Future State - Top Ten: #7. Aquaman

 

Writer: Brandon Thomas

Artist: Daniel Sampere

To be clear, the casting, and subsequent performance, of Jason Momoa, was the best thing to ever happen to Aquaman.

Aquaman is one of the oldest DC superheroes, and yet his modern reputation in pop culture is as a joke, the dude who “talks to fish.” Peter David’s feverish efforts in the ‘90s to transform him into a more gritty character (sans hand, added hook, beard, long hair) did little outside comic book circles to change this.

Geoff Johns elevated Aquaman as much as he could in the early New 52, writing him simultaneously in the pages of his own comic and Justice League, including the crossover saga “Throne of Atlantis.” Dan Abnett had a much-lauded run in the Rebirth era.

But in the effort to make him look more authentic, DC also pigeonholed him in underwater politics that only further isolated Aquaman.

Momoa’s Aquaman is the most approachable and fun presence of the DCEU. Brandon Thomas’s Future State version (starring a next-generation Aquaman) is the first time a comic book version of the character feels like that.

Simply put, it’s a fun read! Thomas is a new recruit best known for various Image projects, and he has a spectacular debut in these pages. Even if Aquaman still doesn’t command attention, the material is getting there. DC could do a lot worse than give Thomas a permanent assignment, or at least one of those follow-ups, with this version of Aquaman.

Pandemic Comics #3 “Worlds Collide”

As stated previously, I bought two mystery boxes from the pandemic miracle that is Mile High Comics. Here’s the first reading results:

52 #32
Ralph Dibney reaches China! Significant for two things: Nanda Parbat, which will have greater significance for the Montoya/Question arc, and the Great Ten, a Chinese team of “super functionaries” that would later star in a...nine issue series I still think is criminally underrated.

52 #42
Ralph Dibney finally confronts Felix Faust! I like how getting two issues of this series (still my favorite comic of all-time, finally supplanting “The Return of Barry Allen”) ended up featuring Ralph’s arc in both, the way it ends (better) than how it began (still my least favorite part of the series).

World War III #4
I spent too much time undervaluing this 52 spinoff, but a reread in collection form finally began to turn that around. Martian Manhunter is firmly in the spotlight this issue, and it doesn’t hurt, him being one of my favorite undervalued characters in comics.

Adventure Comics #4/507
Superboy-Prime! The infamous indestructible lead antagonist of Infinite Crisis in his own Blackest Night tie-in!

DC/Marvel: All Access #3
Robin & Jubilee are star-crossed lovers! Still arguably the most amusing thing to come out of the three DC/Marvel crossover comics from the ‘90s (the third was Unlimited Access, though I guess it turned out to be otherwise, but lots of observers are arguing for another round to rally comics post-pandemic).

Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld #1
The character had a false-start revival during the New 52, but is staging another comeback as part of Wonder Comics. This was the ongoing series follow-up to her original mini-series, and annual. Honestly, I think if they named it anything but “Gemworld” the whole thing would work so much better. Maybe just give it an additional name?

Anima #0
At a previous point revisiting this series, I thought it was a lost gem (heh), and even tracked down a novel by one of the co-writers, but I found the results unreadable. Call it confirmation bias now, but I couldn’t get into this issue at all, this time.

Animal Man #42
Still weird to think it took so long to formally launch the Vertigo imprint, even though its formative titles were running for years already, including this one, famously begun by Grant Morrison. This issue: still branded “DC.” Also: follows the somewhat inexplicable trend, in my admitted small sampling, of not...really featuring...Animal Man? in his own series...

Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #49
The last issue before the Tad Williams run I read at the time. People seem to forget what a mess DC had made of Aquaman (not in terms of quality but...just letting the dude exist) before Flashpoint. When he was formally revived during Brightest Day, it was probably one of the signal internal events that suggested, at least for DC itself, the need for the New 52 reboot. As far as Aquaman is concerned, the New 52 was indeed a smashing success. A decade after several rounds of agonized storytelling to untangle the lines, as it were, he’s standing as strong in comics, and movie! lore as he ever has.

Assassins #1
From the original Amalgam releases, combining Daredevil with Deathstroke (as Dare) and Catwoman with Elektra (as Catsai), pitting them against the Big Question (please tell me you can extrapolate that one), with glorious art from Scott McDaniel. By the way, Dare & Catsai are both women, and this was technically Amalgam’s response to the ‘90s “bad girls” craze (which would be completely inexplicable to modern observers) (even though it continues to this day, on a far smaller scale).

Astro City: Local Heroes #2
Being the most famous superhero, Superman has been copied a lot. Within Astro City lore alone, Kurt Busiek apparently couldn’t get enough with Samaritan alone. This issue features Atomicus, a blatant pastiche of the Silver Age Superman (ah, much like Alan Moore’s version of Supreme), which riffs on Lois Lane’s obsessive quest to prove Clark Kent is Superman’s secret identity, but with a more tragic ending. Aside from the fact that “Atomicus” is a terrible name, and his origin mirrors Captain Atom/Doctor Manhattan (which raises the question if Busiek thought Moore was riffing on Superman, too, or merely made the connection himself, as does the later Doomsday Clock), a good lost gem in Astro City lore.

The All New Atom #9 
Featuring Ryan Choi and writing by Gail Simone, which is more tolerable, for me, than average.

The Atom Special #1
Featuring Ray Palmer, and writing by Jeff Lemire, which is, for me, typically excellent.

The Authority #10
The team has literally taken over the US. And not being seen immediately as an evil coup d’etat. Yeah, not gonna buy that.

Watching the Walmart Giants 3 "October 2019"

Now, the title of this feature is obviously becoming an anachronism (and it was from the moment I decided on it), since these giants are going to begin appearing in the direct market (comic book shops), but I will continue to pick them up at Walmart.  October's releases were late in my local store, and I guess the release schedule has changed, with apparently a bimonthly scheduled in effect, which means three titles I didn't see last month finally appeared this month, and the final installment of Superman Giant, and King & Kubert's arc.

So here's what I'm talking about:

Aquaman Giant #1

• Original story from Steve Orlando & Daniel Sampere featuring Aquaman battling Black Manta.  Somewhat standard material here, though Orlando introduces the "tether of Amphitrite," and possibly the concept of the mermazons, which alone was worth reading.
• Original story from Marv Wolfman & Pop Mhan featuring Aquaman battling an organization called Scorpio (unrelated to the pseudo Bond villain from The Simpsons, probably, and thus featuring far fewer hammocks).
• Prologue to "Throne of Atlantis" from Aquaman #14 by Geoff Johns.
• Mera: Queen of Atlantis #1.
• Teen Titans #14, featuring the new Aqualad.

DC Super Hero Girls Giant #1

• Original story from Amanda Deibert & Erich Owen.
• Original story from Amy Wolfram & Agnes Garbowska.
• Excerpts from Hits and Myths, Summer Olympus, and Past Times at Super Hero High.

I originally wasn't going to get this one, but I figured I could later give it to my niece. 

Superman Giant #16

• "Up in the Sky, Part 12" from Tom King and Andy Kubert, the conclusion, featuring Superman and the little girl on their eventual journey home, depicted as a conversation they have along the way.  It may not be the flashiest installment of the epic tale (which, as I think I've emphasized previously, has become another of King's many, many highlights for me), but it's a nice way to ground the Man of Steel, as the story has done all along, in his more human qualities, even as he's constantly asked to use his superhuman skills.  This is a far trickier task than it seems, and King has just provided a master class.
• Superman/Batman #50, featuring the improbably team-up of Jor-El and Thomas Wayne (it works, although I wish more of the story focused on them and less on the present-day and extraneous Justice League activities).
• A Superboy tale from Superman80-Page Giant 2011.
• The Terrifics Annual #1, featauring a Tom Strong tale but more importantly a Java flashback written by Mark Russell.  You may remember me talking about Russell's work in the September giants.  He seems to have effortlessly refuted me in advance, because this one's a wonderful narrative that somewhat knowingly takes a note from Russell's own Flintstones but imbues real poignancy in its observations.  It's the best thing I've read from him, personally, since my original impressions of him in Prez. 

This was also the final issue. 

Teen Titans Go! Giant #1

• Original story from Sholly Fish & Marcelo DiChiara featuring Tamaranian hiccups.
• Original story from Ivan Cohen & Sarah Leuver.
• Reprints from Teen Titans Go! and Teen Titans Go! Digital, featuring far more art from Jorge Corona (whom I previously encountered in the pages of We Are Robin) than I expected.

Reading Comics 189 "DC Rebirth Week Two, Empress, Superman: American Alien"

Aquaman: Rebirth #1 (DC)
The big push Dan Abnett takes in this Rebirth reintroduction issue is poking fun at all the people who make fun of Aquaman, the superhero who "talks to fish."  As Abnett points out in the captions, "This is untrue.  He has a telepathic gift that allows him to compel marine life, but fish do not possess enough intelligence to conduct meaningful dialogue."  But such subtleties are hardly likely to convince people who like their reactions pithy and pointless...

Empress #3 (Icon)
The adventures of the escaping queen continue in this Mark Millar/Stuart Immonen comic rife with breakneck adventure.  Look, I read Saga for years, but after a while, it kind of seems like a soap opera, like The Walking Dead, where the thrust of the story is lost in just kind of keeping it going.  Empress is punchy, even while at its heart it kind of is a soap opera.  Millar is far too impatient for full-on soap opera, though, so there's not a chance of Empress becoming another Saga.

The Flash: Rebirth #1 (DC)
I was kind of shocked that DC allowed this property to all but go to complete waste in the New 52 era, after reviving Barry Allen with Geoff Johns at the helm just before it.  The New 52 Flash was one long attempt at struggling to catch up with better material that had come before it.  Josh Williamson, previously best known for Image comics like Nailbiter, seems to have been chosen precisely because he's both capable and willing to reverse this trend.  And thank god, because as the issue fans will be reading post-DC Universe Rebirth to see what happens next, we don't need another post-Flashpoint disappointment.  A story that makes Flash look like one of DC's most important characters needs a decent follow-up.  This time that's exactly what happens.

Superman: American Alien #7 (DC)
The finale of this mini-series sees Max Landis brilliantly reimagine, essentially, the scenario J. Michael Straczynski featured in his first volume of Superman: Earth One, wherein an alien comes to Earth, causes a lot of trouble, and helps Superman find out where he came from.  Where Straczynski settled for a surprisingly dull new creation, Landis chooses Lobo, as fans recognize him from pre-New 52 continuity (the good ol' bounty hunter bastiche with the bike and everything).  It's brilliant, as everything has been about American Alien.  Lobo is here to send a message to Hawkman (alluded to, which is even better), and ends up provoking Superman into his first big brawl.  I know I tend to sound fairly dismissive of Straczynski's creative output, but in this instance, a clear parallel can be found, and I think Landis does it better.  However, I'd still recommend Straczynski's Superman: Earth One work for those interested in less complicated Superman continuity.

