A Superman: Lois and Clark #1 Review – Super Dad

11/01/201508/04/2022Rob Siebert 5 Comments

TITLE: Superman: Lois and Clark #1
AUTHOR: Dan Jurgens
PENCILLER: Lee Weeks
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASED: October 14, 2015

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

It would be unfair to say that Lois and Clark relies entirely on nostalgia to carry itself. But let’s be honest: For those of us who sting long for the pre-New 52 era, that’s a big factor. If you were first exposed to DC Comics in the ’80s, ’90s, or 2000s, this is your Superman. The post Crisis on Infinite Earths, pre-Flashpoint Superman. Not to mention Lois Lane, and their young son Jon.

After the events of Convergence, Clark, Lois, and baby Jonathan find themselves on the New 52 Earth mere hours before the events of Justice League: Origin. In a very different world, the family changes their last name to White and begins a life of relative anonymity. Lois begins publishing books under the name “Author X,” while Clark works as a farmer. Young Jonathan is oblivious of his parents’ old life. But with Clark unable to stay out of the game entirely, his son is starting to pick up on things.

It’s an interesting move, bringing these versions of Clark and Lois back. I read one reviewer say that DC is trying to “have its cake and eat it too” with this title. That’s a fair critique. After all, the “main” version of Superman has had his identity exposed to the world, is de-powered, and has never been in a relationship with Lois Lane. To bring the married versions of these characters back, existing in the same universe alongside their New 52 counterparts, might be considered a cheap move. It’s undeniably a ploy to bring back older readers. But even if it is a cheap ploy, it’s got the potential to be a pretty good one. This issue consists mostly of exposition and character re-introductions. But some compelling seeds are planted for future issues.

Full disclosure: I haven’t read Convergence: Superman (also by Dan Jurgens and Lee Weeks) yet, so the circumstances of Jonathan’s birth aren’t fully known to me. But there is one thing I’m confused about. Justice League: Origin took place “five years ago,” right? And that was in 2011, so we might be able to say that it was six years ago. In this issue, we see that Jon was a baby at that point. But according to the solicitation for this issue, Jon is nine years old. How does that work?

Regardless, seeing pre-New 52 Clark and Lois again is awesome for a longtime fan like me, in the hands of renowned Superman scribe Dan Jurgens no less. There’s one moment in particular that hits you right in the feels. Jurgens and Weeks revisit the final moments of the Justice League’s battle with Darkseid in Origin. Then in the background, we zoom in on a familiar figure. Then we cut to a splash page of the Man of Steel himself watching from afar. For a longtime fan like me, this was a heart-warmer. I remember the initial awkwardness of the New 52. But these pages almost tell us: “Guess what? Superman, your Superman, was there all along.” It’s a hokey notion. But it made for the kind of feel-good moment that I suspect this series aims to provide.

Much of the issue consists of Clark and Lois awkwardly reciting exposition, via both dialogue and narration, the latter being done by Lois Lane. If it had just been Lois, that would have been fine. But there’s an obvious contrived nature to Clark saying lines like: “When we were first imprisoned on Telos, we didn’t know our Earth — our whole universe, was gone forever.”

A portion of the issue is devoted to Clark trying to prevent the space shuttle crash that turned Hank Henshaw into Cyborg Superman. This notion of Clark and Lois trying to alter events in this timeline to prevent certain tragedies that occurred in their timeline is interesting, and is certainly a goal worth revisiting in future issues. Though I suspect their interference it’ll wind up having more negative effects than positive.

Lee Weeks does some fantastic work in this issue. His work has a certain elegance to it that is very much befitting of this version of Superman. He’s also tremendous at conveying this Superman’s advanced wisdom and experience strictly via his art, without making the character look old, per se. Look at Clark’s face on the cover. It’s not just the beard and the glasses. It’s the eyes. It’s the line work on his face. I would argue once we get into the issue you can see it in his posture. Weeks has the opportunity to do some fantastic work here.

Also, can we please keep Tony Daniel away from this title? He did a variant cover for this issue, and it was everything we don’t want it to look like.

Lois and Clark is an interesting little experiment for DC. They brought their multiverse back in Convergence, and this is the first time since then that they’re making major use of it. A successful run for this book could pave the way for the return of other characters. Hell, in this very issue we saw that Parallax/Hal Jordan is out there in the multiverse somewhere…

Image 1 from dangermart.blogspot.com. Image 2 from comicsverse.com. Image 3 from adventuresinpoortaste.com.

