Action Comics (1938 Series) #775

June 12, 2012

Title: What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way?

Writer: Joe Kelly
Pencils: Doug Mahnke & Lee Bermejo
Inks: Tom Nguyen, Dexter Vines, Jim Royal, Jose Marzan, Wade Von Grawbadger, Wayne Faucher
Letters: Comicraft
Colors: Rob Schwager
Cover Art: Tim Bradstreet
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Publisher: DC Comics

With the new DC animated film Superman Vs. the Elite coming out today, I thought I would go back and reread the comic book that inspired it. This 2001 story by Joe Kelly was one that I remembered really enjoying when it was first released. Now, over ten years later, does it still hold up?

Hell, it’s more relevant than ever.

In “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way?” Superman is shocked when a new group of metahumans arrives on the scene. The Elite, led by Manchester Black, is a quartet of extremely powerful individuals who hand out their own form of brutal, murderous justice to criminals, often with no concern about civilian casualties or collateral damage. Public opinion of the group, remarkably, begins to rise, and Superman is suddenly faced with the question of his own relevancy.

This book was written as a response of sort to the growing popularity of comics like Wildstorm’s The Authority, itself a book initially conceived as the Justice League taken to brutal extremes. Then, like now, people questioned whether Superman could fit or belong in a darker, harder world. The thing that Joe Kelly did so perfectly in 38 short pages was show just why it was vital that a character like Superman refuse to cross the line the Elite trod upon. The final sequence of the story, the showdown between Superman and the Elite, is one of the hardest, most gut-wrenching sequences I’ve ever seen in a DC Universe comic book, but it isn’t gratuitous or shallow. It makes the point, it reminds us who Superman really is and why he’s important, and why characters like Black and the Elite are, ultimately, taking the easy way out.

The artwork here isn’t bad, with two strong pencillers and a tag team of talented inkers, but it does lack a bit of consistency, shunting from one style to another with more frequency than one would want. It tells the story well, though, and that story is strong enough that any glitches moving from one art style to the next can be easily forgiven.

If you’ve never read this comic before, it is currently available from the Comixology store (and if you’re reading this review on the date it’s published, it’s currently part of a 99-cent Superman Vs. the Elite sale). It’s well worth checking out before you watch the movie. It’s truly one of my picks for the greatest Superman stories of all time.

Rating: 10/10

Green Lantern (2011 Series) #2

October 17, 2011

Title: Sinestro Part 2

Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Doug Mahnke
Inks: Christian Alamy, Keith Champagne
Colorist: David Baron
Letterer: Sal Cipriano
Cover Artist: Doug Mahnke, Christian Alamy, Nathan Eyring
Editor: Brian Cunningham
Publisher: DC Comics

Thaal Sinestro, the newest member of the Green Lantern Corps, doesn’t want the job. So he’s come to Earth to seek out the man he replaced, Hal Jordan, in the hopes of getting them both what they want: putting a ring back on Jordan’s finger, and getting the green ring off Sinestro’s. Trouble is, Sinestro’s previous Corps isn’t too happy at what they see as his betrayal. The interaction between Hal and Sinestro is really entertaining. Even though they’re ostensibly working towards a common goal, Sinestro still feels the compulsion to exert his dominance over his former foe, even to the point of dishing out a humiliation when he feels like Hal needs it. There’s also a nice amount of tease regarding where this story is going next (specifically, Korugar, Sinestro’s home planet). As much fun as this book is, it really takes off when Hal gets a chance to go into action again. Johns and Mahnke clearly don’t intend to leave him on the sidelines for very long, and that’s all to the good.

Rating: 8/10

Flashpoint: Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown #2

July 21, 2011

Title: Our Army at Gore                                   

Writer: Jeff Lemire
Art: Ibraim Roberson, Alex Massacci
Colorist: Pete Pantazis
Letterer: Pat Brosseau
Cover: Doug Mahnke, Rod Reis
Editor: Joey Cavalieri        
Publisher: DC Comics

Frankenstein leads his new Creature Commandos through a Flashpoint world torn apart. But Velcoro, Griffith and Nina don’t know that their old ally’s daughter is tracking them down, with the help of G.I. Robot. Even if the world doesn’t tear itself apart, they may not make it out alive. Out of the Flashpoint spin-offs I’ve read, this is probably the one that has the least to do with the overall crossover. In fact, if they made only minor changes they probably could have used this to launch the new Frankenstein series that’s beginning in September. The team Jeff Lemire has created is about as classic as you can get – a vampire, werewolf, and gill creature teamed up with Frankenstein’s monster? Excellent combination. And with Shrieve playing Inspector Javert to their Jean Valjean, there’s definitely room here to build a rich, expansive universe. I know I’m being kind of presumptuous here – it’s possible that Lemire’s new Frankenstein series will bear very little resemblance to this miniseries – but I know that what I’m reading is cool enough that I want it to be like the new series. Roberson and Massacci do wonderful art as well – something soft and fanciful, but dark enough that it feels like it spilled from between the frames of a Universal Pictures classic. This is some of the most fun Flashpoint has provided yet.

