Countdown to Final Crisis #18

I'm not giving anything away by saying that we finally catch up with Ray Palmer in this issue. It is on the cover. This issue focuses on two groups - the Challengers and the Mary Marvel crew. This may just be that pivotal book that I've been looking for. Things are explained. Issues are put in motion. Stuff happens. If you were looking for a jumping on point, this might be it. I'll hold my final judgement to see how the next few weeks of issues play out, but this issue was gold - I just hope it wasn't fool's gold.

Countdown: Arena #4 of 4

If I treat "Countdown: Arena" like a summer popcorn flick like "I, Robot" or "Armageddon" then I can say that it was a fun read. If, on the other hand, this is supposed to be a pivotal miniseries in the, as Dan Didio puts it, "Countdown" line of comics then I have to say, "huh?" Everything that happened here (and in sister series like "The Search for Ray Palmer") could have taken place in the main "Countdown to Final Crisis" weekly. Heck, if that had happened that book might even be better. Now, it was a fun mindless read. I'll give DC that, but it did not accomplish very much.

In the final analysis, I have to say that while this mini had a lot of action, it was much like eating sushi - good going down but I'm hunger ten minutes later.

Countdown to Adventure #5 of 8

I'm a little worried about Buddy after this issue. More to the point, I'm worried about his marriage. I know in TV shows, soap operas, and comic books people aren't supposed to be happily married because no one is right?....wrong. One of Buddy's strengths as a character is his devotion to his family. It is on display in this issue, but writer Adam Beechen shows us the pain in Buddy's wife. She's not happy with Buddy with regards to Kory and I can't say that I blame here. Stuff like this, though, can make a marriage stronger. I'm hoping Buddy realizes that he's being very insensitive to his wife, Ellen, and this gets all sorted out. Beechen has the story moving along at a good clip as all of the heroes now beginning to realize the circumstances of the "disease". The art team of Allan Goldman and Julio Ferreira does an decent job of putting the visuals to Beechen's story.

The only complaint I have about this book is that the page count for the primary story is not enough. I wish they would have made this a six issue series and just had one story because the backup "Forerunner" story is a snoozer. I've lost interest. I could not care less what is going on in those waisted 16 pages. DC could have also reduced the page count, left it at eight issues, and saved me a buck an issue.

Buy this book for the Animal Man, Starfire, & Adam Strange story.

Marvel Zombies 2 #3

First off, I had to use the cover for "Tales of Suspense" #39 because that is the what is "zombified" for this cover and Marvel had the wrong one posted. The cover does harken to what happens inside the book, which is a change of pace. I'm really enjoying this miniseries. Writer Robert Kirkman has done an excellent job of giving each character a reason for being there. No one is there just to be slaughtered. Artist Sean Phillips brings his A-game this issue and does some nice layouts. All-in-all, I'm satisfied with this series. Kirkman has provided a plausible reason for the sequel to the great first series (other than to make Marvel more money) and doesn't tread old ground.

Batman and the Outsiders #3

I'm sold on "Batman and the Outsiders". Writer Chuck Dixon is still building his sandbox but he his already having fun playing with what he has. The interaction between the Outsiders and the JLA team members in this issue is done well. However, don't let the cover fool you Black Canary and Martian Manhunter are no where to be scene in this issue. Penciller Juilian Lopez provides some nice panels here - my favorite being the one with Geo-Force, Metamorpho, Katana, and Black Lightening, the original Outsiders on hand. The interlude with Grace, Thunder, and Batgirl, while nicely drawn, left me wondering what it was doing in this book. It seemed to be there to give the reader a little T&A and not much else.

This book is off to a fine start. The art is good and Dixon's writing captures the team dynamics well. "Batman & the Outsiders" is climbing to the top of my must reads from my pull list.

Superman/Batman #44

The first page of "Superman/Batman" #44 had me asking what in the hell was writer Michael Green and penciller Shane Davis smoking. The bad posing and dialogue was almost too much. Turning the page and my questions where answered. I had to laugh at myself for taking this comic book stuff so seriously. This issue is all setup for "The Search for Kryptonite" story line. Green does a good job of capturing the main character's and guest star's personalities. Davis' art is good. I really like how he captured the guest star and would like to see him work on that character's monthly.

While this issue is the setup for the follow on story, I found it to be an entertaining read. I have always liked the interaction between Superman and Batman and the give and take as written by Green is done well. It has me looking forward to the rest of the story.

Metamorpho: Year One #6 of 6

Issue #6 gives the reader a look at Metamorpho's first meeting with the JLA. Here writer Dan Jurgen's reaches into his Silver Age bag of tricks and does a fun job of making the introductions. I remember reading similar stories as a kid in the 70s and totally buying into the actions of the JLA here. As an adult, I can appreciate what Jurgens was shooting for and chuckle at it.

