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Reviews and commentary by Tony Isabella
"America's Most Beloved Comic-Book Writer & Columnist"
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TONY'S ONLINE TIPS
for Monday, July 14, 2008
Previously: I received a big box of DC Comics stuff and vowed to read and review all the 100-plus comics and books in that box. I failed miserably. Then, I received another big box of DC Comics stuff and swore that, this time, I would not fail. And so I battle on, once again facing my personal DC Challenge...
The 52 Aftermath: The Four Horseman [DC; $19.99] trade paperback collects the six-issue series by writer Keith Giffen with Pat Olliffe (pencils) and John Stanisci (inks) into one volume and charges readers a two bucks more for the privilege. That costs it points right from the get-go.
Spinning off from DC's 52 series and its World War III spinoff, this tale finds Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman battling creatures created by the scientists of Oolong Island, but connected to Darkseid's Apokolips. As I opined in previous reviews of individual issues, Giffen and crew deliver an exciting story and do some nice character stuff with Batman and mad scientist Veronica Cale. But it screams "let's cash in some more on 52" and ends with the equivalent of the big question mark that appeared at the end of 1950s monster movies.
Oh, for a story that has an actual ending!
Because of the price gouging, this trade paperback only earns two out of five Tonys.
In Action Comics #864 [$2.99], "Batman and the Legion of Super-Heroes" serves as epilogue to Geoff Johns' just-concluded, six-issue "Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes" story and as a lead-in to the upcoming Legion of Three Words series. Do I have to mention again how weary I am of DC's never-ending stories? I didn't think so. That said - or not said - Johns manages some nice moments between Superman and boyhood friend Lightning Lad, and between a suspicious Batman and the both of them, before we get to - here comes the yawn - the last-page revelation of the villain who is seemingly behind whatever is going on with all these different versions of the Legion.
On the visual end of things, I very much enjoyed the work of Joe Prado (pencils) and Jon Sibal (inks), even though - and maybe because - they borrowed my brother Eddy Newell's Black Lightning riffs for Lightning Lad. Kudos are also due letterer Rob Leigh and colorist David Curiel. Action Comics #864 earns a perfectly respectable three out of five Tonys.
It's been so long since I last read a chapter of Geoff Johns and Richard Donner's "Last Son of Krypton" that I think I may have missed a chapter. It would have been nice if the story had run in a more timely fashion.
Action Comics Annual #11 [$4.99] concludes the story. It's a well-written finish with extremely nice art by Adam Kubert, but I was disappointed that it reset the status quo back to Clark and Lois not having an adopted son. It always disappoints me that DC will do the dumbest things with its characters, but pass on the really interesting ideas that have come along. Clark and Lois with a son would have opened up the door to all kinds of human stories, the very kind of stories that make super-heroes believable enough for readers to relate to them. Sigh.
The annual also features several pages of character pin-ups and background information by Johns with artists Stephanie Roux and Karine Boccanfuso. They are an attractive and helpful addition to this annual, which also earns three Tonys.
Bat Lash #5 [$2.99] is a darn good comic, but it's not a great one. That's what sets this retelling and expansion of the character's origin apart from the original Bat Lash comics of the late 1960s. Written by novelist Peter Brandvold and creator Sergio Aragones with superb art by Severin, this chapter deals with the various aftermaths of the murderous attack on our hero's family in the previous issue. It's powerful stuff and that earns it four out of five Tonys.
I don't watch any of the shows featured in Cartoon Network Action Pack #24 [$2.25], so it's possible/probable that readers who do watch them will enjoy their comic-book adventures more than I did. The "Ben 10" story by Arie Kaplan held the most appeal for me, but it needed more pages, more character personality, and more action/humor/suspense. There were the bones of a good story there, maybe a little on the Scooby Doo side with its mysterious monsters on a movie set, but it wasn't fleshed out. As for the rest of the issue, the "Codename: Kids Next Door" material made no sense to me and the "Samurai Jack" episode was just sort of there. Not awful, but not entertaining either. The best I can do for this comic book is to award it a very disappointing one Tony.
From reading the Gail Simone-written relaunch of the series, I recognized some of the characters in Gen13 #19 [Wildstorm; $2.99]. But, beyond an organization hunting down those characters, I had zero clue what was going on with them. Neither writer Simon Oliver nor editor Ben Abernathy seemed to spare a thought for any readers picking up the series for the first time...and that's what wrong with too many and perhaps most super-hero comic books. Add uninteresting art to the mix and you get a comic book that doesn't earn any Tonys whatsoever.
Then there's Hellblazer #243 [Vertigo; $2.99]. Though, as the number of the issue suggests, John Constantine has had many adventures, writer Andy Diggle does a great job getting the basics down while telling an intriguing story. Anything I needed to know was in this first issue of the two-issue "The Mortification of the Flesh." While devout Catholics might take exception to the notion of a room in the Vatican where no sin counts as a sin, I found the concept both creepy and fascinating enough to ensure that I'll be back next issue. Giuseppe Camuncoli (pencils), Stefano Landini (inks), and Lee Loughridge (colorist) provide appropriately moody art to the proceedings.
Hellblazer #243 earns four Tonys.
