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Crushing Comics includes definitive comic book guides, essays about characters and titles, collecting strategies, comic reviews, and more!

DC New 52 Preview: On Sale 9/21

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This week brings the third wave of DC’s New 52 debut titles, all aimed to be easy to pick up for new readers but still rewarding to longtime fans.

Week two’s raft of titles was definitely less impressive on the whole than week one, despite a big block of above-average books. Week three packs heavy hitters Batman and Wonder Woman, and an underbill of beloved second-stringers like Catwoman, Blue Beetle, and Supergirl. Will this be be the week to break the better-than-average barrier with a score that tops 3.0? Or, will it do worse than week two’s four-book crop of sub-average comics?

Batman
Written by Scott Snyder with art by Greg Capullo & Jonathan Glapion

I’m a little gun-shy on this one. I thought a Snyder/Paquette Swamp Thing was a sure thing, but I wound up dissing it and drawing a personal comment from Snyder. Dare I get my hopes up here for Snyder on the more well-established Bats in his flagship, illustrated by killer artist Capullo? I daren’t identify this as my most-anticipated of the week, but let’s say I have a firm interest in the outcome.

What are the four other Bat-group titles out this week, and which of them is my most-anticipated book of the week? Keep reading to find out. [Read more…] about DC New 52 Preview: On Sale 9/21

DC New 52 Review: Green Lantern #1

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I don’t like Green Lantern.

There, now you’re really going to trust my review!

One Earth man specially selected by alien to wield the power of green light to defend the universe I can take. Hell, I even dig that multiple men have borne the ring over the years.

It’s when you add to that all the various other Green Lanterns, and the home world, and the power battery, and the other colored Lanterns – and then make that one of the central mythologies of the DC Universe – that my interest wanes.

All of those credulity-stretching elements make Green Lantern just another employee – a foot solider in a galactic brigade with the same standard issue weapon as all his comrades. Heck, sometimes other Green Lanterns can even operate in the same sector! Even when Marvel has expanded their most popular lines of comics, they’ve never trivialized an original hero concept quite as much as that.

DC went all-in on Lanterns in their reboot, not knowing at the time they set the slate that the Ryan Reynolds summer blockbuster would tank. But, flop or not, this is the obvious title that new fans would be flocking to. Is it up to the task?

Green Lantern #1

Written by Geoff Johns, art by Doug Mahnke & Christian Alamy w/Tom Nguyen

Rating: 1.5 of 5 – Weak

In a Line: “You’ve been off-planet too long, you’re beyond out-of-touch with everyday life – and people!”

#140char Review: Green Lantern #1 aimed at anyone BUT a new reader. It’s confusing. No denying Hal Jordon is magnetic to read; pity it’s >half about Sinestro

CK Says: Skip it.

This debut issue could not be any more unfriendly to a new reader or non-DC collector reading all 52 books. And, friendliness aside, it’s not very good.

I’m not entirely sure what to say about it, because it was clearly not aimed at me. The plot feels like it picks up from some prior action that remains unnamed. We follow a seemingly destitute and clueless Hal Jordan (even though I don’t think he’s the latter) as he gets evicted and botches a date, and a seemingly newly-introduced and highly moral Sinestro (even though I’m pretty sure he’s neither) as he zips around in space, seemingly planning something awesome and not at all sinister.

That’s it. You have now read Green Lantern #1.

This book lacks just about all there is to lack in the plot and script department. Some caption boxes or thought bubbles would have been kind to orient the reader, or even to add a little texture to an absurdly fast read. There is no explanation of how the ring works, anywhere. There is no mention of the fact that last week we saw Guy Gardner as Earth’s GL in the present and Hal as a member of the Justice League five years in the past. We meet a council of blue-headed dwarves who apparently act as the DMV for the apparently noble green power rings, but they are asses and kill one of their own for disagreeing with them. And what is a Star Sapphire ring?

Uneven art does the issue no favors. Sinestro is both red and pink throughout. Backgrounds of tight shots are vague and empty, as in one shot of Hal and Carol at dinner with a blank wall behind them when it’s been established that one doesn’t exist in any direction. One non-red-robed blue-headed dwarf guy appears out of nowhere (why is his robe different?) only to be zapped a panel later? We see the detailed emptiness of the apartment Hal leaps into (pictured higher than his own window) only to be confronted by a half dozen people in it a page later (when it is clearly below his window).

We get zero context of why Sinestro was imprisoned, except that he turned dictator on his own planet (which was maybe a good thing?), only to then visit his planet and see a Sinestro Corps (?) of Yellow Lanterns (?) enslaving other pink/red people (?). Sinestro easily dispatches a yellow-ringed scout, even though I’m pretty sure yellow is what the green ring is weak to.

The one thing the issue did bother to establish is that the ring chooses the wearer, and it implies that there is one ring bearer per sector. The final page cliffhanger neatly refutes both points.

While this intercutting issue may have been a thrill for fans who know the Green Lantern mythology, it’s a toss-away for new adult readers and those with a vague understanding of GL’s background. It barely makes a lick of sense, and though Hal is sympathetic the only likeable character is Carol Fenris. It is a decent issue for younger readers, with its simplistic “plot,” no bad language, and limited violence.

