New 52 Round 2, Week 2

For those keeping up, we are now in the second round for this week. We dropped Resurrection Man and Legion Lost last time, and this time, despite giving us two new series, we will drop two more books from this week's list as well.

Batgirl 2

I really don't have anything that negative or positive to say about Batgirl's sophmore issue. Its honestly 20 pages of Barbara Gordon asking herself if she's really superhero material anymore. The Mirror's identity has been deduced as an Army officer whose family died in a car crash and he was saved from the wreckage so he has survivor's guilt. Batgirl gets a hold of the list long enough to see that she is on the list in both her identities, which is of course upsetting to her. Though I'm not nearly as upset as this character:

I'm still clueless as to what an (old?) cowboy woman is doing in Gotham driving cabs, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at anything anymore. We also get to meet the physical therapist "responsible" for her miraculous recovery, who she is now dating, as well as seeing her roomate, who I'm still praying gets killed very quickly. Overall, pretty basic and boring.

Verdict: C+. Its not bad at all, but its nowhere near great, so that leaves us with something average. I'm going to keep this one on probation for another month

Batman and Robin 2

The perils of raising a dangerous son continue with this issue. We open to Bruce and Alfred discussing how impressive Damien's skills are, and Alfred encouraging Bruce to show some appreciation and tell Damien that he's proud of him, but Bruce just can't get to that point. Some low time hoods are captured when the Dynamic Duo goes on patrol, but the crooks are subsequently killed by NoBody. After the night of crimefighting, Bruce says that Damien's activities were commendable, but nothing more, and goes to bed... and we get this:

Yeah... that kid might need some help. Alred witnesses his cruelty to the bats and just sighs. The next day, Bruce is buying a dog, named Ace appropriately, for "security" but I think it has more to do with giving Damien a friend. A black guy shows up and we are quickly shown that this guy is NoBody, and Bruce already knows him. The guy is an acolyte of Henri Ducard, a former trainer of Bruce's, and he promises the usual, "You'll pay soon enough" kinda thing and disappears.

Verdict: B-. I'm getting tired of the same old kind of thing with Bruce and Damien, so maybe somethign will happen to break that monotony soon enough. And this villain just seems kind of weak honestly.

Batwoman 2

Batwoman is once again, short on content and long on the art. The art in this book is just out of this world, but I feel that it doesn't lose much with story. It might be one of the best books of the week. We open with two page spread of a fight that does a number of things well: There's dialogue, action, x-ray attacks that, as a Mortal Kombat player, appeal to that part of me, and finally we are shown the current members of Batman Inc. Some of these surprised me, especially continuity-wise:

Chief among the surprises- Renee Montoya- the Question, Catwoman, Red Robin (in his original costume), Lady Blackhawk, Azrael, and Huntress. Not sure why some characters are outlined completely in white, but I'm anxious to know more. The issue continues, as Batwoman regrets her decision for turning Batman Inc. down, and there's a lot of focus on the missing children and haunted water thing. The book also features Agent Chase pushing maggie Sawyer to turn Batwoman over to teh government, which doesn't go over well as date conversation for the Captain and her date, Kate Kane. Eventually, Batman shows up to warn Batwoman that Chase is insane and drops a line about taking on sidekicks.

All in all, a pretty decent issue that ends with Batwoman being swallowed by water, which is not as dumb as it sounds, I promise.

Verdict: A-. Another ok book made really good thanks to JH Williams and his art. Certainly worth buying in paper rather than digital, once again, because of how tough it is to see page spreads on a viewer.

Deathstroke 2First off, there is a misleading cover to this issue, where we are promised a "carpocalypse" which never comes. Second off, we are once again shown this suitcase MacGuffin from the last issue and we still don't know what is inside, but apparently its horrible and its related to Slade. Anyway, we have something similar to what we've come to expect from Slade: tracking down the guy who hired him, killing him and at least 30 other people in the process. Seriously, the kill count by page ten is 23. Finally, the giant machine guy from the cover arrives and is subsequently killed a page later. Turns out, he planned for this huge massacre so that the media would film all his rampage, and now Slade will get hired for any job. At least 100 people dead by the end of the issue, and all for what boils down to a video resume.

Verdict: B-. The comic is exactly what you would expect and nothing less. Its liek the Expendables- its not a great film, its not smart, or anything new- but its all action, all the time and if that's what you're into, this is your comic.

Demon Knights 2

Demon Knights continues to surprise me with how fun the story is, despite having a bunch of characters I can't stand in it, and being set in a time that I don't really care about. Honestly, I think I just like it because Vandal Savage is written like Brave and the Bold's Aquaman, who might be my favorite character on that show. Case and point:

So, we last left the newly crafted team (which I will henceforth refer to as the Maleficent Seven) in a tavern as dragons were attacking. Not surprisingly, they kill off all the dragons, and Exoristos makes a dick joke for the 5th time in two issues:

And since the dragons don't work out, the evil king and queen decide to just burn the village to the ground with a meteor. Simple issue overall.

Verdict: B. Its a solid issue, but a bit too action-y for any character development to happen. Hopefully this tem will get fleshed out more in the next issue.

