Raven #1 (November, 2016)
"The White Carnival, Chapter One: The Hunt"
Writer - Marv Wolfman
Art - Alisson Borges
Colors - Blond
Letters - A Larger World
Assistant Editor - Brittany Holzherr
Editor - Alex Antone
Group Editor - Marie Javins
Cover Price: $2.99
In celebration of the twelve-issue Raven: Daughter of Darkness maxiseries wrapping up today... and make no mistake, we are celebrating the fact that that book is over and done with (it was one of the more painful books I'd ever agreed to read), I figured today we'd look back at where it all began!
If you're interested in following me down the path of madness (and boredom), you can check out my reviews of the entire Daughter of Darkness series over at Weird Science DC Comics.
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We open with a monologue from Raven... which is thankfully devoid of numbered "Raven Facts". If you're reading the follow-up, you'd know how ubiquitous (and unfunny) a presence they were. Anyhoo, this is in the wake of Tim Drake's death, and that team of Teen Titans being spread to the winds. And so, in order to get a better understanding of who she is, and where she came from... Raven decides to move in with her Aunt and Uncle. They're Christian, by the way... we're going to be reminded of that fact a whole lot.
Raven is instantly uncomfortable, not just because of the abundance of crufixes (crucifi?) peppered around the home, but also by more mundane things like knick-knacks and pillows. I get that this is a "fish out of water" story... but, feels like we're trying to hard to make the ordinary appear extra-ordinary. The fam gathers around the table, and says grace... which makes Raven worry that she made a mistake by coming here.
That night, Raven is haunted by a nightmare... it's the usual stuff. Did you know that Raven is the daughter of Trigon the Terrible? Of course ya do... because that's Raven's only story.
Anyhoo, Raven wakes up and finds herself surrounded by her Aunt and Uncle who overheard her crying about something called "Trigon" and came running to see what was wrong. Raven is mum on the contents of her nightmare... but is comforted by the fact that her Aunt and Uncle appear to care about her.
The next day, Raven starts at her new school. Gotta say, the dialogue she overhears in the hallway isn't nearly as cringy as I was expecting. This definitely isn't Daughter of Darkness... because, woof... that's cringe-city. This scene is really well rendered... single over-sized panel that still gives the impression of progression. I like it a lot.
As Raven makes her way toward class, she is overcome with feelings of extreme nausea... she believes it's due to a psychic scan, and fears that her brothers might have caught up to her. She hurfs in a garbage can, while her fellow students all get grossed out. To throw them off the (literal) scent, she makes them face their worst fears... which, are unanimously about getting knocked up.
After class, Raven is approached by a multi-culti band of good kids. They instantly begin asking her questions about where she came from... and conveniently, they even ask about her father. I mean, for such a paranoid girl, shouldn't she think this is kinda weird? Maybe it was just a way to remind us that Raven is the daughter of Trigon the Terrible... in fairness, it has been about two-pages since our last reminder.
Raven is overcome by the sickness once more... making her fear another psychic scan. She doubles over, and catches a glimpse of a tall girl coming down the stairs. Just then, her new pal Archer starts screaming... his eyes don't seem to work anymore!
Raven begins to control traffic, and uses her powers to give Archer his sight back. He's taken away by the paramedics... and everything winds up cool. Raven wonders just who that tall girl was... and how she manufactured this situation.
Before heading home, Raven is informed about... and invited to a Carnival going on that evening. Then... things go nuts. White globs show up... Raven finds the tall girl... and when they touch, we flash to Archer in his hospital bed writhing in pain (I think).
The tall girl (who, hell... might not be all that tall after all) reaches into Raven's chest and grabs at her soul before flinging her off to the side. Raven is able to deduce that this girl has nothing to do with Trigon... so, she's probably wandered into the wrong book.
That night, we check in on the carnival... where... okay, this is where the art kinda gets to me. There's a girl who might be the "tall girl" hanging out with Raven's new pals? It's really unclear... since they all look like they should be part of the Burger King Kid's Club (minus the one in a wheelchair), none of them really stand out. Anyhoo, the maybe "tall girl" breaks away to call a Ugo! Car (Uber) to take her home...
... but winds up walking into a portal instead?
And then... "the white" explodes, filling the carnival with blinding light. Is this a backdoor pilot for DC's version of the New Universe?!
