Modern Comics Review: Batman Beyond #3

I was really hoping that the Batman Beyond miniseries would live up to my expectations. I was hoping for a nice continuation of the TV series aimed at maybe a slightly older audience and, unfortunately, I’ve only partially gotten that wish. The first two issues were good, but felt less like a Batman Beyond comic, and more like a futuristic version of the normal Batman books. The rogues gallery of Terry McGinnis is being increasingly ignored for returns of rehashes of Bruce Wayne’s old enemies and this is really disappointing. It’s like the creative team can’t decide whether they are writing this more for the Batman or Batman Beyond audience. That does not mean that this a bad book, but it does have so much more potential.

Continuing where issue #2 left off, Terry is losing a fight against the man that seems to Hush as he tries to kill the aged Calendar Man. Unfortunately for Terry, he’s being hit both by Hush and sleep deprivation and has Bruce Wayne yelling in his ear. Things go about as well as you might expect for him. After Hush escapes, Terry heads home for some much needed rest and then visits Bruce only to find that Bruce isn’t exactly pleased with Terry’s performance as Batman. This continues to be the one area where writer Adam Beechen excels: he has absolutely nailed Terry’s voice perfectly. He reacts to any given situation exactly as you would expect not just the Terry McGinnis from the show, but also how any teenager in his situation would act. The fact that Beechen handles him well is a large part of the reason this book isn’t worse than it could be.

However, his other characters don’t fare so well. Bruce, though he was also harsh and critical of Terry in the show, was never as overly angry as he is represented here. Every little thing that Terry does bothers him and even when Terry almost gets himself killed from pushing himself too hard, Wayne still scolds him for not being devoted enough. This might have been acceptable if this series took place very early in Terry’s career, but this issue establishes that the series takes place after the movie “Return of the Joker” which is probably the point where Wayne thinks most highly of McGinnis as Batman. It’s a huge character inconsistency that I would like to see resolved somehow.

I’d also like to see that plot itself go somewhere. This issue really didn’t tell the read anything new. Really all that happens is that Wayne makes a particularly harsh statement about his lack of faith and we discover who Catwoman is running around for. This mini is at its halfway point and the story really hasn’t moved along at all. At this point, I’m just hoping that the resolution isn’t too rushed, but then again, there also isn’t too much to the plot either so, unless there’s a twist coming, there is not much that needs to be wrapped up at all. Either way, it’s a worrying sign for the series.

On the other side of the creative team coin, I’m trying really hard to like Ryan Benjamin’s pencils, but it’s just so inconsistent. Some of his panels look absolutely amazing and his Hush is actually frightening. He looks powerful and scary and like he could actually take Batman apart all by himself, which is really impressive for a guy that is only wearing a trench coat and bandages. I also really like how nimble he makes Batman look which is a necessity for the Batman Beyond version. However, at the same time, his faces still look odd, especially Terry’s, both in an out of the mask. And for some strange reason, Terry’s mother has gone from moderately-sized with red hair to much skinnier with black hair. I’m not sure if that was a conscious decision to separate a plot point about Terry’s “real parents” introduced in the last episode of Justice League Unlimited or just an error on Benjamin’s part, but it really bothered me.

Despite all the criticism I’ve thrown at this series, it really does have a lot of potential and that’s exactly why I’m being so hard on it. Honestly, most of problems might not be issues for some readers; some might enjoy the increased focus on the villains of the past and others may really like every panel of Benjamin’s pencils, but I think this could be so much more. There’s still time for Beechen to change this around and he shown that he knows the backstory of this universe well and can do (most) of the characters well, so I hope that the latter half of the mini can really make Batman Beyond into the powerhouse it should be.

Overall: 6.5/10

Modern Comics Review: Amazing Spider-Man #640

Well, I can say that the Amazing Spider-Man #640 is easily the best of the three issues of the “One Moment In Time” storyline. Unfortunately, this still isn’t saying much. The story continues to be Joe Quesada’s personal attempt to justify the events of “One More Day” and explain what exactly was changed by the deal with Mephisto a few years back. The events of this particular issue are definitely less ridiculous than the previous two and make more sense, but I still just don’t like the way this story is going.

