REVIEWS: REBIRTH AND BEYOND!
ACTION COMICS #963
Publisher: DC COMICS
Written by DAN JURGENS
Art by PATRICK ZIRCHER
Cover by CLAY MANN and SETH MANN
Variant cover by GARY FRANK
32 pg • FC • $2.99 U.S. • RATED T
“WHO IS CLARK KENT?” part 1!
Look -- down there on the ground! It’s a guy, he’s kinda ordinary ... it’s -- Clark Kent?! As Metropolis recovers from the devastating attack of Doomsday, the mysterious figure claiming to be Clark Kent takes the spotlight to clear his name and prove once and for all that Clark Kent is not Superman!
You know, if they establish a real Clark Kent, that would expand the supporting cast with a character who wouldn't need super-powers to be a major player (think of the George Reeves version on Adventures of Superman). And, why not? It could be the New 52 character revived, only without his Super-memories or -powers, which could create no end of story springboards. That would certainly shake things up!
This issue gives us AN explanation for how Clark exists, but it doesn't really hold water. So the mystery continues, and I'm hopeful for the outcome above.
BATGIRL AND THE BIRDS OF PREY #2
Publisher: DC COMICS
Written by JULIE BENSON and SHAWNA BENSON
Art by CLAIRE ROE
Cover by YANICK PAQUETTE
Variant cover by KAMOME SHIRAHAMA
32 pg • FC • $2.99 U.S. • RATED T
“WHO IS ORACLE?” part 3!
Batgirl, Black Canary, and Huntress must team up with the GCPD to protect a mafia capo from an attack by his one-time friends! He’s the only man with a lead on the nefarious new Oracle … but dead men tell no tales! Of course, it’s hard to make a team-up work when the team’s ready to tear itself apart on its first mission!
I like this version of Huntress better than the previous one -- for one thing, she's got the training to do the things she does, instead of being a talented amateur.
But her antagonism to (and contempt for) the other two lead characters, an attitude that worked in Grayson, presents a problem. There's no clear path to these three becoming a team. Bickering teammates was cool when Stan Lee introduced it in the Silver Age, but the novelty is long gone and now the question continually arises why some characters (Quicksilver leaps to mind) would be allowed to stay on any team, where their bad attitude and damage to unit coherence outweighs any potential benefit. I cant see Huntress wanting to join the Birds or the other two wanting her there, so Benson's got her work cut out for her convincing me.
DEATHSTROKE #2
Publisher: DC COMICS
Written by CHRISTOPHER PRIEST
Art by CARLO PAGULAYAN and JASON PAZ
Cover by ACO
Variant cover by SHANE DAVIS
32 pg • FC • $2.99 U.S. • RATED T+
“The Professional” part 2!
Deathstroke investigates a connection between Wintergreen’s kidnapping and their old special ops unit to find out which of Slade’s trusted inner circle has betrayed him!
I've lost track of how many times Deathstroke's various family members have died, which means I have no idea which ones are re-animated for Rebirth. Evidently Rose "Ravager" Wilson is still alive, and in peril, which is Deathstroke's motivation.
Which in and of itself raises the central issue I have with the book, which is that Slade Wilson is in no way sympathetic, and the best Deathstroke story I can imagine is one where he dies horribly. This story attempts to tug at our sympathy, as Wilson is motivated to save his daughter, but why should we care? He evidently wasn't much of a father to her, so the motivation seems more selfish than selfless -- "you're trying to take something that belongs to me" -- and everything Wilson does is suspect anyway, since his chief goal is money.
He's a killer for hire. By definition, that's pretty much the lowest form of life, and everything he does is tainted by that.
DETECTIVE COMICS #940
Publisher: DC COMICS
Written by JAMES TYNION IV
Art and cover by EDDY BARROWS and EBER FERREIRA
Variant cover by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE
32 pg • FC • $2.99 U.S. • RATED T
“Rise Of The Batmen” part 7!
This epic concludes with a battle against the Colony that will change Batman’s world forever -- and in a way you’d never expect! Whether they win or lose, they’ve already lost.
This issue featured two remarkable things.
One is a Batman who showed genuine emotion. I'm not sure I've seen that since Crisis on Infinite Earths, and it's welcome. I realize that someone who grew up as Batman did would have some difficulty with emotion, but I'm pretty tired of the psycho Batman depiction. A scene in this issue gave us an emotionally healthy Batman, one who can display profound emotion without apology. It's like a breath of fresh air, humanizing a character that a sequence of writers have de-humanized over decades. If, as some fans believe, Batman is super-cool because he's human and doesn't have super-powers, then by golly, let him be human now and again.
