Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities Random Review Corner

^Whew. You just made my day, Lardy! I thought for sure I missed #2 and my CBS never got it or something. I officially added it to my pull a week ago so I should have it.

Glad to hear you got it and enjoyed it! It's yet another example of what you've been saying for months--hell, years now--that Image is just knocking it out of the park with dense, original independent comics.

I can't recommend this enough to anyone looking for something unique and high quality.

Wonder Woman (first series) #228 through #243
World’s Finest #244 through #250
DC Collectors Edition #C-54: Superman vs. Wonder Woman
DC Special Series #9: Wonder Woman Spectacular

Cover dates: February 1977 through May 1978

Primary writers: Gerry Conway, Martin Pasko, Jack C. Harris (single issues by Brennert and O’Niel)

Primary artists: Jose Delbo, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, and Don Heck (with stories and covers contributed by Ayers, Brown, Buckler, Chan, Ditko, Heath Nasser, Sherman, Staton, Tuska, and Vosburg).

Instead of reviewing a single comic, I am presenting a review of a frequently overlooked “era” for Wonder Woman. It was published in the 1970s. DC Comics featured the adventures of the Earth 2 Wonder Woman, in the 1940’s, to coincide with the World War II setting of the first season of the Wonder Woman television series. The timing of the switch was a bit unfortunate for the comic audience. Wonder Woman had emerged from the mod era of the early 70s, had successfully finished a series of trials to regain her membership to the Justice League of America, and her boyfriend, Steve Trevor, had just been resurrected. He was assuming a new identity as Steve Howard. A number of fans wrote to the letters’ pages expressing disappointment at not being able to see these developments fully explored.

The conventional wisdom of the 1970s DC Universe was that the stories originally published in the 1940s, had been ret conned to become the adventures of the Earth 2 characters. That wisdom did not hold up well with this move. The Earth 2 Wonder Woman, presented here, was quite different from the Wonder Woman who appeared in the early issues of Sensation Comics and her own magazine. Many of the changes reflected the continuity of the television series. Wonder Woman wore a costume that was identical to that of the 1970s character, with short bathing suit type pants instead of a skirt or longer, more modest shorts. Her hair was straight. She transformed from Diana Prince through the use of a magical spinning technique rather than a super fast change of clothing. Steve Trevor now had brown hair, like the actor Lyle Wagoner, instead of his traditional blond. He was also a Navy Major instead of an Army intelligence officer. Diana herself became a Navy yeoman instead of an Army nurse and Lieutenant. Etta Candy was an efficient military clerk instead of a humorous college student. General Darnell was no longer Steve’s boss. He was replaced by the General Blankenship, from the television series.

NBC cancelled the Wonder Woman television series, after the first season, in spite of fairly decent ratings. This decision was made largely as a result of the expense involved with creating the World War II setting. ABC quickly picked up the series and changed the setting to the 1970s in order to avoid those expenses for the second and third seasons. Comic book fans were treated to a comparatively larger volume of WWII era stories because of a lag in production time and some experimentation with comic book formats. Along with the regular monthly series, the Earth 2 Wonder Woman appeared in a back up series in the World’s Finest dollar comic and her very own full-length dollar comic special. She co-starred with the Earth 2 Superman in a tabloid-sized special. A crazy bit of editorial decision-making gave her a defining role in the World’s Finest 250th anniversary issue. The modern day Superman, Batman, Black Canary, and Green Arrow traveled to Earth 2, in the 1940s, to team up with Wonder Woman.

Villains: There was a mix. There were new Nazi themed villains like the Red Panzer, Baron Blitzkrieg, Armageddon, and Agent Axis. Plus lots of generic Nazi’s and some appearances by Hitler himself. There were some new non Nazi super villains like Osira and Bouncer. There some new takes on classic Wonder Woman villains like Cheetah, the Duke of Deception, Dr. Psycho, and Paula Von Gunther.

Cameos: There were brief cameo appearances by most members of the Justice Society of America. There were full-fledged team ups with Sandman, Dr. Midnight, and the Flash (Jay Garrick). Most delightful, for me, was the two-part team up with Sgt. Rock and Easy Company in World’s Finest. Historical figures such as FDR, Winston Churchill and General Macarthur also made appearances.

The biggest team up was, of course, with the Earth 2 Superman in the tabloid. The battle scenes between the two heroes, as illustrated by Garcia-Lopez, were iconic. To this day, some of the images from that story define, for me, how Wonder Woman should look. Diana’s motivation in the battle was a defining point for the character, as well. She was adamantly opposed to the United States gaining nuclear weapons.

The run had a bookend team ups between the Wonder Woman of Earth 1 and the Wonder Woman of Earth 2. These team ups served to introduce the transitions and changes in direction for the main book. These two issues were perhaps the most disappointing, because the technical accidents that lead to the Earth I Wonder Woman crossing Earth’s and back in time made little sense. The Wonder Woman of Earth 2 had to have her memory of the meetings wiped on both occasions.

My Thoughts and Opinions: I enjoy reading Wonder Woman stories. Sometimes I feel like a minority of one. It appears to me, that most Wonder Woman fans are disappointed in the stories that are published. Each new writer is vehemently criticized. Each change of direction is dismissed. Part of that disappointment seems to relate to the high expectations fans have for the character. Wonder Woman, as a character, captures the imagination. She is supposed to be the comic’s preeminent female super hero. A lot of baggage comes with that position. It seems that the stories never measure up for many fans. DC editorial is frequently criticized for not giving the character the support she deserves.

