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Final Crisis #7 [Review]

Posted on February 1, 2009 by Walt

New Heaven, New Earth

Script: Grant Morrison
Pencils: Doug Mahnke
Inks: Tom Nguyen, Drew Geraci, Christian Alamy, Norm Rapmund, Rodney Ramos, Doug Mahnke & Walden Wong
Colors: Alex Sinclair w/Tony Avina & Pete Pantazis
Lettering: Travis Lanham
Associate Editor: Adam Schlagman
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Cover: JG Jones (sliver cover by Marco Rudy & Sinclair)
Publisher: DC Comics

So, this is it. This is the issue it’s all been building toward–the final chapter of this “final crisis” the characters are facing, this “event” capping off years of story…

Much like Marvel’s Secret Invasion final issue, this issue jumps ahead, and instead of us experiencing the story as it progresses, with the characters–instead we’re treated to a look-back from the present to a conclusion that’s already happened. We see characters rise against their Fifth-World gods and the intrusion of Mandrakk, and a multiverse’s army of Supermen, and…stuff happens.

The art in the issue isn’t all that bad. In fact, in and of itself it’s actually pretty good. Though there’s a whole bunch of inkers, the final result is a decent presentation. I went in with very low expectations, and what I got managed to stay a bit above my expectations–though I also found myself not really focusing terribly much on the art (didn’t expect to be impressed, so didn’t care to look for something to be impressed BY).

The story fits with the rest of the series in tone and feeling like it’s trying to come from somewhere above my reading level, and successfully makes me feel lost, whatever else it accomplishes there. While elements of this core series could be found in the tie-ins, on the whole, the entirety of the Final Crisis was told in 7 issues, this one mini-series. While that made it easier on the wallet, I feel like it did a large injustice to the scope of the story. Had it crossed into a large number of the DC books as Infinite Crisis did, this would have felt like a bigger deal. As it is, it felt like some apocalyptic (no pun intended) story with these characters with no real basis in ongoing continuity. That books are to make the “jump” to reflect what happened in Final Crisis later doesn’t really do much for me (but at least the story will be acknowledged).

I’m sure there’s “deep” stuff going on here with loads of potential for future exploration…but the feel just wasn’t there for me. I did not enjoy this issue, and the series as a whole has been bittersweet–I can’t see having skipped on it, but nor have I particularly enjoyed any of the issues. (The tie-in minis’ issues are another story).

Story: 5/10
Art: 7/10
Whole: 6/10

Filed under: Comic Reviews 2009, DC, DC Universe, Final Crisis, Final Crisis (Event) | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Green Lantern #37 [Review]

Posted on January 25, 2009 by Walt

Full review posted to comixtreme.com.

Filed under: Comic Reviews 2009, cxPulp.com, DC, DC Universe, Faces of Evil (Event), Green Lantern | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

X-Men: Legacy #220 [Review]

Posted on January 25, 2009 by Walt

Salvage (part one)

Writer: Mike Carey
Penciller: Scot Eaton
Inker: Andrew Hennessy
Colorist: Frank D’Armata
Cover: Lee Bermejo
Publisher: Marvel Comics

This issue continue’s Xavier’s quest for self-understanding via reconnecting with those who have played important roles in his life–or who have otherwise been significantly impacted by his own existence in their lives.

We open with a flashback to events during the Secret Invasion…than transition to Xavier and Gambit over a meal as they discuss where they’re headed and what they expect will come of seeking out Rogue. (Rogue made it clear awhile back she didn’t want Gambit following her and wants nothing to do with Xavier). We’re given a glimpse of what Rogue is up to these days in a ghost town where she and other X-Men apparently had once taken residence. While there, she is approached by a stranger supposedly looking to study the history of the town…but as Rogue quickly discovers, appearances can be quite deceiving. The issue ends with a revelation of who the stranger is, why she sought Rogue, and a vaguely familiar kind of cliffhanger as Xavier and Gambit are en route.

The art on this issue is good stuff…not only does it simply fit and serve the story, but I actually like this depiction of Xavier, Gambit, and Rogue visually. No complaints on this aspect of the issue.

