Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
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Hi folks. Andrew from www.grayhavenmagazine.com here with another batch of reviews for you. This week we cover the new Fantastic Four trade, ‘Flesh & Stone’, as well as Generations 2, the Our Worlds at War saga and the forthcoming trade from Oni Press, The Marquis: Danse Macabre, with an interview with creator Guy Davis. Also, contributing to this installment is frequent dance partner and creator of www.comicbookgalaxy.com, Alan Davis Doane, offering a first look review at the eagerly anticipated and controversial Origin mini-series.
Fantastic Four: Flesh & Stone Trade Paperback
Written by Carlos Pacheco, Jeph Loeb and Rafael Marin
Illustrated by Carlos Pacheco and Jesus Merino
Published by Marvel Comics
Reviewed by Andrew Goletz
Could it be? Does this series finally live up to it’s ‘World’s Greatest Comics Magazine’ title? Well, it’s not there yet, but this trade, collecting FF 35-39, shows that for the first time in a long while, the potential is there. This is Marvel's flagship title and the last time anyone was excited about it was back in the 80s when John Byrne was handling the writing and penciling duties. While there was a lot of hype to go around for the big creative changes going on with the Spider-Man and the X-Men lines, the Fantastic Four was quietly being re-worked. First. Carlos Pacheco made his debut as penciler and co-plotter (issue #35). He was soon joined by Jeph Loeb, who took over scripting duties on the title.
The collection begins, of course, with the Human Torch and the Thing screwing around inside their headquarters until they’re attacked by longtime foe Diablo. While they’re dealing with a terror of a supernatural kind, Reed Richards and his wife, Sue (Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman) are signing the rights to Reed’s inventions over to the Gideon Board in an effort to stave off bankruptcy. A recent chain of events has left the team financially strapped, so their only choice to sell the rights to Reed’s inventions. This way, they’ll be able to fund their operating expenses. Unfortunately, both the Richard’s lawyers and the team itself are unsure of the Gideon’s true motives. But what choice do they have?
So in the span of 8 pages, readers are introduced to the entire team. They see the playful arguing between the Torch and Thing as well as a ‘super villain moment’ and a tension filled meeting in which the leader of the team has to sell the rights to his inventions to keep the group afloat. Not a bad introduction for new readers. The battle with Diablo is a little slow going and there are a few moments where the action just seems to repeat itself, making things slower still. On the plus side, as Reed and Sue join the fight against Diablo later on, the Pacheco does a great job of filling people in on what Diablo’s background is, as well as letting the members of the FF show off their powers. I haven’t read this series regularly since Byrne was on the title, so I was grateful for the cram session in FF lore.
The writing does improve a lot a few chapters into the trade when Loeb comes aboard as scripter. It’s not to say that Pacheco can’t write, because his plots were exciting and worthy of the legendary team, but there was a more rhythmic flow with Loeb’s scripts. Loeb has already gained a huge following with celebrated takes on Batman, Superman and Daredevil. He even worked on some X-books years ago. His influence on this title is easily identified and the result is some serious ‘street cred’.
Pacheco’s pencils are incredible. The FF has been a book blessed with some top-notch artistic talent over the years. The big names always gravitate towards Marvel’s oldest title, so the fans reap the benefits, as they do here. I don’t recall the book ever looking this good in the past decade, and yes, that includes the runs of Jim Lee, Alan Davis and Salvador Larroca. The characters look real, or at least as real as an elastic man, invisible woman, human torch and guy made out of rock can look. Pacheco fills his panels with detail and energy. The book is a longer and more enjoyable read because you spend more time looking at the pages.
After the Diablo storyline ends, the teams gets involved with another old villain, the Grey Gargoyle. This battle results with drastic implications for one of the members. Without giving anything away, I’ll say that this is the move that made the most sense to me. When a book has been around for as long as this one, some things start to lose the comfortable, familiar feeling and they start to get stale. For example, is Lois Lane was still wondering where that darn Clark Kent disappeared to anytime Superman was around, it’d be ridiculous. The event that changes this particular Fantastic Four character will have implications more for the psychological effects than the physical ones, and that’s what will hold my interest.
