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LWIC: Death, Violence, Zombies, and One Fun Comic!

Last Week In Comics:
A fresh take on 5 day-old comics.

Action Comics #833

The last time we saw Flamebird and Nightwing they defeated Reactron after being framed for the murder of Mon-El. Now all of that seems to be behind them and they are free to roam the Earth. LWIC (Last Week In Comics):

I wish I knew what happened between the capture of Reactron and the revile to the world that he and General Lane framed the Kryptonian heroes, but instead I get to see the heroes back on their original mission. Even with the confusion, its nice to see the original mission continue. Like in Red Robin (reviewed later in this post) this comic is set in the main character’s world, including subplots featuring the supporting cast, yet creates its own identity by traveling the world on mission instead of protecting one major city.

Batman #693

First of all since Dick Grayson took over the mantle of the Bat he modified the costume to meet the needs of his crime fighting style. Now Tony Daniel returns and draws the new Batman exactly like the old one – forgetting all of the costume changes except the belt… seriously. All nitpicking aside there is a lot going on in Gotham with Tommy Elliot (Hush) posing as Bruce Wayne trying to destroy everything Wayne has accomplished to a possible “new” Black Mask organizing all of Gotham’s costumed crazies into his own personal army. Oh, and speaking of Hush (Tommy Elliot,) it was nice to see and question Mr. Edward Nigma’s new “Reformed Riddler” identity again. LWIC:

After reading this issue its safe to say that there was a lot happening but nothing happened. There was a lot of possible set-up but Daniel’s writing and art was slightly confusing, so I am just going to pretend that I am right and the Riddler returns to his evil ways and teams up with Hush again because that sounds fun to me.

Batman and Robin #6

Jason Todd returns again as the Red Hood with a new sidekick – Scarlett. Scarlett and the Red Hood think that they are just like Batman and Robin except they will make the “Punishment fit the Crime” – meaning they kill criminals that kill people. This extreme vigilante style has brought in criminals that can be considered “extreme” versions of the normal costume crazies in Gotham. LWIC:

I was not that impressed with this whole return of the Red Hood story, so I am ready to see what Morrison has planned for the next couple of issues.

Red Robin #6

Tim Drake was traveling the world looking for proof that Bruce Wayne never died and that he is still alive. During his travels Tim worked with Ras Al Gul and now Ras has Tim working for him to hunt down the assassins who are assassinating the League of Assassins. LWIC:

With Red Robin leading the raid of assassins against assassins and hoping that there will be no killing is funny, so funny in fact that I enjoyed the comic. The comic was simple, fast paced, fun, and full of ninja assassins – what more could you want from a comic book.

Blackest Night Comics

Ok, time to copy and paste:

Back in the day when Abin Sur passed away and his Green Lantern ring and responsibilities were passed to Hal Jordan, he did so because of his findings about the prophecy of the “Blackest Night.” In the present, many different colors of Lantern Corps have formed or have been found in the universe. Each color of Lantern Corps receives it’s power from emotion and each emotion is represented by a different color. The prophecy of the “Blackest Night” predicts the removal of all life and emotion from the universe by a corps of lifeless lanterns – the Black Lanterns. To remove the emotion and life from the universe, the Black Lantern Corps’ members are all formerly deceased creatures/heroes throughout the universe that prey on those they were close to. By raising the emotions of their prey the Black Lanerns energize, or recharge, their Power Battery in preparation for the rising of their leader and the destruction of life. The only hope for the universe is all of different lantern corps to work together using each color of the emotional spectrum to create the only thing that can destroy the Black Lanterns – pure white light. LWIC:

Booster Gold #26

Green Lantern Corps #42

It was sad to see Kyle pass away. It seems that since his conception in the 90’s no writer has been able to do anything with Kyle to solidify him as a mainstay of the DCU.

and

THE BEST COMIC OF LAST WEEK
BATGIRL #4

This comic was FUN!

In a universe full of death, violence, and zombies sometimes a fun comic can overshadow them all.

I love the fact that Steph Brown does not want to be Batgirl to be part of the Batfamily, she does it because its fun to her and she likes doing good. Its refreshing to see a hero who is doing so not because she is an orphan or learned the hard way that “With great power comes great responsiblity.”

*note: neither my wife or I proofed this article… she was too busy dealing with a crying baby, and I was to busy crying while watching the Browns on Monday Night Football.

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Posted by Fred on November 16, 2009 @ 10:47 PM Under: Last Week In Comics
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LWIC: The Ultimate Alien Death Machine!

Last Week In Comics:
A fresh take on 5 day-old comics.

Adventure Comics #2

I like Superboy and I was sad to see him die during Infinite Crisis, and I am happy that he was brought back to life before the whole Blackest Night story – a zombie Superboy would not have settled well with me. With last issue’s soul searching and wanting to live the life as Superman did at his age, it was nice to see a larger plot forming.

LWIC Superboy is still trying to make sure that the half of him that was cloned from Superman prevails over the half of his DNA that was cloned from Lex Luthor. With all of the Superman vs Lex Luthor stuff in the last issue, I should have seen that Luthor would be involved in this series, but I totally forgot that Luthor was freed from jail by General Lane to dissect and reverse engineer the captured Braniac and his technology. So it seems that Luthor was just as sad as Superman when Superboy passed away so that he decided to try to clone another “son.” I am looking forward to seeing Lex vs Conner since his conscious is already having a hard time with the internal Lex Luthor conflict.

Amazing Spider-Man #604

I usually complain about the crappy life and the complaining that Peter Parker fills his comic with, but writer Fred Van Lente pulls it all together. For some reason the Chameleon is after Mayor J. Johna Jamieson and stole the identity of the mayor’s photographer Peter Parker. While disguised as Peter the Chameleon gets Peter involved with his roommate (A female you sickos!) and gets him and MJ back on speaking terms.

LWIC Pete escapes the Chameleon’s clutches and returns to his “normal” life. Unfortunately, all the the “fixing” the Chameleon did, Pete finds himself in a Fix. I have to admit that not much happened but seeing Peter deal with his new girlfriend and her crazy demands, seeing Harry Osborn staying at May’s house, and the reminder that both he and MJ remember what happened before “One More Day” was a fun read… I’m almost sad that next week’s issue seems to be full of action again with the return of Kraven The Hunter’s wife and daughter.

