Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Comic Book Reviews for March 14, 2018



The best comic DC has to offer returns and we begin the end for our beloved Detective Comics arc that started, well, when "Rebirth" started! Plus we have some fun times with Ninjak and even more times in alternate universes with the Thing and Human Torch!

Detective Comics #976

Writer: James Tynion IV / Artist: Javier Fernandez / Colors: John Kalisz / Letters: Sal Cipriano

I kind of feel like we missed an issue. Last issue left things off pretty clear where with Batwoman stands, but we pick this comic up a few days later and all of a sudden she has Azrael and Batwing at her side. Maybe I'm misremembering, but I could have sworn she was keeping her joining the Colony under wraps, so she would keep the Gotham Knights out of it. Things didn't necessarily get off to a great start in that remark and it took the better part of the comic to get me back on the side of what Tynion's doing here. I enjoy it, and I do feel that we're at the climax of the story he's wanted to tell, but there are some elements at play in this issue that make things seem a bit too melodramatic.

I don't think Tim Drake would be as whiny or explosive to Batman as he is in this issue. I get that this initiative is a major undergoing for him and he's put a lot of soul into this, but he just came off as such a little brat. It's still clear where he's coming from and where his heads at, but Batman makes a good point that the regular Tim Drake would be much more rational. Maybe it is because of all the stuff with Mr. Oz and his future self, but I don't know feel like Tim spent enough time with his future self to really get a grasp for what he would be like. We as the readers understand how that Tim Drake operates, but for the characters it was just a little strange.

Still, like I said, I was with it by the end. Cassandra's material is still strong and I'm enjoying the fluid continuity of the story going on here. There was just a little bit of mischaracterization on the part of Tim Drake, though if I had to stretch my disbelief a bit, I could see him saying these things and perhaps taking rash actions. He's still a teengaer (or a young adult, at any rate) and can't think all that rationally, especially in high-intensity situations where his entire plan is falling apart.

The art this week definitely helped boost the comic, too. Javier Fernandez draws great emotions for all of the characters, and it's another case where we don't necessarily need word balloons for characters to convey their emotions. The heavy inks can, at times, make characters seem like they have some sort of malevolent intent that isn't really there, but otherwise it works, like with the early scenes with Cassandra and the stuff with Batwoman.

Maybe not the best start to the final arc, but we've got five more issues to go and there's so much promise left that I have hope we can finish strong. 

Marvel 2-in-1 #4

Writer: Chip Zdarsky / Artist: Valerio Schiti / Colors: Frank Martin / Letters: VC's Joe Caramagna

Looks like we're back to normal with this comic...at least, with the first half. I got a little lost with the second half, although that cliffhanger at the end is pretty solid and I can't wait for next month to see how it wraps up. Zdarsky brings his voice back strong in this issue as we get to hang out a little more with the new lady joining Ben and Johnny, Rachna. I still really like her character. She brings a good air of sarcasm and wit that Mr. Fantastic would otherwise have, but, as the comic points out, she has a no-nonsense attitude about all of this and is really just in it for the science and exploration element. I also enjoyed some of the brief cameos we got.

Zdarsky continues to prove himself on this book, and continues to prove that if we were to ever get a Fantastic Four comic back, his name should definitely be in consideration for the main writer. Hell, I'd also like to throw the whole creative team in that mix. I know I wasn't the big fan of what was going on last issue but that mostly had to do with the story itself being a little weak. This time?

Nah, I'm all in. Schiti draws a great Torch and Thing and brings an air of life to Rachna, making her feel so a part of the world. I also enjoy the new digs that Johnny and Ben are rocking, I can see them as mainstays for Fantastic Four gear for a while. Schiti may not be the best with expressions, but he handles close-ups and action shots pretty well. It's well-balanced with Frank Martin's consistently good colors. The vibrant art and colors of this comic really help it stand out as a good adventure story, one fitting for the Fantastic Four. 

Mister Miracle #7

Writer: Tom King / Artist: Mitch Gerads / Letters: Clayton Cowles

Mister Miracle is back after skipping a month and we didn't miss a beat; in fact, this may be one of the more harrowing issues to date. Last issue was all about breaking into New Genesis to confront Orion, but the tone of that was so comically casual. This one, though, ramps up the anxiety to eleven as Big Barda prepares to give birth to their child. King does an excellent job early in the comic of establishing that there's no telling what can happen since a New God's never been born on Earth. But, again, it's matched with some amazing comedy.

The surreal absurdity of Mister Miracle is also back in full and also possibly at it's best. While not much can top Mister Miracle #4 in terms of surreality (Orion, the High-Father, holding a Judge/ Jury/ Executioner case in a suburban living room), having three agents of Apokolips show up in support of their friend, or enemy in a weird way, in the middle of a hospital is just something you'd never, ever think to see. And yet it works. Whenever Scott returns to see those three, there's always this sense that they totally fit in with the situation.

