Review: The Man Of Steel #5

For the most part, I have been very impressed with Brian Michael Bendis' The Man of Steel mini-series. Bendis seems to have a good understanding of who Superman is and what he represents. He has a handle of Superman's voice. Supergirl, the staff at the Planet, the arson subplot and new firefighter Melody Moore, and the members of the JLA have all sounded the way I expect them to. It is the character moments that have shined the most, as well as the all-star cast of artists on the book. But this stuff seems to be more on the periphery of the book.

What I hasn't really grabbed me so far are the two major plots going through the series. We have the threat of Rogol Zaar, someone we still don't know enough about to dig deep into his hate. And we have the Lois/Jon disappearance storyline, something I have tried to defend as we have been shown more and more snippets of what actually happened.

This week The Man of Steel #5 came out and, for me, it is the weakest issue of the series so far. Unfortunately, it is because the two plots I have struggled with, Zaar and Lois, are really under the spotlight here. And things are said and are done that don't make much sense for the characters or the stories. They are glaring. I can't easily swallow them for the sake of plot progression.

It is a shame because the other things continue to shine. This issue we get to see the JLA and how much they care about Superman. And this is a very good Supergirl issue with 3 moments that just shine. One of these moments is destined for a the Top Ten moments of 2018, I am sure of it.

And the art by Adam Hughes is incredible as well. There is vivid colorization. The punches are powerful. The expressive work is top notch. The art just sings.

But these high points just don't easily smooth over the low points of the plot.

On to the book.

Sales Review: May 2018

The sales numbers for May have been posted and I, for one, was pretty interested in seeing how this month all shook out. As usual, here is the link ti ICv2 and their coverage:
https://icv2.com/articles/markets/view/40671/top-500-comics-may-2018

For me, this was interesting as it marked the handing of the Superman baton over to Brian Michael Bendis. There was no Supergirl on the shelves this month. There was no Action Comics. We had a couple of specials. And we had the first issue of the weekly The Man of Steel comic by Bendis and a cadre of ultra-talented artists.

This mini-series isn't a reboot but a reinvigoration. It is Marvel Icon Bendis' first major work at DC. It should sell like hotcakes.

So ....

Supergirl Season Three Wrap Up

Supergirl Season three ended just last week, crazy as that is to say. But a long hiatus in the winter has led to an early summer finale. And here we are.

I debated on trying to put together a wrap up post. I haven't had the luxury of going back and watching the episodes again. I am basing most of what I am writing here on overall recollection and feel for the characters and plots. So bear with me if I don't give specifics or forget conflicting scenes.

What I can tell you is that I feel this season sort of limped to a close. I think back to the midseason finale, right after Reign pummeled Kara, right after a major plot thread was showcased, and I remember being excited. That Reign/Supergirl fight was brutal and palpable. Kara trying to bury her humanity seemed like a mistake. And the supporting characters, while dealing with issues of their own, were helping us tell Supergirl's story. We even got an incredible crossover where Supergirl and her evil doppelganger Overgirl played key parts. This was her show.

Then the middle portion of the season seemed to refocus on the supporting characters. We got a bit more muddled in the main plotline of the threat of Reign. What was she? Who was she?  We began to dip into some clunky 'relevant stories. I was still able to see some of that struggle Kara was having with embracing her humanity but it seemed to be more in the background.

Then the hiatus came and momentum seemed to be lost.

And finally when the show came back, we seemed to get even more confused. The Mon-El love plot took up more time. We got several episodes which very forcibly shoved a political agenda down the viewers' throats. These weren't stories with a lesson; these were agendas with a story built around it. And the mythos behind Reign and Argo City and valleys and swords came at us so fast that there was nothing consistent to hang on to. We spent much more time with supporting characters such that Kara felt like a guest star on her own show. And, unfortunately, time and time again someone saved Supergirl and not the other way around.

So much story and time seemed wasted such that saying goodbye to the Legion, her mother, her ex-lover, her friend, and her boss all happened in the span of 10 minutes with little effort to show what that even meant for Supergirl and her life.

We peaked early.

Next season I hope we Kara back in the spotlight. Let it be her show, her adventures.

On to specific plots.

Review: Justice League #2

It has taken me longer than usual to formulate the review of Justice League #2 and frankly that is because there is so much happening in the book it was difficult to hone down. And as you know, I already am a wordy reviewer.

What amazes me about this book, if its first two issues are a template, is that writer Scott Snyder is keeping the pedal floored, keeping things moving at a near breakneck speed. I have complained about stories where it feels like an arc has been stretched to fill a trade. Here Snyder is putting major events ... like let's say the League destroying the moon ... into a few pages, the actual destruction happening in the background of a panel.

