Comic Mini-Reviews Week of May 23rd, 2012

This week: BATMAN INC RETURNS...also, other stuff.

Comic Mini-Reviews Week of April 25th, 2012

This week: The Vampire apocalypse gets postponed, Daredevil is back to where he started, and the Flash is kind of a jumble.

Comic Mini-Reviews Week of March 28th, 2012

This week: Mole Man is a sympathetic character, Justice League Dark fights vampires, and Jonah Hex hits New Orleans!

What Would Darren Read, Home Edition (March 28th)

Lots of blood, death, and gore on this week's covers, but none of that bothered Darren because no one was upside down.

New 52 Year 0.5: Flash Versus All Star Western

     We've reached the halfway point of New 52: Year One, and it seems like a good time to go back and look at some of the most outstanding series in total so far. So for the next month, I am going to choose a book each week, read all six issues, and jot down some general thoughts and reactions. This week, I couldn't decide between The Flash and All Star Western!

Comic Mini-Reviews Week of February 22nd, 2012

This week: Jonah Hex kicks a bat, Mera is exaggerated to almost satirical proportions, and Wolverine is fun.

What Would Darren Read, Home Edition (Feb. 22nd)

This week, Jonah Hex and Wolverine both have giant bats towering over them. Somehow that seems appropriate.

Comic Mini-Reviews Week of January 25th, 2012

This week, Jonah Hex and Doctor Arkham go spelunking, Batman makes a weird tactical choice, and reverse-scubas suits!

What Would Darren Read, Home Edition (Jan. 25th)

Yes, we know that in the last "What Would Darren Read?" segment we accidentally called this week's Bat-book Detective Comics instead of Batman: The Dark Knight. Forgive us for mixing up the horrible Batman book with the terrible Batman book, we've been wracked with guilt. Check out the covers after the break!

Comic Mini-Reviews Week of November 23rd, 2011

All Star Western #3 – After a spectacular first issue and a solid second issue, All Star seems to have settled comfortably into the realm somewhere between good and great. Jonah Hex and Jeremiah Arkham continue to make for a fascinating odd couple. In issue one, Arkham's insight into Hex's mind was a perfect introduction to the character, unfortunately issues two and three gave way mostly to violence with little introspection. Still, All Star Western is one of the better books in the New 52. Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray's historic Gotham city is a great playground for Hex, it will be interesting to see how long the pair keeps him there. Of course, Moritat's art continues to be the true star of the series. There is something about his that imbues All Star with a near perfect atmosphere. Moritat's Hex, of course, is ugly as sin on a Sunday while the barmaids of old Gotham are buxom and beautiful. The backup starring El Diablo is fine, but it is nowhere near the quality of the main story.

Aquaman #3 – If this series feels familiar—it should. Geoff Johns is employing many of the same strategies he used in his runs on books like Green Lantern and the Flash to expand the Aquaman mythos. Based on his previous works (and Aquaman so far), it is obvious that Johns likes to do use flashbacks quite a bit—specifically ones involving parents. Accordingly, in issue three, we get a health dose of Aquaman's relationship with his father. This was alluded to in issue one, but here we actually see it. Johns employs another of his favorite back-story expanding tricks with the introduction of a mysterious, and formerly unknown, character named Stephen Shin. A perfectly adequate issue with great art.

The Flash #3 – Speaking of art, The Flash is one of DC's best looking books. Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato turn in a solid, well written, and well conceived script that is helped mightily by the duos own art. When it comes to DC's artist-written books, The Flash is second only to Batwoman in overall quality. As I have said before, I have no problem with artists branching out into writing gigs. In fact, it has brought the comic industry some great writers. Yet, DC's New 52 has had very mixed results with artists in the role of writers. The opening action set-piece is one of the most fun Flash moments I have read in a while. Every once in a while, a book will explore just how powerful the Flash's abilities make him—usually with fun results.

