Comic Mini-Reviews Week of June 6th, 2012

This week: Trey is incredibly late.

What Would Darren Read, Home Edition (May 9th)

Two weeks of covers!

Comic Mini-Reviews Week of April 4th, 2012

This week...who am I kidding? Look at that banner image!

Comic Mini-Reviews Week of March 7th, 2012

This week: The secret history of the Manhattan Project is revealed, Animal Man is the coolest super-dad ever, and Superman jumps off the earth.

What Would Darren Read, Home Edition (March 7th)

Want to play What Would Darren Read? The rules are simple: Pretend you've never bought comic books before, create a gigantic construct of a comic book shop in your head, ignore the virtual stares from the stereotypical Troll Dungeon employee you conjured, defeat a dragon using the sword of +5 charisma, take the correct colored pill, destroy the One Ring, and then pick out the three covers you think are most enticing this week.

Ok, maybe the rules are only that last bit.

Comic Mini-Reviews Week of February 1st, 2012

This week, Superman is a time-traveler, Swamp Thing is in trouble, and Bucky is a super-spy.

What Would Darren Read, Home Edition (Jan. 4th)

It's time to play WHAT. WOULD. DARREN. READ? Since we missed a week, I've chosen a mixture of covers that hit newsstands since our last podcast. If you want to play along at home, listen to FIGcast #46 "Suitably Menacing" or the "What Would Darren Read?" music!

Men of War #5

Action Comics #5

O.M.A.C. #5

Flash #4

Justice League Dark #4

I, Vampire #4

The Savage Hawkman #4

Avengers: X-sanction #2

Defenders #2

Thor: The Deviants Saga #3

Uncanny X-men #4

Uncanny X-force #1

Wolverine & The X-men: Alpha and Omega #1

Comic Mini-Reviews Week of December 7th, 2011

Action Comics #4 – Few comics have encapsulated their own inherent flaws so completely as Action Comics #4. With this issue, Grant Morrison's Superman story is joined by a Sholly Fisch penned backup feature starring John Henry Irons, a.k.a. Steel. Aside from an editorial note that served to draw attention to an awkward storytelling choice that would have been glossed over otherwise, the two scripts are adequate. Yet, the Steel story was drawn by Brad Walker, whose sheer competence put Rags Morales to shame. I realize that this is Rags' fourth issue in a row and Walker has literally had months to prepare, but it exaggerated the lackluster art that Morrison's Action Comics has been saddled with. On the writing side of things, the series has been solid but not spectacular. As always, I have faith Morrison is taking this in a particular direction that will pay off.

Animal Man #4 – Every month, it seems that Animal Man and Swamp Thing leapfrog each other for the top spot of the DCnU quality list. Really, their only competition is the stellar Wonder Woman series and Batman and Batwoman vying for a distant fourth. This month, it was Animal Man's turn to take the number one position as Jeff Lemire continues to freak me the hell out. I really hope that Travel Foreman is either mentally resilient or has a good therapist because drawing the creepy stuff from Lemire's head must be a frightening task. I said last month that I thought Animal Man and Swamp Thing were headed for a crossover, and I am even more certain of it now since Alec Holland is mentioned within the pages of issue four.

Defenders #1 – It's difficult to not compare Defenders with Justice League Dark thanks to a somewhat similar team agenda. Thankfully, the rosters of the teams in question are quite different. Different, also, it seems, are the writers desired styles. Matt Fraction takes on a much more traditional comic book narrative style than we have seen from Milligan's JLD. Yet, there are still hints of Fraction's deeper stylistic choices. In last week's podcast, I mentioned that there are little notes written at the bottom of the issue's pages that were almost more fun to search for than the issues actual plot. As usual, the Dodson's art is nice and smooth, giving all of the characters a particular charm.

