I’ve finally caught up with my back load of “floppies”. Now if I can snag my three GNs (Tangent: Superman’s Reign v1, the second Mini-Marvels collection, and the Voltron Omnibus), my folder will be empty for the first time since I went into the hospital last year. That and the last doctor bill will put the “year of hell” behind me. But for now, it’s time to focus on the future.
Check my spoiler-blocked reviews at ComiXology. It’s making me famous…or something. The spoiler-happy reviews follow.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold #4
PUBLISHER: DC Comics/Johnny DC (June 2009)
WRITER: Matt Wayne
PENCILER: Andy Suriano
INKER: Dan Davis
COLORIST: Heroic Age
LETTERER: Sal Cipriano
EDITOR: Rachel Gluckstern
After a brief team-up with Sugar and Spike (yes, you read that right–Chris Sims wept tears of joy), we zip to the future, where Aquaman tells Mera a story of the time he and Batman went travelling through time (later to be interrupted by that same trip). First a dinosaur shows up on a dock, then other time displaced folk lead the duo (only one half Dynamic) to enlist the aid of Rip Hunter: Time Master. Unfortunately he and his partner are turned into neanderthals, as are people all over (including Mera in the future). The culprit is Dr. Cyber, who believes that by messing with time, she can “save the world”. When they all end up in future Atlantis, she realises that she’s doing more harm than good, and makes a noble sacrifice to reverse her own schemes.
What they got right: Fun with time paradoxes, and a better story than last issue. Aquaman’s portrayal is spot on, some nice cameos, and it’s less likely to induce potential continuity errors with the show. Going after characters (to most people) not only helps DC keep the characters in their stable, but gives readers a taste of DC’s past. This is how you do it, Didio!
What they got wrong: Were all the “Earth Day” mentions necessary in a story that has nothing to do with Earth Day or it’s themes? And it’s a holiday in Atlantis now? Really?
Recommendation: This shows where the comic, and the series it comes from, can really shine.
PUBLISHER: Dynamite Entertainment (2009–don’t tell me they follow the Moonstone system of not using months in their cover date)
WRITER: Scott Beatty
ILLUSTRATOR: Carlos Lopez
LETTERER: Simon Bowland
COVER: John Cassaday with Laura Martin
SPECIAL THANKS: Flint Dille of the Dille Family Trust (apparently they hold the rights to the character–it should be noted that Flint Dille is also a fantastic cartoon writer)
It’s the last day of Buck Rogers. The Earth is being threatened by a race of amoeba who plan to absorb our homeworld. They’ve also captured Buck, but he’s been playing possum, and sacrifices himself to destroy the threat, sucking all of them into a temporary, man-made black hole.
What they got right: The art is fantastic. The story, although short–but what do you expect for 25 cents in this day and age?–is entertaining and action packed. I love Buck’s dialog, the way the Ganymedians grammar doesn’t translate well–it’s all so believable, with a bit of oldschool badass. (Take note, Wolverine–Buck could own you any time he wants!) As an introduction, it achieve it’s goal of interesting you in the upcoming series.
What they got wrong: I don’t think saying Buck dies here is a spoiler, because that’s how #0 was promoted by Dynamite itself. On the one hand, you really get an idea as to who Dynamite’s version of the character is. On the other hand, it takes that sense of “will Buck survive this encounter” out of the stories. Sure, we “know” they’re not going to kill off their title character, but it’s that moment of uncertainty that makes the escape even more exciting. That’s gone now, since we’ve already seen how Buck dies. The series is going to go back to the beginning, not follow Buck’s adventures in another universe.
Recommendation: If you’re unsure as to how this series is going to be, you can do worse with a quarter than pick up this comic. I’m looking forward to the series now.
Doctor Who Classics Series 2 #5
PUBLISHER: IDW Publishing (April 2009)
originally presented in Doctor Who Magazine #61-63, Marvel UK 1982
WRITER: Steve Parkhouse
ARTIST: Dave Gibbons
EDITOR: Alan McKenzie
IDW COLORIST/COVER ARTIST: Charlie Kirchoff
IDW EDITOR: Denton J. Tipton
IDW DESIGNER: Robbie Robbins
The Event Synthensizer is a giant keyboard that keeps harmony in the universe. When the Prime Mover accidentally hits the wrong key, the demon Melanicus breaks free and seizes control. Time is thrown into chaos, and the Doctor teams with a time-displaced knight to find the answer. However, the TARDIS has a stowaway who somehow is connected to the weirdness the Doctor experiences.
