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The Final Week of the New 52!

2011-09-28T22:04:00.003-04:00

So now we're here at the final week of new #1's from DC's New 52. It has been for the most part, a great comic book experience. Thrilling, invigorating, exciting, with of course a few ups and downs. Let's jump right in to this week's new books!

AQUAMAN #1 -This is the third book of the relaunch written by Geoff Johns and I see a big change in his writing. Johns is great at story, but in the past was short on character. Not so in his new books and AQUAMAN is no exception. Johns deftly handles subtle questions about Aquaman without the need for long storytelling. What he does in a few well-placed flashback panels, some writers need a full book to achieve. Aquaman is instantly likable, his power levels adressed, and plenty of fun poked at his expense, despite the fact that he's really a great character. The first villains (think an aquatic version of ALIEN), show up at the front and back of the story and give us an "uh-oh" feeling. What can I say about the artwork by Ivan Reis, other than it's nearly perfect? AQUAMAN may very well be a huge winner for DC.

BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #1 -Yes, another Batman book, and would you have it any other way considering that Batman is DC's best loved hero? Well, maybe yes. B:TDK is not a bad book per se, but it's not great either. It repeats the formula from last week's issue of BATMAN; a break-out at Arkham Asylum with Batman hunting down villains, and a public speech by Bruce Wayne. I would've hoped that the editors would have made more of an effort to give this book its own unique voice, but there's nothing really new happening here. On the art front, this however might arguably be the best drawn Batman book. It IS David Finch after all, but I find I prefer the linework and mood of Tony Daniel in DETECTIVE COMICS. This book is superfluous in comparison.

THE FLASH #1 -First, can we drop the "THE" in the title and just make it FLASH? Hey, it's a thought, and one I'll share with two more books this week. This is a decent first issue with only a few drawbacks. First, I love the subtle alterations to Barry's costume and the way he runs into it as it wraps around him. Writer/Artist Francis Manapul has found new ways of drawing Flash's speed, even though he doesn't seem as fast as his pre-FLASHPOINT self. This just may be a writer's flaw in storytelling. A big change like SUPERMAN (see below) is that Barry Allen is no longer presented as married, but Iris West is introduced and comes across as a spitfire that you want to know more about. Like much of DC's New 52, it's a set-up issue, and this one makes Barry Allen relatable, likable and even has a bit of "old-school comic book charm."

THE FURY OF FIRESTORM, THE NUCLEAR MAN #1 -Again, this book could've just been called FIRESTORM. I don't like the pretentious silver-age Marvel-esque additions to the titles of comic books. That being said, this comic is brilliant! It's everything last week's similar CAPTAIN ATOM should have been. It's a new take of the duality of Firestorm utilizing familiar charcters Ronnie Raymond and Jason Rusch. There's action aplenty and I can tell where co-writer Gail Simone had the most influence (Ethan Van Sciver writes the title with Simone), because Simone can become brilliantly twisted. She's come a long way as a writer, to one of the top in her field. The potential level of danger this new version of Firestorm represents can't be understated. It's all you could want: great plot, great writing, great characterization, great art. I can't wait until the next issue to see how this plays out.

GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS #1 -This Kyle Rayner-centric book focuses on him and representatives of the various multi-colored Corps, established over the last couple of years in the main GREEN LANTERN book. It opens with a very fast recap of Kyle's origin and then shifts into present day. Tony Bedard gives new readers enough to jump right in and sets up a new status quo for GL Rayner, as he is about to become the recipient of every Lantern Corps ring. Kudos to Bedard for including former villain Fatality as the Star Sapphire member for this series. The book is fast paced, mostly an establishing story and exciting enough to make you want to come back. I like how all 4 of the GL books have a distinctive premise..

I, VAMPIRE #1 -Superheroes and vampires are the two most popular ideas in today's stories. YOU MUST BUY THIS BOOK! I can't say that enough! Passionately written by Joshua Fialkov and hauntingly illustrated by Andrea Sorrentino, this book is part screwed-up relationship between two vampires and part supernatural horror with the "stakes" being all of humanity. There's no "True Blood" cuteness here and no "Twilight" pining away for the lovers to be together. Turning the pages and seeing how the art handles vampiric animal transformations better than most cinematic venues, I was enthralled with every panel, every word. For those who don't know, the vampire Andrew Bennet and his love, Mary, Queen of Blood predate the other two vampire tales mentioned. I'd love to see this turned into a film. This book is also firmly set in the DC Comics superhero world as well, which means that somewhere down the road we might see some of the "Big Guns" of the Justice League. And that brings us thematically to...

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #1 -A supernatural version of the JL. Let's see; Madame Xanadu is taking some kind of drugs, Zatanna is supposedly unstable, Shade is creating women to be his personal playmates, John Constantine is ... well, John Constantine, and Enchantress is completly insane. How's that for a start? I'm still not sure why we need a JL Dark, but it was an intriguing first issue by Peter Milligan, although I don't know if what I read will sustain more than just a story arc. Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Cyborg guest-star and it's a good thing artist Mikel Janin is taking a more humanistic approach to the art because while he draws a mean Batman, the other members of the JL proper look horrible. Not sure about this one yet...

THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN #1 -Okay, enough with the descriptive adjectives on the title. Why wouldn't just HAWKMAN suffice? The story will tell us whether or not there's any 'savage" in him. First, this story is written by DETECTIVE COMICS scribe Tony Daniel, so my expectations are high. Gladly I was not disapointed! Daniel crafts a story where any knowledge of Hawkman is unimportant. Carter Hall has quit being the winged hero, but the alien metal hardware that powered him has other ideas. It's a well written story and instantly accessible and I think I'm going to like this Hawkman. His brutal new look didn't sit well with me when I fist saw it, but Philip Tan's artwork has me convinced of the visuals. Carter is brooding and capable, and his alter ego of Hawkman faces his first new, truly creepy villain, and the ending makes me wonder if he has any choice at all in being Hawkman. Some heroes are chosen, but not necessarily for the best reasons.

SUPERMAN #1 -This is one long and wordy comic, filled with panels, which is what you can expect from anything partly drawn and written by comics legend George Perez. SUPERMAN has largest page count of DC's $2.99 books, coming in at 25 story pages (more on that at the end). Scriptwise, Perez crafts an exciting tale that seems fast paced and full for the page content. It had so much more modernization than recent Superman stories, yet had enough classic elements. Readers of STORMWATCH will note a connection. Jesus Merino's finished art over the Perez layout looks dynamic and I've started to really like Superman's new look, escpecially the red piping around the collar and sleeves. Clark Kent is much stronger a charcater, now being a single man again who never married, but it's Lois Lane who steals the show, proving that she's the most level headed and competent reporter in the DC universe. She is a force to be reckoned with in her new role as TV news network boss.

TEEN TITANS #1 -An incredible, really new and fresh start. Past continuity is out the window. Timothy Drake has changed, Cassandra Sandsmark has changed. Kid Flash has changed and quite frankly we're not sure about any of them. We know that Tim was Robin and is now a new version of Red Robin with a unique new status. Wonder Girl has no connection with Wonder Woman except for some similar powers and a connection (via starfield pattern) to Donna Troy's costume. Quite frankly this Wonder Girl is more interesting than the new version of Wonder Woman. Kid Flash.... is he still related to Barry Allen? Doesn't matter at this moment because there is a kinetic excitment to the book. Add in the last page, which works in perfect conjunction to the SUPERBOY comic, and we've got a winner here.

Some final thoughts on DC's new 52: We need to see Doctor Fate, Black Lightning, Night Force and other new versions of great characters. I'm hoping that as some of the new books fall, which will conceivably happen, that these characters take their rightful place. For those who've catalogued all the appearances of the mysterious woman in the hood in all the new first issues, Geoff Johns says her role will be made clear next year in JUSTICE LEAGUE, and I hope it's the case instead of another company-wide crossover event. Please DC, let the event book go on a long vacation and let these new books work on their own, and if you have to do an "event" that affects your whole universe of charcters, let it always be in the pages of the JUSTICE LEAGUE. It's what that book should be about.

Now I need someone to explain DC's new pricing policies. The new books that are priced at $2.99 have had anywhere from 20-25 story pages, while JUSTICE LEAGUE had 24 pages and had a $3.99 price tag. That makes no sense if SUPERMAN had an extra story page, but was kept at the $2.99 price point. I can understand ACTION COMICS being a bit pricier because it clocked in at 29 story pages, but really people, there's no need to charge more for books you know you are going to sell. It's bad business, which is my only real complaint about the New 52. All in all, an incredible new beginning! Onward.

Week 3 of DC's New 52!- Best one yet!

2011-09-21T19:59:00.001-04:00

Well, we're now in week three of DC's New 52, and this week was a good one too! I've noticed some big changes in tone for the new books; new high-tech, bigger mysteries, violence, sex, and even gore, but they're not used gratuitously. They all serve the story. So with that, let's jump right in!