Frankenstein: Agent of SHADE 2

With this issue, we take a complete turn from the kind of adventure we had last time. Well, not completely, but enough that its a very different tone. The Monsters find out that this town has killed a kid and dumped their body into the lake as a sacrifice to the monsters that live through a portal at the bottom. The monsters got tired of waiting and came early and killed the whole town this time. After saving all the kids from the town, the monsters evacuate, except for Frank and Nina who go into the water to get info on this portal. As they fight monsters down there, we get Nina's backstory. Where she was human and tried doing monster experiments before but she accidentally made them insane and they had to be killed after killing a bunch of people. She joined her test subjects this time, and that's how she, and the other creatures, ended up the way they are. The team returns to SHADE and teleports to the other side of the portal where there are literally tens of thousands of these creatures... and the Bride fighting them all by herself.

Verdict: B. Its certainly a step down from the wonder that was the first issue, but its still got a lot of good stuff. Plus, and this is just incidental, but this pairs really nicely with Demon Knights. Like watching Game of Thrones and then watching Fringe/ The Walking Dead.

Green Lantern 2

This issue can be neatly summarized as "Hal Jordan was a terrible choice to get a ring." And if you think that might be too subtextual, you're wrong and the comic reminds you of that every other page as Sinestro just berates him constantly. Sinestro creates a ring out of his own for Hal so taht Hal will go with him to save Sinestro's planet from the Yellow Lanterns. That's pretty much the whole issue, save for a nightmare-ish Yellow Lantern appearing and Sinestro cutting him in half.

Verdict: A-. Johns continues to hit this one out of the park, and I will definitely continue reading this book.

Mister Terrific 2

I have to say that I'm disappointed in this book. The first issue seemed to have a lot going for it, but this thing honestly reads more like a chore. Holt saves himself from the rage disease with one of his T-spheres which apparently got rid of the disease in some deus ex machina way. Karen (Power Girl, still without powers) and the jealous black girl help stop the nuclear reactor that Holt set off in the last issue, and then Brainwave, our big villain arrives and infects a ton of people with the disease and they attack Holt.

Verdict: C-. It's incredibly boring really, and I'm just not in the mood to keep reading a series that bores me and doesn't at least deliver Power Girl. I might read another issue, but this thing might as well be DROPPED.

Suicide Squad 2

Man, am I happy I gave this title another shot... Every character on the team gets fleshed out and they fight zombies, eventually leading to the big bad from the movie Slither, which is so fun that you hardly notice the travesty of their costumes. I still miss Deadshot's facial hair, and most of Harley's clothes, but to be honest, I actually like the blurred makeup look on her. I think it opens her face up to being more emotion-conveying. The pther thing about this series that I always enjoyed- everyone is expendable, and every issue, one more from the team will die. This time, what would arguably be the heaviest hitter for the issue bites it, which just goes to show you that no one is safe, and that's a rare feeling in a comic, outside of a major event.
Verdict: B. While its not perfect, the issues is 1000 times better than its predacessor, and that's something. Its no Secret Six, like DC wants readers to think, but it might get close enough that I don't mind. Only time will tell.

Superboy 2

Superboy, for me, is just kind of a stick in the mud. The story, for me, doesn't go anywhere new. Despite the fact that we were teased a "Superboy going after the Titans" story last month, that never really happens. Sure we get to see Fairchild and Rose Wilson, but its all pretty bland. I've never really liked Superboy that much, and for me, I liked him best when Johns had him as a Titan, and then killed him in Infinite Crisis. He's got a new personality everytime someone new writes him and that gets old fast.

Verdict: C-. A nowhere story with decent artwork should mean a DROP, but if it ties to Titans, I think I should stick, so I'm kinda in the middle here. I'll probably read it next month and my my final decision, but for all intents and purposes, it is DROPPED.

My Greatest Adventure 1

Remember when I talked up Weird Worlds a few months back? No? Well, go look it up and come back to me. Ok, now that everyone is up to date, this book is like a sequel, but with Robotman instead of Lobo. The problem is- I don't care about any of these stories. The Robotman one was ok, but I kinda want to know how he works in the New 52 universe if the Doom Patrol never existed. Plus, his story has zombies. So... B+. Next is Garbageman whose story is told out of sequence, but without any tags to tell us that so its just as much of a mess as he is. C-. And finally, there's Tanga whose story was actually incomprehensible. I feel liek they are trying to make her a sexy Lobo here but that fails because she just seems like a blue skinned valley girl who gets hit a lot and has anger issues. The good art though, moves it up to a D. So, add all those up and you get...

Verdict: C. Its not great and I might read the Robotman story next month but this book is definitely DROPPED, as far as I'm concerned.

The Shade 1

Finally, we have the Shade series that no one asked for. Surprisingly, this reads as one of the better books of the month. We don't get to see him use his powers but one time at the end, and most of the issue focuses on him and the blue Starman hanging out and drinking tea talking about how much the Shade, who is immortal (if you didn't know that, its ok, the comic reminds you at least ten times) hates October, and how the new Starman is a big fruit- and may or may not be in a gay relationship with a gorilla with the mind of a 1930's explorer. Like all comic relationships- its complicated. So, one night the Shade is taking a stroll and Deathstroke shows up and as all meetups go, the two fight. Then Shade gets decapitated. The end. Wait, what? Yeah... I had to double check to see if this was a one shot because I think the whole immortal thing only applies to age-ing, not straight up being murderproof. But this is definitely a series, so I guess I will have no choice but to come back next month.

