Suicide Squad: From the Ashes #1 of 8

Back in the day, I loved John Ostrander's "Suicide Squad". The concept and execution were exellent and Ostrander handled the various "bad guys" well, adding depth to each character. I thoroughly enjoyed the introduction and growth of Amanda Waller as well. Flash forward quite a few years and Ostrander is back with a miniseries explaining how the team leader, Rick Flag survived a nuclear blast in Qurac and made it back to the pages of DC Comics.

Ostrander assembles the classic Suicide Squad in the pages of "From the Ashes" and sets up the series end point of finding Rick Flag. The writing in tense and action packed, with each squad member getting an introduction. The team dynamics are reastablished and Amanda Waller is reintroduced as the badass that we know she is. The squad is gathered together and sent into Russia to find the thought dead Rick Flag. The mission goes awry with Ostrander delivering good dialague, action, and character motiviation. The art by Javi Pina on pencils, Robing Riggs on inks, and Jason Wright on colors is outstanding. All capturing the nuances of each character.

I'm not a follower of "Checkmate". I really had not planned on buying this series, but decided to pick up the first issue on the spot at my local comics store. This issue really drew me in and made me want to read the entire series.

Green Arrow/Black Canary Wedding Issues

So, I'm a sucker for DC books. I bought all three of these and believe they each had varying degrees of success. I liked the "JLA Wedding Special" the most. Writer Dwayne McDuffie establishes his post-Meltzer JLA right off the bat by bringing in Firestorm, John Stewart, and the Injustice League Unlimited. I love McKone's art and hope that he can get a monthly title to work on for DC. I enjoyed Meltzer's 12-issue run, but I am looking forward to McDuffie bringing an action packed view to the Justice League of America monthly. I would recommend this to anyone looking to jump onto this monthly title.

My girls liked the "Black Canary Wedding Planner". I thought it was a bit girly for my taste and was a bit provacative in a few of the panels. The art was fair and the read was breezy. It wasn't anything to phone home about, though.

Finally the "Green Arrow and Black Canary Wedding Special" starts out great. Amanda Conner's art is spot on. I really like her style. The center spread wedding shot is very good showing all most of the heroes of the DC universe. Of course, the wedding happens, although not as planned, with fighting and mayem. This was a great read right up until the last four pages. The final "shocking" panel just left a sour taste in my mouth.

DC put a lot of effort to create a special event that celebrated joy. The tie-ins, crossovers, and one shots were all fun and funny with the right amount of action and story. However, the last four pages of this "special" were almost unforgivable. I'm not a big Green Arrow fan. However, DC has already killed him off once. With "Green Arrow: Year One" looking quite good and a new Green Arrow/Black Canary monthly coming out. I just have to wonder what the editors are thinking. Death is having a good year in the DC Universe. Whether it serves the story or not.

Justice Society of America #9

The prelude issue to "Thy Kingdome Come" is a good read. Writer Geoff Johns provides a well written jumping on point for new readers. I love the cover art by Alex Ross. He keeps banging out great covers for this title. Dale Eaglesham's interior art is excellent. However, his rendeiton of both Green Latern and the Flash are little old. His center splash page as the heroes go into action is excellent and captures the personalities of the differing characters. The dialogue and flow of the book is excellent all the way until the final reveal of Kingdom Come Superman stepping out of Starman's black hole.

I'm really looking forward to the "Thy Kingdom Come" story. It looks to be very exciting.

JLA Movie

Superherohype.com is reporting that Warner Bros. is aggressively going ahead with the big screen adaptation of the Justice League of America. It is generally accepted that Christian Bale (Batman Begins) and Bradon Routh (Superman Returns) are not going to be attached. The lineup looks to include Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, and Aquaman. I expect a Green Latern thrown into the mix as well. Sadly Bryan Singer's "Superman: Man of Steel" is taking a backseat to this production. The report says that Warner executives are very keen on the JLA script by Kieran and Michele Mulroney. It has also been rumored that one of the heroes will die.

I'm hoping that this picture takes place after the formation of the JLA and dispenses with the origin stories. If a hero is going to die, I'm hoping they have the Barry Allen Flash sacrificing his life for the team. I'm sure that if a Green Latern makes an appearance it will be John Stewart to give the team some ethnic diversity. However, I wouldn't mind seeing Black Lighting show up. I'm a little leery of the director George (Happy Feet) Miller. I'm hoping that this is not a campy take on the JLA and that they get the right tone.

