The Flash #1 - Eric's Review

I miss Wally West as much as anyone, but the writer/artists Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato do a good job of reminding you that Barry Allen—albeit a rebooted Barry Allen with few ties to his own distant or recent past—can be just as compelling.

The story follows a slightly younger Barry than we’re used to, juggling singlehood, his day job as a criminalist and his alter ego as the fastest man alive. His life is further complicated when an old friend appears to be complicit in, and to die during, a robbery attempt. Barry investigates. Unsurprisingly, all is not as it seems.

There’s nothing particularly special about the story, really; the magic’s in the telling. What we may – may – be witnessing here is the arrival of the next Frank Miller (and I absolutely need you to forget about pretty much every single thing Frank has said or done over the past decade when I say that). These are creators in full command of the comics page and all the visual invention made possible upon it, and they’ve been given license to tell the stories they want to tell. A few decades ago, Frank Miller, given the same freedom on Daredevil, turned that comic into a crime story. Here, Manapul and Buccellato have crafted a unique science fiction adventure yarn. The result, in either case, is a joy to behold. Along with Batwoman and Marvel’s Daredevil, The Flash is one of the most inventive comics on the market.

All-Star Western #1 - Eric's Review

The reboot here is a soft one, as the same Jonah Hex we’ve come to know and love arrives in Reconstruction-era Gotham City. The bounty hunter’s methods are ill-suited for, well, civilized Gotham, and so he partners with Amadeus Arkham, future namesake of the asylum, to solve a series of murders.

Since it’s a Western–although, since it takes place in Gotham, an analog for New York City, that’s subject to debate–here’s an appropriately quick and dirty review:

The Good: Writers Palmiotti and Gray have been writing Hex for years, and therefore understand the character intimately, and they've accepted the herculean task of revealing how this Gotham City will evolve into the kind of place, 150 years hence, that needs a guy in a bat costume to keep the peace.  The density of the story is a welcome relief from the flimsiness of other relaunch titles. Moritat provides fantastic art.

The Bad: The book has seemingly abandoned the done-in-one format that made its previous incarnation so appealing. Moritat replaces a rotating crew of artists that included such luminaries as Phil Noto, Jordi Bernet, Darwyn Cooke and others. The book has ties to current (pre- and post-relaunch) Batman titles, including references to the crime bible, which may be a distraction to those who are not deeply immersed in DC continuity.

The Ugly: Jonah Hex, of course.

I, Vampire #1 - Eric's Review

A friend of mine refers to something as "the dog's ears" if it's the best part of something that's already great. I, Vampire -- and I'm tempted to rechristen it iVampire in the wake of Steve Jobs' passing -- is the dog's ears. 

Andrew believes vampires' survival demands subterfuge, peaceful coexistence with mankind means hiding from them. Andrew loves Mary, who whimsically calls herself the Queen of Blood and wants to go to war against humanity, even if humanity has "Superman and a half dozen Green Lanterns" on its side. This is, after all, the DC Universe. 

Writer Josh Fialkov (whose Elk's Run should be required reading) and artist Andrea Sorrentino craft a vampire story that is structured with infinitely more complexity than Twilight. Good and evil wear unlikely faces, beautifully rendered by Sorrentino in a style that conjures Jae Lee, but they do not sparkle. 

Superman #1 - Eric's Review

Writer George Perez and illustrator Jesus Merino have crafted an issue with quite a lot in its favor.

This is a dense book. Unique among the New 52, Superman will take longer than thirty seconds to read through, which adds at least the perception of value, and the conflict here, between Supes and a fire-based villain of unknown origin, is at least temporarily resolved, which makes the contents feel, if not like a complete story, at least a complete experience. In addition, Perez has the Herculean task of establishing a new status quo for the Superman universe. The Daily Planet is now owned by a Rupert Murdoch-like mogul. Clark Kent is no longer married to Lois Lane, who no longer knows his secret identity and who now works as a television news producer instead of a reporter. Regardless of all the arguments for or against these changes, Perez at least calls your attention to them, and in so doing, shows that they may be interesting additions to Superman's mythology in issues to come.

Unfortunately, the story owes its density to at least two modest sins committed by Perez. The writer juxtaposes the action with a newspaper article, a supposed piece written after the fact by Clark Kent for the Daily Planet. However, wherever the article explains the same action as it happens on the page, it feels redundant, and almost as if Perez, a talented artist himself, didn't trust Merino to convey the necessary emotion on his own. Additionally, Kent's article doesn't read like the work of a newspaperman. Apparently, neither Perez nor his editors bothered to research the stylistic restrictions of writing for a newspaper. Not that anyone reads newspapers any more, but for both of us that do, Perez's technique threatens to pull us out of the story.