The Earth 2 stories have plenty of flaws. Much of a reader’s enjoyment of them will depend on his or her opinion of the writing at DC during the 70s. The formula was pretty well established. These stories are as good (or bad) as anything else DC was publishing at the time. There was strange science, melodrama, and a bit of preachiness. There were frequent quick resolutions to the outlandish threats. There were also creators who seemed to care about the character. They wanted her to be seen as a hero. They wanted her stories to be interesting, and they gave it a great effort. There were a variety of artistic styles, anchored by the consistency of Jose Delbo who returned time and again to the series. Most notably, after relinquishing the art chores to Bob Brown, who died after finishing only one issue. Delbo picked up again with the next issue and remained with Wonder Woman well into her return to Earth 1 adventures. The covers were great, particularly Garcia-Lopez’s cover to the dollar size DC Special.

It’s hard for me to pick a favorite era of Wonder Woman stories. There is something unique to each. This era is certainly no less fun or memorable than most others for the Amazing Amazon. It does speak to the question of whether DC has supported Wonder Woman. They took full advantage of the opportunity to support the television series and to take advantage the marketing opportunities it presented. It may not have been perfect, but nobody can say that the effort wasn’t there.

^And following up on the above, I read the second story arc of the first trade "There is No God on Cell Block D" which was a nice 2-parter that was very complimentary to the first story. I'm actually a big fan of trades that aren't just one big 6 part story--I've always loved how the Preacher trades incorporated one-shot issues in the beginning or end.

My first thought is that the artwork by Tan Eng Huat was okay but not as good as Roland Boschi on the first story; I've liked his artwork before elsewhere but he's not in the 'my favorite' category. He has a very 1990's/Image style with over-exaggerated forms and even though I don't mind that style, it's just not my favorite. Still, it wasn't too distracting.

What I really liked is how this storyline moved the overall plot forward in a big way while also once again providing a solid story. And the antagonist / threat was a very different one from the first story; where the first story had the pure supernatural elements / conspiratorial group going against Ghost Rider, this one had a strait-up 'big bad' for Johnny to battle. I won't say super-villain because Ghost Rider isn't really a superhero, but that's the closest description and it was good to see.

I really enjoyed this trade a lot. I'll buy the second Aaron one sometime soon to at least see where he went with the story. Again, it's a damn shame Lardy and I came to this late (and so many others never looked at it) because if an ongoing Jason Aaron Ghost Rider series was coming out now I would be incredibly excited about it.

I'm glad you liked it, Des! I always get a little bit of a lift when someone tries something I recommended and really digs it.

Like you, I was never really into Ghost Rider. Every character needs a writer to come along that just really nails what the character should be all about. For my money that was Jason Aaron on Ghost Rider.

I have the three subsequent trades of Aaron's Ghost Rider run. Having read 2 of those 3 (and 3 of the 4 altogether), I can say honestly that his work on the book hasn't disappointed me in delivering on the promise of that great first trade's worth of stories!

The Last Stand (the second Aaron Ghost Rider trade) has a really epic story in it that really delivers a great payoff to the larger story hinted at in the first trade. It's kind of got that Empire strikes back feel to it, if you know what I mean? (No...Johnny Blaze doesn't get frozen in carbonite! ) It expands the story, we finally get to meat Zadkiel and see what he's up to and Blaze gets a supporting cast. There are a lot of jaw-droppingly cool moments. The only thing slightly disappointing was that the dark humor is toned down a little. It's there, but maybe a little less prominent than in the first trade. But the story doesn't disappoint at all. I especially loved the new Ghost Riders we meet in the course of this storyline.

What kind of dragged The Last Stand down at the beginning for me, though, was its reintroduction of characters from the Danny Ketch iteration of the character. I mean, it makes sense since Ketch is involved heavily in the story, but not knowing who Blackout, Caretaker and some of the other characters are took me out of it a little bit. Luckily, that's really just in the first couple issues that comprise the trade. The remaining four issues just barrel on and fit in really well with what is established in the last trade. Those issues really are what this book is all about and knock it out of the park!

The art is by Tan Eng Huat, who I first noticed years ago on one of the numerous Doom Patrol relaunches. He also did the last couple of stories in the first Aaron GR trade. Anyhow, I liked his style wherever I've seen it. It's similar to the style used by Roland Boschi as described by Cobie above. I think I like it a little better than Boschi's style, but that may be because I'm more familiar with Huat's.

The third Aaron Ghost Rider trade Trials and Tribulations is a bit disappointing. Not because aaron loses his touch or anything, but because only three of the five stories within it are his. There are only three Aaron stories to bridge The Last Stand and the final volume Heavens on Fire, so Marvel fills in the trade with an annual that was written by someone else and a reprint of an issue of Johnny Blaze's original Ghost Rider series. Neither extra story sucks exactly, but they are what they are.

The Aaron's stories are three one-offs that kind of bridge the second and fourth trades with standalone stories that give the characters separate adventurers while setting up their frames of mind for the upcoming final act. The scene-stealer among the three is the story with Ketch vs. the Highwayman, literally the trucker from Hell! The dark humor I was missing from Last Stand is definitely back in this story!

I really enjoyed seeing Tony Moore's art on these stories! Tony, I best know from his being the artist on the original 6 issues of The walking Dead. Seeing him draw some more extravagant supernatural stuff here was a real treat. These particular stories really suit Moore's strengths very well, I think. I'd really like to see more of his stuff--where's he hiding these days?!?

Anyway, if you can just snag the three pertinent issues instead of this trade, I'd recommend it. If you get the trade, make sure you get a bargain (like I did) and don't pay the full $12.99 cover price. I suppose you could even skip the Aaron issues contained herein because none are absolutely essential to the larger story, but I'd certainly recommend getting them.

Next up is the last volume Heavens on Fire. I'm sure I'll be reading it fairly soon, but I don't want to rush it. I want to savor it as its the end of a brilliant run, y'know? Des, you'll be pleased to know that Buschi is back for that one!

So after reading #2 I can say that this was a definite improvement for Shadowhawk. Like I said, some nostalgia for the character makes me really want to like the title, but the series is going ot have to really earn it every step of the way. #2 was certainly good enough to get me to check out #3.

