I enjoyed James Robinson in the past although he doesn’t have the most solid handle on Superman. That all changes here with a lot of curve balls and left-field plays in this script. It’s like the Ultimates-version of the JSA and it incorporates well a blank canvas for Nicola Scott to glisten and gleam her confident art upon. They are a match made for this book and as consistently impressive a creative duo as such a new book needs upon embarking to stores.
The twists, turns, plot points and origins are intricate and well-crafted as we see DC’s Trinity fall to Darkseid’s minions. The heroes remaining are thrust into non-familiar roles and there are some re-imagined origins that I am interested to see pan out. I endorse thus far. Pandora was in Second Wave issues – but not in this btw (8/10)
This here is an evolution from Batman/Superman…well sort of. This is an interesting script by Paul Levitz with Kevin Maguire and George Perez on art. It ties into Earth 2 and pits the duo of Huntress and Powergirl as heroes lost in another universe. It plays off like a Captain America issue but bustier and without self-deprecation. It’s sass here and feel like Gail Simone. Robin and Supergirl are lampooned from Earth 2 into the current DCU NEW WORLD…and they eke out careers, in and out of superheroism. There’s a lively feel to this book but I don’t think I’d have these two so acclimatized. I wanted to see their trials and tribulations off the bat. I’m sure that would be coming soon but I felt that there needed to be that emotional connection to Earth 2 which would have kicked the series off well. Decent story, decent art…but slightly lacking. (7/10)
JT Krul and Ariel Olivetti pit a group of soldiers with weapons and choppers into Jurassic Park. That is ideally what the first half of the book is. Krul doesn’t expound much but Olivetti, akin to what he did on Hulk and Hercules, does justice to the primeval creatures attacking…and it’s aesthetic gold. The second half of the book is a revised origin for UNKNOWN SOLDIER who sets out exacting revenge for his family after they died in an apparent terrorist attack. Gray/Palmiotti as usual kick that JONAH HEX-like ass. They’re really the Abnett/Lanning of DCU and the gritty art of Dan Panosian segues so well here. There is enough ebb and flow to keep these stories concise, hitting and bloody effective. It’s pure action and entertainment. It never meanders from good storytelling too…(8/10)
China Mieville is cryptic and tenacious here…all in a good way. There’s a feel akin to Neil Gaiman and Tim Burton with a dark, creepy and eerie vibe which are accentuated well by the alleys and dreary pastures of Mateus Santalouco’s art. It adds a dark and mysterious edge to a book where a certain protagonist in the doldrums turns into ‘boy chimney’ when he dials HERO. Well, that’s the premise devised thus far. Any further in-depth analysis, I’ll leave for issue 2. There are elements of Hulk, Shazam aka Billy Batson and the Cape that are tools at play and tolling at work here. Not bad at all (7/10)
No comments:
Post a Comment