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Superman #690 [Review]

Posted on August 2, 2009 by Walt

The Setup

Writer: James Robinson
Artist: Pere Perez
Colorist: David Curiel
Letterer: John J. Hill
Asst. Editor: Wil Moss
Editor: Matt Idelson
Cover: Andrew Robinson
Publisher: DC Comics

While I really don’t have much of a problem at Superman himself being taking out of his own titled-book, I’m increasingly put-off by this title for its contents. This issue begins with a battle between Atlas and Steel in a sequence that flies by and is more than a little hard to follow, as Steel’s been duped into allowing Atlas into his home. We then get a 2-page sequence of Guardian naming team leaders within the science police…and a to-be-continued notice directing us to Superman: Secret Files 2009. Next up is a sequence with Zatara and a stage hand as we’re reminded of Zatara’s irresponsibility, and introduced to this stage hand who proves to be more than he appears, introducing a likely quest we’ll probably see unfold over the next few issues. After this is a one-page sequence between Guardian and Dr. Light in civilian guises, with a to-be-continued notice directing us to future issues of this title as well as Justice League of America. Finally, we get a 3-page sequence of Sodam Yat and an alien that explains away Yat and Mon-El’s lack of interaction…with a to-be-continued notice directing us to Superman Annual #14.

This issue as a whole felt like a lot of filler. We have a semi-pointless fight scene between Steel and Atlas (a character I still care nothing for, and have begun to actively dislike seeing appear in the Superman titles at all), followed by a bunch of seemingly unconnected “scenes” with no real transition from one to another, directing the reader to other titles and whatnot, rather than telling a thorough, consistent story to keep one interested in THIS title, in picking up the next issue. And perhaps this was filler, as I do suspect the Steel/Atlas scene to have at least some import on the Codename: Patriot story upcoming in the majority of the Superman titles for August; the rest of this issue would have been better served kicking off that story in some way.

I’m not much of a fan of the art–especially the depiction of Atlas. Other than that, not much problem with the visuals–my favorite probably being Sodam Yat and the alien, as both came across quite well overall…all things considered.

This issue seems entirely passable–all you need to know is that Atlas beats Steel, and you’re probably good to go for the next arc. Not recommended.

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

Filed under: Comic Reviews 2009, DC, DC Universe, Superman, World Without Superman (event) | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Superman #689 [Review]

Posted on June 28, 2009 by Walt

The Tourist

Writer: James Robinson
Penciler: Renato Guedes
Inker: Jose Wilson Magalhaes
Colorist: David Curiel
Letterer: John J. Hill
Asst. Editor: Wil Moss
Editor: Matt Idelson
Cover: Andrew Robinson
Publisher: DC Comics

This issue focuses primarily on Mon-El exploring the world and encountering trouble all across the globe. He tries to visit one place, and winds up in the middle of a metahuman conflict; he goes to help with a conflict and gets to visit something significant. Meanwhile, the Guardian deals with Morgan Edge calling out the public on Mon-El’s presence…something which Edge then spins back into his own favor once again. We also see General Lane interacting with the Prankster about getting another hero out of town…and preparing for yet another of Metropolis’ heroes to take the big dirt nap.

The art as usual isn’t much to my taste, not really enjoying Guedes’ style, nor that of the rest of the art team surrounding his pencils…though that’s personal taste, and is not to say that the art is horrible: it just doesn’t suit me, and thus detracts from my enjoyment of the book. It still gets across what it needs to–and does so effectively.

The story itself gives me mixed things: on the one hand, it’s doing a good job of keeping me interested in Mon-El’s development as well as the Guardian, especially as the two outright take the place of Superman in his own title for the fourth or fifth issue of at least a year’s worth. On the other hand, I find myself more and more skeptical of the General Lane subplot–whatever the character was depicted as prior to Our Worlds at War, now he seems like a derivitive rip-off of General Ross from the Hulk book(s)…and by his associations in this issue, begins to feel like he’s being shoehorned into the role of a new Lex Luthor quasi-archetype…the primary human enemy of Superman/Kryptonians, including having metahuman “lackeys.” We also get a return of a character at the very end that I didn’t care for the first time around.

