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All-Star Superman #3 [Review]

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Walt

Quick Rating: Great
Title: Sweet Dreams, Superwoman…

Having been given Superman’s powers for a day, Lois makes the most of it–inserting herself firmly into a lifestyle she’s been stuck watching from the outside for far too long…

allstarsuperman003Writer: Grant Morrison
Pencils: Frank Quitely
Digitally Inked & Colored by: Jamie Grant
Letters: Phil Balsman
Asst. Editor: Brandon Montclare
Editor: Bob Schreck
Cover Art: Frank Quitely and Jamie Grant
Publisher: DC Comics

Several days ago, I watched the first new episode of House in three weeks. It’s a show that I enjoy, and so waiting several times the usual time between installments wasn’t my choice, but watching the episode made me realize that sure, had a couple weeks without the show–but that just made it that much better when the new episode came out. And that’s what this title feels like. It’s that show that you enjoy, but there’s quite awhile between issues…but when you get each issue it’s well worth the time in-between…and you can look back and be a bit surprised at how fast that time’s passed. This is already issue 3, and it feels like the series just started a couple months ago.

You don’t really need to know much coming into this issue. Morrison gives you what you need contextually as you go along. Having read the first couple issues, one will pick up a few subtle bits that enhance the story.

The story here–Superman giving Lois a serum that will grant her all of his super-powers for a day (a gift for her birthday, no less)–is at once silly and farfetched. But darned if it doesn’t actually work. This reminds me quite a bit of the type of story found in some of the old silver age Superman books, and yet it’s got a lot more depth and well…story to it.

We’re introduced to Samson and Atlas here–a couple of "rivals" to Superman–and get the feeling that this is by no means the first time they’ve crossed paths. This is only the third issue of this series, of this "take" on the character…and yet this sense of history adds to a feeling this version of Superman very certainly differs from the regular DCU character but has just as rich a background and all that.

Quitely‘s art is impressive, to be sure–there’s just a "feeling" he conveys throughout the issue. The imagery is on the surface a bit simplistic–certainly nothing hyper-detailed. And yet there’s enough detail to see the annoyance in Superman’s face or the excitement or playfulness in Lois’. The style lends itself to the story very well, having a sort of simplicity of older stories in appearance, but an attitude rooted in the present.

Putting the story and art together, we have yet another very strong issue of this new title.

You don’t need to have read #s 1 or 2 to "get" and enjoy this issue. Though elements are beginning to build a bit, you get an entire story here in this one issue. You get a timeless episode in the life of a Superman that isn’t silver age, isn’t modern-day mainstream DCU, but that takes the best of both and shows him in this title.

If you’ve never cared for the character or didn’t "get" the character, or just felt put off by the continuity and other such…this is the title for you. Superman doesn’t get much better than this.

Ratings:

Story: 4.5/5
Art: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

Filed under: All-Star Superman, Classic Reviews, DC, DC Misc. | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

All-Star Superman #2 [Review]

Posted on February 20, 2011 by Walt

Quick Rating: Good
Title: Superman’s Forbidden Room

Wondering what the punchline is, Lois plays along with Superman’s sudden claim to being Clark Kent, as he takes her for a visit to his Fortress of Solitude.

allstarsuperman002Writer: Grant Morrison
Pencils: Frank Quitely
Digitally Inked & Colored by: Jamie Grant
Letters: Phil Balsman
Asst. Editor: Brandon Montclare
Editor: Bob Schreck
Cover Art: Frank Quitely and Jamie Grant
Publisher: DC Comics

Some time has passed since the end of the previous issue, where we left Superman telling Lois that he had something to tell her. This issue opens with her taking the revelation of Superman and Clark being one-and-the-same in stride. In fact, after spending years trying to prove that fact, and constantly being proven wrong, Lois assumes there’s some punch line she’s not quite getting–that Superman’s playing some trick on her, so she determines to cautiously play along. When he gives her free reign over his fortress except for one specific room, she grows suspicious, and wonders at what other changes Superman’s visit to the sun (last issue) may have had on him.

