War of the Supermen

My initial intent was simply to write a review for the War of the Supermen mini-series. However, my feelings are that those of you who have not kept up with the Super-titles (Action Comics, Adventure Comics, Superman, Supergirl, and the year-long series Superman: World of New Krypton) over the past two years could not entirely grasp the consequences of this mini-series. For those of you who don't have all the time in the world, I suggest you scroll down to last four paragraphs which deal directly with War of the Supermen. If not, I hope you enjoy the ride. Since I have no reviews this week, be sure to catch my DC reviews at ComicAttack.

I-I wish I could do more but I can't. I can't go any faster...

Even if the thought occurred to you then, you never thought you'd actually be able to do harm to your parents.

Streets of Gotham #11 ****
I can say this week after week, but until you actually pick up the book you guys won't ever really know just what you are missing out on by not reading the Bat-titles. And to those of you who are thinking, why would you need to read 5 books about Batman,ere given the pleasure of witnessing young children locked in cages like animals. It turns out that Mr. Zsasz over here not only has been kidnapping orphans but forcing them to fight one another for the pleasure of his customers. Enter Damian. This little guy, who is becoming a bit more likeable with every issue, has deemed himself the protector of children around the world. This was another great notch in Paul Dini's book of Gotham stories. And man does Dustin Nguyen have the amazing ability to take Dini's words and bring them to life. Great series, great issue, just great stuff.

Can't a guy just show his kids how much he loves them?

Batman 697 ****1/2
What is there left to say about Tony Daniel that I have not been saying from day one. This issue marked the culmination of Tony's first major story, along with the culmination of Dick's first major takedown as the new Batman. Tony Daniel has been doing a tremendous job bringing out Batman in Richard and vice versa. The writing has been progressively getting better with each issue that Tony pens and his artwork has remained amazing. He's been going so great doing both the writing and the artwork, that I wouldn't want to be the writer/artist that is missing their deadline.
There are a couple of key points that should be taken away from this issue. The first is that Dick Grayson is badass. Now, taking into consideration that this was a job that Dick didn't even want to take to begin with, he has taken over for Bruce at a level that is nearly, if not already, That being said, it was particularly ocious in this issue that Dick will be a different kind of Batman, and Dic Grayson Batman. I'm looking to see how things tie up on Selina Kyle's part.

I still stick with this title being one of the best titles out there right now and anyone not reading it is severely missing out on everything.

Blackest Night part one

A little note before I start. I have a habit of just liking things in general, especially because I haven't particularly ever needed to review anything. I will be following Matt's guidelines for ratings (which can be found to your right), however it needs to be kept in mind that we do have different tastes (rare, but it happens). I will most likely become a tad bit more critical as this process continues. To begin, I will be covering a fairly large realm of comics: Blackest Night Tie-Ins. Blackest Night is a pretty big deal, if you haven't noticed, and the tie-ins can be a nice addition or a waste of time. I will attempt to lead you in the right direction. As Blackest Night is separated into three parts, I will do the same.

Forgive me if I leave anything out.

Part One:

Blackest Night: Batman ****1/2
Over all I thoroughly enjoyed this miniseries. Although I am a big fan of the Bat-verse, I am not being biased.
I gave it 4.5 stars because I feel if you are a fan of Batman, then you definitely need to read this. However, if you aren't a fan (who isn't, though) then there isn't a necessity to read this, although it will inevitably bring you joy and pleasure. It's fun, the story line is pretty good, the art is nice, and it does what it set out to do: bring Blackest Night to Batman. Blackest Night Batman #1 does what the first issue of any miniseries should, it lays our the foundation of the series as well as generating enough interest to further read the series. The whole series will focus on Batman, Robin, and Red Robin's reaction to the reanimation of their loved ones. This plays along with the rest of Blackest Night, with the resurrection of dead loved ones, but it also toys with the recurring theme in Batman, which is the death of one's parents igniting the course of action. The scenes/panels/pages, call them what you will, that displayed the relationship that Tim and Dick have as well as their relationships with their parents were good. The scenes portraying the dynamic of the newly formed "Dynamic Duo" were also done very well. Blackest Night brought back guests, such as Boston Brand, aka Deadman, as well as brought recurring cast members, Commissioner Gordon and Barbara aka Oracle. Deadman was an unexpected guest, but was thoroughly amusing. As a long time fan of Barbara's, I can't say that I'll ever not appreciate a cameo on her part. You won't leave this miniseries knowing more about Blackest Night, but that's ok because I don't think you are meant to. There are bits and pieces of information that you can carry on to the main Blackest Night series, but the story is pretty self-contained, which isn't a bad thing mind you. I personally enjoyed the story very much and urge you to read it as well.