Blackest Night: Batman #2

The Batman family is the perfect crew to battle super-powered zombies… think about it – the prerequisite to be in the club is that your parents have to be dead, AND their death needs to feed your need to dress up and hide in the shadows to take revenge on all who break the law.

LWIC Tim Drake, aka Red Robin, returns to the family to fight his parents who have teamed up with the resurrected Flying Graysons. As campy as this could have been, the characterization was dead on – pun intended. I mean Damian is all about violence and killing, Dick is all about thinking about a solution, and Tim is looking into the “why?” I have to say seeing Damien (Robin) lecture Dick (Batman) about using guns only to hear him remind his sidekick that they aren’t killing anyone since they are already dead.

Oh, I didn’t think the Black Lanterns could create light constructs, but it seems as if the Ventriloquist has make several light constructs of Scarface… so can Black Lanterns create light constructs, or was it a writer error?

Blackest Night: Green Lantern Corps #40

While the BatFamily is reminding us how many of Earth’s dead have become Black Lanterns the Green Lantern Corps are at the center of the battle. Most of the Blackest Night books are showing the impact these Zombie Black Lanterns are having on Earth’s heroes, the real battle began and is taking place in space.

LWIC the Green Lantern Corps reassess the situation, looks into the death/capture of the Guardians of the Universe, and regrouping to fight as a unified front. I may not have much to say about this issue, but there is a lot going on… you get a feeling while reading this issue that something in the Corps started “clicking” and a retaliation/huge battle will soon come.

Red Robin #4

I have always wondered if the super-heroes of the DCU existed in the real world, why didn’t they do anything about the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? Well in LWIC Red Robin answers that question:

I have said it before Tim Drake, as Robin, was acting more like Batman than even Bruce Wayne was before his death. Now Tim takes the “Detective” role and finds that Bruce didn’t necessarily die during the Final Crisis, only to die… good thing he was working with a guy who can raise the dead -Ra’s Al Gul.

Superman: New World of Krypton #7

The whole Earth vs Kryptonians thing was getting old, especially since a General on Earth had a personal vendetta against Superman and creates an intricate plot to start a war with the Kryptonians was good the first time during the “Incredible Hulk” movie.

LWIC I was just starting to get into the story again since it seems as though General Zod may be just as much of a major player as General Lane in the upcoming war. After the assassination attempt on Zod, he passes control of the Kryptonian Army to Kal-El… almost as he wants Earth’s hero to lead the Kryptonian army against his adopted home world. As soon as that happened and I was looking forward to the personal struggle that Supes would have to deal with a bunch of Thangarians show up… and now the Kryptonian Army is at war with a bunch of Hawk people. WTF?

Booster Gold #24
w/ Blue Beetle Second Feature

Booster Gold travels through time fixing errors that he originally made.

LWIC Booster fixes the problem that has been lingering for the last couple issues only to find that his solution ended up helping the main villain of the book – the Black Beetle. Speaking of the Black Beetle:

and

THE BEST COMIC OF LAST WEEK
BLUE BEETLE

This has got to be the best book ever… I have no write up for it, but when you have the ultimate alien death machine tapped into your spine and you are a good hearted teenager you are bound to have some great adventures. Yeah, I called it the “ultimate alien death machine,” because it is. The scarab that give Jaime his power is an alien artifact made for war… and it has a mind of it’s own and all it thinks about is killing.

LWIC the Black Beetle attacks Jaime and his family causing Jaime to finally give in to the alien technology and he turns from the Blue Beetle to one of the Alien Warriors that once tried to violently take over the Earth.

This is the second month that I have labeled this “back-up story” the best “comic” of last week, shouldn’t that be enough for DC to give the Blue Beetle his own book again?

Posted by Fred on September 14, 2009 @ 10:26 PM Under: Friday Night Fights
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LWIC: There Is Always A Plan “B”

Last Week In Comics:
A fresh take on 5 day-old comics.

Action Comics #880

The “Codename Patriot” story arc continues… but I’m not exactly sure what has happened that is being continued. Here is what I know: There is now a planet of Kryptonians in orbit with Earth. Earth hates/fears the Kryptonians so the military, led by Lois Lane’s supposedly dead father, is planning on taking them out. The military’s reach extends to New Krypton where there was an assassination attempt on General Zod. The assassin fled to Earth so Superman and Supergirl go to follow.

LWIC (Last Week In Comics) Superman and Supergirl talk to the Guardian about what is going on and a real nice scene between Superman and Lois takes place, while we find out that the US military planned the assassination of Zod. Oh, you know the two characters that have been carrying this title since Superman left… well they sign autographs and get captured…

This storyline is either dragging on, or not holding my interest… lets see how I feel when the whole thing is over.

Amazing Spider-Man #601

Peter Parker is no longer married to Marry Jane because of a deal with the devil, yet both of them remember (maybe) the past. As confusing as that sounds and as bad of a storyline that was, the Spider-Man comics have never been better… that was until MJ showed back up forcing us readers to think about “One More Day” again.

LWIC we see that the Chameleon is Creepy… more so than and any zombies that you may have read about last week. I have always liked the Chameleon as a character, there is something pleasing about a character who goes all “Scooby-Doo” with disguises. In the past I always figured that he just made a rubber mask to look like someone else and then proceeded to commit crimes in disguise, but LWIC the Chameleon goes all “serial killer” like and dissolves his victims in acid after taking a mold of their face… creepy!

That creepiness by itself made this comic worth reading and has got me really looking forward to the next issue!

Batman #689

Dick Grayson has finally taken up the mantle of the Bat, and he is doing it his way. In past issues, Dick stated that he did not want to be Batman because he is not Bruce, and Alfred told him to not think of Batman as Bruce, but as an act. Taking his trusty butler’s advise he, like the many actors who have played James Bond, puts his own spin on the character, playing up to his own strengths. This Nightwing like behavior of the Batman has caught many people’s attention including the last villain Dick pissed off as Nightwing – Two Face!