The second is difficult to describe without spoilers, but I'll try. In this issue, something happens to a character that we -- as veteran funnybook readers -- know will not stick. Author Tynion respects readers enough that he shows us that it isn't sticking. However, the other characters in the book don't know that, so we get their reactions to the development as if it were for real. We get our Bat-cake, and eat it too.
And those are just the two events in a strong issue at the climax of a strong storyline. Detective is one of the best of the Rebirth books, and this issue is a perfect testament as to why.
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
DOOM PATROL #1
Publisher: DC COMICS
Written by GERARD WAY
Art and cover by NICK DERINGTON
Variant cover by BRIAN BOLLAND
Variant cover by SANFORD GREENE
Variant cover by JAIME HERNANDEZ
Variant cover by BRIAN CHIPPENDALE
Variant cover by BABS TARR
32 pg • FC • $3.99 U.S. • MATURE READERS
The atoms are buzzing. The daydreams crowd sentient streets, and the creative team has been warned, “Turn back now or suffer the mighty consequence of sheer, psycho-maniacal mayhem.” Generation-arsonists unite -- this is DOOM PATROL, and the God of the Super Heroes is bleeding on the floor.
A blenderized re-imagining of the ultimate series of the strange, DOOM PATROL combines elements from classic runs, new directions, and things that could not be. Our entry point is Casey Brinke, a young EMT on the graveyard shift to abstract enlightenment, with a past so odd that she’s not entirely sure what is real and what is not. Along with her partner, Sam Reynolds, the pair blaze a path through the city and its denizens, finding the only quiet that exists at 3am is the chaos of the brain. When the pair answer a hit-and-run call, they find themselves face to face with a familiar figure: Cliff Steele, AKA Robotman.
“It gets weirder from here,” writer Gerard Way had to say about the book, with artist Nick Derington gripping tightly on the wheel of the ambulance. The pair’s only communication? Shouting out of the open windows while at high velocity. Who needs a new roommate? Who names a cat “Lotion”? And when do we get to see all those muscles?
Find your answers inside the pages of this comic book, as we set the stage for new beginnings, as well as the re-introduction of some classic DOOM PATROL characters, including Niles Caulder, Negative Man, Flex Mentallo and Crazy Jane.
The debut title of DC’s Young Animal line kicks off with a removable sticker on its cover: Pull back the gyro to reveal its secrets, but be warned -- there is no turning back.
I fully expected not to understand this issue, and I wasn't a bit disappointed.
That's not really a complaint (yet). Just from the advance descriptions and covers, I assumed this new Doom Patrol would be much like the book has been since the Morrison run, which is to say abstruse and surreal. If that's what you're in the mood for -- and sometimes I am -- that's fine.
But it also means that individual issues won't make a lick of sense, until you read a sequence of them or a collection. (And maybe not even then.) Certainly a first issue will fall into that category, as it must necessarily introduce characters, plot elements and themes that will carry through the first story arc, and probably beyond. Since those elements are going to be deliberately weird and off-putting, understanding is not something I expect (yet).
Why do we see a miniature Cliff Steele inside a gyro? Why does Casey's new roommate dress like a cocktail waitress with a domino mask? Why is the cat named Lotion?
Oh, Casey's our heroine and POV, BTW. She's the redhead in all the covers above. As the solicits say, she's an ambulance driver, with a male partner who hasn't hit on her yet. (I told you it was a strange book.) I don't think he's especially important (yet), as our second major character is the bizarro cocktail waitress I mention above, who shows up unexpectedly to be Casey's new roommate and babbles a lot of nonsense that doesn't make sense (yet). Robotman does show up, briefly, in two incarnations (one of them the tiny one above), and Danny the Street is referenced (and in peril from toxic marketing). But the rest of the cast we've been told to expect -- Negative Man, Crazy Jane, Flex Mentallo -- do not make an appearance (yet). Or if they did, I didn't recognize them (yet).
So I'll be patient until all is explained. And that gyro business is going to take some explaining!
THE FLASH #6
Publisher: DC COMICS
Written by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON
Art and cover by CARMINE DI GIANDOMENICO
Variant cover by DAVE JOHNSON
32 pg • FC • $2.99 U.S. • RATED T
“LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE” part 6! You’ve seen glimpses of him. You’ve witnessed the carnage he’s unleashed on Central City. Now meet Godspeed, the super-speed serial killer who murders speedsters and steals their powers. Barry Allen is going to need help!
I had guessed who Godspeed was last issue, so the reveal this issue wasn't a surprise. I'm not especially disappointed that I was right; Flash was blind to the possibility, but we weren't, so I think we were supposed to guess. Also, there was a head fake in the romance department, which is another thing that happens in life but isn't often shown in narratives, which require structure and don't have time for extraneous elements.
