Teen Titans # 57 Review

Author: Sean McKeever
Penciler: Eddy Barrows
Inkers: Palmiotti, Jose & Barrows
Colors: Rod Reis

I hate to admit, but I really gave up all hope on Teen Titans. The title used to be a huge grade A book every month when it started out. But, damn right after Johns left, the book has just been spiraling downhill. McKeever has been struggling to find the right voice for the characters and the quality and in the plot has just been nothing but shit. Then come these last two issues and if this is any indication of the way TT is heading, then count me in.

The Clock King continues his strike against the Teen Titans while Ravager confronts her reasons for being on the team. The Terror Titans are taking down the Titans one by one and this time it’s Ravager’s turn. While it was no problem taking down Kid Devil, it seems that the Terror Titans are having a little issue with Ravager. It seems that it takes Dreadbolt, Copperhead, and the new Persuader to take down our girl and even in the end she decides how she goes by blowing up the Titan Tower. Luckily she managed to get Marvin and Wendy out. Oh yeah, and it seems that they are really torturing the hell out of Kid Devil.

I’ve been such a Rose fan since she joined the Titans. Her ties with Deathlock and her gung-ho attitude has really made me fall for her. Not to mention she looks pretty nice in a bathing suit and that eye-patch…..errr yeah, she’s great. McKeever has managed to nail both her and Kid Devil’s characterizations and has kept me interested with the last two issues. While she has a sensitive side, we can still see her kick so much ass in this issue. Barrows has been improving lately, but I’m not sure if he is really meant for this book. His characters look too old to be teenagers and sometimes his facial expressions are a bit off. I haven’t given up 100% on this book and issues like this make me glad I didn’t. B+

Green Lantern # 29 Review

Author: Geoff Johns
Penciller: Ivan Reis
Inker: Oclair Albert
Colors: Ranov Mayor

Secret Origin kicks off with this issue and to my recollection this is the sixth time since I’ve been collecting comics the origin of Hal Jordan is retold. But Johns makes this one a little different. Sure it’s that same scene with his dad and the plane wrecking we’ve seen over and over, but it seems there are things in this issue that will set the pieces for The Blackest Night.

The issue starts with an inner monologue by Hal Jordan. Reminiscing of his dad and how he told him he could be whatever he wanted to be. Bam! We are back in that popular scene that Johns always goes back to; Hal’s dad flying a Ferris plane and Hal admiring from below holding his dad’s jacket. His father’s plane blows up in front of his eyes (ohh yeah and Carol Ferris was there too). Hal grows up and purposely gets kicked out of the air force academy to visit his dying mother. Seriously this is nothing you haven’t read before, even if you’ve just started reading GL with John’s run. The only difference I see here is there is more detail about Hal's mother and the appearence of Abin Sur and his revelation about Blackest Night.

The connection between Hal and the Blackest Night doesn’t really happen until the last page and last panel to be precise. But, this is really nothing new either, since it’s all been hinted in recent issues of GL. That’s why I love the GL series so much, the writer’s ability to hint to the readers a great conspiracy behind the origin of Hal and the GL Corp without actually going back and doing an origin issue. So this is why I have mix feelings about this. Don’t get me wrong the story is still solid and you really get an emotional depth from the characters, but so far this seems like a director’s cut of Emerald Dawn. You still get your money’s worth in this issue though, with the fantastic art of Reiz and Albert and the great colors that Mayor provides. Even though Reiz seems to be playing around with his style. Fans old and new should still enjoy this issue and even though it won’t be in your face thrilling action that the previous GL issues have been, it will still move you as much. B

Robin #172

Robin #172
Writer: Chuck Dixon
Pencils: David Baldeon

This issue starts out with Tim hand-gliding over an illegal casino (what’s up with all the bat-gliders lately…seriously). The story from here is pretty standard. Tim waits for Violet to show up and rob the place, Violet does, criminals are tipped off and mayhem, mayhem mayhem! This is Chuck Dixon folks, so I may make little light of the writing but, it’s handled well trust me.

The really big point I wanna bring up within this issue however, was the reveal of Spoiler. We finally see the person under the mask that has been stalking Tim, who can’t possibly be Stephanie Brown….and yet? The blonde-haired beauty penciled, appears to be none other then Stephanie Brown herself. So…why is this such a big deal?

