Hoopla! - Episode 5: DC Comics - Back in the game!!!

"...And there came a day

Lo, after much crap had been published

When the Powers That Be did say "Enow!"

"Let us not continue to peddle this drivel but,

Rather, let us put out some good comics

By talented writers and artists

And without quite so much Continuity Incest

And blood-shed."

And the clouds, they did clear

And the sun, it did shine

And the people were free to purchase DC Comics

Once again..."

- from the book of Hoopla!

--------------------------------------

Hello and welcome to Hoopla!

As you may have guessed from the above, I'm feeling pretty happy with DC these days... after a deluge of crap, they're finally starting to put out some comics that I actually want to read!

HUZZAH!!!

I'm not that difficult, really. Not everything has to be Alan Moore level of greatness. I don't require brilliance from my Justice League of America or cutting-edge innovation in my Green Lantern.

I'm not asking them to re-invent the wheel... heck, I'd like it if they'd just learn to leave that wheel alone! Stop knocking it over on its side and setting it in flames and calling the dark, toxic fumes that emerge from the melting rubber "entertainment."

All I'm asking for is a little Smash! Bang! Pow! That's all. Sure, maybe there was a time when I wanted more from my comics... when I felt a little bit bored with the same old, same old... but the past few years of DC have shown me the error of my ways.

I didn't know how good I had it!

I don't want them to make "real" changes with "long-lasting" effects! I don't want them to try to resolve the friggin' continuity every ten minutes. Yes, the continuity makes no sense.

It's okay!!!

Just please... in the name of God... leave it be!!!

I just want to read a good comic-book.

Is that so much to ask?

Well, it looks like DC is finally getting the message (after only one year of plummeting sales) and in May of 2008 they've got a whole bunch of nifty stuff coming out...

Stuff like... this...

BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #17

Written by Fabian Nicieza

Art and cover by Kevin Maguire

Kicking off a 5-part story by Fabian Nicieza (X-Men) and Kevin Maguire (Justice League INTERNATIONAL)! Batgirl crosses paths with the Catwoman for the first time... and that's bad luck, especially for Batgirl's father: Commissioner Gordon! On sale May 14 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

I've never purchased an issue of Batman Confidential before, but holy shluh-moley!!! Kevin Maguire is a pretty easy sell... there's not much that I wouldn't buy with his art in it. The fact that it stars the early version of Batgirl and is written by Fabian Nicieza... well, that's just the icing on the proverbial cake, as the kids like to say.

I hereby predict... quality!!!

Meanwhile, over in Batman and the Outsiders, which I've been enjoying in a good-but-not-great kind of way, we have this nifty cover of Metamorpho...

Who wouldn't want to buy a comic about Metamorpho being pulled into a Washing Machine of Doom???

Er, that is a Washing Machine of Doom he's in, isn't it?

May also brings us the first issue of Final Crisis, which I'd originally intended to skip, but I read an interview with Grant Morrison in which he promised that it will have nothing at all to do with re-booting the DC universe again...

Neat cover, anyway. Very striking.

Speaking of Grant Morrison, one project that I'm not so excited about is the upcoming "Batman R.I.P." storyline, of which this "splitting headache" cover marks the second issue...

That was a grammatically twisty moment, wasn't it?


"...one project that I'm not so excited about is the upcoming "Batman R.I.P." storyline, of which this 'splitting headache' cover marks the second issue..."

Yeah, I don't know about that. If one of my students tried to pass something like that by me, you can be sure I'd circle it and in the margin I'd write "Awkward grammar."

I always say "Awkward grammar" instead of "grammatically awkward" because I'm not actually certain how to spell "grammatically." Does it end with an -ally or an -ly? I don't know. And I'm too damn lazy, er, busy to look it up.

Anyway, yeah, haven't really been enjoying Morrison's run on Batman, which kind of surprised me. It's interesting, too, because I just read this interview with him in which he discussed it and, reading the interview, I kept thinking, "Wow. That sounds really cool."

I had to keep reminding myself that I'd already read around ten issues of the damn thing and I didn't really enjoy any of them.

So, go figure.

And you know, back in the day I'd feel more compelled to pick something like this up just to find out what the big event is... I mean, obviously they're not really going to kill Batman, but something is going to happen... and I'm just naive enough to think it's going to somehow be important or noteworthy. Maybe he'll lose an arm? Turn red? Get married? Get divorced? Make a deal with the devil? Get a fourth... no, fifth Robin?

