Lasso of Truth – Weekly Comics Round-up: 14th October 2009

Lasso of Truth is your weekly guide to what’s hot and what’s not in the DC Universe.  Each week, the Red Baron goes through his comics haul to tell you what’s worth buying and what’s best left alone.

Here’s the key:

Must have – there’s no question, you should buy this great book.
Buy it – a high-quality read that won’t disappoint.
Check it out – pick it up if you have some extra cash.  May be an acquired taste.
Avoid – a disappointing read.  Save your money and steer clear.

Adventure Comics #3/506
Written by Geoff Johns ǀ Art by Francis Manapul
Gimmicky re-numbering aside, yet another fantastic issue of Adventure Comics.  I never thought I’d care about Superboy, but I do now thanks to Geoff Johns.  I never thought I’d care about Red Robin either, but Johns made me do that as well.  An emotionally poignant character study of Conner Kent and Tim Drake.
Verdict: Must have.

Blackest Night: Batman #3
Written by Peter J. Tomasi ǀ Art by Adrian Syaf
An entertaining survival horror story with plenty of fan service for Robin fans.  Dick Grayson and Tim Drake face their parents once again for the last time.
Verdict: Check it out.

Green Lantern Corps #41
Written by Peter J. Tomasi ǀ Art by Patrick Gleason
Tomasi keeps up the horror in his epic space battle.  Gleason’s artwork is once again let down by the rotation of inkers throughout this issue.
Verdict: Check it out.

Secret Six #14
Written by Gail Simone ǀ Art by Nicola Scott w/ Carlos Rodriguez
Month in, month out, Secret Six is my favourite DC book.  The “Depths” arc concludes with an issue that truly lives up to its name.  Bane and Scandal Savage’s oddball relationship is pushed to the very edge, and it seems there’s even more upheaval on the horizon for the Six.
Verdict: Must have.

Wednesday Comics #11 & 12
Written by Various ǀ Art by Various
I know I’m a bit late with this, but for some reason my local comics store forget to hold a copy of issue 11 for me last month.  Wednesday Comics was without a doubt a great experiment with the weekly comics format – an experiment I hope DC repeats sooner rather than later.  Highlights for me included Azzarello’s Batman, Dave Gibbons’ Kamandi, Palmiotti’s Supergirl, Gaiman’s Metamorpho, Pope’s Strange Adventures, and Kerschl’s The Flash.  Simonson’s The Demon and Catwoman finished excellently as well.
Verdict: Must have.

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Lasso of Truth – Weekly Comics Round-up: 9th September 2009

Lasso of Truth is your weekly guide to what’s hot and what’s not in the DC Universe.  Each week, the Red Baron goes through his comics haul to tell you what’s worth buying and what’s best left alone.

Here’s the key:

Must have – there’s no question, you should buy this great book.
Buy it – a high-quality read that won’t disappoint.
Check it out – pick it up if you have some extra cash.  May be an acquired taste.
Avoid – a disappointing read.  Save your money and steer clear.

Adventure Comics #2
Written by Geoff Johns ǀ Art by Francis Manapul
A heart-warming tale of love re-kindled, with some surprising developments on the Luthor/Brainiac front.  The best Superman book since Johns left Action.
Verdict: Must have.

Blackest Night: Batman #2
Written by Peter J. Tomasi ǀ Art by Adrian Syaf
Without a doubt the best Blackest Night tie-in on the stands.  It’s simple enough to stand on its own, and Tomasi does even more to flesh out the new Dynamic Duo.
Verdict: Buy it.

Green Lantern Corps #40
Written by Peter J. Tomasi ǀ Art by Patrick Gleason
Tomasi continues to mine the rich landscape that he himself created.  The return of the dead means the return of past plot threads, and Tomasi weaves them together beautifully.
Verdict: Buy it.

Secret Six #13
Written by Gail Simone ǀ Art by Nicola Scott
I’m really digging this “Depths” story arc.  Secret Six continues its proud tradition of anti-heroics and black humour.  If you haven’t been reading this book, you really ought to be.
Verdict: Must have.

Superman: World of New Krypton #7
Written by James Robinson & Greg Rucka ǀ Art by Pete Woods
The entire Superman line has been a real disappointment to me since Geoff Johns and Gary Frank left Action Comics.  Everything just feels so…orchestrated, contrived, storyboard-ed – so many adjectives spring to mind, few of them positive.  I expect more from James Robinson and Greg Rucka individually, but together!  This should have been the Golden Age of Super-storytelling.  Instead, the whole thing’s mired in uninteresting political posturing.  “Phantom Menace” continually springs to mind.
Verdict: Avoid.

