Death and Resurrection

Freedom Fighters (Volume 2) #7
Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray
Art by Travis Moore

 

Let me start this off by saying I am pretty upset this book is ending in May. DC never gave it a chance – I blame Flashpoint but whatever. This was an awesome issue as the Freedom Fighters finally come face-to-face with the Jester! Amazing action, story, and art has made this book one of – if not the best – book DC has put out since it started. I sure hope Firebrand isn’t really dead but it was great to see the return of Uncle Sam! Kick his ass Sam!

Miss America Is Agressive

Freedom Fighters (Volume 2) #6
Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray
Art by Travis Moore

 

The Freedom Fighters leave the creepy villain gang to die in this issue… on the orders of Miss America who is acting pretty agressive here apparently forcing Doll Man to come out of retirement by gun point. This was a great opening arc for this title and I expect the next arc will be even better. Oh and Phantom Lady and Black Condor hook up!

Trapped in Enclave A

Freedom Fighters (Volume 2) #5
Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray
Art by Travis Moore

 

Holy shit! This was an awesome comic! The Freedom Fighters are trapped in Enclave A with the creepiest metahuman prisoners I have ever read in a comic (One is made out of dead babies or something) and you really get the feeling of being trapped while reading this – even as you start to sympathize with the prisoners who it looks like were all brought here and tortured against their will. All the while still dealing with the overall arc of a secret weapon belonging to the Confederacy. I will say it again, everyone should be reading this book! It’s that good!

Everyone Should Be Reading This

Freedom Fighters (Volume 2) #4
Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray
Art by Travis Moore

 

Palmiotti and Gray flesh out the back story of the Jester – making him far more interesting then the character ever was in the Golden Age and also introduce a crop of new villains like the disgusting Funerella who’s kisses kill people by having their flesh rot or something like that. In other words, this is still definitely the best new book of the year THAT EVERYONE SHOULD BE READING. It has conspiracy theory, intrigue, tons of action, and characterization. It is everything you could want in a comic.

The Rebirth of Dark Supergirl

Justice League of America #51
Written by James Robinson
Art by Mark Bagley

Robinson once again shows how much he understands and loves the DC Universe with the beginning of this issue. Instead of a random assortment of heroes trying to save Washington DC, we actually get an explanation for why each of the persons’ powers can help the situation. That is a rare feat in comics and I like the attention to detail! Meanwhile, the League is dealing with the threat of Omega Man – who is a bastard yet we don’t even know who he is yet and he has brought back Dark Supergirl. I miss Starman but this this is getting just as epic as the last arc! Great stuff!

The Return of Miss America

Freedom Fighters (Volume 2) #3
Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray
Art by Travis Moore

 

This book continues to be awesome as Uncle Sam is killed by the renegades but will ultimately be reborn as he always is – and the Freedom Fighters find a statue of Robert E. Lee underneath the cavern. The conspiracy theories get even crazier as the Jester (the grandson of the original hero) shows up as a member of the Arcadians in a bad ass costume. I am glad that Miss America is back. I have always loved that character I don’t know why – but I think it’s such an awesome costume although I thought she had been turned into Miss Cosmos in the last Freedom Fighters mini but I guess she is back. I hope she stays with the team.

Best New Series Of The Year

Freedom Fighters (Volume 2) #2
Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray
Art by Travis Moore

 

Damn this is definitely my favorite new series of the year! Second issue in and I was excited with every turn of the page. The renegades are cool elemental villains (although the one called Fire Horse doesn’t really make any historical sense since horses came from the old world) and the Arcadians are an intriguing concept. I liked the spotlight on Black Condor and Uncle Sam – who fought bravely even without their team. This book is patriotic in a in a non-blind way and brings me back to the patriotism I had as a kid.

