Blake and Erin chat movies this week, giving their thoughts on Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter and Brave, plus chat about a few comic shops among the scorching sands of Las Vegas. In the picks, Erin is catching up with Gotham City Sirens: Strange Fruit and Ray Garton‘s Ravenous, while Blake gives props to Greg Pak‘s Vision Machine and X-Men: Legacy #269. Don’t forget, we’re still taking votes for our upcoming top ten episodes featuring the greatest Avengers and Justice Leaguers of all time! Contact us with comments, suggestions, or anything else at Showcase@CXPulp.com!

Music provided by Music Alley from Mevio.

Episode 268: Vampires and Warrior Princesses

Batgirl #3

Written by GAIL SIMONE; Art by ARDIAN SYAF and VICENTE CIFUENTES; Cover by ADAM HUGHES

Batgirl has been an interesting mix of action comic and psychology. How does one become a superhero again after they have had a traumatic event happen? At first, I was worried the comic would go over the top with the psychology but it has been a nice mix. I liked seeing her relationship with Nightwing and look forward to where it might go in the future. There is also a small part of me that wonders if the story isn’t setting Batgirl up for a giant fall. It’s always good when a comic has you thinking. 8 out of 10.

Batwoman #3

Written by J.H. WILLIAMS III and W. HADEN BLACKMAN; Art and cover by J.H. WILLIAMS III

I am overjoyed at how good both of the women bat comics are. They have been far and away better than most of the bat books. I look forward to reading Batwoman and this issue didn’t change that for me. I love the art. I love the story. This book feels so much bigger than a normal superhero book. I sincerely hope they can keep the quality up. They had a huge head start on this book compared to a lot of the other new 52. In the meantime, you should be reading this comic. Be warned there is not a lot of action. The story is unfolding like a blooming rose. It has a unique pace for a comic book and I understand some people might not like that. 9 out of 10.

Deathstroke #3

Written by KYLE HIGGINS; Art by JOE BENNETT and ART THIBERT; Cover by SIMON BISLEY

I want to like this comic more than I do. I know some of my prior comic experience is playing a part in my feelings. I just don’t really get where this book is going or truthfully its purpose. Deathstroke was far more interesting when he was a villain in the Teen Titans. This comic just kind of makes me yawn. It doesn’t help that a lot of the humor from the first books has leaked right out of the story. 7 out of 10.

Demon Knights #3

Written by PAUL CORNELL; Art by DIOGENES NEVES and OCLAIR ALBERT; Cover by TONY S. DANIEL and NORM RAPMUND

The whole question of pacing is an interesting one. Batwoman is moving slow and it doesn’t bother me. This book is moving slow and I feel like yawning while reading it. The writing and art are not terrible. I am just bored. I don’t care and the whole story is starting to seem a little silly. Plus, I am reading this book because of the Demon and he is barely in it. Not a problem if some other character has captured my imagination, but none have. 7 out of 10.

Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #3

Written by JEFF LEMIRE; Art by ALBERTO PONTICELLI; Cover by J.G. JONES

I am still not sold on the art. On some pages it works perfectly well but on others it is a little jarring. Having said that I must be getting used to it because it didn’t bother me as much this issue. I am fairly well hooked into this story now. It is wacky, funny, and full of action. I would give it a solid nine, if not for the art. Maybe in a few more issues I will have gotten so used to the art this will happen. 8 out of 10.

Green Lantern #3

Written by GEOFF JOHNS; Art and cover by DOUG MAHNKE

I liked issue three better than two. I also admit to being mildly intrigued at the cliff hanger. It might get me to buy another book. The biggest problem I have with this comic is it is so “been there and done that”. There isn’t really anything interesting about the story. I don’t care all that much about Hal Jordan. I have never been a Green Lantern fan but I can remember quite a few issues where Hal Jordan had a whole lot more personality. This book is just hovering in the middle. 7.5 out of 10.

Grifter #3

Written by NATHAN EDMONDSON; Art and cover by CAFU and JASON GORDER

I feel like I am reading an episode of Lost. Mysteries within mysteries and I am not entirely sure I know what is going on. I am also a little alarmed at Green Arrow being announced for the next issue. I am not fond of cross pollinating the comics “just because”. So I hope they make it work. This issue was not as good as the previous two. It was a little predictable. A slight bump down but hopefully not a sign of things to come. 8 out of 10.

Resurrection Man #3

Written by DAN ABNETT and ANDY LANNING; Art by FERNANDO DAGNINO; Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO

There are a few things which are bothering me about this book. One of them is art. Not that I don’t like it but some of it seems unnecessary. For instance, there is a picture in this book where a kick ass female character is beating on Resurrection Man. For some reason the artist feels we should see up her skirt and the design on her underwear. Really, why do we need to see that? It is a little ridiculous. I am actually enjoying the story and wish they didn’t feel the need to go all cheesecake on us. This is the second issue in a row this has happened. I am not a prude. I just want it to fit or make sense in the story. Not just be gratuitous.  7.5 out of 10.

Suicide Squad #3

Written by ADAM GLASS; Art by FEDERICO DALLOCCHIO; Cover by RYAN BENJAMIN

Whatever slightly warmer feelings I might have had for this book after an improved issue two were just flushed down the toilet. Didn’t like the art and flat-out thought the story was stupid in this issue. What a disappointment. After issue two I thought maybe this would be a book which had a future with me. Instead it got worse. I didn’t laugh once. This is not good because there was a barrage of jokes. 6 out of 10.

Superboy #3

Written by SCOTT LOBDELL; Art by RB SILVA and ROB LEAN; Cover by ERIC CANETE

I didn’t really like the last issue but this one was much better. I like the whole concept of Superboy coming to terms with both his powers and who he is. I also like that we don’t really know what is going on with the government agency in this story. They seem like they are the heavy but not all of them. I feel like we are getting to witness the birth of a superhero in this comic. I think if the rest of the issues are like this one I am going to enjoy the journey. 8 out of 10.

——

DC Power Rankings

1) Wonder Woman -

2) Animal Man – Staying strong but not quite ready to bump Wonder Woman out of the top spot.

3) Justice League Dark –

4) Swamp Thing – I was a tiny bit worried after the first issue but this book is just getting better and better. Another large jump.

5) Red Lanterns – Trying to do something I have never seen in a mainstream DC book. Explore hatred and pain. May end up being the only Lantern book I keep buying.

6) Batman -

7) Aquaman -

8 ) Action Comics – I liked this issue better than number two. Grant Morrison continues to make Superman interesting to me. A major feat considering how uninterested I was.

9) Batwoman – Staying a very strong comic. It has also had the most consistent artwork in the new DC universe.

10) I, Vampire –

11) Grifter – Had it’s first drop in ratings this week. Hopefully this is not a trend.

12) Batgirl – The appearance of Nightwing worked well. Batgirl’s journey is going to be a hard one. No change in rankings this week.

13) All Star Western -

14) Stormwatch – Continues to tumble-down. It needs to stay in the top twenty for me to keep reading it. Not sure it is going to make it.

15) Justice League -

16) Superboy – A slight bump up. Right now the best book with super in the title.

17) Teen Titans -

18) Batwing – Jumps another ten spots up and climbs into the top twenty. Not sure how many more than twenty I am keeping but amazingly this book looks like it may make the cut now.

19) Supergirl -

20) Superman -

21) Legion of Super-Heroes -

22) Resurrection Man – No change in placement but very close to the line in the sand I will be drawing. Right on the bubble of being cut.

23) Frankenstien, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. – This book is in the land of books which could be cut but it has caught my interest. Will last another month.

24) Deathstroke – This book has sunk straight down. If I were a betting man it is not going to survive my next cut.

25) Green Lantern – I might end up buying the next book just to see where it goes but otherwise this book was probably heading to cutsville.

26) Men of War –

27) Flash -

28) Men of War – Another book which can’t stop its tumble downward. A great first issue but I won’t be reading it much longer.

29) Detective Comics – Not sure how much longer I will keep buying this book. There are other Batman family books that are far more enjoyable.

30) Captain Atom -

31) Catwoman -

32) Demon Knights –

33) Nightwing -

34) The Savage Hawkman-

35) Batman: The Dark Knight -

36) Justice League International – Eliminated

37) Suicide Squad –Really bad issue dooms it to be cut. I will try again if they pick up interesting creators.

38) Green Lantern Corps – Eliminated

39) Green Lantern: New Guardians - Eliminated

40) Blue Beetle -

41) Green Arrow – This book is now dropped until a new creative team comes on. I am very disappointed.

41) Legion Lost- Eliminated

42) Batman & Robin – Eliminated

43) DC Universe Presents -

44) Mister Terrific – Eliminated

45) O.M.A.C. – Eliminated

46) Voodoo -

47) Blackhawks – Eliminated

48) The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men -  Eliminated

49) Birds of Prey -

50) Hawk & Dove – Eliminated

51) Red Hood and the Outlaws – Eliminated

52) Static Shock – Eliminated

Batman & Robin #2

Written by PETER J. TOMASI; Art and cover by PATRICK GLEASON

I am sure the point of this book is to show Batman as a father. To humanize him in some way. I imagine the story arc will be rather Shakespearian with Damian emerging from behind the dark clouds for us all to admire his transformation. I have no doubt there is a plan but I must say, I don’t care. I don’t care about this book. I don’t care about Damien. I am probably not going to be willing to stick around to see the transformation. 6 out of 10.

Batgirl #2

Written by GAIL SIMONE; Art by ARDIAN SYAF and VICENTE CIFUENTES; Cover by ADAM HUGHES

I liked the first issue of Batgirl. I think I liked it even more on the second read through. They are trying to do something really different here. A hero with a psychological issue which makes her less effective. Barbara is clearly still struggling from her crippling at the hands of the Joker. The second issue was even better for me. I thought the action was great and the story felt less like it was trying to explain the new universe and more letting it happen. This book is going to be one of my favorites, even if it means I have lost Oracle. 9 out of 10.