StormWatch #4 – Before the Relaunch, I was certain that StormWatch was going to be one of the best books of the New 52. While it has improved monthly, it has never reached that potential. With news that Paul Cornell will be replaced by Paul Jenkins as scripter, I doubt I will continue to pick this series up. For now, the story is fine but underwhelming, and the art is kind of mushy. We finally get to see Midnighter and Apollo flex some muscles, but few of the other characters really make an impact, emotionally or otherwise. I used the term “mushy” to describe the art, but it actually fits the entire book. The mass of uninteresting and ill-defined characters and the meandering plot make for a disappointing read.

Swamp Thing #4 – It is no coincidence that Swamp Thing, Animal Man, Action Comics and StormWatch are released in the first week of each month. I am fairly certain that when DC was making the schedule they wanted to really wow readers with some of their strongest (on paper, at least) new titles. Thankfully, this strategy has worked pretty well, so far. Swamp Thing and Animal Man are two of the best and Action Comics is perfectly adequate—meaning that three of the four are essentially successes. Marco Ruby does an admirable job filling in for Yannick Paquette this month. Scott Snyder continues to wind a narrative that mixes the old canon with new to strong effect.

Episode #44 Supplemental Post: What Would Darren Read, Home Edition

Since it looks like FIGcast #44 is going to be delayed a bit longer, I'm going to go ahead and post this week's What Would Darren Read, Home Edition. Hopefully, it will keep you entertained until Darren has MacGyvered the latest podcast together out of twine, Christmas tree needles, a Grand Central Station locker key.

Cue the music! It's time to plaaaaaaaaaaaaaay WHAT WOULD DARREN READ...Home Edition! Just click the images to enlarge them and start judging some books by their covers!

Action Comics #4  

Animal Man #4

Green Arrow #4

Batwing #4

                                                                            

O.M.A.C. #4

Hawk and Dove #4

Avenging Spider-Man #2

Swamp Thing #4

Defenders #1

Deadpool Max X-mas Special #1

Venom #1

The Punisher #6

X-Club: We Do Science #1

[All images courtesy of dccomics.com and marvel.com]

Comic Reviews Week of November 2nd, 2011

Action Comics #3 - Still solid. As often is the case with Grant Morrison, Action Comics will probably read better in its full form.  Without a doubt the book's biggest flaw is its art. Rags Morales did not even do the full issue and his art looks terribly rushed. I think the book would benefit from a completely new artist, and would not be surprised if that happened in the near future.





Animal Man #3 - Jeff Lemire has a talent for creepy, and Travel Foreman can certainly deliver on the demented stuff in his scripts. This was a bit of a transition issue, it seems as if the proverbial poop is about to hit the fan.  Animal Man and Swamp Thing make me wonder how much Lemire and Scott Snyder are coordinating with one another.  I smell a crossover in the near future.




Stormwatch #3 - Cornell's books (Stormwatch and Demon Knights) continue to improve. The character introductions that made the first couple of issues feel frantic have finally given way to the storyline.  The mixture of old and new characters is finally coming together in a cohesive mixture.  Still has a few abrupt moments that mess with the narrative a bit but, overall, Stormwatch seems to have found its footing.




Swamp Thing #3 - This is my pick of the week.  Yanick Paquette's art is still gorgeous.  Snyder, like Lemire, has a knack for creepiness. This issue both reintroduces an old character and introduces a new character--both of whom are immensely interesting. Despite having read most of the Hellboy catalog, delved into Grant Morrison's crazier work, and read Batman books most of my life, Swamp Thing continues to deliver some of the most frighteningly creepy things I have ever seen in comic book form. I cannot recommend this book enough.

Uncanny X-men #1 - What's this!? A MARVEL book?! That's right, True Believers, Trey is branching out.  Though I did not write a review for it, Wolverine and the X-men was my favorite book last week.  Uncanny was solid, but not quite as good. The highlight might be Carlos Pachecos' art. He is easily one of the best visual storytellers in superhero comics. One of my favorite things about the book is it's setup. I really like the idea of a superhero team having a huge roster with multiple branches that each have their own unique purposes.