BATMAN #1 - Have to give credit to the editors on the Batman books. While each comic has its own voice, Batman and Gotham City seem the same place in each periodical. This first issue stylistically matched Tony Daniel's DETECTIVE COMICS #1, even though it was not quite as good. That's not to say this was bad by any stretch of the imagination. Scott Synder looks to be dealing with a more socially conscious Bruce Wayne, and his "family" grounds him more here in this book. The only drawback to the issue is that it's more set-up than full story. Of course there is a surprisingly grisly murder with a curious cliffhanger and artist Greg Capullo does a better job with the Batman pages then with the Bruce Wayne pages. He balances dark and light in both line and tone. This book is seeing Batman as more the high-tech hero than the detective, utilizing truly original ideas that could put Tony Stark to shame.

BIRDS OF PREY #1 -Black Canary is really in fine fighting form this issue, and I gotta say that this is one great opener for this new version of BOP. Barbara Gordon (a.k.a. Batgirl, formerly Oracle.. maybe) makes a cameo, which leads to questions about what her history with Dinah and BOP has been. The action starts fast and furious with an exciting set-up, fast familiarity, and hints of things to come, all the while giving us a complete story despite the "explosive" ending. Duane Swierczynski ably picks up the themes from past writer Gail Simone. Jesus Saiz has the right blend of realistic action sequences and hot women without making them look ridiculously unproportioned. This is not a "chick flick" book despite the female protagonists.

CAPTAIN ATOM #1 -This is one of two books this week that is really well written with a good premise, but the art just ...sucks. Freddie Williams has one way of drawing Captain Atom, and he looks good that way (think Dr. Manhattan from "Watchmen"), and he's got another undetailed, sketchy, unimpressive look for everything else in the comic. A hero with godlike abilities, similar to Firestorm, able to handle nuclear energy and transmute matter, but CA's got a problem; his power use is breaking down his very atomic structure. What this means for him is obviously cause for concern and doesn't bode well for him or others around him because he can't seem to control these abilities very well. The art though, as mentioned is the one thing that is making me consider not getting the second installment.

CATWOMAN #1 -WOW! Just WOW!.. I have rarely been impressed with writer Judd Winick's work (many have not), which is why I didn't pick up BATWING, so I was prepared for a mixed bag because I hated Winick, but LOVE Catwoman. This book is savy, sexy and violent (see my opening paragraph), and it's just what Catwoman should be. In the course of this first issue, CW has her home bombed, spies on Russian mobsters, exacts a revenge beating that is brutal to her enemy, which is sure to come back to haunt her, and ends with one of the sexiest trysts in comics, between Batman and Catwoman getting it on, with some of their costume parts still on. HOT! HOT! HOT! My only gripe here is that in this new continuity, Bruce and Selina may not know anymore who the other one is out of costume. Guillem March is born to draw Catwoman and it's clear he really loves her. She is sexy in and out of costume.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1 -As with every one one DC's new first issues, the stakes are much higher. I mean, how much higher can you go than full-on planetray destruction and genocide of an alien world to send a message to the GLC? Amidst some gruesome opening pages, we're also shifted into brief glimpses into the personal problems of GL members Guy Gardner and John Stewart. Guy seems much more likable here than I've seen him in ages, and John actually has something that's been absent from his portrayal in comics, in ages- a distinct voice and personality that does not come across as almost as bland as GL Hal Jordan. John is smart and could very likely take the lead as the best GL in the "New 52." Credit has to go to Peter Tomasi for writing a more effective book than the main GL one.

NIGHTWING #1 -Another book where some grisly stuff happens, but it is Gotham City, isn't it? Seeing Dick Grayson taking on the Nightwing mantle again has been long overdue. He seems happiest and at his most effective in this role. The new red symbol, replacing the blue makes sense because it harkens back to his roots as the original Robin and even invokes the future Batman Beyond. I wonder if Writer Kyle Higgins and BATMAN writer Scott Synder are telling different aspects of one story. Check the last pages of each of the issues to see what I mean. Eddy Barrows draws the most fluid and detailed Nightwing I've ever seen. Grayson's acrobatics pop off the page and seem entirely possible. What a great fit for this beloved ex-sidekick.

SUPERGIRL #1 -Okay, I'm sort of a little tired of all the different origins of late for Supergirl, and even the different Supergirls, but hopefully this one will stick. What we see here is Kara Zor-El's first moments on Earth.. again. We also see Kara not understanding where she is... again, and she meets her cousin Superman for the first time... again. What's interetsing here is how this ties into other DC books. Go back to ACTION COMICS #1. Remember that Luthor pointed out something coming towards Eath? Well, here she is! Kara's super-hearing kicks in too and we see her listening to key moments from ofther DC books of the week. It's a cool way of tying the universe of characters together in little ways. All in all despite my too-many-Supergirl-origin complaints, this is a solid read with beautiful fluid art. I also like Supergirl's new look and her different "S" shield.

WONDER WOMAN #1 -I love Wonder Woman, but I admit she's a tough sell for many people because of the mythology aspect and the political elements to the character, although the Greek myth aspect is what makes her unique in comics. I always looked at Wonder Woman as a continuation of the Greek legends, but put that aside and let's take a look at what we have here; there's good and not so good. First the good- Yes, there's the mythology angle, still intact, but the Gods are modernized and like the old tales, not quite so nice. Brian Azzarello is a strange choice for writer of this series, considering his "griity, reality" based past stories, but he crafts an intruiging tale here. Although, I'm concerned that Azzarello has depowered Wonder Woman a bit, which isn't a good idea for the political "women's equality" angle of WW. Where is her flight ability? The writer has stated that it's there, but Diana will only use it judiciously. Hey Azz, this is a super-hero book! Artwise, I gotta ask what DC was thinking putting Cliff Chiang on this book. He isn't suitable an artist for a woman who is supposed to possess the beauty of Aphrodite, and quite frankly I've seen some gifted children draw better. I know DC wants WONDER WOMAN to succeed, but Chiang is not the artist to make this happen. Perhaps if someone inked his work?

Now for some final words to Marvel Comics- If you're going to do a major X-men event, you better bring back Jean Grey/Phoenix because the X-men don't really seem quite right without her. Oh yeah, I like Hope, but she's little more than "Jean Grey- lite," and I don't think I'm returning to the X-books after "Schism" unless I see Phoenix/Jean back once and for all!. See ya next week!

DCnU- THE NEW 52- Week 2 plus one Marvel.

2011-09-14T22:24:00.001-04:00

Before jumping into quick reviews of this week's new DC Comics realunched line, I have to backtrack to one book I picked up this week that came out the previous one, and that's OMAC #1. I had no intention of buying this book, as it's probably going to be dropped from DCs line of books rather quickly I suspect. It's a mixed bag here. The story by Dan Didio is an intentional throwback to old style storytelling, which it succeeds in... but who really wants to see that? It just doesn't have enought depth to keep me coming back. Artwise, Keith Giffen is doing an amazing job of channeling the legendary Jack Kirby. It's the book's saving grace. The pages look almost like the incredible Kirby, and it saddens me that many younger readers probably have no idea who Jack Kirby was, considering that he was perhaps the most influential comics artist in comic book history. Now onto this week's batch on new books!

BATMAN AND ROBIN #1- Now this is a curious opening to the new series. Batman's decision to change how he honors his parents may be a strange one, considering his life's work and dedication. It might not sit well with most long time readers, and it has the potential to dilute Batman's reason for existence. The new Robin, Damian Wayne is apparently Bruce's real son after all, if the dialogue between them is any indication, and there have been questions about this. Damian remains his usual royal pain in the bat-butt. What can I say? I'm in the camp that just doesn't like this kid. Writer Peter Tomasi is picking up some BATMAN INCORPORATED threads while that series is on hiatus, quickly starting the story by killing off the Moscow "Batman." The mysterious Nobody behind it seems to have his sights set on closing down B.Inc. It's a decent opening salvo for the series, if not incredibly great and of course artist Patrick Gleason's work is exciting and detailed, although also not his best work to date.

BATWOMAN #1- Finally! The book that everyone's been waiting for has arrived... way behind schedule, but at least we now know why; to be included in the new #1 relaunches! Simply put, this book is beautiful, maybe the most beautiful comic on the stands. Writer/Artist J.H. Williams' work is lush, detailed and possibly one of the most unique approaches in modern comic book storytelling. His linework, painterly quality in places and page layouts have just never been seen like this before, although I will say that I can tell that there are definite Steranko influences (look it up, kids). It's a moody book with a good set-up and the end brings us the start of the long awaited Batman/Batwoman meeting, and I have to say, that it ignores typical comic book sterotypes. There's no Batman doing his, "Gotham and the Bat symbol are mine" thing here. Instead he comes with an offer that will extend into next issue.

GREEN LANTERN #1- This doesn't feel like a "number one" issue because it's picking up threads of another storyline. Writer Geoff Johns has been slowly changing the status quo of the Green Lantern concept since he began writing the adventures of Hal Jordan some years ago. The Guardians of the Universe are seeming less benevolent and much more fascistic of late, and I wonder how long they will be able to retain their positions before a Green Lantern Corps rebellion gets underway... other than Hal being the only GL that really continually opposes them. The opening salvo of this arc sees Hal not adjusting well to not be a GL anymore and Geoff Johns addresses something that I've always thought about Hal. He has never really had any kind of a personality. In fact he's probably the most cardboard characterized hero in the DC Universe. Stripping Hal of his GL ring is forcing him to really look at his life and mistakes, and boy does he continue to make some whoppers! My hope here is that once Hal gets his ring back from Sinestro (who is almost dare I say "sympathetic?"), we will have a much more grounded, humble and well rounded Hal Jordan. Time will tell. Doug Mahnke does his usual great job with the art. He was born to do this book, and the funny thing I noticed is that he and BATMAN AND ROBIN artist Patrick Gleason are almost indistinguishable from each other. Their faces, action, layouts are almost from the same classroom of comic book art.

