Alright. It's been a long, long time. I mean, I last updated in December, but I last posted a review in November. Reading the old Silver Age showcases just...drained me of my desire to read comics from that era. They're frustrating at points. Don't get me wrong--they have a wild charm to them, and there are so many great ideas introduced that could have been great. But it's too much effort.
Tonight, I finished reading the sixth Legion archive, and so I'm going to be working on a huge review of the first six Legion archives to be posted soon. Tonight, though, I'm going to do little mini-reviews. See, I've wandered here and there, trying to read various Showcases that I was somewhat interested in. And for a little bit, it's fine, but doing the whole thing is just taxing. So, I'll be giving my impressions of them.
Challengers of the Unknown was something I looked forward to, if only because it was a Kirby project. I've become a fan of Jack Kirby recently, and so I was excited to see that the Challengers had several stories done by him. And yeah, there were some good parts here. Definitely a lot of crazy ideas tossed around. And I loved the introduction of June Walker, especially with the Challengers playing pretty big roles in the Brave and the Bold series DC has been publishing. It was nice to see where they all began, as previously my only familiarity with the characters had been from a story arc in the 90's Superboy series. However, this series suffered from a fairly typical Silver-Age malady--nothing actually happened. Aside from June's introduction, there didn't seem to be any recurring characters, no real continuity between the issues. At least other books, like Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, and Justice League of America, brought in characters that would eventually become prominent in comics. The Challengers never really had anyone like that. So if that's the sort of thing you want--to see the origins of certain characters--you could probably just read the first few stories in this Showcase and be done with it, because you aren't going to get much more out of it. If you want stories that are actually rather decent for Silver Age stories, however--after all, the radical deus ex machina plot twists aren't quite so insane here, usually--then this might be one to try out.
The Haunted Tank. I bought this on a complete whim at my local comic shop, as they were selling a bunch of trades for four dollars apiece, this included. I hadn't planned to buy any war comics, but I had been introduced to the Haunted Tank during Crisis on Infinite Earths, so there was that intriguing familiarity. And I thought that it was a pretty cool concept--a veteran spirit, guiding a forceful youth in his mission. Add in the rave reviews of someone from my comic shop, and I was pretty excited. And a few of the stories in here were pretty good, I will admit. The problem, I think, was that I'm just not a fan of war comics. I've never really cared for war movies, or war stories, and so war comics was just something I was content to ignore. And I did give it a chance here, but I don't think that I would have been the target audience. If you like war stories, I'd say go for it--like I said, some of the tales were pretty decent. If you don't like this genre, however, it's not something that will convert you.
The War That Time Forgot will finish up this session. Yes, I know that I don't like war comics, but there was just a crazy magic about soldiers being trapped on an island ruled by dinosaurs that I had to try. And I had just read The New Frontier right before buying this, so I knew that the concept could really go places (I still think that the first chapter was one of the best parts of the whole series). But some of the things in this Showcase...they were just completely laughable. The dinosaurs were of random sizes, sometimes changing from panel to panel. And the designs, while not horrible, were relatively subpar. Yeah, there was definitely that fun feeling of "Anything goes", especially since the characters could be killed off at will. But at the same time, that might have been part of the problem--many Silver Age stories, as I said before, have no real continuity between issues. This is among the worst of the lot, as we're introduced in each story to a new set of soldiers, who encounter a new set of dinosaurs. There's nobody to grow attached to, because they're ultimately irrelevant. They're very nice done-in-one stories, and I think that this is the sort of hilarity that the Silver Age excelled at. And the potential is most definitely there. I intend to finish reading this, going at it slowly--a chapter or two every so often, because I think that it'll be worth it.
Alright, that's everything for now. I'll see if I can do some minor reviews of The Elongated Man, Shazam, The Phantom Stranger, Green Lantern, Justice League of America, and Supergirl. I also have a full review ready for Teen Titans, which my sister will be joining in on. I think that next, however, I'll be posting a review for the first six archives of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Don't miss it!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Sunday, December 16, 2007
I'm Not Done.
So I haven't updated in quite some time. That's because, with the whole finals thing and then moving onto Christmas shopping, combined with other stuff, I haven't had time to sit down and really go through any Showcases or anything like that. So the project is going to be postponed until after the holidays I guess.
However, I do have time to put up posts about more recent things. Comics of the past few years are much easier to read than the Showcases, due to them
a) being in color
b) different writing styles.
So I'll be posting some mini-reviews maybe?
Or not.
I'll try to get in a few mentions, though. The list keeps getting revised, but for now I'm pretty sure I've finally hashed out what I do and don't want to follow (war comics, for instance, have failed to grab my attention enough to justify me buying things like the Unknown Soldider and Enemy Ace anytime soon).
However, I do have time to put up posts about more recent things. Comics of the past few years are much easier to read than the Showcases, due to them
a) being in color
b) different writing styles.
So I'll be posting some mini-reviews maybe?
Or not.
I'll try to get in a few mentions, though. The list keeps getting revised, but for now I'm pretty sure I've finally hashed out what I do and don't want to follow (war comics, for instance, have failed to grab my attention enough to justify me buying things like the Unknown Soldider and Enemy Ace anytime soon).
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Double Shot! Countdown 25 + 24
I kept putting off last week's comic review...and then it got to this week and I still hadn't done it. So now I'm just blasting them all out immediately.
Ready? Let's go. And remember, thar be spoilers.
All-New Atom 17: This title is usually one of my quality favorites--I consider it very enjoyable every month, even if it doesn't always hit the "Top Books" spot. Still, it's very fun, and I enjoy a good fun comic once in awhile. In all honesty, I can't remember what happened. Is that bad? Probably. It's been a week though. I remember that the cover looked fun. And I remember enjoying it. Sorry. This is a horrible review.
Booster Gold 4: Wow. So Supernova is Booster's dad. I personally didn't see that coming (although apparently the Booster experts did). It doesn't matter, this title is always great. The writing is excellent, the art is top form, and Skeets is hilarious. Plus, we have promises of Ice appearing soon. That alone keeps it on my pull list.