I am a big fan of both "Batman Begins" and "Superman Returns". I know a lot of fans did not care for Singer's Superman but I thoroughly enjoyed the film. DC & Warner have done a good job of ensuring quality production in their films (Catwoman is a huge exception) and I'm tentatively looking forward to seeing this hit the screen.

Billy Batson & the Magic of SHAZAM

I just read the interview of Mike Kunke over at Newsrama and had to comment on Kunkel's character designs for this Johnny DC series. I think they are fantastic! Kunkel plans on starting up right where Jeff Smith's "Monster Society of Evil" ended and that is a good sign. I'm really looking forward this series getting started.

Superman/Doomsday DVD

The "Superman/Doomsday" DVD is on store shelves today. My son and I got to see this at the World Premiere during the San Diego Comic Con. We both enjoyed the movie and had a good time watching it with all of the fans. If you are expecting a blow-by-blow remake of the "Death of Superman"/"Return of Superman" from the 90s, you won't get it. This movie deals specifically with Superman's fight with Doomsday, his death, and his return. The quartet of Cyborg Superman, Superboy, Steel, and Kryptonian Superman are not dealt with here. Given that, I thought the movie was a very good reinterpreation of this event. I felt that Lex Luthor was captured very well and came across as both intelligent and evil. The voice acting was top notch as well. The only quibble that I have with the movie is the drawing style used. The big jaw, blocky drawings are not my cup of tea. With that one caveat, I'd recommend this movie.

Valiant's Harbinger: The Beginning

I have to step out of my blog's "box" here and mention Valiant Entertainment's "Harbinger: The Beginning" hardcover. I was a huge Valiant fan back in the early 90s and believed in what Jim Shooter was doing. The tightly woven Valiant Universe was a pleasure to read and "Harbinger" was the breakout book. I was an "X-O Manowar" fan myself and didn't catch onto "Harbinger" until about issue #10. I'd like to see this universe back in published comics and hope that the legal disputes between trademarks and copyrights can be sorted out soon.

The hardcover is quite a deal at $16.50 from Amazon.com. This is not a cheaply produced book. The slipcover is very nice, with the book itself looking very expensive. The interior art is newly restored and looks better than it did in the 90s. The story is still very good and you can see parallels in current comics and TV (ahem! "Heroes" I'm lookng at you). The dialogue can be somewhat stilted at times but the overall depth of characters and story pulls you in. Jim Shooter and Bob Hall's 8-page "Origin of Harada" story is a good addition to the overall package. Even at the curren price of $25, this book is worth it.

Now back to the DC Universe....

Teen Titans #50

In picking up my comics habit after a 10 year hiatus, the first series that I decided to catch up on via TPB was "Teen Titans". I've always been a "Teen Titans" fan and thought it would be a good jumping on point for my reintroduction into comics. Also, I thought my son would get a kick out of the adventures of the younger heroes before moving to the big leagues. We set about finding all of the TPBs that would get us current on this title. I must say that I was impressed by Geoff Johns handling of this team. As a side note, this would lead me on to find Johns' back issues of "The Flash" and start buying Justice Society of America. To continue, while I've enjoyed the team interaction and adveutres of the current Titans, I must say that it is not a good time to be on the team. Death has stalked the Titans for quite sometime. With the losses of Connor (Superboy) and Bart (Flash), the team had entered a morose phase with many of the team sulking through the book.

"Teen Titans" #50 is a cathartic issue that will hopefully dispell all of the angst and sorrow built up over the last year plus. It was Sean McKeever's first issue as writer and he did a fantastic job of stitching together a story that included flashbacks to the hey-days of Titans past, along with the writers and artists from those periods. McKeever comes to DC from the excellent Marvel book "Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane". Now some might snicker that I think that book is excellent, but there is a dearth of good comics on the market for young girls. My daughter loved "Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane" and I'm hoping that she will take to the "Teen Titans" as well.

McKeever looks to be bringing the FUN and I'm looking forward to reading his stories.