I'm curious, sure. But the great thing about the world today is that we have the internet... which means that I'm going to know the big secret approximately ten seconds after the first person reads that issue... so, even if I purchased "Batman R.I.P.," I'd know what happened long before I actually read it.

So, that's cool.

Just think, if we'd had the internet back during the days of Knightfall... oh, the money I could have saved...

This is a tough one.





The above is the first issue of a 12-issue Batman story illustrated by Kelly Jones.





Kelly Jones draws a rockin' good Batman, despite the rather dopey looking cover illustration.





[And seriously... GREEN? Whose bright idea was it to place a NEON GREEN background behind Batman??? Um, people? He comes out at night. That means you can use black, dark blue, or maybe a dark crimson if you want to suggest blood. Those are your options. You may NOT use SUNNY YELLOW, JOLLY ORANGE, PINK of any kind, or NEON GREEN.]





Anyway, it might be good... but it's written by Steve Niles and, nothing against the guy, but I've not yet read a comic by him that I thought was any good.





Yes, the concept for 30 Days of Night was very clever. I acknowledge that.





But his actual writing...?





Mediocre, at best.





So, I just don't know...





BATMAN: GOTHAM AFTER MIDNIGHT #1


Written by Steve Niles


Art and cover by Kelley Jones


"There are things that go 'bump' in the night. Be thankful that one of those things is on our side…" When the full moon rises and casts its eerie glow over the land, the creatures of the night come out to hunt and feast and prey on the innocent citizens of Gotham City, and only one man stands in their way: The Batman. These are the bizarre and frightening case files of the Dark Knight Detective, featuring grave-robbers, men making monsters, night terrors, and the debut of an all-new moonlight monster known only as Midnight. In this fatal first issue by the creative team of Steve Niles (30 Days of Night, SIMON DARK) and Kelley Jones (BATMAN: RED RAIN), Batman will come face-to-face with the Master of Fear himself - but just what is the Scarecrow after? And what does it have to do with the Axeman? Could it be some elaborate scheme to trap the Bat? Be here at the beginning - and beware! On sale May 28 o 1 of 12 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US



I just like this next cover... I like that giant, grinning alien coming at you, just asking for a hug...

"Marty... how are ya...?"

That's what I imagine him saying, somehow.

And now, Best Cover of the Year...

I've not yet read a single issue of Tiny Titans, and yet already it's my favorite comic-book series in the world.

Go figure.

This next cover, which I actually find rather non-descript, is for the first issue of House of Mystery, which I think is going to be very, very cool.

Here's the solicitation:

HOUSE OF MYSTERY #1

Written by Matthew Sturges & Bill Willingham

Art by Luca Rossi

Cover by Sam Weber, Variant cover by Bernie Wrightson

Matthew Sturges, writer of the Eisner-nominated JACK OF FABLES, and his JACK co-writer Bill Willingham, proudly unlock the doors to the HOUSE OF MYSTERY, a new ongoing series that reinvents a classic DC Comics concept. HOUSE OF MYSTERY focuses on five characters trapped in a supernatural bar, trying to solve the mystery of how and why they're imprisoned there. Each one has a terrible past they'd like to forget, and with no books, newspapers or TV allowed in the House, they face an eternity of boredom. But stories become the new currency, and fortunately, the House attracts only the finest storytellers.

In addition to the ongoing trials and struggles of the five unfortunate souls trapped within the HOUSE OF MYSTERY, illustrated by superstar artist Luca Rossi, each issue in the first storyline also includes a short tale, as told by one of the customers, written by Willingham and illustrated by a host of fine guest artists, including two-time Eisner Award nominee Ross Campbell (WATERBABY, Wet Moon), SANDMAN fan favorite and multiple Eisner winner Jill Thompson, and classic horror artist Bernie Wrightson, whose first published work was in House of Mystery #179. This series is topped off with ethereal, jaw-dropping covers from Sam Weber (The New Yorker, The New York Times, Time Magazine)and a stunning variant cover by Wrightson on the debut issue.

"This is a book where you can have a pirate, a psychic detective, a spaceman, a French romantic poet and an NYU film student sitting at a table having a beer together. It's a writer's dream come true."— Matthew Sturges

“Let's be perfectly clear: There isn't just one mystery in the new House of Mystery. It's actually chock-full of mysteries, all of which will be thrilling and exciting as they unfold over the course of the series.”— Bill Willingham

On sale May 7 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS



Okay, so that looks... cool.