This issue sets up the events that will lead to the more permanent break up of Mary Jane and Peter as well as how, in the post-OMD continuity, Spider-Man was able to make everyone forget his identity. Unfortunately, all of this once again hinges on the random henchman that has been behind all of the One More Day problems. The same guy that was Electro’s henchman and the guy that fell on top of Spider-Man to make him late for his wedding is the one hired by the Kingpin to try and gun down Mary Jane and her Aunt Anna. I don’t understand why Quesada is pushing this guy so hard; he’s just not that interesting of a character and certainly not a threat worthy of Spider-Man. Maybe Quesada wants to show how any bad guy can be a threat to Peter, but he just is not a well enough developed character to hinge so much on. Also, the use Doctor Strange gets in this issue just feels so uninspired. I was hoping that the plot thread he is being used to solve would have a more surprising and interesting person behind it.

One area that I do have to give credit where it’s due is in the art from Paolo Rivera. I know that I previously been unhappy with his work, but that was mainly when it was juxtaposed against pre-existing art from the Amazing Spider-Man Annual. Here it is actually very good and looks quite classic and like a modern version of the art from the 80’s and 90’s. It really does look good and I loved his take of Peter here. The only problem I had with his work was when the assassin almost shoots Mary Jane, I honestly couldn’t tell if she had been shot or not. It wasn’t until later when someone says she only has a concussion that I knew for sure. Quesada’s artwork is still and odd as always. His characters still look like blobs that are all connected together and his faces just look so odd. Luckily, he barely has to draw any panels this issue, so I didn’t mind as much as in previous issues.

All in all, this is far and away the best issue of “One Moment In Time,” but it’s still a mess of a story. This one isn’t as completely annoying as the other two were and it’s at least nice to look at (for the most part) and the story make more sense, but it still just feel as though Joe Quesada is just trying to make people think “One More Day” was a good idea to begin with. I really would have been fine with this story never being written and I don’t see it getting much better in its final issue, though hopefully it’ll be at least readable like this issue was.

Overall: 5.5/10

Modern Comics Review: Invincible Iron Man #29

I respect what Matt Fraction is trying to do in Invincible Iron Man, I really do. I love that he has managed to bring Tony Stark back from being one of the most hated characters in comics and establish as a hero again. I also love that he’s finally been able to add some much needed personality into Tony’s supporting cast and that he’s working to expand that cast at the same time. I even really like the idea of the new Stark Resilient company and it’s goals, yet for the past few months, I have been so bored with this series.

I recognize and even appreciate that the focus of this story arc is not Iron Man fighting a villain in an epic showdown, but it is just moving too damn slow. This isn’t even me just saying that there is too little action going on, it just feels like the story barely inches forward each issue. I want to see something actually happen. It doesn’t have to be a huge battle, but it’s about time we actually got somewhere and saw whether or not Stark Resilient could succeed and just what exactly the Hammer family is up to. I’d also really like all the female characters to stop being so annoying. They all come off as really grating to me, especially Pepper. Her constant whining about own Iron Man (sorry, Rescue) suit was not endearing and just turned me off. All that being said, that doesn’t mean there aren’t interesting parts to this issue. There’s a new twist shown in the Pepper and Tony relationship that makes sense and is an effective to create drama naturally. I’m also really beginning to take a shine to all of Tony’s new employees, even if they don’t get much time this issue. They all ave really human reactions to the things going on around them and it makes them much more interesting for it. I hope they stick around for the long haul and get some more screen time.

Despite the slowness of the story, easily the biggest problem remains artist Salvador Larocca. It pains me to say this as there was a period in my life where I counted Larocca as my favorite artist from any comic book company. He really had a knack for clean characters and great action, but here he just keeps getting worse and worse. His characters sometimes barely look human and all look downright ugly. Also, I know this had been mentioned plenty elsewhere, but his tracing of celebrities faces for his characters is so painfully obvious and only hurts the art that much more. Colorist Frank D’Armata only makes things worse too. His colors make everyone look really muddy, like he water colored them and all the colors ran together or something and he adds far too much shadowing that doesn’t look even remotely natural. I’m honestly not sure if there would be any answer to this short of replacing the whole art team, though Marvel seems to want them for the long haul. It’s really sad to see such a talented artist fall so far.

