Full review posted to comixtreme.com.
Booster Gold
Story: 3/5
Art: 4/5
Blue Beetle
Story: 2.5/5
Art: 3.5/5
Overall: 3.5/5
Filed under: Booster Gold, cxPulp.com, DC, DC Universe | Tagged: Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, cxPulp.com, Dan Jurgens, Day of Death, DC, DC Comics, Guy Major, Harvey RIchards, Hi-Fi, Matthew Sturges, Michael Siglain, Mike Norton, Norm Rapmund, Raven, Rip Hunter, Sal Cipriano, Sandra Hope, Second Feature, Teen Titans, Titans, Trigon | Leave a comment »
Birds of Paradise part one: A Malignant Isolation
Writer: Gail Simone
Penciller: Aaron Lopresti
Inker: Matt Ryan
Colorist: Brad Anderson
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Associate Editor: Sean Ryan
Editor: Elisabeth Gehrlein
Cover: Aaron Lopresti & Hi-Fi
Publisher: DC Comics
After following this title for the Rise of the Olympian arc, I found myself still interested (actually, more interested) in the character of Diana/Wonder Woman. Though I don’t feel I “know” the character all that much, I’ve found that the last eight-some issues have been quite enjoyable and shown me that good, solid stories can be told with the character.
This issue opens in the aftermath of last issue, with Wonder Woman now alone, having turned her back on the Amazons and her gods. Simone provides a touching moment as Morrow informs Diana that Genocide is not dead, and begs her to destroy it. In order to begin tracking down Genocide’s whereabouts, Diana turns to Black Canary for an assist, despite their recent differences. Dinah takes the lead as the two concoct costumes to hide their identities as they seek to infiltrate an underground arena fighting group. The results the two find in going undercover raises some question, as well as introducing us to someone likely to cause both of our heroines plenty of trouble next issue.
The art here continues to be very well done, and I have no real complaint with it. The stor itself for this issue does a good job of following the previous major arc, while setting things up for the current arc. We get forward movement and character development in light of what’s already happened and in what’s coming. Simone continues to demonstrate an excellent understanding of the characters she writes–specifically, in Wonder Woman–portraying her as a strong, realistic person…all the more in Diana’s willingness to seek help when she’s in over her head or otherwise knows someone better-suited for accomplishing a particular task.
Though there’ll be a certain deeper appreciation for things talked about in this issue if one’s already read Rise of the Olympian, this seems to be a decent jumping-on point for readers curious about the ongoing Wonder Woman series. There’s plenty to draw one in, and enough detail to give a general idea of who characters are, what their status quo is now, and a lot of potential in what is to come.
Highly recommended.
Story: 8.5/10
Art: 9/10
Whole: 8.5/10
Filed under: Comic Reviews 2009, DC, DC Universe, Wonder Woman | Tagged: Aaron Lopresti, Birds of Paradise, Brad Anderson, Comic Reviews, DC, DC Comics, Elisabeth Gehrlein, Gail Simone, Genocide, Hi-Fi, Matt Ryan, Rise of the Olympian, Sean Ryan, Travis Lanham, Wonder Woman | Leave a comment »
Full review posted to comixtreme.com.
Story: 4.5/5
Art: 4.5/5
Overall: 4.5/5
Filed under: cxPulp.com, DC, DC Universe, Final Crisis (Event), Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds | Tagged: Adam Schlagman, Comic Reviews, cxPulp.com, DC, DC Comics, Eddie Berganza, Final Crisis, Geoff Johns, George Perez, Hi-Fi, Legion of 3 Worlds, Legion of Super-Heroes, Legion of Three Worlds, Nick Napolitano, Scott Koblish | Leave a comment »
Full review posted to comixtreme.com.