This trade is filled with many other great moments. There are the nice familiar moments, like the Thing and Torch egging each other on, as well as Torch’s ever-growing ego. The new headquarters for the team, which was always a character in and of itself, is introduced with a nod to the past. This goes hand in hand with a few other cosmetic changes, which just feel right. Usually in comics, there’s a feeling that any change is a gimmick. There are a lot of nice, changes in this collection. Some are subtle and some aren’t, but none of them feel gimmicky. They fell like home. There’s a nice mixture of old and new with this collection and it’s a fitting new begging for ‘the world’s greatest comics magazine.’
Score: 9 out of 10
On Sale Now
Generations 2: An Imaginary Tale #1 (of 4)
Written and illustrated by John Byrne
Published by DC Comics
Reviewed by Andrew Goletz
John Byrne’s taken some heat in recent months, some of which he’s responsible for and some of which, he’s not. Creatively, though, a person needs to be judged by their work and not whatever the controversy of the month says about them. Generations 2 is a very good comic and a fitting follow up to the original Generations mini-series from a few years back.
The concept is pretty simple. In this story, in this world, the characters are not so immune to time. In reality, Superman’s been around for over 60 years, but in the current comics, he still looks to be in his late 20s or early 30s. Revamps notwithstanding, comic characters have to age slowly. Do we really want to read the adventures of a 90-year old Batman? Or have the character replaced by a newer version? Not many people do, so what you get are characters, especially the icons like Superman or Batman that are pretty much timeless. With the Generations mini-series, fans were able to read about these characters as if they aged normally. Each issue spanned two decades (as G2 does), with the characters aging in kind. So by the end of the fourth issue, 80 years had passed and the characters were affected to an obviously large degree.
So why Generations 2? For one thing, the first mini-series dealt almost exclusively with the Superman and Batman family of characters. Interesting as they may be, DC is home to dozens of popular characters like Hawkman, Flash, and Green Lantern and fans wanted to see what the Generations story would have to say about them. From the opening sequence with the JSA battling the Nazis in occupied France during World War II, you know it was a good decision. The excitement continues throughout the first issue as Wonder Woman is introduced, Batman and Robin face off against Lex Luthor and then the JSA battle aliens.
This series works for both people who did and others who did not read the original mini-series. As a fan of the first series, it’s interesting to see how these new stories are interwoven with what transpired in the original. As if handling most of the characters in the DC universe wasn’t daunting enough, Byrne has the other difficult task of making sure that the new series doesn’t discredit what happened in G1. And for newer fans, well they can just pick up the book from the beginning and enjoy the main saga of these characters from this new beginning. Once again, there’s also the fact that by following these heroes (and villains) from 1942 all the way to the future, you’re able to see how their characterization changes. For instance, Batman starts off normal, gets silly around the 50s and 60s before getting dark again in the 70s and 80s and reaching the grim and gritty era of the 90s. As ‘real life’ dictated these changes in the regular books, it’s quite fun to watch the character go through this in the context of the series.
You don’t have to have expert knowledge of the DCU to enjoy Generations 2, but it doesn’t hurt. Byrne has created a detailed life history with these heroes, focusing on weddings, births, deaths and in some cases, rebirth. Like any good storyteller, he’s able to weave all these various plots and smaller moments together for a grander, more satisfying tale. And it’s always nice to see Byrne drawing Superman and Wonder Woman again. These are two characters he helped to revamp and modernize years ago, but it’s just as big a treat to see him running with the entire pantheon of the DC universe. His art here is some of his best work and the coloring by Trish Mulvihill creates a more dynamic world for these characters to play in.
The two chapters in this first volume cover 1942-1953 (G2 will progress in 11 year increments), the Golden Age. It’ll be interesting to see how the characters make their appearances throughout the course of the series as we move closer to present time. G2 is a fun book. Because it doesn’t take place in current continuity, Byrne is able to just let loose, have a good time and tell a fun story. It’s been a while since comics were about that, so enjoy this one while you can, or at least until G3.
