Titans (vol.3) #8 (2017)

Titans (vol.3) #8 (April, 2017)
"Made in Manhattan, Part One: To Bee or Not to Bee"
Writer - Dan Abnett
Penciller - Brett Booth
Inker - Norm Rapmund
Colorist - Andrew Dalhouse
Letterer - Corey Breen
Assistant Editor - Brittany Holzherr
Editor - Alex Antone
Group Editor - Marie Javins
Cover Price: $2.99

Ya know, over the past few weeks I've severely cut down on my "internet time".  Found that the longer I lingered online, the less happy I was... and the less satisfied with my work I became.

This has (so far) resulted in a far happier Chris... but it doesn't come without it's bad bits.  For instance, it's just before writing this piece that I learned that we lost Steve Ditko.  Today's book (unfortunately) has nothing to do with the man... and rather than run off and force a Steve Ditko tribute book at the last minute, we will celebrate him in a few days.  He deserves more than a rushed, thrown together piece... 

We have discussed the works of Steve Ditko here on the blog, so if you wanna have a look, click here.

Like I said, today's book has nothing to do with him... but, it just felt wrong not mentioning his passing.  Rest in Peace, Steve... and thanks for everything!

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We open with a flashback of the Titans time... as Teens.  It's still kinda weird to see Dick Grayson's Robin not wearing the short-pants... sometimes silly things should remain despite their silliness.  Anyhoo, this is all about Mal Duncan... who was then going by Herald (and not Vox, Mal, or Hornblower).  We hop into the present where Mal has escorted his wife Karen to a place called Meta Solutions so she can "deal with" her newfound metapowers.

He reveals that he's already used Meta Solutions' services when he... gave up his own metapowers.  He didn't want his old life (that he can barely remember anyway) to creep into their present.  He doesn't outright tell Karen to dump her powers, buuuut it's kind of implied.  They are then greeted by the creepiest creep who ever done creeped, Peter Simon... who we're accustomed to seeing with a partially transparent dome.

Back at Titans Tower, we get a few vignettes.  First, Roy and Donna chat about her old hobby (profession?) of photography.  I'll plead ignorance here... if Wally remembers Linda (and now the kids), does Donna remember ol' T-Long?  Is this something that's been mentioned?

A few rooms over, Wally video-chats with Linda Park on his tablet.  She tells him she's too busy to get together... which feels not unlike a blow-off.  Then again, I'm sure if I ran up to a perfect stranger and told her that in an alternate history that we were married... she might look for excuses to distance herself from me too.  Anyhoo, Dick enters and they talk about Wally's reacclimation to "the real life" and his very strange love-situation.

In the Training Suite, Tempest dares Lilith to punch him in the face... and she does.

Back at Meta Solutions, Karen and the Creep head off to discuss her options.  It's plain to see that she isn't all that keen on deep-sixing her powers... and so, "Peter" instead offers her a training suit.

In the waiting area Mal spies Mammoth chatting up the receptionist, and flashes back to the attack during Titans Hunt.  Dude (Mal, that is) freaks the eff out and rushes out of the building.

At which time, Lilith is hammered with a strong psionic blast... she knows Mal's troubled, and assembles the Titans to check in on him.  They find him like... right away... and he fills them in on his Mammoth-sighting.

And so, the Titans bust into Meta Solutions... where they run into Bumblebee?!

--

There's something missing.

I've read this issue twice now... and there's a lot to dig for the old-tyme Titans fan.  We get some fun soapy-elements, superhero drama, humor, great art... but, there's just something missing here.  Call it heart or soul... call it whatever you want, this just leaves me feeling cold and completely empty.  There's not much not to like here, and in fact... I dig it.  But still, there's something really keeping me at "arm's length" here.

The Titans themselves, as little panel-time as they received, were all well-written, and in-character.  This is like... ya know, the day you and your spouse return home from your Honeymoon... or a romantic getaway.  You're kinda slapped in the face by "real life", and you have this internal dissonance about getting back into the routine... or keeping that "away" feeling going just as long as you can.