MISTER TERRIFIC #1- This one is the weakest one of this week's releases. Standard conventions of typical comic book storytelling and standard artwork. Nothing special here. The lead character is supposedly the "third smartest man in the world," but certainly doesn't seem to act like it. Oh sure, he's established as being a remarkable scientist, but everywhere else in his life he doesn't seem to know how to navigate, like Karen Starr for instance. Yes, THAT Karen Starr, a.k.a. Power Girl, who in this new rebooted DC Universe may actually not have any "power," at all, at least none that we've seen yet. Story and art are bland which is surprising considering the care that the editors and powers that be at DC put into the relaunch. It might be worth one more issue to see if things pick up, but I have the feeling this will be another dropped title.

RED LANTERNS #1- Okay, now this was a pleasant surprise. I had intended to but only this first issue out of curiosity and there's a danger of leafing through pages before you read a story. It didn't look like I was going to be impressed with it, but I was. We are given history to Atrocitus, a character spinning out of the events of recent Green Lantern issues of the past, and it's intriguing. It is going somewhere and I never saw artist Ed Benes, who is really remarkable, do such inspired work. You can really feel the rage of some of the players in this book.

RESURRECTION MAN #1- Believe it or not I was looking forward to this book in this week's batch more than any other. I remember the original series, and I eagerly wanted to this this again. I never realized how much the creators of the TV show HEROES must've stole from this book way back when. RM is the story of Mitch Shelly, a man who dies and heals by coming back to life (like Claire from HEROES), but with each resurrection, he finds himself with a new super-powered ability that is the direct result of either how he died, or what he will need (sort of like Peter and Sylar in HEROES). All the staples of the past series are here, including the original writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, and of course the too-hot-for comics hitwomen, the Body Doubles. What's different this time around, is that there's less an emphasis on sci-fi and more now on the supernatural, because both "upstairs" and "downstairs" have been impatiently waiting for Mitch's soul, and it just doesn't come. Intriguing to say the least, and highly recommended.

SUICIDE SQUAD #1- Forget what you know about past incarnations of this concept. This is brutal! I've noticed that alot of the DCnU books have been pushing the violence envelope. We're brought into the middle of the story here, and it turns out it's all a test for what's to come, and unlike the past, it looks like this new version of the Squad is sanctioned to kill anyone, including innocent people. It is surprising and jaw dropping. Love the new design of Harley Quinn, and if you miss the "Secret Six," this book has got what you need. It's twisted. Kudos to writer Adam Glass, and wait until you get a look at the new improved, thinner, hotter Amanda Waller!

SUPERBOY #1- Another great reimagining of a popular character. All the basics remain intact; Superboy is still a human/kryptonian hybrid clone with the same powers as his previous incarnation, but his life history has been carefully constrcuted via a virtual reality simulation to essentially make him the same character pre-DCnU. There's an element of dread though, because we're not sure why this new version was created and it looks like it's for no good reason, but that might make the the trek to Hero more interesting. It ends with a new spin on why Superboy will be joining the new Titans.

ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #1- With all the DC reboots, I thought I should take a look at this new Marvel Comics one. Message to Marvel: THE NINETIES ARE OVER! STOP POLYBAGGING COMICS IN AN EFFORT TO INCREASE SALES! It reeks of uncreative gimmickry, and makes me wonder about the strength of the story if resorts like this are taken. I will not ever, on principal buy another polybagged book! Now, onto the review. First the disappointment: The new Miles Morales Spiderman doesn't appear in costume in this issue, and I really wanted to see that, but they had to get the origin underway. All that being said, this is a well written issue that imediately makes you care about this new kid that will be the Ultimate Universe's new Spiderman. It has emotion, a much needed component of any Spiderman story. In a way, this is as daring as DC's relaunch and as well thought out. I'm curious to see where this is going and here's hoping that young Miles has a bright future ahead of him, maybe with a bit more joy than his predecesor, Peter Parker.

So, come back next week for the next review installment of DC's New 52!

DC COMICS NEW 52-PICK UP

2011-09-08T00:06:00.002-04:00

It has been a LONG time since I've done a comic report. The industry had become stagnant, sales were showing it, and negativity raged all over message boards. I'm not going into the details of DC's relaunch of their entire line because every other comics news site has done it to death, but I will give my opionion on the titles!

Let's back this up with the very last day of August, which I will term DCnU Week Zero. Only two books were released; FLASHPOINT #5 and JUSTICE LEAGUE #1. FLASHPOINT ended more with a whimper than a bang, but that's okay as it lightly led us into the new DC Universe, which was evident by Flash's and Batman's costume changes. It had an ending of emotional resonance, giving Batman something he yearned for all his life. It was beautiful. So then DC saw fit to jump us right into the new JUSTICE LEAGUE, three weeks earlier than the planned release date. The book is a winner, and how could it not be? It's written by Geoff Johns and drawn by the incomparable Jim Lee. I've seen people criticize the book because the new JL wasn't formed on the outset, concentrating mainly on Batman and Green Lantern, with Superman showing up at the end. Frankly, I'm more than okay with the slow build to the team formation. It allowed for some great characterization and interplay between a younger than now Batman and GL. The art was dynamic, moving, detailed. Indeed this book will be the Flagship of the DCnU.

Now to week #1: I bought 8 out of 13 new #1's. Here's the thing; for the most part I love superhero comics above all other types of comics because Superheroes are indiginous to the comics medium. That's where they originated and therefore that's what I'm drawn to, the unique character ideal that was created solely in the comic book medium. Oh sure, other types of stories existed in comics before the costumed adventurer showed up, but those other types of stories existed in other places, and yes they do have merit in any medium including comics. However, it's the Superhero idea I'm drawn to, which is why I forewent the non- Superhero titles of DC's relaunch... for the most part.

ACTION COMICS #1- How cool is it to actually say "I bought the first issue of ACTION COMICS?" Writer Grant Morrison, who I've publicly maligned as being way overrated, toned down his pretentious storytelling and actually crafted a story with fantastic straightforward action and presented a young Superman who is relatable, not yet SO powerful, and even a little cocky while truly fighting the idea of injustice, and not necessarily within the law. It's a refreshing change to a hero that we know so well and who quite frankly ceased to be relevant to the comic reading public. This new interpretation marks a familiar character, but makes you like him and view him in a way that may not have been obvious in decades. Rags Morales on art is at the top of his game. There's flow and emotion to his work that I haven't seen from him before. This book is one of the ones to watch.

DETECTIVE COMICS #1- Writer/Artist Tony Daniel gets grief from fans, and it's hard to see why here. His art is gorgeous, moody, and gritty, which befits Batman and Gotham City. Read the story carefully, and you'll see evidence of a younger Batman who makes a few mistakes, to say nothing of a very obvious de-aged Commisioner Gordon with red hair. Storywise, Daniel managed to write the beginning of a Joker story that has never been done before, leaving us with the most chilling last page (to be continued...) that I've read in some time. This will creep you out. Batman's updated armored looking costume has all the classic Batman elements and just makes plain sense given what he does. It's so great to have a Bruce Wayne as a sole Batman book again... the first of others to come.

BATGIRL #1- I'm not going to get into the contraversy of the once-Batgirl-turned paraplegic Oracle- turned into the walking fighting Batgirl again. I'm just going to deal with what we've been given. Writer Gail Simone has grown so much as a writer. I used to think of her as all flash and no substance, but she's clearly at home here and loving writing the adventures of Barbara Gordon, and it shows. There's a fun joy to the book, which somehow actually works considering the darker tone that a Bat-centric character should take, but then that's the point. Batgirl isn't Batman. Barbara is loving her mobility again, but she is clearly getting over past trauma and Simone hasn't shyed away from writing it. Artist Adrian Syaf is perfect for the book. Barbara and Batgirl both look hot (hey- comics are a fantasy)

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #1- Considering that the main JL book will be set 5 years in the past for its first arc, there's a slight confusion to the need for this team, despite the explanation in the book. JLI is clearly one of those books which serves as an excuse to create a team of heroes that maybe had no other home in the DCnU. The book had little characterization and what it did have was forced and sterotypical. Aaron Lopresti's artwork was a bit inconsistent for me. Don't get me wrong, he's very good, but some pages were hyper detailed and then others not enough, and quite frankly the coloring in the book is a little too light for me, as it seemed to lack gravity. I'll be picking up at least one more issue to see where it goes and hopefully it fares better, but I haven't found the hook here yet.

GREEN ARROW #1- I have never liked GA/Oliver Queen, but this is a completely new interpretation of the man, complete with a new look and attitude in both his identities. Modern, more "hip," younger would be apt terms. I liked the book and will buy the next issue, but this opening salvo really was just standard yet adequate costumed hero fare.

