Bullet Review: Forever Evil #7

Forever Evil #7 came out last week ... finally ... ending a company-wide crossover that plodded along, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

There were many reasons why I didn't enjoy this book or feel invested in it.

Maybe it was the chronically delayed nature of the book. Maybe it was the overwhelmingly violent tone of the book. Maybe it was that it really felt like Geoff Johns fan fiction, a DC company wide crossover where the majority of the hero characters were stuffed into Firestorm. Maybe it is because there seemed to be no ramifications in any of the ongoing monthlies that for a period of time villains devastated the Earth. Maybe it is because ....AGAIN .... Batman seems to be invulnerable, having slipped through the grasp of the Crime Syndicate while immensely powerful heroes with planet-shaking skills are trapped.

But most of all, it is because this whole book was done to make villains and evil seem necessary, desired, or hip. The tagline was that 'Evil is Relative' and maybe that is true. But I don't think I want to cheer for Black Manta as we get a whole page of watching him stab someone to death.

And, the big player in this idea was Lex Luthor, a character that Geoff Johns early on described as a good man trying to help humanity. At the time it reminded me of Al Pacino's speech at the end of The Devil's Advocate. Playing Satan himself, Pacino gives a rambling speech that he is the ultimate humanist, only giving mankind what they deserve.

Lex Luthor ... the humanist?

Let's see what our new super-hero does in this last issue.

Amongst all the death and destruction he has wrought throughout the series, here was the final chapter.

Lex kills his evil doppelganger Alex Luthor by stabbing him in the chest with a mystic lightning rod and then literally rips out Alex's heart.

Oooohhhh .... soooooo cool.

And then a couple of pages later, he crushes Atomica, killing her.

This is the person that Geoff Johns and DC are promoting as their latest hero.

Perhaps recognizing that it would be hard to portray this cold-blooded murderer as a hero, Johns tries to soften Lex at the end. He performs life saving surgery on Superman. And he doesn't buy out and take over Kord Industries.

Wow ... isn't he grand?

And then he calls his estranged sister Lena. She isn't dead after all, just paralyzed from Lex's attempts to cure her.

And now look as he stares at his computer screen ...
Her want to grow and learn.

Sigh.

I don't know if I need to read a redemption story about Luthor. I don't think I am going to cheer for a guy who I have seen kill people, viciously, for the last year - throwing assistants of skyscraper roofs, ripping out hearts, blasting people, etc.

So not taking over a business and finally calling your ill sister isn't exactly going to erase all that. I just have to realize this isn't a DCU that I am going to be comfortable with.

It's funny. I didn't have this problem when Lex was named President way back when. Back then we knew he was still a villain, just one a position of power. And, of course, the heroes were brighter back then. By making the heroes darker and then painting the villains as heroes, all DC has done is made this whole place gray.

Hopefully this won't last too long or encompass the whole universe.

DC Source Information About Action Comics #900

There wasn't much information in this DC Source post about Action Comics #900 but it still made me happy. Here is the link and the limited info:
http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/01/04/dcu-in-2011-david-finch-covers-action-comics-900th-issue/

Superman versus (I’ll argue) his greatest villain. How much more apropos can you get for a landmark cover to Action Comics?

But wait - there’s more! In addition to a 50-page lead story by the team that’s been punching this book out of the park for for the last ten issues, Paul Cornell and Pete Woods, the oversized 900th issue will also feature short stories by some very exciting names to be announced soon.

So the David Finch cover is pretty slick. The image of Superman getting out of his civilians somehow works for his return to his title. Sort of like 'okay ... I'm here and ready to work' vibe.

I wonder if this is going to be like Superman/Batman #75 with a number of 2 page stories by high-powered creators celebrating Superman's return.

Lastly, I was glad to recently learn that Paul Cornell is sticking on after this Lex arc and will be writing Superman. I have enjoyed this Luthor run enough to want to see what he does with the Man of Steel.

Death In Action Comics #894

Another year without Superman in Action Comics ... at least a year of Lex Luthor in Action ... that might be a tough sell no matter how great the story or art is. So what better way to lure readers in than to add a beloved, seldom seen, and unique guest star?

