Bruce Remembers

Power Girl (Volume 2) #21
Written by Judd Winick
Art by Sami Basri

 

This was awesome for anyone enjoing Generation Lost as Power Girl manages to convince Dick Grayson with the help of Bruce Wayne of Max Lord’s existence and villainy. Bruce’s presence here was just awesome and it was great to see that he remembers Lord – because if anyone could it would be Bruce. I also loved how Basri got all the pre-infinite crisis costumes correct in the flashback. I know that sounds easy, and it is, but so many other artists at DC would have gotten it wrong cause their editors suck at their jobs.

Umm…

Green Arrow (Volume 4) #32
Written by J.T. Krul
Art by Federico Dallocchio

 

Wow. Just wow. I mean this whole mess isn’t Krul’s fault, he is a good writer who was thrown into the worst DCU story since Countdown (Or even when Cassandra Cain was turned into a killer – okay that was even worse then this) but this is jsut awful. It is not that I hate that they made Green Arrow kill Prometheus. It’s the way the other heroes acted about it. This guy murdered Lian Harper and led to the death of thousands of Star City innocents – in real life no one would be upset about this. Barry Allen comes off as a huge prick – I resent that Barry came back to life, and this makes me hate it even more cause the character is written as completely unlikable. Black Canary leaving Green Arrow is equally retarted – yes he has hurt her in the past but I thing she should have stood by him through all of this. It is so strange. It is like the DC editors want us to hate all of their characters. Black Canary could have gone to work with the Birds of Prey again without ending her marriage (although I doubt they are getting divorced so much as separated). That being said, this is the end of this volume of Green Arrow and maybe after all this crap a fresh start is needed. I can’t say that I am uninterested in the new direction of Green Arrow in the forest. Could be rather interesting.

Dumb

Green Arrow (Volume 4) #31
Written by J.T. Krul
Art by Federico Dellachio

First of all in the Source blog I swore they said this issue was being drawn by the guy who did last issue – guess not. I wish it was but this guy wasn’t bad. Anyways, can I just say that Cry for Justice and Lian Harper’s needless death was the FUCKING DUMBEST THING DC has done in a while. It was awful and took away one of the greatest things about the character of Roy Harper and was the perfect example of Fridging. Green Arrow’s decision to go crazy after it is equally dumb and seemingly comes out of nowhere. This isn’t Ollie at all. Krul went from starting out great on this book to total shit. Barry Allen is acting like a total jerk in this too, since when does he not like Ollie? How would even know to tell Connor Hawke about any of this, he has never met Connor?! Dinah is not talking to Ollie like a wife at all. This issue was weak…really weak. Krul can do better but instead he is stuck with this awful left over plot that makes no sense. It’s awful.

This Blew Me Away

Black Lantern Green Arrow #30
Written by J.T. Krul
Art by Diogenis Nevis

This issue marks Krul’s first issue on this title and already he has improved the book 300%! This was a tremenous issue as we follow Green Arrow stuck as a Black Lantern – and hurting his family members. The things Black Lantern Green Arrow says are downright nasty but they come from inside Ollie’s mind. Does this mean that Ollie really thinks those things? No but everyone has had mean thoughts about people they love and regretted it. I think that is what makes it so powerful. I can’t say enough about how good this is. The art was beautiful! I hope this guy is staying on the book! Speedy is back in her red costume and that makes me happy. Why was she in that black and yellow costume for the last year anyways?! Great stuff and probably one of the best Blackest Night tie-ins there has been.

Bye

Green Arrow & Black Canary #29
Written by Andrew Kreisberg
Art by Mike Norton

 

Norton’s art has been the lowpoint of this book for all of the Kreisberg run and it doesn’t really improve in what in what I think is Kreisberg’s last issue here. The art made the story muddled and confusing. Did Cupid revert to her normal state because she got shot with the arrow? Is Lt. Hilton now going to be Green Arrow’s Two-Face, but called Hilt? The final page of Speedy saying bye seemed appropriate as Star City is going to get phased into another dimension in Cry for Justice and this takes place before that mini, I imagine Speedy will be taking care of Lian while the city is in a different dimension. The months ahead should be more interesting for this title.