Well….the first thing Brown being alive would resolve is, why there is no memorial case for her in the batcave. I know…..some of you are like….who gives a crap about a case, all I have to say to you is….you’d be surprised. The glaring omission of a memorial case for Stephanie has been a sore spot within DC fandom ever since her death in War Games, being aggravated even more by events in the War Crimes story. The question has always been brought up….why did the first and only female Robin never get a memorial case in the batcave. Panels have been looked over numerous times and whilest Jason Todd’s memorial case stands in 3/4s of the shots, you never see anything for Stephanie Brown. Check it out…seriously I am not making it up. Whenever Didio has been asked about the Brown issue he has always avoided it, making remarks sometimes saying to the effect it’d never happen. Many think this was a specific policy with Didio, the reasoning of this thought being to slight the role of female heroes in some such way. I don’t know about all of that BUT, with this resurrection of sorts, this issue of the memorial case could be seen to have been framework laid for upcoming stories…in that possibly Bruce never made a memorial case for Stephanie…simply because after a point, he had found her to be alive. Whether this was planned from the beginning or instituted due to fan outcry I don’t know…perhaps that’s the greater question. Again, I know this doesn’t seem huge but, trust me, look around the comic blogosphere some, it’s an issue.

Moving along, the questions arise a plenty with Stephanie’s resurrection, the actual method that will be used to explain Stephanie’s sudden re-appearance. I mean…How did Stephanie come back?…or was she ever really dead? Explanations? The Stephanie seen is a clone, a ghost, a Stephanie from a parallel Earth, somebody with plastic surgery made to look like Stephanie, maybe it’s Clayface, or this person actually is Stephanie after her body was dipped into a Lazarus Pit by some unforeseen person,…maybe Leslie lied AGAIN to Bruce and has been keeping her alive and unseen…though not well enough as she thinks. I could go on and on but, you get the gist.

One also must wonder if this sudden resurrection ties in, in any way to current or upcoming events within the DCU (Countdown, Final Crisis, Reign In Hell, Blackest Night etc, etc.). The appearance of “A” Spoiler in the Gotham Underground series seems like a portent of sorts, of things yet to come. Then again....it could be just be Didio saying "I GIVE UP", lol.

What about Tim?….all of his feelings and reactions to such a reveal as this?

Solicits for the upcoming Robin/Spoiler special coming up will probably tie up a lot of these questions....but...again...maybe not.

I could go on and on about Stephanie being alive…needless to say, it sparks a lot of questions and discussion in both past, present and future continuity in the DCU at large.

Overall this issue was decent, and I am curious to see where Dixon goes with this and how he utilizes the character of Spoiler whom seems to be...in fact Stephanie Brown. Baldeon’s penciling again was alright, it wasn’t horrible nor was it mouth watering, it was just ok. B+

Catwoman # 77 Review

Writer: Will Pfeiffer
Penciller: David Lopez
Inker: Alvaro Lopez
Cover: Adam Hughes

Most of the time Adam Hughes’ covers don’t really bother me. They usually don’t have anything to do with the interior of the book. Half naked women with T&A everywhere, but hey he’s just doing what the editor tells him to do. While this issue is a tie-in with Salvation Run, with the exception of Joker, none of those villains make an appearance. I wonder how his All Star Wonder Woman is coming along? He’s been working on that since 2006?

While Pfeiffer manages to keep his title character in the spotlight amidst all the crossovers and tie-ins and this Salvation Run tie-in is no exception. Selina is still trapped in her fantasy world of Gotham City. Where she can do anything like take out Batman, Green Lantern, Flash, and even knock out Superman. Martian Manhunter reveals to her that it’s just her own mind she is in, not another world like she thought. She eventually breaks free of the machine and now must find a way off this hell planet.

I’ve always enjoyed comics like this. Where we dive deep into the subconscious mind of the lead character and find their perfect world. Three issues is kind of pushing it though, even though watching Selina single handedly take town members of the JLA was fun to see. I love the way that David Lopez handles these scenes too. While they are comical; they also remain dynamic. I hope they wrap up the SR tie-in with next issue so Pfeiffer can keep telling the stories he wants to tell. A-

Batman and the Outsiders # 5 Review

Writer: Chuck Dixon
Penciller: Julian Lopez
Inker: BIT
Colors: Marta Martinez
Action packed and Chuck Dixon should always go hand and hand. I would still like to know why Tony Bedard was replaced as the writer of this book. I know that Koi Turnball was replaced because he could not meet a monthly deadline. I’m not complaining at all, because I really love this creative team.

