Exiled on… the Read of the Week 11/11/09

Green Lantern Corps #42 Story: Peter Tomasi Art: Patrick Gleason & Rebecca Buchman with Tom Nguyen Cover:Patrick Gleason, Rebecca Buchman, and Randy Mayor Publisher: DC

The war of light rages on in this latest chapter of the Blackest Night saga.  It doesn’t look good as the Black Lanterns have  overrun Oa.   Green Lanterns all over the planet are facing both physical and psychological horrors from undead comrades.  Just as the undead army is pressing it’s advantage, they suddenly and mysteriously they disengage the fight and go straight at the Great Battery looking to “devour will”. (Of course the Green Lanterns don’t know that back on Earth, that Black Lantern Jean Lorning has just ripped the heart out of Damage, giving the Black Lanterns “100%” of the emotional power they need.)

As the Black Lanterns attack Willpower directly by going after the Central Power Battery, the GL’s need to come up with a last stand.   Kyle comes up with the plan of dropping Red Lantern Vice and letting him rage into the battle, and the plan works, the Blank Lantern loses are enough to give the GL’s a chance.  That is until the single minded Alpha Lantern Chaselon thinks Vice is trying to escape and he terminates him, more over, Chaselon himself is overtaken by the Black Lantern Corphans, who see him a bright shiny ball to play with (drawn to his internal power battery) and crack him, and his battery open.

The light and power in that battery is enough to take out the threat, but only if it is released directly, and not consumed by the Black Lanterns.  That means someone has to crack it open.  Call it the classic suicide mission.   Only one Lantern is brave enough and close enough for the task.   Kyle Rayner, once the last of the Green Lanterns, once the vessel of Ion, and the savior of the Oa and the Corps, sacrifices himself to save his friends, Oa, and the Central Power Battery.

The issue ends on Gleason’s best work, the body of Kyle surrounded by the depowered falling Black Lantern rings, as his own ring shoots off into space, to Sector 2261, and to Mogo, where all power rings of the fallen are being sent (They are not finding new hosts, by order of the Guardians, who feared putting the rings into inexperienced hands, causing more loss of life).

Is this really the end of Kyle?  Will he be returned to the fight, as a Black Lantern?  Or as something more?

This issue is a game changer in the Blackest Night. I was really pleasantly surprised to see such important story beats taking place outside of the core BN mini.  One of the things I loved about the Sinestro Corps War a couple of years ago was that it was huge story, but it was focused in the GL books. which kept the story tight and moving, never feeling bloated and padded for sales.  One of my biggest fears was that Blackest Night would be spread too thin, but so far even with the core Blackest Night book, two Green Lantern titles, 3 Supporting mini, (and don’t forget the 3 issue  “Tales of…”  book that came out weekly) but so far there has been plenty of story and action to go around.

I have always liked Peter Tomasi’s writing.  His run on Nightwing was good, but I think he really found his stride with the Corps.  He has done a fantastic job with the large cast, creating strong voices for so many characters.   His work since the start of Blackest Night has been at the top of his game.  I don’t know how much of the plotting is his and how much is being decided by editorial mandates and but has been hitting on all cylinders, mixing action and character development nicely.   Peter Gleason, has also been fantastic at creating all the aliens, tech, and in Blackest Night, horrors that this title needs.

Not knowing where the GLC and the DCU will be after Blackest Night, I hope this team stays on the book, and I also hope to see more interaction between the DCU’s off Earth Titles and Characters. R.E.B.E.L.S , Strange Adventures, Mystery in Space, Lobo even.  Show just how universal this Corps is.

Grade – A

Exiled on… the Read of the Week – 11/4/09

The Great Ten #1 Story: Tony Bedard Art: Scott McDaniel and Andy Owens Cover:Stanley “Artgerm” Lau Publisher: DC

I have been waiting for this book since the end of 52.

The Great Ten is a fascinating experiment in the DCU. Will anybody want to read about a team of heroes that are not from the Western world?

It makes sense that China would have their own meta humans. Why wouldn’t they? I mean they have 3 times the population of the US, so you would figure they would have 3 times the number of meta humans. But DC’s (and Marvel’s) books are very US – centric. (DC has had the Global Guardians, the JLE/I, The Soviet Union had the Rocket Reds, there was an attempt in the annuals a few years ago to introduce more global heroes) And of course we just got to know Japan’s newest team, the Super Young Team (from the awkwardly titled, but super fun to read, FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: DANCE)

But this is about the Great Ten, China’s official Super Heroes. Each issue in this 10 issue series will focus on a member of them, giving us their origin. Issue one spotlights the Accomplished Perfect Physician.