I would still argue that Invincible Iron Man is a good book. It may be slow, but Fraction clearly has places he plans to go and many of the ideas he’s had have been really great. If he could pick up the pace and just make this a little more interesting from month to month, he’d be in great shape. It says something for Fraction that despite all of the problems I’ve listed here, I still come back for every issue and probably will for a while. He is good plotter and he just needs to make everything get to where he wants it in a more interesting fashion. For anyone that’s interested in starting on this series, I would, without a doubt, say to wait for the trade as it is almost guaranteed to read better in that format. Also, I want the old Salvador Larocca back.

Overall: 6.1/10

Modern Comics Review: Superman #702

Since the started of the “Grounded” storyline, Superman has become such an odd duck of a series. I really can’t tell if I like it so far or not. It’s very charming in a lot of ways and really does have some nice scenes in it, and yet I’m having trouble getting myself entirely on board. I think I like the idea of the story more than I’m liking the execution. I wouldn’t call this a bad book, but it couldn’t definitely use some improvement.

I liked last issue largely because it took Superman away from the threats he normally faced. The problems he now had to deal with were, real street level ones that your average person might encounter going about their day. This is still true to an extent this issue, but this month there is also aliens that are encountered and a giant robot suit to be fought. I’m sure there are people out there that miss Superman having regular fights, especially since he did spend most of the last year not fighting, and this issue might appeal to them more. I, however, went into this storyline not looking for big fights, but instead to see how Superman, who is used to dealing with huge problems he can usually punch away, would handle everyday problems that he can’t use his fists to solve, so this issue appealed to me less for the robot suit fight. That being sad, it is a rather small part of the book and does end fitting into one of the more down-to-earth problems presented the issue. There’s a particularly great scene in which Superman interacts with an old man who used to work in a Detroit steel mill before it was shut down. This is easily the best part of the issue and is quite poignant at times.

What really bothered me here, however, was Superman’s voice. It seems strikingly inconsistent and can jump all over the place. One moment, he’ll be very humble and acting very friendly and as you’d expect, but other times he comes off as really arrogant and forceful, especially when dealing with some aliens living on Earth. I understand why he’d have to be more forceful with them, but he seems unusually aggressive towards them when they are really quite peaceful and it seems decidedly un-Superman-like. When Straczynski does manage to get Superman right though, it feels very right. Hopefully he can even that out more in future issues.

I’ve always been very on the fence about artist Eddy Barrows’ work; sometimes it is truly dynamic and great, but other times it is extremely muddy and his characters look lumpy. I honestly would never have picked him for street level story like this, but he actually pulls it off very well. His people look very diverse, as they should, and all of his humans look very human. That sounds silly, but a lot of artists can’t seem to draw regular people looking all that average, but Barrows does it admirably. In the scene I mentioned earlier about the steel mill worker, I’m not sure whether I should give the credit for that scene more to Straczynski or Barrows as he really sells this character and draws some stellar emotion on his face. It helps to make the scene as moving as it should be. He also draws one hell of a Superman. I’ve never seen any other artist make Superman look as kindly and innoccent as Barrows does here. There’s even one scene that is just Superman smiling and it is drawn so well I couldn’t help but smile myself. Eddy Barrows is truly bringing his A-game here.

I really do love the idea of this story. I’ve always been a supporter of the idea of Clark Kent being the real person and not just how Superman hides and that’s the idea that “Grounded” should be pressing. There’s so much potential and I know the creative team could do it justice, I’m just still waiting for that to happen. We’re only two issues in, so I’m really hoping to see the next ten issues to live up to what it could be.

Overall: 7.7/10

Modern Comics Review: Spider-Man/Fantastic Four #2

Whenever I read a comic that takes place in the past and claims to fit in between two previously established stories, I’m always worried that it won’t fit quite as well the writer thinks. Luckily, Christos Gage seems to have already mostly assuaged my worries in only two issue of Spider-Man/ Fantastic Four while also fitting some truly great character moments. Just like last issue, this an extremely entertaining issue that can easily be enjoyed by anyone whether they are familiar with this period in Marvel Comics history or not.

