Manapul and Buccellato continue their experiments with the Flash's powers, as well as their wildly inventive artwork and layouts, in this strong third issue. In another expansion of Barry Allen's power set, he vibrates
molecules on an atomic level to get onto a plane falling in the wake of last issue's electromagnetic pulse. We also see the effects of last issue's "thinking fast" powers, as Barry is crippled by indecision in the arresting cliffhanger. The story remains full of life and energy, even as the plot starts to veer into darker territory. It's fast-moving, exciting, and covering a lot of ground, plot-wise. The ramifications of the power outage are a lot more than I expected, but it works quite well. Flash's rescue scenes are a lot of fun, which a nice montage double-page spread depicting them. I also love the shot of Barry and Patty riding off on horses. They begin to piece together the mystery of Manuel, one that includes stem cell research and experiments with pigs, and it leads to a strong ending. There is a short scene in the middle that is a bit confusing. I assume it ties into this story, but there are references to Captain Atom and the whole thing is a bit misplaced. However, there are hints of larger stories that I quite like - we are promised to learn more about the history of Central and Keystone Cities in future issues and Iris' encounter with Captain Cold hints at exciting villains' in Barry's future. On the art front, the book is a beauty. Once more, the artists use page layouts and power effects to tell their narrative, in completely creative ways. But there are stunning images, like the opening splash of the falling plane, starkly presented against a white background and the splash of Barry "thinking fast," faced with countless decisions in front of him. The characters have such a unique, cartoony look to them and look quirky and fun on the page. And the book is unafraid to not always be bright and vibrant in its colours - most of this issue is bathed in beautiful darkness, and the rest is in muted browns and yellows, but if lends a strong atmosphere to the art that works much better than day-glo superhero colouring would have. This remains a very strong book - the story is ramping up on several fronts and the art is fighting with Batwoman to be the best of DC's new books.Justice League Dark#3 - Peter Milligan/Mikel Janin
I've read complaints that this book is moving too slow. I hear that, but I'm really enjoying the journey. Milligan seems to be telling the story of a bunch of disparate characters who are slowly coming together to combat the Enchantress. I don't think this needs to be treated as a team book, as the portrayal of the
individual characters is so strong. Milligan explores the past romantic encounters of John Constantine and Zatanna as they come together to find the Enchantress. The dialogue is fun here, with John playfully teasing her. The Deadman segments remain strong as well. His relationship with June is developing nicely. It seems that having a new person in his life is an opportunity for him to reflect on his powers and being dead and how he feels about these things. June is also an interesting character; she is so frightened of anything magical, that she freaks out when Shade tries to contact Deadman, thinking it is the Enchantress. So just as Shade tries to contact Deadman, Milligan subverts the "gathering of the team" trope and continues to have his cast act in isolation from each other. Shade is possibly the weak link here, which is odd considering Milligan's history with the character. Dare I say he seems a little too grounded and ordinary for this story? The situations he is in are great, though - trying to reach out to gather this group (and failing) and warding off the romantic advances of the a decaying vision of his lover Kathy. Janin continues his strong work, despite the odd facial expression that is a little too posed. The figures are generally well-composed and the settings and colours convey the danger lurking around the corner. Overall, though, I'm liking Milligan's format for this series, shifting the focus to different characters as the threat of the Enchantress develops. The character portrayals are layered and deliberate, and it feels like a tapestry is building. There is an unsettling vibe around each scene that has been allowed to develop naturally. I can't imagine this operating as a typical team book, so I'm in no rush to have the whole group assembled.