Rating: 8/10

Justice League Elite #1

July 18, 2004

Quick Rating: Fair
Title: Grand Experiment

Vera Black is leading the newest branch of the Justice League… who will make the team?

Writer: Joe Kelly
Pencils: Doug Mahnke
Inks: Tom Nguyen
Colors: David Baron
Letters: Pat Brosseau
Editor: Mike Carlin
Cover Art: Doug Mahnke
Publisher: DC Comics

Spinning out of the tumultuous events of JLA #100, Vera Black begins assembling a new special task force of the Justice League… the sort of shadowed, invisible force that doesn’t exist on paper or in any computer file, the sort of force that can go places other forces cannot, get hands dirtier than the bright heroes are allowed, and get out without leaving a trace. Vera Black is assembling the Justice League Elite.

I’m not really a fan of this concept, to be brutally honest. I like the League to be the best and brightest, the shining examples, and while I suppose there is a certain tactical logic to them having a black ops team, that doesn’t mean I have to enjoy it. The whole thing reminds me too much of the failed splinter group Extreme Justice from a few years ago, only darker.

To give credit where credit it due, Kelly has a few nice ideas in this issue. He comes up with a clever method to send an Elite member deep undercover, and he surprises us early with major consequences for a certain character.

I was a big fan of Doug Mahnke during his run on Superman: The Man of Steel, but somehow that style didn’t work as well when brought over to JLA. I must admit, it’s a much better fit for this darker comic. His style does have a gritty look to it, but it’s still too bold to fit well on a hardcore crime comic like Gotham Central. This title seems to be the perfect balance for him, although he’s also been shown to do good work on more science fiction-oriented titles.

This is the first issue of a 12-issue miniseries, and that would seem to indicate Kelly has a definite arc in mind. As this is mostly a “gathering of forces” issue, we only get a few fleeting hints of where the story might eventually lead. If you like this sort of thing, you’ll want to follow it and see where it goes. Personally, I’ll just keep my fingers crossed in anticipation of Kurt Busiek taking over JLA.

Rating: 6/10

Superman: Our Worlds at War-The Complete Collection TPB

April 17, 2011

Title: Our Worlds at War

Writers: Jeph Loeb, Joe Casey, Mark Schultz, Joe Kelly, Peter David, Phil Jimenez, Todd DeZago
Pencils: Phil Jimenez, Mike Wieringo, Doug Mahnke, Ed McGuinness, Pascual Ferry, Carlo Barberi, Kano, Todd Nauck, Mark Buckingham, Duncan Rouleau, Yvel Guichet, Bill Sienkiewicz, Ron Garney, Leonard Kirk
Inks: Marlo Alquiza, Andy Lanning, Jose Marzan Jr., Cam Smith, Keith Champagne, Tom Nguyen, Juan Vlasco, Wayne Faucher, Walden Wong, Duncan Rouleau, Mark Morales, Lary Stucker, Bill Sienkiewicz, Dexter Vines, Robin Riggs
Colorist: Wildstorm FX, Patricia Mulvihill, Jason Wright, Zylonol Studios, Tanya Horie, Richard Horie, Tom McCraw, Rob Schwager, Gene D’Angelo
Letterer: Richard Starkings, Comicraft, Ken Lopez, Janice Chiang, Bill Oakley
Cover: Ed McGuinness
Editors: Eddie Berganza, Mike McAvennie, Bob Joy       
Publisher: DC Comics

Comic book crossovers have been a staple of the form since the 1980s, and there have been more misses than hits. Sometimes, though, time passes and you forget how good a particular storyline was. That’s the case for me with the 2001 crossover Our Worlds at War.