Countdown to Final Crisis 25: Apparently DC loves to point out that the Pied Piper is gay. You'd think that after twenty-six issues we'd remember that, but no, they need to remind us once again. That's alright though, because the rest of the issue was pretty enjoyable for Countdown. Karate Kid's storyline meets Firestorm and the Atomic Knights, and we actually get some resolution to dangling plot points left open at the end of Firestorm's ongoing series (well...not so much "resolution" as "continuation", because the story hasn't ended.) The "Desaad becomes Firestorm" was unexpected, and actually felt like decent progression. In all honesty, if Countdown had been like this from the beginning, it wouldn't have gotten the horrible reputation it now has.
Countdown to Final Crisis 24: Take that, Desaad! The Atomic Knights prove up to the task, and are able to prevent evilFirestorm from destroying things. Meanwhile, Mary Marvel actually stands up to Darkseid, fighting him (and actually hurting him?) before fleeing. While it's a complete about-face from the Mary we've seen so far, it's still truer to her character than anything in Countdown has been previously, so I'll take it. Meanwhile, Superman Prime gets angry and destroys Earth. It's not New Earth, but it's still an Earth. And he does it while wearing the superior black-Superman outfit from "Reign of the Supermen". I love that outfit, I really do. I'm curious as to what part of the Sinestro Corps brings this on.
Supergirl 23: Well, the art was pretty enough? The opening sequence with Batman was enjoyable, but other than that, neither myself nor my sister have any idea what happened here.
Superman 670: The arc started out great, had too much exposition in the middle, and then ended with an above average final issue. Not bad--not incredible, but all in all a satisfying story. I really love seeing Power Girl as part of the Superman Family now--I was skeptical at first about reintroducing that origin, but they've done a lot of good with it lately. And I love Chris Kent. I'm probably in the minority here, but I think he brings new potential to the Superman titles. Some people love to see the same type of story over and over, but change is good sometimes, and I think this will bring us some good times ahead.
Teen Titans East Special: Anima is not a pretty princess. She is a grunge rocker. She is also unbelievably powerful and is protected by a primal spirit. I fail to see how Mysterious Villain #17 managed to take her out so easily...especially since it seemed as if he was blasting her from underneath, so she had to have seen the shot coming...but whatever. The story wasn't bad. It was just filled with slaughter. On the art side...leg hair + Robin's short-pants = funny for no real reason.
Wonder Girl 3: Young Justice cameos are delicious. I love Cassie's new costume and really don't want it to vanish at the end of the mini, even though it's going to. I'm a little of the New Gods saturating everything, though, and this is coming from a New Gods fan. Still, the story was solid enough to justify my purchase.
Wonder Woman 14: I read the issue, and it was alright...but I'm still not entirely sure what's happening yet. I liked seeing Lt. Candy (I'm assuming this is Etta Candy--which is fun, but I'm hoping she stays true to her current incarnation from the George Perez reboot), and Diana living with talking gorillas adds all sorts of hilarity. So I'm going to stay with this title for awhile, because I want to have faith in it. So we'll see. As a single issue though...there just wasn't enough to catch me. But I choose to have faith in Gail Simone, who has many more hits than misses in my eyes.
Marvel Rundown: Amazing Spider-Girl is always fun. Annihilation: Conquest ties up the prequel mini's and goes full speed ahead with an excellent first issue that I loved despite not knowing who half the characters were. Astonishing X-Men was awesomesauce, while in the mainstream X-titles of Uncanny and X-Factor, we head into the Messiah Complex in two solid stories that leave me wanting more. Ms. Marvel was a title I grabbed as a last minute addition, and I wasn't disappointed--it deals with plot points that have been going on throughout the entire run. Mystic Arcana ends with its final issue, a Sister Grimm tie-in that left me satisfied. New Avengers is of standard New Avengers quality--a fast, enjoyable read. Nova...is he about to meet some sci-fi Marvel Zombies? I'm confused, but the title is always excellent. X-Men: Die By the Sword is modernClaremont, which I am satisfied, but not thrilled, with, but I want to pick up New Exiles due to Tom Grummet on the artwork, so I'm following this through.
Independents: Buffy's Season 8 moves on with its incredible Faith arc. Is it blasphemy to say that I'm enjoying this arc more than the first one? Because I think I am. And Fallen Angel is always an excellent title.
This whole thing would be more interesting if I wasn't so tired. Sorry.
Ready? Let's go. And remember, thar be spoilers.
All-New Atom 17: This title is usually one of my quality favorites--I consider it very enjoyable every month, even if it doesn't always hit the "Top Books" spot. Still, it's very fun, and I enjoy a good fun comic once in awhile. In all honesty, I can't remember what happened. Is that bad? Probably. It's been a week though. I remember that the cover looked fun. And I remember enjoying it. Sorry. This is a horrible review.
Booster Gold 4: Wow. So Supernova is Booster's dad. I personally didn't see that coming (although apparently the Booster experts did). It doesn't matter, this title is always great. The writing is excellent, the art is top form, and Skeets is hilarious. Plus, we have promises of Ice appearing soon. That alone keeps it on my pull list.
Countdown to Final Crisis 25: Apparently DC loves to point out that the Pied Piper is gay. You'd think that after twenty-six issues we'd remember that, but no, they need to remind us once again. That's alright though, because the rest of the issue was pretty enjoyable for Countdown. Karate Kid's storyline meets Firestorm and the Atomic Knights, and we actually get some resolution to dangling plot points left open at the end of Firestorm's ongoing series (well...not so much "resolution" as "continuation", because the story hasn't ended.) The "Desaad becomes Firestorm" was unexpected, and actually felt like decent progression. In all honesty, if Countdown had been like this from the beginning, it wouldn't have gotten the horrible reputation it now has.
Countdown to Final Crisis 24: Take that, Desaad! The Atomic Knights prove up to the task, and are able to prevent evilFirestorm from destroying things. Meanwhile, Mary Marvel actually stands up to Darkseid, fighting him (and actually hurting him?) before fleeing. While it's a complete about-face from the Mary we've seen so far, it's still truer to her character than anything in Countdown has been previously, so I'll take it. Meanwhile, Superman Prime gets angry and destroys Earth. It's not New Earth, but it's still an Earth. And he does it while wearing the superior black-Superman outfit from "Reign of the Supermen". I love that outfit, I really do. I'm curious as to what part of the Sinestro Corps brings this on.
