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Tpull's Weekly DC Comics Review – Part Two

Tpull's Weekly DC Comics Review – Part Two

The Flash: Rebirth 3

by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver

Johns uses all of the Flash history he can in telling this story, involving all members who have been touched by the Speed Force. Van Sciver gets to draw all of these fast characters, plus some other super-guest stars too. Each one has good definition, and the detail is great. Check out Barry’s upper lip to see the little marks that help to display the effect things are having on him. Somewhat subtle, but consistent and effective.

The lightning is out to get Barry, and anyone who has used the Speed Force is in danger if they come into contact with him. He tries to get away, heading deeper and deeper. Johns gives us a small Flash/Superman race that settles the question of who is really faster, sure to make certain fanboys howl in anger. Regardless, it’s a great scene. Inside the Speed Force, we find Johnny Quick and Max Mercury, both of whom appear to fade to skeletal husks, while Professor Zoom appears to take credit for Barry’s current mishap.

I have to admit, I missed the original “enhancement” of the Speed Force as a factor in the speedsters’ lives the first time around, and I’m still collecting some back issues of Mark Waid’s run. So I’m not up to speed (pardon the pun) on how everything is supposed to work, so some of the dialogue sounded like a bunch of techno-babble to me. That said, this is a beautifully drawn book, and if you just nod and smile at their attempted explanations, the rest of it reads well.

JSA vs. Kobra 1

by Eric Trautmann and Don Kramer

I am so glad I decided to try this title. A six issue mini-series, Trautman deals with some fallout from Final Crisis while Kobra rears its ugly head. One of DC's problems is that they do not expand much on explaining what has gone before, so if you didn't read Final Crisis, you might not catch on to Sasha's condition at the beginning. However, it is neat to see the crossover between Checkmate and JSA, given Mr. Terrific's former post (and Alan Scott's too) at Checkmate. Don Kramer makes characters like Dr. Midnight look cool. The letterer has made excellent choices for the narration panels to track which thoughts belong to a particular person. The only criticism is his choice for the shot of the entire group around the conference table, which should have been from a different viewpoint to feature the members better.

The break-out of the JSA into smaller groups works well, and Trautman spreads terminology reminiscent of a chess game throughout, in keeping with the theme behind the Checkmate organization. I would have given bonus points if he could find a way to feature portions of an entire chess game to give the reader a solid description. As it is, the description of the moves themselves makes it a chess game I would like to see (personal bias from a former chess champion).

Kobra plays out his scheme well, misleading the team as to his true moves, and just like a master chess player, the opponent JSA thinks everything is okay, and that they have been performing well, when Kobra has been three steps ahead the entire way, and is setting up to make a bold attack.

I have only one question I hope someone can answer: what is the word "ha!" doing on the cover next to Amazing Man's head?

R.E.B.E.L.S. 5

by Tony Bedard and Andy Clarke

A Starro minion asks Querl Dox to surrender himself, in order to retain a semblance of independence as part of his vanguard. It's similar in some ways to Kerrigan from Starcraft, or maybe Galactus' heralds. We learn how the living computer was taken over, and the words flow directly into action as our favorite rebels turn down the generous offer and try to fight back. The Dominators are being invaded by the rest of Starro's forces, but with limited success.

Aubin continues with an art style that reminds me of the old dot printers, a look that Scott Hanna helps to maintain with his excellent inking, using his skills to complement the style rather than overrule it with his own brand of inking. The distinctive look sets it apart from any other comic on the stands, although I suspect it falls in the "you either love it or hate it" category.

The story flows well, with a lot happening; since I'm reading this along with Action Comics, it only serves to emphasize my impression that not enough is happening in the Action title. Part of that may be Greg Rucka's style of writing, which tends to build slowly. Here, we not only get the feeling that the full team of Dox's is about to be assembled, but we also see a planet being taken over, some of Starro's minions frustrated, Amon Hakk looking like he will end up as part of Dox's team in the end, and a look at the real Starro the Conqueror! Slightly divorced from the rest of the DCU, this is a fun read, unencumbered by most needs of continuity.

Titans 14

by Eric Wallace and Michael Shoyket

A new creative team comes in with a sub-title, "Disconnected." Funny, that's how I feel. The characters are all a little "off" from what I know of them. Maybe I'm just a cranky old fanboy, but I grew up with these guys, basically, and there are some things they would and wouldn't do, and some things they would and wouldn't say. Shoyket's style seems to lack any kind of flair, making Cyborg in particular seem less complex and visually boring. The meta-dating service is a bad idea. We're supposed to believe that meta-powered people are seeking normal, non-metas, and they won't have to worry about if the "normals" are trying to get a date for the sake of the freak factor, or the celebrity factor? It's almost like a "discreet" service for matching up a union worker with Halle Berry. Who thinks this service would work? (I know, at the mention of Halle Berry, three dozen of you are already trying to find the website online, aren't you?)

Cyborg ends up at the exact place to find his old childhood nemesis, and it looks just as artificial as it is. The plot calls for this development, so Cyborg happens to walk right where he needs to. All this just to re-introduce a plot thread from his recent mini-series. This is followed by Cyborg defeating a villain by guessing that the guy used the name of his pet parakeet as an emergency code to escape his powered suit. Sigh. Anyone brilliant enough to design a power like that with nanotechnology would at least have coded a password to his own voice-print. It's almost like a thirteen year old wrote the plot. I never thought I'd say this, but can we bring back Winick? I need to get him away from Batman anyway...

It's like DC wants this title to fail. Can I even bring myself to buy the next issue? Ugh.

Tpull is Travis Pullen. He started reading comics at 5 years old, and he can't seem to stop.

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Posted by Travis on June 12, 2009 8:52 PM
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