One-paragraph reviews: Wolverine and Jubilee, Supergirl, Teen Titans, Silver Surfer

Wolverine and Jubilee #4
Written by Kathryn Immonen; art by Phil Noto; Marvel.

I'm really sad that this is over. I would have kept buying it if it was an ongoing instead of a limited series. What originally attracted me to it was Phil Noto's amazing artwork, but I think I might even keep reading if another artist took over (depending on who it was, of course), just because I'm enjoying the dynamic between these two characters so much. Kathryn Immonen's writing is really good and I like her sense of humour, so I'll keep an eye out for her other work from now on. The story here got really crazy in the third issue, but it comes to a fairly satisfying conclusion in this one. when the series started, I almost expected it to end with some kind of permanent cure for Jubilee's vampirism, but I guess it's no surprise that Marvel would want to keep this status quo for a bit longer. I don't know how much I like it, but Immonen certainly found a way to make it interesting, proving that in the right hands even fairly idiotic editorial mandates can be turned into good stories. It'll be interesting to see what else Marvel has in store for this character.

EXCELLENT (writing and art)

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Supergirl #63
"Good-Looking Corpse part 4"
Written by James Peaty; art by Bernard Chang; DC.

I have almost no recollection of what happened in the previous issue and I think it's because I fell asleep while reading it. Not because it was so mind-numbingly boring that it put me to sleep or anything. I was just really tired. Sometimes it happens. Anyway, I guess I should have gone back and re-read it before reading this issue, but somehow it didn't seem worth the trouble to dig it out of my shortbox. Bernard Chang's art is pretty good. The story is all right, though I have a hard time figuring out how it all fits together - the iPhone app, the mind-control, the genetically engineered DNAlien, the robots, the energy shield holding Supergirl prisoner. I have no idea what this villain's plan is, but I guess that'll be explained in the next issue, which concludes this story arc. My favourite part of the issue was probably Damian resisting the mind-control longer than Blue Beetle or Miss Martian (though that made some fans grumble), until the bad guy uses his worst fear against him, which ends up being a vision of him siding with his mother and defeating the entire Bat family. I guess this kind of characterization of Damian is not too original, as we've seen those same themes explored in lots of other books, but it's nice to see this version of him gaining popularity in the DCU, as opposed to the kind of superficial and off-key characterization we've seen in Teen Titans, for example.

OKAY (writing) / GOOD (art)

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Teen Titans #94
"The Power of Myth"
Written by J.T. Krul; art by Nicola Scott and Doug Hazlewood; DC.

Speaking of Teen Titans, I'm enjoying this title a lot more now that out-of-character Damian is out of it, though I'm still kind of bitter about the way he was basically just used to set up the return of Tim Drake to the team. This is a bit of a tangant, but I'm sick of Tim Drake. Fabian Nicieza ruined the character for me and now I just kind of want him out of this book, too. Anyway, the story here is nothing mindblowing, but it's all right, and Krul seems to be doing okay with the characters. There are a few things that are probably going to ultimately determine whether this is a hit or a miss for me. One of them is what happens with Cassie. Since she and Superboy broke up, she's given up leadership of the team (a role Tim of course took over, *groan*) and seems to be a bit off her game. I hope this is only temporary. I don't really care if she gets back with Superboy, as I find this kind of romance pretty boring in comics, but I just don't want her character to be damaged by this heartbreak. Second, I'm anxiously waiting to see what Krul does with his new character, Solstice. I hope she will join the team as a permanant member, as she brings a much needed element of diversity to the team, but I'm a little nervous about the effect she's having on Raven and where that's going. This story concludes in #97, and the solicitatin for #98 gives no clue as to whether Solstice will still be in the book or not. Which of course could just mean that DC is actively trying to avoid spoilers. Speaking of solicits, there's a different artist listed for #98, and I'm hoping it's just a temporary fill-in. Nicola Scott is absolutely killing it on this book, and I'm not sure I would bother to keep buying it with someone else doing the art.

OKAY (writing) / EXCELLENT (art)

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Silver Surfer #3
Written by Greg Pak; art by Harvey Tolibao, Iban Coello and Sandu Florea; Marvel.

