New 52 Week 4 (Final Week)

Well, yesterday was the final release of the new 52 #1's. There's no way I can review all 12 of the ones that were released yesterday in full format without lots of extra space, so I thought I'd devote a brief paragraph to each title this week.

Green Lantern New Guardians #1 is kind of bizarre and I don't know what to make of it yet in conjunction with Green Lantern #1, Red Lanterns #1, and Green Lantern Corps #1. The last we saw in Green Lantern #1 all of the guardians were fine except poor Ganthet who was getting weirdly blasted by his blue brethren. This book picks up with the guardians wiped out except for Ganthet, so my only supposition is that Ganthet won against whatever they were doing. Also, Kyle Rayner has never been a Green Lantern before according to this book. In the course of this book though, he becomes a green lantern (Ganthet hands him what he says is the last ring), and is also apparently chosen by the other six corps for membership by the rings themselves or their masters as a red, orange, yellow, blue, indigo, and violet ring all show up for him by the end of the book. Where these rings come from is the interesting part and sets up the conflict for at least the next issue.
I think Tony Bedard did a good job on the story; I just want to know what's going on, so I'll definitely be reading more. The artwork by Tyler Kirkham is good although he seems to take more of a cartoonish style with this book cover, the interior is his typical style and the realism looks good in thsi title.

Batman: The Dark Knight #1 is awesome like all the relaunched Batman books. Gotham is a little more glitzy at times in this book, but then we get a little more of a glimpse of Bruce Wayne's world in this book then we have in other Batman books. The contrast between Bruce's world of light and Batman's world of darkness is well done by penciller David Finch and colorist Alex Sinclair. Batman remains true to his dark and gritty roots in this book as he does in all of the new Batman books and Paul Jenkins writes well. This issue was only the beginning as we can see with the final page showing a newly empowered Two-Face. Batman is very much the Dark Knight in this book as can be seen when he shows up at a riot going on at Arkham and states plainly, "Sixty-five men. Sixty-five families. You can tell me what happened later. Right now, why don't we try to give your men trapped inside a fighting chance?" Excellent book!

Justice League Dark #1 is an insane book; I mean really, half the characters are either insane or walkign the edge of a knife and about to fall. I love Zatanna's redesigned look; I think it hearkens back to the old, but finally dresses her in a way more befitting of her status as a sorceress super-hero. Madame Xanadu's look in this book is also spectacular and is much like Zatanna's, hearkening to her previous incarnation's look, but modernized just the right amount. No one else really gets a re-design in this book, but what could you really do with Constantine or Shade? The artwork throughout the book by Mikel Janin really works for this book as it moves from the macabre, to the creepy, to the dark (the Batcave), to the bright (the Justice League) and everything in between. Peter Milligan's story is awesome and while I liked the previous version of Enchantress (she was a hero the last time we saw her before Flashpoint), I love this new setup with her being stark raving mad and about to destroy the world because of it. Normally, this would be a job for the Justice League, but we quickly see that they are not well suited to this task and thus DC's major magic players (at least they seem to be setting them up to be the new major magic players) have to step up to the task somehow. If you are interested in DC's world of magic, I think this is the book you want to read to understand it all.

The Flash #1 is a slow story to start. This is definitely the beginning for the Flash and sets the new status quo for him. Let's start with the fact he is not married to Iris in the new DCU. The villains quickly step forward, the ring rapidly releases the suit and the Flash is still the fastest man, but this story starts at the beginning and only whets the appetite to know what's going on with Barry Allen's old friend Manuel, who is killed early on in the book only to show up later still alive, but there's definitely a story and you get to the basics of it by the end. Excellent job by Francis Manapul and I look forward to reading more.

Superman #1 is the status quo set up for Superman in the current continuity of the new DCU, unlike Action Comics, which is 5 years before current continuity. Like with the Flash, we find that there is no Lois and Clark here. They are not married and Clark is the loner that he started out as trying to avoid getting too close to people due to his secret. Unlike in the final days of continuity of the previous DCU, Clark is still on top of his game as a reporter here and not lapsing so much with the Superman job taking up too much time. Metropolis is his city, and he works hard to protect it. Another big change, is the Daily Planet building of old is demolished early on in the story and replaced by a new ultra modern building with a new owner who resembles Rupert Murdoch in attitude. There is a slight tie in to Stormwatch here and Jesus Merino does an excellent job on the redesigned costume and making Clark and Lois both look younger without taking away their maturity. The story is well written by George Perez and I can't wait to see what's next for the Man of Steel.

Teen Titans #1 is not at all what I expected, and I love it. I love the new costume designs for all of the Teen Titans characters and most of them are the ones the series finished with. Red Robin is here, Wondergirl is here (though you shouldn't call her that; she takes it badly for some reason), Kid Flash is here. Superboy is not really here yet, but he makes his cameo at the end and from his own book, we know he'll be here next issue. Of all the redesigns I have to say I like Wondergirl's the best. It's reminiscent of Donna Troy from the eighties with the sparkly black thing, but also keeps elements of Cassie's original look. So much better than the more casual look she had in the previous series. The story ties in closely to the Superboy book (I already told you to go read it), and N.O.W.H.E.R.E. is out to take out the teen meta-humans of the new DCU. This is what sparks the formation of the Teen Titans here, not the position of the characters as the teenage sidekicks of older heroes as of old. I already hate N.O.W.H.E.R.E. and I don't even know that much about them. The book looks like it will continue to be the best teen superhero book out there, especially with no Runaways series out right now. Kudos to writer Scott Lobdell and penciller Brett Booth for breathing new life into the Teen Titans all over again!!

Aquaman #1 is just WOW!!! I have to admit that I'm one of those people who made fun of Aquaman throughout the years. I mean come on, you know you did too; most of us have said, "Oooh, he can talk to fish." This book takes no prisoners of those of us who have made Aquaman into a joke for decades. My friend Nina, who is an Aquaman fan, will love this book! When I finished this book, not only was I ashamed of all the jokes I made about Aquaman (writer Geoff Johns takes off the gloves and hits everyone of us below the belt for those jokes in this issue), but I saw the hero who does belong in the Justice League. There is nothing else you can say, when Aquaman stands right in front of a stolen armored truck as the crooks inside laugh about it and how they're just going to run him down. All of us naysayers, the crooks most of all, are stunned when Aquaman throws his triden forward and spears the armored car like a charging lion and flips it over his head. It doesn't get any better for the crooks, but it does for us, when the crooks get out and take a few shots at Aquaman only to learn that although he's not bullet proof, he does have incredibly thick skin and a little nick is all he gets from the shots.
This is the Aquaman I've wanted for years. I hope Johns keeps up the good work and continues to build Aquaman into the character he always should have been. And lest I forget, Ivan Reis does an excellent job with the art.

The Savage Hawkman #1 is awesome, but I'm not sure Hawkman is going to make it past issue 2 with the ending here. The Nth metal harness with wings strapped to Carter Hall's back is gone very quickly in this comic. The Nth metal appears to have at least a partial sentience and this is a new Hawkman and the brutal streak of old is back. This is a Hawkman who will fight to the bloody end. I loved the comic and the way Hawkman's powers work now are just stunning. The new direction that Tony S. Daniel has taken the charater in holds fast to the roots of the character while modernizing him and moving him forward at the same time. Carter is set to be awesome and Philip Tan's pencils make him look as awesome as Daniel writes him.

The Furty of Firestorm #1 is a book that I really didn't think I was going to like. The story is kind of split at first as we follow a group of what seem to be CIA or military operatives of some kind trying to track down what I assumed to be weapons at first, and Ronnie Raymond and Jason Rusch in high school. The story quickly comes together a little past the halfway point when you learn the operatives are not what they seemed to be and they are hunting for the Firestorm matrix (or at least the final one; they've apparently already recovered all but one of them). Towards the end, we learn that Jason has the last one and we finally see both Firestorms and what they join together to become in the final single page spread. Gail Simone writes this wonderful book and proves once again that she can weave an excelletn story. Ethan van Sciver co-plots, so he deserves some of that credit as well as well as for the excellent cover. Yildiray Cinar does an excelletn job with the artwork inside the book, and I loved this book from beginning to end. I can't wait to see where it goes from here and who the secret person in the background is trying to gather up the firestorm matrices for their own purposes.

I, Vampire #1 is another book I thought I wouldn't like. In this case, I'm not sure I was wrong yet. The story is about a boy and his girlfriend. He's a vampire who made her into a vampire 400 years ago. Now, they've had a disagreement; she wants to conquer the world and use the human race as food while he wants to live in peace with humans. She's raised an army, and he has decided to stand against it. The vampire mythos is changed slightly by writer Joshua Hale Fialkov, but at it's hear it's still a noble and honorable vampire versus the rest of the evil blood sucking race story. The artwork by Andrea Sorrentino works really well for this book and I loved the dark tones used by colorist Marcelo Mailo, they really brought the horror nature of the book home. I'm not sure I'll pick any more of this series, but if you are a fan of the vampire horror genre, you should pick it up. It's done well and you'll probably like it.

Black Hawks #1 is yet another book I didn't think I would like. So far, I was wrong. The Blackhawks are a special covert military organization set up by the UN to deal with any and all threats necessary (normal and meta-human it would seem). The story hearkens back to the earliest days of Marvel's S.H.I.E.L.D. comics when they were the Strategic Hazard Intervention, Espionage, and Law-enforcement Division and combines it with DC's own Checkmate to create an organization that is all human (to start with at least), but is definitely playing in a world dominated by meta-humans with super technology that we can only imagine. Writer Mike Costa sets the stage quickly for the purpose of the group, how it works, and reveals the enemy behind the scenes for the organization and leaves us with the cliff hanger we didn't expect at the end (at least I didn't expect it). If you liked S.H.I.E.L.D. in the '70s or Checkmate before Maxwell Lord took over, you'll want to get this series.