Supergirl 23: Well, the art was pretty enough? The opening sequence with Batman was enjoyable, but other than that, neither myself nor my sister have any idea what happened here.
Superman 670: The arc started out great, had too much exposition in the middle, and then ended with an above average final issue. Not bad--not incredible, but all in all a satisfying story. I really love seeing Power Girl as part of the Superman Family now--I was skeptical at first about reintroducing that origin, but they've done a lot of good with it lately. And I love Chris Kent. I'm probably in the minority here, but I think he brings new potential to the Superman titles. Some people love to see the same type of story over and over, but change is good sometimes, and I think this will bring us some good times ahead.
Teen Titans East Special: Anima is not a pretty princess. She is a grunge rocker. She is also unbelievably powerful and is protected by a primal spirit. I fail to see how Mysterious Villain #17 managed to take her out so easily...especially since it seemed as if he was blasting her from underneath, so she had to have seen the shot coming...but whatever. The story wasn't bad. It was just filled with slaughter. On the art side...leg hair + Robin's short-pants = funny for no real reason.
Wonder Girl 3: Young Justice cameos are delicious. I love Cassie's new costume and really don't want it to vanish at the end of the mini, even though it's going to. I'm a little of the New Gods saturating everything, though, and this is coming from a New Gods fan. Still, the story was solid enough to justify my purchase.
Wonder Woman 14: I read the issue, and it was alright...but I'm still not entirely sure what's happening yet. I liked seeing Lt. Candy (I'm assuming this is Etta Candy--which is fun, but I'm hoping she stays true to her current incarnation from the George Perez reboot), and Diana living with talking gorillas adds all sorts of hilarity. So I'm going to stay with this title for awhile, because I want to have faith in it. So we'll see. As a single issue though...there just wasn't enough to catch me. But I choose to have faith in Gail Simone, who has many more hits than misses in my eyes.
Marvel Rundown: Amazing Spider-Girl is always fun. Annihilation: Conquest ties up the prequel mini's and goes full speed ahead with an excellent first issue that I loved despite not knowing who half the characters were. Astonishing X-Men was awesomesauce, while in the mainstream X-titles of Uncanny and X-Factor, we head into the Messiah Complex in two solid stories that leave me wanting more. Ms. Marvel was a title I grabbed as a last minute addition, and I wasn't disappointed--it deals with plot points that have been going on throughout the entire run. Mystic Arcana ends with its final issue, a Sister Grimm tie-in that left me satisfied. New Avengers is of standard New Avengers quality--a fast, enjoyable read. Nova...is he about to meet some sci-fi Marvel Zombies? I'm confused, but the title is always excellent. X-Men: Die By the Sword is modernClaremont, which I am satisfied, but not thrilled, with, but I want to pick up New Exiles due to Tom Grummet on the artwork, so I'm following this through.
Independents: Buffy's Season 8 moves on with its incredible Faith arc. Is it blasphemy to say that I'm enjoying this arc more than the first one? Because I think I am. And Fallen Angel is always an excellent title.
This whole thing would be more interesting if I wasn't so tired. Sorry.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Showcase Presents: Superman Volume 1
On one hand, this collection is a strong representation of what the Silver Age was--full of ideas just being thrown onto paper without any consideration for what it would mean. And there were actually a few ideas that were referenced again. That part was surprising.
On the other hand, it took me weeks to read, and has single-handedly made me question this blog project.
There were a number of instances where Superman was referenced as the only powered person in the world. This made no sense when compared to DC continuity...or even the other comics in this collection where Superman fought against other super-powered people.
Batman made an appearance though. That was fun.
Once you get past the obvious corny feel of the issues, they're actually pretty enjoyable. The potential in most of these things is pretty incredible, and in today's comics there'd be so much done with it. Writers would have planned out where to go with the nuances of each issue, and, sadly, how to break it down into multiple issues. At the risk of imitating every other internet comics commenter, we've really lost the art of individual issues in most comics today. Building them so that a trade tells a fully story may make sense from a business perspective, I guess, but it also means that the medium loses a lot of "character development" issues.
I was already introduced to a number of these issues through a reprint that collected some of the most famous Silver Age stories (ones that introduced Lori Lemaris and Supergirl were the more important ones). Both characters have played roles in the Superman mythos, Supergirl much more than Lori, and their introductions are reprinted here. Very nice for a new reader.
Stories bringing in Brainiac, Metallo, Kandor, and more were included, and as someone who has seen them develop into prominent concepts in modern comics, it was interesting to read how they got started. Metallo died in his debut story, interestingly, so I'm actually curious as to when he returned to play a big villain.
All in all, this is a collection I'd probably recommend to someone interested in reading older Superman comics. Would I suggest it to someone I wanted to get hooked on comics? No, just because it would probably scare them away with the corniness. But for someone already interested in comics, this might be good to read.
Next I'll be reviewing...the first Legion of Super-Heroes Archive, according to my list. But I've secretly already read that, so I'll be using this time to read the Haunted Tank Showcase in my attempt to get into war comics.
Don't tell anyone.
On the other hand, it took me weeks to read, and has single-handedly made me question this blog project.
There were a number of instances where Superman was referenced as the only powered person in the world. This made no sense when compared to DC continuity...or even the other comics in this collection where Superman fought against other super-powered people.
Batman made an appearance though. That was fun.
Once you get past the obvious corny feel of the issues, they're actually pretty enjoyable. The potential in most of these things is pretty incredible, and in today's comics there'd be so much done with it. Writers would have planned out where to go with the nuances of each issue, and, sadly, how to break it down into multiple issues. At the risk of imitating every other internet comics commenter, we've really lost the art of individual issues in most comics today. Building them so that a trade tells a fully story may make sense from a business perspective, I guess, but it also means that the medium loses a lot of "character development" issues.
I was already introduced to a number of these issues through a reprint that collected some of the most famous Silver Age stories (ones that introduced Lori Lemaris and Supergirl were the more important ones). Both characters have played roles in the Superman mythos, Supergirl much more than Lori, and their introductions are reprinted here. Very nice for a new reader.
