Comics

Animal Man #2

/ / Comics

animal-man-2-coverWriter Jeff Lemire continues to take Buddy Baker down an odd road as Animal Man grabs his young daughter, who has tapped into the source of his own power, and begins a journey to discover what that means. Their journey will take them deep into “The Red” (the mystical morphogenetic field created by all living creatures).

Of all of DC’s New 52 this is the one that feels most like a Vertigo title in DC clothing. It’s bizarre, more of a horror comic than a super-hero tale, and at times fairly creepy. Yeah, very Vertigo. It’s also very well done.

Even though I’m not the biggest fan of this type of story, and I’ll probably move on from the comic before this storyline is finished, I’m interested to see where Lemire and artist Travel Foreman end up taking the character, and how big a role the young Maxine will have in her father’s use and understanding of his powers. And given the early glimpses we’ve seen here, the exploration of The Red is going to be a trippy experience. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

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Annihilators: Earthfall #1

/ / Comics

annihilators-earthfall-1-coverAfter a successful first mini-series the Annihilators (minus the Silver Surfer) earn their second mini-series revolving around the cosmic bad asses taking on The Universal Church of Truth.

A discovery in deep space leads the team to learn the Church has a secret base on Earth, and unless they are stopped, the entire galaxy could be at risk. And that’s how Gladiator, Quasar, Ronan the Accuser, Beta Ray Bill and Ikon the Space Knight find themselves destroying what appears to be a legitimate business in the middle of Colorado.

In the comic’s final panels the Church’s agents re-activivate their holo-displays to make them appear as innocent victims of an attack from a group of insane aliens just as the Avengers arrive on the scene. Next issue should give us a super-sized throwdown we won’t want to miss.

Although we do get a Rocket Raccoon/Groot back-up story it’s far shorter than what was included in the first Annihilators mini-series. And that’s really too bad because less Rocket Raccoon is never a good thing. Best of the week.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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Teen Titans #1

/ / Comics

teen-titans-new-52-1-coverThis isn’t the first time I’ve said this about DC’s Reboot (and it probably won’t be the last), but I’m confused. Writer Scott Lobdell gives us the first issue of the Teen Titans featuring Red Robin (redesigned to look like the Falcon‘s sidekick), Wonder Girl (Cassie wearing a red version of Donna Troy‘s costume) and Kid Flash (who is probably Bart Allen, but never actually named).

In a world where super-hero youngsters are hard to control and potential targets for the secret government agency known as N.O.W.H.E.R.E. it appears Tim Drake has taken it on himself to form into a team. What’s unclear, however, is if the former Teen Titans (Nightwing, Starfire, Speedy, Beast Boy, etc.) ever existed in this version of the DCU. Is this the first time a team like this has been put together or is Drake just borrowing on the experiences of his predecessor?

Teen Titans #1 isn’t an awful first issue (the opening of Kid Flash aside), but for someone who was never a big Titans fan to begin with there’s very little here to bring me back for a second issue. Hit-and-Miss.

[DC, $2.99]

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The Savage Hawkman #1

/ / Comics

savage-hawkman-1-coverIn terms of convoluted history there are few who can stand toe-to-toe with Hawkman. The character has been rebooted so many times, each adding a unique spin from everything from a reincarnated Egyptian pharaoh to a space cop, it would be almost impossible to add anything new to the mix that would make less sense. And yet, writer Tony S. Daniel finds a way.

This issue is a mess in every sense of the word. We begin with a distraught Carter Hall actually shooting his costume with a gun in the middle of the forest in an attempt to kill his alter-ego. And that makes far more sense that what follows as Hall seems to become possessed by the Nth metal which generates from his body when he’s attacked by an alien artifact.

Artist Philip Tan gives us a couple of beautiful panels, including a nice reveal of Hawman, but for the most part the art is as jumbled as the story.

If you’ve always wanted Hawkman to be more like Witchblade then this is your comic. For everyone else, however, it’s a huge disappointment. Pass.

[DC, $2.99]

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The Flash #1

/ / Comics

flash-new-52-1-coverThe newest relaunch of The Flash is one of the DC Reboot’s better first issues. Although the main plot involving the death of an old friend of Barry Allen‘s isn’t as engaging as I’d like writer and artist Francis Manapul does a good job reintroducing the character of the Flash with a couple of the character’s Silver Age trademark trappings (including storing his suit in his Flash ring).

Despite a so-so first adventure Manapaul does get the feel of Barry Allen right. There are nice early moments including the Flash’s guilt over the loss of his friend, a terrific opening splash panel, and a humorous conversation between Iris West and the Flash after he’s saved the day.

Yes, I say Iris West because in DC’s New 52 it appears Barry and Iris aren’t married (and maybe haven’t ever dated). I’ve got to say this change was shocking to me as Barry’s relationship to Iris is one of the defining pieces of his character. DC is really starting him back at square one (which is the exact opposite choice they made for Hal Jordan, who appears to gone through his entire DC history in a condensed time period).

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