Action Comics #957 (DC)
Interestingly, Lex Luthor is the star of this title, but the Convergence (and new Rebirth) Superman is a co-star, too, so Dan Jurgens gets to continue his recent storytelling along with Tomasi & Gleason's Superman, which I hadn't really anticipated.  The rivalry between Luthor and Superman has kind of been turned on its head, which is brilliant.  There's also Clark Kent running around (how? this continuity's Superman is dead, right?), and the threat of Doomsday once again.  After "Doomed," is it too early?  Who cares!  This is Jurgens' (ugly, ugly) baby.  It's about time he gets to revisit him again...

Wonder Woman: Rebirth #1 (DC)
It's interesting that so many Wonder Woman stories, from about Jodi Picoult onward, have dealt with a fairly insular world, and that once again, her origin (kind of like Donna Troy, actually) is causing all sorts of continued drama.  That's what Greg Rucka, returning after too many years to follow-up on his brilliant Infinite Crisis-era work, will be dealing with, all over again.  I trust he'll have some interesting stuff to say about all of this.

Reading Comics 146 "Aquaman"

via DC Comics

It took me forever, but I've finally read the conclusion to Geoff John's Aquaman.  

Yeah, about a year late.

But the local comics shop had the original comics available, or at least the last two issues, Aquaman # 24 and 25, and so I got them and now have read them.

And it struck me, this was a little like Johns revisiting some of what he'd done in the pages of Green Lantern.  Now, before you say some hogwash like Johns repeating himself let alone others, that's the story of storytelling.  That's what it's all about.

Now, the last Green Lantern story Johns told concerned the First Lantern, his vision of how the Guardians of the Universe began creating what would become the space cops as embodied by Hal Jordan and others.  The First Lantern returned as a villain, naturally.  The same, it seems, as the King of the Seven Seas, the prototypical Aquaman who ruled ancient Atlantis and subsequently returns, as a villain.

The whole idea of the Others, it now seems apparent, was Johns recreating the spectrum corps in a new context, too.  

And it's about bloody time.

For so long, when Aquaman wasn't that crazy person who talks to fish (or lobsters, as depicted in the new Throne of Atlantis animated adaptation), he was thrust into some quasi-fantasy context that, sure, revolved around the obvious backdrop of the famed lost city that toppled over, sank into a swamp (er, your knowledge of Monty Python and the Holy Grail lore may not be extensive enough to know how pathetically hilarious I just was) and left our hero a fish out of water even though he technically patrols, y'know, most of the world.  But as he does with every concept he touches, Johns expanded Aquaman's horizons.

And he did it by dipping into the same waters twice, as it were.  But context is always key.  And I think it's worth celebrating this latest breakthrough.

The Others all have connections to artifacts (which is also like the Top Cow characters whose backstories hinge on how aware you are that Witchblade kind of long ago stopped being just that chick who was one of the many blatant excuses the '90s had for female characters wearing as strategically little as possible) stemming from the new Atlantis mythology.  You may have noticed that Aquaman and the Others has been an ongoing series for some time now, too.

I haven't read Aquaman since Johns left.  It took so long to read how Johns left, it only figures.  I don't know if those who inherited this Johns playground have properly exploited what he left behind, or if they've simply been enjoying the new visibility of the property.  Which, actually, wouldn't be a bad thing, because there now stands on record a number of key Aquaman arcs, "Throne of Atlantis," "Death of a King" (the arc that concludes with these issues), and of course the introduction of the Others.

It was also fun to see the art of Paul Pelletier, which has been missing from the pages of DC comics for years now, but was some of my favorite material from the '90s.  His work is still recognizable, but has more, ah, depth now.  Which is always good.

Aquaman #15 (DC)

writer: Geoff Johns
artist: Paul Pelletier

(via dccomics.com)

"Throne of Atlantis," the Aquaman/Justice League crossover, continues.  If you have no idea what this event is about, it's very much about Aquaman and the Atlantis saga as interpreted by Geoff Johns (who writes both books).  Basically, Aquaman since joining the League has basically relinquished all responsibility over the legendary undersea kingdom, which has been almost easy because he's very much a man of two worlds, feeling out of place in both, a native Atlantean with a background in humanity.  His brother, known as Ocean Master, surfaces in "Throne of Atlantis," wondering what Aquaman has been up to, especially after an incident where humanity seems to have attacked the kingdom.

This issue doesn't do anything to particularly advance the story so much as maintain momentum between the two books.  The interesting development, anyway, doesn't even involve Aquaman, at least as far as I'm concerned.  Aquaman #15 is a story about Batman.

Now, Geoff has written most of DC's icons in one form or another, spending a significant amount of time with Superman in Action Comics, and of course Green Lantern and The Flash, among others.  Last year he delivered Batman: Earth One, and it was essentially his first significant Batman story.  He'd written the Dark Knight before, but always in an ensemble.  Sort of like how he's been using Justice League as a second Wonder Woman series, this issue of Aquaman seems like another Batman tryout for Geoff.

There's Commissioner Gordon, Harvey Bullock, and Aquaman spending most of his time interacting with Batman himself.  Fans got their first taste of what Geoff would do with Batman during Infinite Crisis, when he famously quipped to Superman, "The last time you inspired anyone was when you were dead."  It's a version of Batman that fans don't often get to see, especially the more popular and ubiquitous he's become.  We're used to seeing the personal side of Batman, but not so much the impersonal one.  The Bruce Timm animated Batman had a strong sense of detachment, and the shocking insights of Frank Miller's All Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder were a sign that fans perhaps didn't know the character as well as they thought they did, and yet it can still be surprising to think of Batman as anything but the legend he's generally accepted to be.

And yet to Gotham, and to everyone who knows him, even in the League, Batman will be exactly that, a legend.  He's not really a man.  In the first issue of Justice League Geoff had Batman interacting with Green Lantern, who has a hard time accepting the fact that Batman is just a man.  It's a nuance some fans can somehow refuse to accept, even the ones who scoff at versions of his considerable prowess that have him finding a way to defeat any given opponent.  He just naturally seems larger than life.  Yet most writers have a hard time figuring out how exactly to present that.

Geoff's solution is to have Batman keep most of his thoughts to himself, making observations rather than conversation, utterances instead of exchanges.  When he speaks with Aquaman, it's from Batman's confidence that he becomes more than just a man.  Batman: Earth One is all about the lack of confidence, not just a man figuring things out like Miller's Year One, but someone who's so inexperienced and unsure of himself that he botches a simple building leap.  It's a Batman who would be familiar to Christopher Nolan, although Christian Bale always possessed an underlying ego, a chip on his shoulder.  When he failed, he was rattled.

One imagines that Geoff would have Batman hide his pain rather than expose it even to Alfred (although maybe I'd have to reread Earth One just to confirm that).  In Aquaman, he's the first ally Aquaman targets when it becomes clear that the conflict between Atlantis and humanity won't end easily.

Okay, so I just spent a lot of time talking about Batman in an Aquaman comic.  Now I'll talk about Paul Pelletier.

I've been a fan of Pelletier for years.  In recent years he's been known as a Marvel guy, but in the 1990s he was a DC guy, and I knew him best in the pages of the hugely underrated Superboy and the Ravers.  Now, like Stuart Immonen, Pelletier has been altered his style since I last regularly experienced him, yet I'm more familiar with Pelletier exhibiting this trait than Immonen.  The Pelletier of Ravers is different from the Pelletier of The Outsiders.  One of the things that will never change is his faces, especially around the eyes.

I'm glad he's still around, glad he's grown in prominence, glad to have him aboard Aquaman.  Just another thing to love about this book.

Aquaman #14 (DC)

(via dccomics.com)

writer: Geoff Johns
artist: Pete Woods, Pere Perez

In this prelude to "Throne of Atlantis," the Aquaman crossover with Justice League (both series written by Geoff Johns), you may learn the most fascinating thing about the title character of this series.

I give you a hint: the answer is in the cover image provided above.

Okay, chances are you still have no idea, so I'll just go out and say it: Ocean Master.  Who the hell is Ocean Master?  Aside from being one of Aquamn's most notable foes, he also happens to be Aquaman's brother.

Now, I know I appreciate the idea of a hero's worst enemy being his brother.  Many years ago I created a very crude comic (strictly for personal amusement) that was basically a very obvious knockoff of Superman (though there have been many, many creators who have done exactly that), with one crucial difference: he was not the only survivor of his world.  Unlike, say, Supergirl or General Zod, Powerman's kin was his own brother.  And mortal enemy.

No, I didn't get very much farther in the story.  That's basically all there was.

That's just part of the reason why I think Ocean Master's new level of significance is so brilliant.  Let me clue you in on a little secret: most of what anyone finds brilliant is something they may have thought of themselves, but someone else also ended up thinking it, and so it's like an affirmation.  That's brilliance in a nutshell, the less-common-than-you'd-think confluence of thought processes.

Anyway, another reason why this is so brilliant is because it's surprisingly rare in comics.  Martian Manhunter, in the years following JLA, when he had an actual ongoing series, had his own evil rival of a brother, but all due respect to Martian Manhunter (a continually underrated, brilliant character) and John Ostrander, but I will choose to overlook that one.

Of the major characters in comics, Aquaman stands pretty unique in this regard.  And somehow every single one of the creators before Geoff Johns never really saw fit to exploit this.

That would be like failing to acknowledge Wonder Woman as the ultimate ambassador.  Oh, wait.  Pretty much every Wonder Woman comic not written by Greg Rucka has done that.  (To steal an expression: hurm.)

Anyway, you may or may not have heard of "Throne of Atlantis."  It's one of the dozens of crossover storyarcs DC is currently in the midst of, and probably the one you should be noting right now in case you haven't already.  Obviously the point is to help raise the profile and significance of Aquaman, which Johns has been doing quite well in this series already, in a far more lucid and imaginative interpretation than the character has ever seen before.  As I've noted in the past, it's not enough to have Atlantis as a prominent element of Aquaman's story.  You have to know what to do with it.

Aquaman is a fish out of water in two worlds, which is pretty ironic, because one of those worlds is certainly under water.  He's not just that dude who talks to fish.  He's awesome.

The cleverest thing about this issue is that even though Ocean Master is kept in shadow and most of anything you need to know about him is omitted, it's so obvious what's going to happen, you're only following along as Aquaman himself discovers that his brother is going to turn out to be his worst enemy.  That was always supposed to be the virtue of the New 52: these elements are all familiar to older readers, but to new ones they can come as revelations, and the right writers will know exactly how to strike that balance.  In a way, this makes Aquaman quintessential New 52 reading.

Aquaman #s 0 & 13 (DC)

writer: Geoff Johns
artist: Ivan Reis

Geoff Johns has been writing Aquaman from a viewpoint that assumes you know nothing about the character or his world.  For all intents and purposes, this is as it should be.

I don't make that statement to belittle the accomplishments of others, but of all the signature characters of DC Comics, especially members of the core Justice League, Aquaman has had the roughest publication history, with numerous reboots of ongoing series (only Hawkman is truly comparable, but then, Hawkman didn't have this statement said about him in The Big Bang Theory: "I don't want to be Aquaman.  Aquaman sucks."), and at one point was quietly killed off and replaced by a successor who was basically exactly like him (no, seriously! I recommend the stories by Tad Williams if you can find them).