Story-wise, it feels like we’re FINALLY getting somewhere with this book. Part of my initial interest a year or so ago in this title was that it’d basically feature Xavier, Gambit, and Rogue. This year later I’ve nearly lost interest in the waiting and the promised premise finally seems about to come about. The characters all come across as in-character with what’s been recently established.

This issue seems to have left out creator credits. The cover tells us that “Carey / Eaton / Hennessy” are to be associated with this issue. The interior features no credits–I had to go to Marvel’s website to research what creators were involved with the issue, and that’s assuming the site is accurate to this final product.

All in all, if you’re interested in the current Gambit/Rogue dynamic with Xavier, this seems a decent enough point to jump in, or to come back if you’ve lapsed for lack of the promised characters. The Xavier-tracking-down-old-acquaintances-to-find-himself is getting a bit old at this point…it remains to be seen how long that element drives the title and if it’ll be a point that’s beaten to death before resolution.

You could do far worse than this title–and as this X-book seems to be playing outside the stuff tied to Dark Reign and whatnot, it’s a chance to read a mainstream Marvel book without being subjected to that branding.

Story: 7/10
Art: 8/10
Whole: 7.5/10

Filed under: Comic Reviews 2009, MARVEL, Marvel Universe, X-Men: Legacy | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Final Crisis: Superman Beyond 3-D #2 [Review]

Posted on January 25, 2009 by Walt

Writer: Grant Morrison
Pencils: Doug Mahnke
Inks: Christian Alamy w/Tom Nguyen, Drew Geraci & Derek Fridolfs
Color: David Baron
Letters: Ken Lopez
3-D by: Ray Zone
Assoc. Editor: Adam Schlagman
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Cover: Mahnke, Alamy & Baron (sliver by JH Williams)
Publisher: DC Comics

I’ll say it from the start: this issue was an expensive, confusing mess. I think it was supposed to be something with metatextual elements/commentary to the readers–a bit of “breaking the fourth wall” or whatever–but I’m not entirely sure. Despite being a long-time comics reader and following Superman for the entire time, I felt rather lost here.

This issue basically has various Supermen from different Earths in the multiverse fighting something/someone for whatever reason. For most of the issue, I wasn’t even sure which of the Supermen was supposed to be “my” Superman from the current/official DCU, as even that character seemed “off” somehow.

The art for the issue is–in itself–quite good. It is tainted, though, by the stupid 3-D stuff. The 3-D seems to be just some arbitrary gimmick…and if “3-D-ifying” parts of the issue is what caused the four or five months or whatever it’s been since the first issue, that is entirely inexcusable to me,and leaves me regret at having supported this by buying it. If it’s this “late” due to timing of plot elements, I do wish that had been made more apparent up-front.

If you’re enjoying and “getting” what’s going on in the main Final Crisis book, this issue’ll probably make sense to you. Otherwise, it doesn’t seem like you’d be missing anything much by skipping this issue. The only reason to get this issue would be if it proves to in and of itself be totally essential to Final Crisis itself.

Story: 3/10
Art: 7/10
Whole: 4.5/10

Filed under: Comic Reviews 2009, DC, DC Universe, Final Crisis (Event), Final Crisis: Superman Beyond 3-D | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Supergirl #37 [Review]

Posted on January 25, 2009 by Walt

Who is Superwoman?

Writer: Sterling Gates
Penciller: Jamal Igle
Inker: Keith Champagne
Colorist: Nei Ruffino
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Assistant Editor: Wil Moss
Editor: Matt Idelson
Cover: Joshua Middleton
Publisher: DC Comics

This issue has a large focus on Superwoman…whether that’s specifically for this being a Faces of Evil tie-in or not, I’m not sure…though I suppose it works in that it builds on the “mystery” of who this character actually is.

The issue opens from Superwoman’s point of view–though we conveniently are not shown her face without the mask. We then transition to a conflicted Supergirl who is attempting to adjust to recent changes in life. Supergirl is given a new mission by her mother–to return to Earth–and it seems that Superwoman has her own mission that conflicts with Supergirl’s.

The art for the issue is solid…nothing new to say there that I haven’t said on other recent issues.

The story is decent–it definitely feels like a continuation of the numbered New Krypton story. We get setup here for upcoming issues, though it almost seems a bit forced–that Supergirl had to be taken away from Earth for a plot element of that story, and yet here has to now be sent BACK for status quo elements set up in the first issue of Gates’ run.