Quitely‘s art here is top-notch. Certainly a change in style from other interpretations of Superman recently–this is no Jim Lee, Dan Jurgens, or John Byrne art. This Superman is not all rippling/bulging muscles, nor is he some scrawny guy in a costume. He’s just a normal, average-looking man in a costume with super-powers. For lack of better phrasing, I’d describe it as a "simpler" tone. The art is focused on serving the story, conveying the visual imagery to go along with the story, rather than trying to be so detailed as to speak for the text. The only sequence that I’d take issue with is a rather graphic–"PG-13" level, perhaps–sequence as Lois reflects on things as she showers and changes.

Morrison again leaves us with a quality Superman story that combines a bit of the "silver age" feel of the characters with contemporary sensibilities. The new key to the Fortress is just one randomly amusing part to the issue. The opening page re-casts the feel of a movie, and the issue’s credits are given in movie style layout, further lending the feel of this being some Superman movie (or at the least, tv show).

While I would not be thrilled with this being the only available ongoing interpretation of Superman, this second issue certainly continues the quality of the first issue, and leaves no doubt that this is truly an "All-Star" book. If you don’t care about–or are actively avoiding–Infinite Crisis; if you have never read Superman before this series; if you don’t care about years-deep continuity, and so on…this is certainly the book for you.

This is only the second issue–the first should still be fairly easy to track down. I’d highly recommend checking this series out. You can even get away with just reading this issue without the previous–a subplot carries over, but this issue stands well by itself. Definitely recommended-reading!

Ratings:

Story: 4/5
Art: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

Filed under: All-Star Superman, Classic Reviews, DC, DC Misc. | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Batman #700 [Review]

Posted on June 13, 2010 by Walt

Full review posted to cxPulp.com.

Story: 3/5
Art: 4.5/5
Overall: 3.5/5

Filed under: Batman, cxPulp.com, DC, DC Universe | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Batman and Robin #5 [Review]

Posted on October 8, 2009 by Walt

Full review posted to comixtreme.com.

Story: 2/5
Art: 3/5
Overall: 2.5/5

Filed under: Batman and Robin, Batman: Reborn (event), cxPulp.com, DC, DC Universe | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Batman and Robin #3 [Review]

Posted on August 26, 2009 by Walt

Full review posted to comixtreme.com.

Story: 4/5
Art: 3.5/5
Overall: 3.5/5

Filed under: Batman and Robin, Batman: Reborn (event), cxPulp.com, DC, DC Universe | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Batman and Robin #1 [Review]

Posted on June 3, 2009 by Walt

Full review posted to comixtreme.com.

Story: 4/5
Art: 4/5
Overall: 4.5/5

Filed under: Batman and Robin, Batman: Reborn (event), cxPulp.com, DC, DC Universe | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Final Crisis: Secret Files [Review]

Posted on January 4, 2009 by Walt

Balancing Act!

Writer: Len Wein
Artist: Tony Shasten
Colorist: Alex Bleyaert
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Associate Editor: Adam Schlagman
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Cover: Frank Quitely (sliver cover by Jim Lee, Richard Friend & Randy Mayor)
Publisher: DC Comics

This issue introduces us to Libra. From his initial origin (with ties to the Ted Knight Starman) to how it is we have Libra in the Final Crisis story. The story shows us how the young man was impacted by events beyond his control as a child, and the home life he came from. We then see how he deals with it, and how he pulls himself up through the world to the point he was originally introduced at way back in the day, and the cost of actually achieving all that he seeks to do. We then find out how Darkseid came to have a “herald” or “prophet” Libra during the contemporary Final Crisis story.

