Reviews of Comics from Wednesday 1/27 Part 1

Lats week was such a big week of comics, and I liked so many, that I decided to divide up the reviews into two days! Today, there will be reviews of books from DC & Dark Horse, and come back tomorrow for books from Image and IDW...

Black Canary #7
Story: Brenden Fletcher
Art: Annie Wu & Lee Loguhridge

Black Canary is one of the best books to come out of DC's most recent wave of titles (the other one will be popping up in a review a bit farther down the page), and the final issue of this first arc is a great example of everything this book does right. The origins of the mysterious Ditto are revealed, and it's a crazy sci-fi concept that still feels perfectly right in a comic that is mostly grounded in some of the more real aspects of a superhero universe. The thing that keeps the book grounded are the relationships between the characters. Despite Ditto having a seriously wacky and awesome sci-fi origin, the fact that everyone cares about her so much that it keeps them all grounded. And when Dinah tells the others to leave, that she's the one who will stand to defend Ditto against what is coming, no one else goes because, to quote Lord Byron (the band member, not the poet), "We're more than a band now, Dinah. We're a team, for better or worse." That journey, to be more than just a group of people driving around in a van, has been the core of this arc. And it's Ditto that allows everyone to come to a peace not just with each other but with their enemy, Bo Maeve, who also cares about Ditto. The origins of the band, why they're together and who brought them together, makes perfect sense in retrospect, as well. It's nice when the mysteries at the foundation of a book come together so nicely, and the answer about how Maeve got her powers and why it seemed like the same people helping the band were also working with their enemies. I also have to stress how impressed I am that Brenden Fletcher found a way to make me really like Kurt Lance, a character whose appearances in Team 7 and Birds of Prey made me think of him as a convenient plot device more than a character. The relationship between him and Dinah makes sense after this issue; you see that he's more than just some spy guy, but a decent man who really cares about people and is clever. There is a good potion of the issue that is a battle of the band against a creature called The Quietus, a thing that eats sound, and so much of the issue is silent, and Annie Wu, whose work has been astounding so far, steps up with her best work on the book. The Quietus itself is a great design, a roiling maelstrom on feet, and the sequence where first the band fights the monster with music and when Dinah and the mysterious white ninja attack the thing more physically are great. You can follow the action perfectly without any guidance of text, and it's exciting to watch. Not like any other book on the stands right now, or any other version of the character, Black Canary is a great book that had an ending to its inaugural arc as exciting as everything that lead up to it.

Grayson #16
Story: Tom King & Tim Seeley
Art: Mikel Janin & Jeremy Cox

After a detour into the "Robin War" crossover, Grayson returns to its standard form, a wall to wall international espionage action with plenty of joyful cheesecake shots of its lead. I'm sure we'll get some answers in the future about Dick's role with the Parliament of Owls, but as much as I'm curious where that goes, I'm glad Grayson returned to tie up the threads about Dick's war with Spyral, his previous employer. The majority of the issue is Dick and The Tiger, also known as the former Agent One of Spyral, both of whom have gone rogue and know something is rotten in Spyral progressively taking down one Spyral agent after another and bantering. The bantering is mostly from Dick, granted, as the Tiger really doesn't banter, but is more talkative than Batman, who usually is the recipient of Dick's friendly banter, and his grumping back at Dick is almost as funny as Dick's jokes. There is some really phenomenal art in this issue, including a Dick and Tiger walking out of the water shot right out of James Bond movies, and the montage accompanied by Dick singing his personal theme song set to the tune of "Goldfinger" also intentionally evoke Bond, and that theme song will be caught in your head. For days. DAYS. The few scenes that aren't Dick and Tiger's excellent adventure are dedicated to Matron, Helena Bertinelli, the current head of Spyral, growing more and more frustrated by Dick and Tiger's exploits. There is also a meeting of the Syndicate, the best spies in the world, who we have seen hints of, but now who stand revealed, and who will go after Dick and Tiger soon, and they're a group of pretty big names who I'm excited to see in action. To stand against them, Dick makes a seeming deal with the devil, but I won't say who that devil is; you'll have to read the issue to find out. Grayson is getting more exciting with each issue, and I'm curious to see what happens when Dick finally faces down Spyral. Because after all, he's Grayson. Dick Grayson.

