Blackest Night #1 (of 8)(DC)($3.99)
By Devon Sanders

With the death of Black Hand in Green Lantern #43, what may very well be the true and final corps was created. After nearly two years and multiple preludes, we’ve finally begun the journey into Blackest Night, issue one, on sale now.

On the grounds of Gotham’s Wayne Manor, a dead black hand cradles the skull of The Batman, setting off a chain of events that will change everything. The central power battery of The Black Lantern Corps has awakened, so, the dead of The DC Universe shall rise. Former friends, foes and loved ones, alike, come back to claim the living in the midst of the eruption of war and light.

Who’d have thought The Green Lantern Corps would become one of DC Comics’ main franchise books, large enough to not only carry two ongoing monthlies, a massive company-wide crossover angle and spark a potential Hollywood summer tentpole? Writer Geoff Johns, that’s who. He, with the help of Green Lantern Corps writer Peter Tomasi, has been setting up a war of emotions and wills throughout the color spectrum. Was it worth all of the hype and the protracted build-up? I’m going to say, “yes.” Johns has pretty much succeeded on all levels in the development of this story and its overall execution. In the DCU, where resurrection has almost become a punchline, it’s very interesting to see the way Johns shows individual reactions to death. From Hawkman’s absolute indignation at the suggestion of honoring someone who believes death to be too good for, to the formerly dead Green Lantern, Hal Jordan’s quiet answers to friend and colleague, the newly resurrected Barry Allen’s question, Johns gives us, with his use of narrative, the devastating toll death has and more importantly, will take upon the collective DCU.

Artist Ivan Reis is charged with bringing this all to life, so to speak and the results, are more often than not, visually compelling and summarily, epic. Johns gives the man A LOT to do and Reis delivers, from single panel quiet moments to grand two-page widescreen panels. Reis displays a true feel for how scenes should flow and interconnect, while providing everything within the needs of the story. This is, easily, his best work, ever.

Blackest Night #1 is a very good read and one, I believe, ultimately lives up to its hype surrounding it. With its first issue, we’ve been given major deaths and even more major resurrections, with more I’m sure to come. It’s superhero comics at its basic superhero comic book best and really, what more could you or should you want from your comics?


FOUR OUT OF FIVE VIKINGS



[Raided] Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter #2 (of 3)(Marvel)($3.99)
by Graig Kent

The previous issue found our Thor-like, skeletal-horsefaced hero making a solemn vow to end the terror and suffering, not to mention the cataclysmic planet-eating, of his- purpleness-of-hunger, Galactus, once and for all. There he performed his heroically nobel deed of aiding an entire population off their homeworld onward to new terrain, sparing them their otherwise bitter fate. But Stardust and the Silver Surfer, Galactus’ heralds, aren’t about to stand idly by and let this feather-helmeted freakshow interfere with their business.  Which leads to this issue’s showdown between the power cosmic of the Surfer versus Bill’s Stormbreaker hammer, while Stardust tracks the refugees to their new homeland and decrees them to once again be Galactus’ next victims. Writer Kieron Gillen’s first issue was entertaining enough, but this issue brings a host of devilish twists into play as Beta Ray Bill finds himself taking on a task that he has no hope in achieving, a somewhat twisted take on David and Goliath. Penciler Kano, with Alvaro Lopez on inks and Javier Rodriguez on colors, deliver a good looking book, high on intense, hard-hitting action while nicely establishing alien worlds, technologies and species (although Kano’s Beta Ray Bill lacks much expression). The book does cost $3.99, but featuring two 22-page stories each issue, with the back-up reprinting Beta Ray Bill’s first appearances from Thor 337 - 339 by Walt Simonson, it could be considered a good deal if you’ve not already read them a half dozen times.


THREE AND A HALF OUT OF FIVE VIKINGS



Creepy #1 (Dark Horse, $4.99)
By Jeb D.
 
Rather than go into one of my long-winded historical background pieces (you can google Creepy and Eerie and the whole Warren publishing history and their imitators), let me just do a quick comparison here. The revived Creepy reminds me a lot of DC’s revived The Spirit. While both books are designed to look and feel like their predecessors of bygone day, both are missing the key element: the reason WHY we chose to read those originals.
 