Detective Comics #1 - Hobo's Review

Now this is what I’m talking about! 

Tony Salvador Daniel has set the bar for the rest of the New 52.  Detective Comics #1 is can only be described as a beautiful marriage of words and pictures.  It IS sequential art.  And I think I know why.  More on that later.

The story begins as one may expect of a reboot of a Batman comic--with the Joker.  However, it is immediately apparent that the Joker is not in a position that we normally find him.  He appears to be the victim of someone higher on the criminal food chain. 

After that one page teaser we see Batman on the hunt for the Joker as he is investigating a fresh string of murders in which the victims’ organs and faces were removed (spoiler alert), which is not the Joker’s modus operandi because the Joker’s modus operandi is that he has no modus operandi (try writing that three times fast). 

Back to the Joker.  As we return, we see that Joker is fighting in tenement apartment with what appears to be the mutilator responsible for the recent rash of killings.  He alludes to a larger plan just before the Joker turns the tables on him and stabs him to death with a knife.  That is when Batman enters.  Batman begins to follow the Joker as he attempts an escape when he notices a young girl in the apartment.  Despite Batman’s clear excitement at the prospect of finally capturing the Joker – implying that he has never done so before – there is no question in Batman’s mind that he should stop and take care of the child instead.  Indeed, Batman counts himself “lucky” that he noticed her before he left.  The police then arrive and treat Batman as a vigilante.  Putting the ungrateful police officers’ safety first, he leads them on a chase out of the building so that they will be out of danger. As they open fire on the Gotham’s hero (that’s right, “hero”), a man that you and I will recognize as (Commissioner?) Gordon tells them to stop.

Batman escapes to the Batcave.  After some light well-placed references to Bruce Wayne’s social life and a relationship with a woman of the feline persuasion, Batman is focused again on his hunt for the Joker. 

The next scene opens at the Gotham City Police Department with the narration of Gordon, rather than Batman.  Gordon laments the actions of his officers against Batman as he uncovers the familiar Batsignal from a sheet.  No sooner does he illuminate the Batsignal than Batman appears behind him on the roof, showing that their relationship is well-established and their meetings understood and expected.  Gordon tells Batman that the girl was the niece of the maniac that the Joker killed.  She knew the location of the Joker’s hideout, which Gordon gives to Batman.  Batman leaves for the hideout, suspecting that the Joker purposefully divulged the information to the kid so as to set a trap. 

Batman arrives as the hideout to find the police already there.  This provides an important limitation on his relationship with Gordon.  Gordon sees Batman as an asset but will not side with him over the Mayor and the department.  The police see Joker inside the hideout and approach him.  Batman’s suspicions of a trap are confirmed as what the police thought was the Joker turns out to be a dummy filled with explosives.  SKABOOMs ensue.  There is much death.  Batman, using his super power of observing and reasoning, looks for anyone not gawking at the explosion and death.  He finds the Joker and follows him onto a train.  Again looking out for the safety of civilians, Batman fights Joker as the nerve gas that Joker sprays on him begins to take effect causing his body to shut down.  Despite the several knives to the body and an electro shock joy buzzer, Batman incapacitates the Joker.  Just before he does, however, the Joker implies that Batman is missing some larger evil going on in Gotham that Batman has failed to see.  Furthering the mystery and the anticipation, just before Batman knocks him unconscious, the Joker states that it was a “fun ride.”

Joker is in Arkham Asylum (presumably for the first time ever) under the care of Dr. Arkham himself.  After the staff leaves the Joker’s room there is a knock at the door.  Enters an unidentified man – the plot thickens.  We learn that the person that the Joker killed at the beginning of the issue was this person’s son, who was to perform some type of operation on the Joker.  The Joker killed him because the Joker demanded only the best for what he is up to – again referring to a much bigger picture.  As a scalpel is brandished by the man, we learn that the unknown man is the Dollmaker.  The issue ends with a splash page of the Joker’s scalped face nailed to the wall in Arkham Asylum as the Dollmaker says “Tonight we will both celebrate our rebirth.”

The fact that the Joker is willing to go back to the Dollmaker after killing his son shows that either (1) the Joker is even crazier than I thought, (2) the Dollmaker is crazier than I thought, or (3) while they are both crazy, it is not their craziness that dictates their actions here (for the most part), but rather that the stakes are so high that these two professionals appreciate that they both demand the best.

