Dream Thief #1

I know this is a week late and all, but I just got my issue of Dream Thief #1 (of 5), from Dark Horse. What drew me to it initially is the cover, which is easily recognizable as a piece from Alex Ross. The story was written by Jai Nitz and the art and lettering were done by Greg Smallwood. Anyways, the title sealed the deal for me (as if I wasn't already sold. Thanks, Alex).

I open the first page and instantly notice that the story is taking place in Atlanta. I don’t know if anyone else has this problem, maybe it’s because I live in a state that doesn't get noticed, but I tend to get even more excited when a story takes place in my home state. (<< Which is why I had too much fun with Telltale’s The Walking Dead)

Anyways, we meet John Lincoln, and he’s an asshole. He’s also extremely misguided.

One of the problems Lincoln is facing is that he cheated on his girlfriend, who is suffering from a traumatic home invasion. He justifies his actions by claiming he “has needs too” and does not seem to feel bad about it. To complicate the situation, his girlfriend is best friends with his sister. Naturally, his sister is not on his side. Girl problems.

Lincoln is ballsy, though. He stood on federal property, where his sister works, with a joint. He also stole an aboriginal mask from Australia, which is the mask he is pictured wearing on the cover.

This blatant disregard for the law could make it easy for Lincoln to transfer from movie director to vigilante.

The theft occurs past the halfway point in the comic. One of my problems with this issue is that it felt like they were trying to cram a lot into one book, so when it transitions it is jumpy.

However, I do love the art, the colors, and how the panels are laid out.

One of the issues this story was not able to sell me on is the fact that his girlfriend die. Lincoln, while wearing the mask, kills her because she murdered a main in their basement who she thought was the person who robbed their house. Lincoln claims this is fair, but now he’s a murderer. There was not enough momentum leading to this moment, the reader is completely blindsided by the event. Which when used correctly this is not a bad thing.

When he takes off the mask, he tries to figure out why he killed her. He blames the weed, and beats the dealer who sold it to him.

I’m going to give this issue a 3.5/5.

For a #1, it was pretty damn spiffy. The end did its job, it hooked me and I can’t wait for issue #2. 

---Sushi

p.s. Pictures forthcoming. =D

Chapter One: Desert's Wake

Hopefully no one batarangs me in the face (or something worse) for this. One of the reasons I've been M.I.A. that isn't school related pertains to my writing. I'm trying to get opinions and such about this, so leave one if you don't mind, even if it's to say "GAH! MY EYES! YOU SUCK!" or whatever. XD I apologize in advance that all I have for you is chapter one. ---Sushi

The bottles were arranged haphazardly on the wooden dresser. The labels faced outward, watching Dae. They always watched him when he was about to leave, and they watched him even more intently when he was sober. He reckoned that he could identify which bottles contained which alcohol by the feel of their decorations, which would be handy if he was ever blindfolded and needed a drink. Dae imagined it was the same process a blind person would use to identify who a person was. His throat suddenly became noticeably barren, forcing him to turn away from his collection. If he couldn’t see them, they were not there. 

            Dae could clearly hear the wind pushing grains of sand into his government owned house. Sandstorms were common in Eyad. Logic said his trip to the library could wait for another day. But it wasn’t often Dae found himself with motivation to do anything outside of drinking and sleeping, and logic reasoned he needed to get his ass out the door now.

            He slid his feet into his boots and didn’t take the time to tuck his pants into them. Next, he began wrapping a two inch wide bandage around his face, covering the tips of his auburn bangs, his ears, mouth, and when it reached his neck he secured the end of the bandage with a piece of tape. He took a step away from the closet, moving to the foot of the bed where a leather jacket was resting on the floor. The piece of clothing was old, scratched and worn from every day wear and improper upkeep. Attached to the back of the garment was a silver sheath, which some master craftsman had somehow managed to work into it. Dae was fond of the jacket simply because it was one less step he had to take when getting ready for the day, and he never liked having to wear a sword at his side.

            Once his jacket was on and zipped up to his Adam’s apple, all he needed to do was put on his goggles and grab his jade stone from its nest on the dresser, between a bottle of vodka and whiskey. The hand polished stone was smooth and small enough to fit into his palm. It was the only thing there that was not related to alcohol. A detailed depiction of a serpent-like dragon, a guardian of time, coiled around the gem. He dropped it in his pocket.

            A loud bang on the front door stopped the search for his goggles. He gritted his teeth as the frantic pounding echoed through his house. As he moved toward the front door, he knew that whoever was braving the storm to pester him was either in desperate need of his assistance or they were just stupid.

            When he opened the door, the suction created by the rough elements threatened to pull him outside. Blocking his path was a frail, older woman who was a few heads shorter than him. He recognized her instantly as someone who frequently came begging for his help. She was in her late fifties and wearing nothing but a long green dress.  Sand had wedged itself between the strands of her gray hair and into the crevices on her face. Her glasses were dangling around her neck, caught by a cord made of multi-colored glass beads. Dae grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her into his living room. He braced his back against the door, briefly struggling against the furious wind before the door shut. Sand had managed to slip past him, adding to the clothes, dirty dishes, and empty beer bottles that cluttered his living space. If the old lady noticed the mess or the stench, she didn’t show it.