That being said, I'm hoping for continued improvement as we go and the creative team to find their footing. The art here was very good and the writing better, but I felt like it could have just been a little tighter. The dialogue could have been a hair smoother.

What I really liked was when a superhero who knew the previous second ShadowHawk (there was the original, then a second, now the original again) shows up, ShadowHawk brushes her off in a pretty harsh way. It's a clear separation from the superheroics of the last version, which I felt were very bland, and the gritty, crime-comic oriented first/now version. I hope that continues as this is a title that definitely works better as a vigilante / mystery man rather than a superhero.

I think the chalk-outline serial killer is an interesting subplot and the cat-thief at the close of the issue getting caught at the crime scene is a good twist. After the first issue, I admit I was a bit dissapointed. Now after the second I'm feeling a lot better about it. We'll see what the third brings.

Finishing up my pile of comics (need to get to the CBS for the last four weeks worth), I read Image Comics Shuddertown by Nick Spencer, whose name I've been seeing quite a lot lately and Adam Green, whose name I don't recognize. This has looked like a very cool crime/detective comic that I've seen solicited from Image for a few months so I was anxious to read it, given Image's recent batting average (see mega-quality hits Walking Dead, Mice Templar, Chew, Turf, etc.).

And perhaps it was with higher than usual expectations that I felt slightly let down. This isn't a bad comic by any stretch, and I would call it 'good', but its not really 'great'.

It appears to be a very interesting crime story with some confusing twists and turns and a self-reflecting, semi-mysterious cop protagonist. Not quite noir, but within the gritty crime detective drama (where the detective is a cop, not a P.I.). While that is a great set-up, one complaint I have about the first issue is there is not quite enough bang for my buck there. It's all set-up and no twist at the end; you feel as if nothing quite happened yet. That may end up being a non-point if you're reading the trade but as a monthly, it feels a little like I'm not getting the whole thing.

The writing is pretty good with some great narration and interesting dialogue. Spencer's strength is his wordplay. One problem though is the entire issue is paced in a bit of a clunky way; its very hard to understand exactly what you're seeing. And in the middle, there is a whole sequence that makes no sense, and I'm wondering if that is a flashback or something else. Obviously, there was some miscommunication between writer & artist or something along that line.

Artwise, Adam Green is definitely in the Alex Maleev / Michael Lark school, which is an art style I like quite a bit. I think it works great with crime comics like Daredevil, Alias, Spider-Woman, Gotham Central, etc. But Green's problem is his art is not quite on par with those two great artists, and just a bit static. The images feel a bit like 'snapshots' in the same way other good artists do (Alex Ross for one) and that sometimes feels very static and lacking dynamism. It's forcing you to realize you have to turn the page yourself instead of doing it effortlessly.

Now, Green is doing the pencils, inks and colors all himself so I realize that's quite a lot of workload and perhaps he's still coming along (I only say that b/c I don't recognize his work). In fact, his ink work (I suspect done the same way as his coloring if he's doing it all) is very good and moody and adds a grittier feel to the story. The static art is more of a minor complaint but still noticeable.

I guess at the end of the day, the 'not enough bang for my buck' feeling may end up causing me not to get the second issue; (then again, I may still just grab it out of curiosity to see if things move along). I suspect that problem will disappear with the eventual trade, so TPB-buyers don't base your decision on this review and that complaint (and in fact, I'd be curious to whether someone reading the trade liked the series).

There was a lot of potential here, but also many things I found distracting and not quite right. Compared to many of Image's recent other great series (or even other great current crime comics), Shuddertown doesn't hold up right now. Hopefully it can reach its potential.

THE MIGHTY CRUSADERS #1 (of 6)

Anyone following the Red Circle characters might want to pick this up. It unites the group, bringing them officially together as a team. The hook in this story is they are a gov't team, overseen by FEMA. With a bit of a LSH reference.

The story is solid super team intro- the team is already formed and announcing itself to the world when they are called upon to stop some rampaging Robotech wannabes. Everyone gets some time in the spotlight, giving us an idea of who they are.

The art is good, typical DC fare these days. Bright colours for superhero costumes, solid line work for facial expressions- it's pretty to look at. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

As for the LSH reference... well it seems oddly coincidental that this book came out the same week as Adventure 516 (detailing R.J. Brande's backstory.)

I bought the Might Crusaders special where they came together and was not impressed. They were slapped together too easily and came across as very contrived to me. I also didn't find any of the characters appealing. It'd be a shame if the mini turns out to be a lot better because that one-shot totally turned me off.

SHADOWLAND #1
- Very little seemed to happen except that the heroes are concerned about DD heading up the Hand and using them as his muscle. Then DD uses the Hand as his muscle in a way that's supposed to be shocking to us I guess or make us think he's all dark. I hope the rest of this is better and packs more story because the first issue read like a promo for the actual story.

Moving Pictures, by Stuart and Kathryn Immonen (Top Shelf Productions)

This graphic novel tells the story of Ila, a Canadian girl who is a curator in Paris when the Nazis take over. The French are frantically cataloging and hiding their art and Ila is one of the people who does the triage, prioritizing what is to be hidden where. But the Germans are also in the race, to find and seize this great art before it leaves Paris. Although she could leave France, Ila remains. Why?

Throughout the book, Ila is brought in repeatedly for questioning by Nazi Rolf Hauptmann, who is searching for particular works of art. She is dangerously hostile, and he is unnusually accepting of her hostility. A strange relationship develops... Ila is hiding much more than paintings.

Ila's conversations are very philosophical, about art, about people disappearing like the artwork, about war - whether she's speaking with friends or being interrogated by Rolf. This makes it a book which will benefit from a second reading; there's a lot to think about, as seen through this young woman's experience.

The artwork is generally very stark, black and white; most of the panels have entirely black backgrounds, when Ila is questioned by Rolf, when she is in the museum - very well suited to the mood of the story. There are also some lovely renderings of Parisian streets and actual paintings.