Batwoman #2

Written by J.H. WILLIAMS III and W. HADEN BLACKMAN; Art and cover by J.H. WILLIAMS III

I am still completely in love with the art of this book. So much so that some of the story details which didn’t completely work for me didn’t kill the book. Not enough Batwoman in this issue. I also don’t really like the whole dating storyline. It is such a cliché. You can see where the story is going from a mile away. It is still a good book. For me this one wasn’t quite as enjoyable as the first but almost. 8.5 out of 10.

Deathstroke #2

Written by KYLE HIGGINS; Art by JOE BENNETT and ART THIBERT; Cover by SIMON BISLEY

This book was one of the big surprises for me the first round. Not so much with this issue. The violence was ratcheted up a few more notches and all the humor was sucked out of the book. I have no idea where the story is going and now I am not sure I care. Not enough to drop but a very worrisome bump. If this is the direction the book will ultimately take then they should return Deathstoke to be a villain for the Teen Titans. 7 out of 10.

Demon Knights #2

Written by PAUL CORNELL; Art by DIOGENES NEVES and OCLAIR ALBERT; Cover by TONY S. DANIEL

This book is still all over the place. Some of it is really good and some of it made me groan. It was already going to be a difficult book to sell over the long haul and I am not sure I think they are pulling it off. Demon is still a kick and luckily he is front and center but the story makes very little sense right now. I enjoyed the art and parts of it made me chuckle, so I am not going to kill it but it is a slight drop this week.  7 out of 10.

Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #2

Written by JEFF LEMIRE; Art by ALBERTO PONTICELLI; Cover by J.G. JONES

The story in this issue was considerably better. It hooked me in and I am very interested to see where it goes next. There is however still a rather large elephant in the room. I don’t think the art is nearly good enough for the words it is trying to represent. Some of the panels were fantastic. Some left me completely bewildered about how the same man could have drawn it. If the art doesn’t get better I might still have to bail, I found it distracting. The rating this week would have been higher if the art had been better. 8 out of 10.

Green Lantern #2

Written by GEOFF JOHNS; Art and cover by DOUG MAHNKE and CHRISTIAN ALAMY

It’s starting to look like the unexpected Green Lantern love I felt in the first month is wearing off. I don’t like the direction the story is going and frankly I was a little bored with this issue. Okay, maybe a lot bored. The art was okay but as far as I am concerned this was just another very average superhero book. I guess I should be really thankful that Red Lanterns is still kicking butt. A few more issues like this and I am certain this will be one of my drops. 7 out of 10.

Grifter #2

Written by NATHAN EDMONDSON; Art and cover by CAFU and JASON GORDER

Still enjoying this one. I like the mystery and because I knew nothing about the character before hand I have no preconceived notions about where it might be going. The book looks like it is going to take its time unwrapping the story (which I don’t mind as long as it stays good). The art was good and I am definitely still on board. 8.5 out of 10.

Legion Lost #2

Written by FABIAN NICIEZA; Art and cover by PETE WOODS

I am not digging this book. Time travel is already a tricky enough type of story and this book is not pulling it off. I admit losing some of my favorite Legion characters to this story is not helping my mood either. As far as I am concerned they can end this book really quickly and stick with one good Legion book. The story isn’t interesting. The art isn’t interesting. If I wasn’t reviewing these issues for my blog this would be an easy drop. 6.0 out of 10.

Mister Terrific #2

Written by ERIC WALLACE; Art by GIANLUCA GUGLIOTTA; Cover by J.G. JONES

I can sum this up fairly quickly, yawn. The only thing I thought was marginally interesting in the first book they turned into a storyline which has been used a thousand times before. The book was loaded with dialog which felt like comic book writing 101. It’s a character I think I could like in the right hands but this book actually got worse for its average start. I was hoping the ending of issue one would give us an upswing but it was not to be.  6 out of 10.

Resurrection Man #2

Written by DAN ABNETT and ANDY LANNING; Art by FERNANDO DAGNINO; Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO

I am starting to feel cranky. Maybe I wasn’t in the mood to read comics today. This was one of my favorite books of the first week and I did not think it held up this week. I still think the powers this character has are amongst the best of any hero and I have hope this was only a blip but I didn’t really like this issue as much. The whole “I have forgotten everything story” wears thin fairly quick. The two ladies masquerading as bad guys (but mostly seem to be there to draw women) are suppose to be comic relief but I found them annoying. I hope the next issue bounces back. 7 out of 10.

Shade #1 of 12

Written by JAMES ROBINSON; Art by CULLY HAMNER; Cover by TONY HARRIS; 1:10 Variant cover by CULLY HAMNER

Not one of the new 52 (so I won’t be putting it in the power rankings) but like Huntress last week a book I knew I had to buy. I loved Starman by James Robinson. One of the things I loved best about it was Shade. I couldn’t be more excited Robinson is returning to Opal City and giving us a Shade story. The comic started out a little slow and I am not entirely sure how I feel about the art. It seemed to fit in some places but not others. The character of Shade is a winner and once the story got rolling it sucked me in. The ending was awesome and I am thinking this is going to be a mini-series I will really enjoy. 8 out of 10.

Suicide Squad #2

Written by ADAM GLASS; Art by MARCO RUDY; Cover by RYAN BENJAMIN

This issue was a little better. I might have even rated it a little higher but some of the gore and violence really put me off. There was one scene in particular I wasn’t a real big fan of. Having said that I did laugh out loud a few times and generally enjoyed the characters interaction. Plus, you know zombies. 7.5 out of 10.

Superboy #2

Written by SCOTT LOBDELL; Art by RB SILVA and ROB LEAN; Cover by ERIC CANETE

I might have to get glasses or something. In what is proving to be a reoccurring theme I thought the art got worse for this issue. I found it distracting and pulled me away from the story. Speaking of story it was a little slow for round two. Not so much the action but laying out all the problems for our young Superboy. I am still in for a few more issues but I do hope all the things which I liked about the first book returns real soon. Mr. Cranky Pants out. 7.5 out of 10.

—

DC Power Rankings

1) Wonder Woman -

2) Animal Man – A slight drop off but nothing which has me worried. Still can’t wait to see where it goes.

3) Justice League Dark –

4) Red Lanterns – This one moved up a few spots for me. It has been consistent and enjoyable.

5) Action Comics – Dropped a few spots in the power rankings. Didn’t like this issue as much. Might drop some more as other second issues come out.

6) Batman -

7) Aquaman -  

8 ) Batwoman – No change in Batwoman’s ranking this week. The art alone makes this book worth buying.

9) Swamp Thing – The big mover of the week. Issue two really got the story rolling and left me wanting more.

10) Stormwatch – Took a little bit of a tumble. I have a feeling as other issues come out it will tumble out of the top ten. Still a good book.

11) All Star Western -

12) I, Vampire –

13) Grifter – Grifter stayed a strong book for me and jumped up a little in the rankings.

14) Batgirl – A jump up in the rankings. I have a feeling it won’t be the last jump it makes. Much stronger second book.

15) Supergirl -

16) Teen Titans -

17) Legion of Super-Heroes -

18) Superboy – One of a slew of books which had a slight drop off from the first issue.

19) Resurrection Man – I was a little sad this book had a dip. I liked the first issue a lot.

20) Deathstroke – If I was going to take a wild guess this won’t be the last drop for this book. Feels like a one trick pony and they used the trick already.

21) Green Lantern – Another book that wouldn’t surprise me if it continued to drop. Also not really sure how they thought this story would bring in new fans.

22) Men of War – Dropped out of the really good to above average. I worry this might not be the end of the tumble-down. Good start hopefully it will pick back up.

23) Flash -

24) Justice League -

25) Superman -

26) Frankenstien, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. – Climbed this week because of the story. Still don’t like the art.

27) Batwing – A big improvement over the first issue. I hope it continues.

28) Captain Atom -

29) Catwoman -

30) Detective Comics – A slight improvement but for reasons I don’t quite get this book isn’t connecting with me.

31) Demon Knights – This book perplexes me. Have no idea what audience they are shooting for.

32) Suicide Squad – An improvement over the first issue. They should stick with the funny. It works in his book.

33) Nightwing -

34) The Savage Hawkman

35) Batman: The Dark Knight - 

36) Justice League International – This book has been done before and better.

37) Green Arrow – This book just disappoints the heck out of me. Hopefully, the writing change ahead will pump some life into it.

38) Green Lantern Corps -

39) Green Lantern: New Guardians -

40) Blue Beetle -

41) Blackhawks -

42) Legion Lost- I dislike this book on many fronts. Still hoping they cancel it and give Legion back their lost heroes.

43) Batman & Robin – Is it too late to vote Damien out of the new DC Universe. Seriously, annoying.

44) Mister Terrific – This book took a step back. It’s a step which will leave it off my pull list when I start eliminating books.

45) O.M.A.C. – Not a good book. I hope it drops even lower in coming weeks (do you hear me Birds of Prey & Firestorm).

46) DC Universe Presents -

47) Birds of Prey -

48) The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men - 

49) Hawk & Dove – Made me laugh this week. It wasn’t trying to. I am now hoping DC kills this book and lets them rejoin Teen Titans.

50) Static Shock – Story was better but for me this book is just not cutting it. Although, I could see it jumping ahead of a few books above it next month.

51) Voodoo -

52) Red Hood and the Outlaws -

Batman & Robin #1

Written by PETER J. TOMASI; Art and cover by PATRICK GLEASON and MICK GRAY

This is going to be a hard book for me to like. I am not a fan of the character Damien as Robin. Nothing I read in these pages changed my mind. I do not like the interaction between him and Batman. I think it is silly to try and get the readers to believe Batman would let Robin willingly disobey his orders and put them in danger. The bratty dialog was not to my liking. This was also the first book which left me a little confused about the reboot timeline. Somehow Damien knows about all the previous Robins. How many Robin’s has Batman gone through since the timeline started over? The art was not bad and others might not have the Damien problem I have. 6 out of 10.