“Mrs. He-“ before he could finish informing her that he had other things he needed to do, she grabbed him by the front of his jacket. Her boney hands clung to him tightly.

“You have to help me. My granddaughter didn’t come home from school today!” Dae looked past her, to the small, dusty clock hanging on the wall.

“It’s only been two hours. Are you sure she’s not with friends?” Mrs. Heis and her husband took care of their five grandkids almost every day of the week. The oldest, Benthal, was the only male and about to finish his primary education. The other four were between ages six and fourteen, but he considered them to be pretty much exactly the same.

“Do you think that I would be here if I wasn’t sure?” She screeched, causing Dae to grimace. “You’ve got to do something!” Dae managed to pry her fingers off him, and he stepped away before she could ensnare him once again.

“Fine,” He snapped, letting his annoyance flare. He ripped the protective layer of cloth with one tug and threw it down. “Which of your granddaughters have you misplaced this time, Mrs. Heis?”

“Ranel,” she answered, ignoring the barbs protruding from Dae’s question.

 “Go home,” he ordered, ignoring the tears that were cleaning the sand from her face. “Go home,” he repeated when she opened her mouth to speak. “I’ll bring her back to you.” Like he always did with her other grandchildren.

            The old woman stared at him for a moment, as if waiting for him to change his mind. When it didn’t happen, she made her way to the front door and stepped back out into the storm.

            A deep scowl formed on his lips and he wrestled the door shut once again. Logic now told him that he probably should have not send the old woman back into the storm. He reached into his pocket, digging out his stone. He gripped the jade tightly, feeling its coolness radiate in his palm. All of the grandchildren went home at about the same time, except for the youngest that stayed behind to work on art projects or practice the piano. At least logic told him where to start.  

The DC/WB Video Game Struggle

Two days ago, I read (well, more like watched) an article debuting the Infinite Crisis video game trailer over at Comicvine (if you haven't seen it, watch it here). I've been hearing rumors about a video game that would focus on Infinite Crisis for a couple of years, and have always been mildly curious about what type of game it would be, what developer would tackle it, what platforms it would be on, and on what scale would I measure my disappointment when it finally came out. That being said, Warner Bros latest licensed product looks like it's already falling prey to the same recurring issues that seems to plague most of DC/WB's products. What do I mean when I say this?

Infinite Crisis is being developed by Turbine Inc (Lord of the Rings Online), a subsidiary of Warner Bros. The game is to be a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena game, which is fancy speak for your DotA and League of Legends style gameplay. Free to play PvP, arenas, and weapons, with an overlay of heroes and villains from the DC Universe. To me, this scheme is reminiscent of Mortal Kombat vs DCU: a Mortal Kombat style fighting game, with Mortal Kombat elements and an overlay of heroes and villains from the DC Universe, and then even the subsequent Injustice: Gods Among Us launching April fifteenth, which runs off of the MK9 engine, with an overlay of DCU characters that takes place in the DCU. "Overlay" being the operative word here. Seriously, you can pinpoint which DC fighters play like which MK fighters, as if they left the coding and just gave them new skins. I could keep going back further, with the Lego: Batman series, to DC Universe: Online, to Justice League Heroes to the 64, and any of their side-scrolling action games on handhelds to show how formulaic and bland WB Interactive games tend to be. There's no risk-taking, the project isn't melded properly to the medium, and as a result, the final product is mediocre at best.

I'm not saying all WB games are like that obviously, and I'm certainly not saying that all of the titles listed above are complete trash because of it (even though MK vs DCU is complete trash, and that's not up for debate). But imagine one company walked around just copying the style, method, and code for all of their games (action, adventure, rpg, rts, simulation) and then pasting under another genre and saying it was for comic books, or another genre entirely. It doesn't work that way, and it shouldn't work that way with our comics either, but WB continues to suck at this, and thus their games continue to be uninspired and lackluster in the grand scheme of things. I guess they take us for shmucks, and assume we'll throw our money at anything with a comic book label at it in any form. That's only half true.

The thing is though, I think, if you sprinkle comic book (or video game) themes on anything, you instantly have the power to make it more appealing and more engaging, but it's a double edged sword. You've just opened yourself up to a wave of new ways in which it can all go terribly wrong, terribly fast. "Comic book" hasn't translated into "campy" in a couple decades, so operating under the assumption that you don't need to work an entirely new strategy when developing a game or movie with comic book themes, and that you can get away with anything ruins us all, and you're going to piss a good amount of people off. Unsurprisingly, WB struggles with this same uninspired yet formulaic approach when it comes to most of their movies.
All of that being said, I have previously admitted to pre-ordering Injustice because MK vs DCU sucked so hard I'm hoping it will be good, and I have nothing to satiate my comic book hunger on the gaming front after Arkham City. This is a problem, and there could be solutions (and I like to suggest them so as not to be part of the problem), if WB would actually utilize the "active" in their "Interactive" namesake.