Verdict: B+. Its another solid issue with a character I never thought I would like, but here we are. Still kinda wondering how his origin makes any sense post New 52, though. Maybe that's why he got killed?

So another week down, just in time for a new batch to arrive. We lost three books, so check the score post for info on what's still in and what's out.

DC's New 52: Week 2

Man, where can I begin on this group? Some were just really stellar, while others fell flat. I feel like alphabetically, I just lost steam with the last set since the first two issues were so great. But since I can't think of a better system, here goes nothing.

Batman and Robin

I still hate the way Robin looks on that cover, but whatever, it actually doesn't carry over into the really, so I need to get over it. We open on Moscow, as a man is running away from something which is revealed to be an extremely muscular Batman. The criminal is caught naturally, but before the Batman can speak to him, the criminal is shot in the head by a floating gun. The invisible assailant goes to work breaking the arms and legs of the behemoth Batman, and then as the Batman is bleeding, he asks who he is, and the invisble guy claims to be "Nobody." Cutting the familar Wayne Manor we see Bruce in his classic thinking pose- in a chair, staring at a painting of his parents, with a storm outside. "Its time for a change." Is all we are given. Bruce goes to wake Damien up, but Damien's been waiting for his father. They are going to head out early, before patrol, to make an important stop. I'm not going to lie- Damien is a friggin prick in this book. Bruce tries to explaine why 10:48 is such an important time for him, and Damien rolls his eyes for the entire speech. Bruce asks Damien to show some respect, and he responds with the fact that they are just names on dusty old pictures, to which Alfred walks in, gives a verbal slap to the face of Damien, more for implying there was dust than the disrespect for his friends. Bruce is somehow completely patient through all this, because let's face it, this is the first real interaction these two have had since 2006. Damien complains that this constant reminder of death is kind of stupid, and Bruce agrees, stating that this will be the last time that he comes to Crime Alley to honor "the moment I watched my father bleed out of a sucking chest wound as my mother choked on a hole in her throat." He will now honor their wedding anniversary instead. The next scene is actually beyond my words, so here goes:

Like I said, the fact that Bruce hasn't punched the shit out of that kid blows my mind. What follows is a standard "bad guy's trying to get research" scheme and the Dynamic Duo show up. They bicker the entire time, and when the criminals use a break to steal the Batpod (or gyro- whatever this weird underground thing is that they arrived in) Damian follows, despite Bruce's orders not to. He catches up tot he crooks and disables something on the ball which makes it lose control. One of the thugs starts firing his gun which blows the whole thing up, seemingly killing the crooks. Batman is beyond pissed about this, and basically drills the kid to point of comparing how much worse he is than Dick, Tim, or even Jason. Scene ends with Batman saying that until he earns his trust, then he won't be Robin. Cutting back to Russia, we see Nobody slowly dropping both the dead crook and the barely alive Batman into acid and dissolving them, finally saying that its time pay Bruce Wayne a visit.

Verdict: A-. If DC was intent on bring in new readers, this was a pretty good book to do it with. The characters are quickly fleshed out and given personalities. Anxious the see where this storyline goes, honestly. I just hope we can get past the "DAMIAN! YOU'RE A LOOSE CANNON!" "F-CK YOU, DAD!" stuff pretty quick... kinda grating after a while.

Batwoman

I'm going to tell you straight up- the art in this book is beautiful, and if you are going to get it, I advise you to get it in print rather than digitally, because the page spread's just don't work as well on a screen. The same thing that makes this comic beautiful is also its biggest weakness. The art is amazing, but its a really short read (16 of the 22 pages are two page spreads) with little to no answers in it. We open on this ghost, who is apparently kidnapping children and sucking their breath out, attacking the children of a Hispanic family. Batwoman is unable to fight off the spirit and the children are taken. We move to Capt. Maggie Sawyer's office at the Gotham Police Dept. where the family is telling the Captain all about what happened that night. They leave, and pass Kate Kane in the lobby, as she stares at a picture on the wall. We are shown that this is Renee Montoya, and then Sawyer and Kane begin to flirt just in case you forgot that the three women mentioned in this comic so far are all lesbians. Kate goes home and trains with her niece/cousin Bette Kane, formerly known as Flamebird. The two argue over whether or Not the girl is ready to be a hero and go out on patrol. We then cut to the Offices of the DEO where Director Bones (I actually love this character) is sitting with Agent Chase and gives her the orders to bring in Batwoman- we are not given a reason why... just that she needs to be brought in. Cutting back to Gotham, the bodies of 7 kids have been dragged from the lake, and Comm. Gordon and Sawyer share concerns about this, but neither character seems have any depth here. Back at the Kane apartment the two heroes are arguing over Bette's role and the fact that she needs more training when Kate's father arrives, and she just berates him for the events of her run in Detective Comics (not explained well- apparently some required reading for the new people). He is then kicked out by Kate. Cut to Kate and the lake/river scene when Batman arrives and says he has a proposition.

