Great week featuring some of my favorite books. Yay for me. And, really, yay for you.
That’s not to say it was all good though.
52 Week 15
“Outshined”
Published by: DC
Writer: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid
Art Breakdows: Keith Giffen
Penciller: Shawn Moll
Inker: Tom Nguyen
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
First, I’ve got to apologize to all the Booster fans out there. A few weeks back in DC News & Views (DCNV, as the kids refer to it), I sort of jokingly mocked them for this upcoming issue. The thing was that I never really believed that Booster was going to…well…die. If I had, I’d have never poked fun. That’s just unseemly.
Of course the question is whether or not Booster is really as deceased as he seems. I don’t have the answer to that. I want to say that he’s not. First, it just seems paced oddly. He’s supposed to be a main 52 character. Can you really kill a main character when you are just over a quarter done with the story at hand? Sure, it’s a heck of a surprise, but then what?
Also, there is the matter of the quality of the death. It isn’t exactly heroic. Booster acts like a jerk even up until he gets blowed up real good like. His lifting of the sub seemed completely devoid of any concern for anything but himself. Sure, Booster always been selfish, but was he ever really this obliviously selfish? And, not to cast dispersions or anything, but wouldn’t all those people on the ground still have crippling radiation sickness to deal with? The blast was far enough away not to kill but what of the resulting fallout? Certainly you can’t detonate a nuclear submarine in the atmosphere without there being some sort of issue. Or did Supernova take care of all that somehow?
Finally, does DC really want to play into the “Didio and Co. hates the JLI and, by extension, everything that is happy or funny in comics” by killing the other half of Blue and Gold?
Of course none of this tells you how good I thought this issue was. I’d say it was…pretty good.
Grade: B-
Checkmate 5
“Selection”
Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: Jesus Saiz
Finisher: Fernando Blanco
Colorist: Santiago Olmedo
I question the results of Checkmate’s selection process. The process, which is very The Recruit (as many reviewers elsewhere have mentioned) meets the beginning 20 minutes of Spartan (which I’ve seen no one mention, but I’m fairly certain was at least an equal influence, especially when it comes to the numbers and the last person standing fight in a tent), results in a French woman taking on the role. I’m all for the international diversity, but my issue is this. The French woman was willing to let her climbing buddy die; in fact, she was eager to help him along by cutting his line. I would assume teamwork is an important part of Checkmate. Abandoning your partner in the field strikes me as sort of antagonistic towards that idea, especially when you know for certain that the way in which you are abandoning your fellow soldier will equal his or her death. The fact that the guy who saves his partner’s life is knocked out of the selection process for it just does not sit well with me.
Then again, this is a fictional organization that used to be led by a mind controlling maniac with a mad on for superheroes, so the protocols could be drawing on a different rule book than the one I’m used to.
Besides my inability to quite understand was Mademoiselle Marie was allowed to reach the final round and, thus, win the coveted knight position, I enjoyed this issue. I enjoyed Alan Scott’s machinations (for good) that should, for now, unravel the US (and Amanda Waller’s) attempts to make Checkmate an extension of their own foreign policy initiatives. I appreciate that it throws a monkey wrench in the Terrific/Sasha relationship as well, but it feels too soon for that. Their burgeoning love, such as it is, has not been given enough screentime to leave the reader invested in its trials and tribulations. Thus, while it makes sense to me that Terrific being the White King while Sasha is continuing to be the Black Queen would present problems, I find myself largely unconcerned with those problems. If we had even a two or three more issues of the unlikely couple, it would probably be enough to bridge the gap from “aww, well isn’t that just a shame, poor kids and their puppy love” to “I can hear their hearts breaking and its breaking mine too”. With such a deliberately paced book, it’s odd that Rucka would’ve rushed through this build up.
Otherwise, thumbs up.
Grade: B+
Ion 5
“The Torchbearer” Part 5
Writer: Ron Marz
Pencillers: Greg Tocchini, Tom Grindberg
Inker: Jay Leisten
Colorist: Jeromy Cox
Hmm…where did the drama go?
Don’t get me wrong, the issue is fine enough. We got the good Tocchini art this time out (which is to say, it didn’t make my eyes bleed just to look at it), Kyle’s finally got his s#!+ together and he gets to show up Hal by dispatching Nero largely without the “GREATEST GL EVER” ‘s patented “NERVES OF STEEL” being used.
It’s just that it all feels very… perfunctory. For such a horrible and devastating force, Nero goes down with very little trouble. Plus, he goes down via the old “You like my power so much? Here, have it all!” trick that it seems like Kyle is required to use roughly once every 25 appearances. Beyond shaking Kyle’s hand and “getting his back”, why is Hal here?
After two of being on a good track, the book diverts here in what should have been a most excellent climax to the book’s opening concerns. Instead, all the momentum we have going into next issue is the question of “what’s the deal with the Guardians (one of which is looking very Dick Cheney on that last page) not helping out?” It’s a bobble. Not a fatal one, mind you, but a bad one certainly.