Batwoman #1

Written by J.H. WILLIAMS III and W. HADEN BLACKMAN; Art and cover by J.H. WILLIAMS III

This book was a long time coming. It was originally supposed to appear in 2010 and was delayed several times. Finally, DC decided to hold it off and relaunch it during the reboot. I am not sure how much, if any, of the story had to be redone for the reboot. Let me start off by saying Batwoman is drawn beautifully. I loved, loved the art in this book. I think you could argue this book might be worth buying for the art alone. Luckily, the story was quite good also. A good solid mystery to sink our teeth into right away. There were a few parts I actually thought the writing got a little wordy but not many. I really can’t wait to read the next one. I do have my usual complaint though. I know this book is part of the Batman family but could we have waited a few issues before Batman made his appearance ? I repeat what I said last week. Batman is the worst secretive loner ever. 9 out of 10.

Deathstroke #1

Written by KYLE HIGGINS; Art by JOE BENNETT and ART THIBERT; Cover by SIMON BISLEY

I admit I was a little perplexed when I saw Deathstroke was getting his own book. One of my all time favorite villains of the DC Universe. I decided to put on my “roll with it” hat and give it a chance. The reboot was supposed to be all about bringing in new readers, trying new things. This book is a hard one to review, not because I didn’t like it, I did. I just don’t want to given anything away. This book was a pleasant surprise. The art was good, some genuinely funny moments and a story you could sink your teeth into. 8.5 out of 10.

Demon Knights #1

Written by PAUL CORNELL; Art by DIOGENES NEVES and OCLAIR ALBERT; Cover by TONY S. DANIEL

This was a hard one for me. I love it is set way in the past and the passing references to Camelot. I have always liked Demon and am interested to see where they go with it. It has a lovely touch of supernatural and fantasy. The art is good and the storyline was interesting. This is a book made for me and yet honestly it didn’t completely grab me. I was certainly left wanting more and have hope the book will pick up. I think a lot of people are going to like this book more than I did.  7.5 out of 10.

Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #1

Written by JEFF LEMIRE; Art by ALBERTO PONTICELLI; Cover by J.G. JONES

I have to be honest when I heard this book announced I was not at all hopeful. Then I saw who was writing it and thought, hmm, maybe. Now I have read it and I am not completely sure how I feel. I love horror comics and this one looks like it is leaning in that direction. The problem I have is the art is all over the place (some good, some not so much) and I felt they jammed the story with a lot of exposition to give us an idea what the heck was going on. This leaves me firmly on the fence. I see the potential and I think Jeff Lemire is a great writer. I will ride this one out for a few issues. 7 out of 10.

Green Lantern #1

Written by GEOFF JOHNS; Art by DOUG MAHNKE and CHRISTIAN ALAMY; Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO

I guess I should start off with a confession. I have never liked Green Lantern. I don’t know why because really I should. I love science fiction and Green Lantern has always leaned towards world building science fiction stories. I have tried several times over the year with little success. I liked the Green Lantern/Green Arrow run in the 70′s but really Adams and O’Neil were the main reason for that. In a lot of ways I was expecting to not like this comic. I didn’t think it would be bad but I expected more of the Green Lantern I have grown to not care about. While the first issue wasn’t perfect I did enjoy it more than I thought I would. I liked the new more fallible Jordan. The mystery behind Sinestro hooked me and I loved the art. It also had a few funny moments in it. I did think it was going to be a hard book for a new reader to just pick up and dive into though. I have to assume they are hoping the new readers have seen the movie. 8 out of 10.

Grifter #1

Written by NATHAN EDMONDSON; Art and cover by CAFU

Another book I had zero expectations for and was pleasantly surprised. I loved the story. The mystery it sets up is very good. The dialog was crisp and the art solid. So far I have been very impressed with how well they have incorporated the Wildstorm Universe into the DC one. You know you have experienced some good writing when you have no idea what is going on but want to come back for more. 8.5 out of 10.

Legion Lost #1

Written by FABIAN NICIEZA; Art and cover by PETE WOODS

I was worried when I read the announcement for this book. There has been a couple of great Legion story lines over the years but I was not sure the Legion of Superheroes needed two books. Especially, if they were siphoning off some of the best characters. Why not do one really good book? My worries met reality today and I have to say I was disappointed with this book. The art was okay but the storyline was slow and truthfully has been done a bazillion times before (this is a slight exaggeration). It wasn’t that the book was terrible but there was nothing really impressive about it either. It was just kind of there. 6.5 out of 10.

Mister Terrific #1

Written by ERIC WALLACE; Art by GIANLUCA GUGLIOTTA; Cover by J.G. JONES

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. Some of the dialog was really snappy and funny. The problem is it was really just an average superhero book. Absolutely nothing new under the sun. It didn’t hook me at all. The story had all the classic comic stories. Smart boy becomes smart man becomes hero after traumatic event. I don’t mind reading superhero books but was looking for more out of the reboot.  7 out of 10.

Red Lanterns #1

Written by PETER MILLIGAN; Art and cover by ED BENES and ROB HUNTER

The whole spectrum of rainbow lanterns happened at a time I did not read Green Lantern. I vaguely knew what they were. I was actually looking forward to this book more than Green Lantern, mainly because of Peter Milligan. Milligan is a little all over the place as a writer in his career. Sometimes I love him and sometimes I wonder what was that? Color me red with surprise on this book (sorry about the bad pun I should have warned you). This book was worth buying for the first few pages alone. I laughed out loud at the introduction to the Red Lanterns. I really loved this book. It was a little heavy-handed in the writing in a few places but I was completely hooked. I can only hope the book stays this good. It looks like I have been suckered completely into the Lantern world, rainbow colors and all. 9 out of 10.

Resurrection Man #1

Written by DAN ABNETT and ANDY LANNING; Art by FERNANDO DAGNINO; Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO

I love the premise of this book. A man dies. A man comes back. When he comes back he always has a new power. Throw in some supernatural creatures wanting to eat his soul and some very good writing and you have a winner. I am finding it interesting which of the supernatural/horror books I am digging the most. I liked this one a lot. Nice set up for the story and art that felt just right for the book. Had moments where it felt very much like a Vertigo book. A solid start. 8.5 out of 10.

Suicide Squad #1

Written by ADAM GLASS; Art by MARCO RUDY; Cover by RYAN BENJAMIN

I am not sure about this book. The suicide squad has always been an interesting concept for me. Take a bunch of bad guys and set them loose on the world. I have read a few stories over the years which worked nicely. This book did an okay job setting up the world and the characters. It is quite possible I will like future issues more. My main problem with the first one is I felt it spent all of its time trying to set up the world and the characters’ viewpoints. I know you want new readers but you have to show a little trust in them. I think we would have picked up the story dishing a little of the back story at a time. Harley Quinn was awesome though. 7 out of 10.

Superboy #1

Written by SCOTT LOBDELL; Art by RB SILVA and ROB LEAN; Cover by ERIC CANETE

In order for Superboy to work for me it was going to have to do something completely different from any of the other Superman books. As I have said before I have never been a big Superman fan. This lack of fandom applies to all of his extended family. I was very pleased with the way they set up this story. Just enough of the back story to leave you wanting more. A connection to Superman but a very different book. It was a well written first book with a nice mystery to carry it forward. I also liked the art a lot. A solid superhero book. I think a lot of people will be pleasantly surprised with the direction and tone the comic took. 8 out of 10.

—

DC Power Rankings

1) Animal Man – I was hoping this book would be great in Lemire’s hands and it was. The art was creepy and gave power to the excellent story.

2) Action Comics – A complete shock to me. Even with Morrison on board I didn’t expect to like this book as much as I did.

3) Stormwatch – Exciting story and everything I had hoped the first Justice League would be. Left me wishing I had the second book.

4) Red Lanterns – Seriously, even if you don’t buy this book find a way to read the first few pages. I dare you not to laugh.

5) Batwoman – The art was gorgeous. I am hoping this book won’t be plagued with lateness though. I am going to assume they have quite a few issues ready to go since it was supposed to come out last year.

6) Grifter – Not quite up to the start of Stormwatch but close. I was hooked pretty quickly into the story.

7) Resurrection Man – I was really hoping to like this book. I love the premise and can see a lot of potential. They delivered a very good first book.

8 ) Deathstroke – I refuse to say anything on the grounds I will ruin the story for you. I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would.

9) Swamp Thing – A great start to a character I once really loved. It reads well for new readers and I like how they poked the old readers who thought they knew what was happening.

10) Batgirl – An above average bat book. Didn’t blow me away but a solid superhero comic.

11) Green Lantern – Had a lot of elements I really liked. Nothing new or crazy for a comic but I look forward to seeing where the first story goes.

12) Men of War – I hope the second story picks up a little because I have a feeling the Sergeant Rock storyline is going to only get better.

13) Superboy – I liked the other world quality Superboy gives off. It has a solid science fiction story behind it too. This book has a lot of potential.

14) Justice League – It wasn’t what I was hoping for right out of the gate but I think it will get better.

15) Demon Knights – This was a good solid almost for me but I have hope I am going to like it a lot more in future issues.

16) Detective Comics – I was underwhelmed with the story. It wasn’t terrible but it read like every other standard Joker-Batman book.

17) Frankenstien, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. – The art is going to put a lot of people off. I have faith in Jeff Lemire though, and expect this book to get steadily better.

18) Green Arrow – Not a blazing shot out of the cannon but there is hope. I like Green Arrow so I want this book to succeed.

19) Batwing – You could flip-flop this one with Green Arrow. They are about the same for me.

20) Justice League International – First thing this book needs to do is get rid of Batman. Then jump out of the box and try something new.

21) Mister Terrific – A very predictable book. The dialog saved it from being a total wash for me.

22) Suicide Squad – I actually saw some potential in this book but the story is going to have to get going in the next issue.

23) O.M.A.C. – I liked the art but I have always been a fan of Giffen. The book barely held together on the story front.

24) Legion Lost- I might have been tempted to give it a higher rating if the story hadn’t felt so clichéd. I guess there is hope it will pick up but just a glimmer.

25) Batman & Robin – They won’t cancel this book but for me it is going to have to get a whole lot better. I am a Batman fan and I just didn’t dig it.

26) Hawk & Dove – Right now I see this book as an early possibility of getting voted off my DC island.

27) Static Shock – The art was okay but nothing else about this book caught my imagination. Could also easily be voted off my DC island.

“The one where we find out if the NEW FLASH is wearing any pants.”