Johns himself brought Aquaman back to the land of the living in Brightest Day, which was a continuity that ultimately mattered only previous to the New 52 relaunch, though it did help inform much of the new landscape.

When Aquaman began last fall, Johns took much the same approach that he'd done with Green Lantern after Rebirth, letting the character establish himself before diving into truly juicy storytelling.  #0 is Aquaman's origin story, which is not so surprising, because Zero Month was all about origin stories, but unlike some others feels completely organic to what Johns has been doing the past few months.  The "Others" arc, concluded in #13, drew the character back to his origins anyway, and leads to the "Throne of Atlantis" crossover event.

The stereotype has always been that Aquaman is just that weirdo who talks to fish and is basically in effective out of the water.  Some of the stories that tried to demonstrate his true potential tied him into Atlantis, or represented him as a fish out of water.  Johns instead focuses on combining these elements.  Like Wonder Woman (with whom he was paired during Flashpoint), he's a son of two worlds but doesn't feel like he belongs in either.  That's what both these issues demonstrate, although they also show his ongoing efforts to find a place in both.  His archenemy Black Manta has ties to both, too, which certainly helps (unless you're Aquaman).

Another clever thing that Johns has been doing is slowly building toward the introduction of Ocean Master, but more on that next issue.

Suffice it to say, but Aquaman has been doing all it can to transform its title character in a compelling read, building up the narrative of his life and fleshing out details both new and that have existed for decades.  This is a milestone of the New 52.  Well, it is written by Geoff Johns.

Sagas

Aquaman #12 (DC)
writer: Geoff Johns
artist: Ivan Reis

Chapter Six of "The Others," in which Johns explores a different kind of mythology for Aquaman, who has been marginalized in pop culture as "the dude who talks to fish."  Unlike other creators, Johns doesn't just see the character as a fish out of water or connected to undersea kingdoms, but in connection to an intricate mythology that embraces arch foe Black Manta as never before and creates a web of allies that redefines Aquaman's greater scope.  The Others (not to be confused with the good folks from Lost) are a network of world superheroes unrelated to the Justice League.  As of this issue, Manta has killed two of them now in his efforts to lay claim to a scepter, one of seven relics of an older world destined to be possessed by Aquaman, but instead claimed by Manta.  Aquaman has been avoiding both the Others and his Justice League pals, not to mention Mera, his mate.  He thinks it's safer for everyone if he finally puts Manta behind him on his own.  After this issue, maybe everyone will understand?

Green Lantern Corps #12 (DC)
writer: Peter J. Tomasi
artist: Fernando Pasarin

Green Lantern #12 (DC)
writer: Geoff Johns
artist: Renato Guedes, Jim Calafiore

Green Lantern: New Guardians #12 (DC)
writer: Tony Bedard
artist: Tyler Kirkham

Green Lantern Annual #1 (DC)
writer: Geoff Johns
artist: Ethan Van Sciver, Pete Woods

I had a recommendation that the twelfth issue of the Green Lantern books (which also include Red Lanterns) were worth checking out.  As they're soon to launch into "Rise of the Third Army" (which the Annual previews), chances are that they were at least reaching a boiling point.  In Tomasi's Corps, the Guardians are building Guy Gardner's confidence up, because a cocky Guy is a careless Guy.  Guy Gardner is already the cockiest Green Lantern, human or otherwise.  In this issue, he completes a rescue of John Stewart, whom the Guardians have destabilized by once again playing on his fears of inadequacy.  The obstacle is the Alpha Lanterns, whom the Guardians previously created as Manhunter versions of their Green Lanterns.  The Manhunters, by the way, were the First Army, the Lanterns the second.  The Alpha Corps has been a plague since Final Crisis, a huge hassle that has proven time and again to be more trouble than it's worth.  In Bedard's New Guardians, Kyle Rayner (the fourth human to hold a green ring from Oa) finally gets to the bottom of troubles his fledgling alliance of members from the Blue Lanterns, Red Lanterns, Sinestro Corps, Indigo Tribe, Star Sapphire, and crazy Larfleeze (easily the best creation of the Geoff Johns era) has been experiencing, and why Ganthet originally made him the torchbearer, because he alone can wield the power of the whole spectrum.

Johns as head writer of the franchise gets to write the big guns, Hal Jordan and Sinestro, the two most famous Green Lanterns, and the ones the Guardians absolutely need out of the way in order to enact their plans for a Third Army that will unquestionably and effectively obey them (removing free will, and thus making the Green Lantern Corps obsolete, as it is entirely powered by will).  Jordan and Sinestro have been trying to handle Black Hand, emissary of the Black Lanterns, a quirk that introduced the zombie craze to DC.  In both the ongoing series and annual, this proves increasingly complicated.  From the Book of the Black, it's revealed that Jordan is meant to become the greatest Black Lantern (that's the shock of Green Lantern #12).  The Guardians facilitate their plans by tapping into the power of the imprisoned First Lantern, and use Black Hand to apparently permanently eliminate Jordan and Sinestro (that's from Green Lantern Annual).  All in all, big things continue to develop in this franchise.

Justice League #12 (DC)
writer: Geoff Johns
artist: Jim Lee, Ivan Reis, David Finch

Closing out the saga of the mad David Graves has some great features to it.  For one, each member of the League is forced to confront some hard truths about their pasts, loved ones they would rather still have in their lives.  There's a twist that may seem like it guts this element, but it's still worthwhile.  For another, we learn that Steve Trevor is in fact not dead, but that doesn't simplify his relationship with Wonder Woman, though at least on her end there's finally a reckoning and resolution.  For a third, well, there's been a lot of media attention to Wonder Woman's other relationship from this issue, the bond she realizes exists with Superman.  It's on the cover and everything.  Another development, meanwhile, sees Hal Jordan (Green Lantern, in a continuity that exists outside of the Green Lantern books, it should be noted) leaves the team, realizing that from the public perception side of things, he's something of a problem, having sparked a fight among several members of the team and thus helped everyone question its continuing effectiveness.  I've been surprised at the tepid reception to this series, since it's been a favorite of mine since the launch of the New 52 last fall.  It's precisely Johns' ability to see the humans in the mythic team that I've enjoyed so much, something Brad Meltzer previously tried to do (succeeding with Red Tornado but overlooking everyone else).  The series has arguably done far better working with the characters than throwing Grant Morrison-level threats at them.  Maybe that's something of what fans have lamented.  But the main thing is, Johns has managed to do something with the team that no one else has, and that's something you want for any creator trying to leave a mark on something as big as the Justice League.

Saga #s 4-6 (Image)
writer: Brian K. Vaughan
artist: Fiona Staples

As you may or may not recall, I previously wrote about this series in a roundup of significantly hyped new series from established creators, and it was my pick for the best of them.  I didn't realize how much I loved what I'd read until I had the chance to read more of it.  Three additional issues of Saga is more than enough for me to establish my love for this book.  It's a little like Grant Morrison doing Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.  In books like Seaguy and The Filth, Morrison has certainly come close.  But not as close as Saga.  Vaughan has previously done stellar work in Y: The Last Man and Ex Machina, and has now come up with a third totally distinctive world that's impossible to overlook.  The work of Staples should not be overlooked, either.  Her art is astounding, from the iconic covers to interior art that surprises with every panel.  There are a number of plotlines converging so far, from the relationship between Marko and Alana to The Will and Prince Robot IV, both of whom are looking for the fugitives, like a version of Farscape that isn't just a tad precious.  Constantly evolving, it's the best science fiction epic to come along in a while.  Considering that this is a genre that's (at least to my mind) notoriously hard to pull off in comics, that's saying something.

The Shade #11 (DC)
writer: James Robinson
artist: Frazer Irving

Featuring a main character who is entirely ambiguous, neither good nor evil (though he's been known as the latter in the past), this has been a rare opportunity for comics to be existential, and Robinson has embraced it wholeheartedly.  This is the last issue that attempts to pretend that there was ever any other point than simply exploring The Shade, wrapping up a quick struggle with Egyptian gods recruited by the descendant who tried to have him killed at the start of the series.  Proving that he's smarter than them, our protagonist does what he does best, talk himself out of a problem, using his powers less as a means to get something achieved than because he has them.

Velvet Garden #1 (RC)
writer: Ryan Davis
artist: Gunther Goltz

Not a fantastic book, but worth checking out.  Based on an arcade game that was notoriously pulled from the general public for its destructive effects (Polybius, for the record), it's a mystery adventure I bought on the strength that it's from some local creators.

Wasteland #39 (Oni)
writer: Antony Johnston
artist: Sandy Jarrell

A fascinating glimpse into the mythology of the series.  Ten years (instead of the usual hundred) after the apocalyptic event known as the Big Wet, we meet Michael, Marcus, and Mary as children wandering through territory already on the savage side.  Michael is the Ruin Runner who's been the main protagonist of the book, while Marcus runs Newbegin with an iron fist, and has recently gained Mary as an ally.  All three of them (along with Abbi, our other protagonist, who is currently searching for the mythic A-Ree-Yass-I with Michael) have special abilities, though they don't each have all the same gifts.  That's one of the things that becomes a problem in this formative trio, not to mention the fact that both Marcus and Michael have an interest in Mary, whom they think is dead by the end of the issue.  As always, one of the best books being published today.

Catching Up On Some Recent Comics

Action Comics #12 (DC)
Grant Morrison rounds out the first year of the New 52 Action Comics by pitting Superman against Captain Comet, one of DC's cosmic superheroes, in an epic showdown.  Hey, it's the most relevant Comet's been in years!

Aquaman #11 (DC)
Geoff Johns continues the saga he may be only spending a little while longer on, if recent reports are to be believed.  Still, if it's true, he's still done far more to make Aquaman a vital character than anyone in the dozens of attempts over the years.  If nothing else, this will make an epic, massive collection, and be put right alongside Brightest Day, where Johns and Peter S. Tomasi previously worked on the character.

Atomic Robo and the Flying She-Devils of the Pacific #2 of 5 (Red 5)
A better issue than the previous one, filled with Brian Clevinger's trademark wit, and Robo's hapless reactions to the insanity around him.

Atomic Robo Presents Real Science Adventures #5 (Red 5)
The latest issue of this anthology series is highlighted by Robo's confrontation with the man who killed Nikola Tesla (in this comics iteration), who was the creator of Atomic Robo (in the comics).

Batman: Earth One - Special Preview Edition (DC)
Yes, I bought and reviewed the full graphic novel last month, but I thought it'd be fun to see what it might feel like as a monthly-installment-sized edition.  Yes, this only covers the first fifteen pages, but it really does have a different feel.  There's a bonus preview of Scott Snyder's New 52, but the provided content is practically impenetrable, and certainly doesn't sell the Court of Owls concept, even though that's the name of the collection the preview is hawking.

Batman Incorporated #3 (DC)
The horrific shooting in Aurora, CO, delayed release of this book, though not necessarily shipments.  Morrison brings back Matches Malone, Bruce Wayne's underworld alter ego, while we learn what's really going on with Damian, who has for now assumed the identity of Redbird (which was also the name of Tim Drake's Robin-mobile).