DCnU Mini-reviews Week of October 5th, 2011

Action Comics #2 – So far, so good. Grant Morrison's revamp of Superman and his early days in Metropolis might be one of the most interesting things done with the character since Mark Millar's Red Son. Superman acting like a brash young man with an activist leaning might not be what we are used to, but it is a take that makes him a much more dynamic character. It also stays true to the earliest Superman stories. There's something else to this re-imagination—Action Comics is set early in Superman's career. I am sure that stories set later will attempt to make Superman a more rounded character than he was in the Old DCU, but the impulsive, some-what angry Superman of Action Comics is part of a story-arc. He will grow as the story goes on. The biggest problem with the series remains the art. Rags Morales and Brent Anderson just are not giving the book a good look. Morales can be solid when given time, but it is obvious that the month-to-month grind is too much for him. Bottomline is that the art detracts from a story that has been solid so far.

Animal Man #2 – Jeff Lemire knows what he is doing. After finishing issue 1 with a creepy reveal, issue 2 continues to mix family drama with horrifying superheroics. Buddy Baker, one of the little known guys of the DCU, is confronted with events that hold frightening implications. Suddenly manifesting a series of abilities that outstrip her father's, Maxine Baker leads the Buddy on a classic hero's journey. The Hunters Three are creepy, the family drama seems real, and the plot is fascinating. Travel Foreman's art is great—sharp lines, expressive faces, and scary monsters.

StormWatch #2 – I am still not sure about this book, but I know that I enjoyed issue #2 more than the first issue. It is still kind of frantically paced. There are tons of characters being introduced and I am not sure just how well that process is going. While most of the characters are interesting, drawing a bead on where the new characters stand is kind of difficult. That might be on purpose, but it seems a bit ambiguous. Sepulveda's art seems a bit more confident in this issue than it did in the first. Even having read StormWatch 1 and 2 and Superman 1 I am not entirely sure how the three books are connected. If I can't figure it out, I doubt new readers can.

Swamp Thing #2 – For the second month in a row, Snyder tricked me. Like issue 1, issue 2 begins with a ton of exposition and dialogue that is not terribly compelling, but then hits the ground running in the second half. The creepy stuff from last month's issue returns with a vengeance and turns the scary up to 11. The relationship between Swamp Thing and Alec Holland is still somewhat in question. Apparently, there have been other Swamp Thing entities in the past? My knowledge of Swampy continuity is pretty limited. Yanick Paquette continues to draw one of the best looking books of the New 52. The attack of the creepiness, expansion of the Green and Red lore, and a cool reveal at the end of the issue make this book at least as good as the stellar first issue.

Action Comics #2 Annotations

As I was reading Action Comics issue #2, I noticed a ton of continuity and DCU references interwoven into the narrative by Grant Morrison.  I decided to jot them down and post them on the blog. I am by no means a Superman scholar, so I may have missed some important stuff.  This is a page by page breakdown of the things I took note of in Action Comics #2.

Page 1:  Superman, captured at the end of issue #1, is strapped to an electric chair.  I am unaware if this is a specific reference to a Golden Age Superman story, but based on Morrison's tendency to mine the past and the electric chair's old looking design, I would not be surprised if it was.

Page 2-3: Lex's refusal to acknowledge Superman as anything other than "it" is a great character touch.  Superman's abilities referred to so far: electricity resistance, x-ray opaque skin.  The second surely is a reference to invulnerability.

Page 4: The Doctor Irons Luthor refers to is almost certainly John Henry Irons, formerly known as the replacement Superman--Steel.  The Sergeant Corben is most likely John Corben one of the men who has been known as the villain Metallo. Irons seems to be a contractor working for the military, which fits with his regular DCU status and history.  Corben, on the other hand, has obviously been re-imagined as a career military man instead of his original journalist alter-ego.  Irons shows that he is a hero-in-waiting by being outraged at Luthor's treatment of Superman, while Corben seems nonplussed.
Update: Apparently Geoff Johns made Corben a military man in the recent Secret Origin miniseries.

