Aquaman #20
Geoff Johns and Paul Pelletier take an issue off and let John Ostrander and Manuel Garcia tell a story featuring The Others, Aquaman's old team. It was really a much better story than I expected.
Aquaman sends the Others to an Indian reservation in Arizona to retrieve a super powered Atlantean glove that can punch through anything. Aquaman can't go himself due to poor American/Atlantean relations. While there they seemingly meet a future member of the Others, Sky Alchesay, who can see the future and commune with spirit worlds. I expected a throwaway issue, but if I'm going to be honest, I'm a little hooked to see what other adventures this C-list team can get into.
Cheers to Ostrander and Garcia for putting this new super-team on a good path.
Justice League #20
For as much as I've bitched and moaned about Geoff Johns adding dumb characters just because he likes them, the additions of Element Woman, Firestorm and the Atom really sang in this issue.
Gene Ha carries the bulk of the art duties, and while you wouldn't think he's the preferred Justice League artist, he tells a great story. His darker style and storytelling really captures the mood of the three new, unexperienced characters being trapped in the Watchtower with Despero.
The highlight of the issue is the brief three-page talk that Batman and Superman have about contingency plans for each member of the League, including themselves. I like that Batman is fairly forthcoming about these plans, where as other iterations of this story keep him dark and secretive. Geoff Johns knows how to write these two friends having a candid talk with each other like best of them.
Justice League has had its ups and downs since the New 52 began. While I still prefer this book to be more consistent, this was a damn good issue.
Green Lantern: New Guardians #20
Tony Bedard writes a beautiful sendoff for Kyle Rayner. If this was the end of Kyle's adventures in the DCU it would be a nice, quiet end.
Artist Andres Guinaldo draws a beautiful story setting up Kyle after the events of Wrath of the First Lantern. He heads back home to Earth to find Saint Walker on his way out. Before they split up, Kyle and Walker have a good heart to heart about their hopes and expectations for their friends and sometimes enemies. We also get to see what Kyle is capable of now that he's the White Lantern, a lantern that can tap into each color of the emotional spectrum. The issue is basically two characters talking. The kind of thing Soss and I appreciate.
Tony Bedard sets up a cool future for Kyle. Lets hope the new creative team on issue #21 are worthy of what Bedard and various artist brought to the book.
Justice League Dark #20
Jeff Lemire, Mikel Janin and Ray Fawkes have done a great job with this book. They've really made an interesting team out of a handful of disparate characters.
The Flash guest-stars in last issue and this one, and Lemire writes the relationship between a Justice Leaguer and the Dark characters perfectly. Lemire has been really great at giving each character their own voice. Mikel Janin's work goes a long way in that regard by clearly defining who these characters are by body language and distinct facial features. Janin also draws the hell out of the New 52-ized Doctor Destiny, making him creepy as all get out.
I picked this book up well after it started and I'm glad I did. This book was damn entertaining.
The Flash #20
Not to disparage Marcus To or any other artists that have filled in for Francis Manapul, but the combo of Manapul and Brian Buccellato on this book is really second to none. Its not a stretch to say this may be my favorite book from the New 52… but only when its strictly a Manapul/Buccellato joint.
#20 starts a new 6-issue story revolving around the first appearance of the Reverse-Flash in the New 52. So far we don't know anything about him, and its interesting seeing Barry Allen use his intellect to track down who this mysterious killer might be. Reverse-Flash doesn't leave a lot of evidence, but is capable of gruesomely murdering someone. His intentions are still unknown.
While I'd like to see the creative team advance the Barry/Patty/Iris love-triangle a little quicker, I might be liking the slow burn just as much. Manapul and Buccellato have really made you care about Barry Allen's personal life just as much as the Flash's adventuring. I didn't think i could give a shit about Barry Allen when they brought him back, but damn do I love this book.
Green Lantern #20
The end is here. Since 2004 Geoff Johns has written Green Lantern. 2004 premiered Green Lantern: Rebirth #1. The issue that changed my life... well at least my comic book reading life. Since then I've followed Hal Jordan through thick and thin, love and hate, and life and death. The story by Geoff Johns (over 100 issues total) ends here.
Was the final story arc good? Not particularly. The First Lantern was kind of a stupid character. He can manipulate peoples emotions to the point of altering reality. I know you have to have a reality-destroying-type event for the big finish, but the character had none of the intimacy, sympathy or charm that some of the other arcs/villains had. What was great about it were the nods to all that's come before and bringing some old faces back for closure.
Parallax was a huge fixture in Rebirth. It was only fitting he play a big role in the end. Nekron was the major baddie in the mega-series Blackest Night. We see him too. Besides the so so story of the First Lantern, the real emotion of this issue lies in the smaller moments. The quiet moments between Hal and Sinestro. The epilogues for each Lantern where Geoff Johns shows us how he'd REALLY end our heroes' stories. And I don't think ANYONE will be disappointed by them.
One of my fears before I read the issue was the announcement of about a million different artists on the book. Those issues were quelled when I read it and saw the inimitable Doug Mahnke drew the entire main story. Lantern alumni like Cully Hamner, Patrick Gleason and Aaron Kuder handle the individual epilogues while Lantern Superstars Ivan Reis and Ethan VanSciver draw a stunning foldout at the end.
The First Lantern bit was a little soft, but the overall tone of the book, and all the small quiet moments, and the fact that it almost made me cry twice, is enough to be satisfied and accept that this is the end. Writer Brandon Venditti, who starts with the next issue, has the least enviable task in comics.
Thank you Geoff Johns and every creative hand that's touched Green Lantern since 2004.
Spread of the Week:
Doug Mahnke's Hal vs. Sinestro.
-Gint
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