We’re Back in a Flash!
(And Nowhere Near As Boring As Barry Allen!)

An In-Depth look into the state of AMC’s Second Season of The Walking Dead now that showrunner (and Film Director extraordinaire) FRANK DARABONT has been shown the door, asked to leave, forced out, quit (whatever)… Plus half a dozen digressions… Including a trip into the DARK ABYSS that is the NEW “Reality” Show Hit STORAGE WARS.

Then it’s more MARVEL BULLSHIT– with their latest ILL ADVISED “Comics for Comics” Promotion that’s attempting to steal some of DC’s THUNDER in the press– but looks more like a bunch of sourpusses pissing into the wind.

Ian gets particularly rankled by an uncalled for Zenescope Variant (and definitely NOT for the reason you may think)!

Then Jose and Ian let loose on REVIEWS for the NEW DC COMICS 52… The 52 #1 Comics that DC will release starting with Justice League #1 on 8.31.11!

ALL OF THEM ARE ON THE GRILL… And some look and sound a lot more TASTY than others!

Justice League
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Jim Lee and Scott Williams

Justice League International
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art by Aaron Lopresti and Matt Ryan

Aquaman
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado

Wonder Woman
Written by Brian Azzarello
Art by Cliff Chiang

The Flash
Written by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato
Art by Francis Manapul

The Fury of Firestorm
Written by Ethan Van Sciver and Gail Simone
Art by Yildiray Cinar

Captain Atom
Written by J.T. Krul
Art by Freddie Williams II

Green Arrow
Written by J.T. Krul
Art by Dan Jurgens and George Pérez

The Savage Hawkman
Written by Tony S. Daniel
Art by Philip Tan

Mister Terrific
Written by Eric Wallace
Art by Gian Luca

DC Universe Presents
Written by Paul Jenkins
Art by Bernard Chang

Action Comics
Written by Grant Morrison
Art by Rags Morales and Rick Bryant

Superman
Written by George Pérez
Art by Jesus Merino

Supergirl
Written by Michael Green and Mike Johnson
Art by Mahmud Asrar

Superboy
Written by Scott Lobdell
Art by RB Silva and Rob Lean

Batman
Written by Scott Snyder
Art by Greg Capullo and Jonthan Glapion

Detective Comics
Written by Tony S. Daniel
Art by Tony S. Daniel and Ryan Winn

Batwoman
Written by J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman
Art by J.H. Williams III

Batman: The Dark Knight
Written by David Finch
Art by David Finch and Richard Friend

Batman and Robin
Written by Peter J. Tomasi
Art by Patrick Gleason and Mick Gray

Batwing
Written by Judd Winick
Art by Ben Oliver

Batgirl
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Ardian Syaf and Vicente Cifuentes

Nightwing
Written by Kyle Higgins
Art by Eddy Barrows and JP Mayer

Catwoman
Written by Judd Winick
Art by Guillem March

Birds of Prey
Written by Duane Swierczynski
Art by Jesus Saiz

Red Hood and the Outlaws
Written by Scott Lobdell
Art by Kenneth Rocafort

Green Lantern
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy

Green Lantern Corps
Written by Peter J. Tomasi
Art by Fernando Pasarin and Scott Hanna

Green Lantern: New Guardians
Written by Tony Bedard
Art by Tyler Kirkham and Batt

Red Lanterns
Written by Peter Milligan
Art by Ed Benes and Rob Hunter

Justice League Dark
Written by Peter Milligan
Art by Mikel Janin

Swamp Thing
Written by Scott Snyder
Art by Yanick Paquette

Animal Man
Written by Jeff Lemire
Art by Travel Foreman and Dan Green

Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E.
Written by Jeff Lemire
Art by Alberto Ponticelli

I, Vampire
Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov
Art by Andrea Sorrentino

Resurrection Man
Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Art by Fernando Dagnino

Demon Knights
Written by Paul Cornell
Art by Diogenes Neves and Oclair Albert

Stormwatch
Written by Paul Cornell
Art by Miguel Sepulveda

Voodoo
Written by Ron Marz
Art by Sami Basri

Grifter
Written by Nathan Edmondson
Art by CAFU

Suicide Squad
Written by Adam Glass
Art by Marco Rudy

Deathstroke
Written by Kyle Higgins
Art by Joe Bennett and Art Thibert

All-Star Western
Written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti
Art by Moritat

O.M.A.C.
Written by Dan DiDio and Keith Giffen
Art by Keith Giffen and Scott Koblish

Blackhawks
Written by Mike Costa
Art by Ken Lashley

Men of War
Written by Ivan Brandon
Art by Tom Derenick

Teen Titans
Written by Scott Lobdell
Art by Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund

Static Shock
Written by Scott McDaniel and John Rozum
Art by Scott McDaniel, Jonathan Glapiuon and Le Beau Underwood

Hawk and Dove
Written by Sterling Gates
Art by Rob Liefeld

Blue Beetle
Written by Tony Bedard
Art by Ig Guara and Ruy Jose

Legion Lost
Written by Fabian Nicieza
Art by Pete Woods

Legion of Super-Heroes
Written by Paul Levitz
Art by Francis Portela

The Inveterate Media Junkies Podcast™– The ONLY NEW INTERNET PROGRAM where you can find IMJ Co-Founder Jose Melendez… And Co-Founder Ian MacMillan too. Stick around and EXPLORE the IMJ WEBSITE. It is the ONLY SITE on the INTERNET where you can interact with Jose (and Ian)… And we are adding NEW FEATURES, NEW COLUMNS and NEW PAGES every day!

If you click on the NEW “Inveterate Media Junkies Podcast #10″ PODCAST PLAYER above, you should be able to listen to the full podcast
IMMEDIATELY.

You can also download and/or just listen to this LATEST PODCAST on the DEDICATED IMJ PODCAST PAGE at

And later, look for Enhanced Video versions of this Podcast at the Inveterate Media Junkies You Tube Channel!

Action Comics
$3.99 – 7 September 2011
Written by Grant Morrison
Art by Rags Morales and Rick Bryant
Cover by Rags Morales

The one and only Grant Morrison returns to Superman, joined by sensational artist Rags Morales (IDENTITY CRISIS), to bring you tales of The Man of Steel unlike any you’ve ever read! This extra-sized debut issue is the cornerstone of the entire DC Universe!

Action Comics, from what I’ve learned outside this uninformative solicitation, is set during the very beginning of Superman’s career which is about five years before the rest of the new continuity.  One of the things I really liked about Legends of the Dark Knight was that it was chiefly set during Batman’s past while the other Batman books were present-day tales.  Action Comics seems to offer that same kind of contrasting dynamic for Superman.  Jeans, a T-shirt and a little red cape, though?

Superman
$2.99 – 28 September 2011
Written by George Perez
Breakdowns and Cover by George Perez
Art by Jesus Merino

The new adventures of Superman begin here! What is The Man of Steel’s startling new status quo? How does it affect Lois Lane and The Daily Planet? There’s no time for answers now, because Superman must stop a monstrous threat to Metropolis – one that he somehow is the cause of!

First of all, someone’s English teacher has just been shamed by that last sentence.  Did the solicitation typist really not think of ending it with, “one that he somehow caused?”  Anyway, as far as I can tell, this series is set during the present, meaning that it’s five years after Action Comics.  If Superman looks more familiar in that small picture, click on it to see the full image and you’ll see he’s wearing Kryptonian battle armor of some kind.  Nice to see George Perez at the helm of a Superman series.

Superboy
$2.99 – 14 September 2011
Written by Scott Lobdell
Art by Rb Silva and Rob Lean
Cover by Eric Canete

They thought he was just an experiment – and a failed one at that! Grown from a combination of Kryptonian and human DNA, the clone was no more than a set of data to the scientists of Project N.O.W.H.E.R.E. But when the scope of his stunning powers was revealed, he became a deadly weapon! Now the question is: Can a clone develop a conscience?

Now we get into the confusing parts of the relaunch.  In the last continuity, Superman died in battle with Doomsday and was cloned.  That clone broke free before reaching maturity and eventually became Superboy.  It’s not indicated in this solicitation, but elsewhere I’ve read that DC is keeping all that as part of this character’s past.  ”The Death of Superman” still happened (sometime between Action Comics and Superman, apparently, but when you read all that, you’re apparently supposed to ignore the part about Clark and Lois being engaged and her knowing his identity).  So, um, yeah, have fun reconciling all that.

Supergirl
$2.99 – 21 September 2011
Written by Michael Green and Mike Johnson
Art and Cover by Mahmud Asrar

Meet Supergirl. She’s got the unpredictable behavior of a teenager, the same powers as Superman – and none of his affection for the people of Earth. So don’t piss her off!

Maybe it’s just me, but this entire characterization of Supergirl sounds condescending and misogynistic, like the world is just going to have to put up with her teen drama and periods until she matures and becomes less bitchy.  Green and Johnson are the writers of the current Supergirl series, though, and DC must have confidence in them and their series’s sales to keep them working on her.

Additionally, Superman is a member of Justice League and Superboy is part of Teen Titans.  Maybe if Supergirl is a little more “Becky” and a little less “Darlene,” she can join a supergroup, too.

When I stand back and look at all this, I see some stuff that has potential and other stuff that just seems destined for failure.  I like the idea of a Superman series set at a different time than the rest, but I think with only one other Superman book on the market that distinction isn’t as pronounced as it was when Legends of the Dark Knight was published alongside four other present-day ongoing Bat-books.  I also like the idea of scaling back his powers, and for years I’ve felt that there is a lot of rich, unexplored territory to be mined by delving into Kal-El, the alien rather than Clark Kent, the assimilated alter ego.  Given that both George Perez and Jesus Merino are Hispanic, it’s easy to imagine Superman being a social commentary series about modern America and its identity crisis re: immigration.  That has great potential.

I wish they hadn’t undone the Lois & Clark marriage, but I understand it.  I just hope they don’t repeat the mistake of Superman Returns and commit Lois to someone else.  Lois & Clark don’t have to be together, but the only thing preventing this should be the dynamic of their relationship with one another, not someone else.  And, of course, I’m not terribly wowed by either Superboy or Supergirl.