This feels like the "Honeymoon" period is over... and the characters, hell maybe the creators... are unsure just where to go next.  Not sure if all superhero teams need a "mission statement", but... if that were the case, what would the Titans mission statement be?  A group of friends who forgot ever being a team... teaming again?  Not sure how far we can go with a concept like that.

Sure, today (Summer 2018) the Titans are officially the Junior Justice League... which might lead to, I dunno... purpose?  Here, however... there's just no real reason for them to be teaming.  I dunno, maybe it's just me.

Let's briefly chat the Duncans.  Mal is... horrendously boring.  He used to be a pretty neat character... but here, he's just some stick in the mud.  Not even sure why they brought him back, just to depower and retire him?  Karen (unwittingly) throwing in with the baddies leads to... well, a pretty predictable story that we've seen time and again.  Just kinda dull all around... and anytime they're on-panel, I just wish we were getting more of the Titans instead.

Overall... a pretty missable issue.  If you wanna see Tempest punched in the mush, maybe give it a shot.  The art, by Brett Booth is as good as ever (though his panel-layout gives my iPhone agita when snapping pics).

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Resurrection Man (vol.2) #1 (2011)

Resurrection Man (vol.2) #1 (November, 2011)
"Pronounced Dead"
Writers - Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Artist - Fernando Dagnino
Colorist - Santi Arcas
Letterer - Rob Leigh
Editors - Eddie Berganza & Rex Ogle
Cover Price: $2.99

We took a look at the first volume of Resurrection Man yesterday... and, as luck would have it... I was able to procure the first issue of the second volume last night in a 40-cent bin!

Let's do that compare and contrast thang.

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We open with our friend Mitch waking up at the morgue... that is, waking up from being dead of course.  This doesn't seem to surprise him, so we might assume this isn't the first time he's experienced the sensation.  He mentions that he has the taste of metal in his mouth as he breaks into a doctor's locker and steals his identification and credit cards.

Next we know Mitch is at the airport and he's headed to Portland.  Why?  Well, he doesn't know... it's just a compulsion.  It would seem that with each resurrection our man is given, in addition to a new power... a "mission".  He observes his fellow travelers before boarding the plane.

As they take off, he is joined by a "hot in a Gaga kind of way" woman (with a teardrop tattoo).  He didn't even see her get on the plane... but, here she sits.

She tells him all about the other passengers... what is compelling them to Portland.  Thinking it's just a flirty game, Mitch plays along.  Things then turn deadly serious when Gaga informs him that his soul is "overdue".  Oh yeah, she also transforms into a crazy half-demon/half-angel thing... so there's that too.

Mitch takes the fight outside as to keep the other passengers "safe".  I mean, the roof of the plane is torn off... so, unless Superman's in the area... or Mitch's new power is being Superman, these poor folks are about to wind up on that island with the smoke monster.

Remember how I said that Mitch mentioned that metal taste?  Well, that's about to come home to roost.  Mitch grabs the Angel/Demon, and his newfound magnetic field gets them both zapped by lightning.

Then... he gets sucked into one of the planes engines, and he... along with everyone on board... dies.

He wakes up in a forest... maybe the did land on LOST island!  Nah, these woods are on fire... and as he runs we see one of the lazier "New-52 Number Ones" Pandora cameos.

He notices a group of fire fighters... and engages in his new power, uhhh... turning into water?

Back in the city we started in, the new-look Body Doubles have arrived at the Coroner's Office in search of their "John"... that is, "John Doe", not sure that was clear.  They're pretty crazy... questioning people while they're gagged.  And when they don't spill the beans (because, ya know... they're gagged) they kill 'em.

Back in the woods, we see that one of the firefighters has that same "Gaga" teardrop tattoo... so, the chase will continue.  It's also alluded to that this might turn into a war between Heaven and Hell for Mitch Shelley's soul... at the very least, a "bidding" war.

We close out with a look at Madame Xanadu as she flips through her tarot deck... which, is pretty much all she ever does.  She is puzzled that no matter how many times she shuffles, the Resurrection Man always comes back.

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This take, while a bit different (at least as far as I've read), is still really good.  I definitely dug this.

