Category: 1990s

Comic Book Review – Armageddon 2001

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Armageddon 2001 (1991)
Written by Denny O’Neill, Archie Goodwin, & Dan Jurgens
Art by Dan Jurgens

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In the year 2031, the despot Monarch rules Earth with an iron fist, focused on defeating any possible heroism from his sedate populace. One citizen, Matthew Ryder cannot abide the drudgery of life and lack of human nobility he sees absent in the world. Ryder has a strange memory from his childhood of being rescued by one of Earth’s long deceased heroes but cannot recall which one. He also wants to find out who Monarch truly is and is willing to use experimental time travel to achieve this purpose. Monarch becomes aware of Ryder’s plans and ends up tossed through time. Ryder is transformed into Waverider, a being who can touch another and see through the possible timelines at their futures. Using this power, Waverider plans on discovering who Monarch is and stop him.

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Movie Review – Bob Roberts

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Bob Roberts (1992)
Written & Directed by Tim Robbins

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During the 1990 Pennsylvania Senate race the world was introduced to candidate Bob Roberts via a documentary being made by Terry Manchester, an English filmmaker. Roberts stuck out so starkly in the political landscape first as a Billboard charting folk singer, recontextualizing the word of Bob Dylan into Conservative screeds against the Left. As Manchester explored the meteoric rise of Roberts, he discovered a connection to former CIA agent Lukas Hart and his failed Central American gun-running efforts. There is also the constant figure of Bugs Raplin, a journalist who is out to uncover the truth about Bob Roberts and stop his ascension to the seat of power in Washington D.C.

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Comic Book Review – The Flash by Mark Waid Book Four

The Flash by Mark Waid Book Four
Written by Mark Waid and Michael Jan Friedman
Art by Salvador Larroca, Carlos Pacheco, and Oscar Jimenez

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In the wake of the Zero Hour, Wally West has transcended space and time, becoming a being of pure speed. This ascendant journey leads Wally down his own timeline and to a revelation about a critical moment in his past. Once the universe settles itself post-Zero Hour, the Flash must face down Kobra’s infiltration of Keystone City. He gathers together speedsters young and old: Impulse, The Golden Age Flash, Johnny Quick, Max Mercury, and Jesse Quick. What he doesn’t reveal until it becomes too late is that he is searching for a successor as his body cannot handle the speeds he is regularly approaching.

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Comic Book Review – The Flash by Mark Waid Book Three

The Flash by Mark Waid Book Three
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Mike Wieringo

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After Professor Zoom’s defeat, Wally has cemented his place as The Flash and has a renewed confidence in this role. Right off the bat, he’s reunited with former lover and Titans’ ally, Magenta. As he tries to navigate helping her despite the protestations of his girlfriend, Linda Park. Former Titans’ teammates Nightwing and Starfire stop by Keystone City to help battle the organized crime syndicate The Combine. In a series of one-off stories, The Flash takes on Abra Kadabra, new villain Razer, and the terroristic cult Kobra. The most significant change in Wally’s life occurs with the arrival of Bart Allen, his nephew from the 30th Century. Bart is brought to 20th century Keystone City by Iris Allen, the widow of Barry and the aunt to Wally. Max Mercury lingers in the background and shows up to deliver a life-changing message to Wally.

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Comic Book Review – The Flash by Mark Waid Book Two

The Flash by Mark Waid Book Two
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Greg LaRocque

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Wally West has finally found his footing as The Flash when out of nowhere the long-thought-dead Barry Allen has returned from the dead. Barry returns to his role as The Flash running alongside Wally and the Golden Age Flash, Jay Garrick. However, something is wrong with Wally’s resurrected mentor, and he feels himself being pushed away. It will take some speedster allies to help get to the truth behind Barry’s return. There are also brief ventures to Gorilla City with a Green Lantern team-up as well as a handful of one-off stories, but the main draw here is the year-long Barry Allen story.

