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Best Comics of 2011

Posted on January 1, 2012 by Brett

It’s the first day of a new year and so that means we’re doing our “best of” listing of the top comic books for 2011. Generally these are comic books that came out in 2010, though some are from earlier times and we got around to reading them. Keep in mind, this is what I have read. If it’s not on here, I just might not have read it.

Best Super Hero Comic – Daredevil

Daredevil has had an interesting 2011, we started with Shadowland and then got Matt Murdock finding himself and then a relaunched back to basic series written by Mark Waid with art by Paolo Rivera. Shadowland wasn’t too bad, a bit uneven, but as a whole Marvel had issues with this year’s events. Seeing Murdock corrupt and the emotion from his friends was an interesting read. After you had Murdock wandering the country in short mini-series followed up by the relaunch.

It’s that relaunch that makes Daredevil stick out in my mind. It’s a comic I look forward to reading each month. Waid has given it a pulp action feel like classic Green Hornet or the Shadow and Rivera’s art is fantastic. The comic is just fun to read. On top of Waid’s take, Daredevil is now an Avenger and each of his brief appearances so far has enhanced that series. When you show up in an ensemble comic and steal the show, that says something.

Waid has set up a lot going into 2012, can’t wait to see how it turns out.

Runner Ups – Moon Knight, Uncanny X-Force, Aquaman

Best Non-Super Hero Comic –DMZ

Is there a more politically relevant comic book series out there? Every month we’re given something to think about as we follow Matty Roth through Manhattan which is now a DMZ in the middle of the second American Civil War.

Writer Brian Wood is able to pivot and comment on what’s currently happening in politics and the world challenging our perceptions and not seem preachy at the same time.

With some single issues that stand as some of the best of the year and numerous holy shit moments, this isn’t just one of the most relevant comics out there, but some of the best political commentary of any entertainment medium. Fittingly, this final week also brought us the final issue of the series, a perfect way to end the year.

Runner Ups – American Vampire, Chew, The Walking Dead

Best Limited Series or One Shot – Criminal: The Last Of The Innocent

Really, just sign me up for whatever Ed Brubaker and Sean Philips have in store. This latest volume of their crime/noir series from Marvel/Icon gave us a shit-head of a main character and kept us on our toes as to what to expect. Sean Philips also showed us something new by changing up the art style every so often.

These two are one of the best teams in comic books today. Early 2012 brings us Fatale from them to be published by Image which is more horror/noir. Hopefully we’ll be seeing another volume of this series as well.

I’m a huge fan up pulp/noir comics, and this is the gold standard by which all others are judged. Just fantastic.

Runner Ups – Critical Millennium, Severed, 27: Second Set

Best Single Issue – Transformers #22 and #23

Technically it’s two issues, but the story is spread out between the two issues and either stands out as the best. On top of that Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime reflects on what’s discussed in these issues as well. Megatron is captured and the two issues reflect on his and Optimus’ past and how they became who they are. Flash forward to the present and the two leaders debate politics and motives. It’s an adult discussion coming from two giant robots.

DMZ might have been “the” political discussion of the year, but these two issues I just didn’t expect it from. Absolutely fantastic and enough to give me pause and make me think.

What’s the difference between a terrorist and freedom fighter? Find out in these issues.

Worst Single Issue of the Year – Holy Terror

Just a holy piece of crap. This is up there as one of the worst things I’ve ever read. The graphic novel by legend Frank miller is racist, xenophobic, sexist and horribly written. Can’t believe we’ve waited so long to read it.

Runner Ups – The Infinite (any issue)

Best Graphic Novel/Trade Paperback – Green River Killer

Dark Horse’s Green River Killer is a true-crime story focused on the Green River serial killings. The writer was close to the subject, as his father was one of the lead detectives. The story has multiple layers, looking at how families were affected, the struggles the police went through and at the end, why the killer did what he did.