The art team on this series is all over the place. In just three issues, we've had 3 different pencillers (with multiple pencillers on two issues) and 4 inkers. It's hard to judge exactly who is responsible for what, but I'm just going to say that overall I'm not a fan of any of the art in this series. Which is really too bad, because I am really loving the story. I thought Greg Pak did an amazing job in the first issue, both in terms of capturing the Silver Surfer's melodramatic internal monologues and ending on a really dramatic moment with him getting depowered. Since then, he's brought something new to the table with every issue. #2 focused on Norrid Radd getting reaccustomed to his physical (and vulnerable) body and all the strange sensations he'd been deprived of as the Silver Surfer. This issue deals with the understanding of the "balance of the universe" that came with the Power Cosmic and the moral responsibility that came with having to decide which worlds to feed Galactus. The High Evolutionary has hacked into Galactus's Star Sphere and is using it to create life instead of destroying it, but in doing so he's upsetting not just the Earth's ecosystem, but "the balance of the universe." (I've noticed this "balance of the universe" thing comes up a lot in comic books and I'm not really sure it makes any sense. But I'll save that for another rant.) Anyway, I'm probably not doing it justice with my brief synopsis, but it's good stuff and it ends with a nice twist that really makes me look forward to the next issue.

VERY GOOD (writing) / POOR (art)

One-paragraph reviews: Wolverine and Jubilee #3 and Silver Surfer #2

Wolverine and Jubilee #3 (Marvel) 
"Cursed part 3 of 4"
Written by Kathryn Immonen; art by Phil Noto.

Wow. This book really got weird and trippy all of a sudden. Immonen's great dialogue and sense of humour is still there, and so is Noto's swoon-inducing beautiful art. But now the plot, in addition to being about Wolverine and Jubilee trying to deal with her being a vampire, has taken a left turn into... I'm not sure what exactly, but it involves people getting transported into some kind of twilight zone fifth dimension with floating dinosaurs and Egyptian pyramids and Fender Stratocasters. It comes as a bit of a surprise, but it's not altogether unwelcome. Hoping the next issue explains exactly what all that craziness is about, but until then, I still think this book is...

AWESOME

PS: I thought this a limited series, but the numbering on the cover doesn't include the "of 4" that was included on the first two issues. Could my dream have come true? Did Marvel convert this into an ongoing? Or is it just a printing error?

Silver Surfer #2 (Marvel)
"Rebirth"
Written by Greg Pak; art by Harvey Tolibao, Stephen Segovia, Mendoza, Florer, Olazaba and Paz.

The first issue of this limited series ended with Silver Surfer getting depowered by the High Evolutionary. In this issue, Norrin Radd is getting used to his new body, which is now very vulnerable. Greg Pak does an amazing job getting us into Norrin's head and showing us not just the sense of loss and panic that comes from losing his power but also the sense of wonder that comes from experiencing all the sensations he'd grown accustomed to living without, like pain, breathing, drinking water, or feeling a woman's touch on his skin. Unfortunately, the art, which was not without its problems in the first issue, has now degenerated into a big ugly mess, which might have something to do with the fact that there are two different pencillers and four different inkers on the book. It's a shame the art doesn't do justice to Pak's script, because this could otherwise be a great story. As it is, it's merely...

OKAY

Five Images

Batgirl and Robin by Mahmud Asrar

Captain America redesign by Guillaume Singelin

Jon Haamm as Superman by Phil Noto (who has a new blog)

Plastic Man by Mitch Gerads

Space Ghost by Charles Holbert Jr.

Irrelevant Thoughts

I've been receiving some hate mail from someone who turned out to be a somewhat well known troll who goes around message boards and gets angry at people he disagrees with. The funny thing is that he doesn't join the boards or engage in discussion on them. Instead, he copies the comments that angered him and sends them to the poster by e-mail, adding a few petty and juvenile remarks at the bottom.
What triggered this reaction from him in my case were some comments I posted on Gail Simone's message board:

Fans keep asking why [Cassandra Cain] isn't part of the Bat family anymore, and what this brief appearance [in Red Robin] established was that she exists somewhere out there but for now isn't interested in coming back. In other words, an in-story excuse for justifying not putting her in the books. Before that, it just seemed like every editor and writer at DC had forgotten she existed, but now they can point to that scene and say, no, no, she's not here because she doesn't want to be here. But the end result is the same. She's not in the books.

To this, dude responded that I was mixing up the word "fans" with "trolls." When I didn't immediately respond to his e-mail, he sent a second one, again quoting the above comment and adding, this time, that I was mixing up the word "fans" with "whiny fan boys." And then a few hours later, he sent me the same message again.

I won't mention him by name here, but if you're curious, here are a couple of examples of him doing the same thing to other people. I blocked him. End of story, I hope.

+

I just read Wolverine and Jubilee #2 and Phil Noto's art makes me swoon. It's so beautiful. I just want to look at it forever and lose myself in his panels. I was always a fan of his covers, but this mini-series is the first I've seen of his interior art and I want more.

