Full review posted to cxPulp.com.
Story: 3.5/5
Art: 4.5/5
Overall: 4/5
Filed under: cxPulp.com, DC, DC Universe, Justice League, New 52, The | Tagged: Alex Sinclair, Aquaman, Batman, Comic Reviews, cxPulp, Cyborg, DC, DC Comics, dc relaunch, Eddie Berganza, Flash, Geoff Johns, Green Lantern, jim lee, JLA, Justice League, Justice League Part One, New 52, Patrick Brosseau, Rex Ogle, Scott Williams, Superman, Wonder Woman | Leave a comment »
Full review posted to cxPulp.com.
Rating: 4/5
Filed under: cxPulp.com, DC, DC Retroactive, DC Universe, Superman: The 1990s | Tagged: 1990s, Comic Reviews, cxPulp, DC, DC Comics, DC Retroactive, Jon Bogdanove, Louise Simonson, Retroactive, Superman | Leave a comment »
Brightest Day Aftermath: The Search for Swamp Thing
Writer: Jonathan Vankin
Pencils: Marco Castiello
Inks: Vincenzo Acunzo
Art (Issue #2): Renato Arlem
Colors: Barb Ciardo
Letters: Sal Cipriano, (Issue #3) Dave Sharpe
Cover: Ardian Syaf, Vicente Cifuentes, Ulises Arreola
Editors: Rex Ogle and Eddie Berganza
Published by: DC Comics
I haven’t finished Brightest Day yet, but I know that the big hubbub over the final issue was the return of Swamp Thing and John Constantine–after a lengthy absence–to the mainstream DCU. And waiting for the collected volumes of Brightest Day, I opted to pass on this series. But this weekend, I found myself looking for something “extra” to pick up, and the comic shop I was at had all three issues, so I decided that rather than spend only $3.99 for a one-shot, at “only” $2.99/issue, I’d snag this entire 3-issue mini.
John Constantine finds himself the butt of his pal Chaz’s jokes for having bought a newspaper–though this particular newspaper had literally called out to him, the Swamp Thing’s attempt to make contact with him through the plant fibers in the paper. The trouble apparently caused by the Swamp Thing draws Constantine into a quest for his old acquaintance. After all, John saw the Swamp Thing through a couple other major events, so only fitting to be part of whatever this latest go-round is. Constantine makes contact with Batman to enlist the detective’s aid. When this doesn’t go as planned, he finds himself in Metropolis seeking the Man of Steel’s brand of assistance. Upon realizing what may actually be going on, John finds himself on a path that neither Superman nor Batman can condone as he seeks to set things right in a way that only he–John Constantine–can do.
It’s been ages since I’ve read any Hellblazer stuff–at least a year and a half, maybe 2+ years–so this was a welcome reading experience. Vankin has a good feel for the character, I felt like I was reading Hellblazer…except this is set within the DCU, with John interacting once more with a world that includes Superman, Batman, and other super-powered people, unlike the world the character’s Vertigo counterpart inhabits. This version of Constantine is younger, though still quite recognizeable as the character he is. There’s plenty of reference to the past to establish the character’s roots, to remind those familiar with the characters past of what they are. And if one is unfamiliar, it serves to establish that this character has a past in the DCU, though he’s not cropped up in a DCU book in quite a few years.
Though the series’ title emphasizes the Swamp Thing, this feels fully like a DCU-based John Constantine/Hellblazer story, and does so far more than I’d anticipated, expecting there to be a lot more focus on Swamp Thing (especially with Swamp Thing being one of the “New 52” in DC’s relaunch in September). Of course, I’ve long been more a fan of Constantine than Swamp Thing, so this focus didn’t bother me and I think my enjoyment of this series was higher than it would have been if it actually did focus more on Swamp Thing).
The story itself felt pretty basic, and even a bit choppy, almost as if it should have been stretched to at least another issue. Given its timing at the very end of this version of the DCU, though, there seems to have been a need to compress it into only three issues. The first two issues had a nice build, reintroducing us to Constantine, as well as putting him back on the map for Batman and Superman. The third issue held a good bit of promise to it, but after 2 1/2 issues’ build, the end seemed to be anticlimactic, almost negating the purpose of having this series to begin with. This could change depending on the status quo in the new Swamp Thing ongoing, but that would almost make this series seem a prologue and worthy of an altered title.
