Category: Sunday Reviews

Sunday Reviews

It was mostly independents last week – this week it’s just two DC titles.

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #12

The Lords of Order force the magical beings who want to survive to give up their powers but before they can get around to everyone, the new Lords of Chaos – led by a transformed Wonder Woman and Zatanna – arrive and wreak havoc. There’s an epic struggle between Nabu’s Dr Fate and various magicians led by Khalid Nassour – the short lived last host of Nabu – that sends most of the Lords of Order fleeing. When the smoke clears, Wonder Woman pledges to protect the magical realms and people.

Another cracking issue, split between the current action and a flashback to Wonder Woman explaining to Batman why the Justice League Dark had to be set up in the first place. And next issue, we get a “new Fate revealed” as well!

THE TERRIFICS #17

Trapped by the AI in the Stagg Industries building, the Terrifics struggle with the ethics of having to contain or destroy a sentient being that threatens to destroy everything. Mother Nature herself makes her presence known in the craziest way possible, and Plastic Man suffers from a truly split personality.

It’s mad, full on action and crazy superheroics at its best. So happy that Gene Luen Yang has continued the tone set by Jeff Lemire.

Sunday Reviews

AQUAMAN #49

Arthur finally gets his memories of Mera back, but they come with a twist – not only did she reveal her pregnancy to him, but his reaction (of wanting to slink off and think about things for a while) pissed her off so much that it looks like she flipped and accidentally killed him. That was the incident that meant him waking up without memories on the island of the old sea gods.

I’m in two minds about this series since DeConnick took over; it’s well written and the art’s usually good, but the whole amnesia/my wife’s pregnant story line just feels too familiar. How many times have we seen/read a scene where – DUN DUN DUUUUHHHH – the woman says “I’m pregnant!” in order to provide a plot point for the man? This, combined with the amnesia, just seems lazy.

BARBARELLA / DEJAH THORIS #4

The two heroines from different times work together to save the inhabitants of a water-filled Mars, sending them back through time to become their own ancestors and, along the way, ensuring the rise of the Red, Green and all the other Martians, of which Dejah is one.

This has a been a fun series; I’ve not encountered Leah Williams’s work before but this makes me want to track some more down. It’ll probably be collected at some point, and you could do worse than picking this up.

JUSTICE LEAGUE #26

As Martian Manhunter scans the Earth for Lex Luthor, many of the other Leaguers head to the House of Heroes where heroes from the multiverse have gathered to hear Superman and the World Forger ask for help in finding the Monitor and the Anti-Monitor. Meanwhile, Hawkgirl and Mera set about training new heroes while Starman is trying to find the other pieces of the Totality.

This was slower paced than recent episodes, perhaps because James Tynion IV is writing rather than Scott Snyder, but there’s still the whole “the multiverse is dying!” thing which has been going on since forever. As much as I liked seeing the other heroes from the multiverse, this has been dragging on for such a long time now.

A WALK THROUGH HELL #11

We get glimpses of Shaw’s past, while in the present McGregor acts as Shaw’s guide in hell (or wherever they are) showing her what has happened to the agents who went before them, as well as Driscoll who reveals her own, mostly unwilling, part in this whole thing.

Man . . . one issue to go and I have no idea where or how this is going to end, but I’m suspecting something dark and nihilistic.

WARLORD OF MARS ATTACKS #1

The Martians from Mars Attacks – Moonheads as they’re called here – are in full-on attack mode, invading Helium and the other Barsoomian cities. Despite John Carter’s best attempts, the Moonheads are winning, forcing Dejah Thoris to sacrifice herself and Helium, destroying the entire city and most of the Moonheads in one huge explosion. Years later, on Earth, NASA celebrates the successful landing of a craft on Mars but no sooner do the pictures reach Earth than we see Moonheads destroying the landing craft. At the same time, somehow, they attack Earth in their flying saucers. The issue ends with one of the NASA scientists taking a handful of hostages toward Arizona.

I mentioned this when it was solicited back in March and, sure enough, it’s a 100mph ride that doesn’t let up. It’s fun and probably not going to be too serious for the rest of the mini-series so I’m glad I picked it up.

Sunday Reviews

Sure, there’s only three books in the picture, but it was a bumper week:

BIRTHRIGHT #36

Captured by the government, Mikey and his family learn the truth about how much the world really knows about magic and how it’s preparing for the inevitable clash between our world and that of Terrenos. And with the last page reveal, it seems that clash is coming a lot sooner than anyone thought.

Consistently one of the best looking comics I’ve ever read – and with the same team on it since day one which, these days, is kind of rare – BIRTHRIGHT takes a change of direction this issue, keeping things fresh but still in line with what’s gone before.

BLACK HAMMER ’45 #4

The mission comes to an end for the Black Hammer Squadron as enemies are confronted, civilians rescued and sacrifices made.

From one of the best looking comics to one of the worst. I think I’ve mentioned in each review of this series just how much the art of Matt Kindt doesn’t work for me. Maybe they were trying to evoke a simpler time? Maybe, but for me it just looks childish. Story-wise, then ending’s no real surprise and, maybe because of the art, it felt like something of a disappointment to me.

