comicbooks

The Next Avengers is surprisingly… not bad.  The premise sounded awful to me: the heroes that we all know & love are killed off and eventually their offspring pop up to avenge them.  The fact that the Avengers are slaughtered in the film’s opening minute made me think it would be too much for my son.  The fact that the stars of the film are pre-teens made me think it would be too kid-ish for me.

I got the movie from Netflix to check it out and it really was pretty good.  Not as good as the first Ultimate Avengers DVD, but better than all the crap that followed it.  There were so many little drop-ins for comics fans that it was like a 90 minute Easter egg hunt.  The carnage of the opening minutes was done in a low-key story book fashion that took the edge off enough for younger viewers. 

This film wasn’t great, but it was good enough to wash the bitter taste of the Iron Man animated film from my mouth and to get me excited for the next two installments in the Marvel Animated line: Hulk vs. Wolverine and Hulk vs. Thor.

The Watchmen hit the comics scene over twenty years ago, the same year that Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns knocked our collective argyles off.  The Watchmen, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons was a masterpiece of graphic fiction, years ahead of its time.  It is actually on Time Magazine’s list of the 100 greatest novels of all time.  Not graphic novels, all novels.  It is that good.

I didn’t read The Watchmen back in 1986.  Even though I may lose my comic geek status for admitting this, I never read it until about a year ago.  The thing is, it is so powerful and amazing now, even after over 20 years.  Most comics from the 80s and even the 90s are so dated now that to read them today has nostalgia value at best.  This comic is different.  If you’ve never read it, go pick it up.  You won’t be sorry.  DC just re-released the trade paperback this month, so it is sure to be on the shelves of any comic shop.  But, honestly, any comic shop worth its salt already had a copy on hand.

I hate to over-hype any book.  Regular readers know that I haven’t been too keen on DC’s offerings lately.  But for this geeks money, The Watchmen is absolutely the best comic I have ever read, bar none.

Is it just me, or does it seem like a bad idea for DC to put out a comic specifically dedicated to exploring the political leanings of their characters?  DC: Decisions is supposed to look at the personal choices of some of the major DC characters in regards to politics.  For somebody like Green Arrow, who has been portrayed as a die-hard liberal for almost forty years, it’s no big deal.  But to start carving out a position for the big guns is a tricky proposition that could end up alienating more readers than it appeases. 

Do left-leaning readers really want to be disillusioned by learned that Bruce Wayne votes like most billionaires do?  Will the Sarah Palin set be upset by finding out the Diana Prince votes like a typical feminist?  Given the political slant of Warner Brothers, I’m a little bit surprised that they haven’t shown John McCain holding secret meetings with Lex Luthor while Barak Obama single-handedly captures the Joker.  Yet.

I just don’t see any good coming from this.  I’ve decided that I’m not reading Decisions.  I think this may be a case where I’d rather not know.

I feel like I could almost write this review in one word: OK. The story was OK.  The art was OK.  The book was… OK.  I can’t quite put my finger on it, but somehow the titanic clash of Superman and Atlas isn’t as compelling as it should be. 

Two issues back, I wondered why Superman didn’t bring Hal Jordan along with him when he sensed an emergency.  Instead he left him to look after his dog.  Now, Krypto has arrived in Metropolis, so I’m wondering all over again.  Wouldn’t a Green Lantern be helpful in a situation like this?  Why isn’t Hal still watching Krypto? 

And while I’m nitpicking, if you want to show how dangerous a super-baddie is, you have him smack around Superman.  That makes sense.  Then, to show that he’s continuing his rampage, you have him take down Steel in one panel.  I’m with you.  But then to really ratchet things up, you have him beat down… Bibbo Bibowski?

I don’t like Krypto.  I don’t like Supergirl (at least not this iteration of her.  I liked the “Matrix” Supergirl.)  I loved the reboot when John Byrne took Superman back to being the last son of Krypton.  Now the Silver Age is creeping back in again and we’ve got three Kryptonians (not counting the dog) running around, plus a kabillion more in the phantom zone. 

Having said all of that, this wasn’t a bad issue.  There was a classic battle of two super powered titans.  There was a nice little peek into the home life of the world’s greatest superhero.  It was all very OK.  I am a little concerned about next month.  I may just keep my 299 cents in my pocket if the whole issue is a throw down between Krypto and Atlas. 