Score: 9 out of 10
Generations 2 #1 currently on sale. Generations 2 #2 on sale
The Marquis: Danse Macabre Trade Paperback
Written and illustrated by Guy Davis
Published by Oni Press
Reviewed by Andrew Goletz
Before I get into a review of this Trade, which reprints the entire mini-series as well as a ‘re-mastered’ prelude installment created for another publisher years ago, check out an interview with the man responsible for this work, Guy Davis.
GHM: What is the Marquis about?
Guy: The Marquis is basically about a man, Vol de Galle (not de Sade) who was an Inquisitor in a fictional 18th century religious world. He believes he has been blessed by the saints to hunt down the escaped souls of Hell, and goes about killing the "sinful". Of course you're never really sure until the end of the story if he's blessed and actually hunting these devils, or if he's insane and killing the innocent. So I guess it would be a sort of horror, action, mystery title.
GHM: How many people originally thought this was about Marquis de Sade?
Guy: A lot more than I would have thought. I guess it's the first thing that comes to mind when they see the title~ but I never understood why they would think it after they saw the artwork. After all if it was about the Marquis de Sade the comic would have a lot more asses in it. "Marquis" itself just refers to the title of a landowner or nobleman similar to an earl. In the story "Danse Macabre" you learn why the character is titled the Marquis and it has nothing to do with the Marquis de Sade... or owning land actually.
GHM: How did the story come about?
Guy: I wanted to do another creator owned book that I would both write and draw, and wanted it to be different than my first series "Baker Street" which I did for Caliber. The 18th century was a time period I'd always wanted to do a story around, and then it just basically came together by incorporating a lot of ideas that I wanted to draw. I wanted to do a more action-oriented book than Baker Street and also something in a horror vein that didn’t fall into the usual clichés of Vampires or whatnot.
GHM: Why was there such a long gap between the first Marquis story published by Caliber and the first Oni issue?
Guy: Mainly because I was taking on too much work. After Caliber published the "Les Preludes" one-shot we had planned on launching the full series and I'd actually started drawing the first issue. But at that time I was still drawing Sandman Mystery Theatre for Vertigo and other deadlines kept pushing the Marquis back. So I decided to just wait on the Marquis for a while until I had the time to devote to it. And then years later when I was ready to go back to it (and SMT got cancelled), ONI was interested in picking up the series.
GHM: The Oni Trade will contain the Caliber issue, correct?
Guy: Yes, but the original Caliber "Les Preludes" was too similar to the first issue that I reworked for ONI, so the Caliber story will be part of the sketchbook back feature. I did a new "Prelude" story just for the collection that ties into the "Danse Macabre" storyline more. Unfortunately, the only thing we weren't able to put in the trade were the covers to the series, which were some great paintings by Matt Wagner, Mike Mignola, Charles Vess, Teddy Kristensen and Kelly Jones.
GHM: Like your work on Baker Street, Marquis contains these wonderful cityscape shots and amazing detail in the illustrations...isn't this a heck of a lot more work for you?
Guy: Yeah it is, but it never really seems like a lot until deadlines are closing in. I really enjoy drawing all of it and I think that the setting of a story, especially in a book like the Marquis, is really important to help get the mood across. The series definitely turned out to be more work than I'd expected with the added chores of writing and the extra time doing the tone work by hand. That's the main reason it was always running late, and something I'll have a better handle on for the next series.
GHM: The mini-series, collected in the upcoming trade, closes out a story but certainly leaves room for more. Do you intend to continue the story?
Guy: Definitely. I didn't get to finish "Baker Street", so I'm really committed to telling the whole story of the Marquis and I'm already working on the next issue.
GHM: Do you have an idea of how long you would want to tell this character's story, with a definite ending in mind?
Guy: The whole story of the Marquis is told in 3 mini-series and one spin-off series that tells the story of the Misere. I have the entire story roughed out and there is a definite ending planned. I never really wanted the series to be ongoing forever and I don’t want to end up running the idea into the ground or anything. Right now I have a set storyline that tells all the stories I wanted to tell with the character.
GHM: When might we see a Marquis follow-up?