Hellboy Winter Special
Story: Various
Art Various

While nobody writes and draws Hellboy and his world like Mike Mignola, but one of the best things about the whole universe is the different visions we get from other artists and writers, and so these occasional Hellboy anthologies allow for some new visions. The Hellboy Winter Special features four stories (well, three and one two-page gag strip) that bring some new creators into Hellboy's world and lets them tell stories of the Hellboy universe's past.

Broken Vessels (Story by Mike Mignola & Scott Allie; Art by Tim Sale and Dave Stewart): One of the stories set farthest back in the history of the Hellboy Universe, the story finds the original wielder of a magical blade that has been featured in B.P.R.D. back in the ice age running a foul of a sorcerer talking about the mystical Vril energy and then fighting ghosts. It's the first time Tim Sale has drawn the Hellboy universe, and the story is well suited to his dark and moody style

Wandering Souls (Story by Mike Mignola & Chris Roberson; Art by Michael Walsh & Dave Stewart): The longest of the stories in the anthology, this story takes place right in the middle of the current Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1953 series of one-shot and minis. Hellboy and Agent Susan Xiang are on a mission in Wyoming to investigate a haunting. They follow the local sheriff, who is quickly possessed by the ghosts, and while Hellboy fights him, Xiang communicates with the spirits to learn about why they're haunting, and we see that this isn't a simple case of angry spirits who need to be smashed. Chris Roberson will soon be taking over as regular co-writer of Hellboy and the B.P.R.D., and if this is any indication, he'll it in just fine, and Michael Walsh is one of my favorite artists in comics right now, and I;m glad to see him working on Hellboy.

Mood Swings (Story: Chelsea Cain; Art: Michael Avon Oeming & Dave Stewart): Novelist Chelsea Cain steps up to tell a story about Christmas with Hellboy, Prof. Bruttenholm, and a teenage Liz Sherman. And the only thing scarier than a teenager is a teenager who can burn you alive with a thought. And when her Christmas present from the professor doesn't go over well, Liz runs into the woods, where a sweet gift of a ring of festive snowmen from Hellboy turns horrible when they're possessed. Michael Avon Oeming draws some really creepy monster snowmen until, well, just think about a pyrokinetic fighting snowmen. Guess who wins, and it makes me want to see more stories of teen Liz.

Kung Pao Lobster (Story & Art: Dean Rankine): A two page gag strip where Lobster Johnson orders Chinese food, and, well weird stuff happens. It's a funny little story, and that's pretty much what you can stay about it.

None of these stories require any previous knowledge of Hellboy and his world, so if you're a new fan, a lapsed one, or one of the faithful, this is a great one-shot to check out.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #14
Story: Sholly Fisch
Art: Dario Brizuela & Franco Riesco

When telling Scooby-Doo stories, the trick to keeping them fresh is not changing the formula, but finding ways to play with that formula for fun effect. Sholly Fisch's Scooby-Doo Team-Up always finds a way to take the Mystery Inc. gang, have them meet superheroes, and make it feel fresh while not violating any of the tropes of either world. When the gang gets invited on a cruise ship because of monster problems, it turns out the monsters are, shock of shocks, guys in suits, and with the help of Aquaman, they easily catch the undersea robbers. But pretty soon, it turns out this was all part of a plot by Aquaman's arch-enemies, Black Manta and Ocean Master, to distract Aquaman so they can conquer Atlantis. There's an homage to a classic Aquaman story, with Black Manta having kidnapped Aquaman's baby son, Arthur Jr., but being this is an all ages comic, the ending is much happier than in the DC Universe. There are cameos by much of Aquaman's classic supporting cast, including Aqualad, Tula, Topo the Octopus, Tusky the Walrus, and royal adviser Vulko, who is drawn way more ripped than I have ever seen him; animation treats Vulko pretty well. There are the usual gags with Scooby being a coward and Shaggy having the munchies, but the best classic Scooby-Doo gag that gets twisted here is Freddy continually trying to unmask villains underwater, and Velma and Aquaman having to remind him that if he does, these people will, well, drown. Oh, Freddy...

