Category Archives: Reviews

by | September 12, 2013 · 12:19 pm

New 52 in Review: Week 3

Welcome to the halfway point of our look back on the DC New 52. This week has not fared as well as the previous two weeks, with seven of thirteen titles cancelled. It did do better in that these titles lasted longer, but in the end, they were still cancelled. This has become a very light week for my comic reading, since only Batwoman, Batman and Robin and Green Lantern made my personal cut, though there are a few others I probably should have checked out.

Batman and RobinBatman-and-Robin

Originally Batman and Robin was a book featuring Dick Grayson as Batman with Damian Wayne as Robin. With the New 52, Dick was replaced with Bruce while Damian stayed on as Robin. This combination allowed the book to explore the father and son relationship between Bruce and Damian. Given Bruce’s back story, it makes for an interesting series of stories. With the recent death of Damian in Batman Incorporated, DC has been putting in a new companion for Batman in each issue, expanding on their relationship with Bruce. These other characters include Carrie Kelly (Robin from The Dark Knight Returns), Jason Todd, Batgirl, and Catwoman.

Batwomanbatwoman1_2

Batwoman has been less about the story, which I have often found difficult to follow, and more about a crazy art tour de force. With artist J.H. Williams III also involved with writing the book, Batwoman has really pushed comic books as a medium, presenting a story that has unified writing and art seamlessly. Unfortunately, the creative team behind Batwoman recently announced they would be leaving the book. It seems that DC editorial was refusing to allow them to go ahead with a lesbian wedding in the book. DC claims that it had nothing to do with the characters being lesbians, but most of us have our doubts and are disappointed to see this particular creative team leave.

Deathstroke CANCELLEDdsk_cv1_ds

Deathstroke is yet another title given to a character that really couldn’t support a standalone series. Surprisingly the series lasted twenty one episodes. I couldn’t have cared less about this series’ existence as I have no love of the character and no any interest in reading another story about a hyper-deadly mercenary with questionable loyalties and morals. This has all been done before, and done better.

Demon Knights CANCELLEDDemon-Knights_Full_1

A recently cancelled title, Demon Knights collected several medieval characters into a team, which turns out to be the precursor of Stormwatch. The series opened to strong critical support, but just never quite caught on with the general comic book reading public.  It combined some of DC’s darker characters including Etrigan (yet another Kirby creation to fall by the wayside), Madame Xanadu (also a member of Justice League Dark) and Vandal Savage, an immortal cave man.  This was a title I kept hearing good things about and just never got around to picking up and now I’ll have to get it in trades.

Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E CANCELLEDFrankenstein-Agent-of-SHADE

Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. always struck me as an odd title.  Certainly DC is no stranger to comics involving classic horror characters, but I honestly had no idea what this book was about.  This particular version of Frankenstein’s Monster bears a striking resemblance to the old school movie monster and works for a government agency that investigates paranormal and superhuman activity.  After issue nine the writer was changed from Jeff Lemire to Matt Kindt before the series was cancelled after issue sixteen. Frankenstein later joined the cast of Justice League Dark.

Green Lanterngreen-lantern

The Green Lantern books are the one corner of the DCU that went completely untouched during the New 52. We pick up at issue one right where issue sixty-seven left off, with a down and out Hal Jordan with no job and no money. With Geoff Johns still running the show, Green Lantern has done very well. A new Green Lantern, Simon Baz was introduced in the one-year anniversary zero issue and has been playing a major role since.  Johns recently finished up his epic run and has handed the reigns over to Robert Venditti.  It’s still unclear where Venditti will take Green Lantern, given how tightly Johns wrapped up the story, but I’m game to keep reading and see what happens.

Grifter CANCELLEDGRIF_Cv1

Hey, look!  It’s another Rob Liefeld title that got cancelled. Ok, in all fairness Liefeld didn’t take this over until issue nine, but the number of comics he’s written that have been cancelled still makes me laugh. Grifter was originally a character from Jim Lee’s WildC.A.T.S. (This is where the “wild” in Wildstorm came from.). Yet another character who is a black ops soldier turned mercenary, it seems to me that Grifter just lacked something to make it really unique, despite its cult following.