So I appreciate what Williams is trying to do; his characterization and plot development is well done. and the story moves and changes quickly, as ought to be the case in a book about a super-speedster. (One of the worst stories in Flash history was "Trial of the Flash," with the chief complaint being that it moved too slowly.) I'm just not crazy about the central plot of hundreds of Central City citizens getting super-speed. The hero being un-unique in his own book is something I grind my teeth about in Green Lantern, and don't much appreciate the concept's appearance, however unintentional, here.
GREEN LANTERNS #6
Publisher: DC COMICS
Written by SAM HUMPHRIES
Art by JACK HERBERT
Covers by ROBSON ROCHA
Variant cover by EMANUELA LUPACCHINO
32 pg • FC • $2.99 U.S. • RATED T
“FAMILY DINNER”!
The rookie Green Lanterns try to reconcile some of their differences, when Simon Baz makes a terrifying offer to Jessica by inviting her over for dinner with his family. Can the two survive this with the mysterious Guardian tracking the duo?
The story described above actually takes place next issue. I'm not sure what the deal is, but this issue is late because the first run was pulped, and Bleeding Cool says it's because there was a "Family Dinner" banner on the cover. Since BC is a rumor mill, it's hard to know what's true, but now you know what I know.
Anyway, Jess takes a big step forward, and as I feared, these two characters who have disliked each other for five issues are now big buds -- and likely romantic partners in waiting. As if to solidify my concern, Simon invites Jessica to a family dinner.
I still appreciate the art on this book -- it's of the Adams/Lee house style -- and I suppose I shouldn't begrudge a little cliche now and then. Also, I was complaining about bickering partners above, so I guess I should be glad that these two will stop sniping at each other. I guess I'll just accept the inevitable and try to focus on the action.
Which, in this issue, was the climax to "Red Dawn." Or maybe "Red Seed." I forget. The idea is that Atrocitus and a few allies are planting a seed in the middle of earth that will grow into a new "red entity." (What was the last one called? Did it have a name? There was Parallax, and Predator, and, um, Donner and Blitzen, and Sneezy and some others.)
There's a big fight, and without spoiling too much, I'll say that Atrocitus does what he usually does. (Hint: It's not killing Green Lanterns when he has them at his mercy.)
HAL JORDAN AND THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS #4
Publisher: DC COMICS
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI
Art and cover by ETHAN VAN SCIVER
Variant cover by KEVIN NOWLAN
32 pg • FC • $2.99 U.S. • RATED T
“Sinestro’s Law” part 4!
Sinestro’s grip on the universe tightens with Hal Jordan captured, as the two former partners edge closer to a final confrontation for control of the cosmos!
Gotta love a Kevin Nowlan cover.
As strange as it may seem, this book is still playing set-up. Hal and the Corps have still not connected, Sinestro's plan is slowly being revealed, Soranik's up to something and Guy Gardner has been captured by the Sinestro Corps. The last couple of pages were John Stewart thinking expository dialogue to himself, tell himself things he (and we) already knew.
Venditti's shown at Valiant some serious writing chops, so I'm letting the string play out on this title until something of import happens. I imagine it will be worth the wait.
NEW SUPER-MAN #3
Publisher: DC COMICS
Written by GENE LUEN YANG
Art by VIKTOR BOGDANOVIC and RICHARD FRIEND
Cover by VIKTOR BOGDANOVIC
Variant cover by BERNARD CHANG
32 pg • FC • $2.99 U.S. • RATED T
“MADE IN CHINA” part 3!
When Kenan Kong decided to out the Justice League of China to the world, he was just trying to impress people, not start a revolution! But the damage is done, and the fallout turns deadly as these heroes come face to face with Flying Dragon General and the Freedom Fighters of China!
I'm really warming to this title. Super-Man is such a loser!
More characters are brought in, both good and bad (The Great Ten, Chinese supervillains), and Super-Man continues to sabotage himself and everyone else by being an immature jerk. Much conflict is promised, along with more nonsense from Kenan, and I'm looking forward to the next issue.
RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #2
Publisher: DC COMICS
Written by SCOTT LOBDELL
Art by DEXTER SOY
Cover by GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI and CAM SMITH
Variant cover by MATTEO SCALERA
32 pg • FC • $2.99 U.S. • RATED T
“Dark Trinity” part 2!
Red Hood’s investigation takes a painful turn when he encounters a mysterious woman named Artemis! Outmatched by this powerful Amazon, Jason’s only hope for survival is finding a common ground with his attacker -- that is, if Artemis gives him the chance!