In what has to be deemed a fascinating decision, Death - of Neil Gaiman's Sandman - will guest star in Action Comics #894. Having a Vertigo character cross over into the mainstream DCU is bold. Does it lift up Action? Does it diminish Death?

There were a number of interviews around this announcement. Here is the link to the Newsarama one: http://www.newsarama.com/comics/cornell-action-comics-death-endless-interview-100708.html

As usual, the whole interview is worth reading. I have culled a few parts that I enjoy.

Newsarama: Paul, seeing a Vertigo character show up in a DCU book is going to get people talking about the imprints. But was this something DC asked you to do? Or did you come up with the idea on your own?
Paul Cornell: It was me. Basically, Matt Idelson and Will Moss, the editors of Action, asked me what characters I'd like to have Lex Luthor encounter during our current story arc. And having given a list of mainstream list of DC villains, I suddenly thought, what would be the most dramatic character for Lex to encounter?

One of the reasons we're doing this is to have Lex encounter villains from outside the usual Superman encounters. And what could be more outside, or more dramatic, than Death from Vertigo?

So I put it to them.... and they buckled for a few minutes. But then they said, "Oh, you'd better ask Neil, hadn't you?" So I asked Neil. And he was enthusiastic. And we went from there.

We know about Mr. Mind and Gorilla Grodd and Bizarro and Deathstroke all appearing in upcoming issues. But Death ... she isn't a super-villain. She isn't another step in his power quest. She's Death. And so the Lex/Death interaction has to be a very different story than the ones with those other villains.

Nrama: So you're just using this character for one story? She's still a Vertigo character?
Cornell: Yes. Vertigo readers should rest assured that none of us wanted to do this in a crass way. It will be respectful. And Neil himself will be looking over my shoulder and reading the script.

I suppose this is my biggest concern. You don't want her character to be lessened by this appearance. But putting Death into this universe ... to put her on this stage ... can it be pulled off in a respectful manner? It sounds like Cornell has enough reverence for Sandman to do the right thing. So I think the answer is yes.

Nrama: Paul, after Lex meets Death during his "power quest," are you going to be exploring Lex Luthor's character for awhile in Action Comics?
Cornell: Oh yeah. I'm not sure if it's announced how long, but we're running for a considerable time with Lex.

Death or no Death ... I'm not too thrilled to hear about no Superman in Action let alone for a 'considerable time'. And is the length of this arc hand-cuffed to JMS' Grounded? Can there be no Superman while Grounded is ongoing?

Nrama: It's interesting that you used the word "enthusiastic" to describe Neil Gaiman's reaction to Lex Luthor meeting Death. Did you discuss the story idea you had for the two characters?
Cornell: I think Neil is a great enthusiast for the weirdness of the DC Universe, the way it can put two such disparate things together. And I just saw him on Monday, and yes, we talked about the story.

One of the things I said to him about it was, it's not going to be the superhero fight. It's going to be something that's entirely in keeping with Death's former appearances. Vertigo didn't feel that we were dragging her into a situation where it would be a sideshow.

This is just one, long, very dramatic conversation, as Lex Luthor tries to save himself from her arriving for him.

Well at least he won't be shooting her with his power suit. I suppose a conversation is probably the only way this guest star sting can easily be pulled off. And my guess is he is probably close to death when it happens. Maybe it comes off as a dream to Lex, some vision while he is unconscious, some discussion with Death when he is in shock.

It can work.

It's not like it hasn't been done before. We have seen Vertigo to DC crossovers before. And we have seen the opposite. Matt Wagner, in particular, seems to have a knack for the latter. We saw Hourman, Blackhawk, and others in Sandman Mystery Theater. We have seen the Phantom Stranger, the Demon, and J'onn J'onzz in Madame Xanadu.

Perhaps my favorite Vertigo-to-DCU cross over is in the '5YL' Legion, Legion of Super-Heroes #38.

In that issue, the Earth is destroyed by the Dominators, killing all Terrans who aren't in a select number of protected cities which have rocketed away.

Death is simply the background of the scene, overseeing the billions of people who were killed in the destruction. In this way, she is simply above the action, above the primary colors. She is more a concept than someone who would go talk to Brainy in his lab.

I also enjoyed Daniel/Dream in Grant Morrison's JLA. In that story, the Justice League exist within the dream world of a child and need to 'become' to fight Starro.