^FC, that sounds fascinating. Yours is the second great review of it I've read as well. I've long been a fan of Stuart Immonen's work and in recent years have come to really admire his wife's storytelling skills.

I recently purchased Strange Science Fantasy published by IDW and by Scott Morse (writing, full artwork including pencils / inks / colors). It just looked freaky-weird and I was in the mood for that. And in that sense, I was not let down!

I actually liked it quite a bit but as a disclaimer, I'd say this is pretty offbeat for anyone looking for something a little more traditional in their storytelling. I see a definite Kyle Baker influence here. I'm not familiar with Scott Morse now but I can say I'm curious to see more of his stuff.

The story is so off the wall different that I can't really summarize it. I can only say it is a surreal story that has cultural and political metaphors but also revels in being offbeat. It begins with a group of 'gearheads' who are all racecar stars who apparently go on a revolutionary rampage (not just against their fans but against the entire world), and after their leader is disfigured and becomes the enigmatic cyborg "The Headlight", they battle the military oppressors of the world, while at the same time rescuing zoo animals to create a new Noah's arc. And then it gets really weird.

The artwork is very Kyle Baker-esque but taken one level further towards the abstract. Morse also blends his coloring skills with his inks creating this very weird, reddish almost "underwater" feeling to the story. Morse also does his own lettering and the way he does it creates this feeling of rawness; the words are large and give the sense that the narrator is yelling, and almost hysterical.

The title implies its in the tradition of the great sci-fi / monster anthologies of comics past and I think thematically that is true.

Anyone looking for something really different, I'd recommend this. I wish I could do a better job describing but I'm actually a bit at a loss for words.

For Superman: The Last Family of Krypton #1. Some spoilers.

DC has finally revived the comatose Elseworlds imprint, its last foray being, unofficially, Batman: Year 100 (although you could count the Teen Titans Lost Annual, as that was SUPPOSED to be an Elseworlds). It's honestly one of the smartest moves they've made in years, and I'm thankful for it as I am a huge fan of Elseworlds. Of course, it doesn't come close to making up for that unnatural abomination Rise of Arsenal.

The premise here is that Jor-El actually managed to get his family off of Krypton before it self-destructed, settling with Lara and Baby Kal-El on Earth. This isn't necessarily a story of humanity distrusting alien visitors, leading up to the reveal that these so-called benevolent visitors are blood thirsty butchers. It might be, but maybe not, as it is told from the point of view of the El Family.

Jor-El creates JorCorp in an effort to figure out what caused Krypton's destruction and make sure it doesn't happen on Earth, as he is haunted by the fact that he could not save everyone. Lara becomes something of a media figure, and promotes a self-help text based on Kryptonian religion called Raology. However, Kal-El becomes a media child, reaching a point where he can't go outside with his robot-nanny without being hounded by paparazzi. Lara decides the best course of action, to insure Kal-El doesn't get warped, is to live with a surrogate family (some of the choices involve Perry and Alice White, Julius and Jean Schwartz, and the Waynes), but of course, she chooses Jonathan and Martha Kent. That isn't to say Lara is dumping Kal on them, but believes it's the best thing for his welfare to be with two surrogate parents who actually love one another and have strong moral ethics. Kal lives with the Kents for, up to the book's end, six or seven years as Clark Kent, going to school with Lana Lang and Lex Luthor.

No matter what universe, or timeline, it seems that Kal, or Clark, is inevitably linked to Jonathan and Martha Kent, for better or worse. There was one Elseworlds story, "Unforgiven", where Jor-El had managed to evacuate Krypton in time and resettle on Earth. However, it reached the point where the Kryptonians were the ruling class in an almost totalitarian fashion. Rest assured though, the story is not totally one about a stereotypical revolution which leads to the Kryptonian ruling class overthrown at the end. And the circumstances are different. In Unforgiven, it was using the sterile, emotionless Krypton created in John Byrne's "Man of Steel" revamp. In this story, it uses a Jor-El and Lara based on the Silver Age, or maybe even Birthright, versions. I recall another Silver Age Imaginary Story, where Jor-El had only managed to send Lara and Kal-El to Earth, where Lara became Superwoman.

The two DO love one another, but they are not written as a couple whose love will triumph over all. They have some spats, but they can be resolved, as evident by the fact that after arguing, the two embrace and make love... IN THE SUN.

Clark has the benefit of being raised by both his parents, Earthling and Kryptonian, although his relationship with Jor-El is a little strained. That might change next issue, as we are introduced to two new siblings in the El Family by the end. In a Silver Age fashion, Clark uses his abilities to help make a science project that gets him an A, but in a more Modern Age fashion he has to deal with the fact that he can't use his powers on bullies. Jor-El berates Clark on the idea that he would come back to live with himself and Lara if it's only because he doesn't want to deal with bullies, even if Jor-El had some disbelief on Lara doing it in the first place. Jor-El wants him to know about Krypton, whereas Lara wants him to live in the REAL world, Earth, and not in Jor-El's morbid fascination with their dead homeworld.

Of course, what Superman story wouldn't be complete without Lex Luthor, who shows up at Clark and Lara's school as a smart, and snobbish, student who uses his science fair project to embarrass his science teacher. Jor-El and reps from JorCorp show up because Luthor has managed to demonstrate his staggering intellect to Jor-El, and even gloats that he's probably smarter than Kal-El (not aware they're classmates).

I was a bit disappointed this wasn't in prestige format, but who cares? ELSEWORLDS!

So at the beginning of last month, I bought five Marvel #1s. Four of these, I bought because my comic book guy was running a $1 apiece special on them. Of those four, there was only one I had been planning to possibly buy before I knew about the special sale. The fifth (non-sale item) was one I was 90% sure I was going to buy because I'd read an intriguing article on it. So I ended up getting four $1 first issues for the cost of what just one of them would have cost me for the same price as all were $4 comics. The fifth, I paid the regular full price for as planned.