Outsiders #50

I haven't read any "Outsiders" comics since the 80s when it was called "Batman and the Outsiders". Seeing that DC was going to release a "Batman and the Outsiders" series, I decided to catch up on the last year's worth of "Outsiders". Luckily my LCS had a special on all back issues for $1. I also put the "Five of a Kind" miniseries on my pull list to get me ready for the new "Batman and the Outsiders". I had fun catching up with the Winnick written "Outsiders" and found he did a good job of wrapping up the various storylines prior to handing the reigns over to Bedard. The "Five of a Kind" miniseries was a mix of good and bad, but overall provided a good introduction to many that would eventually be on the team.

"Outsiders" #50 is all setup. However, it was a fun read. I liked Bedard's inclusion of "Matches Malone" and the interactions between the team members. While I wasn't fully impressed with the miniseries, this issue solidified my decision to put "Batman & the Outsiders" on my pull list.

Titans East

TEEN TITANS EAST SPECIAL #1
Written by Judd Winick
Art and cover by Ian Churchill & Norm Rapmund
Titans Tower is back up and running on the East Coast as Judd Winnick, Ian Churchill & Norm Rapmund assemble an explosive new team of Titans under the leadership of Cyborg! But their first mission may be their last as powerful forces gather to destroy all Titans past and future!
On sale November 14 • 48 pg, FC, $3.99 US

Not new news, but something I wanted to chat about. The Teen Titans East Special lineup is shown on the cover. However, Judd Winick stated during a DC Nation panel that "The first team you see is not the last team." The days numbered for the lineup shown here Dove, Powerboy, Anima, Hawk, Cyborg, Vulcan, & Lagoon Boy as the one-shot will lead to a new Titans series which will star Nightwing, Cyborg, Donna Troy, Starfire, Raven and Beast Boy. Does the DC culling of heroes continue in this one-shot? Who is going to die? My bet is on Powerboy.

There are a lot of dots to connect to get this team together - Donna Troy is involved in Countdown, Starfire in Countdown to Adventure, and Beast Boy on Doom Patrol. However, Nightwing is available after leaving the Outsiders. I know fans would like to see Jericho back on the team, but he is currently stuck in Match's body with no relief from that situation on the horizon. With lots of dangling plot lines and use of the team members throughout the DC Universe it will be interesting to see how the team is brought back together again.

Although he hasn't been confirmed for the ongoing montly series, there has been a lot of chatting on the net about Winnick's poor handling of Nightwing during his "Outsiders" run. I have just picked up the last ten issues of "Outsiders" and will form my own opinion of that. For a long time Wolfman/Perez "New Teen Titans" fan, I'm excited to see the classic lineup back together. "New Teen Titans" rivaled the popularity of "X-Men" in the 80s and could acheive that again given a strong creative team. Although I love the Wolfman/Perez teaming, I'd like to see some fresh blood take over the team that they created. Perez is doing excellent work on "The Brave and the Bold" and Wolfman is set to start the ongoing "Vigilante" series next year. I'd like to see Mike McKone or Ian Churchill on the ongoing series with a writer that can handle the team dynamic.

New Supergirl Artist

I only have to endure one more issue of Renato Guedes' thick legged, forty year-old looking Supergirl. As of issue 23, Drew Johnson is coming on to handle the art on Supergirl. Both of my kids that are comic readers didn't even attempt to read the Guedes' issues because of the art. Maybe with Johnson coming onboard DC can pick up a couple of more young fans for Supergirl.

New DC Kids Offerings

I really liked Jeff Bone's take on Captain Marvel and it looks like Mike Kunkel will be using Jeff's work as a jumping off point. The art is quite a departure but I'm onboard for a fun Captain Marvel Series. Here's hoping that "Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam!" is good.

Also coming from DC Kids (or Johnny DC) are two new titles "Super Friends" and "Tiny Titans". My eight year old will finally have some DC hereo stuff to read.

Countdown to Adventure #1 of 8

I have not always been a big fan of either Adam Strange or Animal Man, but after their tales from "52" I found them interesting and different. I decided to pick this up to see what happened after "52" concluded. Adam Strange is back on Rann while Buddy "Animal Man" Baker is on Earth with both men getting to know their families after a year's absence. Being former Navy and having returne for long deployments, I believe Beechen captures the family dynamic of a father/husband returning after a long absence. Specifically Buddy' son's reaction to Buddy trying to be the man of the house. Starfire is passed out on Buddy's guest bed most of the book and Buddy's wife reacts accordingly to having a beautiful alien princess staying at the house. Over in Rann, Adam Strange is being replaced by a former Ulitmate Fighter/Action Movie Star. The characterizations of Adam, Buddy, and Koriand'r are spot on. While this book is generally a setup for the rest of the miniseries, it was well written with Barrow's top notch art. From the first page, you get the feel that this will be an adventure.