Stories bringing in Brainiac, Metallo, Kandor, and more were included, and as someone who has seen them develop into prominent concepts in modern comics, it was interesting to read how they got started. Metallo died in his debut story, interestingly, so I'm actually curious as to when he returned to play a big villain.
All in all, this is a collection I'd probably recommend to someone interested in reading older Superman comics. Would I suggest it to someone I wanted to get hooked on comics? No, just because it would probably scare them away with the corniness. But for someone already interested in comics, this might be good to read.
Next I'll be reviewing...the first Legion of Super-Heroes Archive, according to my list. But I've secretly already read that, so I'll be using this time to read the Haunted Tank Showcase in my attempt to get into war comics.
Don't tell anyone.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Volume One
And so, the project truly begins.
First, a bit about my relationship with Jack Kirby's Fourth World, and Jack Kirby's work in general. When I was growing up, I didn't like any of it. At all. When the New Gods would appear in the Superman titles, I was confused and disinterested. When I would try to read older comics with Kirby's art, I'd grow bored and want to read something else. I never caught the appeal of the characters.
Until now.
This collection, priced at fifty dollars (psst...on Amazon you can get it new for $31.49!), was something that came out several months before I began this project. I thought it was interesting, but had no desire to pay that much money for something I didn't care about. Around the time I changed my mind, I began this project, so I relented and placed the order. It took me a little bit, but I started reading.
This was not the first time I had tried to read Jack Kirby's Fourth World stuff. Several years ago, my parents got me the first Jimmy Olsen trade from this saga as a Christmas present, along with some other Superman comic trades. I found it tedious, boring, and uninteresting to look at. So I was skeptical about reading this.
Let's start from the beginning, shall we?
Right away, we're treated to a number of full page pictures that capture close-ups of various characters, full of the energy that Kirby pumped into his work. Already I began to change my mind about all of this. The introduction by Grant Morrison was excellent--say what you will about how crazy Grant can get (and I will, especially when I get around to finally reading his Doom Patrol run), but he has ideas, and I'm told that he's one of the few people who managed to do the New Gods justice. So kudos there.
From the first pages of Jimmy Olsen, we're tossed right into a world full of brand new characters. The Newsboy Legion aren't necessarily new, technically, but they've been reinvisioned here as children (later retconned into clones) of the originals (co-created by Kirby). We also get Morgan Edge, the Outsiders (no, not those Outsiders), and, going into later issues, the Project (later known as Cadmus), Dubbilex the DNAlien, the Hairies, the Guardian, and more. And let me tell you, as someone who grew up on 90's Superboy comics, seeing these characters really made my day. The revival of the Guardian was when I was really pulled into all of this.
The Forever People were surprisingly interesting. They were obvious hippies, yes, but the character interactions and insane names left me wanting more. And I'm intrigued by the Infinity Man--really, who is he? Does he have limits?
The New Gods begins with the opening sequence to end all opening sequences. We get the epic of the Fourth World introduced to us in stunning glory, and it races onward, focused on Orion. Knowing the secrets of his parentage sort of ruined the mystery here by default, but on the other hand it allows me to notice the clues and nod along with the story. Excellent stuff here.
Finally, Mister Miracle. I never knew how Scott Free acquired the suit, and I was actually surprised to see that he wasn't the original Mister Miracle. And now I know how Oberon came into the picture, too. I'll admit, I'm having a little trouble reconciling the Granny Goodness presented here with how she's been presented elsewhere--not because of her personality or anything, but because of where her orphanage is based. I thought all of that was set on Apokalips? Instead, we find it on Earth, right? Confusing.
The slow introduction of the characters felt masterful. In the first issue of Jimmy Olsen, we get hints that something isn't right, that something major is on the horizon. In later issues, we get tastes--what is Apokalips? Who is Darkseid, and why is he the mastermind here? What is the true extent of these characters? All of this explodes from the page with the beginning of the New Gods title, and to read these issues as they progress...it's powerful.
Do they really have to kill these characters off?
I can't wait for the next Omnibus. Really, I can't. It sits on my shelf, taunting me with pictures of Miracle. I want to read it.
But I won't.
Not yet, anyway.
Until next time...when we review Showcase Presents: Superman Volume One!
First, a bit about my relationship with Jack Kirby's Fourth World, and Jack Kirby's work in general. When I was growing up, I didn't like any of it. At all. When the New Gods would appear in the Superman titles, I was confused and disinterested. When I would try to read older comics with Kirby's art, I'd grow bored and want to read something else. I never caught the appeal of the characters.
Until now.
This collection, priced at fifty dollars (psst...on Amazon you can get it new for $31.49!), was something that came out several months before I began this project. I thought it was interesting, but had no desire to pay that much money for something I didn't care about. Around the time I changed my mind, I began this project, so I relented and placed the order. It took me a little bit, but I started reading.
This was not the first time I had tried to read Jack Kirby's Fourth World stuff. Several years ago, my parents got me the first Jimmy Olsen trade from this saga as a Christmas present, along with some other Superman comic trades. I found it tedious, boring, and uninteresting to look at. So I was skeptical about reading this.
Let's start from the beginning, shall we?
Right away, we're treated to a number of full page pictures that capture close-ups of various characters, full of the energy that Kirby pumped into his work. Already I began to change my mind about all of this. The introduction by Grant Morrison was excellent--say what you will about how crazy Grant can get (and I will, especially when I get around to finally reading his Doom Patrol run), but he has ideas, and I'm told that he's one of the few people who managed to do the New Gods justice. So kudos there.
From the first pages of Jimmy Olsen, we're tossed right into a world full of brand new characters. The Newsboy Legion aren't necessarily new, technically, but they've been reinvisioned here as children (later retconned into clones) of the originals (co-created by Kirby). We also get Morgan Edge, the Outsiders (no, not those Outsiders), and, going into later issues, the Project (later known as Cadmus), Dubbilex the DNAlien, the Hairies, the Guardian, and more. And let me tell you, as someone who grew up on 90's Superboy comics, seeing these characters really made my day. The revival of the Guardian was when I was really pulled into all of this.
The Forever People were surprisingly interesting. They were obvious hippies, yes, but the character interactions and insane names left me wanting more. And I'm intrigued by the Infinity Man--really, who is he? Does he have limits?