--
Ya know... I have a sneaking suspicion that, had I not just read the twelve-issue followup to this series, I probably wouldn't have cared much for this. However, with as mind-bogglingly awful as Daughter of Darkness was, this issue feels damn near good by comparison! It's still not a story I personally really want to read... but I can't outright dismiss it as being "bad".
In fact, the first half of this issue (as ham-fisted as it could have been taken), was mostly enjoyable. I like the idea of Raven trying to discover more about her mother's side of the family. I also like the idea that her Aunt Alice (and fam) are more traditionally religious (as in, they don't worship the Goddess Azar)... though, it does edge on being overstated here.
Raven not "getting" knick-knacks... ehh, it's silly, but harmless. The follow-up (not to dwell) has Raven mystified by such things as Christmas. I mean, I understand "fish out of water", but there are certain universal things that anybody, regardless of how sheltered they are/were... ought to know. Especially if you've actually spent time around people... like Raven has.
The art here is decent... though, more easy to follow during the first half. The characters, when introduced all at once with no real identifiable traits, become interchangeable... and worse yet, confusing. I mentioned during the synopsis that I wasn't sure if the girl who stepped into the portal was the same girl that triggered Raven's nausea... and Archer's blindness. Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm not even sure we were following the same group of kids here! This might have been an entirely different Burger King Kid's Club Clique! And I tells ya, that is a problem.
Overall... I might still just be shellshocked by Daughter of Darkness... but, this wasn't a half-bad issue. Not something I'd lose myself in, but there are far worse books out there... like Daughter of Darkness. This issue is available digitally (at full-cover price).
Remember to come back tomorrow... for it is our special THIRD ANNIVERSARY Spectacular. We'll be celebrating Three Years of Daily Discussions... and, discuss the future of this humble blog. Changes are comin'... Don't miss it!
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Flash (vol.5) #9 (December, 2016)
"Kid Flash of Two Worlds!"
Writer - Joshua Williamson
Art - Jorge Corona
Colors - Ivan Plascencia
Letters - Steve Wands
Assistant Editors - Amedeo Turturro & Diego Lopez
Editor - Brian Cunningham
Cover Price: $2.99
Hey there's an interesting cover... looks like we'll be crossing one off my "Rebirth Wish List" here, the meeting of the Wally's. As we have learn from the post-Rebirth pay-offs... we probably shouldn't get all that excited, eh?
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We open, and it's Halloween in Central City. This ain't going to be all that Halloweeny... but there is a pumpkin! Anyhoo, Iris has been getting mysterious bouquets of flowers for a little while now... which makes Barry a little uncomfortable, ya know, considering they're not from him. Before she and the guys can do the Halloween horror movie thing, she is called away to a situation on the Keystone Bridge. Flash and Kid Flash decide to unknowingly tag along to help out.
The narration is Wallace's, and he talks about "meeting your heroes". He's met his... it's the Flash. Only one thing though, the Flash won't share his secret identity with him just yet. After diffusing the bridge sitch, the two speedsters are joined by a third... the real Wally West. He taps into the Speed Force to stop an explosion, which leaves the younger Wallace a bit bamboozled.
As the dust has settled, the trio of speedsters get acquainted. When Barry goes to shake Wally's hand, however... a bit of an odd reaction occurs, giving Barry some strange visions... and a heinously ugly full-page spread.
Then... dude snaps! He starts (verbally) laying into the Wally's... refers to their both being abandoned by their parents. Heck, even mentions nu-Wally's dad going so far as to pretend to be his uncle! This is all new information to nu-Wally, by the by.
Real-Wally explains that the Speed Force must be trying to absorb Barry... which, I mean, that concept is getting pre-tty, pre-tty old by now, ain't it? Speaking of overstayed/overused concepts, there's Zoom! Anyhoo, the Wally's gotta nyoink him outta the lurch.
And they do... and it's apologies all around. Unfortunately, nu-Wally heard some things he can't un-hear, and so he throws a tantrum... which has gone on to become his defining character trait, unfortunately.
We jump ahead to a Halloween Party where nu-Wally and Chester P. Runk are supposed to be hanging out. Still not sure there was any point to de-aging Chunk... ya know, besides the whole "funny, ha-ha, look at this random character I know about" sort of reason. Anyhoo, they don't make it inside, because real Wally is there for a chat.
They share stories about their unpleasant childhoods... and what it all comes down to, more or less, is... give Flash a chance, he's not such a bad dude.