Jim Shooter on "Legion of Superheroes"

I just heard the news over at Occasional Superheroine that Jim Shooter is coming on as the new writer for "Legion of Superheroes" as of issue #37. As a long time legion fan I'm hoping for a great new era for the Legion. I think Shooter can bring the Legion back to greatness.

Blue Beetle #18

Blue Beetle is a fun book to read. I was a fan of the Ted Kord Blue Beetle and was saddened to see him offed during the build up to "Infinity Crisis". I did not pick up the new Blue Beetle book when it first came out. I got my first taste of the character during Mark Waid and George Perez's "Brave and The Bold". I liked what they did with the character and decided to go back issue diving at my local comic store. I ended up getting the complete run 1-14 (missing a few issues in there). What I found was an engaging character the was fun and interesting. John Rogers, the writer, has done a great job of fleshing out the supporting cast and the lead character's, Jaime Reyes, introduction across the DC Universe. I have enjoyed Rafael Albuquerque's art, but was disappointed that he could not do the whole issue. Substitute art by Davidl Baldeon & Dan Davis seemed rushed and did not match the tone established for Blue Beetle.

In the issue, Blue Beetle and the Teen Titans team up to take on Lobo. Blue Beetle's armor continues to pull tricks out of the hat and show just how powerful it can be. The team fights Lobo to somewhat of a standstill and ends with Robin commenting on Beetle's lack of fighting skills. Robin invites Beetle to hang with the Titans and Jaime considers the invite. I'm looking forward to seeing Beetle in the Teen Titans as of issue #50. I believe he will be a breath of fresh air to a morose comic book and bring back some of the awe that is needed for that group. If you haven't picked up Blue Beetle, I recommend it!

Justice League of America #12

Both my son and I had the same reaction upon seeing Justice League of America #12, "Wow!" The cover is absolutely amazing. I hope that the DC Direct team has plans to make the cover a poster. I would buy it!

This issue is Brad Meltzer's last of a 12-issue run. I know that in my previous posts I have had some strong critiques of the editorial decisions from DC. However, with Justice League of America, I believe that DC Comics has done an excellent job of putting together a great book. Brad Meltzer has done a phenomenal job of reestablishing the Big Three (Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman) and bringing along a lot of familiar faces. "Monitor Duty" shows the different members of the team taking their turn as team monitor. While there isn't any action in this issue - besides Hawkgirl and Red Arrow having fun - I think Mr. Meltzer ended his run on a very good note. This issue serves up notes on each team member that will hopefully be fleshed out by the oncoming Dwayne McDuffie.

Supergirl #20

During one of DC's many panels at this year's San Diego Comic Con, Dan Didio explained Supergirl's place in the DC Universe. He was answering a question in regards to bringing new readers to DC. Dan asked the audience, "Who is Supergirl?" He responded with "Superman's cousin." In an attempt to rectify past mistakes with Supergirl, she was reintroduced into the DC Universe in the pages of Superman/Batman.

Here initial introduction in Superman/Batman: Supergirl #8-13, writer Jeff Loeb did a good job of setting up Kara in the post-Crisis (original not Infinite) Earth. Supergirl's new series jumped from her introduction and stumbled almost from the start. While some of the stories have been enjoyable, the inconsistent writing and art have hurt this title. The only book that has done an excellent job presenting an exciting and well thought out Supergirl is Brave and the Bold written by Mark Waid and illustrated by George Perez. In the pages of Brave and the Bold, Supergirl comes across as a powerful young woman getting to know her place in the universe.