So it can be done. And in the right hands, it can be done right ... effective, without sullying the Vertigo characters. This post may come off like I am against Death appearing here ... but I'm not. Maybe nervous is more like it. Heck, I'm not even a big Sandman fan. I just think that if it is going to be done, it has to be done right. And I really think it will be. If it is done wrong, it will come off more like a stunt than an important part of the Luthor arc.

At the very least, Death starring in the issue has allowed us to see David Finch's interpretation of the character. That is a fantastic cover.

Bits Of Supergirl Business

I have been unbelievably busy at work and so felt I need to clean the deck with all the great stuff recently revealed on the web about the future of the Super-titles. Some of these may have warranted a post all on their own, but I am drowning a bit so everything gets shoved in here.

On to the links! As always, the entire links are great reads and I advise going to them for the full story, but I have pulled a quite here or there that I really liked. Lots of links ... so this is a long post.


First off , Comic Book Resources has two interviews with James Robinson and Sterling Gates regarding Superman:Last Stand of New Krypton. There is some interesting chatter about General Zod and how he compares to both Superman and Brainiac, about what is happening in the book, about the Legion, and of course about Supergirl.

Here is the link to part one and my favorite part of the interview:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=25173


From the solicitations and what's been building all along, the Legion of Super-Heroes plays a role, as well, in "Last Stand of New Krypton." The team is massive. Do you focus on a core few?

SG: It's funny, but I never really liked Tellus and Quislet. They were Legionnaires I just never really got into. Which is fine, that's one of the brilliant things about the Legion, there are so many characters to like, there are bound to be a couple you don't like.

When we sat down to figure out this story, I looked at the fact that James and Geoff had been using Tellus a lot - whether it was "Adventure Comics" or "Superman" or "Guardian Special" - and I set out to use Tellus in such a way that would make me like him. And I wanted to use Quislet in such a way that would get me to enjoy Quislet, so that was my goal.

Between the scenes I did with Tellus in "Adventure Comics" #9 and the scene I did with Quislet in "Adventure Comics" #10, I really grew to enjoy those two, and now I want to use those characters even more.

Brainiac 5 was another character that I was very interested in, but very nervous to write. He's a character that whoever writes him falls in love with writing him, and with good reason. He's a blast to write. He's an extremely smart man, and his snide, know-it-all attitude sings out from the page. I've known some exceptionally smart people in my life, and all of them struggled with their emotions from time to time, so that's how I'm approaching Brainiac 5. Especially in regards to how he is around Supergirl in "Supergirl" #52.

Fans of Supergirl and fans of the Legion know there's something there between them, and it's gonna be a lot of fun to see the rapport between those two. We're not reestablishing their relationship that issue, per se, but instead, we're going to...

JR: You're giving too much away.
SG: Oh. Yeah, you're probably right. Well, uh, Supergirl/Brainiac 5 fans, give "Supergirl" #52 a read!

I can remember that 'admission class' to the Legion. Five new members joined, Sensor Girl, Polar Boy, Magnetic Kid, Tellus, and Quislet. I think there was a push to get away from 'humanoid' members only on the book. I never quite enjoyed Tellus either. In some ways he was stepping into Saturn Girl's spot and he was never going to win me over. So I look forward to seeing what Gates does with him.

And, of course, I am very interested in seeing the Brainy/Supergirl storyline as well!


The second part of the interview has lots of interesting info as well, but refreshingly there is a lot of Supergirl talk in it. Here is the link:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=25193

And I guess with Superman, Supergirl and Superboy facing off against Zod, Ursa and Non, not to mention another 100,000 revved up Kryptonians, there is not going to be a lot of time for quiet moments and pages and pages of solitary self-reflection?

James Robinson: Well, it's war. There are emotional beats to be had, absolutely, in terms of loss and humanity. But the fact is, with it being a 100-minute war and the reason why this works so well, is that if it were a monthly book, it would be a terrible thing. You'd have too much time between issues. So for May, there is no "Superman," there is no "Supergirl," there's no "Action," there is just this book, every week. So there is a momentum that we can establish so quickly that you don't have time for walks on the beach of New Krypton.