Instead of rehashing their same crap and making it obvious, would it kill them to actually get creative? If you don't want to let comic writers and creators on the creative team, then do something. I'd like to possibly see real "out there" stuff, with potential, like a DCU type rts. Make it a completely unique campaign, but also give one or two short storylines so that your players can command their favorite heroes and their "armies" through. This concept isn't too hard, since Leaguers and individual heroes are constantly interacting with their local police force, they generally have sidekicks or other heroes operating in their city or nearby that can be acting generals or even opposing forces at times, and obviously your villains would make for good opposition (especially when it's alliance time). I'd like to see action rpgs that take us through one or more of DC's Multiverse storylines, or just expands on the quirkiness of the other Earths, like the Search for Ray Palmer. That arc is killer, and I have yet to play a game that features it. Why!? That's nonsense! DC has a rich history, but even if they're trying to rewrite it (with the not-so-nu52) then get to work on something nsn52 related, but stop. Regurgitating. That. Same. Filth. Conclusion? I'm probably cancelling my Injustice pre-order...collectors anyway.

Seriously though you guys, stop, or I'm going to punch you in the throat.
-PR

Saturday Morning Sadness

So, no Young Justice OR Green Lantern. What ever are we twenty something college students here at the Panel suppose to do with our lives now?

I think the better question to ask is: How can this happen?

Ever since the cancellation became evident, Cartoon Network has been receiving waves upon waves of intense social media hatred, and countless pleas for the return of YJ and GLTAS. But Cartoon Network has been silent, except to say "Check out our new DC Nation Block featuring Teen Titans Go! and Beware the Batman." No thank you, Cartoon Network. 

It seems Cartoon Network only wants to add insult to injury (as if Teen Titans Go! wasn't bad enough), they've been showing TV spots advertising new Young Justice and GLTAS. (Is that SALT in my gash, CN?!). The worst part of this situation is ignoring the thousands of viewers who have expressed their displeasure about the YJ and GLTAS cancellations. It would be so simple for CN to explain the situation. In fact, it only takes one finely crafted paragraph. I won't feel any better about not seeing YJ or GLTAS on Saturday, but at least I won't think CN is cold.

But let's be fair, YJ never had a shot anyway. Cartoon Network pulled it from the air erratically. Ripped it from it's prime time slot for no reason. GLTAS didn't fare any better (I'm honestly not sure if it even had a prime time slot). The main reason for all of this seems to trickle down to one thing: merchandise sales. Would you go out with someone who has stood you up more than once? Hopefully you wouldn't, and I don't plan on watching CN (it's not me, it's you) or buying any of the merchandise that comes out of the two new DC Nation Block shows.

So, what are the chances for a YJ and GLTAS return? Here, they're trying to revive the series. The article is worth a read, but voting for the two series is down, as the website hosting them has gone into beta.

---Sushi

Emerald City Comic Con

The end of February and the beginning of March was a ridiculous whirlwind! But Emerald City was such a blast, it was worth it. It took me about a week to cover from the exhaustion and the jet lag (I currently live in Georgia, so it was a small trip). 

DC Panel

I ran around, met a ton of writer/artists that I admire, spent WAY too much money on goodies for me and my pals, and attended some panels. That's pretty much the life. 

Dark Horse Panel

Regretfully, I was too lost in the atmosphere to take very many photos. I failed miserably in that regard  which is a shame because I bought a camera for this event. You're probably wondering, "Who in the world has THAT problem at a Con?" Well, me. =/

Creepin' on Dan Didio

At any rate, another reason I'm writing this post is to announce a temporary hiatus from blog posts. It's crunch time at college, and graduation is looming.  I might be able to squeeze some in during and after spring break, but no promises. 

Besides, all my free time is going to be spent reading these free comics DC and Marvel are dishing out right now. 

---Sushi

I Drink Alone...And Draw

I bet you saw the title and you were like:

"Pencil Rogue, you crafty rascal, is that another Thorogood reference?"

I mean if you weren't thinking that I'm not going to blame you.  I mentioned I draw, right?  Because I do, and I did in my little "Meet the Panel" introduction.  I'm an aspiring comic artist in every sense of the word.  I eat, dream, and breathe the medium.  I'm practicing the craft every day trying to improve, hoping to get noticed in the near future (a lot of practice between/during class).  I'm handy with a pencil, decent with a pen, and am learning the frustrations of digital inking/coloring to get my own full comic going.  I'll be posting art here a bit.  Feel free to comment if you'd like, or if you'd like to see something in particular drawn - it's good practice for me anyway.  If you're an artist and have advice that'd be particularly fantastic (especially if you've got the digital thing down).

At the very least, you'll know I'm not full of crap.

I'm listening to George Thorogood, because I'm bad to the bone.

I couldn't think of anything better to name this post, but I am actually listening to George Thorogood.  So it's not 100% random.
I've been sick this week, which is why I've been AWOL, and Sushi is at Emerald City Comic-Con.  I get text updates from her about all the neat people she's running into, occasional pictures of favorite artists and writers or art, and it's hilarious to hear her complain about being lost while trying to find some person or another.  Then again, she does get to do that while I get to play catch-up on Studies of the Literature of the Americas...
Oh well.
What else? This page will be frequently updating Wednesdays and Saturdays.  Possibly one random day in-between, for the occasional ramble about how I just caved and pre-ordered the collector's for Injustice against my good judgement because apparently I just can't help myself.  Hope for the best and expect the worst, y'know? I'm going to Bat-beat the smack out of EVERYONE in the name of [in]JUSTICE.