Batman and Robin #12 (DC)
Tomasi concludes his Terminus arc with a big bang, which is a little disappointing in that Terminus didn't quite receive enough time to develop as a villain.  Long story short, the series was better earlier this year.

Before Watchmen: Comedian #2 of 6 (DC)
I read elsewhere that Edward Blake's introduction to Vietnam seemed a little generic.  I guess I haven't saturated myself with enough Vietnam fiction, since I found it to be pretty fascinating.  On the one hand, the Comedian considers this battlefield to be just another battlefield.  On the other hand, this is a guy whose best friend was just assassinated.  He has a right to be a little cynical, have an impulse to let loose a little.  That's my perspective, anyway.  Brian Azzarello also provides a fascinating insight into the possible origins of the emerging drug culture we still live in today, playing along the same notes as the second issue of Silk Spectre. (If you need a little perspective on it, Before Watchmen is an unlikely but certainly welcome forum.)

Before Watchmen: Nite Owl #2 of 4 (DC)
Whatever else I might have had to say about this issue is kind of overshadowed by the recent passing of comics legend Joe Kubert, who inked this series over son Andy's art.  I'm not a historian of the craft, but I can certainly appreciate Kubert's huge legacy, and it's a shame that he had to die in the middle of his last great contribution.  As I said in my thoughts for the first issue, Joe's inking made a definite impact on Andy's art in this book, one that spoke to the generational nature of the project.  Where some people have only been able to view Before Watchman through the Alan Moore controversy, I've relished it as a chance to view comic books in their most pure and relevant form, something creators like Kurt Busiek and James Robinson have been trying to do ever since, well, Watchmen.  Comics have, for better or worse, come to be defined by superheroes and legacies, and that's something Before Watchmen fully embraced, what the original stories were all about, in fact.  And Joe Kubert had a huge role in developing that.  Sorry to see you go.

Before Watchmen: Ozymandias #2 of 6 (DC)
The genius of Before Watchmen can also be explained this way: we're finally going to see Ozymandias and Comedian on equal terms.  That's something the original stories surprisingly avoided.  At the end of this particular issue, we begin to see a rectification.

Creator-Owned Heroes #1 (Image)
Image has slowly become the go-to home for every conceivable comic book project, and while the founders envisioned a forum to create superheroes that would contend with the popularity of the books they left behind, the projects that've come along over the past decade have redefined the company as a catch-all for creators who would otherwise look for a place in small presses.  Which has in essence made Image a large small press.  Sometimes a book like The Walking Dead can happen, but that's very much the exception to the rule.  Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, regular writing partners who regularly work for the Big Two, join forces with Steve Niles (best known for his horror efforts) in launching a new anthology format, almost magazine-like offering, working on dream projects.  The problem is that the format short-changes those dreams.  To be frank, the examples in this debut issue don't feel like they were worth the effort.  But maybe they're better with commitment.

Demon Knights #12 (DC)
Paul Cornell may be writing this series for the trades.  I think that's the best thing to say about it.  I love Demon Knights, and I also wish it could be something more.  It's a rolling, sometimes rollicking adventure, but every time it seems like we're finally getting somewhere...it's the end of the issue.  So, Cornell may be writing for the trades.  This is not a complaint.

Earth 2 #4 (DC)
James Robinson continues his chronicle of the alternate Justice Society, in which everything old is new again. This now includes Al Pratt, the original Atom, who in this version of events is a soldier in the world army that sprang up in response to the Apokolips apocalypse.

Green Lantern #11 (DC)
Black Hand puts together a creepy family reunion and Sinestro brings Hal Jordan to his own personal Batcave, allowing us our first glimpse of the next Green Lantern.  Seriously, Geoff Johns could write this franchise forever.

National Comics: Eternity (DC)
The first of a series of one-shots reimagining various DC properties ("National Comics" is what the company was before it embraced the Detective in one of its flagship titles).  Jeff Lemire sees Kid Eternity basically as a Ghost Whisperer.  That's as much as there is to see here.

Peter Parker, Spider-Man #156.1 (Marvel)
I guess Marvel is releasing Point One issues of cancelled Spider-Man series to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the web-slinger.  This one is written by Roger Stern, a veteran I know best from 1990s Superman (but he's been around!).

RASL #15 (Cartoon)
The final issue of Jeff Smith's second comic book opus (his first being, of course, Bone), and finally an explanation for the title (an acronym for Romance at the Speed of Light, which was also the name of the third collection, and title of the eighth issue).  Things've boiled down to Rob's need to destroy the journals of Nikola Tesla (yes, the same dude as the comics creator of Atomic Robo) in order to save the universe, lest they be used to destroy it (which in fairness to Rob is a process that was already started across several alternate realities).  The big problem Rob gets to overcome in the finale is the revelation that Maya, the source of the eponymous tattoo and motivating factor in so many ways for Rob's journey throughout the series, is also his biggest threat.  He's been running the whole time toward this moment.  It's still disappointing that the series only lasted fifteen issues, but as Smith himself pointed out elsewhere, that still adds up to a lot of pages for any collection, and one way or another, this will sit proudly next to Bone on any discerning reader's shelf.  Perhaps like Demon Knights, it will read better and last longer in the memory in trade format.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #11 (DC)
Again, I have to say how different this series is from just about anything else, not just because of the distinctive art from Kenneth Rocafort, but because of Scott Lobdell's writing, which moves along at its own pace, a little like Grant Morrison's.  It is, then, any wonder that Lobdell and Rocafort have been tapped as the latest replacements in Superman?  Perhaps this will solve two issues.  This is a book that deserves to stand out, but it's also one that can be alienating (much like the heroes in the book themselves, who are all alienated), as has been proven since its launch last fall.  Perhaps more a little more convention will help readers discover how awesome it is.  This issue, by the way, features some familiar and unfamilar backstory for Koriand'r, better known as Stargirl.  Apparently she has some Farscape in her.

Last Week's Comics and an Epic Showdown

It should be noted that sometimes "last week's comics" will include some purchases that were not actually released last week.


Aquaman #10 (DC) Ever since Brightest Day, Geoff Johns has made it his mission to revive Aquaman as a legitimate presence in comics.  DC has tried just about everything in many different revivals to achieve this over the years, but Johns alone seems to have had the radical approach of merely making Aquaman himself interesting.  As he's done with Green Lantern, Johns has achieved this by widening the scope of Aquaman's career.  Previous efforts to this regard have always centered on underwater kingdoms, and while some of these have an impact, they did not succeed in making the character for whom these kingdoms were created...relevant.  Aquaman is not defined by underwater kingdoms.  If he were, he'd be no better than Black Panther, an incredibly negligent ruler, spending so much time hanging out with other superheroes who notably have no interest in this faraway responsibility.  Some creators have also tried to make his human origins interesting, to little avail other than extremely temporary visibility.  Aquaman, unfortunately, is a character who can be summed up in an entirely dismissive fashion: he talks to fish.  Johns decided to ignore all that and instead reveal a side of the character that speaks to his strengths in a far empowering way, as a guy who had an entirely separate group of allies who link his undersea world to surface concerns in ways that are still being explored nearly a year into the series and a rivalry with his archnemesis that has turned decidedly personal.  Aquaman has always been portrayed as the victim in his stories (which is really weird), but Johns is turning him into a multifaceted and even culpable figure.  Like Wonder Woman, he has always been a character who was supposed to be important just because he supposed to, and during Flashpoint last year their common significance as warriors was made plain.  Yet being a warrior isn't enough.  But being a tragic hero might be.  This is a good issue to see how Johns is accomplishing this.

Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre #2 of 4 (DC) What's absolutely fascinating about this issue has a connection to Alan Moore's story that could almost have been entirely forgotten in the midst of hype for being the best superhero story ever told.  Darwyn Cooke and Amanda Conner remind readers of the social significance of it, too, as they outline the insidious plot to turn drugs into the next big consumer hit, a habit that doesn't need to provide anything lasting in order to create its own constant demand.  Laurie is just beginning her career as a costumed crimefighter, something she never thought she'd do, but it's another habit, in effect, that she can't overcome.  If there's a message, it's that one of these habits is productive and the other isn't.

Cobra #15 (IDW) Longtime fans of G.I. Joe will know that one of the big developments in the late 80s continuity was the revelation that Cobra Commander had a hidden son named Billy.  Billy hits Cobra in a big way this issue, only he's not the boy we used to know, but a man, who in the opening pages sounds suspiciously like the Cobra from earlier issues, the ones trying to sell the organization to the public.  If he's not evil, then he certainly has an ego, and could have easily been used by his father's allies, possibly without him even realizing it.  It's this malleable sense of morality that allows this series to remain so brilliant.  You know who the bad guys and the good guys are, but they're both forced to exist in a world where it's not so easy to keep those distinctions separate when something needs to be done.  This is not a G.I. Joe book in any traditional sense.  You don't even need to care about G.I. Joe to enjoy it, and I'm certain that you don't even have to have read the several other dozen issues behind this one to start enjoying it now.

Justice League #11 (DC) I don't think Graves will go down as one of the most memorable villains in JLA history, and I don't think Geoff Johns thinks so, either.  He's a catalyst, a means to an end, to make a point, that this team is not perfect, even though its reputation in the book and as a comics commodity suggests so.  Readers from any number of eras will tell you that the Justice League is fallible.  The different and the distinction Johns is making here, and certainly in this issue, is that even a membership comprised of its most iconic members has visible chinks in its armor.  The underlying story from the beginning of the series has been Wonder Woman's journey, and it's fair to say that Johns has been doing more than other writer of the team to make her relevant.  Her relationship with Steve Trevor, which takes a considerable step this issue (but not one you might be thinking of), has been at the center of this significance, but the big splash is her fight with Superman and Green Lantern.  It's something of a cliche to try and help out a character's reputation by putting them in a situation like this, but for Wonder Woman, she's rarely had a moment like this.  In recent years she's come to be defined more closely as a warrior than ever before, but Johns has managed to channel that into someone who can be irrational and rational at the same time.  She can be reasoned with.  (It's also amazing that Johns is willing to show Green Lantern as so vulnerable in these pages, considering he's gone a good way into making the character his signature work in comics.)  The Shazam backup continues, and can it really been only the fifth installment?  Johns and Gary Frank are owning the former Captain Marvel as no one since Jerry Ordway.  I don't think he'll be overlooked again anytime soon.

Nightwing #11 (DC) The subplot of Detective Nie that Kyle Higgins has been sowing throughout this run is starting to come to a head.  I don't know why Nightwing seems to elicit these kinds of characters (Chuck Dixon and Devin Grayson previously worked similarly extended angles), but I'm glad it's another thing that Higgins is most assuredly doing write in this book.  There's plenty of story threads to keep reader interested this issue, including a visit from Sonia Branch, the daughter of Tony Zucco (the mobster responsible for the death of Dick Grayson's parents), who turns our hero down for a loan due to the established risk involved; a conversation with Damian, loaded with references to recent comics that also helps Nightwing riddle out some detective work; and the villain Paragon, who's there to exploit as much as possible.  Guest artist Andres Guinaldo is hit-and-miss, especially with Dick's hair for some reason, but the coloring makes a good contrast of Nightwing's basic gray and the new red swash.  All in all, this is a book that rewards regular readers.

