Review: Manhunter #8

I am now 8 issues into my look at the 1980's Manhunter series as I gather clues into the ultimate transformation of Mark Shaw to Leviathan. It interesting for me to see just how much of this early run has been devoted to secret societies, masks, and outright duplicity. No wonder Shaw is so disturbed.

Manhunter #8 is no different, with Shaw tangentially involved the DC event Invasion. Shaw gets sent to Cuba to check up on the Flash and runs into Durlans. The whole thing, in many ways, is nonsensical. But from that 10000 foot view of Leviathan, it is just one more brick in the foundation of this turning of Shaw from hero to leader of the Leviathan army.

Writers John Ostrander and Kim Yale again show us a Shaw who is haunted by his Manhunter history. Shaw again sees secretive, manipulative groups trying to control others from behind the curtain of disguise. These themes have been prevalent from the beginning of the series. Whether Brian Michael Bendis read this to get his ideas for Leviathan is a mystery. 

But the plot of Durlans trying to take over Cuba but not really using their powers or being ruthless seems a bit inane.

The art here is done by Frank Springer with inks by Pablo Marcos. This is standard fare, nothing fancy.

On to the book.

Bullet review: Flash Facts

Last week I bought the DC book Flash Facts, a sort of chapter book for young readers about science and technology. It carries the star power of Mayim Bialik as editor but most of the stories are done by comic veterans whose names I recognize.

There are ten stories in this book with a variety of characters and art styles which makes me think it is a decent primer for kids who don't know the DCU but are into science.

And I was happy to see that Supergirl was one of the characters chosen to be represented. Her story could have easily been a Superman one, or a Starfire one, or a Miss Martian one. But Kara got the spotlight and that makes me happy.

The story is written by Cecil Castelucci (who I know mostly from Shade the Changing Girl) and drawn by Gretel Lusky, someone I don't know. Castelucci frames the story with some good Supergirl moments but the bulk of the pages are an almost encyclopedic discussion of the galaxy and space. Great knowledge dump, no doubt. I learned a ton. But not much warmth .. perhaps appropriate when discussing space.

Lusky's art is charming and fits the tone of the book. It has a nice polish too it and feels right for a 'children's book'. But I also think it would work well with any of the new DC young adult trades or even some licensed books like Superhero Girls.

Still, I don't want to belittle that framework portion of the story. Castelucci seems to understand Supergirl more than many.

On to the brief review.

Review: Future State Superman Of Metropolis #2

Future State Superman of Metropolis #2 came out last week, the ending of this Future State mini-miniseries, setting up Jon Kent as the 'new' Superman and ending the threat of Brain Cells. Now you might remember that I had some issues with the first issue. This issue is definitely an improvement. But that is about as far as I can go.

I know I have to check myself some time. I am sure it is hard to convey the entirety of a timeline and a character within two issues. And I know I am 'twitchy' when it comes to how Supergirl is portrayed. I have a vision of who Kara is in my mind. I haven't seen that Kara in a long time. And maybe I am at fault for nitpicking.

Writer Sean Lewis finishes the story he started, putting Jon through his paces and making him mature over this time. But much of that maturation comes in comparison to both Superman and Supergirl. While this longtime Supergirl fan always think of how she felt like she was in Kal's shadow, I haven't always thought of Jon's thoughts of following both Kal and Kara. So that is interesting.

But Lewis' take on Kara is close to what I want, certainly closer than last issue. But there are some subtle things that didn't work for me.

One thing that did work well is John Timms' art! While some of the action is a bit muddled, the overall look of the book is very slick. And his take on Supergirl is great. I love her future costume here.

On to the book.

Review: Future State Superman Vs Imperious Lex

The Future State books have been a mixed bag for sure. One of the books I knew I would be checking out but with some trepidation was Future State: Superman Vs. Imperious Lex.  I guess my concern was that this was going to be what I call an 'Agenda book', the sort of title which has a political view to trumpet but doesn't have a solid story to tell. It's all agenda. As I have said before I don't mind a story with an agenda. I don't like an agenda without a story.