I took all five home with me and finally got around to reading them all tonight, over a month later. My thoughts:

1) Casanova is the one I paid the regular price for based on the article I'd read. It's written by Matt fraction and illustrated by Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon and published under Marvel's creator-owned Icon imprint.

This one intrigued me because I'd heard it was spoken highly of, and although Fraction isn't one of my favorite writers, I enjoyed his early issues of Iron Man. From experience I know that many writers really tend to show their passion and talent on creator-owned projects. This one in particular is actually a reprinting and remastering (with new backup stories) of a series previously published by Image.

Another big draw was Ba's involvement. Though I personally found Umbrella Academy disappointing storywise, I did appreciate Ba's work on that book a lot.

I found the book pretty fascinating. It's kind of like a SHIELD vs. Hydra book with the main character being kind of a merc working in between the two. But add in alternate dimensions to the equation, and it becomes something less familiar. Really, it's hard to describe at this point, and I think that's a good thing!

It's kind of sci-fi/futuristic, a little Grant Morrison-esque in high concept and trippiness with a lot of super-spy genre thrown in. It definitely demands a close read but is also entertaining.

Volume One is called "Luxuria" and volumes apparently alternate artists between Ba and his freqent artistic collaborator Fabio Moon. Volumes one and two are the reprints, and thereafter the series will produce all new volumes thereafter with the artists continuing to alternate. Meanwhile, Moon illustrates the all-new backups in Luxuria", while Ba will do the backups in Volume Two.

I saw enough to make me glad I picked up issue 2 last week without having yet read the first issue. I anticipate buying all of "Luxuria" at the very least. A promising start!

2) Scarlet was the dollar issue that I was most likely to buy even before I knew about the special because Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev were the creators, and I enjoyed their work on Daredevil. Like Casanova, this one's creator-owned and published thru Icon.

From the get-go, Maleev's art didn't disappoint. It looks like his style has evolved since his time on Daredevil so that it's even more appealing in its beautiful grittiness. His work here gets incredibly high marks from me.

I'm more ambivalent about Bendis's script. He literally has the eponymous character talking to us and looking at us through the fourth wall. That definitely takes some getting used to, especially in a gritty book like this one. She doesn'yt go so far as to refer to us as "comic book readers" or say anything like "wait'll you see page 12!", but many of the panels show her looking at us and talking to us. Actually, the dialogue boxes for when she does so are shaped differently from the ones where she engages with other characters.

I'm not sure how I feel about that, really. It kind of grew on me as the issue progressed, but I'm not sure how novel it will feel a few issues on. What bugs me more about the technique is it seems to hamper Maleev a bit when he has to constantly have Scarlet facing us so often page after page. Maleev is game for this, but I'd rather he had more of a chance to show action and acting than have so many shots of her looking at "the camera".

Otherwise, it's kind of a ho-hum corrupt cop ruins characters lives origin story with a few inventive scenes to help us get a sense of the character. What's more interesting is that this story is somehow leading to the character eventually starting a revolution somehow in her rebellion against the wrongs done to her. It's hard to see how it goes there in the issue itself, but Bendis makes it clear this is the direction in the letters page and bonus material that completes the book.

It's kind of disappointing to have to get this from the bonus material, but at least it tells you it won't just be your basic revenge story. I think there's a large chance that I'll buy issue 2 to see how the story develops. Doesn't hurt that I love the Maleev art.

3) Steve Rogers: Super-Soldier was a book I was highly unlikely to buy, but the dollar enticed me. I was a big fan of Brubaker's run on Captain America but had become disenchanted with Reborn and the immediate stories that followed and had recently stopped buying it.

Super-Soldier wasn't a bad book at all, but the story didn't exactly grab me. We have here yet ANOTHER attempt to replicate the super-soldier formula that made Cap what he is, this time with the intent to sell it to the highest unfriendly foreign bidder.

It benefits from Dale Eaglesham's polished art and Brubaker's firm grasp of both Steve Rogers and the spy genre. But I didn't see enough to justify dropping 4 bucks a pop on the remaining issues of this mini(?)-series. Maybe I'm just too disenchanted with Brubaker's Cap at this point to really appreciate it? Hard to say with complete lack of partiality.

4) Avengers: The Children's Crusade was a project I was considering but would ultimately have more likely trade-waited on if I ended up getting it at all. I liked what I'd read of the original Young Avengers series by these returning co-creators, Heinberg and Cheung. But having never finished the series and knowing it's kind of been in Purgatory ever since, made me less likely to by the new series as it came out.

Now, however, I'm more likely to continue buying the it off the stands! First, I remember really liking Cheung's style on YA, but DAMN!--it's flat-out gorgeous here! All that detail and clarity reminds me of Art Adam's salad days. It also evokes early Chris Bachalo, Mark Buckingham and even Olivier Coipel at times. I think it has all of those influences but isn't trying to ape any of them particularly. The coloring also works very well with the art to create a gorgeous package.

I also liked the story. Really, it was all set-up with very little happening 'til the last page. But that was probably necessary for lapsed readers like me and to give Heinberg a chance to get a grasp on his characters again before rushing on.

It's also nice that they're finally going to do something about the Scarlet Witch's status after being virtually unseen since House of M. Dare I hope, they might even redeem her? I hope so because I really like Wanda. In any case it looks like our cast might be among the most natural to resolve her story at last.

Anyhow, the characters and situations speak to me and evoke that elusive "Avenger-y" feeling that I've had trouble finding in stories that carry the title. I will most definitely get issue 2 and see if it will continue to persuade me to spend $4 on this comic!

5) Shadowland was very unlikely to be a purchase without the deal (probably the least likely), and this issue didn't make my prejudice feel unjustified. I'd dropped Diggle's Daredevil a couple of months ago as I did Cap. It was pretty much the same situation as Cap where I'd just lost interest in the direction.