The graphic novel is haunting. I couldn’t stop thinking about it for many days it was that disturbing and unsettling. The art is good, but it’s the story that gets you. The whole time you’re wondering how they’re going to solve this, but also why is this happening.

Add in the fact this is a true story. It’s a disturbing true story. Being able to get some of the behind the scenes to a story I only know from newspapers and the nightly news, just adds more to it all.

Runner Ups – Any Empire, Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand

Best Event of the Year – Uncanny X-Force: The Dark Angel Saga

I’m counting this as an event, though it’s really a long story arc. Rick Remender has put together the best “X” book put out by Marvel. This event which saw the rise of a new Apocalypse in the form of Archangel and X-Force is all that stands in the way between him and world destruction.

Diving into “X” lore with trips to the Age of Apocalypse universe, this was a story for the hard core “X” fans. But, more than that, everything was thrown into it. You had no idea what was going to come next and what to expect.

It wasn’t until I finally read the last issue that I know the ending, that’s how much of a big question mark Remender gave us. The follow as well was fantastic as why characters did what they did and a new status-quo and direction were set.

Runner Ups – Artifacts, Flashpoint

Best Genre of the Year – Horror

Horror was where it was at this year with DC folding in some Vertigo books and some great limited series like Severed. Animal Man, Swamp Thing, I, Vampire, B.P.R.D. and more lead the way to dethroning last year’s winner, a bunch of shuffling zombies (though that’s also horror in a way). I’ve never been creeped out more and enjoyed it as much.

Runner Up – Steampunk, Zombie

Best Comic Tie-In of the Year – Batman: Arkham City

I enjoy a video game or two (dozen). One of the best video games of the year, not just comic book tie-ins was Batman: Arkham City which just brought more of the brawler game. There’s a reason many are naming this as one of the best video games of the year and it’s sold so well. It’s that damn good.

The downloadable material which seems to be coming as a steady flow, the fact you can play as so many characters, that all adds up to a comic book experience you can control. Add in amazing graphics, game play and there you have it, it’s a must buy video game.

Runner Up – Marvel Universe toys, DC Universe Super Heroes Legos

Best Comic Book Related Movie – Thor

This year’s crop of comic book related movies wasn’t as amazing as I’d hope, but it’s a solid bunch. Marvel’s batch as what stood out and all three really deserve to share the honors. Each was excellent and flawed in their own ways, but out of the three Thor holds up best.

The story is pretty standard, didn’t really challenge me at all, but the visuals and Chris Hemsworth’s acting is what really makes it all stand out. The flaws also are the least of the bunch with only the final fight between Thor and the Destroyer really bothering me.

Out of the bunch, this was also the highest grossing, showing it wasn’t just me that liked it.

Runner Ups – Captain America: The First Avenger, X-Men: First Class

Best Surprise of the Year – DC New 52

This is a mixed one as DC’s relaunch is also a disappointment, but I’ll address it all here. DC made a bold move this year to shake up their sagging line of comic books by starting from the beginning and relaunching the entire line. It was gutsy. On top of that, their digital initiative was bold.

The story that lead up to it all, Flashpoint, was pretty damn good and what came out of it as well. I took a chance on all fifty-two issues and came away with giving half of them a chance for the second issue. From there, I made further cuts, but today, I’m reading more comics from DC than I ever have and their higher volumes they’re selling that the initiative has worked for the short term.

The disappointing part is that they didn’t go far enough. The comics were pretty standard and we didn’t get anything out of the box. There also was a clear audience, adolescent males (or men stuck in their adolescence). While we saw more advertising to the general public, we haven’t seen a sustained campaign. For all their gains in 2011, I think we’ll see a good chunk of it erode in 2012.

Biggest Disappointment of the Year – Marvel Events

Fear Itself and it’s follow up were and are bad. X-Men: Schism was ok, but much better than what was before. Shadowland was uneven. Marvel has been having some issues when it comes to their events. I won’t call it overall event fatigue in the industry as others have put out quality and showed what works.