This issue jumps forward in time from the last one to right after Mr. Fantastic and the Human Torch helped Spider-Man to remove the future-Venom symbiote from his body. With a little help from the series’ overarching mystery villain, the symbiote breaks free and attempts to seek out a new host: Franklin Richards. The plot is a whole lot of fun this go around as the symbiote latches onto everyone from Mr. Fantastic to She-Hulk. Out of all the characters readers have seen be (at least temporarily) bonded with a symbiote, the Fantastic Four has never been among that number and it adds a unique freshness to the issue. There’s some great little continuity jokes thrown in well that only enhance the issue if you are familiar with the past of the FF and Spider-Man. The story doesn’t fit quite perfectly into continuity as the events of this issue seem like something that would have been mentioned in the comics since they occurred, but this is one of the necessary downsides that come with stories such as this.

Despite all this fun, where Gage really shines is in the voice he gives the characters. This particular issue focuses mainly on Spider-Man’s interactions with Reed Richards and there is some great stuff about how Peter Parker idolized Reed since even before he was Mr. Fantastic. Peter’s voice was handled expectedly well, but Gage really treats Reed’s with amazing skill. He manages to create a Mr. Fantastic that is both the smartest man in the room and family oriented without coming off as the cold, arrogant jerk he so often is these days. This Mr. Fantastic may be forgetful, but he is still concerned with spending time with his son and wife and does so lovingly. It’s one of the better depictions I have seen for the character in a while.

Meanwhile, Mario Alberti continues to prove himself better and better. This issue was absolutely gorgeous. His take on the symbiote is easily one of the most fluid and yet scary versions I have seen in quite some time. It looks truly fantastic on page and actually moves and acts like you would expect it would. And if you thought Venom was stretchy before, just wait until you see Reed Richards-Venom. It’s really entertaining to see each new version of Venom as he takes over new hosts. There’s even some really nice visual elements that Alberti adds for authenticity of the period this is set in, such as Franklin’s 4 ½ shirt and Sue’s hair.

Spider-Man/Fantastic Four #2 is even better than the first issue was. Both the action and characterization are ramped up to the next level and Alberti continues to bring his A-game. This was one of my personal favorite periods in Marvel history and Gage certainly did it justice. His characters even act similar to how they were characterized back then. If you have even a passing interest in any of the heroes involved, pick this book up immediately.

Overall: 8.9/10

A Couple of Comic Book Bin Articles

Hey everyone just wanted to let you know that I've posted a few comics up on Comic Book Bin too so definitely check them out!
Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #1: http://www.comicbookbin.com/Green_Lantern_Emerald_Warriors_001.htmlThanos Imperative #3: http://www.comicbookbin.com/ThanosImperative003.html

Nancy In Hell #1: http://www.comicbookbin.com/Nancy_in_Hell.html

Modern Comics Review: Ultimate Comics Avengers 3 #1

I wasn’t exactly excited to hear that there was already going be a new ultimate Daredevil after the original was killed in Ultimatum. It just seemed almost too soon for Marvel to be hyping a new version and it certainly didn’t help the series for me when it was announced that Steve Dillon was going to be on art. I have never been a fan Dillon’s art style and then when I heard the villains were going to primarily vampires, I was even less interested. Basically, UC Avengers volume 3 had a lot of strikes against it in my book from the get go.

Surprisingly enough then, I enjoyed it well enough. The story this time mainly revolves around a vampire named Anthony trying to take over the superhero community by turning heroes into vampires. The opening scene with Blade is nothing special and pretty much what I expected from the character, but it’s a serviceable entrance to the character. Where the book really shines in once it makes its way to Ray Connor, the boy who will become the new Daredevil. I actually really liked the characterization of this kid, more so than I ever like Ultimate Matt Murdock. I was pleasantly surprised by this, though Ultimate Stick wasn’t quite as interesting. He’s the same tired, gruff mentor you’re sure to have seen a million times. I really didn‘t like the sudden retcon that Daredevils exist for a mission to kill vampires though. As far as I know there was no precedent to even hint at this ever in the UU‘s history; it was too out of left field. The Avengers themselves barely put in an appearance here, though one of them shows up in a rather unexpected way, but not in a way I like for the character. I hope it doesn’t hinder his presence in the Ultimate Universe as he’s one of my favorites of the Ultimate Avengers. The “twist” towards the end of the book also wasn’t all that shocking as solicits had spoiled it months ago. I am definitely intrigued by the two panels that show a seemingly very old Iron Man suit that anyone that knows that character will recognize.

