Review: Justice League #2

The first issue of Justice League already feels like it's an eternity away. It came out in a time when everyone still thought Aquaman was a loser, and when people were more concerned with Wonder Woman's lack of pants than her actual comic. The DC relaunch was a completely untested quantity. We didn't know if Scott Snyder could do justice to Swamp Thing, or if Grant Morrison could pull off his blue jeans wearing Superman. Justice League #1 was burdened with everyone expectations and all of their fears, and it's only with issue #2 that I feel like we can get a real sense of what this series might be like.

To my surprise, this issue did not pick up right where the last one left off, but instead opened on Barry Allen, who's been tasked with finding the identity of The Flash. Barry apparently has some history with Hal Jordan already, and they've fought together in the past (fighting Gorilla Grodd, which was a nice touch). Based on solicits, I was expecting this to be a Superman showcase, but for me, this did a better job of showing why the Flash is awesome than anyone else. He genuinely showed up Supes for a while there, even if he did manage to touch him in the end.

Cyborg was probably my favorite part of the last issue, and while I didn't find his scenes quite as striking here, writer Geoff Johns still does a solid job of building up the character. It looks like things are going to get much more interesting for Vic Stone come next issue, and I'm looking forward to seeing how his transformation into Cyborg is handled in the DCnU. Young Hal Jordan continues to entertain, but he also continues to be a major doofus:

Insert your favorite facepalm image here.

This isn't a point of major concern, since it's a flashback arc and Hal shouldn't even be in the league once we get back to the present, but I don't know that Hal acting like a dolt is going to be funny for all that much longer.

Kirby dots will always make me smile.

Jim Lee continues to do a terrific job with the book's art. These are some of the best constructs we've ever seen from Hal, and the level of detail in the book's splash pages is really impressive. I'm not crazy about the outfit he stuck Silas Stone in, but I am more than willing to excuse some awkward fashion choices when the rest of the book looks this good. There's an energy here that isn't always present in Lee's work, and I think he must really be having a blast working on this. I'm not sure how much lead time he has on the comic, but I hope it's enough to enjoy his work for at least a few more months. Anyone who's enjoyed Lee's work in the past should give this comic a look. I don't think of Lee as being someone who really emulates Jack Kirby, but it was great to see him use some of those elements here.

There's also some really interesting stuff included in the book's bonus content. We get more of the character design stuff we saw in the last issue, but we also get a really intriguing Amanda Waller/Steve Trevor interview.  I haven't enjoyed Waller in the new Suicide Squad at all, but her voice comes through clearly here, and there are some very nice hints of what might have to come. Most of the interview deals with Wonder Woman, but we also get an idea of what we might see in the upcoming Justice League back-up tale "The Curse of Shazam", and some references to a character I'm guessing we'll be seeing soon.

Overall, I enjoyed Justice League #2 more than the issue that came before. Not only was it easier to relax and enjoy the book on its own merits, but the comic was well paced and is really starting to feel like the team book it's supposed to be. I'm excited to see how Johns handles Wonder Woman next issue, and I'm really looking forward to the team's expanded roster. I've lost track of how many times Justice League #1 has been reprinted, but I imagine it's pretty easy to get a hold of now. If you decided to hold off on the series, now's not a bad time to give it a go. Those buying this for the throw down on the cover may be disappointed, but this story arc is off to a solid start, and things should only get better once the full team is assembled.

By Marceline with No comments

Review: Aquaman #1

The general public perception of comic book characters is typically very different than the perception of actual comic book readers.

"They wear their underwear on the outside." "Those are just for kids." "BAM! POW! Holy rusted metal Batman!"

The intricacies and depth of characters is often highly simplistic or in many cases considered non-existent by those who've never thought to look deeper.

No single character is likely more maligned by this than Aquaman. Everyone knows who Batman and Superman are and what they can do. The recent movie boom will ensure that the general public knows a few more than that, but everyone knows Aquaman, and no one seems to like him. "The fish guy? Yeah, great power there." Aquaman has become to superheroes what airline food is to comedians: A cliché that is almost instantly referenced for a cheap laugh.

This is really a shame because he's a great character with a lot of (pun imminent!) depth. I loved how he always whispered in Justice League Year One because sound travels better under water than through air, or how utterly badass he was as a war general in Flashpoint.

Pictured: An Aquaman you do not #)@* with.

For me he became a definitive character in Morrison & Porter's seminal run on JLA. Minus a hand and orange shirt this Aquaman was on par with Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter in strength and fighting, held a ruthlessness close to Batman in battle, and had an aloof and entitled attitude because he's King of 2/3 of the planet!

Shirts? Who needs shirts?

Still, how is Geoff Johns going to talk your non-comic book reader into picking up a book starring "The fish guy"? In the way that I think only Geoff Johns can, by very nearly becoming meta, Johns not only acknowledges all the misconceptions the public has about Aquaman, but gives those same misconceptions to the public in the DCU!

The bank robbers we open on think he's a joke, the police are embarrassed by his presence,

What do you think, Bob? Lunch; sushi? What?

and everyone else reacts pretty much how you'd expect them to:

I don't know, how do you think this wicked Trident feels?