Too many tie-ins, stories not thought out and gimmicky tricks paved the way to a substandard experience.

Marvel relied on the tired gimmick of death, killing the Ultimate Spider-Man, Bucky, the Human Torch and more, that all made headlines but some of it is already undone. There’s only so many times you can call death before the masses catch on and shrugs their shoulders.

Already we’re heading into more events at Marvel in 2012, here’s hoping there’s some improvement.

Runner Up – Green Lantern (movie), DCnU

Best Character – Moon Knight

Moon Knight has always been a character that’s intrigued me. Brian Michael Bendis, along with amazing art by Alex Maleev, have given us a new series that really looks at the many personalities of Marc Spector. The new series really has fun with the idea having Moon Knight drawing upon his personalities at different points.

Moon Knight is the psychotic Batman, a super hero struggling with mental illness. But is he really suffering from it? And should it be this much enjoyable to read?

Publisher of the Year – Archaia

Archaia received the honor last year as well, so let me really explain my logic here. Lets start with the big two, Marvel and DC. Marvel’s line has suffered in 2011, they’re out. DC made a bold choice, but four months letter, it all feels empty. There’s quality, but there’s also a lot that just doesn’t excite.

BOOM! made it’s case towards the end of the year with some great original series, along with some on-goings that continue to show off their quality. Add in a lot of licensed comics and they’ve got a line that has something for everyone. There were also some busts, but they’ve got a great line of comics. Image Comics, for all the quality also has some major duds. Inconsistency is the issue, but their quality is some of the best out there.

Dark Horse has some amazing comics. A lot of big name licenses and some good original, but there’s a lot of series I read and just didn’t interest me. Their quality though is up there. If your a Star Wars or Buffy fan too, they put out excellent product. Then we come to IDW Publishing. A lot of license there too, and also a lot of original material. Each week I see their new releases, I get excited, as a whole, I’m probably interested in more of their monthly comics percentage wise than any other publisher, and it’s all excellent.

And the big winner is Archaia. I should start with the presentation of the books. Beautiful covers and packaging is the first thing that sticks out. Their entire line of graphic novels are beautiful to look at on a shelf. Then there’s what’s in between those fancy covers. The variety of the books and quality is unmatched. I can find something for everyone and hand out one of their series or a graphic novel and know I’m good with my choice. All of what I read was good to great and much challenges story telling and comic book visuals.

Licensed books, original books, it’s all here. And it’s amazing. There’s comics for kids and adults and books kids and adults will love together. Books from the US and Europe, we have different styles and perspectives, it’s like the publisher goes out of it’s way to present choice and variety. And it’s all good.

I said it last year and it still holds true this year, when I think Archaia, I think high quality and expect the best. They continue to not let me down.

Runner Up – IDW Publishing

52 Reviews, Part 4

Posted on September 28, 2011 by

So, for the fun of it, I collected all 52 DC #1 issues. And I’m offering up my final reviews of the entire group. Keep in mind, though, that I’m generally a Marvel fan and, while I’m working may way through DC’s recent big events, I’m only up through the middle of Countdown and I haven’t read any of DC’s non-event comics in a long time, so I’m coming at these stories with a bit of a disadvantage in terms of chronology and character knowledge. Since DC is certainly trying to attract new readers, though, this makes me come at them with a perspective similar to their hypothetical new fans… Tomorrow or the next day, I’ll have a post on my overall thoughts on the whole reboot.

All Star Western #1 (DC) – I was prepared not to like this too much. I liked Jonah Hex as a kid, but I hadn’t read it since then. And I generally don’t like anything Western. Add to the mix that Hex wears a Confederate uniform and is anti-science and anti-urban and there’s no reason I should’ve liked this. And yet I loved it. Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti tell a very well-written tale that incorporates Western tropes, Jack the Ripper, Sherlock Holmes and the mythology of Gotham City. It all fits together very well, although a possible turn with the villains of the story could upset me if it goes the way it looks. I could probably do without another dead hooker story, but since it’s a Jack the Ripper homage, I’m okay with it in this case. It’s hard to argue that Moritat’s art isn’t perfect and while I don’t usually notice color artists in comics, Gabriel Bautista’s work is good enough here to get a shout out.

