Green Lantern Corps #28

Green Lantern Corps #28
Writers: Van Jensen
Pencils: Bernard Chang

The continued war against the Green Lanterns continues, but know we have a rag tag bunch of bounty hunters, Green Lanterns, and Fatality along for the ride.  This issue, finds our group tracking down a past lantern who is a Durlan ( a deadly shape changing alien race).  On a planet that closely resembles Tattooine, they track down the rebel and take him in, or so we think.  This is a lot tougher than what the directions told them.  Not only are the Lanterns fighting this battle on this side, they are also being hunted down on Mogo, the sentient planet Green Lantern.  Salaak, the brainy Lantern I like to call him, is beaten badly as another is taken hostage by a shadowy group.  It is not until the last page do we find out who is behind this abduction, and I can tell you, it put a smile on my face, evil - but still a smile.

Once again,there  is a war going on.  I have not read this title for a while, but the last time I was reading it, guess what, there was a war going on.  The storyline of tracking the rebel Lantern is quite cool and wish that they were covering that one more instead of running around in three different directions.  Not every story has to be an enormous event.  Take a break and tell smaller stories.  I still am not taken up with the storyline,bu t my love of Green Lanterns is pushing me to continue reading.  Another thing with this issue is the art.  It is very grainy and stiff in places, but it really works with the hunt storyline.  Another thing that they employed in this issue was a stark red, white, and black coloring of certain important panels in the story.  I like this, but they have not been using it throughout the story.t  his would be a great technique to use during the storyline, but it feels like they are just trying all sorts of things to grab readers that they are not crafting a cohesive story.

Like I said, if you are a hard core Lantern fan, pick it up.  I am interested in seeing where it goes, but were I not a fan, this would definitely pass my radar.

Recommendation:  Borrow / Pass

-Great Scott

The Best Purchase You Can Make

If you are like me and enjoy the old issues of DC and Marvel comics, something you must look into are the DC Showcases and the Marvel Essentials.  These massive tomes collect the early issues of these publishers works in a great and somewhat inexpensive manor.  In each collection, you will get around 500 pages of great past comics.  Here you can see early Bob Kane Batman issues, you can see Cap join the Avengers, see how the Kree / Skrull war unfolded.  These books collect around 20 issues of these comics and additional titles that fill in the gaps of certain storylines.

Some people turn their noses up at these collections because they are not in color.  In all actuality, this makes them that much more enjoyable at times.  You can see the artists work clearer without the addition of the colors. I know I have about 10 of these collections that are remarkable to sit down and read.  Sure, some of the dialogue is dated, but it would be.  You are reading comics from a totally different age.

Coming in at a price point of around $19.99 to $29.99, these can be a steal.  Try and get a copy of Avengers #4 for any where near that amount......I dare you.  Another plus is, at a lot of cons, you can find copies going for 50% off at some retailers, so keep your eyes peeled.

So, turn away from your need from color and delve into this world of great comics from the past and see how your favorite characters became who they are today.

p.s.  If you need color, grab some colored pencils.  You will never find a greater coloring book in your life.

- Great Scott

Green Lantern Corps Annual #2

Green Lantern Annual #2:   Enemies Closer
Writer: Van Jensen / Robert Venditti
Art: Neil Edwards / Tom Derenick

What do you do when everyone in the galaxy wants you dead and your power taken from you?  You make alliances with people that you never thought you would.  With their Sector Houses being destroyed, the Green Lanterns have no haven from the storm of enemies that are confronting them on all sides.  The Khund, the Claan, and the Durlan are working together to strike at the corps while they are disorganized.  I personally am not familiar with the Durlan, a race of tentacles (for lack of a better description) that are able to shape change to any race they wish, their description I find to be not only creepy, but also very disturbing.  Building upon events that occurred in Green Lantern Corps #27, this issue picks up right after and gives a great description not of the heroes, but of the villains, and how they got to where they are now.  One personal bright spot for me is a character named Evil Star (coming from the same universe as an old Image character, Wild Star, which I found to be a great character which I hope to talk about later), and the tragic way that he gained his power.

I like that this issue takes place immediately after the last issue, where a lot of times, the Annuals are stand alone and disrupt the flow that they are building upon in the regular issues.  The art works; very kinetic and works not only as a storytelling device but really shows action well.  I am pleased with where they are going with this as the last issue really had me wanting more.  *****SPOILER WARNING*****  The only thing that did disappoint me is the fact that all of this p@@p is hitting the fan, there just happened to be a double agent planted in with the Durlans.  Really??  Apart from this little Deus Ex Machina, it was an entertaining issue.

Review: Borrow It (Unless hard core Lantern fan)

Review: Batman #27

Batman #27
Writer: Scott Snyder
Pencils: Greg Capullo

Alright, let's get this out of the way.  I am not a fan of the New 52, nope, not at all.  I am not a fan of Batman, not that I dislike the character, just was never my cup of tea.  BUT........I loved this comic.  The New 52 wanted to reboot the DC Universe to entice new readers, what they should have done is what Scott Snyder is doing right now in the Batman title with "Year Zero", telling the story of Bruce Wayne getting his feet wet during the first year.  Contrary to what people think of how the GCPD (Gotham City Police Dept.) may think of Batman, they REALLY HATE him here.  He is digging up all the dirt that they are trying to hide and other than he and Jim Gordon, they want it hid.  The issue starts with Bruce getting the snot beat out of him by the Police.  It looks bad.  He escapes, but with the help of both Alfred, his butler and surrogate father, and Jim Gordon.  This book really starts to solidify the importance of their relationships and where they started to grow.  I don't want to give a lot away here, but really encourage people to read this.  Not because of surprises, but because it is so well written and should be enjoyed that way.

