Man of Steel #1 (July, 2018)
"Man of Steel, Part 1"
Writer - Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils - Ivan Reis & Jay Fabok
Inks - Joe Prado & Jay Fabok
Colors - Alex Sinclair
Letters - Cory Petit
Associate Editor - Jessica Chen
Editor - Michael Cotton
Group Editor - Brian Cunningham
Cover Price: $3.99
Going to take a look at a newer book today... one that I really dragged my feet on getting around to reading, if I'm being honest.
It's probably unfair to say... but I definitely went into it with some preconceptions. I'm not a stranger to the work of Brian Michael Bendis... and in fact, I'd consider myself a pretty big fan of his work! I probably own a good 90% of his comics output... and it isn't often that he disappoints.
Bendis on Superman, though? That makes me a little bit nervous. Let's find out if those fears are well-founded!
Also... since this is a newer book, I'm not going to go as "deep" with the synopsis... hate to spoil an issue folks might still be looking to pick up.
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We open with Krypton... again. The beastly, Rogol Zaar is appealing to several of the cosmic heavy-hitters of DC lore... insisting that Krypton is a disease which must be purged, lest much of the universe be plunged into endless war. Simply put, Krypton must be "cleansed". Meanwhile on Earth... Killer Moth is threatening Firefly... Superman snags'em both, and delivers his first bit of snark. Which, isn't nearly as precious as I feared it might be.
After depositing the baddie, Superman overhears some screaming... looks like there's another building fire. He mentions that there have been a bunch of them of late. He swoops in and saves the day.
As he takes an x-ray tour of the building, he (and we) meets the new Deputy Fire Chief, Melody Moore (hmm, an "MM" instead of an "LL"?). They "make nice", exchange some banter, and decide to help each other out with the potential arson investigation.
Back in the long ago, Rogol Zaar is chatted up by the Old-Timer, Appa Ali Apsa. He wants to ensure that Zaar isn't going to take the Krypton "situation" into his own hands. In his word, Krypton "must be allowed to rise and fall on their own". Whether or not the Old-Timer has any insight into Krypton's future... I couldn't say.
In the present, Clark Kent is at The Daily Planet writing up a story on the rash of fires. Perry ain't all that keen that one of his top reporters is wasting his time on something as mundane as arson.
Later on, Clark returns home. Jon is annoyed that he's outgrowing his Superboy costume... and even more so that his mudduh won't alter it for him. Clark checks in on Lois, who is trying to uncover some S.T.A.R. Labs shenanigans... when suddenly, the kitchen is bathed in light!
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As I mentioned in the preamble... I am a fan of Brian Michael Bendis, I've never disliked his work. That said, I was still a bit trepadacious about him taking over the direction of the Superman family of titles. Not that the tail-end of the Rebirth era was exactly setting my world on fire... it was solid, and I enjoyed it... but, maybe it was time for a new voice. But... Bendis?
Well... I gotta say (and I should mention that I have read this entire Man of Steel miniseries), I think Superman... is in good hands! I feel like my "fears" might've been informed by... nothing more than fatigue. Anytime a writer is as prolific as Bendis is, there's a possibility (probability, even) that their writery-ticks will start to get on your nerves. I've experienced "fatigue" with many of my favorites (Geoff Johns, Peter David, Grant Morrison... and, here with BMB).
That's not to say there wasn't some "snark" that I wasn't terribly fond of here... but, I gotta say, it wasn't nearly as "precious" as I feared it might be. To use a bit of "low-hanging fruit", part of me was worried that this would feature 12 pages of Lois, Clark, and Jon eating Chinese take-out, while "bantering". I'm happy to see that isn't the case. On the same subject, I was kinda worried that Lois would be shifted from her normal character to a generic snark-bot... and there again, not the case... so, it's all good.
As far as the art is concerned... fuhgeddaboudit... some amazing work here! Top notch, all around! My only gripe would be in the design of the Rogol Zaar character... he comes across as so generic. Just a(nother) hulking brute... really nothing special about him. Hopefully over the next few months he'll win me over, but I'm not really all that optimistic.
Overall... this is a good start, though if you haven't picked it up yet, I might caution you to just nab the trade paperback collection. This issue is available digitally.
