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LWICK: A Final Crisis to Live Up to the Hype

6/30/08

Last Week In Comics, giving a fresh take on 5-day-old comics.

Green Lantern #32

Green Lantern #32

I still don’t know how I feel with a new or updated origin for Hal Jordan. I have a sweet spot for Hal’s second origin - Emerald Dawn was my first trade paperback in the DCU other than “Batman: A Death In the Family.”

I am enjoying this new origin… but it all is seeming to tie too easily into the new Green Lantern mythos born from Hal’s resurrection in Rebirth. I never had a grasp on Hector Hammond before and I like the setup to make him a major player again in the Green Lantern comics, since this seems to be an origin story for him as well.

As long as I can distance myself from the fond memories of Hal Jordan the drunk driver, I will continue to enjoy this newest origin of Hal Jordan.

Superman #677

Superman #677

I love almost all of Jack Kirby’s work. I admire his art and it’s awesome ability to tell a story. I even like most of Jack Kirby’s stories. Jack Kirby’s costume design… well sometimes I wonder…

I was all about to make fun of Atlas, yeah the guy who in mythological stories held up the planet, and even question his toughness seeing how he is wearing only a skirt and a scarf on his head. After surfing the net, I learned that this version of Atlas was a Jack Kirby design and character. Upon learning that I moved on and put the costume design into the Darksied category of a badass in a miniskirt.

Once able to read the story without laughing at Atlas, I came to the conclusion that the parts involving Atlas still sucked.

If you have this issue and were waiting five days from it’s purchase for my review before reading it here is my advice: Just read the part where Superman, Hal Jordan, and Krypto are playing fetch in outer space. Yes and Krypto has dialog that is deeper and more fun to read than that of the Science Police and Atlas who also appear in this issue.

Teen Tiatans #60

Teen Titans #60

I hope now that this issue is over there will be no more _____ Titans (fill in the blank with an evil sounding word) now that the Teen Titans defeated the Clock King’s Terror Titans.

What you mean there is a Terror Titans #1 solicited… damn!

Here is my take on this issue: “If the Blue Beetle was not in this issue I would not have purchased it and this title would be dropped a.s.a.p.”

There are only three characters on the current roster of the Teen Titans that I enjoy reading about: Blue Beetle, Ravager, and Robin. Now that Ravager is gone I am expecting Wendy and Marvin to pick up the slack in this series or I may not continue to read it.

Trinity #4

Trinity #4

I am still trying to figure out where this is going… for the last three issues the Trinity (Supes, Bats, and Wonder Woman) and the Justice League have been fighting a losing battle against a Doomsday-like creature. Here is a recap of the last three issues: 1. Creature takes out JLA. 2. Creature KO’s Superman. 3. Creature gets stronger (armor) and continues to kick butt.

When this series started I liked that aspect of a cosmic duo studying the Trinity, but that has slowed down. I know that this is a 52 week story, but the pace needs to pick up soon because as of now I am more interested in the secondary story.

I was never a fan of Gangbuster in the early 90s. Maybe it was the fact that Metropolis had so many other Superheroes that I wasn’t a fan of a man in riot gear single-handedly crusading against all gang activity. In this comic seeing the Gangbuster as a concerned citizen in a town without super-villains seems works better and right now that is the most enjoyable part of this comic.

and…

THE BEST COMIC OF LAST WEEK:
FINAL CRISIS #2

Final Crisis #2

I read Final Crisis #2 as soon as I sat down with it in my possession and my first reaction (that I posted on Twitter) was “Final Crisis #2 - WTF? I have to read through it again, but right now my head hurts.”

So I read it again, slower. I payed attention to the pretty pictures a little more before going to CBR’s Final Crisis Forums.

Discussing and dissecting a comic with peers can easily enhance “good book” to the “great book” status it deserves. This is where I am jealous of those who work in comic shops, because I have to rely on forums for my discussion since my comics come from a stand in a local indoor flea market.