The art was a sort of mixed experience going through the three issues. Offhand, I’m not familiar with the art team(s) behind this series. The style was not unattractive, and seemed to fit the characters involved. Batman and Superman, if only for the amount of Vertigo Hellblazer that I’ve read seemed a bit out of place by existing, though the artists had a good blend that allowed them to visually work with Constantine and Swamp Thing (or vice-versa). Though the second issue had a different artist, the style’s similar enough to the first and third that I honestly didn’t even notice until pulling the credits to write this review.
As I have not yet finished reading Brightest Day, this doesn’t honestly seem or feel connected to that, except that it would sort of explain an apparent resurrection that lies at the core of this story (even as it reminds me a bit of The Spectre’s character shortly after Green Lantern: Rebirth). If this ties to the new Swamp Thing series as I think it might, I’d hope to see this collected either as a Swamp Thing vol. 1 or 0, or somehow simply not as just a Brightest Day companion volume. If you’re a fan of Hellblazer, this series presents a chance to see a younger Constantine interacting with the DC Universe he came from, and get away from the intricate mythology that’s built up over the last 200+ issues of Hellblazer. If you’re interested in Swamp Thing, this wouldn’t seem a horrible story, but Swamp Thing seems a bit player at best, though you’ll find plenty with Constantine, a character with some key ties to Swamp Thing’s past.
Recommended.
Story: 7/10
Art: 8/10
Whole: 7.5/10
Filed under: Brightest Day (Event), DC, DC Universe, Search for Swamp Thing, The | Tagged: Aftermath, Ardian Syaf, Barb Ciardo, brightest day, Brightest Day Aftermath, Comic Reviews, Constantine, Dave Sharpe, DC, DC Comics, Eddie Berganza, Hellblazer, John Constantine, Jonathan Vankin, Marco Castiello, Renato Arlem, Rex Ogle, Sal Cipriano, search for swamp thing, Swamp Thing, Ulises Arreola, VIcente Cifuentes, Vincenzo Acunzo | 4 Comments »
Reign of the Doomsdays Finale
Writer: Paul Cornell
Artist (pp 1-16): Axel Gimenez
Artist (pp 17-20): Ronan Cliquet
Colorist: Brad Anderson
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Cover: Kenneth Rocafort
Associate Editor: Wil Moss
Editor: Matt Idelson
Publisher: DC Comics
Hard to believe it, but this is the final issue of Action Comics. Sure, Action Comics (vol. 2) #1 comes out in a couple weeks, but that’s a whole different thing. It’s not this same title. It’s not the actual title with its roots in the dawn of the comics industry, the dawn of the super-hero, going back to even before World War II, touching on eight decades. But that’s mostly a discussion for the new Action Comics.
This issue wraps up Superman, and Action Comics, and is basically the send-off for this title and these characters, at least for what I’m currently reading (I have not read Superman #714, nor the final issues of Supergirl or Superboy).
We open with Superman discovering that the current threat to the world still ties back to Lex Luthor’s recent actions in the Black Ring arc. Talking with this willed-to-existence entity, Superman is restored to solid existence, to lead the heroes in a final attack on the Doomslayer to save their world. While Superman and the Eradicator (in a different but familiar form) take on Doomslayer, the others attend to the multiple Doomsdays. When all’s said and done, Clark and Lois talk over dinner, bringing this era of Superman, and aspects of the character going back a quarter-century, to a close.
The main story seemed to wrap up a little too quickly for my preference. It’s not bad, mind you–but it just seemed a little quick. Perhaps it’s the time between issues combined with all the other stuff I’ve (as an individual) had on my mind and looking toward with the pending relaunch–but it doesn’t feel like the potential with this Doomslayer really had a chance to take off, and the heroes (as with a couple years back in New Krypton) handle the Doomsday threat a little too easily for what the character was created to be. That said, I found the closing to be a great touch and appropriate epilogue to this lengthy Doomsdays thing, which has been going on all year now, since that Steel one-shot back in early January.
Given that it was the Death and Return of Superman “trilogy” that most firmly brought me back into comics in a way that I’ve never truly left since, it’s rather satisfying that Supergirl, Superboy, Steel, the Eradicator, Doomsday, and the Cyborg Superman were all brought into what turned out to be the final story of this title, and these characters.
Visually, I’m not really impressed with the art on the main story segment. I’m not really disappointed, either…it’s just not a style that clicked well with me in reading this issue–something about it just felt off. The characters and action isn’t hard to follow, everyone’s recognizable and all–so it does its job as it should. The epilogue segment worked quite well, though–I’ve mostly enjoyed Gary Frank‘s work on Superman, and Cliquet does an excellent job of emulating that style.