Guy: I'm working on 2 two-part stories now. The first one, "Hell's Courtesan", is planned to come out in Feb '02, with the second 2-parter around October. Both take place after "Danse Macabre" and are separate from the next series planned, but they tie into the story as a whole and work as a good starting point for new readers. After I finish the 2 shorts I plan to go on to the next full series "Devil's Reign", which should be around 6 issues and will probably start sometime in 2003.
GHM: Why do you think someone should check out the work?
Guy: That's always a tough question to answer, but I guess because I would hope it's a different sort of book then anything out there. Besides wanting it to be an entertaining read, I really hope that the book is just imaginative and different.
And now the review:
As mentioned in the interview, The Marquis isn’t about the Marquis de Sade, as many people thought upon first glance. Rather, this series follows the story of the fictional Vol de Galle, an Inquisitor in the fictional 18th century religious world. Vol de Galle believes he has been given a gift from the saints. The gift allows him to see into people’s souls and discover their true nature. Whenever he puts his mask on, he becomes aware of the other person’s inner self. When he understands this power, he begins to hunt down the demon souls of Hell, killing them. The thing is, does Vol de Galle really have this ability or is he simply insane?
One of the more interesting aspects of this mystery involves Vol de Galle’s patron saint, Saint de Massard. Massard presents Vol de Galle with a sword and a strange gatling gun style pistol with his instructions to hunt down the demons. So is de Galle really getting word from a higher authority, along with the weapons to do the bidding of above, or is creating it all in his head? The story takes a compelling twist when the Ministry of the time becomes aware of Vol de Galle’s killings. Instead of recognizing the victims as the evil that de Galle believes they are, the Ministry believes that the devil is responsible. So while Vol de Galle continues his cleansing of the town, the Ministry thinks that he is the devil that he is trying so hard to destroy. The Marquis isn’t an easy read, but most of the best comic books aren’t. Davis not only offers a crisp and steady narrative, which perfectly sets the tone of this dark and gothic adventure/mystery, but visually, makes this world come alive. Though he’s had a lengthy run on Vertigo’s Sandman Mystery Theater and did similar double duty on Baker Street years back, as well as the occasional fill in work on titles like Hellblazer, Davis’ artistic style is near perfect here. From the opening pages and continuing throughout the series, the quality of work can best be described as cinematic. Whether its humans or demons being rendered, each are done so with meticulous care which results in a gratifying representation that lends to the overall mood of this series and its setting. Danse Macabre adds layers of complexity to the mystery of Vol de Galle, Massard and the other characters within their circle as it goes on. As the final chapter comes, the mysteries are revealed and some more questions are raised. The biggest question of course, is what will happen next? Throughout the five chapters and prelude, readers get drawn into this world, unsure of where their journey will take them. The resolution provides them with a more than satisfying conclusion to the opening tale and introduction to Vol de Galle and his world, as well as setting the next chilling stage of The Marquis.
Score: 9.5 out of 10
Available: Mid September
Origin #1
Plot by Bill Jemas, Joe Quesada and Paul Jenkins
Script by Paul Jenkins
Illustrated by Andy Kubert and Richard Isanove
Published by Marvel Comics
Reviewed by Alan David Doane of www.comicbookgalaxy.com
Longtime fans of Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder should enjoy the rustic nature of Origin, set, uh, long ago and far away, although we don't know where, or when (at least, not yet). Not so long ago and far away that there are cool laser battles and Death Stars blasting planets out of the sky, but rather, so long ago and far away that Boxing Day was still relevant, men wore handlebar moustaches, and beating your kid was seen as slightly distasteful discipline rather than ritualized mindfucking torture.
This is a Corporate Comic Book, make no mistake about it; I'd bet you ten dollars that the cover was drawn and project scheduled before anyone knew who was going to write it. In this case, the final script was typed by Paul Jenkins after the story was crafted by a committee comprised of himself and his two employers for this project and others, Marvel President Bill Jemas and Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada. In the interests of fairness, it should be noted that at no point in this issue does script typer Paul Jenkins say "fuck you" to the reader, although I reserve the right to revise my opinion on the off chance I pick up future installments.