Legion Lost CANCELLEDLegion-Lost-New-52-1-Cover

A companion book to Legion of Super-Heroes, Legion Lost follows seven members of the Legion of Super-Heroes that find themselves trapped in the 21st century, unable to return (at least right away). What then ensues in a fairly convoluted and complicated plot involving a lot of minor characters, time travel and hidden agendas (Are you noticing a pattern forming around cancelled titles?).  Eventually the characters end up back in their own time, but of course that doesn’t last. I mean, if it did, then it wouldn’t be Legion Lost for very long.  The series made it sixteen issues, which is longer than I would have guessed for a series like this.

Mister Terrific CANCELLEDMister_Terrific_Vol_1-1_Cover-2

Yet another secondary character who ended up with their own book, Mister Terrific met an early end when it was cancelled after only eight issues. While I think the character is cool, I can see some of the issues too. The character is yet another genius multi-billionaire who decides to become a superhero. While an interesting character, this stereotype is more than a little played out and nothing special to make him stand out, there was just no way for Mister Terrific to compete. The good news is that when the book ended, Mister Terrific was sucked through dimensions and is now a part of Earth-2.

Red LanternsRed_Lanters-001-001_Crypt_Preist-CPS

There are many titles from the first wave of the New 52 that got cancelled that probably shouldn’t have. Red Lanterns is one of the few titles that should have been cancelled a long time ago, but is still hanging around. The only reason I can think of for this series to have survived is the constant crossovers with the rest of the Green Lantern titles. I dropped this book after issue three, which is the second fastest I’ve ever dropped a book. The attempted tonal shift for the Red Lanterns in this book turned me off at record speed.

Resurrection Man CANCELLEDresurrectionman1

This is one of the crazier and more unique titles from the New 52.  Resurrection Man is all about Mitch Shelley, a man who gains new superpowers every time he dies and is resurrected.  It was written by British writing team Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning—whose work on Marvel’s Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy is among my favorite writing. I understand why weird titles like this don’t really work, especially coming from the Big Two, but I really love books like this. There is just something about bizarre stories that turn things on their heads that really appeals to me.

Suicide SquadSuicide_Squad_Vol_4_1

Suicide Squad is a bizarre mix of characters most people didn’t care about:  Harley Quinn, and a made-over Amanda Waller. To be very honest, most of the things I’ve heard about this book involve people being ticked off over the changes made to Amanda Waller.  Historically, Waller has been a short, heavyset, black woman who is tough enough to make Batman stand down, but in the New 52 Waller was transformed into a much more attractive, taller woman who tries to maintain her edge. This is one the reasons it is a bad idea for publishers to change a character for no reason. There is usually nothing wrong with making some changes, but at they should be done for a point. Suicide Squad has been filled with some pretty quirky and mildly nonsensical stories, but they provide a nice distraction from time to time.

SuperboySuperboy1Cover

Carrying on a Post-Crisis concept, Superboy introduces Kon-El, a clone hybrid of Superman and Lex Luthor.  Originally written by Scott Lobdell, writing duties were taken over by former Marvel Editor-in-Chief Tom DeFalco.  The story centers on Superboy from his beginnings as a young man with the powers of Superman, but lacking Superman’s moral compass, since he’s been raised in a lab.  Superboy is a consistent fan favorite, and as such has continued to support yet another ongoing series.

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by | September 5, 2013 · 11:06 am

New 52 in Review: Week 2

Welcome to Week Two of the DC New 52 in Review.  This week’s titles were initially released on September 7, 2011.  So far five of the original thirteen titles have been cancelled—four of which died early to make room for the second wave of DC titles.  Two of the most critically well received books in the entire reboot, Animal Man and Swamp Thing were released this week, along with one of my personal favorites Batgirl.