This time around Mitch is used to the resurrecting routine... and has a grasp on everything that comes with it.  It's sort of like a Quantum Leap approach, wherein every time he "leaps" into a new life, he has a mission he must complete.  Here, he was given his metal/magnetic powers... likely with the express purpose of facing off against that teardrop Angel/Demon entity.

During the brouhaha, the Gaga-gal tells Mitch a thing or two about fate.  She informs him that none of the passengers were ever supposed to arrive in Portland anyway.  The plane was always going to crash... which, I suppose might assuage Mitch's "guilt" in the situation.

Just like in the first volume, we do get more than one resurrections, which I wouldn't expect to be the norm.  Though, this title does unfortunately get canned pretty quickly, so perhaps they are able to rack up the body count throughout.

Art here was really good.  Definitely suiting the tone of this "darker" DC book... I really dug it.  Really liked the coloring too.  Just like the pencils, it went from kinda muted (but not in a Vertigo sort of way) to bombastic and back again.

It's a shame this book couldn't find an audience either time, as it's a pretty interesting concept, and an overall fun read.  Including the "missions" and a potential war between Heaven and Hell really ups the urgency here... adding to the mythos of the Resurrection Man character without really contradicting what's come before.

I'd say this is definitely worth a glance.  It's a short run (13 issues), and it's very likely sitting in your local cheap-o bin.  If you want it, and need it right this very second... it is available digitally (for a buck).

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865

Resurrection Man #1 (1997)

Resurrection Man #1 (May, 1997)
Writers - Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Artist - Butch Guice
Colorist - Carla Feeny
Letterer - Ken Lopez
Editor - Eddie Berganza

Back in the long ago, we discussed Eclipso: The Darkness Within #1.  What a lot of folks might remember best about that book is that it had a crazy gem glued to it... which could cause some havoc for whatever book that sits before it in your longbox.

Today we've got something a bit less heinous... it's a lenticular POG.  Were POGs still a fad in 1997, or is this just another example of DC being "with" the times?

Either way... let's get to it!

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We open with a man who just realized he could fly.  He found out as he dove in front of some children to stop them from being riddled with holes from a drive-by shooting.  This, as you might imagine, causes our man to take the incoming fire himself.  He falls from the overpass and into the junkyard below... as he plummets, his life flashes before his eyes.  When he lands, however... he's alive?!

Without much of a clue as to who he is... our man checks his surroundings.  Around him are the first issues of (Tales Calculated to Drive You) MAD and Action Comics... but he's not interested in any of that... what catches his attention is a Betty Boop snow globe.  Now, Betty Boop has always kinda freaked me out... so, if it were me... I'd already be in the next county.  Our man however, has another flashback triggered.

He enters into nearby Crucible City... and tries to find a library.  He's summarily kicked out for being a transient.  A librarian named Irma pulls him aside and tells him to come back that evening... and he does!  Together, they learn that he was a lawyer named Mitchell Shelley... and he'd been reported dead, victim of a gas main explosion.  He also finds out that he's married, which puts a crimp in whatever plans he might've had for lovely Ms. Irma.

Nearby, we meet a man with painted nails as he washes up in a rest stop bathroom.  He's hitchhiking toward Crucible City... and, oh yeah, he's killing everybody who gives him a ride.

Back in the city, Irma has taken Mitch to her night job... lucky for him, she works at the Eisner/Igor Mission... or something.  Mitch gets cleaned up and fed... and learns why Irma has been so kind to him.  Turns out her son went missing a few years back, and she'd like to think that somebody out there has shown him kindness.

Then... the Body Doubles show up!  They ride over in a cringe-tasticly gaudy SUV... and they're on the hunt for their "John".  The blonde Body Double looks to be quite the Shawn Michaels fan.  The brunette exits the day-glo boogievan, and heads inside the Mission.

They are, of course, looking for Mitch.  He and Irma split out the back door... while the brunette starts slaughtering everyone who gets in her way.  Outside, the blonde wastes no time in filling Irma full'a holes.  She's dead... and Mitch (guilty conscience and all) takes off into the night... well, not before exhibiting some new "hardened air" powers.  But, then... he takes off.

Going all the way to Scooters Gas Farm... where stories of the "Resurrection Man" who saved those kids from the drive-by shooting are being shared.  Just then, a fuel hauling truck careens into the gas pumps outside.