Not that creating by committee is always a bad thing. Some bigwigs who headed up Apple Records created a nifty record or two back in the 1960s. But the only comics creator I know who likens his work to The Beatles is Warren Ellis in describing The Authority. Origin is not The Beatles. There are no mind-bending lyrics, and Abbey Road had a more interesting cover (although bare feet figure prominently in at least one panel here). It's also not The Authority. There's no spandex, and also no planet-threatening dangers, homosexualist loverboy sun gods, or even much post-ironic yocks.
So, what do we have here, if it's not John, Paul, George and Ringo? Origin is earnest, although not sincere. The Committee clearly aims to craft a solid story with a beginning, middle and end, and this, then, would be the beginning. A scene is set; characters arrive and interact, conflict is established, to be continued. All of which I can tell you without in any way conveying whether this beast, which doubtless will move quite a few units, is any goddamned good at all or not. I guess the question most obviously begged here is, "Is this really necessary?" Is this something readers really want or need to know, how Wolverine was an abused child in some bucolic place an indeterminate number of years ago?
We all know that the true origin of Wolverine was to be found in Barry Windsor-Smith's Weapon X graphic novel, originally serialized in some otherwise ghastly anthology title many Executive Vice Presidents back and recently if not soon back in print.
As this story opens, "Dog" (as young Wolvie is called. First he was a Dog, then a Wolverine! Get it? Huh? Huh? Do ya? Huh?) is a child, and Wolverine won't be created for many, many decades to come. So we get here (in this issue, at least) neither his genuine "origin" (you know, mommy and daddy made the big stinky, and the stork brought little Snikty nine months later!), nor the origin of how Logan becomes a sooperhero. This, instead, is something in-between. And as I say, it feels a lot like Little House on the Prairie, with its pastoral cover, horse-drawn carriages, and even one panel with a boy biting a wheat stalk between his teeth.
Norman Rockwell just signed an exclusive contract with Image (you may have read about it at Comics Continurama Resources Dot Cee Cee©), so The Committee had to settle for Andy Kubert to pencil this idyll, and Richard Isanove colours it. There's no inker, but Kubert accounts for this in his efforts, making it readable despite the budget cuts (I mean, daring artistic experiment! koff koff), and Isanove brings it all together much better than the Utterly Unreadable Uninked X-Treme X-Men. Who needs inkers, anyway, though? Klaus Janson, Tom Palmer, Terry Austin, those old guys all suck, right? Bring NOTHING to the table but their damned budget-sucking inky-stinky fingers. But I digress. No, I fucking froth, but I'll stop now.
All right. Let's get to it. It's 5:32 AM here, and I want to wrap this up. Wolverine gets beat by his dad. I think calling him Dog is a great idea, and will henceforth in all references call him only Dog, because now I feel like I knew Dog Back in tha Day, as the young people seem to say. Rose, the narrator and lead sympathetic character, is deliberately evocative of Jean Grey. See, she's a redhead, and Dog's first love, no doubt, as the Corporate Comic unfolds. Crikey, I'm sure we'll even see Sabretooth or some evocation before the whole thing comes to a conclusion and is collected in a Deluxe Definitive Edition of Dog: The Origin.
My thought is that sooperhero fans want sooperhero stories, and that, as prefab as this otherwise adequate comic book is, there are going to be a lot of people disappointed that there's no Wolverine, as such, in the story so far. And if he shows up a few issues down the line, say in the last panel of the last issue, it's going to seem a strange contrast with the Little House milieu so solidly established herein.
Origin is not awful in any way that I can easily put my finger on. But Wolverine (sorry, Dog) is a character that, at his best (Claremont/Byrne era, even Ellis's Not Dead Yet story) can be compelling, interesting, and even tell us something about the nature of violence. Unfortunately for both the character and readers, the vast (and I do mean vast) majority of Dog stories since his creation decades ago have been vacuous, pointless exercises in creators demonstrating their complete inability to depict the character's berserker rages as having any sort of relevance at all vis a vis humanity, drama, or conflict, or even simple mindless entertainment.