Action Comics Action_Comics_Vol_2_1

Action Comics is a new, ongoing Grant Morrison Superman series.  While I am not a huge fan of the Man of Steel, I did really enjoy All-Star Superman, so was willing to give Morrison plenty of room to play.  To start, Morrison introduced Superman as a young man wearing jeans and boots, but he was unable to keep this up for long.  Soon Kal-el was back to a newly updated costume and cape.  Morrison departed after issue eighteen, and the book has been through a couple of different writers.  Now it has become a late victim of DC editorial interference.

Animal ManAnimal_Man_Vol_2-1_Cover-2

A cult hit character, Animal Man marks the return of Buddy Baker to the DCU after he spent some quality time off at the Vertigo imprint.  Smart writing by Jeff Lemire and art by Travel Foreman helped propel Animal Man to unexpected popularity.  After its long crossover with Swamp Thing, Animal Thing has taken a dark turn (from an already dark plot) while Buddy tries to deal with the death of his son during the Rotworld storyline.

Batgirlbatgirl

Barbara Gordon returns as Batgirl.  I still love this book two years later.  It’s got some great action but manages to avoid getting to serious. Although the return of Babs as Batgirl means the loss of Oracle (which has stirred up more than a few people), it was a great choice.  Very little time was spent dealing with how Gordon recovered from her paralyzing shot from the Joker.  This is also one of the most obvious places where DC continuity is not completely rebooted as Gordon was famously shot in The Killing Joke, which is, of course, part of the old continuity.  Batgirl typically does its own thing, making occasional crossovers with other Bat titles, though the issues rarely have an impact on the overall crossover story.

Batwingbatwing

A carry over character from the end of Grant Morrison’s Batman Incorporated, Batwing was supposed to be the Batman of Africa.  Given a backstory which draws upon several of the most common problems facing Africans today (child soldiers and AIDS), Batwing was later recruited by Bruce Wayne as part of the Batman Inc. initiative.  Batwing fought his share of original, but unimaginative villains through his first few story arcs.  After issue nineteen, however, it was decided to reboot this series again; this time using Luke Fox, son of Lucius Fox, as the new Batwing.

Detective Comicsdetective comics

Although not as well received as Batman, DC’s flagship title (yes, DC stands for Detective Comics) has still been a good run so far.  Starting off with a particularly shocking ending to issue one, where it is revealed that someone has cut the Joker’s face off, this book has been running strong ever since.  While it periodically crosses over with the rest of the Batman titles, Detective Comics—like Batgirl—has tended towards its own plot.

Green Arrowgreen arrow

Green Arrow, although always a popular character and now star of his own CW TV show, has had several problems in recent years.  Archer characters such as Green Arrow and Hawkeye are always difficult to write for; it is hard not to make them look silly in a world populated by beings such as Superman. The rebooted Green Arrow was no different. Many fans complained that the character being written in the New 52 was not the same one they had come to know and love. Starting with issue seventeen, writing duties were taken over by Jeff Lemire and the book has made a pretty successful comeback. While the character is still different, fans were pleased by the re-inclusion of many aspects from his past. This, combined with overall better writing and improved art, have made Green Arrow a book worth checking out.

Hawk and Dove CANCELLEDHawk-and-Dove_1

Hawk and Dove was a hot mess. The series was poorly written and simply uninteresting. Art was done by Rob Liefeld and while it wasn’t bad, it was still in Liefeld’s exaggerated and anatomically incorrect style.  Liefeld’s art may have worked in the 90’s, but by today’s standards it is just not up to par.  This helps illustrate one of the biggest issues with the New 52.  Many of the writers and artists that were recruited for the reboot were big names fifteen or twenty years ago.  Instead of packing their lineup with new and exciting new talent, DC decided that their fans needed a trip back in time.  I don’t think many people were sad were to see this series go after eight issues.

Justice League International CANCELLEDjli

A spin-off of Justice League (in case you had any doubts), Justice League International was filled with lesser characters from the DC universe who were at one point members of the Justice League, but not important enough to stay on the main team. I was a little sad to see this one be cancelled, since I am a fan of several of the characters, but I also understand the decision.  An attempted shake-up after the first round of cancellations failed to make the impact that DC had hoped, and it, too, found itself on the chopping block just four issues later, at issue twelve.

