Different Colorist or Inker?

Gotham City Sirens #3
Written by Scott Lobdell
Art by Guillem March

I don’t know what happened to Paul Dini and the story that was solicited for this issue, but I don’t really care because I really enjoyed this issue. Sure it wasn’t about the Sirens but it was a great Riddler story. The confrontation between Dick Grayson Batman and Riddler was great. I loved how Dick’s detective skills are not as good as Bruce is, but he is able to fake it (through the use of Alfred and the Bat Computer) so it seems like they are. Of course the Riddler still knows there is something different about Batman. The art was also a lot better then the two previous issues. March really stepped up his game. I have a feeling that this issue featured different colorists or inkers because I really liked the art as opposed to before. But I could be wrong.

What’s Not To Love About This?

Wonder Woman (Volume 3) #35
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Aaron Lopresti

Does Simone know how to write some great dialogue or what? James Robinson could learn a thing or two from her. I love the balance between action and dialogue in this series, it is damn perfect! Seriously anyone who has been hating on the character of Wonder Woman or Simone’s run in general are idiotic. What is not to love here! Romance, action, drama…it’s all here. I like how Gail portrays a friendship between Dinah and Diana. It is something that Diana really needs. I am looking forward to seeing how Black Canary “fixes” Wonder Woman’s life. Because she does need a new personal life since the Department of Metahuman Affairds is no more. The commentary on the action figures was hilarious. And I am glad that Nemesis is breaking up with Wonder Woman, I have never been a big fan of their relationship and she doesn’t love him anyway.

World Against Superman

Superman #691
Written by James Robinson
Art by Renato Guedes

This is the fourth part of the Codename: Patriot crossover that began in World of New Krypton #6 and continued here and here. I like that it is implied at the end of this issue we have gone from World Without Superman to World Against Superman. General Lane has created quite the crazed plot to discredit Superman and Supergirl. From the looks of it, Lois may believe that Kara has gone rogue, which I hope she is smart enough to know that can’t be true. This was a really good storyline and while it only leads to more story, I feel it came to a good but sad conclusion.

Eddie Bloomberg R.I.P.

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #74
Written by Bryan Q. Miller
Art by Joe Bennet
Co-Feature by Sean McKeever
Art by Yildiray Cinar

Yes Kid Devil (or Red Devil but I have always preferred Kid Devil) dies saving San Francisco from nuclear destruction in this issue. He died a true hero. The only problem I have with this is that it seems completely unnecessary. Why kill Kid Devil after McKeever built up such a good friendship between him and Blue Beetle? Was this only to sell books? I could be wrong but I have a feeling that this is why McKeever left the book over creative differences. An editor wanted to kill him and McKeever disagreed. Ignoring the death, this was a really good issue and Miller has shown he can write the Teen Titans well. Let’s just hope Felecia D. Henderson does as well. The Ravager back-up was basically Rose Wilson kicking ass and taking names, which is a good thing.

Breathtaking

Detective Comics #856
Written by Greg Rucka
Art by J.H. Williams III
Co-Feature by Rucka
Art by Cully Hamner

After last issue was only decent, this issue picked it up a lot and I really enjoyed it. The religion of Crime really interests me now. I like the idea that Abbot has a different interpretation of their religion then Alice. It was great to see Bette Kane and Maggie Swayer. The entire sequence where Kate is dancing with Maggie really hit home for me as a gay man and knowing how your family always thinks you are flaunting it when you are really just being yourself. It is also nice to know that Gordon has an anti-discrimination policy! We still don’t know if Kate’s Stepmom was once the original Batwoman (who per Morrison’s issues of Batman is still in continuity I think) but it doesn’t seem like it here. Is Bette still active as Flamebird? Does Kate know that she was or is Flamebird? Williams’s art is beautiful. Seriously the guy should win an award for this. Every page is breathtaking to look at. The Question back-up is pretty short but not bad.