This first issue, written by Tony Bedard, is the first chance we have to really see how these characters are as a team, outside of any interaction with the Western DCU characters. The story telling is crisp, and the character voices are distinct(as are the characters themselves). Scott McDaniel and Andy Owens create a colorful, vibrant China, and introduction of the rival Old Gods (led by the Jade Emperor) signal for more great story to come.

Grade – A

Book of the Week 10/28/09

DETECTIVE COMICS #858 Writer: Greg Rucka Art: Art by JH Williams III Second feature: The Question Writer: Greg Rucka Art: Cully Hamner Cover by JH Williams III Publisher: DC

This was a really good week for comics for me, and picking a book of the week was not easy. And it didn’t go the way I thought it would.

This week it’s Detective Comics.

I have to admit, right up until I sat down to start writing this column, I was planning on my BotW to be Batman #692, the beginning of Tony Daniels run, but as I looked over my stack, I since Batwoman took the feature in ‘Tec, this book has been in a class by itself.

First of, let’s talk about JH Williams III’s art. If its all possible to believe, his work has improved since Promethea. His art fits perfectly for the altered states of the characters minds. From cover to the end of the feature, its just gorgeous. And of course there’s Greg Rucka, whose writing needs no more praise from me, but I will heap some more on top. Greg has taken strands of Superhero, Crime, and even fantasy elements and have blended them together to create the world of Batwoman to stunning success.

This issue is the begining of Batwoman’s origin story. We get a peak at young Kate’s childhood and meet her sister, her twin sister, Bess. We also witness the terrible trauma that Kate, and her father go through that goes to show how the deep bond between the Colonel and his daughter was forged.

The second feature in the issue, starring the Renee Montoya version of the Question, was also written by Rucka, and drawn by Cully Hamner. I loved Cully’s work, going all the way back to Green Lantern: Mosaic. His stylistic approach has become a bit more refined. His characters all have such distinct personalities and faces, which makes him an interesting choice to draw a book about a character that has no face. This issue finishes a story arc, with Renee tracking down a lost girl in a white slavery ring. I am looking forward to seeing if Rucka brings Renee back into contact with some more of her Gotham Central partners soon, and seeing how some of them react to Renee’s new role as the Question.

It’s not clear to me just how long Batwoman and the Question will be the features of Detective Comics. More so than any other book, DC can easily change the features. And I already hear that Batman will be returning to the lead story soon, which is a shame considering how many books he already has. This book is currently featuring two strong female leads, here’s hoping one of them gets their name on their own title soon.

Grade A

Book of the Week – 10/21/09

Power Girl #6 Writer: Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti Art: Amanda Conner Publisher: DC

Well this book has a couple things really going for it.

No not those.

This book has great writing and great art. Its fun, while action packed, and never loses it’s sense of humor. Its clever, fast, and sexy, Just like its title character.

Power Girl’s solo title has been long overdue. I always thought she was the strongest character in the old JLE/I title. She was written unevenly over the course of the title, and her rotating costume closet produced some of the most hideous looks (That horrible yellow thing? The headband?) And her origin issues – She’s Kryptonian, No she’s Atlantian, and she’s Arion the immortal’s grand daughter… and what about that pregnancy? Have we ever seen her mystical love child since?

Anyway Geoff Johns work on JSA and Infinite Crisis has “streamlined” Power Girl (if you pardon the expression)in to the lean, mean fighting machine.

I love that Power Girl is based in NY (Brooklyn, even) Gray and Palmiotti have begun to surround PG with the makings of an interesting life. She has started her own tech company, wanting to bring more good to the world than she can in her powers alone. She setting up her own life outside of JSA brownstone, getting an apartment in Brooklyn. She has even taken in a “sidekick” in Terra. (a new one, a brunette). It’s a sisterly relationship, which is interesting. We never saw PG have this kind of relationship with Stargirl, or Cyclone. I am curious to see explain her reason for it.

This issue introduces Power Girl and the world to three alien princesses who have washed ashore in NYC. Think Paris Hilton with rayguns, well maybe a little better than that. It looks like we will be seeing more of these ladies at some point.

Amanda Conner’s PeeGee is by far my favorite version of the character. Far more feminine than most artist’s, I never understood why some artists felt the need to draw her as bodybuilder. Amanda’s facial expressions are spot on, even the cat (does the cat have a name?)

If you are not reading this book, why the hell not? It’s a definitely a hit.