The New Gods begins with the opening sequence to end all opening sequences. We get the epic of the Fourth World introduced to us in stunning glory, and it races onward, focused on Orion. Knowing the secrets of his parentage sort of ruined the mystery here by default, but on the other hand it allows me to notice the clues and nod along with the story. Excellent stuff here.
Finally, Mister Miracle. I never knew how Scott Free acquired the suit, and I was actually surprised to see that he wasn't the original Mister Miracle. And now I know how Oberon came into the picture, too. I'll admit, I'm having a little trouble reconciling the Granny Goodness presented here with how she's been presented elsewhere--not because of her personality or anything, but because of where her orphanage is based. I thought all of that was set on Apokalips? Instead, we find it on Earth, right? Confusing.
The slow introduction of the characters felt masterful. In the first issue of Jimmy Olsen, we get hints that something isn't right, that something major is on the horizon. In later issues, we get tastes--what is Apokalips? Who is Darkseid, and why is he the mastermind here? What is the true extent of these characters? All of this explodes from the page with the beginning of the New Gods title, and to read these issues as they progress...it's powerful.
Do they really have to kill these characters off?
I can't wait for the next Omnibus. Really, I can't. It sits on my shelf, taunting me with pictures of Miracle. I want to read it.
But I won't.
Not yet, anyway.
Until next time...when we review Showcase Presents: Superman Volume One!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Countdown 26
What? I'm on time this week? Perish the thought!
So I've gotta say, ever since I made the decision a month or so ago to start dropping lackluster titles, my reading experience each week has been, overall, a lot better. When I order the comics from worst-to-best for my sister, so that she can end with a high note, it's actually trouble for some stuff, because they're usually on pretty even levels of high quality.
Plus, it's a lot cheaper. Which helps, what with this insane project and all, where I have to buy a lot.
52 Aftermath: The Four Horsemen 3 is one of those titles I wasn't looking forward to at first...until I learned Keith Giffen was writing it. Then I squealed with joy. For those that don't know, I love Giffen's work. From his eighties JLI and L.E.G.I.O.N., to his Legion of Super-Heroes stuff (both writing and art), all the way up to the recent Annihilation. It's very rare that he disappoints me--and the only time I can actually recall not liking something he wrote is his Blue Beetle, where, for some reason, he seemed to really be holding John Rogers back. Anyway. That has nothing to do with this issue, really. For the most part, this title has been filled with a lot, and this issue kept the ball rolling as they brought back Snapper Carr in a completely new role as a Checkmate spy. While it doesn't seem to fit with the Snapper references over in the GA/BC Wedding Special, I think this is a much better use of the character as opposed to the "Hey let's make fun of Snapper!" party that it was before, on the off-chance anyone remembered him.
Action Comics 858: Gary Frank? I remember him from the earliest issues of Peter David's Supergirl. Sadly, I think his art has really fallen. He seems to have embrace the skill of using a thousand little lines, presumably to enhance emotion and detail, but it just makes the art look bad. And the colorist doesn't really appeal to me, either. Still, the art was passable, and there were enough good pages to convince me to give him a chance. But I don't buy a comic for the art, save for rare occasions, and the story was what convinced me to pick up this title again. I'm a Legion fanatic. I love the mythology of that world, and I love all versions of the Legion, and this storyline--which suggests a resolution to the Legion confusion--is something I've been anticipating for a long time. The issue did not let me down. While I don't love the "Omg Clark is such a dork LOL" portrayal we've had recently (I liked that Clark was more "normal guy" following the Byrne reboot), I was able to get past that and enjoy everything about the Legion's appearance. We finally get a suitable retelling of how Clark met the Legion, paying homage to the pre-Crisis Superboy while still staying true to Clark's current backstory. And the current state of the Legion, in 3008? Wow. A lot has happened in the six months that have passed, Legion-time, since they went back for Lightning Saga. I really want to see how this develops. The next issue can't get here fast enough.
Countdown to Final Crisis 26 really picked up the pace. Whereas before, the Monitors sat around chatting while the other characters basically remained in the same status quo they were in for the past however-many-issues, we now have a war declared, and certain storylines are receiving more focus. It's as if they've adopted the 52 model of spending time on just a couple characters each week, as opposed to every one. And yeah--the Monitor full-page spread had the wrong number of characters. Big deal. It's a really stupid screw-up, but let's face it--the art in this issue is a lot better than it has been previously. Add this to the increased pace and stronger writing, it really feels as if DC is taking notice of how bad Countdown has been, and they're doing something about it. Of course, none of this makes up for that horrible "Re-Todd" line Donna had, and Kyle's annoying encouragement. My god. That panel ruined the entire book for me.
DC Infinite Halloween Special: The Riddler should not be in Arkham Asylum. I'm sick of zombies. And werewolves. That is all.
Justice Society of America 10: Somewhere between the previous issue and this one, I had finally gotten around to reading Kingdom Come. So my enjoyment of this storyline increased a lot. It has a lot of potential, I think, and can really provide a lot of strong moments--seeing Power Girl confront KC Superman, coming to terms with the death of Kal-L in the process, is something I'm really looking forward to. Speaking of Power Girl, she's been slowly growing into one of my favorite characters as of late. I love that she's considered part of the Superman Family now. It feels right to me.
Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes 35: You know what? I think Bedard's doing a pretty decent job with the Legion in what is, admittedly, just a fill-in arc. The characterization, while lacking some of the minor nuances of the characters, is still mostly spot-on, and the storytelling makes for enjoyable Legion stories. While I don't think he's the perfect writer, and I am not sad that Shooter is replacing him at all (although that's probably because...well, it's Shooter), I think he did a solid job in this arc--this issue especially. It was the first one here where I really felt engaged in the story.
Quick Marvel Rundown: I finished the last issues of Annihilation Conquest: Quasar and Wraith (which I missed last week). Both proved that Annihilation is still one of the best things to happen to Marvel in awhile. New X-Men was standard New X-Men quality--strong, but not amazing--and X-Men: Messiah Complex got me really interested in the crossover. I mean, I was always going to collect it, but now I'm actually excited about it.