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DC Nation:
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Aquaman (vol.5) #1 (November, 2011)
"The Trench, Part One"
Writer - Geoff Johns
Pencils - Ivan Reis
Inks - Joe Prado
Colors - Rod Reis
Letters - Nick J. Napolitano
Assistant Editor - Sean Mackiewicz
Editor - Patrick McCallum
Cover Price: $2.99
Going to take a look back at a book I'd missed when it hit the shelves... because I was at the very start of my post-Flashpoint temper tantrum.
I have read this issue a few times though... a few years back, I happened across the trade paperback for like two-bucks, and decided to give it a shot.
I'm excited to see how well it's aged. Let's take a look!
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We open underwater with some piranha-looking beasties awakening... they head toward the surface. At the same time, on the surface, the Boston Police are in hot pursuit of a stolen armored car... when, suddenly Aquaman shows up in the middle of the road! The would-be robbers think this is pretty hilarious (this is the theme of the issue, by the way).
The robbers fear no fish(man), so they hit the gas figuring they'll just run him down where he stands. This doesn't work out all that well for them, as Aquaman jams his trident into the grill of the truck and basically suplexes the sucker over.
One of the baddies scurries out of the van and unload a few guns into Aquaman's torso... this is also rather ineffective, though Arthur does get a nick above his right eyebrow. It doesn't end well for the crook.
The police are thankful for Aquaman's assistance... yet, give him the normal battery of "hurr hurr" Aquaman questions... ya know, "what are you doing on dry land" and "do you need a glass of water". It's not as aggressively annoying (nor as damned repetitive) as it would be in Aquaman: Rebirth. Either way, Aquaman hops away.
We rejoin him at Sam's Seafood... where the other patrons are absolutely shocked to see him belly up to a booth. Ya see, he's Aquaman... and he's going to eat seafood! Doesn't that make him a cannibal or something?!
A nervous waitress heads over and takes his order. Fish and chips, he says. An irritating blogger (bloggers are the worst!) tells him he can't offer fish and chips... because, say it with me: he talks to fish! Hurr hurr. Aquaman corrects the geek... he doesn't talk to fish, he can only telepathically "push" them to assist him.
That blogger then hops into Arthur's booth... and asks for an interview. Aquaman, though clearly annoyed, answers a few questions. He chose this restaurant because it's where his father used to take him when he was a child. The blogger clarifies, Aquaman's human father... which is a good way to tip off new readers.
Then, our tactful internet journalist asks what it feels like to be Aquaman... what's it like to be a joke... a punchline... what's it like to be nobody's favorite superhero?! Aquaman gets up and leaves, giving the waitress a tip of a few doubloons on his way out.
Back at the Lighthouse that night, Aquaman flashes back to his childhood. His reflection is interrupted by the arrival of Mera... and they discuss the future. Aquaman has decided to have a go at living "up here", and letting Atlantis find themselves a new king... they never liked him much anyway. Mera thinks this is a great idea.
We wrap up with three whole pages featuring some fishermen being attacked by those crazy piranha-looking beasts!
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This was really good... though I'm pretty sure I "received" it better the first time around.
This is the first time they seriously tackled the "Aquaman as the butt of the joke" concept, and really worked hard to debunk it. Since this issue, however, it feels like they just won't stop harping on it. They want so bad to recreate this moment... Aquaman acting like a badass... Aquaman dealing with a public that takes him less than seriously... that it's kinda taken the "oomph" out of this one for me.
Still a great scene... and a long-time coming. I never really saw Aquaman as a jokey character... though, I didn't come up during the SuperFriends era, which is where I think much of that comes from. I also don't get my "witty" observations from Family Guy, so I guess there's that too.
What we do get here is a pretty great introduction to the character for all of the... um... "new readers" of The New-52! The eight or nine who didn't just hoard, bag 'n board all of the new #1's, that is. What's more... this issue could have just as easily taken place in the pre-Flashpoint/post-Brightest Day DC Universe... which is always a plus to me. Then again, for all I know, this might've originally been intended as the post-Brightest Day volume of Aquaman... just held off a few months to slide it into The New-52! initiative.