A Spectacular Debut

Freedom Fighters (Volume 2) #1
Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray
Art by Travis Moore

 

Palmiotti and Gray’s Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters mini from 2006 with Daniel Acuna is a book i read again and again. I loved Acuna’s artwork and the way that the writing team made me feel so patriotic – but in a liberal America could be so much better then it is kinda way. The second mini was okay although I wasn’t a huge fan of the artwork but I could not wait for this ongoing to start and it finally has arrived! They really started things off with a bang – there is no set up we are brought straight into the action as the team fights on multiple fronts and is brought into a civil-war era mystery. This couldn’t have been any better! In one issue I think this may be one of my favorite books DC is putting out if not THE favorite. Pick this up people!!!

Embarassing

Outsiders (Volume 4) #32
Written by Dan Didio and Phillip Tan
Art by Tan

Um….can we just have the team back again? Why is this filled with shitty dialogue and no movement in plot months after months? How is it that a guy who writes a comic like this is DC’s co-publisher? This is embarassing. I love me some Outsiders but this book is not getting any better!

Outsiders 30 and 31

Outsiders (Volume 4) #30
Written by Dan Didio
Art by Phillip Tan

 

Metamorpho, Owlman, and Black Lightning must turn to Simon Stagg for help after being deemed enemies of Earth because of Markovia’s alliance with New Krypton. It is an interesting thing this alliance with New Krypton and I love having the Eradicator around but Didio still has yet to explain why Geo-Force is acting like a nutjob and this Freight Train character is about as generic as they come. Wasn’t a bad issue which is saying something because it has been all pretty bad since Didio took over the book.

Outsiders (Volume 4) #31
Written by Dan Didio
Art by Phillip Tan

Okay Halo is back in this issue! Thanks Didio! But she never even went missing, she just wasn’t mentioned. If you are going to make her return a big deal – how about maybe writing people actually wondering where the hell she is? Anyways the Ray shows up and so does a weird succubus lady. This book is way random but at least it has become interesting.

Blackest Night of the West

Weird Western Tales #71
Written by Dan Didio
Art by Renato Arlem

This black lantern series failed to grab me, and not because it was bad or because it was Didio writing, but I simply don’t care enough about these characters. I never liked Westerns and I don’t follow Jonah Hex, and this issue didn’t convince me to. Why is the Ray here and not kicking ass in the main Blackest Night Book?

Brave and the Bold 7 – 19

Brave and the Bold #7
Written by Mark Waid
Art by George Perez

Waid and Perez start their second arc with team-up of Wonder Woman and Power Girl….Wonder Woman’s “perfection” is portrayed against Power Girl’s crazed anger in this issue and I have to say it rings untrue. Power Girl is the leader of the JSA, yet her emotions are all over the place like a teenager this issue and I just see that as a little out of character. Besides this, this was a good issue that sets up the new threat…Megistus. And Perez’s art is as beautiful as ever.

Brave and the Bold #8
Written by Mark Waid
Art by George Perez

This issue sees The Flash and the Doom Patrol team up when Wally takes his kids to be “fixed” by Dr. Niles Caulder. I love how creepy the Doom Patrol are and they should be used more often around the DCU. I am not sure why Caulder has gray hair here, as usually it is red I think. This was a good issue.

Brave and the Bold #9
Written by Mark Waid
Art by George Perez

Eh…I really could care less about any of the characters in this issue besides Hawkman and the Atom…so besides those last few pages I was totally bored with this issue.

Brave and the Bold #10
Written by Mark Waid
Art by George Perez

While the first part with Superman and Silent Knight was kinda boring…it was cool to see the old Teen Titans team up with Aquaman. Oh and it is good to see that Perez hasn’t forgotten that Aqualad looks like a boy instead of a weird fish-boy like over in Teen Titans: Year One. This series is becoming too much of an homage to the silver age. Let’s bring in some modern age characters!