"Metamorph: Year One" was not a ground breaking minseries. It was a bread and butter consolidated retelling of Metamorpho's origin. I believe Jurgens was just looking to tell a good story without making any drastic changes to Metamorpho. He succeeded. However, what is presented here is so in line with canon that you really don't have to read the story. There are no shocking moments where you think, "I didn't know that" or "that was cool". You just get the nuts and bolts here.

Detective Comics #839

The final chapter of "The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul" comes to a close here and my reaction was "is that it?" Writer Paul Dini keeps the action moving in this issue with the Batman Family coming together at Nanda Parabat. The art team lead by penciller Ryan Benjamin and inker Saleem Crawford does a fine job of translating Dini's story to the page. The action is laid out nicely and never gets confusing. Although, at times, both the art team and Dini are channeling Frank Miller's "All-Star Batman & Robin" Batman in this issue.

The question I have to ask is after 7 issues plus two prologues did this story really go anywhere. I'm not too sure it did. It just wasn't a very grand tale and didn't capture my interest. I'm not sure I would recommend the TPB when it comes out in 2008. The bigger question is did this make me want to get the Batman Family of books. Well, I'll have to talk this out with my son, but I just wasn't impressed enough to add them to my pull list.

The Astounding Wolf-Man #1, 2, 4

If you have read my blog, you will know that I discovered Robert Kirkman this year and have been reading my way through his catalogue. I didn't know about "The Astounding Wolf-Man" until I saw an add for it in "Invincible". I spend way too much money on comics as it is and wasn't looking to add another monthly, but when my LCS had the "Director's Cut" of issue #1 and issues #2 and #4, I decided to take the plunge. While I wasn't totally impressed with issue #1, issue #2 started to build on the Wolf-Man's mythos. All of the usual Kirkman goodness is on display here. First and foremost, it is a fun read. Even in the few issues that I read, it had quite a few twists and turns and shocking reveals. The end of issue #4 being the best of the bunch.

The art by Jason Howard is very clean and not over wrought with too much detail. His character designs and page layouts are very good. Howard has a ways to go to be a top tier artist but all the elements are there. Given time, I believe he will grow into a fine artist on the level of those operating at the big companies.

"The Astounding Wolf-Man" starts off with a bit of an "Invincible" retread in issue #1 but veers into new territory in the follow-on issues. The TPB for the first few issues is coming out in January and this may be a good time to jump on board what looks to be another good series from Kirkman.

Dan Didio's End of 2007 Newsrama Interview

Newsrama has a two-part interview with DC's Dan Didio. If you have heard him do a Q&A at a convention, it is pretty much the same type of interview. Part 1 can be found here. There are a few spoilers in the interview, but I was most interested in his responses to how the company felt "Countdown" went as compared to "The Sinestro Corps Wars". I felt the latter was the direction that the company should go in - big events that cover a family of titles vice the whole line. Geoff Johns stepped in during Part 2 and reaffirmed that this would be DC's direction for the Superman Family of titles. The story has quite a bit of art to go along with the words and I grab a couple that I thought were exciting.

I really hope that DC can pull it together with "Countdown to Final Crisis". Didio states that "Final Crisis" will be seven issues ending in December 2008 with two other miniseries in support. He also said this will not be impacting the monthlies. I'm not sure how they are going to accomplish that. After "Final Crisis" I'd like to see DC move away from DCU spanning crossovers and focus on strengthening their family of books. Geoff Johns struck a perfect note this year with the Green Lantern family and I'm looking forward to see what he does with the Superman titles.

Dan mentions that he really cares about the opinions of the fans that go to the LCS every Wednesday (or once a month) and purchase their books. I'm one of those guys. I go every Thursday or Friday and pick up my pull list - mostly DC. I want DC to succeed. I want Dan Didio to succeed. Yep, I want Dan Didio to succeed - as he goes so goes the DCU.

Here's looking forward to a strong year at DC.

Countdown Arena #3 of 4

Saving the best for last, my "Countdown" reading continues with "Countdown Arena". As compared to what is going on in "Justice League of America" issue #16 from this month, I'm not sure where "Countdown Arena" fits into the timeline. I say this because Tangent Flash shows up here and in "Justice League of America". If she's in the arena, then how is she over with the JLA. Once again, I'm not a continuity nut but stuff like this on an editorial driven story drives me nuts. The first two issues I would have the Wiki list of the 52 Earths up and cross reference who's who. I have given up hope of keeping track of all of the Earths and I just go with the story presented. Keith Champagne is presenting and interesting story and imbues each varying hereo with a unique personality. Although, the back and forth between the two Supermen gets a bit tedious. I do like the Zen-version of Superman, though. The fights are almost an afterthought as plot points are put into motion that should culminate in a wham bang finish to the miniseries. Scott McDaniel's art falls off a bit more this issue as it looks like he's rushing to get the issues completed.