We Are Robin #8
Story: Lee Bermejo
Art: Jorge Corona, Rob Haynes, & Trish Mulvihill

The other highlight of the new DC titles, We Are Robin, also comes out of "Robin War" with a clean playing field and a new menace on the horizon. The focal points of this issue are two characters, our normal series lead, Duke Thomas, and Johnny Bender, a young man leaving juvie who after a failed surgery to solve facial paralysis is left with a permanent grin. And it should surprise no one that a Gotham kid with behavior problems and a fixed grin is going to idolize not Batman but his opposite number. We do see the other principle Robins being watched over by Alfred (I especially like Andre working out his anger in Midnighter cosplay (I'm trying to think what Midnighter's junior partner would be. The Nooner? Kid 10 p.m.?), so it's still an ensemble, but we're mostly following Duke and Bender. Duke is still on the quest to find his parents, and SPOILERS, he does find them. This kind of caught me off guard, since the end of the last issue of Batman teased Duke finding his parents, but this is his home book at this point, I suppose. It's a bittersweet reunion, as they are still effected by the Joker's toxin and don't remember Duke. Joe Corona draws the scene with true pathos, as you can see Duke's joy turn to pain and you watch his heart break. Meanwhile, Bender's reunion with his parents is no better. They're clearly pretty terrible people, superficial and unpleasant, and it's easy to see why their son looks for someone else to look up to, and unfortunately it has to be Joker. His decision to kill his parents is not surprising, as his narration has been disquieting since page one, and the pages and story are structured to really set Duke and him as opposite numbers in their own right. Between Batman and especially here in We Are Robin, the character work on Duke Thomas has made him and engaging and worthy member of the Batman family, and so giving him an archenemy seems like the next logical step. This clearly feels like it's the beginning of the Jokers, a gang that has its roots in Batman Beyond (yes, they're Jokerz there, but that's such a '90s future thing), and since so many of the aspects of that show have been entering the DCU since Convergence, it makes perfect sense and seems appropriate in this title. This is the beginning of the second arc for We Are Robin, and a great place to jump on.

Reviews of Comics from Wednesday 9/30

Batman Annual #4
Story: James Tynion IV
Art: Roge Antonion & Daniel McCaig

Bruce Wayne has been a passenger in the book he's driven for most of seventy-five years since Jim Gordon took up the mantle of the Bat and Bruce got amnesia, but this annual returns Bruce to the spotlight. On the day Wayne Manor is being returned to the Wayne family, Bruce, his current lady love Julie Madison, Alfred, and CEO Geri Powers arrive a the manor to sign the papers that will officially make the house Bruce's again. But because this is Gotham, what should be a simple signature is anything but, as three of Batman's rogues crash the party to make a point. Hunted through the manor by Riddler, Mr. Freeze, and Clayface, Bruce has to save himself and the others without his Batman skills. I really like Bruce Wayne, this likable, earnest, good guy who doesn't remember anything about his old life, but is trying to make a go of his new one. And as this little Riddler headed trio hunts for Bruce, he and Alfred do their best to make it through and save the others. It's interesting to see Bruce questioning everything about the house and his life, and moments where he sees something similar to an armory or the tunnels under the manor that Alfred covers up quickly. It's wonderful to see how Alfred wants Bruce to make a go of this new life he's been given. In the end, though, it comes to down everyone in the house in an office, and Riddler giving a speech about the madness of Bruce Wayne, both what is in him and what he's caused. And the speech has it's points, even though they're only accurate from Riddler's skewed point of view, in the same way the closing argument from the excellent Batman: The Animated Series episode, "The Trial" is. The final moment of the confrontation, Bruce does seem to channel some of his Batman muscle memory, and it makes me wonder exactly how much might still be under this calm new façade. The art from Roge Antonion, a newcomer to me, has hints of Rafael Albuquerque, with the same realistic bodies, but dynamic style and hints of horror in his Clayface. Annuals are often throwaway stories, but DC has been doing a good job of making them matter, and as a character piece to flesh out the new Bruce Wayne, this issue is top notch.

Grayson Annual #2
Story: Tom King & Tim Seeley
Art: Alvaro Martinez, Raul Fernandez, & Jeremy Cox

