Review: Batman/Superman World's Finest #40

Batman/Superman World's Finest #40 came out last week and followed the pattern that Mark Waid has established since the beginning of the title. When an arc gets filled, we get a done-in-one story to sort of cleanse the palate. 

Waid has been pretty vocal with his politics and this issue he decides to poke fun at the alt-right or toxically masculine podcasters out there. I don't pay much attention to those people in real life, so I feel that the look of the podcaster in this issue is based on someone real. And the story is pretty simple, to grab some clicks the streamer drums up a confrontation and gets a comeuppance. It is pretty simple stuff. 

Honestly, I could take or leave the plot driving the issue. But, as usual, Waid has a complete command of the characters and inserts wonderful moments highlighting each one in a memorable way. It is those scenes that kept me invested.

Adrian Gutierrez is back on art and does a great job with a kaiju vs mecha fight in the city as well as those up close moments. He is a great fit for the book and glad he is back.

On to the book.

Review: Superman Unlimited #2

Superman Unlimited #2 came out this week, the next chapter of a new Kryptonite Everywhere storyline by Dan Slott and Rafael Alburquerque. For a second issue, this pushed the plot of the arc forward a fair bit, showing us the implications of Green K being a lot easier to get as well as Superman's new power, a riff on an old 'new' power.

I have said before that I like Dan Slott's She-Hulk and Silver Surfer books. The She-Hulk book for sure was a humor book first. The Silver Surfer book was a sort of Dr. Who-esque tour of the Marvel U, filled with romance and sentimentality but also with a healthy dollop of humor. So I wasn't surprised to see Slott insert some fun into this book. What I didn't know, and what tickled me, was that the humor would come in the form of the Creeper. I think it is well known that I love the Creeper so Jack Ryder being in Metropolis makes me happy.

Despite the humor, Slott plays the superheroics and Superman pretty standard. What is it like to be Superman when your average punk, Marty from Hob's Bay, has a Kryptonite knife. And what do you do to defend yourself? Add to that a look into El Caldero, the nation that benefited from the massive green K meteor, and you have a solid issue.

Rafael Alburquerque brings some dynamism to the action, with speed lines and stylized bodies. I think his Creeper is a little scrawny, the red shag shoulder rug a bit small. I still miss his smoother earlier style than this looser, rougher style. 

On to the book.

Review: Action Comics #282

We are two issues into the new Supergirl comic run and Lesla Lar has been a big part of this opening arc. I have been reviewing the Lar's initial storyline which was in a long arc, especially for the Silver Age, leading up to Supergirl's being revealed to the world in Action Comics #285. 

Action Comics #282 brings Lar's initial story arc to a close in a rather abrupt fashion. Like every chapter in this storyline, this was one is crazy with a futuristic adventure, a villain's plot foiled by insomnia, and the inclusion of a certain 5th dimensional magic imp. But there is definitely this feeling that DC wanted Supergirl to sort of turn the corner in her stories. She has a new hair cut. She meets an old friend again. And, of course, she is introduced to the world changing everything in her life in a few months.

Writer Jerry Siegel brings some wild action to the proceedings. What I really love is how Siegel inserts a quick snippet of a story of a fascist group being overthrown by a rebel group which embraces knowledge. Given Superman's early political leanings by Siegel as well as his upbringing, seeing Supergirl bring down a fascist regime was great. (Of course, it's the Silver Age and therefore is done in 2 plus pages.) And when this issue ends, Supergirl is stronger than Superman as well!

I can continue to talk about how Jim Mooney is the perfect artist for the Supergirl of this time. A legend. But I have to say, I think he is putting in some extra energy whenever he draws Lesla Lar who is just dripping with pettiness and anger.

On to the book!

Review: Action Comics #1087

Action Comics #1087 came out last week, the first issue in this look back to Clark's earliest adventures as Superboy. If there ever was a story that needed to be told ... or is it retold ... it is this. With all the soft reboots, hard reboots, and reimaginations of recent years, I frankly don't know whether Superboy existed or not. It is time for DC to put their foot down. There was a Superboy, the adventures of Superman as a boy, who was part of the Legion. Classic.

Who better to write this tale than Mark Waid who also has been handed the difficult task of writing the upcoming History of the DCU. What started the universe? The hand Krona saw? Perpetua? Did Argo City survive Krypton's explosion? What about the Legion? 

I have the sense that Waid will do the right thing. I certainly saw it here. We get a Legion reference. We get a loving Ma and Pa. We get some Pa Kent wisdom. And we get to see a very green Clark whisking into action for the first time. We see him realize these fights are real; he gets a bit battered. We see him get an understanding how powerful he is. It really feels fresh.