LWIC Two Face continues to watch Batman and feed him tips so that he can truly see if it is Nightwing under the cowl. Dick continues to do what Batman does, in his own way, and picks up on the fact that he is being fed these “anonymous” tips. Dick plays along gaining confidence about being Batman, until the trap he expects is unexpectedly sprung.

I’m am really enjoying seeing Dick grow into the character of Batman. I know many have said that this story has been done before, but it hasn’t. In the past Dick was pretending to be Bruce, now he is no longer pretending he is becoming Batman.

And is it me or is the new Batmobile just like the Blue Beetles’ (Ted Kord)  Bug?

Booster Gold #23

I would love to attempt on recapping everything that has happened in past issues, but it’s not that memorable. The best I can do is give you a quick run down of Booster Gold From Wikipedia:

“The character is initially depicted as a glory-seeking showboat from the future, using knowledge of historical events and futuristic technology to stage high-publicity heroics. Booster develops over the course of his publication history and through personal tragedies to become a hero weighed down by the reputation he has created for himself.”

LWIC Booster and company takes the Back to the Future thing and makes it interesting and deep again. For a while the series was nothing more that “Booster you screwed up the time line… now we have to go back in time to fix it!” LWIC a real threat to the time stream is present that ties back to earlier issues in the series. This enemy also has ties to the best back-up feature ever found at the end of every Booster Gold issue – THE BLUE BEETLE!

Could this be a revival for Booster Gold… maybe I won’t just be buying this for the Blue Beetle back-up story anymore.

Red Robin #3

I like Tim Drake as Robin because I have been collecting comics before he became Batman’s sidekick and have watched him grow into his own. Right before Batman died (or went missing) Robin was acting exactly like a “Dark Knight Detective.” After Bruce’s death and Dick’s choosing Batman’s son to be Robin, Tim took up the identity of Red Robin.

LWIC Tim continues his search for answers and we the readers get some answers as to why Tim and his new persona are so cold and emotionless. Tim feels betrayed… plain and simple. Then he became Robin because Batman needed help, Tim figured out the secret identity and saved Batman’s life. He was unlike the rest of the “Bat Family” he had both of his parents living when he first donned the costume of the Boy Wonder. As Tim got deeper into the becoming Robin, the rest of his life  followed suit and his parents both violently passed away.  Like the other Robins before him, Tim was adopted into Bruce’s family… and now Bruce is gone.

It’s interesting to read about a character who was more like Batman (carefully planning and thinking everything through) yet different than the Caped Crusader(the fact that he choose to step into the darkness), become emotionally lost and try to find his way.

So the Blackest Night is DC Comics big summer blockbuster, and it features Zombies equipped with power rings.

I have always liked the Green Lantern series because they are cops who patrol space guided by the self-proclaimed “Guardians of the Galaxy.” This immortal race took it upon themselves to create laws and law enforcement for the whole universe… that in itself is a set-up for disaster. Not only is it a set-up for disaster on many occasions it has been very disastrous. With all of these disasters fixed by the Green Lantern Corps and the other DCU (DC Universe) Heroes, you would think that the Guardians would have learned their lesson…

Before the Blackest Night even begins, we the readers find out that there were pages from the great “Book of OA” (the bible of the Guardians of the Galaxy) that were left out or forbidden. These pages foretold the prophecy of the Blackest Night, or the destruction of the Green Lantern Corps.

To understand the Blackest Night you need to understand that there are different types of Lanterns in the universe other than the Green Lantern Corps. Each corps gains its power from an emotion – the Green Lantern’s is Will Power. The Blackest Night is a prophecy that foretells the coming of the Black Lanterns and the destruction of the Green Lanterns. The Black Lanterns are made of once deceased characters in the DCU, and like all other zombies, they want the living to join their ranks!

LWIC Blackest Night #2 shows how the dead rising will effect the Earth and it’s people. In this issue we see Aquaman (my favorite under appreciated DCU character) rise from the dead and take back his place as king of Atlantis… or Zombie King of Zombie filled Atlantis. The Martian Manhunter continues to try to get his fellow Justice League Members to join the Black Lanterns and fails, but they fail to kill him. The hero’s are on Earth seem to be having a hard time re-killing these zombies. This comic did a great job bringing a universe wide threat home and making it feel more relevant to the current DCU than any Crisis.

LWIC Blackest Night: Batman #1 did not feature Zombie Bruce Wayne… instead it featured the Bat Family realizing that their dead parents are now part of the Black Lantern Corps. It was a good Batman and Robin story… shows how the “big event” touches everyone on Earth… gives it some substance and grounds the whole series.

LWIC Green Lantern Corps #39 focuses on the universal scale of the Blackest Night. If you think about it, Earth’s heroes only have to deal with the dead rising on their own planet. The Green Lantern Corps has to deal with the rest of the universe, starting with their own dead first. Not only does the Corps have to protect the whole universe, the crypt of dead Green Lanterns were all resurrected as Black Lanterns…

…I have never read a universe threatening event like the Blackest Night ever in comics. So far this feels more like a “crisis” than most events forced upon us readers every summer.

and

THE BEST COMIC OF LAST WEEK
ADVENTURE COMICS #504

Like Tim Drake as Robin, I have read the birth, death, and resurrection of Con-El (Superboy.)

First he was a clone of Superman that wanted to be Superman not Superboy. Then he joined the Teen Titans and became a leader like Superman only to then find out that he was not only a clone of Superman, but also Lex Luthor. After finding out that Superman and Luthor’s DNA were spliced to create him, Con-El had issues… he wanted to be Superman but worried that some of “Lex” would come out.

During Infinite Crisis, Superboy showed that he was more Super than Luthor and sacrificed himself to save the universe and the honor of the Superboy name.

LWIC we see Con-El take his place as Conner Kent again, starting over and following in Superman’s footsteps. After being dead, Conner now appreciates life and is ready to really “live.”