WARNING:  BIG BIG SPOILER ALERT

The Hulk killed Peter Parker’s parents?!?  Wow, did not see that one coming.  In the first issue of this series, Bruce Banner told Spider-Man: “it’s all connected”.  This mini-series is certainly delivering on that premise.  Peter Parker’s dad, Susan & Jonny Storm’s dad, Nick Fury, Thunderbolt Ross, Bruce Banner, Hank Pym – they’re all tied in to this thing. 

Could Hank’s guilt over his role in the creation of the Hulk be the root of his drug problem?  How long does Banner go between Hulk-outs?  What about Peter Parker’s accidental spider bite?  Is there more?  I can hardly wait for the final issue. 

This is all leading to a new mini-series called “Ultimatum”.  I don’t know too much about that yet.  I wasn’t even going to buy that one because of the other lead-in: Ultimates 3.  But because of Ultimate Origins, I’m back on board.  

The End League caught me by surprise.  I stumbled upon the first issue in my local comics shop (Big shout out to Coliseum of Comics) only because they put a little sign on the shelf that said “Something about superheroes and the end of the world”. 

I love this book.  The heroes are basically pastiches or DC and Marvel characters, but darkened versions brought about by a single disastrous moment forty years past.  Nobody is safe in this book.  Thor has been lobotomized, brainwashed, & killed.  Astonishman (the stand-in for Superman), inadvertently caused massive world-wide destruction & has been killed.  Goddess (Wonder Woman) has some dark history and major guilt.  Soldier American (Captain America) was mind controlled into killing the End League’s version of Bucky. 

All that in the first three issues.

Riddle me this, Batman - If you’re going to write a scene full of curse words that you know will have to be edited out later, why would you bother to write them?  Why not use use #$&^$ or S— or some other means of implying the cussage without actually writing it?  Until this past week, most people would probably have told you that it doesn’t matter whether you write the cuss words out or not, as long as they are covered up in the end.  How wrong most people were.

In case you’ve been on Thanagar or Tamaran for the last week, Al-Star Batman #10 included some not-so-covered up curses that caused DC to recall the issues as soon as they were sent out.  It certainly has people talking, and not just comic book geeks like yours truly.  The censor oversight has caught on in the mainstream media.  So, riddle me this, Batman: is a screw up that brings heightened interest to the industry really a screw up?

Wolverine has never been one of my favorite characters.  I am, however, a sucker for post-apocalyptic stories and Hawkeye, who is one of my favorite characters, plays a major role in Old Man Logan.  Favorite characters or not, good writing is good writing.  Part three of the arc continues to provide just that, courtesy of writer Mark Millar.  Add in some beautifully rendered artwork by Steve McNiven and Dexter Vines (and Morry Hollowell & Justin Ponsor & Jason Keith on colors) and you’ve got the makings of an all-around great book.

This is one book that is hard to review without any spoilers, but it is too good to give anything away.  Hawkeye and Logan continue their cross-country trek, with a stop over to rescue Hawkeye’s daughter, who just so happens to be Peter Parker’s grand daughter.  Let’s just say the girl inherited a little something from both dad and grandad.  But she’s also… ah, that would be telling.  There’s a new Kingpin, a new Daredevil, a new Punisher, and all three… I can’t tell you that either.  Buy the book.  You won’t be disappointed.

Mr. Fantastic thinks that the Skrulls killed his family.  So that’s why he’s so cranky.

Spider-Man finally asked the right question: Who is ‘he’?  We finally know who the ‘he’ is who loves everyone so much: “God”.  I loved Nick Fury’s response as he stood next to Thor.  “My god carries a hammer”. 

I guess there are no more surprise Skrull revelations.  Reed Richards has the tech to pierce their disguises.  No one among the assembled Avengers can be a Skrull.  I think everyone who will be outed has been outed.  Unless there is a spy in Nick Fury’s troops.

Captain Mar-Skrull is dead.  I didn’t see that coming, but I didn’t care all that much either.  I thought they would keep him around for a while as the new Faux-Captain Marvel.

Bucky’s got some stones, as they say, to stand up to Thor.  It would have been nice to see Thor squish him under his hammer, but they’ve got other things to do right now.