The art here is pretty spectacular... I gotta say, I love the shiny armor look for Aquaman! The whole package is top-tier... and we've come to expect nothing less from Johns and Reis. This issue has been collected and is available digitally (for 99-cents!). It's a very breezy read, but it's well worth checking out!
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Brightest Day #7 (Early October, 2010)
"The Secret of Life"
Writers - Geoff Johns & Peter J. Tomasi
Artists - Ivan Reis, Patrick Gleason, Ardian Syaf, Scott Clark & Joe Prado
Inkers - Vicente Cifuentes, David Beaty & Mark Irwin
Colors - Aspen MLT's Peter Steigerwald w/John Starr
Letterer - Rob Clark, Jr.
Assistant Editor - Rex Ogle
Associate Editor - Adam Schlagman
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.99
And so, we wrap up #BrightestMay... with, kind of a bang?
I wanna thank the folks who stuck around for this weird themed month... judging from the numbers, not all that many people really cared to read about this strange time in DC Comics.
Oh well, if I wanted a bigger audience... I'd probably have just become a famous actor or professional athlete or something. Ya live, ya learn.
Speaking of living (and learning), Boston Brand's about to have quite the day!
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We open with some hot cheeseburger eatin' action. I mean, this stuff is intense... just look at ol' Boston's face! He sinks his teeth into that mass o' meat... and, well, he likes it. Better than he remembers to boot! He and Dawn then proceed to get to know each other a little better. She seems to be really interesting in what makes... or made, Boston Brand tick.
Their chat is cut short by the return of Hank Hall, who just took out some of his aggression on a Dixie Chicks-playin' jukebox. Were people still talking about them in 2010? Never let it be said that comics are behind the times!
Suddenly... the White Lantern Entity speaks! Asks the gang if they enjoyed their meal (seriously) then teleports them to the White Lantern Battery in Silver City, New Mexico... all without paying for their food! Hawk tries giving the battery a tug, and it won't even budge. Then, it's Boston's turn... and wouldn'tcha know it, he's able to lift it! Worth mentioning that a nearby Aqualad-to-be feels a bit... weird.
In a pretty great full-page splash, Boston is transformed back into Deadman, though with a White Lantern twist.
The Lantern tells Brand that it (the entity) is dying, and he must find a replacement. Then, Hawk gets a White Lantern makeover...
We pop over to the Tanami Desert in Australia, where we last left the Martian Manhunter happening across the badly beaten body of Miss Martian. The White Lantern Entity tells him to "burn it down". Suddenly, he's surrounded with fire... and M'Gann appears to have made one heckuva recovery!
Next stop Pittsburgh University, where Professor Stein tells the Firestorms that everything that is going on is... his fault. As he goes to "show them something" the White Entity speaks! It tells Ronnie to study more, and Jason to study less. Okay, mom.
As this happens... that third member of the Matrix creeps up... holding a Black Lantern.
Off to Hawkworld, where Hawkman is reconnoitering with the beast men who tried to kill him not too long ago. He is suddenly bathed in white... and given a White Lantern upgrade. He is instructed to "stop the Queen". Hmm... couldn't be, right? Nah, probably not.
Meanwhile, in the Nth City... Hawkgirl gets Whited-up as well.
She is warned that if Hath-Set happens to kill them here, there will be no more resurrection. Wouldn'tcha know it... Hath-Set just so happens to be her captor.
Back on Earth, Mera continues to apologize to Aquaman... and I really just want this story thread to end. Arthur is then summoned by the White Entity... and advised to "find him" (Aqualad). Just then, the waters go clean... and all of the fish start flopping around alive!
Then we kick the vignette-a-palooza into overdrive... with a single-panel look at everything else going on in the Brightest Day crossovent! Captain Boomerang is told to throw a boomerang, which we saw in the pages of Flash. Jade is told to "balance the darkness", which... unfortunately we saw in the never ending "The Dark Things". Osiris must free his sister, which we saw a bit of in Titans. Max Lord is told to stop a Magog-led World War... which, happens in Justice League: Generation Lost... we just didn't get there this time around. Also, Eobard Thawne is back... and Hawk is told to "catch" Digger's boomerang.
We wrap up with Boston Brand being given the order to find "the chosen one" to be the White Entity's "replacement". Well, talk about a case of being "always the bridesmaid...".