In this storyline Imperiex, an alien Superman had fought some months before, was making Earth the target of his latest assault. It turns out Superman hadn’t fought the real Imperiex, but rather a “probe” sent out by a much more powerful biend, who had the intention of destroying Earth in part of an ongoing quest to wipe out… well… the universe. Superman, the Justice League, and pretty much every other hero on the planet assembled to go to war against the forces of Imperiex, and to do so they had to make some strange allies… Lex Luthor, then-President of the United States, and the dark god himself, Darkseid.

Although this book is labeled The Complete Collection, that isn’t strictly true. There are several crossover chapters and specials that were released in 2001 that aren’t part of this already-hefty omnibus. This book does collect all of the pieces vital to the main story, including the chapters of the assorted Superman titles, Wonder Woman’s book, those starring the members of Young Justice, and a few more for good measure. Not every chapter is that great, but a lot of them are. The story packs a surprising emotional punch, as we see Superman and his allies run ragged fighting a foe more powerful than they’ve ever fought before. Granted, that’s the tagline for virtually every crossover that’s published, but this time we really feel the stress, the strain they have to go under. We see heroes brought to the breaking point and several significant, meaningful deaths. (Unfortunately, virtually all of those deaths have been reversed in the decade since this story first saw publication, but it’s unfair to hold that against this volume, I think.)

The book does lean heavily on characters that were important to the Superman mythos at the time, such as Strange Visitor, who more recent readers won’t recognize at all. The changes that Steel goes through, as well, make for a strange little time capsule, and Supergirl is virtually unrecognizable from the current version. But the story as a whole is still engaging, exciting, and powerful. I’m really glad I picked up this monster omnibus and read this story again.

Rating: 8/10

For the record, this book collects the following individual issues: Action Comics #780-782, Adventures of Superman #593-595, Impulse #77, JLA: Our Worlds at War #1, Superboy (1994 Series) #91, Supergirl (1996 Series) #59, Superman (1987 Series) #171-173, Superman: The Man of Steel #115-117, Wonder Woman (1987 Series) #172-173, World’s Finest: Our Worlds at War #1, and Young Justice (1998 Series) #36.

Adventures of Superman #629

June 12, 2004

Quick Rating: Fair
Title: Battery Part Three

The son of Replikon causes problems for the Metropolis S.C.U., and Lt. Leocadio goes after what she wants.

Writer: Greg Rucka
Pencils: Renato Guedes
Inks: Eddie Wagner
Colors: Tanya & Richard Horie
Letters: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Cover Art: Doug Mahnke & Tom Nguyen
Publisher: DC Comics

While I still like Greg Rucka’s characterization of Superman the best out of the three new writers that were ushered in a few months ago, I had a few problems with this issue that it’s hard to wrap my head around. The plot itself is pretty straightforward – Lois Lane gets a new assignment while embedded with the military in the Middle, East, and Clark throws down with the son of Replikon, a surprisingly powerful villain he’s faced off with earlier in this story arc, while trying to fine-tune his relationship with the new head of the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit.

Rucka has a great handle on the Lois/Clark relationship, proving that in the e-mail she sends him in the opening scenes and demonstrating in a very subtle fashion how well she knows and loves him and how much he really depends on her. He also has a good handle on writing police and military stories, which is definitely the road this title is going down. I can understand that isn’t what everyone will come to a Superman title hoping to read, but it’s well-done and entertaining nonetheless.

The big problem I have in this issue comes in the characterization of Lt. Leocadio. I became a big fan of the character in the first two issues, a tough gal who can step up and take command of a police department and really own the room. She’s the sort of strong female character that comic books need more of… until about halfway through the issue where Rucka jumps into the cliché of turning her sexuality up to eleven. Not to say that a strong woman can’t also be sexual, but she comes on so strong in this issue that she starts to seem like a stereotype. The storyline he’s starting with her could go in several different directions, and I’m a big enough fan of Rucka’s to wait it out and see where it goes.

Guedes steps up to handle the art chores in this issue, and he does a great job. He gets into some great, detailed scenes, both with the military and with the S.C.U., and he does a good Superman as well. His portrayal of Leocadio is also fantastic, making her strong and sensual at the same time – she is, in fact, the sort of woman that can be very appealing if she doesn’t beat you up first.

I enjoy a lot of things about this title, but I’m very concerned about the things I don’t like as much. There are a lot of places Rucka could go with this storyline, and we’re basically going to have to wait and see where it all winds up going.

Rating: 6/10

JLA #100

June 29, 2004

Quick Rating: Fair
Title: Elitism

The Elite is back… and the world is theirs!