Grade: C-
Manhunter 25
“Two Superheroes and a Fed Walk Into a Bar…”
Writer: Marc Andreyko
Layouts: Javier Pina
Finisher: Fernando Blanco
Colorist: Jason Wright
I can’t figure out if this book was written with the cancellation in mind or not. Or if it was, if the script remained unchanged when Vol. 2 was announced or it was altered some. I suppose it does not really matter, but I am curious. While this issue hauls from subplot to subplot, it does not seem particularly concerned with doing anything more than just moving each of them ahead a step. The only sign of a rush to close up shop is evident in the Sweeney Todd/Manhunter conflict; a moment that could just as easily be read as a sign of Kate’s ruthless efficiency in dispatching meta crime when compared with her costumed brethren.
So as a final issue, I’m sure this one would’ve left me frustrated and perhaps slightly annoyed. However, since I know there’s more on the horizon, I appreciate the open-endedness that will propel us over the hiatus into Vol. 2 (or #26 depending what DC decides to do). As an ending, it would be like Aztek #10. As a temporary stop, it’s Runaways Vol. 1 #18. If you know me, you know those are both compliments.
It should be noted that the script did not work for me in one place though. Kate as Peter’s new child’s godparent. No divorced couple in the history of the world has ever gotten on that well. (I’m only half to three quarters joking here).
So, for now, a strong, and gloriously temporary, close to Manhunter
Grade: B+
Robin 153
“Run Through the Jungle”
Writer: Adam Beechen
Artist: Freddie E. Williams II
Colorist: Guy Major
Goodness, Robin’s a bit of dick isn’t he? Oh…that’s a pun, isn’t it? Ugh, sorry about that.
Anyway, Tim’s being a jerk pretty much consistently throughout this issue. I mean, he’s entitled. He’s stressed, he’s looking for a nuclear bomb, teaming up with the son of his father’s killer (who happens to dress roughly the same as the killer in question), and missing school to do it. So I’m willing to cut him some slack. Still, with Batman being all kinder and gentler these days, it feels like Tim is stepping up to pick up the “not in my city and no, I have no forgiveness or good cheer to give” slack. If that’s the long term plan for him, that could be a problem.
But all of that’s okay, because this issue is a large slice of fun. Beechen nicely grafts the “large props of death” storytelling (see such greats as the giant typewriter) on to modern approach. The image of a giant orange multi armed sword wielding robot who just happens to be wearing a rather striking chapeau and ruffled collar warms my heart, it does.
Williams is nicely up to the task of conveying the ridiculousness and danger of these themed death traps. However, he does stumble in another aspect. Much is made of the age of “Dodge” (Tim’s wannabe sidekick teleporter), Tim, and Captain Boomerang in relation to one another. Apparently, how it breaks down is that Boomerang and Tim are both older than Dodge and roughly the same age as one another. The problem with that is, according to the art, it looks more like Dodge and Tim are roughly the same age (with Dodge actually appearing a bit older) and Boomerang older than them both. The Boomerang thing, admittedly, is an ongoing thing as he has always been portrayed, artwise, as in his twenties. Dodge, however, is brand new so he has no template to be followed. I guess I can accept that Tim is talking big and pretending to be older than he is as a further conceal of his identity. But in terms of what’s on the page, it is never a believable bluff.
That’s largely a quibble though and did not bring my enjoyment of this installment down for a moment.
Grade: A-
Nextwave 7
Writer: Warren Ellis
Penciler: Stuart Immonen
Inker: Wade Von Grawbadger
Colorist: Dave McCaig
Let’s just get this out of the way, right off the bat. Any comic featuring the Mindless Ones is worth your time. So if you are reading this review to see if you should buy this issue, the answer is yes. So stop reading here and go out and buy the thing. If you are reading this review simply to have your own opinion validated then, by all means, continue on.
As one would expect by now, this issue is more of the same. It either works for you or it doesn’t. For me, it works. It works very much.
Why?
Because I’m the kind of guy who appreciates an Interdimensional Ruler who gets psyched about receiving a hundred dollars (American, I assume). I’m the type of guy who thinks the image of a Mindless One riding a skateboard with a backwards ball cap on is cool and sort of cute. I’m the type of guy whose life would take on new meaning from participating in some random acts of explosion.
If you are too, welcome to Nextwave country.
Grade: A-
Runaways 19
“Dead Means Dead” Chapter One
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Penciler: Mike Norton
Inker: Craig Yeung
Colorist: Christina Strain
When a book is as consistently excellent as Runaways, I sometimes find myself without anything to say. So much so that I’m almost positive I’ve written that same line about Runaways in another review before this. Ahh…self-plagiarizing. Good for the soul.
So, yes, this is another installment that maintains the Runaways standard. Rather than repeat myself further then, let me instead direct you to Molly’s conversation with the Runaways’ vehicle. If that does not break your heart a little…you might want to check to make sure you still have one.
Grade: A