And on that rather in-eloquent note, I must to be going...

There's loads more stuff I was hoping to cover, but the time... it does not permit...

On a quick, more personal note, I would just like for the record to show that this month... that is, February of 2008, has been one of the suckiest months I have lived through in many, many years... and I am glad to see it fading into the distance behind me...

Here's hoping that March is a little bit more user-friendly and a little bit less full of cactus-in-the-eye moments...

- Paul

Hoopla! - Episode 4: Orgasmic Comics in May!!!

Hello and welcome to Hoopla!

Sweet Christmas!!! The solicitations for DC and Marvel books coming out in May of 2008 were released yesterday and they are... awe-inspiring.

I am inspired. And shocked and awed.

DC's solicitations are better-than-average, yes, but Marvel... Marvel truly loves me. I always suspected it, but now I know this to be true.

The proof...? See for yourself:

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #559

Written by DAN SLOTT

Penciled by MARCOS MARTIN

Cover by ED MCGUINNESS

Peter Parker: Paparazzi! Part 1 of 3"The Money Shot"The DB, New York's trashiest tabloid, has just hired the sleaziest, most muckraking, lowlife paparazzi of them all...PETER PARKER?! Say it ain't so, true believer! Also in this ish, J. Jonah Jameson finds inner peace and harmony...(Hey, it could happen! Maybe.) All this and the first ever livestreaming super-villain: Screwball! Dan Slott returns to Spidey, and he's bringing Marcos Martin (DOCTOR STRANGE: THE OATH) with him!32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #560

Written by DAN SLOTT

Pencils and cover by MARCOS MARTIN

Peter Parker: Paparazzi! Part 2 of 3"Flat Out Crazy"Are Pete's paparazzi pics inspiring a super celebrity stalker? Is he responsible for all of her grisly acts? Even if he is, what can Spider-Man do about it? How can anyone stop the flatout freaky powers of Paper Doll? Also: Miss this issue, and you'll miss out on SOMETHING YOU'VE ALL BEEN ASKING FOR!!! Write it down, Spider-fans, ASM #560!!!32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99

Hmm... Dan Slott writing Amazing Spider-Man? Marcos Martin doing the art? A new villain named Paper Doll?

And SOMETHING I'VE BEEN ASKING FOR...?

Dude, I'm so there...

AVENGERS/INVADERS #1 (of 12)

Written by Jim Krueger and Alex Ross

Penciled by Steve Sadowski

Cover by ALEX ROSS

Legends Live Again. The original Invaders (Captain America , Bucky , Human Torch , Toro , and the Sub-Mariner) return in a twelve issue maxi-series by the award winning team behind EARTH X, Justice and Project Superpowers .The greatest super-team of World War II finds themselves transported from the battlefields of the Second World War to a future they never imagined! Now, the Invaders find themselves confronted by two teams of Avengers who want desperately to believe these heroes are who they say they are, while Tony Stark faces his greatest challenge since the Civil War as he must deal with the “return” of Steve Rogers. Confronted by a world they barely recognize, the Invaders will have to show two teams of the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes just what kind of power, courage and sheer determination it took to defeat the forces of unrelenting evil in the Twentieth century. In fact…they may just have to do it again in the Twenty-First.32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

On the one hand, I was thoroughly unimpressed by Alex Ross, Krueger and Sadowski on the first issue of Project: Superpowers. On the other hand, I really enjoyed Justice and, quite frankly, this looks awesome.

So, I am cautiously optimistic...

I believe I've already mentioned that I'm loving Brubaker's run on Captain America, so I'll simply add that the above cover kicks some serious butt.

Okay... so the above cover is rather "meh," but I think this series is going to be super-deluxe fun. Why? Well, let's see what they have to say for themselves...

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #1
Written by DAN ABNETT & ANDY LANNING
Penciled by PAUL PELLETIER
Cover by CLINT LANGLEY
Launching out of ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST, Marvel’s sci-fi heroes unite to protect the cosmos! Back-to-back Annihilation wars have weakened the boundaries of our universe. Dark gods and monsters are seeping through the cracks, reigning horror upon those still reeling from the recent calamities. In the face of terror, who stands to defend a desperate universe? Star-Lord and his squad of butt-kickers – the modern day Guardians of the Galaxy! You’ve heard that ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST rocks – the guy at the comic shop keeps telling you to try NOVA – well, now’s your chance to experience the glory that writers Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning and artist Paul Pelletier can unleash! All this…plus a wise-cracking raccoon and a telepathic dog! C’mon, people, time to lock and load!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

I'm loving Abnett and Lanning on Nova and this looks like it may be even better, with characters like Rocket Racoon and Cosmo, the telepathic Russian dog starring in it...