Writer: Joe Kelly
Pencils: Doug Mahnke
Inks: Tom Nguyen
Colors: David Baron
Letters: Ken Lopez
Editor: Mike Carlin
Cover Art: Doug Mahnke, Tom Nguyen & David Baron
Publisher: DC Comics

Okay, credit where credit is due – I was fully prepared for Joe Kelly’s origin story of the new “Justice League Elite” to go in one direction that I was prepared to thoroughly dislike, and he didn’t. He actually came up with a fairly reasonable origin story for the new team, an explanation of how it could get Justice League sanctioning and a decent launching point for the miniseries.

The Elite, a team of bloodthirsty anti-heroes, is re-formed by Vera Black (sister of their deceased former leader), with an ultimatum – the governments of the world must turn power over to them, because clearly, humans aren’t fit to govern themselves. This, naturally, sends the Justice League to the battlefield for a brutal fight sequence that turns out to be much more than it seems.

Kelly seems to want this new Justice League Elite to be a conspiracy theory superhero story, but the conspiracy he sets up in this issue is really trite and the conclusion of it is naïve at best, unrealistic at worst, and hard to swallow in any case.

Doug Manhke’s artwork is fine, and well-suited to the sort of story Kelly is telling here. He does good action, and the literally gargantuan battle scene that climaxes the issue looks extremely well-done… it’s the story itself that falls flat.

In truth, I’m probably being more charitable to this issue than I should be, but that’s because I expected it to be much worse than it actually was. It’s still not a great JLA story, not one that justifies placement in the 100th issue of this title. All these years later, I can’t help but look back at the first issue of Grant Morrison’s JLA where he brought the title back to its roots… brought in the “Magnificent Seven…” gave us good old-fashioned superhero action and showed why these characters are worthy of being known as the greatest superheroes not just in this world, but in any world.

Then I see this issue, which postulates that the JLA is out of date and old fashioned and not good enough, and it makes me think two things:

1. This is the same guy who wrote the brilliant “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice and the American Way?” in Action Comics #775?

2. (Sigh.) How the mighty (no, that’s the Avengers) – how the magnificent have fallen.

Rating: 6/10

JLA #93

February 23, 2004

Quick Rating: Poor
Title: Soul Survivor (Extinction Part Three)

Peppy wants to destroy the world, so let’s talk to him!

Writer: Dennis O’Neil
Art: Tan Eng Huat
Colors: David Baron
Letters: Rob Leigh
Editor: Mike Carlin
Cover Art: Doug Mahnke & Tom Ngyuen
Publisher: DC Comics

Remember when Dennis O’Neil wrote poignant comics? Remember when his stories were smart and thought-provoking? If you want to continue treasuring those days, avoid this issue.

Over the last two issue the Justice League met an alien called Peppy (I’m not making this up) who arrived to rescue an endangered silver-masked monkey and, failing that, destroy the world. The Justice League, of course, is out to stop him, but it isn’t easy to find a shapeshifter among six billion people.

Aside from the clichéd plot, this story is dragged down with poor pacing. Single panels with three-word lines, lines stretched out over two panels or scenes over and over again… it’s like reading a comic book written by William Shatner.

As if that weren’t bad enough, just when the story seems like it’s gotten as trite as possible O’Neil gets on his soapbox and starts to preach, preach, preach! People are terrible! Everything is bad in the world! Only this poor lonely alien who wants to kill all of humanity can recognize that! Even if the Justice League were simplistic enough to accept this creed, forgiveness comes way too quickly and the ending comes way too easily.

The artwork is no great shakes either – every panel is sketchy and every character is ugly. Plastic Man is not only superfluous in this issue, he’s annoying too, and for a character that great, that’s seriously bad writing and art.

There were a couple of good points in this issue, which gives it the point and a half it gets. First, O’Neil does do very good characterization of Superman (at least, when he’s not at his pulpit). He comes across as strong, confident, decisive and a real leader. Also, Eng does a clever effect on The Flash for his super-speed scenes – almost like a television screen blanking out.

But those two bits aren’t enough to save an issue that is seriously played out. Next month the much-ballyhooed story arc by Chris Claremont and John Byrne begins, and even if you’re the sort of reader who thinks those two legends of the form are past their prime, even at they’re worst they’re a lot better than what we got this month.

Rating: 3/10

JLA #92

January 27, 2004

Quick Rating: Average
Title: The Lesson (Extinction Part Two)

When the alien Peppy finds his mission on Earth had failed before he arrived, will the Justice League be able to show him Earth is worth saving?

