Solo (2004 Series) #2

December 19, 2004

Quick Rating: Fair

Five tales of the bizarre by Richard Corben

Writers: Richard Corben & John Arcudi
Art: Richard Corben
Colors: Richard Corben, Lee Loughridge & Dave Stewart
Letters: Richard Corben & Jack Morelli
Editor: Mark Chiarello
Cover Art: Richard Corben
Publisher: DC Comics

I think DC Comics deserves a lot of credit for trying something like this, an anthology series with a definite hook: give an artist 48 pages to do whatever he wants. Period. By the very nature of the project, though, some issues will be better than others, and this one doesn’t quite click for me. Richard Corben is best known for his artwork in underground comics and dozens of projects full of monsters and magic. He serves up five short tales here, most with “Twilight Zone-Style” twists at the end, and while they’re all okay, none of them are outstanding.

“Belzon’s Treasure” shows a treasure hunter who stumbles upon a legendary crypt in Egypt, only to find a mysterious guardian, and other even more ruthless treasure hunters behind him. It’s a quick little horror tale with a nice ending.

“Cyclops” may be the weakest tale story-wise. We have two mysterious, alien races at war, one of them on the brink of loss and extinction, but the big twist at the end isn’t surprising at all, it’s the sort of thing that has been done time and again. Visually it’s a different story – Corben seems to do this story digitally, giving it a different art style than the rest of the issue without losing any of his trademark body shapes or monster designs. It’s like the difference in seeing a character in a 2-D animated movie then seeing that same character done in CGI.

“Homecoming” is a western – a man young catches up with his father only to find his brother has been killed for a crime he didn’t commit. This is probably the strongest Corben-written story in the book, even though it’s a quickie, and has a great twist. It’s a shame that westerns don’t get too much attention these days.

“The Plague” shows a king barricading himself in his palace as protection from both invaders and from a horrific disease that may or may not exist. This may be the longest story in the book, but really, it’s the least memorable.

The only story written by someone other than Corben is also the only story in the book starring a DC character – John Arcudi provides the story for “A Missing Life,” starring the original Spectre, Jim Corrigan. Corrigan gets a lead from one a ghost that helps him solve a murder – but it’s not a job for Officer Jim Corrigan, it’s a job for the Wrath of God. Corben really delivers a great-looking Spectre, and he does an equally good job on all the phantasms that populate his world.

While not as strong as last issue, I still think Solo is a fine, worthy experiment from DC, and I’m anxious to see who they line up in the future. (Next issue, by the way, will feature the work of Paul Pope.)

Rating: 6/10

Green Lantern: Rebirth #3

December 24, 2004

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Yellow

The truth about Parallax – and the Green Lantern Corps!

Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Ethan Van Sciver
Inks: Prentis Rollins
Colors: Moose Baumann
Letters: Rob Leigh
Editor: Peter Tomasi
Cover Art: Ethan Van Sciver
Publisher: DC Comics

A lesser writer than Geoff Johns would have me fuming right now, because of the various theories regarding Hal Jordan’s return as Green Lantern, he seems to have gone with one that I liked the least. However, he’s executing it extremely well, to the point where I find I’m actually accepting of an explanation that I thought would cheapen the character himself and years of stories.

Kyle Rayner and Ganthet find themselves battling maddened members of the Green Lantern Corps, even as the Justice League is battered by brave men who should be their allies. A desperate Kyle heads to the JLA Watchtower for help, only to find the place leveled and only one hero standing – Hal’s best friend, Green Arrow. There, Kyle tells what he found at the edge of the universe, the truth about Parallax, the truth about Hal Jordan, and the truth about the Green Lantern Corps.

This issue, I must admit, really surprised me. We’ve only hit the halfway point of this series, and it seems like Johns has already laid all his cards on the table. All the revelations, all the surprises, all of it is already right here. That seems to leave three issues for an extended fight scene. I hope Johns has more up his sleeve than that.

I’ve also got to deduct points for the last-page surprise appearance by a character that’s died twice already (at least), and who seemed dead for good last time out. He’s apparently going to start trying to rival Magneto in the resurrection category.

Ethan Van Sciver’s artwork is phenomenal. With Moose Baumann giving the entire book a green tinge, this book looks more like a Green Lantern comic than any issue in years. He does a fantastic job not just on the GLs, but on the various other heroes herein. This is a guy who could easy have a spot illustrating the big DC team books – JLA or JSA – they’d be in great hands.

I am enjoying this series. Johns is probably telling the best story about Hal’s return that anyone could, and while I may not be crazy about all of the nuances of the tale, he’s executing it better than anyone in comics could.

Rating: 8/10

JSA #60

April 12, 2004

Quick Rating: Excellent
Title: Redemption Lost Part One

An old evil returns, a Spectre wrestles with his own demons, and all heroes tackle matters of faith.

Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Don Kramer & Tom Mandrake
Inks: Keith Champagne & Tom Mandrake
Colors: Hi-Fi
Letters: Rob Leigh
Editor: Peter Tomasi
Cover Art: Ethan Van Sciver
Publisher: DC Comics

Geoff Johns jumps into some surprisingly weighty issues in this issue. Dr. Mid-Nite, Mr. Terrific and even the staunchly scienfitic Atom (who seems to be a part-time member of the JSA considering how often he’s popped up here lately) all wind up talking rather openly about prayer, religion, faith and redemption. Dr. Mid-Nite is struggling to solve the murder of one of his many operatives while Terrific and the Atom search the timestream for the lost Hourman. It’s a strong story that doesn’t shy away from very frank discussions of religion, and it is to Johns credit that he discusses all sides of the debate without maligning characters who believe in the Church or chilling those who don’t. It is, simply put, a story that is very respectful of different philosophies, and that’s something that is sadly rare.

That said, it’s still a superhero comic and we still get plenty of action. The first Hourman seems to be throwing himself back into the superhero game to keep from having to think of his time-lost and possibly dying son or the wife that believes he is already dead. The Spectre, for his part, is in real trouble, something that isn’t easy to do with a character that powerful, and it is his story that propels this first issue of a new story arc.

Kramer and Champagne do a very good job on the artwork. In some of his earlier issues, Kramer’s work was kind of sketchy and struggled to fit the characters. He seems to have overcome those hurtles. A big plus in the art side, however, is the three-page prologue featuring the original Spectre and Mr. Terrific, drawn by Tom Mandrake, perhaps the best Spectre artist ever. When I saw the green ghoul’s entrance on page two, I had to flip ahead to the credits to make sure it was him. It was a welcome surprise and made this issue even more fun.

It isn’t easy to weigh action and spandex with discussions of God and the afterlife, but Geoff Johns does it beautifully. Month in and month out, this is the best superhero comic book on the stands. This month is no exception.

Rating: 10/10

The Flash (1987 Series) #209

April 24, 2004

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Fast Friends

The Justice League wants to know who tampered with their memories and why, but the Flash isn’t sure he’s ready to tell them.

Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Howard Porter
Inks: Livesay
Colors: James Sinclair
Letters: Rob Leigh
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover Art: Michael Turner
Publisher: DC Comics

I find it remarkable that nine issues have passed since the Spectre eliminated the knowledge of Wally West’s double identity from the minds of the world, but Geoff Johns still seems to have plenty of room to mine that simple concept for great stories. This issue Justice League members past and present, specifically those who knew Barry Allen, Wally’s predecessor, confront him to find out why they can no longer remember either of them they way they know they should. Wally, however, just wants to get away to track down his missing wife, Linda. The result is the latest in the classic line of Flash/Superman races. For the first time, however, the race needs to cheap gimmick to pit the two of them against each other, it’s a basic story of a man trying to help his friend and that friend refusing help.

This is a slow paced issue, ironic considering the title character, but Johns does a great job with all of the various heroes depicted herein. Green Arrow is angry, but justified, Firestorm is impatient and we get a surprising insight into John Stewart (the current Green Lantern, not the guy from The Daily Show). Even the eternal admiration for the late Barry is tempered with good character bits. Johns may spend a little too much time on what amounts to an extended roll call, but that’s coming from someone intimately familiar with all of these characters. A less rabid reader than myself may find it helpful.

Howard Porter became a comic book superstar drawing the JLA, and he’s still got it. Any “racing” issue, even one that is built so solidly upon characterization, needs strong art to make it work. You’ve got two men moving at almost the speed of light for most of the book, and Porter makes it work with a blend of classic super-speed images – speed lines, multiple images, bolts of lightning. It’s a fine looking issue.

Next issue we are promised a meeting between the Flash and the man who has, off and on, been his best friend since they were teenagers. It’s a pairing I always find entertaining, and I can’t wait to see what Johns has in store.

Rating: 8/10

The Flash (1987 Series) #208

March 30, 2004

Quick Rating: Great
Title: Red Carpet

Three generations of the Flash take on an army of Rogues on the streets of Keystone City.

Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Howard Porter
Inks: Livesay
Colors: James Sinclair
Letters: Rob Leigh
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover Art: Michael Turner
Publisher: DC Comics

At the end of last issue, the Flash Parade was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a mob of the Scarlet Speedster’s nastier foes. He isn’t alone in facing off against them, though – Jay Garrick, the original Flash, and Bart Allen, Kid Flash, storm onto the scene to help the current titleholder of the legacy they all share. The problem is, Wally West hasn’t seen either of them since the Spectre blanked the memory of his identity from the minds of the entire planet, and he doesn’t quite know what to expect.