Even though it didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would, I still wasn’t a fan of Dillon’s artwork in this book. All of his characters feel very stiff, which is very bad for characters that are designed to be nimble such as Daredevil and, to a lesser extent, Blade. It made the action scenes quite poor and all of the people looked like stiff cutouts or action figures. His was also quite poor as well. Panels didn’t run from one to another very well. In one panel, Blade jumps out a window and looks like he’s flying and in the next he’s in a chase on car roofs. It all felt disjointed. There were some good moments to be had though. I actually quite enjoyed the training montage, though it only lasted a page, and Dillon rendered the Avengers themselves fairly well at the end of the book. Definitely not the worst I’ve ever seen from Dillon (*cough* Wolverine: Origins *cough*).

In terms of the plot, I’d say that this is easily shaping to be the worst of the first three arcs of Ultimate Avengers. It largely feels very unoriginal and it hasn’t really made me all that interested in seeing where it will go from here. It’s only real saving grace is that it has some strong character work with the new Daredevil. I hope the events of this issue don’t change him too much because he really is the best part here. I’m hoping Millar will have some of his trademark crazy ideas for future issues that will spice this volume up more in the future because otherwise I’m not sure if I’ll stick it out through the whole thing.

Overall: 5.5/10

Modern Comics Review: Doomwar #6

I’m not really one of the fans of the more recent depictions of the Black Panther. He comes off as too arrogant in most situations and it makes him a rather grating character for me to read. I recognize that his recent stories have allowed him to have a much greater presence in the Marvel Universe, and I do appreciate that, but I’m just not a huge fan of this interpretation. I also was not one of the supporters of his marriage to Storm as it just felt purely like a publicity stunt to bring exposure to the character and not like two characters that actually loved each other. Unfortunately, this has also carried over to the Doomwar miniseries that concludes with this issue.

This series didn’t feel nearly as relevant to me as it wanted to seem. I never once felt the sense of urgency all the characters seemed to display. They were constantly talking about how unstoppable Dr. Doom’s forces were, only to turn and start destroying them with little difficulty. When they did have problems with Doom’s soldiers, so deus ex machina, like shadow alchemy, was introduced so that they could immediately start winning again. That trend continues here, right up until the finale. Comics frequently use the concept of the heroes being in dire straits and suddenly turning it around, but it needs to be done in interesting way, and it just wasn’t interesting for me here. It may have opened story possibilities for all of Wakanda from here on out, but it just didn’t work for me. It didn’t even make the Panther look particularly smart or badass, he just got knocked around, pulled out his machina, and actually made himself look kind of stupid. I can’t help but feel that there better resolutions that could have been used here. Speaking of which, it wasn’t until the very end of this issue that I even remembered the X-men were a part of this series, which should not have been the case. It was almost as if they were forgotten entirely.

One area where writer Jonathan Maberry did suceed, was with the voice of his characters. He wrote each of the many characters very well, including the Black Panther who, as much as I don’t like it, sounded exactly as her modern depiction should. There were two characters I felt he wrote particularly well: Dr. Doom and, surprisingly, Deadpool. Maberry has crafted a truly regal and powerful Doom, even if his ultimate achievement in this issue seemed a little silly to me. However, Doom did seem to be clearly in control for all six issues right up until the ending and, even then, he won, in a way. His Deadpool actually reminded be of Joe Kelly’s version from his 90’s series, which is very high praise indeed. He wasn’t written as too, overly insane as he often is these days and actually came off as competent while still being goofy. The characterization was the best part of this series for me.

The other definite high point for all six issue was the artwork by Scot Eaton, He makes all of his characters distinctive in appearance and really made them feel powerful when they should. I especially liked his interpretation of The Thing, though I didn’t much care for his redesign for Doom’s new armor. Probably his most impressive characters were the women though; they all looked powerful without looking too muscular and they didn’t have the ridiculous proportions most artists seem to give female heroes. All in all, I was very impressed with Eaton’s pencils on Doomwar, though he did have one strange panel where Deadpool looked almost Hulk-sized. The colors seemed kind of muddy, but that isn’t Eaton’s fault, nor was it a huge distraction.

In terms of his recent appearances, I would say that Doomwar has been some of the Black Panther’s best. The story was a little disjointed and the ending was lackluster, but overall it was a very solid miniseries. There are certainly possibilities for future stories created here so long as it isn’t ignored by succeeding writers. It didn’t quite end on a bang, but it was a fun story with a decent conclusion.