Story: 3.5/5
Art: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
Filed under: cxPulp.com, DC | Tagged: Adam Schlagman, Blackest Night, Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps, Chris Samnee, Comic Reviews, cxPulp.com, DC, DC Comics, Ed Benes, Geoff Johns, Hi-Fi, Indigo Tribe, Jerry Ordway, John Kalisz, Mongul, Nei Rufino, Peter J. Tomasi, Rags Morales, Rob Hunter, Saint Walker, Sal Cipriano, Steve Wands, Tales of the Blue Lantern, Tales of the Blue Lantern Corps, Tales of the Corps, Tales of the Indigo Tribe, Tales of the Sinestro Corps | Leave a comment »
Rise of the Olympian part 8 (Finale): Monarch of the Dead
Writer: Gail Simone
Artist: Aaron Lopresti
Inker: Brad Anderson
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Associate Editor: Sean Ryan
Editor: Elisabeth Gehrlein
Cover: Aaron Lopresti & Hi-Fi (variant by Bernard Chang)
Publisher: DC Comics
In a time where the standard story arc wraps in six issues, this arc has taken eight issues. As such, it’s seemed a little long…but at the same time, it’s made up the entirety of my Wonder Woman purchasing of the last few years. It’s also–at 8 issues–made up probably the single longest stretch of my buying a Wonder Woman title, ever. All that being credit to Simone’s writing and grasp of the character, presenting both character and goings-on in an interesting light sufficient to keep me coming back month after month.
This issue opens with the Amazons finding the broken/battered body of their champion and then entering battle with Zeus’ male warriors. Wonder Woman–Diana–enters the fray, and takes on Ares–the god of war–who has long plagued her and her sisters. By her actions, the status quo for Diana as well as her mother and sisters is changed, as we clearly see what gave this arc its title.
The story in this issue is quite good–though some parts seemed a bit forced, and I didn’t enjoy it in and of itself as much as I would have hoped. Nothing seems to come out of nowhere, everything having basis in what’s been established in earlier issues. I do feel almost like I missed an issue, and nearly didn’t even READ this issue, thinking that I really HAD missed an issue. The visuals continue to hold up very well, and I have no complaint on that aspect of the book.
If you’ve not followed this story in single issues, I would definitely recommend the collected volume, as this seems likely be one of THE Wonder Woman stories…and certainly is poised to be integral to the character moving forward in the near future.
Story: 8/10
Art: 8.5/10
Whole: 8/10
Filed under: Comic Reviews 2009, DC, DC Universe, Wonder Woman | Tagged: Aaron Lopresti, Comic Reviews, Compound Fracture, DC, DC Comics, Elisabeth Gehrlein, Gail Simone, Genocide, Hi-Fi, Matt Ryan, Rise of the Olympian, Sean Ryan, Travis Lanham, Wonder Woman | Leave a comment »
Full review posted to comixtreme.com.
Booster Gold
Story: 3.5/5
Art: 4/5
Blue Beetle
Story (Blue Beetle): 3.5/5
Art (Blue Beetle): 3.5/5
Overall: 4/5
Filed under: Booster Gold, cxPulp.com, DC, DC Universe | Tagged: Batman, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Comic Reviews, cxPulp.com, Dan Jurgens, Day of Death, DC, DC Comics, Golden Child, Guy Major, Harvey RIchards, Hi-Fi, Matthew Sturges, Michael Siglain, Mike Norton, Norm Rapmund, Rip Hunter, Sal Cipriano, Second Feature | Leave a comment »
Ghost in the Darkness
Script and Pencils: Jerry Ordway
Inks: Bob Wiacek
Colorist: Hi-Fi Designs
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Associate Editor: Rachel Cluckstern
Editor: Mike Carlin
Cover: Jerry Ordway
Publisher: DC Comics
As the various JSA members go about their lives after the latest incident with Black Adam and their membership issues, a new threat shows up. First, Alan Scott’s son traps several members in the house, forcing the team to act against him, despite his claims of just trying to protect them. It’s quickly discovered that there’s more at play than first suspected, and that it is yet another “ghosts issue” for the team.
I passed on this issue when it first shipped last week–I wasn’t interested in sticking around post-Johns, and was content to go out on the high note Johns left this book on. But guilt at being in a comic shop and otherwise walking out empty-handed, I chose this issue as my token purchase…based largely on noticing Ordway’s name on the cover.