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A Convergence: Nightwing/Oracle #2 Review – Hello, Goodbye

05/09/201507/15/2016Rob Siebert Leave a comment

TITLE: Convergence: Nightwing/Oracle #2
AUTHOR: Gail Simone
PENCILLER: Jan Duursema. Cover by Jill Thompson.
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASED: May 6, 2015

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

When I reviewed Batman #40, a few people got on my case for my subtitle being “Dead Again.” It was, “Spoilers, man! Spoilers!”

Well, take a look at your primary cover for Nightwing/Oracle #2. Not much I can do about this one, kids. So don’t blame me!

Indeed, Gail Simone gives us a little bit of closure on pre-New 52 Nightwing and Oracle here. But not before a showdown with Flashpoint Hawkman and Hawkwoman. It may seem like Dick Grayson is fighting alone. But as always, Barbara Gordon has more than a few resources to call on, including one that longtime Simone fans will very much appreciate.

Naturally, much of what I said about the first issue still applies here. So lets hit our bullet points…

– Nightwing’s costume is too overdone, much akin to what was done in Injustice: Gods Among Us. That said, it’s great to see him back in blue.

– Duursema nails the older version of Barbara. It’s awesome to see her back, and in the hands of the writer who arguably wrote her the best.

– Hawkman and Hawkwoman have a nice bird motif that’s very fitting for Gail Simone, but other than that, I’m not hugely invested in them as villains.

It’s interesting that the Chip Kidd-designed variant covers for both Nightwing/Oracle issues featured art by Don Kramer. Jan Duursema’s art definitely has a Don Kramer vibe to it at times. For whatever reason, I see it whenever a character it looking toward the camera with a determined look. Oracle, Nightwing, and our two Thanagarians all have moments like that. It brings back fond memories of Kramer’s runs on Nightwing and Detective Comics.

This issue has a surprise guest, and if you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m not going to tell you who it is (Spoilers, dude!). It’s a nice surprise, but there is once drawback to it. In order to conceal this person’s identity from the reader for a bit, Simone has them dressed in brown robes during a scene with Oracle. That struck me as an odd choice. Why the robes? Is there a risk of them being recognized by the Thanagarians? Even if there is, why keep the disguise on while you’re in a private setting with Oracle? That was a head-scratcher.

The wedding of any incarnation of Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon is obviously pretty cool to see. Sadly, we only see it for half a page. But it’s still pretty impactful to not only see our couple in a matrimonial setting, but some pretty notable guests in the foreground. One might argue this is a moment we should have gotten several years ago. Then again, DC’s recent track record with superhero marriages isn’t exactly stellar…

My only nitpick with the wedding scene is Barbara’s dress. That’s a weird thing to pick at (especially considering I’m a guy), but it bothered me a bit. On the cover, Jill Thompson draws Barbara wearing a white dress with something of a computerized texture, which obviously wraps around and envelopes most of the image. In the issue, the lower portion of Barbara’s dress has the same texture. For yours truly, that ventured into hokey territory. It’s simply a matter of something working in the context of a cover, but not in the actual issue.

And with that…here they go, out of our lives again. DC brings them back, just to put them right back on the shelf. *sigh* It’s painful to see this happen to Oracle in particular. That character had so much depth to her, and on top of that, she was so damn cool. Obviously, a lot of good has come from DC giving Barbara her legs back and making her Batgirl again. The recent issues by Cameron Stewart, Brendan Fletcher, and Babs Tarr come to mind immediately. But many longtime fans like myself have never stopped missing Oracle.

What can I say? It still hurts, damn it. It still hurts.

Image 1 from bleedingcool.com. Image 2 from comixology.com. Image 3 from shadowneko003.tumblr.com.

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A Secret Wars #1 Review – A Noob’s Nightmare

05/09/201505/09/2015Rob Siebert 1 Comment

TITLE: Secret Wars #1
AUTHOR: Jonathan Hickman
PENCILLER: Esad Ribic. Cover by Alex Ross.
PUBLISHER: Marvel
PRICE: $4.99
RELEASED: May 6, 2015

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

I’m not a Marvel noob by any means. I’ve been a reader for a long time. But full disclosure: I’ve been out of the loop lately. As such, Secret Wars #1 was bewildering to me on a number of levels. But my God, if it threw me for a loop, imagine what it must have done to those poor noobs…

You know the ones I’m talking about. The ones that saw Avengers: Age of Ultron on the first of the month, then came out to the comic shop several days later to see what the hell these Marvel comic books were all about. And low and behold, they found this: A book that pits the primary Marvel Universe against the Ultimate Marvel Universe in a desperate fight to survive as the multiverse collapses. And what’s more, it’s wrapped in a gorgeous Alex Ross cover (Oh hell, they’re all gorgeous.) very much reminiscent of Crisis on Infinite Earths.