Skylar Patridge is on art and brings a very appropriate feel of youth and vitality to the book. I especially love her 'cobbled together' costume with beach shorts and red high tops instead of trunks and boots. Patridge seems perfect for young characters (she was the one bright point on the recent Mariko Tamaki Supergirl stories) so is a great fit.

On to the book.

Review: Supergirl #2 (v8)

Supergirl #2 came out last week and just built on the good will that I felt from the last issue.

I find Supergirl such a complex character. It is why I love her. 

Who is Supergirl to me? She is a young hero, learning her way. She can be fallible. She's still figuring things out. She has the unenviable position of having Superman as her cousin. She is expected to live up to his standards, she is wearing his symbol ... but she isn't Superman and isn't as experienced. It is a double edged familial sword - a tremendous role model but someone you might always be found lacking against. She has had tragedy but has overcome it. She should be bright and feisty and fierce in fighting injustice. But she also should be smart and more polished than even younger heroes, filling this middle road. She is also a young girl in this real world with all those issues.

How the heck do you put all that together? 

I think it might be why so many fall short in my mind. She isn't saccharine sweet. She isn't angsty and angry. She isn't sad.

Somehow, in two issues, Sophie Campbell has threaded the needle. This is the Supergirl I want to read. I am really charmed by her. She is sweet. She is friendly. She is a hero, diving in to save people. She is bored with some idle prattle by her teenage friends. She has a supporting cast! She has a history! (As with last issue there a ton of references to her Bronze Age adventures.) It is nigh perfect.

Most impressively, Campbell has given us a villain just as complex. Lesla Lar is clearly misguided and addled. She is thinking only of herself, putting others in peril. She is a brilliant evil scientist. But we get a hint at a troubled past, an aching loneliness in her that probably led to her malevolence. I don't always need a sympathetic villain but it sort of works here.

The art is just stellar throughout. Campbell gives us this charming Linda, fighting giant apes and trying on clothes. It is glorious.

Now as a lifelong Supergirl fan, I am eating up the nostalgia bombs with a spoon. I hope the general population is loving it as much as me. I don't think they pull the novice out of the story. They clearly enhance it for a mega-fan like me. (Heck, even the cover is an homage to Super DC Giant #S-24!

On to the book.

Review: Absolute Superman #8

Absolute Superman #8 came out last week and the trade dress touts it with 'a new story starts here!'

This book has been an interesting one so far, using the first 7 issues to slowly world build, giving us a taste of the Absolute world while filling in the Krypton history and showing us this new Superman. In comparison to the 'Batman AF' pace of the Absolute Batman book, Absolute Superman has been a much slower burn. It has felt like half the issues haven't even had Superman in them. 

Writer Jason Aaron does kick things into a little higher gear here. We finally see the main villain, Ra's Al Ghul .. and I have a theory. We get our first super-villain fight with Peacemaker/Metallo (or what I will be calling Metallo, he isn't given a code name here). We get to see some weakness in this Superman character which we haven't seen yet. And we get to see some Lois/Jimmy/Superman interactions which seems to be building up to a true relationship. There is a lot of action here but also some little dollops of new information that continues to make this place feel three-dimensional.

Rafa Sandoval is back on the book on art and his stuff continues to floor me. From the crazy battle scenes to his use of sound effects within the art to the quiet emotional moments, his stuff is on fire. 

If you have felt the book has been a bit meandering or even a bit plodding, which I must admit at times I have, I hope you have stuck around. This issue turns that on its head, giving us a brutal, physical action comic while still pushing on the plot.

On to the book.

Review: Justice League Vs Godzilla Vs Kong 2 #1

Justice League Vs. Godzilla Vs. Kong 2 #1 came out last week, the first part of the sequel to last year's JL v G v K first series. Now I loved the first series, an Elseworlds book smushing kaiju with Super Friends with Supergirl all together. It was fun to see an old school Toyman just want to have fun with giant toys leading to a brawl.

DC made the right decision bringing the band back together. Writer Brian Buccellato and artist Christian Duce are back on the scene. This time instead of bringing the Legendary Monsters to the DC world, our heroes and villains are heading to the monster's Earth. That new wrinkle, a different world and a different yellow sun, might mean something.