Overall: 6.5/10

Good News, Bad News!

So, as the title says, I've got some good news and some bad news, but it's all really exciting!
The good news is a followup to a previous post. As of today, I've been officially brought on as a reviewer for the Comic Book Bin website! This means I'll be able to get some serious exposure for my reviews and reach quite a few more people than I could have ever hoped. Needless to say, I'm hugely excited. You can check out my first official review there at:

http://www.comicbookbin.com/Irredeemable016.html

That being said:

The downside of this is that I'll be devoting a lot of the little free time I have to working on reviews for them, so there might be a decrease in how many a put up here, but I hope it doesn't affect Wednesday Everyday too much. I still plan to add new reviews and updates here as often as I can just, don't be surprised if they are a little more spaced out. I'll always make sure to add links to my reviews at CBB here as well though.

Anyway, I'm excited about this and I hope you all are too! make sure you check out comic Book Bin when you get a chance. It's a great group of people with some amazing work on there.

Modern Comics Review: Marvel Universe Vs. The Punisher

I honestly don’t know why anyone felt this book needed to be made. This is exactly what you would get if you combined the 1995 story The Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe with Marvel Zombies. I don’t think anyone at all out there was screaming to read this series and yet here it is. That all may sound negative, and it is and it isn’t. At least based on this first issue, this is an entertaining series. There isn’t anything particularly bad about and I actually enjoyed it a good bit, I just don’t get why it ever made it far enough for me to read since it’s basically covering ground that we’ve already seen before.

Don’t get me wrong, it may not be anything new exactly, but I was definitely never bored. Jonathan Maberry creates a version of Earth very similar to that of Marvel Zombies, though the infestation comes from a cause much different than “The Sentry crashes into Earth all Zombified.”I appreciated an actual reason for the outbreak here, even if it was fairly predictable. I also would have preferred the reason for Frank Castle’s immunity to be nearly anything else, but it isn’t a huge plot point so I don’t care that much. This issue largely consists of Frank recalling the outbreak to himself (a narrative cliché I’ve never much cared for), but I actually quite liked the story. In a lot of ways it was more gruesome than the origin of the Zombieverse and in a good way too. I liked how that virus could affect certain characters differently and I especially enjoyed what The Thing turned himself into. There really isn’t much else to the story other than the establishment of Frank’s real target, a certain major Marvel character, and that maybe there are other survivors. This issue is mostly setup as a result, but it’s never boring setup.

I’d never heard of Goran Arlov before he penciled this series, but I’m fairly impressed with his work here. He creates a suitably dark, somber version of New York City that really shows how bleak everything has gotten. His Punisher is a very grizzled character, even more so than normal, and his one-panel rendition of the Blob is very chilling and makes his brief scene truly haunting. That being said, his work is nothing super special and there are some characters I wouldn’t be able to name based on his artwork unless they were named in the story, but overall it’s serviceable art that rarely distracts from the story.

I decided to check out The Marvel Universe Vs. The Punisher mainly out of curiosity as to what new and original scenarios Maberry could come up with. By that, I mean I was most interested in the various ways that Maberry might have the un-powered Punisher take out the superheroes of the Marvel Universe. Unfortunately, neither of those are areas are made particularly original here. Most of the main infection story is derivative of one source or another at least at this point and we only get to see The Punisher kill a few heroes, and in relatively unspectacular ways. I will likely pick this series up again when the next issue comes out, admittedly largely due to the cover, but if Maberry can’t really make this world seem more interesting and unique and really take advantage of the playground he has, I likely won’t come back after that. It was fun enough for now, but it's gonna have to ramp up some to keep me entertained.