But indeed, a new Marvel Universe is about to be formed. And to be fair, Marvel is doing what it can to keep everybody in the know. The book has a plain white expository page that simply says: “The multiverse is dying. Only two universes remain. Today, Earths collide.” That’s a pretty simplistic view of something that’s not simple at all. But it states things pretty plainly. We also get cast page, that diagrams almost everybody in the issue. Hell, the issue even comes with a giant foldout of Battleworld, which as I understand it, is where much of the story will take place.

The issue also has a pretty damn good hook, as Doctor Doom, Doctor Strange, and Molecule Man come face-to-face with the Beyonders, as an unknown narrator talks to us about God, and what happens when we die. Heavy stuff. But appropriate I suppose, considering, you know, it’s the end of the universe. When we circle back to it at the end, it’s fairly strong.

If you’ve been following the Ultimate books and the main Marvel stuff, there are some cool moments to be found here. Captain Marvel and Ultimate Iron Man face off. We see the Triskelion fly into primary Marvel Manhattan. Both versions of Spider-Man seem to simply be caught up in the mayhem, which I find fitting considering their standing within their respective fictional universes. But most of my cool points go to the sequence with The Punisher in the bar (see below). Talk about a scene with a punch line…

Still, the issue jumps around so much between different characters that it can almost be frustrating, especially if you’re not familiar with who’s who. It’s understandable, considering the scope of what’s happening. But in the span of one issue (An oversized issue, but still a single issue.), we jump from Luke Cage and Iron Fist, to the Guardians of the Galaxy, to Storm and Thor, to Captain America and Iceman. And that’s just one page (shown above in part)! Throw in the fact that some of these characters don’t look the way mainstream culture knows them, i.e. Thor being a woman and Sam Wilson being Captain America, and the cyclone of confusion only gets stronger.

Both Esad Ribic and colorist Ive Svorcina deserve much credit for the much-needed epic feel they inject into the issue. While we don’t see a great deal of it here, Esad’s rendering of the Doctor Doom mask is awesomely intimidating. The desperation, terror, and determination he draws our heroes with is a beautiful thing. And Svorcina makes the issue a beautiful blaze of color, particularly in the way she reflects the colors in the sky off the various costumes. The issue as a whole is a lot to take in. But once you do, you know it’s gorgeous.

Regardless of how you rate the issue, between Secret Wars and Convergence, I’ve officially got event comic fatigue. More specifically, multiverse fatigue. No matter which worlds survive these respective crises, I can honestly say I’m ready to go back to my regularly scheduled comic books. Anybody else up for a non-event comic or two?

Image 1 from pastemagazine.com. Image 2 from gaish.tumblr.com.

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A Justice League #40 Review – His Mama Named Him Mobius

05/06/201505/05/2015Rob Siebert Leave a comment

TITLE: Justice League #40
AUTHOR: Geoff Johns
PENCILLERS: Kevin Maguire, Phil Jimenez, Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, Scot Kolins, Jason Fabok, Jim Lee. Cover by Fabok.
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASED: April 29, 2015

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

This issue is HILARIOUS.

It’s not meant to be a funny issue, but it’s still hilarious. In putting together this issue about Metron and the Anti-Monitor, Geoff Johns has spotlighted a problem with not just DC Comics, but entertainment in general: Reboots, retcons, and remakes. This is particularly the case in the world of superheroes. We’re now on our third modern cinematic versions of Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man. And as this issue points out (in so many words), the DC Universe has had five (maybe sixth, depending on what happens in Convergence) continuity adjustments in the last 30 years. Even Marvel is about to do a massive reboot.

Keep all in mind as you read these lines from Metron…

“Although it is unknown to all but a very few, the birth and destruction of the universe has been an ongoing cycle. And overtime, that cycle has accelerated. Because of that acceleration, the fabric of this universe is losing its cohesion. Reality has been taken apart and been put back together too many times.”

That last line is hysterical, especially considering the man writing this is the chief creative officer of DC Entertainment! It’s funny, but also somewhat gratifying as a fan, just to see this sort of thing acknowledged in a story. All things considered, I don’t think I’ve ever read an issue this “meta.”