STORMWATCH#1- Much to say here and "curious" may be the best word to describe this first issue. First off, there's an impending sense of something important happening and coming that leaves you wanting more, but not yet enough is revealed. There's a bit of disjointed storytelling, stemming from a writer and artist who are very good independently, but may not mesh well together. Paul Cornell is a very good writer and Miguel Sepulveda is an equally talented artist, but I get the sense that the artist may not have exactly understood what the writer was going for. Stormwatch is a team of formerly non-DC Universe members that have been folded into the post-FLASHPOINT timeline, but now with the very DC Universe Martian Manhunter as part of the organization. It's odd because you instantly think that MM is there just for the sake of having a familiar presence in this book, but he doesn't really seem like the Martian that we know. Acknowledgment is made that he was part of the Justice League, but no explanation of that is given considering the new JL origin doesn't include him. Still, if you read the final issue of FLASHPOINT and noticed that the mysterious hooded women there (who has also shown up and will continue to in all issues of the new titles in the backgrounds), you know that something big is eventually coming and STORMWATCH looks like it's going to be the central book of whatever that is.

SWAMP THING#1- The only real non-Superhero book I bought this week, but at least Superman cameos in it. I have fond memories of many excellent Swamp Thing stories, so I had to see what happens here. Intriguing to say the least. Great set-up of a story that leaves me wanting more and the exqusite layouts of artist Yanick Paquette is something to behold. Writer Scott Snyder weirded me out with a group of people in the book who do something grotesquely horrific to themselves, further accented by the talented Paquette. Defintiely a keeper for more issues!

ANIMAL MAN #1- It starts out as a superhero book with a clear emphasis on family dynamics, and then turns into a horror book. Much has been made about this book and its ending, but even while being well written by Jeff Lemire, the art by Travel Forman is scratchy and abysmally bad. And no, even with the ending, it still doesn't have enough to hook me into buying the next issue.

So, join me next week for my next set of reviews of DC's New 52!

BLACKEST NIGHT SHINES BRIGHT!

2010-03-31T23:59:00.003-04:00

So, BLACKEST NIGHT has reached its conclusion and clearly there is much to say. If you've been reading all the internet reviews, you know that this got high marks. Well, the same goes here from me, except I'm going to give a very specific breakdown of particular incidents from the final issue that resonated with me.

First let's deal with the art of Ivan Reis. This man has become an absolutle legend for his work on this series, Every page and panel was richly detailed with flow, beauty and grace, and even horror when appropriate. The man has proved to be a modern day master of the field, eclipsing his peers like Jim Lee, Mark Silvestri, Mike Deodato, who all seem to come from the same school, but Reis blends the flow of a Neal Adams with that hyper-detail to perfection.

Now onto the conclusion and the story by Geoff Johns. First of all, much of what happened was not a surprise to me, but yet seeing it unfold was still satisfying, and yet even with my met expectations, Johns managed to slip in some unexepected happenings. Allow me to go point by point and give my thoughts.

BLACKEST NIGHT #8 began with the holdover from the previous issue with Sinestro assuming the role of the White Lantern. The concept of the White Lantern was no shock to anyone reading the series given that zombified Black Lanterns were the army of protagonists, and that all the other rainbow colored Lantern of the emotional spectrum, would combine to make white. What was assumed of course, was that Hal Jordan would be the one to become the Hero in White to save the day, not Sinestro as we saw.. at least temporarily. So Geoff Johns gave us what we knew was coming but still gave us the twist.

The next obvious expectation of the series, was that this story was going to be the springboard of resurrections of virtually every dead hero in the DC Comcs Universe. Well, we got that too.. sort of. Yes, some beloved characters returned, many we expected, and surprise.. some did not, and still with those expectations, there were quite a few momenets of "Hey, didn't see THAT coming!"

First, the Anti-Monitor is now alive and well somewhere. HOLY SHIT!! You've got to know that the being responsible for the classic CRISIS ON INFINTE EARTHS and the subsequent continuity changes of that series, is going to now resurface yet again and the results are probably going to once again shake the DCU to its core.. eventually. I'm sure that Geoff has a timely planned out story for this, one day.

Now for the other resurrections and lack therof. Maxwell Lord? Didn't see that coming either. That man is going to (or should) make Wonder Woman's life miserable considering she snapped his neck and killed him. I hope someone picks up this thread. Jade? Honestly, I didn't think she was coming back at all until James Robinson spoiled it in an interview, but I just never thought much of her as a character, so why bother? Hawk? Okay, Hank Hall is back, I can live with that, but again I don't think he's anything special. Captain Boomerang, the original has returned! Digger Harkness was always fun. Now onto Firestorm; I had the feeling that Ronald Raymond was coming back and would be fused with his predecessor Jason Rauch, and despite the fact that I got exactly what I expected, it was still a great thing to see. Martian Manhunter? C'mon, EVERYONE knew this was going to happen and I thank Goeff for erasing one of the worst stinks of the Grant Morrsion penned claptrap that was FINAL CRISIS. Hey, you gotta know that I'm always up for Morrsison bashing (more will be coming soon in another column). Of course the hero we all waited for to return was Aquaman, and Johns did not disappoint here. Arthur Curry is back and he looks great! However, Garth, Aquaman's adopted son, a.k.a. Tempest was sadly not back among the living, another story point spolied from a recent TITANS related book. Hawkman and Hawkwoman are back too, but I think we all got quite the little surprise when Hawkwoman removed her helmet and was revealed to be Shiera, and not Kendra. THAT , I absolutley did not expect and was ecstatic when I saw it. Credit to Geoff Johns for making me so happy to see a character that I haven't given much thought to ever seeing again. That's the mark of a good writer; one who can make you care where you ordinarily wouldn't. Another shocker came when Boston Brand, also known as Deadman, is no longer dead! What this means for the character who is SUPPOSED to be dead and his ties to the spiritual world remains to be seen (most likely in the upcoming follow-up series BRIGHTEST DAY). Again, didn't see that coming either. One sad note... Ralph and Sue Dibny did not make it back to the land of the living, which I'm sure was another of the expected resurrections, so Johns has indeed surprised us amidst all the obvious conclusions.

In finality, for those who think the event comic has been over done, Goeff Johns, Ivan Reis and DC Comics proved that if the idea is indeed good, BRING ON THE EVENT!

"WETTING" The Appetite!

2010-02-11T21:17:00.003-05:00

So, what are the commonalities between Phoenix and Aquaman other than their orange/green/yellow color scheme? They've both been killed and resurrected before. DC Comics has just released this beaut of a teaser image; the cover of BRIGHTEST DAY #2, drawn by the newly DC exclusive David Finch! Okay, we saw this coming if we've been reading BLACKEST NIGHT. Writer Geoff Johns, who seems to be able to single-handedly restore the best elements of DC's heroes, set up the perfect way of resurrecting dead heroes (and maybe villains) with BN, establishing a greater story behind the death and revivals of various characters. Hopefully DC will have learned a lesson and REALLY think several times before killing off another character. I've said this before, but there's no more drama to be had in the dying of a hero; it's been done to death (pun intended) and it never sticks anyway. Johns will also be writing the new 26 issue maxi-series, BRIGHTEST DAY, which will be a story about second chances for many characters, Aquaman chief among them as has been hinted. Aquaman has sometimes been the butt of jokes when it comes to heroes, but if you've ever read any of his stories, they have been deadly serious and ahead of their time. He's been married before heroes got married. He became a father before other heroes had children. His son was killed by his arch-rival Black Manta, in an era before villains ever did that kind of thing with any regularity. He cheated on his estranged wife when heroes never did that. He had his hand cut off. He decalred war on the fictional nation of Cerdia and became its de-facto ruler. He helped an entire section of San Diego deal with becoming mutated water breathers as their town sank into the ocean. What the hell is so funny about any of this? This is a great character with a great history, that I'm hoping that Geoff Johns will utilize and make popular in the same fashion that he did with Green lantern and Flash. If anyone can do it, Johns can, and I for one can't wait! Take another look at the drawing. His classic look is back too! LONG LIVE THE KING!

Is there Hope for Jean Grey?

2010-01-07T22:37:00.003-05:00

If you've been reading Marvel's "X-books" for the last couple of years, particularly the "Messiah Complex" storyline and the subsequent issues, you'll know that there's a little "red-headed stepchild" floating arpound the X-verse that bears a suspicious resemblance to none other than Phoenix.

Let's backtrack a bit to the horrendous end of Grant Morrison's run on NEW X-MEN where the "superstar" writer (read that as "over-inflated hack"), in a burst of originality (sarcasm), decided to kill Jean Grey/Phoenix for the umpteenth time.

Then jump ahead a couple of years where the Scarlet Witch goes all "Dark Phoenix" on us and manages to alter humanity so that no more mutants will be born. However, being that Phoenix is a creature of resurrection, a mysterious mutant baby girl was indeed born, to parents we have never seen; a baby girl with the same hair and eye color of Jean Grey who also managed to grab Cyclops' locket, which contained a picture of Scott and Jean, signifying an important connection. Hopefully this isn't a "red herring." Scott silently acknowledges that this child must be protected, as it has been revealed that she may either be mankind's savior or destroyer, depending on which alternate timeline you come from, and he sends the baby girl into the future with Cable (who oddly enough may be Jean's son from an alternate timeline).