This comic just didn't really pull me in at all. The threat was kinda vague, and we see another confrontation DD/Bullseye confrontation. Though the outcome would seem a shocker, I just groaned and wondered how fast it would be reversed or explained away. The art wasn't horrible, but I'd seen better, more evocative artists working on the main title with Diggle before I dropped it. Comparatively, Tan's arc lacked mood or the nuiance of Diggle's other collaborators, which were the only regrets I had when I left DD.

Again, I may be jaded becuase I recently dropped the book, but other reviews I've seen of this issue tend to agree with me to varying degrees. This looks tremendously overblown, and I pity those who decide to pick up every single tie-in to this thing.


Overall, not a bad haul of number 1s in that trip. Three that will definitely get at least another issue of my money, one that was marginal for a possible trade buy and only one that was a definite dud.

Lardy, that’s really cool of your CBS to do that promotion! It certainly is something that would have got me to buy them (I generally *always* buy a comic that is $1.00 just for the hell of it).

Just some random thoughts on your post:

I was able to get Scarlet and just read it, and plan to review the comic in the post after this.

I did not get Casanova though I kind of wish I did. I was picking up 6 weeks worth of comics and then questioned myself when I picked it up and put it back on the rack. Now, after your post, I’m thinking of at least grabbing #1. Fraction is a very hit or miss writer for me; however, Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon are terrific and I’m loving Daytripper quite a bit, and loved Umbrella Academy. (I believe they are brothers). Your post may have convinced me to sample #1.

Even though I’ve been a vocal supporter of the most recent Cap stories by Brubaker, I actually might pass on the Steve Rogers mini. Why? Well, something about it just screams “trickery” to me in that there doesn’t seem like a real reason to have a Cap series with Bucky and a second Cap series with Steve. I can’t explain it. Sometimes I feel the big 2 take advantage of me and I just need to draw the line. I still plan on collecting and reading the real Cap series, but will likely pass on this one. Your review has only confirmed this for me. Meanwhile, I do plan on getting Roger Stern’s Young Allies mini and the Patriot mini.

Young Avengers I already posted in that thread.

Shadowland is another one I’m really on the fence with. I almost feel like if there wasn’t a zillion tie-ins, I would have gotten this. But the fact that the solicits take 20 minutes to get through all the Shadowland tie-ins just kind of makes me cringe. I still plan on collecting and reading Daredevil as I always have, but wonder if I can skip this? I may buy the first issue of Shadowland for the help of it. I may skip it. I certainly am not getting any of the tie-ins with the possible exception of Power Man and only because its written by Fred Van Lente.

I did read Scarlet tonight, and was very glad to have found a copy after one CBS I visited had sold out. I think this did very well sales-wise and I’m thrilled for Alex Maleev who deserves tons of $$ for his awesome work over the years.

My feeling after reading #1 is I really want to see where this is going and learn more about Scarlet, so in that regard, Bendis & Maleev succeeded in getting me to at least pick up #2 and probably #3 and from there, possibly hook me permanently. I found that while the nuts & bolts of the plot aren’t all that original, the characterization of Scarlet was very intriguing and drew me right in.

Bendis was able to flex his writing muscles less in terms of plot and more in terms of structure and narrative with this story, and in that regard, I liked it quite a bit. Sometimes that is enough to get me really interested, because it makes a comic book stand out. The breaking of the fourth wall was entertaining and made me sit up and take notice; in the interview in the back of the book, Bendis compares it to John Cusack in High Fidelity and I think that’s a good comparison. It didn’t take me out of the story and actually made me get more into the story as I felt I was getting to know Scarlet better.

The other really cool narrative device was the three page sequence that really kicks off the story where several panels act as a summery of Scarlet’s life: ‘Birth’, ‘First Shit’, First Fight’, and so on. I thought it was effective in being amusing/funny while also being very original.

The best part of the issue for me though was the Alex Maleev artwork, as I really love it. I was super-disappointed that Spider-Woman ended and can now let those feelings rest as I’m getting a new dose of Maleev. He really seems to be going all out here as well, as it retains the grittiness of Daredevil that made me a fan, but it also seems more beautiful. Maybe its Scarlet’s subtle attractiveness or the energy of the issue, but it felt more panoramic in a way. Hard to explain what I mean, but I think this was a great artist doing some of his greatest work ever.

I expect the story will get better as time goes on (not that it was bad, it just wasn’t spectacular), but in the meantime, the artwork is gorgeous enough to make me feel satisfied with the purchase.

The final part of the 3-issue Luke Cage miniseries came out and at the end of the day, I’ve got to say this was one excellent little miniseries. If Arcudi was doing an ongoing Luke Cage series, this first story would have me hooked permanently.

As someone who was never a big Luke Cage fan and only warmed up to him begrudgingly through his usage in Avengers, I’m now seeing for the first time how a clever crime drama setting can make Luke’s solo adventure very appealing. Arcudi also showcases something almost always talked about but never really shown well: “street smarts”. In that sense, he’s able to nail an aspect of Luke that many writers have struggled with.

Though the art may not have been everyone’s cup of tea, I think the writing was tight enough and the lead likeable enough to call this mini a big success.

My review on Titans #26. Some spoilers, I guess.

So, the issue I’ve been dreading since June. The Titans issue when Roy finally joins the Losers for Hire. Why does he join? Cheshire emotionally blackmails him into doing it so the two can kill Deathstroke, who has gotten on the wrong side of the little genocidal maniac. She claims that Roy “owes” her because Lian’s death is supposedly on his hands. In a scene where Cheshire attacks Deathstroke, saying “it ends here”, Deathstroke counters by saying “it’s just beginning”, and Roy shows up, apparently selling Cheshire out by revealing she wanted him to kill her. But he says he wants to join, because he knows Deathstroke is obviously planning something big and wants in. He could use a “real Titan”. Cheshire, mentally, congratulates her “little junkie” for his performance, but wonders if Slade sees through it. I mean, how could he not? The exchange is just so one-dimensional you’d have to be blind. Well, Slade does have an eye missing. But it just feels so wooden. And stupid. The woman smirks in the same as Deathstroke and Roy shake, not even waiting for them to leave.