Writer Mark Russell is known for his progressive stories and I worried that Superman would be an afterthought. Luckily, this was a solid story but as a clear modern political parable to America these last few years. But rather than castigate, Russell actually sounds pretty even handed. 

Steve Pugh is on art and brings a sort of Curt Swan-ish feel to the proceedings.

Look, I am a middle aged lifelong comic fan. You bring in Lexor, I am probably going to be happy.

On to the story.

Back Issue Box: Manhunter #7

It feels like I am settling into a nice routine of doing my Mark Shaw retrospectives on Wednesdays. I hope to continue this as we approach Event Leviathan:Checkmate.

As I said when I began this side project, sometimes I'll review multiple issues. Sometimes just one. It all depends on the tone of the books and how much they add to the Leviathan mystique. Today I'll review Manhunter #7 written by John Ostrander and Kim Yale with art by Doug Rice.

Once more, this is a good issue where you see how Shaw is working with and against shadowy organizations. And whether these cabals are 'good' or 'bad', they always end up hurting people, destroying them. 

But more than others, I thought this one also showed the other side of Shaw, the one who laughed and joked enough in Event Leviathan that I thought for sure it was Ted 'Bwa-ha-ha' Kord. 

This issue is also drawn by Doug Rice whose dynamic manga-esque style was a draw for the book. Here Rice shows his dynamic approach to the art nicely with the Count Vertigo battle. As you can see from the cover, his approach to showing Vertigo's power is to show a very geometric landscape showing height, much different than the usual wavy, seasick approach I mostly see the Count's effects displayed.

On to the book.

Bullet Review: The Other History Of The DCU #2

The Other History of the DC Universe #2 came out last week and was another very interesting look at classic Bronze Age DC history through the lens of minority characters. This time it is Mal Duncan and Bumblebee. 

Written by John Ridley with art by Giuseppe Camuncoli, the issue is a nice slice of DC history, walking us through the history of the Teen Titans and Mal and Karen's interactions with the team. We are talking about real-life timing of these stories, for the most part, with Ridley placing this squarely in the 70s and early 80s. 

I like that this issue we hear both characters recollection of not only the trials and tribulations of the Titans, of Mal's desire to be accepted and how he just wished to be super, and Karen's legit super-powers but her reluctance to toe the line. But Ridley also throws in actual Earth history - Arthur Ashe's victory at Wimbledon and the busing riots in Boston. 

Like last month, Ridley stuffs the issue with iconic images of DC history. It is a great read. And Camuncoli does a great job with the art, doing homages but also keeping it all very grounded when he has to.

But this is a Supergirl blog. And I have to say, I think Ridley is a Supergirl fan. Because just like last month (see here: http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2020/12/bullet-review-other-history-of-dc.html ), there is a lot of Supergirl in this book. 

And Ridley treats her with great respect and admiration. 

Read on!

Review: Future State Batman/Superman #1

Future State Batman/Superman #1 came out last week and I have to admit I was looking forward to this one.

For one, Gene Luen Yang is the writer here. He is also going to be the writer on the main Batman/Superman book in the coming months. I liked Yang's work on New Super-Man and The Terrifics so I was interested in seeing what he would handle the World's Finest duo. Yang picks up what Joshua Williamson has done so well in the main title, contrasting the two heroes but showing why they work well together and are friends.

Next, Ben Oliver is on art and I love seeing anything Oliver does. No doubt his work is meticulous and clean. I love his Superman. So big draw.

And lastly, I am basically staying away from Batman books. While I have heard some reviews on Magistrates and new Batmans, I haven't seen it first hand. So I thought this would be a good dip of the toe into the Gotham waters.

I do have to say that it has been hard for a simple mind like me to keep all this Future State timeline in my head. This looks like it could have been an issue from next month. But at some point Superman is on Warworld. At some point Superman is free and talking about Lexor. At some point, Superboy becomes Superman. It is enough to give me a headache. Are all of these Future States on one timeline? Or can some exist as their own fractured timeline.

On to the book.