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| 4 out of 5 Floating Capes |
Writer - Grant Morrison
Art - Gene Ha
After the sporadic and condensed confusion that was the Brainiac arc, it's nice to read a solidly enjoyable, yet still Morrisonian, Superman story. This story, dealing with alternate universes and focusing on the black President Superman that appeared in Morrison's Final Crisis, was a lot of fun. There's a lot of not-so-subtle commentary on the current idea of a superhero that echoes back to his work on Animal Man that I really enjoyed. One of my biggest complaints with the first arc of the new Action Comics was that it felt less like a new retelling of the origin and more like a "what if" tale. There were too many "clever nods" and story alterations that only had an impact if you already knew the original references (such as the build-up to Brainiac) - which defeated the purpose of a new origin for a new audience. It felt less like a a welcome to join in and more like a Where's Waldo for what's different now. Ironically, this story of an alternate-Earth Superman felt more like a true Superman comic than the last arc (perhaps because it presents the idea of alternate worlds within a few pages). There are a few questions I had with the alternate universe that I have with all alternate universes because I think too hard about everything, but none of them are problems. Ha's artwork is solid, although the way he draws this Superman's cape is awkward, and it's presented better in the backup by Cully Hamner. The rest of the backup is forgettable, and I'm still pissed that these are sucking an extra dollar out of my wallet. Overall though, a fun issue that finally has me looking forward to next month.
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| 5 out of 5 Air Combo Finishes |
Writer - Jeff Lemire
Art - Steve Pugh
I still love this book so hard and I remain baffled by those who rate Swamp Thing higher each month. The amount of world-building here by Lemire is commendable, as is his clever little nod to Morrison's run at the beginning. Steve Pugh is doing a fine job filling Travel Foreman's shoes, though it's nice to see Foreman handling covers still. The story really gets moving this issue and dives into territory I wasn't expecting, as well as feeding into DC's recent crossover addiction next month beyond Swamp Thing. Also, Zombie Buddy Baker punches a bird and bites its head off. It's pretty much the greatest thing ever.
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| 4 out of 5 Secret Message Bras |
Writer- Mark Waid
Art - Chris Samnee
This issue was a fun distraction from the ongoing Omega Drive story, while still tying in. I'm not super familiar with Daredevil beyond this series, so it was nice to see some backstory into his friendship with Foggy, as well as accelerating his relationship with a new love interest. Samnee does a great job taking over the pencils, though I'd be lying if I said I didn't still miss Paolo Rivera. His panel construction and page layouts are superior, but that isn't to say Samnee doesn't deliver a solid book. Especially since, action-wise, the story is fairly tame, being mostly dialogue-driven. Overall, a fun issue and I look forward to the next.
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| 3 out of 5 Hats So Tall They Leave The Panel |
Writer- China Miéville
Art - Mateus Santolouco
My familiarity with Dial H doesn't extend beyond a basic knowledge of the core concept. Dialing 4376 (H-E-R-O) on a special phonebooth will grant you unique powers for a limited time. It sounds goofy enough to be a lot of fun. And while it was a little different than I expected, I enjoyed this first issue. The tried-and-true "reluctant hero" trope works well here and makes for an interesting tale. The two Phone-a-Heroes we see this issue are both unique, but the first, Boy Chimney, is the more memorable. It's unfortunate that, the way I understand it, we won't ever see him again. The art is competent, but a little too rough for my tastes. At times it became a little too difficult to see what was happening. Also , kudos for the hidden Pandora like in the original 52 #1s. While I wasn't as blown away as I'd hoped, I enjoyed what I read enough to most likely grab #2 in a month.
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| 3 out of 5 Panels Read in the Wrong Order |
Writer - Scott Snyder
Art - Yanick Paquette & Marco Rudy
I am apparently the only comic-reader on the planet that doesn't love Swamp Thing. I don't dislike it either, but I just can't see what everyone else does. The story is paced very strangely and I'm not entirely sure what's happening at times. I don't understand what's going on with Abby or why. The art, though, is my major turn-off. It's too dark, with domination of black that, while I understand it works thematically with the Rot, is distracting. Worse, though, are the page layouts and panel borders. The pages try to integrate the borders into the artwork by using blood or branches to separate panels, but it becomes cluttered and disorienting. Some pages make it difficult to figure out panel order and the awkwardly-defined borders make facing pages look like a splash when they aren't and vice-versa. The book has become frustrating for me to read. I certainly don't hate it, but I don't much care for the story or where it's going. Combined with the difficult art, I may be done with the series once it completes its crossover with Animal Man.
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| 4 out of 5 Roadtrip Songs I've Never Heard Before |
Writer - Jeff Lemire
Art - Jeff Lemire
While still forwarding the story a bit, this issue was more of an epilogue to the previous arc. I really like Lemire's use of the landscape format for this issue, especially for the prose storybook feel. The prose worked well, and was used to great effect to cover a lot of ground and time in less pages. Coming up with "storybook names" for his various characters, it was easy to tell Lemire was having fun, too. As an epilogue chapter, there's not much to say story-wise, but it feels like the story is heading towards a conclusion soon. I remember reading once that Lemire said he had planned up to 40 issues, and I don't know if that still holds true, but it certainly feels like its driving towards the end.
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| 5 out of 5 Black Sheep Relatives |
Writer - Brian Michael Bendis
Art - David Marquez
I really love this series and its unique Spider-Man. Miles feels really unique compared to Peter and makes for a more interesting read (although he shares Pete's habit of letting everyone learn his secret identity all willy-nilly). Most interesting of this new Spider-Man is his relationship with his criminal Uncle Aaron, who wants to teach the opposite lesson about power and responsibility as Peter's Uncle Ben. Bendis shines with character development and dialogue, and I was really enjoying the moral discussion between Miles and his uncle. The final two pages, with their dramatic close-ups, really help to increase the tension of the moment. The "TO. BE. CONTINUED." still hits well, but its effect is diminished the second time around. Still, I cannot wait until #11.
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| I'm going to go see Avengers and the extra post-credits scene we get in America. In your FACE, Europeans! USA! USA! |
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