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Lotsa loose threads coming together here... probably one of the (few) "must reads" of the Brightest Day crossovent (so far). So many of the things we've been reading about converge here... and kinda "get into place" to move into the middle-third of the story.
Off the top of my head... it's gotta suck to be Deadman, right? The White Ring won't leave ya alone... actually drops you in front of the freaking Anti-Monitor just to teach you a lesson... then you come to learn that you're not the chosen one?! Jerk move, Ring... jerk move. What's wrong with Boston? He not good enough for you?
One of the things I've taken this crossovent to task for is a bit of bait-and-switch cliffhangers... and this issue is no different. We closed out yesterday with Martian Manhunter's discovery of Miss Martian's body... and now? She's just a-okay? I suppose it'll be elaborated on as we proceed... but, still... kind of annoying.
I'm not sure I've mentioned it (or mentioned it enough), but the art all throughout this series... is really fantastic. Each art team has their own "segments", but it never looks jarring when we shift from one to another. The whole artistic end of this was really very well done.
About Brightest Day as a whole (or at least the first third of it). I'm not quite sure what I think of it. After immersing myself in it over the past 31 days... I just dunno. Ya know how Blackest Night was supposed to be "just" a Green Lantern event? DC felt it could support a line-wide crossover extravaganza... and let it completely dominate the shelves for the better part of a year.
This is kind of the inverse of that. This was intended as a line-wide extravaganza... but, if you ask me, could barely even support it's two "main" titles. If we look at the tie-ins... the non-Brightest Day or Justice League: Generation Lost books... the Brightest Day "bits" feel forced... and at the same time, kind of like an afterthought.
We had eight-issues of Justice League/Justice Society crossover... and had, I dunno... less than a half-dozen panels that showed Jade in her White Lantern gear? A six-issue Flash arc (which was fantastic, mind you) that Captain Boomerang (and poor Thawne) only get a smattering of appearances?
I'd call Brightest Day ambitious... if only it showed a little... ya know, ambition. I leave this crossovent (for now) disappointed. I recall being "all in" on this back in 2010-2011... it's only in reading it in a big "glop" and looking at what's come since that I can truly see what a middling event it really was.
Does this mean I feel like The New-52! was justified? Hell no. These are still great characters... and had this event not been so diluted throughout the line, we might've had something really special.
Oh well... tomorrow, the #BrightestMay "chains" are off... which means I'll have to actually put some thought into what I'm going to cover! Scary thought!
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Brightest Day #6 (Late September, 2010)
"Dead Zone"
Writers - Geoff Johns & Peter J. Tomasi
Artists - Ivan Reis, Patrick Gleason, Scott Clark & Joe Prado
Inkers - Vicente Cifuentes, David Beaty, Mark Irwin & Christian Alamy
Colorist - Aspen MLT's Peter Steigerwald w/John Starr
Letterer - Rob Clark, Jr.
Assistant Editor - Rex Ogle
Associate Editor - Adam Schlagman
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.99
Welcome to the... ahem, penultimate day of #BrightestMay!
I was hoping to organize this in such a way as we'd end up with a little bit of "closure"... but, planning ain't exactly my bag. Looks like we'll probably wrap up with "just another issue" from the Brightest Day box!
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We open in Big Hendy Park in California, where a couple are having a peaceful picnic... sounds like the start of just about every horror movie there is, doesn't it? Well... if you think this scene is about to get dark... you're right! A multi-mouthed martian-ish creature rises from the stream... and kills 'em up real good! This beastie is looking for J'onn... and has a little chat with itself (multi-mouths, donchaknow) to decide their next stop.
Speaking of J'onn, we next join him in Denver, Colorado as he visits the remains of Professor Erdel's Laboratory... which doesn't look like it's been touched in years. I suppose that's convenient. J'onn notices as he makes his approach that everything he comes into contact with... withers. Hmm...
