Superman/Batman, Mera Tidebreaker

Mera: Tidebreaker

The launch title for DC Ink, their new YA imprint.  I don’t get the concept of YA titles. As a teen, I read “adult” books.  As an adult, I read “YA” books just as readily. A well written story is a well written story.  By the time you hit middle or high school, a distinction shouldn’t have to be made based on the age of the reader.

That my way of saying that Mera’s a wonderful comic by Danielle Paige.  Sure, Mera’s a teenager starting to discover her identity as she comes of age, but there’s nothing here that would be out of place in ‘regular mainstream’ comics.  It’s not the most original of plots, but the execution and art by Stephen Byrne makes it worth the read.

I like how her red hair is the only contrast to the otherwise blue/green palette.

Superman/Batman 7-13

After a one issue story drawn by Pat Lee that isn’t worth discussing, Jeph Loeb jumps into the next six-parter with the reintroduction of Supergirl.  The main conflict comes from Superman and Batman’s reception of Kara Zor-El - Clark naturally embraces her as family, and Bruce automatically questions the purity of her motives.  Batman basically views Supergirl the same way Lex Luthor sees Superman, as an unknown threat of unlimited power. It would make sense if it was an unknown hero, but because it’s Supergirl, the happy ending is a given, and Batman’s suspicions come across as paranoid.  Still, it’s a lot of fun. Here are the highlights:

Loeb writes such good banter between Bruce and Clark.

This is such a Joe Madureira face...

...The mouth shape, the jutting jaws.

I like Michael Turner's long, lithe Batman.  Very Sandman-esque.

By Marc Hempel.

This amuses me.

A callback to Loeb's For All Seasons.

Heh.  At a gathering of superheroes, Plastic Man is the designated survivor.  Clever.

I wonder how much of this next speech is directed towards Sam, Loeb's son who would die of cancer at seventeen just a year after this was written.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? Yes (No for issue 7)

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Pretty good (Fine for issue 7)

Superman: Tangent, Superman: War of the Worlds, Superman/Batman

Tangent Comics: Superman 1

For some reason, DC did a bunch of Elseworlds comics under a “Tangent Comics” banner.  Like Amalgam Comics, they were all first issues with no intention of follow ups. Mark Millar and Jackson Guice did the Superman one.

They strayed far from the source material, keeping only the name.  This Superman goes the Flowers for Algernon route, going from ordinary (he starts out as an everyday cop, not someone with an IQ of 68) to extraordinary with a full suite of powers - flight, immeasurable intelligence, telekinesis, telepathy, future sight, etc.  He goes through the standard “dissociation from the rest of humanity as he ascends to a whole other plane of awareness, particularly from the person he loves” syndrome. The twist that saves it at the end? Instead of renouncing his abilities, he invents a pill that grants those same powers to his girlfriend.  He makes sure that there’s at least one person in the world that he’s not above.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? No

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Fine

Superman: War of the Worlds

The title pretty much says it all.  What if Superman was around during HG Wells’ War of the Worlds?  Turns out pretty much the same as if he was not; Superman kills a few of the aliens, dies in the process, and the Martians die of Earth disease.  

Still, it’s a fun little piece.  Michael Lark does some nice work.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? No

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Fine

Superman/Batman 1-6

I don’t think Jeph Loeb has an equal when it comes to superhero internal monologuing.  He utilizes it to amazing effect in Superman/Batman.  Not only does it nail the voices of the two titular heroes, but it also highlights both the differences and similarities between the unlikely best friends.  From what I’ve read so far, my reviews of this comic are basically going to show the stuff that I liked, because there’s a lot of it.

That's so Batman.

Loeb loves using these contrasting thoughts.

They've got the banter down pat.

The supreme confidence is so badass.

Obvious, but I laughed.

Ed McGuinness kills that gauntlet design.

It's sweet how they inspire each other.  Best bromance ever.

Sadly relevant in 2019.

Where the heck did this Byrne homage come from?  So random.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? Yes

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Pretty good

Superman/Gen13, Superman: Last Son of Earth

Superman/Gen13 1-3

Plot A: Gen13 visits Metropolis because Caitlin has a crush on Superman.  Caitlin gets amnesia after Superman collides with her during a fight, and starts thinking that she’s Supergirl, unable to fly due to Red Kryptonite.  (Like how Miles blames everything on puberty in Into the Spiderverse.)  