Sure, there is a villain involved, but the overarching story of Batman's first year is what really shines.  Greg Capullo'a art, once again, is beautiful, but I feel the colors were off just a bit.

This is how the universe should have been restarted.  You have a year to go back and tell these types of stories to bring in the new readers and keep older readers.  I know for one, this is definitely a new reader that will be following the character for some time.

Rating:  BUY, BUY!!

P.S.: I got no idea how the cover fits in.  Just sayin'.

Earth-2 #19 *Spoilers included!*

Earth-2 #19
Writer: Tom Taylor
Penciler: Nicola Scott and Robson Rocha

The Dark Age, Part 3


Going to give some spoiler room here for those whom aren't regular readers of Earth-2.

















- Commencing Spoilers-




The newest arc in the Earth-2 saga continues featuring the revealed Brutale, Superman and his rampage on behalf of Darkseid. As the invading parademons and the furies rampage, the World Army and it's wonders are regrouping. Fate has been injured, and Arrow is holding things together on the ground. Meanwhile,  within the Arkham facility, the impromptu team of the new Batman, the newly awakened female Red Tornado (Lois Lane), Major Sato, Marella the Atlantean Queen,  and the rescued super-brain Jimmy Olsen are scouring the sublevels for the next piece of the puzzle.

The interesting thing with this series aside from a really fresh take on the Golden Age heroes and their World War era continuity is their attention to the really obscure bits of DC lore. And as a long-time comic fan, that detail work is refreshing. Sloan's hidden secret turns out to be another Kryptonian, one from the not-often mentioned island of Vathlo, which isn't referred to quite often, but lurks about in the memories of sharp creators. A dark-skinned subset of Kryptonians, whom remained apart from the main Kryptonian empire, although relations were quite strong between them, eventually immigrating to Kandor prior to the destruction of the planet.

The end half of the issue has our heroes departing in a very typical style, with a teaser of what looks to be a reconstituting Solomon Grundy. Between that, the capture of two of the Earth's brightest,  and Superman's rampage on Washington DC, things are looking even worse for our heroes.

The Round Up

To sum it up, the art is as strong as ever, there's no repeated panels, the dialogue is strong, and the story remains quite engaging. Being this deep in an arc, I must say it's for the best to get some familiarity with the backstory before launching into Earth-2 haphazardly, else you will get lost. That being said, I'm quite excited for where the future will be going for this ongoing. I'm only crossing my fingers that there will be no crossovers with the regular New 52 earth aside from World's Finest with Huntress and Power Girl being a part of that earth. I don't think either's ready for a crossover of those proportions at this time, and would only be detrimental to the development of both Earths.

Recommendation: Pick it up in the trade paperback.

Musings on "The Rock".

It has been revealed, by "The Rock" himself, that he has had a sit down meeting with the powers that be at DC about some upcoming work.  Nothing was actually said as to what said work was going to be.  My thought process went through some ideas and then one jumped out that made complete sense...

.....Amazo.  This is a character that could make a great villain in the often mentioned Justice League movie they tell us WILL be coming out.  For those of you not sure who this is, Amazo is a construct made by a Professor Ivo (Those watching Arrow will notice the Professor Ivo is pretty relevant right now, and did anyone notice his ship's name, yep, AMAZO).  This creation had all of the powers of the Justice League.  How amazing of a movie would this be.  One villain that has all of the powers of the big hitters of the DC Universe.  All of the members would be facing off against themselves, personally, I feel that would be better than another Lex Luthor Real Estate plan.  I know that they have recently announced Bryan Cranston as playing Lex Luthor in the Batman / Superman movie coming out, so have Professor Ivo as one of his countless scientists trying to figure a way to get rid of Superman and the gang.

If you really look at the character as well, you could see The Rock playing this character very well.  He has the look, and can definitely look intimidating as well.  That is my two cents.  Now, what do you think is going to be the outcome of The Rock and his meeting with DC?  Let us know here.

- Great Scott

Aquaman #26

Aquaman #26
Writer: Jeff Parker
Pencilers: Paul Pelletier / Sean Parsons

 “Sea of Storms” begins with the debut of new AQUAMAN writer Jeff Parker! The Earth’s crust is grinding to life, releasing deadly volcanoes and bizarre creatures…so humanity’s first instinct is to blame Atlantis! And as the plates pull apart, the pressures of ruling a kingdom under siege are weighing on Aquaman and Mera as well!

I will be honest and say that I have not been reading Aquaman regularly, and this being the start of a new arc and a new creative team, why not.  Geoff Johns turned the character of Aquaman around and made him a fan favorite quickly with his run of the previous 25 issues.  He fleshed the character out and made it exciting.  Now in this new issue, Arthur and Mera are dealing with the repercussions of what happened just before.  The political climate of Atlantis is not very welcoming to Arthur or Mera and the other leaders resent that he is spending far too much time with the surface world.  With being the start of a new arc, of course you are going to have things thrown at you.  The plates of the world's crust are coming apart, your kingdom is about to revolt against you, oh and there is a gigantic Leviathan attacking Iceland.

Bottom Line

With this being a new creative team, it is going to be different.  The biggest thing that I noticed and bothered me was the sharing of the pencils credit.  I really enjoy Paul Pelletier's artwork, but when they change page to page on this, it is almost jarring at times.  I am not saying that Sean Parsons is not talented, it is just that their styles can be radically different.  And fighting a giant sea creature, I hope that this is not a sign that they have run out of ideas.  Aquaman is still a character I enjoy so I am interested to see where it goes and am anxious for the creative team to get their sea legs as well.

Recommendation:  Borrow It