All The Powers Of Superman

Adventure Comics #510
Written by Tony Bedard
Art by Travis Moore

Ummmm Bedard could have taken over this series for all I care because this was a great issue! Bedard shows he knows the character of Connor Kent inside and out by recapping his history while moving the story forward. This was by far the best Blackest Night tie-in yet. We get to see lots of action and great characterization at the same time. The strong love between Wonder Girl and Superboy and their training to make sure Connor is never mind controlled again (Nice use of continuity by the way, I would never have thought of that) allows for Superboy to escape from the Black Lantern ring. The art was fabulous as well. Oh and Superboy gets freeze-breath finally! Now he has all the powers of Superman. I kinda liked it when he was all about the tactile telekinesis but this is okay too.

Super-Stalker

Green Arrow & Black Canary #28
Written by Andrew Kreisberg
Art by Mike Norton and Renato Guedes

 

Too bad this whole storyline hasn’t been hampered by awful horrible art, because when it all comes together here it actually makes Cupid to be a very interesting super villain. A woman given an experimental serum by the military to make her more aggressive has the side-effect of causing her to become incredible violent and obsessive. She is the true Super-Stalker. I like the idea if not the execution. Mike Norton’s art and the inker are just plain awful on this book. I can not wait for it to change.

Back Stories

Green Arrow & Black Canary #27
Written by Andrew Kreisberg
Art by Mike Norton and Renato Guedes

Norton’s art is better then it has been here but it is still a chore to look at. I did like this issue as we get some backstory on Cupid – apparently she worked for some assassin organization and she wasn’t so crazy before. Interesting. Kreisberg’s run ends in a couple issues so he better explain a lot soon.

More Ugly Art

Green Arrow & Black Canary #26
Written by Andrew Kreisberg
Art by Mike Norton and Renato Guedes

Not going to lie, I have no idea who those guys were at the end of this and why they are putting Everyman in as Green Arrow again or what not. Was it even Everyman? We never saw any proof of that. This storyline is already annoying and we are only one issue in. The art in this issue was just awful. Why can’t this book get good art? Both Norton and Guedes are better artists then this crap. This book has just gone down hill.

Moving Across The Country

Titans (Volume 2) #19
Written by J.T. Krul
Art by Angel Unzueta

When this issue’s opening said it took place in Star City I was a little annoyed. Why would Roy live in Star City? That’s all the way on the other side of the country from Titans Compound in New York and he is not the Flash. I spoke too soon as it is explained he just moved to Star City to get Lian out of New York and because he felt the Titans were drifting apart. That leaves Donna, Cyborg, Flash, and Starfire as members of “Titans East” and we know three out of four are going to be in the Justice League. Will Flash stay with the team after Deathstroke takes over? I highly doubt it. It is starting to look like Wallace is going to be creating an all-new team when he takes over this book, which I am not complaining about. It could be interesting. This was a nice character study of Red Arrow and his relationship with Lian. I liked it. These done-in-one character studies have been better then anything in this book before. I guess that means it is time for a whole new team.

Ugly Comic

Green Arrow & Black Canary #25
Written by Andrew Kreisberg
Art by Mike Norton
Co-Feature by Kreisberg
Art by Renato Guedes

This is one ugly book! What has happened to Norton’s art – has the inker changed! I can barely look at this comic. It is awful. In one panel, Dinah’s hair is short and the next it is long! What the hell! We find out that Cupid was a woman who murdered her husband and her real name is Carrie. It was funny to see her kidnapping men and dressing them up like Green Arrow. Other then that there was nothing great about the main feature because I didn’t want to look at it! The Co-Feature is about Speedy telling bedtime story to Lian Harper and it was cute and it was a sight for sore eyes to see Guedes’s art after the horror that was the main feature art.

The Return of Speedy

Green Arrow & Black Canary #24
Written by Andrew Kreisberg
Art by Mike Norton

Meh I really don’t feel like much happened in this issue. But at least we get the return of Speedy! It seemed weird that she was just written out of the book. Maybe Kreisberg felt he needed room to introduce Cupid? I don’t know but she’s back and sporting a black costume. This could be a coloring error because there is no mention of the change by Black Canary when she sees her. Weird. I hope it’s explained soon. Oh and I hate the art in the back-up.

Green Arrow & Black Canary 16 and 17

Green Arrow & Black Canary #16
Written by Andrew Kreisberg
Art by Mike Norton

In this Face of Evil issue Merlyn assassinates some science geeks in Star City and Green Arrow and Black Canary try to bring him to justice. Kreisberg seems to bringing this series back to street-level crime instead of the monsters and metas that Green Arrow has been rudiculously fighting since Winick took over the book. I like that. But I am not sure how I feel yet about how he writes Dinah. She seems kinda incompetant and a damsel-in-distress here.

