DCU Infinite Holiday Special #1

December 16, 2006

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: A Hector Hammond Christmas and other stories

Christmas in a Post-Crisis DC Universe!

Writers: Keith Champagne, Bill Willingham, Joe Kelly, Tony Bedard, Ian Boothby, Greg Rucka, Kelly Puckett
Pencils: John Byrne, Cory Walker, Ale Garza, Marcos Marz, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Christian Alamy, Pete Woods
Inks: Keith Champagne, Luciana Del Negro, Lorenzo Ruggiero
Colors: Nathan Eyring, Mike Atiyeh, J.J. Kirby, Rod Reis, Hi-Fi Design, Jason Wright, Brad Anderson
Letters: Travis Lanham, John Hill, Jared K. Fletcher, Phil Balsman
Editors: Peter Tomasi, Joey Cavalieri, Eddie Berganza, Mike Carlin, Joan Hilty
Cover Art: Howard Porter
Publisher: DC Comics

A few months ago, DC solicited this special as Infinite Christmas, showcasing several DC heroes in this new world that’s been built up. When it hit the stands on Wednesday, though, the title had mysteriously changed to Infinite Holiday. This is really unfortunate, and for two reasons. First, Infinite Christmas was a great play on words. Infinite Holiday makes no sense at all. Second, with the last-second, unannounced title change after being promoted for so long, it gives the book the air that someone whined and someone else buckled.

But on to the actual stories. We’ve got seven tales of the DC Universe, and they’re all pretty good. Keith Champagne and John Byrne kick things off with Green Lantern “A Hector Hammond Christmas.” Hal Jordan is summoned to the imprisoned telepath Hector Hammond, only to find that Hammond is out to try to steal some of Jordan’s memories again. Although the sordid little man usually plucks out Hal’s more intimate encounters, this time his agenda is different – he just wants a taste of the Christmases Hal enjoyed with his father. It’s a surprisingly sweet tale and it works very, very well.

Bill Willingham and Cory Woods showcase the Shadowpact in “Christmas Spirits.” As the members of Shadowpact enjoy Christmas at the Oblivion, a not-so-jolly figure in red appears. It’s Santa Claus, and he’s become the target for Anti-Christmas terrorists. Willingham has an absolutely hysterical twist in this story, the sort of thing you’re almost surprised he could get away with, but it’s such a great little left turn that anything else would have made the story seem rather trite.

In “All I Want For Christmas” by Joe Kelly and Ale Garza, Superman invites Supergirl to join him in his annual tradition of reading mail from people asking for his help. Supergirl finds a young girl who wants nothing more than to spend Christmas with her father, stationed in Iraq, and the girl of steel sets out to help. Even at Christmas, though, things aren’t always what they seem.

“Gift of the Magi” is the Trials of Shazam! tie-in. Tony Bedard features two of the gods that are testing Freddie Freeman as, at Christmas, they discuss his worthiness to take on the power of Shazam. The story is a nice little sidebar to the main storyline, and Marcos Marz, Luciano Del Negro and Rod Reis do a very good job of imitating the digitally painted style that Howard Porter has brought to the comic. “Father Christmas” by Ian Boothby and Giuseppe Camuncoli stars the Flash. As Bart Allen still tries to come to grips with taking on his grandfather’s mantle, Los Angeles is buried under a freak snowfall. Someone’s using the tricks of an old Flash foe, but the reasonings behind it may not be what you expect.

The new Batwoman stars in “Lights” by Greg Rucka and Christian Alamy. On Hanukkah, Kate Kane busts up a ring of Santa thieves who have a very special treasure in their possession. Honestly, this story really fell flat for me. The story relies very heavily on Kate’s relationships with two characters that we haven’t really met at all prior to this story. Batwoman herself is still a developing character – this story doesn’t work until we know more about her world and the characters she’s interacting with.

The special wraps up with Kelley Puckett and Pete Woods’s “Yes, Tyrone, There is a Santa Claus.” When a young boy writes a letter to the Daily Planet asking if there’s really a Santa Claus, Clark Kent decides to take matters into his own hands – until a friend advises him to rethink things. This is a really funny story, leading up to a hysterical final page that puts everything into the proper context.

Overall, this is a really good special, with each story (expect for the last one) shedding nice light on characters who have undergone major changes in the past year or two. As such, it’s a strong sampler of the DC Universe as a whole, and a good little dose of Christmas cheer.

Rating: 8/10

Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #3

December 18, 2010

Writer: Allan Heinberg
Pencils: Jim Cheung
Inks: Mark Morales with Jim Cheung
Colorist: Justin Ponsor
Letterer: Cory Petit
Cover: Jim Cheung & Justin Ponsor
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Publisher: Marvel Comics

The Young Avengers, along with Magneto and Quicksilver, are on a quest to discover the truth about the Scarlet Witch – where is she? What’s happened to her? And is she truly the mother of Wiccan and Speed? Last issue they thought they found Wanda, only to discover she was one of the robot replicas created by Dr. Doom, so the group sets out to confront the Lord of Latveria. Meanwhile, the senior Avengers seek the help of the former member with the most stake in this crisis – Wonder Man.

While Magneto and Quicksilver’s involvement in this storyline seems natural, Dr. Doom’s appearance surprised me. This has felt much like a family story, a generational story, and Doom isn’t really part of this extended family, but he’s woven into the story in a way that works and makes sense. As for Wonder Man, while I truly hate the antagonistic angle Brian Michael Bendis has placed on the character in the main Avengers title, the friction between him and the rest of the team in this issue feels much more organic and natural. They’re basically asking him to use his powers to betray someone he loves, and nobody would be happy in that situation.

Heinberg’s instinctive feel for these characters, even the ones he didn’t create, is unmatched. He knows them intimately and he uses them better than anybody I’ve ever seen. Jim Cheung’s artwork is as impressive as ever, with bold and dynamic panels and strong heroes. In fact, in a book of this nature, it’s pretty hard to nail down the villain.

The only thing I don’t like about this title is the bimonthly schedule. While I understand the necessity, dang it, I want more.

Rating: 9/10

Return of the Gremlins #2

May 9, 2008

Return of the Gremlins #2 (Dark Horse Comics)
By Mike Richardson, Dean Yeagle, Nelson Rhodes & Walt Kelly

Here’s a weird little comic. The Gremlins was a comic strip from the 40s created by Roald Dahl, developed by the Walt Disney company and drawn by the legendary Walt Kelly, a triumverate of imagination if ever there was one. The Gremlins were imps who — upset that their woods were destroyed for an RAF airfield — sabotaged the planes of British fighter pilots until one of them convinced them of the worthiness of their flight. After that, they turned their attention to helping the Brits and sabotaging the Germans. This miniseries picks up in the modern-day, when the grandson of their benefactor inherits the estate where they’ve been living. A developer wants the land, though, and the Gremlins’ home is threatened once again. Both the story and the art here are extremely “Disney-esque,” if you know what I mean. The plot is kind of stale — evil land developer wants the home of the mythical creatures, noble human comes to the rescue — but the characters are all likable and pleasant to read about. Dean Yeagle‘s artwork is one step below spectacular — it looks like he pulled it straight from a Disney cartoon. This little miniseries has been a whole lot of fun, and although I don’t necessarily expect any big surprises in the conclusion, one can always hope.
Rating: 9/10