Verdict: A-. I don't think its as solid storywise as it should be but the art makes up for it. I will definitely keep reading but for me its just like that girl who sits near you and is amazingly attractive, but once you get to know her/she starts talking, you realize there really isn't anything exciting about her, but you are perfectly fine with that.

Deathstroke

"I wanna be the very best. Like no one ever was. To catch them is my real test. To (kill) them is my cause..." Not gonna lie... this entire book is just balls to the wall action, with Deathstroke "Ash Ketchum-ing" all over the place. The first panel tells you that Deathstroke is a "super badass" and panel two lets you know that he will cut off your dick at a moment's notice. You want to know how to introduce your character as a guy not to be messed with? Those two panels. By the end of page three, he has murdered 11 people with an extra bigass sword, I'm pretty sure he got from a Final Fantasy game. We cut to Slade Wilson meeting with an associate, Kristoph, who has a job for him, but because the circumstances, he's going to have to work with some up and coming assassins. Slade is beyond pissed and shows it by throwing a paperclip so hard, it cuts a fly in half and cuts the shoulder of Kristoph's suit. Cut to three teenagers who are bickering with one another and waiting for the fourth member of the team (which has two really stupid names that are argued over throughout the mission- Alpha Dawgz or Harm Armory), who they call Lovetap. It comes as no surprise that this is Slade, and he, like the reader, hates them from the start. Kristoph gets them up to speed on the target; a German scientist who cannot be taken while on the ground for political reasons, so they will have to kill him in the air. Slade makes a plan, and away we go. Upon hijacking the plane, Slade finds that there's more than just weapons on the plane- there's some biological weapons as well. Apparently, this guy is being guarded by soldiers with Clayface DNA which makes them really hard to kill, but not impossible, as Slade shows us. As he prepares to reboard his plane, he blows up the scientist, takes the suitcase he came for, then jumps, reflecting on how "not bad" these assassins were. Back home Kristoph and the team are celebrating the mission when Slade comes in. He says that they proved to be good at this, and that makes them competition, and he doesn't want or need any. So the three teens are killed and he beats the crap out of Kristoph and shows him the contents of the briefcase which apparently horrifies the man. Slade hits him again and tells him to clean up, and then walks out.
Verdict: B+. It's highly predictable, but if you want a book that puts action first and anything else second, then this is the book for you. Its also a great pickup read. Good news as well- the costume on the cover looks nothing like what's inside the issue which was a real saving grace. The costume shown above is awful.

Demon Knights

So this comic suffers a bit from time travel fatigue where we don't necessarily jump back and forth, but there is a clear change in time, and there are those who are from other times. We open on the last night of Camelot which I will assume is 1200's AD, where Lancelot has been tasked with returning Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake, and he does what he needs to, as some women in a boat go past him. One of the women, revealed as Madame Xanadu doesn't want to see the sword lost again so she dives after it, only be hit with some sort of magic. Cutting over to the castle, Merlin has bound the demon Etrigan but when the castle falls, the demon will be free, so he sends for a knight to come and when Jason of Norwich arrives, his soul is bound to the demon's. Jumping 400 years in the future to the 1600's we see that Jason and Xanadu are now travelling partners, who are teaming with a friar of some sort to find their way. Meanwhile, a man is bringing a baby in front of a king and queen, claiming that they asked for the youngest child in the village and that was his son. The king, revealed to be Mordru (though he looks and has powers similar to Shang Tsung), takes the child and upon touching it, it turns into a demon, tells him that his path is correct and where he needs to go, and then the baby explodes. Its pretty insane and the man is in tears as he is drug off by guards. Cutting back to our travellers, we see that the two are more than just partners, as they flirt back and forth with one another, as they pass through a small village. They hear shouting and they see a big brutish man with an axe pounding on the doors to a bar, demanding service. This man is revealed to be Vandal Savage, who apparently the two travellers run into at least once every few decades. The three all drink together and discuss things. Vandal points out that he was jealous that they were present at the fall of Camelot, though while he has no ethics, he likes to see them in other people. They are interrupted by what appears to be a woman in golden armor, who says her name is Sir Ystin, the Shining Knight. Vandal points out the obvious, and that his nethers say that Sir Ystin is not a man. Commotion at the bar cathes their attention as a man with fancy gold named Al Jabr is being denied service. This upsets another patron who is identified as Exoristos, and she is apparently a huge strong woman who hails from an island where men are castrated for fun. Before any end to this issue can arrive, a horde of enemies, at the command of the Questing Queen, is coming to take the town over. Our six strangers begin to fight, and Jason changes to Etrigan, which comes as no surprise. What does however come as a shock is that the first thing Etrigan does is just make out with Xanadu and they discuss their sex life for a good four panels. Clearly, Jason and Etrigan are unaware of what the other does with the body. So as everyone is fighting, we find that Mordru and the queen are angered by the resistance. So she suggests they do what they always do when faced with a problem. Figure out where it is...
Which is an obvious solution to every problem of course.

Verdict: B+. This is the kind of book I'm glad the relaunch brought us because things liek this would never have gotten the press they needed to, and this is just a fun book. I would however like a little more info on half of the characters, and I know a new reader would like to have that as well. And Vandal as a good guy is a great concept, and one I hope we get to see more of. But my biggest complaint is that the rhyming is gone. With the exception of the change of forms, there was not a single rhyme.