Green Arrow & Black Canary #17
Written by Andrew Kreisberg
Art by Mike Norton

So the girl we were introduced to at the end of last issue is one crazy nutjob. I loved the part where she cuts out the eyes of her hairstylist. I like that kreisberg is building a nice little rogues gallery for Green Arrow within just a few issues. The origins and omens back up even shows that start o someone who I assume will be a villain for Black Canary. I may have spoke too soon about Kresiberg’s treatment of Dinah. As that tables turn this issue with Green Arrow as the “damsel in distress.”

Bye Bye Birdie

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #66
Written by Sean McKeever
Art by Eddy Barrows

Barrows really hit it out of the park this issue. I loved how he draws Gotham City; makes me wish he was on a bat-book. Anyways, McKeever writes what is probably his best issue on this title so far. We are introduced to a bunch of teen characters that are vying to be on the new roster of the Teen Titans. The interactions between the characters is fantastic and amusing and makes me truly believe McKeever was the right choice for this book. Look at the interaction between Bombshell and Red Devil or when Wonder Girl and Robin part ways. That is the saddest thing about this issue; Tim is leaving the titans after 66 issues. Wonder Girl has earned her right to lead the team and I look forward to see her do it. It was sad to see the picture of the old team with Tim, Bart, Cassie, and Connor. I question why Speedy says no to the team, she isn’t even living with Green Arrow anymore. Unless I am wrong and Kreisberg plans to keep her over in that title. I can’t wait to find out what the new roster will be!                                                            

Colorists Suck Sometimes

Green Arrow & Black Canary #15
Written by Andrew Kreisberg
Art by Mike Norton

Andrew Kreisberg begins his run on this series, and unlike his work on Batman Confidential, I was pretty damn impressed. He starts out the issue making it look like Dinah is the damsel in distress, but then shows she has had the upper hand the whole time. One thing Winick often forgot was this series is about Dinah as much as Ollie, and I think Kreisberg really remembers it here. The art, I was not so impressed with. Norton’s work here is subpar and the coloring was just awful. People’s hair color changes from red to blonde to red. Connor and Roy have black hair in one scene! And Roy has the wrong costume. Mia was never Speedy at the time Roy had that late nineties Arsenal costume! That being said,  I did like the trip down memory lane. I don’t know how I feel about Connor and Mia leaving. I did like the whole condoms joke though, that made me smile. So far, so good with Kreisberg.

Knocking That Smile Off His Face

Birds of Prey #124
Written by Tony Bedard
Art by Claude St. Aubin

The news that Didio wants to bring back Barbara Gordon as Batgirl (A total step back for the character, and a complete insult to Cassandra Cain) made it very hard for me to enjoy this. Not to mention the Birds are wrapping up their time in Platinum Flats which was a setting I have rather enjoyed. Seeing Oracle go toe-to-toe with the Joker and get her revenge was pretty cool. I am just sad that this series is wrapping up after a decade of Oracle and her operatives fighting the good fight. Everything else in this issue was just decent, nothing to write home about. And that is not necessarily a bad thing. The new artist I liked a lot and I think he fits the series well. I have never heard of him before though.

Manhunter 35 and 36

Manhunter #35
Written by Marc Andreyko
Art by Michael Gaydos and Carlos Magno

Eh I don’t feel like a lot happened here….this arc is taking a little longer then I would like. Manhunter basically fights some dudes and the Crime Doctor finds out about Suicide Squad’s deception. The only thing that stood out about this issue was Cameron saying she was pregnant. Was the art always this bad? I don’t remember hating it this much until this issue.

Manhunter #36
Written by Marc Andreyko
Art by Michael Gaydos

Now this was more like it, I loved the politics and right-wing bashing in this series because comics need more right-wing bashing. And if that offends conservative readers I really don’t care, because I don’t want you reading my blog anyways. Kate’s speech to the press was awesome and shows how much of a hero and brave women she really is taking out such a large corporation. She is right about how sad it is that one white girl goes missing and it is front page news for weeks but hundred of mexican women go missing and no one pays attention. That is just wrong. I look forward to the next arc which will sadly be the last one of this series.