Green Lantern: The New Guardians #3 – There has been a bit of a revolving door at the various color-coded Corps over the last few years. There is just something about humans that they all seem to love. All four of the Earth Green Lanterns have wielded one of the different rings or been possessed by the major spirits behind their powers in the last few years. Now, in New Guardians issue three we see the ultimate culmination of the Rainbow Corps' hard-on for earthmen—Kyle Rayner wears all of the rings. That's right, he caught them all...pokemon. Thankfully, this excess of finger jewelry only lasts momentarily and we are treated to the first appearance of the Orange Lanterns in New Guardians. This series has been solid from the get-go, ranking somewhere near the bottom of the second tier of New 52 books, and this issue does little to improve or diminish that standing.

Justice League Dark #3 – Peter Milligan is doing a solid job balancing the cast of characters—giving them all a time to shine and contribute to the unraveling story. Even with three months to acclimate, it is still kind of strange seeing so many denizens of Vertigo back in the regular DCU, but so far it seems to be working. One of the biggest failings of team books is an inability to match the threat to the team, but Milligan's JLD has a threat that only characters like Zatanna, Constantine, and Deadman could hope to combat. Also, Justice League Dark makes for an interesting counter point to Justice League—both books have spent the first three issues building the teams rosters, but the former is much more successful than the latter. Perhaps it is because Milligan is juggling the entire team in every issue while Johns is slowly introducing a new character in each issue. For my money, JLD is a much better book.

Wolverine and the X-men #2 – Issue two was not quite as fun as issue one, but the series still has quite a bit going for it. Between Jason Aaron's scripting and Chris Bachalo's pencils, Wolverine and the X-men has an energy unlike anything else I am currently reading. Based on my limited knowledge of X-men lore, it seems that this series is a great starting point for new readers, but also brings enough continuity to the table to make current readers happy. For me, the ending was of particular excitement because I recently read Grant Morrison's run on New X-men and one of his creations is situated to save the day.

DCnU Week 5 Mini-reviews:

All Star Western #1 – Palmiotti and Grey have such an incredible grasp on Jonah Hex. Issue one of All Star Western makes it pretty clear why they were able to keep a cowboy/western-themed comic going for so long pre-relaunch. All Star is a great first issue. Jonah Hex and Jeremiah Arkham might be my new favorite odd couple in the DCU. Palmiotti and Grey found a perfect way to introduce new readers to Hex by having Arkham psycho-analyze him as they search for Gotham's version of Jack the Ripper. Moritat's art is downright incredible. All Star shows that he is a new talent to be reckoned with in the future. This book definitely is among my favorite books of the DC Relaunch.

Aquaman #1 – What a surprise! After the let down of Justice League and the solid but unspectacular Green Lantern, I was worried that I had bet on the wrong horse. Yet, Geoff Johns once again proves why he is one of the best classical superhero storytellers. He is one of the few writers (Johns, Waid, Morrison, maybe Bendis) that can distill the essence of a character into an exciting and kinetic package. It is obvious that Johns made addressing the conceptions and misconceptions of Aquaman a high priority. There's literally a scene in the middle of the comic where the hero is being peppered with questions by nerd stereotypes (including a cameo by aintitcool.com's Harry Knowles). The thing is...that sounds boring...but it works! Johns, with legitimately great art from Ivan Reis, presents an Aqua-

man that is a serious badass and an interesting character. After one issue,

this is one of the most exciting books of the New 52.

Firestorm, the Nuclear Men #1 – What a mess. Firestorm was the first legitimate debacle I have read of the DCnU. Granted, I have only read about half of the books, but I would argue that Gail Simone and Ethan Van Sciver's first issue was very close to horrible. The characters are transparent, the story is laughable, and the dialogue is just plain bad. They attempt to set up conflict between Ronnie Raymond and Jason Rusch, but it just falls flat. I know that Simone tends to walk a fine line between great and goofy, but in Firestorm the line disappears. I am sure that the entirety of the blame does not rest on her. EVS' plot must not have given her much to work with. The art is passable.

Flash #1 – When I made my pull list of 15 DCnU books, Flash was the book that would have been number 16. I have obviously not stuck to my original plans, so it should be no surprise that Manapul and Bucellato's first issue ended up in my hands at checkout. The only unanswered question was whether the artists had the writing chops to carry the book. So far, they've been solid. The nice thing is that art is so gorgeous that it can carry just about an story. (Side-note: An interesting thought experiment might be to think about how bad a story Manapul's art could make look good.) Thankfully his and Bucellato's first issue's script is plenty solid.