Other DC Comics: The New 52 spotlights
Overview
Batman
Green Lantern
Justice League
Superheroes (Captain Atom, Mister Terrific, Hawkman, Firestorm)
Young Justice
The Dark
The Edge

May 28, 2011

Title: The Black Ring Finale/Reign of Doomsday

Writers: Paul Cornell, Damon Lindelof, Paul Dini, Geoff Johns, David S. Goyer, Richard Donner, Derek Hoffman
Art: Pete Woods, Jesus Merino, Dan Jurgens, Norm Rapmund, Rags Morales, Ardian Syaf, Jamal Igle, Jon Sibal, Gary Frank, Ryan Sook, RB Silva, Rob Lean, Miguel Sepulveda, Matt Camp
Colorist: Brad Anderson, Blond, Java Tarfaglia, Paul Mounts
Letterers: Rob Leigh, John J. Hill
Cover: David Finch
Editor: Matt Idelson                  
Publisher: DC Comics

For the better part of a year now, Lex Luthor has been seeking the secret of the Black Ring, an enormous source of power that he craves more than anything. Finally, last month, he defeated Brainiac and made that power his own. Also, over the past few months, the hideous beast called Doomsday has been storming the DC Universe, abducting those who wear the shield of Superman – Steel, Superboy, Supergirl, the Eradicator, and the Cyborg Superman. Now, with both of these threats converging, Superman makes his triumphant return to Action Comics. Is it in time, though, to save the day?

As I’ve come to expect from Paul Cornell, the main story here is really fantastic. The fateful confrontation between Superman and Lex Luthor is one of the best in recent memory, tracing the adventures of both Superman and Lex to show what truly makes each man what he is. It’s powerful stuff, and by the end there can be no question about exactly who these two men are, what makes them tick, and what will forever keep them separate. The finale of the story, leading into the next arc of Action Comics, is a little clichéd, but not the sort of thing that really hurt this issue or the fantastic Black Ring storyline at all.

This being a ginormous 96-page anniversary special, we also get a wealth of back-up features. In “Life Support,” Damon Lindelof and Ryan Sook look at the final days of Krypton. It’s a Jor-El story, extremely sad and extremely powerful. Paul Dini has an interesting little story with “Autobiography,” where Superman encounters an ancient being facing a fate that may one day be Kal-El’s own. It’s a good tale that provides some nice food for thought. Geoff Johns and Gary Frank give us the brief “Friday Night in the 21^st Century,” a rapid tale about Lois, Clark and the Legion of Super-Heroes. This creative team was with both Superman and the Legion for far too brief a time, and I do wish we could see them all together again.

This finally brings us to the elephant in the issue, David. S. Goyer and Miguel Sepulveda’s “The Incident.” If you’re not a regular reader of this title and you heard about it at all, chances are it’s because of this story, in which Superman decides to renounce his American citizenship, presumably because he doesn’t want to be seen as an instrument of U.S. policy. A lot of people were upset over this story, but for several reasons, it’s kind of antiquated already. First of all, since this book came out there have been at least two other comics featuring Superman embracing his American heritage. That further seems to indicate that this was just a brief story, something to fill pages with a name creator, not intended to be followed up on. Second, it’s a weak story. It makes Superman seem… well… stupid. He’s a reporter, for Heaven’s sake, does he really think that showing up at the U.N. and making this announcement would endear him to anyone? The people of the United States would be outraged, and the enemies of the U.S. that he doesn’t want to antagonize would call it a political trick and continue to be antagonized. Superman is simply too smart for this story to make any sense. As a result, we’re left with a story that feels like the creator’s weak attempt at pushing forth his own political agenda in a story that will have no consequences on future stories whatsoever.

“Only Human” is the final story in the volume, and it’s an odd one. It’s a screenplay written by Richard Donner, director of the first Superman movie (and one time co-writer of this series) and Derek Hoffman, with storyboards by Matt Camp. It’s an okay story, one that feels very appropriate for Superman, but it’s more of an oddity than anything else. The book wraps it all up with a fantastic pin-up by Brian Stelfreeze which shows Superman through the ages, including an American flag grasped in his hands in the final piece of the sequence. So take that, Goyer.

Overall, it’s a great issue, with just that one poorly-chosen story to hurt the package.

Rating: 7/10

I’m not sure if this experiment with capsule reviews was successful for me or not. I did manage to review several things that I wouldn’t have otherwise, but it takes me much longer to write this way. And there are some comics that I’d rather wait and review once they’ve had a longer run, instead of jumping in with a “capsule” after a few months. I’m not sure if it makes sense to review some comics quickly and wait on others. I’ll probably return to this format again in a few months, but I’m not sure what I’ll decide long-term. If you have any comments, let me know.

Batman Incorporated

Batman, Incorporated

(Based on issues 1-6)

I’m relieved that I wasn’t writing my blog during the first few years of Grant Morrison’s Batman run. Sometimes it was frustrating, sometimes it was incredible, as the larger story wove through multiple series, often with very different feelings to them. The excellent payoffs at the end were heavily dependent on the reader being familiar with the less good parts, and an awareness of other key stories throughout Batman’s decades of history didn’t hurt, either.

Batman, Incorporated makes a fairly clean break with Morrison’s past writing, and provides as convenient a jumping-on point as any Batman title ever could. Bruce Wayne has publicly announced that he “funds” Batman, and is ready to recruit new heroes for a world-wide society of Batmen. These are globe-hopping adventures, with Batman adding a new superhero to his team in Japan one issue and Argentina the next. This is the perfect environment for Morrison to throw out ideas as fast as he can come up with them.

The comic itself is slightly schizophrenic. Sometimes it seems to be caught in the moment, enjoying the fact that DC is finally letting Batman be fun again, and that the latest status quo offers almost unlimited potential. Other times it seems to be caught up in the complex pacing of a new Grant Morrison epic, trying to call back to past events, foreshadow future ones, and keep up on multiple current plots at once. So far, though, the references and subtext have just been a nice bonus, rather than requiring the readers to get them all. At least for now, what we have is an accessible, fun story that packs each issue full of ideas and actions. It’s exactly what a superhero comic should be.

Grade: A-

Batman: Judgment On Gotham

Batman: Judgment On Gotham

Why is it that superhero cross-overs always end up feeling especially lazy? What should be an opportunity to get readers to try out different books usually gets derailed by creative teams not quite meshing together and editors choking all creativity out of the process. This recent crossover among the Batman titles was abysmal even by those standards, however.

The problems began even before the story should have started. “Judgment On Gotham” was promoted as a 3-part event starting in Red Robin #22, continuing on to Gotham City Sirens #22 and concluding in Batman #709. But despite the marketing claims, it actually started in Batman #708, and so my first experience with the story was to wonder why my first issue was labeled “part two”.

It just got worse from there. The premise of “Judgment” is that anti-hero Azrael has decided Gotham City is full of sinners and must be destroyed. In each issue, Azrael gives a new hero a “test” to see if they are righteous enough to save the city. The premise is a little ridiculous (Azrael was working with the heroes a few months ago, and this villainous turn is forgotten so quickly that he’s even shown on the Batman Incorporated cover above), but the thing that really derails it is the quality of the tests. Robin wastes his issue passing physical challenges and saving innocents, only to be told he failed because he doesn’t believe in God. In Gotham City Sirens, Catwoman fails her test because she isn’t willing to murder her sister as a “sacrifice” to God. Not only is this preposterous on multiple theological and storytelling levels, but it isn’t even an interesting story. The tale of Catwoman’s sister also implies that it truly is the will of the Christian God to destroy this city, but that’s never followed up on. In every issue, the writer is obviously doing his minimum for an editorially-mandated story and hoping the other issues will make it interesting.

The final Batman issue, though it does contain art in by the brilliant Guillem March,  just features the heroes talking to the villain until they convince him to check something obvious that proves he should change his ways. DC didn’t even have enough respect for their readers to tell them which comics this story was appearing in; why should I have expected any effort put into the conclusion?

Grade: F

Incognito: Bad Influences

Incognito: Bad Influences

Perhaps hedging their bets, writer Ed Brubaker and artist Sean Phillips take the occasional break from their excellent Criminal for this series. Incognito is certainly not bad, but its first run failed to bring in much of the noir influence that Criminal had. Without that, it didn’t feel distinct from all the other “realistic superhero” comics out there.

Bad Influences, the second Incognito miniseries, is much more interesting. Instead of watching things build up to a fairly standard superhero status quo, we get to watch them fall apart. Needless to say, this brings in the noir elements that Brubaker and Phillips excel in, as well as making the story feel exciting and unpredictable. The advantage of a superhero story not set in the Marvel or DC universes is that it’s not beholden to years of history or required to maintain a status quo that will sell comics for years to come. It looks like Incognito will take advantage of that freedom after all.

This means that we now have another series worthy of Brubaker and Phillips’ talents. Phillips’ art portrays the expressions, the shadows, and the pain behind tough faces that one would expect from Brubaker’s pulp and noir influences. They make this seem so natural, especially with the essays in the back talking about the proud history of pulp fiction, that it’s easy to forget that they are breaking new ground by adapting this style to a polished, modern comic. This is also one of the few truly good “adult” comics, because it doesn’t treat the ability to show R-rated material as a requirement. It never feels restrained or gratuitous, instead showing exactly what is needed to make the story believable and interesting.

Grade: B+

Iron Man 2.0

Iron Man 2.0

(Based on issues 1-4)

When superheroes have successful movies, the publisher’s response is often to saturate the market with as many comics featuring them as possible. A more sane approach, shown in Iron Man 2.0, may be to create more comics based on that hero’s situation and supporting characters. This comic is not centered on Tony Stark, but his friend James Rhodes. Contracted out to the military with a state of the art Iron Man suit, Rhodes is an attempt at making a version 2.0 of the character.

Nick Spencer writes a good military action/espionage story when he wants to. The first couple issues of this series set up a high-stakes mystery involving terrorist attacks all done with top-secret military tech. It is introduced with tense plotting and a strange mystery about the identity of the perpetrators.