Frankenstein, Agent of SHADE

I loved Frank's miniseries during Flashpoint, and man, does this thing not disappoint. There is so much stuff in this comic and it all just works beautifully. There was so much speculation as to the identity of Japanese schoolgirl assassin on the cover and the reveal... well, its something. We open on a lake in Washingtom where a grandfather and his grandson are doing some fishing, when their dog gets scared and runs off intot he woods. There is a bad howl and yelp and the skinned body of the dog is thrown back, just as a huge shadow covers the two people. These creatures are beyond disgusting and they remind me a lot of the beasts from Animal Man's dream. We then cut to a scene of Manhatten with a tiny silver ball floating around it, while we get computer generated narraration. This ball is call the ANT FARM- a 3 inch indestructable ball that acts as the headquarters for SHADE, and it is only accessible by teleportation and shrinking, thanks to the technology of Dr. Ray Palmer. We see Frank teleport in and is filled in by the liason Dr. Belroy. The facility is managed by robots that live for 24 hours then decompose and become fuel for the Ant Farm. Frank finds this disconcerting, as the birth and death of artificial life is something that is very dear to him, but he drops his argument when he sees what has become of his father...

Huh... well, that happened. Moving on. Frank quotes Milton as a way of defining his feelings and Palmer interjects that he has always been more of a Keats man himself. Getting to the mission at hand, Frank wants to know what happened to his wife, who apparently is the best SHADE agent of all time. Apparently, the entire town has been overrun with monsters and the Bride has disappeared of the radar, so Frank has been tasked with getting in there, killing the monsters, and getting his wife out, in six hours or the entire town will get nuked. Cutting right to the action, Frank wants to jump right into the action, but Father makes him wait for his new field team: The Creature Commandos- Amphibian Nina Mazursky, Werewolf Warren Griffith, Vampire Vincent Velcoro- augmented with Man Bat serum, and Khalis, a mummy and a medic. Frank is shocked that his father is messing with science and creatures again, but the little girl cannot get over how awesome her creations are- and honestly, neither can I. Father makes a comment that maybe if Frank was willign to try new things once in a while, his wife would still love him, which as barbs from a little girl go, that one stings pretty bad. This gets insanely gritty as the creatures go on a full attack to kill the monsters and its a well earned action sequence. The characters are defined quickly: Griff is a loyal soldier, Velcoro whines and is extremely brutal, Nina is way too scientific, and Khalis is just mysterious. The mummy senses life nearby and he and Frank go into a church to find some survivors. They eventually find a tomb that contains an old woman with a cross protecting tons of kids. The end.

Verdict: A-. This is a great book, and maybe its too much greatness for the space it had because the ending is really cheap in my opinion. I am not a fan of this ending. Its a lot like OMAC, where we are being swept up in an adventure from the get go. And there is something insane or new every three pages: Living in a snowglobe with the Atom, Father is a thinly veiled Hit Girl, The Bride of Frankenstein is a four armed superspy, The Creature Commandos are back, with Velcoro using Man Bat serum he modified so he wouldn't suck like everything else with Man Bat. I especially love the characterization of Frankenstein as a guy who wants to help people, but has no patience for anyone's bullshit. The kind of guy that if you cry for more than 5 seconds, he will shoot you in the face with an angelic shotgun, because that is how this protagonist rolls.

Green Lantern

So, Green Lantern basically is the least changed as far as continuity goes in the new universe. This picks up exactly where War of the Green Lanterns ended last month: With Sinestro and his impossible to destroy or remove ring which he got from Hal Jordan when he was banished from Oa for killing a crazy and evil Guardian (Don't get me started on the bureaucratic bullshit with those little blue people. So, the Guardians, who cannot get rid of the ring, and will not kill a Green Lantern, just set the guy free and tell him to do his job and protect his sector. Sinestro is just as WTF as every reader, but whatever, this is standard Guardian crap. Ganthet speaks up that although he is no longer a Guardian, he thinks this is a pretty screwed up idea, and all the Guardians jump him- end of scene. On Earth, Hal is hanging out with Carol at his apartment, when he sees a guy from across the way threatenign and hurting a woman. Hal goes hero and jumps across the 7th floor balcony and crashes into the neighboring window and starts beating the guy. He did not notice the camera or film crew behind him, as he is an idiot who didn't realize there was a movie being filmed. He subsequently arrested and Carol has to bail him out. Meanwhile, Sinestro is watching out for his sector, by spying on his homeworld of Korugar, with giant green binoculars. He sees taht his former subjects, the Sinestro Corps have taken over the world and are ruling it with as much brutality as could be expected from that group. One of them spots Sinestro and goes to kill the spying Green Lantern, then hugs Sinestro as his leader, then believes that Sinestro is a traitor, and then gets his head blown off because Sinestro is just that kind of guy. Cut to Hal and Carol out together on a date, and discussing how now that this ring stuff is behidn them, they can finally be a couple. Hal agrees and says he needs to ask her a question. She is elated that he's finally going to pop the question. However, his question is about her cosigning on a car for him since he hasn't driven in over 5 years. She flips out, slaps him, and takes off, leaving him to walk to his apartment. Opening the door, he finds Sinestro waiting for him with a proposition...