This isn't quite a review. More like a gushing moment of pure admiration.

+

I have a lot of books I want to review over the coming weeks in addition to my usual coverage of monthly super-hero floppies. So many, in fact, that I'm feeling a little overwhelmed right now. And tonight I should be working on that Tim Drake post, but instead I'm just going to sit back read some comics. 'Cause I'm tired, and I spent all day subtitling some Family Guy episodes. (Which is more intellectually exhausting than you can imagine.)

+

Here's a drawing that I like:

It's Batman wearing legwarmers. Gail Simone said on Twitter than she wanted to see this and Mike Donohue obliged. These are the kinds of drawing I would make all the time if I could draw.

Top Marvel covers for April 2011

Hulk #32 (Gabriel Hardman)

Incredible Hulk #626 (Jock)

Namor: The First Mutant #9 (Phil Noto)

Spider-Man #13 (Barry Kitson)

Spectacular Spider-Man #1000 (Paolo Rivera)

Review: Superboy #3

Superboy #3
"The New Adventures of Psionic Lad, Part One"
Written by Jeff Lemire; art by Pier Gallo; colours by Jamie Grant; cover by Phil Noto; DC

I like that Jeff Lemire seems to be focusing on short story arcs, while gradually setting up clues to a larger story. I know that this is how most ongoing series work, but I think Lemire is doing a particularly good job of interweaving the immediate story with long-term concerns. In this issue, Superboy is dealing with the aftermath of the conflict from the first two-issue story arc. His proposed solution - a race between Superboy and Kid Flash to raise money for the farmers who lost their crops - sets up the story that's been solicited for issue #5 in March. Meanwhile, Conner's personal drama with classmates Lori and Simon continues to unfold, all of which is wrapped around the main plot of this issue, which is the arrival of Psionic Lad.

Psionic Lad is a kid from the future who shows up through a time portal in Smallville High. As far as I know, he's a completely new character. We only get a few pages of dialogue with him before the issue ends on a cliffhanger, so I'm not sure what his deal is yet. He seems like a pretty likable character, though, so I look forward to finding out more about him next month. I was also glad to see a new non-white face in the DCU. His real name is Sajan Mehra and he I'm guessing he is of Indian descent. I wonder how old he is, as he looks much younger and smaller than any of the high school kids.

A couple of criticisms about the script: First, I'm not sure how well the back and forth between "then" and "now" works in the issue. Lemire (or the editor?) probably decided to structure the story that way for pacing, as otherwise all the action and excitement would be stacked at the end of the book. Personally, I think I might have kept the first page as foreshadowing, but then told the rest of the story in chronological order leading up to the fight at the end. I don't know, maybe that says more about my own tastes than what's best for the story. I don't need to be "entertained" with a little bit of action in between each dialogue-driven scene in order to maintain my interest in a comic. 

Second, I'm not sure how I feel about the fact that only three issues into the series, two of Connor's classmates have already figured out his secret identity. It's already asking a lot of readers to stretch suspension of disbelief and ignore how obvious it is that Connor is Superboy. I mean, Superboy doesn't even wear a costume! I'm pretty sure that wearing a different T-shirt doesn't affect people's ability to recognize you. But, whatever, that's just part of the deal and readers have learned to accept it. The problem is that having two characters figure it out just draws attention to the implausibility of the conceit. Not to mention that having Connor change into his costume in plain view at the school just moments after bitching at Simon for not being discreet enough makes him seem like a bit of an ass.

These are two fairly minor points, though, easily ignored when the story is good enough, which it is.

The art in this series seems to be the biggest point of contention among fans. At least, that's the impression I get from the comments and reviews that I've read so far online. Personally, I like Pier Gallo's art. His layouts are neat and used to great effect in the service of the story. For example, at the end of the scene where Connor tells Simon they can't be friends at school if they're going to be seen together when he is Superboy, Gallo draws a huge panel of Simon taking this in, alone in the empty washroom. Since Lemire is a great artist himself with a very distinct style and a great sense of layout, I always find myself wondering how much of visual elements are present in the script and how much of it is left to Gallo to come up with.

My only real complaint with the art is that Gallo has a tendency to draw Connor/Superboy sort of on the chubby side. He often looks like he has a lot of baby fat, reminding me a bit of Brian Wilson. A more likely influence is of course Frank Quitely's All Star Superman (also coloured by Jamie Grant). But in ASS, this look worked because it added humour and pathos to the character, especially as Clark Kent. I'm not sure this gentle roundness works as well on Connor. It doesn't seem to match his personality as well, not to mention that he's supposed to be a hot young athletic teenager (see Phil Noto's gorgeous cover for comparison).