All Star Western #1 is the one book I didn't know how I would feel about. I've never been a Jonah Hex follower and this is his book. The catch in this first arc though is that Hex has come to Gotham City of old to help catch a serial killer who is definitely on par with Gotham's nature. Hex is the same character he has always been although he doesn't seem to have the ability to garner information from the dead (but maybe that was a movie power and not what he was really capable of in the comics; never read any Jonah Hex before, so I don't really know). Hex is joined by Grandpa Arkham in this arc and he quickly learns that Gotham was corrupt long before the days of Bruce Wayne or even Bruce Wayne's father, although mention is made of Bruce's grandfather as well as the other players from the limited series just finished, "The Gates of Gotham"; excellent tie in for continuity to the rest of the new DCU and even the old. If you're a fan of Jonah Hex, Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti are still writing Jonah Hex the way you like him. Moritat's pencils are good though details on the crowd shots are sparse, and the sepia tones that colorist Gabriel Bautista uses really work well for a western genre story. Jonah Hex is firmly entrenched in the DCU with this issue, and I'll be following at least for a little while to see what happens in this arc.

That's all for tonight. Thanks again for reading.

Soldier Zero #12

Sorry, no blog yesterday. It was a rough day at work and at home.
Today, I have another comic from BOOM! and Stan Lee. Soldier Zero is one of the three characters that Stan Lee created for BOOM!'s superhero universe, or maybe it's the POW! Universe (Stan Lee's company is called POW! Entertainment). Anyway, as I said with Starborn, I'm really liking these books. It's a fresh perspective on some old concepts and it really works so far.
Starborn borrows a little bit from Freddie Freeman (Captain Marvel, Jr.), a little bit from Blue Beetle, and a little bit from Iron Man, wraps them all together in one package and creates a dynamic new character that I really want to know more about as we go. And not just more about the character, but more about the universe around him.
The story thus far as written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning with art by Javier Pina:
Stewart Trautmann is a paraplegic war veteran. In the first issue, a meteor shower drops an alien parasite on earth which shortly thereafter bonds with Stewart Trautmann. When Stewart activates the parasite or the parasite activates itself to protect Stewart, he becomes Soldier Zero. The Soldier Zero parasite forms a set of alien biotech armor around Stewart and gives him back the use of his legs among many other incredible abilities. No dynamic of forming weapons in the armor like Blue Beetle, instead the armor works more like a set of Iron Man armor for firing blasts and generating force shields etc.
Stewart is still learning about the Soldier Zero parasite and has actually begun to form a symbiotic relationship it seems with the parasite as time passes. The few things that we do know already is that there is apparently an entire civilization in space somewhere that uses this parasitic armor, and there intentions for Earth seem to be unclear.
In this issue, we've learned that there is something special about Soldier Zero, Stewart Trautmann, as a hugely powerful time travelling race of giant beings known as the Inheritors let him know that he is not a Soldier Zero, but THE Soldier Zero. Stewart is destined for something major, but even he is unaware of what that might be.
This issue also ends the chase of Soldier Zero by government agents as they reach a truce at the end of the issue with an offer by Stewart to work with the government if they comply with certain things to remedy some of their actions of the last few issues. There seems to be an acquiescence, but we know that there are always likely to be ramifications from allying withe government as a super human.
The character concept is great; I really like Soldier Zero and his universe. I often wonder if Stan Lee will ever run out of ideas, and I'm glad he hasn't yet. The writing has moved us really far in the last year since this character was introduced and there is still more to learn it seems. We've gotten teases of the future, but nothing so drastic as what's actually going to happen, so the suspense continues in the title. Great writing by Abnett and Lanning. The artwork fits this character well. It's a litttle stylized at time, and that works really well for the alien tech we regularly see in this comic.
Overall, a great book that I would recommend for anyone who likes Blue Beetle, Iron Man, or just a decent sci fi comic.

Thanks for reading.

My Personal Universe - What My Mom Did For Me

Okay, you may not want to read this one. It's not really interesting, but I had to write it, and it's about my own universe and not a comic book or game universe, but the real world.
September 22 was 2 years since my mom was buried. Apparently, I've been so busy at work that I didn't even realize that I didn't even realize why I had been kind of depressed this week. It was actually something the pastor giving the sermon in my church today said that made me realize it. Does this mean that I didn't love my mom because I can't remember the day she died or the day I buried her without something triggering the memory; definitely not. It just means that I trust in God and through my faith, I know that she is in the place we should all be longing to be and definitely in the place I know I will be one day.
This time is actually special to me because I was an idiot for a very long time. I was somewhat raised in a church, and as soon as I was outside of my hometown, I quickly strayed from God and my faith in Him. Not that I wasn't already on the wrong path in my heart, just that it came out pretty quickly once I was away from the church where the last years of my growing up took place.
In my life, I've done some pretty messed up stuff. I've lied to good friends at times to try and convince them to have sympathy for me for something I didn't need sympathy for. I've stolen things that I didn't need to steal and definitely didn't need to survive. I've forgotten about people and just lived my life for me for a very long time, and that includes having forgotten about most of my family except for my mom and step-dad (who is more of a father to me than my real father ever was).
It took a lot of horrible things in my life for me to find my way back to God and my faith. Most of all, it took a mom who loved and cared about me to remind me what I had lost after she had found her way back to God again.
My mom was sick for a long time before she died. When she first got sick, the doctors told her she probably only had about 6 months if she didn't have a lung transplant. Her insurance didn't and wouldn't cover the transplant, so she kept going on her own. A friend of hers invited her to her church, and she went one day. This was a pentecostal church; we had been baptists for my whole life as far as I know. She clung to God fairly quickly after going to this church from what I know of it. All I know is that at some point in time when I was going through some very dark days and talking to my mom pretty regularly, one of the things she told me was I needed to go to church. I didn't listen at first, but I kept talking to my mom. Over the course of the next year and a half, my mom kept talking to me about the problems I was going through. We rarely talked about how sick she realy was; if you ever knew my mom you'd understand. She was a strong Cajun woman who didn't anyone know how much she was hurting; she would just keep going no matter what for her family, her friends, her job, whatever. My mom had a rough life, but it never showed in her attitude towards others.
Anyway, my mom eventually talked to her pastor's wife and got a phone number for the pastor of a church where I live and gave it to me. I didn't go or call for months after she gave it to me. Then I went to visit her the week after Easter the year she died; I went to church with my mom and dad the Sundays and Wednesday that I was there. I was just kind of present in those services. I sung when they sang, I prayed when they prayed, but I didn't come to the realization of what I was doing yet. God was there though, and he didn't let go once I showed up in His house again.
I went home from that visit and it took me two weeks to make it to the church. The first week I tried to go without calling the pastor, but they had moved, and I didn't know where to go. They were a home missions church, so they were renting space and it wasn't like they could leave a forwarding address for me. I called the pastor that week and he gave me directions to where they were located and I made it the next Sunday. I've been going to my church every Sunday almost without fail ever since; I've missed a few days for migraines and even now I ignore those and go anyway and I've been out of town for a few services, but I still worship even on those days.
I visited my mom again on Labor Day weekend of 2009. My mom was really sick by this time, although I don't think I realized how bad it was. I guess I should have known when she didn't go to church with me that Sunday night while I was visiting. I received the baptism of the Holy Ghost on that Sunday evening. My mom wasn't there, but she knew long before I got back to her house that night. I went home and about two weeks later on September 18, my mom died from her COPD. My sister called me Thursday night before while I was at a Bible study with my pastor to tell me my mom had gotten worse and the nurse said she might wake up in the morning, and she might pass away while she slept. My mom never really woke up after that. Friday morning she was still alive when every one woke up, but she passed on shortly after that. My sister called me that morning to tell me while I was in the shower getting ready for work. I got a message to call her when I got out of the shower. I knew what she was going to tell me, but it still didn't prepare me for when she told me. I went home for the funeral and we buried her on a Tuesday; the day kind of went back and forth between the sun and rain. They say that God cries at the passing of his saints, and although I know rain is just rain, I'm sure God cried when my mom died even though she was with Him shortly after. It meant that her work for Him here was done and others would have to shoulder her share of the load now.
I think in a lot of ways, my mom held on to life to see at least one of her children return to God's arms. She knew I had. My sister actually got baptised in the Holy Ghost the Sunday after my mom died, but she I'm not sure she's made the commitment necessary yet. I still struggle every day with doing the things God wants me to do and what is pleasing to God, but I know He helps me with it every day and I grow more in my faith and love for God each day. Each day is new and even on the worst days, I still know I have God's love and He will always be with me no matter what.
Thank you, Mom. Your love guided me back to God's love and for that I will always be grateful. On top of that though, you loved me with all your heart all your life and never gave up on me no matter what mistakes I made. I miss you and look forward to seeing you again one day.