With the exception of the continuity error and the rushed art, this was a decent read that provided some fun moments and a decent setup for the final chapter.

Justice League of America #16

Taking a break from torturing myself with the "Countdown" weekly releases, I decided to dive into something good, namely, "Justice League of America". I thought the cover was interesting showing the Tangent Universe heroes with Tangent Flash leading the way. I found the issue pretty pedestrian in its pacing. McDuffie does a decent job with Red Arrow in this issue and I like that he is giving him more to do than just pose in the background. We finally get to see Black Canary as a mission leader and people actually listening to her. I liked the team mix presented but McDuffie leaves most of the action off panel. Joe Benitez' art looks like he is channeling old school Todd McFarlane with the curling hair, long faces, and jutting jaws. I like his art, but he needs to tone down the big chins. Tangent Flash looks a bit too much like Supergirl for my taste.

I was disappointed in this issue as a whole. I've looked forward to the next few month's solicitations and it looks like this plot line won't be picked up in those issues. This issue was all setup and the payoff looks not to happen for quite some time.

Countdown to Final Crisis #19

Continuing on with dredging through the "Countdown" books this week, "Countdown to Final Crisis" #19 actually manages to move a couple of stories along. Too bad I find both the Jimmy Olsen and Holly Robinson stories boring. My son has given up on this series and relies on me for a synopsis each week. This issue bounces between Jimmy, Holly, and Piper stories. Even in death Piper and Trickster continue with the gay banter - not funny. While it is nice to see the new information given in the other two plot lines, it almost comes across as too little too late.

Paul Dini and crew are "cramming" 12 issues worth of story into 52 issues of comics - drawing out every subplot to its breaking point along the way. They need to pick the pace up and fast.

Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer: Superwoman/Batwoman

So I got my stack of comics this week and decided to jump into "Countdown" first just to get it over with. For "The Search for Ray Palmer" series, the synopsis remains the same. I don't think it is any spoiler to note that the didn't find Ray here. Artistically this issue is a mess with a hodge podge of pencillers and inkers. I liked the cover and wished that that artist had done the interiors. Justin Gray and Jimmy Palimiotti's story pokes fun at DC's failed "Amazons Attack" story line with Wonderman and the male Amazons attacking the rest of the world. The Challengers are given even less to do in this issue as they sit around as spectators to what's going on.

No real information is given out in this issue about Ray Palmer. Just another symbol left behind that he was there and no direction as to where he was going and what he was up to. Over in "Countdown" Bob seems to have an idea where Ray is but that hasn't flowed over to these books. If the editors are going to dictate these story lines then they need to ensure continuity across the titles.

Tales of the Sinestro Corps Presents: ION

This one-shot is an epilogue to the excellent "The Sinestro Corps War" and pretty much is up to the standard of most epilogues. The biggest drawback of this issue is Michel Lacombe's art. I'm not sure what he was using as a reference for John Stewart, but he completely missed the mark. His characters come across lanky, non-athletic looking very awkward. Ron Marz's story is okay with Kyle, the previous ION, meeting up with Sodam Yat, the new ION. There is a decent epilogue story here but the art really detracted from my enjoyment.

I think DC has a great character in Sodam Yat with how he was portrayed in "The Sinestro Corps Wars" and I hope that he gets utilized in "The Green Lantern Corps" monthly.

Countdown Presents The Search for Ray Palmer: Red Son

So, I've got the plot down for these one-shots.

Challengers pop into Earth-##
Challengers have conflict with that Earth's Superman/Batman/whatever
Challengers don't find Ray Palmer
Challengers leave

I didn't read the original "Superman: Red Son" Elseworlds title but I got the gist from this issue. I liked this Earth's Ray Palmer and Batman, but I couldn't figure out if Batman was a Russian or was Bruce Wayne acting in guerrilla warfare mode. Other than that the issue followed the above formula.

Is this going somewhere?

Suicide Squad #4 of 8

John Ostrander has a lot of fun with Amanda Waller. She is a great character and Ostrander does a good job of keeping true to her character. Waller is just a bad ass. She's augmenting the team in this issue and it is fun to watch her go through the candidates. I won't spoil the ending but a big bomb is dropped and it has me looking forward to the next issue. The art by penciller Javier Pina and inker Robin Riggs is pretty good. A lot of it reminds me of the late 80s/early 90s stuff that DC was putting out. The team does a good job of capturing the different personalities on display and setting a good atmosphere for them to play in.