Story: 9.5 Art: 10 Overall: 9.75

Aquaman #1 (DC) – Aquaman is a character I’ve never really liked. I bought all the jokes about how lame he and his powers were, so I never really paid much attention. Which played me right into Geoff Johns’ hands in this one. This is a funny comic book, maybe the funniest of the entire New 52. It makes fun of all of those jokes and doesn’t take itself too seriously. It also puts all of those jokes to rest and shows us that Aquaman isn’t the joke we think he is, he’s much more powerful than that. This issue also sets a new paradigm for the character and is a great way to re-introduce him to the world.

Story: 10 Art: 8 Overall: 9

Batman: The Dark Knight #1 (DC) – Hands down the Batman books are the backbone of the New 52. Every one of this is good to great and they give us a lot to look forward to. This is the worst of the bunch, but it is still readable, entertaining and looks good.

Story: 7 Art: 8 Overall: 7.5

Blackhawks #1 (DC) – My deceased father was a childhood fan of Blackhawks and he always talked about them, even into his 60s. They weren’t really ever around much in my comic reading days, so I was interested in giving this one a shot as a way to connect with my dad’s comic book tastes. I think he would’ve liked this one and I thank the creators for giving me that connection to my father once again.

Story: 7.5 Art: 8 Overall: 7.75

The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #1 (DC) – Another character I haven’t read much of since my childhood is Firestorm. The way the character(s) work here is quite a bit different, so far, than what I remember. The issue is pretty good and Ethan Van Sciver and Gail Simone do some pretty strong writing in terms of tackling stereotypes and race. I will say the ending to the issue left me a bit confused, but hopefully that will be cleared up next month.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8 Overall: 8.25

The Flash #1 (DC) – This one was a bit of a spoiler for me, since I’ve only read major DC events up to Countdown. I had no idea Barry Allen was back. This is a pretty nice story with a good mystery and a pretty awesome last page. Brian Buccellato’s art is quite good, too.

Story: 8 Art: 9 Overall: 8.5

Green Lantern: New Guardians #1 (DC) – The Green Lantern comics have also been pretty strong across the board and this one adds to that. The story here is quite interesting and leaves with a pretty good cliffhanger that will definitely have me back next issue.

Story: 8 Art: 7 Overall: 7.5

I, Vampire #1 (DC) – Wow. That’s really the best word to describe this, which I think is the best issue of the entire New 52. And I generally hate vampire tales. But this one is so well-written and so beautiful that I am now officially hooked on this series. The plot has such a great apocalyptic feel to it that I find myself wondering if the old I, Vampire tales were quite this good. I don’t remember them ever getting to this level.

Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10

Justice League Dark #1 (DC) – Magic tales are not usually my cup of tea, but DC seems to have been getting them right in recent years and this is no exception. Unlike most of the new issues, this one really is the start of something new and it is a good beginning that really makes me want more. There are some amazing visuals in this book, particularly the June Moone splash. Some of the dialog and text is superbly written as well, such as the line: “The reek of skinned babies and sliced eyeballs.” Man, is that creepy or what? There’s more where that came from.

Story: 9 Art: 9 Overall: 9

The Savage Hawkman #1 (DC) – No question this is the weakest book of the week. For one, I’ve never really been a huge Hawkman fan, but this issue is confusing, makes no sense at times (Hawkman starts off by shooting his old costume) and doesn’t look very good at times. It’s not terrible, but with all the other great comics DC put out this week, this one pales in comparison.

Story: 6 Art: 6.5 Overall: 6.25

Superman #1 (DC) – George Perez re-introduces Superman here with a tale told in a throwback style with lots of third-person narration, a nostalgic tale of Metropolis’s history and a strong introduction to the themes and supporting characters in the series. Oh, and there’s some kind of epic battle with a fire-monster alien, too.