Then there’s some other stuff thrown in, Cinder being suicidal, Tattooed Man, Osiris acting like a spoiled brat and having a White Lantern vision, child slavers who are actually harvesting children as the main ingredient in a drug called Bliss, blah blah blah *blows raspberry*.

The truth is, I’m not even mad anymore. I can’t feel mad. All I feel is sadness, and disgust. Even if I didn’t get the same feeling in the pit of my stomach as I had with ROA when I read this.

It’s a further degradation of Roy’s character, and the tarnished memory of his daughter Lian, as Cheshire of all people demands repayment from him because of her death. Like she’s one to talk. Roy looks like crap, and someone mentioned that his hairstyle seems to visually resemble J.T. Krul, the author behind ROA, and currently writing Green Arrow and soon Teen Titans. If it is that is incredibly conceited, of course if Fiorentino did this as a homage to him I don’t know so I’ll reserve judgment till later. Roy no longer believes in what he stood for those years ago as a Titan, and it’s… understandable, but to be guilt-tripped by Cheshire, the woman who makes Charles Manson look like a better nanny in comparison, it’s just sad. And that costume and arm are still as ugly as holy hell.

Wallace had this to say on the DCU Blog about the issue:

“With Roy back on drugs and haunted by Lian’s death, he’s fallen into an emotional abyss. Broken inside and making all sorts of bad decisions, he’s now a perfect fit for these dark Titans. That’s because these anti-villains are a team of broken, desperate people. Yes, things are going to get worse before they get a lot better. But ironically, it’s Deathstroke’s uber-mission that’s going to help heal them. That is, if they all don’t get killed first in the process.”

I’m sorry, but I’m not buying it. Why should I? What reason do they have for any of us to believe it? After Cry for Justice, the gratuitous predictability of ROA, the pathetic excuses and rationalizitions behind ROA, and how horrible Villains for Hire was, why should we believe him? And of course if it does heal Roy, Lian’s still going to be dead. It’s about the both of them, but since she’s not an A-List, or even a superhero, they’d have little reason to bring her back. One possible reason is because she ages her father. Big deal. So he gets a little older. It’s a horrible waste of potential on Lian’s part. Just like the deaths of Robbie and Jennifer Long and Cerdian.

One of the biggest miffs I have with this is the fact that Lian’s tombstone says she was five, or maybe even four, years old. 2004-2009. There is no way that girl was anything other than six-and-a-half or seven, taking into account OYL and how much time has passed in the DCU since.

If Wallace expects people to feel sympathy for Cheshire because her daughter is dead, he’s barking up the wrong tree. In the Villains United miniseries written by Gail Simone, Cheshire was blackmailed into joining the Secret Six under threat of Lian’s life. Mockingbird, really Lex Luthor, claimed there was a small bomb inserted in the back of her head, which would either kill her or turn her into a vegetable. Cheshire then slept with Catman in order to conceive a replacement child, sold out the Six to the Secret Society, and then left. In the first few issues of the new Secret Six ongoing, Jeannette held Cheshire by her hair over the ledge of her casino’s roof. Cheshire attempted to plead mercy with her by saying she had a little girl. Jeannette’s response:

“I don’t care about your brat, girl. I care about your manners.”

Her second child, Thomas Blake Jr., was recently kidnapped. His father went after the kidnappers, only to learn the child was adopted by a loving family, all in an attempt to screw with Cheshire. Catman told Cheshire that their son was dead in order to protect him. The only time any of us hear about Lian’s half-brother is in Secret Six, and Lian seems to be the only child Cheshire mourns. Even for a super villain, she is not a good mother. Deadshot is a better parent in comparison, heck, Punch and Jewelee are better parents in comparison. She did not, or does not, really love her children. She might care for them, but it’s in the same way somebody cares for a pet, or a toy. If one dies or breaks, you can just replace it. To call her a beast is not fitting, even beasts can truly love their children. She’s a spoiled brat whose had her toys taken from her. Waste no sympathy on this b!tch.

Another matter is Cheshire’s characterization. I might hate this woman, but she’s devolved into the speech patterns of a foul-mouthed sailor. Before, she used words like “my darling” or “beloved”, she now curses more frequently and uses little, if not none, of her former vocabulary.

Speaking of vocabulary, most of the dialogue in this issue read like clichéd one-liners in a bad action movie. Unfortunately, I wrote none of it down for examples as I did for ROA #4, so you might have to take my word for it, whatever it’s worth.

The whole issue feels compressed, with stuff just randomly thrown together and rushed. Granted it’s not a blood bath like the last three issues (counting the “special“), but it is still bad.

Osiris is another example of bad characterization, as he is turning more into Black Adam Jr., saying how once Isis and Black Adam return, these “Titans” will rue the day they crossed him.

I can’t even tell which pages Fiorentino illustrated and which ones Richards illustrated. In certain panels, at least to me, Roy looked like either Austin Powers or a drag queen. And what is that thing he has on his back? A club? A stuff? I have no idea.

On a closing note… is an “abandominium” an abandoned condo?

Sgt. Rock: The Prophecy (GN format)

First off, the artwork is unbelievable. Joe Kubert is a living legend, and should be drawing Sgt Rock every month...okay, I'd settle for every other month.

The story is pretty straight-forward. Rock and Easy have to deliver a package that could help end the war. Easy is loaded with the regulars like Ice, Dozer, Wildman and Sureshot. There are also the characters that may of or may not of been seem before, that you know could be the ones to go. This is after all WWII, and bad things happen to our crew all the time. They do loose a few members along the way, in totally believable ways...and it doesn't feel gratuitios like other comics, as this is about war. Plenty of blood and death in these here pages, but it fits the subject matter.