As we learn in Justice League #40, the Anti-Monitor, in his latest conquest to consume universes and realities, has somehow “cracked open” the Multiverse (again, see Convergence) for others to exploit. Metron, the designated observer of the space-time continuum in the DCU, tries to reason with the Anti-Monitor, citing that reality cannot survive another crisis. What follows is a revelation that The Anti-Monitor is on a collision course with one of DC’s most powerful entities. And indeed, the very fabric of reality may unravel.

Evidently the coming conflict (Hint: The story is called Darkseid War.) is a very personal one for The Anti-Monitor. We even find out he has a birth name: Mobius. His involvement suggests cosmic, potentially time-altering consequences in the coming issues of Justice League. Of course, the stakes seem to be just as high in Convergence. How they’re connected, if at all, remains to be seen. But it would seemingly behoove them to connect the two stories in some way.

With an artistic team like this one, it’s no surprise this issue is gorgeous. I’m a huge Kevin Maguire fan, so opening the book with his work was big thrill for yours truly. He has such a gift for the little nuances in human expression, and that’s on great display with Johns goes over some of the Jack Kirby Fourth World stuff, specifically the switch involving Scot Free (later Mister Miracle) and Orion). After nine pages from Maguire, we get a two-page tribute to Crisis on Infinite Earths from Phil Jimenez. This is followed by nods to Zero Hour, Infinite Crisis, and Flashpoint by Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, and Scot Kolins respectively. After that, it’s a two-page callback to Justice League: Origin from Jason Fabok. Jim Lee, one of the true masters of the explosive superhero comic book, finishes it out from there. Most of this stuff is really gorgeous. It’s a tribute not only to the artists, but Johns’ ability to take what is essentially a giant info-dump, and turn it into a gorgeous issue.

Supposedly, this storyline has been planned since the New 52 began. I believe that. Justice League hasn’t been perfect. But it has had a certain flow to it, not unlike Johns’ Green Lantern run. We’ll be seeing a lot of heavy hitters on the pages of this book in the months to come. Let’s hope we see a home run.

Image 1 from dc.wikia.com. Image 2 from waitwhatpodcast.com.

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A Convergence #3 Review – A Villain Who Shouldn’t Speak

04/29/201504/29/2015Rob Siebert Leave a comment

TITLE: Convergence #3
AUTHOR: Jeff King
PENCILLER: Stephen Segovia. Cover by Ivan Reis.
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASED: April 22, 2015

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Need to catch up on Convergence? Check out issues #0, #1, and #2.

My patience with the main Convergence title is wearing thin, and the nostalgia appeal is losing its luster. This book needs to up the intrigue, and fast.

The heroes of Earth-2 have met the ominous Deimos, who claims to hold the key to freeing them from Telos’ reign of terror. Meanwhile, the Kryptonian city of Kandor has refused to participate in Telos’ perverse tournament. It’s a decision that will cost them dearly. Another costly decision? The Batman of Earth-2’s decision to return to the group after travelling to the pre-New 52 version of Gotham City. He’s been followed by a number of familiar, villainous faces. In the end, blood will be spilled.

Like last issue, Convergence #3 pulls a Batman trick out of the hat by hauling a bunch of pre-New 52 Batman villains into the picture. All things considered, most of the pre-New 52 Batman villains aren’t that different from the old ones. I imagine that’s why Doctor Hurt, one of the primary foes from Grant Morrison’s run on Batman, is heavily spotlighted here. A certain clown prince also makes an appearance, in a nod to The Killing Joke that could have severe ramifications on the plot going forward.

This scene is interesting, but it falls under the category of “Gratuitous Bat-Appearances.” Much like the Batcave scene from issue #2, it feels like Jeff King is shoving a bunch of Batman stuff at us to keep us interested, because the primary storyline, despite it’s cosmic implications, isn’t as interesting as it should be. I’m curious to see how much Batman imagery pops up as Convergence continues, particularly as it relates to Earth-2 Dick Grayson and alternate versions of his wife Barbara Gordon.

Nightwing and Flamebird popped up in this issue, and showed us what happens to the cities that choose not to fight. This was a cool idea, which King played out using a pair of classic DC characters. Unfortunately, Telos’ generic, hokey villain dialogue waters down the proceedings a bit. At times he comes off more as a bratty kid than an intergalactic war monger.

I picked a few gems to illustrate my point…

– “You will do as I command. You have no choice.”
– “Opposing me gets you nothing but death!”
– “Let this be a lesson…to those foolish enough to challenge me.”