Story: 9 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.75

Teen Titans #1 (DC) – Another tale launching a new team with introductions to some of the team members, this one is entertaining and has a lot of potential. Scott Lobdell does much better here than on Red Hood, so much so it’s hard to believe this is the same writer as that crap. Red Hood looks even worse now that we see that Lobdell can write a strong female character (in this case Wonder Girl).

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8

Voodoo #1 (DC) – This issue conflicted me the most this week. After two weeks with controversies over female characters and their depictions as weak or nearly naked, it was disappointing to open this issue and see a half-naked stripper jump out at me. And then to see page after page of half-naked strippers for the entire issue. But Ron Marz shows that he isn’t writing as simplistically as you might expect. The opening page, as Brett pointed out to me, says “Are you ready gentlemen? Because this is why you’re here!” as if the near-nudity is meant as a tongue-in-cheek (no pun intended) thing and a slap at the fans who buy books for that purpose. But I kind of got the same feeling from this as I got from a story on Fox News where they condemn pornography while showing a clip from a porn movie. Marz does make sure to show us that the female characters in the issue are, at a minimum, intellectually, physically and even morally superior to the male characters (except for maybe the end of the issue where moral superiority drops off). This is definitely a comic where the female characters are the only characters that matter, but I wonder if that same point couldn’t have been made by having Voodoo work as a waitress instead of a stripper, since that would’ve fit the logic of the story just as well.

Story: 7 Art: 8 Overall: 7.5

Reviews

52 Reviews, Part 3

Posted on September 22, 2011 by

So, for the fun of it, I’m going to be collecting all 52 DC #1 issues. And I’m going to review them all. Keep in mind, though, that I’m generally a Marvel fan and, while I’m working may way through DC’s recent big events, I’m only up through the middle of Countdown and I haven’t read any of DC’s non-event comics in a long time, so I’m coming at these stories with a bit of a disadvantage in terms of chronology and character knowledge. Since DC is certainly trying to attract new readers, though, this makes me come at them with a perspective similar to their hypothetical new fans…

Batman #1 (DC) – Maybe DC should just stick to stories about Batman or written by Scott Snyder. They seem to do well with those. I’ve liked all of the Batman issues of DCnU and this one is no exception. Greg Capullo does a great job on the pencils on this one. This story gives us a great intro to many of Batman’s enemies, reaches out to Batman’s wider universe of allies, gives a great nod to his past and leaves us with a great mystery at the end. This is a very good comic.

Story: 10 Art: 9 Overall: 9.5

Birds of Prey #1 (DC) – Unlike some of the other creative teams this week, Duane Swierczynski and Jesus Saiz at least try to balance the “hotness” of their female characters with a good story and clothing that is functional. Sure, they’re still models and there is still some titillation, but the costumes are legit for superheroines and the women are well-written characters in a well-written story.

Story: 8 Art: 7 Overall: 7.5

Blue Beetle #1 (DC) – So far, this is DC’s best attempt at diversity. There have been a number of other minority characters in the new comics, but they all seem to be colorblind attempts at diversity, with the black characters not being stereotypical, but also not being distinguishable from white characters beyond the visual elements. In this issue, Jaime Reyes is written as a real human being and his Hispanic heritage is not ignored and he doesn’t descend into a characature, either (although a few of the other characters come dangerously close). There is also a great Spanglish joke that was my favorite moment of the week.

Story: 9 Art: 8 Overall: 8.5

Captain Atom #1 (DC) – The art is a bit too loose for my tastes and I’m not sure that I like this particular take on Captain Atom, but J.T. Krul does commit to a particular vision of the character and does a good job of being consistent and creating a coherent narrative and personality for Captain Atom and his supporting cast. Definitely worth a continued look.