It really helps that Geoff Johns is currently the one and only man responsible for safeguarding the legacy of the Flash (with Jay Garrick in JSA and Bart Allen in Teen Titans – only XS of the Legion of Super-Heroes falls under another writer’s pen, and she hasn’t fully embraced the Lightning yet). This issue accentuates that legacy and shows why the Flash has the greatest legacy in comics – from the comments of a few guards at Iron Heights about what the Flashes mean to the twin cities to the re-opening of the Flash Museum, this story shows you who the Flashes are and why they are important.

Johns does not gloss over the repercussions of the Spectre’s actions either – Wally’s painful admission that his wife has left him, his sorrow at the knowledge that people know longer know and proclaim Barry Allen as a hero, and a long-delayed confrontation with his teammates in the Justice League remind us that these things do not happen in a vacuum, that there will be consequences. Next issue promises to give us even more of them.

Howard Porter does a fine job with this issue, showcasing all of our Flashes, all of the villains and the high-speed action with great skill. It’s also nice that the man who redefined the Justice League during Grant Morrison’s run on the title gets to return to the characters here, with a beautiful double-page spread of the team.

People who are already reading this title know it’s one of the best superhero comics on the market right now. People who aren’t reading any superhero book with Geoff Johns’s name in the credit box… well… what are you thinking, man?

Rating: 9/10

Somebody’s First Comic Book: Aquaman (2003 Series) #36

Wondering what Somebody’s First Comic Book is all about? The explanation is on this page!

TITLE: The Failure of Success

CREDITS:
Writer: John Arcudi
Layout: Leonard Kirk
Finishes: Andy Clarke
Colors: Nathan Eyring
Letters: Travis Lanham
Editor: Peter Tomasi
Publisher: DC Comics

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE: Aquaman talks to fish.

IMPRESSIONS: Well, this should be good for a laugh. Aquaman, silliest superhero ever invented and… what’s this? On the first page, we see a chimpanzee swimming around in what appears to be a sunken city (American, not Atlantis) and bringing a corpse to the surface. Maybe this won’t be a chucklefest after all.

When we see Aquaman, he’s in a hospital bed, having been beat the hell up, and it appears he’s trying to explain to his girlfriend why he never mentioned his wife Mera to her… Wha? Aquaman is a player? But… talks to… fish…

Anyway, some terrorists break out another water-breathing terrorist from some sort of laboratory/prison, give him a silly helmet, and they start blowing stuff up. Meanwhile Aquaman swims around this sunken city with his adult son, Koryak, Aquagirl, the chimpanzee and some thing that looks like a gorilla and a shark had a baby, while some sorcerer called Tempest does something bad and a guy in a green cape (calls himself the Spectre) shows up and promises to cause an “Infinite Crisis.”

My head hurts. I’ve got no idea what’s going on here. Aquaman is acting like kind of a male slut, giving the women really lame explanations for what’s going on, and I’ve got no idea why this underwater city is flying American flags (is “flying” even really the right word when it’s underwater), who Tempest is, or why this Spectre is so pissed off. The only reason I can even tell Black Manta is supposed to be the bad guy is because he’s going around shooting at people, although if the rest of this issue is anything to go on, we’ll probably find out those people go around sticking firecrackers up toad’s butts in their spare time.

I liked it better when Aquaman was just the silly guy who talked to fish.

GRADE: D+

Action Comics #832

October 10, 2005

Quick Rating: Good
Title: Old Ghosts

The Spectre’s war on magic takes him to Metropolis!

Writers: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Pencils: John Byrne
Inks: Nelson
Colors: Guy Major
Letters: Rob Leigh
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Cover Art: Dan Jurgens & Wayne Faucher
Publisher: DC Comics

Writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning fill in for Gail Simone this issue with a story that isn’t labeled as a Day of Vengeance tie-in, but should be. On Halloween, the Spectre comes to Metropolis to hunt down Superman’s old foe, Satannus. Meanwhile, as ghosts run rampant across the city, Lois Lane receives a very unexpected visitor.

To be perfectly frank, I’m not sure what to make of this issue. As a Day of Vengeance tie-in, it’s perfectly passable, but Satannus? While he was, for a time, one of Superman’s dominant enemies, he hasn’t been seen in years. New readers will likely have no idea who he is or his history with the man of steel, where even long-time readers such as myself will have to take a moment for a refresher course. (Right, right, that demon guy Big Blue fought all the time in the early 90s…) It’s almost as if someone at DC realized they never paid off his storylines and decided to hurry up and get it out of the way.

That caveat aside, the story itself works fine and the scenes with Lois are particularly well-done. The last page is something of a shocker as well, and it really makes me wonder where exactly DC is planning to go with this storyline.