If you’ve been following the title, may as well stick on with it–this shows Mon-El experiencing the world he’s sworn to protect as he avoids facing the fact of his mortality. If you’ve not been following things…well, you may not really care for this.

Story: 5/10
Art: 4/10
Whole: 4.5/10

Filed under: Comic Reviews 2009, DC, DC Universe, Superman, World Without Superman (event) | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Action Comics Annual #12 [Review]

Posted on June 28, 2009 by Walt

Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: Pere Perez
Colorist: Mazi
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Asst. Editor: Wil Moss
Editor: Matt Idelson
Cover: Renato Guedes
Publisher: DC Comics

I bought this comic out of a combination of “habit” and the fact that it is part of the ongoing narrative of the Superman family of books these days (even though it sports a black “S” in place of a number for this issue’s place in the overall sequence of things).

This issue’s story details how Chris Kent went from the kid we saw in “Last Son” to where we saw him during the initial New Krypton event as the new Nightwing. It also details how Flamebird got to be what/where she is. Since the point of this annual IS the filling in of those gaps in info, I’m not going to dance around the plot being all vague and such beyond what I’ve already said.

The art works quite well on the whole here–I especially liked the depiction of the Phantom Zone as compared to the 3-D crap foisted on us with the Last Son arc. The way it was depicted here gets the same effect across without resorting to the stupid stunt of needing 3-D glasses to see panels clearly and such. I’m not a fan of the newer costumes for Nightwing & Flamebird…something about the looks just doesn’t work for me, regardless of the in-story explanation for them. Despite that complaint, the way they’re depicted is about as good as I suppose I can expect of these costumes.

While this story sheds further light on the characters (even adding a bit to Non, which I liked) it doesn’t seem entirely essential. One could almost see it as one of those guides to a new DVD player’s remote: the buttons on the device are fairly intuitive and you can get by without the guide…but the guide fills in that much more and does give you a different overall experience for having read it than not.

However, I do think the $5 price tag on this issue was just a bit steep–even just the difference to $4.50 would be preferable, steep as that is as well. If the price doesn’t bother you too much, this is a good issue to pick up.

Story: 7.50/10
Art: 8/10
Whole: 7.5/10

Filed under: Action Comics, Action Comics Annual, Comic Reviews 2009, DC, DC Universe | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Supergirl #42 [Review]

Posted on June 28, 2009 by Walt

Who is Superwoman? conclusion: epilogues & homecomings

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

We see more wrap-up on stuff from the Who Is Superwoman? arc here as Supergirl faces Lana and Lois–telling the latter about the death of her sister. Lana fills Supergirl in on the relationshp between Lois and Lucy, while we see General Lane dealing with the death of his daughter.

This issue worked a lot better for me than the previous issue–while I don’t totally “buy” Lucy’s military career and role as Superwoman, it’s a lot easier to “buy” the fact that something horrible happened (her death) and someone having to break the news to Lois. This also adds a bit of depth (cold as it is) to General Lane’s character as he comes to grips with what he’s lost.

Gates seems to hve a good handle on these characters and the relationships they have between one another–such as in Lois’ handling of the news she’s presented with. Though on the book less than a year now, Gates has turned this from an outer-rim sorta book almost embaressingly tied to the Superman family into one integral to the family of books, making Supergirl into a real-seeming teenage girl (albeit alien and with tremendous super-powers). Igle’s style continues to work very well with the stories–though my sole gripe continues to be the way ears are drawn, for whatever reason.

All in all, another strong issue of this title, well worth reading if you’ve been following the book. If you’ve not been following it, you’ll likely be fairly lost, as much of the action in this issue comes from what’s transpired in the last few issues.