Now here I'm going to talk about some recent new series from cult favorite writers Jonathan Hickman, Brian Wood, and Brian K. Vaughan.  Hickman's been famous recently for his work with Marvel, notably Fantastic Four, but he originally made his name on creator-owned titles for Image.  Wood is known for Demo and DMZ, while Vaughan is probably the biggest name of the bunch, having crafted Y: The Last Man and Ex Machina, two long-running titles that had readers invested in the unusual lives of their central protagonists.

I read these issues last week:


The Manhattan Projects #3 (Image)
from Hickman


The Massive #2 (Dark Horse)
from Wood


Saga #3 (Image)
from Vaughan


Of the three, I'm most impressed by Saga.  Hickman is known for having a wild imagination, but cycling it through either historical figures or established characters (sometimes blending the two, as in S.H.I.E.L.D.), and Manhattan Projects is not so different from this mold, even though it seems to have a little more breathing room than usual.  As the title implies, it deals with the development of the atomic bomb, and Hickman's idea of the greater things going on around it.  He gets to play with Einstein, Roosevelt, and a wacked-out version of Truman (if this is even close to truth, my history teachers have a lot of explaining to do), among others.  This particular issue handles the actual deployment of the bomb that resulted, and so it's fun (insofar as that bomb was "fun") to read Hickman's depiction of these events, although there's little indication of what exactly he's doing to build a larger story.  Maybe I need to read another issue.  The Massive, meanwhile, appears to be part-Wood and equally parts Dark Horse reviving Arvid Nelson's brilliant Zero Killer, but in a decentralized form.  For this reason (because I loved Zero Killer), I'm perhaps less inclined to view Massive as a singular creation, even though it's a book (like all three of these titles) that has a considerable amount of buzz around it, mostly because of Wood's involvement.  Saga, meanwhile, is something totally new from Vaughan, at least as far as my experience goes.  Maybe his Runaways was similar.  At any rate, this is a story set on an alien world, and Vaughan has embraced its otherworldliness, almost to a degree that I must ask you to see for yourself.  It's like Neil Gaiman doing Pixar (Coraline only gives you so much of a clue).  If you ever sampled Grant Morrison and had a hard time figuring him out, Vaughan might have provided an adequate window into that kind of storytelling, like Seaguy but without being a parody of superhero comics.  This one demands to be read again.

Controversies Edition!

ACTION COMICS #10 (DC)

Grant Morrison is probably the first writer after Geoff Johns to write the Justice League in the New 52.  Perhaps predictably, he goes against the grain.  This is the Morrison of JLA, but rather the one willing to subvert the mainstream, defy expectations, and end up with Superman as an outsider rather than the cheerful face of “normal.”  That’s about what Morrison has done with the Man of Steel since ALL STAR SUPERMAN, where he first postulated that Kal-El possesses a hyper sense of responsibility, rather than the more usual notion that he’s nothing more than a Big Blue Boy Scout.  He’s the one trying to get the team to have a little ambition, not to mention compassion, and if you really stop to think about it, it makes sense.  The rest of the team has very specific areas of interest and the one most identified as his opposite number is obsessive and controlling (that would be Batman, who even in Morrison’s interpretation of his best possible mode has established a network of allies that are most effective only in relation to him).  The thing that Morrison has been trying to stress in ACTION COMICS is the humanity of Clark Kent, which is an identity he readily sacrifices this issue (SPOILER ALERT, by the way), something he doesn’t even think twice about, because he’s more interested in his humanitarian mission than his own reputation.  Yes, he no doubt hears when Batman cracks that he’s going to be the League’s problem some day (and not in an IRREDEEMABLE way), but that’s not his problem, and he cares a great deal that his teammates don’t care about what he does.  That makes him irreplaceable.  Just like Grant Morrison.

AQUAMAN #9 (DC)

Okay, so this issues pretty much makes it official: Geoff Johns has gotten into GREEN LANTERN mode.  For the past few issues, he’s been exploring Aquaman’s association with a whole different set of superheroic allies from around the world, totally different from the Justice League, a lot more similar to him, actually.  He’s also brought back Black Manta, Aquaman’s greatest foe.  This issue, he inserts a key bit of mythology into their relationship, one that deepens both characters as well as the story I hope Johns will be telling for years to come.  I guess in hindsight it was clear that he wasn’t going to stick around THE FLASH with Barry Allen for too long, because that’s not something he did on that book (but definitely something he did in FLASHPOINT).  When he starts to shape an entire world that’s when you know he’s really invested, and that’s something he’s started to really get into here.  Here is an issue any self-respecting fan of superhero comics ought to read, because it’ll be important later.

AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #5 (Marvel)

This should be another of those moments, but owing to the length of the event book, the Phoenix choosing its new host becomes a little convoluted, leaving Hope behind and entering into a few of the X-Men, who are still contractually obligated to be diametrically opposed to the Avengers.  On the other hand, Matt Fraction does a good job writing Iron Man as he appears in the movies, so that’s something right there, right?

BEFORE WATCHMEN: MINUTEMEN #1 (DC)

The big controversy here is that someone other than Alan Moore, and without his consent, is playing in the Watchmen sandbox.  This is being viewed as a violation of creator rights, mostly because everyone really loves WATCHMEN (but not the movie, which I always found odd, because the movie rocks).  MINUTEMEN is the first of several mini-series, and is handled by nostalgia-rich Darwyn Cooke.  It concerns the first generation of heroes envisioned by Moore, essentially the golden age, the birth of superheroes, and narrated by Hollis Mason, the original Night-Owl and author of the fictional UNDER THE HOOD autobiography that served to give the original story its first measure of authenticity, the quality that everyone dances around when speaking about WATCHMEN.  At heart, the story of the Watchmen is about weaving a self-contained world where everything makes sense, even the bits that get swept under the rug, and so it’s about perspective.  It’s always seemed odd to me that fans of WATCHMEN seem to utterly lack perspective, including Moore himself, a man so steeped in his own favorite memories that he barely seems to exist in the present.  Cooke is very much like that, but like his art style, he’s far more whimsical about it.  Perhaps it’s because he exists to play in not just other people’s sandboxes but their memories as well, that he serves as the perfect introduction to the BEFORE WATCHMEN project, which seeks to expand the narrative back to the characters and not just their story, because as Moore so cleverly demonstrated in the first place, without them the story couldn’t exist.  He already took the liberty of modifying the creations of others to reach that point in the first place.  Now we get to see how strong his own creations were.

EARTH 2 #2 (DC)

Years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Mart Nodell, creator of Alan Scott.  He was a gracious man who didn’t mind signing comics that featured Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner, even though they had nothing to do with his Green Lantern.  I’m thinking he would have been fine with a little reinvention of his own character.  You may have heard by now that James Robinson made Green Lantern gay.  This is no surprise on the part of Robinson, who’s incorporated gay characters in his other comics, and was made as an official press release only days before this issue was published, just to allay, or at least moderate, the reaction.  The whole EARTH 2 series is about redefining a whole generation of superheroes, some of the oldest in comics, by ironically making them once again the successors of Superman and Batman.  Robinson has handled it beautifully so far, with the second issue better than the first, with more time to explore his brave new world.  The character on the cover is Jay Garrick, the original Flash, now endowed with the powers of Mercury but an inexperienced hothead (like a certain Bart Allen!), and it’s not until the third issue that Alan Scott is supposed to steal the spotlight.  He’s already been cast as a key figure in the narrative, shaping the public reaction to the aftermath of a parallel version of what happened in the first handful of JUSTICE LEAGUE issues, where events turned tragic and created a bleak (brave?) new world with awesome consequences.  So he also happens to be gay.  Some observers are saying it’s convenient, that he’s an alternate version in his own pocket world, but I don’t think Robinson ever had the media in mind when he made his decision.  Oh, well, it’s just that much easier to ignore if that’s easier for you.  Except you’ll be missing out on a great read.

THE SUMMER OF SPIDER-MAN/ WOLVERINE: SABRETOOTH REBORN (Marvel)

This is another of those free preview flipbooks, showcasing a bunch of upcoming Spider-Man stories as well as the latest from Jeph Loeb.  The Spidey previews are a little awkward.  First there’s something from Dan Slott’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN that involves the Lizard but has no relation to the upcoming movie.  It paints a pretty generic portrait of the Lizard and leaves anything human out of the picture.  Is that really the point of the character?  Then there’s SPIDER-MEN, from Brian Michael Bendis, a crossover between the regular wallcrawler and is Ultimate doppelganger, who happens to be Miles Morales these days.  The only problem is this excerpt is generic Peter Parker bemoaning his life, and only begins to suggest what will actually happen in the book.  This goes on for pages.  Finally there’s AVENGING SPIDER-MAN that’s supposed to sell you on the new, female Captain Marvel, but ends up doing a far better job for a character who doesn’t even technically have a name yet.  Get that girl her own book!  On the other side, Loeb and artist Simone Bianchi talk about their new Sabretooth project (they previously collaborated on WOLVERINE: EVOLUTION).  I wish Loeb hadn’t gotten so skittish about working with Tim Sale, but it seems these Wolverine tales are in that same basic tradition, character-rich stories that are probably worth checking out, even though they’re on the fringe of continuity.

WASTELAND #38 (Oni)

At this point Justin Greenwood has nicely settled in as the new artist of the book, and Antony Johnston is free to dive back into the mythology of the story, finally explaining the deal with Gerr, the assassin sent by Lord Founder Marcus of Newbegin to dispatch Michael and Abi, but only after they find A-Ree-Yass-I, fabled oasis of the Big Wet, the apocalypse that led to our little wasteland.  The bigger news is that next issue we may actually learn more about Marcus, Michael, and Abi, who share superhuman abilities, including the inability to age, that has kept them youthful for some hundred years.  But that’s next issue.  This issue finally provides closure to at least one long-standing arc in the series: Gerr has loomed as a threat over Michael and Abi for some twenty issues now (ever since BOOK 3: BLACK STEEL IN THE HOUR OF CHAOS, to be precise).  This is what THE WALKING DEAD should be like.   

Teenage Wasteland

Here I go again.  I really shouldn’t have, but I opened a box at Heroes & Dragons, meaning I will be reading comics on a regular basis again, in a more limited capacity than I have in the past, when I didn’t have a ton of impulse control.  This time I’ll be reading on the stuff I really want to read.  Some of my selections have been shaped by the extended trial I’ve been on for the past year, some by decisions I made before it.  It’s really an effort to read books that may be unavailable typically, things I don’t want to miss, things I won’t have had the ability to catch if I hadn’t made this decision.  For instance, as visitors to Comics Reader will know by now, I’m a fan of Oni Press’s WASTELAND, a comic that spent a great deal of time recently not actually being published, but the circumstances that forced that particular break were recently resolved, and throughout 2012 it’s been back on a regular basis.  I haven’t seen it in any comic book store I’ve visited since Newbury Comics, so in order to read it without a lot of hassle, opening up a box was a decision that was more or less necessary.