Our heroes have a classic feel to them, almost Bronze Age in personality. Instead of bringing in the Legion of Doom again, Buccellato brings in the Suicide Squad as 'the bad guys'. Now I, for one, am pretty sick of Amanda Waller who is seems omnipresent. But Buccellato throws a nice curve ball into the proceedings. One has to do with Waller. The other is putting Lex on the Squad which surely will lead to some laughs.

Most importantly for me, Supergirl is back and is portrayed in the same positive manner she was last series. I better see more of her and Kong. Match made in heaven.

Duce brings such a sweet slick style to the book. From an opening wedding scene to a giant monster fight to our heroes using their powers, the book is a joy to behold. In particular, the King Shark vs. Godzilla fight has the potency a kaiju fight should. Plus his Kara is stunning.

On to the book, the perfect 'Summer movie' book as the summer opens.

Review: Superman #26

Superman #26 came out last week and was another solid issue for writer Joshua Williamson as he weaves a very classic-feeling Superman run. 

Last issue, Williamson had Mercy Graves turn on Superman, releasing X-El and leading to a mega-battle ending with the loss of Superwoman's powers. This issue, we are still marinating in that storyline. In particular, we get more great Superman/Lex interaction, the backbone of this book. We still have a couple of lingering plotlines out there that he catches us up on. But most importantly, he sprinkles in some new subplots, whetting my appetite for more. He even puts in a nice hook for the new Supergirl book too. 

I definitely like the Superman/Lex stuff as this still seems to be the 'good' Lex, the amnestic good guy reeling from his past.

The art is split between Eddy Barrows, bringing his usual feathery, pencil-stroke art and Sean Izaaske who has a rougher more visceral take. Barrows has always been a favorite. DC should just give him mini-series to write and finish in their entirety. Izaaske works well for his pages but his style breaks from Barrows in a startling way.

To repeat, Williamson continues to bring us a great Superman book, highlighting the main character but giving us great supporting cast moments and plot threads. On to the issue.

Rest In Peace Peter David

It was with sadness that I heard recently that Peter David had passed away after a few years of what sounds like medical hardship.

David's career is truly prolific including legendary runs on The Incredible Hulk and X-Factor. He also is known for Star Trek novels, independent characters, and other comic runs worth noting like Young Justice and Madrox. I honestly can't name all the things he did here without making this too long.

I felt I really needed to do some post to recognize David for his contributions to the Supergirl character. I have covered many of the issues in the long Supergirl run on the site (probably easiest to find by clicking the Peter David keyword). 

But I absolutely loved it.

Remember, this was the late 80s/early 90s Supergirl. This was the Matrix Supergirl, the super-powered protoplasm from the Pocket Universe. The Supergirl that was  schizophrenic then self-exiled to space then Brainiac's slave then Lex Luthor's duped girlfriend. She was finally finding her way around the death of Superman, leaving Lex behind and becoming a hero. But ... she was still a sort of mistreated and struggling.

Enter David, a self-proclaimed Supergirl fan. 

Starting in Showcase '96 #8, David started a longform story which stretched all the way to Supergirl #50! He had the Matrix Supergirl wondering if she was 'alive', did she have a 'soul', was she a hero. She sacrificed herself, merging with a troubled Linda Danvers. During the adventures we had this slow story of religion, redemption, angels and demons, free speech and human trafficking, and learning to love yourself.

This wasn't your grandfather's Supergirl. This was almost Vertigo-like in its look at religion and life and sin and forgiveness. 

It was glorious. Supergirl was a complex and complicated character, growing haughty and then brought low, learning about who she was and what her place was in the world. Brilliant.

But there was more.

Review: Justice League Unlimited #7

Justice League Unlimited #7 came out last week, the next part in the 'We Are Yesterday' storyline and taking another step forward in the eventual crossover of the main universe and the Absolute one. That Omega shape has been seen a lot lately and the FCBD story seemed to hint it's going to happen soon.

Writer Mark Waid continues to give us a fun story, showing us the new large League fighting a past-version Legion of Doom. I have enjoyed seeing him show the breadth of this JLU as well as the DCU (some special guests this time) as well as an old-school villain team. I have never been the biggest Grodd fan but I have enjoyed seeing him run this LoD, outsmarting Lex and coming close to ultimate power. There is even a redemption arc for poor Airwave, the unwitting traitor.

Travis Moore is on art this time and gets to stretch his legs a bit, giving us big action in different times with a large cast. He draws a pretty solid Grodd which can't be an easy task. 

I don't know if this storyline will be an all-time classic but it has been fun, especially seeing the 'past' incarnations of heroes and villains dealing with the present day world.

On to the issue.