At the halfway point and Ostrander continues to impress me with his complete grasp of Waller and the characterization of the squad members - both new and old. This miniseries is a good read and is highly recommended.

Black Adam #5 of 6

"Black Adam" continues to impress me. Peter J. Tomasi captures both the world spanning scale and the personal tone of this tale. I like his take on Black Adam as it is very consistent to what was portrayed in "52". While this issue slows down on the action a bit in exchange for character building, you can feel the tension build throughout. Artist Douglas Mahnke does an excellent jog of capturing both the power of Black Adam and the strength of Teth Adam. Rob Leigh's coloring is also outstanding.

While this issue gave the reader a chance to catch their breath, the next issue looks to be an explosive conclusion to an excellent miniseries.

Wonder Woman #15

Now we're getting somewhere. I had my doubts that Gail Simone could come onto "Wonder Woman" and have a great impact to the book. I stand corrected. Simone weaves a great story here. I liked the backstory tracing the creation of Diana along with the flashes to Queen Hippolyta. Simone catches us up on post-Amazon Attacks continuity. The Dodsons continue to impress me with their art. The women come across as strong and powerful, even sexy, but not lewd as seen in other comics.

If you have stayed away from "Wonder Woman", now is the time to jump on board. I think Simone has a lot in store for the Amazon warrior and you should jump on now for what looks to be a fun and exciting ride.

Salvation Run #2 of 7

I am enjoying "Salvation Run". Bill Willingham is having fun playing with the villians of the DCU and it shows. In this issue he gets to play around with two big baddies, the Joker and Lex Luthor and he does a fine job of capturing both of these characters. I'm not up-to-speed on a lot of the bad guys and gals here but Willingham does a good job of providing introductions without slowing the story down. He puts enough twists and turns in the story to keep it moving. I'm loving Sean Chen's art as well. He knows how to capture action scenes with lots of different characters. The art has a very clean look and does not look rushed at all.

I did not have big expectations for this miniseries but it has been a good read so far. My only concern is where this all fits into DCU continuity. Other than that, I'm just enjoying Willingham's good story and Chen's great visuals.

Countdown to Final Crisis #20

It all really doesn't seem to be going anywhere. The only story line here that truly advances it the Omac/Brother Eye bit at the beginning. Although, haven't we seen all of this before. I keep thinking of "Battlestar Galactica" that all that is happening, has happened before and will happen again. It is all a bit of a retread. All of the usual "Countdown" players are here with Jimmy Olsen, the Challengers, et. al. covered. A few pages are given to each and none of the story lines move much. Jimmy's still whining, Mary Marvel's still emo, the Challengers are still lost, Brother Eye is still bad, Karate Kid is still sick, and Piper is still attached to Trickster.

DC let's kick this in gear and move the story along.

Countdown: Arena #2 of 4

It feels like writer Keith Champagne is having fun with
"Countdown: Arena" and it shows on the page. Champagne has fun with the characterization of the differing multiverse heroes and does a good job of giving each their own personality. It looks like we will be getting a few of face offs and issue with this issue covering Green Lantern, Blue Beetle, and the Ray. My favorite line of the whole issue is Champagne's tip of the hat to Frank Miller's "All Star Batman and Robin" Batman. Green "Bruce Wayne" Lantern of Earth-32 says "I'm the damn Green Lantern!"

Scott McDaniel's art is a bit of a step down from issue #1, but he does a good enough job capturing the differing styles for each of the Earths heroes. The fight scenes are easy to follow and nicely laid out.

There are only a couple of issues left and it remains to be seen where all of this is going. Some little tid bits are given out over the course of this issue but not enough to add up to much.

Green Lantern Corps #19

I am not a huge fan of epilogues, but after the break neck "The Sinestro Corps War", I'm willing to give "Green Lantern Corps" a down issue. Not a lot happens here as the book jumps around to the various Green Lantern Corps members as the return from the war. The art is not that great and looked a bit rushed. While it wasn't an exciting read, almost boarding on boring, the final page provides an exciting jumping on point going forward.

Green Lantern #25

Wow! Geoff Johns really knows how to deliver. The true, great crossover event for 2007, "The Sinestro Corps Wars" finale did not disappoint. Both Ivan Reis and Ethan Van Sciver provide action packed art to this high velocity story. The story doesn't slow down for a panel, giving the reader a lot of twist and turns along the way. With the conclusion of this arc and the teaser for 2009, Johns has established "Green Lantern" as one of the top tier books in the DCU. I've enjoyed "Green Lantern" more over the last year than Superman.