Fear Itself: Youth In Revolt #5 (of 6)

Okay, I have to admit that of all the Fear Itself titles that are part of that event (at least the ones I've been reading), this one and Homefront are the only two that I think have truly been worth it. This limited series written by Sean McKeever with art by Mike Norton let us have a glimpse back into lives of most of the younger heroes from the Avengers: Initiative title during the Dark Reign era of Marvel.
I've realy enjoyed the story that McKeever has crafted. He took this bunch of rag tag teens and young adults and showed you their anxieties and fears while working with them to show you how they are true heroes. He has shown us their frailties and their strengths all with the backdrop of the nation and world falling into mass panic due to the Fear Itself event. The best part has been watching the growth of some of the characters like Cloud 9, Tarene (Thor-girl), Prodigy, and Gravity. Even if at times that growth seemed to be backwards in nature.
This final issue has Prodigy finally move to step in to try to pick up the pieces of some of the bad mistakes by various characters made throughout the limited series. The problem is that one of those mistakes was made by him when he didn't realize how political of a situation he was in when Steve Rogers gave him command of these (former) Initiative heroes. This comes back to bite him or maybe the more correct word would be bash him in the last page of this issue.
The few pages of scene with Cloud 9 and Tarene working to save people in a collapsing hotel are some of the best evocative scenes I have seen in a while. Cloud 9's initial fear is there as she struggles to overcome what seems to be mild claustraphobia while Tarene herself struggles to come to terms with the thought that she will not be strong enough to save Cloud 9, herself, and the civilians trapped in the collapse. It takes both of them overcoming their own fears in order to help the other one, and it's an awesome scene of what it takes to be a hero. It's not really about what you think you are capable of, but what you step up and do to save others no matter the risk to yourself.
The artwork is awesome. Every character is well drawn and the earthquake rocking Las Vegas throughout the issue is truly devastating in its appearance due to the way Norton draws the scenes for it.
I doubt many people have actually been picking this book up, and that's too bad as it's been one of the best titles of the Fear Itself event in my opinion. If you have the opportunity to pick it up in its individual issues, I recommend you do so. You don't even need the main Fear Itself title to enjoy this title and what's going on in it. It's a great read both in story and its visuals. If you can't pick it up in its individual issues, if they make a trade of it, which they are bound to do, then I recommend you grab it then and enjoy the story in its entirety from beginning to end.

Other titles I read today with brief comments were:

• Avengers: The Children's Crusade #7 - pick up this title if you haven't been or get the trade when it's released; the only problem with this is Allan Heinberg is always behind on anything they have him work on; he does an excellent job though
• Fear Itself: Fearsome Four #4 (of 4) - overall, a fun limited, not spectacular in scope, but fun given it stars Howard the Duck
• Avengers #17 - I just want Fear Itself to be over now; there's just nothing significant really happening in this book
• Invincible Iron Man #508 - a Fear Itself tie in, but worth it, since we get to see Iron Man jump into a molten vat of Uru and get his armor blessed as a weapon of war by Odin to battle in the final battle of Fear Itself
• Vampirella and the Scarlet Legion #4 - I'm liking this limited from Dynamite, but I'm a Vampi fan; if you are, you should pick this up. It is set before the current continuity in the primary Vampirella series, and I think we're going to see what happened to all of Vampi's former allies at the end of the series.
• Inferno One Shot - part of the Dream Eater Saga, this book brings the dark one into the fight with the dream eater, and it seems like he's going to be the bait. Parts of this event in Zenescope's fairy tales universe have impressed me and other parts were just filler it seems (this one could have easily been part of another larger story).
• DC Universe Presents: Deadman #1 - well written, but foundational, so I'm not really sure if I'm going to like this arc or not
• Captain America #3 - Brubaker is not impressing me with this current arc so far, and I'm a Captain America and had been loving what Brubaker had been doing with the book and the character up until now, so that's saying something.
• Fear Itself: The Home Front #6 (of 7) - one of the better limiteds in the Fear Itself event; it's a collection of short stories in each issue, some humorous and some a little more epic. The single story about Speedball's redemption in the eyes of the people of Stamford, the town that had 3,000 people die due to some of his activities previously, has been singularly fantastic even if on its own, but the other storeis have been decent as well.

Okay, that's all I have for today. Thanks again for taking the time to read.

Catwoman #1 (Rated PG16 and well on its way to R)

Sorry, I had to do this one. I was posting my blog to Twitter and Facebook to try and get some passthrough. Of course, most of the people who follow me and I follow on Twitter are comic book readers and fans, so they already know or have formed an opinion on what I'm about to write about. Anyway, I was posting, and I saw a tweet about an article about Catwoman #1 and The Red Hood and the Outlaws #1 (sadly or maybe thankfully, my comic book store was shorted on its Red Hood issues, so I can't read it to see the problem for myself and blog about it. Anyway, in the case of Catwoman, I did and I have an opinion that has to be put out there.
First of all, I recommend this article about both books: http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/09/22/starfire-catwoman-sex-superheroine/
Now, because I saw a tweet that took me to that article I had to read Catwoman #1. Now I have to tell you about it. This book was a horrible injustice to the character of Catwoman, mostly for all of the reasons that article mentions. This book could have been ten times better if it had started on page 4 (and even then, they should have had Selina zipped up in the first panel. There was no reason for them to start the book the way they did; most of what they wanted to convey could have been done just with page 4 other than the cheesecake portion on pages 1-3 that meant nothing to the story really. In fact, if they had started the book with the close up on Selina's face on page 4 on page one and then flashbacked the few minutes to the rest, that portion of the book would have been better for it. Now, let's skip to the end, the book should have ended on page 25. That was enough of the scene between Batman and Catwoman to know that she was in a dark place after the events at the beginning of the book adn just needed someone to hold her or whatever. Readers should have been able to finish the rest of the scene for themselves; we definitely did not need the last page of the story and expecially not in a full page splash.
The sad part is the story in between these two sections that should have been cut out tell an awesome story of the Catwoman we all know and love. A strong female character that has been through life and not along the best roads. Judd Winnick is normally an excellent writer, and I like most of his stuff. The inclusion of those scenes was appalling to me and I agree with Laura Hudson in the article I linked above that it is about time comic books (publishers, writers, artists, the industry in general) realized that they need to take a fresh perspective on their female characters and write them with a truly feminine voice whether than a masculine voice in a feminine form. Porn belongs in the adult comics, or, well, in porns, and if that's the kind of writing and artwork you want to do than go work in those areas.
As Ms. Hudson states, super hero comics are supposed to be aspirational; they should inspire us and make us want to be better people. As the slogan for Superman: The Movie once said, "You will believe a man can fly!" The super hero genre of comic books should make us believe that as a species, as a society, as a culture, we can be better. We can be and do the great things we aspire to be and to do. Pages 5 to 24 of this comic book did that. They show you a strong female character who has a lifetime behind her. She still has dark moments (she is an anti-hero, so even that makes sense) as when she goes for revenge on the one Russian mobster for someone in her life that he murdered. And we don't need to see all of Catwoman's undergarments as she's frantically getting dressed to know that she's a beautiful woman; it was unnecessary. Even the concept of her going after what she wants/needs from Batman at the end may make sense, but we did not need it depicted the way it was; like I said earlier, we could have surmised what happened in our imaginations and it would have been a better story at that point for all concerned.
I'm not opposed to cheesecake in comic books, I think it's part of the super hero genre by this point since that's where female characters in comics started, but this just tarted Catwoman up for no reason and made her look like a bimbo, not the strong, smart and savvy character she is. I would hope that in some ways the comic book industry could start moving past the pinup history of super hero comics and realize that they can tell really good stories and do really good art without relying soley upon cheesecake. If they really want to expand their sales and bring in readership, there's a whole market of women out there that might be interested if they would move past that. And don't get me wrong, I was a teenage boy at one time, and I get the appeal of that for teenage boys, but comic books are not all about the teenage boy anymore and by most publishers' admission, they want to bring more females (women/girls/young ladies/whatever you are today) into their audience; this was definitely not the way to do it.
Finally, I have to say, I encouraged my children to read comics from an early age; it helped with rudimentary reading skills; but I wouldn't let my kids read this book until they reached an age where I had to explain the birds and the bees, otherwise I'd have to do it for them at 8 or 10 years old. :(
I don't recommend this comic book to anyone at this point. Everyone should stand up and let DC know that this is unacceptable to their female readership (current and future). In fact, if I thought your comic book shop would take it back, I'd say return it for a refund to send a serious message up the line.

I'd apologize for the soap box, but I'm not sorry for it. It's time we grew up if we want our comic books to be more mainstream and stopped living in our teenage fanboy super-heroine fantasies. I'm sure there are web-sites out there for that if that's what you want.

Thanks for reading and I hope you keep reading still after this.

Blue Beetle #1 and Supergirl #1

Okay, I know that I said yesterday I was only going to do the first one I read today, but Blue Beetle was first and Supergirl really rocked!!! So, here they both are; separated for ease.