I've read complaints that this book is moving too slow. I hear that, but I'm really enjoying the journey. Milligan seems to be telling the story of a bunch of disparate characters who are slowly coming together to combat the Enchantress. I don't think this needs to be treated as a team book, as the portrayal of the
individual characters is so strong. Milligan explores the past romantic encounters of John Constantine and Zatanna as they come together to find the Enchantress. The dialogue is fun here, with John playfully teasing her. The Deadman segments remain strong as well. His relationship with June is developing nicely. It seems that having a new person in his life is an opportunity for him to reflect on his powers and being dead and how he feels about these things. June is also an interesting character; she is so frightened of anything magical, that she freaks out when Shade tries to contact Deadman, thinking it is the Enchantress. So just as Shade tries to contact Deadman, Milligan subverts the "gathering of the team" trope and continues to have his cast act in isolation from each other. Shade is possibly the weak link here, which is odd considering Milligan's history with the character. Dare I say he seems a little too grounded and ordinary for this story? The situations he is in are great, though - trying to reach out to gather this group (and failing) and warding off the romantic advances of the a decaying vision of his lover Kathy. Janin continues his strong work, despite the odd facial expression that is a little too posed. The figures are generally well-composed and the settings and colours convey the danger lurking around the corner. Overall, though, I'm liking Milligan's format for this series, shifting the focus to different characters as the threat of the Enchantress develops. The character portrayals are layered and deliberate, and it feels like a tapestry is building. There is an unsettling vibe around each scene that has been allowed to develop naturally. I can't imagine this operating as a typical team book, so I'm in no rush to have the whole group assembled.
there is, naturally, a big event here relating to that. Don't thing I need to say more.But, beyond that event, I wouldn't look to this to be a big show-stopper that takes Hickman's story into high gear. It's business as usual for him on this title - more plot threads are weaved in, the kids are up to no good, cosmic threats are amassing in the background, and vague hints and clues continue to be dropped. Is it blasphemy to say I'm getting a bit bored? Let me step back - I was enthralled with the first year and a half of Hickman's run and I was happy to have so many cryptic story threads growing, as they were seemingly being developed in a methodical way. But ever since the title change to FF, things have slightly faltered. After a strong start, it has lost some steam. Hickman has been writing this book since August 2009 (if you don't count the five-issue FF:Dark Reign mini series before that, which lays the foundation for many ideas) and #600 should have been the show-stopper (if not the big conclusion). But it's not over. And so much has been added, that I have lost sight of what the threat really is. The story was so nicely contained for awhile to this book, then Hickman started bringing in characters embroiled in Marvel stories outside of this title - the Inhumans, Ronan, Crystal, and now Galactus and his current story in Thor. When it was contained to the War of the Four Cities, Nathaniel Richards, multiple Reeds, and cryptic future warnings, this was taut and effective. By bringing in Marvel's current cosmic landscape, I'm losing sight of what the central conflict is. (Namely, outside of the Inhumans' connection to the Four Cities, how do all these new characters connect to the bigger mysteries Hickman had been developing?). The new and old players haven't come together for me. I'm also a bit confused most of the time.
ALL THAT SAID, this is still a strong comic. It's divided into five chapters, with different pencillers. Steve Epting returns for the opening, in which the FF and assembled Marvel heroes battle Ronan's Kree invasion. The action is nicely rendered by Epting and there are some great seeds being laid here (Doom, Kristoff, and the alternate Reed in Latveria, the kids protecting themselves from the fight). We also get some real answers as to why the Kree are going after the Inhumans. The lead up to the big reveal is as perfectly paced and energetic as the Human Torch's death scene from #587. As as much as the reveal was completely expected, the character in question looks so unusual that it's a nice twist on the typical heroic return shot. The second story, with delightfully expressive and twisted art by Di Giandomenico, is the core of the book. It explains what has been happening since we last saw our missing hero. The art so perfectly depicts the alien, war-torn landscapes of the Negative Zone that we feel as displaced and in danger as the protagonist. From the desolate prison, to the worms that burst from his body to regenerate wounds, this is the story of a man struggling to escape a dangerous and alien world. The conflict is a bit more straightforward here, with the roles of the Inhumans and Negative Zone denzeins clearly sketched (even if I don't really understand the Anti-Priest of Annihilus aspect of things), and it helps. At the end, we're left with a set up vaguely similar to Planet Hulk. I'm hoping the protagonist is sufficiently changed by what he has experienced and I look forward to seeing how it has affected him.