This is great for a number of reasons. First, it's just damn funny to see this play out in the actual comic. Second, it actually works great to give us an insight into Aquaman's psyche, persona, and demeanor. Clearly he's a lot younger, like everyone else in the new 52, but he's also a regular guy. Clearly a guy who can jump city blocks, communicate telepathically with fish, breath underwater, flip a speeding van with his trident (and it's a badass trident), and is basically bullet proof isn't regular, but that's really the sense you get.

He stops the bank robbery because he was nearby and heard the sirens. He goes to a restaurant for lunch because he's hungry and it reminds him of his Dad. He decides to relinquish his throne and live on land because he feels out of place and full of responsibility he never asked for. Well, that and to get it on with the apparently human (it's kind of unclear) Mera.

Johns treats him more like a celebrity constantly berated with idiotic questions and has Aquaman react pretty reasonably to what would almost certainly push a lot more people to start introducing Mr. Fist, or Mr. Kickass Trident, to Mr. Idiot public's face.

Your mother, on the other hand...

Yeah, I just flipped a getaway truck and did your job for you, a glass of water is clearly the
 appropriate form of gratitude.

Through all this we still get a pretty good, if quick, introduction to his past. Raised by his Dad ‘til 13, taken back to Atlantis, made King, doesn't really fit; he wants a new life. Nothing earth shaking here, but it's a nice FYI for new readers.

I really like this take on the character. I think Johns has set him up with a lot of possibilities. I'm really looking forward to those moments when the general public starts to realize that he's not a joke.

While I love the story I'm, torn with the art. I think Ivan Reis draws a fantastic Aquaman, but I'm not really sold on the rest. The other characters seem uninspired and almost flat. I can see wanting to make Aquaman stand out (it is his book after all), but I think everyone else ended up being too toned down.

Certainly a high point is the bright color work of Rod Reis. Given the nature of Aquaman's costume he makes the bright colors seem fitting in a way that works in the comic book world. I love the dichotomy represented between darkness and almost singular color scheme of the monsters in the ocean depths and the brightness and color variety of the surface. It works as subtle metaphor of the frightening unknown of Aquaman's sea life (he was kidnapped after all) and the hope and promise of the new path he's planning to take. I also think his action scenes worked well and the new deep sea monsters he created are probably going to haunt my dreams.

Screw Jaws. THIS is now why I'm never going in the ocean.

Really this is what Johns does best, showcase charaters in their day-to-day lives. I think he falters sometimes in the 'Epic battle, end of the world' stories, but I love every time he works with a character in their element. I think this is one of the most interesting, honest, and unique new takes on a character in the new 52 and cannot wait to read more. And, if nothing else, how insanely awesome is that trident!?

VERY insanely awesome!

By Kephus with 2 comments

Review: Green Lantern #1

I am a ginormous Lantern fan. I've got Green, Blue and Black Lantern shirts I wear all the time, a Green Lantern ring in my car and a Blue Lantern ring in my desk at work. I love them. And when I heard that the Lantern books were picking up where they left off and would barely be effected by the relaunch mythos shuffle I pooped a construct.

If you were following the books before the launch then you know one of the last things to happen to Hal Jordan was that his ring was revoked and he was sent back to Earth. To make matters worse, his ring was given to Sinestro who, amazingly, is a Green Lantern again.

This was something that caught me off guard. Not story wise, mind you, I love a good change in the status quo and, admittedly (don't kill me) but Hal is my least favorite of the main four Earthen Lanterns so this didn't phase me. But it was the fact that a lot of the characters that have been in movies were getting a lot of focus and here we have a book where Hal doesn't even have his ring anymore. Risky move, I know Hal will get it back, but there were probably a lot of newer readers taken aback by the fact that #1 starts off with Hal having lost his ring. Personally though, this shows me DC is willing to not turn each of their books into a "Dummy's Guide" and is willing to let readers figure some stuff on their own. For that I applaud them.

Hal is still (more or less) the main character in the book though. It seems to flip back and forth between Sinestro in space and Hal on Earth.

Hal is written beautifully. I know I'm not the first to say this but man, Geoff Johns can write. Hal, who again is no longer a Green Lantern, is portrayed as this tragic character who is more or less addicted to adventure, as cornball as that may sound. He was used to flipping between being a test pilot and a Green Lantern. Now he is neither. And not only are those two things he's fantastic at, it seems almost like those are ALL he's good at. He's on the verge of eviction, he's jobless and yes, he still has absolutely no idea what to say to women. It definitely makes you long for the moment when he, inevitably, gets the ring back.

His time on Earth is written in a way that, in a Green Lantern book, almost seems alien. It's claustrophobic and foreign. Nothing seems to make sense to him. New readers are also introduced to on again, off again, romantic interest Carol Ferris all over again. I love her. Carol has got to be, and has almost always been, one of the most capable women in comics. Smart, clever, sexy, everything. And the fact that she was also a ringed hero (a Scarlet Sapphire, or Violet Lantern if you will) and has no qualms leading a normal life of working her airline company also suggests that, for once, the romantic interest of the book is more capable than the lead. And that is wonderful.

