New comics, Doctor Mid-Nite, Earth 2, Fallen Angel

New comic!

Superman Smashes the Klan 3

Continues the excellence of the previous two issues.  Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru have created a wonderful story with likable characters, contemptible villains, and life lessons that I can’t wait to share with my kid when she gets a little older.  A perfect example of how comics can entertain and educate at the same time.

Doctor Mid-Nite 1-3

Another in the long line of “I remember liking it, but almost nothing else” comics that I own.  Matt Wagner manages to make Dr. Mid-Nite a unique character out of a mish-mash of ripped off origins - A renowned doctor (Dr Strange) is blinded while gaining superpowers that let him see in the dark (Daredevil), and uses his wealth and intellect to create a bunch of gadgets and fight crime (Batman) alongside his pet bird (Falcon).  It’s a lot of fun, helped by John K Snyder III channelling a lot of Dave McKean in his Arkham Asylum phase.  

Never seen a dangling cape look so dynamic.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good

Earth 2 1-4

Why did I buy this?  Did James Robinson’s name on a comic still have some pull with me?  This is basically an Elseworlds where the JSA forms after the trinity of Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman, not before.  Total meh, and past me quit before the first story arc concluded. Coulda stopped earlier.

Regret buying: Yes

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Fine (Cutting)

Fallen Angel 1-6

There exists a category of comics that buy thinking I’ll like, but when it comes time to read them for the first time, I’m struck with a reluctance to crack open the pages.  I have that right now with Immortal Hulk, Echo, and the latest Saga collection.  For some reason or another, I can’t find the motivation to get started.  

Fallen Angel falls squarely in that grouping - I cared enough to buy nineteen of the twenty issues in the full run, most likely because Peter David’s the writer, but I honestly don’t know if I’ve read a single one of them.  This may actually not be a re-read. 

It’s...fine.  Another vigilante in another new city.  David throws in a few interesting twists (Doctor Juris intrigues me, and the idea of the Fallen Angel sleeping with her archnemesis has possibilities), but so far I’m leaning towards cutting this from my collection.  The juris is still out.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Fine

New Comics, Crisis on Infinite Earths, Demon

New comics!

Hawkeye: Freefall 3

Matthew Rosenberg and Otto Schmidt continue to delight.  Kudos all around!

Captain Marvel 15

The same goes for Lee Garbett’s art here, and the confrontation between the two Captains is stellar writing by Kelly Thompson.

DCeased: Unkillables 1

No way I’m waiting for the trade for this one, Tom Taylor continues to rule this alternate universe he’s created.  

Crisis on Infinite Earths 1-12

It’s amazing how closely Marvel and DC’s first major intra-company crossovers (Secret Wars and Crisis) mirror their eventual cinematic universes thirty years later - Secret Wars combines all of their most popular characters in a rollicking fun adventure that gives the readers what they’re looking for, while Crisis is an overwritten, plodding mess of a story with tons of pointless action starring people with no personalities at all.  

Marv Wolfman’s basic plot is decent enough, given the need to combine the myriad of DC universes.  But his basic MO is to take a plot point, have a ton of D-list characters fight over it for an issue, then repeat.  It’s horribly grindy, and I kept wondering what a modern writer could have done with the premise. (Though with my luck, that writer would be Jonathan Hickman, and I’d be left with another incoherent mess…)  This is a story that could have been effectively told in half the number of issues. Twelve was completely unnecessary.

I must give Wolfman credit for how he handles Supergirl’s death.  The magnitude of the conflict, the peril of the situation, and the enormity of the sacrifice all solidly connected with me, really for the only time in the whole series.  

And let’s not forget the art of George Perez and that epic, truly classic cover.

And speaking of massive crossovers involving George Perez:

This image of heroes charging towards a huge pile of rocks in space...

...totally reminded me of this shot years later in Infinity Gauntlet.

I may never read Crisis again, but I also can’t expunge such a cornerstone of comics history from my collection.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Didn’t suck

Legends of the DC Universe: Crisis on Infinite Earths 1

Wolfman returned years later to write what’s essentially Crisis 4.5, a lost tale of how another Earth perished.  Meh. This I can easily cut.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Didn’t suck (Cutting)

Official Crisis on Infinite Earths Index 1

I don’t know what company ICG is, or why they had Mark Waid write an in-depth synopsis of each issue, but I just like that this exists.  I may never read this, but I like owning it.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Boring

DC Nation 0

Something I got for free, it has three chunks in it.  The Bendis Superman story is meh, the JLA story is stupid, and the awesome Tom King Joker story is reprinted in the Batman trade, so I can safely chuck this.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Fine (Cutting)

Demon 0, 40, 42-52, 54, 56

I bought these in the period after Garth Ennis stole my heart with Hitman, one of the best comic titles ever crafted.  This is where Tommy Monaghan made his first appearances, as well as the beloved Baytor.  

