Archive
Young Justice (2011 Series) #10
June 5, 2012
Title: Hot Case
Writer: Kevin Hopps, Greg Weisman
Pencils: Christopher A. Jones
Inks: Dan Davis
Letters: Dezi Sienty
Colors: Zac Atkinson
Cover Art: Christopher Jones & Carrie Strachan
Editor: Jim Chadwick
Publisher: DC Comics
Last issue, as the Young Justice kids got a little antsy with their lessons in espionage, Captain Atom decided to give them a practical assignment: prove the innocence of late Air Force officer Nathanial Adam, convicted of murder during the Vietnam era. This issue, the kids have tracked down some of the people involved in the case, only to find them being murdered one at a time. As they face a foe with a sword that can cut even Superboy, the team has to wonder just what they’ve stumbled into.
This has been a strong two-parter. It’s nice to see the team sent out on a different sort of case, a chance for Robin’s detective skills and Miss Martian’s stealth abilities to really come into play. The story is hurt slightly with familiarity – there’s a reveal at the end that isn’t a reveal at all if you’re familiar with the characters in the comic books, and probably isn’t that big a shock even if you have no idea who Captain Atom is and never read a story with him in it before. Building it like a mystery feels a little anti-climactic.
Christopher Jones does a good job of keeping the characters on-model with the TV show while, at the same time, providing strong, dynamic pages that hold up compared to any other superhero comic on the market. This book exists in-between episodes of the cartoon show, but the creators have done a good job of telling original stories that explore the characters without feeling like they’re just marking time until the next episode begins.
Rating: 8/10
Earth 2 #1
May 6, 2012, 2012
Title: The Price of Victory
On Earth 2, a different trinity of heroes fights… but what happens if they fall?
Writer: James Robinson
Pencils: Nicola Scott
Inks: Trevor Scott
Colors: Alex Sinclair
Letters: Dezi Sienty
Cover Art: Ivan Reis, Joe Prado & Rod Reis
Editor: Pat McCallum
Publisher: DC Comics
The Multiverse is back with this new title, the first book set in a world outside of the universe of the New 52. Five years ago, the Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman of another universe fought fiercely to save their world from an invasion by Steppenwolf and his Parademons. The world survived, but at an incredible price.
This issue is a lot of set-up, but it’s the most action-packed set-up you could possibly ask for. It’s clear that the classic DC trinity, although they’re in center stage here, will not be the stars of this title. Their appearance, in fact, is mostly here to set up the return of some other classic characters, albeit in new forms. It works nicely for that. This is the sort of all-out war you probably couldn’t get away with on “New Earth” (or whatever they’re calling the universe of the New 52 these days). Plenty of devastation, plenty of death, too much to deal with in 50 or so titles linked together in a single, current continuity. But as this book takes place on an alternate universe, and there are no other books set there (Worlds’ Finest is a spin-off, but that’s not quite the same thing) James Robinson could theoretically have a pretty free hand to go nuts, make major changes, and drastically alter the world as the story dictates. He’s done it before, but in things like The Golden Age. I’m really looking forward to seeing what he does with a book like this on an ongoing basis.
I’ve been a fan of Nicola Scott for some time now, but with Trevor Scott and Alex Sinclair joining her on the art for this book, we’re seeing some of the greatest work she’s ever done. The battle scenes here are incredible, and she gives us depictions of DC’s three biggest guns that look very familiar, but just different enough that we accept them as alternate versions of the characters.
This first issue was great, even if it felt more like a “zero” issue. It doesn’t really matter that much what the number is, though. It’s a fine way to start, and I can’t wait to see where this newer universe is going to take us.