One quick note, I have to commend Moose on his coloring. He does a fantastic job and I enjoy his work.

The TPBs for this story are coming out in 2008. If you missed out on the monthly version, you should definitely pick up the trade for it.

The All-New Booster Gold #5

Damn! "The All-New Booster Gold" #5 has plenty of curve balls. Writers Geoff Johns and Jeff Katz provide further definition to their theory of time and time travel in an outstanding issue. Across the message board, many were asking how this book would handle the continuity issues when Booster saves Batgirl from the Joker's bullet. Well, lets just say the Booster Gold team does a fine job of handling that conundrum. We are also presented with a much darker version of Rip Hunter than has been shown anywhere else. Rip's a bit psychotic here and I like the deepening of his character. The introduction of the main time villians was nice as well. Jurgens and Rapmund continue to provide great visuals to go along with the tight story telling.

Once again, "The All-New Booster Gold" was a fun read. From the cover to the final splash page, the Booster gold team continues to impress.

Green Arrow & Black Canary #3

While I'm enjoying the new "Green Arrow & Black Canary" monthly, this issue highlighted some of the problems stemming from the atrocious ending to the "Green Arrow/Black Canary Wedding Special". While Winick attempts to tidy things up with a nice little bow, a lot of what happened and the implications are left unsaid. Tie that with the New Gods/Amazon Attacks tie-in and you are on the verge of a bad issue. However, Winick does a fine job of getting the interactions between the Green Arrow family members right. While the motivations of the bad guys are suspect, Green Arrow and family are handled nicely. Winick presents a very strong Black Canary and a fun Green Arrow. Clif Chiang's art is top notch. I really like his Black Canary. She comes across as strong, powerful, and sexy without looking slutty. His take on her costume is truly excellent. He draws a nice Green Arrow in costume as well.

So, aside from the convoluted Everyman/Granny Goodness explanation, this book has a bit of momentum going forward. With the last splash page, one of the Green Arrow family might not make it to far in the series. Here's hoping that if this character does die it is to serve a very good story and not just a sales stunt.

Nightwing #139

Writer Fabian Nicieza is stuck with cleaning up the mess from part 5 of "The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul". We left off with Robin about to join Ra's side to get his deceased family and friends back. This issue picks up the ball with Nightwing confronting Robin. I like Nicieza's characterization of Nightwing here. Even though Robin is acting extremely irrationally Nightwing is sympathetic to this and works as best he can to resolve the situation. Nicieza puts Nightwing in a defensive position through out the combat and you can tell that he is biding time to reason with Robin. Nightwing captures my feelings about this story when he ponders "...we're doing all of this for Damian--?" The art team did an excellent job this issue. Pencillers Don Kramer and Carlos Rodriguez capture the differences between Robin and Nightwing. You realize this is definitely a man fighting a boy.

Towards the end of this issue the story gets back on track and we have all of the Bat Family heading for a collision course in Nanda Parbat with Ra's Al Ghul. At this point I don't care whether Damian or Ra's lives or dies. I just want a satisfying conclusion.

The Walking Dead #45

After the events of issue #44, I was expecting a little more out of this issue. You could almost title this issue "The One Where Everyone Acted Dumb". Having read all of the back issues, writer Robert Kirkman had planted the seeds for what is happing in this issue. I would just hope that after 6+ months of living together this community would have a bit more "stick together" in them. While Kirkman attempts to keep this book grounded in reality (with the exception of those pesky zombies), Rick's recovery from the bullet wound of last issue is a bit rapid. I'm sure Kirkman is doing this to move the story along, but anyone who has seen the movie "Three Kings" with the detailed description of a gut wound would scoff at Rick's recovery. Charlie Adlard's art continues to improve with each issue. He does a descent job of varying his panel layouts and providing good characterization of each of the players.

With the jail crew left short handed and the Governor's crew massing for the offensive, the situation looks pretty grim. Of course, Kirkman leaves us with another good cliff hanger and I'm anxious to see who makes it to the next issue alive.

Comic Adventurer 2007 Year End Review: The Outstanding

In 2007, DC rolled out two very fun titles “The All-New Booster Gold” and “The Brave and the Bold”. Geoff Johns and Jeff Katz have done a fantastic job with brining back Booster Gold into the DCU. Booster was a star of “52” and DC has capitalized on the good will from that series. From the first issue through this week’s issue #5, “The All-New Booster Gold” has been a fun read. I enjoy sitting down each month and savoring this book. Artist Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund have provided great art to back up Johns and Katz’s action packed and funny stories.