So, Cable has now been with the red-haired girl for what appears to be 17 years and the child named "Hope" looks exactly like Jean Grey. In fact as a child the Phoenix raptor was seen in her eyes in one panel of CABLE, and now "Hope" has manifested telekenetic abilities.

In the "present" day, Emma Frost had a vision of Jean/Phoenix returning, and the last we actually saw of Jean was in PHOENIX: ENDSONG, where Jean disappeared from existence, supposedly to reconstitute all her parts in what is called the "White Hot Room," which is a label for the existentialist crap that Grant Morrison named as the place where Jean awaits resurrection. Ah but... Jean has now become the White Phoenix, a complete amalgamation of human host and Phoenix force, no longer seperate entities.

Is being reborn as an infant, growing to full maturity and then manifesting the Phoenix raptor, the last stage of the Phoenix, signalling the return of Jean Grey once and for all, or is Hope a character that is misleading all of us?

Phoenix is arguably Marvel Comics' only iconic female character and second in X-Men popularity, only to Wolverine. In fact, CBR just voted "The Dark Phoenix Saga" the second most important storyline in comics, right behind WATCHMEN.

Marvel better not be playing with us with their hints about Jean's return as Phoenix this coming March, 2010. We had better be seeing Hope actually being a stage of the Phoenix, with Jean's memory and history fully restored! After that, take her out of the X-Men, give her a comic of her own, have her join the Avengers, and NEVER KILL HER OFF AGAIN!

LONG LIVE PHOENIX!

FINALLY, A NEW COLUMN!

2009-11-27T22:30:00.001-05:00

Hey Folks, it's been awhile! For those who don't know, I've been directing and shooting a film for the last several months, which is why there hasn't been a new weekly report in a LONG TIME! Go to www.youtube.com/dynamarcfilms and check the weekly webisode series called FU MANCHU'S WEAPON OF EVIL.

So, instead of my original plans, I'm going to spew some opinions on what's good and bad in comics lately. Ah, where to begin?

How about the JUSTICE SOCIETY? I'm surprised that I'm loving the series since the departure of uber-writer Geoff Johns. Point of fact, the series has been completely refreshed! Yes, it has been prey to some standard comic book-isms, but there's been a level of danger and excitement that has kept me comig back. How about that new Doctor Fate? My money is on the theory that this new version of Kent Nelson will turn out to be the original one, somehow mystically recreated. Time will tell.

Over in BATMAN, surprisngly artist Tony Daniels has turned out to be one of the better writers of the new Bat-status quo. In fact, I'll take his work over the mind-f--cking that's being done in BATMAN AND ROBIN by overrated hack, Grant Morrison (c'mon, you saw that coming).

X-MEN lately has been slowly but surely getting back to being the powerhouse series of books that they were in the past. Loving Chris Claremont's trip back into memory lane with X-MEN FOREVER, and even Scott Gray has started getting the hang of the past X-Men with UNCANNY X-MEN FIRST CLASS. How about Warren Ellis and Phil Jimenez on ASTONISHING X-MEN? Outstanding, to say the least. Even the regular X-books are gearing up for some major excitement. Hey, YOU BETTER BE BRINGING BACK PHOENIX/JEAN GREY!

The SPIDER-MAN books are still a mess despite attempts to reintroduce the classic villains. Too many writers equals too many voices on the book that do not make a cohesive whole, and like some of the X-books, The CLONE SAGA mini, which is telling stories of what was supposed to originally happen with that story, is better than what's going on in present in-continuity storylines.

The SUPERMAN books have been great, but I insist that the story could have been told without the need to separate Superman from his books and shunting him into WORLD OF NEW KRYPTON. If that story could have been contained in SUPERMAN and ACTION COMICS, and shortened, it would be even better. As for the new SECRET ORIGINS book, uh-uh; writer Geoff Johns wants to recreate SUPERMAN THE MOVIE into the comic book continuity. So many things that have been well thought out since CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS are being left by the wayside here.

GREEN LANTERN and BLACKEST NIGHT have been superb. Geoff Johns again knows how to write an event! However, it's a great story but character bits don't seem to stick on Hal Jordan. It's a good thing Johns knows how to create story-driven epics because his characterization falls a bit short. Even FLASH: REBIRTH needs some character work amidst what is turning out to be an excellent stroy. Did you read issue #5? Why didn't anyone ever think of things like that before?? I won't spoil it, just read it. It was simply brilliant despite some reviewers bitching about the fact that the book was so delayed.

The negativity continues to abound over on the WONDER WOMAN section of the DC MESSAGE BOARDS, as expected because they are turning on writer Gail Simone, who in my opinion finally has created a relatable protagonist in Diana. So what's the complaint? People don't like the fact that Diana isn't "perfect" anymore. Oh, perish the though that Wonder Woman may have a little angst in her life and come across as a fully realized "human" character when instead she can be the automaton of the Gods!! Grow up people! WONDER WOMAN under the guidance of Simone and the beautiful art of Aaron Lopresti, continues to be one of DC's best reads from month to month... except when fill-in artist Bernard Chang on occassion draws Diana into the crapper.

And that's it for now- GO READ SOME COMICS!

THE WEDNESDAY COMIC REPORT FOR 9/9/09

2009-09-10T11:25:00.002-04:00

Actually it's a Tursday report for this week.

WOW! What a week! It seems that everything I've written about recently seems to have just exploded, full circle. Let's start with the digital future of comics; If you read my column (check somewhere below) on this topic, you'll have read about my predictions for the future of comics and I didn't expect to be so right so fast. This December, Apple will be realeasing the Apple Tablet, a 5x7" digital reader that's similar to Amazon's Kindle, that will support full color graphics for things like comics, and it doesn't end there! Sony will also be releasing the PSP digital comic reader, made specifically for comics, and of course Marvel is on board. Sony's player will be much smaller, but hey- it's starting. Anyone want to take bets on when comics go fully digital?

Director Guy Ritchie will be directing a big-screen version of DC's LOBO, which leads us into the next big story:

So, right on the heels of the Disney acquistion of Marvel Comics, DC just went through a major shake-up this week. DC Comics has been owned by Time Warner or Warner Brothers for years and now the parent company has changed DC's name to DC Entertainment and put new DC President Diane Nelson in the place of Paul Levitz (Levitz claims to have resigned to return to being a comics creator and will assume writing the LEGION, which he has long been applauded for in the past). DC will now report more to its parent company, but Nelson (who spear-headed the most successful Harry Potter marketing franchise for the films) claims that she is not there to control any of DC Comics' creative content at all, but rather it will now be her job to make all DC properties marketed heavily into other areas to make the company and its characters more visiable and viable in other mediums. This includes a new film division that Nelson claims will now take the Flash and Wonder Woman film rights back to get these movies made. My opinion? Good idea! In this economy, moves like this can only assure the future of the comic medium and finally we might get a Wonder Woman film which has been in development hell for a decade under producer Joel Silver. So now Marvel versus DC, Disney versus Warners, ie: Mickey Mouse versus Bugs Bunny again!

COMICS THIS WEEK INCLUDE:... another day late because of the Labor Day holiday in which Diamond Distributors once again can't figure out to ship books a day early (bastards), but hey they're here. RED ROBIN #4 takes Tim Drake's search for Bruce Wayne one step closer as he sees the Bat Symbol that Bruce left painted in a cave in the past. Makes me wonder how Dick Grayson is gonna feel considering that Tim and Dick are not getting along now, which you can see in this issue as the two share a fight in costume. BLACKEST NIGHT BATMAN #2 is out and most of the Batfamily is together in what is one satisfying crossover with the main story of BN. Especially loved Barbara Gordon's portrayal in this story. Speaking of the former Batgirl, if you look at the current issue of TOYFARE, there's a "Spoiler" of what Stephanie Brown's new Batgirl costume looks like. It sucks! ... Kyle Rayner has to deal with the dead in his past in the new issue of GREEN LANTERN CORPS, another BN tie-in, which of course is great as thankfully all BN-related stuff has been. Patrick Gleason continues to amaze me with his art. .... In the Superbooks this week we have WORLD OF NEW KRYPTON #7, and I am enjoying the twists and turns in this story as Superman is now made military commander of the planet in Zod's absence. However, artist Pete Woods is not his usual great self this time out as some pages looked rushed and sloppy. Superboy also has some tender moments in ADVENTURE COMICS #2/505 as he has a bittersweet reunion with Wonder Girl. I like how writer Geoff Johns is trying to make Connor readjust to his life before starting a major story and the art by Francis Manapul is a bit inconsisitent too this month. It's sometimes gorgeous and sometimes too sketchy. He needs an inker! Over on the Marvel side of things, THE MARVELS PROJECT's second issue came out with the story of the beginnings of Marvel's heroes unfolding in a fluid way with an incredible story by writer Ed Brubaker and artist Steve Epting, who also made CAPTAIN AMERICA the best comic that Marvel currently produces, and they continue to work their magic here. So that's it for now, and I'll see you this coming Sunday for first of my "top ten" lists!

Go read some comics!