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Comic Book Review – The Flash by Mark Waid Book 1

The Flash by Mark Waid Book 1
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Greg LaRocque

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Since the tragic death of Barry Allen during the Crisis, Wally West has held the mantle of The Flash. On a visit to his grandfather’s, Wally uncovers an old scrapbook made by his late aunt Iris chronicling his days as Kid Flash. This triggers a series of flashbacks that retells Wally’s first short-lived run as Kid Flash (he would later go on to a much more prolific tenure as a member of the Teen Titans). Further, we get a series of adventures that have Flash teaming up with Aquaman and the return of the classic Rogue Abra Kadabra. There are also two large size annuals included that tie into the universe-wide events of Armageddon 2001 and Eclipso: The Darkness Within.

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Comic Book Review – Green Lantern: Mosaic Part 3

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Green Lantern: Mosaic Part 3
Green Lantern: Mosaic #10-18

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It is not an understatement to say that Mosaic stood out a series unlike much else DC Comics was publishing in 1992. If we do a quick survey of the company at the time, we see this was the start of a significant shift in the type of storytelling DC was doing. In the wake of 1985’s Crisis on Infinite Earths the major characters were given fresh reboots and, while there would occasionally be crossover events, most large-scale events felt reasonably contained. 1987’s Legends was more an event based around themes rather than plot. Millenium and Invasion were kept relatively small and with little to no effect on the broader scale of titles. This allowed a bit more creator freedom which we can see in Gerard Jones’ work with the Green Lantern franchise.

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Comic Book Review – Green Lantern: Mosaic Part 2

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Green Lantern: Mosaic Part 2
Green Lantern: Mosaic #1-9 (1992-1993)

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If you thought the four-part prelude would prepare you for what Gerard Jones had planned for the Mosaic ongoing series, you would be incredibly surprised. From the first issue, Jones is making a bold statement about what direction he is going, and it ended up being unlike anything DC Comics was publishing at the time. In fact, Mosaic often feels like a series that should be coming out under the Vertigo banner, DC’s imprint for mature reader comics. Mosaic deals with issues of racism and mental illness, but also delves into surreal and metaphysical places. Let’s just take a look at issue one for an example of how strange things were going to get.

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Comic Book Review – Black Panther by Christopher Priest Volume 1

Black Panther by Christopher Priest Volume 1 (2015)
Written by Christopher Priest
Art by Mark Texeira, Joe Jusko, and Mike Manley

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Prince T’Challa of Wakanda has returned to the United States after news of criminal activity at charities he runs has come to his attention. The inciting incident is the murder of a young girl who was the poster child for the charity. He hasn’t come alone though. By his side is are Zuri, a longtime friend and mighty warrior as well as the Dora Milaje, female representatives from each tribe of Wakanda that serve as T’Challa’s bodyguards (and also potential future wives). They take to the streets seeking out the perpetrators of these crimes, much to the chagrin of their U.S. government liaison Everett K. Ross. T’Challa runs into his adopted brother White Wolf as well as villains Mephisto, Kraven, and eventually the force behind a coup back in Wakanda.

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Comic Book Review – JSA by Geoff Johns Volume 1

JSA by Geoff Johns Volume 1 (2017)
Written by Geoff Johns, David Goyer, & James Robinson
Art by Stephen Sadowski et al.
Reprints JSA Secret Files #1 and JSA #1-15.

jsa geoff johns v1

Three generations of DC’s superheroes are thrust together when the dark sorcerer Mordru sets out to kill the next Doctor Fate. Old vets like Alan Scott (the original Green Lantern) and Jay Garrick (the original Flash) join with Black Canary, Starman, Hourman, and others to usher in the newest incarnation of their old friend. From there they face a myriad of evil forces: Black Adam, the terrorist cult Kobra, and the reality manipulator Extant. Along the way, their bonds not just as a team, but as a family strengthen and they become one of the great highlights of DC Comics in the 2000s.

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