Truly the master.

While these issues aren’t bad, I have a couple of problems with them.  At the end of the day, I don’t care at all about Jason Blood or Etrigan.  Not even Ennis could make them interesting to me. His rhymes are actually pretty funny, but I’ve never been fond of that schtick for The Demon.  

Second, as a massive fan looking for more Hitman material, this feels like the first season of Park and Recreation or The Office, something brilliant that needed a little bit of time to find its footing.  The characters are the same, but there’s so much rough around the edges that it’s totally skippable.  

I’m cutting all of these issues, I haven’t wanted to read these since I bought them, and this hasn’t changed my mind.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Fine

Dial H for Hero 1

I gave every launch title of Bendis’ Wonder Comics imprint a try.  Aside from the fun conceit of Joe Quinones paying homage to famous art styles, there wasn’t much here that grabbed my attention.  I didn’t continue buying this, and see no reason to keep the issue. Original review.

Regret buying: Yes

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Didn’t suck

Connor Hawke, Cover

Connor Hawke 1-6

I love Connor Hawke.  He’s my favorite DC archer, and Chuck Dixon writes him so well.  This mini-series has it all: an archery contest, Shado, a dragon fight, and Connor being his usual, humble, kickass self.  Derec Donovan provides great visuals, and something this fun doesn’t need any kind of deeper meaning.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good

Cover 1-6

David Mack’s art alone makes this worth the purchase price.  I think this would have been even better if Brian Michael Bendis had eschewed the spy side and just focused on the comic creator inside stuff.  That’s the world that I find interesting - there are plenty of spy comics out there, and almost nothing about the people who make them.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good

Brave and the Bold, Camelot 3000, Challengers of the Unknown, Chase

This is really starting to become a weekly thing…

Brave and the Bold 16

A cute little team up between Catwoman and Superman.  An unlikely pair, but Mark Waid and Scott Kolins keep it lighthearted and fun.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

entertaining pace.  I have tons of questions about Sir Tristan’s storyline and what it has to say about sexuality and gender identity in today’s society.  He is literally a man trapped in a woman’s body. Is it fair to expect him to accept his situation? Is his happy ending with Isolde actually as happy as we’re led to believe?  I really don’t know the answers, and would happy revisit this with someone who has insight into these issues.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

Challengers of the Unknown 1-8

Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale team up five years before they blew my mind with Long Halloween to create something unlike anything else that they’ve done together.  This is the third time I’ve read this series, and like the second time, I went into it remembering that I liked it while being unable to recall anything about the story. 

Basically, there’s an explosion at Challenger Mountain, “killing” Prof and June.  The three surviving Challengers must learn how to move on as individuals before reuniting to save the day.  It’s a reductive synopsis for a multi-threaded, intricate story, and upon reflection, it shares a lot of the tone and feel of Darwyn Cooke’s epic New Frontier (coincidentally, the only other story I’ve read featuring the Challengers).  There’s a good chance I’ll forget the plot of this once again, but I’ll look forward to reading for a fourth time.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good

Chase 2,5,6

I bought these back in 1998 on the recommendation of Randy Lander, prominent comic reviewer of the day.  This was one of those times where my opinion did not agree with his at all. It reads like James Robinson-lite, trying to hit the feeling and look of Starman.  It succeeds with the JH Williams art (he and Tony Harris have very similar styles), but D. Curtis Johnson doesn’t have the chops.  He gets close with issue six, which is the only one that I’m keeping.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No (Yes for 6)

Rating: Didn’t suck (Cutting 2 and 5), Nice for 6

Blue Beetle, Booster Gold

Blue Beetle 27-36

Booster Gold 21-25, 28, 29

Blue Beetle: Rebirth 1

Lilah Sturges takes over on writing duties, and it seeing that name on the cover did not excite me - Her work on Jack of Fables disappointed, and I wasn’t expecting better here. 

Sadly, my expectations were met.  These Blue Beetle stories are run-of-the-mill superhero stories, with some uninteresting takes on the “is the source of my powers turning me into a monster?” trope.  The short adventures from what I assume are backups from Booster Gold are equally meh.  Easy cuts, especially since the Giffen/Rogers run tied everything up so neatly - I can end with those issues and not feel like I’m missing out on anything after.

(The Rebirth issue didn’t do anything for me either, even with the return of Giffen.  The returned-from-the-dead Ted Kord annoys the heck out of me, and he makes a poor complement to Jaime Reyes.)

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Didn’t suck (Fine for Rebirth, Scott Kolins does some great art.  Cutting all of them)

New Comics

New comics from the last couple of weeks!

Captain Marvel 14

More pretty Lee Garbett art.  Still all I need for this arc.

Batman: Curse of the White Knight 6

The Sean Murphy art is so damn good!!!