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

Filed under: Comic Reviews 2009, DC, DC Universe, Supergirl | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Action Comics #878 [Review]

Posted on June 14, 2009 by Walt

The Sleepers Part 4

Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: Diego Olmos
Colorist: Rod Reis
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Asst. Editor: Wil Moss
Editor: Matt Idelson
Cover: Andrew Robinson
Publisher: DC Comics

This issue finds a couple of the “Sleepers” (the ones Nightwing and Flamebird are after) house-jacking (cuz hey, they’re Kryptonian and powerful…so let’s go that step above and beyond car-jacking). Lois and Thara talk a bit as Thara explains a bit about her relationship with Chris (K’riss to her). General Lane reacts to recent goings-on and continues to show questionable judgement. Nightwing and Flamebird find themselves back in action (no pun intended) and before long come across an ambush that may or may not pose a significant threat to them.

This issue continues to hold plenty of promise, though the execution is definitely flawed. I’m not all that engaged with the characters, nor do I particularly like them. The abnormally-fast-aging thing with Chris isn’t all that original to me (and I enjoyed the dynamic of him being a much younger child in Clark/Lois’ life, but as a semi-adult super-being…he’s just not that interesting). The story is decent, but not wonderful.

The art’s also in the good-but-not-spectacular sorta category. It fits the story and conveys what needs to be gotten across.

This remains an ok title, and mostly lives up to its name. It’s just not the most engaging, enjoyable thing you’ll find out there these days.

Story: 7/10
Art: 6.5/10
Whole: 7/10

Filed under: Action Comics, Comic Reviews 2009, DC, DC Universe, World Without Superman (event) | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Superman: World of New Krypton #4 [Review]

Posted on June 3, 2009 by Walt

Full review posted to comixtreme.com.

Story: 3/5
Art: 3/5
Overall: 3/5

Filed under: cxPulp.com, DC, DC Universe, Superman: World of New Krypton | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Superman #688 [Review]

Posted on June 2, 2009 by Walt

The Fall and Rise of Jonathan Kent

Writer: James Robinson
Penciler: Renato Guedes
Inker: Jose Wilson Magalhaes
Colorist: David Curiel
Letterer: John J. Hill
Asst. Editor: Wil Moss
Editor: Matt Idelson
Cover: Andrew Robinson
Publisher: DC Comics

The first thing to note is this issue’s story title, which is a reversal of the “traditional” phrasing, as one would usually expect to read of the Rise and THEN Fall of someone, rather than the fall and then rise. It also puts me in mind of The Death and Life of Superman for the same reason–the title reversing the order. In the case of this issue, the title is quite literal, as we begin with Mon-El sans powers in free-fall. Though he survives, he is not sure what caused his powers to cut out. Joined by the Guardian, answers are sought, and in a typical comics sorta fashion, an answer is found that is not to the liking of the protagonists.

I’m not a fan of the art style in this issue. It’s just not to my liking, so much so that it does actually take me out of the story as I notice panel after panel the visual style I’m not thrilled with. That’s not to say the art’s bad or anything–for one thing, it’s far better than anything I myself could accomplish–but it is such that I don’t engage with the story as I would one with art I enjoyed a good deal more.

The story itself feels rather cliched here. The revelation of what’s affecting Mon-El’s powers goes a good way toward explaining recent events and accounting for his current status quo. But it’s also not all that original, and left me mentally groaning at just how cliche it feels, whatever original elements are yet present.

I have no problem with this book essentially starring a couple of characters who are NOT Superman himself, with stories that show a world that does not have Superman present, but rather others trying to fill the man’s role while he’s off-planet. It’s just that the story itself here just feels rather weak…especially when held against something like Starman, also by this writer.

Aside from simply being one chapter in an ongoing narrative….this is not an issue I’d recommend in general.

