Comic releases of 6/1/11
Hey all, time for another fun round of comic reviews. This is another huge week, 10 issues, Herc #4 and Thunderbolts #158 were not at my local shop, no second tier comic companies, just Marvel and DC again. This week has 4, that’s right 4 mini-series in the world of Flashpoint, which will be the best? Also Comic news involving the big shakeup over at DC
Comics: Amazing Spider-man #663, Fear Itself #3, Flashpoint #2, Flashpoint- Batman Knight of Vengeance #1 of 3, Flashpoint- Abin Sur the Green Lantern #1 of 3, Flashpoint- Secret Seven #1 of 3, Flashpoint-The World of Flashpoint #1 of 3, Heroes for Hire #8, Superboy #8,Wonder Woman #611
Comic Book News: Well it seems that DC wasn’t able to keep this secret for long; it is official that after the events of Flashpoint, we are getting a huge revamp of the DCU; we are getting 52, that’s right 52 new titles and re-releases. I for one have mixed feelings about it, I like the idea of them bringing back the status quo yet the renumbering seems a bit hit and miss to me. I am however glad that they are giving people, old and new comers a chance to start fresh and kick start a whole new chapter in the growing history of DC, I will be reading the same stuff but adding to that will be Aquaman, JSA, JL, and whatever else is announced I may pick up as well. Of all the 52 new titles that are coming out, I’m wondering if it will be ALL of them including Zatanna will be getting changed, which I feel might since Dini is getting too busy with other projects that DC might bring on a permanent writer, most likely Adam Beechan since he works on a few filler issues. If Power Girl gets a new numbering, they should go the extra mile and rename it also, change it from Power Girl to Power Woman (A nod to Kingdom Come). I’m definitely amped to see Grant Morrison writing Superman. I’m surprised Johns is doing so much writing, a new Justice League, Aquaman, and Green Lantern, so he has become the Bendis of DC.
DC Comic
Pick of the week: Flashpoint-Batman: Knight of Vengeance #1
Abridged Story: Thomas Wayne is talking to his psychiatrist about continuing to run his empire. Thomas and Gordon meet up with Judge Dent about any possible leads to where the Joker is and the kidnapped children of Harvey Dent. Thomas heads into the sewers for a possible lead; he heads down there and confronts Killer Croc. He fights him off and succeeds in defeating Killer Croc by killing him. We see Joker with the children acting menacingly and talking about playing house.
Review: I’ve only read a few of Brian Azzarello, I read his graphic novel Joker, the kind of, sort of not really sequel to the Dark Knight, so when it comes to Batman, Brian has some expertise to it. This was a side of Flashpoint I wanted to see, what Batman would be like if it was someone else, and here we see Thomas Wayne, his father, as the caped crusader. He’s a bit more cold and sterner than Bruce, a man who exploits his power in order to use it as an advantage. He created the Wayne Casino to bring in crime so he could fight it, which to me shows how stronger he is when it comes to the risk over the reward. It is interesting to see the villain, the Penguin, is Wayne's associate and not seen as a villain but more likely his business partner. This new history that Flashpoint has created is done well here since some of it is for the better, making us question whether the changes were done for good reason or for sinister reasons.
Artwork: The artwork in this mini-series fits the character. The cover of the issue is a Thomas as Batman with the Flashpoint costume variant, looking menacing and hidden partially in the darkness with a casino chip. The interior work is really impervious; the design of Thomas Batman seems to be the best amalgamation of certain elements from other Batman designs, like the pointed shoulders, the bat symbol on his chest, and the coloring of his outfit. The design of Killer Croc look like the Timm version mixed with a bit of Arkham Asylum game version. The Joker, who is only seen briefly at the end, looks much like the Brian Azzarello Joker from the graphic novel, which is a good choice.
Grade: A+
Quick Reviews
Flashpoint #2: Barry convinces Batman to help him regain his powers, it doesn't go as planned, Wonder Woman interrogates Steve Trevor, and DeathStroke meets Aquaman. A very solid second issue, with lots of things shaping up the world. Artwork is great and the design of the heroes new looks are fantastic. A-
Flashpoint- Abin Sur the Green Lantern #1: Abin Sur is tasked to retrieve the white lantern entity on Earth while Sinestro seeks answers from a familiar face. Loved seeing Abin Sur being cool, the story was well thought out. The artwork seems to be based off of the movies designs, which look good for this series. B+
Flashpoint- Secret Seven #1: Rac Shade the Changing Man is being looked for in attempt to help turn the tide in the War between Wonder Woman and Aquaman, and what follows is very trippy. A very unique story they are going with, drawing elements from the Ditko era. The artwork is very unique also, has some really messed up and psychedelic images. B-
Flashpoint; World of Flashpoint #1: Traci 13 feels the events of Flashpoint overlap the old history as she and her father must cope in this new order. Traci learns her father has created a weapon that will destroy 18 million people but also kill some bad guys in this world. Of the four released this week, this one was not the strongest but intriguing, it does provide backstory but it’s very much a side note in this world. Artwork is nice. B-
Superboy #8: Conner, Psionic Lad, and Simon team up to discover the strange happenings in Smallville, underground city of Zombie farmers. Intriguing plot twists, obviously the last arc, hope it goes out with a bang. Artwork is still beautiful. B+
Wonder Woman #611: Diana and her Amazons go after the Morrigan’s headquarters; Diana has a dark image of her if she becomes one of them. I’m liking this issue is finally reaching the end of this alternate take. The weird vision was interesting and her demonic design was bad-ass. Artwork continues to impress me. B+
Marvel Comics
Top Pick of the week: Fear Itself #3
Abridged Story: The battle escalates as Bucky Cap enters the fray and does battle with Sin. The Thing finds the latest Hammer and has changed. The Hulk continues his rampage in the Southern Hemisphere. Loki breaks Thor out of prison but Odin finds out what’s happening and sends Thor back to Earth to see if he can stop the Serpent. Bucky manages to do damage to Sin but the tide changes and bad things happen to Bucky….and it’s not pretty.
Review: This is an event where you can ask yourself; How do they top themselves from the last issue, well this one continues to up the ante and this time a hero has fallen. This is most likely how and why Steve Rogers will re-don his old mantle. The small moments with each character fits in a cinematic way, getting enough glimpses from each faction, still no more word as to the serpent, so far it’s the worthy and their hammers destroying the world bit by bit. This is Bucky’s shining moment, leading the Avengers into the biggest battles ahead of them and ultimately he continues to fight despite the fact that Sin is far stronger, due to the power of the hammer and is laid to waste, his arm ripped off (the robotic one) and his chest severely mangled, broken and defeated, Bucky lays amongst the fallen…..dead (?)
Artwork: The artwork continues to be one of the shining examples of good artwork. The covers I admit I dislike since they aren’t being really creative; the cover is of Bucky Cap and The Thing with the new Hammer. The interior artwork is amazing and each moment of action shows so much in the fore and background. The battle with Sin and Bucky is awesome and well design, the final page is touching.
Grade: A+
Quick Reviews
Amazing Spider-man #663: Anti-venom comes back to town as he goes after Mr. Negative. Peter creates a new device. The continuing adventures of dicking around until Spider Island, better than the last arc, artwork is nicer than before. B+
Heroes for Hire #8: Misty, Satana, Paladin, and Spider-man all team up and take down this criminal operation. This was the best issue of this arc, the characters are fun and the action is amped up. Artwork is nice. B-
Well that’s all for this week. I hope next week I can get a hold of Thunderbolts and Herc. Next week will have another set of 4 Flashpoint issues coming out with cool collectible pins. Catch you all later, ComicCritic87 OUT!!!