Lame. Is Brainiac back yet?

Oh, and Deimos takes the rest of the Earth-2 heroes to Skartaris, which again, I had to Google to understand it’s relevance. I imagine many other readers (the ones who are still paying attention, that is), did the same thing.

Maybe Convergence is secretly a big ploy to get readers to miss the New 52 universe, which so many of us who loved the pre-2011 continuity have complained about so much. If that’s the case, I’ll give DC credit: Their plan worked. While this story has it’s share of intrigue, I’m ready to go back to my regularly scheduled programming. The New 52 universe is flawed as hell, but at least I’m invested in what’s going on. This story has a bunch of characters I only kinda/sorta know, and is based around a multiverse full of worlds I mostly don’t care about. Call me callous if you must, but I really don’t care if the Tangent Comics universe, or the DC One Million universe survives all this stuff.

Plus, the entire purpose of the New 52 reboot was to invite new readers into the fold. Now DC has halted most of those books entirely for two consecutive months to tell a big story about alternate universes that haven’t been around in over three years. From where I sit, that’s a baffling move. It would be different if they’d put at least one New 52 character in there for us to follow (Superman seems like the obvious choice). Instead we have these Earth-2 heroes and a lame duck villain.

You’d think an event that bends time, space, and reality to its will would be a little more interesting than this.

Image 1 from dccomics.com. Image 2 from insidepulse.com. Image 3 from uproxx.com.

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A Star Wars #4 Review – The Unlikely Alliance

04/24/2015Rob Siebert 1 Comment

TITLE: Star Wars #1
AUTHOR: Jason Aaron
PENCILLER: John Cassaday
PUBLISHER: Marvel
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASED: April 22, 2015

***WARNING: Minor spoilers for Star Wars #4 ahead.***

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Jason Aaron and John Cassaday’s Star Wars is finally starting to pick up a bit of steam. And go figure, it’s the issue that’s most interwoven with the far superior Darth Vader title that made it happen.

When we open issue #4, Luke Skywalker and the others have escaped the clutches of the Empire yet again. But where does either side go from here? Oddly enough, the answer for both Luke and Darth Vader is Tatooine. With some of the Empire’s resources depleted, Vader seeks help from none other than Jabba the Hutt. Meanwhile, Luke realizes that to become the warrior the Rebel Alliance needs him to be, he’ll need to find some answers at home.

I’ve picked on this book previously for relying too heavily on classic Star Wars imagery and dialogue to carry it. Granted, it’s almost impossible to have a Star Wars comic book without that factor being there to some extent. Thankfully, we see less of that here. But there are still needless pieces of it here. Hell, this issue’s biggest offense is right on the opening page via dialogue from Darth Vader and Jabba’s lackey, Bib Fortuna…

– “The Illustrious Jabba bids you welcome to the humble sands of Tattooine…”

– “You may dispense with the pleasantries.”

Those are two lines plucked directly from Return of the Jedi. And why? What’s the point? You’ve got an iconic Star Wars character standing in an iconic Star Wars setting. Even if you’re not a Star Wars junkie like so many of us are, the visuals are enough to take you where you need to be. Peppering in dialogue like that only cheapens things, especially when you’ve already been pretty cheap thus far.

On the flip side, the SW junkie in me did highly appreciate one piece of dialogue in this issue very much. During a scene where Han Solo and Chewbacca are working on the Millennium Falcon (as Han has a somewhat comedic bandage wrapped around his head), Solo references Darth Vader using his lightsaber. The exact line is: “It was Vader. Him and his…whatever you call it. Laser sword.” I loved that. It’s very much fitting with Han’s irreverence for the Jedi culture, which we saw in A New Hope.

On the subject of Jedi culture, we see a frustrated Luke trying to do the blind remote exercise again, this time with two robots instead of one. Cassaday strikes an interesting balance between pre and post-plastic surgery Mark Hamill here. The character’s frustration feels very natural. Why exactly he feels the need to go back to Tatooine is unclear, though based on the cover I assume it’s to go back to Obi-Wan’s home and look for clues. What kind of clues those might be, I’m not sure. But given what we’ve seen so far in this book, I’d be very surprised if we didn’t get a bunch of verbal and artistic references to A New Hope and Return of the Jedi.