Supergirl #20 addresses the aftermath of Supergirl and Wondergirl attempting to negotiate with the President on Air Force One during the Amazon Attacks war. DC has really dropped the ball on Amazon Attacks. What should have been a series spanning cross over event, turned into a continuity mess with poor writing. This issue of Supergirl begins by being hampered by this illogical storyline. Given that, I enjoyed the action that Tony Bedard put in this issue. We get to see Supergirl cut loose and even show that she is vulnerable, like Superman, to magic. Besides the Amazon Attacks tie-in, the big drawback to this issue was the art. Renato Guedes' version of Supergirl looks like a tube with thick hips and legs. I know that America is getting fatter, but does Supergirl have to follow that trend. My son, who is "ho-hum" on Supergirl as it is, picked up the book and immediately put it down based on the shoddy art.

How does DC fix Supergirl?
1) Pick a direction for the character and begin moving that way. The best of the DC heroes don't just go from fight to fight, they have a story arc to develop their character and their place in DC. This character should get young girls excited about reading comics. My daughter, who is just getting into comics, could care less about Supergirl right now.
2) Get a good writer for the long term. It looks like Tony Bedard is on for on three issues, two of which are crossover event tie ins. Therefore, I don't expect much from his run.
3) Get an artist that can draw young. Supergirl is 16 not 25 (or older by Guedes' art). Bring in an artist that can attract young girls (and guys) to the character.

While the answers above can apply to almost any book being published, they highlight what DC has done wrong in the handling of Supergirl. Good Supergirl stories can be published. Just go to Brave and the Bold for the proof.

-Matt

Metal Men #1(of 8)

During my life time there have been no long runs of the Metal Men, and all of the short runs have done weird things with them and created loopholes in the DC universe. This 8-issue mini-series introduces all 6 of the Metal Men: Gold, Tin, Lead, Mercury, Iron, Platina (formerly Tina or Platinum), and the new sarcastic character Copper. This mini-series also stars a sane Dr. William Magnus. The art in this book is very colorful and suits the Metal Men well. The comic starts out with an introduction of the baddies yet to be named, and then transitions into the metal men fighting a big army of other robots. Then after a few pages it goes into flashback mode where it pulls in new readers of the Metal Men and gives a background story of Dr. Magnus and the first Metal Men (-Copper). On the last page it leaves you with a cliffhanger that will leave you wanting more of the mini-series that looks like it will be a very fulfilling read.

-Andrew

All Flash #1

I grew up with the Barry Allen Flash. His death in "Crisis on Infinite Earths" was poignant moment for me. At the time I was upset with DC for taking away one of my favorite characters but, with the introduction of Wally West (formerly Kid Flash) as the Flash, and the subsequent development of the Speed Force, I grew to admire DC's handling of the Flash mythos. The torch was passed to a Flash for a new generation and writers like William Messner-Loebs, Mark Waid, and Geoff Johns, Wally became the Flash for a new generation. A new Kid Flash was also introduced. Coming from the future, Bart Allen, grandson of Barry, would start off in the DC Universe as the aptly named Impulse and would move onto inherit the mantel as Kid Flash.

DC decided to see if lightening would strike twice by having Wally disappear during the "Infinite Crisis" saga. Bart would assume the role of the Flash in the Flash: The Fastest Man Alive comic book series. Having lived through the original crisis and death of Barry Allen, I was all for Wally going away and Bart becoming this generation's Flash. However, sadly, the transition was woefully mishandled by DC and its writers. By issue 13, interest in the Flash had dwindled and DC decided to kill off Bart Allen. Bart died at the hands of the Flash's original rogues gallery of criminals. Over in the Justice League of America and Justice Society of America titles, "The Lightning Saga" crossover was playing out. In the end, after a confusing appearance by the Legion of Superheroes, Wally and his family returned back to the DC Universe.

In All Flash #1, we get a story that provides a setup for the further adventures for Wally West as the Flash. Some things are not quite right as his kids, who were new born just a year ago are now 10-12 years old. Superman ponders this and Wally gives a quick "lets talk about it later" answer. Wally then sets off against the rogues to attempt to set up that story line for future issues.

I was happy to see Mark Waid back in the writing chair for the Flash. He knows Wally West best and can return the Flash back to a best selling comic with great stories. I though the one shot did a good job of returning Wally to the fold and setting up the future story arc. I hope Flash 231 brings tighter art direction as the team art displayed in All Flash #1 did not provide a cohesive picture of this version of Flash. All in all I'm pretty excited about the direction of the Flash. I'm hoping at some point Bart is brought back to serve as Kid Flash. However, with the addition of Wally's older kids I don't see that happening.

-Matt