GREEN LANTERN #8

Green Lantern crashes at Green Arrow’s house and quickly gets involved in a case involving aliens trafficking in souls and giant extra-dimensional beings. All the while, there’s a hitman who’s been hired to wipe out the entire Earth.

This issue is clearly Grant Morrison having fun with some wacky Silver Age nonsense that nobody but him remembers, but for me it didn’t really work. Less because of the inclusion of Xeen Arrow, but more because of the relationship between Arrow and Lantern; Morrison is clearly playing in a sandbox where the 60s and 70s stories happened, Hal and Ollie are old friends who did the tour of America and became relevant for a while, and Ollie at least is easily in his 40s. And all of that jars with the current timeline. This issue felt like fan fiction where Morrison has a story to tell and to hell with anything else that’s happened between 1958 and now. I’ve enjoyed this series up till now, but this issue . . . not so much.

JUSTICE LEAGUE #25

The League fight back against the World Forger and his League led by their own Batman who, it turns out, gave Superman a way out of his prison just in time to get him back to the League in order to defeat the Forger. Striking a deal with the Forger, the League take him back to Earth where they find they’re too late – Luthor and his Legion of Doom saved the world and have made an offer to the villains of the world, giving them whatever they need to take over the world.

This issue’s big and bombastic – Superman’s return is handled really well – but it mostly feels like padding. Sure, there’s mention of the Source Wall collapsing and the Multiverse rushing towards it’s doom, but it just feels like set-up for the Underworld Unleashed Forever Evil Year of the Villain event that’s coming up in the next few months. Still, the art looks nice.

LADY MECHANIKA: SANGRE #1

After a flashback to 500 years ago in Mexico, we’re back with Lady Mechanika who has been called to Spain to help solve the case of a seemingly possessed young man, Alejandro, who’s parents have wildly different ways of dealing with the situation. His overbearing father Pedro is insistent that the church can save Alejandro, while Leonora, his mother, has called in Lady Mechanika. After speaking with the house servants, Mechanika doubts if there is even a case to solve, though her mind is changed by issue’s end.

Another good start to the latest Lady Mechanika tale; Joe Benitez seems to be easing back on the art but Brian Ching’s work is just as lovely to look at.

SHADOW ROADS #8

Kalfu and Abigail meet with the Buzzard Clan to try and find why Henry has gone missing and just where he has gone. Henry has managed to visit India, with his friend Barry following him, and manages to track down his mother.

This issue had more background, more information and so felt bigger after the last few issues which seemed to sprawl a little. As such, it was more enjoyable than those.

SHAZAM! #6

Billy and Mary set out to rescue the other members of the family, while Dr Sivana and Black Adam battle it out at the Rock of Eternity. Trying to enter one of the other realms, Billy and Mary are instead sent back home where Billy finds his birth father has returned and is on parole. Pedro and Eugene meet the wizard Shazam, and while King Kid plans a war against Earth, Mary confesses to her adoptive parents that she and the others are superheroes.

Another good issue with various pieces being put in place for the showdown that’s coming.

Sunday Reviews

A very quiet week, this week – but it’s quality, not quantity.

DOOMSDAY CLOCK #10

Dr Manhattan finally reveals when and how he’s been hanging around the DCU, first appearing way back in 1938 at the original first appearance of the Golden Age Superman. The rest of the issue, he talks both about the DCU timeline changes and, at the same time, discusses the fortunes of the actor Carver Colman who plays Nathaniel Dusk – clips from the Dusk films and Colman’s murder have been littered throughout the previous issues and this one makes it clear why. Manhattan, focusing on Superman and the changes to his origin story, realises that “outside forces” are changing things; these outside forces are (in-story) the Anti-Monitor and Extant, but there’s also plenty of meta-commentary about them being the Editors at DC. He labels the main DCU the “metaverse” and, out of curiosity, meddles with it by moving Alan Scott’s lantern out of his reach way back during the train crash that allowed him to become the first Green Lantern. This wipes out the JSA and, in turn, creates the New 52 DCU (while simultaneously ignoring FLASHPOINT and the Pandora character who was originally credited/blamed with creating it). And, as the issue ends, he realises he’s on a crash course with Superman.

Despite all the delays this series has had, despite the likelihood that it’s impact on the main DCU will be lessened by the time it finishes due to Geoff Johns no longer having the influence he had back when Rebirth was kicked off, this is a bloody good story and an excellent single issue. Both Johns and artist Gary Frank absolutely nail this one, and while I look forward to its ending, with Brian Michael Bendis and Tom King being Dan Didio’s golden boys these days, I really doubt there’ll be the massive impact at the end of DOOMSDAY CLOCK that was promised. I hope I’m wrong.

And talking of hope, it gets several mentions in this story and, with the recent ending of HEROES IN CRISIS and what that story does to Wally West who, in DC UNIVERSE: REBIRTH was the beacon of hope, I can’t help but think poor old Geoff Johns’ story isn’t going to make much difference in the DCU.

A WALK THROUGH HELL #10

McGregor and Shaw continue their journey through what might be hell, with McGregor revealing a secret from his teenage years which ends with an expression of hopelessness and nihilism . . . and a possible help to Shaw.

Another excellent issue with Ennis continually subverting what you expect to happen. Two more issues to go!