There are serious problems, though. The first one is the art: The usually reliable Barry Kitson is saddled with multiple collaborators and turns out sketchy, drab results. Issue #4 replaces this team with Ariel Olivetti, who turns in the worst graphics I’ve seen in a major-label comic in a long time. I hate painted art in general, as it usually looks too static to tell a story that needs to flow from panel to panel, and its attempt at “realism” just ends up in Uncanny Valley territory. Olivetti apparently uses computer-generated coloring to approximate a painted feel, for an even worse than normal effect. Backgrounds are often nothing more than painted splotches or the kind of drab room that you could generate quickly from a computer design tool in the 1990′s. In a few awful cases, the backgrounds even seem to be blurry photographs mixed in without regard for how it fits the art style!

The writing has also taken a downward turn in the last two issues. Issue #3 was mostly centered around a conversation between Stark and Rhodes that ended with Stark giving him a new super-suit. Issue #4 was nothing but a supporting character reading through a file for background information. That’s it. If those two had been combined into a single issue, it still would have felt light. It didn’t help that issue #4 contained four separate two-page splash images, none of which were even the slightest bit necessary. (And all of which shone a spotlight on the horrible art.)

The first two issues showed promise, so I still want to give this series a chance. But in the next couple months, it will be crossing over with Marvel’s “Fear Itself” event, which will make it even harder for this to prove its worth as a standalone title. I want to like Nick Spencer’s writing, but my hopes aren’t very high right now.

Grade: D+

Jimmy Olsen

Jimmy Olsen #1

The darkening of superhero comics has pushed Jimmy Olsen into a kind of limbo. As “Superman’s pal”, who was frequently caught up in zany adventures just by virtue of being around all those volatile situations, it was essential that his stories be fun and inconsequential.Nowadays, it’s a relief that Jimmy’s largely overlooked, because the only other path for supporting characters is as victims of the latest threat.

Nick Spencer’s new Jimmy Olsen story shows a metatextual awareness of this: Jimmy is portrayed as a depressed twenty-something slacker who misses the days when his adventures with Superman were more exciting. But Spencer quickly returns to those glory days when Jimmy needs to prove himself in order to win back a girl. (Chloe Sullivan, making her first comic-book appearance after being created in Smallville.)

The original plan for this story (“Jimmy Olsen’s Big Week”) was to publish it in seven parts, as eight-page backups in Superman’s Action title. The people who were buying the story that way got a bad deal, as DC suddenly changed their pricing formats and comic sizes and ended the series before it could finish. But the entire thing is now published as “Jimmy Olsen #1″, and readers of this collection get the best of both worlds. Because it needed to make sense in eight-page installments, the story is madcap and constantly changing. But when reading it in one sitting, there is also a strong overall story with a satisfying conclusion. (Unlike my complaints about his decompressed writing in Iron Man 2.0, Spencer crams as much as he possibly can into this story.) Aided by RB Silva’s expressive, cartoony art, this is fun and does justice to Jimmy’s history, while also not contradicting the current atmosphere of the DC universe.

Grade: B

Much has been said in the last few days of this monumental nine hundredth issue of one of the most pivotal comics in history, Action Comics.  Action Comics #900 is a huge leap and massive comic, boasting 96 pages and a cover price of $5.99.  I won’t delve into the controversy for now, expect that in an hour, instead how is the comic?

Paul Cornell, Damon Lindelof, David Goyer, Geoff Johns, Paul Dini and Richard Donner are just some of the names that make this a pretty solid issue, if not a bit uneven.

Paul Cornell, Pete Woods and Jesus Merino (and a few others) continue the main story running through the series, The Black Ring.  Basically, Lex is now God and Superman confronts him.  It’s very much Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and the story is about as good as the movie.  As a whole, there’s a lot of plot points that either don’t make sense or belittles Lex Luthor as a villain and character.  It could also be the fact that I haven’t read the lead up.  I’m sure that didn’t help.

The short stories that followed are a mix bag.  Each has a point and attempts to analyze a different facet of the Superman character and mythos in a different way.

Damon Lindelof and Ryan Sook‘s entry gives us a few days before the end of Krypton.  It’s the highlight of the issue with just a touching simple story.  One that makes you think, and gives you a moment of pause.

Geoff Johns and Gary Frank is the weakest of stories featuring the Legion of Super Heroes.  If you don’t know these characters, like me, this will go over your head.

Paul Dini and RB Silva’s story is the one that gets you to think about an alien who’s the last of it’s kind and must keep what it’s scene going.  A nice reflection to Superman.

David Goyer and Miguel Speulveda bring us the news worthy story that has Superman heading to Tehran and partaking in a rally in Iran.  This causes controversy and an international incident as it looks like the US is interfering with their internal affairs.  It results in Superman making a bold statement about his citizenship.  The story is one of the two stand out as it features real world locations, unlike previous stories which usually feature an echo.

Finally Richard Donner, Derek Hoffman and Matt Camp present a Superman story in screenplay format, which is always neat to see.

Overall the issue is mixed.  The main story I could do without, but the rest, minus Johns’, are pretty solid stuff.  If nothing else, grab it to see what the controversy is about.

Plot:  The stories are mixed with the main one falling short for me and Lindelof’s and Goyer’s standing out.  The rest are ok, and entertaining, but I can’t say it makes me think I’ve been missing much when it comes to Superman stories.  The individual stories have various scores but the average is… Rating: 8.25

Art:  The art is all over the place and none of it blows me away like some previous artists I remember.  I think the characters are often inconsistent in some of the stories.  It’s all good work, but definitely not what I envisioned.  Rating: 7.5

Overall:  The issue is making news and there’s a lot there, much of it is cool.  I definitely think it’s worth the purchase, there’s two stories that give you pause to think.  We’ll see if one of them is carried forward, because if it is, that’s a Superman series I’d want to buy.  Overall rating: 8

Recommendation: Buy

Page count: 96 pages    Price: $5.99    Release Date: 4/27/2011

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with an advance copy of this issue for FREE for review.

Full review posted to cxPulp.com.

Story: 3/5
Art: 4/5
Overall: 3.5/5

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pete Woods and Brad Anderson do their usual stellar job on the main (i.e. non-Doomsday related) portions of the issue, while Jesus Merino and Blond offer fittingly are less impressive efforts on the Doomsday stuff.  But you also have support from Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund, Rags Morales, Ardian Syaf, Jamal Igle and Jon Sibal, and Gary Frank, as each of these artists contribute a page to Superman’s descent into his most despairing moments.

And yet all that craziness makes up only half of this massive issue, as the other contains a number of short features in the “annual” tradition.  The running theme seems to be the humanity of Superman, as all the shorts play on that idea in one way or another, though the best ones do so in a very subtle fashion.

Particularly impressive is “Life Support,” which would be just another story of Jor-El’s desperate last days before Krypton’s end except for Damon Lindelof’s well-crafted writing.  You’ll notice how natural and true-to-life the dialogue is, how it avoids mentioning anything specifically alien or scientifically advanced.  In fact, were it not for Ryan Sook’s gorgeous Kryptonian skylines, you might think these are just two men experiencing the most heartbreaking moments of their lives—and you’d be correct.

Geoff Johns proves you can write a deeply warm and touching story in four pages.  Lois’ reasons for wanting to have the Legion of Super-Heroes come over to their place for dinner feels very sincere and shows how a stable marriage in comics should look like.  The final splash of the Legion crowding the Kents’ Metropolis loft gets loving treatment from Gary Frank and Brad Anderson (love Timber Wolf munching on a whole pizza to himself).

Against these two winners you also have some underwhelming offerings.  Paul Dini’s attempt at writing a space parable of sorts and awkwardly making it parallel to Superman’s nature shows that while Dini may be good at writing many things, he has little hand at producing abstract, thought-provoking kind of stories.  Luckily, the feature is saved by RB Silva’s rich, imaginative art (with the one snafu of making Superman look like a kid in some panels), with inks from Rob Lean and out-of-sight colors by Java Tartaglia.

David S. Goyer’s “The Incident” also has the curse of far better art (courtesy of the talented Miguel Sepulveda, colored by Paul Mounts) than story, but maybe I say that because it touches on one of my pet peeves in comics: putting superhuman characters into real-life politics, in this case, a protest in Tehran.  The story predictably spirals out of control with Superman renouncing his US citizenship at the end, which, DC editorial gods be willing, should never be canon—ever.

“Only Human” receives its script from the legendary Richard Donner, producer of the original Superman films, and Derek Hoffman, with Matt Camp providing the sparse and sketchy, but nevertheless appealing storyboard panels.  The plot is meant to be humorous, pitting a cocky jock in a possibly-poached super-suit against Superman as they race around the city.  But you can’t help thinking of the implications of Superman destroying the suit (which is meant to be mass-produced for general use) just because the one man using it is a total ignoramus.

Conclusion: With such a huge amount of content, you’re bound to get some major highs and lows, but I can safely say the highs in this issue more than make up for the lows—to a limit.

Grade: B+

- Minhquan Nguyen

Written By:

Artist: RB Silva with Amilcar Pinna

Inker: Dym & Rob Lean with Pinna

Colorist: Dave McCaig

Cover Artist: Amanda Conner

Letterer: Rob Leigh

Editor: Will Moss

My Awe-Inspiring Opinion

Who would have ever thought that Jimmy Olsen would go from being one of the biggest geeks in comic book history…to STILL being one of the biggest geeks in comic book history…but seem cool at the same time?

The Pickle Olsen Gets Himself in…

The Jimmy Olsen One-Shot comes to us at a time when Superman is taking is his afternoon stroll across America…which obviously means everything evil and demented will be thrown at Metropolis, leaving only Jimmy Olsen to clean up the mess.  But not before his girlfriend, Chloe dumps him for playing the hot new video game release of Superman: The Video Game!  (Queue epic music please!)

What follows is a series of catastrophic events which stick Jimmy in the line of fire that put both himself, the city of Metropolis, and the world in danger!  But these Earth shattering and angst driven catastrophes are more than just random occurrences with no meaning.  While not on purpose, everything Jimmy encounters all lead to an important truth about himself and the one he cares about the most.