Blue Beetle #1
Blue Bettle is written by Tony Bedard with pencils by Ig Guara.
The story is an origin story, so it completely re-establishes not only Blue Beetle/Jaime Reyes (the alter ego) and a new supporting cast, but it also means the book is a bit slow to start with. The only super battle we see is towards the end of the book when the two opposing groups of supervillains that are after the beetle scarab start going at it and spill out into the street, coincidentally right on to the hood of the car that Jaime and his friend Paco are in. Jaime does the right thing to save his friend Paco from being killed immediately by one of the villains, and ends up with a knife in his back right through the scarab. The last page which has already been shown on web-sites says it all for what happens next; Jaime becomes the Blue Beetle for the first time.
Okay, so I gave away the ending of the book, but it's not really the end of this book that's important. It's what happens at the beginning which is where the new origin story comes in. This is the Blue Beetle scarab after the retcon that made it a symbiotic device of an imperialistic society known as the Reach. The power set hasn't really changed, but we're at the beginning of it all again, and Jaime is the first Blue Beetle for the DC Universe to be widely recognized in the new continuity and not Ted Kord.
The Blue Beetle armor is one of the few "costumes" that didn't get a redesign with the new 52 relaunch. If you've read the Q&A in back of this week's DC books, then you already know the artist considered the Blue Beetle to already be very modern and not in need of an update. No surprise, since this version and look was only introduced 5 or so years ago shortly after Identity Crisis. The artwork in the book is uperb; I really like Guara's style both for the metahumans and the normal humans (or just the metas in their secret identities). There is a real distinction that can be seen between what is meant to be meta-human and normal human in his style as I look at it.
The writing was awesome as well. You can see Bedard's desire to continue the establishment of Jaime Reyes as a down-to-earth teenager dealing with what that entails as this story begins and moves to the point where the scarab attaches itself to Jaime. The incident that puts Jaime in "harm's" way to make him into the Blue Beetle also highlights his strong moral sense of responsibility and desire to help others.
I never read any previous Blue Beetle series, not even the last one with Jaime Reyes. I always liked the idea of this Blue Beetle vs. Ted Kord's Blue Beetle, but at the time I was more a Marvel fanatic. With my almost complete departure from Marvel books due to my opinions of what they've been doing lately, I definitely plan on picking up this series for the foreseeable future, and I recommend any fans of the Blue Beetle and anyone who just likes a good comic book do so as well.

Supergirl #1
Supergirl is being written by Michael Green and Mike Johnson with pencils by Mahmud Asrar.
I'm going to start with the worst part of this book, which is the pencils. They're not bad, but Asrar's style is a little rough aroudn th edges. For example, on page 4 we get the first and only full body shot of Kara Zor-El (Supergirl) as a full page spread; her legs have almost no definition and she seems to need to get a nose job. This continues through the book. It doesn't detract from the book and in places it even seems that Asrar is fully capable of drawing the right detail into the work to lose that roughness, so maybe this is intentional.
Unlike Superman's new costume, which I love, I'm not a fan of what they've put Supergirl in. There are aspects of it that I like, but other aspects just make it look silly. It's an easy breakdown as well, the top half of the costume I love; I hate the costume from the waist down. I know that seem silly since she's in a traditional superheroine bikini bottom style, but that mixture with the new style of her boots just makes the costume look ridiculous. It's like they tried to cross the armored look of Superman's new costume with the more traditional look for Supergirl. They've lost her skirt in the redesign, which I always thought was an awesome part of her costume and her boots now have this strappy armor appearance together with the bikini bottom. They should have gave her a full armor appearance for the bottom with complete leggings similar to Superman. If they would have just put blue background leggings on her or even red leggins all the way, I think the new costuem woudl be awesome. I especially love the way they've done her cape; it's a little longer and has kind of this wrap around her neck instead of just hanging from her shoulders. It's fairly obvious with the look that they went for here and the new look of Superman's costume that they were going for a new look in what Kryptonians dressed like before their world was destroyed.
The story itself is well written. Starting with the second meteor event striking near Kansas, although one "meteor" burns hot enough and hits hard enough to drive through the earth's mantle and re-emerge in Siberia. This is where Kara Zor-El emerges and the fun begins. This story unlike past stories really gives us a reason for Supergirl to have the attitude she often has with Earthlings, given that they attack her almost immediately despite the fact that she obviously doesn't understand them or speak the lingo to know what they want. The story ends with the cameo you expect when a Kryptonian lands on Earth and is engaged in battle with humans: Superman.
I liked the last Supergirl series which relaunched a new Supergirl in DC's universe to replace the one that died where back in Crisis on Infinite Earths, but in the last few months, the title had seemed directionless and was starting to lose its appeal. With this fresh take and what would appear to be an older Supergirl than the last one, it looks like the book may be set up to regain the glory that belongs to a member of the House of El.
I say pick it up if you're a fan of Supergirl; you won't be disappointed. If you're not a fan of Supergirl, I still say give it a try; you might be surprised at how much you like it. Supergirl is normally a counterpoint to Superman's, Big Blue Boyscout personality, but given that I'm not sure Superman is going to be the boyscout he used to be anymore, we may just have to see how this new relationship develops.

Also, just quick mentions for what I've read so far today at lunch...Recommend Wonder Woman #1 (it's foundational, since Diana is already Wonder Woman and Zeus appears to be set to be reborn of a human woman he had a dalliance with in some strange manner so that she doesn't even know she's pregnant yet). Recommend Legion of Super-Heroes #1 if you were already reading the last Legion series and Adventure Comics before the relaunch; it picks up right after the two books ending issues and explains that the Legion can no longer time travel due to the Flashpoint barrier. Captain Atom #1 has me completely baffled; I don't know if it's worth it or not yet, so I'll probably pick up the next issue to make a determination on it.

Thanks for reading.

Batman #1

Decided I'm going to try to stick to one comic book when I do a review, so you'll get the first one I read each day. Later if I have extra days, I'll maybe do reviews for favorites and things I really hated. Today, the first thing I read is Batman #1; it was on the top of my stack when I organized them in an order I cared about for reading.
Batman is being written by Scott Snyder with pencils by Greg Capullo.
Much like Detective Comics #1, this is Batman the way "old time" readers should like him. The issue starts with Batman in a fight at Arkham Asylum and as it should be, Arkham is a chaotic mess, dark and full of lunatics. In fact the worst of the lunatics (Joker in case you need to be told) actually helps the Bat in the fight after Killer Croc tosses Batman through the separating glass into Joker's cell. Let that sink in for a while, especially given what you know happened in Detective Comics #1 if you read it. You'll know you need to read the issue to figure out what's going on with that.
Gotham is a place full of darkness as it should be in Batman and every panel where the city appears is full of shadows emphasizing that darkness. Like Batman and Robin, there is an indication of the new hope that Batman has in him for a better tomorrow, but it only shows through in the Bruce Wayne guise here. When the cowl is on, the darkness and sulking begin as Batman stalks the night.
This issue sets the stage for a mystery like we would normally expect to see in Detective, but I think mysteries fit in where ever Batman appears, he is the Dark (K)night Detective after all and is supposed to be the greatest detective in the world.
Again, if you like older Batman stories where Gotham is dark and the villains are psychotic, this is the Batman you want to read, just like Detective Comics is. I can't wait to see why Dick Grayson murdered some low-rent bum and is targetting Bruce Wayne next.

Also, just for those who might care, my pulls this week are: Birds of Prey #1, Nightwing #1, Green Lantern Corps #1, Blue Beetle #1, Supergirl #1, Wonder Woman #1, Legion of Super-Heroes #1, Captain Atom #1, Catwoman #1, DC Universe Presents: Deadman #1, Inferno one shot, Vampirella and the Scarlet Legion #4, Avengers: The Children's Crusade #7, Invincible Iron Man #508, Avengers #17, Fear Itself: The Fearsome Four #4, Fear Itself: The Home Front #6, Fear Itself: Youth In Revolt #5, Captain America #3, Soldier Zero #12, The Darkness #93, Soulfire #4, Fathom #2, Thunderbolts #163.1, and Heroes for Hire #12.

Thanks for reading.

Original Stuff from the Champions Online Universe (also known as one of my heroes)

So, as I said early on, there's a reason this is Opinions of the Omniverse. It allows me to cross over into multiple universes including those of MMO games and my own little universe (my own universe is the most crazy one) and here's a little peek into a mix of these. Below is a work of original fiction by me for the background of one of my charcters on the Champions Online (CO) game. For those not in the know, CO is an MMO like World of Warcraft (WoW), but instead of a bunch of fantasy goblins, dwarves, and effeminate elves, you play a superhero (though some prefer to make their characters more villainous in appearance and background. This is my hero Cajun's background origin story, pretty much written from where it's sat in my head for over 2 years now to here with no editing other than backspace when I see something as I type it.
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Cajun

It was a pretty normal night for me. I was working a detail for the sheriff's office; it's the only way to really make money in the job, since the sheriff only pays us a little over minimum wage. This little quick mart just off Elysian Fields. This was only about a couple years after Katrina took advantage of our Southern hospitality, so things weren't so good. People were still angry in most of the city, and there was still more damage than repair in the city. People were trying, but as always, our city was left more to its own devices while the politicians bickered over what to do with the money that was coming in and not going where it needed to go.

It was about time for the first batch of party goers to start filtering off of Bourbon leaving only the locals and die hard tourists out to prove they could party with the best in most the bars. A couple of young kids came in, and their nervousness told me they were thinking about more than just the girly mags; you can just kind of tell after a few years of doing these details. I started watching them a little more closely; usually, all it takes is the uniform to spook the desperate off. These guys weren't scaring though, they were just getting more nervous, as one moved to one side of the store and the other moved towards the register. I figured the one going for the register was going to be the biggest problem, the other guy seemed like he might be about to run anyway from the way he was glancing about. I could never have been more wrong.

The tough at the register paid for his soda and then as the cashier opened the drawer, he gave the cashier a shove and went for the cash. I glanced back to see what the other guy was doing as I went for my side arm and realized my mistake far too late. I heard the crack of the shot and saw the smoke as my hand barely began to pull my own weapon. Everything slowed down; I thought it was just the shock of what was about to happen, and I just knew I was dead.

The truth was even more dramatic though as I heard a voice whisper in my ear. Don't worry, I can sense your pure heart, and you shall have the strength of this great city to protect you and aid you from here on. I felt the bullet as it hit my side, but it was more like a bb or a pellet than a bullet. My weapon cleared the holster and I fired one shot taking down the thug that had just shot me before turning on the other. The other thief seemed to be as shocked as I was and dropped to the ground immediately; the cashier just stared at me in unbelief.