They then run off together so real-Wally can show him some Speed Force tricks.
We head toward the close with Barry and Wally talking about everything that's gone down of late. We learn that Wally's the one sending Iris the flowers... though, we already knew that since we're reading this out-of-order. He refuses to inflict himself on her yet... not until he knows a bit more about why he's back. They talk about Abra-Kadabra being responsible for making people forget about Wally, which... I'm sorry... just sucks. What's wrong with just having Dr. Manhattan be responsible for the lot of it? Why complicate matters even further by adding some d-list villain to the mix?
We wrap up with Barry sharing one particular vision he had while in the Speed Force... he's not sure what it was, but it filled him with hope. Psst, it's totally a Mercury helmet... even with no memory of Jay Garrick he ought to be able to identify that!
--
As with many of our Rebirth-payoffs... this was quite underwhelming. We keep leaning on the Speed Force crutch as a facilitation device... and, I mean, there's that law of diminishing returns we gotta take into account, right? I mean, we just rescued Real Wally from there... like twice, right? Do we really need to do this like every time out?
What is this art? I'm on record saying (usual artist) Carmine DiGiandomenico isn't my cup of tea (especially on a title like this... and woof at that "Of Two Worlds" homage cover), but... what am I, reading the third story deep in an issue of X-Men Unlimited here? Is this a reboot of Ren and Stimpy? This art really hurt any "oomph" this story might have had right off the bat. I mean, this was supposed to be a big story, right? The two Wally's meeting? Least I thought it was going to be a bigger deal. Maybe that's my bad.
Because what we get... ain't much. I feel like so many of these early-Rebirth era books are in such a hard spot, because there's only so much they can do until DC Brass and Geoff Johns (who might've still been part of DC Brass at this point) decide what they're going to do with the Watchmen characters. Looking back, it makes the entire "Button" reveal feel more like a gimmick and less like a long-term plan. It was the very definition of a "cheap pop", without anything (concrete) to back it up. I mean, we're nearly three-years removed at this point... and we're still waiting! Worse yet... we're still going to be waiting a long time (longer by the day, it seems!).
Even with all that said, however, this issue could have been better handled. It could have felt more special... and, it should have used a different artist. Nothing tells me a story matters less, than when they drop a fill-in artist with a unique "novelty" style into an issue.
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Action Comics (vol.2) #52 (July, 2016)
"The Final Days of Superman, Part 6: The Great Pretender"
Writer - Peter J. Tomasi
Pencillers - Dale Eaglesham & Scot Eaton
Inkers - Dale Eaglesham & Wayne Faucher
Colors - Tomeu Morey
Letterer - Rob Leigh
Assistant Editor - Andrew Merino
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $3.99
Here's a sorta-kinda important issue of Action Comics, from the tail end of its days as a "Volume 2". Today we're going to usher out the New-52! and revisit how they tied this one off.
Spoiler Alert: It ends on a... to be continued to an issue of Superman/Wonder Woman. Which... eh, I dunno... feels like a cheap way to go out.
Anyhoo... before I convince everyone to stop reading here, let's get into it!
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We open with Superman (52) in a pretty bad way. He and Wonder Woman join with Batman so that they might track down this weird "double". Suddenly, his ability to fly sorta gives out... and he splats onto the window of the batwing. They load him inside, and continue their search.
Speaking of that weird double... we shift scenes to Metropolis, where it is chatting up Lois Lane (52). I think the last time we discussed "The Final Days of Superman" on the blog (all them years back) I assumed that this solar-powered double was going to tie in, in some way with Kenan Kong/New Super-Man. I guess that's why I don't make many predictions! Anyhoo, the dupe (Denny Swan) tells Lois that he has something secret he'd like to show her.
This takes us to Salinas, California... where Clark and Jonathan White are making some good ol' Breakfast-for-Dinner. I used to love having that every now and again... until I'd go to lay down a few hours later and be hit with some of the worst heartburn ever. Anyhoo, before they/we know it, they have been joined by Lois and Denny.
There's a pretty uncomfortable scene where Clark invites Denny to have some pancakes with them. They sit across the table from one another, while Denny prods at Clark about thinking he's really Superman. Lois immediately runs to Jon to keep him safe.
Then, Denny loses his mind... and attacks! Well, Clark doesn't take kindly to anyone coming into his home and putting the lives of the ones he loves at risk... so, it's fight time!