Story: 7.5 Art: 6.5 Overall: 7

Catwoman #1 (DC) – The art by Guillem March is bad enough to sink it (near-Liefeldian body proportion problems mixed with Macfarlane-esque contortions). Tht title of the story is “most of the costumes stay on,” which has to be ironic, since in the three pages before we learn that title, we see five separate panels showing Selina’s bra-covered breasts. The rest of the issue has naked hookers and a throwaway woman who is beaten and killed for no particular reason. The story seems like a man’s revenge fantasy of what a woman would do to a man who had brutalized and killed another woman. Sort of like his heart’s in the right place, but he doesn’t quite understand women. And the concept is undercut by the wall-to-wall TNA and the uncomfortable Batman sex scene. One positive note: through 39 DCnU issues, Catwoman’s contact Lola is the first female character I’m aware of who isn’t skinny. She’s still in skin-tight clothing and is somewhat sexualized, but it’s something

Story: 1 Art: 4 Overall: 2.5

DC Universe Presents #1 (DC) – Another issue where there is a coherent vision for the character and an attempt at creating a style and tone for the series that, while I may not love it, I can appreciate the quality of what is being done. This issue has some interesting things in it, including a possibly unintentional homage to the movie Fallen, with Denzel Washington, that works well.

Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7

Green Lantern Corps #1 (DC) – This issue isn’t perfect, but it’s still very entertaining. The Guy Gardner-John Stewart team-up works well. Artist Fernando Pasarin’s strength appears to be the big, epic shots. In a GL story, there are a lot of those and most of them in this issue are breathtaking. Definitely a series to keep reading. So when I said above that DC is really getting it right on Batman, I’d add the Lantern stuff to that, since I think all of the Lantern issues have been well done, too.

Story: 8 Art: 9 Overall: 8.5

Legion of Super-Heroes #1 (DC) – Not surprisingly for a Legion comic, there are too many characters here to really grab on to any of them. It’s not a bad issue, it’s just not something that is really interesting. Good, but not great.

Story: 6 Art: 7 Overall: 6.5

Nightwing #1 (DC) – It’s a little confusing at times and the art isn’t my favorite, but it’s very good, if necessarily derivative of Batman comics.

Story: 8 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.75

Red Hood and the Outlaws #1 (DC) – This comic is very sexist. It’s all about objectifying Starfire, her having sex with random people in the perfect male fantasy, and spying on her and posting pics of her in a bikini on the Internet without her knowledge. I think Jason Todd and some kind of plot are in there too.

Story: 1 Art: 7 Overall: 4

Supergirl #1 (DC) – The issue is all action and the action is pretty good. The art isn’t great and I keep getting the feeling that if she turned the wrong way, Supergirl would accidentally be bottomless, that’s how skimpy the bottom of her costume is. Also, it seems like DC is relying too much on the “reveal” of a major character guest appearing in another issue, despite it not really being a surprise most of the time. This is at least the fourth or fifth time that Superman or Batman has shown up on the last page of a comic starring someone else. This one does have a lot of potential, though, so I’ll be back.

Story: 7.5 Art: 6.5 Overall: 7

Wonder Woman #1 (DC) – I’ve never cared for Wonder Woman since I’m not a huge mythology fan and I was prepared to really dislike this comic. I couldn’t have been more pleasantly surprised. While this issue has some of the same wardrobe problems and male fantasy takes on what women should be like that other issues this week have, they are minor here compared to other issues and this one is superior because of a very good story. The comic is almost cinematic in its tone and Diana is clearly established as a strong female character, something we can’t say for Catwoman or Starfire.

Story: 9 Art: 7.5 Overall: 8.25

52 Reviews, Part 2

Posted on September 22, 2011 by

Batman and Robin #1 (DC) – This one starts and ends with heavy action and has a good amount of character development in between. It all works. I’m in.

Story: 9 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.75

Batwoman #1 (DC) – I’m relatively new to the character of Kate Kane, but I have to say I like what I see so far. The creative team on this one appears to be top-notch and this is a comic I’ll definitely keep reading.