All in all…this issue’s for the longtime/ongoing readers. This is the end of Cornell‘s run on this title; this caps off a quasi-crossover sort-of-“event.” This is the end of Lois & Clark, at least the Lois & Clark of the last 15 years. This is likely the last of a lot of other familiar elements and possibly actual characters that have been part of the Superman story for a generation of readers. This goes out with neither whimper nor bang…but leaves things so that maybe someday, this iteration of the characters can be revisited.
Story: 7/10
Art: 7/10
Whole: 7/10
Filed under: Action Comics, DC, DC Universe, Reign of Doomsday (Event) | Tagged: Action Comics, Axel Gimenez, Brad Anderson, Comic Reviews, DC, DC Comics, Doomsday, Doomsdays, Doomslayer, Eradicator, Finale, Kenneth Rocafort, Matt Idelson, Paul Cornell, Reign of Doomsday, Reign of the Doomsdays, Rob Leigh, Ronan Cliquet, Superboy, Supergirl, Superman, Wil Moss | 1 Comment »
Full review posted to cxPulp.com.
Story: 3.5/5
Art: 3.5/5
Overall: 4/5
Filed under: cxPulp.com, DC, DC Universe, Superman | Tagged: A Tale of Krypto the SUperdog, Brad Anderson, Carlos Pacheco, Clark, Comic Reviews, Comicraft, Connor, cxPulp.com, Dave Stewart, DC, DC Comics, Infinite Crisis, Jesus Merino, Jonathan Sibal, Krypto, Kurt Busiek, Lost Boy, Matt Idelson, Nachie Castro, Rick Leonardi, Superboy, Superdog, Superman | Leave a comment »
Reign of the Doomsdays part 1
Writer: Paul Cornell
Artists: Kenneth Rocafort, Jesus Merino
Colorist: Brad Anderson
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Cover: Kenneth Rocafort
Associate Editor: Wil Moss
Editor: Matt Idelson
Published by: DC Comics
The first thing I noticed about this issue was the banner at the top advertising the Green Lantern film due out June 17 “only in theaters.” Now, I know Marvel has done this for YEARS, but they’ve generally done it by way of the upper corner box by the issue’s number and such. And I appreciate this on the GL books–it’s most appropriate there. But on a Superman title, it’s less appropriate, except as the full-DC-wide blast of the advertising. After all, why hide the ad on an interior or the back cover when by having a banner at the top, you’re advertising off any and all ways of displaying comics that allow the top portion to be seen?
That aside…the cover doesn’t impress me all that much. I do appreciate that Doomsday looks a lot closer to what I’m used to than it has in awhile. But the image does seem rather generic to me–Doomsday standing amidst wreckage, the bodies of the Superman Family sprawled at its feet. Something about the imagery just doesn’t do it for me. Then again…the cover is not why I bought the issue.
The story picks up where the lead story of Action #900 left off–the Superman Family has found that they are facing several Doomsdays, each tailored to a diffeent power set, but all set on destruction of the entire group. Cyborg-Superman welcomes destruction, the chance at death. The others, however do not–so after Superman neutralizes the Cyborg, the group gathers up and heads away from their attackers into the depths of the prison they’ve found themselves in. Meanwhile, on Earth, an imminent extinction-level event is detected, and (in contrast to the controversy over a short in the previous issue) the American President proclaims the country’s need of Superman, of any super-powered beings able to help. As Superman & Co. realize their prison is fast approaching Earth, they encounter yet another threat, who steps forth to prevent them from saving the planet. Without wasting time arguing, he delivers a shocking blow to the group, leaving their reaction as our cliffhanger.
I’m not a huge fan of the split art duties on the issue. Rocafort‘s visual style seems a bit “off” to me, and reminded me of my least favorite art from #900, though on a double-checking, it’s not the same. There’s something to this style that makes the characters seem overly generic, Superman especially. Somehow it looks to me more like some guy in a Superman costume, and the face alone doesn’t say “Superman” to me. Merino‘s art in the middle of the issue stands out, and is far preferable to me–the characters look a lot more “on” on those pages…and it makes it rather jarring to then shift right back to a different visual style.
Cornell‘s writing is solid…I haven’t yet read much of his work…the first issue of the Black Ring arc and then the lead in Action 900. But I do like the concept, at least, that’s at play here…and I really enjoy having Superman teamed up again with Supergirl, Eradicator, Steel, Cyborg, and Superboy. And given the first time these characters all got together, it’s fitting that they’re dealing with Doomsday. Given this context–their teamup, and the Doomsday situation…I’m tentatively hooked. I came back for this issue, having figured to only pick up #900 as the anniversary that it was.
