Full review posted to comixtreme.com.
Story: 3/5
Art: 3/5
Overall: 3/5
Filed under: Blackest Night (Event), cxPulp.com, DC, DC Universe | Tagged: Alex Sinclair, Black Adam, Blackest Night, Brian Cunningham, Captain Marvel, DC, DC Comics, Don Kramer, Eric Wallace, JD Smith, Jerry Ordway, Michael Babinski, Osiris, Power of Shazam, Rex Ogle, Rob Leigh, Shazam | Leave a comment »
A Family Affair
Writer: J.T. Krul
Pencils: Joe Bennett
Inks: Jack Jadson & Ruy Jose
Colors: Rod Reis
Letters: Sal Cipriano
Cover: Bennett, Jadson, & Reis
Asst. Editor: Rex Ogle
Editor: Brian Cunningham
Publisher: DC Comics
This seems like another one of those stand-alone stories that–while it takes a couple issues in the actual title could work just as well as its own double-issue mini-series. Come to think of it, this would do better to be Blackest Night: Deathstroke the Terminator moreso than an issue of Teen Titans.
Deathstroke faces his still-living daughter who he has tried to help in his own way, though she still hates him for perceived LACK of caring from her point of view. The two are menaced by Black Lantern versions of Grant and Wintergreen–Deathstroke’s son and former close ally/advisor respectively. Fighting ensues, and someone else shows up at the end who fits quite well into the mix.
Overall, this was a solid issue–the writing worked well, as we’re able to “get” where the various characters are coming from. Though I’m not terribly familiar with them all, there is PLENTY of context to fill one in, making this a very accessible issue even if one has never read the title before (I think the last issue of the title I’d read was the final pre-One-Year-Later issue).
The art is good as well…no real complaint there. The only thing that really jumped out at me was that there were a couple of points where Deathstroke reminded me very much of Deadpool, only with a different costume.
This doesn’t seem to have ongoing threads as if the title were interrupted, so it seems likely that regular readers of Teen Titans could safely skip this if trying to avoid Blackest Night. By the same token, one following Blackest Night ought to be safe picking this up without being mired in the ongoing story.
I don’t think I even knew this issue was going to be a tie-in until I saw it listed as such on Diamond’s list of this week’s comics and again seeing it for myself in the store. It’s a $3.99 book, but seems to have foregone its cofeature to give the Blackest Night stuff more pages. This is well worthwhile overall, but doesn’t seem essential. It plays out the impact of Blackest Night on these characters, but does not itself seem to have anything of influence back to Blackest Night.
Story: 7.5/10
Art: 8/10
Whole: 8/10
Filed under: Blackest Night (Event), Comic Reviews 2009, DC, DC Universe, Teen Titans | Tagged: A Family Affair, Black Rings, Blackest Night, Brian Cunningham, Comic Reviews, comics, DC, DC Comics, Deathstroke, J.T. Krul, Jack Jadson, Joe Bennett, Ravager, Rex Ogle, Rod Reis, Ruy Jose, Sal Cipriano, Terminator | Leave a comment »
The Son & the Stars Part One
Writer: Tony Bedard
Artist: Andy Clarke
Colorist: Jose Villarrubia
Letterer: Swands
Asst. Editor: Rex Ogle
Editor: Brian Cunningham
Cover: Kalman Andrasofszky
Publisher: DC Comics
This issue opens with a brief re-telling of the origin of L.E.G.I.O.N. and what got characters to the current R.E.B.E.L.S. status quo. The characters deal with the ongoing conflict with Starro, and we see Dox losing control as his son is taken by agents of Starro, and the forcefield he’s created to contain Starro is endangered. As Dox and crew jump into action to deal with this, they encounter seveal Sinestro Corps members…and discover that something even WORSE is chasing the sinestros. The issue ends on a relatively high “holy crap…that’s awesome!” moment (though it was topped by this week’s ending of Green Lantern Corps #42).
The writing’s solid, and the art is good stuff. There’s a distinctive style to the visuals that sets this apart from a lot of other comics; sets it above, actually. It fits the story and gives a definite feel that adds to the narrative.
On the whole, not a bad issue. I’m somewhat familiar with the characters, mainly from giving this series a try for its first 3-4 issues. I’d dropped the book for boredom and not really caring about the characters. This issue doesn’t do much to change that…but the context of the Blackest Night tie-in makes things a bit more interesting. And the ending has me VERY interested in what comes next–all the moreso if it adds a lasting element to the status quo BEYOND Blackest Night. Didn’t take much, but this certainly out-did the Doom Patrol tie-in last week, which earns it additional credit in my sight for that alone. Not as good as the Booster Gold issue this week, or GL Corps…but still a worthy chapter of the overall Blackest Night story.
Story: 7/10
Art: 7/10
Whole: 7.5/10
Filed under: Blackest Night (Event), Comic Reviews 2009, DC, DC Universe, R.E.B.E.L.S. | Tagged: Andy Clarke, Black Lanterns, Blackest Night, Brian Cunningham, Comic Reviews, DC, DC Comics, Jose Villarrubia, Kalman Andrasofszky, R.E.B.E.L.S., Rex Ogle, Sinestro Corps, son and the stars, Steve Wands, Tony Bedard, Vril Dox | Leave a comment »
Full review posted to comixtreme.com.
Story: 3/5
Art: 3/5
Overall: 3/5
Filed under: cxPulp.com, DC, DC Universe, R.E.B.E.L.S. | Tagged: Brainiac, Brian Cunningham, Claude St. Aubin, Comic Reviews, cxPulp.com, DC, DC Comics, Ed Benes, From Beyond, Jose Villarrubia, Legion, R.E.B.E.L.S., Rex Ogle, Rob Hunter, Scott Hanna, Swands, Tony Bedard, Vril Dox | Leave a comment »
Full review posted to comixtreme.com.
Story: 2/5
Art: 3.5/5
Overall: 2.5/5
Filed under: cxPulp.com, DC, DC Universe, R.E.B.E.L.S. | Tagged: Andy Clarke, Brainiac, Brainiac 2, Brian Cunningham, Comic Reviews, DC, DC Comics, Dox, Jose Villarrubia, Legion, R.E.B.E.L.S., Rex Ogle, Swands, Tony Bedard, Vril Dox | Leave a comment »
Comic Reviews by Walt 