Lois Lane 8

I wasn’t going to buy this, but my LCS said I had to because I hadn’t taken it off my sub.  Puts me in a shitty mood, especially since this issue just confirmed my decision to drop it.

Hawkeye: Freefall 2

Man, so much good art in this batch, this time from Otto Schmidt.  Matt Rosenberg knows how to write a funny comic.

Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity 3

This is Silence of the Lambs with Harley and the Joker, and it’s such a different vibe.  Still liking this departure from the usual DC fare.

Die 1-5

Picked up the first trade after hearing a lot of good things about this.  I didn’t pick this up when it first came out because writer Kieron Gillen’s previous creator-owned series, The Wicked + The Divine completely bombed for me.  I chucked them before the re-read with no second thought.

Anyway, this is really good.  Can’t wait to pick up the next trade my next visit to the comic shop.  I love Gillen’s spin on D&D classes and rules. Stephanie Hans’ art is a little too dark in the color palette for my taste, but there’s no denying it’s beautiful and perfect for the grim world that these creators have constructed.  

Thinking about it some more, this might be one of those “great the first time through, no need to revisit” comics.  Hmm. Well, it deserves my money at least one more time. (Ten bucks for the first five issues is great value.)

Birds of Prey, Black Lightning, Blue Beetle

How much did I read in two weeks?

Birds of Prey 25, 26, 29-36, 42, 44

The rest of my Chuck Dixon run.  Dixon throws in an odd romance between Dinah and an ancient Viking - Apparently, a one night stand with Black Canary is enough for him to pine away for her for the rest of his life.  Poor guy, if only he knew about Ollie. Or Ra’s al Ghul, Canary’s rebound relationship after Viking dude.  

Generally fine but unmemorable issues.  Not boring enough to drop, though.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Fine (Dumping 36 and 44, a stupid Last Laugh crossover issue and a random issue from a storyline I don’t have the rest of the issues for)

Birds of Prey 62-68, 70, 74-78, 80, 83, 84

The Gail Simone run.  The first arc I bought in trade.  The rest I picked up for free at some giveaway event at work.  Safe to say I made the right decisions - The first arc, worldwide jaunt with Oracle, Canary, Huntress, Shiva, and Cheshire is full of fun and energy that was sorely lacking by the end of Dixon’s stint.  I can’t remember if Simone or Dixon was the one to introduce it (if it wasn’t someone else completely), but the idea that Shiva keeps a ranked list of the best martial artists in the world is awesome. Would love to see how that list constantly evolves.  

Ed Benes may be a poor man’s J. Scott Campbell, but he’s grown into an artist whose work I actively enjoy.  He’s certainly better suited to the lighter tone of this title than Butch Guice with Dixon. (Guice is a good penciller, but his art’s a little too dark and realistic for something so fanciful.)

The rest of the issues after issue 68 signal a surprising plummet in quality.  Maybe it’s all the fill-in artists, maybe it’s how Simone takes Oracle out of the clock tower and into a private jet.  More likely, it’s the uninspired monster of the month stories that drag on for far too long.  

Regret buying: No (Didn’t buy the ones I’m dropping :) )

Would buy again: Yes for 62-68, No for the rest

Would read again: Yes for 62-68, No for the rest

Rating: Pretty good for 62-68, Fine to boring for the rest.  (Cutting 74, 76-78, 80, 83, 84)

Bird of Prey 1

The New 52 version.  Completely forgettable.

Regret buying: Yes

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Boring (Cutting)

Black Lightning 1

Tony Isabella returns to the character he created.  I’m still searching for a Black Lightning story that’s made any kind of impression on me.  (Judd Winick’s done some cool stuff with his daughter, Thunder, in Outsiders, though.)

Regret buying: Yes

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Fine (Cutting)

Blue Beetle 1-26

Jaime Reyes, created by Keith Giffen, John Rogers, and Cully Hammer, is Miles Morales five years before Miles Morales - a teenage reluctant hero of color with a loving, supportive family and wisecracking best friend.  I love how they double down on his ethnicity, even spending an entire issue with his Spanish-speaking extended family. (Translation came at the end of the issue.)  

Cully Hammer does good work at the beginning, and things really start to sing when Rafael Albuquerque comes on board.

I totally didn’t realize until now that John Rogers is also the guy who created the TV show Leverage.  So in addition to creating an amazing show that’s super fun to watch, he writes great comics as well (along with Giffen, who really knows how to craft a funny line).  

This one feels like Giffen.

Is even Batman that good?

Batman knows the score.

He's really in an impossible situation.

But is the Endgame arc at the end of Rogers’ run that really shines.  It’s the culmination of this two year story as Jaime takes on The Reach and their plans for global domination.  The desperation, intricate plotting, excitement, and flat out epic superhero-ness are a joy to read, and it’s what convinced me to change my “Would buy again” rating to a yes.  Awesome stuff.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Goes between Pretty good and Nice before climaxing with a well-deserved Good.