As you may notice from my previous reviews I have been under-whelmed by many of the New 52.  There has been forced story telling, lots of exposition and many of the same old tropes paraded out in slightly new packaging.  This had none of that.  The story progressed with a natural flow.  While Mr. Tony Salvador Daniel touched many of the required bases – which based on my reading of many of the other comics appears to be a directive from his bosses – he did so without breaking the flow of the story.  There were references to Batman, Joker, Alfred, Catwoman, Gordon, Bullock and others but none of them (with the possible exception of Bullock) felt shoe-horned in.  It was a beautiful thing to witness.  The story also maintained a simple rule of writing, never answer a question without raising another. 

Two big picture points.  First, this story is such a standout that I stopped to ask why.  Aside from the simple (but quite possibly the correct answer) that Mr. Tony Salvador Daniel is very talented (which he is), I think that the fact that he wrote and drew the issue did wonders for the fluidity of the story.  Nothing was lost in translation from the writer’s vision and the artist’s rendering.  It makes me want to propose that for one month that every writer draws his own story, no matter how crude to see what it looks like. Or more practically, have the writer do sketches of all the panels as guidelines for the artist, and upload those onto the internet as free additional material.

Second, with a grittier Superman premiering in Action Comics #1, the question was raised (to me at least): If Superman is no longer the pure hero of the DC Universe then is anyone?  I say it is Batman.  It was Batman that let the Joker go to save a child.  It was Batman that risked himself to lead the police to safety.  It is Batman that believes in the people of Gotham.  I recognize that it may be an extreme position but I say that with the rebirth of the DC Universe Batman and Superman have switched positions.  Now it may be that writers have independently tweaked each hero’s personalities (granted Batman is not that different than before) and the executives atop the DC ivory tower have not given the larger picture any thought.  That is definitely possible.  But if they have not given it any thought, they should.  Because not giving it any thought is what required the launch of the New 52 (and Crisis on Infinite Earth, and Infinite Crisis and Final Crisis etc.).

But the main point is . . . good comic.

Action Comics #1 - Hobo's Review

There are a few phrases that should never be used by any character in any story, whether seriously, ironically or otherwise.  One of those phrases appears on the first page of Action Comics #1.  After Superman interrupts the deal of two presumably evil businessmen he sniffs the air and says “Rats.  Rats with money.”  When the businessmen’s thugs train their guns on Superman, his eyes glow red and he continues “and rats with guns.  I’m your worst nightmare.”  Aside from being cliché, it is a clumsy and heavy handed way of letting the reader know that this is not your father’s Superman.  The rest of the issue was a process of redeeming itself for this giant eye-roll of an opening.  And for the most part it succeeds.

There are several subtle and more effective indications of the Superman’s grittier persona.  This is accomplished both by the skilled writing and direction of Grant Morrison as well by the fantastic artwork of Rags Morales, Richard Bryant and Brad Anderson.  When Superman first appears we see he is not wearing the traditional Superman costume.  Indeed, he not wearing what most superheroes would call a costume at all.  Donning jeans and a Superman t-shirt, it is only his cape that distinguishes him from a comic book fan you may see walking down the street.  Well, the cape and the superpowers, buff bod and clear skin.  It’s not just his outfit.  His gait and posture are different.  He lurches more.  There is a swagger in his step.  His movements are rougher and less polished.  These subtle indications culminate at the end of the opening scene when Superman holds an evil Donald Sutherland look-alike over his head as he balances on the edge of a building, with a SWAT team taking aim at him and telling him to put the man down.  Superman’s eyes glow red in the night as he state that he will put him down “as soon as he makes a full confession to someone who still believes the law works the same for rich and poor alike.  Because that ain’t Superman.”  He then jumps and crashes to the ground.  The evil Donald Sutherland barely survives and makes a full confession to Superman. 

Everything that Superman says and does in this opening scene is contrary to what Superman has always stood for.  From torturing a confession from a man to using the word “ain’t”.  And while Superman is clearly younger, these differences in character cannot be dismissed as the recklessness of youth.  The young Clark Kent of old would have known that a hero does not act in such manner as sure as he knows the wonders of mom, apple pie and crop rotation.  It is a daring revamp of Superman’s character.  He is one part Robin and one part Punisher.  The story continues but the story takes a back seat to the lingering uneasiness from such a dramatic shift in character.  Over the years so many characters have gotten darker and grittier.  Superman was always the one character that we could count on to be the unwavering standard of morality and justice.  Now that certainty and simplicity of Superman’s moral compass has been compromised, I am looking to the new DC Universe and asking a question I never thought I would: Are there any heroes?  If Superman is no longer Superman than who is?  And if the answer is that there are no more idealistic heroes in the DC Universe then I have to ask what I think is a more interesting question: Did DC intentionally design the new universe that way or is it just a result of changing each character one by one to succumb to the short term bump in sales that results each time a hero falls? 