What they got right: The first reprint to feature the fifth Doctor (Peter Davidson), the originals were in black in white for the magazine. Instead of using the colors of the original US comic reprints (by Marvel, whose UK group makes the magazine, or at least made since I don’t know the current status), they went with their own, and while it makes Davidson look older than he is, the rest of it is pretty good.
What they got wrong: Anything I’d put here goes more to my personal taste and the fact that I’m a US guy, so I’m used to different things in my sci-fi than the UK. I’m pretty sure Parkhouse didn’t take us into consideration. However, UK sci-fi in comics always seems odd to me. (See also their Star Wars and Transformers work.) Harmony is kept in place in time thanks to one guy and his giant pipe organ?
Recommendation: If you like Doctor 5, you’ll like this comic. Finding the originals would be hard, and the original Marvel US reprints only slightly less so. This was my first full Doctor (I started watching during the tail-end of Tom Baker), so it’s nice to finally catch up with these stories.
Sonic Universe #2 (Shadow Saga part 2 of 4)
PUBLISHER: Archie Comics (May 2009)
WRITER: Ian Flynn
PENCILER: Tracy Yardley
INKER: Jim Amash
COLORIST: Jason Jensen
LETTERER: Teresa Davidson
EDITOR: Mike Pellerito
EDITOR IN CHIEF: Victor Gorelick
Just before Sonic and the Freedom Fighters are ready for a huge attack on Robotnik (something going on in the main title), Shadow and Rouge the Bat recruit him to take out a cannon that threatens all our heroes. During the story, there are flashbacks to the Sonic Adventure 2 video game, showcasing how the relationship between Sonic and Shadow have changed over the years, as the former rivals now respect each other, if not befriended each other.
What they got right: It’s interesting to see how Sonic and Shadow, former enemies, have become sort of allies in their various struggles. I haven’t been following the main title (I stopped when they tried to shoehorn three stories into one normal sized comic), so I don’t know the extent of their friendship these days, but I do like reformed villains and new friends.
What they got wrong: There’s at least one point where they didn’t note in captions when they were in the past, and that’s when you realize that without them you wouldn’t know when their in SA2 and when they’re in the present. I remember back when the game came out, the main title had a teaser to the game, but you had to play it in order to find out what happened. It was never adapted properly either in the main title or in a special. As the “Off-Panel” strip noted, it’ll be foreever until they get to Sonic Heroes, if at all. If the games are now canon in the comicverse, this should be addressed.
Recommendation: I’m still keeping my eye on it, and if Archie’s stopped stuffing too much into the main title, I may pick it up at the next arc.
PUBLISHER: Boom Studios/Kids (March 2009)
WRITER/ARTIST: Roger Langridge
COLORS: Digikore Studios
LETTERER: Deron Bennett
EDITOR: Paul Morrissey
It’s the Muppet Show in comic form, complete with skits and subplot, but without the guest stars. The subplot features the gang trying to cheer up Kermit, and not doing a good job of it. Famous Muppet Show skits include “Pigs in Space”, a visit to Koozebane, a Muppet News Flash (that introduces the comic), and the Swedish Chef. An original skit is in there as well.
What they got right: If The Muppet Show were coming back to TV, I would definately put Roger Langridge on the writing staff. He used to write Muppet comics for the now defunct Disney Adventures digest-sized comic, so he’s had practice. The skits do feel like they come from the show, and I would love to actually hear Kermit sing that song in the finale. The subplot came close to making me misty, so there’s some heart in the writing among the comedy.
What they got wrong: While I like Roger’s writing, the art isn’t as impressive, but I’ve seen the old newspaper comics the Gilcrest brothers used to do, and that was a lot better as far as matching the characters. Roger gets the generic Muppet style down, but specific characters, most notably Kermit for me, just doesn’t live up. However, the writing is strong enough that this isn’t that bad a distraction. Also, why is the variant cover just the back cover of both comics?
Recommendation: I’ve been reading reports about how this comic sold out, and I understand why. Definately worth picking up, but I’m looking more forward to Muppet Robin Hood from Boom Kids.
Best Scene of the Week
Buck Rogers #0
With dialog like this, the comic can't go wrong.
So now we’re back to just weekly comics, and trying to get each of those graphic novel collections. I can live with that. Barring more injuries or sickness. Looks like winter’s finally over here in Connecticut, as well, so there (God willing) shouldn’t be any more delays in my collecting. Now I just have to something about thining out the herd before I drown in comics.
And yes, I did notice that the first three comics had something of a theme to it. Can you spot it?
BW Media Spotlight 
[…] [The original review is here] […]
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