This comic was a perfect read after all of the universe threatening events of the Blackest Night and the “I don’t want to be Batman” comics of late. This comic reminds us of what a hero really and truly is, and that is the person behind the powers not the powers itself… including the threat that a little bit of “Lex Luthor” hides within us all.

Posted by Fred on August 17, 2009 @ 10:50 PM Under: Last Week In Comics
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LWIC: Clones, Too Many Batmen, and Creepy Zombie Action!

If you are looking for the results from last week’s Friday Night Fights and wondering why they are not at the top of the page on a Tuesday night, don’t worry they were posted earlier. Last Week In Comics was delayed a day since I spent all day yesterday reloading the software back onto my main desktop PC. So if you are here for the results of Friday Night Fights, you may as well read through my opinion of six day old comics from last week as you scroll down to the results.

Last Week In Comics:
A fresh take on 5 6 day-old comics.

Amazing Spider-Man Annual #36

In the monthly books Spider-Man is trapped by Norman Osborn and about to die and then LWIC Peter is whisked away to Boston… Ok…

Giving continuity aside this was a fun book and brought back memories from the last time I consistently read Spider-Man books – the days of the Clone Saga. Don’t get me wrong this book was not totally out of continuity, aside from being almost dead at the hands of his arch enemy, everything else was fine in this book.

LWIC (Last Week In Comics) Peter accompanies his Aunt May and her future husband, J. Johna Jameson Sr. to Boston for an engagement party. After some hilarity ensues between Peter and his new “Bro” and former boss J. Johna Jameson Jr. he gets attacked in the bathroom. After many pages of action and witty spider-banter it is reveled that the attacker was not after Peter but instead he was after one Ben Reilly. You see back in the 90’s comic companies were all about making money, they cared about it so much it ruined them and some readers.  (Check out these two articles: One & Two) During the 90’s every main character was either dying (Death of Superman) or being revamped to be more “extreme”  and Spider-Man followed suit. Instead of killing Spidey off they made him more “extreme” and not by just changing his costume, they decided to change the character. It was reveled that the Spidey we all knew and loved was a clone of Peter. Supposedly when Spidey fought his clone back in the 70’s they got mixed up, seeing how they had the same memories and such – think of the briefcase scenario in movies. After the fans warmed up to the idea that there were two Spideys around and the one we knew as Peter was not Peter, Marvel switched it up again… confused?  Well, so was I and I stopped reading Spider-Man until a couple years ago.

Anyway, the Clone Saga was monumental and it seems that the current creative team saw something fun in the story and they are bringing the clone Ben Reilly back into the mix. Will this annoy me enough to quit reading again… I doubt it. I trust the new creative team… as long as they never introduce a huge new story arc before reaching the climax of the previous one again.

Green Lantern #43

I used to make fun of Marvel and it’s Marvel Zombies series, but it seems like DC has finally jumped on the bandwagon…
Ok, maybe not but I stopped reading Green Lantern after the Sinestro Corps arc and every other color of the rainbow got their own power ring and corps. Prior to and after Infinite Crisis, people were making a big deal about the outrageous numbers of people in the DCU dying, and not only dying but dying violent over the top deaths. Now it seems as if all of those deaths were not for shock value and sales alone, it seems as if Geoff Johns has been secretly planing, building, and writing the Black Lantern Corps for a while now.

LWIC the “Blackest Night” began. Green Lantern’s enemy, the Black Hand, took his own life and unknowingly started the Black Lantern Corps. The Black Lantern Corps consists of once dead folks who rise from the dead to bear power rings and fight Green Lanterns. Sound silly, simple, and odd? Well it is, but man it works. I am not a fan of Zombies and the many movies that they have stared in, but this comic I liked. There wasn’t much to this issue but an updated origin of the Black Hand and the rational behind the creation of the Black Lantern Corps, but from the setup presented in this issue I may also jump on the zombie bandwagon.

Red Robin #2

So Bruce Wayne dies/disappears and the whole Bat-Universe goes crazy. Tim Drake, the current Robin when Bruce passes, was acting more like Batman than anyone else including the current, post Bruce, Batman – Dick Grayson. So after Bruce died, Tim didn’t believe it and decided to go find him and donning a new costume and name: Red Robin. As Red Robin, Tim follows in Bruce’s footsteps by focusing on nothing but his goal, even if it means giving everything else up.

LWIC Tim Drake almost fully becomes as Red Robin what Bruce was as Batman – a man focused on a goal. It was nice to see that the writers post Batman R.I.P. are creating new characters but staying true to the original characterization. Before Bruce died, Tim was more like Batman than Nightwing and that characterization is still true even though Nightwing is the new Batman. The same statement can be said about Dick Grayson’s (Nightwing) characterization as Batman. Watching Tim focused and driven like Bruce is nice; it gives us readers access to the gritty Batman we all became accustomed too since Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, and that is the type of character I grew up reading.

and

THE BEST COMIC OF LAST WEEK
BATMAN #688

I love characterization and continuity, these two things keep me coming back to the funny books every week. Last week Batman #688 had both and this is why it was easily the BEST COMIC OF LAST WEEK!

Dick Grayson, former Robin turned superhero Nightwing has taken over as Batman for the dead/missing Bruce Wayne. Since taking over as Batman, Dick has had some problems adjusting to his new role. Last week in “Batman and Robin” #2, Alfred suggested that Dick try not to “be” the Batman (Bruce Wayne) but instead think of it as a “performance.”

LWIC Nightwing, err Dick, is adjusting to his new “role” better. Instead of trying to be Batman, he is playing the role the best he can. By putting on a performance Dick feels more comfortable changing things up a little bit to get the job done efficiently. Dick and Alfred discuss changes that need to be made to the costume so that Dick can use his acrobatic circus style of fighting. Another thing that Dick does differently as Batman is he makes himself visible. Batman in the past had always hid in the shadows and preferred to be unseen, Dick does not disable the security cameras so that the Police have visual evidence of the crime before Batman bashes heads. This style is different but effective and people are starting to notice. I say people, but I mean person, but the plural form “people” may be a better describing factor.