While much of the story is fairly serious and played straight…there’s a part where we actually get a thought balloon for Superman, which seems somewhat out of nowhere–especially as I’ve grown used to the LACK of thought balloons in favor of “voiceover” narration and such. The use of the thought balloon in this issue seemed hokey and a bit forced; and momentarily took me out of the story while I thought about it. Not a huge deal, but noticeable.
Where the story is most hurt in my eyes is that I have no idea how many chapters to expect…just as I had no clue how many to expect, really, with the Reign of Doomsday hopping along through various other books without really meaning much. I certainly hope this arc is not dragged out…though this is labled Reign of the Doomsdays part 1 (escaping Reign of Doomsday which was around a half-dozen issues), it’s essentially the same story continuing, so this feels like the 7th chapter, and I’m not sure I’ll want to stick around long-term if it’s simply a dragged-out slugfest or punch-and-run-and-punch-again kinda thing.
While this doesn’t really hold a candle to Reign of the Supermen, if you’re a fan of these characters, this packs a good bit of nostalgia and hope of a new classic. Worth picking up if you enjoy seeing these characters all brought together, and/or if you read #900 and want to follow this Doomsday story.
As of now, I’m interested enough to see where this goes that I plan to come back for #902.
Recommended.
Story: 7/10
Art: 6.5/10
Overall: 7/10
Filed under: Action Comics, DC, DC Universe, Reign of Doomsday (Event) | Tagged: 901, Action Comics, Brad Anderson, Comic Reviews, Cyborg Superman, DC, DC Comics, Doomsday, Eradicator, Jesus Merino, Kenneth Rocafort, Matt Idelson, Paul Cornell, Reign of Doomsday, Reign of the Doomsdays, Rob Leigh, Steel, Superboy, Supergirl, Superman, Wil Moss | Leave a comment »
Flashpoint Chapter One of Five
Writer: Geoff Johns
Penciller: Andy Kubert
Inker: Sandra Hope
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano
Cover: Andy Kubert, Sandra Hope & Alex Sinclair
Editors: Adam Schlagman & Rex Ogle
Executive Editor: Eddie Berganza
Published by: DC Comics
Narration opens the issue–we don’t know who it is, initially–telling us of Barry and having been inspired by him. Then Barry’s woken up in the forensics lab, but finds himself confused by the world around him–something’s not right. Racing out, he finds the ring with his costume is missing…a surprise that sends him tripping down a flight of stairs to meet his mom. The scene shifts to Batman in Gotham has he hunts information on the Joker, and is confronted by Cyborg. Cyborg and the heroic community need Batman’s help. Following plenty of exposition to ideally psyche one up for the 15+ mini-series and specials attached to this event, we find Barry later entering the Batcave from an un-tended-to Wayne Manor, to voice the “big shock” of this issue and set some of the tone for what’s to come. Continue reading
Filed under: DC, DC Universe, Flashpoint, Flashpoint (event) | Tagged: Adam Schlagman, Alex Sinclair, Andy KUbert, Barry Allen, Batman, Comic Reviews, DC, DC Comics, Eddie Berganza, Flash, Flashpoint, Geoff Johns, Nick J. Napolitano, Rex Ogle, Sandra Hope | 1 Comment »
Full review posted to cxPulp.com.
Story: 3/5
Art: 4/5
Overall: 3.5/5
Filed under: Action Comics, cxPulp.com, DC, DC Universe | Tagged: Action Comics, Adam Hughes and Alex Ross, Ardian Syaf, Autobiography, Blond, Brad Anderson, Brian Stelfreeze, Comic Reviews, comics, Cyborg, Damon Lindelof, Dan Jurgens, David Finch, David S. Goyer, DC, DC Comics, death, Derek Hoffman, Doomsday, Eradicator, Friday Night in the 21st Century, Gary Frank, Geoff Johns, Jamal Igle, Java Tartaglia, Jesus Merino, John J. Hill, Jon Sibal, Lex Luthor, Life Support, Matt Camp, Matt Idelson, Miguel Sepulveda, Neil Gaiman, Norm Rapmund, Only Human, Patrick Brosseau, Paul Cornell, Paul Dini, Paul Mounts, Pete Woods, Rags Morales, RB Silva, Reign of Doomsday, Reign of the Doomsdays, Richard Donner, Rob Lean, Rob Leigh, Ryan Sook, Steel, Superbirl, Superboy, Superman, Superman citizenship, Superman renounces citizenship, The Black Ring, The Evolution of the Man of Tomorrow, The Incident, Wil Moss | Leave a comment »
Quick Rating: Decent
Story Title: From Beyond
Dox’s team is coming together, and the villain is revealed!