I’m not really engaged with the “mystery” of Superwoman’s identity–we’ve not seen enough of her for me to care, and we’ve been given too much for me to really sympathize with whoever she is.

I recall really liking the first issue of this run, as it showed a lot of promise and potential. That was immediately interrupted by several issues participating in the New Krypton story–which started off as an awesome story but fizzled at the end. Now this feels a bit lukewarm–I’m interested in where things are going, but am not particularly engaged.

All in all, still much stronger than most issues I’d read of this series prior to this run, and worth getting if you’re following the series.

Story: 7/10
Art: 7/10
Whole: 7/10

Filed under: Comic Reviews 2009, DC, DC Universe, Faces of Evil (Event), Supergirl | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Spawn #188 [Review]

Posted on January 25, 2009 by Walt

Endgame (part four)

Writers: Todd McFarlane, Brian Holguin
Pencils: Whilce Portacio
Digital Inks: Todd McFarlane
Color: Jay Fotos
Lettering: Tom Orzechowski
Editor: Todd McFarlane
Cover Artists: Whilce Portacio, Jin Han
Publisher: Image Comics

After the incidents in the previous issue, a hospital’s worth of patients are being evacuated and put up in other hospitals resulting in plenty of overcrowding. A bit more is uncovered about the “conspiracy” Jim is caught up in, and while he and Sara seek each other out, Jim ultimately finds a new role thrust upon him.

The art has a consistent look from previous issues, and fits the story. Given that this is the first time I’ve “regularly” picked up this title I have no real comparison–so really, the art now is defining for me what the art “should be” for Spawn. No complaints as such there.

There’s something about this series–it’s like somewhat following a tv series. It’s far from being my favorite, but it quickly gets so I recognize (visually) characters and while I watch it can follow along, but am not so immersed as to be able to REALLY tell someone else what’s going on. The story is not entirely engaging at this point–and it’s lost the immediate impact of “first! issue! of a new direction!” that #185 had. However, like one of those tv series, I’m just interested enough to follow along. And given this issue’s final page, I want to see what happens next issue.

Not a bad issue, though, all told. While it’s nice to see that the numbering was NOT reset to #1 (as surely would have been done at a certain other publisher if there was the change this run has already wrought), I still come at this as being “#4” of an all-new current series. Worth getting if you like Portacio’s art or McFarlane’s writing, or just simply feel like checking out this long-running series without having to have slogged through 184 issues’ prior content.

Story: 7/10
Art: 7.5/10
Whole: 7/10

Filed under: Comic Reviews 2009, Image, Spawn | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Justice League of America #29 [Review]

Posted on January 25, 2009 by Walt

Star Struck!

Guest Writer: Len Wein
Penciller: Chris Cross
Inkers: Rob Stull w/Chris Cross
Colorist: Pete Pantazis
Letterer: Sal Cipriano
Associate Editor: Adam Schlagman
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Cover: Ed Benes & Hi-Fi
Publisher: DC Comics

Breaking from the storyline introducing Milestone characters to the DCU, this Faces of Evil issue focuses on Starbreaker.

…Who is a character I don’t think I’d ever heard of before seeing this issue at the store this week.

The character narrates his history to the reader, recounting how he first came to fight the JLA and then to make his way to Earth for revenge. After the JLA has defeated him, he finds himself in company of another villain whose name I do recognize.

The art for this issue is a solid mix of “classic” and “contemporary”–it pulls off the appearance of a contemporary comic, while also hinting at a silver age visual style for the characters (and page layout). It’s been awhile since I’ve seen Chris Cross’s work (I remember enjoying his work on the Genis-Vell Captain Marvel series from Marvel a few years back), and I’m glad to say that it does not disappoint me here at all.

The story on the other hand does not work for me. I appreciate the writer’s background, but did not feel this the place to showcase his work. There is a VERY silver-age feel to the story that does not serve in its favor (unlike the origin for Libra in the Final Crisis Secret Files). To be honest, it took me two attempts to get through this issue–I got a few pages in the first time and set this aside where it waited until I’d read all my other new comics for the week, and then finished this off on principle.