I'm not sure what there's to say about Mitch Gerads' work in this book that hasn't already been said. It's unreal what this guy is doing. He brings the emotion right to your face each and every month and continues to knock it out of the park. Without any sequences of action, Gerads is capable of instantly conveying what's going on and what the dire situations are. It's never easy to read what's going on in either Mister Miracle or Big Barda's head because Gerads', I feel, is intentionally drawing it that way.

This continues to be the best-paced comic I'm reading...and just the best comic that I'm reading in general. The fluidity of this comic, how things read, is absolutely exquisite. Moments neither last too long nor too short. This book is the definition of a page-turner, especially by the end, where I found myself pulling the book closer and closer to my face in utter anxiety of what was going on. It's like the best parts of a hospital drama all in a comic book form and we have people that are gods as the patients.

And. It. Works. 

Ninjak vs. the Valiant Universe #3

Writer: Eliot Rahal / Artists: Joe Bennett, Belardino Brabo / Colorist: Ulises Arreola / Letterer: Dave Sharpe

I can think of few comics that can serve as excellent introductions to a super-hero universe, in terms of getting new readers up to speed with how characters work, what their voice is supposed to be, etc. Ninjak vs. The Valiant Universe is certainly one of those stories. In terms of scope and scale, it's got all the major players one needs to understand the main super-hero thrust of the Valiant U: Ninjak, Bloodshot, X-O Manowar, Eternal Warrior, Livewire. Yeah, okay, that's the basic makeup of Unity, but if you were to have someone be introduced to the Marvel Universe, who would you have? Cap, Thor, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Black Widow, and Hulk.

Eliot Rahal is killing it on this book in terms of characterization. The story isn't that great, but because it's essentially just supplementary material and isn't that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things, I'm willing to let a lackluster story slide in the place of getting to see some awesome heroes interact with excellent artwork on display. Rahal really gives us a taste for how each character operates, even in short bursts, like how we see X-O Manowar discredit Ninjak for fighting without honor and seeing Bloodshot being so apathetic about things because he's just so done with it.

Oh yes, and the artwork continues to be phenomenal, doing great with bringing characters to life and easily conveying what they're feeling or thinking at the time. The action is still great, too, even if it's minimalized in this comic to like two scenes (still, it involves characters we haven't seen yet that are pretty awesome, so it's okay).

I'm glad that this is just a miniseries and not a full on-going, because it's clear that we've reached the end of the rope in terms of where this can go. I love Roku as a villain, but she's mostly a villain for Ninjak, not all of Unity. A good villain for Unity is Toyo Harada or the Vine; it's similar to whenever DC tries to have Joker be the villain of arc for the Justice League. The League needs someone that's both cunning and titanic in power, like Darkseid or Brainiac. Her characterization is probably the least enticing of all, since Matt Kindt portrayed her with a ton more depth in his awesome run with Ninjak, but, again, it's not about her, it's about Ninjak and his fights against Unity. 

The Flash #42

Writer: Joshua Williamson / Artist: Dan Panosian / Colors: Hi-Fi / Letters: Steve Wands

Legacy characters can be a bit difficult to talk about, especially with DC. It seems to me that whenever someone talks about a character like Robin, the converation usually comes up with "well, which one?" Robin can mean a different thing for different people, and the same can easily be said about the Flash, who has really only two major incarnations: Wally West and Barry Allen. Now, I'll go ahead and say that Barry Allen is my Flash. He's the one I'm most familiar with, but that doesn't mean I hate Wally. In fact, I like Wally quite a bit, and think he may be deserving of the title the Flash given what he did for the character to make him hold such public respect, and to elevate the character's legacy.

But what bugs me is how much this comic is all about Barry, when I wish they would do a little more justice to Wally. In a strange way, this feeling gets me excited for the coming "Flash War" storyline which will feature Wally and Barry butting heads, but I kind of wanted this arc to be the one where Wally took the limelight, where he could take centerstage and show the world that there are indeed two Flashes. The story sets that idea up nicely, too, as throughout the entire comic Wally is referred to as a "rookie" or "the other" speedsters, when most readers know that Wally is arguably stronger than Barry (Grodd even makes reference to that).

These grievances only come about near the end of the comic though. I though the rest of it was pretty great all around. Godspeed is back in the mix and he's definitely throwing a wrench in things; I'm not sure where Williamson is going to take the character, and that has me mightily intrigued. He's definitely been set up as a mainstay for the "Rebirth" era of The Flash. I also enjoyed Wally (New 52) and Avery's conversations and interactions with Meena, and thought that Wally West (Post-Crisis...comic are confusing, are't they?) laying the smackdown on Raijin was good.

What helped the comic a ton was the artwork by Dan Panosian. He seems to be a good blend of Howard Porter and di Giandomenico and brings these characters to life rather easily. I enjoyed the action going on in this issue, even if backgrounds were a little less details this time around. As always with the colorful bunch of speedsters, how they pop off the page is important, and the ever-present, ever-great Hi-Fi really delivers.

I will say that Meena looks a bit different and it was just slightly jarring. It isn't her outfit or anything, but her face was drawn just a bit different, like with more youth, that it threw me off for a second. Still, he does a good Godspeed design, so I'm all for that.

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