The other standout annual from DC this week was the second from Grayson, featuring the first meeting between superspy Dick Grayson and the recently outed and depowered Superman. Starting with a flashback to an early adventure of Batman, Robin, and Superman, the bulk of the story takes place right after he last issue of Grayson, with Dick saying goodbye to Gotham in the best way he knows how, jumping off a building to acrobat his way down, only to be grabbed by Superman, who thinks he's suicidal. What follows is what Grayson has proven time and again it does best: a fast paced adventure story, as the murder cult called The Fist of Cain come after Dick and Superman, along with Blockbuster, the Batman villain as their newest recruit, one who makes the flashback from the beginning of the story all the more key to the events unfolding. One of the things that really impressed me about this issue was how it did an excellent job of getting the readers up to speed on each character's status quo without making it feel forced; it was an infodump, sure, but when these are two old friends who haven't seen each other, it works. The dynamic between Superman and Dick Grayson has always been an interesting one, with Dick often acting towards Superman as if he were the fun uncle, but here, especially due to the vast weakening of Superman's powers, they are more on equal footing. The chase sequence, with them being pursued by the Fist of Cain and Blockbuster, is phenomenal, as he heroes try to get the cultists, who would revel in collateral damage, away from populated Gotham. They banter, they fight, it's charming, dashing, and fun, which is exactly when Grayson is at its best. But the Fist of Cain isn't a laughable threat, especially since they've weaponized Blockbuster's blood to make it a Venom knock off of sorts (and isn't that a freaky idea?), and so they have to ask from help from the one man who neither really wants to: Lex Luthor. Luthor's demeanor is the smug arrogance on has come to expect, and he's written perfectly, and with his help, the good guys win. Thematically, there's lot of talk of change, and the Kyptonian myth of Nightwing and Flamebird gets a new telling, one that makes Dick even more aligned with the mythical Kryptonian figure. All in all, if you've been curious to check out Dick Grayson's new spy adventures, or if you want to know more about Superman's status quo, this is an excellent place to start.

Sandman: Overture #6
Story: Neil Gaiman
Art: JH Williams III & Dave Stewart

"It begins..." Those are the last words of the main story in Sandman: Overture #6, and are words that are perfectly appropriate for a tale about the Endless, beings who never truly die but just begin again, and a story about the power of stories. Dream, on the ship with the beings gathered by his cat form and the ghost of the girl named Hope, must prepare to fix the problem he created by sparing the vortex that has become the mad star. It's cleverly done, tying in with one of the best Sandman single issues of all time, "A Dream of a Thousand Cats," making the appearance of the cat Dream throughout the series make all the more sense. I don't want to give too much away, because there are twists and turns throughout the issue that pay off events hat have happened earlier in the series, as well as some that make perfect sense in retrospect and make me want to go back and reread the series from the beginning, but the main story ends exactly where I expected it would. Gaiman has always been a writer who plays a long game, and little things are rarely little things. The Saeculum, the device that was a point of contention between Dream and his father, becomes an important aspect of the plot in this story, something I should have seen coming. Most members of the Endless appear in this issue, giving us Williams's visions of Delirium, Death, Desire, and Despair, all of which impressed, which shouldn't be shocking if you've ever seen his art. The pages with Delirium are particularly stunning, as his style morphs, becoming no less clean, but is now surreal. I usually have no problem telling how Williams two page spreads are meant to be read, but this one threw me for a second, simply because of how irregular and odd the borders are, which is perfectly befitting the subject of those pages. There are also two very clear hints at events that would come in the future of Sandman, evens that are important, and these nods to the future could have come off as twee or winking, but instead are natural fits to the way Gaiman tells stories. It's been two years since the first issue of Sandman: Overure was released, and a lo can change in two years. The quality and beauty of the words and pictures in this comic, though, have not, presenting a story that is a feast for the eyes and mind. If you've been waiting for the collection, I cannot recommend this highly enough, whether you're a fan of Sandman from old times, or have never tried it before.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #12
Story: Sholly Fisch
Art: Dario Bizuela & Franco Riesco

I've enjoyed the various issues of Scooby-Doo Team-Up that have paired Scooby and the gang with DC Universe characters, but this particular team-up, with Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, along with appearances by a couple other of Gotham's lady defenders or villains, has to be a favorite. Mystery Inc. arrives in Gotham, assuming they have been called for help by an anonymous source who can only be Batman. Only it's not Batman, it's Harley and Ivy, who are having ghost problems. Having stolen the cursed Opal of Osiris, their luck has gone sour, and they need the best ghost hunters in the biz to find out what's happening. The issue plays it completely straight with the Scooby-Doo tropes: there's a fake ghost, an unmasking, a chase. But who is behind the ghost mask each time is great fun. Sholly Fisch has done a great job merging the DC Animated Universe with Scooby-Doo's, and I was excited to see the designs for Harley and Ivy, as well as the two other gust stars who don't appear on the cover, were the classic Batman: The Animated Series designs. I have nothing against the New Batman Adventures designs, or any other, but those designs are so iconic and so perfect for animation, that they work seamlessly with this comic. I know this is technically a two week old comic for those keeping track, but my store sold out in a couple hours and I had to wait for this week's reorder. It has sold out through Diamond now, but a second printing is on the way. I have to say, the only thing that would be better would be Scooby and the rest meeting real DCU ghosts. Oh, the next issue features The Phantom Stranger, The Spectre, and Deadman? Sign me up!