Back in the batwing, Batman informs Superman and Wonder Woman that their next stop is Gotham City... so they might use some bat-tech to get a better bead on the phony Superman. Just then, there's an energy signal on the batwing's radar that syncs up to Superman's new Solar Flare dealie... and it's coming from Salinas, California. Batman agrees to land.
Back on the ground, Lois-52 rushes Jon away from the house and to safety. Clark and Denny continue their fight... just as the Trinity lands nearby. Then we have the long-awaited... and pretty underwhelming meeting of the New-52! Superman... and the real one.
Lois (the real one) returns home to find the place... well, destroyed. Clark then rushes over and pulls Lois, Jon and their pets far away from the battleground.
We wrap up with Denny trying to make nice with the Trinity... and even going so far as to suggest they team up to get rid of "that imposter".
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Not a bad issue... though a bit disappointing for the "big meeting" between Superman and... the uh, other Superman.
When I see this cover, I see so many possibilities... especially considering they were originally going to use it a few months earlier... very likely to tell a very different story. I kept remembering this as being the cover for Action Comics (vol.2) #50... which is incorrect. A check of a handy-dandy Previews catalog (pack-ratting *sometimes* has its perks) shows that this was actually supposed to be the cover to Superman (vol.3) #50. In a story by Gene Luen Yang and Howard Porter, the pre-Flashpoint and the New-52! Supermen were to meet.
Why this was scrapped? Well, probably Rebirth... even though DC will tell ya they had that "in the works" forever. Hell, they said the same thing in 2011 about The New-52!, when I think hindsight shows us they were fulluvit. This is just more evidence that the "current year" comics industry is a rudderless ship. They can stop on a dime and change direction at a moments notice. Which is why I think so many of us have a difficult time getting "comfortable" these days. Though, maybe I'm just projecting.
I know I have a problem getting comfortable... because I know we're only one batch of solicits away from yet another reboot/relaunch/rewhatever. I mean, just look at Marvel! Their "cycle" is almost to the point of self-parody. Big new #1... then 2-3 months of stories... then, an announcement of next big "event"/relaunch... followed by 6 months of "lame duck" stories to get us there... then we start the cycle all over again, only with diminishing returns!
Anyhoo... back to this issue of Action Comics. First, it looks pretty great. In my grand DC reread over the past few years, Dale Eaglesham has worked his way toward the top on my list of "best artists". Was happy to see his name in the credits.
The story? It's a means to an end. Really not much more to say. They need the new Superman "out of the way" so they can replace him with the original. It's an event that needs a story, rather than the other way around. Instead of this happening organically... it's being rushed to get us to Rebirth. Now, I think Rebirth was a great idea... especially when compared to the cosmic toilet flush of 2011, but I still feel like it deserved to go out on less of a rushed "throwaway-ish" story.
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Flash (vol.5) #1 (August, 2016)
"Lightning Strikes Twice, Part One: Deus Ex Machina"
Writer - Joshua Williamson
Artist - Carmine Di Giandomenico
Colorist - Ivan Placsencia
Letterer - Steve Wands
Assistant Editor - Amedeo Turturro
Editor - Brian Cunningham
Cover Price: $2.99
We're on a bit of a roll with Flash #1's's's's... so, let's wrap it up with the fifth (and as of this writing) final Flash #1. Man, I really hope this is the last one for awhile... but you can never be too sure.
Hell, we just learned that Superman is being relaunched... again. Hopefully that isn't a sign of things to come for the rest of the DC line. Hey, at least Action Comics is getting an issue #1001 though... I was pretty doubtful of that since Rebirth first hit!
Anyhoo... if you wanna check out my previous Flash #1 Discussion and and Reviews, click'em the covers below!
I don't see myself coming across a Flash Comics #1 anytime soon... so this'll have to suffice for now!
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We open with a quick and dirty retelling of Barry being hit by that fateful bolt of lightning. There's a new wrinkle here, however... for this telling, he wasn't alone... there was another fella there, an officer named August. The lightning strikes just as he leaves the room. The sound, and likely the screams (though Barry doesn't get any dialogue) draw his attention... and he returns to find his buddy in a bad way.
Back in the present, Barry is racing through the streets of Central City... recounting some recent events. He is happy to finally remember his old friend Wally West (ya know, the real one)... and misses him since he rejoined the Titans. He saves a few lives on his way back to the office, where he finds a pretty brutal crime scene.
