Monitor Tapes for Monday, January 12th 2009
BLACK LIGHTNING: YEAR ONE #1 (OF 6)
Jen Van Meter- Writer
Cully Hamner- Art
Black Lightning gets another chance to make things right in this Year One mini. As someone who read the original (of which seemed like a reverse play on the film Blackboard Jungle, if not a continuation with tights) first issue with the character of Jefferson Pierce, it was a little weird re-adjusting to the newly minted update.
Everything remains true to the original “origin” if not a few tweeks and adjustments along the way. Jefferson is a tough schoolteacher who’s returned to Metropolis’ Suicide Slum (renamed here Southend, and “Suicide” being the nickname given by it’s inhabitants, making much more sense) where his father died, resulting in Jefferson leaving the city behind.
The beginning of the story it’s self flash forwards to Black Lighting acting as lone vigilante sometime in the near future. After the “hook” pages, it goes back to Jefferson and family moving back into Metropolis where he plans to try and rebuild the school district of Southend with the help of a grant from the Wayne Education foundation and a haunted repressed need to make things right. Needless to say, he tries to bring the school together despite the violence of the local gang (the 100), but tragedy strikes when one of his students is killed for assisting him.
I’ve got to admit, this was a hard read for me, the art is great and the story is good, but it’s a redux of a story I’ve already read or seen in films. Plus, I don’t buy Superman not stopping crime in the Southend, I’ve never been able to really deal with the “Slums” aspect of Metropolis due to the fact Superman’s able to save people in Metropolis and around the globe almost simultaneously. In all honestly, I don’t think this is a book written for me, but I don’t see anything wrong with that. I can’t really compare it to the original series (interesting to note Black Lighting was the first black superhero with his own title at DC, despite it being short lived) because it’s not fair to and the old stories though I love, just are not going to jazz the kids like this current series.
With that said, despite my lack of enthusiasm, I think this is a great book for kids. When I say kids, I mean kids at the age before teen/ early teen. Chances are the book will have more gang violence and dark matter in it, but I can’t imagine it going to Vertigo territory or being worse than any recent films or cartoons the kids might be consuming.
DETECTIVE COMICS #852
Paul Dini- writer
Dustin Nguyen- art
Damn! I guess the old saying is true, “there are no bad characters, just bad writers!”
As someone who’s never been all that jazzed by Hush, AKA Tommy Elliot, Dini not only just recently finished a story making me love the character for the first time, he comes back with part 1 of this two part story and makes me love the character even more! When we last saw Tommy, his ass got handed to him by Batman, Robin, and Nightwing, and that’s even before Catwoman finished him off with her sweet coup de grâce hitting Tommy where it really hurts, his bank account!
Hush, now penniless, broken and stripped of will, throws himself off of the same bridge which his father drove off to his death and where his mother was to die as well (she was saved by Thomas Wayne, much to the dismay of Tommy). Unfortunately, he’s fished out of the water by a pair of dock men who recognize Tommy’s new face as that of Bruce Wayne’s. And by that sheer situation of circumstance, accident, and blind luck, Tommy suddenly has a renewed purpose, taking Wayne’s fortune.
The further adventures throughout the book are a combination of awesome, a heavy Hitchcock influence (which I think works perfectly with Hush), a bit of the Saint, a little 60’s era Bond world hopping and a helping of Tom Ripley from the novel series by Patricia Highsmith. Hush in the hands of Dini is a little shit, a brat of a monster, and a tiny man with big dreams that he’ll never really ever touch. Tommy could have had it all, but not unlike most of Batman’s rouges, he obsesses over the small details and has to placate blame unto others around him, from his parents to Bruce himself. If he did in fact manage to kill Wayne, he’d have to move on to associates of his as targets because he’ll never run out of blame or hatred and the need to murder others, no matter who he is or how much money he has.
For a book without Batman, this is the best of the rest! While other books are struggling with the absence of Batman, Dini’s story is the best usage of the current “No Batman” edict running through the titles. Thank you Paul Dini! This book made my week!
FACES OF EVIL: GRUNDY
Scott Kolins and Geoff Johns- Writers
Scott Kolins- Art
I’ll start off saying this was an impulse buy, I’ve been avoiding one shots as they usually carry a $3.99 price tag and tie into something I may or may not be reading currently or somewhere down the line (this book falls into the latter category). Seeing as it was $2.99 and a Grundy comic by (albeit partially) Geoff Johns, I figured it would all turn out OK.
Boy was I wrong.