Next, we return to Georgetown... where Deadman, Hawk and Dove are... still knelt before the graves of the fallen Don "Dove" Hall and Holly "Hawk" Granger. As Boston tries to raise Holly, the White Ring reminds him that he... er, loved cheeseburgers. Anyhoo, Holly does rise... as a Black Lantern. Before she can do much damage, a glowing white version of Dove (Don) interjects... and in a flash, everything goes back to "normal". After the dust settles, Boston and the birds decide to go out for burgers. It's as though they were bad enough dudes to rescue the President from ninjas.
We shift scenes to Pittsburgh University, where Jason Rusch is declining the advances of a pretty young thing who'd really like nothing more than to "study" with him. As he walks by a construction site, a crane's molecular structure changes to that of... bubble gum?!
Jason taps into the Firestorm Matrix and rouses Ronnie Raymond from his... er, hangover. Together they manage to save the day... but not without Ronnie puking on one of the construction workers... because, ya know... hangovers.
Jason lectures Ronnie on his irresponsibility... which Raymond kinda excuses away, because he's had so much on his mind... including what he did to Gehenna. Jason is surprised to learn that Ronnie remembers... but before they can dig any deeper, they're interrupted by that mysterious third voice in the Matrix. Ruh-roh.
We next rejoin Aquaman and Mera. If you recall, we ended last issue with Mera confessing that she was originally sent to kill Aquaman. Riveting stuff. Turns out, she didn't quite have the stomach for it... and instead, fell in love with Aquaman. It's then confirmed that the mysterious Mera-looking baddie is, in fact, Siren... Mera's sister.
We rejoin J'onn... who's still killing everything he touches. That is, until a squirrel runs up his arm... and doesn't die. Hmm...
After a brief stop at "the Still Zone" to check on his, uh, collection of White Martians... J'onn swings by the Batcave to have a chat with Oracle about the odd and brutal murder we witnessed a few issues back and J'onn used doggie-vision to "witness" an issue after that. Babs tells J'onn that these are the kind of killings that scare the Feds so much that they often "bury" them... covering them up as accidents.
Suddenly, J'onn is struck by a familiarity about the case... and asks Oracle to patch him over to the... Teen Titans?! Superboy answers the call... and J'onn asks to speak with M'gann M'orzz... Miss Martian! Kon tells him she ain't around... and to check her little dwelling in Tanami, Australia.
Which is exactly where we end this outing... and it looks like M'gann ain't having the best walkabout.
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Feels like things are going to get rolling here... but, it's starting to feel like... ya know when you "miss" a sneeze? Like, you're expecting it... you feel it coming on... you might even stare into a bright light to prompt it, then... nothing. It's kinda like when you're listening to Journey's "Don't Stop Believing"... and you feel like nearly every single line should be followed up with Steve Whatshisface belting out the chorus... then he doesn't! That's Brightest Day to me. Every time it feels like we're getting somewhere... the sneeze gets stifled.
Let's talk up some good points here.
Even though the scene at the gravesite felt a bit "off", I do appreciate the fact that Deadman has to relearn what it means to... ya know, not be dead. His stomach rumbles... and he has to be reminded by the Ring to eat something. I dig that... even if we took a roundabout way of getting there.
J'onn's walkabout was pretty neat, and is the first time we get the impression that Brightest Day and the Parliament of Trees might be crossing paths before all is said and done. I can't remember if I picked up on these clues my first time through... but this time around, it's definitely telegraphed. If you don't know what I'm alluding to... notice that J'onn's touch is killing things associated with "The Green" (plants and whatnot), but not "The Red" (the squirrel).
That was pretty cool... but, I still can't shake the feeling that we're wasting too many pages. From here, we get a page of J'onn checking in at "The Still Zone"... then for a multi-page chat with Oracle which amounts to... J'onn just remembering something on his own. Oh well... I guess it's always cool to see Oracle.
The Firestorm scene confused me a bit because... didn't we just spend a couple of issues prying Ronnie and Jason apart? Seems kinda soon to bring 'em back together, also a little anticlimactic... but, what do I know?
The requisite Didio-DC gore is here in spades. I mean, when we have a graphic decapitation on page 1... you'd assume that we can only go "up" from there. That's not the case though... because on the last page we get a look at a bloody and beaten Miss Martian. I dunno what it is, but it doesn't feel like such brutality should be used with M'gann. Just doesn't feel right... which is probably exactly why they did it.
Overall... ehh. Read it in trade.
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