Batman and his team of Outsiders are on a tactical strike against an evil corporation. Unbeknownst to him he is on the end of Gunhawk’s sight and barrel. Lucky for him Gunhawk and Bunny are processed by Ralph and Sue Dibny, who were such a joy to read again. While the team takes on Militia it turns out Geo Force of all people saves the day. Metamorpho, one of the most powerful heroes on Earth, was being taken apart by Militia and Geo-Force not only takes him out single-handedly, but destroys an Omac when funny enough it took the whole JSA to drop one these suckers. He writes Geo like the man, heck I can see why he fits in this team more than he ever did in the Justice League.

There are still a few problems with the issue. I’m not sure I like what the way Dixon is handling Thunder and Grace. They just seem to be in the background lately; I just hope Dixon has plans for them. I think I am also ready for a super villain to come into the Outsiders’ life and make a little havoc. The evil corporation is getting a little old and there are plenty of villains in the DC universe. I’ve also noticed in the past issues that Batgirl’s dialogue just keeps getting odder and odder. I’m not sure if I like that direction. Meanwhile Dixon’s Batman, Green Arrow, Katana, and Geo Force are a great read. And the Dibnys really saved the day and this issue. Julian Lopez has some great potential as a dynamic action artist. He just keeps getting better and better with each issue. All his faces are filled with emotion and his action sequences are a great match for Dixon’s storytelling. Throw in some classic villains and we’ll have a great book in our hands. B

Birds of Prey # 116 Review

Author: Sean McKeever
Penciller: Nicola Scott
Inker: Doug Hazelwood
Colors: Hi-Fi

I got really excited when I saw the cover to this issue and saw the name Gail Simone. Not that I haven’t enjoyed McKeever’s run on the book, but Simone really brought out the testosterone in the book that it was lacking since the days of Dixon. As it turns out it was just a misprint on the cover and McKeever himself is going to be replaced by Tony Bedard and just when I was getting used to his writing too.

It seems that Lady Blackhawk is now under the control of her old nemesis the Killer Shark, which for some reason I find really creepy. As it turns out this guy is only a descendent of the original Killer Shark and his whole ploy was to find the location of the original Killer Shark’s loot. There is a long drawn out fight between Misfit and Black Alice. Alice takes possession of Misfit’s power, which is something she wasn’t able to do in the past since she was only able to possess mystical energy.

My biggest gripe with the issue is that it just seems to wrap up to fast. There were so many setting stones for possible storylines, but it seems McKeever was in a rush to get his storylines wrapped up before the next writer comes on board. I also have a huge problem with the one dimensional way Misfit is written. For a character with some interesting powers and plenty of potential she just keeps annoying me, but I think that is the way McKeever sees her; as an annoying teenager. The star of this book is certainly the talented Nicola Scott. I have grown to love her artwork. It was a little bumpy ride at first, but I blame that on Ed Benes who sat the standard 90s look to the book with T&A everywhere. Scott just draws some of the most realistic and still beautiful females in superhero comics today. As long as she stays I stay with the book. Of course Manhunter’s brief appearance didn’t hurt the grade at all. B

Detective Comics 842 Review

Writer: Peter Milligan
Penciller: Dustin Nguyen

I have no idea why I like Batman with a scarf so much, but I do, I really, really do. At first I was like, hey wait, Batman doesn’t need to wear a scarf everyone knows he has a built in heating and cooling system in his batsuit. But wait, he is wearing the Suit of Sorrows, the one that Talia gave him during the Resurrection of Ra’s crossover, and the bases for this story.

So because of the SoS I get to have Batman in a scarf beating up French monks, does it get any better? This is a great Detective comic by Milligan. It cuts right in on Dini’s run but you might have a hard time knowing it without the credits in front of you. It is a self-contained story with plenty of acknowledgement to the past story without it going overboard. The inner monologue is on point and the art really shows off the SoS. I really loved the pacing of the book too. There were two moments where Robin suggests that Batman do one thing, and then you turn the page and bam he’s done the exact opposite, but of course he’s done the exact opposite, he’s Batman, he never rests, never gives up, when is Robin going to learn?

I liked that most of the mystery was solved but not all of it. This allows for the suit to be opened back up again. And I have no doubt that it will, probably from a hot superstar Scottish writer who has a flare for cracking old stories vaults and taking a peak inside, I don’t know. Not much else to say, its happening more and more where Detective comics is the best choice for a classic one issue story, someone should tell Patton Oswald (The comedian/writer of the forward in the Justice League of America HC) A+.