THE WEDNESDAY COMIC REPORT FOR 9/2/09

2009-09-02T19:09:00.000-04:00

I'm sure just about everyone's heard the news: DISNEY BOUGHT MARVEL! I'm also sure that speculation on what this means, buth good and bad is running rampant, so allow me to throw in my two million cents (inflation, y'know). This can only mean good things for Marvel and comics in general. DC has benefitted by the financial backing of parent company Warner Communications and has pretty much been allowed to operate as its own entity with no interference from "Daddy Warner Brothers." Now Marvel has the backing of an equal financial powerhouse which will pretty much grant Marvel much stability for its future and I'm sure that Disney will allow Marvel to operate on its own the same way the Warner/DC coupling does. The odd thing is that Marvel's two main cinematic properties (SPIDERMAN and X-MEN) will not benefit from the Disney film division because Sony and Fox have indefinite theatrical rights to those franchises, as long as they keep films coming. Go figure!

As for our beloved comics, I didn't buy that much this week. BATMAN #690 came out (man, I can't wait til #700, which is my guess for Bruce's return), and I'm starting to like Dick Grayson as Batman less and less. I don't like seeing someone "play" the role as oppesed to being the role, and Dick is just too laid back and good natured to be the dark avenger of the night. This whole Bat-mess has been getting a lot of good press, but it's not working for me and I've said in past columns that I can't wait for Grant Morrison's influence to be forever removed from Gotham City and its residents.Judd Winick, who has never been a good writer is doing better than normal here, but still it involves a bad mix of character and costume. Mark Bagley however, shines on the art! Speaking of shiny art, JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE #3 is also available now with painted style artwork by the incredible Mauro Cascioli. While not quite in Alex Ross' league, he is still really good, but the script by James Robinson once again doesn't resonate with me because the characters are.. out of character, which starts to make sense when you read Robinson's text piece and how he reveres Grant Morrison. Man, what information is Grant holding on people? Read past colums, Grant sucks and he needs to be gone from comics!

SUPERGIRL ANNUAL this week gives some interesting backstory on the origin of Superwoman, and of course, do I need to even mention that Superwoman's story is far from over? Writer Sterling Gates takes lemons and makes great lemonade with the whole current Krypton saga, which I admit is starting to go on a bit long for me. RED TORNADO's first issue of his new mini came out. Take a pass on this. 'Nuff said there.

See you on Sunday for a lighter hearted column on comics, where I'm going to play favorites!

COMICS AND THE CURRENT ECONOMY

2009-08-30T09:52:00.000-04:00

Comics, like everything else are being affected by the economy. Rising costs, and somewhat declining sales as people try to hang onto their cash have driven the average cost of our little goodies, up. But there has been two different approaches by the two leads in the industry. Marvel has raised the price of some of their comics as much as a dollar to make up for the afore mentioned cost and sales issues. Some, I say but not all. Their thinking revolves around charging more for lesser selling books in order to recoup production costs and keeping the book on the market, while books that sell well will retain the current average price because their sales still make them profitable. However, you aint gettin' any more bang for your buck. Same page count and more money being shelled out of your pockets, which in my opinion isn't exactly fair. DC on the other hand has tried something different. They've added 8 more pages of story content in the form of new "back-up" features, which they snarkily refer to as "co-features." Hey DC, a back-up is a back-up. So, for the extra dollar you get more, but the question is, do you really want it? TEEN TITANS has Ravager, DETECTIVE COMICS has the Question, ACTION COMICS has Captain Atom, STREETS OF GOTHAM has Manhunter... and we fans may have to pay that extra buck for these features that we don't really want to read anyway. Seriously, I don't want to have to spend that extra cash on stuff which I'm not interestested in getting. I mean, there's a reason these back-up characters are relegated to that back-up status; the interest in them isn't really there. Look, I can't claim to have solutions here, but to me, I want to buy a book with a main title and have it be just that, and not buy anthology series, which traditionally haven't done well in decades anyway. The economy may be turning around soon, so Marvel and DC- GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER and really think about how not to rip off fans. Your charging extra money for comics will only further decline sales as people have to cut back more. It's really simple economics.

SUPER-MONEY

2009-08-23T15:09:00.005-04:00

Take a good look at the attached image. It's Mon-El wearing a reverse-color Superman costume complete with the "S" symbol from an upcoming comic book cover, and it may be a bad sign of something to come. If you've been reading SUPERMAN and ACTION COMICS, you know that the Man Of Steel has been displaced in his own books and starring in one current (WORLD OF NEW KRYPTON) and one upcoming SECRET ORIGINS maxi-series. The Origins series will not revisit the totality of Clark Kent's life, but rather his leaving Smalville and coming to Metropolis. "Why?" Might you ask and "Why is Mon-El supplanting Superman, and why can't the full origin be retold?" Well, this is just speculation, but it may have to do with real life events that have been legally surrounding Comics' first superhero. DC Comics has even stated that something big is building. Could it be that Superman may be lost to DC Comics and has to be replaced in continuity with Mon-EL as the new Superman because of several lawsuits brought on by the Heirs of Jerry Seigel (one half of Superman's creators)? There's even talk that Superman's origin cannot be retold in another film! Before I begin, I want it stated that I am not a lawyer and I'm not versed in every legal part of what I'm going to discuss, but I've been well-read and I'm going to offer a harsh opinion that is based more in ideas of fairness and truth than what lawyers can do in a courtroom. It started with Superboy and the heirs of Jerry Seigel suing over rights relating to the SMALLVILLE television show, and then the "Superboy" name and related concepts in DC Comics publications. The lawsuit forced DC to even "kill" current and most recent Superboy, Connor Kent and not refer to him by his hero name. Thankfully, some deal had been worked out and DC restored Connor to life and has once again been able to use the Superboy moniker, but it seems like the Seigel heirs can't stop smelling potential financial gains. I don't want to seem unfair here, but the Seigel heirs are destroying the name of their father/grandfather and his most honored creation, and are thus destroying the legacy of that man as well.

1938, Superman is purchased under a "work for hire" style arrangement that is common to that day by National Periodical Publications which would later be known as DC Comics. Jerry Seigel and partner Joe Shuster guided the adventures of their creation for some time to come, being published by National Periodical Publications. Long story short: NPP and/or DC thus owned the Superman character and his stories under working agreements of that time, and DC right up until this day has been the caretaker of this most incredible character... the Seigel heirs have not, and nor have they had anything to do with the creation or marketing of this most famous superhero. This has not stopped what I view as money hungry people that as stated, had nothing to do with creating Superman, from trying to receive financial gains by either getting a portion of Super-related monies or from trying to legally steal Superman away from the company that has nurtured their ancestor's creation. One wonders why the Seigels aren't doing something else with their lives to perhaps distinguish themselves in their own right instead of going after DC?

1978, SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE hits theaters with a rounding commercial and critical success and starting the genre' of the extremely popular superhero film. Around this time, in an act of fairness, apparently ( I do not know the full details because I've read conflicting reports) DC's now-parent company awards Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster monies for their creation of Superman and the resulting successes in different mediums. No lawsuit it seemed, but just a goodwill act of thanks to the two men.

The present: Just when things looked to be settled down, the Seigels continue with more lawsuits, further angering fans who love Superman and want to see him remain where he is, because Superman is a staple of the DC imprint across its entire line. Why? Once again, they're smelling the cash. If I was a judge on this case, I would have reprimanded the lawyers who took the Seigel suit to court, and made the Seigels pay DC for their legal fees as a result. I don't feel good about saying such harsh things about the descendants of one of the men who created the most well known and one of the most beloved fictional figures, but they brought it on themselves. So, does that mean that DC now has to prepare for the possible eventuality that they may lose the Clark Kent/ Smallville/ Superman and set about replacing him with a different character? I desperately hope not, I doubt it, and I wish the Seigel family the best in their lives so that they each may succeed at something on their own merits, so they don't have to greedily spoil things for comics fans everywhere while at the same time sullying the name of Jerry Seigel and his creation. Time will tell...

THE FUTURE OF COMICS

2009-08-09T09:23:00.002-04:00

You can't stop progress. Go on any subway in New York and you'll see ads all over the place for the "kindle;" an electronic pad that is stylish and can hold about 1700 books for you to read in its database. Newspapers are disappearing too, with some going only on-line, but what does that mean for us comic book afficiandos? Eventually we're going to say "goodbye" to the comic book as we know it. It's enevitable. Does that mean comics will vanish? Hardly, but it does mean that the format which we've grown used to for nearly a century will evolve into the next stage in our technological and digital evolution. There's already downloadable on-line comics from Marvel and DC and there's already been discussion from the two major companies about the pricing of comics when the obvious will happen. That discussion is the first step to reality. So, what does this mean to us fans that love the tactile experience of handling our comics and turning their pages and bagging and boxing our prized possessions? Many good things actually, and some bad too. The first is that space will free up for our collections and there will be less environmental upheavel with less paper and plastic being produced as the world's reading materials goes to digital formats. That means less trees geting cut down for printing purposes and less non-biodegradable plastics that we use to protect our precious masterpieces. It also means that some things will get less expensive. The current comic book costs a minimum (as of this writing) of about $3 and up because of paper costs, but with no paper, there's already talk of charging $.99 (cents) for the equivalent 22 page story download and maybe $1.99 for a CD of the same material. It also means that for a while anyway, comics in their original form might go substantially up in value and net us all a small fortune if we were willing to sell our prized possessions when we get the same material digitally. It also means that comics may go up in popularity in its new format with easier to acquire material as CD versions of the medium are made available to places they've never been sold in before like a Best Buy, for instance or people now being able to get them downloaded right into their computers. New comics companies may arise with more material for us fans too. It may also mean the destruction of the harmful monopoly that Diamond Distributors has on our comics as this new format will be able to bypass this company and its stranglehold on the industry. That's the good news, but then what's the bad? The economy for the store owners where we get our comics from will get affected. Unfortunately this means less sales for them and the unfortunate and eventual going out of business for many stores. This last part worries me. Like many comics buyers, I have a measure of loyalty to my Comic Book store (Grasshoppers Comics in New York- shameful plug), where I have spent my money gladly and also purchase action figures and statues. The owner and manager of that store has the human touch of ordering things for me and holding expensive items until I can finish paying for them. You can't get that kind of service on-line or at a major electronics retailer. You won't be able to get those exclusive items at other places if comic book stores suffer as a result of tecnological progress, to say nothing of how more businesses failing will affect our currently poor economically troubled times. Last but not least, there is that emotional attachment to our comics that will be somewhat lost when they only exist in virtual space. We shall see....

