Comics Reviews

I've been reading a ton of comics recently, and wanted to get down some of my thoughts on issue 2 of the "New 52" issues, along with some excellent Marvel stuff I've been reading recently.  I also think that it generally takes more than 1 issue to really assess whether you want to read something.  So, unless I thought something was not very good (or just didn't speak to me at all), I'm reading a second issue of it.

Action Comics #2  - Another fun issue.  I'll definitely keep reading.  One thing though, I'm actually not crazy about the art.  I actually think it's kind of inconsistent in places.  Lois looks sort of heavy in one shot, and then not in another.  Still, very skillful storytelling going on, and I want to keep reading to see what Grant Morrison has planned.

All-Star Western #1 - A big, fun surprise from the New 52.  I had no intention of picking this up at all, but I heard some good things about it and I'm really glad I read it.  I'm not at all familiar with the Jonah Hex character, but I get it (gunslinger with mysterious past, emotional and physical scars).  It was a really well told story; I'm not a particular Western fan, but the idea of taking this Western character in Jonah Hex, and putting him in the industrial early Gotham was an interesting choice, and made for a really well told story.

Batgirl - like a bunch of other issues this month, this is an improvement over issue 1.  Issue 1 was good but not spectacular, and Simone really steps up here.  Very strong characterization of Batgirl, and she develops a sympathetic villain.  Good stuff.

Animal Man - This is another very strong issue in a very good, and creepy series.  I'm not sure if I'm in for this long-term, but I definitely think it's some interesting stuff.  Art is strong (and, like I said, creepy and unsettling), and Buddy Baker and his family are pretty well realized, and realistically written characters.

Batman and Robin - I read it twice, and I'd say it's a book definitely worth reading.  Strong characterization between Bruce Wayne and his son Damien (Bruce is not going to win any father of the year awards).  However, that being said, I can only read so many books and there's a ton of stuff which intrigues me more than a second or third Batman book (I'm probably just going to stick with Scott Snyder's "Batman" for now).

Batwoman - Now this book is freakin' great.  The art is really just stunning, and the story feels nearly as strong (which is high praise considering that the art really is incredible stuff).  I'll definitely keep reading this.  It has a real sense of atmosphere, a strong, distinctive, female protagonist who is powerful and sexy but is not once perceived as a sex object (you ought to check that out, Judd Winick and Scott Lobdell), and a real voice that comes through.  This book is a real winner in my mind.

Demon Knights - Fantastic stuff.  Not to sound like a broken record, but there really is a ton of fun stuff this month.  The new DC books continue to impress.  I wasn't particularly sure I would like this series (I'm not necessarily a huge medieval swords and sorcery type person) but the writing is terrific and the book, thus far, has been an insanely entertaining story, so as long as it keeps being really good, fun stories, I will keep reading.

FF - Overall, this was a pretty strong issue even though not that much happened.  It felt like a little bit of a break before the next series of big battles/adventures.  I've been enjoying this series overall, and as I've said previously, I'm a big fan of Jonathan Hickman.  This series has mixed big action and brainy ideas, which is pretty much Hickman's stock-in-trade.  It looks like they might be bringing back "Fantastic Four" in a few months, so I'm curious to see what role this series will play.  I'm not sure I can read both books if they end up being 2 separate books, but we'll see.

Frankenstein - Another ridiculously fun series, courtesy of Jeff Lemire (who is also writing Animal Man).  This one, although involving monsters as well, is more fun than Animal Man in that it's more absurd and over-the-top action, as opposed to just plain creepy and unsettling imagery.  I like the tone of the story, Frankenstein (shouldn't it be Frankenstein's monster?) is a great character as well.  I might just read the first arc on this one (as I feel like I've got a lot of supernatural monster/creature/horror comics on my plate) but it's definitely worth checking out.  It has a lot of great and absurd ideas.

