52 Week Twenty-Eight
DC Comics
Writers: Waid, Morrison, Rucka, Johns
Artists: Giffen & Drew Johnson
Last week’s edition of 52 certainly moves things a bit forward, if a bit quizzically. The Question(s)! reunite with both Batwoman and Intergang in Gotham City. The heroes stranded in space get one more thing to worry about. And the PS3-ready reincarnated Red Tornado (who had damn well better have some clue as to what this title is really all about) gets his rebuilt metallic keister kicked. That makes things a bit more complicated for all concerned, but doesn’t really provide any super-cool moments to make the issue memorable. On the other hand, the art improved quite a bit from last week (the Nanda Parbat sequences looked terrible) and that helps sell the story.
Score: B
Green Lantern Corps #6
DC Comics
Writer/Artist: Dave Gibbons
There’s something to be said for the right writer for the right title. Gibbons gets quite a few of the old school GL’s. His Guy Gardner, Kilowog, and Salaak are all excellent renditions of the characters, taking into account their pasts as well as their core motivations. His plots might be a bit prosaic, but the pairings of the cast members tend to make up for it. The team-up of renegade turned special agent Guy Gardner with a by-the-book rookie with an oversized vocabulary is a tiny bit of genius. The other ongoing subplots (Korugar, Rann, etc.) don’t really go forward so much as get recapitulated, but it’s enough to know their time will come; an ensemble book requires more patience than one with a single lead. The art, also by Mister Gibbons, seems a bit too plain for such a potentially exciting title. It’s not that characters don’t look themselves, or the settings are badly rendered or undetailed, just that with such a fantastic bunch of characters and setting, a more daring artist could really elevate the title. This is as close to artistic boilerplate as a cosmic title could get, and that’s not a good thing.
Score: B
Checkmate #8:
DC Comics
Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: Jesus Saiz
The DCU’s closest blurring of the action/mature readers line gives its audience another satisfying issue. There’s the duplicity, espionage, infighting, and politics we’ve come to expect. The pre-OYL DCU is used quite effectively; a character is fleshed out using a hook currently featured in 52. Kobra is shaping up to be the title’s personal bete noir and while it isn’t the imprint’s best terrorist organization, it is faceless enough to allow for a lot of growth under the right writer. The necessarily overlarge cast seems at least well managed here. This installment was more about set-up than pay-off but intriguing enough in its own right. The art by Saiz continues to improve with time; he isn’t spectacular by any means, but his depiction of the recurring cast and his facility with believable settings makes this book more believable each month.
Score: B
Astro City The Dark Age Book Two #1
Wildstorm
Writer: Kurt Busiek
Artist: Brent E. Anderson
The first issue of the second arc of the series first extended era tale, the travails of the Williams brothers persist this month. Charles continues to struggle with being an honest cop in a world sliding into the abyss. Royal is increasingly dissatisfied with his life of crime. Their estrangement was a natural result of the events of the previous arc, yet their reunion is as inevitable as the tides. The context of their particular struggles, the rise of violent vigilantes in Astro City, serves as proper parallel and filter. This is sophisticated interesting stuff, with some of the best pencils in the industry today.
Score: A
X-Factor #13:
Marvel Comics
Writer: Peter David
Artist: Pablo Raimondi
This is a great issue with one major flaw: you cannot reinvent the wheel. The examination of the team through psychoanalysis was and is a great hook. And Mr. David uses it very well. But he already did it once to half of the characters in X-Factor #87. This gives readers four new readings (Rictor, M, Layla, Siryn) and rehashes four (Multiple Man, Pietro, Rhane, and Strong Guy). So while you still learn oodles about everyone, it’s not a new trick nor necessarily new information, especially considering the prior story is referenced more than once. Sure it helps as a jumping on point, and gives everyone insight as to everyone’s state of mind after the close of the book’s first major arc, but it’s just not the same the second time through. Combine that with the manner in which this issue was hyped to the end of the Earth and back again and you can’t help but get that “just missed” feeling, especially considering the current more realistic art style makes the whole thing grimmer and less surrealistically symbolic than the prior effort.
Score: B
Blue Beetle #9
DC Comics
Writers: Keith Giffen & John Rogers
Artist: Duncan Rouleau
The fun surprise of Infinite Crisis keeps putting out the best all ages comic on the mainstream market today. This issue sees the debut of the virtual headquarters, ground rules for the outed urban high school hero, as well as the origin of Peacemaker. It’s not a high thrills issue, but it’s entertaining and funny. Jaime is one of the few youthful heroes with both parents, and their interplay with him and each other really shines here. His two best friends are moving closer and closer to being actively involved in his heroic life, and given their completely opposite skills sets and philosophies, it seems like a catchy idea. It’s sad that Giffen will leave the book (they’re having a tough time keeping the art regular, let alone the writing) but since the co-writer is taking over, there’s hope the ride will continue without a major change in course. “And no monster fighting unless they start it.” Brilliant!
Score: A
52 Week Twenty-Nine
DC Comics
Writers: Rucka, Waid, Johns, Morrisson
Artists: Giffen & Batista
This week’s pessimistic sliver of 52 shows readers ho everything can go wrong. The new Luthor sponsored Infinity Inc. is even more shortsighted and corrupt than we supposed. The JSA is falling apart. The island of insane geniuses is proving to be much tougher than a resort paradise with giant robots. The final revelation pushes the metahuman program forward in a definitive if uninteresting way. It’s a lot of plot, well-rendered, but it’s depressing. As someone who usually likes contrast (and a bleak Turkey Day installment certainly qualifies) I’m a bit surprised to find it overdone.
Score: C
The Creeper #4:
DC Comics
Writer: Steve Niles
Artist: Steve Scott
There’s lots to like and dislike about both this series and this issue. On the one hand the dichotomy between Ryder and the Creeper is well-written, the art is pitch-perfect, and the plot (if a bit predictable) is entertaining at every turn. On the other hand, the new origin of The Creeper isn’t as interesting or as independent as the last couple, since it leans a bit hard on a certain Gotham set cartoon. It’s the Post-IC DCU, and that means that continuity is free to adjust again, but I miss the old sci-fi stuff and pushing a very well-known villain into the story for no reason sort of dilutes the mythos. The supporting cast is still a bit fuzzy, even here in its fourth issue, and it’d hurt the experience a lot more if listening to the two leads bickering wasn’t so much fun.
Score: B
