Category: dc comics

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

flash waid one

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

gl mosaic hal jordan

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

gl mosaic

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

mosaic issue one

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 – Green Lantern: Mosaic Part 1

gl mosaic

Green Lantern: Mosaic – Part 1
Green Lantern Volume 3 #14 – 17

Green_Lantern_Vol_3_14

In the late 1980s, Green Lantern was the next property on DC Comics’ list to retool. The character, as a concept, has existed since the 1940s, but the incarnation at the time was quite different from its the masked crimefighter roots. Since the 1960s, the character had been reframed as a member of an intergalactic space corps using rings powered by will to create constructs. Over the course of twenty years, the title’s lead had been changed from time to time. It’s quite different from most other DC titles, you wouldn’t expect to see other characters taking over the mantle of Superman or Batman (at least not at the time). Hal Jordan was the chief GL, with school gym teacher Guy Gardner popping up for a short run, and then John Stewart, an African-American architect. Stewart is the focus of the Mosaic arc and spin-off series.

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Comic Book Review – The New Teen Titans Volume 4

The New Teen Titans Volume 4
Written by Marv Wolfman and George Perez
Art by George Perez & Romeo Tanghal
Reprinting The New Teen Titans v1 #21-27, Annual #1

new teen titans v4

The Titans investigate the murder of a former friend of Cyborg’s which leads them to the cult of Brother Blood. He’s a dark religious figure who seems to have his grasp on the highest echelons of power across the globe and puts forward a convincing smear campaign against the Titans. The main event though is the team’s first meeting with Starfire’s sister, Komand’r aka Blackfire. The Titans team up with Superman and the Omega Men on a journey that hurtles them across the galaxy to the Vega System, embroiled in its major civil war. The goddess X’Hal is nearing resurrection, and the Citadel wants to control her. It’s up to our heroes, a long way from their home on Earth, to do something about it.

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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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Comic Book Review – The New Teen Titans Volume 3

The New Teen Titans Volume 3
Written by Marv Wolfman & George Perez
Art by George Perez, Romeo Tanghal, Dick Giordano, Brett Breeding, and Pablo Marcos
Collects The New Teen Titans V1 #17 – 20 & Tales of the New Teen Titans V1 #1-4

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This third entry into the classic New Teen Titans series is a bit of pause from the non-stop story arcs of the previous two. Here we have four standalone stories and a mini-series that has the Titans on vacation with four members recounting stories of their early days including origins. The first story is an introduction of the tragic superheroine Magenta and serves as a Kid Flash spotlight. The second story is the return of the Silver Age Starfire, a Soviet superhero. The third tale brings Hawkman in for guest spot as Dr. Light breaks from prison after his encounter with the Titans back in Volume 1. The fourth story is a “Day in the Life” piece from the POV of Kid Flash as he writes a letter home to his parents.

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Comic Book Review – The New Teen Titans Volume 2

The New Teen Titans Volume 2
Written by Marv Wolfman & George Perez
Art by George Perez & Romeo Tanghal

The_New_Teen_Titans_Vol._2_TPBThe Titans begin to form stronger bonds in this second collection of Wolfman and Perez’s legendary run. There are two core story arcs presented here: Donna Troy’s temptation at the hands of the Titans of Myth & Changeling’s quest to avenge the fallen Doom Patrol. Both stories set in stone a lot of future Titans mythos, particularly the Doom Patrol storyline. This volume also serves to further connect the Titans with the DC Universe, and it’s very complicated history.

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Movie Review – Justice League

Justice League (2017)
Written by Chris Terrio and Joss Whedon
Directed by Zack Snyder (with reshoots by Joss Whedon)

justice league

Superman is dead, and the world is awful. A bad guy who looks lifted from a video game shows up looking for three MacGuffins, so Batman goes around to some people and asks them for help. They get together and punch stuff really hard, fight hordes of enemies that look suspiciously just like the enemies in The Avengers, and win. All the while other movies are set up without actually making sure this one is good.

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