While Cassaday draws a great Ralph McQuarrie-inspired Darth Vader, the sequences between Jabba and Vader in this book draw inevitable comparisons to the ones in the Kieron Gillen/Salvador Larroca Vader book. For this issue’s sake, that’s not a good comparison. Obviously Cassaday’s no slouch, but Larroca’s got him beat here. On the plus side, he and colorist Laura Martin are a solid combination. Their renderings of the Tatooine landscape reflecting off the Darth Vader death mask are really nice.

Still, I continue to be underwhelmed with this title at best. I’m willing to hang on for at least another month, as I still enjoy Cassaday’s art. Plus I’ve got some money to spare, as DC’s Convergence stunt has left a huge hole in my pull list. But c’mon, guys. You’re doing a Star Wars comic for Marvel! You HAVE to do better than this!

Image 1 from comicbook.com. Image 2 from kotaku.com.

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A Convergence: Justice League International #1 Review – Man, I Miss the ’80s…

04/20/2015Rob Siebert Leave a comment

TITLE: Convergence: Justice League International #1
AUTHOR: Ron Marz
PENCILLER: Mike Manley. Cover by Paul Renaud.
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASED: April 15, 2015

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

DC Comics has been trying on and off to recapture some of the magic of Justice League International for the past 10 years or so. So it comes as no surprise that JLI is part of the line-up of Convergence tie-ins. It’s also no surprise that this issue doesn’t quite capture the spirit of its namesake. Still, it does manage to be a decent read.

Set in pre-Zero Hour Metropolis, our Justice League must face Metallo and his batalion of “metallic men.” They must also face the harsh reality that their days may be numbered under the dome that has imprisoned the city for a year. But once the events of Convergence #1 set in, the JLI faces a new enemy: Heroes from the Kingdom Come universe.

For this outing, our JLI consists of Blue Beetle (Ted Kord), Martian Manhunter, Captain Atom, Fire & Ice, and Red Tornado. Mind you, all the heroes with organic superpowers have been stripped of their abilities by the dome. In addition, much like other cities captured by Brainiac, Metropolis faces depleted resources. And even with their powers, they’ll be hard-pressed to fight the likes of Kingdom Come Wonder Woman, Shazam, etc. So the JLI find themselves in a familiar underdog position, which is a nice touch. It’s also worth noting that the Kingdom Come version of Blue Beetle is among the invaders, which means Ted could meet an alternate version of himself next issue.

It’s not necessarily fair to expect the same brand of humor from this issue that was a trademark of the original JLI title. Ron Marz and Mike Manley are veterans, but to my knowledge neither of them had anything to do with JLI. So they’re in an unenviable position, as is anyone tasked with trying to recreate that lightning-in-a-bottle Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire had in the ’80s. So one can’t be too hard on them.

That being said, you’d think they’d have come up with an initial threat with a more comedic skew than Metallo. Blue Beetle has some decent lines. But certainly nothing snicker-worthy.

I did find myself sympathetic for Ted Kord, though. He’s been tasked with leading heroes that, without powers, are suddenly out of their element. And they’re protecting a city that’s falling apart at the seams. Marz and Manley are able to convey this during a simple scene of expository dialogue between Beetle and Manhunter, so I’ll credit them for that.

Manley’s art is passable. I was by no means blown away. But as we know, he’s very much at home in a superhero story. His opening pages were able to sell me on the grandeur of seeing Metallo take on the Justice League International. But as it becomes clear this isn’t the JLI we’re hoping to see, a damper is put on on the issue at large.

Still, I will indeed be back for the second issue, just to see how these underdogs fare against the Kingdom Come heroes. I’m not expecting great quality, but I’m curious to see what Marz and Manley do.

Image 1 from infinitecomix.com. Image 2 from splittingatomsblog.wordpress.com.

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A Convergence #2 Review – The Disappearing Knight Light

04/17/2015Rob Siebert 1 Comment

TITLE: Convergence #2
AUTHOR: Jeff King
PENCILLERS: Carlo Pagulayan. Cover by Ivan Reis.
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $4.99
RELEASED: April 15, 2015

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

***WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Convergence #2.***

Business started to pick up for Convergence in this issue. While certain problems remain, and this issue saw a pretty bad consistency error, Convergence does finally manage to give us a decent emotional tether via Earth-2 Dick Grayson.

As worlds continue to collide via Telos’ “perverse tournament,” our heroes from Earth-2 take a stand and fight back. But how does Dick Grayson fit into that plan? And by the end of the issue, our heroes have found a new ally…or have they?

