ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #649:
Company: DC
Writer: Joe Kelly
Artist: Ed Benes
Or, as the excitable cover calls it, The Last Adventures of Superman. Then again the cover also shows Alexander Luthor, who doesn’t appear in this issue, and Power Girl in red-and-blue Super-outfit, even though she just sticks to her own costume in the story. Perhaps Marvel’s “stock footage” cover policy has some merit to it after all. Anyway, this is the conclusion of the three-part “This Is Your Life” story that’s been running through the other Superman books this month. In the first two parts Kelly went back over important events in Superman history and imagined what might have happened had they been handled differently. Some of them were neat little fanboy moments (Superman kills Doomsday! S00ps R0xx lol!), others were more intriguing (Superman stopped the JLA from mindwiping their enemies and put them in the Phantom Zone instead) but there was no clarity or cohesion to the story, which just wound up as a confusing read. Thankfully, things are explained here. During the Kal-L/Kal-El fisticuffs (INFINITE CRISIS #5, see below), each Superman began to sense what the other’s life had been like on their Earth and what they would have changed about it. It’s a decent concept, although a little cheeky to drag it out for three whole issues. Neither alternative timeline plays out particularly well either, with Superman dying in one and the rest of the world dying in the other. The only conclusion to be drawn is that Superman and the DCU seemingly cannot exist together, which hardly bodes well for the future. Whatever did happen to the Man of Tomorrow? At least this is an imaginary story too…
Score: C
AMAZING FANTASY #18:
Company: Marvel
Writer: Simon Furman (Tony Lee, back-up)
Artist: James Raiz (Leonard Kirk, back-up)
Yeah, well. My reasons for getting this title were simple (and hopeful) enough. Simon Furman, the writer responsible for so many truly amazing issues of TRANSFORMERS and for getting me into comic books in the first place, finally returned to Marvel to write the return of Death’s Head, who was chosen in an online poll to be the next character revamped in this series. Unfortunately, this is not the classic Death’s Head that became a cult favourite in the ’80s. All this version shares is the name, yes? This version has the personality of a stuffed badger, yes? This version is tangled up in some tedious conspiracy plot about shady scientific experiments, yes? The Marvel Universe does not need more of them, no? Needs more Death’s Head, yes? The good kind. The classic kind. The kind where it doesn’t matter if the artwork goes noticeably downhill after the first page. The kind that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The kind that doesn’t falter due to Furman’s traditionally wonky dialogue, which is fine for robots but not so good for humans. An opportunity that has been missed so spectacularly it can’t find magnetic north on a compass. Oh and there’s an even worse back-up strip featuring some New Universe mercenary. If you think that using a rocket launcher to serve divorce papers is amusing, you might like it. If not, we agree.
Score: F
BATMAN ANNUAL #25:
Company: DC
Writer: Judd Winick
Artist: Shane Davis
After a good three years of chain-yanking, DC finally spills the beans about how Jason Todd came back from the dead, grew up, turned himself into the new Red Hood, and decided to set about pissing off Batman. The person that inadvertently caused Jason’s resurrection presumably could not have been revealed until now since it directly relates, as all things DC must, to INFINITE CRISIS (although we should never underestimate the fun, and profits, to be gained from chain-yanking). The only problem with it is that it really does not suit the tone of the “Under The Hood” story that Winick has been telling in BATMAN, or of the “Hush” blockbuster that kicked it all off, or of “A Death In The Family” where Jason died in the first place, or of practically any noteworthy Batman tale. The explanation is a suitable one for the changes in the likes of Power Girl and the Doom Patrol lately, but doesn’t mesh with the more grounded environment of Bruce Wayne and Gotham City. The involvement of mystical elements such as Ra’s Al Ghul, Talia and the Lazarus Pit (all of which play a pivotal role here) is tolerable, since they’ve long been established in Batman lore and Eastern spiritualism isn’t really that far-fetched. Cosmic, dimension-spanning turbulence from a convoluted and muddled event is. However, that’s the way that DC has decided to take this. It also gives rise to the latest buzz-phrase that will be banded about to explain umpteen continuity errors and changes. Yes, good ol’ Hypertime has now been replaced by Continuity Waves. Oo-er. Anyway, if you can get past all that without getting as irked as me then you will indeed find a very good story here. Winick has triumphed in making Jason Todd into one of the most interesting characters in the DCU (or should that be DCUs?). I’m deeply curious to see how this tragic, and justified, anti-hero will fit into the One Year Later DC landscape – particularly since they’ll still have to fit in Batman, Robin, Nightwing and The Joker. Also, be sure to keep an eye out for the penciler, Shane Davis, who treats us to some genuinely stunning work here – particularly in the Lazarus Pit scene and in Jason’s escape from his coffin. Let’s be having him on a regular gig, please.