Reviews of Comics from Wednesday 3/5

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #3
Story: Sholly Fisch
Art: Dario Brizuela

Sholly Fisch's Scooby-Doo Team-Up is one of the most fun books on the rack. While absolutely an all ages book, and completely accessible to everyone, it also is full of great nods to DC Comics past and the history fo Scooby-Doo. Last issue featured the Mystery Analysts of Gotham from the 60s, including many classic DC detectives, and this issue brings us not only two serious C-List Bat villains, The Spook and False Face, and references to A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, but also brings in Bat-Mite. It reads like most Bat-Mite stories, with Bat-Mite coming in to "help" Batman and in the process making everything much worse, but adds in Scooby-Mite, a fifth dimensional imp who is Scooby-Doo's biggest fan. This leads to an amusing deconstruction of the whole Scooby-Doo formula that still shows the value of the characters. Fisch does a perfect job of blending the Caped Crusader and Mystery, Inc. It would surprise no one that Fisch wrote the tie-in comic for Batman: The Brave and the Bold, a series that was based around such blendings. The issue's end adds in another reference, this one to the Teen Titans cartoon that serves as a nice little cherry on top of the issue. If you enjoy Batman or Scooby-Doo this is a great issue to give a read.

She-Hulk #2
Story: Charles Soule
Art: Javier Pulido

Charles Soule has been doing a great job picking up where Scott Snyder  left off on Swamp Thing, but as good as that book is, his She-Hulk is an even more impressive feat. Two issues in, and it's already creeping high up on my list of best comics on the rack. After hanging out her shingle for her own law firm at the end of last issue, this issue sees Jen Walters, She-Hulk, attempting to get her firm going. We start to meet the rest of the cast of the series, including her new paralegal, Angie Huang, who has a pet monkey that goes everywhere with her and whose cryptic answers to Jen's questions clearly indicate there's more to her then meets the eye, and Sharon King, the owner of the building Jen has set up shop in, who is a mutant who lost her powers and now rents to exclusively super powered clientele. After a day of making no progress thanks to the law firm she left last issue who are out to blackball her, Jen heads out for a night on the town with Patsy Walker, another former Avenger, Hellcat. Patsy seems to be as hard up as Jen is, and when she gets a few too many in her, she leads Jen to assault an A.I.M. lab that she heard about. We get a short but comedic battle between two A.I.M. goons in cyber suits and Jen, and by the end of the battle, Jen has one more employee in Patsy. One of the nice touches is hearing the A.I.M. goons talking about how taking out She-Hulk will get back to his higher ups and help him make more money to support his kids. That kind of dialogue adds a nice touch of realism to the book. The final page looks to be setting up Jen's first big case and setting her firmly in the sights of one of the Marvel Universe's biggest bads. If you've been enjoying Marvel's sleeper hit Hawkeye, this is definitely a book you should be reading.

Velvet #4
Story: Ed Brubaker
Art: Steve Epting

Velvet is a great example of everything Image Comics is doing right. It reads like nothing else on the rack and takes it's genre by the throat and does amazing things with it. After her disastrous mission in the previous issue to Belgrade, Velvet Templeton has a lead on Agent X-14's movements, hopefully getting her closer to who framed her for murder. Set in Monaco at the Carnival of Fools, we get Steve Epting at his best, drawing opulent and realistic backgrounds and characters in classy clothes and wild costumes. Velvet is hunting Roman, and Ex-KGB agent who has gone freelance, and finds him at a casino, playing Baccarat. Brubaker makes a fun joke about Baccarat, something I think many of us who have read James Bond has thought, and pretty soon, Velvet is caught up in another fight with spies. The fight scenes that Brubaker writes and Epting draws are brutal, and I like the internal monologue playing in Velvet's head; Brubaker makes it clear that fighting isn't a game to Velvet, that this is part of the job and she's willing to do anything to end it as quickly as possible. The issues ends with some classic spy banter, and another hint of Velvet's mysterious past. Brubaker has done a great job of balancing the plot driving each individual issue with the overarcing plot of the series, allowing for each issue to feel almost complete in itself, something many writer's can't do. With Captain America: The Winter Soldier, based on a series by this book's creative team, coming out in less than a month, this is a great time to jump onto Brubaker and Epting's creator owner spy series.