In the case of The Spirit, the appeal wasn’t the adventures of a lovable galoot in mask and fedora, it was the way Eisner and his studio were determined to expand the vocabulary of sequential storytelling. And what made Creepy a must-read for comics fans in its heyday wasn’t the grisly repeated variations on “The Monkey’s Paw” that were handed down from the glory days of EC, but the fact that Creepy and its cousins were, for many readers, the first exposure to comic book storytelling outside standard supeheroes, TV adaptations, and funny animals.
 
The black and white art was moody and expressive, and conveying huge action sequences wasn’t its principal reason to exist. The stories were downbeat and grim, or wickedly black-humored, and though they too often tended to be derivative fables of the dangers of getting what you wish for, with predictable twist endings, they were also lessons in the power of economical storytelling (not unlike a reader of authors like James Michener or Dan Brown just discovering Raymond Carver).
 
Plus, of course, even parents who were OK with the four-color good guys-bad guys approach of DC and Marvel could be shocked by the gore and gleeful wickedness on display, which added immensely to the appeal. Throw in the large magazine format and higher price point, and you had something wholly different from regular comics: a product that looked like the most “mature readers” books ever, and therefore a must for the young comics fan hungry to take the next step.
 
In other words, like The Spirit, it wasn’t the tale, but the telling, that gave Creepy its greatest impact. And that’s just not there now. This isn’t a gateway into a more sophisticated approach to graphic storytelling, it’s just another indie book out there offering a change from Big 2 spandex. Nothing wrong with that, but there’s dozens of worthy choices out there already. And most of them have more to offer, in terms of new and original ideas.
 
As I suggested, the new Creepy hews very closely to the formula of the original, so we get eight-page homilies with art from veterans like Bernie Wrightson and Angelo Torres, to promising new artists like Saskia Gutenkunst, and a reprint of a vintage piece by Bill DuPay and Alex Toth. All the stories would have fit nicely into the old Creepy model, right down to the ham-fisted way they sometimes try to make their points (the racist rare-records dealer in “Hell Hound Blues” is a caricature that rings completely false in the context). You’ll guess the ending of each story within the first few panels. Even the Holocaust-centric “Chemical 13” feels like well-trod territory, though Gutenkunst’s wash artwork is the book’s high point (well, that and the great Eric Powell cover).
 
I feel like maybe I’m being too hard on this book, as there is some good work on display, and it’s clearly a labor of love for most of its contributors, many of whom probably share my recollections of the day when reading a magazine like Creepy was a sort of rite of passage.
 
But the world has moved on: hell, modern readers of the Big 2 get plenty of grim and downbeat as a regular diet, and well-crafted reproductions of what was bold, innovative, and shocking in its time is what we call “retro” these days.


TWO AND A HALF OUT OF FIVE VIKINGS



RASL #5 ($3.50)(Cartoon Books)
By Adam Prosser

My initial impression of Jeff Smith’s RASL was “this book is trying too hard”. It was like Smith was so sick of being the “kid’s comic” guy, what with his ultra-successful indie cartoon fantasy book Bone and his recent reboot of Captain Marvel, Shazam!: The Monster Society of Evil, that he felt he had to lean heavily on the noir tropes and attempted badassery for his new creator-owned, self-published series. The result, for the first issue or two, was a comic that was undeniably very well crafted and interesting, but had a certain neediness to it.

Five issues in (Smith only puts out two or three issues a year), RASL is on firmer footing, partly because he’s drawn us effectively into an epic, X-Files-ish backstory and partly because the slightly adolescent “kewlness” has given way to an extremely well-executed atmosphere of creepiness. While much remains to be learned, we now know that the hero, “Rasl” aka Rob Johnson, was a scientist working on a top-secret project somewhere in the southwest US, a project that would eventually open the gates between parallel realities. He was also having an affair with Maya, one of his co-workers, who happened to be married to his best friend and partner. Somehow, Maya is now dead, and Rob has been on the lam from reality to reality, swiping art and other valuable commodities to survive. Recently, though, a lizard-faced creep named Sal has caught up with him and killed Annie, a prostitute for whom he had feelings, in the name of retrieving his scientific knowledge. We haven’t got the full scope of who, exactly, is nipping at Rob’s heels, but it appears to be an epic conspiracy that somehow involves Nikola Tesla, the Philadelphia Experiment, and a bunch of other pseudoscientific urban legends. There’s also a very creepy little girl who seems to be popping up everywhere Rob goes and acting as a kind of spirit guide.