The scene that kicks off Convergence #2 is probably the one we should have gotten when the story began. Via flashback, we see Dick Grayson and his son Tommy desperately trying to get off Earth-2 during Darkseid’s invasion. Dick loses everything, including his wife Barbara Gordon, before being plucked from his world and tossed into the events of Convergence #1. This scene set the stakes of Convergence really well. We see Dick’s desperation to survive, and to see that his son survives. Later in the issue, King and Pagulayan amp things up emotionally by having Dick see the pre-New 52 Gotham version of Barbara. Finally, Convergence gets injected with a sense of epic tragedy and impending doom, as opposed to different versions of characters simply being drawn next to each other.

Actually, had the scene with Dick on Earth-2 swapped places with the Injustice scene in issue #1, the latter scene would have been much more impactful. The story at large would have been much more impactful. What a missed opportunity…

This issue sees the return of pre-New 52 Batman, which was a big moment for yours truly, as that’s the Batman I grew up with. He’s got his Batman Incorporated costume on, complete with what I call the “Knight Light” on his chest. Unfortunately, as the issue progresses, Pagulayan seems to forget about the light. When we first see Bruce, he has it. Then the light disappears in favor of the more commonly used Bat-insignia. Then it returns for a splash page shot of Bruce standing alone. I can only assume this is a mistake, and a rather obvious one, at that.

We end up watching a conversation between Earth-2 Batman and Knight Light Batman, where the dialogue is kept from the reader. I can only assume the pay off for that is down the line, and will end up being about how Dick Grayson is some kind of savior. It’s frustrating. But hopefully they’ll go somewhere with it.

So at the end, the rest of the Earth-2 heroes rescue a character named Deimos from a bunch of Telos’ drones. I’m not sure if this was supposed to be a big reveal or not. It certainly wasn’t for yours truly. Regrettably, this was one of the few times I had to Wikipedia a character’s name. As one might have gathered by his appearance, he’s a villain. I can’t say I’m overly intrigued by his appearance at this point, but obviously we’re only meeting him now.

Still conspicuous by his absence in Convergence is New 52 Superman, or anyone from the New 52 for that matter. Like the conversation between our Batmen, I can only assume there’s a payoff for that #0 issue coming, especially considering how much Superman imagery we’ve seen in this story. Regardless of what DC is doing behind the scenes (they’re moving their offices to California), seeing them take such a hard break from everything they’re been building since late 2011 is very surreal. The New 52 heroes will indeed join the main series at some point, and their continuity will indeed survive after Convergence. Thus, it’s all the more confusing that we haven’t heard word one from any of them yet, specifically Superman.

Still, Convergence #1 is indeed an improvement over its two predecessors. I now have a reason to care about something in this book. But thus far, Convergence proper is far from worth the cumulative $15 we’ve put down for it.

Images from insidepulse.com.

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A Convergence: Nightwing/Oracle #1 Review – Under the Dome

04/10/2015Rob Siebert 3 Comments

TITLE: Convergence: Nightwing/Oracle #1
AUTHOR: Gail Simone
PENCILLER: Jan Duursema. Cover by Jill Thompson.
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASED: April 8, 2015

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Having Gail Simone write Oracle again is almost worth DC not publishing any New 52 content for two months. That’s how badly this character has been missed. At least by me. And to see Nightwing wearing blue again, as opposed to red? Bonus!

Via the events of Convergence, Gotham City in the pre-New 52 Gotham City has been under a mysterious impenetrable dome for a year. Some, like Dick Grayson/Nightwing, have adapted to the situation as best they can. Others, like Barbara Gordon/Oracle and Mr. Freeze, have begun to lose their resolve. The city is struggling to survive amid depleted resources. Oddly enough, Poison Ivy has supplied the city with produce. (“I think of the times I jailed her, laughing about it, and I’m ashamed.”) But as Dick is preparing for a monumental moment in his relationship with Barbara, the dome comes down, and Hawkman and Hawkwoman of the Flashpoint universe are looking for a fight. And while Oracle might not be much of a physical challenge for the super-powered Thanagarians, they would be fools to underestimate her…

The notion of Barbara losing her hope is obviously off-putting. This is a character that’s been through so much already. Not just with the loss of her legs, but everything that’s happened to her father, and her discovering that her brother is a psychopath. This development in a character so famously full of resolve is hard to swallow at first. But Gail gets us there. It does make sense that a character whose passion in life revolves around the flow of information would grow depressed being cut off from the world at large for a year. To the best of my recollection, she’s never been in a situation quite like this before.