Here's a pretty good interview with the authors to help get you psyched...



And here's a very brief excerpt from that interview... a promo by editor Bill Roseman...

“If you want to see Marvel continue to explore a variety of genres, give issue #1 a chance,” Rosemann stated. “And if you like what you see, spread the word. Yes, ‘Guardians’ will push all those superhero buttons that we all love -- troubled heroes, sinister challenges, emotional intrigue and jaw-dropping cliff-hangers-- but it's also a sci-fi book packed with amazing worlds, mind-blowing technology, wild life forms and intense space warfare. And like all good sci-fi storytellers, the creators will comment on humanity with visuals and metaphors that will hopefully be thought provoking and maybe even controversial. And, who am I kidding, if you just want to see bad-ass fighters, hot femme fatales, a high-tech HQ in a decapitated Celestial head, a telepathic Russian cosmonaut dog, and a smart-mouth raccoon with a penchant for heavy armaments, we'll have all that too.”


And then there's this...



MARVEL ADVENTURES THE AVENGERS #24
Written by JEFF PARKER
Penciled by IG GUARA
Cover by LEONARD KIRK
FAN FAVE JEFF PARKER RETURNS!Giant-Girl hates Spider-Man. Spider-Man hates Ant-Man. Ant-Man hates Iron Man. Iron Man hates...everyone. Where is all this hate coming from? Some kind of... MONGER, perhaps?32 PGS./All Ages …$2.99


Jeff Parker on Marvel Adventures: The Avengers.

Jeff Parker on Marvel Adventures: The Avengers.

Jeff Parker on Marvel Adventures: The Avengers.


Why is Marvel so good to me...?

And then there's this...

It may not be immediately apparent why the above is of any interest. Let's take a look at the soliciation, shall we...?

CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI: 13 #1

Written by PAUL CORNELL

Penciled by LEONARD KIRK

Cover by BRYAN HITCH

SECRET INVASION TIE-IN!The Skrull Invasion isn’t restricted to the US. When the Skrull Invasion hits England, only Captain Britain and MI: 13 stand in their way. Can they find out what the Skrulls are after before it’s too late? 32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

Hm. Nope. Still not clear.

Well, here's the thing...

Paul Cornell (the writer) did a limited series about a year ago, Wisdom, which starred PeteWisdom and which received rave reviews from all the right people but which sold about 4 copies.

I've never read it because by the time I heard that it was good, it was already almost over and, honestly, it was a bit too expensive to jump into at that point.

This, however, is a sort-of follow-up to that limited series and, based on this interview, I think it's going to be pretty darn neat. And the extra-good news is that the trade paperback that collects the limited series is relatively cheap... over at mailordercomics.com, they have it for a mere $13.19 (originally $21.99), which is a pretty good price considering it was a six issue mini-series and I think each individual issue was $3.50 or thereabouts.

So, I'm pre-ordering the TPB for April and then will be fully and utterly prepared to enjoy CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI: 13 #1 when it comes out in May.

I've got a hunch about this one, folks...

Oh, and here's an interview with the writer/artist/editor...

Meanwhile...

INCREDIBLE HERCULES #117

Written by GREG PAK & FRED VAN LENTE

Penciled by RAFA SANDOVAL

Cover JOHN ROMITA JR., KLAUS JANSON & DEAN WHITE

SECRET INVASION TIE-IN!The Greek Goliath gathers the most powerful super-team ever assembled to counter-attack the Skrull gods! Face front, True Believers, and prepare for the pantheon-pounding premiere of... THE GOD SQUAD!32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99

I'm enjoying this title a lot and I feel certain that the pantheon-pounding premier of THE GOD SQUAD will only make it better...

And now, here's perhaps my favorite solicitation text of the month...

OMEGA: THE UNKNOWN #8 (of 10)
Written by JONATHAN LETHEM & KARL RUSNAK
Pencils & Cover by FAREL DALRYMPLE & PAUL HORNSCHEMEIER
The Overthinker sings The Ballad of The Bearded Superhero, while the Fonziebot takes a short walk off a tall skyscraper, and Alex meets the real Nowhere Man and battles his robotics professor on the Columbia University quad -- all this and more, as the story of Jonathan Lethem and Farel Dalrymple's OMEGA THE UNKNOWN saga approaches its mad climax!32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

How can you possibly not want to read this???