Overall: 6.1/10

Modern Comics Review: Superman: The Last Family of Krypton

I don’t proclaim to have read them all, but I’ve yet to encounter a DC Elseworlds that I haven’t enjoyed. I’ve always loved the idea of the non-continuity alternate dimension comics such as Elseworlds and Marvel’s What If? books because they offer free reign for a creator to be as imaginative as they want to be. The Last Family of Krypton, the first Elseworlds title in quite some time, uses this freedom in wonderful ways to create an imaginative and engaging Superman story, even if Superman himself never appears once in the issue.
The plot of Last Family is fairly simple. How would the world be different if Kal-El’s mother and father had come to Earth along with him instead of sending him by himself. Within short order, however, Earth has completely been changed from how it normally is in the DCU as the El’s adjust to and become a part of Earth society. Soon after arrival, Jor-El and Lara become Superman figures in their own right and quickly become celebrities across the planet. Jor-El starts a company to better human society and Lara founds a Kryptonian religion on Earth, while young Kal-El is voluntarily adopted by a familiar couple to learn how to better integrate into himself into Earth. This particular part read as a very organic way for Clark to grow up with his biological parents while still able to be raised as the Superman readers know him as. Admittedly, it did seem odd that the El’s would be so willing to hand their child out to adoption, but they do keep in frequent contact so it’s not all that bad. In fact, the dual-parent aspect is one of my favorite parts of the issue as Clark must try and form his own values based off of two completely different cultures being fed to him. It’ll be entertaining to see how this affects Clark in his adult life.
Cary Bates creates some very real, fresh voices for each of his characters here without throwing out the characterizations we’ve seen in the past. Though Jor-El has been dead chronologically since before Superman ever appeared, readers have gotten glimpses of his personality here and there and the Jor-El in Last Family reads exactly as those interpretations would have you expect him to. He is kindly towards the people of Earth, but also seems to hold himself above them as well. There’s a sense of hubris about him, but not one that is overbearing or that makes him unlikable. If anyone seemed out of character, it was the general population of Earth who seemed almost too accepting of the Kryptonians, though that could just be the pessimist in me speaking. I especially enjoyed how Bates chose to end the book, with a delightful new development for the El’s that uses his scripting freedom to its fullest while still feeling like a natural path for the story to take. It could certainly lead to some very interesting scenarios in the next two issues.
I haven’t encountered artist Renato Arlem many times before, but I can officially be counted among his fans now. His work on Last Family is simply gorgeous. Though human in appearance, his Lara and Jor-El have a distinct quality to them that clearly sets them apart from any other characters every time they appear; it comes off making them feel powerful and both alien and human. I especially loved the constant costume changes the El’s had an each outfit looked great. He has a truly splendid attention to detail and no panel was lacking background. It really felt like Arlem put as much effort as he could muster into every panel. If I had a complaint with his work here, it’s that, at times it seems like his faces’ only have two emotions: happy and serious. Everyone just sort of fluctuates between these and it makes some scenes look more awkward than they should.
I didn’t really have any expectations going into The Last Family of Krypton. I was hoping it would be as good as other Elseworlds tales that I had read, but I wouldn’t have been surprised if it had been awful. There was certainly room for this series to be awful, but the combination of Cary Bates and Renato Arlem keeps the quality level high. If you came here looking for Superman-class action, you’ll be sorely disappointed, but if you want some in-depth characters and a well thought out, engaging plot, then you came to the right place. I very excited to see where Bates takes this story in the next two issues. Literally anything could happen, I just hope that the it stays this interesting the whole way through.

Overall: 9.0/10

Modern Comics Review: Secret Avengers #3

I had some amount of skepticism for each of the four Avengers series that launched as part of Marvel’s “Heroic Age.” Though I was excited for it after hearing the creative team and seeing the line-up, I found myself wondering if Secret Avengers was necessary. I honestly wasn’t sure why we needed this team with all the other ones running around, but it’s a testament to Ed Brubaker’s skill that after the first issue, I was completely sold on the series. It’s since moved to the top of my read list every time a new issue comes out. I may not know for sure where the story is going, but it sure is a fun ride getting there.

Issue #3 starts with a flashback to some Confederates post-Civil War. While I have next to no idea what this has to do with the story, it really shows artist Mike Deodato’s versatility and talent. We then cut back the Ant-Man as he finds out just where that strange doorway from last issue leads to. The answer isn’t entirely surprising, but it is still interesting in its own way and could give the new Ant-Man a chance to show how much of a hero he can be. My personal favorite part of the issue has to do with the Archon, the giant creature Steve Rogers and the Beast were fighting as he becomes a much more fleshed out character in this issue and we even get his origin here, though I find it hard to believe that the Watchers would create such proactive creatures, but that doesn’t have a huge impact on the story. Archon becomes a fun character and, for a bit, I was holding out hope that he might even join the team as a new member, but somehow I doubt it. My only other problem with this issue was the possessed Nova creating an oxygen atmosphere on Mars; I’ll admit I don’t know much about the Serpent Crown(s), but this seemed like a much larger display of power than I would have thought it capable of. Also, for those of you out there looking for a little more info on why Nick Fury is in this as a villain, you won’t find any answers here, though I’m doubting it’s actually Fury.