Men of War CANCELLEDmen of war

DC’s attempt at the small but consistent market for war comics was Men of War. Previous volumes of Men of War had featured many now-famous writers and artists, but this was not the case for the New 52.  Centered on Sgt. Rock, who is the grandson of the famous DC character of the same name, Men of War failed to live up to its potential and the very high bar set by other war comics and was cancelled at issue eight, to make room for the second wave.

O.M.A.C. CANCELLED omac1

O.M.A.C is based on a classic Jack Kirby character. Much in the same way that Kirby’s original series was cancelled after only eight issues, so was the latest iteration of O.M.A.C..  The title character was moved into Justice League International until that title was cancelled as well at issue twelve.  Although the book was well received, it lacked a popular following.  It’s always a shame to see a Jack Kirby creation fail to gain traction with a modern audience.

Static Shock CANCELLEDstatic shock

Static is one of those lesser characters that somehow managed to get a book in the New 52.  I’m not surprised that Static Shock and several other books like it did not survive.  As much as geeks may love comics, if they don’t have a following, they don’t sell.  Rumor has it that Static will make some appearances in Teen Titans, likely based on his association with S.T.A.R. Labs.

StormwatchStormwatch

One of the original Wildstorm titles (providing the “storm” in Wildstorm) Stormwatch has made its transition to the DCU.  A team consisting of mostly returning characters, plus Martian Manhunter, is tasked with fending off the most significant of alien threats that are coming after Earth.  While the series is still going on, writer Jim Starlin, famous for many of Marvel’s cosmic comics, took over at issue nineteen and completely rebooted the series with a new team.

Swamp Thingswamp thing

Being a legacy book, Swamp Thing has a lot to live up to.  Although the book has wandered around a bit, it has definitely lived up to its potential.  The first eighteen issues dealt with The Rot and a crossover with Animal Man that, although very good, took a bit too long to wrap up.  Scott Snyder’s writing on Swamp Thing is more of the same excellence fans have come to expect, though still not quite as good as his parallel run on Batman.  Swamp Thing is one of the standout titles from the New 52.

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by | September 3, 2013 · 5:03 pm

Review: Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!

Sometimes B movies try to take themselves way too seriously. Directors think that the movie is the big break they’re looking for and instead of having fun with it, they end up looking silly. What makes Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! so fantastic is that it is self aware and often exploits its own grade. Just one look at the opening credits reveals this. In between actual opening credit shots are furniture ads and a “space available” sign. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! is a great example of what the B movie genre can really be. There is no exploitation, no sex, and no excessive violence, just an amusing story full of quirky humor and the generally bizarre.

While much of the movie is nonsense, the plot sticks around for at least forty minutes (far longer than I remember it doing), and maintains some plot threads even after the rest has degraded. The movie follows two separate stories, that of White House Press Secretary Jim Richardson as well as Federal Intelligence Agency agent Mason Dixon and his covert team. Like any good Press Secretary, Richardson’s job is to try and spin the tomato attacks in such as way as to save face for the President. Mason’s job is to investigate the source of the tomato attacks and try to stop them if possible. While hot on the trail, all of Mason Dixon’s team is killed except Lt. Wilbur Finletter, a saber wielding man in a jumpsuit and a deployed parachute (yes, he wears the parachute for the entire movie). In the end, it turns out that Jim Richardson is the mastermind behind the diabolical tomato plot and that he is essentially a “tomato whisperer.”  He hopes that when he stops the attack the surviving people will make him their leader. Richardson meets a disagreeable demise at the business end of the overeager Lt. Finletter’s saber. Naturally this unpleasantness happens just as Richardson was about to tell his secret for controlling the tomatoes.  Eventually the tomatoes are stopped by Mason Dixon’s quick thinking, and the aid of an awful pop song called “Puberty Love”. It had been many years since I’d seen the movie and my memory didn’t serve justice to this bizarre and twisted plot.