In the last issue, the plot advanced significantly as Rob ran into Maya’s alternate-reality double, Uma, and was tasked by Sal with returning some stolen navy journals that Rob may or may not possess. We also learned that Rob’s reality-jumping rig seemed to be hurting or even killing him. This issue sees a bit of a return of the “teenage fantasy” RASL, though, as instead of executing a plan to escape or get Sal off his trail, Rob immediately heads to one of the alternate-reality Annies to sleep with her, and then proceeds to try and seduce Uma as well. Is this really the best use of your time, Rob?

The ironic thing is that RASL has become an intriguing series, well worth your time, but this particular issue is a bit of a return to what I found weak about the series. It’s also a “mere” 24 pages long (the others have been 32 pages) but bears the same $3.50 price tag. Clearly, it’s something you’ll want to buy if you’re reading the series, but it’s a terrible jumping-on point for new readers. You’d be better off buying the back issues or the three-issue trade collection to appreciate the series as a whole, just so you can appreciate how good this series can be.


THREE AND A HALF OUT OF FIVE VIKINGS


Captain America #601 (Marvel)($3.99)
By Jeb D.

I pretty much thought I was done writing about Captain America for the foreseeable future, but I couldn’t let this one pass unnoticed. Captain America #601 is a story that was originally intended for an Annual back in 2007, and while delays of that sort are becoming more and more irritating these days, in this case, we’re going to cut Marvel some slack: what held this book up was the evident desire to let one of comic’s great artists, Gene Colan, complete one more (last?) book.

The story itself is another tribute to Ed Brubaker’s versatility: beyond a short framing sequence, it has nothing to tie it to the epic Cap story he has been spinning for the past few years, and stylistically, it’s completely different, an elegantly crafted standalone story. In WW2, Steve Rogers and Bucky find themselves in Belgium, facing more horrors than just Nazis: a plague of vampirism.

There couldn’t be a more perfect choice for the story than Colan: in the 70’s, his ability to adapt horror styling to superhero storytelling (and vice versa) made Tomb of Dracula and Dr. Strange among the best books of the decade. And in many ways he’s really on top of his game thirty years on, as he allows the story to flow across the pages, like a vampire turning to smoke. His layouts range from classic paneling to almost dreamlike fades from scene to scene. And in Colan’s hands, the horrors of the undead, the war dead, and those devastated by the plagues of both, are given equal grisly weight. There’s nice character work, plenty of action, and the dark atmosphere that Colan always claimed as his own.

I won’t pretend the man hasn’t lost a step: when I met him again last summer (the previous time had been thirty years ago) there could be no question that drawing has to be a struggle for him these days. There’s some wonky anatomy here and there, and colorist Dean White chooses to keep things as dark and heavy as Tom Palmer ever did, so there’s no “covering up” those few place where Colan’s hand can’t quite match his vision. But, frankly, if one of those places wasn’t right on the cover (Cap appears to have no neck at all), you’d scarcely notice till your second time through the book: first time around, you’ll be completely caught up in Brubaker and Colan’s tale of things going bump in Europe’s darkest-ever night.

Note that there is also an uncolored edition available, and at 44 pages of story in each, I’d say that fans of great comic book art could do worse than pick up both.


FOUR OUT OF FIVE VIKINGS



Superman/Batman #62 (DC)($2.99)
By Devon Sanders

Believe it or not, once you get past the dismemberments, kidnappings and attempted murders, Superman/Batman #62 was a pretty heartwarming tale of friendship.

Superman and Batman are called away on JLA business and it’s left to Robin, The Teen Wonder to show Superman’s “secret weapon,” Supergirl the ropes in psych profiling and other such Bat-doings. Of course, with their being in Gotham, it’s not long before she  receives a crash course in “Villainy 101” from such Arkham Asylum luminaries as The Joker, The Mad Hatter and Two-Face. Will Robin be able to safeguard and "steel" The Maid of Might from the evils lurking within his world?