Writer: Tony Bedard
Penciller: Claude St. Aubin
Inker: Scott Hanna
Colorist: Jose Villarrubia
Letterer: Swands
Asst. Editor: Rex Ogle
Editor: Brian Cunningham
Cover: Ed Benes and Rob Hunter
Publisher: DC Comics
Dox’s team is coming together, and we as readers find out a bit more about what’s set current events into motion, and who it was that took over LEGION.
The story feels like it’s loaded with potential, particularly on the cosmic side of the DCU; drawing from older characters and concepts but placing them well within current events of continuity and whatnot. However, even four issues in, I’m not really feeling like I have much to care about with these characters nor their situations. The "main villain" for this arc is one of my least-favorite in the DCU, and even being revamped a bit visually still doesn’t interest me. I’m not familiar enough with these characters to know how their depiction here works with prior versions of them, but they do seem consistent within this series, at least. We’re only four issues in, so hopefully a lot of this is simply foundation-laying, building toward some solid payoff in the near future.
The visuals maintain a nice consistency from earlier issues (even with a different artist). Visually, I can’t help but feel that this is to "cosmic DC" what the earlier issues of the 2003-launched Outsiders series was to the more traditional DCU. The art may not be for everyone, but as what it is, it certainly works for this book and gives it a style that sets it apart from a lotta other books.
Bedard seems to have a good grasp of the cosmic stuff, and if you’re a fan of his stories or of the old LEGION characters, this book’s probably right up your alley. Otherwise, it doesn’t seem like anything terribly essential as yet.
Ratings:
Story: 3/5
Art: 3/5
Overall: 3/5
Filed under: Classic Reviews, DC, DC Universe, R.E.B.E.L.S. | Tagged: Brainiac, Brainiac 2, Brian Cunningham, Claude St. Aubin, Comic Reviews, DC, DC Comics, Ed Benes, From Beyond, Jose Villarrubia, R.E.B.E.L.S., Rex Ogle, Rob Hunter, Scott Hanna, Steve Wands, Swands, Tony Bedard, Vril Dox | Leave a comment »
Quick Rating: OK
Story Title: A World of Hurt
Dox continues to assemble his grouping of individuals to assist reclamation of his former organization…with little regard for his methods, focusing on the end result.
Writer: Tony Bedard
Artist: Andy Clarke
Colorist: Jose Villarrubia
Letterer: Swands
Asst. Editor: Rex Ogle
Editor: Brian Cunningham
Cover: Andy Clarke
Publisher: DC Comics
This issue continues to show Dox as he acts on the information he’s been given, but doesn’t really let anyone else in on it. He’s building a new team, focused on the final result and apparently not all that concerned about what steps he’s gotta take to achieve it. After changing someone into an energy-being, Dox heads off with her to see some old allies and recruit them–after explaining that he did not orchestrate the attacks on them that they recently survived. Ultimately, they find that they face quite a formidable foe.
The art on this is quite good, and very consistent with the earlier issues. Its style fits the story, while adding its own "flavor" to the overall product. There’s a sort of dirtiness to it that contributes to the atmosphere, setting this apart from other books visually.
You could do much worse than this book, but then, I’m also finding myself quickly losing interest. While the nostalgia factor prompted my initial interest in the book, I’m not finding these characters to be familiar to me (other than by name/concept), and really not connecting or engaging with ’em. Something about this story feels like it will be much better when read as a complete arc, but on the issue by issue basis, I’m just not feelin’ it.
I suppose if you’re enough of a fan of the writer or artist this’d be worthwhile; ditto if you’re particularly interested in or informed as far as the characters go. As a casual reader, this doesn’t really seem to be anything essential.
Ratings:
Story: 2/5
Art: 3.5/5
Overall: 2.5/5
Filed under: Classic Reviews, DC, DC Universe, R.E.B.E.L.S. | Tagged: Andy Clarke, Brainiac 2, Brian Cunningham, Comic Reviews, DC, DC Comics, Dox, Jose Villarrubia, Rex Ogle, Steve Wands, Swands, Tony Bedard, Vril Dox | Leave a comment »
Comic Reviews by Walt 