The Outlaws still aren't a thing yet -- we meet Artemis this issue, and Bizarro arrives but won't interact until next issue -- and in this case the decompressed storytelling actually works. It gives Lobdell a chance to have Red Hood and Artemis work together for an issue, where a grudging alliance forms more or less organically.
It's a pretty good read.
SUICIDE SQUAD #2
Publisher: DC COMICS
Written by ROB WILLIAMS
Art and cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
Variant cover by LEE BERMEJO
32 pg • FC • $2.99 U.S. • RATED T+
“THE BLACK VAULT” part 2!
What was meant to be a routine mission to retrieve a “cosmic item” from an undersea fortress has become a nightmare beyond anything the Suicide Squad ever expected. And with half the team down, it’s up to Harley Quinn, Katana and a demon-possessed graphic designer named June Moore to save the Squad from the most dangerous man in the DC Universe. That’s right ... they’re screwed.
A character snuffs it! At least temporarily! But I won't tell you who! Moo-hoo-ha-haaaa!
I'm glad to see it, and not because I'm an evil person. This book is called "Suicide Squad" for a reason, and -- as in the Ostrander days -- death should be frequent. That's hard on the writer, who has to continually introduce new characters, develop them enough for us to care, before bumping them off. But that's the gig, and God knows the DC universe has a lot of lame villains available for cannon fodder.
SUPERWOMAN #2
Publisher: DC COMICS
Written by PHIL JIMENEZ
Art by PHIL JIMENEZ and MATT SANTORELLI
Cover by PHIL JIMENEZ
Variant cover by TERRY DODSON and RACHEL DODSON
32 pg • FC • $2.99 U.S. • RATED T
“WHO IS SUPERWOMAN?” part 2!
The battle of Metropolis Harbor rages on and the casualties are mounting! To save both herself and the city from the ultra-powered Bizarress duo, Superwoman must turn to John Henry Irons -- a.k.a. Steel -- for help! But there is a larger villainous force at work behind the scenes, and you won’t believe who it is! Buckle up for the shocking true identity of Ultra Woman!
Ultra Woman doesn't need a shocking true identity. The old one -- a perverse and perverted Lois Lane from Earth-3 -- was shocking enough!
Anyway, a character from Luthor's past returns, Lana whines a lot, Lois is still dead-ish (I don't believe it's for good) and Steel (Lana's bf) fights Atomic Skull. That's a lot going on, but I have trouble getting past the central character -- I'm just not interested in Lana Lang, who will always be Superboy's girlfriend to me, and belongs in Kansas. Yes, they've gussied her up with an electrical engineering degree, divested her of her romantic attachment to Superman and now made her the moral equivalent of the electric blue Superman. But she'll always be the snoopy girl from Smallville to me. And it appears one of her powers is to be Super-whingy. I wanted this book to feature Lois Lane, a self-made figure of iconic dimension, and she's currently not appearing.
I'll soldier on, in case Lois' demise is permanent. (We do have another Lois handy to fill the breach.) But I'd really like to see Lois back.
WONDER WOMAN #6
Publisher: DC COMICS
Written by GREG RUCKA
Art and cover by NICOLA SCOTT
Variant cover by FRANK CHO
32 pg • FC, • $2.99 U.S. • RATED T
“WONDER WOMAN YEAR ONE” part 3!
Diana brings Steve back home, but the reception is not what either of them expected. Amid suspicion and a looming threat, the Patrons pay a visit, and new friendships are forged.
I love Nicola Scott's work so much, I'd read this book even if it didn't have any words. But it does have words, and some of them are interesting. For one thing, Diana doesn't get her divine powers at birth, but in this issue, which likely eliminates Zeus as her father (as well as giving us yet another version of WW's origin, and we have enough, thank you). So, that's new.
Replies
ACTION COMICS #963: So impressed by this issue was I that I bought the Lois & Clark tpb (reprinting the recent 8-issue limited series) as well as all of the other post-Rebirth issues of Action Comics (#957-962…?).
DOOM PATROL #1: Here’s part two of today’s rant about alternate covers. I chose cover five; after reading it, I now realize I should have bought cover two.
Jeff, I didn't realize that I had collected the Rebirth issues and preview links here in an open forum before I'd written any reviews -- my bad! They are written now.
As to your points, I agree with both. The Rebirth Action has a lot of moving parts, and they're all interesting, and it has really jazzed up a status quo that was getting a little tired. I like this new Action a lot.
And you're right about Doom Patrol, too -- the second cover reflects the insides much more than the fifth one. But aren't those variants limited and bound to be worth oodles of money someday?