Action Comic #876, Walking Dead #60

Action Comics #876

A lot has been made of the current run of Action Comics, DC's most venerable ... well, at least their most aged title. Frankly, I thought it was a bit silly to make so much of it, considering they've already done the whole World Without Superman schtick - way back in the Death of Superman days.

Back then, they came up with a fun, engaging storyline - the Reign of the Supermen was an action-packed mystery with superheroes, all claiming to be Superman. It was great, even though I didn't like the Death story at all.

Today, I was more skeptical, having been through the first time around, and figuring there would be little they could do to top the Reign of the Supermen.

But still... so far, so good. I'm not saying this does the trick and tops that great story. But it's good so far. Greg Rucka is a wonderful writer, and in his hands, the book is building a solid foundation for the entire run.

Briefly, this installment is kind of a long fight scene - but in it, we do learn some interesting and intriguing things about our new main characters. The new Nightwing and Flamebird (a takeoff on the waaaaaay olden days stories of the heroes of the shrunken city of Kandor) turn out to be one of the Kryptonians and none other than Lor-Zod, the son of Ursa and Zod, but whom we all know very affectionately as Christopher Kent, the foster son of Lois and Clark Kent. Chris has grown up quite a bit. Literally. He's, like, years older than when we last saw him. Still a very young man, but a man, not a little boy any more.

Ursa goes hunting for them and when she learns it is her own son in the Nightwing outfit, she shows her displeasure and disappointment in the boy by attempting to murder him with a kryptonite dagger. Unfortunately for Ursa, Chris (as he insists she calls him), having been born in the Phantom Zone, does not react to kryptonite quite like other Kryptonians. He also has some other strange quirks, which are not fully explained.

The story is well-written and fast-paced without feeling rushed. The art... well, I have to say that there is a two-page spread that I know was intended to be very dramatic, but... It was just too much. First of all, I'm tired of all the blood flying everywhere all the time. It's just like a My Chemical Romance song - "Give them blood, blood - gallons of the stuff! You can give them all you've got and it will never be enough!" Between this trend and the Red Lanterns barfing it up all the time (great superpower... oy), I've had about all I can take. On top of that, the anatomy was really hard to make out - it was a large enough spread that everything should have been crystal clear, but there's so much extraneous stuff going on that even though I scrutinized it hard, I was unable to find Ursa's "payoff" hand (the one holding the knife), and unable to distinguish whether or not she had hit home with her blow. Artists - note: you're supposed to be drawing an action, not a pinup poster for your portfolio. No matter how cool you think it looks to shower us with a gazillion unnecessary details, the first thing on your mind - and on the drawing board - really should be the action you are illustrating, and making sure that action "reads" coherently.

Please don't dismiss that notion in favor of putting out eye candy. I will remind you of the Image stable - most of those guys are now working for others, and the Image-style, over-rendered, overdrawn, overblown action pinups is not really the vogue these days. I point now to Andrew Robinson's vaguely spooky cover on this issue. Not a lot of action. Not over-rendered. But evocative, and highly effective, imho.

Overall, I'm looking forward to finding out what is happening to Chris Kent, how Ursa will fare knowing she's being poisoned by the kryptonite she's been carrying, and how Greg Rucka pulls his story together over the next few issues. It's a good read, even without Superman being featured - it does have the flavor and spirit of a Superman book present and accounted for. This issue is a bit bloody for little kids, so keep it to teens and up.

The Walking Dead #60

Let me just make it clear one more time that I really don't like zombie shit - I am just not a fan of the whole genre.

That re-established, The Walking Dead is one of my favorite comics, and goes to the top of my Read list every month.

Why?

Because, most of the time, it's not about the zombies. It's about what's left of the human race surviving alongside the zombies. Zombies are brainless, shuffling, creepy, nasty nothings. But people are fascinating.

And again, that said, in this issue, the zombies are front and center, and the number of times I had to shift in my chair shows just how uncomfortable that made me. As Rick, Abraham, Carl and Morgan try to get back to camp, they are beset by a gigantic "herd" of them. The shuffling horrors are relentless, and in numbers like this, almost impossible to elude. Rick wants to take a different way around to camp to avoid leading the herd right to it, but they soon realize that a direct approach is the best - they must reach camp and help everyone escape as quickly as possible, because this herd is too large and too close to take any chances with. Meanwhile, back at camp, Dale wants to settle on this lovely farm they've taken refuge in. He figures the twins will flourish here (though they are picking at the remains of a dead cat or something awful like that) and doesn't want to keep moving. Maggie and Glen finally talk about "the elephant in the room" (her suicide attempt), and she affirms she wants to live after all.