Green Lantern: The New Guardians #1 – There's a reason that Green Lantern is one of the least changed of the New 52. The pre-relaunch status quo was already solid. Maybe my opinion is skewed because he was the only Green Lantern for much of my childhood, but Kyle Rayner is just so likable. This issue suffers from a good deal of repetitiveness, but it kind of makes sense. It might have been slow for established readers, but it was a pretty smooth introduction to what the other corps are all about for new readers. A fine issue with very little to be excited about or frustrated with.

Justice League Dark #1 – A solid first issue. I really enjoy when the formation of a superhero team feels organic. It's also fun to see some of the characters that have been in the Vertigo universe working alongside DC's more traditional heroes. As Timothy Callahan pointed out, Superman, Wonder Woman, andCyborg's appearance was reminiscent of the early Vertigo days beforethe wall of separation was built between the two imprints. Janin's art is perfect for the book. The magical heroes look so natural in the world he creates, while the normal heroes look staid and out of place.

Superman #1 – Superman is the antithesis of what the relaunch should have been. Look, I have little problem with change--especially when it comes to Superman.  He's an important character that should not be allowed to stagnate. My complaint is that giving the book to Perez seems like a backwards move.  The relaunch should be an opportunity to freshen the formula and incorporate new talent.  For all the perceived modernization taking place in with Lois, the Daily Planet and Clark Kent in Superman #1, the issue feels old and tired--especially compared to Wonder Woman #1 and Batman #1.  The art is fine...it's hard to make chicken salad out of chicken poop.

15 DCnU Books to Watch: "Grab Bag Edition"

Look, even to a DC Comics Zombie, the company's September relaunch can seem intimidating. The information is almost overwhelming—52 brand new books, a smattering of new characters interjected into the publisher's traditional roster, and completely new creative teams on almost every book. On top of that, the chances of all 52 (or even a high percentage) being worth buying is minuscule. So, for you gentle reader, I have taken the time to separate the wheat from the chaff, to isolate the cream of the crop, and to highlight the must-haves of the DCnU. Once a week, between now and the end of August, I will attempt to explain and justify my choices for the 15 most important books of DC's upcoming relaunch.

This week, the Grab Bag Edition: Animal Man, Stormwatch, and All Star Western

Animal Man (Jeff Lemire, Travel Foreman, and Dan Green)

     One of the tightropes that the powers-that-be-at-DC have to walk is that they must maintain a reverence for established readers and the things they like while re-branding their line in an effort to attract new readers. None of the New 52 exemplifies that more than Animal Man. On the one hand, Animal Man is a strange choice. He's a character of extremely limited history, starring in only one or two famous storylines total. Heck, at one point his greatest achievement was gracing the roster of a group called the Forgotten Heroes. Granted, that was before Grant Morrison left his mark on the character, but still, that should give you an idea of how limited Animal Man's involvement in the greater DCU continuity is. On the other hand, Animal Man is a fan favorite, thanks mostly to a late 1980s and early 1990s revamp and a starring role in DC's 52 both written by the aforementioned Morrison. What Animal Man lacks in name recognition outside of the realm of comic book shops, he makes up for with his limited but beloved status within those comic-dungeons. Still, it should go without saying that editorial at DC is banking on this new Animal Man series garnering a more widespread following than other attempts in the past.

     Now that I think about it, they may be on to something. While much of the focus among the nerds (ie: me) has been to examine and dissect the characters, creative teams, and continuity changes of the DC Relaunch, a largely ignored part of the entire enterprise is the shift to day-and-date releases. Brand new DC comics will now be sold digitally on the same day they hit store shelves. Some of the sales figures I've seen from digital comic book sales indicate that consumers that buy their comics online tend to buy comics of the more independent and Vertigo-style stripe. (Admittedly, this information may be out of date. After all, I am no comic industry insider.) So in Animal Man, DC has a character that was famously one of the founding members of Vertigo written by current Vertigo wunderkind Jeff Lemire (Sweettooth). Those in the know at DC have mentioned that they want their new 52 to encompass a broader segment of comic book readership and Animal Man is definitely one of their forays down paths that only Vertigo used to travel.