That happened in issue #1, an issue where we also saw Vandal Savage has brought about a neanderthal revolution, the Totality from the Source Wall crashes on Earth, magic glyphs invading heroes and villains minds, and the League have a conversation about action vs. reaction. That's a lot of stuff, reminiscent of the most stuffed Morrison books of the JLA. We also saw Snyder lean into DC history showing us Monitors, Kamandi, and the DC 1,000,000 League. Incredible.

But I'm here to review Justice League #2. And we get a lot of story here as well. This includes what I call 'throwaway ideas', things mentioned that could be fleshed out into full stories or issues but are just blips on the bigger arc. So cars fueled with Speed Force, Killer Croc mutating into a Godzilla, and Totality runes that mean 'justice', 'rise', 'truth', and probably 'doom' are all there on the periphery. That glyph is everywhere.

I honestly feel like so much has been presented in the first two issues that it feels like 18 issues in the current market. You could have done a whole 6 issue arc on the Savage plot alone. Instead it is tidied up in 15 pages. So grab hold and enjoy the ride.

Last issue we were dazzled by Jim Cheung's art. This issue I was floored by Jorge Jimenez's stuff. I have been a fan of Jimenez since I first saw him drawing the Smallville arc with Diana. His stuff here is wildly kinetic, stylized just enough to bring some energy but no enough to pull me out of the store. It is perfect.

Onto the actual issue!

September 2018 Solicits

The September solicits for DC Comics came out last week and usual there are some interesting bits. I definitely am interested in some of the new books that are hitting the racks these days, specifically the new JL books. And the 'event' even sounds interesting. Somehow this feels like the post-Legends time period where DC was pretty prolific in putting out new and solid books. Here is a link to CBR's coverage: https://www.cbr.com/dc-comics-september-2018-solicitations/

As for the super-books, let's dive in.

SUPERGIRL #22
written by MARC ANDREYKO
art by KEVIN MAGUIRE
cover by TERRY DODSON and RACHEL DODSON
variant cover by AMANDA CONNER

Who murdered Krypton? Supergirl and Krypto rocket into space, en route to the Green Lantern world of Mogo, where she hopes to find clues about Rogol Zaar and his connection to the destruction of Krypton. Instead, she finds whispers and cover-ups. What are the GLs hiding? And will they go from Green to Red when they find out she’s in possession of Zaar’s weapon of war? (Hint: yes!) 

The idea of Supergirl and Krypto romping around space is a fun one. If the super-dog is her mystery co-pilot, I am down with it.

And I love the look of her new costume, especially under the slick hands of Terry Dodson.

But seeing Supergirl wielding the giant axe of the person who might have blown up her planet is not an image that sings to me. And her fighting Green Lanterns feels like a step backwards. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Review: The Man of Steel #4

Man of Steel #4 came out this week and was an action heavy issue after three which have been spent establishing the environment that new writer Brian Michael Bendis is going to be playing in. 

I have loved the personal character scenes in the first three issues. From Batman to Kara to the Planet Staff, Bendis has a knack for dialogue and interactions. As a result, this brawl issue was just a tiny step backwards for me. Fascinating that a high octane fight would be a pump of the brakes for me. 

That isn’t to say there aren’t some character beats in this issue. We get to see the cousins interact. We get Hal. We get the citizens of Metropolis. And we get Clark’s own internal dialogue. These elevated the proceedings. And I very much appreciated how Bendis folded the Action Comics #1000 story into this issue. If you didn’t have that story, this reads fine. If you Did read it, you can fill in some gaps. 

Kevin Maguire is in art and his stuff just sings. As always, his expressive work is brilliant. You know what people are thinking even without them saying anything. But I am just as impressed with the melee scenes. From a kinetic feel to a sense of the energy rippling off the combatants, it’s wonderful. This almost feels like a anime in places.

On to the book.

Nano Metal Fig Supergirl

Sometimes you get lucky.

The other night I was asked to drive two of the supergirls at home to Target so they could get some cosmetics and toiletries in anticipation of an upcoming dance. It was clear that I was to be chauffeur and purchaser during this visit. My opinion on make-up was not needed.

As we entered, I asked what the heck was I going to do while they were shopping. In a perfect response, one said 'go to the toy department.' My children know me very well.

And while wandering the aisles, I came across this mini-figure. A Supergirl diecast metal figurine from the Nano Metalfigs line.

I had no idea such a thing existed. 

But perhaps it was destiny that had me in that Target.