Story: 5/10
Art: 4/10
Whole: 4.5/10

Filed under: Comic Reviews 2009, DC, DC Universe, Superman, World Without Superman (event) | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Supergirl #41 [Review]

Posted on May 24, 2009 by Walt

Who is Superwoman? part five: Daughters of Krypton

Writer: Sterling Gates
Pencillers: Fernando Dagnino
Inker: Raul Fernandez
Colorist: Nei Ruffino
Letterer: Jared K. Fletcher
Asst. Editor: Wil Moss
Editor: Matt Idelson
Cover: Joshua Middleton
Publisher: DC Comics

This issue “concludes” the “Who is Superwoman” arc. Basically it’s a drawn-out fight sequence between Supergirl and Superwoman, with some drama for Lana thrown in to round things out a bit. In a way I wouldn’t expect much else–the two have come to be enemies of sorts, especially given Superwoman’s role in the way things went down when Zor-El was killed during New Krypton.

The cover seems really flat and a bit stylized…definitely not an image that would “sell” me on a comic (the way Brave and the Bold #23’s did). Better than I could draw, but not all that appealing.

The art’s prett good for the issue–no real complaint from me on it. It fits the story, conveys what needs to be gotten across, and though largely seems like a darker/heavier color scheme, it feels like a story set in a world where Superman could exist.

The story isn’t nearly as enjoyable. I don’t for one second buy the identity of Superwoman (and even if I were to buy into it, it merely continues an unfortunate trend toward the unbelievable in comics that I can easily otherwise suspend my disbelief for).

On the whole, this isn’t all that enjoyable an issue–I’m hoping that now we’re past this silly “mystery” of Superwoman, we can get into more story and character exploration for Supergirl herself.

If you’ve followed the arc thus far, it’s worth snagging this issue as well. This is certainly not a good jumping-on point for new readers, and whatever your status, should not be taken as a representative issue for this series.

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

Filed under: Comic Reviews 2009, DC, DC Universe, Supergirl | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Action Comics #877 [Review]

Posted on May 18, 2009 by Walt

The Sleepers Part 3

Writer: Greg Rucka
Pencillers: Sidney Teles
Inkers: Sandro Ribeiro
Colorist: Rod Reis
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Asst. Editor: Wil Moss
Editor: Matt Idelson
Cover: Andrew Robinson
Publisher: DC Comics

Chris Kent is reunited with Lois, but their joy is short-lived as they must attend to securing medical attention for Thara, who has been badly injured from the battle with Ursa. Dr. Light (the good one) is called in, and she doesn’t care about the planet-wide ban on Kryptonians. While Thara is cared for, Chris races back to the site of the battle and confronts his mother…while also providing cause for General Lane & Co. to learn more than they should about Nightwing and Flamebird.

The story is decent….it’s not anything hyper-wonderful, but as the story is just beginning to build, it works well enough. I enjoyed the Chris Kent character much more as a roughly-6-years-old kid…as a character spontaneously aged to mid/late-teens, he feels too derivative…I’d enjoy that role being filled by Connor Kent. Still, I can’t deny that it provides for some interesting enough character interactions.

The art actually comes across as far more enjoyable for me this issue than I remember the previous issue or wo being. The visuals definitely work well for this issue, and combined with the story itself, makes for a good issue of the “new” “World Without Superman” Action Comics.

If you’re digging the stories being crafted in the Superman corner of the DCU of late, and/or enjoy the new Nightwing & Flamebird, this issue’s well worthwhile.

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

Filed under: Action Comics, DC, DC Universe, World Without Superman (event) | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Superman: World of New Krypton #3 [Review]

Posted on May 12, 2009 by Walt

Full review posted to comixtreme.com.

Story: 3/5
Art: 3/5
Overall: 3/5

Filed under: Comic Reviews 2009, cxPulp.com, DC, DC Universe, Superman: World of New Krypton | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

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