Heh.  I like this cover.

She goes about trying to do good deeds, but screws it up each and every time because she’s Archie Andrews.  

Superman and Gen13 spend three issues chasing her down as she wreaks havoc across the city.  

Plot B: The kids think Superman’s lame, but come around one by one as he wins them over with his strong arms (Roxy), superheroics (Bobby), and strength of will (Sarah).  It’s Adam Hughes’ take on “What's So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way?”, showing why he thinks Superman’s wholesome character is still relevant and as important as ever in today’s society.  It works for me, but I never needed to be convinced in the first place. Love me some well written Superman, and this series qualifies.  (Great work by Lee Bermejo, by the way.)

Whodathunk Bermejo could do slapstick so effectively?

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? No

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Nice

Superman: Last Son of Earth 1-2

What if Clark Kent was sent from Earth to Krypton instead of the other way around?  He’s a human baby found and raised by Jor-El, forced to live in an exoskeleton to compensate for the heavier gravity.  It’s a fascinating take that I really enjoyed, well told by Steve Gerber.

Unfortunately, it veers back into conventional Elseworlds territory in the second issue after Clark gets a Green Lantern ring and returns to a devastated Earth.  (Where Lex, Lois, Martha, and Jimmy are all alive, of course.) But on the whole, not a bad outing.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? No

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Fine

It's a Bird, Superman Adventures

It’s a Bird

An autobiographical story by Steven Seagle, with art from Teddy Kristiansen.  Similar to Paul Dini’s later Dark Night: A True Batman Story, this graphic novel recounts how real life situations in the author’s life intersect with his work on a DC comic.  In this case, Seagle shows how his views on Superman relate to his depression and the Huntington’s Disease that runs in his family.  The writing is strong enough that the Superman tie-in is hardly necessary, but it’s nice to read how Seagle sees the hero after writing the main title for a year.  

Of more interest to me is how his parents and extended family treated Huntington’s as something to ashamed of.  Seagle and Kristiansen perfectly capture both the hazy memory of childhood and how certain moments can stay imprinted on your brain for decades.  

Kristiansen draws the cutest kids.

Yeah, that's the kind of thing you'll never forget.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? No

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Nice

Superman Adventures 1-4, 30, 31, 41

A random smattering of this title.  I got the first ones because I wanted to see if they were as good as Batman Adventures (they weren’t), and the last few because Mark Millar wrote them.

Some of the standout moments, all drawn by Rick Burchett:

Love how he draws Lois pulling her hair out after putting on the jacket.  So natural.

Krypton's 27 light years away, and that's how long Superman's been on Earth, so...
A beautiful moment by Scott McCloud.

Don't you mean "MEOW!" ?  (Sorry not sorry.)

If you needed further proof of how intimidating he is.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? No

Would read again? Yes (No for 4, 30, 31)

Rating: Fine (Didn’t suck for 4, 30, 31.  Cutting those)

Son of Superman, War of the Realms

Only one new comic this week.  I stopped getting Young Justice.  

War of the Realms 1

I stopped getting Jason Aaron’s Thor after Mike Del Mundo took over on art.  His dull color palette deadens the energy of his panels, which kills my enjoyment of the story.  But with the return of Russell Dauterman as Aaron begins the culminating story of his years on Thor, I’m all in on this Marvel event.  

The first issue is all set up as Malekith begins his invasion of Earth.  The fighting’s about to start in earnest, I’m pretty excited. And Loki gets eaten by his frost giant father.  I’m just going to leave that out there.

Son of Superman

It’s odd.  As Elseworlds stories go, there isn’t too much to this story by Howard Chaykin and David Tischman.  Superman’s been missing for fifteen years, but the son he fathered with Lois is now a teenager and developing powers.  He returns, of course, which sets off conflict and fighting. There nothing inherently new here, and yet I still find myself quite pleased with the result.  Part of it must be in the execution, similar to the Elseworlds story I reviewed last week.  Jon Kent comes across a lot like Mark Grayson from Invincible (which came after this, but is far superior in quality), all young and exuberant, but not rebellious enough to be annoying and stupid.  