Over in “The Brave and the Bold”, writer Mark Waid really shines with this team-up series. The first six issues set up the device that Waid uses to keep this series moving forward. One of my favorite all time artist, George Perez, is back in top form with this series and delivers every month. He draws the best Supergirl out there. I highly recommend that if you haven’t read the first six issues that you go out and get the hard cover collection that just came out this week. I enjoy this read immensely.

In “The Sinestro Corps Wars” Geoff Johns, Dave Gibbons, and Peter J. Tomasi delivered a galaxy spanning tour de force. I believe DC was caught off guard with how good (and popular) that this story was. From “The Sinestro Corp Wars” #1 right through to the epilogue in “Green Lantern Corps” #19, this story was engrossing, action packed, and, most of all, fun to read.

Finally, one writer has jumped up high in my top ten writers of all time. Robert Kirkman, writer of “Invincible” and “The Walking Dead”, captured my imagination. I didn’t jump onto either book until this year. Well, twelve TPBs later and hitting the monthlies this last month, I have definitely become a true Kirkman fan. If you haven’t tried out either of these Image titles by Kirkman, you should grab the first TPB of each and see what they are like. I highly recommend it.

Comic Adventurer 2007 Year End Review: The Ugly

Wonder Woman had a bad 2007. Here return which started in 2006 pretty much ran out of steam heading into the “Wonder Woman” annual. “Who is Wonder Woman?” was the big tag line for the relaunch of the series and all I could get out of it was “who cares?” To add insult to injury DC’s heavily hyped “Amazons Attack” miniseries came out this year as well. It was a six issue series that I made to issue 5 before stopping in disgust. This cancer of a miniseries infected other monthlies “Teen Titans” and “Supergirl” bringing both of those titles to new lows - if you can believe “Supergirl” could go lower. “Amazon Attacks” highlighted the continuity holes throughout the DCU. I guess I have to be thankful for this because if continuity were a priority then “Amazon Attacks” would have hit other titles that I read. I don’t think my son made it through one monthly that this miniseries appeared in.

The only thing that gives me hope for Wonder Woman in 2008 is Gail Simone. I enjoyed her first issue on the series and think that once she unloads the baggage from the previous creative team she may elevate Wonder Woman to “Trinity” level of recognition she deserves.

Comic Adventurer 2007 Year End Review: The Bad

The Death of Bart Allen really disappointed me. I believe given the time Bart’s title could have picked up speed and readers, but it was not to be. DC editorial pretty much admitted that he was slated to die even before his series kicked off. I’d have to say that Bart’s last few issues beats out Mark Waid’s new run on the Wally West Flash. I really don’t mind that DC killed off Bart. What irks me is that it didn’t really amount to or impact anything.

I have expressed my desire for DC to fix Supergirl. They finally get the character back to the point where she is Superman’s cousin Kara and then....nothing. What started out as a good introduction in Superman/Batman has devolved into an almost unreadable character. Besides being Superman’s cousin, who is Supergirl?

After the excellent weekly “52”, “Countdown” has ben a disappointment. For a lead up to such a cosmic, grand scale event, I found most of the stories in "Countdown" to either go nowhere (Piper & Trickster, Harley & Holly, the Challengers), retread old ground (Superman-Prime, OMAC), be almost incomprehensible (Jimmy Olsen), or just not add up to much (Mary Marvel). In contrast to "52" where you had excellent stories to follow on Black Adam and the Question, "Countdown" has just not gone anywhere or increased my desire to see what "Final Crisis" is all about.

Comic Adventurer 2007 Year End Review: The Good

DC put a decent amount of good comics out in 2007. Brad Meltzer and Ed Benes produced some excellent “Justice League of America” issues. However, seeing Meltzer leave this book with so many plot threads not addressed left me disappointed in not seeing him complete what he started. Dwayne McDuffie came on with his Injustice League arc and while it was a fun read it wasn’t as powerful as some of the stuff that Meltzer put out.

I jumped onto Grant Morrison’s “All Star Superman” with the excellent Hardcover collection and then put it on my pull list for a monthly read. Morrison Superman world is interesting and provides a throwback (almost Silver age) look at Superman.

The Superman books - Kurt Busiek’s “Superman” and Johns’ (Action Comics) - had excellent arcs this year. The only complaint here is the timing of the issues and the many fill in issues needed. Overall both of these comics have provide good reading.

Geoff Johns’ “Justice Society of America” always sits on the top of my first read list when it shows up. The Alex Ross covers have been excellent and Johns’ characterization top notch. I like where Johns’ is taking this book.

Finally, I was impressed with “Blue Beetle”, “Suicide Squad”, and “Green Arrow & Black Canary” (shock of shocks a Winick book listed here). These have been fun reads.