Green Lantern - Here's the thing with Green Lantern.  It has been one of my favorite books the past 2 or 3 years, but I think I'm pretty much ready to drop it as a book.  I like Hal Jordan's character, and I really like all this Sinestro, but there are so many new and different books out there, and I feel like I've seen the Green Lantern (and other color stories) go as far as I need to see them go.  I am, to be honest, sort of bored with the character, and I'd rather read Geoff Johns' take on other characters, like Aquaman, or his overall take on the Justice League.

SHIELD - This was a weird issue.  There was almost no dialogue in the issue, which involved the celestial space baby causing a lot of damage to the eternal city underneath Rome.  Yes, you read that right.  I love this series overall, and it's big, heady concepts, but this issue sort of lost me and didn't feel like it advanced the plot all that much.  I hope the next one is better, since there's only 3 issues left in the series.  Overall though, I still love this series - I love the idea of a secret history of the world, strong stuff.   

Stormwatch -  Now this is what I was hoping what the series would be.  This second issue was a BIG improvement over the first one.  I'm not totally sure why it is such a big improvement, but it really feels like in this issue Paul Cornell finds his way here, and this is what I was hoping for from a Stormwatch series - big characters, big action, crazy villains, big excitement.  So, assuming this keeps up, this will be a strong buy for me.

Superboy - This was another interesting issue.  Scott Lobdell is definitely capable of strong stuff, so I don't totally understand why "Red Hood" was so weak of an issue.  I like what they're doing here with Superboy - you don't know how heroic he really is, and you're seeing thing through his eyes but you can't totally trust him yet.  It's interesting stuff, very science-y.  One gripe already about the new DC universe - how many different secret organizations are there?  There seem to be a lot.  I do have to cull down the number of titles I'm reading, and I could see myself dropping this one and maybe reading it later on in trade form.  It's a strong series, but not necessarily a must-read on a monthly basis.

Superior - I love Mark Millar.  Seriously, I just love the guy.  Nobody knows how to truly entertain a reader like he does.  He just \writes great, straightforward, entertaining stuff.  Superior is the story of a disabled boy who magically gets turned into a superhero, and it is completely awesome.  I love it.  Seriously, read this book.

Swamp Thing  - A very strong series overall.  I sort of see this story as a complement to Animal Man.  Animal Man is concerned with “The Red” (animal life) and Swamp Thing is concerned with “The Green” (Plant life).  Both have a supernatural horror feel to them and you have to remind yourself that they take place in a world with “regular” superheroes.  Scott Snyder delivers another very strong issue here.  I don’t totally know what’s going on, but I’m very interested, and he makes you care about these weird, plant creatures.  That’s good writing.  This is another one though where I might consider picking up the trade later on.  I’m not sure.  I will say the art is outstanding here, and there is some seriously creepy, unsettling imagery.  Also, a little heavy on the exposition, but it works reasonably well because Scott Snyder is a skillful writer.

Teen Titans - This was an enjoyable first issue.  In the new DC universe, I can't tell if the Teen Titans were ever previously a superhero team, or if this takes place in the past as opposed to in the present day.  I wish they would be more clear about that.  This was a fun, fast-paced, and very entertaining issue though, and I thought it worked pretty well.  It is also very much of a piece with Superboy - the stories kind of seem to go together as different sides of the same story.  Not totally committed to this, but if you're look for some straightforward superhero stories, this seems pretty promising.

Ultimate Comics Spider Man – I wasn’t particularly interested in this one to start, but on a recommendation from someone whose opinion I really trust, I picked it up and have really enjoyed it.  It’s actually a nice change from all of the supernatural DC stuff I’ve been reading, in that it takes place in the “Ultimate” Marvel universe, which, for a universe full of superheroes, much more closely resembles the “real” world.  Everything her feels very real; strong characters, strong dialogue (a Brian Michael Bendis hallmark), and believable motivations.  And I really like the fact that Marvel takes place in actual cities you've heard of, and people live in places like The Bronx, as opposed to made up cities.  Plus, it’s a fresh take on Spider-Man.  You gotta like that.  There’s only so many times the Peter Parker origin story can be told.