Honestly, they had me at The Ballad of The Bearded Superhero.

Anyway, there's a ton of other good stuff coming from Marvel in May, but my poor little head is getting weary. I'll add a bit more commentary on what Marvel's coming up in May, however, and a look at some of DC and Image's most interesting upcoming books in a very short while...

How short?

VERY short.

Until then, please to be enjoying the life as best you can, as I too will be doing the same...

- Paul

Hoopla! - Episode 3: In which comics are reviewed and much fun is had by all

Hello and welcome to Hoopla!

I'll tell you what... the past couple of weeks have been rather sucky. I'll spare you the details, but suffice it to say that I apologize for the long delay between columns and that I will now try to make it up to you by providing you with a veritable smorgasbord (spelling?) of comic-book reviews...

Ready? Let's begin...

The Twelve #1

Written by J. Michael Straczynski

Art by Chris Weston

Published by Marvel Comics

Project Superpowers #0

Story by Alex Ross and Jim Krueger

Art by Alex Ross, Doug Klauba, and Stephen Sadowski

Published by Dynamite Entertainment

[And, no, that's not the company that used to publish Dynamite magazine back when I was in junior high school... alas.]

12 (public domain) mystery-men from the World War II era are placed, through plot contrivances, into the year 2008 in what feels very much like a Watchmen rip-off.

I'm sure I'm not the first to note that The Twelve and Project Superpowers are extremely similar to each other in terms of the basic concept. The fact that the first issue of each was published at more or less the same time is sort of unfortunate as it gives one a sense of "been there, done that" that goes beyond the obvious Watchmen comparisons.

Are they any good?

I thought The Twelve was actually pretty neat. I'm not a big Straczynski fan, but he does a pretty nice job here of introducing twelve characters in a very limited space and making me want to read more about them. One of my favorites is the two-panel intro to the Witness:

As for the Witness, he didn't have any powers, just his fists... but he could remember every evil act he'd ever seen, and had sworn to avenge them all. On the way in, he said he'd just come from a place called Auschwitz.

No powers.

But not one of us could look him in the eye without feeling like we'd peered into something dark and angry and very, very dangerous.

My other favorite character from this first issue is Electro, a big robot controlled by someone halfway around the world. Not only is he a neat character, but I absolutely love that someone spray painted Berlin or Bust! on his chest-plate.

The Twelve may be highly derivative of other comics that have come before it, but it's a heck of a fun read and the art by Chris Weston is very, very cool.

Less satisfying was Project Superpowers which, quite frankly, didn't do a thing for me. The interior art has that not-very-dynamic quality of Alex Ross' painted work but without the majestic grandeur that, in my opinion, more than compensates for the static compositions. It's a muddy, messy looking book that really lacks the kind of oomph! this sort of series really needs.

As for the story...?

Meh.

Something about Pandora's Box being real and a lead character who is such a total sucker that he's conned into believing that imprisoning all of his former teammates will somehow rid the world of evil and who somehow fails to notice that it didn't work until a ghost-y thing that looks like the American Flag points it out to him.

Project Superpowers also fails to flesh out any of the characters beyond our lead, the Fighting Yank, who is a moron and the Green Lama, whose only character trait thus far is that he's a Buddhist and so is very calm and serene.

Whatever.

As for the others, I can't recall their names and have a hard time recalling what any of them looked like, despite the fact that I read it last night. I'm not sure what powers, if any, they have. I couldn't tell you a thing about their personalities beyond the fact that the Green Lama is calm and the Fighting Yank is a schmuck.

Blah.

Captain America #34

Written by Ed Brubaker

Art by Steve Epting and Butch Guice

Published by Marvel Comics


The first issue with the new Captain America is, in my humble opinion, a big success.

It would have been easy to f*** this up. When I saw that the new Captain America was carrying a gun, I had this awful, sinking feeling that we were going to do the storyline where a super-hero is replaced by another, more violent super-hero and, at first, it seems like a good thing because he isn't bogged down by old-fashioned rules and stuff but then we all learn a very valuable lesson when it turns out that it's wrong to shoot people and be a violent sociopath and so the original hero has to return and battle his replacement and, at the end, everyone says "You're the only person who could ever be Insert-Name-of-Superhero and we will all do a fancy dance to celebrate your return."