This One Shot serves as a prequel to “Blackest Night” (2009’s summer event featuring the Green, and Blue, and Red, well all the damn Lanterns really) and the upcoming Solomon Grundy mini. Plus, it resurrects Grundy in the form of a homeless looking guy who apparently “Hulks” out into Grundy after stewing dead for several hours. Oh, and he fights Croc who’s shown as the mutant man-crocodile version I’m not fond of. Golden Age Green Lantern Alan Scott and the Phantom Stranger (who’s appearance in DCU and Vertigo books is awesome, but a middle finger to fans who want to see other “Vertigo” characters come home since nothing’s happening with them, Swamp Thing I’m looking at you!) to give an actual story plot to the character other than dying, hulking out, killing people for flannel (seriously, he looks like a reject from Seattle circa 1990) and eating rotted looking fish. On the only plus side I can think of, there’s reference to Grundy in James Robinson’s Starman (which really is the last word on Grundy, despite Robinson giving other writers an story device as an out)
Frankly nothing really happened in this book and I can’t think of any reason to recommend it unfortunately.
SECRET SIX #5
Gail Simone- Writer
Nicola Scott and Doug Hazlewood- Art
Speaking of more modern Bat-villains I’m not horribly fond of, Bane shows off how much steel he is when captured and tortured by “Junior”, crime villain gimp currently after the ‘Six and more specifically the “Get out of Hell Free” card now in their possession. Under a lesser writer, such a thing would come off as goofy or ridiculous, but here it serves as a priceless artifact the DCU villains are willing to kill each other for (I’m sure Neron planned it that way ensuring a metric-shit ton of souls coming his way at the expense of one).
With the previous issue and specifically this issue, the portrayal of Bane has gone from goofy villain of the week stunt villain (he broke Batman in a story I usually ignore, especially when the BtAS episode featuring Bane ended how it should have) to compelling character in Gail’s hands. Bane, in an issue and a half becomes a character I suddenly not only care about, but generally become concerned he might not make it out of this issue alive. Gail Simone has the knack of making villains likeable and even relatable, while also presenting some of the most vile black-hearted bastards ever seen in (superhero) comics. Secret Six is the spiritual successor to the Suicide Squad series (by John Ostrander) while also being it’s own animal, un-caged and roaming wild if you will.
The Six are currently fighting off the effects of the poison provided by Cheshire, who’s currently getting beaten, threatened and almost mutilated by Jeannette, superpowered Victorian-era fop dressing casino owner with a penchant for lolypops, and distaste for rudeness in her home. I love this character! Due to that, she’s probably going to “bite” it somehow as my fondness for the character builds (seriously, never get attached to these characters, they’ll just break you heart in the end). Once Cheshire (who I keep hoping will die horribly) gives the antidote (grudgingly) as Gail weaves in a great recap story (as the Six are a bit confused as to how they survived) and ties it up in a bow of cleavage, of which you can’t argue with!
Despite the team’s protests, Scandal Savage decides they will in fact rescue Bane from the grizzly torture by Junior (he’s throwing 508 bricks at him, one by one, counting down ever brick, while Bane’s chained up). The surprise ending isn’t shocking as savvy readers could see the reveal, but it’s still horrifyingly disgusting when “Junior” is revealed!
Overall, Gail and Paul (and their respective co-creator artists) kinda’ even made the just OK books this week look weak.
In brief-
GREEN LANTERN: WANTED – HAL JORDAN– (Collecting Green Lantern issues #14-20) If you’re not reading Green Lantern, just pick up Rebirth and the first trade, it’s one of the greatest superhero books out there! And that’s coming from someone who’s least favorite Lantern is Jordan, though the current series has me reconsidering that (John Stewart will always be my #1 though!)
SUPERMAN/SUPERGIRL: MAELSTROM #1-#5– Nothing earth shattering in this series, just a fun book with Superman and Supergirl bonding while fighting some crazy broad from Apokolips. I love Phil Noto’s art and he draws a damn fine Superman amongst everything else. Fun series!
This Wednesday’s DC books 1/14/2009
ACTION COMICS #873
BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #25
BATMAN: FALSE FACES
BOOSTER GOLD #16
CARTOON NETWORK ACTION PACK #33
ECLIPSO: MUSIC OF THE SPHERES
FACES OF EVIL: PROMETHEUS
FINAL CRISIS #6 (OF 7)
GREEN ARROW/BLACK CANARY #16
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #32
MANHUNTER #38
NIGHTWING #152
SIMON DARK #16
SUPER FRIENDS #11
TITANS #9
TITANS: OLD FRIENDS
TRINITY #33
I’m all over Action Comics as I’m loving the Johns Superman, Booster Gold is still good despite changing hands a couple times with writers. Final Crisis is going to be my must read out of this weeks books, as I’ll be covering that mostly next week. Prometheus one shot is in the running for pick up, mostly to see what’s new with the character.
Thanks for reading!