Meanwhile in space, Sinestro has a very similar story to Hal's. Sinestro's story about wanting to be a Yellow Lantern again but being tethered to the Green is not unlike Hal's ring longing. Wonderfully pompous, Sinestro must come to terms with his possible fate while seemingly going about things in the way you'd expect him to accept anything he doesn't want. Kicking and screaming.

His side plot seems to be Ganthet and the Guardians. In something that has been building up for a while now, it seems the Guardians are completely sick of Ganthet displaying emotions all the time and having it "cloud his judgement" so they go about trying to fix it the way Guardians always do. Though, I'll let you read on for that so you can get your own ideas in your head about what the big blues are up too. Personally, I love Ganthet's evolution through the years and desperately hope they're not bringing him back to his roots.

The art itself is fantastic. Artist, Doug Mahnke, almost seems to be a Lantern himself with how he seems to be able to believably create whatever he can envision. Some parts have so much neat detail that I didn't even notice background events until my second read. There isn't a lot of action in this book, even though I'm not complaining, the other DC books seemed to be all punching all day. But when there is action, the scope of it and the work put in is also gorgeous. Green Lantern, with all it's crazy powers and aliens is a book that cannot live without impressive visuals and Mahnke's pencil work is almost like assured immortality for this book.

The book isn't without it's flaws, but what are there aren't anything to write home about. They seem in a big rush to set up a plethora of events, whether it be a career and life for Hal, Sinestro's home world craziness and the whatnot happening within the Guardians, but even that is still explained clearly and is well execute. It's definitely a good book and one that, as someone who's been with DC since the last 80's, takes this as a positive sign that DC is not forgetting about us long time fans. Pick it up, read it, love it. (And yes, I was very tempted to make a "if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it joke.)

By Electric Nerd with 1 comment

Review: Justice League #1

The first issue of the Justice League was in a tough position. Being the flagship title of the relaunch and being released before all the other books made into the symbol of the relaunch, and all the fears and expectations that come along with it. To avoid heavy criticism, it needed to be an absolutely fantastic comic.

And instead, we got a pretty good comic. Nothing particularly new, nothing special, but a fun enough read with lots of potential for the future. It won't convert anyone who isn't a fan of Johns, and it definitely won't quell the rage of fanboys still furious about the relaunch, but it's an accessible book that many readers will be entertained by.

There are spoilers beyond this point, so read ahead at your own risk.

The opening chase scene was, for me, the dullest part of the book. Maybe it's because these pages had already been previewed, but there wasn't much tension or much reason behind why the characters were on the run, and I would've preferred that fewer pages were spent on it. The one thing I did appreciate was the amount of variety and creativity Hal showed in his constructs. It effectively showcased Green Lantern powers for new readers, and showed older readers what we can expect from Hal in this new universe.

In fact, Hal Jordan in general is largely improved. Hal's frequently criticized for being being bland, but I don't think anyone can say he lacks a personality in this issue. He may not be the most likable guy in the world, but it's a great setup for Hal losing his ring, and for character development in the future.

The back and forth between Batman and Hal was fun, and is where the issue really picked up for me. Some elements may be a bit of a retread for older readers- the above panel made me think of ASBAR- but it's still entertaining and flows well. It was a good way to work in the set-up for this arc's villain without things feeling clunky.

The absolute highlight of the issue for me, and, probably many other readers, is the introduction of Cyborg. This is the one scene where Johns may have proved some naysayers wrong. His Vic is instantly likable and sympathetic, and I have a feeling his transformation into Cyborg will be absolutely heart wrenching. I think he's going to bring a lot to the Justice League, and I'm excited to see him develop as a hero.

Hal being absolutely blindsided by Superman after describing his constructs as indestructible earlier in the issue worked well for me. However, the ending of the issue fell a little flat for me. I'm sure the promise of a Batman/Superman throwdown will attract many readers, but I was hoping for something a little more intriguing to look forward to in the next issue. I'll still keep reading the title, but it's a bit of a disappointment.

I will say that the closing image of Superman was a nice one. I'm not sold on his new costume yet, but Lee's rendition of it here is probably the best it's looked. A little yellow on the belt would be a huge improvement, but Lee seems to get how to make the costume as is work. Here's hoping the other artists drawing Superman do too.

I've seen several complaints about the characters missing from this issue, but that's actually something I'm okay with. I think showing the formation of the League rather than dropping readers into the middle of the story was the right choice, and will make it easier to introduce the more obscure characters in the league's line-up once the story jumps back to the present. I'm really interested to see who Hal is replaced by and how that plays in the story. And, while Darkseid may seem like too formidable a foe for an introductory Justice League villain, my hope is that Johns is merely sowing the seed for more epic tales later down the line.

I'd recommend Justice League to fans of Johns and Lee, new readers looking to get into the DCU, and those looking for a mainline, basic superhero team book. If you're on the fence about this title, I'd recommend sticking to the relaunch books that have captured your interest and waiting until the first arc's conclusion to check this title out.

By Marceline with 2 comments