Story: 9 Art: 10 Overall: 9.5

Deathstroke #1 (DC) – I’m pretty conflicted about this one. It looks great and the story does a good job of establishing the horrible person that Deathstroke is while also showing that he’s a total badass. But there aren’t any characters here I want to root for (well, at least not by the last page) and I’m not enough of a fan of the character to follow him along as bad as he is here. The comic is well-done, it’s just not my type of thing. I’ll probably read issue #2, though, because of the quality of this issue.

Story: 7 Art: 8 Overall: 7.5

Demon Knights #1 (DC) – I’m really not a fan of the fantasy premise behind this one. It’s not a bad premise, it’s just not one I want to read a lot of. I won’t read any more of this series, but it’s not because of a lack of quality.

Story: 7 Art: 8 Overall: 7.5

Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #1 (DC) – I was totally unprepared for how much I liked this story. It is totally not at all the type of thing I would have expected to like and yet it was one of my favorite reads of week 2 of the New 52. It doesn’t break any new ground and it is incredibly similar to the recent Frankencastle run in Punisher or Hellboy, but the execution is so good, it’s a great comic. I’m definitely coming back for more.

Story: 9 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9.25

Green Lantern #1 (DC) – There is a reason why Geoff Johns is where he is today and this issue is a great example of his success. The story is entertaining, including action, intrigue and humor in a perfect balance. You have compelling characters and plotlines that require the reader to tune in next month, which I will definitely do.

Story: 9.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 9

Grifter #1 (DC) – Not knowing anything about this character before this issue, I’m not sure what the point is. I don’t particularly like him after reading this comic and nothing here made me interested in finding out more.

Story: 6 Art: 7 Overall: 6.5

Legion Lost #1 (DC) – This comic does a good job of juggling a big cast without making them all clones and while getting across a story that is intriguing. I’m not completely sold on the comic or the concept, and I don’t like the cartoonish art much, but I’m at least coming back for the next few issues.

Story: 8.5 Art: 6 Overall: 7.5

Mr. Terrific #1 (DC) – I had high hopes for this book, having recently discovered the character and liking him quite a bit, but I felt this was a bit of a letdown. The art wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great, despite some great sequences. The story also starts out solid before going off on a strange tangent at the end that didn’t seem to fit. Some of the things going on were a bit confusing, too. Hopefully future issues will perfect it. I’ll hang around to find out.

Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7

Red Lanterns #1 (DC) – This is my first time reading any of the extended Laterns material and I’m going to say that it grabbed me. The art is at times brilliant and the story maintained a good balance of exposition and action that I liked a lot. It had some ridiculous moments, most notably with a cat, but I can let that slide.

Story: 8 Art: 9 Overall: 8.5

Resurrection Man #1 (DC) – Not a great comic, this one was just good enough that I’ll check out #2, but I’m skeptical. The art was pretty weak in places and I just didn’t get enough from the story that’d hook me. The premise is one I like though, so I might hang around to see where it goes.

Story: 7.5 Art: 6.5 Overall: 7

Suicide Squad #1 (DC) – Reading this issue as a noob, I loved it. The villains and the scenario were great, the horror of it was engrossing, the characters were varied and I wanted to know more about them. It was both violent and funny and the ending was a nice little shocker. I’ve never heard of Amanda Waller before, though, and was unfamiliar with the character. It seems she used to be a much larger and more reserved woman and she’s been slimmed down and sexualized. That’s a shame because that one arbitrary panel brings down an otherwise excellent issue.

Story: 10 Art: 9 Overall: 9.5

Superboy #1 (DC) – Another comic I really like. This is very different than your usual Superman comics. You don’t really know who is good or bad or what they are capable and it’s very difficult to predict what is going to happen next. That’s all great and on top of that, you get some very good art.

Story: 9 Art: 9 Overall: 9

Reviews