Reading comic books has been a pretty enjoyable hobby lately. After culling the Pull-List, the last few weeks have been nothing but pretty solid reads.
Fourth Place:
Batman & Robin #36
It hurts me placing this book Fourth. Pete Tomasi and Patrick Gleason are always go-tos for good books. And this one was good, but someone has to finish last. This issue wasn't bad, it was just... maybe a little too big for itself.
Batman, Batgirl, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Cyborg and Titus (how HE makes it out of this issue is beyond me) have traveled to Apokolips to get back the body of Damian Wayne. This issue breaks two of my main Batman rules: 1. keep it local, and 2. keep the cast small. As much as I like seeing Batman truly facing down the impossible, a trip to Apokolips to face down a planet of Gods is a little much. On top of all that, it takes a LOT to get me invested in the New Gods.
This storyline has been really strong from the start, forcing me to enjoy breaking my two rules, but this issue finally found me stretching the limits of the suspension of my disbelief. Even Batman has his limits. When Damian's body goes to Apokolips, that should be game over. But that's probably why I'm not Batman.
Third Place:
Justice League #36
Jason Fabok joins Geoff Johns for a next arc, The Amazo Virus. I'm not all that familiar with Fabok's work, but right out of the gate, I'm impressed. A little Ivan Reis, a little Gary Frank... Fabok matches up with Johns nearly as seamlessly as those guys do.
What I'm most impressed by is how Johns has really been able, over the last couple arcs, to write what he wants. The book hasn't been derailed for crossover events or had delays, and Johns has been able to write the stories he's wanted to write. McSoss has been talking a lot lately about how we love a good, unimpeded run on a book – Lemire's Animal Man, J. Michael Straczynski's Amazing Spider-Man – and how it really results in a quality product. Funny how the Big Two don't seem to see it that way.
Johns has been on a roll and Fabok seems to have joined him already in full stride. Here's hoping this book continues on in its own little corner of the DCU, quietly building into its own great run.
Second Place:
Batman & Robin #36
It hurts me placing this book Fourth. Pete Tomasi and Patrick Gleason are always go-tos for good books. And this one was good, but someone has to finish last. This issue wasn't bad, it was just... maybe a little too big for itself.
Batman, Batgirl, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Cyborg and Titus (how HE makes it out of this issue is beyond me) have traveled to Apokolips to get back the body of Damian Wayne. This issue breaks two of my main Batman rules: 1. keep it local, and 2. keep the cast small. As much as I like seeing Batman truly facing down the impossible, a trip to Apokolips to face down a planet of Gods is a little much. On top of all that, it takes a LOT to get me invested in the New Gods.
This storyline has been really strong from the start, forcing me to enjoy breaking my two rules, but this issue finally found me stretching the limits of the suspension of my disbelief. Even Batman has his limits. When Damian's body goes to Apokolips, that should be game over. But that's probably why I'm not Batman.
Justice League #36
Jason Fabok joins Geoff Johns for a next arc, The Amazo Virus. I'm not all that familiar with Fabok's work, but right out of the gate, I'm impressed. A little Ivan Reis, a little Gary Frank... Fabok matches up with Johns nearly as seamlessly as those guys do.
What I'm most impressed by is how Johns has really been able, over the last couple arcs, to write what he wants. The book hasn't been derailed for crossover events or had delays, and Johns has been able to write the stories he's wanted to write. McSoss has been talking a lot lately about how we love a good, unimpeded run on a book – Lemire's Animal Man, J. Michael Straczynski's Amazing Spider-Man – and how it really results in a quality product. Funny how the Big Two don't seem to see it that way.
Johns has been on a roll and Fabok seems to have joined him already in full stride. Here's hoping this book continues on in its own little corner of the DCU, quietly building into its own great run.
Superman Wonder Woman #13
This book started off pretty great thirteen issues ago, and then got dragged through the crossover mud and I dropped it. Two of my favorite creators made it a no-brainer to put back on the Pull-List.
Writer Peter Tomasi and artist Doug Mahnke kick off what I hope is a healthy run. The first issue out of the gate was a great read that gave me what I hoped this book would: a look inside Superman and Wonder Woman's lives as Clark and Diana, not just a team-up fight book. Tomasi highlights the differences between how Clark and Diana go about the business of being superheroes, along side personal differences like why Clark doesn't use superspeed to type.
What was most impressive, and certainly most eye-catching, was the art. Mahnke gets a lot of credit, but what really made this book stand out were Jamie Mendoza's inks and Tomeu Morey's colors. Due to Mendoza's specific line work, some pages look more like Gary Frank than Doug Mahnke.
If this book's quality continues, it will be a regular high finisher for the Pull-List before long.
First Place:
Futures End #29
This was a damn good issue. Its been a while since a comic was able to inspire an honest emotional reaction in me. The heroes death of Ronnie Raymond did just that.
The writing team sends Ronnie off to that great Watchtower in the sky in a beautiful layout by Patrick Zircher. Everything comes together the way Ronnie and Jason Rusch's story has been told in Futures End. The way they're there for each other in the end is very touching.
The only negative is the DC purge of the white man continues. Out is the white male, Ronnie Raymond, and in comes female Madison Payne. So now Firestorm is comprised of a black guy and a girl. Diversity! As much as I liked Ronnie and Jason however, my favorite Firestorm pairing was probably Jason and his old DCU girlfriend, the Asian Gehenna. They had a great chemistry about them that redefined who Firestorm was.
So now we're on to Madion Payne, Tim Drake's ex (but probably will be again) girlfriend. I wish her the best. Firestorms don't usually have long shelf lives.
Panel of the Week:
As good as Jason Fabok's Justice League was this week, Doug Mahnke, Jaime Medoza and Tomeu Morey's Superman Wonder Woman was SPECTACULAR. Slow clap to you, sirs.
-Gint
Futures End #29
This was a damn good issue. Its been a while since a comic was able to inspire an honest emotional reaction in me. The heroes death of Ronnie Raymond did just that.
The writing team sends Ronnie off to that great Watchtower in the sky in a beautiful layout by Patrick Zircher. Everything comes together the way Ronnie and Jason Rusch's story has been told in Futures End. The way they're there for each other in the end is very touching.
The only negative is the DC purge of the white man continues. Out is the white male, Ronnie Raymond, and in comes female Madison Payne. So now Firestorm is comprised of a black guy and a girl. Diversity! As much as I liked Ronnie and Jason however, my favorite Firestorm pairing was probably Jason and his old DCU girlfriend, the Asian Gehenna. They had a great chemistry about them that redefined who Firestorm was.
So now we're on to Madion Payne, Tim Drake's ex (but probably will be again) girlfriend. I wish her the best. Firestorms don't usually have long shelf lives.
Panel of the Week:
As good as Jason Fabok's Justice League was this week, Doug Mahnke, Jaime Medoza and Tomeu Morey's Superman Wonder Woman was SPECTACULAR. Slow clap to you, sirs.
-Gint
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