Splitting In Half

Justice Society of America #30
Written by Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges
Art by Jesus Merino

This issue sees some debate in the team about whether or not they should go after the bad guys or check in on Mr. Terrific who isn’t answer his commlink. In the end this leads to a fight between Wildcat and Magog. Magog is acting like a jerk and I really hope the split that is going to happen with this team isn’t one where people follow Magog and others follow Wildcat because I know these characters know better then that. I hope it’s a peaceful split. I am glad they are splitting the team because Willingham and Sturges haven’t shown that they are very good at showing the whole team. I mean we still haven’t even seen Sandman, Atom Smasher, or Jakeem Thunder since their run began. I also don’t buy the idea that the villains would be all afraid of the new Doctor Fate. I mean Doctor Fate isn’t more powerful then all of the JSA combined? I guess I am having a hard time believing that this group of villains would even be able to take down the JSA without Doctor Fate. But complaints aside, I did like this issue and I am enjoying their run so far.

Hooray! No Hal In This Issue!

Green Lantern (Volume 4) #45
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Doug Mahnke

Hey Hal Jordan doesn’t even appear in this issue! Yes! Thank you Johns for not making me read about that douche bag and instead focusing on his more interesting co-workers, villains, and love interests. I got to say I was very happy to turn to the last page and still see no sign of Hal. Although, there was some typical talking up of Hal by Carol and Sinestro but I can deal with that. I was kind’ve annoyed that Carol even knows who Barry and Iris or Clark and Lois are. Does everyone know everyone in the DCU now? I mean come on! Mahnke’s art is great and this issue was almost as good as one of Tomasi’s Green Lantern Corps issues, except with no Kyle which is why it is almost as good and not AS good. I also liked the idea of Abin Sur’s sister as Sinestro’s former love.

The Defeat Of Professor Pyg

Batman and Robin #3
Written by Grant Morrison
Art by Frank Quitely

This issue concluded the first arc of this series. It was good. It wasn’t as good as the first issue but it was still good and creepy. Professor Pyg is a villain I hope lasts a long time. People tend to not use Morrison’s great characters after him, which is annoying, but I hope they do with this character because he is just creepy as all hell. I think I am going to have to go back and re-read this arc because some things really confused me here. Where did all this stuff about spreading germs and addictive viruses come from? I don’t remember that being part of it at all. And what is going on with the girl the Pyg tortured? Why is she killing those police officers? Quitely’s  art is fantastic to look at, but there were some parts where the storytelling was just off and I was confused. This will probably read better in trade.

The Vigilante, Brother of The Vigilante

Vigilante (Volume 3) #9
Written by Marv Wolfman
Art by Rick Leonardi

So apparently the Vigilante is Adrian Chase’s brother? Interesting. I wonder if this is a character we have seen before. I don’t know because I never read the Adrian Chase Vigilante series. I thought that they were going to Chicago in this issue? I guess not. And it says next issue Vigilante will be in Gotham…so when is he going to Chicago? This issue seemed rushed. I wonder if it is because Wolfman knew the series was going to be cancelled at the twelfth issue when he was writing this? Probably.

Celebrating Ten Years of Batgirl: May-June 1999

Just a reminder, here is my intro to this new feature that I just started:

Yes it has been a decade since the one true Dark Knight Damsel first made her comics debut. Barbara Gordon may have been the first to go by the name Batgirl (if you don’t count Bat-hyphen-girl Betty Kane) but it is Cassandra Cain who in the last decade has shown that she is the Dark Knight Damsel.

She is one of the most underappreciated (By creators, not fans) characters in comics today. Cassandra should be a member of the Bat Family on par with Dick, Tim, and Babs but superstar creators like Grant Morrison and Jeph Loeb have consistently neglected her.

A new Batgirl series is debuting in August and if it is not Cassandra Cain under the mask, I want to show how stupid that is on DC’s part by showcasing her to the maximum here.

Stephanie Brown has now taken up the mantle of Batgirl and while I hope Cassandra will be back under the cowl sooner rather then later, this truly is the end of an era. It was a fantastic ten years and I happy to reflect on it.

This time around we are going to finish off May 1999 and then go on to her comic appearances in June of that year. We will start with her second appearance ever in Detective Comics #734:

Simulations

Superman/Batman #63
Written by Michael Green and Mike Johnson
Art by Rafael Albuquerque

This entire issue turned out to just be a simulation on Batman’s computer – and it wasn’t even that good of a simulation. I can not stand stories like this. I get that nothing in comics actually happened (as far as we know, but people like Grant Morrison and myself beg to differ but that’s neither here nor there) but I like my stories to be in continuity, not simulations on Batman’s computer. I did not enjoy this and I didn’t enjoy the art either.