Brave and the Bold #11
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Jerry Ordway

Superman and Ultraman from the anti-matter earth team-up when the anti-matter Mxyzptlk tells them of a disaster that will effect both earths. This explains what Megistus is doing and who he is. While I look forward to next issue’s conclusion, this story arc is taking way too long. At least this issue wasn’t silver agey. Ordway’s art is always welcome and the perfect artist to replace Perez.

Brave and the Bold #12
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Jerry Ordway

This concludes the Megistus arc where a lot of heroes team up and take on Megistus. In the end, it is June who saves the day and becomes a challenger in her own right. Megistus was not that scary or interesting of a villain as you think he would be after so many issue of build up but I did enjoy this issue. The foreshadowing of Final Crisis is interesting as Megistus says it will change everything. Interesting.

Brave and the Bold #13
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Jerry Ordway

I remember listening to Mark Waid’s interview on Word Balloon where he talks about this issue (great interview by the way) and how we never do see Jay Garrick and Batman interact. You know….he’s right and now I want to see them together more often. This was fun issue where Jay and Batman fight android safaris haha but the best part is the dialogue between Jay Garrick and Batman. I often forget that Jay is a scientist as well as a hero. You really get the feeling that Jay is the old hat while reading this and how much Batman respects him.

Brave and the Bold #14
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Scott Kolins

What? So confused….why did Ollie just shoot an Arrow into Deadman? Is there something to this? I bet because I know Green Arrow would never do such a thing and Deadman is already dead anyways. Kolins’s art can be a little distracting but this was an okay issue…I preferred the parts in Star City then the Nanda Parbat stuff though.

Brave and the Bold #15
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Scott Kolins

This continued the storyline that began last issue with Nightwing and Hawkman. I like that Waid is playing up that Nightwing is probably the most trusted superhero in the DCU because that is totally true. I just wish Didio would recognize that and not try to kill him all the time. There was a little continuity goof, I am pretty sure Deadman told Nightwing about him knowing his parents already in Nightwing: Year One but that is just a slight error, and such things are very unusual for Waid. So ya this was an okay issue, nothing to get really excited about.

Brave and the Bold #16
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Scott Kolins

First of all, what the hell is Selina doing in this costume. She definitely did not have this costume until Brubaker took over her series and this takes place long before that if it is her first meeting with Superman. Kolins obviously knows very little about her history if he isn’t aware of this, and the editor is an idiot for not catching it. The story was good though, I liked the fake out with the cave. But this huge continuity error really distracted from what was a good story.

Brave and the Bold #17
Written by Marv Wolfman
Art by Phil Winslade

You know…I never thought about the similarities between Raven and Supergirl until this issue. While this is the first Waid-less issue of this series, it was still very good. Winslade’s art is much better then Kolins, and I liked the use of continuity as Wolfman clearly followed the Supergirl series well. I know that Supergirl’s father apparently didn’t want her to kill Superman though right, at least it is not how he is being portrayed over in the Superman books. I think Johns said that they were going to clear that up soon.

Brave and the Bold #18
Written by Marv Wolfman
Art by Phil Winslade

You know I kind’ve like the bad ass Supergirl and her sense of humor, I hope she doesn’t completely change. Raven and Supergirl’s dialogue here is excellent and really shows what Wolfman can do. The insult comic dog stuff was hilarious and the story had real depth to it as well. Check this out, you won’t be disappointed.

Brave and the Bold #19
Written by David Hine
Art by Doug Braithwaite

Okay….if you don’t pick this up because you are waiting for JMS to start his run then you are an idiot. This was amazing! The story is fascinating and the art….oh my gosh…the art is beautiful. Perfectly dark but still full of beauty and wonder….especially when Green Lantern and the Phantom Stranger go to Kahlo. I never thought Green Lantern and Phantom Stranger could make sense in a story together, but they really do here as magick effects an alien planet. The panel showing the little girl who wrote the Green Lantern Oath on the wall was breathtaking and well creepy all at the same time. Check this out people, it is worth it. I can’t wait for the next issue. Definitely the best book I read this week. And by far the best issue of this series yet.