Nightwing’s last solo adventure, which was one of his best, was against Two Face. Two Face specifically sought out Nightwing for help, and Nightwing failed him. So Nightwing becomes Batman. Two Face, heartbroken and angrier than usual returns to Gotham, and realizes the difference in Batman’s style and the similarity to Nightwing… this looks like it will be a fun ride – and it plays into both Bruce and Dick’s continuity.

Posted by Fred on July 14, 2009 @ 11:00 PM Under: Last Week In Comics
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LWIC: Spawn Now Protects Gotham

Last Week In Comics:
A fresh take on 5-day-old comics.

Battle For The Cowl #1

After reading Gotham Gazette #1 last week I was excited for the Battle For The Cowl hoping that the supporting cast featured in Gazzete #1 would play a large role like in the Superman comics… I was wrong. This comic featured exactly what I expected prior to the false hope instilled by Gazette #1, and that was Nightwing and Robin debating on who should take over the mantle of the Batman.

With Batman dead, or lost in time, Nightwing and Batgirl set up a network of heroes to do what one man used to – keep Gotham in check.  While all of this is going on Tim and Dick debate over who should take on the Batman persona. Tim feels it is necessary for there to be a Batman, while Nightwing feels that Gotham can be saved some other way. While all of this debating is going Arkham Assylum blows up and all of the inmates are now forced by fear of death to work for the Black Mask. Yeah, I thought he was dead too. Anyway, while Tim and Dick verbally battle for the cowl another, who we are lead to believe may be Jason Todd, has already taken the mantle and is bustin caps in criminals. Damien makes a short appearance that leads to a teacher/student moment between him and Nightwing foreshadowing what everyone is predicting. As for story there wasn’t anything deep like in the previous R.I.P. arc, but enough to keep the action good and the reader wondering a little.

Just because the expectations from last week were not met does not mean this was a bad comic, it was a pretty good read. I knew what to expect from Tony Daniel as an artist, but I didn’t know what to expect from Tony Daniel as a writer. Unlike many other reviewers, I found Tony’s art in this issue better than all of R.I.P. even if the writing wasn’t. Grant Morrison wrote a Batman book that made me think, question, and guess whereas Tony Daniel writes a book about face smashing and basic detective work that after reading R.I.P. it was a welcome one. Now comparing Tony Daniel as a writer to Grant Morrision may be unfair, but this is directly tied to Morrision’s past and future stories and I think it will be a nice change of pace between those stories.

Booster Gold #18

I think I may be done with this book.

Yeah… I am… Ok, maybe one more issue to sample the next story arc.

This book used to be constantly one of the best DC books on a monthly basis until Geoff Johns left. Since then there has been this horribly slow story that has had more issues than interesting panels.

I still wonder why this book wasn’t canceled but Blue Beetle was, especially since most of this book’s story focuses on the scarab that powers the legacy of the Blue Beetle. Not only did this book feature the Blue Beetle, it seems as if Booster’s arch enemy may be the Black Beetle… Ironic isn’t it. If Hector, who now possesses a scarab too, decides to not take his revenge on Jaime Reyes (the current Blue Beetle) for not saving his sister and focuses on traveling in time to be Booster’s enemy, then I will feel ripped off for the 36 issues of the Blue Beetle I bought and will be demanding DC to give me my money back.

 

and

THE BEST COMIC OF LAST WEEK
ACTION COMICS #875

 

As I write this review I can’t help thinking that there will be more written about the Booster Gold book that I didn’t like than this comic which is the Best Comic of Last Week. This comic is not the best of last week because it’s story, but because I was expecting a “filler” quality of comic which this book is not. Last week after reading Superman: New World of Krypton, I was pondering whether or not the comics formerly featuring Superman would be worth reading.

Based on the previous appearances by the team of Nightwing and Flamebird I was skeptical of this comic, which in the end was a good thing. I think that if I had high expectations for this book then I would not of liked it. If I would have skipped it, seeing how I buy Action Comics to read about Superman, I would have never witnessed Greg Rucka expand on the best aspect of the Superman comics – the supporting cast.

Nightwing and Flamebird, who were supporting characters to the Superman family at one point in the past, were sucessfuly tied into the supporting cast seemlessly and the story flows into the other books just as seemlessly. Zod and Ursa retun revieling that they are not done trying to conqure Earth, nor will they allow their son stop them… Yeah, Chris Kent is Nightwing. It sounds corny, but its not it works and it is one of the reasons that this was THE BEST COMIC OF LAST WEEK.

Posted by Fred on March 16, 2009 @ 11:01 PM Under: Last Week In Comics
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Booster Gold is most Displeased by the threat of $3.99 comic books.

booster

Blame Snell at Slay Monstrobot of the Deep for this.
Wait! I mean he unknowingly started this meme. Don’t blame him for the rising prices of comic books.

In regards to the $1 cover price increase on comic books check out this interesting article over at CBR.

Posted by Fred on March 12, 2009 @ 5:16 PM Under: Comics
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LWIC: The Dark Nightwing

Last Week In Comics:
A fresh take on 5-day-old comics.

Action Comics #874

So the Kryptonians have their own planet in orbit opposite Earth, and this New Krypton dislikes Earth. You would think that a relationship where two planets that share an orbit and hate each other so much that only one man can travel to-and-from both places freely would lead to great stories… well this was not one of them.

This story was not bad, but there was nothing much going on it in. The focus of this issue was to make many small points that will pan out in later issues. Points such as Kryptonians other than Kal-El are banned from Earth, Zod pardoned and appointed the leader of New Krypton’s army by Alura, Luthor and General Lane possess all of Braniac’s technology, Flamebird and Nightwing still swinging around, and Mon-El being released from the Phantom Zone. All of these, except the two “disguised” Kryptonians swinging around interests me, however, I just would like more of a complete story per issue.