In addition to buying this stuff, I also took a final advantage of my store's trade and hardback sale. Remember--the trades are $4, and the hardbacks are half off an already discounted price. And then there's my 20% "pull list" discount on top of everything. So I got Showcase Presents: The Haunted Tank (which will be added to an upcoming revised version of my "list"), Starman: Sons of the Father (the final trade, which means I now have to collect all the stuff between the first and the last), and--the one I'm most interested in--Catwoman: Selina's Big Score, a hardcover by Darwyn Cooke. I was really surprised to find it still in the pile. I would have expected it to sell out fast...but nope. I got really lucky. And for...what, probably around six dollars after all the discounts? Definitely a great deal for me. I can't wait to read it...and I'll probably read it this week, actually, and then read it again when I get to that point in my lists.
So I've gotta say, ever since I made the decision a month or so ago to start dropping lackluster titles, my reading experience each week has been, overall, a lot better. When I order the comics from worst-to-best for my sister, so that she can end with a high note, it's actually trouble for some stuff, because they're usually on pretty even levels of high quality.
Plus, it's a lot cheaper. Which helps, what with this insane project and all, where I have to buy a lot.
52 Aftermath: The Four Horsemen 3 is one of those titles I wasn't looking forward to at first...until I learned Keith Giffen was writing it. Then I squealed with joy. For those that don't know, I love Giffen's work. From his eighties JLI and L.E.G.I.O.N., to his Legion of Super-Heroes stuff (both writing and art), all the way up to the recent Annihilation. It's very rare that he disappoints me--and the only time I can actually recall not liking something he wrote is his Blue Beetle, where, for some reason, he seemed to really be holding John Rogers back. Anyway. That has nothing to do with this issue, really. For the most part, this title has been filled with a lot, and this issue kept the ball rolling as they brought back Snapper Carr in a completely new role as a Checkmate spy. While it doesn't seem to fit with the Snapper references over in the GA/BC Wedding Special, I think this is a much better use of the character as opposed to the "Hey let's make fun of Snapper!" party that it was before, on the off-chance anyone remembered him.
Action Comics 858: Gary Frank? I remember him from the earliest issues of Peter David's Supergirl. Sadly, I think his art has really fallen. He seems to have embrace the skill of using a thousand little lines, presumably to enhance emotion and detail, but it just makes the art look bad. And the colorist doesn't really appeal to me, either. Still, the art was passable, and there were enough good pages to convince me to give him a chance. But I don't buy a comic for the art, save for rare occasions, and the story was what convinced me to pick up this title again. I'm a Legion fanatic. I love the mythology of that world, and I love all versions of the Legion, and this storyline--which suggests a resolution to the Legion confusion--is something I've been anticipating for a long time. The issue did not let me down. While I don't love the "Omg Clark is such a dork LOL" portrayal we've had recently (I liked that Clark was more "normal guy" following the Byrne reboot), I was able to get past that and enjoy everything about the Legion's appearance. We finally get a suitable retelling of how Clark met the Legion, paying homage to the pre-Crisis Superboy while still staying true to Clark's current backstory. And the current state of the Legion, in 3008? Wow. A lot has happened in the six months that have passed, Legion-time, since they went back for Lightning Saga. I really want to see how this develops. The next issue can't get here fast enough.
Countdown to Final Crisis 26 really picked up the pace. Whereas before, the Monitors sat around chatting while the other characters basically remained in the same status quo they were in for the past however-many-issues, we now have a war declared, and certain storylines are receiving more focus. It's as if they've adopted the 52 model of spending time on just a couple characters each week, as opposed to every one. And yeah--the Monitor full-page spread had the wrong number of characters. Big deal. It's a really stupid screw-up, but let's face it--the art in this issue is a lot better than it has been previously. Add this to the increased pace and stronger writing, it really feels as if DC is taking notice of how bad Countdown has been, and they're doing something about it. Of course, none of this makes up for that horrible "Re-Todd" line Donna had, and Kyle's annoying encouragement. My god. That panel ruined the entire book for me.
DC Infinite Halloween Special: The Riddler should not be in Arkham Asylum. I'm sick of zombies. And werewolves. That is all.
Justice Society of America 10: Somewhere between the previous issue and this one, I had finally gotten around to reading Kingdom Come. So my enjoyment of this storyline increased a lot. It has a lot of potential, I think, and can really provide a lot of strong moments--seeing Power Girl confront KC Superman, coming to terms with the death of Kal-L in the process, is something I'm really looking forward to. Speaking of Power Girl, she's been slowly growing into one of my favorite characters as of late. I love that she's considered part of the Superman Family now. It feels right to me.
Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes 35: You know what? I think Bedard's doing a pretty decent job with the Legion in what is, admittedly, just a fill-in arc. The characterization, while lacking some of the minor nuances of the characters, is still mostly spot-on, and the storytelling makes for enjoyable Legion stories. While I don't think he's the perfect writer, and I am not sad that Shooter is replacing him at all (although that's probably because...well, it's Shooter), I think he did a solid job in this arc--this issue especially. It was the first one here where I really felt engaged in the story.
Quick Marvel Rundown: I finished the last issues of Annihilation Conquest: Quasar and Wraith (which I missed last week). Both proved that Annihilation is still one of the best things to happen to Marvel in awhile. New X-Men was standard New X-Men quality--strong, but not amazing--and X-Men: Messiah Complex got me really interested in the crossover. I mean, I was always going to collect it, but now I'm actually excited about it.
In addition to buying this stuff, I also took a final advantage of my store's trade and hardback sale. Remember--the trades are $4, and the hardbacks are half off an already discounted price. And then there's my 20% "pull list" discount on top of everything. So I got Showcase Presents: The Haunted Tank (which will be added to an upcoming revised version of my "list"), Starman: Sons of the Father (the final trade, which means I now have to collect all the stuff between the first and the last), and--the one I'm most interested in--Catwoman: Selina's Big Score, a hardcover by Darwyn Cooke. I was really surprised to find it still in the pile. I would have expected it to sell out fast...but nope. I got really lucky. And for...what, probably around six dollars after all the discounts? Definitely a great deal for me. I can't wait to read it...and I'll probably read it this week, actually, and then read it again when I get to that point in my lists.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Countdown 27
Sorry, I'm late again.