Score: B
EX MACHINA #18:
Company: Wildstorm
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Artist: Tony Harris
Poor ol’ EX MACHINA has been taking a bit of a shit-kicking from the Delays Demon recently. This issue was originally due out back in December, and in recent solicitations the main title has been replaced by a two-part ‘Special’ with fill-in artists. Hopefully Harris will be able to remain on the title throughout the entire run, since he has created an entirely suitable world for Mayor Hundred and his crew. He almost certainly will stick around, seeing as he is the co-creator along with Vaughan, but I do like to fret a little, so bear with me. This issue is the eighteenth straight hit in a row for Harrisy and Vaughany, as they probably don’t like to be called, but there’s no doubt that the delays have stalled the momentum of this potentially explosive arc (should the Mayor support the war in Iraq?). Perhaps I should have taken my cue from Y: THE LAST MAN and trade-waited this series instead. Meh, at least this way I don’t have to wait even longer to get to see the spectacular two-page flashback sequence that rapidly introduces five major enemies of The Great Machine that could yet return to pester him. I also have to give the thumbs-up to the colourist, J.D. Mettler, for yet another superb display. Flip to any random page and you can’t help but be instantly impressed by Mettler’s work.
Score: B
FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN #5:
Company: Marvel
Writer: Peter David
Artist: Mike Wieringo
I don’t have any plans to get this title regularly, but I had a little time to kill and a hankerin’ for some Spidey, so I picked this up on a random comic store trip. Even though it’s the fifth issue of the series David, the regular writer, has only written one issue of it so far. That was due to the rather insulting crossover, “The Other”, which we don’t like to talk about without supervision. This was the ‘proper’ start of David’s run, which will apparently see him following in the footsteps of Paul Jenkins and create a secondary Spidey book that offers up entertaining, stand-alone stories uninfluenced by any brazen alterations happening in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. I have no idea what the tertiary Spidey book is meant to be for, particularly now that Marvel Knights has been castrated. Perhaps they could reinvent it as a cookbook. The secret Spidey spaghetti sauce? Hell, I’d buy it. Anyway, David’s initial tale focuses on a woman named Vanna Smith who is convinced that Spider-Man is stalking her and winds up taking a restraining order out against him. She went to high school with Peter Parker, which is where her suspicions started, and it’s only a matter of time before J. Jonah Jameson gives her a call… but what becomes of her? What does Spider-Man think? The outcome is fairly straightforward, but David successfully fleshes out Vanna’s personality and history with minimal effort. The story is framed by her blog entries, which show her superiority complex and growing paranoia. Some people might question the timeline but it works well enough. If Peter Parker is in his late twenties now, then he could have been a senior ten years ago, and a girl from a financially secure background like Vanna could certainly have had a website back in 1996. It might not have been called a blog but, hey, there’s no need to confuse the kids with exotic words like ‘Geocities’ and ‘Usenet’, right? If you’re after some Marvel Universe Spidey action, this title is probably your best choice. Personally, my Peter David fix will be financially restricted to the Visionaries collections of his INCREDIBLE HULK and X-FACTOR runs.
Score: B
GREEN LANTERN CORPS: RECHARGE #5:
Company: DC
Writer: Dave Gibbons
Artist: Patrick Gleason
Wait, what? The mini-series is over and I still have no idea who these new Lanterns are, why I’m supposed to care about them, what the existing Lanterns are meant to be doing, who the big enemy is or how they defeated it, thanks in no small part to some exceptionally poor art by Gleason and hollow dialogue by Gibbons. It gets kudos points for establishing Guy Gardner as the new leader of the Corps simply because it’s Guy F’N Gardner and nobody messes with the Bowl Cut Bomber but even that isn’t particularly well-explained. Hell, they didn’t even win until Hal Jordan and John Stewart turned up. And what’s all this about a possible heel turn for the Guardians? The hell? Sure, they could turn into the bad guys in the eyes of others but they shouldn’t actively be deciding to make the universe afraid of them! My interest in the ongoing series by the same creative team launching in June has flat-lined.