Page 5:  The sequence where the scientist tries to take a blood sample is surely an allusion to 1939's Superman #1 where a similar, much more consensual situation takes place.

Luthor mentions a "Steel Soldier program"--this could be an allusion to either Irons' or Corben's eventual alter-egos.  The General Lane referred to is Lois Lane's father.

Page 6:  The military is wasting money trying to destroy Superman's cape.  An unnamed soldier mentions a rocket that was similarly indestructible.  This ties into older continuity--where stuff from Krypton was just as tough as the Man of Steel.  General Lane knows his daughter's nose for a story.

Page 7:  Lois is wearing a Keystone City shirt.  This is the home of the original Flash, Jay Garrick, and the third Flash, Wally West--hello, shared universe!

Page 8:  Another reference to needles being unable to pierce Superman's skin. Powers update: Survived Sarin Gas for FIVE minutes! Also, x-ray vision.  Luthor asks Superman about Krypton, this is the first mention of Superman's home world in the DCnU as far as I am aware.  There is no indication that Superman knows anything about the planet.  Or perhaps his answer of "noble gas...number...36..." could have been a new-playful-Superman answer.  Luthor seems to be under the impression that Superman is a shape-shifting alien.

Page 9: I am embarrassed to say that I have no idea what that corpse is. As far as I know, there was never a Goaty the Super-goat.  Regardless, Luthor thinks that Superman's regular form is four-legged. Lex Luthor does not like being laughed at.  Superpower update: Microwave vision...perhaps a more scientifically up-to-date explanation for heat-vision?

Page 10: Lois and John Corben obviously had some sort of romantic relationship in the past. Continuity alert! John Corben once shaved off his mustache! You heard it here first!  Another allusion to "steel soldier" which I have to believe is connected to either a new version of Metallo or Steel.

Page 11:  Superpower update: The ability to absorb electricity?  New Lex seems to be a bit of a wuss.  I don't see him being the kind of guy that would be willing to dawn a purple and green powersuit and throw punches.  Perhaps that will be part of his ongoing DCnU arc--Superman driving him to be more physical.

Page 12:  Superman threatens to kill Lex. Who knows if he would actually go through with it, but that's something new.  Actually it's something old, Superman was much more gruff and physical in his early days.

Page 13:  Superman finds his cape?  I am guessing that the importance ascribed to the cape is a return to a canonical significance.  Perhaps it is the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby.

Page 14:  First appearance of the Kryptonian baby-ship.  It obviously reacts to Superman's presence and touch.  First mentions of Superman's Kryptonian name, Kal-el, his Kryptonian parents,Jor-el, Lara-Lor-Van-Vax-El and one of Krypton's gods, Rao.  I am assuming the Vax in Lara's name is some sort of Kryptonian marital hyphenation. (I could wrong, I have no idea.)  Perhaps the ship has some sort of built in AI, because Superman promises it that he'll come back for it.  Then again, he could just be talking to it for fun...I mean I talk to my Ms. Butterworth bottle, so who knows?  Superpower update: Heat-vision.

Page 15-16:  More of young Superman's Super-confidence.

Page 17: Lois must have used her reporters skills to steal John Corben's pass key. She sees Superman just in time for him to leap away.

Page 18: After the resignation of Doctor Irons, a Professor Vale has been put in charge of the "steel soldier" project. I am assuming this is Emmet Vale--the scientist that put post-Crisis version of John Corben's brain in Metallo.  Corben's unrequited love for Lois seems to be driving him to try some sort of new and untested technology.  I don't know, could it be leading to...him turning into Metallo? Probably.

Page 19: Luthor is on the phone with an unnamed person.  Apparently, whoever is on the other end of the line was his source for knowing about the word Krypton.  As he talkes, we are shown something floating in space, implying the involvement of a certain green skinned Superman villain.

If you notice any glaring things I missed, feel free to let me know!