Rating: 9/10
DC Retroactive: The Flash-The 70s #1
August 2, 2011
Title: Son of Grodd
Writer: Cary Bates
Pencils: Benito Gallego
Inks: Sal Buscema
Colorist: Kevin Golden
Letterer: Dezi Sienty
Cover Artist: Benito Gallego & Sal Buscema
Editor: Kwanza Johnson
Publisher: DC Comics
Of the various Retroactive one-shots DC has released, Cary Bates seems to be the one who’s done the most with the concept. While this isn’t as good as his Justice League of America special, it’s a step up from many of the other Retroactive titles. Gorilla Grodd’s latest plan involves the genetic creation of a son, as well as the need for a human female to be the child’s mother. Using his vast mental powers in the hopes of both defeating and humiliating the Flash, he chooses Barry Allen’s wife, Iris. The story slowly builds from here, ultimately reaching a point of almost Shakespearian tragedy. The Son of Grodd becomes a character to be pitied in some ways, while still being incredibly dangerous. Bates and Gallego do a nice job of emulating the comics of the time period, while at the same time tackling some of the subjects in a way that’s a bit more adult than you would have expected at the time.
Like all the Retroactive specials, this one has a back-up from the time period in question, but it’s a very odd choice…
Title: Race to the End of Time (From DC Comics Presents #2)
Writer: Martin Pasko
Art: Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez with Dan Adkins
Colorist: Jerry Serpe
Letterer: Clem Robins
Editor: Julius Schwartz
In case you didn’t know, back in the day DC Comics Presents was the Superman team-up title, pairing the Man of Steel with a different hero (or even, on occasion, villain) each issue. In this tale, Superman and the Flash wind up in a race to the future, both of them being used as pawns on the opposite side of an alien war, even as the Flash’s old foe Professor Zoom (the Reverse-Flash) throws his own monkey wrenches into the fray. The story is fine, but its inclusion in this issue is simply baffling. The other Retroactive specials have chosen back-up stories by the same writer as the original, or having similar themes or villains, but this seems to be an utterly random choice. And of all the Flash tales of the era, why go with his team-up in Superman’s book? It’s just strange to me. Not bad, but strange.
Rating: 7/10
DC Retroactive: Wonder Woman-The 70s #1
August 1, 2011
Title: Savage Ritual
Writer: Dennis O’Neil
Art: J. Bone & Dick Giordano
Colorist: Kevin Golden
Letterer: Dezi Sienty
Cover Artist: J. Bone, Carrie Strachan
Editor: Kwanza Johnson
Publisher: DC Comics
Wonder Woman’s first foray into the Retroactive series is this unfulfilling offering from Dennis O’Neil. As Wonder Woman returns to Paradise Island, she finds it sinking beneath the ocean. Diana is swept up by an extraterrestrial intelligence who has established a series of trials for her to atone for the time she “devalued” herself, and our now-powerless Wonder Woman finds herself in battle with Joan of Arc and Goliath. And if that sounds strange and convoluted, that’s because it is. Rather than a celebration of Wonder Woman in the 70s, the book feels more like an indictment of the time period. The ending doesn’t even really make sense, with the alien bailing after two trials, leaving the third dangling. (This would be acceptable in an ongoing series, even a mini-series, but not in a one-shot that has little to no chance to being followed up in the future). Although the story is confusing, J. Bone’s artwork is considerably better. His style works well with the old-school Wonder Woman, especially in her mod outfit from the time period. It’s a cool looking issue, even if the story is a mess.
We also get a back-up story from the time when Wonder Woman had renounced her powers and heritage, which is what the first story seems angry about. Also written by O’Neil, this story is drawn by Dick Giordano. This time Wonder Woman and her blind mentor, I-Ching, are sent on a quest to find a kidnapped friend. Somehow, along the way, Diana winds up searching for a magic gem and throwing down with Catwoman. If this is indicative of the stories of the time period, I can’t necessarily say that poking holes in the era is unwarranted. Giordano was a great artist, but his work couldn’t really make me feel this weak story that doesn’t feel like Wonder Woman at all.