DC New 52 Review: Batwoman #1

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DC has grown the Batman family considerable in the past few years, culminating with Batman actually franchising his bewingèd concept to bring all of his many imitators into the fold.

Once such Bat-hanger-on was Kate Kane, who debuted in 2006 as Batwoman. I’ve never heard or read a single thing about her, but the gorgeous cover of her DC relaunch comic caught my eye. A quick search revealed that artist J.H. Williams III notched not one but two prestigious Eisner awards for his Batwoman illustration thus far. The character also earned the 2010 GLAAD media award for Outstanding Comic Book, as penned by prior writer Greg Rucka.

Now accoladed artist Williams would be taking the writing reigns of this GBLT-friendly character in her first ongoing series.

Color me intrigued…

Batwoman #1

Written by J.H. Williams III & W. Haden Blackman, art by J. H. Williams III

Rating: 4 of 5 – Excellent

In a Line: “That was creepier than expected.”

140char Review: Batwoman #1, ooky new villain isn’t even the creepiest beat in great ish dense w/hints @ backstory. A must-see for sumptuous imaginative art

CK Says: Buy it.

Batwoman is one of the DC New 52 heroes with the shortest history, and I was sure that meant her book would be easy to pick up from scratch.

I was the best kind of wrong. Though Batwoman #1 introduces a new mystery, it trades heavily on a densely woven narrative that hints at a slew of backstory packed into just a few dozen prior appearances in the past five years. As a new reader I was left grasping at on panel cues. She’s a lesbian? Her house is a skyscraper built around a tree? She’s a colonel’s daughter? She wears a wig?

A dizzying one-page recap of Batwoman’s last adventure.

If it sounds confusing, it was, but only enough to warrant a close read – never are we left dangling without an explanation. It was also electrifying and terrific. I’m hard-pressed to name another recent comic that left me so hungry to read more about a character’s past and future. If I could spend $100 on Batwoman right now I would.

The artwork in this issue is unmatched. I’ve never seen anything like it. J.H. Williams III bucks both Jim Lee influences and the photorealism trend to present a style seemingly adjacent to art nouveau advertisements more than anything from a comic book. Think Mucha. His seemingly transgressive page layouts are incredibly intuitive. My eye went to the right place every time on page after page of spreads packed with images. Characters seem completely realized, ready and willing to leap from the page.

Batwoman’s every appearance on the page is arresting. Her bright red hair spilling over her mask to suggest a deep widow’s peak stands out on the page just as much as the gash of red lipstick does on her pale face. Her gray blue skin makes her look more like the drowned undead than her creepy foe in this story. Even in her civilian identity she looks like some fashionable zombie, perhaps fished from the wreck of the Titanic.

A mystery, a budding romance, a grumbling young partner, a government agency investigation, a proposition from Batman, and art that would look perfect next to the Absinthe Robette hanging in my kitchen? Sign me up for issue #2!

DC New 52 Review: Red Lanterns #1

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As I’ve been writing these reviews I’ve been studiously staying away from everyone else’s reactions.

I don’t want to be influenced by other readers. This process is about my read as a DC newbie and dedicated X-Fan. I catch a single tweet review on Tuesday nights from @CheapGNsdotcom, and do some debating with @Matropolis over the course of the week, but otherwise I don’t peek at other ratings until I’ve set mine into writing.

On a few occasions (Batgirl being one), when I feet in my gut that a book was so incredibly amazing or awful, I can’t help myself but to check to see if everyone agrees with me.

Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don’t.

Red Lanterns #1

Written by Peter Milligan, art by Ed Benes & Rob Hunter

Rating: .5 of 5 – Terrible

In a Line: “The universe’s rage… is my rage.”

#140char Review: Red Lanterns #1 is a nadir of #DCNew52 reboot, a bad 90s flashback to XTREME bad guys like Carnage headlining pointless blood-bathed books.

CK Says: Skip it!

I feel the need to caveat that I have never read a Rainbow Lantern book before and may have entirely missed the point of this entire endeavor.

Red Lanterns #1 is a comic full of interesting elements that work against each other as a whole. Peter Milligan can be terrific at manipulating oddball teams. The Ed Benes art was consistently awesome. Even the concept of a revenge-powered Lantern corps isn’t a turnoff for me.

The execution was simply off. Milligan’s been there before on his stultifying X-Men run. No amount of awesome art can save a badly conceived comic.

The opening torture scene can’t decide if it wants to be dire or comedic, and introducing a violent space-faring attack kitten with rippling muscles who is bleeding from his mouth would seem to peg this as a offbeat humor title, a la Lobo. The kitten continues to cough up blood all over its captors in what seemed like a mildly funny scene until it is saved in a display of over-the-top violence by a good (bad? (good?)) guy named “Atrocitus,” who proclaims, “What are you doing to my cat?”

Clearly a humor title, right?

