Review: DC Vs. Vampires #10

DC Vs. Vampires #10 came out last week, inching us closer to the end of this series.

As has been the case with this book, we are basically following three different subplots as it winds through this horrific world. Batgirl is leading an attack squad into Gotham to kill Dick. Ollie is trying to free people from a blood farm in Smallville. And Steel is doing his best to get Supergirl to Australia hoping to get her above the clouds and into the sun.

Writers James Tynion IV and Matthew Rosenberg keep the book plugging along, switching back and forth from  one plot to the other and keeping them all moving forward. There are some questionable plot points here, things which don't make much sense even in the context of a comic book world. But for the most part, it is enjoyable. I keep hoping we'll get something heroic out of Supergirl before the book ends. And I have enjoyed the insanity of Harley Quinn here.

The art by Otto Schmidt is at his most stylized and wild. It crackles along very well. For me, the Gotham pages work the best for his look. I have said before that I'd buy a Batgirl or Birds of Prey book by him. 

I do like the Kara The Vampire Slayer variant cover by Nathan Szerdy. 

On to the book.

2022 Jack-O-Lanterns

As many know, one of my favorite Halloween traditions is to carve pumpkins. Nothing better for a creative outlet than figuring out what jack-o-lanterns I am going to carve and then figure out the design. If you use the Halloween tag here, you'll see the pumpkins of yesteryear (as well as some Halloween comic reviews). 

A more recent sub-tradition is doing a Legionnaire pumpkin each year. Over the years I have put together quite a mission team: Sensor Girl, Wildfire, Monster Boy, Quislet, and now this year's addition ... White Witch.

This was a bit trickier than I thought it would be as the long eyelash antennae were a  bit delicate and required some fine carving. But overall, I think this came out pretty good! Welcome aboard Mysa!

But I am more pleased with the second jack-o-lantern.

Review: Action Comics #1048

 Action Comics #1048 came out this week and was another wonderful issue in this great run that writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson. This is part three of the Kal-El Returns arc but really we are still in the aftermath of the Warworld Saga. 

The first part of the issue has the main story, Superman's story, set in Metropolis. The art in this part is by Mike Perkins, who I last saw on the Lois Lane book. The aftermath of Warworld, the legend of the First God Orglun, and the tangential touches on the Fourth World are all at play here. And it all really works. The addition of Otho and Osul Ra is so welcome here, giving Lois and Clark kids to care for. Johnson just adeptly shows how these two are still hurting from the years they lost with Jon. Moreover, all the 'Genesis' and 'Old Gods' stuff comes home with some of the New Gods showing up. 

Perkins just crackles here. His style works well for big battle art. I remember his fisticuffs being a strong part of the Lois book. The New Gods looks huge. And yet, at the same time, the smaller scenes of the kids at the zoo, have just as much polish. His Metallo is robotic and yet somehow forlorn. Wonderful.

But as great as the first part, the back up feature, the second part of Red Moon Rising, with art by David Lapham, is just as great. This is a Supergirl back-up, with Kara showing Thao-La the ropes, teaching her to be a hero, acting as protector of Metropolis, and ready to throw down against Mongul's lackeys. This is Supergirl. I love Lapham's style here, giving Supergirl a sort of classic look, powerful and graceful. 

Everyone should be buying this book.

On to the specifics.

DC Comics January 2023 Solicits

The solicits for the new year of DC Comics were released last week and I have to say it is an odd month. We are down to one Superman title for now as the new Jon Kent book Adventures of Superman isn't released yet.  But that one book is Action Comics which is becoming a new version of Superman Family. I think that is great!

The Lazarus Planet books sound intriguing but there while there are some interesting bits I don't know if I needed another big crossover right out of the gate of Dark Crisis. Maybe give us a year of building whatever this new universe is before breaking it down?

Anyways, here is a link to the full solicits from GamesRadar (formerly Newsarama):
https://www.gamesradar.com/dc-comics-january-2023-solicitations-covers/

ACTION COMICS #1051
Written by PHILLIP KENNEDY JOHNSON, DAN JURGENS, and LEAH WILLIAMS
Art by RAFA SANDOVAL, LEE WEEKS, and MARGUERITE SAUVAGE
Cover by DAN MORA
Variant covers by STEVE BEACH, JORGE FORNÉS, SERGIO DAVILA, RAFA SANDOVAL, DAVID NAKAYAMA, and LEE WEEKS

ACTION COMICS REBORN!

Action Comics #1051 begins a new format for DC's most action-packed title, offering not one, not two, but three epic adventures of Superman and the entire Super-Family! Following the bombshell events of Action Comics #1050, the world's relationship with Superman is forever changed, the upper limits of his supercharged powers have yet to be reached, and the House of El's transformation of Metropolis, led by Steel, has begun. But Lex Luthor has found the perfect instrument with which to undo everything Superman is working to achieve: Metallo, whose hatred of Superman is matched only by his hatred for Luthor himself. Then, in "Lois and Clark 2: Doom Rising," Dan Jurgens and Lee Weeks return to tell the tale of young Jon Kent on the farm with his parents, learning about his abilities, coming of age…and battling the Doombreaker?! And finally, Power Girl returns in part one of a three-part story spinning out of Lazarus Planet! This issue marks the first appearance of new characters, new costumes, and a new era of Action Comics! It all starts here!