AN END TO CONTINUITY REBOOTING

2009-08-03T22:39:00.003-04:00

Continuity in comics has become mutable which can be frustrating to fans who have read comics for more than say, ten years. A frequent occurence has been to "reboot" continuity, eliminating the stories that we fans love, or somehow changing vital elements of a character and their story. Think of how many times DC has rebooted, starting with the 1950's "Flash Of Two World's" all the way through CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS and beyond, to say nothing of the idiotic Spider-man change I've written about previously. Look at the JSA, and even titles in Marvel that still feature heroes that operated in World War II. That piece of history is a rich background to comics tales even today, but there's going to come a point where it'll be unbelievable for any character to still be alive from that time, short of immortality. Some JSA newbies are the children or grandchildren or "legacy" heroes from the originals that operated during that time. How long will it be before they are too old to even be the grandchildren of those beloved original heroes? What to do to stop this and keep continuity the consistent factor it should be in monthly serialized comics? There are solutions. The first and most important is to tell stories that do not reference a period in time, so that the stories and characters always exist in a timeless fashion. Do not mention real history and refer to time differently than we do in real life. If you read a multi-part arc in any comic, it could take maybe six months for example to unfold, but in "comics time," the story may take only a matter of days from when the story concludes, and should always be referenced as such, if even referenced at all. Years should be called months, months should be called weeks, weeks into days, etcetera. Keeping pop culture or current real world history out could also aid in never needing a continuity reboot, which quite frankly fans are weary of. Only time can tell....

NO MORE KILLING, PLEASE!

2009-07-26T10:36:00.004-04:00

Death.. in real life terrible, in entertainment like comics, a plot device that has worn out its welcome. Just off the top of my head: Harry Osborn, Bucky Barnes, Hal Jordan, Barry Allen (although to be fair, his "death" wasn't really that, he just vanished and people have been calling it "death"), Green Arrow, Cyclops, Phoenix (okay, she's SUPPOSED to die and come back), Colossus, Hawkman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Hippolyta, Captain America, and MANY more for the list to go on. These are all characters who have died and been resurrected. So what's the point? Maybe that comic creators should STOP killing characters in an attempt to "shock" the audience, because it's ultimately futile since another writer, some time later will just invalidate that death by bringing that character back to life. Death has become an overused plot device that has become pointless and I urge comics editors to put a moritorium (pun intended) on killing off characters because it begins to show laziness and a lack of imagination on the part of the writer. There are other ways of creating drama that doesn't involve the pointless death/resurrection cycle in comics. Look at Alan Moore and what he did to Barabara Gordon in THE KILLING JOKE. He crippled a major character who to this day is still dealing with the effects of that incident, and who has become a much more interesting and integral character since. What about Tony Stark's alcoholism? Again, long range complications that make for compelling drama. At least BLACKEST NIGHT seems to be addressing this overused shock mechanism. Writer Geoff Johns I think is crafting what might turn out to be one huge deus-ex-machina of character ressurection with a consistent, storyline dicatated reason for bringing the dead back to life. Doesn't everyone think that Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, and other dead heroes will permanently resurface at the conclusion of the crossover event? Johns too was responsible for killing off Connor Kent and Bart Allen and then bringing them back himself, but at least you could tell he had a plan set in motion to do it. Which brings us to another point; every character in comics is someone's favorite and maybe it's unfair to rob the audience of that character. If a writer can't think of a use for a particular cast member, they should just find a means of writing the character out of the story for awhile so that someone else can come in and use him/her/them when they get the chance. Take a look at the unfairness here. So many heroes and their supporting casts have been killed and returned to life, and yet no one has thought of a way to bring Gwen Stacy back to life? I have, and it would be one great and OBVIOUS way to do it, that I'm surprised no one has thought of it. Yes, I know it sounds like a contradiction after saying no more killing and resuurection, but if they could do it with the long standing death of Bucky Barnes into the brilliant Winter Soldier/Captain America arc, why not Gwen? But hey, at least DC is not claiming that Bruce Wayne's current disappearance is a death....

STOP THE LATENESS!

2009-07-19T12:10:00.004-04:00

Latness is comics... It disappoints readers, upsets retailers, and paints the comic companies in a bad light. However, THERE IS A NO-BRAINER SOLUTION!! Seriously, can't DC and Marvel figure out ways to prevent delayed comics? Why is it that I can and they can't? Corporate bullshit? Okay people, here goes- First off, DO NOT HIRE AN ARTIST TO DO A MONTHY BOOK, OR A CROSSOVER EVENT IF THAT ARTIST CANNOT DRAW 22 PAGES A MONTH! Do we need another "CIVIL WAR," or the embarrasment of J.G. Jones from "FINAL CRISIS" and the subsequent company-wide delays that result from their inability to produce on time? I'm not saying that these great artists should not work in the industry if they can't produce for a monthly medium, but INSTEAD RELEGATE SLOW ARTISTS TO MINI-SERIES OR PROJECTS that don't affect an entire line of books. Moreover, DON"T SOLICIT BOOKS OR SCHEDULE THESE HUGE EVENT CROSSOVERS UNTIL THEY ARE FULLY DRAWN and "in the can." There's even more; comic companies should take a look at websites like deviantart.com for instance to mine the talents on sites like that for new hot talent that may be able to produce great work, fast. Again, it's a no-brainer.

Now, Lateness also has to do with distribution, and unfortunately Diamond Distributors is a monopoly that has a strangelhold in the industry. Why has no one investigated this monopoly? Or have they, and come to the conclusion that comics aren't that important? What I'm referring to here is the holiday scheduling. Comics have a long tradition now for Wednesday delivery dates, and sometimes holiday scehedules make the books arrive on Thursdays, which gives retailers one less day a week to sell new releases and affects readers who may only have that Wednesday to get their books. Again, ready for another no-brainer? SHIP THE BOOKS A DAY EARLY ON HOLDIDAY WEEKS SO THAT THEY GET OUT ON THE STANDS ON WEDNESDAYS! I mean, if they can ship a day late, they can ship a day early. DUH! WOW, it took one second to think of that! Can the industry get its act together? Who knows, but above are some solutions. Next up- the ususal Wednesday Comic Report and next Sunday's column on death in comics!

THE "SINS PAST" OF JOE QUESADA AND WHAT HE DID TO SPIDERMAN

2009-07-11T22:05:00.003-04:00

Lest you think I only have problems with the goings-on at DC Comics, let's backtrack a few years to when J. Michael Straczinsky was writing a successful run on AMAZING SPIDERMAN. It all started with an important life changing four-parter called "Sins Past," in which we discover that the most beloved dead girl in all comicsdom, gave birth to two children. Yup, can you believe that Gwen Stacy had children? Years ago I unfairly blamed JMS for writing this travesty of a strory, because it turned out the children were not Peter Parker's but those of his arch-nemisis Norman Osborn a.k.a. the Green Goblin. Well, it turned out that JMS all along had intended these children to be the by-product of Peter and Gwen's love, but Marvel Editor-In-Chief, Joe Quesada quickly nixed the idea because he felt that having children would age Peter and JMS was forced to do a rewrite of his plans with the patently ridiculous idea of Norman being the dad, thus sullying the memory of one of the most loved girlfriends in the medium. Can you believe this crap? Well, it turns out that this is not Quesada's only major screw-up in the world of Spiderman. Oh, you know what I'm talking about, but before we get there, we have to bring in the events of Marvel's CIVIL WAR, in which among other things, another mandated idiotic move occurred when Spiderman revealed his identity to the entire world. PETER PARKER WOULD DO THIS??

