Comic Proportions

The Flash: Rebirth No. 5
Published by DC Comics. Written by Geoff Johns. Art by Ethan Van Sciver.

The Deal: The resurrection of the original Flash (Barry Allen) and the revamp of the entire Flash family continues.

The Verdict: I can’t say I’m in love with this book. This six-issue limited series seems more like a means to an end than a great comic book story. Writer Geoff Johns has given himself the mission of redefining the Flash mythology, and that’s just what he’s doing. Along the way, however, he’s also pumping out page after page of senseless pseudo-science gobbledy gook. Still, in this month’s issue, the new status quo of all the Flash-flavored speedsters comes into focus. As a result, I’m excited about what the future holds for the characters … even though I’m not too thrilled about the present.

Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.

Batman and Robin No. 6
Published by DC Comics. Written by Grant Morrison. Pencils by Philip Tan. Inks by Jonathan Glapion.

The Deal: Grant Morrison churns out another issue of his new Bat-book, which stars the new Batman (ex-Robin/Nightwing Dick Grayson) and the new Robin (Batman’s asshole bastard son).

The Verdict: WTF just happened? I read this issue, like, twice, and I have no idea what’s going on here. In other words, Morrison is doing what he’s known for — crafting weird and ambiguous superhero tales. The art is pretty horrendous in places, using heavy blacks to cover up flaws. I’m not feeling this issue one bit.

Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.

Superman: World of New Krypton No. 9
Published by DC Comics. Written by Greg Rucka and James Robinson. Art by Pete Woods and Ron Randall.

The Deal: Superman’s adventures on the rescued planet of New Krypton continue.

The Verdict: This book is all political intrigue and machinations … and that’s all good, but where’s the wonder? I mean, here’s Superman’s chance to finally hang out with living, breathing Kryptonians — folks he figured he’d never meet — but he never, for a second, just basks in the wonder of it all. As a reader, that aspect of the book screams out every single issue. It’s interesting, but it’s missing heart.

Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.

Justice League of America No. 38
Published by DC Comics. Written by James Robinson. Pencils by Mark Bagley. Inks by Rob Hunter.

The Deal: Writer James Robinson and artist Mark Bagley begin their stint on the Justice League, which stars a rather sparse-looking team that’s fronted by an injured Vixen.

The Verdict: This issue is exciting enough — featuring a big (and slightly out-of-nowhere) fight with an old-school JLA villain — but, making reference to two DC limited series, it feels sort of in between crossovers. The dialogue is little better than Robinson’s work in Cry For Justice, and Bagley’s art is kinetic as ever (Rob Hunter’s inks add a touch of flash to Bagley’s sometimes middle-of-the-road illustrations), but I’m just waiting to see the team’s new lineup.

Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.

Batman: Streets of Gotham No. 4
Published by DC Comics. Written by Paul Dini. Pencils by Dustin Nguyen. Inks by Derek Fridolfs.

The Deal: The Paul Dini-penned Batman comic rolls on to its fourth installment, and this one’s sort of a done-in-one issue. Oh, and there’s a second feature (as usual) starring Manhunter … with Huntress along as a guest star.

The Verdict: At first I had a hard time figuring out what set this Batman book apart from Batman & Robin and Batman, but now I get it: Streets of Gotham is basically Paul Dini’s Detective Comics with a new title. I mean, I guess with Batwoman in the regular Detective book, the brass at DC wanted Dini to keep doing Bat-centric work that they obviously enjoyed. So, if you read this series, don’t expect some unique concept; it’s just a Batman comic. That being said, it’s a damn good Batman comic — great dialogue, great characterization, great cast, action, mystery, pathos, etc. If you dig Batman, you should be picking up Streets every month. Oh, and the Manhunter second feature is interesting, and it’s a great bonus for folks who buy this book, but I see why it never took off as a regular solo series.

Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.

Sweet Tooth No. 2
Published by DC/Vertigo. Story and art by Jeff Lemire.

The Deal: So far, it seems like this comic is a post-apocalyptic-flavored tale of a young human/deer boy trying to survive with the help of a tough stranger.

The Good: The success of Sweet Tooth hinges on the comic’s strong characterization. Writer/artist Jeff Lemire injects a ton of personality into the book, instantly making you care for the lead character, Gus, and fear for his safety on almost very page. But although Gus is hunted and wanted, he doesn’t come off like a victim. He views his journey into a vast, unknown and dangerous world as an adventure — and we, the readers, can’t help but be bitten by his enthusiasm and trepidation. Lemire’s art is from the “quirky” school — and not everybody is going to dig it. Look past the unconventional illustration style, however, and you can see he’s got a full grasp on all the fundamentals: storytelling, camera angles, lighting, pacing, emotion, etc.