I’ve seen nothing obvious stating how long an arc is in this title, but was expecting at least one more chapter of the Milestone arc–strike #1 against this. That this was a guest-written gig–basically a one-shot, I presume–this should have been Faces of Evil: Starbreaker as a standalone instead of an issue of Justice Leaue of America…strike #2 against this.

If you’re interested in a one-off tale with a silver-age feel about this apparently “classic” villain, this issue will probably be very much to your liking. If you’re checking the title out JUST for the Milestone characters, they’re not in this issue at all so you could skip this without missing any of that stuff.

Story: 3/10
Art: 8/10
Whole: 5.5/10

Filed under: Comic Reviews 2009, DC, DC Universe, Faces of Evil (Event), Justice League of America | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Faces of Evil: Deathstroke #1 [Review]

Posted on January 25, 2009 by Walt

Full review posted to comixtreme.com.

Filed under: Comic Reviews 2009, cxPulp.com, DC, DC Universe, Faces of Evil (Event), Faces of Evil (One Shots) | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Tales of the TMNT #54 [Review]

Posted on January 22, 2009 by Walt

Full review posted to comixtreme.com.

Filed under: Comic Reviews 2009, cxPulp.com, INDEPENDENT/SMALL-PRESS PUBLISHERS, Tales of the TMNT (Mirage) | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Final Crisis #6 [Review]

Posted on January 18, 2009 by Walt

How to Murder the Earth

Script: Grant Morrison
Art: JG Jones, Carlos Pacheco, Doug Mahnke, Marco Rudy, Christian Alamy, Jesus Merino
Colors: Alex Sinclair & Pete Pantazis
Lettering: Rob Clark Jr.
Assoc. Editor: Adam Schlagman
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Cover: JG Jones (sliver cover by Pacheco, Merino & Sinclair)
Publisher: DC Comics

This sixth issue opens with a scene featuring Superman and Brainiac 5…presumably our Legion of 3 Worlds link. Brainiac has something he needs Superman to see, and Superman’s concerned because he’s been beyond reality and has to get home (no mention of Lois). We then cut back to a gathering of heroes doing what they do, and the Supergirl/”Black Mary” battle (we find out who’s pulling Mary’s strings). Heroes find themselves facing friends and loved ones now under Darkseid’s thumb; the Flashes hatch a plan, and Batman breaks one of his personal rules in order to face Darseid. Finally, Superman enters the battle on Earth, bringing with him anger not often displayed.

The art jumped out at me for this issue–unfortunately, though, not a good thing. Rather than the fairly distinct JG Jones art alone, we have a number of other artists brought on to get this done, and so there is quite a bit of variance in the visuals throughout the issue–this looks like just another comic instead of a singular, special event/series. The art in and of itself isn’t all that bad–characters familiar to casual readers are familiar and recognizeable. The Tawky Tawny battle, though, was a bit hard to follow, and took me a bit beyond the battle itself before I even realized who won the fight. While I’m sure intended for dramatic effect, a key double-page shot toward the end looks almost comical (in a “ha, ha” sort of way) and seems almost out of place in this title given other events that have ocurred off-panel and been referred back to almost as an afterthought.

The story is far from wonderful, but it is serviceable, at least on the surface. We get a number of scene-jumps without much flow, just jumping from one scene to the next. One has to keep track visually of what and who is where as the Supergirl/Mary battle is cut with the Tawny battle, for example. The main Batman scene comes across like it’s supposed to be reminiscent of a certain speedster in a prior Crisis, and for this reader felt forced and overly predictable.

On the whole, due to one character’s fate apparently shown here, this issue is pretty important to DC continuity, at least for the moment. However, this is an issue I read more to seek a conclusion to Batman: RIP and in the hopes of staying somewhat current with the most major goings-on of the DCU than out of enjoyment. This is one of those comics that is probably going to wind up being pretty “essential” to the bigger picture in the DCU…though it lacks the feel I’d expect for something of its supposed enormity.

Recommended for its necessity in the DCU-to-come, but not for the story and art.

Story: 5/10
Art: 3/10
Whole: 4/10

Filed under: Comic Reviews 2009, DC, DC Universe, Final Crisis, Final Crisis (Event) | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

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