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.

Countdown to Final Crisis #23

The first half of this issue has the reader bouncing around catching up with all of the players that have been absent the last few issues. This issue is another step backwards in improving the series. It feels like this issue is there for stretching the story out.

Why are the Challengers here? They have all of those one shots they can deal with their plot line.
Why are the New Gods here? They have "The Death of the New Gods" for their story.
What is the importance of Piper & Trickster? Are they here just to get whacked?
What is the importance of Holly & Harley? That story has just gone nowhere.

The Karate Kid/Firestorm in Bludhaven plot has provide some good action and a good ending to this issue, but how does it all fit in. I'm ready to give up on this weekly. "52" was a compelling read that rose to the top of my weekly pull list. "Countdown to Final Crisis" has had some improvements but this issue misses the boat.