Storytellers Michael Green and Mike Johnson have crafted a nice little story showcasing the juxtaposition of characters and setting, placing a newly-arrived-to-Earth and Superman-sheltered Supergirl with a “wise-beyond-his-years” Robin. The Michaels do a great job of conveying the shock and awe a somewhat naive Supergirl must feel when confronted with some of her adopted world’s ugliest of truths and the inhumanity of the shared Rogues Gallery of Batman & Robin.

This issue's true revelation is artist Rafael Albuquerque, former artist of Blue Beetle. Albuquerque has become primarily known for his work drawing teens and again, he shows his mastery in his renderings of these teen titans. What you won’t quite be ready for is his mastery of the noir. Albuquerque was born to draw The Batman & Robin Rogues Gallery, especially The Joker and this issue’s closing villain, a particular favorite of mine. His rendition of The Joker, within three solid pages, has become The Joker I'll envision in my mind's eye. After seeing this issue and his hybrid style of noir-ish cartooning, I believe him to be a talent you’ll certainly want to keep an eye.

Superman/Batman #62 is a pleasure to read, providing new perspective on characters and dynamics we’ve come to know and treasure.


THREE AND A HALF OUT OF FIVE VIKINGS


The Brave and The Bold #25 (DC)($2.99)
By Graig Kent

The Milestone characters’ transition into the DC Universe proper hasn’t exactly been a graceful one. Static’s emerging in the pages of Terror Titans mini-series provided little value to the character and only marginally more to the series, while the Shadow Cabinet’s higher-profile arrival in the pages of Milestone founder Dwayne McDuffie’s Justice League of America run seemed just as coherent as the rest of his run (which was marred by editorial edicts and continuity kerfuffles). But the Milestone characters get their spotlight in DC’s team-up book, The Brave and the Bold, currently in middle of a run of three stand-alone issues. Last issue saw the pairing of Static and Black Lightning, whilst next issue reintroduces Xombi as he meets the Spectre (written by Xombi creator John Rozum, sweet).

This issue finds Hardware reluctantly teaming up with the Blue Beetle as they strive to stop an Intergang armaments exchange to The System in Northern Mexico. Hardware has a connection to the buyers from back in Dakota, so he has a vested interest in ensuring that the transfer doesn’t happen. Beetle, still a bit young, still a bit inexperienced, seems to only be getting in his way, but must prove to the grizzled armored fighter that he can more than hold his own.

Writer Adam Beechen works hard to bring Hardware’s story, now well over a decade since last published, back into the fore, and with middling results. At this stage, most former Milestone readers will be hard-pressed to recall where Hardware’s story left off, or really remember the man’s personality, his convictions, and so it’s really tough to say whether Beechen gets it right. His Blue Beetle, on the other hand, is still relatively fresh off cancellation (now appearing as a back-up feature in Booster Gold) and he’s not exactly on-character either, a bit more hip-hop than he usually is.

Roger Robinson and Hilary Barta handle the art chores decently enough, nothing spectacular, but fully serviceable in telling the story. The story itself is of the done-in-one-but-leaving-room-for-more sort, a real 70’s-style team-up story, and it is enjoyable, if far from enthralling. But these days, at $3 - $4 a comic, you really do need that little something more.


TWO AND A HALF OUT OF FIVE VIKINGS


Wednesday Comics #2 (of 12)(DC)($3.99)
By Graig Kent

With only two weeks down, DC’s experimental newspaper-sized, weekly-strip format has become hotly divisive.  Some find the size of the “comic” to be an obstacle, while others (including our own Adam Prosser, who dished out a great review the first issue in last week’s column) find the price to be contestable.  To me, the format is a major part of the experience, as if its something that should be saved for the breakfast nook, sprawled out on the table, perused whilst eating toast with OJ, the paper basked in Sunday morning sunshine, much like the Sunday funnies pull-out of yore.  As for the cost, I’m of two minds, in concurrence with many others that the production costs are likely far less than a normal comic, but given the sheer variety and notoriety of talent involved I can see where the real costs comes in.

But putting aside the format discussion, which Adam handled previously in greater depth, let’s get to the content, as with a second week we can see a little better where things are going:

Batman - Azzarello and Rizzo have drummed up a pulp noir tale complete with murder, attempted murder, the upper class, mystery, and a femme fatale. Rizzo’s layout is superb, really nabbing the newspaper serial feel.

Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth - Ryan Sook’s art is absolutely stunning, a luscious tribute to Jack Kirby’s creation, but hindered by an unfortunately tedious dime-novel prosaic narrative from Dave Gibbons.