The Bad: Although I attempted to describe Sweet Tooth in my opening sentence, I can’t say I know exactly what this book is about yet. But that’s not such a bad thing.

The Verdict: I think Vertigo has a new hit on its hands. It’s a strange comic, but I recommend buying it.

Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.

Batwoman: Detective Comics No. 857
Published by DC Comics. Written by Greg Rucka. Art by J.H. Williams III and Cully Hamner (for the second feature)

The Deal: It’s the latest issue of Detective Comics starring the (relatively) new incarnation of Batwoman. And bringing up the rear is a backup feature starring the new female version of The Question.

The Verdict: This is, without rival, the prettiest comic book on the stands today. We’ll be looking back on the groundbreaking job that J.H. Williams is doing with the art for years to come. As pretty as the art is, however, I find myself enjoying the story in the second feature more. Maybe I just feel like I know the Question better than Batwoman. Anyway, this comic is definitely worth the $3.99 price tag.

Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.

Justice League: Cry For Justice No. 3
Published by DC Comics. Written by James Robinson. Art by Mauro Cascioli.

The Deal: It’s the third issue of the JLA-centric limited series starring Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Green Arrow, the Atom and several other DC heroes.

The Verdict: Damn, this book was damned-near unreadable. Filled with awful dialogue and some really preposterously coincidental plot points, I actually had to put it down a few times. Last issue was decent, but this is definitely a move in the wrong direction. But, all that said about the story, the art sure is pretty.

Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.

The Flash: Rebirth No. 4
Published by DC Comics. Written by Geoff Johns. Art by Ethan Van Sciver.

The Deal: It’s the latest issue of the limited series that promises to relaunch and revitalize the Flash as a character and a franchise — featuring a story by hot-writer-of-the-moment Geoff Johns and drawings by artist Ethan Van Sciver.

The Verdict: OK, this is the issue where Flash: Rebirth finally gets going. The first three issues were a tad bit slow and unfocused — although I think those books worked to build up a much-needed personality for original Flash Barry Allen — but this week’s edition ties together some story elements, revs up the action and includes some really cool character moments. If you weren’t feeling this comic at first, I’d recommend sticking around — because it looks like it’s getting good.

Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.

It’s Wednesday.

For normal folk, that means “hump day” has arrived and the weekend is almost here. But for geeks like me, Wednesday is a truly glorious day — it’s the day that new comic books flow into shops all around the country.

I’ve been personally making a weekly trek to the comic shop on this day of the week for more than 20 years, and I get excited with anticipation the same way each and every time. (And, no, I don’t live with my mother.)

Anyway, what’s hitting stands today and what’s worth grabbing? I’ll be providing a few “Quickie Comic Reviews” later today, but here’s a list of stuff I’m planning to pick up:

The latest issue of Previews: In case you don’t know, Previews is the catalog of upcoming comics and merchandise; it’s published by the industry’s largest distribution company, Diamond Comics. For collectors, Previews is an indispensable tool that shows you everything coming out from most of the comic publishers out there. I saw the art for this week’s cover and it’s featuring the soon-to-be-released limited series Image United. We’ll see if that comic comes out on time. In the meantime, snag a copy of Previews and stay in the loop.

Usagi Yojimbo No. 122: A consistently entertaining read every month.

Batman and Robin No. 3: I’ve been loving Grant Morrison’s relaunch of the Batman franchise, and — while this issue is a tad late — I’m excited to see how he and artist Frank Quitley wrap up the first story arc.

More DC books: Along with Batman and Robin, it looks like I’ll be picking up a bunch more comics from DC this week, including the latest issues of Detective Comics (for the incredible art alone, although I am loving the Question backup story), Flash: Rebirth (another late comic, but I’m hanging on until the end) Green Lantern, Wednesday Comics, JSA and Wonder Woman.

Bart Simpson Comics No. 49: Like Usagi Yojimbo, it’s just damned funny every issue.

Marvel Comics: From the folks at Marvel, I’ll be on the lookout for Dark Avengers No. 8, Fantastic Four No. 570 (the start of the new creative team), Guardians of the Galaxy No. 17 (yeah, I still love it), New Avengers No. 56, New Mutants No. 4 and Secret Warriors No. 7 (one of my favorite new books).

Buck Rogers No. 3: This is my last attempt to read this comic. The first few issues were decent, but not incredible.

Check back later for a few reviews.