Without thinking, Mitch rushes outside... and holds his hand up to the truck... and, it stops!

He nyoinks the driver out of the seat and carries him to safety, before...

Days later, we return to Scooters... and people are being questioned about the strange hero.  We learn that it's the Body Doubles asking the questions... and they're eventually taken to the morgue, where they discover... nothing!  Three days later, and the tomb is empty!

We wrap up by rejoining Mitch... now exhibiting some fire-related powers, as he exits Crucible City.

--


This was pretty great!  Maybe I'm just a sucker for "on the run" stories... and amnesia stories... but, I thought this was a lot of fun.

The action is pretty hot and heavy here... as we see our man "die" twice... with mention of a third time.  I don't think this will (or should) be the pace going forward... but it serves its purpose here in establishing just what this Resurrection Man is all about.  Each time he "dies" he receives a new power.  The first time, in the gas main explosion... he got, flight.  After the drive-by, he got that hardened-air gimmick... and after the tanker explosion, he got one'a those Stan Laurel thumb-lighters.

Can't go wrong with that!

We meet Mitch's main (as far as we know) baddies in the Body Doubles... but we don't really know what they're all about just yet.  That's all fair enough... at this point, all we need to know is that they're bad... and they're on his tail.  There's also the hitchhiker with the weird voice balloons... but, we know even less about him.

Irma's death kinda came out of nowhere... though, he did split before we got any sort of confirmation that she did, in fact, die.  Also, since she mentioned her son Robbie, who had disappeared years earlier... it's not out of the realm of possibility that he and Mitch might eventually cross paths.

Art here was excellent.  I feel like I have this odd reaction whenever I see Guice's name on a project, and I'm not sure why... I always imagine it'll look like a kinda ho-hum 1980's fill-in... but, this was really anything but.  Really good stuff here, I thought.

Overall... I'd say this is definitely worth a gander.  Unfortunately, this is one of those books that doesn't show up all that often in my neck of the woods... and my collection is, as far as I can remember, only this issue... and I nabbed it like a decade ago!  Never tried The New-52! version either... though, I might need to.  This issue (and series) is available digitally... just be warned, the only way to get that bad-ass lenticular POG is by grabbing the actual issue!

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Lenticular Pog Action!

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864

Titans (vol.3) #20 (2018)

Titans (vol.3) #20 (April, 2018)
"Titans Apart, Part One"
Writer - Dan Abnett
Penciller - Paul Pelletier
Inker - Andrew Hennessy
Colorist - Adriano Lucas
Letterer - Carlos M. Mangual
Assistant Editor - Dave Wielgosz
Editor - Alex Antone
Group Editor - Brian Cunningham
Cover Price: $3.99

For folks who might not know... or care, I review the most recent volume of Teen Titans (that's volume six) over at Weird Science DC Comics... and lemme tell ya, folks... it's a boring book.  I can't say that it's objectively "bad", but... nothing happens!

This week, I reviewed the final issue of the volume (#19... on shelves today), and was baffled at how little forward momentum had occurred over the past 1-2 years in the title.  Every issue/arc was predicated on a Titan either joining... or quitting... or rejoining... or being given the boot!  Other than that... nothing happens!

So... it might go without saying (though, I'll say it anyway)... I'm a little gun-shy on the post-Rebirth Titans books.  And so, the sister title, Titans, has just been stacking up in my "maybe I ought to get around and read this" pile.  So... let's do it!

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We open with Roy Harper, all by his lonesome trying to take on some Intergang Enforcers.  It looks as though he's about to bite it, when his old friend... older lover, Cheshire arrives on the scene to bail his poor butt out of trouble.  Together they're able to take down the baddies, and make a clean-ish getaway.

We follow them to a (presumably) nearby Noodle Shop, where they do a little catching up.  I'm going to guess that Lian Harper (that's Roy and Cheshire's daughter) was never a "thing" post-Flashpoint/Rebirth... otherwise, I'm pretty sure she'd at least get a passing mention.  Roy and Cheshire were definitely lovers though.  He fills her in on the Titans dissolution... and his would-be plans for the future.  Cheshire suggests they work together on taking down the Intergang Cartels... but questions Roy's ability not to fall back into "the pit" of using, if he's so close to drugs.