By the way, here by spoilers.
Blue Beetle 20: This is a surprising issue. First of all--Peacemaker. Dead? Alive? It's already been spoiled by John Rogers, but since that issue hasn't come out, I won't comment. Look it up yourself. As for this issue? It was weird. As I said elsewhere, it was an anomaly where combining Awesome Comic A (Blue Beetle) with Awesome Comic B (Sinestro War) left us with Subpar Reading Experience (Blue Beetle 20). I just don't know what to make of it. There were some good parts, but mostly it was a letdown. However, this could be because it dealt with more of the scarab "mythology" regarding the Reach, which I know nothing about (having skipped issues 6-13 of this series). So maybe it'll read better once I've caught up on trades. But still...it was disappointing, at least compared to other issues of this comic.
Countdown 27: So yeah. Is it bad that, even just a few days later, I can't remember what happened in this issue without looking to something for reference? Anyway, I just found out that Buddy Blank's grandson was Kamandi, which is something that I should have known, but the link in my head didn't click. That pipes my interest. Sadly, the Karate Kid/OMAC plot is mostly ignored in this issue, save for...what, two pages?...mostly in favor of the ever-boring Challengers of the Beyond plot. And it's weird that I call them boring, because when Countdown started, the solicits of the "Search for Ray Palmer" one-shots were the only tie-in issues I was interested in. However, their story has basically gone nowhere since they ditched Atom for Kyle Rayner, and my interest left completely when they reached the Extremist homeworld. I was bored enough with the Extremists the first time I read Giffen's run on JLI, but I worked past it enough to enjoy the stories, because they were well-written. This doesn't seem to have that quality, sadly enough. I tried checking out the preview for the Lord Havok miniseries, and couldn't even get past the first page, it was so boring. I really don't know why DC felt the need to drag these characters up again--I doubt they were in particularly high demand.
Flash 233: I love this series. I really do. A lot of people seem to hate the idea of the "Wally and kids" focus on the title, but I think it's refreshing and fun. I enjoy seeing the kids participate in the adventures. Anyway, I don't agree with the comments that Wally bringing his kids into battle is anywhere on the same line as, say, Batman and his various Robins. Let's be honest: each of those Robins--and most teen sidekicks, for that matter--are highly trained, and are usually old enough to at least make rational decisions. Wally's children are basically ages eight and ten biologically, and they've only been alive for...what, a year and a half? They don't even have any of the limited life experience a normal ten-year-old would have. They have almost no training, and their powers fluctuate wildly, with, as far as I know, no warning. That makes their powers a liability, not an asset. And when you consider that the Flash fights powered rogues, while Batman's villains are often of the gangster variety, there's really a big difference. Getting off that tangent, this issue was a lot of fun, and I think the potential here is enormous. I didn't really enjoy the backup, oddly enough...it was well-done, but just didn't click with me. I don't have much interest in Jay as a solo character, though. In JSA I love him, but I couldn't read a book about him. Maybe that's why I didn't really enjoy this part of the backup.
Legion of Super-Heroes In the 31st Century is one of those fun titles that I can't help but love. The first two issues? Passably interesting at best, I'll admit. But everything after that has just been a great Legion story--enjoyable, easy to read, and, as previously mentioned, fun. I loved the take on the Amazons--as far as I can recall, that's never been explored in a Legion story before. Circe's involvement basically gave the whole plot away, yeah, but for non-comic readers just picking up this title, that wouldn't happen. And even when it does happen, it doesn't prevent the story from being enjoyable. I can't help but wonder how long the series will stay in this light-hearted, "Silver-Age-y" tone, though, what with the television show going to darker routes this season.
Superman 667: The first issue of this story arc completely reaffirmed my Superman love. This issue was good, but not great, unfortunately. The quality? Excellent. But I can only deal with so much sci-fi exposition at once, and having an entire issue of it pushed me past my limits. I'll give it another read, though, and maybe I'll enjoy it more. Still, this is already an excellent arc, by an excellent writer. I'm on board again for the long haul.
Teen Titans 52: Woah. That last page...big thing there. Can anyone tell me who the girl between Luthor's is (...inuendo ftw?), and who that big rocky guy is? Anyway, I'm a bit confused as to the artists now--Ale Garza seemed ready to be on Supergirl for the long haul, then transferred to this title after a few issues, and has now basically vanished, being replaced by Jamal Igle for now, and (I'm pretty sure) other artists on future solicits? What does that mean? I loved Garza's work here, and while I love Igle's as well, I just don't think know if this is the best title for him to shine. As for the writing side of the story...Sean McKeever is giving us an enjoyable Titans story. He's not really pushing any crazy boundaries, but it's far from being even mediocre. This is the sort of story that is, theoretically, the bread and butter of comics.
Quick Marvel Rundown: The only titles I got this week were X-Men: Die By the Sword and...well, X-Men. You know, the adjectiveless title. X-Men: Die By the Sword was decent, and X-Men was a lot more readable with the artist change. I liked certain aspects of the previous artistic team, but overall, I just couldn't enjoy the full book. This is much better. Endangered Species ended not with a big reveal, as I had expected, but with a somber acceptance of the mutant situation. I'm not sure how I feel about that--it sort of makes the back-up irrelevant, having not contained anything important other than "Yeah we can't fix it," even though we know it's going to change with Messiah Complex. Ah well.
And now, a quick glance at some independent titles...
Madame Mirage 1-3: Woah. And to think, I only grabbed this title due to interest with someone's avatar on a messageboard (thanks, Josie!) Paul Dini is doing pretty well with this title, I have to say. The major delay between issues 1 and 2 almost destroyed my interest, but things seem to be back on schedule (well, 2 and 3 were released a month apart, I think) and issue 3's revelations about Madame Mirage's identity, origins, and motives pulled me back in. For those who haven't tried this book, I'd really recommend giving it a shot.
Umbrella Academy 1-2: If you aren't reading this, start. Wow. I would have completely ignored this title if someone at my local comic shop hadn't suggested it, and I'm glad he did, because...wow. This is the sort of book that becomes a classic, and then, ultimately, a movie. I don't even know what to say about this book, other than a constant endorsement. Buy it.