SG: And where some of the power of the story comes from is its immediacy. War is hell. This story is brutal, and it's savage and it's war - all-out war - in a way that the DCU hasn't seen before. That's what I think is so cool about this story. We've never seen Earth go to war with Krypton like this in the history of the DCU, so for me, that's what makes the story exciting. Making it a weekly story makes it feel huge. Every week you're going to get slammed upside the head with 25 minutes of hell.

JR: And plus the one thing, as Sterling said earlier, we've planning for this war for two years. So we're trying to set thing ups with General Lane and the 7734 and the Human Defense Corps so that, although it is 100 minutes, it isn't like Earth is without the ways and means to combat Kryptonians. It's a real battle. It's not just the Kryptonians overwhelming Earth. There will be battles won and lost on both sides in the course of 100 minutes.

SG: And I also want to take this opportunity to emphasize the fact that everything we've done has been part of a grander plan. As you're starting to see pieces in "Last Stand" fall into place, know that nothing we've done has been random or without forethought. Everything has been
building towards the story. So people that have stuck with us all along, it's going to pay out in a big way for them.

That said, the zero issue on Free Comic Book Day is still a really clean place to come on board. We tried really to make the zero issue an easily accessible story that sets up our main players and gets people interested right off the bat and sets the story in motion. And it has some phenomenal art. Eddy Barrows is drawing the main story and he's phenomenal, and there are a whole slew of amazing artists are drawing the backup story.

One thing I really hope is going to happen is that all the threads over the last 2 years are going to come together in this book. And that is a daunting task given that they have 4 issues and '100 minutes' to wrap it all up. So I hope to see all of Lane's tricks, some Mirabai back story, what are the silver pelts on New Krypton, Atlas, the Guardian, Zatara, etc etc etc. Most of what I have read about this comic sounds like the creative team has everything lined up just right. I have confidence that they mean it when they say 'everything will fall into place'.

Sterling, you're sticking around with "Supergirl," and I understand there is some big news coming this weekend out of Emerald City Con, but James, you're leaving "Superman" after #700, handing off to JMS. I know you are a huge fan of the Man of Steel - is it difficult to be leaving?

JR: I'm very excited he's coming on. I'm sure he'll do a great job. And I can't wait to be a fan and a reader of "Superman" again and not the writer.

It's strange for me that I'm the writer that never really wrote Superman for any length of time and I'm more known as the writer of Mon-El. But I think history will show that's kind of a cool thing. I was always completely into the idea of Mon-El, and with "Adventure" #11, we'll see the end of it. And hopefully, the readers and the fans will appreciate everything that I've done.

I'll still be staying in the world of Super-characters as Supergirl will be the Super-character in "Justice League of America" for the foreseeable future.

I wasn't sure if Supergirl was only a guest star or an ongoing member in the book. So it looks like I will be collecting JLA in the near future. Hmmm ... so what book should I drop?

And Sterling, anything else for you beyond "Supergirl"?

SG: There are, but unfortunately I can't say anything. If you like what I've done on "Supergirl," you'll be interested in what I do next. I'll tell you that.

JR: I know what Sterling has planned for Supergirl after "War of the Supermen" and I think, as good as it has been so far, he and Jamal are going to make it 100 times better."Supergirl" is the DC book of 2010 going into 2011.

SG: Wow.

Now that sound great! I can't wait to see what happens post New Krypton in the main book. Despite last month's ending, I hope Lana remains a big part of the book.


Over on the DC Source blog, we are treated to the first 5 pages of Supergirl #51. Here is the link:
http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2010/03/10/the-last-stand-of-new-krypton-continues-in-supergirl-51/

How absolutely phenomenal is it to see Supergirl just laying waste to Brainiac probes! I also like the opening few pages, bringing a touch of humanity to the action scenes as a young Kryptonian deals with the horror of war. As I said in my Last Stand review, small moments amidst the action resonate and add depth to stories.

And Jamal Igle just continues to rock on this book.


Also on the DC blog, it was announced that Pete Woods is the new artist on Action Comics when Marc Guggenheim takes over. Here is that link:
http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2010/03/11/new-action-art-team-in-june-woods-on-interiors-finch-on-covers/

And, starting in June, Mr. Woods will be joining new writer Marc Guggenheim as the regular artist on ACTION COMICS. Pete’s done a spectacular job chronicling Kal-El’s adventures on New Krypton, so it was a no-brainer to have him swing on over to one of the ongoing titles. But what does he have to say about it all? Take it away, Pete:

“I am absolutely thrilled to be working with Marc on Action Comics. I also feel incredibly blessed to have David Finch doing covers- I have been a fan for years. Marc and I have some fun plans for this book and intend for it to live up to it’s name!”