First off, there are a ton of great variant covers for this issue but I love this main one by Dan Mora the most. Just a great shot of our new Superman Family in a new sort of family uniform. I love it. Mora does such great work. I love his Supergirl.

This turns out to be a sort of Superman anthology so I hope at some point Supergirl gets a solo bit here.

I am glad that Phillip Kennedy Johnson is still on board for the main story. Super-juiced on Genesis and fighting Lex/Metallo is great. Love that the Phaelosian twins are here too!

Way back in DC Rebirth, the Convergence Superman merged with the New 52 Superman. Now we get a Jurgens/Weeks arc looking back at the pre-merge Superman with a young Jon. I'm not against it because I liked those series. But strange to do now. Is this to mollify the 'why did you age Jon' crowd?

And I am glad Power Girl is back. I wonder how this creative team will treat her.

On to the rest of the books.

Review: DC's Terror Through Time

Hat tip, as usual, to friend Mart Gray for pointing out a delightful Super Sons story in the DC's Terrors Through Time anthology which came out earlier this month.

Peter Tomasi has always had a great handle on the tween versions of these heroes. I loved all his series of Jon and Damian learning to be heroes and friends. Their methods and outlook were different enough to bring out contrast and friction. But they grew and influenced each other. There was super-heroics. There was humor. It all worked.

All that has unfortunately evaporated with the aging of Jon to late teen. I still think that was a bad move by DC, robbing us not only of these Sons stories but any true 'Superboy' tales. I would love to hear if DC regrets it. Given the recent promotion and changes to Jon, it is unlikely we'll ever get a de-aging. 

Thankfully, these 'lost tales' continue to pop up now and then. Here, writer Sholly Fisch hits it out of the park. This is a Halloween story. It's a humor story. And it has the classic interplay between our heroes. Throw in the JLA and some of my favorite classic villains and this is a win.

I'll also say that these stories for the most part land excellent artists. In this story, Luciano Vecchio brings a nice style to this, stylized without over doing it. 

On to the story.

Review: World's Finest #8

Batman/Superman World's Finest #8 came out this week, another amazing issue in this utterly entertaining and wonderful title. 

Writer Mark Waid and artist Dan Mora are just clicking here. This is pure creative synergy, bringing back a classic feeling DC Comic while feeling completely modern. Perhaps the best decision the creators have made was to put this some time in the past. This feels like a pre-Crisis world. There are costumes and histories here that don't jibe with the current DCU. Or perhaps this is the new DCU. I can only hope. 

This issue continues the story of Boy Thunder, Superman's new sidekick from an alternate Earth. He might not be as innocent a kid as he let on last issue. It is hinted he may have had something to do with his world's demise. Seeing the entire DCU accept him and help him brings back a feel of a warmer universe where heroes were selfless.

And let me not bury the lede. This is the best Supergirl book out in the last several years. Waid brings back a Silver Age origin. He leans right into how traumatic her history yes. But instead of her wallowing, or getting angry and drunk, or 'living in pain', she has recognized it and grown. If you didn't like the last mini-series Supergirl starred in, this is a palate cleanser. This washes off the grime. Most of this review will be on those pages. Heck ... this is a Supergirl blog.

As for Dan Mora, he is simply perfect. There are subtle homages to classic DC (including the cover, a sort of take on Batman #1from 1940. This book keeps bringing in more and more of the DCU and every time I see his take on someone new, I think 'he should do that book'. Seriously, he hits it out of the park with everything. His expressive work is amazing. I would beg DC to put him on a Supergirl solo book. But as long as she keeps showing up here, I'm happy. 

On to the book. 

Review: Swamp Thing #50

Last week I reviewed Dark Crisis:The Deadly Green, a one shot tied to Dark Crisis On Infinite Earths and a definite homage to the classic Swamp Thing #50 from 1986. During the review I wondered if folks not familiar with the source material might not appreciate the issue as much as someone like me, someone who knows this book by heart. 

I love this issue. It came out at just the right time for me, in the middle of my teen years when comics were suddenly akin to literature and not juvenile nonsense. It seems almost silly to sing the praises of Alan Moore's Swamp Thing or the art stylings of Stephen Bissette, John Totleben, and Rick Veitch. But if you haven't read that run, you should. It is brilliant and stands up today.

With the homage fresh in my mind, I figured why not review Swamp Thing #50 here. It is one of my favorite issues of all time and why not shed some light on why I liked Deadly Green so much.

Sit back and prepare to be amazed. Everything about this book sings. It is hard to believe but the character of John Constantine was just a year old at this point. Some of the character aftermath of this issue stuck for years, even today. The art is utterly lush. 

On to the book.