I'm sure everyone's been caught up with Wednesday's scandalous affair by now?  I dropped Batman Incorporated around issue six, and I really intended to drop it after issue four, but I kept forgetting to take it off of my pull-list.  I wasn't going to put it back on the shelf - I take my pullbox contract seriously.  Batman Inc was a good pre-new 52 runs.  I wondered why they would attempt a brand new series knowing the new universe was just around the corner, but Batman was back in his badass, pinstripe suit, and there was work to be done.   Then the reboot happened and it's just felt like Batman Inc has been an empty husk of its predecessor. The writing is muddled; old and new readers have no idea what the flack is going on or why.  I mean do you really feel like you know why things are happening? Sure, Damian becomes Batman and all of Gotham is destroyed was the underlying theme (if you can call it that) but I never bought into it, and I never bought into the why?  Logically the next step was to kill him, right?  Whaaaaaat?

CREATIVE:
Art: Christ Burnham/Jason Masters
Written: Grant Morrison
Price: $2.99

Now I feel like I can't give a 100% knowledgeable review on issue 8 (since I'm missing issues) but I read it and I have to say, I was pretty displeased.  I'm not even pissed that they killed Damian, even though the little man is a good character and had years to grow outside of his "angry sidekick from psychopathic killer mother and borderline-psychopathic vigilante father" box.  It was the total blandness and general ineffectiveness of his death that's completely disappointing.  It was the first time I read a comic book and as I saw Batman holding Damian's limp body, I was already trying to calculate how long it would be before they brought him back, and I was glad.  That's how terrible it was.  Chris Burnham's art has never done it for me, especially in this issue where emotion was key.  The only emotion he ever manages to successfully elicit from me is hunger, because all I can see are giant, super-hero heads on Popsicle sticks and I'm trying to imagine if they're cherry flavored with bubble-gum eyes (and I would know, I buy them from the ice-cream man all the time).  Jason Master's art, despite being short-lived, was much more appealing.

Moves like Jagger.

"This is bulls*** I used to be Batman!"

Morrison's writing felt forced and flat; like hug your cousin and pretend you don't hate him forced.  Even the "sentimental" moment between Nightwing and Robin felt like a poorly executed chess move instead of emotionally charged writing, made more evident by how easily Nightwing is bird-swatted three pages later, down for the count, while Damian endures a hail of knuckles, arrows, and gunfire.

And the big finale?  I couldn't even feel anything.  I can't even say DC was going for shock value because for shock value you at least need an element of surprise, which they nixed weeks earlier by announcing Damian's death to everyone.  Nothing like the flip out I had day one in the series when I thought Damian took a bullet to the head.  I legitimately didn't feel anything until Damian asked crazy Talia a second time to call the Heretic off.  That was pretty powerful.  We all knew what was coming though, so now I'll just be waiting around for Damian to come back, even though he went out a total little boss.

"Don't worry, son.  Nobody stays dead in comics forever."

There's that and the Lazarus Pit, which could come into play even though it's already been used in a dead Robin situation before, but who knows?  Only time will tell what terrible effects this is going to have on the Batfamily (who was already in a bit of a pickle, with their fragile trust-issues from Death in the Family and whatnot) and Gotham itself.

PR Says: 1/5  Shame a bad little dude had to go out in such a lame way.  Sleep tight, little fella.

Some Quick House Keeping Stuff

Hello,

Pencil Rogue and I hope to make this blog more consistent in the near future. Consider it goal numero uno.

That being said, I (Sushi), will be visiting Emerald City Comic Con in a few weeks, for Friday and Saturday only. (29th and the 30th I believe). Sunday, unfortunately, is not an option. Curse you college.

At an rate, I'll be activating my stalker powers. I'll post pictures here and via Twitter. For those of you interested, our twitter is here: Follow Us!

Feel free to email us (thecbkpanel@gmail.com) at anytime. Or tweet us. I'm working on getting a Facebook page up at the end of the night.

---Sushi

Edit: The Facebook page is up. It's skin and bones, but it's there. The link should be somewhere to your right. Or here. More to come, sometime after exams. (Curse you college.)

Uncanny X-Men #1

Creative:

Art: Chris Bachalo, Tim Townsend +

Written: Brian Michael Bendis

Price: $3.99

I was waiting with barely abated anticipation for this comic to come out.  I peeled into my local comic shop Galactic Quest [WUDDUP], shot out of the car, and paced the “New Release Section”- not unlike a seething Sith Warrior- hunting for it.  My eyes finally locked onto it and guess what?  It was the last issue.

All that build up being said, I was pretty disappointed with the first issue.