Wednesday Comics #9 & 10
Written by Various ǀ Art by Various
Wednesday Comics just keeps getting better as it sprints towards the finish line.  There’s really only one weak story in the bunch.
Verdict: Buy it.

Lasso of Truth – Weekly Comics Round-Up: 12th August 2009

Lasso of Truth is your weekly guide to what’s hot and what’s not in the DC Universe.  Each week, the Red Baron goes through his comics haul to tell you what’s worth buying and what’s best left alone.

Here’s the key:

Must have – there’s no question, you should buy this great book.
Buy it – a high-quality read that won’t disappoint.
Check it out – pick it up if you have some extra cash.  May be an acquired taste.
Avoid – a disappointing read.  Save your money and steer clear.

Legion of Superheroes #40

Legion of Superheroes #40, ‘Enemy Rising Part 1: Headlong into Darkness’
Author: Jim Shooter
Artist: Francis Manapul
Inker: Livesay
Colorist: JD Smith
Letterer: Steve Wands

The Legion of Superheroes really embodies everything that DC has been trying to achieve with their re-instated multiversal approach. Legion is packed with vibrant characters and fantastical adventures across the 31st Century cosmos. This issue opens with the latter, but majors in the former, and with Legion veteran Jim Shooter at the helm, that’s not a bad thing. There’s a wealth of characters in the Legion of Superheroes, and I use that word very deliberately. While it’s near-impossible to remember every character’s name and abilities (though names like ‘Shadow Lass’ and ‘Lightning Lad’ do help), Shooter deftly handles each character pitch-perfectly and switches between them with ease and purpose. You may forget the names again when you put the book down, but you won’t soon forget the personalities that crackle and smolder through each line of dialogue. Shooter’s familiarity with his cast is apparent; they are his personal playground. Not in a self-indulgent way, like Brad Meltzer’s love-letter to the Justice League; more like an artisan who knows his tools.

The Legion of Superheroes were never really on my radar until Geoff Johns re-introduced them, first in the ‘Lightning Saga’, then in his work on Action Comics. Now, between this and Action, the Legion are far and away one of DC’s most fertile properties. And if it’s one thing I’ve learned from Action, it’s that a good Legion tale benefits from crisp, clean artwork, and artist Francis Manapul has this in spades. Whether he’s depicting physical or emotional action, Manapul has the details spot-on.

As I hinted earlier, the story begins with the takedown of a rampaging alien on Talok VIII. This scene had me hooked within the first few pages – Shadow Lass provided the action, while Brainiac 5 brought the humour (surprisingly) – and strapped me in for the ride to come. The contrast between the interplanetary scope of the story and the close-knit relationships between these teenage superheroes is interesting to say the least. This issue focuses mainly on Lightning Lad’s struggles as a leader. It really is quite masterful, the way the writer reins in the story to create an engaging teen-superhero-space-soap-opera. Even though this issue is a little light on action, it’s certainly not light on humour, charm, or drama, and I can’t help but feel that it’s building towards something far bigger. For now, Shooter is quite happy to mine the depths of his rich cast, so that we can familiarise ourselves as he has. The great thing is that all of the character sketches really serve the story, and don’t feel contrived in the least. Shooter’s approach means that we actually will care when the time finally comes to throw the Legion in harm’s way.

A great deal of the humour in Legion comes from Shooter’s extrapolation of a litigation-mad society. If you think it’s ridiculous now, wait until you see what Lightning Lad and Princess Projectra have to deal with 100 years later. The rest of the humour is sourced in the team’s domestic arguments – Brainiac’s freaking out about an impending alien invasion while the rest of the team bickers about the ethics of mind control. Enter Lightning Lad, the star of this particular tale, who swoops in and takes control, then chills to a cup of coffee.

The multiverse was made for stories like these. The Legion really has come a long way in recent times. The goofy camp of yesteryear is all but gone, but the humorous and endearing team dynamic remains. I can’t help but think that a story like this would not have been possible in the 90s or even the gritty-and-grounded 80s. If you enjoyed Johns’ run on Action Comics, then I highly recommend you pick up Jim Shooter’s entire run.