Verdict: B-. Its a decent start to the series but I would have expected a lot more from Geoff Johns here. The book would have been great for first time readers, with a little backstory, and they would be set. But for a continuous reader, this issue felt like it was just spoonfeeding a lot of info that we already knew. This feels more like an "in between" issue than an opener.

Grifter

I have never read a Wildstorm book in my life, and this doesn't push me in any direction towards picking up the series. Its basically Sawyer from Lost, as a gun wielding "hero" who is being hunted by his soldier brother after he kills a people who were possessed by demons/ghosts/blue energy creatures. But of course, only he can see the creatures so... its a lot like They Live except without all the Roddy Piper awesomeness. Anyway, there's this whole mystery of where Grifter keeps losing time- 17 minutes, 17 hours, and 17 days. I mentioned before that time travel writing could be tricky. This is a prime example. This thing is just a mess. The comic ends with him sitting in a graveyard and putting on the red mask for no reason whatsoever.

Verdict: D+. Like I said, this thing is just confusing, and there's not much that would draw in new readers. The only saving grace is the wonderful art. I think this is going with Men of War where I'm going to read it next week, but for now, consider it DROPPED.

Legion Lost

This was without a doubt the least friendly for new readers. This requires a lot of knowledge from the reader about the Legion of Superheroes, and their villains, and we get zilch as far as explanation. Seven characters wind up going to the past to retrieve some guy with a deadly virus in him that turns him into a monster, and he hates humans. So, the 7 Legionaires argue and argue and argue over and over and over about what to do instead of actually doing anything productive. They finally catch their guy but he tries to escape and blows their time bubble up, and then two of their own (Chameleon Girl and Teleport Bug?) along with the criminal disappear, while the other 5 are trapped on some world.

Verdict: D-. This thing felt rushed beyond all comprehension. This is terrible art, terrible writing, terrible characterizations. I commented that Green lantern felt like there was a lot of handholding for a character in explaining it to new readers, when all we needed was a page. This book has no explanation for anything, and Legion is a series taht requires a 26 volume encyclopedia to understand. I think this book was to serve to those afraid the new 52 would be bad and this is a taste of the way things were... but if that's the case, I want this new universe. This book is without a doubt, DROPPED.

Mister Terrific

I'm pretty sure this book was doomed from the getgo, but I actually didn't hate it. This guy has never ahd a story to himself, much less a whole title. I think I said this once before that this is one of those Affirmative Action titles, like Static, or Blue Beetle, but those guys have a huge fanbase. This guy has zilch. He had a nice moment in OMAC Project years ago, and he's been a minor support character in JSA for years. There's just not a reason to care. Anyway, we open on our hero, Michael Holt, fighting an enemy in London and he's using science to beat the guy and save lives. Its pretty boring, but the comic clearly is trying to pander to me:

After some people are saved, we get a nice awkward moment where Holt explains himself.

Not too bad. Randomly, we cut to a guy that goes from being a regular guy to an insane asshole for no real reason, and then he walks off being a prick to everyone. Despite this random bit, I like Wallace's writing style so far, and he actually manages to get an origin that's not whacked out or in connection to the original Mr. Terrific or the Spectre. He was a brilliant scientist and athlete whose pregnant wife died in a car accident, and although he tried to kill himself, his son from the future showed up and told him to keep trying, so now we have a superhero who fights crime with science. Its not a terrible origin, but who is he explaining his origin to? Its not the reader...

Whoa... whoa, whoa, whoa...that is Power Girl (or Karen Starr as she is known outside the costume). And they are clearly "friends with benefits"- a fact that gets drilled to death later in the issue, as does the ebony and ivory of it all. The two go to some charity function for Holt where he is meeting with a senator to discuss education reform, and of course, some black woman shows up and berates PG for, what I can only assume, "being a cracker." PG just shrugs this crap off with a "we're just friends, whether I want that or not" line, and then there is some class commentary that's beyond predictable and heavy handed for a comic like this. So already we have a love triangle between a suicidal brilliant African American superhero, a random African American woman that works for Holt and adores him, and the white, well "built" Kryptonian cousin that is the cause of 95% of all comic realted wet dreams. I guess I can't blame the guy. Anyway, for no real reason, Holt gets possessed by this asshole problem/disease and turns into a murderous prick towards the senator. End of story.

Verdict: C+. There's a lot of stuff that's light and a lot that's way beyond heavy handed with this book, but I think after a couple issues it will find its footing. I think this was a pleasant surprise and it will get at least another week from me, so we shall see what happens.