Press Secretary Jim Richardson’s journey is one of the more bizarre, yet amusing portions of this movie. His quest begins with a conversation with the President (who is endlessly signing his name on pieces of paper with different pens). Richardson then travels to San Francisco, which is dubbed New York, to recruit the help of a Madison Avenue ad executive.  The exec bursts into a musical number halfway through their interview. The ad campaign they come up with is so ridiculous that it would be unbelievable, except that I’ve seen some really bad commercials in my time.

The best part of Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! is all the little details. Scrolling ads appear on the screen from time to time.  Near the end, the ad type is interrupted by a caps locked plea for help as the typist is apparently eaten by a tomato.  I had to rewind the movie to watch the actual scene, since I was paying attention to the ad the first time.

At one point in the movie there is a Congressional Committee meeting in which all of the congressmen are named after former US presidents such as Polk and Fillmore.  For screen writing this terrible (and it really is) the puns and innuendos are amazingly clever. My absolutely favorite scene involves a briefing in a room that is far too small for the number of people who are in it. People are forced to crawl over each other and the table in order to get to their seats or to get up in front of the group to speak. There is also a Japanese scientist who is dubbed very badly, very intentionally.

Aside from the main plot, there are some other great moments throughout the movie. There is a very convincing helicopter crash in the opening scenes of the movie that I love (Turns out it was actually a real crash, so that explains why it’s so convincing.). The oversized tomatoes actually look pretty good. They are smooth and shiny just like real tomatoes, just much larger. Also, I love the little grumbling sounds that the tomatoes make as they go on their killing spree.  

A surprisingly realistic tomato… except for its size, of course.

Of course Mason Dixon has his obligatory love interest, in the form of reporter Lois Fairchild. Lois’ contributions to the movie are limited, though she does have a couple of amusing moments. In her introductory scene, she says hello to a passerby named Clark with a red cape sticking out from under his coat; and later the movie wraps with a warped version of a stereotypical love scene.

Once the plot devolves, the movie becomes a little difficult to follow. May of the scenes seem to have little relation to the ones that came before and even less to the ones that come after. The movie eventually breaks down into a random group of weirdos stomping on tomatoes in the parking lot of San Diego Stadium.

This is not an uncommon problem for B movies. They often start with a great premise and are able to maintain in for forty five minutes or so, but they then need to fill another 30-45 minutes with scenes that often feel made up on the spot and are not at all in line with the rest of the movie. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! ranks as one of my top favorite B movies of all times. Not only was it a good movie, but it has spawned several sequels, including one with a very young George Clooney (a review for another day), and a 90’s cartoon series. A definite watch for any fan of B movies. 4 Death Stars.

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by | August 29, 2013 · 5:49 pm

New 52 in Review: Week 1

justiceleague

Welcome to Week 1 of the New 52 in Review.  I’d like to thank DC for making my life a bit easier this week by only releasing one book. I’m amazed at their foresight, to know that I’d be writing this post two years later.  In these past two years Justice League is still going strong.  Initially set five years prior to the current day (that would make it 2006), this incarnation of Justice League started off by focusing on the point when the League was first founded and none of the heroes knew each other.  Aside from the obvious costume changes that accompanied the reboot, DC made a change in the roster as well by adding Cyborg as a founding member of the Justice League.

After focusing on the origin of the League in the first arc and jumping ahead to current day for the second arc, the third storyline saw crossover with Aquaman called Throne of Atlantis.  This story was reasonably well received, although generally considered a remake of an older story line. Currently Justice League is involved with DC’s first event comic since the start of the New 52, Trinity War.

There is way too much going on here.

There is way too much going on here.

Under the skillful guidance of Geoff Johns, Justice League has been a strong and consistent book. With many books suffering from editorial mandates and interference, Justice League has managed to maintain a considerably high level of quality. Art by Jim Lee (#1-12) and Ivan Reis (#13-current) has been solid.  Of all the “old school” artists involved with the New 52, Jim Lee appears to have been the most successful, and his performance on Justice League is definitely a contributing factor to its success.

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