There are two kinds of people who read comics: those with arrested development and those who are simply developing.  I don’t mean to disparage either group, but the fact is, it takes a special kind of person to be interested in stories told in illustrated form, especially when the most popular stories in the medium feature outsized personalities in colorful costumes.  Part of what drove me to reading comics in the first place was vindicated frustration from a childhood deprived of them when I was most keen to do so; I’ve been playing catch-up for twenty years.  I was a teenager by the time I was able to fulfill this ambition, and it so happened that at the time, there were a lot of comics being published that rewarded continued interest, and that helped develop a habit.  Yes, reading comics is a habit; otherwise they wouldn’t be released in monthly increments.

Again, none of this is a bad thing.  In fact, I think it’s a very good thing, because comics have an ability to remove the filter many storytellers force on themselves, making their tales more mundane, more ordinary, more constrained by things that have actually happened.  That in itself isn’t a bad thing, and in some instances can be a very good thing, but the universal is at its best in the sublime, when it activates the imagination.  There are more benefits to looking beyond the simple and embracing the abstract.  Comics do this better than any other expressive form except perhaps music.  For some reason, but you combine a static image with words, the words become more important, if you let them.

That being said, let’s look at some examples:

AQUAMAN #8 (DC)

Geoff Johns continues to expand his vision of Aquaman beyond the simple parody that pop culture has embraced in the past ten years, abetted by lackluster comic book portrayals in endless relaunches throughout many decades (Tad Williams, I contend, remains the sole exception) since the character’s creation.  Some creators have understood the potential of his unique setting, the mythology that Aquaman alone can truly tap into, but Johns is looking beyond that simple vision and tapping into how Aquaman’s life and career can be shaped outside his connections to the Justice League and embrace, like his Green Lantern stories, a far greater world than ever before.  To wit, Johns opens this issue with the young Arthur Curry attempting to distance himself from humans who could never understand him, following the death of his father, thrusting him into a dawning awareness of his Atlantean heritage.  He eventually meets others who understand him, but they aren’t the Justice League, but rather a whole myriad of outcasts.  As I’ve been saying, anyone who hasn’t read AQUAMAN yet should probably start doing so soon, because if history is any indication, Johns has a lot more planned, and this is just the foundation.

THE AVENGERS #1 (Marvel)

A reprint of the 2010 relaunch, Brian Michael Bendis (guru of all things Earth’s Mightiest Heroes) picks up the pieces of many conflicts he himself has helped engineer, reassembling the team once more and then bringing back time-traveling Kang for a more specific purpose.  There are moments where the gravity of what everyone’s been through is clear, but there’s also the trademark flippant style of Bendis that has likely built him his following (it’s no wonder he moonlights as the Ultimate chronicler of Spider-Man, since that’s his natural character vein).  This one’s a freebie, which is really smart, given the movie that pretty much everyone is going to see this summer, many in multiple visits.

AVENGERS VS X-MEN #0 (Marvel)

I got this reprint, too (had to pay for it, though), the one that looks like the most obvious gimmick in a long series of Marvel events since Bendis came aboard, but it spears someone really did figure out that there’s a story to be had, too.  Bendis started the ball rolling with HOUSE OF M (not to mention “Disassembled”), but the House of Ideas finally figured out what to do with mutant messiah Hope, too, tying her in with the Phoenix saga that was the highlight of the Claremont era that made the X-Men rise to the prominence it still enjoys today.  If this event figures out how to handle all of what it promises competently, it may be the most important story from Marvel in the past decade.

BATMAN AND ROBIN #5 (DC)

Seeing this even earlier issue from the story I snapped up in one of my previous visits, I couldn’t pass it up.  I am now thoroughly convinced that the series has already earned a prominent spot in the eventual 2012 QB50.  Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason are creating the most important in-continuity Batman stories, period.

DEMON KNIGHTS #7 (DC)

Another issue that fills in one of my gaps, Paul Cornell’s period heroics are just as astonishing as everything else he does, featuring historic heroes in ways only Grant Morrison previously approached with SEVEN SOLDIERS OF VICTORY.  If you want, consider this an ongoing series inspired by some of the mini-series in that project.

JUSTICE LEAGUE #8 (DC)

Geoff Johns again, once again putting the focus on a relative outsider, approaching the League from the outside in.  This time it’s Green Arrow, more famously depicted as an older, more cynical hero obsessed with social causes and his own legacy.  As a younger version, he does seem a little more superfluous, so it’s no wonder the League wants nothing to do with him (even if they have other reasons besides), even when he finally, petulantly, gives voice to the reasons he wants to join, which more accurately reflect the Oliver Queen we know and love.  The backup Shazam feature continues, and is already a definitive version of the character.  But what else did you expect from Geoff Johns?

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #8 (DC)

I can’t decide whether I actually want to read this series on a regular basis, but I keep getting drawn to it because Jason Todd is such a compelling character, a damaged individual with a tragic past, sometimes awful tendencies, and a road to redemption.  Scott Lobdell has captured this perfectly, and Kenneth Rocafort is an extremely unusual artist for DC (the only negative this issue is the cartoonish fat woman who’s the villain of the story), and another strong draw.  Forget the backlash concerning the costume of Starfire.  You need to at least sample this series.

SAUCER COUNTRY #2 (Vertigo)

Sometimes it’s better to miss the first issue of a comic book, and in this case, it’s almost mandatory.  Arcadia Alvarado will be running for President, but she believes she was abducted by aliens.  Do you believe her?  That’s the whole thrust of this series from Paul Cornell, finally getting the chance to stretch himself a little, with a concept entirely created by himself, in a book that has the potential to be the next great Vertigo project. 

THE TWELVE #12 (Marvel)

WATCHMEN as retold by J. Michael Straczynski and Chris Weston finally concludes.  Okay, it’s not really WATCHMEN, more like Captain America retold in the manner of WATCHMEN.  Regardless, this was an ambitious project of motivations and fate that proved fascinating and then frustrating when Straczynski took an extended break, leading many fans for several years to fear that it would never be concluded.  So important to Weston, actually, that he produced a one-shot on his own to continue the saga of the WWII heroes suspended and then revive in modern times, only to succumb to their own failings, THE TWELVE comes to a worthy if quiet conclusion, befitting its focus on character ahead of sensation.  Hopefully it will take its place among the seminal superhero stories.

WASTELAND #36 (Oni)

It’s a little strange for this reader to dive back into the series now that RESURRECTION artist Justin Greenwood has settling in as replacement for Christopher Mitten, whose distinctive style helped shape the early issues of Antony Johnston’s epic vision of the future, especially after having read (and written synopses for here at Comics Reader) the first six collected editions.  I have missed four issues between the last one featured in the paperbacks and what I was surprised to find waiting for me last week.  Michael and Abi, on their way to A-Ree-Yass-I, have stumbled into another town overrun with overblown egos.  If you were at all hesitant about WASTELAND before, it may be easier to catch exactly what this series is all about with these new issues, with new art but the same complex storytelling Johnston has been employing from the start.

Batman without Grant Morrison, Part 2

Last year I wrote about Batman comics from the perspective of someone who could just barely at that time accept that there were other writers in 2011 capable of writing a compelling story and not be named Grant Morrison.

Yes, I’m part of the Grant Morrison orthodoxy.  At that point, he’d just launched BATMAN, INCORPORATED, the last stage of an epic saga that had already delivered “Batman R.I.P.” and the launch of BATMAN AND ROBIN.  In 2012, BATMAN, INC. is slated to finally begin its endgame, returning as part of the second wave of the New 52.  Other writers have been able to dominate the bat-sandbox in the meantime.  You may have heard of Scott Snyder, for instance.  Before we reach him, let’s just go over the two books I’m not actively reading.  DETECTIVE COMICS currently features Tony Daniel continuing his fairly traditional version, while BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT is the comic any fan who isn’t already invested in the character can enjoy if they’d like.  I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Daniel’s work in the past, but in an effort to streamline my comics purchases, I haven’t really attempted to keep up with his stories since last fall.

BATMAN #6 (DC)

Scott Snyder: right, then.  This issue probably does a fine job of summing up exactly the approach he’s taken with the franchise.  Where someone like Morrison takes in an expansive look at what others have done and what can be done on top of that, Snyder has built something of his own.  The issue actually reads a lot like Frank Miller’s Batman, with art from Greg Capullo that could easily be mistaken for pages from THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS (probably intentional).  It’s a little disappointing that the story in the issue falls into the same basic territory Morrison touched on in “R.I.P.” and can also be found in “Knightfall,” or otherwise an enemy that seems to not only have outsmarted Batman, but outmuscled him as well.  Yet Batman outlasts his foe Talon, embodiment of the Court of Owls, a layer of intrigue Snyder has added to the Gotham City tapestry (building on what he and Kyle Higgins established in GATES OF GOTHAM) that may or may not become a permanent addition to the landscape (depends on what’s left to play with once the big crossover’s done).  Let’s get another thing out of the way: the cover of this issue is a classic, and was something I needed to have in my collection.  But yeah, Snyder is at the head of a major crossover arc while Morrison’s feet are still in the sandbox.  It’s not sacrilegious, but it’s definitely interesting.  Will fans ultimately remember this Court of Owls business with as much enthusiasm as what Morrison is on the verge of completing?  Well, that’s what I’m talking about, Batman without Grant Morrison.  It actually has happened before, and it’ll happen again, and it’s actually happening right now. 

BATMAN AND ROBIN #s 6-8 (DC)

I was as big a fan of Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason in the pages of GREEN LANTERN CORPS as anyone, and so was pleased as punch when they were tapped as the regular successors of Morrison in the pages of the book he launched to further the adventures of the new Robin, Damian Wayne, and whichever Batman happens to be under the cowl.  But I didn’t really expect much from it.  I mean, it’s Damian.  Who writes Damian better than Grant Morrison?  I think I can now confidently say, Peter J. Tomasi.  I happened to stumble across this blockbuster story in total by complete accident.  I had no idea it happened until I looked at one issue, then another, until I had all three.  Basically the son of Henri Ducard tries to seduce Damian to the dark side, years after failing to impressive the formative Bruce Wayne.  Ducard, as BATMAN BEGINS reminded fans, was one of Batman’s main influences as he developed the skills necessary to wage his war on crime.  (Strangely, very few comics have used Ducard since the 2005 film that elevated his profile.)  Damian is no dummy, but he becomes more manipulated than he expected, leading to a shocking event the last of these issues dedicates itself to resolving, a major development in the life of the two heroes in the title of the series.  You don’t expect something like this, because most writers skirt character development as much as possible, and yet that’s what this whole story is about.  It solidifies Tomasi as arguably more important to the ongoing legacy of Batman than Snyder in the foreground of Snyder’s big moment, and makes BATMAN AND ROBIN a must-read.  At the very least, you must read these issues.  They’ll tell you everything you need to know.