I was trying to figure out what was wrong with him when I remembered I had been shot. I looked down to see how bad it was and there was no blood; there wasn't even an entry wound. There was a big hole in my shirt where an entry wound should have been, but just  bruise on my side. Looking down I saw the slug that should have killed me but had somehow done nothing but leave a bruise. I radioed in for an ambulance and some of NOPD's finest; that's all that was left after Katrina. When they arrived, they checked me out and everything was "normal" according to them. No one could really explain why the bullet hadn't gone in and killed me or at least severely injured me. Friends just chalked it up to a bad load in the slug when it was made that caused it to barely make it across to me; I knew it was something else.

A few nights later as I sat on my front porch watching the rain come down, the truth paid a visit to me. The apparition came up out of the street right in front of my house and floated over to me. She looked like some lady from the days before the Civil War wrapped in antebellum attire, and the rain just fell through her. She stopped in front of me and if I were a drinker, I'd have sworn I was well past my limit. She spoke and said I had been chosen not just to save my life that night, but because the good spirits of the city were tired of the crime and all the voilence. They felt it was time there was a hero to protect the city, to help the normal folk trying to make the best of it. She reiterated what the voice in my ear had told me that night that the strength of the city was mine now. My skin would be as hard as the brick and stone in the city, and I would be as strong as the spirit of the city to always return no matter what tragedy struck. I kept working as a sheriff's deputy, walking the tiers at the Old Parish Prison after that even once the two sheriff's offices merged together. I rarely did many details after that though, instead I walked a new beat. I've done some good, but there seem to be other forces at work in the City that Care Forgot as much as there are good spirits at work.

I might need a mask soon though cause if my friends ever see me in this tight leather though, they'll probably arrest me and ship me off to Jackson for evaluation.

(c) 2011 Donovan Hicks

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Well, that's it...it needs a lot of clean up, but that's kind of what's been in my head. New comics tomorrow although I might have to wait to pick them up, so maybe something different again tomorrow.

Thanks for reading and humoring my creative license today.

If you have criticisms feel free to comment. I like criticism as long as its constructive and not just someone needing to stroke their own ego by tearing someone else down.

Starborn #10

Okay, so a comic series a bit off the mainstream path today and a bit of a series review overall and not really of just issue 10.
Starborn is a series and character created by Stan Lee (most people will know him from his Marvel fame as the co-creator of the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man and many others). He's one of three characters created by Lee for BOOM! studios in a universe that I can only call Stan Lee's Universe :).
Starborn is a bit of a cross between the old Captain Mar-Vell of Marvel fame if he were the son of Thanos, also of Marvel fame. Starborn's real name is Benjamin Warner...well, ok, it's actually Bin Yaamin if you want to get technical. I'll explain which will explain the initial statement as well. Benjamin Warner is the last son of the last emperor of a galactic space empire known simply as The Civilization. The problem is that his father was also a tyrant and ruled with an iron fist...early on in the series, Benjamin who's given name is Bin Yaamin, refers to him as space Hitler. Bin was hidden away on Earth early on in his life during his early childhood with most of his memories erased by some high-tech process as a safeguard to maintain the imperial line (there were actually several heirs originally, but all but Bin have been hunted down and exterminated by the rebels who overthrew Bin's father). All his life, Benjamin has had these creative ideas of a peaceful, benign space civilization that ruled over many species in a semi-utopian society. These were actually the memories of his original life, although his dad only gave him the story from his perspective (all tyrants think they are doing things for the good of their empire).
In issue 1, Bin finds out about all of this because the rebel insurgents who now rule The Civilization find out about him and send some hit squads to take him out. His shapeshifting bodyguard who has been with him his whole life as a childhood friend (she's a shapeshifter after all) rescues him and starts to bring him up to speed. The action ensues from there.
Currently in issue 10, the peoples of The Civilization have decided that a whole planet full of humans that might be harboring any number of former sympathizers to the former emperor, since they harbored his last heir and kind of still are, should be destroyed. Bin ends up allying with a former general from The Civilization who has been exiled on Earth for his insurgent speech which actually ignited the rebellion that overthrew the emperor so long ago to try and stop them.
I really like this comic, it's epic in scope and just plain fun. I've followed Benjamin from mild mannered cube rat in a dead end job at the beginning of issue 1 to someone who is unleashing a power in his father's ultrapowerful high tech gauntlet (which was once known as the Hand of Glory instead of its more recent and ominous name, which I've forgotten right now) that his father had not even been able to unleash at the height of his power at the end of issue 10. Apparently, the hand was meant for those with pure hearts instead of space Hitlers.
The series is writtern by Chris Roberson, who I think does an excellent job with everything I've read by him. I haven't read any of his actual books, and I always mean to do so one day, but just never get there.
The book is currently being drawn by Matteo Scalera, who's style is not my favorite, but it works in this book.
I highly recommend this book and the other two titles in this little universe, Traveler and Soldier Zero.
Also, I recommend BOOM! Studios and their comic books in general if you prefer something outside the traditional superhero genre. They have comics licensed from Jim Henson Productions (like Fraggle Rock and Farscape), Disney (Dark Wing Duck and Cars to name two), movie and TV franchises (Die Hard, Eureka, Planet of the Apes), and plenty of original series. Recently they even brought Elric back to comics, and that's an awesome series. Besides all of this, BOOM! Studios has also gone to non-standard comic book events like L.A. Times Festival of Books to promote literacy programs using comic books.

Anyway, that's all I have for tonight. Thanks again for reading.

Fear Itself Book Six (#6)

I've been reading the main limited series for Fear Itself and a few of the other ones that are connected to it. Overall, so far, I hadn't really liked them that much. They were great for action scenes and the art, but the story was kind of weak. This issue is finally going somewhere and getting into some of the meat of the story again. The artwork by Stuart Immonen continues to be amazing in its detail and just the awe inspiring devastation being wrought by this event in the Marvel Universe.
Here's the last 5 issues summed up:

1. Sin, the Red Skull's daughter frees Odin's brother who is revealed to gain his power from people's fear...he sends 7 hammers plummeting to Earth to empower his chosen
2. The Thing and the Hulk are chosen and go nutso on New York. Sin who is also one of the chosen kills the new Captain America (former Bucky/Winter Soldier)
3. Sin shatters Cap's shield as the original Captain America enters the fray in costume again
4. I don't even remember what happened in this one really
5. Thor beats down the Thing who is saved and transports Hulk into the atmosphere, so he can fall to earth and continue his devastation...Thor collapses from his injuries. Although we do get a great dialogue between demi-god Hulk and Thor in this one which was worth the punchline even though it wasn't a joke.

The best part of issue 6 is Captain America arriving in Asgard with Thor's beaten body and immediately smack talking to Odin. Odin's reaction to the affair is not surprising as he points his hand at Cap and the rest of the Avengers other than Thor and sends them back to Earth. The closing scene with Cap is worth it all and shows us the kind of hero he is and always has been. Cap standing on the final line of defense against the Nazi war machine powered by the god of fear and Sin's mechs holding a couple of automatic weapons...priceless.
Anyway, I don't really recommend the series at all unless you're a completist. If you want the story, I would wait for the trades and get it all at once. It might turn out to be a better story that way. As far as I can tell though, this was just another big event that will mean nothing in the long run to the Marvel Universe. This is probably the reason I've been picking up more DC books lately, and I'm down to just picking up the Avengers books due to my love of Cap, Iron Man, and Thor (who's individual books have been better lately than the Avengers or the huge events they are part of...especially Captain America under the guidance of Ed Brubaker. (I'm always going to be biased towards Cap though, he's my favorite comic book hero).

Thanks again for reading.

Deathstroke #1, Frankenstein Agent of SHADE #1, Demon Knights #1, Mister Terrific #1

Well, this is the last four of the new 52 for this week. Sorry, this may be a bit much for everyone, but I want to go through each of the number 1's for this relaunch, and DC decided we should get 13 of them a week. These are broken up by title again to make it easy for you to find the ones you want to read.

Deathstroke #1
Deathstroke is not an anti-hero book, this is a book about a villain. Deathstroke is a mercenary for hire, and by mercenary, they probably mean assassin for hire. Kyle Higgins does an excellent job of writing Deathstroke as the man he is and always has been, a cold hearted killer with no sympathy for anyone. The book starts out depicting him as someone who is willing to hire out as bodyguard or whatever else is needed. By the end of the book, we see the true Deathstroke that has always been there.
This book is bloody and gritty. Deathstroke takes no prisoners and doesn't like competition. He also doesn't like anyone thinking that he can't cut it anymore in the business he's in.
Joe Bennet's artwork is amazing and shows the gritty business that Deathstroke is in well. His drawing of Deathstroke with the redesigned looks is incredible, and even the work with Deathstroke as Slade Wilson out of the armor is amazing.
I really liked the feel of this book for Deathstroke, and if you like anti-hero/villain books you should pick this one up. If you were a fan of the semi-heroic Deathstroke book from the nineties, this is not that book. This is Deathstroke the way he has been for years. He's out for himself, and someone else can clean up the mess when he's done (you can see that at the end of this book in fact). If you want to see what Batman might look like without morals, check out this book, although Deathstroke actuall has enhanced physical and mental capabilities unlike the Bat.
I'm not a big fan of the anti-hero/villain book anymore, but I'll probably pick up a few more issues of this book because I think it's that good as it is right now.

Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #1
I'll let you know this up front, I'm a big fan of Frankenstein's monster as a hero in comic books, and I've always thought DC did it best. I never liked Marvel's version of the monster turned hero, he just never seemed to have any depth as a character unlike DC's version. This book continues to convince me of that. Frankenstein has a soul and his past is evident in all that he does as a character; it has been in the past in the DC books, and it continues to be so under the guidance of writer, Jeff Lemire.
This issue lays some groundwork for S.H.A.D.E. and its purpose in the new DCU. It also introduces us to where Ray Palmer (the Atom) is now, and his new role in the DCU. Frankenstein is quickly joined by fellow monsters in this book although we don't get to see the Bride of Frankenstein in this issue, she is indeed out there. The other monsters joining Frankenstein are the same ones from the Flashpoint limited series Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown, although they are slightly different in this version and their origins seem to be somewhat different now.
I didn't like Alberto Ponticelli's artwork in the book. It fits the book as it seems to be a more broken and distorted style, which works well on the monsters, but not so well on the humans that appear in the book. Also, he seems to ignore details on at least one of the characters (Nina Mazursky - the aquatic creature based on the Creature from the Black Lagoon, who comes off as just a flat green oval with eyes, a mouth, and head fins in every panel she appears in). It's a shame really as the book deserves an artist who can capture the essence of the monstrous looks without ignoring one of the characters. (I should also say that I hate criticizing artists because no matter what, they can draw and I can only do stick figures, but sometimes I just don't like the style of the artist).
I liked the initial story arc and introduction of S.H.A.D.E., and I'm going to give the book a chance with another issue or 2. If you like Frankenstein in DC comics and the creature commandoes in DC comics, then you'll probably like this book if you like Ponticelli's artwork or can deal with it in favor of the story.

Demon Knights #1
Demon Knights is a "period piece" for the new DC Universe. It is set in the dark ages, a couple of hundred years after the fall of Camelot. The primary character as you can tell from the cover is Etrigan the Demon. I never know how to feel about this character or what DC is going to do with this character, he's been back and forth across the line between hero and villain so many times it's painful for me. He seems to be on the hero side this time around.
Also, I like Paul Cornell as a writer. You can also count on the fact that he will use distinctively British colloquialisms, being British himself, and that fits the setting of this story in England during the dark ages well. Just getting to read Madame Xanadu say "sod this" before diving into the Lake to try and retrieve Excalibur before the Lady of the Lake takes it away forever was worth the read for me. It's more than that though, Cornell is spinning a yarn that is taking into account many of the seemingly immortal characters of the DC Universe and bringing them together. I'm not sure who the Demon Knights are yet although it seems this is going to be a team book based on the plurality. Based on the tavern scene in the book, I think we're going to get to see Vandal Savage, Etrigan, Madame Xanadu (who is not in love with Jason Blood as he thinks), Sir Ystin (the Shining Knight), and two other characters who I don't recognize (Al Jabr and Exoristos), or maybe it will just be a book about Etrigan with varyious apperances by others laong the way. Anyway, I liked the story and with Morganna and Mordru as the villains, it can only get better under Cornell's writing.
Diogenes Neves pencils this book, and his work is impeccable. The images of various creatures from fantasy as well as the way he draws the main characters is wonderfully done. Vandal Savage looks like the barbarian he probably was during this era, and Sir Ystin is definitely no man despite the armor covering the "facts" or you can see how Vandal words this in the book.
If you like comics set in a fantasy genre especially ones that are based in the (longer) continuity of the DC Universe, I recommend this book. If you like Etrigan, buy this book. I am not a fan of Etrigan as I stated earlier, but I am a fan of Paul Cornell's writing and I like what he's done here, so I'll be continuing for a bit at least to see where this goes.

Mister Terrific #1
Let's start with the fact that I like the Justice Society of America, but I was never a fan of Mister Terrific in that team. He never made sense in the grand scheme of things with the Society to me. I picked this book up just to see what was going on and if there was a chance we might get the Justice Society back at some point; I'm sad to say that I don't think we will see them in the new DCU, at least not the way I would want. Karen Starr (Power Girl) actually appears in this issue, and from what I can tell, she is decidedly not Power Girl though they hint at her former identity in the old DC Universe with a dress that has the same oval cut-out in the top. Mister Terrific is once again the third smartest man and Eric Wallace writes the start of a good story. I just didn't see anything that made me like Mister Terrific anymore than I did, and I didn't like him much before.
Gianluca Gugliotta's pencils aren't phenomenal, but they're not bad. He has what seems to be a new style of less detail in faces, which I don't like. That's just personal though. The one thing I do like about the story and the artwork is Mister Terrific's new look. The stupid looking black jacket is gone and he looks more appealing with the redesign and Gugliotta definitely emphasizes that aspect in the full body drawings of Mister Terrific.
If you like Mister Terrific as a character, you might like him in this book even though the Justice Society is not here. If you were hoping to pick this up and find what has gone with the disappearance of the Justice Society of America from the line-up so far, I would say don't bother. I tried it, and I didn't like it. It just didn't grab me enough, although the villain they are introducing seems cool as an adversary for Mister Terrific.

Okay, that's all for now, thanks for reading, and tell a friend if you like my blog; maybe they will too.

Legion Lost #1, Suicide Squad #1, Resurrection Man #1, and Batwoman #1

I thought last night's 3 issue review was bad, tonight's is 4 issues. I'll try to keep them short and sweet. Again, I've broken them down by issue, so you can just skip to the one you want to read if you aren't interested in all of them.

Legion Lost #1
Legion as in the Legion of Superheroes from the 31st century of course. Lost where being the pertinent question here though, and I'm still not really sure because they haven't shown us enough of the place yet. I know it's Earth, I'm just not sure when other than the modern era, and we know they had to go through the Flashpoint boundary (whatever that means). I've liked Fabian Nicieza's style of writing since the nineties when he was at Marvel, but I'm not sure I get this book yet. A group of Legionnaires come back in time to stop somebody I've never heard of (hopefully, long time DC fans know who Alastor is), and we don't even find out if they are in mainstream DC time now or some other era. And the guy they are after, he isn't even the main threat, it's the disease he's carrying, and it's too late to stop it from being airborne already.
I like the Legion, but I didn't much care for this issue. It even had four of my favorite legionnaires in it (Wildfire, Timber Wolf, Dawnstar, and Gates). I'm not sure what the story is really about yet, and I am not sure whether the legionnaires are going to be dealing with how they get "unlost" or the threat unleashed in this time they are in. It would seem that to resolve one they have to resolve both, but the story didn't lead me in any real direction for this.
The pencils by Pete Woods and the rest of the art work is well done. You can see the emotions and frustration in the faces, including the reaction when Dawnstart gets sicks (thankfully, it's not a close up).
All in all, I would say don't pick this book up unless you're a die hard Legion of Superheroes fan. I like the legion enough that I'll pick up the second issue myself, but it better go somewhere that I can understand there or this will end up out of my stack really quick.

Suicide Squad #1
This was a pick up by me just to see what they were going to do. I had no intention of sticking with this book past #1. Currently, my mind is changed though. Adam Glass writes the story of the new Suicide Squad and he has me hooked from beginning to end. The book opens with the Squad already captured and being tortured to find out who is behind the Suicide Squad. The guys doing the torturing aren't playing around and neither is the Suicide Squad for the most part as evidenced by the brutalness of both sides. The ending was a surprise when it happened, but not once you realize who you're dealing with in the story. Adam Glass did an excellent job of setting up what the Suicide Squad is about both now and in the past. I don't think I've ever read anything by Mr. Glass before, but kudos to him on this story, it's hooked me on a title I had planned to not actually pick up.
The artists (there are three actually: Federico Dallocchio, Ransom Getty, and Scott Hanna) did an amazing job with the book. I'm not sure if Jim Lee designed the new looks for Deadshot, Harley Quinn, and King Shark, but the rendition by these artists was awesome whether they did the redesigns or Lee did. The only problem I had with the artwork is I probably wouldn't advise allowing younger children to read this book and DC acknowledged that as well with the Teen + rating for the book. Though, some of the torture is so well depicted and other bits that I'm not even sure I would allow younger teens to read this book. Of course, I'm a little old fashioned. It is cartoon violence, but still the rats burrowing out of Deadshot's abdominal cavity was a little much and will probably give me nightmares. I also have to say it was the artists who got me to pick up #1 to begin with (the cover artist anyway, Ryan Benjamin) because I wanted to see who Deadshot and King Shark were since I didn't recognize their new looks. I knew who Harley was because you can't mistake that crazed Joker'esque look on a woman for anyone else.
I highly recommend the book, but do be aware that it is a violent issue. The flashback scene for Harley Quinn also brings her back to her roots and quickly re-establishes her as the violent femme she is, erasing the more misunderstood sweetheart she had become in Gotham City Sirens with gal pals Catwoman and Poison Ivy. There's no doubt this is a girl with a mad-on love for the Joker in this comic.

Resurrection Man #1
I had planned to pick this one up because I heard the previous series was good and even fun at times if not well accepted. I didn't see anything fun about this series from this issue though. Don't get me wrong, I like the concept of the character and the story that's being built here; I just don't see any fun in it right now.
Resurrection Man is a guy who comes back from the dead every time he's killed (or dies naturally though that looks unlikely to happen with this character), and each time he comes back, he has a new super power (or do we have to call it a meta-human ability for DC).
Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning wrote an interesting foundational issue re-establishing this character for this book. This is part of the edge or dark line of DC titles, and it is definitely that. The adversaries in the issue aren't so much against Resurrection Man as against each other in order to obtain something from Resurrection Man first. I don't want to give a lot away, so I'll leave it at that.
Fernando Dagnino does an excellent job with the artwork, Resurrection Man looks like a guy who's been through the ringer several times from teh first time we see him to the last time we see him in the book, and he should.
If you were a fan of the character in his previous incarnation, I'd say pick it up and see if you still are. I never read the previous series, so all I have to go on is this one issue. I'm not sure it's for everyone though, so I'd say this is one you probably have to check out on your own and make a decision about. It has elements that may offend Christians depending on how you view fiction.