I was definitely correct in my assumption that the visuals would be top-notch for the issue, given Ordway’s being the artist. This is beyond a passive “no complaints” about the art–this is an active recognition that the art is very strong top-level stuff that I greatly enjoyed.
The story on the other hand feels rather…generic. I’m not a fan of generic “ghosts” stories, and actually avoided the Gentleman Ghost arc that closed out the previous version of this series around Infinite Crisis.
Though the characters here all seem familiar, and I want to like ’em with OR without Johns…there’s still a shift all around, and I can’t honestly say one way or the other whether I’ll be picking up the next issue or letting this title go.
Recommended for the art and for the die-hard JSA fans. Those following the book specifically for Johns’ writing may be disappointed–at the least, don’t leap into this issue thinking it a seamless change from Johns’ tenure on the series.
Story: 6/10
Art: 9/10
Whole: 7.5/10
Filed under: Comic Reviews 2009, DC, DC Universe, Justice Society of America | Tagged: Bob Wiacek, Comic Reviews, DC, DC Comics, Ghost in the Darkness, Hi-Fi, Jerry Ordway, JSA, Justice Society, Justice Society of America, Mike Carlin, Rachel Cluckstern, Rob Leigh | Leave a comment »
Full review posted to comixtreme.com.
Story: 4/5
Art: 4.5/5
Overall: 4/5
Filed under: cxPulp.com, DC, DC Universe, Green Lantern | Tagged: Agent Orange, Blackest Night, Comic Reviews, dam Schlagman, DC, DC Comics, Eddie Berganza, Eddy Barrows, Geoff Johns, Green Lantern, Guardians, Hal Jordan, Hi-Fi, Jonathan Glapion, Julio Ferreira, Larfleeze, Nei Ruffino, Orange Lantern, Orange Lanterns, Philip Tan, Prelude to Blackest Night, Rob Leigh, Rod Reis, Ruy Jose, Sinestro, Star Sapphire | Leave a comment »
Rise of the Olympian part 7: Compound Fracture
Writer: Gail Simone
Artist: Aaron Lopresti
Inker: Matt Ryan
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Associate Editor: Sean Ryan
Editor: Elisabeth Gehrlein
Cover: Aaron Lopresti & Hi-Fi (variant by Francis Manapul & Jeremy Roberts)
Publisher: DC Comics
THere’s a lot going on in this issue, even though much if it is essentially just an extended fight sequence. With six prior issues of build, with fights showing both sides discovering the other’s limits, it comes down to this do-or-die battle as Wonder Woman must overcome Genocide or lose all she holds dear. We also see as other elements come together that will cause plenty of trouble down the road, beyond Genocide.
What initially interested me in this story–the thing that prompted me to see it out from the start–was that Genocide was compared to Doomsday, in terms of the role it would play for Diana. And I must say that the comparison’s a fair one, though obviously with much different characters and story beats and all that.
Simone has a great handle on the character–I’m actually interested in this incarnation of Diana/Wonder Woman; I’m interested in the supporting cast (even though I can’t even remember their names yet), and I’m interested in the Bigger Picture–what’s going on with Zeus and his Olympian(s), and in general find that while Genocide brought me to the table, it’s the writing–the story itself–that has me quite willing to stick around.
The art’s pretty, too–visually, this looks like a comic book, but there’s a quality to the thing that is beyond any “generic” art. One definitely gets a sense from the visuals just how brutal this battle is, and how much of a beating Diana’s already taken. A page toward the end of the battle is particularly gruesome, though due at least in part to not being overly graphic and leaving it to the individual to fill in the extra details.
This both feels like a story ending and yet doesn’t. Elements that have been seen throughout the arc are continuing and probably about to come to far more prominence than we’ve had with ’em so far. But the meat of the story–the battle with Genocide–has a definite ending, while keeping the door open to future stories that’ll certainly reference this.
Though I stuck around for a handful of Rucka’s issues a few years ago and enjoyed them at the time–this current arc is the most I’ve been interested in Wonder Woman and the most I’ve really enjoyed the story overall. If you didn’t follow this arc, I’d recommend considering it in collected volume format, and giving the series a chance with the next issue, whatever story officially kicks off.