Mike Deodato really gets some great images to play with here. I really like his design of Archon and he gets a lot more chances to show us the character this issue. I especially loved his action scenes this month as his characters really seems epically powerful, as they should given the context of this series. For the first time, possibly ever, I actually buy Valkyrie as an Asgardian and not some lame imposter like her old Ultimate counterpart. He even gets some chances to draw some Celestials and other cosmic beings and they all look great, with the possible exception of the Watchers, who look even more freakish than they’re supposed to. Doubly impressive is how fun he makes this book to look at it when 75% of the backgrounds are all basically the same. You can only do so much to make Mars look interesting. In this department, props need to go to colorist Rain Beredo for making all the colors fit without appearing too strikingly different against each other. This is a truly gorgeous book.

I’m truly excited to see where Secret Avengers goes in the future. In three issue, Brubaker has made the stakes and the story fun and Deodato is making it equally great to look at it. I’d really like to see all the different plot threads start coming together more and see the team converge some more as they’ve moved pretty far apart in the past two issues, but it definitely hasn’t hurt the book. The pacing is fast and plot interesting and I can’t wait to see where it goes.

Overall: 8.9/10

Modern Comics Review: Green Arrow #2

You know what this issue really made me miss about Green Arrow? His old trick arrows. I know some of them were utterly ridiculous (fountain pen arrow anyone?), but they were silly comic book fun and it was always entertaining to see what new ones he’d show up with. But most importantly, they prevented him for having to shoot at everyone with actual arrows. Between this issue and the last, there’s entirely too many people getting pierced by sharp metal points and way too much blood flying because of it. Maybe the trick arrows weren’t particularly realistic, but they resulted in a much more entertaining story, at least for me.

That’s really one of the biggest problems present here; everything is just too dark, gritty and violent, an oft-occurring problem of writer J.T. Krul of late from what I understand. I stated in the review of the last issue that the violence just has too much of presence and that I don’t much care for Green Arrow’s new position in life and that continues here. More people getting hit with arrows and more self-confinement to the forest. There is a slight revelation on the part of the new owner of Queen Industries, but I couldn’t really make myself care about it at all. The one part I did like was the inclusion of Hal Jordan into the story. While he ultimately doesn’t have a huge bearing on the plot, there are some nice moments of camaraderie between him and Ollie that feel genuine. My favorite part of their interaction was that Ollie actually smiled briefly due to it; it was just nice to have a little break from all his grimacing. The issue certainly ends on a cliffhanger that could prove interesting, but somehow I doubt it’ll actually be dealt with in a good way, but who knows, maybe I’ll be proved wrong.

I’m still not sure how I feel about Diogenes Neves’ art. At times he comes off as a truly talented penciller and at others his work looks so rushed and sloppy. Weirdly enough, it has a different feel to it than last issue. Where previously I called him a cross between Scott Kolins and Rags Morales, it now seems more like a cross between Jim Lee and Rags Morales. For some reason, this isn’t as much of a compliment as I would have thought. It looks downright sloppy at times and his characters end up in some very strange positions that don’t look quite natural. I do have to give credit to colorist Ulises Arreola though, for adding some truly vibrant colors that make the forest and especially the shades of green, pop. Neves has some real potential to become a great artist, but he needs to nail down his personal style and refine it first.

I’m starting to lose my interest in this book. If Krul can’t do something to make me care about these characters and make this new status quo more entertaining, then I’m going to be dropping this book soon. I get why Krul went this way with the plot, but it doesn’t make it anymore fun. I can’t make myself invest any interest in any of these characters and the fact that the events of the last two pages barely made care at all is a bad sign. This should have been a moment of surprise, but instead I felt little impact. The whole Queen Industries sub-plot is really pretty boring to me and I don’t see it improving much in the future. There were some decent character moments to be had, but for right now I only plan to stay for this first arc. There better be some amazing improvements if DC wants me to keep reading this books.

Overall: 5.5/10