The package turns out to be a surprise, Dozeer picks up an extra passanger, and there's a baby being carried around by Easy for a while. Nothing is ever easy for Easy, and this collection showcases the no nonsense way Rock deals with his cre to accomplish the goal, while letting them get away with more than probably most other leaders in the war.

There are so many little things that make this book great. Looks that the characters give each other. Nice things that they do for wach other. Dozer and his freind, and what Sureshot does for him after what happens. Sureshot drawing cartooons of their story. Wildman throwing down on a two-timing local they come across.

One thing about this. It's set in Lithuania. May not be a big deal for anyone else, but I'm about 1/3 Lithuanian, so I thought it was pretty dang cool.

Now I wanna go get me some old Joe Kubert war stories...gonna have to hit a local con soon.

DOOM FORCE SPECIAL

This is the special that Grant Morrison wrote during his tenure on Doom Patrol, a one-shot about the future DP.

The Doom Force one-shot is nothing more than a one-shot filled with horribly proportioned anatomy, cliched lines, and millions of annoying pencil lines drawn on EVERYTHING. And that's the point.

This one-shot was done as a parody lambasting not only Morrison's OWN writing (and he wrote this), but the flood of ultra violent comics heralded by Rob Liefeld's X-Force. This supposedly takes place in the future, where Dorothy Spinner is now a grown woman and Niles Caulder is living on as a head preserved in a block of ice (floating inside what appears to be a giant pink drink). Doom Force is composed of...

*Spinner: As I mentioned, Dorothy Spinner, now sporting Bride of Frankenstein hair and the evolved ability to pull nightmares out of her enemy's psyche.
*The Crying Boy: Kenneth Most, who absorbed mystical energy from a cheap painting and now causes heartache and bad luck wherever he goes. He also can't stop crying.
*Flux: Danii Melvin, an Australian girl snatched by dingoes into the Outback when she was a baby, and raised by a witch doctor to manipulate the shapeshifting powers of the dreamtime. She's the one with the ponytail and the white bodysuit covered in markings shaped like sperm.
*The Scratch: Some say he's Morgan Morgan, a previously well-known hero who accidentally killed an innocent and now works anonymously to atone for it. He can dismantle anything.
*Shasta, the Living Mountain: He's a guy who can turn into a mountain. That's it.

They are going up against Count Anton Zero, Count Zero, and his sister Una, who have taken control of a living city. Una can manipulate plants and minerals, and her brother is constantly chiding her for wearing clothes that aren't "revealing" or "feminine" enough, even though it's freezing cold. Her role is a crack at the godawful clothing most women wore in comics back then.

The stereotypes in this book are manifested through Scratch's horribly cliched lines and looking like a Wolverine rip-off, with hardware tools band-aided to his fists and a visor like Cyclops. Flux's ponytail is constantly changing length, at one point appearing so long that it goes literally off panel. The anatomy in this book is shockingly horrible, and at times you wonder how these characters are able to move without being in crippling pain. At one point, Scratch's arms appear to be coming out of the underside of his legs, and Flux's stomach and torso seem to be folding in on itself at one point. Crying Boy and Spinner both appear, frequently, with facial expressions that appear as if they are both constipated. Through all this, poor Shasta is ridiculed by Scratch because of his uselessness. He even tells Shasta at one point to make himself useful and go die. Of course, Shasta does die in this issue, it's even revealed on the cover. At the very end, when it appears that the members of Doom Force are mourning "poor Shasta", Scratch tells him that he's glad Shasta is dead, because he was a creep. And to that, everyone agrees.

"Well, if that's how we all feel, let's all go get something to eat!"

Read this when it came out and loved every second of it. Kubert reminds everyone what an icon he is, and gives that gritty war art that made him famous.

Seems that Joe has done a good number of OGNs (many war-related) over the last decade or so. There's that Sgt. Rock one listed above and "Fax from Sarajevo", and I think there've been at least 2 or 3 others. Unfortunately, his Wikipedia article appears far from up to date as a way of referencing his more recent work. Anyone got or know of a good list I can refer to?

"Fax from Sarajevo" is supposed to be a masterpiece, but I've never read it. It was an OGN in the 90's.

"The Prophecy" was a 6-issue mini from a few years ago that is now collected. One other Kubert SGT Rock story in recent years was a mini as well that is likely collected now.

I finally got around to reading #2 of the title and my feelings are much like the first. It's not the best comic I've ever read, but much like I enjoy a solid B-Grade horror movie, I'm enjoying Hack/Slash enough where I think I'm going to complete this first mini at Image. More than anything it's the atmosphere of the series, which feels very much like the aforementioned B-grade horror movies, but particularly the late 70's / early 80's ones like Prom Night and the first two Halloween films, that I'm finding so appealing.

There is a strait-up creepiness factor to just about every sequence, even the more light-hearted ones. Most of the horror movies coming out today have somehow lost that bit of horror-magic, and are much more gore-centric and in your face, rather than the old-fashioned "creep you out to the fullest" (but FYI, there is still some serious gore in this series).

There are many horror comics out there and many bad ones. This seems to be one of the better ones, and I just may be along the ride for awhile.

Reading the second issue of this miniseries, I found it just a little bit less good than the first issue, mainly because the actual plot seems to be moving along very slowly. Readers considering this series should keep that in mind.

Making the comic still a very worthwhile buy is the characterization by writer Jason Aaron, who really seems to nail both Peter and Logan with every panel. He also brings out what makes them so likable while ignoring some of the more cliche characteristics of both.

I wouldn't be surprised if this one day became an ongoing Marvel title. (Marvel Team-Up with two of every five issues focusing on Wolverine & Spidey isn't a bad idea, with the other 3 of 5 focusing on under-used characters IMO). If it was with this creative team, I'd buy it.