2008 looks bright for all of these titles. However, the impact of Final Crisis has not been determined. I hope that Dwayne McDuffie can settle into "Justice League of America" for a long run. I never watched his animated series so most of his stuff seems either fresh or an homage to the Silver Age JLA. Geoff Johns' continues to put out great work and I hope DC keeps him happy and producing.

Comic Adventurer 2007 Year End Review: Introduction

Having jumped back into comics at the end of “Infinite Crisis”, 2007 has been my first full year of reading comics since 1998. My local comics shop guy asked me “why DC and not Marvel?” My answer for that is that while I grew up reading both company's comics, DC’s line of superheroes always appealed to me more. In the 70s Superman always won out over Spider-man. In the 80s I was a “New Teen Titans” fan first and “X-Men” second. In the 90s, I’ll have to admit that Valiant captured my imagination more than either company, but with the implosion of that company, I came back to DC. Financial, time, and other reasons including a general lack of quality comics dictated my dropping all of my comics in 1998. I started going to Comic Con here in San Diego a couple of years ago and that sparked my return to comics. Having a son that shared my love for superheroes helped as well.

So, with a full year of comic reading under my belt, I will go through what in my opinion is the Good, the Bad, the Ugly, and the Outstanding from my comic book reading in 2007.

Robin #169

"The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul" comes to a screeching halt in "Robin" #169. Writer Peter Milligan's dialogue is stilted and unnatural and the characterizations are a bit off. David Baldeon's art is okay but not on the level of the rest of this seven part story. When we left Batman in "Batman" #671 the Sensei had just been beaten by a bloodied and almost gutted Batman. In this issue Batman shows no signs of the fight he was just in. That's is a knock on Editors Mike Martz and Jeanine Schaefer. With a story this tightly plotted you would think that the visuals would be consistent throughout.

I know that Robin has a lost a lot of people close to him over the last few years, but I just don't see him even considering Ra's offer. It doesn't ring true.

"The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul" lost a lot of steam in this issue. Here's hoping Fabian Nicieza and Paul Dini can finish this story out strong in the upcoming parts 6 & 7 in "Nightwing" and "Detective Comics".

Batman #671

"Batman" #671 continues "The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul" story. Part four of the seven part series, The disparate story lines come together with Batman, Ra's Al Ghul, and the Sensei meeting at Nanda Parabat. I believe my lack of knowledge of the current Batman mythos hindered my enjoyment of this comic because I've never heard of the Sensei character and didn't get a big "wow!" out of the big reveal here. I did enjoy Morrison's fight between Batman and the Sensei. Tony Daniel's captures the action well, having fun with the Sensei's fighting style.

The only gripe that I have against this story line is that it was billed as this big event and comes across as just another story. I don't have a feeling for the big stakes here - what's really on the line? Other than that the read has been fun and action filled.

Invincible #47

As with "The Walking Dead", I finally caught up in TPBs on "Invincible" to go real time and buy the monthly. Both of these fine Kirkman books have been added to my monthly pull list. "Invincible" #47 is a "catching up" issue that bounces all around the Invincible universe catching the reader up on the various plot lines that Kirkman has been threading since the beginning of the book. I'm really interested to see how Allen the Alien and Invicible's dad team up in prison and bust out. Kirkman is excellent at putting little moments in this book that ring true to life. The exchange between Mark and his roommate after he catches his roommate doing something embarrassing is truly hilarious. Ryan Ottley's art continues to be pitch perfect for this series. He does an excellent job of capturing both action and dialogue scenes. The little facial expressions he uses for the characters provides me a good chuckle as well.

Kirkman has created a the best new superhero character (and universe) in a long time. If you haven't checked out "Invincible" I recommend you pick up the the TPB or issue #42. This comic rates high on my must read list every month and Kirkman generally never fails to impress.

Countdown to Arena #1 of 4

First off, this issue is a fun read. The art from penciller Scott McDaniel, inker Andy Owens, and colorist Guy Major is excellent capturing the styles used for each Earth of the multiverse. Earth-12 (Batman Beyond), Earth-19 (Gotham by Gaslight), Earth-21 (New Frontier), and Earth-31 (Darker DC) are spotlighted here. With a little explanation from Monarch, the battles begin with Nightshade going first. Writer Keith Champagne is having fun with the different versions of DC heroes and has provided distinct personalities for each. I like his newly created bald Superman. The main fight this issue has three versions of Batman going at it. The action is presented nicely.

The fights are good and the interactions between the various versions are handled well. While this is really the equivalent of comic fast food, I enjoyed this issue and will be picking up the next three.

