Weekly Comic Reviews: 12/08/10

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Unfortunately, this effort isn't anywhere near as successful as their previous work with the Rogues, in large part due to Johns' failure to give Digger the same amount of tragedy and pathos he's given many of the other Flash villains.

Digger's backstory meanders along from one thinly realized cliché involving an abusive stepdad and a secret biological father who tries and fails to keep Digger on the straight path by introducing him to boomerangs. In the end, Johns isn't really able to make the villain anything more than a costumed crook – and a lousy one at that – by slipping into his perspective and past. The issue only comes alive when Johns brings the narrative back to the present by focusing on Captain Boomerang's poorly though-out plan to spring the dangerous Professor Zoom from prison.

Oddly enough, the quality of Kolins' art mirrors that of Johns' script, with the artist struggling with some awkward facial expressions and static compositions during the flashback sequences before rising to his usual level of dynamic, emotionally driven work once the story kicks into gear in the present day. The issue is definitely a mixed bag, and the good only barely outweighs the bland. - Dan

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Judd Winick's series continues to rebound in a big way after a brief run of dull issues, as chapter #15 introduces an exciting new wrinkle into the story of Maxwell Lord's clash with the ragtag group of former JLI-ers and new legacy heroes. On the backs of the recent revelation that the post-apocalyptic future glimpsed by Captain Atom would be kick-started by the death of Wonder Woman, Winick has some fun with the idea that, like Lord himself, Diana is currently off the grid and out of the public's memories, thanks to JMS' alternate reality re-imagining of the Amazonian princess. Seeing Lord come to grips with this ironic development is a lot of fun, but the entertainment certainly doesn't stop there.

Generation Lost has long been much more than just a string of neat ideas, and Winick here adds to the fantastic characterization he's brought to this cast of characters since the series began. I love the way Booster Gold, over the course of the series, is slowly stepping into a leadership role, and the way the he dresses down a blood-thirsty Captain Atom in this issue was a great touch, one that added legitimacy to Booster without ignoring the character's core sense of humor. Add in some solid art from Joe Bennett and a shocking last page twist, and you get another very entertaining installment of DC's best biweekly book. - Dan

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The issue sees a foolish but well-meaning English scientist resurrect the notorious Richard III through goofy pseudo science, only to then watch in horror as the reborn King lives up to Shakespeare's unflattering depiction of the monarch. It isn't long after his rebirth that old Richard is hatching a scheme to recapture his crown, one which involves leveraging a new public image as product pitch-man, gaining Twitter followers and, most amusingly, resurrecting other infamous dead British kings to help him lead an army of criminals against the government.

In addition to this wonderfully wacky plot, Cornell again creates the same vibrant sense of place and culture that gave the first two issue's their charm while also delivering a few genuinely funny gags. As a full-blown twitter addict, I couldn't help but laugh out loud when Cornell and Broxton revealed what certain historical figures would write if they ever found themselves in a future where such a thing as Twitter exists.

There's no doubt about it – between the amusing gags, the richly detailed setting and the fun, over-the-top plot, this is definitely the strongest issue to date. - Dan

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Most of the issue's problems reside in the execution of the plot, which sees Poison Ivy arrive in Smallville promising good intentions and offering Superboy a "team-up" (am I the only one who hates seeing that term used in dialogue?) only to shortly thereafter double cross the hero (who should know better) in a rather dull and straightforward manner. Superboy ends up coming off as a complete sucker, and worse, the plot seems to stagger from one forced development to the next.

It's not all bad, though. In addition to the interesting last page reveal, the foundation Lemire is laying at this early juncture still shows a lot of promise. The relationship between Connor and Simon in particular has a lot of potential, even if (or perhaps because) the latter character is a clear analog of Lex Luthor. Pier Gallo also shows flashes of great potential at times despite succumbing to the worse sort of cheesecake approach to his depiction of Poison Ivy.

I still have high hopes for this series and want it to stand out amongst all the other bland superhero books. But that will only happen if Lemire channels more of the weird sensibilities he brings to Sweet Tooth on a monthly basis rather than resort to this sort of paint-by-numbers superhero storytelling. - Dan

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Issue #2 continues the story of the titular team's mission from last issue, but takes an extended break from that plot to detail the backstory of the team's new super speedster Lightning, who Spencer cleverly casts as a member of the famous Kenyan tribe that has produced a disproportionately high number of the world's great modern runners. In addition to his captivating construction of this character, Spencer also delivers an incredibly powerful depiction of a man who is literally racing towards his death every time he uses his government-issued super powers. This sequence is by far the issue's high point, not only because we sympathize with the character thanks to the way Spencer builds him from the ground up, but also because of the unexpected, wholly inspired way the writer shows us the hero facing his own mortality.

