starfire that goes qualitatively beyond what artists do with Powergirl. For the most part, Starfire’s costume doesn’t do as much clothing duty as teasing duty. While this is nothing new for her (her costume hasn’t changed since 1980), given the depth of the story Yost was trying to tell, the T&A was a creative hindrance. I know this art team didn’t design her costume, and that Titan books must be sold to pre-pubescent boys, but Wolfman and Perez put her in a sweater and jeans when she wasn’t adventuring, especially when they were striving for meaningful stories.

Conclusion: A fair book. I like what Yost is doing and hope to see where the writers take Starfire next.

Grade: C+

-DS Arsenault

Titans #1 – Review

By Judd Winick (writer), Ian Churchill (pencils), Norm Rapmund (inks), Edgar Delgado (colors)

I’m not the most well-versed person when it comes to DC lore, so it’s always been intimidating for me to jump on a book. Thankfully, Judd Winick has made Titans #1 an accessible book for just about anyone who’s never picked up a Teen Titans book (like me). Not only is the book easy to follow, its roster and supporting cast are the kind you’ll find yourself soon acquainted with. It also helps that there are staples like Batman, Nightwing, and Starfire around to bring some familiarity to those completely in the dark (like me).

With this first issue, we’re treated to the roster (including past members), one at a time. We get narratives from each character as they carry on with their daily lives. They’re all scattered throughout the country, but instead of someone going door to door to bring the team together, each one of them suffers a series of assaults by (some incredibly drawn) monstrous creatures. This chain of events forces the Titans to band together and solve the mystery of who is behind the attacks. My only question is why is this Part 2 of “The Fickle Hand” storyline? Am I missing something? Where’s Part 1? And why would anyway make a first issue the second part of a storyline?!

As simple as the story sounds, it’s really the way it’s put together that makes it so polished. Winick has done a sound job of keeping me entertained throughout, and Ian Churchill’s art is excellent. Now, I’m not Churchill’s biggest fan, but the way he conveys action – more notably a scene in the beginning with Robin escaping from an exploding building and sliding down an adjacent skyscraper – is just brilliant. And did I mention that this guy can draw monsters! Holy cow, someone bring back the pre-hero Tales of Suspense and put Churchill on the book! Colorist Edgar Delgado also deserves a lot of credit for making this book pop. The colors he lays down on the fish creature that attacks Starfire are utterly amazing.

Anyway, if I haven’t convinced you to pick up this book on the art alone, give it a shot regardless. This is a good debut book that keeps the estranging of new readers to a minimum, and it’s a lot of fun to boot. This is how Marvel should have done Young X-Men #1… but anyway…(Grade: B+)

– J. Montes