I don’t recognize Shasten’s name, but the art here is quite good. It seems to fit the story well, and I have no real complaints. The story itself is fairly interesting, revealing the origin of Libra–not just as an obscure character from decades past, but as a character we see operating today.

As far as DC’s “Secret Files” specials go, this is certainly NOT what I expected. I should have been suspicious at the (relatively) small price point. Rather than character profiles and information about location and events that’ve unfolded in Final Crisis, this is simply another one-shot that fills us in on a character’s background and how they relate to Final Crisis. This should have been billed as a “Secret Origin issue, as the Secret Files title from DC has come to imply lengthy text/image pieces that go in-depth on bringing one up-to-speed on the current status of a number of characters related to the title.

As with other recent tie-ins, though…I enjoyed this a great deal more than I have the core series. When I saw Wein’s name on this, I was trying to place the name. I recognized the name, but didn’t think I’d seen it in awhile. This finally clicked for me when I saw a note in the credits that Libra was created by Wein. Given that, I find it quite cool that the character’s creator was brought on to reconcile past and present.

Simply as a one-shot that ties in to Final Crisis, this is a solid issue that–while it doesn’t move the Final Crisis story forward–goes a good way toward explaining a pretty major character related to that story.

I’ve had several times that by the time I’ve gotten to a comic store there’s been no choice BUT to get the “sliver cover” for a Final Crisis book. This was the first time that I found myself “stuck” with no choice but the full-cover image. Quitely’s art for the cover is not bad, and as I have yet to see the sliver image, I’m not gonna worry about it.

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

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

Wonder Woman #27 [Review]

Posted on December 28, 2008 by Walt

Rise of the Olympian part 2: A Sense of Loss

Writer: Gail Simone
Penciller: Aron Lopresti
Inker: Matt Ryan
Colorist: Brad Anderson
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Associate Editor: Sean Ryan
Editor: Matt Idelson
Cover: Aaron Lopresti & Hi-Fi (variant by Frank Quiety [sic])
Publisher: DC Comics

This issue opens on Donna Troy communicating with Wonder Girl about what she’s likely to find as she heads toward the scene of destruction Wonder Woman was last seen at. Warning Cassie about the need to mourn AFTER what needs done is done, we see the girl’s reaction as Donna continues toward her destination…where Wonder Woman is alive, but horribly beaten, anxious as her lasso’s been taken from her. We see others’ reaction to events, even as the creature that did this to Wonder Woman returns to the Secret Society [of Supervillains?] HQ. The creature is known as Genocide, and insists the lasso be made a part of it. Meanwhile, Zeus calls some of his people “home,” while Genocide faces the Justice League.

All told, I have no real problem with any of the art in this issue. In fact, it’s really quite good on the whole. There’s a slight bit of “shiny-ness” to certain parts that seem to me would probably work better without coming across that way–but then, I’m not the artist, and I assume there’s supposed to be something there that would reflect light that way. The characters are distinct and recognizeable, and you could do so much worse!

The story here is what surprises me. I can’t really put my finger on what it is exactly, only its effect: I’m actually interested in a Wonder Woman story. I was interested in the concept of a new character that was to be “Wonder Woman’s ‘Doomsday,'” and when I discovered I’d actually missed the first chapter, made a point of snagging issue 26 along with this one. For the first time in several years–moreso than merely enjoying an issue, I’m interested/engaged enough that I wish the next issue would be due out this coming week! Simone seems to have a good handle on this character and her supporting cast (and I’ll admit I think it’s cool that a woman is writing the character).

I’m unsure as to who the Olympian in the story’s title is–Diana? Genocide? Someone else?–but to be honest, that doesn’t bother me at all. If you’re not already picking this book up, and you can locate the first issue of the arc, this is a decent point to jump in.

Recommended–at least consider the collected volume if you’re not interested in the singles.

Story: 8.5/10
Art: 7/10
Whole: 8/10

Filed under: Comic Reviews 2008, DC, DC Universe, Wonder Woman | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

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