Rating: 5/10
Looney Tunes (1994 Series) #200
July 13, 2011
Title: Hole in Wonderful; Soccer Blocker; Tee For Two
Writers: Bill Manthey, Sam Agro
Pencils: Walter Carzon, David Alvarez, Pablo Zamboni
Inks: Horacio Ottolini, Mike DeCarlo
Colorist: Heroic Age, David Tanguay
Letterer: Dezi Sienty, Ryan Cline, Mike Sellers
Cover: Scott Gross
Editors: Chynna Clugston-Flores, Joan Hilty, Rachel Gluckstern
Publisher: DC Comics/Johnny DC
As much as I love the classic Looney Tunes characters, I don’t often buy the comic book. Their particular brand of insanity is really difficult to capture in comic book form, so I only get it when I have a specific reason to. Issue #200 of the current series, I thought, would be a good reason. Unfortunately, while the comics I got was perfectly acceptable as an issue of Looney Tunes, it wasn’t really anything special enough to mark such an anniversary.
Instead, we got what appears to be an all-sports issue, beginning with “Hole in Wonderful.” Here, we see Bugs Bunny wrapped up in a golf match with his Scottish nemesis, McTavish. Although the Scots invented golf, they didn’t have to deal with Bugs. His idea of miniature golf includes the use of pool bumpers, baseball pitching machines, and drag racers, leaving poor McTavish worn to the nub.
In “Soccer Blocker,” a group of Bugs’ more monstrous foes – including Witch Hazel and Gossamer – lure him into a trap with the promise of an international soccer festival. From here, things are predictable enough – Bugs winds up playing his part to the hilt, pitting the villains against one another while he waltzes to victory. This is probably the strongest story in the book, and the one that most completely captures the feeling of the cartoons. It’s always fun to see Bugs outwitting his foes, especially when he gets to use goofy disguises and maximum frustration.
The book returns to golf in the final story, “Tee For Two.” This time out, it’s Foghorn Leghorn who gets the spotlight. Foghorn has constructed his own backyard golf course, but when he tees off, he finds himself caught in one trap after another (and these traps are more of the “booby” variety, not the expected water traps.) This one isn’t bad – it plays with the old Foghorn Leghorn formula, but not in a way that’s disrespectful or untrue to the character.
If I was picking up this comic because I wanted sports-themed cartoons, I’d be very happy. I just wish they’d done a little more to mark 200 issues. Heck, come September, this will be DC’s second longest-running comic, after Hellblazer. You’d think that would be worth something.
Rating: 7/10
Flashpoint: Kid Flash Lost #1
June 23, 2011
Title: Kid Flash Lost Part One
Writer: Sterling Gates
Pencils: Oliver Nome
Inks: Trevor Scott
Colorist: Brian Buccellato
Letterer: Dezi Sienty
Cover: Francis Manapul
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Publisher: DC Comics
With the timeline of the DC Universe irrevocably altered, Kid Flash (himself a time anomaly) wakes up in a 31st century far different from the one in which he was born. He and Hot Pursuit – and not the same Hot Pursuit he met in the 21st century – are cut off from the Speed Force, fleeing the conquering forces of Brainiac, and in danger of having their own timelines changed irrevocably.
This is one of the better Flashpoint miniseries to date. Bart Allen is an exciting character to begin with, but this issue really puts him in a tough spot. He’s cut off from his friends, from his powers, from everything. This incarnation of Hot Pursuit raises a lot of questions as well, and the danger that they face together could serve to bond them in interesting ways. It makes you wonder if this Hot Pursuit, as opposed to the other one, will find a place in the new DC Universe come September.
Oliver Nome is a good artist, and I particularly like his version of Hot Pursuit. The devastated landscape of the 31st century looks good too, and even raises questions about how the dots can be connected from the present-day Flashpoint world to the world Bart is trapped in. Having Francis Manapul on covers is a treat any way you slice it. It’s a strong issue that looks at the crossover from a totally different angle than any of the other tie-ins.
Rating: 8/10
The Back Issue Bin 