The story takes place from a different, narrative perspective: Magneto (whom I had pegged instantly as this “nameless stranger” they attempt to keep undiscovered until the very end) approaches Maria Hill with information regarding Cyclops, the seemingly menacing face of the mutant revolution.  The story takes place in a prolonged flashback that depicts Cyclops and his new team of mutant revolutionaries aiding a newly realized mutant.

Rodney King for mutants.

Of course this new mutant would get jumped without due process by the police.  Of course Maria Hill thinks Cyclops a terrorist, and of course the public loves him.  This is why we love the ever-evolving tales of mutants, right?  The social stigmatisms; the media and government induced moral panic; the warring ideologies behind the meanings of Justice; and the empathy that we as readers may or may not associate given the circumstances…beneath the colors and inks and artwork there is something deeper than just the cooler stage of human evolution, and we can feel that, because we know it so well.

Speaking of Artwork…

"I’m-a firin’ mah laser!"

Chris Bachalo (Uncanny X-Men, New X-Men, throw a dart at an “X” title and see if it lands on his name), reprising his Uncanny X role, has done a stellar job drawing out the first issue.  His characters remain rugged with this fluidity about them, and the establishing team-shot of Cyclops and his posse actually had me inspired to sit down and draw long after I had put the book down.  Thought admittedly, my main beef would be that the narrative feels forced and too one-dimensional, singularly purposed for the moment leading to Magneto telling (and Bachalo showing) that Cyclops has no control over his powers.  As I had previously mentioned, Magneto is telling the story to us, and as I was reading a visual medium in this instance and not McTeague or a textbook, having to read Magneto’s overlaying narrative when speaking to Hill really took me out of the “present” moment with the other mutants.  He is nice enough, however, to introduce all of the team and their powers: There’s Magik, Tempus, “a young man who hasn’t picked his mutant name yet”, and Emma Frost.

And Emma Frost?  There are very few things I detest more than Emma Frost but this, this was just offensive to me.

Who is that?

She might as well have said: “Gee Magnus, yew might ‘uff been able to wrastle that critter into quite a pickle back un your day!”  I find this incredibly bothersome, because this is not the Emma Frost I know and detest.  Emma Frost and I have always had this complicated, hate-filled relationship - I’m a Virgo, and she’s a bitch.  Ever since she made it her mission to torment X-23 when Wolverine brought the forlorn clone to the mansion I’ve detested that broad.  Yet I’ve always regarded her with amusement that borders respect, in much the similar manner one would a hated rival with whom you share mutual understandings.  So not hearing the snarky, prim and proper White Witch that I’m accustomed to has wounded me.  And then on top of that, Magneto basically told her to shut up and there was nary a retort in sight!  And that costume?

Ok I’m done.  (For now)

Ah.  I see the conundrum there.  Magneto just told Emma Frost to shut up during their fight with the Sentinels, but he’s the one in confinement spilling his guts to Maria Hill.  There’s a simple explanation for that:

Magneto is a snitch.

What’s that thing about stitches?

Now personally my theory is that Magneto could be working undercover for Cyclops, despite the advertisements of a traitor within the group.  It would stand to reason that the first issue could be too early to reveal a traitor and there would be much deeper motives at work here…

But then again, my money was on Cyclops being the turncoat.                                       

Pencil Rogue’s rating: 3.5/5  Worth the read to see how it develops further.

Justice League 16: Throne of Atlantis Part Three

Creative:

Art: Ivan Reis and Joe Prado

Written: Geoff Johns

Price: $2.99

Double Feature [part 2]

New 52 started once upon a time.  There was this event called Court of Owls, and it was bone-chilling, mindboggling, and it killed me every month to see what Scott Snyder was cooking up for Greg Capullo to render with his aggressively dark art style.  Throne of Atlantis isn’t as awesome or gripping as Court of Owls but it is the second event to capture my attention – Oh I lied.  Death in the Family.  But that’s borderline bias (borderline).  Anytime something goes down in Gotham you’re going to be instantly hooked.  Either because you’re an onlooker mesmerized by the sheer atrocity of the violence you’ve been asked to witness, or because you’re about to be brutally murdered by a clown who’s wearing his own face as a mask.

Business time.  Aquaman put his hands on Batman.  On such a fragile foundation as the newly formed Justice League, that was by far the stupidest thing one could ever do.  Batman’s natural reaction is defensive gadgetry that pisses Aquaman off enough to punch Superman into the next page.  Failed peacekeeper?  Check.

Aquaman and Wonder Woman get into it.  I wouldn’t want to fight with a lasso wound around my neck, but Aquaman seems to take it pretty swimmingly.  Wonder Woman admonishes Aquaman for fighting against the League and adamantly makes her position clear: “If it was the amazons coming ashore to destroy the city I’d be fighting against them.”  Then tells him she would fight against the Atlanteans until her dying breath.  Have you seen that lady fight before?  I believe her.  Wonder Woman's morals at odds with Aquaman's: Check? Then this happens:

“WHATEVER!” Bellowed the belligerent Batman fan after her fourth beer.  “It’s not like you broke his back or anything!" 

Ivan Reis shows us [me] why he’s amazing at what he does with this two page splash depicting the Atlantean army rising from the sea to crush the vile air-breathers for hating the sea-dwellers so.  And damn is it sexy.

