Gint's 8-10-11 Pull-List Review

This was a quick week. Two books compared to a couple weeks ago which turned out nine. This week we wrapped up a series and set up the New 52 of the other one.

Our runner-up: 
War of the Green Lanterns: Aftermath #2 

Two pages in and this issue has me sighing in disappointment. Ready for me to get way nerdy on you? Good. Here goes. Over a year ago in Green Lantern Corps, Lantern Vath Sarn, who's humanoid, got his legs burned off saving another Lantern. His partner Isamot Kol, who's a walking lizard, donated his legs to Vath so that Vath could walk again knowing that being lizard-like, his own legs would grow back. It was a VERY cool yet small piece of the Green Lantern mythos. So Vath, since then, has had lizard legs. Until this issue. Either Ransom Getty or Andy Smith (the pencillers) decided to not do their homework or just didn't care and gave him regular legs. The editors dropped this ball too. Its just a small thing, but this is what we nerds do. We like the details. We like continuity. Don't try to belittle us and gloss over that stuff. I'm looking at you DCnU 5-year timeline!

So back to the book. A real solid issue. Tony Bedard did nothing for me when he was writing Green Lantern Corps. But these Aftermath issues are good. He's able to touch on every character and what they're going through in the aftermath of all the war they've seen since the Sinestro Corps War. Each character, and there's a lot of familiar faces in here, gets enough time to relay to the reader where they're at in their own heads.

The art team of Getty and Smith do a quality if not outstanding job. What did impress me was the coloring. Our colorist Rain Beredo uses a really cool technique on high and lowlights that gives an interesting depth to the work.

As for the story. We're left with a hell of a cliffhanger as the Guardians look to be ready to attack Ganthet before the end. Guess we'll find out on the other side of the reboot.

Our winnah: 
Red Robin #26 

Like Secret Six last week, this is the final issue of Red Robin. 

This book took some time for me to get into. When Chris Yost (w) and Ramon Bachs (a) started this book Tim Drake was going through some crap and it felt like Yost just didn't get the character. Whether is it was on purpose or he just didn't understand Tim Drake, it really worked as a perfect contrast to Fabian Nicieza's Tim when he and artist Marcus To took over.

Nicieza and To have had an outstanding run. From issue #13 to #26, these guys have really made Red Robin a fun book that, for me anyhow, really stood on its own while surrounded by a slew of Batman related titles.

This last issue focuses on closing up the pre-DCnU Tim Drake story by focusing on him going after Captain Boomerang for killing his father. Its not a blow-you-away issue, but its the perfect finish for this run.

Many thanks to the creative teams on this book for giving me a Tim Drake outlet. 

Panel of the Week: 

There wasn't a whole lot to work with this week, but this panel of Lantern Morro is just cool. Maybe that has more to do with the character's design, but the artist hooked him up.

And as a bonus:

I think in lieu of all the race-talk we've been having, I find it funny (not in a haha way) that Kyle Rayner's choice of construct to help rebuild Oa is to have a handful of clearly African-American basketball players do the heavy lifting for him. Way to not be racist, Kyle.

-Gint