I’ve got some other comics to talk about, too:

ACTION COMICS #s 7-8 (DC)

The problem with Superman is that most writers think of him more as an ideal than a functioning character, even when they’re working with all of his most traditional elements.  Do you really think Grant Morrison would make the same mistake?  Concluding his opening arc on this New 52 reboot, Morrison forces the Brainiac connection to its best possible results, forcing Superman to face his human and Kryptonian heritages in ways only Grant Morrison is capable of doing.  The conclusion is perhaps more fascinating than the rest of the storytelling, leading Superman in a typical Morrison direction, exploding all conventional wisdom, leaving him muttering in Kryptonian, and the reader wondering just where else Morrison intends to go. 

AQUAMAN #7 (DC)

Geoff Johns finally gets around to exploding mythology with Aquaman, meanwhile, introducing, brilliantly, a whole different league of allies that will hopefully allow readers and writers to finally acknowledge that Aquaman is not just some schmuck who talks to fish and serves as a de facto member of the Justice League.  If you’ve been waiting for an excuse to check this one out, this is it.

DEMON KNIGHTS #8 (DC)

Paul Cornell, meanwhile, is doing that kind of work in this overlooked series.  In this issue, Jason Blood and Etrigan are thrust into the spotlight, their weird and complicated relationship explored, all in the greater context of this brilliant comic.

GREEN LANTERN #8 (DC)

Hal Jordan is not one to accept limitations, and Geoff Johns has been exploring more of Hal in the pages of the New 52 relaunch than he managed in most of the past six years, where the most famous Green Lantern got swept from one momentous development in the greater mythology after another.  There are still big things happening, but Hal seems more ready to try and be himself again than at any point since his REBIRTH.  Too bad things like the Indigo Tribe finally playing its hand keep getting in his way.

JUSTICE LEAGUE #7 (DC)

Geoff Johns has secretly reshaped the Justice League into a team that supports the story of Wonder Woman, and this issue he gets to get back to that, spending considerable time with her forgotten lead association, Steve Trevor, who serves as official liaison for the team with government officials who are just as awestruck as the general public.  Only Steve sees things clearly, and now there’s someone who looks to exploit his budding cynicism…

NIGHTWING #7 (DC)

One of the perks of writing GATES OF GOTHAM with Scott Snyder is that Kyle Higgins gets to put Dick Grayson close to the front of the Court of Owls saga, as this conclusion to the first arc of the New 52 NIGHTWING relaunch helps make clear.  Finally discovering the awful truths behind the assassin Saiko and all the complications he discovered in returning to Haly’s Circus, Dick learns that he was supposed to be recruited as one of many Talons who are now being activated to challenge Batman’s control of Gotham’s future.  And to think I originally feared that Dick would lose all the respect he’d gained in his several years as Batman…

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #6 (DC)

I’ll be the first to admit that there’s no real way to hide the fact that I haven’t supported this series as much as I’d like to, despite vigorously opposing the ridiculous backlash that built up against it almost instantly.  I love that Jason Todd has his own book, and that it’s being done intelligently.  This is probably the most important issue to date, with Scott Lobdell exploring how Jason met Starfire, the center of all that controversy given that she apparently still dresses in the comics the way she didn’t in the cartoon.  Starfire’s prior relationship with Dick Grayson becomes just one of the fascinating focal points of the issue, how Jason reacts against it and then accepts her as an ally, and how this is probably the first time anyone has addressed the fact that Koriand’r is an alien who has basically been marooned on Earth.  That’s why you should ignore what you’ve heard and read this series.

SUPREME #63 (Image)

Alan Moore’s final script is much the same as his other heavily-inflected Supreme stories, but it at least provides a really convenient segue to what comes next in this latest Extreme relaunch.  Worth a look.

Aquaman #6

writer: Geoff Johns
artist: Ivan Reis, Joe Prado

I haven't been trying to read this one in the same way I have Johns' other New 52 efforts, Green Lantern and Justice League, possibly because it reminds me of the feeling-out period he went through in the post-Rebirth adjustments he needed to figure out Hal Jordan. It was the "other League" announcements that convinced me Johns had finally figured out what his grand vision of Aquaman really was, and so here I am.

This issue, however, is another example that his favorite character in this franchise is Mera, the one he's single-handedly crafted into a major player since Blackest Night and Brightest Day. The only thing that drags this issue down is the long-drawn faces of Joe Prado, which makes the book feel like one of those indy series that have great potential but poor art, which is a little incomprehensible for a New 52 book being written by Geoff Johns.

But I'll be hanging around this surf for a while.

The New 22

Confession time: this reformed Comics Reader comics junkie has been relapsing in the past month, thanks to the dastardly “New 52” from DC Comics. I’ve made several trips to Heroes & Dragons, and even bought some comics at Barnes & Noble (the evil remainders from the loss of Borders). Heroes hasn’t exactly made (or perhaps been in the position to) a solid effort to support the “New 52,” so there are notable omissions from the comics I intended to at least sample, including NIGHTWING, RED HOOD & THE OUTLAWS, WONDER WOMAN, and BLACKHAWKS). I’ve heard plenty about the supposed controversy surrounding “sexy” Starfire in OUTLAWS, disappointment that DC didn’t take the opportunity to align their comics version of the character with the cartoon variation kids enjoyed last decade. Maybe I was concentrating too much on Jason Todd finally getting his own series, but I never saw this one coming. If none of those kids picked up an actual regular DC comic in all the time since TEEN TITANS animated itself on the small screen, “New 52” would never have made a difference. Starfire in OUTLAWS is perfectly consistent with the character as comics fans have known her since her debut. Why should that have changed? Because some Internet commentators wanted to draw attention to themselves?

Anyway, so as suggested, I bought twenty-two new comics over the past handful of weeks, not all of them from the “New 52,” so let’s dive in without further adieu.

GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS #1 (DC)
Kyle Rayner debuted eighteen years ago in the aftermath of Hal Jordan’s descent into Parallax. Writer Tony Bedard, charged with launching a new series featuring Kyle, figured it was a great time to remember the circumstances fans first got to know him, as a recipient of a ring from the apparent last Guardian of the Universe, Ganthet. The thing I’ve liked about Bedard (career highlight: THE GREAT TEN) is his sense of context and continuity, not just continuity itself, but how it fits into a given story. Here he continues the same general continuity the Green Lantern franchise enjoyed before the “New 52” reboot, with a story about various members of the spectrum corps (Red Lanterns, Sinestro Corpsmen, Star Sapphires, and the Indigo tribe) losing their rings, which come into the possession of Kyle Rayner. Naturally, none of them are very happy about this, and just as he was eighteen years ago, Kyle is just as confused by events. I heard this comic referred to as a reboot of Kyle’s origin, which it isn’t (though, sadly, the iconic NIN shirt is gone), since it clearly moves a different story along, a new one, which expands and develops things we’re already familiar with. That’s what makes Bedard so valuable a commodity at DC, that he’s able to do this with a wide variety of characters most creators and readers wouldn’t even have considered briefly, certainly not in the way he does. I look forward to the day his skills are widely appreciated. Being a part of the “New 52” certainly can’t hurt those chances.

FAME: CONAN O’BRIEN (Bluewater)
Formerly the home of indy superhero comics, Bluewater has reshaped its identity in recent years as the biographer of choice for pop personalities, hoping to carve out a niche in a crowded market. Like the above title, I got this one at Barnes & Noble. Conan is certainly a remarkable figure, a cult favorite among humor aficionados and subject of the latest TONIGHT SHOW controversy. Most fans are already familiar with the outlines of his career, including his stint as writer for THE SIMPSONS, but this is a nice summary of his life to this point.

THE SHADE #1 (DC)
As an earlier blog indicated, I’ve become a fan of James Robinson’s STARMAN, and so eagerly anticipated an announced Shade follow-up mini-series, though I had no idea when it was scheduled to be launched, being somewhat out of the loop these days. As it turned out, earlier this month, which I found out with perfect timing. The Blackest Night STARMAN #81 issue was a great reminder that Shade is a worthy and engaging subject in himself, and this first issue of his own book more than supports that belief, both supporting his mystique and subtly pushing at its boundaries. Given that this will be a full twelve issues, one might almost wonder why DC didn’t make it a part of the official “New 52” slate, given that it’s hardly likely all fifty-two titles will survive to even that length, but I guess “optimism” was the word of that particular day.

AQUAMAN #1 (DC)
The subject of so many attempts at ongoing series that a cornerstone of DC became a very public joke (as Raj on THE BIG BANG THEORY says, “Aquaman sucks”), it’s a wonder this guy was tapped by none other than Geoff Johns to be his next big project, beginning in the pages of BRIGHTEST DAY. Here, as in that book, we have ample reason to believe Johns knew exactly what he was doing, since once again he seems to have grasped what so many writers before him failed to, and that’s the intrinsic worth, and not just the mythology, of the character. That is to say, Johns understands what Aquaman is, what he’s about, and his potential as the star of his own series, not just as the dude who talks to fish and is associated with an underwater kingdom. So many writers have attempted to do everything but (the cosmetic changes Peter David created were a good effort, but didn’t really affect the intrinsic perception that Aquaman himself wasn’t interesting), even replacing him with an heir (Tad Williams did a good job to that end, to little credit), it’s refreshing that someone the caliber of Geoff Johns is finally taking the direct approach, while Aquaman actually has some momentum (both from BRIGHTEST DAY and a key role in FLASHPOINT).

ANIMAL MAN #1 (DC)
Jeff Lemire is the latest of the fresh faces to be called up to the big leagues, and this book absolutely has the feel of Grant Morrison’s own ANIMAL MAN, a piercing look into the character’s greater potential, not just “dude who can mimic animals.” Ever since Morrison, DC has had some idea that Buddy Baker is a worthwhile property, and since 52 he’s been the subject of perennial efforts to keep his name in the air, even the subject of a “last days” mini-series that was mildly intriguing, but seemed to take him back a step, keeping the focus on his apparent Starfire obsession and off his potential. Lemire seems to have done everything possible to take Buddy back to the land of Morrison, short of actually copying the metaphysical ambitions. Instead, he seems to have discovered that Animal Man, at his best, may in fact be ideal material for horror.

MARVEL SEASON ONE GUIDE (Marvel)
This was a freebie (always nice!) advertising the company’s 2012 slate of “season one” graphic novels, which seem to be as much about giving readers a starting point for Marvel’s most popular characters as providing a spotlight for creators they might expect to join their “Architects” in the future, including writers Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Anthony Johnston, and Cullen Bunn. I’m not convinced these things are going to be anything but fairly standard origin rehashes, based on the previews, which is kind of disappointing, but the idea may yet be worth keeping in mind, especially for a company apparently convinced, Ultimate comics aside, that continuity is something that fits in a comics bin.

SEVERED #3 (Image)
Scott Snyder is a writer everyone seems to have become excited about. Whether in the pages of AMERICAN VAMPIRE, DETECTIVE COMICS, or the “New 52” BATMAN, he’s being hyped as the next big thing. This is a more modest-sized work, but has a ton in common with AMERICAN VAMPIRE. Co-written by Scott Tuft, it’s another urchin’s tale of running into unexpected danger, and on that score is a little disappointing to see so directly reflected in other work, no matter how engaging this particular iteration may be.