CIVIL WAR was a major Marvel Comics crossover event in which superheroes now had to become mandated by the government. Not a bad idea given the political climate of the times because even storywise, those repercussions are making for some interesting stories in today's Marvel Universe which had threads in SECRET INVASION and the current DARK REIGN. Now, I'm going to digress here before I get back to Spiderman, and write about the famous delay that CIVIL WAR underwent because of its artist Steve McNiven. Lateness in comics will be the subject of another column. Suffice to say, an entire months worth of Marvel's books were delayed because of the company-wide crossover, in which reatilers suffered with "make-up" comics to fill the gap. Series Editor Tom Breveroot made some of the most disgustingly insulting comments to readers and artists that I've ever read. Instead of taking the blame for a bad choice of a slow artist ( McNiven is a great artist, but too slow to hinge a company crossover on), or getting another capable artist to pick up the slack to keep the book on time, Breveroot used this as an opportunity to slam DC by comparing the lateness of WATCHMEN, DARK KNIGHT to CIVIL WAR. To be fair, DC has had similar problems, but not like what happened with CW and Breveroot's choices for comparison were uneducated because the DC titles he mentioned were not in-continuity titles that affected an entire line of comics. Furthermore, Breveroot insulted any artist in comics who ever worked as a fill-in artist by stating that comics readers don't want them. Hey Tom and Joe, has it ever occurred to you to maybe make sure your comapny wide crossover was given to an artist who could work on time, or to make sure that maybe you scheduled your event when all the issues were actually drawn and done? Kind of a no-brainer, don't you think?

Ah, but Breveroot still has his job when he should have been fired for his insults, or at least reprimanded, but such was not the case. Maybe Quesada has a liking for bad attitudes, considering his own. Ever been to a comics convention? It amazes me that DC panels are always more attended than Marvel panels at these conventions, considering that Marvel supposedly outsells DC. The DC panels are lively, fun, and its attendees are given enough teasers to whet their appetites for what's to come, without the big reveals, making fans eager for what's to come. Does Quesada do this? Does Joe Q appreciate the fact that people pay money, and stand in lines in all sorts of weather conditions to attend conventions? No, he tells his fans nothing, and that he "wants their money, and that they should buy the books,"... literally. He gives fans who attend conventions nothing to come home with and crassly tells them he wants their hard earned bucks. Nice.

It doesn't end there. So JMS continued writing AMAZING SPIDERMAN, already peeved at the editorial changes mandated by Joe Q, and then something even worse happened. Joe Q has always felt that the Peter-Mary Jane marriage was detrimental to the Spiderman character and he wanted to put an end to it. Again, he felt it aged Peter and somehow prevented better stories from being told. Hmmm, okay, I'll give him some points on this. MJ has never been more than a shallow character, no matter how many writers tried to give her a backstory to explain her flightiness, and quite frankly, MJ was a runner-up. She only moved into first position because Gwen Stacy, the TRUE love of Peter's life had been killed off years ago. Yet another column will deal with death in comics and go into Gwen there. If you don't believe me, just read Jeff Loeb and Tim Sale's SPIDERMAN: BLUE to see how true this is. So, I was in agreement and quite happy when I heard that the Peter/MJ union would bite the dust in the contraversial "One More Day" storyline. How it got there, was one of the worst ideas in the history of Marvel. Once again, JMS had one idea to put an end to the marriage, but was overriden by Joe Q again. You see, Quesada for some reason believed that divorce was wrong for a comic character like Peter Parker. Why? Peter has always been the most "relatable" hero, and since the divorce rate is so high, I bet many would have felt empathy for him; many because maybe they've been there too, or their parents have. That would have been the way to go, but no, Joe Q comes up with this infintely stupid idea that MJ and Peter make a deal with Mephisto (the devil, essentially) for the life of Peter's Aunt May, and that the marriage gets "magically" disolved and so does Peter's unmasking in CIVIL WAR. HA! Joe Q pulled a DC continuity gaffe that made anything done by their competition, in terms of continuity problems, look like nothing! So, JMS once again was pissed about Quesada's editorial meddling, that he requested his name be removed as writer of the last two chapters of "One More Day." Moreover, when Joe Q took heat for this, He said something along the lines about the story that HE wrote, that it wasn't Peter who acted out oc character by making a deal with the devil, but it was MJ. Uh, did Joe even read his own story. PETER WENT ALONG WITH IT!

And now we're in the present, where continuity is a mess in the current slew of "Brand New Day" storylines which among other things has the decades dead Harry Osborn alive and well with no explanation... and Gwen is still dead... and Joe Quesada is still running Marvel.

GRANT MORRISON SUCKS..and other stuff at DC.

2009-07-05T00:11:00.004-04:00

I love comics, DC in particular, so when I see some repeated bonehead moves, I just gotta say something about it. Let's start with Grant Morrison. He seems to be one of DC Comics' "go to guys" these days and nothing could be sadder. His published interviews always come across like he thinks he's the only person capable of writing anything worthwhile in comics. Wrong, Grant! I have to question if Mr. Morrison has blackmail pictures of DC executives Paul Levitz and Dan Didio having sex with donkeys, or if he's providing them with the same substances that I believe he must be using to write most of his stories. The problem starts higher up though. DC Vice-President Dan Didio has always talked about the importance of the "Trinity," in the DC Universe (Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman), so what does he do to prove it? He removes Superman from his own book and his second title ACTION COMICS, and removes Bruce Wayne as Batman (and from DETECTIVE COMICS). Aside from the fact that things like this are unoriginal, having been done before, it completly contradicts statements he makes. So, let's bring this point back to Grant Morrison. Morrison is a writer who writes "heady and trippy" ideas that many confuse with genius, all the while showing that he doesn't get the characters he's writing, often eschewing good characterization in favor of making things fit his personal interpretation of his protagonists to tell a story. Mistake! Comics are a monthly serialized medium and continuity needs to be taken into account... unless you're constantly rebooting. Grant doesn't get that comics are also a visual medium because most artists who work with him don't seem to be able to show a good flow of the scripts he writes. Oh yeah, I know that he and Frank Quitely have "dazzled" people with ALL STAR SUPERMAN (the acronym A.S.S. seems to fit), but that's an out of continuity excuse for Morrison's mental masturbation in the comics medium. Most of the time, reading a Morrison penned comic will leave you wondering just what the hell you read and how it doesn't even make sense in its own context. As a result of his "wunderkind" status, DC has allowed him to write Bruce Wayne out as Batman, effectively changing that Bat-status quo, which yielded the unfortunate cancellations of CATWOMAN, NIGHTWING, and ROBIN to name a few, just to appease Morrison's plans for Batman... which includes a seemingly embarrassing return to the feel of the Adam West TV series in the new BATMAN AND ROBIN comic. Is your head spinning yet? Dan Didio even let Grant pen the company's mega-crossover FINAL CRISIS which most people hated, didn't understand, and effectively changed nothing of substance in the DC Universe with the exception of the death of the Martian Manhunter. Batman's "death" doesn't really count because we all KNOW he'll be back, most likely after BATMAN AND ROBIN hits issue 12 (can anyone say "Captain America?"). At least that's my prediction. Didio even joked at a couple of conventions, asking the crowds if they understood what FINAL CRISIS is all about. If you have to ask..... and then Judd Winick, one of the worst writers in comics gets the BATMAN title to write. WTF?? Is DC intentionally trying to ruin one of its cash-cow characters? At least DETECTIVE COMICS has weathered the Grant Morrison storm by making Batwoman headline the book with great scripting by Greg Rucka and gorgeous art by J.H. Williams! As soon as Bruce Wayne comes back, please keep Grant Morrison forever away from DC's established superheroes.

So now let's take a look at the Superman books. Supes gets shut out of his two books in favor of putting him in WORLD OF KRYPTON maxi-series. Why couldn't this story been told in the pages of SUPERMAN and ACTION COMICS? How does any of these decisions make sense. ACTION is now being headlined by D-listers Nightwing (not Dick Grayson) and Flamebird. Lame! Of course this translates into problems for the JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA comic, which has suffered from lackluster stories due to editorial policies affecting the book. The JLA is always at its most popular with the "Big Seven," and at the very least its "Trinity," and once again, what's going on in the Bat and Super books have affected this flagship title. TEEN TITANS has been sucking too from lack of direction and the removal of Robin, Superboy, and Kid Flash, but at least there's hope that it will recover soon as two of those afore mentioned characters are back in the land of the living (look for a later column griping about death in comics).

However, all is not bad, as Geoff Johns has made GREEN LANTERN a must read (can't wait for BLACKEST NIGHT!) and has returned Barry Allen as the FLASH! Making GL a great book is hard considering that its lead Hal Jordan has always been a boring character, but Johns tells such a great story, that Hal's lack of personality is not a hindrance. Last but not least, we have Gail Simone and Aaron Lopresti on WONDER WOMAN, which for my money is DC's best book currently. YES, you read that right! WONDER WOMAN has been consistently amazing since Simone took control of the Amazing Amazon. Gail is crafting story arcs that are exciting, action-oriented, filled with subtext, and generally leave your mouth hanging open in awe. One wonders (no pun) why no one else has gotten Diana so well. That's not to say that others haven't, but not like this. If you're not reading this book, do yourself a favor and start. Lopresti's art on the series has such a strong flow that you almost feel the action in your body.

Well, let's hope that DC gets their act together and fast! Next column: SPIDER-MAN!

FOR THE LOVE OF HEROES!

2009-07-04T22:55:00.005-04:00

Welcome to COMIC ICONS ( http://www.comiciconsonline.blogspot.com/ ). In the coming days, weeks, months, and years ahead this will be a forum for comic book fans to give praise and/or gripe about our heroes and their creators. Coming next: How Grant Morrison R.I.Pped Batman a "new one," and the state of DC Comics.