Score: F
INFINITE CRISIS #5: [Book of the Week!]
Company: DC
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Phil Jimenez (w/ Jerry Ordway & Ivan Reis)
Regardless of whether or not you actually like what is happening in INFINITE CRISIS, you cannot fail to be impressed with the level of planning and preparation that DC has put into this event. This is not HOUSE OF M, about which even Bendis admitted that only the first and seventh parts were worth bothering with. Every issue of this series has been spilling over the brim with action, tragedy, revelations and explanations. Yes, the unfortunate delay in the fifth chapter’s release had a slight knock-on effect for other books (particularly the Superman titles) but the anticipation of the wait was certainly matched by the quality of the read. Trying to cover all the developments in a capsule review would be impossible but fret not; the book will be getting the Nexus Spotlight treatment shortly. Some of the highlights include Blue Devil sitting through a church service even though his presence there causes him to burn, simply because he wants to pay his respects. Then there’s Booster Gold taking active steps to resolve the O.M.A.C. situation in a way that Batman never even knew was possible. Then there’s the epic Superman vs. Superman slobberknocker. Then there’s Alexander Luthor giving a decent explanation for Breach’s existence in a couple of throwaway lines. Then there’s Nightwing continuing to set a fine example for humanity in even the most unsettling of circumstances. Then there’s that chilling last page, which scares the crap out of me even now. Then there’s… well, I could carry on gushing about this book for hours but you get the idea. The only potential problem with it is that the eventual collected edition will not read quite as well as it should because so many pivotal story elements are not explored within the series itself but in various tie-ins in other titles (the recap of the Diana/Clark relationship in WONDER WOMAN #226, Lex Luthor rescuing Superboy in…. actually, when the hell did that happen exactly?). Then again, when the series contains sights as spectacular as the galactic meltdown above Titans Tower and as tragic as Kal-L realizing he has been fooled, it seems silly to complain. It’s like complaining about the Lord of the Rings movies because they double-dipped the DVDs. Just sit back and let yourself enjoy it… you know you will.
Score: A
JSA #83:
Company: DC
Writer: Paul Levitz
Artist: Rags Morales
As with F’N SPIDER-MAN, this was a last-minute addition to my reading list this week. I had read #82 because George Perez drew it, was vaguely intrigued by what may or may not have happened in the OYL jump, and so got this one too. Unfortunately, at the moment I am more interested in the bigger picture and in finding out exactly what has changed than I am in finding out how it has affected any particular characters. That goes double for the JSA since, with the exception of Stargirl, I’ve never been particularly interested in them. I know that a lot of you are, however, and this book would almost certainly get an A-grade from you. Levitz has packed the issue with well-crafted scenes for all the members (Stargirl, Mr. Terrific, Thunderbolt, Dr. Midnite, Wildcat, Garrick Flash, Scott Lantern, and Power Girl) that nail their personalities, flesh out their OYL lives and advance the plot. He even manages to throw in a new look at Gentleman Ghost’s origin. We still don’t know if these events are unfolding on the same Earth that plays home to Superman, Batman or the JLA – not to mention the Marvel family or the Green Lantern Corps – but such matters will become clear in time. For now, all you JSA fans can look forward to a well-crafted story (just as long as Rags Morales’ peculiarly drawn eyes don’t put you off). One other thing – is it appropriate to advertise The Hills Have Eyes in a supposedly family-friendly comic book? I know JSA isn’t Johnny DC but… still… even the IDENTITY CRISIS tie-in issue of the title didn’t deal with such explicit matters so violently… maybe I’m just getting old.
Score: B
MARVEL TEAM-UP #18
Company: Marvel
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Paco Medina
Well, that was unexpected. The final part of “The League Of Losers” sees the good guys triumph in their mission (stop Chronok in 2099 before he can come back to 2006 and kill every superhero) but for once somebody points out that they can’t go back to where they came from, since in that timeline Chronok already succeeded. At last, a Marvel time-travel story that figures out the obvious. Unfortunately, it means that the entire story has basically been a big “What If?” chain-yank of EXILES proportions. The writing and the artwork are solid enough to avoid this being a major issue, but it is frustrating to know that Kirkman is capable of greatness and has yet to bring any to this series. Next month, it’s Wolverine and Cable teaming-up in a story called “1991”, which sounds like it was built for shits and giggles and possibly even a hint of greatness.
Score: C