By the way, here by spoilers.
Blue Beetle 20: This is a surprising issue. First of all--Peacemaker. Dead? Alive? It's already been spoiled by John Rogers, but since that issue hasn't come out, I won't comment. Look it up yourself. As for this issue? It was weird. As I said elsewhere, it was an anomaly where combining Awesome Comic A (Blue Beetle) with Awesome Comic B (Sinestro War) left us with Subpar Reading Experience (Blue Beetle 20). I just don't know what to make of it. There were some good parts, but mostly it was a letdown. However, this could be because it dealt with more of the scarab "mythology" regarding the Reach, which I know nothing about (having skipped issues 6-13 of this series). So maybe it'll read better once I've caught up on trades. But still...it was disappointing, at least compared to other issues of this comic.
Countdown 27: So yeah. Is it bad that, even just a few days later, I can't remember what happened in this issue without looking to something for reference? Anyway, I just found out that Buddy Blank's grandson was Kamandi, which is something that I should have known, but the link in my head didn't click. That pipes my interest. Sadly, the Karate Kid/OMAC plot is mostly ignored in this issue, save for...what, two pages?...mostly in favor of the ever-boring Challengers of the Beyond plot. And it's weird that I call them boring, because when Countdown started, the solicits of the "Search for Ray Palmer" one-shots were the only tie-in issues I was interested in. However, their story has basically gone nowhere since they ditched Atom for Kyle Rayner, and my interest left completely when they reached the Extremist homeworld. I was bored enough with the Extremists the first time I read Giffen's run on JLI, but I worked past it enough to enjoy the stories, because they were well-written. This doesn't seem to have that quality, sadly enough. I tried checking out the preview for the Lord Havok miniseries, and couldn't even get past the first page, it was so boring. I really don't know why DC felt the need to drag these characters up again--I doubt they were in particularly high demand.
Flash 233: I love this series. I really do. A lot of people seem to hate the idea of the "Wally and kids" focus on the title, but I think it's refreshing and fun. I enjoy seeing the kids participate in the adventures. Anyway, I don't agree with the comments that Wally bringing his kids into battle is anywhere on the same line as, say, Batman and his various Robins. Let's be honest: each of those Robins--and most teen sidekicks, for that matter--are highly trained, and are usually old enough to at least make rational decisions. Wally's children are basically ages eight and ten biologically, and they've only been alive for...what, a year and a half? They don't even have any of the limited life experience a normal ten-year-old would have. They have almost no training, and their powers fluctuate wildly, with, as far as I know, no warning. That makes their powers a liability, not an asset. And when you consider that the Flash fights powered rogues, while Batman's villains are often of the gangster variety, there's really a big difference. Getting off that tangent, this issue was a lot of fun, and I think the potential here is enormous. I didn't really enjoy the backup, oddly enough...it was well-done, but just didn't click with me. I don't have much interest in Jay as a solo character, though. In JSA I love him, but I couldn't read a book about him. Maybe that's why I didn't really enjoy this part of the backup.
Legion of Super-Heroes In the 31st Century is one of those fun titles that I can't help but love. The first two issues? Passably interesting at best, I'll admit. But everything after that has just been a great Legion story--enjoyable, easy to read, and, as previously mentioned, fun. I loved the take on the Amazons--as far as I can recall, that's never been explored in a Legion story before. Circe's involvement basically gave the whole plot away, yeah, but for non-comic readers just picking up this title, that wouldn't happen. And even when it does happen, it doesn't prevent the story from being enjoyable. I can't help but wonder how long the series will stay in this light-hearted, "Silver-Age-y" tone, though, what with the television show going to darker routes this season.
Superman 667: The first issue of this story arc completely reaffirmed my Superman love. This issue was good, but not great, unfortunately. The quality? Excellent. But I can only deal with so much sci-fi exposition at once, and having an entire issue of it pushed me past my limits. I'll give it another read, though, and maybe I'll enjoy it more. Still, this is already an excellent arc, by an excellent writer. I'm on board again for the long haul.
Teen Titans 52: Woah. That last page...big thing there. Can anyone tell me who the girl between Luthor's is (...inuendo ftw?), and who that big rocky guy is? Anyway, I'm a bit confused as to the artists now--Ale Garza seemed ready to be on Supergirl for the long haul, then transferred to this title after a few issues, and has now basically vanished, being replaced by Jamal Igle for now, and (I'm pretty sure) other artists on future solicits? What does that mean? I loved Garza's work here, and while I love Igle's as well, I just don't think know if this is the best title for him to shine. As for the writing side of the story...Sean McKeever is giving us an enjoyable Titans story. He's not really pushing any crazy boundaries, but it's far from being even mediocre. This is the sort of story that is, theoretically, the bread and butter of comics.
Quick Marvel Rundown: The only titles I got this week were X-Men: Die By the Sword and...well, X-Men. You know, the adjectiveless title. X-Men: Die By the Sword was decent, and X-Men was a lot more readable with the artist change. I liked certain aspects of the previous artistic team, but overall, I just couldn't enjoy the full book. This is much better. Endangered Species ended not with a big reveal, as I had expected, but with a somber acceptance of the mutant situation. I'm not sure how I feel about that--it sort of makes the back-up irrelevant, having not contained anything important other than "Yeah we can't fix it," even though we know it's going to change with Messiah Complex. Ah well.
And now, a quick glance at some independent titles...
Madame Mirage 1-3: Woah. And to think, I only grabbed this title due to interest with someone's avatar on a messageboard (thanks, Josie!) Paul Dini is doing pretty well with this title, I have to say. The major delay between issues 1 and 2 almost destroyed my interest, but things seem to be back on schedule (well, 2 and 3 were released a month apart, I think) and issue 3's revelations about Madame Mirage's identity, origins, and motives pulled me back in. For those who haven't tried this book, I'd really recommend giving it a shot.
Umbrella Academy 1-2: If you aren't reading this, start. Wow. I would have completely ignored this title if someone at my local comic shop hadn't suggested it, and I'm glad he did, because...wow. This is the sort of book that becomes a classic, and then, ultimately, a movie. I don't even know what to say about this book, other than a constant endorsement. Buy it.
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