Amazing Spider-Man #586

First, I have to point out that Lilly Hollister’s hair is distracting. I don’t know why the colorist (Andres Mossa) changed the inked lines in her hair to a darker shade of blond. This is not done on any other characters except sometimes with Lilly’s alter ego – Menace. At first I thought it was because she was blond, but her mother in this issue is also blond and her hair does not glow as if it was washed in nuclear waste. Ok, color rant over…

The color rant may be over, but I still have some complaining left. I have watched enough James Bond movies and Scooby Doo to know that it’s not cool when a villian tells his or her origin and plan before completing it. The person who has to listen to the origin story usually finds a way to thwart the plan that was described in detail to them because… they know what is going to happen. In this issue of the Amazing Spider-Man, Lilly Hollister tells her origin and future plans to her new fiance, Harry Osborn. During her disclosure of her alter ego (because communication is key to a happy marriage) Harry is outraged by her evil ways and the issue ends with him holding a gun on his old Green Goblin glider. Guess what will happen next issue folks… Maybe the Spidey team is just trying to throw us off and the two lovebirds will be a gliding version of Bonnie and Clyde, but probably not. I don’t think Harry is too attracted to Lilly anymore and it’s not because of her “glowing” blond hair, it’s because I cant see Harry being attracted to a chick who looks more manly and tough as a Goblin than he did/does.

Batman #686

This is one of those issues that I almost don’t want to write about since everyone has already said better stuff than I would ever write, but I will say a couple of things anyway.

I am a fan of Neil Gaiman, not as much his comic work as his novels, and I can say this comic is pure Gaiman awesomeness. How can I call this comic “pure Gaiman awesomeness” when I have not read too much of his comic work? Easy, this comic reads more as a novel than a comic. Yeah, it’s got pictures and speech bubbles, but the detail that he and Andy Kubert incorporated into this tale feels like a rich descriptive novel.

Speaking of Andy Kubert, his art is as detailed as Gaiman’s characters and dialog making this comic feel like more than a monthly romp through Gotham. This comic feels like something more, it feels epic and emotional. Some examples of the emotion can be captured in small moments from both creators:

This comic was fun to read and I’ll say it was nice to read something that didn’t feel like a monthly comic in a monthly comic instead of a “Special One-Shot.” I look forward to the next installment and how the other folks close to Batman tell his demise.

Batman and the Outsiders Special #1

Didn’t I just mention how it was nice to read a comic that unique without the label “Special?”

This comic was indeed special, but it could have been easily told in a numbered issue of the ongoing series. I still haven’t figured out why the Outsiders were changed to Batman and the Outsiders one or two issues before R.I.P. If DC knew that Batman was going to be gone why include him in the name, because now his name is being removed… sheesh DC make up your mind.

Maybe DC thought it was necessary to include Batman and make the series horribly bad so that once Batman was dead and the team recreated in his image, people would buy it in bulk… Ok, so it’s not the ninteys but seriously, I don’t get it. What I do get though is the new concept of this book and I am liking it.

It seems as if Alfred is now the field commander for a new Outsiders team to continue the dirty work that the Justice League would not do. This is a concept that I like and if this special issue along with the awesome work Peter Tomasi did on Nightwing (which I will rant about in a minute) I am looking forward to this new direction and name… er new direction and old name.

Booster Gold #17

I was really into the last issue of Booster Gold, you know the “Faces of Evil” one featuring Enemy Ace. Hey, what was the point of the whole “Faces of Evil” month again? Anyway, I was digging the last issue because Booster time traveled into a time when I didn’t read comics and introduced me to an interesting character I now want to read more of – Enemy Ace. This month… yeah, not so exciting.

Time travel is a tricky tool, it can either make a story really cool or really “cookie-cutter.” Tapping into an unused source for some good story telling like last issue is really cool. Traveling back in time to make sure something that is supposed to happen really happens is cookie-cutter and Back 2 The Future holds the copyright.

Now tell me if you have heard this one before: Booster goes back in time to make sure that this dude hooks up with this chick so they can have a family… wait, he goes back to make sure that Barry Allen gets struck by lightning in his lab and becomes the Flash. After his time traveling mission is successful Marty, I mean Booster, runs into himself, making us wait to see what happens next. Not only has this all been done before, this issue Booster goes back to a mission he already was back in time for.

Oh, and why is Booster shocked to see himself?  Doesn’t he know that he can travel through time? I wish I could go back in time to when this comic was one of my favorites every month.

and

THE BEST COMIC OF LAST WEEK
NIGHTWING #153

The last issue… It feels like just yesterday reading “A Knight in Bludhaven.” I have been reading Nightwing since he dropped his disco styled costume and went solo, and it’s been one hell of a roller coaster ride. I have seen Dick Grayson creep out of Batman’s shadow only to return, leave, return, and leave again only to have his series end and him return to Gotham to possibly take Bruce’s place.

For years I, and others, have seen Nightwing as his own character and not the “Batman Lite” that many labeled him as.  I don’t think anyone has worked harder to separate Nightwing as his own hero from being a Batman clone, than Peter Tomasi in these last few issues. Tomasi took Nightwing placed him in a different city, a well known city with it’s own history – New York, gave Dick a new identity, and empowered him with the freedom to be a hero his own way. Nightwing excelled once he had these freedoms as a character who payed homage to his mentor but remained his own individual person… Now he will return to Gotham and “Battle for the Cowl” of Batman.

This comic closes what could have been and celebrates Peter Tomasi making Nightwing what so many others tried and failed – a real hero a real person not a former sidekick of the Batman. While this comic may not have been anything other than closure on what Tomasi created, I easily feel that this is the best comic of last week and maybe the best comic in years, because it proves that Dick Grayson is more than just a younger Bruce Wayne and a “Batman Lite.” I just hope that if Dick does take over the mantle of the Bat, he keeps the character traits that Tomasi wrote about, instead of blending him into the Batman everyone already knows.

Posted by Fred on February 16, 2009 @ 10:16 PM Under: Last Week In Comics
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LWICK: Rub Some Dirt On It!

Last Week In Comics:
A fresh take on 5-day-old comics.

The Amazing Spider-Man #577

I have recently been loving the rencet Spider-Man stories, yet this one left me feeling flat.

One of the main reasons that I have been praising Spider-Man since the reboot was the fact that every small storyline connected to a bigger picture. Every issue until this one. Every other issue felt as if they were all part of a larger world with people other than one ones featured in that particular issue.