The reason this comic is easily THE BEST COMIC OF LAST WEEK is not because of the story alone it’s because of the story telling found in this comic. The clues, or details, leading the readers to believe that Dan Turpin is the new host of Darksied, the imprint of Jon Stewart’s ring on Kraken’s hand, the exiled Monitor’s sketches, a time traveling bullet with what seems to be the Morticoccus virus inside of it, and the mysterious Libra are making Final Crisis one hell of a ride.

Oh, and any series that is prompting me to purchase Jack Kirby’s Fourth World Omnibus and Morrision’s Seven Soldiers of Victory so that I better understand it must make DC Comics one happy publisher.

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Posted by Fred, on 06/30/08 8:58 PM Bookmark this post Digg Reddit Blogg-Buzz StumbleUpon

High Hopes in ‘08 for a Crisis Critic

Instead of doing my graduate work I was browsing over at Newsaram this morning and read three articles with Dan Didio regarding DC Comics in 2008. (one, two, three)

Before I share my opinion and speculation of DC Comics in 2008, let me share my opinion on the recent “big projects” of the DCU.

Infinite CrisisInfinite Crisis was met with mixed reviews, while I am not a big fan of giant crossovers I do enjoy reading them. The problem with company wide crossovers is that many times it breaks up the flow of the company’s regular issues. Infinite Crisis did not interfere with the the regulart titles too much, meaning that you had to read Infintie Crisis to understand what was going on in Superman’s regular title, or vice versa. After Infinite Crisis I was a big fan of the One Year Later (OYL) concept. One Year Later gave the writers a fresh start with continuity without giving up continuity. Some OYL titles were a huge improvement/success such as the Superman and Nightwing along with the great new characters and series such as the new Atom and Blue Beetle.

52While the new series that came out of Infinite Crisis were very good the best byproduct was DC’s weekly series appropriately titled “52.” 52 proved to me that a comic publisher can have a huge universe wide event that did not interfere (for the most part) with the monthly titles. The success of 52 led DC to being a new weekly series almost immediately after its end, the Countdown to Final Crisis was not received as strong as its predecessor.

Countdown to Final Crisis is a comic that I have enjoyed, but I can easily say that it is not on par with 52’s writing, art, and appeal. Where Countdown went wrong was not the writing, art, or even appeal instead it was the fact that unlike 52 it directly tied into many of the regular ongoing monthly books. The direct tie broke the flow of the normal monthly books sometimes causing a story that seemed forced and out of place.

Looking into 2008’s future…

Blue BeetleIt seemes inevitable that DC will begin a new weekly sereies, and it has been reported that Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley will be helming the project. Possibly learning from DC’s sucess with 52 and the mistake of Countdown Dan Didio confirmed that the new weekly book, titled “Trinity”, will not be a direct link to the monthly titles but instead a stand alone book.

Didio also discussed another book, DC Universe #0, and dropped hints of what to expect from Final Crisis. DC Universe is a bridge that will take readers from Countdown and the monthly comics directly into the event that is Final Crisis. DC Universe, according to Didio, will not just connect Countdown to Final Crisis it will also lay hints to where the montly books will take readers. Atom

It has been rumored that Batman will die, some even thought he would become a God, Braniac and the Legion of Super-Heroes will play a larger role in the DCU. I have to say that even if I am against a company wide crossover, I seem to be magnetically drawn to them no matter how horrid I think they are, i.e. Civil War.

Lightning SagaI know that I will be purchasing, reading, and ranting about Final Crisis, yet I do not think they will be too negative. I have renewed faith based off what has happened, and seems to be still happening, with the Superman and the Justice League’s Legion of Super-Heroes storyline. It seems that DC has learned to write great individual stories and arcs for monthly books that tie into the larger picture.

Didio and DC bring on the Final Crisis I am looking forward to it with high hopes, I am tired of being a Crisis Critic.

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Posted by Fred, on 02/10/08 8:41 PM Bookmark this post Digg Reddit Blogg-Buzz StumbleUpon