His new/old buddy August is there, along with a new face... CSI Kristen. Barry examines the scene and rules out a botched robbery because nothing of value was taken. He soon realizes that he has a lunch date with Iris and Wally (the, not real one)... and rushes off, leaving Kristen in charge.
Barry meets up with the Wests, though he isn't the best of company... his mind is very clearly elsewhere. It's his refusal to ask for help that causes him to get overwhelmed. Iris has some pretty sage words of wisdom... ones that I relate to in my own life, "some people try so hard to do everything that they end up doing nothing." Yikes, tell me that doesn't hit kinda close to home for many of you. Anyhoo, eventually police cars race by... and Wally (who has been on his tablet the entire time) informs Barry that there are currently two crises occurring.
Rather than choose which folks to help... Barry Flashes up and decides to try and save 'em all! He decides to head to a burning building first, because the second crisis already has a police presence. Barry winds up saving everyone from the inferno.
This, unfortunately, makes him literally seconds too late to arrive at the stand-off... and he is there just in time to see his buddy August get shot!
... Or not. Just as the bullet is headed his way, August is blasted with a very familiar bolt of lightning.
We wrap up with August, Barry, and myself wondering just what in the hell is going on...
--
There's something called the "law of diminishing returns", right? Usually discussed in an Economics class... but, I think we can apply it here.
Over the past three days we've discussed three different Flash #1's (all from this same decade, sadly)... and with each one, I find myself enjoying it less. That's not really an indictment on the issues themselves... but the direction of the industry.
I've mentioned before... likely during a rant against Marvel's constant relaunchings/renumberings. The entire endeavor feels like a folly. You can't launch a Fantastic Four #1 in 2013 (and 2014... and 2015)... and treat it like it's a brand new franchise. There is still over sixty years of history there.
People know that. Comic fans get a lot of guff (usually from comic pros and "journalists"), but we're not stupid. There's a reason why these constant reboots aren't working as well today as they did five, ten years ago.
Let's take this issue of the Flash. Here's a fella named August, who lost his partner during the previous volume of the title. Now, if you came along for Rebirth... you wouldn't know (nor care) about any of that. I mean, you buy a book called Flash, you probably wanna read about a guy in red who runs real fast. This, as a #1 issue, should be as clean a start as possible. That's not to say we can't address August a couple months down the line... but, this is supposed to be something of an "elevator pitch" for prospective new readers.
Just the other day, we discussed the Brightest Day volume... and it was wonderful. Steeped in continuity, sure... but written in such a way that it would be difficult to find yourself lost. Yesterday we chatted up The New-52! volume, and despite the fact that it didn't quite "grab" me, I can't say that I felt lost (well, maybe "lost" in the sense that I had no idea what DC Comics was thinking... but that's a whole 'nother kettle o' whatever). This issue though? There was no reason for this to have a #1 on its cover.
Which brings me to my next complaint (that has very little to do with this issue, but indulge me)... line-wide relaunches need to stop. Granted, I'm no WB/Disney bean-counter... and honestly, don't care about how much money they're making on movies/tv/underoos/whatever... I'm just coming at this as a long-time reader and collector, and so, this is just a self-serving rant.
Narratively speaking, I feel that line-wide relaunches do not work unless you go full tabula rasa. With Rebirth, we got a whole slew of new #1's... which were mostly just continuations of their New-52! predecessors. Sure, there were new books... and things like Superman (which, hell... new guy in the suit... new #1, I get that)... but for books like Flash (and many others), it was completely unnecessary.
This issue... wasn't a bad one... but did not warrant a new #1. The cliffhanger here... I dunno, I don't know this August guy... and really can't say that I care about what happened/happens to him. The highlight for me was the brief scene between Barry and Iris, where Wally calls them out for flirting. That felt real... that felt comfortable.
The art. Ehhhhhhh... it's not bad, but I don't like it at all. My first exposure to Di Giandomenico's work was on All-New X-Factor... and I found it completely off-putting. I will say he's improved from there... even though the runs weren't all that far apart time-wise. Either way, it's not for me... and, I don't feel like it fit the Flash in the slightest.
Overall... here's another Flash #1 that I don't feel is "must reading". My reading of this volume has been spotty at best... just can't "get into it". It's a shame really, as prior to Flashpoint... the Flash books were always toward the top of my stack. Well, maybe that's not entirely fair... before Flashpoint most of the DC books I read were toward the top.
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