AVENGERS 1959 #1 (Marvel)
Howard Chaykin is one of those veteran-of-many-decades creators who just keeps working, seemingly any way he sees fit (DIE HARD: YEAR ONE was a recent favorite), regardless of how little acclaim he unjustly seems to enjoy these days. This book is set in the Marvel proper, so features Nick Fury as he’s been traditionally depicted (how confused fans of the movies and comics must be, far more than those disgruntled Starfire fanatics!), so no Ultimate Samuel L. Jackson here, and comes packaged with a bunch of known historical figures, including Victor Creed (Sabretooth), Sergei Kravinoff (Kraven the Hunter) and Aquaria Nautica Neptunia (Namora), a sort of full-Marvel version of Jonathan Hickman’s S.H.I.E.L.D. As usual, Chaykin dives right into his adventure, all fast and loose, allowing the clash of male and female impulses drive his scenes without concern to unwarranted feminist complaints. Any time there’s new Chaykin, there’s cause for celebration. Anytime an Avengers project doesn’t follow the Bendis Expansion Principle or cater to the upcoming and extant film work, it’s got to be worth applauding.

VENGEANCE #3 (Marvel)
Joe Casey must be some kind of madman, since he’s unleashed this madcap superhero adventure and nobody seems to have noticed. “Madcap” is the only way to describe it, and “madman” is the only way to characterize Casey, since there’s no other explanation possible, for work of this quality that has gone completely under the radar. VENGEANCE is one of those comics that hopes readers will somehow be able to keep up, because it proceeds at a breakneck speed, exactly how real superheroes in the traditional comic book sense would probably be operating, with all typical restraints finally loosed. The “Brand New Day” Doctor Octopus is featured here, along with a slew of new heroes. All of it would probably make more sense if I’d read the first two issues first. But the energy is catching.

STAR TREK #1 (IDW)
Mike Johnson and Stephen Molnar make an ideal team to begin the further adventures of the J.J. Abrams-verse, adapting episodes of the original STAR TREK TV series, beginning with “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” Introducing Gary Mitchell into this reality is the most interesting aspect of the issue, since this new Trek needs at least one character to draw upon to work properly. It’s a little disappointing that the comic ends up feeling episodic, especially since it’s the first new adventure featuring characters who spent most of their time defining themselves in a fast-paced quest, but if Mitchell is to be our anchor, it’s at least appropriate.

THE FLASH #1 (DC)
I was disappointed to learn, initially, that Geoff Johns wouldn’t be continuing with Barry Allen into the “New 52,” but FLASHPOINT was such a seminal story for the character, it would almost have been a backwards step for Johns to try writing the way he had since FLASH: REBIRTH, since Barry had finally overcome the death of his mother. Francis Manapul, who was Johns’ artist on the last relaunch, instead gets to drive Barry along a kinetic new arc, one that hues to the spirit of the character’s latest incarnation without needing to be mired in the same morass writers not named “Mark Waid” or “Geoff Johns” could sometimes tend to recently. If the “New 52” is all about getting to the heart of its featured characters, then this book is, as it should be, a prime example.

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #1 (Marvel)
For the second time, the Ultimate line ended a major event with the death of Spider-Man. The difference this time is that it appears to have stuck, with Brian Michael Bendis continuing his adventures with the name, but this time with a different face underneath, the much-publicized Miles Morales. I often seem to criticize Bendis as being something of a hack, but the truth is, I’m simply not invested enough in Marvel to follow his stories, not because they’re too dense but because they require more love for the characters he uses than I have to give. His Ultimate Spider-Man was always an exception; Bendis alone seems to have understood the potential of this line, and that’s no doubt a prime reason for why he’s most identified with it. The chance to redefine Spidey, then, must have been irresistible, after more than a decade setting a new record in more ways than one (not just the Lee-Kirby FANTASTIC FOUR count, but overall dedication to a single character), to add to his legacy by replacing the iconic Peter Parker in the only venue readers would have accepted it as anything but temporary. So how is Miles in reality? His seems to be a story ripped straight from LOST, a youth caught in the middle of a struggle between father figures (or, Walt between the dueling Michael & “Mr. Locke”). This could very well define Brian’s legacy.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1 (DC)
Peter J. Tomasi has gone from editor to one of DC’s most important writers, so it’s no wonder that he’s among the prominent names of the “New 52.” Relaunching the title that sheds a little more expansive light on the Green Lantern mythology, but putting the focus on Guy Gardner and John Stewart, Tomasi uses the opportunity to take a look at their character in ways that haven’t been seen in a while, not just as members of the Corps, but as humans who had regular lives and concerns outside of their identities as role models and heroes. There’s also a quintessential galactic mystery they join their colleagues in discovering, but it’s nice to see Gardner and Stewart receive some attention.

RED LANTERNS #1 (DC)
I had a goal to read all four of the Green Lantern offerings from the “New 52;” this was the one I was most skeptical about, since I wasn’t sure the Red Lanterns deserved their own series above some of the other spectrum corps (how interesting would it have been to follow Saint Walker on a monthly basis?). Peter Milligan, like Geoff Johns, seems to have appreciated Atrocitus as a worthy tragic figure, though, and in this issue even suggests an origin for a human member of this vengeful corps, which may prove the greater hook for the series, once the early issues play out. There’s definite potential in this one.

GREEN LANTERN #1 (DC)
Geoff Johns, the incredibly busy man that he is, stuck around one of his signature series after the big reboot, with the improbable redemptive arc for Sinestro continuing, as he offers a unique bargain with Hal Jordan by the end of this issue. Hal, meanwhile, also does a good job of screwing up his ring-free prospects, including a date with Carol Ferris that ends badly. It may seem redundant for viewers of the recent movie, to have this relationship misfire again, but in the comics, they’ve been apart literally for decades, even though in their first appearances Hal and Carol promised to be typical comic book romance material. Well, all those other relationships eventually ended up in marriage, while this one hasn’t. I have a feeling that Johns is driving at an eventual happy culmination. The one criticism I’ve had of his Green Lantern work is that he’s often had Hal a slave to the latest crisis, but with “War of the Green Lanterns,” he was once again stripped of his duties as space cop, forcing him to resume a normal life. Geoff understands character too well (see his work with Barry Allen) for this to be a coincidence.

SUPREME POWER #4 (Marvel)
Kyle Higgins was announced as the writer of the NIGHTWING “New 52” relaunch, which I initially found underwhelming, since I’ve been a big fan of Dick Grayson for as long as I can remember. If he wasn’t going to be Batman anymore, and reclaimed the Nightwing identity, then I hoped DC would continue to show him the same support he’d gotten as the Dark Knight, when he was written on a monthly basis by Grant Morrison, Scott Snyder, and Tony Daniel. Who’s this Kyle Higgins, anyway? So I eventually found out. Higgins had a number of projects he was working on recently, including this latest iteration of Marvel’s Squadron Supreme. Published under the MAX line, this one’s an adult read, as mainstream superhero comics go, but Higgins seems to have concentrated all his attention on the characters in the story, their psychology. It’s a good indication that Dick Grayson is in good hands.

MISTER TERRIFIC #1 (DC)
This was one I was tremendously excited about, since Michael Holt is one of the most important characters of modern DC comics who hasn’t until this point gotten his own book. Imagine my slight disappointment, then, when writer Eric Wallace spends a cursory among of time establishing Holt’s undernourished backstory, and instead plugs him almost directly into a fairly generic adventure. This isn’t to say that I’ve lost faith in Mister Terrific as a lead character or this series in itself, but that as introductions go, it was probably the least impactful of the “New 52” I’ve had a chance to read. There’s also the whole future son thing and the Power Girl/latent Justice Society connection which prove fruitful, the real upsides of this debut.

BATMAN: GATES OF GOTHAM #5 (DC)
Kyle Higgins again, plus Scott Snyder (again!) revisiting Gotham City’s past, plus famous fathers like Thomas Wayne. As an origin for the Architect, it’s certainly one of the more compelling projects the Batman mini-series pool has developed in recent years, something Paul Dini easily could’ve done in STREETS OF GOTHAM (which I say as a compliment), and serves as a credit to both Higgins and Snyder.

INCREDIBLE HULKS #635 (Marvel)
The last time I read a Hulk comic, it was when Jeph Loeb finally revealed the secret origin of the red version in the franchise’s other ongoing series (strange that there was finally more than one), and I’ve been no great devotee of the jolly green giant, believe me. This issue was really no different, but what made it special was that it was Greg Pak’s last, and through his and Fred Van Lente’s work with Hercules and Amadeus Cho, I’ve come to be a great admirer of Pak’s efforts. There’s a lot of celebratory essays in this one, expounding his legacy on the title, and I confess that I felt kind of bad not having read some of the truly memorable adventures I found recounted. Well, there’s always tomorrow. In the meantime, cheers, Greg Pak!

COBRA #4 (IDW)
One of the bad things about having cancelled my Midtown subscriptions is that I’ve effectively cut off my link to the best G.I. Joe book being published, which was recently relaunched without the enemy’s name in the title. Writer Mike Costa (who began these efforts with Christos Gage, but has been flying solo for a while now) and iconic series artist Antonio Fuso continue their great psychological games with Major Bludd, another key but often underrepresented member of the brood, as the search for the new Cobra Commander continues in the midst of the Cobra Civil War. The impact of this series, through its several incarnations, is so great that it forced the tie-in Civil War arc across IDW’s Joe line, even though its has yet to receive its critical or popular due. I remain an enthusiastic champion, no matter if I read it regularly or not.

WONDER WOMAN #614 (DC)
Phil Hester concludes J. Michael Straczynski’s “Odyssey” in the final issue of the series (I was interested in but missed the “New 52” relaunch). Though still laden with bluster rather than intrigue and development, Hester’s version of the story is more rewardingly detailed, which just begs the question of what he might have done if he’d had free-reign on the franchise. Maybe some day.

SPIDER-MAN: WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY (Marvel)
Reprinting ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #33 (in which the Venom saga begins), ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #97 (in which the Ultimate Clone Saga begins), and ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #1 (in which the last reboot began), this is a fine sampler of Brian Michael Bendis’ work as I was indicating earlier, and was no doubt printed with exactly that retrospective aspect in mind.

I have also read and enjoyed ACTION COMICS #1 (with Grant Morrison in full force refashioning the Man of Steel for modern times), BATWING #1 (with truly exceptional art from Ben Oliver), JUSTICE LEAGUE #1 (Geoff Johns and Jim Lee going All Star, as I’ve stated in the past), DETECTIVE COMICS #1 (Tony Daniel introducing a creepy new Batman villain in the most effective way possible), STATIC SHOCK #1 (featuring Scott McDaniel unleashing his full creative force), and STORMWATCH #1 (Paul Cornell melding Martian Manhunter with WildStorm’s Finest).

But, I’m a recovering addict. Really!