Three shorter stories round out the issue. Ming Doyle provides lovely artwork on a story exploring Medusa and Black Bolt's relationship and leadership roles within the Inhumans, along with his new wives. Perfectly
enjoyable, but not exactly earth-shattering. Reed and Sue visit with Galactus on the moon before the events of the main story, as illustrated by Leinil Yu. I'm used to seeing him draw Wolverine, so this restrained take on cosmic material is actually very nice, with a strong, composed look to it. The story relates to the recent story in The Mighty Thor, where the Asgardians planted a new Galactus seed within Earth. I'm not enthused to see a direct tie to another title, and I don't necessarily think another giant cosmic force needs to be added to this sprawling conflict thirty issues in. But it's a fine story and it's nice to see old enemies interacting as partners. The final story is wonderfully drawn by Farel Dalrymple and explores Franklin playing his newly created pocket universe with Leech. It's very fun, but also carries some weight with it. It's also nice to see Franklin regain the spotlight after losing it in recent years to his sister Valeria.It's a great package overall - 96 pages, no filler or reprints, for a reasonable price (ok, I almost collapsed when I first saw the price, but it is worth it). I just NEED this story to really move from here on in. I read an interview where Hickman stated the next arcs in both this title and FF are the end of this big story (after which, he will continue on to other stories). Please be true. The journey has been fun, but it's been going on for a long time.
Also, we have Astonishing X-Men#44 (Greg Pak/Mike McKone). In the past, the thought of not buying a core X-title would have horrified me, but this title has been treated as an afterthought since Joss Whedon left in 2008. I bought all of Warren Ellis' issues, but my unofficial policy since then has been to give each new creative team an issue or two to impress me then decide if I'm sticking
around. Suffice it to say, I didn't make it more than one issue into writers Daniel Way and Christos Gage's runs. But I was certainly going to give a creative team of this quality a try.And this was a disappointment. This title went from being the premier X-book to the place where lame filler stories go to die. I expected a lot more of a writer like Pak. The story is passable, but completely underwhelming and forgettable. An alternate reality (spoiler-alert ... if anyone is still reading this book) Storm lures Cyclops away from his Schism-induced depression (I feel ya, Scott) on Utopia to help fight some Sentinels. The dialogue is heavily flirtatious and out of character throughout. The much-hyped kiss on the cover occurs. Then Cyclops awakens to find he is captive on an alternate Earth, where he and other mutants use their abilities to power the planet. There is just nothing to this. The alternate reality plot is the type of filler that gave annuals a bad name, but it's going to be stretched out for four issues. And, outside of that bland ending reveal, I felt like nothing happened here. There was some opportunity in the opening scenes to explore Scott's mindset post-Schism, but Pak instead chooses to have him mope and brood around Utopia. There's no depth or insight whatsoever. The forced flirtatious banter with this fake Storm is painful to read in spots. The saving grace is Mike McKone's art, which I've always loved. His splash pages of Storm and Cyclops fighting with each other and the Sentinels are lovely, with his unique, crisp figures really standing out. It can't save the story, but his art would be the only reason to stick with this.
Alas, I won't be. I gave it my one issue to impress me and it flunked. Even Daniel Way's opening issue had more to it than this cookie-cutter alternate reality story. At $4 a pop for 20 pages, it's not worth it.
Finally, Wolverine and the X-Men#2 (Jason Aaron/Chris Bachalo) came out, and I remain amazed at how much effort is being made to make this book the fun, eclectic title, while Uncanny becomes dour and depressing. This is a fight issue against the Hellfire kids, and the Krakoa creature beneath the mansion grounds, but Aaron packs so many character moments into the proceedings - Iceman finally stepping up to the plate, Idie forming a bond with the Brood alien, Rachel kicking butt, a surprising kiss, Kitty trying to protect the school's human visitors. It feels jam-packed, in a good way. It really reminds me of Bachalo's days on Generation X, where quirky humour and small, cute character moments sat alongside the plot and action. Bachalo's art really helps create that tone, and Aaron seems inspired by him to throw in more fun little moments. This book is a great success so far.
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