Superman - Last week, Superman battled an alien creature who shook the hero’s foundation with a simple question. Now Clark visits Gotham and his old pal Bruce looking for answers. John Acrudi’s script seems simple but poignant, if perhaps a little too Emo for the Clark and Bruce we know, and Lee Bermejo expertly captures the facial nuances in his lavish, tangible art that the story’s emotional underpinning really needs.

Deadman - “The Dearly Departed Detective Part II”, as Deadman goes on the hunt to take down a serial killer using his unique abilities, he’s warned off by his benefactor. But her warning falls on deaf ears, as Boston Brand winds up in a situation beyond his control. Dave Bullock and Vinton Heuck’s hardboiled story started off choppy but has established itself nicely here, with Bullock’s “Animated” art allied with a heavy dose of ink, complimenting the story nicely with some playful panel arrangements.

Green Lantern - After last issues meandering opening spotlighting Ferris Aircraft employees gabbing away while bellying up to the bar, I thought perhaps Kurt Busiek didn’t understand how to use this new format to its maximum effect, but this issue’s strip, he seems to be more than aware of his medium and is putting together something that seems very adventurous in construction. Joe Quenones’ New Frontier-inspired art is magnifique.

Metamorpho - It’s Neal Gaiman and Mike Allred, need I say more? Okay, Allred draws a one-panel splash that works like three or four panels, and there’s an adorable sub-feature here, “A Message For YOU From The Metamorpho Fans Of America”… blue blazes, that’s a club I want to join.

Teen Titans - The current-ish Teen Titans roster squares off against the new Trident, only to have their butts handed to them and the older Titans coming to their rescue. Robin is embarassed. The story by Eddie Berganza is one of the least enticing in the Wednesday Comics roster, and Sean Galloway’s art, while colored with a pleasant anime style, doesn’t give much in the way of dynamic visuals or layout.

Strange Adventures - Paul Pope delivers the pulpiest of pulpy sci-fi tales as Adam Strange takes on a horde of invading monkeymen, only to have his beloved (and scantily clad) Alanna taken hostage. What a pickle. It’s terrifically entertaining and so visually curious.

Supergirl - It’s a delightfully light and fluffy tale from husband and wife duo of Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Connor as Supergirl chases Streaky the Super-cat and Krypto the Super-dog throughout Metropolis, wreaking havoc as they go.

Metal Men - Dan Didio writes (!) a retro-70’s set piece for Jose Luis Garcia Lopez and Kevin Knowlan to illustrate, as the Metal Men foil a bank robbery. It may not seem like much, but it just oozes that classic 70’s comic vibe and it’s quite a treat.

Wonder Woman - The murky visuals of Ben Caldwell’s plus the panel-cramped page of the first chapter made this second chapter an unfortunate skip. Caldwell looks to be attempting much bang for the buck with his page, but it’s a chore to read.

Sgt. Rock - The story by Adam Kubert is perfectly okay (Sarge has been caught by the enemy and is undergoing interrogation) but the blown-up nine-panel grid layout of the story, not unlike an average comic book page, reveals an unfortunate lack of invention on legendary creator Joe Kubert’s part. This could use some thinking outside the box.

The Flash/Iris West - Karl Kerschl and Brendan Fletcher’s double strip page tells one story using two styles. It’s wacky, it’s fun, and Kerschl is obviously having great fun with the format. The story involves an almost sit-com style set-up revolving around a time travel flummox. Perhaps the best among them.

The Demon/Catwoman - Selena has just escaped from a dinner date with Jason Blood used as a pretense for scoping out his mansion, unaware that, as she returns in full catsuit later that night, there are malevolent forces lying in wait for her. Walt Simonson doles out an unexpected but inspired team-up while Brian Stelfreeze bangs out a great looking page.

Hawkman - It’s freakin’ Kyle Baker writing and drawing Hawkman. How great is that? Pretty great, in fact, as an oozing-manliness Hawkman takes on some hijackers aboard a passenger flight., mid-flight.  “Your companions are dead. The rest of you will envy them before I’m done with you.” Hawkman = badass.

Overall, I give Wednesday Comics an 11.5/15 ranking, rounded up to:


FOUR OUT OF FIVE VIKINGS