"My trident is bigger than yours, little brother."

 There was an astounding amount of beautiful artwork, splash pages in this issue, all in attempts to bring the arc to its full tension (notice a trending theme here?).  It all worked wonderfully well, from the flashback pieces, to Cyborg’s spiderweb of contacts he refers to as reinforcements.  While I don’t entirely feel that anyone is in real trouble, even I think backup would be a good idea at this juncture.

"This milk isn't working anymore!"

“Sins, little man,” says the slovenly sin accompanying Dr. Sivana.  “There are many of us.”  Mull over the implications of that rhetoric next time you’re eating a donut.  The Shazam backup feature has been the only awesome backup I’ve taken pleasure in enjoying since the reboot, especially since I have no choice when I take my money pre-packaged product and my dollars to the counter.  And while everyone is calling to give Billy his own title, I disagree currently due to the timing.  I do hope they move things along just a little faster, though.  Obviously they intend on making him a Leaguer in the very near future, and his role in the Trinity War will be larger than any other part-timer, so a solo title could easily spring from any of those planes.  The recognizance of his limitations despite his newfound abilities is evident on Billy’s face when Black Adam shows up to clean his magical clock, and it has certainly put our relationship with Billy in perspective with how he is about to perceive himself come February 20^th when Justice League 17 releases.

Aquaman 15: Throne of Atlantis Part Two

Creative:

Art: Paul Pelletier & Art Thibert

Written: Geoff Johns

 Price: $2.99

Double Feature [part 1]

Because catching up sucks but can be creative, and double features are always nifty.  But only if they’re awesome.  You know how sometimes you go to the movies or to Fry’s, and you see the ever-tantalizing trap-term “Double Feature” in bold red followed by the title of your favorite movie, only to be chased [in significantly smaller font] by last year’s B-list film?  Not even good enough to be considered a passable combo, like Ocean’s 12/13 Bluray combo pack, because Ocean’s 13 isn’t terrible even if you’re sober.  Nobody wants to sit through This Means War just to see Zero Dark Thirty, amiright?

See.  That's legit work right there.

I like art.  This may or may not be obvious by now, and while I’m unfamiliar with Paul Pelletier’s pencilwork I enjoyed what he did during his introductory splash this issue.  His Batman was particularly scowl-y, and his aptitude for illustrating expressions is so amazing that you can understand most of the story without the speech, which is cool if you wanted to just flip through and look at the art (see Mera’s panels).  

My only quip would be the minor inconsistencies in Aquaman’s face renderings in some panels over others.  I would like how he looks young but experienced in one, and then suddenly aged or overly-jawed, like Ripjaws from Ben 10 (I bet he could still command that though).  Then there’s Art Thibert (X-Men, Ultimate X-Men, Trinity).  There’s a time in every young comic reader’s life -it doesn’t matter when/where you start out- where there’s always a handful of names you see everywhere and on everything.  Thibert’s one of those fellas for me, and thus far the man has yet to disappoint me.  Throw Rod Reis in there and what do you have?  Geoff Johns’ go-to team for part two of Throne of Atlantis.  That was obvious. 

All of the aforementioned tension (see JL 15 review) is being ramped up to an all-time high.  We have the introduction of a new character named Vulko, essentially an Atlantean defector on his quest to assist “King Arthur” with his sibling rivalry issue.  The Batman versus Aquaman front still isn’t going well, especially since Aquaman’s brother just drowned a good number of his people.  There’s this touching scene in the batplane where Aquaman, in an explosion of rage, exposes to Batman just exactly how much this conflict between the surface world and Atlantis is actually more internal than external.

Who said touching?  Silly me.

Then the batplane explodes, because in Aquaman’s war plans he knew Batman would pose a threat.  What does that lead to?  More assassination plots obviously, because riding a giant seahorse is synonymous with being a coup-plotting badass.  Orm has surfaced, threatening fisherman along the coast, and “The Big 3” give Aquaman one chance to bring his brother in peacefully as he pleads for amicable measures.  This pretext establishes a very key element in future Justice League stories: Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman as the dominating figureheads of the Justice League.  Even though Cyborg would refer to and be in constant communication with Batman on all things Justice League, a group consensus had never been reached about a leader or co-operative leadership.  Consider Johns’ moves: GL is nowhere to undermine Batman’s authority for sport; Superman steps up and is proactive in a League matter; and using the conflict of adopted world versus home world that would make Aquaman’s struggle relatable to Wonder Woman (everyone knows where she would stand if the Amazons decided to invade tomorrow based on how Johns has written JL), Johns has put Aquaman in the position of potentially failing as international peacekeeper.  This would ultimately result in the loss of power amongst his teammates and establish The Big 3 as our Trinity for our future event (get excited).  Following those presumptions, it would be up to the pre-52 Trinity to keep everything together once whatever happens happens.  Wait did I say potentially failing?

You’ve got a BIG pair of barnacles on you, Buster.

Pencil Rogue Says: An easy 4.5/5.  Waiting for the balloon to pop.

