Review: Monkey Prince #12

Monkey Prince #12 came out this week, the end of this series which I discovered on the back end. I came for the Supergirl guest star but I stayed for the good story.

Writer Gene Luen Yang and artist Bernard Chang continue to bring a tremendous story to life here. I have really been entertained by this young hero learning the ropes, guided by a mentor, finding his place in the DCU. Add to it a super-villain family and a mysterious origin and  you have a great mix of character pieces to build on. 

But there also was a sense of joy here. And a solid sense of humor. Monkey Prince talks the way I would talk if I was a teenager who suddenly had powers and was rubbing elbows with Supergirl. He relishes his powers with a sense of wonder and fun. 

I guess I would say this reads like classic Spider-Man to me. Quips and kicks flying!

I have always been a fan of Bernard Chang's art and he really shines here. I love the mythic aspects and the action. And his Supergirl is just glittering. I loved him when he was on the Supergirl book back in the day so it is great to see his take on Kara again.

In fact, if there is one thing to complain about here, it is the treatment of Supergirl in this last issue. She is taken out ... albeit by magic ... and needs rescuing. She never gives up. She keeps fighting. But it would have been great if she wasn't the weak link.

On to the book ... and then onto the back issue boxes for me to get the first eight issues.

Review: Lazarus Planet: Assault On Krypton

Lazarus Planet: Alpha #1 was a brilliant opening to the latest DC event. The story had legitimate stakes, moved at a brisk pace, showcased some of my favorite characters, and had beautiful art. 

Now the aftermath of the Lazarus volcano are being felt throughout the DC Universe. We'll see this in one-shots and mini-series, setting up the next year of stories. Today it is Lazarus Planet:Assault on Krypton. Really it should have been called Assault on the Super-Family. This book takes a peek at Dreamer, Jon Kent, Mercy, and Power Girl, all characters with connections to Superman. 

Each character gets their own story in the anthology. We know Jon and Power Girl will be getting their own stories, in the Adventures of Superman and Action Comics anthology respectively. I don't know where Dreamer and Mercy will end up, although the Lex-centric new Superman book is a good place for the latter. 

The stories themselves are quite solid, each ending on a sort of cliffhanger to get us interested in reading more. The Jon story was probably the best of the bunch, introducing a new villain, charming and irreverent. 

The art includes stories by veterans like Scott Godlewski,Sami Basri, and Marguerite Sauvage. Skylar Partridge pencils the Dreamer story and is a new name for me. Her work is stylish enough to work in the dreamscape. Partridge draws a pretty good Supergirl to boot.

If you're a fan of the Super-Family, I'd say this is worth the $4.99. On to the stories.

Review: Monkey Prince #10

Monkey Prince #10 came out this week, the second part of his team-up with Supergirl and basically a prelude to Lazarus Planet:Alpha. Monkey Prince is definitely going to have a role in that crossover given the main villains, so I was glad to see that the main cover was adorned with some trade dress promoting it as a Lazarus Planet tie-in. I do think DC missed an opportunity here. Lazarus Planet:Alpha was a critical hit. DC really should have tossed the 'prelude' word on the cover to bring in more eyes. 

Writer Gene Luen Yang does a great job of pushing the title's storylines forward, embedding this story within the Lazarus Planet storyline, and shine a bright spotlight on the guest star Supergirl. Seriously, in some ways this reads like a Supergirl book with Monkey Prince as the guest. I love the interaction between the two as well. Supergirl is definitely the veteran here. She is amazing in this issue and it makes me wonder what a Yang/Chang Supergirl solo book would read like. 

While the Lazarus Planet:Alpha issue was able to stand alone perfectly, this issue truly builds on that story, filling in some of the questions I asked when I read it. So kudos to Yang. 

As always, Bernard Chang delivers beautiful art. This issue (and I assume this book) is a mix of big action and silliness. That is a tough line to walk. And yet somehow Chang is able to deliver monstrous battles and clone dandruff scenes effortlessly. 

If you like Supergirl in Lazarus Planet:Alpha, I would recommend seeking out this issue.

On to the book!

Review: Lazarus Planet: Alpha #1

Dark Crisis is over. Did it really happen? And what happened?

If you're DC, perhaps the best palate cleanser for an underwhelming event is to just roll into the next one and hope for the best.

DC Universe Lazarus Planet: Alpha #1 came out this week and kicked off the Lazarus Planet event which will steamroll through a number of titles. This issue had a coherent story with what felt like real stakes. There were good character moments which came out naturally from the story. Already I feel like this is going to make more sense and have a bigger impact than more recent events.

Writer Mark Waid knows what he is doing here. We have had a nice simmering build up in both World's Finest and Batman Vs. Robin. The Devil Nezha has been introduced as a major villain of some power. And somehow Nezha isn't even the biggest bad in the book. Nezha's rival, King Fire Bull, is the true villain here. Nezha might even be the friend who is the enemy of the enemy. That is a nice wrinkle.

But even more than the premise of demons entering the world, we have the straw stirring the drink. The Lazarus storm is effecting our heroes' powers meaning they need to be on their feet and ready. They need to cope and reel. This might lead to some deus ex machina moments (powers fading or returning just in time) but it makes things a little shaky right off the bat.

Perhaps best of all, Waid returns to a nice comic trope, the big hero team being split into missions to save the day. Gardner Fox is smiling somewhere. But even better than that, Waid only includes Batman as a true headliner. But he is injured and therefore sort of lags. We haven't seen that recently. The other heroes in the spotlight are more sidekicks or B-level. Power Girl and Supergirl are veteran leaders here. Cyborg, Blue Devil, Zatanna, Monkey King, et al are the players on the role. That gives these characters, all great, some much needed love. In particular, Waid just gets Supergirl, intelligent, fierce, determined. And he contrasts her with Power Girl who is more brash and physical. I love that the headliners here are these characters. I love them all.

Riccardo Federici is on art and brings that lush, detailed, penciled look to the pages. This really is a gorgeous book. The action pieces are big and bold and powerful. The emotional scenes are subdued and have an impact. And the ka-pow moments are eye-opening. Heck, he even makes Supergirl's new costume look good!

All in all, this was just the sort of book needed to whet my appetite for this event. To put it succinctly, I added 'Lazarus Planet stuff' to my LCS pull list.

On to the book.