And When All Is Said And Done…

Jimmy Olsen has grown so much within the comedic realm of comic books, but here in his own One-Shot we see a new development occur in his character.  The humor remains strong and predominant, but Jimmy (after all these years) truly is becoming a character with a lot of depth.

In a way, Spencer sends us on a journey of Olsen’s strongest and most intense fantasies in a series of tales; becoming a genie with all sorts of power, saving the world from an alien invasion, outsmarting an alien race of party-animals, overcoming his own desire to be like his idol Superman, and constantly battling his seedy arch nemesis, Catcher Block!….er, I mean Sebastien Mallory! But at the center of all this was his real-life conscious, Chloe.  Certainly his brains and cunning help him to overcome the trials and tribulations, but his true test lie with his friend and former lover.

It was a delight to see Jimmy grow in this degree.  Sure, he acted like a typical guy, trying to prove himself by pumping his three chests hairs out for the world (and Sebastien Mallory) to see, but we see by the books end that none of it really mattered if Chloe wasn’t apart of his life.  And it is in this end we see, while the two never officially get back together, real love at work.

But let’s skip all the sentimental, lovey duvey crap ok!  Let’s instead take another look at the incredibly awesome scene of Jimmy Olsen in the Superman costume, shouting his battle cry…

Click To Enlarge

Triumphant?  Yes, I know it is.  The humor in this book is nothing short perfection.  Jimmy’s clever ways of fixing these sticky situations in the absence of an all-powerful Superman is a comedic opportunity Nick Spencer capitalized on and didn’t disappoint. With incredible writing like this, why can’t DC give the young photographer back his own title?  It would quickly rise in popularity in the same degree that Power Girl did.

Speaking of which, isn’t that cover by Amanda Conner simply amazing?  In fact, the entire book was an artistic masterpiece with RB Silva and Dym helming the pencil and Crayola.  What a taxing process it must be to pump out 69 pages of art, never wavering on the quality and purpose behind each panel.  The facial expressions and body language of each character complimented Spencer’s writing perfectly.  Although, I wonder why Chloe continually gave me the jolting “horse eye.”  (just thumb through the pages and stop to look at Chloe’s face…you’ll see what I mean.)

My Majestically Climactic Conclusion

I completely agree with the comment made by AOL’s Comics Alliance plastered at the top of the cover, this is one of the top 10 comics of the year.  (2011, not 2010…geez!)  It was serious enough to feel enticing, but funny enough to keep me  smiling.  You’ll even get a Superman history lesson in the process!

10 out of 10 stars

Plus 1 incentive point

By: Nick Spencer (writer), RB Silva with Amilcar Pinna (pencillers), DYM & Rob Lean (inkers), Dave McCaig (colorist

The Story: Meet Jimmy Olsen, Boy-Man of Steel, and about to save the world in his underpants.

The Review: If you flip through the television nowadays, it’s amazing how hard it is to find something to watch that’s entertaining without being spiteful or just plain dumb.  But as a recent Slate article pointed out, there’s still an audience for feel-good stuff—shows that assemble a cast of likeable characters and gives them silly premises to play around with.  These can be a much-needed palette cleanser after all the overwrought drama you get served most of the time.

Jimmy Olsen may be the Parks and Recreation of the comics world: rich, unadulterated fun.  This issue includes the stories which appeared as co-features in Action Comics, but the other half is all new: Jimmy’s alternate life as Co-Superman; converting the Planet’s flying newsroom into a spaceship; and preventing a virus-ridden Superman video game from taking over the world.  It’s the wacky underbelly of comics fiction—maybe the best part of all.

In short order, Spencer creates the most lovable cast of possibly any comic book on the stands today.  Of course our titular semi-hero is the hapless, goony underachiever we all know and love, but you also get the no-nonsense Chloe (who, if possible, is even more awesome here than her live-action role in Smallville—“He was trying to take over the world, so I beat him up with my purse.”) and Sebastien Mallory, who somehow comes across endearingly pompous.  Even guests Maggie Mxyzptlk, Perry White, and Natasha Irons get warm, fully-realized personalities.

None of this could have worked without Spencer’s gift for convincing dialogue.  His stream-of-consciousness Jimmy narration could easily have become overbearing or annoying, but it’s written with such true-to-life insecurity and humor (“…of course I know that this means something is gonna get fired at the ship later.  What kind of noob do you think I am?”), it works.

The whole thing really boils down to your classic romantic comedy: loser guy sets out to get back his girl from disgustingly more impressive rival.  But the crazy settings and hyperbolic kind of obstacles Jimmy has to get over really drive up the stakes of the story.  The fact Jimmy handles all the insane situations thrown at him with nonchalant aplomb really show why he’s had such a weird but prominent place in comics.  And gosh, that last page just tugs the heartstrings, doesn’t it?  “You’ll always be my pal,” may be the most touching thing I’ve read all year.

Someone at DC, get Silva on your funnest title (Batgirl maybe?) as soon as you can, because this guy’s too good to waste on something dramatic.  None of the humor would’ve worked nearly as well without his gift for drawing physical shtick and his comedic sense of paneling—not to mention the density of detail he stuffs on every page and his hilarious character expressions (which may give even Amanda Connor a run for her money).  McCaig brings the boldest, brightest colors to his game, which is the perfect fit for this zany title.

Conclusion: It’s a crushing disappointment this series isn’t an ongoing.  DC should consider sending someone (I’ll gladly volunteer) on their hands and knees with bags and bags of money to get Spencer to come back to it.

Grade: A+

- Minhquan Nguyen

Some Musings: - Anyone wanna guess what song Jimmy’s “da-na-na”-ing to?  I always like to think it’s Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries”—more popularly known as “Kill the Wabbit.”

- I appreciate the riff on Superman’s years-long absence from his major titles: “Superman must leave on a very important mission!  Now select your new character: Mon-El, Krypto, Lex Luthor, Alpha Centurion.”

By: Paul Cornell (writer), Pete Woods (artist), Brad Anderson (colorist), Nick Spencer (feature writer), RB Silva (feature penciller), DYM (feature inker), Dave McCaig (feature colorist)

The Story: Lex Luthor enlists the Secret Six to get him out of a tight spot.  But things aren’t so cut and dry when they’re facing Vandal Savage, who just happens to be the father of the Six’s Scandal Savage.  In the co-feature, Jimmy Olsen’s on auction—but what kind of money would you pay for Superman’s pal?

The Review: With the Secret Six literally dropping into the party, this issue officially kicks up the action into high-gear.  By themselves, the Six already bubble with story gold: magic-wielding Goth, Louis XIV-themed banshee, and babbling killer harlequin, among other things.  When you add robot-women and mind-controlling caterpillars into the mix—well, this is why you buy comics, don’t you?

Paul Cornell really shows off his writing chops by not only keeping the pace going full-speed, but also by making sure that events don’t escalate so quickly they completely go off the rails.  Somehow, in the midst of all the craziness going on, he inserts a few scenes that set off some of the mines he planted in the very first issue of his run, and he drops clues about even bigger explosions to come.  There are clearly larger, invisible forces at work in Lex Luthor’s life, and as high the stakes are now, even greater ones will be coming down the pike.

This issue features an old trope of classic mysteries, executed in typically Cornell-wacky fashion: the innocuous supporting character who turns out key to all the ongoing weirdness.  What makes the revelation even sweeter to read is the realization of how well Cornell has played us.  After all, with everything Luthor has gone through, this character has remained in the thick of it.  Yet when the new facts about this character’s possible connections to all that has gone on comes to light, it still strikes you with surprise, and anticipation of how this will all turn out.

Cornell also manages to keep up the great character work even while the characters skirmish in the middle of a battle royale.  No matter how small the role or limited the dialogue, each character gets across a clear personality, even the nameless secretary (“We can use our feet, heave the table—I was about to tell you when!”).  The showdown between the father and daughter Savages has touches of resentment, mockery, and underlying tenderness—in other words, a typical father-daughter relationship.  Kudos to Cornell for bringing great family moments like these as the family members attempt to kill each other.

Once the action of the first feature has passed, Nick Spencer’s Jimmy Olsen serves as the perfect palette cleanser, offering pure, unadulterated fun.  If Spencer doesn’t get a Jimmy Olsen ongoing after this run closes, then it will be an enormous loss to comics, because there needs to be a title like this on the stands.  The premise starts off grounded enough, then quickly spiral into full-blown fireworks—and by that I mean bright, colorful bursts of delight.  Who knew Mxyzptlk even had a daughter?  And through it all, Spencer keeps the characters bouncing and the dialogue zipping.  He seems to have honed the trick of writing comedy not by trying to be funny or writing funny lines (which, I might add, almost always end in disaster), but simply having strong personalities meet in unexpected settings.  And Jimmy Olsen, Chloe Sullivan, and Sebastien Mallory meeting at a widow’s charity date auction certainly fits the bill.

The praises over Pete Woods’ and RB Silva’s art keep singing in this issue.  Their lines and paneling are clean; their attention to the smallest details, even in the background, is loving; and their execution of dramatic, comedic, and action scenes are consistently appropriate.  In other words, their art elevates the already strong writing to an even higher level.  Take Woods’ panel of Vandal Savage slicing down a robot-woman in half with an axe, or Silva’s of gorilla exhibit in the middle of a Metropolis zoo—it won’t get much better than that.  Praises to Brad Anderson and Dave McCaig for providing vibrant, but unsaturated colors, and DYM for inking Silva’s lines perfectly.

Conclusion: This issue ends on an appropriate bang for the year, and promises an even more entertaining outlook for the next.  The writing and art for both features are great examples of why this title gets my vote as one of the strongest series of 2010.  If you haven’t hopped onboard yet, it’s not too late—you won’t regret it.

Grade: A

-Minhquan Nguyen

By: Paul Cornell (writer), Pete Woods (artist), Brad Anderson (colorist), Nick Spencer (back-up writer), RB Silva (back-up penciller), DYM (back-up inker), Dave McCaig (back-up colorist)

The Story: Lex Luthor has a brilliant new scheme to use the Black Lantern energy domes for his own purposes.  The immortal Vandal Savage isn’t too stoked about Lex Luthor’s plans, since they involve the Black Lantern energy domes in his possession.  To fulfill a prophecy foretold centuries before, Savage confronts Luthor, forcing Luthor to call on the aid of the unpredictable Secret Six.  In the back-up, Jimmy Olsen puts into motion his plan to make Metropolis the most boring city in the galaxy, all in an effort to ward off an invasion of alien swingers.