Brief Analysis: DC Universe #19 and Reverse Flash

I want to take a moment to discuss the upcoming issue of DC Universe Presents #19, hitting the shelves on April 19^th for $2.99.

Written By: Tony Bedard

Art By: Jesus Saiz

Cover By: Jesus Merino

So far, DC has given is a preview of the cover and a description. Both are below. 

“In this final issue, what time displaced-hero has arrived on our world—and is the destruction he brings the herald to a great disaster?”

This cover is striking. At the center, we see the Flash (Barry Allen), impaled from behind with a sword coming out of his abdomen, laying in what remains of city. Is it Central City? Metropolis? It could even be Keystone City. Behind him, we clearly see Superman, crushed by car. 

Irony?

Back to DC Presents. In the bottom right hand corner of the cover, we see a pair of battered green legs. I believe those legs belong to Aquaman. 

Right above horrified civilians is either a destroyed cape (Batman?) or burning debris. Either way, this cover hints at possible Justice League involvement with the rise of the New 52's "Reverse Flash."

It has already been revealed by Flash's creative team that "Reverse Flash" will make his/her appearance in Flash #17 this February  That story arc begin running in issue #20, when the other half of Flash's creative team, Francis Manapul, returns from his brief break. 

"I'm Back!" ---Sorta.

Given the description provided by DC, there is very little room to doubt an incarnation of "Reverse Flash" is appearing in this issue. The question is who is the Reverse-Flash?

Brian and Francis made it clear in an interview that while this character is returning, it'll be different than any previous version. Gateway to the Interview

The creative team discusses the costume changes to "Reverse Flash", it is evident that we probably won't be seeing much of this yellow costume any more. 

Buccellato also drops the hint that the new "Reverse Flash" could also be a female. A. Female. Reverse. Flash. That would be simply bad ass. The potential there cannot be ignored. 

But there's even more else where. 

At the start of the New Year, Dan Didio hinted at the possible return of Wally West via Twitter. Did You Miss it?

Imagine, the beloved Wally West as the new "Reverse Flash".

Most fans of Wally will hate this idea. This is not how they want their favorite hero to return. Personally, I'm torn between my love for the character of Wally and the idea of this new direction for him. There's a lot of emotion tied up there. The effect of all this emotion is exactly why this idea will be such a phenomenal one. Emotions make the story real. It would also be a beautiful way to juxtapose Wally against Barry. If the story line goes this way, I'll be heart-broken, but in a good way. 

---Sushi

Justice League #15: Throne of Atlantis

Art: Ivan Reis & Joe Prado

Written: Geoff Johns
Price: $3.99

A tad late, I know, but I wanted to post the beginning of the JL event, so that the entirety of Throne of Atlantis will be covered.  Besides, many of Justice League's fans grew used to waiting on their monthly book by now, so one late review shouldn’t be completely inexcusable [no offense to the prior creative team].

The Good:

Let’s jump right in.  Master penciller Ivan Reis makes a splash inside and out as he takes the reins from former monthly pencils Jim Lee.  Never did I think I would ever say removing Jim Lee from a book would make it better, but man did it do the League some good.  Team Reis/Prado kill it in every category, and while I feel for Aquaman’s solo title, it isn’t like Paul Pelletier or Mr. Art Thibert are slackers in any form of the word [more on that later].  So I’m quite comfortable with Aquaman’s loss being Justice League’s gain. 

The cover is simple, but aggressively eye-catching [albeit misleading. Yes, I’m looking at you Shazam] and every panel is as mesmerizing as the last.  I found myself staring at pages upwards of five minutes examining the gills and wrinkles in the fish, the intense detail in the tsunami splash-page, and the actual differences in male faces from all of our leaguers.  Okay, that was a little dirty.

Not to be outdone by his art team, Johns crafts an engaging scenario:  A missile explodes in the mid-Atlantic, a strapping Atlantean is cruising about at the time on his seahorse...

"Neptune’s beard!"

Everyone knew it was game over that second.  Retaliation was definite.  Now maybe it’s the critic in me reading a tad too deeply, but it seems Johns uses the Surface-dweller/Atlantean tension to highlight the tense and unstable relationships among his characters.  And boy are there plenty of those.  We catch a brief conversation between Cyborg and his father, Silas, who haven’t had the nicest of relationships even before Cyborg became half computer.  Their conversation is strained and neither of them seems to want to talk, but Cyborg’s father has taken a new found interest in his son now that he’s everything the scientist has dreamed of since he graduated from high school.

Then there are the humorously pleasant moments between Wonder Woman and Superman that actually ranked up there with my favorite panels.  The writing and colors bring out the unsure but light atmosphere of their new relationship.  It’s nice to see real effort behind their sudden, amorous affair.  At first it felt forced, a “publicity stunt” if you will.  I even thought it wasn't going to last long.  Personally I’m not opposed to it [no disrespect to Lois Lane] but this change of pace is definitely refreshing and I can’t wait to see where it goes.

"Hey I’m still relevant!"