The actual story that follows is a bit disjointed, confusing and common.  After Superman gets the confession from Mr. Glenmorgan (aka Evil Donald Sutherland) he runs away from the police.  After a one-page interlude establishing that our old pal Lex Luthor and Lois Lane’s father are behind whatever evil-doing is afoot (along with Mr. Glenmorgan) in an attempt to capture Superman, we see Superman saving people from a wrecking ball from hitting their tenement home.  How or why Superman ended up at this location is a mystery.  Did the police chase him? Are the police controlling the wrecking ball? Or did Superman detect the injustice while he fled the police?  All we do know is it is part of a trap by Lex.  Indeed, Lex even has a camera located inside the building that is getting demolished.  Needless to say, Superman saves the people and destroys the wrecking ball as well as two giant tanks that Lex had stationed in the city.  As the police arrive, Superman leaves the scene once again and returns to his own Peter Parkeresque tenement of an apartment that he calls home.

Just as the reader is getting their head around what just happened the story jumps to Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane about to get on a train following a thug that works for Mr. Glenmorgan (Evil Donald Sutherland).  We don’t know why they are following him but Clark has urgently called them to not get on the train.  Again, we don’t know how he knew they were getting on the train or why Clark knows that the train is dangerous.  Regardless, they of course get on the train.  The train goes out of control and becomes a giant speeding missile that Superman must stop.  As Superman jumps in front of the train to slow it down we have another interlude with Lex Luthor and Lois Lane’s father in which they reveal that the runaway train is another part of their elaborate and absurdly circuitous plan to trap Superman.  The story ends with what appears to be a success for Mr. Luthor.  Superman is pinned to a wall by the runaway train – unconscious.

After you take away the reboot of Superman’s character the story itself is not particularly inspiring or original.  It boils down to a familiar Superman story in which Lex Luthor puts innocent lives in danger in the same old fashioned way in order to trap Superman.  I almost couldn’t believe that Grant Morrison relied on not just one but two common superhero distress scenarios in the opening issue.  I get the feeling that Grant Morrison wrote a brilliant 50 page story that he was told to cut down to 30.  Indeed, if you look at the variant cover by Jim Lee Superman is surrounded by giant Lexcorp robots.  These robots appear nowhere in the comic.  My guess is that the most interesting story regarding this issue is not in the comic itself but rather how this issue came to be.  I am still hopeful for issue two.  However, that hope is tied to my faith in Grant Morrison’s ability as a whole and not on the execution of the first issue. 

Blue Beetle #1 / Supergirl #1 / Captain Atom #1 - Eric's Mini-Reviews

Blue Beetle begins with a novel enough premise: the scarab that grants Blue Beetle his powers is actually a world-destroying weapon used by a group of intergalactic conquerors. However, this particular plot twist is revealed on the first few pages, and my writerly instincts tell me that scripter Tony Bedard should have approached the story from the opposite direction, establishing Jaime Reyes as a teenage hero first and then slowly teasing out the true nature of the scarab. As it stands, the issue is too crowded, not only introducing Reyes and the scarab, and them to each other, but also supporting casts of friends and enemies for Reyes in both his civilian and heroic identities. Artist Ig Guara deserves applause for juggling everyone as best he can, but in the end, there's simply too much noise. Reyes does sport a Rise Against t-shirt, however, thus awarding the book at least one check in the plus column.

Who knows, Supergirl, from co-writing Michaels Green and Johnson and artist Mahmud Asrar, could be the breakout hit of the DC relaunch. Seriously, who knows? It's impossible to tell, given how little information is conveyed in this first issue, which comprises exactly one scene over the course of its twenty pages. Those pages, in which a disoriented Supergirl lands on Earth for the first time, in Siberia, and battles Russian soldiers until her more famous cousin shows up, are heavy on action, but light on plot. In its favor, the writers seem to have a solid grasp of the character's voice, shown here in a series of narrative captions since Kara doesn't speak English (or Russian) yet, and the art does its job well enough without ever seeming exploitative. It could be great, but we'll have to tune in for a few more months to find out.

J.T. Krul desperately wants his Captain Atom to be Dr. Manhattan from Watchmen. That is, not merely a nuclear-powered hero, but a hero in command of the nuclear forces that bind the universe together; a captain, if you will, of atoms. Unfortunately, Krul is no Alan Moore, and his science reads like gibberish instead of poetry. Further muddying the waters is Freddie Williams II, a fine artist but surely no Dave Gibbons. Williams' work is ill-suited for the grandeur that Krul flirts with here, which is a shame, since some of the other titles in the relaunch would've fit Williams gritty style perfectly.