Brubaker doesn't seem to be going this route, though, and god bless him for that! Instead, I thought he did a fantastic job of giving the reader a sense of how difficult it would be to try to take the place of Captain America and how all the stuff that looked so easy (diving into hordes of evil-doers and smashing them over the head with that shield) would actually be incredibly difficult. By the end of the issue, I actually felt the exhaustion and nervous tension coming off the page.

Or maybe that was Mie. I'm not sure.

Anyway, nicely done Mr. Brubaker... and VERY nice work on the whole plot-line of the Red Skull attacking the US through assaults on its economy and EXTRA ESPECIALLY cool to have the real-life mortgage crisis incorporated into the storyline.

Good stuff.

Youngblood #1

Written by Joe Casey

Art by Derec Donovan

Published by Image

Joe Casey has written some great comics over the years, but this isn't one of them. Part of the problem is the art; I have really enjoyed Donovan's art in the past, but it just doesn't fit here. I really think the premise of Youngblood is so closely intertwined with the art style of original creator Rob Liefeld that you need an artist who can match that kind of manic energy to make it feel like the same group. Derec Donovan is not that artist.

More importantly, there's nothing here we haven't seen a million times before. Reading Youngblood #1 made me want to go back and re-read Peter Milligan and Michael Allred's X-Force/X-Statix series, which is essentially the same thing but a million times more interesting.

I thought it was a particularly bad idea, incidentally, to include a few reprinted pages of the original series at the back of the book, as it simply highlights the lack of energy in the new series.

But what do I know? I'm just a bill...

Wonder Woman #16

Written by Gail Simone

Art by Terry and Rachel Dodson... and Ron Randall

Published by DC Comics

I know that Gail Simone is doing her damnedest to make Wonder Woman a viable character once again and I appreciate that... but somehow the end result tastes like flat cola.

It's not bad, per se, and there are bits and pieces of this story that have made me smile, but there has been no moment that's really taken me by surprise... no sense of awe. No thrills.

This is a title that I keep forgetting is being published until the latest issue arrives at my door. Which it won't be doing anymore, because I've dropped it.

Sorry, Gail. I respect what you're trying to do with the character, but it simply isn't working for me.

Ultimate Spider-Man #118

Story by Brian Michael Bendis

Art by Stuart Immonen

Published by Marvel Comics

This, on the other hand, is sheer bliss.

Here's what I've noticed about this series...

The best issues are the ones where there's no fight and no super-villain but, instead, Bendis focuses on the soap opera elements of the book.

Also, the beginnings of his story-arcs are always much better than the endings. The endings usually amount to nothing more than a big fight, which is not Bendis' strong point as a writer.

Anyway, I really loved this. Great character development (especially for Kong!) and a lot of genuinely funny stuff.

Thank you, Bendis.

Astonishing X-Men #24

Written by Joss Whedon

Art by John Cassaday

Published by Marvel Comics

My god... are they still on that planet?

Superman/Batman #44 and 45

Story by Michael Green

Art by Shane Davis

Published by DC Comics

These are the first issues of this series I've picked up in a long, long time. In fact, I think the last time I bought an issue of Superman/Batman was near the beginning of Jeph Loeb's final arc; by that time I'd completely lost interest and nothing that followed really compelled me to look again. Oh, except for a couple of issues with art by Ethan van Sciver that I just remembered. The story was pretty forgettable (something about all the aliens on Earth turning evil?) but the art, it was pretty.

Anyway, I just got these two issues because I liked the cover to #45 (Aquaman kicking Superman's butt underwater) and because I am a whimsical fellow, given to sudden flights of fancy.

Are they any good?

Sure, they're alright. The opening to issue #44 is pretty darn funny, the interaction between the two lead characters is very nicely done, the basic premise (Superman decides that there's a heck of a lot of green kryptonite on the planet and maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to dispose of it before it's used to kill him) makes perfect sense, and I think Shane Davis' art is quite good. It's not the kind of art that makes me say "Zowie!!! I'm going to buy anything this guy does!!!" but it's perfectly fine and I hope he gets a more regular assignment soon (Justice League, maybe?).

I thought the whole "We have learned a valuable lesson" moment at the end of #45 was a bit dopey, but overall I thought this was well worth the time and money.

---------------------------------

Okay... so, that was a lot of comic-book reviews I just threw your way... are you feeling okay? Do you need to sit down, maybe?

As for me, I'm going to HOPE that my month improves... so far, February sucks. I'm sorry, but there it is.

Until next time, here's hoping that all your four-color dreams come true...

- Paul