Story: 9/10
Art: 8.5/10
Whole: 8.5/10
Filed under: DC, DC Universe, Wonder Woman | Tagged: Aaron Lopresti, Comic Reviews, Compound Fracture, DC, DC Comics, Elisabeth Gehrlein, Gail Simone, Genocide, Hi-Fi, Matt Ryan, Rise of the Olympian, Sean Ryan, Travis Lanham, Wonder Woman | Leave a comment »
Shadows of Tomorrow
Writer/Artist: Dan Jurgens
Finished Inks: Norm Rapmund
Colorist: Brian Miller of Hi-Fi
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Assoc. Editor: Chris Conroy
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Jurgens, Rapmund, and Tom Chu
Publisher: DC Comics
It’s been a long time since I picked up any issues of this series–it’s one that seemed to have a promising concept, but just didn’t strike me as “mattering” all that much, and so I didn’t keep up beyond the first couple issues and a random issue or two I’ve scored from a bargain bin. This issue is one in which the cover was extremely influential–far, far moreso than most comics (since I usually walk into the store already having decided what I’m going to buy).
This one I saw on the shelf, and the combination of the cover image and the characters being put together (Booster Gold & Magog) made for something I was actually interest in checking out. The cover image of a grim Magog–shadowed face, angry-Booster reflected in his armor–reminds me a bit of that classic Wolverine vs. Hulk cover (whether it was intended to or not). I’ve enjoyed the most recent incarnation of the Booster Gold series, and his post-52 status quo has been interesting and really done a lot for the character in my mind–giving him a lot more purpose and credibility. And given the events at the tail end of the Thy Kingdom Come epic in Justice Society, I’m quite interested in seeing how the “new” Magog is handled, as there’s more to this version of the character than what had been running around the DCU for much of the past decade.
This issue opens with Booster and Skeets racing to the time lab in response to alarms, and finding mentor/leader Rip Hunter materializing, apparently in battle with someone. Working the Time Platform, they isolate Rip, bringing him back without his assailant…but with a scrap of a Superman costume from another time/world. When Rip forbids Booster from investigating Magog’s future (the assailant), Booster decides he can at least begin researching Magog in the present. Booster’s investigation leads to an encounter with Magog where the two–with vastly different methods–attend to a hostage situation and terrorists.
On the whole, this issue really felt like an issue of Booster Gold. Jurgens and Rapmund on writing/art are quite familiar to me recently for their work on the Booster Gold title. That said, the art for this issue is quite enjoyable–the visuals by this creative team make for my favorite depiction of Booster & co., and the take on Magog leaves me with no problems, either.
The story, too, felt like (despite being a single-issue/on-off tale) it really belongs in an issue of Booster Gold (and would have been a perfect filler in place of what we got in Booster Gold #20. As the creator of the character, Jurgens knows the character and supporting cast, and seems to have a good grasp of what makes for a good story with them. He also adds some depth to Magog, and sets up what could be an interesting relationship between Booster and Magog, given the nature of the characters and time travel.
This seems a great issue to snag for a single-issue enjoyable read. It doesn’t seem to be directly continued from any prior cliffhanger, and it leaves on a satisfying ending that does not require one to jump right into the next issue for a cliffhanger’s resolution. As a one-shot, regularly-priced ($2.99) comic, this is easily the best comic of the week for me.
Highly recommended for readers of Booster Gold, or fans of either character.
Story: 8.5/10
Art: 8.5/10
Whole: 9/10
Filed under: Brave and the Bold, Comic Reviews 2009, DC, DC Universe | Tagged: Booster Gold, Brave and the Bold, Brian Miller, Chris Conroy, Comic Reviews, Dan Jurgens, DC, DC Comics, Hi-Fi, Joey Cavalieri, Kingdom Come, Magog, Norm Rapmund, Rip Hunter, Rob Leigh, Shadows of Tomorrow, Skeets, Thy Kingdom Come, Tom Chu | Leave a comment »
Comic Reviews by Walt 