It's nice that Robert Kirkman can visit these characters very briefly and really create a feeling that is personal and real and touching in the midst of the horrors all around. For Kirkman's survivors, finding the will to go on can sometimes be a real challenge, and he really nails that point in very poignant ways. I would like to find out a little more about the Doctor in their midst - the guy who supposedly understands so much about these zombies. He's been around several issues now, and we know precious little more than we ever have after five years. That's a minor gripe in general, not about just this issue, which is intense and exciting from cover to cover.

That's right - five years! That's quite a milestone for a black and white comic, by any standards! Charlie Adlard's consistent work makes the book a breeze to read - very much in contrast to some of the more popular superhero books.

This book is HIGHLY recommended for adults. Though it is thankfully presented in black and white, it is far too graphic and intense for children, even some older ones.

Okay, that's all I got right now. Except...

Are you watching Harper's Island? That's a bit of fun.

Echo 11, World Of New Krypton 2, Green Lantern 39

So, I'm a little lax - I've been busy, people.

But here are a few reviews for books out this week, and in a much more timely manner than I've been able to do this past couple of weeks (tax time, kids). For your perusal:

World of New Krypton #2
In only two issues, Greg Rucka and Pete Woods have created what looks to be a new classic.

World of New Krypton is a fascinating look at morality, an all-but-extinct civilization, family values, and the character of Superman. Most people who know me realize that I'm a big fan of Superman. I've always felt like writers who call Superman a character so powerful he's boring are just not big enough themselves to write a character this potentially exciting and fun. Now, with a 70-year old character, Rucka begins to show us how fascinating Superman - now living as Kal-El among the Kryptonians - can really be in a way no one so far, except Grant Morrison in the excellent All Star Superman - has.

There are a great number of intriguing ideas being explored in this series, the best of which are the morality ideas. Pete Woods' art is clean and his storytelling style is clear and well suited to Greg Rucka's pacing in the plot department. We get a lot of information about the Kryptonian Guild system - a caste system at odds with the supposed advanced nature of this civilization. We get some insight into each of our characters, sometimes in unexpected ways. And we get a lot of story packed into each issue - all in all, completely worthy of DC's flagship character and franchise.

The very provocative problem of Kal-El being assigned to the Military Guild under General Zod, despite his personal code against killing of any kind begins to come front and center in this issue. After putting a stop to the "initiation" of Non into his unit (by stopping the teasing and torture of an animal), now placed under Kal's command, Superman establishes his leadership. Soon, Kal is ordered to put a stop to a stampede of Kryptonian Thought Beasts before they can destroy an atmosphere-generating station - "by any means necessary." All of his unit agree that the easiest way to stop the frightened, angry animals is simply to kill them, but Kal insists that his soldiers follow his lead and do some "ranching". This entails a little laser-eye ditch-digging, which one man remarks with distaste "is work for the Labor Guild." Kal takes it in stride, saying there's no shame in that. With the beasts finally contained, the unit grudgingly sees that perhaps killing off a herd of creatures who already close to extinction is not a good idea. A parallel is drawn between the Thought Beasts and the Kryptonians themselves (near extinction) - another provocative idea.

There are two moments in the story that were quite touching - one with Alura, and one with Supergirl. And there's plenty of Action here (get it?) - as the Labor Guild decides that, with a new beginning on this new world, they should stand as equals and peers to the other Guilds, and not be treated like second-class citizens any longer - the start of a revolution, or at least, an uprising. All readers should find something to love in this book, and it's particularly appropriate for 10 and ups - read it with your kids and talk about the situations presented!

I recommend this book for ALL readers except the very youngest!

Echo #11

Terry Moore's ASIP (After Strangers In Paradise) indie book is a mixed bag for me, so far. The first few issues were a little slow building. The concept interested me, and I trust Moore as a writer - and as always, his art is impeccable - so I stuck with it despite the slow start.

Briefly, Echo is the story of Julie, who went out into the desert with her camera one day, and saw something she wasn't supposed to see - an explosion, caused by an experimental weapons test. She took some pictures - again, not really supposed to - and got caught in the "fallout", which was like silvery drops of metallic rain. But what hit her didn't just roll off - it stuck to her and then coalesced around her shoulders and bust as a sort of half-shield. Scared and confused, and also grieving the breakup of her marriage, Julie is at a loss as to what to do. She doesn't realize it, but some government officials are looking for her - they want their silvery stuff back. What the government doesn't realize is that the silvery stuff contains the residual intelligence - an echo - of the woman who helped design it, and who was testing it at the time it went ballistic. That echo is trying to make contact with Julie, and later, with Dillon - the boyfriend of the echo's former self, Annie - who has met and is helping Julie avoid the authorities until they both get some answers about what happened.