Byrne’s art still works for me. One of his earliest issues of Action Comics back in the 80s was a team-up between Superman and the Spectre, and he’s still got the knack for both characters. He also gets to flex some of the nastier muscles he’s been using over in Blood of the Demon with the ghosts and demons that populate the issue. There’s also a brief but very appreciated nod to the late, great Jim Aparo.

I’ve also got to draw attention to the cover – Dan Jurgens and Kevin Nowlan have done the last few issues and they’ve done a solid job, but Nowlan’s inks frequently overtake the pencils. Faucher’s inks are more complimentary and make the cover more recognizable as Jurgens’ familiar, welcome style – he was one of the main Superman artists when I started reading the character, and it’s always welcome to see him back.

This issue is definitely intended for the long-time fan, but as one, I can tell you I enjoyed it.

Rating: 7/10

JSA All-Stars (2003 Series) #8

December 2, 2003

Quick Rating: Fair
Title: And Justice For All

The younger members of the Justice Society, having faced their inner demons, reunite to combat the demon named Legacy.

Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Sal Velluto
Inks: Bob Almond
Colors: John Kalisz
Letters: Ken Lopez
Editor: Peter Tomasi
Cover Art: John Cassaday, Mark Lewis & David Baron
Publisher: DC Comics

I think the format of this miniseries hurt this conclusion more than anything else. In the first issue Legacy kidnapped the older members of the JSA and the Spectre sent the remaining members on a quest to settle with the demons in their own lives. We then got six very good single-issue stories about these younger members, along with six spectacular back-up stories about their golden age counterparts.

During these six issues, the framing plot with Legacy was almost never mentioned, and it was easy to forget why the heroes were going on these quests. Almost any of these stories would have worked just as well as a fill-in issue of JSA or a back-up story in that title without any editing, and by the time we got back to the main story in this conclusion, we get jarred a bit to remember that this is a story that has taken place over eight months for us, but one day for the JSA. Sand is even still around (having been taken out of commission in JSA #50, which was a far more recent release than JSA All-Stars #1).

The battle with Legacy is a fairly standard one, although fine for what it is. It’s just not as spectacular as I’d hoped, or especially as I’ve come to expect from a writer as good as Johns. It’s interesting to note that the original co-writer for this series, David Goyer, didn’t stick around for this last issue.

The middle six issues of this miniseries were all brilliant. I have to admit, though, I kind of wish DC had just published those six solo stories as a mini of their own or as a series of one-shots, because they would have worked much better that way.

Rating: 6/10

JLA-Z #3

November 23, 2003

Quick Rating: Below Average

Profiles and pin-ups of JLA members, friends and enemies from the Martian Manhunter to Zatanna.

Writer: Mike McAvenie
Aritsts: Too numerous to list
Colors: Tom McCraw & Wildstorm FX
Editor: Ivan Cohen & Stephen Wacker
Cover Art: Phil Jimenez & Hi-Fi
Publisher: DC Comics

As a huge fan of the old Who’s Who and Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe volumes, I was very excited when DC announced they were putting out this three-issue series as a companion piece to JLA/Avengers. My excitement is probably also the reason for my disappointment in this slim volume that’s mostly pin-up and short on information.

It’s a book of profile pages, which is exactly what I wanted, but each profile has less information than even your average Secret Files profile. How do you condense Superman’s history to one paragraph? I understand the need for brevity, but if this is meant as a primer for people reading the crossover that don’t understand the history and dynamics of the JLA, this book could have done much better. Why waste space on superfluous villains like the Weapons Master and the Royal Flush Gang? Why include a page on the Teen Titans? Even if you accept them as the next generation of heroes, as the JLA’s “farm team” if you will, why is the illustration of the Marv Wolfman/George Perez era of the team, with a little inset of the original team and nothing of the current Titans? And for Heaven’s sake, why does Hal Jordan get three profiles in this series – one as Green Lantern, one as Parallax and one as The Spectre?

The best, and almost only, reason to get this book is some of the artwork. As unnecessary as the Teen Titans profile is, Phil Jimenez does a great pin-up of the team (as well as a very nice triptych cover that I’d like to see a poster of). The same goes for Jerry Ordway’s imagining of the Weaponers of Qward. Other high points are a sneak preview of Jim Lee’s Superman, Jon Bogdanove returning to a character he co-created (and one of my favorites), Steel, Todd Nauck on the Red Tornado and Y: The Last Man’s Pia Guerra drawing Zatanna.

If you’re into this sort of book for the artwork, then it’s worth getting. If you’re hoping to pick up new information about DC’s greatest heroes, you’d be better off just asking a friend who already reads the book.

Rating: 4/10