Speaking of the Jamie Grant's colouring, I noticed that everyone's teeth are yellow in this book! It was very noticeable on that first page of this issue, so I flipped through the rest of book and even looked at the first two issues, and it seems this is a consistent artistic choice throughout. Weird.

Best and worse DC Comics covers of 2010

I have compiled my favourite and least favourite comic book covers of the year from DC. The rule I followed was that I couldn't feature the same artist of book more than once per category.  Vertigo and Wildstorm were not eligible.

TOP 10 BEST DC COVERS OF 2010

1. Phil Noto's Superboy #2

Phil Noto draws a very pretty Superboy. Add to that a nice restricted colour scheme, a stylish composition, and a little bit of bondage sexiness with Poison Ivy's vines, and you've got a clear winner. This is my favourite cover of the year.

2. Gary Frank's Atom Special

I love covers that depict the characters in action or in peril. This cover is full of movement and danger and it's visually striking.

3. Stanley Lau's Superman/Batman Annual #4

It was really hard to decide which of Stanley Lau's covers to pick for this list. His Batgirl covers are all stunningly beautiful and so is his double-cover for the Detective Comics and Batman annuals. But in the end I had to go with this one, because it features probably the best-looking Batman Beyond I've ever seen.

4. Amy Reeder Hadley's Supergirl #56

Amy Reeder did four or five Supergirl covers this year and they're all really nice, but this one was the most striking, making great use of the mirror imagery of the Bizarro world. Using the capes to emphasize the yin-yang motif was also a great idea.

5. Frazer Irving's Batman and Robin #13

It was a tough decision to leave out all of Frank Quitely's covers for Batman and Robin in favour of this variant by Frazer Irving, but ultimately this one wins hands down.

6. Cliff Chiang's Birds of Prey #3

The cover was so much better than this short fantasy scene was in the book. Cliff Chiang also did some really nice covers for Justice League: Generation Lost.

7. J.H. Williams III's Detective Comics #862

Wow. I don't really have to say anything else about this one.

8. Dustin Nguyen's Batman: Streets of Gotham #11

Picking only one Dustin Nguyen cover was torture. All of his covers for Streets of Gotham are amazing. He also did great cover for Detective Comics #866 and the first issue of his run on Batgirl.


9. Jesus Saiz's The Brave and the Bold #33

Although a lot of people had issues with the actual story in this issue, the cover is undeniably great in my opinion. It hinted at a lot of ass-kicking from these three great female characters, which unfortunately wasn't quite what we got.

10. José O. Ladrönn's The Spirit #1

And finally this one. Ladrönn's covers for The Spirit are all absolutely amazing. They're stylish, beautifully rendered and exciting. Unfortunately, the interior art by Moritat can't even compare. I got the first three issues of this new series before dropping it from my pull list and they were some of the worse comics I read all year. Which is proof that you should never judge a book by its cover.

BOTTOM 5 WORST DC COVERS OF 2010

1. Rodolfo Migliari's Green Lantern: Emerald Warrior #5

It was very easy to pick the worst cover of the year from DC. God, how much I hate this! Not only is it fucking disgusting and totally inappropriate to have a character puking blood and bleeding from his eyeballs on the cover of a DC book, but this is also terribly ugly art in my opinion. I hate absolutely everything about this.

2. Felipe Massafera's Superman: Last Family of Krypton #2

No. This is just wrong. First of all, Felipe Massafera is an obvious Alex Ross wannabe. I'm not even a fan of Alex Ross, much less some second-rate imitation. Second, flying babies are creepy. This cover is almost as repulsive as Guy Guardner puking blood, which is a remarkable feat in itself.

3. Billy Tucci's Red Hood: Lost Days #5

What the hell is this? I don't know whose arms these are, but they are surely not Jason Todd's. Billy Tucci is very hit and miss. Some of his other covers for this mini-series are actually quite nice, but this pumped-up-on-steroids version of the Red Hood is just gross.

4. Doug Mahnke's Green Lantern #57

The less said about this one, the better.

5. John Cassaday's Superman #706

And finally, a cover from what I consider the single biggest failure of the year from DC - the disastrously boring, delayed, critically despised, and ultimately abandoned "Grounded" storyline from superstar writer J. Michael Straczynski. On this ridiculous cover, I'm assuming that Superman is doing his best Dracula impression. It's an awful cover for an awful comic book. (At least it's not misleading, like some of those covers in my top-10 list.)