 It’s reminiscent of Alex Ross’ Kingdom Come for me, and I can’t help but chuckle at the memory of the most dangerous man in the universe asked to be godfather of the most powerful fetus in existence.  Think about it: Superman and Wonder Woman have a baby.  It’s invulnerable to everything, stronger than everything, can incinerate you with a look, and oh…IS PART GOD.  Now send that baby to Uncle Batman over the summer to be trained in the arts of theatricality and deception, so that it will easily become the sneakiest, most dangerous being to ever exist on any Earth, in any dimension for all time.

"Alfred, draw up custody papers." [JL #14]

I’m getting ahead of myself though.  Before we can fathom the possibilities of power spawning, we have the ever-pleasant back and forth between Batman and Aquaman.  With Green Lantern absent, the two alphas have no one to unite against in their mockery and have reverted to their power struggle. Aquaman is so confident his trident is bigger, he’s cocky even while asking for Batman’s help because the fish aren't listening to him [trust me, it’s more serious than it sounds...I think].

Google Translate: "Get the fuck out Gotham."

There isn't much more to be said.  After the rocky Cheetah arc - which I figure was to cement the WW/Supes relationship - Throne of Atlantis is shaping up to be the most interesting JL issue[s] thus far.  Throw the Shazam backup feature in there and you have a solid winner.  It’s fun to see Billy work through his powers and rapid growth through his child-like lenses.  Johns is really batting three-hundred in the creativity department. 

-It must be all that milk he’s drinking.-

The Bad:

There really is no “bad” this issue.  Cyborg doesn't get his airtime and Flash is busy in his solo series, but I prefer they not have characters standing around taking up panel space a dangerous but common problem some team-ups are susceptible to.  If they have “reasons” for being occupied that’s even less of a reason for me to be worried.  It’s not like it’s Renee Montoya we’re missing.  Or Cassandra Cain.

The Nitpicky:

Because sometimes nitpicking is important.  Once upon a time [literally right before reboot] DC said “Drawing the line at 2.99.”  This is what my poster says.  I’m staring at it right now.  So JL was $3.99.  Ok maybe I can get over that, because I love the Shazaam backup feature.  But then Batman’s $3.99.  And Detective Comics.  See the problem here?  I’m not exactly complaining, but I am saying not all backup features are as golden as Shazam, and a little freedom to choose would be nice.

Pencil Rogue Says:

Why are you even still here?  Go grab this comic if you haven’t already!  5/5

Superboy #16

Intro

Before we jump into Issue #16 of Superboy, I'm going to introduce myself. I'm Sushi, one of two creating these reviews. My goal will be to focus on the writing content, with an emphasis on character design and development. But you'll probably see me jump to cover other things that tickle me. 

Creative Team

Writer: Tom DeFalco
Thumbnails: Ron Frenz
Pencilers: Iban Coello & Amilcar Pinna
Inkers: Rob Lean & Amilcar Pinna
Colorists: Richard & Tanya Horie
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Editor: Chris Conroy
Cover: R.B. Silba with Rob Lean & Java Tartagila

Meat of the Story

Issue 16 of this title continues the “H’el on Earth” story Arc. Personally, I’m a fan of Superboy, but I have not been a fan of this story arc.

In this issue, the Justice League shows up to help with the “H’el” situation, since Superman can’t clean up his own mess.

Immediately, my eyes are drawn to the fact that Batman has a fur lined cape.

 That could make some sense, as they are trying to break into the Fortress of Solitude. However, I don’t see what good a fur cape will do anyone in the Antarctic.But if anyone needed a fur cape, it’s Wonder Woman, she didn’t even get a pair of pants.

 While we’re on the subject of Wonder Woman, the “neck-line” (if you can call it that) of her costume varied, depending on how much Wonder-boobs the artists wanted us to see. Compare the image above to the one below. 

Another inconsistency I'm going to harp on a bit involves Superman's hair style. 

I'm alright with the fact that they did not go with Superman's trademark hairstyle. But I wish the artists tackling this issue would of picked one style and used it, instead of changing it on us a page or so later. 

There are some really nice action sequences in this comic. The first Wonder Woman picture I showed you is an example. Here's two more:

These two panels allow us to get into the character's minds while they are exerting their powers to an extreme condition. In my opinion, you can't ask for much more. 

Even though this issue is part of "H'el on Earth", by the time I finished, I'm left feeling like not a lot happened in this issue. The Justice League helped Superman get back into his Fortress. Superboy continues to acknowledge that he's a weapon, and he takes a back seat the the Justice League. We get a glimpse of H'el with Supergirl and his plans. But this felt like a bridge to the next story. I suspect a bigger story lies in issue #16 of Supergirl.

I like the moment of H'el and Supergirl together. It paints her weakness better, we the reader understand a little more while she is with H'el. However, I really wish that this wasn't a moment of "girl running into the arms of the bad boy." It happens too often. 

I'm intrigued to see what the fate of Superboy is, after he suffered at the hands of H'el. I hope he'll be able to wear his own costume soon.  

At the end of this issue, we see the appearance of a new baddie and the mention of another:

Verdict

I'll give this issue a 3/5, I'm looking forward to seeing some improvements in the Superboy Annual next week. 

---Sushi