Thought maybe I would try something new here. While I buy and download my comics every Wednesday – like most people – I usually wait to read them until my ride home from work on the subway Thursdays through Monday (or however long they last). So, as I go through my stash, I figured I could give a running review through the week of the new comics I read the night before right here.
Superman 3
Written by Patrick Gleason and Peter J. Tomasi
Art by Jorge Jimenez
The New 52 was not easy on the Man of Steel, as the new incarnation just didn’t seem very super. It wasn’t until he lost his powers and struggled to regain them that the character was able to show off some Superman-like qualities.
And then he died.
But instead of showcasing the exploits of four possible replacements, DC Comics found a way to bring back the pre-Flashpoint Superman, Lois Lane and their son (conceived and born while Superman had no powers during the Convergence crossover, in case you were wondering). The results have been a Superman comic that FEELS like Superman again. And they still manage to find a new angle, as Clark is now a father and trying to teach his son, Jonathon, how to grow up with his powers. For someone who has grown up with Superman, from childhood to adulthood, it’s nice to see this kind of character advancement with Superman and the new hook is a nice touch, because Clark Kent – Superman – should be exactly the kind of guy you want to see raising a kid.
This issue, Clark and Lois bring Jonathan to the New 52 Superman’s Fortress of Solitude to try and see why the kid’s powers seem to be fluctuating.Of course, it’s never easy, and they run into the Eradicator – a very important character in the Death and Return of Superman story from 1992-1993. The Eradicator is a artifact created to ensure the purity of the Kryptonian race. And now, with Jonathan, there’s a half-Kryptonian out there. You know that’s not going to end well.
Most of the story this time seems to be a set-up for issue 4 – out in 2 weeks – and ends with a very angry Jonathan after the Eradicator seems to… well, you should pick up the issue to see what he does.
A fun read, and I’m looking forward to more.
Teen Titans 22
Written by Tony Bedard
Pencils by Ian Churchill
Inks by Norm Rapmund
One of the few pre-Rebirth titles still being published as DC Comics prepares to reboot the title with a new No. 1 and a new Robin in command, Teen Titans continues to feel like it’s treading water. Of course, I’ve felt like it’s been doing that for a few years now. When the New 52 version of the book started, it tried to play off the pre-Flashpoint Teen Titans that Geoff Johns had established, but the personalities of all involved were never really fleshed out.
To make it worse, the Teen Titans have been wanted by police for almost the whole time the two New 52 volumes have been published.
This week, Red Robin has been captured by Amanda Waller, with the purpose of testing the Teen Titans as members of her Suicide Squad. The team comes to rescue Robin and Waller pushes them in an attempt to see if they’d be willing to kill. This, of course, is where you insert a joke about how DC characters are really dark now and OF COURSE they’d be willing to kill!
You’d be wrong.
We’ll see what happens when the book reboots in September. The current volume has one more issue next month before a Rebirth issue hits, so the team is the very definition of a lame duck. Hopefully the next incarnation does a better job with the kids.
Red Hood and the Outlaws: Rebirth
Written by Scott Lobdell
Art by Dexter Soy
I can’t be the only one getting tired of Scott Lobdell, can I? He was seemingly everywhere with the onset of the New 52. He wrote the New 52 versions of the books I reviewed above. And he turned Starfire into a sexed-up caricature in the New 52 Red Hood and the Outlaws.
For the reboot, Red Hood is supposed to team with Bizarro and the Amazon Artemis to create a Dark Trinity. But you would never know that by reading this issue. This issue is all about Red Hood, Jason Todd, the second Robin, recappng his history and his relationship with Batman, and setting up the premise of the book: Red Hood fakes an attack on the mayor to gain acceptance with crime bosses. It doesn’t feel like a very unique premise for Red Hood and really didn’t feel like it needed the whole issue to explain.
I would have been a lot more interested in having the Rebirth title explain how he came to team with Bizarro and Artemis, so the book can hit the ground running with issue 1. Instead, the now need to have an origin story beyond what was supposed to be the origin story issue. I feel ripped off.
The upcoming addition of a Bizarro has me intrigued enough that I’ll pick up issue 1, but Lobdell is on a very short leash with me, so there’s no promises I stick around for issue 2.
That’s all for today! I’ll have a new batch of comic reviews tomorrow.