No trees should have been sacrificed so that DC could publish Metal Men #8 [$2.99] or any other issue of that eight-issue series. If this were a world of fantasy and not science, the Tree Elementals would smite each and every person at DC Comics who had anything at all to do with this wretched mutilation of some of the most charming characters of the 1960s. And, to add further injury and insult to those characters, this eight-issue series has another of those pathetic "not really the end" endings. Because DC super-hero comics under the woeful management of Dan DiDio are more like crack than actual comic books. They exist not to entertain their readers, but to get them to buy another fix. As Metal Men represents the DiDio DCU at its worst, I've no choice but to award it a negative five Tonys, signifying it's five times worst than the usual worthless comic book.
I'm something of a zealot when it comes to writers including "what has gone before" information in their comic books. Even so, sometimes an issue grabs my attention even when I'm not sure what's going on in it. That was the case with The New Dynamix #3 [Wildstorm; $2.99]. Writer Allen Warner's characters, super-heroes and super-villains, are on the talky side, but they kind of sort of interest me...enough that I'll probably read the previous issues to see if they make the story more accessible. And while the art by J.J. Kirby and Oliver Nome isn't going to win any awards, I kind of sort of like it, too. So mark me down as "undecided" on this issue and this series for the time being.
I visited Wikipedia for a leg up on The Programme #10 [Wildstorm; $2.99] and came away with the smidgin of knowledge that the series deals with the awakening of super-beings created by the super-powers - the United States and Russia - during the Cold War. From this issue, drawn by C.P. Smith, I get the feeling the United States isn't doing too well in this new struggle. My interest is piqued, but not enough to read the back or future issues. If the inevitable trade paperback collects the entire twelve-issue series, I might give it a second chance. For now, this issue earns but two out of five Tonys.
Having enjoyed the concluding issues of writer Jim Starlin's recent Mystery In Space series, I was looking forward to his new Rann-Thanagar Holy War series. Religion has always been a fertile ground for Starlin's creative crops. Unfortunately, the first issue [$3.50] was a disappointment, serving only to introduce Starlin's large cast of characters and religious factions and never focusing on any element long enough for a satisfying story or even chapter of a story. The writing was fine, as were the efforts of penciller Ron Lim, inker Rob Hunter, and colorist John Kalisz. But the issue was all appetizer and no entree. Even the cliffhanger was pretty much a ho-hum moment. With so much working against it, the best score I can give Rann-Thanagar Holy War is a paltry two out of five Tonys.
In the apparently fascist America of the current DCU, most of the world's super-villains have been captured and sent to a savage prison planet. With the blessing of the apparently fascist super-heroes of the DCU. Because the Constitution is clearly irrelevant. This is likely our criminal president's favorite comic book - Unca Dick reads it to him - but it's pretty much an abomination from my point of view.
I read Salvation Run #6 because it was part of this DC Challenge of mine. The writing was pretty punk and the art wasn't nearly as good as previous efforts by penciller Sean Chen and inker Walden Wong. Which I'm okay with; no artists with even half a soul should put forth their best efforts on this crap. The rule of law demands that I give this issue a negative five out of five Tonys. Can we elect new DCU management?
My "DC Challenge" will continue all week. Keep watching this column for more reviews.
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TONY POLLS
Today's your last chance to vote on the current summer movies edition of our Tony Polls. You can rate the seven films by going to:
www.worldfamouscomics.com/tony/poll
New questions will be posted sometime tomorrow.
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TONY STUFF
There's another mouth to feed at Casa Isabella.
This is Simba Spaz Isabella, the cute little kitten who now lives with us to the tune - so far - of well over two hundred dollars in doctor's fees, food, kitty litter, and other cat stuff. Simba doesn't know that I'm shameless enough to use her picture to raise money for this column.
"Tony's Online Tips" is a reader-supported feature. With an occasional hiatus for convention travel and such, it will continue to appear each Monday through Friday for as long as readers support it with Tip The Tipster donations.
At the present time, there's enough money in the - forgive me - kitty to pay for five more columns. That will take us through Monday and our wondrous web-wizard Justin's annual sojourn to San Diego for Comic-Con International. Whether or not, TOT returns on his return is entirely up to you. You'll find a handy PayPal link elsewhere on this page.
Thanks for spending a part of your day with me. I'll be back tomorrow with more stuff.
Tony Isabella
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THE "TONY" SCALE
ZERO: Burn your money before buying any comic receiving this rating. It doesn't *necessarily* mean there's absolutely nothing of value here - though it *could* - but whatever value it might possess shrinks into insignificance before its overall awfulness.
ONE: Buy something else. Maybe I found something which wasn't completely dreadful in the item, but not enough for me to recommend it when there are better comics available. I only want what's best for you, my children.
TWO: Basic judgment call. I found some value, but not enough to recommend it. My review should give you enough info to decide if you want to take a chance on it. Are you feeling lucky today, punk? Well, are you?
THREE: This denotes something I find perfectly respectable. There are better books out there, but I wouldn't regret buying this item. Based on my review, you should be able to determine if it's of interest to you. Let the Force guide you.
FOUR: I recommend anything earning this rating. Unless you don't like the genre, subject matter, or past work of the creators, I believe you'll enjoy this item. Isn't it uncanny how I can look right into your soul that way?
FIVE: Anything getting this rating is among the best comicdom has to offer. You should buy/read this, even if the genre/subject matter doesn't appeal to you. It's for your own good. Me, I live for comics and books this good...but not in a pathetic "Comic-Book Guy" sort of way.
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