Comics

Atomic Robo: The Flying She Devils of the Pacific #3

/ / Comics

atomic-robo-she-devils-pacific-3-coverWhile stranded on the island of the Flying She-Devils of the Pacific, Atomic Robo and the rag-tag band of fearless jet-pack-strapped female pilots come under attack by Japanese bombers, submarines, and killer robots.

The latest issue of Atomic Robo: The Flying She Devils of the Pacific #3 is pretty much nonstop action as the She-Devils’ attempts to turn back the invaders fail and they’re eventually forced to flee the island. Our atomic-powered robotic pal, in a moment of stupid heroism, helps the women escape but finds himself captured by the force led by a Japanese pilot who shot Atomic Robo down twice during WWII.

With so much action there’s not a lot of time for character and story development, but writer Brian Clevinger does find places to insert the oddball humor of the comic we’ve all come to know and love. Hopefully next issue will reveal the identities and motives of the She-Devils’ enemies and continue to bring more zany action. Worth a look.

[Red 5, $3.50]

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Captain Atom #0

/ / Comics

captain-atom-new-52-0-coverCaptain Atom isn’t the first of the New 52 titles to get the ax, but it is the first one I’ve really enjoyed to go away. Captain Atom #0 provides a rebooted origin for the soldier turned super-powered hero, and while it works well enough, like most of the New 52, it’s not nearly as good as the origin the character already had.

Now I didn’t read the Captain Atom‘s original Charlton Comics run, but when DC bought the rights to the character (along with others like the Question and Blue Beetle) and gave the hero new life in his own title following the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths I was there to grab it, and all the issue that followed. (Hell, I was in the prime of my junior high comic book buyin’ days.)

In the post-Crisis origin (which, by the way, was good enough to be used in a recent issue of Young Justice) Nathaniel Adam was an Air Force pilot framed for murder who volunteered for a risky experiment only to be shot 20 years into the future and turned into super-human with the ability to tap into the Quantum Field.

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Daredevil #18

/ / Comics

daredevil-18-coverThe Matt Murdock must be crazy storyline continues as Matt returns from a date with Kristen McDuffie to discover his crazy ex-wife Milla in his bed. Or does he? A little investigation by Foggy reveals that simply be the case as Milla is still locked up the loony bin. It should be obvious to everyone (as it has been for several issues) that someone is gaslighting Hell’s Kitchen favorite hero.

The back-up story involves Foggy’s new client, a private nurse who is the sole suspect in the locked room murder of her employer, drug kinpin Victor Hierra. After speaking to the woman’s brother Foggy believes in her innocence and, despite his recent fallout with his partner, agrees to look into Milla if Daredevil looks in on the case.

I was tired with this arc the moment writer Mark Waid introduced it. We know Daredevil isn’t crazy and despite what Foggy sees here, he should know better too. Still, Waid is a good storyteller and Daredevil #18 has good action and an unexpected cameo from a character I’d all but forgotten about.

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Red Hood and the Outlaws #0

/ / Comics

red-hood-and-the-outlaws-new-52-0-coverJason Todd‘s origin (before he became the Red Hood) is the focus of Red Hood and the Outlaws #0. In the first-half of the comic writer Scott Lobdell fills in Todd’s past before he became Robin making slight tweaks to the character’s origins most notably removing the character’s post-Crisis on Infinite Earth‘s first meeting with Batman (by stealing the tires off the Batmobile).

Given the amount of backstory about Todd and his parents we’re given very little time to deal with his days as Robin – only four pages (and half of those focus specifically on “A Death in the Family” and the character’s death). The character’s resurrection is suggested but no detail is given (other than the mention of a Lazarus Pit) and his entire history as the Red Hood is ignored giving the zero issue a very incomplete feel.

Most troubling of all is the back-up story presented by the Joker (the super-genius Christopher Nolan version who relies on impossibly complex plans) where he states he is completely responsible for Todd’s history. It’s best ignored and forgotten. Hit-and-Miss.

[DC, $2.99]

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Justice League #0

/ / Comics

justice-league-new-52-0-coverWhen people ask me what issues I have with the New 52 I can point to this latest issue of Justice League which is a microcosm for all that’s wrong with DC Comics’ current direction.

The Shazam back-up story takes center stage as Billy Batson meets the wizard Shazam for the first time and turns into… Booster Gold (with Freddy Freeman standing in for Ted Kord)? Captain Marvel, a character who has delighted comic readers almost as long as Superman as a noble, if naive, paragon of virtue finds the last shreds of his origins shredded.

We’d already seen in the previous issues of Justice League that DC Editorial threw out the original character in favor of a street-tough grifter, and now they do the same with his super-powered alter-ego.

Bestowed the magical powers by the wizard Shazam, who couldn’t be bothered to find anyone worthy of them (sigh, it’s Kyle Rayner‘s origin all over again), Billy is transformed into a immensely powerful figure who, let’s just say, is seriously lacking the wisdom of Solomon.

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