Batwoman #1
J.H. Williams III picks up Batwoman #1 shortly after the end of the last limited series. This character remains kind of an enigma to the DC Universe for me. I get the connection to the old stories and the actual original Bat-Girl, but with the Batgirl that most fans know and love (Barbara Gordon) back I'm just not sure why we need Batwoman or really ever needed her for that matter. I liked Batwoman's appearances in 52 where she was (re) introduced to the DC Universe, and while I liked the story in the limited series I never got into the fully fleshed out character of Batwoman. As I said, this series picks up where that left off pretty much with no changes that I can see so far. Batwoman also seems to be the fringe character for the Bat-family (yes, Batman makes an appearance; it's Gotham after all) and tends to deal with the macabre or downright supernatural villains.
The art work by W. Haden Blackman gives the book that dark and creepy look that Williams seems to be writing for and is excellently done. The ghostly spirit in this issue is truly creepy and the crimes she's committing are definitely heinous and macabre.
Overall though, I'm not invested in Batwoman. I don't like her character still. She's flat and one dimensional. The one scene in this issue where we get a tear from her seems more of an act though I'm not sure it was meant to be from the way it was written and drawn. For me, it's just the character. I think they've made her so pale and gothic that I just don't believe she has any feelings.
If you like the limited series, you 'll like this. If you didn't like the limited series, you will feel the same way about this. If you think Batgirl is the only red head that should be in a bat suit, stick to Batgirl; I will be.

Last Tidbit
Before I go tonight, I have one last tidbit to leave you with after reading through 24 issues of the new 52. The creepy cloaked girl from Flashpoint #6 is in every issue as in the background of one panel in every book except near as I can figure out Resurrection Man #1. She obviously has a part to play somehwere down the line, but we're going to have to wait and see what it is. There's a web-site that claims she's in Resurrection Man #1 as well, but the panel they show for her, I looked at and I'm not sure that's her. That figure looks male and the colors are wrong, but that could be the darkness of the panel that makes the colors look often. The male part, I'm pretty sure about. Still she's there in 23 other issues and may be in the last 3 I have to read this week too for all I know. Look for her, you'll see her if you go back and look for her from Justice League #1 through all of this week's titles.

Thanks for reading.

Grifter #1, Red Lanterns #1, and Superboy #1

Okay, this one might be a little long. I've broken it up by comic book though in case you're only interested in hearing about one of these.

Grifter #1
So, when I first heard they were going to be incorporating old Wildstorm characters into the actual DC Universe, I didn't know what to think. I thought, how will Grifter be Grifter without Zealot and Team 7 having been around. More importantly, no Daemonites for them to fight, although they hinted that wouldn't be totally true with the description for Voodoo's series (can't wait to see Voodoo #1 now). The answer is incredible in this story by Nathan Edmonson, and we're only just getting started.
Cole Cash (Grifter for those who aren't familiar) is not the Grifter in the DC Universe, he's a grifter; that's right, a con artist. Apparently a con artist who has just made the score of his life and is heading down to San Juan with his girl. He never makes it to San Juan which is actually more evident in the first few pages then where he is actually trying to go.
And the Daemonites, they're here. They're not quite the same as they were in the Wildstorm Universe, but they're reminiscient of those creeps from when WildC.A.T.s was first introduced way back in the first launches of Image. The big key and it comes in within the first few pages is that Cole Cash can detect them in his head through their voices and knows who they are possessing. It's very cool, and maybe they won't really be the Daemonites of old, but they have some of their abilities, although they are a lot more creepy looking as you can see on the cover of the issue. I love what Edmonson has done with them, and I love the way he has adapted Cole Cash to the DC Universe.
The one thing I kept asking through the issue though was, "Will we ever see the old Grifter mask?" I won't spoil it for you with the answer.
The pencils by Cafu (not sure if it's supposed to be all caps) are a little more realistic than I normally like, but they work well in this book. The single page spread on page 7 demonstrates the ability of the penciller as it captures pretty much what I would imagine anyone in that situation might look like.
An excellent first issue. It's foundational in nature, but the story jumped out and grabbed me immediately. I can't wait for issue #2 after the final page.

Red Lanterns #1
Peter Milligan takes up the tale of Atrocitus and the Red Lanterns in this comic. I didn't think I was going to really like this comic at all. I picked up the first issue only because I want to give DC a chance with the new 52 and see what they are going to do with everything. I didn't think I would like this comic because I'm not a big fan of the bad guy starring in his own book (Deathstroke still to come has the same problem for me, especially considering I bought his series back in the nineties as well); Milligan surprised me though.
The issue starts showing us just how brutal Atrocitus is after his cat, Dex-Starr (I love this cat by the way and have since he was introduced during the War of Light in the various Green Lantern family of comics), tries to take on a band of brutal space dudes bent on causing as much pain as possible to others through torture. I probably should mention that Dex-Starr is also a red lantern for those not in the know.
The book is mostly about introspection for Atrocitus as he realizes his rage is subsiding due to the events at the end of the Green Lantern War. Atrocitus has been seeking revenge against the renegade guardian, Krona, since Krona reprogrammed the Manhunters to destroy an entire sector of space, the sector where Atrocitus's home world was. Atrocitus is the only survivor of that slaughter, and the subject of his vengeance is now dead at the hands of someone else. So, what is there for him to be angry at anymore? And, if a red lantern draws his power from his rage, how long will Atrocitus be in command of the red lanterns he has created? The end of the book answers these questions and sets up Atrocitus to be an anti-hero as much as he was ever considered a villain.
If you like the Punisher and want to see what would happen if he had powers on a level equal to a green lantern, pick up this book. If you're not a fan of anti-heroes, stay away from this book in my opinion. I have mixed opinions on anti-heroes, so I'm not sure I'll stick with this title, but I'm glad I picked up the first issue to see what they were going to do.

Superboy #1
Scot Lobdell writes "The New Adventures of" Superboy, and while this is the same Superboy that was around going into Flashpoint, this is not the same Superboy either. The previously current Superboy was a genetic clone of Lex Luthor and Superman created by good old Lex himself in an effort to create a weapon to use against Superman. Superboy became good of course because let's face it Kryptonian genetics and the hope that is Superman beats out Lex's inferior human and megalomaniacal DNA. The current incarnation of Superboy is a clone again of a human and a Kryptonian (we do learn that the Kryptonian is still Superman during the course of the story). They never actually tell us who the human genetic material comes from, but all indications are that it is Lex again just from the look they give Superboy in the first two pages. This time, it's not Lex that has created the clone though, it's a clandestine organiation known as N.O.W.H.E.R.E. (no idea what it stands for yet), although there is always the possibility that Lex is back there somewhere still; we'll see.
The story was a good foundational piece for how Superboy starts in the new DCU, and I can't wait for the next issue when Superboy meets the newest incarnation of the Teen Titans. Crossovers already!!!
Superboy's full powers haven't been revealed yet, but his telekinesis is present in some fashion and he seems to be able to fly still. There are other powers present of some nature, but there isn't a really good luck at them or there is the possibility that he does what he does all with his telekinesis. His new costume he's wearing (similar to what's on the cover except he's whole) is awesome and much better than the old jeans and black T-shirt with the Superman shield on it.
The one thing I didn't like about this issue was the pencils. R.B. Silva has a style that I don't like at all. The faces are either too plain are too exaggerated for my tastes; it detracted from the book for me. I'll push on though because I am more about the stories than the art unless the art is just awful.
Also, on a side note, one of the old Wildstorm characters is in this comic. Caitlin Fairchild of Gen13 fame is one of the doctors working on the project that created Superboy. She appears to just be a normal human in the DC Universe as opposed to a superstrong teenager like she was in the Wildstorm Universe.
If you're a fan of Superboy (the latest incarnation, not Superman as a teenager), then pick up this book. If you're a fan of Teen Titans and are going to pick up that series, you should pick up this series too. They've made it clear with this first issue and hints at the future issues of Teen Titans that they will be connected at least at times.

Thanks again for those of you returning for reading my blog. If this is your first reading, thanks for checking this out and I hope you enjoyed it.

Green Lantern #1 and Batman and Robin #1

Green Lantern #1
Green Lantern picks up right where Green Lantern left off. Hal Jordan is not a green lantern at the beginning of this relaunch (still) and Sinestro is released by the little blue maniacs (aka The Guardians) to go be a green lantern. I'll be honest, I like Geoff Johns as a writer, and I think he is working on something big with this shake up for Hal and Sinestro. There is a brief interlude in the comic with Sinestro as a green lantern still spying on the planet Korugar (his homeworld) with a big green telescope from an orbiting asteroid. The fury visible in his face at what the Yellow Lanterns are doing to his homeworld that he left in their care in his absence says it all; we didn't even need the interaction with the yellow lantern that catches him out there to know how angry he was. This is a testament to the pencils by Doug Mahnke.
The final scene at the end of the issue gives you a glimpse into an alliance that does not bode well for the little blue maniacs at all. As for these little blue maniacs, they have definitely gone off the deep end under Johns' direction, and I love it. It is obvious that they are mad with power, and it's about time they were reigned in. Ganthet seems to be the only one who was sane in this issue, and they did not appreciate it at all (read the issue and you'll see what I mean). In essence, they've been mad with power ever since the creation of the Manhunters, but Johns does an excellent job of demonstrating just how insane they have become due to their lack of emotional influences.
Green Lantern #1 was a great read and picks up right where the series ended before the end of Flashpoint. I highly recommend this book if you're a fan of Green Lantern, especially if you were reading before the relaunch and stopped because you were in your hater mode due to the complete relaunch of the DC Universe as a whole new universe.