Later, Roy checks in with Donna... who is being held on the Justice League Satellite due to her having... I wanna say, a split-personality gimmick going on?  She turns into "Troia", which to me is that gaudily-dressed short-haired version of herself... but apparently that's something altogether different.  He tells her that he's going to go radio-silent for awhile... which causes her a fair amount of distress.  Wonder Woman pops in with a tray-full of grub... and they have a strange and sorta contentious chat.

We shift over to Keystone City where Dick Grayson is helping Wally West (the real one) move into his new digs.  They talk about how their lives will be moving in different directions now that the Justice League put the kibosh on their collective.  I didn't know the Justice League had like full-on legislative power, but I guess they do!  They even question whether or not they should be hanging out... out of costume!  What kind of madness is this?  Not a good look for the League.

We rejoin Roy and Cheshire who are infiltrating an Intergang Cartel.  The baddies are synthesizing the drug "Bliss" off of an original compound.  Intergang goes down easily... and the goods are gotten.

We follow Roy and Cheshire back to his place... where she persuades him into sleeping with her.  In fairness, Roy doesn't take all that much in the way of prodding in order to head to the bedroom.

We shift ahead a bit, to find a groggy... maybe stoned... Roy stumble out of his (now empty) bed.  He wonders if he "gave in" and used.  In the living room, he sees that the "Bliss" sample (along with Cheshire) is gone.

We wrap up with Cheshire giving the goods to Monsieur Mallah and the Brain... who thankfully weren't in bed themselves!

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I tell ya what... after reading "Nothing Happening" Teen Titans, this book is like a breath of fresh air!  The story may not be exactly what I'm looking for, but... I can't argue that there is, in actuality, a story here!

From the moment I saw this cover in the solicitations, I kinda had that knot in my stomach.  I figured "well, they gave it a try... but it didn't quite work out".  This was (outside of the Superman books) what I wanted most out of Rebirth.  I wanted the Titans... my Titans... back.  If you flip through the archives here, I gave an impassioned plea when I reviewed Titans (vol.3) #5... it was probably the most boring book I'd read in years... and I was able to synopsize the entire issue in less than five minutes.  I listed my complaints and observations... and wrote that, even five months in, I feared for this book's longevity.

And here we are.  I can't say it's all this book's fault, however.  DC does feel like it's in a bit of an upheaval at the moment.  We've had crazy delays on things like Dark Knights: Metal... and currently with Doomsday Clock.  The Justice League books are up in the air... everyone needs to stop and gawk at the incoming Bendis... and the Titans, well... they're just collateral damage.

Luckily for us, what we get here isn't half bad.

Like I said above... I'm not sure if Lian Harper was ever a thing that happened.  I mean, if she did (and if Justice League: Cry for Justice happened)... she's long dead at this point (Convergence: Titans notwithstanding), but still... I feel like she'd warrant a mention.  I think we can guess that she never born in this timeline.

Sticking with Cheshire... I really dig how calculated she is here.  Like every line she spoke was planned out.  Expressing interest in Roy's life by asking where the Titans were.  On the surface it looks like she's genuinely concerned... but in reality, she's just trying to see how easy a "mark" Roy's going to be.

I think my only real "complaint" is, I'm left unsure as to whether or not Roy relapsed.  It's sort of implied... but, isn't made crystal clear.  It might just be Cheshire messing with his head.  I guess the answer might be in the next issue.

The art comes from one of my favorites, Paul Pelletier.  Just love this guy's work!  He's always been one of those artists that I try and follow when he takes on new gigs... and I'm definitely jazzed to see him here.

Overall... this is a promising start to the arc that will wrap up this volume.  I try and keep away from solicits (because they might as well be called "spoilers for what's going to happen in three months' time)... so, I couldn't say what (if anything) the future holds for this property.  I can say, however, that this one is worth a read.

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Lenticular Whoziwhatsit:

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Can we call it an "Original Movie" when it's based on a comic book?
Ehhh, who reads comic books anyway?

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