We are treated with a great page from Superman:Last Stand of New Krypton, a nice splash page of Supergirl leading the Legion into battle.

I have said all along I like Woods' style and I am glad he is sticking around. He does a great Superman and a great Supergirl.

And David Finch on covers! That alone will probably boost sales. There better be one with the cousins on it. I want to see Finch's take on Kara ... hoping it won't veer towards the Psylocke/Aphrodite IX end of the spectrum.



Last on this links tour is an interview with both Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle on the Adam DeChanel blog. Here is the link:
http://adamdechanel.blogspot.com/2010/03/interview-with-supergirl-team-sterling.html

Conner has Krypto, Kara has Streaky, but the little kitty is powerless... Wednesday's Comics teased us with the Powerful Pets...She'll be able to give Krypto a run for his money right?

SG: Oh, man. I have a killer Streaky story to tell. Maybe someday. Maybe someday.
JI: I think it could be fun, actually.

It's clear that DeChanel is a Supergirl fan as he asks about Linda Danvers, Xenon, Ariella, and even Streaky. I'd love to see Streaky come back.

I also love the behind the scenes stuff from comics, so to see this concept art of the Lana Insect Queen was a real treat.

David Finch Signs With DC

Over on the Source Blog, DC announced something of a coup in that they signed superstar artist David Finch to an exclusive contract. Here is the link and some blurbs:
http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2010/01/05/superstar-artist-david-finch-signs-exclusive-contract-with-dc/

Mega-popular artist David Finch, who’s made a name for himself working on every title under the sun for Marvel will be calling the DCU his home base for the foreseeable future — and we couldn’t be happier.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining the DC family! It feels too good to be true that I’m going to have the chance to draw some of the most dynamic, iconic, and fun characters in the business. I’ve been a DC comics fan for a very long time, so it’s a very big honor to finally have a part in their creation.”

Okay, I don't know how much this effects Supergirl or the Superman titles but it did give me an excuse to repost my Finch commission. This was one of the first commissions I obtained.

Obviously it impacts DC as Finch is a huge name. My guess is he won't be given a monthly and instead will work on some limited series or other such project to allow him the time he needs for his detailed art (a la Mauro Cascioli). But I also anticipate/hope that we will see Finch covers (standard or variant) on lots of titles so we can get a taste of his versions of the DC icons.

While his women can veer to the very cheesecakey (from his early work on Aphrodite IX to his very recent Psylocke covers) they aren't always over the top. I think his art is great. I initially bought New Avengers solely because he was artist on the book; same with Moon Knight. And I really had no interest in those characters. I think that is the mark of a great artist ... when their art can bring you to a project you would otherwise skip over.

So I hope we see a Finch Supergirl cover (maybe a variant so we keep getting a monthly dose of Josh Middleton goodness).

David Finch Supergirl commission

I became enamored of David Finch's art on the early New Avengers issue. In particular, his women (especially Spiderwoman) were a great combination of beauty and power.

In mid-2007, he was the guest at The Comic Book Show in Nashua NH. This is a great little convention and usually has at least one 'big name'. In the past I have met Bernie Wrightson, Joe Jusko, Mark Teixera, and Adam Hughes there, just to name a few.

Finch was doing 'head shots' as you waited. No commission list to get on, just a long line to wait in hoping you made it to him before the end of the show. This was also early in my commission quest when I didn't know enough to bring my own paper. As a result this sketch was put on the back of a comic backing board, done in pencil.

3 hours waiting in line and here is the result.

Finch was very nice and amiable. I asked him if he could add the S-shield so folks knew this was Supergirl and not a random blonde haired girl and he said no problem. Surprisingly, the S-shield seemed to be the hardest part of this. He seemed to struggle with it resulting in this somewhat innovative interpretation.

This ranks as one of the sexier commissions I own.

Here is the link for the convention:

http://www.thecomicshow.com/