The thing is, Julie doesn't know or understand what it is that has attached itself to her, and so she has no control over the things it does. Anyone with violent or ill intentions who touches her gets blown back violently, and ... well, let's just say that when the feds caught up with her last issue, it wasn't pretty. And if that weren't enough, another guy - a crazy looking "prophet" sort of dude - who has part of that silver stuff on him appears - and not in a good way. With last issue's frightening developments, I was curious as to how Moore would begin to pull some of the threads of his story together.

The story is definitely ramping up and getting better as more is revealed, and now I'm actively interested in the next issue. Still, the book is a short 18 pages per issue, and each issue ends so abruptly that I end up turning through every one of the following 4 pages of ads, not believing there's no more there. I'm sure it reads great as a collection, but man, it makes for some confusing reading issue by issue. I find myself going, "Wha hoppen'?" and "Is that it?"

That's a bone of contention that I think is rather minor, considering, though - if the worst thing you can say is that you wanted another couple of pages, well, that's a pretty good book! As I mentioned earlier, Moore's art has only improved over the years. His lovely, sensitive facial expressions, body language, and all the little details that really make the work live are right at home here, and you hardly notice that the book is black and white. His line work is the most elegant in all comics, I believe - young inkers, take note. And his stuff is not overworked or overdrawn at all - young pencillers, pay attention.

I recommend this book for older readers - 15 / 16 + - because of violence; adults will certainly enjoy the book on many levels.

Green Lantern #39

The Agent Orange story kicks off with a huge bang! I have to admit, I've been breathlessly waiting for this story to get underway - Green Lantern has been great since Geoff Johns has been writing it - best it's been since the long-gone days of the Hard Traveling Heroes.

The beginning of the story is just creepy and great - we open with some Darkstars-looking dudes called The Controllers, heading down into a cavern-like underground palace. Meanwhile, the "voiceover" is someone in an orange box saying "Mine Mine Mine" basically. Delicious! When the Controllers find Larfleeze (the Orange Lantern's ring-bearer)... they wish they hadn't. And all because nobody taught Larfleeze to share. It's really fun. In a really gruesome sort of way.

We then discover what has happened to Hal Jordan since he was taken over by the red ring - apparently the red rings don't ask permission, they simply take their chosen host and impose their power on him or her. Jordan, resisting, was aided by Saint Walker, who jammed a blue ring on his finger. It forced the red rage out of him, and he shed the red ring, but now he is stuck in a sort of blue-green limbo - the blue ring does not have any power other than flight and a sort of protective aura so the wearer can fly through space, unless a Green Lantern is nearby. Apparently, hope is useless without will.

Sounds like a soap opera: "Will Hope find the Will to live, the Hope to go on? Or will Will have to settle for hope if Hope can't find the will to live?" Heh. Anyhow, interestingly, the blue and green are not the only rings that form a symbiotic relationship - the blue rings supercharge the green, and the green enable the blues to be used as weapons. The indigo are also a part of this little trinity, as Hope evidently should be working with Compassion. Whew! Lots of emotion here! I can only imagine what the Star Sapphires (Love) will bring. And now with the orange (Greed/Avarice) in the picture, will it feed the Sinestro Corps? Doesn't Greed breed Fear (of loss), and vice versa?

And what has happened to Green Lantern Stell, since his encounter with Larfleeze? He's looked better.

The things I love: All the colors/emotions. The Controllers. Larfleeze. The artwork. The writing (dialogue is crisp and realistic, not stilted, story is compelling).

Things I hate: Jordan and the Guardians are all dumb. Jordan just rails and rants all the time any more - come on, Johns. "I have nothing to hope for." Really? For crying out loud, why not just hope that the blue ring will come off soon, or that you can get Carol Ferris alone someplace for a quickie?

I know this writer can do better than this in terms of character development. The Guardians continue to stubbornly refuse to believe all that's happening, despite the evidence right in front of them. Some Guardians, huh? With Guardians this stupid and stubborn, it's no wonder Earth is in such a mess. Why do they continually say that Jordan's will is strong enough to power the entire Green Lantern Corps, yet expect us to believe he cannot summon the will to take off that blue ring? Huh? Sigh. Things like this, as much as I love the overall story, make me a little crazy.
Still, this book is recommended - I think it's the best superhero book going, except for JSA. It's a bit violent (Larfleeze tears some people in half) so I don't recommend it for younger or more easily disturbed kids, but it is really good for older kids, perhaps 14 +. I like it and I'm way older than that.