Writer: Dennis O’Neil
Art: Tan Eng Huat
Colors: David Baron
Letters: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Mike Carlin
Cover Art: Doug Mahnke & Tom Ngyuen
Publisher: DC Comics

Last issue, an alien called Peppy came to Earth to find a silver-masked monkey, only to arrive just in time to see the last member of that species die. This issue, the Justice League learns what made that monkey so important. Meanwhile, fandom let out a collective yawn.

It’s sad to say this about a writer with such a varied and impressive career as Dennis O’Neil, but this arc is really just sort of humdrum. Been there. Done that. An alien comes to Earth to protect and endangered species and make all us humans feel bad about ourselves. It’s just not anything new, and after a seriously lackluster JLA title for the last year or two, that’s what this book needs.

That’s not to say that there’s really anything wrong with this book — for the most part it’s okay, and in fact, this story would be much more entertaining if it were printed as a silver age pastiche rather than an in-continuity story arc. He does good characterization on Superman, on Batman (a character he edited for many years) and his characterization on Plastic Man is almost too good (yes, he’s a wacky character, but in this title he doesn’t have to have a sight gag and a one liner in every panel he appears in).

The alien character really isn’t that interesting either. On top of a really bad name (Peppy?), if he’s telling the truth about his mission, that flatly contradicts one of the most important parts of Green Lantern continuity of the 80s — one would think Jon Stewart, who was present for those events, would make mention of it.

Huat’s artwork just isn’t working for me, and it may be because he’s either inking it himself or because it’s being colored straight from the pencils, I can’t tell which. In either case, he needs a good inker to work with. His storytelling and formatting is fine, but things look sketchy and unfinished. Sometimes his faces remind me of Joe Staton and sometimes his layout reminds me of Leinil Yu, and in both cases he comes up wanting compared to those great artists.

As I said, JLA has been a lackluster title for a long time, way too long, and this arc really isn’t changing that (although, to its credit, it does not suffer from a lot of the problems that marked the run of the previous creative team). With the new rotating creative team format, it is to be expected that some arcs will be better than others. Editor Mike Carlin should have started that format with a home run story arc, though, and at best, he’s given us a ground-rule double.

Rating: 5/10

JLA/Cyberforce #1

July 25, 2005

Quick Rating: Surprisingly Good

Can the JLA and Cyberforce combined defeat a mad Ripclaw?

Writer: Joe Kelly
Pencils: Doug Mahnke
Inks: Norm Rapmund
Colors: David Baron
Letters: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Mike Carlin
Cover Art: Mark Silvestri
Publisher: DC Comics/Top Cow Productions

To be frank, I didn’t expect much out of this book. First of all, it concerns Cyberforce, a Top Cow team that’s been out of the spotlight for a long time and that I never knew very much about anyway. Second, the story hinges on a plot point from the little-read (in fact, I didn’t think it ever actually came out) Image Anniversary Hardcover. And third, it was written by Joe Kelly, whose turn on JLA was, to be charitable, disappointing.

So imagine my surprise that this one-shot crossover was actually really good.

To be honest, this is really a Cyberforce story guest-starring the JLA, and in fact seems to exist as a set-up for a new Cyberforce series that’s apparently scheduled for next year. But even taken on those merits, I was rather entertained. Cyberforce is on the move, tracking down their former friend Ripclaw, who has been taken over by the alien technology inside of him. The Justice League heads to Russia to combat rising thread of cyborg corpses, controlled by Ripclaw, and wind up butting heads with the stars. Although there is the obligatory hero/hero fight scene in this issue, it’s actually saved for the end and, for once, Kelly finds a perfectly logical explanation to have such a scene in the issue. In fact, most of the heroes find analogues pretty quickly – Flash and Velocity obviously have common grounds, Wonder Woman finds quick respect for Ballistic, and Cyblade immediately starts flirting with Batman, which is much more entertaining than it sounds.

Mahnke is particularly well-suited for this title, always having had a talent for darker superheros and science fiction monsters, which is what he gets to play with in these pages. He handles both teams quite well, and I’ve got to wonder if this team is planning to stick with Cyberforce when it comes back next year.

The conclusion of this issue not only gives birth to a surprising friendship to the two teams, but also sets up the status quo nicely for the return of Cyberforce to the forefront. It’s just okay for fans of the JLA, but for Cyberforce fans it’s a must-read.

Rating: 8/10