This issue was disappointing. As much as I like reading a Spidey and Punisher team-up – this one lacked the continuity I expect from the title.

This would have been a good one-shot.

Batman Cacophony #1

I made the mistake of reading other people’s reviews of this issue before reading it myself.

As I progressed through the Joker’s escape I keep thinking that people are taking this comic too serious and they all need to lighten up… until I read the Joker offer himself sexually to another dude for money.

Look I love Mallrats, Dogma, Clerks, and especially Clerks the Animated Series but Kevin Smith’s crude humor in a Batman comic does not work. Not only does it not work, it seems forced. The Joker wanting to sexually defile a deceased Batman may have been funny if not for the other four odd sex jokes.

The sad thing is that I will probably continue to purchase this mini just to see Onomatopoeia and where exactly Smith is going with this… unfortunately by purchasing this mini it could encourage DC to put more books like this on the shelf in the future.

Batman Confidential #23

I don’t know if the disappointment for the odd characterization of the Joker in Cacophony effected my opinion of this book, but I have to say this comic featured the Joker I want to read about.

This issue continues the tale of the Joker’s first meeting with the “normal” folks of Gotham City. Last issue Batman brought the Joker into police custody for the first time. During the span of one night the Joker killed numerous people including the investigating detective’s finance all while in jail.

The Joker continues to terrorize the GPD and city workers bringing his body count up by three at the end of this issue.

This issue was fun… slightly unrealistic but fun.

Booster Gold #14

One word can sum this issue up:

F
I
L
L
E
R
!

The foreshadowing for future issues/stories was the only redeeming quality of what used to be one of the best DC books every month.

Detective Comics #850

I have had beef with this comic since the second part of the “Heart of Hush.” The comic is advertised as a Batman R.I.P. title, yet Batman is not crazy and is running around with Tim and Dick instead of missing. I did find out that this story takes place before the main R.I.P. storyline and that makes sense on why he is running around, but I still can’t figure out how it ties in other than to boost sales.

Paul Dini is a great writer and he turns in one helluva story. Dini took what many of us comic bloggers thought was a “throw away” character along the lines of Doomsday and Bane and made Hush a real/relevant threat to Batman. A couple of years ago Hush showed up as the ultimate bad dude yet had no real back story or proper motivation to take down Bats. Dini did a great job giving him an origin story worthy of wanting to take down Bruce Wayne which means training to take down his alter ego too.

Most other titles that have the Batman R.I.P. banner are related only because they acknowledge that Batman is missing and everyone is worried. This story takes place in the recent past and somehow is tied into the story. I personally feel that the R.I.P. banner is only to boost sales, but just in case I am wrong, here is what could play a role in the R.I.P. storyline:

As annoyed as I was for the unnecessary tie into R.I.P. this was a great stand alone story arc that gives one of the supposed “baddest of the bad” guys some new found credibility.

Nightwing #150

I know that at the end of Batman R.I.P. Bruce Wayne will no longer be Batman forcing someone else to take over. From reading Robin and the future solicits, Tim was my initial guess as to who would take over the Bat-Mantle. After reading this issue of Nightwing and the solicits for future issues I recant my earlier prediction. Based on this issue, I now think Dick Grayson will take over as Batman.

While reading this issue of Nightwing I felt as if I was reading a true solo title of some hero similar to Batman in a world where Batman did not exist. Yeah that probably made no sense… so let me try to explain. Imagine there was no Batman, like in the Marvel Universe or DC Earth 53, and there was a character pulling off super heroics like the Batman. Now imagine that the character was named Nightwing and dressed in all black with a blue stripe on each arm meeting in a “V” on his chest. Got that, now imagine this character saves New York City from having ten or more blimps cover the city in acid. Not only does he save the city, he does this by crashing through the cockpit of the lead blimp and then throws down with the main bad guy thwarting him and his plan. Does this make more sense now?

In the past people have called Nightwing “Batman Lite” and he has always seemed to be in the shadow of the Bat. I have almost every Nightwing issue and can say that he is one of my favorite comic characters, but even I am constantly comparing him to Batman. This issue felt different. In this issue Nightwing felt like his own character, a real hero, and someone who could exist without Batman – and that is an awesome thing.

and

THE BEST COMIC OF LAST WEEK
ACTION COMICS #871

The word “epic” is often used when describing movies, comics, and other stories. Sometimes I feel that the label is overused. Personally I consider the original Star Wars Trilogy, Watchmen, The Shield, Crisis on Infinite Earths, and a few other stories truly epic. That being said, all signs thus far are pointing to this New Krypton arc joining the select few I consider truly epic.

For me to consider a story “epic” it must feel natural with a natural progression from start to finish. An epic story should also involve more than just the main characters, because a true epic is made by the emotion and involvement of the supporting characters. As for natural progression, the New Krypton arc started immediately after Infinite Crisis with Up Up and Away. In that arc we see Lex Luthor manning a Kryptonian war ship that he found buried deep within the Earth. Following that arc Zod and other Kryptonians escape from the Phantom Zone in Superman: Last Son. Recently Superman saved the bottled city of Kandor from Brainiac and released all of the trapped Kryptonians on Earth. Aspects and characters of every story from Up Up and Away and after, including all of the recent one-shots, seem to play a role and start to show in this issue.

Lex Luthor being “recruited” by the U.S. Army because of his scientific knowledge, especially Kryptoinian technology, tie this story into Up Up and Away and the Search for Kryptonite stories. Followers of Zod feel that humans are beneath them. They also feel that Kryptonians, namely Kal-El, should have already conquered Earth and created a new Krypton. These soldiers are loyal to Zod, who I feel will be back soon, and believe that the reason Superman has not yet claimed Earth as a new Krypton is because he is vain and likes being worshiped as a god by the humans.

The emotion of this story plays a major role in the epic feeling. The release of his Kryptoniand family on Earth happened at the same time that Superman lost his adopted father. This emotion is also present after the other Kryptonians beat Doomsday to death on the Moon. Superman seems genuinely concerned and the joy the Kryptonians showed in the death of Doomsday is slightly disturbing.