Red Lanterns

As much as I love these guys, the Red Lantern's are supporting characters at best. They show up, vomit blood everywhere, and then be on their way. They, like so many characters with boosk this week, do not need their own series. That being said, I would pay money for a monthly series starring this guy:
Dex-Starr is the coolest animal character ever, and I request that we get a series about the Legion of Super Pets. It would be 1000x better than Legion Lost, at least. So anyway, there are some intergalactic bad guys who are doing some bad stuff that isn't really specified, and Dex-Starr shows up to kick some ass. He kills half of the crew, and gets taken out by an electrified leash... as all animals do. Cue this scene:

It comes as no surprise that he kills all of the guys and then takes Dex-Starr back to Ysmault and feeds him, then puts him down for a nap. I can't lie this is the dumbest thing for the "Master of all Rage" to be doign with his time, and the other Red lanterns know it too, and are now ceding control of the group from him. Atrocitis gets pissy and storms off to see the dead body of Krona the rogue guardian, who he had dibs on killing but was preoccupied somewhere as Hal Jordan killed the little blue creep. So, Atrocitis decides taht he and his group will go out and avenge evils and kill the guilty, but he's also afraid that his team won't follow him since his whole plan to get justice for his own people's slaughter has been hijacked every step of the way.
Verdict: C+. Its an interesting series, but its about a bunch of one dimensional characters, a guy who, liek Sinestro has an evil name and deserves no depth, but is getting it anyway, and a cat that everyone fell in love with and thought was a pretty funning thing until his origin was shown to involve rape, murder, and some serious animal cruelty. And I can say that this is without a doubt the best art I've seen from Ed Benes, but since its Ed Benes its still pretty horrible and nothing looks like its real life counterparts- see the cat above.

Resurection Man

Not gonna lie, of all the comics I read this week, I was looking forward to this one the least. Not really sure why. Its a decent issue about a character that only shows up for events and important moments, and I guess I was lost on why he would get his own series. Dying and coming back with new powers is kind of a cool thing, but you still have to die for that to happen. Mitch wakes up with magnet powers, and from there, he's just chased by this angel spirit/shapeshifter thing that says its time for him to stop dying, and for him to die for real. Its just a dumb concept to start with and I wasn't fan of this circular comic. Tacking on the Body Doubles at the end was an ok twist, but they seem like they are a pair of Harley Quinns, and not respectable assassins.

Verdict: C-. I cant say too much good or bad about this thing. It was readable. I wouldn't reccomend it it, but I wouldn't stop someone from getting this thing either. So, I guess, consider this on probation. Another bad week and it will be DROPPED.

Suicide Squad

This was the absolute worst thing my eyes have taken in a very long time. Everything was wrong on levels I can't even begin to describe. Harley was all wrong (now a murderer trying to get the Joker's attention), Deadshot lost his signature mustache, King Shark doesn't really talk much, and Amanda Waller is no longer a wall, but a rail. The most prominint black female in all of comics used to be 5 feet of 300lb. aggression, strength, and intimidation. Now she looks like every other 36-24-36 woman in comics. Anyway, what we have is 19 pages of these characters being tortured while we get flashbacks that make no sense. You'd think with her center placement on the cover, that Harley is the main character, and while she gets a little more screentime for cheesecake reasons, its not really true. Harley is character who has nearly 20 years appearing in TWO forms: Dr. Harleen Quinzell, renound psychologist; and Harley Quinn who is dressed in a full leotard jester costume and black and white makeup. What we have here is just a sadsack that dances with corpses so that the Joker will care about her, until, of course, she is taken into custody by Black Canary's ass.

We get to see a nice action shot of the team walking through the snow to where they are now being tortured. It is however, unintentionally hilarious.

Its nice to see that Harley and her booty shorts and corset are perfectly fine to traipse through the icy tundra, but at least she's got a bomber jacket to keep warm. Just like they did for everyone. Even the guy who is LITERALLY ON FIRE. Anyway, there is a twist in the book that gives us an twist ending that was ripped from V for Vendetta, but that book actually earned that ending. This book? Not even close. So the surviving members of the team go on their first mission which we will see next time.

Verdict: F+. Now you know I don't give F's out unless I absolutely have to. This is beyond well deserved. The one good thing is that the art is actually really solid, and seeing how much Glass enjoys gore and violence for the sake of it, the idea that all of these characters with crappy redesigns will be killed and replaced with the more familar characters. Which is why, that despite this being the most awful thing this week, I will be sticking with the series for one more issue, just to see how it goes. So, probation period is a go.

Superboy

Finally, we reach the last issue of the week and its not so bad. The problem is that this thing is laced with continuity issues. Writers have promised that most of Teen Titans is keeping with continuity, but if this Superboy is in that title, I can't imagine how that is possible. We have a clone using the DNA of both Superman and Lex Luthor so we are starting with his moral issues as he runs through all these fake hologram rehearsals for how the NOWHERE group can best use the hero. Heading this group is Dr. Fairchild, who will no doubt become her Gen13 form very soon, and the liason to the Superboy is Rose Wilson, equipped with both eyes, so we will have to see how all of this plays out. Its a pretty good introduction, but as of right now, it reads like We3 with a superpowered teenager.

Verdict: C+. It wasnt bad or good.. it just kinda existed. Its throwing a lot of the stuff we love about Superboy- the life in Kansas, the growth in a lab, the "My Two Dads" issue with Luthor and Superman, and the fragile mental state- and throwing together some Fairchild and Ravager makes for a decent comic... it jsut wasn't really for me. If the inclusion of those two characters is the best part of a Superboy comic, then that tells you something. I'll give it a couple more issues before I make a drop decision, so I guess its on probation.

So, that's one half of all the new DC titles, and I really think there is just as much good here as bad. Let's see how the second half turns out. I've read 26 books so far and next month I will be reading/reviewing at least 20 of those, which is a good thing.