From DC Nation #89:
Earth-2: Home of the original Justice Society (first appearance 52 #52)
Earth-3: The Crime Society's world (first appearance 52 #52)
Earth-4: Home of the Charlton characters (first appearance 52 #52)
Earth-5: Home of the Fawcett (Shazam) characters (first appearance 52 #52)
Earth-8: World of Lord Havok and the Extremists (COUNTDOWN #29)
Earth-9: Tangent Universe (upcoming in TANGENT: SUPERMAN'S REIGN #1)
Earth-10: Home of the Quality (Freedom Fighters) characters (first appearance 52 #52)
Earth-11: World of reversed genders (ARENA #1 and THE SEARCH FOR RAY
PALMER: SUPERWOMAN/ BATWOMAN #1)
Earth-12: The Next Generation, beyond Batman (ARENA #1)
Earth-13: World of dark and arcane heroes (ARENA #1)
Earth-15: World of heroes realized (Donna Troy, Wonder Woman) (COUNTDOWN #30)
Earth-16: Home of the Super-Sons (ARENA #1)
Earth-17: A post WWIII, apocalyptic universe (first appearance 52 #52)
Earth-18: World of the Elseworld's JUSTICE RIDERS (ARENA #1)
Earth-19: World of Elseworld's GOTHAM BY GASLIGHT (THE SEARCH FOR RAY PALMER: GOTHAM BY GASLIGHT #1)
Earth-21: World of Elseworld's NEW FRONTIER (ARENA #1)
Earth-22: Elseworld's KINGDOM COME Universe (first appearance 52 #52)
Earth-26: Universe of Captain Carrot and the Amazing Zoo Crew (CAPTAIN CARROT AND THE FINAL ARK #1)
Earth-30: World of Elseworld's SUPERMAN: RED SON (COUNTDOWN #32)
Earth-32: World of Elseworld's BATMAN: DARKEST KNIGHT (ARENA #1)
Earth-34: World of Elseworld's AMAZONIA (ARENA #1)
Earth-37: World of Elseworld's THRILLKILLER (ARENA#1)
Earth-40: World of Elseworld's LIBERTY FILES (ARENA #1)
Earth-43: World of Elseworld's BATMAN: RED RAIN (THE SEARCH FOR RAY PALMER: RED RAIN #1)
Earth-48: Forerunner's world (COUNTDOWN #46)
Earth-50: Wildstorm Universe (first seen 52 #52)

Infinity Inc. #4

I gave it four issues. My son gave it three and half. He couldn't even make it through this issue. I gritted my teeth and pushed through and read it all. I don't know what writer Peter Milligan is going for here. I'm guessing it supposed to be the Emo team, but they come off as a bunch of whiners. Milligan does a horrible job of explaining the character motivations and what is going on here. I'm saddened to see such a great character like John Henry Irons wasted. He needs to put back on the armor and get back to being the DCU's Iron Man.

This title never made my pull list as I would grab it when I saw it on the rack. If it had been good I would have put it on my list, but this wasn't the case. The book is a complete mess and is BORING to boot. Stay away.

Justice Society of America #11

Alex Ross produces another excellent cover for "Justice Society of America" which I hope is compelling new readers to pick up this title. Geoff Johns keeps peeling the onion revealing the new multiverse to the JSA. Wally and Jay on the cosmic treadmill in the opening sequence was a big throwback to the old JSA/JLA crisis crossovers of the 70s & 80s. Dale Eaglesham's art truly captures the mood set by Johns. Eaglesham's KC Superman shows the wear and tear of his life. I like the "one Superman damns us, the other blesses us" thread here.

When it was first solicited that KC Superman was going to be part of this arc, I figured he would hang around for a little while and then head home. Now I think it would be cool if Johns and company figured out a way to keep him around as part of the team. He fits in well here and would be an excellent permanent addition to the team.

Justice League of America #15

Writer Dwayne McDuffie pulls out the stops on an all out action packed issue of "Justice League of America". McDuffie infuses humor and great dialogue into the wrap-up issue for the InJustice League story. Artist Ed Benes is also in top form producing some great page layouts and action sequences. Ian Churchill's cover was very reminiscent of late 70s and 80s JLA covers - especially seeing Lex Luthor in full battle armor. I liked McDuffie's use of Firestorm here and the comments of the more experienced heros on his use of his powers. It was also nice to see Hal Jordan pop in and the situation with his absence getting comment. McDuffie has a good ear for dialogue and, while there isn't a ton of character development here, he does inch some of the subplots forward during the melee.

McDuffie won me over with this issue. I'm looking forward to a long run.

Supergirl #24

Huh?

The confusing story from last issue continues here and I'm just not getting it. I had high hopes for Kelley Puckett's run but these first two issues have fallen flat. This issue was pretty to look at but didn't have much else to offer.

Someone, anyone, step up and make Supergirl a good read.