Nay. Not when the unbearably lugubrious Atrocitus then launches into a totally emo inner monologue that takes up half the issue. It becomes obvious that this is not meant to be a laughing matter. Also, apparently all of the Red Lanterns exhale blood all the time, or blood-like red energy? That’s the impression I got when we saw a slew of them on panel, each more silly-looking than the last and all breathing blood. This includes a sexy blue-skinned babe with bone wings and a dental floss bikini bottom who can only speak in single word growls.

So, it’s a serious, violent, ultra-bloody, emo humor title with an unintelligible hot babe who craves only range and showing showing off her ass like it’s a trend? Well, they’ve got the pubescent boy demo locked down.

(The irony is that right now Marvel’s hands-down best book is the similarly-themed Uncanny X-Force, except there blend of brainy humor and continuity references alongside the blood, guts, and skin-tight outfits is done to dizzying perfection by Rick Remender. But, maybe a DC fan would hate it.)

Milligan’s scripting failures aside, Benes art is hard to deny – he’s really enjoyable throughout, especially on a tease of Hal Jordan in a flashback. However, the red on red on red color palette really begins to wear after a few pages with the RL gang. An Earthbound b-plot is a snooze, though I suppose it’s setting up an Earthling to be a Red Lantern.

DC returnees and longtime readers might really delight in the side-story behind Atrocitus, but without existing affection for the concept I think it really falls flat.

DC New 52 Review: Demon Knights #1

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DC’s linewide relaunch disperses a few titles to interesting fringes of the four-color universe – army comics, westerns, and this medieval entry into the lineup.

While guns and horses might not be big draws for me, I love middle ages stories no matter the medium and the cover of this comic is to-die-for.

Why any hint of skepticism? The cover isn’t from the interior artist – it’s from Detective Comics‘ killer auteur Tony S. Daniel. Second, writer Paul Cornell – so witty on team books like Captain Britain & MI:13 and Stormwatch, seems like a peculiar fit for the thee and thou speech of Camelot.

Can Cornell dial back the quips while Digenes Neves turns in something to equal Daniel’s killer cover?

Demon Knights #1

Written by Paul Cornell, art by Diogenes Neves and Oclair Albert

Rating: 3.5 of 5 – Great

In a Line: “The Celts have odd ways. Nod and smile.”

#140char Review: Demon Knights #1 is a fun read w/terrific art. Cornell accelerates to full madcap wit a bit too quickly at the climax, but it’s still great

CK Says: Consider it.

Demon Knights #1 is a comic version of a popcorn flick – a fast-moving swords and sorcery tale that eschews period language for quips like “sod this.” It would be A Knight’s Tale if not for the absence of a soggy rock soundtrack (though I’m sure Cornell has one playing while he writes it), and perfect for the World of Warcraft crowd if not for a surfeit of whimsy.

A two page intro ripped directly from the pages of The Once and Future King roots new readers on steady, familiar ground, before Cornell swiftly departs from the established myth and fast forwards four centuries. The story follows two Camelot cast-offs – Madame Xanadu, a renegade priestess of Avalon, and Jason Blood, a hapless youth who shares a body with Merlin’s demonic assistant Etrigan. In the present, a magical horde of pillagers and dinosaur-like humanoid dragons is tearing through the countryside to the fictional destination of Alba Sarum, and our erstwhile pair of heroes (and sometimes lovers, depending on who is in charge of Blood’s body) have stopped in pub directly in their path of destruction.

Any question I had about Diogenes Neves’ artwork compared to Daniel’s cover is answered by the first page, a knockout image of a storybook gone entirely wrong. We never get another reason to doubt him. His textured pencils are treated to an amazing interweave of delicate inks from Oclair and spiderwebs of crackling color from Marcelo Maiolom.

While the tone gets less less classically staid as we exit the Future King framing device, those careful details find their way into every page. Add to that a set of beautifully distinct faces and an attractive palette of pinks and purples and you have a stunning issue of art.

I don’t fault Cornell at all for not thee and thouing his way through the entire issue – it saps the life from characters and tend to be accompanied by horrific font choices. So why is this book not “excellent”? Cornell loses his footing as he ratchets the pace with every new character he introduces. By the final panel the plot has become a touch too frenetic for him to pilot surely.

While I understand the need to introduce all seven medieval soldiers to the plot, here’s one case where I would have preferred Justice League’s more leisurely pace of introductions. That said, like Jim Lee on JL, Neves provides plenty of opportunities to linger on each panel – it’s just that here the lingering is a welcome pause before the script rushes forward.

Even with the modern language and rapidly accelerating pace, Demon Knights is a highly enjoyable read due in no small part to Cornell’s wit and an unassailable and altogether stunning set of artwork from Neves, Oclair, and Maiolom. Everything here points to more fun to be had in subsequent issues, which I will definitely be reading.

(Disclaimer: I have a major soft spot for British comic book humor, sorcery, dragons as dinosaurs, woman with swords, and villains who heartlessly kill children. Basically, I am this book’s target audience. Your mileage may vary, but if you need bonus background see the outstanding blog Gone! Gone! The Form of a Man!, which is dedicated to annotating eacb issue with all the mythological and cartographic facts you need to digest it fully.)