Batman and Robin #25

Judd Winnick, Greg Tocchini, and Andy Smith
"Streets Run Red: Boys' Night Out:" Picked as the second Robin, Jason Todd was universally hated by fans for being brash and in a vote, the fans decided that he should die, and a crowbar wielding Joker and explosion later, he was dead. Jump 15 years, Jason comes back by... you know what... no one knows.. he just came back. But he was also batshit insane. Taking the identity of the Red Hood, Jason took to the streets to deliver brutal justice to criminals. Constantly wavering between good and evil, Jason was finally captured and imprisoned by Batman (Dick Grayson) and Robin (Damien Wayne) after killing a gang boss with the help of his partner Scarlet, a disfigured girl. After nearly being killed in prison, Jason is busted out in an attempt to lure him to a new figure who has kidnapped his partner Scarlett. Donning the Red Hood costume again, Jason is joined by Batman and Robin in rescuing the girl.


Summary: That is a kickass cover, no question... but onto the good stuff. I like interaction with Jason and any member of the Bat family, but I love his interaction with Dick. They are basically two brothers, one who was given every chance in the world, and the other never had a chance; one could do no worong while the other could do no right. Anyway, Jason chastises Dick for adding air fresheners to the Batplane, going on about how Bruce would never have allowed for this and how Dick is just the nice Batman. Damien eloquently tells him to shut up, and Jason responds about how Robins are supposed to be the lighter side of the relationship: "But maybe puberty will loosen you up. Those feelings for girls will let your mind wander... assuming you live that long." Dick tells Jason to stop acting like a tool, and Jason relaxes, just happy to hear Batman call someone a "tool." This doesn't last long as he shoots the roof of the aircraft and jumps out, parachuting down to Scarlet's location: Thomas Wayne Middle School. The female kidnapper comes out and asks him to strip down to show he's not packing any weapons. They however do not pick up on the Bat-tracer he swallowed, as Batman and Robin land behind him and try and save the girl. She is grapped and taken off, and when Jason attempts to kill the kidnappers, Dick won't let him. As the two argue of the morality of killing, Damien goes after the girl and saves her, but Jason punches him, and grabs her and runs off to his own hidden aircraft. The Dynamic Duo give chase, but Jason blows up a traintrack, where he had planted explosives before heading to prison, just in case he needed a way out sometime. With Batman and Robin changing course to save the people, Jason and Scarlet fly off into the night together. Oh that Jason... kinda reminds me another white-streaked redhead who always has a plan:

Highs: Just the opening here has made me want to a blog dedicated to the relationship between these three characters and how they function. All three seem to be getting a major role in different comics so I can only hope that we see some more of this stuff.
Lows: Its not really a great story... pretty uneventful and not surprising in the least. The art is great in places and awful in others.
Verdict: B+. I've said it before that great dialogue can save a bad story and I think that's what we have here. Its a tired concept that still keeps its head above water because Jason Todd serves as a force of chaos, and in a lot of ways, he serves as a "Joker" to Dick. The one that's always going to be his opposite. So, that does it for Dick Grayson this week, but Jason will be appearing shortly in his new Flashpoint role. Take us out, Li'l Red Hood, Master Christmas Thief...

Batman and Robin #24

Judd Winick and Greg Tocchini

"The Streets Run Red, Part 2:" Oh, Jason Todd. Where to begin... Picked as the second Robin, Jason was universally hated by fans for being brash and in a vote, the fans decided that he should die, and a crowbar wielding Joker and explosion later, he was dead. Jump 15 years, Jason comes back by... you know what... no one knows.. he just came back. But he was also batshit insane. Taking the identity of the red Hood, Jason took to the streets to deliver brutal justice to criminals. Constantly wavering between good and evil, Jason was finally captured and imprisoned by Batman (Dick Grayson) and Robin (Damien Wayne) after killing a gang boss with the help of his partner Scarlet, a disfigured girl. After nearly being killed in prison, Jason is busted out by a group of animal mercenaries... yeah, I was confused too.
Summary: We open to Bruce and Jason in the Batcave on one of his first nights as Robin, where Bruce explains that its not about being fluid and staying calm, but taking control of any situation. Cut to present time, jason is being taken by the animals who assure him that he's safe which of course makes him go nuts and beat them all up. They then beat him down, saying that they are being paid to bring him in unharmed, but they don't mind beating him if necessary. Batman and Robin appear and take down the mercenaries with Jason. Jason's interaction with the two is really great and its a really defining moment for the character. Jason prepares to kill one of the mercenaries when he gets a phone call from the person who paid to release him. This mystery woman wants Jason to come, and if he doesn't, she will kill Scarlet. Batman and Robin grab Jason and get out of there, and prepare to go after Scarlet. Dick and Damien have a great moment together, reminding us how much it will suck when these two are no longer partners after the reboot. Jason gets his costume, which I personally love, and they head out to save the day.

High Points: Jason is a great character here and nobody seems to get Jason like Winnick, and it shows. Dick and Damien are also great.

Low Points: So my problem comes with the story. I don't care. I don't care about the animercs (shoulda come up with that earlier... its brilliant.) and I never cared for Scarlet.

Verdict: B+. Great characters in a story that is bland. Nothing new here really. But definitely worth a look, especially if you like Jason. Did you feel like the human/animals/mercenaries were properly represented here, Panda?