There are no doubt good Dog stories left to tell. This may even turn out to be one of them. In the final analysis, though, a first issue should grab you in private places, and leave you giddy for the unknown delights awaiting you in the chapters to come. There's none of that here. Origin is not badly crafted in the way of a wobbly chair with a short leg, to be certain, but neither is it compelling enough for me to bother sitting down in it again.
Score: 5 out of 10
On Sale September 6
World’s Finest #1: Our Worlds at War
Written by Jeph Loeb
Illustrated by Mike Wieringo, Jose Marzan Jr, Doug Mahnke, Walden Wong, Phil Jimenez, Mark Morales, Mark Buckingham, Wayne Faucher, Bill Sienkiewicz, Yvel Guichet, Dexter Vines, Pascual Ferry, Marlo Alquiza, Todd Nauck, Lary Stucker, Duncan Rouleau, Ed McGuinness and Cam Smith
Published by DC Comics
Reviewed by Andrew Goletz
The concept was quite good: A seemingly omnipotent alien being (Imperiex) that has been devastating worlds is heading towards Earth. Humans and aliens unite with heroes and villains to try and stop this seemingly unbeatable opponent. Casualties would be severe, and the war would change Superman, and others, forever.
The series even started off pretty good, with the seeds of this story being planted over a year ago in the core Superman titles. With the constant ominous warnings about this mysterious Imperiex who was heading towards Earth, reader intrigue was at a high point. Superman wasn’t the only one to be warned. President Lex Luthor is told by his now adult daughter, Lena, to get ready and prepare for what’s coming. The suspense continues to build as Superman faces off against a series of strong attacks against him. Someone wants him dead and they may have the ability to do so. The reintroduction of a more maniacal, power mad General Zod, ends the prologue, so to speak, setting the stage for Our Worlds at War.
When the war begins, one of Imperiex’s probes strikes the heartland of America, obliterating Kansas (which happens to be Superman’s boyhood home. His parents, the Kents, are missing and presumed dead along with thousands of others. Quickly, heroes begin to team up and aliens join the alliance against Imperiex. Earth, under Luthor’s orders, even begins a partnership with Darkseid, feeling that teaming up is the only hope they possibly have to survive Impreriex.
The first month’s worth of stories were gripping, keeping me on the edge of my seat, so to speak. Heroes like Steel, Aquaman, and the original Wonder Woman lost their lives in the battle. The alien monster who killed Superman, Doomsday, is killed by Imperiex easily, showing readers that this threat is very real. Other longtime DC heroes like Guy Gardner met their demise in about two panels.
And then things started to change. Well, it pretty much started to change with the Worlds at War specials that came out to coincide with the series. The Green Lantern, JSA, Young Justice and Wonder Woman specials were terribly mediocre, offering nothing interesting to the storyline. The JLA one shot seemed to exist only for the purpose of killing Aquaman, but it turns out that he isn’t really dead since the corporate machine that is Warner Brothers doesn’t want to kill off a character who may become popular and profitable with the premier of the new Justice League cartoon. The only thing good about the Harley Quinn special was the chance to see the amazing Paul Grist (Kane, Jack Staff) contribute artistically to a few interior pages. The Flash special focused on one of the most offensive characters to be introduced to comics in ages: the Black Racer, a black super powered anti hero or villain who embodies death and races around on a pair of skis, complete with ski poles. The Nightwing Special was the worst of the bunch. It was a time travel tale featuring Nightwing and Oracle (the former Batgirl) jumping around for God knows what reason. The special is notable for it’s ability to be complete void of any spec of entertainment while succeeding to insult the intelligence of the reader at the same time. The Batman special, one of the earliest in the storyline was the only one to offer some sort of value for your money. It was a solid, enjoyable tale that had more to do with Batman’s detective skills than the crossover which it was attached to.
