Ion #2

May 30, 2006

Quick Rating: Good
Title: Torch Bearer Part Two

Kyle fights for his life – but what has he been doing with that life?

Writer: Ron Marz
Pencils: Greg Tocchini
Inks: Jay Leisten
Colors: Jeromy Cox
Letters: Rob Leigh
Editor: Eddie Berganza & Ivan Cohen
Cover Art: Kalman Andrasofszky
Publisher: DC Comics

As word reaches Oa of the destruction allegedly caused by Kyle Rayner, Kyle finds himself face-to-face with a Thanagarian bounty hunter out for his blood. The battle reveals some unpleasant questions to Kyle, and he’s forced to wonder about the true nature of his new powers.

This issue goes by really quickly – the battle is swift and the things Kyle finds after he leaves go by just as quickly. It’s issue two and it still feels very much like setup. The good news is, the setup is intriguing. The questions about who really destroyed an entire world are lingering, and even Kyle has to question whether he could possibly be guilty. The nature of his new powers gets a little more explanation this issue, about what exactly the merging of Jade’s powers with his own Green Lantern abilities means, and it’s that merger that seems to be throwing things into question.

Last issue, Greg Tocchini handled the artwork solo. This issue he’s joined by inker Jay Leisten, and the improvement is dramatic. A lot of the problems Tocchini had with muddy characters and unclear forms are done away with. The art still isn’t perfect, however – in particular, Kyle’s face still isn’t working. Tocchini swings back and forth between a sort of cosmic effect and Kyle having a strange, “melting” mask, and neither look really works all that well. I find myself wishing they would just settle on a traditional mask.

As this is still the second issue of this 12-issue maxiseries, I can forgive it for being setup heavy – but that’s a card that the writer can’t play much longer. It’s imperative that Ron Marz get into the meat of the story, and soon, if he wants to keep his readers with him to the end.

Rating: 7/10

Batman and Robin #25

August 13, 2011

Title: The Streets Run Red Part 3: Boys’ Night Out

Writer: Judd Winick
Art: Greg Tocchini & Andy Smith
Colorist: Artur Fujita
Letterer: Patrick Brosseau
Cover Artist: Guillem March
Editor: Mike Marts
Publisher: DC Comics

Red Hood’s twisted partner, Scarlet, has been captured and held hostage by someone with a grudge against Jason Todd. As he comes to the rescue, though, he’s got two unwilling partners by his side – Batman and Robin.

Judd Winick, the writer who brought Jason back from the dead and has probably done most of the work with the character since then, finishes off this three-issue story by contrasting Jason and Dick Grayson, Batman. It’s a fair enough point of contrast – Jason harbors a deep hatred for Dick that is understandable, if not justifiable. And the end of this story places Jason in an interesting place – he’s certainly not part of the Batman “family” anymore, but he can’t entirely separate himself from them either. The unfortunate thing is that the book really doesn’t have anything terribly new to say about any of the characters involved, and in fact, sets up a status quo for Jason that it seems will be negated by the time his new Red Hood and the Outlaws title launches in the new DC Universe in September. (It feels kind of unfair to judge these books in view of a relaunch that hasn’t happened yet, but it’s also practically impossible not to do so.)

The book has its moments, but not really enough of them to make it an easy recommendation.

Rating: 7/10

Ion #1

April 24, 2006

Quick Rating: Good
Title: Torch Bearer Part One

It’s a new universe for Kyle Rayner… what’s his place in it?

Writer: Ron Marz
Art: Greg Tocchini
Ink Assist: Jay Leisten
Colors: Jeromy Cox
Letters: Rob Leigh
Editors: Eddie Berganza & Ivan Cohen
Cover Art: Ivan Reis & Marc Campos
Publisher: DC Comics

A year after the Crisis, Kyle Rayner is still struggling to find his new place in the universe. He has accepted what he was intended to be all along, and knows he now has a new role with the Green Lantern Corps – but somewhere in all that, Kyle Rayner himself got lost.

Let’s face it, Kyle’s luck has sucked since early in Judd Winick’s run on the previous Green Lantern series. He goes into space, his girlfriend leaves him, he’s replaced in the Justice League, and even though he’s instrumental in the resurrection of the Green Lantern Corps, he soon watches his third girlfriend since getting the ring killed – and this time, he gets her power to add to his own. He’s been through the wringer, and even though it’s a year later, it’s not far-fetched to believe that Kyle still doesn’t know who he’s supposed to be anymore.

Marz was a fine choice to guide Kyle Rayner once again – he created this incarnation of Green Lantern, after all, and turned him from a green rookie (pun intended) into a proud, capable hero. Not to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but since Marz left him the first time, he’s been put through hell. Hopefully the point of this series will be to bring him back.

Marz’s characterization and setup is fine, but I’m afraid I have to take off points for Greg Toccini’s artwork. He has a definite style, but I don’t think it works for this story. It’s too scattershot, too disjointed – kind of like a less-refined Bill Sienkiwicz – and the issue suffers as a result.

This issue isn’t a knockout, but it’s a solid setup. The real question is going to be, of course, where it goes from here.

Rating: 7/10