From an artistic standpoint, this is very much the Oracle we remember. She’s a bit older, with the longer hair and the familiar glasses. We also get her narration via familiar green text boxes. It’s all wonderfully familiar.

On the downside, while it’s great to have Nightwing’s blue V-stripe back, the rest of his costume is a disappointment. It’s very overdone, complete with built-in abs and shoulder pads that don’t really make sense. It’s very much in line with what we’ve seen from Injustice: Gods Among Us and the Arkham games. I gave DC a lot of crap over their putting red into the New 52 Nightwing costume, the artists on that book were able to maintain the costume’s sleekness most of the time. This one just seems too…lumpy.

I’m not hugely invested in Flashpoint Hawkman and Hawkwoman being the bad guys in this book. But it makes sense, what with the whole bird motif. The ending was enough to get me to come back for part two next month. The impression we get is that next issue, Oracle strikes back. That, along with Nightwing being in the mix, is more than enough to get me to put down another $3.99.

Image 1 from blacknerdproblems.com. Image 2 from dangermart.blogspot.com.

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A Convergence #1 Review – Mortal Kombat!!!

04/09/201504/17/2015Rob Siebert 2 Comments

TITLE: Convergence #1
AUTHORS: Jeff King, Scott Lobdell
PENCILLER: Carlo Pagulayan. Cover by Tony Daniel.
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $4.99
RELEASED: April 8, 2015

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

***WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Convergence #1,***

So Convergence is basically Mortal Kombat with more characters. Like, a lot more characters.

As we learned in Convergence #0, Telos, who is apparently an apprentice of Brainiac, is pitting the heroes from his master’s various domed cities from across the DC multiverse against each other. The losers will see their realities perish, while the winners continue on. In the end, one city and it’s heroes will remain. A line in the issue literally describes it as: “A perverse tournament.” And as the chaos is starting to unfold, the issue actually ends with the words, “It has begun.”

Yup. Sounds like Mortal Kombat to me. Only the scope is larger, and there are more capes.

We open with the Injustice: Gods Among Us universe apparently suffering from the effects of Telos’ actions, in a scene that has a curious ending. Um, is this game supposed to have a sequel? Just wondering…

We then go to the Earth-2 cast, as they land on the same planet we saw New 52 Superman on last issue. Their world has apparently been destroyed, and they’re bickering. DC has apparently been building to Convergence with these characters for quite some time with the Earth-2: World’s End weekly series. I can only assume this scene is somewhat meaningful to readers who’ve been following that book. As someone who hasn’t, this scene falls a little flat. Still, the characters are themselves are intriguing. At the very least, readers with no Earth-2 knowledge get introduced to alternate versions of Superman, Batman, etc.

We get some decent action, followed by a big monologue from Telos, where he announces his plan to the various domes. Carlo Pagulayan does a nice job with the art here, and I like the hexagonal imagery that’s used to represent the domes. But what he’s saying comes off a little hokey. At one point he even drops names of specific stories…

“Some of you came to me at a time of infinite crisis. Others were brought here in the final moments of their zero hour. Whether it was a flashpoint for a time that never was – or of kingdoms that will never come…”

It’s truly amazing just how big a crisis this is for these infinite earths. We might see the death of Superman, or even a tombstone that says Batman: R.I.P. Also, Blackest Night. *barf*

One thing I will commend Convergence for is the way it’s playing up Superman as the centerpiece to the DCU. The final page shows us a bunch of Supermen (Kingdom Come Superman, Red Son Superman, etc.) flying toward the reader. However, curiously absent from the issue at large is New 52 Superman. While I wasn’t a fan of how Convergence connected with Superman: Doomed, putting Superman at the center of issue #0 was a smart idea, because everybody knows who he is. Not following up with DC’s canonical Superman in this issue is an odd creative choice. Couldn’t we have cut a little bit so we could at least see a quick shot of him? Is the New 52verse even affected by what Telos is doing at this point? I’m confused…

The impression I have based on this issue is that Convergence proper is meant to be little more than the book that ties the various spin-offs together, and little more. This is mostly exposition, with very little substance. Carlos Pagulayan’s art is nice to look at. But in terms of characters we’re supposed to follow and root for, we’ve now jumped from New 52 Superman, to the Injustice characters, to the Earth-2 characters. It’s fine to have a story that spans multiple realities. But who’s guiding us through those realities? Tell me that, and you’ll have more of my attention.

Images from newsarama.com.

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Tag Convergence (DC Comics)

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