The art is drawn by two pencillers, Cafu and ChrisCross, but is thankfully an all too rare instance of a comic splitting up art duties in an effective, reasoned manner. Cafu draws the present day scenes while ChrisCross handles Lightning's back-story, and both artists provide stellar work.

This is a great new series told with flair, style and heart. Get in on the ground floor now before you find yourself wondering why so many critics are singing its praises. - Dan

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The answer remains unclear even after reading The Little Sisters of Eluria #1.

This series offers a straightforward adaptation of the original story, lacking even the framing device of the previous mini. The plot is dead simple - Roland arrives in a deserted town and quickly finds himself overrun by Slow Mutants. Past series have always managed to improve upon familiar material in some way, either by expanding the focus of the story or simply by providing a hauntingly beautiful visual take on the events. Here, the plot proceeds more or less exactly as it does in the short story. It's the first time those who haven't experienced the source material stand to gain more enjoyment from these pages. Even still, the tendency for the writers to rely on Roland's dialogue to provide exposition will seem awkward to new and old readers alike.

The visuals in these comics will probably never again match those seen from Jae Lee in earlier volumes. Luke Ross lacks much of the Gothic style that characterized those issues. On the plus side, his art has a certain precise, methodical quality that makes up for the inconsistencies of the last mini.

In the end, The Little Sisters of Eluria sacrifices flourish and style for realism. It's not an entirely welcome trade. As sad as it is to say, the Dark Tower comics seem to have moved past their prime this year. - Jesse

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Returning to Earth from their battle against Hiro-Kala, the Hulks find the planet overrun by the Chaos King and the dead roaming the streets. As the cover suggests, a revived Abomination provides the main threat for our heroes. It's fun to see the Hulks take on Emil Blonksy again. Greg Pak is able to make use of past conflicts in a way that makes sense in the context of Chaos War. He even manages to give A-Bomb something to do other than stand around and spout quips. This arc doesn't seem to be at all vital to the events of Chaos War, but that's not necessarily a drawback.

It's even more fun to see Paul Pelletier back in the artist's chair and rendering everything in all its gory, violent detail. Unlike Pelletier's work on World War Hulks, the issue allows him full room to breathe and expand without cluttered and cramped panels. Another improvement comes in the form of Paul Mounts' colors, which provide more natural hues than Frank D'Armata's did in those earlier issues.

With vibrant, energetic art like this, it doesn't matter if the script is a bit plain and straightforward. "Dark Son" provided enough character drama for the time being. These next few issues are the palette cleanser. And so far, it's a very tasty cleanser indeed. - Jesse

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Brian Michael Bendis gives his fledgling team some down time in the wake of their magical conflict. That means plenty of faces being stuffed, banter being tossed about and relationships built upon. The humor is somewhat hit-and-miss, thanks mostly to the familiar lack of distinction between character voices and some unnecessary bits of dialogue. The script doesn't really need an enjoyable argument between Jessica Jones and Luke Cage to be punctuated by random lines like "She told you!" every three panels.

But there is amusement to be had. The highlight comes late in the story as Luke and Jessica conduct an open casting call for a nanny. The parade of C and D-listers rolling through the mansion is a hoot, and the ultimate choice could be just the permanent injection of fun this book needs. On a more serious front, Bendis does some strong work with Doctor Strange. Hopefully the character is destined for something more interesting than a rebound back into his old job as Sorcerer Supreme.

Stuart Immonen's art is a huge draw as well. There isn't much action to be had this month, but Immonen proves himself to be equally adept at talking heads and dialogue-heavy scenes. With the lush colors of Laura Martin to rely on also, New Avengers is easily one of Marvel's prettiest books these days. It's a shame we only have one more issue with the current art team to look forward to. - Jesse

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Four issues in, the series remains one of Marvel's absolute finest. Issue #618 is sort of a "calm before the storm" chapter, as various refugees of the Nine Worlds flee to the relative safety of Asgard. One of the downsides of the general approach to Thor in the last half decade is the reduced focus on these more eclectic realms. Fraction continues do an excellent job shining a light on the more colorful aspects of Thor's mythology and in highlighting the science fiction aspects as much as the fantasy-based ones.