The menace of Imperiex was dealt with about half way into this series. I’m not sure exactly what happened since it all came rather quickly. Strange Visitor, a female wearing Superman’s former electric blue costume, goes into space with Superman to battle the alien demigod and sacrifices herself to save the universe. I suppose the moment would have meant something had anyone cared about this 3rd tier character in the first place. When Imperiex is broken open, Warworld, Braniac 13’s ‘planet’ appears and consumes the mass of energy that is released. So now, Braniac shows himself to be the true menace, releasing some of that energy against Darkseid’s planet Apokolips. Warworld contains the essence of Imperiex now. This causes the series to go back and forth between sides, creating a break in the alien alliance and the threat of war against Earth, by Apokolips
Steel reveals himself to be alive after all in another convoluted mess of a storyline that started off strong and ends with this. Finally, Superman heads straight into the sun. Since his powers come from the sun, he figures that by charging his battery, so to speak, he’ll be able to launch an assault against Warworld/Imperiex that will end in victory. Though we’re led to believe that this new energy being Superman will find it necessary to kill Braniac/Warworld/Imperiex, he decides to do something far less dramatic and consequently, less interesting. He uses a boom tube from Apokolips to send Warworld/Imperiex back to the beginning of time where they can do no damage. This is far different, though, from how he once disposed of Doomsday by sending him through the end of time. One would hope, for the sake of the DC Universe, that the beginning of time is harder to escape from, since Doomsday returned from that trap rather quickly. Speaking of Doomsday, you’ll be happy to hear that an upcoming Superman solicitation calls for the appearance of Doomsday Rex, an even more deadly menace. Yawn.
So the big crossover event of the Summer ends. It appears that Guy Gardner, the original Wonder Woman, Sam Lane (Lois’ father) and Strange Visitor are still dead. Steel has been reborn. Aquaman is missing for a return to be made later. Ditto General Rock (formerly Sgt), the Kents, and Doomsday. Kansas has been blown up, but no one seems to care. Lex has his daughter Lena (now de-aged into a baby again) returned to him. Captain Marvel (Shazam) makes an appearance towards the end, offering nothing in the way of help. This is one of the most powerful and interesting characters in the DC Universe and yet he plays virtually no role in the storyline? This is simply amazing
This special is like the entire storyline in that it’s hit and miss throughout until it ultimately becomes unsatisfying. The issue begins with Superman telling Batman that he needs to be with the JLA for the memorial services for their fallen comrades. Batman is too busy wondering what happened to Tim Drake, his third Robin, who vanished with the rest of Young Justice. We know that Batman is worried because he has a slight beard, indicating that he’s been too busy to shave. The glass case containing the uniform of Jason Todd (Robin II, who died at the hands of the Joker) is in almost every panel of this opening scene, showing readers that yes, a Robin could die, and maybe this one did, too. Not to worry, since the Young Justice (including Robin) make their dramatic return later on, in a single panel, with Robin offering these introspective words: ‘We made it back? We actually made it back.’ We then cut to a scene in the Batcave, with the Dark Knight, staring at the costume of Jason Todd, allowing himself a slight smile because this storyline is almost over. I mean, because he hears that Tim Drake and the others made it back.
The one saving grace in this issue is a moment featuring the original living members of the JSA: the Flash, Wildcat and Green Lantern playing poker and getting drunk to honor Hippolyta, the original Wonder Woman. It’s the most honest piece in the book and one of the standout moments of this series, so far. When Sand comes in to ask when they’ll be ready for the memorial service, they kid around with him, telling him to go away. It’s a scene filled with humor, honor and fondness, and it’s a fitting epilogue to Hippolyta. Unfortunately, it’s just one rare moment in what should have been a defining bookend to this ‘epic’ story.
Ending the issue on a philosophic note, Superman has taken Lois to his old home, now destroyed by the war. Holding the damaged mailbox of his parents, he tells Lois that ‘we won’. Too many specials, and a month too long, Our Worlds at War is a storyline that could have been much, much more if it lasted much, much less. Hopefully, DC will learn its lesson and stay away from these epic ‘gotta buy them all’ storylines for the foreseeable future, or at least until there’s a storyline worthy of this much work. Opps. Looks like next month, there’s a 32 part ‘Joker: Last Laugh’ storyline that runs through virtually all of the core DC books, as well as a few specials. Well, maybe some people take a lot longer to learn their lessons than others.
Score: Worlds Finest #1: 5 out of 10
Complete Worlds at War Story: 3 out of 10
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