     As I have said before, Lemire is a rising star. He has received critical recognition for his short run on Superboy and his creator owned Sweettooth and Essex County Trilogy. The artistic side of Animal Man will be handled by Travel Foreman who is fairly new to comics, and has mostly worked for MARVEL since breaking into the industry. If the previews are any indication, Foreman's work will fit well with the story Lemire wants to tell. Jeff has said that he sees Animal Man “very much a horror/superhero hybrid. As such, I’m able to take it in some very dark places.” Its an interesting direction to take Buddy Baker and his animal-themed alter-ego, but one that could give new life to a character that has not had a starring turn since the early 1990s.

Stormwatch (Paul Cornell and Miguel Sepulveda)

     A couple of weeks ago, (in a cold-medicine-addled fog) I mentioned that my limited funds were forcing me to choose one Paul Cornell and one Peter Milligan penned book. Since I chose Justice League Dark for my Milligan book, that left Stormwatch as the obvious choice for Cornell. (Anyone that's listened to our podcast's discussions about Game of Thrones knows that I can only take so much fantasy. Sorry Demonknights!) Add to that the fact that one of my all time favorite characters—Martian Manhunter—is now a member of Stormwatch and I'm sold.

     The premise of Stormwatch—a secret group of superpowered people who quietly save the world—is one of those ideas that seems obviously clever but is surprisingly hard to get right. In spirit, the team has been around since the early 90s but only a few creators have been able to write comics that live up to the premise. Of all the writers (other than Grant Morrison) working at DC right now, Cornell seems like the obvious choice to head a revival of Stormwatch. Cornell has packed a lot of solid superhero comic book writing into a fairly short about of time. His recent run on Action Comics starring Lex Luthor lost much of its steam toward the end, but was still a solid story overall. A Dr. Who alumnus, Cornell has shown that he is able to mix imaginative premises with compelling threats. Word coming out of the DC camp is that the villain of the first Stormwatch story-arch will be the Moon. Having read some of Cornell's work at DC, that seems about right.

     Stormwatch is a book with a monstrous amount of potential. The premise and characters are solid, Cornell has a knack for writing interesting comics, and the art (handled by Miguel Sepulveda) looks spectacular so far. Hopefully, it will bear a stronger resemblance to the crisp storytelling of Cornell's early issues on Lex Luthor and not the less intriguing, by-the-book later issues.

All Star Western (Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Moritat)

     I'll make this easy: Buy All Star Western. It's strange that I, a comic book collector that literally owns only one western-themed comic book, can say that. But, without a doubt ASW will be one of the most consistently great comics being released by DC in the New 52. How can I know that? Well, the writing team of Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray were able to orchestrate a seventy(!) issue on DC's most recent western book, Jonah Hex, which ran from 2006 until last month. The only way a comic book based in the old west could survive at the Big 2 in today's market is if the writers wrote its brains out. I am sure that they will bring those same energies and sensibilities to ASW.

     No longer confined to just Jonah Hex and his cast of characters, Palmiotti and Gray now have the entire DC Western roster to play with. At least at first, each issue will feature a story starring Hex with a backup featuring other characters. Series-artist Moritat grabbed readers attention with his recent run on The Spirit. His work was perfect for the urban settings of that comic's Central City, but it will be interesting to see how it translates to the wild west. Of course, it may help that apparently ASW is taking place in the Gothic-inspired wild west version of Gotham. He's a talented artist that gives a sense of place and atmosphere to his work, which should serve a period piece comic well.

     Here's the thing: I missed out on Jonah Hex. When it first came out, I decided I wasn't interested in a western comic. Then Palmiotti and Grey quietly built up one of the strongest comic book runs in recent memory while I was wasn't paying attention. This time around, I'm determined to be along for the entire ride of this brand new western series.