Batman and Robin  #1
Batman and Robin #1 does not pick up quite where we left off at the end of the old DC Universe. Like with Detective Comics, Bruce Wayne is the only Batman once more. Dick Grayson is gone, presumably back to being Nightwing since there is a Nightwing #1 slated for release as part of the new 52. For the first time, we get to see Bruce Wayne and his son, Damian Wayne, fighting crime together as Batman and Robin. Like Detective Comics #1, Gotham is back to being dark and eery the way it should be, but in Batman and Robin there is a light of hope, not just for the city, but for Bruce Wayne as well.
This story sets the tone for the new undercurrent for why Bruce dons the cowl and his new perspective on life given the final scene of Flashpoint. There is the revelation of a new villain to come in the issue - it's Damian's fault, as well as getting to see just how Bruce is going to deal with his brat of a son.
For all of you who have been following the Damian Wayne story since his first appearance a couple years ago, it's no surprise that as a person, I still dislike Damian, and, as a character, I think he is awesome in the Bat-family. Peter J. Tomasi continues to write him in the same fashion in which he was established. As the son of Talia Al-Ghul and Bruce Wayne and raised only by Talia as a member of the League of Shadows as Ra's Al-Ghul's assassin, Damian remains well trained but volatile and a little too cocky for his own good. His disrespect of his father is obvious and the lack of trust that Bruce has for his son is well written into the story as well. It's going to be interesting to see this father/son relationship develop, and I can't wait for the scene that I hope eventually shows up where Bruce spanks/grounds/puts in time out his brat of a son and starts to teach him to respect his elders despite what he thinks he knows.
Patrick Gleason's pencils also do a good job of depicting this story in picture form. Batman is as dark as he should be, and you can see the light of hope that is beginning in him with this new status quo. Damian is drawn well as the spoiled barely teenaged boy he is. The explosions are explosive to the point that you can almost feel the new Bat-vehicle depicted careening away when Damian sabotages it.
If you like Batman and you still love to hate Damian, then pick up this book.

And, ok, I know every review I've given has been a recommendation to pick up a book, but there are books I didn't like in the new 52 so far. From last week's line up, I didn't really care for OMAC #1, and Static Shock #1 and I recommend you skip them unless you are absolutely enamored with those characters or the writers (and I will say I'm not agains the writers or the artists in either of these, I just didn't like the characters and their introductions to the new DC universe didn't grab me). I felt the same way about Batwing #1, but given that the main character is stabbed through the heart from behind at the end of the first issue, I kind of want to pick up #2 just to see how they fix that - my main issue with it is that I just didn't need a Batman of Africa in my life; Judd Winick wrote the character well and the armor is visually cool, but I'm not sure I get the necessity for this book. I wish they had just done a Bat-family series with rotating Batman of (insert continent/country here) in order to highlight and showcase these types of characters from the new (and eventually continuing) Batman Inc. line. Additionally, from last week, I'm currently not sure about Swamp Thing #1, Justice League International #1, Men of War #1 (the backup story was better than the main story in this one and I recommend that story), and Green Arrow #1. I'm going to pick 1 to 2 more issues of each of these though for various reasons - Swamp Thing and JLI because I want to see if they are going somewhere and this is just groundwork that didn't grab me up front; Men of War because I want to read the rest of the back-up; and Green Arrow because I like J.T. Krul as a writer and I hope he moves Ollie quickly away from this new status quo or does something with it that makes me believe it's not just Batman with a bow.

Detective Comics #1 (from the new DC Universe also known as the new 52)

Okay, one more from last week before I move on to this week's releases. After all, today was new comic book day for those of us in the know for comics. Hey, I just got home from work though, so I haven't read anything yet.

I was kind of worried about what was going to happen in the Batman books specifically (not so much about the Bat-family titles, but the ones featuring Batman specifically) with the relaunch of the new DC universe because the books were in the middle of an ongoing re-establishing of the status quo already. And, he is the one character that is supposed to change the least because at the end of the Flashpoint series, his father, Thomas Wayne, is all but screaming at the Flash to remember his son, so you know that is forefront on his mind as the universe gets reinvented through the Flash's actions.
Detective Comics #1 and Tony S. Daniel gave me a reason to put those worries aside, at least for now. Daniel has written Batman the way he should be written; Batman in Detective is back to his roots as a dark and gritty character. As I said in my previous 2 sentence review on Facebook before I started this blog, if you like Batman gritty and in the Joker's face, then this is the book you should be reading right now. Go buy it already.
The book starts with a triple panel page of hte Joker's face in various disparate positions. It has potential now because the writer knew to start the first book with the Joker (good choice any time you relaunch the Bat). I'd like to say the artist did an excellent job of capturing the insanity of the Joker in just those images of the face, of capturing what the writer intended, but then Tony S. Daniel is also drawing the book, so he knew what he wanted. On the third panel, there is an image of what looks like someone in a dark mask looking down at the Joker's face, and I, for one, thought the fight was already in progress between Batman and the Joker... The second page proves me wrong though as it's a two page spread of Batman rushing across a rooftop trying to get to the Joker before he murders someone else. Now, we're into it, there's a mystery of why the Joker seems to be killing off his "friends" (let's face it, the Joker doesn't really have friends, just people he hasn't killed yet), and Batman is trying to stop another one.
The action doesn't stop from that point on other than a few pages of brief interludes with Batman talking to Commissioner Gordon or Alfred in the cave. The best part is that we're back at a point where, in general, the Gotham PD is ready to shoot at Batman as much as at the Joker again. Currently, this seems to be a political ploy by the mayor of Gotham, but I hope this stays a part of the book for a little while. I always like Batman when he is working outside of the system for the most part. It's the way he was always meant to be written.
I have to mention the city briefly at least because I think Gotham is as much a character in the Bat books as any of the people. Daniel draws Gotham the way it is supposed to be and the colors and inks by Tomeu Morey and Ryan Winn respectively keep it that way. It is a dark city of gothic architechture that looks like there could be a lunatic or psychopath lurking anywhere.
Batman is one of the few characters I've always wandered back to in DC. I've always loved him as a character because he was as "human" as the rest of us and somehow he keeps surviving even in fights with Superman. I love this version of Batman and recommend Detective Comics...judging by its sold out success, most of you already knew all of this though.

Just a bit of a teaser, and to show you what I'm reading, the titles I picked up, in no particular order, are: Animal Man #1 (I missed it last week and barely got my hands on a copy, so it must be good to someone), Green Lanter #1, Mr. Terrific #1, X-Men Legacy #255, Alpha Flight #4, Ghost Rider #3, Demon Knights #1, Deathstroke #1, The New Avengers #16, Starborn #10, Fear Itself #6, Hercules #7, Journey Into Mystery #627, Suicide Squad #1, Batwoman #1, Red Lanterns #1, Grifter #1, Resurrection Man #1, Batman and Robin #1, LEGION Lost #1, Frankenstein Agent of SHADE #1, and Superboy #1.

Action Comics #1 (from the new DC Universe also known as the new 52)

Okay, I know all of the real comic book fans out there are saying, "These are last week's titles. Why are you doing them now?" The answer is simple. I just started this blog late (it was recommended I start on this past Thursday, but I'm a procrastinator normally), and new comics day isn't until tomorrow. :)
So, I enjoyed Action Comics #1 and I'm really interested to see where it goes. I was confused by the story at first though until I read in an online article that Action Comics (at least the current arc anyway) takes place 5 years before the current continuity of the new DC Universe. It's similar to the first arc in Justice League that way. After I read that, the reasons why Superman is only just starting to gain a following and make progress as a hero became evident. I have to say that I hate seeing Superman in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt though. I know Morrison is trying to build up to the final  product with the story, but I'd still prefer something more super in what Superman is wearing than just a t-shirt with the shield and a cape.
There are elements in the story that I'm not sure what they are for yet and what they mean yet, but that is just the way Grant Morrison writes. It's the little details you always have to pay attention to with Morrison; somewhere down the road that little detail that you thought was unimportant at first is going to come back again. Morrison demonstrates that from the beginning self-contained within this issue. The corrupt corporate mogul at the beginning of the issue that Superman "persuades" a confession out of seemed unimportant to me as I got into the issue until the reveal on the second to last page. At that point, you see that what seemed like a minor scene with a corrupt businessman was actually important to where the issue was going. There's also a small detail on that second to last page that I think is going to be important in future issues though it seems like an off-handed comment by Lex Luthor. If you read it, you'll pick it up I think, especially now that I've warned you to watch out for it.
Rags Morales's artwork did a good job of capturing the different emotions playing across Superman's face throughout the issue. I especially liked the changes from excitement to concern as he moves from flying through the city to saving people, and then from concern to anger when he realizes that the army is attacking him despite the fact he's saving people's lives. The last page reveal was well drawn as a scene on a monitor, but I really wish this had been done as an on the scene page instead of through General Lane's monitor.
All in all, I think this is solid work, like Justice League #1 it's part of the world building process for the new DCU and for Superman himself in the new continuity. I still hate what they have this young version of Superman dressed in, but that doesn't detract from the story as much as just aggravate me.
Go pick it up if you liked the old Superboy from before the Legion became involved. I think this series currently has that kind of freshness to showing us how and why Superman is who he is going to be in the new continuity.