The Review: The idea may be a little antiquated, but DC’s use of its “Comics” books (Action Comics, Detective Comics, and the recently revived Adventure Comics) as a vehicle for highlighting a revolving roster of characters packs a lot of potential for dynamic storytelling.  Paul Cornell has taken advantage of this idea to deliver a fascinating story on one of comics’ most infamous, yet least understood, characters.

One of the major flaws hampering any portrayal of Luthor is that while his uncanny intelligence and malevolence toward Superman is always a must-have, his mission and motives are largely unclear.  Does he hunger for power and resents anyone who has more of it than he does?  Is there a xenophobic bent to his hatred for Superman?  Is he a misunderstood genius who only wants to lead mankind to greatness?  Or is he just a sadist at heart?

One of the most interesting beats in this issue is when he retorts to Vandal Savage, “I don’t associate with ‘super-villains’ unless it’s to lead them.  They have master plans and costumes and pretensions.  We have little in common.”  In that little speech, Cornell sums up what makes Luthor a compelling character.  He’s not delusional enough to believe himself a god, but he’s an enormous believer in his capabilities as an individual.  In that sense, he has a lot in common with Batman, who is portrayed figuratively (and with Morrison, literally) as a god among men.  It should be said that besides Luthor, other characters shine in this issue.  Cornell has a lot of fun writing Savage as a man who can afford to bide millennia at a time to construct his plots, and how fun is robot-Lois as a foil to Luthor?  They are really the Sam Malone and Diane Chambers of their cast.

Great characterization is the selling point of this storyline; pacing is not.  After several issues of this arc and despite some zany premises—quickly becoming Cornell’s forte—Luthor’s overall mission to locate and use the Black Lantern energy constructs still seems to lack an apparent purpose.  That’s very Luthor, of course—only he really knows what’s going down at any given point—but it can be frustrating for the reader.  None of the events so far seem linked in any way, but are just excuses to let Luthor bounce off of other strong personalities.  As fun as that’s been, it’s time for an injection of energy to the series, which the inclusion of the always delightful Secret Six in the next issue promises to do.

As for Nick Spencer’s back-up, it’s safe to say that if a Jimmy Olsen ongoing ever got approved, Spencer is just the man to helm the series.  His dialogue has all the funny nonchalance toward fantastic events that made Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Young Justice so great to read, and it’s been a long time since such a ridiculous premise was written with such credibility—and such dire stakes.  Who could have known that partying could lead to the world’s destruction?  It really gives you some pause before mocking Puritan values.

Both Pete Woods and RB Silva employ a style of art that should be considered the DC standard.  Their pencils have just the right balance between realism and cartoon; there is a pleasing level of detail; their character expressions consistently fit the context of the scene (Silva is especially good at this—check out the aliens’ reaction to Perry White’s discussion of his unpublished novel); and their use of perspective is dynamic, maintain suspense to talky scenes that would otherwise be rambling (Woods excels here—if he didn’t, this issue would get a much lower grade).  Kudos also to Brad Anderson and Dave McCaig, whose colors heighten the drama and comedy of their respective stories.

Conclusion: Cornell has proven his writing chops, but has yet to demonstrate his ability to keep his creativity in line with a structured plot.  So far, even with no specific knowledge of the endgame to come, it’s clear that each issue is taking baby-steps there.  Including last month’s tête-à-tête with Death, this makes two dialogue-heavy issues in a row, meaning some action is sorely needed to keep the pace lively.  However, Spencer’s energetic back-up makes this issue a great value for its content.

Grade: A-

- Minhquan Nguyen

by Paul Cornell (writer), Pete Woods (art), Brad Anderson (color), and Rob Leigh (letters)

The Story: Lex meets Death and tries to worm his way back into the world of the living.

What’s Good: If it wasn’t clear before, it sure is now: Paul Cornell gets Lex Luthor.  Even clearer is the fact that this may very well be the smartest, and sharpest, comic DC is currently putting out.

Cornell masterfully handles the collision of comic universes here, bringing them together in a delightful manner.  This could have been a disaster, but through his witty, intelligent dialogue, Cornell pulls everything off perfectly.  He does so by making Death, and the Endless by extension, truly above and beyond the events of the DCU.  It’s really rather hilarious to see Death treat Blackest Night as a non-event, a tiny blip on the radar.  Death’s explaining DC’s constant superhero resurrections is also gleefully non-chalant.

Beyond this, Death herself is written very well, retaining all the optimistic, bubbly charm that made her such a hit in Sandman.  Her casual nature and her friendliness have never been more pleasant to read and, as you’d expect, these qualities bounce wonderfully off of Luthor.  The resulting back and forth, between the non-plussed and unflappably cheerful Death and the frustrated Luthor is a joy to read and a testament to Cornell’s strengths.  There’s also a good amount of comedy, with Death’s basically having “seen it all,” or her lightly condescending, unimpressed take on Luthor’s life.  There’s also a hilarious sequence where she goes over possible iterations of Heaven with Luthor that simply must be read.

But surprisingly, Death isn’t the strongest part of this issue.  Rather, Luthor is.  Much like the fantastic and similarly funny issue with Mister Mind, this trip into the surreal allows for a wonderful meditation on who Lex Luthor is.  There is so much to be learned about the character’s psychology this month, as Cornell fully encapsulates what makes the character so compelling.

We witness his constant need to strive, aspire, and struggle.  We see his bold, almost heroic, refusal to bow to any greater power, regardless of how huge or cosmic that power may be.  There’s also a sense of vulnerability, as we see, more clearly than ever, that Lex will never be content or happy; his intellect, aspiring nature, and cynicism prevent it.  Then there’s Luthor’s strident non-conformity, his refusal to be “typical.”  It’s fascinating to see him grow increasingly angry as he finds himself locked into the “stages of grief” and Death’s “process.”  Sprinkle this with Lex’s dedication to science and the human race and his unwavering confidence in his ability to think his way out of things, which he persistently attempts to do here, and this is one of the best takes on Luthor I have ever read.  There’s even a great twist at the end!

Pete Woods’ art also continues to improve by leaps and bounds.  Even in an issue that’s almost exclusively conversation, the artwork is still polished and gorgeous.  Woods’ facial expressions, crucial in an issue like this, are perfectly emotive, as he fully captures Lex and Death’s personalities.  His Death in particular is magnificent, her almost maternal expressions making it impossible not to like her.

As if all of this wasn’t enough, Nick Spencer’s back-up, from a story and art perspective, is nothing but a bundle of pure, unadulterated fun.  Spencer’s storytelling is also particularly wacky, providing comedy and an ability to cram an impressive amount of content into just a few pages.

What’s Not So Good: Nothing.

Conclusion: This is truly one of the best character studies I’ve ever read in a comic.  This is the sort of comic that you’ll instantly want to re-read and revisit for years to come.

Grade: A+

-Alex Evans

by John Ostrander (writer), RB Silva (pencils), Alexandre Palamaro (inks), Jason Wright (colors), and Travis Lanham (letters)

The Story: The Secret Six are lured to a game preserve where they are the prey.

What’s Good: Once you get past the fact that this issue is out of continuity, which in fairness, it’s pretty open about, this is a solid issue from returning guest writer John Ostrander, even if it’s a concept that’s been done many times before.  If anything, this questionable originality is in itself done with a wink and nod: the issue is titled “Predators,” perhaps a reference to the movie coming out this weekend, which looks to have a similar plot.  So really, this is Ostrander plugging the Six into a Predator movie, which is guaranteed fun on concept alone.

The hunters are written in amusing fashion as well; Ostrander seems intent on having them sound like gamers.  While it’s never over-bearing, there’s something in their tone and vernacular that reminds me strongly of the Mountain Dew drinking, profane crowd one often finds playing the newest shooter online.  That Ostrander applies video game lingo to a deadly game of murder is a nice touch of black humour.

I also must mention that while Ostrander does well with all of the characters, Ragdoll is absolute comedy gold.  Every single line he utters is genuinely funny.  It’s that perfect mixture of the bizarre, the depraved, and the innocence that defines the character.  Best of all, though, are when Ostrander inserts pop culture references into Radoll’s raving, which makes it all the funnier.  I never thought I’d hear Ragdoll make a Lost joke.

Overall, this issue is a celebration of the Secret Six.  It’s not a complex plot, but it’s wholly dedicated to making the Secret Six look like absolutely unstoppable badasses, which is refreshing given their low name value and relatively low power level.  It’s clear quite quickly that the hunters are in over their heads and when the Six decide to get even, things get very, very brutal.  As in, Bane ripping off limbs and beating people to death.

Though a mixed bag at some point, Silva’s art generally does the job.  The island looks good and the characters, when in costume, are vibrant and “characterful.”  Ragdoll’s face is also really, really well-done and it’s clear that Silva had the most fun with him.

What’s Not So Good: This issue’s plotting is very rigidly structured.  Once the Six land on the island, they’re all separated and each of them is paired off with one bad guy.  We then get one or two pages showing each character’s fight and then the issue ends.  It seems a little rote and it’s the sort of unimaginative structure that we’ve seen plenty of times before.  The pages are just too carefully balanced between each of the characters and Ostrander is just a little too careful in making sure that the spotlight is shared with perfect equality between each of the Six.

Then there’s the big bad guy, Nero.  Though there’s nothing especially wrong with him, he’s a fairly typical villain with pretty much nothing to distinguish him.  He’s never all that scary and he’s never all that fleshed out.  While he’s thankfully not in the book that much, he’s an incredibly unremarkable character.

Silva also seems to struggle a bit with character faces other than Ragdoll’s.  While the characters in costume look great, unmasked characters’ faces feel a bit sloppy or messy at some points.

Conclusion: An enjoyable issue of the Six doing their thing.  And Ragdoll’s never been better.

Grade: B

-Alex Evans