Frozen Lightning

Outsiders (Volume 4) #21
Written by Peter Tomasi
Art by Fernando Pasarin

I am not sure why Alfred is acting the way he is in this issue. What situation in Gotham is he referring to? Possibly something that happens in Batman and Robin #3 which hasn’t come out yet? I don’t know. Anyways, this was a definite improvement over the last arc. I like the idea of the Outsiders splitting up to find the villains who have left Gotham and Pasarin’s art is wonderful! Is he the new regular artist? I sure hope so. I like him a lot better then Garbett. It is interesting to learn that the new Black Mask implanted chips into the heads of the villains so he could kill them if they upset him. In this issue, Mr. Freeze is captured by Black Lightning and Owlman and his chip is removed. I look forward to the confrontations with Killer Croc and Clayface.

Dead Killing The Dead

Brave and the Bold #26
Written by John Rozum
Art by Scott Hampton

This issue teams up The Spectre and the milestone here called Xombi. While it was filled with interesting ideas – particularly the idea of a ghost killer of ghosts – it suffered due to the art. I really was confused as to what was going on a lot of time because the art was just horrific. I didn’t enjoy it at all and I don’t wish to read anything with this artist again. Also, we really learn very little about Xombi in this issue other then he can regenerate his tissue and I think that is not a good thing when this is supposed to get people into the character. Well, anyways, next issue is the long-awaited debut of JMS on this title and I am looking forward to that after the long wait.

It Is Good To Have Plas Back

Justice League of America #36
Written by Len Wein
Art by Tom Derenick

Okay it took them thirty-six issues, but I think finally we have a Justice League issue where the characters are given equal screen time, have unique voices, and well…it just feels like the League. I think I was too easy on McDuffie, sure he was always being overly managed by DC editorial, but he really wasn’t good at writing this book. This was just a sigh of relief. I love having Plastic Man back. I really missed him. I liked how they actually showed Vixen asking Starfire to join the league. Heck I even liked the origin of the Royal Flush Gang that they recapped. When Robinson comes on this book, this book better stay this good.

The Genocide of the Gil’Dishpan

R.E.B.E.L.S #7
Written by Tony Bedard
Art by Andy Clarke

This was another good issue of this series. I am kinda sad that the Gil’Dishpan were destroyed. I liked them and wanted to learn more about this aquatic worm race. Having the whole issue take place underwater really made me miss reading an Aquaman series. Do you think we will ever see Topo again? Anyways, the fact that Dox agrees with the dominator’s decision to sacrifice an entire race for the sake of billions shows how much Dox is really an anti-hero and not Superman in any way, shape, or form. I like that. I am still loving the encyclopedia entries Bedard has in this book and all the world-building (or should I say universe-building) he is doing with Space in the DC Universe. I just wish more people were reading this book.

PeeGee 3 and 4

Power Girl (Volume 2) #3
Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray
Art by Amanda Connor

Okay after really thinking this series sucked last issue I have to admit this was a lot of fun and exciting. There is a perfect mix of action and humor and while most would be quick to point out Amanda Connor’s artwork, the dialogue is just as good. Pamiotti and Gray really showed me that they can write a good comic here. Let’s just hope they stay consistent from now on.

Power Girl (Volume 2) #4
Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray
Art by Amanda Connor

This was another really fun issue! This creative team are great storytellers. Now that the Ultra-Humanite arc is over this series is really getting good. I like that Terra is becoming Power Girl’s sidekick and seeing them go to the movies and then afterwards fight villains is awesome! If that is all this series is about I would still read it. I like how Power Girl treated the Dungeons and Dragons girl and gave her a job. This was just really good. I am a Power Girl fan now!

Wiggley Field

Green Lantern Corps (Volume 2) #39
Written by Peter Tomasi
Art by Patrick Gleason

As Blackest Night hits the Green Lantern Corps, we get a lot of focus on Kyle – as this series should have all the time. I am definitely enjoying it. Jade is back as a Green Lantern – although wasn’t her body destroyed? Oh well it doesn’t manner the Black Lanterns seems to manifest as dead versions of the people in their normal state (i.e Aquaman doesn’t look like the dweller despite dying in that state). Tomasi spelled Wrigley field with two g’s in this! Come on! That is some bad editing. It reminded me of this dog park near Wrigley field called Wiggley Field haha. That always makes me smile. I am easily amused.