JH Williams III is great on art.  (Have I mentioned how similar his style is to Tony Harris’?)  Though he doesn’t really seem to understand the concept of a fifteen-year leap forward - His men have aged into ancient geezers, which his women appear just as young and nubile as ever.

Batman?  Collecting social security.

Lana Lang?  Ready for MTV Spring Break.

I’ll happily read this again, but I don’t think I’d ever seek it out, either.

 

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? No

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Nice

The Kents, Lex Luthor

The Kents 1-12

A historical maxi-series about the Old West, tying Pa Kent’s ancestors to Bleeding Kansas and the Civil War.  The Superman connection is tenuous at best, and the story would have been better without it - Pa and Clark’s written correspondence provides clunky exposition when even standard omniscient narration would have been better.

John Ostrander’s epic isn’t bad.  His story of the two Kent brothers, Nate and Jeb, stays engaging for the duration of the story.  Nate fights to make Kansas a free state, fights for the North, falls in love, and seeks revenge against his brother, who shot him in the back.  Jeb is the classic bad seed, riding with the outlaws William Quantrill and Jesse James.

Through it all, the major players narrate the action through the journals they conveniently keep and letters they write to family back east.  Pa Kent, who must have done an extraordinary amount of research, fills in the history.

Tim Truman and Tom Mandrake’s pencils suit the time period of the comic quite well.  There’s no need to be flashy, and their storytelling is solid in the best possible way.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? No

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Nice

Lex Luthor 1-5

Lee Bermejo’s the star of this miniseries.  His art looks amazing.

The story by Brian Azzarello is less good.  If the point of the book is to tell things from Luthor’s point of view and portray him as the hero of the story, then it does not succeed.  From what I can tell, this is Luthor’s plot:

1. Build the tallest building in Metropolis.
2. Create a female superhuman named Hope.
3. Sacrifice Hope and the building to frame Superman.
4. Be sad and feel like a martyr because he fell in love with Hope, but was still willing to sacrifice her to defeat Superman.

It makes no sense.  Aside from being a stupid plan and enormous waste of resources, Azzarello also does a horrible job of making me believe that Lex actually loved Hope, rendering the final part of his plan moot.  

What makes it more disappointing is that Azzarello starts the first issue off so well.  His Lex is genuinely respectful of his janitor, and I thought I was going to see a whole different side of this man.  But that aspect of his character is never revisited, leaving me to wonder why it was put there in the first place.

It's actually quite decent of Lex.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? No

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Nice

Batman, Superman/Shazam: First Thunder

Batman 58-60

Batman Annual 3

Batman Secret Files 1

The ninth Tom King Batman trade.  Batman discovers that Bane’s passivity is an act, and that he’s secretly running Arkham Asylum from within.  No one, not even Jim Gordon, believes him, which leads to Batman punching the commissioner in the face. It’s a little far-fetched, considering the history and trust between the two long-time friends.  The trade only gives us three issues of story, so there’s not much to judge.

Secret Files is an anthology issue, much like Batman 1000, and it’s just as meh.

Batman Annual 3 is exceptional.  It’s an Alfred-centric story, showing the things he does and has done for Bruce since the fateful night he got the phone call telling him the Waynes had been murdered.  It’s touching and full of heartfelt emotion. Superb work by Tom Taylor and Otto Schmidt.

Superman/Shazam: First Thunder

Judd Winick and Joshua Middleton give us the story of Superman and Captain Marvel’s first meeting.  I’ve never been a Billy Batson fan. The “child in an adult body” angle doesn’t do anything for me, and I’m unlikely to watch the movie when it comes out later this week.  (Thinking about the similarities between Shazam and Big, I would have loved to see Tom Hanks from the 80s play the role.  I love Zachary Levi, but I don’t buy him in the part. Though I suspect a lot has to do with the padded suit.  It looks ridiculous.)

Too much suspension required.

So the story itself is fine.  Standard team up against Sivana.  (Which does yield a great line from an exasperated henchman:)

But the ending gives me chills every time I read it.  The compassion and trust that Clark shows Billy, who can clearly use a friend and mentor at a very difficult time in his life, gives me goosebumps.

That scene alone merits this miniseries the Major Feels rating, moving it out of my usual grading system.

Regret buying? No

Would buy again? No

Would read again? Yes

Rating: Major Feels