Seeing this story multiple perspectives such as the military, Lex Luthor’s, followers of Zod, Superman, humans, and Kryptonians creates an epic feel making this issue easily the BEST COMIC OF LAST WEEK.

I just can’t help thinking to myself aren’t Kryptonians peaceful almost to a fault, yet they took so much joy in beating Doomsday to death.

Posted by Fred on November 17, 2008 @ 9:40 PM Under: Last Week In Comics
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Last Week In Comics: Even God Can’t Help A Crappy Book

SpaceBooger’s weekly review of last weeks comics is back giving a fresh take on 5-day-old comics:

No Crisis Nessicary
No Crisis/Super-Punch Necessary!

Amazing Spider-Man #559
Its always funny to see a hero get hit with a weenie!

Amazing Spider-Man #559 started off horrible with Spidey being humiliated by a spandex wearing gymnast via the internet and streaming video. As horrible as the intro was, it did serve as a proper plot tool for Peter Parker’s new photographer job. Peter has had money issues in the past, like not having enough money to afford web-fluid, so it was nice to see him finally get a pay raise. Tempted with riches Peter becomes a member of the Paparazzi causing a moral dilemma within himself and between him and his best friend Harry Osborne.

I am not a fan of these new villains like Menace and the Freak, but I like the characterization of Peter and his pals and that keeps me reading every brand new issue.

Batman #676
Batman #676 Sports a new Batmobile that turns Dark Knights into Shiny Happy People.

Batman #676, or Batman R.I.P. #1 was pure setup… As if Morrison’s whole run has not been setup enough. I am starting to see how all of this pieces together, yet I have no clue as to what is going on. The philosophical discussion between Tim and Alfred was nice, but the secrecy around Damien was even better. The Joker bit at the end was spot on as to how I envision the character being, and yes DC Comics should care how I envision the Joker.

My only concern with this issue, and this storyline thus far, is that Jesibel Jet seems to only be a plot device similar to the forced love interest in every superhero movie… I hope Morrison proves me wrong.

Oh, kudos to Tony Daniel on his perfect pencils… I am not one of the haters.

Batman Confidential #17
Batman Confidential #17 is an issue that will turn many of boys into men…

I swear that Batman Confidential #17’s story was lifted straight off some sick perverted fan fiction. In this issue we see recently graduated Barbra Gordon (graduated from college) chase Catwoman into a club of where the dress code is “no dress.” Seriously I do find it slightly humorous that an innocent heroine would have to chase a villain into a hedonistic society, but something about reading this made me feel dirty, and not right.

Gotham Underground #8
Yeah, I would be peeing my pants if I saw that in real life.

Gotham Underground #8 was filled with full panel, bare nuke, no holds barred action similar to those seen in the Death of Superman. The action was top notch!

J. Calafiore and Jack Purcell knocked this one out of the park in the action and art department. As for the story… nothing much happened except that everyone leaves the Penguin to fry… but don’t let the lack of story distract you from watching Batman prove how much of a bad-ass he really is.

Green Arrow Black Canary #8
I love surprise endings… this time no aliens just Eel.

Green Arrow Black Canary #8 continues the search for those who put Connor into a coma in London with their new associate (see last issue). Even with the slow pace, I always enjoy this series because there is something funny about Ollie’s voice being outnumbered by two female leads.

Green Lanern Corps #24
April Showers Bring May Flowers.

Green Lantern Corps #24 gave a nice refresher origin for Mongul and his pretty Black Mercy flowers. For that alone this comic was worth the cover price… oh that and the fact that Sinestro bit off his finger tip to draw on his jail cell door was a freaky but nice bonus.

Huntress Year 1 #1
Huntress Year One #1 was better the first time as Batman/Huntress Cry for Blood.

The caption below the cover says it all “Huntress Year One #1 was better the first time as Batman/Huntress Cry for Blood.” I will continue to buy this series and will be pretty upset if Vic Sage is a no-show.

Superman #676
Superman #676 = Filler!

Titans #2
“–THAT THE ISSUE IS THAT BAD!”

Titans #2 was so bad that God wanted nothing to do with it.

Wow… this story sucks… the art sucked… the continuity sucked…

Ok, so here we have characters that are all featured in other books, stories, and teams who are now working together to fight demons… not only does this not sit well in the DCU – Raven looks like a mid twenties professional beach volleyball player… doesn’t she have her own “emo series” where she is in High School?

God this book sucked!

and…

THE BEST COMIC OF LAST WEEK:
BOOSTER GOLD #9

Bwahaha!

A little bit of funny, and…

seriously

… A little bit of serious. Major seriousness!

Booster Gold #9 continues the trend of the bumbling hero exterior and universe saving hero interior. Since Booster and Rip saved the Multivers in 52, Booster has been working behind the scenes to fix any errors in the timestream caused by the Crisis. To do this they must travel back in time to fix errors, just errors since the true past is already written.

This comic, and the whole series, fits my take on time travel almost perfectly. I love the Back to the Future movies, but I aways thought traveling through time from “Point C” back to “Point A” in hopes of changing “Point B” would be impossible. It is impossible because to get to “Point C”, “Point A and B” must exist prior and this fact cant be changed.

I may have confused you but if you have been reading Booster Gold then it all makes sense, and we see the results of what happens when one hero (Booster Gold) travels back in time to stop a death that was already concreted in the past. As the Blue and Gold story continues Booster is still dealing with the massive changes caused by preventing Ted’s death… and it seems that if Ted’s death is the “Point B” from my analogy, then Lois Lane’s life is the new “Point B” in this comic.

Heavy stuff and a great read. This time traveling romp thorough the history of the DCU is easily the BEST COMIC OF LAST WEEK!

Posted by Fred on May 19, 2008 @ 7:49 PM Under: Comics, Last Week In Comics
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Blue Déjà Vu

Original

Last night while looking through comics for Friday Night Fights I found this ad that made me wonder why not change the text at the bottom:

new

Posted by Fred on February 23, 2008 @ 4:46 PM Under: Ads, Comics
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