Blackest Night: Superman ****
I will be honest and say that I've never been a huge Superman fan. I like him fine, but personally I don't see any reason why the DC universe needs to him to be its savior. That being said, I did like this tie-in. I am a huge fan of Superboy and while I haven't read much on Supergirl, I do like her. On to the story. I did not know that New Krypton existed, so that threw me off for second, a short second I promise. Other than that, I liked seeing the interaction between Superboy and Superman. It's nothing like a Batman and Robin moment, but it's almost like watching two brothers interact when one is living in the other's shadow. I thought that choice for the antagonist was interesting and somewhat unexpected. I personally would have thought it would have been Pa Kent, shows how much I know. The most interesting thing to take from this, in my opinion, was the machine that the Kryptonians built to repel the power of the Black Rings. I know that they are an advanced race, but man, who knew. The possibilities. If they weren't so obsessed with themselves they could probably save everyone by trapping the Black Lanterns in the same sort of force field on their home planet (whatever that is.) Besides that, it was nice seeing Supergirl interact with her mother (Who, again, I did not know was alive.) Moving on, I never knew that one person could be feeling as many emotions at once as both Superman and Superboy did. What a display of, hmm, I don't know if I would consider a lack in controlling one's emotions or a complete control of one's emotions. Either way, the resulting artwork is fantastic.
Overall, nice tie-in. It had a little bit of everything you need in a good read. Some nice writing, great artwork (which I feel most people ignore comics, but some of the greatest artwork I've come across in recent years can be found in comics), a strong leading cast, as well as a likeable supporting cast, like Ma Kent and Krypto. Stop reading me, and go read it! Along with Batman!

Sidenote: I find it a tad strange that my spell-check finds nothing wrong with Superman, but throws red flags when I type Superboy or Supergirl.

Blackest Night: Titans ****1/2
This tie-in is probably the most revealing of all the Tie-ins I've read. Even if you haven't been following the Titans I'd suggest reading this one if only for the understanding that will come with reading it. While the other tie-ins (Superman and Batman) were great, they didn't particularly tie into the main story nor did they enlighten readers with further knowledge. This, to reiterate, is not the case with Titans. The non-regular readers will need to look up characters, that much at least is to be expected. Also, just like the other tie-ins this one does follow its own story, why wouldn't it. But, and that is a big but my friends, there are two things that happen in Titans that I found to be very important. The first was that Don Hall, the original Dove, did not rise when summoned by the black rings. The Black ring circled his grave, but alas, Don Hall did not rise because he was "at peace." This gives the reader just the slightest insight into the powers of the Black Rings. It should be mentioned that the being who bears the name "Dove" is usually an embodiment of peace. Furthermore, later in Titans, the current Dove (Dawn Granger) encounters some Black Lanterns, one being her now deceased sister. During their tussle, it became appear to us all (us being the readers) that the Black Lanterns could not "read" Dove as they do all other sentient beings. In a scene that seems to have shocked even Dove, Dove's peace (personified by her light) repelled the darkness of the Black Lantern and severed the Ring's connection to its body host. This lead my fellow comic book aficionados and I to conclude that Dove, and all her white Light, was the embodiment of all of the emotions (and colors of the spectrum.) Which goes along with the path that Indigo has taken Hal (combination of Lanterns and spectrums.)
This was a pretty good read. I knew the Titans well enough to know who was who, but even beyond that this tie-in brought with it the most twists and information. It is definitely a must read, even if you just read it once.

Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps ***
I wouldn't particularly consider this a tie-in, mainly because it's more of a history lesson. If you want a brief overview of the different Corps, this is where you'd go. I thought the writing is great (as I've come to expect from Geoff Johns.) I will admit that it was a fairly interesting read. I can't say for sure why, but the story of Hope slightly disturbed me (blind faith tends to have that effect on me.) The story behind Fear didn't impress me any. It made it's point but nothing stood out in a good or bad way. I will admit that I allow myself to get a bit sappy when it comes to fictional characters (especially comic book characters) so the story behind Carol and her love ring did pique my interest a bit. I also would like to learn more about these supposed Violet Lanterns. Enough that I'll probably end up going back and reading her journey and interaction with Hal. I don't know if I like that the Orange Lanterns aren't "real." The Red Lanterns do intrigue me. I won't lie, I was fairly pleased when Bleez turned and killed the Yellow Lantern, I only wished she caused him a tad bit more pain first. What I found to be the most confusing were the Indigo Lantern. I didn't particularly perceive their actions to be all too compassionate. To clarify, I mean what they did to the Yellow Lantern wasn't compassionate, what they did to the Green Lantern could be perceived as putting him out of his misery (if he was not healable at least.) The stories behind Kilowog and Arisia, I thought, were touching. I didn't know too much about either and this story did a good job in getting me somewhat emotionally attached to the both of them.

I'm not sure if I should add a short review on Blackest Night #0 with Director's Commentary. I figure Geoff Johns and Adam Schlagman did a great job covering the issue. I always like reading commentary because it just gives you the slightest bit of insight.

Overall I thought the tales were a nice little insert thrown in, but not completely necessary to read. They're good to read if you enjoy absorbing the history and every aspect of the the story (Blackest Night) but not needed to follow Blackest Night.

Stay tuned for Part Two next month. In the following weeks, I will be reviewing individual issues. Read long and hard folks!