Comic Mini-Reviews Week of November 16th, 2011

Batman #3 – Scott Snyder's Batman is a book without obvious flaws. Within the pages of the first three issues, he has presented the reader with a Batman story that is inlaid with his continued expansion of Gotham city's history. Greg Capullo's art is a fine, stylized companion. Yet, since issue one, the series has yet to really wow me. Issues two and three were perfectly solid issues that were well executed, but there is something about the evolving story that seems to be missing. Perhaps I am hindered by the fact that I have yet to read Snyder and Kyle Higgin's The Gates of Gotham mini-series, and am, therefore, left out in the cold story wise. While that might be the case, I tend to doubt it. Rarely has my enjoyment of a comic been hindered by missing knowledge of continuity. Having read Snyder's Detective Comics run starring Dick Grayson as Batman, I am sure I will be shown the error of my ways and regret ever considering that Batman is lacking. For now, I am left with the feeling that there is a hole in Snyder's Batman but I cannot seem to put my finger on it.

Birds of Prey #3 – I would argue that BoP is one of the surprises of the New 52. It is no where near the level of Wonder Woman, Animal Man or Swamp Thing nor is it even as solid as Batman and Robin, but Duane Swierczynski and Jesus Saiz' book so far has been the kind of well-written, sharply-drawn B-level book that is necessary for survival of the DCnU. In fact, with the announcement that Batgirl will be joining the ranks of the Birds of Prey, I am forced to concede that it is tempting to drop the somewhat underwhelming Batgirl and just get my fill of Babs Gordon in BoP. I would be lying if I said that Saiz' art was not a huge influence on my opinion of the book's overall quality. I am a big fan of his clean lines and expressive character faces. Birds of Prey's story is nothing spectacular—just solid superheroics. Side-note: I actually really like Poison Ivy as a good guy so far. She was underutilized as a Bat-villian anyways. Plus, I bet she will return to that role so fast we'll all forget her heroic turn before you can say Batmite.

DCU Presents #3 – If I was trying to explain the Deadman storyline currently being featured in DCU Presents to a non-comic reader, I am sure that the word boring would feature prominently. It is hard to believe that a story about a ghostly acrobat that can inhabit other people's bodies could possible be boring. Yet, here we are. So far, DCU Presents has been overwritten and uninteresting. There is supposed to be some sort of mystery going on with Boston Brand's godly benefactor, but three issues in I am hardly compelled to turn the next page, much less buy the next issue. It is not as if there is a lack of interesting ideas, in issue two Deadman breaks into Wolfram and Hart...I mean, uhm...some sort of magical nightclub. In issue three he threatens an old lady with angel wings and meets Lucifer's younger brother, and it takes 20 or so pages to get there. At least the cover is pretty.

Green Lantern Corp #3 – After two solid opening issues, Green Lantern Corp takes a turn of the worse. Confronted with a seemingly endless enemy that is somehow immune to their power rings, Guy Gardner, John Stewart, and their cohorts seem done for. Except that Peter Tomasi introduces a brand new, never before seen Green Lantern with the convenient power of teleportation. With the somewhat on-the-nose name Porter, (What, were the names PlotDevice and Plothole already taken?) the cavalry is able to save most of their comrades. Anyways, to add insult to injury, Porter somehow overextends his power's reach on the return trip and dies tragically in Gardner's arms. Green Lantern Corp number three was a disappointingly, bland mess of nothingness that asked the reader to have an emotional reaction to its own tepid attempt to write itself out of a corner.

Justice League #3 – Despite the increasing number of characters and slightly more intricate plot pieces, Justice League continues to feel, at best, like a free comic that came with a Happy Meal or box of cereal. I realize that this is a carefully planned move on DC's part, but it is still hard to shake feelings of disappointment. Geoff Johns has, by no means, been a perfect comic writer, but the lens with which he sees the DC characters tends to clarify and strengthen their core attributes. That is why his work on Justice League was so highly anticipated. Over the last few years, the League had languished in a quagmire of uninteresting characters and substandard quality. The promise of a Johns Justice League was one of revitalization. Instead, after three issues, Justice League feels like the Mirror-Mirror version of the potential of the New 52. Instead of interesting new takes on the core characters of the League, we are treated to an achingly simple story filled with transparent characters. Like I said, I realize this is a carefully cultivated experiment on DC's part. Yet, since the New 52 endeavor is so keenly tied to retaining old readers and gaining new readers, it is unfortunate that the flagship book so utterly fails at the first objective.

My Greatest Adventure #2 – I'm still not even sure why I picked up issue 2 of this mess. I said on the podcast a while back that the only reason I bought the first issue was historical nostalgia for the original My Greatest Adventure—in which Doom Patrol first appeared—and My Greenest Adventure—the fictional book that Grant Morrison's Wally Sage dreamed up Flex Mentallo. This mini-series features a trio of baffling stories that seem both out of place and time. None of them are completely horrible, rather their mere existence is confusing. With the New 52 initiative attempting to present a new-reader-friendly-universe, why is DC muddying the waters with characters like Robotman, Garbage Man, and Tanga? To the average non-comic reader, Garbage Man might as well be Swamp Thing. Meanwhile, to the long time comic reader, a re-imagined Doom Patrol-less Robotman is just unfortunate. The thing My Greatest Adventure does have going for it is its art. Scott Kolins and Kevin Macquire are two of my favorites, and Aaron Lopresti is turning in some of his most polished work. But the caliber of artists on this book just leads to more questions. While I am not sure if Macguire would be willing to have drawn one of the DCnU, I am positive Kolins and Lopresti could be better utilized on one of the 52 ongoing books being published by DC. In the end, I am not sure pretty pages of panels are not enough for me to stick around for issue three.

Wonder Woman #3 – There is no doubt in my mind that, three issues in, Wonder Woman is one of the best books to come out of the New 52. This is neither unwelcome, nor is it a surprise. Wonder Woman, more than any other book, exemplifies the goals of the DCnU Initiative. The creative team is entirely A-list and the character was ripe for a certain measure of re-examination. In issue three, this comes to a head as Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang challenge long-held understandings of Diana Prince while still honoring the stories and mythos that came before. For years now, Wonder Woman's origins have revolved around her creation—a mother who longed for a child, made one out of clay. Issue three reveals that this story is just as fictional for Diana as it is for the readers. She has lived a lie, and is now faced with an entirely new reality. It is a change that may leave some long-time readers unhappy, but I am of the opinion that Wonder Woman is the most ripe of the Big Seven for change. Anything that clarifies or builds Diana up to a stronger hero and character is absolutely fine in my opinion. Perhaps one of the most appealing changes aspects of Wonder Woman is the way that the mythical gods behave. I love how the goddess Strife remains present on Themyscira as if she is savoring the unrest and unhappiness her presence has caused. After three months, Wonder Woman falls easily amongst projects like Swamp Thing, Animal Man, and Batwoman as one of my most recommended books of the New 52.