One aspect of this arc that was initially worrisome was the potential resurrection of Odin. Frankly, the cycle of Odin vanishing, Thor replacing his father, and Odin returning is a little played out. Nevermind that this mythology is a very cyclical one anyway. But just as Fraction was able to offer a dramatically new take on Loki last month, his brief handling of Odin here is strong enough to satisfy regardless of whether the Lord of Asgard does ultimately return to the land of the living.

Pasqual Ferry's art is gorgeous and varied - exactly the sort of visual shift the series needs as it seeks to embrace the realm of science fiction. Ferry's character and creature designs are unique enough to honor the spirit of Jack Kirby without merely aping his work. And Frank D'Armata, whose coloring has long been the weak point in Invincible Iron Man's armor, finds the perfect avenue for his ethereal use of color. All the pieces are in place for another definitive Thor run. - Jesse

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McCann begins with a somewhat dubious premise. Yet another mystery figure is dressing as Ronin and killing spies across the world. Despite the almost comical nature of the Ronin costume, McCann quickly wins the reader over with dramatic scenes of espionage and murder. The script is immediately engaging, regardless of the reader's familiarity with the characters. McCann is able to establish his heroes and their recent conflicts without slowing the pace of the plot.

The issue moves much more quickly than might be expected of a big mini-series like this, and that's very much to the book's benefit. By the end of this chapter, readers have been treated to several of Ronin's killing sprees, a snowmobile chase in the Siberian mountains and a showdown between two groups of heroes. Not bad for a first issue.

David Lopez is in strong form as well. His work isn't terribly stylish, which does hinder some of the darker, bloodier scenes a bit. But it is clean and full of energy and well-suited to the vibe of the story. All in all, Widowmaker has all the makings of a fun and frantic adventure that won't be bogged down by pointless tie-ins. It's a breath of fresh air in that regard. - Jesse

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There are no doubt plenty of stories worth telling in the decades prior to the film's events. Unfortunately, Andreyko didn't necessarily pick the most interesting to explore. Crossroads takes place only a few years before the movie. The general day-to-day beats of Abby and her caretaker's lives aren't that different. There are similar scenes of the caretaker traveling the town, picking up hapless victims and letting Abby run wild. There's even a new boy character living next door to take the place of the film's Owen. More preferable would have been a story that explored the original meeting between Abby and her now aging guardian.

Similarities aside, the issue is well presented. The barren, snow-swept setting of the film is swapped for a different sort of rural, Midwestern desolation. A conflict involving a pushy real estate developer could serve to differentiate Crossroads from its sequel more, but at the moment the villain of the piece is a bit too two-dimensional. Andreyko and artist Patric Reynolds are able to channel the creepy tone of the film, though the comic never packs any particularly scary moments. Hearing Abby feeding from behind a wall is not the same as seeing her pounce on her prey in live-action. Still, Reynolds, art is very dark and moody, and also much more detailed than one might expect from a licensed comic. What Let Me In: Crossroads lacks in originality it makes up for in presentation. - Jesse

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But though Larry Hama isn't fully making use of his potential on the series, A Real American Hero remains an enjoyable throwback to the classic Marvel book. This issue is particularly noteworthy in that it highlights many of the Joes who haven't had the chance to return to the spotlight since IDW resurrected the book. Chuckles is front and center here, in a firm counterpoint to the darker, espionage-driven events of G.I. Joe: Cobra. Part of the bizarre charm of this series is that the humor is often so innocent and old-fashioned, yet the violence and general subject matter are clearly geared towards older readers. This unique dynamic works well for the most part, though some of Hama's dialogue could stand to be a little more snappy and a little less goofy.

SL Gallant fills in for Augustin Padilla this month. Gallant's style has often shifted as he has rotated between IDW's various G.I. Joe books. Here, Gallant manages a surprisingly effective homage to the earliest years of the series, channeling the style of artists like Herb Trimpe. It's a nice shift from the sometimes overly exaggerated visuals of Padilla. And if Padilla ever does move to another permanent gig, Gallant and his retro approach would be a welcome replacement. - Jesse

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